An air of uneasiness filled throughout Fodlan.
Seteth, who'd remained within the midst of Garreg Mach Monastery, wiped a hand over his ancient-green beard. He positioned himself at the furthest end of the Cardinal's Room, standing just beside the largest and most important chair.
It reminded him of someone important. But that would have to wait.
There was business to be had. Things that needed to be discussed. Especially after what just happened to Garreg Mach. Which is why Seteth chose to silently await those he called to the aforementioned room.
One by one, they all came in. Shamir was first. She seemed vaguely interested in the whole matter, though her expression was still mostly abstract in nature. Jeralt and Alois came in soon after at the exact same time as one another. The former of the pair of men appeared to be roughly as distant as Shamir was - perhaps even more so. Alois was most certainly intrigued. His natural, joyous self greatly juxtaposed the severity of recent events.
Gilbert was the next arrival. There was most certainly an aura around him that indicated he was rather exhausted. Either from a lack of sleep, the previously mentioned current occurrences, some other matter, or all of the above; Seteth couldn't quite tell. Hanneman wasn't far behind. He had definitely, clearly been disturbed by the situation at hand. One could almost feel sorry if there was room for such emotions. Considering everything else.
Catherine was the next one to come in. She immediately took residence beside her partner Shamir, who refused to react to the obnoxious woman's exclamations and playfully provoking statements. Seteth eyed up the faint markings of a blush upon her face, however. He took note of it.
Then, there was only one more person to go. Just a singular individual everyone was required to wait upon.
"Hmph. 'Singular'. That is a rather apt descriptor for her," Seteth jested, keeping his joke to himself. He checked the clock upon the wall to his left. "I asked everyone to arrive by six in the morning. It is five past six. I should have expected this…"
Everyone collectively sighed. Time ticked on without the final person's presence. After ten minutes passed beyond the agreed meeting time, Hanneman had voiced his mild contempt for the person's indolent ways and was about to depart on a mission to fetch her.
Yet only seconds later, Manuela reluctantly pulled herself through the door.
"Sorry I'm late," she apologized, clutching her head in apparent agony, her voice sounding somewhat sluggish. "I wanted to get here sooner, but plans changed."
"Absolutely abhorrent. You should be far more punctual, Manuela," Hanneman chastised his colleague. "Surely this is not how you've treated your students…"
"Oh, stuff it. Can't you leave me alone for once? I've got a hangover. Do you really wanna kick a girl while she's down?" Manuela questioned, groaning all the while.
"You would not be in this state were it not for your witlessness-!"
"Enough!" Seteth commanded with a sigh. The two professors instantly quietened themselves down. "We have not come here to mindlessly bicker with one another. There are far more important matters at hand. Cease your ridiculous argument. Now."
No further words were exchanged between them. Manuela moaned and mumbled about her constant mental pains all while taking her place around the long, rectangular table within the middle of the room. She consciously chose a spot as far away from Hanneman as possible.
With everyone seated at the table, Seteth nodded in contentment and sat down upon the chair he'd been standing aside. He got himself into a formal sitting down speaking position, placing his arms onto the table as his hands were clasped together.
Only then was the ever important meeting able to begin.
"Greetings, everyone. I am glad you were able to arrive at such an early time," Seteth began. He was tempted to shoot a brief glance of disappointment at Manuela, but chose not to out of his better judgement. "I trust you are all well rested."
Groans and murmurs of discontentment sounded from his miniscule audience. The Nabatean grinned humorously.
"I see," he quietly remarked. "Well, I shall not delay any further. Humor provides useful brevity, but I fear it is not completely fitting for the situation we find ourselves in. You all are aware of what that is."
His allies nodded in confirmation.
"The flames of war have been ignited. And we have been caught within its burning grasp," Seteth continued. "We are also without our Archbishop."
"Do we know where she went?" Catherine asked.
"No," Seteth denied. "We do not. She has disappeared entirely."
Everyone was silent. They all stared down at the table beneath them as they entered contemplation and sorrowful lamentation.
Catherine was very clearly aggravated.
"I can't believe it. Did we not post any guards to keep an eye on her? If we did, then did they just fail?!" She questioned, almost unwilling to believe the truth. An exasperated sigh eased her irritations to some extent. "How could she have gotten away? Why would she have gotten away? I don't get it."
"Rhea has, or had, many secrets. I'm willing to believe her disappearance is somehow related to that," speculated Shamir.
"You are suggesting the Archbishop bears ill will?" Gilbert wondered with a frown.
"Not exactly. I was only stating a fact. We know that Rhea liked to keep all the cards to herself, so to speak. We had no idea what was in her hand. Now, her game plan's been demolished. And we're here, left struggling to think of what her next move would have been," Shamir clarified, leaning back in her chair after finishing.
"Hmph. That you would liken this to a game could perhaps be considered heresy. Nevertheless, I understand your point. Even if I am unsure of its implications," Gilbert stated, partially releasing his frown.
Shamir merely focused on a different part of the room, unwilling to chase the conversation any further. Alois coughed nervously.
"Ah-ha, well, that's all fine and whatnot, but I cannot help but wonder," he said before looking at the man who called everyone together. "Seteth. You were close with Lady Rhea, were you not? I can understand if you would rather keep certain things all hush-hush. Although, I do think our situation warrants a little bit of indiscreetness. Wouldn't you say?"
Seteth didn't respond right away. Instead, he closed his eyes, struggling with exactly what to reveal to everyone listening. By the way they looked, they were all most certainly interested in paying attention to what he had to say.
Except Jeralt. Seteth kept him in mind. He prepared himself to speak.
"I will tell you the truth, Alois. And everyone else," he eventually spoke. "I know many things about Rhea. Many things I could very well share. Other things I...should not."
Seteth loured.
"Even I do not know what has happened."
They all stared at him with varying levels of shock. The likes of Shamir and Jeralt weren't terribly fazed by the news. At the very least, they were clearly frustrated. That annoyance had been contagious enough to leak over to others.
"So, what do we do? If we don't know what happened to Lady Rhea and if we don't know where she could've gone, what are we supposed to do? What's the Church of Seiros gonna do without its Archbishop?" Manuela asked, a hint of vexation within her tone of voice.
"Are we to appoint someone as an Acting Archbishop, perhaps?" Hanneman proposed. "Might that be you, Seteth?"
"I suppose that being Lady Rhea's advisor means that I have to take over in her absence. I was doing precisely that for her month long reclusion, so it appears I will have to continue that role. Unfortunately," Seteth remarked.
"In that case, what's the plan, Acting Archbishop?" Catherine inquired, slight agitation to her voice's tonality. "I say we should get out there and start looking for her as soon as possible. Once we find her, we can bring her back to the monastery and start figuring out a way to fight off the Empire. Simple."
"No," Seteth refused, shaking his head.
"What? Did you just say you don't wanna find Lady Rhea? You're not starting a mutiny are you?" Catherine queried. Her expression combined both concern and suppressed anger. "Why shouldn't we do this? Makes the most sense to me."
Seteth held himself back from replying right away. He thought things through - a struggle came together within his mind.
He decided.
"While I understand the reason why you wish for us to do that, Catherine, I do not believe it would be the best course of action as a whole. Given what is available to us," Seteth replied.
"What do you mean by that? What are you saying?" Catherine continued to ask, more so confused.
"I am saying that we should remain here and wait. We might not be aware of Lady Rhea's location, but someone potentially does," Seteth implied.
"And who's that?"
Seteth steeled himself. He knew his next disclosure would change the social landscape between everyone within the room and the person he had in mind. A part of him was screaming out in refusal of his chosen action. He ignored it. He needed to.
For Rhea's sake.
Seteth breathed in, and out.
"Lucas," he revealed. "Lucas Hog possesses a wealth of knowledge neither of us could ever hope to wield. He is something of a seer. That is to say, he can see the future. If anyone knows where Lady Rhea might be - it will be him."
Collectively, everyone's jaws dropped. For the most part. Those that were listening to the revelation all had their astonished and mind-blown reactions conspicuous. Some were, at least, partially more calm about it than others. Shamir was perhaps the most steady of them all. Her mouth only slightly widened upon hearing the news.
Yet for some reason, as Seteth noticed, Jeralt was barely affected.
"That's...quite the claim," Alois commented, breaking the uneasy silence. "Are you certain that's the truth?"
"Yeah. Do you have any proof? That's not the sort of thing you can just say out of nowhere," agreed Catherine.
"I do not possess any tangible evidence of his knowledge. However, I can assure you that every single one of his 'predictions' have come to pass. He has been sharing them with myself and Lady Rhea over the course of the year. We have then used his knowledge to overcome any unforeseen situations," Seteth clarified. "For example, he successfully predicted that the Holy Mausoleum would be attacked. He also foresaw the Sealed Forest being a hiding place for our enemies."
Catherine shrugged. "You say that, but who knows if you're lying or not?"
"I don't think he'd be ignorant enough to do that. We're at a critical juncture, Catherine," Shamir disputed. She faced Seteth. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to betray our trust at the beginning of a war."
"I guess...I dunno. I feel like I need to see it in order to believe it. And, well, considering the guy's asleep, I don't think we'll be able to see anything for a while," Catherine assumed. "Which makes it harder for me to believe your claim, Seteth."
"Understandable. It is not the sort of information one can readily believe in. Yet I have the utmost confidence that it is the truth," Seteth assured his listeners. "I wish there was some way I could definitively prove it to you all."
Jeralt suddenly stirred within his seat. All eyes were on him.
"Will my words help?"
Seteth examined the aged human's visage for several seconds, taking on-board his serious expression and his relaxed, seated stance. The Nabatean gained a somewhat intrigued visage.
"What do you mean, Jeralt?" He inquired.
"I mean that I know a bit about Lucas' foreknowledge. I've probably known about it longer than even you have," the captain of the Knights of Seiros answered.
He then addressed the rest of his allies.
"It's absolutely true," he continued. "I don't know how he does it, but he's able to accurately guess at every major event that happens in Fodlan. He even knows about small, irrelevant things, like what all of your favorite foods are or what you all dislike the most. As Seteth said, he can see the future. But he can also see a lot more than just that."
"Do you suppose he might be aware of Lady Rhea's location?" Gilbert quizzed him.
"I'd be surprised if he didn't," replied Jeralt. "I agree that we should stay here until Lucas wakes up. It'd be downright moronic of us to not use his knowledge."
"Thank you, Jeralt," Seteth smiled. "Everyone, I apologize for not having any physical evidence or proof of my assertions. But I hope our words are enough to convince you."
A general shuffle of uncertainty flushed through the crowd. They all either looked to the ground, the ceiling, or did some kind of mundane action that indicated a great deal of quandary.
Out of the ones within the room, only Seteth and Jeralt were resolute. But then a third soon came around.
"I believe you two," Shamir said, gathering attention upon herself. "I might not know either of you all that well, but I know enough to say that you won't lie in a situation like this. I'll follow whatever you choose to do."
Seteth brightened once he heard her words. It re-encouraged him, providing him with further strength in his resolution.
He wasn't the only one that felt that way. Someone else found a surge of resolve after listening to Shamir.
"I concur," Hanneman agreed. "When I was discussing with Lucas about Crests one time, he spoke as if he knew more than he was letting on. Foresight may very well be the reason for that."
Boldness had become contagious, as another individual was next.
"I've gotta admit, I kinda have to agree," Manuela added. "He managed to perfectly counter mine and Claude's strategies in both mock battles. It was like he already knew them beforehand! Considering what's been said today, that might actually be the case. I'll stand with you, Seteth."
And then another.
"I'm not certain about this whole thing, myself, but if Captain Jeralt believes in it, then so will I!" Alois stated. "I'll stay here as well!"
Catherine was reluctant, but she relented.
"I guess I won't mind sticking around, either. Can't expect to go out and try to find Lady Rhea all on my own. I'll stay. I just hope Lucas doesn't take too long to wake up," she wished.
Seteth smiled. He, along with everyone else, then turned their gazes over to Gilbert. He hadn't expected such a sudden shift of attention towards him, thus he quietly yelped.
A sorrowful expression came over him.
"I...I apologize, my friends," Gilbert apologized. "I support your efforts to remain at the monastery. Truly, I do. But I cannot remain here."
"Why is that?" Seteth wondered.
"I wish to return to the Kingdom. I would like to ensure its safety within the war. If my home were to fall, I…am unsure what I would do with myself," Gilbert divulged, closing his eyes out of regret. "Again, my sincerest apologies."
"That is fine. I will not force you to do anything. Act as you please. If you wish to return to your home, so be it. We will be fine here," Seteth reassured the man. "Do not worry. I can understand your desire to safeguard your home."
"Thank you, Seteth," thanked the orange-haired knight.
The meeting became inaudible once the number of comments from its participants drew to nothingness. They all faced the man that brought them together within the room, as he coughed to gain their attention.
"Well, now that we have our next, long-term, course of action decided, we must prepare ourselves for another battle," Seteth instructed after coughing. "I believe we have covered all we needed. You are all dismissed."
Upon receiving the instruction, the members of his audience departed from the Cardinal's Room, in a similar one-by-one fashion as when they all entered.
They made sure to get themselves primed for whatever the war would next throw at them.
At the outskirts of Garreg Mach's empty marketplace, a certain young, white-haired girl stood in wait. She was patient. A friend of hers was to arrive at this location before long. She needed to stay there, else the meeting wouldn't be able to occur.
Edelgard sighed. Her red-cloaked Officers Academy uniform swayed in the wind. A foul stench permeated the air, reminding the girl of the world's fragile state.
Yet she remained firm. Nothing was to shake her resolve.
"My friends, I…"
It was a struggle. An undeniable conflict. Edelgard glanced around herself - not a single soul was closeby. The nearest people were the guards that protected the gate. None of them were individuals she particularly cared for. While she did appreciate their efforts, they were not exactly her friends.
"Are you all happy with where you are?"
She gazed far into the clouds above. A large grey ceiling blanketed the entire region. As if the world itself was reacting to the changes within the continent of Fodlan and its people. Edelgard was focused on something else.
Rather, she was focused on specific people.
Her mind fluttered to images of all those individuals. They were ingrained into her soul, never to leave her. No matter what.
Ferdinand, irksome at times but also notably determined and passionate. Petra, the proud princess of Brigid. Bernadetta, an incredibly caring person yet quite the recluse at heart. Caspar, the overly energetic and reliable fighter. Linhardt, the perpetually resting Crest researcher.
"Hubert…"
The one person she would absolutely never forget. Almost instinctively, she checked behind herself, yet was upset when she was reminded of the hellish reality she lived in. Edelgard did her best to ignore those emotions.
Instead, her mind flicked to the last member of the Black Eagle House. Despite not having any royal status of any kind, she was still someone that elicited warm feelings within the fallen princess. It was-
"Edie?"
From behind came that friend. Dorothea wore a hooded cloak, a large pack hung tight to her side. Edelgard smiled upon seeing her once again.
"Ah, Dorothea. I was hoping I would see you here," she greeted her classmate. "It seems you're leaving now."
"Y-Yeah," confirmed the commoner Black Eagle as she lowered her hood. "Will you be fine without me? I know what happened with Hubert, and-"
"It will be fine. Do not worry. I can take care of myself," Edelgard reassured.
Dorothea didn't seem so sure. "Are you saying that to me, or to yourself?"
"A bit of both," admitted Edelgard, her expression gaining a hint of sorrow. "It is always good to remind oneself of what needs to be done."
"True, I guess. But…"
The brown-haired woman slowly approached her unnaturally white-haired compatriot. Dorothea wore a countenance of concern as she stared down upon the fallen princess.
"Are you sure you'll be fine? If not, then I don't want to leave you. I don't have to go, anyway. I'm more so worried about your wellbeing, Edie. If I can be of help to you in any possible way, please let me know. I can't stand seeing your beautiful face all upset."
"I…"
Edelgard felt a sudden urge to look away. Something in the distance was far more interesting and calming than having to deal with the uncertain emotions wavering throughout her soul.
But she struggled to maintain her distant stare. Dorothea's warm presence made it an impossibility. Edie eventually spoke.
"I made a vow to Hubert," she began. "I would look to the future, to cut a path towards the Fodlan I wish to see. To eliminate all those who brought me such pain within my life."
Dorothea opened her mouth to speak, yet Edelgard wasn't done.
"To become unable to take care of myself...that would directly contradict the promise I made to him. That is something I will never do. I will never break my final promise with him. Which is why you do not need to worry, Dorothea. Hubert asked me to keep walking forward. And that is something I shall always do."
The hooded Dancer smiled.
"Alright. You seem pretty set in your ways, then. If you're gonna keep walking forward, I suppose I've gotta do the same," she stated. "It's ironic. You'll be staying here, looking to the future...while I'll be in Enbarr, neck-deep within the past."
Edelgard was evidently perplexed.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Oh, did I not explain where I'm headed? Heh, sorry," Dorothea apologized. She took a short break to reinforce the resolve behind her plan before speaking it aloud. "As I said, I'll be going to Enbarr. I want to make sure my friends at the Mittelfrank Opera Company are all okay. With the war and everything, I don't know how safe it'll be in the capital. Which is why I wanna go."
"I see. So you're concerned about your old friends. Heh-heh, that's just like you, Dorothea," commented Edelgard with a smile. "You're always worried about other people. Have you even thought about your own safety? What if you get caught up within the war? What then?"
"I'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen. I don't plan on fighting for a cause I don't care for. But don't you worry, Edie. I have plans," Dorothea implied, shooting a wink at her friend.
"Plans? You may have put more thought into this than I originally assumed. That is good. I have faith that you'll be able to keep yourself safe."
"Uh-huh. Being a homeless orphan on the streets of a capital city gives you advantages other people aren't gonna have. Not that I plan on ever going back to that life, but it has provided me with some useful life experiences."
Dorothea suddenly smirked.
"Heh. Maybe I'll be able to find our fellow Black Eagles," she suggested.
"I would doubt it. They have all left to check on their homes and their families. I do not believe their paths would lead them to Enbarr. If that were the case, then I cannot presume it would be for a positive reason."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen. I'd hate to have to fight my own friends…"
Dorothea clasped her hands together and stared at the ground. Hopeful thoughts rushed through both her mind as well as Edelgard's. They weren't thinking exactly the same thing as one another, but they at least shared a wish for the future.
A wish they were not about to disclose. Not just yet.
Snapping the pair of girls out of their thoughts was the unforeseen arrival of a specific red-headed woman wearing a grey merchant's garb and a similarly colored hood. She laid a hand upon Dorothea's shoulder.
"Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you for ages! Y'know, they say time is money. I'm glad that's not literal, otherwise you'd have just wasted a whole lot of cash," the woman remarked.
Edie and Dorothea halted their thinking processes, beginning to pay attention to this person that they were both familiar with.
"Sorry about that, Miss Anna. I didn't mean to make you worry. Is everything ready?" Dorothea inquired of the merchant.
"You betcha! It's been ready for about half an hour. I'm just waiting for you. Are you done talking with…" Anna looked past Dorothea's figure, seeing Edelgard standing right behind her. "Oh, it's the, uh, the sort-of Imperial princess! Long time no see!"
"Indeed, Miss Anna. Thank you again for the Steel Axe I bought from you. It has proven to be a valuable weapon," Edelgard responded to the woman with a slight chuckle. Her gaze swapped between the two women. "I take it you're both travelling together?"
"Yep!" Anna confirmed. "Dorothea here asked me to smuggle her into the Imperial capital without any of the guards noticing. Apparently, she's got some sneaky dealings to undertake over there. Whatever it was she said. It doesn't matter to me what she does, as long as I get the money we agreed on."
"And you will be repaid, Miss Anna. In fact, if my plan works out, we won't be the only ones benefiting…" Dorothea stated, suggestively.
An eyebrow of Edelgard's was raised. "Whatever are you talking about?"
"You'll see, Edie. You'll see. Even if we don't reap the benefits right away, I can assure you that one day, you will eventually see the fruits of my hard work," Dorothea vowed.
The eyebrow lowered, albeit reluctantly. Edelgard sighed and then smiled. "Alright. I'll believe in you and your plan. Just be safe."
"Thanks. You too, Edie."
Dorothea began walking away with Anna, yet stopped before she could take very many steps. She turned back to her friend and smiled.
Then, completely out of the blue, she spontaneously decided to embrace her classmate in a final, loving hug. Edelgard initially attempted to wriggle her way out of it, but she ultimately accepted her fate.
There was something nice about being embosomed by a good friend such as Dorothea.
A cough from Anna interrupted the warm feeling both girls were sharing.
"Alright, I think that's enough. We gotta get moving," she interrupted the two. "Enbarr isn't gonna wait for us."
"You're right. Sorry, Miss Anna," said Dorothea. She released the hug, much to her own disappointment. "Let's go."
Anna then began to lead the Black Eagle towards the nearby marketplace gate. Once the pair arrived right where the partially damaged monastery walls ended, Dorothea halted once more. She swivelled around to face Edelgard, who'd been watching the hooded individuals depart with a forlorn expression.
Dorothea attempted a reassuring smile.
"Don't be so sad, Edie! This won't be the last time we meet!" She called out to her friend. "I'll be back someday. Don't you worry. I could never leave someone like Professor Lucas behind…"
"What?" Edelgard responded internally, bewildered. She shook those speculative thoughts away and returned her friend's call. "I'll make sure our professor stays safe. You won't need to worry about him."
Dorothea smiled. But her smile was somehow different than it had been previously.
"Thanks, Edie! I can always count on you!"
"You're welcome, Dorothea. I'll see you another time."
More words wished to escape the songstress' mouth, though further insistent urging from Anna prevented them from getting anywhere. She was content with simply waving Edelgard goodbye.
The two of them then departed from Garreg Mach Monastery.
Once their shrinking visages disappeared from view, Edelgard turned around on the spot, looking straight ahead at the ancient monastery that loomed over her.
"This is where I will be spending the rest of my days, it seems. Until either the war comes to a close, or I die," she mentally said to herself. "And I am all alone. The Black Eagles have all dispersed to their homes. Who knows if I'll ever be able to see them again? Well, I suppose there might be one person that will know…"
Her gaze fluttered to the sky.
"Professor Lucas. You are the only one of our house that remains. I...I trust you will awaken soon. I do not wish to remain on my own for much longer. I will wait for you. No matter how long it takes."
Her eyes twitched, yet her stare remained strong.
"Because you are my friend."
Edelgard brought herself down to the harsh realms of reality. Uncertain of what else to do at that very moment, she decided to make use of the training grounds. She felt she needed to better herself for what was to come.
Although the war with the corrupt Adrestian Empire had already started, Edelgard knew the worst of it had yet to occur.
Author Notes: And that's a wrap on Act 2, "Building Up To…"! Yeah, this one's definitely been a wee bit shorter than Act 1, but hey, that one was massive. All the other ones will look miniscule in comparison.
Next chapter will begin Act 3 and thus, the timeskip. I'll take some time off before beginning to write it, however. Got some real life stuff happening this week that I need to take care of. But don't you worry! Temporal Glitch will return soon! You're just gonna have to wait a little bit. See you then!
Don't forget about the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server! It's a really awesome place where a bunch of fanfic authors and readers come together to discuss fanfiction in general, what fandoms we're into and all sorts of cool stuff! It's a really awesome community, so if you wanna sign up, here's the invite code: 9XG3U7a.