So, when I uploaded the last chapter, I didn't realize that I had uploaded so close to the new year, so I just had to update a new chapter before the year ended/started. So, I spent the last days, rushing to finish this chapter so I hope you all enjoy it.
And Happy New Year!
Age:
Byleth: 17
Claude: 14 going on 15
Harpstring Moon 1178:
Third of the Harpstring Moon:
Claude, that was the only name that the Alymra teen would tell her and she knew that it wasn't his real name, but she didn't press it. In exchange for him telling Salu how to cross the border, Claude requested for a guide that would take him to Derdriu, which was easy enough for her. She didn't know what his goal was and why he snuck into Fodlan but she could tell that he wanted to keep his Almyra heritage a secret, and so she would play dumb when he tried to act like a "Fodlan" person.
Claude loved to talk, and it didn't really matter or not if she really contributed as he would just continue to carry on the conversation; she was impressed. She and Salu had mostly traveled in silence, thanks to the language barrier but she also got the feeling that Salu wasn't want much for conversation and she couldn't blame him after everything he went through. She did not realize that she would miss the sound of conversation so much until she started traveling with Claude.
Claude's cheerful disposition had also been a breath of fresh air compared to her gloom for the past two years. While he was always a constant smile, she was able to discern quickly that none of his smiles were genuine. She had found that to be a shame because she was sure if he had a more genuine smile, he would be quite handsome. She was unable to tell if his cheerful disposition was all an act or not but if it was, she hoped that he would soon become comfortable enough around her to drop it, even if she liked it.
The Almyrain's goals were a complete mystery to her and though her curiosity was great she never perused it. She might not have been able to explain why but she was drawn to him; despite that she was determined to at least maintain a proper employer-employee relationship and as such she would not ask about anything unless he brought it up. That didn't mean she couldn't at least make guesses, though she felt like she was always off unless she had some kind of clue to back her up.
The mystery that held her greatest interest on that day was his bowmenship. It was clear to her that he was trained to use another weapon, instead, but the only thing he had brought with him was a bow and a few arrows. She could tell that he was relatively new to using the bow too, based off his stance and hand positioning but he did have at least have a talent for it.
After a few minutes of watching him practice she made her way over to him. Resting a hand on her hip, she watched with some amusement at him struggling to maintain focus, when she was so close. When his arrow went off target, she decided to intervene.
"Your legs are too far apart," she said and watched as he twitched a little at her sudden voice. Maintain his focused expression he looked down at his legs and brought them closer and then he looked at her for confirmation to which she nodded. He fired another arrow and it hit the tree, he was aiming for, but his arms positioning still needed correcting but his little, silent cheer, stopped her from correcting him right away.
"What's your weapon of choice?" His body stiffened briefly before quickly dropping to a casual stance.
"Why a bow of course," he answered back as nonchalantly as he could and even placed his hands on the back of his head as he leaned a little. He gave her a little smile and she maintained her deadpan expression.
"Your stance says otherwise." He stiffened again for just a moment but maintain his smile and eye contact. Tilting her head to the side, she rested it on her knuckles as she looked him over. It was clear to her that he didn't use a bow, but she wasn't familiar enough with Almyra's fighting styles to figure out what weapons he used based off of his stances. Muharib popped into her mind and she looked at the boy before here.
"Axes?" He perked up slightly at that and so she returned to a more neutral position before continuing, "I knew an Almyrian that preferred axes. Is that a weapon of choice in Almyra?"
"You knew an Almyrian?" She didn't know if he was trying to deflect the question or was just generally curious, regardless, she nodded, and his little smile grew. "Are they common in Fodlan?"
She pressed her lips together as she tried to recall every Almyrian she had ever meet, which was a very small amount. "In the Alliance you can see some Almyrian merchants from time to time, but I can't say, I've seen one in the Kingdom or the Empire." His eyes shinned with that information.
"So," she paused so that she could lean on to her left side, "why are you using a bow?" He flinched slightly at her question.
"I heard that the Alliance military excels at bows and I thought I would fit in better if I used one."
She tilted her head. Sure, the Alliance's military had the best marksmen in Fodlan but that was only because of the elite knights from House Riegan and may be a select section of Goneril's knights. It didn't seem like a good enough reason to her to use a weapon one wasn't familiar with, especially when traveling into new territory alone. She had a feeling if she pressed for answers, he would just avoid the question as he had already done numerous times since the few days, she's met him.
"Would you like me to teach you how to properly use a bow?" His green eyes sparkled at the news.
"You do not mind?"
She shrugged her shoulders. She felt like she owed him a bit more than just traveling with him. "It will help kill time during camp and for some reason I want to see you succeed." His cheeks redden as he looked away and mumbled a thanks. Patting his head for a second, she went about to retrieve his arrows. Some of his arrows were beyond dull and she had no idea how he managed to pierce anything. The first lesson was an easy lesson to decide on.
"Before we start any practice you need to learn how to maintain your arrows." He pouted at that.
Seventh of the Harpstring Moon:
During camp a portion of their time had been dedicated to bow practice, but that night Claude had been lost in thought. She could tell that something had been on his mind for that day as she noticed that he had been trying to match her speech patterns more. She figured that he wanted to get rid of his accent or at least mask it better, but her speech patterns were not the way to go. Based on the fact that he was fluent in Fodlanese, she had concluded that he was of high birth in Almyra, or at the very least someone from a rich family, so her shorten words would not work for him but she really didn't want to change her speech patterns; she was done with etiquette classes.
"Claude," she called, and he hummed as he took a bit of food from the other side of their little campfire. "I don't think I should be your example for learning how to sound more like a Fodlan person." He arched an eyebrow. "Nobles like to have draw out words and I hate talking like that."
"So? Why should I not copy you?" he asked once he swallowed his bit of food.
"Because it is not 'proper' speech." She made air quotes, when she said the word proper.
"And why should I bother with 'proper' speech?" He copied her actions with the word proper, but his actions weren't as confident.
"Because nobles don't like the way I talk, and I am sure it will only hurt whatever your goal is." With a stern expression he watched her for a bit before sighing.
"But I do not care about acting like a noble and the like." He leaned back to look up at the sky and took another bite.
"That is true. You certainly don't act like any noble I have ever met." He glanced at her for a second before sitting properly.
After finishing the last bite of his dinner, he really looked at her. "So," he started as he leaned onto his knees, "what gave it away this time?" She could not help but feel a little proud at uncovering one of his secrets.
"I will admit that I don't know many Almyrians but I can't expect that many of them are fluent in Fodlanese, can I?" His eyes widen briefly before shutting them with a sigh.
The sat in silence for a bit, which allowed her to finish off her portion of that day's hunt. With a sudden snap of his eyes he opened them, and he was watching her. Swallowing the final bite, she matched his gaze and didn't say anything.
"What kind of noble are you?" he finally asked. Speechless all she could do was stare at him. He got up and walked over to her and she still couldn't think of a thing to say even though he was standing right in front of her. He sat down and rested his hands on his knees as he leaned forward until he was just a few inches away from her and grinned. "Are you a runway? A noble from a fallen house? A noble on some kind of journey or trial? What kind are you?"
She blinked a few times before finally finding her voice and being able to ask a question, "And what makes you think I'm a noble?" Though she had grown to despise nobles, she couldn't help but feel a little happy to be mistaken for one because maybe, just maybe, she did belong in Dimitri's world.
He sat straight and looked at her. He grinned at her as he held up a finger and started to imitate her. "Your posture," he paused to hold up another finger, "and the way you walk give you away. No, commoner has time to be learning how to walk 'properly'."
It was her turn to widen her eyes. She gave him a small congratulating nod and he beamed at that. She might have been able to break free of the "proper" speech pattern, but the proper posture and walk had been engraved into her and she feared it was something she wouldn't be able to break free from.
"I hate to break it to you, but I am no noble. Just a lowly commoner." He gave her a dubious look. "I will admit that I did receive etiquette lessons fit for a prince." His eyes widen at that interesting piece of information.
"Why?"
She opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it. She stared at Claude as she tried to figure out her feelings. She didn't really want to keep any secrets from him but for some reason she also didn't want to share any information about Dimitri to him. Pressing her lips tightly together she turned her sights onto their little fire.
"I think, I will keep that a secret," Byleth said after a few seconds of silence.
"Aw, come on!"
She turned to look at him. "You have your secrets and I will have mine." Huffing out his annoyance, he folded his arms across his chest and turned away.
"Fine, keep your secrets."
She lightly pinched his cheeks and he playfully smacked her hand away. "You don't get to complain about someone keeping secrets." He rolled his eyes.
"Can you at least tell me, if you learned out how to dance or not?"
She recalled Dimitri's twelfth birthday ball and her chest warmed at the pleasant memory. "Yes, I did."
"Can you teach me how to dance please?"
"I hate dancing." While dancing with Dimitri might have been a pleasant memory, the act of dancing was still annoying and practicing even more so.
"Please!" He grabbed her hands. "I am sure, if I knew how to do at least one Fodlan dance it will help me." She struggled to maintain a neutral expression. "You said you would help me with my goal, did you not?" She frowned at him, while he smiled a sly, little smile.
Now on top of bow practice, Byleth would teach Claude how to dance during camp.
Sixteenth of the Harpstring Moon:
The two finally arrived at a village and it was decided that they would get Claude some new clothes so that he could better fit in Fodlan. He walked through the small village with a curiosity that he couldn't contain. His questions and comments were so quick that she couldn't tell if he wanted her to respond or not. Byleth had to force him to stop when they had arrived at the only clothing shop in the village, as it was clear that he had forgot why they were there.
She held up a plain green tunic to him and she could tell that he didn't like it as it couldn't compare to the vibrant clothes that she was sure that he was used too. While eye balling if the tunic would fit him or not an old man ripped the clothing from her hands. The travelers looked at the man that was glaring at Claude.
"I don't serve your kind!" the old man spat.
From the corner of her eye; she saw Claude tense up and looked away. The old man then tried to chase the teen away with overexaggerated arm waves and the teen had to step back. Having enough she stood between the two and glared at the old man.
"What is your problem?" she asked calmly.
"He is! Almyrians are liars and brutes! I will not serve his kind!"
She leaned forward and invaded his personal space. His fight quickly gave out under her intense gaze. She did not let up and narrowed her eyes.
"You are darker than me," she said as he pulled up her sleeve to reveal more of her pale skin. His eyes flickered between her arm and her face. "If darker skin is what make someone a liar and a brute, how do I know I should be doing business with you?"
"What?! I'm a Leicesterian, you fool! Obviously, I can be trusted!"
"I highly doubt that." The man glared at her. "I will sooner put my life in the hands of this Almyrian than I would yours."
Having said her peace, she dragged Claude away from the stall and left the village all together. They still had enough supplies to last them until the next town and there they would buy Claude some new clothes. Claude's curiosity was gone as he allowed her to quietly guide him out of the village. It had been a long time since she had been angry but seeing the once cheerful teen dejected, revived the dormant emotion and she wanted to go back to that old man and yell at him but decided it against it.
"So, it is the same here too?" She heard him quietly mumble. Sighing, she was about to offer him an apology but before she could start, he gave her a wide smile. He had been all smiles ever since they made their deal but none of his smiles were genuine and that smile had been the fakest one of them all. She made no comment to his smile as she just patted his head and began to walk away, and he silently followed.
They traveled the rest of the day in silence and normally Byleth was a fan of silence but from Claude she hated it; she didn't realize she could like hearing someone talk so much. Shortly through their walk he dropped his smile and she liked that; forcing himself to do something wasn't something she liked seeing. She wished she could comfort him, but she didn't know what to say and she was sure a few head pats wouldn't fix anything.
His silence continued well into the night and it was really bothering her. She had tried starting conversations, but she was terrible at it, she didn't realize how dependent she was on Dimitri for starting most of their conversations. When she started to grill the rabbit, she caught, she had accepted that it would be a quiet night.
"Hey," he randomly said, staring at the fire. She hummed her response as she looked at him from over the blaze. "Are most people in Fodlan like that old man?"
She pressed her lips tightly together and went back to poking the fire. She could hear him sigh and so she sat down next to him, but he didn't look at her. Despite him keeping his thoughts and feeling a secret it was clear that he had some expectations for Fodlan.
"Would it be better if I said I was a Duscurian?" She could feel his eyes on her, but she refused to look at him and turned her sights up towards the sky.
"If you want a quick way to be sold off to the Kingdom to be slaved or killed, go ahead." She could hear him suck in a deep breath. "I will admit, I don't know if the hostilities have always been so great or if has grown in the pass two years because of what happened in Duscur."
She finally looked at him and there was the familiar spark of curiosity in his eyes and she liked that look a lot. "Two years ago," she started, and he leaned ever so slightly closer to her. "Nearly the entire Kingdom's royal family and their company of knights were killed in a brutal attack in Duscur …," she paused to swallow the thick lump that formed in her throat, "and the people of Duscur have received the blame for the attack and have suffered greatly for it."
He sat straight and looked at the fire, while she shut her eyes. Dimitri and Dedue flashed before her mind as well as a sharp pain in her chest; she hoped that they were doing fine. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and looked at the sparking flame.
"Ever since then," she started and he looked at her from the corner of his eye, "all of Fodlan has been on alert. I suspect people are expecting a similar incident to happen from Almyra."
"Almyra would never do something so cowardly," he said it so strongly that all she could do was just rub his head before she got up to go get some meant.
"Perhaps, but fear will always make people act irrationally." She handed him a skewer and he stared at her for a few seconds in silence before finally taking the food.
They ate in silence. Their little talk did make her feel better despite bringing up painful memories; silence just didn't fit with Claude, even if she was the one to do most of the talking. She finished her portion relatively quickly while he took his time. She decided that tomorrow she would try to find a pheasant to hunt as she noticed that he enjoyed those.
It wasn't until she was done setting up their bedrolls, that he spoke again, "May I ask, why are you not bothered by other races?" She stopped what she was doing to look at him. Such a thought had never accrued to her before.
She sat down next to him and rested her head on her knuckles as she thought about it. Before she met Muharib she had never met anyone that wasn't Fodlan, or at least she didn't think she did, and besides a comment about his skin tone, she didn't really care that he wasn't Fodlanese; and she didn't really think about it until he would remind her not to repeat his words. Now that he was gone, she wonder if he had faced such open hostility was he was in Fodlan and that thought saddened her.
She looked at Claude, who had been watching her carefully. "I guess it has been something I just never really cared about." His eyes narrowed. "I don't understand why it is so important," she added, when she got the feeling he wanted more, "I mean, we are all just humans right?"
"Exactly!" he shouted in glee. The smile he was sporting had been a true genuine one and she really liked it. He grabbed her hands and got close to her face. "I just knew you would be someone, who would understand!" She wasn't sure what she was supposed to understand but she didn't really care at that moment. His smile was so infectious that for the first time in over two years she smiled her little smile.
Twenty-Third of the Harpstring Moon:
It would only be one more week of travel until they arrived in Derdriu. They would have arrived a lot sooner as Fodlan's Locket wasn't that far from the capital, but Claude had quietly expressed that he might not be ready and so Byleth took several detours. Both ended up appreciating in taking in the sights of the Alliance's territory.
The little invisible barrier that had separated the two had started to crumble after the incident with the old man. Claude had always had an interest in her from what she could tell but now it was stronger. He would walk closer to her and would start asking her more personal questions. Before their conversations usually consisted of her telling him more about Fodlan but now his questions were mostly concerned about her; she had chalked it up to him having his fill of learning about Fodlan.
Throwing his hands behind his head, he walked closer to her and gave her a little smile. She gave him a small glance before gesturing for him to ask his question. He never just started asking questions about her, she noticed that he liked to work his way up to them by usually talking about other stuff like the weather and then waiting for her permission.
"What is your favorite food?" he asked, and she cocked an eyebrow at him. Besides asking for her age, he never really asked such simple or specific questions. He usually liked to inquire about her mercenary background and things like that.
She tilted her head to the side, as she briefly thought about his question. "I don't know." He pouted at that. "I'm not a picky eater. I will eat just about anything." His pout remained and so she tried to think about it some more. "I guess I prefer cheesy dishes like Cheesy Verona stew."
It was his turn to tilt his head. "Is that a common Fodlan dish?"
"No, it's only really eaten in the Kingdom. Actually, most cheese dishes are from the Kingdom." The memory of sitting down with Dimitri to eat dinner was a bittersweet one as she longed to return to those days.
"I see." He briefly looked away from her before glancing back at her from the corner of his eye. "Are you from the Kingdom?"
"No…Maybe?" He made a face at her.
"Is the land of your birth another one of your secrets?"
"No, I actually don't know where I was born." He arched an eyebrow at her. "My dad never told me but that's probably because it's a painful memory for him as my mother died giving birth to me." When her father had finally admitted that fact to her, she was afraid that he might resent her for it, but he was quick to put her fear to rest by calling her, her mother's final gift to him.
Claude was silent for a bit. "Surely, you grew up somewhere."
"On the road."
He stopped dead in his tracks, and she took a few steps forward before eventually stopping. "Your father raised you all by himself while still traveling as a mercenary?!" She simply nodded as she didn't see what was so surprising about that. "By, you father is incredible!"
"He sure is!" she said with her little smile.
When camp was finished being set, Claude was upon Byleth again but wasn't really saying or doing anything. He didn't want to practice his bowmenship, nor did he want to practice dancing (which she was completely okay with), he just sat close to her but didn't really do anything else. She could tell that he wanted to ask her something but when she prompted him to speak, he remained silent.
With him just being idle she decided to ignore him for a bit as she went about getting dinner ready by plucking the two pheasants, they caught earlier. She was pleased to see him help even if he went about doing so in silence. Eventually the silence started to get the better of her and she was wondering if she should just get to speak or not.
After a few more minutes of silence, a heavy sigh from her broke it. She turned to face him and folded her arms over her chest. The two stared at each other but he refused to speak.
"What is it?" she finally asked. "Beating around the bush doesn't suit you."
He arched an eyebrow briefly before looking away with a sigh. "How common are crest in Fodlan?"
She arched an eyebrow as she watched him. As far as she knew crest were limited to only in Fodlan, a blessing from the goddess as it is believed. She couldn't imagine it being common knowledge outside of Fodlan, but giving his background maybe it is something taught to important people? That made sense to her as she was sure leaders in Sreng had to be aware of crest since how important the Lance of Ruin was in battle against them.
She pressed her lips together as she wasn't sure how to answer the question. Her lessons on crest had informed her that less and less crest were being passed down but at the same time she knew a lot of people with crest, granted most of them needed to have crest given their heritage situations. But even she bore a crest, as unusual as it was.
"They are…rare?" She decided to go with that. She might have known an unusual number of crest bearers but the vast majority of people she met didn't have one so that made the rare, she decided. He looked away from her in thought.
"All major noble house holds require their heir to have a crest." He turned his sights back at her and frowned. "Though, it is not unheard of for a commoner to posses a crest." He nodded slightly to that information. "My father possesses a major crest of Serios though he has no ties to the Adrestian Empire's throne."
"If your father has a crest does that mean you have one?" She pressed her lips together. Her crest was supposed to be a secret, she understood that especially after that whole noble incident in 1175, but she didn't want to keep it a secret from Claude. Sure, she had been keeping secrets from him but those all had been things that revolved around Dimitri.
"By?" She locked eyes with him, and she groaned. She couldn't understand why she wanted Claude to like her and so she wanted to share such a secretive information. After a few more seconds of internal struggle she finally admitted to having one and she knew her father was going to be so angry with her.
"Can I see it?" She groaned. "Please!"
Unable to look at him any longer, she looked at the fire. Her fingers fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. Quietly she stole a peak at him and cursed herself for doing so, there was no way she could say no to so such expectant, clear, green eyes and she knew that if he were to discover such a fact that she would be in danger. Sighing, she knew that she was just putting it off the inevitable by stalling, she was eventually going to give in and show it to him as she was sure he would press to see it.
She began to pull up her shirt and stopped once she got a strange overreaction from him. "Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?!" His arms were flaying about with cheeks ablaze.
"Showing you my crest," she said matter-of-factly.
His crazy gestures stopped, and he tried to sit properly but his knees were bouncing. "You need to warn a man before you start pulling up your shirt like that." She made a small face of annoyance before continuing what she was doing. Once she got shy of showing her chest, he started to overreact again. "Where is your crest?!"
"On my chest." He froze and she wondered if she did something wrong. Slowly his entire body broke out into a massive blush and he backed away from her.
"A-are you really going to show me your chest-I mean crest?!"
"You want to see my crest, right?" He gulped loudly and slowly nodded. His fingers dug into his legs as he leaned forward. She had never held so much of his attention so well, even when he was cautious of her.
With one quick motion, she pulled off her shirt. She frowned when she looked down at the breast band she was wearing as she was going to need a new one soon, with how terrible it was for containing her chest. Looking up at Claude, she noticed that he was stiffed and had his legs pressed tightly together. Suddenly she felt bashful under his intense stare, she brought her fingers up to her crest to draw his attention to it and not her chest, though she knew that was impossible with how it dipped under her breast band.
"I-I don't know what my crest is," she said if only to end the silence, but he said nothing. Her fingers that held her shirt twitched, she wanted to put her shirt back on as she had never been so exposed before and his silence was suffocating.
"C-can I put my shirt back on now?" That seemed to snap him out of his daze and he quickly gestured for her to do so. She quickly put her shirt back on and she couldn't meet his gaze.
"Are crest normally so large?" he asked. She was left with feeling some complex emotions, grateful that he wasn't talking about her chest but disappointed at how he seemingly didn't care about seeing it.
"No, my crest is quite unusual." She brushed her fingers over it. "I'm supposed to keep it a secret because it's dangerous and people have attacked me for it."
"Then why did you show it to me?!"
"I'm not sure, but I think it's because I trust you." His eyes widen briefly before he looked away blushing. "And I want you to know that you can trust me too."
After a few seconds, he calmed down some and looked back at her; though a light blush remained. He tired to look her in the eye, but she could tell that he was struggling to do so. Eventually he gave in and looked away.
"Since you shared something so important, it is only fair that I share something with you. I have a crest too." Her eyes widen. Could Almyrians have a crest too?
"Can I see it please." His face turned an even brighter shade of red. He nodded but when he glanced down at his concealed lap, he then started to vigorously shake his head no. After shouting that he would be back, he rushed into the woods, leaving her behind.
It was about five minutes later before Claude returned and she noticed that he couldn't look her in the eye. She tried to hand him his portion of dinner that was starting to get cold, but he didn't take it. He stood in front of her and looked just to the side of her. His hands were balled tightly at the bottom of his tunic.
"D-do you still want to see my crest?" She nodded and he sighed. "Just like yours mine is also in an inappropriate spot, but just not as extreme as yours." His voice began to trail off near the end and his face turned even redder. Gripping the hem of his pants, he paused to look at her, and his face grew even hotter. "C-Could you please stand up?" Not understanding why, she had to stand, she did it anyway, in hopes that it would help calm him down some.
Once she was on her feet, he finally pulled down his trousers and had to pull up a bit of his small clothes to reveal a small, crescent moon on his left thigh. Her eyes widen upon seeing the Crest of Riegan and she smiled. Out of all the crest, Crest Riegan had been her favorite based on the look. With little regard to his discomfort she poked the crest and he jumped back and nearly tripped thanks to his pants being around his ankles.
"By! You cannot casually touch a man's thigh like that?!" The innocent head tilt she gave him, flustered him some more and he ran back into the woods, after pulling up his pants.
Sighing, she put his dinner on the edge of the fire in hopes of warming it up a little as she went back to eating hers. While, she still didn't know what his goal was, she at least now knew it had something to do with House Riegan and their Hero Relic. She might have slowly started to figure out her companion, but he was still a complete mystery to her.
Garland Moon 1178:
Finally, they had arrived in Derdriu and Claude's eyes sparkled with curiosity as he took in the city. Forgetting about immediately going to the Riegan Manor, he dragged Byleth all throughout the city. She quickly realized that he hadn't forgot about the manor but was just practicing his Fodlanese some more as well as learning the city's layout. He had taken so long doing everything that night had descended upon them and they were forced to get a hotel room for the night.
The next day, Claude was feeling more confident and they headed straight for the manor. She had no experience with the leaders of the other nations, and she was surprised at just how different the Alliance was. The Kingdom's royal family lived in a great castle and there was no denying that they were the leaders based on their housing alone but the Alliance's leaders might have lived in a massive house but it didn't feel all that different from the other noble houses she had seen. She had to admit she liked the feel of the Riegan Manor more than Castle Blaiddyd.
Getting inside the Riegan Manor was going to be quite the challenge as the guards wouldn't let them pass, even after Claude had announced himself as a potential heir. Despite her having reached that conclusion on her own a few days ago, it still proved to be shocking to hear it. Claude was met with harsh disbelief and he couldn't pull his pants down to show his proof without getting tackled first. When the guards finally threatened them with violence, did they reluctantly leave.
The two sat in silence at a restaurant. He hardly ate any of his food as he was too busy scowling at the outside world from a window. Not letting her money go to waste she started to eat his food.
"What did you expect?" she asked, and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You show up out of nowhere claiming to be Duke Riegan's grandson. It's only naturally that they would think you are lying."
"Whose side are you on?" he grumbled as he pulled back his plate. "If only my crest wasn't in such an inappropriate spot."
"As I told you already, commoners can have a crest as well. You will probably need more than that to prove your legitimacy. "
"Well, what do you suggest?" She pouted at his question. She clearly had no idea what to do. She was no expert on politics, even less so when it came to Alliance's politics. She didn't even know how one would go about proving their bloodline.
"Maybe provide them a gift?" He said nothing and just continued to watch her. "Lord Riegan is the one that will help prove whether or not you're his grandson, right?" He gave her a small nod. "But the guards won't let you see him, unless you can give them a reason to let you see him. So, maybe a gift will be able to do that."
He went back to looking out the window. His fingers drummed against the table as she carefully stole a piece of bread off of his plate. With a heavy sigh, he turned to her and frowned when he saw her stuffing her face.
"A gift is a really good idea, but I am not exactly rich." She noticed that as she had been the one to pay for everything. "So, what am I supposed to offer him?"
"Did you bring any of your mother's belongings?"
"There was no way my mother would have let me take any of her stuff," he mumbled under his breath with a scowl.
Silence settled over them as they now both watched the world from the window. She spent so many years in the company of the kingdom's most important children and she still had no idea what nobles would want. She remembered that Dimitri, Felix, and Glenn liked weapons, but she got the feeling that they were just odd because Sylvain would loudly complain if any of them got him a weapon. It took her a moment, but her eyes widen at the thought.
"Claude," she called, and he hummed. "It's a long shot but maybe you can find a Sacred Weapon and present it as a gift." She now commanded his full attention. "You already know about Hero Relics," his eyes widen, and she gave him a knowing smirk, so he shrugged. "In Fodlan there are also Sacred Weapons they are no where near as powerful as a Hero Relic but are highly valuable, as I hear they can invigorate their wielder and a crest isn't needed to wield them."
He was on the edge of his seat and she found him to be absolutely adorable. "Many Sacred Weapons' locations are known but I do recall that some have been lost to history. If you can find one and present it then surely the Duke will meet you."
Slamming his hands down on the table, he swiftly stood up. "What are we waiting for? We need to go and do research!" She didn't get up and went about trying to finish the rest of Claude's meal, but he wasn't having it and pulled her onto her feet. He flashed her a brilliant smile before dragging her out of the restaurant.
In a matter of minutes, he had dragged her all the way to Derdriu's library, and she sighed heavily. He would have rushed inside with delight, if it wasn't for her reluctances. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he was silently trying to get her to hurry up and enter.
"Claude," she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. He only hummed and gave her an innocent smile. Gesturing wildly to her sword, at her hip, she looked him in the eye. "Take a wild guess as to where my expertise lie."
"Hey, you said you have received an education fit for a prince, right?" Biting her lower lip, she nodded. "So, you know how to read." He smirked.
"Doesn't mean I enjoy it."
"You said you were going to help me with my goal," he practically sang that, and she sighed again.
"I will never make such a broad deal again." He cheered loudly before dragging her inside.
Two weeks of constant research and Byleth was at her wits end. She had been staring at pages for so long that she didn't even know if she had actually retained any information from the last five books she had read. Once her current ordeal was done, she never wanted to look at another book again.
A book was slammed on her little table and she jumped. She gave Claude a weak glare and if he noticed it, he never showed it as he pointed to a passage in a book like nothing happened. Refusing to look at it, she waited for him to go about explaining it to her.
"This book explains how the Sacred Weapons were created by Saint Macuil," he said with an excitement she could never match. She absentmindedly nodded along as he explained more about Saint Macuil. The name sounded familiar, though she couldn't remember if it was from a book she read or a church seminar that she was forced to listen too.
"This book says he met his end at the Battle of Tailtean." She couldn't figure out why he was sharing so much information about the saint, sure knowing who created the weapons could be interesting but it doesn't help with finding a weapon. "While this book," he placed a new book over the saint book, "talks about how he might have left Fodlan in search of new lands." She fought back an urge to frown as that didn't really help either.
"And this book," he then placed a third and final book into his little plie, "mentions a famous blacksmith that settled in Sreng over a thousand years ago." She had only been half listening until she noticed the smirk on his face.
"Oh no," she finally spoke up. "I'm not going to Sreng."
"Come on! This is probably our best chance to find a Sacred Weapon!"
"You are asking me to leave the country!"
"You said-"
"In Fodlan! Sreng is not in Fodlan!" The two stared at each other.
"By, this might be my best chance." She sighed as she looked away. Traveling to Sreng was far more than she was bargaining for. "You can consider this as a birthday gift to me." She glanced at him and he gave her a little smile. "I turn fifteen next month."
She looked at him briefly before resting her head against the table. A large sigh escaped her as she mumbled, "Don't ever ask me for anything ever again." It was okay, she wasn't going to Almyra; she wasn't breaking her father's rule. Groaning she turned her head away from Claude, her father was going to be so angry if he ever learned of what she did during their time apart.
Blue Sea Moon 1178:
Byleth groaned loudly, when she first set foot on Sreng soil. She still couldn't believe she let Claude talk her into going. Not to mention footing the entire bill for both of them, really cut into her funds. Before she left for Sreng she had received a letter from her father and he suspected that he might have to spend another month or two in the Kingdom before they could meet again, which meant she was in a tight spot when it came to money and she would be forced to find a job when they get back. They better find a Sacred Weapon for Claude's sake.
He was his usual boundless curious self as they bounced around the port town, while she had been full of nerves. The only thing she knew about Sreng was that it often went to war with the Kingdom and House Gautier was the main line of defense against them and that was why House Gautier had placed such an importance on their crest. Even though she had only been there for a few hours, she couldn't imagine any of the people as enemies and she was sure Sylvain would feel the same if he was there with her.
Given the hostility with the Kingdom, it came as no surprise to her that Fodlan wasn't held in high regard and neither was she. Over coming a language barrier was already hard enough without the open hostility. When she was denied the opportunity to stay at an inn, Claude had apologized profusely; and though it had annoyed her greatly she was also grateful for the excuse to save some money.
Night had quickly descended on their little camp; it was a full moon that night and it illuminated the desert greatly. The excitement that Claude had an abundance from earlier had vanished after the hotel incident and one might have suspected that he was the one to receive to have such hatred. She had tried to assure him that she was fine, but he had taken it personally. She figured that he must have been used to such situations, given his reaction to the old man two months ago, but the way he had been acting as of late had her second guessing that. After awhile she had given up on trying to comfort him and just enjoy the night.
As she allowed herself to be lulled by the peaceful quiet of the desert's night, she felt a faint call. It had been similar to the one she felt when she met Indech but it wasn't a frantic call. Reluctantly she snapped out her nice little trance and alerted him to her feeling. She had half expected to be met with doubt but instead it was met with his usual curiosity.
Her father would be so angry at her for traveling in the dark in an unfamiliar area, but she, too, had a curiosity that couldn't be sedated less she found out. And with the call being faint that had to be a sign that it wasn't in a dangerous situation. Besides, if the call was coming from Indech she would have liked to meet him again.
It was close to midnight when they arrived at some ruins, and the feeling had been become stronger but was still very weak. There had been ruins, as little as there were, when she discovered Indech but the air around the two places had been the same, or at least she believed it to be as she couldn't really noticed the air last time thanks to the battle. Despite her excitement she had decided to proceed cautiously, just in case the mask people were there as well.
The two decided to hug the small rock wall that surrounded the ruins as they made their way deeper inside. They said very little to each other as the further they went in the more tense they got. She was starting to regret coming along as she just couldn't shake off this cold shiver that ran down her back.
Glancing back at Claude her eyes widen in horror when she saw the knight in white armor, raising it sword to slam it down on the unsuspecting teen. She didn't have time to even think to scream out his name as she grabbed his arm and with all her strength pulled him towards her. Because of the suddenness of everything she didn't have time to brace herself so his weight knocked her to the ground, but it did at least succeed in avoiding the attack.
He tried to voice his complaint, but she silenced him as she shoved his face further into her body as she rolled away from another strike. Having enough he pushed himself off of her and turned white when he saw the knight and she pushed past him to block the third strike. Pushing the knight's sword aside, she slashed the knight across the chest and both Byleth's and Claude's blood ran cold when no blood spilled from the wound and the knight didn't even flinch from the wound.
She was the first to come back to her sense and she grabbed Claude's arm and began to run away. With her mind racing, she desperately to figure out what to do. It was clear that they had to get out of there, but in order to do that they would have to pass that mysterious knight.
As the two them tired to plan their next course of action, she was halted in her tracks when she was blasted by a Fire spell, it did little damage, but it did reveal another enemy dressed in white. Byleth cursed loudly as she pressed both her and Claude against the wall behind them as more and more enemies appeared out of nowhere. With her sword drawn, she stood protectively in front of Claude as she stared down at the horde of enemies.
Heavy footsteps soon added to their dread. A massive, winged beast emerged from the shadows of the ruins. It was nothing like she had ever seen as it nearly towered over everything in that area. It looked down at them and she tried to hide Claude more behind her, even though she knew it was pointless.
"The stench of Sothis," it spoke with a great anger and she froze.
"It talks!?" Claude shouted and the beast slightly shifted its attention towards him.
"I smell those detestable Ten Elites on you…Who are you?"
Claude glanced at her for answers, but she didn't acknowledge him as her focus remained on the great beast. Gritting her teeth, she gripped her sword and took a slight step forward. The monsters matched her action and stepped closer as it raised his head.
"Fine, do not tell me. It matters not as I shall end the both of you here." It lowered its head and blasted her with a powerful ball of energy. It tore at her skin and clothes but thanks to her necklace she was able to avoid the worse of the attack, though she didn't think she would be able to handle another one. Briefly she glanced back at Claude to see if he was okay, and was pleased to see that she had taken the entire hit.
The beast halted its assault to raise it head again and looked down on her. "I just sensed Indech's power."
Struggling to remain standing, she pushed Claude's hands away when he tried to help. Gripping her sword, she looked up that the creature. She forced her body to stop trembling so that she could show a strong front.
"I met a creature named Indech, who gave me some of his power as a thanks for helping him."
For a moment the beast closed its eyes. "I see." It snapped open its eyes after a few seconds. "It matters not if you helped my brother, for I will end you anyways, for I hold no love for you detestable creatures."
It opened its mouth for another attack, and she shut her eyes. She hoped she would be able to take most if not all of the tack and be able to protect Claude from it at least. She prayed that he would be able to find a way to escape from all of this.
Before the attack could hit, she felt herself being pulled away and managed to narrowly avoid the attack. She opened her eyes to see Claude pulling her away from the little area. Briefly he let go of her hand to shoot an arrow at the mage before them and the mage didn't flinch, but it did halt its spell casting long enough for them to pass. His hand quickly grabbed hers and pulled her along again.
"Why are you giving up so easily?!" he shouted as he glanced back at her. "My dreams are far to grand to end here and you said you were going to help me so you cannot die here either!" Byleth's eyes widen and she gave him a firm nod to which he smiled at.
"Good," he said as they stopped their little run. "I have a plan." She nodded and he directed her attention over to a pillar that the beast was standing next too. "It is pretty damaged on this side, if you can provide enough force to it, we might be able to knock it on to the monster." She looked at him and nodded.
"I think I will be able to knock it down, but I will need to get close to it." Smirking he held up his bow as there was no need to explain his part.
Sheathing her sword, she gave him one final nod before rushing forward. She didn't have to focus on any of the strange, white knights that charged at her as she knew an arrow would soon pick them off or at least slow them down long enough for her to slip past them. Once she was close to the pillar, she started challenging a massive amount of energy into her arm.
When she had first started learning Reason magic, she learned that it was incredibly dangerous to cast spells above her current skill level. She had always followed that warning seriously until that moment as none of her current spells were going to be of any use. Once she was at the pillar she placed her hand on it and tried and failed to cast the spell Ragnarok, resulting in a massive explosion that blasted not only her away but also all the surrounding knights, and she also managed to knock the pillar down.
She screamed out in pain, when she hit the ground. Her arm felt like there was a fire, blazing just underneath her skin. Claude was quick to rush at her side, trying to assets what was going on and despite her excruciating pain, she knew that they needed to get out of there and quick.
"By, you are burning up," he nearly shouted as he helped up onto her feet and she cursed under her breath; she couldn't afford to suffer magic exhaustion in a foreign land. Her potential exhaustion wasn't a problem that they had the luxury to focus on at the moment as she ordered him to ignore it and move.
Unfortunately, she was unable to walk thanks to an injury on her leg that she received when she fell. They were moving far to slow for her liking, but at least the explosion had managed to blast away all the strange soldiers and the beast was still struggling to free itself from the rubble. Just as they were about to pass the ruin's entrance, she spotted a strange glowing item at the back of the wall.
She pointed it out and he frowned. "That is not important right now."
"Go get it," the mercenary ordered. She was not about to let her hard work go to waste. Reluctantly, he left her at the entrance to fetch the mysterious item. The cold stone felt wonderful against her heated skin.
"This sword is incredible!" He held up the glowing sword for her to see once he had returned to her, and she could feel a comforting warmth emanating from it. "I feel like I am full of energy while holding it. This must be a Sacred Weapon!"
He immediately thrusted the sword into her hands. Her eyes widen when she felt more energized as well as the burning sensation had soothed a bit. Nodding he wrapped his arms around her again as he helped her walk out of that area.
"How about you hold onto it for a bit?" She nodded. "You earned it after all."
It wasn't until dawn descended upon them that they finally felt comfortable enough to set up camp for the rest of the day. The sword had been incredible as the pain in Byleth's arm went away after an hour of hold it and it even healed her leg enough for her to walk on her own. Forget Hero Relics, Sacred Weapons were the superior weapons in her opinion.
"Do you want to keep it?" Claude randomly asked and she turned her sights way from the sword so that she could look at him. Despite the closeness they had been sharing, he had chosen to sit away from her. It was true that when she first learned about Sacred Weapons, she wanted to find one for herself, but that wasn't why they came to Sreng for. "We would have died if it was not for you. You deserve it more than I do."
With a bit of effort, she got up and sat down next to him. She had tried to give him the sword, but he refused to take it, so she dropped it on his lap. He didn't touch it and just stared at it.
"It was your plan that saved us," she said and rubbed his head.
"You risked your life to pull it off. The plan would have been useless without you and the incredibly risk you took." She said nothing and he still couldn't bring himself to look at her. "Besides it was my selfishness that led up to that mess."
She was quiet for a few seconds. "Well, I don't want it." She leaned back to look up at the sky and ignored his gaze. "So, you better take it."
"But-"
"No buts!" He pressed his lips tightly together and she looked back at him. "Consider it as a birthday gift." He opened his mouth to protest but quickly shut it when he saw her digging around her pack for something.
She handed him a little leather patch with his name on top and the Crest of Riegan etched below it. He inspected the item a bit before looking up at her. She continued to smile at him and so he went back to looking over the little gift.
"It probably seems a bit childish given my age now and skill level, but I like to give my friends a little leather patch for their birthday." With wide eyes he looked up at her.
"Friends?" he had asked so quietly that she couldn't help but think that maybe she did something wrong.
"Yeah, if you want to be friends. I would like to very much be your friend." He looked away from her and stared down at the little gift. She noticed a single tear drop land against it and she started to panic a little.
"I would like…" his voice began to tremble a little, "to be your friend very much." She smiled at him as she rubbed his head.
They sat in a comfortable silence. He inspected his little gift, while she watched the clouds. Eventually he took a deep breath and looked at her and when she glanced at him, she could tell that he was once again in control of his emotions.
"What does 'Meadow' mean?" He gestured to the word that was right under his crest.
"On top of giving the little leather patch, I also like to give nicknames to my friends. I usually give a flower named based on hair or eye color, but brown hair and green eyes kind of limit my options." He gave her a knowing nod. "And since you came into my life at a difficult time and are like a breath of fresh air, I thought Meadow might fit you." His eyes widen and his cheeks redden.
"And I thought you would prefer being called Meadow instead of grass or tree."
He broke out into a laughing fit at that. "Yes, I would much rather be called Meadow than either of those." He flashed her a guanine smile and she was right he looked much more handsome with one of those.
"Thank you…my friend."
"Happy Birthday Meadow."
Happy New Year! Thank you all so much for sticking with this story so far and I hope to continue to produce better chapters as the year goes on!