Chapter 2
It was a bright day. Perhaps too much a bright day as it didn't suit the sorrowful occasion that was happening.
Bright blue skies and the radiant sun basking the continent with their daily blessings, Fodlan, a nation in mourning.
The news sent shockwaves all over Fodlan, taking the populace by surprise at what had occured in their blissful ignorance. That one of their previous rulers and heroes who helped heal the land from the horrors and scars of war has finally departed the realm of the living.
Even the other countries surrounding Fodlan sent their condolences be it by letter or by it's leaders or emissaries heading to the United Kingdom of Fodlan to pay their respects themselves.
Derdriu was filled with people from all corners of Fodlan, those whose lives were touched by the gentle but firm rule of the previous monarchs all flocked as the funeral progressed, the casket draped with fine cloth was pulled by horses with a cart and escorted by a retinue of the royal guards of Derdriu, were showered flowers that the citizens offered as they passed by them on the way to the cemetery. The streets of the capital city were littered by flowers of all kinds.
Following them from behind was the current Queen of Fodlan, garbed in all black, at her side were her brothers, the princes of Fodlan.
They wore solemn looks as they followed the retinue of guards escorting the remains of their beloved.
Behind Jeralt was his son, Eligor, crying as the funeral progressed, being carried by his crying mother, Celia.
With them was Felicia, the adopted daughter of Queen Lyla, a child her husband had with his first wife. Despite them not being truly mother and daughter, the middle aged woman held on to her adoptive mother's hand to support her in this time of sorrow.
Leraje was merely escorted by his pet cat, a pure white feline with thick but finely groomed fur and blue eyes, perched upon his shoulder.
The cemetery was already filled with people who came to pay their respects. The area around the royal mausoleum was given proper space by the people to let the horse-drawn hearse pass before it stopped right in front.
The retinue of royal guards then helped in carrying the casket from the cart as the royal family and the people watched them bring it within the royal mausoleum.
The royal mausoleum was mostly made with white marble with decorated walls and stained glasses, the banner of the Royal House of Eisner marked where the first and only tomb was in the mausoleum.
Inside the building was the Archbishop Flayn accompanied by her brother, Seteth, the one who formerly held the position of the former.
The royal guards laid down the casket at the altar near the platform where the tomb was as another retinue of guards pushed the lid that had a marble effigy laying on top of the tomb to make space to store the casket within.
The royal family assembled around the casket on the floor with Lyla giving the nod for the guards to open the casket.
Upon the casket opening, Eligor's cries only became louder as he caught sight of the lifeless body lying within. Celia could only do nothing but embrace her son as she too cried.
It is at this point that Jeralt finally let loose the tears he had been fighting hard to hold back on the way to the tomb. Leraje placed a hand on his brother's shoulder as a gesture of support as he took off his glasses and wiped away his own set of tears with the back of his hand.
Lyla brought her hand to the body that laid within the casket, she caressed the cold skin of the cheek as Felicia with teary eyes merely looked at her adoptive mother who was sobbing silently, her entire body trembling as she moved her hands to hold her father's lifeless left hand.
"Father…" Lyla quietly sobbed as she trembled in grief, she was soon joined by Jeralt and Leraje who put their hands on their sister's shoulders while looking down at the corpse of Byleth, still looking as young as they remembered him with the only difference being his mint green hair was now of a shade of teal, the true color of his hair.
They had just bid their final farewell to their mother months ago and now, they must do the same for their father.
The queen then let go of her father's hand and gave the guards a nod to proceed which also was the cue for the Archbishop to speak the final words for the funeral. The guards closed the casket and for good this time.
As Flayn spoke, the royal family watched as the guards carefully carried the casket bearing the former king into the elevated tomb.
As Lyla watched the royal guards lift the casket into the tomb, she remembered the tragic day she found her father dead.
It was only supposed to be just a normal day for them as they, as a family, have tried their best to move past the death of Lysithea months ago. Lyla had made sure she alongside the other members of the family kept Byleth company as they often found him staring forlornly through the window.
Often he was found tenderly holding the ring that once graced Lysithea's finger, a gift he gave her on the day he proposed marriage to her just as his father did to his mother.
Just as his father told him, one day he will give it to someone he loves just as Jeralt loved Sitri. He held on to it again. Never expecting to touch it within the palm of his hands.
This was often how the former king appeared to be doing all the time. Despite their efforts, none of them were capable of ever truly ushering away the depression he felt.
That their mother wouldn't want to see him like this following her passing, that he should move on to the next chapter of his life.
The only one to be able to dispel away the clouds of depression hanging around Byleth was his grandson, for his innocence and kindness gave Byleth a reason to forget about his wife's passing. Eligor was the only capable of making Byleth smile again but once Eligor leaves him, he would be back in his melancholy.
Then, it happened one day. Lyla greeted Felicia back from her travels and were just planning to have Byleth see his adopted granddaughter, to surprise him.
Only for them to see Byleth lying down on his bed, appearing to be asleep until the women noticed something was wrong.
When they came closer, their eyes widened in horror when they saw Byleth's lifeless body looking like he was peacefully sleeping, his hands on his chest yet he wasn't breathing and his skin was already pale.
Felicia, trained in the art of medicine, tried to revive Byleth, using a combination of healing spells as well as practical medical skills to no avail while Lyla only stared in shock and horror at seeing the sight of her deceased father.
Everything went silent for Lyla despite Felicia screaming for help as she went outside the room to call for help.
Lyla merely walked at the bedside of her father and looked onto Byleth's corpse. Lyla noticed something was faintly glowing within her father's right hand that laid on top of his chest.
Opening the closed palm, Lyla caught sight of a glowing stone with a similar symbol in the middle.
"This fool…" Sothis uttered as she manifested beside Lyla, looking down in shock at her previous host's body.
Lyla took the glowing stone on to her hands as everything began to set in. The passing of shock paved the way for an intense amount of grief.
"Father?" Lyla weakly called out, hoping that her father would respond as she held his hands, wishing for the warmth of his hands to return…
These very same hands that held hers as she started walking for the first time, the earliest memory she could remember in her childhood. They used to feel so big during those times yet they were gentle as Byleth held on to them as he guided Lyla in practicing how to walk.
Now, they are devoid of the warmth that had guided her in this life, the same warmth that her mother also lost months ago.
Warmth did return only due to the warm tears that dropped from Lyla's eyes to Byleth's cold hands as the former quietly cried and tightly held on to them.
"He willed the Crest Stone out of his heart to make himself mortal and pass over to the next side." Sothis said in disbelief, her voice mixed with sorrow at the loss of her former host as well as someone she had grown to care for over the years she was with him and seeing his story further unfold in Lyla's eyes.
"You fool… you complete utter fool!" Sothis cried out in a mix of grief and anger at what Byleth had done to himself. As much sorrow as she feels, it was impossible to shed tears given her current incorporeal form.
The official news that Lyla had sent out was that Byleth died of a heart failure, which wasn't far from the truth considering the Crest Stone is what was keeping their father alive since he was stillborn. She alongside her brothers didn't want to spread word that Fodlan's former king willed himself to die. They didn't want to risk the people finding out about the existence of the Crest of Flames' Crest Stone that served as the source of power and life of Byleth.
They feared others will try to covet it to grant themselves the same power Byleth and Nemesis had if it spreads. It would lead to a war for power, something that could threaten the peace and stability Lyla and her family had worked hard for over the years.
"The journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take." Flayn finished her final words, the only words Lyla bothered to listen to.
"Wait." Lyla ordered right as the guards were about to close the tomb by pushing back it's lid. The guards complied as everyone else looked at her, wondering in their minds why Lyla ordered the end of the funeral to pause.
Everyone watched as the queen walked up at the steps of the tomb and stared down at the casket within. Putting her right hand in the pocket of her dress, Leraje looked alarmed and tried to take a step forward only for Jeralt to place a hand on his shoulder.
The reason for Leraje's reaction was because he feared that whatever his sister was trying to get from her pockets was the Crest Stone, finding such a step to be a bad move. His concerns were alleviated when his sister took out a ring instead. A ring that they once remembered adorned the finger of their mother, a ring that she wore for the rest of her life.
Lyla stared at her mother's ring resting on her palm, she found it in her mother's side of the bed she shared with Byleth, the day he was found dead.
"This ring always symbolizes my second chance in this life." Lysithea used to speak of it back then whenever she was asked about it. "The best parts of my life began the moment your father put this around my finger that day."
Lyla, as a young teenager jokingly asked if she could have it one day only for Lysithea to jokingly say: "Over my dead body."
The queen could only feel the bitter irony now that she recalled her mother's words about the ring. Here she is, standing over her tomb and contemplating if she should bury such a ring of priceless sentiment or hang on to it despite her not having any plans to use it herself.
She stretched out her right arm with her closed hand facing down to the tomb of her parents, ready to drop the ring so it may rest with them until something stopped Lyla, she retracted her arm back and put her closed hand bearing the ring on her chest.
"Farewell, mommy… daddy…" Lyla bid them goodbye one last time, calling them endearingly as she used to as a child. Tears quietly streaming down from her eyes once again.
Lyla gave the guards a nod to continue, which they did as they pushed the lid to seal the tomb that houses her parents' remains. The lid was specifically crafted for the tomb due to it having an effigy made of marble, an effigy that was based on how Byleth and Lysithea appeared in the prime of their years as Fodlan's rulers.
On their tomb was an epitaph carved onto the marble.
"Here lies Their Royal Majesties, Byleth Eisner and Lysithea Eisner,
The First of the line of Kings and Queens of the United Kingdom of Fodlan, heroes of The Five Year War and beloved parents to their children.
May they find peace after spending their years fighting for it."
Weeks later...
"Are the lords and representatives gathered within the audience chamber?" Lyla asked as she was escorted by Leraje through the halls of the palace.
Leraje nodded. "Jeralt is keeping them in line as we speak."
Lyla sighed as she placed her hand on her hilt of the sheathed Sword of Seiros on the left side of her waist.
"Sister, I know you made your mind up about this but won't you at least-"
"You will still be here with Jeralt, Leraje. I told you, this is something that I must do for myself." Lyla responded. She didn't want to give her brother a chance for any witty remarks and so she continued.
"You can't change my mind anymore. This is something Sothis and I had come to an agreement on."
Leraje inwardly sighed, there it is about his sister and the ghost that inhabits her. He never did have a chance to converse with a two way conversation with the spirit of the so-called Goddess that was the source of his father's powers and it did frustrate him as a man of logic of not being able to talk and ask questions about her in a more personal way.
"And what about Eligor?"
"What about him?"
"Have you thought about what our nephew would feel?"
"He will have to understand."
"That's cold coming from you."
"You're trying to guilt trip me, aren't you?" Lyla turned to her youngest brother with a frown.
Leraje smirked after he finally made his sister look at him. "Just savoring the moment with my dear sister." He said in a playful mocking tone.
"Don't worry, I understand full well what it is you're going to do." Leraje assured her, revealing that he was indeed guilt tripping his sister for his own amusement.
Lyla sighed at her younger brother's methods of amusing himself, he may be the youngest but he is definitely the cheekiest one among them.
The siblings stopped in front of the door that would lead them to their destination. Even behind closed doors, they could hear the chatterings of many people, mixing together into incomprehensible sounds layered over another.
The sound of Jeralt's voice speaking was heard occasionally.
"You still have time to back out now, sister." Leraje said, looking over his older sister. His eyes widened when he saw nothing but resolve within his sister's eyes, eyes she had inherited from their mother that burned with the same resolve.
"No, we proceed as planned." Lyla firmly said.
Lyla opened the doors, opening them with such force that it ceased any sort of chatter from the audience chamber.
"Her Majesty, Queen Lyla Eden Eisner has arrived!" A crier announced as trumpets blared to signify the arrival of Fodlan's ruler.
Lyla walked towards her throne, seeing Jeralt standing on the steps leading to the two thrones' platform. Jeralt gave her a courteous bow in respect of her station as she walked past him.
Leraje and Jeralt then stood at the side of their sister's throne. Somewhere, Lyla has managed to spot Felicia, Celia and Eligor standing on the base of steps leading to the thrones.
The members of the nobility and the legal representatives of the commoners all knelt down in reverence to their queen, who had led their country to it's golden age after her predecessors abdicated to pass on the power of the crown onto her.
"Rise." Lyla ordered as she sat on her throne, passing the Sword of Seiros for Jeralt to hold.
The summoned lords and representatives all rose in response to their queen's command.
"My lords and ladies, representatives. I bid you all, welcome." Lyla began as all eyes focused on her, something she once felt pressured in during her first year as queen.
But now with decades worth of experience, a charisma honed and a reputation built from goodwill, her sole presence alone imposes her authority to the people around her. None dared to speak as if awaiting her next words.
"Apologies for the sudden summons into Derdriu." Lyla continued. "But there is something that must be discussed as it involves the future of our realm. Something I can no longer delay into another time."
All eyes on her were those of questioning, even Jeralt did not know what his sister had in mind when she ordered that all heads of the noble houses and representatives of the commoners in all regions of Fodlan are required to arrive in Derdriu on this aforementioned day.
Normally, the affairs of the state are talked about in the round table conference of Derdriu where the queen would discuss political affairs in a closed door meeting with the affected parties but now, she wanted to address everyone with political authority to spread something.
Jeralt glanced at Leraje, finding his expression solemn. Jeralt knew his brother knew something he didn't but he kept his silence and waited to hear it from his sister's own words.
"Your Majesty, is this about the issue regarding Edmund lands?" One of the nobles spoke.
Lyla could feel the temptation to roll her eyes. Of course one of them had to ask about a matter regarding personal gain involving the lands that House Edmund once ruled until it became extinct following it's last ruler died without an heir.
"You're still going on about that, Lord Egerton?" A middle-aged man pointed accusingly at the said lord who was of advanced age and possessing faded blue hair.
"Those lands you rule are lands owned by my aunt and before her, heir descended from House Edmund. I am the late margravine's nephew and thus, in line to inherit those lands following her death!" The lord spoke as chatter slowly began to fill the room once again.
"Margravine Marianne had left in her will that House Edmund will be dissolved right after her passing and that rulership of Edmund lands will be governed by a representative chosen by the commoners of its land! Her Majesty, Queen Lyla herself validated and ratified Margravine Marianne's last will and testament pertaining to it-"
"I am the only one capable and legitimate to rule my family's ancestral lands, not representatives with no legitimate claims and ancestry tied to lands they call their own!"
The mention of Marianne in this dispute between her nephew and the representative her land's people chose gave Lyla an unwanted headache, she wanted this day to pass by smoothly. She didn't account for having to deal with her Auntie Mari's vain and materialistic nephew that she disinherited following the abuses of power he did to people below his 'status'. A status of the nobility that means less and less as the years went by with the emergence of the representatives of the commoners.
This man protesting was meant to be Marianne's heir after the latter abstained from having children of her own, a sacrifice for the greater good so that the Crest of Maurice will be rendered extinct after she passes away, for Marianne didn't want anyone to suffer from her ancestor's lineage again much like she did.
"As far as I know, you were disinherited by Aun- Margravine Marianne for your behavior regarding your subjects, Lord Egerton. You were also never born into House Edmund's bloodline which makes your claim of ancestry null as it is." Lyla spoke up, wanting to settle this issue once and for all before she opened the matter she summoned them all here for.
"But-"
"And I recall, I made my final decision about this. The late margravine's will shall be honored. Also, consider this as my last warning regarding this dispute, never bring this up again nor harass the representative chosen by the people of Edmund. Do so and I will strip you and your House of whatever titles and lands that your aunt left for you to thrive, in her neverending compassion." Lyla warned, which was enough to make Lord Egerton to bow down in defeat.
"Now, is there anyone else or can I get on with the purpose of why we are all gathered here?" Lyla asked almost akin to a challenge to everyone inside the audience chamber.
No one dared to speak up right after Lyla had just shown her overwhelming authority to the point of making one of them submit without further protests.
"Good." Lyla said after seeing how she had pressured them to silence. She rose up from her throne and looked down at all her subjects, people she had seen come and go ever since her rule began.
At the age of ten, she had begun standing at her parents' side. At age twelve, she had begun giving her opinions. At age fourteen, she took the initiative to oversee the conditions and situations of their people. At age seventeen, she was charged with more serious tasks relating to politics. At age twenty, she had begun working and traveling as an emissary for her parents. At age twenty-five, she finally ascended to the throne after her parents deemed she was ready and therefore abdicated to make way for her reign.
She had seen heirs of nobility taking their father's or mother's place just as she had, she had seen the aspiring successors of the representatives rise above their stations and represent what is best for the people who voted for them.
She had seen all kinds of political play, knew how to outwit most kinds of manipulation and worse comes to worst, put down dissidents who wished to aspire for more power like the olden days.
For most of the many years in her life, she had been seated upon the throne. Always serving the best interest of her people, she made difficult decisions, decisions that have rubbed off a select few in the wrong way but benefited the many.
For nearly five decades, this was her entire life.
"Following the deaths of my parents, the former rulers of our kingdom. I reflected on many things." Lyla began as everyone listened intently.
Despite how calm she appears now, the mention and thought of the passing of her parents within the same year still stings Lyla deeply. It wasn't the first time she experienced such pain in her heart but previous experiences never taught her how to numb it all.
"I've mostly ruled Fodlan with little regard to my own personal joy. I have tried my best to uphold and improve upon what my parents had built as we move Fodlan to a better future than what it had over the centuries." Lyla then looked up at the ceiling of the audience chamber.
"You have been a fine ruler, Your Majesty!" Lyla didn't know if a noble or a representative uttered those words but it didn't matter as most of her gathered subjects agreed with cheers.
Lyla smiled in thanks but nonetheless gently gestured to them to be silent once again. The time for praises will have to take place sometime after she's done here.
"I thank you, but that is something that I must address here." Lyla said, briefly glancing at Leraje and Jeralt.
"As you all know, being a child of my father, I have been granted longevity way beyond the average person. I can be this land and it's people's ruler for centuries until my own time comes but that is something I cannot do." Lyla said as tense silence began to fill the chamber, Jeralt by now was slowly realizing where this was going, he turned to Leraje who maintained a solemn look upon his sister.
"No king or queen must rule forever. For the kingdom will stagnate under the ruling power's established belief. I fear that my continued rule will lead to the stagnation that once plagued Fodlan over the centuries and so…" Lyla turned to where Jeralt's wife and son were, beckoning them to come to the platform where the thrones are.
Everyone except Leraje all gasped as two attendants carrying pillows of exquisite purple walked up the steps to where Lyla is, the pillows containing two never before seen crowns.
"With all of you as my witnesses. Effectively immediately, I abdicate and step down as your queen." Lyla announced which elicited many varied reactions from everyone inside the audience chamber, even the royal guards were taken by surprise. Only Leraje, Felicia and the crown bearers were unfazed.
"Sister! What are you doing-" Jeralt tried to protest only to be silenced when Lyla gave him a smile.
"I do not have children of my own nor does my stepdaughter have a desire to rule. So, I pass on the power of the throne of Fodlan and all the burden it has to the Grand General of Fodlan, your prince and my beloved brother, Jeralt Elyth Eisner."
Jeralt's eyes widened even more as Celia covered her mouth with her hands, in shock at what was going to happen to her husband while Eligor seemed confused. Only Leraje and Felicia looked on with confident smiles.
"Sister… This is all too-" Jeralt didn't finish when Lyla took the Sword of Seiros from his hands before gesturing him towards the throne.
"Sit at the throne." Lyla ordered her brother before giving Celia a look to come to Jeralt's side and do the same.
As Jeralt and Celia sat down on the thrones that were once occupied by Byleth and Lysithea, the two nervously sat as they both stared at Lyla in shock.
"Are you willing to take the oath?" Lyla asked as she began the ceremony that she once experienced for herself when her parents crowned her.
Jeralt and Celia both glanced at each other, their hands reaching for each other as they clasped to take on the overwhelming events they were about to face. They both mustered up the willpower to respond.
"I am willing." Both responded.
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the people of the United Kingdom of Fodlan according to their respective laws and customs?"
"I… solemnly promise to do so." Jeralt spoke which was mimicked by Celia.
"Will you to your power cause law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all your judgements?"
"I will."
Removing all apprehension and shock, Jeralt and Celia both looked at Lyla with resolve in their eyes. Something that nearly broke the solemn mask that Lyla had as she continued the ceremony.
"Will you commit to the continued prosperity of your people? To uphold the moral values that have guided us to rule for the good of your people? To use your powers only to their service and to never willingly endanger them and the land you swear to rule?"
"All this, I promise to do." Jeralt and Celia both spoke in unison.
Finally allowing herself to smile, Lyla took one of the crowns from one of the pillow holders and gently placed it over Jeralt's head. She took the remaining crown from one of the pillow holders and gently crowned Celia with it.
Then, Lyla took off her own crown and placed it on the pillow, gesturing to the two pillow holders that their role was done before turning back to Jeralt.
Kneeling for the first time in decades, Lyla knelt down in front of Jeralt to present her personal sword she had used all these years, the Sword of Seiros for Jeralt to take as another symbol of his office.
Their father used to have the Sword of the Creator as his other symbol of power but for specific reasons, she and now, Jeralt cannot use the artifact for such purposes.
Jeralt took the sword and held it with both hands, marveling at the legendary weapon that is now his.
Lyla rose up and addressed her now former subjects one last time.
"May their rule be long and prosperous! Long live the king and queen of Fodlan!" She cried out first to elicit the same words from her former subjects.
Everyone including Leraje cried out: "Long live the king and queen! Long live the king and queen! Long live the king and queen!"
Eligor was the only one who didn't repeat the words as he was too confused on what was happening.
The people within the chamber cheered and celebrated the ascension of their new rulers, sudden as it may be, they mostly have no complaints to Lyla's chosen successor though some bore sadness and uncertainty that the former queen has stepped down despite being at the peak of her rule.
The various lords and representatives all bent the knee to their new rulers with Jeralt and Celia witnessing them pay homage to them.
Lyla quietly left the audience chamber, giving it one last look before leaving.
For Jeralt and the people of Fodlan, this is a new dawn for them.
For Lyla, this was the end.
She could still hear the barely audible cheers of the people she had left, all cheering for their new king and queen. Jeralt has always been her choice as her chosen successor. Despite his stoic and intimidating face, something Jeralt clearly inherited from his father and grandfather, he was well-loved by the people of Fodlan.
He was their protector from any threat that would come to endanger their lives, he was always head first into battle, inspiring the men under him to fight and overcome their enemies. Outside of the battlefield, he would be the first to respond and see to the people if disasters struck, spearheading relief operations at Lyla's behest.
Despite being on the field, Jeralt was no stranger in politics. He may not have Lyla's political acumen and Leraje's brilliant mind but he has a fiery heart brimming with determination and compassion alongside a strong sense of justice.
Lyla thought that with Celia by Jeralt's side, some of Jeralt's less desirable traits will be tempered by her, Jeralt could be rash if emotions got the best of him though he is quick to remedy that upon realization. And his rigid stoic face often makes him unapproachable.
Regardless, Lyla knew the kingdom is in good hands with the pair as it's rulers. The people will surely miss her but at this point, she could care less anymore. It was time she did her own thing starting from now on. It was time to be selfish once again, to return a trace of that whimsical and impulsive self she once was.
"You've been silent all these time." Lyla said all of a sudden.
"I didn't want to interrupt your grand moment of relinquishing your throne earlier."
Sothis appeared, floating at her side, her position as if she was lounging around in the air.
"Besides, you're going to be busy feeling nostalgic. It is best I don't ruin such moments of reflection."
"These moments of reflection are also yours, Sothis. You have been with me ever since I was born."
"True but I would hardly call this nostalgic considering how many things I have witnessed over the years."
"Witnessed? How many of those things that you witnessed are something you actually remember?"
"Hmm… Fair point."
"One of the rare times you admitted I was right." Lyla sneered which earned her a scoff from Sothis, the latter vanished once again, residing back within her current host's mind.
As much as neither of them are willing to admit it, the pair were glad to be speaking more regularly. Things were rough between them when Lysithea died with Lyla blaming Sothis for preventing her from reversing her mother's age, in her moment of extreme grief.
The two of them rarely conversed afterwards despite being in one body, it had to take the death of Byleth for Sothis to manifest herself regularly once again, to comfort her current host in one of the rare instances the disembodied goddess casted away her pride for the sake of her host. Their mutual grief over Byleth's death patching their relationship for the better.
Walking along the quiet halls of the palace, Lyla had a nostalgic look upon the very halls she frequented on her way in and out of the audience chamber.
This was often the very place she and her family would walk together. Memories of Lyla leading her brothers, Jeralt and Leraje as a toddler would show as if they were in front of her eyes. Her brothers always followed her every lead as they played and bonded together, behind them are Byleth and Lysithea that despite having a busy and exhausting day, would happily watch them.
There were times one of them would trip, fall and cry prompting their parents to comfort them and soothe their pain.
Comforting them with their embrace and planting warm kisses, all while gently talking to them. Those were precious memories of her childhood with her family. One of many she had growing up.
Lyla passed by a huge glass window showing one of the balconies of the palace. It's been ages since she last stepped foot in one of them. She recalled seeing her parents watching the city of Derdriu everyday from this particular balcony.
The spot where she stands now is often where Byleth and Lysithea would be in a loving embrace as they observed the kingdom they have governed and readied for Lyla to rule. Lyla never interrupted those tender moments between them but it was obvious her parents were happily spending their retirement from the throne, Lyla never interrupted because she felt that her parents deserved their rest from the war they were in and in restoring Fodlan.
"Look at what we've built."
Lyla would like to think either of them said those words as they watched their handiwork.
A bittersweet smile along with a sigh, Lyla pressed on to her own chambers.
In her room she had been inhabiting since she was a child, Lyla had begun removing the elegant ornaments she had worn, things she refuses to wear everyday except on formal ceremonies, placing the jewelries inside a wooden box in her vanity table. She kicked off her heels to briefly rest her feet, Sothis knows she hated wearing those for a prolonged amount of time, she even wondered how most ladies could endure wearing such footwear.
Lyla promptly removed the mantle she wore on formal occasions, glad to be freed of the bulky and oversized garment. Next, she disrobed her pure white dress, casually tossing it on the side before opening her wardrobe to reveal the vast array of clothes she had.
Skipping over the many dresses she had worn in her life, Lyla picked a much simpler set of clothes that followed her preferred color scheme.
A long sleeved purple tunic meant for comfort, baggy white breeches that covers almost her entire lower body, Lyla tied the sturdy strings of her breeches on the area below her knees in order to make way for the pair of knee-high leather boots of darker brown shade she wore afterwards.
Lastly, she took a long tailcoat made of dark blue leather and decorated with gold linen trimmings, it's length reaching just above her feet.
After adorning the coat made for traveling, Lyla tightly wrapped a belt of leather over her coat, the belt itself having a strap meant to house a sword on the waists. She occupied the right strap with a sheathed dagger that once belonged to her father, Byleth's first weapon that he acquired from Jeralt back in the day.
Just as Lyla took a pair of black fingerless gloves, her door opened.
She didn't bother to look back who it was, fully recognizing the preceding footsteps she heard while she was changing to her clothes.
"In a rush, mother?"
Lyla didn't respond at first, putting on the gloves over her hands.
"You really made it obvious you hated wearing all these by how you just discarded these fine clothing." Felicia commented as her eyes darted to the discarded valuable clothing her mother just tossed aside like they were nothing.
"I have no use of them anymore and you're right, I was never one for such clothes. Never figured out why mother liked wearing them." Lyla murmured, recalling Lysithea's preference in clothing, she had heard that even in war, her mother wore a shorter purple dress throughout the Five Year War.
"Seventy-three years old and I still can't get used to it."
Felicia let out a low chuckle. "Father did say you were a bit of a tomboy."
"If only he was here, I would have smacked him over the head if he said that to me. I just prefer to wear comfortable and simpler clothes."
"Sure you will, mother." Felicia giggled at the thought of her father being comically hit by Lyla for insolent remarks.
Picking up the pieces of clothing Lyla had nonchalantly discarded, Felicia placed them all on Lyla's bed before turning around to see Lyla finishing in tightening the fit of her clothes and lastly, undoing the elegant braids on her hair, loosening them for her long verdant green hair.
"Mother, are you sure about this?"
"I have to, Felicia."
Felicia looked down on the castle's floors, she had already lost her two birthparents years ago and now she feared she may never see her stepmother again if she undertook this mission of hers.
That this may as well be the last time they can see each other.
Lyla, as if knowing what her adopted daughter was thinking, placed her hand on one of Felicia's cheeks.
"I won't fully disappear in your life, my dear. I can still visit."
"But I'm not always in Derdriu…"
"All the same, I know where I'll find you." Lyla reassured with a tender smile.
Felicia still looked apprehensive with the idea but knew there was no use talking her mother out about this. As Byleth did tell her several times, Lyla is as stubborn as her mother when they put their minds into something.
"Will you still push through this if father is still alive?" Felicia asked, the question suddenly popping out in her mind.
Lyla was caught off guard from the hypothetical question. She hadn't expected Felicia to ask such a question pertaining to her father.
"I honestly can't tell, your father always had a way with me. It's one of his charms he unintentionally uses against me."
Glenn. Felicia's father, Felix and Annette's son, and lastly, the true love of Lyla's life. While Lyla met Claudius way earlier, Lyla truly felt the thrill of romance when she and Glenn became classmates by the time they were of age to attend Garreg Mach.
But that was another memory too huge to remember at this point, Glenn has been long dead and Lyla's grief for him has long passed.
It was the loss of Glenn that Lyla first experienced the pain of loss, the very same pain that engulfed her father after her mother passed away. A feeling the now former queen understood about her father.
Withdrawing her hand away from the last living reminder of her deceased husband in the world, Lyla smiled at the forty-nine year old woman before her. This woman she had raised ever since her mother was taken away from her at a young age, this woman she considered her own child.
She first started as being wary of Lyla after she had just lost her true mother, it took months for Felicia to warm up to Lyla and finally accepted her. Lyla wasn't lacking in raising her properly as well despite her own duties preventing her from being a full-time stepmother to Glenn's daughter.
"Walk with me?" Lyla asked her daughter.
Felician nodded with a small smile. "Of course, mother."
With that, the two left Lyla's room after giving it one last look, memories of when they were still a family of three echoed in their heads as they gave it one last look before leaving.
Leraje waited at the end of the hallway, his eyes fixated at the big floating object that lay in wait outside the open doorway, he looked like he was proud while staring at it as evident by the amused smirk gracing his lips.
In his hand was an object wrapped and tied in black cloth, he held it by the handle and even then it felt heavy for him to carry around.
The sound of two pairs of footsteps interrupted his reverie. He turned around to greet Lyla and his adopted niece.
"I trust everything is ready?" Leraje asked.
Lyla nodded. "I am."
"Good, this thing is too heavy for me anyway." Leraje said and casually tossed the wrapped object he was holding to Lyla who caught it without effort and didn't seem affected by it's weight unlike him.
"My dear niece has also done the honor of packing your provisions. Don't worry, we got everything covered." Leraje turned to Felicia who nodded and gave her mother a weighted leather backpack with a bedroll tied on top.
"Water, dried food and a change of clothes. All you need for traveling." Felicia said, speaking from her experience as a traveling scholar of different cultures of the world.
"As well as some money to help you on the way." Leraje continued as he watched Lyla equip the backpack behind her while holding the clothed object.
"Are you sure that dagger is enough?" Leraje asked, catching a glimpse of the only weapon in his sister's person, a dagger that once belonged to Byleth.
Lyla chuckled. "I have magic and Soulblade just in case, don't worry."
"Worry? Over you?" Leraje repeated with a confident smirk. "I worry more about any moron who tries to mug you on your journey."
The three had a small laugh.
Until Lyla's expression saddened for a bit.
"And Jeralt?" She asked, she had intended not to let her brother know about her plans following her sudden abdication, not wanting Jeralt to lose his focus as Fodlan's next ruler with her departure.
Leraje was silent, merely staring at his sister until they all heard the rushed footsteps of someone running on the hallway.
"Auntie Lyla!"
Lyla's eyes widened as she turned around only for her midsection to be rammed by a small boy's head, catching her off-guard and causing a slight amount of pain on her stomach.
"Eligor?"
"I-I heard you're leaving, Auntie!" Eligor looked up at his aunt's face with teary eyes.
"That would be the second time you did something that involves us as a family without consulting our opinion."
Lyla looked towards the hallway to see the newly crowned King and Queen of Fodlan walking towards her, Jeralt seemed less than pleased at what was happening.
"How did you-" Lyla's quick wits then instructed her to turn to Leraje with a frown, seeing him as the main perpetrator for letting Jeralt know about her plan that she only shared with him and Felicia.
Leraje shrugged with a smile. "I think they deserve to bid you goodbye as well, sister." He said with clear intentions to at least have his sister do the right thing of facing their other family members and tell them upfront on what will happen rather than just simply disappear. It would be cruel if she did the latter.
Lyla groaned at Leraje but could do nothing with the situation anymore, it was best she came clean with this.
The former queen placed her hands on her nephew's shoulders, gently moving him back.
"My dear Eligor," Lyla addressed him with a sad smile. "Yes, I am leaving."
"B-But why?"
"I have something I must do and I have to do it alone."
"B-But…"
Lyla could remember brief memories of herself when she was Eligor's age whenever her parents did something that she couldn't comprehend. Eligor is still so young to understand what she has to do and why, all she could do is give him some assurance.
"I won't be gone forever." Lyla warmly told him, placing a hand on her nephew's head. "I'll come back when I can."
Eligor merely nodded as Lyla embraced him with a hug, softly brushing his hair with her right hand. Feeling like this is the right time to impart some words of advice to the boy.
"You are a prince now, you must become strong not just for yourself but for everyone around you." Lyla advised Eligor as she withdrew from him. "Continue to grow and become a proper and kind man. Can you do that for me?"
Eligor wiped away any traces of tears from his eyes, Lyla could still he was trying hard to hold back the tears as Eligor bit onto his bottom lip while nodding repeatedly.
"Good boy." Lyla smiled before standing up to face Jeralt, who had closed the distance between them.
The two eldest children of Byleth and Lysithea both stared at each other's eyes, eyes that they both inherited from their parents. Jeralt's eyes wanted answers while Lyla's were ready to give them but made it clear that she will never falter with her decision.
"Have you always planned this?" Jeralt asked what would be the first of his many questions that needed answers.
"After father died, yes."
"Why? Why now? Fodlan still needs you… we need you." Jeralt continued to question his sister's logic behind her decisions.
Lyla shook her head before responding. "Fodlan doesn't need me anymore, Jeralt. I have done almost five decades of service with almost little regard to what I want most of the time… I feel like this is the right time to do something for myself."
"But what if I can't live up to the legacy you, mother and father built-"
"You will. I chose you for a reason, Jeralt. You have the qualities that befit a ruler, even mother and father saw that in you, and if there will ever be a time when you feel like your resolve is faltering… Leraje and Celia will always be there by your side."
Jeralt looked down, his eyes went to his left hand that was resting on the pommel of the Sword of Seiros, a sword that he just recently received from Lyla.
"Where will you go?"
"To the place where everything started." Lyla cryptically said as everyone of her family looked at her, all wondering what she meant.
Jeralt could tell that his sister will not divulge anything further than what she had, he hungered for answers regarding what Lyla plans to do after her departure from Derdriu.
But before Jeralt could ask further…
"I can feel Sothis' presence slowly fading away ever since father died."
Jeralt's eyes widened, he turned to both Felicia and Leraje who both bore knowing looks. Jeralt was also aware of the spirit of the Goddess that once inhabited their father's body and now resides within their sister. Like everyone else, they didn't have the privilege to speak to Sothis directly, the disembodied spirit preferred to communicate with everyone else via Lyla.
Even Leraje's attempts to make direct contact with his inventions were rebuffed by Sothis by proxy from Lyla.
He and their family also know that if it weren't for Sothis and her presence within Byleth, the world wouldn't be as it is now. The power she possessed and gave to Byleth was integral in bringing about the genesis of the age that Fodlan thrives in now.
That and their father and many others that Byleth consequently saved wouldn't have been alive if it weren't for her.
They wouldn't be alive.
"You… this journey… is it meant to find a way? To preserve her existence?"
Lyla gave Jeralt a smile. "I already know one but it is something I must do alone, as the sole inheritor of her soul."
Jeralt nodded, now understanding his sister's reason. He still didn't like it but he knew he had no choice but to accept Lyla's decision.
As much as Lyla claims it is something she must do for herself, she is still doing this for someone's sake: Sothis.
Though, there is one detail that Lyla purposely neglected to tell her family and it was something she didn't have the heart to speak about.
And for all the times that she had been touted as a terrible liar like Lysithea… this was one of those extremely rare occasions that she managed to conceal something from anyone.
"You know you will have to eventually tell them."
"Once this is all over, they will know."
"That is if we succeed."
"Are you beginning to have doubts now?"
"No, I told you… I will never dissuade you if your heart is truly set on this. You know the risks… the uncertainties."
Lyla ignored her conversation with Sothis just now. She placed a hand on Jeralt's shoulder.
"Fodlan and all its people… serve them well as their king. Do it not just for our people but also for me and our parents."
Jeralt nodded, his eyes burning with resolve at the burden that was passed on to him. He knows the days ahead will be challenging but with renewed faith and the faith placed upon him, he cannot afford to waiver anymore.
"Oh!" Lyla lightly gasped as if she nearly forgot something. She briefly placed her free hand in her pockets to get something.
"I want you to also have this." Lyla said as she took Jeralt's hand, opened his palm and placed a ring on it.
But it wasn't just any ring, it was their mother's ring, something she always wore all the time as both an object to cherish as well as a symbol of her life.
Jeralt thought Lyla had it buried within their parents' tomb hence his surprise why it now rests within his palm.
"You know how much this ring means to our family. To our grandmother and to our mother. I want you to give it to Eligor someday… so he could give it to someone he loves just as how our father loved our mother. It is his when the time comes."
Jeralt beheld the symbolic ring on his palm, never thinking he would possess it just like how he now possesses the crown to rule Fodlan as well as the Sword of Seiros that Lyla used as another badge of her office.
Closing his palm, Jeralt gave Lyla a nod that he will do what she instructed him, briefly glancing at his son as he did so.
Then without a word, Lyla embraced her younger brother one last time, withdrawing shortly before she went on to share a few words with Celia as well as an embrace for her.
"Always be there by his side and steer him to the right path if he ever veers away from it."
Celia warmly smiled at her sister-in-law. "I will, you can count on me." She assured Lyla.
Lyla smiled back, knowing Celia can act out as the compassionate side of the throne, and began to walk towards Leraje who she lightly punched to the gut, earning a pained yelp from her youngest brother.
"W-What was t-that f-for?!" Leraje exclaimed while clutching his stomach. "You know I can't handle physical pain!"
"That's for telling them." Lyla said with a mischievous smile for Leraje's recent offense towards her. "You always don't do what you're told, you know that?"
"It would be out of character if I did." Leraje said after recovering as he sighed. "Look sister, I'm not a sentimental man-"
Leraje was cut off when Lyla embraced him into a hug as she did with Jeralt.
"Thank you, Leraje."
Leraje's eyes softened and for this moment, he allowed himself this moment of sentiment. This warm hug from his sister was something to cherish for, his intuition kept telling him.
"Be careful out there." Leraje told her, he knew how perfectly capable Lyla is but it doesn't hurt this one time to tell her.
Upon withdrawing from Leraje, Lyla approached the last one who awaits her words of farewell. Though both didn't need to share anymore words as Lyla touched the sides of Felicia's face before pressing her forehead with hers, ending it with a warm and tender kiss on Felicia's forehead.
Something Lyla had always done for Felicia ever since she became her mother, it was the ultimate symbol of Lyla's love for Felicia as her mother.
"I will see you soon, mother." Felicia said, positive that they will see each other again soon.
Lyla merely smiled as she took the object wrapped and tied with a cloth, by the handle and proceeded to walk out of the door as her family watched her depart.
The former queen never turned around to look at them once again, Lyla feared her resolve would be shaken if she did and instead went forward towards the flying airship that awaited her.
The AS (Airship) Sitri, the first of the airships Leraje has completed from Hanneman's designs that the latter never saw to fruition in his life, named after their grandmother that they never met. A technological marvel that Lysithea doubted would be possible when she first heard of its concept.
Upon boarding such a flying vessel reserved for the royal family, she finally left her family behind as she rode within the windy skies towards her destination that she only knows.
Lyla jumped down from the airship as soon as it arrived at the destination she told the captain. At first, the ship's crew were horrified when she suddenly jumped down from such a height, probably thinking the former queen would go all that way to jump to her death.
Until Lyla used wind magic to slow down her descent, landing rather smoothly at the ground much to the airship crews' relief.
After bidding her farewells to the crow from the edge of a cliff on a hill, Lyla watched as the airship that bears her grandmother's name departed further into the skies to return back to Derdriu, Lyla had hoped that their travels be safe as they did for hers.
The sun was beginning to set by now, indicating the inevitability of the evening skies.
Of course Lyla expected to camp out in the wild when she arranged for all of these with Leraje and Felicia.
For all she knows, she has two choices and both were in opposing directions.
From her spot, she looked to the west to spot an all too familiar structure for both her and Sothis.
"Planning to make a nostalgic detour?" Sothis asked with a smirk as she manifested beside Lyla, floating as usual as the two stared at the grand structure that is Garreg Mach.
The fateful place where everything between Byleth and Lysithea started. It was where their destinies were entwined the moment they met, it was also the place that served as the catalyst for the many chain of events that shaped Fodlan to what it is now.
And it was also…
"The place of your conception." Sothis snickered as she saw Lyla's cheeks turn red. "I remember the first time I told you of that when you were but a student inside those halls. To think that you always sat at the very exact location where your parents made you-"
"Will you stop making me remember that?" Lyla asked with visible irritation and disgust at the thought of her parents' rather shameless activity in the classroom they frequented together at the eve of their final battle against Nemesis.
"Why not? You were always so prim and proper back then in Garreg Mach that it was refreshing to see you so flustered." Sothis further added salt onto the wound, recalling how the teenage Lyla screamed in disgust out of nowhere while Annette was teaching her and the Golden Deer, everyone including Annette was taken by surprise from the sudden reaction from the crown princess and house leader of the Golden Deer that time.
"If I can only smack your head right now…" Lyla growled with gritted teeth at Sothis' teasing.
The former queen was quick to ignore Sothis' teasing as she recalled some of her time within Garreg Mach.
It was within that place that, like her parents and grandparents before her, met the one person they fell in love with.
She met Glenn at a young age during one of Byleth and Lysithea's visits to reopen Garreg Mach as a highly esteemed school once again. They became pen pals after and their friendship would only move to the next level upon their enrollment in Garreg Mach where they both realized their feelings for each other.
Such memories of her youth with Glenn made Lyla smile, the majority of her memories with her husband always brings a smile upon her lips.
Sothis ceased her teasing when she saw the nostalgic smile upon her host's lips as well as Lyla tenderly touching the golden ring she wore on her left hand's ring finger, the only jewelry she doesn't mind wearing. She understood the meaning behind it and decided to let her have her moment before deciding their next course of action.
But alas, those are distant memories and the only people that are left that she knows in Garreg Mach are the Archbishop Flayn and Seteth. Those two being the only ones alive from the time her parents were at their youth.
"Have you come to a decision?"
"I have."
She has no reason to go to Garreg Mach besides visiting the resting place of her grandparents who she never met.
Lyla turned to the opposite direction from Garreg Mach to look at the desolate canyon in the distance. A place once deemed by the Church of Seiros as forbidden to enter and the true beginning of the events that set Fodlan's destiny into the course it is in now.
Sothis then disappeared from Lyla's side as the latter began to walk into the forest below the hill and towards the canyon that was once the former's home.
Zanado.
This chapter was meant to be the final chapter but as I wrote it, I decided to instead split it's contents into two for better pacing and so that reading it wouldn't drag on.
The flashbacks to provide context to matters that were referenced or discussed in this chapter will be addressed in the final chapter. I will be concluding everything there is in the final chapter as well as mention the fates of the other characters most notably Glenn and his relationship with Lyla.
I need to focus on The Last Scion's next chapter for now.