12/20 Ethereal Moon
A small wall of ice had already formed outside of his room as Byleth opened the door. He was welcomed by a freezing breeze as he headed to the canteen.
"So tonight is going to be the day of the play uh? I hope that all that practice can come to a good end. It was surely interesting to watch, all of you"
"I hope that everyone likes it" It was the first time he was doing something like that, but he didn´t want them to be disappointed with the final result.
"I´m sure that all of you will do just fine" Sothis assured him as he opened the gates of the canteen.
The canteen was comfortably warm and there weren´t many students around since it was too early. He had plenty of time until the start of the play, although he wasn´t sure about what to do until then.
"Good morning Professor. Can I share breakfast with you?" greeted him Dimitri, his solemn aura partially casted away.
"I don´t have any problem. Happy birthday, Dimitri" he said as he handed him a pair of new riding boots.
"Thank you for remembering it Professor. I really appreciate it. You really know that I´m fond of riding" he said, seemingly pleased. "This weather reminds me of Faerghus. The change of seasons really make us realized how unimportant we are. We can do our best efforts to prepare a good harvest, but we are powerless against the will of nature"
"Living in Faerghus must be really hard when winter arrives". He had already experienced the cold of Sreng, he was sure that the weather conditions of the Holy Kingdom weren´t mild as well"
"You are right about it, Professor. Between the cold, the plagues and the poor harvests my country suffers every year. However, we have always proved that no matter the adversity we can get through it. The Holy Kingdom needs to change in some areas that my uncle is unwilling to tackle, but that doesn´t mean I will do nothing when the time comes"
"I´m sure that you will be a good king" Knowing the three of them, he was sure that if they get along the relations between the three country would significantly improve.
"I will do my best to achieve so. It is my duty for my citizens; to bring justice to this world. By the way Professor, could you accompany me to the training room? I know that you have a play tonight, but before that happens I wanted to ask you a favor"
"I don´t mind. What is it?"
"I´ve been training with some villagers from Remire, but I thought it was a good idea to have a person like you taking part in the practice. I couldn´t think of any person more suitable than you regarding that"
"I don´t have any problem with that. I will accompany you"
"I´m glad to hear that" Dimitri smiled.
"More training, seriously? So boring" Sothis complained as she extended her arms and yawned.
After they had finished eating they headed to the training room in the right wing of the monastery. Apart from them only patrols could be seen walking outside of the buildings of the monastery.
"I didn´t expect you to be training with children"
"I know, but I wasn´t the one to offer to help them. I was training with Dedue and they were watching it and when we were finished they came to ask if we could train them too. Most of them have nowhere to go. Some of them are even orphans so the moment I looked at them I remembered that I was once like them. After the tragedy of Duscur there was no one to support me, only Dedue. The relation with my uncle has always been complicate since the moment my father was chosen over him to rule the Holy Kingdom as he was born crestless" he said as his eyes grew sadder.
"I´m sorry for your loss Dimitri. I will gladly teach them how to fight"
"You don´t really have to comfort me, Professor. You are not the one responsible of those dire events." he said, although in his eyes still lingered a shadow.
The training room was warm and was filled with children. Some of them were already carrying training weapons, but they were using it to chase others and play. Looking at them he couldn´t avoid faintly smiling.
"Sorry for making all of you wait. The Professor had agreed to instruct all of you. I will be lending a hand too so I hope that this training session can be of any help for all of you"
"You are the one that fought against the evil people at the village!" said a young boy with his eyes wide open. "I want to fight like you to protect everyone"
"I will do my best to train all of you" he said nodding at them.
Teaching the basics of combat to all of them was difficult, since most of them had never used a weapon in all their lives and those who had used one where most used to fight with shoves or hoes, not swords. However, they were eager to learn and when they ended the train they still had plenty of energy to play with each other.
"It is really refreshing to see children enjoying their lives. Despite all that has happened they are still able to smile" Dimitri said with a nostalgic smile "What happened in Remire is unforgivable. I will avenge those who died that day; the Flame Emperor and Solon will pay for their crimes"
"We will protect all of them from now on. We won´t let something like Remire happen once again"
"I must thank you for your encouraging words" Dimitri said nodding at him. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something since the first time our paths met. When you fought for the first time, were you calm as you killed your enemies?"
His question surprised him, but he thought about it. "The first time I killed someone…"
"I didn´t really think about it. It was a life or death situation where any doubt can get yourself killed or worse you can get an ally killed because of your actions"
"I see"
"And in your case, Dimitri?"
"Of course I wasn´t calm my first time. No matter how much time passes the burdens of the people I´ve killed will stay with me. The first time I fought in a real combat was to suffocate a rebellion that arose in the west part of the Holy Kingdom. It wasn´t a difficult fight and the enemy forces lacked preparation so the risks were low. However, no matter the reasons they had to take part into the fight they were all killed. One of the fallen soldiers had a lock of a woman´s hair as a pendant on his neck. I will never know if it was the hair of his daughter, his wife, his lover or even his mother…But the moment I saw it I knew that until his last moments of life he was just another person like us with people that were worried about his wellbeing and a family that cared for him"
"Hesitation is only human, Dimitri, but hesitation can lead to unnecessary deaths. A young boy of our company was able to defeat one of the enemy soldiers, but he hesitated to give the killing blow and that hesitation was the cause of his death as he was stabbed in the stomach by the same person he had hesitated to kill. Killing for the pleasure of killing is wrong, but when you are in a fight showing doubts can lead to unnecessary deaths"
"The reality of our world is really harsh. You are right about it, Professor. I wasn´t saying that the actions of those who rebelled were forgivable, but when the fight is already over I can´t avoid thinking about things like that. The fact that we use our ideals to rob the lives of others really makes me wonder about what is right and what is not. You might think that I´m a weak being after hearing my explanation…"
"You aren´t weak at all, Dimitri" he said patting his shoulder. "Every person has moments when they have doubts about what is the best thing to do. Battlefield or everyday life there is always a problem or situation that can make us wonder if what we are doing can be considered right or not. If we weren´t able to feel like that we wouldn´t be any different to some of the beasts that dwell this land"
"Have you ever wondered about the things you have done?"
"As a former mercenary we have done plenty of things that could be considered contrary to our own beliefs. However, that doesn´t mean that we have accepted every deal that has been offered to us. My father has refused plenty of deals that considered outright wrong. "We are soldiers, not murderers" is what he used to say back in our mercenary days"
"The life of a mercenary is really a completely different life to that of a knight. I´ve always thought that mercenaries always fought for gold, but after hearing your words I must change my opinion. Mercenaries aren´t that different to normal soldiers. They obey orders, but that doesn´t mean that they will do whatever you order them" he then looked at him. "The first time we met I saw how you kill those bandits without changing your expression at all. I thought I would never trust someone like you, a person that can kill without blinking an eye, but after spending time with you I´ve realized that my first impression was wrong. You aren´t a merciless killer, only a warrior that is used to fight, but that he is able to risk his own life to save the life of others. I must admit that I trust and admire you now, Professor"
"I´m happy to hear that" He knew that his expressions were lacking, even though that had started to change as time passed, but that didn´t mean that he didn´t worry about the wellbeing of all of his students. "If you ever need my help, I will be there for you"
"I will remember your words, Professor" Dimitri said nodding at him. "For today I think we´ve had enough training, but I´m looking forward to our next training session. And thank you for helping the children. Even if we weren´t able to save all the inhabitants of the village I´m happy that we can at least help them with something. I will be taking my leave, Professor. I´m looking forward to watching tonight´s play" Dimitri said as he opened the door of the training room, leaving him alone.
"That little boy has finally opened to you. He always appears to be extremely professional, but he is an innocent child, after all"
"All of them have their own dreams and traumas, but I can´t really blame Dimitri. Faerghus is a harsh place and only those who are able to kill others can really survive, but that doesn´t mean that it is an enjoyable experience"
"Kill or be killed. A question that is more difficult to answer when you take a deep look at it. Most people would say that is preferable to kill, but every action has its own consequences. The only thing I can say is that sometimes you have to do things that you don´t necessarily have to agree with. What are you going to do now? There is still plenty of time until you have to reunite with the rest"
He was about to answer, but he was interrupted as the doors of the training room opened once again.
"So you were there son. I´ve heard from one of the students that you were training with a bunch of kids. Did you find anyone that could be a suitable mercenary?"
"Hello father, most of them are quite inexperienced with fighting, but they really did their best. Did you have any problems out there?"
"If snow can be considered a problem then I had plenty of it, but apart from that nothing too troublesome. There are almost no travelers now so we have spent most of the time just patrolling the territories of the monastery. You are quite busy though. Being trapped with all this kind of celebrations must be quite strange for someone like you"
"Since my students are giving their best I have to give my best too"
"You are really fond of your dear students" Jeralt laughed as he rubbed his hair. "Seteth was searching for me. You are free to accompany me if you want to"
"It will be a pleasure"
Seteth and Rhea were already waiting at the audience room. Magic fires were casting the shadows away and gave the impression that they still were in the middle of the summer.
"Hello Jeralt, Professor" Seteth said with his usual expression. "We have summoned you to discuss something that had recently happen within the boundaries of this monastery. There are signs that people have entered the abandoned chapel close to this building"
"The old chapel?"
"It was one of the first buildings of the Church. According to the history books, it was used when the teachings of the Holy Church started to spread across Fódlan. When the cathedral was built its use started to decline, but it has been used from time to time to hold celebrations, although the last one happened at least fifty years ago" Rhea said looking at him.
"I remember that place. It has a tower and it is surrounded by a small forest. Is there something of value there?"
"Exactly. As Rhea had said that place has been abandoned for at least 50 years and there is nothing of value remaining at that place. However, even in the case that there are no objects of interest, the Church cannot allow intrusions in its properties. It is a place of low priority, but it would be wise to send some patrols to the place to make sure that there are not thieves lurking around. In this period of the year food runs scarce and some thieves might be desperate enough to enter the grounds of the monastery in search for objects of value"
"I will keep an eye on it then, but I don't think that a bunch of thieves will pose us any problems"
"I am confident that there is nothing to worry about it, but I will pray for the wellbeing of both of you" Rhea said adopting a praying gesture. "I will not disturb you any longer. I am sure that you want to have some time to give a final practice before the play begins" she said smiling to him.
"Since my son is busy will all kind of stuff you could give him a better wage, don´t you think Seteth?"
"I will consider it after I witness Flayn´s performance"
"I was half joking, but I will remember your word then" Jeralt laughed. "Now with your permission"
He left the audience room with his father, thinking about the information he had just heard.
"The monastery is even bigger than I expected"
"It really is son. What we call the monastery are just the main buildings of it, but there are other areas around it that are included within it. That chapel is located to the north of the monastery and there is nothing relevant about it, but I guess that since it is often left unchecked some thieves might be wandering there"
"Are there any more places like that?"
"The other place I can think of is the Sealed Forest"
"The Sealed Forest? Why is it called like that?"
"Even though I´ve been working here for years I don´t know why it is called like that. There is nothing strange about that place. I think it was once used by the Church at its beginning but that´s the most I can say about it" he said as they arrived before his room. "I will be preparing to leave again to make sure that those thieves don´t ruin the day, but don´t worry I will be here to see what little surprise you have prepared with your students"
"I hope that you enjoy it" he said with a faint smile.
"Looking at you, I´m sure I will"
"The Sealed Forest….An abandoned Chapel. The Church is really huge if it has so many properties. Not only that, but the main building itself has a lot of hidden passages and tunnels. I wonder how deep the monastery really is" Sothis said inside his head.
"We have to be especially careful with the tunnels. We barely know about them and the likes of Solon could be lurking beneath the surface" The monastery was filled with unknown access and that made him wonder the purpose of such devices. "The monastery has a history of at least one thousand years. It wouldn´t be strange if those tunnels were used to communicate facilities that aren´t used anymore"
"We will have to return to the detective work later, I guess, but for the time being you should return to your room and practice your dialogues. We don´t want to disappoint your dear students, right?"
"Don´t worry, I will give my best"
"That´s what I wanted to hear" Sothis smiled as he headed to his room.
….
"You look fearsome with that appearance, Edie." Dorothea said as she applied on her face the makeup she had prepared for her.
"How about me, Dorothea? Do I look like the fearsome Count of the tale?" Ferdinand said as he approached them wearing an armor and black clothes that contrasted with the color of his eyes and hair.
"If you just use the tone that we have been using during the rehearsals you will captivate everyone" Dorothea said with a charming smile. "I will have to thank Mercedes and Annette later for their help with the sewing"
"I lent a hand too!"
"I know Bernie and I´m really proud of the designs that you have made"
Everyone was already wearing its costumes or searching for them.
"In five minutes we have to start. Hurry up" her Professor said, already wearing his costume, dark clothes on top of a dark armor and a cloak that partially hided his face.
"Don´t worry Professor. Everything is prepared for this great day" Dorothea said with her best smile.
"I must agree with Dorothea. After all the practice we had I´m confident that we won´t have any problems" Edelgard said looking at all of them. All her classmates, even Linhardt, had been preparing for this with all they had. The last time she had seen them with such high spirits was before the mock battle at Gronder Field.
"After all the practice we had to endure I would say" complained Linhardt.
….
"This is the story from a long time ago. Back at a time when the blessing of the Goddess was still strong in the lands of Fódlan. Those who received her blessing ruled wisely over the common folk, but there was one Lord whose ambitions were endless" Linhardt said, marking the beginning of the play.
"I am the proud owner of this land. Everything that my sight reaches is mine by right" Ferdinand said entering the illuminated area of the stage. "The blessing of the Goddess is strong in me, but that is not enough"
"What else do you want, my Lord?" Byleth asked as a shadow behind him.
"The secret of immortality. What is the purpose of endless wealth if I cannot enjoy it after my life ends? The fact that such thing could happen to me is infuriating!"
"I can kill your enemies, but defeating death is a different matter, my Lord"
"A peasant like you would never understand something like that, but I will explain it to you. Ancient books talk about a chalice that is capable of granting an eternal life to those who drink from it. For years I dismissed those tales of the common folk as the nonsense they were, but a fortnight ago I came across with this beautiful thing" Ferdinand said as he showed to everyone a golden chalice. "My court of mages had assured me that it will grant me an endless life, enough time to turn this world into my liking"
"In that case why don´t you just use it, my Lord?"
"If things were that simple… A pact of blood must be done. A life for a longer time on this earth and that is the part where you will assist me. You have been by my side since that time I found you half dead next to a stream in my lands. I thought about getting rid of you, but you have proofed to be an extremely useful tool"
"I owe you my life; I will do as you wish" Byleth said bowing before him.
"Those are the words I wanted to hear the most. Rise again executioner and bring me what my heart desires"
"True to his word the executioner travelled across Fódlan catching those who were suitable for such a terrible crime. Some of them resisted and some of them begged for mercy, but those words had not content in his ears. Unknowing to him, his heart had been turned into stone by the very same mages that formed the court of the Count"
…..
She could feel her heartbeats as she entered the stage accompanied by her students.
"This beautiful land had unjustly suffered under the rule of the wicked Count. Countless lives had been taken away by him and the mages of the court, but this situation must come to an end" she said looking to the crowd in front of her.
"But how would we do something like that? We are just peasants with rusted weapons against the power of the Count" Caspar said moving his axe.
"I don´t want to face the Executioner!" Bernadetta cried in a convincing tone.
"Comrades, don´t hesitate because justice is on our side. The Count might consider himself a deity, but he is a mere mortal like us. If we do nothing the people will continue to suffer and we can´t allow something like this to happen"
"The Count must be taken down. I will follow you" Petra said, unsheathing her sword. "Even if we are few giving up is not an option. With so many lives at risk we have to fight"
"The Goddess is surely saddened by the evil deeds of that man. I am a mere nun, but I will do everything I can to help your just cause" Flayn said praying. "Those who are stained by the dark cannot be allowed to rule the world of men. The Goddess is saddened by all the unnecessary suffering that has been committed to this land"
…..
"The small company continued its way across the lands of the Count. They protected the weak from the troops of the Count and robbed them of all the goods they had, but that came with a price since the attacks came to the ears of the Count"
"Infuriating, how such a thing could possibly happen. This is outrageous. How can they raise their weapons against their rightful ruler! Filthy beasts"
"My Lord, the source of the information is trustworthy. I am afraid that some peasants are opposed to your just rule. They have the support of the common folk" Hubert said bowing before Ferdinand.
"You have always served me loyally and you are the one that has granted me a longer longevity, but those attacks must meet an end. I will not tolerate any defiance to my rule. They must know their place unless they want to be crushed by all my might. Executioner, lead my troops to the battlefield and catch the leader of the bandits. You can kill the rest of their followers if they resist"
"It will be done, my Lord"
….
"Leading the troops of the Count, the Executioner head to the villages where the bandits had been seen, but his search was fruitless"
"Why do you refuse to tell us the truth, filthy peasant?" Hubert said looking at Dorothea.
"I don´t know where they are milord, this village had no contact with those you seek"
"You are evidently lying. There is no other possibility. You must be hiding them, but you will soon realize that it is wiser to tell us the truth" he then looked at Monica. "Set the city on fire. This place will turn into the living proof of what happens to those stupid enough to defy the authority of their rightful rulers"
"Please mercy! This place is unrelated to the persons you seek!" implored Dorothea as she looked to the auditorium. "Merciful Goddess, please aid those who need you the most!"
"Stop this madness, the one the Count desires is me" she said as she advanced to the center of the stage. "I am the one that seeks to end his tyranny" she then looked to the rest of her warriors. "Evacuate everyone. We can´t allow them to start a new bloodshed"
"So you have finally showed your true face. How ridiculous that a thief like you aims to destroy the rule of our rightful Lord. You will end up begging for your life when you end in my hands. Surrender"
"I´m not the one that will be defeated this day. If you want to kill me, you will have to take this sword from my hand" she said, unsheathing her weapon.
"I am fed up with this chattering. Executioner, obey the Count´s command and bring her to us"
"It will be done"
He approached her with his sword aiming at her. As their swords met the sound of the clash could be heard across the entire room, the auditorium completely silent.
"This way of fighting…I have a faint memory of it" he said as he parried one of her attacks and counterattack.
"Highly doubtful. I have nothing to do with the lapdog of the Count. You are a formidable fighter, but I won´t be the one to die here"
With a potent attack she was able to disarm the executioner, the impact revealing what hid behind the shadows.
"It cannot be…you died a lifetime ago"
Taking advantage of that moment of doubt he used the strength of his arms to trap her.
"All of you, run away before it is too late! We can´t allow them to defeat us so easily"
"We won´t back down, I promise!" Caspar shouted as he helped Dorothea to leave the stage, accompanied by the rest of them.
"You fought well, but your luck has finally come to an end. You will come with us to the castle of the Count, where you will be judged accordingly to your wrongdoings" Hubert said, but she wasn´t paying attention to him.
"Why have you turned into the sword of the Count? You, who were once my closest friend,. You, who were the protector of those who had always suffered under the powerful. You were always a good person, yet the waters of the river shallowed you during the last fight we had together. What happened to you to turn into something like this" she asked looking directly at him into the eye.
"I don´t have any memories of the things you say. I´ve been serving him since I have memory" he said as he avoided his gaze and looked into the horizon. "I have no name. I´m the sword of the Count and all refer to me as the Executioner. So be it"
"Those were the words he said, but as he repeated the words that had been put into his mind a long time ago, the first cracks started to appear in his heart made of stone. The leader of the thieves was sent to the castle of the Count, a horrid place that could only inspire fear in the heart of those unlucky enough to enter it" Linhardt said. As he said it magic fires were casted, making the decoration behind them have a sinister look.
"So you were the one attacking my properties. How infuriating and disrespectful to think that a pitiful peasant like you could do something like that"
"A peasant is not a thing you can simply control to fulfil your own ambitions"
"The arrogance of your tone denotes how blind you are. The Goddess has bestowed upon my family her blessing. My divine rule is uncontested. Only a fool would dare to defy it!"
"You don´t stop talking about your divine rule, but the truth is that it is based on the unnecessary suffering of others and with your death everything you have built will turn into ashes until no one will ever remember what happened during your tyranny"
"Interesting words coming from someone that will promptly be sacrificed. Your endless babbling exhausts me, but your life will be worth taking for my own sake" he said looking at the public. "My rule will never end and those who defy me will be promptly executed as this fool. Send her to darkest cell and prepare everything for the ritual. Executioner bring her down to the dungeons"
"As you wish"
"The dungeons of the castle of the Count harbored all kind of unimaginable nightmares. It was a place built out of desperation and hatred. A place where light and innocence were a long time ago forgotten"
The place was completely dark and only a frail light was the only sources of illumination in all the stage, making Byleth appear like a giant shadow besides her.
"You weren´t always like this. You were once the person that everyone grew to love. What had happened to you?"
"I don´t know what you are talking about. Even if something like that happened in the past it has no meaning anymore"
"You are wrong; it has everything to do with what is happening right now. The evil deeds of the Count must be stopped for the sake of those who had to endure unnecessary suffering. Look at me and tell if everything I´ve said is wrong or not"
He looked at her, but with the world surrounded in shadows she couldn´t clearly see what was his real reaction.
"Stop talking, I´m beyond redemption now"
"If you can feel regret then it means that there is still hope for you. You only have to fight for it"
"Enough of this fruitless chattering. No matter what you do, you won´t persuade him to back down. He is my greatest creation; a weapon without a will of its own"
"You are one of the mages of the court. So it is true that all of you have committed unforgivable crimes. All of you will pay for their crimes"
"The Goddess has no power here. With my knowledge the rule of the Count will be endless and endless will be our power over humankind. You cannot stop the inevitable" he chuckled as he looked at Byleth. "The time has come. Bring her to the audience room"
…..
"Your pitiful life will end here. Those who question my authority don´t deserve a second opportunity to correct their wrongdoings. However, I will let you have your last words before us" Ferdinand said standing beside him. The fury that he could feel in his tone was impressive. He had really done his best to fulfil his role.
"I don´t take orders from you. Your rule is based on the suffering of those who don´t deserve it and every word that leaves your mouth is a sin against the Goddess" she said as he looked at him. "Was it all a lie? You weren´t like this. Fight against what controls you" she said, the look of her eyes piercing his.
"Your words are empty threads. Those who are not prepared to rule shall not speak against the will of their rightful rulers. Executioner, open her chest and end her life once and for all"
He slowly approached her in silent as the public was expecting how it will end. Looking at her chained he couldn´t avoid recalling the suffering she had to endure when she was still too young. He then raised his sword.
"Enough of this madness! Your rule of tyranny ends here and now, Count" Caspar shouted as he suddenly appeared in the stage accompanied by the rest of the Black Eagle students.
"Intruders! How can something like this happen?!"
"The crimes that you have committed against the common folk have granted you their hatred" Petra said as she prepared to fight.
"The suffering of the people won´t be in vain if we take you down" Dorothea said preparing her own magic.
"Not only that, but the Goddess is also on our side. The crimes you have committed will not be forgiven until your life comes to an end" Flayn said, surrounding herself in a cloud of magic.
"Unforgivable. All you are fools if you think that you will defeat me. Executioner, kill her! Now!"
Hearing his words he raised his sword…
And cut the chains that were surrounding her arms.
"Traitor! How dare to turn against your rightful lord!"
"It is up to me to decide the path I seek, even if I´m not the one I used to be" he said as he threw at her one of his swords.
"Your treason won´t be forgiven. Soldiers, mages kill the usurpers!"
….
With her sword she stopped the Count attack aiming at her heart.
"You reign of tyranny has come to an end"
"Only a fool would take things for granted before they can fulfil their objectives. I will not be the one to die here"
Surrounded by the strange atmosphere created by the spells of her classmates she felt like she was in a real battlefield and not in a stage.
Next to her, Byleth was fighting against Monica as if they were fighting in a real fight, although by the look of Monica´s eyes it appeared to be so.
"Defying my rule is a sin that won´t be easily forgiven!"
"I´m not here to beg for your mercy. I´m here to end your crimes once and for all"
…
"The fight continued until the troops of the Count were no more. Sacrifices were made, but in the end only the Count and his most faithful servant remained"
"You have fought well, but your life ends here" she said approaching the injured Count.
"Nonsense. My life cannot end like this. My ambitions will be shattered if something like that could happen"
"Even at a time like this you fail to realize your wrongdoings. You are beyond redemption"
She approached him, but in a sudden the leader of the mages of the court rushed to her position with a knife of an ominous look in his hand.
"Your life will end here and now" he cried, but he was stopped by a familiar back.
"How you dare to defy your own creator!"
"I don't know what you did to me, but I´m not your creature anymore" he said as he used his sword to end his life.
With only the Count left he tried to run away, but he was completely surrendered.
"Please, mercy! Don´t kill me!"
"Despite all the suffering that you have caused, you are the one begging for forgiveness now. How ironic"
"When the common folk dropped tears of blood you did nothing for them" Dorothea accused him.
"The Goddess is merciful, but even her has limits. You will not find mercy in between the people that you have tried to destroy. The only thing that remains is to pray in the hope that one day your soul will realize all the crimes he had committed. The only remaining hope for you is that you will regret everything you had committed until now" Flayn said, looking at the Count.
"All my dreams had been shattered. All my works will turn into dust and all of it because of my lack of sight. If you want to kill me, do it now. At least I will leave this world with some honor behind me"
"With a swift movement of her sword the Count finally met his demise. The news of the fall of the Count quickly spread around all the regions under his control and rebellions started to appear in each territory, ending everything that the Count had aimed to build and control"
…..
"It finally has ended" she said looking at the horizon. "The Count had paid for his crimes with his life and now peace can finally take place in this land"
"It won´t be enough"
"Why, dear friend?"
"I was behind many of the massacres in the name of the Count. As long as I live the legacy of the Count won´t be completely erased. I have to die for the crimes I have committed."
"Even if you committed numerous crimes I can´t really blame you for all of them. They did something to you. You didn´t act on your own will, but in case that you want to pay for your crimes I have a solution for it"
"What kind of solution?"
"Fight alongside me. Even now innocent people suffer under cruel rulers or bandits. If you want to repay your blood debt with them you can help me to avoid further sacrifices. What do you think?" she asked, extending her hand as she did so.
He looked at him in complete silence, but the moment he took her hand he faintly smiled.
"If with my death I won´t resolve the suffering I´ve caused I will spend the rest of my life trying to fix everything I´ve destroyed"
"And like that they travelled across the land of Fódlan and they turned into the bane of those who abused their power against the weak and even now when oppression happens it is said that they will come to the aid of those who need their help"
When Linhardt´s stopped talking a roar came from the public and in a short while they were surrounded by the cheers of students, villagers and members of the Church alike. Looking at the public, Byleth took her hand and raised it in front of everyone as the rest of the students approached them to receive the ovations. When Ferdinand appeared the ovations were even stronger, making him finally smile. Looking at the smiles of all of them she couldn´t avoid indulging herself into that happiness too.
"This will be surely a day to remember" Byleth whispered to her ear, smiling to her.
"You are right" she smiled back and for a while all her worries were casted away.
…
"That was amazing. I´ve never seen so much people cheering me up!"
"That´s only normal Caspar since we had the guiding of Dorothea"
"Your words are very nice Linhardt. Everyone did an incredible job, but you Ferdinand…you were amazing! The conviction of your lines made me think for a while that you were the real Count"
"It wasn´t a role of my liking, but I´m pleased to hear that coming from you, Dorothea. I must admit that I´m quite fond of Opera and Theatre"
"I´m glad to hear that coming from you. Now the only thing before the end of the month is the night of the Ball. If all months were like this I wouldn´t mind battling from time to time. Thank you Professor for not heading to another expedition of yours for the time being"
"No problem, but from next month we will continue training and battling as usual"
"I will make sure to enjoy the remaining days of freedom then" Linhardt sighed. "If you don´t have enough rest you are going to fall ill Professor. I´m not trying to skip your classes, I´m only worried about your wellbeing"
"I´m really proud of all of you" Edelgard said looking at her classmates. "We have shown the entire monastery what we are capable of doing when we are working together. The success of this night is all yours"
"Receiving a compliment like that from you makes my heart jump, Edie"
"It was only natural that it was going to be a success since we had the presence of Lady Edelgard, but I must admit that you did a good job too, Ferdinand"
"What?!... I´m left speechless by your words, Hubert, but for once I thank you sincerely"
"If Ferdie and Hubie can get along for a while thanks to something like this I´m sure it was a complete success" Dorothea said with her most charming smile.
"Now it is time for all of you to rest. Good job everyone. You deserve to get a good rest"
As everyone started to leave he took some time to recall the events that had just taken place. Seeing the smiles of all of them was something that made him feel extremely happy.
"Your dear students really did their best today. You must be really proud of them"
"I am. They have really improved their teamwork as time has passed" When he trained them for the first time he thought that they would never cooperate, but as time passed he had realized that even though some of them had completely different personalities or objectives, all of them had learnt to help each other to achieve their objectives and he was sure that they would remember that for the rest of their lives.
"I have the same opinion that you. Hopefully they will remember everything they had learnt until now. You should take a rest too. In no time that Ball will take place and we don´t want to disappoint your dear students, especially the little Princess"
"You are right about that. You can go to sleep before me"
"There is no need to say something like that since I planned to do it anyway. Good night Byleth… and good job"
"Good night Sothis"
As Sothis went to sleep he left the classroom where all his students had held a small celebration after the end of the play. Closing the door behind him he started to head towards his room when he saw a familiar student.
"Dedue, what are you going there?"
"Good evening Professor. Have you seen his Highness?" Dedue asked him in his usual taciturn tone, but he appeared to be worried.
"Dimitri? I haven´t seen him now. Has something happened? I can help you if you want some help"
Dedue looked at him with a serious gaze before he finally nodded.
"His Highness had been recently waking up in the middle of the night. I´ve only noticed as he appears to be tired. Because of it I´m worried about his wellbeing. He is also complaining about recent headaches"
"Headaches? Is he sick?"
"His Highness had been suffering those headaches as long as I remember, but they are more frequent when he doesn´t get enough rest. That´s why I´m worried about his wellbeing"
"I see. Let´s find him them. I will help you in your search"
"Thank you Professor"
He walked accompanied by Dedue through the grounds of the monastery as snow fell. The world surrounding them was completely silent, but he wasn´t uncomfortable about it. They spent an hour searching for him, but he didn´t find him.
"There is only a place left to check, the library" The first days after Tomas revelation of his true identity the library had been extremely controlled, but as weeks passed the security measures on that place had been lifted. Without a librarian to take care of the place of the timings to close the library he knew that some of the students like Lysithea and Annette entered the library at night to continue their studies.
"You are right, Professor. It is the only place we haven´t checked yet. He must be there. Let´s go"
As they entered the library the place was completely dark, but he could see a faint light coming from one of the corners of the main room. As they approached the source of light they found him, before he hurriedly put a book back at its place.
"Dedue, Professor, what are you doing here? I didn´t expect to see anyone here"
"We were searching for you, your Highness. You aren´t getting enough rest. I´m worried about your wellbeing"
"Dedue, I´m fine. You don´t have to worry about me like that. I was just searching for new techniques to learn to improve my training"
"Even in that case you should get some rest, Dimitri. You had been training with me early in the morning and you aren´t in bed yet it means that you aren´t getting enough rest. If you are tired you won´t be able to fight properly. Besides, I already know that you are doing your best so there is no need to exhaust yourself in the process" he said patting his shoulder.
"You are right, Professor" he sighed. "I promise I will take more care of my own wellbeing from now on. Since I was young I´ve always had a quite resilient body, but I must admit that some rest won´t cause me any harm. I will leave then. Thank you for worrying about me Professor, Dedue. Good night, Professor"
"Thank you for helping me, Professor. I will be leaving with him then, see you tomorrow. Good night"
"Good night to both of you"
"The attitude of the young Prince is a bit suspicious. I have the feeling that he hasn´t been completely honest about the reasons that dragged him to this library. How about we take a look to the book he had been reading?"
It wasn´t difficult to find that book since it wasn´t properly placed on the bookshelf. As he opened it he realized that it was a book the Church that consisted in a compilation of donations to the Church of Seiros.
"A book about donations to the Church? How boring, but there must be something important there if he was searching about it in the middle of the night"
As he passed the pages of the book a particular name caught his attention. "Volkhard von Arundel. It says that he suddenly stopped sending donations to the Church a few years ago, even though he was one of the main donators of the Church until that moment"
"That sounds quite fishy to me. Not only that, but also that name is quite familiar"
"He is the uncle of Edelgard and political uncle of Dimitri" he said, recalling the man that was talking with Dimitri last month.
"Exactly, you have a good memory. A pious man that suddenly stopped sending donations to the Church. He said that he had a difficult economic situation, but that doesn´t explain why he hasn´t reassumed them since I didn´t see him having any economic difficulties now"
"According to Hubert he has now an important political position within the Empire. I doubt he is short of money right now"
"In that case something has happened to him if he had such a radical change of opinion about the Church. I wonder why. Since we are already here how about we do some research about him? Curiosity has spoiled my need of sleeping"
Like that he started his search about House Arundel. It took him some time to have clear references of that House, but his efforts were worth it.
"House Arundel is a minor noble House of the Empire. Its lands are located to the north of the Adrestian Empire, along the border with the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. This minor noble family had been recently elevated of status thanks to the marital union of one of its members to the current Emperor Ionius IX, granting the head of this family the tittle of Lord. During the upheaval of the Insurrection of the Seven Lord Arundel fled to the Holy Kingdom, but he eventually returned to the Empire. Lord Arundel is the current regent of the Empire."
"This Lord Arundel is a quite powerful man within the Empire. If he is the current regent of the Empire it means that he is the one to rule over everyone, at least until the little Princess claims the throne. How interesting. That noble is more than he appears to be. However, I still have doubts. Why is the young Prince so eager to know about his political uncle? Has something happened between them? In that case what?"
"One of the members of that house was married to the Emperor. That person must be Edelgard´s mother, but the Emperor is still alive. How was she able to marry twice? The Church doesn´t allow it since bigamy is considered a sin, although it doesn´t matter anymore since the ones involved in this story died during the Tragedy of Duscur"
"This story gets more difficult to understand the more we dig into it, but I´m sure about one thing; that Lord Arundel is not the man who pretends to be. It is obvious that he isn´t on good terms with the Church anymore. I wonder what he is doing with all the power and influence he had acquired as the regent of the Empire. The relationships between nobles are extremely strange. I would like to know more about what is going on, but I think we have acquired all the information we could gather from this place. What is left we will have to find it by our own. If the young Prince was so eager to investigate about his uncle it means that he suspects that there is something odd with him. I wonder how much he knows about the events surrounding this entire strange story"
"You are right" he said closing the book and putting it back into the bookshelf. There was something irking him about all the information he had just read. "If he was one of the instigators of the Insurrection of the Seven why did he run away from the Empire? Edelgard was once at the Holy Kingdom where she first met Dimitri, but if the nobles wanted to experiment on Edelgard to create the perfect Emperor it doesn´t make sense that Arundel, one of the leaders of the insurrection fled to the Holy Kingdom. Was he trying to protect her? In that case, why he changed all of a sudden his attitude? It almost feels like Lord Arundel is two persons at the same time or he was just pretending to care about the wellbeing of Edelgard? Why he appears to be on bad terms with the Church now despite all the donations he had made for it during most of his life?" he thought as he walked through the deserted aisles of the monastery. "Lord Arundel, Edelgard, Dimitri… What is lurking beneath the surface?" He had many questions he couldn't answer. "I will need to keep a watchful eye on all of this. I don´t have a good feeling about it" he thought as he headed to his room.
The tale I created is an extremely distorted version of the Chalice from the DLC. You could consider it as something that filtered from the Church in some form but it has changed so much that only some elements (like the Chalice) are the only things that are left of the original version (the one that only High officials or Rhea know). By the way, the DLC part is approaching so keep an eye on that.