A young green haired girl was lying on an older woman's lap. The older taller woman rested her hand on top of the young girl's head. The younger girl was breathing softly and was surrounded by a bunch of other children. They were all fast asleep. The older woman tried to stay alert as she watched for any threats. Her eyelids began to grow heavy. She wished she could join her wonderful children in slumber, but it wasn't safe. Wind gently blew throughout Zanado. The sun had already set. The older woman couldn't help but close her eyes, if only for a second. Those seconds became minutes, and soon enough hours.

The girl on her lap eventually woke up, and noticed her mother leaning on top of her. She smiled while still half asleep. But something was wrong. She smelt something similar to steel. She pushed on her mother, wondering what was going on. She kept pushing on her, but she wasn't waking up. She'd just keep falling back down on top of her. Someone began to pull her, and she began to scream. Her mouth was quickly covered, and the culprit shushed her. She tried looking up, and recognized the young boy as one of her brothers.

The young boy continued to pull at her, and as she was pulled away from her mother, she noticed her back was wide open. As if it had been sliced. She began to scream again, but was reminded to stay quiet.

She could only stutter out one word. "M-mother…"

She fell into her older brother's arms. He rubbed her back as she cried quietly. Suddenly, he pushed her away. She looked at her brother, and inside of his chest was a sword. A large man pulled the weapon out of her brother, and then looked down at her. He smiled sinisterly. He raised his sword, and instantaneously, he looked like a woman. A woman with red armor, a bony axe, and long white hair. The smile was gone, and replaced with a glare. Her eyes were filled with rage, and scorn. She quickly sliced her axe downward.

The young girl closed her eyes in fear, and seconds later, noticed she was still alive. She opened her eyes, and saw a tall woman with silver armor, blonde hair, and brown skin. She was facing her with a smile, while blocking the attack with a sword. She looked around, and her mother, brother, and all the others were nowhere to be found. She looked downward, and noticed she was suddenly taller.

An arrow flew past the white haired woman, catching her off guard. The woman looked around in order to find the source of the arrow. A woman in black with dark blue hair and of course, a bow.

"We've got you Rhea!" The archer exclaimed.

"Lady Rhea dammit!" The blond haired one responded in frustration.

"Not now!" She replied.

After the short altercation, they did battle against the red armored one. Rhea now had a few seconds to breathe. She noticed Zanado was far gone, and they were at some sort of monastery. She looked downward and saw a man who she could only describe as a "boar" fighting savagely, and a woman with green hair, not too unlike that of her beloved mother, fighting right next to him. She had some sort of whip sword, that for whatever reason filled her with rage and anguish.

She was brought back to the fight when the blonde woman flew into Rhea's arms. She had her hand on her stomach, which was bleeding. "Catherine!" The archbishop exclaimed.

Catherine looked up at her. "I'm… sorry. I promised I'd never die for you. But I'm not sure I can keep it…"

Rhea, filled with rage, began to transform. Her features became less and less human-like, and closer to that of a dragon. She flew up and opened her mouth as wide as she could. She started exhaling fire, causing burning pillars to fall as flames scorched the religious establishment.

It began to fall apart. Boulders were falling on soldiers of both sides. Some were burning to death, as their screams echoed throughout the area. She saw the red emperor still standing. She dive bombed the part of the monastery she was standing on, and crushed her with her claws.

She panted heavily in her exhaustion. She transformed back to her humanoid state, and fell onto her knees.

She snapped to attention, realizing she had no idea where her remaining loved ones were. "Catherine! Shamir!" There was no elegance in her voice. Her screeches were that of desperation. She threw rock after rock out of the way, searching for her knights. She found a pale hand, and dug deeper. She found two people, the ones she was looking for, next to each other. The color had vanished from them. They weren't breathing. They weren't moving. They were gone. She grabbed them both, and started crying. She lost everything. Her mother, her family, all her loved ones.

"It's all my fault."

Everything that happened, all the death, the bloodshed, it all went back to her in one way or another. All she wanted was to maintain peace. And she had done the opposite. Now everyone was gone. Only she was alive. She wondered why it had to come to this. Why this had to happen. Why she had to lose everything. She felt that nothing was worth this. She was left all alone again.

Everything she did to keep her remaining family safe. Everything she did to make people happy. And everything she did to see her mother again. All it did was cause another war. Her soft cries became wails. Fodlan was now another Zanado, and it would take forever to heal. The survivors would have to slowly but surely rebuild. They'd have to pick up the ashes and clean up the mess she made. It wasn't Edelgard, it wasn't even the agarthans. It was her. Her crimes. Her sins. Her lapse of judgement. She had no way of knowing it would come to this all those years ago. All she could think is, what now? She had nowhere to go. Nothing to do. She wished, more than anything, that her mother would come back and lead Fodlan once more.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and saw the woman who had the green hair, and the whip sword, looking at her with a blank expression. "...Mother?"

Rhea awoke with tears falling down her face. It was all a dream. At least mostly. While the events of the dream weren't exactly correct, the feelings and emotions were. She did feel incredibly guilty for what she did. The poor child Byleth who was used as a ploy to bring her mother back.

And the poor child Edelgard who had been hurt so badly by the world's injustice that she started a war. While Rhea had only the best of intentions, her role in the starting of that conflict was something that couldn't be ignored.

Rhea got out of bed, and wondered where Catherine and Shamir were. She looked outside and saw the former training with thunderbrand. Another one of her lost siblings. She understood that it was a powerful weapon and it was the most efficient way of protecting her. But it still hurt a lot to see her beloved family member turned into a tool.

The latter was standing next to her, watching. Shamir wasn't as dutiful as Catherine, but she cared just as much. Rhea decided to go outside and see them. A small house had been built in Zanado for the three of them to stay by some devout people. For reasons Rhea didn't understand, there were some people who still supported her, and longed to keep her safe. There were also people however who didn't care for her in the slightest, and were frustrated and heartbroken that the kingdom won the war.

The bright sun beat down on Rhea's head. Originally, it was something she took for granted. Of course the sun rose, there was no reason it wouldn't. But she lost her ability to see it for years. Trapped by the now deceased emperor. She was stuck in a dark room by herself for so long. When she was saved by Byleth, Dimitri, and their army, she was too tired to cry. But if she could have, she'd have bawled. Now every sunrise was beautiful to her. Even for an immortal being like her, it was never promised.

Shamir noticed someone behind them, and looked to see it was one of her wives. The three of them got married a few years after the war ended. Not everyone approved, but unless it was a marriage between one man and one woman, there would always be a substantial amount of rejections. But none of them cared. As long as they had each other, they were fine.

Shamir pointed at her and looked to her wife. "Catherine."

Catherine looked up and noticed Rhea. She ran over to her quickly, always excited to see her. "Lady Rhea! You slept in today huh?" Despite her not being the archbishop for years, Catherine still showed her respect by keeping the honorific. Catherine looked a bit closer and noticed she was a bit pale. Her eyes were also red. "What's wrong?" Catherine asked.

Rhea shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing."

A look of concern creeped onto Shamir's face. "If it's bothering you, it's clearly not nothing. Tell us. Catherine will be stressed all day if you don't."

Rhea giggled in response, while she threw Catherine under the carriage, it was clear she was just as concerned. Catherine and Shamir both smiled. Rhea's laughter was a rare sight. Not as much nowadays, because she no longer has to keep up the persona of an infallible archbishop. But she still wasn't a very giggly person.

"I… had a horrible dream." Rhea began to explain. "About the death of my mother, the death of you two, and many others. And all of it was my fault."

Shamir and Catherine's expressions darkened. They knew how much guilt Rhea felt for the war. When that was compiled with all her trauma from all the wars she's been a part of, it's no wonder she has a habit of being so gloomy.

Catherine gave Rhea a tight hug. "I'm… sorry."

Rhea looked at her in confusion. "What could you possibly be apologizing for?"

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better." She explained. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop the war, or stop your capture."

Shamir got a bit annoyed. "It wasn't your fault Catherine. You, me, and the rest of the knights, as well as the former students, did everything we could. It's stupid to blame yourself for that."

"Indeed." Rhea agreed. "There's no reason for you to blame yourself for what happened."

Shamir looked towards Rhea "I know words can't fix all the pain you're in. But you've acknowledged your wrong doings. You're trying to move past them. That's what's most important. Not to mention, you're taking way too much of the responsibility."

After the war ended, thanks to Hapi, they did eventually find out about the Agarthans, or as Hubert called them, those who slither in the dark. They found out more about them, and Rhea's connection to them. They found out what they had told Edelgard, and the lies she was fed. Not everything she said was wrong of course. But some things, such as Rhea and the church's end goal being to take over the world, was nonsense that was shoved down Edelgard's throat.

"The agarthans played their part too," Shamir continued. "Nemesis too. Even Edelgard. You are not the sole instigator. I'm not sure how much that helps, but it's something you need to keep in mind."

Rhea slowly began to speak up. "I wish we could have all lived in peace. I wish Edelgard didn't have to suffer so much.. I wish the students didn't have to see all of those horrors."

"We all wish that," said Catherine.

"But there's nothing we can do to change the past. All we can do is keep going," Shamir continued.

Rhea nodded grimly. "I have a bad habit of living in the past. My obsession with it did play into some of my decisions."

Catherine perked up. "Then the two of us will be there to keep you from falling. Any time she comes close, we'll happily catch you."

Shamir agreed. "That's what we're here for."

Rhea griminaced. "And what happens when you're gone. What happens when I'm left alone again? Who will catch me?"

Shamir looked a bit hurt. Not because what Rhea said was mean. But because it was true. Soon enough, Rhea would be left alone again.

Catherine looked at Rhea with a fire in her eyes. "That's why we have to make as many memories as we can. So when we die, you'll always have that to fall back on. Your memories will always be with you. No one can take that away. That's the important thing."

Rhea softly giggled again. "I should have expected you to say something like that Catherine. I apologize for getting so dark, you're right. No matter what, I'll never forget you. And even then, that's not for a long time anyway."

"That's the spirit!" Catherine exclaimed.

Shamir loved how chipper her wife could be. Sometimes it's what two people like her and Rhea really needed. "Why don't you watch Catherine train? It'll help take your mind off of things, and remind you that she's too strong to go down easily."

"You need to train too!" Catherine reprimanded with a cheerful smile on her face. "Help me ease her concerns!"

Shamir shrugged. "Sure, why not." Despite her somewhat dismissive tone, she was smiling.

Rhea sat down and put her hands in her lap. They felt that they'd have to protect Rhea. But she was also the mighty Seiros. She'd protect them too. The three of them were going to be together for a long long time, no matter what.