Day 17 of the Pegasus Moon
"Shortstack, open up. Gotta talk to ya." A mumbled response came through the door, it sounded like she had blockaded the damn thing. "Lys, come on." A sound resembling 'no' came through. "Ugh, fine, don't want me in there? Let's scry."Santaniel sat with his back to the door and opened the connection, 'Lysithea, talk to me. It won't get better if you don't.'
No response. 'Lysithea, you can't blame yourself… Or Byleth really. Me and Dorothea kinda set that up by accident. We were trying to give you a nice day, and through Byleth's dense fuckin' skull, he belived a ring would be appropriate. I'm sorry Lys, don't be so-'
'You saw all of it, didn't you?" Santaniel sighed, 'Yeah. We did. I'm sorry Lys, I really am. It's something you'll have to clear up eventually, as you know, right hand assistant and all. You guys are at least very good friends. Besides, I haven't been entirely open with you either.'
'What do you mean?'
--
"Ok, Byleth, ya have a thick skull." Xavien sat up on the table while Byleth sat a solid foot away. "Now, I'm not an expert in love, hell I've never even felt a romantic attraction. But I understand one thing, typically, rings convey undying love. You shouldn't be handing them out during such special events, such as… Y'know, birthdays."
Dorothea picked up his train of thoughts, "Keep in mind Professor, you have a certain… Authority now, on top of being the same age or being younger than some of us. Now, how do you believe Lysithea felt when someone she'd been so close with for a year, then another three months, offered her a ring on her birthday. Especially someone as handsome as you."
A small blip of realization crossed his brow and he stood abruptly. "No, no Byleth. You can't rush there right now. Santaniel is comforting her, but I recommend you take your next couple of weeks and think about what your feelings towards her are. You need to assure yourself on how you feel about her."
"I agree with Xavien, you need to discern your feelings for her before you talk to her again. She probably understands it was a misunderstanding now, but she needs closure before you can continue being friends or associates, or maybe more if you decide on such a thing~." Rolling his eyes, Xavien hopped up, and dragged Dorothea off by the ear.
"Let us know Byleth, we're here to help."
--
'So that's what you were up to during the five years?'
'Yep, I ended up figuring out a cure, too bad I didn't have the ingredients. You know that threat I made on the island?' Lysithea shuddered as she recalled the memory. 'None of us would leave alive if we so much as moved or had an Agarthan among us. That me and the Professor were the only reasons you were hesitating on giving the signal?'
Santaniel stood on the other side of the door, 'Yeah. That wasn't an empty threat, I know you'd rather die than be controlled by a damn skinwalker. I thought the same about Byleth, and I think one more thing about the both of you. You two belong together more than the sun does in the sky.'
With a struggle, she pushed the small chest aside, and Santaniel pushed the door open. "You guys are special Lys, you really are." Ruffling her hair, he smiled, "Though he might be dense, if anyone can get through it, it's you. Just give him time, Lys. After the war, I have no doubts you'll be together." She wrapped her arms around his waist, fleeting tears dotting her cheeks.
It was like she had a brother again. And just like a little sister, she had to ask, "Now what's going on between you and Edelgard." Santaniel just shook his head and wrung his hands.
"If I knew this jumbled up ball of emotion's intent, I'd let ya know Lys. Kinda hard to hold an image of, the girl you loved, and the girl who cut your arm off and put the heel of her boot on your throat. Then make them the same person, though, she probably has the same issue as me, huh?"
Lysithea went over to the bed and patted the spot next to her, "We have a while, why not tell me about it?"
--
Day 7 of the Harp String Moon, Year 1178
"Ok, we have the final lab in our grasp. Remember, Santaniel, you're coming in last. No matter what, do not throw yourself into harm's way for us, alright?" Santaniel flexed his wrists, cracking his knuckles, "Why? If one of us goes down, it's likely that none of us will get out."
Hephaestus turned, a retort dying on his tongue, but he rustled Santaniel's hair instead. "We're doing this for you kid, only come in once I'm in position. Ten minutes, that's all I need. See ya on the other side."
With that final word, Santaniel was left crouching next to a hole in the ceiling. He practiced his breathing, counting the imaginary ticks of a clock. At the six hundred mark, he stepped forward and dove into the pitch black room. It was midnight, and they were about to throw this place into a panic.
One… Screams emanated from the experiment room, Xavien killing the higher ups. He shuddered at the thought of so much blood.
Two… Flashes of lights from behind him, Arti was in the quarters, turning it to broken bodies and structures alike.
Three… Hephaestus was attacking the gathering forces before Arti pulled him out. He was surely turning them to cinders now.
As Santaniel stepped deeper in the room, the scraping of metal sent a shiver down his spine. His palms went to the hilts of the Holy Twins and he glanced around the room, eyes glowing green. "Hello, predecessor." Santaniel stepped back, listening for the source of the voice.
"You have dealt a fair amount of damage to this island and its facilities. That ends tonight, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me." To the left. Santaniel ducked his left side under the blade of an axe and slung his right blade over hand at his target.
The blow landed, but it was a glancing one. His opponent was smaller, but faster on their feet and had a better center of gravity. Brute force wouldn't work here. He could tell that much from one interaction.
"You have a right to be angry, I won't degrade you for feeling that way. However, I have a duty, that is to exterminate you." Santaniel shook his head, "Mindless, recycled speeches. Shut up." With a lunge, Santaniel summoned Lightning, crackling from his fingertips and pressed it to their suit of armor.
'Always check what class of knight they are before you engage. Strike them with electricity, the higher the conduction, the lower their rank.' With the reaction he got… They might as well be King.
Santaniel leapt back as an overhead swing missed his head by an inch. 'Think… Go for the legs and get them on their back, disarm, go for the throat.' A glancing blow landed on his shoulder, sliding off the scaled fabric of his father's jacket.
"Sorry…" He shot his shoulder forward, feathers covering his arms and fangs extended from the top of his mouth. They fell back and dropped their axe, he lunged forward, arms outstretched. Pain flared through his jaw.
A flash of light and dazing pain put him on his back, was his tooth broken? They shouldn't have been able to hit that hard, they had said he was the biggest success due to his strength. His natural strength…
They had called him their predecessor, which meant… No-
Pain ripped through him and he screamed, blood pooled underneath him as adrenaline filled his veins and numbed it for just a moment. He scrambled to his feet, backpedaling, and he grabbed at his axes. He threw his right arm forward, he could fight at a distance.
Except nothing came, his arm was gone. He looked down to where he had been moments before. A trickling trail of blood had led his eyes there, and in the center of the ruby and emerald puddle, was his arm.
Severed cleanly, almost surgically, by the silver axe which was threatening his life. "Stay the hell back…"
"You are in no position to threaten me. Lay down your weapons and I will make your death painless." Santaniel smirked as his eyes became blinding, and put his final piece in this fight. "I am a weapon, sweetheart."
The wound closed temporarily as ethereal energy formed his secondary arm, talons for rending flesh and feathers for flight and protection. He'd rip them to pieces.
"I'm not dying to the likes of you."
--
Present Day
"You know how that ends, pretty sure Edelgard still has those scars on her chest and sides. Still though, my mind is in a damn jumble about her, it's… It's very frustrating."
Lysithea sleepily yawned, nodding her head, "Mhm… Zzz…" Santaniel had been talking for the better part of two hours now, just getting his current emotions out and why he had previously hated Edelgard before.
The sun had nearly set, and Lysithea was curled up with Ordelian and a pillow. Sighing, a smile on his face, he pushed himself off the bed and tossed a blanket over her. "Night Lys, see ya later."
"Good… Night…" Santaniel gently opened and closed the door, starting off into the night. He had many things to think about.
--
Day 20 of the Pegasus Moon
"So, Xavien, ya got any twos?" Rain pattered on the wooden roof of the house and the brothers were bored. "Thought we were playing poker?"
"If that was the case, Arti would've won by now." Arti shrugged his shoulders and took a berry from the center, "I have no discernable tells. Plus, you can't cheat and see my hand, I hold my hand single file."
Santaniel shook his head, "I do too, just can't give it enough attention to read anyone's face." Xavien took everyone's hands and shuffled, "We could play B.S.?"
Hubert, surprisingly, came through the mirror, staring at them on the floor. Smirking, he spoke to his request, "Her Majesty and the Professor require your presence."
"I call B.S." Santaniel slapped Xavien on the back of his head and hopped up, "I'll just go and get whatever report she needs to tell me. Y'all can stay here, except you can't have my pastries. Made those this morning."
Santaniel grabbed the plate Hephaestus reached towards and stepped into the mirror, following Hubert into their former classroom. "Hey, what ya people need?"
Edelgard looked up at Santaniel, raising her eyebrow when she saw the pastries. "Want one?" To his surprise, she accepted. "Get a napkin, they have cherry filling, don't wanna ruin the dress." Byleth looked up from the map and tapped for his attention, it felt like he was back in class again.
"We need a fourth head to conjure a strategy, none of us can think of a way to rope off Judith and keep her from escaping without expending too many troops. We figured we could use your strategy from the battle of Garegg Mach and take her as either a prisoner or dead. She's too dangerous as a variable to let back into the fray when we take the bridge."
Santaniel blinked twice, clicking his tongue, he spoke, "That is the longest I've ever heard you speak at once." After Edelgard opened her mouth to repeat, he went to work on the battle map. "Ok, so we have the West side of the bridge… Reinforcements will likely come from here and here… Acheron is loyal to the Empire, but Gloucester will fight…"
He scribbled out a basic form of the bridge and its components, next, he circled reinforcement spots, and then drew up some routes they could take. "Send your fastest units and an archer to use the ballista to our left and stop reinforcements before they begin. Right side is Acheron, and he won't be an issue. The main force marches down the Alliance army's throat and the faster, mobiler units cut off the retreat. Done."
Byleth nodded, "Thank you, but how do you know Acheron is loyal to the Empire?" Santaniel snickered, "Xavien had been hired by Lord Gloucester to kill his wife and tried baiting him into attacking the keep directly. He succeeded, and now Acheron wants nothing to do with the Alliance."
Edelgard scoffed, "How did Xavien get in so close without getting suspected himself?"
"Faked an affair, killed her as she was undressing. People used to call him Serrated Dagger cause he left one at the scene of each kill. I thought it was cheesey as fuck, but it floated his boat." Edelgard shook her head, "Thank you for your insight Santaniel."
"And?" After a sigh, "Thank you for the pastry as well. It tasted very good." A thin smile traced his lips and he gave a joking bow while escaping back into the mirror. "Now, are we playing cards or what?"
Xavien got to shuffling.
--
Day 24 of the Pegasus Moon
"Yo, Xav, spar?" Santaniel held up a pair of gloves and a bag of flour, Xavien eyed it, and the bolder than usual decision for Santaniel to be showing more skin than usual. "Mm, sure, why not? Also, why sleeveless?" Santaniel shrugged, "No one ever comes around this time, hot as hell. I have my jacket on the bench, just remind me to pull it on when I go back."
Xavien nodded, whistling as he pulled the glove over his knuckles. He hated the feeling of the gloves, but it beat getting slammed by Santaniel's right hooks over and over.
"So, how many rounds do you wanna do? Two? Three?" Santaniel shook his head, "Till my damn head is back on straight. No strikes below the belt, yada yada, let's roll."
Tapping their fists together, they each took a step back and took their defensive stances. They started pacing, Xavien was actually punching below his weight, Santaniel was bigger, but Xavien still weighed more and had slightly more muscle mass. His fat had basically evaporated due to the cancer, if he wasn't so beefy he'd be a bag of bones and sadness.
He worked for his strength, but so had Santaniel, the kid just had a… Not a lucky start, but a better start. His family was nice, his brother was an ass, and his aunt offered to take him in, but he refused. He wouldn't take handouts from nobles.
He'd take their throats out and head off though.
--
Past
Date? Unknown.
"Hey Auntie, what's up?" Xavien's aunt laughed, "You don't have to call me that Javier, you can call me by my name."
Xavien shook his head, a habit for eighteen years that died hard, "Sorry Judith. What do you need? I have a meeting with a client later, and my name isn't Javier anymore. It's Xavien."
"Sorry Xavien, but I have a job for you instead. I need you to kill that client you have, I'll double the gold, but he needs to be dead tonight." Xavien raised an eyebrow, "Thought you wanted me to inherit this place instead of getting my hands bloody."
Judith sighed, nodding her head, "I do, but I plan on being around for much longer than the people out for my throat. You can have this place when I retire." Xavien nodded, "Ok, I'll keep that in mind. Why do you need 'em dead?"
"Who do you think they want to kill?"
--
Present
Santaniel finally went on the offensive, shooting a jab into his guard. He always wanted to weaken it so he could feint a body blow and rock you with a right hook.
Too bad he hit so damn hard. Xavien dodged, dropped his guard and ducked the blow, socking Santaniel in the jaw.
Santaniel took it on the chin, amd grinned, "I win." He knocked his right hand against Xavien's dome and the assassin grumbled. "Damn it, too busy thinking."
"'Bout what?" Raphael had a magical way of just popping up, huh? "Next battle, fighting my aunt, probably killing her." Santaniel went bug eyed and opened his mouth, "Lots of things you don't know kid. Raphael, take his gloves and fight me. I need some movement to get my mind off of things."
--
Past, Date?
Unknown
"Alright kid, we need you to kill Judith. You're expendable as fuck so just don't mess up alright? We ain't saving your ass." Xavien flexed his fingers and tugged on his gloves, a half mask over his eyes. "Alright, how much am I getting paid again?"
"Thirty thousand, that is enough to kill a top noble?" Xavien nodded, "Uh huh, it's enough to kill my employer and his lackeys too, right?" As if on cue, a man with several stab wounds came through the door, collapsing to the floor, moaning. His body had plenty of holes in it, almost as porous as his warning.
"So, how do you care to die?" The man pulled a blade, and aimed it at Xavien, but he couldn't help a small smile from crossing his face. "I won't kill my family." With a slight move, a sheathed dagger slid down his sleeve, and, catching it, he unsheathed it. The man moved two steps, and Xavien laughed.
A single, dead note. It echoed louder than the man flopping to the floor dead, a serrated dagger deep in his jugular. "I'll be taking that thirty grand still. Thanks bud, see you in hell."
--
Present
One jab, two jabs, three jabs, left hook, and… Raphael fell to the floor like a stone as his jaw got cracked by a roundhouse. "Damn Xav, don't kill the guy." Santaniel left his pillar and waved his hand over Raphael's face, "Oh, he's still up. Just out of it. I'll get a concoction."
As Santaniel ran over to the market place for a bottle, Xavien pulled the bigger man up to his ass. "Sorry kid, kinda caught me in a bad mood. I assume… Oh yeah, knocked the sense out of ya, huh?"
Raphael shook his head, "I was told there isn't much in there to begin with. Yeah, I came to talk though, I was wondering if there was any way you could set me up on some protective jobs?"
"I ain't got any contacts for those, talk to Shamir maybe? I can help you discern good ones from bad ones, lunch later?"
"Sounds good- Wait, where did Santaniel go?" Xavien blinked, shit, kid forgot his jacket. Watching him get hit on was funny, but it made him panic. Badly.
"Damn it, grab his jacket, he went to get you a concoction. He thought I put you out cold, probably went to the marketplace to find Anna. Why is he so… Santaniel?"
--
Grabbing a concoction went wrong about five seconds in. There was a reason why he constantly covered his skin, and this was why. He was told by Dorothea people considered him "hot" while he thought he was ice cold.
"Can y'all just… Shoo? Seriously, I need a couple concoctions, my friend got knocked out pretty badly." The two girls, who seemed drunk, pressed closer and didn't seem to take a hint. They were talking incoherently and he gagged on the smell of alcohol. He opened his mouth to tell them off, but someone caught his eye.
Seems even an Empress needs her snacks huh? He haphazardly casted Scry and projected it into her mind, 'Help? Please?' Edelgard put her head on a swivel, turning towards him, passing over him, then returned her gaze, raising an eyebrow at his situation. He just mouthed the word 'help' at her.
He didn't know how to deal with this shit.
She took a hesitant step forward and stifled a giggle. 'Yeah, yeah, big bad dragon general, cornered by two drunk girls. HELP. She took her next steps confidently and cleared her throat behind them. "May I ask why you are drunkenly harassing a general of the Adrestian Army? If you do not cease at once, you will face serious consequences."
The girls seemed to sober immediately, taking their clammy hands from his arms and chest and he sighed with deep relief. The two girls ran off, one falling hard, and the other gal picked her up to sprint. He ran a hand through his hair, "Yay day drinking, right?"
Edelgard gave him a small smile and she shook her head, "I never took you for being shy in public."
"I'm terrified in front of, and in crowds. They quite literally terrify me more than a demonic beast. Though, I was pretty isolated my entire life, I assume you're here for your weekly snack run?" Edelgard blushed and shushed him, Santaniel giggling in response. "Eh, don't worry, I won't tell Hubert. I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm pretty sure Raphael got some brain damage earlier in a spar with Xavien."
"Is that why you were buying concoctions?" Santaniel nodded, and Edelgard turned to the vendor, buying them for him by sliding a pouch of gold over the counter. Santaniel shook his head, "I don't need you to buy them-"
"I have to pay you back some day, I figured I'd better start now. I know words and actions can't make it up, but I want to start somehow." She pressed the blue glass bottles to his chest, and left him standing there.
Once she was out of ear shot, he muttered again, "Well. The ball of thoughts just got much more tangled."
--
Day 28 of the Pegasus Moon
Xavien rolled his shoulders, his daggers at his hip and several more upon his body. More daggers than tricks up his sleeves.
He was just waiting for Arti's word to move, and then he'd go over this bridge, and end some lives. Leonie and Ignatz were going ahead of him, so, two minutes and he was ready to roll.
--
Santaniel flipped down his helmet visor and looked over the main forces. He was supposed to help take down the stronghold, except he was doing it solo.
Since they weren't planning on taking prisoners, they were expecting him to push the enemies to the brink. No lives spared upon the way. Byleth was planning on faster and stronger flanks, and Xavien was supposed to be the one to capture Judith. Arti and Hephaestus were out of danger on the right wings, but he was smack dab in the center.
He took a deep breath, and with his bellowing voice, he screamed, "CHARGE!" Upon golden wings, he shot into the air and over the front lines, landing like a meteor in the center of the fray. Bodies scattered and he stared out amongst the alliance armies. "So, who feels like dropping their weapons and who feels like losing their lives?"
The first enemies closed in and in matters of seconds, blood pooled at his feet and he stared over the waves of faces. He wiped the blood off of his hands, smearing it on the light jade armor. "Drop your weapons, or your lives are forfeit." Some men threw down the weapons, backing off, but some only seemed ready to fight.
"He- He's only one freak! Kill him!" With a sigh, Santaniel closed his eyes and flipped up his visor, "Then I apologize for what happens next. I'll see to it that you burn."
The bridge flashed in light and a roar exploded over their pitiful battle cries.
--
Xavien shook his head as Santaniel's roar echoed over the valley, and he pushed forward. Judith certainly had orders to retreat if push came to shove, so they had to rope her off.
He was an assassin, not a damn cowboy. He wasn't trained to wrangle cattle. Leonie and Ignatz had already gone ahead, no resistance, and he was supposed to kill any reinforcements. That included the heir to the Gloucester estate standing in front of him.
"Wow, you just keep getting uglier, huh? Like a horse ass." An indignant look crossed Lorenz' face, red as a tomato. He was already riled. "So, guess the Gloucester estate will be up for auction now, let's end this fight here and now you noble, dickless, shit stain!"
Lorenz charged and didn't see anything but red. It's why he didn't see a dagger flying towards him, and he charged straight into it, embedding itself deep into the thinner armor around his ribs. A second dagger hit around his neck, he was just lucky enough to not die on impact.
The violette fell off his horse, audibly groaning in pain. The impact left a couple broken bones, it's why you never just suit up in shit tons of armor and expect everything to be sunshine and daisies while running face first into danger. "You, kid, are an example of what nobles should never strive for."
Xavien put his boot on the younger man's chest, and, sure enough, Raphael came tromping up after him. "Forgot I had ya with me, kid. Sorry you have to see… This… Raphael, this kid is the son of the man who killed your parents." Tears were welling in the large man's eyes, and, well, Xavien couldn't help but wonder back to that day.
--
Past
Date? Unknown
'I just have to sneak up, these are kids, and a handsome sum. This'll be quick.' Xavien crept forward, stalking the trio as the oldest split logs. The youngest was playing in the surf, picking up small shells.
He became still as he looked around, there was a middle kid not too long ago. 'Did the job change?'
'No, but you failed at your job. Farewell.' His eyes bugged and he lurched to the side, but light surged forward and it threw him into the sand. The eldest looked up and the youngest was already running over, his wild mop of hair bouncing behind him.
It was pure white.
"Arti? What happened?" The child tugged on his older brother's sleeve, "He's a bad man Santaniel, please, turn around. He won't suffer-"
"Holy hell Arti." The oldest strode over and kept the axe at his hip, even in his dazed state, Xavien could tell he wasn't comfortable wielding it. "Hephaestus, please take Santaniel back to the…" Santaniel came over and pressed his hand to Xavien's forehead.
"Arti…" Oh Goddess, puppy dog eyes. Arti shook his head, "We're sending him back to where he came from. We can't afford to have a fourth person here, that's too much meat." Hephaestus cut in, "And, he did try and-"
"Heal him!" Santaniel was bouncing on his heels, and honestly? Xavien was going to be indebted to the kid if they made them give in. Arti groaned under his mask- It looked a tad too big for him, and he casted a spell. 'If you promise no harm will come to us from you, and you won't sell us out. I can tell when you lie.'
'I assume I speak in my head, but yes, I promise. I won't harm you, but please, just heal me.' Arti pressed his fingers to the wound, just a burn wound, and Xavien sighed in relief as the pain relented. "Thank you…" Xavien brought himself to a sitting position, and stared at the kid.
"So, he's the little kid I was supposed to nab." Hephaestus stepped in front of Santaniel, "Yeah, he was. He's gone through enough the past two years. He's only six with no parents and only twenty years left in his life. He will not go back to the labs, not while I breathe." Xavien rubbed his hand down his face, "Damn, stupid, start ups."
Xavien stood, and looked over his little group of… He didn't know. They sure as hell weren't friends, nor victims. Saviors? Fuck, he didn't know. "Arti, you're sure this guy won't harm us? Y'know, kill us in our sleep?" Santaniel cocked his head, "He was here… To kill us?"
"Yeah kid, I said that like a-" Santaniel wrenched the wood axe from Hephaestus' grip, and in an overhead grip, charged at Xavien. "Oh shi-"
The chase went on for about ten minutes, Santaniel eventually tripping over a stick and falling flat on his face. Xavien was reminded of his little brother and… He had to protect him, or at least teach him how to protect himself. He ended up staying, and that's how they were brought together…
--
Present
Santaniel was not a fan of ballistas, nor catapults. They were a massive pain in his side, literally. He winced as his side took another walloping from the distant artillery and his growl shook the ground. He wasn't some damn target for practice.
'Arti, can I have an update?' A stream of flaming acid left his throat and he coated the enemy troops in front of him in the hellfire. 'Xavien took out Gloucester troops, I guess Lorenz from the academy was leading the assault. They detained him as a potential ally, you should see a cease in projectiles coming your way very soon.'
'Alright, thank you, Santaniel out.' A flash of light and a thump to the ground, Santaniel looked over the battlefield. The Empire troops were making a strong push and the Alliance was hanging on to the Stronghold. 'Hey Lysithea, let the floodgates open.'
'Copy that. Reinforcements are coming… Now. Continue the assault as planned, take any prisoners along the way as you can. If they show force, kill them, Santaniel. Edelgard and The Professor will be there soon, I'll see you after the fight.'
'Wanna raid the Monastery kitchen when we get back?' Santaniel scanned the battlefield one more time, waiting for Lysithea's reply. She likely just ignored him, it would just be him afterwards. 'We'll be making a visit to Enbarr at the beginning of next month, so the cooks will be busy. We'll raid it when we get back, I have to go and watch the Professor's back now. Lysithea out.'
Santaniel nodded and walked forward leisurely, stepping over corpses of enemies and allies alike. He was a couple hundred meters from the stronghold, so he let his wings hang out, just in case. He took a glance at the sky and noted a formation of clouds, rain soon. "So, dragon, I suppose you're my enemy?"
Santaniel leveled his gaze towards Judith, his head cocked to the side. He hummed a questioning note and she shook her head, "Guess they don't formulate you monsters with common sense." She drew a Rapier and pointed the sword towards him. "No, I know what you said. Just don't know why you'd fight me. I know you're Xavien's aunt though, so it's nice to meet you."
Her eyes widened and her stance wavered, "I'm the kid he set out to kidnap on one of his jobs. Did you think he died? He's been with us in the past… Oh, thirteen- no, fourteen years? Meh, can't get it exact. However, we're here to take the bridge, not massacre people. So lay down the sword and you can work out an alliance with us."
"Where's Xavien?" Santaniel pointed over to the ballista, "Killed or captured whoever was over there. Probably on his way to rope off your only exit to get the hell out of-"
"No, we have Acheron backing us up…" Santaniel shook his head, "Gloucester made a petty move. Ordered Xavien to kill his wife, now he's more so in the folds with the Empire. You lost here Judith, and I'm not here to kill you. Just set down the sword and Xavien will be able to see you again." Santaniel had been slowly stalking forward, now only a distance of two feet between them.
His hands hadn't touched his weapons the entire time. "Just settle down Judith. It's alright-" She lunged at him and instincts got his right arm up to knock away the blow. She kicked forward and he felt her heel connect with his sternum.
This was going to be a fight after all.
--
Xavien dropped the pile of rope at Raphael's feet, "Remember those knots I taught you? Tie up Lorenz and take him as a prisoner. We'll free him later, don't give me puppy dog eyes."
'Xavien, big problem, Judith pushed towards our side of the bridge. She's attempting to take out Santaniel and give her troops a second wind, get over there now.' When Arti contacts, you fucking listen. "Kid, I'll be back soon, just stay here and beat the crap out of anyone who tries to fight Empire troops."
Xavien jumped over an unconscious Lorenz and grabbed the reins of the man's horse. Santaniel wouldn't be able to talk her out of anything, and he couldn't let Judith just die. His family was still family, no matter what side he found them on in the war. He'd protect them.
With his knees to the flanks of the horse, he sped around the path he had come through. He turned the reins like a racer and took to a knee on the back of his steed, and stared straight ahead as Byleth called after him. 'Either Santaniel will kill her, or I'll talk her out of it.' The stronghold came into sight and he heard clashing metal, 'Damn it.'
He summoned a tad bit of magical energy in his body and shot his Scry into Santaniel's skull. 'MOVE!' The half breed heard him and lunged to his right, just as Xavien tossed himself from the horse and shoulder first into Judith. "Stop!" Her rapier flew to the ground, clattering across the stones.
Xavien straddled his aunt's chest and pinned her wrists to the bricks of the bridge. "Auntie! Just stop! Look at me, I don't lie to my family…"
"Javier?"
--
Santaniel propped himself up as Xavien pleaded with his aunt. Guess Xavien wasn't his real name then. Strange. "I suppose the fight is done now?" Santaniel nodded his head, "Yeah. Xavien has this under control, so, Princess, I suppose we take on the main resistance in Deirdru?"
"Correct. We will regroup in Enbarr and do a brief check in with the affairs within the Empire." Santaniel stood and looked over at Edelgard, "I suppose I need to come as a general, Yuri too?" Edelgard nodded and stepped forward, "Correct. Please walk with me while we check on the rest of the bridge."
"Scared of the water still?" Edelgard looked away from him, "I had believed you forgot about such a thing." Santaniel had a thin smile on his face. "I'd offer my arm, but I doubt that the Empress would need it?" Edelgard couldn't hide the thin blush on her face as they continued across.
"Hey Edelgard, I just want you to know… I don't hate you. Not after our time at the academy. That was the real you, not one with a clouded mind and blinded by the promise of relief from the pain we had experienced. I suppose Lysithea told you about that night after Byleth's blunder?"
She nodded her head, "Yes, and she told me about the…"
"Jumbled ball of emotions bouncing around in this thick skull of mine? Yeah, trust me, I'll let you know when I figure it out. Right now, I'd at least like to be friends again, so, how about that Princess?"
"I'd like that Santaniel."
