Chapter 11: Fruit Tart with Mascarpone Cream
Ingredients:
Crust: 2 tbsp heavy cream, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 1/3 cups flour, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 cup unsalted butter
Vanilla mascarpone cream: 1/2 cup heavy cream, 8 oz mascarpone, 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 vanilla bean seeds, scraped
Fruit/glaze: fruit of choice (rec strawberries, blueberries, kiwis, etc), 2 tbsp orange or apricot preserve mixed with 1 tbsp water for glaze
Recipe:
Crust: Whisk cream, egg and vanilla together and set aside. Whisk confectioner's sugar and salt together in another bowl, then place butter on top and cut into small, crumb-sized pieces. Combine with wet ingredients and knead thoroughly. Remove dough and place onto a flat surface and flatten until about 1 inch thick, then wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Remove dough and place on tart pan and press until even all around, including sides. Preheat oven to 400F, then place crust into oven for 10 minutes, then remove and lower heat to 350F, and bake for 5 more minutes and remove to cool.
-Note: Pie weights can be used during the first 10 minutes of baking at 400F; they will prevent the crust from bubbling or puffing up
Cream: Beat heavy cream until stiff lumps form and set aside. Then beat mascarpone for about 1 minute, add confectioner's sugar, vanilla extract and vanilla beans and continue to beat until well-mixed. Fold in whipped cream and then spread onto cooled crust.
Garnishing: Garnish with fresh fruit of choice, arranged as desired. If glaze is used, whisk glaze ingredients together then heat for about 20-30 seconds and brush gently on top of fruit.
Byleth dismounted his horse, waving at the students.
He seems cheery; that must mean Edelgard's fine. The now-familiar feeling gnawed at Lysithea's stomach, and she tried her best to suppress it.
"Hello, everyone. It's nice to see you all. Edelgard had to stay behind to take care of some things. She will rejoin us shortly; however, she may not be here for the mission."
Hubert nodded.
"She did mention to me that she may have to stay a couple days," he said. Dorothea rolled her eyes.
"We get it, Hubie, you guys talk a lot. But, Professor, how was your trip? You must be exhausted, and starving! We brought some dishes for you from the dining hall."
Byleth nodded his thanks and everyone moved towards the blue and white striped picnic blanket laid out on the grass field. He settled down between Lysithea and Doroteha, and everyone gathered into a circle around the food; they had set aside a few plates so that Byleth wouldn't come back to half-eaten, cold dishes. Once he had served himself, they began peppering him with questions about his trip. Lysithea kept quiet, just happy to see that he was back safe.
"Guys, it really wasn't much. She accepted the title, and that's pretty much it. We rode over there as quickly as possible, and then I came back alone. How were everyone's classes?"
A collective groan went up as everyone bemoaned Hanneman's teaching.
"It was terrible!"
"I agree, I didn't learn anything for the past week."
"I didn't even leave my room to come to class!"
"Bernie..."
Hearty laughs were shared, though the students soon let their professor off the hook, worried that he would be too fatigued. The blanket was folded, dirty plates and utensils placed into bags to be brought back to the kitchen, and the students began to disperse to their next destinations. .
"Hey, Lysithea, do you think you could help me with some of these plates? I can't carry them all myself."
"Of course, Dorothea." Lysithea picked up one of the bags and grimaced. "Oof, that's heavy; how did you get everything here earlier?"
"Oh, I had one of the kitchen staff help me. I promised him I'd eat lunch with him at some point. Let's get one of the guys to help. I'd ask the Professor, but he's probably exhausted-"
"No, I can help," he said on cue, picking up a bag in each hand. "Shall we?" They dragged the plates and kitchenware back to the dining hall, Lysithea giving up halfway and passing her load to Byleth.
"Whew, glad that's over with. Anyways, I'm going to go now, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" Dorothea waved and quickly left them alone.
"Well, shall I walk you back to your room?"
Lysithea nodded, elated at finally getting some time alone with him.
"Let's take the scenic route, shall we? I hear the fishing pond is beautiful at night."
Byleth's mouth curled into a smile.
"Lead the way." He fell into step next to her, hands held behind his back as they ambled comfortably along the gravel stones towards the pond, on the other end of Garreg Mach. Night had fallen, a dark curtain drawn over the sky decorated with twinkling white stars. In the corner, a crescent moon beamed gently down on, silvery wisps of light streaming down on the monastery and filtering through windows and cracks in the stone walls. Lysithea soon barraged him with more questions, wanting to know every detail of his trip. He recounted his journey through the barren hills of Varley, before stopping in the fertile farms of Bergliez for the night.
"And did you stay in separate rooms?" Lysithea's eyes narrowed, and Byleth nodded.
"Of course we did. Though it hurt my meager salary…" They shared a light laugh, Lysithea now relieved. "Then we cut right to Hresvelg and to Enbarr, where the throne is. There wasn't much fanfare, since Edelgard's father was quite sick, but the proceedings were done and she assumed the throne. I left right after, wanting to be back here as soon as possible."
"To see me, right?" Lysithea beamed expectantly.
"Of course. We missed last weekend's baking session, and I wasn't going to miss two in a row." His eyes turned, and they noticed that they had reached the fishing pond.
It really was quite beautiful, Lysithea thought. At night, the water was a sheet of rippling black, moonlight glimmering as each tiny wave crested and crashed; she had always thought it looked like twinkling stars, except within touching distance in front of her instead of lightyears away in the sky. She glanced around them quickly before giving Byleth a quick nudge on the shoulder with her head. He subtly leaned into the contact for a second before they split apart again, wary of any onlookers. They took a seat on a bench by the pond, enjoying the evening scenery together.
"By the way, I got something for you." He took out a thin, carefully wrapped box with a white ribbon tied around it and placing it on her lap.
"Ooh, can I open it now? I want to see what's in it!" He nodded and she pulled the wrapping off, opening the box and gasping. "Professor-!" She clapped her hands with glee as she pulled a book out of the box. The front cover was decorated with images of cupcakes, macarons, and fruit tarts, with the title Pastries and Sweets of Enbarr - A Recipe Book. "How did you know I always wanted to try to make these!"
"Well, I noticed there were a lot of pastry and dessert shops when we got to Enbarr, so I figured they were somewhat known for their sweets."
"Not just somewhat known, they're famous! Enbarr sweets are the best in Fodlan, you have to line up for days to get them if you're in any other area! Let's try this one this weekend!" She had already flipped open the book and was looking at a recipe for a fruit tart. Byleth happily watched as she overflowed with joy.
"Of course. I look forward to it." She couldn't resist the grin tugging at her lips. She took another careful glance around them before dropping her head on his shoulder and beginning to peruse the recipe. "Don't move this time unless someone's coming," she said with a sly wink.
"Right. Gods forbid I ever try to give you a nice, soft pillow instead of a bony shoulder. Anyways, we shouldn't stay long. The night patrols should have started by now; we can sit for a bit longer, but then you should get back to your room."
Lysithea nodded sadly.
Five years can't come soon enough, she thought. His touch is so warm...it's only going to get harder and harder to stop myself.
Byleth nudged her head with his shoulder, and she quickly lifted herself off of him as the aforementioned patrolling knight walked by. They nodded a greeting as he walked past
"Good catch," she said sadly. "I guess we should head back now…"
All too soon, they were back at her room; he bade her goodnight and left.
Just like that, she thought, closing the door behind her. She sat at her desk and, opening her new recipe book, placing a bookmark at the fruit tart recipe before carefully sliding it onto her bookshelf next to her Encyclopedia.She stepped out to brush her teeth and change into her nightgown and, finally finished, snuggled onto her bed, dropping onto her pillow and pulling the covers up to her chin as sleep began to take over.
How nice it would be if he was here with me...
Lysithea groaned. For some reason, Lady Rhea had decided that Saturday would be the day they go to the Holy Tomb, giving Byleth barely any time to rest from his journey.
And so they found themselves marching, sequestered in the catacombs beneath Garreg Mach. Lysithea was reminded of her last odyssey down into these depths, and couldn't quite block out the sense of unease within her.
Gray granite lined the walls of the tunnels, flickering candles the only source of light so far belowground. Lysithea squinted until her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, but there wasn't much to see other than the seemingly endless tunnel. They walked until finally reaching a doorway; Lady Rhea nodded and entered with Seteth, and the Black Eagles followed suit.
The doorway opened to a large room, almost the size of the main cathedral hall. There were many more candles here lining the gray brick walls, and the room was much brighter than the hallways leading to it. Instead of pews, slate coffins were lined along each side of the room, leading up to the front, where a large, ornate throne, hewed from a slab of concrete and decorated with gold and silver, stood in the center of the room. A palpable sense of wonder dawned as the students gazed upon the site, wondering what else was hidden in the depths of the monastery.
"Are you surprised, Professor?" Lady Rhea's voice echoed off the walls of the chamber. "This...is the Holy Tomb. Where Sothis, the goddess who created this world, was laid to rest. Along with her children." She walked slowly to the throne, the students following closely behind, and placed a hand on it gently. "It is said that our creator, the goddess Sothis herself, sat upon this very throne. Professor…" She turned to Byleth. "Do you recognize this throne?"
"I...do not. But it feels familiar, in a way."
"Interesting," Rhea mused. "I have waited so long for this day. Years…," she mumbled, before composing herself. "Sit upon the throne, Professor. I have no doubt that as you do, you will be blessed by a revelation from the goddess herself." Lady Rhea stepped aside, gesturing at the empty seat behind her. Byleth shuffled to the throne, settling onto it. Lysithea's hands tightened on her tome as she waited for the inevitable surprise.
But nothing happened. An awkward hush fell over the occupants in the room, and Byleth soon began fidgeting nervously on the throne.
"Well?"
Byleth shook his head at Rhea's question. She folded her arms and frowned, talking to herself.
"It was supposed to be just a step away...what else could I be-"
Her head snapped up as they heard faint footsteps behind them. Lysithea and the rest of the Black Eagles turned around, weapons at the ready as they faced the incoming footsteps. Byleth quickly stood from the throne and assumed his usual place at the front.
"Who dares defile this place with their presence," Lady Rhea yelled. Snickering could be heard as the footsteps grew louder, and a contingent reached the Holy Tomb.
Lysithea's eyes narrowed at the familiar figure in the lead.
The Flame Emperor.
The Emperor drew his axe and pointed it towards the small contingent.
"Don't move, any of you. If you do, your lives will be forfeit. The Imperial Army will now take possession of the items in this tomb."
A small force filed into formation behind her, clad in the distinctive black and red armor of the Adrestian Empire.
"W-what's the Imperial Army doing here?" Dorothea's voice was a hushed whisper. "Weren't we all on the same side?"
Lysithea pursed her lips.
"So the Flame Emperor is connected to the Empire…"
I wonder if Edelgard is aware of this?
Bernadetta's voice rang out from the backline.
"This can't be! Edelgard would know if it was the Imperial Army behind this!"
A murmur of assent rippled through the students.
She has a point, Lysithea thought. Especially now that Edelgard is-
Her mouth dropped open as she realized what was about to happen. The Flame Emperor chuckled mirthlessly.
"You are right, she would." It reached up to its helm and removed it, revealing familiar silver locks. "Ahh, it feels good to be out of that helm. And to be rid of that stupid fake voice."
"E-Edelgard?!" The contingent of students yelled out in shock, save for one. Hubert walked across the Tomb, to the Flame Emperor's side.
"I guess that's the end of play-at-school, your Majesty." He bowed in front of her.
"My thanks, Hubert. You led us right to them. Now, Metodey." She turned to the leader of the force, a young man with short, brown hair and a vicious glint in his eyes. "Take the Crest-"
"Insolence!" Lady Rhea bellowed. Lysithea's ears rang, and she shuddered. This was not the benevolent, kind Lady Rhea she had come to know in the monastery. This was...terrifying. "You will atone for your sins! For trespassing on this sacred place! Professor, students, destroy this traitor!"
"Wait!" Caspar looked ahead at Edelgard. "Edelgard...what is the meaning of this?" Beside him, Petra nodded, jaw still slack with shock.
"You...you made use of all of us?"
Edelgard shook her head.
"My classmates. And..my teacher." She took a deep breath before looking at them, eyes intense. It was the same look she had had when she talked to Lysithea the week before. "Last week, I asked you what you desired. What kind of world you wanted to fight for. Today, I tell you that Lady Rhea does not want the same world you want. Do you know who is responsible for this system? Who created the nobles, and gave them their Crests? The Church. They lure you in, using the powers of the Crests to fabricate miracles of kindness, pulling you in to become just another blind follower. They conceal the truth and force their lies on all of us! And if you dare speak out? Look at Lord Lonato. They show no mercy, for they have no time for dissenters. I know this because I have lived it. Some of you have, as well. I ask you all again, my classmates, my teacher. It's now or never. Will you side with me and fight to destroy this shadow that has been undermining our freedom for as long as we can remember?"
So this is why she was asking those questions…
Lysithea felt rooted to the spot. What Edelgard was saying...was it truly possible? She glanced at her classmates, who were stuck in place as well. It was all too much to take in at once. Everyone turned to Byleth.
In these times of crazy accusations, Lysithea thought, he really is the only one we would trust completely.
But even Byleth seemed to wobble. His teeth were gritted, sword drawn but in a defensive stance.
He must know that we're all waiting for him to make a decision.
"I…" he began, but was cut off.
"Enough!" Rhea screeched. "If you will hesitate, then I will wipe out these interlopers myself!"
She let out a loud roar, tearing off her headdress and throwing it to one side before dropping on all fours onto the cold floor. Her head snapped up, her usually serene face twisting into a snarl. Her face began to lengthen, along with the rest of her body, ripping through her robes as she continued to grow in size. She was turning into some sort of...dragon, it looked like, at least what Lysithea imagined a dragon would look like. Her skin turned gray as scales erupted over it, bony claws growing out of her now gigantic hands and feet and horns sprouting where her hair had been, curling and tapering into viciously sharp tips. Wings sprouted out of her back, bowling them over as they flapped mightily, lifting the dragon into the air.
"What...what is that?" Lysithea gasped, stepping backwards as the dragon roared again, claws and fangs bared. "That...is that what Lady Rhea really is?"
The dragon snarled.
"If you do not side with me here...then you are all my enemies!" The dragon reared back on its hind legs, a pulsating, purple orb growing in its mouth. Her head jolted forward, releasing the ball of energy towards Edelgard and the Imperial Army.
The only problem was that the students were grouped in the center of the room, between Rhea and Edelgard.
"No!" Byleth dashed through the students. He cracked his whiplike blade above his head and at the orb, deflecting it back towards the dragon. "Lady Rhea! That would have hit my students!"
"A worthy price to pay to stop these sinners," the dragon shot back. With an outstretched hand, it redirected the orb back at Byleth, this time with more speed. He could only deflect the orb into the ground before it hit him. It exploded with an ear-shattering bang, leaving a crater where he had stood.
Lysithea dashed to the crater, ignoring everything around her.
He had to be alright, she thought, wiping tears from her face. He can't be gone...
She reached the crater and fell to her knees, peering through the smoke and the rubble. She feared seeing his body, unmoving, at the bottom. But as the smoke cleared, there was nothing but broken stone and brick.
Did...did he escape somehow? He had to. There's no body…
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Lysithea...we need to get out of here. Come with me."
"Edelgard…" Lysithea was torn. The older girl had been like a sister to her since she had transferred houses, but she was also responsible for what had happened to Byleth. Lysithea didn't know whom to trust.
"Lysithea; there's no time. Please. Take my hand and escape with me. We can talk about everything later, and I promise you we will avenge the Professor together." Tear tracks lined with dirt ran down Edelgard's cheeks as well, mirroring the ones fresh on Lysithea's own face.
"I…Professor...gone…don't know…."
Words tumbled out of Lysithea's mouth, unbidden and uncontrolled. But she could see no lie in Edelgard's face; the pain that they felt was the same. She grasped Edelgard's hand and saw a ring of light forming around them.
"Hubert! Mages! Get us all out of here!"
The ring closed, and Lysithea felt her body being teleported out as the dragon screeched one last time behind them.
They had landed in a sort of makeshift camp that must have been set up beforehand, just outside the imposing walls of Garreg Mach. The Black Eagle students were still in shock at the revelations and happenings, and huddled together, drawing support from each other. It was all too much for Lysithea, who retreated to a corner and began sobbing uncontrollably. Dorothea motioned to the rest of the Black Eagle students, who nodded and, wiping away tears of their own, made their way to Lysithea's side.
"Lysithea…" Dorothea sat down next to her, the rest of the students following suit and forming a protective circle around her. "WIth everything going crazy right now, I think I speak for all of us when I say that you can always count on us. We will never betray you, and we will always be on your side." She gave the girl a tight squeeze.
"My friends…" Edelgard approached them. They flinched as a group, backing away from her. She had a pained expression on her face as she addressed them. "I am glad we all managed to escape. Our Professor...gave everything to give us the time to escape." Her voice caught for a moment, and she rested her gaze at Lysithea, still slumped against a wall. "I know you have not made a choice to stand with me or against me. For..old times sake, if you choose to stand against me, I will guarantee you safe passage to your next destination. You are all dear to me, and I do not wish to fight any of you." She closed her eyes before continuing. Her impassioned speech went through one ear and out the other; Lysithea could only think of how, just yesterday, she was leaning against Byleth's shoulder, watching the moonlight reflect off the waves of the fishing pond. How they were supposed to be baking fruit tarts together tomorrow, sharing the one day of the week they could be alone together. She barely registered the Black Eagles deciding as a group to stick with Edelgard; as they dispersed, each with a friendly tap on her shoulder, she remained behind, knees drawn to her chest, tears still flowing down her cheeks.
"Hey." Edelgard sat down next to her. Lysithea brought her head up just enough to look at her. "Can I sit here with you?"
Lysithea didn't answer, burying her head back down on her knees. Her body continued to shake as she cried. To her surprise, Edelgard began to cry next to her as well.
"Do you miss him, too?"
Edelgard nodded.
"He was special to all of us in our own way." Edelgard said quietly. "I miss him just as much as each of you do. But I have to put on a strong face. I have chosen my path, and I cannot waver. If I do, those who follow me will also hesitate. If the Professor taught me anything, it was that. But for now...do you mind if we mourn together?"
Lysithea shook her head. They leaned into each other, crying deep into the night.
"I-Edelgard, I don't know what to do," Lysithea croaked, finally drawing up enough strength to talk. "Byleth...he would know what to do. But I don't. I don't know who's right, and who's wrong. All I know is that he's gone. There wasn't even a body in there. I can't ever see his face again." The tears began anew at the thought.
"Lysithea...I can't tell you what to do. And I don't want to pressure you; I want you to make your own decision. When you're ready, I can tell you everything I know about the Church, and what we are fighting for. But only when you're ready. For now, I want you to take the time to mourn. While you're here, you will have our protection. And if you decide to leave us...I will not fight you."
"Edelgard…" Lysithea looked up at her gratefully. "Thank you. But you already knew what all of our answers would be, didn't you? That's why you talked to us all before."
"Yes."
"Did you speak with Byleth?"
"I did."
"And what did he say?"
Edelgard looked away, blinking back tears, her voice wavering.
"He told me, 'As a Professor, my duty is to my students.'"
"That sounds like him. He would do anything to protect us…" Lysithea wiped her eyes. "So we have to do the same for each other. I will follow you, like the rest of our friends. To make a better world. To watch over each other, since…since he can't."
"Lysithea...are you sure?" Edelgard's eyes met hers. "Even if you side against me, I will still be here to talk to you. Since you've transferred to the Black Eagles, I've come to think of you as...a sister. War won't change that."
Lysithea smiled weakly.
"I've felt the same way about you, Edelgard. You welcomed me when I first joined, and even afterwards, you were always my confidant. We want the same thing; a free, peaceful world, not dictated by Crests and draconian concepts of nobility. And we can achieve it by sticking together, just like Byleth would have wanted." She sniffed. "Ahh, here come the waterworks again."
Edelgard surprised Lysithea, wrapping her in a tight hug, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're all with me. Truth be told, I said I was ready to walk this road alone...but I can't say for sure if I was. Thank you, Lysithea."
Lysithea squeezed her tightly as tears continued down her cheeks.
Am I doing the right thing?
This update was a little slower; I'm sure most of you are aware of everything going on right now, so things have been quite hectic to say the least! Our school first wanted us to continue going to our rotation sites, but then the hospitals basically put their foot down and said no medical students, so everything was converted to online classes instead of clinical experiences and that's been...an adventure. More importantly, I hope everyone is staying safe and self-quarantining, and not going too crazy from cabin fever!
Regarding this chapter, I wanted to push things forward a bit here, though this is where I'm really going to start deviating from the game's storyline. It seemed weird to me that the Empire would strike Garreg Mach as its first point; bastions of strength such as Garreg Mach tend to be one of the last places to fall in a war, rather than the first, so I thought it would make more sense to have a sneak attack to steal the Crest stones only, rather than stealing the Crest stones and then coming right back to attack the entire Monastery.
I also struggled a lot with how to make it seem plausible that the Black Eagles would follow Edelgard and not Rhea and the Church. I ended up settling on a theme that I think makes more sense; that the Black Eagles would stick together, regardless. These are young teenagers, mostly 17-18 year olds, and separated from their families; their strongest bonds are with each other, and when everything starts to go crazy, the one thing they can rely on is each other. There are still some points that I'll address in the coming chapters, but I thought that for now, their decisions would be driven by the emotions of realizing that their world is crashing around them, their Professor is gone, and the only ones that they can trust are each other.
B0REDER: I'm glad you agree with the depiction! Though I'm not really going to expand on it just yet, since they're still kind of in that honeymoon phase, so feelings like jealousy are easier to push away (though they'll always come back up eventually).
MathAtMidnight: That's good, I hope your nurse friend is staying safe in these crazy times! Though if you have time off now due to current events, I hope you're taking advantage and getting some rest :) I think jealousy is going to be in any relationship, and with how hard the game seems to push pairing Byleth and Edelgard, I figured it would make sense to at least hint at it. I'm not quite sure how I want to incorporate it yet (which is why it might seem superficial), but I thought it would be good to, as you said, sow the seeds now so that they're usable later if I need to.
BrandedKing: Hey, glad you enjoyed the chapter! I also wasn't completely sure about adding in the jealousy; as MathAtMidnight mentioned, it seemed superficial, and that was partially because I'm not quite sure how I want to use it! But, like I said above, Edelgard/Byleth gets pushed super hard so I thought it would be worth at least a mention. Also, if my boyfriend were to suddenly leave on a weeklong trip alone with another girl, I'd be...weirded out, I think.
As always, please R&R, and enjoy! And more importantly, stay safe out there, COVID-19 isn't a joke, no matter what the media tries to tell you!
-elementaryprincess