I hope I didn't screw this up too much. Hard scenes to write.
Chapter 76 – Reasons (Red Wolf Moon)
Following the battle in Remire, the soldiers of the Church were busy throwing the bodies of the dead onto large burning piles, not wanting them to rise again. The first-year students, all who had once again survived, were tending to their injuries. Petra had been badly hurt when one of the Church archers accidentally shot her with a stray arrow to her leg. Mercedes had been bitten by one of the undead thralls during the battle and was mending her own wounds. Raphael had taken several bites, so Manuela had insisted on checking his injuries to ensure he didn't get an infection. Cyril, who had joined to assist the Knights, had been struck across the head during the initial battle with the maddened villagers, and now he was being treated by Flayn. Marianne, who had fainted at the sight of the Abomination, was recovering with Hilda by her side. Lastly, Bernadetta had, in her panic, accidentally run right into a small fire, resulting in second-degree burns on her leg; thankfully, Linhardt's healing prevented any lingering scarring.
Far from the Church's camp, Dorothea made a sigh of relief at learning the other first-year students were alright. The soldiers had even managed to take some of the crazed villagers alive as captives. But then she looked back at the funeral pyre that the soldiers were throwing corpses on, and the scope of the massacre hit her hard.
"So many dead…" Dorothea said with sorrow.
Wanting to take her mind off the pile of bodies, Dorothea turned to see Byleth was talking with Anna and Jeralt. The three were discussing Solon's role in the calamity.
"This Solon guy really pisses me off," said Anna as Dorothea approached the group. "I've seen some pretty nasty types, but he just takes it to a whole new level."
"That monster…" Byleth murmured angrily. "He has to pay for what he's done."
Jeralt said nothing as he watched his daughter intently.
Then, the clanking of metal could be heard approaching them as a mechanical voice said, "There you are."
Recognizing the voice immediately, Dorothea whipped around in surprise to see the Flame Emperor approaching the four of them. His glowing axe was in his left hand.
"You…!" Dorothea said in accusation.
As he and the others turned to look at him, Jeralt said, "That armor. So, you're the Flame Emperor."
"I am," the Flame Emperor replied. "I–"
Interrupting, Dorothea said furiously, "You're behind all of this, aren't you?!"
"Do not get the wrong idea."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Anna said warily.
"It is true that I am working with Solon, but that does not mean our objectives are the same. Had I known he and his ilk had planned to do this, I would have stopped it. You have my word."
"Your word?!" Dorothea spat. "Is your word going to bring back everyone who was… was slaughtered here?!"
"Dorothea…" Byleth said in muted astonishment at the girl's fury.
"This village was peaceful, full of families, and your lackeys just turned it into a graveyard!"
"Solon is not my subordinate," said the Flame Emperor. "We merely work together at present. As I told you before, I would never have allowed him to commit this atrocity had I known his intentions."
"I don't believe you! The Death Knight was part of this slaughter, and you expect us to believe you when you say you didn't know about it?!"
"That's enough, Arnault," Jeralt said commandingly. Then, turning back to the Flame Emperor, he said, "Now then, Flame Emperor, I'll have to insist you accompany us back to the monastery."
"I cannot abide that," said the Flame Emperor. "However, if you wish to join forces, I will hear your plea."
"What?! Who do you take us for?" asked Anna.
"If left to their own devices, Solon and his ilk will commit countless more violent acts like this one." Turning to Byleth, he continued, "Do you not wish to prevent that? With the Sword of the Creator on our side, Solon and his kind would not be a threat…"
Glaring at the Flame Emperor, Byleth said lividly, "You associate with someone as vile as Solon, enable him to carry out this massacre, and expect any of us to trust you?"
"A pity, though not unexpected. Pray that you do not live to regret your choice."
The Flame Emperor then turned, as if to leave, but Dorothea drew Joyeuse and shouted, "Hold it! You can't just walk away from this!"
The Flame Emperor made no reply as he began to walk away. This gesture caused Dorothea to let out a yell as she rushed forward, intending to skewer the black-armored figure.
"Dorothea, wait!" Byleth shouted as Dorothea thrust Joyeuse forward.
In a flash, the Flame Emperor moved with incredible quickness, swinging his axe to strike Joyeuse with its blunt side. The impact of the blow not only stopped Dorothea's attack, but sent her to the ground with a yelp.
Dorothea shuddered as she tried to push herself up, but she suddenly felt her limbs go numb. She could not believe the power the Flame Emperor had exerted in his strike and he had barely swatted her with no intent to harm. The realization of it terrified Dorothea. How could he be so strong with so little effort?
"I do not wish to make you my enemy," said the Flame Emperor. "I pray in time that you will come to understand that."
The Flame Emperor then raised his axe above his head, surrounding himself in a pillar of fire. Seconds later, the pillar and the Flame Emperor vanished.
…
"Dorothea, are you alright?" Byleth asked the singer once they were back at camp.
"I'll be okay, Professor," Dorothea replied. "He didn't hurt me, but…"
"But…?"
"When he countered my strike, I felt like… like my whole body went numb. He wasn't even trying, and he swatted me aside like I was nothing." Dorothea then let out a sigh as she said, "I've been training so hard and fighting so much, but I still feel so… so weak. If I were just stronger, maybe we could've saved more lives here. Maybe we wouldn't have had to kill so many of them."
"Dorothea, I–"
Just then, the two were interrupted as Alois said, "Professor, there you are!"
"Alois, what's going on?"
"It's the prisoners! They're… they're all dead!"
"What?!"
"We were trying to rouse a few of them for questioning when, all of a sudden, their hearts all just seemed to give out on them. I don't know how to explain it. Manuela tried to help them, but…"
Dorothea's eyes widened with shock at the news, while Byleth's face filled with anger.
"Solon… it had to be him," Byleth hissed.
In muted shock, Dorothea said, "Y-You mean… n-no matter what we did, they were going to die…?"
Alois said nothing to this, but his expression said it all.
"It's not fair… We fought so hard to save them and they still…" Bursting into tears, Dorothea continued, "I-It was all f-for nothing…!"
"Dorothea, that's not true!" said Byleth, abandoning her anger for sympathy.
"She's right, Dorothea," said Alois. "The other villagers, the ones who weren't infected, are all fine. We'll be bringing them back to the monastery with us."
Dorothea's sobbing slowed as Byleth put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Dorothea, what happened to the prisoners is not your fault. No one could have known what would happen to them. But you did everything you could to help them, and that's what matters."
"P-Professor…"
"Come on, maybe the survivors could use a little more help."
"O-Okay…"
Attempting to recompose herself, Dorothea followed Byleth to the section of the camp where the refugees of Remire were being treated. Many of them were despondent at losing their homes and at seeing their loved ones cut down. Each of them had an expression that did little to ease Dorothea's pain.
She knew what they were thinking: Why couldn't they have come sooner?
"M-Mommy! I want my Mommy!" came a child's voice.
"P-Papa… Why did you have to…" said a second child.
"My family, all of them, gone…" said a grown man.
The others were murmuring similar sentiments, with many orphaned children crying for their parents. It was a sound that tore at Dorothea's heart. She knew what it meant to be an orphan, cold, hungry and alone. Now she stood before so many who had lost everything.
"Don't bother!" said an elderly man as Ashe tried to give him some stew. "I've got nothing left! My daughter, my grandkids, they're all dead! I should be dead too!"
Alarmed, Ashe said, "No, sir, you mustn't–"
"It's all over for us…" said a pale-faced woman. "We've nothing left…"
"It would've been better if I'd have burned along with our home!" said a despairing man.
"Everyone, please, calm down!" said Ashe.
"Please, don't give up hope," said Mercedes.
The other students tried to offer their condolences, but it was clear it wasn't enough. The villagers all looked as though all hope had been lost.
Then, to Byleth's alarm, she saw one of the villagers struggling with Alois over a dagger. The villager was trying to commit suicide.
Grunting, Alois said, "Please, ma'am, you mustn't–"
"Let me go!" said the woman. "I want to be with my children again!"
Alois managed to wrest the knife from the woman's grasp and restrained her, but the sight of the suicide attempt drove the villagers further into despair.
Then, as Byleth was about to step in to try and diffuse the situation, Dorothea began to stride forward as she started to sing.
Tue lei ze croa riou tue ze
Croa riou ze tue riou lei neu riou ze
Va lei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa
Riou lei croa riou ze lei va ze lei
Va neu va lei va neu va ze lei
Croa riou croa neu tue lei croa riou ze lei va
Lei va neu croa tue lei lei
Her voice carried across the camp, and the villagers went silent at the sound of her melody. All eyes gazed upon Dorothea as she sang her somber lullaby, a song she had learned a long time ago. Legends said it was a song meant to soothe injured hearts, despite that no one seemed to know the meaning of the ancient lyrics.
Dorothea sung the verse again.
Tue lei ze croa riou tue ze
Croa riou ze tue riou lei neu riou ze
Va lei ze tue neu tue riou tue croa
Riou lei croa riou ze lei va ze lei
Va neu va lei va neu va ze lei
Croa riou croa neu tue lei croa riou ze lei va
Lei va neu croa tue lei lei
To the relief of the first-year students, the villagers seemed to settle down. The children's cries turned to silent sniffles, and the villagers' woes became subdued.
Dorothea continued to sing, soothing the hearts of the villagers as Edelgard walked onto the scene from behind a tent. Upon seeing Dorothea's performance, Edelgard was left stunned. The singer stood pristine among the villagers, her voice carrying throughout the camp, healing the hearts of the refugees, if only a little.
As Dorothea kept on singing, Edelgard shut her eyes and clenched her hand to her chest, thankful no one could see her face twist with regret.
…
Byleth had been pulled aside by Jeralt later that evening as the soldiers led the refugees back toward Garreg Mach. As she went to speak with her father, she saw Dorothea comforting several of Remire's orphaned children with a story. The sight brought a smile to Byleth's face.
As she reached Jeralt, the Blade Breaker said, "Hey. I've been meaning to talk to you. Since coming to the monastery… you've changed."
"Changed? How so?"
"You've been angry since we first arrived in Remire Village. And you look so happy when you're instructing the brats. Before the monastery, I'd never seen you bear your emotions like that."
"I… You might be right, Father."
"Then perhaps it's a good thing we came to the monastery. Or maybe there was never any reason for us to leave the monastery in the first place…"
Byleth said nothing to this, remembering what Rhea had told them after Jeralt had buried Sitri. She knew Jeralt was still angry with Rhea for withholding the truth on Sitri's death.
"Father? Why have you decided to stay at the monastery?" asked Byleth.
"Hmm?"
"You were furious with Rhea when she told you about Mother. I'd have thought you'd have wanted to leave after that."
Jeralt sighed as he said, "The thought certainly crossed my mind. Rhea betrayed my trust in her, that's for certain. But… like I said, you're so happy when you're teaching the brats."
"F-Father…" Byleth couldn't help smiling at this.
"I felt I could put up with Rhea if it meant seeing your face lit up like that. And besides…"
"Besides… what?"
"I think there's more to Rhea's story than she's letting on. About why she's so interested in you, why you're able to wield that sword. I'm worried for you, Byleth. I'm worried Rhea might want you for something. Something bad."
Byleth was silent at this.
"Listen, you let me worry about Rhea. I'll figure out what she wants from you. You just focus on those brats of yours, alright? I have a feeling they're gonna be needing you, especially that singing girl."
"Thank you, Father."
Byleth turned to go back to camp, leaving Jeralt to his thoughts.
Then, out of the shadows, a familiar redhead said, "Way to lay it all out for her, Jeralt."
Knowing the merchant had been listening in, Jeralt said, "It wouldn't do me any good to keep what I know from her. Even if I don't know what Rhea's up to." The two stood side by side for a moment before Jeralt said, "Listen, Anna, thanks for your help today. That could've been a lot worse for us."
"Always happy to help, Jeralt. Especially against dirtbags like that."
"I'll make sure the Church compensates you for your help."
"Aww, that's sweet of you." Anna winked and brought her index finger to her cheek as she said this. Then, as fatigue began to wash over her, Anna yawned and said, "Well, I think I'm gonna call it a night. How about you?"
"I'm on first watch for the night. Go get yourself some shut-eye."
"Thanks, Jeralt. Nighty-night."
Anna then strode away from Jeralt, but as she approached the camp, she caught sight of Flayn healing one of the wounded soldiers with her magic.
The redhead furrowed her brow as she watched the green-haired girl, wondering why Solon had needed her blood. She already had a few suspicions about Flayn, but she knew it wouldn't help to jump to conclusions. Even if Flayn was what Anna thought she was, it still didn't explain why Solon needed her blood specifically.
Who here can tell where that song came from? Take a guess in your reviews.
Yes, I'm inserting Dorothea again into cutscenes that don't entirely make sense, but this insert is pretty important later on.
And yes, Solon rigged those people to die no matter what our heroes did. What an asshole, right?
SPOILERS AHEAD!
I know you guys think Jeralt should know what Rhea is, but let's consider this for a moment: he doesn't know what a Nabatean is at all. He's never met one knowing what they really are, he's never met a Manakete, and there are more green-haired people at the monastery than just Rhea, Seteth and Flayn (there's also Linhardt). Also, for those who say he should've been suspicious of Sitri's ears, maybe he just thought those were a weird physical quirk. Additionally, he did not see Sitri's body before it was absorbed by the Umbral Beast (part of why I changed that part of Cindered Shadows), so he doesn't know that her body never decayed and thinks it was reconstituted due to the ritual. Sitri also did not manifest the Crest of Flames despite having the Crest Stone of Sothis within her; this is something Rhea tells Byleth before the final battle of Silver Snow. So it's plausible that Rhea can still pull the wool over Jeralt's eyes.
Also, in regards to Anna's suspicions, Anna thinks Flayn is a Manakete, but she too doesn't know what a Nabatean is. So, this would be a case of Anna being "Entertainingly Wrong".