Invitations Beneath Our Feet

Pegasus Moon

Despite setting the time of their meeting herself, Byleth had half expected the Knights of Seiros to come looking for her that night for an audience with the Archbishop. Her Father had told her it was either grace, or because no-one could be spared to stop him, that had allowed him to leave the Knights so easily twenty years earlier. Byleth had no reason to expect grace, but the majority of them were still afield, so her little power play went uncontested.

When she entered the Audience Chamber, Rhea dismissed everyone else in attendance. Byleth kept her gaze forward as they filed past around her, continuing her steady measured pace until she stood before the Archbishop.

"Dear Child," Rhea began "it grieves me that so much has passed before we had this opportunity to speak. Jeralt was a friend of many years, I am sorry for his loss. I… lost my own mother, a long time ago. To this day the pain of it can still be overwhelming."

Byleth nodded, but said nothing. She has no response to that speech, and so cloaked herself in her habitual silence. Rhea had evidently expected some other reaction; sympathy or empathy –some immediate bonding over their mutual losses, even when there'd been none between them before- and floundered a little

"I hope… I hope I can convince you to return to your contract with the guild. Decisions made in the thrall of grief are not always for the best. If you resume employment here, then-"

"Then you will send me to the walls when my target lurks in the forest?" Byleth cut in at last. "I will not make the company subservient to the Church when you would hinder our goals."

"I do not mean to deny you revenge. I intended only that you not lose yourself to it, I wished to protect you."

"Why?" She asked it sharply, back straight, chin tipped upwards. Rhea was taller than Byleth, yet she looked down on the Archbishop. She'd learned that look from Sothis. It turned the question into a challenge.

Rhea frowned a little. It was a surprisingly fierce expression, but her face smoothed over into serenity soon enough.

"Do you not know?"

"Careful now." Sothis advised

Byleth paused for a long moment before speaking "Because of my heart. Of what you did to it."

"When you were born, your heart did not beat." Rhea explained "Your mother… in the end, she begged me save your life. Sitri had a gift, a blessing, that passed to you, and using that I… forged a connection, between you and the Goddess. Your heart will never beat, but the Goddess's blessing sustains you. It is a rare and precious gift to be so tied to Her. Within the Church, you are as close to the Goddess as the Saints themselves."

That answered everything and nothing. Rhea at least admitted to having done something. But she was also wrong. Byleth's heart had beat. Twice.

"And so you have a living Saint." Byleth mused "But my Father raised me apart from the Church. I am no envoy of the Goddess; I will not be your oracle."

"You have heard Her!" Rhea exclaimed

"Oh well done." Sothis rolled her eyes

"All my life I have had two dreams." Byleth admitted carefully "One is a battlefield," and come to that, now that she saw her up close didn't Rhea look a lot like that warrior? "the other, a girl asleep on a throne carved from stone, somewhere dark and deep… I know her name. I know who she is."

"She snores." she added internally, in return for Sothis's remark

"I most certainly do not!"

The Archbishop's eyes were alight; her face was illuminated with the smile upon it "Dear Child; you have been doubly blessed. The Goddess's Holy Light dwells within you, Her spirit calls to you... Deep within Garreg Mach lies the Holy Tomb where the Goddess laid Herself to rest after great exertions. It is little known, but Saint Seiros is said to have received a revelation from the Goddess in that place. Perhaps the answers you seek may be found there."

"Meaning she will not give us explicit answers unless you go there. Vexing woman!"

"Very well. Let's go."

"A moment, please!" Rhea's smile was brilliant "I wish nothing more than to see a revelation come to pass –to hear the voice of the Goddess. However, the Holy Tomb is not a place that may be so easily entered. There are many wards and traps in place to protect it. I could not disarm them all before the moon begins to wane. It will be a few weeks at least, until we can begin the ceremony."

"And now there is a ceremony too!"

"Is there anything I must do in preparation?"

"No, Child. All shall be taken care of. Although… according to our sacred texts, Saint Seiros had Holy Warriors attending her at the first revelation. You may bring champions of your own, if you wish. I will send a message when a date has been determined."

Champions of her own, Byleth thought wryly as she exited the room Rhea had cleared with but a word. Clearly the Archbishop did not need the Knights of Seiros, nor anyone else, in attendance to be assured of her own power.

~o~*~o~

Byleth wove her way back through the bustling town to the Bishop's Regret where the company had taken lodging, and motioned for Sanderson to join her at one of the few empty booths.

"So, Ashen One, how did the meeting with the illustrious Lady Rhea go?"

"About as badly as it could have. I'm invited to a ceremony towards the end of the moon. The guest of honour even."

Sanderson hissed in a breath through his teeth "Shame that. Frightfully boring these religious occasions. Can't even doze off if you have to be up-front and centre. No offence to Saint Seiros but some of the sermons I had to sit through when I was younger… Still, if the Archbishop is inviting you to events then she ain't driving us off from Garreg Mach."

"No, she isn't. On that, though, I do have a job for you."

"Oh?"

~o~*~o~

When Rhea began to tell him what she intended, Seteth was discomposed, to put it lightly; "One does not simply walk into the Holy Tomb and open it up for whatever mercenary comes along first! No matter what Hanneman thinks-"

"Seteth, enough." Rhea insisted "Hanneman's theory is likely correct. Her Crest most probably is the Crest of Flames. Byleth is… the child I thought lost to the fire twenty years ago. Through her, our dearest wish may finally come to pass."

"You cannot- …How can that be, Rhea? She is Jeralt's child, is she not?"

"She is. And her Mother was Sitri. Byleth has become a vessel of the Progenitor God."

The hope that he had seen rising in his friend this past year now made sense. He had known of her creations; the 'daughters' brought into the world with the goal of reviving Sothis. None had succeeded, and more concerned with Cethleann's protection during her long healing slumber he hadn't considered them further. That they might live and grow beyond their birth and that one might have had a family of her own was beyond his expectations –if that were the case… did not their souls belong to themselves? And for Byleth Eisner, to be brought into this… if Jeralt had known about any of it, Seteth could well understand why he had fled the Knights.

"…You are aware of the –questionable, nature of this experiment, I trust?"

"I understand your hesitance, but I ask you place your faith in me just this short while longer. All will be well... She will return to guide us."

He wondered if she truly did understand his hesitations. His memories of Sothis were dim, far more so than he cared to admit to Rhea. They had faded along with the ability to take another form, his Nabatean heritage diminishing over the millennia, and yet…

He recalled enough to be quite certain that Sothis would… strongly disapprove. The natural rhythm of Birth, Life, Death had been sacred to her; the cycle of both of the Land and the of the People therein. She would not have had any soul sacrificed to her, no circle brought to completion on her behalf.

Wouldn't she? Could it even work as Rhea seemed to intend it would?

"…As ever, Rhea, I take you at your word."

~o~*~o~

Sanderson scowled at her.

"Boss, I don't disagree, but there's a time for everything. Those pallid bastards are obviously targeting the Church. Sending all but half the troop away now isn't going to help you track or catch them."

"They're targeting the Church." Byleth agreed "They'll strike here again."

"And you'll be down your best men."

"Only if you take too long. It's not enough just to take out Kronya… they must have a base somewhere. I intend to dismantle it all. That necromancy… well, you fought it yourself."

"Aye." Sanderson admitted with a sigh "Can't have that running amok."

"So, when the time comes to track their base, we need to be prepared to move. All of us."

"Alright, alright." Sanderson sighed "I'll head out in the morning. If all goes well, we'll even make it back for this fancy service of yours."

"Thank you" Byleth acknowledged, then frowned as someone bumped into the table, glancing round at the very full pub hall. "Is it me or…?"

"It's not you, Ashen One." Sanderson answered, dropping his voice to a murmur. "Those two crews over there are regulars sure enough, they've always been in and out. But the rest… well, it's a strange time for so many to be visiting Garreg Mach. 's half the reason I don't particularly want to be splitting the troop just now."

"Perhaps I should send Raoul with you after all. Keep him out of trouble"

"When I'm carrying that much coin? Don't be cruel Boss, every vagabond in Leicester would waylay us with his luck!"

~o~*~o~

Almost as if she and Sanderson had foretold it, Raoul came to her the next afternoon with trouble.

"You lost your sword… in an underground fighting ring? There's an underground fighting ring in Garreg Mach?"

"Let's face it Demon, if there wasn't I'd probably have fucking founded one by accident." Raoul said around a wince as she pulled his hand away from where it was pressed against a shallow gash on his forehead so she could heal it "As it happens, it was already bloody there. You not been down to Abyss yet?"

"Can't say that I have. Never came across an entrance." She answered, as the gash eased closed. "We can head up to the armourer once I've fixed this, I have the funds to cover-"

"Oh hell no!" Raoul insisted "You know how long it takes to break in a new hilt. No, no, we're getting my stuff back!"

Byleth crossed her arms and levelled a flat stare at him, one eyebrow raised. She said nothing.

Raoul broke.

"Please will you win my stuff back for me, Boss?"

~o~*~o~

Abyss was busier than she had imagined it would be; or perhaps Raoul had simply brought her to the busiest place in it, as it seemed to sprawl for miles in all directions. She at last learned where the Wilted Rose was, and her eyes roved around the place memorising the architecture and layout as Raoul explained a little more than Sanderson had ever let on about the history of it all, and the vagrants who lived there under the protection of the Savage Mockingbird, while he guided her onward.

The "fighting pits" resembled something much more along the lines of a gladiatorial arena than a "pit". There was a very obvious waiting area for contestants and several bookies were plying their odds among the stands as each match started up. She'd seen gaming hells and arenas before, both when Jeralt had to drag his own men out of them or was paid to hunt down someone else's -but nothing on this magnitude.

"Over there" Raoul said nodding to a pair standing on a high level watching the fights. "In the white and purple, he has my gear."

Byleth eyed the young man up and down, weighing and assessing, both him and more imposing man standing alongside him, then she turned back to Raoul; "Really?"

"Hey, I didn't lose the fight, to him, just the bet. Okay, Demon? It was some fucking speedy prat who got me. I swear he jumped the bell."

"Excuses." She chided and they made their way round, her mind turning over all he'd just told her. "Pardon me." She called as she and Raoul came within an easy distance of the two men in white "My companion here says he lost a bet with you earlier. I've come to reclaim his honour, if you'll give me the opportunity."

"For a lady as lovely as you? I think you'll find me open to negotiation. The sword and the belt to go with it, was it? I'll give you the same challenge your companion had; stay in for three rounds and you can have it back."

"And if I fail?"

He made a dismissive gesture "You can have the first attempt for free. They call me Yu, by the way." He added offering his hand. 'They call me,' she noted, not 'my name is'.

"Lethe." She answered, shaking it, then made her way down to the pit, after giving Raoul a nod to stay where he was. He stood to one side, listening unobtrusively as the larger man lost every point as he and Yu speculated on the outcome of the matches below them, until it was Byleth's time to step into the arena against the previous winner.

"Oof" said the big guy "unlucky for the little lady. Not a good match-up."

"I can't even begin to understand why you would think that. Clearly she'll win this round." His companion answered "Gerill is too cocky, too keyed up from winning, but look at her. Rock solid."

Sure enough, the fighter in the pit was tapping the blade of his sword against his shoulder, leaning down to taunt Byleth, his face much too close to hers for politeness. The Boss stood at ease, saying nothing, as ever. The bell rang, starting the match, and Byleth's hand shot up from her side, bypassing her sword entirely to clock her opponent right in the face.

He went down like a sack of bricks. There was a momentary silence followed by a surge of activity as the bookies reassessed their odds and started touting them out, as those willing to risk the gamble took a ticket.

"Well. I expected a win but that was certainly more efficient than I'd bargained for." Yu commented.

Byleth stepped out of the way of the attendant who came to drag her first opponent out of the ring, casually ending up in a position where she was facing Raoul as her second opponent entered. She caught his eye briefly and he shook his head once. Not the speedy prat.

"Okay, so she's got some speed, I'll give the lady that." The big guy said "And she doesn't hesitate either, but that won't be enough against a clever grappler like this guy."

"You're biased." Yu drawled "Given the usual calibre of entrants I wouldn't be at all surprised if she's the smartest fighter in the pit this week."

The second guy at least had the honour of exchanging blows with Byleth, but he was flat on his back within two minutes, Byleth's foot resting gently against his throat with just enough pressure to make her point, her sword levelled at his heart. She pulled him up once he yielded, directing them once more so she could see Raoul.

This time he nodded. Opponent three was the speedy prat.

"Well, now she's done for. Too bad you didn't ask her for anything when you won the bet."

Yu didn't answer.

It was maybe only half a second, but the prat absolutely, positively, definitely started before the bell, sword moving for that same high blow that had dazed Raoul, opening the gash on his forehead.

Byleth ducked it, and rammed the pommel of her sword straight into his gut. He had no breath after that, no stance, and Byleth dominated the match.

"Huh." Said the big guy.

But when Raoul looked over, Yu was smiling.

~o~*~o~

The fifth round was the one that did for her. Her opponent was a swordmaster and they tested each other to the limit, leaving them both fatigued, but Byleth just cinching it. She got through rounds six and seven by mistakes of her opponents; too eager to be the ones to end her streak, but the eighth kept his cool, and she yielded before long, heading out of the arena to many cheers.

"Well done, Lethe." Yu greeted, as she climbed over the barrier from the participant's area to the stands.

"My prize?"

"Already delivered." He said and nodded behind her. She glanced over to see that Raoul had thrown himself back into the pit and was awaiting his turn. He sent her a thumbs-up and she sighed, turning away.

"That was an impressive streak for someone from Above." Yu continued "May I buy you a drink?"

"I'm afraid my tastes might be too expensive for you." She answered, and began ambling easily along the way Raoul had shown her. Yu fell into step, eyeing her up and down

"Is that so? Let me guess; no Regrets for you, instead a quiet evening in the Prancing Pegasus with a book and a tankard of mead. How close am I?"

"You missed the honey-cakes."

Yu laughed "Of course! How could I? Well, I shan't offend you by suggesting we try the Rose, really the only thing they serve in there worth getting is the gossip. Something Above has the Archbishop in a twist, I hear."

"You're very well informed."

"I have a couple of ins with the higher-ups, you could say. I report how things are ticking along down here, they do the same regarding Above and it all works out quite happily for everyone involved." He paused a beat, eyeing her from the side "Except all of a sudden, there are a lot of new faces popping up in Abyss. Strange groups passing through, none of them staying too long, and none of them to be found when I come asking. A humble street-ear like me doesn't last long down here if he has no information to sell, so, tit-for-tat, if you don't mind?"

Byleth continued her easy pace but mirrored his look, glancing to the side to hold his gaze "Many new faces Above as well. Merchants who don't linger in the marketplace, mercenaries neither signing with the guild nor moving on. Standing room only at the bar."

"Well that is interesting." He said, slowing his pace as they rounded the last corner near the entrance Byleth had used, she matched him and they turned to face each other at the bottom of the stairs "Y'know, I'd feel a lot better having a capable woman like yourself keeping an eye out Above, and I will be your ears below. I'll even keep an eye on your companions for you, if you agree, save you some trouble."

"Tit-for-tat?"

"That is the going rate."

Byleth shrugged one shoulder "Sure, if I have anything for you."

"Splendid. Well I suppose I had better make a start. I look forward to working with you, Lethe."

Byleth nodded, and watched as he turned away, pacing back down the way they'd come "Mockingbird" she called, just before he turned the corner. He paused "next time you want to speak with me, send a note. Don't hustle my men."

Yuri laughed "Touché, Ashen Demon, touché."