"…"
Pegasus Moon
The Immaculate One was responsible for the happenings in Enbarr.
Wilhelm von Hresvelg had passed down her identity generation to generation so that each successive Emperor might monitor her.
The Immaculate One had manipulated the history of Fódlan; Nemesis, Crests, Relics in order to maintain power and keep the people from achieving their true destinies.
These were the truths Thales and his ilk had taught her, taught her Father. These were the tenets her plan, her conviction, was built upon. This was the tyrant she was supposed to overthrow.
This woman, collapsed and trembling on the floor of a tomb.
Rhea, responsible for the happenings at Enbarr? She hadn't been there. It was not Rhea who had locked her down in the dark with only the rats for company as her siblings screamed and bled and fell eternally cold and silent around her.
Wilhelm, monitor her? Were there not numerous sources; plaques and dedications to him in the churches of Enbarr, espousing how devout he had been? Had he not written the Imperial Calendar in keeping with the traditions of the faith? Had his purpose been to expose the Immaculate One or to elevate her?
Rhea had manipulated history. But… for this? To bring the Goddess back? …Was she the only one selling a narrative?
Were the Children of the Goddess the enemies of Humanity?
Flayn was lovely. Seteth was a good man. Dimitri was from before. Children were already suffering. Claude could see the flaws. Thales would burn Fódlan to ash.
The Goddess bid her walk her own path. Her own path.
"False Goddess", "Defiled Beast" Thales had called her.
That was not the Sothis Edelgard had met.
Rhea had not locked her in the dark.
Rhea had not locked her siblings in the dark.
She was Emperor. Within the next few years Claude and Dimitri would be the most powerful men in their countries. Rhea was the head of the Church. In this room were the four most influential people in Fódlan. The Leaders of Humanity.
A swift and decisive war had been her plan. Eliminate the Church. Conquer the rest of Fódlan then turn all their strength against Those Who Slither in the Dark –Agartha, as Sothis had called them.
But she needed the Agarthans to take on the Church –and how easy would it be for Thales to prolong the war? To give the Kingdom and the Alliance enough time for them all to wear each other down. To give them supplies, to position someone in Leicester as he had positioned Cornelia in Faerghus?
How quickly would Thales have turned against her, having weakened the people who walked in the light?
That had been the plan. It had always ended with her against Thales.
Rhea had not locked her in the dark.
Rhea was already broken.
If…
If she reached out her hand, would Claude and Dimitri join her? Could she turn all of Fódlan against Agartha without the war?
They had been gifted a revelation. They could abolish the worship of Crests, make right their twisted history with the blessing of the Goddess.
If she reached out her hand… would they take it? Would they understand what she sought to achieve? Could she have them as allies and not opponents? Could she take that risk, expose so much of herself, and still bring herself to fight them if it came to it? Could she alter the plan at this moment? Should she allow the Church to persist for as long as it took to stop Thales?
No.
No, the Church of Seiros could not persist.
Yet… did her path need to be paved in crimson? Would reformation work in place of destruction?
The last note of the Goddess's song faded.
The silence that followed was still and calm.
Flayn was lovely. Seteth was a good man. Dimitri was from before. Children were already suffering. Claude could see the flaws. Thales would burn Fódlan to ash. The Goddess bid her walk her own path.
The girl who had survived the dark wished for allies.
Edelgard reached.
~o~*~o~
"Archbishop Rhea." Edelgard's voice broke the stillness. Cool, crisp syllables puncturing the air around them "The enemies who have recently attacked the Monastery have infiltrated several noble families of the Empire. I intend to seek them out and destroy them. The Goddess called them Agartha; what do you know of them?" She demanded, striding forward.
Rhea shivered on the ground and Dimitri paced forwards to block her path "El-"
"And you!" she continued whirling to face him. "You said that we must oppose them wherever they may strike, be that Empire, Kingdom or Alliance. Do you stand by those words?"
"Of course." Dimitri answered, back straight, eyebrows drawn into a frown, "But now is clearly not the time to be demanding questions of Lady Rhea."
"If not now, when?"
"I hate to say it, but I'm with the Princess on this one." Claude added his opinion "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, or so they say, and we know little enough. I think it's past time for some openness."
Dimitri hesitated, and Edelgard scowled, tossing her hair back over her shoulder "I have reason to believe they were involved in, if not primarily responsible for, the Tragedy of Duscur."
The Prince came alert at the mention of Duscur "And how would you know this? How highly have they infiltrated into Adrestia?"
Edelgard paused "I… entertained an offer from them. However, it has become clear to me that any dealings with them will only result in further tragedy. They must be fought. And to have the strength to do so we must work as one. At least two of the most influential families in the Empire are under their sway, and I am aware of one agent of theirs in the Kingdom. It seems likely that they will have infiltrated the Alliance as well. We cannot hold off their Demonic Beasts and internal dissension without aiding each other."
Even as she admitted weakness, Edelgard tipped her chin higher, lilac eyes boring directly into Dimitri's and Claude's in turn. Silence fell around them once more.
"I'm in." Byleth spoke from her position by the throne and startled the lords from their three-way face off. "I intended to hunt them anyway. If you will guide us to them, Jeralt's Mercenaries shall be your blade."
Edelgard flushed, surprised but quickly recovered "You have questions of your own to answer."
Byleth swept the remains of her tears from her cheeks then folded her arms and shrugged, her expression one of comfortable neutrality. "True. But I'd like to hear what Rhea has to say first."
Dimitri at last nodded once and moved aside, allowing Edelgard and Claude to step closer to the Archbishop. Rhea drew herself up so she was at least kneeling and not collapsed to the floor, though her head remained bowed. "There is a group of people who have slithered in the darkness and threatened the peace of Fódlan since ancient times… Long before the founding of the Empire, in times of old, the people of this land turned their blades against the Goddess… The land was ravaged in the war that followed… some of those who lost retreated into the dark, and later their descendants used Nemesis to enact their revenge… he was stopped, but not before…"
"… Not before he attacked you, you, at Zanado." Claude concluded and Rhea looked away.
"He killed my brethren, the Children of the Goddess. And those who slither, the Agarthans, took their corpses and made weapons of them. The Relics, the Crest Stones –all of it fuelled by the same dark blood magic they had once turned upon the Goddess."
"But they do not consider their revenge complete." Edelgard added. "They still oppose you, and whatever remains of the Goddess… and ultimately, all of the people who walk the land."
"So it seems." Rhea agreed. "The Goddess, my mother," she gasped "they can no longer reach. But they would drive the remains of the world to ruin in their twisted pursuits."
"And so we stop them." Dimitri said then turned to Edelgard "You spoke of Duscur. What do you know? And of an agent in the Kingdom?"
"Lady Cornelia is no longer the same woman who earned her position in your court. As for Duscur; only that they were certainly involved, and regret that the tragedy was 'visible'. At the time they were engaged in… other pursuits in Enbarr as well, or I might tell you more." She turned to Claude "Were I you, I would question what Solon was doing in the time between Tomas leaving the Monastery and his return."
"Killing my cousins I presume." Claude answered lightly, hands laced behind his head. "Arranging all sorts of accidents and misadventure. Amongst other nefarious deeds no doubt. Then waiting for my Uncle to die and destabilising the whole Alliance with House Riegan's collapse. Except, I turned up, and stayed under Lady Judith's protection… but it wouldn't take any great leap to deduce my Grandfather would want to send me here."
"And when he arrived in advance he discovered Flayn. The half-human, the next step in their twisted blood magic." Edelgard concluded. "And you lost priority."
"Or he thought he could turn me." Claude murmured, almost to himself, as he looked back over his interactions with the librarian.
"Possible. They attempted it with me."
"How do we fight them?" Dimitri added "If they keep to the shadows, then we cannot simply march an army upon them."
"Subterfuge, rumours, seeking out any hint of their base; they must have one." Claude answered "First we clean our houses and then…"
"And then we hunt." Edelgard concluded. "It may be a long road."
"But one worth walking." Dimitri added "Faerghus will stand with you."
"And the Alliance. I'll see to it."
"Thank you." Edelgard breathed closing her eyes for a moment before at last she turned to Rhea. The Archbishop rose slowly to her feet and Dimitri stepped forward to assist her to stand.
"The Church of Seiros will join this cause." Rhea swore, and when their eyes turned to her, Byleth nodded her affirmation once more.
"Then we are all agreed." Edelgard said, smiling, as though a great weight had been lifted from her. "You should be aware, during my trip home this moon I ascended to the Imperial Throne and became Emperor of Adrestia. All of her might is at my command"
"You played that one close to the vest, your Imperialness. Though all else considered I can't say I have the energy left to be surprised by it."
"There is much left to discuss, though perhaps it would be best if we adjourn for the moment and resume somewhere more comfortable." Dimitri proposed, still supporting Rhea on his arm. There was a round of assent and they moved back to the the stairs.
Byleth took two steps towards them and collapsed in a dead faint.
~o~*~o~
She came to briefly, held in Claude's arms as Edelgard pushed open the door to the infirmary. Dimitri and Rhea were not in her line of vision as Claude carried her across the room.
"I spend too much time in this bed." she murmured as he set her down, the soft puff of his quiet laugh across her hair the only answer, as she sank into unconsciousness once more.
~o~*~o~
There was an argument going on above her head as she began to wake again. Edelgard's voice speaking in clipped tones;
"-is compiling a work of all we could ever wish to know of Nabataea, Byleth agreed she has questions to answer, Dimitri is incapable of hiding anything, the only hold out is you."
"I want you to know, I'm choosing to take that as a compliment." Dimitri responded.
"A man needs to keep some secrets; you know? Besides, knowing the exact location of my hometown isn't something that's going to help us in this fight." Claude answered dismissively.
"That may be so. But your refusal to elaborate does not instill trust in those whom would be your allies."
"You can trust Claude." Byleth said, pushing herself upright "He's reliable."
Dimitri stepped forward to hand Byleth a glass of water and encourage her towards the stew that had been left covered for whenever she awoke. With her attention directed that way she missed the bright flush that encompassed the marksman's face. Edelgard didn't, and raised an amused eyebrow at him as he turned away for a moment. He caught her look once he'd composed himself and narrowed his eyes at her, but her expression only turned triumphant.
"Well. I'm willing to trust your word on the matter." the Emperor stated, directing her attention to the mercenary. "How are you feeling?"
Byleth considered for a moment. "Odd. Hollow, lightheaded… as though I've overexerted everything. It doesn't hurt, I'm just… sapped of strength."
"Well, you did have a divine being living inside of you. Perhaps it is not entirely unexpected that you would feel some effects after…" Dimitri trailed off
Byleth smiled sadly "Perhaps not."
There was a hesitation in the room, a palpable tension as Byleth worked through the stew, the three lords looking on. Form her sense of time she gathered it was getting on towards evening –but it had still been early when they left the Holy Tomb –surely they had not merely been waiting for her all day?
She set the bowl aside half-finished. "What have I missed?"
"Not a great deal. Edelgard and I have discussed how we might move against the known infiltrators, and Seteth has… Seteth has had words with Lady Rhea."
"By that, his Princeliness means Seteth turned that disapproving stare of his on the Archbishop for so long that even I felt sorry for her. He's been keeping the faithful calm, letting the people know that the revelation occurred and the leaders of the church will have a proclamation soon. Keeping everyone off our backs. It's nice for him to be getting us out of trouble for once, I think that must be for your benefit, Milady Mercenary."
"Mostly, we've been awaiting you. I do not intent to move precipitously, before I understand all that occurred today. A large portion of that story belongs to you. I appreciate you are unwell, but we must make a start as soon as possible." Edelgard concluded with authority.
Byleth took a breath and weighed how tired she felt against the need to press on "I'll answer one question tonight." She agreed after a moment.
"So what's this about you throwing yourself in front of an axe?" Claude asked immediately
"Really!?" Edelgard exclaimed
"Hey, it seemed pretty important to the Goddess. She brought it up at least three times."
Dimitri sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose "Peace, Edelgard. We can ask the… difficult questions tomorrow once we've all had some time to reflect."
"Actually… that is one of the difficult questions." Byleth said, letting her head thump back against the headboard.
The house leaders shared a glance. Completely shameless, Claude plunked himself down in the middle of the bed by her feet, legs crossed, elbows on knees, chin cupped by his hands –like a child eagerly awaiting a story. Edelgard and Dimitri took up much more respectable perches at the edge of the bed and Byleth sighed in resignation.
"Remire village, when we first met… I… I lived through the end of that battle twice." She spoke slowly choosing her words with care, but not looking at any of them, instead smoothing down the edge of the blanket across her lap "The first time, when the leader charged Edelgard… I did not disarm him. I hadn't been in the right position, I suppose, instead I took the blow myself." She admitted glancing up to the Emperor briefly then away again. "Sothis was… somewhat offended, that I'd risk my -our- life, for just one girl we'd never met before. She… she wound time back, just a moment, so knowing what was to happen, I could move earlier. After that, she never let it drop. Every time I seriously endangered myself she'd lecture and chastise me… She was really upset with me after the Death Knight…" She trailed off and looked up with a rueful smile and a shrug of one shoulder.
"Huh." Dimitri managed at last. Claude's eyebrows had shot up to his hairline and were slowly lowering again in contemplation. Edelgard meanwhile, was staring intently at her, arms folded, numerous thoughts running behind her eyes
"If she, you, had that sort of power at your disposal, why not use it when the Death Knight attacked you? All that time in the infirmary can't have been the best outcome."
"She had given me control over it by that time, but I hadn't yet used it, it didn't occur to me, and I was unconscious too quickly. Sothis could do nothing while I was out."
"And Jeralt?"
The question sounded more like an accusation, and Dimitri hissed a warning "Edelgard!" while Claude's hand found one of Byleth's ankles through the blanket for a supportive squeeze, but the Emperor was unrelenting, gaze unwavering.
"I ran us dry trying to save my father." Byleth said, aware of the slow build of tears in her eyes, though she forced her voice to stay steady. "Whatever I did, however quickly I moved, that dark mage was always able to intercept and I could never find him before he did… I redid that moment again and again, but no matter what I attempted… it never changed the end." Her eyes were glazed, glassy, probably viewing the moment Jeralt fell even as she spoke of it. The tears had overfilled her eyes and were spilling silently down her cheeks "Eventually, we lacked the strength to try anymore. Moving time, even just a handful of seconds, is… difficult. Even with the power of a Goddess"
A heavy silence blanketed them, Edelgard at last looking away in something perhaps approaching remorse. Dimitri heaved a sigh and stood, holding a hand out to assist her to stand
"We'll take our leave. I pray you feel better in the morning, Byleth."
She bid them goodnight, and Claude swung his legs across to the side, letting the royal duo exit ahead of him. He paused for a moment, glancing back at her over his shoulder "I did mean… I was trying to keep it light, My Friend."
"I know" she assured him. He reached back to offer another brief squeeze before standing and following after the others. Byleth was left to snuggle down and contemplate that space in her soul where Sothis had been, and the strange new rhythms of her heart.
~o~*~o~
Sanderson returned the next day, storming into the infirmary in a fury before even Manuela had arrived.
"The 'guest of honour at a boring ceremony'! A boring ceremony! Sermons you let me think! Not encounters with the Goddess!"
"Good morning Sanderson." Byleth replied evenly, sitting up and stretching out.
"A revelation! Words from the Lady herself!" He continued, throwing a letter down into her lap. Byleth picked it up and opened the seal "And you, the Hero deemed worthy to speak with her! And where am I during this grand happening? The event of the century? At your side to witness it? No! Out in the wilds of Gloucester battling off wolves on a simple errand as if I was still green!"
"Is everyone alright?" Byleth asked, looking up from the letter.
"Yes of course we are!"
"You've done good work."
"Yes of course I have!"
He turned on his heel with a toss of his head and flounced from the room.
"Thank you Sanders!" She called after him. A moment later he poked his head back in round the door.
"…and you're alright, Boss?"
"Yes" Byleth answered with a smile. "I'll be up in a moment."