Failed experiment.
Failed experiment…
The words echoed in Ashton's mind, booming in a rhythm like a demented drumbeat. Every time he sought to think of other things, Cornelia's words came back, louder than ever. As the city of Fhirdiad settled down, and the sun set over the horizon on the bloodied city, Ashton could only think of an offhand comment said by a possibly deranged mage.
Beyond Cornelia, whatever forces the Empire and the Agarthans had within Fhirdiad were swiftly routed, sent screaming out into the fields that surrounded the city. All who remained were the occupying Kingdom and Church armies, as well as the mostly-intact citizenry of the city. Luckily, most of them had cordoned themselves off from the fighting, and while the leadership held them in zero regard, the soldiers treated them far better. It wasn't expected, but Ashton was thankful for it.
And I killed dozens of them on this day.
It was war, and they would not stand down. That was what Ashton told himself. He refused to believe he was having a moment, finally, after over a decade of warfare and killing. There was inertia, and then there was something else.
Ashton knew that Prince Dimitri had revealed himself to the populace, that the professor was with him, that Arawn was around and Cornelia was in chains in the bowels of the castle. It would be easy to simply walk down, order the guards to leave, and get the answers he wanted. There had to be more to what Cornelia said.
Was Ashton a failed experiment? Perhaps the thought crossed his mind at one point, in the months and years following his displacement. But it wasn't true. It couldn't be. He had dreams of the goddess - perhaps not prophetic ones, but she was there, saving him from something beyond the veil. Something he could not see. It could not simply be a dream, any old dream. To acknowledge it as such would-
Everything he had done had been in service to the goddess, under the pretense that he was there for some purpose. A purpose that neither he, nor her earthly children, knew of, but a purpose nonetheless. To think that he was somehow an experiment of the Agarthans filled him with an icy dread that sunk to his core, wrapping his brain in a maelstrom of fear that he could barely see the outside of. He needed something, anything, to get his mind off of the crippling fear.
Cornelia could wait. There was someone else he needed to see, and there were no shortage of bedrooms within the newly-liberated castle.
"Ah, Ashton, how wonderful of you to arrive!"
Perhaps the only thing that could have gotten Ashton's mind off of the growing monster in his mind was the woman laying on the bed in front of him. To be fair, Ashton reasoned, Seiros was probably one of the most beautiful women on the continent, and that wasn't him boasting about her, in his opinion. And the way she laid on her stomach, her legs folded and her head resting on her cupped hands, with the look in her eye - it was enough to stir old feelings within him.
"Well, it took more than a few moments," Ashton chuckled to himself. "I, er, it took a little while because I couldn't find the room. A bit embarrassing, you know?"
"Mmm. I forgot to tell you where we would meet, hm?" Seiros hummed, kicking around her legs as if waiting patiently. "What shall you do to rectify this?"
"I can think of a few things," Ashton said, moving forward as he took off his shirt, only for Seiros to grasp his hand. "Huh?"
"Allow me," Seiros whispered, slowly taking off Ashton's tunic until his bare chest was exposed. Seiros looked upon him as if he was a fresh cut of meat, and she had gone without eating for days. "Just as I remember…"
"Someone's feeling impatient," Ashton chuckled. "Been waiting to see me shirtless for a long time, huh?"
Seiros bit her lip. "Well over a millennium, in fact. Now, lay down…"
Ashton didn't realize how much he missed Seiros' touch until that night. In the throes of passion, it was the only conscious thought he was able to muster, and it was a good one. One that was a far cry from the nightmares that plagued him before meeting with her.
And when it was all said and done, and Ashton and Seiros laid side by side, sweaty and naked, he felt content for the first time since his awakening within the Holy Tomb. It was as if nothing else mattered in the world, while he was staring into her green eyes. There they laid, not speaking a word as they embraced each other. It was no longer simple sex; that had passed. They were simply entangling themselves with each other, trying to keep as close as possible. Though northern Faerghus was always somewhat chilly, even in the summer, the cold barely seemed to touch them.
Ashton moved his hand forward and cupped Seiros cheek. She closed her eyes and practically nuzzled into it, holding it in place. She let out a pleased hum before opening her eyes again.
"I have missed these moments," Seiros murmured. "Just us, being here. I would have…"
"If I hadn't left," Ashton said, his face quickly forming into a frown. "If I had not been taken and frozen, perhaps this would have never happened. Sometimes I think of it, you know."
"There is little use in thinking of what could have been, my love," Seiros said softly. "And besides, you are here with me, now. Do not speak of such sad things."
"I went into this to forget, so you're right," Ashton sighed. "You know, that thing - the thing Cornelia said. You weren't there, but she called me a failed experiment. We know she's an Agarthan, there were those pale soldiers we fought through…"
That was enough for Seiros to open her eyes. In the dim light of the room, they almost seemed to glow. Her brows furrowed as she sat up.
"What?" she hissed.
Ashton followed suit, shaking his head. "It is what she said. I am unsure how much truth there is to it, but she has no reason to know who I am, unless she thought I was the Champion. Arawn wanted to question her come morning. I plan to go with him."
"I will go with you, as well, then," Seiros said, her hands clutching the edges of the blanket. "And Seteth, too. I would hear what the vile witch has to say. And know this, my dear Ashton; regardless of your true origins, whether you are a gift of the goddess or a failed experiment courtesy of our mortal enemies, I love you. And nothing will change that."
It wasn't the only thing that Ashton was worried about; there were many things, everything he had thought of before. But what Seiros had stated assuaged at least some of his worries. He hugged her, then, and she responded happily, holding him close as they fell back onto the bed.
When the morning came, it was time for business.
Despite the differences between the current castle in Fhirdiad and the one Ashton had been familiar with in his time, one thing had remained the same: the dungeons. He wasn't an expert on architecture, and he had no way of knowing if the castle was built upon the foundations of the old one, but the type of stone became even more old and weathered than before, almost as if a flip switched as he and his family descended into the dungeons.
While the Blue Lions and the armies were no doubt celebrating their success for all it was worth, there was dirty work that needed to be done out of sight of prying eyes.
Ashton, Seiros, Arawn, and Seteth stepped into the dungeon to meet its sole occupant. Their combined footsteps echoed in Ashton's ears. When it came to Seteth, as well, Ashton did not know how to speak. He didn't know if he should talk to him as Cichol and Seteth, considering that he called Seiros by her real name, rather than by the name she had given herself to lead the Church.
Such thoughts were pointless, though, and none of them spoke as they moved forward.
In a cell that eerily resembled the one that Seiros had been confined in, Cornelia sat, chained to the wall. She would be able to freely move around, but she would not be able to leave her cell without either breaking or sawing off her arms. What's more, Ashton could feel a definite hum in the air, as if magic was coursing through it. Whether it came from Cornelia or the chains she had, he could not say. Nonetheless, she hadn't escaped using magic, and as the group came upon her, she barely raised her head before she let out a chuckle.
"I expected this to happen earlier," she drawled, leaning back and fanning herself with her free hand. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Lady Rhea? And is that Seteth I see? And the 'Champion'? Or should I say 'Champions'? It's all rather confusing for little old me."
Seteth took out the keys and unlocked the cell, and everyone shuffled in. Before anyone could ask a single question, Seiros was upon Cornelia within an instant, socking her in the jaw, causing Cornelia to let out a yelp of surprise and pain and a scattering of broken teeth fell upon the floor.
"I will not tolerate anything but answers from you, vile worm," Seiros snarled, as Cornelia let out a laugh.
"By all means, Saint Seiros!" Cornelia barked, a bloody smile stretching across her face. "Do as much as you please! Damage this vessel all you want, until it cannot speak!"
Seiros raised her arm for another punch, only to be stopped by Arawn, with Seteth close behind.
"Mother, your anger will only serve to hinder us," Arawn said. "If she has a broken jaw, then she will not be able to give us the answers we seek."
"This will require a delicate hand," Seteth said, his voice low as he stepped forward, with his arms behind his back. "And no doubt King Dimitri will want his time with her before long, if only for closure. We cannot allow our emotions to gain control over us."
Seiros looked to Ashton, who only gave her a nod. She sighed, and stepped back.
"Very well," Seiros said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You are right, of course. But we all know what she said, do we not?"
"Oh? That slip of the tongue I had? Ah, yes, you must be very curious about that, hmm?" Cornelia spat, blood dripping onto the floor. "What shall I tell you, then? That the beast you stand beside is merely an experiment? One of many? What good will that do? What do you hope to gain from it? Children of the Goddess, all of you, including the half-breed, you do not know the world as we do. That there is an entire cosmos out there that you cannot comprehend, beyond our waking vision! It is really quite sad!"
"Speaking nonsense will not save you," Seteth stated, "answer our questions, and you will not be harmed. It is in your best interest-"
"You really do not know. You don't know what awaits you, beyond here," Cornelia laughed. "But no, you need not say more, beasts. You walk in the shape of man, but you are not of humanity. One day, your light will fade. But that is not today, much to my annoyance. Fine. I shall tell you this much, at least - this one who walks beside you, this ancient relic, he is an experiment, true. A test to see if we could summon an unlimited number of bodies to use in our quest to restore human order. He didn't like that very much."
"Who?" Ashton whispered, memories of a dream he had many years prior rearing their ugly head. "Who are you talking about?"
Cornelia placed a finger to her bloodied lips. "I have already said far too much. Thales would be very angry with me, you know, for saying all of these things. But right now, I don't much care what he thinks. He can get as angry as he wants. It won't change the reality of the situation. I do have one more thing I wish to say, though: you are all going to die. He shall return, and with him, the last remnant of this beastly world will be burned away and be reborn anew."
Seteth turned to Seiros and Ashton. "She is speaking nonsense. Perhaps you hit her too hard."
"Not nonsense, uncle, no," Arawn murmured. "She is a madwoman, an Agarthan, but she speaks the truth in this matter. I had my suspicions, but to have them confirmed…"
"What are you talking about, brat?" Cornelia drawled, "I doubt you know anything of what I speak. If this is your attempt at bluffing, it needs work."
"I will not speak of it with her in earshot," Arawn stated, "but perhaps it is time for my own secrets to be revealed. And to think, mother, that I gave you such grief for harboring your own. The irony is not lost on me."
"With beings as old as us, it is only natural," Seiros replied, her voice low.
"Truer words have never been spoken," Arawn agreed, "there must be a room around here that can offer some privacy. Let us go."
With the interrogation of Cornelia over with, Ashton felt himself become just a bit lighter.
Not because he was in a good mood, no, quite the opposite: his mind was nothing if not tumultuous, and with every moment that passed by it felt as if he was slipping into a maelstrom of madness that he would never escape. On the other hand, he was finally able to have the question on his mind answered.
He was not placed in the new world by the will of the goddess. He was taken from his home by the Agarthans. And if fate had a sense of humor, then Alex and Liz had suffered the very same, cast adrift across the currents of the multiverse, no doubt, or maybe even somewhere within his world itself. It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility; even time would be malleable under those circumstances, Ashton reasoned.
The point was, it was a relief to have those questions answered, even if the answer came with such little fanfare as to be maddening in its own right.
So, he was not placed within Fódlan on a special mission from the goddess. Really, it was silly of him to even still consider it, what with what Seiros told him within the bloodstained streets of Zanado. Perhaps it had been willful ignorance. Perhaps he simply wanted to feel special. Or maybe a combination. Whatever the case, the damage had already been done.
"Putrid bitch," Arawn suddenly snarled, "If she was not so important, her fetid blood would stain the stone. I envy you, mother - you had the courage to strike her."
They had walked away from Cornelia's cell, ascending back into the castle before finding themselves an errant bedroom to talk privately in. Seteth massaged his temples as he heard Arawn speak.
"This is hardly how I expected reuniting with my nephew," Seteth groused, "I realize the value of decorum is lost on you, but perhaps it would be prudent to explain what you meant? What you said earlier, I mean. You have been gone from civilized society for many years, and it appears you have uncovered much on your travels. Much that you have not told us of."
"Much that I cannot simply say out of the blue, uncle," Arawn replied.
"Then perhaps you can explain what she meant," Seiros said, her disapproving gaze fixed straight on him. "If my Ashton is some Agarthan experiment, then he deserves to know. For so long, we were convinced that it was a miracle of the goddess."
"The goddess is dead, mother," Arawn replied softly.
Seiros bristled. "...so she is."
"And I do not know what Byleth is, but he is not the progenitor god," Arawn continued. "You could feel it too, could you not? Both of you. I never knew her, but you two did, and what Byleth is - he is not. He is something other. But perhaps that is the sort of otherness that this continent needs."
Seiros looked down as Ashton let the conversation roll over him, barely thinking of anything as the other three argued.
"I did not know that father was an Agarthan experiment," Arawn said, crossing his arms. "I had my suspicions, of course - he could not simply appear out of nowhere. Something had to go wrong somewhere. And he is not the only one. I likely have more than a few extra dimensional cousins out there."
Ashton looked up. "What does that mean?"
"It is not important," Arawn stated. "What is, is the other thing Cornelia said. Their god, I have seen it. It is not pretty."
"An Agarthan god, perhaps one of their pantheons they worshiped before mother wiped them out," Seiros murmured. "I have no knowledge of such things. I had thought such entities' existence was lost to time."
"Perhaps a few texts survived in Abyss, where I could not reach them," Seteth supplied, "but they would be fragmentary at best. It is not insanity to assume the Agarthans have their own archives."
"You said you… knew about it," Ashton said slowly, letting out a deep breath even as his mind felt as if it was crumbling. "What is it, then?"
Arawn was silent for a few moments, his face as blank as Ashton had ever seen it. The room filled with an awkward quiet that he could barely stand before Arawn finally spoke again.
"To call it a god would be misleading," Arawn said, sighing. "Forgive me, I am simply trying to think of a way to describe it that you would understand."
"It is already insanity," Ashton shrugged. "All of this is insane. All of it. It is like trying to find a unicorn. An effort in futility."
"Be that as it may, father," Arawn said, his face scrunching up slightly, "there is a way to describe it, and maybe you would be the only one to fully understand. It is not a thing of nature; it is a thing of man. It was created, not born, and its body, if it truly has one, is completely metal, with not a hint of flesh or life within."
Ashton's eyes narrowed as Seiros and Seteth looked to Arawn with perturbed expressions. "A machine. It is a machine god."
"Yes, but not like the puppets Uncle Macuil created, or the walking tanks that the Titanus are," Arawn said, wiping his forehead. "It is something… other. I do not know what it once was, or what its plans truly are. It is such a strange thing. The only thing that matters is that it is the god Cornelia spoke of. That is what the Agarthans are likely trying to summon. And there is only so much time before they succeed."
"We still have the Empire to worry about," Seteth pointed out. "Even if you know where their base is, and I expect you do, we would be fighting a war on two fronts. The Empire will not give up, and we will stir the hive of the Agarthans."
"They work together already, uncle. Did you not see the pale soldiers you cut down on your way into the throne room?" Arawn pointed out.
"Both of you have an excellent point," Seiros stated, "there is much that is unknown to us, and to make a decision now would be foolhardy and dangerous. I do not suggest we wait, but I suggest we deal with one problem at a time."
"So you support uncle, then," Arawn groused, "fair enough. It would be difficult to fight both at the same time, rather than a combined force as we do now. But mark my words, we are running out of time."
"Time. I am already starting to hate that word," Ashton grumbled.
Seiros turned to Ashton, concern etched into her features. "Ashton, are you alright?"
"No. No, I am not," Ashton mumbled, letting out a deep breath. "I have been believing this entire time that I was brought here by the goddess. Even when you told me of her death, I still believed it, still believed that she was acting somehow, in some way. That she was not truly dead. But I suppose she was, and my being here had no true meaning."
Arawn scoffed. "And this troubles you, father?"
Ashton's brows furrowed as he took a step forward. "And it should not? Is that what you are implying?"
"Your being here was never important, father," Arawn stated. "I would never have existed, but I can tell you now that things have not improved with you here. But that does not matter, because even if you do not belong here, you have had an impact on the lives of others. Mother chief among them. Honestly, your biggest problem would be your time displacement, rather than your spatial displacement. You are an artifact of a time long forgotten. I hear we have an Aegir descendant within the ranks of the army. If you asked him who Roland was, he likely would not know."
"That is enough!"
Ashton almost felt as if the words came from his own mouth, only for Seiros to stand between him and Arawn.
"It is not by his choice that he is here, and yet here he remains! And where have you been all this time?" Seiros asked. Ashton couldn't see her face, but he could imagine the anger on her face just from the tone of her voice. "Do not speak to him of being displaced, my child. Though it may have been my actions that sent you away, where has the great and mighty champion been?"
"I am not the one who spread that legend, mother!" Arawn suddenly snarled. "And it is none of your business where I have been! I will do as I wish!"
"For all of my failings, Arawn, and I acknowledge that there are many," Seiros growled, "I tried to protect this continent and its people, to carry on my mother's legacy. Whether or not I have been successful or not is not for me to decide, but under my watch war has rarely touched this land. Its people have been allowed to prosper and grow."
"Grow into twisted rose bushes with naught a flower in sight, and thorns the size of swords," Arawn scoffed.
"Enough, both of you," Seteth said, stepping between them. "There is not enough room in here or in all of Fódlan for you to bicker like this. Step aside!"
Almost as if in response to the tension, the door opened, revealing two figures. Ashton could immediately recognize Byleth at the front, clad in ornate robes, and behind him stood the towering figure of Dimitri. Just as Ashton had seen during the battle, his eyes were not as dark as they had been before, and his long, messy blonde hair had been tied into a ponytail. He still looked disheveled, but instead of the monster he had looked like before, he now seemed entirely like a runaway prince who had just reclaimed his homeland.
"I had wondered where you all ran off to," Byleth said succinctly, "would you mind terribly if we joined in?"
"The conversation is already over, Byleth," Seteth said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If you would like, I could relay what we discussed, but there is no point in continuing this conversation."
Ashton barely listened to the rest of the conversation as he pushed past Byleth and Dimitri, the latter of whom stared at him as he went. He didn't know where he needed to go, but it needed to be away from everything and everyone.
Before too long, Ashton found himself looking out over the city of Fhirdiad.
The city itself from a bird's eye view had become completely different from the fortress-city of old. Even the style of the architecture had changed, though that wasn't entirely surprising. It was a wonder that the city was even standing in some capacity at all; no doubt most settlements he would be able to say by name from his time were at best completely changed, and at worst, wiped off the face of the map, with no one but him remembering them.
There were many things like that, Ashton reminded himself. There were so many things that had turned to dust while he still remained. And instead of watching it happen gradually, so that it seemed natural, it had been thrust upon him without any rhyme or reason.
Though it was the height of Summer by then, the air in Fhirdiad still held a hint of the chill that would overpower the sun in later months. Ashton could feel it as he leaned over the railing of the balcony. Debris littered the square in front of him, either from the battle, or the celebrations he missed. After all, to the people of Fhirdiad, the day had been won. Their city had been liberated from Empire forces and their true monarch had returned to lead them once again. To Ashton, though, even if it was a technical victory, he could not feel the same elation.
Arawn's words echoed within his skull. The Agarthans' Machine God, his kidnapping, all of it roiled in his head like a whirlpool, constantly sucking in whatever pleasant thoughts he may have had.
On the outside, however, Ashton couldn't even feel himself move. If he was glaring or simply looking out into the world, he could not say. He was barely aware of himself, let alone what he must have looked like to other people.
"Do you mind if I join you?"
He had expected to hear Seiros' voice, but it was much too deep for her. When Ashton turned, he saw the looming form of King Dimitri. The coronation had already taken place, or so Ashton had thought. Or maybe there was no time for a proper coronation, but he was king nonetheless. It didn't matter.
"I do not," Ashton replied, his voice betraying no emotion. "Just do not expect me to speak much."
"Very well. I will not force you to speak," Dimitri said, moving forward until he was next to Ashton. He looked out over the city of Fhirdiad, and Ashton could see the wayward king smiling slightly.
"I will admit, I thought you were the champion when I first saw you. Much like everyone else," Dimitri began, crossing his arms. "You matched what few descriptions there were, but there was always something different. I suppose I know the reason now."
"I told everyone I wasn't a champion," Ashton sighed. "They just did not want to listen."
"Yes, but you were never very forthcoming," Dimitri noted, "and with the war having taken its toll on the soldiers, it was only natural for them to look to something like the champion, regardless as to whether or not you actually were him. Your son is… rather short tempered, is he not?"
"Depends on what you consider short-tempered," Ashton replied, running a hand across his forehead. "He speaks what is on his mind and does so with all the subtlety of the hammer he uses. That used to be my hammer, you know. I wielded it through a lot of my time during the War of Heroes. It is even attuned to the Crest of Seiros, not whatever Crest Arawn possesses."
"I am curious about that, but I will save that discussion for later," Dimitri stated, leaning over onto the railing as if to get a better view of those down below, though no one stood there.
"Is there a reason you came to speak with me, Your Majesty?" Ashton asked. "Like I said, I won't be a very good conversationalist right now. I have a lot on my mind."
"I know. I heard some of it, before we entered," Dimitri admitted. "Quite disturbing news, but it explains a great many things. Edelgard's shadowy benefactors, the Tragedy of Duscur… all of it can be traced back to Cornelia and her employers. Truthfully, Ashton, I wished to make things right. You and I did not part on the best of terms."
Ashton barked a laugh. "Putting it lightly, I see! Yes, I seem to remember calling you a beast and an animal."
"Unfortunately, such names were more than applicable to me," Dimitri said softly. "But there is no taking back what has already happened. The only thing I can do now is move forward. It… it is what they would want."
"The dead?" Ashton asked, raising a brow.
"Would you call for the professor if I said I hear them, even now?" Dimitri replied, turning to face Ashton. His one-eyed gaze felt as if it was burning a hole through Ashton's soul. "I would not blame you if you did. Sometimes, I can hear them telling me to not forget the vengeance I promised, to storm into Enbarr and interrogate Edelgard on the whereabouts of those who committed the tragedy, though one of the key minds behind it is already dead. What concerns me is that it almost seems as if I am looking at a mirror when I look at you."
Ashton closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We are very different, King Dimitri, but we are also similar in more ways than I care to admit. Maybe I had such a bad reaction to you because I can see a little of myself in you. Maybe I just did not want to believe that I could be capable of such things. The days ahead will prove whether I am right or wrong."
"I look forward to you being proven wrong, then," Dimitri replied, "There is one other thing I wished to tell you. Something to help raise your spirits, considering what the professor has told me of your story."
Ashton turned to Dimitri with a brow raised, waiting for him to continue.
"I understand that you have a history with the Aegir family of the Empire," Dimitri said, "as it turns out, there is a member of that family within our ranks now, and he is very eager to meet you."
Nothing quite like snuggling with your hot, sexually frustrated dragon wife, eh, Ashton?
Anyway, next chapter is gonna be an Interlude, and then we head off into what's probably gonna be the second to last arc of the fic. I plan to hopefully get more of the 3H cast involved, but if it's not obvious, I've been having a hard time getting them to appear because Ashton is an anti-social, grumpy old man.
See you guys next time!