The aftermath of the battle of Remire Village wasn't as bad as I expected. Only Dimitri was wounded at all, and we managed to repulse a much, much large force. I dragged him, slightly confused, to a healer to get his wound sorted. The slightly amused cleric quickly patched him up and sent us on our way.
When we got back to where we were before, Jeralt and Alois were in the middle of an intense argument about…something. Probably about going back to the monastery.
Byleth, Claude, and Edelgard were on the sidelines, completely and utterly confused by Jeralt's behaviour. I did spy a little tint of pink on Edelgard's cheeks, though.
Ooh, teasing material.
"Aha! There are His Royal Highness and His Imperial Excellency!" Claude calls out with a massive smile on his face. Oh, for fuck's sake Claude, will it kill you to just call me Heinrich?
"Who…?" Byleth gives me a confused and expecting stare. Oh right, introductions.
"Hey everyone, we forgot to introduce ourselves. This is Byleth, by the way," I gesture to the man in question. "So, should I introduce-"
"Of course not! I wouldn't trust you with introducing a fruit!" Claude snorts, answering my question before I could even finish it. "I'm Claude von Riegan, current heir of the Riegan Archduchy and heir to the Leicester Alliance."
Byleth gives a confused nod.
"So your name is Claude, and you're from Leicester?" Byleth asks, wanting confirmation. Wow, that bad?
"Uh- yes?" Was Claude's slightly confused answer.
Byleth nods and looks at Dimitri.
"Dima, I think that's your cue," I sigh after a moment of silence where Byleth, Edelgard, and Claude all stare at the heir of House Blaiddyd.
"Hmmm? Oh, are we all introducing ourselves?" Dimitri actually has the gall to look confused. Dima, what are you doing? How is a simple introduction flying over your head? "In that case, greetings, good sir. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. I thank you for your assistance in dealing with those bandits. In fact-"
"And I think that goes beyond the scope of an introduction, Dima," I cut him off before he could get his job offer through to Byleth. "Wait until we've all introduced ourselves, then offer the man a job, alright?"
I place a hand on his shoulder and chuckle. Oh, never change, Dimitri. Actually, please don't change. Post-time skip you is someone I do not want to deal with.
Dimitri looks at me, surprised, and then his face switches to the look of a puppy that just caught chewing its owner's shoes. I have to bite my cheek to prevent myself from laughing.
"I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, second in line to the Throne of the Adrestian Empire. You may call me Edelgard," Edelgard nods with the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. Oh, I am going tease her mercilessly.
"You may call me Byleth, Edelgard," Byleth nods. Edelgard gives the man a smile before nodding in response.
Silence reigns as everyone stares at me.
What, did I get injured again? I check over my body, but I can't seem to find anything indicating I'm wounded. Then again, the red travelling clothes that I'm wearing hide any wounds that I might have taken quite well-
Oh! They want me to introduce myself.
"...Byleth, didn't I already tell you that my name is Heinrich?" I give the man a questioning stare with one eyebrow raised. It's becoming my favourite expression to make, and Heinrich's body makes it so very entertaining.
I can hear Heinrich in my mind laughing his ass off. I thought you were dead! I"m sure, technically our souls merged, but that's not the point!
"Brother, you only gave Sir Byleth your first name? Edelgard stares at me as if I've grown wings. What?
"Yeah…? What's so wrong about that?" I answer.
This gets a chuckle from Claude.
"Man, you must be a riot at court," He laughs.
"I'd like you to know I am not, in fact, a riot at court. I can handle myself in noble society," I snap back, irritated.
"So you are a noble?" Byleth looks at me with a blank stare.
"Yes…I am," I sigh. "You want the introduction with all the bells and whistles?"
Byleth shrugs.
"Why not?"
I swallow down a groan. I hate proper introductions. Why are there so many rules? It's just telling someone your name…and how important you are. Argh, I hate that I can understand noble customs.
I put one arm behind my back and one arm at my waist with my hands closed into fists.
"You are in the presence of Kronprinz Heinrich Wilhelm von Hresvelg, Most Honorable Earl of Enbarr, 1st in line of the Imperial Throne of Adrestia, blessed by Seiros and the Holy Goddess," Using the bottom of my neck as a hinge, I bow my head slightly, never letting my chest bow. It's the usual bow of a superior lord to an inferior lord, though, to a commoner, I should not be bowing at all.
My memory flashes to when Heinrich was teaching me about noble culture. The speed I had picked it up had surprised me and even impressed Heinrich. That doesn't mean I don't hate it. Urgh, bluebloods.
Shit, I am a blueblood now, aren't I? Oh, horror of horrors.
Claude whistled.
"You weren't kidding when you said all the bells and whistles, huh?" Claude looks at me with a strange expression. What do you want, Claude?
Dimitri nods.
"I could see Heinrich using that the next time he visits Fhirdiad and my uncle," He notes.
"She's your sister?" Byleth jestures to Edelgard.
I nod, then grin. I can start the teasing now.
"Of course. Where would I be without my little El? Though, she seemed to be a bit distracted today," I smirk at her.
The face that Edelgard makes is priceless. Pride laced with just a little bit of smugness suddenly turns to horror as she slowly understands what I'm implying.
"I-I don't understand what you're trying to say, Brother!" Ah…that's a very red blush. Claude and I both break into laughter while Dimitri just stares, confused. Byleth gives me a blank stare.
"Heinrich, can I give my…ah, what did you call it? Job offer?" Dimitri asks.
"Sure, why not?" I shrug. Who Byleth chooses here doesn't matter in the long run.
Dimitri coughs into his fist, attracting Byleth's attention.
"Sir Byleth? I would like to make a formal requestion. Seeing you on the battlefield, I can't help but realise how much we are lacking in training and support. It puts not only the training of Faerghus's own knights in question but also the quality that is coming from the Officer's Academy," Dimitri starts to try and recruit the future professor. Taking a moment to breathe, he starts again.
However, just like in canon, my little sister interrupts him.
"Which is why the Adrestian Empire would love to hire you for your services. As you probably already know, my brother has been the spearhead of a talent-seeking programme in the Empire, and you fit the description of talent to a tee. We would be delighted if you would join us, right brother?" Edelgard shoots me a glance that screams 'don't fuck this up'.
I nod in response, but the second Edelgard looks away, I shrug. Claude has to stifle a laugh from escaping his lip. Again.
Before Byleth can respond, Dimitri cuts in.
"H-Halt, Edelgard. I was not finished with my proposal yet!"
"Well, you should have finished it quicker," Edelgard jabs, but the smirk on her face diffuses any hard feeling that Dimitri might have had. Hopefully. I'll have a talk with the man later, to make sure Edelgard didn't tick him off in the wrong way. I do not need Dimitri to become an enemy.
"Edelgard! I- by that I mean," Dimitri sighs, giving up on chastizing Edelgard and continuing to speak to Byleth. "The Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourself. Please consider returning to the Kingdom with me."
Claude chuckles.
"Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met... Tactless, really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favours,"
He then shrugs.
"But it seems there's no time for niceties in this world. So, capable stranger, let's get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?"
Seeing an opportunity, I cut in.
"Or, you could just do as Claude was going to and wait. There's no rush to get into things, is there? We all have long lives ahead of us, and it would be a shame for that to be ruined by rash decisions," I suggest.
This gets a pained wince out of Claude.
"Ouch, Heinrich. Your implications are sharp," He sighs dramatically. "Still I would like an answer, especially with the enthusiasm your sister is showing."
Edelgard flushes a deeper shade of red. I understand that Byleth is as dense as a box of bricks, but Dimitri, how the hell do you not notice?
"I think…" Byleth pauses. "May I ask father?"
This gets groans from everyone except for me. I have to hold back a chuckle. I've always found it weird that Byleth had to choose a country at the start. No one in Byleth's position would choose on impulse.
"What's this about me?" The man in question marches over with a pained expression on his face that screamed 'How did I let Alois convince me of this?'
"Father, if you had to choose, which country would you work for?" Byleth asks.
The question takes Jeralt off guard. His bearded mouth opens and closes with no sound coming out.
"By, what the hell?" He finally manages to ask.
Byleth shrugs.
"They were asking me what country I would like to serve," Byleth gestures to us. Well, everyone except for me. Looks like he's not seeing me as a recruiter. Dunno if that's a good thing or a bad one.
"And why would they have any impact on that?"
"They're important people," Byleth shrugs.
That causes Jeralt to stare at us more quizzically.
I raise my hand in mock surrender.
"Hey, I'm the 8th backup. If Nikolaus was still here, I'd give him the crown in a heartbeat," That, Heinrich and I can both agree on.
"8th what? And who's this Nikolaus-" Jeralt's eyes bulge as he realises what I just said. "Holy shit, you're Kronprinz Heinrich?"
I do a little bow.
"It appears my reputation precedes me," I saw with a smile. "Though I believe yours does as well, Sir Jeralt, the Blade Breaker."
Jeralt snorts and smiles.
"I'm not sure what I was expecting, but meeting a former employer wasn't on the list. To be honest, I thought you'd be older. You certainly don't look twenty," Jeralt chuckles. "Hope you've had fun with that little talent project of yours, though Enbarr has definitely improved since before."
"You give me too much credit, Sir Jeralt. Father is the one with ultimate power, it was by his command that my selfish project could begin,"
Jeralt chuckles.
"And yet we all know that's false, hmmm? I'll be looking forward to reign, kid. You have a bright head on those shoulders,"
"Uh, what's this about a project?" Claude asks, confused.
"Brother has been renovating the Imperial Holdings around Enbarr and reforming both the laws and the bureaucratic system. That's why he's technically the Earl of Enbarr, even if it is still an Imperial Holding," Edelgard explains. "Part of that project is finding talented and skilled people. I believe Sir Jeralt was hired to train some of the Imperial Army some time back."
"Indeed I was," Jeralt then frowned. "Wait, Brother? You're Princess Edelgard, then?"
Edelgard nods in response, and curtsies.
"Why are the two heirs to the Imperial throne here, in the middle of nowhere?" Jeralt raises an eyebrow.
"They're important too," Byleth gestures to Dimitri and Claude. "He's Dimitri and he's Claude. They're both princes, I think."
"And judging by the leadership cloaks, you're the Crown Prince of Faerghus and he's the Heir to House Gloucester?"
Claude snorts.
"No, I'm not Lorenz. I'm Claude von Riegan, heir to House Riegan,"
"And why are you two here?" Jeralt sighs.
"Honestly? I have no idea. We were just told that we had to go get meet up with an Imperial convoy and bring them to Garreg Mach,"
I cough. Shit, they were here to guard me? I did not know that.
"That…would be my fault…" I manage.
I can feel four pairs of eyes turn to stare at me and Edelgard absolutely refuses to look at me.
"What do you mean, Heinrich?" Dimitri asks.
"Well… I wasn't planning on coming to the Officer's Academy at all…" I inform him.
Dimitri blinks in surprise.
"Why not?"
Edelgard snorts. How unladylike.
"Brother, saying that you weren't 'planning on' is such an understatement. You practically begged father to not have you go. How'd father convince you to go?"
This causes Dimitri to stare at me in shock. What, I really didn't want to get wrapped up with this shit. It was only after Hubert confirmed that Solon had come to Garreg Mach despite their plans with Monica not achieving their intended goals that I decided to bite the bullet and come here. I obviously can't say that here, and Dimitri's looking at me with a look of confusion and probably wants answers. I'll have to say something.
Hmmm… Perhaps a bit of redirection would be prudent.
"Father gave me something that I've always wanted," I give Edelgard a slight smile. I always do this before I tease her, and she never notices.
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"Less pressure. I'm sorry Edelgard, but I'm now backup number 1," I give her a massive grin.
Dimitri shoots me a confused glance while Claude seems to get the joke. Edelgard is similarly confused, though her face turns to horror as she understands. Still can't understand jokes for her life, though.
"B-Brother! Y-you can't do that!"
It is at this point that Claude loses it.
"Claude! Why are you laughing?" Dimitri wheels at Claude. Oh shit…I can't hold it in either. I've been biting my lip this entire time and it's now that I can't hold back.
I start sputtering, though that quickly turns to laughter. Unable to hold it back much longer, I start to laugh loudly.
"Heinrich? Wait, what's this about?" Dimitri frowns. Poor lad, he was always slow when it came to this kind of stuff.
"...Brother…" Edelgard stares at me with a fury in her eyes that I haven't seen before. "I believe that this is a joke at my expense…"
Claude nods.
"Not to through Heinrich over the proverbial boat or anything, but yeah, that was a joke very much at your expense," He notes the somehow not obvious and continues to laugh.
Good, I've defused the situation at the expense of my continual health.
"...I'm sorry?" I manage between peals of laughter. "Please don't hurt me?"
Edelgard huffs and glares at me.
"That was a…joke? I don't understand?" Byleth frowns. "How was that funny?"
"The joke is Edelgard's expression, Byleth. As much as I would love to actually give my position up, Father would never let me do that. Claude and I knew that, and Edelgard didn't. Her panic and expression are the things that we find funny," I explain to the mercenary.
Dimitri nods, then frowns.
"Why didn't you want to come to the monastery in the first place, Heinrich?" He asks me, his eyes glittering with innocence. Damn it, Dimitri, why are you so smart sometimes.
Uh, random bullshit, go!
"I thought it would take too much time out of my magical studies," That's a good reason, right? To be completely honest, it's not even an outright lie, just a white one. Well, more of a grey one; I'm not lying for a good purpose. "I didn't think that the suite of professors would do me much good."
Dimitri seems satisfied with this answer.
"So, are we going or what?" Jeralt snorts, amused. Shit, I forgot he was even here.
"Going where?" Byleth interjects, confused yet still having that trademark blank stare.
"To the Monastery?" Jeralt raises an eyebrow.
"What's the Monastery?" Byleth asks.
"How do you not know what the monastery is?" Edelgard asks with a raised eyebrow.
Byleth shrugs.
"It's the massive monastery at the centre of the continent. It's where the Church of Seiros is headquartered," I supply.
"Why are we going to the Monastery?" Byleth asks Jeralt with a slight tilt of his head.
"Because Alois wants me back. Plus, it's about time that I do so," Jeralt sighs. He's probably just mad that it's Alois that found him rather than someone else less…interesting. "They apparently want you there as well, By. I have no idea what Alois is thinking."
"Well, considering that we're all going to the same place, why don't you come with us? I doubt we can leave now, considering the wounds some of the Knights took, so I have no doubts that you could prepare in that time," I propose.
Jeralt slowly nods.
"I…suppose that would be convenient," Jeralt nods.
I smile slightly. This is going according to plan. Mind you, that plan was concocted in the middle of what could be described as a firefight with limited preparation and limited information. To put it simply, a shitty plan.
I should probably be trying to find my stuff, though. I just hope none of the bandits made off with my clothes. Smallclothes that don't cause insane amounts of itching is already hard enough to find. If I have to wear that abomination that shouldn't be called underwear I will go insane.
Ugh. I hate this already.
The march towards Garreg Mach that morning started out well.
The bandits didn't make off with any of my stuff, thank the gods and the goddess. Then again, most of my stuff was average clothing items and a massive amount of books and other practically worthless documents that I like to keep around. The most valuable thing is probably that sword that Father gave me, which I always kept under lock and key.
Though, I probably shouldn't have been too worried. The camp was intact, and not even the noble's area was ransacked. Either Kostas didn't have enough time to loot, or he has more integrity than I thought. Probably the former. I did turn 10 people into ash with Blossoming.
We left in the earlier morning after a breakfast of bread, water, and milk. Which for us meant my jerky, Edelgard's smoked meat, and a lot of Claude's begging.
Honestly, I'm surprised that they allowed the next generation of Fodlan's rulers to eat hardtack. Emphasis on the hard bit. How are they this hard? I'm using them as paperweights as I'm writing this, one of them fell and punched a good hole in the wooden floor of my dorm. Seriously!
During the march itself, I kept close to Edelgard and Byleth. I stuck close to the former because she's my sister and Heinrich and I are one and the same now. I'm getting his feeling of brotherly concern towards her in my brain, and I don't think I want to try and suppress it. The latter because I need to do everything in my power to convince him to teach the Black Eagles.
"Is he always talkative?" Byleth asks Edelgard.
"Who?" She turns her head to look at the blue-haired mercenary. I assume he's either talking about me or Claude.
"Your brother," Byleth responds, his blank expression making it very hard for me to take him seriously.
Edelgard stares at Byleth before a half-snort half-laugh comes out of her mouth.
"He may not look like it since he spends most of his time indoors, but he's quite good at speaking," Edelgard shrugs. "He managed to convince nobles to agree to let him take their money, so he has to have some ability to talk. Either that or he threatened them."
"Hey! I'll have you know I was very kind and courteous when I asked Baron von Litenhausen to agree to the Hresvelg Bank proposal!" I cross my arms and huff a bit.
"I'm sure, Brother. The fact the good Baron was constantly afraid of you afterwards is a complete coincidence, I'm sure," Edelgard rolls her eyes.
That's a new expression. I don't think Edelgard in the game was capable of rolling her eyes. Improvement!
"It is, in fact," I nod. "A complete coincidence."
Byleth narrows his eyes at me and frowns slightly.
"What did you do?" His words have no malice in them, and he's probably just asking a question. Still, it won't hurt to try and be pushed around a little.
"Hey, I only did some aggressive negotiations. I offered him a carrot and a stick. The carrot is much bigger in the long run, and the stick is painful in the short run. Thankfully, von Litenhausen truly cared about his people, and he agreed with me," I put my hands up in mock surrender.
Edelgard actually chuckles at 'aggressive negotiations'. Huh. I didn't know it was even possible for her to laugh, at least not without Byleth.
I have changed this world a lot, haven't I? Well, hopefully, I can keep this up long enough to reach a better ending.
Byleth nods slightly at my words.
"Ah! Sir Byleth, we're arriving at the monastery now," Dimitri nods through the treeline towards the castle in the distance. "If you'd like, I could show you around once we get there."
Ah, we're starting this cutscene now?
"It really is Fodlan in a nutshell," Claude barks out a chuckle, but then sighs. "...The good and the bad."
Byleth frowns at that.
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon enough," Edelgard shrugs. Her tone of voice is different from the one she uses in cannon. Here, it's more tender…almost as if she genuinely likes the monastery and she isn't trying to hide the contempt she has for Seiros and the church in general.
"Anything to say, Your Imperial Highness?" Claude is annoying, as usual.
I shrug.
"Nothing much. You said everything I wanted to say," I reply.
Claude grins at me with a smile full of teeth.
"Truly? I did not expect the Crown Prince of the Empire to agree with me. You have the crest of Seiros on your house banner, Goddess's sake,"
I snort.
"I am not blind to the faults of both the Empire and the Church, Claude," I fold my arms and give the half-Almyran a stern stare.
He has the gall to whistle. The absolute gall!
"Is that blasphemy I heard, Your Imperial Highness? Do be careful with that heretic mouth," He chuckles.
I click my tongue in annoyance. I have half a mind to retort at him in Almyran, but thankfully, Edelgard stepped in before I could get out a half-baked curse in what is practically Persian.
"Claude. You shouldn't joke like that. Accusing someone of blasphemy and heresy is a serious ordeal and not something to be taken lightly," She crosses her arms and stares at the future Grand Duke.
"Alright, alright! Sheesh, can't take a joke like that?" Claude shakes his head and sighs.
"Claude, you have to know that accusing someone of blasphemy is not a joke," I put on hands on my hip. "And plus, I'm not defacing an edifice of the Goddess, it's not blasphemy, not technically. Sreng and Almyra have different rules, but we're in Fodlan at the moment."
I went out of my way to research Almyran traditions just in case I ever have to negotiate with Claude, or, Gods and the Goddess forbid, actually fight against him. That led to me diving into the rabbit hole that is anthropology. Well, I learned a couple of languages along the way, so it wasn't that much of a waste. I can understand why the nobility of Medieval and Post-regeneratio Europe understood so many languages. There really isn't much to do…
"You seem to know more about Almyra than the common many, Heinrich," Claude smiles, but I can see the careful glint in his eyes. Best not to push this any more than I have to.
I shrug.
"What can I say? This bookworm has read more than just Fodlani books. Suqut Miayat Bitila is one of my favourite Almyran books," I grin at him. "You should give it a read sometime. It's a good story, even if it doesn't quite fit traditional Fodlani values."
At the mention of the Almyran Epic, Claude blanches. It only lasts for a second, but I can see surprise and confusion dripping from his gaze before it suddenly locks up. He puts on a mask of surprise and confusion quickly enough.
"You speak Almyran?" He raises an eyebrow.
Again, I shrug.
"Qalila. 'astatie 'an 'atahadath brijid wasirinji wamurfian aydan," I say in response. Man, I got to hand it to Claude, he managed to not get more surprised. My pronunciation was on point, huh? I doubt he would be having this reaction otherwise.
Still, judging by his reaction, he either sees me as a potential threat or a potential ally. If I remember the game correctly, he wants peace throughout Fodlan and the world as a whole. Actually, I could pander to his international feelings. Neither I nor Heinrich care about where someone is from. It wouldn't be too hard to play the angle of a curious man who is interested in other cultures.
"Henry, you're going to bore Claude with all this talk about other nations," Edelgard shakes her head and giggles softly. "Not everyone has the same hobbies, or rather lack thereof, as you do."
This…might actually work. Don't know if Claude will buy it, but it's worth a try. I did theatre in high school, I'll be fine, right?
"Come on, Edelgard. I have hobbies! Learning about other cultures, other ways of life, and how different the world around us can be is one of them!" I huff and fold my arms across my chest. This isn't even a lie. I genuinely like doing that.
"Uh huh," Edelgard snorts. "What other hobbies do you have?"
"Writing! Reading! Magical studies-" With each thing I list, I count them off on a finger. I manage to get to six before Claude bursts into laughter. There's a twinkle in his eyes I haven't seen earlier.
"Alright, Your Imperial Majesty, we know that you're a sad person who cannot socialize, but you don't have to keep digging yourself into the hole," Claude manages in between bursts of laughter.
I huff and turn away, but in reality, I'm grinning on the inside. I'd rather exchange my dignity if that makes Claude more approachable.
"What are you kids even talking about," Jeralt sighs as he slows down to walk alongside us.
"Hmmm? Ah, Sir Jeralt, we were just discussing his Imperial Majesty's most exciting hobbies such as data collection and paperwork," Claude shoots me an infuriatingly smug glare.
"...Can't say I'm surprised…" Jeralt says before Alois pulls him to the side to talk about something or other.
"I am no longer enjoying this conversation," I mutter.
"I lost track of where the conversation was a while ago…" Dimitri shakes his head.
I laugh at that. At least Dimitri understands me.
