Chapter Two

She was never the type to dream of anything while she slept. Even her husband would tease her about it, saying it was a good thing due to the fact that she could actually get a peaceful night's sleep. But ever since Robin's disappearance, Byleth had found herself subject to countless dreams.

She dreamt of a great war, on a field of steel and death. Two armies clashed in what should be their final battle. A powerful swordsman reigned on one side, his blade splitting into dozens of pieces. With a roar, he swung, and his blade extended, bisecting everyone and everything in his path. The landscape erupted from the blow, showering his enemies with dirt and blood.

Opposing him, a young green-haired woman charged, eyes full of hate, a far cry from the beautiful white gown that she donned. It was brutal. It was barbaric. And it was a battle between what appeared to be a goddess and a demon king, the stuff that you hear about in legends. They clashed, again and again, harder, faster. The woman was desperate, animalistic snarls escaping her lips as she forced the Demon king on the defensive. Byleth almost felt inadequate seeing their duel, watching the woman finally disarm the Demon king, a look of surprise on his face as she kicked him to the ground. Even though the duel was finally over, she didn't let up, leaping onto the man with a blade already in hand.

"Tell me Nemesis, do you remember the Red Canyon!" She demanded, plunging the blade into his chest. Her glowing green eyes, were unflinching as she twisted the blade.

Her lips turned into an ugly sneer, slowly pulling out her blade, causing the man beneath her to groan in pain. "You. Took. Everything from me."

She embedded the sword straight through the man's heart again. Again, and again, and again.

Byleth watched on in morbid curiosity as the woman yelled till her throat was hoarse. She didn't cry, but the anguish in her voice, as she took out her anger on the already dead corpse, sent shivers down Byleth's spine.

With the battle at an end, the sun rose from the east washing the battlefield in a warm holy light. The woman, done with the mutilated corpses, grabbed the warrior's sword and lovingly cradled it to her face, staining her cheek in blood.

Byleth watched the scene unfold before she felt a sudden tug at her mind. She followed it, and amongst the battlefield of cheering soldiers, stood a familiar-looking little green-haired girl.

She looked out of place, a gentle but curious gaze at the scene before her. The girl was dressed in the finest of purple and gold cloth, and long tresses of messy green hair pooled down from her doe-shaped face. She blinked, glowing green irises gazing over Byleth's form as if only just realising that she wasn't alone.

"Oh my. You've finally decided to grace me with your presence."

The world shifted, and the battlefield disappeared leaving darkness. Byleth found herself in a throne room, a single beam of light shining down on the said throne, the little green-haired girl resting on top of it.

"Who are you?" Byleth asked, slightly tensed and on edge.

If the girl noticed the tense demeanour in the swordswoman, she didn't respond to it. "Is it not customary to introduce oneself before getting to know another?" the girl scoffed, leaning into her hand. Her glowing green eyes peered at her in a judgemental manner.

The swordswoman doesn't say anything at first, looking the girl up and down.

"Byleth."

"Hmm…" The girl tapped her chin in thought. "I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names."

She yawned once, trying to hide it behind her small hand. "Come closer, will you? I wish to take a closer look at you."

Byleth, though still confused and slightly on edge at this dream, didn't see the harm in it. Shs stepped into the light, making her way up the stone steps and stopping just before the girl. It was only this close that she finally noticed how young and small the girl actually was. She couldn't have been older than twelve years.

"I've seen you before," Byleth said, finally recalling where she had seen this girl before.

"Oh?"

"When I dreamt of the time I first met Robin… you were there… except, I don't recall you ever being there that day."

"Curious indeed…" The Green Haired girl closed her eyes, taking a moment to think. "I seem to recall… ah yes. I remember. The quaint little bar was it not?"

Byleth nodded. "You still haven't told me your name," she gently reminded the girl.

The girl blinked. "Yes, you are right. It's…"

The girl frowned. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head, eyebrows furrowing tightly. Byleth kept silent, her emotionless face not showing that she found this action similar to her daughter's.

"You just thought of me as some amnesiac child didn't you?" the girl's eyes narrowed accusingly.

"... Yes," Byleth nodded, not seeing an issue with telling the truth.

"H-How dare– I'll have you know that I'm not some petulant child!"

Byleth just nodded, reaching out with gentle hands to grab the girl's long messy hair.

"I am not to be trifled with! You are far more a child than I am, a-and I'll not be mocked by the likes of… what are you doing?"

Byleth quietly sifted through the girl's hair, deftly fingers picking out knots and patches of clumped hair. She quietly hummed, slowly making her way through each strand.

"Your hair is a mess. You need to look after it better," the swordswoman replied matter of factly as if discussing the weather.

"H-How dare–"

"Do you have a comb?"

"W-What?!"

"Do you have a comb," Byleth asked, slower this time, pronouncing each word clearly.

"Does it look like I have a comb lying about?!"

Byleth tsked.

"Don't click your tongue! That's rude! OW!"

"Apologies. But you wouldn't be in this situation if you looked after your hair better… actually, now that I think about it. This is my dream, isn't it."

Byleth held an open palm skyward. They waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. The little green-haired girl just stared in confusion.

"What are you trying to accomplish?"

"I'm trying to summon a comb."

"That's it!" the girl roared, eyes narrowed into slits, teeth bared. "I want you to leave my hair alone and I want you gone! Begone you rude, irritating, troglodyte! I never want to see your face ag–"

Byleth awoke to a foot kicking her in the face... again.

Morgan grumbled, turning over and wrapping the majority of the blankets around herself. In a warm, somewhat comfortable bed no less… when did they…

Right, it was coming back to her. Remire village. Reuniting with her father.

"What a weird dream," Byleth mumbled as she quietly slipped out of bed.

Byleth quietly made her way out of the lodgings, careful to not wake the other mercenaries. The sun had barely started to rise, the world around her washed in a sea of blue. Morning dew shone from the surrounding foliage, a thin fog in the distance.

The swordswoman stretched, earning a slight crack in her body as she did her best to shake out her tiredness. She then paused, only just now noticing her father already up and about, iron kettle over a small fire.

"I'm surprised to see you up so early," Jeralt admitted, eyebrows raised as he watched his daughter descend down the front steps.

"Woke early. Couldn't go back to sleep," was her only response as she fought back the urge to yawn.

"Huh," her father smiled warmly. "I guess miracles really do happen."

Byleth's eyes narrowed slightly, which the expression itself was quite a surprise to the veteran mercenary. His daughter truly had changed in an interesting way.

"Tea?" He offered, pointing to the kettle and scattered tankards.

Byleth nodded, sitting down as well. "Didn't take you for a tea drinker."

She sniffed. "Four-spices?"

Jeralt nodded, grabbing the metal kettle, and pouring it into his tankard. "You would have known if you managed to drag yourself out of bed on time."

He offered the kettle, to which Byleth grabbed one of the stray tankards lying about. Her father poured it for her, and a relaxing silence passed between the two.

As one, they both took a sip of their tea, taking in the spicy blend. They embraced the early morning air, enjoying the ambience around them.

"So," Jeralt let out a breath, lowering his tankard. "We won't be marching for another hour or so. Why don't you tell me how you've been doing these past few years?"

Morgan yawned loudly, arms stretched upwards and wiggling as she dragged herself out the door. Her mother followed closely, readjusting her cloak for her. The chilly morning air greeted the young girl.

"Sleep well, Morgan?" Jeralt asked, a gentle smile on his face.

"Not particularly. I'm not used to waking up this early. I rather just hibernate like a bear and sleep for a whole season."

"Yeah?" Jeralt smirked, teasingly. He finished tying his bags to his horse's saddle. "I'm sure your mother knows that feeling all too well."

Byleth narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, before lifting her daughter into her arms.

"You can have a couple more hours if you need it," she reassured Morgan. "I can always carry you."

"Mmm, okay. Sleep is good," Morgan mumbled, burying her face into her mother's neck. "Mmm… You're really comfortable Mom."

This earnt a small chuckle from Jeralt. "I don't recall you ever being like that, By."

"Was she not?" Morgan asked curiously, lifting her head.

"No. Your mother was more the kind that was capable of sleeping anywhere, regardless of comfort. One time, I found her using her cloak as a makeshift hammock, sleeping at least 15 feet in the air in the trees."

"It was wolf territory," Byleth argued. "I wasn't going to sleep on the ground."

"It was also winter and they hadn't migrated South yet."

Byleth hummed, refusing to respond to that. With a free hand, she secured her wedding ring around her chain necklace. Jeralt paused, having to still process that his daughter had indeed grown up after all.

"So, white hair, hazel eyes, adept at reason and dark magic. Average build, bit on the skinny side. May or may not have a dark purple cloak with eye patterns. Master tactician, average skills with a sword," Jeralt listed, arms crossed. "It's a shot in the dark but I'll let my contacts know to keep an eye out. It shouldn't be that hard to find him with such a unique appearance."

"I appreciate it," Byleth nodded, Morgan tossing about in her arms. "You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would. I still vaguely remember that one village kid all those years ago that picked flowers for me."

Jeralt grimaced before he sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, it helps that I had the whole night to brace for it. Nor should I judge the man you had chosen to spend the rest of your life with… I just thought you would at least send a letter if you weren't going to invite your old man to the ceremony."

"It was a… complicated situation at the time," Byleth responded, not wanting to go into further detail. She placed a reassuring hand on her father's shoulder. "It wasn't done out of malice, I promise."

Jeralt looked like he wanted to say something, but their moment was interrupted as one of the mercenaries ran up to them.

"Captain Jeralt sir! Your presence is required!"

The father and daughter gave each other a curious look before following the mercenary. Three adolescents, nearly of age, awaited them by the village gates.

They were ragged as if they had been running for their lives for the past few hours. Students if their otherwise neat coloured uniforms were anything to go by. The tall blonde boy dressed in royal blue and black stepped forward, bowing politely upon seeing Jeralt make his way towards them.

"Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you if the situation weren't so dire."

"None of that now," Jeralt shook his head, waving away the formalities. "What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?"

"We were attacked by bandits at dawn, separating us from the rest of our companions," the silver-haired girl informed. She was dressed in red, and with her petite form, Byleth would have thought her akin to a porcelain doll were it not for the axe held by her side. "We would greatly appreciate your assistance in this matter."

"Any assistance is fine, even just shelter?" the last student tried to bargain. He was a tanned boy, dressed in yellow. Despite the situation, he looked completely calm and in control of his emotions. "Or maybe food? I haven't had breakfast yet."

"Claude, this is a serious matter," the blonde scolded. "You should be treating this as such."

"I am though."

The two boys bickered, the girl looking on at them, resigned and frustrated at their antics.

But bandits. Of course, it was bandits. Figures that no matter where Byleth went there would always be bandits. And as if the situation couldn't get any worse, one of the scouts rushed back to update them. The student's pursuers had been sighted and were moving in the direction of Remire. A fully mobilised company of bandits from the sounds of it.

"I guess they followed you," Jeralt sighed, resigned. They couldn't afford to lay low now. "We can't abandon this village. Secure the perimeter, I want a choke point within the tree line, we're keeping the fight as far away from the village as we can. Healers are on standby and in the backline. We're going to hold our position for as long as possible while some of you start evacuating the villagers."

"I ask that you allow us to assist in your endeavour," the silver-haired girl interrupted. "We're students of the Officers Academy of Garreg Mach Monastery, and you'll need all the able-bodied help you can get."

"Edelgard speaks true," the blonde boy supported. "You'll find that we won't hold you back in battle."

"Well… assuming you need the assistance," the last boy mumbled.

Jeralt sighed. "I don't know. I rather not have you students…"

His words died off, eyes widening as the words processed. "Wait… did you say, Garreg Mach?"

They didn't have time for this. Byleth stepped in. "We're wasting time. Stay back, keep out of trouble, and escort the villagers to safety. We can handle the bandits."

The blonde boy cleared his throat. "But we insist–"

"Insist all you like," Byleth snapped her voice taking a steely tone, eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "We're not at liberty to put children's lives in danger."

That shut the three of them up. Though they didn't argue back, the swordswoman could see that they weren't fully convinced.

Byleth sighed, passing Morgan over to the silver-haired girl. "Retreat into the village, and look after my daughter. Evacuate the villagers, and if need be, defend them from any stragglers."

The silver-haired girl looked down at the child in her arms.

"Hi, I'm Morgan," Morgan chirped, as if completely unaware as to what was going on.

"Uh, hello?" Edelgard replied awkwardly, hands reflexly cradling the child that had been thrust into her arms.

"Let's go By," Jeralt swung himself onto his mount, slipping his shield into his arm. The swordswoman nodded and they both took off towards the tree line. "Alright, you lot! You know the plan, move out!"

A series of cheers from the Jeralt Mercenaries before they moved, like uniformed ants in a nest.

The three students just watched on in silence, still processing the dismissal.

"Yeah, you can't win against Mom when she uses her mom voice," Morgan wriggled about, reaching out to grab Edelgards's hair. "I like your hair, it's really pretty. Reminds me of Dad's… Say, by any chance, are you any good at magic?"

"..."

No, now wasn't the time for that. Edelgard turned to face the other two students. "You two… Actually, just Dimitri, I entrust Morgan's safety to you."

"Wow. Rude," the tanned boy muttered.

The silver-haired girl shoved the child into the blonde boy's startled arms. "W-wait, but we were told to–"

"I will not sit idly by and let others clean up my messes," and with a hefty swing of her axe, Edelgard charged forward after the mercenaries.

Dimitri stared at Edelgard's retreating form, then at the little girl silently peering up at him in his arms.

"Uh…" Dimitri tried, before spinning around. "Claude, here. I trust you to look after Morgan."

He passed Morgan to the tanned boy before he too charged in after Edelgard with a lance in hand.

Morgan blinked, turning to face the last boy. "Are you going after them?"

"Nah, they got it handled," Claude shrugged, twirling his bow carelessly in hand.

The battle was completely one-sided, as the unstoppable force that was the Blade Breaker powered through the storm of arrows and axes, barely denting his shield and armour. He ploughed through the bandit's numbers, sending them flying and dying his lance in red.

Byleth watched as the first clash occurred by the treeline, her father's mercenaries proved to be an unbreakable wall as they managed to repel the initial charge. Then again, even if they were high in number, the bandits didn't seem to be professional in their movements as a group. So either they were rogue criminals, banded together for some agenda, or desperate people fallen on hard times.

The swordswoman ran forward, leaping and with a simple swing of her blade and her downward fall, it found its mark, beheading her opponent entirely.

A yell came from her side, and she barely had to look as she stabbed the incoming bandit in the throat, instantly killing him. An arrow hissed from the left, and years of honed survival instincts allowed her to take a step back to dodge.

"They got archers to the east," She called, loud enough for the people around her. They were currently at the flank of the defensive line they had enacted. Normally it'll be fine to slowly whittle down their numbers, they after all had the suppressor numbers and skill. But they needed to deal with the Archers.

"On me, we're flanking into a kill box!" She ordered, leading through charge.

"Yes, mam!"

With a portion of mercenaries at her side, they manoeuvred around bandits, slowly encasing them with a flank. The Jeralt Mercenaries swarmed, an impenetrable wall of shields and muscle as they pushed the bandits back past the tree line.

They crashed into the bandit's backline, and a flurry of arrows struck true, but Byleth managed to weave through the storm undaunted. Her sword flashed, dismembered limbs flew and brutal strikes fell on the Archers as they started to realise the position they were in. Some started to flee upon realising what essentially amounted to a demon slaughtering their forces in a shower of blood.

One of her father's Mercenaries whistled in appreciation. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Byleth didn't say anything, downing the last archer with a stab through their abdomen. She pulled out her sword, flicking the blood off it as best as she could.

Behind Byleth, her father's horse came to a halt.

"Not bad By," she could practically hear her father grin. "You head on back with some of the boys for any stragglers. They might attempt a reckless charge."

"And you?"

"I'm going to rout the rest of them, better dead than to come back with more," Jeralt cracked his neck before ushering his horse towards the fleeing bandits.

Byleth started making her way back towards the village, and sure enough, there were already some desperate stragglers.

"Hurry up you lot! We only have one chance to grab one of the royal brats!"

Byleth's eyes narrowed. Royals? Well, if he was calling the shots, she had appeared to have found their leader.

"Quickly and carefully now," Claude called to some of the villagers. He had helped usher them further inland, towards the other side of Remire. Though the rest of the Jeralt Mercenaries seemed to know what they were doing with the evacuation.

A burst of flames appeared to his right. He watched as Morgan lit the firewood beneath a stray cooking pot.

Claude couldn't help but whistle.

"Impressive control for someone your age," he commented, immediately the thoughts of a little white-haired girl with lilac eyes came to mind. "Say, how old are you again?"

"Five."

"... Wow yeah, must be a thing with prodigies and little magic babies. You all seem to start awfully young."

"Uh… I guess so?" Morgan tilted her head slightly, tapping her chin. "I think Dad said he was some sort of magical prodigy as well. I'll have to ask Mom later."

"Fair enough," Claude shuddered, remembering that emotionless stare. "Got to admit though, your mother was very scary."

"She is. But only sometimes. Most of the time she gives really warm hugs."

Claude smirked. "Don't they all. So how did you two come about joining Jeralt's Mercenaries anyway? I wouldn't expect such an elite group would accept just anyone. Or is your mother just that scary?"

"Oh, I only met Grandpa Jeralt last night."

Claude raised a single eyebrow. "The legendary Blade Breaker's daughter huh?" He leaned forward ever so slightly. "Tell me more about your mother."

Byleth's confrontation with the stragglers started well. Her small group charged them with lesser numbers, but they had the advantage of surprise with them. They had managed to injure two before it dawned on them that this lot seemed more experienced than the others.

Byleth ducked to the side as an axe swung at her, barely missing as she spun out of the way. They traded blows back and forth for a while, her opponent seemingly inconsistent as he wildly swung his weapon like a madman.

"I won't let you get to Kostas!" He cried as he charged once more.

This time she was anticipating it. Her opponent swung, and timing it perfectly, she grabbed his hands, keeping them low, and with her blade, aimed for his throat.

She let the corpse fall, sighing and allowed herself a split second to relax and watch the other battles taking place. That was when she noticed a familiar red and blue uniform belonging to two students.

What were they doing here?

A well of annoyance pooled inside Byleth. Albeit, they managed to hold their own well, downing their opponents like cogs in a clockwork. Whatever they were being taught, it seemed effective.

But then in the next instance, the silver-haired girl's axe went flying out of her grasp as her opponent disarmed her. Byleth's eyes widened, and she felt her body move.

The silver-haired girl eyed her opponent's axe being lifted into the air, as she withdrew her dagger from her sheathe, a last-ditch effort to defend herself.

Time seemed to slow as Byleth managed to reach her side in time. The girl's eyes widened at her sudden appearance, but that didn't matter as the swordswoman brought her blade up to block, pushing the girl behind her protectively.

Her blade caught the axe.

Then it shattered under the weight of the axe.

So this was where she died? Memories flashed through her mind, as a child alongside her father, being taught how to use a lance before ultimately choosing to go with the sword, much to the sadness of her father. The countless contracts as a bounty. Saying her farewells to her father as she went on her journey. Meeting Robin for the first time. The countless moments they shared, a plain ceremony under a tree, just the way they wanted it. And Morgan. Her daughter, still waiting for her back in the village.

So she closed her eyes, resigned to her fate.

The axe fell.

And Byleth felt nothing.

... Why didn't she feel anything?

There wasn't any pain… Did she die instantly? Daring to find out, Byleth opened her eyes in confusion.

What happened?

"You fool!"

Byleth cringed at the sudden loud voice in her head. Next thing she knew, she found herself in that dark throne room she dreamt about the night before.

"You moronic, muscle-brained, idiotic fool! What were you thinking sacrificing yourself so recklessly?!"

Byleth blinked.

"The little girl from my dream," Byleth pointed, disbelief evident in her voice. "Am I dreaming again?"

"No! I froze time and pulled your stupid mindless consciousness here so we may speak because evidently, I'm going to have to put my foot down."

"You… froze time?" Byleth asked in disbelief.

The girl rolled her eyes. "I just said that, did I not?"

Byleth paused to process the girl's words. "I see. Thank you for saving me…"

Her words were sincere, relief evident in her voice. The Green Haired girl was taken aback.

"Sothis," the girl muttered, clearing her throat. "I… remembered it after you left the first time. If you must thank me… Seeing as how this is the second time we have met, it'll be prudent for you to remember it in future."

Byleth paused, staring at Sothis. The girl turned her head away, ears slightly pink.

"Thank you for saving me, Sothis. But may I ask, what happens now?"

The girl scoffed. "I'm going to rewind time you dolt. To just before you rushed in to save that girl. I don't think I can go further than that," Sothis frowned. She closed her eyes and Byleth felt the air shift.

"Don't make it a habit of recklessly throwing yourself in danger," Sothis commanded, trying to hide back a yawn. "In the meantime, I-I'll return to my slumber."

She could no longer fight the yawn, covering her mouth politely as she laid down on the throne to sleep.

And Byleth felt her mind shifting and soon found herself in the forest near Remire. She blinked, reorienting herself.

A battle cry roared near her, and she spun around to see the bandit leader charging the young noble she had tried to save before. Once again, her weapon was disarmed, but this time Byleth ran to assist her with a different plan in mind.

Her hand moved in practised motion as a glowing red heat emitted from her hand.

"Fire," she called, casting the basic spell.

The ball of fire erupted from her fingertips and struck true, causing the bandit to stumble for a split second, but it was enough.

Like a reaper, Byleth appeared right behind the bandit leader, sword brandished and ready to swing.

"Kostas!"

The other bandits tried to call out but it was too late. Byleth swung. A head went flying. And a spray of blood showered the swordswoman.

Edelgard could only stare in shock at her saviour, emotionless expression with cold blue eyes. Dressed in the darkest of black, and blood trickled down her blade and armour.

The sight of Fodlan's Ashen Demon would forever be ingrained in her mind.

A/N:

12/7/2023: Edited and added more details in scenes.

Hello there! Thank you for reading this fic so far, it's been a fun idea that I wanted to explore for some time. A big inspiration for this story idea and a fic I recommend is 'Twin Stars of Fodlan' by TheKnightShade. Though I wanted to go about it a different way by eventually merging both storylines.

Hopefully, the changes sit right with people, like Byleth being a bit maternal. This is after all supposed to be more light-hearted, but I'm struggling to find what kind of pacing and tone I want. But let me know what you guys think so far. I really want to get back into writing now that I have time, and could do with some constructive criticism.

Review responses:

Hashirama 1710: Thank you for reading! Sadly no, Robin will be going through awakening's storyline, amnesia and all. Hopefully, I can pull it off, I'm very rusty and honestly have so many ideas that sometimes feel like it's beyond my capabilities.

Artyom-Dreizehn: Lmao. Glad you enjoyed it!