The Blaiddyd lands were cold, being one of the northern regions of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. It was a place to wrap up in thick clothing. So Alois made sure to wear extra layers underneath his armour. Thankfully the tavern he was sitting in in the late evening had a large lit fireplace that gave a warm light across the large room. Each table with its own candle light offered a cosy atmosphere compared to the harsh cold wind outside. Alois thought it was a nice modest establishment. You would be forgiven to think that outside this tavern there was a war that raged within the country of Fódlan. It offered a pleasant escapism from the cruel reality. Though there was one place he would rather be right now. That was back home with his loving wife and daughter.
But he made a promise, and he was going to fulfil it.
However, he knew that he needed help. Someone that he could trust, who wouldn't let previous bias and emotions get in the way of their job. There was only one person that came to mind. He hadn't seen them for years. Once the war started they had left everyone behind, not wanting any part in it. It upset many including Alois when they left, one more so than anyone else. He just hoped that the message he sent had reached them and that they would agree to meet.
"I'm surprised to see you here. Would have thought that the Church would have sent you on a wild goose chase," her familiar voice announced her presence behind him. He hadn't heard her coming at all. She always had a way of being completely hidden until she decided to make herself known. He had to wonder if she was here before he had even arrived. Truly it would be a scary notion to be her enemy.
"Well... I've actually come back from one, to be honest," Alois said with a smile as he saw the former Knight sit down in the chair opposite him, resting an arm on the table. She hadn't changed a bit in the years. "It's good to see you again Shamir."
"So what's this about?" Shamir reached into her inner jacket pocket and brought out a small flask.
"Straight to business? It's been years Shamir, how have you been?" Alois took up his tankard on the table with a big smile and raised it to her.
"Doing odd jobs here and there. Scrapping by. Plenty of opportunities for mercenaries for hire when guards and law enforcers are being enlisted to fight in a war," Shamir undone the lid and took a swig of it before resting it on the table in her hand. She leaned back on the chair and rested her other arm on the backrest. "You wouldn't have sent that owl if it wasn't for a job. So out with it."
Alois sighed. While he did value her friendship it was true that he only called her for a job. "I'm sorry. I would have sent an owl to check up on you but. You made it clear you didn't want any more to do with us."
"The things I saw in that Holy Tomb were enough of a wake-up call that it was time to go. I'm grateful for what Rhea did for me but that debt has been paid," Shamir shook her head and looked off to the side.
"...did she really change into a monster?" Alois was hesitant to ask her.
"Bigger than a house. Scales. Four legs. Wings. Lots of teeth. Definitely an accurate description of a monster," Shamir drank from her flask again. Alois looked down, pondering on how to next approach the subject. "This job's got nothing to do with the war right?"
"No," Alois answered immediately but then paused as he thought about it more. "...Well a little bit but-"
Shamir sighed and got up from her chair. "I'm leaving."
"Wait no you don't understand!" Alois waved his arms about in a panic. His arms flailing sadly did nothing to stop Shamir from walking around him. In desperation, he leant around and grabbed her wrist before she was out of reach. He made a quick scan of the room to see no one else within earshot of the two before speaking again. "I found Byleth!"
Shamir stopped immediately. Her head turned to face Alois with a slight gasp and a frown on her face. She searched his face for any signs of a lie but found none. Byleth was found at last. It had been five long years since she last saw him. She even tried to find information on his whereabouts, but Byleth covered his tracks well. The two of them got along well together due to their backgrounds as mercenaries. She found Byleth a breath of fresh air compared to the other righteous Knights of Seiros and was happy to help him and his class out on their missions.
When she saw Byleth make his escape from Rhea's rampage with Edelgard and the other core members of the Black Eagle House she quickly slipped into the shadows and made her own escape. Once topside she cornered Seteth to get answers out of him, though was unable to get much aside from the confirmation that Rhea wasn't human. Rhea never explained herself to Shamir when she returned afterwards in a maddened state. The next few weeks were spent rounding up the Knights of Seiros and the remaining students to defend Garreg Mach from the Empire's assault. She helped in its defence but upon the Knight's retreat from Garreg Mach she bid Catherine farewell and left the Knights of Seiros.
As a mercenary, she made sure not to get attached to the concept of loyalty. Not to build friendships to the point of caring about someone else. You never knew if you'd take a job one day and they were on the opposing side.
"I know even saying that is still technically linked to the war but-"
"Tell me everything. How is he holding up?" Shamir quickly walked back to her chair and sat down, leaning forward on the table with her arms crossed. She knew she was breaking her rules but she didn't care. If it involved Byleth then she'd give Alois her undivided attention.
"Well he's travelling with the Ashen Wolves so he's got company," Alois smiled at Shamir, now more relaxed that she decided to stay.
"That's good. He definitely needs friends right now. Where did you find him?" she asked, putting her flask away back in her jacket pocket.
"A village near the Airmid River. They are on their way to Leicester. He never joined up with the Empire. This whole time he's been in hiding finding and battling the people behind all those horrible events five years ago," He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table as he spoke quietly to Shamir.
"Wouldn't that be the Empire?" Shamir raised an eyebrow.
"From what young Yuri explained they seemed to be two different factions working together. Naturally, I invited him back to the Church but uh-"
"He had no interest in getting eaten," Shamir finished for him.
"Well yeah. But he told me things that I'm concerned about. He said the Knights of Seiros tried to ambush and kill him in Lady Rhea's name near the Sreng border. But I've gone through the records in Fhirdiad. Not once has the Knights of Seiros been deployed north," Alois frowned as he scratched his beard with his finger and thumb.
"Could it be that it was something that Rhea didn't want reported on?" Shamir questioned as she gave a passing glance across the room. Double checking on her surroundings for any changes or signs that they were being spied upon.
"I could be but then how would they have knowledge of his whereabouts? For five years the Church of Seiros and the Holy Kingdom have believed young Byleth to be with the Empire. I wondered if it was actually the Kingdom's soldiers that he faced but I've had no luck getting permission to look at those records," Alois sighed with a shake of the head.
"From what I've heard King Dimitri's gone off the deep end. Doubt you'd get anything of substance out of him anyway," Shamir looked down, deep in thought until a wave of realisation travelled across her eyes. "You want me to investigate who was behind the attack on Byleth don't you?"
"I... I want him to trust me. He's become so guarded now. Frankly, I don't think he even trusts those he travels with," Alois sighed in remorse as he scratched the back of his head.
"In his position, he cannot afford misplaced trust," Shamir nodded her head in agreement.
"I promised Jeralt I'd look after him. His trust in me should never be misplaced!" Alois slammed his fist into the table in frustration. "But I can't provide the answers he needs on my own. And I trust you... and I think you care about the lad more than you let on too."
Shamir narrowed her eyes at the Knight of Seiros. While he wasn't wrong she did not like possible weaknesses being pointed out to her. Though she supposed that was her own fault for allowing herself to care for another, to begin with. Which was why her mind was already made up.
"Fine, I'll do it. If the Church is sending assassins out to hunt him down I'll find the proof," Shamir nodded her head to her old friend.
"Thank you, Shamir," Alois bowed his head with a smile.
"Don't thank me yet. You're asking me to sneak into Fhirdiad and break into their records. Most would consider that a suicide mission. I could get caught and executed by the Kingdom," She took out her flask again, undoing the lid for another swig. It was true. Alois was asking a lot from Shamir. She could get caught and killed. He knew what he was asking was very dangerous and that it could be tracked back to him. A Knight of Seiros getting the help of a former knight to pilfer classified documents would have them both executed if they were caught.
"...the things we do for that kid huh?" Alois gave a weak smile to the mercenary. Shamir let out a short chuckle and grinned back.
"Yeah," She took another long swig from her flask. If it helped Byleth, the two agreed it would be worth it.
88888888
The Varley estate had opened its gates to the retreating forces of the Empire. All of them looked dejected as they passed by the town with its inhabitants watching on. Despite how she felt though, Edelgard kept her head held high, not wanting to show any more weakness to her subjects than her retreated army already was. She had not said a word to anyone since fleeing the Great Bridge of Myrddin which infuriated Ferdinand. It was the leader's job to keep morale as high as possible no matter the situation. To give some words of encouragement in these trying times. Instead, she continued on without a word spoken. He shook his head and looked among the others riding beside him.
Dorothea kept her gaze down and would occasionally give a kind smile towards Bernadetta. Speaking of the purple-haired heir of Varley, she seemed to be utterly distracted for most of the journey. He had expected Bernadetta to be a nervous wreck after a battle and pining to return back to the monastery as quickly as possible. But instead, she was lost in thought. Over what no one knew, Dorothea's attempts to talk to her during the journey led Bernadetta into a stuttering mess and a bright bloom of red across her face. Linhardt looked tired, but to most people, this wouldn't be any different to what he normally is. But Ferdinand could tell the difference. This wasn't Linhardt looking for a place to nap and laze about. The white mage was exhausted mentally and emotionally from the battle. He wondered how much longer Linhardt could go on for like this. He wondered that with everyone else too. Especially after the news they heard after their retreat from Myrddin.
General Ladislava was slain by the combined gambit of Leonie and Lorenz.
They had of course had many soldiers die in the five years of war but Ladislava was someone they had all grown to know in their time occupying Garreg Mach Monastery. Ferdinand thought of her as a noble soldier and someone he could aspire to be like in the war. But now she was gone. Another victim in Edelgard's war against the Church and Crests. He wondered how long it'll be before the Alliance retaliates. The Empire wouldn't be able to hold back a war on two fronts. He looked back to Edelgard as she rode towards the front of the Varley manor. He hoped she had a plan going forward.
At the front of the manor stood a woman with long brown hair in a lavish dress. She grabbed the sides of her dress and curtseyed to Edelgard.
"Your Majesty, you honour our estate with your presence," she spoke formally as Edelgard dismounted from her horse, Hubert following quickly after.
"Countess Varley, I hope our arrival has not left you unprepared," Edelgard gave a nod as she rested a hand on her hip.
"My home and my staff are at your disposal your majesty," The Countess beckoned over a butler who was waiting at the front door to the manor.
"We shall only be staying the night. If there is land you can spare for the troops to make camp that would be fortunate. We'll be making our return to Garreg Mach first thing in the morning," Edelgard explained with a small smile.
"I trust you'll allow me to oversee your security for the duration of our time here?" Hubert suddenly spoke as he crossed his arms.
"Of course my lord. Jacques can show you around my home and let you meet our guards," Countess Varley motioned to the butler that now stood beside her. Hubert nodded in satisfaction but then his eyes peered off to the right. He saw a familiar flash of light and what he saw afterwards made him frown.
"Your Majesty," Edelgard looked to Hubert and turned to see who caught her aide's eye. There standing in the distance were three people. Two were dressed entirely in black, while the other worse regal robes of white and red. After their failed assault, it was only a matter of time before Those who Slithered in the Dark would show themselves. Edelgard let out a sigh before turning back to the Lady of the House.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Please excuse us for a moment, Countess Varley," Edelgard gave a respectful bow to the Countess before turning and heading towards the new arrivals with Hubert. The Countess saw a few people follow Edelgard from the army while the rest turned to find an open space to await orders. It was then she caught a flash of purple riding a horse turning away.
"Bernadetta!" She called out, causing the young Varley heir to stop. Bernadetta was not looking forward to this reunion in the slightest. She hoped she could slip away with the army and remain unseen until she returned to the monastery. But that would not be the cause as she groaned to herself, turning her horse around to face the approaching Countess.
"It's good to see you again my dear. How have you been?" She smiled at her daughter as she cupped her hands in front of her.
"I'm... okay, mother." Bernadetta managed to force out, keeping her gaze down.
"You look well," she spoke again, tilting her head down slightly to catch a glimpse of her daughter's face.
"Uhm... Thanks..." She quickly stole a glance at her mother before looking down again.
"Why don't you come inside? We can catch up over a nice cup of tea and cake," She motioned to the manor behind her invitingly. There was a hint of desperation in her voice as she tried to reconnect with her daughter. Bernadetta had not seen her mother since the day she was secreted from the manor and awoke within Garreg Mach six years ago. While she held some reservations about her mother in the past for not stepping in to stop what her father did, she was responsible for getting her out of there. She finally looked up at her mother, trying to find the courage to look her in the eye. But as she did however she saw behind her mother a silhouette standing behind the window of the manor. The man that tortured her in her youth, who saw her only as a tool to be used politically, who saw her as unmarriageable. The former Minister of Religious Affairs was placed under house arrest since Edelgard's ascension. All the courage Bernadetta had built up over the years disappeared in an instant as she saw her father scowl towards her.
"I...I... Uh...I...Uh...Ngh... That's okay... I-I should r-return w-with m... my battalion!" Bernadetta quickly pulled the reins around and quickly galloped her horse away.
"Bernadetta!" the Countess called out, reaching out a hand to her retreating daughter's form. But she was gone from sight when she merged with the armies of the Empire. The Countess slowly lowered her hand with a sigh. Her downcast gaze turned back to her manor and returned inside.
Meanwhile, Edelgard and Hubert made their way towards their detestable ally in this war. He did not look happy as he awaited her approach with two of his dark mages flanking him. One of which however was hunched over, as if he was using all his strength to stand.
"Uncle, I didn't expect to see you so soon," Edelgard greeted with a hint of hostility.
"There was a lot backing on this assault Edelgard. So much that it should have been a great boon for the Empire in this war. Yet here you are with the remnants of a failed siege. What happened?" Lord Arundel wasted no time as he crossed his arms, looking down at the short girl before him.
"It would have been a certain victory if your men were able to hold up their end of the plan. Yet your support in the attack was nowhere to be seen. So I can ask you the same Uncle, what happened?" Edelgard answered back in kind, crossing her own arms.
"Hmph. So you don't know," Lord Arundel looked up to the approaching Ferdinand and Dorothea, both of which dismounted on their way over. "Fortunately for both of us, I do have the answer to what happened."
He turned and motioned the weak-looking dark mage to step forward. It took a lot of effort for the dark mage to do so and his laboured breaths under his mask weren't lost to the former Black Eagles.
"We were setting up... the curse as planned. But our position was revealed to the Alliance. Their arrows killed all our men... I barely survived," the dark mage dropped to his knees, groaning in pain. Ferdinand couldn't help but feel a bit of pity at watching someone in so much pain. But he quickly reminded himself of what he was willing to unleash upon the Alliance.
"I pulled myself to the ledge... I saw one of our barrels fall and shatter upon the Alliance forces. It worked perfectly... they were all infected... ready to slaughter each other and their forces... including one of their knights Ignatz Victor..." the dark mage continued to explain.
"How could you use such a thing again Edie..." Dorothea spoke barely above a whisper. Edelgard felt the pang of guilt in her heart at Dorothea's words. But she had to remain strong, clenching her fists as she glared at the dark mage.
"But they slaughtered the lot of them... and used magic to cure Ignatz of the blood frenzy," he continued with a groan.
"Out with it already, who were they?" Hubert's patience running thin.
"The Nuvelle girl," the dark mage's raspy voice uttered.
"Constance?" Ferdinand spoke up. Hearing of his old friend being at the battle surprised him. He had not seen her or the rest of the Ashen Wolves since the Empire took over Garreg Mach.
"We caught her trying to sneak through the battle. But she was saved by the other one when he revealed our position," the dark mage coughed violently, lifting a hand to where his mouth would be under the mask. Ferdinand wondered if he was coughing up blood under the mask.
"Who?" Edelgard snapped. "Who was the one responsible for this major setback?"
The dark mage looked up the Edelgard who bore down a dark glare to the man. "...Byleth Eisner."
It was as if all sound disappeared around them. Dorothea quickly looked at Ferdinand in surprise. Ferdinand kept his gaze down from the others. Hubert glared down at the dark mage before peering towards the Emperor.
Edelgard froze.
She felt a myriad of emotions swirl through her at the mention of his name. Joy. Guilt. Fear. Sadness. Love. All a cacophony that muted the world around her. Five years of wondering where he went and what happened to him. Five years of wishing to see him again. To talk with him again. To see his smile once more. And he was there at Myrddin helping the Alliance. Did he join the Alliance? Did he continue to fight her Uncles forces in secret? Did he still wish to kill her? She let out a shaky breath after a while when she realised that the news of her Teacher's re-emergence temporarily made her forget to breathe.
"The Fell Star finally reveals himself. With disgraced Adrestian nobility no less," Arundel placed his fist to his chin in contemplation.
"This changes much of the war now that he's shown himself to be our enemy," Hubert nodded his head.
"Hold on, surely the correct approach is to reach out to him. After all, it's only his men that he killed and fought," Ferdinand finally spoke in defence of Byleth.
"That's... not true..." The dark mage spoke again, turning his head towards Ferdinand. "He fought you... and left you alive after your little talk."
Hubert's glare turned straight to Ferdinand. "And what did you discuss with our enemy that he chose to spare you?"
"I..." Ferdinand closed his mouth. He didn't know how to answer that without it causing more harm than good.
"Perhaps you divulge Empire secrets to save your skin?" Hubert accused as he approached him.
"How dare you! I would never betray my friends!" Ferdinand snapped back appalled at the notion.
"Hold on! That's out of line Hubie!" Dorothea quickly stepped in the way of the two, glaring angrily at Hubert. "Ferdie has done much for the Empire and has loyally fought for each and every one of us! If the professor spared him then maybe it was because he still cares about us, his former students!"
"The last time we saw him he vowed to kill Lady Edelgard. I am looking out for her majesty's interests. So I ask again, what did you discuss with Byleth Eisner?" Hubert looked over Dorothea to Ferdinand.
"He told me of that curse from Remire you released on the Alliance and his disgust over it. And I for one agree with it! After what we saw back then, how could you agree to use it again?" Ferdinand stood tall as he spoke with conviction. He looked past Hubert to Edelgard. "What do you have to say about this Edelgard?"
Edelgard did not say a word, she did not look towards Ferdinand. Everyone turned to face their Emperor who had not moved an inch since Byleth's name was uttered. Hubert frowned with concern as he quickly walked to his majesty's side and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Your majesty?"
Edelgard jolted from the contact, snapping out of the hundred-yard stare she fell into as she was lost in thought. "This... is a lot to take in." Edelgard then shook her head and turned to face everyone. "We will discuss our failures from the battle and our future plan of action when we return to Garreg Mach. Now is the time for our men to recuperate. Emotions are running high and that is not a mindset to make important decisions. I need to further contemplate this information. For now, you are all dismissed."
Edelgard turned and marched toward the Varley manor. She refused to let anyone look at her face, fearing her stern mask would slip. While she meant what she said to the others. It was mainly an excuse to leave for privacy. Once she reached the front doors to the manor and entered inside, she sprinted. She didn't know where she was going but she knew she needed to be alone. She ran down one corridor to another, finally settling on a door to her left which she flung open. It revealed rows and rows of bookshelves with hundreds of books filling them. She ran down the aisles until she found a corner out of sight from the library door.
Confident she was alone she rested her back against the bookshelves on the wall and slid down to the ground. She held her fist tight against her heart by her other hand squeezing her wrist tightly. Her laboured breaths were the only sound that filled the library as she looked up, imagining her former professor standing before her. His face was void of emotions as he looked down upon her, the Sword of the Creator in his hand.
"My Byleth... I'm sorry..."
A/N: Hello everyone! It has been a while. March was very busy for me due to a holiday I was on. I also had my Birthday around that time too so I did not have a lot of time to write. Come April I reached a little bit of writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen, but struggled to put it into words. So instead I chose to focus on writing my own original works for a bit.
The break from continuously writing this story seemed to be just what I needed. Because once I finished a chapter of my original work, I was able to finally write this out. I reread the previous chapters before and still managed to find typos and errors in them. Which I will be focusing on first as soon as this chapter is posted.
I'm glad there are over 80 readers out there that are invested enough to follow the story and 64 of you favouriting it (as of the writing of this chapter). I hope I continue to hold that investment.
While there was no Byleth side of things in this chapter I hope you enjoyed learning what happened with the others during the aftermath of the Great Bridge of Myrddin.
Hope you keep on reading!