Azure Gleam: Revelation
This plot bunny has been in my head, its a sort of fix-it fic/continuation to Azure Gleam, in which it will be conclusive, unlike Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes itself. It will address certain things that the game doesn't and will try for a golden ending sort of approach, though that'll involve some OOCness from certain characters, and I'd have to do a bit of dues ex machina for Hubert and Ferdinand as its heavily implied that they are dead or imprisoned in Azure Gleam's second half. This first chapter is set during the final chapter of the Azure Gleam route itself and will try to handle Dimitri and Edelgard a bit better than the game did at that point.
It Also will have Jeralt and Byleth recruited, so Arval won't even be in it since she dies in the chapter Into the Chasm if Byleth was recruited. Might be some pairings. Features Male Byleth and Female Shez. Since their voice actress is female and master class is determined by Shez's gender, Arval will be referred to as female, here.
Honestly, Azure Gleam is probably my favorite route in Three Hopes despite its flaws, too bad Leonie isn't recruitable there, so I can't have Felix, Leonie, Sylvain, Catherine, Flayn, Seteth and Mercedes in the same party the way I could in Three Houses outside of the record keeper battles.
Warning: Some OOCness in this fic.
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes was created by Nintendo/Koei Tehmo.
Prologue: Reclaiming Garreg Mach
The camp was bustling with activity as a certain purple-haired mercenary busied herself with preparations, checking in with her allies and saw to it that her equipment was in good shape in preparation for the battle to retake Garreg Mach for the church. She'd felt a bit strange at no longer being able to feel and speak to a certain red-eyed albino in her mind who she was forced to kill after Epimenides attempted to kill Byleth through her, but put it out of her mind. She had seen death too often in her line of work.
Petra, Balthus and Felix were training with Jeritza while Bernadetta was talking with Yuri near the shack the purple haired archer usually shut herself in.
The Ashen Demon and his father, Jeralt were talking not far from the command tent as Shez drew near.
"Rhea's sure to be at the monastery" Jeralt said, awkwardness evident in his voice.
"Right, you were a knight of Seiros, once" Byleth nodded"Should we request a transfer to the rear guard?" He knew that his father wanted to avoid the church, although he had no trouble speaking and working with Flayn, Seteth and Catherine.
Jeralt shook his head"That won't be necessary. We just try to stay out of her sight as much as possible. If we must fight alongside Rhea, we stick to the shadows as much as we can."
"I understand" Byleth said.
Shez came up to them"What's up? Is everything okay?"
"We were discussing where we will stand on the battlefront" Jeralt replied"How are you? You and King Dimitri had briefly vanished last battle."
The purple-haired Merc was quiet for a second"Its complicated, and I want to apologize for what happened back there. Especially to your son."
"Its fine, I know you weren't yourself, I'd never kill an ally if I can help it" the aforementioned green-haired merc assured her.
"I would've intervened if it got too out of hand such as if your friends and your father weren't quick enough, whether you liked it or not" A female voice in Byleth's head commented.
Byleth privately agreed with the green-haired girl he shared his body with, but as always, refrained from responding to her in front of other people.
"Well, I can't claim to understand why it happened, but I'm glad you are both okay. Just let me know if there's a problem next time, all right?" Jeralt said.
Shez nodded and walked to the Command tent to speak to Dimitri, who was going over some reports. The king looked up"Oh, Shez. Is everything all right? I wasn't sure what would happen when we found ourselves in that... Zaharas place."
"I'm just glad we made it out of there" Shez shrugged, she didn't know what she, Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri were going to do if killing Epimenedes didn't get them out of that dark dimension.
"And what of Arval? Is he still within you?" Dimitri asked.
Shez sighed, she honestly wasn't anymore upset about having to kill Arval than when Captain Berling, Getz and Lazely were killed by Byleth and several others from Jeralt's mercenaries, but it didn't lessen the sting in Arval's case"Arval is dead, I can't hear her anymore..." She paused to recompose herself and then continued"But his power is still there, its like he has a place in my heart."
"I see" Dimitri couldn't say he was surprised"You must have truly trusted her. Perhaps you can find solace in the fact that you now understand more about the source of your power. I also had the opportunity to speak with Edelgard and Claude. And most importantly, I was spared from having to take your life."
"Yeah" The purple-haired merc nodded"So what's the plan?"
"According to Catherine, there are a few outlaying forts surrounding the monastery, we will take control of those and pave the way for Claude and his reinforcements to join the battle" Dimitri replied"We don't know how many of our mystery enemies are lurking in addition to the Imperial Troops on their side. As for who's going to be participating in the battle, I would like you by my side."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, and what about Jeralt and Byleth?" Shez asked, curious if Jeralt and his mercenaries will join them for this battle.
"Captain Jeralt seems to have reservations about Lady Rhea, and Byleth to my knowledge is... Indifferent" The king shrugged"Its like his emotions are not really there, I thought it was possible that he is simply controlling them, but that doesn't appear to be the case."
"They don't call Byleth the Ashen Demon for nothing" Shez chuckled"But I think if Jeralt is joining us for the battle, Byleth will also be coming with us."
"I also plan on asking Catherine, Seteth, Flayn and Felix for their help in the battle" Dimitri noddded"Dedue, Yuri, Mercedes, Ingrid, Sylvain, Professor Jeritza and Bernadetta can provide backup while everyone else keeps any Imperial Reinforcements at bay and watches over the camp."
"Sounds like a plan, I'll go let everyone know" Shez turned to walk out of the tent.
The following day saw Shez, Dimitri, their chosen allies for the battle and a mixed battalion of Faerghus's Royal Knights and the Knights of Seiros marching upon Garreg Mach to help Rhea and defeat Thales.
"When we left the school, I didn't imagine we'd return like this" Dimitri said, reminiscing.
"Think I might skip next year's class reunion if they're all gonna be like this" joked Sylvain"So our enemy is there."
"At its heart, most likely" Ingrid nodded.
Anette shuddered"It gives me the jitters thinking about big battles like this."
"You needn't worry" Rodrigue assured the mage"Besides, there's no time for nerves once the fighting starts."
Some distance away, Byleth was having a conversation with Sothis"So Rhea, Flayn and Seteth are connected to your past, correct?"
"Yes, my memories are still a bit hazy, but I recognized the two supposed siblings for who they are" Sothis replied"And you seem to have gotten used to my speaking to you from time to time."
"It still comes off as a surprise, yet I felt no emotion" Byleth said grimly"Jeralt said I should keep my distance from Rhea and stick to the shadows."
"I may be partly to blame for your condition" Sothis said"I don't know how Rhea managed to make me exist inside your mind, but I will loosen her tongue if she won't spill and get an understanding of why this war started. For that reason, we'll be sharing control of your body for a bit."
"You never wished to interfere before now except when you tried to kill Shez after a major battle months ago, so why?" Byleth asked, curious.
"Because Rhea is my..." The Nabatean suddenly stopped speaking for a second"Well, your father is coming and your companions are going to march, so let's hurry and prepare to purge Thales and his ilk from the monastery."
"Hey, you all right?" Jeralt asked as he came up.
Shez and Dimitri came over, noticing that Byleth had seemingly spaced out.
Byleth opened his eyes"Another dream? No... I can't deny it" he muttered, then shook his head and addressed his father"I'm fine, actually."
"Its another one about that girl you mentioned, isn't it?" Jeralt asked.
"Yes, but it felt more like the goddess was speaking to me just now" Byleth said"I think Rhea might have the answers for the reason behind my hair and eyes changing color and the reason my heart isn't well... Beating properly."
"Your heart?" Shez raised an eyebrow.
"You can feel it for yourself if you want" Byleth offered.
Shez awkwardly took off her glove and placed one hand on Byleth's shoulder and another on his chest, only to feel no heartbeat"Huh, is this for real or is this supposed to be a joke of some sort?"
"Its true that my son has no heartbeat" Jeralt said"I don't generally talk about this because it unnerved me when I found out, and I don't like to involve others in my and my son's personal problems."
"This doesn't make any sense to me, either way" Shez put her glove back on"And we have bigger fish to fry right now, right?"
"Yes" Dimitri nodded"We need to help Lady Rhea reclaim the monastery and secure Edelgard. As for that comment you two" he looked at Byleth and Jeralt"To speak of the goddess speaking to you in front of the King of Faerghus would normally raise an eyebrow, given that no such occurrence has happened before to the best of my knowledge, but as a believer and from what I understand happened to Shez, I believe that if Byleth has been hearing a voice in his head as well, I perfectly understand."
"So you know about Shez and I having peculiar dreams?" Byleth asked.
"I only knew about Shez and Arval. I won't push either of you for details, but I am curious as to what the goddess would have to say regarding this war, Jeralt distancing himself from the church and the affair of things in Fodlan in general" Dimitri said going to give his speech.
"I very much doubt that Rhea will tell us anything if we ask her" Jeralt told Byleth"We may not even be able to keep our distance anymore if we talk to her, either. You sure you want to see her?"
"She might be grateful enough for our aid that she'll at least talk to me" Byleth pointed out"Besides, since we joined up, despite our efforts to stay away from the majority of the knights of Seiros and avoid Rhea, I feel like I am being drawn to her."
"I don't like this, but I have no excuses for avoiding the knights of Seiros right now, not sure what I would say to Catherine and Seteth if we back out of our contract with the kingdom before we're done" Jeralt shrugged"You're old enough to make your choices, just be careful around Rhea."
Byleth nodded and walked over to join Shez and Dimitri. The army marched silently towards Garreg Mach after Dimitri gave his speech, only to be met with a mix of Imperial Forces and mages and fighters associated with Those Who Slither in the Dark.
"We will have to split up to seize the outlaying forts and secure a path for Claude's forces" Dimitri said, heading south, Shez, Catherine, Mercedes and Jeritza followed him, barreling through any of Thales's forces who got in their way.
Seteth took to the eastern forts closest to the Monastery with Ingrid and Sylvain riding close to him, weapons ready. Felix and Flayn followed a short way behind them as several soldiers accosted them.
"Hardly worth my time" Felix grunted, cutting down a few Imperial soldiers with ease, Flayn stood ready to heal him if needed.
"Don't get too carried away" Ingrid called as she took down an Imperial Mage.
Byleth and Shez cut a wide swath through Agarthan soldiers that were defending one of the northern forts in one of the outlaying villages. A Agarthan mage tried to sneak up on Shez, only for Byleth to cut him down.
Shez in return cast an ice spell at an encroaching great knight.
"This fortress is as good as taken care of" Jeralt grunted as he killed the Agarthan leader commanding the fortress.
"The blade breaker? Try everything breaker" Shez grinned cheekily before going off to help Dimitri, Jeritza, Mercedes and Catherine.
Jeralt barely contained a chuckle as he and Byleth followed, having some of his mercenaries remain behind to guard the fortress just in case.
Dimitri was fighting off three Agarthan swordsmen while Catherine dueled against an Imperial Mortal Savant, narrowly dodging a lightning spell before retaliating with a couple quick slashes of her own, killing the soldier.
"Impressive" Dimitri commented to Catherine as he managed to dodge his opponents and retaliate with a mighty swing of Areadbhar.
"Ha, ha, this is nothing" Catherine wasted little time cutting down a Swordmaster.
Jeritza was fighting off a couple of Dark Knights while Mercedes backed her brother up with healing magic when it was needed and attacking the enemy with a few light based spells in between.
"We took care of one fortress" Shez informed Dimitri as she caught up.
"Excellent, we just need to take this one and then hold the line so that Claude's forces can join us" Dimitri said.
A mix of Faerghus soldiers and some of Jeralt's mercenaries were left behind to guard the fortresses and Dimitri and his group headed for the Monastery.
Myson, a high ranking mage, irritably sent for the orange haired assassin Kronya and some Abraxas to try to retake the fortresses"Those beasts do not deserve to maintain their hold on the fortresses."
"We have to hold the fortresses so that Claude's forces can join in. Catherine, Professor Jeritza, Mercedes, can you take care of this?" Dimitri asked as he saw the Agarthan dark knights led by a high ranking Agarthan called Anaximandros riding by.
Jeritza grunted and turned his horse in the direction of the fort, followed by Mercedes.
"We'll catch you later" Catherine raced back.
Byleth, Jeralt, Shez and Dimitri raced up the steps to the exterior stairways and terraces of the monastery to fight more of Thales's forces.
Catherine caught up to Kronya at one of the northern fortresses"Not so fast."
"How annoying, get her" Kronya barked to her squad.
Catherine and the mercenaries and knights guarding the fort charged forward.
Kronya dodged as Catherine swung her blade, countering with a couple of quick strikes with her daggers. The blond knight dodged, retaliating with a couple quick strikes of her own, driving Kronya back.
Jeritza and Mercedes joined forces the members of Jeralt's mercenaries who were fighting the Dark Knights attacking the other fortress. Jeritza had to let Mercedes ride on his horse with him in order for them to make it to the fortress faster.
"Thanks for the assist" Jetz, one of the mercenaries said.
"Save it, we have more important matters" Jeritza said as he ran an dark knight through, jumping back as another one tried to strike at him in retaliation.
Jetz grunted as he was nicked by one of Anaximandros' men, countering with a strong ax swing, killing his opponent. While Mercedes proceeded to heal the injured mercenary, Jeritza cast down two more Agarthan dark knights with lightning.
"Glad you're on our side" Jetz muttered as he helped to fight off the remaining attackers.
Catherine's squad was evenly matched against Kronya's assault group while Catherine dueled the Agarthan assassin.
"Great, what am I going to say to Thales, now?" Kronya grumbled as she dodged a slash, seeing that several of the Agarthan knights were just driven back.
Catherine attempted to finish Kronya off, only for Kronya to dodge and race back to the Monastery's interior while Anaximandros attacked Catherine, prompting the Swordmaster to jump back.
"Sorry we're late" a pink-haired Wyvern Rider arrived with a squad of yellow-clad Leicester Alliance troops, a caught off guard Anaximandros tried to attack Hilda, only for the pinkette to slam him with her Hero's Relic, killing the Agarthan.
"Right on time, Hilda" Catherine assured her"Where's Claude?"
"He'll be there shortly" Hilda replied as she flew on ahead to the monastery courtyard. Catherine and three of the reinforcement Leicester troops followed.
Dimitri, Byleth, Jeralt and Shez slowly advanced onto the courtyard and the gates leading to the interior. If Jeralt was getting more apprehensive about running into Rhea soon, he didn't show it, instead fighting off some Agarthan troops.
Seteth, Flayn, Felix and Ingrid started approaching the monastery courtyard from the north after taking care of the northern forts on their way. Irritated, Mycen and a purple haired man sent more troops after them.
Shez tapped into her power and dove in, slashing at the hostile soldiers.
"Give me a hand, boar" Felix cried as he engaged a couple of lancers.
"I think you mean a tusk" Dimitri chuckled, slicing at one of Felix's attackers.
Several more Faerghus troops, accompanied by Bernadetta, Yuri and Dedue came in shortly after, charging at the Imperial Soldiers. Jeritza and Mercedes, accompanied by the rest of Jeralt's mercenaries then showed up.
Shez darted at Mycen, who cast a dark spell at her, only for the purple haired merc to dodge and cut him down.
"Gah!" Count Varley, the purple haired man gasped as he saw his troops slowly get whittled away"This isn't supposed to be happening" He turned to his guards"Set the area on fire!"
The guards did as Varley ordered and lit the pathway to the Monastery interior aflame, catching the Faerghus army off guard.
"They set the area on fire? Gotta watch out for that" Yuri murmured.
"Tread lightly, everyone" said Dimitri as he took down several imperial troops. Shez cast Blizzard on the path to try and diminish the fire to clear the way. Flayn and Mercedes rushed to heal any allies who had gotten themselves singed.
Seteth cut down a couple Imperial Cavaliers while Bernadetta and Yuri made their way towards Count Varley as soon as the flames started to die down a bit.
"You!" Varley shouted at Yuri, casting Bolganoe.
Yuri narrowly dodged"Heh, nice try."
Bernadetta gulped, but worked up her courage to fire an arrow at her abusive father. Varley dodged, casting another spell in retaliation, which the purple haired archer barely dodged. Yuri backed his friend up, darting at Varley to run him through with his dagger. Varley was shoved back by the blow as the dagger hit him in the chest, Bernbadetta followed through with an arrow for good measure.
"Urrgh... So this is how I die..." Varley murmured as he collapsed.
"Hey, sorry for the delay, I bet anyone didn't expect me to fly over the mountains" a voice said as a dark haired young man ridding on a wyvern flew down to attack several of the Imperial Troops with Failnaught.
"Right on time, Claude" Diimitri greeted the Leicester Alliance leader.
Seteth, Jeritza, Shez, Jeralt and Byleth had meanwhile managed to help rout the Imperial Troops, keeping casualties to a minimum.
"No problem. Rhea is probably inside, eh? Best go help her. Hilda and I will take care of the remaining Imperial Reinforcements coming in from the east" Claude smirked, going to join Hilda.
"Kronya, Edelgard and Thales are inside the Monastery, then" Dimitri mussed"Shez, Dedue, Byleth, Jeralt, Felix, Flayn, Seteth, Mercedes, Catherine, you with me on this last stretch? If you would prefer to remain outside, I will understand, Jeralt."
"My kid and I have resolved to see this through" Jeralt replied.
"It doesn't matter whether Rhea sees us or not anymore" Byleth said"And I could never abandon my allies. Besides, its very likely that if Catherine and some of the other Knights of Seiros know that my father and I live, it'd be very difficult for us to distance ourselves from the church at this venture."
"Whatever you say, Dimitri" Catherine said"Besides, I'm going to go to Lady Rhea's aide either way."
"We're with you all the way" Shez chimed in.
"Be the boar you are and don't hold back" Felix said"Just save some for me."
Dimitri nodded and led his group into the hallways of the monastery.
Inside, a green haired woman in regal attire was fighting off soldiers of Those who Slither in the Dark. Dimitri and Catherine rushed in and took down several Agarthan troops, Jeralt kept to the shadows to take down some hostile cavaliers while Byleth engaged a Agarthan swordmaster in batlle.
"Dimitri, Catherine, thank you for coming" Rhea said after dispatching a couple Agarthans.
Dimitri dodged as a Cavalier rushed him and cut him down.
"Grr.,.. Thales isn't gonna like this" Kronya emerged from the shadows and rushed Shez, driving the mercenary back. Shez darted to the side and slashed at Kronya, prompting her to dodge. Flayn backed Shez up with a Light spell, staggering Kronya enough for Shez to get the drop on the Agarthan, cutting her down.
"Argh... How could we lose...?" Kronya gasped as she fell, dying. Seteth, Mercedes, Felix and Catherine drove the remaining Agarthans back.
Jeralt looked at Rhea from a distance, confirming she is okay as he stayed back, though given that Byleth is now visibly in her presence, he had a strange feeling that sooner or later she would be bound to notice, although he and Byleth had already discussed seeing Rhea earlier. The said green haired swordsman had easily defeated the agarthan he was fighting.
"The cathedral is straight ahead" Rhea said"May the goddess protect us."
The group, accompanied by Rhea headed through the main hall and across the bridge. Byleth and Jeralt kept a short distance from Rhea as they headed through the gates into the Monastery's Cathedral.
The remaining Imperial troops and Agarthans awaited them with an older mage clad in dark robes and a certain platinum haired emperor clad in red and gold armor. The middle-aged looking Agarthan sneered"Prepare to be destroyed. Edelgard, you know what you must do."
"Yes, uncle" said the Emperor in a slightly monotone voice, she was too brainwashed to remember what Arundel looked and was previously like, Thales's spell had rendered her helpless to resist.
The remaining imperials charged, only to be intercepted by Felix, Seteth and Rhea.
Dimitri cut through a couple lancers while making his way towards Thales, only for Edelgard to charge and swing at him with her axe. Dimitri dodged and jabbed at her, only for Edelgard to sidestep and cut back.
Shez hurried over to help Dimitri, driving Edelgard back with a blizzard spell. Edelgard wsa frozen in place, allowing Dimitri to knock her backwards.
"Worthless" Thales growled, casting dark magic to envelop her and transform her into a humanoid monstrosity which mostly resembled Edelgard's normal form, but half her face was contorted with monstrous features along with most of her body and she had reddish eyes.
"Thales, you dastard" Dimitri growled, charging at the dark mage, only to be knocked back by a spell from Hegemon Edelgard.
Catherine darted forward with a slash, staggering Hegemon Edelgard.
Thales growled and cast a dark aura ball at Flayn, only for Byleth to interpose and block the spell"You really are pathetic" Sothis spoke from Byleth's body, glaring at Thales"Why don't you just give up? You lost."
"I don't take lip from beasts" Thales cast dark arrows at Byleth.
Sothis maneuvered Byleth's body out of the way"Yeah, he's pathetic. Take it from here" she told Byleth as she released her hold.
Byleth readied himself as Thales cast more dark magic at him.
Rhea, Seteth and Flayn were surprised to hear that strangely familiar female voice coming from the green haired mercenary, but had no time to react as they fought off some more Agarthan soldiers.
Dimitri jumped up and threw his lance at the Hedgemon husk, staggering her enough for Dedue and Felix to get the drop on her, the transformed emperor fell, reverting back to her true form, groaning.
Thales warped over to Edelgard, healing her while throwing up a dark barrier around himself.
"He sure doesn't know when to quit" Sothis commented.
Byleth just shrugged and turned to Dimitri"You want the emperor alive, correct?"
"Yes" Dimitri nodded"You and Shez keep her busy while I dispose of that dark mage if I can't get anymore info on the tragedy out of him."
"We're on it" Shez readied herslf as Edelgard swung her axe at her, prompting the purple haired mercenary to dodge. Byleth took the initiative to slash at Edelgard, who dodged only for Shez to deck the Emperor with a slash.
"You accursed beasts will never defeat us!" The dark mage growled, dispelling his barrier and casting a barrage of dark magic. Dimitri just shrugged off the spells with only minor injury to himself as he approached.
"Uncle... No..." Edelgard murmured from where she lay, severely weakened and still brainwashed.
"This ends here" Dimitri stated, running Thales through with with spear, the dark mage collapsed.
Shez walked over to stand next to Dimitri"Its over."
The king nodded, taking a breather.
The remaining Agarthans were meanwhile taken down with minimal effort.
"Di?" Edelgard murmured, glancing at Dimitri.
The king turned to her, she had not called him that since they were children, his expression was that of pity and heartbreak as he glanced at her.
Rhea glanced blankly at Byleth for a moment"So... She has awoken through you..."
Jeralt, meanwhile was trying to process what he had heard earlier, Byleth had told him he was having particular dreams about a girl, but to hear that high pitched female voice from his son's body was very strange.
"Lady Rhea, what was the meaning of how that mercenary sounded just a moment ago?" Seteth asked"I thought I heard Sothis for a moment, how was that even possible?" Although frankly, he wasn't that surprised, given that Shez had been possessed by Epimenides the other day.
Rhea looked at Seteth and the others, then glanced around the area, the cathedral had been scorched by the magic and is no doubt stained with allied and enemy blood.
"Lady Rhea" Byleth spoke as himself"I am one of Jeralt's mercenaries, my name is Byleth."
"A fine name" Rhea smiled"So you're Jeralt and Sitri's child. We will talk later, there's still work to be done in regards to the Emperor's fate, and we still need to restore order in Enbarr and the regions surrounding it."
Sothis silently listened, running through a mix of emotions, the Archbishop was too reserved and reckless for her own good, but she decided not to get confrontational about it.
Shez walked over to Dimitri's side and glanced downward at the reserved and confused Adrestian emperor, whose broken relic lay a short distance from her.
The Adrestian Emperor groaned as she struggled to stand, her memory had large holes in it, and on top of that, being forced into a Hegemon Husk took a lot out of her"Why... No, what was I...?" She went silent.
"Mercedes, can you help her?" Dimitri asked the blond healer before looking at Edelgard silently for a moment.
"I will try" The blond healer went over to Edelgard's side to heal her injuries, the physical injuries can be healed, but emotional wounds and mental problems do not go away quite so easily.
"I ought to execute Edelgard here and now for her transgression against the church" Rhea stated coldly, then she softened her expression"But as it stands, there's no telling if she'll regain her memory and sense of self. Her fate will be decided later" she put away her blade and walked out of the cathedral to check on the situation outside.
Seteth was surprised, he knew that Rhea had no mercy for her enemies, but he understood why she didn't make her judgement here and now, instead following the Archbishop silently. Flayn followed suit.
Dimitri helped Edelgard onto her feet"There's much that we need to talk about once you had time to recover."
Edelgard nodded reluctantly"So what's going to happen to me now...?"
"I have to discuss the particulars with Lady Rhea, but for now, you will be taken under my care" the king replied, then turned to Byleth"Could you escort her for me until we return to camp?" He didn't know yet what he will do with Edelgard once the war is over, but she could not be allowed to get off scott-free with her transgressions either, though she was clearly suffering from the side effects of whatever Thales did to her mind.
"Very well" Byleth replied, going to Edelgard's side.
Edelgard felt more confused and a little scared, but resigned herself as Byleth escorted her, following Dimitri as he headed out of the monastery. Sothis didn't know what to make of Edelgard's situation, the girl had not only tried to destroy the church, but tried to get Rhea killed, but she had an inkling that the snake Thales had to do with that part.
Shez and Dimitri led the way, meeting up with Claude and Rhea outside on the courtyard, the fire was put out. The war was nearing its end, Fort Merceus and Enbarr are all that stood between them and the peace they were fighting for.
Byleth and Edelgard emerged just behind them. Dedue, Felix, Jeralt, Mercedes and Catherine followed suit. The blond swordmaster was wary of Edelgard, but trusted Rhea's judgement on allowing the Emperor to live for the time being.
Dimitri, Shez, Rhea and Claude looked over the horizon for a moment before going down the steps to let everyone know that Thales and his ilk are dealt with.
Well, here's the first chapter, I hope it turned out okay. I deviated quite a bit from how the final chapter of Azure Gleam went down, and I'm sorry if it was rushed, sometimes I'm still not the best at action sequences. I tried to keep the characters somewhat in character, but its a little hard to do when going for a happier, more conclusive ending than in Three Hopes. Might still be a bit bittersweet.
Gonna have to throw in some OCs to act as potential antagonists for the remainder of the war segments as well as an OC or two for House Vestra and possibly another relative of Ferdinand's, because I've yet to think of something for Hubert and Ferdinand beyond their implied deaths in Azure Gleam's canon. Nemesis isn't going to make any sense unless I make a Those Who Slither in the Dark OC. Also, Claude may not become an antagonist in this fic, as he has no chance against Faerghus and the Church unless he were to get help from Almrya.
Again, I hope its enjoyable, sorry if it was confusing in places. Rhea's gonna become more OOC and unrecognizable if I go with her deciding to explain everything to Byleth, Jeralt and everyone else since she had no reason or time to reflect on her mistakes in Three Hopes, but what can I do? It was stated in the message boards that a full blown golden ending for Fodlan is impossible without making certain characters unrecognizable.
Okay, enough of this lengthy author's note, I can't make any guarantees on when the next chapter will come, but this and my Triangle Strategy novelization are my pet projects. Oh, and as for Jetz, he's a NPC who appears in a chapter if Byleth was recruited.