Just some filler for now, but some of it will lead into some upcoming chapters.

Chapter 41 – Opera Girls at Garreg Mach (Lone Moon)

Annette continually said, "It's okay, it's okay…" to a Dominic Grey as the cat closely followed her. The orange mage was carrying a small box that had six crying kittens inside. They had full bellies, indicating the mother was feeding them, but it was too cold outside for the little ones, so Annette wanted to bring them inside where it was warm. This had earned her a few hisses and scratch attempts from the mother, but it was worth it to ensure the kittens were safe.

Of course, that didn't stop some bystanders from adoring the kittens as she passed. Annette had to keep herself moving so they wouldn't freeze.

As she entered the main building of the monastery, Cia walked up to her and asked, "Hey there, Annette. What's in the box?"

"Hi Cia," Annette replied. "Have a look."

Cia peered into the box and, upon seeing the kittens, her eyes narrowed in alarm.

"I was just bringing them in from the cold. Can you hold them for a second? I gotta get their mom some food."

"Keep those things away from me!" Cia suddenly shouted.

"H-Huh?" Annette was flabbergasted by Cia's reaction.

"Don't hand those little furballs over to me!"

"But they're so adorable! And they won't make it if we leave them outside."

"Yes, yes, they're very cute! But I'm – AH – I –"

Cia's sentence was interrupted by a loud and violent sneeze, followed by two more in quick succession.

Realizing what was wrong, Annette said, "Oh no! Cia, are you–"

"Yes! Yes, I'm allergic to cats! Please, take them somewhere else!"

Cia let out another sneeze as Annette dashed off, hoping to find someone else who could look after the kittens. The mother cat followed close behind the petite mage.

Minutes later, Annette returned to find Cia wiping her face with a damp cloth, still sniffling from her allergic reaction.

"I'm so sorry about that, Cia," said Annette. "I had no idea cats made you sneeze."

Sniffling, Cia said, "It's not your fault, Annie. I don't make a point of telling people I can't be near them if it doesn't come up."

"So, would you be more of a dog person?"

"Eh, not really. They're either trying to bite you or slobber all over you. Gross."

"But dogs are loyal! And they're so cute when they're little."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I've just had a lot of bad experiences with them. Either some noble would sic one on me or they keep begging me for food. They're loyal, but they're dumb. Honestly, I'd like cats more if I didn't start sneezing like crazy whenever I get near one."

"You would?"

"Yeah. They're a lot smarter than dogs. Not to mention they're a lot better at cleaning themselves. And they aren't just loyal to their owners because they feed them. People may pick their dogs, but it's the other way around for cats."

"You seem to know a lot about them, Cia."

"Just thinking back to some stuff one of my ex-boyfriends used to say."

"One of?"

"When you're an opera diva like me, you don't really have the luxury of picking just one man. I've had short flings with a lot of guys, most who just wanted me to sleep with them."

Annette blushed as she asked, "Really?"

"Yep. And sleep with them, I did."

Annette's expression showed she was clearly grossed out by Cia's claim.

Smiling, Cia asked, "I don't suppose you've got some special someone in your life by now, do you? Let me guess: Felix?"

"Uh, well, we have been travelling together for a while, ever since he broke me out of my uncle's home. But I dunno if he's really interested in romance."

"I'd say he is. I notice how he keeps glancing your way when you're not looking."

"Wait, he is?!"

Nodding, Cia added, "I also heard you two in the library. What was it you were singing? A flash and then a big–"

Stammering loudly as her cheeks went red, Annette said, "Please don't say it! Oh, this is so embarrassing!"

Cia had to chuckle at Annette's flustered face. "Your lyrics could use some work, but you're honestly not bad at singing, Annie. Well, you're not at my level, but you've got your charm."

"Really? You think so?"

Nodding, Cia said, "If you want, I could give you a few pointers when it comes to lyrics. What do you say?"

"That'd be great! Thanks, Cia!"

"Just follow my lead and you'll have Felix head-over-heels for you in no time."

Annette smiled and laughed at this.

The moment was broken up when Cia heard a familiar, high-pitched voice sneezing.

Alarmed, Cia said, "Wait a second. Annette, where did you put those kittens?"

"I left them with Lana. She really wanted to help warm them up." Then, seeing the look of shock on Cia's face, Annette said, "Oh no! Don't tell me…!"

"Lana's just as allergic to them as I am! Why did you–"

A second sneeze echoed through the hallway from Lana, prompting Cia to rush off after her sister.

"LANAAAA!"

Annette, her face now almost completely red from shame, ran after the dark twin.

"I'M SO SORRYYYYY!"

…

Byleth watched as Jiayi instructed Dorothea on a Hymn known colloquially as the Song of Swiftness. Standing nearby, Brigitte had volunteered to assist in the diva's training. Dorothea was to use the Hymn to empower Brigitte, but so far, she hadn't gotten it to work.

"Concentrate, Dorothea," Jiayi said to Dorothea as she channeled her Mana. "Channeling the power of the Hymn is one thing, but controlling it is another. You must maintain your focus, lest you waver, and the Hymn overtake you."

Dorothea did not respond, so Brigitte said, "You've got this, Dorothea."

Dorothea glared at Brigitte at this moment, showing the redhead was clearly distracting her. Brigitte, realizing her error, winced and replied with a hushed "Sorry…".

"Do not fret over your carelessness, Miss Stark," said Jiayi. "Dorothea will likely be using these Hymns in combat. She must learn to focus even with a thousand distractions."

Brigitte wanted to say something to this, but she decided against it.

"Just be ready to run once she has imbued you with the Hymn's power," said Jiayi. Turning back to Dorothea, she said, "Again, Dorothea. Sing the words."

Taking a deep breath, Dorothea began to sing.

cantia sariata amaristia atilta sortia

Dorothea's magic swirled around her as Brigitte's body suddenly started to shimmer. Surprised, Brigitte looked at herself in confusion as she felt her body fill with power.

sarita camiyata mirifiria atista imia

camia sori

Dorothea felt the magic surge within her, leaving her lightheaded and almost giddy with power. The spell threatened to overwhelm her senses.

She was in danger of being overwhelmed by the Hymn.

Byleth, seeing this, was about to step in when Jiayi raised a hand toward her, gesturing for her to stop.

"Trust in her, Lady Eisner," Jiayi said firmly.

Byleth, despite wanting to stop Dorothea before she lost control, remained where she was.

Dorothea winced in pain. The spell was filling her with so much Mana that it hurt. She opened her eyes to look at Byleth. The Archbishop gazed back at her, her stare speaking volumes to the brunette.

The diva focused as hard as she could, trying to wrest control of the power flowing through her. Her thoughts turned to Byleth, her friends, and everyone else in the monastery.

She was doing this for them. She had to succeed for their sake.

She sang the next verse.

sarita camiyata mirifiria arita

Brigitte let out a startled yelp as she felt the magic flow through her with a new intensity. Her legs, in particular, felt stronger than ever before.

"Whoa…!" said the redhead as Dorothea kept singing.

cantia sariata amaristia atilta sortia

sarita camiyata mirifiria atista imia

Turning to Brigitte, Jiayi said, "Now, Miss Stark!"

camia sori

Brigitte turned toward a hammer that she had placed far on the opposite side of the arena. It would normally take her at least a good fifteen seconds to reach it, even if she sprinted.

sarita camiyata mirifiria arita

Brigitte ran at the hammer, reaching it in less than three seconds. She snatched it up and, in her excitement, roared as she swung it at a nearby broken pillar, her blow moving far faster than normal. The pillar shattered into hundreds of stone fragments.

After realizing what had just happened, Brigitte said, "Holy shit!"

"Well struck, Miss Stark," said Jiayi. "The Song of Swiftness, as you no doubt can tell, greatly enhances the speed of its recipients. Very useful in the right circumstances. However, it does come at a cost."

Brigitte was about to ask what Jiayi meant when Dorothea ended the Hymn, her Mana dispersing. The redhead felt the power leave her body a second later.

Brigitte then felt like her legs were made of gelatin as a wave of fatigue overwhelmed her. Dropping her hammer, she fell to her hands and knees as she gasped for breath.

Alarmed, Dorothea shouted "Brigitte!" as she ran over to the senior diva.

As Dorothea tended to Brigitte, Byleth asked Jiayi, "What just happened to her?"

"As I was saying," said Jiayi, "the Song of Swiftness tends to exhaust those who are imbued by its power when it wears off. Miss Stark will be fine after some rest."

Byleth thought over this for a moment. Having the song tire out those it affected afterward could be disastrous in a battle, but she couldn't deny the potential of its effect. Being able to advance or retreat far more rapidly was an enormous advantage if they could use it right.

"Additionally," Jiayi added, "Dorothea has not yet learned to maintain the Hymn's effect for very long. With practice, she should be able to keep the effect going for longer, and on more than just one soldier."

"I see."

The two turned to Dorothea and Brigitte as the brunette helped the redhead walk over to them. Brigitte looked as though she had just run all the way across Fódlan.

"Are you alright, Brigitte?" asked Byleth.

Brigitte, still panting, gave Byleth a thumbs-up in response.

…

Ashe had little to do in his prison cell in Garreg Mach's dungeon. The cell was being watched by two Abyssian guards to ensure he didn't escape. He couldn't blame them; he had already tried and failed to escape at Ailell.

Yet behind those bars, Ashe felt truly powerless. His family and friends at Castle Gaspard would surely be at Count Rowe's mercy once they learned Gwendel had perished. They would never forgive Ashe or his men for not fighting to the last. It wasn't likely that anyone would pay a ransom to get him back.

For all he knew, Castle Gaspard could already be a burning wreck by now.

He heard footsteps coming down the stairs to his cell. Looking up, he saw Alicia approaching with a plate of food. A few slices of fresh bread, some fresh fillets of Airmid Pike, and some vegetables on the side.

"I hope you're hungry, Ashe," said Alicia.

Ashe said nothing to this, rising from his makeshift bed and moving to the cell bars as Alicia unlocked a slot on the door and passed the plate through it.

Seeing how much he was being served, Ashe said, "Awfully generous meal today."

"You might be our prisoner, but I'm not about to let you starve," said Alicia.

"And what if I don't want a meal? I find it suspicious that I'm getting such a large serving."

"You're going to eat that even if I have to force it into your stomach, Ashe."

Seeing Alicia was serious, Ashe decided not to test her and took a slice of bread, hoping his meal wouldn't be poisoned. As he chewed down on it, his face lit up in surprise at how delicious it was.

"W-Wow…" Ashe said in surprise, unable to withhold his opinion on it. "This is good bread. My compliments to whoever baked this."

Smiling, Alicia said, "You're looking at her."

Now truly surprised, Ashe said, "Wait, you made this?"

"Just this afternoon."

"Well, you have a real knack for it. Where did you learn how to bake bread?"

"Manuela taught me the basics back at the Mittelfrank Opera House."

"I see. Manuela was head of the Blue Lions before the war started, and she really knew her stuff when it came to cooking."

"Yeah, she was the best. I don't think I'll ever match her skill." Alicia paused, letting Ashe have a bit more of his meal before asking, "Ashe, do you know what happened to Manuela?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't. I haven't heard a thing about her since the war started."

Alicia lowered her head in disappointment. She knew it was too much of a stretch to think Ashe might know something of Manuela's whereabouts.

Alicia sat across from Ashe as he finished his meal. The look on his face as he ate spoke volumes to the brunette, prompting her to smile at him.

Finishing his plate, Ashe said, "That was quite filling, Alicia. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Ashe," Alicia said as she took back his dish.

"If I'm being honest with you, you could make quite a career out of baking."

"You think so?" Ashe nodded, so Alicia said, "That's always been my lifelong dream: to open my own bakery. Seeing the smiles on people's faces when they enjoy some freshly baked bread is such a good feeling."

"I won't argue with that."

"But… being an opera diva doesn't make the kind of money you'd need to open up a place like that."

"I see."

"But enough about that, Ashe. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"You were Lord Lonato's adopted son, right?"

"Yes, I was. Before he… before he died. He took me in after I tried stealing a book from his library. I'm not exactly proud to admit that."

"I almost ended up the same. I was almost adopted by a noble too."

"Is that so?"

"I'm not from Fódlan. I was found in a shipwreck off the coast and then brought to an orphanage. I was taken in by Count Townshend, but we didn't even make it back to his estate before he was assassinated. I only lived through that because Brigitte saved me and took me in to the Mittelfrank Opera."

"I see. That must've been hard."

"It's alright. I found a good home in the opera with Manuela, Brigitte, Rosa, Dorothea, the twins…"

Ashe nodded at this, emphasizing with Alicia's tale. He hadn't realized the two shared so much in common.

After a moment of musing, Alicia then asked, "Ashe, why did you side with the Dukedom? Ingrid said you turned down the aid of the Loyalists. Why did you turn your back on your friends?"

Ashe was silent for a moment. He sat down on his makeshift bed and said, "I had no choice. When the war started, I was captured by the Empire and ransomed back to Castle Gaspard. We were left destitute from paying the ransom. Shortly after, Lord Rufus was assassinated, and several other members of House Blaiddyd were murdered. Dimitri fled to Lord Rodrigue's territory, all the way across Faerghus, and soon afterward the houses of the Kingdom were being called to take a side. Either we sided with Cornelia and the Dukedom, or side with Dimitri and the Loyalists."

"So why didn't you side with Dimitri?"

"Count Rowe's army was poised to strike at Castle Gaspard if I tried to join or aid the Loyalists. We were already in a bad way, and I knew Dimitri's army was too far away to assist me and my people before House Rowe would come down on us. I did the only thing I could to save them."

Alicia, seeing the guilt on Ashe's face, began to understand the young lord's position.

"And now, despite my best efforts, my people are going to suffer the cost of my failure."

Ashe buried his face in his hands, and Alicia watched in remorse as the young lord struggled not to cry.

Some of you might consider this one a little strange. It's meant to be something of a build-up for the upcoming "Paralogue".

That Hymnos song is yet another work of Yuki Kajiura, and comes from the anime "Princess Principal". Don't let the name fool you; it's a very good anime, with very sharp writing and great animation. The song is titled "Battle of the Shadows". Again, the lyrics are not a real language; Kajiura tends to use a fictional language for her songs.

Annette and Cia's "Support chain" is going to get some more development later on. I've already put in a hint about what it's about in Chapter 38, but it's not an obvious one.

On a side note, I'm actually having a bit of trouble thinking up how to add in the Dorothea/Ferdinand A-Support without it feeling too forced. The way it's done in Three Hopes would require Edelgard, which obviously isn't possible (I could substitute Constance for Edelgard, but that might be stretching it). The other thing about it is that, in my story, Dorothea has been wronged more than once by the Aegir family: first by misinterpreting Ferdie at the fountain, and second by what happened to Rosa (even if this is very indirect).

I mention this because I feel like I might be deviating from Dorothea's in-game personality a bit too much, and not showing her hypocrisy enough. I do have something that will address that later on, but it doesn't involve Ferdinand. Yet in the meantime, am I deviating too much from Dorothea's in-game persona?

Also, I'm having a lot of trouble thinking up who could appropriately have a Support chain with Lana. Given her weird personality, who do you think would mix well with her, and how would you go about it?