Her soldiers lay strewn throughout the room, dead. Pools of blood stained the palace floors as the Adrestian Empress panted, having been defeated by the one outsider she ever believed she could have trusted.
It was her loss. And what could she do? Accept her death. No matter what they did, she would accept her death for she still had her own conviction. She would not give up her ideals to live another day. No… she wouldn't. Right?
Her grip tightened around the knife concealed by her royal garb. If she was going down, she would at least take down one more of the bastards that denied the truth.
Dimitri would try to extend a hand out to her. She knew that deep within him he still wanted her to be there for him. She would strike then. If he goes down with her, the emperor would fall as well. They would be left without a leader. As she looked up, she saw just what she was looking for. But something was off.
That wasn't his hand. How could he reach his hands out to her if he was standing so far away? Her eyes focused on the person before her.
"Professor…" she couldn't do it. She couldn't go through with her plan.
"Please Edie… stop the fighting…" those words stung more than she realized. It seemed almost all of her friends that she had gone to the academy with all stood by their Professor's side.
"We don't need anymore bloodshed, Edelgard… please, come back with us." She looked to the hand that reached out to her. Her mind raced as the events of the past 5 years rushed through her head.
All that she had done, all that had occurred throughout Fódlan. She couldn't be forgiven for it. There was no way. She had to push them away. There was no redemption. Nothing to save her dreams.
So why was her hand reaching out to him? She just couldn't escape that Professor of hers. Yet as their fingers touched, Edelgard flinched and found herself in an unfamiliar place. Everything seemed to radiate a pale green color. The crackling of the flaming palace was replaced by an eerie silence. She looked up and saw something—or rather someone—that she didn't recognize.
"Edelgard von Hresvelg. You've made quite the mess, haven't you. Thousands have died due to the decisions you've made. You were about to give everything up for a false ideal, huh?" A girl sat on a throne above her. She looked so young despite the atmosphere of authority that she held.
"Who are you? What could you possibly know of my ideals?" She questioned. A pit formed in her stomach. Whoever this girl was, she was terrifying.
"Your ideals are false. You spout about a nonexistent goddess when the truth has been laid out in front of you ever since the night you had wished to kill off the other two leaders. I am the very being you have been denying, Empress. Of course, you may be royalty, but no royalty is greater than a god."
"You're not…"
"I am. The one and only. You believed that I did not exist yet you witnessed the changes in your dear professor. Of course, it is somewhat understandable that you may not link the two of us together. No one other than he and I are able to remember the shifts in time."
"Sothis… What about Rhea? What is she then?"
"She is the one from the legends. The very same one that the church is named after. Saint Seiros, my only daughter."
"So all of it… none of it was right?" The pit in her stomach dropped. She felt like a huge weight had just crashed on top of her. This wasn't right. This wasn't possible. Was she so blind to her ideals that the proof laid out in front of her had never been seen? So many of her friends, dead. So many citizens, soldiers, innocents. Needless bloodshed.
"Would you want to go back? If you could, would you change?" Sothis asked her.
Edelgard felt something on her face and quickly moved her hand to wipe whatever it was. Yet she found nothing out of the ordinary. No, what she found scared her more than anything she had ever witnessed. Tears began to flow through as her repressed emotions had finally reached her. She missed her friends. She missed her life.
She missed the quiet days in the academy where she could spend time with the introverted Bernadetta. She missed the rowdy days in the academy where she could spend time with the outgoing Dorothea. She missed the average days where she could wake up and simply go to class. As much as she didn't realize it, she missed her Professor.
He may not have led her class throughout her time at the academy, however he was one of the few who seemed to understand her. Not to mention, there was a reason her old friends had all flocked to his side when everything went south. Her siege of the monastery had flipped the world upside down. For 5 years, war raged on as their Professor had been presumed dead. Yet 5 years later, he had suddenly returned, surrounded by old faces.
Bernadetta, Dorothea, Lysithea, Marianne. Students from all of the houses had stayed by his side after his return. He certainly had that effect on people after all. She looked up towards the Goddess and opened her mouth.
"Yes."
Sothis smile. "Well, color me surprised," the goddess said. "And here I thought you would die for your ideals, miss Emperor. You're a diligent one, I'll give you that."
"You're proof that my understanding was wrong. It seems I was wrong on that end. To that, I apologize… I… I let my hatred for the church blind me to the truth. And they… those bastards manipulated me. They took advantage of my hatred for their own goals. Even after what they did to me, even if I may not have known… I still helped them."
"Shall I whisk you away back to when it all began?" Sothis asked, amused. "Back to the day you had tried to kill both Dimitri and Claude? The day you met your dear Professor?"
"Please, if you can… I want to fix things. I want to make things right."
"Very well. The only ones who will remember what has happened up to this day shall be you and I. Not even Byleth will know. I hope to see you make better decisions, young Empress. You have a lot of lives to save, don't you?" With those words, time seemed to slow down as the Flame Empress tried to move. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and before she even knew it, they snapped back open as the world around her came back into existence.
No longer was she in the strange green room with the goddess. No, now she was outside, surrounded by trees as the world around her seemed to whiz by. By her side was a cloak of blue and a cape of yellow.
As she came to, she felt herself running despite not putting any conscious effort into it. They came to a stop as one of the mercenaries approached them. Dimitri was quick to explain their situation and it wasn't long until she saw the same mercenary run towards one of the buildings. Out came Jeralt and the one person she had hoped to see.
"Please excuse our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire," Dimitri apologized with a bow.
"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?"
"We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support."
"Bandits? Out here?" Jeralt asked.
"It's true," Edelgard began. "They attacked us while we were at rest at our camp."
"We were separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They're after our heads as well as our gold," Claude noted.
"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation… Wait. That uniform…"
Before Jeralt could make any comments, one of his mercenaries had returned. "Bandits spotted just outside the village! There's a lot of 'em!"
Jeralt sighed. "I guess they followed you all the way here. We can't abandon this village now. Come on," he said as he turned to the blue haired man that stood behind him. "Byleth, let's move. Hope you're ready."
They made their way towards the front gates of the village. "Let's deal with these thieves before they overrun the village. I suggest you kids listen to him. He may be quiet most of the time, but he's got a better knack for battlefield tactics than I do. If there's anyone that you can trust with your lives here, it's him."
The three students got into position in front of the mercenary and his father. Byleth unsheathed his sword and Edelgard took note of just how worn it was. Through and through, the man was a mercenary at heart. His prowess with the blade explained the condition of his weapon.
She lifted her axe onto her shoulder as she got into position along with Claude and Dimitri. They had been very quickly briefed before they had fallen in line in order for the Byleth to learn their strengths.
A hand touched her shoulder and a voice entered her mind. 'You owe me.'
She jumped in surprise and quickly whipped around to see Byleth reaching out to her, a look of concern on his face. "Are you alright? You look a bit overwhelmed."
'Of course I look overwhelmed. How did she just speak to me?' "I'll be fine. I only hope our companions back at our camp are fine."
Byleth nodded and moved on. The time for their first battle was fast approaching. The fight against the bandits would lead to one of the most important moments in her life.
She turned to see her former professor surveying the battlefield. Of course, his main concern was of the village. She felt a pang of guilt as she realized she had been the reason that this village was being attacked.
She took a deep breath and steeled herself. As she gripped her axe, she realized just how strange she felt. With the 5 year gap between her "true" body and her current self, she knew it would take some time to get used to it. She felt determined. With a new sense of purpose in her life, Edelgard von Hresvelg let out a sigh of anticipation, readying herself for the coming battle.
Her life was going to become a lot harder when she finally broke the news to those around her. She knew her benefactors from Those Who Slither in the Dark would be less than happy with her sudden reluctance to share anything with them. On the outside, she would appear to still be working with them. It was the only way she would be able to keep them predictable.
Unfortunately, this meant that even if she may not truly be working with them, some people would be hurt in making their lives easier. Edelgard shook her head. No, no more. She would not sacrifice the lives or well-being of the innocents just so she could make her own life easier. As strange as it felt, she knew she would have allies she could rely on. She had previously shut them all out. Now, she hoped to make amends and help bring about a time of peace.
At the helm of it all, she trusted none other than the very mercenary that stood behind her. Although she knew that Rhea was the leader of the church as well as Seiros herself, she just couldn't trust her. The only obvious choice to her was the professor himself. Afterall, Byleth housed the goddess herself. It was clear that Sothis was wiser than she let on.
"Let's get going," Byleth called to the three students. "You, move up to the trees. Get behind some cover before they reach us." Dimitri began to make his move while the other two stood by.
"You with the bow, set up somewhere within the thicket. You'll have enough cover to keep some of the heat off of you while still having the visibility to deal some damage." Claude nodded and jogged towards the brush leaving only the Adrestian Empress.
"You'll be with me. Stay close and whatever you do, do not wander too far off. I trust that you three are all proficient enough with your weapons to wield them with that amount of confidence." Byleth began to walk forward, prompting the girl to follow suit. "We'll be taking them head on. Your axe is rather well suited for frontline use than back line. I'll handle most of them. The sooner we get this fight over with, the safer the village."
Edelgard nodded. This was the Professor she knew. Even if he may have been reserved, the man was the very definition of a fearless leader. His introvertedness seemed to only exist outside of the battlefield. While on mission, that shroud of uncertainty melted away, revealing a competent, effective commander. People quickly understood just why they should trust his word. If his tactics weren't enough to convince others, his swordplay was the alternative.
Byleth was the very definition of a prodigy. Despite his hardships growing up as a mercenary, the young man was more than capable of any combat related task he was put to. Spears, axes, bows, none were sacred. If he put his mind to it, the man could master it within months. Of course, that wasn't to say he hadn't had help from others. She recalled seeing the Professor on his days off visiting a few of the faculty throughout the monastery. He had no shame in asking for help. It was admirable.
On their off days, other than spending time with his students, Byleth could be found in the training grounds with other members of faculty. Typically, he was being instructed on whatever he may have been interested in. She recalled a time when she had entered the training grounds just in time to see him split an arrow with another arrow. Shamir had actually shown a hint of surprise. It was clear that even as an expert with a bow, Byleth's shot had caught her off guard.
"Guess you're a natural," the woman had said with an amused expression. "From one mercenary to another, it really is amazing to see how quickly you pick up some of these things. Guess it makes sense with you being the kid of the Blade Breaker, huh?"
Looking back, Edelgard felt a pang of guilt at the emotions that stewed within. As a knight of the church, Shamir was towards the top of her list of people she didn't care for. Back then, had the knight died, the Adrestian Empress wouldn't have batted an eye. Yet as she recalled the few interactions they had, she realized her apathy was severely flawed.
The Edelgard of the past was a ruthless tyrant, hellbent on bringing about unity to a world that didn't need it. A monarch that cared not for the lives of her opposition, innocent or not. She shuddered as she reflected on herself. As prideful as she may have been, being given a second chance humbled her. Speaking with the goddess of the land herself did that to a person.
She had witnessed her power firsthand. And who knows how many times prior? There was no way of knowing how often the goddess manipulated time. It didn't matter what timeline she may have been in, the goddess Sothis was more than capable of negating any victory she could have possibly had. It scared her.
She shook her head. Now was no time to be thinking about the past. What's done is done. Especially now that time had been reversed, any actions she would have made could be rectified. The people of Fódlan deserved justice. Not from the church, no. They weren't the true evil that plagued the land. Only one group was left.
Those Who Slither in the Dark was a sickness that had no clean cure. The procedure was straightforward, yet the execution was not. They were a dangerous bunch. Murder, kidnapping, nothing was safe. They had wriggled their way into the monastery ranks once before and if their modus operandi had anything to say, they'd do it again. The only one that knew about their deceit was the Adrestian empress herself.
She had a responsibility to the people of Fódlan. Even if it meant an intense interrogation from the head of the church herself, Edelgard would be sure to say everything she knew about their movements. All the while, Garreg Mach Monastery would continue life as normal. The Knights of Seiros would deal with the threat that slept under their noses while the students learned whatever they needed.
Edelgard laughed. In no way would that happen. Such wishful thinking only happened in fairy tales. The world wasn't as easy as the good guys beating the bad guys. Her own life was proof of that. No, she would train along with her peers to become the best that the monastery had to offer. Under the tutelage of Professor Hanneman, Manuela, and Byleth, the three houses of Fódlan would come together for the first time in years to fight their true enemies.
Until then, Edelgard would live out her life as best as she could. Her ambitions to "take back" Fódlan had been proven wrong. The same couldn't be said for the rest of the Adrestian empire. She knew that Duke Aegir was the one behind the Empire's involvement with Those Who Slither. If her intentions of fighting back against Those Who Slither came to light, she knew the Empire would not react kindly.
She sighed. There was virtually no way to cleanly redirect that path of the Empire. Her ascension to the throne had marked a turning point in Empire history. For the first time, a direct assault against the Church of Seiros had been conducted. And they had won. But her hatred had been misguided. No longer did she have any desire to fight back against the Church. Now, she only wished for the peace that the people deserved.
To do so, she would fight against the very place she called home if she had to. Sothis herself believed she could. She would not let the goddess down. She wouldn't let him down. The one that found the heart to forgive her despite her role in his father's death. This time, that wasn't going to happen. Monica- no, Kronya would pay for what she had planned. Jeralt the Blade Breaker would not die. Not this time.
"Let's go," Byleth called out to her. Now was their time. Her first steps into a new future would begin here.
Dimitri and Claude quickly got into their positions as Byleth and Edelgard held the frontline. This would be the most effective formation they could hold with how little they had. Multiple bandits advanced on their position before Byleth gave the signal. In an instant, an arrow whizzed by them and a bandit fell.
That was enough to shake the bandits. The unexpected opening shot had broken their formation. With the sudden confusion from Claude's arrow, Byleth and Edelgard took the opportunity to strike.
With inhuman accuracy, Byleth lunged forward, thrusting his sword straight through one of the bandit's chest. Moving in tune with him, Edelgard also moved forward, swinging her axe and cleaving clean through armor, straight into the chest of one of the bandits. Both fell near instantly from their wounds while Byleth and Edelgard regrouped, standing side by side as the number of bandits began to dwindle.
"You're fast," she noted.
"And you're strong. Let's keep it up," As he said that, his arm moved swiftly, the tip of an arrow deflecting off the metal of his blade. A man rushed forward and the two crossed swords before the Ashen Demon completely overpowered him. A stab through the torso and a slash across the chest and the man fell.
He was quick, efficient, and downright terrifying. She had witnessed his combat prowess many times fighting with him as his student, and against him as the Empress. No other person had even come close to matching him in a one on one battle.
It was then when she watched as he rushed towards her, throwing himself over her as time seemed to stop. Edelgard watched as an axe approached the man's back, all the while her own body began to move, pushed by the blue haired mercenary.
Yet she noticed something. The world began to rewind and she felt her body move against her will in an impossible shift in momentum.
'Are you trying to get yourself killed?' Byleth blinked in confusion as the scenery around him changed. Why did that voice sound familiar? Where was he? He looked up and found himself in a room with an eerie green glow. A girl sat on a throne high above him.
His eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl. He knew her. Right? No, there was no way he knew her. He didn't even know where he was.
"Well? Are you going to just stand there or answer me?" She asked. "For the love of-" she cut herself off, sighing as she shook her head. "Never mind. You don't need to say a word. All you need to know is that your life isn't the only one at risk when you do stupid things like that! You're a mercenary and the first thing you do is throw your body in front of an axe aimed for someone else? You sure don't fit the reputation of one."
"Who are you? Where are we?" He asked.
"Didn't I just say-" she shook her head. "Look. I'm going to bring you back a few seconds. Let's give that another go, shall we? Use that sword of yours rather than your heart, okay? Trust me, we both don't want you dead. Let's fix this."
As he blinked, the world around him began to move backwards. He felt his body moving away from the girl. Sword in hand, his eyes settled in on the axe wielder that had begun to rush towards the white haired girl. Time stopped before the voice of the girl returned.
'Ready now? Let's save the girl while not getting us killed.'
Time moved forward and Byleth immediately moved, intercepting the man's movement with an immaculately timed parry, completely throwing his balance off. His weapon flew out of his hands and the bandit stumbled backward.
The sounds of shouts from faraway marked the end of their battle. The Knights of Seiros had arrived, driving off the remaining bandits while Alois approached the three students. The man that had nearly killed Byleth the first time around had already run off. There was no use chasing. They would be back.
"Jeralt? Is that really you? Say it isn't so!" Alois shouted ecstatically as his eyes focused on the bearded mercenary.
"Dammit…" Jeralt muttered under his breath. "Alois. Yes, it's me. How has the church been?" He asked.
"It'll be a lot better when you're there! Come, come, I'm sure Lady Rhea will have much to say considering you saved her most precious students!" This got the attention of the mercenaries.
"Students? I knew those uniforms looked familiar. So you three are from the officer's academy, huh?" Jeralt asked.
"Yes. Again, I deeply apologize for the trouble we put you through in helping us. Please, allow us to repay your kindness in some way," Dimitri stated.
"Oh calm it down there, Blue," Claude rolled his eyes. "I'm sure these guys were saving the village more than us. They were confident enough to put us under his care as fighters afterall."
"Yes, I will admit that the village was the priority, but rest assured that we were also fighting for your sakes as well," Byleth explained. At the end of the day, they were mercenaries. Their jobs took them to and from and paid them well enough. They had an obligation to the people that paid them.
"Please, come with us! I'm sure Lady Rhea desperately awaits your return, Jeralt. I shall report to her of your good deeds. She will be sure to reward you handsomely."
Jeralt sighed. There was no way to get out of this. He knew the man well enough despite their time apart. "Fine. It's been years since I've been to the monastery. I guess I had to go back eventually, huh?"
Jeralt rounded up his mercenaries and explained the situation. Those that wanted to leave could, however the main group was leaving to head to the monastery. His suspicions on Lady Rhea had never dwindled. He never showed it, but even after so many years, he had never trusted her. Not after her obsession with Sitri and Byleth.
As the former Captain of the Knights of Seiros walked alongside an old acquaintance and subordinate, the rest of their company marched in relative silence. The two men were talking about the state of the Church and the well-being of those that resided there. It had been years since Jeralt had been there. A lot must have changed.
Behind them, the three heirs to their respective thrones walked side by side. Though they didn't have much to say, in their minds they all knew that they had grown closer from the incident.
However, a certain Adrestian had her eyes on the mercenary that stood between them and the legendary Blade Breaker. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him. In a way, he had been the one to save her from the hell that she had created.
Her mind wandered back to their fight. She had felt herself move backwards as Sothis did her work. It was a strange feeling, not having control of your body. She had never felt it before, however she knew that with a power like that, there was no way Byleth hadn't used it before. He was an incredible fighter, however he wasn't infallible. Perhaps her meeting with Sothis had given her a sixth sense for her time manipulation.
She thought back to those last moments she had before everything had been reverted. In her darkest moment, at her lowest point, despite all she had done to tear apart the nation, he still cared for her. In his eyes, even she could be redeemed. And she had almost betrayed that trust. Had it been any other person, Edelgard knew she wouldn't be where she was now. She would have been laid to rest alongside whoever she had killed with her dying breath.
She shook her head. There was no point in dwelling over the past anymore. She could only look forward to the future. What she did now would change the fate of their futures. She would be ready for whatever consequences awaited her. For now, she would live her life to her fullest.
"Yo, you alright there? You've been zoning out for a bit now," a voice asked. To her surprise, Claude had genuinely seemed worried about her.
"Ah, yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about the battle against those bandits. I would have lost my life had it not been for our pr- er, our savior over there," she motioned towards Byleth. She cursed herself for nearly slipping up. He wasn't their professor yet. She couldn't say anything out of the ordinary.
"Yeah he really is something, huh? That Jeralt guy said his name was Byleth, right? I haven't seen anyone with swordplay like that ever! I bet he'd put Felix in his place if the two ever dueled," Claude said laughing.
"Oh believe me, Claude, Felix is an excellent sword fighter, however he would not hold a candle against a seasoned fighter such as a mercenary like him. I may not know his history, however it is clear that his experience is far greater than our own. I am not prideful enough to deny the man's capabilities," Dimitri noted.
Edelgard smiled, looking towards the ground. Was this what companionship meant? She could hardly believe that she was enjoying herself in the company of the two men she had tried to kill a few years ago. Hell, their last battle had been an indirect attempt on their lives. Yet she stood by their sides as they all walked back to the place that they would eventually call home.
"Woah, a smile from the Empress?" Claude joked. "Something must be wrong, huh?" He laughed along with Dimitri. It was true that she had grown a reputation as an ice queen. She only had herself to blame for that. Her goals had never aligned with theirs. She never had a reason to show any joy to the ones she had viewed as enemies.
"Oh shut it," she smiled harder. "Nothing is wrong. I'm just glad we all lived to see another day is all."
"Not only is she smiling but she's actually happy that we all survived? Must be our lucky day, huh Dimitri?"
"I suppose so. I must say though, Edelgard, you seem rather fixated on Byleth."
"Ooo, she has been, hasn't she? Is someone growing a little crush?" Claude teased.
Or so he tried. "Maybe I am," Edelgard answered without any pause. "Just a bit though. What, you two jealous?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ha, in your dreams! You're pretty and all, but you're just not my type. Don't go overestimating yourself now," Claude shot back.
Their banter continued while the group made their way to the monastery.
The bright glow from the moon seemed to shine so bright in the dark sky. It was then that Edelgard was made aware of just how tired she was. Even if her body may have not been through an entire castle siege, her mind was exhausted. The group parted ways, the students heading towards their dorms while the knights and mercenaries made their way towards a nearby tavern.
As Edelgard entered the courtyard of the monastery, she quickly found herself embraced by someone.
"Edie! Goodness you had us worried! I'm so glad to see you all come back safely. Alois had some of the knights lead us back while he rushed after you guys. I wanted to go with him but he wouldn't let me!" Dorothea spoke while she embraced her future empress.
"Yes, we are all having much joy in seeing your safety, Lady Edelgard," Petra added.
"Thank you all for your concern but we're fine. We happened to come across a few mercenaries that were staying at a village and they helped fend off the bandits. They're here in the monastery right now, actually. You won't believe this but Jeralt the Blade Breaker is actually their leader," Edelgard told them.
"The Blade Breaker? Wasn't he the Captain of the Knights at one point? I swear that was on one of our exams…" Dorothea muttered to herself.
"Y-yes, he was," Bernadetta spoke. The shy girl had been in the back of the group the entire time, not wanting to bring any attention to herself. It was this quality of her that always made Edelgard want to help the girl out. Despite her surprising aptitude with the bow, her meek attitude always made those around her want to keep her safe. It was perfect given her attitude towards fighting.
"How strong is he, huh? Was he strong? He must be to have a name like that!" Caspar asked excitedly. "Captain of the Knights? That's crazy!"
"Please calm it down. It is way too early for this." Linhardt complained. He turned to Edelgard. "I guess you're probably going to sleep now after a night out, huh? Good. We've been waiting for you to get back," he said as he yawned.
"Yes I am pretty tired. I apologize for making you all worry about me, but to answer your question Caspar, I actually didn't see him fight. Even so, I'll say now that you don't have a chance against him."
"Wait what? I thought you said they helped you?" He asked.
"They did. It was actually his so-" she stuttered, nearly slipping up again. "One of his mercenaries cleaned those bandits up. It was quite the sight to be honest. Anyway, enough chatting. You should all get to bed, alright? You really didn't need to wait for me to return. There's no way I'd go down to some measly bandits afterall."
"It would certainly be expected of the heir to the throne to be able to deal with a few bandits," Ferdinand commented. "Of course, I would have had no issues dealing with them."
"Come now, let's all get back to the dorms," Hubert budged in, trying to keep the situation under control. Had she not been hardened from 5 years of war, Edelgard would have fallen for Ferdinand's bait. However, she could only nod in agreement to Huvert's words.
"Please, let's all get some rest. With the loss of one of our professors, who knows how our year here will go?" The group all made their way towards the dorms. By the time she had reached her room, Edelgard was alone with Hubert.
"We have some things to discuss," she said.
Hubert raised an eyebrow. "Regarding what?"
"I was wrong, Hubert. We have new goals in our sights."
"What do you mean?"
"We're fighting against the wrong enemy. I believe you know who the real enemies should be," she said.
"Are you saying-"
"Yes. Our real enemies are Those Who Slither in the Dark. I know you've already been on the fence about them, but I had a sudden realization that the world that we see may not be everything that there is. Rhea- no, the church is not as evil as we thought."
"Are you certain about your decision? What brought this up?" He asked with narrow eyes.
"I have my reasons, rest assured. I promise I will explain what I can when the time is right. Until then, I believe you understand what we must do."
"Good riddance. The members of that organization are all worse than I could have ever imagined. I presume we'll begin by explaining everything to the Archbishop?" He asked.
She nodded. "Yes. I will tell Lady Rhea the news of the Empire's plans. Solon, Kronya, all of them." Her nails dug into her palm as she spoke. "Monica… she may still be alive. I am unaware of if they've done anything, but we must act quickly to save her. She's yet another one of the innocent lives affected by all of this."
"We've got our hands full then. Please let me know what you need me to do. I will not disappoint."
Edelgard sighed. "Get some rest, Hubert. We still have much to do. We'll fix the Empire piece by piece. Those that oppose their future Empress will see the consequences.
"Very well. I trust your word." He nodded and stepped out of the room, returning to his own quarters.
Edelgard closed the door, locking it before flopping onto her bed. She sighed as she closed her eyes. This was the right choice. The correct path is not often the easiest. This was proof of that.
She found herself thinking back to Claude's words. 'A crush, huh?' She asked herself. Perhaps it was true. She shook her head. There was no way she would ever fall in love with the one that could have single handedly broken everything that she had ever held dear.
Even if he had let her live in the end, there was no way the man loved her back. Besides, the presence of her other crest meant that she would never live to grow old with whoever she loved. So she denied it. Rather than letting anyone grow close, she always kept people at an arm's length away. Never too close, yet close enough to be put to use.
For now, she would focus on her task at hand. Her relationships came second. She tossed and turned in bed before her fatigue inevitably claimed her.
-E-
As the sun rose, the sounds of footsteps shuffling throughout the dorm room increased as the students of Garreg Mach Monastery went about their daily routines. All the while, a certain white haired empress-to-be laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling as her heart raced.
Today was the day when Edelgard would tell the Archbishop of the Empire's plans. A part of her couldn't help but wonder what would happen to her. She knew the woman would appreciate her heads up. The question was, would she do anything right away? It would be incredibly reckless for her to make a move without the proper manpower. Even if he was to be caught off guard, Solon would easily pose a great threat to the rest of the students.
She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. She had to tell Rhea. She sighed, stood up, and got dressed before leaving the dorms. Her first stop: Lady Rhea. The Archbishop was typically in her chambers around now. Edelgard made her way through the doors to the Archbishop, a rare sight to see.
"Ah, Edelgard, what brings you here?" The woman asked with a smile.
"I must speak with you, Lady Rhea." The tone of her voice told Rhea that what she had to say was important.
"Do go on. I will hear out whatever it is you may have to say."
"It's about the Empire and their plans. The ones behind the throne want the church to fall. They believe Sothis is nothing but a sham made up by the church. But I've witnessed the power of the goddess! I know now that the Empire has been wrong. That is why I must confess to you the plans that the Empire had devised," Edelgard bowed.
The atmosphere grew cold as Rhea listened to the girl. "Speak then. What do they have planned for us?" Rhea crossed her arms as she looked down on the bowing girl.
"Two members of the monastery have been replaced. Tomas's return from retirement was a complete ruse officiated by a man called Solon. A member of the Adrestian Empire's youth, Monica, was replaced by a woman called Kronya. Both of them are members of an organization called Those Who Slither in the Dark."
Rhea's eyes narrowed. "After all these years… still a thorn in my side," she muttered. "Very well. I will see to it that justice is served. Thank you for bringing this matter to light, Edelgard. I presume the rest of the Empire will not see your betrayal so kindly."
"I'm aware. It is a risk I am willing to take to finally see peace throughout Fódlan. The people deserve it," the princess replied. "Thank you for your time, Lady Rhea."
Rhea smiled and the atmosphere seemed to brighten. "Now then, we have some guests that I must address," she said. The two bid farewell, Rhea preparing for her guests while Edelgard took her leave.
A few hours later, the white haired girl had spotted a familiar sight. A blue haired man walked throughout the monastery, speaking with the students much to their surprise.
It wasn't long until he had reached her. Their conversation was straightforward. Although he had talked with a good portion of the Black Eagles' students, he had still come to her to hear her take on them. She knew how it would end, anyway. He would end up choosing the Blue Lions over the other two houses. In the end, he would go on to defeat the Empire, bringing peace to a world without it.
She watched as he walked off, presumably back to Lady Rhea before she decided to head for the Black Eagles' classroom. There, she would wait for Manuela to arrive, leading her classroom to become the best that they could be.
Half an hour passed and the door opened signaling Manuela's arrival.
"Who are you?"
She froze. The students knew Manuela. What was with this reaction? She turned around to see a mop of blue hair. This wasn't right.
"I'll be your new professor from today onward. My name is Byleth."
Hi, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this fic. I will say now that I haven't completed the Black Eagles route just yet. I finished Blue Lions and Verdant Wind and am currently working on both Silver Snow and Crimson Flower. Some characters may be a bit OOC, but I will try to keep them relatively similar to how they are in canon.
I am a very inconsistent writer. Sometimes updates will come in a few weeks, sometimes in a few months. Don't expect anything from me. I write whenever I like, and along with that, I'm currently working on two other fics.
Unsure of the reaction towards this, but I intend to make this a harem fic. I loved the interactions between the characters throughout my time playing Three Houses and I just wanted everyone to have their happy ending, so expect a good amount of fluff throughout. Specifically, this will be a Byleth X Harem fic featuring all of the girls with fairly little focus on any of the guys of Garreg Mach. My main focus is on the students, but if there's enough demand, others such as Shamir, Catherine, Rhea, and anyone else I may have missed will be considered.
Once again, thank you for reading! I hope you look forward to more.