THE HEIR OF ADRESTIA

17 years ago

"But how? How could I really lose... to a lowly creature like you?" stammered Kronya. She raised the dagger she wielded in her right hand in a defensive position to protect herself from Byleth's impending attack. Even from that distance, Edelgard could see her hand tremble considerably.

Fear, Edelgard thought as he watched her. It was a feeling she had known well, though she had long since dismissed such emotions. Even someone like her is afraid of death.

This whole situation was her fault, she knew that well. Kronya, Solon, Thales... All of them would never have brought this on if she hadn't allowed it. She needed them, but this time they had gone too far. Her hands were as stained with Captain Jeralt's blood as Kronya's were, and it tormented her deeply.

How, how can I ask her to walk beside me when I am the cause of her father's death, when I am the cause of the death of so many people, and of the thousands who must still die to achieve my dream?

She had taken so much away from Byleth, from her teacher, from the person in whom this past year had made her feel she could open her heart again. True, she had always had Hubert by her side, and she could even consider Dorothea, Petra and Bernadetta her friends, but Byleth... there was something special about him that she couldn't quite explain. It pained her deeply to have to keep what she was up to from her and her fellow Black Eagles, but at least she could help her get her revenge. It was the least she owed her.

In front of her, Byleth raised her weapon, ready to strike the final blow when suddenly, an icy wind gave her goose bumps.

A violet light began to glow from behind Kronya, a light that Edelgard recognized instantly, for that kind of technology was possessed only by Those Who Rode in the Dark. In the blink of an eye, the decrepit, hunched figure of Solon materialized behind Kronya.

This is not good. They are still at a disadvantage and yet Solon is too calm, something is wrong.

"Well," said Solon, his voice calm and impassive, denoting no emotion whatsoever.

"Solon!" exclaimed Kronya startled. "Don't just stand there and stare. I need your help!"

"Yes... you most certainly do," he said as he slowly approached towards her. A faint smile materialized on his face.

"Huh?" asked Kronya visibly confused turning towards him, but before either of them could even react, Solon raised his hand and with surprising speed drove it through Kronya's chest. The latter writhed in pain as Solon lifted her into the air, his hand still wedged in her chest.

"Have no fear, Kronya," Solon said. "Your sacrifice will help to rid this world of the filthy vermin that have long infested it."

"Guys, we must get out of here at once" Edelgard ordered fearing what might happen. It was clear that Solon had an ace up his sleeve, and Edelgard didn't plan to stick around to find out.

None of them are going to die today because of me. I brought this scum here, but this ends today.

"My teacher, get out of here, please" Edelgard called to Byleth. The latter heard her words and was about to head towards them when suddenly, dark flames covered the ends of the platform they were on, separating Byleth and Solon from Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagles.

Edelgard carefully touched one of the black flames that had risen before them, but had to withdraw her hand immediately at the intense pain she felt when it came in contact with the fire.

"Damn,"she mumbled.

"Edie? What do we do?" asked Dorothea worriedly behind her.

"We have to find a way through these flames" said Ferdinand. He was trying to sound confident, but Edelgard noticed a deep concern in his voice.

Damn it, why, why do I have this power and yet I can't do anything to save the ones I care about?

"And now, the time has finally come." Solon's hoarse voice boomed throughout the forest glade. "To unleash the Forbidden Spell of Zahras upon our enemies!"

The next few moments passed before her as if time had stood still. Her legs began to move mindlessly, stepping into the dark flames that barred her way regardless of the intense pain she felt coursing through her entire body. She heard the voice of Hubert and the rest of her companions, but they seemed far away and distant, as if she could barely make out what they were saying. Edelgard kept running forward, one foot after another without hesitation as the fire burned every bit of her skin.

At last, through the flames, she caught sight of Byleth. She was struggling as some sort of dark whips had her bound hand and foot and prevented her from moving. She stumbled before she could get any closer to her, exhausted from the recent battle and the piercing pain she was feeling after going through the flames.

As she tried to sit up again, she glanced back for a moment. There, behind her, stood Hubert, badly wounded by the dark fire summoned by Solon. He could barely stand and Edelgard could see how each step he took towards her brought him terrible pain. But he was not alone. Behind him were all his fellow Black Eagles. Dorothea, Ferdinand, Caspar, Linhardt, Petra... even Bernadetta and Constance, who had dared to accompany them even in broad daylight. It said a lot about Byleth that all of them had dared to throw themselves straight into the flames in an attempt to help her. A part of her wondered if she would ever be able to inspire as much loyalty as her teacher did. She had Hubert, but... his loyalty would not be enough when the war finally broke out.

The only one who was not with them was Flayn, who, despite her protests, had remained in the monastery of Garreg Mach on Seteth's orders because of the danger of the mission. In view of the situation, perhaps it would not have been such a bad idea.

She looked at her teacher again. A part of her wanted to think that at any moment Byleth would get rid of her bonds and run to give Solon the coup de grace, but the more she looked at her, the more she understood that this time it was not going to be so easy. Taking a last look at her companions, her friends,s he could feel how they all shared the same feelings, but in spite of that, their strength abandoned them, and prevented them from casting a spell, wielding their weapons or even taking another step.

No, this time it's up to me. It must be me...

Edelgard mustered her last remaining strength and stood up. Her body was heavy and she had to get rid of her axe, for she had no strength left to even hold it. She staggered closer to Byleth, each step she took felt as if she were climbing a mountain and what called her most was to let herself fall on the cold rock, surrendered.

A little more, just a little more.

Then she felt it. A deep shiver ran through her body and she felt the ambient temperature drop drastically, even as she was surrounded by flames.

"Help me... please..." Edelgard recognized Kronya's agonized voice calling out to them for help from the other end of the platform. The creature that had hurt them so badly was there, lying on the ground in agony, with a fist-sized hole through her chest and trying to reach them with her trembling hand. However, her pleas fell on deaf ears as her body was engulfed in flames, much like those that surrounded the perimeter of the platform, and which soon began to spread towards where they were.

Without knowing why, Edelgard jumped. She used the last of his strength and lunged towards Byleth as if she were an arrow, confident that the impact of her body would be enough to free her from her bonds. She didn't quite know why she had done it. Her dreams, her ambitions... everything she had been working for all these years could come crashing down from that instant of weakness, but it still felt like the right thing to do.

She felt her right shoulder slam into Byleth's back. Despite the force of the impact, she was still practically anchored to the ground, bound by the sorcerer's chains.

She had no intention of giving up. In an instant, while her body was still suspended in the air, Edelgard channeled all her energies, the strength of her two crests that were both the source of all her power and her greatest curse, and tried to channel them into the impact. She felt a great pain concentrate in her limb, as if her bones were shattering as they could not withstand so much power, but still she continued until, suddenly, the chains that bound her teacher broke. The dark magic that bound her unraveled and Byleth shot off to the side and fell rolling until he almost reached the flames that surrounded the platform. She, meanwhile, crashed against the cold stone of the platform, bruised and sore, unable to move a finger.

I made it, she thought as she looked up at the blue sky. I saved her, I saved her...

"Lady Edelgard!"

Hubert's desperate cry echoed in her ears, and overlapped with the calls of the rest of her friends, though none managed to bring her out of her thoughts.

The last thing she saw of her world, was how a great darkness enveloped her.

She didn't know how much time had passed. She didn't feel anything, neither cold nor hot. She couldn't feel the breeze in the air on her face or the sun's rays on her skin. She breathed, but she couldn't feel the air fill her lungs. She opened her eyes, but the darkness was still there. She looked around and even brought her hand in front of her eyes, but she still saw absolutely nothing.

Where am I, what's going on?

Edelgard put her hands to her face and pinched her cheek.

Well, at least I'm not dead. I think. But I think I've gone blind.

"Hubert! Professor! Is anyone there! Can anyone hear me?!" cried Edelgard.

For a few long seconds she got no answer, and her doubts about her vitality or lack of it returned to her mind once more.

"Lady Edelgard! Is that you?" said a distant voice. She recognized it instantly.

"Hubert! Where are you?"

"Edie! Hubie! Is that you?" called another voice.

Dorothea.

Edelgard let out a sigh she didn't even know she was holding. At least now she was sure she wasn't dead, though there was something that was still too strange to her.

She sat up and walked towards where she thought she heard the voices, but after a few steps she bumped into something, or rather, someone.

"Ouch, what's going on? I can't see anything!" complained from the ground the person she had just bumped into. "Who's there?"

Caspar. Something's wrong.

"It's me, Caspar."

"Edelgard? Where are you?"

Edelgard reached out his hand until she touched what he thought was Caspar's head. He seemed to be sitting right in front of her, but she couldn't even glimpse his figure. Apparently, he couldn't see her either. The darkness was total.

"I'm here, Caspar. Give me your hand, let's try to gather the others. Something strange is going on."

Slowly, and not without much effort, Edelgard managed to gather all her companions, who were scattered around that strange place. All except Byleth. There was no trace of him.

At first, she thought they were still in the forest, and that Solon's strange spell had deprived them of sight, but she soon discarded that idea. Beyond their voices, no sound could be heard. Not the wind, nor the birds and animals of the forest. Not even the sound of their footsteps. Wherever they were, it wasn't Fodlan, that much was clear. Or at least, nowhere in Fodlan that they knew of. Perhaps it was Shamballa, that strange place inhabited by Those Who Slithered in the Dark, which Hubert thought he had discovered only a few months ago. Whatever the case, they had to find a way to escape.

"I'm sorry, Edie," Dorothea said after trying for the umpteenth time to conjure a light spell so they could try to see something in all that darkness.

"I feel the spell being channeled, and I can feel the sparks in my hand, but for some unknown reason I can still see absolutely nothing" said Constance who, although clearly frustrated, did not cease in her attempts, even with more motivation each time. Her mood was the only good thing this situation seemed to have going for it. "But fear not! I intend to keep trying until I succeed, I swear."

At least she was glad that at least Constance was able to maintain some optimism in that situation, even as her prospects began to fade little by little as all her attempts failed one after another, although she was beginning to notice a certain fear in her voice. The rest of his friends did not seem to share her hopes. Even Hubert was beginning to doubt that they would be able to get out of this situation.

"My lady. Perhaps we should start thinking that this situation is going to last longer than expected. Maybe... it would be better to start thinking longer term" said Hubert.

Long term... How long would they stay here? Days, months, years even? Could they survive without food and water? It was clear that this place seemed to be beyond time and space, but she wasn't willing to know the limits to which they could go.

We might even go crazy. No... I don't want to be locked up again, not again... I won't allow it. I will not allow those I love to suffer the consequences of my mistakes.

Then she saw him. There, in front of her, she could clearly see Hubert's face. A light illuminated him and showed his features with total clarity and she had to hold her hand to her face in the face of such brightness. She looked around her and before her appeared all her companions, illuminated just like Hubert. Like him, the sudden light seemed to have surprised them.

Where did that light come from? And why didn't I... Oh.

The light was coming from her own body. She didn't know how that was possible, but when she bent her head down she could see how one of her crest, the crest of flames, was glowing on her chest and emitting an intense light while it seemed to be beating strongly, as if it was her own heart. Then she felt it. She felt a great power flowing through her veins. It was a very strange sensation, as if all the power of her crest, a power beyond her comprehension, was being released.

Edelgard allowed herself to smile. She knew she could do it. She felt that, for the first time in her life, that power, that curse that had been forced upon her as a child, that misfortune that had taken her brothers from her, could help her save someone.

"Edelgard, what...?" mumbled Ferdinand in surprise.

"Stand to one side," Edelgard commanded him, confidently. "Move aside everyone."

Ferdinand and the rest of her companions obeyed, but continued to stare at her with a mixture of disbelief, admiration, and even some fear. She stretched her left arm forward and opened her hand wide. She couldn't tell exactly why she was doing that, she was simply going with her instinct.

Then it happened. In the absolute darkness that stretched out in front of her, cracks of light began to form, as if it were a mirror cracking. She clenched her fist and the mirror cracked completely. A large circle of light opened up before them and Edelgard felt her strength dissipate, as if they were leaving after accomplishing the mission they had been waiting inside her for all this time.

"Come on guys," Edelgard said exhausted. "Let's get out of here." She advanced towards the intense light, which blinded her as she got closer and closer. She didn't dare look back, but she knew her friends were following her.

"Let's hope this works and we don't end up in a world of perpetual light. I don't think I could take it." she heard Linhardt say.

"Mmm... I wonder if the professor will be okay... do you think this will get us back to the forest?" said Dorothea laconically.

"Have no fear my friends," said Ferdinand. "Wherever we go, we'll do it together."

"Come on Bernie, go into the light."

"We all follow you, Lady Edelgard."

The blinding light enveloped them and Edelgard noticed how the air seemed to fill her lungs again. She also felt the gentle breeze on her skin and the sound of leaves, people and... waves?

She slowly opened her eyes, which were still tired from the sudden emptiness from which they had just emerged only moments before. She tried to cover her eyes with her hands, but her right arm refused to respond to her. Her shoulder was definitely broken. Gradually, her eyes became accustomed to the light outside and she noticed the large, thick trees towering in front of her. For a brief moment she thought they had returned to the Sealed Forest, but there was one detail that caught her attention. The tree in front of her had a huge human face carved into its trunk. It wasn't a simple carving, it looked like the face belonged to the tree itself. Red sap ran down its trunk and into its eyes, giving the impression that the tree was crying.

"Where are we?" asked Edelgard, though more than to her companions, she was asking that question of herself.

"My lady," Hubert said behind her back. Edelgard looked behind her back and was pleased to see how all of her fellow Black Eagles were there with her. She smiled, but her happy face contrasted with the worried faces of her companions.

"What's going on Hubert? We should set out to find the professor as soon as possible. She may still be fighting with Solon. She may need our help..."

"My lady," Hubert interrupted her. It was the first time in her life he had ever done so. "Please look over there." He held out his hand and pointed somewhere to his left.

Edelgard looked where Hubert was pointing and her breath almost caught. How had she not noticed? There, in front of her, stood an imposing cylindrical tower several hundred meters high. It was the largest and most imposing fortification she had ever seen. It was larger than any of the towers of Garreg Mach and seemed as wide as the entire cathedral of the monastery. The battlements that crowned it made it resemble a huge fist rising toward the sky.

From the windows and balconies of the monstrous tower hung huge banners depicting a black stag standing on its hind legs on a golden field.

The Golden Deer? No, it can't be. Clearly we are no longer in Garreg Mach and I know of no fortress of such magnitude anywhere in Fodlan. Maybe in the Gorge...

"Over here, I think I heard a voice" said a voice from among the trees.

"Who's there?" boomed another voice, much deeper, coming from the same direction. "Did you have anything to do with that glow? Show yourselves."

In a few moments, a score of soldiers clad in chain mail and armed with spears, swords and bows emerged from the grove and formed a circle around them. Over the coats of mail they wore doublets with the same emblazoned coat of arms as those on the banners of the great tower. Apparently, they spoke the same language as they did, which was a slight relief to her. Still, any caution was too little. The sudden appearance of the imperial princess of Adestria on foreign soil could mean more than a few uncomfortable questions and, depending on who found them, more than a little trouble.

Without further ado, she unsheathed the dagger strapped to her belt in one swift movement, though she had to wield it with her left hand, as her right arm was still unresponsive. That could pose a very serious problem should they be forced into combat. Her companions read the situation as she did, took up their respective weapons and formed a defensive circle around her.

The enemy men-at-arms reacted similarly, but were prudent enough not to come any closer to her position. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife.

"Halt!" said the deep voice she had heard before. Hearing it again, Edelgard saw that it came from a burly, tall man, as tall as Hubert and even a little taller. He had a stubble of a beard and his serious face seemed to be carved in stone. His armor appeared to be of higher quality than that worn by the rest of the men, so she deduced that he must be the commanding officer. "Who are you? Answer me, are you spies for the Tyrells? Did you cause that glow?"

"I know no Tyrell," Edelgard said authoritatively. She had no doubt that they could be victorious against these men, but she did not want to take the chance that more might come. Trying to resolve that situation without bloodshed seemed to her the most appropriate course to take. "We come from Garreg Mach, we are on a mission for Archbishop Rhea, but I think we have strayed from our destination. If you can direct us where we are, we will leave without further delay. We don't want to cause any trouble."

"I have not heard of Garreg Mach or this Rhea you refer to. My name is Stannis, of House Baratheon, and you are at Storm's End. I would like to know how you got here without any of my guards seeing you. Make no mistake, you all are in serious trouble."

Hello everyone!

This is the first chapter of an idea that's been in my mind for a long time now, and that finally has come to fruition. A crossover between FE Three Houses and ASOIAF is not something completely unexplored (Check Wyvern Queen by strangebloke) but I believe that transporting Edelgard and the Black Eagles to Westeros during Robert's Rebellion could be something really interesting (and helps pairing her with a young Stannis Baratheon XD).

The story, however, will not be centered during the Rebellion but in the timeline of the ASOIAF series, with some flashbacks of their doings in the previous years. I plan for this work to be a really long one although the first updates may take long, as I'm centered in finishing my other fanfic, Unbroken Fury.

For now, hope you all enjoy the first two chapters!