Rhea stood at the door of the hallway, the old house creaking as it settled into a silence shared by everyone. Then she stepped forward, one foot after another, once, twice, thrice. Old floorboards softly groaned under each step, and the wall's dry wood made scratching noises whenever she placed her pale hand on it for support.

Edelgard didn't move. Neither did any of her former classmates, nor Seteth, still perched over Byleth. All remained frozen in place as a pair of unblinking, burning green eyes slowly inched closer.

But as the flicker of flame from the fireplace slowly began to illuminate a ghostly pale face, a shadow of concern seemed to flicker across slitted reptilian eyes. With each hobbled step, a shade of sorrow slowly began to wash over Rhea's face. Her eyes never quite left Edelgard, but they looked as if they were trying to turn toward Byleth's prone form.

Edelgard swallowed. Everyone was staring at Rhea, trying to guess what the woman was about to do, if she was planning to lash out or collapse into a heap. "Rhea, are you…" Seteth started, reaching his hand out for her to grasp. Rhea seemed to pause mid-stumble, considering his gesture with an almost uncomprehending stare. After another moment, she grasped Seteth's hand, and pulled herself towards the table, staring down at Byleth's prone form. Rhea's hand moved to touch the prone woman's face, brushing a away stray hair, before settling above the exposed, faintly glowing stone in Byleth's chest. The air in the cabin seemed to shift, and the fire let out a small crackle as a small log began to break apart. Edelgard let out the breath she didn't remember holding, and-

In the next moment, Rhea had exploded into a frenzied charge, lunging across the room like thunder across the sky. In the second before the woman was set to impact, Edelgard could faintly see a face washed with rage faintly illuminated by the glow of the fire and those slitted green eyes boring into her, a hand raised with fingers curled- all Edelgard could do was throw herself to the ground, rolling away from the woman's warpath..

As time seemed to resume, Edelgard felt the older woman's robes barely brush past her, followed by a loud crash and groan of old wood. The night air rushed in a second later, along with the faintest amount of moonlight. Rhea was ripping her hand out of the hole her hand had torn into the wall. Dorothea shrieked as Ferdinand and Seteth were shouting a plea for peace, and the familiar warmth of Hubert's hand landed on Edelgard's shoulder.

None of that mattered much, as Rhea rushed at Edelgard again, which was dodged as easily as the first. When Edelgard recovered again, she could see the older woman had found the prizes Yuri had brought, and was unsheathing the silver flambard in one quick motion. "Wicked, wicked girl." Rhea spat, and she raised her arm to strike. Seteth rushed in to grab Rhea, but with one careless motion, he was tossed aside and smashed into a nearby wall as Dorothea, Ferdinand and Hubert all screamed.

"Rhea, stop!" Edelgard cried out. The woman didn't react, raising her blade high before lunging again. Edelgard felt time slow for a precious second. Just long enough for her eyes to be dragged away from Rhea's enraged face to something faint near her feet.

As furious as she was, Rhea could only do so much to power through her limp, giving Edelgard just the opportunity to slip under her blade and behind her, and grabbing the shield lying scattered on the ground. She turned and raised it just in time to intercept Rhea's sword,

"I don't-" Edelgard bit out as she pushed against the blade. "-We don't need-" she grunted as the wooden planks beneath her groaned. "-To fight! Please, stop!"

Rhea didn't react. The floorboards were beginning to crack. Edelgard braced her other arm against the shield. The pushing slowed, but only so slightly. Seteth was being pulled out of the wall by Hubert and Dorothea, while Ferdinand babbled out a plea. Yuri had moved to the far wall, placing himself as far away from the fight as possible while still allowing himself a good view.

A floorboard snapped, and Edelgard felt her left foot hit bedrock below. She strained both her arms against the shield, summoning whatever strength she had, trying to push back. Rhea just stared down at her, the woman's unblinking reptilian eyes trying to pierce through Edelgard's. The archbishop was only using one hand to push her sword down against the shield, the other hanging limply at her side.

Edelgard bit her lip. Her hand was forced. With all her might, she pushed against the blade so she might have just enough breathing room to thrust her hand out. Fire bloomed across her fingers, a blast of fire shooting out and exploding in Rhea's face. The woman staggered back, giving Edelgard just enough room to regain her footing. When the smoke cleared, Rhea glared back, unphased and unaffected by the spell that had exploded in her face, and raised the sword again.

"Archbishop, please!" Edelgard cried out. "Byleth is alive, and I want to help you kill my uncle. We don't have to fight!"

Rhea snorted, and her blade snapped out, eager to bite into flesh.

Well, if the woman wasn't going to listen to reason…

Edelgard parried the sword and rolled to the side. Rhea followed her with fury in her eyes, even as the woman almost seemed to stumble with each step. That was the way out of this then. Tripping the woman and then pinning her down to the floor was probably the best option available. Edelgard ducked under one of Rhea's slashes and aimed the shield at her shins. If her uncle's lessons had taught her anything, it was where to strike if you needed someone to fall to the ground quickly, it was where to aim. Using the edge of the shield, Edelgard slammed into the older woman's legs with a force only strengthened by two Crests. There was a fleshy crunch as the metal hit bone. Rhea stumbled back quickly, first one step-

But that was all. Edelgard looked up to see the archbishop staring down at her, sword already falling. "Burn with your masters." The woman spat.

The shield couldn't be raised in time for a block, given the current speed. Edelgard resorted to summoning a fire spell and blasting it upwards, into the blade's path. With any luck, the force should be enough to buy her time to roll away. Rhea swatted at the fire, intent on cutting through the flame- it wasn't going to be enough. Edelgard forced another fire spell past her fingertips, letting the flames grow in her palm in a fraction of a second.

It did the trick. There was a rush of heat and a small explosion above. In the chaos, Edelgard rolled back onto her feet, shield ready to face the archbishop. There was more good news on that front. The sword had been blasted out of Rhea's hand, small bits of smoke rising from embers dying out on the woman's sleeve. All in all, excellent news. Now all Edelgard had to do was restrain-

Her plans were cut short when Hubert let out a low, terrified wail. Edelgard quickly turned to look at her retainer, what little color that had been in his face was completely drained. Dorothea was next to him, having collapsed to the floor with tears welling in her eyes and her hands pulled over her mouth in a futile attempt to shield her from the horror. Seteth had all but torn himself free of the wall and ran past Edelgard and Rhea, barely giving them any mind..

The sword that had flown from the archbishop's hand had embedded itself in Ferdinand's chest. His deep burgundy coat was being stained by a far darker red. Something resembling a plea gurgled past his lips, as blood began to ooze out of his mouth.

"I-" Edelgard twisted back to Rhea, who was coldly glancing at Ferdinand's body. "You-" She charged at the archbishop, shield raised at the woman's neck. Rhea grabbed the shield's edge, pushing back.

"Wicked girl." the archbishop's eyes narrowed. "Look what you've done now."

"My fault?!" Edelgard shouted. "If you hadn't attacked me, none of this would have happened!"

"Do you really think-"

"Enough!" A voice rang out. "Stop this..." A cough followed. "At once."

Edelgard and Rhea's struggles ceased as both looked back towards the voice and consequently towards Ferdinand. The blade embedded in his body pushed itself out of his chest and the blood ran back up his chin, leaving no trace. The stains on his shirt faded back into nothing. Ferdinand gasped out, choking on nothing as the blade finally slipped out of his flesh and to the ground. Dorothea rushed to his side, tearing open his shirt to look for any other wounds. "Thank goodness- thank the goddess-" She babbled as Ferdinand tried to regain control of his breathing, sinking into Dorothea's arms as his hand joined hers to search for his wound.

Everyone else's eyes turned to the table at the far end of the room. Byleth was sitting up, hand outstretched at Ferdinand, the faint glow of holy magic her palm. "Rhea…" she groaned out. The stone in her chest, still exposed to the air, glowed brighter and then dimmer with each breath she took.

In a matter of seconds, Rhea was at Byleth's side, tenderly cradling her with her sword arm as the other struggled to reach up and brush Byleth's hair. "Yes, child?" Her face had morphed to match her voice: full of trepidation, with a hint of relief and terror.

"Don't-" a cough rattled through Byleth, sounding as though she were suddenly parched for air. White Magic flared to life at Rhea's fingertips, which seemed to ease the intensity of Byleth's coughing. "Don't try to kill each other."

Rhea's eyes darted back to Edelgard's, the fury behind them renewed in a second. "She tried to kill you. To destroy the church."

"Yet…" Byleth's eyes were growing heavy. "She still saved my life."

"She worked with that human." Rhea hissed. "Nemesis."

"And I'm going to kill that human, the first chance I get." Edelgard snapped, as she stared up at the archbishop. The two held each other's gazes, refusing to give an inch. Hubert quietly moved behind Edelgard, and Seteth moved next to Byleth.

"Rhea." Byleth choked out. "Don't start a fight you don't have to." Rhea didn't look away from Edelgard. Edelgard returned the favor. "She is the last Hresvelg. The last of…your..." Byleth's eyes closed.

The two women remained locked as they were. Edelgard's finger curled around the shield, waiting for Rhea to pounce again.

She would not have to wait for it. Rhea turned away, delicately picking up Byleth, before slowly shuffling back into the dark hallway she emerged from.

Seteth took a moment to look around the room, before noting Ferdinand. "Are you alright, Ferdinand? Is there any discomfort? Soreness?"

Ferdinand, who was still leaning on Dorothea for support, just shook his head. "No, I…" He swallowed. "Just…" His hand grasped where his wound had been. "A phantom pain, I suppose."

Dorothea nodded along with him. "I can't find any sign of injury. It's like it never happened."

Seteth's mouth twisted. "Please, let me know immediately if there is any change in your condition." He reached down to the ground and picked up the sword, it's sheath, and the package Yuri had been carrying. "I will go deal with Rhea." Seteth let out a sigh. "For now, I suggest you all get some sleep. In the morning, we can explain everything in more detail, and then…" his shoulders sagged, and for a moment the man looked older, like worn stone. "We can try and figure out what any of this means."

Seteth nodded at Dorothea, Ferdinand, Hubert and Yuri each with a solemn nod. He gave Edelgard a stiff inclination of the head, before walking after Rhea.

Edelgard, now left with her former classmates, felt at a loss. They seemed to share the feeling, glancing at each other and her, each unsure what exactly happened.

Yuri made an exasperated noise. "Well, you lot have fun hanging your mouths open. I don't have the patience to stand around like a bunch of dead fish." He reached down to the floor and pulled up. A small trapdoor clicked open, and Yuri quickly descended down.

"Well…" Dorothea managed. "Edelgard, shall I escort you to…" She glanced down, then up and down again.

"If you had a spare bed, I would be grateful to have it." Edelgard nodded her head. "And I must apologize for-" she glanced at Ferdinand. "That."

"Lady Edelgard, I-"

"No, think nothing of it." Ferdinand cut Hubert off. "Let us all retire to our bedchambers. We can sort out this mess-" He gestured vaguely. "Then."

And so it was. The four crept down the hallway to a set of rooms. Dorothea opened one to reveal a small space with a modest bed made up in cheap linens. "This is a room no one is using right now. If you'd like to have it." She hesitated for a moment, studying Edelgard's face. "Unless you would like to sleep in a room with us? They're further in the building, in the cellars. It wouldn't take long to set up."

"No, this is fine." Edelgard walked into the room. It was dark, and smelled of old wood. More poorly constructed and worth less money than any other room she had ever stepped foot in as the Princess of Adrestia. "Better than fine." At the far end was a small, ramshackle window, where the faintest moonlight crept into the small space. The first she had seen in years.

Edelgard awoke from a dreamless slumber with a groan and a soft gasp from someone next to her. Quickly jumping up, Edelgard reached for her dagger, eyes slowly coming into focus on an old woman with matted gray hair.

"I-I-" The old woman started. "Please, don't-I just brought you clothes-"

"Oh." Edelgard lowered her blade. "I thought-" She paused. "-I apologize for scaring you."

"It's quite alright." the woman said, clearly fighting down something. "I can't imagine-" She shook her head. "I've heard life has been cruel to you. It must only be natural." She raised a small bundle of clothing. "I brought these up for you- I heard Yuri only had one set of spare clothing?"

"That's very generous of you. My thanks." It was an assortment of garments, from a simple dress, the underlayer of a soldier's uniform, a merchant's garb, and a few other outfits. "What is your name, so I might properly thank you?"

"My name?" the woman swallowed. "I'm…my name…" She seemed stressed, constantly glancing at the floor and then back to Edelgard's face. Finally, she settled for a polite downcast look that many servants wore. "Marie, my name is Marie. I've been working with Lord Hubert and the others for a few years now."

"It is nice to meet you, Marie." Edelgard nodded. The woman seemed jittery. Then again, many in Hubert's employ often were."Thank you again for the clothes." The woman nodded quietly. "I'm sorry to impose after your generosity, but do you mind leaving the room? I'd like to get dressed."

"Oh." Marie blinked, and there was some manner of…Edelgard couldn't quite call it embarrassment on the woman's face. She looked quite a bit like her servants in the palace would after a minor misstep. "Do you need any help with that? I would be more than happy to."

"No, but thank you for offering." The clothing she had brought was simple enough to put on, far from the complex and ornate gowns that actually would require assistance for anyone to put on. "I wouldn't want to waste your time with something so simple. I shouldn't leave you from your duties."

"Of course." Marie bowed her head. Her voice was quiet. "Everyone save Lady Rhea has gathered in the front room, when you are ready to join them." With that, the door closed, and Edelgard was left to prepare herself.

She settled for a long pair of dark pants and a white linen sleeved shirt. There weren't any skirts, a fashion Edelgard enjoyed wearing, but it would do. When she left the room, Marie had already left. Now that the morning light shone through the sparse few windows, she could see the hallway she had traveled down into a deep staircase, likely to the cellar Dorothea had mentioned. Undoubtedly giving the house much more room than it seemed to have from the outside. She made her way down the long hall towards the front, where more light was shining through some front windows. A few hushed voices were in the middle of a conversation- Edelgard stopped to listen.

"...It was terrifying." Hubert muttered. "Being so powerless. Paralyzed. I should have done something, acted, stopped the archbishop, but I just couldn't. And the hate…"

"We all were helpless, Hubie. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"I felt much the same way when the blade pierced my chest." Ferdinand said softly. "It was shocking to see Lady Rhea move like that, after so long bedridden. And with what happened to Seteth-"

"No, you don't understand!" Hubert hissed. "It wasn't that simple. My anger wasn't just towards the archbishop. In that second, I saw Lady Edelgard's spell send the blade flying. In that instant, you were dying because of something she did."

Edelgard felt her heart stop as she clutched to the wall. Hubert continued, voice hushed and awash with emotion. "In that moment, losing you…over something so stupid, so pointless. If you hadn't been saved, I would have- I still do- for Lady Edelgard, it's-"

Hubert's voice suddenly went muffled. Edelgard dared to look out from the corner. At the table, Ferdinand had pulled Hubert into a kiss, and was currently doing his best to hug him from across the table. Dorothea watched on, her hands wrapped around both of theirs.

"That's in the past." Ferdinand said as the two men broke apart. "But despite all of this, we have Edelgard back. We have Professor Byleth back. We will make the most of everything, and move forward like we always do."

"It was a terrible, horrible thing." Dorothea murmured. She brought both of the men's hands to cup her face. "But we've done so many awful acts in these past few years, who are we to hold on to something that ended with everyone alive and well?"

There was a pause, and Edelgard got the distinct impression that she shouldn't be watching this. After another few minutes had passed with the three continuing to huddle together, Edelgard took a few steps back, before taking care to make one loud heavy step and let out a large yawn as she entered the room, rubbing her eyes. "Hello everyone."

"Lady Edelgard." Hubert shot up, and turned to the fireplace, pouring a tea kettle. "Did you sleep well?" He placed a small cup and saucer in her hand, with the fresh aroma of Bergamot tea rising up.

"Just fine, thank you." She turned to Dorothea and Ferdinand, who both gave her polite nods. "Did you all have a good rest as well? And Ferdinand, are you still…?" something formed in her throat at the end of the question.

He just smiled broadly. "I'm fine, thank you. Dorothea and Hubert were fussing after me all this morning-" Dorothea gave a very unladylike snort at that. "-and I am perfectly healthy. Thank you for your concern."

A short time later, Seteth and Yuri came out from outside and joined them at the table, exchanging pleasantries with everyone. Edelgard studied her undrunk tea.

"Lady Edelgard-" Hubbert began, before cutting himself off. Dorothea gave him an encouraging pat. Seteth looked on between everyone. Edelgard felt his eyes hover above her.

"I imagine you all want to hear my story." Edelgard said. "We might as well begin there. Hubert, how much have you told them?"

Hubert looked uncomfortable. "I- Lady Edelgard, I…" His lips creased. "I want you to know, everything I said, I didn't mean to break your trust. It's just-"

"No Hubert. You thought I was dead. It's perfectly understandable-"

"Still, my lady, I cannot-"

"You know what," Dorothea interrupted. "I think It would be best if Edelgard heard our story first." She leaned forward, stirring her own cup of tea. "I'm sure you want to know what's happened in these past few years…"

As always, thanks to Dox for beta reading!

And so begins the complete departure from canon. Next chapter will focus on the five year skip, and what the empire looks like after Arundel and Nemesis ran things. See you all there!