Disclaimer: "Song of the Nabateans" is property of Intelligent Systems/Nintendo. I do not claim to own these lyrics.

Chapter Three

In Time's Flow

Time opened up to her. Every event that had ever taken place, and every event yet to come to pass. Byleth looked into the vortex of time; an eternal expanse of swirling stardust, fractured images and voices and, at the furthest depths of it- darkness. She could visit any place she liked, any time she liked; yet she could go nowhere, for she knew not how. Instead, she drifted deeper, deeper, until she was lost in the history and future of existence. Laughter filled her ears, the clashing of steel against steel throughout centuries of war, the pained wails of childbearing mothers and the final breaths of those who had died. Those yet to die. It was overwhelming, driving her almost to insanity.

Byleth spun, pale green hair flowing about her, and focused. On what she was not certain, but the cacophony of sound soon lulled to a low, calm thrum. Some part of time reached out for her, no more than a flicker in the corner of her eye. She fixed it with her gaze until all else she could see and hear was filtered out. An invisible current swept her torward the light, and she had no choice but to submit to its course. It seemed to forever shift further away, like trying to follow the moon and it growing no larger, no closer; but the constant swell of the current rushing around her assured she was moving. A child's voice came from beyond the fragment of time as she neared, shrill and gleeful. "Mother!" it cried. "Mother! Mother!" Other voices joined the first, calling out in unison. Do they call for me? she wondered. Am I Mother? Her heart soared- a feeling new to her- and she knew the answer to be yes.

"I'm coming," Byleth heard herself reply. The light pulsed in response to her voice, urging her closer, begging her to reach out and grasp it. I'm home... A flash of white blinded her as her outstretched fingers made contact, and her flesh began to burn so painfully it was like to sear her to the bone. Then all felt numb.

A heartbeat later colour returned to her; the vibrant greens of the vast valleys stretched along the horizon, the muted browns and greys of the mountain looming around her. Between the cracks of the paving slabs grew wildflowers, speckled like tiny drops of paint. Byleth was stood at the heart of a settlement- one she was sure she had visited, but did not recognise. Something tugged at her hand.

"Mother! Will you play with me now?" said a little girl with hair the colour of summer leaves, looking up at her with bright green eyes.

Byleth smiled warmly, feeling an odd attachment to the girl. "Hello, little one. What-"

"Come now, Rhea. Leave Mother be," interjected a man loitering beneath the canopy of a great willow tree, green hair cascading past his shoulders. His face was hard. "You know that she needs to rest."

"But Theos...!"

"I won't hear it," Theos snapped. "We've told you before- Mother needs to restore her power." He brushed through the long-hanging leaves, took Rhea by the arm and dragged her back. He offered Byleth an apologetic look.

Rhea burst into tears. "Let me go! I want to play with Mother! I hate you!" she screamed, clawing at him as she tried to wriggle free from his grasp.

"Let her go, Timotheos," said Byleth, voice stern. "There will be plenty of time for me to rest." Theos reluctantly released his sister with a huff and, without another word, strode off in the opposite direction. I must check on him later, she decided. Rhea ran into her mother's embrace. "There, there," she cooed, untangling the knots from Rhea's deep green hair. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Mother," Rhea mumbled into her waist.

"Good. Now then, which game shall we play?"

Rhea sniffed, peering up at her mother. Her wide eyes were wet with unfallen tears. "Can we make flower chains?"

Byleth laughed gently. "Of course. Shall we fetch your sisters? Then we can all make flower chains together." She tried to brush away her child's tears with her thumb, but Rhea pulled away.

"No! I want you to make them with me, not my sisters!" She pouted, wiping her eyes with the back of her wrist. Rhea took Byleth's hand in her own and dragged her over to a patch of evergreen grass beneath the willow, and commanded her to sit. Byleth sat cross-legged, a gentle breeze blowing through her loose hair. In the treetops above she could hear the twitter of birds in their nests and the sigh of wind, as nature's curtain of overhanging leaves shaded her from the midday sun.

Whilst Rhea gathered a colourful array of wildflowers, Byleth watched idly as she gathered her thoughts. Somehow, Rhea being her daughter had not seemed odd to her until now. In fact, it felt almost natural. And how did I know there were others? Noa, Chevalier... These names were new to her, yet she felt as if she had known them all her life. She peered through the gaps of the leaves, realising they were alone. "Where are your sisters?" she asked, voice concerned. Something felt off.

"Don't you remember, Mother? They're making sure your bed is cosy for your big nap. They'll be back before bedtime," Rhea said matter-of-factly. She skipped back over, humming a dandy tune, and dropped her pile of flowers at her mother's feet. She sunk onto the bed of grass and crossed her legs, a smile on her rounded face. Her humming came to an end. "They all say I'm too young to understand, because I wasn't born when the big war happened." Rhea scooped the flowers into her palms and shared them into equal halves, handing one pile to Byleth. "I wish I had been, then I could've fought off the humans and you wouldn't have to go to sleep. Cichol calls me stupid for thinking I could fight in a war, but I could. He's the stupid one."

Byleth chuckled. "Phooey. You would be a formidable foe," she affirmed. "When you are older, that is." She took two flowers, one white and one yellow, and began to construct her flower chain. "Alas, I rather hope you will not have to witness the horrors of war, little one. War is a game that men like to play, and not one I wish our kind to partake in."

Rhea screwed up her face in concentration, knotting the stems of her flowers together. "Do you think the humans will come back, Mother?"

"It is possible," Byleth admitted. "But you need not fret, my Sky. They do not possess the resources for another war, nor the men. I made sure of that- with great expense to myself. A necessary price for the safety of you and your kin, and one I would pay again."

The girl pondered that a while, her chain-making on temporary pause. "Well... if they do come back, I'll protect you, Mother. I'll kill all the filthy humans, and then we can all live happily here together. No one will ever tear us apart, you'll see." Rhea joined the two ends of her chain and held it up proudly, eyes sparkling. And just like that, the subject of war was no more than a distant memory. "Ta-da! This is for you!"

Byleth finished her own. It was less skillful than Rhea's, but sturdy enough; as sturdy as a chain of small flowers could be. "Then mine is for you."

Rhea clapped excitedly, almost bursting as they exchanged chains. She adorned her gift at once, raising her arm to view the creation in full. Byleth slipped hers onto her own wrist. "Oh, it's perfect, Mother!" Rhea breathed in awe, face the picture of merriment.

"As is mine. You are far more skilled than I."

"You just need more practice." Rhea shifted, eyes grazing the earth. "We can make some more, for my sisters. There's still some flowers left." She paused to itch her nose. "Ernest might like one too, but only if we make it out of weeds like dandelions. He's weird. Flowers are much prettier." With that, Byleth could agree. Rhea gasped and went onto her knees, crawling over to the willow's trunk. She plucked a flower from its bed. "Look, Mother! A lily!"

Byleth squinted, beckoning her over. "Oh? Bring it here, I'd like to see." Rhea did as instructed and shuffled upright on her knees, cradling the lily to her chest as if it were a babe. Byleth lifted her child onto her knee, moving her silken hair to rest over a dainty shoulder. She tutted. "Look at your lovely new dress, it's covered in grass stains."

Rhea wiped the skirt of her aqua dress in vain, then looked up with innocent eyes. "Sorry, Mother. But look!" She held out the lily like a trophy, and Byleth could not help but smile. It was white as fresh fallen snow and larger than her child-sized palms, and its filaments were as green as their hair. Byleth took it with gentle fingers.

"It's beautiful, little one. Delicate as a cloud in the sky, so you must take care of it. Here, turn your head." Byleth moved the hair from over Rhea's pointed ear and secured the stem behind it. "There," she said with a smile, adjusting the flower so it would not fall.

Rhea almost flew from her mother's knee in excitement, jumping to her feet at once. "Oh, I love it, I love it! I will wear it every day until the day I should die, and then I shall wear it in my tomb!" She spun circles, a blur of green hair and blue silk.

"Careful, you'll fall over," Byleth warned. Rhea's spinning soon came to a wobbling end, and she giggled and shrieked as she collapsed into her mother's arms. "See, I told you so." The progenitor god laughed.

"It did not fall?" Rhea asked, breathless. She brought her fingers to her ear, patting where the lily was still wedged firmly. A relieved sigh escaped her.

Byleth pressed her lips to her child's head. "By some luck it did not, but you did," she said with a raise of her brow. "The lily is a fond favourite of mine. Do you know what it represents?"

"...Beauty?" she offered.

"Yes, you could say so. But they are also a symbol of childhood innocence." The goddess paused. An innocence I hope you will not lose too soon, my love, she thought with sadness. "Alas, I am afraid that, as with all living things, the lily will soon succumb to its fate and wilt. Its death began the moment you tore it from its roots... as is the same for man and beast. When a child leaves its mother's womb- torn from the root- the clock begins to tick. Time comes for all, in the end."

Rhea's lips curled into a frown. "But I don't want it to die. I want it to stay as bright and pretty as it is now, so I can remember you when you go to sleep." She leaned forward to rest her head on her mother's shoulder, playing with one of her ribbon-bound braids.

"I know. Death is never easy, but such is the cycle of life."

After some moments of silence, Rhea said, "You're not dying, are you Mother?"

"No. It is not my time." But that time is close... I can feel it.

"That's good, because I don't want you to die either," she said firmly. "I can ask Noa to keep it alive, she always knows what to do."

"Yes, that she does," Byleth sighed. It was no use explaining death to one so young. She will come to understand with age. She shifted her weight to better support Rhea's, pulling her closer. "Are you tired, little one? You grow heavy."

Rhea nodded, yawning. "Sing me the song please, Mother. About time. I like that song."

At first Byleth was uncertain she knew it, the sense of wrongness creeping back into the corners of her mind; but then the words came to her- words she was sure she had never voiced before, and yet, words she felt she had sung a thousand times. Words that were hers, sacred and ancient as Time itself. She closed her eyes. When she sang it was as if her voice came from another, separate yet a part of her, raw and rich in emotion. A longing for something lost. Rhea hummed along.

"In time's flow see the glow

Of flames ever burning bright.

On the swift river's drift,

Broken memories alight."

Byleth opened her eyes slowly, a calmness in her mind, and moved to lift Rhea into her arms. She froze.

Her child was gone.

"Rhea?" The name caught in her throat. She repeated it, louder and panicked, springing to her feet. Her heart raced as she whipped through the curtain of leaves, eyes darting in every direction, ears straining to hear even the smallest of sounds. Silence.

The sky had turned dark, and the crescent moon above was concealed in a thick blanket of clouds. Stars dotted the blackness, though they were few. How can this be? It was midday only moments before. Byleth rushed back to the willow. Perhaps she is just playing another game... Yes, that must be so. Slowly she prowled toward the trunk, silent as a shadow. "Aha!" she cried as she lunged around it, expecting a scream or a squeal in response. Nothing. A lump formed in her throat and, no matter how hard she tried, she could not swallow it down. Her mind was stunned with confusion and she almost fell to the ground to weep, when her eye caught a shape on the earth where they had been sat. The lily. Byleth dashed to retrieve it and brought the smooth petals to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. If she left her flower, then...

A thunderous sound startled her, booming through the night. Stillness replaced the echoing for long, heavy moments, until there came another. Louder. Closer. She could not move, tethered to the earth in fear like a flower to its roots. All she could do was cling to her child's lily and wait with bated breath. Then, in the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a flicker of orange light. Her eyes widened.

Fire erupted from the furthest end of the settlement, its yellow and orange fingers reaching up, up until they touched the sky. It spread faster than should be possible, trees and buildings falling victim to its insatiable hunger, swallowed into the pit of the fiery beast's stomach. My children! her mind cried. Sense returned to her as her legs unrooted and sprung into action.

Byleth sprinted into the nearest building to begin her search; but the flames were too fierce, blocking her way and forcing her back. A slither of flame licked the skin of her hand with its scalding tongue as she moved to retreat. She winced and jerked back, coughing as smoke and soot invaded her throat, her vision- choking and blinding. Byleth made one last attempt and screamed for her children- for Rhea and Theos and Cichol- for anyone. No reply came, only the violent crackle of flame and the shattering of falling rubble. Her children were gone.

Accepting defeat, she staggered to the courtyard and fell to her knees. A sob tore from her throat, grief wracking her body as she wept. The beast hissed and spat all around, raging on with abandon while she watched in mournful horror. Above her the sky was a haze of red smoke and ash, the scattered stars blocked from view.

"See the glow of flames ever burning bright..." she whispered to herself, voice hoarse and broken. The song had been the trigger, she knew that now, as if the words had stirred the events into motion. Time brought me here. It wanted me to see. To witness the destruction of Zanado. Her home. But why...? As if in response, the orange beast retreated, slinking away into embers. And then the smoke cleared, and all was quiet.

A muffled voice bounced against the walls of her mind. It was different than the one that had brought her here, coming from the void from whence she came. "Return, Fell Star," it hissed, voice serpentine. "The snakes are near." No, she cried in answer. Not without my children. I cannot leave them.The voice did not listen. Byleth felt herself drifting- or was she waking...?

As the world faded around her, Byleth was sure she glimpsed a body beneath the rubble, skin black and burned.

When her eyes fluttered open, her head was spinning. A face peered down at her. "Rhea?" Byleth murmured.

The stranger seemed not to hear. "There you are. I was sure you were a goner," she said with a smirk. Her obsidian hair was pulled back into a decorative bun, wisps of it trailing down past her chin. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, with light freckles that speckled her thin nose and curved cheeks, and her full lips were painted a deep burgundy. Over a dark, sage-green shirt she wore a black leather jerkin buckled up the front, and her calves were wedged into knee-high boots.

She brought a glass to Byleth's lips. "Drink." Byleth jerked back, scrambling to sit up. The woman breathed a heavy sigh. "It's not poisoned. If I wanted to kill you I would have done it already. And trust me, I thought about it. You're more trouble than you're worth."

Byleth coughed into her fist, wincing from a pain in her head. A strand of damp hair slid over a shoulder, the ribbon it had been bound in torn and shredded. "Then why didn't you?" she croaked.

"For the same reason I thought about it. More trouble than you're worth." She scoffed. "You hit your head pretty hard back there. I was certain you'd die no matter what- but hey, it's nice to be wrong from time to time. Must have the luck of the goddess on your side."

"Yeah, I guess so." You have no idea... Byleth surveyed her surroundings, fingertips ghosting over the bandage wrapped around her temples. She had awoken in a small hut, streaks of light filtering in through the gaps of the boarded-up windows. The furnishings were basic enough; a single, hard bed (occupied by Byleth), a small kitchen area fitted into a dark corner with a variety of worn, bare cupboards, and a sitting area in-between. There was no hearth for a fire, and cobwebs hung from the wooden beams across the ceiling. It was hard to believe anyone lived here. "Where is this?"

"Umbra's Holdfast, a little to the east of the Sealed Forest," said the woman. "That's where I found you, laying in the mud with skin colder than a northman's frostbitten toes. You're welcome, by the way." She reclined in her seat- an old, moth eaten armchair- and crossed one leg over the other.

Byleth blinked at her. "I... thank you. How long was I out for?"

"Few hours, no more. If I hadn't found you when I did, you'd have frozen to death out there. Or been eaten by one of those beasts." The chair creaked as she leaned forward, curiosity in her murky green eyes. "What were you doing out there, anyway? No one with sense goes to the Sealed Forest alone. Or ever."

"I..." She trailed off, mind turned blank. Had she been alone? Such recklessness was unusual of her. No, it isn't, a voice chided her. Then she remembered. Dimitri. "I need..." Byleth stumbled to her feet, legs wobbling. "I need to return to the monastery. My students..." Arms caught her when she fell.

The woman lowered her back onto the bed and covered her in a blanket, a frown on her face. "Students? A professor is the last thing I thought you'd be. What's your name?"

"My name...?" Byleth stared blankly as alarm overtook her. Why could she not remember? She was a professor of the Officer's Academy, the head of the Blue Lions. And Lady Rhea is my daughter... Yes, that she was sure. And her father... had she had a father? Her breaths grew rapid. "My father... why can I not remember my father?" she mumbled to herself.

The woman rubbed her chin in thought. "Sothis above, you really did hit your head hard, huh?" She brushed a strand of hair from her face and sat back down.

"Sothis?" she said, testing the name. "Yes, that was it." Byleth shifted upright, nodding. That name felt right to her. "My name is Sothis. I am The Beginning..." A memory returned to her, of the dream that felt too real to truly be a dream. "Where are my children? Did I sleep so long? Rhea is waiting for me." Her head hurt, crowded with fragments of memories she was not sure were hers or another's. A flicker of war, the face of a man who brought her both comfort and grief. Another name came to her. "I had another name, once. Oh, what was it?" She shifted through mind until she found it. "Byleth. That was it. Or did it belong to someone else?" She huffed in frustration. "Nothing makes sense."

The woman gave her an odd look. "No kidding. I'm starting to think I should have left you in the mud. I don't deal with crazy." She released a puff of air, pinching the bridge of her nose. "The fall seems more serious than I thought..."

An idea sparked in her mind. "Please, I must go home to Zanado. Then I will remember, I'm sure of it."

"Home? Zanado?" The woman gave a mocking laugh. "That place is a ruin, been abandoned for centuries. Not even the crows live there now. I think it's best you stay here."

"No, no, no, I can't," Byleth pleaded. She unfolded herself from the blanket and tried to stand again, but the woman took her by the shoulders and pushed her down. "Please, I can't stay here, they'll be searching for me!"

"And you can't leave, not in the state you're in. Anyone who sees you walking around, clothes damp with mud and blood and spouting nonsense about being the goddess is going to be suspicious. They'll call for the knights. And not the friendly ones. Hell, you don't even have any shoes."

Byleth looked herself over, at the dark stains and tears in her dress, and frowned. "The knights can take me to Lady Rhea. I can explain to her what happened. She'll understand." If I knew what happened, that is...

The woman groaned. "Look, Sothis- Byleth. Whatever your name is. Tensions around here have already been off the scale after what happened in Remire. No one feels safe, not even with the knights' protection. There's been looting. Pillaging." She reached for the glass of water, took it and raised it to her lips. She grimaced at the taste. "At least stay here until your head clears. Then I'll personally escort you to Garreg Mach, yeah?"

Byleth parted her lips to protest but decided against it. A few hours rest would do her good, she supposed. A bath, too. She sighed and nodded her head. "As you wish. Though... may I have one request?"

"That depends on the request."

Byleth clicked her tongue, contemplating her words. "All I ask is... Is there a way for you to get a message to the monastery? So Rhea knows that I am safe."

The woman smiled faintly. "She means a lot to you, huh?" Byleth nodded. "Then I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you."

"I'd say 'any time', but that would be lie." She quirked a brow. "And while I'm feeling particularly generous today, I'll get you some fresh water," she said as she made her way to the dim kitchen area, muttering something about her going soft. Byleth leaned back against the headboard and exhaled deeply, fidgeting with the knitted blanket as she waited. She cleared her throat.

"Do you have a tub? To bathe in," she added quickly. The dirt between her toes itched, and she had begun to notice a rank smell lingering over her. It was embarrassing, to say the least. A clatter came from the kitchen. Cursing followed.

"What was that?" The woman shouted back. Byleth glanced over, but could not deduce what had happened. "Dropped the glass," she said in answer to the goddess' perplexed expression. "What did you want?"

Byleth averted her gaze. "I wish to bathe," she blurted out.

The woman snorted. "That makes two requests." She set the glass down atop the bedside table and returned to her armchair. "I guess you can't go back to your Lady Rhea looking like you've been rolling with the pigs." She tapped her foot on the wooden floor. "I'm sure there's one around here somewhere. Find you some new clothes, too. Get you out of that damp dress before you catch a cold." She rested an elbow on the arm of her chair and placed her chin in her palm, eyes boring into Byleth. "By the way... sorry about before. I don't keep much company these days."

"Apology accepted," Byleth said, despite the unease building in her gut.

"In that case-" the woman slapped her knees and stood, "-make yourself at home. Have a drink of water. They do say ice cold water clears the mind, after all." She glanced around. "I'll go find that tub."

"I will, thank you." Byleth reached for the glass and brought it to her lips. The water was cold as she'd said, and it felt like an icy river trickling down into her gut. Her brow furrowed when she noticed a mark on her hand as she set the glass down. From the curve of her thumb and across to the centre the flesh was red and blistered. Could it be...?

"What's that?"

Byleth shoved her hand beneath the blanket. "Nothing," she lied. Her company did not seem convinced. "It's nothing," she repeated, forcing a smile. The way the woman was watching her every move unsettled her.

"If you say so," she said. Byleth lifted the glass again, her throat suddenly dry. The world began to blur. A realisation dawned on her.

"You said nobody goes to the Sealed Forest alone," she recalled. Her vision was shaky now, fatigue weighing down her limbs. "Why were you there?" And how did you find me?

The woman did not respond. Instead, she kneeled into a crouch beside the bed. When the glass slipped from Byleth's grip, she caught it as if the movement were a regular habit. "You weren't supposed to wake up. Not yet," she said at last.

"You..." Byleth did not understand, her vision darkening. Who are you? she tried to voice, but the words came out a whistle of air.

"Shh..." The stranger stroked Byleth's cheek in tender motions, easing her into forced slumber. "Sleep well, Professor."

Then the world turned black.

A/N (edited)~ This one was a pain. Byleth(Sothis) gettin' deep in 'dreamland'. Smol Rhea. Not got much else to say except thank you to those who reviewed Ch2; HaMiroKar420, iHateFridays and Guest. And thanks to everyone else following along. Stay tuned for Ch4, where we switch back to check on Rhea! (edit: To clear up confusion, Seiros is the name she took to fight Nemesis. Rhea is her original name)

REGARDING STORY ART

Tumblr: katlizhan

IG: katsficdraws

Only one drawing of Sothleth is up but I'll add more during the week: Mystery Woman, smol Rhea and Theos etc. (I hope?) (I'm slow have mercy)