It had been such a simple plan.
The students of the Officer's Academy consisted mostly of the children of prominent nobles from all across Fódlan. They were young, but they were privileged, and they were all talented. Almost every student there was primed to become the next great leader, peerless military strategist, and sweeping political force. In a few, short years, they would have access to and even direct control of all the resources and all the might and influence that each of their noble houses allotted to them.
And for Edelgard von Hresvelg, that meant that they would soon become obstacles.
Taking a few pieces off the board, before the game could even begin, simply made sense. For her plan to succeed, and her vision to be fulfilled, she had to scrub out as much potential resistance as possible, whether that resistance came from the Kingdom and the Alliance, or if it came from within the Empire itself. The deaths of a few prominent noble-children would do much to shake the foundations of Fódlan's power base, and leave several powerful houses without heirs. There was even the chance it could have a significant emotional effect, as parents mourned offspring that had been taken from them too soon. Any weapon that Edelgard could use against them was one that must be considered.
So when the opportunity had presented itself, she couldn't ignore it. Bandits were a wild, violent lot. If a band of them were to come by night to plunder and slaughter a group of trainees out in the forest, no one would give it a second thought. Even if one was taken alive and revealed they had been hired to do so, Edelgard had been in disguise at the time. It would be impossible to ever trace the deed back to her.
And yet, despite both the simplicity and the necessity of the plan, she had been hesitant to follow through with it. There was some part of her that made it feel so wrong.
And as her iron axe whistled through the air to cleave through the flesh of another rampaging bandit, his screams echoing into the nighttime wood, she pondered on the idea that perhaps this was her punishment.
It had been such a simple plan. It was incredible how wrong it had gone.
So there she was now, at the edge of a tiny village just a few leagues away from the monastery, fighting for her life against the very deviants that she had hired, and standing alongside two of the young nobles she had been most interested in taking off the board.
It was Claude's fault, as it always seemed to be. She had been intending to sneak off and find somewhere safe to hide until the knights arrived to save whoever was left, later making the excuse that she had been separated from the others in the confusion. Unfortunately, the young Leicester noble, unpredictable as ever, had made that an impossibility. Whether purposeful or not, he had drawn a significant number of the bandits away to chase him while he made a "tactical retreat." And in doing so, he had unknowingly cut off Edelgard's planned method of escape.
So, she had ended up forced to flee alongside him, while most of the attacking bandits hounded closely behind. And of course, in his unending selflessness, Dimitri had opted to follow his fellow leaders in their retreat, undoubtedly to offer his support should they need it.
It had become quite the embarrassing disaster on her part.
It could have ended worse. But for once, fortune had smiled on Edelgard, in its own, cruel way. Near the borders of the village, they had stumbled upon a band of mercenaries willing to offer their blades in defense of her and her fellow students. But these were not just any mercenaries. This was the band of Jeralt the Blade Breaker; one of the most legendary warriors in all the land.
And fighting alongside him was his only offspring: A young woman known and feared as the Ashen Demon.
It had been quite the fortunate turn for Edelgard and her companions, as now that their numbers were bolstered, they could halt their retreat and turn their eyes and their blades towards the bandits instead.
And turn they did. Though they were still outnumbered, it seemed the lauded skill of Jeralt's band was not just legend. They met the bandits' advance with sure footing and singing swords, cutting them down like oak to a hatchet. Far from the least of these was Jeralt himself, who sat above the rest on a sturdy horse, wielding his spear like a cracking lightning bolt, while his commanding voice followed like thunder. He wasn't just a warrior without peer, he too was a born leader.
But even more impressive, at least to Edelgard, was the woman. The demon. The blue-eyed butcher that could slay a thousand without a twinge of guilt or pleasure on her face. She was even greater and more terrifying than the few stories Edelgard had heard about her could have expressed. The way she fought, the way she killed. It was like nothing Edelgard had ever seen.
Even now, as the mercenaries spread out wide, pushing the bandits further and further into the forest, she found herself watching silently, entranced as the woman crossed blades with three bandits at once. Blow after blow fell upon her, but every one was deftly parried or gracefully sidestepped. Even as one of the bandits threw a desperate attack that would have cleaved her skull in two, the blow was simply knocked aside with a flick of her wrist, before the demon's own sword came down and pierced through the bandit's flimsy, leather armor and into his gut. He dropped where he stood, and without missing a beat, the demon spun around to counter another clumsy attack.
"On your left, Princess!"
Edelgard jolted in shock and instinctively ducked, just in time to avoid a rusty blade screaming through the air, right where her head had been a moment ago. She turned and readied her axe to cleave the offender in two. But before she could raise the weapon, the thwack of an arrow hitting flesh filled the air, and the bandit dropped with a thin shaft of wood sticking through his neck.
Letting out a deep sigh, she turned to see Claude, twirling an arrow in his fingers and giving her that damned smile.
"Saved your life."
"You did no such thing," she said, flipping her hair behind her head and resting the blade of her axe on the ground.
"Uh huh, you're welcome," he said with a grin, nocking another arrow and letting it fly. A second later, about a dozen meters away, a charging bandit screamed and fell to the forest floor. "You shouldn't get so distracted out here. In case you haven't noticed, we are fighting for our lives."
"I am not distracted," she said, casting a glare his way. "Perhaps you should stop running your mouth and focus more on the task at hand."
"Eh, you try to give some friendly advice…" he said with a shrug.
"I agree with Edelgard."
Both leaders turned to see Dimitri walking towards them, wiping blood off the blade of his lance. He had a firm, serious look on his handsome face, and he hardly seemed winded despite the ferocity with which he had been fighting.
"We've pushed back their first assault, but it seems as though they're already preparing another. We can't get distracted."
"That's what I said!" Claude said in mock outrage.
"Oh… was it? I apologize. I must have misheard."
"Absolutely no respect," Claude said with a grin and a dramatic shake of his head.
"You both are insufferable," Edelgard said.
A scream filled the air, and all three of them turned to see the second bandit fighting the demon fall to the earth in a spray of blood. The third, certainly not liking his chances alone, tried to drop his sword and turn to sprint away in terror. But he didn't even make it a step, as the demon took advantage of his dropped guard and buried her sword into his back. He let out a blood curdling scream and dropped to the earth besides his fellows.
Quick, efficient, and merciless, Edelgard thought as she watched the woman prying her sword out of her victim's back. Very impressive…
"By the goddess…" Dimitri cursed under his breath. "Such brutality…"
"She's a sight to behold, isn't she?" said Claude. "I can see why our young princess would get so distracted."
"Are you truly such an oaf, or do you just act that way to garner attention?"
"Who wants attention? It's far more embarrassing to make mistakes when you've got eyes on you."
"You three!"
The sound of the blue-haired mercenary's voice called the three lords to attention. She was marching towards them, a stern, unsettlingly vacant look on her face despite the gore on her armor and cloak. Edelgard's heart twisted with a sudden feeling of fear. If that was what the feeling the Ashen Demon invoked when she was an ally, Edelgard couldn't imagine what she must look like to her enemies.
"You require our services?" Dimitri asked, planting his lance and giving her a respectful bow. "I am willing to do whatever you ask."
"Within reason, of course," Claude added with a smirk.
She acted as if they hadn't even spoken, and pointed towards a wooden watchtower surrounded by rocks a bit deeper into the forest.
"The rest of the bandits' brigade will be coming from that direction to stage a final push. The greatest force will venture around the tower to the west and charge us with their might. But it is also likely they will send a small number of lightly-armored swordsmen and archers around the east side of the tower through the briars to flank us."
"How do you know?" Edelgard asked.
"Because it's an obvious plan, and a poor one. These vagrants are not capable of anything better."
"Heh, I like her," Claude said.
Her blue eyes flickered back and forth between each of the three students, studying them intently. Edelgard couldn't tell what was going through her mind.
"You," she said at last, pointing at Dimitri, "defend the archer while he climbs the watchtower. Once he's in position, flank around the east side and attack from behind, cutting down anyone you see. You and I," she pointed at Edelgard, "will go the long way around the west side. We'll draw their attention away from the tower and spread their forces. The archer can scout the area and pick them off in the meanwhile. We only need to hold them off until Jeralt and the rest of the band can rendezvous with us. Understand?"
Very impressive…
"Understood," Dimitri said, tightening his grip on his lance and nodding.
"Completely," Edelgard said with a smile and a nod.
"Good plan," Claude said, resting his bow on his shoulder. "Though, the name's Claude by the by. Of course, just 'the archer' will do if you're not good with-"
"Go," she cut him off, pointing at the watchtower.
Claude gave her a grin and a wink, before turning to Dimitri and motioning him to follow. Edelgard was just glad the blue-eyed mercenary had shut him up as she watched the two begin running towards the tower.
"Hurry," the woman said, starting to march so fast that Edelgard had to run to catch up. "Your friend will be in danger if they notice him climbing the ladder."
Edelgard nodded, though she found that she couldn't quite focus her mind on the task at hand. Perhaps Claude was right (as bad of a taste as that left in her mouth), but this strange, stoic mercenary was distracting her. Edelgard had never met anyone so… efficient. So methodical. It was like she was barely even human. She was more like a machine, built for strategy, battle and war. It was frightening, but it was admirable as well.
And it intrigued the young princess, because she was the exact kind of person that Edelgard needed in the future. Someone who wasn't afraid to do what needed to be done, and could succeed doing it to boot. And even better, she was a mercenary, so her loyalties could easily be bought. Edelgard would have to continue evaluating her, to make sure she was indeed the kind of asset she imagined she could be. But if everything Edelgard had seen tonight was an indication, she was very nearly perfect.
No reason not to start forming a relationship now.
"May I ask what your name is?" Edelgard asked as she followed the woman's brisk pace from behind.
The mercenary gave her a strange, sidelong look over her shoulder. Edelgard couldn't tell if she was silently judging her, or if the question had surprised her. Regardless, as she turned her gaze back to their path, Edelgard got her answer.
"Byleth."
"Very good. I'm sure you know, but we are very fortunate to have met you. I don't know if we would have survived against these villains alone."
"Likely not."
Edelgard's smile dropped and her lips thinned. Perhaps Byleth hadn't meant that as an insult, but it certainly came off as one. She continued regardless, "tell me, Byleth; have you worked for the Empire in the past?"
"Yes," the answer was curt and cold, and she seemed uninterested in giving details.
"Excellent. And would you consider working for them again in the future?"
Silence for a long moment. Edelgard almost thought she wasn't going to answer, but at last, she opened her mouth, "Jeralt is the commander. That would be his decision."
She doesn't call him 'father'. Interesting…
"Well, whatever his decision, the Empire could certainly use a warrior like you in their ranks. If you are interested, perhaps you could speak to Jeralt about it?"
Byleth slowed her pace for just a moment, and gave Edelgard a long, unsettling look that made her extremely uncomfortable. It took all her effort to keep eye-contact with those intense, blue orbs.
"I see," she said at last. "You're the reason these bandits are attacking."
Edelgard's heart froze, and her grip on her axe tightened. "Excuse me?"
Byleth didn't seem to notice and started marching again. "You're a noble from the Empire, clearly. Likely an important one too. If I were to guess, someone has hired them to capture or kill you and your friends. They wouldn't be attacking with such determination otherwise."
She let out a silent sigh of relief. "Yes, that must be it."
"You probably have enemies in the Empire, despite your age."
"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that," she said, brushing her hair aside. "You probably haven't realized, but I am actually the heir to the Adrestian-"
"Shh!" Byleth put a stopping finger up right in Edelgard's face. Again, the princess' lips thinned, but she kept her tongue.
"It's time. Stay close. Watch my back," was all the mercenary said, before lifting her blade to her shoulder and taking off like a lion in hunt.
Edelgard followed without hesitation. Up ahead, she could see shadows moving through the trees, not far off from the tower. To her left, she was fairly certain she could make out the dim outlines of Claude and Dimitri, making their own way to the wooden structure. She just had to give them enough time.
The shadows came closer, and a shout was raised as they caught sight of the two, young women. Edelgard's hands clenched the old wood of her iron axe tighter. She was prepared to defend herself to the very end.
Recklessly, and in unison, the bandits began to charge. Shouts and wild whoops filled the air, but Edelgard was not to be intimidated. As the first bandit came into view, close enough that she could see the murderous gleam in his eyes, he gave her a hungry grin, showing off cracked, yellow teeth. She only returned a cold glare, making it clear she was far from frightened.
Neither was he however, and he proved both his mettle and his recklessness by letting out a wild howl and charging forward, his raised blade gleaming silver in the moonlight.
"Noble scum! Hiding behind mercs! We'll show you what's-"
A flash of silver, and a horrible scream. The bandit's arm, still clenching his sword, fell to the forest floor in a spray of blood. The Ashen Demon had reached him first, and after disarming him, cut his chest open with a precise, upwards slash. He fell, but his fellows quickly closed in from behind him.
There were too many for even the Ashen Demon to face alone. But she was not alone, which Edelgard made clear by parrying a strike aiming for her heart with the shaft of her axe, before bringing the blade down deep into the attacker's collarbone. Warm blood stained the front of her uniform and splattered her face, making her flinch. Unpleasant didn't begin to describe that sensation.
After all this time, she still wasn't used to the scent of blood.
She pried her weapon out of the man's flesh and he fell in a heap. But she had no moment to catch her breath, as she had to jump back to avoid a singing axe coming down towards her head. She jumped forward with a feint to the chest, forcing the bandit to raise her axe in defense. But she redirected her strike, burying her blade deep into the woman's thigh, almost severing her leg from her body. The bandit fell to the earth as blood sprayed from the wound, and her screams filled the forest air. Edelgard would have put her out of her misery, but she was forced to scurry backwards as two bandits ganged up on her at once, swinging their blades wildly.
Edelgard clenched her teeth, ignoring the piercing screams and pleas for help from the injured woman as she removed one of the attacking bandit's heads with a sweeping stroke. She had to focus on survival first.
After chopping a wooden lance in two and swiftly dispatching the aggressor, she shot a quick glance to the side to make sure Byleth was still standing. Indeed she was, and she seemed to have already slain twice as many of the brutes as Edelgard had. Right now, she was fending off an assault from a giant of a man, with a head shaped more like a stone block than a human skull and a messy mane of grey hair.
"Get out of my way!" the man screamed, swinging his axe in long, broad strokes back and forth in an attempt to force Byleth backwards. "I need to kill at least one of these brats!"
Edelgard's brow furrowed. She recognized that man. It was the leader of this sad band of miscreants; the very one that she had hired. Right now, she was regretting her choice even more than she already had been, as he didn't seem like a particularly competent fighter or leader. Certainly not someone she should have put her trust in.
He certainly wasn't faring too well against the Ashen Demon, though he was holding himself better than the others through strength alone. Every one of his brutal attacks was passing through thin air, since the smaller woman likely wouldn't have the sheer mass to block them outright. Despite gracefully staying just out of his range, his assault was so aggressive that he wasn't leaving much room for Byleth to counterattack.
That wouldn't save him for long however, since Edelgard could tell Byleth was patiently waiting for an opening. And she soon found one. After sidestepping a particularly vicious, overhead strike, she stepped forward past his guard and planted a boot into the front of his kneecap, sending a crack through the air. He shouted in pain and fell to one knee, loosening his grip on his weapon for a split second. Edelgard was sure Byleth was going to finish him then and there.
"Ggrrgh! Kostas! Help me, please! It hurts…"
Byleth turned towards Edelgard, and in a flash, started sprinting in her direction. Edelgard balked, and with the adrenaline pumping through her veins, almost raised her axe to defend herself from the frightening mercenary. But the woman ran right past her, stopping instead right above the bandit whose leg had been partially severed by Edelgard's axe.
"No!" her screams filled the air and she raised a desperate hand. "Please, I beg- Gyaaagh!"
Byleth's sword entered her throat, and slid away with a spray of gore. The mercenary's face didn't so much twitch as a fountain of blood drenched her.
Edelgard felt a shiver course across her skin as the bandit crumpled like a cloth doll. Merciless. Even the wounded did not escape the demon's cruelty.
A cry sounded, and Edelgard registered the sound of a whistling blade just in time to jump back and watch a sword swing through the air where she had just been. As her heart pounded, two more bandits, snarling like animals, raised their weapons and charged her. The first jabbed a long lance at her, trying to stay out of her reach. But with a quick step and a crack, Edelgard's axe chopped cleanly upwards through the flimsy wood. The unarmed bandit didn't have time to scream as Edelgard's axe came down to split his skull in two.
The other bandit took her chance and swung her sword. Edelgard, unable to raise her axe in defense as it was still stuck between the dead man's eyes, could only raise an arm to block the strike. White-hot pain stole a scream from her lips as the rusty blade sliced a jagged line across her forearm, ripping through her sleeve and into her flesh. Losing her grip on the axe, she stumbled back and clutched her injured arm tight, feeling blood gush through her fingers and staining the pure white of her glove.
But she didn't have time to examine the injury or try to mend it. Through her pain-addled vision, she saw the bandit jumping in to deliver the killing blow, a triumphant look shining in her eyes. Edelgard had less than a second.
Whether it was the blessing of her crests, or through sheer adrenaline, Edelgard found the strength to draw the dagger at her hip, sidestep the blade aiming for her heart, and plunge her trusted knife into the bandit's throat. The woman, her face twisting in terrible shock, tried to scream, but the sound was blocked by the silver of Edelgard's dagger and a rushing river of her own blood.
She was as good as dead, but Edelgard, unwilling to take chances, dragged the razor-sharp blade sideways, slitting her throat open cleanly. The woman, her forgotten sword tumbling to the forest floor, clawed at the flaps of her severed throat for a moment before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she crumpled backwards. Dead.
Vomit surged up at the back of Edelgard's throat, but she forced herself to swallow it back down. As she tore her eyes away from the bloody body and clutched her injured arm tight, pain, fatigue, and a sense of terrible guilt left her lightheaded. Though she couldn't bear to look at it, she could tell her wound was serious. Had that blade been any sharper or its bearer more forceful, there was a good chance her arm would have come clean off.
Her swimming brain told her she needed to fall back. Find someone to treat her wound, and stop the flow of blood. Perhaps Hubert was somewhere close by…
However, right as she turned back towards the village, the surrounding forest little more than a dark blob in her eyes, a roaring cry sounded from behind. Spinning back around, she barely made out the image of Kostas, the bandit leader, charging her like a rabid bull. Spittle flew from his lips, and his raised axe gleamed bright in the moonlight.
Edelgard, mind going blank with panic, raised her dagger, unable to hear the part of her brain that told her it would be no use. That piddly knife was nothing next to his heavy axe, and she no longer had the strength to dodge or defend regardless.
"You'll die, scum!" the roar rang in her ears.
It came too quickly. The axe left his hand and spun through the air straight towards her head. She was about to die.
A shadow fell over her. The terrible, wet thud of a heavy blade splitting flesh and rending bone filled her ears. Yet, to her surprise, she felt no pain. Instead she felt… a pleasant warmth.
Realizing she had closed her eyes, she opened them again to see a pair of blue eyes staring into hers. Byleth, her mouth ajar, eyes shining with an empty gleam, was standing in front of her. She was so close. Close enough to kiss.
Time seemed to slow as Edelgard tried to figure out what had happened. But as Byleth failed to gasp a choked breath, a trickle of blood trailing down from the corner of her lips, Edelgard understood.
"No…"
Byleth crumpled forward into her, forcing Edelgard to wrap her arms around the woman's body to support her weight. Over her shoulder, she saw Kostas' axe, buried to the shaft in Byleth's back. Byleth retched, a surge of blood pouring out of her mouth and drenching the crimson cape on Edelgard's shoulder. One of her lungs was clearly damaged.
Edelgard stood rooted, frozen in shock, mind working through a thousand blank, confusing thoughts. The only thought she could understand was that Byleth had saved her life, and now was as good as dead. There was no coming back from a wound like that.
"Ha! That's what you get, you worthless piece of trash!" Kostas' voice rang through the dark forest. "Anyone else want to try and stand up to me!?"
Rage seized Edelgard's heart, and a snarl left her lips. All else was forgotten as she lowered Byleth's body, as quickly and as gently as she could, and set her down on the ground. Then, picking up her fallen dagger and ignoring the burning pain spreading from her injured arm, she darted towards Kostas with murder in her eyes.
The brute seemed shocked that she was actually brave or foolish enough to charge him, but that shock quickly turned to alarm when he realized he had thrown away his weapon. With a red haze pulsing in her vision, Edelgard raised the dagger and dropped it, aiming for his neck. She missed her mark though, as he raised his arms in defense and the blade instead plunged into the bulging muscles of his forearm.
The wretch howled in pain and stumbled back, but Edelgard had already exhumed the dagger from his bloody flesh and was rearing back for another stab, this one directed lower towards his gut. But as the dagger shot forward, a powerful hand grabbed her wrist and twisted, pulling a scream from her lips as her joint popped and she dropped the dagger. She tried to counter with a strike with her other fist, but that only caused another scream as a sharp burning sensation spread out from the gash on her arm. The pain was so intense that her vision went dark for a moment, and she had to exert all her effort not to black out.
The next thing she knew, she was on the ground and Kostas was atop her, squeezing his hands around her throat with a frenzied look on his face. She sputtered and choked, clawing at his stone hands and trying in vain to break his grip on her neck. He did not budge, no matter how much she kicked and struggled. Perhaps she could have overpowered this thug before, but now? After exhausting her stamina and losing so much blood? She was at his mercy.
Her lungs begged for air, her vision was growing blurry. In her panicked and pain-addled mind, she could only lament that this was where it ended. All her plans, all her dreams. They were all going to come to naught in this dark, nameless forest, at the hands of what turned out to be a very foolish plan on her part.
Perhaps this was her punishment.
She needed air. Her chest was burning, her eyes barely working. She couldn't give up yet. If she could just find her dagger, maybe-
Thwack
A pained cry pierced her ears, and the hands loosened their grip on her throat. The moment her airway was open, she gasped in the deepest and most painful, yet the most delicious gulp of cool air she had ever tasted. Blinking to focus her eyes while her chest heaved with breath, she saw that Kostas had fallen back off of her, and was roaring in pain as he clutched his bloody shoulder. There, sticking out from between his fingers, was the wooden shaft of an arrow that had pierced deep into his flesh.
"Edelgard!"
Coughing and trying to fight back the haze in her eyes, she pushed herself up enough to turn and see Dimitri sprinting towards her as fast as he could with his lance in hand, while Claude followed close behind. The latter was already nocking another arrow onto the string of his bow and taking aim.
"Run! Everyone, fall back! Fall back!"
Edelgard turned to see Kostas was already scrambling madly away, sprinting towards where the rest of his diminished band too were disappearing into the forest. So swift and manic was his flight that Claude's last arrow flew wide, though only by a few inches.
Edelgard growled in fury, and she was tempted to give chase and finish the vagrants off herself. But as she made a motion to stand, she felt such a rush of lightheadedness and nausea that she fell back down and quickly dismissed the idea.
"Edelgard! You're injured!"
Dimitri fell to his knees beside her, gazing at her torn, bloody arm with horror in his eyes.
"That's twice I've saved your life tonight," Claude said, though he could not hide the concern written on his face. "You alright, Princess?"
"It looks bad," Dimitri said, gently taking her arm to examine the gash, "we need to get her back! She's losing a lot of blood!"
Though she was only partially lucid, Edelgard had enough frame of mind to shake her head and pull her injured arm away. "No, not me… she needs…"
It was difficult for her to form words. Regardless, calling upon the last of her strength, she pushed Dimitri aside and stumbled to her feet.
"Edelgard, please. Don't try to move. We must-"
"No! Don't touch me!"
As Edelgard stood and clutched her arm, forcing herself to to ignore the burning pain and the spots in her vision, she turned around, searching… searching…
There. She staggered forward as fast as she could, Dimitri's protests a buzz in her ears. But as she drew closer, those protests were quickly silenced.
"By the goddess…" he swore instead.
"Oh no…" Claude muttered.
Edelgard fell to her knees beside Byleth's body. The mercenary was lying face-down in the dirt, the rusty axe still embedded deep in her back. Edelgard's hand moved instinctively towards the handle, as if intending to remove it, but she stopped herself. Instead, she touched her fingers to the side of the woman's neck, searching for a sign of life.
"She's alive…" Edelgard murmured, "but barely…"
"We need to get help!" Dimitri said. "If we can get a priest to her as soon as possible…"
"Let's be realistic, Dimitri. You can see as well as I can," Claude said, his voice more somber than Edelgard had ever heard. "She fought well."
"How can you say that?" Dimitri growled. "We cannot just give up on the one who saved our lives!"
But Edelgard did not heed their argument. Instead, as gently as she could, she rolled Byleth to her side and lifted her up just enough to cradle her head atop her lap. The woman still struggled for breath with a mouth filled with blood, but as her eyes flickered up to look at Edelgard, it was clear that she was at least still conscious.
"You saved my life…" Edelgard whispered. "Why?"
Byleth's lips parted, but instead of words came the choked coughing and bloody spurts of a dead creature pathetically trying to hang on to life.
"No, don't try to speak. It's okay," Edelgard said, shaking her head. "Thank you, Byleth. I swear to you, on my father's name, that your sacrifice won't be in vain. Thank you…"
Byleth's ragged breathing was slowing, the shimmer in her eyes quickly fading. Yet, even as the last vestiges of life began to slip away, she opened her lips again and managed to cough out two words.
"Don't… go…"
Edelgard's lips parted in confusion. "I'm… I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here. Don't worry… I'm right-"
But she blinked, and saw that Byleth was gone. Her blue eyes stared sightlessly, and her labored attempts at breath had ceased. The Ashen Demon was dead.
Bowing her head in mourning, Edelgard gently set the lifeless body back down and rose to unsteady feet, clutching her bloody arm. Forcing herself to turn away, she saw that Claude and Dimitri looked as crestfallen as she felt. Claude bowed his head and muttered something under her breath, while Dimitri crossed his fist over his chest in a traditional Faerghus salute to the fallen.
"May the goddess receive her…" he said.
Anger stabbed at Edelgard's heart and curled her lip. It seemed to her so disrespectful to call upon a false deity in the face of such tragedy. She sorely wanted to snap at the boy. But she held her tongue as the sound of rapid hoofbeats filled the air and caught their attention.
"You there!" a deep voice called. "About time!"
Edelgard turned to see Jeralt the Blade Breaker riding towards them, trailed by a scattering of distant figures that Edelgard couldn't make out in the dark. It appeared as though he and his band had beaten back the rest of the bandit's forces, and they were finally moving to rendezvous with them.
"Been looking for you all over," Jeralt grumbled, pulling his horse to a stop. "Should've guessed you'd… Kid?"
His rugged face fell into a look of shock as he stared past the trio. Edelgard's heart sank in her chest, and she stepped back as Jeralt leapt from his horse and pushed past them towards his daughter's body.
"Kid…? Byleth… No…"
He fell to his knees beside her blood-soaked body, hands shaking as he gently touched her shoulder, as if to try to rouse her from sleep. She didn't stir.
"What happened?" he asked with a low voice.
"I'm sorry. We held their forces off as long as we could," Dimitri said somberly.
"I didn't see, but I'd guess one of those scumbags got a lucky shot," Claude said.
"She battled courageously, and no doubt saved all our lives," Edelgard whispered. "She died a hero."
Jeralt turned his head towards her, and in his eyes was the most intense rage Edelgard had ever seen. For a moment, she was afraid the man was going to charge at her and kill her where she stood. But that passed quickly, as he quickly turned back to his daughter and tenderly lifted her limp body in his arms, hugging her close without so much as a breath.
Hot guilt pooled into Edelgard's heart, forcing her to avert her eyes and bite her lip. She was responsible, in more ways than one. Were it not for her, Jeralt would not have lost his daughter tonight.
"Edelgard…"
She turned to see Dimitri beside her, concern and sympathy written on his face. Placing a tender hand on her shoulder, he shook his head. "There was nothing you could have done."
"I know that…" she murmured, darkness creeping in at the edges of her vision.
"Come on, you two," Claude said under his breath, "let's give the man some space. We need to find the others and patch up our princess."
Edelgard nodded vacantly, warm nausea rising up in her gut. "If we are… if we are lucky… perhaps the… the Knights of… of…" her vision went black.
"Edelgard? Are you alr-"
But she was already falling, unconscious before she hit the ground.
When she woke up, she was somewhere else.
Except… she didn't wake up. She was standing upright, on her own two feet, and her mind was clear and alert, if perhaps a bit surprised and confused. And as far as she could tell, no time had passed at all. It was as if she had blinked in the forest, and opened her eyes to be taken… here.
Here. Where was here? She tried to move, but realized something about her body felt odd. It was light and floaty, yet it was also incredibly heavy and impossible to control, as if she had been paralyzed. She couldn't feel the touch of her uniform on her skin, or the firmness of the ground at her feet, or the temperature of the surrounding air. Or at least, she could not until the moment she thought about it, then all those sensations returned. But even then, they were muted, and fleeting. Like a dream.
A dream. Of course, she was dreaming. After passing out from blood loss, naturally. That was the only explanation. Yet, even for a dream, something about this place felt so strange. So… otherworldly.
She found the ability to move her head, and amidst a strange, green mist that smothered the ground, she saw stone walls erected all about her. Dozens of them, criss-crossing every which way she could see, and stretching up impossibly high, so high that instead of a ceiling she saw naught but a void of darkness above. There were many openings in the jumbled walls, but they were random and disorganized. Some were as tall as the walls themselves, while some were tiny squares that would be impossible to fit through. Beyond some of those openings, she saw even more confusing, twisting walls that turned out of her sight, and beyond others she saw straight corridors that seemed to stretch for an eternity. It was as though she was standing in the center of an impossibly complex maze.
But then, she turned again, and saw something other than walls. Standing tall before her was a set of stone stairs, on the peak of which sat a beautiful, masterfully carved, stone throne, lit bright despite the lack of a visible light source. And laying atop that throne with her head on the armrest was a girl. A young girl whose head was covered by voluminous, vibrantly green hair decorated with many ornaments, whose body was clad in an extravagant set of multicolored robes, and whose ears were long and pointed like knives. She seemed to be sleeping.
But before Edelgard could even wonder who the girl was, or what she was, she began to stir. Eyes opening to reveal irises even more green than her hair, she blinked a few times and licked her lips, as if trying to convince herself to rise. Pushing herself off the armrest with her eyes only partially open, she let out a great yawn and stretched her arms high, before letting them fall and rubbing her eyes with clenched fists.
Somehow, impossibly, Edelgard found her voice. "Who…"
The girl stopped at the sound of her voice, and lowered her hands from her eyes. As her sleepy gaze fell down to focus on Edelgard, her brows raised in surprise and she tilted her head.
"Oh? Well, this is certainly new," she said, her voice as soft as a child's, yet carrying a sort of haughty maturity to it. "Who might you be?"
Author's Note: Hey, all. I'm back. It's been a really long time since I've posted anything to this site. To be honest, I had thought that I was done writing fan-fiction, because I wanted to focus my attentions on writing an original novel instead. But after a few years of trying to get that off the ground and having it go nowhere, I really needed to write something that would cause a bit less stress and anxiety.
And to be frank, I've been sitting on this story idea for a few years now. Three Houses might be in my top 3 favorite games of all time, and it really has, to bring back an older meme, lived in my head rent-free for years now. And I really just wanted to take that slight obsession and use it to craft a what-if story revolving around a character that fascinates me to no end, that being Edelgard. Now, I don't know if this exact idea has been done before, though I definitely wouldn't be surprised if it has been, but I hope the ideas I've got in mind can still make it an interesting read for you all.
Well, assuming I ever actually finish it...
Anyway, thanks so much for reading. If you have any thoughts or criticisms, please feel free to leave them in a review. It really makes it a lot easier to write when I see that people are reading and enjoying, and your thoughts are genuinely valuable to me. Thanks again.
Have a fantastic day, and treat yourself to something nice. You deserve it.
Yours truly, USEChairman