Chapter Text
It had been a few decades since the horrible war ended. As with every Verdant Moon, Claude came to visit the United Kingdom of Fódlan--or more specifically, its leader, Byleth--to celebrate. She sat in the audience chamber, tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair. She hardly saw herself as fit to be ruler of a land, considering her background as a mercenary, not to mention she never wanted the position. She sighed as she remembered that sometimes the best leaders are the ones who never actively sought out power. The doors to the chamber swung open, causing Byleth to stand up as the Almayran king approached. The light filtering through the stained glass seemed to brighten his face, or maybe it was his growing smile at seeing his old teacher and friend once again.
When Claude’s mouth opened, his words came out unintelligible, like trying to speak underwater. Despite not hearing, Byleth’s mouth moved of its own volition, providing a response that Claude seemed to laugh to. A confused panic set in Byleth’s mind when the conversation between the two continued, inaudible, and without her input. The world seemed to blur and bleed away into darkness as realization set into Byleth’s mind. This happened once before. Years after she and Dimitri took Edelgard down and freed Fódlan from her grasp.
She wished with every fiber of her being for the world to stop slipping away and to allow her freedom, but it was not so. The drowsiness of sleep overtook her, eyes closing as the world turned to nothingness. When they opened again, she was faced with Sothis, awakening on her throne. Byleth noted that the bangs in her view were no longer green, but their old blue hue. They were once again at the beginning. She was slightly annoyed at the goddess, but her monotone voice failed to share such. “Sothis, why are you doing this? Wasn’t it enough for me to go through that war once? Do you want me to suffer a third time?”
The goddess scoffed, staring down at Byleth from her throne. “Do you think me a sadistic monster? I take no joy in this either, but I will not allow you to live an eternity watching me walk about in your body!”
Byleth huffed as she took a step forward. “I’d prefer watching you in a peaceful world over having to relive this nightmare.”
Sothis rolled her eyes and leaned forward. “You know I can read your heart. It is clear you have your regrets. I know you wish to prevent this war from happening. And might I remind you that peace is not eternal? The world in which you would watch me walk would no doubt be riddled with wars throughout time and we would certainly be involved.”
Byleth let out a sigh. “Fine. You’ve already reversed the hands of time. Arguing with you won’t undo that.”
The goddess clapped her hands together as a wide smile came across her face, a satisfied hum escaping her lips. “Good. Now it’s time you wake up. We have much to do.”
“Hey. Time to wake up.”
Jeralt’s voice reached Byleth’s ears, causing her eyes to shoot open. How foreign his voice had become to her. She had forgotten the distinct sound of it after all those years. Yet it was so familiar, as though she had still been hearing it every day. As though the memories she awoke from were just one long nightmare, and like a nightmare, those memories felt foggy and yet the pain was clear. Letting out a sigh, Byleth sat up and dressed into her armor before leaving her room to find Jeralt waiting for her. “Were you having that dream again?”
She took a moment to think. It would be unwise to openly share knowledge of the future. If Byleth were to do so, she would at best be ignored and at worst be seen as deranged or cause unintended side-effects. It was no help that her mind felt as though it were trapped in a haze, unable to fully grasp the details of the future-past. Such were the consequences of rewinding the clock, Byleth supposed. She thought back to her usual response, it wasn’t a total lie after all. “I was dreaming about a young girl.”
Jeralt shook his head in his hand. “You’ve described her to me before. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like that. In any case, just put that out of your mind for now. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed.”
Byleth gave a simple nod. “I know, dad. You’ve told me before.”
Jeralt flashed a smile that faded just as quickly. “OK, time to get moving. Our next job is in the Kingdom. I told you before. It’s far from here, so we’ll need to leave at dawn.”
“Of course.”
Letting out a concerned hum, Jeralt looked past Byleth out the window of the building. “Good grief. Everyone is already waiting for us outside.”
Suddenly, the door swung open as one of the mercenaries ran inside, stopping to catch his breath for a moment before meeting Jeralt’s gaze. Had he not been a trained soldier, Byleth had no doubt the mercenary would have a panicked look and be stumbling over his words. Instead, he stood upright, his posture kept perfectly in line as his voice spoke, unwavering. “Jeralt! Sir! Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed.”
Jeralt kept his casual and imposing demeanor, but his voice hardened into that of a commander. “What’s happened?”
The mercenary turned, motioning the pair to follow as he explained. “Three kids showed up shouting for help just outside the village, sir. Scouts haven’t reported anything yet, so I thought it best you talk to them yourself and figure out what’s happening.”
He then pointed over to a group of three well-dressed individuals, all looking just a few years younger than Byleth. She and Jeralt approached the group, all of whom wore black uniforms, though with slight differentiations. One of the three was a boy with blonde hair, his uniform adorned with armor, a long blue half-cape, and silver accents. Dimitri . Yes, Byleth remembered. That was his name. Standing to the left of him was another boy. His skin was tanned and his hair a tousled dark brown. His outfit was worn more casually with his jacket slightly longer than those of the other two, reaching well to his knees, and the front kept popped open to show a yellow shirt beneath. His uniform was adorned by a short yellow half-cape and golden accents. Claude . That was his name. Byleth was sure of it. To the right of Dimitri was a girl with stark white hair and piercing lilac eyes. Her outfit was by far the most formal and well-kempt of the group, looking like she was pulled directly from tales of princes. A large white cravat stuck out the front of her jacket, from her right shoulder hung a golden tassel, on her left shoulder was a long red half-cape, and she wore white gloves that seemed to be kept excruciatingly clean. The least formal aspect of her attire were the shorts she wore, and even then her legs were fully covered by thick red tights, leaving no skin exposed. The only skin one could see of hers was her face. Edelgard . As the name rung in Byleth’s head, a rage seemed to burn in her mind, but a part of her memory still felt foggy. There was no time for Byleth to think about it as Dimitri spoke up. “Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire.”
Jeralt gave a quick scan over the three, slightly raising his brow. “What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?”
Dimitri bowed his head as he gave a quick explanation. “We’re being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.”
Byleth restrained herself from rolling her eyes. How naive it seemed of Dimitri to ask for help from mercenaries without any promise of reward. Yet his trust in the kindness of others was a gift in itself. Jeralt seemed to pay no mind as he thought about more pressing matters. “Bandits? Here?”
Edelgard chimed in, her words coming out as though they were calculated in advance. “It’s true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.”
How very her , some part of Byleth thought in a condescending tone. Her mind was still in a haze, unable to fully decipher the thought. Claude shook his head, his voice filled less with concern and more with thought, perhaps reasoning over what was happening. “We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered. They’re after our lives...” His voice fell into a mumble, as though going on a tangent. “Not to mention our gold.”
Jeralt’s brow only seemed to rise higher. “I’m surprised you’re staying so calm considering the situation. I…” The mercenary trailed off as he finally seemed to notice the clothing the three wore, his voice filled with recognition as he continued. “Wait. That uniform--”
Before he could finish the thought, another mercenary ran into the village, carrying news for the group. “Bandits spotted just outside the village! Damn, there are a lot of them.”
Annoyance laced itself into Jeralt’s features as he looked out the village gate, seeing shadows moving about the dark, making their way to the light of the village. “I guess they followed you all the way here. We can’t abandon this village now.” He turned his attention to Byleth, anger obvious on his face. “Come on, let’s move.”
Byleth gave a simple nod as she placed her hand on the sword resting upon her hip, drawing it as she rushed forward. The three students followed behind her as Jeralt shouted out orders. “Let’s take care of those thieves before they overrun the village. Take down the enemies in front first. That should take the wind out of their sails.”
She ran forward, bringing down her blade on a bandit coming close to the village entrance. The hit wasn’t quite enough to finish him, but Edelgard came rushing in, bringing down a crushing blow before Byleth could finish him. The girl was ruthless, Byleth could see that clearly in the way she fought. She followed behind, watching Edelgard advance into the forest, stopping to defend against bandits that came out of the thicket. Watching her fight with such brutal precision and grace, Byleth began to see a vision, one of a woman slightly older than Edelgard, but with a similar face and hair. Though, her hair was instead kept up in neat buns and adorned with golden horns. The image incited a deep anger within Byleth. Conqueror. Murderer. Monster. The words repeatedly rang in Byleth’s ears, growing louder and louder the longer she watched.
The vision only dissipated when Byleth looked away to strike down bandits running at her. But the words would not stop ringing. They remained a loud distraction in her mind, unwilling to relent. They fueled her blade, making it cut deeper in the bandits that she came across. It only stopped when the bandits began a retreat, drawing Byleth’s attention back to Edelgard. She seemed to have felled the bandit leader herself, his body lying on the ground. But his chest still moved. He was breathing, alive. Suddenly, he jumped up, rushing at Edelgard, ready to bring down his axe. The girl wasn’t prepared, her guard was down as she fumbled to take a knife out to protect herself. There wasn’t enough time to pull up her axe for protection.
Byleth’s legs seemed to move on their own, ready to intercept the attack and defend the girl, but when she looked at Edelgard, she saw another vision of that woman. She looked like a monster, willing to go to any lengths to see her ambition, even at the cost of others. At the cost of a war. Byleth stopped in her tracks, instead watching as the bandit brought his axe down, tearing through Edelgard’s flesh, her blood pooling on the ground around her. The world suddenly shattered and flashed a dark blue, darkness slowly overtaking Byleth’s vision.
“What do you think you’re accomplishing, watching her die like that?!”
Byleth turned to look up to Sothis’s throne. Her lips curved down slightly, showing only the slightest sign of emotion on the mercenary, one that most would hardly notice. “I was preventing the war from happening. Edelgard will start it, no?” A memory of a defeated woman begging for death flashed before her eyes. “And she admitted herself that it would only end when she died.”
Sothis sat up in her throne, the frown on her face deepening as she raised her voice. “Honestly! At times you are worse than a child! Have you not thought of the implications of killing off the heir to the Empire?! Surely that would just as likely start a conflict as keeping her alive! You would only be speeding the process along. There is a difference between killing a leader before and during a conflict!”
Giving an annoyed shrug, Byleth glanced off to the side, crossing her arms. “What, so the war is inevitable? If I keep her alive, she’ll start the war anyway, unless you have some bright idea.”
The goddess scoffed, leaning back in her throne as she rested her head in her hand, closing her eyes as she entered deep in thought. She let out a small hum before mumbling to herself. “A way to stop this war without blood on your hands. That could be difficult indeed, but what if…” She trailed off, her mumbling becoming unintelligible before her eyes shot open, a wide smile gracing her face. “Ah! That is it! You need to keep the girl alive! Watch over and protect her--”
The mercenary’s frown deepened as she stomped a foot in front of her. “What? I want to stop the war, not help her start it!”
The response earned a glare from Sothis. “Perhaps you should act the age you are and listen! I was not finished.” She paused as she waited for Byleth to stand straight and show she was listening. Only then did Sothis continue. “Being so close to her, she would no doubt listen to and value your own opinion. She obviously seemed to value you in the war, even though you fought her, so I wonder what would happen were you actually close to her.”
Byleth’s mouth opened, trying to think of a counter, but none came. She let out a sigh as she nodded begrudgingly. “Fine. We’ll try your plan.”
Sothis clapped her hands together as she jumped up from her throne, producing a magic glyph in front of her. “Wonderful! You really are quite troublesome, but I will be sure to help guide you down this path.”
Darkness enveloped Byleth’s vision once again, bringing her back to the frozen present. The shattered world reversed before settling and reforming. Time returned to Byleth running toward Edelgard. This time she would not stop, following her instinct and placing herself between the girl and the bandit. Byleth raised her sword, parrying the blow with expert precision and sending both the bandit and axe flying. Fear etched itself into the bandit leader’s face as he began to stand, shouting out to the others to run for their lives.
Byleth let out a huff, her features pulling down into a frown as she remembered who stood behind her. She only turned to face the girl when Calude’s voice broke through the woods. “Hey! Over here!”
Claude and Dimitri ran over to the two of them, sharing relieved glances with Edelgard, no doubt happy to see her unharmed. Jeralt followed close behind, his eyes wide with surprise. “Hey, did you just--”
He was cut off by a loud man in white armor running over, ordering the soldiers with him to go after the bandits. The soldiers ran off as he continued his path to their group, stopping at the sight of Jeralt and the students. He spoke in a booming voice, his words more for himself than anyone he was talking to. “The students seem to be unharmed. And who’s this?”
Jeralt put a hand to his face as he shook his head, the pained look of a headache coming across his features as he let out a low groan. “Why him?”
The man in white armor wore a wide grin and let out a loud laugh. “Captain Jeralt?! It is you! Goodness, it’s been ages. Don’t you recognize me? It’s Alois! Your old right-hand man!” His grin became sheepish as he mumbled to himself. “Well, that’s how I always thought of myself anyway.” His voice rose back to its prior volume as he continued. “It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!”
Jeralt’s face pulled down into a grimace as he rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. “You haven’t changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that ‘captain’ nonsense. I’m not your captain anymore. These days I’m just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Goodbye, old friend.”
Alois simply nodded his head, disappointment bleeding into his voice. “Right. Goodbye, Captain.” His eyes widened for a moment as his voice went back to it’s normal volume. “Wait! That isn’t how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!”
Jeralt let out a sigh as his head dropped in disappointment. “I suppose this was inevitable.”
Alois’s gaze moved over to Byleth, observing her with curiosity. “And how about you, kid? Are you the captain’s child?”
Byleth simply nodded. “That is correct.”
“Is that so? Well, physical differences aside, your mannerisms do remind me of the captain. I’d love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won’t you?”
She already knew that trying to get out of the situation would be impossible. Alois was a stubborn one, and if Jeralt was to go, Byleth would tag along too. “Of course.”
Jeralt sighed in response. Despite Alois’s thick skull, it didn’t pass by him, his brow rising. “What’s troubling you, Captain? You aren’t about to run off again, are you?”
A serious look came to Jeralt’s eye, though the rest of his face returned to its neutral demeanor. “Even I wouldn’t dare run from the knights of Seiros.”
Upon arriving at the camp the Knights and students had made, the three students pulled Byleth aside. They all wore smiles on their faces, though each one was different. Dimitri’s looked somewhat forced, his eyes dull inside, but his gratitude seemed genuine. Claude had such an easy smile, one that anyone could love, but it never went beyond his lips, obviously fake to the keen eye. Edelgard’s was a small, reserved smile, fully genuine, but her eyes pierced Byleth, as though she was observing every detail. She was the first to voice her gratitude towards the mercenary. “I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question. You’re clearly an experienced mercenary. And your father, that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?”
Byleth could remember distinctly when she heard the news the first time around. She’d never been raised learning of the Knights or Church of Seiros. She supposed she still had to act the part. “I didn’t know he was a captain.”
Edelgard’s eyes widened in surprise, no doubt Byleth’s naturally stoic demeanor helped hide the truth. “How curious. I’d wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed.”
Cutting in, Claude’s voice carried through with a carefree smoothness. “Hey! You are coming with us to the monastery, right? I’d love to bend your ear as we travel.” A thought seemed to pop into mind as he continued. “Oh, I should mention that the three of use are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it.”
Edelgard’s attention turned to Claude, her gaze turning into a sharp glare. “That would be because you ran off.”
Nodding his head, a small grin came across Claude’s lips. “Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat.” He paused, pointing a thumb at the other two students as he directed his gaze to Byleth. “Everything would have worked out if these two hadn’t followed me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous”
“Ah, so that’s what you were thinking, Claude.” Dimitri’s face was hard to read, but some small amount of amusement could be heard in his voice. “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.”
Switching her attention to Dimitri, Edelgard reprimanded him. “His intentions were clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person’s words.”
Dimitri let out a slight huff. “You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on.”
“Oh, joy. A royal debate between Their Highnesses. I wonder how being completely predictable affects one’s ability to wield power.” Claude couldn’t help but smirk at the conversation between the two lords. “Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I’d say your little exchange smacks of naivete.”
Edelgard’s frown seemed to deepen as her posture became defensive. “Me? Naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?”
Wishing to leave the conversation, Dimitri returned his attention to Byleth. “In any case, forgive our digression. I must speak with you, if you can spare a moment. The way you held your ground against the bandits’ leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me I still have much to learn.”
Edelgard’s eyes lit up in interest, interrupting with her own proposition to get an edge in. “Your skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire. I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire’s--”
Keeping a calm voice, Dimitri cut back in. “Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my own proposition. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals like yourself.” His voice lightened into that of a pleading child. “Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me.”
Claude’s brows shot up in surprise. “Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors. But it seems there’s no time for niceties in this world. So, capable stranger, let’s get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?”
Despite being a roaming mercenary, the answer seemed easy enough to Byleth. She’d spent such a large amount of her time living and working in the country, after all. “The Adrestian Empire. It is the closest place I have to a home and a land of much history.”
Letting out a small laugh, Edelgard smiled. “A wise choice. Though the Empire has fallen from its former glory, the other regions are merely offshoots that pale in comparison.”
The conversation was brought to a halt as Alois approached the group. “All right, that’s enough with the small talk. It’s time to head back to the monastery!”
Claude shrugged, wearing his usual smirk. “Looks like we’ll have to pick this up another time.”
Alois began to walk off, heading towards the other knights, all of whom had finished packing up camp. The students followed, leaving Byleth to trail close behind. She kept her eyes fixed on Edelgard, watching for anything from the silver-haired lord. It all started with her. The pain. The war. The death. Byleth would do everything in her power to prevent it. Even if it meant allying herself with a monsterous conqueror.