All This Time

Those Five Years...

Unfortunately, once Byleth woke up, Claude was already gone. He had left a little note on the desk, claiming that he needed to go start prepping and bolstering the battalions. With a sigh, Byleth quickly got dressed, grabbed her Sword of the Creator, and walked out of her room.

"Oh, Professor!" Hilda was walking by her room, Freikugal hoisted against her shoulder happily. She waved. "I was just on my way to march!"

"Good morning, Hilda," Byleth greeted. She was slightly anxious, and needed someone to help her through her problem. "Could we talk about something personal? Between two friends, and all that?"

"Uh, sure?"

"...What did Claude do when I was absent?" Byleth questioned. When she saw Hilda fidget, Byleth gave her a stern look. "And don't lie."

"Er...Well..He led the Leicester Alliance," Hilda said carefully, making sure that she wasn't exactly lying...but also that she didn't divulge any information that Claude didn't want shared. "He became the most influential leader. He keeps up support and unites the people who support Edelgard, and those who don't."

"I mean more specifically than that. How was he...about my disappearance?"

"Oh, Professor, I..um..." Hilda's voice trailed off as she awkwardly looked around. "I don't know much about him, we didn't really talk-"

"Please, Hilda," Byleth begged, desperately needing to know what travails her beloved had gone through in her absence. "I need to know. Please."

"Well...Okay. But don't tell Claude I told you."

"Thank you," Byleth smiled gratefully at Claude's most trusted confidant (well, besides herself). "Why don't we slow down? I'm sure it's a long story."

"Oh, well..." Hilda sighed. "Sure. Okay. So, when you disappeared...We were all devastated. Obviously. Claude took it the hardest...But he never gave up. Not even for a moment."

Byleth took a moment to process this, a saddened look on her face. Hilda paused, taking a moment to collect herself.

"Well, at first, it was natural. It's part of the grieving process, denial and all that. The only problem was that he wasn't getting over it. People started...well, people started calling him crazy. Delusional."

"D-Delusional?" Byleth gasped, her eyes widening considerably. "How could people say that? Are they heartless!?"

"You were gone five years," Hilda reminded her solemnly. "The first year, everyone was understanding. Then people became desperate. Claude had to step up as the Leicester Alliance leader, and a war was in motion. People didn't think he could deal with the mental stress. He would talk about you in every conversation he held..."

"No..." Byleth whispered, dismayed by the knowledge Hilda told her. "It really hit him that badly...?"

"He loves you...Of course it hurt him."

It was silent as they walked. Eventually, Hilda continued the story.

"...I finally accepted your death, Professor," Hilda admitted, a shameful look in her eyes. "It hurt too much to think about it...But I still hoped that you would resurface. Claude...Well, even after five years, he was still holding out for you."

"Even...Even after all this time...?"

"Yes, Professor," Hilda nodded, and, upon catching the guilty look in Byleth's eyes, she shook her head from side to side. "Don't think like that. It just shows how devoted he was to you. He loves you so much that five years couldn't break your bond."

"He suffered so much," Byleth teared up, blinking back her sorrow. "It was my fault, too...I didn't even realize...He's such a fantastic actor, I just didn't even realize..!"

"Oh, I know he's a good actor," Hilda sighed. "If I didn't know much he loved you at the time, I would have been fooled. I would have thought that he was crazy, too..."

"...I'm so awful..."

"No, Professor. Claude doesn't want you to mention it," Hilda frantically grabbed Byleth's arm as Byleth tried to march up towards where Claude resided. "He doesn't want you to see how much he's suffered."

"But I need to apologize!" Byleth argued, a fierce look in her eyes. "If I've made him suffer this much, then I should help him. That's the very least I can do."

"Just-Don't mention it was me..." Hilda sighed as Byleth charged away. "Uh, you realize we still have to battle, right?"

Byleth stopped in her tracks, a despondent look on her face.

"...Oh, right...I suppose it will have to wait."

"Well, Claude really doesn't want you to know," Hilda pleaded, not wanting to betray Claude's trust more than she already had. The only reason she had told Byleth was because she was concerned for Claude's health. "Think about the implications, Professor. Okay?"

"...I will. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to go prepare for battle."

Hilda watched her professor disappear with a determined look on her face. Hilda sighed, running a hand through her pink hair.

"Claude's going to be so angry..."