A/N: Hey, it's been a while. Well, I mean, kinda. It usually does take me a month to finish chapters. Sorry for the delay since I said I should've had this done like 3 weeks ago lol. Got way too into this and added a couple of moments. This one is probably the longest chapter (at least page wise. It was 20+ pages on my document.) Anyways, time to continue!
Summary: Seteth and Flayn send messengers out to the former Blue Lions to inform them on their discovery, however, one gets intercepted by the imperial army
———————————————————————————————————————————
24 Wyvern Moon, Imperial Year 1182
Seteth threw open the doors to an unknown room that was next door to a small common room on the second floor on the monastery. He had requested that Dimitri and Byleth would join him in compiling messages to the members of the Blue Lions along with the others scattered across the continent that would certainly side with them.
The room in question was filled with 4 long tables forming a long rectangle. Along with the Archbishop's quarters where Byleth and Dimitri took up residence, this room was one of the only rooms left untouched from the years worth of raids.
"This is a council room known as the cardinal's hall." Seteth introduced. He pulled out a stack of parchment paper from a supply shelf along with a quill and ink pot. He sat the materials down on one of the long tables and sat in one of the seats. "We will use this room for war councils along with any other meetings between resistance leaders."
"Nice to know." Byleth said as she sat on the table itself rather than the chair next to Seteth. Dimitri couldn't help but get a small wave of nostalgia since Byleth would often sit on her desk during lectures back in their academy days.
Oh how simple those days were. If only things were as simple now.
Seteth sighed at Byleth's behavior but started to write a message. "Anyways, we will obviously write to all the former Lions and anyone else who joined your class to inform them of your return." Seteth said. "I would also suggest to send letters out to the knights like Catherine and Alois, former professors, and anyone else you wish to inform. Is there any objection to that?"
"I wish to not inform any of the Black Eagle students that we have returned." Dimitri objected.
Byleth turned to face Dimitri. "Even those who have joined our class? Everyone from the Black Eagles but Edelgard and Hubert fought with us on the Battle of Garreg Mach, I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to join us." She pointed out.
"For all we know, their parents could have sided with that women and they're following." Dimitri explained. "If that is the case, they are equally as much of an enemy as the rest of the Empire."
Byleth opened her mouth to argue but Seteth spoke first. "You do have a point, Your Majesty." He said. "We don't want to risk a traitor being amongst us."
"But what about Bernie? Or Petra? Or Dorothea?" Byleth asked. "They joined us, there is no reason why we shouldn't notify them too."
"Petra is a political hostage from Brigid, remember." Seteth said. "She could be forced to fight against us."
"Wait so Brigid is getting involved with this?" Byleth asked in disbelief.
Seteth shook his head. "No, but also yes." Byleth was about to speak again but Seteth raised his hand to signal that he wasn't finished speaking. "Let me explain: While Brigid is an ally of the Empire, they have not formally entered the war. From what I have gathered, the Empire is attempting to use Brigid's forces with no avail, so that might mean Petra is neutral at worst."
Byleth let out a deep sigh of relief. At least she won't have to fight one of her students that she formally taught. Seteth finished writing the first letter and handed it to Byleth. "Is this ok to send out to your friends?"
Byleth and Dimitri scanned over the letter quickly.
To whom this may regard,
It is with great honor and urgency that I inform you of an important message. Recently, the whereabouts of Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and Byleth Eisner-Blaiddyd have been discovered. We are delighted at such news and wish to request your presence at Garreg Mach Monastery where they have been residing. This also means that a true Kingdom force can be gathered and assembled at once to begin our assault on the Empire. If you are not present at the Monastery within 2-3 weeks of this letter's delivery, then it will be assumed that you are no longer an ally but an enemy.
Signed,
Seteth
"Does this have to sound so formal?" Byleth asked when she finished reading the letter.
"In order to be sure that this letter seems legit enough to convince everyone to return without them thinking it's a trap, I had to write it formally." Seteth replied. Byleth handed Seteth back the letter and he started to begin writing copies. "Do you wish to send out letters to anyone in the Golden Deer class? Specifically the ones that joined your class."
"Yes, I want them to come too." Byleth nodded. "Ignatz, Marianne, and Lysithea, but that's it. If the others want to join us, they must prove themselves on their own merit."
"But what about Claude?"
"He clearly wants to remain neutral." Dimitri said. "Plus, this isn't his war to fight, I don't wish to rope any one who isn't involved. Even then, our only goal is to kill Edelgard."
"As you wish." Seteth said as he continued to write. Byleth glanced around the room, looking for a simpler and quicker way to get the letters printed.
"Is there any other option to get these letters written?" Byleth asked curiously.
Seteth looked up from his paper, unsure if he should answer the question truthfully. Some time ago, Lady Rhea unfortunately banned, or at the very least heavily restricted, the use of the printing press for "religious reasons", saying that such technology could easily spread false teachings of the Goddess. Seteth disagreed with her reasoning, arguing that such an invention could revolutionize the world and could even make education more accessible with books being easier to print, however, Rhea dismissed Seteth's reasoning and followed through with her ban.
With Rhea missing, however, as long as they could find one, they would have free rein over the printing machine. Just maybe, if they ever found her, this little stunt of theirs could persuade Rhea to lift her ban. Or better yet, have one of them lift it. Rhea mentioned that if anything happened to her, she would've entrusted her duties to Byleth. Seteth was also her right hand man, the people would believe that if anyone would succeed Rhea, Seteth would be the best bet. Dimitri was even a king. Although a presumed dead one, once he reclaimed power, he could reverse the ban in at least the Kingdom, right?
"Well," Seteth began. Byleth tilted her head in confusion. It was supposed to be a simple yes or no question, right? He sighed and he pushed his chair back from up near the table. "Follow me." He gathered the materials and exited the cardinal's hall with Byleth and Dimitri quickly following behind.
The 3 ventured down out of the Monastery building and to Abyss of all places. Down in the deep depths of Abyss, a dark library awaited them. Seteth walked over to a corner that had a large object covered by a large dusty and dirty cloth. He removed the cloth, releasing the multitude and years worth of dust particles into the air and causing both Byleth and Dimitri to cough a little.
Once the dust settled, a strange wooded machine stood in front of them. It was almost like a large clasp, with two flat sides at a slight angle and one of the flat sides holding tiny metal tiles with letters.
"What is this?" Byleth asked as she examined the strange machine.
"It's called a printing press." Seteth explained. "You use this to quickly print multiple copies of a document using these letter tiles and ink. Lady Rhea unfortunately banned these from casual use, dubbing it harmful because it can spread blasphemy quickly." Seteth began testing the machines mechanisms, checking to be certain that it still worked. Once he was sure that the machine was working up to par, Seteth removed the metal tiles and started to arrange them on the second flat surface that was raised higher.
Byleth grabbed an unused tile and held it up to her face. "Nice." She marveled. She faced Dimitri. "If or whenever we get back in power, we should legalize these again." She tossed the tile and caught it in her hand.
"These are sparse as is," Seteth commented. "Anyone who even knew of it had to get permission from the Church itself to be granted access."
"That stinks." Byleth sighed. She put the tile down and watched Seteth continue to arrange the tiles he was using "Are you sure this will work?" Byleth asked.
"I don't see why not." Seteth answered.
"What if the messages get intercepted and fall into the wrong hands?"
"Then we won't hesitate to strike them down." Dimitri replied.
"I know that, but what do we do to get the intended recipient the message if it's intercepted?" Byleth asked.
"We will easily resend it." Seteth answered. "Now that we have the press, we can use it to our advantage."
"Whatever you say..." Byleth mumbled. A small part of her knew that something was to go astray, things have been going almost too well for her and Dimitri recently.
And Sothis knows whenever something finally goes right for her, it all comes crumbling down in a matter of days.
Later that afternoon, Constance invited Hapi and Byleth for a quaint indoor tea time. Although Byleth much would have preferred that they were outside like how she would invite her students to tea all the moons ago, she did understand why Constance requested them to meet her inside. To compromise this, Byleth said that she would wish to meet them anywhere but Abyss. She had enough creeps from there for the time being.
They all agreed to meet up in the Knights Hall, where Byleth could train if she wished, Constance could be safe from the sunlight, and Hapi would do what she pleased. (It had only just occurred to Byleth that she barely knew what the Wolves enjoyed. One more thing to add to her mental do-to list.) Byleth offered to use her old teapot and cups, although her tea leaves where most likely dried up or even purged in the many raids that the monastery endured.
Constance said that she would provide the tea leaves, claiming the tiny market in Abyss could provide some until merchants could come back to the monastery's marketplace. Byleth was the first to arrive to their meeting place. She figured that maybe Hapi was having troubles calming Constance down, but who knows at this point.
To pass the time, Byleth picked up a training sword from the weapon rack and started to swing it against the training dummy. Although she hit it square in the chest, the blade was so dull that not even a thread was pulled on the stuffed burlap sack that the dummy was made out of.
She swung again.
A small hole was made, yet it wasn't enough. Byleth felt her anger rise. Not at the dull blade or dummy not breaking, but the gallons of bottled up emotions that she suppressed for the past year. The hatred she felt towards Edelgard for having a role to play in her father's death, the loathing at what Cornelia has thrown Dimitri and her into, and the pressures of rising up from the ashes and into something she's not, all came pouring out. Byleth raised the blade above her head and swung it down with all the might her strength could give her.
The wooden head of the dummy was cracked open and Byleth's sword was wedged between it. Although she wasn't tired and that swing didn't take much out of her, Byleth was breathing unsteadily.
"My, that was one powerful swing!" A familiar, cheerful voice called.
Byleth turned her head to see Constance and Hapi at the doorway between the Knights Hall entrance and the awning connecting the monastery to the Hall. Constance was holding a small covered basket while Hapi was leaning against the door frame.
"Oh, it's you two." Byleth said as she pulled her sword out of the wedge she made in the dummy.
"Well, you seem excited to see us." Hapi said sarcastically.
"I'm.. sorry." Byleth replied. She hung the sword back on the weapon rack. "How long have you two been standing there?"
"Long enough for your emotions to make a one-eighty faster than Coco on a bright and sunny day." Hapi answered.
"And even I admit that is fast." Constance added. She cleared her throat before walking further into the Hall. "Anyways," She lifted the basket she was holding slightly. "I got the leaves and small treats in here. You have the tea pot and cups, right?"
Byleth nodded. "Yep. Surprised that they weren't broken with all the thieves and mercenaries running about."
"We made sure the mercenaries didn't mess with the surface of the monastery." Hapi said. "Thieves are clearly another story."
"Good to know." Byleth said. She led the two girls to the table in front of the fireplace. Since the table was low reaching, they couldn't sit on stools or in chairs, but had to sit on the floor instead. Byleth prepared for that and brought cushions from the Archbishops quarters.
"I already filled it with water and heated it up." Byleth said.
"Perfect." Constance said. "I chose the rose-petal blend. Is that ok with you?" Byleth nodded and Constance started to prepare the tea while Hapi attempted to start the conversation.
"So, Bly"—that's what Hapi started calling Byleth— "What was the past year like..?" Hapi said, clearly not interested in small talk.
Byleth was stunned by Hapi's bluntness. Should they even know about the horrors that transpired?
"Oh do tell." Constance added. "It's a miracle that you two made it out alive."
"Uh, well.." Byleth started. If she was honest, then the violent tendencies of her and Dimitri would be revealed. They wouldn't trust her anymore, although Byleth wouldn't mind that, since having the title of "commander" trusted upon her so suddenly was overwhelming.
"We... uh.. were just strong enough..?" Byleth said.
"But we want details!" Constance said excitedly. She finished brewing the tea and started to pour it into the three tea cups.
"If you would know what's best for you, you wouldn't want to know the details."
"It doesn't even have to be every detail." Hapi said. "Maybe just the gist of what happened?" Constance handed Hapi her tea cup and then handed Byleth one.
"It was brutal, that's all you need to know." Byleth said.
"Well, ok, if you're not comfortable sharing that's ok." Constance said as she pulled out a small bag filled to the brim with small cookies. She carefully dumped them onto a plate. Byleth took one and bit into it. The small cookie was the first sweet thing she had in ages, and although it was a little stale, it reminded her of Mercedes' sweets that she would make all the time. Another bittersweet moment to add to the already long memory lane.
"If you don't want to share what happened, then how bout this: how was it like when you essentially went from a nobody to the wife of the Prince of Faerghus in a matter of days?" Hapi asked as she nibbled on a cookie before taking a sip of tea.
"And how was the short time at the palace like?" Constance added. "It's been forever since I was living the life of a noble. Is it still the same?"
Byleth didn't know how to answer either of the questions. While she could give an easy answer-like saying that she was overwhelmed by everything happening so quickly-but would that answer satisfy them? Her answer to their last question wasn't suffice, what answer would they be looking for here?
"Coco, I know you want to restore your house, but now is not the time." Hapi almost sighed but stopped herself.
"A girl can dream, no?"
Hapi stifled a groan. She turned back to Byleth. "If you don't want to talk about the past few moons on the run, then how was it being the famous professor? I mean, even we heard about you."
Another question about herself, great. Unlike most people, Byleth didn't fall for the trap of others asking her to talk about herself. She thought of herself as uninteresting, boring, and even a demon with how time has treated her recently. Once again, she was afraid of the outcome if she answered truthfully.
"I'm not even that notable." Byleth answered hesitantly.
"That's clearly not true." Constance said. "Aelfric, from what we heard, spoke highly of you. He claimed he only saw you from afar but was certain that you truly lived up to your reputation."
"If you insist..." Byleth's voice trailed off. She stared down at her tea cup, seeing the single rose petal floating on the surface.
"Oh, I have just one more question!" Constance interjected. Byleth peeked up. "Were you and Dimitri ever a couple back before the war? Back in your time at the monastery, I mean."
"What, no! I mean, kinda, sorta, I don't even know." Byleth said surprisedly. She was not expecting that sort of question. All she knew was that she had feelings for Dimitri, but obviously, her position of teacher and his as the prince forbidden them from ever even thinking about getting together.
Constance gasped slightly. "Oh I get it! A forbidden romance between a commoner professor and the crown prince of the Kingdom!" Constance said dramatically. "How romantic!"
"Actually, it was way more complicated than that."
"Imagine the shock between everyone when your union was announced." Hapi added.
Overwhelmed by Constance and Hapi bombarding her with questions, Byleth's bottled emotions started to pour out again. She took deep breaths to attempt to calm down for the time being, but Constance and Hapi kept going on and on about a dramatized love story that she and Dimitri never had.
"I can scarce imagine the love and passion from the two of you if the circumstances were in your favor." Constance gushed. "It's just that romantic. I wish I could have my happily-ever-after nearly secured."
That was the comment that broke Byleth. Gushing about an overly dramatized romance story that wasn't even real was one thing, but mentioning their private affairs (Although they barely had time for such private affair, even bringing it up was humiliating enough.) and Constance's fate herself was another. For the first time since she returned to the monastery, Byleth snapped.
"GIVE IT A REST!" She yelled. Constance jumped back slightly and Hapi nearly choked on her tea. A mix of worry and fright was etched onto their faces, started by Byleth's outburst. Seeing their expressions instantly made her regret her outburst.
She considered using Divine Pulse to erase her mistake and to prevent the conversation from even happening. Maybe even answer Constance's first question truthfully.
"I'm so sorry..." Byleth uttered before rushing out of the Knights Hall. She didn't care where her feet took her, just anywhere away from them. She instinctively ran to her old dorm room like she did once her father died. It was her hiding space. A space where she wouldn't be bothered by anyone.
Once inside, she slammed and locked the door before collapsing on the ground. All over her bottled emotions came spewing out in hard tears. What has she become? Was this path worth it? Would continuing acting like she did only result in death and destruction for everyone around her?
Sothis... If you are truly still with me, then why won't you answer!
Meanwhile, after hearing about Constance's little tea party with the girls, Balthus suggested that the men do a little training. Yuri was down for it and Dimitri reluctantly agreed, although he would've preferred to train alone, mostly because when he trained was when the voices tormented him the most aside from when he was trying to sleep.
Balthus suggested to start with a free-for-all training match where they would all fight each other using their weapon of choice before moving on to other weapons. Dimitri, even with a mere training lance, easily overpowered the other men with his crest.
"Wasting your time training with those underground rats, huh?" Glenn's voice rang in Dimitri's head.
I'm only doing what I need to at the moment. Dimitri answered silently. The moment we get our friends here and our army together, then I will fulfill your wishes.
"We've been waiting long enough. It's been almost two years since you found out Edelgard was the Flame Emperor and nearly six since we died, it's time you get your act together." Lambert's voice said impatiently.
"I just need a little bit more time." Dimitri accidentally whispered aloud.
"Hmm, what was that?" Yuri asked.
"What about time?" Balthus added.
"Oh, nothing." Dimitri said. If they found out the voices were tormenting him, he would've been called crazy. Then again, he probably is crazy by their standards. Worst case is that he would be dubbed unfit to lead and leaving the whole war effort in Byleth's hands. He couldn't leave her in charge, not with her dealing with her own problems. He had already put Byleth under so much, he just couldn't add to it.
"You dared to bring my daughter into this mess, didn't you?" Jeralt's voice called out, as if he was reading Dimitri's mind about Byleth. "If you truly cared, you would have made it certain that she didn't stray onto this path with you. And look at her now, almost all the progress she made back when she was a professor is nearly erased."
Dimitri stopped mid attack a froze. Was it really his fault that Byleth has completely withdrew back to her Ashen Demon personality? If he didn't ask her to marry him so quickly, maybe she wouldn't have been accused of the murder of Rufus, and then she wouldn't have had to go down this dark path with him. Byleth deserved much better than that. She didn't deserve to be with the monster that he was.
With Dimitri wide open, Balthus used that as an opportunity to strike. He ran up and punched Dimitri's armor twice with his training gauntlets. Dimitri stumbled backwards briefly before clutching his lance and attempting to counter attack.
"Worthless as always." Glenn's voice sneered. Dimitri missed his swing, leaving him wide open again. Balthus attacked once more on Dimitri's blind side, knocking him down.
Dimitri sighed in defeat. "I yield." He mumbled. Balthus extended a hand to help Dimitri up, but Dimitri didn't take it. He hoisted himself up and hung his training lance back onto the weapon rack.
"Ha, you lost a mere training session. How could you expect to take on a whole army?" Rufus' voice laughed. "Even with the crest of yours, you still managed to get beat. Pathetic!" Dimitri attempted to ignore his dead uncle's words, but his repeated laughter only grew louder.
"Leaving already?" Yuri asked as he twirled his training dagger in his hand. "We only just begun."
Dimitri considered telling them the truth about hearing the voices.
"Do you even think for a second that they would believe you?" Lambert's voice scolded. "You would just be labeled crazy and unable to defeat Edelgard!"
His father's voice had a valid point. Who would let a crazed maniac go off into battle with no care for themselves or others? Especially one as powerful as him.
"I would rather train by myself.. alone." Dimitri said before quickly running out of the training grounds. His first instinct was to run straight ahead towards the old dorms. While passing by, Dimitri heard what sounded like soft yet erratic whimpers. At first, he dismissed it as one of the voices such as his stepmother's, yet the voices wouldn't sound like that. They were hateful and vengeful towards him, the cries were almost like a plea for help, not a demand for vengeance. But who could it be? The girls were having their tea time, he just ditched Yuri and Balthus, and Seteth and Flayn were out on patrol while sending the messages out to any messenger they can find. Could a thief snuck through?
Dimitri realized where he was exactly. He was right in front of Byleth's old dorm. What was she doing there? Dimitri approached the closed door where the crying got slightly more noticeable.
"By.."—No, he needs to show that he truly cares—"Beloved.." It's been nearly a year since he last called her that. How blinded by revenge must he be to forget calling his wife that?
On the other side of the door, Byleth stopped briefly, startled by those words. She had nearly forgotten Dimitri called her that and possibly even the love and so-called passion that Constance mentioned earlier. She reshuffled her sitting position so her head can face the door. Byleth placed her left hand on the door and leaned her head against it. "Dimitri..?" She asked softly.
"Beloved.. is every... is everything alright..?" Dimitri uttered.
"Why so unsure of yourself?" Glenn's voice sneered. "I thought you loved her. Or was that a facade to secure her onto your side of the war?"
Dimitri flinched at Glenn's remark. Did Glenn have a point? Within the past year, all he treated Byleth was nothing more than ally, not as a partner. It was another failure stacked upon the mound of his shortcomings.
"I.. I don't even know..." Byleth half-lied. The last time she brought up reservations and doubts about their self-imposed mission, it blew up into a full-blown argument. She unsteadily inhaled and exhaled. "I just accidentally got mad at Constance and Hapi, I'll be fine." Byleth lied again. Although "mad" was a complete understatement, she knew deep down that she wasn't fine. She didn't wish to put her burdens on Dimitri, not when he has his own burdens that are heavier on himself.
Dimitri could see through her lie. From experience back during their academy days, nine times out of ten, if Byleth said she was fine, she usually wasn't. "Did.. something happen?" He asked.
Byleth shook her head but then remembered Dimitri was behind the other side of the door and couldn't see her. "It was nothing Dimitri. I'm fine. I just need to be alone for a moment, ok?"
Dimitri opened his mouth to protest but Glenn's voice interrupted. "Ha! She's pushing you away! She probably hates you by now. You pushed her away first, now she's pushing you away!" Glenn's voice spat. "See, she doesn't even want to open up to you. Because of you, she's now stuck in a marriage that she can't get out of! And all because you forgot for a second about your mission. Pathetic! You're nothing but a selfish boar!" Glenn's voice sounded eerily similar to Felix, as if it was Felix calling him selfish instead of Glenn.
Dimitri didn't realize he was shaking until he nearly lost his balance. He cleared his throat. "R-right. I'll leave you be for as long as you need." He stood up and bowed despite Byleth not being right in front of him to see him. He turned back and ran to the Cathedral, although taking a longer route to avoid getting caught by Yuri and Balthus.
After Dimitri's footsteps became farther and farther away, Byleth collapsed into herself. She pushed her damn husband away. How lower could she get?
"Sothis... why won't you just answer me for one more time?!" Byleth cried aloud.
30 Wyvern Moon, Imperial Year 1182
Life in the Kingdom has never been the same ever since Dimitri and Byleth escaped and Cornelia took over. As one of her first acts as the new queen, Cornelia re-annexed itself as a state of the Empire and invited its troops to be housed in the Kingdom. They were the enforcement behind Cornelia's iron grasp on the Kingdom. If Kingdom soldiers didn't comply, then they'll be replaced with Imperial soldiers in a matter of days. They were unafraid of enforcing Cornelia's tyrannical laws because for all they knew, the Blaiddyd line is dead and won't stop them.
Cornelia made sure to snuff out any remaining sparks of hope still smoldering in the Kingdom. She encouraged citizens to report and suspicious or rebellious activity to the authorities. Nearly all the known rebels were driven either underground or to silence. The three main houses that are known to be against the Empire—Fraldarius, Gautier, and Galetea—haven't spoken out since the "deaths" of Dimitri and Byleth. The general public just assumed that they went into hiding, overcome by the despair and hopelessness. Others believed that they were secretly building up enough forces to take their country back.
Back in Fraldarius territory, Felix had to sit through his father's useless spiel about how he is sure that Dimitri and Byleth are alive. While Felix did help them escape, all hope has been slowly snuffed out. It's been nearly two years and if their mental states were of any indication, Felix would be more surprised if they were alive rather than dead.
However, while training in the back field behind Fraldarius Manor, Annette—who begun staying with Felix since her uncle sided with the Empire—came rushing out with a mysterious letter clenched in her hand.
"Felix!" She called. Annette waved her hand with the letter as she caught her breath. "Come here! You won't believe what came in the mail!"
"Unless it's an actual major step in this war effort, I don't want to hear it." Felix said as he swung his sword onto a piece of log. It was a clean cut. "And no, a potential sighting of that boar and Professor doesn't count."
"But this time it's real!" Annette cried. She ran up to Felix to show him the letter, but tripped in the process. Out of instinct, Felix leaned forward to catch her. Annette was flustered and almost forgot what she was trying to tell Felix. Once she regained her balance, she held up the letter. "It's from Seteth and Flayn themselves! His Highness and Professor have been found and their seeking refuge at the monastery! We need to head back!"
Felix stood there, dumbfounded. He scanned the letter for legitimacy, and sure enough, the seal of the Church of Serios was on the envelope. Felix sighed. If they had any hope of even making a single step in this war, he would have to trust that this wasn't fake.
Felix sighed. "Fine, we'll head there." He said as he rubbed his hand against his face. "I'll make sure my old man stays here in case anything happens over here."
Annette nodded excitedly. "Should we also gather the others?"
Felix shook his head. "It's too dangerous with the state the Kingdom is in. We must head straight there." He explained. He could sense the disappointment in Annette's face. "I'm sure the others are also on their ways. Come, we leave at dawn."
Annette playfully saluted. "On it! I'll go pack!" She ran back inside, but tripped once more. Felix seethed his sword and walked to Annette to help her up.
Please let this not be another trap.
"My lord, I've brought a disturbing message!" A solider called.
"What is it?" The solider's lord spoke. The solider handed the lord the note in his possession.
"We were patrolling the surrounding areas, and a mysterious messenger carrying this letter to Count Varley territory. If this is true, this means that the King and Queen of the Kingdom are very much alive."
The lord crunched the letter in his fist. As the Minister of Military Affairs, this threw a wrench in their strategies. The Emperor would certainly not like this.
"I'll send a small forces to Garreg Mach to investigate. This would also be the ample time to let my son get some real world battle experience."
The solider bowed. "I shall inform Caspar of the situation."
"And although the Prime Minister has lost his power and position, inform him as well. I'll take care of informing the Emperor."
"As you wish, my lord." The solider bowed once more and left the room.
2 Red Wolf Moon, Imperial Year 1182
Byleth was pacing back and forth in the entrance hall. It's been a little over a week since they sent the letters to their friends informing them of their whereabouts. Travel takes time. Byleth constantly had to remind herself. It takes a few days to get there and trying to find the safest route to get there, and around the same time to get here.
Byleth did the math in her head. It certainly couldn't take four days to travel one way. If she remembered correctly, it only took three full days, and that was with having to make detours to drop everyone off back in their home territories.
Byleth sighed in defeat. Walking around back and forth wouldn't solve anything. Just as she was about to leave, Flayn came bursting through the front doors.
Byleth turned to face Flayn. "Flayn, is everything ok?"
Flayn put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "There's a... horde of.. thieves coming... at the...the front gate... We must fight!"
"Let's move, now." Byleth said without hesitation. She wouldn't let a group of puny thieves get in her way. "Go inform the Wolves. I'm guessing Seteth and Dimitri are already on their way."
Flayn nodded. "I shall join you in a couple moments!"
They took off in opposite directions, Byleth towards the front gates and Flayn to the back side to get to Abyss.
Finally, a true battle. This will get interesting.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Woo boy! We are a little over a quarter through. Hopefully I'll get the hang of things and get faster, because at this rate, it'll be almost 2 years til I finish—
As always, I hope y'all enjoyed and have a wonderful day!
Next time: The long awaited Battle at Daybreak!
~The Artist Sylveon 🌸
(PS: I hope to include sketches of the designs I'm giving the characters, but I'll try to describe them as much as I can when we see them for the first time in the next chapter.)