#so byleth is really asking for trouble here | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cherrypikkins · 8 months

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hey! this is chance & here’s week 3’s prompt. share an excerpt that you’re very proud of from any of your wips.

thanks again! I went ahead and wrote a bit more dialogue for my Fire Emblem Three Houses OC, Kitt. I thought I'd detail how they might interact with Byleth during the exploration phase. :3

Kitt Burgess - Exploration Dialogue

Chapter 1A - Three Houses

Kitt: "Are you lost? No worries. This corridor will take you to the Officer's Academy."

Kitt: "Me? I don't belong to a particular House at the moment. So if you're having trouble deciding which class to teach, I'm afraid I won't be much help."

Kitt: "That's right. I heard everything from Seteth. It's nice to meet you, Professor. You may call me Kitt."

Kitt: "I'll be around, but don't let me distract you. You've got an important choice to make after all."

(More below the cut :3)

Chapter 1B - Three Houses

Kitt: "Did Seteth lecture you again today? Don't take it personally. It's his job get into every new face in the monastery."

Kitt: "If you can look past that, you'll find he has a lot of wisdom to share. Whether you ask for it or not."

Kitt: "Oh. And try to get along with his baby sister, okay? Just don't get too friendly."

Dialogue Choice (Male Byleth only):

Byleth: "What do you mean by that?"

-> Kitt: "Do I have to really spell it out? Never mind. Just remember to tread lightly around those two."

Byleth: "I think I understand."

-> Kitt: "So you get it. I'm sure you'll handle those two just fine."

Chapter 2 - Familiar Scenery

Kitt: "The canyon, huh? Wish I could pay a visit. I can't imagine the Archbishop would approve, though."

Kitt: "…I mean, it's an important place to the Church of Seiros. I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate me coming over just to sight-see."

Kitt: "I know you'll be in the thick of combat, but careful where you step, okay?"

Kitt: "That place is ancient beyond the known history of mankind. Even the smallest pebble lying on the ground could brim with dangerous magic."

Chapter 3 - Mutiny in the Mist

Kitt: "Seteth is on the warpath again. I swear, that man needs to take a step back so he and his sister can both breathe a little."

Kitt: "...Of course, the more he fusses over Flayn, the less likely he'll be in the mood to lecture you. And me, for that matter."

Chapter 4 - Rite of Rebirth

Kitt: "I'm about to head out. We've gotten word of some strange activity coming from the surrounding woods."

Kitt: "It won't look good for us if any pilgrims are harmed on the way here."

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "Shouldn't the Knights of Seiros handle that?"

-> Kitt: "If the Knights are out there, who's going to look after things in the monastery while the ritual is under way?"

-> Kitt: "We're stretched thin enough as it is. And since I'm technically affiliated with the Church, it's on me to lend a hand."

Byleth: "Be careful."

-> ( Kitt Support + )

-> Kitt: "Ha. That's my line. And honestly, I'd rather deal with wild beasts than the masses of people showing up for the Rite of Rebirth."

-> Kitt: "If you ever get bored, maybe you should join me. Might be fun is what I'm saying."

Kitt: "Well, off I go. Please make sure the monastery is still standing when I get back."

(Kitt leaves.)

Chapter 5 - Tower of Black Winds

Kitt: "As you heard, I'll be joining the mission to recover the Lance of Ruin. However, Seteth has ordered me not to participate in combat unless the situation demands it."

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "What kind of 'situation', exactly?"

-> Kitt: "If it happens, we'll both know. And let's just leave it at that."

Byleth: "Are you disappointed?"

-> ( Kitt Support + )

-> Kitt: "Not really? The prospect of clearing out a hive full of bandits doesn't appeal to me. Though I suppose it depends on their leader…"

Kitt: "By the way, you seem to be adjusting well to the Sword of the Creator. That's a relief!"

Kitt: "Weapons like that don't always mix well with the one who wields them. But the two of you seem to get along just fine."

Chapter 6 - Rumors of a Reaper

Kitt: "Ugh. Not now. I'm looking for Flayn."

Kitt: "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm having trouble thinking clearly enough as it is knowing Flayn could be in actual danger."

If Seteth spoken to:

-> Kitt: "At least Seteth seems to be calming down. Sometimes he worries to a point where he can't act on a clear mind."

Else:

-> Kitt: "Look, just do me a favor and talk to Seteth, ok? I can't stand seeing him panic like this."

Kitt: "It's possible that she wandered outside, but we can't rule out the likelihood that she's still somewhere inside the monastery."

Kitt: "This place is so ancient, I can't even begin to imagine how many secrets lie beneath the very stone itself."

Chapter 7 - Field of the Eagle and Lion

Kitt: "Ugh. I'm glad she's having fun, but do they really have to crowd the pond like that?"

Kitt: "Thank you again for rescuing Flayn. Whatever Seteth may think, I know she'll be safe in your capable hands."

Kitt: "By the way, do you know I've been a student here for some time now? Though, I've yet to officially decide on a House."

Kitt: "If I were to join your class, I might be able to pay you back in some small way. With your blessing, that is."

Accept:

-> Kitt: "Oh, how wonderful! Let's continue to get along, you and me. I'll even participate in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion if you ask me to."

-> Kitt: "I can't wait to see what fate has in store for us."

Refuse:

-> Kitt: "Fair enough. I can be a bit of a handful sometimes, so I understand why you might hesitate."

-> Kitt: "Do let me know if you change your mind."

Extra dialogue after recruitment:

-> Kitt: "Are you planning on taking the class out to hunt monsters any time soon? I'd be happy to tag along."

-> Kitt: "I'd much prefer that to rounding up a bunch of thieves and bandits."

Related NPC Dialogue:

Chapter 6 - Rumors of a Reaper:

Knight: "If I had to suspect someone in the monastery, it would be that precocious little waif, Kitt."

Knight: "They may seem close to Master Seteth and Mistress Flayn, but I've heard rumor say they've had a falling out recently."

Knight: "Don't be fooled by their unassuming demeanor - they're nothing but trouble!"

Knight: "I wouldn't be surprised if they held a grudge and kidnapped the poor girl to enact revenge!"

Dialogue Choice (only one):

Byleth: "That's impossible."

-> Knight: "And what makes you so certain of their innocence?"

-> Knight: "W-what? They were part of the company sent to clear out the bandits at Conand Tower? Never mind! Forget I said anything!"

Chapter 7 - Field of the Eagle and Lion

Scholar: "Where could it be? I'm certain it was here the last time I visited! They couldn't possibly have removed it from the library, could they?"

Scholar: "You there! By any chance, do you know where I may locate 'The Ghost of Annwen'?"

Dialogue Choice:

Byleth: "The Ghost of Annwen?":

-> Scholar: "It is the script of a nigh-unknown legend, as ancient as Nemesis and the Ten Elites themselves! And with the power to rival them besides!"

-> Scholar: "Whispers say that the Ghost of Annwen sleeps for a hundred years at a time. When it wakes, it shows one of two faces - that of a great hero or a terrible demon."

-> Scholar: "None may know which face it will show when it awakens - only that world will be forever changed."

Byleth: "Sorry, I have no idea.":

-> Scholar: "What a dreadful shame! There are precious few left in this world who know of the tale, and fewer still who can retell its entirety."

-> Scholar: "In light of that awful incident in the Oghma Mountains years ago, I fear it may yet fade from history forever."

Scholar: "It has been a subject of contention within the inner echelons of the Church of Seiros, but surely they would not strike down such a fanciful tale as blasphemy, would they?"

#fe3h #fe3h oc #fire emblem three houses #flayn #seteth #byleth

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all-pacas · 10 months

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life's a beach!

I started this fic ages ago, just after 3 Hopes was released and I was all about Claude's hot girl summer, and then I never finished it? But I still really liked it? So whatever, I don't know if I can ever come up with a proper ending but it's still 2k of pretty good so

By the time the Federation army returned, blistered and exhausted, to camp, Shez and the Ashen Demon had already become fast friends. Well: Shez was chatting away at the Demon’s right, and the other woman did not seem entirely disinterested.

Lindhart had been in the Federation Army longer than even Holst. Lindhart also liked to use his technical status of Prisoner of War to get out of tiring, sweaty battles, particularly messy situations like Empire generals going rogue and attacking Federation forces despite us having a very clear treaty about that sort of thing. Still, it was impossible to go for more than a week around here without listening to Shez bragging about how she was totally gonna defeat the Ashen Demon someday.

“Are you friends now?” he asks as the women stroll by, the Ashen Demon following her father, Shez and for some reason Alois like ducklings in tow.

“Of course!” Shez says proudly, slapping her palm to her chest.

The Ashen Demon’s expression does not change.

“I thought you were going to kill her. Dramatically. Theatrically.” Not that Lindhart wants that, you understand. But Shez says that sort of thing a lot.

“Nah, I’m over it,” Shez says cheerfully.

The Ashen Demon’s expression does not change.

Claude, a manic gleam in his eyes, materializes out of nowhere. “Lindhart! Just the man I wanted to see. You’re going to help me write a strongly worded letter to Edelgard.”

“Alas, I am merely a prisoner of war and—“

Claude hooks him around the neck with an elbow, and Lindhart doesn’t resist. What a mess. Claude pauses. Stands with his bait hooked and runs his free hand through his hair in the off-chance that will help.

“I trust you found your new contract in order?” he asks Jeralt with reasonable formality.

Jeralt tries not to smile. He’d had a six-month contract with the Empire and knew their new boss was half a kid herself, but never had occasion to meet her Imperial Majesty. But this kid is in charge of Leicester? Goddess above, Byleth’s got at least a couple years on him, and Jeralt still thinks of her as half a baby. Claude has the sleepy-looking fellow in a headlock, just brushed his hair back, and already has a cowlick again. Saints. “Terms were fine,” he says calmly. “Generous, even.”

“Well, I know better than to let an opportunity pass me by, and after the troubles your men have given us these past months…” The kid’s gaze falls on Byleth, observing quietly.

“I mean, trouble is putting it strongly,” Shez interjects. “I could have taken her. They didn’t give us trouble. At most, a little —“ she falters, looking for a word.

“Trouble?” Byleth suggests.

“My neck hurts,” the man in a headlock complains.

“You guys buddies now?” Claude asks, gesturing at the women who had, to the best of his and the camp’s knowledge, been sworn, fated, and dramatic foes until two days ago.

“‘Course!” says Shez, slapping her chest with her palm.

Claude sends a diplomatic party south with a letter expressing dismay that Edelgard would allow one of her generals to invade and attack her most recent and trusted ally. He details, politely, the damage Fleche had caused (minimal), and the worries sprung anew in his breast (insignificant) that Edelgard was not taking this alliance seriously, that she would condone such a traitorous act (unsurprising), and that recently two Imperial armies had been lost in Federation lands through no fault of Claude’s own and he hopes she remembers this fact (threat).

He has Lorenz read the letter before it goes, testing to see if Lorenz will mention the obvious: if he cannot resist, Edelgard certainly will not. Then Claude asks Judith. Then Holst. Even considering Nader, drumming his fingers against the meeting-hall table while watching Holst read the documents — not that Nader will give a shit, he knows that, but…

He’d asked Marianne to prepare Fleche’s body and armor for transport home; he’d needed it handled by someone he trusts. She’s helping load the wagon when he finds her, rearranging some goods and bullion they’d promised Edelgard weeks ago.

Makes polite small talk. Helps Marianne with the lighter goods. Fleche is being held in a box iced with magic, to preserve her for the journey, and Claude finally comes up with an excuse to see her. A kid, still in pigtails, her hair carefully cleaned and brushed.

After a while, he leaves again.

Jeralt had told Byleth to look around camp and get to know their new company, and so she had, taking note of the number of mounted soldiers and Pegasi (lower than typical), mages (average), wyvern (high), and archers (very high). Each lord of the Alliance, great and small, had sent at least a few men. Riegan, Goneril, and Gloucester more. Many were mercenaries, which was typical for the Alliance, who could pay for men more easily than field them. Defenses were adequate, supplies and pay were good.

Jeralt frowns when she reports back. He had meant the other kind of get to know.

Byleth makes another circuit of the camp.

Lindhart returns to the camp a few weeks later with a chest full of books and a letter from the Emperor, both of which Claude immediately requisition for himself.

“I thought you weren’t coming back?” Hilda asks, catching Lindhart in the mess a little later. “Wasn’t the whole point of Claude sending you back to the Empire you getting to go home and not keep loitering around camp with us?”

“Why would I want to do that?” Lindhart asks, puzzled, reading one of the books he’d taken before Claude could get his hands on it. “Edelgard would just send me to fight on the front lines. As a prisoner of war, I can sleep all day.”

“Well, now you’re just tempting fate,” His Royal Highness, Claude, Duke of Riegan, first of his fake name, additional titles to be figured out at a later date, says, plopping himself down on the bench opposite Lindhart and Hilda. “Front line medics are in high demand, and I’m quite touched by this display of loyalty to the Federation. What’re you reading?”

“Kings should be open handed and generous with their belongings,” Lindhart says, not looking up from his stolen book.

“Is everything cool with the Empire?” Hilda asks, concerned: she hasn’t heard anything in the hours that Lindhart has been back, and camp gossip has been getting wild lately: half of the army thinks the alliance with the Empire is just a lie to keep them from invading again, and the other half thinks the same thing except for the lie part.

Holst calls it pragmatism: the Federation is still plenty mad at Edelgard for starting the war in the first place, but they’d smacked her on the nose and played the bigger man in offering terms. Baltie says it’s all a trick, and that Claude didn’t wipe out two Imperial armies and generals accidentally. Marianne, meanwhile, thinks it’s all a hopeful sign, recent Fleche debacle aside: peace and alliances are a good thing. Hilda, who once saw Claude enact petty revenge on Lorenz six months after the fact, figures all the gossip is probably true.

“Forgive and forget,” Claude says lightly, taking a bite of a pear. “We don’t mention Edelgard sanctioned an attempt on my most-important life in violation of our treaty, and in return we get to invade the Kingdom.”

“Uh, usually, when you say in return, you get something nice back, not a brand new war.”

“Who says destroying the Central Church isn’t a reward? Certainly not her Imperial Highness.”

On Claude’s orders, the army packs up and heads to the North Sea to await some mysterious fleet of ships.

“When I heard beach, I had something else in mind,” Shez grumbles: the shoreline is rocky, beach pebbled, and the ocean itself is reliably freezing. She kicks a couple of rocks to illustrate her point.

“Yeah, this is…” Leonie sighs. Not that she doesn’t have more important things to do than sit on a sunny beach and swim, you understand. Even still. She shivers, as a cold wind picks up.

“I think it’s pretty,” Byleth announces, having previously announced that she prefers her given name to The Ashen Demon, or that girl with no facial expressions; she’s not that bad, I promise. Ever since the women had gone with Jeralt and Alois to Leonie’s village for a couple of days, they’d been thick as thief-hunting mercenaries, and recently Byleth had been experimenting with having and expressing opinions.

“It’s super pretty!” Leonie hastens to reassure her. “In a sort of bleak, end of the world kind of way.” She looks out at the water. She’s never actually seen the ocean before, and it’s a little bit of a let down: you can see land off in the distance, and the waves are small and choppy. She knows they’re in small bay, that this isn’t what the whole ocean looks like. Still.

“I guess we could try to go swimming,” Shez says doubtfully. “It’d probably make for great endurance training.”

“You three crack me up,” Hilda says cheerfully, crunching up to the forlorn with a parasol and beach towel slung over her arm.

“Hildaaaa, we wanna go to the fun ocean!” Shez whines, making grabby hands. “Take us to the fun ocean, please?”

Holst announces that it’ll be a week or so before the mysterious secret transport ships arrive to pick them up, and that they’re all officially on light duties until then. They’re kind of in the middle of nowhere, which puts a damper on the free vacation, but Ignatz at least is excited. Once tents are set up and ditches dug, he changes out of his armor and extracts his pencils and sketchbook to do some sketches: he’s always loved the vast, barren landscape of the sea and rocky shore. Like he’s on another world, in a different time.

He takes a leisurely walk through the scrub grass and over boulders the size of castles before he reaches the ocean itself, walking along the shore and looking out at the water. He hears voices: women chatting, and Raphael’s distinctive boom. Sees them a minute later and almost turns back around, blushing, but Hilda spots Ignatz first and summons him over instead.

They’re sunbathing on cloaks and in small-clothes — Leonie in shorts and chemise, Shez in almost nothing, Raphael a gleaming mountain of muscle. Hilda is under a parasol, in a frilly swim-suit, sipping a fruity drink.

That the day is cloudy goes without saying. “It’s not bad,” Leonie says doubtfully. “All these rocks underneath make it kind of like some kind of massage.”

“Next time, we’ll ask Claude to invade somewhere warmer,” Hilda jokes.

Ignatz sketches a posing Hilda, praying Holst won’t happen along them. Byleth is taking a nap. She snores.

Bernadetta is located in an old drying shed and brought, protesting, to Claude’s tent. By this point, most of the camp had long since forgotten she was another of the Federation’s prisoners of war, although Marianne chances a wave as Bernadetta and Holst pass.

Claude is much smaller than Holst, which makes him a bit less frightening. But it’s apples and pears. Dragons and wyverns. Death by fire or by drowning. He says hello and Bernadetta squeaks.

“Sure,” he says.

They’ve been camped in and around a fishing village for a week now, and Claude’s tent is twice the size of the others, as befits his status. The inside is bare but for a pile of crates and a bed. Both are piled with books. She spots his relic, Failnaught, leaning against the cot.

“Did you know your father has been named the new Archbishop of the Church?” Claude asks. He passes her a sealed letter and an opened one. She recognizes her father’s handwriting on the first. “Edelgard is asking for your return. I told her she could have Lindhart as well.”

Bernadetta wants to read the letters just as much as she wants to go swimming in the North Sea, fight in another battle, go home, stay here, talk to Claude, or talk to her father. Which is all to say, she doesn’t. Her hands are shaking.

Claude is waiting for her to say something. Anything, really. He has more than half a mind to keep her, if only because bargaining chips seldom come stronger than the Empire’s preferred Archbishop’s daughter. But he’s willing to hear her out. Unlike Linhardt, Bernadetta hasn’t exactly made herself at home in the Federation. If she truly wants to return home… favors owed can be almost as good as prisoners.

She says nothing. Just stares wide-eyed at her feet.

“Okay. Well. You’re welcome to wait out the war in peace,” he says. “I’ve spoken with Margrave Edmund and he will take custody of you —“

There is a knock on the canvas of Claude’s tent. Bernadetta watches him spring up. “Come in!”

It’s Holst. And Shez. “Ships ahoy!” Shez says. Her hair is in a very messy ponytail, and the backs of her arms and neck are red with the imprint of beach rocks.

She walks Bernadetta back to her drying shed. The ships are distant, but visible in the bay, and the camp has sprung into sudden life of packing and shouted commands. The first few smaller boats have landed, bearing banners of green and gold.

“Um,” says Bernadetta. “What banners are those?”

One of Shez’s particular skills is being able to identify any house’s banners at fifty paces. Particularly while drunk and yelling in the mess hall on a leave day. “Almyra’s,” she says.

The banners show a bowman on horseback. A few are crowned. “Oh,” Bernadetta says.

She really doesn’t want to be the first one to say it.

“It is definitely not weird!” Shez says, which isn’t any better.

“N- no! Not at all!”

Claude does not eat in the mess that evening. He skips dinner entirely. They’re leaving at first light, the camp a flurry of activity. Judith looks everywhere she can think of; asks Shez; Holst; his friends, but there’s no sign of him.

“Are you searching for something?” The Ashen Demon asks her, as Judith prepares to embark on her third lap around the camp.

“The sorry kid calling himself king around here,” she says.

Byleth points off inland, away from the camp and ships.

“I thought you were looking for a lost item,” she confides as they walk together. Byleth pats a satchel she has slung across her body. “There are many lost items around camp.”

Judith notices her facial expression does not change once as she says this.

“How do you know where the boy went off to?” She asks.

“I saw him leave,” Byleth says. “I asked him if this bracelet was his. Is it yours?”

“Never seen it before in my life.”

After crossing a few fields gone fallow, they enter a small stand of trees. Claude is peppering an aspen with arrows. He sees the women from a long way off and thinks briefly of running.

“Faster ways to chop it down, kid,” Judith says. Claude hadn’t drawn any sort of target on the trunk, nor was he aiming at any spot in particular. She sees a second tree he’d been using as an earlier target. “You’re wasting good arrows.”

Claude’s fingers are stiff and bleeding, his arm aching. His cheek is red and raw.

“Can’t a man sulk in peace?” he asks, going back to his bushel of arrows.

“Care to tell me how you got the Almyran royal fleet to play ferry?”

“Take a guess,” he says, his voice stiff. He shakes out his hand, his smile unmoving.

Byleth peers at the aspen, and he peers at her, and Judith watches him, her mouth tight. She doesn’t approve. She’s mad. What else is new? Who approves of anything he does?

I have so many gods damned secrets, he wants to yell. Sometimes he wants to. Just say them all, let it all go at once. Burn everything down. Ruin his own life. King Claude, what a joke, but worse in Almyra. Everything he does, someone dies, someone looks at him like that, with disappointment, with distrust.

The Ashen Demon turns to look at him, her eyes dark and guileless. “These are some nice shots,” she says.

He laughs.

#fe3h fanfic #girl shez and girl byleth as it should be #i was so dubious of shez but i love this dumb gay idiot #no pairings just golden deer being stupid #takes place about halfway thru the golden wildfire route

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fiction-box · 2 years

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Okay, so I just saw the one about the wyvern and I loved it!!!

Hear me out: can you write for the same reader and Claude but she actually does fall? It can be after the time skip when she falls, and then Claude remembers their conversation about it from when they were at the academy together?

I'm not too good at context, so I'll leave exactly how it happens up to you!

I felt quite inspired by this prompt, so you got to jump the queue this week, my lovely. It makes me so happy to see that people are getting their inspiration from others on this blog!

Even just regarding the ask itself, there was so much I could have done with this. There were quite a few areas I wanted to explore, so I decided to do a bit of perspective switching, this fic.

Thanks for sharing, and thank you also for supporting both your own ideas and those of others on this blog! Requests are open!

The story will be continued under the cut.

His mind flooded with nostalgia as he led you, Lysithea, and Lorenz on a charge into the Red Canyon.

What had it been, five years since you all were last here? He and the Golden Deer, reunited once more under the orders of their old teacher. Claude wasn’t exactly sure what their goal was this time, but the demonic beasts in the area told him enough about what needed to happen next.

You four had been assigned to clear the canyon of the monsters Edelgard (now the Emperor of Adrestia) let loose. Once the job was completed, Byleth was to be notified and further instructions were to be given.

The original roster, however, had been modified. It was meant to be you, Ignatz, Raphael, and Lysithea. Plans changed when a stray imperial troop found the monastery, catching Raphael, who was out collecting wood, off guard. Luckily, Leonie was able to hear the ruckus and brought the professor in time to prevent him from getting into any further trouble.

With skilled healers like Marianne and Lysithea around, the injuries weren’t anything to fret over. Since he was brought back and treated quickly, the blond brawler turned out fine. Their main issue was how far back on supplies that put the army. Raphael and Leonie were the only ones capable of gathering any decent amount of firewood, so the professor insisted they stay behind.

That left Lorenz, Ignatz, Marianne, Claude, and Hilda. Marianne qualified for a position as their best healer, so it was definitely a safer bet to keep her at the monastery in case anything went awry. Naturally, Hilda didn’t want to do any work, so Teach sent Lorenz and himself on the Red Canyon mission while Ignatz received a list of items to find in the marketplace. Something about not risking the death or capture of their noble figureheads by imperial ambush.

Nice to know she cared, in her own way.

Not that it mattered to Claude, anyway. The better he could watch over you, the more reassured he would feel. He wasn’t the biggest fan of you heading anywhere too far from him in the hellscape Fodlan had become. Sure, he knew you could handle yourself…

Claude just didn’t know how he would handle himself if anything really did happen to you.

Upon the group’s arrival, the leader of the Golden Deer insisted on doing a small reconnaissance check. He flew up into the clouds, looking across the canyon to spot a bird and a crest beast of notable size. Not bad, but it wasn’t going to be quick, either.

“Alright, it doesn’t look like much. The four of us should do just fine,” he declared.

Lorenz craned his neck to glare at him, “It would be far more helpful if you could actually inform us of our opponents.”

“Yeah,” Lysithea shouted, “how are we meant to form a plan if you keep fooling around up there?”

“Quiet down and be patient, will you? You’ll attract their attention,” Claude hushed. “There are only two. One of them is a bird, which I’m pretty sure I can handle myself.”

“And the other?” you pressed.

“We’re not dealing with a lightweight, I can tell you that much.”

He watched as the three of you looked to the bridge you were meant to approach. Sitting peacefully on it was a crest beast of a slightly larger size than the one you faced here half a decade ago.

“Listen up! Here’s what we’re going to do. Lorenz, you’ll ride onto the bridge and attract its attention. Veer to one side to get it to move towards you.”

“Let me guess,” you started, “you want me on its other side?”

Claude nodded, “Yep. Lysithea, you stay near the entrance of the bridge. It should be wide enough to fit both of the others if you three can keep diverting its attention by varying the timing of your attacks.”

He waited a moment for any objections or complaints. Hearing none, he began to fly towards the canyon mouth.

“Lorenz, make sure you wait until after I attract the other one’s attention. This won’t work if it notices you guys, first.”

Flying out of earshot before Lorenz could retort, the Almyran Prince moved steadily towards his target. It was a careful process, though; he couldn’t risk garnering the attention of the other beast.

“Hey!” he shouted. “I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be here! Now's your chance to leave before things get ugly!”

The avian monster roared at him in response, flapping its wings faster in aggression.

“Suit yourself.”

His task would have been easier if his friends could help, but he knew you needed all the help you could get to fight the creature on that bridge. Honestly, even with three people, you all were still liable to struggle more than he did.

As more and more arrows lodged themselves into his opponent, Claude maneuvered in a way that allowed him to check on your progress. His plan was going flawlessly, it seemed. You were on the side of the bridge closest to him, with Lorenz on the far side of the beast and Lysithea attacking from the bridge’s mouth.

But observing wasn’t helping anyone. It was time to get in there and do some damage, himself.

Claude shifted his gaze from just past the bird to its left wing. There were enough arrows in it already that he knew a clean shot would prevent it from flapping properly. Then, the only thing left would be to watch it descend into the abyss of the canyon.

“Let’s finish this!”

Easily, he nocked an arrow onto his bow and pulled the string taut. The release sent it flying into the bird’s arm, giving him the result he was looking for.

Well…not quite.

Perhaps he should have paid a bit more attention to where he was positioned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Claude's plan was working much more effectively than you originally thought it would. The best part was how cooperative everyone was about it. You had never seen Lorenz and Lysithea so focused outside of battle.

Anytime someone would attack, the others would take it upon themselves to shout as loudly as possible. The behemoth became so confused that it could hardly decide on who to fight, let alone who to defend from.

Lysithea’s placement was more fortunate than you had originally realized, what with her blocking off the only visible exit. In the heat of the moment, it seemed your attacker had forgotten about the escape route directly behind it.

Out of sight, out of mind, you supposed.

Once the mage had taken her turn, it was Lorenz’s time to take a stab. The crest beast moved away from you, approaching the violet noble only to freeze at Lysithea’s loud shouts.

But as something slammed into the bridge not two feet away from you, you couldn’t help but omit a scream of your own. Its impact shook the bridge, and you lost your footing.

“AH- WHAT-?!”

Only when you had fallen to your knees did you look to the side, watching as the bird that had fallen next to you was shot in the eye. It was dead now; Claude had done his part.

Lorenz and Lysithea called out your name in concern, and the attention placed onto you seemed to intrigue the beast the three of you were fighting.

You could have sworn Lorenz had shouted some insult toward Claude (something about being careless?) but you didn’t hear. There were more important things you needed to process at the moment. However, your biggest concern was not the crest beast making its way toward you, though you suddenly wished it was.

No, you were more focused on the cracks beginning to form around your knees on the bridge.

It seemed that architecture built thousands of years ago was not built to withstand such a hit. All you wanted was to get off the unstable structure, but each time you tried to get up or move, you could feel the fissures spread.

“Get off the bridge! RIGHT NOW!” you shouted, desperate to at least save your friends, “QUICKLY!”

They followed your orders without much thought, and you were certain it was only thanks to their position that they made it anywhere in time. Lorenz was on a horse and traveled faster while Lysithea was mere steps away from solid ground.

You had no such hope, though. Not with the demonic beast making matters worse with each step in your direction.

What were you meant to do? Shout at it in hopes to confuse or scare it? That would be ridiculous; you weren’t even a tenth of the size of that thing!

Unfortunately, the only thing your voice did was grow smaller. You pleaded with it, knowing well that it was fruitless. The monster couldn’t understand you, and it didn’t know enough to save its own life, either.

You were effectively trapped. If it attacked or came too close, you would fall. Any attempts to escape it by moving on the crumbling bridge would condemn you to the same fate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever since you yelled at the other Golden Deer, Claude had been paying close attention to your predicament.

The wyvern rider had been trying to come up with some solution to get you out of there, but not all roads lead to Garreg Mach, apparently. Distracting the beast wasn’t an option since he figured out you were on unstable ground (a story told by the fact you weren’t running away). Not only would any approach on his part rile the beast, but he’d inevitably be too far away to help you if something went wrong.

He knew he had no chance of swooping in to pick you up, either. The monster would probably panic if he saw another beast and a rider. It wasn’t as though he could land to let you mount safely, either.

Stress and fear were overtaking his ability to think straight. Claude had no plan, and the worst part was that he knew he was the cause of all this. The best he could think of was to wait for you to fall from a safe distance away, then diving in for the save.

But then he remembered. A conversation from many years ago stored in the back of his mind.

“I can’t. I can’t do it.”

“I’m not afraid of heights, I’m afraid of falling.”

Instantly, he hated himself for it. He knew he was out of time and he hated himself for it. What sort of leader, what kind of friend, would just sit back and watch as someone that would call him such titles faced their greatest fear? A fear that was confessed to him several years ago and likely had not changed, for that matter?

He watched anyway, though. It was all he could do as the beast approached you, damning you with every step.

When his eyes turned to you, though, he knew you hadn’t gotten over your fear. You knew what would come next, and the signs of panic and fear without acceptance were setting into your form.

Your own eyes were looking all around, taking in the beast in front of you, the cracks on the bridge, the end of the bridge that you had no chance of escaping to…

As the wretched thing came ever closer, Claude leaned forward on his wyvern, placing a hand on its neck to warn it of his incoming command.

A claw was raised, and once it came down, you dodged forward past it.

The bridge began to collapse at the impact of the missed attack, bringing the beast down with it.

Not you, though. Not yet. He flew closer with his wyvern as fast as he could as you fought for your life against the collapsing structure, running as fast as you could muster.

But it was clear that your plates were weighing you down, and when you lost your footing and joined the descending rubble, he dove in hopes of saving you.

Your scream would find its way into his nightmares for a long time after.

The catch wasn’t pretty; Claude had to practically slam into you at an angle to safely slow your momentum.

Once he could get enough air back to his lungs to process his surroundings, he registered your arms clinging to him for dear life. Your breaths were coming at a rapid pace, but the Duke of Riegan couldn’t have been more thankful for it.

“I’m so sorry,” Claude managed. He needed you to know; he would never forgive himself if you didn’t. “I’ve got you, now. I promise I will never let you fall again.”

You were alive. You were safe.

You were crying.

“Ah-” for once, he had no idea what to say. He had made a similar promise five years ago, hadn’t he? So really, what were his words worth?

He settled for using his actions, instead. Claude wrapped his arm around you, placing his free hand on your head and holding you to his chest.

It only lasted for a moment, though. That’s all he allowed himself before he returned his arm to where it was, both of you flying high enough to get over the cliff.

The two of you landed, Lorenz abandoning his horse and Lysithea running to you while you both practically fell off the wyvern. Claude felt you let go of him and roll over, attracting his notice as he watched you cough up blood onto the ground.

Apparently, the impact between you two that had stopped your momentum induced its own form of shock into himself. He barely felt Lorenz when the knight practically pulled him off you. Lysithea needed space in order to heal you properly, after all.

She laid you down flat on your back, hovering her hands over different areas but focusing mostly on your upper body.

Your chest and your head. You really were lucky, then.

Once her overall evaluation was done and a bit of magic was used, she announced, “Her body seems fine at a surface level, but I promise she’s much worse than you think. It’s a miracle she's still able to move properly!”

Lorenz released him as Claude regained control of his own body, getting up and moving ever so slightly closer to check on you “Can you hear us alright? How do you feel?”

You coughed once more after you incoherently moved to sit up, “...I…what? This isn’t…”

Claude thought back on the past events in a panic, “Hey, you didn’t actually hit your head, right?”

“No…no…it’s fine,” that wasn’t quite what he wanted to hear. “I just…I think I need a moment.”

As it turned out, a moment was all it took for your form to go limp.

Lysithea rushed forward, checking your pulse and the area in front of your nose and mouth, “She- she’s passed out.”

“Well then,” Lorenz thought, “I believe our next best option would be to head back to the monastery. It would do no good to remain out here.”

The mage knelt beside you, “Can you stand guard for a moment, first? I want to make sure she’s stable before we head back.”

After her quick once-over on you (and on him, as per her insistence), the group finally seemed ready to head back. To return as soon as possible, Lysithea rode on the back of Lorenz’s horse as Claude made sure to secure you in front of him on his wyvern. Altogether, the four of you headed back to Garreg Mach in hopes of getting you some proper rest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You couldn’t scream.

You were falling, the rubble of stone far older than your family name joining your descent.

It was terrifying. There was nothing you could do. All that was left for you was to wait for the end. For the surface of whatever waited at the bottom of the canyon.

Maybe you couldn’t scream because, deep down, you knew no one would save you.

Only, you swore you remembered screaming. Your throat hurt.

…hurt…? You didn’t feel anything.

While your thoughts were busy muddling together, you only grew more restless and confused.

It was only when you felt something slam into your chest that you awoke in a panic.

“H-help! I’m falling! I…I don’t-” you panted, your eyes scanning your surroundings for anything that made sense-

“Easy there. You’re alright,” a familiar voice called to you.

Slowly, your body allowed itself to take everything in. This was the old medical ward in the monastery. You were on one of the beds, and from what you could see, you were the only one in the room.

“...what…?” you suddenly felt dizzy, even more disoriented than before.

Arms from behind you coaxed you back down onto the bed. On your way down, you caught a glimpse of a face to which you couldn’t match a name.

“Seriously?” he must have noticed you didn’t recognize him. Or maybe it was the confusion in your blank expression. “After everything you put me through, you’re gonna act like you don’t remember me?”

Act? Was this his idea of a prank?

You watched as his green eyes lost their playful glint, a look of concern slipping into place.

“Hey, come on. You do remember me, right?”

“I know you, but I don’t…” you hesitated, not quite sure how to put it, “...your name…”

“I’d go get Lysithea, but I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone in this state.”

“Lysithea…” some distant parts of your memory resurfaced at the name. “She was with me on the bridge. It was her, me, Lorenz, and…you.”

He nodded, “I still can’t believe you remember Lorenz and not me. Not that it’s any easier to believe how he and I got assigned to help you, in the first place.”

Was this…a test? No matter, you didn’t think your memories from before the incident were tainted.

Well, not that much, anyway. You felt like you would remember a bit more about the person you were talking to if you could recall everything from before.

“Yeah, thank goodness Professor chose the two of you to join us after Raphael got hurt. I don’t think anyone without a horse would have gotten out from the middle of the bridge in time.”

Your friend(?) gave a dry laugh at that, “I suppose it was lucky, in some twisted way. I doubt I could have saved you both.”

“I think your reckless actions were the reason we found ourselves in such a mess.”

“Ouch! Even when you’ve forgotten all about me, you still know how to lecture me.”

“For lack of better term, I remember you ‘fundamentally’. It’s just your name that eludes me.”

He raised a brow in challenge, “Oh yeah? Prove it, then. What am I like?”

A different kind of test, you thought. That was fine, you supposed. It wouldn’t hurt him to know what a friend thought of him.

You just hoped saying these things wouldn’t hurt your future self.

“Well, you aren’t the most loyal, nor are you always honest. At least, not from what I remember seeing of you. Sometimes, you don’t think things through all the way, despite the fact you call yourself a schemer. It’s as though…you’re too busy living in the present to ever truly learn from your past, I think. You become too blinded by the good you might do to see the harm behind your actions.”

You noticed he didn’t really have anything to say to that. Did you mess up?

His expression changed, and he gave what you classified as a “knowing smirk”, but some part of you felt certain he wasn’t as pleasantly amused as he pretended to be.

“Can you give me some examples?”

Enough with the tests, you thought. Haven’t I shown that I know enough?

“Just now, with the bird. I’m certain you thought you were doing a good thing by killing it and rushing over to help us, but you didn’t think it through. You could have positioned yourself better, or you could have trusted us to keep it at bay long enough for you to do your own job properly.”

“That’s why I have you though, right? You’re here to let me know when I mess up, and how to make everything that much better in the initial stages of planning.”

The sheets you were lying on suddenly fascinated you as you twisted them between your fingers, “No, you don’t really need me for those kinds of things. Honestly, I’m certain you could do all those things yourself if you just applied everything a little better. You’re charismatic and cunning; you have no problems recruiting others and getting them to follow you.”

A small laugh left you at that, “It’s easy for people to want to stay when you’re so good at what you do. You’ve succeeded far more than you’ve failed, and that was even before you let me in to help you.”

“Oh? And can you give me some examples of that?”

Now your laughter fell from your lips in a larger amount as you swatted at him, looking up from the sheet, “I can’t stroke your ego too much, Claude! You’d never let me hear the end of it!”

“So you do remember my name!” he teased. “Honestly, you hurt me a little, there. There’s pulling a prank, and then there’s being just plain mean.”

You supposed you did recall, now. It was strange how many memories and emotions were attached to a name, and how much forgetting one could affect you and those around you.

Your expression turned somber as you began to realize the gravity of your previous situation. You could have died, or you could have forgotten everyone you loved. Even just failing to remember Claude was a horrible thought.

“I never meant to forget you. I would apologize, but looking back, I don’t know what I would be apologizing for. That whole time on the bridge…I just did what I thought was right.”

“That’s because it was my fault, as much as I hate admitting it. I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I got the three of you into quite a bit of trouble.” he grimaced ever so minutely, you almost thought you imagined it. Before you could think too hard on it, he continued, “If things went any worse, I probably could have handed my head to the emperor, myself.”

“Well, as much as she might appreciate the thought, I’m not prepared to let you give up, yet,” you smiled.

“Sure,” Claude grinned as he stood, likely to go fetch Lysithea, “but don’t you dare think I’m planning on it. Once you recover, you can help me work toward making sure nothing like this ever happens again.”

You gave a curt nod at that, and Claude waited a moment longer before finally leaving you alone.

It seemed your greatest lessons were learned at the worst times, but with him at your side, you were sure you could manage to stay one step ahead of misfortune. It was better to be taught by crest beasts than by the Emperor or her advisors, you supposed.

So as you shut your eyes on your pillow in the empty room, you assured yourself there wouldn’t be a next time. Lysithea could heal the bruises, but she couldn’t take away the experience and what you gained from it.

That mistake was just another shadow to be eliminated before the new dawn could come. You had no doubt you would get there, but first, you needed to end this war.

#fe claude x reader #fire emblem #fiction #fe x reader #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #fe3h x reader #fire emblem x reader #fe3h claude x reader #fe claude #claude x reader #claude von riegan #fe3h claude #claude von riegan x reader

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fleshing-out-fodlan · 1 year

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I honestly think Ingrid’s backstory with having been promised to someone else as a child could have been explored more in depth. From the moment she was born, such an important part of her life was already planned out for her. Her parents decided who she’d live with for the rest of her life, who she’d have children with, and not to mention Glenn was a decent amount older than Ingrid. To my knowledge, his exact age is never confirmed, but I always imagined him being around five years older. While this age gap would not be a problem for an adult relationship, they had known they would be married for Ingrid’s whole life. Child marriages have a very negative impact on the mental health of a person and, while Ingrid was not actually married as a child, she was still being groomed to be Glenn’s bride her whole life.

I think this can explain why Ingrid has so much trouble considering her own feelings. She often lets people push her around, whether it be something as important as tolerating her father trying to arrange new marriage deals for her despite not wanting it or something as small as letting other female students harass her into trying make up. And when you consider the fact that Ingrid’s parents ignored her feelings for the ‘good of their people’ from day one, it really makes a lot of sense why.

I saw an interesting art project of Ingrid not being saw if she feels relief or grief at Glenn’s death (didn’t reblog it because it’s a bit NSFW but here’s the link to it) and I honestly think that would’ve been such an interesting route to explore. Because from what we hear, Glenn genuinely was a good person and he did not deserve what happened to him. But at the same time, Glenn’s death gave Ingrid a degree of freedom she never could’ve had otherwise. If Glenn were still alive, Ingrid likely would’ve been married right after finishing the Officer’s Academy (although Edelgard’s war likely would’ve thrown a wrench in those plans anyways so she still may have had an out there).

An interesting line from Ingrid in her Byleth C support is, when Byleth asks her to help clean, she says she would not want people “getting the wrong idea with [her] being alone in [Byleth’s] room.” While this line can easily be dismissed as a throwaway line or just an instance of player pandering, I think it can also be read as so much more. Ingrid and Glenn’s proposal was likely common knowledge among kingdom nobles and other wealthy citizens, meaning once Ingrid died, suddenly she was ‘on the market’ again. As soon as she became ‘available,’ I imagine she would’ve gotten a large stream of potential suitors pursuing her. Furthermore, her ‘availability’ would also have invited...speculation on Ingrid’s love life. I can imagine her being a teenage girl and hearing grown men speculate on the nature of her relationship with the boys she spent time around and how that likely traumatized her so that she now tries to see the rumors coming and stop them before they can even form. This concern of hears is reaffirmed in the goddess tower scene when Byleth asks if she’s worried people will get the wrong idea from them getting alone and she confirms that she is and mentions people starting “unsavory rumors.” Furthermore, in the same scene, Ingrid remarks that she left the party to have “some privacy.” Once Glenn died, this is something that was likely scarce for her. With people speculating about her status, she was likely left craving a way to escape the public eye.

Now, I know the Ingrid/Claude support is universally hated, but I do still have something I want to pull from that. Claude tells her on multiple occasions to smile more and she reacts poorly both times. Obviously this is an annoying comment for anybody to receive, but I think Ingrid’s annoyance can also be a result of a history of being objectified. I established earlier that I feel many wealthy Faerghans would discuss her status, and this likely led to discussions of her appearance. Claude’s comments could have made bad memories of wealthy Faerghan men commenting on her appearance, making her snap.

#fe3h #fe3h analysis #fe3h supports #fe3h ingrid #ingrid galatea #ingrid supports

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dmclemblems · 1 year

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if it's alright, can i ask why you like dimi/claude so much? like, the particular reasons you like them lol hope that doesn't come off as "how the hell do you like them" kind of thing

Yeee, tis fine! I feel like I’ll probably miss some of the reasons why I love them so much, but I’ll try to cover everything.

uh oh it got beeg

Things from the game itself:

I like that they hang out together sometimes (in the main story and in the DLC), when the lords don’t usually hang out together in their free time. Out of all the combinations of them, only Dimitri and Claude hang out together (with a story based exception during the DLC with Dimitri and Edelgard that never gets touched upon again even though it’s actually important and story relevant). There’s also the implication that they train/spar together in GD, with Dimitri saying “as ever” he has proven to be no match for Claude. During the “going to GM cutscene”, they’re walking together and talking together (a theme that Nintendo uses in their official art in almost every official of the three lords lmao).

Claude’s crest symbol is a moon, and Dimitri’s route is called Azure Moon (which is also coincidentally the only route they’re able to ally in because Dimitri dies in VW)

They’re a package deal in the game and in official art from Nintendo! Cipher promotions? Both of them got plastered on it together. The 2019 happy holidays artwork? Sitting down together while Edelgard is standing up (with Dimitri ??? staring at Claude with this oddly happy and dreamy look??? hey, Nintendo???). the artwork of Edelgard turning around while the lords are walking, but she’s behind the other two who are both walking together and talking? And... so on.

Another instance of “damn, how much time do you actually spend together where we aren’t aware of it” is Dimitri referring to Claude as his “friend” in the DLC to Aelfric. That point of the game is still very early on, but Dimitri doesn’t just toss the word “friend” around with everyone. He uses other terms like acquaintance, companion/companionship, etc. Rather than use any similar words for Claude, he just outright uses “friend”, and he doesn’t use that term unless he really believes it.

In the game itself, the start of it is Edelgard almost being killed and Byleth protects her, but with the other two nowhere to be seen for... some reason. When Edelgard is safe, suddenly they both come running up together and smile at each other like “lol sorry we got distracted by each other’s beauty but hey glad you’re both safe uwu”. Listen, it’s a tiny thing but WHEN IT ADDS up...!

Very cute moment for me when, if you’re playing GD, Dimitri takes a keen interest in Claude’s “schemes”. Most people consider his supposed schemes to be a bad thing and dread it openly. Dimitri is just out here like ooo tell me more, I wanna know!

During the mock battle, Claude tries to tease him and fails miserably. By the time of the actual Battle of the Eagle and Lion (and Deer, wah wah), Dimitri is used to Claude’s teasing and jokes with him! Instead of a deadpan response where he just doesn’t know Claude well enough to know how he behaves, this time Dimitri is used to him and responds to him with a more “lol okay Claude” vibe. It’s much more apparent in the JP dialogue that he’s aware Claude is teasing/joking, but he goes along with it.

There’s a bit more of a rivalry between Dimitri and Edelgard, oddly. Even this early, he’s seeing her as more of an adversary (maybe to foreshadow, since the BotEaL had a boatload of foreshadowing) and seeing it as a more serious competition. With Claude, he’s much more relaxed and seeing their battle as more of a test of skill and mutual gain to learn from. He says he will “happily” battle Claude and urges him not to hold back. In contrast, he tells Edelgard that the thought of fighting her is “troubling at best” and is bothered by her “joke” (Claude jokes with him too and he’s much more receptive. Edelgard’s “joking” was more foreshadowing, but he doesn’t take well to it and that same joke/response happens again after the battle too). The direction of both conversations is the polar opposite, and he doesn’t feel at ease when fighting her.

Following that, his relationship with Edelgard is tense, and it’s a huge contrast to how he feels around Claude. That is, notably, whenever him and Edelgard interact there’s a wall between them (such as when she’s walking by with Manuela, going to their mission, and her and Dimitri have a misunderstanding that ends in a tense ending to their conversation) Due to their circumstances, their relationship is pretty rocky even during the first half of the game in BL. Throughout the first half of the game, this aspect of their relationship is static (until of course he finds out her identity as the Flame Emperor and it just goes downhill from there). Then we have him and Claude, where starting at the mock battle, Dimtiri misses Claude’s silly behavior and is more serious about the battle as mentioned before. Over time though he’s obviously learned what Claude is like, and during the official battle you can clearly see a difference in Dimtiri’s overall attitude when he hears Claude joke with him. This time he knows what to expect and is receptive to Claude’s behavior, going along with it and being glad to have this battle with him. His demeanor toward Edelgard, however, doesn’t change at all. He still doesn’t like the idea of fighting her seriously, nor takes well to her “jokes” and yet seems to see her as more of an adversary to overcome. Around Claude, Dimtiri has more friendly vibes in both their routes and is pretty open to learning about Claude and talking to him casually.

Kind of a small instance but with a little more meaning to me?: them fighting side by side at Garreg Mach when the Empire invades. Dimitri was in his Very Nutty state, and even more so if you’re playing BL. He’s so out of it that Dedue has to direct everyone in his place. Due to the BLs knowing what he’s going through, you’d think at least one of them would be keeping an eye on him during the battle. Instead, it’s Claude he’s fighting alongside! Dimitri was very expressive about wanting to be the one to reach Edelgard in that battle, but the cutscene shows him with Claude, rather than rushing for Edelgard.

Gronder! Even though Dimitri gives out his famous, stolen-from-Miklan-because-Miklan-said-it-first-and-apparently-inspired-Dimitri-to-use-it-later-in-life line, “kill every last one of them”, his actual dialogue with Claude is very different from that (on both routes). All he says is that he wants Claude to move and has no time to talk. If he meant it that he really wanted to kill people from the Alliance or didn’t care about Claude as a person, he would have tried to run him down for getting in his way. Claude even said he wouldn’t budge, which normally would prompt Dimtiri at that point to attack him and kill him to get him out of the way. In AM Claude retreats when defeated, but Dimitri lets him escape and doesn’t mind at all that he’s fleeing. Because of that you can specifically clarify that Dimitri doesn’t think of him as an enemy, because he chases enemies down and kills them at that point (remember all those dead soldiers we were hearing about early into the timeskip?). When Edelgard tries to escape, Dimitri doesn’t just let her go without attempting to follow her. This clarifies that he sees her as an enemy, because again, he’ll chase down anyone considers his enemy. When Claude left, even though he can intentionally stand in Dimitri’s way, Dimitri won’t kill him even though he probably could.

When Claude requests aid, he doesn’t ask for Byleth’s help. He doesn’t ask for Seteth or the Church’s help (which is working with Byleth/the Kingdom and the direct enemies of the Empire). He asks for the Kingdom’s aid. This Dimitri centric view continues through all of chapter 19, with him specifically believing in Dimitri and his mentality.

Hurray Failnaught! Normally characters give their Relics to Byleth (for game mechanic/convoy purposes), but Claude gives him specifically to Dimitri. Since he plans to leave Fodlan and return to Almyra where they don’t fight with these weapons, he likely feels he has no reason to bring it with him. Instead, he leaves it with someone he trusts both with his family heirloom and Fodlan itself. Claude doesn’t trust easily, but he had faith that Dimitri would finish the war and restore Claude’s second home.

In the same chapter, Claude... somehow knows a LOT about Dimitri. Obviously he learned everything offscreen and we don’t know how or why, but not only does he know that Dimitri can still be reasoned with (Teach will talk and he’ll listen), suggesting that he’s aware that the person Dimitri was is not gone despite the meeting they had in Gronder, but during the “here have my family heirloom” scene, he tells Dimitri that the dead cling to them without regard for their own/the living’s lives. During the Academy phase we don’t have any indication that he knows what’s going on with Dimitri... but then, I recall them fighting side by side during the invasion of the monastery, so perhaps Claude started to put the pieces together if he was able to see the state Dimitri was in. Canon? Not necessarily, but it’s something I consider when I want to answer why Claude knows this stuff about Dimitri when Dimitri didn’t tell him about it.

Yes, Teach will talk and he’ll listen, but by then Dimitri had already made the decision to help the Alliance- er, well, Claude. The Alliance itself? Hm. Claude? Yes, let’s go help Claude-- er, the Alliance, he means! The Alliance! But... but also Claude! Okay, I’m kind of joking. Kind of. A lil bit. By which I mean, Dimitri is very vocal about saving Claude more than he is the Alliance. Leave the latter part to Lorenz, I guess. It’ll make him happy and that would make me happy!

So, on the topic of him already making the decision to go aid Claude, not only was Claude correct, but Dimitri literally went to begin their march to the Alliance the next day after they recaptured their own capital. They celebrated and then the very next day he’s like “uh yeah sorry for this guys, but Claude wants our help so we’re leaving. Now. Pack your things. If you’re not ready in ten I’m leaving without you. Claude needs help.” I’M JOKING. Mostly. A lil bit.

They reach the battle destination and Dimitri is uh, very specific that “they will not let Claude die”. He only recently came out of his nommy nom, chewy enemies state, and he’s already over here like hell nah we ain’t lettin’ Claude die. I didn’t spare him at Gronder for nothin’. Let’s go, let’s go!

Claude, who he doesn’t know nearly as well as the BLs, “crosses too many dangerous bridges for his liking”. For sure, Claude does some risky things, but he’s not someone who is within Dimitri’s immediate friend group. All the same, Dimitri worries about him (a lot in this chapter, too) and expresses that he doesn’t like Claude taking these kind of risks (that could endanger his life).

“This must be one of your jokes”. Not sure Claude was ever really one to often make jokes that we know of? The way it’s phrased, “one of your jokes”, sounds like more of an inside thing? As in, “I know you well enough to know you behave like this”, kind of thing. Doesn’t sound like much, until I start adding up all the times they’re together/talking to each other. For reference, times such as ones I’ve mentioned in this post (walking to GM with Byleth between them and Edelgard, if you’re playing GW Dimitri implies he’s sparred with Claude and uses “as ever” as if to say it happens often enough that it’s a familiar result, them hanging out during their free time after the mock battle, them fighting side by side during the invasion of GM even though Dimitri insisted he was going to basically rush the battle and ker-slice Edelgard’s head off and show up at Enbarr with it in hand...) Suddenly it doesn’t seem so odd that they might know each other a little bit more than the story that we get to see lets on. Even if it was small talk, enough of that and enough sparring/fighting alongside each other would add up enough for them to start learning things about each other.

Kudos to Dimitri for being the only person in the game that gets a pet name from Claude. Teach is just a casual way of saying “professor”, and “princess” is literally what Edelgard is. Princeliness is... Quite A Title I Guess. “Princess” is dropped and Claude refers to Edelgard as just Edelgard in the timeskip, but Dimtiri gets a nickname update! Now he’s “Kingliness” instead!

Some Hopes ones (I shipped them way before Hopes was a thing but these made me happy!):

Background similarities! In Hopes if you play AG, they talk very early on (before the timeskip) about Dimitri’s life after the Tragedy. To sum it up, he was being targeted by his own family with murder attempts and he was very isolated (one NPC describes it as nearly being like house arrest with how isolated he was). Even if you don’t consider Hopes to be too much canon with its character background lore, the isolation part checks because in Houses, Dimitri says he didn’t have any friends left after the Tragedy. He only had Dedue for companionship after that in the castle itself, unable to see his other friends as often due to them living in different territories.

Another similarity from Your Hopes Truly is Dimitri being paranoid on expeditions. As he puts it, he “can't help but peer over his shoulder lest an assassin lodges his blade in his back”. He’s literally paranoid of assassins... a lot like how Claude sleeps with a knife under his pillow. :’( They both worry a lot about having to be vigilant because they could die at any time. Even though Edelgard is also royalty, her trauma expresses itself differently and she doesn’t worry about assassins as outwardly (possible also because she has Hubert around, who would be more likely to catch assassins lurking around than the people around Dimitri and Claude). I’m sure she knows people will be after her because she’s royalty, but she doesn’t worry about it in the same way.

This one is more recent and Hopes based, but in AG the game decides to be Big Dumb and is like “nobody in the BL house trusts Claude... for some... reason...” but Dimitri is gung ho adamant that they can trust Claude. His portrait even switches to his smiling portrait! “I’ve never known him to be a liar” despite how little time they had together at the Academy in this game is a big amount of trust imo.

On the same note, AG is like a mirror of AM’s chapter 19! Claude trusts Dimitri and that he will show up to help. In AG, they need the Alliance’s help and Dimitri trusts Claude to show up without question. When the Alliance shows up and Claude isn’t there, he wonders where Claude is, and when Claude does show up being the smart little sneaky not-literal-bastard-because-he’s-actually-a-legitimate-child bastard he is, Dimitri is like :D I knew you would come no matter what. This man literally implicitly trusts Claude. Sounds like someone had a crush when they were younger... Now his crush is helping them and he’s all bubbly and excited inside... uwu... uwu... UWU...

More Hopes stuff despite the bad writing moments. In SB, Claude confronts Edelgard because they were so focused on locating Rhea that they didn’t even consider Dimitri’s motivations for being part of that battle. His portrait is even his upset portrait for them “not even sparing a thought for Dimitri’s motivations”, in his exact words. He’s not all too happy that they were so determined by their goal that they didn’t consider Dimitri, specifically.

Similarly, if you get the Arval chapter, Dimtiri worries for Claude’s safety if Claude tries to take the Church out of power. Despite that Dimitri lists off reasons why That’s A Really Fucking Bad Idea, he also includes that he doesn’t want Claude to be in danger, and their discussion ultimately ends with Claude saying “you really are too good for me!”. Claude, that’s sus.

Not game specific, but motivated by the contents of the game:

Claude is a very casual person, and Dimtiri wants that in his relationships (of any kind). Actually, he repeatedly asks people to be casual with him and doesn’t want to be treated like a prince. In no way does Claude treat him like a prince and just treats him exactly the way Dimtiri would prefer, without even having to be asked to do so. This is part of what makes me wonder if the reason Dimitri is so receptive to Claude and why they bounce so well off each other’s personalities, despite seeming so different in demeanor, is because Dimitri experiences those kind of informal exchanges with him that most others won’t grant him.

More often than not, even in GD, Claude expresses being an outsider. That means that even though the people around him are mostly/generally pretty chill with him (i.e. his GD classmates just treat him like another classmate and not the foreigner in the class), he still doesn’t feel totally accepted there. Likely, it’s the little things he picks up about them, such as Hilda’s negative comments about Almyra. They’re pretty chill together, but he’s Almyran, and royalty at that, yet she doesn’t know that. For him, that could be like, okay so she’s one of the people I proooobably should definitely not tell my identity to, like, ever. I’m not saying Hilda specifically is the only person he would have to be wary of, but the problem is still there.

On the other hand, Dimitri... literally does not give a fuck who is a foreigner and who is not. More than anyone else besides, equally, Claude, he pushes to have people from other lands seen as equals to those in Fodlan and wants them to be just as accepted.

Also, Claude’s post timeskip advice box:

What did these two do, share notes? Pass notes in class? Skip class and hang out in the bathroom while they skipped?

To be specific, Dimitri highlights all aspects that Claude guns for too. He hates that he’s been hated all his life for his lineage and never saw it as fair. Dimitri wouldn’t see that as fair either. Claude doesn’t think his lineage or bloodline matters when it comes to being accepted and what relationships he has. That’s also Dimitri’s line of thinking when he insists he doesn’t want to be treated as a prince. He just wants normal relationships. This also applies to Crests, where in which he doesn’t believe having or not having one should decide a person’s, well, anything.

Being two races, Claude has struggled to feel accepted on either side. Meanwhile, Dedue has struggled a lot to get by in Garreg Mach because of the prejudice against Duscur’s people. Even if some of the people of Duscur did do what everyone accused them of, they’re dragging those accusations well beyond that and treating Dedue as if he had anything to do with it. In Dimitri’s B support with Dedue, he makes it extremely clear to his own soldiers that he’ll have nothing to do with that behavior. He sees Dedue as another human being, as he would anyone else. Even though most characters don’t care what race someone is, most of them don’t actively try to fight for justice for other races of people being mistreated in Fodlan. Dimitri is one of the only people who will walk up to someone and tell them to fuck off for being racist, and mind you, if this wasn’t a T rated game and more explicit curse words were allowed to be used, I am quite positive Dimitri would quite literally tell those people to fuck off. He acts all upstanding and polite, but he’d also curse at someone who deserves it and is definitely angry enough to be a semi-big curser lol.

Both of them discuss faith with Byleth, too. While Claude doesn’t like the idea of praying to gods and often talks about how he isn’t in with the whole Sothis religion, Dimitri says the same thing, basically. In his Goddess Tower conversation, he expresses his feelings about “the goddess”, and it pretty much equals that he couldn’t give a flying fuck about her because she doesn’t help those in need despite supposedly watching over their land. He feels that she’ll watch and do nothing to help, not even reach out a hand to people who need her. Dimitri firmly does not believe in the religion that Fodlan follows, even despite literally being the crown prince of a nation that was legitimatized by Rhea herself. Neither of them care about Fodlan’s religion personally, but they both accept people who do and don’t badmouth her in front of devout followers. For example, Claude talks to Ignatz about the goddess and jokes with him. He doesn’t try to tell Ignatz he’s wrong for being faithful to a goddess that Claude himself doesn’t believe in. Dimitri doesn’t care about the Seiros faith at all, but he’s very friendly with Seteth and on great terms with him (especially in Hopes! They’re very close in AG!). Even if Seteth personally is not very devout (which is actually the truth), he’s still Rhea’s second in command. You also have people like Mercedes, who are extremely if not almost excessively devout, but Dimitri never puts her down for that. That’s how Claude is with Ignatz, and Ignatz is very devout. Basically, both Dimitri and Claude hate the idea of believing in the goddess of Fodlan, but they never judge someone who does believe in that very goddess. In fact, after Duscur, I’m sure Dimitri felt he could never forgive the goddess for not saving his father, Glenn and all the others who died there. Even if she wasn’t from a goddess of Duscur, she didn’t even attempt to save Fodlan’s people, at the very very least. It’s not a surprise in that sense that Dimitri isn’t devout.

In the case of ideologies, both of them even use the exact same word here. No matter what someone believes or thinks should happen, no matter how people think lands should be managed, neither of them feel like that’s cause to judge someone. They both feel that people can have different ways of thinking no matter how vast those ways of thinking might be, and still get along just fine.

This basically sums up both of what they want tbh, and it’s something they both strive for as early as the first half of the game.

Other aspects I love:

Other than that, I like to think about their personalities too! They’ve been through a lot of the same things and have a lot of the same feelings, so I think they would understand really well how to help each other. While Claude doesn’t think he deserves the treatment he gets, Dimitri tends to think he deserves all sorts of bad things. I feel like Claude could teach Dimitri to care about himself more and to stop thinking so poorly about himself. For Claude, I think he’d have “might get killed at any moment” ingrained into him, but I think he’d feel safe around Dimitri but also accepted and loved. Dimtiri is extremely straightforward and honest, and I think Claude would know for a fact that he can trust that Dimitri is honest about his feelings. He wouldn’t have to question if Dimitri actually loves him and if he secretly hates that he’s half Almyran. Because of how Dimitri has always been, I don’t think he’d actually worry about that and any worry that might nag him in passing he’d be able to tell himself is only a paranoid habit.

Also, Almyra loves strength! Pretty sure if Claude walked back into Almyra with a 6′2 superhuman-strength Blaiddyd on his arm that Almyra would be, to say the least, impressed lol. Not only would Dimitri be on par with their strongest generals, but if he got the attention of royalty, regardless of their feelings on that royalty, I think they’d have to take notice. I have headcanons about how the Almyran children would love learning from Dimitri and eventually run around pretending to be as strong as him when he starts helping them train. 🥺 Most of the adults wouldn’t like Dimitri at first because he’s from Fodlan, and even more than that a royal form Fodlan, but I think they’d come around after seeing how much the kiddos respect him and how kind he is to them. Even if they were meh about him being with Claude, I think they would start to respect Dimitri as an individual and not only appreciate when he’s around, but enjoy having him there for competitions, because Dimitri also loves being competitive and training.

You also get the silly opposites aspect with their homelands! Claude would be freezing in Faerghus, especially Fhirdiad. You know he’d be stealing all the blankets and be a Claude burrito by morning. Dimitri would have to accommodate him with lots of warm clothes because poor Claude would be shivering in full armor! It gives lots of room for cuddles and snuggies tho!!! !!! !!! 6′2 warm man and lots of blankets means lots of warmth and comfy sleep zzzzz...

Then you have Dimitri in Almyra and he hates hot weather (specifically, hates, so he says in an advice box letter). Claude would have to tend to him to keep him cool, sure, but I think Dimitri would whine a lot about the heat and I think it’d be rly cute and I think Claude would also think so. He’d have to bring Dimitri to the sea to let him stay in the water for a while, and then struggle to get him out of the water.

Something else I like to consider is how Dimitri would probably love to learn Almyran since he’s bilingual as it is, and I feel like he’d love to learn their culture and whatnot as well. Like I said, he’s really big on people from different places mingling, and he’s been trying really hard to get Duscur to be seen as an intendent land again. In Hopes, he’s trying to fix relations with Sreng (which Claude even considers Sreng in VW when mentioning his dream in full toward the end of the game). Getting to learn about Almyra would be something I feel that Dimitri would love experiencing.

Personality wise Dimitri’s a lot more on the formal speaking side, but they can absolutely both joke and be little shits! I’d love to see them banter with each other because they both have it in them. In fact, I think it would lead to lots of laughs and silly times and I think after everything, they both really need that!

tap tap am i missing something am i missing anything from this fic-sized essay tap tap my cat was staring at me for at least 50% perfect of this. i mean, straight up just staring and watching me from my bed and i just think that’s something i should share

OH YEAH I also love the interracial aspect because it really drives home their desire about race and everyone getting along. 🥰

Also, I feel like Claude needs someone he can really, truly trust and Dimitri needs someone who can make him really start to care about and respect himself again.

#DimiClaude #i feel like seeing my final wordcount paragraphs etc is like the tense bgm on shows like am3rican 1d0l #(excuse the numbers in the words there I just want to avoid it getting into that search keyword lol)#when the viewers are waiting for a tense moment to resolve and you don't know what's gonna happen next kind of thing #that's gonna be the bgm playing for y'all when you click on the read more and then 51 paragraphs come rolling out #like opening one of those decorations where you open it and the bottom rolls out #and everyone's faces are S1m0n C0w3ll during a really bad performance when y'all see how long the post is #fr how many ppl are gonna actually read this whole thing without mostly skimming 😂#the first section for what's actually event canon in the game is bullet point listed #that i at least wanted to be neater looking bc my ocd would be like ewwww this is all over the place #final wordcount was over 4.5k btw-#DCE Ask

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indigowallbreaker · 1 year

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"not really paying attention, both doing something else, but still holding hands" from the handholding prompts for Byleth / Hanneman? (either gender or nb works!)

By reading this fic, you, the reader, agree to tell me if I spelled Hanneman’s name wrong at any point. I still mess up on his name, the poor guy XD

(Currently accepting rare ships! Click here for the info post!)

Hanneman had become so absorbed in the research notes Linhardt had sent that he nearly lost track of time. The clock above Garreg Mach rang out the quarter hour, and Hanneman at last looked around. Goodness, was it that late already? Gathering the papers, Hanneman stood from his desk and moved to the sofa against the right hand wall of his office. There he settled and continued reading.

At precisely ten minutes to noon, the door opened, and Byleth trudged in. Hanneman glanced up at him briefly before returning to the notes. “Good afternoon, love,” he greeted.

Byleth always looked a mess after training with the Knights of Seiros. This time was no exception-- his hair was matted with sweat, red marks up and down his arms were darkening into true bruises, and his clothes were covered with dirt from the training grounds.

Still panting from his work out, Byleth practically fell onto the couch beside Hanneman. He popped open his waterskin and began to drink deeply. Without looking, Byleth took Hanneman’s free hand between them-- the hand Hanneman had intentionally kept free for this exact reason.

A few short months after being given the title, Byleth had resigned as Archbishop of the Church of Seiros and passed the position to Mercedes, instead taking over as Captain of the Knights of Seiros. Hanneman and Byleth had developed a comfortable routine since then. Byleth liked coming to see Hanneman after training all morning, and so Hanneman always made sure to move from his desk in the early afternoon to a space where they could spend time side by side.

They settled now into peaceful quiet-- Hanneman reading and Byleth catching is breath and drinking.

Eventually, Byleth laced their fingers together. “Good afternoon,” he replied at last. He seemed more or less recovered.

Hanneman hummed. “How was today?”

“A few of the new recruits are having trouble with one of our basic formations.” Byleth put down his waterskin and ran a hand through his soaked hair. “I had to demonstrate... five times? Maybe six. I lost track.”

“No wonder you look especially worn. I suspect Shamir would not mind if you asked to push back your strategy meeting so you could rest.”

Byleth sighed. “That is tempting.” He rubbed his thumb over Hanneman’s. “What are you reading?”

Hanneman passed Byleth the first page of Linhardt’s research. “After observing King Dimitri during the war, Linhardt wondered if he perhaps had a major Crest instead of a minor one. He tested a blood sample and found it was, indeed, a minor Crest of Blaiddyd, but that begged the question-- what exactly is the disparity between major and minor Crests? Are some minor Crests more powerful than others?”

“Does Dimitri know Linhardt has a sample of his blood?” Byleth asked as he read.

“Never ask a fellow scholar how he gets his materials.” Hanneman was only half kidding. In truth he had hoped that, by not asking Linhardt such questions, Linhardt would not ask any in return.

Byleth gave an amused huff. “Well, it certainly must have piqued his interest if he was willing to work so closely with blood.”

“I concur.” Hanneman looked up at Byleth. “You don’t have to read the whole thing. I simply wanted to satisfy your curiosity.”

“You know I like keeping up with what interests you.” With his eyes still on the page, Byleth leaned against Hanneman. Their hands remained clasped between them. Smiling, Hannemen returned to his own page. He was all too happy to serve as a pillow.

The clock rang out again as Hanneman passed Byleth the second page and picked up the third for himself. “Do you mind me resting here for a while longer?” Byleth asked suddenly.

“I treasure any time spent with my favorite subject.” That earned Hanneman a mock glare. Chuckling, he added, “Shamir is sure to come looking for you when you don’t arrive at the appointed time.”

“She knows to check here first. Everyone does.”

Hanneman felt a swell of pride. “I suppose you’re right.” He turned his head to press a kiss to Byleth’s cheek. “Stay as long as you wish, my dear.”

Byleth smiled at that. They both turned their attentions back to Linhardt’s notes. As intriguing as the research was-- and as much as he knew to brace himself for Shamir’s impending interruption-- Hanneman found himself reveling at the weight of Byleth’s hand in his own, and thanking the many steps that had gotten them here.

#fire emblem three houses #Hanneman von Essar #byleth eisner #byeman #hanneleth #i strongly suspect it's the second one but the first is finniest to me #rare pair run #moeblob #i finished this before the pokemon doodles but was inspired to edit and post after the stream #your energy is inspiring my dear #hand prompts

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saviourkingslut · 7 months

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How about 10, 13, 14, and 20?

10. favorite support conversation? im very fond of sylvain's a-supports with both mercedes and dorothea! they both know he's putting up a facade and they know how to make him drop it and be earnest with himself and others. he has a low number of a-supports (fuck intsys forever for not giving him an a-support with dimitri) so these instances where you can see how complex of a character he is are everything to me. mercedes making him cry bc she likes him honest (read: being his fucked up self, not his persona), sylvain telling dorothea, who's afraid she'll lose her worth when her beauty fades, that he'll still love her when she's a grandma and meaning it, that's the kind of stuff i love about his a-supports.

13. what's one thing you'd change about fe3h? the argarthans. the way they were implemented in the story as is simply doesn't work. during white clouds it's all right as far as it goes - their presence is noticeable, they're involved in some of the major events such as byleth getting trapped in the void, but after timeskip the narrative pretty much loses all contact with them in all routes. like, they show up a few times, but the war efforts take up so much of the narrative (which is not a bad thing) that there isn't any room left to work the argarthans into it in any natural way - they just show up to drop a nuke and then suddenly you have to play their godawful map. especially on vw i found that it hurts the narrative bc they take up space that isn't there, and then the big climax (fight with nemesis) receives almost zero buildup and feels like an afterthought. in general you can question whether their presence was needed at all. the war against edelgard could've worked without them, if you ask me. azure moon barely pays attention to them and they're never missed. always feels to me as if they were put into the story as a plot device for white clouds but then no one really knew what to do with them after timeskip so they end up like the wrong piece jammed into a puzzle

14. most emotional moment? rodrigue's death and dimitri's subsequent recovery will always touch me but i think my absolute most emotional moment is when dimitri comes back to faerghus to take up the crown again and he asks 'am i fit to be king?'. chris hackney fucking kills it delivering the lines in that scene, it really makes you feel how much dimitri loathes himself and what he's done and how unworthy of his people's trust he thinks he is. it's a happy moment and at the same time there's something sad about it because it's such a moment of struggle for dimitri himself.

20. unpopular opinion? now, if you like byleth id suggest not reading this, bc while it is not a completely unpopular opinion there's a lot of people who disagree with me. id normally never say all this bc im not an asshole and a lot of people like this character, but you asked, so: i don't like byleth, i don't think they can be classified as a well-developed character (instead of an avatar to project hcs on) and i think the way the narrative makes all the characters like them instantly and makes byleth responsible for all their emotional growth is a detriment to the development of the other characters in the game and their interactions with each other. im just really not a fan of the way all the characters imprint on them, tell them all their deepest troubles and for the rest of the game no one can function like a normal human being unless byleth is there to help and advise them.

it annoys me in particular on azure moon bc byleth is presented as the one person dimitri can rely on and the one person who's responsible for the start of his recovery. i hate that so much it half kills the scene for me. there's all the blue lions right over there, several of which he's known since childhood, but it's the teacher he's known for a year and a half and who has almost no personality to speak of that's going to do the heavy lifting here? wasted opportunity to have the blue lions/faerghus four have their ultimate moment. not a huge fan of byleth being the emotional support crutch in the animated post timeskip scene in the monastery either, it all feels so forced and player-pleasing to me. here's the messiah who everyone likes and who happens to be your player character! it's terrible on silver snow too; the game needs byleth to be Important and In Charge so bad that it does this trick where seteth explains what's happening every chapter and lays out his plans, and then the game pretends they were byleth's plans all along and they're the saviour here, with seteth thanking them for plans and actions that he orchestrated?? bro we both know byleth has no idea what is going on and you're the chief.

#asks #byleth critical #these are just my opinions ofc like if you like byleth you like byleth you do you #im not here to start a discussion im just here to say what i personally think

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iturbide · 2 years

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Okay but imagine the funny ally-ship that has to happen cause of this agarthan au story. Byleth bringing Claude back to jeralt and their band. And jeralt all confused over his kid bringing this other kid in, and then suddenly byleth is asking them to go to the kingdom for work instead of adrestias where all the work actually seems to be accumulating. They need help to get Claude his position back and stuff but there is only a few people who will believe their claim, the church/Rhea (Claude probably doesn't believe that) lysethia (who is currently under the agarthan Claude's reach and view) and Edelgard (but would she even care when she benefits so much from the fake) Dimitri is another but the issue there is proving real Claude is real. And Claude definitely isn't helping with being so tight lipped cause he doesn't know if he can trust byleth and byleth really needs to find a way to get him to the right people who can help them.

Like if they do get to Rhea you then have this whole debacle of jeralt confused on how his kid knew about her. Rhea being either suspicious or very much looking to byleth as Sothis cause how else would this child know things. And then the possibility of Dimitri and the lion getting conflicting reports of fake Claude back at Leicester with real Claude just standing near by probably grumbling about some of the bad tactical takes happening on every side and Rhea claiming that the Claude they knew was like Tomas/solan and that the Claude their seeing here who is both similar and different to the one they know is the real one. And I'm sure this is just a headache for both Sothis and byleth as well as Claude.

welcome to the ask that set my brain on fire there is so much good stuff here okay and the intrigue I covered part of this in the last bit (reuniting with Jeralt, getting started for the Kingdom) but just hot damn this is all so good and I'm really happy with this now so thank you anon here's the cookie you gave me the ingredients to bake

=====

It took longer than Byleth had expected to reach Fhirdiad. But then, they had never seen this side of the Kingdom in their previous attempts. While Edelgard’s focus remained on the Leicester border, it had not stopped Imperial forces from harrying the southern reaches of Faerghus; the band spent weeks bouncing between odd jobs on their way north, frequently aiding villages beset by Adrestian soldiers hunting for supplies away from the Kingdom army’s defensive line, and making what felt like very little progress toward their final goal.

Their father had seemed so proud when he realized their advice to make for Faerghus was paying off so well. That, at least, soothed some of their frustration at the delays.

Not much. But some.

Once they reached Arianrhod and made it known they were mercenaries looking for work, they had no trouble proceeding further unhindered. It did give Byleth pause to see Miklan leading the troops at the fortress city, though. They recalled the battle at Conand Tower in that other lifetime, the black beast Sylvain’s brother had become…but clearly he had never lain hands on the Lance of Ruin in this life. Still, they imagined that Dimitri must be desperate if he would allow such a rogue to lead his men.

Proceeding north toward Tailtean, the frantic requests grew more scarce, and most often entailed defending homesteads from roving beasts (Demonic or otherwise). It was still more than enough to pay their way along -- and the extra helped to keep them suitably clothed against the ever increasing chill of Faerghus’ northern reaches. Byleth remembered it well from other jobs their father had done in the past, and did their best to equip Khalid for it; they knew he had never endured this kind of cold, though he said nothing here to give that away.

He remained quiet, not aloof but distant, throughout the journey. He was friendly enough with the other mercenaries, though he never spoke of himself even when asked, deflecting personal questions so casually toward other topics that few even realized they’d been distracted. And in spite of his handicap, he settled almost effortlessly into the mercenary work during their travels, rather than sit back and allow Byleth to escort him as they’d intended. They had nearly forgotten he was an adept horseman, since they remembered him most clearly astride his white wyvern, but he’d taken well to the mare their father offered, which eased their mind as much as the travel when walking still proved difficult. His mounted archery proved as formidable from horseback as it had been from the skies in their other life; it almost seemed a shame he’d never tried his hand as a bow knight before now.

Past the plains, they at last reached the walls of Fhirdiad, cold grey stone amid the icy white and blue of the landscape. Beyond that the castle reached toward an overcast sky, looming dark against the pale snow clouds as they made their approach. Their father announced himself to the guards at the foot of the stairs, and they all settled in to wait while a man rushed off to pass the news along.

Khalid joined them, blowing into his gloved hands to warm them. [Think the king will listen?]

[I hope so,] Byleth signed back, keeping a close eye on the heavy doors leading into the palace. In that other life, Dimitri had been a man possessed by his need for vengeance, and had died in his blind pursuit of Edelgard’s head. At least this life seemed to be treating him more kindly.

[Got a backup plan if this doesn't work?]

It had to work. They had come this far, and achieved this much -- to fail now would be more than they could bear.

[I'll take that as a no,] he signed as the gate groaned open to admit them. Most of the mercenaries hung back at the base of the stairs; Byleth ignored the guards' clear impatience to shut out the cold, keeping pace instead with Khalid as he made his way up the steps with his now well-padded walking stick. Their father outpaced them easily, but waited at the top of the stairs for them to arrive, and all three of them entered the castle together, listening to the great doors close behind them.

The only natural light in the foyer came from slit windows mounted high within the walls above the gate: torches provided the rest, and the smell of burning pine tar filled both the entry and the hallway beyond, leading to another grandly carved set of doors that opened as they approached. That room, undoubtedly, housed the seat of the king -- and as expected, Dimitri awaited them before the Faerghus throne, looking torn between worry and relief.

“Good day, Your Majesty,” their father said, bowing before him. Byleth and Khalid both followed suit, though they could see that the king had no attention to spare for anyone else.

“Good day to you,” he replied. “You say you are mercenaries, looking for work?”

“We are,” their father agreed. “We have come to offer our swords to your cause, Your Majesty -- and to seek a favor.”

That gave Dimitri pause. “A favor?”

They stepped forward, and Jeralt moved aside to present them both. “This is Byleth and Khalid,” he said as they bowed; the king of Faerghus offered a polite, if somewhat confused, nod of acknowledgement. “They wish to ask for your aid.”

“Speak, then,” Dimitri said.

“Much appreciated, Your Majesty,” Khalid replied.

The Blaiddyd relic was in the king's hand before he could finish speaking; Byleth’s sword was in theirs before Dimitri could bring his spear to bear, placing themselves between the two men. “What is the meaning of this!?”

“It’s not what you think,” their father tried to interject.

The king would hear none of it. “I would recognize that man’s voice across a battlefield, let alone in the confines of my own home -- you would dare bring the man who threatens Faerghus’ peace and sovereignty before me in anything but irons and expect me to simply wait for him to strike me down!?”

“That’s right, he went to Garreg Mach,” Khalid muttered. And then, raising his voice as he limped out from behind Byleth to stand at their side, “I understand the sentiment, Your Majesty, but I’m not a threat. No weapons, see?” He gamely turned to show his missing quiver, absent bow, and the empty belt on his hip -- but they knew the display was just as much intended to draw attention to his lingering handicap (and they saw Dimitri’s eye follow that labored progress, his frown deepening as he tried to decide whether or not it was an act).

The king did not set his weapon aside. But he did lower it, his hand tight on the relic’s black metal shaft. “Speak, then,” he growled.

“Much appreciated -- again,” Khalid said lightly. “Judging by the reception, you've already met someone that looks like me, who's now causing problems for you. Two years ago, on my way to Garreg Mach Officer's Academy, my convoy was ambushed, and I was kidnapped by a group of people I'd never seen before, who have the ability to change their appearance and take on the exact likeness of another person. I know it sounds crazy," he admitted, trying to forefend disbelief (though Byleth saw Dimitri pale rather than sneer), "but I watched a complete stranger transform into a copy of me so exact I'd have thought I was looking in a mirror."

"What did they want?" the king asked, his tone grave in its quiet.

Byleth could see how tightly he gripped his walking stick, trying to hide the tremors that no one else had noticed. "Information. Mostly about me. Some things about the Alliance, other nobles, and so on. Part of it was so they could keep up with the act that the fake was me; the other part, I'm guessing, was to find ways to gain power over the Great Nobles heading up the Leicester round table. If you’ve been having problems with the Alliance--”

Dimitri’s voice cut through his speech. “The Alliance is no more.”

Khalid’s head came up in surprise, his attention darting between Byleth and the king. “What happened?”

Dimitri considered him for a moment, standing his lance upright at his side. “It was dissolved and reformed into the Federation of Leicester -- with Claude von Riegan as its first king.”

Byleth recognized the perfect stillness that overcame Khalid’s expression. “You said it would get worse,” he breathed. “You said it would get worse, but I didn’t even consider that--”

“Is that all you have to say?” the king prompted.

“No, Your Majesty,” Khalid replied smoothly, as though he had never faltered. “My apologies, that…caught me by surprise.”

“It took all of us unawares,” Dimitri agreed, his tone almost gentle.

A thin smile curved across Khalid’s face. “I can imagine. The fact remains, though: Alliance or Federation, the man in charge of Leicester is giving you problems. I’d like to help.”

“Why?” the king asked.

“Because he took my face and my name and is using them to destroy Fódlan.”

Dimitri’s expression hardened. “You claim the man threatening our western border is an imposter -- that you were abducted and replaced by someone sharing your likeness -- but what proof do you have?”

“None,” Khalid shrugged.

“Then how can you expect--”

“--anyone to believe me, I know,” he finished. “But you’d never met me before today. Like I said, I was abducted on my way to the monastery: it was the imposter you knew during your time there, so I can’t tell you some fact about the real Claude von Riegan because you wouldn’t know it, either. And I only met you for the first time today, too, so I can't tell you some private bit of information only the real Claude von Riegan would know because there's no shared history. Makes it frustratingly hard to prove anything."

"Then what precisely is your plan?" the king demanded.

Khalid spread his hands, keeping his walking stick tucked securely under his arm. "Like I said: I want to help you get rid of him. I can give you tactics to deal with whatever he tries to throw at you in the field. My mobility's shot, but my aim's fine: I can man a ballista from your back line -- or I can take a horse to compensate, and fight closer to the front as a bow knight, your choice. Pick one. Or all three, if you want, I can juggle."

Dimitri frowned, his hand tightening once more on the Blaiddyd relic. "You expect us to trust you?"

"No," Khalid said (and something about the easy way he said it made something in Byleth's chest ache). "I expect you to check every plan I give you, if you ask for tactics. I expect you to have another archer watching my aim on a ballista and another knight doing the same on the front. You've got as much reason to trust me as I do you, which is basically none -- but we have a common enemy here, and you know what they say about the enemy of my enemy."

“...wherein lies the favor, then?” Dimitri asked.

“I need your help getting rid of him. Once he’s taken care of, I just want to go home."

The king opened his mouth…and closed it again, his expression troubled. "He is keeping you from it?"

Khalid made a vague gesture with his free hand. "With him heading up the…Federation…it's not safe for me to set foot in Leicester territory. If I’m not killed outright, I'd probably end up back in that prison, and I'd like to avoid that at all costs. For obvious reasons," he finished, gesturing vaguely toward his bad leg. “He has an army at his command: there’s no way I can take him on alone, and even if Jeralt here and his mercenaries were a match for them, I don’t have the coin to pay for that service. I need support from someone that stands a chance…”

“And now that Leicester has thrown its lot in with Adrestia, you elected to petition Faerghus and the Church of Seiros for aid in reclaiming your homeland,” Dimitri finished.

“Something like that,” Khalid nodded.

The king of Faerghus finally set his relic aside. “I can make no promises to you at present; however, I will discuss the matter with the Archbishop when she returns, and inform you once we have come to a decision.”

“Where is Lady Rhea now?” their father asked, a subtle edge to his voice despite his apparent calm.

“Leading a service for the Knights of Seiros who fell in the last battle at Aillel,” Dimitri said. “They lost a great many able soldiers and one of their most prominent warriors when the Federation army arrived to reinforce Adrestia’s troops.”

“If your western border is coming under attack, would you be willing to work out terms for our assistance in the meantime?" their father suggested.

The king nodded, gesturing for him to approach. Their father looked to them as they prepared to leave with Khalid -- and they saw him sign, subtly, [We'll talk later.]

About a great many things, Byleth imagined.

The doors closed behind them once they crossed the threshold, and Khalid offered a practiced smile devoid of any true relief. [I think that went well.]

Byleth nodded, keeping easy pace at his side while they moved back toward the castle entry. Watching his progress, they told themselves again that this was not the same friend they had known in that other life -- that he had not yet begun reaching for his goals in earnest, and his trust was still hard-earned…

But that did not make his false smile any easier to bear.

#aswered #anonymous #snippets #fanfiction #golden attempt #claude got bodyswapped by an agarthan #and byleth is pissed about it #fire emblem warriors: three hopes #fewth spoilers #sort of #claude is just so brutally frank about the lack of trust #he sees it he gets it he feels it too #and he's not about to sit back and wait #ed up owing a debt if all goes well #or doomed all over again if it doesn't #when he throws his lot in with the kingdom #he fully intends to be involved in the conflict directly #doesn't matter where #but it's going to be somewhere #because he can still only trust himself to get things done #he might have to rely on dimitri and rhea and byleth #but that doesn't mean he trusts them #also please imagine the conversation between rhea and dimitri #and how both of them are trying to figure out #which of these two -- khalid or claude -- is the real one #because if khalid's the fake #they're letting an agarthan into the fold #dimitri's definitely putting at least one guard on khalid at all times

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nowis-scales · 1 year

Text

We're on our way to finding out what the Colour of Sunrise is...

Can tell you I'm having trouble titling these well? Lol

(Emblems:

❋ = It is entirely neutral

✾ = It’s a bit negative, but it’s told in a joking way

✿ = It is negative and critical)

❃ The burning of Fhirdiad just makes me think of that one African proverb: “The child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.”

That’s how I interpret what’s happening with Rhea here. This kind of behaviour does not show up until now, you’ll notice, when she’s backed into a corner. The fact that EdeIgard uses this as another point to point fingers is manipulative as fuck, knowing that she’s driven someone else to their limit, but I kind of like that about her. When they dare to use it, her ruthlessness is kind of awesome. ❃

❋ Oh believe me, Bernadetta, I know.

Actually, now that I think about it, no I don’t. I recruited you for my GD playthrough so I never watched you burn. But I have no plans to do so for AM, so um… sorry. We will someday acknowledge your flammability. Today is not that day. ❋

❋ I don’t know Cyril that well bc I plan to connect more with him in my SS playthrough, but I think he deserves better from this fanbase. He’s often just reduced to prove the badness of Rhea (incredibly debatable imo) and the badness of Hilda (haven’t seen the support but I don’t think it’s debatable — Hilda has some serious self-reflection to do). ❋

❃ I really do wish there was something more that could be done to help Rhea. Like there is just so much of this shit that she did not ask for, and all of the “solutions” people have pitched have some pitfall or caveat for her. She was never going to be able to win. ❃

✾ Girl she’s having a breakdown, stop trying to make this about you, it's not your moment ✾

✿ I think I will always believe that the message of this story is not about “humanity sticking together”, but the way that power and greed corrupts us to abuse each other and those who seek to help us. Cause I don’t feel like we stuck together in this route. The three countries have a tattered relationship, with one being completely in control. Commoners have been trampled to serve the desires of the nobility, but have been trampled in their own name. There has been an incredible failure to try and understand those who are different from one another, and instead a demonization. EdeIgard doesn’t even seem to trust anyone but Byleth. Hubert and Dorothea are some of her two closest friends, and they don’t even seem to matter.

I cannot buy this route as “humanity reaching out to each other” because we’re not. We’re not making the effort to understand each other. We’re saying “this is our way, become a part of it or die”. I can’t blame Rhea for being upset with us. EdeIgard is angry that Rhea has no regard for human life, but how much time does she spend actually, genuinely regarding others? She won’t connect to her friends, her fellow governmental officials, her classmates, anyone. When I look at EdeIgard and Rhea, I do see two very broken people, but to me, EdeIgard seems more broken. Because she can’t fathom that there is any other way to do things than she is doing them right now. She’s that in need of control that everything she’s doing has to be right, and that speaks to what she’s been through for sure, but also speaks to the kind of damage she is capable of doing. ✿

❋ But you did.

You’re Wilhelm’s descendant, Edie. Someone that Rhea cared about deeply. She trusted him and his bloodline to carry on, to protect the interests of everyone in Fódlan, including the remaining Nabateans. Your family has information that no one else had. She admitted you into her school with confidence that you would bring about a future of further peace.

And instead, you turned around and told her that she and her dragon family had to go, just like the humans before you did.

You may not even have meant to betray her, but you destroyed a trust and respect she placed in you long before you even met. And sure, maybe that is her mistake, but you should understand that better than anyone, right?❋

#koto plays 3h #fodlan fault finding #shut up about del

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a-pale-azure-moon · 2 years

Text

Midnight Plays Azure Gleam: Chapter 6

Oh boy. A lot of stuff happened in this chapter and some of it left a very bad taste in my mouth. Of all the characters the writers could've assassinated, I can't believe it was this one.

The ending of the last chapter heavily implied that Arianrhod was going to be our next stop, but the opening narration for this chapter says that Count Rowe surrendered to Faerghus (in fairness, he did indicate he would do this in last chapter's interlude cutscene, but it's still a bit sloppy to write it this way). So the Empire's forces have retreated to former Arundel territory to regroup, and the Kingdom is going to make an offensive strike before they can attack again.

A soldier interrupts the meeting to say that the convoy transporting Count Rowe to Fhirdiad was attacked. Count Rowe has now gone missing. Dimitri speculates that Cornelia could be behind it, and at Dedue's suggestion, sends a separate unit to investigate the attack further.

Camp (Arianrhod)

Mercedes feels conflicted about recruiting former friends, since we're basically forcing them to turn traitor or die. Yup, exactly.

Relatedly, Dorothea says she doesn't really want to fight for Faerghus. Or at all, since she was only in the Empire's army for "Edie."

Miklan's here in camp, which is very weird to see. He's certainly a friendly individual. /s

An NPC soldier says she has orders to execute Miklan if he does anything suspect. So yeah, he wasn't lying about being watched.

Ingrid says when they were kids, Sylvain would sometimes show up with bruises or other injuries, and he'd say it was a "training accident" or something. But Ingrid says she knew what was really going on, and she wonders if Miklan is capable of redeeming himself.

Sylvain himself admits Miklan's put him through a lot, but he thinks his brother can be useful. He also says that if even someone like Miklan can redeem himself, he'll serve as a necessary symbol for Faerghus, both as a former bandit and as someone without a Crest.

Felix is still hissing like a cat over the Miklan situation. He mostly sounds mad about Dimitri not telling him his plans.

An NPC Knight of Seiros mentions Count Rowe's adopted son, who caused trouble at the Officer's Academy and was cut off/disowned. So can I expect to be seeing Yuri soon? (Please yes)

Seteth laments that Jeralt's working for the Empire. Hmm...

Ashe talks about Lonato. And still needs a hug.

Battle

Dimitri's intel confirms Byleth is working for the Empire (sob), and he wants Shez to handle them, given their history. Shez appreciates the gesture but says that a rivalry isn't worth losing a war over. Dimitri asks if Shez wants revenge for their fallen companions, and Shez says seeking vengeance for every fallen comrade would consume their life.

And....Dimitri.exe has stopped working. Our king needs a reboot. Perhaps even a full kernel re-installation.

Dimitri then suggests hiring Jeralt's mercenaries, if they can make a more appealing offer than the Empire. YES YES absolutely you should hire Byleth and then you can fall in love in this timeline too!

Arval thinks Dimitri has funny ideas. (Shut up Arval)

The mission objective is to defeat Byleth and the Death Knight. This is going to be fun. /s There's also a recruitment option for Bernadetta, which I guess I'm obliged to do for completion's sake.

(No offense to Bernadetta fans, but I personally don't like her.)

Byleth and the Death Knight appear after defeating the vanguard. Meanwhile, Bernadetta screams and locks herself in the center of the map, because that's what competent army commanders do. [Eyeroll]

Thankfully, there are some steps to make it easier to take on the Death Knight and Byleth, because attacking either of them immediately is a very bad idea (I found this out the hard way; my Leeroy Jenkins moment resulted in a game over). Unfortunately, these steps take awhile and are tricky to do because the map is big and there's only a few open paths to the areas you need to seize.

Byleth wants a rematch, almost sounding eager.

Once the outer strongholds are seized, you have to claim the inner ones. The Death Knight is lurking around the path to the inner strongholds, and catapults start firing at you too, making things even more chaotic and dangerous!

Now we can reach Bernadetta and "persuade" her, and in doing so, gain control of the center-most area. The next step is to lure the Death Knight to this area and trap him there and fire our captured catapults at him.

...Except Jeralt, Alois and a few randos appear to take out the green units guarding the Death Knight. Argh, of course. Luckily, my units were spread fairly well across the map and I was able to take out Jeralt's forces without too much trouble.

(Why is Alois here?)

But the Death Knight gets to break free anyway for "reasons." Seriously, what was the point of all of that beyond padding out the length of this mission? The Death Knight barely lost any health.

And just as I've got his health lowered, some enemy Priests show up and I'm unable to kill them before they can heal the Death Knight. I hate everything right now.

Finally, he's defeated and retreats. Time to deal with Byleth. Jeralt sends in some brigands for more backup, because this battle hasn't lasted long enough already.

Byleth hits so damn hard! All of my units are at low health, and even with ganging everyone up on her, this fight takes awhile.

Victory at last! And we go to a cutscene and...

Very cool shot of Divine Pulse activating, and a suddenly green-haired Byleth then delivering a megaton punch to Shez.

What. The. Hell.

Sothis is possessing Byleth?! What is going on?!

It's admittedly cool seeing Byleth's time powers activating from this angle. Shez stands no chance. Arval tells Shez to escape, and Byleth apparently takes back control of their body.

What is going on??

(This scene must be unintentionally hilarious with male Byleth. Just trying to imagine Sothis' voice coming out of his mouth is making me laugh.)

But I repeat: WHAT IS GOING ON?!?!

Shez wonders what they're really up against. Arval doesn't sound deterred. Shez mentions that they might be allies with Byleth before long, if Dimitri gets them to come work for the Kingdom. Arval sounds incredulous at the idea of allying with that "fiend," and basically calls Shez a coward while saying some vaguely sinister things. Jerk.

I got an A rank, surprisingly not due to going over time, even with that screw up with the priests. It was because I "only" got 1419 kills, when I needed 1500 for S-Rank. Grr. Dimitri got MVP honors again.

Post-Battle

Byleth called Sothis by name in the last scene, yet Sothis introduces herself here. Have Byleth and Sothis spoken prior to now or not? Which is it, writers?

HOLY CRAP THEY BROKE SOTHIS! HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO OUR GREMLIN GODDESS?!

Seriously, she sounds almost cruel here. Sothis was definitely sassy and snarky in 3H, but she was never outright hostile to Byleth. At worst, she sounded like an angry mom when Byleth screwed up, but she never, ever referred to Byleth as her "vessel," nor threatened to take over Byleth's body. Sothis literally gave up her limited existence to give Byleth her power to save their life!

Byleth is understandably very confused and Sothis gives them no answers.

(I'm guessing from the context of this conversation, Sothis doesn't have complete amnesia, unlike in 3H. I am not opposed to Sothis having a vengeful side, given that Arval is definitely connected to the Argathans, but it needs to be contextualized much better than this garbage. And it needs to be done in a way that doesn't completely destroy Sothis' character! I'm am just stunned at how bad this whole scenario is. Absolutely stunned.)

Jeralt interrupts the scene, as Byleth "wakes up." He seems strangely chill with Byleth's hair and eyes changing color.

I want to hug Byleth so bad right now. Even with the "Ashen Demon" stoicism, you can tell they're troubled. With good reason!

Alois says he won't pull punches even against the Knights of Seiros. God. I'm more angry about what they've done to Sothis, but I am still unhappy with how they've reduced Alois to a Jeralt fanboy. I'm sure his wife and daughter were happy he gave up a steady job with the church to go wander they world as a mercenary. /s

Jeralt makes a vague allusion to Rhea. Just talk to your kid about your past already, damn you! Argh.

Back to the Lions, which is a relief except that Dimitri's leaving us to go back to Fhirdiad. Soldiers from Sreng have crossed into Gautier territory and are heading to the capital, and Duke Ifan's been captured. They also haven't been able to contact Matthias to confirm these reports.

Sylvain doubts his father could've gone down easily, but still knows something must be up since they haven't been able to reach him. Rodrigue notes that the situation is serious if they can't contact either Duke Ifan or Matthias, so Dimitri doesn't have much choice but to go.

(In light of the news about Count Rowe from the start of the chapter, this definitely smells fishy. A trap, perhaps?)

Shez (and Flayn) wants to tag along, but the bulk of our forces need to remain in Arianrhod. Dedue and Rodrigue will be leaving with Dimitri though, and Felix is given command of the army. He sounds very unenthused about this new responsibility.

And that's the end of the chapter. Honestly, the battle was more annoying than fun with all the running around, and the stuff with Sothis just put a huge damper on the enthusiasm I was starting to feel about the story. What a disappointment.

#few3h #fe3hopes #blue lions #azure gleam #midnight plays azure gleam

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fe-fictions · 2 years

Text

Felix x Byleth Commission

(When your husband wants to call you by a pet name, but he’s too heckin’ shy to do it!)

It was a pattern that Felix had noticed, but it did take him quite a while. Sometimes he would be walking past Sylvain, who would be raining compliments and pet names down on his loved one.

Then he would hear Ashe’s shy “my love’s” and “darling’s”, followed by Ingrid’s forceful “sweetheart” here and there….though it sounded more sarcastic than anything else.

What really did it for him, though, wasn’t hearing the Boar’s frightening use of the term “My Beloved”, nor Annette’s constant showering of sweet names for her favorite person, but hearing Dedue say…actually, really say…”Honey”.

It was then that Felix realized a terrible truth. He did not have a single pet name for his own wife.

Of course, the only person he would dare reveal this information to was someone kind enough not to tease him for it…too much.

“You don’t have any pet names for the Archcbishop?” Mercedes, who was cleaning the empty infirmary, stared at him.

Felix couldn’t bear to look back- he knew full well she was amused with his admission.

“No. I’ve never really thought about it. I mean…even when we were courting, we didn’t call each other pet names! She’s always just been Byleth, you know? At least, after she stopped being the professor.”

“So the closest you’ve gotten to giving her a loving name was her title as an educator?” Mercedes’ hand covered her mouth, hiding her tittering. “Oh, Felix!”

“Come on, I told you that because I thought I could trust you! Don’t go and make fun of me now!”

“I’m not making fun, I promise!” She giggled, “I just…didn’t realize this was something you were worried about.”

“I wasn’t! At least, not before!” He argued, crossing his arms.

“Why the sudden change, then?”

“I just…well, everyone else seems to call their partners by some sort of stupid nickname, but I don’t. B-but that’s not a big deal, right? It’s not like you have to have some sort of pet name to prove you love somebody!”

“Well, no, I suppose not. It’s really just another way to show that you care about someone, and that you let your guard down around them enough to do something cute and affectionate like that!”

“I let my guard down around her- I-I married her!” He protested, “A-and we hold hands and hug and…and do a lot of other embarrassing stuff! Do I have to add pet names to that list, too?!”

“You don’t have to, Felix. It’s just another way to show Byleth that you love her. But it sounds like she already knows well enough. Besides, it’s not like you don’t ever tell her how you feel, right?”

“I do.” He huffed, his confession backed up by the fact that the blush reddening his cheeks was darker than ever.

Mercedes smiled gently at him, patting his shoulder. “Then you should not trouble yourself with this. You’re doing a fine job as is.”

“You’re sure Byleth will be okay with it?”

“You could always ask her yourself, you know.” She hummed, “It’s good to communicate about these things every now and then.”

“Hmph.” He leaned against the wall, rubbing his temples as he considered her words. It was true, it wasn’t a necessary thing to show how much he loved you.

And he did try and tell you that he loved you, though more often than not he did that through sword fights and late night trysts. Perhaps he ought to express it more directly, with his words.

“Are you ready for lunch, dearest?”

Felix jolted when he heard a voice at the door, finding Mercedes greeting her husband with a grin.

“Of course, darling. I was just finishing up a chat with Felix. I’ve been waiting for you to come.”

He wasn’t sure if she could feel his sharp glare on her back, but if looks could kill.

Even Mercedes and her husband could let such titles slip from their tongues with ease! Was he the only one afflicted by this ailment of the heart?

That’s what he presumed, at least, until he remembered his wife. You didn’t call him pet names, either. If you did, then he would definitely have followed suit and done the same. This wasn’t a problem with him, it was a mutual respect for each other, naturally!

If you really wanted him to call you by a pet name, then he would! But since you did not want such a silly thing to happen, then clearly there wasn’t any need for it at all.

That’s what he told himself, at least.

It would only be a matter of time before it was put to the test.

-------------------------

“Byleth, you’re going to be late to bed again, if you don’t stop now.”

“It’s not that late.”

Felix stepped into your office with a mildly annoyed glare, finding you buried beneath piles of documents as usual.

You held your finger up, crossing your “sword” with his as he rounded the desk to meet you.

“Every night I come in here and say that, and every night you reply with the same thing. When are you going to learn to stop at a healthy hour?”

“Whenever you stop having faith that I’ll stop myself. I’m waiting on you to come get me, you know.”

“If I knew that, I’d have come here a lot sooner.” He scoffed, plucking the quill from your fingers. “Enough dawdling- let’s clean this up and get you to bed.”

You gave him a soft smile, which he was sweet enough to reciprocate (he did love it when you smiled, after all).

“Thank you, Felix.”

“No problem.”

A simple transaction of words; no fluttery, fluffy little bits that would leave room for pet names or drawing attention to the lack thereof.

Instead, he moved from shelf to file in the room, taking the documents you gave him and put them where instructed.

Everything was peaceful and still, sleep just moments from taking you both.

“All right, that should be the last of them… oh, wait. Could you take this one for me? It just needs to go in the cabinet, over there.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, love.”

Felix froze.

His mouth dropped, clutching th epapers tight in his hand.

“...What…what did you say?”

“Hmm?” You didn’t look up from your work, as though you did not realize the words you just spoke. “I thanked you for your help. Do I need to say it again?”

He shook his head, quickly turning before you could see how white his face had become, drained of all color.

A million thoughts whirled in his mind, struggling to maintain appearances while the panic filled him.

Had you always called him that? Was that the first time, or did he just never notice? Had he ever called you “love” before? Surely he had, hadn’t he? If you said it to him, it had to be in his vocabulary, too!

But no.

No.

That would be too good to be true. Of course he’d never said it to you. Otherwise it wouldn’t have rocked his entire world to hear you say it.

Numbly he put the papers where he was instructed to do so, and then took his leave.

You were polite enough not to say anything. It was pretty clear he was bothered about something, though. Knowing Felix, he’d take his time coming around to telling you what it was precisely.

When you made it to bed, Felix was already under the blankets. It looked like he wasn’t going to be particularly interested in discussing anything tonight.

You relented and allowed it, instead coming to bed just behind him. You wrapped your arms around his back.

His breathing was slow, suggesting sleep, but you could feel he was still tense. He was trying to sleep and failing miserably.

“...Is there something you want to talk about?” Your voice breaks the still darkness in a gentle, patient manner.

His hand tightens over yours, but he shakes his head.

“Nothing. It’s…I’m fine.” He replied quietly, kissing your fingertips. “Thank you.”

You nuzzle into him, “You know if you aren’t fine, for any reason, you can always tell me.”

“I know.” Felix turned over in bed, pulling you into his arms so you could cuddle properly. You smiled into his chest, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat.

It was notably a little quicker than usual.

It seemed he was a lot more stressed than he wanted to admit, you thought with a frown.

“Hey…Byleth?”

“Yes?”

“...I love you.”

“Oh…” You blushed, burying your face in his chest. “I love you too, Felix.”

“Hm. I know.” You could hear the victorious smile in his voice. “Good night.”

You both dreamed sweetly, that night. Felix seemed to forget his worries, if only for a moment. Such was the effect his wife could have on him, after all.

If only it could last forever.

-------------------------

Unfortunately, Felix’s strange behavior only seemed to grow more and more cryptic the longer time went by.

He became particularly distant, unwilling to really engage in long conversations outside of what seemed to be casual small talk or something to do with work.

Any time you would thank him or ask him for something, he would suddenly get very tense or awkward, as if he were bracing for some sort of insult or uncomfortable reply.

Sometimes he would relax, but depending on what you said, it seemed to make him more tense than before.

What was more perplexing was that your husband would sometimes say something very sweet to you, or try to start a conversation of some sort.

But before he would finish what he was trying to tell you, he would taper off and then dismiss himself quickly, or would just stall and deny having anything more to say if you tried to prompt him to finish.

It was so very bizarre.

You wanted to get to the bottom of it, but every time you tried to take him aside and ask about it, he just wouldn’t give you anything to work with.

Therefore, it was time for an investigation.

By investigation, of course, the reality meant asking Annette what was going on.

“You two are so close,” She giggled behind her tea cup at your observation, “Surely there’s something he’s not telling me that he’s shared with you.”

“I’m afraid that’s not so, Professor. Who could be closer to Felix than his wife? I mean, Sylvain is a close second, but I really don’t think I can hold a candle to you!”

“I guess you have a point, but…Sylvain just dismisses my questions as Felix being his usual awkward self, and Ashe, Deduce…a lot of the other Lions haven’t noticed anything odd.”

“I can’t say I haven’t noticed a change in Felix, but I’m not surprised the others don’t have a clue. But I will say, he is a bit more…stiff.”

“Right? I knew I wasn’t the only one who noticed!”

“He seems hesitant when he talks, too. Every now and thenI see him whispering something to Mercedes, or going to the infirmary for some sort of talk with her. Just the other day I saw him leaving, storming out with a blush on his face!”

“Hmm…” You tapped your chin, brow furrowed in thought. “What could he be asking her about in there, I wonder? Something that would make him blush?”

“Well…I didn’t want to speculate too much, but…when I asked Mercedes what Felix was up to, she just said he was asking for some sort of romantic advice.”

“Why would he be asking a medical cleric for something like that?”

“I mean, she is a doctor…and she is also a woman…so she would probably know a whole lot about, uh…that sort of thing, you know?”

“That sort of-” You paused. Annette’s face was bright pink, but you managed a poker face despite your crumbling insides. “Y-you really think he’d ask about that sort of thing? With Mercedes?”

“He trusts her! And she’s very smart, and cares about both of you! I’m sure she thought of it as some sort of duty to the Archbishop! You know, a happy Archbishop means a happy Fod-”

“We can stop there.” You managed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Okay, then I guess that’s the most plausible theory we have. But it still doesn’t make sense, I mean….I am happy. Felix makes me very happy. I don’t think he’d need to ask for that sort of advice like that.”

“Well, maybe it’s worth asking him.”

“He shoots me down before I even have a chance to pick up on anything.”

“Then Mercedes is the place to go!” Annette decided, “I know she’s going to be taking a break in about fifteen minutes, if she’s on her usual schedule. Why not go and ask her what’s going on?”

It was an excellent idea, and considering it was also your only lead, that was your next destination. Mercedes greeted you as warmly as ever, but when you explained to her what was going on, she seemed the opposite of worried.

As a matter of fact, she ended up giggling as though you had said something quite funny.

“I can’t believe it! He still hasn’t figured out how to say it to you.” She grinned, placing her hand atop yours when the confusion and worry doubled on your face.

“What is he trying to say?”

“Recently, Felix noticed that all of his friends and comrades seem capable of giving each other pet names and cute little nicknames whenever they speak with their partners.”

“...Uh huh.”

“But for whatever reason, he’s never been able to do that with you! And he told me just a few days ago, that he thought it was fine because the two of you never called each other affectionate little names. But all of a sudden, you had called him ‘love’!”

Your brow furrowed; when had that happened? A few days ago? And that was something that Felix, the grumpiest, most stoic Blue Lion you’d ever met, was worried about?

“Regardless, it made him feel even more alienated than before, and he was so worried that he had not been showing you how much he loved you, especially compared to everyone else. So he decided, just all of a sudden, that he just had to call you pet names too!”

“But I don’t need him to…especially if it’s so hard for him…” You trailed off, absolutely flummoxed. You didn’t realize this was something that weighed so heavily on him.

“Still, he and I have been practicing the last couple days, just trying to find a cute pet name that he could call you that wouldn’t leave him so embarrassed he can’t speak. And I thought we settled on one.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise before he has a chance to say it to you, first! You ought to go ask him about it. I’m sure it’ll be easier to pull that sort of thing out of him if he realizes you’ve noticed a change about him.”

It was certainly a fair point. But really, you were just a swirl of emotions and thoughts. To think that your Felix would be so overwhelmed by those kinds of thoughts, it made you realize just how much he cared about you.

To think he could be so very concerned about something like that, just for you.

-------------------------

That night would be the night you confronted him.

You waited in the bedroom that evening, awake long after the moon hit its peak in the sky. No doubt Felix was trying to train his nerves away in an attempt to appear normal to you.

When the door quietly opened, you were ready and waiting.

Felix wiped at his face with a towel, setting the sword quietly down in its scabbard by the doorway.

He looked over to the bed; confusion flashed across him when he didn’t find you in bed. At least it didn’t turn into worry, because he spotted you sitting in the arm chair by the window.

“Byleth?”

“Welcome back, Felix.” You smiled softly, standing from your seat. “I was waiting for you to finish up.”

“I’m all done, now.” He nodded to you, undoing his belts and fastenings while he walked to his dresser, in search of his far more comfortable night clothes. “Any, uh, particular reason why you were waiting?”

“I wanted to talk to you.” You replied calmly, moving to sit at the foot of the bed while he changed. It didn’t take him long to swap his clothes, shifting to the washroom to wipe away the day’s stress.

“Is everything okay?”

“Well, yes and no. I’m all right, but I’m more worried about you.”

“Me?”

There was the little tense twinge in his voice. He stepped back into the bedroom, hairbrush in hand. He passed it over to you, taking his seat in front of you on the blanket’s edge.

You sat up on your knees and gently removed his hair tie, drawing his hair down carefully before you started to brush through it.

“Well, for one thing, you didn’t even cross blades with me when you came in.”

You put your index finger over his shoulder, which he quickly met with his own. You returned to brushing his hair.

“And you’ve been awfully distant, lately. A little more awkward than usual. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“I know you’re worried, but I promise, I’m fine.”

“That’s what you said last time. So I did a little investigating, and I talked to Mercedes about it.”

He swiveled around, face pale.

“You talked to Mercedes?!”

“And she told me what you’ve been doing.” You continued, unfazed. Your poor husband covered his face, the blush apparent even in the darkness.

Gingerly you lifted from the bed and put the brush aside, face him. You wrapped your arms around his shoulders and settled into his lap, despite him still unable to look at you directly.

“Is that really what you’ve been worried about, the last few days? Wanting to call me pet names?”

“It’s so stupid.” He mumbled behind his hands.

You took hold of his wrists and pried them away patiently, nudging him to look up at you.

“It’s sweet.”

“It’s not, though.” He shook his head, brow furrowed as though deeply troubled. “Any husband should be able to call his wife by some sort of nickname, even if it’s just something to be dismissed or something you don’t even have to think about! I mean, you called me by a pet name, and didn’t even think twice!”

“I don’t think ‘love’ counts as a pet name.”

‘It’s a term of endearment.” He huffed, “Another thing I’m really, really bad at, as a husband.”

“So…what do you want to do about it?” You tilted your head, “Mercie mentioned you had a name picked out for me, already. You’ve been trying to say it, right?”

“Y-yeah, but, I mean- it’s pointless now, isn’t it?”

“If it’s something important to you, it’s not pointless. You want to express yourself. I think that’s incredibly sweet, and very, very precious of you.”

“It’s not precious- I’m not some cute little puppy that’s ‘precious’! I’m just a fool of a man. Can’t even call my wife ‘darling’ or ‘dear’.”

“Is that the pet name?”

He went still again, the blush reddening deeper.

“W-what?”

“Darling? Is that my pet name? Or is it ‘Dear’?”

“It’s…! It’s…i-it might be both…I just…I wanted to at least try one of them first, and then if I could swing another, I wanted a back-up.”

“I think they’re both adorable.” You murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. Felix stiffened slightly, but melted into your kiss as he always did.

His hands came around your waist with a soft sigh, breaking apart to find the pink dusting your cheeks now, too.

“You think so, huh?”

“I really do. Heehee…I’m ‘darling’ to you? I’m a darling person in your heart?”

“You’re my wife. What else would you be?” He dismissed you, “It pissed me off more than anything that I couldn’t even force myself to say it, when it’s something I think about every day.”

“My goodness,” You laughed, kissing him again and again. “I don’t know why you were so worried about not being able to express yourself. You’re awfully good at making my heart skip a beat.”

“You’re teasing me. We both know your heart doesn’t beat.”

“It’s a turn of phrase, dear.” You replied with emphasis, making him stutter and look away.

It was just too much to bear. He really was a precious man.

You pushed your sweet Felix down, hands on either side of his handsome face. He looked up at you expectantly, enjoying the sudden twist of the evening.

“I love you very much, Felix. But you don’t have to call me by pet names if you don’t want to. I know just how much you care about me…tonight just made it even more clear.”

“You really don’t mind?” He asked you quietly, “If you want me to call you something, or give you a nickname, or…I don’t know. If you ask, I’ll do it.”

“I would never force you.” You kissed his forehead, gently pressing your hips to his. “But I wouldn’t be opposed if you called me ‘darling’ or ‘dear’ every now and then. And if you really want, I could do the same for you.”

“That might not be so bad,” He hummed, though his breath quickly hitched when you rolled your hips into him, much more firmly.

“Shall we start tonight, then?”

It didn’t just start, that night…you had him busy until dawn, and there was no end to the sweet nothings and heated calls of your new pet names throughout.

Which also brought a whole new meaning to the names whenever you ‘lovingly’ teased him by calling him one.

#felix #byleth #fe 16 #fe3h #fire emblem three houses #felileth #felix x byleth #commission #fluff prompt #fe fictions #fe-fictions #f!byleth #fem!byleth #f!mu #ughhhh sweet felix is just SO SWEET #makes my HEART SO HAPPY

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bouwrites · 1 year

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Those Warm and Halcyon Days: Chapter 15

Tales of the Red Canyon

Ao3.

First, Previous, Next.

Story under read-more.

Claude isn’t kidding when he says he’s going to throw a feast. After a day to rest from the march back to Garreg Mach, the feast begins.

Veery has never in his life seen so much food in one place. It’s bordering on frightening how much food is packed into the dining hall. He’s blown away by the sheer quantity of food here even during regular days, but with Claude’s feast putting so much on display, Veery is… completely lost.

Is it even possible to eat this much? Veery knows there are a lot of people here, but still. If this can keep, he’ll never have to go hunting again. Do humans regularly eat a lifetime’s worth of food in one day?

Well, Raphael might, but he’s supposed to be an exception.

Veery does his best to just avoid the feast, honestly, but he ends up dragged there by Hilda and there is no escape once the students all enclose on him.

The Golden Deer are in exceptionally good cheer, recounting the battle and laughing and boasting like any good victor. The Black Eagles, surprisingly, join them for the most part. Edelgard herself, and Hubert by extension, actually helps prepare the feast, and she spins it into a reward for her house’s hard work despite their loss, as well as a congratulations to the Deer for their victory.

Veery isn’t sure some of the less involved members of her house even know it’s Claude’s feast in the first place.

That’s none of Veery’s business, though he is a little impressed by her turning even a loss into a good moment for her house. They aren’t as boisterous as the Deer, but they aren’t normally, anyway, and they certainly aren’t sulking over the loss.

The Blue Lions on the other hand… Felix and Ingrid, at least, are definitely sulking. Dimitri isn’t that much better. Annette and Mercedes, as well as Ashe and Dedue, actually help with the feast, which brightens their house’s spirits just for having their friends’ cooking, but compared to the Eagles, they’re definitely more affected by the loss.

Sylvain spends most of the feast trying to get his housemates to laugh, with varying success, though he does take some time to join Veery and the Deer as well. Pass on his congratulations, flirt a lot, the usual.

Veery himself is feeling generally overwhelmed with it all. It’s too much food, too many people, too much talking, just overall too much, really. He slips out when he finds an opportunity to and finally takes a breath as he makes his way to the fishing pier.

He sits on the edge and leans forward, looking down into the water, watching the fish move about. He can still hear the ruckus from the dining hall, but it’s much, much quieter out here. It’s like a pressure is released, and he can finally relax a little.

“Too much?”

Veery looks back over his shoulder, surprised to find Professor Byleth there. He smiles weakly. “Yes. It’s very… overwhelming in there.”

Professor Byleth nods and takes a seat next to him. “I think so, too.”

“Won’t they miss you if you’re out here with me?” Veery asks, eyeing her carefully.

Professor Byleth shrugs. “They’ll miss you too. They understand that we’re not as good with crowds as them.”

Do they? That’s one thing that Veery feels they very much do not understand, no matter how many times he tells them. Though, he supposes, they do generally give him time alone if he actually asks for it, so… maybe they do. They’re just not always the best at noticing if he doesn’t say it outright.

Professor Byleth looks down at the fish with him, tilting her head slightly as if she’s listening to someone talk. Maybe the chatter from the dining hall. “Would you like to have tea?” she asks suddenly. “Next week?”

It’s not the first time Professor Byleth invites him to tea, but the timing of this invitation is… odd. Maybe she wants to talk about the battle, for some reason? Or about his job in it, maybe the trouble he has with the clerics. Veery hopes it’s not that, but if it is, he can’t tell her anything he hasn’t told everyone else.

“Teach! Veery! Get back in here! Raphael and Caspar are about to have an eating contest!” Claude waves to them from outside the dining hall, getting both of their attention.

Professor Byleth smiles – she’s been doing that lately. (It’s nice, to see her smiling.) “Looks like we’re missed already,” Professor Byleth says. “We should go back.”

Veery sighs. “Alright. And just let me know when, for the tea.”

Professor Byleth nods and the two of them stand to head back inside.

Veery pants, lying on his back in the dirt. Why is he even here?

“Come on!” Leonie calls. “You can do better than that!”

Can he? Normally, yes, but… Veery takes a moment to close his eyes and check on his scar. It doesn’t really hurt, at least not any more than the rest of him. Leonie is obviously careful not to hit him there, which is appreciated.

With a groan, Veery rolls to his feet and shakes himself off. Fine, then. They’re going to do this.

Seeing him get back up, Leonie sinks back into a fighting stance, grinning all the while. Veery is faster than her, normally. He just needs to get back up to speed. Hunting with Petra is nice exercise, but maybe he should find someplace he can really sprint.

Actually. Veery shifts back, getting Leonie to drop her stance, raising her brows in concern. “Something wrong? Is it too much for your injury?”

“No,” Veery says. “I was just thinking, is there somewhere around where I could just go for a run?”

“Run, huh?” Leonie hums. “Good idea. If we ask the professor, maybe we could use the old ruins? No one ever goes there, and there’s plenty of space for you to run around shifted. Let’s go a few more rounds, then ask. We can go for a run to cool down!”

She does remember he’s still getting back into shape, right? Oh, well, he’s not really that tired yet, anyway. It’s more caution than necessity to stop early. A few more rounds won’t hurt anyone.

Unless, of course, a few rounds with Leonie turn into a few rounds with Petra while Leonie runs off to find Professor Byleth. Thank the gods Petra takes it easy on him. Their matches are a little more like roughhousing than actual sparring.

It’s surprisingly kind of fun, though. Halfway through, Petra ditches her sword and fights him paw to paw and he’s a little afraid that he’ll hurt her by accident until she ducks under him, takes out two of his legs, and swings herself up onto his back as he collapses. After that, the game is on.

Petra roars like an agell, grinning viciously as she grapples with him, and he returns the favor wholeheartedly. Again, they’re more like roughhousing cubs than doing actual combat training, but it’s fun and it’s really good exercise.

Veery pins Petra more than a few times – it’s clear this isn’t how she usually fights – but she gets the hang of it quickly. Caspar, nearby, yells excitedly and joins in and the three of them are rolling around in the dirt punching and kicking and biting (gently) and laughing.

Veery has a gentle grip on Caspar’s arm with his teeth and is dragging him, kicking and screaming, and trying to fight Petra’s tugging on his ears and face, to get him to let go of Caspar, when Leonie returns with Professor Byleth, Claude, and Edelgard.

The three of them freeze when they see their leaders. Caked in dirt, hair and fur wild and sticking up in all directions, and screaming like children just a moment before, both Caspar and Petra begin turning red as Edelgard stares them down. Veery releases Caspar carefully and awkwardly starts grooming himself.

“What is going on here?” Edelgard asks, raising her brow accusingly.

“Edelgard,” Petra says, “we were… ah…”

“Training!” Caspar says. “Very serious training.”

“Really?” Edelgard asks. “Because it looked and sounded as if you were simply playing.”

“Loosen up, princess,” Claude chuckles, the only one grinning so widely here. “Play fighting is still training, you know. Just more fun. I’m frankly offended that I wasn’t invited to this.”

Professor Byleth smiles, though it looks almost as if she’s trying not to. “Petra, Caspar,” she says.

“Y-yes professor?” The two quickly stand to attention.

“I expect better of you,” Professor Byleth says, sounding stern.

Both Petra and Caspar duck their heads.

“Veery is still getting back into the swing of things and he was beating you,” Professor Byleth says. She smiles a little more openly as the two look up at her, joined by Edelgard’s incredulous gaze, and takes off her overcoat. “Allow me to demonstrate how such a battle should be fought.”

Is she…? Yes! Professor Byleth is coming towards him, unarmed, eyes challenging, and Veery rises to meet it. He lets her take the first move, both Caspar and Petra frantically backing out of the way, and when she steps towards him, he shoves himself between her feet, lifting up quickly and throwing her off.

He follows up, rushing to try to pin her while she’s on the ground, but she rolls out of the way, to a crouch, and pounces at him. The force of the strike is enough to knock him sideways, and with a herculean heave, Profesor Byleth wraps her arms around him and lifts him to throw him back down onto his side.

He is not light when he’s shifted. How strong is Professor Byleth? He’s half winded and half surprised and so he hesitates when he hits the ground long enough for her to dive on top of him to wrap her arms around his neck.

She needs both arms to get a good grip, and she doesn’t squeeze, but if she does she’ll cut off his air. And she’s behind him, where, if she were crushing his windpipe, he would not be able to wriggle around to strike at her. She’s won. Fair play, Professor. Veery has to admit to being impressed, even if he is slower than usual.

Claude whistles. “Wow, Teach. I can’t say I expected to see that today.”

“As expected of our professor,” Leonie says smugly. “You’re still doing alright, Veery?”

Professor Byleth lets him up, so he stands, shakes himself off, and nods. Professor Byleth checks his back and belly with her magic anyway, just to be sure that she doesn’t aggravate the wound too much.

Edelgard starts laughing, which has both Caspar and Petra looking between her and each other in shock. “Even you, my teacher?” she asks, still chuckling.

Professor Byleth pats Veery’s shoulder and smiles. “It’s a good lesson,” she says. “I’ve lost my weapon many times in battle, especially when I was closer to your level. Many people freeze and accept that they’ve lost once they no longer have a weapon in hand. This kind of grappling is very fun, yes, but it also will get you past that mental block and is good practice for if you lose your weapon on the field. The battle isn’t over until one side dies or surrenders, not when they’re disarmed.”

Edelgard nods. “I see your point.”

“Claude,” Professor Byleth says, “how do you think the Deer will like a training day dedicated to unarmed grappling? We can bring Veery in, too, if he’s willing.”

Claude grins like he’s just won the Battle of the Eagle and Lion again. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Teach! Don’t you think so, Leonie?”

Leonie nods eagerly. “Definitely! I can’t wait to punch Lorenz in his stupid face!”

“Perhaps the Eagles can join in on this session of yours?” Edelgard says. “I trust Petra and Caspar will enjoy the opportunity, at the least.”

Petra and Caspar blush again, but smile, eager to train more.

“The more the merrier!” Claude chirps. “Right, Teach?”

Professor Byleth nods. “I’ll talk to Professors Hanneman and Manuela about arranging a time. If nothing works out, I’ll just hold a seminar so that anyone who would like to come is welcome to. Please let Dimitri know, and I’ll get to the three of you with details as soon as I have them.”

“Looking forward to it, Professor!”

Tea time with Professor Byleth is something that the students of the Officer’s Academy universally look forward to. Though Veery is not actually a student, he’s no exception to this. He doesn’t have tea with her often, but one of the few times he does, no words are spoken between them at all. She simply invites him to tea, serves him, and sits with him in comfortable silence as they both enjoy the day.

It might actually be one of Veery’s favorite moments here at the monastery. He needs a break at the time, and he suspects that’s exactly what the point of the tea party is. No one will bother them while they’re having tea unless it’s important, after all.

So, Veery likes Professor Byleth. That’s why when he sits down to tea with her and she’s not just quiet like she usually is, but frowning and looking down at the table rather than impassive and attentive to him, he’s concerned.

He accepts the tea gratefully and blows gently on it before taking an experimental sip. Too hot to taste much, really – better let it cool for a moment – but it does have a pleasant aroma.

And he watches Professor Byleth. “Is there something wrong?” he asks, getting her attention.

Professor Byleth studies his face for a moment before letting out a breath that might even be mistaken for a sigh. “I heard that your people have stories about Fódlan’s history, from even before the goddess.”

Veery blinks, surprised. “Uh… yes? Why?”

“Do you… know anything about the Red Canyon?”

“Red Canyon?” Veery echoes. “Didn’t your class go there for a mission before I got here?”

“We did.” Professor Byleth nods. “There’s something… I’m curious about. I don’t think I’ll find the answer from the church, so I was hoping you’d know something about it.”

Veery frowns, flattening his ears. “I’m sorry. The only thing I’ve heard about any Red Canyon is what the Deer have told me about your mission there.”

Professor Byleth nods and sips her tea. “I suspected as much. I apologize for taking your time with this.”

“It’s no big deal,” Veery says. “If you’re curious about something involving this place, why don’t you go look around? Maybe you’ll find a clue.”

Professor Byleth is quiet for a while, looking mostly off into space. When her attention snaps back to him, she says, “Perhaps I will. The Red Canyon is not far from here. Would you like to accompany me?”

“Me?” Veery purses his lips. “I… I guess I can come. What’s so curious about it, anyway?”

“There are ruins there, but those ruins don’t match the architecture of any known nation,” Professor Byleth says slowly, after another pause. “Claude said at the time that he suspects they were built in the distant past, before Fódlan’s recorded history.”

“That’s why you’re asking me,” Veery says. He sighs. “In our stories, there was a lot of life here before the extinction. The ruins could be from then, or maybe just after the goddess returned life to the land. If the Red Canyon is around here, it’s pretty close to the heart of Fódlan. I’ve heard it said that a foreign god came to the heart of the wasteland left from the extinction and planted a flower in memory of those lost. That flower returned life to the entire land. I assumed that god is your goddess, but this would be around where life begun in Fódlan again, if that story isn’t just being metaphorical, and as far as I can tell, your records don’t go much further back before the War of Heroes.”

“So, it’s possible it’s from before the goddess, or sometime while the goddess was walking the land,” Professor Byleth says.

“It’d make sense, if it doesn’t match anything you know about.” Veery shrugs.

Professor Byleth hums. “It’s considered sacred land by the church, but no one will explain why. Considering that, it’s likely the latter option.”

“If it’s so important to the church, it might even be where the goddess lived,” Veery says. “Now I’m getting kind of curious. When do you want to go?”

“I have today free, if you’re available.”

Veery smiles. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Good. We’ll go after tea.” Naturally. They both drink their tea slowly, in no particular rush, just enjoying this moment of peace before they begin their hike.

And a hike it is. The Red Canyon, Zanado, according to Professor Byleth, is technically on church property, so it’s not very far. That said, the path to get there is mountainous and unkept. Clearly it doesn’t get much traffic. And while it isn’t very far, Veery can’t say it’s close, either. It’s a couple hours hike to get there. Within the realm of a day trip, certainly, but not something any bored student will attempt, or can attempt without being noticed.

Professor Byleth will surely be noticed as missing today but given she’s a professor and that Lady Rhea has a fondness for her, Veery isn’t as worried about getting in trouble as he usually would be with something like this.

Veery has little trouble with the terrain, and his wound doesn’t act up throughout the journey, so he’s feeling just fine. Professor Byleth is completely inscrutable, and seems to be in her head mostly, but she doesn’t struggle at all, so Veery leaves her be. She’s one of very few people who understands the value of being quiet and sitting alone and he’s not about to infringe on that pleasure if she wants to indulge.

Or maybe she just has a lot on her mind. Either way, it’s none of Veery’s business. He’s just here to check out these old ruins.

Speaking of… nothing in the Red Canyon is actually red. Veery can think of a number of explanations for the name, many of them quite gruesome, and resolves to just call it Zanado. There likely isn’t any way to determine for certain where the name comes from, if the place is really as ancient as he’s being led to believe, so there’s no point in worrying about it.

What is worrying is the scent of beasts in the area. None of them are immediately familiar to Veery, but they’re not human and they clearly live around here. He points out the smell to Professor Byleth, but she just smiles and says that she’ll protect him.

Reassuring, but not the point. Oh, well. “So, are we looking for something in particular?”

“…I’m not sure,” Professor Byleth says. “There’s something about this place… Let’s go further in.”

She leads him across the bridge. Veery gets distracted momentarily by the ruins nearby, but other than the architecture itself it doesn’t give any hint as to who used to live here, so he follows Professor Byleth even further in towards some more ruins.

There is… definitely something strange about this place. The air here is different than at the monastery. Older, somehow, but also pervaded with a feeling Veery can’t quite reach. If he’s honest, he feels a little like an intruder here, but at the same time, there’s a welcoming… something.

He can’t say it feels like coming home, but something in the air is familiar. Not in a nostalgic way, but in a way that tickles at his nose and lies right on the tip of his tongue. What is it? Not the ruins, surely, he doesn’t even know this place exists not long ago, and he’s never been to Fódlan until recently, so it’s not that, but something hidden here, something with a great power.

This is going to bug Veery forever if he doesn’t figure it out. He doesn’t know if this is what Professor Byleth is feeling, but if it is then he knows now why she wants to come back here.

“Let’s go around this wall,” says Professor Byleth, gesturing to one of the more intact structures here. Veery follows her soundlessly, inspecting the stone as he goes. It’s definitely not the stone. Something in the air…

What is this? Veery suddenly finds himself facing a stone wall – made of a different stone than the wall he just walks around – with faded text carved into it. It stretches on and on, crumbling at points but mysteriously well preserved compared to the rest of the place, as if the stone itself is adamant against its ruin.

He approaches, intrigued, and Professor Byleth does the same. What do these markings mean? It’s a script of some kind. Ancient. In fact, it’s not entirely unfamiliar. There’s no way Veery can read this, not without a lot of time to devote to figuring it out like he did with Albinean and Church Common – it may even be impossible without any good reference point – but… the way the script loops, elegant despite being carved into stone. The spacing, the lettering… It’s familiar. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen this before, but something like it, maybe. Something similar, perhaps related?

Veery likes words. This is a puzzle that he can solve. It may take some time, but he wants to know what this is. He touches the face of the stone gently, tracing the etchings with his fingers. Where has he seen this before?

There’s a sudden something to his right, near Professor Byleth, but when he turns to look there’s nothing at all amiss. He narrows his eyes. For a moment, just a split-second, he’s sure there is… green. A figure, and green. Maybe green fur? But it is upright, so it’s more likely exceptionally long hair.

He focuses, trying to conjure the image again, but he only barely catches a glimpse, and he’s not even entirely sure he isn’t imagining it. It’s probably just a trick of the light. Still, he stares into the air next to Professor Byleth, feeling as if… something is not quite right.

“Is something wrong?” Professor Byleth asks after a moment, face completely blank. “Did you see something?”

Veery furrows his brow but sees no reason to lie. It’s probably nothing, but since she’s asking, he may as well tell her. “For a moment, I thought I saw-”

“Grrrraargh!”

Veery jumps, reacting to the terrible scream, bristling all over. Great, the beasts here aren’t going to be interested in leaving them alone, then. He shares a look with Professor Byleth and nods. The two of them rush out to a defensible position where they have a better view of the valley.

And when they do, Veery sees these are no mere beasts, but great and terrifying… wolves, hawks but not like the regular animals. These are larger, with an energy around them. Veery can’t tell for certain what they are without getting close to one, but… he doesn’t want to. He’s frightened to, because if he does and it turns out his gut feeling about this is right, then… he has no idea what he will do.

Professor Byleth holds up the Sword of the Creator, ready to do as she says she will and protect him, and a group of students comes fumbling into the valley on the far side, with a demonic beast on their tails.

There’s a lot of yelling and pointing and the students scramble madly to reach them. Professor Byleth fends off a wolf and a hawk all by herself, but Veery has to shift and cover her when a second wolf comes around.

The moment his teeth sink into the wolf’s flesh, he regrets it.

This wolf is exactly what he fears it is. An old agell heart, lost. A wolf, though? How old must this heart be? Veery cannot remember any tales of the wolves existing after the extinction. Though… maybe the war? The War of Heroes? The stories only say that the cats have always been in Albinea, that some agell find shelter there, too, before the extinction, and that the agell go to war and are nearly wiped out. Do the wolf agell live in that time? The hawks? Veery cannot remember the elders saying for certain or not.

If so, then the War of Heroes likely drive those subspecies to extinction and leave them… like this. Maybe that is the cause of the war. The wolves and hawks coming south to try to reclaim their old homes.

Veery really doesn’t want to think about this. He definitely can’t afford to, in the middle of a battle, while it’s just him and Professor Byleth surrounded.

He needs to focus.

The students, mostly Golden Deer with a couple interspersed additions, fight towards them. Veery and Professor Byleth don’t have the numbers to try to fight towards them. They’re better off staying put where they don’t risk getting surrounded. There aren’t many of the beasts, only about six, but four of them are directly around them. There’s also that demonic beast, the twisted dragon, behind the students, struggling to cross the bridge to catch up to them.

Veery manages to take the wolf he’s on down, and Byleth takes out the wolf on their other side and cuts the wings off one of the hawks. Veery has to dance back to avoid the other hawk’s razor-sharp talons and switches with the professor to put the first hawk out of its misery while she grounds the second.

The hawk is agell, too. Expected, but… it still brings an uncomfortable gurgle in Veery’s stomach. These aren’t anywhere near as bad as the Lance of Ruin. The grudges they hold aren’t those of despair and pain and hate. It’s actually more familiar, more along the lines of what Veery expects from agell. Pride, ferocity, things that make the individuals who they are. Veery’s heart resonates with them when he touches them, and he can feel a small glimpse into their lives.

What steels him is that these agell, in their time, are warriors. He’s sure about that. There’s nothing quite like a warrior’s certainty, that high of battle, the danger of losing. Veery has that feeling himself, back at Conand Tower and the Holy Mausoleum, and this is a more… solidified, firmer version of it.

These are likely agell killed in the War of Heroes a thousand years ago. Again, Veery tries to force himself not to think about that. There are many places those thoughts can lead, and none are anything he wants while he’s still on a battlefield.

The students manage to take out the two remaining wolves as they converge with Professor Byleth and Veery. There is some chastising, some teasing, and a lot of questions about why they’re out here, but everyone buckles down to deal with the demonic beast before any real conversation can take place.

And it’s a tough fight. These demonic beasts are no joke. It’s not all that different from the Lance of Ruin, honestly, but this time Lysithea also knows the Seraphim spell, so with two mages able to use it, and Marianne obviously in a better frame of mind (though she’s still somewhat shaken at the sight of the beast) it goes overall more smoothly.

Eventually, though, the battle is over. Someone recommends that they get out of here quickly, but Veery walks over to the nearest wolf and frowns down at it.

Unlike with the Lance of Ruin and Miklan, this one doesn’t stop whatever transformation is holding it. It’s more like a true agell that way. Still, Veery can tell that this is the same creation. Or… not the same, it’s not as twisted as the lance is, but it’s a body, someone’s corpse, overtaken by the power of an agell’s heart.

Veery honestly has no idea that his heart can be dangerous to humans.

He shakes his head. That’s another thing to think about. For now, he has more important things to do.

“Veery?” It’s Sylvain’s voice, but Veery ignores it. “What’s up?”

Veery pads over next to the wolf, places his paw on it, and feels for the heart. The magic is strong, obvious, though not nearly as potent as the Lance of Ruin. And, confirming Veery’s theory about the nature of this beast, the heart is located deep in the wolf’s leg rather than where its heart should be in its chest.

Veery grits his teeth and cuts deep with his claws.

“Wo- hey! Veery! I think it’s dead!”

Veery growls and digs deeper. He shreds the flesh, splitting it open so that he can get even deeper. Then he’s deep enough. He takes a breath, shifts back, and reaches into the meaty thigh of the wolf.

When he brings his hands back out of the beast, he’s holding an agell heart. There’s… if there was any doubt before, it’s gone now. This is the proof. Veery’s breath is shaky as he stares at it, trying to ignore it trying to resonate with him.

Sylvain gasps, too. “Is that… Is that a Crest Stone?”

That gets everyone’s attention.

Lysithea stalks up to him, taking a close look at the heart in his hands. “This was inside the wolf? Could that mean…”

“Was it like Miklan?” Sylvian breathes. “Was that… human, once?”

Veery meets Claude’s eye, sees his gaze turn sympathetic, sees a nod. Veery sighs. “Yes,” he says. “Once. This is… older. It’s probably been a beast like this for years and years. Lysithea, can you…?”

Lysithea looks at the heart, then at the other beasts’ corpses. “You want to collect them?” she asks, unsure.

Veery takes a breath. “They’re agell hearts,” he says. Collectively, almost fake in how synchronized it is, everyone gasps. Veery looks away, back to the heart in his hands, as everyone starts asking too many questions. “…please.”

“Guys, guys! Come on, give him some space!” Claude says. “Lysithea…”

“Leave it to me. Some of you come with me. I can find the hearts, but you’re going to have to cut them out.” Veery looks up at her. She levels him with a stern look. “I expect a full explanation later.”

Veery gulps. “You’ll get it,” he says.

Lysithea nods and pulls Raphael and Leonie along with her. Marianne and Dorothea also join them, claiming they can help locate the hearts as well. Faintly, Veery can hear Marianne muttering prayers to the goddess, for the souls these hearts belong to.

Veery stares at the heart in his hand. He hopes prayers to the goddess are enough. He doesn’t know agell funerary practices at all. All he knows is that recovering the hearts is the most important part. He hopes these agell don’t mind human rites.

They probably do. These human rites are to the same goddess who led the people that slaughtered them. But Veery doesn’t know of any others. Maybe Petra or Dedue or even Cyril know rites from their homelands? Veery just feels like he should do… something for these poor souls.

When Sylvain asks why they’re harvesting the hearts of these things, Veery can only tell him that the hearts are where the soul is, and that it’s important for funerals, and admit that he doesn’t actually know how funerals work for his people.

Sylvain hugs him and holds him tight for a long time. Only Lysithea’s report that they collect all of the hearts prompts Sylvain to release him. Veery… doesn’t mind. He thinks he needs the hug, honestly. He’s not sure. It kind of feels like Sylvain needs it more than him, but he thinks he needs… something. And the hug helps. A little.

“Are you doing okay?” Hilda asks him, all big eyes and furrowed brows.

Veery just sighs, takes a deep breath, and nods. “I will be.”

He brings a bag. It’s his own, something he brings because he isn’t sure what to expect from Zanado and he wonders if he’ll need to write down notes. Instead, the bag becomes the temporary home of the bloodied hearts of four wolves, two hawks, and a dragon. Seven agell.

This is not what Veery expects from this trip.

“We should head back to the monastery,” Sylvain says. “I think we all could do with a rest.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Claude says. “Is everyone ready to go?”

Professor Byleth nods. Veery shakes his head. “One more thing,” he says.

“Oh? What is it?”

Veery looks to Professor Byleth. “The wall. I want to know what it is. If there are so many of these things here, there’s a chance it could be related, so… even if it’s just a little, I want to copy down what’s written on it, so I can study it later.”

Professor Byleth frowns, but nods.

“Wall?” Claude asks. “You mean you found something here? Where is it?”

“Back there.” Professor Byleth gestures in the direction of it. “Come with me.”

The group quietly follows their professor until they reach the wall. Lysithea and Claude are immediately enamored with the thing, speculating back and forth what the writing is, what it says, why it’s here, who put it there, everything anyone could possibly need to know about it. Veery just approaches it and tries to figure out how to memorize all this unknown script.

“I have an idea,” says Ignatz. “You want to copy it, right?”

Veery nods to him.

“Then… does anyone have paper? And some charcoal?”

Veery does. He brings it in his bag because he worries that he might have to take notes if he finds something interesting. Wonderous foresight, though in a completely unexpected way. He hands the little notebook and stick of charcoal to Ignatz, curious how he’s going to copy down this unfamiliar script.

Ignatz sputters a little with everyone’s attention on him. “I can’t get you very much of it. There’s… a lot here, but if I hold the paper over it like this…” He folds the notebook so a single page sticks out and presses that page to the wall, then runs over it with the side of the charcoal. Very quickly, the script becomes clear as negative space between the marks of the charcoal.

“Nice going, Ignatz!” Claude says, quickly pulling out a journal of his own and copying even more of the wall.

Lysithea scrambles to do the same.

Veery takes the page back, flips to a new one, thanks Ignatz for this, and examines the wall carefully.

He can’t get much of it, so if he can identify important parts, that might be the difference between figuring it out and not. Then again… this script…

The hearts in his bag are heavy on his shoulders, and he remembers why this script looks familiar.

The agell have ruins, too. Old structures from a time when they were more prosperous than they are now. Many of their festivals are held at one such ruin. It’s well cared for and well loved, but ancient and crumbling from time. In parts of that ruin, inscribed along certain areas, or sometimes just part of the walls themselves, is a script not completely unlike this one.

An ancient language, from before the extinction. Some of the elders can read it, but Veery himself never learns it. Maybe it is actually their modern language, since to Veery’s knowledge there is no written form of it used today. Either way, it’s not something they teach every young orphan, though Veery is interested in it.

Veery’s eyes travel upward, to the right, and walks a short way to find a small section that’s separated from the rest. There. The script, tiny and neat, boxes all around this little square of text, and continues on in perpetuity for the length of the wall, but there is a clear uncarved border between this block and the rest of the wall. There is also a word, maybe two, carved slightly larger than everything else. A header of some kind. That’s the ticket. Veery uses a few pages of his journal to get rubbings of this entire section. With the whole thing copied, he has little other direction and lets Claude and Lysithea worry about what else to get. He’s sure they’ll let him look at their materials, anyway.

“Hey, Veery! Look at this!” Claude calls him over, pointing to another part that stands out. It’s at the bottom, not on the wall at all but on the sloping bottom part that goes into the earth, and worn almost to be unreadable, but the rubbing still works. “I think this might be saying what this whole wall is about.”

Maybe. “Good catch,” he says.

“Do you know something about this language?” Claude asks.

Is it that obvious? Veery frowns. “No. I’ve never seen this script before. We have ruins sort of like this in Albinea, old agell places from when we made things like that and still made written records, and it’s maybe similar? But I never learned it, so I can’t say.”

Claude hums thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t think there’s much more we can do here. You ready to head back?”

“Yes. I’m ready.” Veery nods, placing his notebook gingerly back into his bag.

Claude puts his own journal away, calls everyone to go, and then offers Veery his hand. It’s not normally something he likes to do, but… Veery holds Claude’s hand as they leave Zanado. He locks their fingers together and breathes and trusts Claude to guide him as he lets his mind wander.

His bag is much heavier than it is on the hike here. The seven hearts don’t weigh much, though the dragon one isn’t nearly as small as the others, but he’s so conscious of their weight that they feel like a ton.

“Hey,” Sylvain says quietly, coming up on Veery’s other side, the one Claude isn’t. “I know you probably don’t want to think about this right now, but… what are you going to do with those hearts? …Crest Stones? I’m… still confused about that, honestly.”

Veery sighs and shares a look with Claude. “They’re both, technically. The dragon ones are Crest Stones, but the others are just smaller versions of them.”

Sylvain makes a vaguely uncomfortable groaning sound in his throat.

“I… I don’t know what I’ll do with them,” Veery admits. “I’d like to give them a proper funeral, but I don’t know how. Maybe… Maybe Marianne or Mercedes knows how it’s done here, but… Or maybe someone else has other rites that I could use. I don’t know. I just don’t like the idea of leaving them out here where someone else can find them and turn into more of those beasts.”

Sylvain scowls at the dirt. “Like Miklan.”

“Like Miklan,” Veery confirms. He feels Claude squeeze his hand.

Sylvain sets his jaw for a moment, and eventually asks. “So… that means the Lance of Ruin… it’s agell bones? And an agell heart?”

Veery bites his lip. “Dragon, most likely. But yes.”

Sylvain shivers. “I hate that I’ve been using that thing. I mean, I always hated that I was using that thing, but… Goddess, what the fuck?”

Yeah. That about sums it up.

#write #fanfiction #FE Fanfiction #Fire Emblem Three Houses #fe3h

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