#Dimitri and Edelgard were raised together.

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

Eagle under the lions paw pt 3

You and Dimitri did end up spending more time outside of training, having meals at the dinner hall, and doing errands together. It was nice to finally know the one you were so desperate to meet all those years ago.

"So what's up with you and Dimitri? I knew you guys sparred together but you two have been noticeably closer as of late" Dorathea brought up before sipping her tea.

"We've just hit it off" you replied. You noticed her eyebrow raised.

"Just as friends of course" you blurted out.

"(Y/n) You know you can trust me to keep a secret" she assured you.

"I swear we're just friends" you replied.

"Ok, it's just I've noticed the way he's been looking at you since you arrived at the academy," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" You asked.

"You haven't noticed? He looks at you the same way a lost little puppy would. He looks at you with absolute adoration, honestly, I'm a little jealous" she sighed.

Was Dorathea right? Did Dimitri like you romantically? You didn't know how to feel about it. Yes, he was strong, handsome and kind. All qualities that a spouse should have but you didn't really see him as a romantic partner.

"I don't really see him in a romantic way" you replied.

"Then you should probably tell him, it's better to let him know soon than lead him on" she advised.

"But what if he doesn't have a romantic interest? Then it'd be embarrassing" you asked.

"Trust me, even if it's all platonic it's better to draw that line before things get messy" she explained.

That conversation has been playing on loop in your mind since then. You felt a wood tap on your hip that shook you out of your trance.

"Are you alright?" Dimitri asked you.

"Yes, sorry I was just thinking about class this morning" you lied.

"Finding it overwhelming? If you want we can cut the training short today" he offered.

"No, I can continue. After all the battle of the eagle and the lion is only a few weeks away, there's no way I can slack off now" you replied.

"You're not confident in your abilities?" He asked.

"I'm confident but I have no idea about everyone else's skills, and if I am unfortunate enough to get pitted against you then there's no way I'd win" you replied.

"You shouldn't be hard on yourself, all you can do is try your best, it is a mock battle after all," he told you. You could see why Dorathea said what she did about how he looks at you. A soft and kind expression was always plastered on his face when you were around him but it wasn't enough to be evident that he did have feelings for you.

🦅🦅🦅

"Edelgard and I have discussed the plan for the upcoming battle of the eagle and the lion" Manuela addressed the class as she crudely drew a map of gronder field.

"This battle will be against both the blue lions and the golden deer so we must effectively fight both teams.

"So we must separate to take on both teams," she said before drawing three arrows from the left side, one to the top, one to the right, and one to the center.

"Caspar and Ferdinand will advance north to the lions, Linhardt and Hubert will follow behind to provide support" she addressed the three.

"Edelgard and Petra will advance to the east and take on the deers with Dorathea providing support"

"This central fort is an advantage for archers so try to stop the other teams from capturing it and allow Bernadetta to claim it" she was explaining before a shriek was heard.

"No I don't want to be in the center, I wouldn't last a minute there!" Bernadetta retorted.

"That is why (Y/n) will cover for you" Manuela reassured.

"Don't worry, it should be a piece of cake Bernie. With everyone else, it makes it easier to pick off anyone who gets too close" you tried to reassure Bernadetta who was obviously stressed.

"If things get too tough I'll cover you," you said.

🦅🦅🦅

You signaled Bernadetta to take the position at the fort while there was a clearing.

"I hope this ends soon…" she muttered as she got into her position after hopping off her horse.

"So do I" you replied as you looked out. The golden deer had suffered a significant loss. Not that the Eagles were doing much better. You could see that both Casper and Ferdinand were walking off the field, while Hubert and Linhardt retreated to the east to form up with Edelgard and Petra.

"Bernie, you might want to start firing now" you advised, earning a shriek from her.

"Where?!" She struggled to make out.

"North, Sylvain, and Dedue are coming. You take out Sylvain and I'll stop Dedue" you suggested.

"Ok…" she replied before you moved forward to stop them getting through.

"Dedue you fall back to cover Ashe, I'll try capturing the fort" Sylvain told Dedue.

This wasn't good, Sylvain was now in a blind spot for Bernie and Dedue was leaving range.

"Hey you're the girl I've seen Dimitri hanging around recently" he commented.

"So what of it?" You asked him as you approached him.

"Nothing just realized it was you," he said as he tried to strike you and you dodged.

"You're pretty cute, maybe after this is over we could get something to eat?" he proposed. You could feel the heat in your cheeks rise. You swung your lance towards him with enough force to knock it out of his hands.

"Whoa, you're feisty!" He exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you did I" you asked, shocked that you'd managed to knock it straight out of his grip.

"I'm fine, just didn't have a good grip… I guess I'll have to forfeit" he told you as he picked up his lance.

"My offer's still open by the way," he told you before he walked off the field.

You had very little time to relax before you saw Dimitri's approach.

"Bernie fall back!" You shouted earning another shriek from her. The Blue Loins were overwhelming in comparison to your house. You readied yourself knowing you'd certainly fail but still like Dimitri told you, you'd have to give it your best shot. You charged toward him and tried to strike him overhead, however, he blocked and pushed you back. He then tried to counter but you barely avoided him as you tried to center yourself.

You tried desperately to best him but he always manages to block your attacks. You can barely keep a good grip on your lance with the force that he strikes back with. Then you hear a crack and feel his lance hit your ribs. The air in your lungs was knocked out of you as you hit the ground, unable to comprehend what happened til you tried to get up, realizing that your lance was snapped in half and feeling a horrible pain in your side causing you to yelp in pain.

"(Y/n) I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed as he kneeled to you. He looked at you with horror.

"Are you alright? Do you need help getting up? I swear I didn't mean to hurt you" he asked, panic evident in his voice. He hadn't realized how hard he was hitting with the adrenalin pumping in his blood.

"I know you didn't mean it…" you replied between labored breaths as you tried to stand.

Dimitri took notice of your pain and helped you up. "Do you want me to help you get back to camp?" He offered. But you shook your head and declined.

"I should be fine. Besides, you have to support your team" you told him. In honesty, you did need help but you didn't want to burden him, as helping you would also count him as retreating. You walked forward a bit before flagging Bernadetta to come over and support you.

"Oh goddess, he nearly killed you…" she stuttered as she let you lean on her for support.

"No, he didn't, I'm sure it'll just be a bruise" you tried to calm her as she took you to the infirmary tent.

Manuela inspected your injury for a while before giving you some medicine.

"You've got a bruised ribcage, I can't really do much except give you some pain relief and suggest you take it easy for the next month," she told you before handing you a glass of water.

"I can't believe how quickly the blue lions managed to advance. They barely gave you guys breathing space, that new professor really is something" she sighed.

You swallowed the bitter medicine she had offered and drank your water before noticing Edelgard in the corner of your eye.

"Did you get injured too?" You asked.

"No, I wanted to check up on you. I heard from Bernadetta that you were hurt" she replied with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Manuela told me I've got a bruised ribcage, I've just got to take it easy for a month" you replied trying to play it off as something minor.

"How did you manage to bruise your rib?" She asked as she grabbed a nearby ice pack and gently pressed it against your ribs.

"My lance ended up snapping in half while fighting Dimitri and his lance ended up hitting my ribs" you explained.

"(Y/n) You need to be more careful… I don't want anything happening to you" she said to you in an almost sorrowful tone, yet you still could feel her reservation.

"Edel, I'll be fine for now. But I promise you I'll be more careful, as long as you promise me the same.

A small smile formed on her lips yet her eyes showed that she was upset.

"I promise," she said as she held out her pinkie finger.

"I'll hold you to it" you replied before wrapping your finger around hers.

"And so will I," she told you.

"You should rest now, I don't want you getting hurt again," she told you before leaving.

So you lay staring at the top of the tent for what seemed like forever. A few more students entered suffering from far less than you had. From what you could hear amongst them the blue lions had a firm lead, now only Claude, Hilda, Petra, and Linhardt remained compared to the nearly unscathed blue lions.

Then you heard the sound of a horn. It was over. You wished you had just given up your position and avoided Dimitri, maybe that would have given your team more of a chance. Everyone was beginning to pack up. You sat up and surprisingly your ribs didn't hurt as much, now more of a dull pain thanks to the medicine.

"(Y/n) are you alright?" Dimitri asked as he entered the tent.

"I am, I just have to take it easy for a bit," you told him.

"I'm sorry" he kneeled beside you.

"It's fine, I know you didn't mean it. Obviously, my lance wasn't that well crafted" you told him.

"I still feel awful for it, tomorrow I'll get you a replacement," he said.

"No, you don't have to" you retorted.

"No it's the least I could do to apologize," he told you.

You stood up, trying to not express the pain you still felt.

"We should probably get going now, it'll be a long walk back to the monastery," you said as you gathered up the armor you had removed when you'd arrived.

🦅🦅🦅

"Thank the goddess that was a mock battle" was something you'd hear for the rest of the day. Even during dinner, you hear more of it.

"The blue lions were leagues ahead of us, they barely gave us a chance" Caspar sighed. You could tell he wasn't too satisfied with his performance.

"(Y/n) you haven't had a bite of your food yet, are you alright?" Dorathea asked you. You hadn't even realized you had just been staring at your food blankly.

"No I'm alright, I've just been thinking about today" you replied.

"Yeah… today's results have left a bitter taste in my mouth" she replied.

You ate in silence. What the others kept saying was on your mind, what if it hadn't been a mock, what if it had been an actual war? It was terrifying to imagine. All these people sitting with you would have been dead. That blow Dimitri had dealt to you could have killed you if it hadn't been a training weapon but he wouldn't do that, he cared about you deeply.

Honestly thinking about it made a knot form in your stomach. You stood up and picked up your half-eaten plate of food.

"(Y/n) are you sure you're alright?" Dorathea asked you again.

"I'm fine," you told her before leaving the table and returning your plate to the front.

You walked out of the dining hall and were on your way back to your dorm when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

"(Y/n) Is something wrong?" Dimitri's voice asked.

"Dimitri, why aren't you inside? You and your class should be celebrating" you asked him.

"I saw you leave your table after barely eating, I was worried about you" he explained.

"I'm fine, just tired," you told him. You tried to leave but he reached out and grabbed your wrist, his grip was firm, like his life depended on it.

"Tell me (Y/n), I know there's something on your mind," he said. You remained silent.

"Do you not trust me?" He asked.

"I do" you replied.

"Then tell me, I promise you it'll only be between us if you wish," he told you. You sighed before finally responding.

"I've been thinking about today… What if it hadn't been a mock battle, I know it sound stupid but the thought terrifies me" you explained.

"I think almost all of us have thought about it today, but just think what reason would we have to start a war?" He replied.

You thought long and hard on what he said. There really wasn't a reason as far as you could tell.

"The isn't" you replied.

"See, so there's no reason to worry" he told you.

[linilou-von-hevring]

Flayn's Instruction

Read it here on ao3!

A grin spreads across Flayn’s lips as she watches the students file in. They seem tired; midterm season was particularly gruesome this year, leaving even Flayn exhausted to her core. But it’s a new day, and with a new day, it means she can share more stories with the teenagers that take their places, their tired eyes glancing between their professor sitting on her desk and their study material. She watches as the last of them file in, the bell ringing as the doors of other classrooms shut. It’s going to be an interesting period.

Flayn hops down from her desk, bringing her hands together and redirecting the attention on her. Phones are dropped to the bottom of bags and pencil cases; all eyes are on her. She’s ready to put on a show, a fun class that might cheer up the sleepy eyes before her.

“So today we’re going to be talking more about the Great Fódlan War! Who can tell me what it’s about, in broad terms?”

Glances are exchanged amongst the students before a few shy hands come up. Flayn is happy to call upon her students, encouraging them as they give her bits of the right answer.

“Correct! It’s when the Empire lead a rebellion against the Church of Seiros! Anything else?”

A few more bits of information are handed to her: Edelgard von Hresvelg was the leader of the Empire rebellion, the victors were the army lead by Claude von Riegan, the first ruler of Fódlan was Byleth Eisner. The answers come more confidently as Flayn shows her excitement for every raised hand; it’s how she likes to teach, reinforcing her students’ participation. And knowing that they show even the slightest of interest in her class, well, what more could she ask for?

“Alright, so now that we refreshed ourselves on the basic of this war, we’re going to talk a bit more about the victors of the war: King Claude and Quen Byleth. And while I could go on and on about how they gained the high grounds against Empress Edelgard and King Dimitri, I think you’re all a little too tired for that this morning.” A smile pulls at the corners of Flayn’s mouth as she pushes herself back up onto her desk. “Who wants to hear about the relationship that united Claude and Byleth instead? It won’t be on your exam, but it’s a great fun fact if ever you want to tell someone a nice little anecdote from the past.”

There’s little that brings Flayn as much joy as watching the eyes of her students turn to sparkles. She loves watching the heads go up before being put back down on the desks, attentive ears turned to her. What more can a professor ask for?

“In that case, how about I start with the betrothal?” Grins appear like the first spring daisies. “In that case, we go back a thousand years, back to 1187, a few months after the war has ended…”

---

Byleth’s chest heaves as she watches the last of the enemies fall. It’s over. It’s finally over. Or at least, it’s over for now. For now, there will be a semblance of peace. For now, there is no one else that opposes Byleth’s reign. Which means…

Her smile grows as she watches the horizon. He’s right there. He’s so close. Byleth can almost feel him, his touch, his loving embrace. He’s right there, his wyvern flipping in the sky against the pinks and the purples and the oranges of the setting sun. He’s right there, so beautiful. He’s right there, finally back, just as he had promised.

Relief washes over Byleth as the shadow grows larger, the white wyvern making its way straight to her. She never thought she’d be this happy to see the giant beast, though saying her excitement was for it alone would be a lie. What truly has Byleth’s head reeling is the prospect of finally seeing him, the one who had promised to be back all those months ago. Claude, he’s finally back.

He’s gorgeous as he stumbles off of his mount. His smile, it reaches his eyes, something it didn’t use to do. And his eyes, so green, so beautiful, they crease at the corner from the happiness. And his lips, well… They find their way home in a kiss that Byleth is more than happy to return.

She never had envisioned their reunion to go like this. She had always thought he would walk back into the monastery one day, happy to announce that his work was done. It had always been a peaceful reunion in Byleth’s mind; it had never crossed her mind that it would come with more bloodshed. And yet, this feels perfect for them. The cuts and scrapes against her body still ache, and the blood that stains her skin feels crusty, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because Claude is back. It doesn’t matter because Claude is here, kissing her under the sunset. Nothing matters; only Claude matters.

“Took you long enough.”

He smiles into yet another kiss, this one slower and more careful than the last three. This one, it tastes like love and victory. This one, it tastes exactly the way Byleth remembers their kisses to be. This one, it tastes the way every kiss from Claude should; it tastes like forever.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t become the king of Almyra any sooner. I’ll be faster next time it happens.”

A hand flies up to cover the snort that escapes Byleth. Her face falls against Claude’s chest as she openly laughs, something that has never happened before. And as Claude’s arms wrap around her, she feels safer than she ever has. Claude, how she missed his presence.

“Teach?”

Byleth hums, not bothering to lift her head away from Claude. She’s too comfortable there. He’s warm and safe; he’s finally home. And as his fingers cup her cheek, Byleth can’t help lean her weight into him. How is she supposed to leave the here and now? How is she supposed to risk losing him all over again? Though she knows this isn’t a dream, she can’t risk it. She can’t risk opening her eyes and watching him leave once more.

The kiss to her cheek is what it takes for Byleth’s eyes to flutter open. And they open to green; Claude isn’t gone, disappearing with the setting sun. He’s there, for real. He’s there, for her. He’s there, and by the sounds of it, all their friends are there too.

A content smile pulls at the corners of Byleth’s lips as she turns to the crowd that has started to form. First, it’s Hilda and her cheers. She screams louder than Byleth’s ever heard her scream as she jumps up and down. Then there’s Lorenz and his gasps. He seems surprised, but he soon eases himself into a content smile and a congratulatory nod. And then there’s Raphael and Leonie, both cheering, one shouting congratulations, the other screaming near obscenities. Not far off, there’s Lysithea, her mouth agape. She’s pointing at both Claude and Byleth, yet no words manage to leave her lips. And finally, there’s Marianne and Ignatz, both silently smiling at the pair. Everyone is there; the Golden Deer are finally back together.

“Claude! Why didn’t you tell me you and the professor were an item? I thought we were closer than that!”

Hilda grins as she dramatically leans against Lorenz, looking ready to faint. Of course, he catches her, though not without a bit of reticence. Lorenz, he’s never been good with Hilda’s antics. He’s always been too polite to play along with her. And yet, as the years go on, he seems to be more exasperated than uncomfortable with the girl. Perhaps that’s what happens when a group of people spend so much time with one another.

Claude grins at the rest of the group, but not without pressing another kiss to Byleth’s cheek. He wants to drive home that she’s his and that nothing can keep him away from her any longer. Or maybe he likes the attention, from Hilda’s squeals to Lysithea’s gags to Lorenz’s groans. Maybe he likes that everyone is back together, though this time in far less threatening circumstances.  

“You’re so gross, Claude! Literally no one wants to see you doing,” Lysithea gestures in his and Byleth’s direction, “that. Like get a room or whatever.”

“I mean if—”

Byleth couldn’t help the smile that grows at the corners of her mouth as she smooths out her coat sleeve, which seemed to have magically smacked Claude in the face. And he laughs along; he always laughs along, but this time, his laughter is genuine. This time, Byleth knows he’s happy.

“Okay, okay, I guess I should make this official in front of everyone.”

Byleth’s head turns as Claude takes her hand in his. His smile, it’s soft, and it’s gentle. His eyes, they sparkle just as they did all those months ago, though this time, tears don’t well up at the corners of either of their eyes. This time, they’re not placed in a dire situation, one where even the happiest of outcomes left them in tears. This time, it’s real happiness.

She doesn’t resist as Claude turns her towards him. Byleth lets him take the lead on this; she needs a break from being the leader. And by the way he’s looking at her, she knows what comes next.

“Byleth Eisner, my Love who has already said yes to me all those months ago, my Love who has provided us with a new peaceful, happy world, will you do me the honor of being my queen and marrying me?”

Clapping and cheering echoes in Byleth’s ears as she pulls Claude in for a kiss. Of course she accepts; she’s already waited too long for his return. And as Claude lifts her from the ground, she can’t help but grin into the kiss. This, this is what true happiness feels like. It’s being surrounded by friends. It’s getting to live in a peaceful world. It’s being in the arms of the man she loves more than anyone else. This is happiness; Byleth is sure of it.

---

Small smiles pull at the corners of Flayn’s students as she wraps up her story. It did them some good to have spent a class not taking notes, but just listening to a story of Flayn’s choosing. She knows better than to make every class a potential exam question, facts memorized and regurgitated. Sometimes, kids just need a moment to learn without the expectation of repeating the facts exactly as they have been told.

She watches as her students get up from their chairs, stretching a little before filing out of her classroom. And Flayn grins as a few students come to her, prodding her for more details. She happily fills them in, though not without keeping a few of the information to herself.

Where did she get that story? Where can they read it for themselves? Well, Flayn tells them she had come across it during her university days, back when she was a student who had travelled to the ancient capital of Derdriu. The exact source, she can’t recall, but she’ll be sure to tell them if she finds it somewhere.

Why was it she seemed so familiar with people who had lived a thousand years ago? Well, that’s simple. She’s spent so much time on the subject, they almost seem like friends to her. She’s read so much about them, seen so much art about the victors of the Great Fódlan War; she can’t help but talk about them as if she were acquainted with them.

Did Claude and Byleth have children? Did they get to live happily ever after? That, Flayn has no troubling answering. She has no problem smiling as she nods: they did have children of their own, and they did get to live a happy life together, though not without their disagreements. Claude and Byleth, they were both headstrong, though it is said that the King more often than not conceded to his wife out of pure love and devotion. The only thing she could never win against him was the way wyverns were trained, not that she had any intention of correcting him on his way of treating the beasts.

But for more stories about the King of Almyra and the Queen of Fódlan, they would have to wait for another class with Flayn. Until then, she ushered them to their next class, reminding them of their upcoming reading assignment. Until the next time Flayn could tell them stories about Claude and Byleth, or perhaps of their friends, her students would have to get through their other classes.

It wouldn’t be long before Flayn would tell another story of her friends, not that anyone had to know that she had been there, standing behind everyone as horror and beauty filled Fódlan, during its destruction and its rebirth.

[fireemblems24]

Golden Wildfire Ch 15 (Final)

Guys, I think this is finally it, the last chapter

MAIN STORY

We're . . . not going to get an answer about Shez, are we? Would I if I recruited Byleth?

Which, now that I think about it, that was really anticlimatic death.

Also, Claude wants Dimitri and Faerghus to survive, but Rhea to die. Edelgard doesn't want Dimitri and Faerghus to survive, but also wants Rhea to die. So why the hell is Claude letting Edelgard right Dimitri while he fights Rhea? What's stopping Edelgard from killing Dimitri and taking all the Faerghus land she desperately wants? He knows Rhea was only an excuse for her.

I guess just another "Claude is an idiot" point or the writers not giving a single shit about him or this route and only caring about Dimitri and Edelgard.

Claude is suddenly reading Dimitri's mind. He thinks Dimitri wants him to dissolve the central church. This is . . . beyond stupid. Claude is literally imagining the enemy wants he wishes the enemy would want. This is such a stupid thing to do in war. Dimitri has never showed signs of wanting the church dissolved.

Also, blaming all of Fodlan's problems on Rhea is so dumb and such childish thinking too.

They really were like, go Claude, we'll give you nothing! in the writer's room.

If I cared about Claude, I'd be livid. I doubt many Dimitri or Edelgard fans are upset though.

Man, the character list is so much smaller in this route.

MAP/SIDE BATTLES

So annoyed this one has a bunch of side quests. I'm sooooo close to finishing this game.

Aww, an Alliance NPC talked about how much she likes Seteth and hopes he survives.

Ouch! Yuri! When he questions the validity of Claude's plans, Shez assures him it's the only way to pave the future, and he has the audacity to say "I guess now isn't the time to be wondering who exactly is included in this future we're dreaming about." He's calling Claude out on his shit big time. Yuri just does not fit here.

Ashe keeps talking about Dimitri. He's miserable.

Hapi doesn't want to kill Rhea :(

Ohhh, interesting, so Raphael doesn't like how we've been fighting. Shez can agree or disagree. I agreed in both SB and GW. In GW, she says their actions are too haphazard, but in SB, she says they're being too brutal and not letting anyone surrender. Curious differences (ofc Raphael just wants to eat and party, that's what he disagrees with, it's Shez's perceptions that made me interested).

Gilbert and Dimitri talking. Dimitri arriving has boosted moral. But it's the same for his enemies.

Dimitri's concerned about Rhea and learns that they're prepared for battle. Dimitri can't help them :(

Dimitri ordered his citizens to evacuate because he's worried about what the Alliance will do, but isn't convinced Claude wants to destroy his Kingdom.

I love Dimitri doubling down on protecting his people above all else here. Gustave is upset about abandoning Rhea. Dimitri is too, but he's willing to be the bad guy if it saves a single life in Faerghus.

A side mission involved defeating Cyril :( And now Flayn :(

SHEZ & RAPHAEL A

Soldiers are happier. Shez can guess war turning in our favor or pay raise.

If you ever needed proof that Raphael is an idiot, he argues that wouldn't make sense because not everyone is motivated by money. Like, seriously, tell me a single soldier there who gives a flying shit about what some king says. The only route this wouldn't be true in is AG since they're fighting for their lives.

Anyways, it's actually the food.

Shez talks about how a good meal rather than scapes is a good motivator. And honestly, good point.

Raphael talks about being an innkeeper. Honestly, he'd be such a fun boss to have, but he'll need to hire someone to handle the logistics lol.

Raphael asks Shez to tag along. I can either be nice and agree or not make promises. Being mean to Raphael is basically bullying.

Shez either way still considers being a mercenary, but I love the idea of Shez and Raphael running an inn together.

LYSITHEA & RAPHAEL A

Wonder why they choose Lysithea of all people to reach A with Raphael.

She studied too long and is out after dark, so obviously scared. She tries to convince herself the weird noises is Raphael.

But it's not this time, bc he shows up and asks what's the creepy noise lol. Poor Lysithea.

Now she's properly freaked out. Poor girl.

It's probably just a cat, but she thinks it's a ghost.

Lysithea goes to investigate too or else she'll be alone.

I guessed wrong. It's a puppy, not a cat. Poor doggy is hungry, and Raphael knows the dog.

Lysithea is like, if you knew the dog, how come you didn't know that? lol.

HILDA & DOROTHEA B

A fan gave Dorothea a bracelet, and she appreciates the support. Hilda wishes she had one too.

Dorothea tells Hilda no one is better in the whole army at makeup and accessories.

The support addresses how Hilda makes her own accessories.

Dorothea talks about plant design trends. So like real life lol.

Hilda asks Dorothea about her makeup. She tries to stick for ones that are actually good for the body. Which, is really good considering what they used to use for makeup.

They want to keep chatting over tea.

Honestly, I love seeing two girls just chat about girly things without anyone putting it down.

It's nice, in general, how the Fodlan games don't put down the women who are really into fashion and the ones who don't care. Everyone is allowed to just exist, and it's great.

LYSITHEA PARALOGUE

Does she get her own because her paired up one is in SB?

She apologizes to Count Glouster for all the chaos Ordelia causes, but he apologizes for not taking care of it. She understands how important it is for him to protect the bridge.

Her father is buddies with Lorenz's father.

Shez comes with news about Ordelia under attack.

No one else can help. Lysithea says she didn't realize how Claude could be so cruel. Shez tries to defend him by saying she's all the way out here, and Lysithea claps back. Team Lysithea here.

Shez thought Count Glouster would we dead weight. She was right. Idiot almost died. Shez and Lysithea were fine.

He looks forward to the day both aren't leaders anymore so they can just be friends and thinks Lysithea would be a worthy heir :( Poor Lysithea, she faltered at that.

Glouster did nothing to help Lysithea's father because he led the pro-Empire nobles.

MARIANNE & YURI A

Yuri sees Marianne out late and worried that she was going to leave like she thought about, but she was just walking her horse.

Then we get the classic "..." and "..." response. Since the ye ole days characters have done that in FE supports.

Marianne is like, why were you worried, then goes off how she's just a burden, and Yuri is like stop that, now.

Yuri is allergic to horses and cats? :((( Poor guy. That would suck.

That's why he was always giving Marianne funny looks, because he was about to sneeze and she's always around horses, lamo.

It's nice seeing Yuri be nice. But if he was mean to Marianne, like how can you be mean to Marianne?

Yuri dreams of being able to spent time with the animals he's allergic too, so he accepts Marianne's offer to use magic to try to help. I hope it works.

HILDA & DOROTHEA A

Hilda is trying to figure out what's wrong with one of her accessories. She thinks it's missing something.

Dorothea offers to help out, and is really impressed with Hilda's craftsmanship. And honestly, there's a picture and it looks pretty.

Hilda likes Dorothea's suggestion.

Dorothea also offers to buy the accessories for the opera, and use that to advertise them too.

Hilda is more than happy with that suggestion.

Hilda actually wants to open her own school to teach people craftsmanship, and thinks she can partner with Dorothea on that too.

MARIANNE & IGNATZ A

A pegasus that Ignatz was helping said "bring me more hay, four eyes." to Ignatz, Marianne interpreted. She rightly called it rude lamo.

Ignatz used to ride pegasus with his mother, she used to be a pegasus knight. I wonder if that's why he wants to be a knight.

He was really impressed with the view, understandably.

It made him want to become a pegasus knight, but they're sexist lol. Women only.

That's why he wants to help with the pegasi so much, it's the closest he can get.

Marianne is like "I can feel your feelings in the paintings" and Ignatz freaks out until she keeps going and saying she can tell how much he loves pegasi. I wonder what he was so worried about . . .hmm . . . Liking Marianne just proves taste though.

Marianne thinks that maybe the pegasus will accept Ignatz. But I don't think it went well lol. She grabbed his clothing with her teeth, not on her back. OMG, poor Ignatz.

It ends with Ignatz begging for Marianne's help lamo.

MAIN (& FINAL) BATTLE

Alright, guys, this is it. 2/3 done once this battle is over. Sadly, I'll probably have to kill Rhea though. But who knows, she got to be the hero of SB in the end, maybe GW too, or is that asking too much?

Rhea's like I should've killed these bitches years ago (rather than protecting them after turning her genocided family into weapons, poor woman has seen some shit).

Rhea thinks she'll have the goddesses' protection. Too bad Sothis is dead :(

It seems like Rhea is expecting to die. She's telling Seteth and Flayn to run. And saying her time is at an end.

It's funny that Rhea also thinks she's fighting for the future and humanity because she thinks she knows what's best. She and Edelgard (and Claude in this route) are really the same. Then there's Dimitri, the only sane one who doesn't have a bloated ego that thinks he knows best for every living soul in Fodlan, in some case, without ever even talking to some people from a particular country (looking at you, Edelgard, ding dong thinks she can rule Faerghus better than Dimitri without ever even having bothered to TALK to someone from Faerghus).

OK, so why did Edelgard only get 40 points, but Claude gets 70?

OMG, one of Claude's tactics is to burn the enemies alive (elite archers turn enemies into ash, not sure how else to see that).

I don't want to kill Cyril two times in one night :( Thankfully, he retreated.

Great, now Alois is here, claiming he'll fight to the death, which seems major OOC even with Rhea under attack. This game really forgot that he had a family, didn't it? I think he, Claude, and Caspar got the biggest downgrades in writing.

Oh, shit, he died for real. And he mentioned his family this time.

I had to fight Seteth too, but he retreated, thankfully.

DON'T MAKE ME KILL MERCEDES!!!!

Oh, fuck, Cyril died :((( God.

Jeritza came to save his sister :(((( So he turned against the Empire in GW. That's kinda touching, much better than in Houses. Seems Mercedes is now flipping, better than having to kill her like poor Cyril and Alois.

Now I have to fight Flayn :( Thankfully, she withdrew.

Now I have to fight Seteth and Flayn again, but on the upside, Rhea did badass magic and took away my captured strongholds.

I'm not clear if Flayn died or retreated, but Seteth is pissed off at me.

Oh, thank God, they're both running away.

Time to kill Rhea :(

Cut scene time. Wow, Claude, that's rich. He's telling Rhea to go walk away. But, to like where? The guy's been hell bent on killing her and blaming her for everything from racism to arranged marriage this entire game?

Why the random flower getting crushed? Usually that's a sign of crushed renewal, not a brand new world like Claude's been blowing smoke about this whole route.

Lololol Idiot just realized Rhea's the Immaculate One.

Lamo, even in the final battle Marianne's not convinced Claude not coo coo for coco puffs.

More cut scene. Shez and Claude killing Rhea. Shez turned into Arval. Wonder what happens if you recruit Byleth.

This was such a watered-down version of SB's final battle. They both had Rhea as a final boss, but SB got Thales too and it was A LOT harder because of that. Either that or Lorenz is really that silly stupid good.

Another abrupt, non-ending.

Claude wanted the war to end, and shock of all shock, killing Rhea didn't work!!! The idiot. All those people died, for nothing. I also predict greedy assholes will still enforce hierarchies and be racist, even without Rhea.

This ending may have been even worse than SB's? Because at least Edelgard still has a goal she's working towards, it just cut off mid-way. Claude accomplished his and nothing changed - he only made the world worse.

Are either GW or SB better endings if you get Byleth? I'm betting that's what happens. Because that can't be the real ending, lol.

MVP time. Wonder when it'll turn into the Lorenz show. As soon as Ch 5, pretty much no one but Lorenz got MVP. He's just absurd, but in a boring way. He's invulnerable to damage, but doesn't play very fun. If I ever did GW again, I'd main Lysithea. She's a unit type I like way more, hella strong and fast, but low defense. Lorenz made GW super boring to play since I didn't have to think at all. He's that good of a unit.

It's funny seeing nothing but Lorenz's face on an endless scroll (except paralogues or like, women units only battles)

I can't believe I'm getting a letter from Lorenz. If I knew I'd get a letter, I would've picked a character I actually liked, like Marianne. Hubert's letter was better. Lorenz's was really generic.

Still pissed there's no paired endings.

And these endings are so bad, wtf. I'm glad I did this twice so I know AG is also just going to randomly end.

xxx

[fantasyinvader]

Something I've wanted to talk about is that from the very beginning people have been wondering how Edelgard links her being experimented on to her waging war on the Church. People have always wondered about her logic here, why she isn't going after TWSITD for what they've done and her hold Rhea responsible. I think it kinda works like this.

First, we have Edelgard's claims that she was experimented on by Aegir and the nobility in an attempt to create a strong emperor to rule over Fodlan. That should, if you've been paying attention, raise a red flag, as that same group led an insurrection against Ionius to strip him of his power. Bit of a contradiction, but we see Ionius “confirm” this himself in his one scene.

Ionius is also the one who told Edelgard the version of history that she believes, saying it's secret knowledge passed down from emperor to emperor.

However, with the reveal of the Flame Emperor, scenes with the Flame Emperor have new meaning. Edelgard hears from Arundel that Nemesis was simply a bandit rather than a hero for humanity, but she ignores it. Likewise, she makes it clear that she knows Thales was the one behind Enbarr and Duscur. In that latter scene, she's told the experiments were to give her the power to purge Fodlan of beasts and bring salvation to Thales' group. They were so that Edelgard could obtain the power she needs for the purpose Thales has for her.

So right there Edelgard's claim that it was because the nobles covet Crests and wanted to create a strong Emperor should fall apart. She's being told by the person who killed her siblings why he did what he did. Likewise in an event scene with Hubert it's stated that Arundel is the leader of Solon and Kronya's group, TWSITD, all but directly stating that Thales and Arundel are the same person. He also says that they were the ones who experimented on Edelgard, killed her siblings, in addition to turning her father into their puppet and Edelgard knows all this.

Arundel is also referred to as a regent, someone who rules over a country when the monarch is unable to fulfill their duties. This term isn't just used lightly, as Dimitri's story features his uncle Rufus acting as regent until Dimitri is of legal age to be king. The game knows what it is talking about. Aegir might be the Prime Minister but Arundel is acting as ruler, which fits with how the newly crowned Emperor Edelgard can simply arrest Aegir on the spot.

With Aegir, Ferdie's paralogue reveals that while he harshly taxed the Hymr region, Arundel taxed those same people more harshly, conscripted them to fight in this war and killed those who resisted all while blaming Aegir. Hopes takes it a step further, saying while there was plenty of evidence towards Aegir's corruption there wasn't any for the worst things Edelgard accuses him of. Ferdie's paralogue also contradicts the creating a powerful emperor stuff, stating the insurrection was to prevent Ionius from consolidating power.

So, Edelgard was told by father, who was controlled by acting regent Arundel, that the experiments were done by Aegir in order to create a powerful Emperor after the Insurrection that was meant to limit the Emperor's power. Edelgard knows Arundel is actually Thales, the leader of the group who experimented on her and killed her siblings in addition to supposedly knowing he's the one who manipulated her father. Thales himself tells her the reason for the experiments was to give her the power to purge Fodlan and bring salvation to their group. She is their messiah, so to speak.

Edelgard herself claims the Flame Emperor and TWSITD may only working together because their goals overlap. We know at the end of Flower that Arundel arrives to sees Rhea's death, saying it will be the moment mankind is freed from “the control of that false beast of a goddess.” Edelgard herself states in Hopes that she started the war so that she might unify Fodlan and remake it based on her ideals. But then again, Flower has numerous moments where it's referred to as the conquest of Fodlan and the Empire is stated to begin military expeditions, invading countries, in Caspar's Japanese endings. But that aforementioned conversation with Thales says that it'll be the dawn of an age where the world is ruled by the Empire, while in Azure Moon Edelgard says there can only be one ruler of the world.

Silver Snow has Seteth say the Empire was used to start a war while Flayn says Edelgard made an alliance with them to further her own goals (playing Edelgard as less of a victim, but also confirming her stance in White Clouds). Verdant Wind, instead, says Edelgard and the Empire were simply pawns in TWSITD's game. In exploration, Felix says the Slithers were the ones behind the Empire while Hanneman says they have infiltrated the darkest corners of the Empire and Hapi says war would have been inevitable with them pulling the strings of the Empire. In Hopes, Edelgard admits she's purposefully ignored TWSITD's influence on the Empire.

And we've had the devs confirm they built the world to support Silver Snow's story. Edelgard was meant to be both villain and victim. Someone manipulated by TWSITD into starting a war, made into weapon by them then aimed at Rhea through her father. TWSITD aren't meant to be sympathetic in any way because they're meant to be the ones in the wrong. They're the bad guys, with there being no peace so long as they're around (Noticed Seteth has a line about how they needed to be defeated in the Japanese changed to killing every last one of them. Nice Treehouse).

Edelgard is just ignoring the truth, like she's accused of by doing in Azure Moon by Dimitri and confirms herself in Hopes. The Church had nothing to do with what happened to her, nor does it hold the influence she believes it does when 1) The Empire disbanded it's own branch a century prior, 2) The Western Church was being manipulated by TWSITD to further their goals, and 3) the Eastern Church is rendered powerless by the Alliance's power structure with Lorenz saying that the nobles only pay lip-service to it. We have students who have Crests but whose families have fallen into ruin, or their family's positions have nothing to do with their Crests, in addition to two foreign nobles in the school. The person she views as a champion for humanity was also used by the same people who destroyed her life, nor did Wilhelm betray humanity.

In short, her logic isn't meant to hold up. It's meant to be a sign she's been played, and her winning doesn't make things better since 1) the bad guys still got what they wanted, and 2) she's meant to represent rule through military force, called out for it by Claude in Verdant Wind, and has a whole bunch of endings attached to her victory specifically that should give you pause.

[doctorcanon]

Fic Excerpt: FE:3H Modern AU

So I’m doing a thing. This is just a first draft. I think I want to up the ante on this and make Dimitri’s drunken tirade (not featured) much, much worse. As a matter of fact, I think Edelgard and Dimitri are going to be drunk. Also I’m so down for Estranged but trying to reconcile Edelgard and Dimitri. Also Claude is there. Idk I would like someone to help me beta this. In this scene: Edelgard’s Father (who’s still alive btw) has thrown an extravagant Christmas party by way of celebrating his daughter getting her Ph.D. Warning: Copious amounts of Alcohol.

“Staring at him isn���t going to make it less awkward.” Edelgard winces. She should know that Claude is always watching. Sure enough, she finds his old classmate sipping a martini and sitting at the table he’s clearly not assigned to. “Just go over there, this is painful to watch.” Claude tosses back what’s left of his martini. 

“Then stop watching.” Edelgard chides irritably. 

“Oh come on, you literally told me that you’ve been...” He straightened himself in a poor imitation of her, “...thinking about him more than necessary.” Edelgard scoffs and grabs a glass of champagne from the nearest waiter. Claude is never wrong. Dimitri looks lost, holding a rocks glass and glancing about at people he doesn’t know anymore. Edelgard wonders if that a side effect of his medication. “This is the perfect opportunity to nag him in a completely inconspicuous way. Just picture it: The prodigal brother…”

“Step-brother.” Edelgard corrects.

“Look, I can’t create a narrative if you’re going to interrupt.” Claude replies sourly. Edelgard has to admit, Dimitri is at least trying. He’s wearing a suit but seems to have lost his tie. She swears he walked in with one. He clearly stopped cutting his hair but has the decency to tie it into a messy ponytail. He’s drinking something dark from a rocks glass. That’s strange...she thought he was on medication. Losing an eye isn’t something your body just gets over. “Just go over there, Edie. He won’t bite.” Edelgard doubts that. She takes a look at her champagne glass and downs it. “Attagirl!” She ignores Claude and marches over to Dimitri like a woman with a goddamn Ph.D. 

“Hello, Dimitri.” She says, almost sternly. Dimitri whips around and seems shocked to see her. Good lord, this is her father’s party. Did he forget why he was here? “How are you?” It’s a loaded question with many answers. She’s just going to trust him to pick the most polite one. 

“Fine.” He says quickly. “Just um...just fine.” At a loss, Dimitri oscillates and Edelgard has to clench her fist from rolling her eyes. Must he be so helplessly awkward? Nevertheless, her wayward stepbrother seems to find his footing. “And you?”

“Happy.” She says, hyper-aware that her tone suggests otherwise. Dimitri pauses in his drinking but does her the courtesy of keeping his mouth shut. “Over the moon, in fact. It took five years to get my Ph.D. I move into my new office after New Year’s.” Remain cordial. Deep breaths. There’s nothing to be angry about. Yet.

“That’s great, El.” Oh god. “That’s...that’s really great. Congratulations. I wish I could’ve been there at your graduation ceremony.” That make Edelgard pause.

“That’s right.” She says. “You weren’t at the graduation…” She ponders, leaving “why weren’t you there?” unasked. 

“I was in vision therapy.” Dimitri explains. “Even though my sight has mostly recovered, driving is still difficult in certain conditions and my friends don’t want me driving at night especially. I can’t exactly get a ride share outside of town without it costing quite a bit.” Edelgard can’t help but feel a tiny bit guilty. She didn’t send him invitation. 

“You have a ride tonight, though, right?” She asks. Dimitri leans into the mundane conversation like it’s the only thing keeping him upright.

“Yes, yes, of course.” He says. “Dedue would kill me if I tried to drive by myself in the snow.” Edelgard has heard of Dedue many times but has only seen him a few times and hears him speak even less. He’s the person teaching Dimitri how to act like a normal human being. The lessons must be working because to charges through these awkward pauses like a champ. Though she realizes that his glass is full again.

“What are you drinking?” She asks a little too innocently.

“Whiskey.” Dimitri says simply before taking a rather loud gulp. Oh no. She’s beginning to see what’s going on here. She knew the open bar was a bad idea.

“Are you not on medication?” She asks. She’s about as transparent as a clean window but she just can’t help herself. She can’t let a man on pain medication get drunk at her - well...her father’s...party. 

“Not today.” That seems unlikely. “The socket is empty, so no prosthetic fittings, no headaches, no sharp flashes or phantom eye twitching. It’s almost like I was never born with one.” There’s a dangerous edge to her brother’s voice. He takes two big swallows and paces his drink back on the bar. “The doctor says it’ll be like I never lost it.” He says a bit quieter. She almost doesn’t hear him over the jazzy rendition of Sleigh Bells. His glass is full again. Wow, that bartender really isn’t paying attention, is she? Dimitri leans back and says. “Thank you, could you get my sister some more champagne?” Edelgard looks down at her glass. It’s empty. Has she really been sipping at it this whole time? She accepts the next full glass with a quiet thank you. “Are you going to be in town until New Year’s?”

“Yes, I am. Dad’s selling the old house.” Edelgard replies. Dimitri takes a few drinks of his whiskey. How many is that now, three? “You should slow down.” She says disparagingly. “Even if you aren’t on medication, that can’t be good for you.” 

“I get a list of what I should do from my doctor everyday, El.” Dimitri counters. “I know exactly what I should and shouldn’t be doing.” That might’ve been a bridge too far but four glasses of champagne tells her it doesn’t matter. 

“Well now you have one more person telling you. Perhaps that’ll make it stick.” Someone leaves the bar, sensing the tension. Dimitri straightens himself up like he’s bracing himself. She doesn’t appreciate the implication that she’s something to be withstood instead of respected. She gets enough of that from her colleagues. She won’t tolerate it from her so-called brother. “Your recovery is important. Your body has to be sound to heal itself. You’re not going to grow another eye but what if it doesn’t heal properly?” Dimitri opens his mouth to respond but she cuts him off. “It’s Christmas, Dimitri. Don’t waste it at the bar. Honestly, they haven’t even served the food. Pull yourself together.” She leans over, making eye contact with the bartender. “Cut him off.” With that, she struts off. 

Clause watches from his seat. That...didn’t go as planned.

[faroreswinds]

Ok, anon ask time

What I’m concerned about in the AG ending is the fact that Dimitri and Claude continue to fight the empire till it’s on its last legs with no power at all. I’m not sure if that can be taken as them invading the empire or not but I feel that the imperialism arguments will be thrown back at Dimitri and Claude.

People will argue stupid stuff. But the Empire started the war, and now it needs to end. It’s still not imperialism. 

This does spit back in the face of Houses though, where the war end the moment Edelgard is out of commission. I guess that’s not what happens here.

The cutscene of Shez killing Byleth is also out on Youtube and I can already imagine the reactions from the Byleth fans. I actually feel pretty bad for them. 

We already should have known that was something that could happen. Shez is essentially a bad guy in a way, after all. 

Luckily, Byleth CAN be spared and this is a good thing. The fans should be ok with that.

Oh no. Dimitri seems to have a racist moment in this game. He says “I was raised to think of the Sreng people as demons who emerged unbidden from the snowy tundra. Considering that, exchanging even a few meager sentences with them feels like a miracle”.   I’m really not sure why they had him say that. It feel super ooc.

I saw that but it’s a little overblown. The Sreng people have always attacked the Kingdom, and the two sides couldn’t communicate. Dimitri was bound to hear how monstrous they were. But it’s also clear that Lambert and the Margrave always desired to make friendly relations with the Sreng people, and Dimitri does too. 

People are going to use that line as proof but when they do, point out that it’s out of context. Dimitri? Racist? Please. 

The most terrible assassinations are these:

1, when Lorenz questions Claude why he sacrifices the innocent Kingdom, Claude said Kingdom had sacrificed alliance in wars hundred years ago.

2, when Rhea questions Claude why he helped who started the war, Claude answered that he did not care who started the war, and something like he only wanted his goal achieved.

Claude is such a mess here. It’s like he took dumb dumb pills. I really don’t know what they were thinking with him. He’s literally punishing the sins of the fathers. 

And apparently, Claude can either betray Edelgard in SB OR stay allied with her and go destroy the Kingdom in SB. Of course, it ends on a cliffhanger so we don’t know what happens next. But Claude is always clear, even to Edelgard, he doesn’t want the Kingdom gone. Why is he still helping Edelgard at the end of SB? 

I’ve already seen some people happy that Claude allies with Edelgard and are happy that the Kingdom will be gone soon. Like, why? The Kingdom in this game is literally “Leave us alone, please” embodied. And if Edelgard’s AND Claude’s only desire was to remove the Church and kill Rhea, then WHY still march on the Kingdom, you idiots?!

sorry could you post the full conversation between claude and dimitri in gw? i don’t think i’ll okay but i’d like to read it. also have the scenes for the lords all together at the end of each route leaked??

It’s actually coded as a C support with Claude. See link here for the whole thing. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbmwJj8mTZ8

And as for that, I’m not sure yet, anon. I only just learned about SB’s alternative ending this morning myself.

It bothers me a lot to say this knowing what Miklan did in the past, but… I kinda like him after playing Azure Gleam? He is quite funny. I love the entire Gautier family. I am glad they aren’t really the distant, estranged family many pictured them to be.

I can’t believe it either, anon, but I agree. Miklan when from rapist loser to kinda a redeemed giga chad. I... like him? Huh, funny how that works. 

And I just feel so vindicated about the whole family. I’ve been saying for years that I don’t think the Margrave is as evil as they say. And what do you know, I was right! Feels good, I have to admit. 

[marahuyos]

anon asked: If requests are still open, I'd like to request claude, edelgard, dimitri and maybe yuri (pre or post timeskip) from fe 3h having to deal with an impulsive s/o who is overprotective if you don't mind me asking

*:･ﾟ✧ i may have messed up the request so sorry sksks

gn!reader

tw: spoilers for all post timeskip routes

✧ Claude von Riegan

• He feels exhilarated and curious all at the same time. He’s never met anyone that piqued his interest as hard as Byleth and... they were Byleth. He hasn’t seen anyone who was as outspoken as you are even when he’s seen a lot of common folk. Hell, even when you two are together, he feels like he hasn’t cracked you down even though you bare your heart to him so easily. He hates the feeling but at the same time he would revel in the risk of leaving him vulnerable for someone that wasn’t himself.

• Speaking of laying bare, he’s not used to this-to have someone else care for him. All his life, he had only himself to depend on, not trusting the words from Almyra and Fodlan alike. He keeps everyone at a respectable distance from his heart and he was content with that.

• But when you came along, everything changed for him.

• He still remembers the day that he first saw you; he was assigned weeding duty from Byleth due to another prank caused by him. Alongside Claude, they picked you, a random student who wanted to be an armored knight at some point, so you always asked Byleth to assign you in weeding. Not the best type of training for your calves and spine but at least it's something productive for Garreg Mach.

• Of course, Claude wouldn't want to pick out weeds so his next scheme is to see how far he could annoy you. Not that he bared any resentment towards you but hey, a man has to kill boredom somehow. Before he could try and see if he could get a beetle to drop in your clothes, other students strolled by. Faceless ones that Claude won't probably remember but he knows that they were the types who mutter under their breath on anything that they find hilarious.

     • "Look at that," one of them says to their friend, "a rat and a loudmouth doing the church's work."      • "Honestly, what were they thinking of letting trash like them in Garreg Mach?"

• Claude could care less about petty words, he's grown past them. But he was taken aback when you raised your voice at the two. "Don't call me a loudmouth if I wring you both by the necks in the next mock battle!"

• And after disposing the beetle, disarming the possible fight that was happening in a weedy field, and convincing Seteth that no, it was not Claude who started the fight this time, he's found an interest in you. He hasn't had this impulsive person in his life other than Judith and it scares him. It scares him that he places his trust in you, knowing that you would say what ever is on your mind and that you might find him repulsive like a street rat.

• But you never do. Past your brazen personality and iron fists when it comes to defending Claude, you still treat him like a person ("Because you deserve it, dumbass. Don't go making a spiel on how mysterious you are.").

• Even when he became the King of Unification, people would remember how he stares at you in absolute reverence whenever you tell him that the new Leicester Alliance is making your head spin harder than Lorenz's pick-up lines.

✧ Edelgard von Hresvelg

• She's grown an interest in you. She's never met anyone who ever spoken their mind so freely compared to you. Sure there was Dorothea, but even the girl has secrets that she keeps to herself. To you, listening to your random spiels about everything that you've seen, Edelgard is not even annoyed. In fact, she looks forward to listening to your daily ramblings.

• Even when people began to talk behind your backs, she still invites you to tea time as you talk. She doesn't mind them but she knows when you hear them as she sighs through her nose when she hears your insults to them. It was another fight that she has to dismiss and another apology towards Seteth.

• Still, she wouldn't change it for the world. Not when you tell her that she was the stupidest person alive to issue a worldwide purge, when she could've headed towards a less bloody path, when she didn't have to waste what little is left of her precious life. She could only let a tired smile stretch across her face as she cradles your bloodied hands.

     • "Maybe so," she said, "but at least... I am somewhat sane when I have you to bring me back to reality."

• Despite this, you never detached from Edelgard's side. As dutifully as her personal guard and lover, you defended her from outlandish cries, from assassination attempts, from her own demons that plague her mind. Your brash words and physical strength is what kept the woman grounded and like hell is Edelgard going to let you go.

• Even when going down in history, historians depicted Edelgard as a ruthless ruler clad in red with her lover holding her like she was their world.

✧ Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

• He's met his fare share of impulsive people such as Sylvain and Felix. But he hasn't met anyone such as yourself. He practically had heart eyes already when you started spewing how awesome he was a throwing his spear and how he was practically cool in general. He's never met anyone so honest as you that it scares him.

• It scares him how easily it must be to break your heart should he reject you (but thank Seiros he didn't, he'd be a damn fool to do so). But he sees that you were tough as nails. He sees that you don't break as easily compared to plates or the sewn items Mercedes had made. He can't help but be thankful for someone who's as solid as a rock, for someone he can rely on when he feels the winds of change course.

• ... Is what I've described but it's really just holding Dimitri's hand while he blushes so hard you fear he might pass out while you were staring at him with a dumb smile.

• It doesn't help that both of you are overprotective of each other. It wouldn't be long for either party to brandish their weapons at any foreseeable threat. It takes the likes of Dedue, Felix, Raphael when he's available, and Rhea herself to pry you two away from causing mass genocide.

• ... Yeah about that. See what happened in the Azure Moon route. But hey! You weren't the one committing genocide!

• Even if he pushes you away, threatens you, confesses that a monster like him doesn't deserve you, you've returned to becoming Dimitri's anchor. You were the one who slapped some sense (figuratively or literally is up to your interpretation) when the rest of the Blue Lions came back. You've become his anchor and now, his next spouse to lead the new Fodlan in a time of peace.

✧ Yuri Leclerc

• In this case, you were someone in the Abyss just like the Ashen Wolves are. Yuri isn’t the type to let anyone close to him; he only places his trust to those who aren’t savages like Dimitri or Edelgard. In fact, he seems to trust you more than anyone else because of how honest you are even with the rocky start.

• The rocky start being that you were way too honest for your own good. There was no way you survived in the Abyss letting your mouth run like that. He’s always at a complete stand-still when you’re picking fights against his men who questioned his leadership. He hasn’t met anyone who honestly cares for him, the last time he remembers was his own mother. He clenches his fist each time he remembers but it wasn’t anger. He felt... happy knowing that you got his back.

• With you being your honest self, Yuri feels like he can be at ease. He doesn’t have to make multiple personas to talk to you, he’s already seen your true persona. He can let the tension off his shoulders when you say that his current make-up looks like hell and that you wanted to try and fix it for him (and he’ll always let you with a small smirk on his face).

• He’s appreciative of you being overprotective, even when there was a war for Fodlan. Yuri knows that you have his back no matter what and that he’s glad that he has someone like you to lead the Abyss amidst this war. Even if he hasn’t revealed his true name to you, the amount of trust you put on him makes him exhilarating and sick at the same time.

• He hopes that he shouldn’t write your name on his notebook someday soon. But maybe one day, in a Goddess Tower maybe, he would confess to you his true name with your hand in marriage.

[gascon-en-exil]

were you going to make a post about what you think would happen to edelgard's children and the future of the continent

I'd thought about making a full-on fic of it, but unfortunately creative writing is not my strong suit and I only ever got through a few pages of notes and snippets. Basically it would have been a Fódlan version of FE4 Gen 2 to follow CF's Gen 1. Featuring (FE4 equivalents in parentheses)

Claude and Hilda's daughter, raised in Almyra, with one of Claude's siblings and/or Holst as advisors (Leif and Altena)

Raphael and Marianne, who are absent from CF if not recruited, and/or their child (miscellaneous child unit 1)

A half dozen orphans from Faerghus and Duscur adopted by Dimitri and Dedue during the timeskip and sent to safety in a Duscur village (the Tirnanog kids)

Rufus's bastard son with a Blaiddyd crest, working as a mercenary in a ruined and neglected Faerghus (Ares)

The Ashen Wolves, separately or together again in Abyss under Yuri

Shamir, now a wandering mercenary, and Hanneman and/or Linhardt whom the army encounters at Garreg Mach and recruits

Alois's child, out to avenge their fallen parents after their village became another Agarthan testing ground (miscellaneous child unit 2)

Anna, because money

Fighting against

Caspar's older brother, ruling the Alliance after the death of his father

Lorenz, now Count Gloucester, though he may be spared and switch sides

A whole lot of roving bandits in Faerghus, because no one's been in charge

Edelgard, now retired for several years to be with her beloved teacher; she and Byleth are fought and killed while on a nostalgic trip back to the monastery, and this is played for maximum sympathy (Arvis, of course)

Bernadetta, killed in her own domain of course (Endgame lord 1)

Caspar, looking to avenge his brother (Endgame lord 2)

Petra, who can be swayed to neutrality because it's really not her fight (Arione)

Dorothea and Manuela, arranging a defense of Enbarr (Endgame lord 3)

Jeritza, who'd been roaming the land killing at will but came back to Enbarr one last time

Ferdinand, in the Imperial palace with a bunch of Demonic Beasts and a puppet emperor who may not even be human, all arranged by his lover who killed Thales years ago and has been controlling the Agarthans ever since; Ferdinand dies still believes that Hubert truly loves him more than he loved Edelgard (Ishtar)

Hubert, the true power behind the Imperial throne, who never got Edelgard to put out but now has a hegemon husk of her to control, now even stronger with parts from the butchered corpses of Rhea and all the other Nabateans he'd seen hunted down and killed; both he and his ghastly and yet strangely sexualized creation will have to be taken down to finally defeat the Empire (Manfroy and Julius)

Leading into

Claude's daughter claims Leicester for herself and assumes control of Adrestia on account of everyone else there being dead; both territories are partially absorbed into Almyra which comes in handy now that Dagda is poking around looking to invade the continent again

One of Dimitri's sons becomes king, beloved by the fiercely independent people of Faerghus and allowed by Claude's daughter because it's not like that land is all that valuable anyway; the brave sacrifice of his fathers is gradually no homo'ed by future historians, but at least Faerghus and Duscur are now well and truly reconciled

The Kingdom will have a succession crisis a few generations down the line, courtesy of Rufus's bastard being the bigger man and not taking the throne despite his Crest which is bound to make someone resentful

Hubert's probably dead this time...maybe?

Sothis is up on some metaphysical plane looking down on Fódlan and gabbing with Ashunera and Naga and so forth about how people suck, at least until the next time she has to get involved in a war

Fin(?)

[raspberryranpo]

May I request an angst fic based on "There are no bargains between lion and men. I will kill you and eat you raw" for Claude x reader? Totally up to you whether or not you want to make it have a fluff ending or just be straight angst. Thank you!

no bargains

fire emblem three houses: claude von riegan

i’m afraid i’ve long since given up on writing long fics, BUT i can try and do some bullet points instead!! (which is… literally just a long fic but written in bullet points….)

this is a very interesting quote + i didn’t want to pass it up lmao

there are no bargains between lion and men - you’d remembered reading that in the library of the monastery, long ago in your school days.

now, as an esteemed member of the blue lion army, this quote seemed to make more sense; there wasn’t any mercy on the battlefield, friend or no friend.

killing off the people that you’d merely seen the faces of was easy and you’d yet to come across someone whom you’d actually cared about, but you hoped that there wouldn’t ever arise a situation like that.

well, you knew that there’d be some hard times in this war, but you had no idea it’d be this hard.

stood right in front of you was none other than your previous lover, claude von riegan himself - someone who, dimitri had said, had to go, due to not knowing what his plans were.

you knew what you had to do, but it was a question of whether or not you could do it.

the way he looked at you with the same eyes he looked at you with before - full of love, sympathy, and mercy.

it made your heart flutter, but your head filled with rage - there wasn’t any time for bargains, you reminded yourself.

claude seemed to pick up on your steeled nerves and smirked, putting his bow away and walking up to you with his hands up.

“i’m not here to kill you,” he tells you, “killing isn’t necessary for us. we just want your help.”

you stayed quiet for a minute, listening to what he was saying.

his smirk only seemed to grow as he spoke. “all we need is the blue lions’ assistance to take down edelgard. we can share fodlan, can’t we? fifty-fifty? - look, all i’m saying is that we shouldn’t kill each other over this. it’s stupid. can’t we just-”

he was cut off by you knocking him to the floor, digging your sword in the space just beside his neck. claude’s eyes widened in surprise - not quite fear - as you said,

“there aren’t any bargains between lion and men. i will kill you, and i’ll eat you raw.”

despite the fierce look on your face, it didn’t seem like he was taking you seriously. you pulled up your sword, holding it above his head, pointing the blade down at his neck

he only laughed. his hands raised again, and he whispered, “god, you’re beautiful even when you’re threatening to eat me. i know you won’t actually do it, so why don’t you-”

he stopped again, your sword dug even closer to his neck this time - “i mean every word i say. don’t underestimate me, riegan.”

claude’s smirk vanished, and he finally looked like he was taking you seriously. he had a habit of trying to smooth talk his way out of everything, and it was something you’d come to despise.

he sighed. “if only things were a little different,” he whispered, “if only we were on the same team. i wish we’d stayed together - i wish we’d stuck together throughout these past few years, and i wish that we could all just be happy.”

typical of him to spurt out some nonsense about living in peace and harmony, you thought, even though you could agree with him - things would be a lot better if this huge war wasn’t going on.

but the only way this was going to end was if you won, and there was only one way to do so.

and that wasn’t through bargains.

“you know, i really did love you. i still do. i have loved you for six years, and i’ll love you for sixty times six more years. say, perhaps when this is over, you and i could run off to almyra for a bit - for the rest of our lives! think of the family we’ll have, our family! imagine that! imagine us-”

slash! he was cut off a third time.

blood splattered everywhere - on the ground around you, pooling around your legs and around claude, and splashing up your armour.

you’d killed claude. that was one less house fighting in this war. you’d done what you had to do.

his eyes - his beautiful eyes - were closed for good, and a smile still frozen onto his cold face. the hands that held yours would hold no others.

you’d told him you meant it. why didn’t he listen?

[kisant]

End of Azure Moon thoughts (part 1)

It’s taken me a long time, but I have finally finished Azure Moon, and my final conclusion is...that I still prefer Crimson Flower. By far. And not just because Edelgard was still the best part of this endgame and absolutely stole the show. 

First off, there is Edelgard and Dimitri’s attempted diplomatic talk before the battle, in which Dimitri’s “winning” argument is that people are naturally weak and need to rely on the goddess, the church and other people in order to overcome hardship, while Edelgard’s argument is that people ARE strong enough to make it out in the world without having to rely on divine favour. And, no, Edelgard doesn’t mean that people should do everything individually, because her final speech in CF directly tells us that “when people stand together, there is no need for gods”. It’s not about individuals becoming superhuman and unfazed by hardship, is about Edelgard being able to see the potential of humanity itself and having hope for a better future. What Edelgard wants is to change the system, not to create complete anarchy in which the strong do everything they please and the weak have no voice and no rights. 

In fact, it is in THE NOBILITY/CREST SYSTEM in which the strong (those who have a crest and can use relics) are the elite that have all the political power while the weak (the commoners who don’t have superhuman abilities, special weapons, wealth or political pull) are the ones who suffer the most and have almost no way to pull themselves out of abject poverty. Hell, just look at the backstories of nearly all of the commoner characters in the game. Dorothea was an orphaned street beggar before being sponsored by the Opera Company and is terrified of dropping back into absolute poverty once her voice and looks fade with age, Ashe was illiterate and had to resort to thievery to feed himself and his siblings after their parents died, Leonie was only able to attend the Officer’s Academy because everyone in her village pitched in to sponsor her and pay for a noble’s recommendation. Yuri was also really poor and, like Ashe, had to resort to various crimes to survive. The only commoner who hasn’t been poor or is at risk of becoming so is Ignatz.

Edelgard, the main antagonist: Has more faith in humanity than Dimitri and is actively fighting to create a better future for everyone by getting rid of the privileges of the nobility and the church.

Dimitri, the main character: Believes that humanity is too weak to overcome the hardships of the world without using the church and the goddess as a crutch. According to him, without that crutch, people would struggle to find a reason to keep living. Fights for the “present”, to the point of not wanting to make significant changes to a FEUDAL and THEOCRATIC system, because “the present is the only thing we truly have”

If the main antagonist has more faith in humanity than the main character and is actively fighting to create a better future for the common people, while said main character fights to maintain the power of the privileged nobility and a theocratic church, something has gone wrong. 

Then, Dimitri says that Edelgard cannot understand the troubles of the common people/the weak because she is too strong to understand what the weak need. This is complete nonsense. If Edelgard supposedly cannot understand the troubles of the common people because she’s strong and was raised as the Empire’s heir, then Dimitri, who was also raised as an heir to a kingdom and whose only hardship were the psychological scars from the Duscur massacre, absolutely can’t speak for the common people, either. According to Dimitri’s own words, the only one who would be qualified to rule Fodlan would be Yuri, because he actually does have the lived experience to understand the common people.

And I would sooner trust Edelgard, the woman whose political platform is based on holding the nobility accountable for their corruption and enabling everyone to to rise and fall on their own merit, skills and effort, than Dimitri, who spent 5 years obsessed with his own revenge, his own ghosts and his own pain, who could have gone to Rodrigue’s side immediately and stop the kingdom from falling further into ruin after escaping Cornelia’s trap, but decided to avoid all his responsibilities to fuck off into the wilderness killing random imperial squads. Edelgard did more for the common people during the war while having to play nice with the Agarthans than Dimitri has ever done in the entire game, even after recovering from his insanity. Dimitri didn’t even bother liberating HIS OWN CAPITAL until Rodrigue made it his last will that he get his head out his ass and do so.

If anything, Azure Moon has proved, time and time again, that Dimitri is completely unfit to rule. Dimitri himself acknowledges that he IS unfit to rule, and that he couldn’t push forward without the support of his advisors and friends. So does Felix, who advised him that if he only cared about the dead, then he shoud abdicate and get a new job as a gravekeeper. In fact, Dimitri’s advisors spent a big part of the route trying to stop Dimitri from getting his entire army killed by moronically charging at the Empire’s main army. 

Even after his return to sanity, Dimitri’s big political moments were being completely unprepared to give a speech in his own capital, being put in charge of the Alliance’s troops (with a recruited Hilda acknowledging that the Alliance nobles are difficult to rule because they are prone to scheming and would pounce on any weakness Dimitri showed) and trying to take an inexpugnable fortress by taking his entire army to the front gates and charging. Sure, it ended up going well, but he still charged straight into a trap and he himself anckowledged that he had miscalculated and that the fortress was bigger and more well defended that he thought it would be. Even in the final map he gets a tongue-in-cheek moment in which he tells you that he would like to charge straight ahead towards Edelgard, but that it would be a bad idea. 

And, that’s without mentioning that Dimitri’s plan is to rule the continent for the rest of his life, have an heir, and then have said heir continue to rule, just like the absolute monarch he was raised to be. Dimitri ruling Fodland changes JACKSHIT. Even if Dimitri was the best monarch to ever walk Fodlan, which he isn’t, nothing guarantees that his son would be a good king. Or his grandson. That’s the biggest weakness of HEREDITARY MONARCHIES. 

Ultimately, it all comes to Edelgard and Dimitri’s view of the world. Their main disagreement is that Edelgard believes that the previous system was wrong and oppresive, so a war of revolution is justified in order to bring forth a better future. War demands sacrifices, but the alternative is sitting on her thumbs while the crest system continues to victimize everyone for the next 1000 years, and especially those at the bottom of the social rung. So Edelgard truly is weighting the sacrifices of one war vs the sacrifices that had already been demanded by a 1000 year old system and the sacrifices it would continue to demand in the future in order to perpetuate itself, and reached the conclusion that the war was the lesser evil. 

Meanwhile, Dimitri believes that the previous state of the world was PRETTY MUCH FINE. And if Dimitri is unable to see the suffering caused by 1000 years of the hegemony of the Church of Seiros and the Crest system and the nobility, then the REAL evil is the suffering caused by the war. Because the system was just fine as it was, just in need of some fine tuning that Edelgard could have performed in her own side of the continent, just like he planned to reform the Kingdom to end anti-duscurian racism.

So, Dimitri is someone who is mentally dense, painfully straightfoward, politically incompetent, relies far too much on his advisors, friends and the church to help him rule his Kingdom, is easy to manipulate and has no idea that the Agarthans even exist as a faction. He has NO CLUE. He’s killed Cornelia and Thales, but there is nothing stopping their successors from filling their positions and continue on with their organization’s goals, especially since the Agarthans in the Imperial Palace retreated after their commander’s death. What’s stopping the Agarthans from pulling another Cornelia and simply replacing politically important people until they have enough influence to fulfill their ambitions? Because Dimitri certainly isn’t going to notice any subterfuge until it explodes in his face. 

Byleth, Seteth and the Blue Lions should better be prepared to pick up his slack, because he’s going to need it. His rule is definitely going to prove that even a weak and unqualified person can rule a continent if they have a big enough number of competent friends to do the work for them, so I suppose what he said in the peace talks will eventually be proved right.

[teaveetamer]

You've played FE4, if I recall? Well, let's say that hypothetically, CF was more realistic and had a part 3 that's essentially the Seliph type of stuff in FE4. So basically it's like 15 years into the future and the children of Faerghus, Leicester, Almyra (for Claude and Cyril) return to avenge their parents, defeat conqueror Edelgard and reclaim their homelands. In this hypothetical scenario, all of the Lions and Deer died but their children survived as per FE4 story parallels. (Part 1)

Church units died too, but a few of them survived (similar to how a few gen 1 units are present in FE4 part 2 as well, like Finn). You can pick which church units survived but no more than 2. Part 3 of CF allows you to play as the children and survivors to defeat the evil empire. Your challenge should you accept it: what pairings do you pick for the Lions and Deer to create gen 2 children units for your new army? A few guidelines. Children are tied to the mom like in FE4 as well (part 2)

This means kids are tied to Ingrid, Mercedes, Annette, Hilda, Lysithea, Marianne, Leonie (if you want, you can include Catherine, Shamir, Manuela and even Flayn). Every mom has twins: the oldest kid gets mom's crest if she has one, and the younger kid gets the dad's crest if the dad has one. The hero's relics are now locked to the kid with the matching crest as a result. All hero's relics are available since this is an army of kids from Faerghus, Leicester and the church. (Part 3, final)

Man ok, anon, would it be cheating if I told you that I basically came up with a whole AU for this already on my main blog (but with omegaverse so my boys could have babies for the purposes of this conversation)? Because I totally did. One of my mutuals even did some art for it!

Taking cues from CF I had Seteth and Flayn survive, but instead of fleeing into the ether they returned to Fhirdiad to say goodbye to Rhea and Dimitri and thank Dimitri for sheltering them for the past few years. They ask how they could ever repay that kindness and Dimitri asks that they take his and Dedue's children (and all of the children of the other Lions) and flee somewhere safe just in case the battles ahead don't go well for them.

So I think Dimidue had like five kids by this point along with Anncedes having one and Sylvix having one. there might have been others that went too but that's what I remember for the moment.

Anyways Claude also survives in this scenario, and I think he was on good terms with the Kingdom because them not actually working together against the Empire was actively stupid in 3H and I wish to correct that. He flees back to Almyra, and Seteth and Flayn knowing that Claude is in Almyra decide to take the kids to Almyra or something in the hopes that Claude will protect them. I don't remember if Seteth and Flayn stayed there in my scenario or not or if they hung out in Sreng for awhile once the kids were safely in Almyra. Either way, all of the Lions kids are raised in Almyra and the oldest is pretty determined to get revenge for his parents (he's old enough to remember things, whereas I think the youngest was still a baby when they fled and has no real memories of it). Claude acts as a bit of a Lewyn figure, except not a corpse puppeted by a dragon or whatever happened to Lewyn in FE4. Maybe even had a kid or two of his own with Hilda.

I actually have really detailed ideas for all of the Faerghus kids I made up. Like, I've talked about them so much on my main blog that they're basically variably realized OCs with classes and weapon proficiencies and relationships to each other. I'm always happy to go into more detail for the curious!

There were also some Eagle and Deer kids hanging around in that AU. Like, I think Ignatz and Raphael had a kid, and when the Empire took over the Alliance they basically captured and used Ignatz to paint pro-Imperial propaganda pieces for them. Their son also grows up to be an artist forced to do the same, but he learned from Ignatz that actually he had a way of sneaking things into his pieces to defy the Empire (and he takes up the mantle until he's rescued by the Faerghus kids). Ferdinand has three kids kicking around, one with Hubert (who was raised by Hubert to do the Hubert things that Hubert does, but she defects to the Faerghus side eventually) and two with Lorenz (who, IIRC, are basically running some underground resistance in the Alliance). I'd have to go back and look for more detail though since it's been a while since I've revisited that particular series of headcanons. It's all on my main blog tagged "CF Route AU"

It was also tied into a reincarnation modern AU which was just generally adorable and a little angsty with Dimidue finding each other again in the future after all of the pain they experienced in the past 💙

Oh uh, sorry I didn't follow your guidelines anon... I just really liked this AU and wanted to share 😅

[butwhatifidothis]

I have thought it would have been a hella better game if Sothis had been the protagonist too! Here’s how I imagine it would be like:

Byleth is the actual reincarnation of Sothis and the child-Sothis we see at the start of the game is actually her subconsciousness. Sothis/Byleth is still the emotionless mercenary with no social skills when the game starts, but she does become more and more emotional and expressive as she begins interacting with specifically Rhea, Flayn and Seteth, her old family. They do form a bond with the lords and the students though (I think the dynamic in AM as a close friend is nice) and most of Byleth’s thoughts are shown through child-Sothis’ commentary.

They can still have the “protagonist being ignorant about Fodlan” thing going on, but with a little twist that it is actually because Sothis keeps confusing the old Fodlan of her era with modern Fodlan and gets blinding headache all the time but actually that is her getting flashbacks. Because of this Jeralt took them away to Morfis (which didn’t exist in her time yet) and they only returned recently after being hired by Rodrigue who had them take care of some bandits in the Kingdom (that is why she has heard of the Tragedy but doesn’t know the details of it).

For example, when she leads the class to the Red Canyon, she mistakenly thinks it is a big, prosperous city that is supposed to be the capital of Fodlan and the lords and Rhea have to explain to her the legend of Zanado. Then she faints and gets a flashback of a beautiful city called Zanado with many humans and dragons living together in peace and unimaginably sophisticated technology located in the exact same valley. She confuses a lot of places with old Fodlan too. To her, Arianrhod is still a small fishing village, Fhirdiad is a food paradise and tourist’s attraction, Goneril is the capital of Agartha, a neighbouring belligerent nation, Enbarr is an ordinary small town where she landed when she first crashed into Fodlan, the Valley of Torment is a fertile valley with a large population focused on agriculture, the Church of Seiros is supposed to be called the Church of Sothis instead and she doesn’t know what the knights are because such concepts did not exist in her time nor Morfis, etc.

Of course, because she often gets so confused by the current Fodlan, the lords and Rhea still have a lot of explaining to do every time they have to travel somewhere like they do in the game. Claude becomes very suspicious of her too.

When she gets attacked by Solon, child-Sothis merges with Sothis, now reincarnated as Byleth, and regains her memories and power as the goddess and from now on her emotions and stuff are back. Then a cutscene showing Sothis’ memory of how and why she came to Fodlan as an alien, how she created the Nabateans and passed her knowledge to the humans in Fodlan, how Fodlan thrived as a nation of Nabateans and humans living together, how Agartha rose as a highly technologically advanced belligerent neighbouring country in the east and how Fodlan and Agartha fought in a war that devastated the entire world so much that she spent centuries healing it until it finally began prospering again and she went to sleep. In her memory we are also shown that the Nabateans all had symbols like the current crests of the 12 Elites and we are misled into thinking those with the crests are the descendants of the Nabateans. The cutscene then ends abruptly when Sothis is jolted from her sleep and the last thing she sees is a wicked man (Nemesis) raising an axe on her and a young girl’s screams that she knows it’s her daughter Seiros.

She is very confused right now because apparently the world she knew is just completely forgotten by the people, and apparently five of her children founded an empire called Adrestia with a human an entire thousand years ago. She knows they can live longer than 1000years and realises they must still be alive now and wants to find them. She also doesn’t know how she died too and is rather panicked that she will be killed again if word gets out she is Sothis. Ah, and she is very curious of the true identities of the 12 Elites as their first names were not recorded and shared the same crests with some of her children. Sothis worries if they were her children who adopted a different surname because that would mean her children fought amongst each other and may be they destroyed each other to the point that Fodlan was in such a ruin that no one remembers the old Fodlan now.

After this cutscene showing the old Fodlan under Sothis’ guidance ends, Byleth who has now remembered her life as Sothis and regained her full power, wakes to Rhea singing a lullaby very popular in old Fodlan so Sothis thinks Rhea may know something about the old Fodlan, but she is paranoid because she thinks there are parts of her memory missing and does not know for sure if Rhea is trustworthy. As a result, she doesn’t immediately tell Rhea she is Sothis and Rhea is not aware that her mother has already come back.

Rhea suggests having Sothis sit on the Holy Throne to jolt her memory and she accepts, hoping to remember what happened to her after the man with the axe showed up. However, before she can sit on the actual throne, Edelgard comes in with her soldiers and battle begins. Then the Imperial army attacks the Monastery before Sothis gets a chance to investigate and talk to Rhea/Seteth/Flayn. Sothis is completely stunned when Rhea turns into a dragon to protect the people because she finally realises Rhea is Seiros all along. She goes back immediately to protect Seiros when she is in danger but gets hit by Thales’ magic energy balls and falls down the cliff. She manages to tell Seiros she is Sothis before falling down the cliff though.

From this point, the route differs into the three non-CF routes.

SS will be a more personal story about Sothis trying to recover her memory and finding out what happened to her family. Sothis will also slowly realise Seteth and Flayn are her family and Macuil and Indech will also join them on this route to help rescue their little sister. Unfortunately, none of them can tell Sothis what exactly happened on the day of the Red Canyon Tragedy because Seiros was the only survivor and the four of them weren’t present in Zanado at the time. They can only tell Sothis that the five of them banded together with Wilhelm, a human and later Seiros’ husband and fought with Nemesis and his 12 Elites who tried to conquer the southern half of the continent and subjugate them to his tyranny. They can confirm the 12 elites were not their siblings and just magically got the crests of their family via unknown means. In the end Sothis rescues her daughter and storms Shambhala. The family are happily reunited and strive to rebuild Fodlan together after Rhea explains what she did to Sothis in her infant state.

VW will be a story about Sothis and Claude learning about what happened to old Fodlan and Agartha. Claude notices that Sothis has been reading up on the founding of the empire/church and the legends about the 12 Elites/saints too. He suggests they team up because he is also doing the same thing. Sothis tells him about the truth of her identity, her missing memory and the old Fodlan she remembers. This clarifies things up for Claude so Claude actually opens up to Sothis and begins trusting her as a friend and the rest follows canon. Rhea will explain what happened in the Tragedy and the fates of their family. Sothis and Claude take down Nemesis to avenge herself and her family. They also learn that Agartha is why Almyra and Fodlan fight all the time.

AM will still focus on Dimitri and the Kingdom but this is how I would frame the story: Sothis thinks the Kingdom nobles descended from the 12 Elites are the descendants of the Nabateans and may know something about her children and what happened to them. Sothis asks Dimitri if he has heard of the Nabateans. Dimitri doesn’t know anything but promises he will help Sothis investigate into this. Everything follows canon until Cornelia’s death, who not only taunts Dimitri about his stepmother but also mocks Byleth that she is assisting the descendants of the 12 elites who slaughtered her entire family 1000 years ago in a war against the descendants of her own children. Sothis in the end comes to term with the possibility that Dimitri’s ancestors might have killed her and her family and continues to support Dimitri as she believes he will make a good king while Edelgard is currently a terrible ruler who has caused the suffering of thousands of people.

CF, on the other hand, will be a much darker story. After Sothis wakes up to Rhea singing to her, she gets to choose between “ask Rhea” and “ask Edelgard” about the saints and the elites. If “ask Edelgard” is chosen, Edelgard will ask why and you can choose “tell Edelgard the truth”. She will lie and convince Sothis into helping her by telling her that Seiros and the four faints did a major cover-up and they were the ones who killed sothis and turned their blades against the rest of their siblings for power. The man Sothis saw in her memory was a bandit hired by the five saints to kill sothis and the other children, known as the 12 elites now, banded together to resist Seiros around a heroic mortal that is Nemesis. When they lost, Seiros hunted down the 12 elites, crafted weapons from their bones and gave their blood to her own allies. The church then lied to the people again that the 12 elites were helping her because one of the five saints didn’t want people to remember their siblings as villains forever. Her own ancestor wilhelm helped Seiros in her unjust war for power and she intends to make things right now and asks if Sothis wants to be a part of that. If Sothis refuses her offer and expresses her scepticism of Edelgard’s claims, the game will immediately end because Edelgard will kill her.

If chooses “yes” then you enter the CF route. Edelgard tells Sothis she intends to declare war on the church to take down Rhea and take back the lands occupied by the evil descendants of the people who slaughtered Sothis’ children, aka Faerghus and Leicester. Edelgard, however, tells Sothis she intends to capture Rhea so Sothis will be able to ask Rhea the same questions to prove her claim. They do not return to the Monastery for the Holy Throne ritual and the coronation scene and war declaration scene play instead. When Sothis returns to the Monastery, she is with the Imperial army intended to conquer the Monastery. Sothis confronts an infuriated Rhea, who is extremely mad about her betrayal, and asks why Rhea/Seiros sent the assassin on her and killed her siblings. Seiros quickly realises Byleth/Sothis is in fact the reincarnation of her mother, but Edelgard notices that and has Thales attack Sothis from behind to prevent Seiros from telling Sothis the truth and swaying her to their side. Sothis falls off the cliff and Seiros tries to kill Edelgard for turning her mother against her and killing her again before she retreats to the Kingdom.

Five years later, Sothis wakes up and rejoins Edelgard’s army only to find out the Empire is on the brink of collapse against the combined might of the Kingdom-Church-Alliance with only Garreg Mach, Gronder, Fort Merceus and Enbarr left in their control. Not all of the Black Eagle students are fighting on their side either - Ferdinand, Dorothea, Petra and Caspar have abandoned the Empire and are fighting for the Kingdom-Church-Alliance army while Linhardt and Bernadetta simply refused to join the war. Instead, Ladislava, Fleche, Randolph, Count Bergliez, Arundel and Jeritza have become your new units.

Sothis continues to help Edelgard in the war and they quickly reclaim the territories lost to the allied powers. As they continue to push forward, Sothis encounters Seteth and the other three saints too (Indech and Macuil joined Rhea after learning of what Edelgard did to Sothis) on the battlefield. They will try to tell Sothis the truth and you have an option between “question Edelgard’s claims and spare them” and “believe in Edelgard’s words and kill them”. If the former is chosen, the game will end immediately as Edelgard will backstab Sothis instantly if she knows Sothis has turned against her. The rest follows canon, but Seiros will try to tell Sothis the truth again on Tailtean. Sothis will be killed if she believes Seiros instead of Edelgard here too. Heartbroken and traumatised by the fact that her mother has killed all of her only remaining family members and has already tried to kill her twice and is about to come and kill her again, Seiros transforms into a dragon in Fhirdiad and sets the city to fire once the citizens have been evacuated, hoping to bring down all of her enemies including her mother with the fire in order to avenge her friends and family.

In the end, Sothis kills Seiros as canon but loses her power and immortality as a goddess because it was Seiros’ magic that kept the creststone alive, and without the protection magic on the stone it would just be an ordinary stone and couldn’t function as a heart. Sothis almost dies without a working heart but the Agarthans save her by a heart replacement surgery on her using Seiros’ heart on the condition that she will give them the Crest of Flames creststone and the sword and share her blood with them regularly. Everything else continues as canon and the route can end with a realistic dark ending (everything crashes and burns) or a fake happy ending (the one in the game).

YOOOO dude this is great! Byleth as a character is so uninteresting, at least to me, because the only actually interesting thing about them is something that was done to them, not something they did. Byleth was born without a heart and was given the heart of a long-dead Goddess to let them live - neat! Intriguing! But nothing else catches your eye like that about them. They live on as a mercenary who apparently only wanted to ever ask questions about anything ever at all once they get to the monastery. The biggest thing they’ve done is make a name for themselves for how well they fight in battle. 

Now, we pivot the idea of Sothis being the protagonist, that’s where things start getting interesting. She fell from the stars and created new life? She helped humans prosper in knowledge only to have that knowledge be used for evil? She healed all of Fodlan from the devastation caused by the war humans enacted and fell into a sleep because of it? Those are all things she does that are worth getting to know more about. Her being murdered during her rest by another greedy human and was reduced to nothing but a dormant consciousness for a thousand years being coupled with the “being given the heart of a long-dead Goddess” being what was done to her isn’t the only interesting thing about them anymore. That’s all stuff that offers so much to the player to want to delve into, especially with a character who is gradually more and more vocal about their want to learn about themselves, with thoughts and feelings about what happened to them, what happened to their family, what they did in the past they can’t remember. 

I especially like all the ways you can just get a game over in CF - in a way that reminds me of that one mission in Sacred Stones where if you beat the boss you get an insta-game over since he was your only way to progress the story lmao, except this is turnt up to 11, and instead of punishing you for being a dingus and fucking up the plot, in a way it’s trying to save you from becoming a kin-killing pawn to a tyrant.

About the only thing I might have a bit of a ehhh with is Agartha being why Almyra and Fodlan feud, just because I find them feuding due to themselves and not a third party to be more interesting to me (personally! That’s just for me lol, it’s not an inherently bad notion!), but thanks you so much for sending this!! 

[philliamwrites]

The Dawn Will Come [Chpt.1]

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Pairing: Dimitri x Reader, Claude x Reader, Edelgard x Reader, Yuri x Reader, Edelgard x Byleth, lots of minor pairings

Tags: #gn reader, # platonic love byleth & reader, #reader is a tactical unit, #angst, #slow burn, #subplots, #unreliable narrator, #pining, #remporary amnesia, #reluctant herp, #canon divergence, #lost twin au, #many chapters, #original content

Words: 5.2k

Summary: Waking up in a forest without any knowledge of your past and who you are, you join the house leaders of the Officers Academy to search for a way to return your memories. Unfortunately, the church has different plans for you, and Fate places you in the centre of a cruel game with deadly stakes. It certainly doesn't help to fall in love with a house leader who is doomed to be your demise.

Notes: Chapter 2 There’s also a playlist for this story that you can find here and here.

Chapter 01: A High Destiny

A high destiny seemed to bear me on until I fell, never, never again to rise.

[Mary W. Shelley, Frankenstein]

    It starts as it will end: in darkness.

    Black dots dance in front of your eyes, merging into dark shadows clawing at your consciousness. A dull throb pounds in your temple, a steady rhythm that speaks of life but isn’t enough to allow awareness of your surroundings. Memory is a foreign word you can’t explain, and trying to think of the past 24 hours is an unachievable task. Every glimpse slips through your fingers like sand, and the only steady reference point is the solid ground pressing into your hands and back.

    Slowly, you open your eyes. Treetops dance in the wind, towering above you like silent guardians of ancient times. The sun winks at you through thick branchesa and dancing green crowns, indicating it’s long past daybreak—but how do you know? Your memory is still a vast pool with no bottom and no means to dive into, and yet you think there’s a voice calling out to you, a heart-wrenching young, boyish voice—no, those are real voices ringing through the woods, appearing close to you. Alarmingly close.

    “You’re awake,” a woman’s voice starts, moments later followed by a corresponding face. Round, lavender eyes surrounded by thick, white lashes peak from above at you, blinking curiously. It’s an expression far from friendly, but not exactly hostile either, and of all the things you can think of at this moment, it is how strikingly beautiful she is. But before you can say anything, another person joins, leaning too close in for comfort.

    “You got us worried there, stranger,” a young man chimes in, squatting down beside you. His uniform isn’t exactly what you’d call fit for travelling through the woods. A heavy yellow cape falls over his shoulder, more fanciful display than practical use. But something in his posture seems very attentive, his broad shoulders taut like a drawn bowstring that won’t miss its target. “Weird place to take a nap, but hey, I’m not judging.”

    “I wasn’t—” you start, immediately struck by a throbbing pain behind your right eye that reverberates through your skull and wretches a groan from you.

    “Take it easy,” another voice joins, and panic spreads through you because of the amount of people surrounding you. Where the first man is a picture of warm colours—gold and sun kissed skin nourished on warm summer days, the other man observing you with a worried expression is clad in blue and black, blond hair falling into a pale face that carries the most striking blue eyes you’ve ever seen. Or so you think, because surely a colour like this, a blue stolen right out of the sky, wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

    More movement and rustling of fabric, and a chill settles in your bones as you begin to fear that you’ve run into a bunch of ruffians who’ve only kept you alive for so long because they’re hoping for valuable information. More people emerge from the underbrush, carrying large sacks and backpacks with billycans dangling at their sides. Among them, a tall man with a beard, clad in robust mercenary’s gear, steps forward, concealing another young woman with sharp features and unusual greenish blue hair.

    The sight of her strikes you like a bolt. It tastes like familiarity and the relief of being reunited with a long lost friend. But that is impossible. This is the first time you meet her.

    Is it?

    “You brats, I told you not to head off too far,” the older man bellows, crossing logs for arms in front of his broad chest. The first three take one big, polite step away from you, but don’t look apologetic at all.

    “I’m sorry for our hastiness, Captain Jeralt,” the girl says, her eyes darting from you still sitting on the ground to him towering in his full height above them. “But it seems we would have otherwise not found this person.”

    “This person who wasn’t really much conscious a couple of minutes ago,” the boy in yellow adds with a crooked grin. “How bad would it have been if someone else would have beaten us to it?”

    “No need to make me look like the bad guy,” Captain Jeralt interrupts with a raised hand before the boy in blue can join his friends' justifications. Instead, he turns to you and regards you with a scrutinising look.

    “What are you doing out here?” he demands. “Where’s your family? Friends?”

    “Uhm, they’re—” you start, but nothing comes to your mind. Not only that. You don’t know why you’re out here, where you are exactly … and basically anything that should come to you about your own person remains shrouded in darkness. “I don’t know.”

    Jeralt nods like that explains the very reason you’re still sitting on the ground like a misplaced cargo of cabbage. He kneads the nape of his neck, his face softening the tiniest bit. “And what’s your name?”

    Unable to hold his piercing eyes, you drop your gaze to the ground, curling your trembling fingers into the fabric of your wool jacket. “I, uh… don’t know.”

    If you thought you didn’t have their attention before, now their eyes are glued on your face in different levels of shock and disbelief.

    “A case of amnesia?” the blond male says, not quite managing to achieve the right balance between blatant curiosity and polite worry. “Does this mean you have nowhere to go? Don’tknow where to go?”

    “Goddess help you, Dimitri,” the other boy groans, running a hand through his short, brown hair. “Be any more tactless, will ya?”

    “He isn’t wrong,” the girl says, observing you like you’re a fascinating new specimen in her collection of strange things. “You need a place to stay. And help until your memories return.”

    If they return, you don’t dare to say because despite all things, hope still clings to you in the deepest corner of your heart, not allowing you to follow that train of thought and what it will mean for your future.

    “Then by all means, if you want to join,” Jeralt says, waving a dismissive hand in your direction. “I don’t think you kids accept a No, so I’m going to save my breath.” He turns around with a grunt. “Get them your horse, Byleth. We’re late as it is, and another night of Alois talking my ears off will make me do something I’ll regret.”

    The woman called Byleth keeps staring at you even as Jeralt walks past her and gives her shoulder a solid clap. You can’t say if she’s mute or just speechless because she’s filled with the same strange overflowing sensation like you: like a basin filling with water but unable to drain off. It appears you’re the same age, a couple of years older than the other three but still much younger than Jeralt, and yet the moment your eyes lock, it feels like there is something far older than any of you together passing between you. Something ancient.

    “Well, first off, on your feet, little one.” Strong hands curl around your elbows, hoisting you up in one swift movement. A wave of dizziness hits you like an unavoidable spell, and the pounding from before settles back behind your right eye.

    “Amazing, Claude,” the girl hisses, and quickly steps forward to steady you, pressing one hand against the small of your back where her strong fingers curl against the curve of your spine. Her other hand gently holds yours as she helps you regain your balance. “Excuse his manners. I promise not everyone from the Officers Academy behaves like a brute.”

    “The what now?” you ask, hit by another wave of dizziness that might originate more from the girl’s soft lavender fragrance rather than the world spinning around you.

    “The Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery,” Dimitri provides this time. His posture is straight like an arrow, the stance of a soldier speaking to his officer. “That is where we attend as students and hence are going right now.”

    “And you want me to come with you?” you ask like you have the option to refuse and go somewhere else. Strangely, the thought of joining a group of armed knights and mercenaries doesn’t fill you with fear or anxiety. You’re about to tread into foreign waters, and yet your heart is calm like a still compass guiding you in the right direction.

    Claude clasps his hands behind his head like he’s got nothing to do with you feeling unwell at the moment. “Unless you have another place to be?”

    Luckily, your head does come clear and breathing becomes a little easier. You nod to the girl and she holds you a second longer before she nods back and lets go. “I guess not,” you mumble, looking at each one of them. Byleth still hasn’t moved. By now you can’t really tell if she’s looking at you or through you. Surely, she would have said something by now if she thought you were familiar, right?

    “Then it’s settled.” The girl nods solemnly, throwing her silky, white hair over her shoulder. “We welcome you in our company. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian Empire.” Edelgard gives you a tight-lipped smile that quickly thins into a white line when the other two introduce themselves as Claude von Riegan, grandson of the Sovereign Duke of the Leicester Alliance and Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, future king to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. None of these names ring a bell to you, but you nod, pretending to know exactly what they're talking about.

    “Okay, we need a name for you as well,” Claude proposes, tapping a slender finger against his chin. He has a strikingly sharp jaw that looks fit to cut stone. “Can’t have everyone call you stranger or little one now, can we?”

    “No,” you say. “Especially since we’re about the same height.”

    Claude laughs like you just told him the best joke he’s heard in years. “Soo, since we found you here … how about Glade? Or Woody?”

    “How about no,” you say with furrowed eyebrows.

    “Apologies.” Edeglard sighs and shakes her head, her expression a mix between disappointment and annoyance. “Claude isn’t much accustomed to the notion of consideration.”

    Claude rolls his eyes. “Then you come up with something, princess. Or is it impossible because you can’t take out the stick up your—”

    “Claude,” Dimitri half shrieks, his pale cheeks splotched with red dots. As he stumbles over his own words trying to apologise for Claude’s behaviour, Edelgard simply deadpans, “Bold words for someone in stabbing range.”

    The fourth in this round of strange people considers you with a blank expression, her steady gaze like a solid touch on your skin. Before a greater argument can break free between the students, Byleth says a name with a surety like she’s never said anything else in her life, and hearing it, this barely whispered word immediately lost to the wind, you just know it’s your name.

    “Yes, much better than what Claude proposed.” Dimitri nods, regaining his composure even though he’s still staring daggers at Claude. “It sounds more civilised as well.”

    “You didn’t even suggest anything,” Claude remarks, but the huff of annoyance quickly dissipates from his voice when he jerks a thumb towards Byleth. “That’s Byleth, by the way. Funny story is, we met her just a couple of hours ago as well.”

    “Fate must have brought us together here today,” Dimitri agrees with a solemn nod. “I swear on my honour as a noble knight from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus that I will see you safe to the Monastery. Lady Rhea will surely be able to help you there.”

    “Okay. Thank you,” you manage, unable to connect a face to this name in your head that feels like it’s about to burst any second anyway. The only course of action lies within those strangers who are so willingly offering help that you can’t stop worrying it’s a ruse. But without anything to offer them except your life, there’s little coming to your mind that they can anticipate in taking you with them. Tthe fact that Byleth knew your name doesn’t sit right with you as well. There’s something waiting to be grasped at the tips of your fingers, and yet you lack the strength to embrace it.

    Following the little group of soldiers and students through the woods, you remain silent on the journey, only answering questions with approving or denying hums. How did you end up in this particular forest? According to Jeralt, you’re currently moving away from a village called Remire and towards the mountains to the northeast where the monastery lies tucked away between two mountains. Judging from the clothes you’re wearing, you’re a commoner, and when Edelgard pushed a slim dagger in your hand, nothing rung in intuitive knowledge about how to handle a weapon. Your mind remained silent, like an untouched chord.

    There’s little you can say about the first impression those people left on you. There seems to be a unanimous dispute between the three students, hanging palpable in the air whenever an argument starts that’s pregnant with implied insults or passive-aggressive comments. From that you gather there’s tension between the governing fractions in Fódlan, something else you’ve learnt from listening to them squabbling.

    Byleth and Jeralt acknowledge their bickering as if it was flies buzzing around their heads. They keep more to themselves and their mercenary comrades, indicating they’re really as much of strangers to the students as you. Their conversations are a lot quieter as well, their heads leaning close together for the illusion of privacy. More than once you notice Byleth sneaking glances in your direction, and every time you lock eyes, there’s something close to comprehension when she looks at you. The further you march through the woods, the less you try to meet her gaze. Reaching the monastery is the first step to regain who you are, or so you hope, because the opposite would mean you’ll continue stumbling through the darkness with no lead to your past or why you’re in this particular part of Fódlan, and you can only hope that this Rhea person really will be able to help you.

    A sound from the underbrush cuts through your thoughts.

    Thinking it might be an animal, you don’t let it bother you too much. No one else seems to have heard it, so maybe it was just your imagination. But your brain refuses to let it rest, and fails to push it away from your mind because something about the sound doesn’t seem to be right. The more you try to focus on it though, the blurrier it gets; the less you understand its origin.

    Then, you hear a voice from within the woods. It sounds like a slurred whisper.

    “What was that?” You stop in the middle of the road, looking around the thick trees. Claude barely manages to avoid walking into you. “What was what?”

    “There’s something here.” Unable to explain further, you wave your hand around for emphasis. He looks at your hand, incomprehension written all over his face. “And that something is what exactly?” he asks.

    “I don’t know.” You wave your hand wilder. “But I don’t have a good feeling venturing further.”

    “You may be still tired,” Edelgard offers, not hiding her irritation that the journey stopped. “It won’t be long until we reach Garreg Mach. You can rest however long you need inside the monastery’s infirmary.”

    “I’m not tired,” you hiss, hand falling back to your side where it clenches into a fist. “I just really don’t think we should go further for now.”

    “And why is that?” Dimitri inquirers. He raises a hand and the soldiers following them come to a halt, a murmur of unrest breathing through their lines, and it’s just enough that you question if it would be better to play if off and admit your mind is playing tricks on you due to exhaustion.

    But whenever you blink, a red veil falls over your right eye, blurring your surroundings. Little red dots move slowly in the distance through the forest. If you didn’t know better, you’d say it’s some sort of life form far away, slowly advancing on your position. “Because someone is coming,” you finally manage, scratching the thin skin below your irritated eye that’s started twitching slightly. “Someone is coming towards us from southwest. And I can’t say if they’re friendly or not.”

    Three pairs of eyes consider you like you’ve grown a second head. Only Byleth stares into the woods like she might find the strangers you’re talking about waiting behind the trees if she just looks hard enough.

    “Little one, are you sure this isn’t just an aftereffect from you hitting your head?” Claude offers, squinting into the woods. You’re pretty sure he’s staring directly at the moving dots but for whatever reason can’t see them.

    “Unless amnesia is suddenly another term for going crazy, I don’t think so,” you snap, unable to hold back the irritation raising to the surface.

    A whistle echoes through the tree crowns. Byleth snaps her head in the direction of the sound, growing all tense. She raises her hand into a tight fist, and all movement stills behind you. When you turn around, you see the mercenaries waiting in the underbrush like a flock of crows ready to swipe down on their prey. Jeralt breaks away from them and approaches Byleth, a frown cutting a deep wrinkle into his forehead.

    “Bandits,” he says, and quickly signs a hand gesture to the nearest bowman. He nods and disappears between trees. “Another mile away. If we stay on this road, we’ll walk right into them.”

    “Seven hundred feet, actually,” you blurt. Jeralt looks at you like you’re a cockroach under his boot. Another whistle cuts through the woods, one long followed quickly by two short. Byleth exhales audibly, and only now you notice she’s moved to stand beside you. “Seven hundred feet,” she mutters, her eyes fixed on you.

    Jeralt tenses. “How do you know, kid?”

    “I don’t know,” you mumble towards your boots. “I just see.”

    There’s an uncomfortable silence falling around you, and you’re too afraid to look up and read distrust in their eyes.

    “Does it matter?” Claude finally breaks the silence, sliding his bow from his shoulder. “They won’t be a problem with the knights and mercenaries on our side.” He jerks his chin towards Byleth, already plugging an arrow from his quiver. “You should really see her fight.”

    “Wait,” you say, reflexively reaching for the hem of his cape. “Don’t engage them yet.”

    Claude stops, one eyebrow arched up in a curve. “Beg your pardon?”

    “They come from the woods. Which means this is their hunting ground and they have the advantage. They have dozens of archers. I think they’re waiting until you reach a glade. And then open fire.”

    “Which means we’ll end up as skewers.” Claude scratches his chin and twirls the arrow between his slender fingers. “I can think of better ways to shuffle off this mortal coil.”

    Dimitri perks up. “You’ve read the Tale of Hamelot I gave you?”

    “I’ll give it a six out of ten. His soliloquies were awful.”

    “Boys.” Edelgard snaps her fingers impatiently as Dimitri opens his mouth to protest. “Not the time.” She takes your wrist and pulls it away from Claude’s cape, her hard gaze like a sharp knife. “Are we simply ignoring the fact that we have someone in our midst knowing the enemies’ movement and deployment?” she cuts in harshly. “Is this a plan to lure us into an ambush?”

    “You think someone would give away their comrades’ position just like that?” Claude eyes her wearily. “Don’t be so suspicious of everyone.”

    She glares at him. “I rather be suspicious than dead.”

    Which is a valid point and a trait you willingly admit to share with her, but that doesn’t really solve the problem at hand. Luckily, Dimitri seems to think the same. He doesn’t unfasten the spear on his back yet, but his fingers dance swiftly over the handle, immediately resting on where he can easily pull it from the straps if needed to strike down an enemy. “Fact is enemies are approaching,” he concludes, looking at his fellow students in search for a consensual ceasefire. “We must put an end to them before they target defenceless travellers on their way out of the forest.”

    “Spoken like a true crowd-pleaser,” Claude says, either unable or not caring to hide the mock in his voice. “We can resolve our new friend’s condition after we take down the enemy.”

    “I don’t agree with this,” Edelgard declares, but nonetheless unclasps the double-bit axe from her back and swings it on her shoulder like it weighs nothing. “But I accept that this is a more pressing issue.” The easiness in the movement robs your lungs of air, and even though there are more important matters to focus on, you wonder how her muscles play under her black uniform swinging around a thing like that. Your admiration comes to a quick end when Jeralt and Byleth close the circle. Her hand rests on the hilt of a short blade as she scans the underbrush, her body rigid with battle anticipation.

    “Let them come to us,” Jeralt announces. “Let them think they have the advantage.”

    “Your knigths over there move slow through the woods,” you say, gesturing at the waiting man clad in heavy armour and armed with shields. “But their amour can resist some stray arrows coming down on us. It’s the rearguard that will take them by surprise from another direction and—”

    “And charge their flank or rear to finish them off,” Jeralt ends with a crude nod. “Indirect approach. I thought of that as well.”

    Your mouth goes dry. The idea plopped seemingly out of nowhere in your mind, but yes, now that you think about it, that is the indirect approach tactic, first recorded after the Battle of Nicaea in … Faerghus? Or was it Adrestia? The picture in your mind is still blurry, but now you can make out definite lines of objects: Books with drawn pictures of pointing arrows and coloured lines, each lettered with a name or an approach in a neat handwriting that isn’t yours. The picture triggers another wave of dizziness, disappearing as fast as it appeared.

    “They’re going to faint in three, two, one…” Claude’s voice rips you back to the present. You glare at him and raise a fist to show how close to fainting you really are. He only laughs at the tiny fist in front of his face.

    “Enough brats, get into position,” Jeralt bellows, and the students scatter with a bouncing step in all their strides as they take the lead of a small unit.

    You’re about to retreat to the furthest point away from battle when Jeralt blocks the way. “Not you. You’re going with Byleth.”

    “I’m what?”

    “Byleth,” Jeralt nods to the young woman ahead of you, “will be the commanding unit and you’ll help her.”

    The world tilts a little as panic takes hold of you. “I can’t. I don’t know how to fight.”

    “You seem to know enough to plan a counterattack.”

    “That doesn’t mean anything.” Your voice sounds horribly piercing even to your own ears. “It was just a lucky guess.”

    “I don’t know what’s the deal with you,” Jeralt says with a finality to his voice that doesn’t allow objection, and this time you clearly see the head of a mercenary guild, one that gives commands with every breath. “But that wasn’t a lucky guess. You see what it needs to win a battle. So you guide them.”

    He turns around sharply and leaves, not bothering to check if you plan to abandon them. It’s madness. You should abandon these people, should flee from the fight that will demand blood and death. One, two, three … six steps and you’re standing beside Byleth, taking deep breaths. It doesn’t help. She eyes you sideways with a raised brow, and you flinch at the metallic rasping sound as she draws her sword.

    “I shouldn’t be here,” you mumble, staring into the woods. The red dots are approaching faster, forming into more recognisable features of humans. “I’m going to die. Without knowing who I am or why I’m here. This is the worst day of my life. I think. I don’t know. It has to be.”

    Byleth hums beside you. You can’t tell if it’s a thoughtful or an affirmative hum. “This might sound crazy, but I do trust you.”

    “Maybe you shouldn’t,” you say, struck by a sudden fear that this all is a fever dream and you're about to lead them into ruin. It’s enough that you don’t even notice this is the first time you two are talking to each other since your meeting.

    Byleth studies you out of the corner of her eyes, then says, “A very persistent voice inside me tells me I shouldn’t.”

    “That’s your survival instinct. Listen to it.”

    “Yeah,” Byleth says, and there’s something like a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. You blink and it's gone. “I might do that.”

    You don’t really understand what’s there to smile about, but the moment quickly disappears as silence settles, only occasionally disturbed by a bird sitting in the trees above you.

    “So what exactly do you see?” Byleth whispers after a moment, barely shifting in her crouching position. You on the other hand really want to move your legs before they go numb.

    “I don’t know why you guys even believe me,” you mumble, and pinch the bridge of your nose with your fingers, trying to stave off another rush of dizziness. “And I don’t understand it myself. It’s the opponent, in a way. I see their strengths and weaknesses, their amour and weapons. It’s like … it’s like the flow of battle is displayed in front of me.”

    Byleth hesitates a moment, then nods like everything is pretty much self-explanatory. You wonder if to her it really does sound plausible, as she is someone who is practically born in battle, a daughter to a mercenary who breathes battle and fighting. Before you can explain anything further, she ducks more into the bushes and silences you with a sharp hush, her body tensed. The first bandits approach the glade, their bows and arrows ready to strike as the Academy’s knights engage them. Swords and axes clash against each other, battle cries ring through the woods. Byleth gestures you to follow her, and out of the corner of your eyes you see the students do the same, moving around the bandits. From the distance, you notice Claude gesturing wildly. It’s a mix between pointing at himself and then at the space a couple of feet away from his unit, and though you’re unable to fully comprehend it, you shake your head. He gives a thumbs up and slows down until he halts inside the thick cover of ferns.

    Just when you reach the right angle, Byleth looks back at you, waiting for your approval, and after briefly hesitating, you signal with a short nod to attack. Edelgard is the first to emerge from the underbrush. She has a dancer’s grace and a seemingly unerring instinct for what her opponent will do next. Her axe cuts through the first bandits who are too surprised to regroup in time. Dimitri and Claude are quickly to follow her. The crown prince of Faerghus wields his weapon of choice like he’s never done anything else in his entire life. The spear is the instrument to a deadly song they know by heart, and whoever stands in the way of their melody is cut down swiftly. Claude doesn’t disappoint with his steady aim either, his eyes sharper than an eagle’s. He nocks his bow, draws and impales a bandit that’s been running toward a mercenary with a crooked nose and eye patch. The mercenary gives him an offhand salute and goes back to fighting a thug twice his size.

    And then there’s Byleth. At first you don’t see her as the battle’s chaos swallows her and she disappears between moving bodies. But once your eyes catch up to her again, it’s hard to look away. Byleth moves through the enemies’ lines like an avenging angel on a mission. Her sword arm causes havoc as it conducts the tact of death’s complicated choreography and one by one the bandits fall to her deadly dance. Strangely, what describes it the best, you think, is divine.

    The battle is almost over. The last bandits fall or flee back into the woods as they abandon their comrades who lay down their weapons and yield. A miserable sound of relief escapes you when you see the end nearing with little casualties on your side, thanking whoever watches over you and guides your weapons in victory.

    That is until you see something, and at first you aren’t really sure you see it. Veiled by a red haze, a gruesome scene unfolds before you: As Byleth is focused on helping a soldier back up on his feet, a bandit strikes her from behind, wedging a dagger through her spine and into her heart. When you blink, the scene is gone and with it the red veil covering your surroundings.

    You don’t think twice. Jumping out of your hiding spot, you quickly recognise what will be Byleth’s murderer. Only he never gets the chance to approach her. With everything you’ve got, you charge into him and send him flying on the ground, you on top of him. The bandit groans, groggily turning on his back to see what struck him, and before you can start to fear for your own dear life, Byleth is beside you and rams her sword into his throat, silencing him forever.

    She looks down at you and you feel like she knows what just happened. Why you jumped in. It’s in those keen, piercing eyes that speak of a unimaginable wisdom. She reaches a hand out to help you up, and when you stand, the last bandits have been secured and the chaos finally settles. That is when the throbbing pain in your right eye doubles you ever, the pain akin to a pinprick of ice hammering into your skull. The pain makes you sick as stars explode behind your closed eyes, and the more they dance in feverish circles, the harder you press your hands against your eyelids, trying to smother the pain by pressure. It doesn’t work.

    Unable to breathe properly, your stumble, and when you move your hands, your fingers smear something warm and wet across your cheeks.

    Someone takes in a sharp breath. “Your eye,” Byleth breathes, a hand raised but remaining hanging in the air like she’s unsure if it’s okay to touch you. In the background you hear someone calling out you’re bleeding, and it takes a few seconds to understand where you’re bleeding from. Your right eye cries blood when the pain finally knocks you out, darkness falling onto everything.

[iturbide]

AU Masterlist

For ease of reference, all AUs will be linked to their respective tag on the blog; for fics marked as ‘In Progress’ or ‘Complete,’ status will link to AO3 if the work has an entry there; for fics marked as ‘One-Shot,’ status will link to either AO3 or Tumblr; for fics marked as ‘In Development,’ status will link to a Tumblr summary or outline of the complete work; all ‘In Planning’ works will be left unlinked. 

Fire Emblem: Awakening

The Future Built Upon the Past (In Progress) - My Awakening magnum opus; a look at the events of the doomed timeline and how it led to the course of events that eventually sent Lucina back in time to alter the course of fate.

Affectionately Yours (Complete) - Accepting Plegia’s invitation to visit in his sister’s stead, Chrom rapidly comes to realize that everything he thought he knew about the halidom’s neighbor is at best a wild exaggeration thanks to the guidance of Plegia’s sovereign, Robin.

Cursed Fate (Complete) - A Shadow of the Colossus AU; following Robin’s death, Chrom takes his body back to Plegia for burial; when a disembodied whisper confirms that there may be a chance to restore Robin’s life, Chrom goes on a quest through the Grimleal nation to bring together Grima’s remains.

Crown of Shadows (Complete) / The Shrouded Throne (Complete) - A split-path narrative where, to stop the civil war raging in Plegia, Robin comes to Ylisse to beg aid from Exalt Emmeryn.    After getting drafted by accident into the Shepherds, the Plegian and the Ylissean prince become fast friends – and very soon, something more. 

Accursed Divine (In Progress) - Robin is trapped in a curse that transforms her by day into a fell beast.  Once the curse is broken, the ensuing political drama follows Robin and Chrom uniting their countries after Robin’s ascension to the Plegian throne.

Sigh No More (In Progress) - An arranged marriage AU where following a crushing defeat at Plegian hands, Chrom’s father is forced to wed his son to Robin, who due to Validar’s ritual in her early life now bears more than just Grima’s mark as a sign of her fellblood; despite a rocky beginning, the two become friends and even find love in the union that had only ever been part of politics and power.

Beyond Twilight’s Veil (In Planning) - When Risen begin appearing in Ylisse, Chrom ventures into Plegia on Emmeryn’s behalf to try to find a joint solution, meeting and readily befriending Robin along the way.  When things go wrong, leaving Robin half-transformed and Validar dead, the Shepherds are forced to flee Gangrel’s pursuit; two years later, Robin claims the Plegian throne and reaches out to Ylisse in an attempt to rebuild lost friendships.

War Crimes (In Planning) - A collab with anankos; the Exalt of Ylisse becomes a willing host to Naga’s power in a bid to wipe Plegia off the map, but the Fell Dragon’s return puts the war in a deadlock.  Chrom is kidnapped and brought to Plegia in a desperate bid to open diplomatic channels, but when that fails he ends up as as a guest and becomes unlikely friends with Robin, the son of a Plegian tactician (who has more than a few secrets).

Manwearer (In Planning) - After becoming separated from his mother, Robin is raised by the taguel of Panne’s warren.  On hearing about a threat to the Exalt’s life, the warren mobilizes to her aid, and Robin and Panne ally with the Shepherds to uncover the deeper mystery behind the attack. 

Assassin’s Creed: Awakening (In Planning) - An Assassin’s Creed AU; when Emmeryn is kidnapped and slated to become a Grimleal sacrifice, Chrom and the Shepherds rush to save her – only her rescue comes at Plegian hands, instead.  Defying his crusading father, Chrom chooses to stand by Robin and ends up embroiled in a millennia-old conflict between secret forces.

Smoke and Mirrors (In Planning) - A Pokemon crossover AU; Robin and her Zoroark Reflet (who prefers a human guise that passes for her brother) join with Chrom, a Pokemon Ranger branching out into competitive training; and his sister Lissa, an aspiring pokemon medic.   This brings them into conflict with the Grimleal who are hunting for the Legendary Pokemon Giratina – a pokemon that Robin and Reflet have a very curious connection to.

Sibling AU (In Planning) - Grima is Robin’s older brother and unwilling puppet ruler of Plegia; when Emmeryn invites the recently-crowned king to Ylisse for diplomatic discussions, Grima sneaks his younger brother along to show him the world he’s never had a chance to see, and both unexpectedly find new friends in what they long believed were enemy lands.

Cardcaptor Lissa (In Planning) - A Cardcaptor Sakura crossover AU where Lissa accidentally unseals the Book of Naga and releases magical cards into the world; with the help of a tiny dragon named Tiki, she has to recapture them all before Grima reawakens to usher in the end of days. 

Promare AU (In Planning) - A Promare AU; after Chrom thwarts a group of Grimleal dark mages from kidnapping an Ylissean family, his world is turned upside down by a series of shocking revelations, and he chooses to side with Robin to save the Ylissean Grimleal imprisoned by his father’s orders.

As You Are (In Planning) - Robin comes to Ylisse on a diplomatic mission, hoping to warn the Exalt of a potential threat; when an attack leaves the Plegian blind, Chrom confesses his feelings – only to be rebuffed as Robin believes that the feelings are born of guilt, leaving Chrom to grapple with what he fears are unrequited feelings.

Pride and Joy (In Planning) - Raised in Plegia under Mustafa’s care, Robin is drafted into Validar’s assassination attempt on Emmeryn – but decides that the orders should not be fulfilled and defects, saving the Exalt’s life.  In the trials to follow, Robin tries to keep the Ylisseans safe from Gangrel’s forces without exposing her own wavering loyalties.

Prisoner of War (In Planning) - The Exalt’s war has left Plegia in ruins, its citizens scattered and the remnants of the army using guerrilla tactics to oppose the crusade.   When his father calls him to the front, Chrom is captured by the Plegian resistance, and rapidly discovers that everything he thought he knew about Plegia (and the Heart of Grima who took him captive) is wrong.

Speaker for the Dead (In Planning) - Raised under Validar’s cruel abuse, Robin exists as little more than a hollow shell, surviving each day on the battlefield.  When Chrom reaches out to him and offers a glimpse of something better than the threat of death, Robin cautiously accepts and gradually begins to recover from the traumas of Validar’s upbringing.

Design Defect (One-Shot) - A modern AU where Robin is the son of the head of the Grimleal mafia who enters Ylisstol University and meets Chrom, son of Exalt Corp’s CEO and the heir to the family company.  While Robin might have some ulterior motives for getting close to Chrom at first, he quickly gets in over his head.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Kintsugi (In Planning) - A Golden Deer-based golden route, where Claude decides from the moment he reunites with Byleth that they’re going to save as many lives as possible.

Pre-Timeskip Fix-It (In Planning) - A Black Eagles-based fix-it AU where Byleth gets to shut down Edelgard’s alarming rhetoric every time she opens her mouth, and the Imperial princess stumbles her way through the process of becoming a better person.

Spite Project (In Planning) - A canon-divergent AU where the question of “what would have happened if Edelgard had hired Miklan to kill Claude and Dimitri at the start of the year?” leads to Claude and Dimitri saving each other in more ways than one. 

Bad End AU (In Development) - A Crimson Flower AU exploring the logical consequences and fall-out associated with Edelgard’s conquest of Fodlan, her deceptions regarding the Agarthan menace, and her choice to kill Claude at Derdriu.

Proof of Life (One-Shot) - After establishing an uneasy alliance at Gronder, the joint Kingdom and Alliance forces proceed north to free Faerghus from Imperial control.  On the way, Dimitri and Claude are ambushed by an Imperial assassin, leaving Claude seriously injured; on the way to safety, though, Dimitri is shaken by the Alliance leader’s words, and begins to question his purpose and his ultimate goals.

Fire Emblem: Heroes

Hard Reset (In Planning) - A bad-end Heroes AU where Muspell invades Askr and wipes out the Order of Heroes – but before Surtr can kill Kiran, they fire Breidablik, which somehow transports them to another Zenith.  Taken in by the Emblians, Kiran sets about trying to prevent the ruin that befell the world they were first summoned to.

Controlled Chaos (One-Shot) - In the midst of battle against Muspell, Kiran is taken prisoner by Laegjarn and whisked away from the field; when the leaders of the Order elect to wait, the Heroes take matters into their own hands -- led by the last Hero anyone would have expected.

To The Last (One-Shot) - Though peace has finally established between Askr and Embla, Kiran is unexpectedly struck down by an old illness from their life before they were summoned; the Heroes band together in hopes of finding a cure...but in the end, it all comes down to a prayer.

Promare

Life Goes On (In Planning) - My Promare magnum opus and a direct sequel to Send the Scourge, Send the Swarm exploring the Parnassus aftermath, the Promeopolis Burnish and their recovery and reintroduction to society, and the gradual evolution of the city through the combined influence of the wider Federation and the growing Burnish activism movement. 

The Enemy of My Enemy (In Planning) - A canon-divergent AU where Lio and the Mad Burnish managed to save those captured by Freeze Force before they were taken to the Lake Friege detention center; after awkwardly helping the Mad Burnish slip through Kray’s trap, Galo inadvertently becomes entangled with the affairs of the terrorist organization.

Pokemon

Project: Elements (In Planning) - My Pokemon magnum opus following a scientist in Team Rocket who discovers that her genetic theory has been put into practice without her knowledge or consent; taking charge of the project herself, she finds herself warring with the ethics and morality of her work when young lives hang in the balance.

Pokekids (In Planning) - Based on an FYCD prompt meshed with an original story in development; the story revolves around an original region and original characters setting out on their journey, the challenges they meet along the way, and the friends they make in the process.

InuYasha

The Rising Wind (Complete) - An AU fic based on loveyou-x3000′s Wind Prompt, exploring the aftermath of Kagura’s death, her revival in a borrowed human form, her developing bond with Sesshomaru, and their eventual family.

Maelstrom (In Planning) - A canon-divergent AU where Sesshomaru diverts Kagura after she betrays Naraku, preventing her death at his hands; as she becomes ingrained within the group, though, Naraku sees an opportunity to make use of her even when she is not within his direct control.

Ace Attorney

Crime of Passion (In Development) - My Ace Attorney magum opus; Miles Edgeworth is once again accused of murder and taken in by police, but this time Phoenix Wright won’t be able to take his case -- because the victim of the crime is none other than the defense attorney.  It’s up to Maya to defend the prosecutor this time, while Miles is forced to confront the hard truths about his relationship with the missing lawyer.

[sporadiclilbook]

Oh god! It’s the 400 followers even is still on? if it’s, please let me see Brave Dimitri snap at the summoner for.. maybe they get wasted and cries on him because they can’t summon his legendary version of him ( I miss the leg version 2times now puhu..) thank you very much, I really like your writing, You doing so good UwU

Thank you! I hope you like this. May the next time his Legendary Alt is on a banner he comes home! I wish I could give you my extra one that I got from Seiros' banner!

Tw: drinking/alcohol

"Ah, I couldn't manage to summon him...." You felt a bit sad but what can you do about it? These focused summonings only comes once in a while. You thought that maybe if you could summon the Saviour King Dimitri, the other grown up him could work well together! Walking back to your room, you analysed the info of the upcoming mission.

On your shelf was an alcoholic drink. A gift from one of the Heroes. Staring at it for a while, you thought to yourself 'Well they say rubbing alcohol fixes the outside wounds and drinking alcohol fixes the inside wounds. Plus, it would go to waste so why not?' Opening it and pouring it with the glass that came with it, you drink the bitter drink. Even after only a few sip you were getting warmer and dizzy. Damn you're such a lightweight or maybe the alcohol was much more potent than the ones from your world. A knock then was heard on your door. You walked slowly to the door to find Dimitri. The grown up, King of Faerghus, Dimitri. Not the Crown Prince of Faerghus Dimitri. "Hmm.....mm? Dimi....tri? Is there some.....thing...I can help you...with? Hehe."

Dimitri caught you before you could fall. He is quite shocked to see you in such a state. He never really took you one for drinking. "Summoner? Are you alright? I was here to check up on you because you didn't show up for dinner. Prince Alfonse and Princess Sharena is worried."

After making you lay down on your bed he sat beside you. Asking you why you were...well, drunk. And of course in a drunken state, you tell him all about your problems. Your grief in summonings that made you unable to make some Heroes happy by summoning their close ones, the feeling of homesick even with Heroes from a world that was similar to yours and the constant fear of one day being outsmarted by your enemies and thus failing the Order as the designated tactician.

Dimitri felt.....angry. Not at you, but at the people who expected so much of you. It reminded him of the days when the voices of his head demanded Edelgard's death. In a way, he could relate. But this was different. Those voices was the voices of those who died. But these voices that's tormenting you belong to the ones still alive. He was glad that you couldn't see the anger expression on his face. But now he knows what he must do.

He must protect you from those voices.

Without making them gone completely of course. By the Goddess, he doesn't want to stray down that path of utter violence once more. But he will should he deem it important. For now he shall keep the people who keep making you question your self-worth at bay. "Summoner, please don't trouble yourself. Why don't I stick with you in every battle from now on?"

You shook your head lightly "I don't....want to...trouble..you. I'll be fine....I think." Dimitri grasped your hand firmly "Nonsense, clearly some of the Heroes has a negative effect on your state of mind. Allow me to negate them. I beg of you, please." You frowned a bit at his pleads still refusing "I don't want....the others to think....I'm not o--"

"YOU ARE NOT ALRIGHT."

You jolted at his sudden raise of voice. It was loud but fortunately for him, the summoner's room was far from the quarters of others. "I can't stand seeing you like this! It reminds me of......when I was once haunted by those voices too." Even in quite an upset mood. He was still ever so careful holding your hand. Afraid of breaking it. To him, almost everything was fragile. You are no different.

Your blurry sight could not see it but his face held fear. He's afraid of the fact one day you'll succumb to those voice. Unlike him, he had his professor to guide him. But you.....had none. No one to look up to. No one to look out for you. So it's only natural for him to be your light, right?

"Fret not, (Y/N). I will always stay here by your side." You looked at him gently, unsure what to say "Dimitri....I..." He shushed you before you could think of something to say "Don't worry (Y/N). I will always be here. Even if you send me back, I will always answer your summons again....

I will always be watching over you, my beloved."

[indigowallbreaker]

from the kiss prompts, may i have a 10 (goodbye kiss) or 11 ("i almost lost you" kiss) for claurenz please and thank you!!

(Once again I wrote the dang thing before realizing the request said “10 or 11″. So, uh, here’s two for the price of one. I should really pick up some reading comprehension)

10. “Goodbye” kiss

11. “I almost lost you” kiss

Chaotic as Gronder Field was, Claude had no trouble spotting a familiar drape of violet hair among the Kingdom soldiers. He landed right in front of Lorenz and hopped down, bow in hand. “Though I smelled roses!” He called.

Atop his horse, armor polished to a gleam, sat Lorenz. He rolled his eyes at Claude’s words. “There is little point in attacking me,” Lorenz said. “I am no longer with the Empire, as you well know.”

“Yeah, but yours are attacking mine sooo...” Claude gestured to the field beyond them. Dimitri and Teach were making bloody progress towards Edelgard. It would be time for a tactical retreat soon, but not just yet. 

Lorenz scowled. “Be that as it may. I have no wish to fight you.”

“Why? Afraid to lose to your ex in front of your horse?”

That caused Lorenz’s face to color. Claude smirked as Lorenz lifted his lance to point it dramatically at Claude. “We are nothing of the sort!”

Claude readied an arrow. “No? I seem to remember you switching houses just to get away from me.”

“I did not leave the Golden Deer because of you! The arrogance!”

“Uh huh. You asking to transfer the day after that fight was just a coincidence.”  

Lorenz winced. To Claude’s satisfaction, he finally slid from his horse to join Claude on the field. “I admit I was angry with you back then. But that hardly marks us as exes!”

“We were together, then you left, then you took the opposite side of the war,” Claude stated. “I’m having trouble seeing why you would think we’re still together.”

“I... Well, because...”

Claude stepped forward, readying an arrow in case his instincts were wrong. “Yes?”

“Claude--” Lorenz eyes flashed. “DUCK!”

Claude hit the dirt just as a flash of magic flew overhead. Glaring murder, Lorenz dodged the spell and sped forward to spear the mage behind Claude. When the mage raised their hand to attack again, Claude rolled to his feet and fired an arrow to finish them off. 

This left him and Lorenz almost shoulder to shoulder, eyes darting around to spot further threats. Or, at least, that’s what Claude was doing. But when he turned to Lorenz, he found him staring intently at Claude. “I still love you,” Lorenz said, tone determined. 

He clearly meant to say more but Claude cut him off with a kiss. 

“Just wanted to be sure,” Claude murmured against Lorenz’s lips when he pulled away. He smirked as Lorenz gaped at him. “Goodbye, Lorenz. Make it out of this alive for me.”

And with that, Claude hopped back onto his wyvern and sped across the sky.

--

“CLAUDE VON RIEGAN!”

Claude hadn’t flinched at the sound of his own name since he was a child. But he flinched now, watching Lorenz gallop towards him at a pace that would unseat a lesser rider. 

The last of the Empire’s forces had yet to actually leave Derdriu but, now that Dimitri and Teach had taken out Volkhard, it wouldn’t be long before the city was safe again. That hardly made this the time for a telling off, in Claude’s opinion.

Apparently Lorenz disagreed. He came to a halt at the bottom of the staircase leading to Claude’s platform, jumped off his horse, and stomped up the steps. “Have you lost your wits?!” Lorenz barked as Claude sheepishly slid from his wyvern. “Gambling with so many lives-- gambling with your own life! I should kill you myself and save the Empire some trouble!”

“It worked out, didn’t it?” Claude waved halfheartedly at Derdriu. 

That did nothing to soften Lorenz’s glare. Claude vaguely wondered if any enemy had ever been subjected to this intense a glare or if Lorenz saved them for Claude alone. 

Lorenz marched up to him, stopped when they were toe to toe-- and crashed his mouth to Claude’s.

Instantly, Claude forgot about the weight of Failnaught on his back. He forgot about his wyvern still jittery and anxious beside them. He forgot about needing to speak with Dimitri and Byleth about the fate of the Alliance. 

All Claude could think of was the tongue invading his mouth, sweaty strands of hair tangling around his fingers as he held Lorenz close. How foolish he had been to think that chaste kiss at Gronder would be the last chance he’d had to taste Lorenz. 

Lorenz wrenched away only to rest his forehead to Claude’s. “I almost had to watch you die,” Lorenz said, his voice raw.

Claude ran a soothing hand from Lorenz’s hair to his neck, fingertips trailing around his pulse point. “I’m fine, Lorenz.”

“Thanks to my efforts, yes. You are.” The next kiss was shorter and a great deal gentler than the last. “You are not leaving my sight again.”

Chuckling, Claude pulled back to look at Lorenz properly. “I have to talk to Dimitri and Teach, then you can let me know if you still think that way.” 

Lorenz’s eyes narrowed. “What could you possibly have to tell that that would change my mind?”

“All in due time.” Claude took Lorenz’s hand. “And, for the record, I still love you too.”

Claude couldn’t recall if Lorenz had ever beamed at him quite like this. With a final, almost reverent kiss to Claude’s brow, Lorenz lead the way down the stairs toward Dimitri and Byleth. Considering what Claude planned to do, he couldn’t help but wonder if his journey back to Almyra would be as lonely as he had originally thought. 

(kiss prompts!)