Chapter Text
Byleth was rearranging the assortment of tarts, marzipan, and cookies on the dessert plate for the third time when Lysithea entered the empty Garreg Mach council room. For a moment she said nothing, though her lips were thinned and she was squinting the slightest bit in the way she always did when trying to solve a particularly vexing riddle.
"Is she here yet?" Byleth asked.
"She's on her way," Lysithea replied, still regarding Byleth curiously. "Professor, are you… nervous?"
Byleth nudged a lemon tart a hair's breadth to one side and considered the dessert plate, which was more appealing than considering the unpleasant fluttering in her stomach. She was accustomed to being calm, both on and off the battlefield; being so unsettled before an important meeting was unacceptable. "I want this to go well," she said, only now turning to meet Lysithea's gaze. "It may be our only chance at ending things peacefully."
Lysithea shook her head. "It's a very slim chance. You know that, don't you, Professor?"
Byleth's hand darted down to her leg, to the scar on her thigh that was only now beginning to pale from vivid pink to a lighter, washed-out hue. "She saved my life. I don't want to repay that kindness by taking hers."
It had been during a battle on one of the smaller bridges crossing the Airmid. She and Edelgard had been locked in battle when a mage's spell had sent them both over the edge and into the water. They'd been swept away by the current and washed up on the riverbank together, but while Edelgard had survived the ordeal uninjured, Byleth had been sliced open on a rocky outcrop in the fast-flowing river. She'd have died before help arrived had Edelgard not bound the wound and wrapped a tourniquet around her thigh.
"Claude is reasonable," Lysithea said. "Unpredictable but reasonable. But Edelgard…" Lysithea shook her head. "I don't think she's interested in compromise."
Byleth turned her attention to the cups and saucers, checking that each was spotless and that the teapot, hidden beneath a thick tea cosy, was still hot to the touch. "Even so, if we can get her to see that Claude isn't her enemy, that he wants to change things in Fódlan…"
Help had finally arrived, but before Edelgard had left her on the riverbank, Byleth had asked her to talk to Claude. And she'd agreed. Perhaps it was a slim chance, but it was a chance nonetheless.
She had no more time to think on the matter—or to further rearrange the desserts—because a pair of guards appeared at the door and announced that Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg had arrived.
"I'll leave you to it," Lysithea said and was about to go when Byleth plucked a honey-almond cookie from the plate and placed it in her hand.
"The plate was looking too crowded," Byleth said before Lysithea could try to object that she was no longer a child.
Her brow crinkled as she looked at the cookie and then at Byleth. "Oh very well, Professor." And then, cookie in hand, she marched out of the room just as Edelgard marched in. She bowed her head to the emperor. "Good day, Edelgard."
"Hello, Lysithea," Edelgard replied. "I'm glad to see you looking so well."
For a moment Lysithea looked like she wanted to say more but instead she muttered a thank you and hurried away. All the while, Byleth remained frozen, standing by the table, her eyes taking in the sight of the emperor of Adrestia. It was the first time since waking from her five year nap that Byleth had seen Edelgard outside of battle and without her armour. Her hair was tightly bound in her horned crown. She was dressed in a high-collared crimson gown and Byleth was struck by how much older she looked than the girl she'd known at the academy.
And then Edelgard finally turned her gaze to Byleth and those violet eyes locked with hers. She felt it then as she had sometimes at the academy, a sort of pull, something drawing her to Edelgard, something she couldn't explain. It had scared her then. It was the reason she'd chosen Golden Deer house, because this feeling Edelgard inspired in her was something she'd never been able to explain.
The force of that gaze was like the pull of the tide and it took all Byleth's will to finally say, "Hello, Edelgard."
"Hello, Professor. How is your wound healing?"
Byleth patted her thigh. "I'm fine now, though I'm left with quite the scar. Would you like to see it?"
Instantly, a scarlet tinge shot up Edelgard's face. "Perhaps another time, Professor."
"How about some tea and snacks then?" Byleth said, sweeping her hand out toward the dessert plate.
For a moment Edelgard paused to take in the spread before moving to take a seat. "Will Claude be joining us?" she asked as Byleth was pouring the tea.
"He's been slightly delayed," Byleth said.
"How convenient," Edelgard said. "And he sent you to butter me up, did he?"
Halfway through pouring her own cup, Byleth paused and almost spilled the tea. "He didn't phrase it like that."
Edelgard arched an eyebrow. "Of course he didn't, but, Professor, you're notorious for being able to earn anyone's good will."
Setting down the teapot, Byleth tilted her head and peered at Edelgard. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"
"No, but it's a skill that's of more use to your allies than your enemies."
Byleth wanted to say something about their not being enemies but stopped herself before the words could get out because of course they were enemies, weren't they? Or at least the countries they led and fought for were. And Byleth could not forget the vile mages Edelgard had allied herself with, the demonic beasts they used in battle like those that had attacked Lady Rhea during the battle of Garreg Mach. Even now, even after the shock of unmasking Edelgard in the Holy Tomb, it was difficult to reconcile the emperor of Adrestia who waged war on Fódlan and the woman who'd so carefully bound her wounds rather than leave her to die.
Edelgard raised the teacup but paused before bringing it to her lips to instead inhale its scent. "You procured my favourite tea."
"I hoped I'd remembered right from the academy. Dorothea mentioned it to me once."
Edelgard sighed and took a sip of her tea. "As I said, notorious." But Byleth thought she saw the tiniest sliver of a smile on her lips.
For a minute they each sipped their bergamot tea and Byleth was pleased to see Edelgard reach for one of the marzipan treats. She'd never had tea with Edelgard at the academy. Edelgard had always been polite, proper, but also somehow aloof. The times they'd worked together, such as when Byleth and the house leaders had ventured into Abyss together, always stood out in her mind. There was a comfortable rhythm to fighting with Edelgard as if they'd fought side by side a thousand times before. She'd never understood why that was. Even now, she didn't understand.
"I wanted to thank you properly," Byleth said finally. "For saving my life."
Edelgard shook her head. "There's no need. Consider it the payment of an old debt."
She meant of course the day they'd met, when Byleth had stepped between her and that bandit. But really it had been Byleth who'd been saved that day. That single unexplainable act of stepping between Edelgard and the axe had changed Byleth's life irrevocably. It had awoken Sothis and in doing so had changed something in Byleth herself, had transformed her from the Ashen Demon to the person she was now, someone more alive, more real than she'd ever been before. No, it was she who had a debt to Edelgard and these talks were her one chance to repay it.
But since she could say none of this to Edelgard, she instead reached for a cookie and munched on it thoughtfully.
"So tell me, Professor, where have you been all this time? There were reports that you plunged into a chasm during the Battle of Garreg Mach. You were presumed dead by most."
"I was sleeping."
"Is that a joke? With you it's difficult to tell."
She paused, cookie half-raised to her mouth and looked at Edelgard. "No, I really was sleeping."
"For five years?"
With her mouth full of almond cookie, Byleth only nodded. Edelgard peered at her for several seconds, brow furrowed, and she seemed to be trying to decide how to take Byleth's answer. "I don't really understand it myself," Byleth offered by way of apology. She didn't want Edelgard to think she was lying or trying to make a fool of her. "I fell into a deep sleep and then I… heard the goddess's voice telling me to wake. When I found Claude again I learned I'd been gone for five years."
Edelgard grimaced. "Ah so I have the goddess to thank for your return and our defeat at Myrddin, do I?"
Byleth set down her cup. "It doesn't have to be this way. The empire and the Alliance don't have to be at war."
Edelgard took a moment to reach for a napkin and wipe her lips as Byleth's eyes followed the movement of the cloth. "Even if that means the destruction of the Church of Seiros? Aren't you bound to defend your goddess?"
Byleth tilted her head, frowning in confusion. "No. I just want to protect my students. And help Claude make a better Fódlan."
Edelgard looked… well, cross if Byleth had to guess. For all Edelgard claimed Byleth had a knack for winning people over, Byleth was becoming less and less certain that that was the case. Perhaps she should've let Claude do the talking since she seemed to be making things worse rather than better.
"But you are Rhea's successor, aren't you?" Edelgard said finally.
"I… I suppose so." That's what Claude had said, wasn't it? The leadership of the Church would undoubtedly fall to you. "It's not something I've given a good deal of thought to."
"And Rhea?"
Two words, but the question was immeasurably complicated and Byleth took a long drink from her teacup to give herself a moment to form words out of the morass of emotions surrounding Rhea. Rhea had been kind to her, trusted her, but also done something to her and expected something of her, neither of which she understood. And Claude's dream of opening Fódlan's Locket would never come to fruition while Rhea remained archbishop. Finally Byleth set down her teacup. "I have questions that only Rhea can answer. Questions about Fódlan's history and the crest stones and…" For a second her hand flew to her chest, the quiet spot where her silent heart rested. "And about me. Why I can use the Sword of the Creator, what she hoped to accomplish by bringing me to the Holy Tomb, what—" What she did to me. She didn't dare say that aloud so instead she finished with, "What I am."
"And do you really believe you'd get truthful answers from her? I can assure you the archbishop is not what she seems and she's responsible for a great many lies that have been perpetuated throughout Fódlan." Byleth arched a single eyebrow at this speech even as she sipped her tea. Edelgard sighed. "You needn't say it, Professor. Yes, I, too, am an accomplished liar."
Byleth's lips quirked. "Well it's a good thing you're meeting with Claude later then. You'll be in good company.
A huff of laughter escaped Edelgard and suddenly all the tension of a moment before melted away. In spite of the war, and the fact that Edelgard was, indeed, her enemy, Byleth found herself smiling.
Edelgard reached for a tart and Byleth went in for another cookie and for a minute they simply enjoyed their desserts, just as if they were back in the academy days, instead of in the midst of a war.
"I'm glad to see Lysithea is doing well," Edelgard said. "I know her health has been fragile."
Byleth paused mid-bite. "I didn't know she'd told you about her condition."
Edelgard shook her head. "She didn't but I'm aware of certain… incidents that occurred in the empire in the past."
"I see," Byleth said, but her mind was suddenly racing with a new thought. Lysithea's procedure had left her with a second crest and silver-white hair the twin of Edelgard's… She tucked the idea away at the back of her mind for further investigation and instead finished off her cookie before asking, "How are the Black Eagles?"
A faint smile curled Edelgard's lips. "They're well. I'm fortunate to have such loyal companions."
They kept to innocuous topics as they finished their tea, moving from the weather to a discussion on cavalry tactics, and had drained the pot to the dregs when a knock finally sounded on the council room door. Claude pushed it open and stood there with a wide grin plastered on his face. "Sorry for the delay," he said. "I didn't want to show up to such an important event without a gift."
He moved aside to reveal none other than Ferdinand von Aegir.
Ferdinand stepped forward, a metallic click echoing with the movement as the cane in his left hand tapped the floor.
"Ferdinand!" Edelgard sprang to her feet and hurried to meet him as he limped into the room, the cane clicking against the stone floor with every step.
"Hello, Edelgard," he said softly.
"We received word you'd been grievously wounded at Myrddin. No one knew what had become of you. We all assumed the worst."
"The professor spared my life," he said, glancing at her, though his expression was solemn, as if he was uncertain that act had been a kindness or a punishment. He moved the cane before him so that he could lean his weight on it as he bowed low before Edelgard. "Please forgive me. I could not hold the bridge and my defeat is shameful."
"There's no need to apologize, Ferdinand." Edelgard's voice was gentle and Byleth held very still as the tableau played itself out, afraid to disturb them in this delicate moment. "You did all you could and I could not ask any more of you. There is certainly no shame in being defeated by an opponent as formidable as the professor."
Ferdinand straightened and nodded. "Thank you, Edelgard."
It was, naturally, Claude who shattered the silence that followed. "Well now that we're all on good terms again how about I have some more tea brought in and we can have a friendly chat like Teach here wanted."
Byleth gave him a look. She knew this mode of his. He was trying to unsettle Edelgard, to throw her off to give himself a tactical advantage in their talks. Surprising her with Ferdinand was part of that same tactic. She only hoped he wasn't overdoing it. She wanted Edelgard to be receptive to discussion but she was already at a military disadvantage and Byleth suspected she would dig in if she felt cornered.
Eventually, with the tea served and pleasantries out of the way, the small group settled enough that Byleth felt ready to turn to the matter at hand. "Claude, please tell Edelgard about what you hope to accomplish as leader of the Alliance."
"You mean besides preventing us from being imperial lapdogs?" This time the look she shot him could only be described as scathing. "All right, all right, Teach. You don't have to give me the evil eye." He returned his attention to Edelgard whose expression of cool disinterest was somehow worse than the scowl she'd worn earlier when she and Byleth had talked. "The teachings of Seiros tell its followers to stay away from outsiders, that they're lesser beings somehow. But you've met people from outside of Fódlan—Petra, Dedue, Cyril. You know that isn't true."
Ferdinand was nodding along. "Agreed," he said when Edelgard did not speak.
"Fódlan's closed itself off from the rest of the world for a long time. I want to change that."
"Your intentions are noble," Edelgard said, "and I can see why the professor supports your efforts, but how can you ever hope to achieve such lofty ambitions while the Church continues to exist?" She shook her head and the violet eyes Byleth had been so entranced by just a short while ago were now as icy as the first frost that withered summer flowers. "The Church underpins the crest system and the nobility. As long as power remains in their hands, nothing will change."
Claude shrugged. "There are other ways to change things than by force."
Edelgard shook her head. "Subterfuge and craftiness will only get you so far. Sometimes there is no other way but to remove the obstacles before you."
"Oh but that's already been done for me," Claude said with a grin as he turned to glance at Byleth. Byleth's eyes darted from him to Edelgard whose expression was more frigid than ever.
"So you intend to use the professor as a puppet to mold the Church to your liking? Is that your grand scheme, Claude? And since I've already done the dirty work of removing Rhea from power you're free to rally the Church's followers behind the professor and use them to do your bidding."
"Do my bidding?" Claude chuckled. "That's a little much, don't you think? So far all I've done is remove imperial influence from Alliance territory and that was the will of everyone in Leicester."
"I'm not a fool, Claude. I know you're massing forces at Myrddin as we speak."
He flashed a grin. "And you're gathering troops at Fort Merceus, right?"
Byleth heaved a sigh. "This wasn't what I had in mind when I suggested you discuss what you had in common."
Before they could get any further into discussions there was a knock on the door and someone asking for Duke Riegan. Claude stepped out of the room and spoke to the messenger. "Let them in,
he said. When he returned to the table, his expression was grave. "How many people knew you were here?" he asked Edelgard.
"Only a handful of my closest allies. As far as everyone else is concerned I'm still at Fort Merceus. Why?"
"Someone is asking to see you."
They waited in uneasy silence until the mysterious envoys were ushered in. And though Byleth had not seen their faces in five years, she recognized Dorothea and Petra immediately. They both looked windswept and rather the worse for wear, Dorothea's dress singed in several places and dried blood caked on the side of Petra's face.
Edelgard leapt to her feet. "What's happened?"
"It's Lord Arundel," Dorothea said, her normally melodious voice sounding brittle like shaken glass shards. "He's staged a coup in the capital. Him and his mages."
"He is sending assassins, thinking you are still at Fort Merceus," Petra added. "We came by pegasus to be warning you."
And though Edelgard looked as pale as first snow, her voice was steady as spoke. "Do we know who his allies are in this?"
Petra's expression morphed into a snarl as she replied, "Count Varley is being among those revolting and they are freeing Duke Aegir."
"My father is involved in this?" Ferdinand said, looking outraged as he hobbled to his feet.
"Oh, you are being alive," Petra said. "At least that is some fortunate news."
"Who else?" Edelgard said, her tone as sharp as the dagger at her hip.
"We are not knowing," Petra replied.
"Count Bergliez and Count Herving were both in their own territories when it happened," Dorothea added.
There was a brief moment of silence and then all at once Edelgard asked, "Where's Hubert?"
Byleth's stomach dropped when Petra and Dorothea glanced at each other. "Hubert held them off so that we could escape to warn you," Dorothea said softly. "I'm sorry, Edie, but Arundel has Hubert."