#betrays Edelgard and sides with Claude to survive but then they ally with Edelgard and it's like

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Anon with the "GW not bad for Faerghus" ask. I couldn't read your full response bc your other blog is private but yes, there are people who say that the Kingdom is not in a bad position. Mostly those who think Claude's "scheme" will force Edelgard to end the war bc he could ally with the "still strong" Kingdom to crush her if she didn't, and that GW is some kind of "golden ending" for the three nations. Some even argue that Claude freed Faerghus/Dimitri from the Church's chains - or whatever.

I don't know if you saw my post where I mentioned you should be able to read it now, but if you didn't you should still be able to. I think I switched off the setting for that because I didn't realize it would prevent you from seeing the whole ask. :o

That's wild to hear though that people think the Kingdom isn’t in a bad position. They've lost a lot of military power regardless of whether or not they lose influence. Like I mentioned in the previous ask, it's basically up to Claude whether or not they retain their influence (regardless of what Petra wants in GW or what she thinks she knows about Fodlan lol). If they do, they still have no military might. If Sreng invades they're fucked if Claude doesn't treat them like a vassal state of Leicester and help them under the pretext that Faerghus is now part of Leicester.

In other words, they’re at best a vassal state and otherwise left alone, and at worst they’re left to rot.

Technically, Claude could try to get them to help him fight against the Empire, sure, but they won’t have the military might to help him very much, and like I mentioned in the last ask, the chances of it working are slim. Gautier won’t help and I can say that with pretty much full certainty, and if Gautier won’t help then Fraldarius probably won’t either (remember, it’s Felix who makes the final decisions now and not Rodrigue, so if Felix sees Sylvain is still upset about his father and won’t help the Alliance because of what they did, Felix won’t help them either. Felix is extremely emotional about his friends - especially his childhood friends. If you fuck with them then he’s going to fuck with you).

So now, Claude can either decide to try to force them to help, which would invoke another fight between him and Faerghus and cause more deaths, or he’ll just have to accept that he’s not getting help/a lot of help from Faerghus (I detailed it more in the other ask, so hopefully you can access the rest of it now!).

Post GW, Faerghus won’t be helping anyone in a war, I can tell you that. It’d take everything they had to keep Sreng out and to fix any damages from the Alliance’s attack. Even if Claude called on them, they just... couldn’t help.

Unfortunately even in GW they imply that Dimitri is “freed” of the Church, so of course most people take that at face value and don’t look any deeper than what’s told to them. Dimitri isn’t really free or not free of the Church. He was never in a situation where he was being controlled by them. They’re on friendly terms, but that’s really it. Rhea doesn’t tell Dimitri what to do or how to run Faerghus. It’s just that the people there are very devout because of their good relations with the Church and because Rhea helps Faerghus when they need help. It’s give and take for them just like any political situation. Faerghus isn’t in a bad position because they’re around. They’ve only really benefitted from the Church if anything, because Rhea doesn’t personally involve herself with their political decisions.

The whole “we have to free Dimitri from them” thing sounded more to me like Claude needing to find something “good” to hang onto to excuse himself for making those choices. As it was he was grasping at straws to justify their invasion to begin with. He already didn’t have a good pretext for attacking them. Saying “we’re freeing you” is like... his lowkey way of saying he needs to make himself feel better about it, because Dimitri didn’t need his or anyone’s help to begin with. If they were left alone, Faerghus would’ve been fine. Edelgard in GW is struggling on both sides of the war, so if Faerghus hadn’t been attacked by the Alliance, I can guarantee the Empire would’ve just lost.

Really, if Claude teamed up with the Kingdom in the first place and took down the Empire, they would’ve spared themselves more lives and bloodshed in the long run. Claude caused even more battles to happen and got more innocent people killed. I think by the end of the game he did figure out that he made the wrong decisions, but by then it was too late and he couldn’t take back what he did so he needed to find ways to justify all of it to himself.

I just wish they actually came out and said that though instead of running around it in circles while trying to make us believe he actually believes that the Kingdom was just better off without the Church. They weren’t doing badly with the Church involved or not involved. It was the invasion that hurt them. If Claude skipped around Fhirdiad and killed Rhea, regardless of plot or context or anything, just like, imagine he didn’t invade Faerghus and they just passed through and killed Rhea, then Faerghus’ situation might get a little more complicated for inheritance, but I think just with Dimitri’s temperament that they’d be able to stave off any legitimacy issues pretty quick. That is, people liked him in power so the populace would still be in favor of having him as king whether the Church was there or not. Rodrigue was well liked, so he’d be a perfect public figure to calm down any potential anxiety and worry with the loss of the Church. They could’ve actually made it without the Church, but it was mostly the invasion that really hurt the country and dug them into a hole for the future.

[msbluebell]

New Idea: Captured AU.

Instead of falling off that cliff and going missing for five years and waking up in a river, Byleth falls down and somehow survives but is found by Imperial Troops while they’re knocked out.

In my own play through of the Blue Lions Route I fought Ferdinand and he said that Edelgard has always been obsessed with Byleth, which means she is fixated on the professor even outside of having them as her homeroom teacher. 

So Edelgard high-key has a “Capture If Possible” order. She’s not confident that they can, because the professor is strong and Edelgard doesn’t doubt that they’ll have to die in order for her plans to come into fruition. 

But, by some twist of fate, the Imperials find Byleth beneath the ruble, unconscious but alive. The Sword of the Creator is gone, but it’s easy for them to capture Byleth like this and transfer them to the Imperial Capital. 

Edelgard is...ecstatic. Surely, this is proof that her destiny is right. One of the things she wanted most was the professor by her side and now fate has gifted her with them. She knows they’ll resist, try to get back to the Faerghus and the Blue Lions, but in time, once she’s won, perhaps her teacher will see that her path is the best path.

They keep Byleth unconscious the whole way back to Ennbar, drugging them and making sure they don’t wake. No one wants to fight them, even without a weapon. They could kill Byleth, perhaps, because Byleth is unarmed and outnumbered, but it would make the Emperor very unhappy, so it’s easier to keep them drugged until they have a prison set up.

Edelgard has the most elaborate, but comfortable, prison constructed. There’s only one door, a solid metal construction with multiple locks and bolts, and there are no windows. It’s built in a high tower, with winding stair cases and halls that lead nowhere, a veritable maze just in case. The cell itself looks more like a guest room than a cell. It has a nice bed, more lavish than Byleth’s bed at Garreg Mach, and plenty of books to keep them from getting bored, and silk clothing (red, it’s all red, Edelgard’s colors). If you ignore the fact that Byleth won’t be allowed to leave when they wake up, you could almost forget they’re a prisoner. She has only her most trusted friends (the Black Eagles) and servants enter this tower, and the fact Byleth is even being kept there is very hush hush for the most part.

Those Who Slither In The Dark try to get access to Byleth, but Edelgard isn’t having any of it. She’ll let them have Rhea, but they are NOT touching the professor. It’s the cause of a lot of tension between the two factions.

Meanwhile Byleth is only being visited by the best healers in Edelgard’s employee/confidence. It takes a long time, but Byleth wakes up much earlier because of it.

Byleth...isn’t happy to be here.

Byleth was the head of the Blue Lion House, and they’re loyal to the Blue Lions and Dimitri, and the last they saw of Edelgard she was the Flame Emperor, who was involved with the ones who killed their father, and probably caused the Tragedy of Duscar, etc. They’re not happy at all. They’re worried sick, and anxious, because Dimitri wasn’t looking so good before the battle, and they don’t know where their students are, and they want to know what’s going on.

They refuse to eat when the Black Eagle students bring them food. They sit there, silently glaring at them, demanding to know why they’re here and what they want. Their former students assure them that they’re not going to be hurt, that they’re just here for their own safety until the war is over, but Byleth is in a less than gracious mood.

They don’t attack, because they’re a smart and they’re aware that even if they got out of the room there’s probably a whole slew of guards, and they don’t know where they are. But refuse to eat, no matter how much the students beg them to. No amount of arguing, or insulting, or begging will get them to lay a hand on the food. It may seem like a stupid move, with their body growing weaker and weaker, but Byleth doesn’t have very many other ways to fight back right now.

Eventually Edelgard herself comes to deliver food in a personal attempt to get Byleth to eat. They don’t, at first, simply demanding to know what’s going on, and where Rhea is, and Dimitri, and pretty much any news from the outside because no one has been telling them anything.

 Edelgard is harsh on them. She bargains information for their cooperation eating food. She’s brutally honest about her answers too, Rhea is captured, she’s invading the rest of Fodlan, Dimitri hasn’t been seen since he murdered his uncle (she says that specifically to make his less desirable than her, because why should the professor worry about a half mad man like that?), Claude is barely holding the alliance together, and she’s confident in her victory.

Byleth refuses to eat in Edelgard’s presence again. They refuse to speak or even LOOK at Edelgard. At first, Edelgard is hurt and furious, arguing with them about why she’s right, how much crests have hurt her, how opening up like she would have if they were her homeroom teacher. But it’s like yelling at a wall.

The truth is, Byleth does have sympathy for Edelgard, but they can never condone this war, and they can’t stand her allies that killed their father. And even if they could somehow get past those two thing, in their heart they know they’ll always be haunted by Dimitri’s hurt, betrayed, face when that mask fell off. 

Dimitri was the one that helped them learn how to be human, who came to comfort them with kind words and understanding when their father died, who slowly and honestly opened up about his past, who understood and included Byleth even when he was intimidated by their expressionless face, and they don’t think they’ll ever quite let go of that loyalty.

So Byleth plans their escape.

It takes a long, long, time. But they start to eat more when certain students showed up with food, strategically stop asking certain students certain questions, start asking different ones to others. They memorize how long time passes between visits, only to find it erratic. They don’t give up though. They learn to tell time in the guard’s footsteps that sound outside their door. They count how many are taken with each shift change, and how long they can count before the next shift, and what student will come in between those shifts in case there is any pattern. They count how many steps are taken before the sounds of footsteps disappear, and mentally map out the first floor from there.

It’s just pure bad luck that Bernadetta happens to be the student visiting when Byleth enacts their escape plan. They knock her out and run for it, stealing any money and gold she might have on her (not much, just pocket change, because why would she need it if she’s just going to feed her teacher?). They knock out one of the guards before he can make a noise, and take out the rest in sneak attacks before they can sound an alarm. Once the first floor is cleared, then comes the hard part.

They steal a guard’s armor and clothes, locking them in the room with a still knocked out Beradetta. Neither should wake for a while anyway, and Byleth locks them in the room and waits for the shift change. Once the next guard is there, they leave.

It’s easier sneaking out of the city than they thought it would be, they just walk out in Imperial Armor. 

The alarms aren’t sounded until after Byleth has made it well outside the gates, from there it’s a mad dash. They might steal a horse. Luckily, they have an advantage, they’re still in disguise, and they’ve already put distance between them and the search parties. So long as they don’t mess this up, they can pretend they’re searching if they get caught.

It’s a stupid plan, kinda, because they’ll probably be looking for a lone guard, but it’s all they’ve got for now. 

They don’t stop moving at all, they have to put distance between themselves and Ennbar. At some point their horse flat out dies from exhaustion, and they shed their armor to gain more speed and distance.

They’re almost caught, but they jump into a rapid river and escape. No one is mad enough to jump after them.

They’re pulled out of the river what must feel like days later by a friendly civilian. From them they learn that they’ve been imprisoned for five years.

Five whole years in that damn room.

Somehow, by some twist of fate, this village just so happens to be just outside of Garreg Mach, and the Sword of the Creator washed up beside them. And Byleth can’t help but think that there’s some twisted sense of humor to fate.

Five years, almost to the day.

They wonder if their students have come, the Blue Lions they mean.They wonder if any are alive to keep their promise. Edelgard said no one had seen Dimitri in a long time, and with the war it seems almost silly that any of the others would remember their innocent promise.

Byleth goes to Garreg Mach anyway.

They find Dimitri there.

[astraseason]

@halycondaze sent... slipped under claude’s bedroom door was a note, “meet me in the kitchens - e” and, were he to follow the instructions, he would find the emperor herself, in day clothes that are covered in flour and a little bit of egg. despite the disheveled state of her and the kitchen, she turns to him, just a little smile on her face, the presentation of the dish she’s made only slightly off. a recipe card sits on the counter, titled “sautéed pheasant and egg,” and clearly in claude’s handwriting. “happy birthday,” then, she adds, “it may look a mess, but i did follow your recipe... i do hope you like it, claude.”

   in truth you almost missed the note entirely in your half-asleep daze, noticing it only at the crunch of paper underfoot. a yawn is stifled as you pick up the note, smoothing it out before unfolding and reading it. ... twice. your eyes glazed over the first time around. oh, you need coffee.

   it’s fairly early for edelgard to want something from you. she’s not usually up for another little bit-- anything this pressing is something hubert would be taking care of for her. and why in the kitchens? a brow raises as you ponder what the emperor could possibly want to discuss, but you shove the paper into your pocket, glance in the mirror to ensure you’re looking nothing less than perfectly put together, and head on down.

   surprisingly enough, her shadow is nowhere in sight as you stroll down to the designated meeting place. funny, you’re almost certain he would’ve turned up by now to either clue you in on what edelgard even wants or to threaten you some more about the dangers of betraying the empire. huh. maybe she has doubts about the alliance and wants to sort it out in person? despite the seemingly abrupt nature of the war and her refusal to back down, edelgard is reasonable. she isn’t about to cut ties without an attempt to salvage things.

   ... but what did you even do to warrant this discussion in the first place? assuming it is such a thing in the first place, but you can’t think of anything else she might want to talk about in such quiet hours, away from the hustle and bustle of early morning drills or passersby. ( you really hope she doesn’t mind having the discussion over coffee. )

   you know your reputation as a schemer and an outsider does not make for an ideal ally, but your goals are fundamentally the same, aren’t they? she wants to abolish the church of seiros’ power and rebuild society from the ground up to give every life an equal chance at success and happiness regardless of crest status. you want to break down the walls between nations and foster peace and understanding. a camaraderie so strong that someday, you can extend a hand to all the other regions of the world... you had hoped that such a risky venture on her part indicated some form of trust. to be fair to edelgard, you have been approaching that hope with a very cautious optimism-- you know full well the moment your paths didn’t align, you would be unable to continue supporting all this bloodshed in good conscience.

   ( you’re still not sure you accept it now, but edelgard had given the impression that regardless of whether she headed it or not, war was coming to fodlan one way or another. perhaps it’s better that your former classmate is at the helm. )

   you’re unable to help yawning again as you enter the room, stray hair finally falling out of its carefully slicked-back place, at at first don’t recognize edelgard. she’s dressed down in more casual clothes, hair not in the familiar buns you’ve come to recognize -- the ponytail is quite a cute look on her, you have to admit -- and a complete mess of egg and flour. the kitchen itself is equally a disaster zone, making it dificult to focus on what the emperor has produced until your eyes finally wander to the counter space by her side.    ... now that you think of it, edelgard was a pretty big fan of the dish you got added to the menu back in the day. she’s even got the recipe card you handed the staff on display! you’re surprised it survived all these years...

“it looks perfect,” you tell her, a smile that exudes nothing but warmth curving your lips upwards. seems you were overthinking things again... nonetheless you load up a fork and after a moment of deliberation, take a big bite. she wouldn’t dare poison you in such a sloppy manner, would she? not in such an insecure location, where someone could walk in at any moment... “tastes perfect, too! thank you. d’you want a hand cleaning up in here?”

   ... once you’re done eating, mind. and perhaps have finally made that coffee.

[gascon-en-exil]

I’m obligated to leave town for this upcoming week - call it a business trip *ahem* - which in terms of blogging bothers me primarily because I won’t have time to turn my disconnected thoughts on the gendered narrative of Azure Moon into a proper essay. But what the hell, I’ll publish my notes and maybe some people will find them insightful even without the connecting bits.

As said, AM is pointedly gendered, sometimes in a typically FE way (the Lions skew male and Faerghus’s love of knighthood and Crest-based inheritance sucks for a lot of people but sucks for women more) and sometimes not (all of its antagonists who are significant to Dimitri’s emotional arc - Edelgard, Cornelia, Fleche, and his unseen stepmother Patricia - are women, and for what it’s worth Edelgard is the series’s first human female final boss).

Dimitri’s greatest sources of support in the face of his various traumas are all male: Dedue, Rodrigue, Gilbert, and even Felix in his own way.

But then there’s Byleth, shoehorned into “fixing” feral!Dimitri by killing off Rodrigue (predictable, but done well enough) and yanking Dedue out of the Part 2 narrative even if he survives (painfully contrived).

F!Byleth gets the more complete emotional journey with Dimitri even though the male version is only missing the S rank and paired ending, and she really stands out against all the female antagonists of the route - and not in a good way either.

It suggests a (mostly non-sexual) virgin/whore-esque dichotomy, doubly so since the aforementioned three female antagonists all betray Dimitri and/or Faerghus in some way and are not who Dimitri imagines them to be (Edelgard doesn’t think of herself as his sister, Patricia valued her Adrestian family more, Fleche pretends to be his ally, Cornelia was outright a different person). Byleth is the only woman who ends up being real to a man plagued by hallucinations.

Also comes with the strong implication that an emotionally/psychologically damaged man needs a woman to bring him peace, that multiple sources of genuine love and companionship from other men are insufficient - not homophobic per se but definitely heteronormative

...But sort of comes around to being homophobic anyway when you try to imagine how AM would have gone if Dedue hadn’t been separated from Dimitri and/or had been allowed to present for the emotionally significant scenes following his return that he logically would have been there for.

Not something to make a big deal of though; use of social justice rhetoric for arguments that essentially boil down to ship wars is disingenuous at best.

Further notes on narrative division of labor: Lions is a boys’ club and Dimitri’s story is about male camaraderie and love in the face of female betrayal...kind of misogynistic.

But it’s just 1/4th of Three Houses, and the fourth that’s also the least political and the most focused on the importance of friends, family, and emotional growth - ironically a feminine narrative.

Whereas Fódlan’s big political struggle is primarily between two women, with the protagonist who canonically works better as female (vessel for a goddess and such) torn between them.

Claude is concerned with the more abstract concept of worldbuilding, so he’s also more of a side player. Ignore that he’ll inevitably end up ruling everything anyway.

Contrast with Echoes: Alm rides to war to unify the continent while “pacifist” Celica sets out to learn what’s wrong with Mila but then gets captured and has to be rescued

Here: Rhea unified the continent once and seeks to maintain peace, Edelgard wants to unify it again and goes to war over it; Dimitri and Claude split Celica’s role in looking at the bigger picture and being disturbed by war (and also in AM when Claude sets himself up to be rescued by Dimitri)

In summary: FE16 indirectly contends with the misogyny of Echoes while preserving the queer male angle that’s all over that game while also including a bunch of queer content for women - win/win for everybody

Except Dimileth which is predictable and dull and only “works” through bad writing choices, but if that’s your self-insert cup of tea go for it I suppose

[loyalflutist]

My Call to You (F!Byleth x Dorothea)

Challenge: Bylethea Week 2019 (Twitter) Day 2: Song

A/N: hi, have some pain. just... don’t try to come and kill me, please. 

-----

Reckless was Byleth’s middle name, and it was a middle name Dorothea resented.

Flames singed their sullied clothes and many soldiers exchanged blows in the background. Battle cries echoed into the dark, smoky sky like blaring trumpets. The two females, alongside Edelgard, Caspar, Ingrid, and Linhardt, faced the Immaculate One. Their weapons were all drawn out and battle position ready, the bruises, lacerations, and debris splattered on parts of their fatigued figures.

Caspar, Ingrid, and Byleth were burdened with injuries that require immediate attention, the blood dripping from their head and arms. Linhardt and Dorothea were bruised and exhausted from tumbling and exerting a large amount of white magic to their allies, their sweats stinging the small gashes on their skin. Edelgard miraculously stood the healthiest out of the six. Then again, not only did she have the entire Black Eagles Strike Squad to protect her, her role as the emperor of the Adrestian Empire emphasized the importance of her survival.

Byleth righted the Sword of Creator, Ingrid swung her lance downward, and Caspar raised his crimson-stained fists. Restoration magic was cast once more from the healers with a swift motion of their arm, a bright green light emitted from the three warriors. Linhardt immediately fell on all four to catch his breath. Dorothea stumbled backward and was caught by Hubert. The dark magus in his black robe gently held her upright as he quietly nodded to the vermillion noble. Edelgard stepped forward with her axed relic and joined by Ingrid’s side.

A roar boomed from the pale dragon, her teeth threatening to sear them in half. If anything, she would want to trample on Edelgard, who had ruined her plan, and tear out the Crest of Seiros from Byleth’s chest, who had crushed her hopes. The Immaculate One’s tail wildly swung left and right, another roar bellowed.

“You humans betrayed us!” she screamed. “You will pay for your sins!”

Edelgard pointed her ax at the large creature. “I think it’s time we end this once and for all. Your corruption must end now!”

The question of whether she was correct with her presumption or not is up for debate. None of that matters now as the six members engaged in the last heated battle against their ultimate foe. Taking the Immaculate One down meant ending the dreaded war for good.

“Dorothea!” The calling of her name prompted the magician to glance upward. Sylvain flew from above with his wyvern and hovered next to her and Hubert. “Are you okay? You look like you need some help.”

She weakly scoffed. “Am I okay? Of course, I’m not, Sylvain. I feel like collapsing any minute now!”

“Yikes… Guess I shouldn’t have asked the obvious,” The red-head began to dig into his pouch and pulled out a vulnerary. “Here, use this.”

Hubert caught the tossed item and presented it to the weak female. Sylvain then motioned a farewell to his two allies and flew away. He had other comrades to tend to. After all, most everyone, aside from Dimitri, Dedue, Claude, and Hilda, had been recruited under the Adrestian Empire’s flag. That was all thanks to none other than Byleth.

Dorothea drank the bitter substance. If it weren’t for her good friend supporting her, she would have spat it out the instant it touches her tongue. Her facial features contorted as she chucked the container aside.

“No wonder why Byleth begs me to heal her instead of drink this medicine. It tastes horrible!”

“Unfortunately, we need you back into the game. We can’t afford to have you drag us back.”

“You’ve always had a sharp tongue, Hubie.”

He shrugged, released his hold on Dorothea, and pulled out another vulnerary. “I’m speaking the truth. Victory for Lady Edelgard might slip through her fingers if one of us becomes a burden.” A popping sound was heard from the bottle, Hubert’s hues darkening. “I won’t allow that to happen, especially in this battle.”

The young man took his leave and focused his attention on the other healer. Dorothea was left to her own device once again. She felt her shoulders slump and a sigh escapes her, but only for a brief moment. They were at war and they were in a battle. Anything could happen and Dorothea had to be ready. The opera singer balled her hands into fists. She frowned and ran back into the fray with six other fighters.

“Watch out!”

Edelgard’s warning was a tad too late as Caspar was smacked with the dragon’s tail. He barely managed to vocalize his shock from the impact. Its massive weight and dangerous speed threatened to shatter the poor man’s skeletal system! The blue-haired knight soon flew out of their vision. An audible crash was heard from the distant, bits of dirt and bricks flying into the air. Dorothea glanced over her shoulder. Caspar was too far away for her to see how he’s doing… but she spotted Mercedes and Lysithea running in his direction. She bit the bottom of her lip and returned her attention to their current objective.

“You’ll pay for that!” Ingrid reeled her dominant arm back, the relic brightening its glow. “Begone!”

She tried to stab the dragon’s belly. The powerful blade plunged into the huge beast, an uproar occurring. Ingrid pulled it out and twirled the device at hand. She made another attempt to stab the Immaculate One. Right behind the golden knight was the emperor leaping above her. Arms pulled backward, Edelgard delivered a smashing hit with her relic into the creature’s armored chest. It doubled the damages and it was breaking her.

A painful wail filled the air as the dragon thrashed. The frantic movements caused Ingrid to lose her grip on her weapon. It was a huge mistake on her end, the Immaculate One’s claws shredding right into the warrior’s abdomen. Magma-red substance soaked the chainmail and shattered armor as the blonde female cried out.

“INGRID!”

Edelgard rushed to her guardian knight and barely caught her from crashing onto the rough pavements. The mixture of anguish and exhaustion painted the noble’s features. A quick examination of the fallen warrior said plenty about her status. Ingrid needs to be treated now. Edelgard grits her teeth and carried Ingrid away from the scene. She quickly shot a shout towards Byleth and Dorothea before escaping.

“I leave it up to you both! Try to hold on until I come back!”

Byleth and Dorothea nodded. Then, side-by-side, they glanced at each other. Sweat gleamed on their faces, their eyes burning with a fiery passion to end this war. They didn’t utter a word. Instead, the two women readied their offensive stance. The Immaculate One roared and slammed her limbs onto the cracked grounds. She was heavily injured thanks to Caspar, Ingrid, and Edelgard’s efforts. It won’t take long until the dragon finally falls for good. Now, it’s up to Byleth and Dorothea to finish it off… or at least whittle her health down until Edelgard arrives with backup.

“You—!” their enemy snarled, her eyes sharply aimed at Dorothea. “You took her away from me!”

Ironically, it wasn’t Edelgard that caused Byleth to betray Lady Rhea. It was actually Dorothea. Ever since they were engaged in a romantic relationship since Dorothea was a student, Byleth vowed to always be by her lover’s side no matter what. Even if it meant going against the Church of Seiros and rejecting everyone around her… It’s all for the sake of Dorothea’s happiness. Siding with Edelgard was simply an act of friendship and the following of Dorothea’s decision. (Dorothea would never want to abandon her best friend, Edelgard!) Besides, the added bonus to staying with the Adrestian Empire was from learning about the corruption and lies the church was built on. Byleth could never forgive them for such crimes.

“You speak as if I’m a kidnapper,” Dorothea shook her head. A ball of white light began to formulate on the palm of her hand as she pointed it to the dragon. “I think you need a reality check. She belongs to me now, Immaculate One!”

A hot ray of beam struck the large beast. At the same time, Byleth ran forward at an incredible speed, the power of the progenitor god bearing fruit. She raised the Sword of Creator high in the air, jumped into the air, and allowed momentum to slam the blade onto the dragon’s head.

Or so she thought. Dorothea stared in pure horror as the relic landed by her side, its tip digging into the concrete earth. Her girlfriend was caught in the dragon’s mouth with a single snap of her jaw. The opera singer and the tactician had clearly miscalculated their move sets. In this game of chess, they had not expected their opponent to make use of their mouth, quite literally.

“NO!” Dorothea immediately started forming a red magic circle mid-air. She didn’t care if she was going to run out of energy by the end of this cast. She didn’t care if the nerves in her body start to fry from overuse. She didn’t care if she becomes a handicap after this battle. She didn’t even care if she died in place of Byleth. Dorothea needed to save her girlfriend! She can’t lose her again! Anything but that! “LET HER GO, YOU MONSTER!”

Excruciating burns bubbled from within the brown-haired female's nerves as she sent out numerous spells. Fire, thunder, meteors… She threw everything at the Immaculate One. Yet that dragon kept her jaw locked on the struggling professor. Tears naturally flowed from Byleth’s eyes as the sharp teeth dug into her sturdy body, the armors and chainmail barely preventing them from piercing her vital organs. Rhea’s eyes narrowed as she loosened her jaw to talk.

“I will take back Mother from you, you thief!”

The burdens of casting so many spells are starting to do more harm than good to Dorothea. She felt her knees buckle once lightning shot out of her palms. Dorothea nearly fell on all four, her strong will preventing her from doing so. She stared up at the pale beast. Compared to her size, the enormous size can easily squash her underneath her feet. Rhea’s wings flapped once, blowing a strong gust of wind at the opera singer’s direction, causing Dorothea to weakly raise her arms.

“I think it’s time we end this, Dorothea,” the dragon proclaimed. “And I think it’s time we end this war.”

She was just about to firmly close her jaw on Byleth when Felix and Annette came into the picture. The powerful sword-wielder swung his two weapons in a flurry. Though the strikes were normally ineffective against the dragon, Felix was no ordinary guy. His attacks were bolstered by his major Crest and it packed a punch for every successful contact. This caused the creature to drop Byleth and howl in agony. As for Annette, she approached Dorothea, concern scrawled on her face.

“You shouldn’t be pushing so hard,” Annette scolded and proceeded to heal her comrade. “You’ll lose the ability to use magic if you keep this up!”

Dorothea nearly laughed once most of her strength had revitalized. “I’m willing to risk it if it meant saving my girlfriend.”

“…I suppose I could share the same sentiment for Felix.”

The magus accepted Annette’s helping hand and got back up to her feet. Soon, the duo was joined by Ignatz and Raphael, with Raphael recovering their instructor from danger. He presented the bloodied female to the group.

“Is… Is she going to be okay?” he asked, voice somewhat shaky.

Ignatz closely examined their teacher. That bite did a number on the poor woman. Many crimson holes scattered about on her figure based on the teeth’s locations. The injuries were minimized to a degree thanks to the tough attires. If it weren’t for that… Then… Ignatz mentally shook his head. No point in thinking about that now. He had to save their professor. Not saying another word, he quickly began to cast a couple of healing spells on the still body.

Dorothea never left her sight on Byleth. She was down onto her knees once more, her hands grabbing ahold of her lover’s hand. “Don’t you dare leave me like this, you hear that? I won’t forgive you if you do.”

“…I won’t.”

Byleth’s eyelids fluttered open. The neon-haired ended up staring at Dorothea, to which Dorothea nuzzled into the injured woman’s held hand. Tears of relief flowed down her face as Ignatz straightened his posture and let out a loud exhale. Raphael grinned at his boyfriend knowing that he had just saved their professor. The two got up from the ground, bid their farewells to the two, and resumed their battle as support for their other allies. This left Dorothea alone with Byleth.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered to Byleth. “It would kill me if I were to lose you.”

In the background, Felix was soon joined by Edelgard, Sylvain, Ferdinand, and Hubert. The five of them dealt the final attack onto the dragon. A gruesome screech emitted from the Immaculate One, her head thrown up into the air. Then, the creature fell onto her side, never to rise again. Yet despite the end of the conflict and the cheers Felix and Sylvain had by slapping a friendly high-five, there was a cost to pay, and it was one Dorothea did not wish to happen.

The Crest of Seiros disappeared from Byleth’s heart. However, it acted as a pacemaker for the originally still-born child. Byleth faintly gasped, her eyes widen, then immediately fell into a sea of darkness. At the same time, her hair color resumed to its original state, leaving the ex-mercenary in a state as if she never merged with Sothis. The only difference was that her heart stopped beating.

“Byleth…?” Dorothea felt a knot in her stomach. She stiffened her lips and pressed her ear against Byleth’s chest. Once she noticed no sign of life, the tears flowed down her cheeks… this time, with sorrow. “Byleth…!”

She pulled her girlfriend up so she could hug her. The instructor weightlessly flopped forward and into Dorothea, her face buried into the woman’s shoulder. How ironic... After expressing how grateful she was with Byleth's survival, it completely turned around and bit her back with the opposite result.

‘ How could this be…? I’ve already lost her once five years ago… Now I’m going to lose her again? ‘

This hurts.

‘ No, NO! That’s not right! ‘

Dorothea felt her lower lip tremble.

‘ Impossible! Ignatz had healed her! What could be wrong?! Don’t tell me it had something to do with her Crest…! ‘

She held back her outcries.

‘ This isn’t fair! She doesn’t deserve this! If anything, I should be the one to die! ‘

Quiet weeps were muffled when Dorothea pressed her face into Byleth’s head, trying to provide as much warmth as possible in her embrace. From the distant, everyone, especially Hubert and Edelgard, felt their heartaches. So, it seems that they had lost someone important… War is so very cruel. They couldn’t imagine how much pain Dorothea is going through right now. If they felt like someone sucker punched them in the gut, then the poor woman was probably going through that tenfold. Dorothea slowly rocked her limp lover as if she were in a deep sleep.

Then, a song was sung.

“I feel like I’m losing hope

In my body and my soul

And the sky, it looks so ominous.

And as time comes to a halt

Silence starts to overflow

My cries are inconspicuous

Tell me, God, are you punishing me?

Is this the price I’m paying for my past mistakes?”

There was a small pause, Dorothea retracting her face so she could watch over Byleth’s. Droplets of tears fell upon the older woman’s face as she struggled to sing the last two lines to her lover.

“I need you more than ever right now

Can you hear me now?”

Is this song a way to cope with the surreal event? Is it out of desperation?

Dorothea leaned forward to kiss the professor's forehead.

“…good-night, my Byleth.”

It appears that this is farewell. The time that they've spent together was full of good memories. They would be priceless treasures that no one would be able to replace nor replicate. Dorothea dryly swallowed. Hopefully, she’ll see her again soon… and hopefully, it won't be a long wait to see Byleth up there.

Right when Dorothea was going to lower her girlfriend down to the ground, there was a faint groan that slipped past the female’s cracked lips. The magus froze. She glanced down and saw her teacher stirring. By the time Byleth awakens, she found herself nearly crushed to death in a bear hug by the alumni, the chest pain from the frail, now-beating heart, worsening it.

“D-Dorothea—!” she barely squeaked. “I can’t— breathe—!”

Dorothea quickly released her hold, but not without giving her one heck of a kiss in their lifetime, the kiss yearning for love and confirmation that this isn’t a dream. She could choose to scold Byleth. She could choose to bawl. She could choose to express frustration. Instead, the young singer cupped Byleth’s face, and whispered, “I’m glad you didn’t leave me behind. I wouldn't know what to do without you.”

“I would never,” the professor soon rested her upper body against Dorothea. “Besides, you were calling out for me. I had to come back to you.”

"?"

Eventually, Dorothea put two-and-two together. The song that she had sung had ultimately saved Byleth's life.