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peaceisadirtyword · 3 years

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Heathen V (Ivar/Edlynn)

A/N: Hello! I might have gotten a bit carried away with this(?) Sorry😅 I hope it’s not too boring though🥺 I was just going to rewrite the ending and suddenly... I had 1000 more words💀 anyway, I hope you like it!♥️ In this chapter I talk about norse mythology and christianity, and even if I’ve read about it (norse mythology, at least) I’m by no means an expert, so I had to consult some friends and people I know that are professionals. In any case, I’m sorry if I wrote anything wrong, please tell and forgive me.

Btw, thank you so much for your messages! I’m feeling better now🥰 I watched some videos of Alex and Marco and I calmed down a bit! I suppose I just need to relax a bit, it’s okay, but seriously thank you for your messages and for always being so understanding with me💞🙏🏻

Warnings: talk about religion, mentions of violence, war and all that sh1t... Ivar is too perfect I’d like to marry him but, unfortunately, I can't

Words: don’t hate me but there’s 5492 words under this... I hope it’s worth it (?)

Heathen Masterlist

gif belongs to @therealcalicali

For Edlynn, it was both scary and hypnotizing to see Ivar learning how to read. He seemed to understand things quickly and even if they didn't really have any materials for him to practice writing, Edlynn saw him carving letters on wood more than once, like he did with the runes. In a few days, Ivar could understand some parts of the books, even if he still needed help, and Edlynn remembered bitterly how much time it took for her to learn basic words and how many times the priest that taught her and her siblings scolded her.

In return, Ivar agreed to tell her a bit more about his culture. He talked about the Gods, even showed some runes to her, she asked him to show her their longships, and was amazed by the carvings and the designs. Sometimes, she'd ask him to translate some words from English to Norse, and soon became obsessed with his language, trying to memorize everything she could for when she went back home. Mildrith would love it.

"Can we go back to reading?" Ivar sighed, raising an eyebrow when Edlynn asked him to translate a few words more. He had spent the entire day with Hvitserk and was on a good mood, but he was also tired.

"Yes, sorry" she blushed a bit, realizing her eagerness was probably improper "Just one more, please"

Ivar nodded slowly. He found her excitement adorable, and he had to hold back a smile more than once when she tried to repeat some words with a soft voice.

"How do you say sun and moon?" she tilted her head, curiously "It's true that they are Gods for you?"

Mildrith had told her once that the northman she had been with had told her that they worshipped the sun and the moon, as if they were Saints or Gods. And, for some reason, Edlynn became obsessed with it.

"Those are two words" Ivar smirked "But they are Sól and Máni, and they are Gods, yes, but slightly different from the Aesir and the Vanir" he shrugged "It's a long story"

Edlynn waited a few more seconds, maybe expecting for him to keep telling the story.

"So the moon is a Goddess?"

Ivar hummed, nodding.

"She's a woman, sister to Sól, the sun" he shrugged.

"That makes sense" Edlynn bit her lip, interested "But, how can you say they are a man and a woman? They're not humans" she smiled softly, amused "They can't be man and woman"

"But they are" Ivar frowned "It's like that story of yours about the Virgin, I've heard that one before, how can you tell she was a virgin?" he shrugged.

"Because God chose her to carry his son, the one who would bring His word to us"

"You christians are too obsessed with virginity" Ivar rolled his eyes. Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and cleared her throat.

"It's a sin not to be a virgin when you get married"

"Yes, I've heard a lot about those sins" Ivar nodded "And I still think it's ridiculous, why would your God demand that you deny the pleasure of having sex to yourselves?"

"It's an act of purity, of faith" Edlynn narrowed her eyes. She knew the northmen were much less... Traditional, with these things, and sometimes she felt somehow curious. It wasn't a topic that was very discussed at the court, and much less at home with her father... Once, Edlynn and Mildrith saw a couple on the stables and asked Hilda about it. The nun was so angry at them that she made them pray for hours, and then made them promise they wouldn't go around talking about it.

"It's stupid" Ivar shrugged "You would be much happier if you forgot about that"

The girl pressed her lips together, a bit bothered. Ivar's smirk showed he was trying to get a reaction from her, but Edlynn wouldn't start arguing.

"I didn't expect a heathen to understand it" she shrugged.

Ivar chuckled, shaking his head.

"I've spent maybe too much time around christians to understand many things, but I still believe your God is weak" he licked his lips "Compared to Odin and Thor, he's weak and demanding"

She ignored him, looking back at the books and parchments they were studying. Finally, Ivar stood up, making Edlynn raise her head as he walked over to the bed, and sat down to take his braces off. She watched as his fingers worked quickly on them, freeing his legs. When Ivar started taking his clothes, she stiffened, blushing again, and stood up to tidy the books and avoid looking at him. If she had looked, she would have seen Ivar's amused smile.

"The day and the night are also man and a woman" he continued, startling Edlynn. She turned to look at him, curious, but turned around when she realized he was shirtless "What? Are you also not allowed to look at me?"

"It's not proper" she muttered, looking down. During the nights she had been sharing his tent, she always slept with her back turned to him, and usually she would already be asleep when he went to bed.

"Do you want to hear the rest of the story or not?"

Edlynn hesitated, but finally turned around. He was doing it to bother her, and wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing it was working. The sight left her breathless. Ivar was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen, but not only his face was beautiful; he was strong, she had already noticed it when he grabbed her for the first time. Edlynn tried her best to avoid staring at his beautiful hair, collected in braids and tied that fell down his back and shoulder.

"Dagr is the day, and he's the son of Nótt, the night, Odin gave each of them a chariot that they can ride on the sky... And two horses, Skinfaxi and Hrímfaxi" his own finger pointed at his chest, which was crossed by dark lines. Those strange drawings on his skin were normal among the northmen; she had seen those on their arms, necks, faces... It was weird but she had to bite her tongue more than once to avoid asking about them.

Ivar had also another one on his back. Edlynn couldn't see much, but from the few glimpses she had caught, it looked like a snake. The ones he showed now had an intricate pattern, and she frowned softly while looking at them.

"They don't look like horses"

That made Ivar chuckle, but he didn't say anything else as she approached him, her eyes still fixed on his chest. When she was close enough, she raised her hand slowly.

"Can I?"

Ivar tensed, but finally nodded softly. Edlynn didn't know what to expect when her fingers touched the dark ink, but was somewhat surprised by the feeling of his skin. It was warm and his muscles tensed under her touch when her finger roamed around his chest following the lines. It was hypnotizing, and she couldn't feel anything else that wasn't Ivar.

She found his necklace. It was always hidden under his clothes, so it caught her attention. The question was written all over her face when she looked at his eyes again.

"Mjölnir" he answered quietly "Thor's hammer"

Edlynn nodded. She had heard about that, and thought it would be something like the cross that hang from her own neck.

Finally, she moved her hand backwards, almost like she just realized what she was doing and was suddenly too shy to keep touching him. Ivar's eyes were still fixed on Edlynn as she turned around, getting away from him faster than he would have liked, and soon she was laying on her side of the bed, with her back turned to him and her body tense and stiff, not bothering to cover herself.

______________________________

Edlynn was amazed by the shieldmaidens. She had heard about them more than once, since she was a kid, and sometimes imagined herself with a sword when she watched her brother, Edward, train with their father. But when she said it once, during dinner, everyone turned to look at her with widened eyes. Both her father and her sister reprimanded her; the battlefield is no place for women, you're needed at home, praying and taking care of the children.

Since then, the thought hadn't crossed her mind again.

She also saw the two viking women training when they were staying with King Alfred. They moved gracefully, and easily defeated male warriors, it was entertaining and interesting to see, and Mildrith and her would always sit and watch her, but always under the stern gaze of their fathers. Once, the blonde woman she had often seen with Bishop Heahmund offered them to try. Edlynn remembered the soft smile and how she approached them. She was sure her face lightened up, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Lord Eldred was behind her, he gripped her shoulder with maybe too much force. His daughter wouldn't go near a sword, he had said sternly. And the viking woman sighed, shooting her a sad smile before leaving.

But in that camp, even with her wrists tied and three northmen around her, she was free to watch as much as she wanted.

There was a group of many women, training with her swords, axes and shields. They fought fiercely, but laughing and hugging each other, and Edlynn was amazed. She barely blinked and didn't know how much time she had been there watching them. The women didn't seem to care, and she felt more at ease around them than around the men.

But when she turned her head, startled by some other sounds coming from her right, something else caught her attention. The first thing she saw was Hvitserk dodging a dagger as he trained with another viking. She knew that dagger, and soon her eyes fixed on Ivar, who was leant on a tree and smirked softly. He had a horn on his hand, and his eyes shone as they only did when he was around his brother. Next to him, Edlynn saw some arrows and a wooden bow, an axe and another sword.

He hadn't seen her, and she stayed silent and still, watching. He was relaxed, laughing and had a playful smirk on his lips. In some way, he was even more handsome. Soon, he got tired of just watching and grabbed the bow and arrows, tensing it slowly. His gaze was fixed on the tree in front of him, and Edlynn couldn't help but stare at him as his whole body tensed. She remembered when her brother learnt archery, when his arms were always shaking. Ivar didn't move a single muscle until he shoot the arrow.

"Don't miss, brother, you have an audience" Hvitserk's voice startled both Ivar and Edlynn, and when his eyes finally landed on her, his expression changed. She wasn't able to point exactly what changed, but Ivar barely looked at her.

"See something you like, princess?"

Edlynn felt her cheeks burn, and pressed her lips together when she heard the guards and some other men chuckling behind her, refusing to let them see her. Ivar also smirked, leaning to grab another arrow.

"I was just watching" she muttered. Ivar looked amused when he turned his head to look at her.

"Want to try?" he pointed at the tree. Edlynn hesitated, knowing that grabbing a bow and shooting arrows wasn't proper. But then again... There was no one there to scold her, right? And probably, if King Alfred reached an agreement with them, she wouldn't have to see any of them again.

She nodded softly, feeling a strange rush of excitement like the ones she used to feel when she was little and did something that was strictly forbidden. Ivar nodded at the guards and they let her go after untying her wrists.

"I don't think you have done this before, am I right?"

Edlynn narrowed her eyes at him and snatched the bow from his hands, making him laugh. It was heavier than she ever thought, and nearly let it fall to the ground. But she could already imagine how much the men would laugh if she dropped the bow.

"Turn around" Ivar ordered, and Edlynn obeyed slowly, still hesitating and nervous because of all those pairs of eyes fixed on her, studying her every move. She wasn't a warrior, but a noble lady that lived in a castle, so her movements were clumsy and not graceful at all.

She startled and nearly jumped when Ivar's hands touched her waist.

"What are you doing?" she whispered, widening her eyes.

"Don't you want to learn?" Ivar shrugged, an innocent tone on his voice that Edlynn didn't believe.

His strong hands moved her effortlessly, and she tried not to blush even more when she felt Ivar's body closer to hers. She could even feel his breathing behind her neck.

Ivar worked in silence, making sure she was on the right position before taking a new arrow. Edlynn frowned when she tensed the bow and her arms started shaking, even if Ivar was the one that practically held it behind her.

"Stop shaking" he scolded her, and Edlynn could hear some chuckles around her. Some of the shieldmaidens had stopped training and came to watch. The saxon girl making a fool of herself, how amusing.

Ivar's closeness, his scent and his body practically wrapped around her weren't helping. Edlynn felt her heart beating faster and faster as his fingers touched hers to position them around the arrow.

"Now" he muttered into her ear when he was finally satisfied "Loose"

Edlynn tried her best to point at the tree, but the arrow flew next to it and got lost into one of the bushes.

Everyone laughed. She could even hear Ivar chuckling next to her ear, and her cheeks reddened again. She glared at them and scoffed.

"It's fine, you'll get better if you practice" Ivar had a smile on his lips, but Edlynn couldn't say if he was mocking her or actually being nice.

One of the northmen said something loudly in their language, making everyone laugh even harder. Ivar sighed and shook his head, but had that small smirk on his face.

Narrowing her eyes, Edlynn reached for another arrow, making everyone stop laughing and look at her with an eyebrow raised. Ivar had an even bigger smile on his face when she turned to look at him.

"I want to try again"

_______________________________

Mildrith was furious. She couldn't understand why they kept discussing God knows what in that tent when Edlynn was held as a prisoner in the enemies' camp. It was true that she was more calmed now that the scout came back and assured she was well and unharmed. Mildrith always knew her friend would survive; Edlynn was strong and smart, but she also knew they could have hurt her in many ways. Especially Ivar the Boneless.

She almost shivered when she thought about him. Mildrith had always wanted to see Ivar at least once, to see if what they said was true, but to be captured by him? Her mind had replayed every single story she had heard about that heathen from the women of York.

Even that young viking she had had a quick affair with had talked about him; he was the most letal of the sons of Ragnar, a monster.

And King Alfred knew it! He had met him more than once, he had been fighting in York after the Great Heathen Army killed both his grandfathers. How he had allowed them to keep Edlynn for so long was a mystery to her.

Hilda kept praying, kneeled at the feet of what one day was Edlynn's bed with a cross between her hands. Mildrith didn't understand what praying would do, God didn't help her before and it seemed he wouldn't help her now. She was also angry at Him.

More than once, she had wished she could use a sword so she could enter the northmen's camp and free her.

"Mildrith" the nun sighed. She had dark circles under her eyes and her voice sounded weak. Hilda had barely slept or ate since Edlynn, the little girl she had raised almost as if she was her own, had been taken. She prayed day and night, hoping she would be well and no one would hurt her in any way "Please, stop pacing around the tent, sit here with me and let's pray"

"I don't want to pray" the young, raven-haired girl, clenched her fists, glaring at her "I want them to get out of that tent and go find Edlynn"

"They can't do that" Hilda sighed, her trembling hands rubbing her own face "The king is doing everything he can, Mildrith, and you know it, he appreciates Edlynn a lot, but they're asking for a high price, and he must think about the rest of the country too"

Mildrith scoffed. She hated it, she hated politics, war and negotiations. She couldn't understand it. They were in their own country! They were stronger! Why couldn't they just raise a bigger army to go and free her?

"We have do something"

"We can't" the nun shook her head "You know we can't, we can only have faith and hope she will be returned to us soon"

The young girl sighed, sitting down on the bed. She didn't want to have faith nor pray, she wanted her friend back. Her only comfort was to know that Edlynn would have many stories to tell, when she came back.

___________________________________

"They're asking for all of that, for a young woman?"

Alfred raised his head, narrowing his eyes at the man who just spoke.

"They're not asking anything, my lord, they demand all of this" he explained, slowly "And Edlynn isn't just a young woman, she is a dear friend, the daughter of one of my most trusted advisors and the sister to one of the men that I trust with my life every day"

"They want gold" Lord Eldred sighed. He was pale and had lost weight, Alfred hadn't seen him sleep nor eat for days "A lot of gold... And land, more land?" he sounded desperate.

"Yes, but separated from the land I gave to Björn and Ubbe Ragnarsson" the king rubbed his face "They also want a truce, some time to settle on our lands"

"That's the part that worries me" Lord Eldred shook his head "Why do they want time to settle? Do I have to choose between my daughter's death and a possible invasion?"

"We don't know if they plan an invasion, my lord" Alfred shrugged "For now, I am trying to save your daughter's life before anything else"

"She must be so scared" her father rubbed his eyes "All alone, surrounded by barbarians, God knows what they are doing to her"

"Our scout assured she was unharmed, Lord Eldred, I believe him" the king softened his tone "Ivar won't hurt her for as long as we don't anger him"

"I will pay as much as I can" Lord Edmund spoke for the first time since the reunion started "To ensure my lady's safe return"

Her father looked at her with a sad smile.

"Thank you, my lord" Alfred nodded "The messenger is out there, ready to leave for their camp to give them our reply"

"What do you say, my king?" Queen Elsewith put a hand on his shoulder. Alfred took her hand softly and sighed, looking down at the table. For days, he had been thinking about his decision, trying to find the best solution for all of them. If he agreed, there would be consequences, Ivar would know he had an advantage, many of his lords wouldn't agree with him. If he refused, Edlynn would suffer things worse than death before her head was sent to them, he was nearly sure of that.

Edlynn was a good girl. Responsible, obedient and polite. They had played together when they were children, and he couldn't stop thinking that it was Elsewith whom they wanted. Would they have so many doubts about saving her or not if it had been his queen?

He sighed.

"I say we agree" he nodded "And that we will meet them in the forest to give them what they want in exchange for Lady Edlynn"

____________________________________

Ivar's arms hurt. It had been a while since he practiced so much archery, and the muscles of his back and arms were already sore when he retired to the tent. His face also hurt from laughing so much, and he didn't remember when was the last time he had laughed so much, probably it was when he was still with Igor. He couldn't help but smile softly remembering the kid he had learnt to love as if he was his own son.

Before entering the tent, he could hear Edlynn whispering some words in English. He supposed she'd be reading, as she used to do since he let her read the books freely. He had to wait outside to force himself to stop smiling like an idiot before entering.

Edlynn raised her head and smiled softly when he entered the tent. In part, it was because of her he had had so much fun that day, he never guessed that teaching archery to a saxon girl could be that entertaining.

She was also tired. Her arms hurt and she only wanted to get into bed and sleep, but at the same time every time she closed her eyes, with her head leant on the soft pillows and inhaled Ivar's scent her mind went back to his hands around her waist, his breath on her neck and the soft whispers with which he had guided her. She even remembered the small smile she had seen on his face when she had finally managed to struck the tree and her cheeks would redden. Now, seeing him entering the tent leant onto his crutch with clouded eyes from drinking so much mead, laughing with his brother and even letting himself take a nap next to the fire, made her heart beat faster again.

"How are you, princess?" the playful tone made her nearly sigh in relief. He was still in a good mood.

"Tired" she muttered "But fine, it was... Interesting, to use a bow"

Ivar hummed softly, sitting down on the bed as Edlynn closed the huge book she had on the bed, leaning to leave it on the floor, next to the bed, she kneeled behind him and watching him as he fiddled with the braces. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say but wanting to keep talking to him.

"The men were quite impressed with you" he said, not looking at her "A shame we don't have time, I'm sure we could turn you into a fine shieldmaiden"

Edlynn tried to hide her excited smile.

"Really?"

This time Ivar turned around a bit. His amazing eyes fixed on her curving lips before landing on her eyes.

"Yes, I think you have potential, it would be though, we'd have to work a lot with those little arms and small hands, but we could do something" he shrugged "But we can't, you're too eager to go back to your castle, your husband and your dresses"

Her smiled faded slowly as he turned away once again. It was true she really wanted to see and hug Mildrith, Hilda, Edward and her father, but at the same time, she didn't want to say goodbye to Ivar.

At first, she had been scared, even tried to run thinking those heathens would torture and kill her, remembering all those stories she had heard about the ruthless Ivar the Boneless. But that playful, blue-eyed northman that she had seen giggling with his brother, telling stories about his Gods and who had guided her until she had finally succeeded with the bow didn't look like the monster they described on their stories. It was almost human; a human with his own beliefs and ambitions that wasn't so different from all those men she had met in England.

"Lord Edmund is not..."

"Not your husband yet, I know, princess" he chuckled "But he will be soon, right? Even if I would advise you to reconsider that marriage, taking in consideration that he didn't came to this camp to cut my head off for taking his woman"

Edlynn chuckled. She knew Lord Edmund couldn't really make that decision, besides, she didn't expect him to risk his life for a woman he just met.

"I can't reconsider anything, actually" she smiled sadly "It wasn't my decision"

Ivar raised his eyebrows, nodding slowly. Then he moved to take off his clothes, and Edlynn looked away with her cheeks flushed.

"If I was your father, then, I wouldn't give my daughter to a man that wouldn't die for her"

"I can't ask him that" she smiled, his words warmed her heart "He barely knows me"

"Wouldn't you prefer to marry someone you loved?" Ivar got rid of his shirt, and Edlynn couldn't help but take a look of the dark lines of his back, shaped like a snake.

"I..." she frowned "I will learn to love him, he's... He's good, a good man, he's nice and handsome and... I'm lucky that he chose me, I know many women that had to marry old men that didn't treat them well... Also, I don't know anyone who married for love" she chuckled. With time, she convinced herself that love was built, not found. All those tales Hilda had told her when she was little were fantasy.

"I married for love" Ivar muttered, almost like he didn't mean for Edlynn to hear "I did love the woman I married"

She felt as if someone had kicked her chest. Suddenly, she stopped looking at him and felt stupid for even feeling sad about the fact that he had a wife. Of course he had a wife.

Ivar groaned as he laid on the bed, covering his legs with the furs and closing his eyes as he relaxed against the pillows.

"I didn't know you were married"

Ivar opened his eyes, looking up with what she could describe as a heartbroken expression.

"I was" he muttered "Some time ago"

Edlynn tilted her head with curiosity.

"What happened to her?" she almost felt bad for asking, but Ivar didn't seem to mind.

"She died" his jaw clenched "She betrayed me and she died"

"And... how was she?"

"She was... Beautiful" he almost smiled, and Edlynn bit her lip, looking down "She looked like Freyja, she was blonde and had blue eyes"

The opposite of me, she thought, and immediately felt stupid for even thinking it.

"She sounds pretty" she smiled softly, hating that sad look on his eyes. Ivar then turned his head to look at her, and blinked slowly, almost like he was realizing something.

"I've only loved three women in my life" he shrugged "And one of them was my mother"

His face contorted again, almost like it pained him to think about her.

"And who was the other one?"

Ivar's lips curved on a smile.

"The mother of my child" he muttered "She was a princess, like you, but she was mysterious while you are not" he chuckled. Edlynn glared at him, but ignored his comment once again.

"I'm not a princess, though"

"Because you don't want to" he shrugged "You could be a princess, even a queen, if you wanted to, you are pretty enough to conquer a king"

"Me?" Edlynn giggled, blushing softly "No, I don't think so"

"You would be a good queen" he insisted "You're strong and smart, you respect people" Ivar nodded.

"I still need to find a king" she shrugged "Still pretty impossible"

"Lord Edmund could be your king" Ivar pronounced her betrothed's name mockingly, as always.

"No" Edlynn shook her head "He's handsome, brave and good, but he couldn't be my king, nor my prince, I'd have to find another"

The intensity of Ivar's gaze burned her skin. Edlynn looked away, and moved to lay down and rest her head on the pillows, sticking to her side of the bed as she always did.

"I never knew my mother" she muttered, changing the topic before the tension on the tent escalated too much "She died not long after I was born... She was from Ireland, from a place called Dubh Linn, have you heard about it?"

Ivar nodded slowly. His people had raided that place more than once.

"So she wasn't a saxon?"

Edlynn shook her head.

"Her father brought her here when his lands were taken from him, trying to procure a good future for her and marry her to a lord, my father asked for her hand... At least, that's what they always told me" she shrugged "Father always said I have her hair, and that I look like her... I think that's why he didn't want to raise me when she died, I think it was painful for him... But I can't complain, Hilda is great" Edlynn groaned and rubbed her eyes when she realized she was talking a lot "Please, forgive me, I talk too much"

"No, it's fine" Ivar shook his head with a soft voice, he had turned to look at her, and he felt like he was looking at a goddess. Maybe it was the mead, maybe the exhaustion, but he couldn't help but move a bit closer to her.

"My mother died too" he added "She was killed" he clenched his fists in rage "She always cared for me, she always protected me, even when my father wasn't there" he had a small, sad smile on his lips as he remembered the, sometimes suffocating, love his mother had showed him "And I miss her everyday"

Edlynn nodded. Even if she didn't remember her mother, she also missed her. And in some way she wished she could have had such a relationship with her, maybe she would have been able to explain to her what was that thing she felt, laying down on a northmen's bed and looking at him closely.

"You and I aren't so different, then" she pointed out, smiling softly. Was it her or they were closer now?

"I suppose we are not" the thought seemed to amuse him "Even if we worship different Gods and speak different languages"

When Ivar turned his head again, Edlynn was so close he could feel her quick breathing on his lips. It was nearly as intoxicating as the mead he had drank.

Ivar's hand reached to caress her hair, making Edlynn shudder and gasp, almost like she realized what she was doing.

"Is it not... Inappropriate to be so close to a heathen, princess?" he teased a bit, enjoying the way her cheeks turned red once again.

"At this point..." she sighed, barely able to think about anything that wasn't Ivar "I don't really care"

That made him laugh and his grip on her hair tightened. Edlynn wasn't lying, she couldn't think about God or anything that weren't his blue eyes and his lips parted. Without even thinking about it, she leant in while closing her eyes, and didn't stop until she felt his warm lips against hers.

Edlynn had never kissed anyone, unlike Mildrith and some of the girls at the court, that were stolen a kiss or two in the stables or in a hidden corner of the castle. She never looked at the boys, too occupied with her books, her prayers and other important things. But she could understand now what the priests meant when they talked about temptation. Ivar's lips were addictive, better than anything she had ever tasted, and ignited something inside her that she couldn't recognize.

The kiss was slow, passionate but also shy. They stopped kissing for a moment, but she had barely opened her eyes when Ivar's hand cupped her neck, his thumb caressing her cheek softly before he leant in again. And Edlynn had to put her hand on his warm chest to balance herself, moving her lips against his and leaning more and more into him, feeling like she would die if she wasn’t as close to him as possible.

When they finally broke the kiss, none of them opened their eyes. Ivar was panting, one hand secured against her neck, to keep her lips close to his, and the other one had landed on her waist when she had leant into him almost straddling his waist, and his heart was beating so fast it was almost scary. Her forehead leant into his and Ivar sighed. It had been a long time since he had felt that warmth inside him.

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#ivar imagine #ivar the boneless #ivar ragnarsson #vikings #ivar x ofc #vikings imagine #heathen

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incorrectlumityquotes · 3 years

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Frilda, My Toy Ship

Now before anyone freaks out let my start by saying that TV Tropes defines a toy ship as:

Which I don’t normally do because I don’t watch a lot of shows that have actual little children in them. I think it’s weird, but that’s for another time. Normally the characters I ship are teens or adults, but they’re all animated and you know fictional so it really doesn’t matter. But this time I had to stop and go, “Huh, that’s actually quite nice.”

Even though this is a lumity blog, I’m not saying this ship is like lumity. There are some similarities but there are a good share of differences. My main point is that Netflix’s Hilda is underrated and should be appreciated. And if you want a network to like a show as much as you do, get those numbers up. Keep watching and re-watching The Owl House on Disney Plus+ and watch Hilda on Netflix a few times. I’m confident you’ll enjoy it. Why?

Here’s why:

First off, what is Hilda?

Hilda is a British-Canadian animated television series based on the graphic novel series of the same name by Luke Pearson. Produced by Silvergate Media and Mercury Filmworks, the series follows the adventures of fearless Hilda, a blue-haired girl who, along with her deerfox Twig, moves to the city of Trolberg, where she befriends even the most dangerous monsters. The series debuted on 21 September 2018 as a Netflix exclusive to overwhelming critical acclaim. Yes, I just copied that from Wikipedia. Shut up.

I personally love the show. The characters are charming. The animation and color pallet are so easy on the eyes that you can just stare at the show. The music is nice, and the stories are fun. And while I would not call this an action show, it is definitely an adventure show.

But you’re not here for a review; you’re here for a ship.

Frilda, who and why?

Hilda is, obviously, the main protagonist and Frida being one of her best friends. I’m going to try to be as spoiler free as I can but there will be light spoilers for context so you can understand what I’m talking about.

Hilda is a young girl (around the 9-12 age) who grew up with her mom in a cabin out in the wilderness, miles away from other humans. She spent her days exploring the wild and having adventures with her deerfox, Twig. But when plot related things happen, her mom decides that they need to move into the city. Hilda doesn’t want to but when the plot literally stomps its way in, they have no choice.

Hilda isn’t very good at getting used to the city until her mom signs her up for the Sparrow Scouts, a scouting and camping group that Hilda’s mother was a part of growing up. There she meets the other half of our ship, Frida.

Frida grew up in the city of Trollberg with her parents. If you’ve watched as many cartoons as I have you’ll recognize this character type. She’s very smart and is the overachiever. She’s always trying to be perfect, tidy and spot on. She admits that she wanted Hilda in her group because helping a new kid earns you more points in the Sparrow Scouts. Yay?

You would think that this means that they’re opposites and their personalities immediately clash and Hilda has to learn to be more tidy and Frida has to learn to be more loose and fun. Hilda is street-smart and Frida is book-smart. All that jazz.

But none of that happens.

Yes Hilda is very outgoing and a bit more laid back, but she is adventurer. Hilda needs to be physically doing something. Frida at the same time need to be accomplishing something. She needs to be fulfilling a goal, getting that badge, crossing some finish line. But you can’t accomplish anything without action.

The best metaphor I can give for this ship is that Hilda focuses on the process while Frida focuses on the outcome. They both still have the same goals, and they both are still girls of action.

Frilda, who and why?

So yes the characters are charming and are canonically good friends. So why ship them? Well (aside from the fact that I can’t help myself and always have to ship something from every franchise I come across)...

Like most ships that probably will never be canon, there so many little moments in the show the push towards something a little deeper than friendship. Bits and pieces that show that they think of each other as more than friends. I would like to list them, but that’s a chore by itself and I think you should watch it yourself on Netflix anyway.

But one of my favorites is even when they are mad at each other and arguing, Frida calls Hilda “the cool wilderness girl.” Show her what you really think. 😏

I’ve always argued that the best ships are not “opposites that attract” but “compliments that complete each other.” That sounds like the same thing but it’s not. If Hilda and Frida were opposites, Hilda would be an adventurer and Frida would stay home all day and hate adventures. Frida and Hilda (like all good ships) are compliments. Frida thinks of a plan and Hilda carries out that plan.

Theme Song

“Witch’s Wand” by SLOAN

I was told that people don’t do this anymore, but I love picking theme songs and making playlists for my ship. While I don’t have a playlist for this ship, there was a song in the second season that is really good. Don’t worry about spoilers. You won’t understand without context.

Thanks for reading my shipping manifesto for Frilda. Feel free to let me know what you think and since I had a lot of fun doing this let me know if you wouldn’t mind reading another for one of my other favorite ships. Stay safe and watch your favorite shows on repeat or they might be cancelled.

#not lumity #hilda #hilda the series #hilda netflix #frilda #frida

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 3 years

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A Familiar Soul - Chapter One

Summary: Hilda decides to be completely honest with her mother, surprised when she seems to be a lot more in on magic than Hilda had expected her to be.

With her daughter’s association with witches, Johanna is forced to face some secrets of her own, bringing her back to feelings and people she’d rather have left behind

Dealing with insecurities and inner demons of her own, Kaisa finds herself face to face with the very issues that brought her to be so displeased with her own abilities

Or: the one where Johanna is Kaisa’s familiar

Notes: Wooo another multi chapter angst fic, let’s go So this is set after that whole “Hilda is a troll” situation is solved. However, since I never read the comics and don’t know how it actually was solved, I’ll be keeping it very vague and hoping you take it easy on me :) Also, there will be a lot of backstory in this fic, so all the flashbacks will be written in italics, and present happenings will be normal. Tmwm readers, you’ve been here before, same drill

Read it on ao3: (chpt1)

It was a lovely day, and as Johanna always said, lovely days called for lovely ways to spend your time. Her parents didn’t usually agree with what she described as “lovely”, though, but it was stronger than her! She couldn’t see the sun shining just bright enough that it didn’t burn your skin while still warming you, hear the birds chirping happily because of the freedom they had outside, know that the entrance to one of Trolberg’s many harmless woods was just beyond her backyard and not go outside. It was cruel of her parents to even expect that from her, really.

Luckily, they were hardly ever home and her current babysitter, whose name Johanna had yet to memorize, since her former one quit the week before after she painted the walls of the living room (and the child still didn’t get why the old woman had been so angry. The house had looked much more beautiful that way!) tended to fall asleep if she watched Johanna draw on her sketchbook for long enough. It had become her strategy to get out of the house, to sketch until the sitter fell asleep and she could sneak through the back door.

Once she was finally out, the girl extended her arms like the wings of an airplane by her side, mimicking the sounds of the birds as she hopped along a trail in the forest. The few times she’d been caught there, she’d been not only scolded but also told to never go past the clearing, since that’s when the Huldrawoods began. Johanna thought that was a rather stupid advise since they didn’t want her to go to the woods at all. It was like they admitted they couldn’t stop her from going out at the same time they gave her no good tips on what to do if she did go out. She couldn’t wait until she was old enough to join the Sparrow Scouts; they would teach her everything she wanted to know.

The deeper she walked into the forest, the closer the trees were to one another and the louder the birds sang. Their tune was soothing to her ears, and she thought that maybe if she walked far enough, she’d find herself face to face with a chorus of feathered friends with instruments and all. Those were all fanciful musings, of course, and she knew so because no matter how loud they got, no such thing had ever happened until she found the clearing (and she did always stop at the clearing like recommended, because she’d read enough ghost stories about the Huldrawoods to know better than to go there. Everybody knew you couldn’t go to the Huldrawoods without a witch). However, she reached a point from where on the music didn’t get louder like she expected, but lighter. Looking up at the tree branches, she saw many birds from an array of different species that were just perched there, silent and unmoving, as if mesmerized by a spectacle Johanna could not see.

Not liking the feeling of being left out, Johanna tried to follow the birds' gaze, trying to figure where they were looking at so intensely. As she saw nothing but trees, she kept on walking, but slower this time, so as not to miss what she was looking for. She kept her body low and close to the ground as though she was on a sort of secret mission. And she very well might be, since she had no idea what exactly she was looking for.

With her ears well tuned to her surroundings, it took her but a few more meters to begin hearing something she’d never heard this deep in the woods. Barely higher than the rustling of the leaves in the wind, a very human voice came from the end of her trail. Even so, she couldn't recognize the words.

It must be a foreigner, Johanna thought, noticing the voice sounded much like a child’s. Something about it made her think about lullabies on winter nights, or tales from the old books she read on magical creatures. Johanna was convinced that this was the kid of someone who had just moved into town, and who had probably gone to the woods because they still hadn’t made any friends they could visit. That being so, she considered it her duty to try and talk to the child, even if only to tell her to not go any further than the clearing.

When she lowered the branch that was on her eye level to allow her to see past it, she noticed a small girl, looking to be about her age, sitting on her heels in the middle of the clearing. She had dark hair which grew until the middle of her back. It looked wild and untamed, like it hadn’t been cut in quite some time, and a few small leaves stuck to it completed the picture. Along with her hair, her clothes were also raven black, making the girl look out of place amid so much green. She didn’t look lonely or bored like Johanna had thought she might, though. Instead, she muttered the strange words to a weed in the ground, which contorted itself with very odd, and to Johanna’s young eyes, even disturbing, movements.

Seeing that, Johanna gasped, revealing her presence. The girl stopped, turning her icy grey eyes to her. Neither of them moved for a second, but after the initial shock, the girl sighed in what sounded a lot like annoyance and turned back to what she’d been doing.

Though the weed had stopped moving when she’d been looking at Johanna, now that the flow of strange words returned it had begun its strange dance anew. The girl was causing this. Johanna didn’t allow herself to be scared by this realization. After all, this was just another girl her age, and instead moved closer to sit in front of her, the weed between them.

“This is bizarre.” Johanna whispered. “In a cool sort of way, you know? How are you doing this?”

No answer. Johanna didn’t want to raise her voice. It felt wrong somewhy, like there was a certain atmosphere in the clearing in that moment which she didn’t want to break. Instead, she leaned forward so the girl could hear her better.

“Can you understand me?” She asked, since maybe if her first hypothesis had been right, the kid still didn’t understand English very well. It would be alright, though, Johanna was very patient and she could help her with that. Her story books had taught her some big words.

However, the glare she was given stated very clearly that either the girl understood her, or she truly didn’t want to. Not allowing herself to be discouraged by this, Johanna spoke up again.

“I’m Johanna. What about you?”

No reply. When the girl took a deep breath, she thought she might get her name, but instead she just returned to her chant with more vigor.

“Do you, uh…” For a moment, Johanna was distracted by how the other child seemed to be trying to speak over her, her dirty hair falling over her face as her eyes closed in concentration. Her small brow furrowed, and for a second Johanna wondered if maybe she shouldn’t speak. But since her sentence had already been started, it would be bad manners if she didn’t finish. “Do you like the woods? Come here often?”

All she heard was more gibberish, though it must make sense to someone if the girl was so resolute in reciting it over and over again. Johanna was beginning to feel discouraged.

“I like it here. Feels nice and quiet, and the air smells like pine.”

The girl stopped her stream of words for one more moment, and looked at Johanna like she wanted to say something. Her eyes weren’t exactly untouchable stone anymore. There was a glint of sympathy in them. Still, she shook her head and went back to her chanting.

With a sigh of defeat, Johanna gave up. You couldn’t befriend someone who didn’t want to be befriended, even if she did very badly want to know how she was controlling the weed like that. Maybe the girl didn’t even know how to speak English, after all. She got up to walk away, or at least walk to somewhere else in the forest, but was halted when the girl finally raised her voice.

“Wait.” She said in that entrancing tone of hers. “Stay with me. Please.”

Though she had many other things she wanted to ask, Johanna’s eyebrows came together as she stared back at the girl. “Why?”

A second before, she was being completely ignored. She was wondering what had changed when the girl chanted again, with a clarity in her voice that hadn’t been there before, and from the top of the weed sprouted long, purple petals, one with each word the girl spoke. It was no unwanted weed. It was a flower. Johanna was staring at that with her jaw hanging open when the girl smiled at her, making her face light up.

“You make me stronger.”

_#_#_#_

Hilda had made them tea. That’s how Johanna knew how serious a conversation her daughter wanted to have; not because of the hints of nervousness on her demeanor, nor because of the way she said she needed to talk to her, but rather because when she was guided to their sofa, Johanna saw two steaming cups of chamomile tea waiting for them.

“Mum, even though you already know this, I need to admit that for some time I wasn’t really honest to you about the things that were happening in my life.” She said as she handed Johanna a cup. Her shame and embarrassment made her want to look away, but she forced herself to keep her gaze locked with her mother’s, not only because Johanna deserved to know how she truly felt, but also because Hilda needed the encouragement to continue that she found in her eyes. “And that led to… well, that whole mess. And I know you already forgave me, but you still deserve an explanation.”

She stopped to take a deep breath, and her mother nodded slowly as if telling her that it was all right and that she could take all the time she needed.

“That day I tried to use the nisse space to go back to Frida’s… when we fell into the stone forest.” The girl didn’t know why she was explaining like that, since her mother would undoubtedly know which day she was talking about. But she felt like she couldn’t help it, like the words were stuck in her throat and would only get out one little piece at a time. “I hadn’t been at Frida’s before coming home. I had been at the castle ruins collecting some dust, because Frida needed it.”

“For her school project?” Johanna asked softly even though she couldn’t imagine what kind of teacher would be as irresponsible as to give the children a project that would require them to go beyond the wall.

“It wasn’t a school project.” Hilda sighed. “It was for attempting a spell. Frida is a witch, mum. She only recently discovered her talent, and now she’s learning how to control magic. And I am helping.”

Silence washed over them for a second, and her mother shifted on her seat.

“Because you are her friend.” There was a weird timbre to Johanna’s voice, and Hilda noticed it felt somewhat ghost like. Her mother also sat with her back completely straight, as opposed to the relaxed posture she’d had seconds before as she stared not at Hilda, but straight ahead.

“Of course, but that’s not all.” Johanna’s sentence had been a statement rather than a question, but Hilda still felt the need to correct her. She’d decided to be honest with her mother, so she might as well do it right. “I’m her familiar. Do you know what a familiar-”

She didn’t get to finish her question, one she’d thought Johanna would be very interested in since as far as Hilda knew, she had very little knowledge about magic, because as soon as she’d completed the statement her mother got up from the couch. A robot had more fluid motions than the woman did at that moment, as she dumped the rest of her tea down the sink and mechanically began washing her cup.

“Mum?” Hilda whispered worriedly. This wasn’t a happy reaction; Johanna wasn’t hugging her or wishing her good luck or asking her about the experiences she’d had. However, it wasn’t an angry reaction either, since she hadn’t been sent to her room or scolded for whatever reason. Hilda wasn’t sure what kind of reaction that was at all, and it made her nervous. “Is everything alright?”

Johanna’s hand stopped its frenetic movement with the cup long enough for her to take a deep breath. “A familiar, huh?” She said, and there was once again something off with her voice. Her speech seemed too well controlled, like she was holding back a wave. If Hilda listened carefully, there was a touch of panic right in its depths. “How do you… how do you feel about that?”

After setting down her cup on the coffee table, Hilda walked to her mum. She looked like she needed a hug for some reason, but Johanna didn’t even look at her in order for her to make that offer.

“I love it! All that magic theory Frida is learning gets a little dull sometimes, I’ll admit it, but she adores every bit of it and it makes me happy for her. And when I get asked to help, it’s usually with cool stuff, anyway.”

“Okay.” Johanna took an audible breath in, and a long exhale out. She was using the same thecniques she’d taught Hilda how to use when she was feeling overwhelmed, Hilda realized. “I just need you to- promise me you’ll be careful.”

“With the magic?”

Johanna blinked, not realizing she’d closed her eyes. “Yes.” She said even though it wasn’t the magic she’d been thinking about. “And with Frida too.”

It was a weird request, and this didn’t escape Hilda’s notice. After all she’d put her mother through, though, she knew she wasn’t in place to question her. “I will, but I don’t think there’s anything to be careful about.”

Something about the way in which Johanna nodded made Hilda remember of a puppet having its strings pulled. She dried her cup and put it back in the cupboard while she whispered.

“You’re probably right. There’s nothing-”

She turned her head abruptly to her child.

“Hilda… how much closer have you gotten to other witches?”

Hilda didn’t see how any information she gave would make any sense to Johanna, but she gave it anyway.

“Well, there’s Tildy. She’s the one training Frida. She lives very close, in fact.”

As Hilda lifted a finger up to symbolize her counting, Johanna tensed up visibly at the mention. Lifting a second finger, the girl continued.

“And there’s the librarian.”

“Mr. Linus?” Johanna asked with urgency, remembering the gentle man who had been the librarian in her youth, even though the more sensible part of her brain told her he had definitely gone into retirement at that point.

“Oh, no. Her name is Kaisa, actually.”

Kaisa

In her attempts to not let Hilda see how that name affected her, Johanna only made her distress more visible. She twisted her hands on the hem of her sweater, not caring if they were still wet, and stared a hole into the kitchen tiles on the wall in front of her.

“The librarian, you say? How… how long have you known her for?” She asked, thinking about all the times she’d felt a sense of relief at knowing Hilda had been at the library, when she probably should have felt anything but.

“Some time…” Hilda shrugs. “She helped us with David’s marra. Remember that?”

Though Hilda made a pause for Johanna to add something, her mother didn’t answer.

“She also allowed me to read that book on the Tide Mice, but I swear she didn’t think I’d do anything! At one point we helped her retrieve a book that was missing and… well, there was a bit of fuss with the Tide Mice after the disenchantment which she helped us end once and for all.”

“You hadn’t told me about that.” There was some warmth that had returned to Johanna’s voice, but it wasn’t warm like a hug. It was warm like a fire.

“I know, mum, and I’m truly sorry. I promise I won’t be hiding things from now on.” Hilda assured even though she knew she wasn’t telling the whole of that story. She didn’t think that her mother would appreciate that whole void business, especially not in this state she was in. The girl took a step forward, wanting to hold her mother’s hand, but to her surprise, Johanna recoiled from her.

“Why won’t people tell me what’s happening?!” She burst out suddenly, still not looking at her daughter even though she was scolding her. “I just want to help you! Why is magic so much more important every time?”

Her mother never lost control. Her mother never scared her. Yet, in that moment, Hilda couldn’t help but be scared. Not of her mother, but for her.

“Mum?” She whispered, which finally made Johanna look at her. Her eyes were red, and her lifted eyebrows told Hilda that, somehow, Johanna seemed to have forgotten her daughter was even there.

“I’m sorry, Hilda. This… this isn’t really about you. Thank you for deciding to be honest. I’ll think on what you told me, but I need to be alone right now.”

Hilda desperately wanted to know what had caused that uncharacteristic outburst, but more than anything she wanted her mother to be fine. She respected her wishes, and nodded before walking away from the kitchen and to her room, where she knew Tontu, Alfur and Twig would be waiting to know how the conversation had gone. Hilda had no idea what she’d tell them. She had no idea how it had gone herself.

Before leaving her mother behind completely, Hilda took one last glance at her. With her back hunched and her hands on the counter, she stared out of the window and into the sunset. There was an emotion clouding her eyes which the girl couldn’t bring herself to describe.

This, Hilda concluded as she made her way to her room, really wasn’t about her.

#fic: afs #my fic #sketchbook ship #sketchbook ship hilda #kaisa hilda fanfic #johanna hilda fanfic #sketchbook ship fanfic

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existential-fox · 3 years

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Fire Emblem: Three Houses Thoughts

As someone who has always enjoyed JPRGs (thanks FFX) I kind of went into FETH knowing I would probably enjoy it. It’s character driven! It has different classes for each character! You can romance a character of your choice! There are goddesses, ultimate weapons, dragons, and a magic system! How could I not like this game?

The thing about FETH is it didn’t really throw any twists or turns that I couldn’t have predicted my way but the conclusions were still satisfying. The story was good but not in a ‘woah, change my life’ way. It did its job but its not FFVII or Tales of Bersera good in my eyes. No. It’s the characters and their individual stories that kept me playing.

I played Verdant Wind btw so there will probably be some spoilers for this route in my notes below.

You can’t really speak about Verdant Wind without first mentioning Claude. He’s the House’s Lord and the person you chose to align with at the start of the game. I chose The Golden Deer because of Claude. I’m not ashamed to admit it. I spoke to all the students, liked the look of some of them, felt meh about others, but when it came down to the choice I had to go with my gut feeling- this guy feels down to earth compared to the other two. I feel like he would be a laugh to hang out with. Plus he’s pretty.

I wasn’t wrong. Claude speaks to others as if they are his equal... because they are to him, and part of that also means that he isn’t afraid to make fun of his classmates or even his rival houses. Claude is top bants, and of course he remains pretty up to the point of the time skip- where he looks straight up handsome. Golden Boy indeed.

But my favorite thing about Claude- and the rest of the characters really- is that what you first see isn’t what is really going on. Claude might speak causally with people but he is extremely mistrustful of people at the beginning of the game. He keeps all his cards close to his chest under the pretence of being a ‘schemer’ but while he does have a sharp mind the real reason for this is he doesn’t trust others to take him and his goals seriously. He’s been treated as an outsider his whole life. Been discriminated against. Moved from pillar to post at the will of the nobles and seen discrimination happening from the other side as a result of this. Which is why his route is perfect for him. In between Edelgard, Rhea, and Dimitri, Claude is the third party, trying to make the best of a situation and struggling to see both sides. He wants to gather all the information he can because he would hate to have a wrong opinion due to trusting the biased opinions of others. He finds the truth for himself.

But Claude doesn’t stay that way. Yes, his goal from the beginning has been to tear down the wall separating Fodlan from the outside world but.... ironically he had to tear down the wall within himself that was separating him from others as well. Claude at the end of the game is a very different person to the Claude at the beginning. He is open to Lorenz and Hilda’s suggestions, willing to share his plans with Byleth and others, up to the point where he reveals his ultimate goal to the others and they stand by him. Nobles, commoners, Crestbearers and Crestless. Claude truly becomes a leader in that scene. He inspires in a way all leaders should and leads by example.

And it’s not just Claude...it’s all of them: Hilda, Lorenz, Leonie, Lysithea, Ignatz, Rapheal and Marianne all develop over the course of the story (especially if you do their Supports) and their development feeds into both Claude’s and Verdant Wind’s story.

Let me talk about Marianne for a second. I honestly didn’t think much of her to start with- oh here’s another ‘I’m so sorry’ fragile girl- I thought- I’m sure she’ll stay exactly the same, the way they always do.

Nope. Marianne is a mess. She’s a severely depressed, suicidal, living from day to day, barely taking care of herself, mess. I like that the game highlights this as her being utterly unhealthy. It’s not edgy goth girl, or cute shy girl, it’s Marianne being a danger to herself. The game writes her despair as being rooted in her Crest (the cursed Crest of the Beast) but it is ridiculously easy to read this Crest as a metaphor for Mental Illness. She’s told to stay away from others because of it because she might hurt them. Her father suffered from it before her and it was passed down to her. If people knew the nature of her Crest they would shun her as something dangerous and untrustworthy. And lastly, it is achingly clear how much she wants to be freed of it... even if that freedom costs her life. I’m reading it as a mental illness metaphor and I’m sticking with it.

But its her supports that bring her back to life. The people around her speak to her in various ways befitting their character (I like this too) and each one highlights something different that they see in her that is admirable and good. Rapheal admires her affinity with animals. Lorenz admires her quiet nature. Ignatz recognises how easy it is to appreciate the small things when with her. Claude recognises her strength in being different. Etc. etc. None of these things cure her but by being around people and seeing that they don’t reject her but accept her instead her shell begins to crack. Maybe it doesn’t have to be this way, Marianne begins to think. Maybe there are small parts of myself that are not only tolerable but... wanted in others. Maybe I don’t have to apologise for my existence.

It’s hard to say when Marianne truly turns a leaf because much like real life, change doesn’t happen in one moment, but it’s important to recognise that she does change. She still has the Crest at the end of the story (read Mental Illness) but she noticeably is able to speak her mind without apologising, able to offer her help rather than shying away, and most importantly able to laugh. It’s amazing how vocal Marianne is after the time-skip. She’s still Marianne but a healthier person. And I love her for it.

I won’t go over the other characters as I’ve spoken plenty about my two faves but I do love them all. Yes, even Sylvain. Can’t agree with his methods but I do understand and empathise with his reasons. And people are often like that.

Going off characters and into other things:

Gameplay-

I liked it but made the mistake of choosing Normal. It was ridiculously easy by the mid-way point. I would defo play on Hard in future games. However I love the strategy of choosing who fights who, when to draw someone back, when to use Gambits etc. Also love the class system. Pegasus Knights go brrrrrrrr.

Music-

This is a ‘it does its job’ for me. Nothing really stood out asides the final boss theme. But it didn’t annoy me or get bland so there’s that!

Monastery Life-

Pre Timeskip- Was fun. I liked trying to recruit students and finding lost items and doing all the support raising stuff. It was a nice break from battles.

Post Timeskip- Eh. Not enough students around to justify it tbh. It didn’t bore me but I did find myself wanting to go back to battles, story, or supports.

Verdant Wind story- I like this route for its lore and for how it mirrors Claude’s character. I did not like last minute villain even if I liked his theme. I was kind of surprised Sothis never came back?? Killing the students I didn’t recruit was fucking cruel. Have no idea what happened to Dedue. Maybe he went to the Bahamas for a long holiday after losing out to the kill.

I want to play the other routes to understand Edelgard/Dimitri/Rhea’s viewpoints but I do feel like VW is a complete story in itself. You don’t need anything else but Claude really. Why get messed up in politics and Crest shit when you can try to end racism, right? Who the fuck cares about that other stuff.

Anyway in conclusion this game to me succeeds for two things- compelling character development and compelling character relationships. I’m kind of astounded tbh that the writers wrote so many characters and yet made them all compelling in their own ways.

I bought a Golden Deer shirt because I am so invested in these characters so they’ve got to be good.

#fire emblem:three houses #verdant wind #claude von reigen #marianne von edmund #golden deer #video games #fire emblem

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zilithlesbianing · 4 years

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Hello! So...I’ve been thinking for a while about writing y/n stories, and when Miranda’s husband posted this picture from when Darcey was born, I got an idea.

I’ve been inspired to start these ff by wattpad one shots, but a lot also by @hallospaceboyy (hope you don’t mind ♡)

This is basically fluff where reader is married to Zelda and they decide to start a family. I’m such a sucker for Zelda finally being a mom, she totally deserves it!

Fingers crossed that my writing isn’t that bad..🖤

Our Little Family

You and Zelda have been discussing starting your own family for a while, the redheaded witch has always had it in her, merely cut out to be a mom. Of course she’s raised Sabrina, Ambrose and, for a short period of time, also Leticia, but a child of her own…that would change everything.

You make your way up to the bedroom you share with Zelda, finding her sitting on the floor, tears pouring down her cheeks. You immediately kneel in front of her figure, cupping her face so she can look at you. “What’s wrong Zelds?”

Your voice is full of concern, but when your eyes met, you’re surprised of the lack of pain in your wife. You rarely see Zelda being vulnerable, when it happens it’s because something has truly hurt her, so it is very strange for her to cry only ‘cause she feels like it.

“Nothing sweetheart, absolutely nothing’s wrong.” She aims a genuine smile through her tears, gazing down at her lap. You follow her gaze and the realisation suddenly hits you. A positive pregnancy test is laying in the witch’s shaking hands, and you can already feel tears threathing to spill from your own eyes.

“Yo-you’re...Zelda..”

“Yes. Yes, Y/N. We’re going to have a baby.” You’re definitely joining her crying now, what you two wanted so badly, what for the last month has been on your mind day and night, is finally coming true.

You throw your arms around her neck and hold her tight to your flesh, feeling her hugging you back with the same intensity. You both don’t say another word, eyes and touches speaking louder than ever, you simply keep the other one close, loving the intimacy of the moment.

Three months have passed since you’ve found out about Zelda’s pregnancy, and the swell on her stomach is definitely visible now.

She looks marvelous, it’s like it really is her destiny to be a mom and you cannot be more content to see her this happy. Every time she glares at herself in the mirror, gently touches her belly and smiles at it, your heart skips a beat. You wouldn’t want anybody else to have your children.

All of the Spellman’s are now in the living room, today the gender of the baby would have been revealed. You and Zelda stand in front of everyone else, look at each other tenderly and then hold hands. With your eyes closed you chant an old spell, used by witches and warlocks for decades.

You repeat the enchantment three times, each one louder than the previous, until you’re all looking at your hands shining with pink light.

“It’s a girl! I knew it...Ambrose, give me my 20$!” Sabrina yells, and her cousin rolls his eyes.

“Fuck, I really needed a boy around this house with all these women..”

“Aw, a baby girl! I’m so happy for you two!” Hilda excitedly exclaims, eyes wet from unspilled tears. She rushes to hug you both, making you giggle. She is so adorable.

“Did you see that, Zelds? We’re having a girl!” Deep down you’ve wished for a female, not that you would have loved a boy any less, but a daughter has always been your secret dream.

You see Zelda dry with her thumb a single tear streaming down her cheek, the cutest sigh you can ask for. “Yes darling...a little witch is really growing inside of me..”

“Auntie Zee, you’re going to make me cry too!” Sabrina shouts, getting up to hug her aunt as well. “I’m so happy for you auntie, you totally deserve it! You’re gonna be an amazing mom as you’ve been for me.”

Nine months have passed by and now you’re spooning Zelda on your bed, gently caressing her belly, as she’s starting to feel the first contractions. It’s 3:30 am, but you cannot care any less. You want to be with your wife through it all, you know it’s gonna hurt a lot and just wanna be present for her and your child.

“Y/N..”

You immediately grab her hand, assuming the pain is probably getting worse. “I’m here, Zelds.” Your lips softly brush on her temple and leave a sweet kiss there.

“I-I’d lie if I said I’m not a tiny bit scared..” She doesn’t want to sound vulnerable, but can’t really help it now. “I’ve been a midwife for many women, I know how everything works when you give birth, and maybe because of that I’m more aware of what is going to happen..”

“I know Zelds and it’s normal. Who wouldn’t be?” Your hand previously on her belly, starts to stroke her hair, something you know always calms her. ��This may sound stupid or sugar-coating, but you won’t be alone for a second. I’m not going anywhere, even if not physically, I’ll do anything to help you emotionally, give you some strength when you feel like it is starting to fade away.”

Zelda turns to look at you, a genuine smile on her face, and she connects your lips in a soft kiss, which breaks when a vigorous contraction hits her. You let your foreheads touch, waiting for the witch to open her eyes again, and you place a hand on the swell on her stomach. “I cannot wait to meet her, Zelds.”

After hours and hours of painful labor, it is finally time for Zelda to push. Your hands are intertwined and you let her hold it to the point you can feel her nails scratching you, but you don’t care, just want to reassure her in any way possible.

Hilda has taken the role of the midwife for her sister, acknowledging anything she could from the redhead witch in those nine months.

Zelda is mid way through it, your child is about to see the world for the first time, but she’s clearly very worn out. “You’re doing wonderfully Zelds, you’re amazing.” You gently brush the hair glued to her forehead away, trying to transmit her some strength.

“Y/N...I don-don’t think I can take this anymore..” Her voice is barely a whisper, if you could take her place now, you wouldn’t think twice.

“Zelda, love, you’re almost there. You can do it!” This is one of the rare moments Hilda sees some type of vulnerability in her sister and, just as you, she wants to be there for her all the way.

“Hilda’s right, Zelds. I can see her, just think about her. We’re so close to finally hold our little witch in our arms.” You gently kiss her temple, stopping right next to her ear. “I love you endlessly, Zelda Spellman.”

Zelda takes a deep breath, gathering all the strength left in her body, and before you know it, a loud cry invades the room. The redhead witch falls limp on the mattress, finally feeling some relief to her pain.

“Y/N, come here love.” Hilda calls you, so you can cut the cord. When she places your child in your arms, tears of joy immediately pour from your eyes.

“Does she look like us?” Zelda’s low voice distracts you from your daydream, making you realize she still hasn’t seen your daughter. You go back to your place next to her, gently placing the tiny baby in Zelda’s arms. “She’s so beautiful..” It’s clear how happy to finally be a mom your wife is, it’s all over her face, and it makes your stomach flatter.

“She is. I’m so proud of you Zel-“ You cannot finish what you’re saying, as Sabrina’s voice resonates from outside the room.

“Is she born yet? Can we see her?”

You all chuckle and tell them they can enter. Sabrina and Ambrose make their way next to you, admiring their new cousin who’s now calm in her mom’s arms.

“She’s so tiny..” Ambrose softly says, gently caressing the baby’s little hand.

“Can I take her?” Sabrina asks, and Zelda slowly places the newborn in her niece’s arms. The little witch whines at first, already missing her mom’s scent, but immediately grows comfortable in her cousin’s embrace. “She’s the prettiest, auntie Zee!”

“Have you decided for a name yet?” Hilda softly asks, afraid to ruin this special moment.

You and Zelda look at each other and answer with one voice. “Darcey. Darcey Miranda Spellman.”

#zelda spellman x reader #zelda spellman #caos #caos fanfiction #chillingadventuresofsabrina

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kendrixtermina · 4 years

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The Team Dynamics of the Three Houses

Essay time! =D

Part One: Team Makeup and Thematic Framework Blue Lions

Overarching Theme: Classic basic fantasy archetypes but with a dark twist (We have Prince Charming/ Guilt-ridden softboy standard-issue JRPG protagonist, Handsome Lech/Idiot Friend, Standoffish Rival, Gentleman Thief, Lady Knight, Sweet nice healer, Adorable spellcaster Girl, the Gentle Giant etc. )

Composition: Has the most people with crests, and the one guy with a naturally occurring major crest. Foreshadows how the crest obsession is particularly bad here, due to Faerghus’ harsh environment and a society that’s both religious and has a serious element of hero worship

History: Notably the most tight-knit group. Everyone knows each other already. It’s basically Dimitri, Dimitri’s longtime best friends, the daughter of Dimitri’s former instructor who heard lots of stories about him and her super nice BFF who gets along with everyone... and Ashe, who didn’t know the others until the academy, but since he is a honest sweety who loves cooking and knight stories, he hits it off with the others right away.

Atmosphere: Everyone has kind of the same hobbies (cooking, handicrafts, weapons collecting, knight stuff) and a lot of history, some posters have remarked on missing the “family ambiente” in the other routes but since the bonds are stronger they’re also more charged, it’s also been said that it’s the group with the most inter-team drama, especially when you feature in their relatives - You have Dimitri’s whole character arc, all the family drama between the Fraldariuses and the Dominics, Ingrid’s hangups regarding poor Dedue etc.

As expected if you recruit any of them they’ll kinda have a hard time going after their old home, even the tsundere ones.

The Leader’s position: For all that Dimitri’s friends refuse to drop his honorifics they really are his friends. They’re just all kinda polite with the obvious exception of Felix, and he’s largely tsundere. Despite the afore mentioned drama we see plenty of Dimitri just hanging out with his friends and even coming to them for help, he’s really just one of the bunch .

Since Faerghus is in chaos everyone’s pinning a lot of hopes on Dimitri and it’s not like he’s completely unaware of that or doesn’t have the corresponding sense of duty, he’s always torn between that and his revenge plan which eventually just takes over. He pursues this entirely on his own, too, with not even Dedue knowing what he’s sneaking around the library for.

How this “flavors” part one: Gives it a very “personal” touch. Faerghus, it’s culture, recent past and current state of chaos are fleshed out a lot (we learn plenty about the Alliance and the Empire but Claude and Edelgard have greater scope plans) and since a lot of the part I missions concern the instabilities in the kingdom they affect the characters directly. Basically since they’re more “regular” fantasy protagonists we gotta hit em all with the Drama hammer to keep things fresh. And that’s how it continues - They follow Dimitri because of personal loyalty (both toward him specifically, and because it’s in their culture), and Dimitri just wants to protect (or avenge) the people he cares about.

How this Ties into The Themes: The Kingdom route eventually becomes very much a Power of Friendship story where they all stick it out with Dimitri in his time of need because he’s their friend and they want to be there for him and that makes a lot more sense if there was a big emphasis on friendship/ found family before that, and of course their friendship is what eventually helps him turn his life around.

How does Byleth fit into this: Dimitri, like Hubert and Leonie, can be filed into the box of those who aren’t immediately awed by their heroic charisma. He doesn’t really get people who aren’t as outwardly expressive as him (eg. Edelgard) But unlike, say, Leonie, Dimitri has no settings between crushkilldestroy and stilted politeness and seldom expresses or responds to overt hostility most of the time. On the one hand there’s a side to him that’s a bit judgemental and vindictive, but that extends to himself too so he’s very ashamed of his flaws and is afraid that he won’t be accepted, so he projects outward that same acceptance that he likes to receive.

So the end result is that he goes out of his way to befriend Byleth, he encourages everyone to speak with them in a familiar manner, insists that they join the victory celebrations etc. Then of course he gets to see that they’re actually quite supportive and so in time they become, as Dimitri puts it “the heart of the group”.

By the time they find out that Dimitri ever disliked them, that’s long past. He’s a very high-empathy, emotional person so once he likes you he really likes you and will regard your troubles like his own. Some ppl might say that maybe the bond feels more special since it took longer to “earn”. He’s practically ready to swear a blood oath with them once Jeralt dies. There’s an unappreciated Symmetry here like he goes through the trouble to ‘defrost’ them, and then they return the favor by supporting him through his difficult times when they perhaps get to see the ugliest side of him.

Further Dynamic Notes:

So you have a dynamic of working past/ understanding and accepting each other despite one’s flaws and differences. (whereas Claude and Edelgard are interested in Byleth right away, because they’re unusual, but in slightly different ways - Claude can kinda relate to the experience of sticking out itself but is still stumped by being unable to read them, whereas Edelgard sticks out in the same way so you’re actually on the same wavelenght to begin with)

“opposites attract” specifically in the way that they balance each other out. A cool steadfast leader type certainly has a grounding effect on Dimitri as a very reactive person, but he also pulls them into the ‘normal’ world a bit after they spend all this time just wandering the world like all places are the same to them. They basically put the magic destiny on the backburner to help him out. They still become archbishop and all to fit the standard fantasy look of it all but not like full messiah like on the church route

Even after the timeskip Byleth kinda plays the mentor role or at least that of the dominant person/ big spoon in the relationship (though Dimitri ends up waaay taler than them especially fem Byleth), “Excuse me this is my emotional support mercenary”

If you go the platonic route you very much stay at „mentor“, Byleth is basically the brains of the operation post timeskip ‘cause the old Mitya can‘t come to the phone right now and Gilbert and Rodrigue would follow him off a cliff

Plot wise, their contribution is to stop the revenge trip when it gets to be a too obvious kamikaze stunt, which they, as a relative outsider to Faerghus and experienced, pragmatic fighter, would do when someone like Gilbert would not

Character journey wise, they refuse to give up on Dimitri and still see the good in him so that he eventually comes to a point where he could envision his own redemption/ come to accept/forgive himself and learn that its okay to move on and live his own life

Byleth can be said to somewhat even out the flaws in everyone‘s leadership styles (while the house leaders help Byleth find their own direction – i didnt come up with this alone there was a brilliant post a while ago that i cant find rn) – In Dimitri‘s case, he has authority/credibility/integrity („Pathos“), being the rightful king with many loyal followers, and emotional/ personal leadership as an emphatetic person who inspired respect for his character („Ethos“) but is lacking in plans („Logos“)

Golden Deer

Overarching Theme: Ragtag Bunch of misfits /Unlikely Heroes (let’s see, we have trickster turned lying politician, upper-class twit turned opportunistic conservative, lazy rich girl, shy glasses boy and his best friend dumb muscle, cursed werewolf girl, stuckup teen genius and the mean money obsessed one )

Composition: Has the most honest-to-goodness commoners - and they largely got in on their own merits, too, while almost all the others had connections. You have a few peeps from the Alliance’s prominent merchant class and one completely ordinary village person whose father was a simple hunter.

History: Bar the two merchant kids none of them know each other and even they’ve been a little estranged since the demise of Rafael’s parents. There are a few backstory connections (Such as Lorenz’ dad basically having murdered everybody’s dead relatives, or Leonie’s village being in his territory) but they’re largely indirect. They come from a range of different backgrounds and life experiences. Even Claude just showed up the year before and doesn’t know anybody. Of course this is all so you can watch them grow into a team on-screen all leading up to Claude’s epic speech about how they got along despite being from different backgrounds (or be surprised if they show up as one post-timeskip)

Unlike Dedue or Hubert, Hilda can still be napped early on because she doesn’t really become Claude’s right-hand person until halfway through part oneIf you recruit any of the deer they’ll say that they didn’t have that much ties to their homeland anyways.

Atmosphere: These are definitely Garreg Magh’s party animals. Or like a bunch of theatre kids. They’re tremendous fun. “Less complicated” as Claude puts it though some have missed the intensity/drama of the other bunches. The Alliance itself might be full of political intrigues but this younger generation is fairly chill with the important exceptions that are Leonie and Lysithea but Leonie’s lack of chill is largely Byleth-specific, she’s plenty chill in her other supports, and though Lysithea probably donated all the extra chill for the other deer and hence doesn’t have any left, the others love her anyways wether she wants to or not because try as she might she can’t really get an argument out of them.

This certainly jives well with Claude’s “friendly surface level extrovert” gimmick they all get along on a surface level and you’ll be hard-pressed to find an ounce of social skills in the Black Eagle house, and the Lions have the Drama Moments, but some have also perceived the deer as not quite as open.

At the same time they’re not superficial. We have a large abundance of Artsy Ones, we have Ignatz, Claude and Lorenz both write poetry, Leonie isn’t good at it but she does draw etc There’s enough insightful ones for depht and insight to be a significant undercurrent in the group dynamics. They all have different sortts of insight - Hilda can read people well, Ignatz has this sort of intuuitive thoughtful understanding, Lysithea is observant and logically astute, Leonie has street smarts etc.

The Leader’s position: Precarious. No one knows him, no one trusts him. He just showed up one day, very suspicious timing, not long after his uncle dropped dead (that was Lorenz’ dad but it’s not like anyone knows) and then he’s a shifty weirdo who cannot help being slightly unnerving despite his friendly extroverted demeanor.

Still he’s a big believer in teamwork, appreciates the value in everyone’s perspective and he can do the friendly extroverted charm well enough to eventually win over most people based on that, though its not until waay after the timeskip that he even considers letting anyone past the soft outer layer. (In Recruited, Raphael remembers him mainly a lover of feats and merriment)

The longer the story goes on the more the Deer transition to being “Claude’s jolly detective bureau” in which he pulls on all their individual insight for maximum info collection.

How this “flavors” part one: It’s taken up largely by Claude’s search for information with the various events being seen in that light.

Claude’s first reaction is often to ask questions and be curious with the emotional response hitting him somewhat later, though it’s definitely also that he keeps up a cheerful face for the team.

Ironically he’s the only one who came to Garreg Magh for it’s intended purpose: To get a ruler’s education and do networking. Dimitri and Edelgard were already onto Thales courtesy of his having killed their families, him searching on his own, her making preparations for her takeover, and Claude doesn’t know - it’s probably a game balance thing because Claude is the smartest person in the game and if he started out with all the info there would be no plot.

How this Ties into The Themes: It all builds towards Claude’s big speech about people from different backgrounds coming together. It’s like a microcosm for what he wants to do with the world, to bring people from different places and backgrounds together and have them understand each other.

Lorenz takes until halfway through part II to come around, but come around he does. (markedly, this happens only on Claude’s route, otherwise he sticks with the empire out of self-preservation and opportunism, though he gladly jumps ship to join the kingdom. )

How does Byleth fit into this: Now I‘ve seen some people saying that Claude initially didn‘t like Byleth or just wanted to use them, but I don‘t think that‘s true. I do think he actually liked them, found them interesting and wanted to befriend them. But Claude, on principle, doesn‘t trust easily, and will in any interaction look at how he can use it.

It‘s a habit born out of both natural curiosity and intelligence (What the 12type eneagramm calls a „Mercury“ Personality type) and the need to survive in a hostile environment where people tried to kill him as a child, and as such it‘s automatic second nature. He has a strong overruling self-preservation instinct. Claude is suspicious and will interogate people completely independent of how much he likes them. No amount of like makes him trust implicitly.

He doesn‘t have a bad impression like Dimitri, but he doesn‘t immediately click like Edelgard and the curve is pretty nonlinear: With Dimitri we have a clear progression from dislike to like and then the reversal where Dimitri had defrosted Byleth and now Byleth must defrost Dimitri. With Edelgard she likes them immediately out of similarity (like Felix likes Byleth, or like Edelgard likes Lysithea and Petra), and the difficulty/drama only comes later when Byleth‘s connection to the church and Edelgard‘s plots become apparent, but mostly she‘s sad that she‘s „destined“ to be enemies with this person she likes, her level of like never goes down. Claude meanwhile – you might compare him with Dorothea. He‘s used to being able to charm people as well as read them, and Byleth is not only a brick wall, but remains one upon closer examination. They really don‘t know about their past – but Claude takes that as evasions and becomes more and more suspicious.

A big turning point here is the Jeralt situation, where Byleth finally opens up and tells him everything, and Claude realizes they‘re not hiding. And that‘s something I really love about their dynamic – Byleth tells him all and Claude is so interested in them and looks out for them.

Though you could assign each of the three a „turning point“ after which they open up - The diary for Claude (which shows him that Byleth really isn‘t hiding anything) Flayn‘s dissapearance for Dimitri (which convinces him that Byleth cares) and the holy tomb scene for Edelgard (which shows her that Byleth won‘t betray her)

Further Dynamic Notes:

Claude and Byleth relate because they both stick out, but it‘s notably about the experience of sticking out in and of itself, whereas in Edelgard‘s case they stick out in the same way. They’re also alike in that they only found out some secrets about themselves when they were already young adults, Byleth’s magical destiny, and Claude finding out he was related to the ruling house. From how he mentions “not being raised in the lap of luxury” and how his royal connections in Almyra are also “distant”, he might in fact have been raised in a normal village and not known he was the king’s bastard son for some time, though once the secret was out he definitely got some princely instruction like training with Nader.

The dynamic both interpersonally and as an action duo is very much a complementary one. Dimitri is very different and has that sorta morality chain dynamic going on. And though they each have their specialties that the other is lowkey jelly of Edelgard and Byleth actually fill a fairly similar niche as the charismatic superhumanly powerful field commander. Meanwhile with Claude there’s a division of labor: Claude’s the planner and Byleth’s the enforcer. He repeatedly observes that his plans would be way less effective without someone of Byleth’s caliber to carry them out.

Out of the three lords Claude is the only one where you get the sense that Byleth works for Claude post-timeskip or that Byleth becomes his subordinate. Dimitri’s lost without them, and while Edelgard offers them a formal position as royal advisor after the mock battle and gets this line about how they can’t yell orders at her in public now that she’s the emperor, but it’s phrased in such a way to suggest that she just wants them to yell orders at her discreetly. They certainly balance out Claude’s presentability/trustworthyness problem the way that Hubert quickly puts them in charge of morale to patch Edelgard’s PR shortcomings, but Hubert pretty much says this to Byleth’s face whereas Claude is the only one who knows where the ship is going for the majority of verdant wind. And in the end he’s like “Babysit fodlan for me while I finish world peace” He’s also the dominant one on an interpersonal level, he gives Byleth this speech about how they should use their position more confidently and promise to detective out their mysterious past for them. He also tries dropping hints that maybe Rhea’s not to be trusted though Byleth’s dialogue options are written to suggest that they bought her maternal act and want her back – some ppl said but this way really expositions that „well meaning deception“ aspect of Claude‘s character. He frequently steers ppl toward something they don‘t want but with the hope that they‘ll want it eventually. Perhaps he could be said to have a very fluid/dynamic view of things and people; The other two lords view them more as fixed, hence „I respectfully disagree… lets settle this by stabbing each other“

The platonic end result is your basic Epic Friendship, tell each other everything, very supportive, look out for each other, take down a zombie warrior together in an epic team attack, what more could you want I think I‘ve made a whole post about what a good friendo Claude is, initial ulterior motives nonwithstanding… He certainly had strategic advantages in the back of his mind but I don‘t think he ever faked liking Byleth

Plot wise, having The Messiah on his team gives Claude a bargaining chip to seize control of the church with its greater influence. On the other routes, he wisely refuses to touch that particular hot potato with a ten foot pole.

Character wise Byleth‘s influence largely serves to mitigate his jaded cynism. He starts to actually believe his far-flung dreams might happen, so he plays far less defensively than on the other routes.

Claude is smart and charismatic („Logos“ and „Ethos“), his main problem is that nobody trusts him. This is a bit more dimensional than just a flaw though, because he hides his real goals (though they are not truly sinister) both to avoid fights with people who would oppose these goals (contrast Edelgard who declares her intentions openly and deals with the fallout, so she has to fight the knights whereas claude manipulates them) and get the chance to gradually convince them and reveal the truth once ppl agree, also he‘s more a tactician than a strategist and often changes his plans in accordance with what he thinks is doable under the circumstances, and not telling what his plans are gives him the freedom to do that – either way, a downside of that is that no one trusts him. He lacks credibility and, having shown up out of nowhere, has less loyalty and support. Byleth, as a chrch-sanctioned charismatic figurehead, naturally mitigates that.

Black Eagles

Overarching Theme: Subverted Villain tropes. We have Emperor Evulz / mad science supersoldier, Black Mage classic, Seditious Chancellor Junior, Sexy Mage, Eccentric Scholar, Pretty Barbarian, Fighting Obsessed Blood Knight and Antisocial Sniper

Composition: It‘s nobles all the way down, even the one commoner used to be famous and is from the capital where all the wealthy ppl live (as opposed to the decentralied alliance and the very spartan kingdom nobles) – The capital‘s a heaven for culture and sophistication but you also see the evident elitism/corruption/inequality problem going on. In keeping with Adrestia being more secular, Ferdinand‘s the only one who‘s explicitly stated to be a believer (in the Marianne support) and he‘s not even super devout

One should also appreciate the irony that the side with the ‚saintly‘ crests is now against the church whereas Faerghus, ruled by the descendants of Nemesis‘ former allies and where he used to have his stronghold are now fighting for the church. But should you go with the church route it also makes a kind of sense as they‘d be goig back to the empire‘s distant origins in a sense.

History: They all vaguely know/ have heard of each other due to their parents being co-workers or living in the same town, many have at least met each other but at the same time they‘re not BFF like the Lions and many take a bit to warm up to each other.

Another thing of note is that while many of the Lions‘ families were also friends and have been associates since the days of Nemesis, many of the backstory connections for the adrestian studenrs would seem to predispose them to being foes rather than friends, half their dads‘ essentially dethroned Edelgard‘s and are various degrees of complicit in what happened to her siblings, Petra was basically taken hostage by the previous administration, Dorothea has good reason to have beef with the local rich people etc

Atmosphere: I‘ve seen some ppl who played the other routes first say things like how they were struck by how individualistic they are and how there‘s far less team cohesion, or how they „all seem to hate each other“ - I don‘t think that‘s correct assesment but they definitely are quirky, independent-minded or both. They scamper off in all directions when introduced and definitely don‘t bother with formal politeness or friendly facades, if they‘re annoyed with you most of them will probably say so. Even Bernie gives Ferdinand a lecture once XD They‘re basically goth. Though I do think it‘s sorely underappreciated that there definitely IS friendship and admiration between them esp. later in the story, admiration & appreciation being key factors especially since they‘re none too easily impressed.

Of course being independent minded makes it likely that they wouldn‘t blindly follow a leader who‘s up to no good, but it would make them just as suitable to participate in a rebellion

Another thing of note is that while the Kingdom nobles all learned to hold sharp objects in the nusery and many of the deer have street smarts or survival experience having had to live through tough circumstances most of the Eagles are complete greenhorns when you first deploy them – sure many have seen their share of effed up stuff but not in a warlike setting. And you have many of the sensitive/reluctant ones like Bernie, Linny and Dorothea. This of course could either make you think twice about the church sending them on missions or predispose you toward Flayns brand of pacifism.

Of course this just leads to Hubert and Edelgard (and to a lesser extent Petra) to clearly stand out as the experienced ones. El-chan and Hubie dear have most definitely killed a man before. The rest of them will definitely have to measure up to pick up the slack after the two of them leave.

The trajectory certainly goes differently, in CF they all return notably more confident after the timeskip (most notably with Bernie) perhaps in keeping with how Edelgard believes in & promotes self-reliance whereas in Silver Snow they never quite stop being like „AAAAA“ though I suppose the point is that they get their act together and do the deed regardless.

The Leader’s position: Absolute both in terms of power (sorry Ferdie) and dynamics. Definite ‚student council president‘ vibe, she largely interacts with them as a taskmaster/ to make them do their homework. She markedly doesn‘t like this and would like to be one of the bunch but genuinely finds it hard to step out of boss mode.

She does try her best to cultivate an equal atmosphere and for what it‘s worth most do drop the honorifics and tell her when they disagree.

How this “flavors” part one: The emphasis is certainly on expositioning how much everything in the setting sucks especially on the church‘s horribleness, I mean in the end if she‘s essentially like „We‘ve all seen it this past year“ but of course there‘s also definite foreshadowing that sHE is up to something, there‘s certainly peeps who picked her ‚cause she‘s pretty and she looked more put-together/less obviously dodgy than the others but then didn‘t personal taste wise jive with her character. The whole scene after Jeralt‘s death is definitely a point where you either decide you hate her or love her forever; You get both „WTF“ and „I get it“ type of dialogue options.

How this Ties into The Themes:

No matter what route yo pick you essentially get a story about going your own way and putting right what the previous generations done fucked up – wether they do this by leading Adrestia back to its holy origins, or by backing Edelgard‘s revolution.

On a political level they either go against their homeland or the previous administration, and personally they‘re all sorta expected to take over their parents‘s job and follow these expectations of proper nobility that they have no interest in and many of them renounce their titles or cut ties with their folks. Only Ferdinand particularly wants his fathers job and even them he means to do it very differently. The happy ending, for most of the eagles, is getting to choose their own paths

How does Byleth fit into this:

Mostly, they shift the team dynamics from Edelgard as the absolute leader in a lofty, distanced position to her coming closer to being „one of the group“ working under Byleth.

There‘s a reason she later names her elite troop the „Black Eagle Strike force“ in honor of their time at the academy. This is almost the bigger difference, because Byleth isn‘t there for the timeskip. The big change is caused by creating this situation where all the black eagles leave with Edelgard, so she knows she can trust them and having real allies needs the slithers less.

It‘s very hard for her to step out of boss mode for reasons ranging from her personality, backstory, monarch obligations and fear of vulnerability, but having Byleth be the boss for once helps. Some of her most formative experiences were a) Her family betrayed by almost all its allies including her own uncle b) being helplessly dragged around as a hostage. She wants to avoid being helpless ever again at all costs and thus grew to be a very proactive decisive adult which is mostly a good thing but can cause her tome come off blunt and unyielding at times. I mean when she‘s worried that Hubert, her best friend, is hiding some worrysome secret from her she‘s like „Tell me that‘s an order!“ and when he expertly sidesteps that (since he knows her well and understands that she wouldn‘t actually force it out of him) she‘s stumped and doesn‘t know how to tell him that she‘s worried about him – and this is a guy she knows since forever. With the other eagles she really looks out for them but can only really show it through her „leader“ persona, she has this one trick, and when it doesn‘t work (like with Caspar or Linhardt who don‘t really want anyone to boss them around or talk politics) she‘s stumped.

This is hugely mitigated when another person of her caliber shows up with whom she can share the responsibility or even leave it to them so she learns to allow herself to be soft and do stuff like admit her doubts, this starts with Byleth but also radiates into the other relationships. See Caspar and Linhard revising their bad first impressions of her later in the support chains

Further dynamics notes:

A recurring theme is being misunderstood (outright stated in the introduction and that one quote by ladislava – and also in the church route dialogues where Seteth says that „the people will never understand her ideals“ ) and finding someone who understands, which is different from Claude and Dimitri who ultimately want the world at large to understand and accept them. Edelgard has given up on that long ago - her version of the „pep talk“ scene implies she thinks its impossible to truly understand anothers sorrow – I like to think that after her siblings died she found great comfort in Hubert being „not much for condolences“ and talking plans rather than sympathies while everyone else was showing pity for something they couldnt understand. Dimitri is basically traumatized (he relates to Dedue about losing everything and thats why they‘re so tight knit), Claude is basically an outcast and relates to all that dont quite fit in, but Edelgard… yes her family‘s dead much like Dimitri‘s, but in addition to that, she has been through an indescribable science fiction fantasy thing that no one has any context for. She views herself as so altered that she considers herself a whole different person and her past self basically dead. Hence someone like Byleth or Lysithea who could relate to all that is very, very tempting to her – we‘re not told if that‘s the truth or just her perception though, Hubert doesn‘t note her being extremly different, and later on she kinda admids that she herself distanced herself from other people.

Likewise the ship dynamic is ‚birds of a feather‘. Edelgard tells you right away: She feels that she and Byleth are similar and is drawn to them because of that. It‘s not just the mad science background, both are stoic natural leaders with a bit of a dorky side. This goes both ways – While others are often mildly stumped by Byleth, she can read them pretty well and gets a lot of dialoue like „wow you‘re telling the truth“ or „I can tell you‘re lying“ - that happens so often that it‘s even used to hint that she‘s the flame emperor.

If you had to name a dominant person it would probably be Byleth but overall this combination is disntinguished by being relatively equal and balanced. She likes having Byleth‘s support but repeatedly mentions wanting to support Byleth as well - As she says after the big mock battle, „sometimes its better to have someone to rely on to support each other through the darkness“. Team dynamics wise they feel a similar niche – the abnormally powerful, stoic charismatic leader who inspires many followers and is a gifted field commander. When they‘re not allies they are foils after all. But as pointed out in their A support despite their similarities each of them have their own particular strenghts that the other envies – Byleth is a better tactician and ultimately better at moral support (though their time powers help). On the flipside, Edelgard is more proactive whereas Byleth struggles with that, and at least her 22 year old self probably has more raw strenght (judging by her stats total and how they‘re evenly matched in the church route reunion cinematic though she isn‘t using her preferred weapon)

If you don‘t marry her then the note the A support ends on would suggest that Byleth sorta gets adopted as a honorary big sister/brother with how El asks them to use her childhood nickname and just lampshading the sense of kinship between them – the platonic outcome is a family bond, which buils as much on similarity and alikeness as their romantic outcome

Plot wise, Byleth‘s presence gives Edelgard something that she wouldn‘t otherwise have: Reliable allies. This means not just Byleth themselves, but the other Black Eagles whom she feels are more firmly on her side as they never defended Garreg Mach from her assault. As she puts it when she tries to recruit you as the „Flame Emperor“, the slighterers will go around causinga strocities but with the sword of the creator on her side she could courttail that better and generally has less need to coorperate even for purely pragmatic reasons so she is free to weaken them ahead of time, kills Cornelia right away rather than work with her etc. Interestingly this is why the front lines are actually further back when Byleth returns than they are in the other routes, but then the war ends the quickest.

Character journey wise, Edelgard goes from being convinced that she has to give up everything to be a tough leader to allowing herself to just be a person, cummulating in the ending where she pulls a washington/cincinatus, abdicates and gets a normal life.

In terms of leadership style, Edelgard has „Logos“ and „Pathos“ to spare, she‘s described as a remarkable leader who inspires remarkable devotion and has a cause/ rationale – but she‘s got her weakness with inspiring loyalty on an interpersonal level. The followers are loyal to the cause – Edelgard herself is perceived as unapproachable and shady/unsavory, see Dimitri‘s rant about how she‘s „strong“, or statements by herself and Ladislava that people tend to misunderstand her. As a superhuman science experiment she is by definition not a „relatable“ leader. So once Byleth proves trustworthy Hubert immediately puts them in charge of morale and of support/pep talking the reluctant recruits.

(In part II we‘ll get into decision making processes but I think here we have to separate by route rather than house since it’s most evident post-timeskip and dependent on plot events.)

Team Dynamics and Decisionmaking

Empire Route

Here, there is a very clear distinction between inner circle and outer circle. Edelgard and Hubert have their own thing going on and once you prove loyal, you’re in, and you get to see a whole different side to both of them, Edelgard lets down her guard, Hubert acts polite and sympathetic where he was previously suspicious and mocking, and they basically tell Byleth everything, including the unsavory pursuits that they keep secret from everyone else – but overall the secrecy, maintained for realpolitik reasons, never truly stops. Basically those three make all the decisions.

Notable is that if you’ve recruited Lysithea she hovers on the threshold between inner and outer circle. She was fed the cover story of the nuke being a church weapon (though she did’t buy it) but WAS told about the secret assault on Arianrhod. This is prolly cause Edelgard likes her, she can become her main advisor in their paired ending.

Kingdom Route

Dimitri describes himself as as someone who thinks change should come from the people and that the leadership should serve them, for all that he prefers to uphold the basic order of society, and this is reflected in his leadership style – though this also reflects that he is a ��people person‘ rather than a planner, so the plans are left to his advisors like Byleth, Gilbert and Rodrigue. He is more the emotional/ spiritual lynchpin than the mind or will of the group.

In Azure Moon, especially later on, the decisions are really made by the entire group and you see them considering their next step together. Dimitri spills the backstory as soon as it comes up, telling everyone about his relationship with Edelgard for example.

In early part 2 this is at an extreme in that Byleth, Rodrigue and Gilbert are de facto making the decisions and Dimitri is at best a grumpy figurehead that they‘re putting up because they need him as a symbol, but at the same time he doesn‘t really compromise on his revenge obsession and is just dragging the whole team along/ not really reacting to how they are making him the lynchpin for their hopes. (though it is important to note that he didn‘t ask him too either – they decide to follow him out of friendship or loyalty to his house) yet inwardly Dimitri too is blindly following what he believes are his obligations.

A huge turning point is when he returns after the whole rain conversation and Byleth gets to ask him some variety of „What do you want to do“ in which Dimitri makes a step toward both inner and outer self-directedness, but precisely because of that becomes are more complete/better consensus leader.

I also want to stress that Claude and Edelgard LOVE togetherness and cooperation and equality as concepts every bit as much as Dimitri does they want to be one of the team but they find it difficult. And of course Dimitri’s style has its own flaws too

Alliance Route

While the Blue Lions decide everything together and either variation of the Black Eagles setup has an „inner circle“ that makes the decisions, in the Golden Dear that inner circle is basically just Claude.

Even Byleth doesn‘t find out his plans until part two, and it‘s later still till he comes clear with the team (and still doesn‘t reveal all but points to Cyril as a stand-in) Hilda and Lysithea are discernable as preferred right hand people, and Byleth and Marianne as special confidants, but in the end Claude rarely shows his real self and only he knows the plan. If Hilda and Lysithea pick up alot about him and his true self it‘s because of how observant THEY are and how much Hilda is basically a lot like him.

Claude does all the thinking and motivates followers (from Lorenz to the random merchans who support him) by promising them things they want – because even if he can‘t trust peopöle, he can trust their self-interest.

Church Route

Since you are with the church that is ideally a sort of benevolent parental authority under the supposition that people need guidance and that‘s a good thing it is perhaps fitting that though Byleth winds up the nominal leader, this is actually the route where they are more of a follower. They do watch Seteth says, who is doing what he believes is his duty and mission, and we have Flayn as an innocent, pacifistic voice.

They lost their dad, and the Nabateans are a sort of surrogate family. (wether its one that youre born into or marry into, the wiord „family“ is stressed) – they are the „inner circle“ making the decision and the empire kids, ragtag misfits estranged from their homes, follow. On the one hand they‘re going against their home country on the other they have the saint‘s blood and Adrestia USED to be church aligned so it also makes a kind of sense.

Among the Adrestian kids themselves, Ferdinand and Petra get a chance to shine as the ostensible leaders. They are stalward, competent leader-like people in CF too , but there they are more overshadowed by the much more experienced Hubert and Edelgard. - Though when you think about it they are like „pure hero“ versions of them who were never forced to become as cold and pragmatic. Ferdinand, like Hubert, is a nobleman from a storied family who is proud of it but wants to fix its tarnished reputation from his corrupt father. Petra, like Edelgard, is a former political hostage who experienced hardship at a young age and worked her way up all on her own, being very serious and competent despite her young age. I prefer the version where they stay buds rly.

It‘s worth noting that Seteth, ‚Heir of Purpose‘, sees it as their families duty to protect Fodlan and is the only one really doing that – his brothers noped out, and Rhea, uneknowst to him, twisted „protect“ into „rule/subjugate“. One might question who gives him the right to decide things because his mom is magic but on the other hand he really is 100% benevolent and I see no sign that he has any greedy intentions especially in in Silver Snow, all the countries collapse and someone needs to keep order, he doesn‘t understand what the empire‘s doing and why just sees their agression and really is rising to the challenge of upholding peace because something needs to do something about the violence. He had withdrawn to protect his daughter but then in the end he‘s the last one who is really doing what Sothis would have wanted. He looks most like her too having the slightly darker, ‚spikier‘ hair.

Further Thoughts

I’m curious to see how Yuri, the Ashen Wolves, and Cindered Shadows compare/contrast to this and i theyll manage to make the dynamics sufficiently different so that its neither a carbon copy or a blabk mary sue ish superlative.

I mean the other routes are so interesting to dissect because its a tradeof and all have their own flavor so really CS would do better to try to be “different” or, better yet, “complementary” than “better” or “cooler”

#three houses #fire emblem: three houses #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #black eagles #blue lions #golden deer #three houses meta

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callmewishful · 3 years

Text

Power and Grace

“Well, I…I have to go.”

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

“Oh, thank the Goddess.” Sylvain muttered to Ashe as they walked into class.

Ashe looked confused at his walking partner. The classroom appeared normal; most people having arrived already. He turned to look out the door they’d came in. The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky, “I mean…it is a nice day….”

“Not that.” Sylvain shook his head, “That.” He gestured to Felix and Evyanna deep in conversation at their desks. Evy was drawing out something on a piece of paper and explaining it to Felix, who seemed rather impressed by whatever she was saying.

“Oh,” Ashe nodded in understanding, “Yeah, they really hadn’t talked for a while there, hadn’t they?”

“What can I say, Ashe? Felix is a stubborn man.”

“So, I think we start with the Black Eagles, because then we can take out the ballista-“

“How do you know the Eagles will have the ballista?” Felix interrupted her. “How do you know Claude or Ignatz won’t take it?”

Evy snorted, “Over Edelgard? Please. Edelgard will break Claude’s nose for the ballista.”

“Touché.”

“So anyway, we want Ashe on the ballista, so I think you or I should take out the Eagles archer…who is…shoot.”

“Bernadetta.” Felix supplied, taking the quill from Evy’s hand and writing the girls name on the paper where the Ballista was. Despite his dedication to sword training over book training, he had fairly nice handwriting. “She’s meek and shy and squeals in fear just by looking at me. She’ll be easy to take down.”

Evy giggled, “That scary are you?”

“I think it’s the eyes.”

Evy could concede to that. He did have unusual eyes. She didn’t find them scary though, more intriguing than anything. “Okay, so we take out Bernadetta first to have control of the ballista. If you rush ahead to take her out, I can have Ashe stay behind me to get him to the spot. The Eagles and the Deer will be close together so if we want that prize we’ll have to be fast in taking them out before they cut each other down.”

“The Eagles have a lot of magic users if I remember right. Ashe can focus on them once they’re in range. Maybe we should go for them first to get them out of the way?”

“What do the Eagles focus on?”

“Bernie’s the archer, Edelgard uses an axe, I think Hubert is a magic user, dark magic if I remember right, because he’s a sketchy ass man. Petra uses the sword, Dorothea is a magic user, Caspar uses an axe I think, don’t quote me on that. Linhardt is a magic user, Ferdinand uses a lance?”

“So, we have three magic users for the Eagles and four weapon users? What about the Deer again?”

“Claude is a bow, Ignatz is a bow, Leonie is a bow but sometimes a sword user. Lysithea and Marianne are magic users. Maybe Lorenz too? Hilda uses a lance and I think Raphael uses an axe or his fists.”

“The Deer have fewer magic users then. Maybe we should go for them first? Let the Eagle’s magic users come to the center of the field and be picked off by Ashe?” Evy drew arrows from her, Felix, and Ashe to the center of the map. Then she drew arrows showing Dimitri, Dedue, and Sylvain going up close and personal for the Deer. “If we want, Ingrid could fly ahead and get personal with the Eagle weapon users. Once Ashe is secure on the ballista you and I can go for the Eagles too so she’s not alone. You’re a good dodger.”

“I wouldn’t mind going for Hubert, actually. I’ve wanted to test my skill against his anyway.”

“He’ll be parked up Edelgard’s ass though. So, if you go for him you’ll have to fight her off too.”

“Come with me, then. You can take her.”

“I can go with you guys too. Help ward off some of the magic users.” Annette piped up. Felix and Evyanna looked up from their work to see the entire class surrounding their desks viewing Evy’s drawing as well. Evy’s face turned a light pink and she immediately cast her eyes back down to the paper.

Felix took the quill and drew an arrow from Annette to the Black Eagles side, seemingly unbothered by the class listening in. “That’ll make us more even too.”

“I think it’s a good strategy.” The Professor praised, “does anyone have anything they’d like to add or change?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“I yield! I yield!” Bernadetta squealed, cowering in fear.

“I didn’t even touch you.” Felix muttered, but lowered his training sword. “Ashe, get up there.”

Ashe rushed past Evy and took Bernadetta’s spot on the ballista making quick work of loading it with the training arrows. Evy watched Dimitri and Sylvain engaging with Lorenz and Hilda in the distance. She smiled proudly while her boys fought. So far, their plan was working quite nicely.

“Annette, let’s go.” Felix instructed, taking no time to admire the fight before them. Over to the east, Ingrid swooped in and began engaging Ferdinand. The three took off towards the Eagles to help their flier, Evy being pulled from her observance. She rushed in to stop Linhardt from using magic against Ingrid, forcing him to yield. Felix and Annette were tackling Dorothea together. Evy was often impressed by Dorothea. So confident and talented, both musically and magically.

“ARGH!” Evy barely dodged Petra’s swinging blade after beating Lorenz, stumbling backwards and nearly losing her footing. Petra noticed how off-balance she was and came in ferociously swinging with speed Evy could barely match with how caught off guard she’d been.

Petra was about to go in for the final blow, Evy barely holding on, “You will yield!”

“No,” Felix interrupted her with his training sword in her back, “You will yield.”

Petra slowly lowered her blade, turning to look at Felix, “I must yield?”

“I don’t see a training sword in my back.”

She nodded in agreement and sighed, “I must yield. I worked hard. You are lucky to have your sword man boyfriend to save you, Zelshire Princess.”

Evy fixed her grip on her sword and sputtered, “Oh, I-I mean…we-”

Felix’s face was bright red, not from the exertion of battle, and he quickly turned away to go back to the fight. Evy could feel her face was just as hot as Felix’s looked and she stopped trying to explain seeing as she couldn’t get words out of her mouth.

“You have the oddest of relationships with the sword man boyfriend, Zelshire Princess.” Petra looked between the two before exiting the battlefield.

Evyanna didn’t even try. She was so flustered between the conversation and Petra’s relentless attacks that she gave up. After a quick deep breath, she had to get back into the battle. Annette and Felix were coming up on Hubert and Edelgard and they’d need help.

She rushed back into the action, trying to clear her head as much as she could. One thing kept sticking out to her though: Felix didn’t deny it.

Of course, they weren’t dating, but he didn’t deny Petra’s assumption of a romantic relationship. Maybe he thought he didn’t have time for such nonsense, seeing as he’d left Annette to save Evy. Maybe he thought he had to go back to save Annette. Maybe he saw Evy was already making an attempt to clear up the confusion and didn’t see the point in him doing so also. Or…maybe he didn’t deny it because he wanted a romantic relationship.

Evyanna nearly laughed out loud at herself. Felix? Dating? She really could be quite funny.

So funny, that she mentioned the story to Ingrid on their victory walk back. Ingrid thought it was funny too that Petra would say that. Anyone who knew Felix knew he was basically emotionally empty. As far as Evy knew, the only emotion Felix had was anger.

Still, she couldn’t help the hopeful feeling in her chest when she thought about him. She knew better, really. Mother always told her to never expect a man to change. ‘If you don’t like him now, you won’t like him ever.’ Though it wasn’t that she didn’t like Felix…she just wished he wanted the same thing.

It was stupid really. Felix was clearly not interested in a relationship. He told her that his only focus was getting stronger and working on his skills with the blade. If she wanted a relationship she should focus on someone else. Dimitri perhaps….

After the mock battle, all the students had a feast together in the dining hall at Claude’s insistence, celebrating the enjoyment of the fight and the Blue Lions win. The night was a lot of fun.

Claude dropped two bags of marshmallows on the table after dinner with a smirk on his face. Evy gasped, “Are we playing Chubby Bunny?!”

“What’s that?” Claude asked, even though he brought the marshmallows.

“It’s a contest to see how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth.” She explained, opening up one of the bags.

“That sounds ridiculous.” Felix muttered from his spot next to her.

Sylvain rolled his eyes, “You’re just mad that you’re a little man with a small mouth and can’t fit that many marshmallows in.”

“Give me one of those damn bags.” Felix snapped, reaching for the bag of the sticky confection in Evy’s hands.

“Now, now, now! Wait! We gotta go at the same time to keep track. Who’s in? Me, Felix, anyone else?” Claude gestured marshmallows to people.

All in all, Claude, Felix, Evy, Dimitri, Edelgard (after much chiding from Claude about being the only house lead who wasn’t playing), Sylvain, Ferdinand, Annette, Petra, Caspar, Leonie, and Raphael joined the contest. It was easy until around 6-7 marshmallows. Then people’s cheeks looked puffy and people started giggling. If you giggled, you were basically done for.

Annette was out first at 9 marshmallows, followed by Petra and Edelgard at 11. Evy and Leonie only got 12, while Ferdinand, to Evy’s surprise, fit 14. Evy was really only surprised because he didn’t seem like one to try during these games. He was Ferdinand von Aegir…so she heard.

Dimitri and Caspar were out next with 15 marshmallows – Dimitri awkwardly laughing about his puffy cheeks the entire time. Raphael was out at 16 because he was trying to cheat by eating them.

“Wahh Wou.” Felix tried to talk to Sylvain with 17 marshmallows in his mouth.

“Ah?” Sylvain, naturally, had zero idea what the hell Felix was saying.

“Wuak Wou.”

“Wah?”

Felix rolled his eyes and flipped Sylvain off, “Wak Wou.” Evy snickered.

Claude was trying his very best not to laugh so none of his marshmallows fell out and was failing. He was out at 17.

“Alright! Who has 18? Is it Sylvain or Felix?” Ingrid had easily taken on the role of announcer for the contest.

Felix put the marshmallow at the entrance of his mouth and used the palm of his fist to mash it in. Sylvain was trying to pry one side of his mouth open to make his marshmallow fit.

“It’s gotta be more than 50% in!” Ingrid chided Sylvain when he tried to claim victory by barely holding onto the marshmallow with the edge of his mouth.

“He’s got it! He’s got it!” Evy shouted, pointing at Felix, who had the marshmallow wedged in along with the other 17.

“Felix has it Sylvain!” Annette teased. Sylvain’s inability was not for lack of trying, he was pushing the marshmallow and prying his mouth, but it was not working. He looked hopefully at Ingrid.

“What do we think guys? Does he have it?” She asked the rest of the classes.

Evy shook her head, along with most. People erupted in their opinions. The little marshmallow was barely hanging on.

“Waa wou.” Felix grabbed one more for good measure and tried shoving it in his mouth. The class laughed hysterically as Sylvain mock-groaned with a chuckle of his own.

“You can’t laugh! Laughing is the bane of Chubby Bunny.” Evy giggled at him, handing him another marshmallow. Sylvain waved the marshmallow off. He barely made 18, there was no way he was making 19.

“Are you tapping out?” Claude asked in disbelief, “Get that marshmallow in there, son!” Claude took the marshmallow from Evy, trying to help Sylvain get it in his mouth. They both were laughing too hard to accomplish the feat. Felix barely had his 19th in but was determined to go for 20 when he saw Sylvain going for 19.

Before Sylvain could get 19 he laugh/coughed most of his marshmallows out. Felix slammed both of his hands on the table and flipped Sylvain off with both middle fingers. He spit out his marshmallows onto a plate, “Fuck off! Who’s little now?!”

“Damn! What the hell, Felix?” Sylvain chuckled rubbing his sore cheeks. Apparently one could never underestimate Felix when he was trying to prove someone wrong.

The table erupted into excited chatter about how Felix was able to beat everyone, despite thinking the game was ridiculous AND not even liking sweets (which Mercedes and Lysithea found an absolute crime).

The rest of the night was spent laughing, joking, and drinking, thanks to Claude and Sylvain. Turned out that Sylvain was a master drink mixer, raiding the Monastery cupboards and his own room stash for booze. They started the party in the dining hall, Dimitri reluctantly joining in on the drinking, though “not too much as it wouldn’t be very becoming for a King.” Once the party in the dining hall ended, the Blue Lions took their party back to the dorm rooms. Well, Sylvain’s dorm room so as not to disturb Claude, who had already been exclaiming he would be having a massive headache the next day.

The Blue Lion house shoved themselves into the boy’s room: crowding on the bed, his desk, and any spare chairs they could fit in the room. They drank, except for Dimitri, Dedue, and Mercedes, who mother-henned the group instead – forcing water on them and food as the night went on. Evy had never felt so apart of the group, wedged between Ingrid and Felix and laughing along with the rest of class. It was quite humorous to see the intoxicated side of some of their classmates.

“Evy! Remember when Lea broke his ankle, and I broke my arm that summer?” Sylvain shouted. Evy was not far enough away for him to need to shout, but he thought it was appropriate.

“How did you break your arm that summer? You refused to tell us the story.” Dimitri was sitting properly in Sylvain’s desk chair. He’d refused to sit on the desk itself like Sylvain was, because ‘that was not how desks were meant to be used.’ He did however, let Annette sit in front of his legs and use them as her back rest.

Sylvain broke out in more laughter. He jumped off his desk to dig around his dresser. Dimitri cringed, “Please tell me this story is appropriate.”

“Shh. I’m getting the demonstration ready.” Sylvain chided, pulling out an extra blanket.

“I’ll break your arm for you.” Felix volunteered, earning a jab in the ribs from Evy. Felix looked to her with a frown, “What? I would.”

Sylvain waved Felix off and grabbed all four corners of the blanket. “So, you know how when you fall, you feel all the wind blowing from the ground up at you? Well, we were like, dude, what if when you jump, you had something to catch the wind and then you could use the wind to make you fly instead of falling?! So, we got blankets like this, and grabbed all the corners and then we went up on top of the training hall and jumped off to see if it works!” Sylvain frowned at the memory, finally getting to the ending, “Turns out, you lose your grip and fall down anyway. Or if you don’t lose your grip, like Lea, you still don’t fly. Was really a bummer actually. I think I made out better though because I only broke my arm. Lea couldn’t walk for weeks.”

Dimitri sighed, rubbing his face, “Oh dear Goddess. If I’d known you were going to be so much trouble I wouldn’t have left you alone.”

Sylvain scoffed, “Please. We were conducting science. That’s hardly trouble.”

“You broke the Prince’s ankle.”

“I didn’t do it. Air did…well technically the ground when he landed.” Sylvain shrugged, tossing the blanket down to Annette who had been reaching for it.

Mercedes giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, “How did you spend that summer Your Highness? If not with Sylvain and this Lea.”

Dimitri smiled, fondly recalling the memories of that summer. He looked at his summer-mate as he answered, “I spent it with Evyanna, actually. While Sylvain and her younger brother, Lea got into massive amounts of mischief, we spent the summer exploring.”

“Exploring…” Sylvain winked, giving Dimitri a suggestive look.

The Prince’s face turned bright red, “N-not like that!” That was a slight lie. “There’s lots of beautiful sights in Zelshire.”

“Oh, I know it.” Sylvain continued to give Dimitri a shit-eating grin. While the rest of the class laughed at Dimitri’s expense, except Felix. Felix narrowed his eyes at the Prince.

Dimitri became increasingly flustered under Sylvain’s gaze and the Lion’s laughter, “I-I didn’t mean…I mean, not that the Princess isn’t…I-that’s not-“ Dimitri took a breath, “we just explored the nature trails and-“

“A happy trail, eh?”

“Sylvain!” Dimitri scolded, “We were far too young for such things.”

“Yeah, that’s fair. I’m not even sure you got a good beard coming in now.”

Evy couldn’t help the round of giggles that came through, leaning on Felix’s shoulder to help stifle them. It wasn’t really working.

“Okay, okay. You guys it is getting late!” Dimitri chided. This had to stop before things got worse. “This has been a fantastic night, but we should all be getting to be bed.”

“Fuck off, Boar Prince.” Felix, who’d lost what little filter he had during the night especially after the prior conversation, rolled his eyes at him.

Evy put a finger to Felix’s surprisingly soft lips, “Shhh, Fe. Be polite.”

“Oh, fucking kiss already.” Sylvain muttered to himself and Ashe, who he’d leaned into. He chugged the last of his drink quickly.

“Dimitri is right, Felix.” Mercedes stepped in, hoping that Felix would be nicer if she was the one to dictate, “It’s getting late and you need your rest so you can train tomorrow.”

The promise of training caught Felix’s attention and he stopped arguing. Reluctantly, and with some more mothering from Dimitri and Mercedes, they all started packing up. Mercedes took Annette and Ingrid down to the girls’ side of the dorms while Dimitri walked Ashe back down to the first floor. Evy lingered around Felix and Sylvain. Sylvain’s bed was too comfy to get up quite yet.

“Come on, we gotta train tomorrow.” Felix held out his hands to help her up. She groaned slightly but took them. Being an adult sucked sometimes.

“I just wanna take a nap.” She whined, leaning against his chest for a brief moment. Her legs lumbered her out the door and down the familiar hall. She’d give almost anything to be able to close her eyes and sleep with how tired she felt. Now that the high of victory and the buzz of her friends had worn off she was beat.

She heard Felix tell Sylvain to shut up behind her and she giggled. He was quite the character. Unlike any noble she’d ever met. He’d be an interesting heir. Part of her was really bummed that she wouldn’t get to see much of him once she left the monastery.

“Hey, Leighton.” His slightly slurred voice sounded behind her, along with slightly rushing footsteps.

Her bright leafy green eyes looked back at him, “Felix, you passed your ro-” Evy was cut off by his body crashing into hers, his hungry lips devouring her. She eagerly returned his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her. Felix picked her up under her legs and pressed her back against the wall, deepening their impromptu make-out session.

Dimitri skipped back up the steps from ensuring Ashe made it to his room safely but stopped dead when he saw the amorous display in the hallway. He let out a small gasp as his eyes widened, but the sound did nothing to deter the apparent lovers. Sylvain was behind the pair, standing in his own doorway, giving Dimitri a thumbs up and a big grin. Dimitri wondered if Sylvain had decided to challenge Felix again and now this was the result.

The prince awkwardly walked by the couple, politely avoiding them with his eyes.

“Liquid courage strikes again.” Sylvain chuckled when Dimitri was in earshot.

“I didn’t realize Felix had feelings for Evyanna that way.” Dimitri admitted, his own heart conflicted at the sight of them together. But perhaps that was just their previous betrothment talking.

Sylvain scoffed, “Please, that’s why he avoided her for two months. He was trying to get over his little crush. I finally convinced him to man up tonight.” Sylvain grinned at the couple, proud of his handywork.

Dimitri reluctantly looked back at them. They’d stopped kissing, though Felix still had Evy pressed against the wall. Their foreheads were connected as they shared a smile between each other. Both of them looked rather happy. If his friends were happy, then he could be happy for them.

“You aren’t going to watch them all night, are you?” Dimitri was just as reluctant to ask Sylvain the question, more because he feared the answer.

“Nah. I just wanted to make sure he’d actually kiss her.”

Dimitri exhaled in relief, “Well, it appears you got your wish.” And with that, he went to try and sleep.

Evyanna and Felix did quite the opposite – kissing, grinding, and teasing until they were both left tired and panting. It was too soon for sex; they were buzzed and had only just expressed romantic interest in one another. Sex could wait. Besides, Evyanna found herself dizzy just from Felix’s lips. Well, alcohol might have offered some help too.

Felix was a bit surprised to find Evyanna curled up against his chest in the morning until the memories of the night before came flooding back…Sylvain telling him that Dimitri was going to confess feelings for Evy…him being…well, pissed at the thought…stopping her in the hallway…shoving her against the wall…attacking each other with hot kisses…her breath against his skin…shit.

He ran a hand through his messy hair and sighed. Fucking alcohol, making him act on his feelings.

Evyanna shifted on top of him, hugging him tighter. The two of them on the bed was a bit of a tight squeeze. Felix supposed it could’ve been worse – at least he got to be with her, and she didn’t reject him.

“Good morning.” She whispered rubbing her face against his tunic, nuzzling against him.

“Morning.” He rubbed her arm with another sigh. Part of him wanted himself to stop ruining this moment, but the other part was irritated at himself for letting it happen. What happened to trying to forget his feelings for her?

Evy peered up at him with shy eyes, as if she could tell exactly what he was thinking. This possibility made Felix even more uncomfortable, “Are you upset?”

That was a loaded question. Of course, he was upset – he acted on emotions he had been trying for months to get rid of . But, in reality…he did like it…fuck. “No.” He muttered, trying to avoid her eyes. How pathetic would it be to bother her with his internal conflict the first night they spent together? What was he, the Boar?

“You don’t sound sure.” Evy was having none of his avoidance and propped herself up on her arm so she could look him in the face. She was so beautiful, her bright green eyes so sweet and gentle, just like her soft features, in the morning. Her hair was a mess, but Felix was 100% certain that was partially his fault as well. Even still, she was everything Felix was not: gentle, loving, open…how the hell did such a soft person have feelings for a rough-around-the-edges swordsman? Perhaps he should take her feelings while she had them; before she wisened up and ditched him.

“I-I am.” He decided. “It’s just…different.” That part wasn’t a lie. Felix had never been interested in the relationship aspect of people before. Not until she skipped her way into his life.

She smiled softly at him, rubbing his cheek with her thumb in a gentle way that made him blush. “It is different, but I think it’s a good different.”

“Good different.” Felix agreed quietly. Anything more and he’d start stumbling over his words due to her touch. She kissed his other cheek and gave him one more quick cuddle before they had to get ready. He felt cold as she left the bed and mentally he hated himself. No way he could start this lovey shit…fuck.

“Good morning, Evy, Felix. How did- oh Goddess.” Dimitri’s face burned at breakfast as he realized that he didn’t want to know the answer to the question he almost asked.

Next to him, Sylvain snickered, but the new couple couldn’t figure out why.

“How did what?” Evy asked, encouraging him to keep going while not understanding why he paused in the first place. Dimitri seemed embarrassed about something. Perhaps the fact that he’d been drinking with them the night before? Evy didn’t remember him doing anything embarrassing. He only had one mixed drink before he cut himself off. Sylvain, Felix, and Annette had been much heavier drinkers.

“Um, how did…I mean, how was…good morning.” Dimitri’s face was positively red with embarrassment. He really didn’t want to ask the question but could figure out no good way out of it.

Felix narrowed his eyes at the boy, “What’s wrong with you? You’re even more incompetent than normal.”

“Well, I…I have to go.” Dimitri blurted out, getting up and rushing out of the dining hall. Evy and Felix shared a confused look. Sylvain burst out laughing, his face red for an entirely different reason than Dimitri’s had been.

“What’s his problem?” Felix demanded, “Why are you laughing?”

“He-...” Sylvain let out another bout of hysteria, “He saw you!”

“What?” Evy prayed to the Goddess that Sylvain did not mean what she thought he meant. She could feel her own cheeks starting to tinge with heat.

“In…the…hall.” Sylvain spit out between gasps of air.

Oh, dear Goddess.

Felix jumped up from his seat and sprinted out of the dining hall before Sylvain could get out another word. He ran up the retreating blonde and shoved him against the nearest pillar, “You tell ANYONE what you saw and I-I’ll-“

“No! No! I-I would never!” Dimitri stammered out, holding his hands up in surrender. Felix’s actions were starting to draw a crowd and Dimitri was getting even redder.

“Good! Because if you do, I’ll commit treason right here in front of everyone!” Felix threatened. He released the man after another good glare and pushed his raven hair out of his face.

“Right, yes. Understood.” Dimitri straightened himself out as well, looking anywhere but at Felix. “So,” he questioned after a few moments, “does this mean you guys aren’t-“ “No, we are.” Felix muttered, also not meeting Dimitri’s eyes. Fuck, did he just admit to Dimitri that he had a girlfriend?

“Oh. Okay…?”

“Just because we are doesn’t mean you get to talk about my love life.”

Dimitri nodded in understanding, “Right, of course not.”

“Good.”

From that point on Felix and Evy considered themselves “dating” but nothing much changed about their relationship from what anyone could tell. Most people in the monastery didn’t even know they were dating aside from Sylvain and Dimitri (and Ingrid because Sylvain could hardly keep a secret until Ingrid threatened him about telling anyone else). Felix and Evy still trained daily, talked during meals and class, and hung out at night. Nothing about their daily routine had changed. No displays of affection were shared. Not since the drunken night in her dorm room.

The only noticeable difference was that Evy appeared to tell Felix anytime she went anywhere. It was never a long conversation, instead going something simple like:

“Hey, you, I’m going to get dinner with the girls.”

“Ok.”

Or:

“Hi Felix, I’m going to the market with Ashe.”

“Ok.”

The first few times were moot. Felix was indifferent about the new development in their relationship. But it became constant, Evy seemingly interrupting his training at all hours just to tell him a stupid, trivial fact. He had hoped his evident irritation would ward her off, but she seemed oblivious to his frustrations as the days went on. It was hard to train when someone was constantly yammering at him.

“Hey, Felix. I’m going-“

“I don’t care!” He finally snapped, dropping his sword and turning to face her, “I don’t care where you go. Just go and get out of my face!”

Evy’s cheerful face fell, hurt by his sudden anger towards her. She didn’t understand what she’d done to upset him so much, “Oh. I-I’m sorry.”

“Look, this really isn’t working out.” He continued fuming at her, well past the point of no return.

“Wh-what?” Evy was completely thrown off guard. She thought things had been going really well. Slow, but well.

“You keep interrupting my training and you’re getting in my way, just like I thought a relationship would. If I want to keep getting better I can’t have you bugging me every 10 seconds with stupid information. I was right all along, okay: relationships aren’t for me. This was just a stupid mistake.”

Evy felt like the wind was completely knocked out of her chest. She struggled to get the words out at a volume he could hear, “Oh…ok.”

Trying to save a shred of her dignity, she turned and walked out. She’d had plans to have dinner with Sylvain and Dimitri, but her brain could barely function let alone sit through a dinner. She walked back to her dorm room on autopilot, still trying to register what the hell happened. She thought things were going very decently. A little slow on the emotional end, but she was trying to be patient with him since this was presumably his first relationship.

Dimitri was concerned when Evy didn’t show up for dinner. Even more concerned when she hadn’t just been caught up training with Felix. Even more concerned when she was completely silent and barely functional during class the next week. He was not the most observant creature, but between her sadness, Ingrid’s glares, and Felix’s rolling waves of frustration, Dimitri pieced it together: They’d been fighting.

He was not one to pry so he tried to be supportive from a casual distance, asking her to dinner and training more than normal. In the beginning she occasionally accepted his offers, but as time went on she was more and more willing to spend time with him again. He was glad that her and Felix were slowly working things out. He knew Felix could be quite stubborn.

He thought things were much better, so he was surprised to find her crying on his doorstep in the middle of the night with a few bags packed.

“Ah...Evyanna! What’s the matter?”

“I-I have to go!” She sobbed, shoving a letter in his hands with her shaky ones.

“You’re leaving the monastery?” Dimitri panicked. How bad had things with Felix gotten if she was leaving in the middle of the night?

Evy nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks, “I-I have to go home. Just read the letter. Tell the Professor I-I’m sorry I couldn’t tell her in person.”

Dimitri caught her arm as she turned to leave, pulling her into a quick hug, “Please be safe, Evyanna. And please reconsider when you have had some time. I’m sure Felix will come around.”

“What?”

Dimitri paused, “Y-you’re leaving because Felix…”

“No, Goddess, Dimitri, Felix and I broke up almost two weeks ago? I-I dunno. J-just read the letter. I really have to g-go!” She hiccupped through her tears and waved before rushing down the hall. Her and Felix had broken up that long ago? What? Here he thought things were better. Yet here he was just as clueless as he usually was.

He opened up the tear-stained letter and read, his jaw dropping as he did.

The heir to the throne: Quentin Augustus Leighton...was dead….

#felix x oc #felix hugo fraldarius #felix fraldarius #powerandgrace #chapter four #also on ao3

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derireo · 4 years

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claude - add some sugar

Claude has been trying to flirt with the cute barista for a few months now, but still hasn't gotten her number.

Hilda is hoping today is the day for success because the rain just stopped and something needs to happen right now.

[ modern au ]

"And why do you continue to bring me to this cafe?" Hilda complained over the loud splashes raindrops that fell upon her pink umbrella as Claude held onto her other hand, excitedly tugging at her thin wrist as they tried to scurry towards their destination.

"That barista, Byleth, is working today, Hilda! Get with the program already." he looked back at her as if it should have already been obvious as to why he always took her to the cafe that sat on the corner of a lonely street.

Claude let go of his friend's wrist since it seemed like she wasn't going to cooperate with him and walk faster and instead tightened the grip on his own umbrella instead, the whistle of the wind coursing through the sky as the rain continued to pelt down on the pavement, effectively drenching the duo's poorly chosen footwear.

"I agree that she's like – the most gorgeous woman I've ever laid eyes on, but that doesn't mean I want to watch you fail to flirt with her over and over again." she groaned, jumping over the puddles that got in the way of their path.

It's not that Hilda didn't enjoy watching Claude get turned down every time he made a move on the girl, but it was absolutely unnecessary to drag her with him whenever he wanted to see her.

Hilda was getting a little fed up with it.

"I'll make sure to get her number today!" he promised, closing his umbrella as he held the door to the cafe open for his pink haired friend to run inside.

"You better." she mumbled grumpily and dumped her umbrella into the bin beside the door and wiped her shoes on the mat that welcomed the duo, Claude following suit with a grin when he saw the barista resting her chin in her palm on the counter, blankly staring at the two.

Claude shooed Hilda away to find them a good seat and happily ignored the way his grey, plaid topcoat weighed him down, his shoes making a squelching noise as he approached Byleth in his rain drenched appearance.

The barista stood up from her resting position and greeted Claude with a kind voice, her gaze silently raking over his obviously dishevelled form before letting out a little sigh.

"Would you guys like the usual today?"

Claude pursed his lips.

He normally ordered a Chamomile tea or the Leicester Cortania, both with honey and a splash of lemon. He felt he was ready to change things up a bit.

"Hilda would like the usual," he smiled charmingly and gestured towards his friend who was slumped back in her chair, her normally bouncy twintails now a soggy mess. "I'd like to get a simple vanilla latte."

Byleth nodded with her eyebrows raised in mock surprise, her fingers tapping against the screen in front of her to ring up the order, "Would you like to add anything else?"

Claude visibly brightened, now was his chance.

"Yes, actually." he lifted a hand to scratch his beard as Byleth stared at him, expectant.

"I'd like a side of.." He paused. "Your number." He winked, and not a second later did Byleth hear the sound of his pink haired friend gagging in disgust.

Byleth felt the same.

The barista responded with a sickeningly sweet smile as she heard her coworkers Ferdinand and Lysithea cackling in the back room, and took in a quick breath, gesturing towards the card machine in front of her.

"I'll just give you an extra shot of vanilla, free of charge."

And despite the obvious rejection, Claude couldn't help but feel giddy as he tapped his credit card to pay. Today's reaction was different from what he was used to, so he felt better.

"Thank you." he called out, nearly lovesick, as he squelched his way back to Hilda who was refusing to even look at him at this point.

"Your best friend title has been revoked." She said while picking at her nails, drops of water still dripping from the ends of her hair.

Claude pouted as he pulled at his sweater to keep the thick material from sticking to his skin, scrunching his nose when it slapped back to his chest.

"D'aw, Hilda! I thought that even if it wasn't smooth, it'd be funny."

"I'm sorry, I don't know you."

"Oh, come on. You can't say that when I've been paying for your drinks all these months!" Claude sulked in his chair, appalled at the attitude his friend was giving him.

He thought it was funny.

"I have a medium Rose Petal Blend, Vanilla Latte – extra sweet, and a molasses cookie on the side." a voice had called out from the front counter, and Claude quickly made his way back to Byleth who was watching him with a bored expression.

He smiled at her despite the lack of expression and pointed at the small bag that held the soft biscuit.

"I didn't order the cookie." he said, as a matter of fact, but Byleth pursed her lips for a brief second before giving Claude a small smile, her intentions unknown.

"It's a freebie, just take it," Hilda sighed, already at the door with their umbrellas in hand. "Thank you, Byleth."

The barista gave the pink haired girl a salute while her coworker, Ferdinand, began putting their drinks and the cookie in a take-home tray, shooting Claude a wink that had the young man questioning if he was being pranked right now.

He decided against the idea and thanked the two baristas with a smile, grabbing the tray from the counter so that he could join up with Hilda again.

"Is it just a coincidence that she gave me my favourite cookie for free?" Claude pondered aloud as he and Hilda both stood outside under the deck that connected to the front of the cafe, both adults not ready to step back into the pouring rain.

"Dunno. But there sure is an interesting message on the bag." Hilda noted as she took her tea from the tray he was holding and took a sip of it, waiting for Claude to realise what was written on the paper.

"What message–" his head quickly turned to see what she was talking about and immediately saw the line of numbers that were scrawled across the bag.

Claude almost dropped the tray and squealed.

Quickly, much to Hilda's dismay, Claude ran back inside the cafe.

The ferocious jingle of the bell on the door startled Byleth from her conversation with Lysithea, who was stealing a cake pop from the display, and caused Ferdinand to nearly knock over the take-out cups he was stocking up.

"I am going to kiss you." Claude said, almost sounding like he was angry, as he marched up towards the counter where Byleth was still standing.

Thank the Goddess there were no other customers inside.

The barista quirked her eyebrow at the threat (?), her tongue poking the inside of her cheek as the corner of her mouth lifted into a lazy smirk.

(He's going to die.)

"Go ahead." she drawled, eyes darting behind his shoulder for a quick second before looking back up at him with her smirk turning into a delighted smile, Ferdinand and Lysithea staring at the barista with surprised expressions.

Claude nearly teared up with glee as he began to lean over the counter, and had to curl his fingers into his tray when the sensation of her fingertips scratched at the beard that lined his jaw, and just when their breaths were meeting —

Hilda's fingers quickly hooked themselves into the neck of his topcoat and pulled Claude back and away from the warmth of the barista's hand.

"Not on my watch." she admonished, already pulling Claude towards the entrance of the cafe again as the rain started to slow.

He reached out for Byleth like a child trying to take their toy back, but the barista only wiggled her fingers at him as a farewell, her smile his sunshine on this rainy day.

With his limited movement, he tried to shoot a love arrow at Byleth as Hilda was halfway through dragging him outside.

Byleth pretended to catch the arrow and pantomimed breaking it in half over her knee, the smile she gave him still on her face.

"I love you!" Claude cried out as his heart stuttered in his chest, Hilda complaining in the background once the door closed, and the bell jingled.

It was quiet in the cafe again, and Byleth couldn't help but sigh and sit on the stool that Ferdinand handed to her out of sympathy.

"Don't know what you got yourself into, but he seems fun at least." Lysithea muttered through a mouthful of cookie as Ferdinand nodded in agreement, wiping away at the espresso machine that needed cleaning.

Byleth shrugged her shoulders as she hid her smile behind her palm, staring blankly outside as the rain quickly began to pour again, the screeching of Hilda and Claude audible as she watched them run across the empty street.

"I like his beard."

#claude von riegan #claude x byleth #female byleth #byleth eisner #fire emblem byleth #fire emblem claude #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem imagines

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spam-monster · 4 years

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Helsaweek 2020 Day 1: Swap

(or tumblr’s apparently being a butt but idgaf i’mma post this and head out)

I’ve done things like power swaps or gender swaps or kingdom swaps before (at least in my head), and I wanted to do something different this time, sooooo...introducing amount-of-siblings swap!

-----

In the beautiful kingdom of Arendelle, there were once thirteen fair princesses; although the kingdom had only ever seen two of them, for around the time the third was being carried the king and queen had suddenly closed the gates to the castle without warning. Stories were told, by the servants and traders who went in and out, of a group of perfectly normal, lovely girls. Yes, they all had their quirks, but none seemed to have any affliction that would justify hiding them away. Rumors were spread as well: questions of parentage, a hidden 14th child born with some terrible curse and locked away, a secret illness that affected only royalty…or perhaps something to do with the eldest child, Elsa, since she was almost never seen outside of her rooms.

But surely she was just engrossed in her studies, preparing herself to become the new queen after her parents had been lost. After all, the older townsfolk had met Elsa when she was younger, and she had been a perfectly normal, sweet young girl. Whatever had caused her parents cut themselves off from the kingdom, it surely had nothing to do with her…

---

“Alright, that’s enough! Dina, don’t play huntress with Frida’s Mr. Deer! Ingrid, stop trying to give Cathrine a makeover! Gunda, Hilda, stop fighting! Jorunn, we can go see the horses later! Klara, Linda…”

“You’re fine.” Brigitta says from behind her. “Now let’s all get ready for bed, we have a big day tomorrow.”

Anna sighs in relief, and mentally thanks Brigitta. At least one of her little sisters is acting responsible tonight.

“We want to make a good first impression on the peasants, after all.”

…Or maybe not.

“Yeah, c’mon. You don’t want them to get mad at us and rebel and drag us all to the guillotine.”

“Cathrine, no one is being guillotined tomorrow.”

“I’d like to see ‘em try!”

“Hilda, please don’t try to fight anyone.”

“…Will they even like us?”

“Linda, of course they will.”

“Why should we even care about Elsa’s coronation?”

Anna turned to Mathilde, the youngest of the thirteen sisters of Arendelle, slumped over on a couch looking bored. “Because she’s your big sister, and she’s going to be queen! We’ve all been waiting for this day for years, we need to support her-”

“Why should I care about someone I barely know?”

Anna flinched. “It’s true, that…Elsa hasn’t been around much lately…or spent much time with us…but I’m sure she’s just been…very busy! With…studying to be queen! And all!”

Mathilde glared. “That’s a lame excuse. She always ignores us.”

“She’s not…a bad person, really…”

“Yeah, I know, you always say you used to be “best friends” or whatever. But you’re the only one of us who’s ever seen her act like a real sister!”

Anna looked around, panicked, as most of the other girls began to nod and whisper in agreement.

“She never talks to us.”

“She’s never played with us.”

“She rarely even comes down for dinner.”

“She left you alone.”

Anna turned to Klara, confused. “Left me alone?”

Klara looked at her sadly. “After mom and dad died. She left you to raise us all on your own.”

And Anna had no answer for that.

-------

In the small kingdom known as the Southern Isles, there were once two princes. Although you might not have remembered at first, because the elder brother was so boisterous and dazzling that it was easy to forget the younger one even existed. Prince Torvald was remarkable; an accomplished hunter, a spectacular storyteller, able to charm even the most aloof noble, and sure he could be a bit boorish and egotistical at times, but he was a prince! It was to be expected, right?

“We should be grateful we even have a prince at all, let alone two.” People would whisper. “The poor queen had been trying for decades to bear the king a worthy heir, rest her soul.”

“Not sure the other one was worth her effort, though.” Others would grumble. “What’s his name…Hans? What has that one ever done that Prince Torvald didn’t do better? Well, at least we have a spare…”

---

“Is it not a fine day at sea, little brother? Clear skies, calm waters…and across the ocean, the quaint, little, unimportant country of Arendelle awaits the blessed presence of future King Torvald the Mighty!”

Hans tried very hard to suppress a sigh. *Arendelle is bigger than the Southern Isles* he grumbled under his breath.

“What was that?”

“If…Arendelle is so “unimportant”, as you say…why did you bother to come with me?”

“A King never passes up an opportunity to impress other rulers with his might! That’s a lesson you should remember…or not, I suppose.”

*Since I’ll never be a king, you mean*

“Also, I have heard tell that the future queen is quite beauteous. Perhaps she shall prove worthy of the honor of becoming my bride.”

*That was my plan, damn it!*

Torvald laughs obnoxiously and slaps Hans on the back, almost knocking him off his feet. “Fear not, little brother! I have also heard that she has many younger sisters! Perhaps one of them shall take pity on you!”

Sitron knickers at him in concern. Hans shakes it off. “Yes…perhaps. I – um, should go…check on the horses.”

Torvald laughs again and sends him off with another hearty slap. Hans sighs heavily as he tends to Sitron.

“I’m alright, boy.” He murmurs to the horse. “And who knows? Maybe the queen will be smart enough to see my brother for what he really is, and…who am I kidding? She’ll never look at me.”

-----

(I imagine how this goes is that:

- Hans still meets and bonds with Anna but Torvald swoops in and grabs her attention away since Elsa is ignoring him (and he’s jealous Hans is getting attention for once)

- Elsa still freaks out and runs, Anna still goes after her by herself and leaves Torvald and Hans in charge, Torvald spends most of the time posturing and giving grandiose speeches while Hans actually works to take care of the people and ends up bonding with the other princesses as well

- at the castle Torvald makes Hans go in first and he actually has a conversation with Elsa and bonds with her

- in the end Torvald talks Hans into killing Elsa (because he doesn’t want to dirty his hands, plus then he can make Hans take the blame if things go bad), but Hans hesitates so Torvald tries to do it himself but Anna stops him

- Torvald gets sent back but Hans decides to stay (and clean up his brother’s mess), the sisters all basically adopt him as their new unofficial big brother alongside Kristoff, the end)

Might expand on this later (like designing the new siblings, or maybe WRITING SOME ACTUAL HELSA IN INSTEAD OF JUST HINTING AT IT.)

Bios for the au siblings under the cut:

I basically just ran down the list of Norwegian girl names for this one (one from each of the first 13 letters that aren’t “a” or “e”), so let me throw out some basic entomology/character stuff for the swap siblings:

Brigitta: 3rd child, in this ‘verse Idunn was probably pregnant with her when the accident happened. Goes between helping Anna keep the younger ones in line and causing problems herself. Has a bit of a superiority complex regarding her status as a princess - acts like she must be better than everyone outside the gates, but really it’s a coping mechanism to help her deal with the isolation she feels. Name means “resolute, strength”.

Cathrine: Name possibly derives from the goddess of witchcraft Hectate, so she’s the spooky, playfully morbid one. Level-headed when she’s not creeping the younger ones out by joking about death. Dina is her younger twin.

Dina: Name comes from the goddess Diana; Roman equivalent to Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunts. She picked up her love of hunting from the hunters who would come and sell fresh meat to the castle cooks, and spend her time stalking the other girls (and their stuffed animals) and sneak-attacking them with her toy bow and arrows.

Frida: Name means “peace”. A quiet nature-lover who hates conflict, which is ironic because she’s one of a set of triplets and the other two are the most aggressive of the bunch. Ends up being the target of the more aggressive girls a lot because she doesn’t want to fight back, and she’d rather they pick on her than one of the younger girls.

Gunda and Hilda: Names mean “war” and “battle” respectively, and they live up to them. The typical red-headed identical twin duo that’s always causing trouble (except they’re triplets and the other one doesn’t want to play along). Dina can either be their ally or their rival depending on the situation.

Ingrid: Name means “beautiful”- basically she’s the one obsessed with fancy clothes and trying to do everyone’s makeup.

Jorunn: Name means “horse lover” …yeah. Obsessed with horses, spends way too much time in the stables and comes back kinda smelly, biggest dream is to ride freely through the fields of Arendelle, possibly has headcanons of what breed of horse each of her family members would be (with accompanying fanart).

Klara: Name means “clear, bright”. Intelligent and honest, sometimes to a fault. Although she doesn’t like upsetting people, she won’t shy away from telling hard truths. Linda is her twin.

Linda: The most gentle and sensitive of the girls, easily stressed and has a hard time objecting to others because she doesn’t want to hurt their feelings. Gets along best with Frida, who tries to protect her from the more rambunctious girls. Name means “soft, mild”.

Mathilde: The youngest of the bunch. Acts out a lot because she knows she can get away with it. Her name means “battle strength”, and she lives up to it by being the most strong-willed and stubborn of the bunch.

As for Hans’ older brother, he had to be really obnoxious to make up for the fact that there’s only one of him instead of twelve. Torvald means “Thor’s ruler”, and I basically based him off Thor at the beginning of his first movie (minus any of the good traits) – he’s brash, egotistical, and takes his little brother for granted. Unlike Thor, he’s also an emotionally abusive dirty coward with no respect for women or anyone he deems “weaker” than himself (which is pretty much everyone except his father).

(Even though Hans stays in Arendelle in this ‘verse, I think he might end up going back and becoming king of the Southern Isles someday just because I can easily see the kingdom deciding its sick of Torvald’s shit and kicking him out. Maybe he and Elsa end up in a long-distance thing, or they unite their kingdoms or something idk how this works.)

#helsa #helsa au #helsaweek #helsaweek2020 #frozen #frozen au #elsa #hans westergaard #prince hans

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lynelovespopculture · 4 years

Text

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF ZELDA-CHAPTER 1-PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

“Are you lost, child?” Zelda asked.

The poor child turned sharply, eyes huge and wet, breathing hard.

“Hush, now. Calm yourself.” Zelda knelt, which was hard given the full skirts of her despised dress. But she finally made it and with a hand wiped the girl’s tears. “What is your name?”

“Katherine.”

“That’s a pretty name.”

“Who are you?” asked Katherine.

“I’m Lady Blackwood,” Zelda announced, loud enough to be heard just in case some else was down here.

“Father Blackwood’s wife?”

“Yes.”

“I am lost,” Katherine confessed. “I’m new.”

“Oh?” Zelda began to walk with the child. “How long have you been with us?”

“Only 8 days,” Katherine answered.

“8 days?” Zelda felt like the wind was knocked out of her. Katherine must have arrived on the day of Ambrose’s aborted execution. How horrible for the child. Katherine was looking up at her and Zelda realized she had not spoken in a while. “Let’s get you to bed.”

As the student’s rooms were the 2nd floor, Katherine was really lost as she was found on the 1st floor. As Zelda led the girl upstairs, she noticed a light in Faustus’s office was still on. He was working late again. Not that she was complaining, but ever since the council stripped him of the title of anti-pope, Faustus had holed up in his office. Zelda barely saw him until he sent for her. Zelda did wonder what he did all day. After she got Katherine into bed, Zelda went up to the 3rd floor and entered her own chamber. She found Prudence and Judas. Judas had his own chamber, of course, but poor Prudence only had a small stool in that room that couldn’t possibly be comfortable. To remedy this, Zelda told her stepdaughter that if she ever felt too sleepy or simply couldn’t take it anymore, she should place Judas in his portable bassinette and use Zelda’s bed for the night. After all, now that she was married, Zelda had every right to use Faustus’s room. Zelda pulled up the covers and tucked Prudence tight. The girl stirred but didn’t awaken. Zelda smiled as she watched the girl and peek in on the baby. Her stepchildren, one of many reasons she still put up with this farce of a marriage. Zelda sighed as she crossed the room and opened the doors that separated her chambers from her husband’s and froze. Faustus was seated in a chair, reading a book.

Too late. He saw her.

“Zelda, dearest.”

“Husband.” Zelda found her fake smile on her face once again. It had been 9 days since Hilda had broken the Caligari spell and Zelda found it harder each day to be in Faustus’s presence let alone be his little life. Yesterday she saw Nicholas walk Sabrina home. Zelda longed to go home, longed to have supper with Sabrina and Ambrose, longed to fall asleep next to Hilda.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you in bed?” Faustus’s question jolted her back to reality.

“I was just tending to the children.”

“And what are you doing here?”

“I missed you.” Zelda lied. Of course, Zelda couldn’t tell the truth, that Prudence was in her bed and Zelda didn’t ask permission because that stupid spell was broken. “You work so hard and so long at night lately that sometimes I sleep in your bed just pick up your scent and feel closer to you.”

He looked at her and there it was again. It was quick as lighting, but Zelda saw it. His eyes were soft again. During their brief marriage, his hard eyes had gone soft on a few occasions and that gave Zelda hope. Hope for what, she wasn’t sure. Meanwhile, Faustus’s finger flew up to his nose but not before a single drop of blood fell on the open page.

“Are you alright?” Zelda asked.

“What? Oh, yes, yes.” Faustus dismissed as he wiped his nose with his handkerchief before he put his book aside and stood. He walked to Zelda and put his arm around her waist and roughly drew his wife to him. “So, you missed me, eh?” He kissed her passionately. Zelda much rather smack her husband than kiss him but damn her to heaven if she didn’t like it just as she liked the hours of lovemaking that followed. Long after Faustus was snoring, Zelda was left wondering. Wondering how she never felt guilty about having sex with Faustus when he was married to another woman, but she felt massive waves of guilt by enjoying making love to her own husband, of course, he was the husband who stole her mind and destroys her family. Odder still, even though he was laying right next to her, she missed him. She missed the Faustus she knew; the boy she grew up with, the man who respected her, the man she had married, this wasn’t him!! Zelda looked to him in the dark, unsure if she should silt his throat or bust into tears. As sleep finally claimed Zelda, today’s berries lay forgotten on her vanity in the next room.

Today was the day. That was the first thought that popped into Zelda Spellman’s mind as she opened her eyes. Zelda sat up in bed and found that Hilda was still asleep. Zelda couldn’t her luck, Hilda was always up first. Normally, Zelda wouldn’t have noticed or cared who got up first but this morning the older sister treasured the silence and longed for a walk alone in the woods before breakfast. Zelda got out of bed and moved as soundlessly as could, getting dressed, going downstairs and out the front door without waking a soul. It was a beautiful morning right on the cusp of summer. It had been 3 months since they had beaten the pagans and had established the Order of Hecate. No one knew where Blackwood, Agatha, and the twins were. The twins, Zelda sighed, it hurt to think about the 2 babies, she delivered a year ago and had cared for as a stepmother were now somehow, 15 and missing again. To bury her pain over the twins and her anger at their father, Zelda buried herself in work, in school and church, so much so that Hilda voiced her concern more than once. Deep down, Zelda knew she was proving her usefulness that the coven wouldn’t kick her out that moment they discovered her secret. Zelda came to a stone altar and knelt before it.

“Hecate, mother, I thank thee for keeping my family and I safe these past months. Please give me strength and courage to tell my family and coven my…secret now that the deadline has passed and may that grant me mercy and understanding for my decision.”

Zelda could smell breakfast and hear Hilda puttering around in the kitchen the moment she opened the door.

“Zelds? Is that you?”

“Yes, Hilda. It’s me.”

Zelda went down the hall and into the kitchen. Hilda stopped humming as her sister came into view. “Well, good morning, Zelda! Where have you been so early this morning?”

Zelda didn’t think it possible for happy go lucky Hilda to get any chipper in the morning but now that she was engaged to Dr. Cerberus, the town’s eccentric bookstore owner, she was constantly walking on air. Usually, this would have annoyed Zelda to no end but even she has to admit the pair was perfect together even if Zelda still cringed when she thought about how she first reacted to the news that Hilda was engaged, she accursed her sister of abandoning the coven. That had been the fear talking, after all, marriage had not been kind to Zelda, and she had known Faustus a lot longer than Hilda knew her intended.

“I got up early and went for a walk in the woods.” Zelda dismissed as she walked into the room and leaned against the island opposite Hilda. Well, here goes nothing, I guess. “Sister, I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Zelda, I know exactly what you’re going to say.”

Zelda was frozen to her spot. “You do?!” Zelda thought she had kept her secret hidden so well.

“Of course,” Hilda replied, smiling. “My new class timetables. You wanted to remind me that starting today I have 3 herbalism classes, not 2.”

Zelda let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “No! I mean, yes yes, you do, but I mean, I have to tell you something else.”

“Alright, then. What?”

“Hilda, I’m, I’m” Come on, Zelda scolded herself. Just 1 more word and it’s out there! Just 1 more word and Hilda could aid in this conversation. “Sister, I’m-“

“Good morning, Aunties!” Before Zelda could spit out that all-important word, Ambrose zipped in, chipper as Hilda but he wasn’t fooling anyone. His good mood was false. Both Spellman sisters knew heartbreak when they saw it. Zelda let Hilda tend to these matters, she was better at it. Yet Hilda was still looking at Zelda.

“Zelds? You were saying?”

It didn’t seem right to tell the family at once, not yet. She needed to get Hilda alone. Tell her first, sister to sister. Zelda would use Hilda’s reaction to gauge if she could stay in the coven. If even her sweet-temper sister couldn’t accept this, Zelda didn’t have a prayer. “Um…We talk later, Hildy.” Zelda waved her hand dismissively and went to the fridge to get herself an apple juice before joining Ambrose at the table.

“So, Ambrose love,” Hilda started. “Have you spoke to Prudence lately?”

“Prudence?” Ambrose’s tone as if he barely knew the girl. “No, we’re not speaking but it’s okay. I’m over it.”

“Really? It doesn’t sound like it to me.” Hilda spoke gently.

“I’m fine!”

“You know, Ambrose,” Zelda cut in. “If you want to take a leave of absence from the Academy, I can make it happen.”

Ambrose was calming down. “Thanks for the offer, Aunt Zee, but I’m finally starting to like being librarian.”

“Okay, but the offer still stands.”

All 3 were quiet and soon there was footsteps to be heard.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Save by the cousin.” Ambrose muttered.

Sabrina took her seat as Hilda put the bacon on the table and the Spellmans started their morning meal.

“Interesting.” Ambrose mused as he read the newspaper. “It appears that the front-page story in the Greendale Gazette is a schoolyard fight at Greendale Elementary. 911 had to be called and everything!”

Sabrina made a face. “To an elementary school?”

“How terrible.” Added Hilda, you must have thought so too when you read the paper, Zelds.”

“Oh.” Zelda seemed off in her own world. “I didn’t read the newspaper this morning.”

Suddenly, Zelda felt 3 sets of eyes staring at her in shock.

“Aunt Zelda, you always read the paper, especially in the morning,” Sabrina said.

“And usually more than 1.” Pointed out Ambrose.

Hilda covered her sister’s hand with her own. “Zelda? Are you alright!”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Zelda leaped to her feet. “I’ve been busy, that’s all! Honestly, getting all bent out shape because I didn’t read a newspaper! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a school to run.” Zelda took only 1 step before bending to whisper into Hilda’s ear, “If you find any spare time today, come see me in my office.” Zelda watched her nod and then Zelda left.

The Academy of the Unseen Art was just a short drive away from the Spellman house. This school had always been part of Zelda’s life. She had first been a student here as a girl, just as Hilda was as well as their brother, Edward. Unlike her siblings, Zelda had joined the ranks of the Academy’s teaching almost as soon as she had finished her studies. Edward, like many young warlocks before him, felt the urge to travel and see the world after finishing at the academy. He came back, of course, once the church of night named high priest, he was also named headmaster despite not having spent 1 day of teaching. Some years later, Zelda grew restless and decided to join Hilda, who now lived in England and both sisters became mid-wives. Once Ambrose was old enough to enroll in the academy himself, they all came home and Zelda spent years known as the coven’s most famous mid-wife, renowned for never losing a baby. Shortly after delivering the twins, Zelda returned to teaching. A month after Blackwood tried to poison the entire coven, the Academy was reopened with Zelda as its headmistress as well as the founder of the Order of Hecate. Zelda walked into the school, smiling and nodding at the students who welcomed her and bid her good morning. This place is finally starting to get back to normal, Zelda thought, and her secret had the power to destroy the normality yet again. Zelda shook it away as she entered her office. Someone was already waiting for her.

“Good morning, ma Cherie.” The voodoo witch greeted her with a bright smile.

“Marie.” Zelda liked Marie, truly she did. In the past 3 months, they had shared a few kisses and dinner dates but no farther. Zelda had told Marie she wanted to take it slow, Zelda claimed she didn’t have much experience with relationships. It was a lie, of course, but Zelda wanted to stay covered up right now. The truth was Zelda should have never kissed Marie in the first place, but it had happened right after the shooting and Zelda thought the bullseye was off her, but she was wrong and she had no right to drag Marie or anyone else down with her. Plus, no mattered how hard Zelda tried, the kisses when Marie, had nowhere near the passion she always felt with Faustus. Zelda had to nip this in the bud.

“Are we still going to dinner, tonight?” Marie wanted to know.

Zelda sighed as she reached her desk. “No, Marie, we’re not.”

“That’s alright, Cherie. I know you’re busy.”

Zelda’s knees buckled under her and she was grateful that her chair was there to catch her. Did Marie have to so nice? Could she feel any more guilty? Zelda tried again.

“Marie, I’m just talking about tonight’s dinner. I’ve enjoyed our time together, truly I have. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to continue our relationship.”

Marie frowned. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No!” Zelda stressed. “Not at all. It’s just that I had a lot of…personal business I need to deal with right now, and I need to focus on that right now, that’s all.”

Marie was silent for a few moments. “Can we still be friends?”

Zelda smiled. “I’ll love that.”

“Can I still teach here?”

“Of course. The children adore you.” The headmistress responded.

“Good. I was thinking about an protection spell dancing class.” Then Marie started to dance around Zelda’s office, but she wasn’t looking where she was going and crashed into a globe that was next to the fireplace and even tripped over it.

“On my! “ Zelda got up and rushed over to the woman. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Marie said between her laughter. Marie tried to help Zelda help her up by gripping the side of the fireplace and as she did, her palm pressed a small button. Both women heard a click.

“What was that?” Marie asked.

Zelda helped Marie up and looked around until she saw it. A panel on a nearby wall was slightly crooked.

“That wasn’t there before.” Zelda walked to the wall and reached out a hand to move the panel but got distracted by her watch. “Is that really the time? We’ll be late for morning assembly!”

After morning assembly and 2 classes, Zelda went back to her office to do some paperwork. An hour later, Hilda came in.

“Hey, Zelda. You wanted to see me?”

Zelda laid down her pen on the stack of papers she was reading and looked up at her sister. “Yes, Hilda, I did. Please close the door and take a seat.”

Hilda obeyed and as she sat, Zelda stood up and walked over to be closer to Hilda. She leaned against the desk. “Hildy, I would like to continue our conversation from this morning.”

Hilda nodded. “The one before Ambrose came in.”

“Yes.” Zelda bit her lip and started pacing. “I have some news to tell you.”

Hilda’s eyes widened. “Is it Father Blackwood? Have someone found him?”

Zelda shook her head. “No, not yet.”

“It is Agatha?” Hilda continued. “The twins? Oh, are there new pagans?”

“Hilda!” the older sister snapped. “We are not playing 20 questions! I need you to focus and listen to me right now!”

Hilda nodded. “Of course, yeah, sorry.”

Zelda sighed and started yet again. “Sister, I need you to brace yourself. I have big, life-altering news.”

“Now I’m really on the edge of my seat.”

Zelda took a step forward. “Hilda, I’m going to-“

Before Zelda could finish her sentence, there was a knock at the door before Dr. C poked his head in. “Hello, Ladies!”

“Hey, Love!” Hilda jumped up, rushing to the door to greet her fiancé with a kiss, so happy to see him that she missed when Zelda hung her head in frustrated defeat.

“What are you doing here?” Hilda asked with a smile.

“Well, the shop was rather slow this morning, so I thought why not pack up a basket and take my best girl for a picnic.” Dr. C explained. “Unless you’re busy here, of course.”

Hilda felt torn. “Technically, I’m free. I mean, my next class isn’t for 2 hours but Zelda been trying to tell me something all day and-“

“Hildy,” Zelda took her sister’s hand. “Go on. Have fun.”

“Are you sure?”

Zelda nodded and gave a small smile.

“Ok,” Hilda agreed. “But after school, it’s you and me, Zelda. I don’t care if we have to lock our doors and unplug the phones, we’re finishing this conversation.” The blonde witch said before leaving with Dr. C.

After they were gone, Zelda slammed her hands on the desk and groaned. By the way, things were going, Zelda wouldn’t have to tell anyone her secret, it would be perfectly obvious all by itself. A moment later, Zelda was calm and collective as ever, returned to her paperwork. Moments later, she could hear footsteps coming.

“Did you forget something, Hilda?”

“I’m not your sister, Lady Blackwood.”

As soon as she heard his voice, Zelda was on her feet. There he was, Lucifer Morningstar, Satan himself, was no more than 10 feet away from her and she was completely alone!

Don’t show him you’re scared, Zelda thought. Out loud, she said, “And I’m no longer Lady Blackwood. That title is not welcome in this school, neither are you!”

“I don’t know what’s sadder,” Lucifer said. “You, Zelda Blackwood, were one of my most faithful followers and now what are you? Not only have you turned against me but also your husband. You’re a bride, who abandoned her marriage after, what is it, 8 months?”

“It’s laughable that you lecture me about abandoning my marriage when we are standing in the very room I was married in, but no one has seen Faustus in months. As for my faith, I will turn my back on anyone who tries to hurt my family, husband or dark lord.

“Blackwood is a fool; I’ll give you that.”

“Yet, I don’t believe you’re here to play marriage counselor.”

“How clever. I require a mid-wife and I heard you’re the best.”

“I am,” Zelda confirmed. “But why you are asking me? Are there no mid-wives in hell?”

Lucifer considered this. “Shockingly few. Besides, as the mother of my newest child is a witch, I would prefer a witch mid-wife.”

“And this poor soul who carries your child, anyone I know?”

“Actually, yes. It’s Lilith.”

“Lilith? She must have run straight back into your arms right after I turned her away. I knew I couldn’t trust her.” Zelda muttered to herself.

“Sort of into my arms.” His smile was maddening. “So, you’ll help us?”

Zelda shrugged. “I don’t know why I should.”

Lucifer looked at her like she was mad. “It is a great honor to serve me.”

“But I don’t serve you anymore. I thought we covered that.”

“Fine. Attend to Lilith’s pregnancy and I won’t tell Blackwood of your…precious secret.”

For the second time that day, Zelda sat down hard on her desk chair. “You know about that?”

“I am the great Satan, Zelda Blackwood, I know everything.”

Stay strong Zelda. She thought then by sheer will, forced her voice to remain even. “Then you must know how weak your deal is. This is not the kind of secret one can keep to oneself forever and then I have lost my motivation for being Lilith’s midwife.”

To Zelda’s utter amazement, Lucifer laughed. “You drive a hard bargain, I respect that and because I’m in a fine mood, I’ll offer you a better deal. Keep your secret and I’ll make it worth your while.”

“I don’t need money.”

Lucifer smirked. “Who said anything about money? I pay you in information.”

Zelda got up and went over to him. “What are you talking about? What information?”

He stared at her in silence for the longest time and then finally asked, “Do you really think that Sabrina being my daughter was Edward Spellman’s only secret?”

Then, before Zelda could respond, faster than the blink of an eye, the dark lord was gone. Zelda wrapped her arms around herself and waited for the shaking to stop.

The choir was Zelda’s last period of the day. The choir had practiced in the church, as usual. The class had already been dismissed so Zelda was alone and collecting the songbooks when Hilda came in and gently knocked on the opened door.

“Zelda? Is now a good time?”

The red-haired woman glanced up just long enough to see who was at the door. “How was lunch?��

“It was lovely, as usual,” Hilda answered as she walked closer to the church. “But I spent most of the afternoon worrying about you. I know you have something important to tell me and I know you been trying all day to tell me. I know I said we would until we got home to talk but I’m done for the day and you seem to be wrapping up here. So, should we go back to your office or we can talk here, or we can stick to the origin-“

Zelda didn’t even let her sister finish the sentence. “Hilda, I’m pregnant.”

“What?!” Hilda’s eyes hadn’t been this big since she was a bug. She sat down in the front pew.

“So now you know.” Zelda finished picking up the songbooks and placed them in the correct cabinet before taking a seat beside her sister. The pair were silent for several moments, both for different reasons. Hilda, trying to digest the new information and Zelda, both terrified and relieved she finally told someone.

Hilda spoke first. “Are you sure?”

Zelda nodded. “Yes. 100% certain.”

Hilda then got an idea. “Is that why Mambo Marie said you broke up with her this morning? Not that I’m judging Zelds, sometimes you meet, and things happen fast. It was like that with me and Dr. C”.

“No, Hilda, you’re not getting it.” Zelda stood up. “This baby is not the result of a random one-night stand or of some new relationship with some new warlock I just met, though sometimes I think that would be easier. No, sister, there’s a reason I waited until today to tell you about it. It’s because of today I’m 7 months pregnant.”

Hilda closed her eyes in understanding. As both sisters were midwives, they both knew that according to witch law, no one, not even the the council could force a witch to end her pregnancy after she had reached her 7th month.

“Plus,” Zelda continued. “7 months ago, I was still in my marriage bed as Lady Blackwood. This is Faustus’s child.”

“Wait a minute.” Hilda tilted her to the side. “How can you 7 months pregnant? You were shot only 4 months ago.”

“Yes! Exactly!” Zelda was so glad that her sister had brought up this point. “I first discovered I was pregnant right before we reopened the school and I was so unsure how I felt about it that I kept the news completely to myself. Then I was shot, and I was sure I had lost the baby, after all, I was barely out of my first trimester. Yet, after we defeated the pagans and things calmed down, I took another test just to be certain. I was expecting a negative so imagine my surprise when it came back positive. Yet, what really shocked me was how relieved and even happy I was that I was still pregnant. That was the day I realized that I love my baby, Hilda and I don’t care what I must do, I will see this child born. Even if I’m thrown out of this coven, even if-“ Zelda had to clear her throat before she could continue. “Even if you and the children decide to disown me from the family.”

Hilda jumped up and grabbed her sister’s hands. “Zelda Spellman! We would never, ever disown you, never! You are a Spellman and so is the baby inside you, regardless of who the bloody father is! It’s actually amazing when you think about it.”

“I know.” Zelda was now openly crying. Tears of relief that someone finally shared her secret and tears of happiness that despite everything, Hilda was being so accepting. “I mean, I still have this baby against all the odds.”

“This baby was meant to born. And I can already tell this little one is as strong and as stubborn as you are.”

“Thank you, Hilda. I think.”

“Don’t worry about the coven, Zelds”

“Of course, I’m worried!” objected the redhead. “It’s not bad enough that I’m the wife of the man who tried to poison all of them and now I have to tell them that I’m carrying his next child? They’ll hate me!”

“They won’t hate you,” Hilda assured. “For you are the woman who put this coven back together. You reopened the school and you never gave up until you found a way to restore our powers without having to go back to the dark lord.”

When Hilda mentioned the dark lord, Zelda mentally went back to the strange conversation with Lucifer. She didn’t know what to make about it. She knew she would a fool to trust the father of lies, but of course, he knew exactly how to get under her skin. Do you really think that Sabrina being my daughter was Edward Spellman’s only secret? The question had haunted Zelda all afternoon. Of course, she didn’t what to believe the devil over her own brother, but Edward had kept a huge secret about his daughter and Zelda wasn’t sure that Edward couldn’t have taken more secrets to the grave with him.

“Hey, where did you go just now?” Hilda looked worried.

“It’s just been an extremely crazy day.”

“Well, let’s go home. It’s way past time you have a complete physical exam.”

Zelda smiled. “Are you speaking as my sister or as my midwife?”

“Both.”

The sisters left the church together when Hilda said, “You know you can tell me anything at all, you know.”

“In that case, Hildy, you will not believe who came to see me today.”

The 3 Cerberus brothers all own cottages near the lake. It has become a family tradition to bring the whole family down to spend some time there during the summer. The oldest brother and his wife never had kids, but Hilda cherished her role as an aunt. This summer was very special for Hilda for the 3 people she loved as her own were all here with her. It was here, on a beautiful August morning that Cordelia Spellman awoke to golden sunshine and wonderful breakfast smells. After a quick shower, Cordelia dressed and made sure the gold necklace of the half-moon that her parents gave her before she could remember and she always wore was straight before heading downstairs.

“Aunt Hil?” Cordelia called out when she found no one in sight downstairs. “Uncle C?”

“Out here, cousin.” Came a voice, a voice Cordelia knew well but couldn’t believe she was hearing.

She ran out to the patio and saw that she wasn’t crazy. “Ambrose!”

“Good morning to you too, little cuz!” Ambrose enjoyed the hug his cousin gave him.

“You haven’t been in the US for months. When did you get here?”

“Late last night,” Ambrose answered. “And I brought you a surprise.”

“Really? What?”

“Hi, Cordy!”

Cordelia whirled around and gave a shriek. “Sabrina!” The two hugged. “I thought you were still helping out with Harvey’s art show in Boston.”

“I did. I’m back. Harvey, Roz, and baby Cassie all send their love.”

“Man, no one tells me anything. I’m always the last to know.”

Ambrose smiled. “No offense, Cordy but you are only 12.”

Cordelia gave her male cousin the death stare. “Yes, Ambrose, I’m aware of that fact, thank you.”

Ambrose pointed. “That’s Auntie Z’s tone right there, and Hecate helped me I think I’ve even missed that.”

Sabrina put an arm around Cordelia. “That tone, your red hair, you look more and more like your mother every day.”

Cordelia smiled. “That’s exactly what Auntie Hilda says.”

Soon, Hilda and Dr. C came out of the kitchen and breakfast began. Cordelia was thrilled; big family meals were her favorite and they were getting rarer and rarer. The only people who were missing were her parents, but they were at home with the twins. The twins, Cordelia thought with a sigh. They were her half-siblings, yet she barely knew them. Judas and Judith had been lost to the family almost their entire lives. Pawns in a seemingly never-ending tag of war between the Spellmans and Blackwood. Of course, Blackwood never really cared for the twins, he just wanted them as weapons. Cordelia groaned and shook her head. Her parents had made her promise not to worry and just enjoy her week at the lake. It was a promise she intended to keep. Although Dr. C and Hilda had no kids of their own, Dr. C’s 2 brothers had 6 kids each, so Cordelia had many people to play with. They went swimming almost every day and a bonfire to roast weenies, make smores and sing songs almost nightly. Cordelia loved coming here each summer. Mortal lives seemed much simpler. Of course, Cordelia wasn’t a mortal and her relaxing vacation came to a halt during an afternoon basketball game when Cordelia spotted a dark-haired boy that was leaning against a tree and watching her. Before anyone could notice it, Cordelia ran off the court and up to the boy.

“What are you doing here, Zander?” Her voice sounded annoyed.

“Is that what mortals do all day? Bouncing an orange ball on a hot road?”

“Would you prefer brimstone?” Cordelia crossed her arms. “Something tells me you’re not here to learn the finer points of basketball.”

“Fine, I come with a warning. Blackwood wants his twins back. I’m only warning you because you are my bride-to-be.”

Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Not this again! Zander, I will never marry you! You have been asking me to marry since we understand what the ‘marry’ means and I always turn you down. Plus, it doesn’t surprise that your father is having trouble with his new adviser. Everyone knows that Blackwood isn’t trustworthy.”

Zander smirked. “Fine way to speak of your father.”

“Blackwood is not my father!” Cordelia objected violently. “He’s no one’s father! He’s not even a person. Blackwood is nothing but a curse that is wearing my true father’s skin. A curse that my father is so ashamed of that he changed his name to Faustus Spellman. They would have destroyed the curse long ago if your mother hadn’t given him the mark of Cain. So as far as I’m concerned, Blackwood, you and your father can go stick it!”

“How dare you speak to me like that! I am Alexander Morningstar. Son of the great Satan and his handmaiden, Lilith. I’m the crown prince of hell!”

I’m Cordelia Spellman, daughter of Faustus and Zelda Spellman. A worshipper of the goddess Hecate, beloved of the moon and stars. As my family has not worshipped your father since before, we born I didn’t know why you keep bothering me!”

“I told you Blackwood is coming after your family!”

“Blackwood is always coming after my family!” Cordelia dismissed and started to walk away.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me!” He grabbed her arm.

“Don’t touch me!” Cordelia turned around and held up her hand. Suddenly, Zander felt a force pushing him back until his back hit the tree trunk. “I think your father is calling you.” Cordelia mocked.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Zander said before he disappeared before her eyes.

Late the next night, the Spellmans pulled up before the mortuary. Only Cordelia got out of the car, because Sabrina, Hilda, and Dr. C all lived in town and Ambrose teleported himself to the school to get some work done before calling quits for the night. Once Cordelia had gotten her bags inside and had taken off her coat, Cordelia was about to call out when she heard soft talking coming from the living room. She went in and there were her parents, only they weren’t alone. Faustus and Zelda sat together in the middle of the sofa, while Judith who was asleep, took up half the sofa, her head on Faustus’s lap. Judas was also asleep only he was on the floor, his head on his father’s shoe. Cordelia took this as a good sign, usually when the twins were out of the dollhouse and normal-sized, they were screaming and throwing things. Not that Cordelia blamed them; when you’re raised by an insanity curse, there’s bound to be trauma.

“Hi, mom, hi dad. How are they?” Cordelia gestured to the twins.

“Today was a good day,” Zelda said.

“But we have a long way to go.” Added Faustus.

It wasn’t until Cordelia went to kiss her mother’s cheek that she saw the pain in her eyes. Zelda cared for the twins as if they were her very own. True, she wasn’t their birth mother, but she had been the midwife that delivered them. Zelda had even given the girl twin her original name of Leticia and had cared for both twins before and after she had become their stepmother. She had lost 15 years with them because Blackwood had raised them in some crazy time bubble. He had also taught them to hate all Spellmans, which is Judas preferred the floor rather than sit next to Zelda. Cordelia solved this by flopping down on the couch, tossing her legs over the side, placing her head in Zelda’s lap and putting her mother’s arm around her.

She was rewarded with a smile. “So, how was the lake?”

“Fun and relaxing, as usual.” Cordelia normally would have mentioned her visit from the crown prince of hell, but Zander didn’t say anything that couldn’t wait until breakfast, so she chatted with her parents until her breathing as even as the twins.

Zelda smiled down at her preteen daughter than looked to her husband. “I think we just lost another one.”

However, Faustus looked very far away. “Where’s Prudence?”

“At the academy, I think, prepping for the new school year. Why? Did you need her?”

“Oh no, dearest. I just can’t believe that, for the first time ever, I know where all 4 of my children are.”

Zelda placed her head on his shoulder, lacing her fingers with his. “We’re going to keep the twins this time, Faustus, I can feel it.”

“I don’t deserve you, Zelda.” He breathed into her hair. “Any of you.”

“Faustus, darling, you need to stop saying that. I know how hard you worked to return to me and how hard you work every single day to conquer your demons.”

“I know I said this before but when you chose me, I vowed to become a better man, one that would be worthy of you.”

“And here we are” Zelda smiled “13 years later and there has not been a second that I’ve regretted it. That’s why I love you. That’s why I trust you.”

Faustus kissed his wife, long and deep. “What do you say we tuck these kids in and go to bed ourselves.”

“Good idea. I’m tired.”

“You are? Pity.” Faustus teased.

His wife laughed and kissed him. “I’m never that tired.” She whispered.

Getting 3 people upstairs and into bed would be a hassle but not for witches. With just a snap of the fingers, everyone was in the correct rooms. Faustus and Zelda went to the attic with the twins. Yes, they were adults in age, but the twins had been through so much trauma that they acted much younger. It made Faustus’s blood boiled to think of it as he tucked Judith in and make sure all the good luck charms and dreamcatchers were in place while Zelda finished with Judas. They went down to the second floor, stopping at Cordelia’s door, which was Sabrina’s old room, to check on their daughter.

“She looks so small in that big bed.”

Faustus wrapped an arm around his wife’s middle. “Hard to believe that our little mini-you is the most powerful witch ever born.”

#chilling adventures of sabrina #caos #fanfiction #Part 4 my way #Chapter 1 #spellwood #zelda spellman #faustus blackwood #hilda spellman #dr. cerberus #sabrina spellman #ambrose spellman #prudence blackwood

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isidar-mithrim · 4 years

Text

Letters from Hogwarts – Gus

For more than a thousand years, every summer, in the United Kingdom, the lives of a lucky cluster of eleven years old are radically changed.

These are the stories of four of them.

The first was that of a boy who lived for too long in the belief that he wasn’t a wizard, the second is that of a boy who lived for too long under the illusion of being one.

{Second installment of the “Letter from Hogwarts” series, but it stands alone}

{For this fic I have to thank immensely Hilda, Mah and @sazzy-hp-dw for their help and betaing! <3}</p>

{‘Letters from Hogwarts’ on tumblr: Neville, Remus and Hermione; on Ao3: Neville, Gus, Remus and Hermione}

__________________________________

Of missives, felines, and promises

He was chewing a delicious hazelnut biscuit when a decrepit owl glided uncertainly into their kitchen, landing with a thud right in front of him and making the milk wobble inside his mug.

Gus felt a surge of blissful joy and amazing relief, and with a thundering heart he hastily freed the thick envelope from the owl’s leg.

The owl took advantage of his distraction and pecked at his abandoned biscuit. In different circumstances Gus would have felt resentful, but this time the yearning to read the letter was too strong for him to be annoyed.

He opened it with trembling hands, cracking the wax seal without even looking at it, and with religious respect he took out the parchment covered in orange ink.

Chudley Cannons

Summer Camp for young beginners.

Your broom keeps unsaddling you, but you dream of becoming the Captain of your House Quidditch team?

You’ve never spotted a Snitch, but you want to break the record for the fastest catch?

You failed any attempt to get the Quaffle through the two hoops, forgetting that there was a third?

You are an excellent Beater, but your teammates keep losing teeth?

Then you’ve picked the right course for you! Fly with us and become a Champion!

Shooting Stars are supplied.

Detailed information about costs, schedules and locations of the course overleaf.

Gus put down the sheet of parchment and didn’t even bother to turn it over, a bitter taste in his mouth replacing the thrill of joy he had felt mere moments ago.

After the umpteenth humiliation suffered on the Quidditch pitch, his mother had suggested that he enroll for that stupid course promoted on the radio. I’m sure your broom will start listening to you, after a bit of practise, she had said.

He had dwelled on it for a while, but then she added a promise too sweet to be ignored. You’ll shine, at Hogwarts.

He had been full of optimism and good intentions when he sent the letter, and yet he couldn’t find the will to be happy with the news, his mind wandering towards fresh memories that stung more than he was willing to admit.

“Look! My Hogwarts letter!” Kresten had shouted ecstatically a week ago, running towards them and waving it with pride. They had spent the whole afternoon dreaming of their future Houses and wondering about wand woods and cores, betting on how many they would have to try before finding the right one.

The morning after, it had been Gus’ cousin Alan and their friend Jacob to celebrate, and then it had been Horatio’s turn.

“What about your letter?” Kresten had asked the following day, and Gus still wondered if he had only imagined the malice in his voice.

“Mum says it’ll arrive soon,” he had lied, his tone challenging in the hope of concealing the insidious anguish that had been creeping inside him more and more every day that went by without a letter.

“When will it arrive?” he had asked at dinner the day before.

“Soon, sweetheart.” His mother had given him a strained smile, before lowering her gaze to her plate.

Too caught up in the past, Gus was startled when his mum stormed into the kitchen.

“I’m warning you, you won’t go out until you’ve tidied up…”

She trailed off, her wide eyes fixed on the letter in front of him.

“Merlin… it arrived…” she murmured, as her bewilderment slowly morphed into amazement. “It arrived!”

She rushed towards Gus to squeeze him into a crushing hug.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so proud of you! You’ll see, they’ll be able to teach you the most incredible magic, at Hogwarts!”

Gus tensed at her excited words, but she didn’t seem to notice, too preoccupied with kissing his head and saying stupid, unwelcome things.

When she finally let him go, he glared at her, hoping this time she wouldn’t miss his gloomy frustration.

“It’s not my Hogwarts letter,” he hissed against the lump in his throat.

His mum froze, her eyebrows pursed in a confused frown. “What do you mean, it’s not?”

“It means it’s not!” yelled Gus with mounting rage. “It’s only,” he said, clenching the letter in his fist, “that sodding,” – he crumpled the hated parchment with his fingers – “Quidditch course,” – he crushed it between is hands – “you wanted me to join!” he shouted, throwing the paper ball in her face with forceful contempt, before running into his bedroom and slamming the door with all his might.

He was sulking on his bed when his mother knocked gently.

“Go away!” yelled Gus, but she ignored his protest.

He turned onto his side to face the wall, kicking it in frustration, and heard her light steps getting closer. He curled up in defense, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he muttered.

He felt the mattress sagging when his mother sat down beside him, her side brushing his back, her fingers softly caressing his hair. He jerked his head away, but his mum didn’t relent, running her fingers through his strands with tender, placating movements.

His anger faded, replaced by a deep, aching sadness that pressed down on his chest and clenched his throat. Silent, spiteful tears ran down his cheeks, and eventually he was sobbing in his mother’s arms, his snot damping her shirt.

“It’ll come, you’ll see,” she murmured, and in the comfort of her hug it was easy to delude himself that it was true.

“Alan will buy his books and all the rest this Saturday,” Gus mentioned casually during lunch. “We could go too.”

His mum hesitated. “Why don’t we go this Friday, instead?”

“But I want to go with Alan!” he complained, annoyed.

“Saturdays are always so busy, though…”

“We can’t go alone. I don’t have the list.”

His mum smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Well, I can ask Aunt Agnes to give me a copy.”

He huffed. “Okay, then…”

Gus left Flourish and Blotts with his brand-new pewter cauldron full of interesting books.

“Now there’s only the wand left!” he said excited, walking towards Ollivanders with a spring in his step.

His mum gave him an exaggerated grin. “Of course, sweetheart.”

When he reached the wand shop, he rested his hand against the window and peered inside.

“Look how many there are, Mum!” he said, enthralled by the sight of dozens of shelves packed with small boxes. “C’mon, let’s go inside!”

He was about to open the door, when his mum held him back.

She was still smiling, but now her expression seemed strained… Fake.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the letter, before buying a wand?” she asked with a too high-pitched voice.

Gus swallowed. “Why?” he asked harshly.

His mother let out an awkward laugh. “Well, you see, nobody ever buys a wand before receiving the letter… I’m not even sure that it’s allowed, so we really sh–”

“But I’m eleven!” Gus cut her off. “I want to start casting spells!”

“You know children can’t do magic outside of Hogwarts, sweetheart…”

“But all my friends have! Horatio fell from his broom and bounced without breaking a single bone; Jacob once spilled pumpkin juice on Alan but he didn’t get wet; Kresten made the mud stains on his new trousers disappear, because he was scared his mother would ground him, and –”

His mother sighed, her forced smile fading. “Those… those weren’t real spells, Gus…”

“Of course they were!”

She shook her head. “They were just… just bursts of accidental magic,” she explained in a low voice. “You see, it’s normal for children to accidentally do wandless magic, from time to time… Every child does.”

“But that’s not true!” objected Gus, clenching his hands. “It never happened to me!”

“No,” said his mother, her eyes glassy, and Gus felt his stomach plummeting. “No, it never happened to you, because you… you are not a wizard, Gus…”

He looked at her in shock, shaking his head in betrayed disbelief, his mouth opening and closing without uttering any sound.

“I… of course I am… I… I have to be…”

His mother swallowed, her features crumpled in sorrow, and Gus hated her for this despicable show of weakness.

“I’m so, so sorry, sweetheart, I know I should have told you sooner, but –”

“YOU’RE WRONG!” shouted Gus, a sour taste in his mouth, his inside twisted in a knot. He couldn’t bear it, he couldn’t bear her, with her sickening lies and her deceiving smiles, and when she grabbed him from the shoulders, Gus wriggled free.

He ran away with angry tears running down his face, feeling like his whole world had just been ripped apart.

He was crying in a forgotten alley, his back pressed against cold bricks and his forehead resting upon his knees, when he felt something wet grazing his fingers.

He shot his head towards it and saw a black kitten brushing his tiny snout against his bare skin.

“Go away,” he mumbled, but didn’t move his hand.

The kitten probably sensed his lack of conviction, because it didn’t pull back, preferring to lick his fingers. It tickled a bit, but in a pleasant way, and Gus tentatively turned his hand over to caress its neck.

“Where do you come from, kitty?”

Its soft meow was covered by the rumors of hasty steps, and a moment later a girl with dirty blond hair darted into the alley.

She stopped abruptly when she saw him, her breaths deep and frequent, a hand pressed against her right side. When she lowered her gaze, her eyes went wide. “Tibbles!” she exclaimed, running towards Gus and lifting the docile kitten in her arms. “I was at the Magical Menagerie, and,” - she took a deep breath - “a nasty cat fled from the owner’s hands and scared him off,” she explained with a hint of resentment, taking another deep breath.

Gus nodded in understanding, feeling a bit sorry for her and for her kitten, but also for himself. He would have liked to stay alone with Tibbles for a bit longer.

“I searched for him in every alley,” said the girl. “Thank Merlin you found him.”

“It wasn’t me who found him. He was the one who found me.”

The girl threw him a suspicious glance. “That’s weird. He doesn’t like strangers.”

“Well, he likes me,” said Gus defensively.

She quirked an eyebrow, studying his face. “So it seems,” she conceded eventually, scratching Tibbles’ ears. “Anyway, I’m glad he isn’t lost. Mr Paws would have gone barmy if I had come back without him.”

Gus felt a sting of annoyance. “Is Mr Paws your father?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. If his own dad were still alive, Gus certainly wouldn’t call him by his surname.

The girl scoffed mockingly, and he didn’t know if he felt more irritated or humiliated.

He crossed his arms in a challenging pose. “What’s so funny?”

“He’s not my father, silly boy,” she clarified with a slightly patronising tone. “He’s Tibbles’ father. I have to bring him back to him, by the way, but you can come with me to the Magical Menagerie, if you like. You seem a bit lost.”

“I’m not lost!” he spluttered indignantly.

The girl shrugged. “Suit yourself, then,” she said, heading towards the entrance to the alley with Tibbles secured firmly in her arms.

Gus watched her walking away, but a moment later he jumped onto his feet, wiping his face with the back of his hands.

“Wait,” he called, rushing towards her. “I’m coming too.”

She shrugged again. “Fine,” she said, looking at him with an odd expression. “Do you want to carry Tibbles?”

Gus hadn’t expected the offer, and he nodded eagerly, stretching his hands to grab him. The kitten snuggled cosily in his arms, and this was all Gus needed to endure the endless, dull chatting of the girl, who had taken it upon herself to tell him everything about her crossbred cats and Kneazles.

The Magical Menagerie was smelly, noisy and packed with cages on every wall. There were animals of every kind and colour, from cats, toads, and rats to weird furballs and double-ended newts.

“Arabella!” exclaimed the witch behind the counter, pulling off a pair of heavy black spectacles with which she was examining an adult cat with black fur. “Did you find him?” she asked urgently, while the cat raised his head and meowed.

The girl pointing her thumb at Gus. “He did.”

The witch pressed a hand to her chest at the sight of Tibbles. “Thank Merlin,” she said with relief. “I’m sorry about what happened, dear. I won’t charge you for Mr Paws’ examination, and feel free to grab a packet of cat treats on your way out.”

“I will,” said Arabella without any trace of embarrassment, before taking Mr Paws from the counter. She then turned towards Gus, looking right into his eyes. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“Gus,” he said a bit defiantly.

“You’re the boy they’re looking for, then!” said the older witch, her eyes wide. “Your mother was here a moment ago, she was worried sick!”

Gus felt a rush of vicious satisfaction at these words. “Serves her right,” he muttered.

“Come now, lad!” scolded the witch. “I’ll go find her. You stay here.” She pointed a menacing finger at him before looking back at the girl. “Arabella, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to wait a bit more. I’ll show you the new kittens when this matter is solved.”

“It’s okay,” said the girl, nonplussed.

As soon as the witch was out of the shop, Gus dashed to the door, but only to find out she had locked it. He swore and kicked it, frustrated.

Arabella looked at him with curiosity. “Why are you avoiding your mum?”

“That’s none of your business,” he said, scowling. “Why do you know that witch so well?”

“Weren’t you listening?” she asked, annoyed. “I told you, I picked all my cats here. I want the seventh one.”

“What do you do with all these cats, if you’re only allowed to bring one to Hogwarts?”

For the first time, Arabella was lost for words. She lowered her eyes, swaying slightly on her feet. “I…”

“Do you really have six cats?”

“Of course I do!” she said indignantly, raising her head again to glare at him.

“Then how –”

“I’ve never been to Hogwarts, okay?” she cut him off aggressively. “Are you happy, now?”

He stared at her, taken aback. She was taller than him and obviously a few years older. “Why not?” he asked in a low voice, his heart thundering in his ears.

“Because I’m a Squib, that’s why.”

Gus had no idea what she was talking about. “A what?”

“Someone without magical power born into a wizarding family,” she said with impatience. “Are you taking the mickey or have you actually never heard of it?”

Gus stayed silent. Squib. So that was what people like him were called…

“I’m a Squib too,” he admitted, finally saying out loud what he had secretly known since forever. He felt relieved, in a way.

“Oh.” She didn’t look particularly bothered. “Well, that’d explain why Tibbles liked you, then. Cats love Squibs.”

“They do?”

“Yes, Albus Dumbledore told me so, in person. See, my parents know him.”

Gus was quite impressed to hear that, but he wasn’t particularly keen to tell her.

She rolled her eyes. “You know, Dumbledore?” She had spoken as if she was talking to a two-year-old. “Hogwarts’ Deputy Headmaster, the greatest –”

“I know who he is!” said Gus with resentment. Blimey, he had five Chocolate Frog Cards of him! Of course he knew who he was. Everybody did.

The girl’s miffed answer was lost, because at that moment the owner got back, his mother in tow.

“Gus!” exclaimed the latter, rushing to hug him. “I was so worried, I couldn’t find you anywhere!”

He didn’t answer, making sure to put on a reproachful scowl. When his mum looked at him with dismay, Gus felt cruelly pleased.

The owner stepped in, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you help Arabella pick her new kitten, lad?”

She had spoken with a conciliatory tone, and even if Gus hated to admit it, he was intrigued by the offer. He glanced at the girl and she shrugged, so he looked back at the witch and nodded. “Okay.”

“C’mon, then,” she said briskly, leading them behind the counter. One by one, they took all the cats and Kneazles out of their cage, no matter their fur colour or their age, and Gus and Arabella held them all in turn.

“What about that one?” asked Gus with surprise when the witch skipped one of the cages.

“She’s the one that scared Tibbles,” said Arabella with bitterness.

“Can I see her?”

The witch looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Are you sure? I can’t guarantee you that –”

He nodded with decision.

“Very well, then.” She opened the cage with cautious movements, and the kitten showed her sharp teeth, jerking a paw forward with her claws out.

“Nasty kitty!” yelped the witch, withdrawing her hand.

Gus got closer, intrigued. Ignoring his mother’s frightened “No!”, he bent forward and took the dust-coloured kitten, who snuggled meekly in his arms, purring happily.

Gus turned and met the baffled gaze of the three women in the shop. “Can I keep her, Mum?” he asked. Only silence followed. “Mum?”

“Of course, sweetheart,” she said, coming back to earth. “Of course you can keep her.”

His mum knocked on the door and peered into his room without waiting for an answer.

“It’s Alan,” she said with a smile. “Why don’t you go and say hi?”

Gus kept caressing his kitten’s fur. “Tell him I’m not here,” he said, lowering his gaze and hoping she would take it as a hint to let him be.

“It’d do you good to go out with your friends, once in a while…”

“I don’t want to see them.”

“Gus… They care about you… I’m sure they’d understand, if you talk to them…”

“Nobody cares about Squibs,” he said stubbornly. “Except cats,” he added on a second thought.

“Please, Gus…”

“I said, tell them I’m not here.”

“Okay,” murmured his mum, defeated.

He thought she might have been crying, but he didn’t bother to check.

Gus refused to meet his friends for the rest of the summer. He would rather stay alone all the time than tell them why he wasn’t going to Hogwarts, or why he would never own a wand.

He made a habit of watching them play, perched on his windowsill, his cat always at his side. He couldn’t say when he had begun to resent them so much, so agile on their broomsticks, so happy and carefree, so good at reminding him how different he was.

“One day, we’ll go to Hogwarts too,” he promised to his cat on one of those awful afternoons. “And I swear that not a single student will dare make fools of Mrs Norris and Argus Filch.”

#fanfiction #fanfic #ao3 #letters from hogwarts #hogwarts letter #missing scene #canon compliant #pre-canon #pre-hogwarts #squib #cats #minor character #one shot #long post

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wardencommanderrodimiss · 4 years

Text

Got invested in figuring out how my Twin Byleths with B and Lethe would happen and wrote up a 3k outline of White Clouds because sometimes you just gotta be self-indulgent, and I’m counting this for my Camp NaNoWriMo total for the month too. That might be the main function of writing up all this shit.

The twins’ mother and Jeralt probably only had one name, Byleth, picked out as a name, and when Jeralt ended up with two babies and no mother of them to consult with for a second name, he just sort of played around with Byleth until he got Lethe as something he figured worked as a name. He notes in his diary that he’s sure he’s not ever switched their names around; they might look identical, but it’s easy to tell. One of them is a normal baby. The other is silent as the grave.

Byleth is eventually nicknamed B, and Lethe is Lethe, and they grow up learning to fight and become mercenaries in their father’s footsteps. B is fearless, unwavering, charging into battle alongside cavalry and soldiers with more years of experience than she’s ever been alive. Lethe steps back, knocking aside any ambush or assault from the rear, and proves herself capable enough with white magic that she can help patch up her father and her sister when the battlefield calms. One of them is just another mercenary. The other is called the Ashen Demon.

After seeing them fighting the bandits near Remire Village, and knowing that the Officers Academy now lacks a professor, Alois recommends one of the twins to Rhea as a professor. Damned if he knows which one, though. Jeralt leaves it to them to figure out amongst themselves who wants to be the teacher, and which one of them wants to come join the Knights of Seiros with him. Neither of them really want to be teacher, but Lethe lays claim to the position. While either of them will have to learn a lot of new skills to learn how to teach them, Lethe at least already knows more about magic than B, and figures for that reason she’ll have a slightly easier time teaching it.

And while neither of them really wants to wade into an academy full of nobles, Lethe is used to watching out for her sister. She figures she will shoulder this burden for her, too. She becomes the professor for the Blue Lions.

B joins the Knights of Seiros. Jeralt worries about the personal interest that Rhea has taken in both of his children, allowing one to be made professor with no teaching experience, and personally picking and choosing which missions with the Knights the other should be sent on. B leads the knights who travel to the Red Canyon with Lethe’s class; Rhea’s assessment of both their skills, at one time, they figure.

(Dimitri tells Lethe that while her sister certainly seems strange, he’s rather jealous of them; that they got to grow up together with a sibling who they knew they could always rely on. Who they knew would always be at their side. He tells her he envies that.)

Their next mission together occurs two months later, when B ditches her orders to guard other parts of the monastery and goes to watch over the Holy Mausoleum with Lethe and the Lions. (“It’s better that you become the professor,” B said back at the start. “‘Lethe and the Lions’ sounds better than any class that I taught would.”) Seteth later wants to have a word with her about that - “That area was already under guard, and they I’m sure would have been capable without you. You were to patrol other areas of the monastery” - which does not happen because, since the Mausoleum really was the goal, nowhere else had an issue without B, and because Rhea is...just too pleased with what happened.

And what happened was, when a mysterious mage pulled a bone-colored saw-edged sword out of the tomb, Lethe disarmed him and knocked the sword from his hands. B caught it, and when she swung it back against the enemy, it glowed red.

B accompanies the Lions, along with Gilbert, to reclaim the Lance of Ruin. She’s the one who takes command of the battle, and the students, when Miklan turns into a beast. And it’s because of her that conversations Lethe has later with her students - the talk with Dimitri after this mission, and then Sylvain’s B-support - take the shape that they do.

(“So had we been born in Faerghus, to a noble family like House Gautier,” Lethe says to Dimitri, “then no matter what else - even if she didn’t have the aptitude to be the head of house, or didn’t want to - no matter what, she would still be the heir, no matter her actual ability, and no matter my abilities, I would be left out in the cold.”)

(“You and your sister really never knew she had a Crest and you didn’t?” Sylvain asks Lethe. “I guess it wouldn’t matter so much to a mercenary like your father, but - you know, I could hate her for that. Getting to live without burden, no one pretending to like her just for her Crest. That she didn’t grow up hated by you because she had what you lacked. She and I could’ve had a lot in common. Hardly fair that she got to be free and I didn’t, huh.”)

After Jeritza vanishes, and Flayn is rescued, Rhea finally gets her way, and finally finds a solid excuse and reason to keep B close at hand to observe her. By Rhea’s request, B is no longer a Knight of Seiros, but the new combat instructor at the Officers Academy.

With the Battle of the Eagle and Lion looming, and Flayn having joined her class, Lethe has enough distractions that she can’t really properly worry about how her sister is doing with interacting more with the students now. She’s not really a proper teacher, but she’s still got to deal with them, though it’s the Golden Deer she’s helping out with more often than not, while Manuela recovers from being stabbed by the Death Knight.

It’s only the month after when Lethe really notices that things are changing, with her sister and her place in the monastery and with the other students. It’s Dimitri who points it out. “Claude’s really taken a shine to your sister, hasn’t he?” he asks, and Lethe stops to think and realizes yeah, she has seen Claude talking to B a lot. Following her around. Everyone is interested by the Sword of the Creator, even Lethe’s own students, but Claude is...very interested in the Sword of the Creator.

And once she notices that, there’s just more she notices. Hard not to notice the time that B and Claude and Hilda and most of the other Golden Deer came limping back into the monastery past the gates, running into Lethe on what seemed to be their hope to get back to the Golden Deer classroom without really being stopped. “What happened?” Lethe asks. “Are you all right? Where were you? What were you doing?”

“Combat training,” B answers without stopping. There’s a gash in her arm that looked like something clawed her. Something huge. All of the Deer look worse for wear, but B definitely looks the worst, which is strange, because B never gets in over her head. She’s always keenly aware of what she’s doing in battle. Though - she has seemed a little more spaced-out ever since they came to the monastery - lost in thought and deep in her own head sometimes--

Lethe blinks. “You’re not their professor. Are you allowed to do that?”

“I’m the combat instructor, and I teach combat, so there we are,” B says.

She’s hiding something from Lethe. Lethe knows it.

There’s never been anything they’ve ever had to hide from each other, before. Before the monastery, they were always side by side. Almost never out of eyesight of the other. They never could hide anything from each other, before. Nor would they want to.

B tells her, later, when there’s no one else around, no chance of anyone overhearing. “When we went to the Red Canyon, months ago, something about it felt familiar. I wanted to go back. It was full of wild beasts, and I would’ve been killed if they hadn’t followed me. I didn’t tell you then because they didn’t have permission to go and follow me, and I refuse to let them get in trouble after they saved me.”

“Familiar?” Lethe repeats. “What do you mean, familiar? We’ve never been there before.”

“Do you remember,” B says, “months ago, I told you and Jeralt about the strange dreams I’d been having? About huge sprawling battles, and about a young girl?”

And she tells Lethe about how more and more often she dreams of this girl, named Sothis, who B gleans things from, knowledge she should not have, about demonic beasts, the familiarity of Zanado, and other such things. “Are these daydreams, too?” Lethe asks, thinking of how sometimes her sister will just seem to leave the world for a moment, disappear inside her own head.

“Something like that,” says B, and Lethe cannot know now that there is still more her sister is hiding from her.

“I wonder if this has to do with your Crest, somehow,” Lethe says. “Surely it must.”

(She pays more careful attention to the attention Rhea pays to her sister. Thinks about Claude. Thinks about Sylvain telling Lethe what it’s like to have a Crest - to have people pretending to like you only because you have a Crest.)

B and Jeralt and others of the knights go to Remire Village with Lethe and the Blue Lions. It is more than Lethe and the Lions go with B and Jeralt. Rhea told B she would be going there, told Lethe she could decide whether her class would accompany her. Lethe said yes, of course. Rhea is up to something.

(In another lifetime, Lethe is still aware that Rhea is up to something, but it does not really bother her. Her concerns about the Lions are more pressing, and what Rhea wants from her is the afterthought. In this lifetime here, Lethe is much more bothered, because she can see from the outside that this is odd, this is strange, this is Rhea too interested in someone Lethe loves dearly.)

(In another lifetime, B is still deeply bothered and concerned by what Rhea is up to regarding her, what Rhea wants from her, because B always has Claude digging into both hers and the Church’s secrets, and encouraging her to wonder about those suchsame things.)

Halfway to Remire Village, Lethe drops back to the end of the marching line to check up on things there, and finds Claude, and 70% of the Golden Deer with him. “Did my sister actually ask you to accompany us,” Lethe asks, “or if I asked her would she say that it’s ‘combat training’, but only say it to cover for you running off without permission?”

Claude winces. “Oh, you found out about that. But let’s not worry about that now - I can already see the smoke from the village.”

Lethe lets it rest, because she now knows the answer, though B never confirms one way or the other for her. They have much more to worry about on this day. Lethe has Dimitri to worry after too. And to worry what Solon and the Death Knight and their ilk want. And what the Flame Emperor wants. And that the Flame Emperor offered B the chance to join them.

Everybody wants something from Lethe’s sister - Rhea, Claude, the damned Flame Emperor - and there’s an ever-growing part of Lethe that is glad she herself isn’t the one with the Crest. Is glad that she is the forgotten one, the one left out in the cold. But she could never be Miklan - she loves her sister still with her whole heart, her quiet sister who dreams strange dreams and knows strange things and whose eyes are no longer always so dead. Who smiles sometimes, enough that not just Lethe notices it. Who gets angry, visibly angry, at the injustices in Remire Village - a sharp change startling Lethe as much as Dimitri’s does.

And B gets angry at smaller things now too - when Lethe pulls her aside to worry over her some more, tell her to be careful because there are people here in the monastery who are trying to get something from her and they don’t know their intentions. “I’m not a child!” B hisses at her. “I am fully capable of understanding that Claude is after something just as much as Rhea is. But you, you have no understanding of what it is like to be me. Rhea knows more about me than she’ll tell me, and I don’t just want to sit and wait for what she does next. I’d rather throw my lot in with Claude and see if he can find answers about the Church and about me. You have no idea what it is to be me, to not know what I am or why I am this way - I have a Crest that shouldn’t still exist in this world, and I can use the Sword of the Creator though it doesn’t have a Crest stone like every other Relic weapon. Everything I am and everything I can do shouldn’t be possible. I don’t care if that doesn’t bother you. But it bothers me, and I want to know what I am and why.”

Lethe is glad to have come to Garreg Mach - to get to interact with people near her own age, to make friends, to see her sister make friends, to see her sister learn to smile - but she hates that there is this thing between them now, only discovered because they came here. Because of the Sword of the Creator. Because of Rhea?

Because of Rhea.

The ball passes; they fight the demonic beasts at the chapel. Lethe turns around to see B, apparently unprompted, take a swing at Monica, only for a monstrously pale man to appear and knock aside her blade and disappear with Monica. Jeralt falls.

They read his diary. B reads it, mostly, reads parts out loud to Lethe that strike her as interesting. About them when they were young. About before they were born, Jeralt and their mother. Lethe tries sooner to get back to living; she has a class to teach, after all, and she has cried before. She has never coped with a grief like this, but she knows better how it feels to have a heart. (She doesn’t read their father’s diary about the time of their births, about his suspicions about Rhea. She is burdened only with grief for their father. B is burdened with that, with never having felt this in her life, and now, learning so much more about what she is. About Rhea’s role in it.)

B sticks markers in the diary for parts she wants to show Lethe later. If B isn’t haunting Jeralt’s office, then Lethe will sometimes pick up the diary and read the noted parts herself. She comes back one day and doesn’t find it where B always leaves it. Maybe she took it with her to her quarters? Strange, but at least she’s not just haunting the office anymore. Is starting to move forward again.

Lethe and Dimitri tell B about spotting that strange mage who rescued Monica, together with the Flame Emperor. Dimitri tells neither of them what he knows about the Flame Emperor’s dagger. B tells neither of them what she and Claude are up to with the diary.

Claude and Dimitri come to them to tell them what the Knights learned about their enemy’s location in the Sealed Forest. When they go to deal with that, the Golden Deer come along - this time with B, and Manuela’s, foreknowledge and permission. B might still only be their combat instructor, not their day-to-day professor, but since Claude started hanging out with her, the rest of them wanted to get to know her better too, and they’ve grown rather defensive of their stone-faced instructor.

B is the one to charge ahead, closest to Kronya to pursue her, recklessly chasing her down only to be thrown into the dark. Lethe is the one, with the students, to see her sister disappear from her sight. And to see the sky split open by a burning blade, and her sister, transformed, to re-emerge from the darkness.

There’s a lot that Lethe, Claude, and Dimitri need to be caught up on.

Rhea proposes that B go down into the Holy Tomb to receive a revelation from the goddess. Lethe and some of the students accompany her. Imperial Troops attack, the Flame Emperor unmasks herself, Dimitri cracks, and the Empire declares war on the Church of Seiros.

Now, this is the fun part, because the ensuing battle for the defense of Garreg Mach is where the scenario can splinter.

The first option is the story we know, mostly: B and Lethe fall, and Lethe survives due to B’s powers, and they wake up five years later to find everything passed in the interim as it does.

And the other path, which I find myself with a particular fondness for:

B and Lethe more often than not did not fight side by side. Not when they were mercenaries, and not now with such a large-scale battle. They’re busy on different parts of the field. B is the only one to see Rhea transform into a dragon, the only one to rush off to save her from the demonic beasts. The only one to fall beneath the rubble.

The Empire’s forces are too numerous and well-prepared. Lethe knows what it looks like when a battle is going south. She gathers her students and tells them to run, to help each other return to their homes and prepare themselves and their territories for war. Some - the pragmatists, the tacticians, those who can see past one battle to realize losing this does not mean they are damned to lose the war, those who refuse to die futile deaths - go easier than others. She has to beg Dimitri to live to fight another day.

She is one of the last to retreat, trying as long as she can to search the battlefield for her sister. Because she noticed, some time after the dragon was subdued, that B was no longer present in the fight. Not because of any mystical twin intuition or anything, but because she and everyone else noticed when the Sword of the Creator was not blazing a path to follow. And she thinks surely someone would have to have seen something - some Empire soldier brag about having cut her down, or some knight seen her fall - Byleth can’t just have disappeared.

But Rhea just seems to have disappeared, too, and no one can say where she went, or where that dragon came from. (If Lethe was not so consumed by everything else, she could have added that up.)

Garreg Mach is surrendered and abandoned. Rhea and Byleth disappear. And Lethe, the Crestless and forgotten sister, finds not a trace of either of them, and she retreats too. She leaves behind the monastery, the place where all her family fell, where her mother and father are buried, where she last ever saw her sister, and she catches up to Gilbert, Dimitri, and Dedue, to accompany them to Fhirdiad, to prepare the Kingdom for war.

(And there’s another point where things can splinter, once they get to Fhirdiad, but this is already 3k words so we’re just gonna leave it here at the end of White Clouds.)

#fe3h chatter tag #byleth blogging #i did not want to wrangle blythe into this at this point so this is only Twin AU and not Oh God They’re Triplets AU

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the-hilda-librarians-wife · 3 years

Text

A Familiar Soul - Chapter Seven

Summary: Hilda decides to be completely honest with her mother, surprised when she seems to be a lot more in on magic than Hilda had expected her to be.

With her daughter’s association with witches, Johanna is forced to face some secrets of her own, bringing her back to feelings and people she’d rather have left behind

Dealing with insecurities and inner demons of her own, Kaisa finds herself face to face with the very issues that brought her to be so displeased with her own abilities

Or: the one where Johanna is Kaisa’s familiar

Notes: School is ✨kicking my butt✨, so I unfortunately won’t be able to keep posting weekly. I’ll try to do it every other week, but I really can’t promise anything Thank you for understanding <3

Read it on ao3: (chpt1) (chpt2) (chpt3) (chpt4) (chpt5) (chpt6) (chpt7)

The arrival of their midterms meant they spent more time in the library than outside of it. Luckily, they hadn’t allowed any subjects to pile up, so even if it was still tough work, it wasn’t awfully unnerving. Besides, they had each other’s presence and help, which undoubtedly made matters easier; Johanna had to admit revising was more pleasant when she knew her girlfriend would be down to go out for some coffee when they were finished.

“I feel as though we’re one step away from moving into the library, you know?” Johanna commented when she noticed Kaisa had closed her textbook. There were dark circles under her eyes, as keeping up with two separate educations, the normal one and the magical one, was taking its toll on her. Nevertheless, she smiled.

“I wouldn’t be averse to it, actually.” Running her eyes through the nearest bookshelf, wishing she could read one of those books instead of doing maths, she sighed. “It’s weird, but I kind of feel at home here. So much knowledge in one place, so much history… this feels more magical than any spell.”

Kaisa had closed her eyes to take a deep breath in, basking in the comforting scent of old parchment and wood. It did feel magical to be there. Centuries of stories that had both been stored there and taken place there. It felt sacred. As she knew the delicacy of the topic, Johanna kept her voice low.

“Is that what you want to work with?”

“No.” Suddenly reminded that she couldn’t thrive if all she did was enjoy the peace of places she was already comfortable with, the witch opened her eyes. It would be necessary to come out of her comfort zone if she wanted to do something worthwhile. “As a witch, I can always visit the library. I can practically live here if I want to. But I need to do what my mother couldn’t.”

The way Kaisa had clenched her fist was immediately noticed by Johanna, and she reached out to touch her hand, interlacing their fingers. She didn’t know much about what had happened to her mother, since the matter never failed to upset Kaisa and she hadn’t wanted to push her, but she knew how ascending to her mother’s former position meant the world to her. It was what she’d been training for her whole life, even if it was a shame that it apparently meant she couldn’t work with her books.

“Well, I’ll support you with everything.”

“I know you will.” Kaisa squeezed her hand. “Right now I need you to support me with physics, though.”

“Oh, not physics!” She groaned, making them both chuckle in equal measure amusement and desperation. It was cozy, she though as they both opened their textbooks, to know that regardless of the path they chose or the place they were, they would always have a home in each other.

_#_#_#_

Kaisa walked surprisingly fast for someone who wasn’t at all that tall, which made it almost impossible for Hilda to catch up with her, though to her credit Hilda wasn’t exactly tall either. When the girl arrived at the base of the staircase, Kaisa was no longer in the building’s entrance hall, and Hilda ran to the door to poke her head outside, looking both ways and catching a glimpse of Kaisa’s cape disappearing behind the right corner. Without thinking twice, she began to follow her.

She could have broken into a quicker run, or shouted after the librarian, but she had a feeling that that would only make Kaisa herself run, or at least do her best to avoid her. As she followed on Kaisa’s tail, watching her take a path that eventually Hilda realized was familiar to her, the girl kept looking behind herself every few minutes, to certify herself that her mother wasn’t following her. Whether Johanna realized she’d screwed up or simply didn’t think Hilda would be able to reach Kaisa, she didn’t know, but the fact was that the woman was nowhere to be seen.

Hilda realized she had been right about the librarian’s destination when the gates of Saint Guglow’s cemetery came into view. Right after Kaisa, she entered the cemetery and kept to the cobblestone path making as little noise as she could manage, wondering which ghost Kaisa wanted to wake up and why, and if she had an extra resurrection staff with her (which was frankly a disturbing thought: how many of those did one person need?). Instead of waking any of them up, however, the witch surprised Hilda by sitting between two graves and curling herself up into a ball on the ground.

Her shoulders were shaking even though Hilda couldn’t hear any sounds coming from her. She just stood there at a distance, thinking that if Kaisa really was crying than she should probably leave her alone. Even so, her curiosity kept her feet firmly planted on the ground, feeling unable to walk away from this mystery that seemed to surround two women she had previously thought had nothing to do with each other.

Why hadn’t her mother ever told her she’d known Kaisa when they were young, Hilda wondered, but then she realized: she didn’t really know anything about her mother’s youth. Had she ever even asked Johanna about her past, or had she contended herself to being annoyed when she’d tell little bits and pieces about her childhood in Trolberg? Before she could wallow in thoughts of being a terrible daughter, it came to her attention that the same went for Kaisa. When had she ever asked her about how she’d come to be Tildy’s student, or about how she became the librarian?

If she could barely remember any interaction with Kaisa that didn’t involve asking the witch to help clean up one of her messes, did she even have the right to be there and ask what the problem was? She didn’t have the opportunity to decide, because right at that moment Kaisa called out for her.

“I know you’re here.” She said even before lifting her head. “What do you want?”

There was no bite to her words, only a sting of hurt. HIlda highly doubted that she appreciated being seen in such a state. Her face looked redder than usual, and so did her eyes, but at least she didn’t look like she’d been full on sobbing. Walking closer, Hilda kneeled down in front of her.

“I want to know if you’re okay.” Though Hilda would have hugged anyone else in this situation, everything about Kaisa’s body language told her to stay away. “And what I can do to help. It is my fault after all.”

Kaisa made a dry sound, something between a scoff and a mirthless chuckle, looking away from the girl.

“Don’t beat yourself up for that. You were probably the one person in the room who wasn’t to blame.”

“I didn’t know my mother knew you.” Hilda tried to sound casual, but the curiosity didn’t stay out of her voice. Probably because she would rather not have, Kaisa thought. “Why does she hate you so much?”

The words hadn’t even finished leaving her mouth before Hilda cringed, realizing it was probably very rude of her to use the word ‘hate’, especially with Kaisa in such a state. Luckily for her, Kaisa didn’t look angry, only sad. She hugged her cape even tighter around herself.

“Part of me thinks I had this coming.” Kaisa sighed, making Hilda perk up. She hadn’t actually thought she’d be able to get the story out of her. “When we were young… not as young as you, we were barely adults… I let Johanna take the fall for something she hadn’t done. Her parents, your grandparents, how much do you know about them?”

“Not much.”

“They had good intentions.” Kaisa sighed. “But they were very strict. After I did that, Johanna wasn’t allowed to go outside for like, two months.”

“Two months?!” Hilda gasped, thinking about how upset her mother had been about grounding her for just a few days, and with a reason.She struggled to even imagine what that must have been like for her. “Why on earth did you do that?”

“I was angry.” She shrugged. Hilda might not forgive her for what she’d done, but she supposed every action had a consequence. What use was it to be forgiven by Hilda if Johanna hadn’t, anyway? Very little, especially since Kaisa wasn’t so sure that she’d come close to forgiving Johanna herself. “Said some harsh stuff, did some harsh stuff too. But that’s not my story to tell, so you won’t hear it from me.”

Hilda looked like she desperately wanted to ask more, but Kaisa just left it at that to indicate that that was the end of their conversation. Truth was, no matter how angry she still was with Johanna, she didn’t want to bad-mouth her to her daughter.

“Can I stay here with you?” Hilda asked after a long beat of silence, but Kaisa nodded negatively.

“Go back home, your mother will be waiting for you.”

“What about you? Won’t you go home?”

Touching the grave to her right, Kaisa felt the cold, smooth stone on her fingertips. “Home can mean many things. Don’t worry about me, the company here is better, anyways.”

#uuuugh im losing motivation to write this verse #i hope u guys arent losing motivation to read it though oitihyiotyu #fic: afs #my fic #sketchbook ship #sketchbook ship fanfic #kaisa hilda fanfic #johanna hilda fanfic

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