Chapter Text
Byleth woke up with a headache.
The strong aroma of healing incense was enough to make them vomit, but they didn’t think that was the reason for the headache. Just how long had they been asleep? Something told them that they weren’t just taking a regular old nap.
Trying to fight the groggy state they were in, Byleth did their best to recall what they last remembered. The monastery under attack. Rhea entrusting the students to them. A dragon roaring as it was attacked by beasts. Dimitri screaming out their name as they fell into the canyon…
Dimitri. The Blue Lions. Did they know that Byleth was okay?
Trying to remain calm, Byleth took a moment to take a look at their surroundings. They laid in a soft bed, covered by a thin sheet that hugged their body. Despite feeling nauseous upon doing so, Byleth sat up. They appeared to be in an infirmary, by the looks of it. Right next to their bed was a small table, which was home to the burning incense that filled their nose. Since when did healers use incense for healing anyway?
Byleth rubbed their fingers against their temple. Goddess did they have a headache.
Byleth wasn’t sure how long they had sat there before they heard the knob to the door twist, startling them. With their mercenary instincts kicking in, Byleth jumped out of bed, swallowing the vomit that nearly came out of their throat while doing so. There was nothing nearby to use as a weapon, so they quickly went in a defensive position, raising their fists.
They didn’t have time to wonder where the Sword of the Creator was before the door opened. Emerging from the hallway was a young woman, wearing the typical cleric outfit, with her long dark hair in a braid that ran over her shoulder. Their eyes widened upon seeing Byleth, and she quickly raised her hands. “You’re up,” her voice cracked.
“What’s going on?” Byleth nearly yelled. “Where am I?”
Byleth did not lower their defensive position despite the cleric’s clear intention of not fighting. “Please, calm down,” she said. “You shouldn’t be standing.”
“I said where am I?” Byleth took a step towards the cleric, startling her.
“Garreg Mach monastery,” she lowered her head, trying to hide the fear on her face.
Garreg Mach. Byleth must have not noticed in their groggy state where they were. Manuela’s infirmary was nearly unrecognizable; Manuela always kept the infirmary clean and up to date. But now, it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months.
“Where’s Manuela?” Byleth began to worry for her safety now. “And Rhea? Seteth? Where are my students?”
Byleth must have sounded angry, because the cleric nearly looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She was stuttering, trying to respond to Byleth but couldn’t get the words out. Byleth almost felt bad for her, if it wasn’t for the fact that they just wanted answers.
“Relax Abigail, I can take it from here.”
That voice. They knew that voice. Though they haven’t heard it in a long time.
Just as they expected, Claude Von Riegan stepped into the room. He had this mischievous grin pasted on his face, similar to the one he commonly wore back at the monastery.
Strange. He looked older.
Despite the smile, Byleth did not lower their stance. Claude never gave them too much trouble at the monastery. He was quite charismatic actually, and nearly put a smile on Byleth’s face several times. However, one of the first things Byleth noticed about Claude was his smile never reached his eyes. They didn’t know him too well, but they had heard stories from Dimitri and the others of the schemes he had up his sleeve. They simply could not trust him, at least not now.
Patting the cleric Abigail on the back, he dismissed her. She nearly ran out of the room without a word. “Sorry about her,” he only spoke once she shut the door behind her. “I imagine you must have been startled seeing her, considering you’ve never met. She’s a great cleric, though she’ll never be as good as Marianne.”
Claude sounded bitter when he spoke her name. Marianne had asked to join the Blue Lions not long into the school year. She was quiet, but Byleth always thought she was a sweet girl, so of course they accepted. Her healing proved to be an asset to the Blue Lions; her and Mercedes worked so well together it almost felt like no one ever needed healing.
Byleth wondered where she was now.
“I don’t think she expected you to wake up,” Claude continued. “To be honest, I don’t know if any of us did. Way to prove us all wrong huh Teach?”
“What do you mean?” It was definitely something strange to say. What had made Claude, and what they guessed was the rest of the Golden Deer, think that they would not wake up?
Claude looked dumbfounded, to say the least. Taking one step closer to Byleth, he ran a hand through his hair. “Teach are you serious?”
Byleth nodded.
A pause. “Teach, you’ve been missing,” he finally said. “Actually, I think that’s an understatement. I think most people thought you were dead at this point. You’ve been missing for over five years.”
What?
They didn’t want to believe him, but quickly things started to click in Byleth’s head. That would certainly explain the run-down state of Manuela’s infirmary and the older appearance of Claude.
Eyes widening, Byleth nearly ran to the window, not even noticing that they had lowered their defensive position. Upon looking outside, Byleth saw just how ruined the monastery was. They could barely look outside the window in the state that it was in. Buildings that they used to use every day looking disheveled and unused. Parts of it were barely recognizable now.
Not wanting Claude to see the shocked look on their face, Byleth didn’t turn to face him. “What date is it.” It was a statement, not a question.
Claude paused again. “The 25th of the Guardian Moon…” If he continued to pause, Byleth swore they were going to hit him. Finally, he continued. “Year 1185.”
Byleth gasped, but not loud enough for Claude to hear. Not only had they been asleep for over five years, but they managed to miss the Millennium Festival by a month. The Millennium Festival that they had promised to have their reunion with the Blue Lions. Byleth did not know if they had actually managed to get together, but they wouldn’t have known considering Byleth wasn’t there. They could only imagine how much they had probably let the Blue Lions down.
Byleth finally turned to face Claude, trying to look as composed as possible. They guessed that if there was any time to have trouble controlling their emotions, finding out that they’ve been asleep for over five years was a good enough excuse. Their father was probably rolling in his grave grumbling something along the lines of “Bout time.”
“What has happened since I’ve been gone?” Byleth didn’t know if they had the courage to say it, but it eventually came out.
“Well Edelgard certainly hasn’t made things easy for us,” he laughed, but sounded defeated. “All of Fodlan’s been at war. The Empire is doing whatever it can to strike down anyone that disagrees with them and take over the country. Hell, their doing a pretty good job at it too.”
It was times like these when Byleth really wished they had Sothis commentating in their head.
“Not to mention Lady Rhea has been missing just as long as you,” Claude continued. “What’s left of the Kingdom and the Alliance has barely been able to hold things together, to my dismay. Though I guess I shouldn’t complain. For once things finally started looking up when we took back Garreg Mach, after months of trying. However, no one in the Alliance expected to find you along the way.”
Byleth raised an eyebrow, which Claude noticed. “While traveling here, we heard intel that a nearby village had found a deadpan person with green hair floating in the river. Knew it was you the moment I heard.” Byleth didn’t appreciate Claude’s attempt at humor. “When we found the people taking care of you, we offered to bring you with us. That was about a month ago.”
“The Blue Lions.” Byleth finally had the courage to ask. “Were the Blue Lions here?”
Claude shook his head. “I mean even if they were, we wouldn’t have known. This place has been used by thieves ever since it was abandoned; there’s loads of abandoned camps here.”
Byleth looked at the ground. “Do you know where they are now?”
Claude paused again, squinting his eyes as if he was thinking. “No, Teach.” He said. “The Kingdom hasn’t exactly been in a great place since the war started. Heard most of it is under control by someone named Cornelia, she was sent there by the Empire. What’s left of the Kingdom is trying to fight against her advances, but not only do I not know who’s at play, but they are having a pretty hard time keeping Cornelia at bay.”
Byleth closed their eyes. The fact that they couldn’t know what became of their Blue Lions pained their still heart. For all they knew, anyone of them could be dead.
“Dimitri,” their voice shook. “What of Dimitri?”
Claude stayed quiet too long for their liking.
“Claude.” Byleth stared at him. “What happened to Dimitri.”
Claude inhaled. “Teach…”
“Tell me.” If Byleth had the Sword of the Creator, it would be at Claude’s throat right about now.
“Teach, he’s gone.”
What did he mean gone?
Byleth walked towards Claude with their fists clenched. No one would have ever guessed that before then, Byleth had little to no emotion. Because right now, they could hardly contain themselves.
Byleth grabbed hold of Claude’s shirt, pulling him close. “What do you mean gone?”
Claude closed his eyes, not even protesting the threatening demon gripping his shirt. “He’s dead,” he finally said. “That Cornelia had him executed, supposedly Dimitri murdered his uncle.”
Byleth let go of Claude’s shirt. They didn’t believe that for a second. Even in the mentally unstable state Dimitri was in the last time they saw him, he wouldn’t murder the person taking care of the throne for him until he was of age.
Something in Byleth’s expression must have said something. “So, you don’t believe it either.” Claude walked towards the window. As mischievous as Claude was, there was no denying he was one of the monastery’s smartest students. It was almost frightening how intelligent he was. “Especially considering that supposedly Cornelia didn’t show the body. However, that’s all I know.”
Byleth didn’t look at Claude. They were too worried about Dimitri to think of anything else. Something in their gut told them that despite knowing that they believed Dimitri to survive this supposed execution, they had no idea where he could be now. Their best guess was he would have stayed here at the monastery, considering it was abandoned, but he wasn’t. That very thought was enough to make Byleth’s nonexistent heartbeat stop.
“I have to find him,” Byleth did not mean to speak those words, but they came out anyway. “Him and the Blue Lions.”
“Woah, slow down there Teach,” Claude stopped them. “Dimitri may have not been executed, but who knows if he’s still alive. The same can be said for the Blue Lions.”
“I don’t care,” Byleth tried to wake past him. “I’m leaving- “
The ground shook beneath them. Claude’s eyes widened as he quickly walked over to the window. Byleth heard him curse before Claude made his way towards the door. “Looks like you’re not going anywhere. The Empire decided to pay us a visit.”
Byleth didn’t need to look out the window themselves to know that Claude wasn’t lying. Instinctively, Byleth reached for the Sword of the Creator, only to remember it was not there. In fact, Byleth wasn’t even in their normal outfit. They could only assume that that cleric Abigail must have changed them into the much simpler trousers and shirt they had on now. But that didn’t matter.
Jogging, Byleth stepped in front of Claude. “My sword.”
Claude stopped, raising an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Byleth sighed. “The Sword of the Creator. I’m going to need it to get the Empire to tell me where the Blue Lions are.”