Chapter Text
Red Wolf Moon 1172 - Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, Garreg Mach
It was the first night of Red Wolf Moon that Glenn and Wishart met by chance. Since the conclusion of their mock battle last month, there had always been people all around them that Glenn couldn’t find the time to request to talk to him in private. Even just one person hearing Glenn’s request would have been too risky, for both their houses and their social standing in the labyrinth world of nobles and politics.
That was why Glenn hadn’t been expecting their chance meeting nor did he plan for it.
He had simply been using the training grounds for a bit of nightly training. Something to tire his muscles enough to finally fall asleep.
From the direction Wishart had come from, he most probably came from the library.
But it was strange that Wishart came into the training grounds this late at night.
Maybe he couldn’t sleep as well?
“Good evening, Lord Fraldarius.” Wishart greeted with a polite smile.
Glenn stabbed his sword to the sandy ground and wiped the sweat on his face with the hem of his buttoned shirt before commenting, “Pretty sure this should be counted as early morning already but, sure, let’s go with ‘good evening’.”
Wishart’s polite smile didn’t falter and Glenn dropped his shirt as he asked, “Came for some light training before sleep too, Wishart?”
Wishart’s lips twitched when he heard how Glenn called him but he didn’t point it out, instead, he answered his question, “Not particularly. I was on my way back from the library when I saw you alone and I thought it would be best if I was to approach you tonight.”
Glenn tilted his head in silent question and the older student asked, “You wanted to talk to me, correct?”
“How did you know?” Glenn asked back, frowning slightly. Had he been that obvious?
“I’ve been watching you for a long time, Lord Fraldarius,” Wishart replied with a polite smile.
Glenn groaned and shook his head in exasperation as he suggested, “You really need to think about the words you use sometimes, Wishart. Those are the kind of words that could easily be misunderstood.”
“Perhaps.” Wishart replied, which wasn’t truly an answer that Glenn wished he’d say but it seemed Wishart didn’t care all that much since he pressed on, “But it is true that you’ve been wanting to talk to me since the mock battle, is it not? Is there something wrong, Lord Fraldarius?”
Glenn grimaced.
Was something wrong?
He didn’t know.
That was the problem.
He wasn’t… exactly sure if his suspicions were even correct right now.
That was what had been keeping Glenn up at night.
The messages between him and Holst had been proceeding nicely and there hadn't been any more horrific plot twists which was a nice break.
He wasn’t sure what was happening back in Faerghus at the moment but Felix and Byleth were doing great. Felix was enjoying his lessons with Ms. Katherine while Byleth was even writing about the two friends she made in the School of Sorcery.
Glenn sighed once more and turned away from Wishart. He raised his head to stare at the dark sky. The blackness of the sky was already slowly being replaced by the different hues of blue to signal the start of a new day.
He knew Wishart was waiting for him to speak once more so he spoke the first words he could think of.
“The Blaiddtarian Tournament. My sister will participate this year. She wrote about how she was a bit sad that she wouldn’t be in Fhirdiad for her school’s founding festival because of it.” Glenn’s lips curved into a small grin as he commented, “I didn’t even know the School of Sorcery opens their school to everyone during our founding day. Apparently, students could open up stalls on school grounds or use a classroom to create small shops. It’s not mandatory but many students do join because it's a school tradition.”
Glenn turned to face Wishart and grinned at him as he recounted his sister’s letter, “She couldn’t join the festival itself but she had fun preparing for it with her friends.”
Wishart remained quiet as he listened to the younger student who closed his eyes as he continued, “She couldn’t join her friends because she needs to win the Goron category this year.”
He opened his eyes and stared at Wishart as he said, “Lafn. Gwialen. Goron. All three categories are meant to be stages where both nobles and commoners could shine. They’re meant to be stages where one’s birth and peerage should not matter. But that’s not what it really is.”
Glenn grabbed the hilt of his short sword as he continued, “In the end, they’re stages for the nobles to show how superior they are. Everyone thinks it’s a given that the winner would be a noble or a knight. Maybe even a graduate from the School of Sorcery or the Officer’s Academy.”
“But a mysterious man using an alias? A man with no past or even just a face to show?” Glenn took out his sword and shook the sand off the blade.
He pointed his blade at Wishart as he ordered, “Draw your blade, Wishart.”
Wishart’s polite smile finally faltered, replaced by a blank expression. His voice was monotone as he asked, “Have I done anything to displease you, Lord Fraldarius?”
“Yeah. That annoying thing you do. It took me months to finally find the right word for it but now I do.” Glenn’s eyes narrowed as he said, “Your self-deprecation. That’s what’s been annoying me all these months.”
Wishart kept quiet.
“You hide behind your polite smiles but I see it.”Glenn continued, “That bad habit of yours of putting yourself down by focusing on others. There’s a difference between being humble and insulting yourself and it’s finally clear to me which one you’ve been doing all this time.”
“Draw your blade, Wishart.” Glenn ordered and readied himself, “There’s something I want to understand and I believe the only way I can do it is by trading blows with you again.”
Wishart was silent for a moment before he closed his eyes as he said, “I see. Very well.”
Wishart opened his eyes and drew the single-handed sword clipped to his belt and said, “If that is your wish…”
Wishart walked towards the sandy grounds, stopping at a respectable distance from Glenn. He readied himself, using the usual sword stance learned by most nobles in Faerghus.
They began to circle one another, observing and waiting for an opening. It was a cold evening but Glenn could still feel the sweat already forming as he noticed once more that Wishart did not have any opening at all.
And just like the first time they clashed blades, Glenn charged first.
Wishart blocked his horizontal slash and pushed him back but Glenn used the momentum to turn around and deliver a roundhouse kick aimed at his opponent’s head. Wishart used his other arm to block his kick and they both jumped back. A green magic circle appeared on Wishart’s other hand while a white magic circle appeared on Glenn’s free hand. Glenn charged him once more, before crouching to evade Wishart’s Wind Cutter spell. He slammed his hand on the ground before jumping over Wishart. He landed just behind his opponent and turned around, aiming his sword on Wishart’s side. The blond blocked his blade with his own but Glenn pushed him, forcing him to step on the white magic circle Glenn had left behind. Wishart’s eyes widened as the magic circle glowed before he was engulfed in Aura’s pillar of light.
It was Glenn’s turn to have wide eyes when he saw Wishart charged, his uniform smoking from the direct hit of the weakened spell he had used. Glenn blocked his blade once more but Wishart was taller and bigger. In terms of brute force, he had Glenn beat.
That was when Glenn’s crest sang and he let out a low growl as he pushed his opponent back. Wishart staggered from the sudden shift of Glenn’s strength and he used that chance to go on the offensive. He threw his sword at Wishart as a white magic circle appeared on his other hand. His sword hit Wishart’s own blade with enough force that he had to let it go. Both swords flew away from them, landing on the sandy grounds with a muffled thud. Wishart raised his fists and changed his stance to one that Glenn knew was usually used to disarm sword-wielding foes.
That was when a lance teleported into Glenn’s hand and Wishart’s eyes widened once more in surprise. Glenn used his surprise to swipe his legs. As Wishart hit the ground, Glenn kept him on the ground by placing his foot on his chest and the tip of the lance was just an inch from his throat.
Both of them stared at one another as they breathed heavily. Glenn took a deep breath before ordering, “Stand down.”
Wishart stared at him for a moment before his lips curved into a tired but satisfied smile, “I yield.”
Glenn stared at him for a moment before he took a few steps back, twirling the lance in his hands before stabbing it to the sandy ground. Wishart stood and patted his uniform as Glenn asked, “You are C, aren’t you?”
Wishart’s movements halted for a moment before he placed both of his hands behind his back. He stared at Glenn as he asked, “Is that why you requested for a duel, Lord Fraldarius? Because you believed I would not answer truthfully?”
Glenn sighed tiredly and rubbed his head as he admitted, “You tend to not say everything, you know? And when I do try to press for more, you usually shut down.”
“Ah.” Wishart’s lips formed into a mirthless smile as he said, “I apologize. It is… a bad habit of mine, I’m afraid.”
“I noticed.” Glenn drawled as he rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms as he asked again, “So? Are you C?”
“What gave me away?” Wishart asked curiously.
“Intuition.” Glenn deadpanned.
Wishart let out a small chuckle before saying casually, “As expected from you, Lord Fraldarius.”
“I was kidding, Wishart.” Glenn rolled his eyes but answered truthfully, “Using the foot for spells was something Byleth did a lot when we were growing up. Using it against you as C was the first time I’ve used it and you specifically told Lady Silberrad you learned it from me.”
“I see.” Wishart nodded thoughtfully, “I have heard Lady Byleth is quite a genius herself. It is a clever way to cast spells.”
Glenn knew that Wishart had dropped Byleth’s name as a way to distract him but he wasn’t going to let their discussion end until he was satisfied with the older noble’s answers.
“Why did you hide behind a mask?” Glenn asked curiously with furrowed brows, “You would have been able to receive a spot if you had asked Sir Gustave or the king himself. Your father-”
“... does not know I participated at all.” Wishart cut him off, lips curved into a mirthless smile once more as he said, “And I would be more than grateful if my identity remained a secret.”
Glenn stared at him for a moment before conceding, “I don’t plan on telling anybody of it. You have your reasons and, as annoying as it is, you’re not obligated to tell me what they are.”
“You can demand I tell you,” Wishart suggested with the same mirthless smile he had been making since their conversation turned towards his father.
Glenn snorted before saying, “Yeah, no. I’m not someone who strong-arms his friends.”
Wishart’s face froze at those words but Glenn pushed, “Keep your secrets, Wishart. I don’t mind. Just… answer me this one question.”
Glenn’s face was super serious when he asked, “What does ‘C’ mean?”
Wishart blinked at the question before he chuckled once more, the seriousness in his face turning to a soft thankful expression. He smiled at Glenn as he answered, “It means ‘crestless’.”
“Really?” Glenn asked, now feeling bad for asking.
Wishart stared at him for a moment before letting out a burst of loud laughter that seemed to surprise both of them. He shook his head as he confessed, “Oh, that look on your face. You truly are too kind, Lord Glenn.”
Glenn should be annoyed for falling for such a trick but he couldn’t even pretend to. Not when he finally heard the older student call him by his first name. Still, he couldn’t help but say, “You really have a shitty sense of humor, Wishart.”
“Forgive me. I couldn’t help myself.” Wishart chuckled once more before answering, “I deliberately chose a letter that meant nothing to me, a letter that cannot be tied to the firstborn son of Duke Weissvogel. I’m afraid there’s no real deep meaning to it.”
“Huh.” Glenn rubbed the back of his head as he said, “That’s kinda a letdown. I was expecting it to have some grand meaning to it.”
The two of them grabbed their respective swords as Wishart said, “I apologize for disappointing you then.”
“There’s no need to apologize.” Glenn said as he placed the lance he ‘borrowed’ back into its proper stack, “I’m the one who made the wrong assumption.”
They both sheathed their swords as Glenn commented with a grim smile, “I suppose I’ve gotten so used to finding things in the shadows that I forgot that, sometimes, there’s really no rhyme or reason to why things are the way they are.”
“It seems like you’ve been having a rough time, Lord Glenn.” They stepped out of the training room and began to walk back to their dorms as they walked side by side, “If you need anyone to talk to, I would be more than happy to listen.”
Glenn glanced at him before grinning. He patted the older student’s back as he suggested, “How about we start with you joining us during meal time first? Just casual conversations.”
“Let’s leave the deep conversations for later.” Glenn said, “Let’s just get to know one another first.”
“That is a wonderful idea.” Wishart agreed before his lips curved into a small sad smile, “But I’m afraid our standings would make that difficult.”
“Screw that.” Glenn stopped just before they reached the stairs leading to their dorm rooms, “Let them talk. Let them make the wrong assumptions.”
“I’m not asking you as a member of our respective houses. I’m asking you as myself, as Glenn.” Glenn grinned at him as he said, “Let’s be friends, Wishart.”
Wishart didn’t answer him that night.
But the following day, he joined the three of them for lunch.
Ethereal Moon 1172 - Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, Garreg Mach
Glenn knew that his ‘public’ friendship with Wishart had garnered interest. Not just from the entirety of the Blue Lions but some of the nobles in the Black Eagles and Golden Deers as well. However, all their questions were left as whispers behind their back and, as Glenn had stated that night, they paid it no mind.
He did send a letter to his father to give him a head’s up of what he had done and his father had simply sent back a message telling him to do what he believed was right but to be careful at all times.
Glenn appreciated his father’s trust.
Or maybe he was just glad that his son hadn’t unintentionally become the rival of a member of one of the Great Houses of Fhirdiad. He probably wouldn’t have been able to handle twice the stress if that had happened.
Who knows?
Other than the whispers, the unity in Blue Lions was the same as ever. They kept their disagreements hidden most of the time, only letting them show when it was necessary or if they lost their cool, which sometimes happened (mostly with the more ‘passionate’ ones).
But the only time that their unity had been fractured so blatantly had been because of an inter-house competition that led to a brief debacle on who would represent their house for the White Heron Cup. There was a suggestion that Glenn should represent them but Glenn had vehemently denied that little ‘whisper’ and argued that he was already versatile as a Trickster. Sure, it would be nice to learn the invigorating dance-type Rally to further his versatility, but Glenn had stressed that there should be some diversity in their class. Glenn couldn’t keep being their ‘utility’ leader as that was just asking for trouble. The more people with their own niche and skills, the more battle formations and plans they could make.
They all agreed to his reasoning and different names were thrown into the mix.
There was a suggestion for Natasha to be their representative and the short-haired brunette had pointed at herself as she raised an eyebrow and asked, “Have you seen me?”
At those words, her name was stricken off the list of possible candidates and no one said another word about it ever again.
After that, more names were considered and they all decided that they would pick from the ones who were okay being their representatives as no one wanted to force anybody to compete if they didn’t want to.
This, of course, led to mostly those who were so confident with their dancing skills that Glenn had been worried that they were overestimating their dancing skills.
He didn’t really care if they win the cup or not, though. The Dancer class was a very specialized class in the first place and, given to the right person and used by the right strategist, it would definitely be a formidable addition, but it wasn’t like they were doing badly in their monthly missions.
At this point, the cup’s real objective was to show their superiority over the other houses, just like the mock battle.
In a ‘we’re more elegant than you’ kind of way as opposed to the ‘we can kick your ass if you try us’ kind of way the mock battle had been.
Which wasn’t really something Glenn thought was worth all the hassle, to be completely honest.
Elegance had never been a priority in House Fraldarius, after all. Strength and honor were what mattered to his house most of all. Not to mention, they only needed to be well-mannered enough to not be called feral northerns (which was apparently an insult used by the central and southern kingdom nobles, not that Glenn had ever heard of the insult before though) thanks to the etiquette lessons they had received from Miss Katherine. This year, Felix was also receiving the same etiquette lessons as well as a lesson plan similar (but less jam-packed) to what Byleth had when she was starting out. Byleth had even received etiquette lessons with Dimitri during their stay in Fhirdiad, which, now that Glenn thought about it, had most probably been the king’s way to secretly prepare Byleth as the future queen.
But that was a can of worms that Glenn wasn’t going to think about any time soon.
So he just stayed quiet about the whole White Heron Cup deal and let the others deal with it.
Well.
They didn’t win, that was for sure.
A noble from a vassal house of House Herving from the Black Eagles won apparently.
Glenn wasn’t really paying attention to it. Hell, he wasn’t even interested in the ball that was going to happen later this week or about the whole thing with the Goddess Tower.
Alfin had teased him that it was because Ingrid wasn’t here but Glenn had shut that down.
He and Ingrid were already engaged and he planned to honor their promise to one another. They didn’t need to make any wish in the Goddess Tower for it to come true.
Alfin called him unromantic but he seemed happy with Glenn’s answer.
Natasha agreed with him that the whole Goddess Tower legend was dumb.
Wishart commented that the way Glenn saw his relationship with Ingrid was already romantic as it was.
Hearing that from Wishart who didn’t even know Ingrid and had only known Glenn for less than a year was definitely embarrassing.
Strangely enough, Glenn did end up in the Goddess Tower during the night of the ball.
The ball had started out pleasant enough though. All three house leaders danced first as per tradition. Bergliez danced with Silberrad which was kinda funny to look at since the light blonde young lady was actually a foot taller than her house leader. Glenn also sympathized since he was pretty much one of the shortest students in their year, mostly due to his young age.
He hoped it was due to his young age, damn it.
Holst danced with one of the commoners from the Golden Deers and they looked like they were having fun. She had been embarrassed by the many mistakes she was making, most probably because she hadn’t received any proper training, but Holst was able to calm her nerves and, before long, both of them were laughing and giggling at the mistakes she made and Holst even made a few mistakes himself. Glenn was pretty sure he made those mistakes on purpose to get his dancing partner to feel more relaxed. That was the kind of guy Holst Fion Goneril was, after all.
Wishart, on the other hand, danced with a member of a minor lord from Central Faerghus. They looked perfect together with their flawless and graceful steps. However, there was a hint of coldness in their steps. They clearly were only dancing because it was required of them. At least, Bergliez and Silberrad looked like they actually didn’t mind dancing with one another. Wishart and his partner, on the other hand, looked like they had been in a political marriage for the past twenty years and secretly hated each other while each was keeping a lover on the side.
… Okay. Glenn might be exaggerating but he couldn’t help it. Ever since Wishart had started to join them during meal time, he had this… habit of worrying about the older student.
It was definitely strange but he couldn’t help but think that someone needed to keep an eye on him. He knew that Alfin felt the same thing. The longer they learned of the real Wishart hiding behind those infuriating polite smiles, the more they realized how lonely he was.
Glenn wished that there would come a time that Wishart would stop having to pretend to be the perfect noble that he had been forced to be.
No more of these dancing crap and those polite smiles.
No one deserved to be forced into a life they weren’t happy with, after all.
“Come on.” Natasha grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dance floor. All of his maudlin thoughts disappeared, taken over by both confusion and surprise as his aunt took his hands.
She placed one of his hands on her waist while she kept hold of his other hand. They began to dance and Glenn’s body moved on its down, subconsciously using the steps he had learned when he had been dancing with Byleth.
Byleth had learned to dance because she and Dimitri wanted to dance together for Dimitri’s birthday and Felix had seen them dance and wanted to learn too. Glenn had been roped into it because Byleth felt it was unfair if only their older brother didn’t know how to dance.
Glenn didn’t really care though but agreed because Byleth had been determined and Felix had used his big pleading eyes on him.
But it was obvious that both he and his aunt weren’t used to dancing. They weren’t bad though and there were fewer mistakes than with Holst’s partner which was nice. His lips curved as he commented, “I didn’t think you would know how to dance.”
“Whores learn a lot of different skills.” Natasha deadpanned. Seeing Glenn’s embarrassed red face, she laughed loudly and twirled them around (which wasn’t part of the steps) before saying, “Oh Goddess, your face! I’m joking, Glenn.”
“I mean, it’s true that some of ma’s ‘coworkers’ did learn to dance like this.” Natasha shrugged as she casually explained, “Some customers have weird taste, after all.”
“Please don’t say anything more, aunt.” Glenn groaned but continued to dance with her as she let out another loud laughter that caught the attention of the other nearby dancing couples.
He used the dance to move away from those who were staring at them as she explained, “Heithem taught me a few steps. Just enough for me not to be an embarrassment to House Cynewig or whatever. I barely listened to him anyway since I was too busy stepping on his feet on purpose.”
“You barely listen to anyone.” Glenn drawled as he rolled his eyes.
“That’s not true. I listened to Herric.” Natasha defended herself before shrugging, “I mean, he was my instructor when I got to Castle Mateus and he liked me enough, I think.”
“You weren’t taught by my uncle?” Glenn asked curiously. He had assumed from the number of letters she received from his uncle that they had built a rapport during her stay in Castle Mateus.
“Nah.” Natasha shook her head, “He wasn’t in Castle Mateus, remember? I only met him once when House Mateus came to get me during the harvest festival last year. We have only sent letters to each other ever since.”
Glenn blinked before asking, “Why do you think I would know that he’s not in Castle Mateus? He never bothered to meet me or my siblings at all.”
They both stopped dancing and it was Natasha’s turn to look confused, “What do you mean? He’s been in-”
“Excuse me.”
Both of them turned to face Holst who grinned at them. He bowed as he asked, “May I have this dance?”
It actually took a second for Glenn’s mind to finally conclude that, yes, Holst was definitely offering his hand to him and not to Natasha.
Natasha raised an eyebrow and waited for Glenn’s answer.
Knowing that this was one of Holst’s weird ways to give him a message once more, he sighed and took Holst’s hand as he said with a polite smile, “I accept, Lord Holst.”
Natasha shrugged and left the dancefloor, going straight for the buffet, while Holst took the lead. Glenn made more mistakes than usual as he wasn’t used to not being the one leading, having only learned the dance steps of the lead part when he had been taught by Byleth.
Great.
Now he was regretting saying no to Byleth when she asked if he wanted to learn both parts.
In his defense, he hadn’t been interested in dancing in the first place and he never expected to have to dance with someone who wanted to lead. He always assumed that he would be leading.
Now, he was paying the price for his, shall he say, hubris?
“Relax, Glenn.” Holst leaned close and whispered, “You’re doing great.”
Glenn snorted as he accidentally stepped on Holst’s foot once more before quickly covering his mistake. He had honestly lost count on how many mistakes he had made and it was certainly embarrassing as he replied, “My apologies, Lord Holst. I’m afraid I’m not used to dancing this part.”
“I can see that.” Holst chuckled softly as he led them to the center of the dancefloor, much to Glenn’s horror. Once more, Holst gently whispered, “Relax, Glenn. No one sees your mistakes because of how quickly to recover. That’s what I mean when I say you’re doing great.”
Glenn highly doubted that. He was quick but not that quick. At the very least, anyone who would be watching them intently with a keen eye would be able to spot Glenn’s mistakes.
Still, he could understand how Holst’s first dancing partner felt. The older student definitely knew the right words to say and the right tone to use to comfort someone.
And he sounded like he actually meant it too.
“I appreciate your kind words, Lord Holst,” Glenn said politely, making Holst sigh.
“I truly wish there would come a time that you’d speak to me more casually, Glenn.” Holst twirled them around and Glenn caught a glimpse of the other dancing couples around them.
They were all from Golden Deers.
And they were all dancing around them while keeping enough distance that they wouldn’t be able to hear Glenn and Holst as long as they whisper softly to one another.
Damn.
Glenn didn’t even notice when they surrounded the two of them.
Glenn’s entire body stiffened when Holst suddenly leaned close and whispered right by his ear, “Meet me in the Goddess Tower later. Bring your ring.”
…
Goddess.
These older students really need to think about the words they use!
The ring in question was a silver ring that his father had given him before he left for the Academy. There was a blue stone on it that could actually be removed if it was pushed down while being twisted to the left. Hidden under the stone would be the crest of Blaiddyd etched into the flat platform where the stone had been.
It was meant to serve as a substitute for the king’s signature when the time came.
And it seemed that time had come.
Glenn just wished it had come on a different date.
The Goddess Tower looked like a normal-looking tower, that was for sure. He didn’t really understand all the fuss about the legend or whatever but he definitely didn’t want to get caught here by anyone.
Thankfully, it was also void of any other persons but Holst who was waiting for him at the highest level of the tower, standing by the window overlooking the monastery.
Knowing the head of the Golden Deers, he wouldn’t be surprised if he got his fellow students to make sure no one would bother them.
It was actually quite frightening how charismatic Holst was. Glenn could understand why Duke Riegan had chosen him as his representative and why rumors still persisted that Holst would be adopted to House Riegan so he may become the heir of the most powerful house in all of Leicester Alliance.
Holst stared at the monastery below them while Glenn approached him, saying wistfully, “I’m gonna miss this place after we graduate.”
Glenn blinked.
“We still have a few more months though.” Glenn reminded him with a slight tilt of his head.
“True.” Holst nodded and leaned against the window as he said, “I suppose I’ve grown a bit sentimental over the fact that this would most probably be our last correspondence with one another.”
Glenn knew that. He knew from the letters he had received from Holst and the ones he had to give him. He knew that the only reason why Holst would request for him to bring the ring was for…
Holst turned to face him and took out a rolled paper from the inside of his uniform jacket. He handed it to Glenn and the younger student took it carefully, noting the wax seal with House Riegan’s crest.
There was one question though…
“When did you get this?” Glenn asked curiously.
The seal was definitely real. This could only mean Holst would have received this from a messenger from House Riegan or…
Duke Riegan handed it to him personally.
But the only way that could happen would be if…
“Duke Riegan gave it to me when we had our mission last month in Derdriu.” Holst admitted, “He made sure we were given the mission with the pirates last month so he could give that to me.”
That meant…
Glenn glared at him as he noted, “You’ve had this since last month and you’re only giving it to me now?”
“Perhaps I wanted to prolong this charade for just a little bit more.” Holst replied with a small smile, “Or maybe I simply wanted this to happen during this day, in this place where legends say that, if we make a wish, we would be eternally together with the person we made the wish with.”
“There’s no real evidence to suggest that legend is true.” Glenn sighed, already tired of all these Goddess Tower legend talks.
Glenn finally took off the ribbon and unrolled the paper, his eyes reading the content to make sure everything was in order.
This was one of the things his father made sure he understood before he left since, considering their situation, he would be representing their king once it was time to sign…
The Ailell Pact of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance.
This was a binding contract, of course. And, normally, it would have made more sense if they used ‘Garreg Mach Pact’ for the name since they would be signing in Garreg Mach but both the king and the duke decided that the Church shouldn’t know about their alliance nor should there be any (wrong) hints that the Church had a hand in all of these.
Not until they were both sure that the Church hadn’t been using this supposed fourth party to ensure their hold on all three countries.
That was why Glenn had been given the ring with House Blaiddyd’s crest in it. To sign on behalf of not just the king but of the entire Kingdom.
That was why Glenn made sure to read every line. Each line was in accordance with the long negotiations that both sides had conducted using Glenn and Holst.
Everything was in order.
It was surprising though to learn that this had not just been signed by Duke Riegan. Just below his signature and a stamp of his crest were the signature and house crest of House Goneril, House Edmund, and, strangely enough, House Daphnel.
Three of the Five Great Lords and a previous member of the Five Great Lords solidified this pact as the Alliance did make decisions via majority votes most of the time.
It was surprising that House Gloucester had not been included. That would mean Duke Riegan had decided not to consult with Count Gloucester. House Ordelia not being included was, of course, given.
Which did beg the question.
Was the Alliance planning to remove House Ordelia from the Roundtable and replace them with House Daphnel?
Glenn supposed that wasn’t a concern for him right now. He handed the paper back to Holst and removed the stone from House Blaiddyd’s ring. He pocketed the stone and took out a small dagger. He made an incision on the palm of his other hand, making sure it was deep enough to bleed without giving him any lasting damage. He wiped the blood off the dagger on his palm as well since it was going to be bloody soon enough anyway before sheathing his dagger once more.
As they waited for Glenn’s blood to pool in his palm, Holst said, “It might just be a legend but I think it wouldn’t hurt.”
“What wouldn’t hurt?” Glenn deadpanned. The cut on his palm was stinging, that was for sure, but it had bled enough that Glenn could press the ring against his own blood. He felt the ring warm slightly, its hidden magical property activating. The entire ring turned red, signifying it was ready and Holst placed his hand underneath the empty portion right below the words ‘Holy Kingdom of Faerghus’.
Glenn pressed the ring on the paper, just underneath the words ‘Holy Kingdom of Faerghus’. The red of the ring slowly disappeared, almost like it was being used up and Glenn waited until the slight warmth of the ring had gone cold before pulling his hand away.
Beneath the ‘Holy Kingdom of Faerghus’ now showed the crest of House Blaiddyd in red.
Below it was words written in the ancient language that no one would be able to understand but would show the validity of the stamp made from Glenn’s blood.
They both stared at the crest as Glenn healed his wound by placing his other hand over his bleeding palm while Holst continued, “I wanted this to be signed today in this place so we can make a wish to the Goddess.”
Glenn raised his head to stare at Holst. The older man stared back at him and smiled softly, “Let’s make a wish, Glenn. For this to be the start of an everlasting peace between our two countries.”
It was a naive thought.
Glenn knew that Holst understood that.
But…
It was a beautiful wish nonetheless.
Glenn’s lips curved into a small soft smile as well as he said, “Yeah. Let’s make that wish, Holst.”
On the twenty-fourth day of the Ethereal Moon, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance signed The Ailell Pact of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance.
On that very same night, Holst Fion Goneril of House Goneril and Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius of House Fraldarius made a wish in the Goddess Tower, forever intertwining their fates together.
Lone Moon 1172 - Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, Garreg Mach
The remaining months passed by without any problems. Holst and Glenn still continued their secret messages but they weren’t as urgent as before. They were mostly negotiations of trades and such between the two countries and could easily be continued later on by Korre once House Rigel and House Fraldarius’ trading route had been completed and stabilized. Before long, they were graduating and saying goodbye to one another.
Glenn and Alfin were together for a while but Alfin had taken off to say goodbye to Professor Hershel and thank her for getting him in contact with a few merchants from the Alliance who would be willing to negotiate with House Galatea. While he was alone, Holst and Balthus came to say goodbye.
“I’m gonna miss you, Glenn,” Balthus said as he gave Glenn a quick hug while they patted each other’s back.
“You should visit me in Castle Fraldarius sometime,” Glenn suggested and actually meant it. It wasn’t a fake pleasantry that nobles would commonly say. They pulled away from one another and Glenn grinned, “I still owe you for what you did for me back in Ordelia so don’t ever hesitate to call for that favor, alright?”
Balthus raised an eyebrow as he asked, “Even if it’s to ask for gold?”
Glenn rolled his eyes as he said, “My debt to you is only worth one gold.”
Balthus laughed and patted Glenn’s back before saying, “I should probably use that debt for something other than gold then.”
“That would be wise.” Glenn grinned at the older dark-haired noble.
“Don’t ever change, Glenn.” Balthus grinned at him.
“You too, Balthus.”
With his final farewell said, Balthus patted Holst on the shoulder before walking away from both of them. Glenn and Holst looked at one another for a moment before Holst took out a small pouch and handed it to Glenn, “A gift to commemorate our everlasting friendship, Glenn.”
Glenn slightly frowned as he took the pouch, wondering if Duke Riegan had any final message to give to his king, “I didn’t get you anything.”
“That’s quite alright.” Holst smiled as he suggested, “You can give me a gift in person when we meet once more.”
Glenn’s own lips curved into a small smile as he said, “I can promise that.”
It wasn’t just a promise of a gift.
But a promise of their and their countries’ continuous friendship in the future.
He opened the pouch and his eyes widened as he took out a brooch from inside it. It was a small shield-shaped brooch made of silver with three small gems at the center forming a triangle. The gem on top was the blue of the same hue as House Fraldarius’ favored blue color while a pink gem was on the right side and a cyan gem on the left side.
“This is…” Glenn was speechless. It was a simple brooch but the craftsmanship was flawless. He had been around different types of metals far too long to know that the metals used in this brooch were meant to amplify spells.
“A reminder of your and your house’s great victory.” Holst grinned as he added, “And a reminder of my dear Hilda. She’s the one who suggested a magical brooch, you know? Isn’t she sweet?”
Glenn laughed and patted Holst on the arm as he admitted, “I’m gonna miss you, Holst. I really will.”
“I’ll miss you too, Glenn.”
“Have I shown my worth, Lord Glenn?”
Glenn’s lips curved into a small smile, not even surprised anymore that Wishart’s first words to him after walking towards him sounded strange.
At this point, it was already part of their friendship.
“You’ve shown so much more, Lord Wishart,” Glenn said confidently.
“Then, when the time comes that I leave House Weissvogel, will you do me the honor of becoming my master?” Wishart asked with a small smile on his lips.
“What?” Glenn blinked.
He had suspected it, of course.
Not the whole ‘be my master’ thing, that would be a real left-field but, then again, he had been hinting at more than once already. Still, he needed confirmation so he asked, “You… you’re leaving House Weissvogel?”
“Duke Weissvogel has no need for a crestless son and I refuse to be married off to keep his illusion of grandeur,” Wishart replied with a slight shrug.
“What about your brother?” Glenn asked concerned. He knew that Wishart and his younger brother weren’t close but…
Wishart was quiet for a moment before a sardonic smile appeared on his face as he admitted, “... Ulysses is better off without my shadow looming over him. Disowning House Weissvogel will make me a disgrace, not the perfect son that Ulysses must emulate. My removal will also drive him away from Duke Weissvogel.”
Wishart smiled gently at Glenn as he said, “He will be fine, Lord Glenn. Mister Schwarzen will take care of him.”
Glenn wasn’t sure how a commoner merchant would be able to help a member of one of the Great Four Houses of Fhirdiad but Wishart sounded so sure of that little fact that he felt like he couldn’t ask for more information anymore.
“Wishart.” Glenn had to go on his tiptoes to place his hand on Wishart’s shoulder, “House Fraldarius will always be open to you, not as a member of House Weissvogel nor as my formidable opponent C but as my friend Wishart.”
Weissvogel’s lips curved into a sad grateful smile as he said, “Thank you, Glenn. I’m afraid I would be making use of that invitation soon.”
Glenn grinned at him as he said, “I’m looking forward to it, Wishart.”
Glenn wasn’t sure where Alfin or Natasha was.
The plan had been for the three of them to go back to Faerghus together with the battalion that House Mateus would be sending. From here, they would travel past Charon territory to send Alfin off in Castle Galatea (and maybe visit Ingrid, maayybbeeee) before they go to Fhirdiad to drop Glenn off so he could travel back home together with Byleth while Natasha continued on to Castle Mateus.
Of course, that meant he had to find either of them first.
Thankfully, he finally found Natasha by the gates, “Auntie.”
He stopped, blinking when he saw that she had been talking to Byleth’s combat instructor, “Oh, hello, Sir Eryr, are you here to escort auntie back to Castle Mateus?”
“It seems only right.” Eryr shrugged before nodding, “Congratulations on graduating, Glenn. We heard you’re a Trickster now? Alaric and all the medics in our order are proud of you.”
Glenn grinned as he said, “Thank you. It’s only because of their patience in training me in Faith spells and the human body that I was able to succeed.”
Glenn looked around and saw House Mateus’ battalion that was meant to escort them back. He remembered each of their faces from the few times he had been in Castle Mateus which meant…
“I see my uncle couldn’t even be bothered to find the time to escort his fiancee himself.” Glenn blandly stated before half-jokingly suggesting, “You know, Sir Eryr, if you ever feel like taking over House Mateus from my uncle, I’m sure I can persuade my father to back you up?”
Eryr’s lips curved into a small smirk while Natasha blinked at his words for a moment before she slapped Eryr’s arm, “You didn’t tell him?”
“Apparently none of them realized it.” Eryr drawled, “Even Byleth had been surprised when I told her before leaving.”
“Huh?” Glenn frowned at both of them.
Natasha pointed at the knight next to her and informed Glenn, “This idiot is my fiancee. He’s your deadbeat uncle too.”
“I am not a deadbeat.” Eryr retorted with a frown. Natasha simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Glenn felt his brain stop at that and the only thing he could say was “My uncle’s name is Faramund.”
“Ah.” Eryr nodded, as if Glenn’s confusion could truly be because of the difference in the names that he knew, “My full name is Faramund Eryr Mateus but no one in Mateus calls me by that name. We all find it too long.”
“That’s-that’s-that’s the reason why?!” Glenn shouted in disbelief, “That’s such a crappy and absolutely shallow reason!”
“In the heat of battle, long names could as easily take up the time needed to order someone to evade a fatal strike,” Eryr explained calmly.
Natasha rolled her eyes as she said, “Don’t believe that crap, Glenn. He told me that he uses the name because it matches his sisters’ names.”
“I told you that in complete confidence.” Eryr turned to face Natasha and narrowed his eyes, “Don’t go disclosing that to other people.”
“Even your own nephew?” Natasha frowned back at him, “That’s stupid.”
As the two continued to casually bicker without getting annoyed with one another and seemingly enjoying it, Glenn could only lament over the fact that the next heads of House Mateus were a free-willed eccentric lady whose first instinct to solve problems was to stab someone and a blunt man with a penchant for keeping secrets even when it was totally unnecessary.
Glenn was so done.
Where the hell was Alfin?!
He just wanted to go home already.
***Lore and Information For This Chapter***
Blood Oath Ring
One of the many treasures and heirlooms from the Kingdom’s secret vault, the same vault that housed the crest crystal known as “Adreabhar’s Blood”. The ring has no official name but it is known by many as a Blood Oath Ring. It’s an open secret that all ten elites have similar rings and can only be used by those with the blood of the ten elites to the high-ranking nobles. There seemed to be some connection on which blood can be used for each ring. For example, the ring of House Blaiddyd could only be activated by those with the blood of Blaiddyd, Fraldarius, Gautier, and, strangely enough, Riegan. The Blood Oath Ring of Crests stamped in blood by these rings were considered as a substitute for that specific house’s signature. That is why the Blood Oath Ring of House Blaiddyd is only used during times of great importance and urgency. Usually, it is kept in the secret vault in Fhirdiad. House Fraldarius is currently in the possession of Luciano Hektor Fraldarius.
House Mateus’ Name Meaning
This isn’t a lore, technically. This is more of ‘this writer likes adding unnecessary details’. All NPCs’ names are based on certain names/things that hints at their ‘character’ or their connection to one another. Count Mateus’ children have names connected to birds.
Eryr (Faramund Eryr Mateus) means ‘eagle’ in Welsh.
Ainara (Ainara Violette Fraldarius nee Mateus), while meaning wanderer in Spanish, also came from the word Enara/Enala which means the passerine bird ‘swallow’.
Their late sister’s first name Luscinia (Luscinia Rosa Mateus) is the genus of smallish passerine birds like nightingales.
By coincidence, the first name of Eryr’s main student, Elster, is the German word for magpie birds.
Names of Characters Appearing/Being Mentioned In This Chapter (Which May Become Important or Not):
Glenn Sigmund Fraldarius, Firstborn Son of the Duke of Fraldarius
Alfin Svend Galatea, Firstborn Son of the Countess of Galatea
Wishart Albert Weissvogel, Crestless Legitimate Son of Duke of Weissvogel
Natasha Miglio, Bastard Daughter of Marquis of Cynewig
Wyszomir Kermorhen, Advisor of the Blue Lion House
Stella Hershel, Advisor of the Black Eagle House
Melchior von Bergliez, Oldest Grandson of Count of Bergliez
Lianne von Silberrad, Only Child of Margrave Silberrad
Professor Hanneman, Advisor of the Golden Deer House
Holst Fion Goneril, Oldest Son of Duke of Goneril
Balthus von Albrecht, Oldest Son of Baron of Albrecht
Faramund Eryr Mateus, Oldest Son of Count Mateus