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History was known for twisting the truth. Claude desired the truth above all else. Unfortunately, the church banned books that didn't support their cause. As much as Claude didn't want to think too much about what Tomas told him, it was true that the church hid so much from the world. How was the world expected to change when the truth was kept hidden away?
When the war broke out, Claude felt that so much had been lost in that battle to defend Garreg Mach. Lady Rhea went missing, the Knights of Seiros scattered, and the twin professors who watched over the Golden Deer house were missing in action. Claude hated himself, believing if he was by Byleth's side, then they wouldn't have vanished. He only vaguely recalled their screams amongst the sounds of weapons clashing, magic burning everything and buildings coming down.
Claude knew when the battle was lost. He hopped on his wyvern and flew far away from the battle, hoping the other Golden Deer students followed suit. He gave the order to retreat, but it was awful thinking about how Byleth and Beth would not be retreating with him.
Whenever Claude had the chance, he attempted to return to where the battle took place to search for the twins. At first, it was impossible. The Empire occupied the territory, preventing him from soaring through the air and searching without being shot down. Combined with his grandfather forbidding him from leaving to go on a pointless quest, Claude was stuck with no answers on the whereabouts of the professors.
The war took its toll on him despite not showing it. As the years went on, his grandfather finally died of old age, making Claude the successor. As the leader of the Alliance, he had to force the Alliance against each other in order to maintain a "neutrality" in the war. He didn't want to be involved in Edelgard's conquest…not until he could find Byleth and Beth. Without the professors, his schemes were worthless.
All the Golden Deer students survived and went back home trying their best not to make things worse. Lorenz managed to visit frequently despite the turmoil in Gloucester territory. Hilda showed up for emotional support but had been called back to fight back the Almayrans who insisted on attacking Fodlan's Throat at inconvenient times.
Everyone else? Claude could only imagine what they were doing. Those who were in the Kingdom were stuck fighting a losing war. Claude expected that the students in the Black Eagles were forced to participate, even if they themselves were against Edelgard. With a few exceptions, it didn't seem like meeting with his other classmates was happening anytime soon.
With every year passing by, Claude grew pessimistic of Byleth and Beth's return. It was childish to cling to them, but it wasn't fair. They swore they would make it out of this battle alive…and what did they do? They went off and got themselves killed!
Claude shook his head. He didn't want to think about them. He needed fresh air. It was difficult for him to even be alone due to many of the Alliance soldiers worrying about their new leader. Claude felt like his grandfather made some of the older soldiers swear to look after his reckless grandson when he died. The schemer was smarter than those old coots, so he knew how to sneak out of Alliance territory without anyone noticing. Claude just needed a few moments out with his wyvern…away from the people.
There weren't that many forest areas near Riegan territory. Claude would have to risk going farther away from his home just so he could hide in the forest. An ambush would be the worst thing to happen while he was out. However, the Empire failed to get far into Alliance territory, and most of its soldiers were focused in Kingdom territory. If the Gloucester family kept the Empire from venturing too far into the Alliance region, he should be fine.
However, Claude wasn't allowed to relax because something caught his eye as he descended into a nearby forest. His wyvern gave a confused growl, noticing something was off.
"Woah, Toothless, relax!" Claude exclaimed. "I'm here."
Toothless heard his master but remained anxious. Claude wouldn't know what was wrong until he checked his surroundings. His eyes widened.
In the distance hidden behind trees, there was an animal with shiny gold antlers.
"…No way…" Claude thought to himself. "The Golden Deer…exists?"
One of the many things that Claude didn't believe in was the history of the Golden Deer. Stories have it that the Golden Deer protected the Alliance for as long as it had been around. The deer was just the symbol for the Alliance, but the sacred animal was said to appear during times of crisis. Because no one has seen the Golden Deer, it was safe to say it was an exaggeration of the truth.
With all that Claude had seen going on with his teacher, there shouldn't have been anything else that could surprise him. Alas, the deer caught his attention. The deer must have heard Toothless attempting to land silently because it bolted the moment it sensed danger. Toothless roared seeing the deer flee.
"Dammit, Toothless. You were too loud," Claude complained.
"Grrrrr…"
"Don't give me an attitude. We're chasing after that deer. Let's see how far it goes. And please, make sure you don't alert anybody."
Claude was asking too much from his wyvern. Sure, he was one of the fastest wyverns around, but he wouldn't be able to take that many hits if shot in the right spot. The last thing Claude needed was soldiers alerting Alliance nobles his sneaking out and doing his own thing again. Toothless didn't understand politics, but he did enjoy the thrill of the chase. Claude cursed under his breath when Toothless took off without warning.
It wouldn't take long to catch up with the deer, but it proved to be extremely fast on its feet. It's strange, deer were quick but not this quick. If it was a mythical animal like the legends stated, it would be impossible to catch it, so following it to its destination would at least give a good idea on its mindset.
Still, Claude couldn't help but worry if he was making the right decision. He had to prepare for other important matters, but here he was, ordering his dragon to go after a potentially fictional beast. He feared that he would get berated when he returned…
Claude refused to admit that he went on a wild goose chase. His wyvern wasn't all that pleased with how reckless he was. It's not like he could return home. He left without saying anything, and he couldn't come up with a good excuse. He ordered Toothless to land in the location where the deer ran off too. It just had to be Garreg Mach. The location that he was told time and time again to never fly to. As the Leader of the Alliance, Claude had to let go of the past and focus on protecting his nation. He needed to understand that Byleth and Beth were dead and not coming back. Every time he had snuck off in the past to search the ruins of the Garreg Mach, he ended up disappointed and defeated each time. The bodies of the twins weren't found. People speculated that their bodies fell through the cracks of the earth, so there was zero hope of recovering them. Claude wouldn't believe that the twins were dead though. They had both cut a hole through space to make it out of a death trap for crying out loud! This was no different.
"Grrrrrr."
Once Claude got off Toothless, the dragon shifted into a smaller form. Toothless was a special dragon being able to change his size whenever the situation called for it. After five years, Toothless had mastered this magic skill and would even turn back into a tiny dragon at a moment's notice. Once Toothless became a smaller wyvern, he flew into Claude's cape and attached himself lightly to his back. The Alliance Leader was used to this at this point of time, so the claws didn't hurt like they used to.
"So, of all the places to drop me off, it's the Goddess Tower…" Claude muttered. "Why here?"
The only thing that came to mind was the Millennial Festival. Claude insisted that the Golden Deer meetup five years later. With the war going on and the designated location destroyed (as well as the professors being MIA), there was no way that the promise was going to happen. Still, Claude wanted to believe. He sighed as he walked up toward the Goddess Tower. The moon would fall, and the sun would rise soon. When that happened, it would be the day of the Millennial Festival…
Time didn't matter so much for Claude as he ascended the stairs. He would stay out of sight for a few hours before leaving. As the person who insisted that everyone come together, he needed to be the first one there.
What am I doing? Claude asked himself. I should be thinking of a way to reduce the casualties…not stay out here…
Toothless suddenly clung to him tighter. Claude didn't need to know what was wrong. Toothless's sense of hearing was better than a human so it must have sensed someone's presence. Claude could deal with the person if they decided to attack him. He chose to ignore the incoming danger.
The footsteps grew louder until they finally stopped. Whomever the footsteps belonged to didn't expect to see someone at the top of the tower.
"Hey, don't stop in front of me like that!"
Claude's eyes widened. That voice. He recognized it anywhere. Slowly, he turned around. He swore he was dreaming. There was just no way.
"…Claude?"
His teacher…his crush…the twins…they really were there…they…
"You overslept, Teach!"