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“You know you don’t have to do this, Claude.”
There he was, looking at you as you fought ruthlessly during the war. You both were on different sides of the war - joining Edelgard’s cause, you thought it was the noblest, and worthy side that would bring an end to the Church’s tyranny.
And here Claude was, in the way of everything.
Nothing was ceremonious about the way you both met each other again - both of you reunited during the time of the war, a bloody, savage battle between your sides of the army. As you exchanged words with each other before the real fight began, there was nothing but a pained look on your face as you looked at him - his face was neutral, unreadable.
“Too bad we’re on opposite sides of the war, hmm?”
In the distant past, you both were lovers.
You remembered clearly how he weaved flowers into your hair, his fingers dancing along strands of your hair as you sat there patiently, waiting for him to finish. It was relaxing sitting there, letting someone play with your hair - you felt yourself at peace as you sat next to him in an open field full of flowers. A thought passed through your head as you sat there waiting for Claude - you never wanted this moment to end, ever.
“And, ta-da! It’s done,” he looked at you proudly, finding a mirror in his pockets to show you. “Doesn’t it look good?”
As you looked at yourself in the mirror, you gasped. “Claude, I never thought you’d be so deft with your hands! This looks amazing!”
Upon your praise, his gaze was away from you, looking slightly shy as he scratched his head. “Oh, c’mon - it’s nothing. I’ve been learning such small tricks from my parents at a young age.”
(he never mentioned to you about the harsh labors his parents put on him as a child - there was always constant pressure to be good within a society that despised him, and a need to survive. claude was lucky that he managed to scrape by, a little boy stripped of his childhood.)
“Nonsense - it is really impressive!” You continued to admire your hair in the small pocket mirror Claude gave you, only barely touching the flowers as if being gentle so you would not ruin the masterpiece he wove into your hair. And as you placed the mirror on the ground, you let out a loud sigh and leaned against the prince, closing your eyes as you enjoyed the wind blowing against your face.
Claude looked at you funnily, but with a fond look on his face. “What’s up, dear?” He asked, turning over so that you could lean against his chest. As you peered up, you saw Claude’s bright eyes staring back at you tenderly as you closed your eyes once again.
“I just wished this moment lasted forever, you know?” You mumbled to yourself, feeling comfortable within Claude’s reach. He chuckled a little, his calloused fingers coming down to caress your face.
“So do I.”
A moment of silence passed where both of you stayed still, just basking in the sun and enjoying each others’ presence for a while. There was something comforting about Claude - the way he gracefully carried himself, the way his words rolled out of his tongue, the way he guided others - it all pulled you in. You were incredibly lucky to have him as your partner, your ride or die - and you hoped that it would last like this forever.
“Claude, do you think we’ll stay like this forever?”
Puzzled by your question, he looked down at you. Your eyes were averted away from his, looking away into the distance. “What do you mean?”
“One day… if this place goes to ruin, will you still be here for me?”
Why were you asking such hard questions right now?
After he thought about it a little, he let out a huff of breath and smiled. “Of course,” was all he could say, a promise that he wished he could hold onto until the end of time. As he started to pull out all the flowers away from your hair so that you both could return to the monastery unscathed, Claude could not help but think.
As he looked out to the scenery, he thought to himself: I hope this scenery never goes away, and that we continue to live peacefully as we do now.
Both of you fought bitterly against your enemies, unrelenting as you slew down those who dared to come your way. You were nothing but focused on this battle, yet there were still moments were your thoughts would drift away to the past, thinking about how things would have been if it were not for Rhea’s tyranny.
But there was no time to think as you saw Edelgard cornered by Claude, gravely wounded as she held Aymr in one hand and clutched her wound in another. You quickly realized that Claude was going to land the finishing blow against her if you didn’t do anything; alarmed, you immediately started sprinting to her side.
And as you abandoned your sword, you knew nothing was more important than saving Edelgard’s life right now. You ran, and you ran, and you ran as fast as you humanly could - nothing else was in your head right now but “protect her, protect her, protect her-”
“Stop it, Claude!” You ran to Edelgard’s side in an instant, pushing him away from her with all your might between them - and as Edelgard looked at you in shock, Claude’s fingers slipped from his bow.
And he shot you, straight into the heart.
(how utterly ironic.)
“No!” Edelgard screamed out, as Claude quickly realized what he had done.
He was not going to kill you. He was going to kill Edelgard.
(that wasn’t meant for you.)
And as you slid onto the floor roughly, your body went entirely limp as nothing else processed in your mind, thoughts buzzing inside your head as you laid there, in pain.
I… I protected her. At the cost of my life. You thought to yourself, closing your eyes as you were unable to breathe properly anymore, your breath slowing down significantly until it finally stopped - and your eyes closed, killed by the one you used to love the most.
And as Claude stood there in horror at what he did, and Edelgard crying tears as she prepared Aymr in her hands, he could not help but stay frozen solid on the ground.
His life flashed before his eyes before Edelgard descended her axe upon him, his thoughts only about you until the bitter end.