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Professor Byleth had an incredible talent for identifying and bringing out students’ hidden talents. So when they told Felix he had a talent in Reason, he went along with it. They hadn’t been wrong yet.
But, of course, something went badly. It always did.
It all started with a spell gone awry. Felix and Ferdinand were sparring, and Felix decided to try out the newest spell Byleth taught him: Thoron. When the blinding light cleared, he noticed that Ferdinand wasn’t quite himself. This led to him dragging the two first mages he found back to the training grounds in order to address his magical mishap.
“And you’re certain this was not on purpose?” Hubert asked, examining the spell’s effects.
“Absolutely,” Felix said, arms crossed. “It was meant to be Thoron.”
“Oh my,” Mercedes sighed. “How does one get from Thoron to this?”
“I’m not sure. But we need to reverse it. Do either of you have any ideas?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Hubert shook his head. “Neither of us know Thoron. We couldn’t even begin to guess how you messed this up so badly.”
“Dorothea might know,” Ferdinand suggested. “She often uses this spell in battle, and, as far as I’m aware, this has not happened before. Perhaps she could reverse the spell?”
“Or perhaps we don’t reverse it.”
“What do you mean , do not reverse it? We are marching on Gronder Field in a week, and I cannot go out on the battlefield like this !”
“Don’t be so dramatic, Ferdinand. You’ve fought like this before; you could easily manage one more battle.”
“Not without proper armor! Mine will not fit anymore, and without it, I shall be exposed!”
“I’m sure I could convince the blacksmith to forge a new set before the battle.”
“Hubie…” Mercedes admonished.
“If it comes to it, that can be our back-up plan,” Ferdinand sighed. “But I would very much not like it to come to that.”
“It’s always good to have a back-up,” Mercedes said, “For now, however, let’s get you a change of clothes. Felix, you’re closest to his size, yes?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it,” Felix shook his head. “Come on.”
Felix left the training area, dragging a teenaged Ferdinand behind him.
“Hm…” Hubert mused.
“Hubie, are you still thinking about sending Ferdinand into battle as a teenager?”
“Of course. Preparedness is important, after all.”
Mercedes sighed and shook her head before looping her arm through Hubert’s and leading him out of the training area.
Ferdinand and Felix entered the dining hall later that day, Ferdinand wearing Felix’s spare clothes. Most all of the Black Eagles Strike Force turned and stared, but no one did any more than that. Ferdinand kept his head down as he and Felix grabbed their dinners.
“Did you approach Dorothea on the subject? Please tell me you did,” Ferdinand pleaded. “I would not like to resort to Hubert’s plan.”
“Oh, they did,” Dorothea said, taking a seat as if summoned by Ferdinand’s words. “And I am going to help you fix your mistake, Fe. So, first things first: how’d you do it?”
“No clue,” Felix said.
“Hmm. That poses quite a large problem.”
“You think?”
“But I suppose we could try and... reenact the events leading up to it.”
“And how would we do that , exactly?”
“Set up the scene exactly as it happened earlier. From there, we try and discern how you screwed up Thoron so badly , Fe.”
“That is an excellent plan!” Ferdinand smiled. “Let us get started right away!”
“We should wait until tomorrow, Ferdie. It’s late, and we’ve just eaten dinner.”
“Oh, right. Yes, let us wait until tomorrow. Thank you, Dorothea!”
It was bright and early the next morning, and Mercedes, Dorothea, and Hubert were all waiting in the training area for Felix and Ferdinand to arrive.
“They are late,” Hubert grumbled. “We have important meetings to attend, and we can’t spend all day waiting around for them.”
“I know we can’t, Hubie,” Mercedes said. “But those meetings aren’t now , are they?”
“No, not now. But soon. And it would not do for us to be late.”
“We won’t be, Hubie,” Dorothea said. “Have a little faith.”
Just then, Felix and Ferdinand walked into the training grounds, Ferdinand wearing the same thing he was yesterday.
“We’re here,” Felix announced. “And we’re ready.”
“Perfect,” Dorothea said. “Now, let’s get started.”
Felix and Ferdinand grabbed the weapons they used yesterday, and took up spots in the middle of the training grounds. Then, they began sparring as they did yesterday. After a few minutes of sword-against-lance combat, Felix threw his sword aside and cast Thoron. Once the blinding flash cleared, the three onlookers observed the results.
Ferdinand was still a teenager.
“So the spell had no effect,” Dorothea sighed.
“Well...we do not know that,” Ferdinand said. “He could have replicated the spell; it just had no effect! Let us try another target. Hubert! Why not you?”
“ No ,” Hubert answered. “Absolutely not. I have meetings to attend to today, and I will not be attending as a twenty-year-old.”
“You are only twenty-five. Personally, I do not see what difference it will make. After all, if you say I can go into battle at seventeen, you can easily do your shady dealings at twenty.”
“Ferdie’s right, Hubie,” Dorothea ushered, pushing him onto the training grounds. “Besides, if you help us out, you can go to your meetings quicker.”
“Fine,” he conceded. “Let’s get this over with.”
Felix prepared and cast another Thoron, and found the effect was the same as last time: Hubert was magically de-aged.
“So, the spell did have the same effect,” Ferdinand mused.
“You think?” Felix asked.
“I think I know what the problem is,” Dorothea said, a look of realization dawning on her face. “Felix, what words are you reciting for the spell?”
“ A trabe fugit iuuentus ,” Felix said.
“Felix, you’ve been reciting the words wrong. It’s a trabe tonitru fugit. ”
“Oh.”
“Well, is there a way we can fix this?” Mercedes asked.
“Perhaps we don’t fix it,” Hubert said.
“What do you mean?”
“This could be a strategic advantage for us. If we are going to be fighting against former classmates down at Gronder, then we shall fool them. Make them think that those of us who look as we did in our academy days are ghosts of the war. Stun them long enough for our troops to take them down ourselves.”
“Hubie...oh, if you are seriously considering proposing this, then we should at least find a way to reverse this spell. How did you learn what words to recite for your spells, Dorothea?”
“The tombs have the words we need to recite,” she shrugged. “But I’ve spotted Linhardt reading a dictionary on the language before.”
“Well, then, let’s go find that.”
The group headed out of the training grounds to the library. There, they found the dictionary Dorothea spoke of and the solution to their problem. After that, they had little time before the War Council was to begin.
“Lady Edelgard, if I may?” Hubert spoke once the discussions for strategy began. “I do believe I have something that may work.”
“Well, let’s hear it,” Edelgard said, leaning forward.
“This would work better as a demonstration. Felix, if you will?”
“On it,” Felix sighed, standing up. Hubert got up as well, and both took up a position at opposite ends of the War Council room. Felix once again cast the incorrect Thoron, and when everyone could see, they were shocked to find that Hubert had been turned back into his twenty-year-old self.
“Surprised?” he asked, and everyone murmured some variation of ‘yes’. “Good. This is exactly the reaction our foes will have when we face them on the battlefield like this.”
“So you are suggesting,” Edelgard ventured, “that we use this spell on our entire army.”
“Not our entire army, Lady Edelgard. Only a select few. This way, they will believe that the stress of the war and the guilt of killing their friends has finally driven them mad. We can then conquer the battlefield swifter than ever before.”
“And is this reversible?”
“See for yourself.”
Felix cast the reversal spell ( a trabe provolat aetatem ), and soon, Hubert was back to his normal self.
Edelgard mulled it over for a few seconds before speaking again. “I will need to discuss this with my valet for a few minutes. We will call you back in once we have finished.”
Everyone stood up, stretched, and left the room to take care of some other business.
“Do you truly think Edelgard will agree to this plan?” Ferdinand asked.
“Who knows?” Dorothea sighed.
“And you’re really willing to go to Gronder looking like this ?” Edelgard looked at Hubert, shocked.
“Of course. I’ve always been excellent at haunting my foes, after all.”