Chapter Text
Byleth Eisner's life was never as simple as she wished it could be. She was one of the curators at Enbarr's most prized museum: the Imperial Palace. Such a job seemed daunting, but it's easy when one's familiar with the grounds and artifacts. And she's had far more harrowing jobs before. When she took the job at the museum, she thought she was just going to be a tour guide. But her knowledge of the place and its former residents got her promoted quickly. She just wanted something simple, dammit.
For once in her hundreds of lives, she just wanted something simple.
This life was apparently trying very hard to rival her first life.
“What…the fuck.”
Edelgard cocked her head to one side, eyeing her former professor with confusion. “Something has…happened,” she stated, blunt as she always was.
“Yeah, no shit!” Byleth exclaimed, running her hands through her hair as she tried to piece together what was going on. One minute, she was alone in the throne room of a palace-turned-museum. Standing before a solitary candle marking the spot where she once was forced to strike down her old student because of some stupid war and now…now…
That same student knelt in place of that candle, exactly how she had been moments before Byleth’s sword split her skull in half.
Edelgard frowned, mostly at the exasperated tone. She looked Byleth up and down - who looked considerably less threatening now than she did mere seconds ago. Edelgard had closed her eyes on a hardened mercenary, dressed to the nines in gaudy religious garb and wielding the most terrifying weapon in history. Now… She was wearing some kind of jacket - and using the sleeves properly - and had smooth, pristine pants and heels. There wasn’t a speck of dirt or blood on her, and rather than a weapon of incredible destruction she had a rectangular bag, strap slung over one shoulder.
Enough ogling her old professor… She glanced around and, yes, it was still the throne room. But…it was also different. The banners were wrong. There was a different rug. There were these strange…glowing orbs positioned at the top of each pillar, shining artificial light along the central nave. All of the chandeliers were outfitted with similar-looking lights. They weren’t real candles, she could tell that much.
Slowly, she pushed herself up to her feet, an undignified grunt leaving her lips as her body strained under her injuries. That was easier said than done - she had been using the Sword of Seiros as a crutch moments ago, but now it has vanished into thin air.
Byleth took a step back, subconsciously reaching for a sword that wasn’t there. “It’s…alright, my Teacher,” Edelgard breathed, “I doubt…I could give you…much of a fight…”
“Right. You…you’re injured,” Byleth remembered, “We would have just fought…”
Edelgard narrowed her eyes. “You don’t…remember?”
“I…” Byleth gulped nervously, shifting back and forth on her feet anxiously. She tightened her grip on the strap of her laptop bag, and drew a deep breath. Might as well rip the bandaid off. “It’s been… 850 years since our last battle, Edelgard.”
Edelgard blinked. Byleth assumed she was in shock, but then she looked around the throne room once more. “The palace…still stands after all this time?” she wondered softly.
“You…you’re not… Freaked out by this?” Byleth stammered.
“I am… Processing it,” Edelgard admitted, “I imagine…it will hit me when I’m…in better shape.”
“Oh shit, right. Here.” Without thinking, Byleth stepped forward and gently pressed her hand on one of Edelgard’s most concerning injuries. She tapped into magic she hadn’t needed to use in centuries, surprised at how easily it all came back. Healing magic spread through the Emperor’s body, and it wasn’t until most of the wounds were closed up that Byleth realized she had just healed the woman who she had been fighting to the death against.
She leapt back, drawing the only weapon she had on her: a small pocket knife. Edelgard regarded the weapon in curiosity more than anything. Although Byleth did see her reach for where her dagger had been on her belt, only to discover it wasn’t there. ‘Of course it’s not,’ she thought to herself in relief, ‘That dagger is in the Flame Emperor exhibit.’
“I’m not going to kill you,” Edelgard said simply, taking her eyes off the knife and focusing on Byleth’s face, “Not that I could. I appear to be unarmed. For some reason.”
“O…ok,” Byleth stuttered, still not quite ready to lower the knife, “Erm…why?”
Edelgard shrugged. “If this truly is the future, then I find myself here without any kind of guide, and loathe as I am to admit it, I will likely need one of those. You seem to know what’s going on.” Her eyes narrowed again. “And you’re here, too. I suppose that means you cannot die, even if I tried.”
“Well, technically I still could…” Byleth began, before shutting her mouth. “Ok, so… I accept your truce,” she said, lowering the knife and tucking it back in her pocket, “I…I suppose I should… Oh goddess, what am I going to do?”
“Well, that depends,” Edelgard said, assuming that dignified air only an Emperor could pull off, “In this future, would something like the tyrannical Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg magically reappearing be received well, or would you rather keep such a thing a secret?”
Byleth’s eyes widened slightly. “I…” she stammered, before looking away nervously, “You were never a tyrant.”
“You don’t have to lie to me, Professor,” Edelgard told her with a small, sad smile, “How does history view me? A monster? A madwoman? A visionary who lost her vision in all the bloodshed? There’s no need to sugarcoat it - I already know how I must have looked.”
“Misunderstood.”
“…What?”
“I…” Byleth blushed, awkwardly rubbing one arm. “I found…notes. In your office, after…” She gulped, and continued anxiously, “I found letters and drawings and diaries and drafts… I pieced together what happened to you. I made sure the world knew. I picked up where you left off. I couldn’t let the things that happened to you keep happening. Edelgard…the world we live in now wouldn’t exist were it not for you. You were a… troublesome political figure. But ultimately you were good. I made sure the people knew that.”
Edelgard stared at her, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Eventually, she broke her gaze away, turning and covering her mouth with one hand. “I…” she muttered. She quickly wiped away something on her cheek.
“Look… We should get out of here before someone sees you,” Byleth said, suddenly worried she had said something wrong.
Edelgard turned, and there was a smile on her face. “Yes. Lead the way, my Teacher,” she said softly.
Byleth nodded, feeling something wonderful stir in her chest at such a beautiful sight. “Ok. Let’s head to my car. I’ve got a spare room in my apartment - you can sleep there until we get things sorted out. I should have some spare clothes you can borrow, too.”
“I…I trust you, Professor,” Edelgard said, the slight stammer in her voice the only betrayal of her confidence, “I just have one question.”
“I’ll do my best to answer it.”
“…What’s a ‘car’?”
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I came up with the AU on my Tumblr, and it has since snowballed into something large enough I thought I'd share it here. I won't post everything - just the things that could become an actual story. If you're at all interested in more of the worldbuilding details, feel free to check them out on my blog here