Chapter Text
Claude remembered Fodlan.
Ever since he was a kid, he had vivid memories of another world, a world with magic and pegasi and wyverns, a world with nobles and kings and emperors, a world with a war that he’d fought in and won. He remembered the names and faces of his allies, and his enemies. He remembered flying on the back of a wyvern, a mystical bow in hand as he shot down his enemies, and the wind blowing in his face. All of it felt real to him, as real as the normal life he lived. But he knew that in his normal life, he’d done none of those things.
He was just an average boy, he’d never fought in any war or fired an arrow because he was just a kid. A kid who went to school like any other and had a relatively normal family. In this world, there was no magic or pegasi or wyverns, those things were only in works of fantasy and fairy tales. Nobles and kings and emperors were considered to be from years past, still existing in a sense but not having any power. The allies and enemies never were real people, as far as he knew he was the only person who’d ever known about Fodlan. Even though the memories grew in number as he got older, he was about to give in to the possibility that it was all something he’d made up in his head his entire life.
At least, until he was ten years old.
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It had been an ordinary Saturday, Claude had gone off to the local park with no real plans in particular. He figured he’d just kill some time until it got too late to stay out or until he got bored, maybe watch the clouds roll by while he thought about that fantastical world he’d made up in his head, but fate decided to take a different turn.
When he got there, the park had been pretty empty, and it seemed like it would stay that way until he heard a voice.
“Claude? Is that you?”
He froze in front of the swingset. He knew that voice. But it wasn’t one he recognized in this life, this was a voice he knew from the other world, one he had only heard in Fodlan. He turned around to the sound of the voice, a boy around his age with purple hair and purple eyes. He’d never met this boy before, but he instantly knew who he was.
“Yuri?”
The boy smirked. “So you do remember. Here I thought I was the only one.”
Yuri Leclerc, a man who had gathered connections and an information network throughout Fodlan, the leader of a house called the Ashen Wolves at a school that didn’t exist, an ally and a friend. Claude remembered him well. And he remembered Claude as well.
“So it’s not just something I made up, Fodlan was real. Everything that happened there was real.”
Yuri chuckled. “It was very much real. I guess I have some explaining to do.”
The two of them sat down on a bench as Yuri told him everything. Just like him, Yuri remembered everything about their past life. He remembered the Ashen Wolves, the war against Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire, all of it. He’d thought he was the only one, had nearly convinced himself it was something he made up, until he’d met someone else from that world.
At six years old, he’d met Hapi, another member of the Ashen Wolves. Unlike him however, she didn’t remember anything about her past life. Yuri had been a stranger to her when they met, but she still became his friend. Despite the fact that she didn’t remember anything, he’d found that Hapi had still been basically the same. She quickly started calling him Yuri bird, just as she’d done before. She didn’t sigh often, though it was for reasons much different than their last life. She’d even had knowledge of the stars just as she did before. She was different, but the same.
Yuri never told her about her past life, he figured if she didn’t remember then it was for the best. Plus she’d probably think he was crazy, talking about a world like Fodlan and saying she was there too. He felt it was best that she be left in ignorance, she’d be happier that way. Of course, that wouldn’t stop him from looking for the rest of the Ashen Wolves. If he and Hapi had been reborn into this world, Constance and Balthus must have as well.
“I did manage to learn about Constance,” he explained. “She’s a child actress, or is trying to be one at least. From the interviews I found, it seems like she doesn’t fully remember her past life.”
Claude raised an eyebrow at that. “Fully?”
“She mentioned at one point that she has dreams of a fantasy world, and that she bases her acting off of them,” Yuri said. “And from the sounds of them, those dreams could only be her old memories trying to surface. At least that’s my guess. I’d have to actually meet her to find out. I haven’t found Balthus though, granted he could take some time considering how much older he is. Hapi and I met through circumstance, really. Just as you and I have, I doubt you’ve met anyone else from Fodlan?”
Claude shook his head. “You’re the first person I’ve met. I was about to resign myself to believing it was all made up actually. But knowing that you’re around makes me feel like everyone else is, us meeting like this had to be fate,” A feeling of hope swelled in his chest. The others had to be brought back to this world too. It was only a matter of finding them. “We should meet up more often, talk about the good old days and update us on our findings.”
Yuri frowned, letting out a sigh. “That’s not possible. I’m not staying here for much longer.”
“You’re leaving? But why?”
“Even though we’ve been reborn into a new world and happier lives, I’ve noticed that while some things change, others stay similar if not outright the same,” Yuri explained, barely sounding like a ten year old. “For example, Hapi ran away from home though she doesn’t tell me why. She did the same in Fodlan, leaving her village behind in the hopes she’d find a better life. Meanwhile, I’m stuck in the foster care system, going from one home to the next. Not too unlike how in Fodlan I took different names and lived with different nobles to reach my goals. Similar circumstances, though not exactly the same. I can only assume your life has had those similarities as well?”
Claude thought for a moment. He’d never really thought of it before, but there were some similarities between his former life and this one. His parents had eloped despite disapproval from his mother’s side, and while he was no longer a prince facing assassination attempts there was one thing that didn’t go away even with a new world. He didn’t want to dwell on it now though. “Maybe. It’s not like I told you about myself back then so you can’t say for sure.” he said with a smirk.
Yuri shrugged his shoulders. “You always were fond of those secrets of yours. Anyway, my current foster family lives far away from here, I’m moving to their place in the next few days. Our meet-up was just luck.”
“It’s not luck, it’s fate,” Claude said, repeating an old line of his from a lifetime ago. “Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t keep in touch. We have phones after all,” He took out a piece of paper and a tiny pencil from his coat pocket, scribbling his number on it and handing it to Yuri. “There, now there’s no excuse. You and I are the only ones who remember Fodlan and the people from it, we have to stick together. Besides, this way we can let each other know if we’ve found anyone we’re looking for.”
Yuri took the paper and stashed it into his own coat pocket. “True. Anyone in particular I should keep an eye out for? I’m sure you want to find all the Golden Deer, but there must be someone in particular you’re looking for?”
Claude didn’t even need to think about that one. Of course there were multiple people he wanted to find, but one in particular stood out to him. One who always appeared in his memories more often than the others. One who made his heart skip a beat. “I think you know who that is.” he said.
Yuri just smirked. “I figured it was her. I’ll keep my eye out for her,” He stood up from the bench, clearly getting ready to leave. They’d spent a long time talking about the past, the sky had begun to turn orange from dusk setting in. “Though I don’t think you’ll have too much of a problem with her.”
Claude stood up as well, knowing he’d have to head home as well. “And that means?”
“Call it a hunch, but I think those of us from Fodlan are drawn towards each other, memories or no memories. Hapi and I met by chance, but she approached me and became my friend. And I chose to come to this park on one of those hunches alone. Wherever the others are, I’m sure you won’t have trouble with them.”
Claude knew he was right. He wasn’t sure how he knew, he just did. Perhaps it was his own hunch. The two of them parted ways, and Claude made it back home with the thoughts of his past life swimming through his head. Fodlan was real, maybe not in this world but it was real. Real enough for him and Yuri to remember it. That alone was enough to strengthen his resolve for years.
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As it turns out, years would be how long it would take to find anyone else.
Claude kept looking. Out on the streets, at school, anywhere he went he tried looking for someone he knew a lifetime ago. But it started to feel like his meeting with Yuri really had been nothing more than luck. They kept in touch, eventually switching from phones to Skype, and of course they spoke about the past. Most of their conversations consisted of it. Eventually, Yuri mentioned that he’d met Constance properly. Just as he thought, her dreams were of Fodlan, but her memories weren’t there. The dreams didn’t give her the entire picture, just scattered moments that weren’t near enough to have her remember.
“I managed to convince her to tell me about her dreams,” Yuri told him one night, when Claude was 15 years old. “It’s amazing how she can’t actually remember that they happened though, sometimes they get so vivid it’s a wonder she doesn’t get it yet.”
Claude laughed. “Well, that’s Constance for you,” A thought crossed his mind, one that had been gnawing at him for a while. “Hey Yuri, do you think it’s possible for her to remember everything? I mean, the dreams are clearly the same things we remember, so it’s possible right?”
Yuri went silent for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “I’m not sure. It’s possible, but we don’t have much to work on. It’s different from Hapi though, I doubt she’ll ever remember. It’s been so many years that I think she’s just better off the way she is.”
“Have you ever thought to try and get Constance to remember?” Claude asked, taking a sip from the can of cola he’d gotten out of the fridge earlier.
Yuri went silent again. “Claude, you’re not asking this because of Constance are you?”
“Can’t hide anything from you when it comes to this, huh?”
“No, your usual tight lips seem to get loose when we talk about this,” He could hear the smile in Yuri’s voice. “But it’s clear that you want to know because of her.”
While his question easily gave off his intentions, he wasn’t about to be obvious with his emotions. Even though secrecy wasn’t needed in this life, old habits die hard. Claude spoke calmly. “I mean, she’s out there somewhere, I just know it. But I won’t know if she remembers until we meet.”
“Just don’t get your hopes up, okay?” Yuri asked. “For now I’m going to let Constance think it’s all just dreams. If there’s any sign she might remember something, I’ll let you know.”
“I know you will.”
Three years passed and things didn’t seem to change. Nothing ever seemed to trigger Constance’s memory, not that Claude ever asked. He figured Yuri would tell him if it did. Claude eventually found himself going to college in another city, he did well enough to get accepted into a pretty good school. And while he hoped he’d find someone he knew there, as his parents drove up with him to help him get settled in, he’d find more than he expected.
As he wandered around the campus, he noticed familiar faces. A lot of familiar faces. They didn’t notice him, all of them too preoccupied with other things to pay attention to other students, but he noticed them. Mercedes and Annette were sitting on a bench, laughing about something Mercedes was showing on her phone. Raphael and Leonie were arm wrestling at a picnic table, stuck in a stalemate. Marianne was sitting underneath the shade of a tree, feeding the nearby animals with a smile on his face. He was so caught up with watching the others that he ended up bumping into someone and knocking them over.
“Woah, sorry about that! Wasn’t paying attention to where I was going! You need any help there-”
“Claude?”
He looked down at who he’d knocked over, seeing none other than Ignatz lying there in front of him. And from the tone of his voice and the stunned look in his eye it was clear that he also remembered. Claude smiled as he held his hand out for him to take. “Good to see you, Ignatz.”
He pulled the startled artist up to his feet, helping him collect the notebooks and sketchpads he’d dropped. It was clear that he had a lot he wanted to say and ask, but Claude knew now wasn’t the time. As he had done so years before, he pulled out a scrap of paper and a pencil and scrawled out his phone number on it, giving it to Ignatz. “You seem a bit busy right now. Text me later and I’ll fill you in on the details.”
Ignatz took the paper, nodding silently in agreement. They definitely had some information to exchange. He put it away in his bag and rushed off, Claude watching him go. It was a comfort, knowing a third person remembered. He’d have to tell Yuri later about it.
“Lorenz, please stop talking, you’re giving me a headache!”
“I take all the trouble to come to the same university as you two and this is the thanks I get? Unbelievable!”
“Oh lighten up, I’m sure she’s happy to see you again after all this time, she’s just joking!”
Claude heard a trio of familiar voices behind him, and he swore his heart would stop at the sound of them. He turned around, spotting a group of three walking down the pathway.
The first was the sole man in the group, with dark purple hair tied in a ponytail that trailed down his right shoulder and a rose shaped pin on the left side of his no doubt expensive jacket. Lorenz.
The second was a bubbly young woman, her pink hair tied into long pigtails that accentuated her innocent image. Hilda.
The third, directly in the center of the group, was the one person he’d been searching for for the past eight years. Long, wavy brown hair framed her face, a purple t-shirt standing out among her black pants and hoodie. It was her, no doubt about it. It was Katrina.
Katrina von Richter, the woman whose memory had haunted him from a young age. In his past life, he’d come to know her rather well thanks to her family insisting on an arranged marriage, and the two of them had fallen in love. While the war had led to complications, they’d managed to reunite after five years and fought side by side during the war. She was the woman he’d married, let her know his secrets, and the most clear thing in his memories of Fodlan. Seeing her all these years, he’d still fallen in love with her and had hoped to find her again, and there she was. Standing in front of him. Eighteen years he’d lived in this new world without her, and now, seeing her again yet for the first time, a part of him never wanted to be without her again.
As much as he wanted to talk to her, she was clearly busy arguing about something with Lorenz while Hilda tried to settle things. It just wasn’t the right time. All he could do was watch her pass by with a smile, the time would come when he could talk to her and learn if she remembered him or not. For now, he was simply happy to have finally found her.
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A few days passed as classes began and Claude settled himself into the campus life. He hadn’t heard from Ignatz yet and he was too busy to talk to Yuri, so any discussions would have to wait. But the moment came when he’d get to speak to Katrina.
He walked into a lecture hall for another new class, and as he searched for a place to sit he quickly found her reading a book waiting for class to start. No one was sitting next to her, it was perfect. Without hesitation, he walked up the stairs and made his way to where she sat, probably walking a bit too fast in the process.
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” he asked, hiding his excitement at finally getting to speak to her after so many years. He didn’t want to open up with anything about Fodlan, he had to find out if she remembered him through her own actions. He knew her well enough that he’d know if she recognized him.
She looked up from her book, realizing someone was talking to her and turned to face him. For a moment she didn’t say anything, just looking at him confused. He couldn’t gauge her reaction. Finally, she spoke. “Oh! Um, yeah! I mean, no, it’s not! You can sit there if you want.”
He smirked, still unsure as to whether she recognized him. “Thanks. Hopefully I won’t distract you too much.” He took his seat as she rolled her eyes at his comment. They sat there in silence, the uncertainty of her behavior eating him up on the inside. After some time, she finally closed her book and looked at him.
“Okay, look, this is gonna sound really stupid but I just have to ask! Do I...know you?”