Chapter Text
The cold winds of Fhirdiad blew over the landscape. The people were rebuilding what they could with the help of the Empire.
As Prime Minister Ferdinand von Aegir oversaw the reconstruction, he noticed something moving.
When he came closer, he saw a woman who appeared to be closing on her fifties. She would have been rather unremarkable, were it not for her bright green hair.
"Huh...?" Rhea mumbled as she looked at Ferdinand. The Prime Minister's eyes went wide the moment he recognized her. For the first time in who knows how long, he was shocked into silence. Rhea was alive.
But what came next shocked him even more.
"...Excuse me, but could you tell me where I am?" Rhea asked.
Ferdinand stammered for a moment. "I... Do you not know?"
Rhea shook her head. "No, I don't. Should I?"
"To be truthful, yes." Ferdinand said. "This is the ruins of Fhirdiad, the former capital of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Repairs are still underway, but this place hasn't been habitable for quite some time. Why are you here?"
Rhea looked at the ground. "I... I don't know. To be honest, your explanation went completely over my head."
Ferdinand stared at Rhea, completely dumbfounded.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, noticing his look. "Oh, I didn't get your name, did I? How rude of me. So, what is your name?"
"I am Ferdinand von Aegir. Prime Minister of the Adrestian Empire and second only to Emperor Edelgard."
Rhea winced upon hearing the Emperor's name. "'Edelgard'... Why does that sound so familiar...? Oh, my apologies, Ferdinand. I got lost in my own thoughts. I am..." She paused for a moment, as if trying to remember. "Rhea. That's right. How could I almost forget my own name?"
Once again, Ferdinand was shocked into silence.
Rhea looked at him, confused. "Ferdinand? Is everything alright? I didn't forget something important, did I? I introduced myself, I asked your name, what else could I be forgetting...?"
"I... No, you didn't forget anything." Ferdinand said. "It's just... Everyone thinks you died!"
Rhea was even more confused. "What exactly do you mean by 'everyone'? I don't know that many people, though I don't know how long I was laying there for, so I suppose your statement could ring true..."
Ferdinand extended his hand to Rhea. "Here, come with me... Let's get you out of the cold."
Rhea took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. "...Yes, I suppose that would be preferable. Thank you."
Ferdinand took Rhea inside and got her bundled up in front of a lit fireplace, before writing a letter to Edelgard about the situation and sending a messenger off with it. Once that was done, he prepared some tea for Rhea.
She continued resting and took a small sip of the tea. The blend, while not her favorite, was rather familiar to her.
Some time later, a soldier came into the room. "Miss, I was told to deliver this to you."
He gave her a letter. When she read it, she saw it stated she was to be transported to Enbarr, the Imperial capital.
"...Well, I don't know what else to do, so I suppose... Very well. Thank you, sir. I will depart immediately."
After the soldier left, Rhea finished her tea, thanked Ferdinand for his hospitality, and departed for Enbarr. Upon her arrival, the city was familiar to her, yet in a distorted way, to the point where it was almost unnerving. She shuddered, but decided to shake off the feeling of unease as she headed towards the castle. Once there, she came across a familiar black-haired archer.
She came up and introduced herself. "Hello, I am Rhea... I believe we may have met somewhere. Am I mistaken?"
The archer seemed confused. "You...don't remember me?"
Rhea shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It pains me that I've given that response more than once today. Alas, that is all I can offer."
"Do you remember...anything at all?" the archer asked.
Rhea thought for a moment. "I remember...some things, albeit barely. This city for example. Though, I remember it being...bigger...and the layout has changed. It's almost like a bad dream. Apart from that...not much, I'm afraid."
"Tell me what you DO remember."
"My name, Rhea. Also, another name, Catherine. Other names are familiar to me once mentioned, like Edelgard." Rhea winced upon hearing that name again, especially from her own lips. "Other than that...I'm not sure. It's all so...distorted."
The archer exhaled. "...I see... C'mere."
"Very well." Rhea said as she got closer, and the archer hugged her. She was very confused by this. "W-what...? What exactly are you doing?"
The archer let go of her and looked at her strangely. "...I understand your lack of memories, but I didn't expect you to forget what a hug is. Here, just wrap your arms around me, like this."
The archer guided Rhea's arms around her. It felt strangely soothing to Rhea.
"I see." Rhea said, starting to figure it out. "Thank you, Shamir."
She then paused. "...Is that your name? Shamir?"
Shamir nodded. "Yes it is. Now, hold your arms here for a few moments."
Shamir finished guiding Rhea's arms. Rhea could feel herself hugging Shamir, and Shamir returned it.
"...Such a strange feeling..." Rhea noted. "I'm quite fond of it."
They continued hugging for a little while before letting go of each other.
"I assume you're here to see the Emperor?" Shamir asked.
"I believe so, yes." Rhea answered, nodding.
"Then I'll take you to her." Shamir said, starting to walk away. "This way."
Rhea followed Shamir to the Emperor's office. When Shamir opened the pair of large double-doors, Rhea was "greeted" to the strangely painful sight of Emperor Edelgard, as well as Byleth and Hubert. It was as if they...did something to her.
"...I assume you are Edelgard." Rhea said. "Please, tell me what's happening. Everything feels so...strange."
Before Edelgard could open her mouth, Hubert and Byleth drew their weapons. However, Hubert went completely unnoticed to Rhea, as she heard the echoing shing of the Sword of the Creator.
Rhea's eyes went wide with fear. "No! Put that sword away! Now!"
The four of them looked at her, confused.
Rhea started to visibly shake from a mix of adrenaline and fear. "NOW!"
The four of them were even more confused, as Byleth sheathed the Sword of the Creator. Rhea took a few steps back before calming down enough to not attack if approached, then slunk to the ground crying, clearly still panicking slightly.
The others had no idea what to do. After a few moments, Rhea managed to shakily stand to her feet.
"I... I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." she managed. "Can we speak without that...thing...in the room?"
Byleth shook his head. "...I have relied on this blade for years. I cannot easily part with it."
Rhea shakily exhaled. "...V-very well, then. I...think I'll manage."
She took a few moments to regain her composure. "Can someone please explain what is happening to me? Everyone acts like they know me, but I can't remember most of them, and even then I don't remember anything about them. And this place... It's like a nightmare... I just want to know what happened."
"And we will tell you all that we know." Edelgard said. "At least, as much as you're willing to hear."
Rhea relaxed a little. She was finally going to get some answers. "Please do. I am ready to listen."
Edelgard helped Rhea ease into a chair before starting to talk about historical accounts of eons ago, about the war against King Nemesis, before talking about the events of the recent war and Rhea's actions then. Rhea noticed that she felt something like a mix of angry, afraid, and appalled as she heard Edelgard talk. Almost as if she couldn't believe she did these things.
"No... That can't be right..." Rhea said. "Please, I need the truth, now more than ever."
Edelgard shook her head. "These are what the records say. History cannot be altered as easily as you wish for it to be."
"But... Did...did I really...?" Rhea asked, starting to freak out. "No, there's no way... Is there?"
She helplessly looked at Shamir, as if begging her to contradict Edelgard.
Shamir shook her head. "...I'm sorry."
Rhea released the breath she realized she was holding. "...I-I wish to figure things out for myself. I thank you for giving me a starting point, as unsettling as it was."
Edelgard nodded, and Rhea stood up. "...Well, if that is all, I shall be on my way."
She started to walk out, but Hubert's voice seemed to stop her in her tracks.
"You are mistaken. You will not be leaving." he coldly stated.
Rhea turned back. "Why not, if you don't mind me asking? I was called here for answers, was I not?"
Edelgard nodded. "You were, though I suspect Hubert has...ulterior motives for you."
Rhea was silent. She noticed Shamir was blocking the main exit, so she dashed down one of the halls on either side of the throne room, panicking again. A moment later, she felt herself being restricted by dark magic.
"Ugh... This...feeling..." Though the magic proved ineffective, Rhea still collapsed on the floor.
Hubert walked up, soldiers behind him. "We have no need of her at this time. Take her away."
The soldiers picked Rhea up and bound her hands together.
"...Why?" Rhea asked. "What is there for you to gain with this...?"
"You were once the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros." Hubert said. "Having you beneath our heel will prevent such a theocracy from rising again."
"I... I don't understand..." Rhea said as she was being taken away.
"Your crimes against humanity are far more drastic than you could ever know." Hubert continued. "You are in no position to desire answers from anyone."
The soldiers then rounded a corner, and Rhea could no longer see Hubert or his malevolent, sadistic grin.
Once Rhea was in a cell, she started talking, though not to anyone in particular.
"Do I truly deserve this...?" she asked. "I don't remember doing those things, but... No. He has no right to do this. People can change... I can change... I'll just have to prove it to him."
She walked up to the bars, leaning against them. She was surprised to discover that the bars bent slightly against her body. She then pulled at the bars, casually bending them out of her way, sending the guards into a state of surprised panic.
"Don't worry, I'll be back here soon enough." Rhea said. "I just require a bit of a stroll."
She suddenly disappeared for a brief window of time, and the guards quickly lost sight of her.
When she reappeared outside, she went on her stroll to clear her head. She heard soldiers running everywhere a few minutes later and deducted that her breakout was reported.
"Well, I guess that's that." Rhea said as she started to warp back. "I hope this works."
She warped back to her cell. By the time Hubert arrived to access the situation, the guards were searching high and low, but he found Rhea sitting quietly in her cell, the bars still bent out of place.
"Hello again, Hubert." she said calmly. "I don't intend on going anywhere if that's what you deem necessary, but I do not wish to be imprisoned here."
She smiled warmly, which irritated him. "I do hope this proves my point."
"Your wishes are irrelevant to me." Hubert said.
"Is that so?" Rhea asked. "I had thought you reasonable."
Hubert's response was to take Rhea to another cell, force her down on her knees, and tightly bind her arms to chains. Realizing what was going on, Rhea couldn't maintain her facade of kindness any longer.
"You really think you have the right to choose for others?" Rhea asked. "You truly think that you are above consequences? There's a special place in hell for people like you."
Hubert gave that same malevolent, sadistic smirk. "With all due respect--of which there is none--I was not the one who manipulated an entire continent for personal gain for a thousand years."
Rhea was silent for a moment. His comment had struck her deeply. "I... I want to move past that... Can't you see? I'm trying not to be what Edelgard described, but you are making that difficult."
She started to snap at him, as her hatred started to bubble to the surface. "Why can't you see that?! I don't want that to be me! It sickens me to my very core! I don't care if you hate me or what I might've done, it's not right! I DON'T REMEMBER! So why?! Why are you insistent on treating me this way?! ANSWER ME!!!"
"Whether you remember your actions or not, they are still set in stone. And they can never be truly undone." Hubert responded.
"LET ME TRY!" Rhea insisted. "If I can't, then throw me back in this cell, but I won't stand back and watch! I REFUSE!"
"We exposed the truth to Fodlan, and you sought to grind us into dust." Hubert coldly told her. "You've lost your chance at redemption."
With that, Hubert left, leaving Rhea bound and helpless.
Rhea lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "Please..."
She cried herself to sleep in the cell.