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Byleth was awake. Despite the mass amounts of alcohol she drank the night before, her mind was clear and already busy. At the beginning of the feast, Count Gloucester had announced he would approve the ceasefire. As he put it; he could not very well disappoint the younger generations, now could he? The news was well received and a final draft would have to be written before it could be presented to the Leicester Alliance and signed, but it would open the way for longer talks that could begin trade and cultural exchanges. Byleth knew Khalid was far happier with that result than his new status.

In private, he admitted to her that he felt he didn’t deserve it. She did all of the work in the arena to gain the support of locals and foreigners alike, even if she had to beat them in a fight for it. But Byleth pointed out that it was his persistence in the talks that finally pulled Count Gloucester around. If he liked, he could attribute the success to both of them, but she would not allow him to belittle his hard work.

And it also didn’t mean the work was done. As crown prince, Khalid would have a lot more studying to do topped with expectations. King Xerxes was still in good health, so it wasn’t as if he would be crowned any time soon. And they still had the twins to worry about. Khalid had actually smiled then and kissed her and told her he wasn’t worried if she was by his side.

With a sigh, Byleth rolled over to look up at Khalid. His eyes were still closed and his breathing was slow. Her prince had many faces, but this gentle one was only ever seen in his sleep. With one hand, she reached out and brushed his hair away from his face. Memories of how it’d looked pained and bloody returned and her scalp prickled. He said he’d loved her. Love.. The emotion was still foreign to her. It wasn’t as if she spent hours reading about it and listening to others talk about it. Her students had come to her before seeking advice, but matters of the heart were not Byleth’s forte and they quickly learned that, while well-meaning, she had no experience in romance. It wasn’t because mercenaries couldn’t, but most of her father’s group were older than herself with families of their own. And there just hadn’t been time or place for it anywhere else.

Still, Byleth did know that Khalid’s death had hurt differently. Not the way that Lady Tiana’s death had. Or the way the death of her comrades or her students did. She knew she looked forward to seeing him every day, no matter how short their time was together. By now, she knew his mannerisms as well as her own. Not out of necessity, but simply because she spent so much time watching him how could she not? During her duels, there was a different kind of drive behind her. It was as if she were fighting for something for the first time. Is that love? She recalled how the king and queen looked at each other. Do we look the same? She wasn’t sure. If I said it, would he return those words? Or was it simply said in the moment?

Khalid’s hand caught hers and his eyelids fluttered open. Green eyes watched her curiously. Bringing it to his lips, he kissed her knuckles slowly, resting on the ring on her finger. Byleth felt herself grow warm, but she didn’t pull away.

“What’s got you worried so much?” He asked after a moment. Releasing her hand, he reached towards her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. Byleth blinked up at him. He smiled and kissed her forehead gently. “You can’t fool me, you know.” Sighing, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. It’s still going .

“The twins staged a coup in the palace.” Beside her, Khalid stiffened. In a quiet voice, she told him about how Cyril had been kidnapped and she’d rushed off to find him. That the kidnapper, or at least the person waiting for her, was the bandit from months before. And that, when she returned, the residents and guests had already been slaughtered. She left out the part of him telling her he loved her. When she finished, he remained silent for a while longer. Byleth wondered what was going on in his mind.

“How much time did you turn?”

“Not too much.” His arms tightened around her and she shifted in the bed to take his head in her hands. “Never too much, Khalid.” At those words, his protest died on his lips and he simply sighed before leaning in to kiss her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer and pressed herself against him. Khalid groaned and his hands slipped lower.

“Mm. We should get up.” Byleth murmured and Khalid tried and failed to hide his smile. Leaning forward, he kissed her shoulder gently.

“But we don’t have to.” In his opinion, it’d already been a productive morning all around. They talked and loved and, really, that was all he could ever want. It was a wonder why anyone ever did anything else. When his lady groaned and rolled over to bury her face in his chest, he chuckled and hugged her.

“You’re terrible.”

“Yes, yes.” Running his fingers through her hair, he marveled at how soft it was. Of course, he thought her calloused hands were lovely as well, but it was a surprise to him at how neat and clean she’d been when she arrived. Later she explained it was because Jeralt insisted that, just because they were a mercenary group, didn’t mean they needed to smell like the great outdoors all the time. Naturally they endured it when the job required, but afterwards it was into the bathhouses for all of them. Nothing like a good meal after cleaning up to finish a successful mission.

“Well, if you want-” A knock on the door cut him off. Lifting his head, he raised his voice slightly. “Yes?”

“Your Highness, Lord Nader has returned.” Khalid raised an eyebrow. He’d been expecting Nader, of course. But not for another couple weeks or so. “Very well.” During the warmer months, Almyra’s fiercest general spent his days at sea keeping pirates off their coasts.

“Perhaps he heard about your ascension,” Byleth suggested as they dressed. Although the way she said it made Khalid think she didn’t fully believe it either. Word traveled fast, sure, but overnight? And Nader would not leave his post so hastily as to merely congratulate him.

“Or something’s happened.” Khalid didn’t receive a response.

Nader was hugging Tiana as Khalid and Byleth approached. Xerxes looked pleased as well. Nader had been the king’s retainer when he was a prince and helped the man take the throne. He also taught Khalid everything he knew about combat. Normally, he would have been thrilled to see Nader. But something in Khalid didn’t sit right.

“Hey, Kiddo.” When Nader turned and smiled, clapping Khalid on the shoulder, a shiver went up the prince’s spine. Ignoring it for the moment, he grinned and gripped Nader’s forearm firmly.

“Good to see you, Nader.” Drawing Byleth closer, he held her. “This is my fiancee, Byleth.” At the word, her face tinged red, but she stepped forward to shake hands with the general. Beside them, the king and queen exchanged smiles as they clasped hands. “What brings you back so soon? Who else could scare away the pirates?” Nader laughed.

“Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine without me for a few days. I was going to come back for a while anyway. So many people, how could I miss out on all the fun?” He turned to Byleth. “I heard I missed out on a good show from you, m’lady. Perhaps you’d be willing to spar with an old man one of these days?” Byleth offered a slight smile that Khalid knew meant her own alarm bells were going off.

“I’d be happy to, Sir.” Well, at least I’m not the only one . Since the three of them missed breakfast, they took brunch out in one of the gardens. Nader regaled them with tales of all the fights he recently had and asked for details on the challenge Byleth had issued.

“What?! You kept switching weapons throughout?” Nader’s eyes widened. Like all Almyrans, Nader possessed skill in a variety of combat. Namely close combat, marksmanship, and swordsmanship. To be proficient in more than that was truly an impressive feat. “Now I really wish I could’ve seen it.” The man gave Khalid a look of annoyance and the prince shrugged. He hadn’t known what Byleth’s ‘out’ would be when their deception was caught. Which would happen, Khalid knew.

“Even if you’d come, you wouldn’t have been able to compete.” He teased his mentor. Nader just laughed.

“Who says?”

“Oh? Is there something you haven’t told me?” Khalid raised an eyebrow. “Are you an unmarried woman? The unmarried part isn’t all that surprising, but womanhood…” Nader frowned.

“I thought it was an open challenge?”

“No. It was only for the eligible ladies.” Byleth corrected Nader while calmly pouring herself another cup of tea. Khalid made a mental note to ask what kind it was later. His lady seemed to like it a great deal.

“Well, such a feat deserves a reward.” Nader wiggled his eyebrows at Khalid. The prince felt his face grow hot. “How would you like to come sailing, Princess?”

“Aren’t there pirates?” Byleth raised an eyebrow and Nader laughed.

“A fight at sea is the best part of sailing.” His eyes glowed with that familiar excitement and, for a moment, Khalid wondered why he felt such unease when in the man’s presence. But then it faded and so did the question. If he was going to survive, he’d need to start learning to trust his instincts better. The last time he hadn’t… 

“Well, then I’d be happy to.” Brunch finished and Nader bid them farewell. Supposedly, he had meetings with the king to attend to. According to the general, Xerxes was willing to overlook the sudden visit in favor of shuffling paperwork that needed to be done and would be forced upon Nader so Xerxes could go out for a ride with Tiana. The king also just seemed to be in a good mood all around. Byleth smiled when Khalid told her.

“Your father really loves your mother.” There was a faraway look in the depths of her blue eyes and Khalid wondered what she was thinking. As they reached his office, he took her hand.

“What do you plan on doing today?”

“Packing.” She blinked up at him and he smiled. His heart felt warm and light. “Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering if you wanted to come in.”

“So you can avoid drafting the ceasefire?” Byleth raised an eyebrow and he flushed red.

“Well, that’s- I didn’t- wasn’t the only reason…” Slowly, she leaned forward and Khalid closed his eyes. Her lips brushed against his cheek and disappointment sank his heart. Just a little.

“I’ll look over it when you’re done.” When he opened his eyes, he saw a twinkle of amusement in hers. “Have fun.” Turning, she made to walk away and Khalid caught her arm.

“Hold on now.” Dragging her closer, he kissed her deeply until she clung to him as desperately as he wanted to hold her. Pulling away, he smirked. “I’ll see you later.” With that, he slipped into his office. He had to admit, the dazed look on her face was satisfying. He also had to admit that, if he hadn’t pulled away then, he would’ve taken her in his office. Not a bad idea for later, though..

“You seem awfully pleased with yourself.” As usual, when Byleth was alone, Sothis nagged. In this case, she ignored the goddess. The memory of Khalid’s surprise kiss lingered in her mind and her lips tingled. She didn’t need any more teasing. The smiles the servants tried and failed to hide were plenty for her.

It wasn’t until she was back in her own room that she realized they never discussed the trip in detail. But, surely, they wouldn’t be gone for more than a week. After consulting a map, Byleth decided the journey could be completed within a day on a wyvern bred and trained for speed. And the navy likely didn’t care whether a person arrived with a bit of dirt on their clothes. So Byleth packed for a week with a spare change of clothes as well as training ones just in case.

Doubtless Khalid would finish the draft that afternoon. He could be very quick with work when he was motivated. And such an accomplishment was plenty of motivation. Then, the envoy would return to Fódlan. Count Gloucester would present the draft to the council and, if they all approved of it, the final would be made in Fódlan and the envoy would return to Almyra with signatures for the prince and king to add to. And if she knew the lords of the council, then a week off would still leave them plenty of time to return before the envoy did. And even if the prince believed he did not deserve it, Byleth knew he needed the break. Sitting through meetings and butting heads with stuffy nobles was no cakewalk.

As she finished zipping her bag, Cyril knocked on her door. He asked, of course, if he would be joining her. Byleth shook her head.

“No. I’d like you here, Cyril.” Despite having agreed to go sailing with the man, Byleth couldn’t ignore her gut feeling that Nader was bad business. And she didn’t fail to notice Khalid seemed suspicious as well. Especially with how quickly the general returned. “Keep an eye on things, will you?” The boy nodded.

“Will you be taking the sword of the creator?” The relic lay overtop her things.

“Yes.” Cyril visibly relaxed.

“Alright.”

“You know what to do?” He tapped his temple and smiled; keep an eye on the twins. “Good. We won’t be leaving until tomorrow morning.” Picking up her regular sword, she stretched. “Let’s get some last minute training in. You’ve been using those Almyran bows lately, right?” Cyril beamed and nodded.

Arash wasn’t sure how his brother managed to get himself invited on the damn sailing trip, but he did and there wasn’t much the prince could do now that the group was off. Stupid war mongrel . Hassan breezily told Arash that he wanted to see to it that the snakes kept their end of the deal, but Arash knew better. His twin just wanted to be able to fight the woman before she was banished to the darkness. But there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t wanted Hassan to go, but couldn’t find a good reason in time to join them. Without their mother in the palace, it was up to him to schmooze with the foreigners. Filthy outsiders . Downing the last of his drink, he glared at the empty cup. I’m going to need more . While the brat enjoyed a nice vacation, King Xerxes intended to continue with meetings and negotiations. Meetings Hassan would have to be part of if he wanted to keep tabs on his other brothers.

Naturally, Farzad and Shahid were doing poorly. Well, perhaps not naturally. Arash smiled. He had to admit to having a hand in their perceptions. With Behrouz out of the way, the last threat would be Mirza. Despite their oldest sibling being outwardly bitter about the fact that he wasn’t heir, he was still considered a ‘fair’ man. Yet he didn’t protest against Khalid’s ascension… Had something happened between the two? Normally their spies were good about keeping them up to date with who was getting along with who, but Arash hadn’t heard anything about his brothers making any sort of alliance. His attention flickered across the guests present at breakfast. Who would be best? At last, he settled on one of the ladies from a middle house. Plastering on his sweetest smile, he leaned over and asked her to pass him some jam. As if dazed, she blushed up at him and he calmly repeated his request. She’ll do .

Byleth glanced at Hassan once more. The prince was surprisingly at ease. He’d asked if Nader was truly intending to leave the capital without sparring with him first. The general replied that, if the boy wanted to so badly, he could come with them and they could have a session on the ship. Hassan agreed. Her prince was tense even as he helped her dismount from Omar. The wyvern rubbed against his master, no doubt sensing the same unease. Khalid smiled and rubbed him under his chin just the way the beast liked it.

She knew nothing about ships, but could tell Nader kept his in good shape. The crew waved enthusiastically from the side. Beside her, Khalid shifted and she knew he was studying their faces carefully. I wonder if there’s anything off about them . There didn’t seem to be though as he relaxed a little.

Without wasting any time, Nader was strolling forward and shouting orders. Footman hurried forward to take the wyverns to the stables and their luggage on board. Byleth turned in a slow circle as she studied the coastal town. Unlike Derdriu, there weren’t many buildings. It seemed the town was just one of many places where fishermen decided to settle down. Of course, Derdriu was the capital of the Leicester Alliance so it stood to reason that it would be a rich port where trade with the Kingdom was expected, but Byleth thought pirates would have to be pretty desperate to hit such a small area. Noticing her puzzlement, Khalid smiled and shook his head.

“They’re not here for riches. Well, not valuables in the way you’re thinking. They want supplies.” Nodding to a warehouse more inland, Byleth noticed smoke coming out of a chimney. Surrounding the building were men and women with barrels of fish beside them. Light flashed against knives as their hands expertly cut into the meat. Food that would keep for long journeys was a specialty of Almyra, if Byleth remembered correctly. Smoked fish would be no different. And such a resource would be invaluable to a pirate looking to hit Fódlan. “Want to check it out?” Byleth wasn’t actually terribly interested in the process, but Khalid’s eyes glowed in the same way they always did when he wanted to share about his country. How could she resist? She nodded and was rewarded with a bright smile as he took her hand and led the way.

“Such weakness.” Sothis huffed from inside her mind. Byleth ignored her as usual. “Can’t say no to pretty eyes?”

“So you think his eyes are pretty too?” Byleth thought back and the goddess didn’t reply. Feeling smug, she pressed closer to him. As they neared the building, the smell caused her stomach to growl. They’d had a light breakfast since they’d be on wyvern back all morning. And lunch was a short affair because Nader wanted to make it to town before the tides went out. Hearing it, Khalid glanced down and grinned.

“We’ll catch something to eat later.” The fishermen greeted the prince easily, although she noticed none of them stood or made any sort of motion beyond nodding.

“They know you?” Byleth asked. He shrugged.

“Well, some of them. I spent most of my younger years here. Nader said nothing helped the mind learn like fresh sea air.” Byleth suspected there was more to it than that, but decided not to bring it up. Inside, Khalid took her around to each station. The process of smoking meat was actually much longer than she thought. Salting, drying, and smoking it right was needed so the fish would remain edible for as long as possible. The fires had to be monitored to ensure it never got too hot. It also wasn’t just fish the townsmen did. Beef and pork were cooked as well. Towns could pay tax in the form of supplies as a means of providing for the army. It was effective. The king would’ve used any coin to purchase the food anyways, so might as well allow them to pay in the form of food to begin with. Armies always needed food.

“Looks like they’re ready.” Khalid was looking at the ship. On board, Nader was waving two brightly colored flags. “Let’s get going.” Byleth squeezed his hand gently.

She hadn’t realized that, when the prince said they’d ‘catch something to eat later’, he literally meant they’d catch something. Sitting on the railing of the ship, Byleth gave the rod in her hands a little jiggle. She’d fished in the pond at Garreg Mach of course, but the ocean was different. Far too many times she’d reeled in after mistaking a strong current for a fish bite. And then she had to fend off seabirds from her bait; smaller fish. Behind her, Khalid was scaling and gutting his catches. He’d offered to let her eat some, but she was determined to catch something herself.

At long last, she felt a tug on her line. Standing, Byleth hauled it in as fast as she could. She could feel the eyes of the crew members as they paused in their tasks to watch.

“Ah-ha!” With a final jerk of the rod, she hauled the fish out of the sea and up the side of the ship. Swinging it around, Khalid let out a yelp as the specimen smacked him in the face. “Oops.” Byleth laughed as he shook his head and wiped his face. The men joined in and Khalid sighed, no doubt resigned to being the joke story for the rest of the trip. Still, he smiled up at her.

“Nice catch.” Once the fish were ready, they were brought to the galley for cooking. It was probably the simplest meal Byleth had eaten in months, but it was arguably one of the tastiest. Closing her eyes, it was as if she were back with her father and his mercenary band. During dinner, Nader pointed to various constellations and told stories about them and the sailors that navigated by them. Byleth had to admit he was a very good storyteller. At night, she and Khalid were given a bed to share. Curled up against him, not even his even breathing was enough to lull her to sleep. Part of her hadn’t wanted Hassan to come, but the other part argued it would be easier to keep an eye on him if he did. Finally giving up, Byleth rolled out of bed. Careful not to disturb Khalid, she pulled on a robe and headed out of their cabin.

She had to admit, the ocean air was nice. But it still didn’t do much for her quest for sleep. Unsure of how long she was out there for, noise behind her caught her attention. Turning, she greeted Khalid warmly, letting him wrap his arms around her. His lips brushed against the side of her head.

“Can’t sleep?”

“Sorry if I woke you.” She felt his chin rub against her head as he shook it.

“You didn’t. But when I did wake up and you weren’t there, I came out. What’s on your mind?”

“What isn’t?” Letting out a sigh, she sensed his smile. “What did the twins do to you?” That was the biggest question rolling around her mind at the moment. Khalid stilled and she twisted around to look up at him. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” His eyes closed and he inhaled slowly.

“No.” He squeezed her. “I want to. Turn back around though.” Wordlessly, she obeyed. “My nursemaid growing up was a woman named Mahin.” Byleth wondered how often Khalid talked about the woman as his arms trembled around her. “As I’m sure you can imagine, Yasmin wasn’t the only one miffed that my mother swooped in and became my father’s chief wife. Because of that, it was difficult to find staff who’d be willing to work for the queen’s household.” Or staff who could be trusted around a young prince of Fódlan blood. “Mahin was my father’s nursemaid and was getting on in the years- not that she’d ever let anyone say so. She came out of retirement to look after me. All of the hatred and venom of the nobility; she protected me from it. Since she was like a second mother to my father, no one was willing to risk saying anything around her. They say ignorance is bliss and, well, I guess I had a pretty blissful childhood. I loved her.” The prince fell silent and Byleth listened to the sound of the waves. Judging by the moon’s position, it was late. A cold breeze brushed past them and she pressed closer to him.

“I was.. nine. No, ten. On this side of the border, my mother’s bloodline wasn’t necessarily a secret. It wasn’t common knowledge, of course, but she kept a couple reminders from Fódlan in her quarters. I always liked to look at them. Weapons, art, and other little trinkets. They were so different and I’d always wonder as a kid how anybody who could make something so pretty could be so… bad.” His voice lowered to barely a whisper. Byleth tilted her head slightly so she could hear it from his chest. “There was a little altar, one for the goddess. I was no believer myself, but I liked the candles. They smelled nice and Mother always smiled whenever she lit them. I don’t think she was a believer either, not a true devout anyways. But the act of praying seemed to bring her some sort of peace. Similar to meditation if I had to guess.

“One day, there was a huge fire in her rooms. Like the little idiot that I was, I was certain I’d be able to save some of her things. So I ran in. I knew the layout of that room. I knew what was likely to survive the start. But the metal was hot to the touch. So I tried to find something to pick it up with. And then I was being picked up. By Mahin. She shoved me out of the room and told me to stay put. She managed to secure the jewelry box and escape. Her hands were burned from it, but she saw the healers as soon as she could.

“She died the next day. I-” Khalid stopped and she squeezed his hand gently. “It wasn’t the box that killed her. It was all the smoke. At her age, just a small amount was lethal. The court was in mourning for weeks after. And then Arash stopped by.” Byleth inhaled sharply. “He told me… He said that I… He claimed he didn’t blame me for what happened. That it’d been an accident.” Her jaw clenched. “I asked what he was talking about and he said “didn’t you know?” And he told me the start of the fire came from the altar. From the candles. And then I remembered that I’d been the last one to enter Mother’s room. To light them. I started that fire. I killed Mahin.” Byleth could see it. The fake, sympathetic smile on the prince’s handsome face. And the horror that befell a young Khalid upon the realization. To pin the blame on a little boy.. the cruelty of it. I’ll kill them .

“I couldn’t stand to be anywhere near fire after that. And then I heard court whispers. That my carelessness had gotten the king’s second mother killed. For so long after, I wouldn’t come out of my room. My dad shipped me off north in an effort to get me out of the palace. Nader taught me everything he could. Kept me busy. Sailing, fishing, riding, shooting. Everything. I was a coward.

“But I couldn’t stay away forever. Eventually I returned to the palace. Do you know who showed me the truth?” Byleth could guess. “On my first night back, Behrouz took me into his office and showed me what he’d uncovered. The source of the fire had been the candles, but it wasn’t me. Certainly not because I hadn’t blown them out. The designer who made the altar did so in such a way that the candles would’ve put themselves out before they caught anything else aflame. I’d been lied to.” The quiet anger that she knew laid in his heart entered his voice then.

“And while I’d been wallowing in grief and guilt in the north, the twins had sunk their teeth into court. They called my mother cursed because she hadn’t had a child after me, but I suspect they made her infertile somehow. Behrouz believed the same, but he had no concrete evidence. Additionally, those whispers I heard had been the twins’ dealings as well. The court knew it was the candles, but they didn’t actually know I’d been the last one in the room.

“I asked how he came to know about all of it and he smiled and said he was determined. And then I asked if he planned on doing anything about it and his smile went sad. He told me he couldn’t, but that he wanted me to know the truth before he left. To study abroad and he stayed abroad for years after. I did some digging of my own and found out that the twins started feeding Esther a poison that could kill her if they ever stopped when they caught Behrouz nosing around. They threatened to do the same thing they’d done to Mahin to her if he ever exposed them.” Byleth’s hatred and disgust for the twin princes rose to levels she never thought possible.

“No one’s been able to stop them so far?” Byleth asked softly. She felt him shake his head.

“No. They’re good at what they do. They learned from the best, after all... And their mother…” He sighed. “I think she’s been doing sexual favors for years to keep people hushed. That, plus bribes and other blackmail. Most of the local court I think is under her thumb.”

“Not anymore.”

“Not publicly.” Byleth hmm’ed at that. There must be something she was missing then, but she’d have to ask about it later. Instead, she took his face in her hands and kissed him gently.

“We should get some rest.” He sighed and closed his eyes. Still, he seemed.. better. Or maybe it was just her imagination. “And Khalid?”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for sharing with me.”

“Thank you for listening.”

“We’ll catch them.” With that promise, she grabbed his hand and led the way back to their cabin.

The next few days were surprisingly uneventful. Casual sparring sessions were arranged between Byleth and Nader, Nader and Hassan, and the various crewmates. They almost had a run in with a group of pirates, but once the folks saw the general’s flag the crew hightailed it out of there. And, given that the pirates hadn’t stolen anything yet, they were unable to give chase. The general was very disappointed. During that time, Hassan was rather civil. Even cheerful and for a moment Byleth wondered if he simply didn’t like life at court. But then she was reminded of her last encounter with the man and realized that Nader’s crew was almost all pure Almyran. Not, Khalid had said when she asked about it, out of descrimination. But crews and sailing tended to run in the family and Nader’s came from a long line of seaside protectors. It stood to reason that those he’d trust to watch his back would hail from the same.

And then the challenge she’d be waiting for came. Hassan asked after breakfast if she'd ‘gotten her sea legs yet’. So he wanted to wait until I was adjusted?

“I have.” Byleth informed him calmly.

“Then how about a match with me?”

“Gladly.”

It didn’t take them long to start. And of course they used live weapons. The crew sat comfortably on the edges of the ship and cheered happily. Khalid nibbled his lip the way he always did when he was worried, but was trying not to chew his nails. Hassan was good, Byleth knew. His fighting style was different from when she faced him before, but that had been under different circumstances. With no witnesses and emotion driving him, he hadn’t held back. Now, both of them were measuring the others’ skill. He’d, of course, seen her fight against the other Almyran ladies. But what he didn’t know was that she’d seen him fight before as well, not that she could show it. As their blades locked once more, he smirked.

“You must’ve been holding back with the others.”

“I only match what I’m given, Highness.”

“So you used to be a mercenary?” She didn’t respond and he didn’t bother waiting for one. “Meet anyone worth remembering?” Despite not receiving any answers, Hassan continued to talk. Why is he chattering? He didn’t before. Most warriors didn’t waste their breath exchanging words in the middle of a fight. And he keeps looking over. At what? Was it Khalid? It didn’t seem like it.

Then, Byleth felt as if her foot caught in something. Stumbling, she caught herself. Hassan’s smile turned victorious as he raised his sword against her. Lifting her own, she managed to deflect it. As he changed direction to come back at her, he froze and both of them stared at each other.

“What-”

“What’s the meaning of this?!” He was glaring at Nader. Except… it wasn’t Nader. In the general’s place was an old man. Hunched over, his robes were red and black. One of his eyes bore strangely familiar markings over them. “Why are you trapping me, you fool?” Hassan demanded once more. The stranger smiled coldly.

“Oh? Hadn’t I told you? This particular spell,” In a flash, he was behind Hassan. Thrusting one hand out, he stabbed it through the prince’s chest. Hassan gasped and his eyes widened. “requires a sacrifice.” When the man pulled back, Hassan dropped. It took her a moment to realize the dark mage held the prince’s heart. Crushing it, she missed what they said as shadows began to dance around her. Bracing herself, it felt as if wind was rushing at her from all different sides, sucking away her very life.

“Byleth!” Beyond, she heard Khalid’s voice.

“You fool!” Sothis’ familiar voice scolded her. Well, at least one thing’s the same. Byleth couldn’t see, so she had no way of knowing where the goddess was coming from. Everything around her was dark. “What were you thinking? You knew this whole scheme was a trap and you still fell for it! Are you just a boulder that rolls down whatever hill it’s on? No, even a boulder has more sense!”

“I’m sorry.” Bowing her head, Byleth allowed the scolding to wash over her. It was well deserved and she knew Sothis wouldn’t speak of anything else until it was all said and done. Seeming to have lost her will, the goddess heaved a deep sigh and slumped back onto her throne. The two stared at each other for a while longer.

“This realm of darkness is separate from the world from which you came. It would take a god’s power to leave this place. In time our hearts and minds will cease to be. Are you prepared to die?” Byleth rolled the words over in her head and was reminded of what Khalid had said to her. About dreams and being the only one who could fulfill them.

“No, I’m not.” Sothis nodded slowly.

“I thought as much. I also do not wish to die. And yet… There is no other choice. As I lack a body of my own, I must relinquish all the power that I have…to you.” Slowly, she rose. “If we are to succeed, we must pray. For if we share this wish, our spirits two will join as one. Your wish is to return to your prince and to bring his goals to light.” Byleth tilted her chin up and the goddess smiled. “Yes, I know your heart as though it were my own.” Then, she began to walk down the steps. As she neared, Byleth closed her eyes and held out her hand.

In all the times they’d spoken in her mind space, they never made to touch one another. Byleth wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting Sothis to feel like. And really, it didn’t seem to be anything. One moment she was there. And the next, her presence was gone. A wellspring of power surged from within and the sword of the creator pulsed at her hip. Gripping it, Byleth followed her instinct and made one smooth cut her size in front of her.

In front of her, Khalid had drawn his bow. Behind her, the mage stared at her slack jaw. Almost as if in wonder, he whispered to himself.

“So the Fell Star consumes even the darkness itself.” Not willing to waste any time, Byleth wrapped the sword of the creator around the imposter.

“Where’s the real Nader?” She glared down at him as Khalid rushed to her side. He took only a second to take in her new powers before turning his attention to the mage.

“Ha! That old fool is dead at the bottom of the ocean by now.”

“What did you do to him?” Khalid leveled his arrow with the man’s face. “Where is he? Answer me!”

“Don’t believe me boy?” The man smiled coldly. “Fine. I’ll tell you. If only so you can fish up his corpse.” After getting what they needed, Byleth knocked him out. Not with magic, though. Instead, she opted for the good old fashioned way and bashed his head with the hilt of her sword.

“I hope that didn’t kill him.” Khalid remarked darkly as they set sail. “We’ll need him for questioning.” Byleth gave him a grim smile.

“Trust me, this doddering old fool has lived long enough that a hit like that won’t be enough to put him out of commission.” Because she now remembered why the marking had been familiar. “He’s nothing new.” Solon. The name came to her. He impersonated the monastery librarian back when Byleth had been a teacher. After his ruse was uncovered, he escaped.

As they neared the location, Khalid scanned the waters anxiously. It was one of the crew who called their attention to something floating on the other side. They rushed over and he tensed.

“Nader!” Without warning, the prince flung himself over the railing.

“Khalid!” Alarm ran through her as she watched him swim towards what looked like a piece of driftwood. Half thrown across it was who she figured had to be the real general. Both men were pulled onto the deck and Byleth knelt down. Calling on her magic, she did a thorough check. He’s alive . Slowly, she filled his body with as much strength as she could manage. Beneath her hands, his body shuddered as he coughed.

“Nader?” Khalid whispered, as if he didn’t dare to hope for the best. Slowly, the general’s eyes opened. Seeing the expression on the prince’s face, he offered a small smile.

“See, Kiddo? Told you all those survival lessons would pay off.” Then, he passed out.

Once back on shore and after Nader had received proper treatment, he explained what happened. Solon had simply teleported into his room one night and bound him and tossed him overboard. The crew apologized as they were ashamed they hadn’t noticed something was wrong with their captain, but he brushed them off. He managed to undo the bonds and swim back to the surface before he ran out of oxygen. But swimming needlessly in the dark would’ve wasted precious energy. Instead, he went diving for float rocks. The unique material was produced by sea life, but because it was attached to the ocean floor it didn’t float until it was cut free.

Once he had something to hold onto, he debated about what to do next. Running into a pirate ship was a very real danger. While he knew where he was thanks to the stars, getting home by paddling was far too difficult. Instead, he opted to remain at sea. Byleth had to admit she was impressed. He managed to survive for days on his own. He ate raw fish and drank water slowly filtered by plants. Thanks to the float rock, he didn’t have to tread water and slept most of the day covered in sand as a means of protection from the sun. It wouldn’t have been doable for much longer, but he’d had faith a ship would pass by before it came to the end.

Naturally, as soon as he was well enough, they made straight for the palace. Prince Hassan’s body was brought with them. At least now they had plenty of witnesses. It was a small victory; that Hassan had outed himself before he died. Had he not brought up any sort of agreement, Solon would’ve finished the business with no indicators the prince was involved. For once, though, he was actually a victim of his own scheming. Byleth wondered if Arash would feign ignorance or if emotion would pull the truth from him.

The prince’s reaction to his twin’s death was the truest she’d ever seen. Twisted with pain, he sobbed about how he just knew something had happened. While Byleth was unsure if ‘twin telepathy’ was a real thing, she couldn’t deny that sometimes people just knew what they knew. There was no need to immediately accuse the two of attempted assassination, so instead they simply went inside. Khalid bid her farewell before heading to speak with the king. Nader was taken to the medical wing. Mentally exhausted, Byleth returned to her own rooms.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she ran her fingers through her hair once more. Naturally, Khalid had marveled at the sudden change in color but even now it didn’t feel real. She’d merged with Sothis. The goddess’ power was now hers. Oddly, it was an uncomfortable thought. Does that mean people are praying to me? It wasn’t as dark of a green as Sothis’ had been, but it was still.. well, green. With a sigh, Byleth turned her attention back to unpacking; both her belongings and the events of the past week or so. She’d need her memories and mind organized in order to give proper testimony. I hope Cyril found something on Arash while we were gone .

Dead men tell no tales and Hassan was found guilty after hearing the reports from the crew, Nader, and herself. Arash stood furiously by the edge of the room, but he could not build a case against such witnesses without potentially letting something slip. It appeared the prince was willing to wash his hands of his own twins’ dealings, Byleth noted grimly. As was customary, Hassan would not receive any sort of burial rites as a prince from the king because of his actions. The trial was then shifted to decide whether Arash had a hand in it as well.

It was Mirza who spoke against the prince. Surprised, Byleth glanced at Khalid but he didn’t seem to share the reaction. He even gave a slight nod as the eldest prince came forward with a mountain of evidence. It included cases of blackmail and hired requests for hitmen. Mirza traced suspicious disappearances of staff and equally questionable financial transactions. Names and aliases the princes and their mother likely used as well as middlemen in efforts to cover their tracks. Mirza had it all.

The entire time, the room was silent as those present absorbed this information. When the time came for Arash to defend himself, the young man simply stood there, dumbstruck. King Xerxes’ verdict was absolute: execution. Byleth was off put by how calmly Arash took the swift turn of events. As the man was taken away in chains, he didn’t scream and shout that he was innocent or that there’d been a mistake. Instead, there was an odd sense of.. acceptance in him. Considering the schemes he’d cooked up before, she didn’t quite buy it and set Cyril to keep an eye on him in the cells that held those awaiting the axe.

Among the evidence brought forward was a transaction for kufloxyn. Deeming his son innocent, Xerxes immediately invited Behrouz to return to the palace. Not long after, news spread that Prince Arash had committed suicide in his cell. The method was found to be through some sort of drug taken by means unknown. Perhaps a servant had assisted. Or it was hiding somewhere on his person. Byleth thought it too merciful of an end for one as dark in the heart as the prince, but there was nothing she could do about it now.

With so much happening so quickly, the king opted to give the visitors the rest of the day to process it all and canceled the banquet that would have been held that night. Doubtless, Xerxes also wanted time to himself to mourn. While the twins had been awful, they were still his sons. But, out of respect for those they’d wronged, he would do so in private.

Khalid came to Byleth’s quarters for dinner. The two ate in comfortable silence. Questions and potential answers came and went in her mind until finally she set her fork down and asked.

“How did you find so much evidence? Or well, how did Mirza do it? When did you two decide to pair up? I never would’ve thought it.” Her prince smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

“Well, I’ll start with the easier one; when Behrouz was banished from the palace I approached Mirza. I told him that it was either of us next. Of course, he said there was no need to remind him. But I did ask if he liked seeing them get away with everything.” Infuriatingly, he paused to take a bite of cake and a sip of tea. Byleth resisted the urge to ask him to continue as that would only delay him. “The twins were good at covering their tracks, sure. But I knew they had to have documentation of what they’d been up to some where. Even if it was only to say “sure, we did this. But we also have proof you did as well so you’d better keep your mouth shut”. It was just a matter of where.” Frowning, he shook his head. “I don’t know where Mirza found it and he won’t tell me, but clearly he did. At the time, I simply offered an alliance. I had no power to do it, but he had plenty. We get rid of the twins and their dirty schemes and then battle for the throne the good, old fashioned way.

“Honestly, I didn’t have very high hopes for myself going 1v1 against Mirza for it, but I didn’t care for it by then. I just wanted the twins off their high horses. I think the only reason Mirza agreed to it was because he didn’t see me as a threat either. Or, he was tired of it all too. Or both.” Taking another sip, he nodded slightly. “Yea. Probably both. Mirza was also the one who managed to convince the ones who were being blackmailed into doing all the dirty work that he could protect them against the backlash of the twins and that they’d be relatively safe from being convicted as accomplices since they were being coerced.” A thoughtful look crossed his face then and Byleth raised an eyebrow.

“What did you think of?”

“Nothing.” After a moment, he smiled warily. “Fine. I just thought that, well, when I’m crowned.. Mirza might make a good spymaster. Clearly, he’s got a good network already. And by then, he’ll probably be on the older side. A relatively low activity desk job might be good for him.” Byleth tilted her head to one side.

“By then? You mean you won’t be crowned any time soon?”

“No.” Khalid shook his head and set his plate down. “I won’t. Not because Father wouldn’t, but because I won’t accept it.” Standing, he held a hand out for her. “I’ve got something to share.” Intrigued, she accepted it and he took her out to the balcony. “I feel like I’m braver when we’re out here.” He explained needlessly. She smiled slightly and waited for whatever he’d surprise her with this time. He took her in his arms and she leaned towards him.

“As you know, the alliance will be looking over the ceasefire by now. Once it’s signed, my hope is to use it as a means of furthering relations between our two countries. But, I don’t want to do it right away. Or, rather, I don’t think I can.” Byleth blinked. “I know now that I don’t have any personal experience in Fódlan. Well, I knew it of course. But only now am I thinking that I need it. Like, really need it. Behrouz and Mirza? They were able to succeed because they traveled. Because they made those connections in person. I think I need to do the same. Maybe I was the one being needlessly stubborn during our talks, but who knows what will happen in the future. In order to be prepared for it, I want to see Fódlan with my own two eyes. I know Mother and Father will approve. Will you come with me?” Warmth blossomed in her chest and Byleth stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him.

“Of course I will. I’d be insulted if you didn’t ask me to.” She felt him smile as they kissed slowly.

“Our wedding might be a couple years off because of it.”

“I don’t mind.” She was surprised to discover that to be the truth. “You know why?” Pulling away, he stared down at her with amused puzzlement. “Because I love you, Khalid.” There was a moment of shock on his face before shy pleasure overtook it.

“Byleth,” pulling her back against him he leaned down and kissed her. “I love you. I love you.” They murmured those words to each other into the night.