Work Text:
Seteth investigated his mirror image, smoothing down singular hairs out of place and pinching his eyebrows to align the same direction. He combed his beard and adjusted his circlet, fidgeting until he was finally satisfied with his appearance.
After all, it was not every day he personally had tea with a lord’s retainer from another world, let alone someone as like-minded as himself.
Of course, he interacted with many different heroes on a daily basis, from training to arena matches to simply standing guard in the castle, but he wouldn’t call most of them friends. He tended to dote on Flayn and spend the rest of his time with his companions from Fódlan—though, with the varying timelines that the heroes hailed from, determining whether a comrade saw him as friend or foe was nigh impossible.
After one more fiddle with his cuffs, cape, and belts, he nodded at himself with a contented little smile, and departed towards the gazebo.
As he approached, he was surprised to find, rather than a man in a hefty silver and cerulean suit of armor, seated at the table was a man in a dapper brown vest buttoned over a neatly pressed white dress shirt, black slacks, and dress shoes. Around his neck was a neatly tied bow. But, his messy brown hair and untamable cowlick gave him away; this was certainly the same man Seteth had met clearing rocks from the roadside.
Seteth took a few moments longer to observe the man meticulously fine-tuning the table setting. The small round table was covered with a white and gold tablecloth, reminiscent of the banners that adorned the castle halls. Upon the table was a three-tiered display of assorted pastries, along with a gorgeous ceramic tea set.
He sucked in a breath before greeting his new friend. “Good afternoon, Sir Frederick!” His voice nearly cracked in his excitement. How unbecoming.
“Ah, Lord Seteth!” Frederick replied, and in one smooth motion he was on his feet, offering the unclaimed chair to Seteth. “Please, have a seat!”
“Thank you, my good sir,” Seteth accepted with a smile and a polite nod as he seated himself. When Frederick joined him again, he continued, “However, I cannot accept the title of lord, as I am only the advisor to the archbishop, Lady Rhea. You may simply address me as Seteth.”
“Ah, yes, Lo—er, Seteth. As you wish,” Frederick agreed. “Shall I pour you a cup?”
“Your chivalry knows no bounds. I would be delighted.” As Frederick poured the tea, the familiar scent of ginger filled his nostrils. “It seems we must have similar tastes! Are you a fan of ginger root, as well?”
Frederick’s lips curled into a small, but delighted smile. “Actually, I consider myself something of a connoisseur of all teas, depending on the occasion. Black teas make for an excellent energy boost during sleepless days. Ginger and peppermint are energizing, different herbal blends are excellent for relaxation and healing. I quite enjoy licorice root as a dessert; the natural sweetness shines through,” he explained. “However, I must say I did choose ginger with you in mind. I took it upon myself to ask your sister your preference. As I was not sure what the Askrian equivalent of ‘four-spice blend’ would be, I opted for ginger.”
Seteth’s eyebrows raised to touch his circlet. “You researched and procured my favorite tea for this occasion! I am most surprised. The only other person who has ever been so aggressively thoughtful is the professor. I appreciate your consideration!”
“You are one of the few who seem to appreciate my devotion. Lady Sumia of Ylisse, Sir Jakob of Nohr, and Sir Seth of Renais are the others. I am often criticized for my purported excess of zeal…” Frederick prattled, taking a sip of tea.
“I, too, am often criticized. My sister has called me ‘intrusive’ and ‘overbearing’ for my concern with her relationship with the other students in the Officers Academy.” He paused to inhale a whiff of the ginger as he took a sip. “Even Professor Byleth believed me to be a disgruntled and mistrusting nuisance for her first few months of instruction. I was only trying to protect Flayn from a woman I considered to be a stranger, regardless of Lady Rhea’s fondness for her.”
Frederick’s eyes lit up. “You truly do understand! Milord Chrom decided nearly immediately that the stranger we found sleeping on the roadside would become our chief tactician! He and Lady Robin were practically honeymooning from the moment he took her hand. She failed to even remember her own name and from where she hailed! I took it upon myself to be extraordinarily vigilant of her behavior to ensure milord’s safety.”
Seteth shook his head in shared disbelief. “Incredible coincidence. You know, the professor’s father, Jeralt Eisner, failed to let her know her own birthday! And she ended up blessed by the power of the goddess… this is why three of the professors share the mint green hair color, you see.”
His new friend chuckled. “Your mysterious professor was blessed by your goddess. My mysterious tactician was cursed to inhabit the Fell Dragon’s consciousness. Hence, the numerous Robins who claim to be the Fell Dragon Grima.”
“Ah, such as the gentleman whose garb disintegrated in battle!” Seteth recalled, Frederick eying him with a quizzical brow. “Yes, I am somewhat familiar. A shame—was the evil expelled?”
“In my timeline, Lady Robin sacrificed herself to rid the world of the Fell Dragon for good, yes. Er… she defeated her future self, that is? Time travel shenanigans, you see. It is all quite complex, I’m afraid…” Frederick explained, his brow furrowed.
“Ah, well, at the very least you can mostly discern which Robins are friend or foe,” Seteth uttered, a twinge of both jealousy and sadness in his voice. “Apparently there are… approximately ten significant ways in which my world’s timeline splits, depending on where the professor’s loyalty or the mercenary Shez’s loyalty lies. For instance, one of the Byleths despises me, for she sided with Edelgard in the war…” His voice trailed off.
“Askr is a curious melding of worlds, indeed. I am astounded with the possibilities—and how much the decisions of one person in each of our worlds can impact the lives of everyone in that world. It seems the Robins, Byleths, and even the Shezes share that in common,” Frederick pondered, his eyes following the delicate movement of the tea remaining in his cup.
Seteth hadn’t considered just how similar the experiences in the other worlds were to his own. His mind was a storm trying to wrap his mind around just how many alternate realities were possible, silence falling between the two men.
“However, existentialism is not the reason you intrigued me so, my good knight,” Seteth said with a smile, changing the subject. “You go so far as to remove rocks from the roadside so your liege does not trip?”
“Indeed! I must do whatever I can to keep milord safe. Whether it be taking a blow for him in battle or simply removing potential allergens by dusting, no task is too great or too small so long as it protects his wellbeing,” Frederick explained with a proud grin. As he deserves to be, Seteth thought with a mild envy. Flayn would chastise him for being so intrusive.
“How noble! I am ashamed to say I cannot compare. I protect my dear sister from miscreants who have potentially ill intentions, giving them stern talking-tos, and also watch over her in battle, but I fear my worry never dissipates…” He paused a moment, racking his brain for other unique instances of doting on Flayn. “Ah! When Flayn was young, I did write her fables—tales of ancient Fódlan, of the goddess and the saints, of morals and justice. I should think instilling great values in a loved one is a form of protection!”
“I would agree wholeheartedly! Providing a moral compass is extraordinarily important!” Frederick nodded sipping more tea. “You write?”
This time it was Seteth’s turn to beam. “I do. Writing fables continues to be a delightful outlet. In fact, I am a published author here in Askr! Commander Anna and I donate the profits from my work to support the less fortunate children in the realm.”
“Most impressive!”
“My thanks.” Seteth smiled into his cup. Convincing the commander to donate the profits took quite the effort, and he enjoyed the rare opportunity to discuss his works. “Do you indulge in any creative work for leisure?”
“I do not… particularly consider it leisure,” Frederick grimaced at the word. “However, I do enjoy knitting and embroidery—whether it be scarves or blankets to keep milord warm in the cold months, or a ‘Daddy’s Little Princess’ shirt for little Lucina, or a floral patterned dress for my wife.”
He didn’t take Frederick to be a married man, perhaps due to his everlasting devotion to the prince of Ylisse.
“You’ve a wife!” he exclaimed, finally noticing the ring on his finger.
“Indeed, as well as a child from the dark, alternate future, too. We’ve yet to have said child in my own timeline though.”
Seteth stared blankly. He knew of the Divine Pulse the goddess Sothis once wielded, but time travel from alternate futures? Earlier Frederick had alluded to it in their discussion of the Fell Dragon, but he figured the time travel was related to the dragon’s own powers. Human children, too?
“…Er, come again?”
“Ah—yes, all of the married couples of my time have had their children travel through the flow of time to change fate. Again, though, it’s curious that so many of the heroes here hail from different timelines. Apparently the Lissa of this world is married to a Frederick of hers, and their son is Owain? But I am married to Lady Sumia and our daughter is Cynthia… and I’m told one of the Chroms has married Sumia in his timeline, and their Cynthia has deep midnight blue hair like her father. It is… mind boggling, to say the least…” Frederick must have realized he was once again caught in the confusing web of alternate realities and timelines, and shook his head. “I apologize for my ramblings. Tell me, are you married? Do you have children of your own?”
A brief panic washed over Seteth, his eyes wide and his pointed ears pulling back. He gripped his cup tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Frederick hesitated, “M-my apologies if I struck a nerve—“
Seteth took a deep breath to regain his composure, and replied, “I have been married twice, actually. My late wife passed away in wartime long ago, and I found new love in the professor.” He sighed, the thought of his Byleth easing his nerves. He hesitated a moment, choosing his next words carefully. “We—do not have children at this time. My sister Flayn is the closest thing to a daughter, having raised her since her infancy.”
It was not necessarily a complete lie. Perhaps one day his new friend would know the truth, but even this realm with no bearing on his own, he couldn’t take the risk. Fortunately, Frederick did not see through his façade, and if he did, he was polite enough not to mention it.
“Ahh, I am relieved you were able to find love again; I could not imagine. From all that I know about you so far, you are deserving of the utmost happiness,” Frederick said, his smile returning.
“As are you, sir! Why, you must be the most steadfast, dedicated retainer I have ever known!” Seteth exclaimed with gusto. “I am delighted to call you a friend.”
“As am I!”