Work Text:
It begins with a mocking comment, a complaint, teasing that won't stop, a bit of intrigue and a question. And then it grows into something much more than that.
In truth, it starts like this. Three people, all with their own reasons, come to the training grounds late at night, not intending to run into anyone else at all - each full of excess energy, racing thoughts, and the inability to sleep and each desperate to lose themselves in the comfort of their bodies in motion, sweat and aching muscles silencing the parts of their minds they can't escape.
Felix is still wondering if he did the right thing, abandoning his country, his friends, his family, joining the Empire to fight for Edelgard's ideals. His resolution and belief that they were building a better world - one without noble houses and crests and the burden of expectations - never faltered, but still thoughts of those he left behind plague him. So he goes to the training grounds when the anxiety and possible regrets get the best of him; he practices to get better, to be better, to lose himself in the swordcraft he loves so well, to remind himself that his choices are his and his alone.
Jeritza and the Death Knight are one and the same, inseparable and whole. He is always in control of himself, but sometimes he hungers for violence and death in a way that he knows other people do not. He yearns and thirsts and only ever feels truly alive and at peace on the battlefield. Violence lurks under his skin, willing and able to burst out at any moment, and he craves it. But he swore to the Emperor and to Mercedes that he was more than a weapon, that he would not slaughter her allies to sate his hunger. At the training grounds, sword or scythe in his hands, he can blunt the edge of that urge, hold it off until the next time he can kill and feel alive again.
Byleth slept for five years. Sometimes she can hardly believe it at all; it's such an impossible thing - no human could ever do that and survive. She never wants to contemplate what that means for her; she has to believe the Ashen Demon moniker was just superstition, not prophecy. Some days she feels five years of sleep was more than enough for a lifetime. Some nights she can't shake the thought that if she goes to sleep just then, another five years will pass before she wakes again. So she goes to the training grounds to get her blood pumping and be certain that she is alive and awake.
At first, each of them is almost always alone in there, none of them coming all that often. But as the war ramps up, the atmosphere at Garreg Mach becomes more and more oppressive, stress radiating out of everyone, no one can find inner peace easily, and these three masters of the blade turn towards this one last source of comfort more often. When they start encountering the others at the training ground in the middle of the night, none of them speak or ask questions. At most they would give each other a nod and then get back to their individual workouts; all of them speak the language of the blade better than they do words.
Eventually the three of them are there together more nights than not, though still they keep to their own quiet corners and focus on losing themselves in the rote physical movements of katas and practice. But that was never going to be enough for any of them, the familiarity of it all leaves too much room for thinking and feeling. Felix is the first to break; somehow, among them, he is the one most likely to desire social contact.
He asks Byleth to spar - not the old demands from his school days, a thoughtful request open to denial. She agrees, knowing he isn't asking for anything more than she is willing to give in that moment, a foreign feeling for her these days, leading the war effort has led to incessant demands on her time, her mind, her body.
It's the first direct interaction any of them have had in this strange space they've carved out in the middle of the night. Though the request was not directed at him, Jeritza stops his own exertions to watch; he's seen the beauty of Byleth in battle and wonders if even a fraction of that can be seen here. It's almost a dance, Byleth and Felix's blades glancing off each other; both of them moving and observing and reacting, living precisely in that moments, even if their lives aren't in danger at all.
Felix loses, but it's a much closer bout than it had been in his school days. It doesn't even sting the way those old losses had. In truth, he feels better than he has in ages, and Byleth gives him the slightest smile afterwards, her own pleasure and relief evident to those who know how to read her well. Jertiza may not know her well enough for that, not yet, but he catches just a glimpse of the demon within her and asks for his own spar.
And that sets their new pattern.
After that fateful night, whenever at least two of them are there, they spar. If all three are there, they take turns with the third watching and providing observations after the bout is over. Byleth and Jeritza are fairly evenly matched; both of them giving themselves over freely to the fight and the trust in their partner, fighting not for their lives, but simply for the thrill of it. With their new habit, Jeritza feels more grounded than he has since the soft bright days of his childhood, before everything went wrong. Even when his blackest, most violent moods strike, fighting Byleth takes the edge off. He knows it's not yet time for their duel to the death, though Byleth just laughs when he says that.
Felix loses against either of them far, far more often than not. But he feels himself getting better, and that is enough.
They settle into this shift in their routines practically wordlessly; none of them question each other about it, and none of them talk about it with anyone else either. It's not a secret, not exactly - there's just no need to discuss something that makes perfect sense to all of them. But their clandestine meetings were doomed to be exposed eventually.
It wasn't intentional.
Jeritza used to have other, less helpful, coping mechanisms when the thirst - the need - to kill came up him, things he could fall back on once again. But he's tasted something better now, and he doesn't want to go back to those dark places. So one afternoon, when that thirst hits him once again, even though it's broad daylight, he goes in search of his nighttime sparring partners. He stalks across the monastery, desperately seeking Byleth or Felix; soldiers, staff, and other practically flee at the sight of him, concerned that one wrong move will bring the wrath of the Death Knight down on them. Fools, he thinks, he's not yet that lost.
Byleth, his preferred partner, is unavailable; she is stuck in a war council with the Emperor and Lord Arundel. Jertiza knows his place, knows what Arundel can still do to him. But he spots Felix with some of the other former students and pulls him away, towards the training hall, without a word, not even giving Felix the chance to make excuses to his friends. But unlike most of the empire's army, Felix has spent time with Jeritza, and he understands what that look on his face means. It may have been an unexpected interruption to his afternoon, but Felix knows what to do, what Jeritza wants from him.
Felix only hopes he can survive long enough or Jeritza can hold himself back enough.
Jeritza doesn't even give Felix time to grab a training sword; they're both fighting with their service weapons, live steel clashing against live steel. Within moments, as soon as someone else realizes exactly what is happening in the sparring ring, the rest of the training hall clears out. The soldiers and knights and mages that had been there before Jeritza and Felix entered want nothing to do with what's going on between the two of them. Most are convinced that Felix had done something to offend the Death Knight and that he's trying to kill Felix over it.
Felix himself isn't totally convinced that Jeritza is capable of pulling back from a mortal blow just yet, but he knows that if he can hold him off long enough the fight will ease into something more friendly. If not, at least it'll be a quick death; Jeritza can always be counted on not to let someone slowly die from a gut wound. But all the long, lost, insomniac nights have paid off. Felix is still on defense, never able to think farther ahead than simply blocking the next attack, but he manages to avoid anything worse than a light scratch. He can't quite pinpoint the moment that things change, but eventually he notices that he's got more breathing room; his moves are becoming less desperate.
The fight still ends in a loss for Felix, but he gets a strong nod of acknowledgement from Jeritza at the end, which is as much praise as the man is likely to give.
From then on, there are occasional matches during the day, when the stress gets to be too much. It's not always Jeritza initiating them either. Sometimes Byleth comes out of war councils fit to strangle someone, and off they go. It comes to the point that if ever any two of the three are in the training grounds at the same time, most everyone else will flee, even if none of them have yet picked up a weapon. Still none of them say a word about their arrangement, and even when Sylvain tries to pester Felix about it, the only answer he gives is "Ask Byleth", and Sylvain never does.
The daytime spars are never as common as their nighttime bouts, all three of them too busy to indulge too often, but it is during an afternoon session that the joke that changes the fate of the war happens. Jeritza and Felix are facing off, with Byleth watching closely, when Lorenz casually strolls into the training grounds carrying his lance. He pauses; like most reasonable people he wants nothing to do with whatever violence those two are practicing, afraid for his own safety. He turns to leave, but before he does he asks the fateful question.
"Professor, what on earth are you doing at this meetup of murderous misanthropes?" He smiles at his own alliteration.
Byleth turns to him and with her iciest smile responds, "Waiting my turn."
Lorenz flees.
That could have been the end of it, a little joke quickly forgotten. But Felix, like a fool, complains to Sylvain about Lorenz's comment, and Sylvain has never been one to let the chance to tease his friends go, and so he brings it up and laughs about it every time he sees Felix heading off somewhere on his own around the monastery. Sylvain eventually gets bored of that joke and moves on to mocking Felix about something else, but by that point most everyone has heard it. Most people think little of it, just Sylvain being Sylvain, after all, never one to take anything seriously. Lorenz shakes his head in disdain at him whenever he hears Sylvain bring it up; he does so hate being the butt of a joke.
Hubert, though, Hubert has never been one to let something go without a bit of investigation. He was never one to frequent the training grounds, and the unusual behavior of some of the army's top generals hadn't come to his notice until after Sylvain's teasing. It is his job to know anything that might affect the outcome of Edelgard's goals, and he finds himself tracking down the source of this rumor. He obviously knows it has something to do with Felix, but that's not enough to report back to Edelgard on. So he takes to watching Felix and finds that Felix routinely meets up with Jeritza or Byleth in the training grounds at all hours of the day. Then one night he stealthily follows them into the training grounds. He watches for a bit, making sure there's no sedition being planned, before making his presence known.
"You know, I thought I had cultivated my reputation so carefully, and yet I find that you three are considered more murderous and misanthropic than myself. I wonder if I should be insulted."
Byleth facepalms. Felix mutters under his breath about killing Sylvain. Jeritza just stares.
Hubert gestures for them to continue while he simply observes. He reports back to Edelgard that there's nothing to be concerned about, just some ridiculous rumors and sparring practice. But he isn't quite willing to walk away from what he's found.
Hubert is an insomniac by nature, but it doesn't help that as Edelgard's retainer there is always far more work to be done than there is time in a day. Especially for some of his most confidential work, the kind that Lord Arundel, or whatever his real name is, cannot even begin to suspect they're working on. Somehow, almost without realizing he's doing it, Hubert starts to drag his work down to the training hall, staying silently off to the side while the others spar. It's quiet and he's certain that none of the three of them are agents of Those Who Slither in the Dark. He grows to appreciate the quiet of these nights, no one - especially not Ferdinand or Casper - bothers him while he's there.
Eventually he realizes that there is a possible solution to one of his longest and most difficult problems right in front of him. It is a strange thing for him to trust anyone other than Edelgard, but Edelgard trust Byleth completely, and while he must protect Edelgard even from herself, he knows none of these three are working for their enemy or would even consider it.
One night while Jeritza and Felix are sparring, Hubert pulls Byleth to the side and begins to explain the secrets he's been holding onto and the solution that he thinks she can figure out.
At first, Byleth is hurt by the lack of trust Hubert had for her, but as he lays out just how deep the conspiracy goes and just how closely Arundel keeps an eye on Edelgard, she begins to understand, even if it isn't enough for lingering hurt to disappear entirely. But she doesn't let that stop her from doing what must be done, and there is a part of her that rejoices at the chance to finally actually make strides towards getting vengeance on Jeralt's killers.
Hubert explains that while he and Edelgard had originally planned to wait until after they had conquered all of Fodlan before taking on Those Who Slither in the Dark, he's beginning to think that with a small tactical team making precision strikes on them, they may be able to get a decent start on lessening their power without Arundel becoming aware of their deception. Byleth had always focused on more overt tactics in the past, Jeralt's mercenaries had never taken on sabotage work, but she sees no reason that she can't apply similar tactical thinking to new methods and goals.
Jertiza agrees immediately. Knowing what he now knows, he has his own reasons for wanting to destroy Those Who Slither in the Dark.
Felix hesitates, thinks about it, but he agrees simply because Byleth is asking. It is only later that he finds himself relieved; if he's fighting against this shadowy enemy, he won't have to face his father on the battlefield. As much as he despises the man and what he'd done, Felix isn't certain he could do it. He knows there's no way he could ever face Ingrid as an enemy.
At first it is just the four of them, still only meeting late at night in the training grounds. Hubert explains all he knows about their enemy in a hushed voice, still cautious of spies even still. But what he knows is honestly disappointingly little. It's enough to get started, enough to find out more and then build upon.
The worst problem is that there just is enough time to really focus on this goal on top of the war effort. Hubert simply had too much too do even before starting this new venture. Byleth is almost equally busy, but she claims to not need as much sleep (half truth, half willful denial) and therefore refuses to change her routine. Jeritza and Felix have less to do, but also less understanding of what can be done and how. So their sparring continues much as it always had, except on the nights Hubert makes it down.
Then they switch over to strategy and planning and trying to find any weakness, anything they might be able to do to weaken Those Who Slither in the Dark. But eventually it becomes clear to all of them. They need more time to work on this, or they need to recruit more people.
Byleth is expected at all the major battles and strategy sessions; she can't disappear from extended periods the way even the most barebones of their ideas requires. Hubert and Jeritza's absences would be a little less conspicuous, but the agents of Those Who Slither in the Dark who lurk about would eventually notice; Hubert and Jeritza were already too well known to them. Of their group, it leaves only Felix who can leave the monastery at will, and there's little he can do on his own without backup.
Yuri is the first person intentionally recruited to their little group.
Byleth had recruited Yuri to her class all those months years ago, and she recruits him again, but this time there's no uniform and instead of bringing him back into the light, now she's dragging him further into the dark.
The empire's army ignores Abyss more than the church had, which has suited Yuri just fine. Yuri will always look out for his people before worrying about any other problems, but somewhere along the way Byleth wormed her way into being one of his people. He will never admit it, but he would have agreed to helping just because she asked, but as she lays out the threat that this enemy of hers is to Abyss, she gives him an easy excuse to point to when he agrees.
Yuri slots into place like he had always been meant to be there. Hubert mistrusts him, hates that he has to put his faith in Byleth's judgement, but even he can't deny that Yuri's knowledge is exactly what they needed. He has contacts throughout all of Fodlan's underground - contacts that have nothing to do with Those Who Slither in the Dark, which is more than Hubert can guarantee of his own. Yuri becomes Felix and Jeritza's teacher in stealth and disguise and trickery, and in return Yuri is forced to hone his own swordwork to a point that he had never imagined himself capable of.
After a few sessions, Yuri drags Hapi along with him. The more he learns from Hubert, the more he know Hapi has to be involved. Not just for their sake, but for hers as well.
Hapi has her own experiences with Those Who Slither in the Dark, a past she speaks little of, not wanting them to ever find her again. Hapi know the signs of their presence better than anyone else, and had already carefully avoided being anywhere near Arundel or anyone else she suspected of being one of them. She never thought about seeking revenge; she just wants to live her life now as best she can. She definitely doesn't believe in altruism, but Yuri asks her to help, and somehow there's a strange feeling of warmth in her when she agrees. She can stop her confinement and torture from happening to anyone else.
Shamir is an outsider to Fodlan, an unknown in a way that makes Hubert especially wary, but Arundel mistrusts her, constantly accusing her of being a spy for Rhea. Hubert doesn't dismiss those concerns, but Arundel's vocal distaste makes her acceptable for the fight against Those Who Slither in the Dark. Byleth is just glad to have someone with experience in this sort of fighting on their side.
Shamir had always been grateful to the church for getting her out of a desperate situation, but gratitude wasn't even to hold a mercenary's loyalty, not even her friendship with Catherine was. Because Shamir knows the oppressive affect the Church of Seiros has had on Fodlan; she knows that not everywhere else is like that. She could not go back to Dagda, and Fodlan has become almost a home to her despite all its flaws. She feels a kinship with Byleth; they understand each other, and she believes in Edelgard's vision for Fodlan, thinks that it's a future worth fighting for. So when Byleth asks her to help with a special project, she agrees.
And so their group grows bit by bit. Hubert remains mistrustful of each recruit, forever wary of betrayal or carelessness, but Byleth has always chosen her allies carefully, placing the right people on the right missions time and time again, and this new group is no exception.
Shamir on reconnaissance and sniping back-up.
Hapi providing monstrous distractions and magical assistance and invaluable first-hand knowledge.
Yuri for sabotage, disguises, and sanctuary.
Hubert with intel and plans and Edelgard's approval.
Jeritza, deadly in so many ways, and willing to do what must be done.
Felix who has begun to integrate silence and stealth into himself as completely as he has the sword.
Byleth herself to tie it all together and keep the rest of the war effort from interfering.
It is Hapi that gives them their first target, Cornelia, Adrestia's supposed ally in what had once been Faerghus, is yet another disguised Those Who Slither in the Dark agent. She is the one who had held Hapi for so many years; it only makes sense to start with her. They do not know what name she holds in truth, the way that Monica had been Kronya, but that does not matter. What does matter is that she is their enemy and they have the means to take her out.
Dimitri, Seiros, and other remnants of the Holy Kingdom have not yet given up their fight, and for once their persistence plays to Byleth's advantage. Cornelia is not well loved even in the parts of Faerghus she controls, and though she's surrounded herself with guards and staff loyal to her, even Arundel is aware that her position is less stable than ideal. Royal loyalists make the perfect scapegoat for what Byleth has planned.
It is the first true test of what their team is capable of.
They know Cornelia has taken Arianrhod as her stronghold, taunting Dimitri and the remaining kingdom rebels with how thoroughly she has made it her own, but Hapi knows Cornelia's habits and with Yuri and Hubert's help, they make a plan to exploit them. Cornelia never pays much attention to those she considers beneath her notice, having had an endless slew of servants whose names she never learned, and it is easy to extrapolate that to mean any humans around her that she isn't actively experimenting on.
With a stolen uniform, a wig, a little make-up help from Yuri, Felix is able to pretend to be one of her regular guards without Cornelia ever noticing. To his chagrin, he's easily able to slip into the role of perfect Kingdom knight without anyone being able to tell the difference. It may be what he was raised for, but it isn't who he is, and isn't what he believes in, but the way that the speech and actions come back to him so easily chafes at him.
Shamir and Yuri sow a little chaos around the keep, enough to send the rest of Cornelia's guards running, while Felix stays in place exactly as planned. Cornelia doesn't even notice a brand new guard among her regulars, doesn't even have time to shed her false skin before Felix drives his sword through her heart and disappears from the fort.
Felix is already back at Garreg Mach, seemingly joking around without a care in the world with Sylvain before the news of Cornelia's death even reaches the rest of Garreg Mach. When one of Cornelia's aides mentions a Faerghan soldier with a strong, but common, Fradlarian accent had been spotted asking unusual questions in the hours before Cornelia's death, the blame neatly falls on Rodrigue's loyalists. Arundel states that Dimitri and his allies have gone from a nuisance to a true threat and must be eliminated with haste.
Those in the know hold in their smiles and get back to work on their next target. With documents stolen from Cornelia, they know just a little bit more. Not enough, not yet, there's still so much more that they need before they can win. But bit by bit, secretive late night meeting after secret meeting, they will create a Fodlan free of dragons and other inhuman enemies.