Chapter Text
That dream again. A girl on a throne with long green hair. Byleth had seen her before, but only in her dreams, and always, asleep.
What did it mean now that she had awoken?
--
Byleth was used to battle. Had known it for as long as she could remember. It was everything else outside of battle that felt like she was moving through a fog. Bits and pieces of her life seen only fleetingly. Who they fought for, and why, she couldn’t say. The names and faces of people she had both fought besides, and against, were things she could barely recall. Her father was the only exception. Everything else was gray.
But there was something about this girl that Byleth was certain she would remember. It wasn’t just her bearing, regal though it was. Or the pale hair and facial features that Byleth recognized as pleasing to the eye. It was those eyes, looking at her, measuring her, seeing her, in a way that Byleth was not used to.
She had always been the shadow to her father, speaking only when spoken to, and she was used to people looking past her after they had made their cursory introductions.
But not her. This girl, Edelgard, looked at her – and didn’t look away. And Byleth had the strangest feeling – of recognition, of knowing – that made no sense, because Byleth had never met her before.
“You have a strange aura about you,” she had said. “Show me what you can do.”
Byleth had said nothing, because what was there to say? Her sword would speak for her.
They were only bandits, nothing that Byleth hadn’t seen before. What was different this time was the awareness of this other person. Byleth found herself strangely aware of where Edelgard was on the battlefield, whether near or far. The flow of battle happened to bring them closer together, allowing Byleth to observe her fighting style – powerful, but not wild – and she could see that Edelgard was an able fighter and had done this before.
The battle was almost over. The bandit leader was down and most of his men were dead on the ground. Byleth could feel that familiar fog starting to wash over her, as if she was only awake to fight and went to sleep right after, but then something happened.
The bandit leader got to his feet and, with a roar, charged at Edelgard. Her eyes went wide. She drew a dagger, her stance ready, but she was at a disadvantage.
“No,” Byleth said.
The fog was gone and Byleth could see with absolute clarity the look on Edelgard’s face when she pushed her out of the way, exposing her own back to the incoming axe. There was surprise on her face, and a question.
Why?
Byleth had no answer.
And then time stopped.
--
Byleth was aware of Sothis – for that was her name, this girl in her dream and now it seemed, in her head – during the whole exchange with Edelgard and the other two who had introduced themselves as Dimitri and Claude. Sothis seemed amused.
“…I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire...”
“…Please do consider returning to the Kingdom with me…”
“…Tactless really…begging for favors…”
Byleth’s head was spinning. Time had shattered and turned back, giving her time to run in front of Edelgard with sword prepared, able to deflect the enemy strike rather than be struck by it, and now here they were. Talking to her, talking almost over each other to talk to her, and she was not used to this kind of attention.
“So, capable stranger, let’s get right to it,” said Claude. “Where does your allegiance lie?”
All three were looking at her expectantly, so she had to give some kind of answer. Her eyes met Edelgard’s. This girl with the violet eyes, a stranger who did not feel like one, and one whom she apparently – inexplicably – had been willing to take an axe for.
“Adrestia,” she found herself saying.
Edelgard smiled, a slight tilt of her lips, and her eyes softened. She looked pleased.
Alois came to move them along and the three left. Sothis nodded off.
Byleth remained awake.