Chapter Text
“Are you certain this little thing is going to prove useful to us? I understand her to be the only Hresvelg other than the former throne heir to possess a Crest, but still… she appears to be disgustingly frail and weak. I personally doubt she can withstand a power so vast as the Goddess’ itself. She is the last one of Ionius’ offspring remaining! If she were to die, all our hard work would be for nothing!”
Duke Aegir’s inhuman voice echoed throughout the dark, clinical room. Little El’s ears felt like they were bleeding simply by hearing the man’s voice.
“Ohohoho, do not be so concerned, esteemed Duke Aegir. This little girl might appear pathetic at a mere first glance, but appearances can deceive. She is far more spirited and ravenous than she looks. Whenever the time came for the daily examinations and my men were tasked with retrieving one of the Hresvelg subjects, I’d frequently receive reports of ‘a brown-haired beast’ fighting tooth and nail to ensure the other subjects would not be taken. Such strong drive and thirst… it is exactly what we need for the Empire to once again reign supreme over Fódlan, as it once ruled centuries ago…”
It was difficult for little El to determine which of the voices made her body roil the most: Duke Aegir… or the evil man posing as her beloved uncle. Thales.
The men who took everything from her… The men who were about to take HERSELF from her…!
Goddess… Why?! What did her siblings, their poor passed souls, do to deserve all this…?
“Do not fret, dear Duke. It is an unfortunate truth that we failed to implant the Crest of the Goddess within the feeble body of the former throne heir. But from such an experience came much needed good. The mistakes we committed when we experimented on the throne heir? We shall not repeat them again. While it is not yet guaranteed that this girl’s body is fit to accept the Crest of the Goddess, our estimations are appearing as positive. And we SHALL succeed, for the glory of Fódlan and the Adrestian Empire!”
A sigh. It probably came from Duke Aegir.
“Very well. I suppose whether she survives or not is irrelevant. Should she perish, that shall leave Ionius with no offspring left who could succeed the imperial throne. House Aegir shall greatly benefit from either situation, regardless. Still, I would nevertheless prefer she survived and successfully acquired the Goddess’ Crest. It would be much harder for us to obtain a weapon powerful enough to destroy the Church, Kingdom and Alliance all at once, otherwise.”
“I concur. Which is precisely why me and my men shall perform the possibles and the impossibles so this little beast survives the procedure and becomes our finest weapon ever conceived. Failure is not an option.”
“So you say.” Footsteps getting farther and farther from the experimentation table where little El was chained to. “And with that, I must go. In the event the little girl fails to survive the Crest implantation, I might have to consider turning Leopold and Waldemar’s sons into test subjects themselves. I shall meet with them and… inform them of their sons’ possible futures.”
Duke Aegir left. Thales chuckled coldly.
“Begin.” The single word Thales deigned to say next.
“Yes, my Lord.” A muffled voice little El didn’t recognize.
The sound she heard next? That was what she recognized. It was the sound of the machine which killed her siblings, slowly and painfully. And it filled her whole battered body with extreme fear.
“No… NO! FATHER! HELP ME, PLEASE!” Little El struggled. But it was for naught.
Poor little El screamed herself hoarse as excruciating pain consumed her whole body, mind and soul.
***
“It hurts… It… Father…”
Those were the words Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the throne of the Adrestian Empire, the one fated to embroil Fódlan in an infernal war, kept deliriously whispering under her breath, the nightmare keeping her soul captive under its blackened tentacles.
Then…
“NOOOOOO!” She screamed as her body catapulted upwards. With erratic breathing and glazed lilac eyes, it took a moment for Edelgard to realize she was in her bedroom, not back in the palace dungeons.
Yet… what difference did it make?
Even though she was not in the dungeons anymore… even though it had been more than a year since she was freed… she had never felt more imprisoned in her life.
It was with such thoughts that Edelgard, for Goddess knows how many times it has been, cried throughout the dark, lonely night, utterly possessed by an intense, desperate longing for the old days, when her family was complete, and she was merely the little brown-haired girl called El…
***
It was currently the 25th of the Blue Sea Moon, Imperial Year 1177. Edelgard was in her bedroom, taking care of her long white hair.
In the past, when little El was still alive, she used to let the palace’s maids prepare her hair every day. Now, since the very day Edelgard was freed from the dungeons, she took it upon herself to take over such a task, in spite of anyone’s protests. The act of taking proper care of her hair was one of the VERY FEW moments of normality she had left in her life, and though tragically short, it was a moment she cherished every day with what little heart remained within her damaged body.
Even now, with more than a whole year behind her, she still wasn’t used to the stark white which had taken over her formerly chocolate-brown hair. It was like it no longer belonged to her. And in a way, such was the case. Little El had chocolate-brown hair. Edelgard had snow-white hair. All made sense.
Moreover… the new color of her hair served as the perfect visual reminder. A reminder of the Goddess’ indifference towards Edelgard’s dying siblings. A reminder of the state of the world and how the Church never did anything to change it. A reminder to never place her faith in the Church, Archbishop Rhea OR the Goddess Herself ever again.
The Church of Seiros… and its Goddess… They betrayed their own people. Edelgard shall never forget such a fact for as long as she draws breath.
“Lady Edelgard. May I enter?”
Hubert’s voice interrupted Edelgard’s thoughts. She glanced at her bedroom door.
“You may.” Edelgard allowed.
The door opened, revealing Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard’s personal retainer. He and little El used to be very close friends, little El having had the habit of calling him “Hubie”. Now, however, just as little El was no more, so too was Hubie, according to what he told her the day after she was freed from the dungeons. All that remained was the Vestra, the servant of Hresvelg, eternally loyal to his liege and the new world she desired to create in the faraway future.
Edelgard inevitably blamed herself for Hubie’s death, believing she deserved neither Hubie nor the Vestra replacing her old friend. But selfish as it was, she could not be gladder she had this man by her side. He… he was her rock. He was the reason she felt able to keep going despite everything and everyone around her being her enemy.
The day after they freed her from the dungeons, Edelgard, unable to handle the grief, the crushing loneliness, and her new, monstrous self, attempted to take her own life by stealing one of Hubert’s poisons and swallowing it, but Hubert managed to stop her in time. When Edelgard chastised him for stopping her, shouting that she no longer had anything left to live for and would rather die than be alone and at the mercy of Duke Aegir and Thales for the rest of her life, Hubert promptly countered by swearing unending fealty to her, stating that so long as he was by her side, she would never be alone. Even when Edelgard initially rejected him, claiming the El he used to know and be friends with was dead, Hubert did not care, firmly declaring, whether she was El or Edelgard or simply the future Hresvelg Emperor, he would follow her and ONLY HER to the ends of the world.
It was PRECISELY thanks to Hubert that Edelgard eventually had the idea of using Duke Aegir and Thales’ future war to her advantage. If she could, one day, secure the support of a number of imperial ministers, particularly Count Bergliez and Count Hevring, who she knew for a fact were forced to participate in the Insurrection of the Seven against their will, she could, in turn, secure an important advantage which would allow her to act more freely in the face of Duke Aegir and Thales’ puppet government. Anything to turn the war into something beneficial for everyone, something that would and will free Fódlan from its dogmatic shackles and save as many lives as possible, not a war for the sake of pure blind carnage and dominion.
There is no infallible plan yet… but the world, and Duke Aegir and Thales specifically, should mark her words. One day, Edelgard WILL find a way to free the Adrestian Empire from their noxious hands! No matter what or how long it takes to do so!
“Forgive me for interrupting your moment of repose, my lady.” Hubert apologized while bowing. “But this is a report that should not wait, for it is related to Lord Arundel.”
Ah.
Within the palace walls, Edelgard and Hubert always took care not to call Thales by his true name. Doing so could give away the duo knew more about him and his faction than they should, which would only cause the leash on Edelgard’s neck to further tighten. It was simply for the best they pretended to remain ignorant of the full picture.
While she and her siblings were inside the dungeons, Hubert, alongside a few Vestras loyal to him and the Emperor, performed secretive research on the man who took Lord Volkhard von Arundel’s identity for himself, along with his people. Unfortunately, they were unable to dig up a satisfactory amount of information. He only knew they were a mysterious group of individuals well-versed in dark magic, with no apparent affiliation to the Church or any of the nations of Fódlan, who had been conspiring to take over the Empire alongside Duke Aegir for many years, Thales being the leader of the shady organization.
Now, with Edelgard slowly preparing her future war, Hubert kept on researching the organization in question, wanting to find out their objectives, as well as where their main headquarters are located. Hubert himself sincerely doubted Thales’ ultimate goals aligned with Duke Aegir’s, and Edelgard agreed. They had taken over the Empire and desired to aid Duke Aegir for a reason, and she needed to find out what it was at any cost.
She sincerely hoped, at some point, all the information Hubert gathered about Those Who Slither in the Dark (the name they had given to Thales’ faction) would prove key in finding a way to oust them from the Empire permanently. Once the day to declare war on the Church arrives, it would be ideal for the slithers to be long gone from Enbarr, as Edelgard was quite afraid of what they could do to the world should they remain in control of Adrestia by then.
“I see. You may speak.” Edelgard ordered.
“Of course. I have received word that Lord Arundel has begun a so-called ‘Death Knight Project’. We were unable to ascertain what this project is exactly about, but the name explained enough: it is, without a single doubt, related to Jeritza. Our suspicions were thus proven veracious. Lord Arundel has acquired quite the worrisome interest in Jeritza. He must for certain desire to make of him a soldier serving directly under the banner of the slithers, rather than the Empire’s.”
Sigh. Of course. What else did she expect?
By now, Jeritza von Hrym, formerly known as Emile von Bartels (something little to no one knew), had been under Edelgard’s direct service for nearly a year. She found him only a few measly months after leaving the dungeons, having felt herself drawn to him out of sympathy and a deep understanding of his horrid situation. His time living in House Bartels, combined with the murders he committed against the Bartels family, generated a violent “second self” of sorts within him, who Jeritza named the “Death Knight”, a being that wished for nothing but to endlessly feast in blood.
It is not surprising someone like Thales would take such a keen interest in Jeritza. A terrifyingly capable fighter whose personality could turn indiscriminately bloodthirsty would be a very valuable asset to a man like the slithers’ leader. A man whose lives of others mattered very little, if at all.
“We cannot allow Jeritza to fall into Lord Arundel’s hands.” Edelgard determined. “There are things we unfortunately have no option but to compromise for the sake of avoiding any unnecessary suspicion. Jeritza is NOT one of them! If Lord Arundel decides to force Jeritza into directly serving him, there are no doubts he will do whatever it takes to ensure the Death Knight completely and permanently takes over. That… that would mean the demise of far too many innocents…”
“Agreed without question. I shall speak with Jeritza directly and ensure he remains loyal to you alone regardless of Lord Arundel’s orders. Fortunately, he is aware Jeritza is loyal to you solely because you help him keep the Death Knight pacified. That shall serve as an efficient way to cover our tracks.”
“Indeed. Anything else of note?” The next sentence was something Edelgard should’ve kept to herself. But for once, she could not help this moment of weakness. “How’s F- I mean, how’s His Majesty?”
It’s been a very long time since Edelgard last spoke to or even saw Father personally. Duke Aegir was very eager to forbid her from ever seeing him, under the excuse he needed constant rest, and she had other, far more pressing matters to worry about. In other words, the war.
At the same time… much as Edelgard DESPISED to admit such a thing, deep down she recognized Duke Aegir was doing her a favor. She simply… did not want to face Father right now. Maybe not ever, even.
What she once told Hubert was something she’d tell her father all the same: little El, the daughter he used to love so much, is dead. Edelgard, the twin-Crested weapon, isn’t her. Never shall be.
“His Majesty the Emperor’s condition remains stable but reserved. While we are both aware such is happening due to his children’s imprisonment, along with your mother’s disappearance and covert assassination, taking quite the significant toll on him, I possess my own suspicions that something else is at play here.”
“Something else… You mean… Duke Aegir might purposefully be manipulating His Majesty’s treatment, so his condition never betters?”
“I believe so. The less capable His Majesty is, the more power and freedom Duke Aegir possesses within these walls, allowing him to rule the Empire from the shadows as he most pleases. Such could also be a contributing factor as to why he strictly forbade you from visiting His Majesty no matter what.”
Edelgard resorted to sighing again. Some could say it became a pastime of hers.
Weapon though she may be, she unfortunately(?) isn’t wholly unfeeling. Deep within her lied a deep, dark void. One dedicated to performing one simple task: increasing the strength of her intense hatred for Duke Aegir and Thales day by day.
On days when she felt the weight of her fated path crush every bone in her body, she focused on that void. On her never-ending hatred for the men who ruined hers and her family’s life. Selfish it might seem, considering the purpose of this war is to change the whole world around her… that same personal pain and resentment was exactly what allowed her to keep going. What pushed her to never let go of her destiny, no matter how tempting.
One day… One day, Duke Aegir, Thales, Those Who Slither in the Dark, every single one of those corrupt nobles who willingly stripped power away from her father for their own self-servitude… they will all pay. They will realize too late they should’ve never created Edelgard, the weapon. And Edelgard shall relish their pain for the years to come…
“To keep moving forward… is all we can do.” Edelgard reluctantly assented. “Thank you for the report, Hubert. You are dismissed. Make sure you never take your eyes off Duke Aegir and Lord Arundel. Everything depends on that.”
“Yes, Lady Edelgard.” Hubert bowed again before leaving the room, leaving Edelgard alone with her thoughts once again.
Edelgard sighed yet again before she turned her eyes to the bedroom window, staring at the outside world wistfully.
She could faintly hear the numerous sounds coming from the many streets of Enbarr. The noble Adrestian capital was noisier than usual today… and she knew why.
Tomorrow… marked the day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth. One of the most important holidays of Fódlan. And… a day which used to mean the world to little El.
Used to…
…
…no.
It is as she spoke. No more thinking of a past long gone.
Now… it is all for the future. A future she herself shall not have the privilege of enjoying…