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It was only a matter of time before Byleth's life came to an end. This was true of everyone who lived on the planet, and everyone who'd yet to be born, as depressing as that sounded. Yet, she really wished that she had more time outside of her prison.
Mermaids such as Byleth were rare, and humanity took an interest in that. Thanks to said rarity, they were often hunted. Sometimes for fun, other times for profit. It was considered a challenge by some to find and kill them.
Byleth's mother was one of these victims. If there was anything she was looking forward to, it was the fact that she'd get to see her again. At least, in the best case scenario. Her living past this point honestly scared her more than dying.
She could thank the bastard outside of her cage for her current situation. The pale man stared at her with his legs crossed and hands in his lap. Her fate was in his hands. He acted as if he had all the time in the world, which he did. She wanted to smash her hands on the wall of her cylindrical prison, but she knew it'd be a waste of her energy. Not to mention, she didn't want to give Thales the satisfaction.
She couldn't show anger. She couldn't show fear. She tried her best to be as neutral as possible. Normally that wouldn't have been hard. She'd always been pretty stoic, even in the face of adversity. Today though, she was swallowing her feelings. She just had to be the emotionless mermaid that everyone saw her as. It was her own way of rebelling against her captors.
"…You're not bored?" She asked.
"How could I be? I'm going to be rich. A few hours of waiting around for millions isn't going to kill me."
He didn't even have the decency to tell her what was going to happen. She just had a feeling based on what captured mermaids usually would go through. For all she knew, it could be some entirely new hell that wasn't even crossing her mind. Whatever it was, he needed her alive for the time being. Probably at least so she could meet the buyer. Be it to prove to them that what he was selling was made from a genuine mermaid, or because it was up to them what they wanted to do with her.
She suppressed a sigh of frustration. She wasn't an impatient sort of person. But she was positive that anyone would be restless in her position. There wasn't even enough room in her tank to swim around. She wasn't even sure where she was. The room was too dark to tell much of anything.
"Shame that your Father isn't here. He was a good man. If he just handed you over when asked, maybe he'd still draw breath."
"Father fought against you with all his might. He went out knowing he did everything he could."
"And yet…" he shrugged. "It was all for nothing. I still got you in the end. I still won. He threw his life away for what? Pride? How foolish…"
She wasn't sure if a man as sick as Thales could completely comprehend that Jeralt loved her, but he knew pride had nothing to do with it either way. If she was to hypothetically be made a meal, she hoped he'd choke on her bones. She wondered briefly if he could see tears inside her tank. She wasn't sure if it was okay to just release them.
She didn't want to risk it. So once more, she swallowed her emotions and stared blankly. They both knew she was a wreck, and that alone was enough to give Thales joy. She wished she could understand why though. She didn't see what was so entertaining about mocking her. Was he that empty? Did he even have a heart? Had she the means to do so, she'd open him up just to satiate her curiosity.
"Do you care about anything? Your father? Your home? Your life? Does it mean nothing to you?" He asked, the fake curious tone making her sick. "Maybe it'd help if I returned to where we first met. Perhaps I could find more of you. Make even more money. Perhaps that'd crack you."
Byleth blinked at him. "Not really. I never knew any other mermaids besides my Mother, who's long gone. I spent more time with my Dad and other humans. So good luck with that." Honestly, if it wasn't for Jeralt's Mercenaries, she wouldn't have any attachment to humanity. They reminded her that not all of them were bad people. People like Thales though reminded her of why some would disagree.
The man smirked. "Why-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Byleth heard a loud noise, like steel smacking the ground. Life left his eyes before they rolled back. At least, as much life as a man like him could have. She'd become a bit desensitized to seeing people die. Yet she couldn't help but smirk a bit at his sudden demise. She wasn't out of the woods yet though.
A young woman stepped into the light. Her piercing purple eyes stared at her. She flipped her long white hair and smiled.
"Thank you. I've needed an excuse to dispose of him for a long time," She said with a smirk. "I can't help but wonder what drivel was going come out of his mouth next. I suppose we'll never know."
"Who are you…?" Byleth asked.
"Ah, forgive me. I haven't introduced myself. I am Edelgard von Hresvelg. Shall we get out of here?"
Byleth narrowed her eyes. "What do you want with me?"
Edelgard walked to what seemed to be a nearby control panel. "Only information. Do you need water to breathe?"
Byleth paused before shaking her head. She supposed there was no need to lie about it.
Edelgard smiled. "Ah, good. That'll make this easier." She started typing, then pressed a button.
The cylinder lowered, and water began to gush out. It lowered further and further, until it was gone and she was left sitting on the floor.
"Do you mind if I touch you?"
Byleth glared at her. "Do your worst."
"…" Edelgard put her hands behind her back. "You… do know I'm here to rescue you yes? I just want to make sure we're on the same page. Please do not worry, I do not own you. I just wish to set you free."
Byleth rose an eye brow. "Why should I trust you?"
Edelgard stepped closer to her and put her hands underneath Byleth. She lifted her up with ease. "I understand you have no reason to trust me. I will not waste my time trying to convince you. Actions speak louder than words after all."
Byleth couldn't help but blush at how weightless she seemed to be for this Edelgard. She folded her arms, still unsure how to feel about the woman. This was her only real shot of getting out of here, so she decided to go along with it for now. Surely it was better than what Thales had planned, assuming that this wasn't some elaborate scheme.
"Yes, she's been retrieved." Edelgard said.
Byleth looked up at her with a tilt of the head. "What was that?"
Edelgard shook her head with a smile. "Talking to a friend."
"There's… no one else here…?"
She then turned her head, showing a black object in her ear. "See this? It's letting me communicate with my ally. We worked together to save you."
Byleth looked away and frowned. "Human architecture is so strange…"
Their conversation was cut short by the smell of iron. She looked around and saw some of the people who were working with Thales, such as the violent Kronya and the intelligent Solon, laying on the floor deceased. She wondered if she should've felt bad, but given what they had done, she had conveniently misplaced the key to her own heart.
"They all would've tried to stop me." Edelgard suddenly said. "I couldn't let that happen. Thanks to Lysithea, the friend I mentioned, I managed to get through undetected. None of these monsters ever saw my axe coming."
"I see…"
"…Are you disgusted with me? I understand if so. All that matters is your safety."
"…Why do you care so much? We've never had any interaction before today."
Edelgard sighed. "…Let's just say I know what it's like to be victimized by that man. By these people. I refused to sit and watch it happen to someone else, whether I knew them personally or not."
"What do you mean? Are you a mermaid too?" Byleth asked.
"No. I'm completely human. I just… I'd rather not get into it." She explained.
"Mm. Understood."
Byleth could get not wanting to spill her guts out at this person she just met. Even though she didn't know her, she had to begrudgingly admit, she didn't seem to be lying. Her heart wasn't racing, she wasn't sweating, she couldn't see any tells. That didn't mean she wasn't, some people were disturbingly good at fabrication.
Perhaps she could trust this woman. She wanted to, even if it could bite her in the tail. There were too many oddities if this was a trap. Her captors were definitely dead. If she wanted Byleth to share their fate, she could've done so with ease. She was defenseless. Unless she was needed alive, but even then, why was she being so gentle both physically and emotionally?
She didn't really need to be so kind. It's not like it'd change anything. Unless she was trying to toy with her, just as Thales was. It'd be cruel, but it wouldn't be impossible. Give her hope just to take it away. Maybe she found it funny? She seemed so sincere though, that it made her want to believe in Edelgard, even if it was naive. She wanted to give her a chance.
They seemingly reached the end of the dark hallway. Edelgard lifted her foot and kicked the door open. Byleth hadn't realized how long she'd been there until the sunlight hit her eyes. She cringed and hid her face in Edelgard's shoulder until they adjusted. It was a pain she didn't mind though. Better than the pain she would've faced had this woman not saved her.
"Edelgard! Welcome back!" The girl Byleth assumed was Lysithea cheered. Like Edelgard, she had long white hair. She was also wearing a long purple dress.
"Thank you." Edelgard replied with a smile.
Byleth pulled her head back and blinked a few times. She hadn't noticed that Edelgard was blushing. "Oh, sorry… I didn't mean to be… weird."
Edelgard walked towards a nearby truck. Lysithea opened the door, and Edelgard gently placed her in, much to Byleth's slight disappointment.
"Don't worry about it. Just glad we made it in time." She explained. "Oh, I haven't introduced her, this is Lysithea. She was the only reason I even knew you were here."
"Nice to meet you." She said with a bow.
Byleth smiled. "Thank you Lysithea. Where will you be taking me?"
"Well, that's up to you." Lysithea began. "Is there an ocean or something nearby you'd like us to be dropped off at?"
Byleth frowned. "There's… there's not. With both of my parents deceased now… I guess I don't really have anywhere to go."
Edelgard scowled. "Damn that Thales…"
"…Is there… no that's stupid. Sorry. Never mind." Byleth said with a slight crack in her voice, as well as her mask.
"We'll judge if the question is stupid or not." Lysithea somewhat reassured. "What is it?"
"…Maybe I could stay with you Edelgard… There's… no other humans I really feel comfortable around right now. We just met but… you saved me. That has to count for something. I've spent most of my life with my Father, who was human, so I don't really have any underwater people to go to either. I have no one else to turn to."
Edelgard blushed again, and Byleth's stomach dropped. She probably just made things awkward. "Sorry, I should have kept it to myself."
"No… that's not it at all." Edelgard said. "I… I'd have to look into some things, but somebody needs to be there for you. I can make no promises, but I'll see what I can do."
Byleth couldn't suppress her smile. She didn't want to get ahead of herself, but she hoped things went well. If Edelgard and Lysithea were truly to be trusted as she hoped, she had just met people she wouldn't need to suppress anything around. Without Jeralt, she felt lost. The person who killed him had already been vanquished. She had nothing to do, and no where to go. She may as well stay with her savior.
"Thank you Edelgard. Thank you so much…!" She smiled even more.
Lysithea smirked up at Edelgard, who glared at her with an even more furious blush. It seemed they were having some sort of silent conversation with their expressions alone. Whatever it was, she supposed it was none of her business. Maybe one day, it could be though. She hoped she could gain her trust, and save her from her own personal demons. Just as she was saved. Even if they couldn't stay together, she'd never forget the girl who changed her life.