Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a mere test, and exercise to see if those chosen as the class heads are capable of handling the role. Nothing too difficult for those who had taken basic leadership lessons. To be in charge of escorting a few supplies to a nearby fort. Except instead of their chaperone or the captain knight accompanying them charting the path it was they who were making the decisions. Which roads to take, when to stop for breaks, how the night watch should be set up. Something Edelgard could accomplish in her sleep with how monotone the whole thing was. Much less with the help of her two fellow house heads.
Rather than the task itself the struggle came with adjusting to camping out for a change instead of the comforts of a lavish bed. The hard ground hurts her back, the sounds of the forests at night making sleep difficult to find. Which she supposes is the actual purpose of this test. An attempt to help humble those put in charge of the classes. A majority of the students in the officer’s academy do come from noble backgrounds afterall. Neither Dimitri or Claude openly complain about this, so she doesn’t either. Not that she would complain either way. If the knights and soldiers patrolling the lands can put up with this for weeks- sometimes even months- at a time she can endure it for a few days.
It happened on their way back to Garreg Mach. Their numbers were much thinner then what they started with, as several of the knights had accompanied them partially because they’d been reassigned to be stationed at the fort. None of them thought much of it. They had delivered the supplies so all the remained was to return. Which should have been the easiest part of their mission. With no carts to guard and less people to manage they could travel faster too. That also made them easier prey for those of ill intent. The night before they were set to finish their journey Edelgard was awoken by panicked shouting. Metal clashing against metal alongside the grunts of bodies slamming into each other. The sun hadn’t even risen yet leaving only the stars to light up their camp.
Men of crude dress and equally crude blades howled as they wrestled with the knights. Normally such a battle would be completely one sided in their favor however the sudden attack left them completely disorganized and panicked. An arrow pierced into the side of her tent. Edelgard yelped when she felt an arm grab her own. Swinging the limb back into the nose of whoever had touched her. Dimitri grunted at the impact, letting the princess go to rub at his sore nose. Claude stood just behind him with an amused grin over what he’d just witnessed.
“Apologise Dimitri. I thought you were one of the bandits.” Edelgard had been too quick to lash out. The poor prince is lucky she didn’t have a weapon otherwise that could have ended very differently.
“No, it is my fault for suddenly grabbing you like that.” Dimitri however waves her off. Focusing his attention on the building chaos around them. They aren’t even half a day’s march away from Garreg Mach so they’d all let their guard down. “How have bandits managed to get this close to the monastery unnoticed?”
“Either they’re pretty good at their jobs or outright stupid.” Claude handed Edelgard an axe, having grabbed a weapon for both royalty before seeking them out.
“Does it really matter? The fact remains they’re here and attacking us.” She took it with silent gratitude. Accessing the situation they’ve found themselves in. The odds aren’t looking good, the bandits vastly outnumber the knights combined with the confusion their attack has wrought allowing them to trample through their camp.
“Yeah I think I’m going to leave this one to the knights.” The head of the Golden Deer had easily realized what she had. No matter how he looks at it there’s no way this doesn’t end in their bitter defeat. “Have fun with that your highnesses!”
“Wha- Claude!” Edelgard tries to grab him as he bolts. His cape barely slipped through her fingers. With a groan she watches him flee with his tail between his legs.
“We should go after him. We don’t know how many there are and he could easily get surrounded by himself.” Dimitri doesn’t wait for her response before going after him. Personally Edelgard would much rather be fighting off the intruders than chasing Claude through the woods, but he has a point. If something were to happen to the Reigan heir on Adrestian territory that could only end poorly for her country.
Following after him proved to be a simple task. The yellow of his cape sticking out clearly amongst the greens and browns of the forest even in the low light. No, the problem Edelgard found herself having was far more basic than that. Both men are far taller than she is, making a single step from them cover almost as much distance as two for her. She always tries her best not to let her small stature bother her however that’s rather difficult when it’s impeding her like this. Forcing Edelgard into a full on sprint to keep up with the two jogging boys.
She doesn’t know how long or how far they ran. Only that when the trees began to thin they came across a sight none of them expected to find. A village nestled away into this isolated corner of the land, mingling outside of it a large group of armed men and women. Their armor too simple to belong to knights yet far superior to anything a mere bandit could possess. They shifted between carts in an organized chaos. Packing tents and checking supplies. Mercenaries getting ready to move on to wherever work demands of them. The three nobles exchange a glance. Their odds suddenly looked far better than they had only a moment ago. The trio wave down the nearest mercenary, nearly tripping over themselves to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.
“What’s going on out here.” A gruff voice interrupts the group. What Edelgard can only assume is the boss of this band walks up to them. A bear of a man that towered over all of them. Yet instead of facing the leader Edelgard found herself drawn to the one beside him.
Edelgard has encountered all sorts of people from all walks of life, none of them could compare to this woman. With a lean, muscled frame and a strange air around her that could only be described as quiet. Her hair choppy and unkempt yet somehow fitting. The woman’s clothes were certainly unique to say the least. With a metal bustier protecting her chest, shoulders covered by a coat she’s not even wearing properly, and her legs hidden under shorts and lace tights. Not the type of dress one would expect of a mercenary. Sensing her gaze the woman turns toward her. Drowning Edelgard in the most gorgeous shade of cornflower blue.
She vaguely registers the other’s speaking but isn’t able to register their words. Too entranced by this mysterious woman. Edelgard shouldn’t stare yet finds herself unable to look away. There isn’t a hint of anything within her eyes. A lake’s surface if it were completely still. Edelgard feels it should unnerve her, instead it only intrigues her further. Their unanticipated staring contest is interrupted by the boss placing a hand over the woman’s shoulder.
“Come on kid, let’s get this mess sorted quickly.” With only a nod for a response the two take off. Arming themselves while the boss shouts out orders to his men.
“Welp guess that’s that sorted out.” Claude leaned back against one of the carts. Getting comfortable while the mercenaries around them prepared for battle. “Between the knights and these mercenaries those bandits should be dealt with in no time.”
“Surely you do not plan to just sit back while everyone else deals with the situation?” Edelgard scoffed, of course the one who had run at the first sign of danger would want to stay out of the conflict.
“I do value my life, as you should too.”
“This sort of situation is exactly what we have been training for, and this village could have been endangered because of us.” Dimitri pointed out. Had the mercenaries not just so happen to be here this small town could have easily ended up in flames.
“Don’t bother with him, Claude would only hold us back.” A sense of satisfaction came with seeing that damn smile wiped off Claude’s face. If there is one thing they have in common it’s their sense of pride. A competitive streak inherent in the three lords.
Already equipped with their own weapons they rush to the gate protecting the village. Some mercs lining the top of it with bows. Just outside the gate wait the boss atop a horse and the woman speaking quietly with him. When the duo notice them the woman nods in greeting while the boss sighs. The weapons they carry and the determination shimmering in their eyes telling him everything he needs to know.
“I don’t care who you kids are or where you came from, you fight with us you follow orders without question.” When they all agree he turns back to the woman. “Byleth, I’m putting you in charge of them.”
A fluttering feeling burst forth within Edelgard’s chest. Not only will she get to see the woman- Byleth in action, they’ll be fighting alongside each other as well. She should be feeling nervous. Instead Edelgard can’t help but be excited. While the boss goes off to see how preparations are going, Byleth eyes each of them. Assessing their build and chosen weapons. When the mercenary set her sights on her Edelgard felt herself stand a little straighter.
“Have you guys ever fought before?” Byleth’s voice felt like fine silk against her ears. While it wasn’t as prominent as the boss’s there was strength behind her words.
“Each of us have trained since a young age.” Edelgard has sparred against countless tutors before, got into plenty of bouts with her peers. While she’s not arrogant enough to call herself a master she can safely say she knows what she’s doing. “I am confident in my skills with an axe.”
“But have you killed?” At that she had no response. The axe in Edelgard’s hand is sharpened steel. She’s only ever struck another with blunted wood which at worst might crack a bone with enough force behind it.
There was no time to contemplate the severity of the situation. A merc shouted out alerting the others to the bandits’ approach. Byleth led their charge to intercept them. Instructing Claude to act as their support while the three of them took point. The fight began in full with her swerving around an overhead from an axe. Plunging her sword into the bandit’s neck before he could recover. Another rushed at Edelgard with a spear in hand. She stepped back just out of its reach. The crude weapon looks like it’s barely held together. Edelgard slammed the head of her axe into it, shattering the flimsy stick that is supposed to be the pole.
She expects the bandit to flee with his weapon rendered useless. Instead with a growl he pulls his fist back and slams it into her face. Edelgard reels back from the impact. Stumbling on unsteady feet before finding her sense of balance once again. Now with a dagger instead the bandit strikes. Iron sliding against her cheek. Edelgard slams the head of her axe into his gut. Bones crunching under its weight with a wet squelch. The sound made her own stomach churn. When she pulled her axe out the bandit let out a single whine before falling back.
Edelgard’s lungs felt heavy. Each individual breath requiring more effort then it should. Her heart pounding in her chest but not from the exertion. Movement out of the corner of her eye draws her attention. Byleth stands nearby, glancing her way. The mercenary’s calm anchoring Edelgard even without any words. She takes in a deep breath, holds it for a solid three seconds, then lets it out with a deep sigh. She straightened her back matching Byleth’s poise. Seeing the princess is fine the mercenary returns her attention forward.
Just in time to see a sword swung towards her. Edelgard feels her heart get caught in her throat as she watches Byleth parry the blade with her armguards. Not a single shift in her expression despite the near disastrous blow. Using the bandit’s shock to dispatch her with practiced ease. In that single moment Byleth resounded with raw power. Her movements as she fought fluid and precise. Simple yet deadly. A stark contrast from any other style Edelgard has witnessed among the knights and nobility. Something within her wrung tight at that realization. A desire she didn’t have time to identify. Despite the risks it brought Edelgard found herself glancing at the mercenary throughout the battle. Watching how she cuts down each foe with a single strike, never wavering. The tightness in Edelgard’s chest grew with each bandit that fell.
Before she knew it the air had quieted. The drum of metal against metal fading into nothing. Edelgard’s arms felt heavy as the battle reached it’s conclusion. Between being so suddenly awoken, their mad dash through the woods, and this fight she was exhausted. Edelgard left her axe embedded in the back of a bandit. Wiping away errant brown locks beginning to stick to her forehead. How she wished for nothing more than to dunk herself into a bath right now. To wash away the sweat and the stench of blood. She realizes too late that she made a critical error. Something that every fighter should know not to do regardless of their role. To never let their guard down on the battlefield.
Edelgard recalls it more in snapshots than as a proper memory. One moment she’s standing over a fallen bandit with her axe temporarily discarded. The next another she hadn’t noticed is rushing at her with his own axe raised. Aching muscles too slow for her to be able to retrieve her weapon in time, feet frozen to the ground. Her death an abolute certainty. Or it would have been had Byleth not appeared between her and the charging bandit. The bandit had to be almost as big as the boss, heavy with bulging muscles. Yet Byleth threw him back as though he were merely a child. His back hitting the ground with a thud, the mercenary’s shoulders rising and falling from the effort.
The sun began to peak over the horizon, blessing the land with it’s orange embrace. Haloing the woman who had thrown herself into harm's way to protect her. When Byleth tilted her head back towards Edelgard her expression was the epitome of calm. Not a single hint of the exertion that stunt must have taken. In that moment the tightness wounding in Edelgard’s chest burst into a single, intense thought. One that struck her so violently it shook her to the core. Splitting open the sky above and cracking the ground below.
I want her to be mine. I will make her mine.