Work Text:
Rie was out of breath. As she scanned her keycard to get into her dorm, she pondered the journey she’d had today. After “Algebra of Multiple Variables” ended at 4, she had a particular mission: to take the gondola to the Old Campus and get into the archives. But neither part of that went as planned. As she pressed the “up” button and waited for the elevator, her heavy backpack cutting into her shoulders, she growled in frustration.
The gondola had been undergoing “routine maintenance,” so of course she’d decided to take the forty flights of stairs up to the Old Campus instead. And when she’d finally reached the archives in the basement of Bishop Hall, they were locked. And the sign said “Faculty and Grad Students Only.” So she’d spent an hour walking up stupid stairs to a stupid locked door because the stupid gondola was broken.
Ding.
She stepped into the elevator and leaned against the back wall, staring at her blurry reflection in the closing metal doors. As the elevator hummed upwards, passing the second and third floors, Rie pulled her keys from her pocket and sorted through her mess of rubber keychains for her room key.
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor and she dragged herself from the elevator, exaggeratedly sighing in relief as she reached her room — 424, at the end of the hallway. She dropped her backpack to the floor, kicked off her shoes, and leapt directly onto her bed. Rie would have fallen asleep right then, but she couldn’t stop thinking about all the questions she still had, all the ideas she hadn’t put into words. So she stood, pulled her laptop from her bag, plugged it in at her desk, and created a new document.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
18th of Wyvern Moon, 1885: Document created in C:/Users/rie/Desktop
6:36 PM: Rie Averill added:
My name is Rie Averill. I’m a third year history student at Garreg Mach University, and I am COMPLETELY SICK of secondary sources that don’t name their primary sources. To avoid contributing to that environment, I’ve made this document, in which I will name the sources cited in my thesis, as well as how I came across those sources. In order to start, however, I must first offer some context. My ancestor was
6:48 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
My ancestor was I’m descended from
7:20 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
I’m descended from In my first year at GMU, I was assigned a family history project in a class, Intro to Historical Research. It was the final project for the course. We were assigned to find a specific ancestor of ours from over 500 years ago (cutoff date was 1383), and name specific details about them and their life.
While researching my own family’s past, I found that the Almyran side of my family (my mother’s side) is descended in a direct line from Khalid I of Almyra, who reigned from 1187 until his abdication in 1233. Khalid I, being one of only two historical figures I know of to have a still-surviving nickname (“Master Tactician”), was an easy choice for the project.
While researching Khalid I, I found that, in his younger days, he actually attended the Officers Academy here, at Garreg Mach. I also had my first encounter with the greatest Fódlanian historical mystery of all time:
Who was the first ruler of the United Kingdom of Fódlan?
7:40 PM: Rie Averill added:
Of course, in my time, this is a relatively recently-discovered mystery. Only fifteen years ago, in 1870, archaeologists excavating the undercroft of the royal palace in Derdriu found storage records referencing dates as early as 1188, long before the Kingdom was known to have been founded, in 1221. This led researchers to the conclusion that the “first” ruler of the UKF — Teodor Lorenz Gloucester — ordered all evidence of his predecessor destroyed. The reason for this is a matter of serious debate to this day. What matters is that as of right now, there is no conclusive evidence as to who the first ruler was.
Which means that I, even as a student, have a chance at coming up with a strategy nobody else has found for finding the name of that ruler. So here’s my theory:
If storage records went back to 1188, that means the period of unification following the Last War of Adrestia was briefer than previously thought. Which means that the first ruler was installed relatively quickly after the end of the war. Instead of a long period of skirmishes, I believe that the winners of the war — specifically Khalid, my ancestor — had much more of a hand in the unification of Fódlan than we were led to believe. Since Khalid was notoriously wary, I don’t think he would install a ruler that he didn’t trust absolutely. And when it comes to people that Khalid trusted absolutely, there’s another mystery character that I think is worth investigating:
The Master Tactician’s Commander.
In the last year of the Last War of Adrestia, a strange figure emerged, seemingly from nowhere. This figure was either so legendarily strong or so legendarily intelligent as to lead the Leicester Alliance from a near-rout to absolute victory within a year. The attribution of this victory to a single individual is treated with heavy skepticism.
Personally, though, I believe it. AND I believe that the mystery commander and the mystery ruler are one and the same.
8:23 PM: Rie Averill added:
I know that following a completely unproven theory rather than following the facts wherever they lead is not a mindset appropriate for a historian. So my thesis statement boils it down to something slightly simpler:
“Studying the life of Khalid I of Almyra and his time at the Officer’s Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery can shed light on his relationship with the first ruler of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, and, by proxy, the first ruler’s identity.”
But in order to learn more about Khalid’s time at the academy, I need access to records from that era. I’ve looked in the library, but the oldest records they have are from the founding year of the university. (1442, in case that information has been lost by the time you’re reading this. You’re welcome!) The librarian on duty told me that pre-university records are kept in “the archives under the Old Campus.” I began writing this document as a way to cool down after heading all the way up to the Old Campus for the first time in a year (and I had to walk up AND DOWN 40 flights of stairs, too, since the gondola was undergoing “routine maintenance”), only to find that the archives are locked to anyone except faculty and grad students. Sigh.
9:13 PM: Rie Averill added:
Tomorrow, after class, I’m going straight to the head of the history department to plead my case. I probably won’t talk about my wild theory, I’ll just say I need access to monastery records for my thesis. For my own reference, I’ll add the department head’s name and office number below, so I don’t have to look it up again tomorrow.
Mael Seteth
Professor / Department Head
History
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie looked at the clock and saw she’d been writing and cross-referencing for almost three hours. She’d missed her chance to get dinner from the dining hall and she wasn’t going to make some underpaid delivery driver interact with the mess of roads on campus — at least, not this late. If she wanted to eat, there was only one option left.
Anna hated the night shift. She had attempted to schedule herself at different times, but her eldest sister always noticed the change and put it back. Downside of having similar minds, Anna supposed. The worst part was that even though nobody ever came into the store past nine, she had to remain until closing anyway. And if she tried to leave early or pull a chair from the back room so she didn’t have to stand, the camera would notice and she’d have a passive-aggressive email from Mom before she woke up. What she wouldn’t give to have a normal family instead of a profit-obsessed one. Anna checked the clock. 9:30. Two and a half more hours, she thought, sighing. Two and a half more hours alone.
As if to prove Anna wrong, the door swung open, ringing a tiny, cheap bell above it. As she glanced over, she instinctively barked, “Welcome!” in her best “so excited to be here” voice. Then she noticed who it was and reset her tone. “Oh, hey, Rie.” Rie looked over and studied her with a slight frown. Before she got too confused, Anna piped up. “Yes, it’s me. Art History Anna. Not one of the other ones.”
Rie immediately broke into a grin. “Hey yourself, Anna. Just who I was hoping to see.”
Anna rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh. And why is that?”
“‘Cause you’re my favorite Anna. And you wear the uniform the best.” This was actually pretty low-key, as far as Rie advances went. She must be tired, Anna thought.
“It’s an apron. I wear it the same way my sisters do.”
“Yeah, but your attitude. That slight irritated frown, the effortless confidence... it’s all you!” Rie attempted to wink, but just ended up blinking pointedly. She stared at Anna for another moment before snickering and turning her gaze to the floor.
“Right, yeah.” Anna said. “Are you actually gonna buy something, or are you just here to flirt at me?”
Rie gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry.” She turned away from Anna and walked towards the pre-packaged sandwiches, disappearing behind a shelf. Anna sighed and looked down at her phone, which sat on the counter. It was a slow night on social media, which meant Anna didn’t have anything to distract her.
Anna had met Rie in Intro to Historical Research. They’d worked on a group project together. The project had been graded terribly, but they’d had so much fun that they’d decided to continue speaking, even after their class schedules diverged thanks to their different majors. This was only the second time they’d spoken since they’d returned to Garreg Mach for the fall. Anna had missed her. Things always got less boring when Rie was around.
Not that she would say any of this out loud. Rie’d never let her live it down.
“Just these things.” Rie dropped some items on the counter in front of her. Anna hardly processed what they were as she rang her up. “Rie. You seem tired. Tough day?” Anna mustered the most genuine tone she could.
“What, concerned for me? I didn’t know you felt that way, Anna.” Rie had that stupid grin again. Anna couldn’t believe she was friends with her.
“Not at all, but if I don’t make small talk, I’ll get chewed out by my sister.” Anna glanced up at the security camera.
“Ah, of course. Well, I won’t get into it. I’d be ranting about it for hours.” Rie sighed heavily.
“Well, it’s not like I’m doing anything else. I’ve still got —” Anna glanced at the clock again “— two hours and twenty-two minutes until I get to lock up and go back to my dorm.”
“Gosh, Anna. Buy me dinner before you try to...” Rie trailed off and her smile faded. “Sorry. You were trying to be nice, and I was making fun of you for it.”
Anna snorted as she bagged up Rie’s stuff. “It’s fine, Rie. I know what to expect when I talk to you.”
Rie took the bag and held Anna’s gaze for another moment, looking a little guilty, then turned to leave. “I’m gonna go back to my dorm and eat, but I’ll text you. We gotta find the time to hang out sometime soon!” Her last few words were muffled by the chill autumn wind outside, and the door slammed shut, bounced once, and then came to a stop. The quiet ding-ding of the bell over the door trailed off, and all was silent once again in the Anna-Mart, except for the low hum of the refrigerators.
Anna 10:15 PM
dang. sounds like quite the day
why didn’t you just wait until the gondola was fixed?
Rie 10:16 PM
“oh why didn’t you just wait until the gondola was fixed” come on
...actually i dont know
Anna 10:16 PM
lol are you serious
Rie 10:16 PM
it didnt occur to me
Anna 10:16 PM
HOW DID IT NOT
Rie 10:16 PM
look i had just come out of multi variable algebra
my brain was fried
you cant put that on me
Anna 10:17 PM
YEAH I CAN, DUMBASS
IT’S LITERALLY THE MOST OBVIOUS SOLUTION
YOU WALKED UP 40 FLIGHTS??????
Seteth (he had never quite gotten used to “Mael,” though it’d been decades since he adopted it) quietly gazed out of the ancient glass window, deep in reverie. It seemed like only yesterday that he’d been sternly lecturing young nobles and commoners, making sure that they were prepared to build the next generation’s world. And then the war. And then he was tired. And then he left. It was only many years later, as the date of Flayn’s return approached, that he could bring himself to return to Garreg Mach.
These days, more and more, he remembered the last time he’d spoken to Claude von Riegan (Khalid I, he corrected himself). It was a few years after the war, and Khalid had come to the monastery to check on rebuilding efforts and, apparently, to speak with him.
“Pretty impressive, Seteth.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I am glad to know you’re impressed.”
“Oh, please. We’re old friends. Call me Khalid. Or Claude, if you want.”
Seteth did not trust this chummy attitude. Khalid had hardly spoken to him during the war, preferring instead to pry into his relation to Flayn. His uncanny ability to sniff out a mystery was frustrating for Seteth, who relied so heavily on secrets for daily life.
“Alright, then. Khalid. What do you need?”
“What do I need? Can’t I simply be visiting out of nostalgia, or a desire to check in on the current student body?” Khalid paused, with a sly look on his face. “Say, Seteth, you look fantastic. You haven’t aged a day since I was at the academy. I wonder why that is...”
Seteth coughed. “Yes, well, I hardly believe a monarch with such a busy schedule would take time out to visit his alma mater so casually.”
Khalid gave his best innocent grin, which did not convince Seteth at all. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, Seteth! By the way, did I ever compliment you on that beard of yours? It’s quite —”
Seteth interrupted. “Whenever you are done with the flattery, Khalid, I would appreciate knowing what you want.”
“Oh, well, now you mention it, there is something I could use your help with...”
“Mm. Of course. Now that I mention it.”
“I have a group of refugees. They’ve been unable to escape persecution due to their beliefs in Almyra, but they should be safe here. They’re willing to work.”
“Their... beliefs?”
“Yes. They belong to a religion that’s uncommon in Almyra. Certain... groups would prefer they not remain. Entire towns have been burned. Hundreds killed... children among them.”
“And they seek refuge here, with the Church of Seiros, because...”
“Oh, I recommended it.”
“And why is that, Khalid?”
“Garreg Mach is defensible. And well-defended, if I may be so bold.” Khalid paused, the sly look entering his face again. “And I think it’d be good for you, Seteth.”
“Good for me? How so?”
“Oh, don’t be coy, Seteth.” Khalid winked, a habit he’d somehow retained, even as a monarch. “It’s not convincing on you. You know what I mean. Broaden your horizons a little bit. Learn about some religious figures other than Indech, Macuil, Cethleann, and —”
Seteth cleared his throat. “You brought a group of refugees here... because you think I need to ‘broaden my horizons.’”
Khalid gave him the insincere grin again. “That’s about the gist.”
Seteth sighed. “Fine. I will oversee their integration personally. And I will make... efforts to learn about their beliefs.”
Khalid’s eyes widened. Seteth guessed that he had thought it’d take more convincing. “Fantastic! I really do appreciate it, Seteth.”
Seteth groaned internally. It had been too much to hope, he supposed, that he’d be free of Claude’s scheming after he left Garreg Mach. Above all, he simply wanted to change the subject. “So. How is Hilda these days?” Khalid perked up at the mention of his wife’s name. It was one of his personal charms, Seteth mused, that despite all of his insincerity, his care for the people in his life was evident.
“Oh, she’s well. Same as ever, I suspect. She’d be happy to know you asked about her. How is that book selling, anyhow?”
“Much more so, now that the illustrator is Queen of Almyra.”
Khalid was stunned — whether seriously or mockingly, Seteth could not tell. “Seteth, was that... a joke?”
Seteth smiled slightly. “Perhaps you’ve rubbed off on me.”
Khalid’s jaw dropped in amazement — definitely mocking, Seteth noted silently. “Contractions, too? It’s like you’re a whole different person!” Khalid chuckled.
“Yes, well —”
Seteth’s daydream was interrupted by an insistent knock at his office door. Ah, well. he thought. Perhaps later. “Come in,” he said, “it isn’t locked.”
As his guest pulled the heavy door open, Seteth recognized her. This was the girl who’d turned in that family history project in his Introduction to Historical Research class. The one who’d been descended from Khalid.
“Oh!” said the girl. “You’re Professor Seteth!”
“Yes, I am.” said Seteth. “Did you need something from me?”
“You were my professor for Intro to Historical Research! Now I remember you!”
“Er, was I? I’m afraid I don’t recall.” Seteth lied.
“I’m Rie Averill.”
“Hmm.” Seteth pretended to think for a moment. “Were you the one with the final project about Khalid the First?”
“Yes! Good memory, Professor.” Ms. Averill was either much more sincere than her ancestor, or she was buttering him up to ask him for a favor. Seteth knew it was far too much to hope for the first option.
“So I have been told. Now, what did you need?”
“Need?” The girl gave him her best innocent grin.
“Yes. Typically, students don’t come all the way to the Old Campus just to chat. What do you need?”
“Oh, well, now you mention it, there was one thing.”
Seteth sighed. “And that is?”
“I’m doing preliminary research for my thesis proposal, and access to pre-university records from the monastery would really help.” The girl paused to gauge Seteth’s reaction, but he refused to give her anything. “But when I came up here yesterday, the archives were locked.”
“Yes, well, the archives are limited to faculty and graduate students.”
“Y-yeah, that’s what the sign said. Real pain, too, if you don’t mind me saying. The gondola was out, so I had to take 40 flights both ways.”
Seteth held back from smiling. “Well, I apologize for that. What, may I ask, is your thesis topic?”
The girl pulled her phone from her pocket. Young people these days, he thought. Unable to memorize a single sentence. “The thesis statement is ‘Studying the life of Khalid I of Almyra and his time at the Officer’s Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery can shed light on his relationship with the first ruler of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, and, by proxy, the first ruler’s identity.’ Does that explain it?”
Seteth was worried. He knew, perhaps better than anyone, how tenacious Khalid could be when he was chasing a mystery. And it truly would not do to have the identity of the first ruler exposed to the world. “Ah.” he said, trying to maintain a calm tone. “It does, actually.”
The girl noticed his apprehension and frowned. “Do you have concerns, Professor?”
“Yes, actually.” Seteth said. “It seems like a rather lofty goal. You may be setting yourself up for disappointment.”
The girl waved her hand dismissively. “Well, I figured I’d change the thesis statement to adjust expectations depending on what I find.”
Seteth sighed. “A common strategy.”
“But I can’t do that without access to the archives, Professor. I’m going to need access eventually for my thesis proper, right?”
“I suppose you will.” Seteth pondered the situation he’d found himself in. He knew that refusing her wouldn’t work. Khalid had always found a way to get what he wanted, regardless of who allowed him to. Sighing again, he pulled his keys from his pocket and took a silver key off the ring. He pulled a roll of masking tape from his desk, covered the key’s head with the tape, and wrote “Return to Prof. Seteth” on it. Then, he held the key out over the desk. “You can have access. On one condition.”
The girl’s eyes widened, but then narrowed. “What’s the condition?”
“Weekly updates on your progress. If I let an undergrad into the archives without an official reason, I need to personally supervise.” Seteth did not take pride in this, but he had considered every option, and keeping an eye on Ms. Averill (while subtly steering her in the wrong direction) seemed the most feasible way to keep her from ruining six and a half centuries of secret keeping.
The girl’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”
Seteth smiled. Even if it was inconvenient for him, it was nice to see a youth so enthusiastic about learning. “Well, go ahead. Look in the archives if you like. I’ll expect a report emailed to me by this time next week. A paragraph is alright.”
Ms. Averill hastily threaded the key onto her key ring, which was heavy with various rubber charms — pop-culture references that Seteth did not understand. As she turned to leave, she looked back at him. “Thank you so much. I really do appreciate it, Professor Seteth.”
“Anytime, Miss Averill.”
The door closed with a thump, and Seteth let an amused breath out. It was truly unsettling how similar Rie Averill was to her ancestors. It was just like Khalid and Hilda to continue making problems for Seteth even hundreds of years after their deaths.
Seteth turned back to the window and continued staring at the courtyard outside, changed irrevocably, yet identical to how it was.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
19th of Wyvern Moon, 1885:
2:24 PM: Rie Averill added:
Alright, I got the key. Almost too easy, ha. I didn’t even have to lie, not really. Just had to act all outwardly passionate about history and he folded immediately. Anyway, what follows is my report on Day 1 of archival research. I’ll have to wait until the weekend to do more (I have SO MUCH coursework this week), so I better make today count.
Day 1 in the archives:
I found the section I was looking for. Looking through the archive’s catalog, things are sorted by half-century, then by content. There are six subsections per half-century: A is construction and maintenance records, B is storage and acquisition records, C is visitor records, D is employment records and enrollment records for the Officers Academy, E is expedition records (reports on actions the Knights took outside of Garreg Mach, I guess?) and F is “miscellaneous artifacts,” which is especially enticing, but probably less cool than it sounds. So, enrollment records from the latter half of the 1100s are stored in “23-D.”
2:51 PM: Rie Averill added:
I even managed to find enrollment records for 1180, when Khalid attended! But here’s the annoying thing: Khalid isn’t listed. For some unknown reason, absolutely nowhere in the extensive enrollment records is Khalid of Almyra! I checked all the “Golden Deer” records (he was, after all, technically a citizen of the Leicester Alliance at the time) and he’s nowhere to be found in there. I even checked the “Black Eagles” and “Blue Lions” records and he’s not in there, either! I spent an hour and a half trying to read some half-literate scribe’s writing only to find MORE QUESTIONS. I got so frustrated I decided to cool down by checking out some “miscellaneous artifacts” from the era. I’d like to say I thought there’d be more evidence in there, but in truth I just thought there’d be some neat stuff.
Turns out, no. It’s just a bunch of ratty old uniforms. Also some bones that... might be human? I know that sounds great, but it really isn’t. The one thing that I found that was even a little interesting was this crate. Item 23-F-18. I pulled open the top and found this beautiful painting of two people with green hair — a girl and an older man who looks similar to her. The man has a humorless look on his face, whereas the girl is giving this weird half-smile that’s kind of melancholic. There’s absolutely no information on it, just the item listing. Honestly, I can’t believe it’s not hanging up in a museum somewhere.
4:32 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
I pulled open the top and found this beautiful painting of two people with green hair — a girl and an older man who looks similar to her. The man has a humorless look on his face, whereas the girl is giving this weird half-smile that’s kind of melancholic. There’s absolutely no information on it, just the item listing. Honestly, I can’t believe it’s not hanging up in a museum somewhere.
The strange thing is, I could have sworn I’ve seen the painting somewhere before. The guy’s face is so familiar, which is incredibly specific, as far as déjà vu goes. I don’t recognize the girl at all, but maybe the guy was a reference for another, more famous painting? I’ll have to look into it, sometime after I find another lead for my Khalid investigations.
Here’s the current possibilities for the Khalid investigation:
- He did not attend the Officers Academy officially.
- He attended the Officers Academy under a false name (look up “Khalid I aliases” later)
- He didn’t attend the Officers Academy at all. References to him doing so are simply misremembered references to his occupation of the monastery during the Last War of Adrestia.
If I don’t have anything by next Tuesday, I have no idea what I’ll tell Professor Seteth. Sigh.
Rie stepped out of the sliding doors of Eagle Hall and into the cold autumn air. It was about the time of year for her to start wearing scarves. But more importantly, it was Friday. And that meant archive time. She scampered quickly down the steps and turned to the left in order to get to the gondola, but stopped in her tracks and turned around. Something about that painting still irked her. That man... she knew she’d seen him somewhere. And she knew just who to ask about weird art mysteries.
Rie 5:25 PM
hey remember how i said we should hang out
Anna 5:25 PM
yeah?
Rie 5:25 PM
how do you feel about weird old undiscovered paintings
Anna 5:26 PM
is this a trick question?
like a portrait or a landscape?
time period?
Rie 5:26 PM
portrait, some time in the second half of the 1100s. found it in the archives
Anna 5:26 PM
oh shit you managed to get in? nice
well friday is my day off so yeah, absolutely
want to meet at the dining hall? we can get some food and head up the gondola after
Rie 5:26 PM
anna i know youre totally into me but we really gotta focus on the history right now
Anna 5:26 PM
well i mean you did say “buy me dinner first” so i just figured
Rie 5:26 PM
afjghqikdfjnrqhhfhjwjf
stop that
Anna 5:27 PM
lol, stop flirting at me then
dining hall or gondola? or do you want to take the 40 flights of stairs again
Rie 5:27 PM
dont even joke about that
and besides, the archives lock up at 10 so we gotta start as early as possible
Anna 5:27 PM
they’ve got the peanut butter brownies
come onnnn i know you love those
Rie 5:28 PM
yeah i do love those. fine
dining hall. 20 minutes. but we’re going straight to the archives after
Anna stood a few paces back as Rie turned the key with the masking tape on the head and the metal door with the “Faculty and Grad Students Only” sign creaked open, exposing rows upon rows of metal shelves. Cardboard boxes, wooden crates, and metal file boxes filled the shelves in equal volume. “After you,” Rie said, standing aside and holding the door for her.
Anna stepped into the massive room. The walls, floors, and ceilings were all made of the same stone, held together by crumbling mortar and rafters high off the ground. It would have looked downright medieval, if it weren’t for the stark fluorescent lighting. “Wow. Looks just like I thought it would.”
“Yeah. Great, isn’t it?” Rie stepped through, and the door slammed shut behind them. “Wanna see the painting I told you about?” Rie began to walk towards the back. Anna followed, a few steps behind.
“How’d you get the key, anyway?”
“Oh, I just went straight to the history department head. Turned on the charm.” She could sense a smile in Rie’s voice, even though she was facing away from her.
Anna grimaced. “Gross.”
Rie turned around and stopped, the smile she’d heard completely gone. “W-wait, hold on, I didn’t mean it that way. I just acted really enthusiastic about history.”
“Right, you ‘acted.’” Anna scoffed. “And we’re down here on a Friday night because you hate history.” She patted Rie on the shoulder as she passed.
“Well, if you’d prefer to go somewhere else with me on a Friday night, I’m sure I could arrange it...” Rie’s smile was back.
“Honestly, I just thought this was your idea of a date. That’s why I agreed, you know.”
“Wh — you —” Behind her, Rie went silent. Anna smiled. Flirting back always shut her up. For a little while, at least.
“Where’s this painting you wanted me to look at?” Anna turned to look at Rie, whose face had gone completely red.
“It’s just... over there.” Defeated, Rie pointed at a sign on the end of a row of shelves:
SECTION 23. 1150-1199
“Ah, of course. I assume it’s the big crate at the end?” Getting an affirmative nod from Rie, Anna stepped over to the crate and pushed it through the shelf onto the floor. Rie gasped.
“Hey, careful with that!”
“It’s a painting. In a frame. It’s not gonna crumble to dust if I move it.” Anna lifted the lid, leaned it against the shelf, and peered into the crate. “Whoa!”
“What?”
“When you said ‘portrait,’ I thought — holy crap!” Anna was honestly amazed. Even shadowed by the walls of the crate, the painting was impressive. The man on the right’s hair was so meticulously detailed she could see individual strands, and the shading on the pair gave a clear impression of candles lighting them from in front, possibly from behind the artist.
“I don't know what you're talking about.” Rie stepped up and stared over her shoulder.
“The style, Rie!” Anna pointed generally to the painting. “It’s way too early for this blending technique. We’re looking at a predecessor to middle Fódlanian realism!”
Rie was silent for several seconds. Anna turned to look at her, and she was squinting at the painting, evidently trying to see what Anna had seen. Anna sighed.
“You know when the archeologists found evidence that the first ruler wasn’t the first ruler?” Rie nodded apprehensively. “This is that. But for paintings.”
Rie’s eyes widened. “Whoa! Seriously?”
“Yeah.” Anna stared down at the portrait. “I might have found my thesis topic, too.”
“Huh.” Rie paused. “Wait, one other thing. Do you recognize the guy? I swear I’ve seen him before. Is he a reference for any other paintings?”
Anna kneeled and squinted at the man. “Nope. No idea. And if I don’t know...”
She dropped her bag to the ground, unzipped it, and pulled a plastic bag of latex gloves from deep in the largest pocket. She looked up at Rie, who was staring at her incredulously. “What? Never hurts to be prepared.” She held the painting’s frame gingerly on both sides and lifted it from the crate. Resting it on the crate’s side, she nodded to Rie. “Mind taking a picture?” Rie took her phone from her pocket and snapped a photo, the digital click-click indicating that she’d done so. She walked around the crate and showed her the picture, which was just a close-up on Anna’s face. Anna glared at her. “Of the painting, dumbass.”
Rie snickered. “Not my fault you’re so photogenic.” She stepped back and took another picture. “This one work?” she said, still grinning as she showed the picture to Anna.
“Yeah. It’s fine.” Anna lowered the painting back into the crate. “What’s the research you thought would take four hours?”
“Looking through enrollment records again to try and find Khalid the First.” said Rie. “I don’t think he was on any of them, but I don’t think I checked the backs? I don’t know. It’s worth another look.”
Anna placed the crate’s lid back on and placed the crate back on the shelf. “Sounds great. But you only needed me for the painting, right? Soooooo...” Anna picked up her bag and turned to leave.
“Aw, okay.” Anna turned to see Rie making her best pathetic face. “I guess I’ll just have to do all this work. Alone. By my lonesome. On a Friday night.”
Anna snorted. “You’ll be fine, Rie. I’ll see y—” She stopped dead. “Wait, have you been handling historical documents with bare hands!?”
Rie raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“You can’t do that, Rie!” Anna dropped her bag to the floor and ran over. “These documents are over 700 years old! They’re delicate. The skin oils, Rie! The skin oils!”
“Sorry? I-I didn’t think about it.” Rie averted her gaze.
Anna sighed. “And you call yourself a historian...” A silence passed over the archives. Rie stared at the floor. “Fine.” said Anna, not sure why she was forgiving this idiot. “I’ll stay and help.”
Rie glanced up. “Really?”
“Yeah. ‘Cause you obviously need it. First step: take a pair of these.” Anna tossed Rie the bag of latex gloves.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
22nd of Wyvern Moon, 1885:
6:32 PM: Rie Averill added:
Finally found a power outlet in these stupid archives. It’s, like, a meter and a half off the ground, but that’s fine.
Day 2 in the archives:
7:50 PM: Rie Averill added:
Took another look over the enrollment records for 1180. Here are some names from the Golden Deer list that are notable:
Hilda Valentine Goneril (First Fódlanian queen of Almyra, and my however-many-greats grandma)
Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (No idea who this dude is, but he shares two of his names with Teodor Lorenz Gloucester! Might be a lead!!)
Lysithea von Ordelia (likely related to House Ordelia, one of the head houses of the Alliance at the time)
Ignatz Victor (Anna knew this guy. Some big artist dude from the era?)
Marianne von Edmund (Ignatz’s patron and wife. Apparently a bunch of plays about them?)
And another thing I didn’t catch the first time around: some of the names are duplicated across rosters. Names of people from other rosters are scribbled in at the bottom of the Golden Deer roster, in different handwriting. Here’s the notable ones:
Sylvain Jose Gautier (Dude, this guy is literally named “Gautier.” Imagine how much trouble his sons had finding girlfriends. Anyway apparently he did reforms that meant Crests meant less for nobility. Idk)
Dorothea Arnault (I know this lady! She wrote a bunch of plays about gay women that we learned about in my Intro to Theatre class.)
8:43 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
Sylvain Jose Gautier (Dude, this guy is literally named “Gautier.” Imagine how much trouble his sons had finding girlfriends. Anyway apparently he did reforms that meant Crests meant less for nobility. Idk) (NOTE: HOLY SHIT THIS DUDE IS WHERE “SONS OF GAUTIER” COMES FROM. HOW SHITTY DO YOU HAVE TO BE)
Anna just pointed something out: some of the names correspond to known Crests, which means we can probably trace those people’s lineages. Three of those students are listed above, so we know about them, but I can’t find any results at all for the last one: “Claude von Riegan.” Seems like whoever he was, he had the Crest of Riegan, or at least belonged to House Riegan of the Leicester Alliance. He had some kind of stamp next to his name. Looking at the other rosters, the other listed students with that stamp were “Edelgard von Hresvelg” (the anti-church emperor lady. Leader of the Adrestian Empire during the Last War) and “Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd” (who I don’t know. Maybe some Kingdom of Faerghus guy — not like it matters all that much to my research).
9:54 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
So, I know Edelgard was a big shot in the Empire. If I had to guess, I’d say that the stamp either means that the student warranted special treatment, or that they were some kind of leader. Given there’s only one per house, and I know that there were other Empire big shots in the Black Eagles class (specifically noting Ferdinand von Aegir, von Aegirs were perhaps the biggest shots), I have to assume it notes a house leader.
So this “Claude von Riegan” was the house leader for the Golden Deer, which makes sense, since House Riegan was the head house of the Alliance. Maybe it’s time for me to look into records from 1185. I’ll have way more to sort through, since it’s not just gonna be enrollment records, but it might be the only way to find more information.
The night air was still and cold as Anna stepped out of the front doors of Bishop Hall. The Old Campus was even more breathtaking at night. In the distance, water poured over the aqueduct into the reservoir, creating a constant low roar.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Rie said, closing the door softly behind them.
“Eh.” said Anna. “It’s alright.”
Rie paused. “Damn. I was setting up for ‘not as beautiful as you,’ but I can’t work with ‘it’s alright.’”
Anna laughed. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“There’ll be other opportunities.” Rie tried to wink again and failed just as miserably as the first time.
“Having trouble there?” Anna smirked — the closest she’d allow herself to an unironic smile.
“I-I’ll get it eventually.” Rie turned around and began to walk quickly towards the gondola. Anna followed. “So, Anna... what’d you think?”
“Of the archives? Lots of paper. Neat painting.”
“No, of our date.” Rie was back to grinning. She was relentless.
“Oh. Well, I had a terrible time.” Anna stared straight ahead, not making eye contact.
“Aw. I guess I’ll just have to make the next one better.”
The gondola station was empty. The only sound was the distant waterfall and the sounds of gondola operation — the hum of the moving cable, and the occasional clunk as a car entered or exited.
“Personally, I had a lot of fun. You’re even prettier in an old paper dungeon.” Rie hopped over the metal queue barrier and held out her hand to help Anna over.
“Goddess, Rie. If that’s your idea of a compliment, you’re more hopeless than I thought.” Anna walked directly past Rie’s outstretched hand and followed the queue instead.
A car approached, its doors sliding open as it entered the station. Rie made a “you first” gesture and stood by. “That’s just it. We’re already close.” Anna stepped into the car, and Rie followed. “I can say something dumb and you’ll just laugh instead of —” Rie stopped as she put her bag down on the car’s floor. She settled into the cushioned seat on one side as Anna settled into her seat on the other.
Half a minute passed. Rie didn’t finish her sentence. Anna made brief eye contact and Rie averted her eyes. What was going on? She hadn’t even flirted back this time. “Instead of?”
“Uh, do you want me to send you the picture of that painting? I haven’t done that yet.” Rie glanced up, giving Anna token eye contact before looking away again.
Anna was confused. What had happened to the actual Rie? Who was this meek stranger? “Rie, not that I’m complaining, but... what’s with the attitude shift?”
“Huh?”
“You were being all annoying and flirty as we walked up, but as soon as we were in the gondola, you stopped. What’s up with that?”
Rie sputtered. “Oh, so you... noticed that.” She chuckled nervously.
“Yeah. I did.”
“I, uh... I try not to flirt with people in situations where they can’t turn around and walk away.” Rie refused to make eye contact. “Feels like I’d come off as a creep.”
“Hm. Well, don’t worry, you already come off as...” Anna trailed off, suddenly aware she was about to be way meaner than she wanted to be. “No, that’s a lie. You’re an idiot, but ‘creep’ is the last word I’d use to describe you.”
Rie finally looked up at Anna. “Thanks.” she said, an inscrutable look on her face.
“And I will take that photo when you have a moment.”
“Oh, sure!” Rie pulled her phone from her jacket and tapped at it briefly. Anna’s phone buzzed with a notification that a file had been shared with her.
“Thanks. And thanks for not just texting it to me, the compression would have —”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. Better to have the full resolution, right?”
Rie was tired. It had been a long day — six hours of classes followed by five hours of research in the archives. As she unlocked her dorm’s front door and held it for Anna, who hadn’t spoken since the gondola, she reflected. It had been a fairly productive day, but only thanks to Anna. She was still kicking herself over the skin oils. If Anna hadn’t stopped her, she could have destroyed centuries-old history and her only lead to finding the first ruler of Fódlan.
She mulled over the guy in the painting as she pressed the “up” button. Anna didn’t know who he was. So where had she seen him? She pondered the man’s chin beard and dour expression. Had it been some famous actor that looked like him? This was going to bother her forever until she figured it out.
Ding.
Rie stepped into the elevator and pressed the “4” and “7” buttons. Anna followed. As the elevator hummed upwards, they stared straight forward at their blurry reflections in the metal doors.
Rie cleared her throat. “Um.” Genuinity wasn’t easy for her. “Thanks for your help today.”
Anna was silent for a moment. “No problem. Thanks for showing me that painting.”
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie stepped out. She was about to walk down the hall to her room, but she turned to face the elevator. Before the doors closed, she gave Anna a little wave. Anna didn’t wave back.
The elevator doors slid closed.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 1:22 AM, 26th of Wyvern Moon
Professor,
Here is my report on Week 1 of preliminary archival research for my thesis:
Enrollment records for 1180, the year in which Khalid supposedly attended the Officers Academy, do not contain his name or any variation on it. Several names listed on the roster for the “Golden Deer” house, of which Khalid would have likely been a member due to his connection to the Leicester Alliance, have no immediately-available historical presence. Of particular interest is “Claude von Riegan,” whose connection to House Riegan of the Leicester Alliance is obvious, but whose name matches no known member of the noble house. It is possible that, due to the dissolution of the Leicester Alliance following the Last War of Adrestia, this final member of House Riegan was lost to history. The remainder of my research for this first week is enclosed.
Any opinions or relevant information you could offer would be appreciated.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 12:58 PM, 26th of Wyvern Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. You seem to have found a large amount of information regarding the class of 1180. Perhaps try working backwards. You mention Khalid was connected to the Leicester Alliance. How, exactly, was he connected?
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Seteth sighed. The girl was already well on her way to finding the truth. She was worse than Khalid. Luckily, he noted, scrolling through her notes, she hadn’t thought to check employee records. She was still quite a ways off from finding anything about the first ruler.
Seteth opened a drawer in his desk and pulled an envelope and personalized stationery from it. He liked letter-writing well enough, but he would have rather used email. It had taken him a while to become used to it as well, but he admired its efficiency. But the recipient of his letters did not share his enthusiasm for the medium, or for its lack of privacy — and though they had each other’s phone numbers, Seteth preferred to have no conversations by text that he wouldn’t have in public. And so he continued to write letters and send them through the mail. He picked up his pen and began to write.
My friend,
You may remember an incidental detail I offered in one of my letters three years ago — that a descendant of our mutual friend Khalid was attending my university. Well, I write with grave news. This descendant, one Rie Averill, has turned her eyes to discovering the true identity of the first ruler of Fódlan. She has decided to write her thesis on the topic, in fact. I ask for your counsel. I have thus far attempted to mislead her and steer her in incorrect directions, but I feel conflicted about this. I see much of Khalid in her, and I know that if she discovers anything about me, her mystery-solving gaze, like Khalid’s, may turn to myself.
I hope you are well. Respond as soon as you are able.
Yours,
Seteth
Rie 1:05 PM
ANNA
Anna 1:08 PM
what?
Rie 1:08 PM
remember how i said i thought i recognized the guy in the painting
Anna 1:09 PM
yeah
what, do you remember where you saw him?
Rie 1:09 PM
professor seteth just sent me an email back about my first update
and look at his profile picture:
[SCRN_072618851309.jpg]
Anna 1:10 PM
yeah??
Rie 1:10 PM
ITS THE SAME GUY ANNA
[PIC_072218851844.jpg]
Anna 1:10 PM
no it isn’t
guy in the painting has a chinstrap beard
professor dude has a full beard
you just think they look alike cause they both have long green hair
Rie 1:11 PM
yeah because nobody can grow a beard
and YEAH
who tf has long green hair??
and bright green eyes?
look at the expression. its the exact same
dudes wearing a brigidian shirt and hes on the beach somewhere and he looks like hes having literally no fun
dont tell me that doesnt look like the guy in the painting
Anna 1:15 PM
okay fine
i see a resemblance
but what is that supposed to mean?
the head of the history department is immortal?
Rie 1:16 PM
well idk if hes literally the same guy
might be a descendant or something
but ALSO
WOULDN’T IT BE THE PERFECT DISGUISE???
IF HE WAS
Anna 1:16 PM
not really!
i mean, think about it
if he was really there
he probably knows a whole bunch of stuff that was lost to history
wouldn’t it be way easier to... not be in a job where you have to withhold information?
anyway this whole thing is dumb
immortal people aren’t real
it’s probably just a coincidence
Rie 1:17 PM
yeah youre right
im mostly joking anyway
i dont actually think professor seteth is immortal
just thought it was a kinda funny coincidence
Anna 1:17 PM
oh, good
was afraid for a moment that you’d gone completely crazy
glad to know you’re still just normal rie crazy
Rie 1:18 PM
haha no i think its you thats rie crazy
;)
Anna 1:18 PM
i’m going to stop texting you now
Anna walked out of her midterm — she felt good about it, but she wouldn’t admit it to herself — and checked her work schedule for the week. To her shock, she was scheduled for a night shift on Friday. This meant no archive time. Which was annoying. She had really wanted to get a second look at that painting. She had a theory about the brushwork, but she couldn’t confirm it just from Rie’s phone picture.
Anna (3) 2:05 PM
hey does anyone want to swap shifts with me? i have stuff to do on friday night
Anna (1) 2:06 PM
What could possibly be more important than the family business, Anna???
Anna (3) 2:06 PM
what’s with the inquisition, anna?
i just have stuff to do
you know as my employer you legally can’t ask me that
Anna (1) 2:06 PM
What about as your sister?
Anna (5A) 2:06 PM
she’s got a date
probably that girl
rae??
Anna (3) 2:06 PM
rie. and no
she’s an idiot i wouldn’t date her
Anna (5A) 2:07 PM
she came into the store on wednesday and told me i was the prettiest anna
and when i was like “uh who are you” she apologized profusely
and said she thought i was art history anna
which is YOU last i checked
Anna (3) 2:07 PM
she just does that. it’s an inside joke
and like i said. she’s an idiot
i just want to know who’ll swap shifts with me
Anna (4) 2:18 PM
I’ll do it
But only if you take my Tuesday AND my Saturday
Anna (3) 2:20 PM
fine
Anna (2) 2:38 PM
dang you must really like this girl
anna’s all grown up!!
i’m so proud
Rie stepped out of the sliding doors of Eagle Hall. Friday again. Which meant archives again. She’d thought about what the professor had told her, but she hadn’t looked into Khalid’s connection to the Leicester Alliance all week. She pulled on the ends of her scarf and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She wanted to get right into the archives, but Anna always had a way of sidetracking her. She figured she’d head straight to the archives, then text Anna to meet her there. She turned and walked in the direction of the gondola stop.
Anna sat on the bed, her phone face down on the desk a meter or two away. It was already past 6, and Rie hadn’t texted about a visit to the archives. But she was never going to text first. Rie’d hold it over her for years. She stretched her arms toward the ceiling and pulled her hair tie out, letting her hair fall. The door unlocked and creaked open, and her older sister stepped in, wearing a puffy coat over a lab coat.
“Oh. Hey, Anna.” Anna said, unzipping her coat. “I thought you had some kind of thing tonight.” She tossed her coat onto her office chair and sat down on top of it. “Just wanted to stay in? Or did your date cancel?”
Anna gave her a look. As if Rie wasn’t bad enough. “No. I’m just waiting for my way into the archives so I can get a closer look at my thesis topic.”
“Archives?”
“Yeah. Up in the Old Campus. I don’t have the keys, but a friend does. I’m waiting for a text from her.” Anna leaned back and laid down, with her legs dangling off the edge of her bed.
Anna took off her shoes and tossed them by the door. “And is your friend pretty?”
“No. When are you going to stop doing this?” Anna sighed.
“When you get a girlfriend. Hassling you is, like, my job. You’re the only one of my sisters who isn’t dating someone! And I know it’s not because you don’t have any interest in it. Remember Jenne, from high school?”
“Goddess.” Anna muttered. “I remember acting like a total dipshit, if that’s what you mean. I’d rather not think about it.”
“Yeah, exactly!” Anna stood and sat on the opposite bed. “It’s not like you don’t want to date people. You’ve just never actually done it. Why?”
Anna was silent. Honestly, she wasn’t sure how to answer that. The idea of having a girlfriend wasn’t terrible to her, but deep down, she knew that desire was shallow. The stuff that she assumed made a healthy relationship — emotional openness, physical closeness, general honesty — all made her feel itchy. She was fairly certain she just wasn’t cut out for it. She’d settle for friendships glazed in two or three layers of irony any day.
“Anna? Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I heard. I believe I’m entitled to an attorney.”
“Anna, I’m serious. You can’t just —”
Anna’s phone buzzed on her desk. She stood and lifted it, turning it to face her. She silently thanked Rie for getting her out of this line of questioning and put her hair back into its previous high ponytail. “Sorry. Guess we’ll have to continue this talk later. Or not.”
Anna grabbed her bag and coat and left the room before her sister could ask any more questions she didn’t want to answer.
Rie 6:11 PM
im in the archives if you want to come by
Rie 6:18 PM
theres nobody else here just sayin ;)
Anna 6:19 PM
i’m already in the gondola
sorry didnt see previous message
actually im going back to my dorm
Rie 6:19 PM
aw
dang thought you were fun
Anna 6:20 PM
wow, nobody’s ever called me fun before
maybe i will swing by
and, you know, whatever happens happens
“;)”
Rie 6:20 PM
tjhjfjkwkdjdjwj
jerk
Rie stood by the archives’ doors, leaning against the wall. She was taking the chance to check if the fourteen fanfics she constantly had open in her browser had updated — something she’d never do if there was even the slightest chance that someone else was watching. She was also waiting for a text from Anna telling her to unlock the doors.
Instead of a text, Rie heard a knock at the doors. She pulled them open, saw Anna, and immediately leaned against the doorframe in an attempt to look suave. “Hey there, miss. And you are...?”
“Rie.” Anna pushed past her, breaking eye contact.
“Rie? Wow, what a coincidence! You know, my grandma’s named Rie, too.”
Anna stopped, facing away from her, and hunched over, putting her hands on her knees. For a moment, Rie thought she was out of breath, and then Anna snickered and burst into unrestrained laughter. “Your grandma? How is that your idea of flirting!?” she choked out between guffaws. Rie felt her cheeks grow warm.
“A-anyway,” Anna said, recovering from her laughing fit, “how’s the thesis? Any new information?”
“Er, not exactly. Professor Seteth didn’t help much. All he said was to look into Khalid’s connection to the Leicester Alliance.”
“Seems like a pretty easy thing to do, right?” Anna stood and continued to walk to section twenty-three. Rie followed.
“Yeah. I just...” Rie paused for a moment. She hadn’t done any research all week, and she wasn’t sure why. “...haven’t, yet.”
“Well, let’s get to work, then.”
“Yeah. Let’s.”
They arrived at the section, and Rie went to her laptop to start a new subhead in her document.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
29th of Wyvern Moon, 1885
7:02 PM: Rie Averill added:
Day 3 in the archives:
This isn’t related to the archives, but I looked into Khalid’s relation to the Leicester Alliance. Easily-accessible online resources say his mother was an “unknown noble in the Leicester Alliance,” but it’s not clear to me whether that means that his mother’s noble status was unknown, or that his mother’s identity is unknown. Followed that to its source and it’s someone’s genealogy website from 1871. So, not the most reliable source.
7:18 PM: Rie Averill added:
Took a different route. There were five major noble houses, each with a Head, in the Leicester Alliance at the time of its dissolution and integration into the United Kingdom of Fódlan:
House Riegan (head house of the Alliance)
House Gloucester
House Goneril
House Edmund
House Ordelia
Khalid’s status as the son of an Alliance noble is a matter of historical record. The question is, who? If only there was a resource that could tell me if Khalid had a Crest.
8:21 PM: Rie Averill added:
I had a brainwave. I can work backwards! From myself! When I was getting bloodwork done two years ago, my mom had me tested to see if I had any Ten Elites blood in me. Here’s what they found:
Very low probability of Blaiddyd descendance (0-5%)
Very low probability of Charon descendance (0-5%)
Very low probability of Daphnel descendance (0-5%)
Very low probability of Dominic descendance (0-5%)
Very low probability of Fraldarius descendance (0-5%)
Low probability of Gautier descendance (5-20%)
Very low probability of Gloucester descendance (0-5%)
High probability of Goneril descendance (80-95%)
Very low probability of Lamine descendance (0-5%)
Very high probability of Riegan descendance (95-100%)
Okay, so, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Khalid was descended from Riegan. It could have been one of my other ancestors. But here’s a concept.
Khalid. Claude. Similar names, right?
Look, I know as well as you do that this isn’t conclusive evidence. It’s totally circumstantial. But it’s something I can work from. I’ll assume that Khalid and Claude von Riegan were one and the same and see if I can get anything from that. Now it’s time to sift through the records from 1185.
9:48 PM: Rie Averill added:
Okay, quick notes before I have to leave. I started looking through employee records from 1185 (enrollment records don’t exist, as the Officers Academy was not operating at the time) and found nothing of import. Neither Khalid nor Claude make any appearances, which makes sense since he wasn’t an employee. I was hoping I’d find some indication of who the commander was, but nothing there, either.
I also looked through visitor records and found all of the students mentioned above. And, AND: Records of a “Judith von Daphnel (and Alliance troop complement)” were accompanied by a HAND-WRITTEN AND SIGNED note from Claude, seemingly advising monastery guards:
“Give a measure of free movement in the monastery, but no restricted areas. LIGHT TOUCH. We need the troops. -Claude”
THAT implies that Claude was a command figure, which lends further credence to my theory that Claude was Khalid. I’d say I’ve got more than enough to make an effective email to Professor Seteth.
also note: thank anna for keeping me in check no way i would’ve gotten this work done without her.
Ding.
Rie stepped into the elevator after Anna. The walk back and gondola ride down had passed in a flash. The excitement of all this new information, and the possibility for new discovery, had really taken it out of Rie. She’d nearly fallen asleep on the gondola ride, nestled in her warm coat with the soft movement and hum of the gondola, and even now, she was having a hard time not drifting off while standing in the elevator. She tilted her head to the side, holding her heavy eyelids half open. Anna gave her a strange look.
“Goddess, Rie, are you alright?”
“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just a little tired.” Rie closed her eyes and held her knees stiff to stop them from buckling.
“You’re sure? You need me to help you to your room?”
“I’m sure you’d... like that...” Rie giggled sleepily. Provoking Anna was still fun, even when she was bone-tired.
“Okay, suit yourself. Get some sleep, weirdo.”
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie stepped out, dragging her bag. She turned and gave Anna a little wave. Anna raised her hand in response.
The elevator doors slid closed.
Seteth,
Keeping secrets might be easy for you under normal circumstances, but that’s only because most people don’t scrutinize their professors — I should know. If Khalid’s descendant is trying to find out who I am, it’s only a matter of time before she sees something that clues her in to your secret, too.
Which is why I recommend telling her. Khalid was excellent at keeping secrets, and if Ms. Averill is as similar to him as you claim, then there shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll have to find a new thesis topic, but that’s a minor inconvenience.
Please write back to let me know of your decision. Regardless of what you choose, I’ll see you when I visit in Guardian Moon.
Looking forward to seeing you — and Flayn!
Seteth shook his head. What foolishness was this? Apparently the first ruler had become naïve in the years since they’d last spoken. The only reason Khalid kept people’s secrets is because nobody ever told him the whole truth about anything. He’d gone to his grave not knowing the true reason behind Seteth’s agelessness.
Perhaps Seteth was being too harsh. After all, the machinations of those who slither in the dark had been lost to history, in no small part due to Khalid’s complete silence on the subject. Perhaps it would be best to tell Ms. Averill the truth...
A shudder ran through his body. Absolutely not. The first ruler had missed a very important distinction between Khalid and his descendant. Khalid was a snoop, but Ms. Averill was a historian. Uncovering the answers to mysteries was what she lived for. And sharing those answers with the world would help her achieve prominence in her field. Nosiness was Khalid’s hobby, but it was Averill’s job.
As if to answer his concerns, his computer made the telltale bloop-blop that meant a new high-priority email had come in. A new update from Ms. Averill. He hoped she hadn’t made much progress.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 10:47 AM, 2nd of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
Here is my report on Week 2 of preliminary archival research for my thesis:
As you may remember, I am directly descended from Khalid I. In order to attempt to connect some of the dots of Khalid’s relation to the Leicester Alliance, I received a blood test to check whether I am descended from any of the Ten Elites. The blood test revealed no possibility of descendance from any of the Ten Elites apart from Gautier (who, I discovered, about 2% of people have regardless), Goneril (who I already knew I was descended from, due to Khalid’s marriage to Hilda Valentine Goneril), and Riegan. In fact, the blood test stated there was a higher chance I was descended from Riegan than Goneril. I also found a handwritten note from “Claude von Riegan” in the visitor records for 1185 that implied a command role: “Give a measure of free movement in the monastery, but no restricted areas. LIGHT TOUCH. We need the troops. -Claude” Due to both of these data points, I have decided to assume that Claude von Riegan was an alias used by Khalid I during his time at the Officers Academy. The remainder of my research for this second week is enclosed.
Any opinions or relevant information you could offer would be appreciated.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Seteth’s eyes widened. His plan to direct Ms. Averill’s attention in the opposite direction had backfired spectacularly. She was much closer to the truth than she had been before. This was the absolute worst time for this to happen — so close to the day Flayn would return...
Flayn. Seteth had considered that her sudden arrival would invite suspicion, and he’d prepared strategies to avoid it. But with this girl investigating and scrutinizing, he’d have to work twice as hard to get the same result. This in addition to his work as head of the history department. The next few months would be hard. Seteth sighed and began to compose a response to Ms. Averill’s email.
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 11:08 AM, 2nd of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. I don’t personally think that the assumptions you’ve made about Claude von Riegan being Khalid’s alias would hold academic water. For now, I think you should focus on finding more conclusive evidence that Khalid and Claude were one and the same. That should be your first step, since every other element of your thesis statement relies on it. Feel free to contact me with any questions you have. I am no expert on Garreg Mach’s history, but I will attempt to offer insight nonetheless.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie’s left eye twitched. “More conclusive evidence”!? She’d spent hours searching through records written in chicken-scratch for anything about Khalid and now he wanted more? Ridiculous.
She had barely slept three hours since she was last at the archives. She was too busy running through her list of possible rulers. That guy — “Lorenz Hellman Gloucester” — seemed like the obvious choice. If the second ruler was Teodor Lorenz Gloucester, then maybe this Lorenz guy was his father. That’d make for a convenient line of succession, right?
Class was in an hour. So she couldn’t sleep. She’d just have to power through the day, then sleep tonight. She could do it. But she wasn’t going to be happy about it.
Anna 5:40 PM
hey, i don’t think i can make the archives on friday
got scheduled for a shift that night
Rie 6:10 PM
ok
Anna 6:11 PM
i assume you’re still going, right?
Rie 6:13 PM
yep
Anna 6:13 PM
ok, if you get a chance, could you take a picture of the back of the portrait?
and let me know if there are any labels or anything on it?
i’d appreciate it
Rie 6:14 PM
sure
Anna 6:14 PM
i don’t know what’s up with you today
what’s with the one word responses
are you ok?
Rie 6:16 PM
yeah im fine
just tired
Anna 6:16 PM
you should sleep
your classes are over for the day right?
Rie 6:16 PM
yeah
Anna 6:16 PM
go to bed rie
if i see you online in 30 minutes i’m coming to your room to make sure you sleep
Rie 6:17 PM
promise?
Anna 6:17 PM
on second thought do whatever you want
Anna shoved her phone into her pocket and continued stocking the shelf with candy. Rie was far too invested in this history thing. At the start, Anna was half-convinced that it was just an excuse for Rie to spend more time with her — she was clingy like that, or at least Anna was pretty sure she was. But clearly, her thesis was consuming her life, and any time she spent with Anna was tangential to that.
...Why did that make Anna’s stomach hurt?
“Hey! Anna!” her little sister shouted from behind the counter.
Anna shuddered. “What?”
“You’re stocking the chocolates with the fruits. You need to make them separate.”
Anna didn’t look at Anna. “Got it. Sorry.”
“Distracted, Anna?” Anna said. “You’re surlier than usual! Maybe your blood sugar’s low! You should buy some —”
“No. I’m fine. And cut it out with the sales talk. Mom banned you from upselling us.”
“S-sorry. I just, I mean — I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Anna had a habit of stammering when she wasn’t in saleswoman mode — a trait which, Anna bemusedly noted, made her extremely popular with boys in high school.
“I’m fine. Really. Just a little tired.” Anna paused. “...And my friend is kind of ignoring me.”
She reorganized the candy while her sister remained silent. Anna figured that she was looking at her phone and not listening to her, but then she spoke. “Is this Rie? Is that who you’re talking about?”
Anna stocked the candy faster.
“It is, right?” Anna didn’t sense the smile in her voice that her sisters usually got when they were mocking her about being friends with Rie. “Look, Anna. Be honest with me. Do you like this girl?”
“She’s my friend.”
“Absolutely not what I meant. And you — you have to know that. Come on. I promise I won’t tease you. Or tell Anna.” She paused for a moment. “Or Anna, I guess. Anna either... I just won’t tell any of our sisters.”
“...No. I don’t like her. Not like you mean.” Anna put the last bag of sour candies on a hook and stood up. “I just... I don’t really... do things, and she does. And she has this obsession with history, so...” Anna made eye contact with her sister. “You see my problem.”
Anna frowned from behind the counter. “I-I mean, I guess? If she’s not giving you the time of day, maybe you should — I don’t know, stop hanging out with her? If you don’t like the way she treats you...”
“I —” Anna stopped. Her sister had a point. But she didn’t want to stop spending time with Rie. She’d only gotten blown off once. “No. She — she treats me fine. This is the first time she’s done this. I’m just being weird about it.”
“Why’s that, I wonder?” There was that smile. Anna knew it was too much to expect any of her sisters to hold back for any amount of time. She glared at Anna.
“You literally promised not to —”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself.” Her sister snickered quietly. Anna shook her head and began to return the empty crates to the back.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
5th of Red Wolf Moon, 1885:
5:15 PM: Rie Averill added:
Day 4 in the archives:
No Anna this time. Which doesn’t really matter — I’ve got theories to carry me through. And I’m in here for longer today, because I don’t have to go to dinner with Anna first. Anyway, theories as they stand:
The second ruler, who erased all evidence of the first, was named Teodor Lorenz Gloucester. There’s a guy on the Golden Deer enrollment records named Lorenz Hellman Gloucester.
I mean, you see where I’m going, right? The names are really, really similar. Lorenz knew Claude, he was present during the war, and besides him becoming the head of House Gloucester, there’s hardly any reference in historical record to his life after the war.
But Professor Seteth asked me to find more evidence that Claude and Khalid were the same, and I don’t want to get my archive privileges revoked. So I guess I’ll spend tonight doing that.
Oh, and I gotta take a picture of the back of the painting’s frame for Anna.
6:33 PM: Rie Averill added:
I know I said I was going to look for more evidence to support my Claude-Khalid theory, but I found infirmary records from 1180 with Lorenz in them and look at this:
“Leg injured in unsuccessful flanking maneuver. Administered vulnerary, no permanent damage.”
That shows an interest in tactics, which he could have honed in the following years — lends more to my theory that he’s, at the very least, the unknown commander. So that’s neat.
6:40 PM: Rie Averill added:
Apparently Lorenz was injured in a LOT of unsuccessful tactical maneuvers. I don’t know if that makes my theory more or less likely.
6:45 PM: Rie Averill added:
Ok no way this guy was the unknown commander. Shit. But if Lorenz Hellman Gloucester wasn’t the first ruler, why in the world was Teodor Lorenz Gloucester the second?
Unless... he was the husband of the first ruler.
Holy shit. I’ve been looking at this all wrong. I assumed the first ruler was a man. Maybe they weren’t. Maybe she wasn’t.
Alright, I really gotta look more into Lorenz’s history. I need to ask Professor Seteth.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 7:23 PM, 5th of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
I’m emailing outside of my normal schedule to ask a question about one of the students in the Golden Deer House of 1180: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. His similarity in name to Teodor Lorenz Gloucester, the second ruler of the UKF, interested me at first. I’m not convinced he could have ruled Fódlan at any point, but I’ve noticed a complete lack of information in every place that I’ve looked about his life after he became the Head of House Gloucester. I find nothing about his activities, and notably absolutely nothing about who, if anyone, he married.
This is especially interesting to me because of the existence of Teodor Lorenz Gloucester, and the prevalent theory regarding the first ruler: that Teodor thoroughly eradicated any evidence of their rule. Without any evidence I cannot make claims, but I believe that information about Lorenz’s later life, or Teodor’s early life (given I can find no information regarding his parentage either) may shed some light on the mystery.
Which leads me to my question: Are you aware of any other historical data about Lorenz Hellman Gloucester? If not, do you have any recommendations as to which parts of monastery records I should consult to find more information?
Yours,
Rie Averill
Rie sighed, lifting her computer from her lap. A soft thump echoed through the archives as she placed it on the concrete floor. Rie stared straight ahead at the stone wall opposite her, the rows of shelves. Her head spun with leading questions and unsubstantiated theories. If only she could know who Lorenz married. If only...
Rie’s eyes widened. She pulled the box of records back towards her, making a truly horrifying sound as metal scraped against concrete, and gently pulled out the class records for 1180.
7:40 PM: Rie Averill added:
Okay, maybe Lorenz wasn’t the ruler. But I’m still pretty sure someone in Claude's class was. So I can do this:
A list of every woman in the Golden Deer House, class of 1180 that was also listed in records for 1185.
Arnault, Dorothea
Goneril, Hilda
Pinelli, Leonie
von Edmund, Marianne
von Martritz, Mercedes
von Ordelia, Lysithea
von Varley, Bernadetta
9:12 PM: Rie Averill added:
Alright, some of these can be solidly eliminated. Hilda Goneril was married to Khalid I. Marianne von Edmund was married to Ignatz Victor. Dorothea Arnault lived in Enbarr after the war — her career with the Mittelfrank Opera Company is well-documented. Bernadetta von Varley has a known year of death (that, and she managed Varley lands until she died of old age).
That leaves three who have little documentation. Leonie Pinelli (unlikely, since she was a commoner), Mercedes von Martritz (also unlikely: despite the fancy name, she was a commoner too), and Lysithea von Ordelia, who isn’t recorded as the final Head of her house. So, I think Lysithea von Ordelia is the most likely person to have married Lorenz.
Hmm. Maybe I’ll double-email.
...No, that seems like a bit much. I’ll just round out the rest of tonight with some more looking into Claude.
Ding.
Rie stepped into the elevator. All had been quiet on the walk and gondola ride back. But she was much too fired up about her first ever real suspect to feel sleepy. “Lysithea von Ordelia...” she muttered to herself, pressing the “4” button. Who was this woman? She could hardly find anything about her in any of her regular sources. This was true for Leonie and Mercedes as well, but it wasn’t unusual for them — they were commoners. But Lysithea was a noble, from one of the Alliance’s head houses. Why had she disappeared from history?
This was, of course, a rhetorical question. She knew what she wanted the answer to be. She hoped, beyond any hope, that Teodor (Lysithea’s son, in this wishful scenario) had erased any mention of his mother from history, for reasons unknown. She hoped that she’d found the answer. Not for fame, or renown, but simply because it was a mystery that begged to be solved. And in lieu of actual proof, a sufficiently convincing thesis would do.
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie stepped out. She turned, absent-mindedly waved at nobody, and trudged down the hall to her room.
Behind her, the elevator doors slid closed.
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 8:40 PM, 8th of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
I consulted some of my more versed colleagues and compiled a list of known facts about Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, though information is somewhat sparse. Apparently, he was heavily involved in the early politics of the United Kingdom of Fódlan. Documentation of who he was married to has been lost, but it’s known that he did, in fact, have a wife. Secondary sources from decades after his death claim that some of his policies were his wife’s ideas.
Apologies for the lack of information. I hope it will be helpful regardless. Attached is the full list, with sources.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 3:46 PM, 9th of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
I appreciate the information. Some of my theories have changed as a result. Attached is my report on Week 3 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. In addition to some more quotes from contemporary documents that substantiate my Claude-Khalid theory, I have also included my current research regarding Lorenz and his particular relation to the first ruler. This research is largely conjecture and is not meant to represent a conclusive statement on the matter, but I decided to include it anyway to show the direction of my research.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 5:35 PM, 9th of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. I appreciate the additional evidence for your Claude-Khalid theory. I agree with you that Lorenz as the first ruler seems unlikely, given his record of political activity in other areas. The assumption that Lorenz was married to the first ruler is a tad baffling, but I understand that the research is preliminary, so I will refrain from criticizing it at the moment.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Seteth leaned back in his chair. Ms. Averill was solidly on the wrong track. He could rest easy. Perhaps these few months wouldn’t be as hard as he had feared. Though he regretted misleading a youth so passionate about history, it was necessary to maintain his position — and not become some kind of magical curiosity, prodded and studied by governmental agencies. Or worse, a celebrity. Believers in the Church of Seiros were rare these days, but he disliked being treated as a religious authority nearly as much as he’d dislike being treated like a saint. So Ms. Averill would need to remain in the dark, no matter what.
Anna 2:30 PM
hey, did you ever get that picture of the back of the painting?
Rie 2:45 PM
oh shit
im really sorry
Anna 2:50 PM
it’s ok
Rie 4:30 PM
ok here
[PIC_081018851629.jpg]
Anna 4:30 PM
wait, did you seriously go all the way to the archives
just to get a picture?
Rie 4:31 PM
no i was already there
ive been going to the archives every day this week
gotta get that research in
Anna 4:32 PM
oh, good
Rie finished reading Anna’s response to her lie and made for the exit of the archives. But as she stood at the doors, hand on the freezing metal doorknob, she hesitated. She was already here. She might as well take a look, see if there was anything she missed. Maybe she’d find answers to some of her burning questions about Lysithea.
Anna 4:23 PM
got today off. archives?
Rie 4:45 PM
sounds good
been going every day and ive still got so many questions
lately i think the first ruler mightve been this girl “lysithea von ordelia”
Anna 4:46 PM
hell of a name
every day, though?
Rie 4:52 PM
yep
like i said
gotta research. gotta search those res
Anna 4:53 PM
when’s the last time you slept? lol
Rie 4:53 PM
thursday
what, upset you werent invited?
;)
Anna 4:53 PM
thursday AM or thursday PM?
Rie 4:54 PM
thursday
Anna 4:54 PM
okay
you need to chill
you’re getting obsessive
Rie 4:55 PM
its a great historical mystery anna
of course i want to solve it
Anna 4:55 PM
ok fine
want to get dinner before archives? i assume you haven’t done that since thursday either
Rie 4:56 PM
sure
enbarr or derdriu
Anna 4:56 PM
well i don’t think we need to go that far just for food
Rie 4:57 PM
boooooooooooooo get off the stage
which dining hall though
Anna 4:57 PM
enbarr’s got crayfish sandwiches
Rie 4:57 PM
oh hell yeah
Anna stared at Rie across the table as she rambled about something or other — Anna had long tuned out, as she recognized that Rie wasn’t looking for input, just an opportunity to vent. Rie gesticulated wildly, attempting to get her point across more forcefully. Anna sipped her water and cleared her throat. “Have you done anything this week aside from research?”
“I had an algebra midterm. Definitely failed it.” Rie showed no sign of regret or displeasure at this.
“Okay.” Anna paused. “How long is that document now, anyway?”
“Not any longer than it was last week. It’s on my laptop, and I keep forgetting to bring it with me to the archives. All my notes are in my phone and —” Rie tapped her temple “— up here.”
“Right. And how do you plan on sending those mental notes to the professor?”
“I’ll do a write-up this weekend. Honestly, I’ve probably got enough for my Tuesday report alread— ah, one second.” Rie left the table, carrying her empty plate.
Anna rested her chin on her hand. Rie was being weirder than usual. The whole “new, intense obsession” thing was normal, but they were usually replaced by something else after a week, and they had never messed with Rie’s sleep schedule before. Rie had always loved her sleep almost as much as she loved pointlessly flirting at her.
Rie returned with two cookies wrapped in a napkin. She offered the package to Anna, but Anna shook her head. Rie shrugged and took a bite out of both cookies at once. “Finger on the chin,” she mumbled.
Anna frowned and lifted her head from her hand. “Sorry. Trying to stop doing that.” It was apparently a hereditary tic — every one of Anna’s sisters, aunts, and cousins had the same habit. About a year earlier, she’d asked Rie to tell her when she did it; it was just another way she was too much like her family.
“I guess I can forgive you.” Rie paused, frowning dramatically. “This time.” Rie held Anna’s gaze for a moment, then dissolved into snickers. Anna rolled her eyes. “Anyway, ready to head to the archives?”
“Do you have your laptop? That bag looks pretty light.”
“Ah, you’re right. I’ll go get it. Want to meet me at the archives, or... do you wanna come with and... you know...” Rie failed to wink again.
“What, tolerate your annoying voice? Prevent you from walking into walls? Sure, I guess.” Anna stood from her chair and walked toward the exit, not meeting Rie’s eyes as she walked past.
“The insults don’t work if you say yes anyway!” Rie yelled after her, hastily zipping up her bag and running to keep pace with her.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
12th of Red Wolf Moon, 1885:
6:32 PM: Rie Averill added:
Day 7 in the archives:
Rie felt a hand on her shoulder and shivered. Anna spoke up from behind her. “Why are you typing that part now?”
“So I don’t forget what day it is by the time we get to the archives.” Anna’s hand left her shoulder, and Rie tilted her head from side to side, stretching her neck muscles.
Anna stepped over the near-overflowing trash can, deeper into Rie’s dorm room. “I still can’t believe you got a solo room. Lucky. A whole couch all to yourself.” Anna stared at the couch where another bed would have been, covered in a thin layer of dirty clothes that had missed the hamper by half a room. “And such a misuse of it.”
“If you want to sit down, you can move that stuff onto the floor. I don’t buy clothes that can’t handle a little abuse.” Rie would have been mortified if anyone other than Anna was seeing the state she kept her room in. Anna had never shown a fondness for criticizing Rie’s conduct in any but the most token way.
Anna shoved most of the clothes to the side of the couch far from Rie and planted herself as far from the pile as the couch’s length would allow. “What have you actually learned this week? Sorry if I wasn’t listening to the rambly explanation earlier.”
Rie unplugged her laptop and carried it, still open, over to the couch. “Okay, so the second ruler was Teodor Lorenz Gloucester, right?” Rie sat down next to Anna, carefully minding her footing so she didn’t drop her laptop.
“Sure.” Anna said, pulling Rie’s laptop toward her so it sat across both their laps.
“And there was a guy on the Golden Deer class roster, with Claude, named ‘Lorenz Hellman Gloucester.’”
“Huh. Why do you think he’s not the first ruler?”
Rie scrolled to Lorenz’s long list of injury records. “Dude couldn’t strategize his way out of a paper bag, apparently.”
“Two out of three of the names are the same, though.”
“Right. So, here’s what I think: I think Lorenz was the husband of the first ruler. And I think the first ruler was actually this woman. Lysithea von Ordelia.”
“Why her?”
“Process of elimination. I know the first ruler was someone Khalid trusted, so I can narrow the list to people who were in his house and returned to the monastery five years later. And I’m assuming the first ruler eventually had a child with Lorenz, so I can narrow it to the women in that list.” Rie glanced at Anna to make sure she was following.
Anna didn’t meet her gaze. “Sure, but, why Lysithea? Out of all the women in the class?”
“Because I can eliminate the others. Either their whereabouts are well known, they’re known to have married other people, or they were commoners that would’ve never become ruler of Fódlan. Lysithea is the only one left after all that.”
Anna scrolled up and down. “Do you know anything about her? Other than her name?”
Rie’s eye twitched. Anna had struck a nerve. Information about Lysithea was strikingly limited. She had assumed she was part of House Ordelia, but that house had dissolved only a few years after the United Kingdom of Fódlan had been founded, leaving little documentation. All she really knew about Lysithea, from four days of research, was her age (15 in 1180), her height (148 cm, same as Rie), which books she’d checked out of the library (mostly material on black magic and Crests), when and how she was treated in the infirmary (hardly any injuries, but occasionally treated for a vague chronic malady), and how many sweets she requisitioned from storage (more than any human could reasonably eat). None of which told her anything about who Lysithea was. The fact that she couldn’t pick the brain of the person she was accusing of being the first ruler of a unified Fódlan made her truly, deeply angry. More and more, it was feeling like this was a mystery to which the answer had been lost.
“Rie?” Anna looked at her. Rie realized she’d been silent for half a minute.
“No. I don’t. Nothing important, anyway. Just meaningless stuff.” Rie sighed. “I just wish there was anything. A diary or something.”
“You’ll find something.” Anna gave her a look with absolutely no hint of emotion in it. This was her version of reassurance, Rie supposed.
“Dunno what makes you think that.” Rie muttered.
“’Cause you’re Rie. And I know you won’t stop obsessing over it until you find the answers you want. It’s one of the more annoying things about you.” Anna frowned, then laughed quietly. Seeing Rie’s mock-offended face, she composed herself. “Sorry, that just reminded me of something. Have you seen that show... Shit, I forgot the name. The animated one. With the dragon. And the time travel?”
Rie gave her a nonplussed look. “Stellar description. You should minor in creative writing.”
“The-the... Come on, you know the one I’m talking about. The one with the princess, and she goes back in time to stop the end of the world. And she meets her dad?” Anna shrugged. “I dunno, I haven’t seen it either. I just keep getting clips of it recommended to me where the princess is super gay and the writers don’t seem to realize it.”
Rie remembered the one now. She couldn’t remember what it was called either, since none of the clips that got recommended to her had the title of the show in them, just titles like “everyone’s favorite princess being gay for 5 minutes.” “I... think I know what you’re talking about. What about it?”
“Wanna watch it? I bet it’s on one of the streaming sites I’ve got family passwords for.”
Rie paused for a moment, trying to think up an appropriate response. “Anna, I know you get all flustered and distracted when I’m around, but we were going to the archives.”
Anna showed no indication of hearing the flirty part of Rie’s sentence. “You said you had enough material for a full report to your professor buddy. And you’re stuck, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s all the more reason to —”
“To work yourself to death?” Anna frowned. “Rie, you’ve been doing this on top of your other classes, and you haven’t stopped thinking about it for three weeks. If you don’t take a break, you’re going to burn out. Plus,” Anna said, “when I get stuck on something, taking a break and clearing my mind always makes obvious answers appear when I get back to it.”
Rie turned her head from Anna to the door, then to the wall across from her. “Look, I know you —”
“Could you quit it with the advances for five seconds, Rie? I’m being serious.”
“So am I!” Rie turned toward Anna, indignant. “I wasn’t going to— I was going to say I know you mean well, but I really am fine.”
Anna gave Rie a look she’d never seen from her before. It wasn’t cold indifference or mild irritation, but something more inscrutable. Genuine, even. Rie was thrown off. What was her deal all of a sudden?
“But... if it makes you feel better, fine. I guess I can take tonight off.” Rie wasn’t sure why she was saying this, but no sooner had the words entered her mind and exited her mouth, Anna opened a new tab on Rie’s computer and was typing “that show with the princess and the time travel.”
“Good. Glad you’re willing to do it for my sake, if not for your own.” Anna scowled at the computer screen. Rie wasn’t sure if the expression was intended for her.
Rie sighed and did her best to clear her mind of all her frustrations — for Anna’s sake, if not for her own.
“Your mother and fa—”
Anna paused the episode in the middle of the flashback and took the viewer out of full screen to check the time. 10:59 PM. Probably time for Rie to go to bed, especially given that she’d been softly snoring on Anna’s shoulder for the past episode and a half. A tiny puddle of drool collected in one of the folds of the blanket that Rie had insisted they share. Anna hadn’t been sure at the time whether it was another clumsy advance or if Rie was actually cold, but her constant shivering had made the answer clear.
Anna closed the laptop and placed it off to the side, at the base of the mountain of dirty clothes. Carefully extricating herself from the blanket, she picked up the laptop and took it over to Rie’s desk to charge it. She turned to leave, but as she took one last look at Rie sleeping on the couch, her head bent precariously to the side without a shoulder to support it, it occurred to her that she’d probably wake up with an awful crick in her neck.
Anna stepped over the trash can in the dark and worked her hand between the couch and Rie’s back to avoid disturbing her. Reaching down below the blanket, she managed to get a solid hold on the backs of her knees. If she recalled correctly, Rie was extremely light. “It’s a genetic thing.” she’d said once. “Tiny bones.” As far as Anna was concerned, the rest of her was tiny as well.
Anna lifted Rie easily. Her breath caught between snores, but she didn’t awaken. Anna turned around at a glacial pace and lowered Rie onto her bed, still wrapped in the blanket.
She worked her way back to the door and twisted the handle. The light from the hallway blinded her briefly, and she stepped into the light, closing the door behind her with as little noise as possible.
Rie 9:02 AM
hey sorry if this is a weird question but what the hell happened last night
Anna 9:48 AM
you don’t remember?
damn you must have been more tired than i thought
at about 10 you told me you were tired and wanted to go to bed
and then you said some dumb shit about how i could join if i wanted
so i left
Rie 10:11 AM
huh
wow i dont remember that at all
Anna 10:12 AM
like i said
humans need sleep rie
without it they get weird
and annoying
and lustful
Rie 10:12 AM
alright i get it
Anna 10:12 AM
and short
Rie 10:12 AM
ok too far
Anna 10:12 AM
lol
anyway, brain working better now?
Rie 10:13 AM
yeah a little bit
i think taking a break helped
thanks anna
Anna 10:13 AM
what are acquaintances who put up with your incessant flirting for
Rie 10:14 AM
admit it you loooove me
you caaaaare about me
you wanna kiss meeeee
Anna 10:15 AM
[ YOU CAN NO LONGER SEND MESSAGES TO THIS PERSON. ]
Rie 10:15 AM
lmao pretending to block me, seriously
Anna 10:16 AM
it was worth a shot
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 2:20 AM, 16th of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 4 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. This week, I largely focused on researching a specific member of the Golden Deer class of 1180, Lysithea von Ordelia. As she is the only noble in the class who returned to the monastery five years later and lacks documentation of her life after the war, I decided she was worth investigating.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 12:28 PM, 16th of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. The breadth and depth of the data you have discovered regarding Lysithea von Ordelia is impressive, but I hesitate to call it conclusive. I recommend you continue down this path. You may find more data in visitor, expedition, and acquisition records for 1185.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie 10:02 PM
GAHHHHHH
Anna 10:04 PM
what
Rie 10:04 PM
academipress.edu/derdriu-palace-excavation-pyre-remains/850817
Anna 10:05 PM
rie i’m an art history major
summarize, please?
Rie 10:06 PM
“A diary with a leather cover was left relatively unburnt in the pyre. The quality of paper and composition of the ink suggest it belonged to a palace servant. The remaining readable text, discerned by ultrasound, included ‘...Lady von Martritz [illegible], especially for a ruler’s wife...’ The reference to a ‘Lady von Martritz’ is the first instance we have of any primary source regarding the first ruler’s family...”
SO I WAS WRONG
IT WASNT LYSITHEA
Anna 10:07 PM
huh
and you thought lorenz was the ruler’s husband right?
Rie 10:07 PM
yeah
but the ruler didnt have a husband he had a wife
Anna 10:08 PM
so if lorenz wasn’t a part of the ruling family at all
why was teodor lorenz gloucester the ruler’s successor
Rie 10:08 PM
maybe they didnt have children so lorenz seized power after the ruler died
or maybe the name is just a coincidence
or maybe teodor was a bastard lorenz had with the rulers wife and he deposed the ruler
and thats why he burned all the information about the first ruler
the point is i DONT KNOW and im back at square one
Anna 10:10 PM
that’s not true
there was someone named von martritz in the class right?
Rie 10:10 PM
yeah
mercedes von martritz
Anna 10:10 PM
so you were right
the ruler is someone in the class
you just have to figure out who
Rie 10:11 PM
yeah youre right i guess
related: archives tomorrow?
Anna 10:12 PM
absolutely
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
19th of Red Wolf Moon, 1885:
5:15 PM: Rie Averill added:
Alright, thanks to the team excavating the royal palace in Derdriu, I now know that Lysithea wasn’t the first ruler. The first ruler’s wife was referred to in a recently excavated servant’s diary as “Lady von Martritz.” Which implies two things:
- The first ruler was a man, not a woman.
- The ruler’s wife could have been Mercedes von Martritz, so my theory that the ruler was someone in the Golden Deer class of 1180 still stands.
My theory doesn’t explain why Teodor was the second ruler, though. Annoying. Anyway, today I’ll look at the opposite thing I looked at the last Friday I was in here — all the men in the Golden Deer house, class of 1180, who returned 5 years later.
Claude von Riegan
Ignatz Victor
Lorenz Hellman Gloucester
Sylvain Jose Gautier
Raphael Kirsten
6:04 PM: Rie Averill added:
Easy eliminations: Claude von Riegan (alias of Khalid I, couldn’t have been ruler of Fódlan), Ignatz Victor (married to Marianne von Edmund), Lorenz Hellman Gloucester (for reasons previously outlined, and extensive records of political action in other areas), Sylvain Jose Gautier (never married, and his reforms relating to nobility and Crests are well-documented).
So that... literally only leaves Raphael Kirsten. And I have no idea who that is.
7:37 PM: Rie Averill added:
Okay, Raphael Kirsten was 18 and 190 cm in 1180, rarely injured, requisitioned a LOT of meat, never checked anything out of the library, and was listed as the reason for about half of the weapon breakages at the training grounds.
That could imply any number of things about his personality. Maybe he was an incredible warrior. Maybe he was just ridiculously nice and took the fall for his friends’ mistakes on the regular. Maybe he was just a big meathead (no pun intended). None of those really imply the tactical mind that would be required for being the unknown commander, or the political mind that would be required for being the first ruler. But it can’t be anyone OTHER than him, and I’ve been burned by my assumptions before.
8:01 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
That could imply any number of things about his personality. Maybe he was an incredible warrior. Maybe he was just ridiculously nice and took the fall for his friends’ mistakes on the regular. Maybe he was just a big meathead (no pun intended). None of those really imply the tactical mind that would be required for being the unknown commander, or the political mind that would be required for being the first ruler. But it can’t be anyone OTHER than him, and I’ve been burned by my assumptions before.
Okay, some other notable things:
His name wasn’t written in later, so I have to assume he was originally in the class, which means he was from the Leicester Alliance. (Also, the Golden Deer house must have had a hell of a professor, because it seems like a whole bunch of people wanted to transfer into their class.)
If he was from the Leicester Alliance, I have to assume he was from a wealthy merchant family (no major house name, so I figure he wasn’t a noble). If he was, I guess I can see him being a ruler of Fódlan.
None of this is solid proof, though. The miniscule amount of information I have regarding his life might be a point in his favor, since obviously Teodor Lorenz Gloucester erased any evidence that the first ruler existed. But no thesis has ever been accepted due to a lack of evidence.
9:23 PM: Rie Averill added:
Anna said she’s gotten all she needs from the painting right now, and I’m not getting anywhere with Raphael. And I’m hungry, since I haven’t eaten since lunch, so we’re going to pack it in early tonight. I don’t like giving up on something, but I’ll email Professor Seteth later and ask him if there’s anything about the Kirsten family or Raphael Kirsten I should know.
Anna pushed the door to the Anna-Mart open, and Rie followed her, shoving her gloves into her jacket pocket. The cheap bell above the doorway made a quiet ding-ding, nearly drowned out by the breeze outside, and a cheery, overfamiliar voice rang out from deeper in. “Welcome! Anna-Mart offers only the best deals on snacks and sundries!” Rie knew who the Anna-Mart employed, but it didn’t make it any less bizarre to see a cheerful version of her friend standing behind the counter. The oddness was lessened somewhat when she noticed that the Anna behind the counter had braces.
“Evening,” Rie said, mentally labeling this person “Braces Anna.”
“Good evening!” Braces Anna said, not breaking her customer-service smile. Anna was facing away from Rie, but she could sense her eyes rolling.
“You can quit it, Anna. It’s just me.” Anna said.
“And a customer.” Braces Anna forced the words through gritted teeth, bared in an increasingly forced smile.
“She’s not buying anything. I am.” Anna had not discussed this with Rie, but it was a perfect thing to tease her about.
“You’re paying?” Rie and Braces Anna said in unison. Braces Anna did a double-take and stared briefly at Rie, wide-eyed and grinning.
“Oh, I-I like her.” Braces Anna broke her gaze to look pointedly at Anna. “I hope she’ll be c-coming around more.”
“You’re both the worst.” Anna disappeared between the shelves. Rie followed.
“How many sisters do you have, anyway?”
“Pretty sure I’ve told you before.” Anna grabbed a bag of shrimp cocktail-flavored chips. “Do you like these, or...”
“Yeah, those are fine. I don’t think you have, actually.”
“Six.” Anna straightened her back and walked into the next aisle.
“Six!?” Rie pulled her phone from her pocket, ready to note this down in case she forgot.
“Yeah. Anna graduated last year, Anna’s in grad school for chemical engineering, then there’s me, then Anna is a second year in theology, then there’s Anna and Anna who are twins. Anna is a first year in theoretical magic, Anna’s taking a gap year. And my youngest sister Anna is a junior in high school.”
“Goddess, that’s confusing.” Rie muttered, tapping away at her note.
“Eh.” Anna opened the glass fridge door. “You get used to it.” she said, her voice muffled by the window between them.
“So, who’s at the counter right now?”
“Anna.”
Rie stared, incredulous. “Seriously?”
Anna sighed. “Anna, who’s taking a gap year.”
“Got it,” Rie said, typing “Braces Anna” next to the fifth Anna on the list.
“You’ve got Anna and Anna out of order.” Anna said, gazing down at Rie’s phone as she picked out two identical sandwiches. “Uh, the twins, I mean. The Anna that’s taking a gap year is second.”
Rie switched the names in the list, then showed the list for approval. Anna gave her a thumbs up, her face expressionless.
“If you’re looking for some other Anna to give unrequited attention to, there are options. Just saying.” Anna held out the collection of items she was carrying for Rie to take.
Rie accepted the chip bag and sandwiches. “Aw, you know you’re the only Anna for me.” she said, holding back the impulse to wink — she could never manage it, anyway.
“Just my luck.” Anna said, picking out a bottle of soda. “You okay with soda, or do you want, like, coffee or something? We’ve got hot drinks now.”
“Anna, are you... upselling me?” Rie said, faking a shocked face. “I thought we had something special.”
“Wouldn’t be upselling you if we didn’t.” Anna held her gaze, showing no emotion at all. Rie, feeling her face grow warm, suddenly had an overwhelming urge to look at her shoes. Anna snickered. “Soda or coffee?”
“Soda’s fine.” Rie said, defeated once again.
Anna closed the fridge door. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s alright.”
Rie emerged from the cramped aisles after Anna. Anna dropped the two bottles on the counter in front of her sister and Rie placed the rest alongside them.
“What’re you two doing tonight?” Braces Anna asked, resisting a smile.
Apparently, Rie had found an accomplice in teasing Anna. “Well, we —”
“Thesis project.” Anna said, glaring at Rie. “Lots of research.”
“Yeah, bet you were ‘searching’ Rie.” Braces Anna said. Rie snorted and covered her mouth.
Anna was silent for a moment as she took her wallet from her pocket. “Rie, could you wait outside for a second?” She turned to scowl at her sister. “I have to have a coworker-to-coworker talk.”
“Anna, it’s seriously fine, I —”
“Please.” Anna didn’t look at Rie.
“A-alright.” Rie scurried toward the door, eager to exit this awkward situation. The tiny bell dinged twice, and the door slammed shut. As the door bounced once, she heard Anna say, “How could you possibly think it’s appropriate to —”
Then the door came to a rest, and there was no sound besides the breeze. Rie turned to see Anna with both her hands pushed against the counter, balled into fists, inaudibly yelling. Feeling like she was intruding, Rie turned her focus to the moths buzzing around a nearby streetlamp.
“My friends are my business, Anna! I don’t walk up while you’re talking to your friends and —”
“Yeah, because I don’t have planet-shattering amounts of tension with my friends, Anna! It’s not my fault that — that it makes you mad!” Behind the counter, Anna’s little sister had completely abandoned her maturer-than-thou posturing and reverted straight to grade-school defensiveness.
“Even if we did, that’s none of your business! I don’t want you interfering with my friendships, okay!? Do you understand!?”
“We’re Annas! Everything is —”
“Do you understand!?” Anna was done arguing with her little sister, who’d read far too much fan fiction to understand that two single people with compatible orientations could just be friends. Anna wasn’t going to spend her valuable time giving her a remedial course on human interaction.
Anna scowled at her over the counter, then looked down at the register’s screen. “Fine. Yeah. Sorry, I guess.”
The card reader beeped, and Anna shoved her card back into her wallet. “I don’t need the receipt.” she muttered, grabbing the bag out of her sister’s hand. She kicked the bottom of the door to open it and leave, the bell making a forceful, yet still cheery, ding-ding.
Rie was waiting for her outside, staring at the sky. Hearing the door open, she turned to look at Anna. “Hey. I-I’m sorry that —”
“I’m not mad at you.” Anna sighed, sliding the bag up to her elbow so she could put her gloves on.
Rie looked at her inscrutably. “It’d be fine if you were.”
“Well, I’m not. It’s normal for you. But it’s not okay for my sisters to try and mess with my personal relationships.”
Rie grinned. Oh, no. “Personal relationships, huh?”
“I’m not currently mad at you. Keep pushing it and that could change.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Rie laughed. “Do you want to get out of this cold? I bet there’s some heated classroom that’s still open.”
Anna slid the bag back into her hand. “Yeah. Deer 1500’s always unlocked.”
“Really? Dang. Could’ve used that knowledge a few times last year.” Rie shivered and turned to walk toward Deer Hall. Anna watched after her for a moment before following her.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 11:32 AM, 23rd of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 5 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. Due to recent archaeological discoveries in Derdriu, I ceased my pursuit of Lysithea von Ordelia as the first ruler and instead began contemplating which members of the class could have married Mercedes von Martritz, due to the recently recovered document referring to a “Lady von Martritz” as “[the] ruler’s wife.” This research is not final or conclusive, and in fact I believe I may be on the wrong track. If you have other suggestions (or relevant information on any of the possible candidates), I would appreciate it.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 7:19 PM, 23rd of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. The information you have collected regarding Raphael Kirsten does not necessarily imply that he could not be the first ruler. Attached is a collection of information regarding merchant families in the Leicester Alliance in the years leading up to the Last War of Adrestia. The Kirsten family is listed and described in some detail.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Seteth closed his laptop and pulled his other arm into his coat. The newly discovered information was a bother, but it was reassuring that Ms. Averill was so solidly on the wrong track, and that she seemed to have avoided looking at the faculty records so far. Of course, it was always possible she was doing twice the research that she claimed she was, and that she was simply acting like she was on the wrong track to catch him off guard.
No, he thought, shaking his head, you are overestimating her. Even Khalid had never done such a thing. There was no trouble, and he had better things to worry about right now.
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (32 days from now):
☐ Bedframe
☐ Mattress
☐ Sheets
☐ Appropriate Food
☐ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☐ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☐ Clothing
☐ Research clothing sizes.
☐ Smartphone
☐ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☐ Toiletries
☐ Textbooks
Seteth stood in the doorway to his apartment, bathed in darkness, as the door closed behind him. He wiped his feet on the mat, dropped his laptop bag to the short carpeting, and groped the wall, searching for the light switch that seemed to move every time he entered.
The light switch flipped, and the ceiling fan light in the center of Seteth’s living room hummed to life. The fan’s blades began to spin slowly, moving the stagnant air around. Seteth locked the door as he bent down to remove his shoes.
Beep.
There was the smoke alarm. It had been beeping every minute for quite a while. It didn’t bother Seteth when it was only him — after all, he hardly spent any time in his apartment as it was. That, and his technical skills were severely lacking. But he would fix that smoke alarm before the twenty-fifth of Ethereal Moon. It simply would not do to have Flayn sleeping in an apartment with that constant beeping — and that constant lack of fire safety.
Beep.
Seteth shuddered on the spot and finished removing his shoes. He wandered to his refrigerator and opened it, seeing it filled, as usual, with food he had not been able to keep himself from buying. He often reminded himself that food is easy to acquire in this modern age, yet his refrigerator always seemed to be full of more food than he could reasonably eat. Pondering the effects of the long-past times when he’d had to scrounge to find enough food for himself and Flayn, he pulled a vacuum-sealed package of lamb from the bottom shelf and a bundle of leeks from the crisper drawer. A more than substantial dinner.
Beep.
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (29 days from now):
☐ Bedframe
☐ Mattress
☐ Sheets
☑ Appropriate Food
☐ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☑ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☐ Clothing
☑ Research clothing sizes.
☐ Smartphone
☑ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☐ Toiletries
☑ Textbooks
Rie stepped from the front door of Bishop Hall into the open hallway of ancient arches and stretched her arms toward the sky, arching her back. It’d been a productive night of research. With the additional information that Professor Seteth had sent her, her historical vision of Raphael was taking shape. Anna stepped out behind her. “You smell terrible.” she said, not making eye contact with Rie.
“Hilariou — Wait, do I?” Rie muttered. She sniffed the arm of her jacket, but only smelled the fabric.
“No. I was messing with you.” Anna stretched as well.
“Oh, so you think I smell good, then.”
“Didn’t say that. Hey, who’s that?” Anna asked, pointing behind Rie.
“Oh, please.” Rie said, grinning in the way she always did when she was teasing Anna. “Like you could distract me so easily.”
“Seriously. Look.” Anna put her hand down and nodded in the direction. Rie relented, turning her head to see a figure in a coat standing further down the lawn. A figure with familiar green hair, his bearded face illuminated by his smartphone screen.
“Huh. That’s Professor Seteth.”
“Is it?” Anna said, squinting. “Oh, okay. Wow. Yeah, I see the resemblance. He does look like the guy in the painting.”
“Right? I wonder why he’s out so late.” Rie said.
Anna stared for a moment. “Dunno. Let’s ask.”
“Wh —”
“Hey! Professor Seteth!” Anna yelled, waving her arm high above her head as if she were trying to get his attention in a crowd instead of being one of the three people in sight. The professor jumped and looked over, giving a confused nod as he put his phone into his pocket. Anna walked briskly over to him, and Rie followed reluctantly.
“Ah, Miss Averill. And... friend.” Professor Seteth said, tilting his head curiously.
“Anna. I was in the same Intro to Historical Research class as Rie.” Anna said, with an eerily genuine-seeming smile on her face.
“Of course. Now I recall.” the professor said, obviously lying.
“We — I just finished a night of research. I’ll compile it and send it to you this week.” Rie said hurriedly, trying to end the conversation before Anna could say something that could jeopardize her archives access.
“What brings you to campus this late?” Anna said before Rie could pull her away.
“I was completing the task of submitting midterm project grades for the Intro to Historical Research class this semester. It took more time than I anticipated. I will leave for home soon. I was just making some final checks.” Professor Seteth mumbled the last two sentences like he was trying to escape the conversation as well.
“Interesting!” Anna said cheerily. “And how about —"
“Well, we won’t bother you anymore! Have a good night, Professor!” Rie said, pulling Anna away by the elbow. Professor Seteth waved confusedly as they walked away.
“What was that about!?” Rie whispered harshly as soon as they were out of earshot.
“He’s lying.” Anna said, her cheery demeanor completely evaporated.
“What, about remembering you? Yeah, obviously. That’s no reason for an inquisition.”
“No, about his reason for being here this late.” Anna pulled Rie behind a pillar. “Look.”
Professor Seteth stood in the center of the lawn, holding his phone loosely, not looking at the screen. As Rie watched, he glanced to one side, then the other, then turned away from them and began to walk toward the bridge to the cathedral.
“If he was leaving,” Anna said, “he’d be going to the gondola, same as us. But he’s going in the opposite direction.”
“What could a history professor possibly be doing that’s worth spying on him for?” Rie asked, confused by Anna’s sudden conspiratorial attitude.
“That’s the thing about spying. Unless you do it, you never discover anything worth spying for.” As the professor disappeared into a side hallway, Anna began to walk slowly across the lawn, staying close to the wall. Rie, despite her better judgement, followed.
Rie found Anna hiding behind another pillar, watching Professor Seteth walk down the bridge to the cathedral. “What’s your deal all of a sudden?”
“What’s your deal? You don’t want to know why the guy you’ve been giving weekly updates to is being all secretive?”
“I don’t know, he’s probably meeting someone or finding a place to smoke. Or he’s super religious and doesn’t like to worship when other people are there. I don’t think it’s any of our business.” Rie shrugged and tried to pull Anna away again, but she didn’t budge.
“I’m an Anna. Everything is our business.” Anna pulled a pair of binoculars from the front pocket of her backpack.
“Goddess, your family is so much weirder than I give it credit for.”
“There are a lot of lessons my mom taught me that I could take or leave, but ‘know who you’re dealing with’ has never steered me wrong.” Anna held the binoculars in front of her face and stared down the bridge. “You can leave now if you don’t want to be a part of this. I’ll let you know later.”
“You kidding?” Rie grabbed the binoculars out of Anna’s hands and looked through them. Professor Seteth approached the far end of the bridge and looked behind him. In unison, Rie and Anna retreated behind the pillar. “I’m not taking the gondola down alone. No way.”
Anna was silent for a moment. As Rie watched Seteth turn left to skirt around the cathedral, she began to jog in short steps across the bridge, leaving Rie to follow behind.
Seteth approached his goal: a door of flat painted metal that stained the pristine walls of the cathedral. “KEEP OUT,” a yellow and black sign plastered on it admonished, “ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INSIDE.” Seteth pulled his keyring from his pocket and fumbled for the right key with gloved hands. He glanced from side to side as the lock clunked open, knowing that nobody would reasonably be following him.
The room was as abandoned as ever. The machinery that hummed behind chain-link grates must have needed hardly any maintenance, given that nobody had noticed the brickwork he’d long since loosened in the back wall. He removed the bricks one by one, organizing them in a neat pile on the floor to make sure he could return them to their rightful places later. The hole in the wall, large enough for him to crawl through, revealed a dilapidated staircase behind it, long since concealed by a cave-in and the remodel that followed it. He had been relieved when he'd returned to Garreg Mach, those long two decades ago, that the Holy Tomb was still hidden. Keeping its existence a secret meant that nobody could possibly endanger Flayn, and that made it all worth it.
Seteth crawled into the gap and descended the staircase, lighting the way with his smartphone’s “flashlight” function. He had prepared a lantern and oil for when the time came to help ease Flayn into the modern world, but for now, the smartphone would do.
The Holy Tomb was as breathtaking as ever, a mausoleum with ceilings so high they rivaled the sky. Archaeologists would have a field day in a relic this well-preserved, which is why Seteth had to keep it concealed. Seteth strode toward the center of the huge room, taking the stairs down. His footsteps echoed, creating the illusion of someone following. Seteth resisted the urge to look behind him.
At the center, Seteth reached a massive wheel of symbols inscribed on the floor, surrounding a flat section of stone. The original wheel of Crests. It had been years since Seteth had entered the combination, but he could never forget it. He was part of it. He walked to the part of the wheel furthest from where he’d entered and planted his foot firmly onto the symbol at the top. Seiros. Then the symbol directly to its right. Cichol. Then the symbol to its left. Cethleann.
A great rumbling filled the tomb. Seteth stepped out of the wheel’s center as the massive section of flat stone dissolved in a burst of magical light, leaving countless glowing particles to float away and shrink to nothing in the air. Seteth descended the staircase that had revealed itself and rested his hands on the unadorned stone sarcophagus the tomb had hidden for so long. Only four more short weeks. Nothing, compared to the time he had already waited. But even the shortest of times stretched into an eternity. Seteth knew this only too well.
Anna kept watch as Rie sat with her back to the wall they hid behind. “Anna, it’s been thirty minutes. Can we just go back to the dorm now?” Rie groaned, staring at her phone.
“Nope. Gotta see him come out of the door. See if he brings anything with him.” Anna held back from blinking, though she was tired.
“He’s probably just smoking, like I sa —” The door began to open. Anna shushed Rie and lowered herself further below the wall to make sure the professor wouldn’t see her. Rie put her phone away and poked her head above the wall.
Professor Seteth stepped out and locked the door behind him. He didn’t appear to be carrying anything new. No weight in his pockets, no weighty bag, nothing. If he did have something he didn’t carry in, it was small enough to fit in his laptop bag without being noticeable. As Anna watched, the professor walked down the steps and out of sight back where he’d come from, toward the gondola. Everything was silent again.
Rie opened her mouth to speak, but Anna held up a finger until she was sure Seteth was out of earshot. “Okay, so he was definitely having a smoke and you were just being —” Anna stood up. “Hey! You can’t just walk away from —”
“We’re not done here.” Anna took long, purposeful steps over to the “KEEP OUT, ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT INSIDE” door. She took her bag off one arm and pulled her lockpicking kit out of the second pocket.
“Anna, is that —” Rie stopped herself, and began to whisper. “Are you seriously going to pick a lock to get into an electrical room?”
“Yep.” Anna stuck the torsion wrench into the bottom of the keyway, jiggled the rake along the top, and the door clunked open.
Anna turned to see Rie giving her an incredulous look. “You did that really easily.”
“It’s a very shitty lock. It’s basically pretend.” Anna held the door for Rie, and Rie stepped in, still frowning.
Anna found herself in a tiny room with chain-link grates blocking access to various machinery of unclear purpose. Everything hummed or oscillated discordantly. Rie turned on her phone flashlight and passed it over every centimeter of the miniscule room.
“There’s literally nothing in here except electrical equipment. Like the sign said.” Rie spoke in a completely flat tone. “So, I was right. It’s nothing important. He was probably just smoking. Like I said.” She directed these last few words at Anna, who was pretty sick of that explanation.
“Rie.” Anna looked at her. “What do you smell in here?”
Rie sniffed the air a few times. “Nothing?”
Anna gestured at the room. “Exactly. No smell, not smoking. Can we lay that theory to rest? Please?”
Rie shrugged. “Fine. But there’s nothing in here. And no other doors that somebody could have come through. So, he was the only one in here, right?”
“Right...” Anna combed her flashlight around the room, sure there was something she was missing.
“So can we go back to the dorm?”
Anna sighed. “Yeah, fine. I don’t think we’ll learn anything new from staying longer. We’re going to walk really slowly, though, to make sure we don’t meet the professor on the way.”
Ding.
Rie gestured for Anna to get on the elevator first, then stepped on after her, pressing the “4” and “7” buttons. Rie stared at their blurry reflections in the closing elevator doors. The silence consumed everything, but Rie just had to ask:
“Where’d you learn to pick locks?”
“Mom teaches all her kids when we’re young. It’s a useful life skill. At least, that’s what she says.”
“Dang. I thought you were a cool rebel.”
“Sorry to disappoint.”
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie looked at Anna, trying to conceal a grin. “You know, I still think you’re pretty cool.”
“Get out of the elevator, Rie.”
Rie snickered and stepped out of the elevator, turning to keep looking at Anna. Rie gave Anna a little wave. Anna waved back.
The elevator doors slid closed.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 10:30 AM, 30th of Red Wolf Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 6 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. I continued my research on Raphael Kirsten; data on records involving him in 1185 provided more understanding of him as a person. Research remains conjectural, as definitive proof still evades me.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 1:22 PM, 30th of Red Wolf Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. The additional research on Kirsten is appreciated. While process of elimination may not qualify as proof of his being the first ruler, one could certainly construct an effectively convincing thesis out of it. Additional research on Mercedes von Martritz could also shed light on her relationship to him (if, in fact, it existed).
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Seteth scoffed at the last line, reading it back. He was fairly sure that Mr. Kirsten and Mercedes had never spoken a word to each other. Of course, Ms. Averill didn’t need to know that — or know how he knew it. And she seemed like she was close to writing her thesis on Kirsten without ever looking into faculty records. It was a significant blind spot for a historian, but the quality of her work was not his concern.
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (22 days from now):
☐ Bedframe
☐ Mattress
☐ Sheets
☑ Appropriate Food
☐ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☑ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☑ Clothing
☑ Research clothing sizes.
☐ Smartphone
☑ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☐ Toiletries
☑ Textbooks
Seteth stared up at the smoke alarm as if it were an old and hated enemy — one he would conquer tonight, no matter what. He upended the plastic hardware-store bag onto his kitchen table, spilling a plethora of battery types and sizes across it.
Beep.
The helpful employee with the single earring (who thankfully did not question the contrast between Seteth’s apparent youthfulness and his inexperience with technology’s inner workings) had said that without knowing which model of smoke alarm he owned, they could not make any recommendations of battery type to buy. Therefore, he had bought one package of each type of battery that could possibly power a smoke alarm. It had occurred to him (after he had already arrived at the hardware store, of course) that perhaps he should have taken the depleted battery with him, but he was sure he could find uses for the other ones somewhere.
Beep.
Seteth pulled his low table — “coffee” table, he corrected himself, though he had never used it for coffee — to sit underneath the smoke alarm and stepped carefully into its center to avoid tilting it in any direction. He could handle a fall — he’d fallen from wyverns enough times that a fall of a couple of meters onto carpeting wouldn’t kill him — but he didn’t have any interest in injuring himself. Balancing on the wobbling table, he glanced down at the enlarged text on his smartphone’s screen. “Step one: Remove your smoke detector’s cover.”
Beep.
Strangely, the beeping seemed to be equally loud when his face was nearly touching its source as it was from a different room with the door closed. With a hand pressed against the ceiling to brace himself, he squinted at the yellowed plastic casing for a seam or latch. Nothing immediately presented itself, which told Seteth that the alarm was likely one which “twisted off,” as the helpful hardware store employee had put it. Though he could not be sure. There was always the chance that he would simply break the confusing device that he did not own. But Seteth was not going to call his landlord — the last time he did that, he’d been struck with an exorbitant fee for something or other. And besides that, what kind of father —
Beep.
Brother. What kind of brother would call for help at the first sign of inconvenience? This was not a difficult problem. It was a problem that was designed to be easy. And if Seteth could not solve it, then that simply proved he was not as capable — or as adaptable — as he liked to think he was.
Beep.
Seteth sighed heavily. He wasn’t getting his security deposit back anyway. He gave the plastic device a firm twist. A clunk of plastic against plastic was a good sign. He lowered the housing, though the back and the mount were still hidden from him due to where he’d decided to place his head. He thought he felt the tension of wires holding the housing to the mount, so he carefully released the housing and watched, dumbstruck, as it fell from his hand, struck the edge of the table, and landed, face-up, on the carpet.
Beep.
And it was still beeping.
Seteth stepped down, nearly losing his balance, and picked up the infernal device. Fortunately, the only thing that appeared damaged was his pride. He turned the housing around and studied its back. A metallic box that he recognized as a battery was nestled into a gap. He pulled as if he was pulling his axe out of an enemy’s chest, and the device’s lights died. Victory.
Of course, he now needed to resurrect his enemy, and... recruit them? The metaphor was becoming increasingly tortured, so Seteth abandoned it. The smoke alarm was simply a smoke alarm. One that Seteth required in working condition. Placing the empty housing and the drained battery on his kitchen table, he scrutinized each package of batteries, pushing them to the opposite side of the table when they didn’t pass muster. Eventually, he was left with only one package of batteries — the type that the employee had recommended first. Silently thanking the person whose name he could not recall, Seteth tore the package open. He pushed the battery into the gap it’d left behind and turned the housing around to see the light on its front lived again, pulsing green. He hadn’t even needed to consult the guide for that step. Perhaps he was not so hopeless, after all.
Seteth climbed back atop the wobbling low table and pushed the housing back against the mount. With a short twist in the opposite direction from before, the alarm sat comfortably on the ceiling. Impressed with himself, Seteth stepped down to admire his handiwork, forgetting just how precarious his position was. The table toppled over slowly, depositing Seteth on the ground still standing on his feet in a stance that could have almost looked intentional to anyone watching. He stood there, disoriented, for a moment, before dragging his table back to its place and finding a drawer in which to hide his newfound battery collection.
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (21 days from now):
☐ Bedframe
☐ Mattress
☐ Sheets
☑ Appropriate Food
☑ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☑ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☑ Clothing
☑ Research clothing sizes.
☐ Smartphone
☑ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☐ Toiletries
☑ Textbooks
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 4:49 AM, 7th of Ethereal Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 7 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. I collected much information on Mercedes von Martritz’s time at the monastery. Solid facts regarding any relation to the first ruler remain sparse, unfortunately.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 9:58 AM, 7th of Ethereal Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. Monastery records were always unlikely to contain solid evidence of the existence of a ruler who took the throne several years later. I recommend considering explicit facts as a bonus; making an effective case should be your main concern.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie leaned back in her chair. The professor just didn’t get it. Her goal was never to con the thesis committee into giving her a degree. She wanted to know the answer. To peer into the vast darkness of history and catch a glimpse of truth, or something like that. The question of the first ruler’s identity had been scratching at her mind for years, and there was no way she was letting it go just because she’d hit a little roadblock. The only problem was that nagging feeling, like she was on the wrong track. The professor kept encouraging her, though, and he was the head of the history department, so surely, he would notice if her research was a dead end. Unless... unless he was purposefully steering her wrong, trying to mislead her.
No, she thought, why would he do that? Even though his behavior that night had been strange, she didn’t see that as cause to think he was lying to her. What could he have to gain by lying, anyway?
Rie 11:10 AM
do you have any new theories
Anna 11:12 AM
on?
Rie 11:12 AM
on what professor seteth was doing that night
like i agree it was pretty suspicious
but what do you think he was actually doing
Anna 11:14 AM
hmm
well that’s a tough question to answer
idk, someone walks into a room and comes out half an hour later
a room with no other exits
it’s possible he was just doing something he didn’t want other people to see
just something that didn’t leave any evidence that was obvious to us
Rie 11:17 AM
edibles
Anna 11:17 AM
rie, does he seem like the kind of guy who’s super into edibles
Rie 11:17 AM
idk ive been surprised before
what do you think then ms shoot down all my theories
Anna 11:20 AM
honestly? no idea
but i’m pretty sure it was something shady
something shady enough he could only do it after hours in a locked room
or maybe something specific to that location, some kind of stash that we didn’t see
Rie 11:22 AM
alright well just dont do anything thatll jeopardize my archives access
cause im your way in
Anna 11:23 AM
i won’t
Rie 11:23 AM
oh and whys that ;)
Anna 11:23 AM
because you asked me to
Rie 11:23 AM
and why do you do things i ask you to do ;)
Anna 11:24 AM
this one’s a stretch, rie
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (15 days from now):
☐ Bedframe
☑ Mattress
☐ Sheets
☑ Appropriate Food
☑ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☑ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☑ Clothing
☑ Research clothing sizes.
☑ Smartphone
☑ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☑ Toiletries
☑ Textbooks
Seteth held the tag on the confusingly named wooden bedframe, considering whether Flayn really needed so many drawers underneath the place she slept. The home office he was in the process of converting into a second bedroom already had a closet. What other things could she need to store? No, no, a standard bedframe would do.
He also realized, feeling rather silly, that he didn’t need to stand near items of furniture to prevent other people poaching them — these were display models. The actual furniture was in a warehouse somewhere else in the building. He straightened his back and closed his eyes, centering himself.
“Hi there!” rang out an overly cheerful voice from behind him. Seteth jumped, hopefully not noticeably, and turned to see a young woman wearing the classic store-employee polo and khaki pants. “Do you need help with anything?”
“Er, hello.” Seteth paused to process the gnarl of social implications he’d just entered. “No, I am alright.”
“Anything you’re looking for?”
“Just a bedframe and some sheets.” Seteth kicked himself silently for not having a more noncommittal response prepared.
“Hm.” the woman said, looking Seteth up and down. Seteth was afraid he’d said the wrong answer to that question, somehow. “Well, this section is mostly twin-sized bedframes. A man of your height probably wouldn’t —”
“O-oh, not for me.” Seteth clarified hastily, not exactly sure why he was doing so. “My... daughter is coming to stay with me. The bedframe is for her.”
“Of course.” The woman looked thoughtful for a moment. “And how tall is your daughter?”
“A hundred and fifty centimeters, thereabouts.” Why was Seteth answering these questions!? What possible reason could he have to stay in this truly uncomfortable conversation!?
“Oh! Then you’re in the right section. A twin should fit her perfectly.”
“Yes. That is why I was here already.” Seteth smiled politely.
“Of course. I’m sorry.” The woman was silent for a moment, and Seteth briefly hoped this was the end of the questions. “Are you looking for metal or wooden construction? Interest in a headboard or footboard?” It had been too much to hope, Seteth supposed.
“I... I am not sure. Perhaps you should —”
“Well, your wooden frames are typically a bit heavier, but they make up for it with durability and character. That one you’re next to is the Dejanira. It’s pretty much the heaviest model we’ve got, but only because it’s got so much storage space underneath.”
“Yes, I-I was looking, but the room in which she will stay already has a great deal of storage space. I was thinking a more lightweight frame.” Seteth pulled his smartphone from his pocket in an effort to disengage.
“Well, a metal frame would certainly be more lightweight, but also a little less durable. Will your daughter be staying with you long-term, or...?” Again, the employee was asking probing questions that he could not avoid answering without appearing as some variety of child-stealing blackguard. Seteth wondered what he’d done to deserve this.
“That is... certainly the idea. Though it remains to be seen.” Excellent job, Seteth! He had somehow managed to find exactly the worst response to that question! An impressive feat!
“O...kay.” Seteth could practically hear her dialing the police. “Well, then a more lightweight wooden frame seems like the way to go. If your daughter prefers a headboard and footboard, the Groznyi might be what you’re looking for. If not, then the Kayachey would be better.” The young woman appeared lost in thought — hopefully not about his bizarre behavior. This was his chance.
“Yes, well, thank you. I will... certainly think about both.” Seteth scurried toward the closest exit to the showroom before he could do any more damage.
List of Things to Acquire Before the 25th of Ethereal Moon (14 days from now):
☑ Bedframe
☑ Mattress
☑ Sheets
☑ Appropriate Food
☑ Batteries (Smoke Alarm)
☑ Batteries (Television Remote Control)
☑ Clothing
☑ Research clothing sizes.
☑ Smartphone
☑ Research terminology: “parental controls,” “speed dial.”
☑ Toiletries
☑ Textbooks
As dawn broke outside the fourth-floor window, Seteth pushed the finally-constructed bed into the corner of what would soon be Flayn’s room. The headboard thumped against the wall, and he stood back. After much deliberation, he had settled on forest green and white stripes for the bed set, having long forgotten what Flayn’s weekly interest was before her extended slumber. If she disliked it, he could always get something else. He gave the completed room a long look. A closet full of clothes, a smartphone (he’d grudgingly decided it was necessary for her to have one) charging on the nightstand, a bed made immaculately, a floor lamp, a lamp on the nightstand... She would have everything she needed. Though she deserved better.
Everything was ready, two weeks ahead of schedule. He had underestimated himself. Satisfied, Seteth turned off the light and went to collapse in his own bed.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 12:12 PM, 14th of Ethereal Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 8 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. Unfortunately, pressing assignments prevented me from getting as much time in the archives as I would have preferred. I hope to spend more time in the archives this week. The research I am sending is non-archival research on House Martritz, which was a noble house of the Adrestian Empire until it was dissolved in 1158. Given Mercedes von Martritz’s age (22 in 1180), it’s possible that she was born shortly before or after the house dissolved. Her name is also on the roster for the Blue Lions (the class for students from the Kingdom of Faerghus), which is strange, considering her origin. She is also listed as a “commoner” instead of a “noble” in internal records, which I also find unusual.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 4:06 PM, 14th of Ethereal Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. The research that you have sent is acceptable. The new information on Mercedes von Martritz is appreciated. If House Martritz truly was dissolved, it’s possible that Mercedes was the only person the recently unearthed diary could have possibly been referring to. If you are interested, I could put you in touch with my colleague Dr. Osmund in the archaeology department, who is currently working with the palace excavation team in Derdriu. I am sure he would be very interested to hear your research, even incomplete as it is.
I will await your response.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Rie squinted at her phone, trying to make sure she hadn’t misread. In contact with someone on the palace excavation team? Why? What was the professor’s game? Was he trying to take credit for the discoveries she made? It’d be premature for that, given that she hadn’t actually discovered anything substantial yet. But if she responded that she wasn’t interested, what was she supposed to say? “I don’t want to give up exclusive control of my research?” That’d be an incredibly suspicious thing to say. Rie decided to avoid responding. Emails didn’t have “read” indicators. Maybe she could just pretend she hadn’t seen it.
Anna 5:19 PM
archives?
Rie 5:30 PM
yeah
sure
Anna 5:30 PM
you okay?
Rie 5:31 PM
yeah i guess
ill meet you at the gondola
Anna watched on as Rie unlocked the archive doors. Rie sighed and pushed the doors open, revealing the archives, as dour as ever. She was remarkably unenthusiastic today. Rie waved her inside, but she stood on the spot. “You’re, uh, weirder than usual today. You sure you’re alright?”
Rie frowned and held her breath for a moment. “No, I guess I’m not.”
“Want to talk about it?”
Rie gave her another indecipherable look. “I guess I just... We’ve been working on this for two months. Almost. And I knew at the start that it would be a hard problem to solve.” She paused, staring off at nothing. “But I never thought that finding new information could be disheartening, and yet...”
“Because you know you’re not going to find the whole answer here, like you thought you would.”
“Yeah. I don’t know, there’s valuable information in these archives. Just not what I’m looking for.” Rie made a face. “And it feels selfish that I’m complaining about this. I mean, I’m getting an unfiltered view of the past. I’m seeing the day-to-day events that my ancestors lived through. But... nowhere in here is the first ruler. At least, not anything about which student it was.”
Anna stared at the floor for a moment, lost in thought, then met Rie’s gaze, stone face belying her excitement. “Why does it have to be a student?”
Rie tilted her head. “It doesn’t. Could be anybody. I just think it —”
“No, no. Why can’t it be, like, a member of faculty? Why does it have to be a student?”
Rie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She stood there, blankfaced, for several seconds. Then her eyes widened. “It doesn’t. You’re right,” she said reverently. “Khalid could have — there could have been — Goddess, I’m an idiot!” Rie punched the air.
Anna covered her mouth to hide her smile. There she was.
“Alright, we gotta — we’re losing time — come on!” Rie waved Anna through the door, and Anna stepped through.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
17th of Ethereal Moon, 1885:
6:20 PM: Rie Averill added:
Okay so Anna pointed out that the first ruler doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the students. So now I’m looking at faculty records. Here’s a list of monastery staff that were involved in some way with the Officers Academy in 1180 (on the faculty list, they have a special mark next to them):
Hanneman von Essar
Manuela Casagranda
Rie pulled the faculty list closer to her with gloved hands and squinted at the name she’d just seen. “Hey,” Anna said from somewhere, “Don’t breathe on the paper, it’ll mess it up.”
“Anna.” Rie said, her voice shaking.
“Yeah?” Anna kneeled and gently took the sheet from her hands. “What?”
“L-look at the fifteenth name on the list.”
Anna’s eyes moved down the paper. “Huh. Seteth?”
“Yeah. And he — the professor looks just like the guy in the painting.”
“Hmm. Well, I’ve never met anyone named Seteth before. But it might be a family name, it doesn’t mean it’s the same person.”
Rie glared at Anna. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, I am. Who says he can’t —”
“Anna, he looks exactly the same! Even the hairstyle is identical! Who looks completely identical to an ancestor from 700 years ago, down to the hairstyle?”
Anna stared in silence.
“Apart from you. Seteth’s not an Anna.”
“Ain’t that the truth. If he was, he could tell when he was being tailed.” Anna put the faculty list down on the filebox. “Still, it doesn’t preclude the ancestor theory.”
Rie couldn’t believe Anna. She was pretty sure it was just contrarianism. “Look, I’ll prove it. If it is a family name, there should be lots of Seteths, right? Not just two?”
“Sure.”
“Then help me look. If you can find one other Seteth in all of history, I guess I can admit it might be an ancestor.”
“And if I can’t?”
“Then you admit that I could be right, and the head of the history department could have been alive 700 years ago.” Rie smiled innocently. “Also that I make you feel confusing feelings.”
“Rie.”
“Alright, fine. Just the first thing.”
Anna pulled her phone out. “I guess I’ll take that bet. Stakes seem a little low, though.”
“What, you want to add money into this equation? Very Anna of you.”
Anna winced. “Bragging rights will do, I guess.”
6:34 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
Hanneman von Essar
Manuela Casagranda
Okay so “Seteth” is on the faculty list. The following part of the document is about that, and about my bet with Anna — she thinks that Professor Seteth (“Mael Seteth”) is a descendant of the Seteth on the faculty list, and I think it’s the same person who somehow survived to the modern day.
7:03 PM: Rie Averill added:
Can’t find anyone named “Seteth” on any sites for obituaries, and no reference to parents or a personal history for Professor Seteth, or any reference to how long he’s been working at the university. Points for me.
7:55 PM: Rie Averill added:
Anna found “Seteth” on a bunch of name sites. I decided to look myself, and found they were all user-submitted.
namesbaby.fod: “Seteth,” submitted 10th of Blue Sea Moon, 1880 by “squirrelfox250”
insidethename.fod: “Seteth,” submitted 10th of Blue Sea Moon, 1880 by “acorn990”
babynamesrare.fod: “Seteth,” submitted 11th of Blue Sea Moon, 1880 by “rodent12”
naminghelp.fod: “Seteth,” submitted 10th of Blue Sea Moon, 1880 by “squirrelwork”
8:13 PM: Rie Averill added:
Oh and here’s the kicker: “naminghelp.fod” has really bad user security, so I inspected the user page for “squirrelwork,” and guess what email they registered with. “[email protected].” That’s right, Seteth added his own name to a bunch of naming sites in two days in 1880. Pretty suspicious if you ask me!!!
8:41 PM: Rie Averill added:
Anna found the text of a newspaper article from 1790 about a guy named Seteth which won her the bet I guess but guess what: I found an actual scan of that article and it comes with a picture and GUESS WHO THAT PICTURE LOOKS LIKE
THAT’S RIGHT HE EVEN HAS THE BEARD LIKE HOLY SHIT
WHAT IS GOING ON
9:01 PM: Rie Averill added:
There’s no way I can email this research to Professor Seteth. I have to find something else to send him to make sure he doesn’t think I’m onto him. I probably can’t even mention looking at the faculty list.
Oh man, this is fun.
9:49 PM: Rie Averill added:
I did some more looking at Mercedes’s appearances in expedition records. Apparently, she was “designated healer” on quite a few missions the Golden Deer house ran with the Knights of Seiros. Possibly shows some initiative that might have made her attractive to the person who would become the first ruler? Raphael was on some of those missions, too, so I guess that what I’ll send to the professor.
Anna followed Rie out of the doors of Bishop Hall, pulling her gloves on. Frost coated the windows, and snow was forecast for the next week. The campus forum had been full of complaints and speculation about the Century Festival being cancelled since, of course, any snow-shoveling done in the Old Campus would need to be done by hand.
“Hey,” Rie said, waving her hand in front of Anna’s face. “You hear me?”
“Uh...” Anna closed the zippers on the backs of her gloves. “No.”
“I asked what you were thinking about.”
“The, uh, Century Festival.” Anna muttered. “A week and a day from now.”
“Oh, yeah!” Rie tried to snap her fingers, but she was wearing gloves. “The 1700th anniversary of the monastery’s establishment, right? What about it?”
“S’posed to snow next week. So I was thinking it might not happen.” Anna shrugged.
“Well, a century only comes around once every... uh...” Rie stopped. “I don’t think they’d just call it off. Why, you planning on going? Got a date?” Rie said, insinuatingly.
“I dunno. It’s a big party or something. Not really my thing.” Anna walked past Rie and took her hair tie out so she could put on her beanie. “How about you?”
“Are you asking if I’m planning on going, or if I have a date? Because if it’s the second...” Rie pushed her arm under Anna’s and linked their elbows together.
Anna lifted her arm out of her grip. “Nope. Neither. I was asking what you were thinking about.”
“Oh. Well, I was thinking about how I was right and you were wrong.” This was somehow even worse than the advances.
“If I remember correctly, I did find one other Seteth in history, so I won the bet.” Anna walked briskly away.
“Doesn’t count! That guy looked like him, too! He even had the same beard the professor has!” Rie ran to catch up, her shorter legs forcing her to lift her feet off the ground. “Besides, what about the naming sites? He added his own name to all of those!”
“Sorry, I don’t argue with bet-losers.” Anna smiled slightly, knowing Rie couldn’t see. Honestly, the evidence Rie had found was convincing. Anna was much more on the fence about the professor being immortal than she had been when she’d first seen the name on the faculty list. But no way was she going to let Rie win this one. It was too fun to mess with her. Anna paced up her steps, forcing Rie to run faster to keep up, muttering frustratedly all the way.
Ding.
Rie stepped into the elevator after Anna, breathing heavily. It was freezing outside, and the wind seemed to prevent her from catching her breath. “Nice night, huh?” she said between gasps, pressing the “4” and “7” buttons.
“Yeah, just great.” Anna said, shivering.
“You know, if you’re cold, we could always —”
“Nope.”
Rie laughed, her breathing ragged. Anna rejected her even faster when she wasn’t feeling well. It was one of the funnier things about their friendship. And it was a friendship, despite appearances. Her flirting was completely ingenuine, designed to be rejected. The fact that Anna could realize that instead of taking it at face value was why they were such good friends.
...Well, that hadn’t always been true. Early on, it had been a way to deflect from a stupid little crush she had on Anna. But that didn’t matter, and she’d long moved past it. Besides, Anna didn’t like girls. Rie was pretty sure it was company policy that Annas had to be straight.
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie stepped out. She took her hand out of her coat pocket to give Anna a little wave, and Anna waved in return.
The elevator doors slid closed.
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
at 1:43 PM, 21st of Ethereal Moon
Professor,
Attached is my report on Week 9 of preliminary archival research for my thesis. This week, I researched expedition reports and found that on many expeditions, Mercedes von Martritz accompanied the Knights of Seiros as a “designated healer” on several missions with the Golden Deer class. This research is incomplete as I did not spend as much time in the archives as I would have preferred.
Yours,
Rie Averill
Mael Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 6:59 PM, 21st of Ethereal Moon
Ms. Averill,
Received. Regarding my previous offer, if you do not wish to share your research before it is complete, I fully understand. Strongarming you into a decision was not my intention.
Mael Seteth
Room 210, Bishop Hall, Old Campus
Seteth closed his laptop and paced about his office. Though it wasn’t time for him to head home yet, he could not bring himself to continue his work. Papers and midterm grading seemed so inconsequential. His stomach churned with all the things which could possibly go wrong in the next few days. Perhaps he should not have loosened those bricks again. Had some maintenance worker found the gap he’d created and sealed it up — or worse, told someone about the hidden staircase? He had heard of no such thing, but worry regarding it consumed him nonetheless. He fell back into his office chair and spun around a few times, trying to relieve his nervousness. Everything would be fine, he told himself. Everything would be fine.
Anna balanced herself as she walked up to the gondola station, snow crunching underneath her feet. Clouds dyed pink and orange by the setting sun floated overhead, casting a vague, warm glow over everything. Her bag was heavy, as it usually was, with the sorts of supplies she told herself she needed. A barrier across its entrance worried her, as did the piece of paper duct-taped to it.
GONDOLA CLOSED
FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE
UNTIL 9:00 PM
USE ALTERNATE ROUTE
“Hey, over here.” Rie’s voice called. Anna turned to see her leaning against the wall of the gondola station, the Old Campus behind her. “Yep,” Rie said. “Station’s closed. They probably want to make sure it can hold all the people that’ll be going up there tomorrow.” She sighed. “Shame the festival didn’t get canceled after all.”
“No archives tonight? Or...” Anna nodded toward the path in front of her.
Rie was silent for a moment. “I — I wasn’t going to ask.”
“No need to. Always wanted to try the stairs. And the snow’s fresh on the ground, so they won’t be slippery. No wind. Perfect day for it.”
Rie gave her that strange look again. “Having walked up those stairs, I can tell you that once you’ve done it, you’ll never want to again.”
“Well, best to get it over with fast, then.”
Choking her lungs out, Rie summitted the 40 flights and immediately collapsed to her knees into the half-melted dirty snow. Anna followed close behind, breathing heavily but not quite so heavily as her. “H-how was that?” Rie asked, coughs making her words near impossible to understand.
“Not — bad,” Anna said, pulling a water bottle from her bag. “Little light —” she took a very long swig “— cardio.” She offered the bottle to Rie.
Rie stood from her knees and wiped the snow off her pants. “What, trying to get me to — trying to engineer an indirect kiss? That’s low — even for you, Anna.” she said, leaning against the fencepost that bordered the door to the Old Campus and grinning weakly.
Anna shrugged. “Suit yourself.” she said, taking a drink so long it was evident she was trying to drain the whole bottle in one.
Rie took a deep breath. “S-sorry. You were trying to be nice again.”
Anna did not respond, apparently paying attention only to the water.
“I honestly do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.” Rie resisted the urge to pull her phone out and avoid the moment of emotional honesty she was creating here. “I know my constant flirting is probably really irritating for a straight girl.”
Anna made a noise like a vacuum cleaner with something stuck in the hose. She dropped the water bottle and gasped for air. “You — think I’m — straight!?” she choked out between coughs.
Wait, what? “Y-you’re not?” Rie shakily asked.
“Of — course not! Are you —” Anna picked up the bottle, coughing all the while.
“Well, what are you, then!?” Rie was confused. Hadn’t she said that she — what was going on?
“I’m — not straight!” Anna took a deep breath. “I’m definitely not straight.”
“That doesn’t really answer my —”
“I’m bi.” Anna said, shaking Rie’s entire understanding of the world. “Wait, were you seriously flirting all these years thinking you didn’t have a cha —”
“Yes!” Rie put her face in her hands. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.” she muttered.
Everything was silent for a moment. Rie’s head spun and her face burned. If Anna wasn’t straight, what had she been doing? Why had she spent three years making stupid jokes instead of —
Instead of what, Rie? Instead of actually pursuing her? And how would that work? She wasn’t interested before, and you’ve spent the last three years giving her countless more reasons not to be. This is one chance that, if you ever had it, you have solidly lost it.
From somewhere beyond the pocket dimension of self-hatred she’d created in her hands, Anna spoke up. “Uh, archives?”
Rie took a breath, and held it, trying not to look or act like the pathetic weirdo she definitely was. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face, holding an expression one could charitably describe as normal. “Yep. Archives.”
Anna stepped over icy spots, creating an uneven and messy path to the archives. It’s strange, she thought, having Rie follow me, and not the other way around. Rie had been completely silent ever since they’d entered the Old Campus. Anna was sure it had something to do with Rie thinking she was straight. How could she have possibly thought that in the first place? Anna wasn’t exactly stealthy about being the way she was.
In the plaza next to the reservoir, men wearing hi-vis jackets scuttled about, moving light fixtures and generators on handcarts, preparing for tomorrow’s festival. Anna walked past and gave one of the men a polite wave, which he didn’t seem to notice. The Old Campus had always been a bit of a maze — the path from the gondola stop to Bishop Hall was about as roundabout as a path could get. As Anna rounded the corner toward Student Hall, once a collection of dormitories for students and teachers alike, she stopped and turned to look at Rie.
Rie had shrunken as far as she could into her clothes, drawing her scarf up to cover her face. For whatever reason, she hadn’t worn a beanie today, even though it was easily cold enough to necessitate one — her ears were significantly redder than the parts of her face that Anna could see, and her hair was beginning to freeze into icicles. Anna had always found it funny that Rie’s hair was permanently messy, a dark umber gnarl not curly enough or straight enough to be manageable through traditional methods. (Where had she learned the word “umber?” Was that the right word?) Maybe that’s why she wore it as short as she did. And why she tucked it behind her ears to keep it out of her eyes, except that single lock that always dangled down in front of her right eye. What color were Rie’s eyes, anyway? Anna was sure she’d known at some point. When had she forgotten?
Rie looked up at her. Oh, her eyes were green. Of course. It was one of the things that was immediately noticeable about her.
“Anna?”
Anna suddenly realized she was staring. “Uh, right. Sorry. Just thinking about tomorrow’s festival. Might go after all.” she said.
“Great. Sounds like fun.” Rie said flatly, walking around her toward Bishop Hall.
What was up with her? Normal Rie would have jumped to tease Anna at a chance like that, but this weird new antisocial Rie apparently had no interest. And such a sudden change in attitude, too. Was it really that disconcerting for her to learn that Anna wasn’t straight? It would have been hypocritical of her to care, considering that she made her own sexuality painfully obvious on an almost hourly basis. Anna followed Rie’s footsteps, trusting that she’d avoided the icy spots herself.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
24th of Ethereal Moon, 1885:
5:18 PM: Rie Averill added:
Day 12 in the archives:
I am pretending to type something
5:20 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
I am pretending to type something
Today I’ll research the faculty records more. I was interrupted last time and didn’t get a chance to list all the staff of the Officers Academy. Today I’m going to do that.
5:34 PM: Rie Averill added:
So that’s what I’m doing tonight.
5:40 PM: Rie Averill added:
That’s what I’m doing.
5:50 PM: Rie Averill deleted:
Today I’ll research the faculty records more. I was interrupted last time and didn’t get a chance to list all the staff of the Officers Academy. Today I’m going to do that.
So that’s what I’m doing tonight.
That’s what I’m doing.
6:11 PM: Rie Averill added:
I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to do research, I have all the material I need right here with me I just can’t do it
Anna must think I’m such a weirdo
Ugh for more than one reason
I’m such an idiot
6:14 PM: Rie Averill deleted:
Anna must think I’m such a weirdo
Ugh for more than one reason
I’m such an idiot
6:19 PM: Rie Averill added:
Why didn’t I just ask like a normal person why’d I have to go and just ASSUME she was straight without any reason
Like what exactly is my problem. Why do I do this
Why am I the kind of person who does this
Wasn’t my mom and dad they’re great. Didn’t instill me with any weird ideas about how relationships should be. Least not any I know of
Might be media, I guess I did consume a lot of media that could’ve given me that dumb idea of straight as a default
Idk that feels like I’m putting the blame somewhere other than it belongs
6:40 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
Wasn’t my mom and dad they’re great. Didn’t instill me with any weird ideas about how relationships should be. Least not any I know of
Might be media, I guess I did consume a lot of media that could’ve given me that dumb idea of straight as a default
Idk that feels like I’m putting the blame somewhere other than it belongs
It’s me. It’s my fault. No one else’s. I made me the way I am
Goddess I feel like I’m going to throw up
I really hope I don’t cry in the archives while Anna’s here that’d make me look even weirder hahaha like what would I say “oh sorry the history just makes me so emotional”
Rie 6:45 PM
hey mom?
Isolde 6:47 PM
What’s up, Rie?
Rie 6:47 PM
how do i know if im hopeless?
Isolde 6:48 PM
Hopeless in what sense?
Also, this goes without saying, but no matter what sense, you’re not hopeless.
Rie 6:48 PM
haha well youre not in my situation
Isolde 6:48 PM
Sure, but I’m still your mom. I know you’re capable.
Also kind and intelligent, but those aren’t relevant here.
Well not as relevant
You get what I’m saying.
Rie 6:49 PM
okay
so you remember anna
Isolde 6:49 PM
Which one? Haha
No but yes I do.
Rie 6:49 PM
so when we first met i kind of had a crush on her
Isolde 6:50 PM
“Kind of?” Sweetie you were head over heels.
You literally talked about her more than any other topic.
I tried to ask you about your grades and you’d just redirect to Anna.
Rie 6:50 PM
to be fair that was just because my grades were terrible
but my point is
i got over it because i figured she was straight
and then i started flirting with her as like an inside joke
but then today i found out she’s bi
and also that i kind of never stopped having a crush on her
and also that i definitely ruined my chances by flirting with her as a joke for three years
Isolde 6:52 PM
Oh, I see.
Yeah, I can see how that might make you think you’re hopeless.
Rie 6:52 PM
wow
thanks, mom
Isolde 6:53 PM
Doesn’t mean you are!
Just that that’s a really funny mistake to make.
Or, I guess, make continually for three years.
Rie 6:54 PM
you know most moms would reassure their daughters
instead of roasting them
Isolde 6:54 PM
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
But I’ll give you the same advice I’ve given you every time you come to me for advice:
In fact, I’ve said it so often that I don’t even need to type it:
Rie 6:54 PM
yeah yeah
“communicate”
but it’s not that easy
Isolde 6:55 PM
Never is! Just cause it’s one word doesn’t mean it’s simple.
You know it took your father two years to work up the courage to ask me out.
And I’m not exactly intimidating.
Rie 6:55 PM
asking her out isnt the hard part
its getting her to believe it
ive been doing it for two years without meaning it
im like the boy who cried wyvern
Isolde 6:56 PM
So, I guess you’ll just have to be sincere.
Be brave, sweetie! You know you’ve got Khalid I in your blood.
Or wait, what was it? Claude something?
Rie 6:57 PM
claude von riegan
Isolde 6:57 PM
Yeah! Him too.
Claude von you-gan.
Good luck! I hope I helped.
Also, have you eaten today?
Rie 6:57 PM
i had breakfast
Isolde 6:57 PM
Rie, eat something.
No wonder you’re moody!
7:03 PM: Rie Averill added/edited:
Day 12 in the archives:
Today I’ll research the faculty records more. I was interrupted last time and didn’t get a chance to list all the staff of the Officers Academy.
I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to do research, I have all the material I need right here with me I just can’t do it
Why didn’t I just ask like a normal person why’d I have to go and just ASSUME she was straight without any reason
Like what exactly is my problem. Why do I do this
Why am I the kind of person who does this
It’s me. It’s my fault. No one else’s. I made me the way I am
Goddess I feel like I’m going to throw up
I really hope I don’t cry in the archives while Anna’s here that’d make me look even weirder hahaha like what would I say “oh sorry the history just makes me so emotional”
Okay, maybe I overreacted a little bit.
Also I should probably eat something. I feel light-headed.
Anna paced around the entrance to the archives. Rie was in Section 23 doing her own research, and she couldn’t focus on the portrait for some reason. Maybe it was because she was thinking about how it looked so much like Professor Seteth. If the man in the painting really was him, who was the girl next to him? A daughter? A younger sister? A wife? Anna shuddered. Hopefully not the last one. Even if it had been acceptable for the era, Seteth was alive now. If he really was that old, how different were his values from the ones that modern people adhered to? Was he even okay with gay people?
If Anna had posed that question to Rie, she’d probably say some ridiculous shit like “oh, well, if we just kiss in front of him we’ll know if he’s immortal!” Anna scoffed to herself. She’d been spending too much time with Rie; she was starting to come up with advances for her.
As if on cue, Anna heard Rie’s footsteps echo toward her, a quick tap-tap-tap on the concrete floor. She turned to see Rie zipping up her coat and wrapping her scarf around her neck.
“Done with research for tonight? That was fast.” Rie almost never left the archives before closing time unless Anna forced her to.
“Uh...” Rie stared up at Anna for a moment, the bottom half of her face hidden by her scarf. “Yeah. Not a lot of interesting research to send to the professor. If he turns out to be immortal.”
“Makes sense.” Anna looked down at Rie and her uncovered head. “You know, I have an extra beanie in my bag, if you want it. Might be a little big for your tiny head, though.”
“O-oh, that’d be... I’d... Sure. I’ll take it.” Rie stumbled over her words, which she didn’t usually do. Also, Anna was practically lining these opportunities up, and Rie was just passing them by without so much as a failed wink. Was she uncomfortable? Why?
“Anna, are you going to...” Rie gestured to Anna’s bag. She’d been staring again.
“Right.” Anna unzipped the top pocket and pulled out a green beanie — a backup for her (it clashed severely with her hair color), but perfect for Rie.
Rie put on the beanie. “Thanks.” she said, everything but her eyes concealed by layers of warmth. “I was just thinking I was pretty hungry. Want to try the vending machines in Student Hall? We’re stuck up here until 9 anyway.”
“What, you don’t want to do the stairs? I could go again.” Anna held her face completely expressionless.
Rie sputtered. “Wh — No. Obviously not. You’re kidding, right?”
“Yes.” Anna pulled the door open for Rie.
Rie had forgotten there was a hot chocolate vending machine in Student Hall. An incredible stroke of luck — or an incredible stroke of foresight from the people who’d remodeled the Old Campus. She took a sip, the sweetness of the chocolate made somewhat acrid by her burnt tongue. Anna sat next to her, resting her cup on her thigh. A collection of snacks sat on the bench between them, the most substantial dinner they could collect from a vending machine. The second-floor hallway extended in both directions, wall sconces imitating oil lamps as best they could with flickering orange LEDs. All was quiet.
More than anything, Rie wanted to scoot closer and lean on Anna’s shoulder, but doing that without explaining it at all first would definitely make things weird. So, she wasn’t going to do that. Absolutely not.
Rie gripped the bench’s seat with her off hand. She wasn’t going to.
“Rie.” Anna spoke up, cutting through Rie’s pointless introspection. “You’ve been...” Anna paused for what felt like hours. “Never mind.” she murmured. Everything was silent again. Anna sipped her hot chocolate. Rie did the same, her head spinning.
Anna leaned on the queue railing, waiting for the gondola to start up again. A car hung from the cable a few meters from the end of the queue, swaying slightly in the breeze from the outside. Rie stared at her phone, leaning on the opposite railing, her eyes reflecting some social media or other, making them look somehow even more vividly green. Anna had always wondered if Rie had greener eyes than the rest of her family, or if they were comparitively dull. Presumably it was a hereditary thing, but —
Wait, no. She hadn’t always wondered that. This was her first time thinking about it. She hadn’t thought about Rie’s eyes before. That’d be ridiculous.
A small crowd had gathered behind them, muttering frustratedly about the delay and slow grading and inconsistent homework schedules and everything else. Anna didn’t really worry about her own grades. She was well on track to graduate by the end of her third year. After that, grad school. She wasn’t looking forward to playing TA to a bunch of bored first-years just taking art history for a breadth credit, but the opportunity to call herself “Dr.” Anna was far too tempting. And being a professor didn’t sound awful, if she could manage it.
She wondered if Rie was aiming for the same thing. She’d never asked. Anna exhaled lightly. The idea of Rie teaching a class, wasting half a lecture ranting about some new historical problem she’d come across... she’d either be the most beloved professor or the most hated. Anna would have to be there to keep her focused on the things she had to do. Rie was needy like that.
“What’s up?” Anna was shaken out of her daydream by a voice. Rie was staring at her.
“What do you mean?” Anna checked the time on her phone.
“Y-you were... smiling about something. Was wondering what.”
...Had she been?
A buzzer rang out three times, and the hum of the gondola motor began. A quiet cheer rose from the crowd as the cable started to move, taking the cars with it. Anna stepped on as quickly as she could. Rie stepped in after her. The car shifted a bit as Rie sat down across from her, and a few others filed in, taking up the seats in seconds. The car’s doors closed as it turned around the corner and it began its long journey down to the other station. Snow swirled outside the windows, and the lights of the nearby town were pinpricks in the darkness. As the man sitting next to her talked loudly into his phone, Anna wished that Rie had chosen the seat next to her instead of the seat across.
Rie... What was going on with her? It still bothered Anna. She stole a quick peek across the car, and saw Rie, her face uncovered now, looking more dejected than anything. Could...
Could it be that Rie had only flirted with her all these years because she had assumed Anna was straight? And that, now that she knew she wasn’t, she worried that Anna would want to be flirted with genuinely? And the only reason that would make her feel guilty is because...
Rie didn’t have any actual interest in Anna. The flirting was exactly what Anna had assumed it was — an innocent, platonic inside joke.
Which was fine. Anna didn’t have any interest in her, either. She was a good friend, and that was it.
...But then, why did Anna’s stomach hurt when she thought about that? Why had she spent hours prompting Rie to make passes at her like she used to? Why did thinking about her big dumb grin and her stupid attempts to wink and her long-winded rambles about history and her quiet snoring make Anna feel...
Oh, no.
No, no, no, no, no no no.
Ding.
Rie followed Anna into the elevator. Neither had said a word since before the gondola. She pressed the “4” and “7” buttons and stared at Anna’s blurry reflection in the closing doors. Not satisfied with the unclear version, Rie stole a glance up at Anna, still wearing that red beanie a few shades darker than her hair.
Rie was so jealous of Anna’s hair. All wavy and long, seemed to look good no matter what she did with it... And the color. Rie had never met anyone with bright red hair before Anna. It was ridiculously pretty on her.
Of course, it didn’t help that Anna knew exactly how to dress to complement her hair color. Even on days she knew that Anna wasn’t getting enough sleep, she still looked like she’d coordinated her outfit. Rie wasn’t sure if it was some kind of Anna family magic, or if it was just how her specific Anna was.
Well, not “her” Anna. Just the Anna she was friends with. Despite how incredibly out-of-Rie’s-league she was.
Goddess, what was Rie thinking? It didn’t matter if Anna was bi. Rie had never had even the smallest chance with her. The best she could hope for was to be a good friend... and she wasn’t even managing that. She’d spent the last two months imposing on Anna, insisting that they spend time together, annoying her with pointless flirting, getting her into arguments with her sisters... Anna deserved a better friend than Rie had been.
That was it — that would be Rie’s goal. To be as good a friend as she could. No more ridiculous advances. No more imposition. No more making Anna take care of her. Tomorrow would be the start of a better Rie.
No matter how much it hurt.
Rie was dizzy. The silence was overwhelming.
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie hesitated for a moment, her heart pounding. She stepped out and turned to give Anna a wave. Anna stared blankly through her. She didn’t wave back.
The elevator doors began to slide closed. But just as Anna was about to disappear from Rie’s view, they stopped.
Anna’s boot, caked in snow, stood between the doors. The metal partitions slid apart again, squeaking like trapped mice as they disappeared. Anna, the stone expression still on her face, stepped forward and out of the elevator, her gloves rustling in her jacket pockets.
They were face to face now — as much as they could be, with Anna being twenty centimeters taller than her. Rie stared up at her, confused. What was Anna doing? Rie tried to say something, to ask what was happening, but her mouth didn’t move.
Anna’s expression didn’t change. Everything was quiet except for the sound of Rie’s heart thumping in her ears. Rie was about to try to speak up again when she felt Anna’s hand on her neck, supporting her head. And then the other. Through the haze that had suddenly consumed the world, she could clearly see Anna’s face. If she hadn’t been cradling Rie’s head, or staring into her eyes, Rie would have thought that she was emotionless or blank-faced. But in context, Anna seemed to project a calm, a knowing, that made Rie feel safe even as her heart threatened to crash from her chest.
Everything was spinning except her and Anna.
Anna wasn’t sure why she’d done that. She stumbled back from Rie, back into the elevator, away from what she’d just done. Her face burning, she hammered the “close door” button over and over, trying not to look at Rie’s face, trying not to think about the reaction her stupid impulsive kiss must have elicited.
The doors finally shut, after what seemed like an eternity, and as the elevator began to hum up to her own floor, Anna staggered to the back of the tiny, harshly lit room, bracing herself against the wall, then sliding down it to sit on the floor.
Anna pulled her knees to her chest and put her face in her hands. Well, she’d just ruined everything. She’d just kissed a girl who she knew had no interest in her, who she knew felt awkward about her being bi. There was no way they could ever interact normally again, and there was no way this progressed into anything. Whatever relationship they had had before, it was over. All because stupid Anna couldn’t stop herself. What a complete waste of three years.
...No, that wasn’t right. The last three years hadn’t been a waste. They had been fun. Anna had liked being friends with Rie.
Ding.
Anna pulled herself to her feet and grabbed her bag from the floor. Thanking all the gods she knew of that her sister was home for the weekend, she dragged herself from the elevator, sighing quietly as she reached her room — 709, only a few doors away. The key turned in the lock, and Anna fell inside and directly into her chair, in the tiny space between her closet and her desk. At least she was safe in here. Nothing could —
Anna’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out as the door closed and locked itself, consuming the room in darkness.
Rie 9:31 PM
you know that the close door buttons aren’t actually wired to anything, right?
Anna tossed her phone in the trash can and planted her face firmly on her desk. The phone made a quiet swish-swish as it settled in the empty bag.
Seteth took a deep breath as he locked the door to his apartment. By the time he returned to it tonight, Flayn would be with him. Then he could rest easy. And the task of acclimating Flayn to the modern world wouldn’t fall solely to him — he would have help in Guardian Moon. Until then, he simply needed to avoid suspicion. A tougher task than it seemed.
Seteth reached the bottom of his apartment building’s stairwell and pushed the door to the parking structure open. Today will go to plan, he thought, reaching for his car keys in his laptop bag.
His... laptop bag.
Seteth sighed, pulled the door back open, and began to climb the stairwell again.
Rie sat on her couch with her laptop on her lap, her leg bouncing up and down independent of her influence. Her phone, sitting beside her, plunked as she received a new notification. She grabbed at it, fumbling it onto the floor. Symptom of sleep deprivation, she supposed, checking the time as she leaned down for her phone. 8:30 AM. Cool.
She lifted her phone and eagerly checked what she’d gotten, then immediately lost interest when she saw it was just a mass email from one of her professors about a homework extension. Not Anna.
Rie wondered if she shouldn’t have sent that message. It was all she could think of in the moment, other than the obvious question that she didn’t want to ask.
What was up with that?
Why had Anna — why did she — what did it mean? It was just another mystery Rie didn’t have the answers to. It couldn’t be that she actually —
No. That was just her overactive theorizing imagination going wild again. It couldn’t possibly be something that ridiculous. If Rie had to hazard a guess, she’d say...
Sometimes, when she’d made passes at Anna, Anna would jokingly reciprocate. And that always flustered Rie. (Maybe, she noted, that should have been a sign that she wasn’t over Anna.) And, despite her best efforts, Rie had never managed to come up with a comeback for those. Maybe the kiss had just been... a bigger version of that. A much bigger version, since Rie still couldn’t think about it without feeling her face grow hot. And that warm tightness in her chest — that was new, too.
That made more sense than her first theory. Kissing her while remaining completely blank-faced, all just to shut her up — that was a perfectly Anna thing to do. A little more extreme than her usual methods, but perfectly in line with them.
But clearly, it had backfired. Rie had been unable to sleep all night, and she knew just how much Anna wanted her to get a good night’s sleep — she’d conned her into doing it just a few weeks prior. Rie had stared at the ceiling for hours with the lights off, but every time she got close to dozing off, she’d think about staring into Anna’s brown eyes, or how warm Anna’s hands were, or how it felt to watch the elevator doors close in front of her, and the world would start spinning again, and she’d be shaken out of her sleepiness. Rie wasn’t sure how long she’d stood in front of the elevator, waiting for everything to suddenly make sense. It had felt like hours, but it couldn’t have been that long.
Rie pushed her laptop off to the side and stood up to stretch and open the blinds. Light streamed into her dim room. The snow fell lightly outside, a thick white blanket covering everything. Apparently, it hadn’t stopped snowing since last night. Rie was sure the festival workers were doing overtime, shoveling the snow into the reservoir. Rie chuckled, wondering if the reservoir would freeze over thick enough to walk on it this year. This was certainly more snow than she’d ever seen at GMU. Though if yesterday had taught Rie anything, it was that she was no authority on what was and wasn’t likely.
Anna stared at the trashcan from her place on the floor. She had thought about reaching in and removing her phone countless times, but each time she was halted by the unanswerable question: What was she supposed to say? Would she apologize? Say it was an elaborate joke? Claim one of her sisters had drugged her and taken her place to try and trick them into dating?
...Actually, the last one wasn’t bad. She’d been tempted to write that text.
Whatever she wrote, she wasn’t going to write what she thought, which was mostly a mess of confusing, impossible-to-write emotions occasionally interspersed with some ridiculous sentiments that she’d never want to write down. Mushy stuff about Rie’s eyes or how soft her face was. Stuff that no self-respecting Anna — no self-respecting person — would be caught dead thinking.
Anna laughed humorlessly. She knew she had lost Rie, so why couldn’t she stop thinking about — why couldn’t she — what was wrong with her!? She’d made an ass of herself in front of girls she liked before, but it’d never felt like this. She’d never gotten a pit in her stomach that felt like it would fall straight through her. Never been unable to sleep.
Anna had to give Rie credit — she’d been spot-on about Anna’s feelings all this time. Anna had just been too stubborn and too stupid to notice that she wasn’t being a helpful friend to Rie, she was following her around like a sad puppy. Not that it would have helped even if she had noticed earlier. Rie didn’t like her that way, no matter how many ill-advised kisses she planted on her stupid adorable face.
Anna pulled the pillow from the floor where she’d thrown it and shoved her face into it, trying to make sure no light or sound could make its way through.
<103.3, 10:30 AM>
...And you’re listening to AGMU one-oh-three-point-three, the only station bringing you all the news about and for Garreg Mach!
Regardless of how many listeners we actually have.
Hey, we’re a campus institution! I’m Carnel.
Name one person who’s mentioned the show to you. I’m Nellis.
Well, I know this one guy, won’t stop talking about it. Says he’s its biggest fan.
Uh-huh. And who is this mystery listener?
Well, his name starts with an “n” and ends with an “ellis.”
Yeah, I don’t count. And I don’t remember saying anything about being a fan.
Who said anything about you? I’m talking about my real best friend, Norstellis!
Sure.
Anyway, like I said, I’m Carnel.
And I’m Nellis.
And here’s your campus news for the twenty-fifth of Ethereal Moon, eighteen-eighty-five. No classes today. Can you guess why, Nellis?
Because it’s a Saturday?
Right you are, Nellis! But also because it’s Monastery Foundation Day! And a very special one, because on this day, exactly 17 centuries ago...
The monastery was founded?
Goddess, you’re a perceptive one! Now I remember why I keep you around.
So, it’s the seventeen-hundredth Monastery Foundation Day. Do we bow our heads in reverence to the goddess, or...
Nope! Like all good days off, this one comes with a festival. Live music, classic eats, that sort of thing.
“Classic” meaning medieval.
Yup! Hardtack and uncooked beans for everyone.
You’re really selling this festival to me.
Well, in addition to the classics, we’ve also got a few newer favorites. Fish skewers, all kinds’a sorbets —
Sounds great for the weather we’re having.
Well, they can’t all be winners. I hear there’s gonna be a stir-fry cart, too.
Stir-frying what?
I suppose you’ll just have to attend the festival to find out!
Well, you’ve got me intrigued. And where is this festival with the mysterious stir-fry cart?
It’ll be starting at 3 PM up on the Old Campus. So stretch your hammies, everyone, you’ve got a lot of stairs in your future!
Or you could just take the gondola.
Nellis! I was trying to get the gondola to myself.
I won’t apologize for your deception.
I guess I’ll forgive. But not forget! Never forget... Anyway, in other campus news, how about that snowstorm, folks? After this break, we’ll be giving you the scoop on where all the hot chocolate machines on campus are!
I can’t believe the journalism department keeps funding us.
Seteth tapped his foot underneath his desk, glancing far too often at the clock. He was getting work done — family history projects were remarkably easy to grade — but he was having a very hard time focusing on it. He kept running over his list over and over. Had he forgotten something? It would have been out-of-character of him, but it was always possible. Had he calculated the date and time correctly? Of course he had — he’d checked it thousands of times. He had long memorized both, as exactly as he could get them. 8:22 PM, 25th of Ethereal Moon, 1885. Seteth checked his clock again. 4:41 PM. He let a long breath out, centering himself. Less than four more hours.
Rie paced around her room. She’d thrown herself into research to avoid thinking about Anna. It hadn’t worked, but she was doing her best. The only way she could manage to shake herself back to coherence for a second was to imagine what kinds of capital-S Secrets that Professor Seteth must have hidden in that big, immortal brain of his. He probably even knew who the first ruler was, and he’d been purposefully misleading her this whole time. This allowed for coherence, but it also made her completely furious, so there was a brief moment at the apex of the mood swing where she could get work done.
She had reread every email Professor Seteth had sent, trying to figure out what he didn’t want her to look into. He’d never mentioned faculty records — which made sense, since he was in them. But was the first ruler in those records, too? Thoughts swirled in Rie’s head, all leading to a single conclusion.
Wait, was —
No, but it couldn’t —
Could it?
Rie grabbed her phone from the couch and, without thinking, texted Anna.
Rie 7:29 PM
so
i know its not friday but
archives?
i just had a breakthrough and i need to verify it
like right now
Across the room from Anna, the bag in the trash can rustled. She could almost swear she heard her phone buzzing, but that couldn’t be right. Unless...
Anna hoisted herself to her feet, her legs solidly asleep even when she couldn’t manage to be. She stumbled across the room, holding onto the furniture to stay upright, and pulled her phone from the trash. She hadn’t imagined it. A text from Rie.
...Maybe this friendship wasn’t as unsalvageable as she’d feared. Anna sent as succinct a response as she could manage and rushed to put on some clothes.
Anna 7:30 PM
sounds good. meet you at the gondola
The worker manning the gondola station waved Rie and Anna into the car, which was already nearly full of people. Anna grabbed onto the rail above the door, and Rie followed her example as the car pulled out of the station.
Quiet murmurs filled the car. Rie’s opposite hand dangled by her side. Through her glove, she could feel Anna’s hand brushing against hers. Rie tried not to think too much about that — Anna’s hand was gloved, too. It was likely that she hadn’t even noticed.
Anna gripped the rail above her head as tightly as she could, feeling Rie’s hand against hers. Her heart raced, and she quietly cursed the guy at the gondola station for not putting them on an emptier car. But she couldn’t move her hand now — Rie might notice, and that wouldn’t bode well for their continuing friendship. Like the cute forgiving dork she was, Rie seemed willing to forget that last night had ever happened. The least Anna could do was oblige.
The car arrived at the station, and Anna stepped out as hurriedly as she could, not waiting for Rie before she rushed out of the station. Rie would keep up. Anna didn’t need to have a confrontation with her right now.
The festival was in full swing. Some band Anna didn’t recognize played loud enough to hype up the crowd but not loud enough to disturb the chiller elements of the festival — a difficult balance to maintain, Anna thought. Rie caught up to her, the keychains on her backpack jingling as she ran.
Rie didn’t say a word, afraid she’d accidentally let out something she knew Anna didn’t want to hear. She only walked past her and waved her toward the archives. She could explain her theory once her head stopped spinning.
The sound of the festival faded behind her as she got closer and closer to Bishop Hall, closer to the truth.
20:46.85
Seteth stepped into the courtyard. He glanced from one side to the other, the noise of the festival carrying over the Old Campus. Nobody was around, and everything was ready. He started toward the cathedral, an uncharacteristic spring in his step.
Rie leaned out from behind the pillar, seeing the professor leave. Without a word, Anna left the pillar and began to walk the same surreptitious path she’d taken before. Rie, not sure what to do but trusting Anna’s judgement, followed.
Anna knew the professor was up to something. She’d known it since the first time she saw him sneaking about, and she was even more sure of it now. This time, she thought, keeping her distance as she crossed the bridge towards the cathedral, this time I’ll find out what he’s doing. Whatever Professor Seteth was hiding in that room, whatever he was hiding from Rie, Anna would get to the bottom of it tonight.
13:02.16
Seteth unlocked the door with shaking fingers. He tore the bricks from the wall with a haste he did not know was possible, leaving them in an uneven pile on the floor. Tomorrow, he thought, it doesn’t matter who finds the Holy Tomb. The lantern and oil sat on the floor just beyond. He prepared his light and delved deeper, the lantern casting a nostalgic, flickering glow all around, nothing like the harsh smartphone flashlight.
Rie stood back as Anna picked the lock. She wasn’t sure about unlocking the door while the professor was inside, but if it was what Anna thought was necessary, she would go along. The door clunked open, and Anna held the door. Shining her phone flashlight, Rie gasped. A pile of bricks lay on the ground, just in front of a hole large enough to crawl through.
Anna took Rie’s hand and stood from her knees, too incensed to be embarrassed. A stairwell cascaded down to somewhere. Staying close to the inside wall, Anna began to descend, minding her step. It’d be pretty pathetic to make it this far and then fall down the stairs, she thought.
6:57.59
Seteth reached the Holy Tomb, its grandiose scale passing beneath his notice as he descended to its main floor. He had no attention to spare. The only thing that mattered was the wheel, the sarcophagus, Flayn.
Rie took the final step down, watching carefully for any loose stone. Looking up to see where she was, she almost stumbled backwards with vertigo. This place was huge. Sarcophagi lined every wall, and crumbling pillars the size of buildings held up a ceiling taller than any she’d ever seen. This place had been hidden under the Old Campus all this time? She began to shine her light around, but it was snatched from her hand.
Anna held Rie’s phone away from her and pointed silently off the ledge they stood on. In the distance, about halfway across the massive room, a small orange light flickered. Anna flipped her phone’s flashlight off, and did the same to Rie’s. Rie took her phone back with a glare, but willingly followed Anna as she began to climb down to pursue the professor’s firelight.
3:34.05
Seteth entered the combination quickly this time. Seiros, Cichol, Cethleann. The stone circle dissolved as before, and Seteth dashed through the fading particles to the sarcophagus. He pulled his phone from his pocket, and an extra jacket from his bag. Seteth sighed and leaned on the wall of the pit. He had arrived with time to spare.
Rie was halfway to the light when a blast of magical energy spread out through the room like a shockwave, knocking dust into the air. Countless motes of green energy cast a glow throughout the room. She stood there, mesmerized, for a moment, until Anna grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
Anna held on to Rie’s arm for dear life. Whatever strange mausoleum they’d found themselves in, it was pitch black apart from the light emanating from the pit that had suddenly appeared. Anna wasn’t about to lose track of Rie right before they found out what the professor was up to.
0:25.92
Seteth tapped his foot, ready to lift and push the lid of the sarcophagus as soon as the timer hit zero. He watched the clock with everything he was, paying attention to nothing else.
Rie stared over the edge of the pit at the back of Professor Seteth’s head. What was he doing with that sarcophagus? And a jacket that was too small for him?
Anna held her breath. For once in her life, she had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next. Everything was in play.
0:00.00
Flayn opened her eyes. It was black as pitch, and she could never have lifted the lid from her stone prison herself. But she felt no fear; Father would be there. He had promised.
As if on cue, the stone above her began to shake, and a terrible scraping sound filled her ears. Flayn squinted into the light that streamed in, and the lid fell out of view. “Father...?” she murmured, blinking once, twice, three times to clear the bleariness in her vision. Then there he was, his face blurry but clearly smiling. “I am here,” he said, embracing her. “It’s me.” Flayn held him in return.
Seteth held his daughter — er, sister — for as long as he possibly could. When she let go of him, he waited just a few more moments before releasing his grip. He helped her from the sarcophagus. “How long...” she muttered, rubbing her eyes.
“Seven hundred years, thereabouts. It is... eighteen-eighty-five.” Seteth stared at Flayn, looking for tears or a sign of shock, but her face remained quietly forlorn.
“I — I see.” she said, her voice trembling. “I also see you have changed your appearance. Why is that?”
“A-ah. Yes, well... the chin beard is long since out of style.”
Rie stared down into the pit, stunned. What was happening? Was that — That was the girl from the painting! Wearing the same archaic clothes and everything! She looked at Anna to confirm, and Anna nodded, her eyes wide.
Seteth had been hiding something from her. Seven hundred years? That was exactly how long it had been since the Last War of Adrestia! He had been there to see it! He knew what had happened! He knew who the first ruler of Fódlan was! And he had been hiding it from her! She had been furious at the mere concept of it before, but having it confirmed was something else entirely. She trembled with rage, and her face contorted into a sneer. He had tricked her, misled her, made her believe he wanted to help.
Rie pushed herself to her knees, then to her feet.
Anna stared in shock. What was Rie doing? What possible reason could she possibly have to —
“YOU!” Rie shouted, pointing accusingly at Seteth. The “professor” and the strange girl immediately turned to look at the source of the sound. Seteth’s eyes widened, and the girl frowned. “You — you —”
“Miss Averill!?” Seteth moved to stand in front of the mysterious girl, holding his arm out. “How dare you —”
“How dare you!” Rie slapped her forehead. “How could I have thought you were just some normal professor!? Goddess, I’m an idiot!”
Anna scrambled to her feet and held Rie back. “Rie, maybe we should just —”
“And your friend, too!? Did anyone else follow me!?” Seteth threw his hands up into the air with an incredulous look on his face.
“She has a name!” Rie pulled against Anna’s grip. “And I’m not answering any of your questions, Seteth! I found your name in the faculty list!”
“You — you were sending me false research!?”
“You have the gall to — to complain about me lying to you!?” Rie tried to raise her arms, but Anna was much larger and stronger. “You told me you were ‘no expert’ on monastery history in your emails! L-let me go, Anna!”
“Nope. Not until —” Anna raised her voice “— everyone calms down.”
Everything was silent for a moment. Then the mystery girl spoke up.
Flayn was confused. “Uh... hello.”
“Hi,” said the strange red-haired girl, whose name was apparently Anna. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry for intruding. Rie, apologize.”
The shorter girl with the furious eyes, whose name was apparently Rie, grumbled. “Hello.” she said through gritted teeth. “I’m... sorry.” Anna released her grip, and Rie shuddered.
Father sighed. “I cannot believe — this is a disaster.” He put his face in his hands. “How did you two even find this place, let alone follow me in?”
“We saw you coming here four weeks ago.” Anna said. “We didn’t pursue that time. Fell for your thing with the bricks, too. When we saw you coming here again, we decided to follow you in.”
“Have you told anyone else about this?” Flayn could only see Father from behind, but she knew what look was on his face.
“Yes!” shouted Rie. “We’ve told all of both our families that we’re here!”
“Rie, does it seriously seem like he’s going to murder us?” Anna sighed.
“I don’t know! Neither of us know what he’s capable of!”
Flayn tapped her father on the shoulder. He turned around on the spot. The look on his face was as she had expected — angry, but mostly disappointed in himself. “What is it?” he whispered.
“Please do not do anything rash.” Flayn whispered. “I cannot imagine they mean me harm.”
Father turned away. Flayn wondered if it would be all right...
Seteth took a deep breath. “Yes. As you seem to have... already ascertained, I am the Seteth who was the archbishop’s aide before the Last War.” He paused to gauge the reactions of the two youths. They were paying rapt attention — if only they’d done so when they were his students. “I cannot say why I have survived to this new era. This is Flayn, my younger si —”
“Daughter!” Flayn exclaimed from behind him. Seteth turned around, incredulous. The resolve on her face softened somewhat, seeing his expression, but it did not disappear entirely. “I — I am his daughter.”
“Flayn, what are you —”
“Y-you said it yourself, Father. This is a-a new era. There is no need to —”
“We will talk about this... later.” Seteth gave her his best disappointed look and turned back to the intruders.
Rie stared in disbelief. Was he really letting all his secrets out? “When you say you ‘can’t say’... do you mean you don’t know, or you won’t tell us?”
Seteth was silent for a moment. “I mean I won’t tell you. There are some secrets that are better left hidden.” Rie attempted to speak up, but Seteth held up a hand. “I understand I have given you no reason to... but please, trust me.”
“I’m not satisfied with that.”
Seteth sighed. “I’m aware. You are so much like him. I suppose it was too much to hope that his less fortunate qualities would not be passed down.”
Rie thought for a moment. “I’m like... who? Wait, you can’t mean —”
“Khalid. I knew him, you know. Always prying, trying to find the answer to every mystery, the truth to every secret.” Seteth held a breath, then released it. “Especially my own.”
“Pardon me?” said the girl — Flayn. “You mean to say — this person is —”
“Yes. Miss Averill is a direct descendant of Kh — er, Claude.”
“Wait,” Rie said, consumed by excitement, “I was right? Claude was an alias that Khalid used?”
“Yes.” Seteth waved his hands dismissively. “You came to many correct conclusions. Also, many incorrect ones. But, like Khalid, you seem to have a knack for knowing when you have the right answer.”
Anna spoke up. “Sure. Rie’s like Khalid. But why was your daughter in a coffin?”
“Technically,” Seteth said, “it’s a sarcophagus.”
Anna glared, and Flayn cleared her throat. “I — in the war, I used... all the energy I had to help my comrades survive. After it was over, I... fell into a deep slumber.” Flayn stared at the floor, crestfallen.
“It is as she said.” Seteth helped Flayn down from the edge of the sarcophagus where she sat. “I brought her here, to the Holy Tomb, to keep her safe while she slept. Then I erased any records of the tomb’s existence, so nobody could stumble upon her accidentally.”
Erased records... Anna looked at Rie, whose eyes were wide. “Erased records?” she said incredulously. “Does that mean... wait, were you the first ruler of the United Kingdom of Fódlan?”
Flayn giggled quietly. “Incorrect conclusions, indeed.”
Seteth looked up and out of the pit. “No. I was not.”
“Then who was? Why did Teodor Lorenz Gloucester scrub them from history?”
“Teodor did nothing the first ruler did not ask him to do.” Seteth handed the spare jacket to Flayn, who turned it around confusedly.
Rie tilted her head in that cute way she did when something didn’t make sense. “The first ruler asked to be erased? Why?”
“Another question I cannot answer. But only because I have no right to.”
Anna frowned, questions swirling in her head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You will have your answers. All I ask is that you wait a week.” Seteth paused for a moment, lost in thought. “And a half.”
Flayn waved the jacket over her head, trying in vain to get it on. It had no buttons, so she had assumed that it was a pullover. Father pulled it off her. “Ah. I apologize, Flayn. This fastener is a ‘zipper.’ You pull this metal tag, and...” Father, as if by magic, opened a seam in the front of the jacket. Flayn put it on much easier that way.
“Thank you, Father.” Flayn smiled, finally able to call him what he was again. He bristled, but smiled in return as he resealed the seam that the “zipper” had created. “Is the monastery still home, or...?”
“No,” Father said, “Garreg Mach has not been a monastery for over four hundred years. It is a university now.”
“Your dad’s head of the history department!” Rie yelled from the edge of the pit. “Also, we have smart phones!” she said, waving around a strange glass tablet of sorts.
Father glared at the girl, who was seeming more and more like Claude by the minute. “I will explain the way things work now in time. For now... are you hungry?”
Flayn was. She felt like... well, like she had not eaten in seven hundred years. She nodded vigorously.
“Good! I have acquired foods at home that should be perfectly suitable for —”
“You kidding?” Rie’s voice rang out, echoing in the huge room. “There’s a festival outside. Only comes around once a century... Though I guess that wouldn’t be an issue for you two, would it?”
“Rie!” Anna said. “Last time she was outside was 700 years ago. Maybe don’t throw her in at the deep end!?”
“You two,” Seteth said coldly, “are not part of this. You intruded here and endangered Flayn. We are not ‘friends,’ you are blackmailing me.”
“Blackmailing!?” Ms. Averill looked faux-shocked and faux-offended, in much the same way Claude did when he was caught in the act. “I-I would never —”
“Oh, well, if you aren’t blackmailing me, then I suppose I have no reason to share any information with you. I will just be goi —”
“Never mind, I totally am blackmailing you!” Ms. Averill backpedaled. “But only because you refused to give me any answers! I don’t want to reveal your secret to the world, I really don’t! I just — wait, I sound like a blackmailer now, don’t I?”
“Yes.” Averill’s friend, the Anna, said. “You really do. But you’re right — If ‘Professor’ Seteth here is so insistent on keeping his secret that way, he’s not exactly in a position of power at the moment. It’s not blackmail to use leverage.”
Seteth hated to admit it, but the Anna was right. About his position, not about whether it was blackmail — what she had described was textbook blackmail. “Now that we all know where we stand, I am going to take my... daughter home. Stand aside.” he said, snatching the oil lamp and stomping up the stairs, past the two intruders, and toward the exit to the Holy Tomb.
As Seteth stomped away, Rie looked at the strange girl who’d suddenly appeared in this mystery. Yet another facet to the infinitely confusing gem. As Flayn ascended the stairs, puffy jacket clashing horrendously with her ancient-looking dress, she gave Rie and Anna a polite wave each. Then she was gone, disappeared into the darkness. Rie stared at Anna, and Anna stared back. Everything was silent for a moment. Then, Anna cleared her throat.
“Wh —”
“What just happened?” Rie couldn’t hold it in any longer. This whole situation had become so much more complex all at once. It wasn’t just the deceitful history professor who knew far more than he was letting on, it was also his daughter who he evidently loved very much and wanted to protect, and the seven hundred years of history that only he had access to.
“I don’t know!” Anna’s eyes were wider than Rie had ever seen them. “This is so messy!”
“And I’m blackmailing someone now!?”
“Apparently!?”
Rie, gathering her thoughts, sat down on the edge of the pit. Darkness covered everything. Anna turned on her phone flashlight and sat down next to her. “I think I might have made a mistake, Anna.”
“What, in following him down here? I mean, maybe. But what are you —”
“In looking into this in the first place. I think I might have stepped into something way bigger and more important than me.”
Anna didn’t speak for a long time. Then she scooted her hand closer to Rie’s. “I-it’s possible. But if you stopped looking for answers to big, seemingly pointless questions... you wouldn’t be Rie anymore. And I...” Anna pulled her hand away. “...shit, uh... that would be... bad. I don’t know, you get what I’m saying, right?”
Rie smiled. Even if Anna didn’t like her that way, she was still a good friend. Rie would always appreciate that. “Yeah. I get it. Thanks.”
Anna’s face felt warm. She wasn’t sure if she was flushed red, but she decided not to shine the flashlight on her face anyway. She had wanted to take Rie’s hand and tell her that everything was fine, that she hadn’t done anything wrong — at least, nothing the professor hadn’t done as well. But that would probably be going a little too far with her.
Rie spoke, quiet and a little bashful. “Anna... could we...” Anna’s heart skipped about half a dozen beats. “Could we get out of here?”
Anna forced herself to calm down. “Yeah. Let’s. And... should we hide this place again?”
“If we don’t, I think Seteth might not hold up his end.”
“Then we better. Come on.” she said, standing from the edge and holding a hand out for Rie to grab. Rie lifted her legs from the edge of the pit and took it.
Flayn sat quietly in the unfathomably plush seat in the unfathomably plush carriage, which seemed to move with incredible haste, despite nothing pulling it besides a strange and ominous sound. Two straps, one across her lap and one across her chest, held her to the seat. She looked around with wonder at the glowing lights that seemed to cover every surface of the interior. Unfortunately, Father did not seem inclined to explain anything about the invention other than its name — an “auto-mow-beel.” Or was that “mobile”? “Auto” – “mobile”? Oh, that made more sense. She looked up at Father, who was looking only at the road ahead, a stern expression on his face, illuminated by the passing streetlamps in a strange shade of yellow-white.
“Father? Are you upset?” Flayn knew that he was, but this was the more diplomatic approach.
He sighed, not taking his eyes from the road. “Yes. I am. Though not so much at you as I am at...” he paused, evidently coming up with a more pleasant way to phrase his sentiment. “...those two.”
“You do not mind me calling you Father?”
“I... it does bother me. It still feels unsafe. But... I know how much pain the deception caused you.” Was Father saying what she thought he was saying? “And I... have no wish to make you suffer like that. If calling me Father is what you want, I will... I will learn to accept it.”
Flayn smiled. “Thank you.”
“But!” Father raised a hand from the wheel his hands were glued to, and pointed towards the sky. “The names are still non-negotiable.”
“I had no quarrel with the names.”
“Also, given that Seteth is my legal last name, I hope you are satisfied with being named ‘Flayn Seteth.’” Father winced.
Flayn laughed. “Flayn Seteth. I suppose I will learn to accept it.”
Seteth pulled into his parking space and turned the engine off. Flayn looked around. “An interesting place. You live here?”
“No, I park my vehicle here. This structure is connected to the building in which I live.”
“Ah.”
Seteth opened Flayn’s door for her and unbuckled her seatbelt. She stepped onto the concrete floor, stretching as if she hadn’t had a chance to for seven hundred years. Seteth pressed the “lock” button on his keyfob. Flayn jumped as the car’s chirp echoed around the parking structure. Seteth hid a smile. “This way.” Seteth carried his bag toward the door to his apartment building, looking behind to ensure that Flayn was following him. He pulled the door open and held it so Flayn could follow him.
Rie unlocked the dorm building’s front door and let Anna in first. She turned, expecting Anna to have pressed the elevator button, but instead she was just standing there. “Anna?”
“I, um... I’m gonna take the stairs.” Anna muttered, walking off toward the stairwell. “Goodnight.”
The door to the stairwell closed, and Rie was left alone in the entranceway.
Anna collapsed onto her bed. Tonight had been a little bit of a rollercoaster. Immortal people were real, there was a warehouse-sized mausoleum under the Old Campus, Rie maybe still wanted to be friends with her... At least everything had stopped spinning. She hadn’t even thought about how soft Rie’s face was all night.
Well, now she was thinking about that. And about how warm Rie was when she was holding her. And about how she’d almost said something really, really stupid. Ugh.
Anna rolled over toward the wall and tried to sleep.
Flayn shoveled the assortment of steamed vegetables into her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Father staring with a mixture of discomfort and adoration. She supposed she could humor it — after all, she had been gone from him much longer than he had been gone from her. She gulped down the rest of the salmon and wiped her mouth with one of the strange paper napkins that Father owned for some reason. “Thank you. That was delicious.”
“I am glad.” Father smiled. “It is a good thing that fish still exist, or I would have had no idea what to cook for your first meal back.”
“Did you catch this yourself?”
“No. I purchased it. From a store.”
“Oh.” Flayn looked around the small living room, its walls bare except for two tapestries on the far wall. A sofa and low table sat in the corner, seeming somehow lonely. “I must ask, when did you relocate here?”
“Four years ago.” Father said. “I have been employed at the university for twenty years. I left my last apartment after... er...” Father paused. “My landlord entered to check on... something or other, I do not recall, and caught me exiting the bath. She had some rather pointed questions about my ears.”
“’Pointed’ questions, Father?” Flayn could not hold back a grin.
“Indeed.” Father said, fixing his hair. “Rude ones, as well. I had to move after that.”
“Hm.” Flayn was confused. “Land-lord?”
“Yes. My landlord owns this building, and the land on which it sits. I pay money every month for the privilege of living here, and he sends people to upkeep the apartments.” He paused. “Sometimes. Last time I did so, I was struck with a fee. Since then, I have maintained it myself.” Father glanced at the ceiling.
“I see. People are still beholden to lords in this era?”
“Not... as such. It is more complex than that. I shall explain it some other time.”
Everything was silent for a while. Flayn sipped her glass of water.
“Father, could you tell me what happened to our friends? How... how they lived out their lives?”
“If... if it is what you want.” He frowned.
“It is.”
Father took a deep breath.
Seteth cleared his mind of all else, trying to recall all that had long since passed. “Claude abandoned his alias and became Khalid the First, King of Almyra. He took Hilda as his queen. The loud, nosy girl you met tonight — Rie Averill — is a descendant of theirs.”
“Ah.” said Flayn. “I see the resemblance. Though she is rather short.”
“Exceedingly so, yes. I am not sure when that occurred.” Seteth paused for a moment to ponder it. “Lysithea cleared up House Ordelia’s affairs and dissolved it, ceding its territory to surrounding lords. Later, she married Lorenz, who spent his life making sweeping political reforms in the burgeoning United Kingdom of Fódlan. She suffered from some kind of affliction — I believe it had something to do with her having two Crests. Lorenz spent a great deal of time searching for a cure. I don’t know if he succeeded. Their son, Teodor, went on to be the second ruler of the kingdom.”
“I see. What about —”
“Ignatz and Marianne married, I believe Dorothea married one of her fellow songstresses, Sylvain was so notorious that ‘son of Gautier’ is slang for one who is unfaithful in love, Raphael was a knight for some time then retired to run an inn, Ber —”
“What about the professor?”
“Oh. Well, the professor is visiting in a week and a half.”
Flayn spluttered, her eyes wide. “What!?”
“Yes. I decided I required help acclimating you to the modern world. Therefore, I informed —”
“The professor is still alive!?”
“Ah.” Seteth had forgotten that he had never told Flayn about her professor’s unique status. “Well, it is not my right to explain that. I suppose you will just have to wait.”
Rie sat on her couch, wrapped in a blanket, feet up on her office chair, which she’d rolled into the center of the room. Her laptop sat on top of the blanket, playing an episode she’d slept through a few times, but not tonight. Tonight she was far too awake to fall asleep to anything.
Seteth had lied, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. Had he really done all that just to protect himself and his daughter? It seemed so infeasible. If someone went to that amount of trouble over however long he had lived, there must have been some ulterior motive. There must have been...
No. She wouldn’t fall asleep. She wouldn’t... she wouldn’t...
Anna stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor, her heart racing and her head spinning. She followed the numbers to the end of the hallway. Her hand trembled as she knocked on the door she knew was Rie’s. A few anxiety-ridden seconds passed, and the door opened. Rie stood there in the oversized college shirt she only wore on days she hadn’t had time to change into normal clothes and those cute pajama pants with the Crest pattern. Silence reigned for a few seconds, and then Rie spoke in a sleepy mumble. “Anna? What’s up?”
Anna blinked. She had forgotten what she’d come to do for a moment when Rie had answered the door. “Um...”
“What, couldn’t sleep?” Rie giggled tiredly. “Always space for you in here.”
Anna shivered and felt blood rush to her face. Her head spun ever faster. Rie hadn’t even been that forward, and it’d still hit her like a bolt of lightning. What was happening?
“A-actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” Anna felt something in her chest.
Anna opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling. Gravity felt wrong for a moment, and then everything reoriented. She lowered her legs off the edge of her bed and sat there for a moment, thinking. Of course she was dreaming about her now. That seemed about right. Goddess, Anna was a sap.
She pulled the pillow she’d been sleeping on from its place and lay down, getting a brief glimpse of the ceiling before she covered her face, attempting to drown out the ridiculous, sweet, mushy static in her head.
Anna 12:23 PM
hey just to be clear
last night did happen right?
tomb? sarcophagus? professor?
Rie 1:01 PM
it happened
Anna 1:40 PM
ok
good
Flayn paced around the coarse carpeting, trying to think of something to do. It had been only two hours since Father had left for the university, and though he had told her to read through the textbooks he’d purchased and catch up on the history she had missed, Flayn was not content to simply do everything he demanded. That strange glass tablet resting on her bedside table — “smart telephone.” Father had instructed her on its use two nights ago, but only in the “text message” functionality, which baffled Flayn. (Were there other types of message?)
But Flayn remembered something that Rie Averill had said — that Father had told her that he was “no expert” in monastery history in his “e mails.” This comment would have passed under her notice, but she’d noticed Father looking at those, and she’d seen something interesting: the “address” to which Father had been sending the e mails. (Why was it plural?) “[email protected]”. Flayn wondered if she could...
Flayn Seteth <[email protected]>
to Rie Averill <[email protected]>
at 11:58 AM, 28th of Ethereal Moon
Hello Rie Averill this is flaunt I would like to apologize for my father’s conduct he only wishes to protect me and he frequently oversteps in the course of doing that I apologize for the strange structure of this missive but I cannot find how to end the sentence or move to the next line sincerely flayn
Rie Averill <[email protected]>
to Flayn Seteth <[email protected]>
at 1:43 PM, 28th of Ethereal Moon
Hi Flayn! The “enter” button is on the bottom right of the screen. That lets you move to the next line. The comma and period are on either side of the space bar, which you seem to have found. Thank you for the e-mail, it can’t have been easy to write. If it’s easier, you can also contact me at my phone number, 101 555 9423.
Flayn 2:03 PM
Hello. Is this Rie
This is Flayn.
101 555 9423 2:08 PM
this is Rie
Flayn 2:13 PM
Your name is numbers instead of your name.
101 555 9423 2:13 PM
you have to add me as a contact if you want to see my name
which might be a little difficult if youve just started using a smartphone
but it is me, no matter if my name is numbers or my name
Flayn 2:15 PM
Understood.
Why are you typing in that manner
101 555 9423 2:20 PM
its faster than doing it completely correctly
But I can type in this way if you prefer it.
Flayn 2:23 PM
That is all right.
You said that my father had lied to you.
101 555 9423 2:30 PM
thats true yes
i understand though, he was trying to keep you safe
if i was immortal i wouldnt be spreading it around
Flayn 2:49 PM
I appreciate your understanding.
Claude was a friend to me, and though my father did not trust him, I know that he would have been proud of you.
Mostly for inconveniencing my father.
That was a joke.
The second part, not the first part.
101 555 9423 2:58 PM
thank you
i’m really happy to know that
does seteth know you’re talking to me?
Flayn 3:09 PM
No. He will certainly be furious with me. I do not regret it, however.
Rie turned in her last assignment for the night and reread that text again. Someone who’d known Khalid personally said that he would be proud of her. Rie puffed out her chest a little. That’s right — Khalid would have been proud. That was perhaps the best compliment anyone had ever paid her.
Rie stood and paced about the room, the carpet scraping against her socks. How much did Flayn really know? Did she know who the first ruler was? If so, why was she so willing to go along with Seteth and hide their identity? She’d shown a willingness to disobey him just now. So why not just reveal the whole truth?
Anna 4:11 PM
archives tomorrow?
Rie 4:19 PM
gotta say i dont see the point
Anna 4:20 PM
yeah, me neither
want to hang out anyway?
Rie 4:20 PM
hmm
maybe
did i tell you that flayn texted me?
Anna 4:22 PM
no???
what????
Rie 4:23 PM
[SCRN_093118851622.jpg]
Anna 4:23 PM
wow
that’s pretty cool
Rie 4:25 PM
oh wait
hold on i just got a text from the world’s worst sport
Anna 4:25 PM
seteth is texting you now!?
Rie 4:25 PM
yep lmao
seems mad
024 555 0927 4:24 PM
Do not text Flayn anymore.
Rie 4:26 PM
sorry, who is this?
024 555 0927 4:26 PM
You know who it is.
Rie 4:26 PM
no actually i dont
sorry
you must have a wrong number
024 555 0927 4:27 PM
Is this not Rie Averill?
Rie 4:28 PM
no, sorry. no idea who that is
024 555 0927 4:28 PM
Oh. I apologize for my conduct, then.
Rie 4:28 PM
dont worry flayn already apologized for you in her email lmao
024 555 0927 4:29 PM
Ah. I should have expected.
Do not text Flayn anymore.
024 555 0927 9:57 PM
My landlord will be visiting my apartment for an “inspection” tomorrow and I cannot watch Flayn in my office due to pressing meetings I must attend as head of the history department. I do not trust you and your friend, but I cannot think of anyone else I could introduce to Flayn at this point without producing additional suspicion.
Rie 10:04 PM
that was an incredibly quick turnaround
and seriously?
youre asking me to babysit your daughter?
your daughter who is several hundred years older than me???
024 555 0927 10:05 PM
I don’t require you to supervise her, only offer her a place to stay for eight hours.
Otherwise, yes. Grudgingly.
Which dorm are you in?
And can your roommate be trusted?
Rie 10:06 PM
i live in a single room. and seriously? you’re just handing me more leverage?
024 555 0927 10:06 PM
Good.
And unfortunately, I do not have a choice.
I spent a great deal of time attempting to find another solution, to no avail.
If there was another, more acceptable option, know that I would take it with no hesitation.
Rie 10:08 PM
well okay
i live in eogan dorm
024 555 0927 10:10 PM
I will drop her off at eight.
I am aware your promises are worth nothing, so I will say this: Do not ask Flayn to leave your dorm or attempt to extract information from her, or there will be consequences.
Rie 10:10 PM
yes sir absolutely sir
you are definitely holding all the cards here sir
Rie 10:12 PM
hey guess what
Anna 10:31 PM
what?
Rie 10:31 PM
[SCRN_093118852213.jpg]
Anna 10:32 PM
holy shit lmao
so we’re hanging out with flayn tomorrow?
Rie 10:32 PM
oh, for sure
Flayn followed Rie into the small room with the metal doors. “Check this out,” Rie said, pressing a button with the number “4” on it. The metal doors slid closed of their own accord, and Flayn suddenly felt a strange weight on her. She stumbled backward into the wall, and Rie gave her an amused look she’d seen so many times before. After a moment, a pleasant ding rang out, and the door opened, showing a different hallway outside. Flayn poked her head in and out of the doors a few times, then understood. She turned back to Rie. “Ah. The room moves.”
“You got it!” Rie clapped politely. “Anyway, my room is this way.” She walked past her, down the carpeted hallway. A sound Flayn had learned to recognize as water rushing through pipes emanated, muffled, from seemingly all around her.
Rie stopped in front of a wooden door with “424” written on it. She pulled a strange, colorful mass from her pocket and sorted it until she found a key. Then she unlocked the door, holding it so Flayn could enter first. Inside, a tiny room awaited, smaller even than Flayn’s room at Father’s home. She could hardly fathom how Rie lived in such a place. Claude’s room at the monastery had been double this size.
“Well, this is it. Take a seat. I have class in twenty minutes, so you’ll be in here alone for a bit. Hope that’s alright.” Rie picked up her two-strapped canvas bag.
“That is fine. I will occupy mysel...” Flayn trailed off, looking at the strange black box at the back of the room. “Apologies, but... what is that?”
“That?” Rie followed her gaze. “Oh. That’s just a minifridge. There’s nothing in it except energy drinks.” She paused for a moment. “Definitely don’t drink those. I think your dad would probably literally kill me. If you’re hungry, just text me and I’ll bring something back after class. Oh! I could add myself as a contact on your phone if you wanted.”
“A-all right.” Flayn handed her smart phone over to Rie, who tapped it at a furious speed before handing it back to her, her own texts open on the screen.
Rie pulled her bag over her other arm. “Okay. See you later.” she said, stepping back into the hallway.
The door closed and Flayn was left in silence. What a strange girl. Though Claude had been especially strange as well, and that was part of his charm.
Anna knocked on Rie’s door, trying to convince herself that she wasn’t dreaming. The door creaked open a tiny bit, and a single green eye peeked through the crack, perfectly combed green hair above it. “Hey, Flayn.” Anna said.
“Oh!” said the voice behind the door. The door opened all the way, and Anna stepped in. “You are Anna, correct?”
“Yep. How’re you adapting to the modern world?” The dress Flayn was wearing was nowhere near as archaic as the one Anna had last seen her in, but it wasn’t exactly cutting edge of fashion, either.
“Er, fairly well. Though I have seen so little of it.” Flayn made a slightly forced smile. Anna pulled Rie’s office chair into the center of the room and sat down on it, facing the couch. Flayn sat down on the couch, and everything was silent for a while.
“That’s a shame. I mean, I get what Seteth is doing. But, and tell me if I’m wrong, he’s a little... overprotective, isn’t he?”
“You are not wrong. Father has always sought to keep me safe. Often at the cost of my friendships with others. He can be a bit of a...” — Flayn leaned in as if she was about to say something truly scandalous — “...dastard.”
A silence hung over the room. Was that Flayn’s idea of swearing? Anna had never heard that one before. “Bastard,” maybe, but never “dastard”. Strange. “I, uh, guess that makes sense.” she said. “I... don’t really have much advice. My mom is kind of the opposite of protective.”
“She... endangers you purposefully?”
“Er...” Anna thought for a moment. “Not exactly. Kind of. She never put us in a situation she couldn’t pull us out of.”
Silence returned to the room, and Anna begged the Goddess for an exit from the awkward direction this conversation had gone in. Her prayers were answered as the door unlocked and Rie stepped in. “Oh! Hi, Anna! Didn’t know you were visiting.” Rie said. Anna pondered how Rie’s demeanor was totally different when other people were around. She was far cheerier, less sarcastic, though no less ingenuine. Although, she thought, resisting the urge to grimace, it makes sense she’d be uncomfortable around me after what I did.
Rie dropped her backpack and jumped to sit on her bed. Now the three of them sat in a circle, as if they were about to plan a heist or gossip about boys. “So, what were you two talking about?”
“Oh!” Flayn said. “I was preparing to ask a question of Anna.”
“Cool! Well, go ahead.”
Flayn turned toward Anna, who looked desperately uncomfortable. “There was an Anna at Garreg Mach seven hundred years ago. Are you descended from her, like Rie is descended from Cl — um, Khalid?”
“Oh, no, I’m not.” Anna said immediately, the discomfort dissolving from her face.
“Really?” Flayn looked puzzled. “But you look so similar.”
“Yeah, that’s a thing with most Annas. But my branch of the family only came to Fódlan about a hundred and fifty years ago. My, uh...” Anna racked her brain. “Great-great-great... great-great grandmother Anna. Any Annas in Fódlan from before that are from a different branch.”
Rie frowned. She hadn’t known that Anna wasn’t from Fódlan. “A different branch? It’s just one family, isn’t it?”
“Oh, absolutely not.” Anna chuckled. “Annas have been around selling stuff for... as far back as recorded history goes. It would’ve been weirder if there hadn’t been branches at some point.” She held her hand out, spreading its fingers. “If you want proof, just look.”
Rie squinted, and Flayn leaned forward. “It is your hand.” Flayn said in a monotone.
“Look closer.”
Rie studied the hand, trying to figure out any abnormalities. Then she noticed something she’d never seen before. “Wait, Anna, you have six fingers?”
Anna wiggled each of her fingers in turn. “Yup. Every Anna in my branch of the family does. That’s how you can tell us apart.” Anna lowered her hand back down to the chair’s arm. “Also, the Annas that were here before have pinker hair, and smaller pupils, and their eyes are a little lower-set on their faces, and —”
“I understand.” Flayn said. “You said your family ‘came to Fódlan’? Which part of the world did they come from?”
Anna shrugged. “Mom never told me the name. All-those-greats-grandma had to leave because of some... expectations that people had of her. Something about her being royalty of... four different places?” Anna paused for a moment, squinting. “Or was it three? I can’t remember.”
What? Rie was so confused. “And you’re sure this wasn’t just a story your mom was telling you?”
“I mean, I guess it could be. Explains this, though.” Anna pulled the collar of her GMU hoodie and the shirt underneath down, revealing a strangely symmetrical birthmark, a teardrop falling into a spiked cup, just below her collarbone — almost like a Crest, except visible on her skin. “Some of my sisters have it, too. Anna’s got it on her forehead. Really limits her hairstyle options.”
“Wait, which one?” Rie pulled up her list of Anna’s sisters again.
“Second oldest.”
Rie tapped in “mark on forehead” next to the second Anna on the list, and “mark on chest” next to her Anna — no, not her Anna. Stop calling her that, she thought.
“That’s my family history.” Anna let go of her hoodie and shirt, hiding the strange brand once again. “How about you, Flayn?”
“What about me?” Flayn asked innocently, evidently pretending not to know what Anna was talking about.
“What’s your family history?”
“Oh.” Flayn shifted on the couch. “Well, it is less interesting than yours, Anna. It is simply my father and my mother. My mother... died, long ago. Since then, it has only been me and Father.”
“You never knew your grandparents?”
Flayn paused for a long time. “No, I did not.” she said.
Rie nodded. “I guess that makes sense. I can see Seteth having existed since the beginning of time. Maybe he didn’t have parents.”
Flayn giggled. “It is possible.”
Flayn had no interest in explaining her exact nature, or the nature of her father. For one, Anna and Rie had no reason to know, and for two, she had never devised a way to explain it without sounding like a madwoman. Perhaps it was best to change the subject. “I have many stories about Claude. Er, Khalid.” She was still trying to remember that the name these people knew Claude by was different from the one she had known him by. “Do you have any interest in hearing them?”
This worked — at least for Rie. Anna instead took a sudden interest in her smart phone. “What kind of stories?” Rie asked, an as-yet-unseen eagerness on her face. “And you can call him Claude, if you want.”
“Hmm...” Flayn thought about it for a moment. “Claude once developed an interest in... well, me. Th-that is to say, why I speak so formally, and why my father and I have such unique Crests. I suspect that is where my father’s distrust of him — and you, Rie — comes from.”
“He tried to investigate you? How?”
“In his own words, ‘relentless nagging.’ He approached me with new theories week after week. None correct.” she said, smiling at the memory.
Anna exhaled out of her nose, not looking up from her smart phone. “Wow, Rie, you really are like him.”
“He never suspected the truth, or that Father was my... father.” Flayn looked down at her shoes. “Not that I know of. It is possible, I suppose, that he did know, and simply never told me before I...” A silence fell.
After a long time, Rie spoke up. “Flayn, are you... are you alright? I don’t suppose anyone has asked you how you feel about waking up to all your friends long gone.”
Rie was much more thoughtful than Claude had been. That, or she was playing an angle. The second seemed more likely. “I-I would be lying if I said there was not an... ache to it.” Flayn held her wrist with her opposite hand. “It was not pleasant to know that I would have to leave everyone I had grown so close to. Even less so to wake up to a world where many of them have been forgotten... and one where... Um, never mind.” she said, feeling her face growing red.
Anna lost interest in her smart phone and scrutinized Flayn. “One where...?”
“I-it does not matter. It is unimportant.”
“Yeah, that cop-out might work on Rie, but not on me. What were you gonna say?”
Rie glared at Anna. “Cut her some slack.”
“No, it is all right. It has no bearing on anything anymore, so I may as well admit it.” Flayn took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heartbeat so she could say out loud what she had never vocalized before. “In the time I knew Claude, I... developed something of an interest in him. Not his secrets. Him.” Flayn’s heart thumped in her chest despite the inescapable fact that none of this mattered. She looked from Anna to Rie. Neither’s expression betrayed any emotion.
After an endless silence, Rie spoke. “I see. And you wake up to a world in which not only is he long gone... he also married someone else. And you’re constantly reminded of that because... I exist.”
Flayn nodded. “I do not hold any of this against you, understand.” She saw a strange look on Anna’s face out of the corner of her eye. “Nor do I harbor any interest for you, to be clear!” she said, waving her hands vigorously. “N-no offense intended, of course! It’s simply that you are —”
“Not Claude. I understand.”
“No. You are not a man.”
Rie stared for a moment, then slapped her forehead. “Oh, duh! Sorry, I just —”
A delighted expression appeared on Anna’s face. “Did you just forget that people could be straight!?”
“No, I just thought —”
“You did! You just forgot that straight people existed for a second there!” Anna began to laugh, leaning forward to rest her elbows onto her knees.
“Well, whose fault is that!?” Rie snapped. Anna suddenly stopped laughing. She leaned back into the chair, an artfully hidden expression of pain on her face. Rie looked toward the window, away from both Anna and Flayn. Flayn wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew better than to intrude.
Silence hung over the room for a long time.
Rie stared at the closed blinds, sunlight creating an orange glow through the slats. The telltale plunk of a phone receiving a notification. She went to check her own but saw that it had been Flayn who had received a message. “My father is outside. Thank you for your hospitality. I had a wonderful time.” she said in a monotone. Flayn stood from the couch, pushed past Anna sitting in Rie’s office chair, and pulled the door to the hallway open. As it closed, silence overtook the room.
“Well, I-I better go too.” Anna stood and pushed the chair back to where it had sat before.
As Anna turned the door handle, Rie spoke. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to —”
“I know what you meant.” Anna disappeared into the hallway. The door shut quietly behind her, and the lock clicked into place.
Rie fell to lay on her side on her bed.
Anna climbed the stairs to her floor, hands balled into fists. Rie was right, it was her fault. Her fault that she’d spent three years falling for someone like an idiot, her fault that she found it impossible to act normal around her now. Maybe this friendship was doomed after all. Maybe trying to pretend like nothing happened would just make them both hurt more.
The stairwell door on Floor 7 flung open, and Anna prepared her default expression. Her sister couldn’t see that anything was off. If she did, she’d ask. And then where would she be? She’d have to explain everything and prove that her sister was right the whole time. That was something she didn’t want to deal with today.
Anna held her key in front of her room’s door and took a deep breath. Everything was normal. Nothing was wrong.
Seteth 9:24 PM
Please let me know when your flight arrives.
Also which terminal I should drive to.
945 555 8395 10:58 PM
We’ve arrived
Terminal B
Seteth gripped the steering wheel, tapping his fingers to pass the time. Flayn sat in the passenger seat, humming a quiet tune. The roof of the parking structure stretched out beyond the windshield, intermittently placed streetlamps casting pools of light onto the shadowy concrete and empty cars. The roar of a faraway plane landing consumed everything for a moment, and then all was silent except for Seteth’s tapping and Flayn’s humming.
Then there was a knock on the driver’s side window.
024 555 0927 5:19 PM
You can have your answers tomorrow.
Archives, 10 PM.
I will ensure the doors are unlocked.
Rie 5:30 PM
i sure hope this isnt a ploy to murder me
that would be very rude
024 555 0927 5:34 PM
It is not.
Rie 5:36 PM
also im bringing anna
if you dont like that tough
Rie breathed in and pulled the door to the archives open. Anna covered her mouth to yawn. “Goddess, it’s late.”
Rie held her breath, not saying a word, as she walked down the aisles, through the centuries into the past. Seteth was waiting at Section 23. He stared into the painting’s open crate, muttering to himself. He didn’t notice Rie and Anna approach. “Seteth.” Rie said, trying to hide her voice’s trembling.
Seteth jumped. “Ah, Miss Averill. Anna.”
Anna yawned again. “You said you had answers?”
“Yes. Though... not right this second. Your answers should arrive shortly.”
Rie was tired of the stalling. She had already been half-convinced that Seteth had drawn them here just to murder them. “Seteth, I swear —”
The sound of the archives’ doors opening echoed toward them. “Ah, here.” Seteth gestured toward the entrance. Rie and Anna turned and stared down the aisle.
A young woman — seemingly not much older than Rie, though she carried herself with far more confidence — with bright green hair — even brighter than Seteth’s and Flayn’s — strode toward them, both hands in the pockets of a black pullover hoodie. She had a strangely blank expression on her face, and the pair of red glasses she wore made her eyes seem to take up half her face. In tow was a blonde woman, a little taller and seemingly a little older than the first. The first woman noticed Rie staring at her. The clump-clump of her booted feet increased in pace.
Byleth stepped forward to the confused face of Khalid’s descendant — and that other girl, who looked familiar but wasn’t immediately recognizable. From a distance, she could have almost mistaken the first girl for Khalid. Even her hairstyle was similar, if somewhat longer. The height was a dead giveaway, though — this girl was short. Byleth was not especially tall, but this girl was something else entirely. Mercedes stopped a few paces behind her. She couldn’t see her, but she knew the way she was standing: leaning on her back leg, hands clasped behind her. It was the way she always stood when she was letting Byleth take the lead.
“Uh, who is this?” Khalid’s descendant said, puzzled. The other girl yawned.
“The woman with your answers.” Byleth sensed a smile in Seteth’s mannerisms that wasn’t present on his face. He was enjoying having the upper hand over the girl — something that, if his retelling of the story was accurate, didn’t happen often.
“What do you mean? Who is this? Another daughter?”
Byleth tilted her head at Seteth, who sighed. “No. You wanted to know who the first ruler of Fódlan was. Here she is.”
The girl looked from Seteth, to her, back to Seteth. “But the first ruler was married to Mercedes von Martritz.”
Byleth decided that now was the time to speak. “Yes, I was. And am.” she said, gesturing to Mercedes behind her.
“Hello!” said Mercedes, a smile in her voice.
Khalid’s descendant raised a finger as if to say something, an incredulous expression on her face, then lowered it and began to stare at the floor, her eyes moving quickly. The other girl cleared her throat. “Sorry for her. It’s nice to meet you.” she said, reaching to shake her hand. “I’m Anna.” Oh, now Byleth knew where she recognized her from. The red hair, the six fingers: she’d seen her at the campus convenience store — Anna-Mart. It must have been a family name, or else she was a very young entrepreneur.
“Byleth.” she said, shaking the hand, extra finger and all.
“Wait, what!?” said Khalid’s descendant, shaking herself from her apparent fugue state. “The first ruler was a woman? Married to a woman!?”
“Yes.” Byleth said, reaching down to shake the girl’s hand, which dangled limply as she pumped hers up and down. “I hope that’s not a problem.”
“Oh, n-no, of course not!” the girl said, pulling her hand away. “I-I mean, I’m — I just didn’t think — I never thought —"
“Uh-huh.” Byleth put a hand on her waist. “Seteth, I wasn’t aware you taught your students such intolerance.”
“No, I mean — I’m gay too! I didn’t mean — I thought nobility back then would be less accepting of —”
“it’s alright. I’m just teasing.”
The girl took a deep breath and puffed her chest out, then released it. “I’m Rie. Averill. And I have so many questions.”
“Oh, I know.” Byleth said. “Seteth’s told me all about you.” Rie grimaced. “All nice things, I assure.”
Seteth cleared his throat. “Nice from your perspective, perhaps.”
“Okay, so who are you, really? Why are you still alive? Why are Seteth and Flayn so long-lived? Why did you ask to be erased from history?” Rie started to ask another question, but Byleth held up a hand.
“I’ll answer those in order. I’m Byleth, I was a mercenary, then a professor, then a ruler; I have a Crest Stone in my heart; they’ve never told me; and... we were tired.”
Mercedes stepped forward to Byleth’s side and took her hand. “By ruled as long as she did because she wanted to ensure that Fódlan would be stable and secure. When that was done, she didn’t need to remain any longer.” Knowing there was more to say, Byleth squeezed her hand. Out of the corner of her eye, Byleth saw Mercedes smile slightly. Then she continued: “And being royalty made it difficult for me to help the people I wanted to. That’s why she abdicated and told Teodor to destroy all evidence that we’d existed. It was very sweet of her.” Mercedes kissed her on the cheek. Byleth resisted the urge to smile like a fool.
Khalid’s descendant squinted at Mercedes. “And, wait, why are you alive? Uh, no offense, but I thought Mercedes von Martritz was a normal human. And you don’t have green hair, like the other people.”
Byleth gestured with the hand that wasn’t holding Mercedes’s. “A transfusion of my blood. At her request.”
“Getting a blood transfusion from you can make people immortal?”
“Not immortal, no. Just exceptionally long-lived. One of the many reasons I need to be cautious.”
Anna spoke up. “Why didn’t Teodor erase monastery records?”
“He must have missed them.” Mercedes shrugged. “Thankfully, no one other than you two have thought to study them. If they do, we may have to change our names more than we already have.”
Seteth placed the lid back onto the open crate and replaced it on the shelf. “Obviously, none of this information leaves this room. And it certainly doesn’t go into your thesis.”
“O-of course. I don’t want to endanger anyone.” Rie said. Byleth knew that she had been right to trust her. Khalid had been an exceptional secret-keeper, and despite Seteth’s posturing, Rie was no different. Byleth gave Seteth a raised eyebrow, and he frowned back.
“I appreciate it.” Byleth pulled out her phone. “And if you have any more questions, you can text me and set up a time and place to meet. What’s your number?”
“101-555-9423. I won’t ask any questions over text, I understand. Security and all.”
“Thank you.”
Byleth 10:25 PM
Test
Rie 10:25 PM
received
Anna stood back, leaning against the end of the row of shelves. It was already hard to believe that the first ruler was still alive, but to believe that she and her wife hardly looked older than her and Rie? She would’ve thought that Seteth had just brought in some random people, had he not shown himself to be a terrible liar before. How much had these people seen? What had they been doing for the last 700 years? Rie chattered to the first ruler — Byleth — about something or other. She asked question after question, hardly stopping to breathe, and Byleth answered the questions with a calm and poise that fit her former station.
Rie had finally found the answers she wanted, and she was such a dork when she was excited. She switched between gesturing dramatically as she asked her questions and listening with rapturous attention as they were answered.
Anna smiled, then noticed that the other woman — Mercedes — had caught her staring at Rie. Anna turned her head somewhere else as quickly as she could, but not fast enough. Mercedes gave her a questioning smile, tilting her head. Anna felt her face grow warm and pulled her phone from her pocket to disengage.
Seteth paced about, the noise of Miss Averill’s incessant questioning far in the distance. He supposed it was preferable that the questions be directed at the first ruler. And he was glad that she had committed to ceasing her work on her thesis, now that she had her answers. Perhaps he had misjudged her — and Khalid.
Or perhaps not. Perhaps he had simply misjudged Rie, and Khalid was the same lecherous, manipulative blackguard that he had always seen him as.
Mercedes gave the two girls a wave as they walked off toward that new gondola system. Silence hung over the monastery a moment, and then By spoke, staring toward the entrance hall. “It hasn’t changed much, has it?”
She was right, it hadn’t. Apart from the few modern additions, electrical lights and rows of bollards and air conditioning units, the monastery was the spitting image of itself seven hundred years prior. “No, it has not.”
“Want to take a walk?”
“Always.”
Ding.
Rie stepped into the elevator and pressed the “4” button. Anna had taken the stairs again, so Rie was left to take the elevator alone. Her head buzzed with all the answers she’d gotten and all the questions she still had. Having access to four different firsthand accounts wasn’t as good as actually being there at the monastery 700 years ago, but it was about as close as she could get.
She missed flirting with Anna, but Anna had shown her in no uncertain terms that she wanted her to stop, so stop she would. Rie’s stomach turned at the prospect that she’d been making Anna uncomfortable all this time, that had been a huge creep and Anna had been too nice to complain about it.
Ding.
Rie stepped out of the elevator, her good mood suddenly soured.
Byleth pulled on the holey, oversized T-shirt she’d acquired at some charity event she and Mercedes had worked — though she wore it often, the text on its front had faded to unreadability — and sat on the edge of the hotel bed to remove her socks. After centuries of traveling, she had slept in many inns of questionable quality. This hotel room was practically a palace compared to some of the places she had stayed.
The sink turned on, then off, and Mercedes stepped out of the bathroom, flipping the light off as she closed the door. Mercedes showed much more care for how she looked than Byleth did. No matter where they were staying or for how many nights, she always, always brought a nightgown.
Mercedes sat down next to her and leaned on her shoulder, the mattress drooping to pull them together. Byleth leaned on her in return. Everything was silent for a moment, the lamp on the nightstand casting a warm orange glow onto everything. Byleth breathed in to speak. “That girl really is like Khalid, isn’t she?”
Mercedes laughed softly. “She is. Though she’s much shorter.”
“That’s the first thought I had, too. I wonder when that happened.” The silence returned. The toilet in the room next door flushed, and a few people passed through the hallway, shouting and laughing. Byleth’s gaze landed on their suitcases, open on the floor. “I wonder if we should have brought Failnaught.”
Mercedes sat up. “It would have been a bother to get it through security. And with my luck, I would have fumbled it on the way up the elevator. Where would we be then?”
“You’re right, of course. And it wouldn’t be the best bow to start with...”
“It’s true.” Mercedes lay back onto the bed. “Did you see the other girl? Anna?”
“What about her?” Byleth said, turning to look.
Mercedes smiled in that way she did when she’d seen something. She had always been far more perceptive — which had embarrassed Byleth in her days teaching at the Officers Academy. “She was staring rather wistfully at her friend. As soon as she saw me looking at her, she turned red and took a sudden interest in her phone. I think she may have...”
“Some interest? To be honest, I thought they were already dating.” Byleth pulled the sheets back and fluffed her pillow.
“If they are, why did she look away?” A look appeared on Mercedes’s face — the look she always had when she’d had an interesting idea. “Maybe Ms. Averill has the same problem Khalid did.”
Byleth smiled. Now that was a prospect. “Maybe.” She leaned back into her pillow and covered herself. “It’s past midnight, though.”
“It is.” Mercedes yawned. “What are we doing tomorrow? I can’t recall.”
Byleth flipped the lamp off. All light left the room in an instant. “Explaining modern life to Flayn.” she said, rolling over on her side.
“Oh, right! That should be fun.” The covers shuffled in the darkness, and Byleth felt arms around her waist. “Goodnight, By.” Mercedes mumbled, holding her close.
“Goodnight.”
Byleth stared into the darkness, her eyes adjusting slowly, seeing the tiny trickle of light through the curtains first, then the smoke alarm on the wall, its tiny green bulb flipping on, off, on, off, on, off.
Byleth shut her eyes, the tiny dots and seams of light fading away.
Flayn stared at the pattern of lines on the road. “And now we simply... wait?”
“That’s right.” the professor said. “Press the button, wait for the walking man.”
“I see.” Automobiles whizzed by one after the other. Flayn stepped back from the curb, trying not to think about the heavy machines that would crush her easily if a driver stopped paying attention, even for a moment.
“Are you alright?” the professor asked. “It’s a lot to take in.”
“I-I am well. I can handle it.” Flayn steeled herself and stepped back up to the metal pole with the button.
A light chirp rang out, and she looked around for the source, but the professor tapped her on the shoulder. “Walking man.” the professor said, pointing toward the opposite end of the street. The machines had stopped at the lines, and the man on the light had changed from red and standing to green and walking.
The professor began to walk across the street, and Flayn followed, keeping a vigilant eye on the automobiles in case one decided to move. They reached the opposite side, and Flayn breathed out. “Thank you, Professor. I must say, it is... strange to be taught by you after so long.”
“It’s strange to be teaching after so long, as well.” The professor adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “But you’re still a good student.”
“And you are still a shameless flatterer.”
The professor’s expression did not change, as usual. She glanced at her phone, looking at the list that Father had prepared. “Next is elevators.”
“Oh! I rode one of those already. With Rie.”
“Alright, then. Escalators. I think there’s one nearby...”
Rie 6:02 PM
ive got some questions
can we speak
Byleth 6:07 PM
Does tomorrow work?
Rie 6:08 PM
no my monday classes are bad
how about the day after
6 pm
Byleth 6:08 PM
That works
How about you meet me at the archery range?
Rie 6:09 PM
garreg mach has an archery range?
and sure, but why exactly
Byleth 6:09 PM
It does
And I’m always better at conversation when I’m teaching something
Rie 6:10 PM
alright. see you there
Anna tapped her fingers on the counter, resisting the urge to reach into her pocket for her phone. Mom kept bugging her about it. “Customers can’t see your pretty face if you’re always staring at your phone!” It was both unhelpful and a roundabout way for her to compliment her own looks.
The bell over the door ding-dinged, letting the afternoon sun stream in. Anna prepared her customer service voice. “Wel—” Anna stopped. It was the first ruler’s wife, Mercedes von Martritz. It wasn’t often that a historical figure walked into her family’s store. Anna realized that she had no easy-to-explain reason not to greet this woman in the contractually obligated way. “Welcome! Anna-Mart offers only the best deals on snacks and sundries!” she said, voice only slightly wobbling.
“Oh! Hello!” Mercedes gave her a genuine-looking smile. Anna didn’t trust her.
“Hi!” Anna said, not letting her face betray anything.
“Is ‘Anna’ a family name, or do you own the store?” Mercedes asked, picking a bottle of water from the fridge in the back.
“Family name, actually. We all look alike, too.”
“How interesting!” Anna would have taken that as harsh sarcasm, but Mercedes seemed completely honest, which only made Anna trust her less. She’d spent hundreds of years lying to everyone around her except her wife. It would have been incredibly irresponsible to trust anything she said. “How’s Rie?” Mercedes asked, placing the single water bottle on the counter in front of her.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about, miss.” Anna said, nodding toward the security camera.
Mercedes looked surreptitiously, keeping her eyes low — yet another reason for Anna not to trust her. Then she turned her head back to Anna, the smile having never left her face. “Oh, you don’t recall? You and your friend Rie showed my wife and me around the old monastery.”
“A-ah. Now I remember.” What was this woman’s game? “Well, I haven’t spoken to Rie in a few days.”
“That’s a shame. From what I saw, it seemed that she relies on you.”
“Relies on me? I don’t know if that’s right.” Anna scanned the bottle.
“Well, when she couldn’t speak, you stepped in. Even if you did phrase it as apologizing for her.” Mercedes tilted her head, closing her eyes to match her smile. Anna didn’t appreciate the amateur psychoanalysis.
“She’s a friend. Of course I did.” Anna didn’t break eye contact. She wasn’t surrendering here.
“A friend? Interesting.” The woman didn’t break eye contact, either, even as she handed the bills over. “I thought I noticed you staring at her... and as soon as you saw me, your face went red.”
Anna was no longer interested in the accusatory nature of this conversation. She handed the bottle back. “Have a nice day, ma’am.”
Mercedes raised an eyebrow at her but took her purchase willingly and left the store, the bell above the door letting out a ding-ding that clashed with Anna’s mood. Anna released her breath. What a disaster. That had been different from the way that Rie used to tease her, or from the way that her sisters did. When her sisters joked about her wanting to date Rie, it was conjecture, but Mercedes had taken one look at her doing something and immediately saw through the layers of irony she needed to function. Anna had been right to be cautious around her, but even that wasn’t enough. She had to avoid her entirely.
The arrow clattered to the ground only a few meters from Rie, nowhere close to the target. “You have to pull it back further.” Byleth said from behind her.
“Yeah, thanks.” Rie walked to fetch the arrow. “Why do I have to do this?”
“As I said, I talk best when I’m teaching something. Now, what did you want to ask?”
Rie pulled the bowstring as far back as she could, her entire forearm wobbling. “I wanted to ask about your role in the Last War of Adrestia.”
“What about it?”
“Were you the mystery commander? How did you bring the Alliance from a near-rout to total victory in less than a year?” Rie let the arrow go. It sailed further this time but still fell short of the target. “Okay, it was really hard to pull it. Is this, like, a really tight bowstring?”
“No.” said Byleth. “I mean, no, it isn’t an overly taut bowstring. I was the mystery commander, though. And the idea that the Alliance was near a rout when I came back is a bit of an exaggeration. It was fractured between pro-Empire and anti-Empire factions. All I did is assist with reunification. After that, we were assisted by people within the Empire on multiple occasions.” Byleth paused for a moment, lost in thought. “Wait, how many fingers are you drawing with?”
“Two? One above the arrow and one below?”
“Ohh. You want to draw with your first three all below the arrow.”
Rie walked over to her fallen arrow again. At least she’d get exercise today. “Do you have any insight on the leadership of the Empire? Why’d they —”
“Edelgard. She... I’m not sure. She wanted to create a world where nobility and status didn’t matter. But the path she walked was paved with corpses. Dimitri, Ashe, Felix, Ingrid... All dead in a war she started. And Ferdinand, Caspar, Linhardt, Petra died for her cause, whether for loyalty or duty. Hubert stood by her until the very end.”
Rie remembered some of those names from the rosters, though seeing them on the list was very different from hearing how they died. “What’s your point?”
“Edelgard’s intentions were noble. I think many of my own students would’ve joined her willingly, had she not deceived us and sought assistance from murderers.” Rie couldn’t see Byleth with her eyes focused on the target, but the tension in her voice implied a grimace. “Specifically, those who murdered my father.”
Rie loosed the arrow. It sailed across the range and thunked into the padded wall above the target, pocked with old arrow marks. “Huh.”
“See? It’s a start. Nice work.” Rie had felt discouraged before, but Byleth’s praise increased her motivation twofold. “And feel free to celebrate. No need to be considerate of old wounds.”
“I’ll save the celebration for when I actually hit the target.”
“Every step on the road to mastery moves you forward.” Byleth handed Rie another arrow from the quiver she held. “And I have a question for you, actually.”
Rie took the arrow and tilted her head a little. Why did the first ruler want to know something from her? “Alright,” she said, turning toward the target and nocking the arrow. “what’d you want to ask?”
“Why were you so invested in the mystery of the first ruler? Enough to tail Seteth?”
“I...” Rie pulled the string back. “It’s a cliché, but... it was there. The fact that something so big was unknown was enough for me to want to solve it. I don’t really care about fame. I just wanted the answer.”
Byleth chuckled. “You really are like him.” Rie resisted the urge to smile at the comparison. “And you want to keep the arm that’s holding the bow fully straight. You’re bending it.”
Rie adjusted her form. “Was that the question? ‘Cause I have others.” she said, releasing the string. The arrow flew low this time, landing in the wall below the target.
“What about your friend? Why does Anna help you?”
As Rie took another arrow from the first ruler’s hand, she thought about the question. Why did Anna help her? Was it obligation? Genuine friendship? “I’m not sure. She’s a good friend, but sometimes I feel like I’m imposing on her and she’s too nice to say no.”
“Hm.” Byleth said. Rie pulled the string back. “Do you like her?”
Rie let go of the arrow halfway through the draw. It bounced once, then settled on the floor. “I-I’m not sure what you mean.” she stammered, turning around.
“Do you like Anna? Romantically?” Byleth stared, expressionless. “Do you want me to make it simpler? I’m not sure how I would.”
“I mean, that’s... you’re... strange question to ask.”
“Not especially. It’s a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’”
Rie focused on the target to stop thinking about her racing heartbeat. “I...” Silence reigned for a few seconds. “Yeah.” she said, taking the arrow from the floor.
“And I assume you haven’t told her about it.”
“...Yeah.”
“Why’s that?”
Rie pulled the string back quickly, trying to loose an arrow in record time. Her haste made the arrow fly unevenly and end its flight a meter short. “She doesn’t feel the same way. She’s bi, but... I spent the last three years flirting with her as a joke. So, she doesn’t think of me that way.”
“How do you know?” Byleth’s tone of voice didn’t change.
“She...” No way Rie could tell Byleth about Anna kissing her. She’d get the wrong idea. Their friendship was too nuanced to be understood in a few seconds of taking a mild interest. “I just know. The way she acts.”
“You haven’t talked to her about it.”
“No.” Rie didn’t turn around.
“Why not?”
Rie was tired of this. “Because I can’t... do that.”
Byleth stared at the back of Rie’s head. She did have the same problem as Khalid. Honestly, Byleth thought, I should have expected that. Given everything else about her, it seemed only right.
“How does anyone even... I don’t know.” Rie’s shoulders slumped.
“How does anyone...?”
“Have relationships. How does it happen? How do people just... talk to each other? Goddess, this is stupid. I’m stupid.”
Byleth laughed. Rie threw her a furious look. “Sorry. You’re not stupid. It’s not a common problem, but it’s one Khalid had too.”
Rie turned around all the way, the bow hanging at her side. “What do you mean?” she asked, a quiet hope in her voice. “Khalid was married. Had four kids.”
“That’s true. You know, I don’t mention it as often, but you’re like Hilda, too.” Byleth stared at Rie for a moment, trying to see Hilda in her face, but she wasn’t there — no pink hair or eyes, no ridiculous muscle definition. Hilda was present only in the way she acted. “They were both terribly ingenuine. Neither could admit to having a sincere emotion to save their lives. It was a hopeless combination.”
Rie frowned. “If it was hopeless, how’d they get married?”
“I don’t know.” Byleth shrugged. Seeing the incredulous look on Rie’s face, she clarified. “Strangely, Khalid never seemed to have trouble being genuine with me. Like you are now, I suppose... He sent me a letter a year after he left for Almyra. In it, he admitted he loved Hilda and wanted to marry her, but he had no idea how to bring up the subject. He asked my advice as both his teacher and ruler of Fódlan.”
Rie pulled a chair from the side and sat down. “How did you respond?”
“I told him to be honest with her. To lay his emotions bare and trust that she would do that same.” Byleth smiled remembering it. “He responded by flatly refusing to do that. Instead, he sent me four schemes he’d come up with to propose without putting himself at risk and asked me to pick which I thought would be most likely to work. I responded reiterating my original point and told him that scheming wouldn’t work. He sent back four more schemes. These correspondences continued back and forth for two years until I simply stopped responding. It was a waste of the courier’s time. A year after that, Khalid announced his marriage to Hilda. He never explained how he proposed, to me or anyone else.”
Rie listened to the story with rapt attention, but when it ended, she squinted confusedly. “So, you don’t know what happened? Maybe one of his schemes worked.”
“Think about it, Rie. If someone spent two years telling you that a plan of yours would never work, and then it did, what would you do?”
Rie paused for a moment. “I’d never let them live it down.”
“Exactly.”
Rie rested her forehead on her hand. “How does that relate to me?”
Byleth held her breath for a moment, gathering her thoughts. If she wanted Rie to take her advice, like Khalid refused to for so long, she needed to phrase it perfectly. “Combat and love aren’t alike. But there is one thing they share. You can’t get what you want without making yourself vulnerable.” Rie raised an eyebrow. “You can’t fire a shot without leaving cover. You can’t land a hit without getting closer to someone’s weapon. Love’s the same. Love is vulnerability.”
“So?”
“So, that was Khalid’s problem. I think it’s yours, too.”
“I...” Rie paused for a moment. Byleth could tell she was thinking about her advice, which was more than Khalid ever did, as far as she knew. “I don’t know if I can do that.”
“Khalid could. And if he could talk to you now... I don’t know exactly what he’d say. But understand... You don’t need to be a good shot or a master tactician or a king of Almyra to measure up to him. You don’t even need to be like him. You’re impressive on your own merits.” She cleared her throat. “Though I would be lying if I said there were no similarities.”
Rie looked down at the bow on her lap. “Thanks. I appreciate the advice, I guess. I still don’t know if I’ll ever talk to Anna about it... but I’ll think about it.” Then she looked up, a twinkle in her eye. “But what if I —"
“No schemes. They won’t work.”
“But what about —”
“No.”
Rie 3:03 AM
what if i claim i need someone to pretend to be my girlfriend for... something and then hope a relationship grows out of that
Byleth 3:04 AM
No
It’s 3 AM. Go to sleep
Rie 3:04 AM
but it might work!
Byleth 3:05 AM
It won’t
Even if it did, you would have to talk about your feelings eventually. Go to sleep
Rie 3:05 AM
well id just say that i have to say i have feelings to keep up the facade
easy
Byleth 3:06 AM
I’m not responding any more
Byleth flipped her phone off, eyes sore from squinting at the blurry text on the screen, and placed it face down on the nightstand. She wasn’t going to humor this nonsense again, especially when it came in at all hours. She’d done all she could to convince Rie to be honest, and if that didn’t work, then she was even more stubborn than Khalid.
Mercedes groaned. “By?” she murmured. “What’s going on?”
“Just getting texts. You can go back to sleep.”
“Alright...” Mercedes rolled over and returned to her quiet, steady breathing. Byleth closed her eyes and listened, hoping that tomorrow would bring clarity. Khalid would have wanted his descendant to be happy, and even after all these centuries, Byleth still owed him more than a few favors.
Not that she could ever really repay him. Time took away all things, and even her power over time couldn’t fix that. But things were so low stakes nowadays that she hadn’t needed to use the power of Sothis to redo any moments for quite a while. The last time had been two years ago — Mercedes had fallen from a ladder, and Byleth had used her power before she’d hit the ground. It might have been an insignificant fall, but Byleth wasn’t comfortable with any risk when it came to her.
She wondered if that made her a hypocrite. Preaching to Rie about vulnerability and accepting risk while having the ability to redo the last few minutes at will. Though she’d never redone a moment of conversation — she’d always thought that would be stepping over a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
She could have offered her power to Rie, in much the same way she could have offered it to Khalid. But she didn’t want to give Rie the idea that if she ever did something she regretted, she could just call Byleth and have it undone. Not only would that be terribly frustrating for Byleth’s daily life, it would be an awful lesson to teach her.
Teach,
You haven’t responded to my letters lately. My couriers return with them opened but no response. I’m beginning to think I might have to visit you myself to get your genuine advice. You know I’m not the type to beg, but please respond to this one. Even if it’s just one or two words, it’d be nice to know that my letters are being read.
Khalid
Khalid sighed and folded his letter up. The paper’s edges slid easily into the envelope and sealing the letter with wax was habit by now. Letting the wax dry, he turned to the window. A warm, arid wind blew in from the south, a far cry from the eternally cold and humid days he’d spent at Garreg Mach. On the horizon, the sun set over Fódlan’s Throat.
Everything from the plains to the city below his window was bathed in orange light.
He considered, with held breath, the life that Teach led. She was busier than he was — after all, his path to becoming king had stalled, and though he trained constantly in diplomacy and strategy, the exercises were childish and simple compared to the battles he’d already fought, the peaces he’d already negotiated.
He looked idly down at the castle’s fortifications, walls and courtyards and moats and arrowslits from a time when war was simpler. Though Almyra was a nation that relished war, there were no easy enemies to fight now that the Empire had given way to the United Kingdom of Fódlan. The military was in the same rut as him, repeating training exercises with no end in sight.
He pulled the messy stack of papers from his drawer and sifted through it for the letter he’d read over and over in the years since he’d received it.
Seteth yawned, sitting on the edge of his bed. It was comfortably large enough for two people, but he had no plans to share it anytime soon. He dressed himself, picking the subtlest of his many green ties — it would be a subtle day, he had decided.
He stepped from his room and stretched, inadvertently pressing his fists against the low hallway ceiling. He pulled his hair out from under the strap of his laptop bag and walked into his living room. Flayn sat at the kitchen table, the morning sun streaming in through the blinds that covered the sliding glass balcony door. She was leaning forward in the dim light, squinting with complete focus at the pages of a history book. Seteth walked over to the front door and flipped on the light switch. The kitchen lights illuminated, startling Flayn. She sat up straight and looked around the room hurriedly. “Oh. Thank you, Father.” she said, noticing Seteth. “Apologies. I... forgot that the lights... worked like that.”
“No trouble.” Seteth walked over and peered over her shoulder. The book was open to chapter fifteen — the transition period between constitutional monarchy and the parliamentary system. “Any questions?”
Flayn stared at the page. “None. The book is very thorough.”
“I’m glad.” Seteth set down his laptop bag and embraced her, the back of the chair between them. She tensed up, but held his arms in return. “I am off to Garreg Mach. Apologies, but I will be returning late tonight.”
“All right, Father. I will continue my studies.” Flayn turned the page, not looking at him.
“Be careful not to overwork yourself.” Seteth said, pulling the front door open. “I will see you tonight.”
“Goodbye, Father!” Flayn waved, and Seteth closed and locked the door, the overpowering air conditioner buzz in the hallway drowning out all other noises.
001 555 0812 4:19 PM
Entrance to Abyss. 10/21/1885 20:20
Seteth 4:20 PM
Entrance to Abyss. 10/21/1885 20:20
Mercedes looked around at the students walking along the path. The sun disappeared behind the Old Campus, shrouding the road in shadow. An all-consuming feeling of stress filled the air, and the mutterings of passers-by were full only with exams and grades. It had never been like this at the monastery — though perhaps Hanneman and By had simply been very forgiving professors.
Standing in the center of the path, reminding Mercedes of an animal caught in a trap, was Anna. Mercedes gave her a polite wave and she waved back stiffly, evidently petrified for some reason. Had Mercedes’s mild teasing really had such an effect? “Hello, Anna!” she said, mustering a casual tone.
Anna walked over, even her pace seeming forced. “Hello.” she said, tone implying that she’d rather be doing anything else. “What are you doing here?”
“If I’m honest, I was looking for you.”
“Oh.” Anna adjusted her bag and stretched her neck. “Well, I have a place to be, so —”
“I’ll walk with you, then.” Mercedes gestured past her, and Anna stumbled onward, more dejected than before.
“Why were you looking for me?” Anna didn’t turn towards her.
“Well, you seemed rather insistent upon avoiding me last time. I’d like to ask why.”
Anna was silent and increased the pace of her steps, trying to get to wherever she was going before she had to answer Mercedes’s question.
“It’s because I was right, wasn’t it?”
“I’m not talking to you about this.” Anna sped up again, switching her strategy from attrition to a retreat.
“Fine. We’ll talk about something else.” Mercedes matched her, step for step. “How about my own past?”
“If leaving me alone isn’t an option, fine.”
“Alright.” Mercedes took a deep breath and looked from side to side to see if anyone was looking. “Before I met Byleth, I had a... friend. Annette. We went to the royal school of sorcery in Fhirdiad before we attended the Officers Academy together. We were very close.”
Anna slowed down her steps. “What kind of person was she?”
“She was... sweet. And kind, no matter what. Even after everything she’d been through.”
A long pause ensued. Anna stopped and turned to look at her. “You loved her, didn’t you?”
Mercedes chuckled. “Now that’s an accusation to make regarding someone you’ve heard three sentences about.”
“No, just — the way you talked about her was —”
“Calm down. You were right, I did.” Mercedes sighed. “When By asked me to join the Golden Deer House, I said yes without thinking. After all, the opportunity to learn from someone so accomplished at such a young age... and so, um, intriguing... well, to be honest, I was smitten and not thinking clearly. It hadn’t occurred to me that Annie — um, Annette — wouldn’t want to follow me.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “What’s the point you’re trying to make here?”
“Point? I’m just reminiscing.” Mercedes smiled, trying to show how trustworthy she was. “Anyway... after the war began and By disappeared during the Battle of Garreg Mach, Annie and I both had to return home to our respective territories. When we were saying goodbye, I thought about telling her how I felt. But I decided against it. I could simply tell her when I saw her next. That’s what I thought.”
“And... she died?” Anna frowned at her.
“Everyone dies, Anna. Especially when you’ve lived as long as I have.” Mercedes tilted her head at Anna, trying to figure out what she was feeling, but her face was inscrutable. “But no. She returned to Fhirdiad and assisted in the royal school of sorcery. She didn’t want any part of the war, even after the Kingdom was forced to surrender its territories to the Empire.”
“That... makes sense.” Anna looked to one side, then the other. “But it still doesn’t explain why you’re telling me this.”
“Well, I never saw Annette again after that. The only reason I know what happened is because eight years later, after I was married to Byleth and she was ruler of Fódlan, I received a letter. Hand-delivered to the palace in Derdriu.” Mercedes pulled her phone from her pocket. “Do you want to see it?”
“You have a picture of the letter?”
“I have the letter itself. But I don’t carry it everywhere with me anymore. Nowadays, yes, I keep a picture of it.” Mercedes pulled the picture up on her phone, Annie’s handwriting as clear as ever, even on a page that had been creased and folded many, many times. She handed her phone to Anna, who pinched to zoom on the first few lines.
When Mercedes had received the letter, she’d been terribly confused for days. She had read it over and over, hoping that Annie had hidden some secret message between the lines. That the shaky handwriting on the last few lines was meant to convey something, that the pools at the ends of sentences and blotches of ink where droplets had fallen onto the page were a map to somewhere. But in the end, Mercedes had been forced to accept the letter as it was: a blunt, uncompromising show of emotion from a dear friend that she would never see again.
My dear Mercie,
It’s been so long since we’ve spoken. I could barely believe it when I heard you were the wife of the ruler of Fódlan! I’m so happy for you! I’m so glad that you and the professor won the war for the Alliance.
I’ve been helping with the Royal School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad ever since the start of the war. I’m a professor myself, now, though I certainly don’t intend on marrying any of my students! Haha!
I’ve thought of writing this letter many times, Mercie, but each time I have, it’s felt shallow. Like I’m not saying what I mean. And definitely not appropriate for what this is intended to be: a final goodbye.
I’m sorry, Mercie, but I cannot meet you face to face. It would make things too complicated for me.
Because though I know it’s not appropriate, I can’t shake these feelings I have for you.
I love you more than anything in the world, Mercie. I think I always have.
Understand that this letter is not meant to prompt a reply. I don’t want you to come to Fhirdiad to speak to me, or even send a response. I know you’re happy with the professor, and even writing this letter is terribly selfish of me. I’m not asking you to make a choice, or anything like that. I’m asking you to please, stay away from me. And it pains me to ask that of you, but I must.
I think I might send this one for real. I guess if you’re reading this, I did.
Yours,
Annette Fantine Dominic
Annie.
Anna handed the phone back to Mercedes, puzzled. What could have possessed Annette to write this incredibly embarrassing letter, let alone go through with the entire process of sending it? Especially to someone who was already married? The whole thing utterly confused her.
“So?” Mercedes put the phone back in her pocket.
“I don’t get it.”
“What do you mean?” Mercedes tilted her head at her again.
“Why did she... why would she have sent that? Just... for no reason, no purpose at all?”
“No, not no reason. She wanted me to know how she felt. And she wanted me to know that if I was ever near her again, it’d cause her terrible pain. That’s not for no reason.”
“But she could’ve just not sent the letter! You never would have found her if she hadn’t told you where she was! Why would she do something like that? It’s... stupid.” Anna shook her head.
“And I suppose you’ve never done anything foolish when you were overwhelmed by feelings?” Mercedes smiled amusedly. Anna felt her face become warm. How could she possibly know about — “Oh, you’re refusing to look me in the eye. Interesting.” Grr. Played again.
“You’re trying to make a point here. Get to it already.” Anna said, scowling.
“Okay.” Mercedes shrugged. “You never know which time you speak to someone will be the last. If you have something to say, it’s best to simply say it.” She turned to walk away.
“Wait!” Anna said. Mercedes looked over her shoulder. “Do you... regret not telling Annette when you had the chance?”
Mercedes turned back around, a blank expression on her face. “No, I don’t.” She smiled slightly. “I’m happy with my life. But for a long time, I resented Byleth for not trying to recruit Annette to her house. I felt as if I had been robbed of closure. Of what might have been. It took me nearly a century to resolve that.”
“And I don’t have that long.”
“I never said that.” Mercedes shook her head. “I don’t doubt that a motivated, entrepreneurial young woman like you will have no trouble finding happiness in life. No matter what you decide to do.”
The sun behind the peak silhouetted her as she walked unhurriedly away. She had all the time in the world.
Anna stood in the center of the path, her bag weighing on her.
Claude,
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you nervous about anything, yet this is what scares you? Frankly, I’m surprised.
If you want my genuine advice, here it is: If you love Hilda, you should tell her. Simply express to her what you expressed to me. If she reciprocates, you have no problem. If she does not, you have closure. Either is better than the paralyzing indecision you seem to be trapped in.
Here’s how I proposed to Mercedes:
“I love you, Mercedes. Let’s get married.”
Simple, right? You can steal it if you want. Have an honest and open talk about how you feel. Bare your soul and trust that she’ll do the same.
Good luck, Claude. I wish you and Hilda the best.
Byleth
Khalid shoved the letter to the bottom of the stack and planted his face on his desk. As if he could do that. Teach always made things sound so easy. Maybe she could just talk about her feelings as easily as talking about weapon weights or battle strategy, but he wasn’t like that. Lying was easy for him — he had an awful lot of practice. But talking about his own feelings was something else entirely.
There was a knock at his door. He reached out and swung the window closed. “Come on in, I’m decent.” The chair creaked as he stood.
The door swung open silently, and behind it stood Nader. The huge man looked truly awkward in the thin doorway. “You got visitors, kiddo.”
“Wow. They have you running messages now? Steep fall.”
“It’s —”
“’Nader the Courier’ doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?”
Nader frowned. “You want to hear it or not?”
“Sure, sure.” Khalid waved his hand and turned his gaze to his desk.
“It’s a diplomatic contingent from Fódlan. House Goneril.”
Khalid pulled his cloak from the back of his chair. “Anyone interesting?”
Nader cleared his throat and shuffled in place. “Uh, well...” There was a quiet snicker from the hallway.
Khalid tilted his head. “There’s someone behind you, isn’t there.”
Nader stepped into the room and to the side, bumping a bookshelf as he did so. In the hallway stood Hilda, looking much as she had the last time they’d spoken. He wasn’t one for extravagant descriptions — oh, who was he kidding. She looked radiant, beautiful, and a whole host of other adjectives, even in clothes that were far too heavy for the weather and a face red from either sunburn, fatigue, embarrassment, or some mix of the three. Khalid pushed the feeling of something grasping at his heart away and maintained a straight face. “Hilda.” he said, holding his tone squarely at “bored and sarcastic.”
“Claude!” She rushed into the room without hesitation but stopped just short of him. “Can I hug you, or is the heir to Almyra too important for his old school friend?”
Khalid held his breath. “Go ahead.” He was in the middle of raising his arms when she embraced him, pressing his arms to his torso. Khalid had always known that Hilda was stronger than she looked, but it hadn’t sunk in until the moment he found himself completely immobilized by a woman twenty centimeters shorter than him. He nodded to Nader, who gave him a knowing look and exited the room, closing the door behind him. After what seemed like an eternity of trying not to focus on Hilda pressing against him, he tapped on her arm and muttered “You can let go now.”
Hilda finally let go and scrutinized him, looking him up and down. Just as he felt his face grow warm, she spoke. “Finally grew the beard all the way down?”
Khalid chuckled. “You see me for the first time in five years, and that’s the first thing you say?”
Hilda pushed past him. “Well, I could complain about how you went back on our deal, but I didn’t want to be a downer, you know?”
Khalid turned and saw her perusing the documents on his desk. He reached over and shoved the papers into an open drawer. As he pushed it shut, he noticed Hilda giving him a sidelong look. “What? Can’t a prince have a little privacy?”
“You’re keeping secret documents open on your desk? You’ve gotten sloppy, Claude.” She pushed him on the shoulder.
Khalid bristled. “Actually, it’s Khalid.”
Hilda stared at him, lost in thought. Then she shrugged. “Nah. Too weird.”
He resisted the urge to sigh. “You said something about a deal?”
“You don’t remember?” Hilda tilted her head at him, an exaggerated pout on her face.
“I made a lot of deals at Garreg Mach,” he lied. He knew exactly the deal she was talking about, and he’d spent every day since regretting having made it. “Why don’t you refresh my memory?”
“You offered to introduce me to your parents. That’s not the kind of offer a girl forgets, you know.” Hilda leaned on his chair. “Especially now that I learn you’re suddenly the crown prince of Almyra.”
“Sounds a lot like a proposal to me, Hilda.” Khalid forced a chuckle. Now that would make things easy, he thought. “You know you have to have your people talk to my people before you say things like that.”
“Well, it was worth a try. Anything to get away from my brother.” They stared at each other for a moment before they both broke down into giggles.
They both slowly recovered from their laughing fit, and a long silence followed. Khalid refused to look her in the eye, and she didn’t seem inclined to look at him either. “I missed this.” he said under his breath, not intending for her to hear, though the look she gave him, an unspoken “you’ve gone soft on me,” told him that she’d heard anyway.
“Are you saying you don’t want me to meet them?” Khalid expected a faux-pouty expression, complete with eyes full of fake tears, but Hilda’s expression was flat. “Because I don’t see the point. I’ve come all this way. It took a lot to get Holst to agree with it.”
Khalid sighed. “You can meet them. Like I said, it’d explain a lot.”
Hilda lit up. “Aw, Claude. I can’t wait.” Khalid looked away and tried not to make it obvious that his face was warm.
Seteth 8:21 PM
Where are you?
Seteth fidgeted, his hands moving from his hips to his pockets and back over and over. The appointed time had arrived, and yet his contact had not. Where was he? He looked from left to right, then to the left again. No sign. Though perhaps someone was hiding from him — he’d recently learned that he wasn’t especially good at knowing when that was happening.
“Seteth.” rang out a voice from the maintenance hallway. Seteth sighed and squinted into the darkness. A young (young-looking) man wearing simple, slightly old-fashioned clothes stepped into the light. He had not changed a bit in the ten years since Seteth had last seen him. His clothes, the upsettingly well-groomed lilac hair, the ridiculous eyeshadow he always insisted on wearing, all was exactly as it had been. “It’s been a long time.”
“Has it.” Seteth said dryly, trying not to let any apprehension enter his voice. “Do you have the papers?”
“Yeah, of course.” Yuri said, pulling a messenger bag from somewhere. “What do you take me for?”
“A scoundrel who doesn’t keep his promises.”
“Scoundrel, sure. But I always keep my promises.” Yuri pulled a manila folder from inside his coat and held it out toward him. “When it serves me, anyway. And I don’t get many repeat customers, so I treat the ones I do have with the utmost respect.”
Seteth snatched the folder from him and pulled a neatly folded clip of large bills from his pocket. “These papers will hold up to scrutiny, I assume. And they say that Flayn is the daughter of —”
“Mael Seteth, yeah, yeah. Come on. You’ve been buying from me long enough that you know I don’t accept subpar work from my contacts. Real identity number held from circulation at the time — pulled from the 1865 pool. Figured twenty would work as an age.” Yuri held out his hand expectantly.
Seteth put the money back in his pocket. “That will be fine, yes. I hope you don’t mind if I check them first.”
Yuri gasped mockingly. “Seteth! I can’t believe you still don’t trust me! After all these years!”
“You are the least trustworthy person I know, Yuri Leclerc. Unless you want to explain how you continue to look as you did seven hundred years ago.” Seteth pulled the paperwork from the folder and began to scrutinize each line in turn.
“You first, Seteth.” Yuri chuckled darkly. “None of my other customers are so demanding. I must have the patience of a saint.” he said, an insinuation in his emphasis. Seteth held the papers closer to his face, trying to ignore him. “Or, I don’t know,” Yuri muttered loudly enough for him to hear, “maybe that’s you.” Seteth turned around and faced the darkness. Behind him, Yuri chuckled.
Anna 8:30 PM
you’ve been weirder than usual recently
like you haven’t been flirting with me
why is that
Rie 8:38 PM
because you dont want me to
so i figured id respect your boundaries
Anna 8:44 PM
i don’t mind it actually. it’s stupid but it’s a good inside joke
i might not like it but i like shutting you down
so you can keep flirting at me if you want
i guess
Rie 8:46 PM
oh
okay
Rie 8:58 PM
and why do you want me to keep flirting with you ;)
Anna 8:58 PM
idk something about confusing feelings, right?
Rie 8:58 PM
wpovjwjvjwijvjwckkvakcb
this wasnt part of the deal!!
Anna 9:01 PM
too bad
Seteth slipped the paperwork back into the envelope and pulled the bills from his pocket. “Everything is in order. Here is your payment.” He held the money forward in a loose grip.
Yuri took the bills with gloved hand and put them into one of his coat pockets. “Pleasure doing business, as always.” He turned to walk away. “Contact me next time your identity needs a refresh.”
Yuri disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. Seteth held the folder close to his chest and watched as he walked away. If he were a weaker man, he would have appreciated having yet another person who could understand the weight of living as long as he had — but he was far too invested in Flayn’s safety to become more involved with a criminal than he already was. For now, he was satisfied with the minimal interaction he had with Yuri Leclerc — though his legal name had been something different every time they’d met. What was it, seventeen times now? Eighteen? Seteth couldn’t recall off the top of his head. He would have to check his logs when he returned home. It wouldn’t do for his memory to slip. Not now, when Flayn needed him the most.
Dear Claude,
I’ll be back in Almyra soon — my brother wants me to “build off the bonds I built with Claude’s parents” and study with Almyran diplomats. Haven’t figured out accommodations yet — figured I could just crash in the palace? With a castle that big, you’ve got to have a few extra rooms, right? Anyway, don’t bother responding — can’t receive letters when I’m on the road!
Yours,
Hilda
Hilda stood from the cart and stretched her legs, kicking up the dust of the courtyard. The sun shone on the city behind her, but the palace’s shadow made the chill morning air seem to freeze against her skin. After last time, she’d dressed lightly, but she hadn’t considered how cold Almyran nights and mornings would be.
She held her arms close, trying to keep herself warm. The driver, bundled up in multiple layers, gave her an odd look. She refused to look back.
The massive palatial door didn’t move, but a tiny side door creaked open and Claude stepped out. “Hilda?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” She stood in place, hoping that he’d assume her face was only rosy from the cold.
“What are you wearing?” Claude chuckled.
Hilda frowned, shivering. “I thought Almyra would be warm.”
“It is. In the afternoon.” he said, walking over. “And why are you here, anyway?”
“Did you not get my letter?” Hilda tugged at his coat. Claude pretended not to notice.
“Letter?” He gave her an innocent look. Seeing that she wasn’t fooled, he shrugged. “Yeah, I did. I’m just messing with you. Come on.” He gestured toward the door he’d come from.
“Aw, I would, but... you know, my bags are just so heavy, and it’s so cold, so...” She did her best to look pathetic.
“Mm-hmm?” Claude looked down at her, a smile on his face. Though this one was different from the smiles he usually gave her. Those ones never reached his eyes, but this time, his eyes were crinkling on the sides as if, just this once, her attempts to con him into doing her favors were amusing. He was getting better at imitating genuinity — he’d almost fooled her this time.
Hilda sighed. “Wow, Claude. I can’t believe you’d force a fragile little flower like me to carry her own bags. With etiquette like that, you’ll never make it in court life.” She turned to her bags and lifted them with ease.
Claude laughed. “You don’t know a thing about Almyran court life.” He turned and walked toward the door, a spring in his step.
“I guess not.” Hilda muttered. Holding her bags in a tight grip, she nodded to the carriage driver and followed Claude’s footsteps into the castle walls, hoping it was warmer inside.
FOR_FUTURE_REFERENCE.doc
3rd of Pegasus Moon, 1885:
5:02 PM: Rie Averill added:
Gonna be honest, I’m not sure why I still have this document. The mystery I was trying to solve with it is done — not to mention it wasn’t really a mystery in the first place. If I’m honest, I should probably delete it, right? Byleth and Seteth and Mercedes and Flayn are nice people from what I know of them — they don’t deserve to be exposed like I was trying to do. All I really wanted was answers, and I have those now, don’t I?
5:34 PM: Rie Averill added:
So why am I not deleting it?
Keeping it around is continuing to put those four in danger, and I don’t want that. If anyone found my laptop and got into it, they’d have immediate access to this (though the fact that it’s so long and dry would probably prevent anyone from bothering). I should delete it, right?
7:02 PM: Rie Averill added:
I’m going to delete it. Sorry, future people, but you’re going to have to do without my insights.
See you around. I guess I’ll find a different thesis topic. I’ve got a couple years at least.
7:04 PM: Document moved to Trash Can
Rie stared at the icon of the bin, full of imaginary paper. The mystery was solved, though she hadn’t solved it — the answer had been given to her. No matter how much Byleth or Seteth claimed she was like Khalid, she would never have a chance to prove it, not without finding a different mystery to solve.
That was what was next, she supposed. Some other historical mystery. Some other...
Rie wondered how Anna felt. She had to give up on her thesis, too. That painting had both Seteth and Flayn in it — if they’d admitted they’d found it, they would have been sworn to secrecy about that, too.
Anna must have felt... something about that, right?
Rie hovered over the little digital trashcan until the “delete permanently” option popped up. With a quiet click, the last thing endangering the first ruler’s identity was gone.
Hilda,
It was one thing to insist upon returning to Almyra on your own, but it’s something else entirely to stay long past the time we agreed that you would come home. As a son of House Goneril, I have responsibilities, and as daughter of House Goneril, you do too! You can’t just leave them by the wayside while you impose upon the royalty of another nation. It’s not right.
I am coming to collect you. I will arrive in a month. Prepare accordingly.
Holst
The castle courtyard was freezing at night. Underneath the coat she’d stolen from Claude, Hilda shivered in a way that even the winters at Garreg Mach hadn’t caused. She would have gone inside, but she couldn’t risk encountering Claude. She was too gross and emotional right now — he’d never let her hear the end of it. So she stood in the center of the courtyard, staring up at the half-moon in the starry sky.
The wind picked up and fluttered the letter in her hand. Part of her wanted to let go of it, to watch it blow away and forget about it. But even if she did, her brother would be here in a month to take her back home to Fódlan. And, judging from his talk of “responsibilities,” back to being courted by a bunch of gentlemanly noble boys she hardly knew and respected even less.
...Away from Claude.
Ugh. She was such a sap. Begging Holst to go back to Almyra just to spend another few days with Claude before everything had to change. Or was she hoping, like the delicate flower she pretended to be, that he’d sweep her off her feet and carry her into a glamorous, exotic life of royal dances and dresses that were impossible to move around in?
Stupid. She was stupid.
Hilda crumpled the letter up and stuffed it in the coat’s pocket. She held her hand there for a moment, then pulled it out and continued staring at the sky.
The coat was scratchy and not all that warm. She could have bought her own, but...
But this one was his. And she felt warm wearing it, even if the coat itself didn’t provide. It felt like he was doing something for her, like he was being sweet and chivalrous. For some reason, she didn’t mind the sentiment when she pretended it’d come from him.
“Oh, so that’s where my coat went.” Hilda turned to see Claude standing just behind her, shivering in clothes too light for the weather. “It’s way too big for you, you know.”
Hilda summoned up all the sarcasm she’d briefly abandoned and prepared an answer. “I don’t know how you do things in Almyra, but in Fódlan it’s common courtesy for a host to provide for their guest.”
“And apparently, common courtesy for a guest to steal from their host.” Claude said, holding out a hand. “I’ll take the coat now, please.”
Hilda feigned shock. “You’re such a brute. Taking the coat off a poor, defenseless girl’s back? I thought better of you.”
“I know, I’m so awful. A big, scary bandit come to take the coat you rightfully stole.” Claude smiled, an amused sparkle in his eyes.
She held the coat close and didn’t move. “Why are you out here, Claude? You weren’t looking for the coat, were you?”
Claude’s smile became a little more forced. “How’d you come to that conclusion?”
“You... you don’t just run around in the middle of the night looking for a... a coat, right?” Hilda fidgeted.
Claude stepped closer. Her head began to spin, slowly at first, and then faster. He gestured for her to lean in, and without thinking, she did. “You’re right. I’m actually here to reveal my true feelings.” he whispered.
“Of course.” Hilda muttered, a warmth rising into her cheeks. She knew Claude was going to make some stupid joke, so why was her heart pounding? Stupid. “And those are?”
“Well, the truth is...” Claude paused for a long time. “It’s been a long time since we were around each other so regularly, and over the past few days, I’ve been... thinking... about what I want.”
Hilda turned toward him. Was he actually...?
“And I think... what I want, what I truly want, above all else, is...”
Her heart threatened to crash from her chest. What was Claude saying? He — he didn’t look like he was joking. Did he actually —
“For you to give me my coat back.”
Hilda’s stomach dropped. Of course. It was obvious, it had been obvious from the moment he started the conversation. She was just being an idiot, hoping that he would be... sweet, or genuine, or not incredibly annoying. She stood back and took off the coat, one arm and then the other. She crumpled it up and shoved it into his hands, not looking him in the eye. As she was turning to leave, she heard Claude call from behind her. “Hilda? Wait, did I say something wro—”
Hilda turned on her heel and glared. He looked so confused, as if he really didn’t understand what he’d said at all, as if everything was just a big joke to him. Of course it was. He didn’t know what feelings were, let alone how to identify them. He was good at two things — shooting a bow, and leading people on. Why did she ever expect anything different?
Claude stepped closer, with that dazed look on his face. She hated how much that still made her head spin. “I—I’m sorry? I’m not sure why you’re upset.”
Ugh. Hilda resigned herself to doing something incredibly embarrassing that she’d never live down. Hopefully, after she did this, she could manage to never see Claude again. Hoping that her face was less red than it felt like it was, she reached up and grasped him by his shirt collar. He choked for a moment and went silent. For a moment, she stared at his stupid, clever, kind, ridiculous face. Goddess, she hated this idiot.
And then she pulled like her life depended on it.
After what felt like forever, Khalid pulled away, his face burning. He opened his eyes to the sight of Hilda refusing to look him in the face. She stepped back, pushed the coat into his arms, and turned to leave, taking one step, then another. When she got about halfway across the courtyard, she broke into a run. And just like that, she was gone.
Khalid stood at the center of the courtyard, the moon shining down on him. Everything was spinning.
Rie 7:22 PM
hey check out this fanart i found
[SCRN_110311851921.jpg]
Anna 7:25 PM
dang that’s pretty gay
Anna poked at her phone, leaning back in the folding chair. The fluorescent light flickered, momentarily interrupting the sickly yellow glow that bathed the break room. She readjusted in her seat to give her feet a better place on the table, and blindly liked a post about some horrifying political upheaval happening in western Fódlan. Why did she still use social media?
“Feet off the table,” a voice said from the doorway. She was about to say “sure, Mom” in her best sarcastic voice when she turned and saw that against all odds, it was her mom. It was like looking in a better-dressed, avaricious, much older mirror.
“Mom.” Anna said, not moving her feet.
“Anna.” Mom glared at her.
Silence hung over the room. A battle of wills and back-and-forth glares ensued. After a long and difficult fight, Anna sighed. “Fine.” She placed her feet on the floor and stood from her chair. “Happy now?”
“Very.” Mom smiled and walked over, raising her arms for a hug. Anna knew better than to try and escape an embrace from her mom, so she grimaced and tried to bear her vice-like grip. After an eternal few seconds, she let go and held her by the shoulders. “How are you?”
“As always.” Anna said, not meeting her mom’s eyes.
“Grades still good?”
“Yep.”
“How’s Rie?”
“She’s fine.”
“That’s good.” Mom let go of her and glanced around the break room. “How have things been going without me?”
“Just fine. Anna’s been keeping us on schedule. And I know you’ve been watching the security cameras.”
“Only sometimes.” Mom opened the cupboards, looking for a mug. “I heard something about you finding a possible thesis topic?”
“No, it turned out to be a waste of time.” She would have liked to study that portrait — she’d never figured out who had painted it. But she understood why it wasn’t possible, as long as she didn’t have to explain it to anyone else.
“Oh, that’s a shame.” Finding a mug she was satisfied with, Mom poured herself a cup of coffee from the half-empty carafe and tilted her head at Anna expectantly.
“How did the conference go?” Anna muttered, trying to change the subject.
“It was great! Two whole weeks of four-hour-long industry talks and new convenience store technologies.” Mom said this without a hint of irony.
“And the one before that?” Anna sat back down, her movements deliberate.
“That one was nice too.”
“...And the one before that?”
Mom was silent. Anna stared at her. The last time she’d been home for over a week was six months ago.
Mom sipped her coffee and looked away. “Things have been really busy, you know, and the store’s —”
“The store’s doing fine.”
“We’ve been planning to expand, get more locations, and sometimes that —”
“You’ve been ‘planning to expand’ for my entire life.”
For a long time, the only noise was the buzzing of the fluorescent light. Then her mom put her coffee down on the counter. “We’re doing well for ourselves, I know. The store’s turning a profit every year. B-but,” she stammered, “you know the Anna instinct, right? Could always have more!” Mom forced a chuckle, refusing to meet Anna’s eyes.
Anna knew her mom was lying — this wasn’t normal avarice. Even in the old days, when the store was on the verge of going under, Mom had always made time for family. “This is about Aunt Anna, isn’t —”
“No, no!” Mom said hurriedly. “I’m happy for her, really I am. Her success doesn’t change what we have.” She met Anna’s eyes briefly, evidently hoping that she’d convinced her.
Anna scowled back. “But?”
“But nothing. That’s it.” Mom picked up her cup of coffee, choked down the rest of it, and placed the empty mug in the sink. Giving Anna a guilty look, she hurried out of the room.
The door swung halfway closed before the anti-slam device kicked in, and it crept the rest of the way. There was a quiet click, and Anna was alone in the break room again.
Hilda,
You haven’t come out of your room for two days. I can see a lantern; I know you’re in there. Are you just going to stay there until your brother comes to get you?
Look, for once just do me a favor: Just come to my room at sundown. After that, you can never talk to me again, if that’s what you want.
Khalid
Khalid folded the paper shut and leaned down to the floor. The door loomed large over him in a way no other door in the palace did. Working up the nerve, he lowered the letter to the gap and pushed it halfway through. After a moment, it disappeared with a quiet shuffle.
Satisfied, he stood, brushed off his trousers, and walked two doors down to his own room. As he closed his door and left it unlocked, he walked to the window and tapped his foot, hoping the sun would set before it hit him just how humiliating this would be.
Hilda read the letter over and over, as if trying to discover some secret message. The cold air from the window fluttered her bedsheets, and the pile of dirty dishes in the corner seemed to leer at her. For once, it didn’t feel good to be lazy.
She stood from the floor and rummaged through her bag for a set of clean clothes, hoping the sun would set before it hit her just how humiliating this would be.
Khalid was fidgeting, adjusting his position on his bed from sitting to laying to sitting again, when there was a knock at the door. He peered across the room at the window, saw the last fleeting light of the sun disappear over the horizon, and leapt from the bed and scrambled to his desk, lighting the lantern. “Come in. It isn’t locked.”
The door opened, and Hilda stepped in. Silence hung over the room for a long while after the door shut. Hilda stared at the floor. Khalid took a deep breath, tried to slow his racing pulse, and cleared his throat. “Hilda, I need to talk to you. About something important.”
She nodded, unmoving.
“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t call you here to make fun of you, or to... I’m sorry for what I said before. I tried to joke to defuse how I felt, but I didn’t consider how you felt.” He reached behind him and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his desk. “I found this in my coat pocket.”
Hilda’s eyes widened, then she cursed under her breath and slapped her palm against her forehead. “You weren’t supposed to —”
“Holst didn’t tell you to come here, did he?”
Hilda was silent. In the dim light of the lantern and the fading sunlight, Khalid thought — or maybe he just hoped — he saw a rosy tint on her cheeks. “No, he didn’t. I wanted to — coming here was what I wanted.”
“Why?” Khalid was fairly sure he knew the answer, but he had to make sure. But maybe that was selfish, an easier way out. No, it definitely was. Hilda opened her mouth, but he interrupted. “Sorry. I’m getting off topic. I didn’t ask you here to question you, I wanted to...” Khalid’s mouth went dry, and his heartbeat rung in his ears. With tremendous effort, he struggled against every instinct he had and swallowed his pride. “I love you.” His voice went quiet halfway through “love,” and the rest of it was said at barely a whisper, but he hoped beyond any hope that she’d gotten the message.
Hilda stepped back, thumping against the wooden door, eyes wide, as if she’d been struck by a stiff gust of wind. She stammered some mismatched syllables in no language he recognized, then tooka long breath in and sighed it out. “Claude —” she shook her head, as if banishing the word “— Khalid. You...” Her voice trailed off into a silence full of meaning — though he wasn’t sure what the meaning was.
“The truth is, I... I hoped that you’d be queen of Almyra someday. Not just because I thought you’d be good at it, but because...” Khalid wanted to step closer, to embrace her, but he didn’t want to risk making her uncomfortable — or more uncomfortable, if he’d misread the situation terribly. “Because you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. More than anyone else.”
Hilda leaned forward, away from the door, and stepped closer to him. “I wanted to come back because — because I feel the same. A bunch of nobles from houses all across Fódlan courted me, but...” A smile struggled its way onto her face, and she looked him in the eyes for the first time in weeks. “None of them were you.”
“So...” Khalid felt a tightening in his chest. Maybe Teach had been right.
Hilda cleared her throat. “Um, yes.”
Khalid, feeling a little light-headed, walked over to his bed to sit. Hilda, her movement near silent, sat beside him. “Sorry for leading you on for ten years.” Khalid muttered, staring at the opposite wall. “You know, I thought about why you kissed me. I had a few theories, but eventually I figured the most obvious one was probably it.”
Hilda laughed, a clear, bright, genuine laugh. “What other reason could someone have to kiss you out of nowhere?”
“An attempted stabbing but you lost your nerve, you were trying to get me to stop talking to you so you did the most friendship-ruining thing you could think of, revenge for that one time we were cleaning the horse stables...” Khalid breathed in sharply. “There were ideas, but none of them seemed right, so I threw them all out and went with the simplest thing I could think of.”
“Well, you got there in the end.” She grasped his hand and squeezed. Khalid felt his face grow flushed, and nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of it. They’d both been adults for the better part of a decade, with noble responsibilities and countless battle scars. And yet they were nervous to hold hands, like a pair of schoolchildren. “I love you too, by the way.” Hilda murmured, turning away from him to hide her face.
Khalid chuckled. “We’re so bad at this.”
Hilda turned towards him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a tiny smile cross her lips. “I guess we’ll just have to figure it out together, huh?”
Khalid pulled her closer, holding her hand in a tight grip. “I guess so.”
FAMILY_HIST_PROJ_1883(1).doc
...became King of Almyra in 1194, succeeding his father. Shortly before his coronation, he announced that he would take Hilda Valentine Goneril, a noble of House Goneril in Fódlan, as his queen. The decision was widely criticized by Almyran nobles and citizens alike, but Khalid I refused to pick someone else. (Use academic language.) Eventually, his decision proved to be the correct one, (This isn’t a persuasive essay.) as Hilda’s diplomatic efforts were instrumental in opening up friendly relations between Almyra and Fódlan, and her mere presence did much to change Almyran values to be more friendly toward Fódlan.
Khalid I had four children with Hilda. The names of three have been lost to history, (Lost to your research, apparently — their names were Nasim, Hanan, and Nora) but the name of their first child, the heir to the throne and my ancestor, was Hadi (later Hadi IV of Almyra).
Khalid I is largely remembered for his extensive reforms of Almyran domestic and military policy, and for being far friendlier with the leadership of Fódlan than any Almyran ruler before him, a legacy that was continued long after his death, even as...
Anna 7:30 PM
hey do you want to hang out after my shift ends
Rie 7:38 PM
hang out or “hang out”? ;)
cause you know im down for either
Anna 7:39 PM
whichever one is watching more episodes of daughter of the exalt
had some weird family stuff. i need a cooldown
mom’s home for a few days
Rie 7:40 PM
oh i see
sounds good yeah
whatever you need
Anna 7:40 PM
whatever i need huh?
wow, rie, i didn’t know you felt that way
makes me kind of uncomfortable
Rie 7:40 PM
i dont
i was just saying like
cause were friends and if you need something
to like talk about your family or whatever thats fine cause like
i dont mind you know
Anna 7:41 PM
it’s fine i’m messing with you
thanks but i’m good i just want to watch gay tv
Rie sat on her couch, a bowl of microwave popcorn on her lap, her laptop on the bed across from her. On one side of her, a pile of clean laundry that she hadn’t bothered to put away took up half the couch. On the other, Anna leaned back, staring down her nose at the screen. On the screen, the season finale (the last few episodes had focused on an alternate universe where the princess had never gone back in time) began to wind down.
“Of course I need you.” the princess on said to her red-haired knight. “You’re the source of my strength.” In the middle of the cut to the knight, Anna paused it.
“Goddess, are you seeing this?” Anna muttered. “They’re so gay.”
“I think they might actually be implying that they are?” Rie mumbled through a mouthful of popcorn. “Unpause it and we’ll see.”
Anna clicked and the show continued. “Mm-hmm.” the knight said, rolling her eyes.
“I mean it.” The princess stepped closer.
“If you say so.” The knight stared up at the princess, a tiny smile on her face. Rie began to tunelessly hum in excitement. Anna gave her an amused look.
Anna stared at the laptop screen, which was recommending some other series she didn’t have any interest in watching. Everything was silent for a moment, then Rie sighed. “Booooo... I really thought they were gonna be gay.”
“Yeah, we just got queerbaited.” Anna said. “Guess they don’t make major characters gay in mass media children’s cartoons. What a surprise.”
“Children’s cartoon!?” Rie gasped indignantly. “Were you watching it? All the major characters’ parents died!”
“Yeah, off screen.” Anna shrugged. “Dead parents are a dime a dozen in these shows.”
Rie sighed. “I really wanted them to be gay.” She leaned forward and closed her laptop, and the room was shrouded in darkness.
Anna reached out for Rie’s shoulder, but thought better of it and returned her hand to her lap. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I’m sure there’s a lot of fan fiction of them.”
“Yeah, probably. It’s not the same, though.”
It was silent for a long time. Next to her, Rie shifted. Anna looked from side to side, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Just as she saw a trickle of light through the closed blinds, she took a deep breath in and asked a question that would have stumbled her in years past. “What do you want to do after you graduate?” she muttered, directed more at the room than at Rie.
Rie was silent for so long that Anna began to worry that she hadn’t heard the question, or that she’d fallen asleep. But then she answered, in a quiet, apprehensive voice. “I’m not sure. How about you?”
“I think I might go to grad school, try to get my doctorate. Then maybe try to get a job as a professor here.” Anna crossed her arms.
“That doesn’t sound so bad. Maybe I’ll think about that too.” Rie murmured. “Mom and Dad would be happy. Better than getting a history degree for no reason at all.”
“What, no dreams of being a lighthouse operator anymore?” Anna snickered. In first year, Rie had openly fantasized about operating a lighthouse before she’d told her that computers did that job now.
“Shut up.” Rie said, a smile in her voice. “But yeah, I could totally see you as a professor.”
“What do you mean?” Anna uncrossed her arms and fidgeted with the extra finger in the center of her hand. The darkness didn’t feel cold or empty. Talking frankly with Rie like this... Anna could get used to it. As the silence continued, Anna suddenly took notice of the sound of her heart thumping in her ears.
Rie finally spoke. “I don’t know, I guess I could just see you... I don’t know. I think you’d be good at anything. But especially that.” Anna heard her shift somewhere in the darkness. “I mean, back when we were working on... back when you were helping me with my research... you always kept me on track. Made sure I was doing alright.” Rie’s steady breaths went silent for a moment. “I... really appreciated that. I still do.”
Anna squeezed her eyes shut. At the time, she would have agreed that she was only doing the right thing, the friendly thing. But she hadn’t been, had she?
Silence reigned for a long, long time. It felt like hours. Anna’s head spun, and she recalled Mercedes’s words, if you have something to say, it’s best to simply say it. But when she opened her mouth to speak, her mouth went dry and her vocal cords refused to move. What would she say, anyway? She didn’t have the words, only the idea that there was “something to say.” How was this so easy for everyone else? Why couldn’t she just —
Why couldn’t Rie just tell her? She remembered Byleth’s words: love is vulnerability. But she couldn’t be vulnerable. It was antithetical to everything about her. She wasn’t like other people — not even like Khalid. What did Seteth and Byleth know? The last time they’d spoken to Khalid was almost seven hundred years ago. And they could only see the way she was on the outside — which was all an act anyway.
Rie held her breath to keep from choking. She was never going to be honest with Anna, not really. No matter how many late-night talks they had or how many years they spent near each other.
Anna sighed beside her. “I — I told you my mom was home for a few days.”
“Yeah.” Rie said, pushing the thoughts down.
“You know that... sometimes I just can’t deal with my family, right?”
“I... yeah, I guess.”
“It’s because...” Anna shifted towards her — or perhaps away. “Annas are supposed to compare themselves to each other. To use their relatives as examples. Good or bad. That’s just how our family is.”
Rie breathed in sharply. That explained a lot (though she’d never say that out loud).
“My mom has that bad.” Anna said. “She can’t be happy with what she has. Because her sister...” She trailed off, and Rie looked toward her. In the tiny amount of light, she saw Anna fidgeting with her hair tie, her hair down over her shoulders. “You ever pay attention to the credits of ‘Daughter of the Exalt’?”
Huh? That was an off-topic question. “No?” Rie muttered.
“The showrunner’s name is Anna. My aunt.” Anna chuckled humorlessly. “Mom wanted to be a creative too, but she never ‘made it,’ not like Aunt Anna did. Had to settle for eight unpublished manuscripts and a convenience store.” She paused for a beat. “So now she pretends she likes it.”
Rie blinked. “What?”
“Yep.”
“So you knew the whole time that —”
“I did.” Anna muttered. “And you’d think that an experience like that would teach her not to make the same mistake with her own daughters, right?”
Rie turned her eyes to the floor. “You’d think.”
It was quiet. A group of people having a loud conversation passed through the hallway. After their voices had faded away, Anna spoke, in a quiet, fragile voice. “You know I’m the only one of my sisters who’s never dated anyone?”
Rie had never heard this voice from Anna before. She wasn’t sure how to respond. “Anna, that doesn’t —”
“I know. I know it’s not really important. But it doesn’t stop me from... feeling like a failure, you know? Even my 16-year-old baby sister is better at people than I am.” Anna sighed. “It’s stupid. I’m stupid.”
“You’re not stupid, Anna.” Rie blurted. She wasn’t going to let her talk about herself like this. “And I don’t know anyone better at people than you. Just because...” She shook her head. “Whether or not you’re dating someone isn’t a measure of how successful you are in life. It’s not a box to check off.”
Anna scoffed. “Tell that to my sisters. I’m not sure Anna even likes her boyfriend. All she does is complain about him.”
“The... theology major?” Rie wasn’t sure what had tipped her off, but something about the way that Anna had said it told her that Anna was talking about the sister just after her.
Anna turned toward her and tilted her head. “Yeah, that’s — that’s who I was talking about. How’d you...”
Rie laughed nervously. “I — I dunno. Maybe you’re rubbing off on me.”
Anna was quiet for a moment, staring at her. In the vague light from the window, Rie felt as if Anna was meeting her gaze. Then she turned away abruptly, looking at the door, and spoke. “I know you’re going to make fun of me forever for this, but... you help with all that. When I’m around you, I — it’s easier to forget about my family’s whole... shit.”
Rie held her breath, beckoning her to continue.
“Which means, really, it’s not...” Anna coughed. “I’m not being nice when I keep you on track. It’s all me being selfish.”
Rie laughed. “Of course.”
The silence returned. Rie glanced sidelong at Anna’s hands, which were back to fiddling with the hair tie. Rie watched the hair tie knot around one finger, then the next and the next.
Rie took a deep breath, tried to slow her racing pulse, and cleared her throat. “Anna, I need to talk to you. About something important.”
“Yeah?” Anna answered immediately, her voice soft.
“I... you...” Rie’s face burned. What was she doing? “That night...”
Anna froze. The hair tie stopped in her palm. “I-I know I was —”
“The night you convinced me to take a break.” Rie said quickly. She wasn’t ready to have that part of the conversation yet. “You said that I was tired and said I wanted to go to bed, and then you left. But I don’t remember that.” Rie waited for a response, and receiving none, she continued. “Is that what really happened?”
The hair tie passed from one palm to the other. “No. No, you... you fell asleep on my shoulder.” Anna paused. “And I thought you could use the sleep. So I —” her voice caught “— I carried you over to your bed.”
Rie fought a smile. The idea of Anna lifting her up, stepping softly enough that Rie wouldn’t wake up... it was nice. Sweet, even. The kind of thing she wasn’t sure Anna would do, except that she’d already done it. “Thank you.” she murmured. “You were right. I did need the sleep.”
“Yeah.” Anna shuffled on the couch and turned towards her. “You work too hard. On the stuff that matters to you, anyway.”
Rie stared at Anna’s hands, which sat dormant in her lap. She would have reached out, held them, but she couldn’t risk making her uncomfortable. “And...” Rie breathed in, then out. “When you... kissed m—”
Anna interrupted. “I know. It wasn’t right. I’m sorry.” Rie looked up and saw a frown on her face for only a moment before averting her gaze. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard to look at someone. “I was out of line. I made you uncomfortable, and I know it’s probably too much to ask, but I’d appreciate it if you just... forgot it ever happened.”
“Okay.” Rie mumbled, turning from Anna. “I was just going to ask... why you—” Rie shook her head. “No. That’s... ugh. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be demanding explanations from you.” There was a long, long pause. The moonlight through the blinds left tiny shafts of light on Rie’s bedspread. “I said there was something important, and then I got off track. You weren’t out of line. At all. I didn’t have a problem with —” Rie cringed. She couldn’t be honest, but she couldn’t back out either. She was stuck in an interpersonal uncanny valley. She just had to not think about it. To say what she was feeling, damn the consequences.
Anna stared at Rie’s back, trying to garner an understanding of what she was talking about. There was no way she actually...
As Anna’s head spun, Rie took a sharp breath in and turned toward her, her face resolute. “Anna.”
“Yeah?” Anna said, her voice cracking.
Rie was only silent for a moment. On her face was the grimace of someone about to jump into freezing water. “I have feelings for you.” Anna’s eyes barely had time to widen before Rie waved her hands around and stammered a clarification. “R-romantic feelings, I mean! Specifically. I, uh, I’ve had them since — since we met?”
Anna tried to say something but found herself unable to move her mouth.
Rie continued unabated. “I thought I could ignore them and forget about them so I convinced myself you were straight but then when I found out you weren’t it kind of all came rushing back and then you kissed me and everything got weird even though I know you’re just — just my friend and you’re way out of my league and you probably just kissed me to shut me up — so I’m sorry, I never wanted to —” Rie went silent and turned her face toward the floor. Anna blinked, sure her face was red, but hoping it wasn’t obvious in the darkness.
...Wait, did she need to care if her face was red? Rie cared about her in the same way she cared about Rie. Her feelings were reciprocated. She didn’t need to feel embarrassed about them.
Anna reached out for Rie’s hands, which sat folded on her lap. She didn’t resist or show any sign of noticing as she uncurled Rie’s fingers and squeezed her hand, which was soft, and warm, and just a little clammy. “Rie, I...” There was a silence, and Anna gulped. “You think I kissed you to shut you up?”
Anna looked up at Rie, whose face had gone completely blank, showing no sign of emotion. “Yeah?” she said, unsure. “Like how you flirt back to shut me up.”
Anna laughed quietly. “Rie, that’s so dumb. You literally — you went to the mirror universe where kissing someone means ‘stop being romantic with me’?” Rie turned away in the darkness, the color of her face inscrutable, but Anna guessed it was probably a deep red that complimented her green eyes. “When you didn’t react, I thought that was confirmation that all your flirting was just a joke. That you didn’t...” Anna waved with the hand that wasn’t holding Rie’s. “You know.”
Rie turned back toward her, that old mischievous smile she hadn’t realized she missed back on her face. “Now who’s dumb? Someone flirts with you for two years and you think it’s because they have only the most platonic interest in you?”
“Fine.” Anna said, failing to hold back a grin. “We’re both dumb, then.”
Silence returned. Anna stared into Rie’s face, trying to figure out why she liked this scrawny, outwardly overconfident dork so much.
...Well, she was pretty. Even without trying, in the way Anna had to — Rie looked good even in baggy event T-shirts she’d worn three days in a row and oversized hoodies (which was pretty much any hoodie for her). And, Anna supposed, she did have her own charms. There was a certain way she did things that made her look incompetent and silly, but she was almost always in control. Maybe that was part of what attracted Anna to her in the first place — the fact that she was so much deeper than she initially seemed — that underneath the flirty, constantly-joking exterior was a genuine person who felt deeply about things.
Or maybe Anna was overthinking it. Maybe Anna was just a sap and she’d fallen for the first person to make her a priority. Well, Anna thought, that wouldn’t be so bad either.
“Anna?” Rie muttered, squeezing her hand. Anna blinked and tilted her head, unsure of what she was supposed to be responding to. “You didn’t hear me, did you?” Rie said, the edges of her eyes creasing as the smile on her face returned. “Lost in thought?”
“Um. Maybe a little.” Anna muttered. “What did you say?”
Rie let a short breath out of her nose. “I asked if I could kiss you.”
“I —” Anna’s voice caught. “Yeah. Yeah, you can kiss me. I-I mean, if you —” She stopped as Rie lifted her other hand to Anna’s neck and pulled her down.
Time didn’t slow down as Rie kissed her. The world didn’t seem to fade away. She wasn’t unable to think of anything else, and it wasn’t like magic, or fireworks, or any other flowery simile. But it was really nice anyway. It was warm, and comfortable, and somehow safe at the same time as it made her heart pound. It was a moment of honesty. Anna hadn’t had many of those — and having one with Rie was more than she’d ever expected.
Rie felt Anna’s hand on her waist, pulling her closer. She pulled Anna closer in return, and Anna leaned into her, pushing her back into the pile of clean clothes. Anna’s hair, freed from its ponytail, tickled her face. Just like last time, Anna was leading — which felt natural, though Rie wasn’t quite sure why. In her less confident moments, she might have thought that it was because Anna was out of her league, or more experienced, though she knew that wasn’t the case. Right now, though, she wasn’t thinking about very much at all.
After a long moment, Rie gently pushed Anna off her and stared her in the face. She had to repress a giggle at how soft Anna’s expression was — she’d never seen her so vulnerable, like being forced to stop kissing Rie was the worst punishment in the world. “So, what does this make us?” Rie asked, holding Anna at arm’s length.
“I — I don’t know.” Anna mumbled. “Girlfriends, I guess? If that’s what you want.”
“Yeah.” Rie murmured. “I’d... really like that.”
Anna gazed at her for a moment, a perfectly genuine look on her face, before clearing her throat into her hand and looking away, her reserves exhausted. “Yeah. Good. I’m... looking forward to even more insufferable flirting.” she said, leaning back to her regular seated position.
Rie sat up and interlocked her arm with Anna’s, leaning into her shoulder. “Aw, come on. I know you like it.”
“I guess maybe a little.” Anna muttered.
“’Cause I make you feel confusing feelings, right?” Rie leaned even further, daring Anna to push her away, but she didn’t.
“A few.” Anna leaned her head on Rie’s. “But you still irritate me. I just think you’re cuter than you are annoying.”
Rie’s face warmed as if she’d stepped out into the sun. Damn it all. She pulled back and returned to sitting like she had been before the dramatic dynamic shift they’d undergone in the last few minutes. A silence ensued, not an awkward silence or a silence of unsaid words, but a comfortable, casual silence, as if just existing together was enough to make everything perfectly alright. Out of the silence, Rie asked the question that had been solidly pushed to the back of her mind a few minutes before: “Your aunt was the creator of Daughter of the Exalt?”
Anna turned towards her. “Yeah, she was. Surprised you didn’t know before, honestly.”
“We skipped the intro and credits every time after the first episode.”
“I guess that’s true.”
Anna must have seen in Rie’s face that she wasn’t satisfied with such a vague answer, because she continued. “The story’s actually based on an old Anna folktale from my branch of the family. Mom used to tell it as a bedtime story to us when we were girls.”
Rie frowned. “Your mom told you a bedtime story with time travel and alternate universes?”
“I think the alternate universe plot was added for the show.”
“But the time travel was original. And the apocalypse.”
“I mean, yeah.”
“Goddess, your family is so weird.”
Anna laughed, a clear, bright, genuine laugh. “It’s true. I’ll do my best to keep you out of their bullshit.”
Rie smiled. “Well, thank you for that.”
It was quiet for another few moments before Rie reached out for her laptop. “Anyway, want to find something new to watch until season five of Daughter of the Exalt comes out?”
“Sure, let’s find something else to be disappointed about the lack of gay content in.” Anna scoffed.
“Or we could look up gay Daughter of the Exalt fanfiction.” Rie said, blinking into the blinding light of the laptop screen.
“Oh, that sounds like a plan.” Anna leaned over to see what was on the screen. Rie turned the laptop so they could both see.
Rie 9:10 AM
yeah you were right lmao
Byleth 10:15 AM
I don’t know what you’re talking about
Rie 10:24 AM
i asked anna out turns out shes liked me since first year
probably should have realized when she kissed me in ethereal moon
Byleth 10:24 AM
She what
Rie 10:25 AM
yeah yeah i know im stupid
Byleth 10:26 AM
Yes
But good job. Can’t have been easy
Rie 10:26 AM
thanks, i guess?
Byleth tossed her phone to the hotel bed and pushed her arms through the sleeves of the shirt that’d been hanging around her neck. “Mercedes.” she said, enunciating so her wife could hear.
“Yes?” Mercedes yelled over the sink and the bathroom fan. “What do you need?”
“Message from Rie.”
Mercedes dried her hands and walked over. She picked up the phone and laughed. “That’s a little harsh.”
“Well, it’s true.” Byleth crossed her arms. “She’s not just like Khalid, is she?”
Mercedes thought for a moment, then lowered the phone to her side. “No, she isn’t. Khalid would have... How long has it been since Ethereal Moon?”
“A few weeks.” Byleth paused, counting the days. Time was tricky for them — it was easy to lose track when you had so much of it in your head. “No — a month and a half.”
“Khalid would never have taken that long. Either she’s much more timid than he was, or...”
“Or she’s not as socially adept.” Byleth shrugged. “For which I can’t blame her. Khalid spent his life scheming and studying others. She’s a history student.”
“You’re right.” Mercedes said, yawning. “Still, I’m glad that your advice helped her.”
Byleth walked over to the suitcase and pulled a pair of winter trousers from a side pocket. “I’m sure yours did, too.”
“Hmm?” Mercedes’s voice was the epitome of innocence.
“I suppose those Anna-Mart bags were just props? I know you spoke to her friend.” Byleth turned and smiled to see Mercedes holding back a smirk.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Mercedes said, beaming. “It was all you, my love. You know I’d never lie.”
“Mm-hmm.” Byleth said, deciding to drop the issue. “What are we doing before dinner tonight? We have a few hours, after all.”
Mercedes lit up. “Oh! I read there was a statue of Archbishop Rhea in town. Do you want to accuracy check it?”
Correcting historical monuments was a favorite pastime of theirs — they could hardly begrudge the present for not knowing the past, but some of the mistakes were very funny. “Sounds fun. Would you mind looking up where it is while I get dressed?”
“Alright!” Mercedes laid her coat on the bed and sat down beside it, tapping away at her phone. Byleth turned around again and began to sort through her collared shirts for a color that matched her undershirt.
Seteth 8:30 PM
Are you well?
Flayn 8:30 PM
Yes.
Seteth lowered his phone to the table and tapped his fingers on its lacquered surface as he took a drink. Sitting in the chair across from him, Byleth gave him a blank stare. Seteth glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then sighed. “What is it?”
“You’re still worrying about her.”
Seteth half-sputtered into his wine, but managed to regain his composure before Byleth mentioned anything. “And I suppose you think I shouldn’t be?”
“Flayn can handle herself.” Byleth sipped her water, face unchanging.
Seteth scowled. “Have you ever had children, Byleth?”
Byleth showed no sign of amusement or offense at this. “No, Seteth. I haven’t.”
“Then please withhold your comments. You’re not aware of the things I’ve had to do to keep her safe.”
Byleth laughed, a sudden and unsettling departure from her blank face. “Seven hundred years and not an ounce of introspection. What did you spend that time on?”
“I have no idea what you’re implying.” Seteth said, his scowl deepening.
Byleth raised an eyebrow. “Is that so.” she asked flatly, without the intonation of a question.
Seteth sighed deeply. Everyone without children thought themselves experts on child-rearing. “You’d like me to admit that I am... overbearing? Difficult? I act only in Flayn’s best interest. Especially near those two. You may trust them simply because of their association with Khalid, but you don’t need to worry about the safety of —”
“Seteth, Flayn can throw wind and fire magic around. Rie and Anna are college students. What do you think they’re going to do?” Byleth took a long drink.
Seteth leaned back in his chair. “I’m not worried about her safety so much as I am about their... influence.”
“And you think you’re going to, what, inspect and approve every one of her friends?”
“Not as such, I simply —”
“Seven hundred years. And you never considered this.”
“What do you suggest, then!?” Seteth was tired of the insinuation.
Byleth took another sip and looked around his apartment, at the dark corners and blinking smoke alarm. She was enjoying this, of course she was. “Let her have friends.” Seteth was silent for a long time. Byleth stared at him blankly, but he knew she was intensely smug about her conclusion. Not receiving a response, she continued. “This was your problem at the monastery as well. Flayn isn’t a child, she’s a young woman. It’s natural for her to want a modicum of independence. Smothering her is only going to make her want it more.”
Seteth rested his forehead on the heel of his palm. “You know nothing about why I worry so much for her.”
Byleth smirked, an expression that Seteth had never seen her adopt. “You know nothing about what I know, Cichol.”
Seteth bolted straight and stared at the first ruler with unmasked shock. How could she possibly know about his past? She hadn’t been alive to see it! Had she somehow accessed Sothis’s memories?
Looking upon him with amusement, the first ruler continued. “I’ve had a lot of time to think. And you weren’t exactly subtle.” Byleth emptied her glass and stood to fetch more water.
After a short silence, Seteth frowned. “And when did you determine this? Was it while I was Rhea’s aide? In the years you ruled Fódlan? In the years after?”
“Does it matter? Consider it a secret between us.” Byleth sat back down with a full glass of water.
“And Mercedes.”
“Naturally.”
Seteth sighed, waved his hand dismissively, and picked up his phone again. What the first ruler knew was of no consequence. She’d never tell. As much as Seteth was loath to admit it, she wanted exactly what he wanted — it just so happened that her idea of it was more lax than his.
Flayn had to be safe. That was what mattered, more than anything.
But she had to be happy, too.
Seteth 8:35 PM
Are you well?
Flayn 8:35 PM
I am the same as I was the last time you asked.
That was five minutes ago.
Seteth 8:40 PM
Apologies for checking in so frequently.
I cannot force you to choose your friends. I am sorry for being so forceful.
Flayn 8:41 PM
Thank you, Father.
I was thinking.
In order to “blend in,” perhaps I should adjust to typing without any capitalization or punctuation.
does this seem more natural father
do i appear to be a modern youth
Seteth 8:41 PM
I think it may be best for you to carry on as you are in that respect.
Regardless of my opinions, I hope you enjoy yourself.
Flayn put her phone back into her pocket. Across the gondola car from her, Rie continued to rattle off her personal list of the most interesting historical events of the last 700 years, or, as she had said, the “coolest things that happened since you went to sleep.” Flayn almost regretted asking, since she had been speaking without stopping for the last fifteen minutes, even as they boarded the gondola and began the long ride up to the Old Campus. Anna was listening intently, or at least pretending to.
Rie took a breath and went to speak again, but Flayn interrupted. “Thank you. I will... search for those when I have a moment.” The car pulled into the station. Rie and Anna gestured for Flayn to exit first. It had taken some convincing to get her to ride the gondola at all — hanging hundreds of feet above the ground in a metal box was not her idea of a good time, but she had not wanted to climb forty flights of stairs in the dark, either.
Flayn stepped from the car into the station. The cold season was finally abating, so she could afford to wear lighter clothes instead of a heavy coat over everything. Anna stepped out, and as Rie followed, Flayn noticed Anna offer her a hand down, despite the step not being particularly wide. That was odd — the last time Flayn had been near the two, they had seemed unwilling to be anywhere near each other. Rie must have seen her looking, because she pulled her hand back and began walking to the station’s exit. “Ready to answer a bunch of dumb questions, Flayn?” she yelled back. Flayn frowned to Anna, who shrugged at her and followed Rie out.
“Okay, Flayn.” Rie said, hopping up and down in excitement. “Were the doors to the Old Campus here when it was the monastery?”
“Um. Yes.” Flayn said. “Much of the monastery is still here. The only elements that have disappeared are...” She studied the monastery through the gap, and then a thought occurred to her — something she had noticed in the days that Father had brought her along to his office. “I do not think there are fish in the reservoir anymore.”
“There were fish in the reservoir? How?” Anna asked. “It’s not connected to a river.”
Flayn thought for a moment. “I am... not sure. But there were.”
Rie tapped away at her phone, muttering to herself: “...Reservoir... used to have... fish.”
Flayn grimaced. “You’re not publishing these notes anywhere, are you?”
“No, no.” Rie said. “Just for me.” She lowered her phone to her side. “So! How about showing me which room was Khalid’s?”
“Oh! Yes, his was on the second floor of the dormitory. Come with me.” Flayn stepped through the grand doorway and beckoned the pair to follow her.
The monastery was quiet in the darkness, and Flayn led Rie and Anna along the path of blinding streetlamps, like miniscule suns. The old dormitories looked the same as ever, though Flayn knew they had long been converted into classrooms. Flayn counted the windows of the second floor, searching for Claude’s room. Once she had found it, she turned to Rie and Anna and glimpsed them holding hands. Anna caught her gaze first and let go of Rie’s hand, her eyes turned to the floor. Flayn understood now.
“Are you two under the impression I have some issue with your being together?” Flayn placed her hands on her waist in what she hoped was an authoritative gesture.
Rie’s eyes widened. “I — no? What do you — We —”
“Because I do not. In case you were wondering.” Flayn stared expectantly. After a series of intense looks, Anna reached for Rie’s hand and took it again, and Rie went stiff as if she had been struck by lightning. Flayn, satisfied, turned back to the hall. “Cl — Khalid’s room was the fifth from the left. Do you see it up there?”
“I see it.” said Rie. There was a silence for a long moment, broken only by the sound of Rie tapping a note on her phone.
Flayn stared up at the window. Staring up, she could almost forget how much time had passed. She could almost imagine she was back in the old days, listening to the students scrambling around long past curfew, the mountain breeze rustling the bushes, the clanking boots of distant gatekeepers, the low conversations of those who preferred the night to the day.
If she listened closely, just at the edge of her hearing, she thought she could make out Claude’s voice.
My dear Mercie,
It’s been so long since we’ve spoken. I could barely believe it when I heard you were the wife of the ruler of Fódlan! I’m so happy for you! I’m so glad that you and the professor won the war for the Alliance.
I’ve been helping with the Royal School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad ever since the start of the war. I’m a professor myself, now, though I certainly don’t intend on marrying any of my students! Haha!
I’ve thought of writing this letter many times, Mercie, but each time I have, it’s felt shallow. Like I’m not saying what I mean. And definitely not appropriate for what this is intended to be: a final goodbye.
I’m sorry, Mercie, but I cannot meet you face to face. It would make things too complicated for me.
Because though I know it’s not appropriate, I can’t shake these feelings I have for you.
I love you more than anything in the world, Mercie. I think I always have.
Understand that this letter is not meant to prompt a reply. I don’t want you to come to Fhirdiad to speak to me, or even send a response. I know you’re happy with the professor, and even writing this letter is terribly selfish of me. I’m not asking you to make a choice, or anything like that. I’m asking you to please, stay away from me. And it pains me to ask that of you, but I must.
I think I might send this one for real. I guess if you’re reading this, I did.
Yours,
Annette Fantine Dominic
Annie.
Mercedes didn’t reread the letter often, but showing it to the girl — Anna — recently had brought it back to the forefront of her mind. It was an easy source of melancholy — a reminder that she was always connected to the past, through strings she had not tied knowingly. Byleth knew when she was in this kind of mood and left her to it — and in return, Mercedes did the same for her. Recent days had brought the memories up more often than usual for both of them, though if it was affecting By, she wasn’t showing it. In fact, she was even more exuberant than usual. Helping Rie in the same way she’d tried to help Khalid must have felt like long-overdue vindication — or, better, repayment of a centuries-old favor.
Mercedes stared out through the darkness at the lights of the town — not a city, though it certainly had been by her standards the first time she’d seen it, all those years ago. Perhaps she had become harder to impress. In the distance, atop the mountain, the aircraft warning lights on Garreg Mach’s tallest building sparkled in red and white.
It had struck her, hearing about the minimal research it had taken to nearly expose Byleth as the first ruler of Fódlan, that every one of her peers at the Officers Academy had been forgotten by history — that she, Byleth, Seteth, and Flayn were the only ones left to remember them. By, of course, had a special attachment to the students in her class (and those who’d joined her class), and Flayn surely remembered the Golden Deer House fondly as well. But Mercedes was the last person who had known the Blue Lions — who recalled Annie, and Dimitri, and Ashe, and Ingrid. Even Felix, with all his faults, didn’t deserve to be forgotten — just as he hadn’t deserved to die in a pointless war.
And Dedue... she had never found him after the war. Perhaps he’d wandered off to die in battle, to follow Dimitri to the very literal end. But she liked to think that he’d made a life for himself, one where he had forgiven himself for all his perceived sins and, even if just for a moment, allowed himself to be happy. It was the least he deserved.
Mercedes thought of the Black Eagles, of Ferdinand and Petra and Caspar and Linhardt, even of Hubert and Edelgard. She had hardly known them when they were alive, and they had died too soon to make real legacies for themselves. Now they were left with nobody to remember them, nobody except her, who remembered them only as tragedies, not as people. They deserved better. Better than a scribe that only held onto their memory out of guilt. Better than dying the way they had, suddenly and pointlessly, simply because they had refused to move.
The hard part about being immortal wasn’t watching people age and die. It was watching them be forgotten.
The balcony door slid open behind her, and she felt Byleth’s hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright, Merce?”
Mercedes smiled slightly. She only called her “Merce” when she knew she was hurting. “No.” she said.
“Remembering old friends?” Byleth’s hand didn’t move.
“I am.”
The hand left her shoulder, and she heard By step back. “Seteth’s going to pick up Flayn from campus. He said there were errands he had to run, and he might not be back for another hour, so we have to either leave now or when he returns. But if you need a few minutes, I can stall him.”
Mercedes leaned forward onto the railing. “Did you ever think, when I proposed, that we would still be together all these years later?”
Byleth was silent for a moment. “Well, I didn’t think we would still be alive all these years later. That was something of a surprise.” She chuckled, then stopped. “But I knew who you were. I knew you were kind and understanding and charitable and alarmingly perceptive. That’s part of why I fell in love with you in the first place — because I knew you and I would last.” Byleth continued, mirth in her voice. “Also, I was the one who proposed, not you.”
Mercedes laughed. “That’s not how I remember things.”
Byleth stepped forward and stood alongside her, leaning on the balcony railing, staring out. “Have you ever regretted taking a blood transfusion from me?”
“Never.” Mercedes answered immediately. “It was the best decision of my life.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Mercedes could see pink rise into Byleth’s cheeks. It was good to know she still had it. Byleth stepped back from the railing and towards the sliding door. “I’ll go stall Seteth. Let me know when you’re ready.”
Mercedes turned to her wife, away from the lights of the town, away from Garreg Mach. “That’s alright. I’m okay now.”
Anna (3) 10:22 PM
hey so rie is my girlfriend now
Anna (4) 10:22 PM
WHAT
TELL US EVERYTHING
Anna (6) 10:22 PM
congrats lmao
Anna (2) 10:22 PM
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU GET BACK TO THE DORM ROOM
Anna (1) 10:23 PM
Alright, everyone lay off.
So I can ask her the list of questions!
#1: Who asked who out?
#2: Have you kissed yet?
#3: What do you like the most about them?
Anna muted the family group chat and set herself to “Do Not Disturb” as Rie scanned her keycard to enter the dorm. The door locks clunked open, and Rie pulled the door on the right open, holding it so Anna could go in first.
“Thanks.” Anna whispered, stepping into the warm lobby and removing her gloves. As she unzipped her coat, Rie stepped past toward the elevator.
“Do you want to take the stairs again, or are you willing to risk taking the elevator?” Rie said, her hand hovering over the button, a teasing smile on her face.
Anna moved closer until her coat and Rie’s were brushing together, and stared Rie in the face. Her smirk faltered but didn’t disappear. “I think the question is, are you willing to risk getting kissed goodnight again?”
Rie’s smile dissolved into a mess of half-formed comebacks and red-faced stammers. Ann grinned. She was way, way too easy.
Rie turned away from Anna, her face burning. Anna laughed and patted her on the shoulder, then reached past her and pressed the elevator call button. In the silence before the elevator arrived, Anna reached down and held her hand. Anna’s hand was a little damp from being in a glove for so long, but Rie held it nevertheless.
Ding.
They stepped in tandem into the elevator. Rie pressed the “4” and “7” buttons. As the doors met and Rie saw their blurry reflections form in the metal doors, she leaned into Anna and rested her head on her shoulder. Anna leaned back.
“I think things are going to be alright.” Rie murmured, eyes fixed on Anna’s reflection.
“What makes you think that?” Anna asked, her voice low and tender.
Rie was silent for a moment. “Just a feeling.”
Ding.
The doors opened on the fourth floor, and Rie stood unmoving for a moment, leaning against her girlfriend. When the doors began to close, she stuck her foot out to stop them and stepped out as they slid open again, letting go of Anna’s hand.
She turned to look at Anna as she moved to stand on the threshold. Face-to-face now, Rie raised her hands to Anna’s shoulders, and Anna’s expression softened as she leaned in to kiss her.
The elevator doors tried to close once more as they kissed, but they retreated as soon as they met Anna’s outstretched boot.
Rie pulled away and let go of Anna. She stepped away from the elevator, and Anna stepped back, waiting for the doors to close once more. “Goodnight, Anna.” Rie said, giving her a little wave.
“Night, Rie.” Anna smiled and waved back.
The elevator doors slid closed.