Chapter Text

“Well they’re all in there,” Catherine said gesturing towards the door leading into the meeting room “now all we have to do is break the news. You ready for this?”

Byleth breathed out, this was their one chance to break the news to his former class and colleagues. With many having to return to their respective territories after his coronation next week, this would be one of the last chances they would get to announce their engagement.

“As ready as I’ll ever be” Byleth replied, tenderly gripping her hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure that at least a few of them have already put two and two together. I haven’t exactly been hiding this” she said as she gestured towards the ring that adorned her finger.

Byleth stared at the ring for a moment. His mothers ring, and now his fiance’s ring, it was perfect on her, he couldn’t imagine anyone in the world wearing it.

“I think we’ve kept them waiting long enough” the Knight said pulling her hand out of his “you go in first and I’ll follow”

Byleth opened the door into the sounds of a dozen simultaneous conversations. The room was absolutely packed, there were only three empty seats in the entire room, his, Catherine’s, and Claude’s. Byleth only wished Claude could’ve been convinced to stay behind long enough for him to be here. As he made his way to the head of the table he couldn’t help but overhear snippets of conversations.

“-ink this is about Claude?”

“-ou can provide a steady supply we’d apprecia-”

“-army remnants are still unaccounted fo-”

“Wait, I think we’re about to start”

As the future ruler of Fodlan took his spot the room quickly fell silent and those who were sitting stood up again. “Everyone, please sit” the former professor said, he watched as his friends took their seats, he checked to his side and saw his fiance, she shot him a wink before he began his announcement. “Thank you all for coming today, since many of you will be leaving for home in the upcoming weeks Catherine and I have chosen to make our announcement. We’ve both decided to spend the rest of our lives together”
“What we’re trying to say is that we’re officially engaged!” Catherine exclaimed as she proudly presented the ring she bore on her finger.

A brief moment of silence filled the chamber before it was instantly shattered by the congratulations of dozens of voices. After the congratulations had run their course, Annette was the first to ask a question to the couple.
“When did you two get engaged?”

“Last week” Catherine answered, “a few days after the battle with Nemesis.”

“Yes!” Sylvain said, pumping his fist.

“Sylvain, what was that?” Byleth asked.

“Oh,” Sylvain replied, “it’s just that a few of the others and I put together a betting pool on when you two would finally tie the knot.”

“Sylvain!” Ingrid yelled “You actually went through with that? I thought that was just a joke.”

“Wait just a moment” Catherine said touching her hand to her forehead “was it really so apparent to all of you?”

Most of the room murmured for a moment, seemingly backing up Sylvains claim.

“If you were paying attention the signs were there” Leonie stated “between the weekly tea sessions and the special attention during training it was kinda obvious”

“That’s not even mentioning how you two fought together” Balthus said, closing his hand into a fist “when you two were together it was a sight to behold”.

“I’m not even sure if this was on purpose but I did notice that in battle you two never strayed too far from one another” Ferdinand added.

“I suppose when you put it like that” Byleth sighed “my intentions were somewhat obvious”

“It wasn’t just you, Cathy also had some tells” Shamir stepped forward “like her spying sessions”

Catherine’s smile grew a little nervous “What but how did you know?”

“You hid yourself pretty well but someone was bound to notice you disappearing for hours at a time” Shamir chuckled.

Byleth looked to his betrothed, her face was flushed red.

“If it makes you two feel any better I couldn’t tell” Raphael yelled from the back of the table.

The mood in the room instantly lightened, and a few chuckles could be heard. You could always rely on Raphael to, intentionally or not, lift everyone's spirits.

“So…” Mercedes began, “when are you two planning on having your wedding?”

“We’re planning on Garland Moon next year” Byleth replied “other than that you’ll have to wait for the RSVPs”

The questions continued for over an hour before the former classmates had all excused themselves. Every last detail of their engagement and their planned wedding had been revealed in exhaustive detail. As the doors closed the couple sat down into their chairs and breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Who knew little Annette could keep going for so long?” Catherine asked brushing a hand through her hair.

“You must have remembered the lectures” Byleth answered reclining into his seat ”she probably only stopped when she realized she was the last one left in the room.”

Catherine chuckled, “It’s good to know that no matter what happens some things will always stay the same. Especially with all of the changes we’ll be going through in the future”

Byleth took his fiance's hand into his own and let silence hang in the room for just a moment. He stared into her bright blue eyes and smiled. After a moment Catherine broke the silence.

“What?” the Knight asked as her lips formed into a smile “I didn’t say something wrong did I?”

Byleth didn’t answer, he simply leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. They both let the kiss sit for a few short moments.

The future king broke the kiss and spoke as he stood up, “We’ve still got to prepare for the coronation. Although afterwards I think we’ll get to visit one last friend to tell her the good news.”

Catherine’s smile instantly widened, “Come on then! Let’s make sure that next week goes as smoothly as possible”.

___

The first coronation in a kingdom’s history sets a precedent for the future. Byleth was unfamiliar with the coronation customs of any of the three nations and knew that blending them alone would be a near impossible task. So he allowed his students to give input on the process, Ferdinand and Lorenz were more than willing to divulge the peculiarities of Adrestian and Leicester ceremonies. Annette and Mercedes took a personal hand in assisting the planning, making sure to balance the aspects of the three nations.

Catherine mostly sat out planning the coronation, she had never been one for ceremonies. Even still she had requested to be placed in charge of security. While the war was over vengeful imperial and agarthan remnants were known to still be operating from the shadows. All of Byleth’s former students and colleagues were invited in addition to every noble house left standing after the war. A crowd had been expected and not an entirely friendly one, even if the Leicester Alliance were the victor of the war that didn’t mean that those of the former Empire and Kingdom were happy about it. Wider Fodlan was still unaware of the pair’s engagement so appearing side by side was deemed as inappropriate. Still, Catherine had vowed to protect her betrothed and she wasn’t going to allow anyone or anything to interfere.

It was decided that Garreg Mach would host the event. The centralized location was intended to convey unity across Fodlan while also maintaining the church’s importance. Luckily the repairs for the Cathedral had been finished just in time for the ceremony. The interior had of course been decorated, in spite of what some of his former students had suggested Byleth had requested that nothing be too extravagant.

The plans of the coronation were running through his head as he was being dressed. The robes he wore had been specially designed by a handful of fashion designers suggested to him by Hilda. The robes had been designed in a similar style to the Enlightened One outfit that Rhea had ended up gifting him after his transformation. After looking at himself in the mirror Byleth still thought he looked ridiculous but when he asked those around him whether it would be acceptable to wear his normal garb he was met unanimously with no.

*Knock Knock*

“Hey, it’s me” came Catherine’s voice from outside. “Are you almost ready there?”

Byleth gestured to the servants who had been helping him with his outfit and whispered “Thank you, you can go now”.

They both silently bowed and left the room, Byleth wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to having others bow to him. Catherine stepped in as they left and shut the door behind her. Catherine had been allowed to keep her normal attire due to her being in charge of the coronation’s security. Still her armor had been polished to a mirror sheen, Byleth could even make out a warped image of himself in her breastplate. She took a moment to look over her fiance and smiled.

“So,” Byleth asked “how do I look?”

“You look fantastic” she said with a smile “then again I’d say you look great in anything.”

“Is everything ready out there?” Byleth asked,trying to hide the nervousness in his voice.

“Everyone who said they were coming is accounted for” Catherine said “now they’re all just waiting on you.”

Byleth stood silent for a moment just thinking. Thinking about how far he had come, from a simple mercenary to the king of all Fodlan. Thinking about how up until a few weeks ago he didn’t have a drop of royal blood in him (goddess blood maybe but few know about that even now). It was important that the coronation go well but other than a few pointers Ferdinand and Lorenz had given him in the leadup to the event he was unprepared.

“You okay?” Catherine said, breaking his train of thought. “You went a little quiet there.”

Byleth took a deep breath and focused himself.

“Just nerves,” the future king responded, “nothing to worry about”.

“Just nerves?” his future wife replied “When we fought Nemesis you had less worry on your face. Compared to that, this should be a walk in the park.”

Byleth let out a weary sigh and said “That’s not entirely true, when Claude and I had made the plans to defeat Nemesis we had prepared thoroughly. Every trick and strategy was considered and applied, and I knew I could rely on the strength of those around me. Now, it’s all on me not to mess this up.”

Catherine lightly punched his shoulder before speaking. “Hey, remember our friends will be in the crowd and I’ll be close by. Plus if worst comes to worst I’m fairly confident we could fight our way out of there.”

Byleth chuckled and he couldn’t help but feel a smile creep on his face. Byleth held her hand for a brief moment, as he held her hand he felt all his worries quickly wash away. When he was with her life was simpler.

“Come on then, I think we’ve left them waiting long enough” Byleth said, adjusting his outfit one last time before heading to the door.

Catherine opened the door for Byleth and chose to maintain an appropriate distance from him as she escorted him to the cathedral. As they approached the doors leading into the cathedral Catherine split off, it wouldn’t make sense for a knight of Seiros to enter with the king, she gave him a quick thumbs up and left for one of the side entrances. The cathedral was more packed than he had ever seen before, after all almost every noble and high ranking clergyman had elected to witness this historic event.

As he entered the entire Cathedral quickly stood from their seats and all conversation instantly stopped. After a short moment the Cathedral was suddenly filled with the sound of music which meant he could begin his walk to the crown. Across the many, many times he had walked across the Cathedral this one seemed as though it went on for the longest, as he walked he kept every suggestion and lesson taught to him on walking in a noble manor. Needless to say it felt wholly unnatural.

Once he had actually made it to the table holding the crown the ceremony seemed to somehow become even slower. As he raised the crown to his head seconds felt like hours until he finally placed it and everything was right again. With the crown finally upon his head Byleth turned and faced who were now his new subjects.

With the coronation complete now came what would be the longest part of the ceremony. All in attendance would be required to swear fealty to the new king. Byleth knew this was nothing more than a formality, nobody could stand against the new kingdom and if any of the noble houses were planning something they would have to do it from the shadows. However, most had accepted the new rule in no small part because a decent chunk of the next generation of nobility had been Byleth’s former students and had fought alongside him during the war.

The process of the nobles swearing fealty went mostly smoothly if not boringly. At times it got to the point where Byleth had to stop himself from falling asleep while whomever was addressing was mid speech. Byleth was sure to give any former students his well wishes before they left for their respective territories. As for the rest Byleth did his best to put their names and faces to memory but there were over 100 minor nobles houses in Fodlan and after a while many of them began to blur together.

The process continued as normal until another man approached, for some reason Byleth couldn’t help but feel something different about him. His hair was silver with a well groomed beard to complement his face. His face was scarred and wrinkled from a long life on the battlefield. He moved in the way that many former Kingdom nobles did, with a stance that seemed to say that they were as ready to bow as they were to fight. He slowly lowered himself to one knee, even if this man was obviously a knight it was apparent that his age had caught up to him. When he spoke a deep and grizzled voice came from him.

“I, Count Castor Achio Charon do hereby…”

“Wait,” Byleth said, suddenly snapping to complete attention, “did you say Charon?”

“Yes your majesty,” he replied ”the bloodline of the hero Charon, wielder of the relic Thunderbrand. If I caused any offense I apologize.”

Byleth’s eyes quickly darted to where he knew Catherine was standing. She was looking down as if in shame or trying to avoid eye contact with her father. Noticeably Byleth saw that she had taken Thunderbrand off her person and placed it nearly out of sight. Count Charon’s head began to turn to look where Byleth had looked before the New King spoke again.

“My apologies” Byleth said as Count Charon’s head snapped back to him “I thought I misheard you, please continue.”

“Of course my liege…” Catherine’s father continued with a relatively short declaration of loyalty before he too bowed and left.

The rest of the event continued without note and when the last member of the crowd left Byleth decided to reconvene with Catherine. It was almost sundown by the time the coronation had finished and he found Catherine beautifully illuminated by the setting sun. He approached her as she was talking with a Knight of Seiros.

“- and if we don’t return by the nightfall then you may send a search team” Catherine said to her fellow knight “you’re dismissed”.

“Yes ma’am!” the knight said before bowing to the approaching Byleth and walking away.

“What was that?” Byleth asked, gesturing towards the exiting knight.

“Just some extra precautions” Catherine replied, “just in case something happens during our trip tomorrow.”

“Something happens?” Byleth chuckled “Come on, it’s a short trip and we’re the two best swordsmen in all of Fodlan what’s the worst that could happen?”

“Remind me, what happened the last time you decided to head to Zanado by yourself?” said Catherine with a smile.

Byleth put his hand on his fiance’s shoulder and said, “Well with you by my side I’m confident we could fight our way through any number of demonic beasts. Still you’re right, I suppose it is better to be safe.”

“Thank you, your majesty” she said “is there anything else I can help you with this evening?”

“Well I was considering getting something to eat but first I would like to change into something a bit less…” Byleth looked down at his robes “ornate, if you would escort me to my room.”

Catherine’s smile widened. “It would be my pleasure.”
The resulting walk to Byleth’s room was relatively quiet. All of the nobles had either left or would be spending the night in the town proper. The bustle of alliance soldiers had also quieted down since most of the alliance had returned home at the end of the war. Really all that was left was the monastery staff, Knights of Seiros, and a handful of alliance knights Catherine had hand picked to act as guards for the new king.

“Here you are, Milord,” Catherine said as she opened the door to his room. “You know it’s funny, during all of the time I spent observing you I’ve never actually been inside your room.”

“Would you like to fix that?” Byleth asked her “Who knows there may be assassins hidden inside.”

“Well,” Catherine said, quickly glancing around for any onlookers “we can’t be too careful can we?”

She pushed Byleth into the room and quickly closed the door behind her. The moment the door closed she practically pounced on her fiance and locked her lips with his. Byleth was thrown off balance by this sudden attack and nearly fell on his back. Catherine noticed and pulled back.

“Sorry,” Catherine said, nuzzling her face in Byleth’s shoulder “I get a little excited when we’re not in public.”

“It’s just a few more days until we tell all of Fodlan” Byleth said “then you won’t have to wait for us to be alone.”

Catherine stayed still for a moment just allowing herself the simple pleasure of embracing the man she loved.

“Alright” she said as she finally broke the embrace “let me help you out of that and into something more comfortable.”

As she helped him out of his coronation robes they idly chatted about the coronation and their plans for tomorrow. Catherine was talking about minor occurrences the knights reported in as she placed the last piece of his outfit in its own separate case.
“Apparently the gatekeeper had to shoo away a handful of kids from-“ Catherine suddenly stopped talking.

Byleth pulled his head through a fresh shirt and looked at Catherine. “Please keep going, I was-”

“Shh” Catherine shushed the king and placed a hand on Thunderbrand’s grip “Do you hear that?”

Byleth sat and listened for a moment, after a short while he was about to begin speaking again when he heard it.

A barely perceptible shuffle coming from somewhere in the room. Byleth looked to Catherine, her hands now both on Thunderbrand ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice. Byleth looked around his room, the Sword of the creator usually never left his person but for the ceremony he had left it in a special lockbox in his room. Byleth stood when suddenly one of the panels of his shelf suddenly exploded outward and a black clothed man came tumbling out with it.

The assassin instantly leapt into action and leapt and Byleth, a wicked blade in his hand. Byleth tried to raise his arms to a fighting stance but even as he raised his fists the assassin’s blow adjusted midair to completely bypass whatever resistance he put up. He watched as the blade drew closer and closer to his heart, prepared to divine pulse if the blade pierced his skin. Right before the blade struck him it was suddenly veered upwards as Thunderbrand met the blade and pushed it up.

Catherine pushed Byleth backwards and put herself between the new king and his would-be killer. Catherine had entered a battlestance and her face was twisted into an angered scowl.

“Are you hurt?” Catherine asked her fiance without taking her eyes off of her opponent.

“I’m fine” he answered.

“Good,” she replied, “now I just have to deal with this rat.”

Upon closer inspection both saw the assassin was clearly Agarthan and his dagger closely resembled the Athame used by Kronya. The assassin was likely thinking up his options, with Catherine ready there was little chance that he would reach his target but the two were also between him and the door. In a flash of motion the assassin threw a dagger which Catherine easily deflected. She leapt forward sword raised, just as she brought Thunderbrand down on his head the assassin suddenly disappeared in a flash of purple light.

Catherine looked around the room for a moment before quietly swearing and sheathing her sword once again. She turned around and quickly began looking over Byleth.

“Are you sure you're alright?” she said looking over his chest for any wounds “If something had happened to you…”

“I knew you had it covered” he said as he held her hands and placed his forehead against hers.

Catherine pulled back and said “Do you want to cancel our trip to see Rhea after that?”

Byleth smiled and chuckled “No, but we should probably tell the knights about what happened here”.

Chapter Text

Byleth and Catherine both awoke at the crack of dawn and went about their normal morning routines. Byleth dressed himself in his room, even if he was now the king of Fodlan he still chose to wear his old trustworthy outfit from his mercenary days. He decided to bring the Sword of the creator with him, normally he didn’t feel the need when walking around the monastery but with the attempt on his life the day before didn’t want to find himself unarmed in another possibly dangerous situation.

After yesterday’s attack Garreg Mach had been thoroughly swept for any other potential dangers. Even the denizens of the underground had put in an effort to watch for any would be assassins but in the end nothing was found. Still additional knights had been brought in to patrol the monastery at Catherine’s request. Catherine had even insisted that a pair of guards stay stationed outside of his room at all times.

As Byleth exited his room he dismissed the two guards and began his walk to the dining hall. Even with the increased patrols the walk to the dining hall was quiet, the rooms of his former students had been cleared out with their return to their homes and this early the monastery staff was almost entirely asleep. As he approached the dining hall he saw a pair of alliance knights at the side of the door, when they saw him approaching they both snapped to attention. Byleth walked past them and into the dining hall.

The inside of the dining hall was nearly empty with the exception of Catherine and a handful of kitchen staff in the back preparing food for the rest of the monastery. Byleth saw that she was eating breakfast and had also grabbed a second plate for him. He made his way to his fiance and took his seat.

“Good morning,” Byleth said as he grabbed his plate “sleep well?”

“Well enough,” Catherine answered “but the incident yesterday certainly didn’t help me sleep.”

“Nothing bad happened” the king answered “you made sure of that.”

“Still, the assassin got away and if he was eavesdropping on us our enemies know about us before…” she said before trailing off.

Byleth placed his hand on hers, “Well today’s trip should help rectify that, and a bit after that we can tell the rest of Fodlan.”

Catherine cleared her throat “Speaking of our trip everything is packed and ready to go, the only thing missing is us.”

“I just need to remember to grab an extra case of Leicester Cortania from my room before we go.” Byleth said as he poured himself a cup of tea. “I got some a few days ago and wanted it to be a treat.”

“Wow” she replied between bites “you got the premium stuff.”

“Well this is a special occasion and Anna got me a pretty good deal” he explained.

The two ate the rest of their breakfast relatively quickly before leaving for the training ground. Before the end of the war the pair would train together around once a week but since their engagement Byleth had begun joining his fiance during her early morning training sessions. After years of fighting the pair had sharpened their sword skills to near perfection, had anyone been watching them it would have been a sight to behold. Today, however, they had shortened their session to save energy and time for the trip ahead.
___
It was still morning when the pair left and most of the monastery was now waking up. Catherine once more reminded the knights of her orders should they not return before they left before they saddled up their horses, collected their supplies, and left for the short journey to Zanado.

The trip to the Red Canyon was entirely uneventful with the couple keeping each other company during the trip. The mood was only slightly dampened when they arrived at Zanado, with the knowledge Rhea had given them about the Nabateans it was impossible to look at the canyon the same way. Byleth knew that when he told the rest of Fodlan the true history of Nemesis and the 10 elites he would memorialize and limit access to the Red Canyon.

They had to travel quite a distance into the canyon until they reached their destination, a small cabin by the side of the river. As they approached they saw a familiar figure sitting alone in the shade, she waved to them when she saw them approach. Catherine and Byleth hitched and dismounted their horses a short distance from the cabin and walked to its steps.

“Lady Rhea” Catherine said as she instinctively bowed.

“Catherine, it’s so good to see you.” Rhea said as she rose to greet them “Professor, or I suppose I should call you ‘your majesty’ now?”

“For you? Professor or Byleth works just fine.” Byleth replied “It’s good to see you too.”

After the battle with Nemesis Rhea had decided to retire to Zanado. For her safety it was decided that Fodlan would be told that she died from her wounds, especially with the reveal of the truth of the Heroes’ Relics. Only a handful knew she was still alive and only those who helped her settle down knew where she was.

“Please, come inside, I’ll start up the kettle” Rhea said, slowly rising from her seat.

Catherine moved to help her stand but Rhea shooed her away as she approached.

“I’ll be fine,” Rhea groaned as she pushed the door of her cabin open “it’s just a few scars acting up.”

The couple followed her in, and saw a table with a handful of chairs surrounding it. Rhea had already grabbed a kettle and was filling it with water from a bucket in the corner. As she placed the kettle on a rack over her fireplace she spoke again.

“How do you feel being the new king of a united Fodlan?”

“I haven’t felt much of change” Byleth answered, as he pulled a chair back for the former archbishop to sit in. “The coronation was fairly boring and I can’t say I enjoyed dressing up that much.”

Rhea chuckled, “Do not worry, you will learn to get used to it. When I first transitioned from Seiros to Rhea I had to greatly adjust my life. Although it is good to hear that your first day ruling Fodlan went without incident.”

Catherine cleared her throat, “Well the day wasn’t entirely smooth. After the ceremony I was forced to stop an agarthan assassin from making an attempt on his life.”

“Agarthans.” Rhea’s hand balled into a tight fist, when she spoke she could barely hide her rage. “Even after we destroyed Shambhala I should have expected a few rats to slither into the dark. Must they try to take all that I have left?”

“Lady Rhea, I…” Catherine said quietly.

“No Catherine,” Rhea interrupted, “I should thank you for protecting the professor. I would expect nothing less from my most loyal knight and I can rest a bit easier knowing that as long as you are by his side he will be safe.”

Byleth looked to his fiance for a moment before she gave a short nod. “Actually that brings us to one of the main reasons we came to visit you.”

“Not that we need many reasons to drop by.” Catherine said, almost nervously “We just felt it right to tell you that we’re, um, engaged.”

Rhea sat completely still for a second until a deluge of tears began pouring from her eyes. The former archbishop quickly brought her hands to her face as if in an effort to hide her emotions. Catherine and Byleth both rose from their seats in shock and quickly rushed to her side.

“Lady Rhea!?” Catherine gasped before putting a hand on her shoulder “I’m so sorry if we-”

Catherine was interrupted by Lady Rhea suddenly wrapping her arms around the couple.

“Oh Catherine don’t apologize, these are tears of joy” Rhea said, as she embraced the lovers. “This is truly a wondrous turn of events.”

Byleth shot Catherine a confused glance, Catherine seemed as confused as he was but was quickly coming to accept the situation. Rhea spent a few seconds hugging the pair before she pulled back to wipe tears from her face.

“I’m sorry if I confused either of you.” Rhea said “I suppose this means I have a few things to explain.”

“Lady Rhea,” Catherine replied, stepping back from the former archbishop “you don’t have to explain anything if you don’t want to.”

Rhea cleared her throat “No, you, both of you deserve to know this. You should both take a seat, this may be a bit of a long story.”

The pair sat back down and prepared to listen to what they didn’t know would be the story of Byleth's birth.

“Before we start I must ask, how much do you know about your mother?” Rhea asked.

“Just that she was a nun who lived at the monastery when my father fell in love with.” Byleth answered “And that she died after giving birth to me.”

“That is mostly accurate but you are missing many details.” said Rhea “In an effort to restore my mother I created artificial bodies and buried her crest stone with them. Over the centuries I created a dozen bodies but not one of them ever held the Sothis’ consciousness, your mother was the last one I created. All of the bodies I created had struggled with emotion but even still your father was able to make Sitri happy.”

Rhea reached over the table and placed her hand on Byleth’s before continuing with the story. “Oh child, when Sitri became pregnant with you I knew you would do great things, many years ago I had given Jeralt some of my blood after he saved my life and so I knew you would harbor both my blood and the power of the progenitor god. The process of your birth had been hard on both you and your mother, you would not breath and she was greatly weakened. With her last breaths she asked me to remove the crest stone from her and put it in you to save your life. That is why your heart has never beat, for the progenitor god’s crest stone lies within you.”

Byleth sat lost in thoughts for several seconds, suddenly so much about his past became clear. So many questions of his past were answered that he needed a moment to simply connect all of the dots. His thoughts were only interrupted by the voice of his beloved breaking the silence.

“Lady Rhea,” Catherine started “you said that you created his mother, what exactly did you mean by that?”

Rhea smiled and answered, “I created Sitri with my own flesh but she was not an exact copy of me. It would not be inaccurate to say that she was something akin to my daughter.”

Now it was Catherine’s turn to sit in silent thought.

“Would that mean that you’re my…” Byleth suddenly trailed off.

“While once I had hoped that my mother would come to inhabit your body, I have come to accept that it will not happen.”Rhea interrupted, “If you would have me, I would take up the role of your grandmother.”

The king stood up from the table and slowly approached the former archbishop. He quickly embraced her, joyfully he said “Of course we would, grandmother.”

Suddenly, as if appearing out of thin air Catherine joined the embrace sandwiching Rhea between the pair. Byleth began to feel his fiance’s tears as the embrace continued for several seconds.

“This is the happiest day of my life,” Catherine said, her voice muffled by the embrace.

Rhea pulled away from the couple and sat back down. “I couldn’t be happier that you two chose each other. My most loyal knight and my grandchild.”

The trio proceeded to spend much of the rest of the day talking about their future plans, not just for their marriage but also for Fodlan as a whole. Rhea gave advice where she could, some of which Byleth decided to heed other times he chose to politely decline. Enjoying the couple’s tea and company Rhea hardly noticed when several hours had passed and their available time together was coming to a close.

Byleth glanced out a nearby window and saw that the sun was getting lower in the sky. He cleared his throat and said “I’m sorry Lady Rhea but we need to start going if we are to make it back in time.”

Catherine looked out the window as well and let out a disappointed sigh. “My apologies Lady Rhea he’s right we need to unpack the rest of the provisions we brought and then we must be going.”

“Catherine before you both leave I wish to speak to you, alone.” Rhea said taking the knight by the hand “I am sorry professor, if you would step outside I need this talk to be just between us ladies.”

Byleth nodded and left out the front door of the cabin to begin unloading by himself. Catherine looked over her shoulder as he left, only turning back to Rhea when the door closed.

“Lady Rhea,” Catherine started “I don’t see what we could talk about that…”

“Cassandra.” Rhea interrupted, her voice had lost all of the levity it had during the previous conversations.

Catherine instinctively tensed up ever so slightly upon hearing her old name in such a tone.

“Before you go I need you to promise me something.” Rhea said, her stare never leaving Catherine. “Swear to me that you will keep my grandchild safe above all else.”

“Of course Lady Rhea. I mean, I was planning on doing that anyway” Catherine said with a slight smile.

Rhea continued speaking, “Cassandra, the upcoming years will be filled with dangers and hardships. I need you to promise to me to keep him safe above all else, even at the cost of your own life if necessary. Even if the choice is between saving him or I, you must choose him.”

“Lady Rhea…” Catherine said before trailing off, unsure of how to respond.

“Cassandra please” Lady Rhea took her face in her hands “across the years you have served me well, all I require now is that you protect what is most important to me. Your reign together will be fraught with danger and I need you to reassure me that he will be safe.”

“Lady Rhea” Catherine said again, more confidently “I promise to you that I shall defend my king, future husband, and your grandson above all.”

Rhea let out a breath of relief. “Thank you Catherine, you know how much this means to me.”

“Of course Lady Rhea” Catherine replied with a slight bow “is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Just one more thing and this time it’s just a small request.” Rhea said with a smile “I don’t mean to pressure you but eventually I would love to have some great-grandchildren to dote on. It doesn’t have to be soon and if you don’t want to I fully understand.”

Catherine smiled and she had started blushing. “Lady Rhea, once more you ask me to do what I had already planned on doing”
___
After they were done unpacking her supplies the pair were forced to say farewell to Rhea. They promised to visit again when they next got the chance. Once they had gotten a fair distance Byleth decided to speak.

“So,” he started “is there anything that you two spoke about that I should know about”.

His fiance thought for a moment on what to say before replying “Oh it was nothing important, but I can tell you that Rhea wants great-grandchildren eventually.”

“Oh” exclaimed Byleth, slightly surprised.

Catherine looked to her fiance and saw that he was trying to hide a blush. She couldn’t help but begin laughing and in a short time so was he.

The pair eventually returned to Garreg Mach, to rest up before saying farewell to the monastery for a while. They would both miss the monastery, afterall both had many formative events occur on the grounds of the officer’s academy. After that they planned to permanently move to the new capital of Fodlan, Derdriu.
___

“Are you sure?” asked a shadowy figure, her voice never losing its seductive tone.

“Yes, I’m sure.” said the Assassin

“If we are to act on this information then we need you to be absolutely positive, at this stage a single wrong move could-” asked a second shadowy figure.

“Yes, I am completely sure that the Fell Star is romantically involved with that damned knight!” the Assassin loudly interrupted “Had that not been the case then I would have succeeded in my mission and slain the Fell Star!”

“Stjerna, calm yourself” the first figure said sternly “while it is unfortunate that you failed, this information has granted us new opportunities.”

“I don’t know why we are even speaking on this.” Another figure, this one wearing the armor of an imperial general, said slamming his fist on the table. “We should be planning an attack on Derdriu, not speaking on the personal life of our enemy!”

The second figure emerged from the shadows revealing the hourglass figure of Cornelia, the head of the former Faerghus Dukedom. “General, now is not the time for brute force but instead for a … gentler touch. Someone fetch me my quill and an example of the former archbishop’s handwriting, I know how we can destroy this new kingdom without having to lift a finger ourselves.”

“What is your plan, woman?” The General asked, standing from his seat.

“Oh, it’s really nothing, just a few lies and some information that a certain Faerghus Count would be interested in knowing about his daughter and his king.” Cornelia replied with a wicked grin across her face. “Until then General, continue your preparations for our final assault.”

Chapter Text

Since arriving in Derdriu both Byleth and Catherine had suddenly found themselves being exceptionally busy. Byleth had the unenviable task of managing the reconstruction and restructuring of Fodlan. Thankfully the Alliance had been mostly unharmed by the end of the war but former Kingdom and Empire lands had been ravaged throughout the five years of conflict. Sending aid to those who needed it most would be the most immediately pressing ordeal but it would be far from the only one.

Byleth also had to manage sending emissaries to Almyra, Sreng, and all of the other neighboring regions that Fodlan had chosen to isolate itself from. Most of the emissaries had failed to message back yet in the time since he had dispatched them but it had only been a week or so and he knew progress would be slow. When he did see progress he was usually forced to at least partially delegate the task to more local nobles who could respond more quickly, no matter how much that worried him.

Of course there was also the issue of rewriting Fodlan’s history books. With Rhea’s reveal on the true history of heroes’ relics all of Fodlan’s history required editing. He had tasked Seteth with assisting various scribes with correcting and compiling the various books across Fodlan into a single comprehensive volume. Byleth still had to get into contact with Ignatz to commission him for art portraying Shambhala’s fall, the final battle with Nemesis and many of the other battles from the last war.

Byleth placed his head into a pile of papers and forms resting on his table. As a professor he was used to spending hours making and grading assignments for his students but for the two weeks he had spent in Derdriu he found himself sitting at a desk or in various meetings nearly nonstop. Quite frankly he was mentally exhausted, he was so exhausted that when he heard a set of knocks on his office’s door he didn’t bother to sit up and see who it was.

“My liege?” came Catherine’s voice as she slowly opened the door.

His fiance’s voice reminded him that they still needed to prepare for their wedding announcement for next week and after that to actually begin planning for the wedding. He let out a tired groan at the thought of adding more work onto his already full platter.

“Byleth?!” Catherine said now worriedly rushing to the man she loves “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine” Byleth muttered as he slowly sat up “just tired.”

Catherine let out a sigh of relief and put a hand on his shoulder “Thank the goddess, I was about half a second away from calling for a healer.”

Catherine turned around and closed the door to his office. “Even if you were never far” she said as she turned the lock on the door “I was starting to miss you.”

Byleth stood up from his desk and embraced her. He had felt the same way, since they arrived the pair rarely had any time together and none of it was just them. With Byleth busy fixing Fodlan and Catherine ensuring the safety of her king they had spent two weeks without being able to express their relationship. As if sensing his thoughts the knight locked lips with her king, quickly Byleth felt the fog of tiredness lift from his mind. After a few seconds he broke the kiss and placed his forehead against hers.

“Thank you, I needed that” he quietly said with a smile.

“You’re welcome” she whispered before letting go.

Byleth couldn’t help but smile. He cleared his throat, “So, I hope you being here means that you’re done with doing the rounds of the city and that you’ll be able to spend a bit more time at my side.”

“I’ve taken a look around the city and the Administrative Palace and seen room for security improvements.” Catherine replied, “Then again that may be the Faerghusi in me that can’t help but want to turn every city into a fortress. I do have to admit, Derdriu is a good deal prettier than Fhirdiad and Enbarr, although for the latter it may not be a fair comparison.”

Catherine walked past Byleth and to a window in the office. She lifted the latch and opened the window allowing a slight breeze into the room. She leaned on the window sill and admired the view of the city, he did the same behind her instead admiring her in the light of the low sun.

Catherine chuckled to herself before saying: “I don’t know how you can focus when there’s a view this perfect so close to you.”

Byleth sat back down in his seat and looked over to the pile of papers he still needed to address “When there’s this much work I don’t really have a choice.”

The knight looked to the pile of papers and then to the king. “I think what you need is a break.” she said before grabbing his arm and pulling him from his seat.

“No, I still need to finish my work” he replied, barely struggling in her grip.

“You were nearly catatonic when I came in here and I know just the way to fix that” she said.

As much as he hated to admit it she was right, he needed to take a break even if it meant that his work would continue piling up. Plus it had been too long since they had had an opportunity to go on a date.

“Alright, what’s the plan?” He asked as stood beside her.

Catherine couldn’t help but smile hearing him say that. “While I was looking over the city I happened to notice a few locations I think you would like. Since I doubt you want to dress up tonight I know just the place.”

Catherine left his room, her fiance following just behind her. She looked over her shoulder, the pair of guards stationed outside his room had begun following them. She turned around and spoke to the pair, “You two don’t have to follow us, he’ll be safe with me. Just tell the others that we’ll be back later tonight”. With that they both bowed and turned back down the hall.

“That reminds me,” Catherine said “we’ll have to make a slight detour but I know the perfect way we can have a night out without anyone recognizing you.”

Byleth hadn’t really thought about that aspect of ruling, the special treatment he would receive whether he wanted it or not. When he had arrived in Derdriu there had been a parade celebrating him and he had practically been put on display for all to see. Other than that the people had rarely had an opportunity to see him and it didn’t help that he was a relative nobody to those outside of Garreg Mach.

They continued chatting as they talked until they had reached the palace’s armory. Catherine walked over to a locker, she opened and revealed the armor of an alliance soldier. “Put this on” she said as she pulled the armor from the locker and tossed it to him.

He undressed from his normal attire and put on the set of unfamiliar clothes. He found that the armor fit surprisingly well, he assumed that Catherine had set this one specifically for him.

“I don’t understand how an outfit change will help me blend in much more” he said, standing up and brushing the armor off.

Catherine tossed him a helmet and a silver sword. “With that helmet on and without the Sword of the Creator you’ll look just like any other soldier in the army.”

He placed the helmet over his head, “This helmet still leaves my entire face exposed” he responed.

Catherine chuckled, “You probably wouldn’t know this but most of the people in this city still don’t know what you really look like. The most they tend to know is your name and that you have green hair.”

“What’ll be my alias then?” he asked

“You’re Private Jackson, a recent transfer into the city but you and I hit it off while out on patrol today.” she wrapped her arm around “Jackson’s”. “So we decided to head out for drinks at a local bar.”

“So that’s the plan for tonight? I’ve heard you’re a pretty heavy drinker but this is the first time I’ll be seeing you in action.” Byleth said, smiling.

Catherine laughed “I guess this is the first time we’ve gone drinking together, huh? Well this night is sure to be a memorable one no matter what.”

The pair exited the Administrative Palace with Byleth in disguise. To his surprise as they traveled the city he found that no one seemed to see through his outfit. The only notice given to them was when a patrol of guards stopped to salute Catherine before continuing on their way. As they traveled along the busy streets and avenues of Derdriu Byleth found himself enjoying the atmosphere of the city.

Eventually Catherine stopped, her fiance looked to the building they had stopped in front of; It was made of brick like most of the city, and above the door a sign displayed the name “The Golden Knight”.

“Come on!” Catherine said as she pulled Byleth with her to the front door “It’s late enough that we might not be able to find a seat.”

As Byleth approached the door the sounds of revelry became louder. When the door opened and the couple took a step inside they found the scene of a nearly packed bar. Byleth’s eyes instantly started darting around the room. He quickly noticed a high density of armored individuals, evidently this place was popular with the local knights. He also noticed a lack of available seats anywhere, every table was full and every seat was taken.

“Dang, I knew this place was popular but it looks like we arrived a bit too late.” Catherine said before turning to Byleth. “This is fine, we can just-”

Suddenly she was interrupted by a knight now sitting in a booth with a group of his fellow knights. “Captain, we’d be willing to leave if you really wanted a seat” the Knight said as he and his group stood from their seats.

“Really?” Catherine asked “Are you sure?”

“It’s really alright,” the Knight answered “we were just talking about we’d prefer a quieter bar.”

“If that’s the case, thanks!” she replied.

The knights quickly shuffled away from their seats and out the door as Byleth and Catherine took seats on opposite sides of the table.

“That was lucky,” Byleth said as he settled down.

“Oh they were just sucking up to a superior officer,” Catherine said, leaning back into the cushion of the booth “I’m surprised you didn’t realize that”.

“Hmph, I didn’t notice much of a change when I helped run the Alliance army” Byleth responded.

“I’d blame that on you acting more like a teacher than a general,” she answered “I have a feeling that’s why you were able to transition into a leader so smoothly, you hardly needed to change at all.”

“Even now I still feel like a professor more than a king,” he said “my class size has just increased from around a few dozen to the everyone on the continent.”

Catherine laughed, “Well, if you’re giving everyone on the continent the same focus that you gave your class it’s no wonder you’re overburdened with work.”

“I do try to make sure even the smallest requests still get resolved” the disguised king said.

“Really?” Catherine asked

At that moment a server approached the booth the pair were sitting at. “Sorry for making you wait.” the server asked “Is there anything I can get ya?”

“Just start us off with two pints of your best ale” Catherine answered, as the server left she turned to her fiance. “You do mean that you make sure it goes to the correct person, right?”

“I don’t understand.” he replied “Is it wrong to make sure everyone’s needs are met?”

Catherine placed a hand on her forehead, “No, but if you try and do everything yourself like back at the monastery you’re going to spend the rest of your life giving every person in Fodlan back their lost items.”

“That’s the only style of leading that I know, what would you suggest I do?” Byleth asked, staring intently at his fiance.

She sighed before answering, “You remember how the Adrestian Empire used to have several ministers in charge of running different parts of the empire?”

“Of course, I still remember when Ferdinand told and quizzed me about it.” he replied “with the noble houses supporting me they still handle most of their own problems but what makes its way to me is still overwhelming.”

“You have to remember that those ministers weren’t just in charge of their own territories but that they helped with affairs that concerned the whole Empire” she said, tapping the table to emphasize her words. “Remember how in the army issues and problems only moved up the chain of command if they needed to? It’s the same thing here, and right now it sounds like you could do with adding another link or two into the chain to stop yourself from being overwhelmed.”

Byleth sighed and leaned forward against the table. “At least I have no shortage of dependable individuals to appoint as ministers. I’m sure Ferdinand if nobody else will be up to the challenge.”

Catherine gave a short chuckle, “See, you’re already a natural at finding people to delegate your responsibilities to.”

The server came back and placed two pints on the table in front of each of them. “If you need anything else feel free to call me over.”

“Actually,” Catherine butted in, “just keep bringing drinks for me and my friend here every few minutes and put it on my tab.”

The server smiled and left to handle other patrons at the bar.

“Are you sure about that?” Byleth asked.

“What?” she replied before giving him a light punch in the shoulder “It’s a new bar and a new tab, plus I can alway rely on you to pick up the tab if I really go overboard.”

“No, I was trying to ask if you think drinking that much is a good idea,” he responded. “I don’t want to have to drag you back to the palace drunk.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” she said practically scoffing at his remark“what makes you think you’ll be dragging me home? We’ll both be drinking here and I know I’m more experienced than you at coming home tipsy.”

“I helped my father make it back to camp after he visited local bars for years. I’m sure you know of his drinking habits and how much experience I have in the matter.”

Catherine had seen Jeralt at bars near Garreg Mach several times and she knew that his penchant for alcohol was no trifling matter. Even still she had never had the chance to try and match him drink for drink. Even if his son had been drinking alongside him that didn’t mean that Byleth was a match for his father or for her.

“There’s only one way to find out who’ll be carrying who home” Catherine said before holding her glass up.

“Alright” he said, also lifting his glass up.

The pair clinked their glasses and set about drinking their contents. They went late into the night matching each other drink for drink. At the end they were the last to leave the bar staggering back to the palace. It would come to pass that they would both have to drag each other back but neither would come to remember that in the morning.

___
The light of the morning sun broke through the curtains in Byleth’s room shining on the sleeping king’s face. Almost instinctively he rolled to the side, after his late last night he felt that he could use a few more minutes. His roll was stopped halfway through, strangely he felt a warm mass in his bed that he had now unintentionally wrapped himself around. He felt his face resting in a tangle of hair.

Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself staring at the back of Catherine’s head. To the King of Fodlan it seemed as though the previous night had ended better than he had expected. He allowed himself a moment to lay next to her, one arm wrapped around her bare waist, the other playing with her golden hair.

It was only a matter of time before Catherine woke up as well, she turned over and faced him. Once again the pair lay there just soaking in each other’s presence before she leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.

“Good morning” she said to her lover

“Good morning to you too,” he said back.

“You know, for a first timer you weren’t so bad last night” she said before allowing herself a light giggle.

“You were incredible too,” he replied.

Byleth’s mind slowly tried to recall the previous night but after a few rounds each his memory went blank. For now he’d just have to assume that they just stumbled back to his room together.

Wait…

Their relationship wasn’t meant to be public yet!

As if on queue suddenly a series of knocks came from the door. Instantly the pair sat up and looked each other in the eyes, evidently they had both come to the same conclusion. Catherine quickly leapt out of bed

“Your majesty, your breakfast is here” a maid said from the other side of the door.

“I’ll be there in a minute!” Byleth yelled back to the maid. “You need to hide!” he whispered to his fiance.

“I know,” Catherine whispered back, now reaching down to collect her discarded breastplate “help me pick up my clothes before they suspect something.”

Byleth quickly helped the knight collect her clothes, the pair sifted through the piles of clothes to determine whose were whose. After nearly a minute they had found all of what they believed were Catherine’s and they had both begun dressing themselves. Both were only half dressed when another set of knocks came from the door.

“Your majesty, is everything alright in there?” the maid asked once more.

“One second!” he yelled before turning back Catherine, “There’s no time just grab your things and hide in my closet”

She nodded and did as she was asked. She quietly closed the closet door as Byleth wrapped a robe around himself and opened the door.

“My apologies” the king said to the maid “I just needed to get myself dressed.”

“No, your majesty, I must apologize for causing you undue duress,” she said, giving a slight bow.

In the maid's hands was a silver platter with a full assortment of hot breakfast food. Byleth usually started the day by having breakfast brought directly from the palace’s kitchens to his room. He had asked that the breakfast be brought 30 minutes after he would normally wake up but after last night’s activities it was natural that he slept in a little.

“Allow me to just put this -” she said, beginning to move into the room.

“No, it’s fine I’ll take it from here” Byleth interrupted putting his hands on the tray.

“If you insist…” the maid stopped mid sentence to look at something in the room.

Byleth quickly looked behind him where the maid was looking and resting on his table he saw what had caught her off guard. Thunderbrand was resting on the table in plain sight, it seems they had forgotten about something.

“I…” the maid stammered before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. “Captain Catherine wasn’t found in her room this morning. Shall I tell the staff that she has been found in the palace?”

Byleth sighed and hung his head low for a moment “Yes, thank you”.

The maid stepped back and closed the door leaving the king holding the tray of breakfast. He quietly walked over to the table and placed the tray next to the heroes’ relic. The door to his closet slowly opened and Catherin walked out, now only missing some of her armor.

“I assume that means we’ve been outed” she asked as she tightened the straps on her breastplate.

“Yes, even if she hadn’t just seen this” he said, lifting Thunderbrand into the air before tossing to its owner “I doubt we made our way back here without being seen by the guards.”

Catherine sat down at the table and started helping herself to breakfast. “So, what do we do now?” she said as she put a piece of bacon in her mouth.

“Same plan as before” he replied as he took off his robe and chose a shirt from the closet “we just have make the announcement to Fodlan a bit sooner.”

“Good, I was getting tired of not getting to kiss you in public” Catherine replied before kissing her fiance on the cheek. “I also look forward to having more nights and mornings with you.”

Chapter Text

When Catherine went from the head of the king’s guard to the future queen her life immediately changed. The shift wasn’t as great as that of Byleth’s but even she felt it jarring when she suddenly couldn’t even walk across the hall in the palace without someone stopping to bow to her. She was taken back to her days as Cassandra, living with her parents and siblings in Faerghus. Catherine brushed those thoughts aside as she pushed open the door to Byleth’s room, or rather their shared room.
“Hey Honey” Catherine said as she walked in. The room was entirely dark save the lights of the city outside bleeding into the room and a handful of candles at Byleth’s desk. She reached over Byleth, still sitting and looking down, and grabbed one of the candles.

“How was your day dear?” Byleth asked, looking up from the letter he was reading.

“You know, still getting used to being known as the future queen and not the current captain” the knight answered as she started going around the room lighting candles. Catherine approached her fiance, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulders.

“What have you got there?” she asked, now glancing over the letter her fiance was looking at.

Byleth sighed and turned to face her but as he opened his mouth to answer her she leaned forward and gave him a light kiss. Byleth blushed and he took a moment to regain his composure and answer her question. “Just an invitation from Lorenz”.

“Oh,” she said, pulling back “and what did the new head of house Gloucester invite you to?”

“A grand ball, to help ease any tensions between nobles from the former empire and kingdom.” Byleth responded before handing her the letter.

Catherine glanced over the letter before handing it back. “Seems pretty formal, but I’m sure the tailor already has something for you to wear though.”

“And what about you?” the King asked the future Queen.

She gestured around herself, “Same thing as your coronation. I might try switching out some of the white for black though. What do you think?”

“Don’t you think it would send the wrong message if the future queen showed up to a ball meant to help smooth relations ready for a fight?”

“Oh I don’t think it would be that bad, after all right now I’m still a knight and your personal protector” she replied with a slight chuckle.

Byleth and Catherine stared at each other for an awkward moment before she broke the silence with an annoyed groan. “Fine, you’re right I guess I’ll have to dress up and leave Thunderbrand here.”

Byleth stood up and kissed his fiance on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah” she said, allowing a smile to break through her facade of annoyance. “Wait, does this mean that I’ll have to wear heels?”
____
Evidently the answer would be yes. For all of the outfits that had been made for her all of them had included heels of some kind. After trying on a dozen or so Catherine chose a relatively simple outfit. She chose it partially because it was the dress that constricted her movements the least and partially because the heels of the tall boots it came with were shorter than the stilettos of the others. The whole outfit was mostly black with purple highlights and embroidered with gold, while both Byleth and Catherine had found it extravagant their tailors had both said that nothing less would work for the King and his future Queen. Byleth’s outfit was similarly styled to Catherine’s, the tailors had gone out of their way to ensure that any selection Catherine had made would fit well with her fiance’s.

All during the carriage ride to Lorenz’s family estate Byleth found himself enamored by the beauty that sat across from him. During all of their time together this was the first time he had seen her in makeup, he didn’t know how but it somehow made his perfect lady even more beautiful.

“You know, the last time I had to dress up like this was when I was graduating from Garreg Mach.” she said, still fiddling with a glove that had also come with the dress.

“Really? You never went to a formal event with Rhea?” Byleth asked with a slight grin.

“I never said that,” she replied, adjusting her necklace. “But whenever I went to them it was always as security, like at your coronation. This is the first time in over a decade for me to be invited as a guest.”

“You still have more experience than me” Byleth said now with a full smile “you at least spent your younger years among nobility, the only preparation I have is Garreg Mach’s ball and what lessons Ferdinand and Lorenz were able to teach me before my coronation.”

The pair felt the carriage come to a stop and took a moment to look over themselves one last time.

“Don’t worry we’re the royal couple and right now we get to set the trends for everyone else to follow. You could trip up the stairs into the manor and you would see nobles across the land doing it just to copy you” Catherine said with a smile.

A second later the door to the carriage opened and Byleth took Catherine’s hand and stepped outside. Lorenz’s family estate was certainly impressive in terms of size and extravagance, looking at its front Byleth felt it could easily compare to the administrative palace in Derdriu. Looking around he saw a nearby vineyard backlit by the setting sun, undoubtedly the Glouceseter’s personal wine supplier. He also saw various attendants around, ranging from house Glouceseter staff to the royal couple’s personal guard (all of whom Catherine had hand picked).

As they walked to the entrance of the estate Byleth took notice that the path was lined with multicolored roses, red, blue, and yellow, all the same flower just different colors, Byleth was sure that Claude would have gotten a chuckle out of that. The process of getting to the door was somewhat slow going as Catherine somewhat struggled to walk in her heels and she found herself leaning on her husband rather frequently.

“Dammit” Catherine swore under her breath as she nearly tripped once again. “ I never understood how Manuela could walk in these, much less fight!”

“You’re doing fine” Byleth said, still being sure to support his fiance. “You told me you’ve worn heels before, you just have to remember how to walk in them again”.

“That was over a decade ago and I hated it then too!” she replied “You are right though, the muscle memory has slowly been coming back though.”

Eventually the pair were able to make their way to the entrance where they found a familiar face waiting for them.

“Ah, Professor, Catherine, it's so good to see both of you!” Lorenz called out as he stepped out from the entryway to greet them. He was wearing a no doubt expensive purple suit.

“Lorenz, how’ve you been?” Byleth replied enthusiastically.

“I’ve been doing quite well, please come inside” he said gesturing to the open doorway “most of the others are already inside.”

As the pair entered into the main hall they were met by a butler and a maid both of whom greeted them by bowing.

“Your excellency, milady, we would be honored if we may take your coats” the butler said.

Byleth and Catherine both took off their coats and handed them to the butler and maid respectively. As the two servants left, Lorenz directed the royal couple to the ballroom.

“Lorenz, I’m sure it’s good to see your former classmates again, did you have any special plans with any of them?“ Catherine asked as they entered the ballroom.

“That reminds me,” Lorenz said, stopping to look directly at the pair, “a small bit of advice from a friend and a person more accustomed to the life of nobility. You should use events like these as opportunities to get to know important figures you otherwise might not have.”

Byleth looked around the ballroom and saw many faces he recognized and many more he did not. He was sure that many of them had attended his coronation but seeing them one time two months ago didn’t give him much to remember.

“Of course, it’s still good to spend time catching up with old friends but do try to save some time for new faces.” Lorenz added on.

“My lord?” a butler said from behind Lorenz “You said you wished to be notified when Miss Pinelli arrived, she is arriving now.”

“Thank you.” Lorenz said, “I apologize but I need to step away for a while, but if you ever require anything please don’t be afraid to ask me or any of my waitstaff. The banquet will start in an hour, please feel free to mingle.”

“Don’t worry,” Catherine said sticking an arm around her fiance’s “compared to some of the scrapes we’ve all been through together this is nothing.”

With that Lorenz went back to the front and left them with the rest of the partygoers.

“So when do you think he’ll make his big announcement?” Catherine quietly asked in Byleth’s ear.

Byleth looked to her for a moment before he realized what she was referring to.

“I’d give him some time,” Byleth whispered back “our noble friend will probably want to get situated before he comes forward about his love of a commoner.”

Catherine gave a slight chuckle. “Come on let’s go, I think I just saw Ashe over by the drinks table” she said, giving a slight tug on her fiance’s arm.

The two spent the next hour in polite conversation catching up with old friends and meeting with new acquaintances. Catherine for the most part was the one choosing where to go and who to talk to. Byleth couldn’t place her reasons for when she insisted on switching conversation but it also somewhat meant they moved around frequently.

After an hour passed food was brought out and the banquet started. The royal couple were seated at the head of the table with Lorenz, Ferdinand as well as several other important members of nobility he was less familiar with. The meal went without a hitch, Byleth being sure to make use of all of the table manners he had been taught. As the night was getting late many of the attendees were slowly leaving for their journeys back to their home territories.

“Either way I’m glad you two went public when you did” Ferdinand said with a grin “the number of times I heard a noble’s plan to marry the king and I just had to sit there pretending I knew nothing was too much.“

The couple gave a chuckle, “I’m glad us having to make our announcement had at least a few upsides” Catherine replied.

“Well, with that I’m afraid I must bid all of you adieu” Ferdinand said standing up from the table “the trip back to Aegir is long and I need to leave soon if I am to make it back on time.”

“It was good catching up with you” Byleth said standing up and shaking his former student’s hand “I hope we meet again soon.”

“As do I, Professor” he said as he left.

They watched quietly as Ferdinand left before standing up themselves. “It is pretty late and we should get going too,” Byleth said to Lorenz.

“Of course Professor, as always it was great seeing the both of you” Lorenz replied as he shook Byleth’s hand.

“Excuse me,” a voice came from behind “before you go I would like to have a word with the king and queen”

Byleth turned around and saw a face he had made sure to remember, even though he had seen it only once before.

“I am Castor Charon” he said, “lord of House Charon, we met before at-”

“The coronation” Byleth interrupted as he extended a hand in greeting.

“Ah, I’m glad to see you remember me,” Castor said as he shook his king’s hand.

“Father it’s, um, good to see you” Catherine said with a strained smile.

“Cassandra, it’s been far too long,“ he replied before putting a hand on her shoulder.

Instinctively her right hand slowly shifted to her side where normally Thunderbrand would be. Byleth saw her obvious tension in what should have been a happy reunion and felt puzzled by his Fiance’s reactions.

“I just wanted to congratulate both of you on the engagement and to extend an invitation to visit Styx.” Castor said to the couple.

Byleth tried to remember what he could about Styx but very little came up in his memory. From the context he could guess it was likely house Charon’s seat of power and Catherine’s childhood home.

“The rest of the family was hoping that they could catch up with Cassandra and meet the man who stole her heart.” the Count said, gesturing to Byleth.

“I think a visit would be nice when we have time.” Byleth replied.

“I…” Catherine said with a brief pause, “of course, I would love to see mother and the others again.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Castor said with a small bow “our hospitality is always open to the both of you. I’ll leave you both to the rest of your night.”

Once Castor had left, both quietly collected their things and left the ball. Only once they had left Lorenz’s estate and began their walk back to their carriage did Byleth feel the need to talk about what had happened.

“Your father seemed nice,” Byleth said almost absentmindedly .

“Did none of that feel off to you?” Catherine replied “before I left I would have described him as a kind man but that was a decade ago and never like that.”

“You did spend a decade apart, maybe that’s why he was so eager to see you.”

“That could be it but I doubt that with what happened to Prince Dimitri his disposition would improve.”

Byleth stopped walking for a moment. Prince Dimitri’s death at Gronder Field effectively signaled the end of resistance against the dukedom in Faerghus. Had the war gone on for much longer after that it would have been doubtful for Fraldarius and Gautier to avoid total collapse.

“Did your father support Prince Dimitri during the war?” Byleth asked his fiance.

“At the Battle of Gronder I saw the banners of house Charon on the prince’s side.” she solemnly answered “I likely crossed blades with men loyal to my family that day.”

Catherine cursed quietly. The whole battle at Gronder had been an unnecessary tragedy spurred on by the prince’s madness. The clash between Kingdom and Alliance forces had been an unnecessary loss of life that only benefited their enemies. She still found herself wondering if things could have turned out differently on that fateful day.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring up any regrets” Byleth reached out to comfort the woman he loved “we don’t have to visit if you don’t want to”

“No, throughout everything that’s happened in my life I know that I don’t regret fighting for you that day” she said, pulling Byleth closer “No matter the reason for my father’s attitude it’ll be good to return home.”

“I look forward to seeing your home as well until then you can tell me all about it”

Catherine spent much of the remaining night telling her lover stories from her childhood and simply enjoying his company. For his part Byleth listened and did the same for the entire carriage ride back to Derdriu.

Chapter Text

Byleth and Catherine entered their room and quickly got out of their winter riding gear to gather around their lit fireplace. While the winter had been mild so far, traveling any distance in the cold will quickly have anyone wishing for a warm fire. Byleth sat down on a couch near the fireplace, took off his damp gloves, and stretched out his hands towards the fire. Catherine took a seat next to him and leaned over to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

Byleth looked down at Catherine lovingly, right now the only thing that could make this whole situation better is if they had something warm to drink. He took a quick glance around the room and saw a carafe of hot water near his tea supplies, no doubt a thoughtful servant had left it there before the pair had come in. He leaned over and grabbed a bag of Rose Petal Blend and started making tea. During his time at Garreg Mach Byleth had become quite adept at making tea and while he couldn’t claim to be as good as someone like Lorenz or Ferdinand he could practically make tea blindfolded. He poured out a cup for Catherine and himself and handed one over to her.

Byleth poured out a cup of tea and handed it to Catherine, the soft aroma of rose petals filling the air. She took it with a playful smile, keeping one arm draped around his shoulders.

“Rose Petal?” she asked, arching a brow. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s your favorite,” Byleth said, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

“You’re not trying to win points with me, are you?”

“Maybe.” Byleth leaned closer, his voice a soft murmur. “Is it working?”

Catherine chuckled, setting her cup down as she closed the distance between them. Her lips met his in a kiss that tasted of tea and warmth, her touch firm and familiar. She pressed him back onto the sofa, her body settling against his. Byleth’s hand fumbled to set his cup aside without spilling it, but soon enough his arms were around her, holding her close.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still, the only sound the crackling fire beside them.

Then Byleth gently pulled back, just enough to look into her eyes. “Wait—just a moment.”

Catherine blinked in surprise, her hands still lingering under the hem of her shirt. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.” He smiled, though his voice was softer now, more thoughtful. “I just... wanted to talk first.”

“Oh, of course” she said before leaning back off Byleth “I haven’t been too rough with you, have I?”

Byleth couldn’t help but blush at that comment, “No you’ve been fantastic. The only time you’ve hurt me is when you knock me down during our sparring matches.”

Catherine let out a sigh of relief “If it’s not that then what is it?” she asked

“Since things have been pretty quiet around here,” Byleth said leaning back on his elbows, “ and reports say that the imperial remnants in faerghus seem to have gone to ground for the winter. I was wondering if you would want to make that trip to visit your family soon.”

Catherine let out another sigh, and rested her head on his chest “I guess it was only a matter of time until we had this talk. I can’t say I’ve been looking forward to this trip but I suppose I can stomach returning home so long as you stay by my side.”

“We both know you wouldn’t let me out of your sight,” Byleth said, taking her gently playing the ring that adorned her hand. “Would you write a letter telling your family we’re coming?”

“Writing a letter?” Catherine asked “I’d face down 100 demonic beasts for you but I’m sorry writing a letter is too far for me.”

Byleth looked down and saw Catherine’s bright blue eyes looking up at him, a smirk across her lips. Byleth couldn’t help but smile back at her. They stayed like that with her resting on top of him.

“That can wait until tomorrow, for now you have my undivided attention” Byleth whispered into his lover’s ear.

That was all Catherine needed to hear before she continued from where she left off, practically tearing her shirt off and revealing her toned form to the Byleth. Things naturally continued from there with the pair enjoying each other throughout the night.

_____

On the 11th of Guardian Moon, the couple left for the County of Charon. On their journey north, they made a stop by Zanado to visit Rhea for her Birthday and to drop off additional supplies. Apparently a massive wave of snow was expected to come in soon and so the pair left for the city of Styx in hope of getting there before they were snowed in.

They left with only a small contingent of guards for their journey, a few dozen loyal men and women in case the pair were to run into trouble along the way. Byleth was certain that he and Catherine alone could have survived any ambush made by any opportunistic bandits but in some ways the war still wasn’t over in the former kingdom. While imperial remnants throughout Faerghus had mostly been situated in the former Dukedom territory, information on their whereabouts had become sparse during the winter.

The precautions would end up being unnecessary however after a day of travel through the mountains they found themselves at the gates of Castle Styx. The castle and surrounding city were impressive and were built with the traditional Faerghus ideals of function over form. While it wasn’t as impressive as Arianrhod, Fort Merceus, or Fodlan’s Locket it seemingly remained untouched by the war. The only blemishes upon the castle was the thin layer of snow topping the castle’s roofs and walls.

It was lightly snowing with a somewhat strong wind as they approached the city. As they entered into the city people exited from their homes into the snowy streets to see their new king and the returning heiress. House Charon soldiers stood in the streets at attention forming a path towards the keep at the center of the city. Catherine and Byleth quietly rode in on horseback side by side.

They rode into the courtyard of the castle from the front gate and were greeted by a number of knights flanking them on either side. Directly in front of them was they saw three people standing out among the knights, each wearing fur coats, mountain lion if Byleth had to guess. The first among them was Duke Castor Charon standing tall in the wind and snow even at his somewhat advanced age, his blonde hair was cut short and was complemented by a well trimmed beard. His face was marked by an old scar from his cheek to his jaw, likely an old wound from a battle.

The second in line was likely Catherine’s mother. Her hair was platinum blonde and kept in a bun that kept it out of her face. Byleth immediately noticed similarities between his wife to be and her mother, besides a few wrinkles from age and a slight difference in tan; their facial structures were really similar.

The third and final figure wore their hood up and Byleth got only a brief glance before all in the courtyard kneeled before him and his wife. The bow lowered their head and obscured their face. Instantly Byleth felt put on edge, they were surrounded on all sides and this unidentified figure felt like an ill omen. He still remembered the Agarthan mages and their deceitful tactics that nearly brought ruin to his battle strategies during the war on earlier occasions. Even still when they got to the center of the courtyard he climbed down from his horse, Catherine following him a moment later. Both had always preferred to fight on foot and while he hoped that his tension was nothing more than a false alarm it soothed him still.

They both walked towards Catherine’s family, it wasn’t until they were within touching distance that Catherine’s parents rose followed immediately by the various knights around the courtyard. A moment of silence passed before Count Charon spoke.

“Your Grace, welcome to Styx. This is my wife, Elysia” he said, gesturing towards the older woman at his side.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Grace” she said with a curtsy.

“The pleasure is all mine” Byleth responded

“And this…” Castor started before Catherine suddenly interrupted as she took a look at the face under the hood.

“Helena?!” Catherine excitedly asked, “It’s so good to see you!”

“Cass!” Helena cheered “Oh I never thought I’d see you again”.

Helena was evidently Catherine’s sister, she was a few years younger, likely 21 or 22. She had softer features than the rest of her family and had long wavy blonde hair. She was slightly paler and shorter than the rest of her family. While the rest of house Charon were pretty serious in demeanor Helena almost immediately broke protocol, stepped forward and hugged her sister.

“Whoa!”Catherine exclaimed, before reciprocating her sister’s hug.

“I apologize for her, Your Grace, she’s simply excited to be reunited with her sister,” Elysia said with a bow.

“Honestly, I expected more of this type of thing,” he said, gesturing towards the hugging sisters “if anything this is a welcome change of pace.”

“Ah, well, in that case, we can continue catching up inside, out of the cold,” Castor said, “gesturing toward the front door."

“Alright, lead the way,” Byleth said.

The five of them walked and talked down the halls of castle Styx, Helena talked with Catherine for much of the journey both catching each other up on what happened in their lives. Catherine spoke extensively on her time at the monastery and in the knights of Seiros.

“I knew you would have been at Garreg Mach!” Helena exclaimed “I was practically begging Mom and Dad to let me go for a year.”

“Right, you turned 17 in 1181” Catherine said rubbing her hand at the back of her head “things may have gotten pretty awkward if we ran into each other, especially seeing how ‘Cassandra’ was supposed to be dead”.

“You were a professor at Garreg Mach before, right?” Helena asked, now looking toward Byleth “Maybe you would’ve taught me.”

“I taught the Golden Deer and you likely would have been assigned to the Blue Lions so you would have had to transfer classes for that to happen” Byleth replied.

“I’m sure I would have found out about Cass and you by then” Helena said with a smile “and I would have had no choice but to join your class to figure out what was going on.”

“We didn’t really start dating until the end of the war but I’m sure you’d have ended up in the right cla… ” Catherine cut herself off as her parents both abruptly stopped in their tracks.

“Sorry,” she said almost timidly, “what I meant to say was-”

“No, you’re right,” Elysia said, failing at hiding the bitterness in her voice. “We all know how the war ended and how the Golden Deer were the only ones to fully survive.”

Everyone stopped in the hall as the air was filled with an uncomfortable silence. Catherine had expected this to happen but not this early into the trip. It was a blessed reprieve when Castor spoke and broke the silence.

“That’s all in the past now,” he said putting a hand on Catherine’s shoulder “we should be celebrating the end of the war and your return, not moping around a hallway.”

Catherine gave a light chuckle “Thanks Dad, you always know what to say.”

“That reminds me of one thing I would like to do before we bring you to your room,” Castor said, moving down the hall and gesturing toward a doorway.

“I thought it was strange we weren’t heading to the guest rooms” Catherine remarked walking to the door.

As she looked into the room she saw a familiar sight, an ornate room walls lined with tapestries with an ornate display case in its center, Thunderbrand’s display room. It was practically unchanged since she had last been here all those years ago. The tapestries still showed the “Hero” Charon wielding Thunderbrand in various different battles of legend. The display case in the middle had a perfect indentation for Thunderbrand to rest.

Even if the room hadn’t changed Catherine had, she looked around at the tapestries lining the walls and felt a tinge of disgust. The truth of Charon, Nemesis, and the rest of the “Heroes” of the Ten Elites brought everything into a new context. She had even crossed blades and bested her ancestor, or at least the shell that had been resurrected alongside Nemesis. Even her perception of Thunderbrand had changed, once the sword was her pride and soul, now knowing that it was the remains of Rhea’s family she only kept the sword at her side for its power.

“When I gifted it to you I had always hoped that one day you would return to put it back in its rightful resting place,” Castor said, breaking Catherine out of her thoughts. “If only for a few nights would you allow us to keep hold of our prized relic?”

She looked down at the sword at her side before looking back to Byleth. He gave a small nod and she placed a hand on Thunderbrand’s pommel feeling the warmth of the crest stone. In a series of slow deliberate motion she undid the latches that kept Thunderbrand in its sheath and pulled the large blade out. She flipped the sword so that the flat of the blade rested on her hand before slowly lowering it into its case.

“Thank you, it means so much to us all that Thunderbrand is returned to us” Castor said.

“Sure,” Catherine replied, feeling somewhat naked without a sword at her side. “I am going to want that back before we leave though.”

Her father replied with a simple smile and a nod, “Of course”.

The rest of the walk went by without incident until they reached their guest room. Byleth entered the room first, the stone architecture was livened up by deep blue carpets and curtains and an already lit fireplace. A king sized bed lay to one side its drapes the same blue as the carpets. Their luggage was already in the room and various items were already unpacked and placed around the room.

“Well, home sweet home” Catherine said as she walked into the room.

“Actually,” Castor stepped forward, “before you make yourself comfortable I’m afraid there’s one more thing we would ask of you.”

“Of course,” Byleth replied, “whatever you need.”

“I’m afraid this is a family matter, Your Grace.” Castor responded “I hope you can understand.”

Byleth gave a simple nod.

“Wait, before I go, what is this about?” Catherine asked, somewhat weary of the notion of leaving the side of the man she swore to protect.

“It’s about Damian and Antheia,” Elysia said, solemnly.

“Oh, I see” she said before cutting herself off, “they’re right I should go alone.”

Byleth thought about what Catherine had told him about her family on the trip here. Damian and Antheia were the two middle siblings between Catherine and Helena, whatever involved them was no doubt a family matter. “Go, I’ll be waiting for you,” Byleth replied.

Catherine left her fiance behind and went with her family back down the halls of castle Styx. Eventually heading down beneath the castle, not to the dungeons but down further than that. As Catherine realized where they were heading in down her heart sank, they were heading down into the crypt. Various heirlooms from generations of their family practically lined the walls of the crypt, the air was cold with the only sources of light and heat coming from various candles lining the walls. They walked among the well maintained graves of centuries of deceased Charons until they reached the most recent additions to the crypt.

Side by side were two new sarcophagi, on top of each a figure of knight in armor was carved from stone. Without even looking at the names engraved into them Catherine immediately identified the two figures as her siblings. Biting back tears she took a moment to process the death of her brother and sister.

“I didn’t …” Catherine started before cutting herself off.

“Take your time,” Castor whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder “let it all out.”

“No, I…” Catherine took a moment to collect herself, “ How did they die?”

“Damian fell a year into the war, he was fighting in the west against the Dukedom” Elysia answered “we were told he went down fighting like a true knight.”

“After Damian died Mom and Dad got more protective over Antheia and me.” Helena said,“they hardly allowed us to leave Styx much less go out and fight but when the young prince returned…”

“Antheia was insistent on joining him and it was our duty to support him” Castor continued “so Antheia marched with him, leading many of our bannermen into battle.”

Catherine suddenly felt a pit in her stomach, she knew what that meant.

“She died at the Battle of Gronder Field” Helena stated.

Catherine felt a pang of guilt, that would mean that her own sister had died in battle against her and she never even knew it. It was like Christophe all over again, had someone close to her died once more because of her duty? No, if she had known it would have been different, she could have sought Antheia out and convinced her to stop.

“She took an arrow and fell from her pegasus,” Castor continued, “this sarcophagus is empty, we never even found her body.”

“I’m sorry” Catherine said, still holding back tears, “I didn’t know.”

“None of this was your fault” Elysia said, putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

“I was there, if I had known, I could have saved her,” Catherine replied.

“Yes but you can still avenge her,” Castor said, also putting his hand on her shoulder.

This confused Catherine, Edelgard, the source of much of her grief, was already dead. The Agarthans, the ones who orchestrated the war, were almost entirely crushed when Shambhala was destroyed. The only one responsible who remained unpunished was Cornelia, the Faerghus Dukedoms leader who disappeared at the end of the war, but she was only tangentially related to Antheia’s death.

“Don’t worry, Byleth and I have been searching for Cornelia to bring her to justice, and we won’t stop until we can drag her out of the darkness and into the light” Catherine replied.

“Yes, of course…” Castor quietly trailed off.

“We’ll be here for you for as long as you need to grieve Cassandra” Elysia said.

A few minutes passed, Catherine spent some of it just reminiscing about her childhood with her siblings, some of it praying to the goddess, and some of it silently cursing the war that claimed the lives of her siblings. Eventually Catherine stood up, hugged her family and they all went back up to the surface. They walked Catherine back to her and her fiance’s room.

“A servant will come and get you once dinner is ready, it should only take around an hour,” Elysia said with a smile.

“Thanks Mom, I look forward to having a meal with you guys.” Catherine said with a smile before closing the door to their room. She turned around to Byleth who was sitting in a chair reading from a book. She leaned back against the door before slowly sliding down until she was sitting on the floor.

Byleth put the book down and sat up before walking over to Catherine who was still dejectedly sitting on the floor.

“Bad news?” he asked.

“The worst,” she answered.

Byleth leaned down and offered her his hand. She gladly took his hand and lifted herself to her feet and hugged him in a single motion. She leaned on and held onto him, holding onto him like her life depended on it.

“They’re gone, they’re both gone” she whispered, trying to keep the tears in.

They held each other for a minute, Byleth doing his best to comfort her.

“Eventually you and Helena will be the only people I have left. I can’t, I won’t lose you, promise me you’ll always stay with me.”

“‘For now and forever, you can’t escape me’ that what you said after I proposed to you, I’ll always stay with you.”

“Thank you” Catherine said, wiping away a few stray tears before perking up into her normally cheerful mood. “Anyways I promised to show you around on the way here, right? There’s no point moping around so let’s go!”

The pair left and Catherine showed Byleth her favorite places around Styx from her childhood. After an hour as predicted a servant found them and asked them to prepare for dinner. They didn’t have many preparations to make other than to switch out of their traveling clothes into something a bit more comfortable. When they arrived at the table they found the rest of Catherine’s family already seated around the table, the seat at the head of the table was vacant for Byleth as well as a second seat next to it.

They talked as the various courses of dinner were brought out, primarily speaking of Catherine’s childhood and occasionally discussing stories from Byleth’s mercenary days. The couple tried to subtly keep the conversation away from the war lest any more bad memories be brought up. Eventually stories from their officer’s academy days were brought up and Byleth was able to tell them all about the various hijinks the Golden Deer were able to get up to during their year together.

Only once did the conversation threaten to become hostile, when the conversation turned to the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion. Byleth was describing the party after the battle and Catherine saw that Elysia was gripping the armrest of her chair hard enough to dig her nails into the wood. Catherine prepared to change the topic when Castor put a hand on her shoulder, and whispered something in her ear that seemed to make her calm down. Catherine was relieved if not wondering what made her calm down like that.

The food was also excellent, with all sorts of dishes being served to accommodate them. They had even served Catherine’s childhood favorite food, Sauteed Airmid Pike, Catherine and Byleth tore through it, leaving little left afterwards. Both of them were big eaters and for Catherine it was the first home cooking she’d had in a long time.

In the end everything went smoothly and they were able to avoid any topics that might bring the mood down even after the wine was broken out. When Byleth and Catherine excused themselves back to their rooms they were only slightly tipsy and were able to make their way back to their rooms without issue.

“That was good,” Catherine said as she sat down on their bed and began taking off her shoes “it’s nice to have a good meal with good company.”

“Hmm?” Byleth said in an inquisitive tone “do you think we need to hire a new chef, or should I be working on my conversational skills?”

Catherine let out a yawn “You know what I meant, and plus you’ve come a long way since we first met. I remember you would hardly say two words in an entire conversation.”

“I’d like to think that it’s because of the time I spent around Garreg Mach with you and the rest” he said, letting out his own yawn.

“Hmm” Catherine mumbled, trying and failing to stop herself from yawning once again, “goddess, I’m feeling sleepy after a big meal like that.”

“Me too” Byleth said, as he struggled to keep his eyelids open “there must be something about your chef's cooking that makes one tired.”

Catherine didn’t respond as even though she was still fully dressed she had slumped over on her side and had fallen asleep.

“Dear?” Byleth said, himself struggling to ward off sleep.

He sat next to her and shook her shoulder trying to wake her. Even as he was trying to wake her he felt his own desire to sleep quickly grow. Even in his addled state he realized something was wrong.

“Poison” he said with a slight slur to his speech. He tried to stand but found his legs unwilling to cooperate, he soon found that he couldn’t keep his back straight as he suddenly fell to his side. As he was falling asleep he desperately tried to divine pulse but found he couldn’t concentrate enough to send himself back, and with that he fell into a deep sleep.
_______

A minute later a servant opened the door to see the King and his fiance fat asleep. She quickly rushed over to the other Charons who had been waiting in a nearby lounge.

“Milord” she said with a curtsy “they’ve both fallen asleep.”

“Finally” Elysia groaned “we put enough poison in their food to knock out a family of bears, I thought they would have fallen asleep half an hour ago.”

“They both survived the war on the front lines” Helena said “it only makes sense that they’re a bit hardier than a normal person.”

“Enough,” Castor said “Now we move onto the next step, signal to the men to apprehend the usurper’s guards and move him to cells beneath the keep.”

“And what of Cassandra?” the servant asked.

Castor paused for a moment before answering her “have someone take her to her room but tell them that no harm is to come to her.”

“It will be done milord” she said as she walked off to execute his orders.

“There’s no going back now,” Elysia said.

“We were never going to back out,” Castor said. “we’re going to get our daughter back and avenge the young prince, it’s what any knight of Faerghus would do.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: From Inlaws to Outlaws

Catherine awoke in bed, the warm light of the morning sun shining onto her face. She twisted around and felt something cold and heavy run over her shoulder. She rubbed her eyes with her wrist and was shocked to feel cold metal meet her face. Catherine bolted awake and a pair of heavy steel manacles around her wrists, she looked down and saw they were connected to the corner of the room by a chain. Wait. The room is different.

Catherine looked around the room and realized it was different to the guest room that her and Byleth had been staying in. She looked around the room and instantly recognized it as her childhood bedroom. The room had changed very little since she had left, various doodads and baubles from her childhood lined the shelves; a wooden figure of a knight on pegasusback, a small golden brooch with a lion on it from her academy days, a medal from the first time she’d won a sword fighting tournament, a book on classical swordsmanship that she’d long since surpassed.

There were also notable absences in her room, her first training sword was gone, the dagger that she normally kept in her bedside drawer was absent, anything in the room that could have realistically been used as a weapon was gone. She looked to the windows and found that metal bars had recently been added to the windows. Someone had turned her old room into a prison cell, a well furnished prison cell but a prison cell nonetheless.

Catherine stood up from bed and walked over to the anchor on the wall that her chain was attached to. She grabbed a hold of the chain and gave it as hard of a tug as she could muster, after a few seconds without progress she let go, the chain and the anchor were both sturdily made.

“What in the…” she said to herself still confused about how or why this had happened. 

She walked to the door of her room until the chain went taut, only letting her get to around halfway across the room. She looked down, a line had clearly been marked to how far she could reach. She tried stretching as far as she could without injuring herself, she could only get around a foot beyond the line if she stretched her entire body.

“Dammit,” Catherine said to herself.

“Hey!” she yelled at the door “Is anyone out there?! Let me out!”

She listened for a moment and heard the sound of boots and armor quickly trail off away from the door. After a minute she heard the sounds of more people approaching before the door opened up and Helena entered the room. Helena smiled as she came in but as she approached her sister a knight standing in the door put a hand on her shoulder.

“Remember,” he said, pointing one hand towards the line in the floor, “don’t get too close.”

“I know Sir Cameron, that’ll be all” Helena replied before brushing him off.

“So, sis…” Catherine said before lifting up her shackles “care to explain this?”

“I’m sorry Cass but it’s for your own good” Helena answered, “you aren’t yourself but Mom and Dad are working to fix it.”

“Well I feel fine now so how about you come over and unlock these chains?”

“I’m sorry but we can’t let you go until we’re sure we’ve broken the spell that was put on you”

“Spell? What spell?”

“Well, a bit ago we received a letter detailing the various crimes your ‘boyfriend’ has committed on his journey to seize control over Fodlan, and among those crimes was using a spell to enthrall you to join his cause and to fall in love with him.”

Catherine was dumbfounded by what she was hearing and so she did the only thing she could in her disbelief, she broke out into a fit of laughter.

_______

Byleth woke up in the cold and the dark with an aching pain in his arms. After he opened his eyes he looked around the room, the room was mostly dark but he could quickly identify it as a prison cell of some kind. The room was only half lit by the flickering light of a torch burning in the hallway just outside the door. He looked up and saw he was hanging from a chain connected to the ceiling, looking down he saw he was hanging just above the floor.

Byleth’s thoughts swam with questions, why were they betrayed, where was Catherine, and most importantly how can he get out of here. His eyes followed the chain the best they could through the flicker halflight of the torch, it was attached to a winch on the far side of the room, if he could get over there he could release himself. He grunted as he kicked his legs out, trying to get the chain to swing towards the winch. Byleth had started to move a little bit when he heard the shuffling of feet outside his cell door and the light of the torch approaching. A few moments later he saw a pair of armed men come into view. 

“He’s awake,” said one of the guards, turning to the other “go inform Count Charon.” 

Without a word the other man quickly began moving away, Byleth listened as his footsteps got further and further away.

“Where -” Byleth started until he was interrupted by the sound of something striking the metal door of his cell.

“Quiet in there!” the guard yelled, his voice filled with anger.

Byleth bit his tongue, he knew the value of keeping quiet when dealing with someone who hates you. He only had to wait a few minutes before he heard the sounds of more people approaching. He saw the other guard come around the corner alongside his Father in law to be, Castor. The First guard unlocked the door and opened it up for his lord. Silently Castor walked into the room up to Byleth.He sighed, took off his jacket, and launched his fist directly into Byleth’s face. Byleth caught the blow on his cheek, Castor was strong even at his age and Byleth felt it.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a long time now,” Castor said, rolling his shoulders.

“Why? What did I do?” Byleth asked, still reeling from the blow.

“Don’t play dumb, we know all about your plans!”

“What plans?”

Castor punched Byleth again, this time in the gut. “Your bid to take control of Fodlan! We know how you had Prince Dimitri, Emperor Edelgard, Archbishop Rhea, and your own liege Duke Riegan murdered! All to clear the way for your own ascension to the throne!”

“That’s not true, Claude is in Almyra.”

“Yes, a likely story, the only person standing between you and total domination happened to leave on a highly dangerous mission away from Fodlan.”

“Claude is my friend. I would nev—” Byleth’s words were cut short as Castor’s fist slammed into his face, silencing him mid-sentence.

“Enough, deny it all you want, I have all the proof I need” Castor retorted, pulling a letter from his pocket.

Byleth blinked away the pain, focusing his gaze on the letter in Castor’s hand. The official seal of the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros gleamed under the dim light, unmistakably genuine. Yet, even as he stared at it, he couldn’t shake his skepticism. Rhea, of all people, would never have written anything to betray him. Whoever wrote this letter, though, must have had access to her quarters—or been close enough to the Church to forge her seal flawlessly.

“Before you had the chance to silence her, Archbishop Rhea sent me this letter!” Castor shouted, thrusting the parchment so close Byleth could feel its edges scrape against his cheek. “If I had made this public, every person in Fodlan would demand your head. Only the knowledge of the spell you put on my daughter stayed my hand”

Byleth looked over the letter until he reached the section regarding Catherine.

 ‘ ... I send this letter to you as it also regards your daughter Cassandra, for the past decade she has served as a faithful knight in the Knights of Seiros under the name Catherine but in recent times the usurper has placed some form of enchantment upon her. She is barely the woman you once knew, bound and reshaped to serve his every will and dark desire. I know not if there is a way to break the enchantment but it is likely that if you kill him the enchantment may end and you will get your daughter back. Only a father’s courage could shatter such a curse, restoring your daughter to the woman she once was, free from the shadows cast by this tyrant. ”

"These are just baseless accusations. You can’t possibly believe this," Byleth said, his voice laced with disbelief.

"Enough! I will not be swayed by your lies!" Castor shouted, his clenched fist trembling as he resisted the urge to strike Byleth again.

Silence hung heavy in the air as Byleth weighed his options.

"If that's true, then why haven't you killed me already?" Byleth asked, hoping to spark any lingering sense of reason in Castor.

Castor drew a steadying breath. "I am not an unreasonable man. I would spare your life if you agree to my terms: renounce your crown, grant the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus its independence, and, most importantly, release Cassandra from whatever spell you’ve cast over her."

Byleth stared at Castor, almost dumbfounded by the recklessness of his demands. The Count seemed to have put little thought into the reality of what he was proposing. Byleth was friends with the heirs of Fraldarius, Gautier, and many other noble houses in Faerghus. Even if he granted independence, how many regions would willingly take it? And the accusation about Catherine—that was absurd. Byleth didn’t even know if magic like that existed, much less how to cast it.

“Castor, I love Catherine, and she loves me. I would never do something like that to her.”

Castor sighed, shaking his head before striking Byleth sharply across the cheek. “I had hoped you’d be reasonable. But I see now… we’ll just have to see which breaks first—your lust for power or your body.”

Byleth tasted blood on his lip. “You won’t get away with this. Sooner or later, someone will come looking for us.”

Castor's lips twisted into a grim smile as he lifted his hand, sparks of electricity dancing between his fingers. “You’re right. Someone will come—eventually. Your stay here was meant to last a week, which is precisely why, if you haven’t given in by then, I will personally see to your execution. If nothing else, that should free Cassandra from whatever hold you have over her.”

Before Byleth could respond, Castor placed his hand firmly on Byleth’s chest, and a surge of lightning coursed through his body. Byleth cried out in pain, for the first time since coming to Styx but certainly not the last.

_________

It had been two days since she had been imprisoned and communication had all but broken down between Catherine and the rest of her family. She’d wanted to believe there was a mistake, a momentary lapse in judgment. But the instant her father thrust that letter in her face, she’d realized how deep their betrayal went. She’d nearly broken her wrists trying to grab him after that.

“If any of you hurt him I swear I’ll-” Catherine growled, shooting a glare at her mother.

“Cassandra,” Elysia replied, entering the room with a measured calm, “this is for your own good. You’ll thank us when this is over.”

“When I get out, I’m taking the head of anyone who so much as touched him,” Catherine snapped, rattling her chains for emphasis.

Her mother didn’t flinch. “Your father has spent every effort trying to free you from that man’s spell.” Elysia leaned forward, her tone almost sympathetic. “I’ve even been to the cell myself to make sure he receives the punishment he deserves for what he’s done to you.”

“He didn’t do anything to me!” Catherine yelled, slamming her bound fists against a nearby table.

Elysia sighed. “Didn’t he?” She looked her daughter up and down. “You just threatened your own father and me. The Cassandra I raised would never say that.”

“The Cassandra you raised,” Catherine shot back, her voice low with controlled fury, “didn’t spend 5 years fighting a hopeless war. She didn’t fail to rescue the woman who saved her life. She didn’t find someone else to not only help fill the void but save Rhea and end the war. Catherine did, I did, Mother.”

Elysia’s eyes narrowed. “That man murdered the archbishop, Cassandra. He’s been manipulating you, and it’s only through Rhea’s last wishes that we discovered his treachery.”

It took every modicum of self control Catherine had to not tell her mother that Rhea still lived. That there was living proof that proved everything in that letter wrong. Catherine knew that claiming Rhea still lived would only endanger her and would do little to assuage her parents beliefs.

“I know it’s hard right now,” Elysia said almost tenderly “but we’ll fix this and make sure everything goes back to the way it should”

_______

Catherine quietly stirred the stew she’d been given for dinner, watching the familiar aroma rise as she pushed the spoon in circles around the bowl. It was a taste of her childhood, one of her favorites. Apparently, the chefs at Castle Styx remembered her preferences. She only ate to conserve her strength in hope of breaking out eventually, but nothing tasted right. Every spoonful went down sour, like a betrayal in her mouth.

 Even in her confined state her family had still tried to make her comfortable, they had said that if she ever needed anything she only needed to ask. They’d taken her imprisonment seriously, down to even forbidding her a knife or fork. Still the guard posted outside her door was supposed to grant any “appropriate request” .

“Hey!” she yelled at the door.

A moment later, the door opened, and a knight stepped in, clad in armor, an expressionless visor hiding his face.

“Yes, my lady?” he asked, his voice carefully polite.

She let out a sigh and watched the stew slide off her spoon. “Not much, really. I just… got used to having someone to talk to while eating.”

“I see, I believe your family is dining right now as well but I could see if-” he started before Catherine interrupted him.

“Goddess no, I’ve spoken with them enough for today”

The knight paused, seemingly caught off guard. “Forgive me, my lady, but… I don’t understand what you’re asking.”

“I’m asking for you to take a seat and talk with me. That’s”

“I…” He paused, clearly uncomfortable. “If that is your wish, but I’d prefer to stand.”

“Suit yourself,” she murmured, lifting another spoonful of stew into her mouth. “You got a name?”

“Knight Cameron, my lady”

Her gaze sharpened, and she swallowed. “Cameron… I remember you. You were Sir Stefan’s squire, weren’t you?”

There was a hint of a smile in her voice, and the knight shifted his stance. “Yes, my lady. You… you have a good memory.”

"Well, I spent plenty of time training with Sir Stefan when I was a girl.” She leaned back in her seat, a hint of a smile returning. “We definitely spent some time together.”

“Yes. In fact…” he trailed off, reaching up to remove his helmet and revealing a plain-looking face with short brown hair and a faint stubble. “We even sparred once. You left me with something to remember it by.” He gestured to a small scar just above his left eyebrow.

Her eyes widened briefly, and the energy drained from her voice. “Damn. Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize, my lady.” Cameron chuckled, trying to brush off her concern. “It was entirely my fault. I tried blocking one of your swings, and you nearly shattered my training sword in the process.”

She let out a sigh. “Learning to control the power of my crest took longer than I’d like to admit. After hurting someone like that, I spent weeks just trying to master it.”

“Sir Stefan called it my ‘badge of honor.’ He said it was no small feat to walk off a crest-empowered strike from my future liege.” He smiled faintly. “I took that to heart.”

“Speaking of Stefan… is he still around?” she asked, though the silence that followed already hinted at the answer.

Cameron’s expression darkened. He said nothing, but his silence conveyed more than words could.

She waited a moment, then, voice softened, pressed on. “How did he die? If… you don’t mind my asking.”

His lips tightened, struggling to hide any emotions he was feeling. “He fought alongside Damian during the opening stages of the war but when the Dukedom caught them in an ambush he was the only one to make it back. He was on death’s door when he returned and barely had enough life left to tell your father of Damian’s valor in battle…then he was gone.”

After a moment of silence, he continued, “Shortly after that, I was knighted to take his place. I spent most of the war fighting the Dukedom in the east, and I’d like to think Sir Stefan would have been proud of what I accomplished in his stead. I would have joined Lady Antheia at Gronder Field if a bandit hadn’t put an arrow in me a week before, rendering me too injured to fight.”

“Cameron,” Catherine leaned forward, meeting his gaze. “We didn’t know Antheia was at Gronder. If we had, we would have—”

“Lady Cassandra,” he interrupted gently, “I don’t blame you or even Byleth, for that matter. It was war, a war you didn’t start, a war you fought to end.”

“Then why are you keeping us here?” she pressed, frustration edging her voice. “Don’t tell me you actually believe the nonsense in that letter.”

His silence lingered, casting a shadow over the conversation.

“Please, Cameron. You can free me. I’ll talk with my father, with my fiancé, and we can put an end to this.”

With a sigh, he lifted his helmet, sliding it back into place and masking his expression once more. “It doesn’t matter what you or I believe, my lady. Count Castor has ordered that you remain here. And a knight… does not disobey his lord.”

Catherine’s expression hardened, disappointment giving way to anger. She’d hoped her father’s men might see reason where he could not, but to a knight of the Kingdom, loyalty and honor were everything.

“If that’s all, my lady.” He gave a respectful nod before turning and exiting the room, leaving her alone with her unresolved fury.

_______

Two more days passed with no change in Catherine’s routine. Her family visited her; she demanded her release, and they refused, always countering her pleas with the same cold, inflexible resolve. Over the four days, her worry for Byleth grew sharper, each visit bringing new threats. Castor and Elysia claimed daily that they knew how to “break” him, and she knew each claim meant new methods to torment the man she loved.

“Please, if you release him, I’ll stay with you,” Catherine said, clasping her hands, a plea softening her voice. “On my honor, I’ll never leave you or Mother again. I’ll cancel our engagement—you can even keep me here to ensure he never goes back on his promise to restore Faerghus! Just… stop hurting him.”

Castor simply shook his head, expression unyielding.

“Father, please!” Catherine knelt, nearly prostrate, her voice choked with desperation.

“Absolutely not,” he replied, his voice calm yet steely. “That man is a snake, and until he breaks his hold on you, he’ll keep twisting your mind. Besides, he still has to answer for what he did to Prince Dimitri and Antheia.”

“He didn’t kill either of them!” she shouted, the cracks in her composure giving way. “Father, if you had been there, you would have seen—the battlefield was chaos. When Dimitri’s troops tried cutting through us to reach the Imperials, we had no choice but to defend ourselves.”

“Really?” Castor scoffed, his voice biting. “Reports from the few men who returned to me tell a different story. They claim he fought Dimitri one-on-one and nearly killed him, leaving him for the Imperials to finish.”

“He only fought because he had no choice!” she cried. “Do you think he wanted to? Byleth and Claude both tried reasoning with him, but Dimitri was… he was like a beast out there! When Byleth first told me about their clash, it was eating him on the inside. ”

“Are you so far gone you’d defend a murderer over your own family?” Castor’s voice was heated, his eyes narrowing as he stared her down. He clenched his fists, visibly trying to regain control. “I won’t listen to this nonsense. You’re bewitched—convinced by his every word. But I will break his hold on you, Cassandra, then you’ll see.”

Catherine couldn’t recall the last time she had seen her father this angry. He was never one to let his temper get the better of him. Even when she was accused of plotting to assassinate King Lambert he had been more sad than angry at her or her accuser.

“I thought somewhere in you, my daughter could break free,” he said with a bitter edge. “Now I see I’ve wasted every word on a stranger.”

Catherine stayed silent trying to steady her breathing and control her rage.

Castor’s tone softened slightly as she remained silent “Cassandra?”

She remained silent.

The count turned to leave when she broke the unsettling silence.

“You shouldn’t call me that” she muttered barely loud enough for Castor to hear.

“What was that?” he asked, looking over his shoulder to his daughter.

“You shouldn’t call me Cassandra, I go by Catherine now, Castor .” she hissed, her voice brimming with a cold rage.

Castor flinched slightly, his composure fractured for a moment before he stormed out, slamming the door without a backward glance.

_______

Six days had passed, each one more suffocating than the last. Catherine felt crushed under the weight of her helplessness; Byleth’s execution was scheduled for tomorrow, and with it, her final hope. She curled up in the corner of the room, letting the chain that kept her here pile in a cold, coiled heap beside her. She had already resigned herself to breaking her promise to Lady Rhea, breaking her vow to Byleth, breaking everything she still held dear.

Her parents had stopped visiting her since her last argument with Castor. Only Helena still bothered to try and talk with her. Catherine was glad that Helena still visited, if nothing else then because she never tried to argue when they talked. She was simply there to talk, and today was no different. Catherine heard two soft knocks before the door creaked open, and her sister’s face peeked around the edge.

“Hey, Cas—” Helena started, catching herself. “Sorry. Catherine.”

She stepped inside, walking to the line on the floor that marked the farthest Catherine could reach. She moved aside several untouched dishes that sat just within the line.

“Cameron said you haven’t been eating” Helena said as she took a seat across from her sister

“You can guess why,” Catherine muttered, not even lifting her head from her knees.

“I’m sorry, Catherine. I wish there were any other way—”

“There is,” Catherine interrupted, her gaze finally meeting Helena’s. “Just let me go, and I’ll handle the rest.

Helena shifted, averting her gaze. “Mom and Dad say you’d kill them if you got out.”

“Do you believe that?” Catherine asked, voice hushed. “Do you really believe anything in that letter?”

Helena looked down. “I want to believe you. But I also… want to trust our parents’ judgment.”

Catherine’s head slumped again. Silence stretched between them before Helena broke it, her voice soft.

“I can’t stand seeing you being this miserable, is there anything I can get you to help?”

Catherine stayed silent.

Tea? Medicine?” Helena hesitated, searching her sister’s face. “I heard you drank a bit at Garreg Mach. Maybe I could find some beer, or wine?”

Catherine muttered something under her breath.

“What was that?” Elysia asked, leaning forward a bit.

“I’m not supposed to drink”

“C’mon what Mom and Dad don’t know won’t hurt em”

“It’s not that”

“Really?” Helena asked, leaning in even closer. “Then what is it?”

“I don’t want either of them to find out”

Helena scooted forward across the carpeted floor and leaned forward “Come on, whatever it is it’s safe with me.”

“You promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die” Helena said, running a finger across her chest above her heart.

Catherine’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I’ve been feeling tired and… a little nauseous. And I…” She trailed off, her voice too quiet for Helena to hear.

“What?” Helena shifted even closer. “I couldn’t hear that last part.”

“I missed my last period,” Catherine whispered, the words barely escaping her lips..

“Wait, so you’re…, does that mean-” Helena said, her mouth moving faster than she could think.

“I think I’m pregnant” she said, finally confirming the thoughts buzzing through her sister’s head.

“Oh Cass I’m so happy for you” she said her voice brimming with happiness.The joy in her voice faded as she realized the implications. “It’s his, isn’t it?”

Catherine had closed her eyes, nodding again.

Helena scooted forward one more time and hugged her sister. “It’s alright Cass, you’ll get through this- I know you will.”

“Thanks Helena, I needed that” Catherine whispered in her sister’s ear “I’m sorry… for what comes next.”

“Wha-” Helena barely had time to start standing before she was dragged to her feet in a blur of motion. Before she realized what was going on she had been spun around and she felt the cold iron chains of her sisters manacles around her throat.

“Stay calm, and do what I tell you,” Catherine whispered. “I won’t hurt you if I don’t have to.”

Helena’s hands flew up to claw at the chain, but Catherine held firm, her voice steady and low. “Breathe, Helena. Just breathe. This will all be over soon.”

Helena forced herself to take slow breaths, though her mind raced. She could feel Catherine’s grip firm and unyielding, her sister’s voice soft yet unbreakable in her ear.

“Now call for Cameron,” Catherine instructed, her tone leaving no room for protest. “Not too loud.”

Helena steadied herself, and with a quivering voice, called out. “Sir Cameron, I need you.”

The door opened slowly, and Cameron stepped inside. “Yes, m—” His words stopped as he took in the scene, his sword hand twitching. In a heartbeat, he had his weapon drawn.

“Drop it and close the door!!” Catherine yelled, putting every bit of anger she could muster into it.

Cameron’s eyes went to Helena’s face, her struggle, and after a long pause, he complied, setting his sword down and closing the door behind him. “You don’t have to do this, Cassandra,” he said, holding up his hands.

“Shut up or I’ll crush her windpipe!” Catherine yelled, tightening the chains around her sister’s throat to emphasize her point.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“You know exactly what I want!”

“You know I can’t do that, and I know that you wouldn’t hurt your sister.”

Catherine scoffed. “If I’m really under some spell, as you all claim, you know I won’t hesitate to do anything to get what I want. Either I’m bewitched, or there’s no reason to keep me here. Now toss her the key, or I swear I will kill her.”

Cameron reached for the key ring at his belt, his eyes cold, and tossed it to Helena, who caught it with shaking hands.

“Now unlock my cuffs” Catherine growled in her younger sister’s ear.

Helena struggled for a moment to slot the key into the hole in the shackles but after a few tries she turned the key and the shackles unlocked with a satisfying click. In another blur of motion Catherine tore the shackles off her wrists and slapped them on her sister’s. She looked back to the last obstacle stopping her from escaping who was reaching down for his sword.

As he wrapped his fingers around the grip she slammed a foot down onto the blade smashing his hand onto the thinly carpeted floor. He cried out in pain and barely had time to look up as Catherine grabbed him by the helmet and smashed his head against a nearby wooden coffee table. The table collapsed entirely as the knight’s head came crashing through it to the stone floor beneath it, stunning him.

Catherine went for the stunned knight’s sword testing the weight as she gave it a quick twirl, it felt good to have a weapon again. She immediately set about using it by slamming the pommel of the sword into Cameron’s helmet. She knew that would keep him down for a while as long as she didn’t overdo it.

She reached down and started to strip him of his boots, her wardens hadn’t even allowed her any form of footwear that would be appropriate for moving quickly. As she was putting them on she looked back to Helena who was massaging her throat, still staring at her sister.

“Was any of that true?” Helena’s voice cracked, her eyes filled with tears. “Did you even mean it?”.

“About the pregnancy? Not entirely.” Catherine remarked adjusting the borrowed boots. “My period is late, but that could just be from… a stressful week. I wouldn’t put it past the professor to get me pregnant, though.”

“Cass, please don’t hurt them” Helena pleaded, her voice trembling.

Catherine looked back at her sister, her face unreadable. “That’ll be entirely up to what they do.”

Chapter Text

Catherine checked her corners as she slipped out of her room, every nerve in her body taut with tension. She was fairly certain Cameron had been her only guard, but a wandering soldier or servant could sound the alarm and ruin everything. If they caught her, Byleth would die, executed without hesitation. She wouldn’t let that happen.

The hallways were quiet save for the faint hum of wind rattling through the cold stone corridors. She crept along, listening intently at every intersection for the murmur of voices or the telltale clink of armor. Her destination was the dungeon, but she knew she’d need to avoid the main stairs, where guards were sure to be stationed. She was on the fourth floor and the only entrance to the dungeon was on the first floor which she would need to make her way to.

Catherine made her way to a smaller spiral staircase, only having to dart around a handful of servants to get there. She froze at the threshold, ears straining for any sign of movement above or below. The air here was colder, the faint draft brushing her cheek as she finally descended. Each step echoed softly despite her caution, the sound making her teeth clench. 

On the second floor, she caught the flicker of a shadow, a servant moving toward the staircase. Silently, she darted down to the first floor, quick but controlled. At the bottom, she peered out into the hallway, her hand tightening around her sword’s grip.

Catherine peaked around the doorway, two soldiers were approaching. Catherine swore under her breath, retreating up a step, but the soft creak of footsteps above told her the servant was descending as well. Trapped. Silently she hugged the cold stone wall and tightened the grip on her sword. The sounds of the soldiers’ casual conversation got closer and closer until she could hear that they were right outside the stairwell. As they entered the stairwell she struck.

Catherine instantly turned around the corner, coming face to face with the surprised guards. She stabbed her sword forward and caught one of the men in the shoulder between the gaps in his armor. He tried to open his mouth to scream before her left hand lashed out catching the man squarely on the nose, knocking him down. 

The second soldier fumbled for his lance. Catherine twisted the weapon from his hands in one fluid motion, swinging low to sweep his legs out from under him. He hit the ground hard, and she didn’t give him a chance to recover. With both hands, she drove the lance through his chestplate, the steel tip punching through with a metallic crunch.

She quickly scanned the hall for any witnesses and heard the sound of the servants footsteps down the stairs getting faster. She hid just around the corner of the stairs, waiting in ambush once again. A gasp sounded as the maid turned the corner, spotting the bodies sprawled across the stone floor.

Catherine surged forward, grabbing the woman by the wrist before she could cry out. The maid didn’t have time to respond before Catherine hit her square in the jaw with an uppercut. The maid crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Catherine glanced down at the bodies of her father’s men, her expression unchanging. This wasn’t the time for reflection or regret. They’d chosen their side, and she had chosen hers. Anyone standing between her and Byleth was an obstacle to be removed. Hesitation would only cost her time, time she didn’t have.

Her grip on the sword tightened as she broke into a sprint, boots pounding against the cold stone. Subtlety was no longer an option; speed was all that mattered now. The bodies would be found eventually, and the alarm would follow. If they realized what was going on before she could get to him… 

She wouldn’t let that happen. Not while she still drew breath.

Catherine darted around corners and past startled servants, their confused reactions giving her just enough time to disappear. Behind her, angry shouts and the pounding of boots echoed through the halls, growing closer.

She had almost reached the dungeon when she found an armor knight in the middle of the hall, his massive shield blocking her way past. Catherine gripped her sword in both hands as she rushed forward. She ducked under his raised axe arm and drove her blade into a gap in his armor at his armpit. The knight staggered, a strangled groan escaping his helm, as his arm went slack. Catherine wrenched the blade free, caught his falling axe, and pressed forward without a moment’s pause.

Another guard stood in front of the dungeon door, raising his lance to block her path. Catherine didn’t slow, hurling the axe with all her might. The guard raised the lance to deflect it, but the impact splintered the shaft, sending him stumbling back. Before he could recover, she reached him and drove her blade home.

Pausing only to strip the key ring from his belt, Catherine unlocked the dungeon door. An arrow thudded into the wooden doorframe near her head, splintering on impact. She threw herself inside and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her to buy precious time.

The stairs leading down were cold and dimly lit, the occasional flicker of torchlight casting jagged shadows across the walls. Catherine gripped her sword tighter as she descended into the unfamiliar space. As a child, she’d been forbidden from entering the dungeons; now, she understood why. The air was thick with dampness and the faint metallic tang of rust and blood.

At the bottom of the stairs, two knights stood guard outside a heavy iron door. They turned as she approached, drawing their swords. 

“Stop right there!” one barked, his voice echoing in the enclosed space.

“Drop the weapon Cassandra, we don’t want to hurt you” the other said, more calm than her companion.

Catherine came to a halt and leveled her sword at the pair. “Good, I don’t want to hurt you either. So how about this? If you drop your weapons and give me the key to my fiance’s cell I promise that neither of us have to get hurt.”

“You know we can’t do that,” the first knight growled.

Catherine sighed,shaking her head “I knew you’d say that.”

Before they could react, Catherine hurled her sword like a spear. It struck the first knight in the throat, slipping past the edge of his gorget. He dropped to his knees, clutching at the blade that was now embedded in him. The second knight barely had time to react before Catherine closed the distance, throwing a punch that glanced off her helmet. She followed with a sharp knee to the stomach, sending the knight stumbling back. When her opponent lunged forward in desperation, Catherine sidestepped, catching the knight’s sword arm and twisting it sharply. The sickening crack of breaking bone echoed through the corridor, followed by a scream.

The knight collapsed, clutching her broken arm, but Catherine silenced her with a brutal kick to the helmet. Breathing heavily, Catherine retrieved her sword and searched the fallen guards, finding the key she needed. She didn’t spare the bodies another glance before heading deeper into the dungeon.

Catherine grabbed a torch from a sconce on the wall and looked into the cell. In the flickering torch light her beloved, her king, her everything. She quickly dropped everything and unlocked the cell. Catherine immediately released the winch that kept him chained to the ceiling and lowered him to the floor. The torchlight danced across his battered body, illuminating deep purple bruises that marred his flesh, seared burn marks across his chest, and shallow cuts criss crossing his arms and torso.

"Professor? Byleth?" Her voice cracked as she knelt beside him, cradling his head in her lap and lifting him from the freezing stone. "It’s me. It’s Catherine."

He didn’t stir. His eyes remained closed, his breath faint and uneven.

Catherine pressed trembling fingers to his neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there, but so weak it barely registered. Her chest tightened as panic surged through her.

"Please," she whispered, clutching him tightly as tears blurred her vision. "Please wake up."

______

The darkness shifted. Pain. It was the first thing he felt, a searing ache that ran through every fiber of his being. Voices echoed faintly, distorted and distant, like a memory he couldn’t quite grasp.

"Byleth…" The voice cut through the haze, familiar and desperate. A warmth cradled him, steadying his uneven breaths.

He tried to move, to open his eyes, but the effort was overwhelming. The voice came again, louder this time, pulling him back from the abyss.

"Please wake up."

His eyelids fluttered, and for a moment, the world returned, a dim torchlit room, and a face like a ray of sunshine.

“Catherine?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you” the love of his life reassured him, pulling him closer.

Byleth basked in the warmth of her touch as his mind slowly returned “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry for leaving you” Catherine replied, her voice trembling as tears welled in her eyes.

“Thank you… for saving me,” he said, his hand brushing weakly against hers.

Catherine straightened, her resolve hardening. “We’re not safe yet,” she said, slipping his arm over her shoulder and carefully helping him to his feet. “Can you walk?”

The motion sent sharp jolts through his battered body, and he grimaced. “Careful…” he groaned, staggering but refusing to let himself fall.

“Here.” She handed him a sword, the blade more a crutch than a weapon for now. “Lean on this.”

They walked together out of the cell until Byleth stopped.

“Check the other cells,” he said, gesturing to other nearby cells in the dungeon. “They may have also taken our honor guard.”

Catherine leaned him against a wall and set about checking the other cells. Byleth spent this time steading himself and getting used to standing again. 

As she looked through the cells she found nothing, if she had to guess their honor guard likely would have died fighting. Byleth pushed himself off the wall, standing under his own strength now.

"What’s the situation above?" he asked Catherine.

“I wasn’t subtle getting to you,” she admitted, glancing toward the dungeon door. “They’re preparing to stop us. We’re outnumbered, underarmed… but we’ve faced worse.”

Byleth met her eyes, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “We do have one advantage they don’t.”

Catherine raised a questioning brow.

"We have you,” Byleth said simply. “Your father would never let his men harm you, and that’s something we can use.”

Catherine’s expression darkened. “That means they’ll focus all of their attention on you. And in your condition…”

Byleth straightened slightly, suppressing a grimace. “I’m injured, not useless. I can still fight.”

Doubt flickered in Catherine’s eyes as she glanced at his battered form, her fists clenching tightly. “Your strategies have never failed us before, but I won’t risk losing you.”

Byleth’s hand brushed instinctively to his side, where the Sword of the Creator would normally hang. “We’ll need weapons, and our relics if we’re to stand a chance. Do you know where your parents would keep them?”

“Castor likely has Thunderbrand on him,” Catherine replied, her voice steadying. “But there’s an armory nearby. They may have stored your sword there.”

“If nothing else,” Byleth added, “it should have enough weapons to arm us sufficiently. From there, we’ll push towards the nearest exit.”

Catherine thought for a moment, piecing together her mental map of Castle Styx. “Every exit will likely be heavily guarded. In your condition I’m not sure we’ll be able to fight our way out.”

Byleth thought in silence for a moment “I doubt the stables will be as heavily guarded. Do you remember how to fly a pegasus?”

“I remember enough to get us out of here,” she replied. Byleth had most of his students take classes on flying at some point or another in case they showed any aptitude.

Byleth’s gaze met hers, calm but unyielding. “We have a plan, but I need to know, what will you do if your family tries to stop us?”

Catherine’s jaw tightened, her grip on her blade firm. “If they stand in our way…” She hesitated for the briefest moment before steadying herself. “They’re an enemy like any other, and I’ll crush them.”

_______

Paralogue: Crossing Castle Styx

Objective : Escape

Dozens of soldiers surrounded the door down to the dungeons with bated breath. They were packed together into the halls shoulder to shoulder. Without the key they had little chance to get through the dungeon’s heavy iron door. They had all heard stories about Thunder Catherine and the Ashen Demon, how they had led from the front through some of the fiercest fighting of the war. Now, those tales weighed heavily on the men and women of Castle Styx, who could only hope their sheer numbers would be enough to stop them.

When the door opened it was nearly a relief for the men and women who were waiting. Catherine almost nonchalantly exited the dungeon, sword in hand paying little mind to the soldiers who were preparing to kill her lover. She looked around to the men and women who were anxiously waiting for her to make a move.

“Cassandra, surrender now, we’ll fight you if we must.” A nearby grappler shouted,  lifting his gauntlets up to show he was ready for a fight.

Catherine turned her eyes toward him, her expression unreadable. Slowly, she pointed her blade at him, then swept it in a wide arc toward the others.

“If any of you have doubts,” she said, her voice sharp as steel, “walk away now. But if you want him…” She stepped forward, her blade cutting the air. “You’ll have to go through me first.”

The silence stretched, broken only by the shuffling of feet. The seconds felt like hours. Finally, a soldier with a lance broke from the pack, his eyes fixed on the doorway.

He charged, his lance leveled. Catherine sidestepped, her blade flashing to knock the tip aside. The lance scraped against the stone wall with a screech, and in the same motion, she lashed out twice. Her strikes cut deep into his chest. The soldier staggered, his weapon clattering to the floor, and collapsed with a groan.

Catherine flicked the blood from her blade and turned back to the others, a grin spreading across her face.

“Who’s next?”

Apprehension quickly turned to aggression among the soldiers as several quickly rushed forward. The grappler that shouted earlier charged, heading directly towards Catherine followed by a swordmaster. The grappler charged first, his fist arcing in a hook aimed squarely at Catherine’s chest. She sidestepped, evading the attack by a wide berth. He followed with a sharp jab, catching her shoulder and sending a jolt of pain through her arm. Catherine ignored the pain, answering with an overhead slash. Before the blade could connect, the swordmaster darted forward, deflecting her attack with his own sword.

Without hesitation, Catherine twisted her wrist, her blade flashing upward in a sharp counter. The swordmaster’s weapon spun from his hands, lodging into the ceiling above. Catherine pivoted toward him, her sword poised to strike but the grappler interrupted with a wild haymaker. She caught his wrist mid-swing, yanking him off balance before driving her blade through his chest. With a sharp kick, she freed her weapon and sent him to the floor. The swordmaster was still scrambling to retrieve his weapon when Catherine’s blade found him next, a quick slash sending him down beside his comrade.

Time seemingly slowed as Catherine heard the sound of a bowstring snap. Directly ahead of her an archer had moved up and fired an arrow. Looking at the archer’s aim she realized it wouldn’t hit her but a quick glance behind her made her realize she wasn’t the intended target. The arrow was heading towards Byleth who had moved just before the doorway.

“No!” Catherine cried out in terror as the arrow sailed out of her reach. She watched in horror as the arrow got closer and closer to her fiance, seemingly on target. Byleth’s eyes widened, his body reacting instinctively. He twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding the arrow as it grazed past his shoulder. The motion threw him off balance, and he staggered against the wall, gripping it to steady himself.

Catherine panic turned to fury as she turned back to the archer, she was already nocking another arrow. Catherine rushed her in the blink of an eye and cut her bow in half with a single precise strike. The archer stumbled, startled, but there was no time for a second thought. Catherine’s sword came down in a vicious arc, and her enemy fell lifeless before her feet.

The rest of the soldiers ended up falling or fleeing before Catherine’s relentless assault. Byleth stayed back, leaning against the wall as his fiancée cut through them like a blade through reeds. When the dust settled, the hallway was littered with bodies, and her once-pristine clothes were now stained a deep red. Her breathing was heavy, but she moved with a dangerous confidence.

Byleth had seen Catherine fight countless times before, but there was something different about this. She fought not as a knight or a soldier but as a woman with everything on the line.

She turned back to him, her hardened expression softening the moment their eyes met. “Are you alright?” she asked, her voice gentler than he’d expected as she moved to clean a streak of blood from her face with her sleeve.

He stepped forward and beat her to it, wiping it away with his hand. “I’m fine. You?”

“I’m alright. They couldn’t keep up with me,” she replied, brushing off his concern with a smile. “Come on. The armory is just ahead.”

She led the way, her steps calculated but brisk, ensuring Byleth stayed just behind her. The journey was mercifully uneventful, every guard they encountered along the way either fled or was quickly cut down by the Thunder Knight. It wasn’t long before Catherine slowed her pace, glancing back at him as they approached a turn in the corridor.

“We’re nearly there,” she whispered, pressing her back against the wall and peeking around the corner. Her voice dropped lower as she turned back. “I see three of them: a fortress knight, a warlock, and an assassin. What do you think?”

Byleth started running the engagement though his head. Based on the average skill level of the soldiers they’d seen so far their math didn’t look too good. If any of them got in a lucky hit Catherine could quickly find herself on the backfoot.

“If you had Thunderbrand, you’d cut through them easily,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. “Without it…” He grimaced. “I’m less certain.”

Catherine shifted slightly, her sword steady in her hand. “How bad are the odds?”

“Not good, but I don’t see another option,” Byleth admitted.

“Any tips before I get started?” Catherine asked, her tone light, though her grip on the sword tightened.

“Take out the warlock first. The knight’s too slow to land a hit if you’re careful, but don’t lose sight of that assassin,” Byleth warned, leaning slightly to get another glimpse around the corner.

Without hesitation, Catherine darted around the corner and broke into a sprint. The three enemies reacted instantly, the assassin crouched low, the knight raised his shield, and the warlock began weaving his spell. Catherine weaved past the lumbering fortress knight with ease, her sword flashing toward the warlock. The blade pierced his shoulder, cutting off the spell as he cried out in pain.

Behind her, the thunder of heavy boots forced her to whirl around just in time to dodge a shield slam that could’ve crushed her. The knight swung his axe in a brutal arc, but Catherine was faster, sidestepping as it slammed into the floor with a loud clang. Before she could strike back, the warlock recovered and sent a burst of flame roaring toward her. Catherine barely rolled out of the way, the heat searing the air as it hit the wall.

Catherine used the opening caused by the miss to go on the offensive, striking the knight with her sword’s pommel, denting his armor, before moving past him once again and slashing the warlock and taking him out of the fight.

As she finished off the warlock she looked around for the assassin, the knight was recovering  but where was -

Pain exploded in her legs as she was swept off her feet, crashing onto the cold stone floor. Before she could recover, the assassin was on her, pinning her down and pressing a dagger to her throat.

“Give it up!” the knight barked, his voice harsh as he kicked her sword out of her grip.

The assassin leaned in close, her voice a low, venomous whisper. “Don’t struggle. One wrong move, and you die. Where is the usurper?”

Catherine glared up at her, defiance burning in her eyes. “You’ll have to kill me first. Go ahead. Let’s see if you’ve got the spine.”

The assassin’s grip tightened, raising her dagger into the air. “Your death will be a kindness. Castor can’t see it, but your sickness only brings dishonor to your family.”

Before the blade could descend, a sword flew through the air, grazing the assassin’s arm with a sharp thwick. The sudden pain made her jerk back, loosening her grip on Catherine. Seizing the moment, Catherine broke her grip and slammed her fist into the assassin’s throat. The woman choked, reeling back, and Catherine wrested the dagger from her grip. She then slammed the dagger into the ankle of the knight stepping on her arm making him release her.

She quickly rolled back to stand up. Catherine looked over her shoulder and saw Byleth picking up her lost sword.

“Sword!” she yelled out to him, reaching out a hand.

Byleth tossed the weapon cleanly, and Catherine caught it midair. In one smooth motion, she turned and drove it through the fortress knight’s visor. He crumpled with a metallic clang.

The assassin tried to recover, but Catherine was faster, slashing across her throat in one decisive motion. The woman dropped without a sound.

“Thanks for the save” Catherine said, massaging her throat where the assassin’s dagger had been a second ago. “That was a good throw.”

“I learned from the best” he replied, picking up his sword back off the ground.

The pair entered into the armory and were met with familiar sensations, the smell of weapon oil, and steel greeting them. They immediately set about ransacking it, looking for anything that could be of use.

“This one looks special,” he said, crouching by a large chest in the corner. He tugged at the lid, only to find it locked. “It’s locked though.”

“Let me take a look,” Catherine said from behind him.

“I don’t know what you expect to do” he murmured looking over the lock “if Ashe were here he’d know how to get this open.”

“Please step aside” she said right behind him now.

Byleth turned around and saw that Catherine was brandishing a heavy looking warhammer. Byleth stepped back without argument, watching as Catherine swung the hammer with all her might. The lock and a chunk of the chest’s front shattered with a loud crack that echoed through the armory..

“I guess that also works,” Byleth remarked, looking over her handiwork.

When they opened up the chest they found their belongings, their armor, a few elixirs, and even weapons. Missing from the chest were their relics, Charon likely still had Thunderbrand and the Sword of the Creator was probably deemed too valuable to be stored with the rest of their mundane gear.

The couple worked in tandem, taking turns to keep watch as they donned their armor. The cold steel and familiar weight brought a sense of security, though it did little to ease the tension that lingered in the air. Byleth finally had a shirt back on, which Catherine noted with a teasing smile as she adjusted her own armor.

Finally retrieved their cloaks, the thick fabric essential for braving the bitter cold outside. Catherine reached for her Wo Dao and twirled it in her hand with practiced ease. “Your ‘always carry a backup’ rule may have just saved us,” she said, her tone light despite the grim situation.

“That’s why I make the rules,” Byleth replied, slipping a slender rapier into his belt. He grabbed an elixir from the chest and downed it in one go. Warmth spread through his body as the worst of his pain faded, though he knew the deeper wounds would take more time to heal.

Byleth looked over  the room one last time. “Anything else?”

“Nothing worth taking,” Catherine replied. She adjusted her cloak and met his eyes, her determination as sharp as her blade. “Let’s go.”

Rearmed and slightly more confident, the two slipped out of the armory, their footsteps quick and purposeful as they prepared for whatever came next.

Catherine led the way through the winding halls, keeping to paths where they were less likely to encounter heavy resistance. Even with their recovered equipment, every skirmish risked injury, and their limited healing supplies wouldn’t last forever. When they reached the door closest to the stables, two guards stood watch. Catherine dispatched them swiftly, her blade cutting through the silence.

“I’ll check outside, if we’re lucky then it’ll be a clear shot to the stables” Catherine said, gripping the door’s handle.

She cracked it open just enough to peer through, the icy wind biting at her face as a drift of snow swept in. After a long moment, she closed the door, her expression grim.

“How unlucky are we?” Byleth asked, already bracing for the worst.

“I counted at least a dozen,” Catherine replied. “Paladins on the ground, snipers on the walls.”

Byleth considered their odds, this would have been a hard fight even if he weren’t injured. They didn’t need to beat all of them, they just needed to escape, fighting all the defenders would be a mistake…

“I have a plan, but you’re not going to like it,” he said at last, exhaling sharply. “One of us will have to be the distraction while the other gets the pegasus.”

“Making a distraction? Come on we both know I can do that” she said, tossing her sword into the air and deftly catching it.

“No.” Byleth’s voice was steady but firm. “It has to be me. Your father’s men are under orders to prioritize me. If you’re the distraction, they’ll just ignore you and come straight for me anyway.”

“That’s suicide in your condition,” Catherine snapped, her confidence giving way to frustration. “You’re in no shape to-”

“You forget,” Byleth interrupted, “the pegasus won’t listen to me. You’re the only one who can handle it.”

Her defiance faltered and her vision fell to the floor “I… no, you can’t do this. It’s too dangerous, I can’t allow it, you're too important.”

“Catherine, there isn’t another way.”

“No, I won’t risk you,” she snapped. “When I went down to the dungeon and saw you, I thought I had lost you, I can’t…”

“Catherine, do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, bu-”

“Have my strategies ever failed us before?”

“No,” she admitted softly, the fight draining from her voice.

Byleth stepped closer, tilting her chin up to meet his gaze. He kissed her, a fleeting moment of reassurance. When they parted, her expression had hardened, determination flickering behind her reluctance.

“All right,” she said at last. “I’ll be quick. Just... stay safe.”

“As you wish,” Byleth replied, giving a short bow.

Catherine kicked the door open, the sound reverberating across the snowy courtyard. She broke into a sprint, her boots crunching against the snow as flakes swirled around her. The paladins and snipers snapped to attention, eyes locking onto her as she bolted across the open ground.

A piercing whistle cut through the air, drawing their attention to the doorway. Byleth stepped into the open, his sword in hand. The soldiers hesitated for only a moment before pouncing, their shouts ringing out in the cold. Catherine spared him a fleeting glance before pressing forward, her breath fogging in the frigid air as she raced toward the stables.

Byleth charged forward into the middle of the paladins. If he could use them as cover the snipers would be significantly worse off. Even still that gave the paladins plenty of opportunity to surround him. He fought as defensively as possible even if his rapier was ideal for taking down mounted opponents he couldn’t afford to give them a single opening.

The clash of steel and the thunder of hooves filled the air as Byleth maneuvered through the chaos. The coordination of the paladins was hard to keep up with, rarely allowing him to meaningfully counter them. Snow kicked up around him as hooves churned the ground, and the bitter cold bit at his exposed face. He could feel his stamina waning, the weight of his injuries slowing him down. Still, he pushed forward, relying on years of training to parry and dodge.

The snipers were relentless, their arrows threading through the gaps in the melee. One shaft whizzed past his face, close enough that he could feel the rush of air. Another struck the edge of his cloak, pinning it briefly before he wrenched it free. His breaths came faster, each one leaving a plume of mist in the frigid air. The paladins pressed closer, and the noose around him tightened.

All in all he held them off for a respectable amount of time considering he was a dozen adversaries simultaneously but it was only a matter of before something managed to hit him. A lance slipped through his guard, grazing his left forearm and leaving a searing line of pain. He winced but fought on, only to feel the sharp sting of an arrow burying itself in his leg. His knees buckled, and he fell hard, the snow around him quickly staining red.

Grimacing, Byleth yanked the arrow out and tried to stand, but his injured leg gave way. A shadow loomed over him, a paladin, his lance raised for the killing blow. Byleth tightened his grip on the rapier, knowing he couldn’t block in time but if he was right about how much time Catherine needed he wouldn’t need to.

A thunderous impact knocked the paladin’s horse aside as the pegasus barreled into it. Catherine’s arm shot out, grabbing Byleth by the wrist and hauling him upward. He felt his feet leave the ground as the pegasus gained altitude, Catherine’s hand gripping his tightly as she pulled him up onto its back.

She immediately turned to him, her face pale with worry. “You’re bleeding!”

“I’m fine,” he muttered, brushing her off. “Just focus on flying.”

“Don’t give me that,” she snapped, pressing a hand to the wound on his arm to staunch the bleeding.

“We both know I’ve been through worse” he said, grabbing an elixir from his belt. “Besides I’ve still got one of these left.”

He quickly drank the entire elixir and immediately felt his wounds start to heal. With a sigh, he tossed the empty vial into the snowy city below. “Better. Thanks for the save, you got there just in time.”

“That was too close,” Catherine admitted with a shaky laugh. “I’m never letting you pull a stunt like that again.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Byleth replied with a faint smile, wrapping his arms around her waist for stability as the pegasus soared higher. The icy wind bit at his face, but he ignored it, focusing on the steady rhythm of Catherine’s breathing.

“We’re high enough now,” she said, her voice more composed. “Archers won’t be able to hit us.”

“They wouldn’t risk it either way,” Byleth said. “Not with you at the reins. Take us north-east, if we make it to Galatea County, we should be safe.”

Catherine lightly chuckled, “I’m sure Ingrid will be happy to see us, if not surprised about the reason for our visit.”

Byleth shifted slightly, loosening his hold to peer down at the land below. Snow-covered roofs and chimneys painted a serene image, the lives below untouched by his torturous imprisonment and violent escape. Beyond the city, the fields stretched like a blanket of pristine white, marred only by the wrinkles of winding roads. He looked toward the horizon, where dark clouds obscured the sun, and the near-constant snowfall blurred his vision. That’s why neither of them noticed when something came down from above and dive bombed them.

A shadow streaked down from the clouds above. Byleth turned just in time to glimpse a lance descending. It ripped through his cloak and tore into his left shoulder, sending a jolt of searing pain through him. He grit his teeth and spun around, but the attacker had already vanished back into the cover of clouds.

“What was that?” Catherine’s voice was sharp with alarm. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of his new wound. “Damn it, you’re hurt!”

“We’re not alone up here!” Byleth yelled, quickly looking all around for their attacker. “Take us lower, they’re using the clouds to hide!”

As Catherine urged the pegasus downward, but before they could clear the danger, their attacker reemerged from the clouds nearly directly above them. It was another pegasus, its rider impossible to make out in the half of a second he had to look before Byleth dodged to the side in an attempt to avoid her lance.

In the best of times dodging independently of your mount was difficult but when the attack came directly from above it was nearly impossible. Byleth was forced to all but throw himself from the pegasus’ back in order to avoid the blow, not being attached to the saddle and down one arm he flailed as he slipped off the side. Just in time Catherine lunged forward and grabbed him, only being able to catch the arm of his injured shoulder.

Byleth screamed out in agony as she lifted him up by his injured side, he felt as his fresh wound was opened further by the strain. Blood poured down his side, staining the pegasus’s flank and one of Catherine’s legs. She gritted her teeth and hauled him back onto the saddle, her breath ragged.

Byleth looked down and saw the other pegasus already swooping around for another pass. Looking closer he saw it also carried two passengers, the distinct shape of Thunderbrand on the back of the pegasus’ second rider. 

“Your father’s on the pegasus,” Byleth said, his voice tight with pain.

“Then Elysia is at the reins!” Catherine yelled out in panic. “She’s a trained Falcon Knight!”

“We can’t defend ourselves up here,” Byleth said, forcing himself upright despite the pain. He pointed toward a snowy field below. “Set us down there, we’ll have to face them if we’re going to escape.”

Catherine grimly nodded and urged the pegasus to go down as fast as she could. They touched down with a jarring thud, skidding a short distance through the snow. Catherine dismounted first, turning to help Byleth.

He leaned heavily on her as he slid off, his blood staining the snow a deep red. Catherine’s gaze was sharp, scanning the skies and the field for movement.

A short distance away, Elysia’s pegasus landed with unnerving grace, barely disturbing the snow until its hooves sank into it. Castor dismounted with practiced ease, drawing Thunderbrand in a single motion. Elysia remained mounted, her lance gleaming with Byleth’s blood.

Catherine stepped forward, protectively putting herself between Byleth and her parents. Her voice rang out, steady and fierce. “Father. Mother.”

“Cassandra, step aside,” Castor ordered, his voice calm but heavy with authority.

“I know I told you not to call me that anymore,” Catherine growled, her hand tightening around her sword hilt.

“Catherine, Cassandra, it doesn’t matter. Your escape ends here,” Elysia retorted sharply, her piercing gaze locking onto Byleth. “And so does he.”

“For Helena’s sake, I’m giving both one last chance,” Catherine snapped, drawing a line in the snow with her blade. “Turn back, or I’ll cut you down.”

Castor’s expression didn’t waver. He stepped forward, leveling Thunderbrand at his daughter. The blade glowed, empowered by his crest. “I will do what I must for your own good.”

He glanced back at his wife, “I’ll handle her. You finish off the usurper.”

Elysia gave a short nod, a grin flickering across her face. Without another word, they began, circling around Byleth like wolves on the hunt.

“Stay close,” Catherine whispered, her voice low but steady. Her eyes darted between her parents, calculating their moves.

Byleth stepped back, aligning himself with Catherine, their backs nearly touching. Her presence grounded him as he readied his sword, bracing for what was to come. The seconds stretched into eternity as Castor and Elysia drew closer, their footfalls muffled by the snow.

The tension snapped like a bowstring. Castor lunged first, red lightning arcing off Thunderbrand as it carved through the air. Catherine recognized the calculated arc of his swing, it wasn’t meant to kill her, just to wound. She sidestepped, her reflexes honed by years of warfare. Castor followed up with a second strike with an inhuman speed, already on the back foot she blocked the attack, a chip of her Wo Dao flying off as Thunderbrand clashed against it.

Behind her Byleth was forced to stop time as Elysia’s lance was squarely stabbing into his chest. He was forced to trigger the crest of flames to halt the flow of time, Elysia’s blow would likely have been fatal. He rewound time by a single second, repositioning himself just enough to evade the blow. As the lance swept past him, he stumbled, his breath fogging in the freezing air. He had no time to recover when Elysia kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground, as her pegasus charged past him.

Catherine kneed Castor hard in the side, forcing him back a step as he clutched at his ribs. She readied herself to press her advantage, but before she could strike, a blur of motion caught her eye; Elysia barreling past Byleth atop her pegasus. Catherine dove to the side, narrowly avoiding being trampled, the beast’s hooves pounding into the snow where she had stood. She twisted as she landed, clawing into the icy ground to halt her momentum before springing back to her feet.

In one fluid motion, she launched herself toward her mother, closing the gap in the blink of an eye. Her blade arced toward Elysia as the pegasus began to rise, the edge grazing her mother’s leg in a flash of steel. Blood streaked across the pegasus’ pristine flank as Elysia winced, though the wound seemed shallow enough for her to keep fighting.

As Catherine steadied herself, a blur of motion caught her eye. Castor was already advancing, Thunderbrand crackling with energy. Castor had already recovered from her strike in spite of his age and was already back on the offensive. Thunderbrand crackled with energy as he swung it down, Catherine raised her own sword to block. She watched as her fragile Wo dao cracked down its length trying to hold out against the might of a heroes’ relic, another hit like that and her blade would break.

Gritting her teeth, Catherine locked their blades, feeling the relic’s energy pulse against her weapon. Slowly, she pushed back, forcing Thunderbrand away. She was stronger, and they both knew it. The tide began to shift until Castor swept his leg low, knocking her feet out from under her. She hit the snow hard, her breath escaping in a sharp gasp as Thunderbrand loomed above her.

Not far away, Byleth stumbled to his feet, his vision swimming. He spotted Catherine on her back, Castor poised to strike her down. Panic surged through him, and he staggered forward with as much speed as he could muster in his injured state. 

Before could reach her he heard the rush of wings once more. He dodged to the side blindly, not having enough time to even glance behind. His dodge was partially successful avoiding the lance from skewering his back only slicing into his thigh.he blow sent him tumbling into the snow, his fall breaking in a painful roll. A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see Elysia’s pegasus land beside him, the creature’s hooves mere inches from his head.next to him.

Elysia dismounted with practiced grace, her platinum hair whipping in the icy wind. She stared down at him, her eyes cold with disdain. Her lance rose, its tip gleaming like ice.

Castor dropped a knee onto Catherine’s chest, pinning her down as he stabbed Thunderbrand down toward her head. At the last moment Catherine raised her own blade, catching Thunderbrand along one of the branching prongs. She braced the Wo Dao by the blade and pushed back with all her might, even with Castor putting his full weight into his attack she slowly pushed him back until…

*SNAP*

The Wo Dao, its thin blade weakened by the crack it sustained earlier in the fight, snapped in half. Thunderbrand rushed down, instantly burying itself in the snow just to the left of her head. One of its branching prongs tore into her shoulder, drawing a sharp grunt of pain from her lips.

“Stay down,” Castor said, his voice calm but firm, like a parent chiding a wayward child. He looked up, his focus shifting away from her.

Catherine followed his gaze and saw Byleth struggling against Elysia. He was battered, his movements sluggish, just barely dodging her strikes. Panic gripped Catherine’s chest. She couldn’t let this end here. She wouldn’t fail him.

Castor looked back down at his daughter, with her pinned to the ground and her sword shattered. He just had to wait for Elysia to end the usurper and everything would go back to the way it was.

Using her free arm Catherine gripped the remains of the Wo Dao and rammed the broken blade into her father’s with all her strength. He cried out in pain as the blade fragment punched through his armor and pushed him off Catherine. Not losing a single moment Catherine grabbed a hold of Thunderbrand’s blade even as it bit through her glove and into her hand.

Nearby, Byleth was faltering. He had reversed time so often to avoid Elysia’s killing blows that he felt utterly drained, both physically and mentally. His movements were sluggish, his mind foggy. As he dodged another strike, Elysia knocked him to the ground with a well-placed boot to his chest. She loomed over him, her lance raised for the final blow, her expression triumphant.

A flash of light split the air as Thunderbrand descended, slicing Elysia’s lance in two with a crackling Foudroyant Strike . The force hurled Elysia backward, sending her sprawling into the snow. Catherine advanced, her blade raised for the kill.

Before she could strike, Castor’s voice rang out. “Cassandra!”

She turned to see him charging, a dagger clutched in his shaking hand. His movements were uneven, his wound gushing blood, but still, he came. Catherine sidestepped at the last moment, hooking his leg and sending him sprawling beside Elysia.

Both parents lay in the snow, blood pooling beneath them. Castor groaned, raising a trembling hand as if to shield himself and his wife from the inevitable.

“I warned you I’d kill you,” Catherine growled, her voice steely. “You chose this. You chose to die.”

“I’m sorry Cassandra,” Castor rasped, “we, no, I failed you. Kill me if you must, but spare your mother. Let her live. I am ready to see Damian and Antheia again. ”

Catherine gritted her teeth, her grip tightening on Thunderbrand. “No,” she said, her voice trembling with anger and resolve. “You both made your choice. And you’ll both pay the price.”

She raised the relic high, banishing any doubts, until Byleth’s voice cut through the tension.

“Wait!”

Catherine froze mid-swing and turned. Byleth was propped up on one arm, his other hand raised in a weak gesture.

Catherine lowered her sword and rushed over to her fiance. He wasn’t looking good, he had been on the backfoot for the entire battle and with his leg injury he couldn’t stand on his own. 

“Let’s go,” he murmured, his voice hoarse but insistent. He extended a hand toward her. “Please, Catherine. Let’s leave.”

She hesitated, glancing back at her parents. “I need to finish this,” she said, her voice sharp. “If I don’t, we’ll just have to come back and do it later.”

“No,” Byleth said, shaking his head. “Catherine, listen to me. You don’t have to kill them.”

“How can you say that?” Her voice cracked with emotion. “After everything they’ve done to you? They imprisoned you, tortured you, nearly killed you!”

“And it was wrong,” he said, his gaze steady despite his weakened state. “But they were deceived.”

“That doesn’t absolve them of their crimes.” Her eyes flickered with fury. “They still have to pay.”

“They will.” His tone was gentle but firm. “But not here. Not now. This day doesn’t need more blood.

Her resolve wavered. She looked at her parents, broken and defeated in the snow, and then back at Byleth. His hand trembled as he reached for her.

“Trust me,” he said softly.

With only a moment’s hesitation, she leaned down and grasped him by the wrist, pulled him up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Together she walked him back to their pegasus which had remained a short distance away. Slowly she helped up onto the beast’s back and secured him before grabbing ahold of the reins. As she climbed on, Byleth wrapped his arms around her waist to hold himself steady.

““Why?” Castor’s voice cracked, weak and disbelieving. “Why spare us?”

Byleth turned his head slightly, his voice calm but cutting.“That letter was a lie. I didn’t kill Claude, and I never sought power or rulership, all I ever wanted was to end the war the Empire started. What I wanted was a life together with Catherine because I love her and she loves me.”

To emphasize the point Catherine turned around and pressed her lips to Byleth’s in a fierce, passionate kiss. When she broke away, her voice was cold. “If I were either of you, I’d start thinking about how to repent. And by the way, I’m keeping Thunderbrand.”

She stowed the relic in the saddlebag, mounted the pegasus, and helped Byleth up behind her. His arms wrapped weakly around her waist as they took off, leaving Castor and Elysia in the snow.

The journey to Galatea County was mercifully uneventful. Catherine kept a close eye on Byleth, who managed to stay conscious despite his blood loss. Every jolt of the pegasus made him wince, and her heart clenched at his pain. But he still smiled faintly when she glanced back.

When they arrived at Castle Galatea, they were greeted with confusion and relief. Ingrid, ever the stalwart knight, immediately ordered them to the best healers. Catherine refused treatment until Byleth was seen to, brushing off her own wounds as minor.

Later, once the worst of Byleth’s wounds were tended to, Catherine sat with Ingrid and recounted the events.

“I always thought Count Charon was a good man,” Ingrid said, her expression grim. “I never imagined he was capable of such treachery.”

“You and me both,” Catherine muttered, rubbing at the bandages on her hand.

Ingrid’s jaw tightened. “Professor, Catherine—say the word, and I will personally lead the charge against him.”

“Thank you, Ingrid, but that won’t be necessary,” Byleth interjected, his voice weak but steady. He didn’t even open his eyes as he spoke. “There’s been enough bloodshed over this misunderstanding.”

Though reluctant, Ingrid nodded and left them to rest.

Catherine stayed by Byleth’s side that night, watching over him as he slept. Catherine remained by Byleth’s side the entire night not sleeping until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

________

Byleth’s recovery was gradual, between his battle injuries and the torture he endured the physician at Castle Galatea expected it would take him months to fully recover. Even so, Catherine saw flashes of his old resilience, the faint determination in his smile when she helped him walk through the halls or sat with him over breakfast. 

On the third morning, a courier arrived, bearing two items: a letter from Count Charon and the Sword of the Creator, likely a show of good faith from the count.

The letter was brief. Castor wrote that he and Elysia would be stepping down and handing their lands and titles to Catherine, or to Helena if she refused the offer. In exchange, he asked only for their lives to be spared.

Byleth penned a reply, agreeing to the terms. Catherine declined the offer of her father’s titles without hesitation. Ruling had never suited her. She preferred to remain by the side of the one who ruled and keep them safe.

______

In spite of the healers’ insistence that he remain longer, Byleth left Castle Galatea after only a week of rest. He had always been a fast healer, and he didn’t want to burden Lorenz and Ferdinand with too much work in his absence. Even so, when he departed, he did so with a cane Ingrid had thoughtfully provided and Catherine’s steady hand to support him.

The carriage ride back to Derdriu was quiet, the only sound the howling of winter winds battering the windows. Catherine kept her hand on Byleth’s arm as though afraid he might disappear if she let go. He had come so close to death, far too close. The weight of how narrowly she had failed him was heavier than any wound she had endured.

Her thoughts turned to her family’s betrayal. The letter that had poisoned her parents against him wasn’t just a random act of cruelty. Someone had sent it, just as someone had sent the assassin at Garreg Mach. There were still unseen forces conspiring to kill Byleth.

Her grip on his arm tightened slightly, and she glanced at his face. He was resting against her shoulder, his breath steady. Catherine had sworn to protect him: to Lady Rhea, to herself, and to him. She would not fail again.

No matter who stood against him, no matter how powerful they were, she would cut them down.