(What they notice first is the scent of something burning and the group of knights and students pick up their pace, hurrying down the worn path towards the village ahead. When they arrive, what they see is a village on fire and what they hear are screams.
Everyone looks out in horror and confusion. Some of them look like they could break formation and charge into the village on their own but they’re held back, kept in line by a knight on a horse, an enigmatic woman, and Claude who all seem to place themselves in front of the more impulsive members of their group and the village.
“This is unbelievable,” Claude remarks, “There’s no way to tell who’s lost their mind from who’s mad with fear…”
“If we don’t act quickly, things are just going to keep getting worse!” Hilda exclaims, deeply troubled and holding her hands together in front of her tightly.
“It’s horrifying,” The dark haired woman agrees, her voice calm and clear. Though she doesn’t seem to express much, the way her brow knits closely together and her mouth presses into a tight line shows how concerned she really is.
Among the group, they try to discuss their next course of action. They try to reason with what they’re watching. Can they save the villagers? It’s not their fault they’re rampaging and out of control, is it? It’s the disease! The dark magic! Whatever it is! Can’t we just knock them out instead of killing them? It’s too reckless to hold back like that. Even if they are innocent, even if this isn’t their fault, people will die. Then it must be the will of the goddess. Stop that. None of this madness is the will of the goddess.
There are things that Claude agrees with and things he can’t. Wouldn’t it be ideal if they could save everyone in this village? Yes, he would like that very much if they could but logistically, there are too many people. The situation is too chaotic. They have to prioritize the innocent villagers over the mad ones or else they’ll have a blood bath.
He hates that this can be so easily passed off on the goddess. What does she have to do with any of this? The goddess didn’t make these people mad. If they stopped dismissing everything as a part of some divine plan they would notice—
A white haired girl speaks calmly, “Claude. There are some strange-looking people here.”
“So you noticed too. Look. There's a suspicious group hiding amongst the villagers. Could they be the culprits? If so…” He knew he could count on Lysithea. Ever reasonable, always level headed, despite being the youngest, he knew he could count on her. “There you have it. Our objective is clear. Take down the suspicious group and rescue the villagers.”
From there, the rest of the plan falls into place. Prioritize saving the villagers. The knights will try to rein in the ones who have turned violent and the students will focus on rescuing the others. If they can apprehend any of the suspicious people among the chaos then try but don’t get any crazy ideas.
The battle that unfolds is long and tense. It really is difficult to tell who the mad villagers are from the ones desperately fighting for their lives. There are times when Claude hesitates, uncertain about who he’s aiming at and regrets it when a violent village charges at him. Sometimes, he’s able to disarm them, shooting with his bow or slashing with his sword at their arms and legs so they can no longer move or fight. Other times, he finds himself in more dire situations and has to resort to more drastic measures. An arrow pierces a heart, his blade cuts into someone’s stomach. He’s a skilled fighter and truly, if this had been any other ordinary battle, he wouldn’t be nearly as harmed as he is now.
Every now and then, he catches sight of a mysterious soldier and tries to give chase only to lose them in the chaos or the ruins. Finally, he gets far enough that he can make out… a familiar face among the enemy. A gentle looking, elderly man with a quiet smile and thoughtful eyes.
“It can't be… The one giving orders to the weird ruffians… Isn't that Tomas?” He looks surprised to see him and he isn’t the only one. The dark haired woman also notices and begins to cut a direct path towards him, her eyes focused. “I’m going with Teach!” Claude yells at his allies, “Take care of the area!” And he follows after her.
The closer they get, the more strange soldiers they encounter. Even when they try to reason with them and demand answers, they stay silent, keeping their secrets with them to the grave. He wonders if they could just capture one of them, could they interrogate them for answers later? But there’s no time to dwell when their lives are on the line. With Byleth, he strikes down anyone that gets in his way. There are times in his fights when a golden light appears over Claude and a crescent moon shines on him and when it does, it appears as though his injuries heal themselves, the cuts on his body closing and the bruises fading away, leaving behind fresh blood and torn clothes but otherwise, an unharmed body.
At some point in the battle, Claude calls out to Tomas who rejects the name and reveals himself to be not the kind faced librarian he’d known but a twisted, dark mage named Solon. Claude gapes, taken aback and Solon laughs and reveals how he’d hidden away at Garreg mach and conducted experiments using the blood from a young girl named Flayn.
“Is this… the experiment?” Claude asks in disbelief.
Solon doesn’t reply. Instead, he looks out at the village from his point, a look of disgust and disappointment on his face and lets out a wicket laugh, “They charge in without any plan whatsoever. Beasts, all of them…”
Claude’s eyes follow Solon’s gaze. He’s watching the villagers, Claude notes immediately and he breaks into a desperate run, switching from sword to bow and taking aim at Solon.
“ The experiment is over.” The dreaded man proclaims, “Kill them!”
Screams break out through out the village and it’s enough to get Claude to look away from Solon, turning his attention to the villagers around him. They beg for help, demand answers, and wonder aloud why their goddess abandoned them…
And they drop dead.
"You monster!” Claude yells, glaring at Solon. His body trembles, he grips his bow tightly, and he doesn’t bother to contain his rage, “We could have saved them!”
And the memory ends abruptly, just as a the dark haired mercenary charges at Solon.)
[...they come out of the memory, and Yona looks just as furious as Claude had seemed to be at that time.
The memory was so vivid - it was like being there. She has to shake her head to dislodge the echoes of their screams, and she realizes dimly that her hands are clenched so tightly that her nails are digging into her palms. She lets out a breath and forces herself to loosen the grip.]
...if that man is dead now, good riddance to him, too.
[He got away? For a moment, Yona considers the merits of yeeting herself into Claude's world once this is done to hunt him down - but then he continues, and says they caught up to him eventually.]
Good.
[The fewer people who are out there experimenting on humans, the better!]
...it looked like you had some pretty good allies. [Hilda was there! And Lysithea seemed pretty cool... and all the others.]
I mean it! (He rubs his shoulder,) I'm hardheaded, I'm always making them work, I never leave any of them alone...
A house leader should be noble, refined, brave, and honorable... I'm not a knight like Dimitri or a princess like Edelgard. I'm just a schemer that showed up out of no where one day and snatched a free title.
(And he's... not the slightest bit ashamed. He speaks as casually as if he was speaking about the weather.)
Nobility, refinement... who cares about any of that? [Says the princess.] A leader of any kind should be someone who cares about the people who follow them, and who's willing to work with them to make life better for their people. From what I saw in your memory, you're that person.
[She's very, very serious.]
If you have to scheme a little for that - isn't that okay?
(Claude, a p̵̛͎r̸͉̐i̶̼͒͜n̵̼̍̾c̵̛̫͎̑e̵͎͊ and future duke, agrees completely,)
...
Can't argue when you say it like that. (She sounds so serious! And he recognizes how stubborn she'll be about all of it.) But you know, being a leader isn't all glory or a few simple plans, either.
Sometimes a leader means going to pretty great lengths to protect those under your charge.
[She can't really argue that. She would kill so many men without remorse if it kept her people safe. When she listens to Claude talk about the Golden Deer, though, she gets the sense that he'd do that for them in a heartbeat.]
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“Kill! Kill! Kill! Aaaah!” “Haha… hahaha… Hrngyarhh!” “Help! Somebody, please help!”
Everyone looks out in horror and confusion. Some of them look like they could break formation and charge into the village on their own but they’re held back, kept in line by a knight on a horse, an enigmatic woman, and Claude who all seem to place themselves in front of the more impulsive members of their group and the village.
“This is unbelievable,” Claude remarks, “There’s no way to tell who’s lost their mind from who’s mad with fear…”
“If we don’t act quickly, things are just going to keep getting worse!” Hilda exclaims, deeply troubled and holding her hands together in front of her tightly.
“It’s horrifying,” The dark haired woman agrees, her voice calm and clear. Though she doesn’t seem to express much, the way her brow knits closely together and her mouth presses into a tight line shows how concerned she really is.
Among the group, they try to discuss their next course of action. They try to reason with what they’re watching. Can they save the villagers? It’s not their fault they’re rampaging and out of control, is it? It’s the disease! The dark magic! Whatever it is! Can’t we just knock them out instead of killing them? It’s too reckless to hold back like that. Even if they are innocent, even if this isn’t their fault, people will die. Then it must be the will of the goddess. Stop that. None of this madness is the will of the goddess.
There are things that Claude agrees with and things he can’t. Wouldn’t it be ideal if they could save everyone in this village? Yes, he would like that very much if they could but logistically, there are too many people. The situation is too chaotic. They have to prioritize the innocent villagers over the mad ones or else they’ll have a blood bath.
He hates that this can be so easily passed off on the goddess. What does she have to do with any of this? The goddess didn’t make these people mad. If they stopped dismissing everything as a part of some divine plan they would notice—
A white haired girl speaks calmly, “Claude. There are some strange-looking people here.”
“So you noticed too. Look. There's a suspicious group hiding amongst the villagers. Could they be the culprits? If so…” He knew he could count on Lysithea. Ever reasonable, always level headed, despite being the youngest, he knew he could count on her. “There you have it. Our objective is clear. Take down the suspicious group and rescue the villagers.”
From there, the rest of the plan falls into place. Prioritize saving the villagers. The knights will try to rein in the ones who have turned violent and the students will focus on rescuing the others. If they can apprehend any of the suspicious people among the chaos then try but don’t get any crazy ideas.
The battle that unfolds is long and tense. It really is difficult to tell who the mad villagers are from the ones desperately fighting for their lives. There are times when Claude hesitates, uncertain about who he’s aiming at and regrets it when a violent village charges at him. Sometimes, he’s able to disarm them, shooting with his bow or slashing with his sword at their arms and legs so they can no longer move or fight. Other times, he finds himself in more dire situations and has to resort to more drastic measures. An arrow pierces a heart, his blade cuts into someone’s stomach. He’s a skilled fighter and truly, if this had been any other ordinary battle, he wouldn’t be nearly as harmed as he is now.
Every now and then, he catches sight of a mysterious soldier and tries to give chase only to lose them in the chaos or the ruins. Finally, he gets far enough that he can make out… a familiar face among the enemy. A gentle looking, elderly man with a quiet smile and thoughtful eyes.
“It can't be… The one giving orders to the weird ruffians… Isn't that Tomas?” He looks surprised to see him and he isn’t the only one. The dark haired woman also notices and begins to cut a direct path towards him, her eyes focused. “I’m going with Teach!” Claude yells at his allies, “Take care of the area!” And he follows after her.
The closer they get, the more strange soldiers they encounter. Even when they try to reason with them and demand answers, they stay silent, keeping their secrets with them to the grave. He wonders if they could just capture one of them, could they interrogate them for answers later? But there’s no time to dwell when their lives are on the line. With Byleth, he strikes down anyone that gets in his way. There are times in his fights when a golden light appears over Claude and a crescent moon shines on him and when it does, it appears as though his injuries heal themselves, the cuts on his body closing and the bruises fading away, leaving behind fresh blood and torn clothes but otherwise, an unharmed body.
At some point in the battle, Claude calls out to Tomas who rejects the name and reveals himself to be not the kind faced librarian he’d known but a twisted, dark mage named Solon. Claude gapes, taken aback and Solon laughs and reveals how he’d hidden away at Garreg mach and conducted experiments using the blood from a young girl named Flayn.
“Is this… the experiment?” Claude asks in disbelief.
Solon doesn’t reply. Instead, he looks out at the village from his point, a look of disgust and disappointment on his face and lets out a wicket laugh, “They charge in without any plan whatsoever. Beasts, all of them…”
Claude’s eyes follow Solon’s gaze. He’s watching the villagers, Claude notes immediately and he breaks into a desperate run, switching from sword to bow and taking aim at Solon.
“ The experiment is over.” The dreaded man proclaims, “Kill them!”
Screams break out through out the village and it’s enough to get Claude to look away from Solon, turning his attention to the villagers around him. They beg for help, demand answers, and wonder aloud why their goddess abandoned them…
And they drop dead.
"You monster!” Claude yells, glaring at Solon. His body trembles, he grips his bow tightly, and he doesn’t bother to contain his rage, “We could have saved them!”
And the memory ends abruptly, just as a the dark haired mercenary charges at Solon.)
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The memory was so vivid - it was like being there. She has to shake her head to dislodge the echoes of their screams, and she realizes dimly that her hands are clenched so tightly that her nails are digging into her palms. She lets out a breath and forces herself to loosen the grip.]
...if that man is dead now, good riddance to him, too.
[Fuck you Solon you're the worst.]
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Actually, he got away that night. (Unfortunately.) But we caught up to up eventually and put him down.
(He'll just... conveniently leave out the crest stone research, though. Yona doesn't need to know that.)
That guy's long gone so don't waste your emotions on him.
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Good.
[The fewer people who are out there experimenting on humans, the better!]
...it looked like you had some pretty good allies. [Hilda was there! And Lysithea seemed pretty cool... and all the others.]
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(Despite the memory and everything about it, right now, Claude looks quite pleased. He holds his head up high and he looks absolutely proud,)
That's the Golden Deer for ya. They're my classmates and I'm their leader. I really couldn't ask for a better class.
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It sounds like you're lucky to have them - and they're lucky to have you, too.
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(He knows he's difficult and frustrates a lot of them but he loves them.)
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[She leans over and punches his shoulder. Gently, but it's still definitely a punch.]
Hey, don't say that. You're not so bad.
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I mean it! (He rubs his shoulder,) I'm hardheaded, I'm always making them work, I never leave any of them alone...
A house leader should be noble, refined, brave, and honorable... I'm not a knight like Dimitri or a princess like Edelgard. I'm just a schemer that showed up out of no where one day and snatched a free title.
(And he's... not the slightest bit ashamed. He speaks as casually as if he was speaking about the weather.)
Really, I don't deserve them.
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Nobility, refinement... who cares about any of that? [Says the princess.] A leader of any kind should be someone who cares about the people who follow them, and who's willing to work with them to make life better for their people. From what I saw in your memory, you're that person.
[She's very, very serious.]
If you have to scheme a little for that - isn't that okay?
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...
Can't argue when you say it like that. (She sounds so serious! And he recognizes how stubborn she'll be about all of it.) But you know, being a leader isn't all glory or a few simple plans, either.
Sometimes a leader means going to pretty great lengths to protect those under your charge.
(Like killing a man without remorse.)
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[She can't really argue that. She would kill so many men without remorse if it kept her people safe. When she listens to Claude talk about the Golden Deer, though, she gets the sense that he'd do that for them in a heartbeat.]
...you'd go to any lengths for your class, right?
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Anything.
(He can answer that honestly.)
But not just because I'm their leader or they're my classmates. They're my friends, too.
(His first friends.)
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I know that feeling.