All This Time

Javelins of Light

"So just what was that?"

After a day of rest, Claude was now (somewhat) recovered, and he sat at the meeting hall. The healers had insisted on him staying bedridden due to the general soreness, the many bruises and cuts, and because they weren't sure of the after effects of that weapon, but Claude refused to stay down. His Teach had done his best to keep him at rest, but Claude knew he as to put his Teach and his ambitions first, and his safety second.

Not that his Teach appreciated that sentiment.

"It was almost like some sort of...javelin of light," Claude mused, folding his hands on the table to try and busy his hands. He had bandages wrapped around his knuckles from when debris had cut up his hands. "It caused such a big explosion...What's there to stop them from bombing the monastery?"

"It's awfully convenient that they would rather bomb their fortress than our home base," Seteth narrowed his eyes. "Maybe because they know there are spies within our ranks..."

"Petra is not a spy," His Teach said calmly, standing up for the Brigid warrior. "Seteth, continue to trust Claude's judgment. He knows what is best."

"My apologies."

"Perhaps they can't use those javelins of light whenever they want to," Claude surmised, raising his brow. He couldn't come up with any other explanation; but they didn't know how long it would be until the Empire could fire once again. "Or maybe the monastery is too far away. Who knows how long that will last, though..."

"You think they'll try and target us when we're not ready to fight?" Ingrid frowned, disgusted by the lack of chivalry.

"The Empire knows no such honor," Seteth frowned, looking more stressed than ever. Claude sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair, trying not to wince as he did so.

"We'll have to end the war before they have a chance to try and do that. Our next plan is to attack the Empire. If we can put enough pressure on them, then they won't have time to prepare another one of those...things."

Silence overtook the room as the severity of the situation settled in. Claude grimaced, putting on a strong face for everyone else.

"Take a rest day. We can figure out the important stuff tomorrow. I'll have a plan ready soon. Meeting dismissed."

Everyone filed out solemnly, and Claude remained in his seat with the map in front of him. They didn't really need a scheme for the battle ahead of them, but Claude wanted to make sure they had a safety net. His Teach looked up at him, a worried look on her face.

Seems like these days, all we do is worry about each other.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Claude sighed. He didn't want her to know about how badly his body ached; she was already stressed enough. "I'm fine."

"...Do you really think they could drop a...whatever it is...on us at any time?" She bit her lip nervously, obviously mortified of the idea. The near death experience had clearly rattled her. "At any time? We could just be doing something as simple as this..."

"...It would be like the world was ending," Claude muttered, unhappy with how the Empire possessed such a powerful weapon. "Well, it's impossible. If they haven't dropped one on us by now, they must not be able to bomb from such a distance."

"But...what if we knew it was coming, and there was no time to escape? What would we do?"

"Well..I mean, if we knew it was hitting, you'd come over, right..."Claude started his thought process, and then paused as she didn't respond. "...uh, right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," She blushed. "I thought that was obvious, sorry.."

"It's alright. Well, we'd...probably stay inside...and I would hold you tight," Claude closed his eyes as he pictured what would basically be the apocalypse. "We'd just have to take it with stride, what else could we do...? There's no use wondering about this anyways. This will never happen, I'll never lose you like this."

"But what if it did drop? What if-what if I lost you..?"

Seems you're starting to understand how I felt all those years...

"It won't," Claude reassured her. "I promise you that it can't. If the Empire hasn't done it yet, then that means they're unable to hit us altogether. That being said, we need to take them down before they're given another chance."

"Okay," His Teach agreed softly, and Claude reached across the table to clasp her hand. He put on a reassuring smile for her, even though he was in pain and hurting. He knew how hard it was to deal with the possibility of death.

"It's alright," Claude promised her as she ran her fingers over his bandages. "Everything is alright. This month...We'll be marching on to fight Edelgard. Hubert will probably be there, too...we need to end this quicker. Teach, are you...are you ready for that?"

"...If they're willing to use such a destructive weapon on us, I will have no regrets," She frowned, her eyes skimming over his injuries. "...Even against Edelgard. You know what I think? I think she was only interested in me because I could help her win, not because she loved me."

"Her interest was rather intent," Claude reminded her gently. "When we meet, and she referred to you as 'her teacher'..."

"...But I'm not her teacher," She frowned, a disturbed look on her face. "I never was. What is so interesting about me? I have no interest in her, why was she so...obsessed with me?"

"...I'll show you just why," Claude told her, standing up. He winced as pain flew through his body, but he forced a grimace onto his face for his Teach. He had been waiting to introduce the two, and now seemed like the perfect time to remind her why people were intrigued about her. "Come on."

He lead her by the hand, slowly hobbling out of the meeting hall and to the reception hall instead. Just as Claude had predicted, the person he was looking for stood there.

"Nader," Claude greeted, making the Almyran general turn around. He was grizzled; with skin comparable to Claude's own and dark, messy hair. As Nader caught sight of Claude and his Teach, he broke into a wide grin.

"Claude, my boy! Oh, and his Professor!" Nader greeted, immediately glancing over his Teach. Claude rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"How many times do I have to tell you and Judith not to call me that-"

"Ah, who cares! I'm so proud of you! Ya picked the right girl!" Nader boasted loudly, crushing his Teach in a bone breaking hug. She stared, eyes wide as she hadn't been expecting the embrace. "She's just as wonderful as ya said. A beast in a fight, too! No wonder you missed her so much!"

"Oh," His Teach's eyes widened, and she blushed at the compliments he heaped on her. "I just follow orders. I'd be nowhere if Claude wasn't with me."

"Humble, too! I'm proud of you, my boy!"

"See, this is why people are attracted to you," Claude said pointedly. Nader let go of his Teach, an embarrassed look on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get too close to your beloved Professor," Nader apologized. "I hope ya know I'm not coming onto her like that, she's pretty young for me, that's...weird."

"Oh, I didn't mean you," Claude chuckled at the miscommunication. "Don't worry, Nader. I'm aware you're just being friendly..and Teach here needed to realize why people find her special."

"Well, what's not special about her? She's got green hair!" Nader smiled encouragingly, not realizing how much his words hurt them both. "But that aside, ya seem like a nice person. Must be pretty amazing to have Claude trust you. Who doesn't like a strong lady?"

"Trust me, she's plenty strong. But do you see why everyone is enamored with you?" Claude responded. "Edelgard, Rhea, myself...You're special."

"In a bad way."

"Definitely not," Claude shook his head, upset to hear that his Teach was having second thoughts about herself. "If you weren't special, I wouldn't have ever...well, taken interest in you. I love you. Don't ever doubt whether or not you're interesting in the best ways."

"...Okay, Claude. I'll try."