Emerald Rain

To Enbarr:

Byleth:

It was night.

The day had been long. For tomorrow they marched to Enbarr, and for that reason Claude was insistent that they spend every moment possible in the Cardinal's room hashing out strategy plans.

"Why don't we just sic the Death knight on them?" Sylvain suggested.

That was the first time Byleth had ever seen Mercedes look at someone with murderous rage.

Ingrid proceeded to slap the back of Sylvain's head, "You're being insensitive" she scolded

"Also, stupid" Felix said, "The Death Knight came from the Empire, we can't just expect him to attack them because we asked him to" he said.

"Felix" Ingrid said sternly while shooting Mercedes an apologetic look.

Byleth sat outside of her room door reminiscing on that meeting. She has no clue how things will go in Enbarr and doesn't know whether or not all of them will make it out alive. As much as she wants to believe that they will. Byleth cannot deny the facts that there is a good chance that they will die in vain.

The thought chills her to the core.

Could she live with herself if she knew her friends died for her belief that the three lords could unite together and overcome those who slither in the dark and the Church of Seiros?

Byleth knows the answer.

She will never be able to live with that kind of guilt.

Edelgard...

Please...

Byleth rubbed her face, they had also talked in great detail on how to go about handling Hubert since there was no doubt, they would have to kill him before they even reached Edelgard.

Like with all mages, they will use Silence on him to make him complicit. As far as they are aware Hubert has no other strengths except for his magic, so they will use that to their advantage.

They had also received magic resistant restraints from Constance. Byleth was mildly concerned why she had such a thing at her disposal readily but the grin on her face told Byleth it was best not to ask.

And then there was Edelgard.

Every fiber in Byleth's body believed that there really might not be a way to get her to join, but deep down in Byleth there was a part of her that believed that there was hope. If she could just reach Edelgard in time... And tell her.

Then maybe she will see reason.

Byleth sighed and stared up at the night sky. It was cloudy, the weather had been more frigid than it normally is... Almost like an omen of some sort.

Please Edelgard.

Grass crunched over heavy footsteps, Byleth turned her head in that direction to see the person interrupting her thoughts.

Dimitri.

He stood there staring a couple of feet away.

"What are you doing?" Byleth asked Dimitri as she stood up from where she had been sitting, dusting off grass that had found its way onto her clothing.

Dimitri stretched his arms, "Sleep evades me, so I thought I'd get in some extra training. I was just about to finish" he replied, then looked towards the ground. "Perhaps it is the gloomy weather, but I am feeling the sting of wounds that should have healed long ago..." he sighed.

Byleth tilted her head in confusion, "What wounds?" she asked.

Dimitri raised his head and met Byleth's gaze, "The injury I got when that girl stabbed me after the Battle at Gronder" he said. Right, she had forgotten about that entirely. Dimitri's gaze broke away, "Her eyes were filled with revenge... Just as mine once were" he sighed.