cutting right to the chase, were they? well, cyril supposed that was what he asked for. and now, cyril is sure of two things —— one : byleth is kind. she has shown more kindness to him than any other person to visit garreg mach, and her kindness seemed honest ; she had never restrained her skepticism when cyril dodged questions about his homeland or was quick to praise lady rhea, all in the name of safety. she sought to understand him in a way that was unsettling, and moreso in a way that he could never reciprocate ( the woman was like a tightly sealed crypt ). but, as he watches byleth hold the clay serpent in her hands he feels as though he sees the future, and pictures byleth holding rhea herself with the same power. and in that moment, he thinks upon his second point : that for all of byleth’s apparent kindness, sympathy, and loyalty, she remained utterly terrifying.
it is not the power or the niceties that convinces cyril to speak —— it is the honestly of it all, so raw that he cannot be bothered to react emotionally. frankness is the language he communicates in best. he is carefully guarded ; he decides not to share his true feelings, yet. he’ll only state facts that can parade as emotions. he is sure that is what byleth is truly after, anyway. this was war, after all.
❛ —— i knew her better than anyone else. ❜ and, despite him not knowing the key truth in what she was, cyril still held that statement to be true. ❛ didn’t know about the giant dragon bit, but i was there for everything else. i knew what she thought of every single one of you. i knew what made her angry. how she liked to relax. and i kept every single secret i learned. i was her closest servant. ❜ which leads him to follow up with his question : ❛ —— why? ❜
a slight drop of disappointment in an otherwise vast ocean of thought & consideration given his response . she was aware that no words could illicit a direct response , whether by the instructional privacy led through the decrees of the church or more directly from rhea . all things spoken , aside from the dragon bit which she knew very few were prepared for , byleth had grown to understand . none who lived within the colossal walls of their school & housing had true secrets . rhea was omnipresent like a snake among grass ; known to be there , aware of it’s surroundings , however never quite revealing it’s position . she was most curious of what rhea thought of others that she held close . as far as byleth herself she felt secure in the position of being a personal - judas .
though , uttering her name , the thought of what control she yet retained over the world outside seeped out through a tighter grip on the molded dragon within her hand . breath drawn , a mindful bitterness exhumed from within the deific beings distaste for these things . she understood war more than most , she did not , however , understand motivations . she knew how to strip soul from flesh & render an enemy devoid of anything save their bones . she did not , then at least , comprehend why so many did not resolve to simply compete in battle instead sending off a great many soldiers to do their bidding in blood . in this , as she had grown to comprehend politics & empires to a greater extent through her time a disgust for rhea grew ever stronger .
as an exhale followed byleth brought a vacant , unmoving gaze that would swallow any weaker being beneath the pressure to cyril’s own . “ allow me to rephrase it . how much anger do you hold to her now ? disappointment ? or do you feel betrayed ? “ hand releasing the piece , letting it topple over with a lack of care , an unintended reminder of what she herself was well capable of doing . “ what you mentioned i will ask of you in time of need , cyril , what i need to know now is why it is you remain here still . “
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