ā” Ā āŖ Ā claude. Ā ā«
hollow victory / hey @inexaltĀ Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Victory felt like it was the identical twin of defeat. With each passing day of this war, battles won looked nearly the same as battles lost. Blood, ash, flames, crumbled buildings and spatterings of gore, it was hard to look upon a battlefield with these as constants and feel like the victor.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Claude stood on the remnants of a collapsed shed and looked over the shambles that once was this villageās market square. Corpses of Empire soldiers littered the ground, among them were also the bodies of church soldiers and those bearing the insignia of the Lecicester Alliance. So many lives lost, so many candles extinguished. Claude tilted his chin up and he looked towards the sky, the sunās halo could be seen faintly behind the thick clouds, trails of light still managed to slip through the cover and touch his skin. It was all for something, the lives lost on both sides werenāt in vain.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He saw Ignatz and Raphael emerge from between a pair of houses, draped across their shoulders was a wounded Alliance soldier. Claude took a step forward with the intention of going to help them, but the sound of hurried, and uneven flapping overhead caught his attention. A large shadow cast down over him, and his Wyvern ungracefully descended and fell the last couple of feet with a loud thud. It curled up in a patch of grass a bit away from the village square, in one of the few parts of the battlefield that wasnāt composed of scorched earth.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Claude hurried to his Wyvernās side. He dropped his bow to the ground and slid to his knees by its head. At Claudeās touch, the Wyvern let out a pained exhale through its snout, and it rose one of its wings to reveal a gruesome looking wound that was bleeding considerably on its flank.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHey, hey girl, youāre alright,ā Reassuring words, more for himself than the Wyvern. He slipped his gloves off and wiped his brow with the back of his hand. A long smear of soot now stretched down his temple. Gently, Claude petted her head as he raised his head and looked around.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā He couldnāt remember where he last saw Marianne. Or Flayn for that matter. Claude looked left, then right, and there he saw Byleth helping Hilda to her feet.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āHey, Teach!ā Claude called, āI could use a hand!ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā canĀ youĀ stand?Ā Ā āāĀ
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā oh,Ā iāmĀ fine,Ā Ā āāĀ Ā hildaĀ huffsĀ breathlessly,Ā butĀ thereāsĀ aĀ painedĀ winceĀ thatĀ contortsĀ herĀ faceĀ forĀ aĀ momentĀ asĀ sheĀ testsĀ herĀ bearingsĀ onĀ herĀ rightĀ ankle,Ā herĀ weightĀ steadiedĀ byĀ byleth'sĀ hand.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā iĀ landedĀ funny.Ā itĀ feelsĀ aĀ littleĀ tender,Ā butĀ iĀ thinkĀ iĀ canĀ walk.Ā Ā āā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā letĀ meĀ helpĀ youĀ back.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā theĀ battlefieldĀ wasĀ aĀ treacherous,Ā churningĀ pitfallĀ ofĀ splinteredĀ woodĀ andĀ turned-upĀ mud,Ā litteredĀ withĀ weaponsĀ andĀ buildingsĀ andĀ bodies,Ā butĀ justĀ asĀ hildaĀ opensĀ herĀ mouthĀ toĀ respondĀ thereĀ isĀ aĀ heavy,Ā unevenĀ flappingĀ ofĀ wings,Ā andĀ aĀ familiarĀ voiceĀ ringingĀ acrossĀ theĀ fieldĀ thatĀ makesĀ bothĀ theirĀ headsĀ turn.Ā bylethĀ feelsĀ somethingĀ phantomĀ lanceĀ throughĀ herĀ chest.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā iĀ couldĀ haveĀ beenĀ faster.Ā bylethāsĀ gazeĀ meetsĀ claudeāsĀ halfway.Ā heĀ alwaysĀ hidĀ hisĀ concernĀ well,Ā butĀ sheĀ feelsĀ itĀ anyway,Ā likeĀ aĀ chillĀ onĀ theĀ backĀ ofĀ herĀ neck,Ā andĀ thereĀ wereĀ noĀ healersĀ inĀ sight.Ā moreĀ likelyĀ thanĀ notĀ theyĀ wereĀ alreadyĀ preoccupiedĀ withĀ theĀ wounded.Ā iĀ didĀ asĀ muchĀ asĀ iĀ could.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā youĀ goĀ on,Ā byleth.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā leonieāsĀ voiceĀ pipesĀ upĀ fromĀ herĀ otherĀ side.Ā itĀ takesĀ bylethĀ aĀ momentĀ toĀ realizeĀ sheĀ hadĀ approached,Ā andĀ isĀ easingĀ hildaāsĀ weightĀ offĀ herĀ hands,Ā takingĀ itĀ ontoĀ herĀ ownĀ shoulders.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā iāllĀ helpĀ hildaĀ backĀ soĀ sheĀ canĀ getĀ thatĀ ankleĀ lookedĀ at.Ā claudeĀ soundsĀ likeĀ heĀ needsĀ you.Ā Ā āā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā hildaĀ triesĀ aĀ wobblyĀ smile.Ā leonieāsĀ browĀ isĀ furrowed,Ā andĀ theĀ collarĀ ofĀ herĀ shirtĀ isĀ stainedĀ withĀ blood,Ā butĀ sheĀ seemsĀ otherwiseĀ unharmed.Ā bylethĀ stifflyĀ nodsĀ herĀ assent.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā youĀ twoĀ beĀ careful,Ā Ā āā Ā sheĀ says,Ā backingĀ aĀ stepĀ towardsĀ claude.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā ifĀ anythingĀ goesĀ south,Ā comeĀ findĀ us.Ā Ā āā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā sheĀ sparesĀ aĀ momentĀ toĀ watchĀ themĀ go,Ā andĀ thenĀ turnsĀ herĀ focusĀ whereĀ itsĀ needed:Ā asĀ sheĀ trotsĀ overĀ toĀ claudeāsĀ side,Ā sheĀ canĀ hearĀ himĀ gentlyĀ murmuringĀ placatingĀ wordsĀ toĀ theĀ woundedĀ beastĀ inĀ frontĀ ofĀ him.Ā bylethĀ dropsĀ toĀ herĀ knees,Ā andĀ asĀ sheĀ doesĀ theĀ wyvernĀ chuffs,Ā shieldingĀ theĀ woundĀ awayĀ withĀ herĀ wingĀ andĀ regardingĀ bylethĀ withĀ oneĀ looming,Ā narrowĀ eye.Ā Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā ...ifĀ youĀ canĀ getĀ herĀ toĀ letĀ meĀ nearĀ theĀ wound,Ā iĀ canĀ stopĀ theĀ bleeding.Ā itāllĀ atĀ leastĀ beĀ enoughĀ untilĀ weĀ findĀ someoneĀ toĀ healĀ herĀ properly.Ā Ā āāĀ Ā sheĀ feelsĀ tense,Ā justĀ aĀ measureĀ unsure:Ā sheĀ hadĀ neverĀ beenĀ inĀ aĀ positionĀ whereĀ herĀ precariousĀ relationshipĀ withĀ animalsĀ mightĀ beĀ reliedĀ upon.Ā bylethĀ looksĀ toĀ claude,Ā herĀ eyesĀ instinctivelyĀ searchingĀ forĀ signĀ ofĀ weakness,Ā butĀ sheĀ alreadyĀ knowsĀ heĀ isĀ fineĀ āĀ Ā alive,Ā ifĀ notĀ unwounded.Ā sheādĀ madeĀ sureĀ ofĀ it.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā iāmĀ gladĀ everyoneĀ isĀ safe,Ā Ā Ā āāĀ Ā bylethĀ murmurs,Ā peelingĀ offĀ herĀ ownĀ glovesĀ andĀ layingĀ themĀ inĀ herĀ lap.Ā sheĀ reachesĀ aĀ tentativeĀ handĀ forĀ theĀ wyvernāsĀ snoutĀ whereĀ claudeāsĀ handsĀ rest,Ā hopingĀ toĀ offerĀ herĀ aĀ comfortingĀ scent,Ā butĀ theĀ beastĀ flinchesĀ back.Ā āāĀ Ā iĀ wontĀ letĀ anythingĀ happenĀ toĀ herĀ either,Ā claude...Ā butĀ youĀ mayĀ haveĀ toĀ lendĀ meĀ aĀ hand.Ā iĀ guessĀ weāveĀ neverĀ beenĀ properlyĀ introduced.Ā Ā Ā āā