Ashe Durand from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Ultimately adored muse of Queen (She/Her)
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About Ashe / Mun / Stats (TBA)
Portrayal notes:
Ashe is, of course, from his pre-timeskip portrayal. Eternally earnest and kindhearted, he dreams of making Lonato proud and becoming a true knight. Just like the heroes in the books he so adores.
Related to that, since TOA is a canon divergence I’m writing under the assumption (for now) that Lonato’s rebellion has not happened and that he’s still alive and sponsoring Ashe’s education.
Silly, but I’ll be using his Japanese surname Durand over the localization’s Ubert. This is purely a personal preference as I’m not fond of how Ubert sounds. I’d appreciate others (if his last name is ever brought up) to refer to him as such as well!
While I plan to develop his reason skill rank I flavor it not as him actually learning offensive magic, but rather learning elemental infusions like how in three hopes he can fire off wind arrows.
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | TRUST
“Archery from horseback is a skill that only really advanced knights learn here. But he makes it look so natural and graceful. I wonder if he’d be willing to teach me? I’d love to learn proper archery forms from atop my Pegasus! ….Um, those are probably a little similar… right?”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | TRUST
“When you’re surrounded by so many people of noble heritage, it’s a real comfort to meet someone like Sir Ronan. He seems like a very down to earth man, which I can appreciate. I wonder if he’d be willing to give me some archery pointers sometime…..”
♡ imagine getting jumpscared by michael jackson lookalike
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | TRUST
“Oh wow… I’m awestruck. This man almost perfectly resembles what I imagine Loog, the king of lions, to have looked like in his later years! That’s an amazing coincidence… is he a distant relative of his highness, by any chance?”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | TRUST
“Professor Deirdre reminds me of a fairytale princess! The kind of maidens they write about in chivalric tales. Graceful, elegant, and so very kind. The sort of lady you can imagine little birds and butterflies flit around. I’m so very curious to hear her story. I haven’t yet gathered the courage to ask though….”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 | ATTRACTION
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 | AFFECTION
🩷🩷🩷🩷🖤 | INTEREST
🩷🩷🩷🩷🖤 | LOYALTY
🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷 | TRUST
“What do I think of Caspar? Well… I’ve come to really enjoy spending time with him! He’s passionate, lively and has very strong morals with an unflinching sense of justice. He’s courageous too and always willing to help people in need. I think that’s really admirable! He might not care about this sort of thing, but I really do see a chivalric spirit in him that burns bright when it matters. ….that said, I do wish he’d think before acting a little more often. And that he’d control his temper a little better. Sometimes I worry a little about him. His heart is always in the right place, though. So I do think everything’s going to be okay in the end.”
“Huh? S-Sorry, am I rambling too much? Ahaha… Gosh, I wonder why…”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | TRUST
“Linhardt really is an interesting person. They’re so intelligent and I wish I could be even half as skilled in magic as them! ….that said, I do wonder why they’re so selective in the way they apply themselves. Feels kind of like a shame, you know. …Oh! B-But please don’t tell them I said that, I still respect them a lot!”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | TRUST
“Oh, Panette is amazing! She’s blazingly powerful, really fierce, brave and incredibly dependable. Not just that, her strength is matched by her kindness. I know I can always count on her to have my back and I’m incredibly grateful to call someone like her my friend. She reminds me a little of a lady knight I once read a story about, who was noted for her fondness of the spooky seasons!”
What does my muse think of yours? Still accepting!
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | ATTRACTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | AFFECTION
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | INTEREST
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚫️ | LOYALTY
⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️⚪️ | TRUST
“Don’t tell him this please, but at first… I was a little intimidated by Professor Byleth. Now though, I realize he’s actually a really nice person who I know I can trust with anything! I find myself wanting to work even harder when I know the Professor believes in me.”
“Caspar? Where are you? Caspaaar!” Ashe shouts out, looking over the white beach and blue ocean that stretches out before him. In his hands are two ice cream cones, purchased from a nearby vendor. It still feels a little bit unreal, being at a beautiful resort like this… and the way they got here sure doesn’t help with the dream-like feeling.
What started as a normal shopping trip a few days ago ended up with them winning a trip to a tropical resort after being a magic shop’s 39,3939th customer (honestly, Ashe still isn’t sure what the relevance of that number is). After making sure they weren’t needed for the weekend the two boys decided to accept the invitation. They traveled not by carriage however, but by… orb? It’s probably more magic, if Ashe had to guess.
Nevertheless the resort ended up being very real. Pristine beaches, clear oceans, guests lounging in comfortable chairs under parasols, cold drinks and ice cream being served.. On top of that they even received complimentary swimsuits! It feels like something right out of a fairytale! And Ashe definitely read a few of those, like the tale of the coconut princess!
With his friend in charge of finding a place to put their belongings, Ashe is in charge of getting them refreshments. Hence the current situation, with the only problem now being… where is Caspar? Surely teal hair and red shorts aren’t that hard to spot, right?
“Caspar!” He shouts again, trying to ignore the way slight embarrassment creeps up when he draws the stares of a few beachgoers who definitely look more at home than he does.
Caspar had one job: find somewhere to place their stuff. The beach isn't too busy, so he picks somewhere close to the water, but not to close that high tide would sweep away their stuff.
There's a small tent, their bags, and some snacks: really, the perfect set-up for a good beach trip. The bags are tucked into the tent to stop it from flying away. Caspar sits his hands on his hips. Yep, good camp.
He looks out into the open water. What a beautiful, sunny and warm day. He takes a step closer to the water, then another, until he dips a foot in. He yelps and pulls it back. Why is it so cold?! He watches a crab skitter across the beach, and wonders if he could catch it. Nah, too much work.
He hears his name on the wind. He looks back and sees Ashe with their refreshments, looking very lost. Okay, maybe Caspar had wandered a little further from camp, but someone had to test the waters. It's not like anyone is going to steal their stuff. He jogs over to Ashe, before taking their stuff.
"Thanks, Ashe. Oh yeah, watch out, the water's ice cold." He shivers as if to prove his point. "It's so hot out, I thought that would warm the water. You're probably used to the cold, right?"
Oh! Seems Caspar went further out than expected, putting down their belongings close to the water. Makes sense then that he was a little difficult to find. “Oh, there you are!” The boy beams at his friends as he hands him one of the two ice cream cones. “You picked a really nice spot for our belongings, thank you.”
Caspar then brings up the waters temperature, to which Ashe in a slightly joking manner responds to with a hand on his hip. “You’ve already tried out the water without me? I thought we were gonna jump in together.” He tries really hard to maintain a frown, but his good mood renders that impossible. “It’s a rather breezy day out, so that’s probably why the water is a bit colder. According to the lady running the refreshment stand though the water tends to get warmer in the afternoon, so if it’s too cold we can go swimming later and just enjoy the beach first.”
“Oh, that reminds me!” Ashe perks up as he heads towards their tent, specifically one of the bags in it. From it he pulled a blue towel. “I packed a large blanket so we could sit on it and not get sand in our swim shorts, haha.” It still felt kind of crazy that they were given complimentary swim wear. Feeling a little awkward with just swimming trunks though, he decided on wearing a short jacket over it as well.
“Caspar? Where are you? Caspaaar!” Ashe shouts out, looking over the white beach and blue ocean that stretches out before him. In his hands are two ice cream cones, purchased from a nearby vendor. It still feels a little bit unreal, being at a beautiful resort like this… and the way they got here sure doesn’t help with the dream-like feeling.
What started as a normal shopping trip a few days ago ended up with them winning a trip to a tropical resort after being a magic shop’s 39,3939th customer (honestly, Ashe still isn’t sure what the relevance of that number is). After making sure they weren’t needed for the weekend the two boys decided to accept the invitation. They traveled not by carriage however, but by… orb? It’s probably more magic, if Ashe had to guess.
Nevertheless the resort ended up being very real. Pristine beaches, clear oceans, guests lounging in comfortable chairs under parasols, cold drinks and ice cream being served.. On top of that they even received complimentary swimsuits! It feels like something right out of a fairytale! And Ashe definitely read a few of those, like the tale of the coconut princess!
With his friend in charge of finding a place to put their belongings, Ashe is in charge of getting them refreshments. Hence the current situation, with the only problem now being… where is Caspar? Surely teal hair and red shorts aren’t that hard to spot, right?
“Caspar!” He shouts again, trying to ignore the way slight embarrassment creeps up when he draws the stares of a few beachgoers who definitely look more at home than he does.
Ashe is sixteen years old when the Ethereal ball takes place. It’s lavish, with lights, music and smiling faces everywhere he looks. Despite all the merriment he chooses to stand on the sidelines, however. He’s never formally learned how to dance and he’d hate to embarrass Lonato with a poor performance.
After some time passes the song ends, signified by the strings of the band that die down. The lights dim as well when one spotlight focuses on the piano player. He has chestnut brown hair and wears a dapper blue suit.
Gloved fingers softly press into ivory keys, the first notes of a slow and beautiful melody ringing through the Monastery’s makeshift ballroom. Soft green eyes widen, the song intimately familiar.
————
Ashe is ten years old the first time he sees Christophe dance. He’s in the drawing room, with a woman in a pretty flowing dress teaching him. A man sits by the piano in the corner, playing an elegant song. Lonato sits by the fireplace, a content smile on his face as he watches the lesson play out.
He doesn’t mean to spy on them, but he couldn’t help himself from peeking. As when he passes by, the most beautiful song he’s ever heard plays from inside the room. The door is left slightly ajar, so he looks inside. There he sees the way Christophe and the woman sway to the piano’s beautiful song with a “one two three one two three”.
“Here Ashe. You’re the smaller of us two so you put one hand on mine and the other on my shoulder, okay?”
“U-Um… like this?”
“Yes, good! Now, I’ll start moving okay? Just follow along. You can do it.”
“Wait!”
“Hm? What is it?”
“It’s a little scary. What if I do something wrong?”
“Haha. Don’t worry about that, Ashe. Dancing is fun! Just focus on enjoying yourself first, the rest can come later.”
“It’s… fun?”
“Yeah! At least, I think it is.”
“Oh. O-Okay, I trust you.”
Ashe is eleven when dancing with Christophe becomes a regular occurrence. Every month or so, after his lessons, he’d teach what he just learnt to Ashe. Lonato occasionally plays the piano for them to dance to, smiling all the while. Every time they dance, it’s to that same song. Christophe and Lonato both offer to try a different song, but he clings to this one. Something about it just is special. Eventually his siblings also discover their dance practice. They’re a little too small to dance with Christophe properly, but they enjoy moving along to Lonato’s playing regardless.
His chest blossoms with indescribable warmth and happiness in these moments. The people he loves most are here with him, and everyone is smiling. It's all thanks to that song. They dance and have fun until the moon illuminates the sky above. Thousands of stars twinkle in the night, and Ashe makes a wish. He hopes the Goddess will hear him.
He wishes these happy moments will last forever.
“I… I think I’m getting it!”
“See! I told you you could do it.”
“Hahaha, this is so fun!”
“Isn’t it? You got the first steps down, so now it’s time for the next part!”
“The next part? Dancing is more than this?”
“Of course! The music changes as it keeps going. It would be a little boring if we just did the same thing over and over, wouldn’t it?”
Ashe is twelve when it feels like a normal day like any other. Lonato is smiling, his siblings dance along too. And that warm happiness still sets his chest alight. They try to perform the final part of the dance, a spectacular finish where Christophe picks him up and spins him around.
He instinctively panics as soon as his feet leave the ground, so it doesn’t go as planned. It looks less like a graceful jump and more like a fish that got pulled out of water. But Christophe laughs, a warm and deep laugh that makes Ashe feel safe. It’s okay. They’ll try it again next time.
Ashe regrets not trying harder.
“…Christophe? Are you okay? You seem a little distracted.”
“Huh? Oh! Don’t worry about it Ashe. Just have a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
“Are you sure that’s it?”
“Yeah! Trust me. Now, why don’t we get started on the final part of this dance?”
“The final… wait! Is that the one where you pick me up?”
“It sure is!”
“Hang on- I don’t think I’m ready- Christophe! Wait! Waaait!”
Ashe is thirteen when he stands alone in the drawing room. The candles and the fireplace are unlit. The piano gathers dust in the corner, having gone unused for a year. The room feels emptier than ever.
Slowly he steps towards the piano. If he closes his eyes, he can almost imagine Lonato still sitting there, smiling in a way where you can see slight lines of age under his eyes. But now Lonato doesn’t smile anymore.
For the first time in a year, sound once again fills the room. But it is not the light tones of a piano, nor the laughter of a happy family.
It is the weeping of a child.
————
Ashe is sixteen again. A soft piano melody echoes through the ballroom, many pairs of students and faculty alike dancing along to steps Ashe has known for years now.
He’s never been able to finish the dance, as the person who taught him has left this world to be with the Goddess.
It’s daunting, but he wants to try. He finds someone he trusts, a classmate and friend who he knows well. Someone strong enough to lift him up.
“Excuse me! Um… would you like to try dancing with me?”
“Um. Huh?” He’s left slightly dumbstruck for a moment. While asking about bow fishing seemed to be leading up to trying the activity together, he didn’t expect that to be right away.
…yet, he doesn’t hate it at all. If anything the idea of spending a little one on one time with his professor seems more enjoyable than anything else he might’ve planned for today. “R-Right away, Professor!” Quickly he stuffs everything that remains in his desk into his bag and stands up excitedly.
As they walk side by side, Ashe keeps making curious little glances at Professor Byleth whenever he feels like the man isn’t looking. The way he walks, the way he bears himself.. all of it seems so calm and collected, just like he imagined an experienced mercenary would be. “If you don’t mind me asking, what brought this on Professor? If there’s something you feel I’m falling behind on, I’ll do my best to catch up.”
He knows well enough that he’s just some crestless nobody, meaning he has to work twice- no, thrice as hard to catch up to his noble-blooded peers.
"I think you're doing good." How much his opinion on that counts for, he's not sure. He may be a professor, but all of it is new to him. The best metric he has is previous archers in the company. Comparing them, he wonders if he's right in thinking Ashe more careful with his life.
The walk out to the pond isn't far. He considers going further, to the river where there are more obstacles and variables, but this is a better start. The next time, he thinks, they will go there. "You've been working hard and getting far, it's not easy to keep up with everyone, but you do."
He readies the line as the end of the arrow. The hardest part of this kind of fishing is the line either being too heavy and taut or too fragile. "So as a professor, I would like to help you soar as high as you want to go."
“Y-You really think so?” He’s expecting an analysis, one that implies he’s got something he’s falling behind on. Instead what he gets is praise, and for a moment the boy forgets what to do with himself, a deep pink blush spreading across pale freckled cheeks. The professor might not realize it, but those words meant the world to him. “Well I.. I don’t think I’d have made it this far if it wasn’t for your guidance, professor.” His head lowers slightly, as if he’s trying to hide his face in the fabric of his hood.
“I still have so far left to go, but I think I can make it with your help. So.. thank you.” And that’s about as much sheepishness he can handle. Any more and he might spontaneously combust! “A-Anyway, this pond seems clear enough. I’ll do my best to catch a few fish!”
With that he starts readying his own bow, his stance practiced and comfortable. The line slightly adjusts the arrow’s weight and feel in his hand, but the archer is relatively quick to intuitively adjust his hand position to account for it.
It's a different world, that much he can certainly agree with. Sitting at the eaves and being expected to partake made large enough a difference that still Byleth found himself falling into old habits of minimized presence. "I don't see it being the last."
At the question he nods. "Two birds with one stone." He picks up his own bow and holds it out. He's done this kind of fishing before but it's not as fun as a proper rod and a pier. This too is a means of teaching. "The distortions from the water can make it difficult to aim, so this will help you there." As well as simply being a new experience.
"Let's go then," he says from the class' door. And, "We can talk more about the ball on our way there." Though Byleth has little to add from himself.
“Um. Huh?” He’s left slightly dumbstruck for a moment. While asking about bow fishing seemed to be leading up to trying the activity together, he didn’t expect that to be right away.
…yet, he doesn’t hate it at all. If anything the idea of spending a little one on one time with his professor seems more enjoyable than anything else he might’ve planned for today. “R-Right away, Professor!” Quickly he stuffs everything that remains in his desk into his bag and stands up excitedly.
As they walk side by side, Ashe keeps making curious little glances at Professor Byleth whenever he feels like the man isn’t looking. The way he walks, the way he bears himself.. all of it seems so calm and collected, just like he imagined an experienced mercenary would be. “If you don’t mind me asking, what brought this on Professor? If there’s something you feel I’m falling behind on, I’ll do my best to catch up.”
He knows well enough that he’s just some crestless nobody, meaning he has to work twice- no, thrice as hard to catch up to his noble-blooded peers.
“Did you enjoy the ball this year?” Though class has ended, he finds himself turning to speak to one of the remaining students within it. His own experience with the event had spurred more curiosity about what other people did than any real personal emotions.
Why is he setting a freshly strung bow in front of Ashe’s desk as he inquires? The answer to that comes in the second bow set down alongside it. “Have you heard of bow fishing?”
For a moment Ashe perks up as Professor Byleth addresses him. He’s still in the middle of packing up, being a little slower than his classmates in copying notes from the board. “I definitely did, Professor!” He answers with a warm smile, shoulders relaxing as he realizes the professor just wants to talk. “Sometimes I still wonder if it wasn’t all just a dream. I had so much fun, it’s a little hard to imagine all that to be real for someone like me.”
Green eyes glance downward as he hears wood clang against wood. The professor put two bows on his desk. Ashe is about to ask why, when Professor Byleth himself gives a question that, in turn, answers his. “Bow fishing?” The student ponders for a moment. “I think so? I’ve read a few books in the library about the subject, but I’ve never actually tried it for myself.”
Curiously he cocks his head slightly sideways, looking into those calm blue eyes that at first seemed a little intimidating, but now seems comforting more than anything else. And it hits him. “Oh! Are you interested in giving it a try, Professor?”
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