A scene from chapter 4 of my Ferdibert fic "I Hope This Letter Finds You" that I commissioned from @anophiles !
He whistled for the raven. It took to the sky and landed on his shoulder, eating the meat from his hand. When finished, it flew off again towards the woods surrounding the farm. Ferdinand rolled his eyes. “Not even a thank you? I thought they raised ravens well in the capital.”
“They do.”
Ferdinand automatically reached for his belt at the voice, but nothing was there. His weapons were in the stable with Pia. Stepping out of the treeline, wearing the same fine travel cloak as before, was Hubert. The raven was perched comfortably on his shoulder.
When they had last spoken, Ferdinand had taken pride in his appearance— he had believed his opinions would carry more weight in Aion if he took the time to look noble and official. Now Ferdinand stood outside a time-battered house in nothing more than pants with dirt covering the knees and a long sleeved linen shirt, sweat soaking through at embarrassing points. At least he had tied back his ever-growing hair.
“I assumed you would come after dark,” Ferdinand said, trying to settle his nerves.
Hubert raised an eyebrow. “I could leave if you wish to delay this request.”
Anophi was simply amazing. Incredibly skillful and more than happy to take on the wall of text I sent trying to describe this scene. With her input, the piece turned out slightly different but MUCH better than I had originally invisioned!
Ferdinand looks scruffy, Hubert looks annoyed-- all is right with the world <3 Thank you again Anophi!!!
Art of a scene from chapter 7 of my Ferdibert fic "I Hope This Letter Finds You"! Here we have Ferdinand resting, cuddled up by the fire, reading Hubert's lastest letter <3
Shout out to Nina on vgen for this piece! It turned out absolutely gorgeous. Every progress shot she sent had me kicking my feet with happiness. The study in the background, the letter cut in, the lighting!! I can't stop staring. Thank you Nina!
Check out Nina's work for more great art, and check out my fic for scene context :D
Commission from @blehbet-arts! This is a scene coming up in my new story "I Hope This Letter Finds You" about Ferdinand during the time skip. What could they be making a deal about, I wonder...
Elijah (blehbet) was fantastic to work with. I kept going back and forth on details, sent extremely specific reference photos, could barely make a firm decision about the dialogue boxes-- and he handled everything with patience and an upbeat attitude. I never felt stupid or annoying or anything.
Look how they brought this scene to life!!! This is such a pivotal moment in the story and I'm so grateful to Elijah for doing it justice. Give his blog a look over for more great art. And give my story a read if this scene intrigues you!
This is from chapter 19 of my Ferdibert fic "I Hope This Letter Finds You" where a mid-skip Ferdinand spends the winter with Dorothea and her orphans.
They were interrupted by Vaimiti coming back into the room. She held out a brush to Dorothea, smiled at Ferdinand, and left again with her brother close on her heels. Dorothea beamed. “Alright, Ferdie, take a seat!” She gestured to the floor between her feet.
Dubious, Ferdinand stood. “Dorothea, you do not have to—”
“You’re pissed, and I can help. Get down here.”Â
Orders given, Ferdinand sat in the indicated space. He felt her shift forward so she had a knee on either side of him. Long nails grazed his scalp as Dorothea ran her fingers through his hair. “My goodness. When was the last time you tended to your hair?”
“There have been… other priorities.”
“That’s no excuse! You should brush it every day! What happened to the boy who trimmed his eyebrows every morning?” She started pulling the brush gently through his hair— small strokes that didn’t even reach the end of his strands. “Taking care of your hair is the easiest thing you can do in the morning. It’s a good way to take a moment for yourself.”
Ferdinand hummed in response, distracted by the repetitive actions of the brush.
While Ferdinand and Hubert are the main focus of the story, Ferdinand's connections with the other Black Eagles are just as important. I knew as soon as I wrote this scene that I wanted art of it-- and I felt that Dream's style matched the mood perfectly.
I'm so happy with how this piece turned out! Dream checked in often, meaning I was able to make sure this moment turned out exactly how I pictured. She also nailed the expressions. I highly recommend her stuff! Her love for her FE Heroes OC Celeste is honestly an inspiration <3
Did you know there's a whole chapter about Ferdinand's birthday in my most recent Ferdibert fic?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FERDINAND <33
v If you don't want click through! Read here! v
One could call the passing of Great Tree Moon peaceful if one ignored the underlying tension. The Knights of Seiros didn’t march, Garreg Mach wasn’t attacked— but the knowledge of a large-scale battle brewing in the east put everyone on edge.Â
There were fewer strategy meetings. So much depended on the outcome at Gronder Field that planning too far ahead was pointless. Instead they used the time to take stock of resources, coordinate scouts across Myrddin, petition Empire-allied Alliance lords to follow Lorenz’s example. Otherwise, the whole of Garreg Mach kept itself distracted with various minor tasks and chores.Â
For the Black Eagles, the distraction of choice was training.Â
Ferdinand dodged Byleth’s strike and aimed his wooden lance high— only to have Byleth roll out of the way, wooden sword already up. Across the training grounds, Ferdinand could see flashes of magic as Dorothea and Flayn sparred, cheered and critiqued by Annette and Lysithea respectively. Varg, Leonie, and Caspar were practicing hand to hand combat in yet another corner of the grounds. Linhardt, Bernadetta, and Lorenz were camped out near the archery targets, Linhardt talking about the different bows he’d read about and Bernadetta soaking up the information like a dry plant.Â
Stepsiding Byleth’s next attack, Ferdinand tried to drop and aim a sweep at their legs. Byleth had anticipated this and jumped over his lance. They then took advantage of his momentum to kick the lance from his grip all together, sending it spinning clean out of reach. Byleth’s sword aimed for Ferdinand’s neck, seconds away from taking the winning blow, but Ferdinand saw it coming. He shot up and out from his crouched position and aimed his body at Byleth’s middle.Â
The two fell to the ground, Byleth letting out a noise as the wind was knocked from them. Ferdinand tried to pin Byleth’s sword arm before they could get it up again, using his weight against their torso to stop them simply pushing him off. He was so concentrated on her melee weapon, however, that he missed a crucial detail.
Byleth reached out and slapped their hand firmly against Ferdinand’s chest. A weak fire spell made Ferdinand rear back, smacking his shirt. “Bolganone,” Byleth said as they sat up. Ferdinand cowled. In a real fight, he would have been blasted backward, certainly burnt and likely winding up in another fight wherever he landed. Byleth’s simple Fire had gotten the point across.
Swatting the last of the embers from his shirt, Ferdinand’s scowl fell into a grimace. “You win this round then, Professor,” he conceded. “Do you have time for another? We could switch our weapons this time.”
Byleth shook their head and stood up. “It’s time for your birthday tea,” they said.
Varg whipped around. “It’s your birthday?!” They cried— and took a hit from Leonie as a result. Caspar burst out laughing as Varg stumbled, a hand over their cheek. Leonie, also laughing, was already approaching them with a healing spell spreading over her palm.Â
With everyone distracted, Byleth pulled Ferdinand to his feet and lead him to the doors. Ferdinand sent what he hoped was an apologetic wave to Varg as they left. He really should have said something to his friend but honestly, he would have forgotten himself if not for the other Eagles wishing him a hearty happy birthday over breakfast. A side effect of not celebrating his birthday for a few years, perhaps.Â
It was a short and well trodden walk to Byleth’s room from the training grounds, yet Byleth didn’t let go of Ferdinand. “Are you sure there is not something more pressing to be done, Professor?” Ferdinand asked as he tried to subtly slip from their hold.
Byleth gripped him lighter. “You’re not getting out of this.”
“I-I do not wish to, I only meant—”
Byleth opened their door. Inside was that same tea table, those same chairs. Nostalgia eclipsed the rest of Ferdinand’s confusion and he found himself breathing deeply, taking in the unique scent of Byleth’s room and the teapot streaming at the center of the table.
“I did not realize how much I missed this,” he confessed as Byleth finally released his arm. They motioned for Ferdinand to sit, shutting the door behind them. Ferdinand sat and watched as Byleth came around to stand behind their chair. They gripped the back of it, leaning over to look Ferdinand directly in the face. Their stare was so intense it had Ferdinand sitting up straighter.Â
“Professor?”
“Ferdinand.” Byleth’s expression softened. “I wanted to thank you.”
Ferdinand found himself staring now.
“It hasn’t gone unnoticed how much you do for everyone here. You’ve been pushing yourself for months to keep this army afloat. Everything I ask— nothing is too insignificant for you to take on or too much for you to handle. I don’t want to think of how overwhelmed I would feel if you hadn’t stepped up the first day we came back.
“You’re invaluable, Ferdinand.” They graced him with a smile. “I wanted to take today to thank you for all that. I don’t say it enough.”
It was near exactly what Ferdinand had been hoping someone would say to him back during school. The affirmation that he was needed, making a difference, commendable.
He couldn’t stand to hear another word.
“I am merely doing my part,” Ferdinand said, lowering his head to his empty tea cup. “There is no need for praise. I should be able to do so much more. Without the backing of House Aegir, I have to be capable all on my own. I am nowhere near the level I should be.”
He kept his eyes down as Byleth shifted. They picked up the tea pot and began to pour. Almyran pine needle tea streamed into his cup, the sharp fragrance surrounding him instantly. “Everything I just said, on top of helping with the orphans, and you still feel like you should be doing more? Those are high expectations.”
Ferdinand nodded.Â
Byleth finished pouring and sat across from him. They reached over to rest a hand on his wrist. Ferdinand looked up at them. “I will do everything I can to help you meet your goals,” Byleth said, voice solemn and heavy with promise.Â
Throat tight, eyes stinging, Ferdinand took their hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “I deeply appreciate that, Professor.”
Once upon a time, Ferdinand might not have noticed the warmth in their eyes or the slight quirk of their mouth. But Ferdinand had been working alongside Professor Byleth long enough to see the levity in their face. “Call me Byleth. I think you’ve earned that much.” they stated. Before Ferdinand could object, they pulled their hand away. “Now, at least for today, let yourself relax. Tomorrow we can make up a new training regimen together.”Â
It was tempting to argue the point further but Ferdinand’s sore muscles bade him to sit back and accept defeat. His various bumps and bruises shrunk from his awareness as he held his cup of tea with both hands, mirroring Byleth.
News of Gronder could reach them at any time. The knot in this stomach that tightened every time he pictured Hubert marching onto the field was ever present. But right now, in this room on this day, Ferdinand let himself be just another student having tea with his professor.
[thank you so much for reading <3 If you liked this little taste, consider checking out the whole fic from the start here!]
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
You remember that Ferdibert fic I've mentioned once or twice? The one that took five years to write? Of course you do.
Well it's here!!!
Presenting I Hope This Letter Finds You, a fic about Ferdinand and Hubert writing letters to one another throughout the war. Along the way, Ferdinand meets people not unlike his beloved Black Eagles and has to grapple with the mixed emotions that come with maintaining a multi-year correspondence with your "enemy".
... That's a much better summary than the one I wrote for AO3 I might change that 0_o
At any rate! Please enjoy! It will update weekly so subscribe to keep up, or just check back here for alerts.
Chapter 23 of I Hope This Letters Finds You is up!
[This last part he directed at Ferdinand. In fact, now that Ferdinand looked around, everyone seemed to be staring at him. He was once again perplexed. Why did everyone assume he knew what to do? He had arrived last night with the rest of them— he was just as clueless as they were.
Except— he couldn’t be. He was Ferdinand von Aegir. Without Edelgard around, leadership technically defaulted to him— if this had still been school anyway.]
