You Will Live

The Departure

He did not sleep well that night either. As opposed to the dreamless yet broken sleep of the evening prior, his vivid nightmares resurfaced in earnest. They began harmlessly. Often, they took root in a memory of his with some key details not being quite correct. First, he sat with Edelgard at the Enbarr gardens—a place they had not visited together casually since she was taken to Fhirdiad—and spoke with the comfortable ease they always shared. Until, of course, she began to rot before his very eyes. Sometimes, the shock would be enough to wake him. It was not so for that night, leaving Hubert subject to the whims of sequential nightmares blurring together into fitful rest.

Routine carried him through the morning of their departure. He wore his usual uniform for combat, complete with concealed weapons, and all other necessary supplies had been packed in advance. The walk to the kitchen was more hectic than usual due to the staff attempting to feed the forces that would march on Shambhala. This would be their last meal not had in the field, and as such, they endeavored all the more to make it a fine one. Hubert went unremarked in the relatively secluded area where he prepared tea or coffee. He selected bergamot, a refreshing citrus blend suitable for breakfast, and a fruit tart that would travel well.

"Hubert," Lysithea broke his numbed focus, beaming at him with a measure of smug satisfaction. "I see you've finally accepted how tasty sweets are."

"It's not—" For him. Hubert stared into the small teacup as if mystified by its appearance there. His mistake had to be pointed out to him by a new ally who happened to pass through, presumably in search of confections of her own.

He hadn't meant to brew it. Not consciously. This was simply part of his schedule. In the morning, Lady Edelgard brightened when he brought her tea and a favored pastry. He did so often and always to the same effect.

"It's yours, should you wish it."

Keen to put distance between himself and the oversight, Hubert left by the nearest exit without a reply. The Adrestian staff members he did pass were wise enough to clear his path. All others ignored him.

Lysithea could pour the drink out in the garden and feed the tart to the birds for all he cared. His hasty retreat brought him safely to the royal stables and its elite range of warhorses on hand for occasions such as theirs. They had no time to waste. Least of all for light breakfasts prepared for the dead.

Familiar with skipping meals, Hubert opted to wait there for the others in favor of making a shameful return. The Imperial stablehands were as fearless as the warhorses themselves and therefore indifferent to his dark mood while he had time to reflect.

Of course Lysithea wouldn't dump the bergamot tea. No, she would bring it to someone she knew had a taste for it and be truthful as to why it was in her possession if she disliked it. What story could she tell but Hubert carefully preparing a small cup of sweetened tea and choosing a glazed fruit tart only to abandon both when she commented on them? Anyone who knew him and Edelgard to any extent would realize what occurred. The entire exchange was as ill-conceived and fated as his panicked rush to reach Edelgard in the capital of Faerghus 15 years ago. He had no exit strategy, left loose ends, and sent Lysithea off with all the evidence she needed to spread the story through their ranks before the morning was out.

Hubert was quietly cursing his idiocy and attempting to plan evasive strategies against Claude or Dorothea when he heard someone approaching from the palace. The footsteps didn't belong to Lysithea; the time between them was too long for someone of her height. He suspected the person was still a mage based on their lighter footfall, however. That narrowed his choices, but not so much so as to be significant.

"There you are, my boy," Hanneman greeted when he rounded the corner of the stable's entrance, cheerily ignoring his forbidding glower. He came ever closer, in fact, standing beside Hubert in his chosen corner of the stables. "It has been some time since we could see one another in a private moment. Our friends will be close behind me, but I do treasure the chance."