All This Time

The...Flame Emperor?

It was a busy day at Garreg Mach Monastery.

Claude had already run around about a million times to gather materials, talk to the troops, or just get the Golden Deer moving faster. They had a meeting to get to, and no time to waste!

He barged into the meeting hall, breathing heavily as everyone stared at him. His Teach smiled and waved; everyone else looked at him crossly. Claude offered a guilty smile, feeling no remorse whatsoever.

"Sorry," Claude took his seat at the head of the table, settling down quickly. "I had to run and get something important."

"I suppose it's alright," Seteth sighed. Claude felt bad for him; while Seteth had always looked stern and tired, now he looked literally exhausted as he tried to uphold the church's traditions. "So, we need to gain entrance into the impregnable Fort Merceus. That will grant us a major advantage."

"...Hmm..."

"Oh, I know! How about a disguise?" Hilda piped up, not actually believing anyone would take her plan. Little did she know how the wheels began to turn in his head...

"Maybe Claude should dress up as Edelgard," His Teach suggested with a straight face. Everyone stared at her in confusion, since it didn't seem like the Professor was joking whatsoever. Claude facepalmed, knowing that his Teach wasn't making a joke, and he chuckled at her idea.

"I'm not sure that would accomplish much," Claude glanced at himself, amused. Edelgard pretty much looked the exact opposite as him; she had porcelain, pale skin while Claude was darker toned. Her hair was white and perfectly done up, while his was combed back in an effort to look more dignified to the nobles. She wore bright armor, not trusting anyone else to protect her, while Claude relied on his ability to dodge and his teammates. "But I think you might be onto something, Hilda..."

"Oh, really?" Hilda was surprised at his acknowledgment of her plan. "Are you sure? You want to dress up like Edelgard?"

"Not particularly. But a disguise..."

"I think you could have passed as her," His Teach smiled up at him, oblivious to what she was implying. He knew he needed to focus, to work on his plan that involved his home country, but... how could he do that when his Teach was right in front of him? "Maybe with some makeup, you could probably do it. They'll just think she got...really tan. Maybe."

"Well, I'll need more time to think of a plan," Claude sighed, and then clarified what he meant as everyone stared at him. "I'm not dressing up as Edelgard to gain entrance. I'll think of something. Just give me time."

———

He had done it.

Claude stared at the plans, satisfied. At the end of the month, they would invade Fort Merceus. Claude was relying on the Almyran people. With luck, Claude and the rest of his Golden Deer would be rushed into the Impregnable Fortress in their paper thin disguises.

Well, Claude's disguise may have been thin, but he put a lot of effort into it.

He had asked Hilda to help him, and after a million of eye rolls and 'why me?'s she had finally agreed...once he told her she could sit out of meetings for a week. Of course, he was just
going to pull her chair out of the meeting hall and make her attend, keeping the door open so she could still participate, but she didn't know that yet. Now, Claude stood with his Empire uniform on, and a smirk on his face.

He couldn't wait to show his Teach.

Claude abruptly left his room, heading straight for her private quarters. As he walked by, he could hear people snickering and laughing in confusion. Claude merely grinned at everyone as he passed, and he finally made it to his beloved's room.

He hesitated to knock, his smile fading slightly, but then he regained his courage and promptly knocked on the door loudly. Before he could even pull his hand away from the door, it swung open, revealing his Teach with her hair askew once again. She was about to greet him when her jaw dropped.

"What?" Claude couldn't help but grin as she stammered, her jaw at the floor as he stood in all of his glory. "Is something wrong?"

"You're...you're..."

"Hm? Oh, this?" Claude gestured to his outfit, the smirk never leaving his face. He wore crimson armor, plated with ornate gold and extravagant lining. The makeshift crown Hilda had made had two bejeweled ram horns, just like Edelgard's, and he twirled around mockingly. "Well, this is the plan! I liked your idea, so I'm going to go through with this."

"Oh my gosh," She held her head in her hands, dizzily stumbling backwards as she giggled. "You...you actually dressed up as her...where did you even get this?"

"Ah, at the local Edelgard fan store. There's a lot of them in the Kingdom, they're very fond of her there," He joked, smoothing down 'his' skirt. He was actually rather proud of Hilda; the outfit looked really similar to Edelgard's own clothing. "I'm going to walk in like this, and demand entry."

"I mean, who are they to say no to the Emperor of Adrestia?" She laughed again, peeking at him from between her fingers.

"Ah, it's the...Flame Emperor, actually."

"How do you think she came up with that?" His Teach questioned, walking towards him and touching his elaborate crown gently. "Flame Emperor...Hmm. Seems kind of random."

"Well, we know how she adores fighting with fire...literally."

"Do you think it's really as simple as that?" She mused, running her hands through his hair slowly before touching the horns of his makeshift crown. While her touch was normally warm and welcoming, Claude was beginning to think she was imagining...her.

"No, but we have no clue as to why else she would nickname herself that," Claude said stiffly, hoping that he was wrong. He was proud of his outfit, don't get him wrong, but for some reason, he always felt the need to prove that his Teach preferred him over Edelgard. "Although, if I had to nickname myself, I would choose something way cooler."

"Like...Master Tactician," She raised a brow in amusement, and Claude sighed in annoyance at the mention of the extravagant moniker.

"I thought we weren't going to mention that again."

"Sorry," She apologized. "But I wonder what the reason was..."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Claude grimaced as she continued to glance at him. "Teach...I'm not Edelgard, I wouldn't know. I hope you're not looking at me...wishing I was her."

"What!? Absolutely not!" Her eyes widened in alarm at his statement, and he felt like a slight fool for doubting her, but he couldn't help it. "Claude, you know that. I would never join her. Remember? I chose you for a reason. I could have chosen Edelgard, or Dimitri...but I chose you. I will never regret that decision, my love."

"Well..I just like to make sure," Claude smiled upon hearing her words. A certain amount of pride rose in him upon hearing that she preferred him over the foolish emperor (even though that was a given). "Oh, I have another gift for you."

"Another?" His Teach cocked her head to the side, confused. Claude only grinned, dramatically removing his crown and placing it upon her head.

"Introducing...The new queen of Fódlan!"

"Ah, I can't be a queen unless you're my king," She said cheekily, a warm smile on her face. A twinge of regret crept into the back of his mind, but he forced himself to ignore it. She wasn't wrong, but...

"In due time, my love."