All This Time

Rhea

"You...You have come to save me..."

The Archbishop herself was lying on the bed, her ankle chained to one of the bedposts. Unlike before, Rhea was incredibly pallid and thin, with exhausted bags under her dead eyes. Her minty green hair was tangled and unruly, and she wore a simple white dress instead of her usual ornate getup. Upon seeing Byleth, her eyes immediately lit up, and Claude instinctively stepped in front of her slightly. Byleth's head was swimming with questions as they regarded the Archbishop.

"Is this...is this a dream?" Rhea asked hopefully, pulling herself off of the bed. She managed to walk towards them, only stopped by the chain attached to her ankle. She held out her arms towards Byleth tiredly, an expectant look in her eyes.

"Teach..." Claude continued to block her way as Byleth tried to pass. She frowned up at him, trying to remain calm as he had said even though panic was rising quickly in her chest. Cautiously, Byleth gently pushed Claude aside, meeting Rhea halfway. Not expecting Rhea to actually lunge out for her, Byleth couldn't react fast enough to dodge as the Archbishop immediately latched onto her. Rhea held onto her tightly as she sunk to her knees slowly. Even as Byleth tried to pull away furiously, Rhea held onto Byleth's arms like a vice. Her grip was strong, even though she'd been imprisoned for so long. Claude instinctively reached for one of his arrows, although he made sure his action wasn't seen by the Archbishop at all. "I have longed to see you again....all this time...Is it truly you?"

"Yes," Byleth fought the sneer that threatened to crawl onto her face. Byleth finally managed to pry Rhea's fingers off of her, stepping back slightly so that she wasn't in her range any longer. Remain calm. Remain calm. Claude stepped forward and around the woman on the ground, quickly grabbing one of his pins and he leaned down to unlock her restraint. Rhea shook her foot free appreciatively, clutching at her own arms.

"Claude...I can see you have grown into a reliable young man..." Rhea thanked her savior graciously, not noticing the tense look on his face. Byleth felt another fresh hint of disgust and anger flow through her; how dare Rhea pretend with such pleasantries!? "Thank you for supporting the professor, and for rescuing me. Surely the protection of the goddess has-"

"Wait Rhea," Claude interrupted, in no mood for facetiousness. They simply didn't have time; not after Hubert had told them such important information about their enemies. While Claude wanted to question Rhea about Byleth, he had to find out more about what Hubert had revealed first. "What do you know about the children of the goddess?"

"Children of..." Rhea frowned, confused as to where they had acquired such knowledge on a topic she had kept so secret. Byleth took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain patient and calm. "What is this about?"

"Forgive my bluntness. Someone from the empire filled us in on a few things. I know it must be painful for us to ask you difficult questions after such an arduous confinement," Claude apologized, attempting to keep a pleasant expression on his face even though he wanted nothing more than to shake her by the shoulders and demand answers. Answers for the war, for the past, and for Byleth. ""But we have no choice. We must defeat a secret enemy...Those who slither in the dark. What do you know about them?"

"Those who slither in the dark..."

Rhea remained silent, her eyes closed as she dropped her arms to the ground. She stood shakily, clasping her hands in front of her chest. Byleth frowned in annoyance and anger; how dare she not say anything!? Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm- Claude narrowed his eyes, fed up with her refusal to speak, and Byleth's eyes widened as he frustratedly slammed his hand against the post. She hadn't expected him to snap first...

"This is the critical moment that will determine whether or not Fódlan falls!" Claude chastised the Archbishop who continued to remain silent. Byleth was glad she was finally getting scolded for her actions, and she couldn't wait to finally pry her for information. "Can't you see that the time for secrets has passed?"