Three Houses SI Prompt

[Osrio12]

I might've mentioned that I wanted to give a 3H SI a shot before, but haven't really gotten around to the fine nitty, gritty details yet. But I have a basic outline. For context, I arrive in Fodlan, but not as me, because I'm a slightly overweight 22 year old man who probably shouldn't be a student, no I end up bodyjacking a nameless Black Eagles commoner. Because Byleth chooses Blue Lions, I have to find a way to either stop the war before it begins (a fool's errand in every sense of the phrase), or just find a way to hop onto the BL train to not die horribly. But over time, I'd get to know Edel, actually sort of become more open to her ideas and basically end up on my own Crimson Flower path. 

For now, I have a little snippet of what I have planned! Hopefully you enjoy what you see, and can help guide me to make this a decent fic idea.

 

Spoiler

-Our Chosen Paths-

No more then fifty seconds passed in real time, but to me....to me it felt like an hour at the least. Here I was, at the crossroads I had been dreading for nearly a full year now. To my left were Byleth, Rhea and Dimitri, Dimitri looking ready to pounce and rip out Edelgard's throat. To my right was Edelgard and Hubert, Edelgard clearly winded from the previous engagement with Hubert supporting her. Byleth was looking right at me. Not just my face, but it felt like the woman was peering into my very soul, trying to figure out what was going on with me personally. Could she actually understand the situation I had found myself in? Well, maybe from a certain point of view she could, but Byleth had no idea what I knew. That was when the professor held out a stretched hand.

"Aiken. I know you've stuck with the Black Eagles through thick and thin, but there's no way out of this. Please, think about this."

Her voice was simple, as to the point as could be expected. But there was a twinge of care in there, like a mother asking her child to come home. Frankly, if I had a rational mind. I would've taken Byleth up on that offer. It was the easy way out, the way out that almost guaranteed that I got to live. But that's the thing, wasn't it? My brain was telling me to just join the Blue Lions, Edelgard wasn't worth it. But my gut was telling me that after all me and El had been through the past year, that I would regret it for the rest of my life.

Guaranteed safety with Byleth, or stick by a true friend no matter the cost? Finally I looked to Edelgard and Hubert.

Here goes nothing.

"Hubert, keep her steady yeah? I'll buy us some time.", I say, drawing my sword from its scabbard, already in position. Rhea's expression of almost utter disgust toward Edelgard's actions seemed to shift to me. Dimitri gripped his lance as if it were his first born child. Byleth...looked disappointed. Not truly sad, or angry, just disappointed. Like she had just failed at recruiting yet another student. "I see. So that's your choice then Aiken? Instead of striking down the cause of the past year's persistent suffering and bring peace to Fodlan you choose to protect her? She who dared to defile the Holy Tomb of our goddess?", Rhea stated, looking down on me like I was nothing but a puny ant. 

"Maybe your goddess, but I certainly haven't bothered praying a lick to her. And yes, I stand by my friends.", I say defiantly to Rhea's face. Truthfully while I was putting on the tough guy act,  my heart was pounding with the force of a million jackhammers. I mean...to give one an idea of what the hell I just did? I just raised a middle finger to not just the Church, but to a now very vengeful Dimitri and a girl who could rewind mistakes like it was her goddamned birthright. 

But Edelgard was my friend, hell even Hubert was my friend! ....Kind of, we're acquaintances at best, but hell it was better than being on the dude's bad side I guess. Now that I thought about it though, I had no idea if the rest of the Black Eagles would even stand by us, but it was far too late to question things now. I was hard stuck in Crimson Flower, without knowledge of what even happened in Crimson Flower. This was my bed, and I had to lay in it. 

"Aiken...", Byleth began, but I shook my head, cutting her off. 

"Sorry Professor, but I can't just abandon Edelgard now. This is just the hand that destiny dealt us, for better or for worse.", I shrugged, my stance now a touch more casual. 

Rhea however shook her own head, now acting as if she were amused by the situation. "Did the Western Church teach you nothing boy? You face the judgement of the Goddess herself, you will be hunted down and you will ultimately fall, just like all the others.", she chuckled, a self-assured smug grin now adorned on her face. Something about that look....I didn't exactly know how to pin it down, but now, in the heat of the moment? I wanted to punch her face. Hard. 

Edelgard, now finally speaking up, couldn't contain her own surprise. "Aiken...I...thank you. But are you sure that...no, this is neither the time nor place." Hubert also opted to chime in, giving a small bow of respect. "That was rather bold of you Aiken. Still, it took guts to face down everyone as you did, you have my gratitude." It was honestly one of the few times I could tell Hubert geninuely meant a comment aimed at someone not named Edelgard, and it...honestly made me feel good. Reassured. 

As expected, Rhea once again interrupted us. "The presence of you three defiles the sanctity of this place. Rest assured, I will have you drawn and quartered like rats!", she exclaimed, almost ready to charge some kind of Faith attack right then and there. I looked back, Hubert clearly was trying to figure out the teleportation spell, but he was taking more time then he did in the game! Come on Nick, think, you got this far!

Suddenly, a lightbulb popped in my head. Something to distract Rhea. This was probably going to be even more stupid then my siding with Edelgard, but we needed a plan, and this was the plan. I took a deep breath and let the words loose from the bottom my throat. "Hey Rhea!", I exclaimed. "I know exactly what you did to the Professor as a baby!" 

Suddenly the charging stopped, Byleth and Rhea clearly thrown off balance. "E-Excuse me?", Byleth stammered, the first time I think I've ever heard her stammer actually. "What?", Rhea flatly asked. Well...time to go into this just a bit more. It was going to raise a number of questions with Hubert and Edelgard, but fuck it, I was in this deep and I was going to own it. Why not add a second middle finger to Rhea while I was still here?

I gripped my sword tightly, looking right into Rhea's clear irises and said what I've honestly always wanted to say ever since coming to Garreg Mach. "I know what you've been doing for years now Rhea. Every single attempt at brining back mommy ending in failure. Guess what? Sothis is DEAD Rhea! She's gone, she's not coming back and even if she did come back, all she would be is disgusted with how many lives you ruined!", I shouted right at her face, my nerves high on adrenaline as Rhea's eyes widened in shock and hatred. 

The silence was almost deafening, only broken by Dimitri's inhuman snarling at Edelgard, only restrained by Byleth. Finally Rhea spoke. "Professor, please get behind me.", she plainly spoke. Wait...wait wait wait, she wasn't about to do what I think she was about to do, was she?

Byleth nodded, grabbing Dimitri and pulling him backwards. Rhea's silence and glare at me said everything that needed to be said. It felt like her anger for Edelgard's betrayal was only surpassed for her own hatred of me at that moment. "I....will ERASE YOUR VERY EXISTENCE!", Rhea screamed, her voice echoing throughout the tomb. A bright light engulfed the Archbishop, nearly blinding me and the two behind me. When the light subsided...I have to admit I very nearly shat my pants. 

Standing right before me was a very large, white scaled and most importantly, very angry dragon. And its focus was directed right at me. I couldn't see Byleth and Dimitri due to Rhea's now massive frame, but I could only imagine their shock.

Hubert however, found the situation fairly amusing, showing no hint of fear or unease. "Well, you certainly have a way to the Archbishop's heart Aiken. That can only be The Immaculate One."  Standing up more straight, I could see Edelgard nod from the corner of my eye. "Yes. The monsters that have controlled Fodlan in secret for far too long...Rhea is their leader."

Turning to face Edelgard and Hubert, I allowed my sword to lower just a bit. "So...that's great guys, but we kinda need an exist strategy, like now!", I exclaimed, my sword sheathed because...well look at her! My sword looked as if it couldn't even dent one of her scales! Mercifully Hubert seemed to agree with me. "There is no time to waste. Your Majesty, Aiken, we must escape while we can!", Hubert said was he finally readied the damned teleport spell. I could hear Hubert and Edelgard snap right behind me, but just as I teleported...

"RUN ACROSS ALL OF FODLAN IF YOU MUST! I WILL FIND YOU AND HANG YOUR ENTRAILS ACROSS ALL OF ENBARR!", Rhea roared, her voice now sporting a nifty new human filter. 

Finally poofing back into existence next to Huber and Edelgard, we took just one moment to catch our breath. Right...time to make our great escape....

I was so fucking dead.




 

And boom, that's basically one idea I had for how Chapter 11 would be handled. It's very rough, but I figured I'd drop it, see what people think, continue if ya'll liked the idea or bin it if it's horrible and I should go hide in my room forever again-

[Quillmonger]

Maybe I don't pay close enough attention, but I don't see a lot of SI in Fire Emblem fan fiction the way I do with something like Pokemon or Skyrim. I find the concept kind of interesting sort of like a fix-it-fic where the fixer gets off track. 

[Dragoncat]

Not one for self inserts from real world that know the plot but I think I owe a fellow fanficer my two cents.

Why was Dimitri "holding the lance like his first born child"? I find that an odd analogy. And this coming from someone whose guilty pleasure is OC fankids, whose 3H ficverse is a Revelations style "all lords live" with a 2nd generation, and I'll just say Dimitri is such a wholesome father omg.

Dragon Rhea is...dragon Rhea, sounds accurate. Even if I haven't played Crimson Flower yet, I have fond memories of the first time I saw her dragon form. JESUS CHRIST THE POPE IS A DRAGON GET IN THE CAR.

What type of unit do you plan for Aiken to be? Like class/weapons/etc?