isleofavalon | Fire Emblem Avalon Child Unit Recruitment Guide

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Fire Emblem Avalon Child Unit Recruitment Guide

🧙 WHO: Edelgard, Byleth, Eri, and YOU
⚔️️ WHAT: Edelgard went to Claude for a cure for some persistent headaches she's been having and got turned temporarily into a child instead. But the headaches are gone.
🕒 WHEN: First week of March; Edelgard transforms back to her adult self after seven days.
🗺️ WHERE: Adrestia House, and around Avalon
⚠️ WARNINGS:

Surprise Babysitting Gig [Closed to Byleth]

The house felt very familiar even if Edelgard knew it wasn't anywhere in Enbarr or Faerghus. She wasn't sure where she was, but the place did feel like a place she belonged, so when she found herself standing by a counter holding a half-empty vial, she didn't worry too much. Besides, there was an interesting adventure story on the living room table and an exceptionally-friendly cat who wasted no time in making himself comfortable on her lap. Meanwhile, the dog with shaggy blue fur (at least she thinks it's a dog...) lies curled up at her feet.

It looked like it was getting late outside, and someone clearly lived here. More than one, maybe. So someone should be by soon to explain things.

She'd just started the next chapter when she heard the front door open and someone step through. Edelgard leaned forward on the sofa where she'd been reading, keeping a hand on the sleeping cat so as not to disturb him too much.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Optimal Stat Growths [Open]

I

So this was Avalon and Edelgard was staying with Miss Byleth here for the time being. That was fine, and Miss Byleth seemed quite kind if a little spacy (but in a way Edelgard found oddly charming). Edelgard was allowed to explore the city as long as she was home for dinner and made sure Miss Byleth knew where she was going on the odd little device she'd been shown to use. Lands outside of Fódlan sure were different, more than she'd realized. Besides, Shaggydog (as she'd learned the blue hound's name was, and honestly, she approved of whoever thought the name up) was accompanying her, so she didn't think anyone would bother her.

If she was going to be staying here a time, she needed better reading material; most of the books in Miss Byleth's house were awfully dry or treatises on warfare, so it was off to the nearest library for some proper stories to read.

In the aisles she strains to reach a book on a shelf even more out of reach than normal. "Almost...there..." Her fingers strain towards the chosen storybook to no avail before she has to stop and sigh. "I wish Marquis Vestra's son had come with me. He's very useful for this sort of thing." She pouts before turning to look to see if there's anyone else nearby.

"Excuse me?" She asks, pointing to the shelf. "That book there. I can't reach it. Would you be so kind?" She asks.

2

Once she has her reading material, Edelgard detours to a candy store to stock up on the necessities, cakes, sweets, what have you, she stops by a nearby playground to do a bit of light reading on a bench before she returns to Miss Byleth's house. She turns a page from her current story and then reaches for a cake from the open box next to her, but someone seems to be drawing close, so she looks up, blinking in curiosity. "Yes? Did you need something?"

She's not really interested in playing games right now, this book is starting to get good and she can't really spare the time for something foolish like

III

A snowball goes sailing over the wall of Edelgard's impenetrable Fort Snoweus just barely missing your head. A mop of brown hair peeks up from over the wall, a challenging look in her eyes.

"Well?! Dare you challenge my mighty fortress, Fort Snowceus?" She asks boastfully. "I should warn you though, its walls have never been breached in the entire history of the Empire!"

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Well, that was an unfamiliar voice. Byleth frowned slightly as she stepped into the house, adjusting a shopping bag from one hand to the other.

"El? Do we have a guest?" she called from the foyer as she pulled off her boots. She rounded the corner to the living room, and. Blinked. Once. Twice.

There were... a lot of implications here. She could already guess what might have happened here, and there was definitely an angry phone call in a certain Almyran king's future.

"Ah... hello. Do you know who I am?"

Edelgard closes the book, carefully marking her place before she does so. "El? Well I must say that's very forward of you." She replies matter-of-factly. "Only Mother, Katerina, Ilse, and Dima call me by that name." A pause, to think for a moment. "Father too, sometimes." She adds. When he's not too busy with work.

Still, she regards Byleth carefully. "I...think I do. Yes." She replies after a moment, slightly worried that actually looking at this woman seems to be setting off all manner of butterflies in her stomach. Nerves, most likely. "You do seem familiar, at least. We know each other?"

Edited 2022-03-02 03:36 (UTC)

It's surreal. There's really no other word for it. She's not sure that she's ever even heard El mention one of her sisters by name, not even to get into the mention of Dima.

"... Excuse me, then. Would you prefer Edelgard?" Of course, she knew her with a single look, but what the child in front of her had said only confirms it with a twisting certainty. Byleth nods, stepping through to the kitchen and placing the bags down. She'll... deal with those in a moment. For now, she stands in that doorframe, facing towards the girl on the sofa.

"Yes. We do. My name is Byleth. It's no problem if you don't remember the details for now. But... you're safe here, I promise. Would you like some tea?"

Edited 2022-03-02 03:49 (UTC)

"Yes please, if it's all the same to you." Edelgard replies, but she does consider after a moment. "Maybe El later." This woman did feel awfully familiar, not too dissimilar from Dima when they played together. Strange coincidence, that. Maybe that's enough for El privileges, but she has to think on it. This is an unusual situation she's found herself in.

She nods. "I know I am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Byleth." She doesn't know how she knows that, but it's true. "Your pets certainly made me feel welcome. My little friend here hasn't left my lap since I sat down!" She rubs happily under Aloysius' neck, and the light catches his name tag. "Alloy...Alloyseeuhs?" She manages. "Alloysseus. He's a lovely boy. Your dog, too." Wait, she was asked a question. "Oh, yes please. Do you have, um...bergamot?" She asks. "I like that one. Are there cakes?"

Edited 2022-03-02 04:02 (UTC)

"Edelgard it is, then." A slight smile tugs at her lips as she takes in this younger Edelgard's mannerisms. Familiar, but with an innocence she's never fully seen in her. Yes, helping her through this until it eventually wears off won't be a problem at all, she thinks.

"I'm glad to hear it. And it's said Al-uh-wish-us. Tricky, I know." Still, Byleth nods at the request for bergamot, stepping through to the kitchen. "That just so happens to be a favorite in this house. You're in luck, Your Highness." She glances to the counter as she steps in, seeing the half-empty potion vial. Damn it all to hell, Claude. Well, that's a problem for later. She fills the kettle and flips the switch, setting out the teapot before opening the fridge.

"We've cakes, too. Lemon or cinnamon?"

"Al-uh...Al-uh-wish-us. Aluhwishus." She repeats softly to herself to make sure she's getting the name right. "Okay. I won't get your name wrong anymore." She looks down at the cat who has rolled over and happily exposed his belly, which Edelgard promptly attends to. "Oh, you handsome little prince. You are just spoiled rotten, aren't you? I can tell."

Oh, that's a most splendid turn of events. And Edelgard perks up when cakes are confirmed. "Oh, cinnamon, please!" She says, leaning forward excitedly to call into the kitchen. "Thank you, Miss Byleth!"

"He's very spoiled. It's a bad habit my wife and I share," Byleth puts in from the kitchen, already more or less compartmentalizing this girl away from the person she normally might be. She laughs a little at her excited thanks. "It's no trouble." After a few moments, she comes out with a tray with the teapot, two cups and saucers, accoutrements like sugar, milk and honey, and two plated slices of cinnamon cake, placing it down on the table and beginning to clear space to set both places. Done.

"Take a seat, if you like." Byleth shrugs off her coat and drapes it over the back of her chair, taking a seat. She pours them both a cup of tea, sweetening her own just a touch. "May I ask what you last remember, before you found yourself here?"

"Oh. Your wife?" Edelgard looks around curiously. "Should we wait for her to join us?" She asks. After all, Miss Byleth is being so kind, Edelgard would hate to be a rude guest and exclude her hostess' wife.

Still, those tea and cakes are hard to resist, regardless of etiquette. "Sorry, Aloyisus." She says, having wasted no time in learning the correct pronunciation. "But it's time to get up. You can always come back later, though." She gently moves the cat off her lap with some minor protestations, before standing up, and smoothing down the front of her long red, dress-like tunic so as to appear proper. She takes the seat across from Byleth.

"Um. Hm." That's...a much harder question to answer than she thought. "The Kingdom, I think. Uncle Volkhard's been saying it's time for us to go back to the Empire." She thinks for a moment, and then snaps her finger. "Oh, that's right. Dima said he had a present to give me before I went away. But...I don't think he gave it to me." She looks out a nearby window. "This isn't the Kingdom, and it's not the Empire, is it?" She asks. She's not worried, per se, only that she thought the plan had been to go straight back to Enbarr. "Do you know Father, Miss Byleth?"

"She's away, right now. I don't expect she'll be back before we can get you on your way," Byleth says, taking a sip of her own tea. It's not a lie, really.

There's a briefly stricken look in her eyes at the moment Edelgard describes. Even if this isn't truly a younger Edelgard ripped out of time... Byleth knows what's to follow. Maybe there's no meaning in giving this image of the past a few days of fun and peace, while she can. Still, she can't let that stop her. "This is a place called Camelot, on the Isle of Avalon. It's... not quite in Fódlan, but we'll have you back on your way to Enbarr before long." There's a question, though. How best to answer...?

"I've met His Majesty at court, years ago. You were there, but I doubt you'd remember." she takes a bit off of her slice of cake with a fork. "He and House Vestra both trust me to look out for you. So while you're here, that's what I'll do. Is that all right?"

"Oh." Edelgard looks disappointed. "That's a shame. I'd liked to have met her. Have you two been married long?" Edelgard has always liked hearing about romances, ever since she got told the story of how her Father and Mother met. Fortunately, she either misses or simply doesn't register the look on Byleth's face when she realizes the point Edelgard has mentally regressed to. She's too busy puzzling out the description of Avalon.

"Well, that sounds awfully odd to me. I don't remember seeing any place called Avalon on any maps. But if Father trusts you then yes, it's all right." She...almost does kind of remember this woman meeting her father. Almost, like a vision just slightly out of sight. It's enough to know what Byleth is saying is true.

"I don't care much for Marquis Vestra if you must know, but his son Hubert is a dear friend of mine. A bit odd certainly, but he's very devoted." She knew Father and the Marquis had been arguing a lot before she'd left for the Kingdom, and that the division had weighed very heavily on her older siblings. But she and Hubert never fought and he didn't seem any fonder of his father than Edelgard was. They had bonded quickly.

"It's Lone Moon now, so... nine moons? A year, come Garland Moon. We were already engaged before coming here, but didn't consider ourselves wed. Though we've skipped a proper ceremony for now." Byleth huffs a quiet laugh. "It's all quite the story."

She nods at the assent given, smiling in thanks.

"I'm no great fan of the Marquis either. But I won't tell him if you don't," Byleth suggests, leaning forward a bit conspiratorially. "It can be our secret."

She leans back a bit in her chair, thinking, as she takes a sip of tea. After a moment's hesitation, she begins recording on her phone. Once Edelgard is back to normal... having a record of this time, of precious things she'd forgotten, could be invaluable for her. "Princess, would you object to telling me about your brothers and sisters? I'm curious what you think of them."

"Oh, Garland Moon? That's when my birthday is." Edelgard perks up. "But it sounds awfully strange to be married and not have a wedding. Why would you do it that way?"

She thinks about Byleth's suggestion of a secret and then nods. "Deal!" The Marquis really is a very detestable man, she thinks, and so does Hubert. He'll be a much better Marquis; she can't see him arguing with the next Emperor the way their fathers currently do.

Edelgard takes her own sip and misses Byleth turning on the phone. "No, I don't mind. Though I don't know a few of them very well. The older ones from Father's earlier marriages. They've already come of age and started taking on responsibilities so they don't have much time for the younger children like me. I mentioned Katerina and Ilse earlier, didn't I?" She nods. "That's right. Katerina is my next-eldest sister, and Ilse the next-youngest." Aside from little Helmut who is still barely more than a toddler. "We're very close. Katerina is actually a couple years older than us, actually, but she looks after us since we're the only two girls younger than her. "Before I left for Faerghus I spent most of my time with them, when I wasn't studying. I'm looking forward to seeing them again when I go back to Enbarr. Katerina was teaching me how to embroider and I kept at it while I was away. She says it's an important skill every young lady should know and I want to show her how far I've come by myself."

Perhaps somewhat surprising, and yet sobering, since in all the time Byleth has known Edelgard, embroidering is a skill she has neither demonstrated any skill with or mentioned being familiar with.

Yang, herself, is headed inside the library when the younger girl calls out for assistance. While she's never been much of a reader, the serene atmosphere brings back fond memories of diligently studying for tests and diligently goofing off when her attention wavered.

No such plans for hitting the books today. She'll wander around the fiction section, pick out one or two novels with cool looking covers, and then duck out to finish a few more errands. Or at least that'll be the plan after helping out this extremely polite kid. Oddly enough, something about her seems...familiar, although Yang can't put her finger on why. Huh. Weird.

She grabs the book off the shelf, giving the colorful cover a once over as she hands it over. "Looks like a good choice. Do you know this one?"

"Thank you." Edelgard says politely, taking the book with a youthful grin of excitement. "No, I don't, but I heard some other children talking about it in the park and it sounded like I would enjoy it. She looks down at the cover and frowns. "It's the first in a series, but I'll be returning home before I have the chance to read more." She says, slightly disappointed. "I don't think I'll be able to read the rest in the Empire." She looks back up at Yang. "Are you looking for anything? I'll help you look, since you helped me."

Hm.... Yang's brow furrows in concern as the girl looks down at her newly acquired book. So she's an outworlder. Not surprising since the magic of Avalon seems to affect everyone in spite of age, for better or worse. Probably separated from her family and friends back in the Empire, too. There isn't enough space for her to live with her and Weiss, but she can make sure she has somewhere safe to stay and company until she gets there.

The look of concern is immediately replaced with a wide smile once she looks up. "Well, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but help from someone with good taste in books would be nice. Thanks for helping me out." Yang stars walking toward to the nearby stairs that head up to the adults section, keeping her strides short so that the girl can keep up. "What kind of books would you recommend?"

Edelgard visibly brightens when Yang accepts her help. "I'd be glad to assist! It's no problem." She has plenty of time before Miss Byleth will be expecting her back for dinner, so she follows Yang towards the stairs, keeping side by side with her. "Books with happy endings." She suggests. "I like it when stories end on a good note. I don't mind if they have to struggle and fight to get there, so long as they do." Bernhard teased her about that once, calling it childish, but so what? Edelgard was a child. The real world was sad enough without getting into it in her stories.

"So that's what I'd look for. What kind of stories do you like to read about?" And they can go from there.

She nods along as the girl explains her exacting criteria for a good story. Those are the exact same books Ruby liked read aloud before bed while they were growing up. Countless books with dog-eared pages and broken spines at their childhood home stand as testaments to how often Yang pulled them off the shelf for storytime.

Not that she had ever minded the many hours spent reading to her sister. It's all part of the "good big sister" territory, after all.

"Stories where there's lots of action. Cool characters traveling all over the world and getting into plenty of trouble. And even if everything seems hopeless," Yang steps up onto the final step to the second floor, "it all works out in the end.

Happy endings are my favorite, too."

"Oh, I like those too a lot." Edelgard says nodding in approval of this young lady's excellent taste. "There are plenty of stories like that so I'm sure I can help you."

As they walk, she stops and offers Yang her hand in greeting. "But before all that, it's only proper that I introduce myself. Edelgard von Hresvelg. A pleasure to meet you." Actually, she can't quite shake the feeling that she's met this girl before, but...surely she'd remember someone so striking. But it's nagging at her so much. "Um, this may sound like a silly question, but have we met before?" She asks. "Are you from Faerghus?" She has blonde hair not unlike Dimitri's...maybe they're related somehow?

Man, she's polite. A lot more polite than any kid Yang knew at her age. She reaches out with her right hand--a hand that the girl will quickly realize isn't covered by a bright yellow glove but is a prosthetic, instead--and opens her mouth to reply when it hits.

Edelgard....? As in Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg? It couldn't be. The one Yang is acquainted with has white hair, not brown. Nor does the practical woman she's met seem like the type of person to take time out of her busy schedule for regular dye jobs.

She'd clocked the vague sense of familiarity as weird, but never imagined it would be this weird. Gods, this is confusing.

"Likewise," Yang finally answers, pulling back her hand after a gentle, friendly shake. "My name's Yang. And no, I'm not from Faerghus, but from the Kingdom of Vale. You probably don't have that kingdom in..." What's it called, what's it called. Oh, yeah!

"Fodlan. Do I have that right?"

Dimitri had been spending much time in the library as of late. He was engrossed in learning what he could about Avalon's history and about the powers that be. He wanted to be more of a help to their predicament, and figured he should try and learn what he could when he had the time to spare.

And, given Dimitri's height, it was only natural that the little girl would approach him in particular. Since he was sitting down with a book, he also didn't appear to be too imposing a figure. At any rate, when he hears a girl's voice, he looks up -- and is overcome by pure shock at what, or rather who, he sees.

It can't be. It's impossible. There's no way this could happen, not when she's already here. But...well, as they say, the eyes (or eye, in his case) don't lie. In his shock, he manages to eke out a single word:

"...El!?"

Edelgard takes a step back involuntarily at the look on the man's face, and the disbelief in his voice. Why is he reacting so strongly? She'd remember meeting someone like him before, but...wait. She squints and examines Dimitri more closely, her nervousness forgotten.

"Are you...King Lambert of Faerghus?" She asks. She'd never met him personally but she'd seen him from far away a few times while she'd been living in the Kingdom. This man looks a bit more...haggard than the King she remembered, but this place was so strange as it was. "How do you know me? And please don't call me by that name. Um. Your Majesty."

In all of his life, Dimitri never expected even once that he would be mistaken for his father. That he has been here elicits mixed feelings from him. He would love to be able to live up to the man his father was, but he also believes that he has a long way to go.

"Ah...I apologize, Edelgard." Dimitri closed the book he had been reading and turned to face her. His mind raced to figure out how best to respond to her beyond that -- how to play along, in other words. "I, um, it's because of Dimitri. He loves to tell me what kinds of things you two have been up to."

It's not a lie, either. Everyone talks to themselves every so often, right?

"No, no, it's all right. It seems I was mistaken." Edelgard shakes her head, but she quirks her head to the side in curiosity. "Does he? He never mentioned having a big brother before." That's surely who this man must be, given his knowledge of her friend. She crosses her hands over her chest, in a bit of a huff now.

"When I get home, I shall have to write him about neglecting to introduce us, after all the time we spent together." She declares. "I would have liked to meet you while I was staying in Faerghus, but I suppose this is fine too. What sort of things has he told you?"

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Fire Emblem Avalon Child Unit Recruitment Guide

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