#astral-aether

“KINGDOM HEARTS ISN’T DARKNESS. IT’S WINGDINGS.”

And now I can’t unsee it. ...

Shoutout to @poorlydrawnfireemblem for drawing a keyblade at 1am after I said I didn’t have the energy to draw one while looking through the inbox.

“Well, the Professor seems to be a capable yet stoic mercenary with quite the aura of mystery about them… and nary an emotive expression to speak of. I wonder just what it is that Professor Byleth saw or experienced to make them the way they are today.”

“And speaking of wondering: Lord Claude is quite the curious one. While all four of these new Heroes have their fair share of secrets, Lord Claude is the most determined to find them out. His inquisitive mind isn’t just interested in determining truths, though; it is simply brimming with schemes. Much like Virion, these underhanded tactics know no low… well, except when human lives are on the line. Lord Claude may be honourless, but all of his strategies seem to aim towards minimising casualties and conflicts. A master strategist in the making if ever there was one. No doubt the Alliance he represents is a land of shrewd, ambitious political players.”

“On the opposite end of Claude is Prince Dimitri. Steadfast, honourable, and ever ready for a fair fight, it would seem that the Prince of Faerghus is the very picture of chivalry. Something about him, though… I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something doesn’t sit quite right with me about that young man. The way he conducts himself seems very… put together. It’s as if the whole of his personality is a carefully crafted facade to mask something terrible he must have been through. *sigh* Yes, I see it now… I know the look all too well. One can only hope he is able to move beyond whatever dark past lies in his past before he ascends the throne.”

“And finally, there is Princess Edelgard. As the future Emperor of Adrestia, she seems to set a very good example for her fellow successors. She is dutiful, ever-concerned for her people, and seems to have a wealth of good ideas for the future of her homeland. I would say she would make for the perfect ruler, but…”

“…well, she speaks of her future struggles as a straight path through any and every obstacle before her. Perhaps I truly am becoming overly wary, but a true ruler ought never to be a juggernaut. When a king, queen, noble, or emperor has military might at their disposal and lofty goal ahead of them, those who trample all those who stand before them are oft remembered as tyrants and conquerors. Surely Princess Edelgard will come around before such a thing comes to pass for her, but if not… well, let us hope someone can either set her on the right path again or rise to challenge her.”

“Well, I sincerely hope you won’t mind if I answer this out of order. Dedue is a good man and true. Quiet, kind, gentle, fearsomely loyal, and seemingly impervious to some of the horrible things people say about him and the people of Duscur. If Prince Dimitri is truly as damaged as I believe him to be, I believe Dedue is the perfect man to stand by his side.”

“I understand, however, that the Prince of Faerghus rescued Dedue from Kingdom soldiers who had already put the poor lad’s family to the sword. While I’ve no doubt that Dedue shall make an exceptional knight, my hope is that he and his Prince are working together to ensure that another Duscur never comes to pass.”

“And Hubert? Well… I suppose if you were to put Tharja’s wicked imagination together with my loyalty to the crown, Hubert is the kind of person you would get as a result. For as young as that man is, he is absolutely ruthless in serving Princess Edelgard. Intimidation, assassination, espionage, torture, coercion… No deed is too dirty for the future-Emperor’s shadow.”

“Yet beyond all of that and his frankly ghoulish appearance, Hubert is a shockingly well-spoken and considerate young man when he wishes to be. Perhaps he only means to disarm those around him to get them to let their guards down… but I cannot shake the feeling that he may have a smidge more humanity in him than he’d care to let on.”

“Oh, and I shan’t forget Lord Claude’s lieutenant, Hilda. That young lady is so lazy, she makes Lady Lissa seem like a hard worker. To boot: she is also cunning enough to get most men (and many women) to do her work for her, using naught but her feminine charms. I hear talk that her family are among Fódlan’s most capable defenders and that they frequently repel attacks from the Almyrans to the east, but Hilda is an apple who has fallen so far from the metaphorical tree that she may as well be a plum.”

“That said, I won’t deny how clever she is; the perfect foil for the rapier wit of House Riegan’s heir. She knows Lord Claude better than anyone else in her class, and though she speaks as brazenly to him as a friend might, I do not think one could convince her to take up arms against him even if one tried to force her to. Hilda’s is a different kind of loyalty from Dedue’s and Hubert’s, but heavens help me if it isn’t loyalty all the same.”