sothis' chosen — that was what they called her. blessed by the goddess was another. the blood of her blood , flesh of her flesh , descendant of divinity. her ancestor's names etched in hallowed history , hailed as deities , chosen by her prophet , seiros. the four saints , whose monuments stand in the cathedral as testament to both gilded glory & divine right , presiding over the monastery's exalted lands , their eyes hollowed & unseeing , yet hallowed & all-knowing. their names haunted these halls , the ancestral blood of ten heroes flowed anew with the turn of the season , all except for hers. nabatean blood flows in her veins , same as it once was , as it will always be. both human & holy , mundane & divine intertwined in one being. the blood she carries is both burden & blessing , nothing special & yet highly sought , only one difference between hers & theirs.
the crest of flames lay dormant within her for many moons , only brought to the surface by force , only when it was needed. even then , their only real need of her had been to steal pieces of her to torment others , inflict upon them the power that came from the goddess , a goddess who , aerith had once thought , looked upon her star with favor & compassion , a goddess who cared if her children suffered & bled & died in her name. but sothis seemed indifferent to it all ; her gaze on aerith's life had only ever felt like a cold observation , content to watch them take what they wanted from her.
& for all her suffering , for all the pain wrought of her pain , what was the reward for a girl watched over by sothis ?? nothing , that was what. her only reward had been the chance to thank saint seiros herself for saving her , as if she hadn't known , as if aerith hadn't prayed endlessly for sothis to save her , as if she hadn't spent so many nights bleeding & begging for the goddess to send her saint seiros , saint ceathleann , saint cichol , saint macuil , anyone who would hear her & take pity on a girl like her.
no , this was no reward , nor was it the freedom she once longed for. rather , these hallowed halls of garrag mach monastery served to yet again be her prison. gilded though it may seem , it was still a cage , & aerith still found herself leashed , still gagged & bound at seiros' , or rather at rhea's request. the same woman she'd grovelled to , who could've saved her so much pain , who rewrote their history — because it belongs to her as well , with those same too-green eyes — & made it gospel truth to justify a slaughter. at least in this cage , she has room enough to spread wings ; she , a girl from nowhere & nothing , is allowed to choose the faction with which she will hedge her bets for the future of fodlan , of perhaps the world as a whole.
for a girl wanting to spread her wings , her choice seems obvious , the black eagles is who she chooses. the adrestian empire becomes her home , with its imperial princess her leader. aerith can't help but wonder if the world she seeks can exist , having known nothing but the seedy underbelly edelgard wishes to expose & thus destroy. she also can't help but want to see that world , to make sure no one is ever again caged as she is. it's idyllic , & for the first time in what feels like a long time , the goddess' chosen feels warmth crystallize in her chest , rekindling the pilot light of her very soul when she'd thought it all but extinguished — hope.
❛ heee-eeey , you in here ?? ❜
the officer's academy is her one reprieve , a small sanctuary in which she is not holy , she is not revered , she simply is. & it is within the grounds of the black eagle classroom that aerith finds their leader , for once not under the watchful eye of her retainer. rosy lips curl into a gentle smile as she peers through the door , waving with laughter like church bells ringing softly off her tongue. her approach is pure , heart fully incapable of housing ulterior motives & fingers intertwined before her as those too-green eyes settle on @empror , stopping just shy.
❛ there you are. i was looking for you. ❜
her voice comes soft , like wind chimes ringing in the breeze. within these walls , aerith felt shielded from rhea's cruel gaze. the farther she was from the cathedral , the safer she felt. hands untwine , come to rest on the table between them as she leans forward just slightly , chestnut locks shifting & framing her face as head tilts. a question sits behind her tongue , though her face gives little away as she studies the princess , finally meeting lavender gaze.
❛ wanna get something to eat with me ?? i mean , if you're not busy ?? ❜
