(Spoilers for Edelgard and Byleth’s C+ Support)
The window. Edelgard nodded. That’s decided. Now I need to get over there.
Her destination, though closer than the door, seemed very far to the miniaturized woman. The canyon formed by the desk and the unit below the window was much too wide for her to cross. She would have to get down to the floor and climb up to the windowsill from the ground.
Faced with a familiar predicament, Edelgard walked to the edge of the desk. When she peered over, she noticed that the drop to the floor was greater than she remembered.
It must be twice as far to the floor, considering my current stature. She reasoned. Then I probably can’t get down the same way as before…
She stared at the red carpet. Despite the number of books strewn around the floor, much of the carpet was still visible. Crucially, there were book-free areas directly below the edge of the desk.
The carpet in Hubert’s room was very soft. Edelgard remembered. The same should be true of this room, even though Linhardt obviously does not maintain anything in here…
The strands of the carpet were also much bigger relatively to her now, therefore better cushioning her fall. Simply dropping from the edge of the desk seemed to be her best course of action.
Edelgard turned back towards the rest of the desk. I won’t be able to return after I jump down. Is there anything here that could be of use? As much as she would like to take the pillow, it looked to be hundreds of times her size.
Maybe the ruler? She approached the wooden measuring stick. When she tried to lift it at one end, she found it to be surprisingly light. She had to be careful not to use too much force, worried that it could trigger further shrinking. She slipped it over to the edge, allowing it to fall to the carpet below. It landed almost without noise. Edelgard knew that her classmate was a heavy sleeper, so she wasn’t too worried about waking him up.
All right. Now to get down.
Standing at the edge, Edelgard felt a flicker of fear. Not wanting to indulge her weakness any longer, she jumped towards the floor. Her descent was slower than expected, the reduced weight of her tiny body and air resistance reducing her fall speed. Landing on the carpet was far from comfortable, but tolerable enough for the miniature woman.
The view from the ground was breath-taking for the tiny Edelgard. Books were stacked into towers, reaching as high as the tallest spire of the cathedral. It was hard to tell from higher up, but the sheer number of books was overwhelming.
Are all of these from the library? Edelgard wondered. How long have they been here for?
The thin layer of dust atop one pile only hinted at the answer to her unspoken question. However, she needed to focus. Her mind turned to the practical use of these towers of tomes.
That one reaches over the top of the unit beside the window. Edelgard observed. If I can get atop that, then I should be able to make it to the window.
Looking at this tallest of towers, Edelgard noticed that the covers of the hardback tomes stuck out, like rungs on a ladder. The books varied in thickness, but she was still taller than most of them. It would be difficult, but possible for her to climb them. However, there were a number of thicker volumes towards the base of the tower. The pages themselves would not make for suitable footholds, too flimsy and thin. If she were to get to the top, she would have to find a way past the biggest of the books.
Her attention turned to the ruler. It was wide enough to form a bridge for her to walk on.
Perhaps this will work. She headed for the other side of the ruler. She had to watch her step on the carpet to avoid bouncing, however there were gaps in the fibers that she had never noticed at normal size. They were just about big enough for her to fit her feet in, providing a path for the tiny house leader and allowing her to move efficiently.
She pushed the ruler towards the tallest tower. It moved quickly, thanks to the lack of friction between it and the carpet. In only a few minutes, she got it to her base of the tower. A number of hardback covers jutted out just above the thickest tomes. Any one of these could prop up her little bridge, giving her some leeway in her aim.
Edelgard was ready to execute her plan. She moved to the far end of the ruler, away from the tower of tomes. She lifted it up, then got underneath. She would have to use all of the power she had in her arms and legs for this to work. She took a deep breath…
“Hah!” She extended her arms and legs instantaneously. The force from her tiny body was sufficient to send the end of the ruler high into the air. It slowed down as it reached the apex of its arc, holding upright for a moment. Edelgard worried she hadn’t been strong enough, from fear of invoking a crest. However, it slowly toppled over towards the tomes, resting on the tower.
It worked! Not wanting to wait a moment longer, she started to climb the ruler ramp she had made.
The incline was steep. It was tough going for the tiny Edelgard, forcing her to use her arms as well as her legs to keep climbing.
Why do I have to do this? She wondered, doubt creeping into her heart. I should be training, or studying, or literally anything else. Yet here I am, smaller than a mouse and scurrying up Linhardt’s ruler…
After a few minutes, she reached the top of the ruler. Her climb so far had only taken her less than a foot from the ground. She had to get much higher to reach her goal.
There’s no point in feeling sorry for myself. She resolved. I will get to the top of these books, and I will escape!
The tower spiralled up into the sky, the books laid messily on top of one another. That made it easier for Edelgard to climb, occasionally even providing her with a little platform to rest on, but she wondered how it hadn’t managed to topple over yet. Fortunately, she had been too light to disrupt the balance, allowing her to climb up safely.
Repeated exertion had worn her out. Though determined to get to the top as quickly as possible, she was forced to stop after half an hour.
How much further do I have to go? She wondered as she gazed up at the tower, without an end in sight. In the distance, she could see the top of Linhardt’s head, the mage still slumbering.
I’m fortunate he’s still sleeping. I suppose he always gets up late… She thought.
I wonder if… I should have waited and asked him for help? Though, with what he did last night… She recalled the events of yesterday evening with a shiver. No, I’ll not be anyone’s test subject. Never again…
Eventually, she reached the top of the pile of books. She collapsed atop the cover of the final book, utterly exhausted.
I finally made it… She thought, with a small measure of pride.
Still gasping for air, she rolled over to look towards the window. She was higher than the chest of drawers next to the window, so she would only need to jump down. That is, when she felt up to doing so.
A few minutes later, she was ready. Edelgard took a few steps back from the edge of the book. Taking a deep breath, she ran before jumping. Her tiny body soared through the air, before landing on the wooden surface with a roll.
She got up, surveying the new area before proceeding.
There are even more books here! The tomes were spread over the landscape, carelessly discarded. However, a small stack was near an open window.
That makes my escape easier. It was a bit of a climb, but nothing compared to the previous pile of books. She could feel the breeze of the air outside. She was so close to getting out…
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