"Claude von Riegan finds a death threat slipped under his door the morning of his first mission with the mysterious new professor at the Garreg Mach monastery. While distracted on the battlefield, a tragic death occurs, but. . . only Claude seems to remember it. And the victim is now alive and well before his eyes. Now Claude is working to unravel the two mysteries at once, all while keeping up the facade that he is a carefree teenager just trying to get through his year at the Officer’s Academy. "
Turn Back The Hands
is a Fire Emblem: Three Houses Fan Fic by Palendromicdragonrider.
A For Want Of A Nail story where Claude somehow manages to remember the events of Byleth turning back time during the Golden Deer's first mission at Zanado. The story follows Claude as he tries to figure out what's happened and why and the effects his search has on his relationship with Byleth as the school year unfolds.
Beware of unmarked spoilers
This story contains the following tropes:
- Adaptation Expansion: Due to being from Claude's POV, the story delves into his Almyran heritage in greater detail than in canon. It also covers some of the key events that happened during the five year timeskip when Byleth was in stasis.
- Affectionate Nickname: Teach for Byleth, which makes Claude's switch to “Professor” during their fallout all the more glaring.
- False Friend: Edelgard, for both Claude and Byleth.
- Foregone Conclusion: Claude starts dating Petra early on in the school year. Turn Back The Hands is a Claude/Byleth story.
- For Want Of A Nail: The story asks what would have happened had Claude been able to remember the potential timelines Byleth averted with Sothis' power.
- Fusion Dance: Byleth and Sothis of course. Taken to a more literal and blatant degree in chapters 21 and 22, when Claude interacts with “Soleth” the resulting amalgamation of the twos souls as he sleeps.
- Internal Reveal: Claude figures out Byleth can manipulate time in shortly before the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion and confronts her soon afterwards. Eventually the Golden Deer as a whole are told the truth after Byleth merges with Sothis, which doubles as a reveal for why she and Claude had their falling out post the aforementioned battle.
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Brigid being a vassal state to the Empire forces Petra choose between going with her boyfriend Claude to protect herself or yielding to Edelgard to protect her people once the war begins. Petra chooses her people.
- The Lost Lenore: Claude had an older sister, Hadassah, who was assassinated shortly after he moved to Fodlan. Talking to Byleth after Jeralt's death was the first time he ever even admitted she was dead aloud.
- Love Epiphany: Claude finally realizes he's attracted to Byleth after she merges with Sothis. And then proceeds to have a breakdown because he's currently in a relationship with Petra and can't emotionally handle the betrayal.
- Malicious Slander: Monica delights in spreading terrible rumors about people in general but goes the extra mile with Claude and Byleth. Combined with their rather public fallout and silence on the real reason, Byleth winds up a social pariah within the school.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Byleth rewinding the day Claude was attacked by a masked assailant in his room was not only the major factor in their falling out, but the attacker was actually Edelgard, who died in the fight. Had Byleth not rewound time to protect her secret, not only would she have potentially avoided the falling out but potentially avoided the war itself.
- The Reveal Prompts Romance: Played with pre-timeskip. Claude opening up to Byleth about his dead sister after Jeralt's death prompts the true beginnings of Claude realizing he is attracted to her. It also forces him to start confronting the fact he's more emotionally intimate with her than his actual girlfriend, Petra.
- Played straight after the timeskip though, as the reveal of Soleth's conversations with Claude during the 5 years Byleth was asleep is what allows their Relationship Upgrade.
- Secret-Keeper: Claude keeps the fact that Byleth can manipulate time a secret, knowing full well it's not his secret to tell. It winds up coming in handy later because his actions unintentionally mislead the Agarthans and Edelgard into believing he's the one who can manipulate time instead.
- Shipper on Deck: Edelgard encourages Petra to pursue a relationship with Claude in the hopes that she'd be able to learn useful information to use against him through it.
- Hilda is a big time supporter of Claude and Byleth getting together after the timeskip, often badgering Claude about it.
- Switching P.O.V.: The story is primarily told through Claude's perspective, but will on rare occasion switch to Byleth's so the reader can understand her side of things and rational.
- Teacher/Student Romance: A very large portion of Garech Mach believe Claude and Byleth were in one, and their falling out after the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion was the result of a breakup. The Rumor Mill only gets stronger due to the pair's silence on the matter and Monica's slandering.
- Unreliable Narrator: Most of the story is told through Claude's perspective, meaning the reader is subject to any of his own misinterpretations.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Having come to terms with his feelings during the timeskip, Claude would love to be able to pursue a real relationship with Byleth, but the combination of the war, their positions, and Byleth's own complicated emotions about their relationship puts them squarely here for a good while.
- What the Hell, Hero?:
- Claude rips Byleth a new one when he finally confronts her over altering his timeline to protect herself.
- Hilda calls out the rest of the Golden Deer when they all start blaming Claude for Byleth's isolation after Jeralt's death, noting they all made the choice to avoid her themselves.
- You Have Failed Me: Edelgard kills Ferdinand because she remembered he made a Heel–Face Turn in a previous timeline and decided to simply get rid of him before Claude and Byleth could try to convince him to switch sides again.Edelgard: “I always knew you were a traitor”
