Edelgard/Hubert
| Pairing | |
|---|---|
| Pairing: | Edelgard/Hubert |
| Alternative name(s): | Edelbert |
| Gender category: | het |
| Fandom: | Fire Emblem: Three Houses |
| Canonical?: | Player determinant |
| Prevalence: | common |
| Archives: | |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Edelgard/Hubert is the pairing of Edelgard von Hresvelg and Hubert von Vestra in Fire Emblem: Three Houses.
Canon
Edelgard is the Imperial Princess and future Emperor of Adrestia, with Hubert her loyal servant and retainer. The two have known each other since childhood. Hubert is extremely devoted to Edelgard, more or less living and dying by her and willing to threaten or even physically harm anyone he perceives as a threat to her. If the player chooses to side with the Church of Seiros in chapter 11 of the Black Eagles route, Hubert will leave the player's party to remain by Edelgard's side.
It is also revealed in all routes that Hubert killed his own father to keep him from opposing Edelgard,[1] and his supports with Hanneman that the late Marquis Vestra also took part in the uprising against Edelgard's father. [2]
While the two appear to share a cool, cordial, professional relationship, their support conversations and the Crimson Flower route delve deeper into their relationship and how much they care for each other. Their A-rank support reveals that Hubert canonically has feelings for Edelgard. [3] [4]
If the player pursues their support chain and maxes out their support level, they will have a paired ending. [note 1]
Fandom
Edelgard/Hubert has a fairly small presence in the fandom compared to other ships with both characters. This is largely in part due to the game having a very strong yaoi and yuri fanbase; for Edelgard, the preferred pairings are female Byleth and Dorothea, while the most popular pairing for Hubert is Ferdinand. This has led to some public shipping drama, particularly from Hubert/Ferdinand shippers who view Hubert's devotion to Edelgard as an obstacle.[5] [6] Edelgard yuri shippers can be just as antagonistic, refusing to see their relationship as anything but platonic and claiming Edelgard is 100% lesbian. This has led to backlash from a few Edelgard/Hubert shippers, who are protective of it to the point of asking people not to discuss other ships with them in their presence.
To compensate for the ship's lack of popularity, the fanbase it does have is fiercely devoted. Not only do they staunchly defend the couple and Edelgard herself, but they create large amounts of fan work and meta for it.[7]
Aside from the loyalty kink aspect, the ship's other big draw is in the morally gray nature of both characters. Edelgard follows a much darker path to changing the world than the other house leaders and most Fire Emblem lords in general, while Hubert will gladly kill or maim for her sake. Fans not only appreciate Crimson Flower for allowing the player to follow them to the end, but the "us against the world" vibe given off by their actions in Azure Moon.
The bulk of Edelbert fanfiction is written based on the Crimson Flower route, but there are the occasional fics set during Azure Moon in the vein of the classic Villain POV story.
Polyamory is often employed by fans who ship both Edelbert and the more popular Edelgard/Byleth or Hubert/Ferdinand. Rarer is the foursome of Hubert/Edelgard/Dorothea/Ferdinand. [8]
Common tropes in fan work
- BDSM
- Loyalty Kink
- Childhood fics
- Hubert/Hedgemon Edelgard
- Vampires
- Service kink
- Genderswap or Rule 63!Hubert
- Ambiguous/Unspoken feelings
- Hurt/Comfort, particularly that involving Edelgard's nightmares about her past
Statistics
As of August 10th, 2021, there are 253 works tagged Edelgard/Hubert on AO3.
Fan Works
Fanfiction
- ichor by adrestiandove
- we've got tonight by SaraJaye
- Lip Service by Dameceles [NSFW]
- Refuge by clericalchar (selstarry) [NSFW]
Fanart
- love them by biantrek on Twitter
- 🖤"We will burn together"🖤 by p1nkwh1te in Reddit
- a bloody path by mxgicdave on Tumblr
Meta
- Edelgard & Hubert by Dove
Archives & Fannish Links
References
Notes
- ^ "As the new Adrestian emperor, Edelgard gave all she had to breathe new life into the government of Fodlan. With tireless work, great sacrifice, and her devoted servant Hubert by her side, she instituted new class reforms and helped to ensure the people's independence. Hubert was always close at hand, ready to dispose of unsavory burdens by any means necessary. In their later years, they passed the fruits of her labor on to Edelgard's successor and vanished from the public eye. Though it is said they spent the rest of their lives together, it is unlikely they ever gave voice to the true depth of their affections."