Chapter Text
What in the hell was that dream?
It was that same dream I’d been having for as long as I could remember. It didn’t happen every night, honestly pretty rarely, but at least once a week, without fail, that same dream would invade my thoughts as I slept.
It was the exact same dream, down to every last minute detail. I remembered them pretty vividly (probably because I’d seen them so many times) – which is weird for dreams. You know how when you dream something when you’re sleeping and then right as you’re about to tell someone what you dreamed – it just vanishes? This dream was never like that for me. Dad would have told you that much if you asked him.
It always started the same. The entire sky was blanketed in clouds. Dark clouds, though, a deep gray, not like those puffy white clouds that come out during the warm months. It was pouring rain, and I mean pouring. Hard, fast, sideways – the rain almost looked like arrows relentlessly shot out of sniper nests in the sky. Probably wouldn’t have felt good, either.
My view then expanded somehow to frame a giant battlefield. I don’t even know how that was possible. How the hell does one’s view just… expand? I know mine didn’t (embarrassingly, from first-hand experience, as Dad once walked in on me with my eyes so weird-looking he thought I was possessed. Don’t ask.)
Speaking of my view, I didn’t even know whose perspective the dream took place through. It couldn’t have been mine – that was the only thing I was certain about. Whoever it was, they had to have had some sort of mythical powers or something. (Wouldn’t it be kind of cool to be able to shrink and expand your view at will? Sounds like a pretty cool ability to me.)
But I digress. When I say giant battlefield, whatever you’re picturing isn’t big enough. This thing was fucking huge, bigger than any battlefield I could remember in my years as a mercenary. And it wasn’t an empty plain or anything like that – no, no. It was absolutely full of soldiers. What had to be tens of thousands of infantry troops charged with a massive wave of cavalry paladins. Pegasus and falcon knights provided air support as this gargantuan army marched forward – to meet another ridiculously sized army. Screams rang out as knights on horseback ended the lives of their adversaries with nary a thought behind their actions. The telltale clings and clangs of banging metal filled the air as swords and lances clashed. Soldiers’ bodies lay strewn across the ground, any shields and armor proving worthless in protecting their lives.
Suddenly, a bright, orange light came shooting down from the sky, breaking through the dark clouds pelting rain over the plains, so bright you would think the sun was rising. But this was no sun. This light was a missile, a weapon, a sword coming from the air like a gift from some higher deity. Ringed in a reddish-orange glow, it crashed into the ground, incinerating its surroundings and killing any soldiers unfortunate enough to stand in its path.
What remained after this impact was just… one man. One massive man, hurtling down from the night, his fist making a crater in the ground as he stood alone. He was built like a walking fortress, encircled in a ring of fire provided by his weapon. Clearly, this guy was no ordinary soldier, but a titan of a man and not somebody you or I would ever want to cross.
The titan rose, opening his eyes, growling as he looked upon the waves of militants surrounding the space cleared by his sword. He then effortlessly pulled that same sword from the ground, extinguishing the fire in the process. Then, some idiot soldier thought it would be a good idea to attack this man, running at him with a battle cry that was apparently so inspiring it spurred an entire army to follow.
Chaos reigned as red light erupted across the battlefield. The sounds of footsteps in the mud were masked by the swinging of axes and the sounds of war. It was truly madness.
My view then shifted again (just… not gonna question it at this point) to see a group of warriors sprinting through the fields, running at this other group of fighters headed by… some green-haired woman with a shield. The front warrior leaped at her, swinging his sword in a wide, swooping arc, but instead of her blocking it, another soldier stepped in the way, valiantly taking the attack. The warrior was completely unfazed by the block, however, slicing his sword once and ensuring that there was no need for a second by making the valiant soldier pay for his actions with his life. The soldier fell back, gasping out, “Lady Seiros!” towards the authoritative-looking woman as his final act.
The woman certainly looked like a lady. Regal, with long mint hair put in a ponytail and decorated with a flower, Lady Seiros looked like a valkyrie. She stood tall, dressed in a magnificent white dress encased in gold armor and an imposing, beast-winged headdress to top it off.
I then saw the titan again, using his sword to swing and slash through enemies like it was nothing. He then abruptly… stopped, before turning his head to see none other than Lady Seiros looking at him. With a growl, he turned, his foe’s face illuminated by the sun making its presence known. This was my favorite part of the dream, as it was clear something big was gonna happen in the near future.
And happen it did. With a roar, the man swung his sword, its jagged edge splitting into a whip in a dazzling display of orange light. Red energy sparkled as the blade swung around the battlefield. However, this whip didn’t appear to be intended for Lady Seiros (at least to me), but rather to completely clear the area between them of any… human obstacles.
Taking advantage of the newfound emptiness, Lady Seiros charged, leaping and swinging her sword, with a combination of speed and strength I had rarely seen from anybody. The man comfortably managed to block her attack in time, his vertical sword easily deflecting her swing. But Seiros was not deterred, spinning and launching into a combo of quick, powerful strikes.
This impressive show of skill was not enough to harm the man, however; in fact, it was quite the opposite. The titan played defensive, keeping his sword close and comfortably deflecting any and all incoming blows. After her flurry of attacks ceased, the titan thrust his weapon forward, sending Seiros flying through the air. Somehow, like a cat, she managed to land on her feet, the ease of the maneuver almost making it look intentional.
But these incredible acrobatics did not mean a lull in the fight, as the man continued to wave his sword, searching for any openings. This search was to no avail, as the woman was able to parry these attacks without effort. The two continued to trade blows, furiously attempting to break the other’s defenses yet achieving nothing. Eventually, their swords crossed, neither side yielding as both members strained against each other, the screeching of metal evidence of a stalemate.
All of a sudden, Lady Seiros leaped back, the man launching his sword at her only to be repelled by the minimal armor on her stomach. He swung again, forcing her into a barrel roll under the whip. They do say that the third time’s a charm, though, as on the third try, she caught the whip with her sword, tangling her adversary’s weapon around her own. Seiros threw both weapons aside, leaving her and the titan to fight with just their bodies.
Evidently, Lady Seiros was prepared for this. She sprinted forward, using her momentum to absolutely launch her fist, landing a nasty uppercut on the man. She then sprung skyward, coming down with a kick that connected with the titan’s chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Before he could rise, Seiros lunged forward, stopping his ascension with a hand on his torso. Her other hand held a dagger, gleaming in the newfound sunlight, poised right at her foe’s neck.
“Tell me, Nemesis, do you recall the Red Canyon?” Seiros spat venomously.
One of the first things my dad ever taught me was to analyze the body of your adversary. Learn everything you can about them from it. Observe how they carry themselves, who they’re fighting for, how to approach them best, anything you could use to win. That was what he taught me. To be honest, though, I don’t think any lessons on reading people were needed to know exactly what the man – Nemesis, I now knew – knew about the Red Canyon judging by his reaction. A shocked noise tore from his throat as his eyes widened in recognition – and fear.
That fear came because Lady Seiros had raised her dagger in the air, pointed directly at Nemesis, the intent to kill so obvious I was surprised he wasn’t already dead. And then… it dropped.
“You’ll die for that! Die! DIE!!!” Seiros screamed, repeatedly plunging the dagger deep into her enemy’s body, earning a choked noise I could only describe as the music of death. “You took… everything that I loved!!” she gasped, emotion overtaking her as she panted over the dead body of her former opponent. In those releases of breath, I could hear relief, taste revenge, and see the obligation of vengeance come off the woman’s shoulders. It was over.
Her army, recognizing that the battle was over, started to cheer. But Seiros clearly was not done yet. She looked towards the rising sun, possibly acknowledging her actions for only a moment, before looking back down at Nemesis’s sword.
Not a second passed before the sword was in her hands, her eyes looking at it with a storm of emotions. On the verge of tears, she then held the bloodied, dirty weapon up to her face, cradling it like a child.
“He’s gone now, Mother,” Lady Seiros said, her face breaking out into a smile of relief. It was done. It was over.
No, literally. The dream was over. That was where it stopped every time.
At least, up until last night. Normally, when that dream occupies my sleeping mind, I wake up normally, usually not even thinking twice about what anything in my dream could mean. The reason why the dream confused me so much this morning specifically was because of the second half.
Oh, you thought I was done? Buckle up, because this second half was fucking wild.
Just like normal, the dream faded to black. But instead of waking up awake and aware, ready to start my day doing whatever it was Dad said we were doing, I woke up in a cold, dark room. Looking up, I gazed upon a throne, a tall, imposing chair in the middle of the black-tiled room. But the throne was not empty, far from it.
The picture that met my eyes was one of a young girl, definitely younger than me, just… sleeping on the throne. Her hair was of a similar color to Seiros’s, maybe a bit darker, but definitely green – and very long, probably longer than my height when I stand up straight. Parts of it were braided in the front, wrapped around each other with red and white ribbons that looked like they could have been part of her hair. She also had a headdress on her head, a golden heart headdress with silver stars speckled around it. Her ears were not like any I’d ever seen before, however, in the fact that they were pointed at the ends instead of… curved? I’ve never really described ears before in my limited storytelling, but hers were distinctively different.
Her sleeping position (I would say comfortable, but I’ve never liked sleeping on hard surfaces) was no more, however, as she sat up, rubbing her eye with her left hand and yawning. Her sharp green eyes then found me, causing her to lean forward, not bothering to hide her scrutiny in the slightest.
“Oh, my… What could’ve brought you here?” she said, her voice echoing due to the enclosed nature of the throne room. Before I could answer, the girl stretched, trying (and failing) to cover her yawn before speaking again.
“I wonder how you got in here,” she said, her eyes lowering. “It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose… Hmm. Very rude indeed.”
I was about to ask what the hell the word repose meant when the girl motioned to me, asking me – no, ordering me, “Now come to me. I wish to have a look at you.”
This was no child, I thought, the girl’s tone reflecting years of experience beneath her youthful exterior. And why would a child be sitting on a throne?
I did not question the dream, however, as I approached the dais beneath the throne, stepping forward. Despite me standing significantly taller than her (which is unusual for me, since I’m generally considered short, even for a girl), it truly felt like she had all the power in this situation. This was another feeling I was… not accustomed to. I enjoyed having power, being able to command and control outcomes on the battlefield. This was the complete opposite.
“Hmm… I have not seen the likes of you before,” the girl started. “Who are you anyway?”
Another unfamiliar and slightly uncomfortable question, one I had never really stopped to think about. I had always been characterized by my actions, never my personality. In fact, my personality was pretty much unjudgeable, as I never really liked to express myself around people I didn’t know. Dad would probably characterize me as… humorous, though dry, and determined. But outside of him, I wasn’t really known by anyone – at least, not the true me. The only me people knew was what they liked(?) to call the Ashen Demon, a stone-cold mercenary who dispatched her enemies with ruthless efficiency and little to no emotion. I had been told that the moniker struck fear in warriors’ hearts across Fódlan.
The Ashen Demon wasn’t me, though. It was just the part of me I chose to share with the world. Who I was…? I’d never really thought about it. In the moment, however, I figured the girl would not want to hear my musings about who I thought I was, or who others thought I was, or who the real me was, or anything like that – so I went with old reliable, the one thing I had always known to be true.
“I’m a mortal,” I replied flatly.
You know how I said that one of the first things Dad taught me was to observe my adversary? The very first thing he stressed upon me was the importance of life.
“Don’t do anything reckless with your life, kid,” he said in his trademark deep voice. “You only got one of ‘em to live. Live it well.”
I had always taken that to heart, as it was nigh impossible to forget on the battlefield. Yes, I was a skilled warrior, my label known throughout the continent. But I had seen firsthand many other fighters slain before me, their skills and prowess worthless at saving their own lives. Dying never felt imminent to me, but I knew it was always a possibility at the start of a battle.
Back to the dream, though. I decided to go with “mortal” because for some reason, my intuition told me that it was an important fact for the girl to know. Why it told me that, I don’t know. What I do know is that the girl seemed content with my answer, responding quickly.
“I see. Then you must have a name of sorts.” I just… stood there, kind of flatly. Did she want to know my name?
Evidently, she did, as she prompted, “Go on,” a little bit of an edge to her voice.
“Byleth Eisner,” I answered quickly, not wanting to spark any more negative responses or emotions.
“Huh,” she said noncommittally. “I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names.”
Human? I wondered. Why was it important that I was a human? Was she… not?
She plowed on. “You must possess a day of birth as well. Beneath which moon and on what day were you born to this world?”
Relatively… formal phrasing of when’s your birthday, I thought. I didn’t express that, though, in my reply.
“The 20th Day of the Horsebow Moon,” I said. At that, her eyes widened, and she quickly rushed out,
“Well, wonders never cease! It seems we share our day of birth. How strange…!”
Huh, that’s cool, I guess.
“Hmm. It all feels so… familiar. I think it may be time for… yet another nap,” she yawned, failing to hide her sleepiness.
“It is almost… time to… mm, begin,” she finished, drifting off to sleep right in front of me.
And she called me rude earlier, I thought. And to begin what? I couldn’t ask for answers, because, you know, she was sleeping, and I didn’t want to piss her off by interrupting that again (even though I had no choice in the matter.)
Even knowing that, I still wanted to try – but my body betrayed my desires, my eyes closed involuntarily, and I was thrown back into the sleep from which I came. I had no time to enjoy that, though, as my father’s voice pierced the room.
“Hey. Time to wake up.”
Notes:
Hello, and welcome to BSMBH!
This is the start of a project I have long wanted to do. Hopefully my motivation stays high enough so I can give you guys more FE3H content.
Any comments, kudos or interactions would be greatly appreciated, whether it's to help correct things, suggest ideas, or to let me know if you enjoyed! (Please try to keep things respectful.)
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
Fuck, it’s early.
Those were my first thoughts as I woke up with a start. I had never been the biggest morning person in the world (morning me is generally pretty sluggish and grumpy), but I dragged myself out of bed at my dad’s bequest. Apparently, we had a job to do that day. Where that was or what it entailed… I had no idea. It had always been my dad who had organized everything, from finances to food to shelter.
Dad was pretty good with me in the fact that I could get pretty much whatever I wanted. He made good coin for a wandering mercenary, and combining that with the fact that I was never the most materialistic of people resulted in him enjoying buying me things.
Those things were usually weapons or accessories for battle, though – rarely clothing, and never makeup or any of those other stereotypically girly things. Besides not being super materialistic, I was never the most girly girl. I didn’t ever really bother to style my hair or clothes, preferring to keep it low maintenance in case I was ever thrust into battle unexpectedly. (Plus, keeping it down was comfortable anyway.) I'd also be lying if I said I enjoyed doing those things – the reality was quite the opposite. I generally saw fashion and preparation beyond necessity as a waste of time.
Because of that, I cycled through a couple outfits, most of them being almost the exact same – maybe one was a little more gray as opposed to the black I usually wore, but I honestly usually just grabbed the cleanest one I could find.
Today was no exception, as I grabbed the top outfit from the case, my usual attire. The top was black, a tight top that came down to just above my navel with an opening right above my chest. I matched that with a skirt that covered… pretty much just the essentials in the front (I liked to be flexible when fighting, and my backside was covered down to my calves) and some patterned black stockings that spiraled down my upper leg. The one kind of fashion-y thing I did was wear boots on the battlefield, and today they came in the form of long, knee-high armored ones that provided protection to my lower leg.
Similarly to my legs, I also covered my arms, but not with clothing; instead, they were armored with what I would call bracers (though some say bracers only cover the forearms. Weirdos.) Those bracers have saved me many a time from rogue arrows or weapon blows. I then fastened my cloak to my shoulders, its light insignia on the back a stark contrast from the rest of it, and put on my lucky gold-starred brooch over my neck. Finally, I grabbed my sword and tested my dagger, making sure they wouldn’t slip off during combat.
That dagger was pretty special to me – specifically the sheath. That sheath was given to me after I first killed a man by my father, as I was distraught later that day. I hadn’t yet come to terms with the reality that those sorts of things were what we were meant to do as mercenaries. It came with a dagger, but I had lost it a long while back. In retrospect, I don’t even know how – I probably threw it at an enemy and never retrieved it. In any case, the weapon served as a throwable, something I could use when an enemy was out of reach.
“Byleth, you up?” my dad called.
“Morning, Dad,” I said, stepping out of my room in the house at Remire Village, the place we were staying.
“Hey, By. Were you having that dream again?”
“Kind of. It was about that war again, the same one I’d described to you before. But there was something different about last night’s. There was this… young girl, sleeping on a throne. Green hair, pointed ears… and she didn’t act like a child. She was… I don’t know, well-spoken? You know anyone like that?”
“Huh. Weird. I’ve told you, there hasn’t been a battle like the one you’ve described in over three centuries. Massive armies on a vast field, fighting to the death… And as far as that young girl, sorry, but no. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like that.”
He stopped for a moment, seemingly trying to recall anybody he had met in his long life who matched my description. Apparently, no one came to mind.
“In any case, put it out of your mind,” he went on. “The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Risking your life is part of the job for mercenaries like us. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed.”
Yeah, when my dad told me to value my life and to take his message to heart, I didn’t think that would mean him continuing to say it throughout my life. It was the same old message before every battle, every time. Nevertheless, it was an important message, and one I met with a crisp nod.
My dad continued, “O-kay, time to get moving. Our next job is in the Kingdom. As I told you before, it’s far from here, so we’ll need to leave at dawn.”
“Of course,” I replied. I had learned early on that complaining to my dad about a job was never the right call – at least beforehand. After, maybe, but before? Good luck getting any sympathy out of him. Besides, I was relatively excited to go to the Kingdom. Jobs up there were always my favorite.
Bring on the cold, I thought. It’s no wonder–
My thought process was interrupted by two sharp knocks on the door.
“Hm? Oh, good grief. Everyone’s already waiting for us outside,” my dad said, assuming (as did I) that it was his vice-captain coming to get us. But before my dad could answer the knocks, one of his mercenaries burst through the door.
“Jeralt! Sir!” he addressed, before catching sight of me, a big grin appearing on his face and growing by the second.
Ew, I thought. He didn’t even have the decency to look at my face before looking elsewhere.
I kind of shrunk back, turning away from the mercenary’s hand that was inching closer to me. I knew I was attractive, but I had never even felt a smidge of attraction or desire towards anybody, man or woman. In fact, the whole thing kind of grossed me out. Apparently, I was supposed to be whole when I met the right person, yearn for their proximity and feel lost without them. I knew one thing for certain: this… creep was not the one for me.
My dad, seeing the whole interaction, nearly turned into a tomato the way he became so red. He crossed the room in two giant strides, grabbing his mercenary’s arm so hard there was no way he didn’t break a bone.
“Touch my daughter again and you’re dead. Clear?” Dad said.
“Y-Yes, sir!” the mercenary uttered out, pain obvious in his voice. “Sorry to barge in, sir, but your presence is needed.”
“What’s happened?” my father demanded, sighing.
The mercenary led us outside (with my dad trying his damndest to protect me from his view) and brought us face-to-face with three young adults. They couldn’t have been much older or younger than me, late teens to early twenties probably. All three were dressed in relatively formal-looking clothing, reminiscent of a uniform or something. The trio were dressed in mostly black, with silver and gold tinges and a unique colored sash – yellow on the left, red on the right, and blue in the middle.
The yellow-sashed guy radiated confidence. He was mid-sized for a guy, neither tall nor short, with tanned skin and a mop of dark, messy hair. It wasn’t navy like mine, but more brown, with a small braid partially obscuring his right ear. The rest of his face was uncovered, his teal-like eyes looking right at my navy ones with a smile. He wore a long coat, unbuttoned at the top, revealing a smidge of yellow that I guessed was probably his undershirt. I could see the edges of a long bow on his back, well-maintained, and a quiver full of arrows. He was very handsome, nobody could deny that, but it felt almost like a mask. I was intrigued, but also a bit… off-put by him.
My first impression of the woman on the right was that she was capable. She was taller than me (not like it was hard, no one in their right mind would consider me tall) with pure white hair neatly organized around her face. Her face was calculating, with her purple eyes evaluating both me and my father like a hawk, searching for information just like I had been taught to do, and her mouth locked in a serious expression. Similar to the rest of them, she wore a long black uniform on the top, with her legs being covered by short black shorts and bright red leggings below that. She had an axe by her side just below her red cape, her hand near that same hip.
Trained to always keep your weapon close near strangers, I thought. Smart. Could still probably beat her in a battle, though. Nevertheless, this was not a woman to cross and definitely someone most would want to keep on their good side.
Finally, the man in the middle drew my attention last. Honestly, I don’t know why I looked at him last, considering he was certainly the most captivating of the three. He was handsome, maybe not as conventionally so as the guy on my left, but definitely attractive. He was tall, well-built, with tidy blonde hair at the top of his scalp, strands of it partially obscuring his forehead. His bright blue eyes matched the color of his cloak quite nicely. The rest of his face was well-proportioned, his jaw sharp and defined. His uniform was clean, tidy, giving the impression of an organized soldier ready for battle. His hands were covered in gauntlets – probably iron – and his lower legs were covered by armored boots of the same material. Over his left shoulder, I could see the head of a lance peeking over his cloak.
Blue is definitely his color, I thought, my face pinkening slightly. For some reason, I was drawn to this man. The feeling I had in that moment was… weird, like nothing I had ever experienced before in my life. Nobody had ever made my brain refuse to get the idea of them out of my head.
Not the time, the voice in my head chided me. Remember – just because the battlefield is no place for idle thoughts does not mean this is. You’re here for a mission, not for a man.
I sighed, straightening up and attempting to dispel the foreign thoughts that had infiltrated my brain. Just then, the blonde spoke.
“Please forgive our intrusion,” he started politely. “We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire.”
“What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?” my dad asked, a tad incredulously.
“We’re being pursued by a group of bandits,” the blonde went on. “I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support.”
Happy to, I thought, but before I could speak, my dad replied.
“Bandits? Here?!? At this hour?”
This prompted a reply from the woman on the right. “It’s true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.”
“We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered,” the man on the left went on, rubbing his face. He was clearly distressed. “They’re after our lives… not to mention our gold.”
“Well, I’m impressed you’re staying so calm considering the situation. I–” my dad began, before cutting himself off, eyes widening slightly. “Wait… That uniform…”
So it was a uniform, I thought to myself. But of what…
Another mercenary, not the same… slimy one from earlier, then ran up to the five of us. Slightly out of breath, he said,
“Bandits spotted just outside the village! Damn it… there are a lot of them.” At this, my dad’s face turned, disapproval evident regarding the three in uniform.
“They must have followed you all the way here… good grief. Well, we can’t abandon this village now. Come on. I hope you’re ready,” he said, the last part directed mostly at me, to which I responded with a nod.
Simultaneously, the five of us moved forward, each of us drawing our respective weapons. I headed the pack with my sword pointed forward, with the attractive man and the woman right behind me. The man in yellow completed the diamond formation (sensibly, as he was the one with a ranged weapon) and my dad brought up the rear on his horse. I got the sense that he wasn’t too thrilled about doing too much in this situation. He never liked getting sidetracked from a mission, especially when it was out of his control.
Just then, the group of thieves emerged from the foliage nearby. There were at least five of them, which meant we were outnumbered. Luckily, it seemed one of them had played hooky and ran out – right in front of the five of us.
“Let’s take care of those thieves before they overrun the village. Take out the enemies in front first. That should take the wind out of their sails,” my dad commanded.
I nodded, and sprinted forward, slashing the thief before dodging back, evading his blow. The blonde man came forward behind me, swinging his lance high, piercing the thief’s chest and killing him instantly.
“Thank you,” he said as he pulled his lance out of the now-dead foe. “We are in your debt. It wouldn’t do for us to fall in a place like this. Please, lend us your strength. Let’s work together to drive out these thieves!”
As he finished, he smiled at me, and for one fleeting moment I pondered if there was a deeper meaning to it before thinking better of it. Instead, I gifted him one of my rare smiles before I heard my dad call out another command.
“Good. We’ll advance while protecting ourselves from the enemy. Take up position inside the forest.”
It seemed a simple order, but I saw the woman running alone, away from the rest of us. Immediately, I decided to follow her.
Don’t want to let any of them die on my watch, I thought.
“You have a strange aura about you…” the woman said, greeting me as I ran over. “You say you’re a mercenary, so show me what you can do.”
It felt like a command, not a dare or the like. Regardless, I broke through the trees and cut down another thief attempting to sneak through the brush. Two down.
I glanced back afterwards, receiving a nod from her in return. Just then, I saw the confident man motion me over, to his hiding spot behind a tree. As I snuck over, it became clear that he was dealing with not one, but two enemies.
“Why are we hiding in a forest again? I can’t hit anything through these trees with this,” he said, motioning to the bow on his back.
“My dad says it helps us to sustain the enemy’s attacks without losing the advantage,” I replied.
“That’s your dad?” he asked, but I was already away, launching myself at the first enemy. Spinning and slashing, I took him down effortlessly, but when I tried to do the same to the second, I was met with a throbbing pain in my side. His sword had got me.
Fuck, I thought. At least it wasn’t sharp. Will leave a nasty bruise though.
Just as I was about to attack again, I saw my foe drop to the ground with a sickening thud, a lance sticking out of his neck. Turning to see what had happened, I saw the attractive blonde man running over, an expression of concern on his face.
“Are you okay??” he asked. Before I could reply, however, the confident man answered.
“It’s because of you guys that I’m not dead right now. Thanks for that! I didn’t expect to run into mercenaries like yourselves in some remote village. The gods of fortune must be smiling upon me!”
I simply nodded, before turning to the blonde man to express my gratitude.
“Thank you, kind sir. I appreciate the help.”
“It was no problem, my lady. Are you alright?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Our conversation was interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats rapidly approaching from behind us. Dad was joining the fray.
“What are the three of you doing? There’s still more of them. Let’s go!” He then called the woman, and all five of us marched through a gap in the trees, ready for combat.
We entered a clearing and saw what looked to be the last of the group of thieves. There were two normal-looking guys and one big, burly man who appeared to be the leader. Tall, loud, and probably not the sharpest arrow in the quiver, he was bitching pretty loudly about us.
“Fuck. Why are there mercenaries in the village? Guess we’ll have to deal with them too.”
“Yeah, no thanks,” I heard from behind, as the guy in yellow launched an arrow, directly hitting one of the normal-looking cronies. (I know this because there was a loud scream of pain. Pretty funny in the moment, honestly.)
“Hey!” screamed the big guy. “I’m gonna kill you where you stand!”
It seemed like none of us were particularly looking forward to that. My dad was helping the boy in yellow reload his bow, so they stepped back while the three of us stepped forward.
“Can you take care of the other lackey?” I asked the other two, receiving nods of assent from both as they rushed to engage in combat with him.
Having turned my head to ensure their safety, I lost track of their leader. That is, until he opened his mouth, apparently trying to intimidate me or something? (I don’t know – it didn’t work.)
“Hey, you with the blank stare! Outta my way!” he yelled, running at me with his axe above his head, poised to strike.
I rolled along the floor, dodging the blow and getting what I thought was an uncontested blow at his side. I swung my sword, trying to exploit it – but was met with metal. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to block so quickly, as my blade merely dinged his axe with a clang. He looked down and started chuckling, kind of maniacally.
“You have no chance, you stupid bitch. Maybe I should keep you around… see what I can get out of you…” he said, his evil grin spreading all over his lower face.
At that moment, my father galloped into the action, leaping off his horse and onto the ground. My adversary’s eyes had to have at least doubled in size when he saw Jeralt.
“What the?! Aren’t you Jeralt the Blade Breaker? What’s a renowned mercenary like you doing here?” he gasped out.
“I’m the one who should be complaining,” my dad said with a laugh, blocking the bandit’s axe attack with his own. “I’m caught up in the mess you started!” He finished his axe combo with a spin and a blow, knocking the thief leader to the ground.
“Dead?” the woman asked, seeing his prone form.
“Probably,” the confident man replied from behind. “I can’t see any breathing.”
“Good work, everyone,” Jeralt said, walking away while motioning everyone else to follow. The woman and I hung back for a bit.
“Did you kill anyone today?” I asked.
“Yeah, just after you left,” she replied.
“Was it your first kill?”
“I think so… I can’t remember another time when I’d killed someone in battle.”
“How did it feel? How do you feel?”
Before she could answer, we heard a yell from behind us, and I turned to see the leader from before running at us. Evidently, he was… not quite dead.
“YOU’LL DIE!” he yelled, running at the woman with his axe high in the air. I saw her pull a dagger out of her armor, raising it in the air in an attempt to meet the incoming blow, but I knew that was no use. She was dead. Unless…
I didn’t even think about what I was doing. I don’t even know why I did it; I just… ran over, blocking the trajectory of his axe blow with my body. I braced myself for impact, braced myself for immense pain and death and all of that–
And then it stopped. The world turned into a sea of colors, reds and purples and greens, until I was thrust into complete darkness.
Notes:
I wanted to try to get Ch. 2 out for you guys today because I won't have too much time to work on this over the coming week or so. Hope you enjoy!
This chapter was a bit longer because the tutorial battle does leave some things up for interpretation. I headcanon that there were only seven bandits against the three house leaders plus Byleth and Jeralt.
Again, please comment any feedback you guys have regarding the fic!
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
Was I… dead?
Damn, death maybe isn’t so bad after all, I thought. That was, until I heard an indignant shout, one that probably meant the start of a lecture.
“Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt?”
I turned around to see the same young, green-haired girl from before, lounging on the chair, sighing deeply. She was clearly not happy, her face tinged with a mix of exasperation and anger.
Maybe death is pretty bad, if I have to be berated the whole time.
“Well, it’s fine. After all, if you don’t know the value of your own life, you’re not going to protect it very well, are you?”
Does she… want a reply?
“Course not,” she said with a giggle, making me stop and wonder if she had read my mind for a second before proceeding. “Well, then, I guess it’s up to me to guide you from now on. Right??”
I think she wants a reply for this one–
“You can call me Sothis… but I’m also known as… The Beginning,” the girl – Sothis – finished with a smile.
I had so many questions. What was this place? Was I dead? Who was this… Sothis? What in the world was happening to me?
“Am I alive?” I asked.
Apparently, a question of my livelihood wasn’t enough to garner a reply from the young girl.
“Hmm… Sothis. Yes, that is it. My name is Sothis! And I am also called… The Beginning. But… who once called me that?”
I’ve never been the most social person in the world, nor would I call myself adept at picking up social cues – but this was by far the weirdest situation I had ever been in in my entire life. I wanted to say something, but about what, I had no clue. None of my prior questions were answered during her short monologue – if anything, it added to the list.
“What are you talking about??” I asked, hoping to get at least some light shed on the predicament I was in.
“I was not able to recall my name… until just now,” Sothis said. “And just like that, it came to me. How odd.”
Who forgets their own name? I thought, a little skeptical. Who even is this girl?
Seemingly, my facial expression reflected my emotions, as her tone turned accusatory, raising in both pitch and volume.
“That look upon your face… Did you think me a child? A mere child who forgot her own name? Bullshit! That ‘child’ just saved your life. And what does that make you?”
Yeah, no, I thought. Who is this girl? And why isn’t she telling me anything? On top of that, what the hell did I do to warrant a mini verbal assault? Good grief…
I don’t know about the rest of you, but having a little girl rant to me about my apparent facial expressions was not necessarily pleasing to me.
Attempting to stand up for myself, I responded, “I am no child.”
“Ha! Such arrogance. You may look the part, but are you really an adult? I mean, you threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl. An axe! Was that very adult of you?”
“No–”
“No, it wasn’t. You should be dead! Luckily for you, all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You would have died had I not intervened.”
Another group of questions to add to the mix. Who the fuck can stop the flow of time? Why was time stopped for me? And why did this… girl, who apparently can just manipulate time, save me from an axe?
Fortunately, it appeared she was giving me a moment to ask one of the dozens of burning questions I had in my head.
“You stopped time?”
Clearly, that was not the right thing to say, as I was met with yet even more attitude.
“Hm. I do not hear your gratitude. Perhaps I should just… force you to leave?”
Without waiting, I bowed to the ground. Whatever sentiments I had, I seemed to be alive for now, and I did not want to risk that fact one bit. It was obvious that she held all the power in this situation, just like the dream I had dreamt not hours beforehand.
“That’s better,” she deemed. “Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving, after all. Though it is only momentary, time has stopped. However did I manage that…?”
“What will happen when time resumes?” I questioned, fearing the worst. I really hoped that I wouldn’t wake up to feel the pain of a hostile axe through my side.
My hopes were basically dashed, however, with Sothis’s quick reply.
“When time begins again, the axe will tear into your flesh, and you will surely meet your end.”
“What?!? Is there anything we can do?”
“Ugh, how rude of you to drag me into this! Now, what to do…”
“Can you do anything? I don’t know, turn back the hands of time or something???” I said desperately. There had to be something. I was not going to die today. I wasn’t… right?
Suddenly, a beacon of hope came in the form of her next words.
“Of course! I must turn back the hands of time!” she exclaimed. With… absolutely no action, not a wave of the hands or an incantation or anything, a yellow rune-like thing appeared in front of her, archaic text weaved through it in a language most likely long lost to man. Circles and symbols floated about out of nowhere, apparently arranging themselves into a message Sothis could read.
“Yes… I do believe it can be done. You really are quite troublesome, Byleth. I cannot wind back time too far, but… all is well. You are aware of what’s to come, which means you should be able to protect yourself this time.”
That was enough. I had been given – gifted – a second chance. I had foolishly failed to heed my dad’s advice for the first time, and was lucky enough to live to tell the tale.
“Thank you, Sothis!” I said, trying to be formal but failing miserably due to the emotion that had crept into my voice.
“Don’t mention it. Now, go!”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! The one who bears the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…”
Cryptic, I thought, as I was flung into darkness again. (Noticing a theme here?)
It felt like a tunnel, like being squeezed in a massive bear hug where you can’t breathe. The time that had elapsed (I’m assuming between the point when Sothis saved me and the point she sent me back to) played in a flurry of colors, backwards. Then, suddenly, I was back in the real world, talking to the woman as if nothing had ever happened.
“I think so…” she started, but I was already turning around, my right hand flying for my sword.
“YOU’LL DIE!” the bandit leader said, swinging his axe – but I was faster. I stepped in front of her, sword raised in front of me to parry the attack. It was easy, knowing the direction in which he would swing, as I was able to put all my might into the block, both disarming him and knocking him back at least a sword-length. I was about to step forward to deliver the killing blow when I heard a distinctive call.
“Hey! Over here!”
It was that yellow-sashed boy again, running toward us with the handsome, blue-cloaked man. The woman turned towards them, and I was about to do the same before my dad beckoned me over.
“Hey. Did you just–”
“Can you make sure that fucker is dead?” I asked, cutting him off by pointing towards the leader, winded on the ground.
He nodded, but before he could finish, the both of us heard more footsteps coming from the clearing behind us. Then, a loud, booming voice rang out over the battlefield.
“The Knights of Seiros are here! We’ll cut you down for terrorizing our students– Hey! The thieves are running away! Go after them!”
More footsteps approached as a big, burly man covered in armor and two other soldiers turned the corner. All five of us turned to look at them, and I saw just a slight twitch on my father’s face. Apprehension, maybe, or recognition? I couldn’t quite tell.
“The students seem to be unharmed,” the armored man in the middle said to nobody in particular. “And… who’s this?”
Clearly, he had caught sight of me and my dad. I assumed his last remark was because he was seeing Dad in person.
“Ugh… why him?” my dad remarked under his breath, so softly I doubt he intended for me to hear it.
“Hey, Alois!” the boy with the bow said, but the armored man only had eyes for my father.
“Captain Jeralt? It is you!” he said, surprise evident in his voice. “Goodness, it’s been ages! Don’t you recognize me? It’s Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that’s how I always thought of myself anyway. It must have been… twenty years ago when you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!”
Yeah, right, I thought. Twenty years ago? That’s before I was even born. What was my dad doing then?
“You haven’t changed a bit, Alois, just as loud as ever,” my dad said. “And drop that ‘captain’ nonsense. I’m not your captain anymore. These days I’m just a wandering mercenary. One who has a job to do. Good-bye, old friend.”
“Right… Good-bye, Captain,” the man called Alois said, before thinking better of it and throwing a hand up in a stop gesture. “Wait! That isn’t how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me.”
“Garreg Mach Monastery…” my dad said pensively. “Well, I suppose this was inevitable.”
“And how about you, kid?” Alois said, turning to me. “Are you the captain’s child?”
“No, I’m a bandit,” I replied, purposefully maintaining a straight face in order to attempt to sell the joke. The man laughed heartily, joy evident on his face.
“Great sense of humor, this one!” he said between chuckles, motioning to my father. “Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain!” Then, as if to check himself, he added, “You are his child, yes?”
“That is correct. My name is Byleth.”
“Good! I thought so. Physical differences aside, your mannerisms do remind me of Jeralt. And you clearly inherited his sense of humor!” he said, clapping his hand on my shoulder.
I don’t know why he’s laughing so much. The joke wasn’t even that funny, I thought. Yet there was something… innately likable about the man – Alois. He was like an enthusiastic dog, the type of guy who would say the dumbest jokes and you couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’d love for you to see the monastery. You will join me, won’t you?” Alois asked, raising his voice a little bit to ensure that my father heard.
I looked over at my dad, who, after a sigh, nodded in acquiescence, prompting me to do the same. I wasn’t the only one who noticed his sigh, however.
“What’s troubling you, Captain?” Alois asked. “You’re not about to run off again, are you?”
“Even I wouldn’t dare run away from the Knights of Seiros,” Jeralt responded. I thought I noticed a tad of sarcasm in his voice, but knowing him, he probably didn’t intend to let it seep through.
“Great! Shall we?” Alois said, motioning to the three students (at least, I assume they were, as they were in uniform and Alois mentioned that the students were safe) and the two of us to follow him. The other four left, and just as I was about to follow, I heard a voice from inside my head.
The Knights of Seiros… They do seem rather skilled, don’t they? the voice said, causing me to jump.
Normally, the voice inside my head doesn’t warrant a reaction from me. However, this wasn’t my mental voice. It wasn’t my conscience speaking in my head like it does when I’m thinking about something. I didn’t even tell this voice what to say. It sounded like Sothis, the young girl from earlier.
Ah! It seems like your presence is needed. Get going! the voice – Sothis – said again, as my father beckoned me to follow the convoy.
As I approached, I saw my dad and Alois, conversing like old friends. There had to be a connection between the two regarding the Knights of Seiros, whoever those were.
Seiros… why does that name sound familiar? I questioned.
My thought process was cut off by the three students approaching me, walking behind the soldiers in front.
“I appreciate your help back there,” the woman started. “Your skill is beyond question. You’re clearly an experienced mercenary. And your father… that would be Jeralt, the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?”
I held back a groan. This again? I had known my dad’s reputation for quite some time, probably before I had started fighting about fifteen years ago. It was visible for all to see; I had only once seen him nursing a wound that prevented him from fighting. He was big, strong, and calculating, always finding ways to outduel his opponents both physically and mentally. I like to think he’s passed those traits onto me.
Anyway, he had earned the nickname of the Blade Breaker a long time ago. However, he had never told me where it had come from, and had shown discomfort whenever it was brought up in taverns or tents. He gave off the vibe that he never really liked the nickname, preferring to stay on the down-low. I had always appreciated that, both for him shying away from any fame or recognition and for him choosing to focus on me and his job. However, it was clear that his nickname would never go away, and many held him in a higher light for it just because of the reputation it carried.
I had always disliked those people. Most of them had never seen him fight – they just thought they knew everything there was to know about my dad from two words. I think that’s what he hated the most about the nickname, in retrospect – not the fame or the attention (although he wasn’t pleased with those) but the label it squeezed him into.
However, the three students had seen him – both of us – fight together, and it was a reasonable question from the white-haired woman instead of a stereotyping characterization.
“What even are the Knights of Seiros?” I asked in reply, prompting an incredulous look from the woman.
“You don’t know about the Knights of Seiros??” she asked. When I didn’t reply, she went on. “The most famous order of knights in all of Fódlan???”
“I mean, I’ve heard of them, but not through my dad’s doing – just through mercenary work. I didn’t even know he was a captain until just now.”
“How curious,” the woman said. “I’d wager the explanation for that is quite fascinating indeed.”
“Hey!” called the boy in yellow, interrupting our conversation. “You are coming to the monastery with us, right?” When I nodded, he continued. “Of course you are! I’d love to bend your ear as we travel.
“Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises together when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it.”
“That would be because you ran off,” the woman said, slightly irritated.
“Too true! I was the first one to make a strategic retreat,” the boy admitted. “Everything would have worked out just fine if these two,” he carried on, gesturing to his classmates, “hadn’t followed me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous, if you ask me.”
“Ah, so that’s what you were thinking, Claude,” the handsome man from earlier said, (maybe?) amused. “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.”
“His intentions were clear as day, Dimitri,” the woman reprimanded. “You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person’s words.”
Dimitri… That’s a nice name– Wait, ruler???
“Hm. And you will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on,” the handsome man – Dimitri – replied, not without tone.
“Oh, wonderful. A royal debate between Their Highnesses,” the boy – Claude – started. “Lucky us. I wonder how being completely predictable affects one’s ability to wield power.”
What kind of rulers are we talking about here? I thought. I am completely out of my depth.
“Personally, as the embodiment of… distrust, I would say that your little exchange over here just smacks of naïvete,” Claude said, his face quirking up in a smile, probably hoping to induce a reaction.
The jab worked, as the woman, taking offense, replied, “Me?? Naive?? Tell me – are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort??”
“In any case, forgive our digression,” Dimitri said, wisely shifting the topic of conversation away from… whatever it just was. “I must speak with you, if you can spare a moment. The way you held your ground against the bandits’ leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me that I still have much to learn.”
I never lost control because I knew what was coming, I thought. Thank you, Sothis.
You’re welcome, Byleth, Sothis replied, startling me a bit (though not as much as the first time.) And did you see? He was watching you!!
And why does that matter? I asked.
Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Sothis replied, and while I obviously couldn’t see her, her devious grin easily shone through her voice.
My cheeks pinkened a bit (knowing that Sothis could hear my thoughts plus acknowledging that Dimitri had noticed me) as the woman then addressed me.
“That skill is precisely why I must ask you to consider lending your skills to the Empire. I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire’s–”
“Halt, Edelgard,” Dimitri commanded. “Please, allow me to finish my own proposition. The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me.”
“Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty,” Claude chided. “Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless, really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship with her on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors. Unfortunately, it seems that there’s no time for niceties in this world. So, capable stranger, let’s get right to it. Whose side are you on? Where does your allegiance lie?”
Sothis’s voice erupted in my head. Hmm… It seems that one’s place of birth is quite significant to them. Yet they are so impressed by you that you may take your pick. Well?
I stopped for a moment to think. Either go to the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, a land of nobility and honor, with Dimitri, the Adrestian Empire, a land of ancient history, with the woman – Edelgard – or go with Claude to what I assumed was the last remaining sovereign state – the Leicester Alliance, a land of freedom and independence.
It didn’t take me too long to come to a conclusion, however. Not only were my father and I already going to the Kingdom for our next mission, but Dimitri was intriguing. Yes, he was attractive physically, but his polite demeanor and fighting abilities proving more than sufficient made me partial to him. For once, I wanted to get to know somebody better for an ulterior motive than just improving camaraderie on the battlefield.
“The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus,” I said aloud, prompting a smile from Dimitri that befit his face… quite nicely.
“Understood. Faerghus is a noble and distinguished kingdom that has always valued chivalry. I hope you enjoy our time together–”
“All right, that’s enough of the small talk,” Alois interjected loudly. “It’s time to head back to the monastery.”
“Let’s pick this up another time,” Claude said with a wink. It didn’t appear that my choice had phased him whatsoever.
The four of us left, but as I was walking, Sothis piped up again. For some reason, talking to her… didn’t feel odd or strange at all. In fact, it was rather pleasant, honestly feeling like she had been there a hell of a lot longer than just one day.
Unsurprising choice.
Shut up, I replied.
My, my. No need for attitude. But you know… each of the three is most unique. What do you think of Edelgard?
She’s quite the refined young woman. Clearly capable on the battlefield. But she appears as if she’s always evaluating me. It’s quite unsettling, if I’m being honest. I don’t dislike her for it – it’s what my father taught me to do as well. Just an observation.
I’d agree with that, Sothis remarked. And Claude?
He’s quite handsome, I don’t think anybody could deny that. And he has the confidence to match it. But it feels a bit like a mask, you know? Like his smile doesn’t reach his eyes, and while he seems easy going, I feel like he’s hiding something. Maybe his intentions, maybe something else… I don’t know. I do find his company… relatively enjoyable, however.
Quite. And Dimitri? You know, besides the fact that you think he’s the most attractive man–
He’s a sincere man. Very polite, very measured. Quite the warrior, as well – I think he was the only person besides me during the battle to kill more than one bandit. Yes, he’s quite attractive, and while that wasn’t the whole reason why I picked his offer, it certainly played a part.
Why else did you pick it? Sothis questioned. You said Claude was attractive as well – why Dimitri?
Yes, Claude’s handsome, but I chose Dimitri and his offer for a reason – he’s intriguing. There’s just something about him. I want to know more about him, to know him as a person. But I don’t think that intrigue is all… good, if you know what I mean. I sense a bit of darkness lurking beneath his proper exterior, something suppressed or something – like a weight on his shoulders. Whatever it is, it clearly bothers him.
And that doesn’t dissuade you?
Not really. Since when have I ever shied away from a challenge?
I thought you’d say that, Sothis said with a yawn. I am so sleepy once again… I may be sleeping… but I… hmm…
Notes:
Chapter 3!
I didn't know a good way to end the chapter, so I just ended with Sothis's last line of dialogue at the end of the prologue.
Speaking of which, that's the prologue done! Next chapter will be Byleth's arrival at the monastery.
Let me know what you think of the Sothis dialogue. I've always liked their dynamic and wanted to expand on it a bit during this fic.
As always, feel free to comment and give feedback!
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
The Great Tree Moon had always been one of my preferred months of the year. The scenery shifted as new plants bloomed, trees regrowing their leaves in beautiful shades of green. The sun was also coming out, banishing the cold and the clouds to year’s end. Rivers rushed in the north as the trademark Faerghian snow melted, giving me ample opportunities to swim. It was hard to complain.
And today was no different. The sun was shining with barely a cloud in the sky, making the walk to the monastery surprisingly enjoyable. It wasn’t too long of a walk from Remire Village to Garreg Mach (at least, that’s what I had been told), and the journey felt a lot like the normal treks my father and I had to do around the continent for our next jobs, to be honest. Even better, this time I didn’t have to worry about defending myself – there were trained, professional soldiers to do that for me. I could just… relax.
At least, in theory I could relax. It was hard to keep my face from reddening from its normal color with Dimitri next to me.
It was the four of us, me and the three students at the back, with my father, Alois, and the other Knights of Seiros leading the entourage. The walk had been mostly filled with a lot of amicable silence, only broken by the sound of rocks and twigs underfoot – as well as appreciating the scenery around us in the form of beautiful forests and greenery all around. Occasionally, the three students would playfully argue or debate about fighting tactics, but it was mostly quiet – a fact that I appreciated.
The silence had given me an opportunity to chat with Sothis a little bit internally. I had quickly become accustomed to her presence in my head, and when she wasn’t sleeping, she was a pretty good conversation partner when I had nothing else to do.
What are some of your favorite parts of being a mercenary? she asked.
There are a lot of perks, I’d say. Fighting alongside my dad is always a treat. I love being able to help choose what missions to do and where we wanted to go, what with my dad’s freelance-like nature and all. And being able to explore new areas is always fun, I will say. One time we went to Enbarr for a mission, and we stayed behind after it was completed to see the city.
The Imperial capital?
Yeah. I remember being astonished at just how many people lived in one place. Most of the jobs we had to do were close to tiny villages like Remire. Seeing tens of thousands of people, walking the streets of the city, buying goods and trading… I’ll never forget it.
That sounds fun. Have you ever really had a home to live in? You know, wandering about the continent and all?
Not really. Honestly, I kind of like that aspect of my life.
Would you be okay with changing it?
I mean, I don’t know. I never really know what’s in store for me, so I generally don’t bother worrying about it.
My internal dialogue was interrupted as Dimitri turned to me, a soft smile gracing his face.
“Hey… uh– I’m sorry, ma’am, but I seem to have forgotten your name.”
My face reddened, knowing what the blonde had just said was a very polite way of asking what my name was. Had I really not told him – or any of the students, for that matter – my name?
“My apologies, Dimitri. I must have forgotten to introduce myself. I’m Byleth. Byleth Eisner.”
“Beautiful name… Miss Byleth. Do you know its origin or backstory, by any chance?”
“Unfortunately, no, sorry,” I replied. “You can ask my father for that one. I really should ask him that, honestly. I don’t think I ever have.”
“Ahh, that’s too bad,” Dimitri said. “In any case, this will be your first time at the monastery, yes?”
“Correct.”
“I’d be happy to show you around.”
“Oh, that’d be nice! I’ve heard a bit about the monastery, but have never been. What’s it like?”
Was that too enthusiastic? And did he blush a bit when asking if he could show me around?
Relax, Byleth, Sothis said.
“It really is Fódlan in a nutshell,” Claude said, responding to my verbal question with a smile. “The good and the bad.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Like it or not, we’ll be there soon enough,” Edelgard commented. “You can figure it out for yourself there.”
And she was right. The trees on either side of the path we were on suddenly disappeared to reveal a tall hill that housed an absolutely gargantuan monastery, bigger and grander than any building I’d ever seen. It looked like it could easily be a castle or fortress from a Fódlan myth; towers and spires graced the heavens, looming over what looked to be a decent-sized settlement below – all of it surrounded by what appeared to be protective walls.
“There it is,” Edelgard continued. “Garreg Mach Monastery…”
“Wow,” I vocalized. “I’ve never seen something so grand in my life!”
You’re telling me, Sothis remarked.
“Believe me, there’s more than what meets the eye in there,” Claude said with a wink. How many winks was he going to send my way? And what was the point of them?
We continued on, my father dropping back to walk with me as Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri caught up with Alois and the knights in the front. Hiking up the winding path to the monastery, I could truly see just how large the whole thing really was. The city below was larger than most I’d seen before, and the buildings were truly monstrous in height.
Even the doors are big, I thought, observing the intricate designs on the doors as my father and I walked through the entryway. Suddenly, he looked up, stopping in his tracks.
“Rhea’s here,” he thought aloud, his voice a mix of wonder and wariness. “It’s been years since I’ve last set eyes on this place, much less stepped foot in here. To be forced to see her now, I…”
I looked up with him, and saw a woman looking down upon us who I could only describe as majestic. She was tall, with minty green eyes and similar-colored hair. She wore it down, with a flower on her left side, but neither her face nor her hair were what caught my eye first. On top of her head lay the most extravagant headdress I had ever seen. It kind of resembled the one Sothis had worn, but it was significantly larger, with a gold semicircle across her head, covered in designs and silver stars. It looked like a crown, and her robes matched it, with a blue cloak and a long white dress partially covered with a gold overcoat. She appeared to be saying something to herself. It was clear that this woman was someone important, but who or why, I didn’t know.
Another question I had was about Jeralt, my father. I wasn’t aware that my dad had even been here before. It made sense, now that I thought about it. Through Alois’s words, I figured that the Knights of Seiros were based here, and through Edelgard’s revelation about my dad being their captain…
It would be weird to captain troops without marching with them, I thought. Why didn’t he tell me about this? Him having been here before and all?
Beats me. You should go ask him that.
“You’ve been here before?” I approached, heeding Sothis’s advice.
In response, my father sighed and started walking forwards, causing me to follow. “I figured this was going to come up, with us coming here. I’ve never really spoken of this to you before, but… many years ago, I was a knight here. I reported to the archbishop… Lady Rhea.”
“Who?” I asked.
“You saw her in the courtyard, didn’t you? The woman who was looking over us. That was Lady Rhea, the archbishop.”
“The archbishop?”
“As you know, the majority of people in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros. The leader of that ridiculously large religious organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea.”
I laughed a moment at my father’s obvious disdain for religion before he quieted me as we entered what appeared to be a chamber of some sort. It looked almost like a church (which was unsurprising, considering the main Fódlan religion was probably based here), with stained glass windows and classical architecture. In front of us were two people; Lady Rhea, the woman from earlier, and another man with green hair, darker than the archbishop’s. He was dressed similarly, wearing long blue robes with gold designs scattered around them and blue pants. He appeared very formal. My perception was confirmed as the man started speaking.
“Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop.”
“Right. Hello,” my dad said, most likely irked at the man – Seteth’s – overly formal tone.
“It has been a long time, Jeralt,” Lady Rhea said slowly, her voice smooth and calm. “I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?”
“Forgive my silence all these years,” my father said, bowing. “Much has happened since we last spoke.”
When was the last time my father bowed to anyone? I thought. Just who was this Lady Rhea?
“So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?” the archbishop stated, indicating to me.
“Yes… She was born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to her mother, but… I’m afraid we lost her to illness.”
That was about the extent to which I knew about my mother. My father never talked about her, and whenever I tried to bring it up he would shrink into himself a little bit. Clearly, he had loved her, and her loss still weighed hard on him.
I also had never known the year of my birth. Judging by how my body matured, I would guess that my age would be about… 20 or so, but I wasn’t sure, and my father had never told me.
“I see. My condolences. As for you…” she said, looking at me with an unsettling gaze, “I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?”
“My name is Byleth,” I responded, not seeing a reason to conceal my identity. Besides, it was likely that Rhea probably already knew my name, seeing as Alois had filled her in on the details of today, and was just asking to be polite.
“A fine name for a fine young lady. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am called Rhea. I am the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy.”
Laying it on a little thick, huh? I mused, a thought that my father evidently shared, scoffing under his breath.
“Hmph.”
“You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not, Jeralt?”
“Yeah, I do. You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, right? I won’t say no, but–”
“Your apprehension stings,” Lady Rhea said, cutting my dad off. “I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you. Unfortunately, I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… Farewell.”
“Jeralt!” came a call from outside in a voice I recognized.
“Alois? Do you need something?”
“Yes, Captain! I was hoping I could have a word with you.”
“Be there in a moment!” my father acknowledged, turning to me. “I imagine this is going to be a long conversation. Why don’t you go explore the monastery a bit? When you’re done, come back here, but… go have a bit of fun, okay?”
“Sure, Dad,” I replied.
Maybe you could take up Dimitri’s offer, Sothis prompted. No time like the present for these sorts of things.
He did offer, didn’t he… Eh, why not. It’s not like I know this place well – or at all.
I walked down the stairs from the chamber and immediately was met with what looked to be a million different pathways. I looked around, unsure where to go, when I heard my name being called from behind.
“Byleth!”
I spun around, recognizing the voice, to see Dimitri, jogging towards me with a smile on his face.
“Dimitri! How have you been?”
“Quite well, thank you. And yourself? Have you had a chance to tour the monastery yet?”
“I’ve been well. In fact, I was just looking for you. If your offer still stands, I was wondering if you could show me the monastery?”
“I’d be happy to!” Dimitri exclaimed, making Sothis giggle and the butterflies in my stomach fly around in emotion. “There’s almost nobody else here, with everyone else still on their training exercises. They should be back late tonight, maybe in a couple hours or so. Due to the relative… lack of company, I have nothing else to do, which means I have more than enough time to give you the full tour! Of course, I’d hope to give you the tour even when everyone else was here, but since they’re not, I can be sure that I won’t have any obligations that could potentially distract us from the tour.” Suddenly, he stopped, his cheeks darkening.
His rambling is cute, I thought.
You do you, Byleth, I heard in response.
“Shall we?” I asked him.
“Let’s!” Dimitri answered, walking into a huge room. “I just came from the classrooms that way. That’s where all of us learn the stuff we came here to study.”
“‘All of us’? Who else is here?”
“The other members of the Officers Academy. Again, as I mentioned before, they’re on their training missions, so they aren’t here at the moment, but when they are here, we learn together to develop our skills.”
“Interesting… What kind of skills?”
“That was the knight’s hall that we just passed through,” Dimitri replied. “As for your question, the Officers Academy teaches students from all around the continent of Fódlan about fighting abilities. Swordsmanship, lancework, flying, magic, anything you can think of that could be useful in battle – the Officers Academy teaches us.”
“Hmm… intriguing. What’s this building?”
“This is the entrance hall. You probably passed through here when you entered behind us. And that funky smell you might be perceiving right now is the stables. Cleaning those out is the worst.” He laughed. “You also may be able to hear a bit of commotion further ahead.”
I strained my ears, listening, and it seemed Dimitri was right. “Can we go there?”
“I’d be honored, my dear,” Dimitri said pompously, trying (and succeeding) to make me laugh. He offered his arm, and I took it with a smile as I let him lead me to the steps.
“This is the marketplace. I find it to be particularly useful when weapons break, as you can get them repaired here for a good price. I’ve also found a couple stray items around here when walking before. You also walked through here when you entered, yes?”
“Yeah, I passed through earlier, but I’m more curious about the rest. What’s that way?” I said, gesturing to our right.
“Those buildings over there are the dining hall and greenhouse. My friend Dedue enjoys gardening over there. And the food served in the dining hall is quite good. Apparently, you can even ask the chefs to let you help out!”
“Have you tried?”
“Neither gardening nor cooking are a strong suit of mine, I’m afraid. Fishing isn’t either, which is what this pond is used for.”
“Sounds like you guys do a lot of fun things here at Garreg Mach,” I said.
“Indeed. Hopefully we can do some of this stuff together later.”
“I’d enjoy that. Do you have time to eat with me at the dining hall tonight? I’m quite hungry after today.”
Oh no. Was that too blunt? Too fast? Too soon? Did he notice?
Damn, Byleth. Asking him out for dinner already? Bold move.
Stop it, Sothis! I was merely… just… I want to get to know him better! Is that allowed?
“Have you not eaten?” Dimitri inquired, his cheeks slightly reddened. When I shook my head, a concerned look flitted across his face. “That should be resolved immediately. What are your preferences for eating?”
“My favorite foods? I’m honestly up for anything. Surprise me.”
“I can do that,” Dimitri said as we walked into the dining hall. He walked over to who I assumed was a chef and placed an order, then came to join me at a bench.
We continued talking for a long while, about weaponry and food and my life as a mercenary. Nobody had ever asked me so many questions about my life before, and I had never felt so compelled to answer someone’s questions before either. The food was then brought out, which turned out to be a creamy pasta, and it tasted delicious. Maybe it was the novelty of it all. I had spent my whole life eating with my dad by campfires or in taverns. This was different, strange in a way. But it was good.
It wouldn’t even say it was anything specific, but chatting with Dimitri felt… so right. Being comfortable around other people was not a feeling I was accustomed to, but Dimitri’s company made me feel like I never wanted to leave it. His eager eyes, his polite mannerisms, and his thoughtful questions all drew me in, leaving me intrigued. His presence felt welcoming, making me feel like I wasn’t just passing through the monastery.
And if that wasn’t enough, he had asked for a sweet treat to top off the meal as well, with the staff bringing out a fruit and cream dessert.
“What is this? It tastes divine,” I questioned. Sweets were rare for wandering mercenaries.
“This is a dessert called Saghert and Cream,” Dimitri responded. Then, he closed his mouth, saying nothing for a moment. He looked like he was thinking hard about something – maybe about whether to say something that was on his mind, or how to phrase it. “I used to love it when we had family gatherings back in Fhirdiad. The staff would always ensure that there was some for me. I still remember the taste fondly.”
“Where’d you live where you had staff waiting on you? Not judging or anything, just curious.”
“Well… to tell you the truth, I lived in a castle.”
“A castle?? Who exactly are you, Dimitri?”
“Well–”
“Byleth!” a voice that I assumed was Seteth called from behind me.
“Yes, Seteth?”
“Your room is ready for the night. Get a good night’s sleep. There is much to talk about tomorrow.”
“Got it. Good night, Dimitri!”
“Good night, Byleth,” he said, an expression on his face that I could not decipher in the moment.
What a day, Sothis said, as I laid my head on the soft pillow, the sound of the sheets welcoming me into bed.
You’re telling me, I replied. And it sounds like tomorrow will be even crazier.
Are you ready?
Always. Now go away so I can sleep.
My pleasure. I’m tired. Sweet dreams, Byleth.
Good night, Sothis.
Notes:
Chapter 4 done! We've arrived at the monastery!
Let me know what you guys think of the Dimitri scene. I'm not super experienced writing scenes like it, so let me know what worked and what didn't.
Next chapter, Byleth's gonna learn a lot about a lot of different people... 👀
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
There’s no way there could be a more comfortable bed in the world than this one, I thought, languidly stretching as my eyelids opened. It was a sunny day out, but not too hot from what I could tell.
The monastery clearly spared no expense on their guest rooms. Not only did we have a great view of the monastery and its surroundings, but the amenities and furniture were the epitome of luxury. Huge chandeliers with elaborately arranged lights, a shower with perfect water pressure, and blackout curtains were just some of the amazing things the room offered. The furniture was masterfully crafted, reminiscent of the finest weaponry in its detail and quality.
I do hope I didn’t oversleep for my meeting.
The one Seteth told you about yesterday on your walk here?
Yeah, that one. I, for one, do not want to disobey the one thing Seteth told me to make sure to do.
As he was guiding me to the room, Seteth had informed me of a meeting Lady Rhea had requested with him and me – very explicitly telling me to not be late to the meeting so as not to disappoint the archbishop.
What was weird about the conversation was that he didn’t give me any clues as to what the meeting was about. No hints, no tips, nothing. Clearly, the man was tight-lipped. And the fact that the meeting was just between the three of us (as far as Seteth’s word) and no one else – not even my dad? Very strange.
Just then, I heard a knock on the door.
“Hello? Who’s there?”
“Good morning, Byleth. This is Seteth. I am here to notify you that your meeting is in one hour. Please feel free to return to the dining hall and sustain yourself before our meeting in the audience chamber.”
Well, that’s that question answered, I mused, throwing myself out of bed and getting changed.
I had never especially been a morning person, but at the monastery I was eager to explore and see what else it had to offer, as our tour yesterday had been cut short. Additionally, it was late enough (as evidenced by the sun’s rays shining brightly in the sky, nicely warming my bedsheets through the window) to where I wasn't grumpy getting up. And trust me, waking me up before my body does is not a pretty sight.
Somehow, my stomach could still fit more food in it after the delicious meal I had had the previous night. Part of it was probably the fact that I knew the dining hall had good food to offer, as my gait to the dining hall was quicker than normal. However, I was surprised at the sight that met me as I craned my head around the doorway into the communal space.
There were no less than a hundred students in the dining hall, all gathered around benches and tables, digging into what looked to be absolutely divine pastries and breakfast dishes. Tall students, short students, old and young, noble and common, male and female. The noise of chatter over tables filled the room, giving me an insight into just how much of a community lay at Garreg Mach.
I hesitantly found a spot alone (after double– okay, maybe triple-checking that Dimitri wasn’t in the dining hall, to my slight disappointment) and sat down to eat. Breakfast was fantastic, but I didn’t eat nearly as much as I wanted to because I was getting nervous. My dad wasn’t here, which was unusual for him, as he was even less of a morning person than I was and loved eating more than most. Furthermore, the meeting was drawing closer and closer, and I was scared for it for some reason.
The reason I was scared could partially be attributed to the fact that it was just me, the archbishop of the Church of Seiros, and her closest advisor. But the main reason I was a little uneasy about the meeting were my feelings regarding Rhea.
She was calm and inviting when I first met her, and she hadn’t done anything to warrant any dislike or disapproval. (Just to be clear, that’s not how I felt.) No, my impression of her was about something… less obvious.
To me, every single one of her actions felt calculated, like there was some bigger plan going on. From her words to her movements… hell, even her smile felt rehearsed, like an act of some sort. It felt as if she was the player and we were the pawns used in her scheme or something. Besides, since I was a little kid, I’d always been skeptical of people with power. It’s rare for someone to use power responsibly while still maintaining control over their constituents, and Rhea clearly maintained her power over the Church of Seiros. Like what was that line to my dad about his apprehension stinging her? She manipulated him into thinking it an obligation to rejoin the Knights of Seiros.
Try to see the best in people, Byleth, Sothis asked. At least in this case it’ll help calm your nerves.
Right. I’ll try.
I finished my breakfast and started the long walk back to the audience chamber – though not without getting lost a couple of times. How the hell was this place so big? Seriously, it felt like a maze, a labyrinth of some sort. Luckily, I eventually found my way back to the chamber where I had first encountered Lady Rhea and Seteth yesterday with my father – except this time I was on my own.
I was about to enter the chamber when none other than my father exited the room. His face was red, and he was stepping with a little bit more force than usual. My suspicions were confirmed when he began talking, anger prevalent in his tone.
“I can’t believe it. Forced back into the damn Knights of Seiros. Fuck me,” he said, sighing. “How have I gotten myself back into this… Anyway, sorry to drag you into all of this.”
“…Drag me in how?”
“Well, I’ll be stuck here for a while… and I’m afraid your services are requested as well.”
Services? I have to work here?
Apparently so. I don’t know what they would want with you, though. I’m sure they have more than enough mercenaries.
I was thinking the same thing.
“What, as a mercenary?”
“No–”
“Then what do they want me to do? All I’ve done my whole life is fight! Are they gonna make me a servant or something?”
“No, no, nothing like that. They want you to teach, by the sound of it.”
I was rendered speechless. Teaching? What?? I had never taught anything in my life! Was this what Lady Rhea had asked me to meet her for?
“You heard those brats earlier talking about the Officers Academy, right?” my dad continued.
“The students?”
“Yeah. Apparently, the Academy just so happens to be short a professor. And evidently that damned Alois went and recommended you to Lady Rhea for the position.”
“Why the hell do they want me to teach? I’ve never done anything like this in my life!”
“Good instincts, By. Watch out for Lady Rhea. I don’t know what she’s thinking either, making you a professor like this and all. She’s probably up to something. Stay on your guard.”
So I wasn’t the only one with suspicions about Lady Rhea. Knowing that plus this decision only made me question her more, honestly. Why would she give a teaching position at the Officers Academy to me? She barely even knows me! And I’m not that much older than the kids learning there!
Wait, Sothis… didn’t Dimitri say he was a part of the Officers Academy???
In response, Sothis sighed. I was hoping you wouldn’t bring that up.
He did, right? Is that gonna mean anything? Can I still pursue him? Will I even be teaching him? What–
Relax, Byleth. I’m pretty confident this is the reason why Lady Rhea called you over for the meeting. She’ll probably tell you more there.
True.
…
…Is she suspicious to you at all?
Who? Lady Rhea?
Yeah. Doesn’t this whole situation seem… odd to you?
Kind of… but there’s honestly something more troubling on my mind right now. I feel like I’ve heard her voice before. I don’t know when, or how, or–
You were alive?
I don’t know, Byleth!
The sound of heels clacking against cobblestone brought my attention behind me. Approaching were two adults, a man and a woman, both of whom appeared to be older than me.
“So, you’re the new professor, hmm? My, how stern and handsome you are! I look forward to working with you!” the woman said, her voice smooth and seductive – clearly making my dad uncomfortable.
There were a couple reasons why I sympathized with my dad besides the woman’s blatant flirting – two very big reasons that were not at all constrained whatsoever. The woman was tall, with a frankly ridiculous amount of orange eyeshadow over her hazel eyes that matched the accents on her clothing. Her hair was short for a woman, not going past the shoulders. Her clothing… Well, there wasn’t much to describe. She wore a blue dress that barely covered anything, her chest almost fully exposed and her legs clearly visible through the slits in the skirt that ran up above her hips. To cover her shoulders, she wore a white shawl with orange markings, but one thing was clear; this woman was attractive, and she knew it.
You could pull that dress off, Byleth.
Ew. Gross. I do not need to show myself off like that.
But you could! You have the assets to show off–
“Err, no, uh, I’m not the one you’re looking for,” my dad interrupted with a nervous chuckle. “If you’re looking for the new professor, this is my daughter, Byleth.”
“Hi,” I said, slightly nervously.
“Oh, it’s you then? So young…” the woman said, smiling slyly.
“You can take this from here. Good luck,” my dad whispered to me, clearly eager to depart the situation. For that, I could not blame him in the slightest. As my dad left, the other man in the room spoke up for the first time.
“Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, Manuela, as you well know. I am Hanneman, a Crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy,” he said, sticking out his hand for me to shake. He certainly looked the professor-ly type, with a long mustache, nicely kept hair, and a monocle over his right eye. His clothing was basically the opposite of what the woman was wearing, covering everything. He wore a long grayish-tan coat that dropped below the waist, complemented by pants of the same color and a brown scarf. He wore something green under all of that that could have been a tie or a shirt – I wasn’t exactly sure.
At least he’s covered and she’s not, I thought. If it was the other way around–
Why would you put that thought into my head, Byleth? Sothis snapped playfully.
“I wonder if you bear a Crest of your own,” Hanneman continued on. “When next you have a moment to spare, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Byleth,” I said, intentionally not agreeing to what sounded like a dreadfully boring time.
The woman introduced herself next. “I’m Manuela. I’m a professor, a physician, a songstress… and available…”
I couldn’t have thought of two more different people, I reflected.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Manuela finished. Realizing she was waiting for a response and that I had missed a decent amount of her introduction, I quickly racked my brain for the details I had caught before my brain went off to do its own thing.
“A physician?” I asked, earning a hearty laugh.
“I look too pretty for that line of work, do I? But yes, when I'm not teaching, I can be found in the infirmary. If you're ever lonely, please do come and pay me a visit.”
“And a songstress?”
“Of course! Before I came here, I belonged to a renowned opera company. Perhaps you’ve heard of me? The Mittelfrank Opera Company’s beautiful, peerless–”
“Spare our new colleague the needless chatter, Manuela,” Hanneman interjected. “Now then, it seems you’ll be taking charge of the advanced group of one of the academy’s three houses. I expect you haven’t yet been briefed on the nature of the Officers Academy or each house, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Do you really not know?” Manuela asked, disbelieving. When she received a noncommittal shake of the head from me in response, she went on. “Fine. I’ll do you a favor and explain. The Officers Academy is comprised of three houses of students, each of which is very closely affiliated with its region of origin. For example, one of the houses is the Black Eagle house, intended for students from the Adrestian Empire. Their house leader this year is Edelgard, the Imperial princess, who is in line to become the next Adrestian Emperor.”
Holy crap, I thought. When Claude was talking about royalty, he wasn’t joking. And that was probably what she was trying to tell me earlier when she was offering me to return to Adrestia with her! Did I embarrass myself? I hope not.
You saved her life, Byleth. Remember that? It would have been at the expense of yours had it not been for my glorious idea of rewinding time.
I already thanked you for that, Sothis!
That doesn’t mean you can’t thank me again. I will always accept gratitude – preferably in the form of–
Manuela opened her mouth to continue, most likely to inform me of the other houses, when Hanneman interjected with a voice that felt almost rehearsed.
“Secondly, there is the Golden Deer house, for students from the Leicester Alliance.” he said. “Their house leader this year is Claude, grandson to Duke Riegan, the leader of the Alliance.”
Of course – as if one heir to a kingdom wasn’t enough. Now we had two??? And there was nothing I could bring up to keep myself in his good graces like I could with Edelgard and saving her life. At least he seemed nice and receptive, and he would probably be a good leader later in life.
The fact that I could potentially be teaching him about noble things and fighting was not terrifying in the slightest. Not at all.
“Lastly,” Manuela added, pretty much solidifying my idea that this exchange had been prepared beforehand, “we have the Blue Lion house. The Blue Lions consist of students from the far north, the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Their house leader is Prince Dimitri, the crown prince and future ruler of the kingdom.”
What???
This was just wonderful. I had killed a man in front of not just one, not two, but all three future rulers of the three kingdoms of Fódlan. I couldn’t have dreamed of a better situation!
All three of them made sense, now that I thought about it. Their actions were calculating, and all three were extremely well-spoken. They also fought with grace, evidence of their noble tutoring instead of a mercenary’s more “dirty” methods. (Not dirty, but whatever.)
Somehow, however, Dimitri’s revelation surprised me the least. The polite manners he had displayed, his debate regarding ruling with Edelgard, his tendency to put others before him – all of those admirable qualities reflected a noble upbringing.
However, the revelation that Dimitri was the heir to the throne of Faerghus also hurt, for some reason. Maybe it was the fact that I had treated him as an equal more so than the other two, calling him by his name and inviting him to dinner. Maybe it was the fact that we had fought alongside one another, aiding and helping each other – just as two people, not the Ashen Demon and the Crown Prince of Faerghus. What it mostly was, though, was the fact that for once, I had wanted to get to know somebody better. I had thought there could have been something, more dinners and fights and funny conversations.
Just my luck that the first person I’m ever attracted to is the definition of out of my league.
I prefer to think about the fact that you asked the Crown Prince of Faerghus on a dinner date.
Sothis. Not. Helping.
Why does his status matter so much? Everything that you’re imagining and hoping for can still happen.
Sothis, he’s the crown prince. He probably has a marriage arranged for him, or somebody back home. Besides, there’s no way anything that could even potentially happen would work out well. We’re complete opposites.
And yet he offered to take you on a tour, and agreed to your invitation for dinner, and wanted to take you back to Faerghus… Ignore the titles. You’re just two people.
Easy for you to say. It’s not your heart that’s broken right now.
“To think that the next emperor, king, and sovereign duke are all here this year,” Hanneman said pensively, but to nobody in particular. “It certainly is a promising time for the academy.”
“I’ll say. I just hope none of those… little treasures cause any trouble for you, Byleth,” Manuela mused, smiling.
“Hm, quite. For now, I suggest taking a stroll around the academy to get your bearings. And when you have a moment, please do stop by my research laboratory. My office is just down the hall.”
“The old man has a point. Oh, and keep in mind that I’ve only notified the house leaders that you’re our new professor. It’s more fun that way,” Manuela said with a wink.
I like her, Sothis said.
“I suggest you try spending some time with the students. Some… odd ducks in that bunch, but they’re good kids. I’m sure Lady Rhea will have more info for you later on, but that should get you going. Good luck… You’ll need it.”
Like that wasn’t ominous or anything, Manuela.
“It was great to meet you, Byleth,” Hanneman said kindly. “We look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise,” I replied as the two of them walked off. Just then, I heard raised voices from the audience chamber. It appeared to be… Seteth?
“Have you no intention of changing your mind, Rhea? Appointing a stranger – a child no less! – as a professor at our esteemed academy is–”
“I have made my decision, Seteth,” a calm voice that I assumed to be Rhea assured. “I know worrying comes naturally to you, but there is truly no need. That ‘stranger’ is Jeralt's flesh and blood, after all.”
“I can't say that's all too comforting, Rhea. How trustworthy is this Jeralt character? Is he not the man who went missing after the great fire 21 years ago? I would remind you that Flayn is now here with us as well. I beg of you… please consider whether this is an unnecessary risk.”
“Seteth. They have my trust. Let that be enough for you as well. More importantly, I have received a report from Shamir. I am increasingly concerned about a matter regarding our… suspicious individual. We cannot ignore those who harbor ill will towards the church, especially if they are frequenting Garreg Mach.”
“Yes, that matter is of great importance as well. I shall continue my investigation. Rhea…,” he trailed off. “For now, I will have faith that you are placing your trust with the utmost care. I pray that nothing occurs to shake that confidence.”
There was a lot to take in from that conversation. Clearly, my father and I were not the only ones skeptical of Rhea’s decision. However, I was more focused on the fact that not only did Seteth seem to know my father, but he had a negative opinion of him! How on earth did they know each other? And a suspicious individual…?
“Byleth? Is that you?” Rhea called.
“Good morning, Lady Rhea, Set–” I began as I walked into the audience chamber before realizing that Seteth had left. “What do you need from me this morning?”
“I was originally going to tell you about your new responsibilities here at the academy, but I think it’s safe to assume that you are already aware that you will be teaching here. Is that correct?” Rhea questioned.
“Yes, Manuela and Hanneman told me everything outside.”
“Wonderful. To start off, please speak with the three house leaders. I had Manuela inform them that you were to be a new professor at the academy. Additionally, you should also take a look around the monastery and acquaint yourself with your new home. I would also advise you to speak with every student you can. This may be the only chance to get to know them briefly and see what they are really like before you become their professor. Try visiting each house’s homeroom to speak with them. Do you know where that is?”
“Yes,” I replied, remembering where Dimitri had come from yesterday to meet me for our tour. However, I still had a question.
“And why is it important that I get to know them?”
“Did Manuela and Hanneman not tell you?” When I shook my head, Rhea continued on. “You are responsible for choosing which house to lead.”
So let me get this straight: the archbishop of the Church of Seiros, the leader of the most prestigious academy on the continent, and the most powerful woman in Fódlan has not only chosen a mercenary she hadn’t even met 24 hours ago to teach at said academy, but has given her the opportunity to choose which part of the academy she wishes to teach.
Sounds right to me.
What am I supposed to say?
“Young one, are you surprised?” Rhea asked with a smile, throwing off my thought process.
“I mean, kind of,” I replied, my voice displaying the shock I was feeling. “Why would you give me the chance to choose which house I get to teach? And do I have to choose now?”
“I gave you the chance to teach because I see something in you. Something special. But I also realize that you know yourself better than I do, so I wanted to give you the chance to put yourself in the best environment possible to help both your future students and your future self. As for your second question, I was hoping to meet with you again tomorrow morning.”
“Would I give you my decision then?”
“Yes. For now, go out and learn about your future students. Every one of them is filled with potential that just needs a teacher to tap into it in order for it to blossom, like the sprout that lends its name to the month. After enough time and effort, the students will hopefully grow into warriors, nobles, and leaders, just as the sprout one day hopes to grow into a great tree.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I said, waving as I stepped out of the audience chamber.
Now to get to know the Officers Academy…
I began walking to the classrooms in order to meet the new potential students when I (almost quite literally) ran into Seteth and Alois.
“Morning, Seteth, Alois,” I said, walking away in the hope that I wouldn’t have to converse with either of them.
“Morning, Byleth!” Alois responded in his loud voice. “I imagine you were a bit surprised that I recommended you as a professor here, huh? Frankly, we had someone else in mind for the role, but they ran off during our dustup with the bandits. None of the students should have been alone that day.”
“Yes, it was a near-disaster,” said Seteth. “We greatly appreciate you saving the lives of the students you came across. That, at least, was admirable. And thank the goddess that Alois came in time to ensure their safety. Now, Byleth, you should make the rounds. Go around the monastery and see that you greet everyone.”
“To help, here are a couple things that you can use to navigate the monastery and learn more about the potential students,” Alois advised. “Here’s a folder with a bit of information about the students and a map of the monastery. Hopefully this will help you with everything.”
“I’ll do my best. And thanks for the help,” I finished, taking my leave and walking towards the stairs to access the rest of the monastery.
Ugh, he’s so passive-aggressive.
Who? Seteth?
Yeah. It ticks me off a little bit. At least Alois is nice.
I made it to the bottom of the staircase and the first floor of the monastery, glancing at my map in order to find the classrooms. Right, left, right again, then left again…
Those have to be it, I thought, seeing an open lawn with three arched openings leading into what I imagined to be classrooms relatively close to the sketched-out location on the map.
As I approached, my suspicions were confirmed, as the crests of the three houses – and the kingdoms they apparently represented – came into view. The trademark chatter of teenagers filled the crisp morning air as I strolled across the courtyard, opening up the folder Alois had given me just moments before.
Notes:
Chapter 5!!!
I had originally thought that I was going to cover Byleth meeting the other students (teaser for next chapter) but I thought adding extra details here was more sufficient for one chapter.
As always, comment any feedback you may have!
Until next time,
CarrotUpdate: I added a little bit of extra stuff at the end of the chapter after not being satisfied with the ending.
Chapter Text
Damn, this is good stuff.
In it were lists of students in each house, along with descriptions regarding each of them and a couple other details, such as noble rank, Crests (whatever those were), fighting aptitudes, and personality quirks. Somehow, this did not look as if it was written by Alois, but rather by Seteth or someone significantly more… detail-oriented, shall we say.
The Black Eagles were up first on the list, aligning with the nearest classroom to me. I peered through the open double doors nestled in the archway to see a group of students centered around Edelgard. She appeared to be manifesting some symbol of some sort above her right hand as the other students watched, taking notes. One man in particular stood behind her, not looking at her but at the doorway, his gaze resting on me. He appeared to gesture to Edelgard, whispering something I couldn’t hear in an… extremely deep voice to her that led to her spotting me as well.
I waved and motioned her over, hoping to speak with her in private to go over the list of students I had been given before actually speaking to the rest of them. After a quick comment, she jogged over, a slight smile breaking across her face.
“Byleth! A pleasant surprise this is.”
“Good morning, Edelgard. I suspect you already know the reason I am here?”
“Yes. Professor Manuela told me that you’ve accepted a teaching position here… A pity, honestly. I was hoping that you’d lend your services and strength to the Empire. I never properly introduced myself, did I? My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg. I am the princess and heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire, the oldest and greatest kingdom in Fódlan. I wonder if you’ll be tasked with leading the Black Eagles…”
I decided not to correct her belief that I was to be assigned a house; somehow I got the opinion that this miniature correction would result in hurt feelings and burnt bridges once I actually decided on the house I was going to teach.
“I hope you’ve had the chance to meet everyone,” she said, looking at me inquiringly. At a shake of my head, she proceeded on, “Ah. Understandable. We’ve only been back for… two days now? Anyway, would you like to know more about any of the Black Eagles?”
Seems like a particularly good time to utilize your folder, Sothis prompted, a statement that I agreed with. I nodded to answer Edelgard’s – Princess Edelgard’s – question and opened my folder.
“Well, it seems you already have a bit of information,” Edelgard commented, craning her neck in a successful attempt to see the contents of the folder.
“That is true, but I have not gotten the chance to read… any of it, if I’m being honest,” I confessed with a laugh. “I hope you don’t mind me asking a little bit more about your students…?”
“Feel free.”
“Excellent,” I said, scanning the first page. It was of a man, that same man who had most likely notified Edelgard of my presence minutes prior. He had long, dark hair that obscured half of his face, leaving a singular green eye free to see that gave him an extremely calculating appearance. His skin was extraordinarily pale, most likely a side effect of his noble upbringing that was noted on the page. He also appeared to prefer fighting from a distance, with the page noting that he was skilled at archery and black magic.
“Hubert?”
“Ah, yes, Hubert. You may have seen him earlier? He is the heir of Marquis Vestra. He has loyally served me since I was a child, as his family has done for generations regarding previous emperors. You may think his blood runs a bit cold, but… Heh, actually, that’s a pretty accurate assessment. Still, if you can get past that, you’ll see he’s quite an astute and reasonable man.”
That tracked with what I had seen. The calculating appearance was not unfounded, and his personality quirk of being authoritative and his ability to command battalions well seemed to match Edelgard’s description.
“Thank you, Princess Edelgard. Next up… Ferdinand?”
“Please, just Edelgard. I am just a student here,” Edelgard said with a sigh. “As for Ferdinand… for some reason, he thinks of me as a bitter rival and is always trying to challenge me. It’s terribly irritating. His house is that of Duke Aegir, which produces Adrestia’s Prime Ministers. That family… is perhaps too pleased with its own status.”
That description seemed to match what was written on my sheet about him. He was tall, with neatly maintained orange hair and a slightly cocky expression on his face. His noble background was reflecting in his fighting resumé, with him apparently liking to fight on a horse with any type of… noble weapon. For some reason, most nobles hated brawling. His personality trait was literally just confident, which aligned with what Edelgard had said about seeing her as a rival.
“Sounds annoying,” I replied, which earned a chuckle from the princess as I flipped to the next page, encountering a tired-looking noble with long, forest-green hair. He seemed to prefer fighting with magic, both white and black, and… that was about it.
“Linhardt?” I asked, hoping that Edelgard would shed some more light on the man.
“He’s remarkably intelligent, which would probably lead him to become an Empire official of some sort if he had any work ethic, sense of duty or motivation. However, he only wishes to apply himself to things he’s truly interested in… and nothing else. Goddess knows we’ve had to listen to him talk about Crests more than any sane human should ever have to. When he’s not buried in a book, he’s probably sleeping.”
“Look at this!” I said, showing her his page.
“They wrote his personality trait as just avid napper? ”
“Apparently so. What about Caspar?”
“He’s the second son of Count Bergliez, and thus has no inheritance in his future. That’s probably why the man is so eager to prove himself. He’s very loud and energetic and often rushes headfirst into any battle he sees without thinking about his actions first. If he ends up in your care, be sure to keep a close eye on him.”
That tracked with what my folder said about him. He was short for a male, with equally short blue hair and a smile on his face. His desire to fight was clearly shown, as both his personality trait of born fighter and his enjoyment of brawling (again, weird for a noble, but not as weird considering as a second son he probably didn’t have to worry about appearances as much) demonstrated.
“Thank you. Next… whoa. Bernadetta?” I said, seeing the next entry. It was of a short, timid-looking girl who really didn’t seem to have a lot of redeeming qualities. She had short-ish purple hair and noticeable eyebags under her eyes, as well as a sad expression on her face. She also apparently had an inferiority complex.
“She’s Count Varley’s only daughter. I suppose one could say she’s a bit… eccentric, to put it mildly, but she’s a gentle soul. She usually shuts herself in her quarters and refuses to come out, but… don’t worry. I’ll make sure she finds her way to class.”
She’s so much of a shut-in it’s even reflected in her fighting style, I thought, taking note of her aptitude in bows.
Byleth! Try to see the best in people. You never know what they’ve gone through.
Right, sorry.
“Well, I hope to get to know her someday if she’ll allow it,” I said. “Dorothea?”
“Few commoners have joined the Black Eagle House, but Dorothea is an exception. She's a songstress from a famous opera company in the Empire, the same one Professsor Manuela used to sing at if I’m not mistaken. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what brought her to the Officers Academy.”
No wonder she was an opera singer, I thought. She was a beautiful woman, with bright green eyes and a seductive smile on her face. She wore a black hat of some sort on her head. I was equally as unsure of why she was at the Officers Academy, given that her personality trait – songstress – and her battle strengths (black magic and blades) didn’t exactly line up and probably could have been learned somewhere else. Nevertheless, she seemed relatively interesting.
“Finally,” I said, flipping to the last page of the first section, “Petra?”
“To the west of Fódlan is an archipelago called Brigid, a vassal state of the Empire. Petra is the granddaughter of their king. While she hasn’t quite managed to learn the language yet, she’s incredibly smart and studious, and a warrior on the battlefield,” Edelgard concluded.
That last part seemed to be true to a T, as both her personality trait – hunter – and her prowess in pretty much everything except magic, with a special note for swords, bows, and flying seemingly reflected her background. She was tall and muscular, with bright purple eyes matching her hair that she kept in a ponytail – a classic warrior build. She had a marking under her left eye, presumably from her homeland of Brigid, a place I had always wanted to visit but had never gotten the chance to.
“Is that all?” Edelgard asked.
“Well, how about you?” I countered, noticing a page I had accidentally skipped at the beginning. On it was information about the Emperor of Adrestia, but nothing that I hadn’t really observed in my interactions with her.
“Me? Well, some think I’m a bit distant. Arrogant, even. But there’s little to be done about that. One day, I must rise to become Adrestia’s next emperor. What else… Well, it seems to me that we might have similar personalities.”
She wasn’t super inaccurate with that, I suppose. I was never the most sociable, which could lead to some calling me distant.
“Possibly,” I replied with a smile. “Can I enter the classroom?”
“Sure. Come on in.”
I crossed through the archway to see that the students had rearranged themselves. At the front were Hubert and Petra, chatting with each other. Just like previously, Hubert noticed me approaching and bowed.
“Hello. My name is Hubert. I am a humble servant of Lady Edelgard,” he said in his deep, intimidating voice that I had overheard earlier. “I heard that you came to the aid of Her Highness. For that, you have my most sincere thanks. This is Petra. She has come all the way from Brigid to study in the Empire. Back in her archipelago, she is actually a princess. In Fódlan terms, she would be called the heir to the throne.”
“Hello,” Petra greeted. “I am called Petra. I am pleased to be meeting with– no, um, I am pleased to have met you.”
“Pleased to meet you both. I’m Byleth,” I replied amicably, looking around to introduce myself again.
“Is it true that you saved Edelgard?” a loud voice called to me. Turning, I spotted Caspar and Linhardt standing by the front of the room.
I wasn’t aware that everyone had been informed of me stepping in front of Edelgard during her training exercise. I had assumed Hubert had been, as her servant, but I was surprised that the other students had heard about it.
“Yes, that’s me,” I said, walking over to the two men.
“That’s incredible! The name’s Caspar, by the way. Pleased to meet ya!”
“Linhardt. Good-bye,” Linhardt said, yawning.
At that, Caspar winced. “Fuck, Linhardt. How’d you get into the academy with those manners? Anyway, are you a student here too? Maybe we’ll be in the same class!”
“Perhaps.” I had no desire to correct Caspar, mainly because I was already uncomfortable enough introducing myself to so many people. Adding on the fact that I was to be a professor would have only drawn more attention – not exactly what I wanted at the time.
Respecting Linhardt’s wishes (and my obligations), I turned around and saw Bernadetta and Ferdinand… talking? Hanging out near each other? Curious to see what was going on, I approached.
“Ah! What? Who are you? I-I don’t talk to strangers!” Bernadetta exclaimed, shrinking into herself more and throwing a book over her head.
“Bernadetta, this is no stranger! Our house leader owes her a great debt, if I’m not mistaken…?” At a quirk of my eyebrow, he introduced himself. “I am Ferdinand von Aegir, legitimate son of the Aegir family, the Empire’s foremost house. Are you going to join our class? I look forward to getting better acquainted with you.”
“Likewise,” I replied, again not correcting the man. I ran a mental check of the students I had encountered and realized that the only one I hadn’t spoken with so far was Dorothea. That fact was quickly remedied as the young woman sauntered up to me, cocking her head.
“Well now, you don't have a familiar face. What brings you here? My name is Dorothea. Before I joined the academy, I was a member of an opera company in the Empire. You should hear me sing sometime.”
“Nice to meet you, Dorothea. I’m Byleth. I’d love to hear you sing one of these days.”
One down, two to go, I thought, grimacing.
“I hope to see you soon, Professor Byleth,” Edelgard commented as I was leaving, to which I smiled.
Goddess, am I really going to become a professor?
Looks like it. And since when do you use “goddess”?
Huh, I did, didn’t I… I guess the monastery is rubbing off on me. Now, the Golden Deer or the Blue Lions next…
My question was answered for me as I looked inside the middle classroom with the Faerghian crest over it to see… an empty room. I then looked inside the final classroom to see… students! How wonderful!
I’ll look for Dimitri later. No sense in looking for him now when the Golden Deer are right here.
You mean the Blue Lions?
Same thing, right? *mental wink*
Don’t ever do that again. That was horrifying.
Noted.
The students I was seeing were all gathered around Claude, just like how the Black Eagles had gathered around Edelgard. The future leader of the Alliance was pointing at a map of what I could vaguely make out to be the outline of Fódlan, indicating to certain parts of it for his peers to see. Just like the Black Eagles, the Golden Deer seemed to be a diverse group. I decided that it would be okay if I walked in and asked Claude for more information. He seemed… less formal than both Edelgard and Dimitri, at least from the limited interactions I had had with the three.
“Hey, Claude,” I said. “Could I… speak with you for a moment?”
At this, he looked up. “Hey! Teach! How’s it going? What’s up?”
“Privately, please.”
A look of understanding dawned over his face. “Ah. Outside?”
“Works for me.”
The two of us exited the room, sitting down on a bench just across the lawn in front of the classrooms.
“Well, well! Scored a teaching gig here, did you? Talk about a great first impression!”
“How did you–”
“Manuela told me. And when you said privately, I imagine it was because you wanted to get to know the Golden Deer a bit. I’m assuming you don’t know which house you’ll be teaching yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“I bet you’d like ours. We’re not as… difficult as the other two. So! Care to know more about anyone?”
Just like before, I flipped open the folder, this time to the last tab. The first page that met me was of a… rather pretentious-looking man, with neatly organized, symmetrical purple hair. He certainly looked like a noble, and the rest of the page only hammered down that fact more. His personality trait – Distinguished Noble – and his fighting preferences both further reinforced the image, with the latter consisting of him liking riding and lances and disliking brawling – very stereotypically noble.
“Lorenz?”
“He’s the heir of Gloucester territory. If you haven’t already picked up it, he’s… a bit arrogant, let’s say, and fancies himself a ladies’ man. That said, deep down he's really devoted and honest... though I wouldn't mind never hearing him talk about his noble obligations ever again,” Claude ended with a laugh. “Who’s next?”
I flipped the page to see a big, burly man, bigger than most men I had ever seen in my life. He was tall and wide, though the width seemed to come through muscles and training. He had blonde hair, yellow-ish eyes, and a wide smile, and his shirt was ripping at the seams. He seemed the opposite of Lorenz, as he enjoyed eating (as evidenced by his personality trait) and everything that required strength in battle – axes, brawling, and fighting with armor.
“Raphael?”
“Ah, Raffy. He comes from a merchant family, but his parents died in an accident. Seems like he's had a rough life. Despite all that, he's just about the most cheerful guy you'll ever meet. His passions are training, eating, and... actually, that's about it.”
“Sounds accurate to the page I have here. What about Ignatz?”
“Ignatz is the second son of a merchant family. Since his brother will inherit the business, he's training to become a knight. If you ask me, it doesn't seem like he truly wants to be a knight… He's probably just doing it to please his parents…”
That added up to what my page said. The boy was short, with olive-ish hair and brown eyes framed by circular spectacles. He seemed to enjoy archery, as his personality quirk and his fighting boons indicated his eyesight and skill with the bow, respectively. Despite that, it seemed Claude’s assessment was accurate; he was not the first thing one would think of when they thought of a knight.
“Okay. And… Lysithea? What’s her deal?” I asked, seeing what appeared to be a child on the next page. She was extremely short, with long white hair and pink eyes. Unnaturally white. She seemed incredibly smart, however. Her aptitude in magic and her personality trait – mastermind – painted a picture of her nose always in a book, always wanting to learn more.
My thoughts were validated in Claude’s response. “Lysithea is the daughter of Count Ordelia, and is… probably the youngest student here, and incredibly driven to boot. But watch out! She gets real angry if you treat her like a child. As for me, I do it on purpose. You have to make your own fun in this place, you know?”
I laughed at that. Clearly, Claude was the fun-loving type of guy. The next page revealed a stunningly attractive woman, with long, pink hair arranged in pigtails. Her eyes were just as pink, and she had a big smile across her face.
“Hilda?”
“Hilda, oh, Hilda,” Claude started, a tiny blush on his face as he laughed. “She’s the only daughter of Duke Goneril. It seems her father and brother coddle her quite a bit. If you look up "lazy" in the dictionary… her picture won't be there because she never got around to submitting it. (At this line, I snorted unbecomingly.…What? It was funny.) Not too unusual for a noble, I guess.”
That did not fully match the initial impression I got from the page. Hilda’s personality trait – advocate – and her desire to fight with an axe gave me the impression that she was the determined sort. Clearly, that was wrong.
Let’s hope the next one’s better. What about…
“Marianne?” I questioned, looking at the next page. It revealed a girl with a hollow-looking face, so sad it honestly made me a little sad just looking at it. Her hair was nicely kept, light blue with an intricate headband, but her face was just dead. Her brown-ish eyes simply looked dead, and her facial expression appeared as if she didn’t have the will to smile for the photo. She clearly loved animals, as evidenced by her personality trait – animal friend – and her proficiency in riding and flying. “Is she…?”
Claude’s face turned sad, sympathetic almost, as if he knew what I was thinking. “Ah. Marianne. She’s Margrave Edmund's daughter, and… that's pretty much all I know about her. She doesn't interact much with other students, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of folks here have never even heard her speak. Hilda’s trying to befriend her, but I’m not sure how that’ll go.”
“Ah. And finally… Leonie?” I queried, seeing a short-haired girl on the last page. She had orange-ish eyes, same color as her hair, and a smile on her face. She appeared a fighter, as her lack of dislikes regarding combat and her desire to be the best (as shown by her personality quirk) supported.
“Leonie enrolled because she wants to be a mercenary. I think she said that her father is a hunter. She's pretty blunt and as stingy as they come. A habitual saver, too. I think she's hoping to repay her village for helping to send her here. She also is… uncomfortably obsessed with your dad. Seriously, she talks about him. All. The. Time. It’s better than Lorenz’s nobletalk, but still… don’t be weirded out. Or try not to, at least.”
After advising me on… a random girl’s infatuation with my father, Claude moved to get up, but I wasn’t quite finished yet.
“And what about you, Claude? Mr. Sovereign Duke?”
“Piqued your interest, have I? I guess that means I'd better introduce myself properly. I'm Claude von Riegan. I'm from the ruling house of the Leicester Alliance, as you’ve heard. Did Rhea tell you?”
“Hanneman.”
“Ah. In any case, try not to worry too much about all that madness. As luck would have it, I'm pretty curious about you as well. But what's life without a bit of mystery? Let's just spend the next year or so learning about each other, little by little.”
When I raised my eyebrow, he moved to correct himself. “Not like that, Teach. Who do you take me for?”
“All right, I’ll take your word for it.”
As far as mystery went, Claude was an enigma of sorts. His sheet really didn’t tell me much, apart from his skill with a bow (which I had seen personally) and his royal lineage. He seemed a likeable, capable leader and a good person, but as far as his backstory went, I didn’t know much. And I doubted others would have known much more than me, either.
“Well, thanks for chatting with me. Want to chat with everybody else? It’s hard to get to know someone through facts and labels. Come on in!” Claude invited.
“Sure, sounds good.”
Just like with the Black Eagles, Claude walked me in and left me on my own, allowing me to make the rounds and introduce myself.
Who first… Ah! Is that Raphael?
As I came closer, I came to see that it was, indeed, Raphael, his frame so large I couldn’t see Leonie behind him until the last minute. When she pointed at me, he turned around and greeted me, his voice jolly and happy.
“Hey! Were you the one that Claude called “Teach” earlier? Why did he say that?”
“No idea.”
“Huh. Anyway, are you someone’s guest? The dining hall’s that way if that’s what you’re looking for,” he said, pointing with his thumb to his right.
“No, Raphael. That's Captain Jeralt's kid,” Leonie said. “Hi, I'm Leonie Pinelli – Captain Jeralt's first and greatest apprentice! I'm sure he's told you about me?”
Not even two sentences in and she’s bringing up my father. Guess Claude was right. And who exactly is she? Dad sure as hell never mentioned her.
Luckily, I was saved from having to break the news by Raphael introducing himself. “Oh, hey! Nice to meet you. I’m Raphael Kirsten.…Who are you again?”
“I’m Byleth, Byleth Eisner. Nice to meet you both.”
Not wanting to stick around the two any more, I walked over to Hilda potentially trying to befriend Marianne as Claude had mentioned before. Apparently, I was conspicuous in my approach, as the two women looked up at me.
“Hey! Are you that mercenary? The one that saved Claude? Eeeeveryone’s been talking about you. I’m Hilda Valentine Goneril. And this is…”
“M-Marianne von Edmund,” the other girl said, her voice high-pitched yet devoid of all energy.
“Are you joining the Knights of Seiros or something?” Hilda continued. “In any case, I look forward to seeing more of you!”
“Likewise. I’m Byleth. Good to meet you,” I said, nodding at the two before departing.
“Ah, you must be that renowned mercenary who rescued Claude,” a voice came from the corner. When I searched for the source, I saw Lorenz striding over purposefully.
“I don’t know about renowned, but yes, that’s me,” I responded, not wanting to feed the idea everyone seemed to have about my skills. They hadn’t even seen me fight!
“Honestly, you shouldn’t have troubled yourself with the likes of him,” Lorenz said, seemingly ignoring my introduction.
What the hell? Who just says that shit about their ruler? I know Leicester is less ruler-oriented, but still. I mean, you go to school with the guy!
“Perhaps you’d like to join me for a cup of tea sometime,” he went on, an offer I didn’t even have to consider to know the answer to. “My name is Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. You will want to remember it.”
This guy seems like a real piece of work, I thought, not even bothering to tell him my name as I walked away. He seems like a more insufferable Ferdinand.
I’m with you. There’s not a lot of good to see in him, I think. Hopefully the rest of the Golden Deer are better.
To find out if Sothis was right and to finish the rounds, I ambled over to the last two members: Lysithea and Ignatz, and introduced myself.
“Hey. I’m Byleth.”
“Hello!” said the tiny girl. “So you’re the skilled mercenary who saved Claude, are you?”
“Oh, you are! It’s such an honor to meet you! I’m Ignatz Victor. My parents are Alliance merchants.”
“And I am Lysithea von Ordelia. Please do not forget it.”
I nodded, slightly taken aback at how such a small girl could radiate so much authority.
“Well, that’s everyone,” I said, walking up to Claude. “Thanks for speaking with me.”
“My pleasure, Teach. Good luck with everything! See you around.”
Well, that’s that, I thought, departing the classroom.
Not quite. Go find your man!
Dimitri?
You know it. The Blue Lions await you! Go!
I suppose they do… I finished, and in that moment I was glad Sothis couldn’t see the blush that had appeared across my cheeks.
Notes:
Chapter 6!!!
I'm honestly amazed at how fast I've been working on this fic. I hope you guys appreciate it!
I know this chapter was a bit... repetitive, but I tried to vary a couple things to make it not boring to read.
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
One of the biggest drawbacks to a place as majestic as the monastery was that there were so many fucking places where someone could be.
How do I end up walking more inside a monastery than I do walking to it from a village that took the entire morning?
I was met with no response, except for the faintest hints of snoring from my head. It seemed sleep had captured Sothis when I was walking around.
Goddess, where is Dimitri?
My prayers were partially answered as I passed the sauna for the third time that day.
“Do you know where Prince Dimitri is? I have to give him something. Lady Rhea’s orders,” a woman with long, blonde hair and a booming voice said.
“Jeritza told me he had seen him training, but… that was a while back. I doubt the prince is still there. Maybe the classrooms?” her partner said in a bored voice.
“Thanks, Shamir. I’ll check there.”
Finally, a lead. I hadn’t checked the training grounds yet (mostly because I didn’t know the monastery had them until just now. For some reason my map didn’t have them listed…). The problem was, I had no idea where those would be. And I really didn’t feel like losing myself in the monastery again. Losing yourself in something of your own volition, like a book, is awesome. This? Not so much.
Well, why don’t you just ask her? Sothis advised, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
So you wake up from your slumber just to patronizingly ask me something? Thanks, Sothis. So glad you could do that.
My pleasure, Byleth. Now go! She’s walking away!
“Excuse me! Shamir?” I called, running toward her.
“What do you want– oh. You’re that new professor. I was actually just looking for you.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Seteth asked me to find you and show you your room. I have no idea why you’re staying in the students’ quarters, but at least it’s in a good spot.”
“Oh… cool. Where would that be? And–”
“Over there,” Shamir replied curtly, pointing towards the final room on the first floor of what appeared to be student dormitories. “Here’s a note from Seteth that he wanted me to give you.” I took it, and began reading.
These are the students' quarters. To better help you supervise them, you also have a room here. Commoner students reside on the first floor, while the second is primarily for students of noble birth. As a rule, we try to avoid discrimination based on social status here. However, the nobility can be quite insistent when it comes to matters of propriety. Speaking of, it would be best for you to avoid improper conduct. I expect you to set a good example for the students.
Seteth
“Thanks, Shamir,” I said, looking up from the letter to find… no Shamir. “Shamir?”
“What?” Her voice came from around the corner, the t sound particularly emphasized in an irritated manner.
“One last question. Where are the training grounds?”
“They’re right by your room. See those double doors? The training grounds are just behind there. Anything else?”
“No. Good to meet you.”
“…You as well.”
She seems like me before I started expressing myself. I like her.
When did you start expressing yourself? Were you not always this way?
No, actually. I used to be incredibly closed off, solely focused on battle and survival and pretty much nothing else. That changed… maybe a dozen years ago or so. It was during this one time when we were fighting, my dad and I, and he took two nasty blows with a lance. They penetrated his skin so deep I could see his ribcage.
Oh…
Yeah. It was not a pretty sight. Why it changed was because the medics took such a long time to get him right again. I had always known my dad as a tank and a ruthless mercenary, never able to be weakened for long. But that day was… different. It took him almost three days to get back on his feet.
What changed, then?
As soon as he was let out, I ran to him and gave him this massive hug. And I told him I loved him for the first time. Seeing his face light up like it did after I said that, after I was so scared for him… it made me want to continue bringing joy like that into the world. In my young brain at the time, I guess I associated expressing my emotions with positivity and joy, and while it hasn’t always been that way since, I haven’t found a reason to go back just yet.
Oh, Byleth… That’s so sweet.
I should go find him later today, now that I think about it. He seemed… pretty distressed about the whole Knights of Seiros thing.
That would be nice. I’m sure he’d appreciate it. But first, go find Dimitri!
All right, all right, I’m going.
Obeying Sothis’s command, I strolled over to the double doors Shamir had indicated to me beforehand. As I came closer, I could hear the noises of weapons clanging and the grunts, laughs and screams typical of friends sparring. It seemed the woman was onto something. Not wanting to waste any more time, I swung open the door.
Finally, I thought, seeing Dimitri’s signature blonde hair moving around, the sun’s rays casting a beautiful white light onto it. Observing, I noticed it was not just him, but what looked to be the entire Blue Lion house sparring together. As I scanned the room, I saw a grey-haired man cocking his bow at a target I couldn’t see while a girl watched on, her mouth slightly open in what looked to be fright or doubt. Behind the first two were another man and woman. I held in a laugh as the man attempted to fix the woman’s posture or grip or something by placing his hands on her soldiers, only to be met with a raised arm from the woman. However, it seemed as if this was a normal occurrence that didn’t bother anybody, as the woman had a slight, exasperated smile on her face while the man held his arms up in playful surrender. A third young woman surveyed the grounds from the side, a smile plastered on her face as she looked around.
In front of me, however, was what appeared to have caused the noises I had heard from the outside. Dimitri was in the middle, fighting two other men simultaneously. One was a tank of a man, incredibly big and strong, while the other was skinnier, his hair tied back in a bun. The first man swung his axe only to be easily parried by my crown pri– Dimitri. I raised my eyebrows as Dimitri’s other adversary swung his weapon down while his back was turned, but he spun, meeting the second man’s swing and parrying it away. He then dodged back, giving himself space between his two opponents while making his hair swing back, his face in a slight smile and looking oh so radiant–
What are these thoughts?
Someone has a cruuush, someone has a cruuush–
I do not! I just–
“Ah! Byleth! Welcome to the training grounds!” Dimitri’s voice rang out over the now-quiet fighting area, the sparring evidently having stopped.
“Hi, Dimitri,” I replied, my voice coming out shyer than I had hoped. “Could we step outside? I have a couple questions to ask you.”
“Sure. Don’t do anything reckless when I’m gone, okay, guys?” Dimitri asked, a chorus of okays filling the air in reply.
I opened the door, holding it for him and earning a smile. The two of us walked to the steps, sitting down as I pulled out my folder.
“So… how’s your day been?” I questioned awkwardly.
“Not bad. I trained earlier, had some lunch, went to the library and now I’m here. It would have been better if you had been there more, though,” Dimitri responded, a clear blush spreading across his attractive face.
“Well, I’m here now, at least,” I said with a half-smile. “I’m assuming you–”
“Before you start,” Dimitri interrupted, his expression sheepish, “Please accept my apologies for the other day. You came to my aid, accepted my offer for a tour of the monastery, and even invited me to dinner, yet I hadn't even the courtesy to properly introduce myself. While I did try at the end of our wonderful meal together before Seteth’s unfortunately timed interruption, that is no excuse for me waiting so long. So, to remedy that… Good afternoon. My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.”
How did he know that I was bothered by me having to find out his status from other people?
When he saw my facial expression after his introduction, his facial expression turned into one of deep regret, and he resumed his apology. “The fact that you are not surprised means that you probably heard of my status from somebody else. For that, I am sorry. I wish it could have come from my mouth first, but… unfortunately, one cannot change the past. They can only hope to atone for it in the future. Of course, here at the academy I am simply a student, so I ask that you do not worry about titles or the like around me. And I take it that you were going to ask or tell me about your newfound status earlier?”
“Please, Dimitri, don’t worry about you not telling me about your noble background. I will admit that I was a bit bothered, but knowing that you tried and your apology here more than make up for it,” I replied.
“Are you sure?”
“It’s sweet of you to ask, but I promise, it’s okay. And to answer your question, yes, I was. I suppose you’ve heard the word of me becoming a professor?”
“Yes, I have. Truly delightful news. I’ve heard that you're investigating the different houses as well. Hopefully you’ll be chosen to teach my house, the Blue Lions. I still have much to learn, but I'm confident I could benefit greatly from your guidance. Having seen your fighting prowess in person, I am sure my peers could as well.”
“I do wish I could have told you, as well, although truthfully I didn’t even know until this morning.”
“Wow, really? That’s surprising, I must admit. What’s that folder for?” Dimitri inquired, gesturing to the thick booklet within my hands.
“Just some slight information about the students in each house. It’s meant to help me– I mean, give me a bit of background on the houses before I start teaching.”
Whoa, that was close. Almost slipped up there by telling Dimitri that I could choose. Glad I caught myself.
“Are you… never mind,” Dimitri said, making me scared for just a moment that he caught on to me having the power to choose my house. “In any case, did any of the Blue Lions catch your attention? I’d be happy to enlighten you further if you so desire.”
“Honestly, I haven’t gotten the chance to read the Blue Lion section yet. In hindsight, I probably should have, given that I was walking around the monastery for hours trying to find you.”
“Oh, my apologies, Professor. If I had known, I would have searched for you as well.”
“Well, it’s in the past now. And I think I’ll take you up on your offer of ‘further enlightenment’,” I said, air-quoting the last part with my right hand while my left flipped through the folder.
The first page I came across about the Blue Lions was of a dark-skinned man, the same bulwark of a man I had seen battling Dimitri minutes beforehand. His hair was white, tidy and kept in a short ponytail at the back. His eyes were a deep green, and his facial expression was deathly serious. He appeared to fight by utilizing his frame, with proficiencies noted in axes, brawling and fighting with armor. His personality trait also backed this up, with him being noted as a “staunch shield.”
“Dedue?”
“Ah, Dedue. He was born in Duscur, an independent kingdom north of Faerghus, and has been loyally working in my service for the past four years. He's rather taciturn, but once you get to know him, you'll see he's a kind and good-natured young man.”
So the shield part was not just about Dedue’s fighting tendencies, but of his bodyguard-like nature regarding someone that technically didn’t have any jurisdiction over his homeland. Interesting…
“Thank you. Next up… Felix?” I asked, inquiring about the other adversary the man across from me had fought as I looked on. He was tall, with dark blue hair tied back in a bun just like I had seen. His eyes were like a hawk’s, brownish-orange and appearing to analyze me through the paper. Despite Felix’s noble background, which probably contributed to his sword abilities that were apparently good enough to warrant a special comment on them, it seemed as if the man preferred to remain solo, as shown through his personality trait – Lone Wolf.
“Felix is the heir to House Fraldarius. He’s a bit blunt and has a sharp tongue, but don't let that fool you. Deep down… he's a good guy. He gravitates towards people who are skilled, especially with the blade. Perhaps you would enjoy a friendly competition with him sometime.”
Internally, I doubted that anyone here could match my skill with a sword, but Felix was probably the best candidate for that title so far. Proceeding onwards, I recognized the man that I had seen shooting a bow in the training grounds. His hair was grey just like I had observed, but not like an old kind of grey – more like a clay-like color, almost, and a bit messy to boot. His green eyes went well with his hair color and the scattered freckles on his face, and he was actually smiling – the first Blue Lion I had seen do so up to this point.
“Ashe?”
“He is the adoptive son of Lord Lonato of Castle Gaspard, but I hear he was born a commoner. Some even say he led a life of thievery before Lonato took him in, but that’s most likely just a rumor. More importantly, he has an extremely earnest personality, and I'm certain he will approach your lectures with great enthusiasm.”
“Ah, so you’re assuming I’ll be lecturing him in the future?” I teased, hoping to see that beautiful pink flood his cheeks again. Instead, I was left floored with Dimitri’s response.
“Merely manifesting my hopes, Miss Byleth,” he said with a Claude-like wink.
Regarding the rumor, I wasn’t so sure that it wasn’t based in fact. Ashe’s personality quirk mentioned that he could pick locks, and his knack with a bow (as I had noticed) was characteristic of one with adept hands. Nevertheless, I wanted to follow the advice given to me by both Sothis and Dimitri and see the best in people.
Okay, okay, no need to gloat about it, I thought, feeling Sothis dancing in my head with a smug grin on her face.
“What about Sylvain?” I asked, attempting to make Sothis do anything but boast by forcing her to pay attention.
“Ah. Sylvain. Hmm… Well, to start, Sylvain is the heir to House Gautier. He is a capable person who highly values his friends. That said... Well, he's always been a bit of an… ahem, skirt chaser, shall we say. Pardon my bluntness. I speak with him about it often, but it doesn't seem to help. Hopefully his incessant flirting won’t reach you if you are chosen to teach us, but….”
That tracked with what I had seen from him, what with him putting his hands on the girl he was with and all. And my intuition regarding him was right in that he most likely did that sort of thing relatively often. I could see why he got away with it, as he was conventionally handsome. His red hair was messy, but it looked like it had been intentionally organized to look… nonchalant. His matching eyes lay right above his slight smile, almost obscured by a lock or two of his hair from above. It seemed as if everything about him catered around women: he was noted to be a philanderer of sorts, and I had met many a man who believed that jousting with a lance on horseback was the way to get girls. However, unlike the mercenary from Remire Village, he didn’t seem… creepy, or someone that would bother me with just his presence, but rather simply a little girl-crazy.
“Noted. Thanks for the info. Next up… Mercedes?”
“I hear she was born to Imperial nobility, but a twist of fate brought her to the Kingdom. She may seem carefree on the surface, but she's actually a kind soul who pays careful attention to everyone around her.”
I really should thank whoever created this for me. Everything the house leaders are saying is lining up with what I have. Given that this was probably created for me, meaning that it was written in the last two days… it’s pretty complete.
And Mercedes’ entry was no exception. Both her desire to serve (as evidenced by her personality trait) and her aptitude in both white and black magic backed up the kind nature Dimitri had just mentioned. It was rare to encounter a white mage specifically who wasn’t kind-hearted and empathetic, and from what I had seen of the young woman, that quality was reflected in her too. She was the one who had stood on the side watching everybody, most likely waiting to see if anyone needed healing. Her sweet smile below her blue eyes and her long, luscious tan-blonde hair added to both the kind nature and my perception of her being a house mom of sorts.
“And Annette?” I asked, spotting the girl I had seen watching Ashe with her mouth open on the penultimate entry of the folder. She looked a bit like a child, with her short stature and her hair being organized in two symmetrical loops around her shoulders. Her earnest, excited look in her deep green eyes and her big smile only added to that perception.
“Annette is Baron Dominic's niece. She is a talented student who scored extremely high marks at the Royal School of Sorcery. She's cheerful, hard-working, and incredibly driven. Brilliant, really. Though she can be a bit oblivious at times. I hear she caused an explosion in the kitchen last night…” Dimitri trailed off, the two of us sharing a slight laugh at the final detail.
The cheerful part I had seen from her appearance, but the determined part I had not. Looking over her page again, it made sense. She was noted to be perseverant and proficient in magic, both probably outcomes from her time at the School of Sorcery.
Finally, I flipped to the last page of the folder. Only one more to go. “Ingrid?”
“Ingrid is Count Galatea's daughter. She is also a childhood friend of Felix, Sylvain and myself. She is diligent, industrious, and principled. In truth, she is more knightly than most knights you will ever meet.”
I had two takeaways from the last member of the Blue Lions. The first was that her diligence was clearly displayed on the page, with her knightly tendencies, lack of weaknesses in combat, and skill with lances, horses and pegasi all pointing to that quality of hers. Her appearance also added to it a bit, with her long blonde hair tied back in a practical manner, leaving her bright green eyes and the field of view they gave her unobstructed.
The second was that the Blue Lions were a house of nobility. They had the future king of Faerghus sitting right in front of me and four heirs of noble houses in their ranks. Even their commoners were all noble-adjacent, with Mercedes being born to Adrestian nobility, Ashe being adopted by a lord, and Dedue serving the crown prince. It made sense, then, that Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain and Ingrid were childhood friends. Ingrid had probably had to endure Sylvain’s outlandish flirtation a thousand times, which was probably why she was basically unbothered by his actions in the training grounds.
“Is that all?” Dimitri asked as I closed the folder.
“Not quite. What about you, Dimitri? What should I know about you?”
“Me?” Dimitri said dishearteningly, and I could tell in that moment that I had made a mistake. “Oh. Um. Please forgive me… It's difficult to open up on the spot, don't you think? I'm afraid my story has not been a pleasant one… I do hope that doesn't color your view of me, but I understand if that can't be helped.” It felt as if I could see his walls go up, walls that had probably been built through past experiences and trauma. His pleasant expression turned sour and his eyes did not meet mine. In that moment, I vowed to one day be a person he could share his past with, the good and the bad, if only to relieve himself of the weight that bottling up those experiences put upon him.
“Hey, Dimitri… it’s okay. I understand the feeling of not wanting to share everything about yourself. I simply wanted to get to know more about you. Whatever you feel comfortable sharing, please, feel free to. And if you ever feel overburdened or want to share your past… I will be here.”
“Thank you, Byleth. That means… more than I can express.” His eyes shone, and his smile returned as he rose from the stairs, offering a hand to help me up. “Shall we reenter the training grounds? I’m sure you want to get to know the rest of the Blue Lions, and I need to make sure that they haven’t done anything… unseemly.”
“Sure. Let’s!” I exclaimed, taking his hand and smiling at him. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure where my energy was coming from, as I was incredibly tired – mentally, at least. At least the sun was starting to set, so I didn’t have to go for too much longer.
The two of us walked in, Dimitri graciously holding the door for me, and I went to make the rounds. Unsurprisingly, Sylvain was the first to greet me, his smile beaming across his face as he approached.
“Well, well! It must be my lucky day today, with my eyes being blessed by… such a beauty. I'm Sylvain Jose Gautier. Feel free to say hi whenever you like.” He winked.
“Nice to meet you, Sylvain. I’m Byleth.”
“Ah, you’re that mercenary that saved His Highness! It’s an honor to meet you. I personally am glad he’s not dead, so thanks for that. I think that deserves a reward of some sort… you know, for the glorious mercenary who protected our future leader?”
Seeing that I was uncomfortable, he backed off. “My apologies. Good to meet you, Miss Byleth. See you around!”
Not too bad, I thought. I am glad that he knew when to stop, at least. Just then, Ingrid came rushing over, Felix in tow behind her.
“Oh, please tell me Sylvain didn’t go too far?” the young woman asked. When I grimaced, she continued. “Oh, Goddess, I’m sorry about him. Especially souring your first impression of the Blue Lions. I – we – have heard all about what you did from Prince Dimitri. As a citizen of Faerghus, I thank you.”
“He also said you're quite skilled,” Felix said curtly. “And he doesn't just say things like that. I look forward to sparring with you and beating you.”
“Felix, must you always speak of fighting right away?” Ingrid berated exasperatedly. “Oh, and, uhh… You may call me Ingrid. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!”
“Nice to meet you too, Ingrid, Felix. And I’d love to spar with you… though I doubt I’ll lose,” I said with a smile.
“Challenge accepted,” Felix replied, a gleam appearing in his eye at the prospect of another battle.
I took my leave from the two of them and went off to find more Blue Lions to speak with. My eyes came to rest on the other two girls in the house, Annette and Mercedes, in the corner speaking to each other.
“Oh, hello! You… don’t look familiar at all. Do you work at the monastery?” Mercedes said in a high-pitched voice. She truly radiated the vibes of a mother, or at least, what I imagine a mother would be like.
Before I could correct her, Annette began speaking excitedly. “Oh, Mercie! Do you think this is that mercenary that people have been talking about?”
“Now that I think about it, that does sound like something Dimitri may have said…” Mercedes pondered. “I suppose you'll be enrolling at the Officers Academy too, then? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mercedes, and this is my best friend–”
“I'm Annette! It's nice to meet you,” the orange-haired girl finished.
“Great to meet you both as well,” I said. At this point, I was finally feeling the effects of a long, draining social day; I could barely even muster a reciprocal greeting. Eager to get the introductions over with, I approached the last two members of the house, both of whom were luckily together, talking with each other.
“Ashe? Dedue?” I questioned.
“Hi, there!” Ashe replied eagerly. I could tell what Dimitri meant by Ashe being an earnest fellow. “You must be the mercenary everyone's talking about. I'm Ashe. Great to meet you! This here is Dedue. He serves Prince Dimitri.”
“I have heard that you rescued His Highness,” Dedue said in a deep, serious voice, characteristic of what I had imagined it to be. “Words cannot express my gratitude. Should you ever require my strength, please know that I will hasten to repay this debt.”
“Thank you, Dedue, Ashe. Great to meet you both.”
Oh my days, I’m finally done. I have never been so socially exhausted in my life.
At least notify Dimitri that you’re leaving! That boy has been looking at you the whole time since the two of you came in.
Really???
Yes! Look! The middle of the room!
Sure enough, in the middle of the room stood Dimitri, his eyes meeting mine with a smile that I quickly returned. We both started to approach one another, his face morphing into one of concern.
“Have you met everyone? I trust nobody gave you trouble?”
“Yes, I have, and no, no real trouble.”
“Good. I hope we’ve given you a glimpse into who the Blue Lions really are.”
“Yes, all good things. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me earlier.”
“Truly, it was my pleasure. You look tired. Can–”
“Thanks, Dimitri. Real kind of you.” At my snap, he recoiled, and I instantly felt bad for losing myself just a little bit.
“My apologies, Byleth. That was insensitive of me.”
“No, Dimitri. I’m sorry for snapping. But you are correct; I am quite tired, and very eager to enjoy the warmth of my new room.”
“Oh, they’ve given you a room already! Perfect. In that case, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“I’ll make sure of it,” I replied. “Good night, Dimitri.”
“Good night, Byleth. Sweet dreams.”
At that, I waved good-bye and stepped out of the training grounds, running towards the new room Shamir had shown me earlier in my eagerness to finally catch some much-needed sleep.
Do you want to think about what tomorrow holds, Byleth? Sothis asked.
That’s a conversation for future us, I replied, opening the door to my room and seeing my new, freshly made bed. Current me needs a good night’s sleep.
Do you at least want to eat?
But Sothis was met with no reply as my head hit the pillow, transporting my hungry, tired body into unconsciousness for the night.
Notes:
Chapter 7!
This might be my favorite chapter so far. I loved writing the conversations between Byleth and Dimitri, as well as Byleth and Sothis.
Hope you guys enjoy, and, as always, until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
The first thought I had the next morning was that I probably should have listened to Sothis’s advice about thinking through everything I had to do today. There was… a lot.
First order of business: I remember that Lady Rhea wanted a meeting with me today. I should also go and see my father – I don’t think I spoke to him after our conversation right outside the audience chamber. I could probably stop in and see Hanneman about those Crest things he mentioned yesterday… Anything else?
I think that’s all you have to do. Still a decent amount of stuff, though.
No kidding. At least I have a comfortable room to go back to.
The room I had been entrusted with was downright luxurious, at least for my standards. It wasn’t as nice as the room I had been treated to on my first night at the monastery, but that was to be expected. It was certainly spacious, with a comfortable bed on the left side and a desk and bulletin board on the right. A dresser lay at the back beneath a couple small openings that had been carved out of the stone wall to function as windows, with my few belongings (my swords, clothes and other supplies) seemingly having been placed on top of it for me to organize. The ample space in the middle gave me room to decorate if I wanted to, something I had been looking forward to in the event that I ever had a home to live in permanently (or at least, long-term.)
It was most likely a students’ room that had been refurbished for me, but having a home base to return to was… quite a nice feeling. I had never really thought about having somewhere like this, what with me traveling all the time as a mercenary, but actually living it was enjoyable.
The first hour of the day was spent in the dining hall, where I ate a quick breakfast before returning to my room to freshen up and get changed for the busy day that lay in store for me. I pulled on the same bottoms as usual, short shorts and lacy leggings, with the top being just as black as ever. It was a bit more revealing than normal, however, as it was a warm day – the same reason why I decided to ditch the jacket I usually wore.
I’m sure that’s the only reason–
Sothis. No. Don’t even entertain the idea. I’m no harlot.
All right, all right…
Anyway, I suppose I should return to Rhea, huh…
Yeah. You don’t sound excited about it.
I’m not, to be perfectly honest. I haven’t decided on a house yet. I’ve barely even thought about it!
Maybe go and see Jeralt. He’ll probably have some insights into it.
Good call. Where do you think he would be? He probably has an office–
I’d be surprised if my dad didn’t work close to Hanneman, Seteth, and the rest of them. Where did they work again?
Hanneman told me that his research lab was upstairs. I guess it can’t hurt to try and look…
It turned out that Sothis was right, as my dad’s quarters were indeed on the second floor, right by Hanneman’s lab and Manuela’s office. The door was open, but the room was oriented so that I couldn’t see the majority of it from outside.
“Dad? Are you there?” I called out.
“Hey, By. What’s up? Want to come in?” came my dad’s voice from inside.
“Sure. I was just looking for you,” I admitted, stepping in. “Nice digs.”
“Thanks, kid,” he replied, getting up from his desk in the corner of the room and giving me a hug. “Although I wish I wasn’t back here under these circumstances.”
“What circumstances?”
“This is the office of the captain of the Knights of Seiros. That said, I’m merely here to assist.”
It certainly looked like a captain’s office. The whole right side of the room was covered in hundreds of bookstacks on wooden shelves, and from the titles I could faintly make out, a lot of them seemed to be about military history or tactics. On the other side, there were two bench-like couches in front of the captain’s – my father’s – desk, both facing a massive table that looked as if it was designed for maps. It was evident that my dad had made a bit of an impact on the space already, however, as the suit of armor next to his desk was one he used to force me to wear when I was a little girl.
Speaking of my dad, it was no wonder he was disgruntled when he told me that he was roped back into the Knights of Seiros. Especially since he was apparently only here to…
“Assist? What does that even entail?” I asked.
“Apparently the current captain is getting on in years. I hear the captain has a hard time keeping up with the responsibilities of the job. That's where I come in,” he replied with a sigh, his voice low.
“I’m surprised they didn’t make you the captain again, at least in formality.”
“You and me both, kid. You and me both. Anyway, I’m sure you came here for a reason besides just seeing me. What’s going on?”
“While I mostly came to see you, O Great Blade Breaker, Captain Jeralt, sir,” I answered, sarcasm prevalent in my voice, “I did want to ask for your advice about something.”
My dad sat down with a nod. “Feel free. I don’t have another meeting for at least an hour.”
“Thanks, Dad. So you know how Rhea gave me the choice of which house I’m going to teach?” At this, he stood up quickly, his face reddening as the screech of his chair across the stone floor filled the room.
“No, I didn’t. What is she thinking with that? The fact that you’re going to be a professor is bad enough as it is. Why is she allowing you to choose?”
“No idea. About that–”
“Rhea has to want something from you, Byleth. It’s obvious to me. She’s lulling you into a sense of complacency. Please, keep your guard up. Don’t let her mask fool you, alright?”
Hearing my name reminded me of a question Dimitri had asked me back when we were walking to the monastery. I had never really asked my father about my name, at least regarding its origin or its meaning, despite my curiosity. The only thing I knew was that the last words of my mother consisted of her giving me the name Byleth.
“All right. That just reminded me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Where did Byleth come from? What does my name mean?”
“Take a seat,” my dad replied, following his own advice. After I sat down on one of the couches, he went on. “As you know, the last wish of your mother was to name you Byleth. I honestly didn’t know what it meant, and when she was pregnant with you we hadn’t even discussed Byleth as a name for you. Nevertheless, I promised your mother that I would give you the name Byleth before– before she died. Even though I didn’t know what it meant, I decided to look into it as much as I could when you were younger, trying to see if the name had any deeper meanings.”
“And? Did it?”
“Patience, Byleth. As it turns out, the name Byleth is a variation of a name that was given to a ruler of legend. Beleth, the original name, was the name given to the ruler of hell, a demon so mighty that the name struck fear in everyone who heard it.”
“The Ashen Demon…” I whispered. “Is that why I’m known as such?”
“Perhaps. But apparently, the name Byleth was also a royal name, passed down through Faerghian myths. As time passed, the meaning of the name of the antagonist in the myths changed, until the name Byleth became synonymous with valor, spirit and wisdom.”
“Do you know why Mom gave me the name?”
“That, I do not. What I do know is that I had to go to great lengths to even obtain this much information. I had to track down the archivists at the Royal Library of Faerghus, in Fhirdiad, and even then only two of them knew anything about your name. It seems the myths were unfortunately lost to time, for the most part.”
“Interesting… Anyway, I wanted to get your advice on which house I should choose,” I said, changing the subject.
“Big decision,” my dad commented. “What are you thinking at the moment?”
“Not too much. The Black Eagles are… probably last on my list. Edelgard seems… interesting, but the rest of the group does not. They’re a rowdy crowd, and it feels like each one of them has an extremely notable… personality stain. One sleeps all the time, one acts like an arrogant prick, one hides in her room all day–”
“Okay, I get it. The Black Eagles are out. What about the Golden Deer? What’s holding you back from choosing them?”
“I don’t dislike the Black Eagles, for the record. I just… it doesn’t matter. I’m probably not picking them. As for the Golden Deer, they are… an interesting bunch. I like Claude’s personality, and the rest of the students seem… okay. Mostly. One of them is obsessed with you, which is unnerving.”
“Ah. So you’ve met Leonie,” my father said with a laugh. “Apparently it was my influence that compelled her to leave her village. She’s the only apprentice I ever had, and… don’t tell her this, but there’s a reason why I haven’t taken on one since, even after you were born.”
“Noted. There are a couple other problems I have with them, like one person actively confessing to me that he wished I let Claude die, but I feel like I could teach them well.”
“Good grief. So that just leaves one. What about the Blue Lions?”
Should I tell my dad about Dimitri?
Doubtful. Your dad would probably kill him if he heard any inkling of a crush.
Fair point.
You didn’t deny the cruuush, you–
“The Blue Lions are a driven bunch. A group of fighters. I… feel a connection with them, of some sort. Dimitri is an enigma, a puzzle of sorts that I would not mind solving, and the rest of them seem loyal and lively. I…”
“So what’s stopping you? From what you’ve described, it seems as if the Blue Lions should be the obvious winner here.”
“Well, they’re all nobles. Even the commoners all have some noble background, with the exception of maybe one. I’m afraid that they won’t respect me, or that I won’t have much to offer them–”
“Byleth. Give me a better reason. Has Dimitri ever shown that he won’t listen to you if you are his professor? Have any of the other Lions?”
“No, actually,” I said, racking my brain and failing to come up with an example. “In fact, he was always super sweet, making sure to stress the fact that he was just a student here.”
“Is that a blush on your face?” my dad asked.
“Wh-what? No, it’s just…”
“Byleth. You’ve heard this from me a million times, but you only have one life to live. So live it. Follow your heart. Especially here. Now, can you give me a real reason why you don’t want to teach the Blue Lions?” When my mouth stayed closed, my dad smiled. “There’s your answer.”
Now that he put my situation like that, it seemed so obvious. There had never really been a doubt in my mind that I wanted to teach the Blue Lions, except for the fact that I just didn’t want to commit. For once, my heart and my mind worked in harmony. Plus, it seemed like it was my destiny of some sort, with my name mirroring a ruler of Faerghus legend.
And you’ll get more time around Dimitri…
That too, Sothis. That too.
“You got this, kid. I know the situation is weird, and I know you agree with me on that. Just try to make the best of it. I have faith in you.”
“Thanks, Dad. For listening to me and for telling me about my name. I love you.”
“Love you too, Byleth. Now go and tell Lady Rhea before that brilliant mind of yours finds some bullshit reason to not teach the Blue Lions.”
“All right, Dad. See you around.”
“Bye, By,” my dad finished, giving me another hug and a kiss on the cheek before lightly pushing me out of his office.
Deciding to not wait any longer and heed my father’s advice, I approached the double doors that led to the chamber where I had met with the archbishop yesterday.
“Lady Rhea?” I called out.
“Byleth? Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me. You mentioned you wanted to meet with me this morning?”
“Yes, I remember. Come on in!”
I pulled open the two doors with probably a little more strength than they were designed for, as they nearly hit me when they swung back. In front of me stood Lady Rhea, dressed in her full regal gear, headdress and all. As I walked forward, her mouth quirked up into a slight smile, her face tilting a smidge to the right in the process. (My right. Her left. I never know how to describe those kinds of situations.)
“Seteth! Please gather everyone and bring them out here,” Lady Rhea ordered, an affirmative grunt coming from a side room in the chamber. “How are you enjoying your time at the academy thus far? I hope you have found our halls brimming with the vitality of well-intentioned souls.”
“I’ve really enjoyed it so far, thank you,” I answered, correctly assuming her second question was directed at me. “Everyone’s been super accommodating and helpful, and the monastery is incredibly beautiful.”
“I’m glad you’ve experienced that so far. Welcome, Seteth, Manuela, Hanneman,” the archbishop said, smiling at each of them in turn.
“Hm. Good morning, Lady Rhea,” Seteth said in his stereotypically terse voice, crossing his arms. “And good morning to you too, Byleth.”
“Good morning, all,” I replied.
“Well, let’s not waste any more time. I suppose it is time for you to take charge of one of our three houses of students. I must note that I am personally against entrusting someone as lacking in trackable history as yourself with such a task, but it is as the archbishop desires.”
Yeah, I figured that when I overheard you ranting to Rhea about me behind my back. At least you’re upfront about it and don’t just gossip.
Byleth…
“The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer…” Manuela started. “All so different. I hope you've made it a point to get to know each of them.”
“That, I have done. Whoever made the folder that Alois gave me, I found it to be very useful. Thanks for that.”
“I’m glad it was useful to you,” Hanneman said warmly. “I will say, it took a significant amount of work to create a folder so detailed in just two days. Back to the topic at hand, however, it’s good to see that you utilized it to familiarize yourself with the three houses. Since there are three houses and you are new here, we have decided to allow you first pick. Manuela and I will take charge of the remaining two houses.”
“You should know that neither Hanneman nor Manuela have any preferences on which house they will end up teaching. This decision is yours and yours alone. Please, open your heart to the goddess and choose carefully,” Rhea said.
I doubt that the “we” Hanneman mentioned consists of anyone but the archbishop.
Byleth! Not the time!
Well, don’t you agree? It seems awfully convenient–
I do, but we can talk about this later!
“Have you made your choice?” Seteth’s voice cut in, firm as ever.
The choice was not a hard one. After going through it with my dad, the Blue Lions were the only clear option for me. All of the students seemed kind and eager, manageable enough to where I wouldn’t be too out of my depth teaching them. I felt like I could forge bonds with them, not just as students, but as peers and friends. And Dimitri… his striking smile, his polite mannerisms, his honest nature… getting to know him was not an insignificant factor in my decision either.
“I suppose that me liking the Kingdom jobs as a mercenary wasn’t just random,” I said.
Good grief, Byleth, just say it already! And not in riddle form!
Luckily, it appeared as if Rhea had picked up on my statement (or at least most of it).
“So, you have chosen the Blue Lions, led by Dimitri. Is that correct?” Lady Rhea clarified.
“Yes. I choose the Blue Lions,” I said, my confident tone banishing any doubts regarding my decision.
“Your heart has made its choice, then,” Rhea commended with a smile. “All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity. They are all promising youths who bear the weight of Fódlan's future upon their shoulders. I hope you appreciate what an honor it is to lead them.”
“I’ll do my best, Lady Rhea. I do appreciate it, and I will continue to do so as I teach the Blue Lions. Thank you for allowing me the choice.”
“It was our pleasure,” Manuela said. “As for me, I’ll take the Black Eagles. Is that okay with you, Hanneman?”
“That works for me.”
Again, I doubt “our pleasure” refers to Rhea and Rhea alone. I get the sense that her word is basically law.
Agreed. Hmm…
What is it?
I just… Never mind. Pay attention.
“Good,” Seteth declared. “Now that that’s settled–” Suddenly, a girl’s voice rang out over the room, interrupting Seteth’s speech.
“Brother? Oh! I am so sincerely sorry! I did not mean to interrupt. I didn’t realize…”
“I am in the middle of something, Flayn. Is it urgent?” Seteth responded, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
“No, no, it's nothing. More importantly... Who is this?” Flayn asked, motioning to me.
“This is Byleth, our newest professor at the academy.” Seteth introduced me to his sister, to whom I gave a jovial wave.
“Hi! I’m Byleth, Byleth Eisner. Great to meet you.”
“Oh my! A new addition to the Officers Academy!” Flayn exclaimed. “I am so very pleased to meet you, Professor. I am Seteth's little sister, Flayn. I am so happy to make your acquaintance.”
Good goddess almighty, I thought. I really am a professor now, huh?
It’s real now. You got this.
Thanks, Sothis. Really.
Hearing Flayn address me by that title really put things into perspective for me in the moment. My life had officially changed forever. Not three days prior, I was a wandering mercenary, and I had never even heard of the Knights of Seiros. I had never met a noble nor seen Garreg Mach Monastery, and my brain didn’t even consider the possibility of my life changing at the time. Now, I was a professor to the next generation of Fódlan’s leaders, living at the very monastery that had escaped my knowledge for over twenty years.
At a slight clearing of the throat from Lady Rhea, Seteth resumed. “Let us focus on the topic at hand. There is something you should be aware of, Byleth. In a few days' time, there will be a mock battle between the three houses, intended to gauge the current progress of the students. We will be using this battle as an opportunity to ascertain your own abilities as well. Please do not disappoint the archbishop. That is all.”
Finally, a battle – the one thing I could truly call myself a connoisseur at. I had essentially grown up on the battlefield, and I was confident I could teach a group of nobles – albeit really talented nobles who weren’t pompous or stuck-up like most I had encountered (ahem, Lorenz, Ferdinand) – how to analyze a battlefield and use a weapon.
“What will the mock battle entail?” I asked.
“It will take place on the last day of the Great Tree Moon,” Rhea replied. “All three houses will participate in it. While there will be an overseer to ensure that nobody is gravely hurt or killed, it will be just like a real battle otherwise.”
“Understood. Thank you. Do you need me for anything else at the moment?”
“No. Thank you for meeting with us. You may go,” the archbishop said in a clear dismissal.
“I may need you,” Hanneman interjected. “Could you please stop by my laboratory? Since you’re already here, I’d like to use a device I designed to determine whether the power of a Crest resides within you. Won’t hurt a bit… Promise.”
“I’ll notify the Blue Lions to expect their new professor in their classroom this afternoon if you’re gonna subject yourself to the torture of the old man.”
“Manuela,” Lady Rhea reprimanded firmly.
“All right, all right. Seriously, it’s not bad. And I will honestly tell your new students to come to their classroom later on. You’ll get to see their reactions firsthand about you being their new professor,” Manuela said with a wink.
Might as well do it now, Byleth. He’s right in that you’re already here. And the lack of objections from Rhea or Seteth probably means that he’s telling the truth.
I guess. I’m just not the most comfortable with being alone in a room with just an old man.
You carry your dagger, yes?
Yep. Never go out without it.
Then you’ll be fine.
“Thank you, Manuela. And sure, Hanneman,” I replied, prompting a smile from the man wider than I even thought possible. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Great! If you’d just come with me to my lab…”
First a teaching position, now a science experiment with me as the test subject… What could possibly go wrong?
Notes:
Chapter 8!
Sorry for a little bit of a longer wait for this one - I've been quite busy. Unfortunately, that's probably not going to change for the next week or so, so expect chapter 9 to come out maybe midweek?
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter Text
Turns out, a lot.
“Thank you for consenting to come with me, Byleth. I do very much appreciate it,” Hanneman said as we approached his lab.
“Not a problem. In here?” I answered, pointing towards a room that just radiated laboratory.
“Yes. This is my research laboratory. I've worked hard to furnish it with the rare materials and purpose-built equipment required for my work,” Hanneman explained, sitting down at his desk.
It certainly looked as though Hanneman had worked hard on furnishing the room. A stained glass window illuminated his desk in shades of colored light, beautiful reds and greens and blues. The desk itself displayed tools of some sort, scattered around a journal in the middle where I imagined Hanneman wrote his observations and thoughts about his work. Bookshelves upon bookshelves lined both side walls, each crammed with what had to be at least a hundred books. The dim light cast by the chandelier hovering from the ceiling was enough for me to barely decipher words that could have been in another language for all I knew, with how much scientific jargon the respective authors crammed into the book titles. Framing the window was a blackboard with some notes on it and some diagrams of intricate patterns and designs pinned to a panel of some sort. What they were, I didn’t know. Maybe something to do with Crests or magic or runes?
Finally, on the floor of the office, however, was a device of some sort, probably the one Hanneman had asked my permission to use on me.
“So, you’re a… Crest scholar? What does that mean, exactly?” I asked, curious.
“Well, I research Crests, attempting to find information about how they are passed down, how they originated, things of that nature.”
“Excuse me, Hanneman, but… what exactly are Crests?”
“You don’t know about Crests?” the professor replied, radiating disbelief.
“No, I–”
“Well, allow me to tell you everything – absolutely everything – about them. Is your calendar clear? This will take a while.”
Suddenly, I was not so thrilled with Manuela notifying my new class that I wouldn’t be there until the afternoon. It meant I had no excuse and couldn’t lie to Hanneman about my schedule, as he had literally heard that I was free.
Yet I was also a tad curious. I had heard the topic of Crests come up occasionally when I was a mercenary and the folder Hanneman had created for me had symbols on some students that very closely resembled some of the stuff on his pinboard, but my knowledge of the subject was basically nonexistent. Furthermore, Hanneman’s declaration that he was going to see if I bore a Crest had certainly piqued my interest, and being a naturally inquisitive person in general, I figured it couldn’t hurt to learn a little more about a topic I was in the dark on.
“Yes, my calendar is clear. So. What are Crests?”
“Crests are a fascinating topic, but before one can dive deeply into said topic, one must first understand what Crests are. In essence, they are power incarnate.”
Whoa. Power incarnate???
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
“They are said to have been bestowed upon humans by the goddess countless ages ago. They exist within the flesh, and are passed down through bloodlines. Those who carry crests may excel at magic, display exceptional strength, or any number of boons. Each Crest has its own power, the nature of which is beyond mortal understanding. For now.”
“Which bloodlines?”
“Do you have your folder with you?”
“I do not, unfortunately. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I have a spare sheet for the members of your house, the Blue Lions. Would you care to see?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but… how would seeing information sheets help me understand Crests?”
Hanneman grinned. “So glad you asked. Do you see this symbol here?” he said, flipping to Dimitri’s page and pointing at the top left corner.
“Yes, I do. It looks a lot like one of the drawings you have in the back.”
“Astute observation. This symbol represents Dimitri’s Crest, the Crest of Bladdyd. Most of the rest of the Blue Lions have Crests, but there’s a distinct pattern. Do you notice it?”
I analyzed the paper(s, after a reminder from Sothis to actually look at the symbols instead of Dimitri), trying to find the correlation Hanneman had pointed out. And then… I saw it.
Oh my goddess, Sothis. Do you notice the pattern here? No wonder Hanneman said that Crests were passed down through bloodlines…
Maybe… Dimitri, Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Annette all fit. And I guess Mercedes was born to Imperial peerage too…
I finished Sothis’s thought, vocalizing it to Hanneman. “It looks like the only people with Crests… are nobles.”
“Precisely. Crests are passed down through bloodlines, as I said, and the bloodlines that contain Crests are said to originate with the Ten Elites, a group of heroes that saved ancient Fódlan. As a reward for their actions, the goddess herself gifted them Crests. Additionally, Saint Seiros was said to have a Crest, one that has been passed down through the Adrestian Imperial Family for centuries, along with her four disciples, Saint Cichol, Saint Cethleann, Saint Indech, and Saint Macuil, whose crests are scattered throughout the land.”
Seiros… that’s the name from your dream, isn’t it? The recurring one you’ve been having. Is that a coincidence? And for some reason, I feel as if I’ve heard it before. Hmm… but when? And where? So many questions…
Yet none of those questions was the most pressing one on my mind. There had to be a point to Hanneman telling me all of this stuff. And he mentioned that he thought I had a Crest…
“So… as far as I know, I’m not descended from any nobles or church royalty or anything like that. Yet you still believe I have a Crest?”
“I suspect as much, yes,” Hanneman said. “But we won't know for sure unless I look into the matter. As I said, Crests are passed down through the blood. However, just because someone carries a Crest does not necessarily mean their descendants will inherit it as well. Only a scarce few descendants of a Crest's bloodline end up inheriting that Crest's power. Perhaps one of your ancient ancestors bore a Crest, and you just happened to inherit it. That is how a Crest usually presents itself, after all.”
This was… super weird. Disregarding the fact that Crests seemed to be… happenstance, and were passed down through blood uncontrolled, the whole idea of them just seemed a bit off. How did that sort of thing even work? Why was it even relevant? What did people with Crests even do? Were they just a kind of mark of nobility, or did they have any tangible benefits? Did they change how people fought? How they lived? What was I to think?
The only thing I was thinking at that moment besides the fact that I was confused was that I wanted to learn more. It never hurt to know more about… really anything, to be honest. I never really got the “ignorance is bliss” philosophy of thought when I was younger. To me, it always seemed a little ignorant (no pun intended) – I would almost always rather know something than not. But for some reason, this was… a little different. What would it mean for me, if I had a Crest? What would that change about my life? And why hadn’t I been told about their existence… ever, before today? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer – to any of those questions. And yet… I felt compelled to ask, if only because I could.
“Do what you can to find out,” I ordered, my voice wavering slightly – perhaps betraying my discomfort or uncertainty.
“Yes, of course,” Hanneman agreed. “I’ll get to the bottom of it straight away. I will need your cooperation to fully understand everything I can, however. My Crest research is of critical importance to the church, I'll have you know. I do hope you are willing to assist me with it. Of course, there are those who lack the foresight to aid in my endeavors, such as that stubborn Seteth. But such individuals are a rare exception.”
“Is that your way of asking for my permission to test me?” I asked, a bit of a challenging undertone in my voice.
“Well, of course. Now then, please go ahead and hold out your arm over this device here,” Hanneman replied, indicating towards the contraption on the ground I had noticed as I walked in.
You know, when I told him to do what he could to find out if I had a Crest, I kind of knew he was gonna test me now, but… I’m kind of nervous.
Byleth. The man is like a merc at a weapon shop. He won’t do anything. And as I reminded you before, you have your dagger on you.
Right.
Consenting, I put my arm over the device, prompting a whirring noise of some sort as it apparently analyzed me. How it analyzed me or how it got to the conclusion it did, I don’t know, but upon Hanneman seeing my reflection turning into an array of criss-crossing lines so grand the device couldn’t even capture all of it, he could not hide his surprise nor his glee.
“What is this?! A pattern I've never seen before… Is it possible an as-yet undiscovered Crest has been detected? To think that there are still Crests out there that even I am unaware of! How thrilling!”
Of course. As if the last couple days weren’t strange enough, a new Crest that the premier Crest scholar had never even seen before is present in me. Wonderful.
How does that even happen? I mean, you’re not related to any nobles or saints or whatnot, unless you’re withholding something from me…
No, Sothis, I’m not. I genuinely don’t know how this happened. What could the effects be?
“Hanneman… What does this mean?” I prompted fearfully.
“Ahem… Pardon my unrestrained jubilation. I have much to consider. You may leave now. I have more research to do in regard to this Crest. Yes, so very much more research. But for now, your work here is done.”
Can I ever get a straight answer from anyone that works here? He evaded the question!
“Hmm… What could this line here be indicating? Perhaps it represents a lack of symmetry… or perhaps…” Hanneman muttered, as if he sensed my indignance and wanted to amplify it. “What in the world? Oh, I see… It may be connected to that, but to a greater degree than usual…”
“Hanneman!” I snapped, finally letting my emotions get the best of me. “Do you need anything from me, or are you just rambling?”
“My apologies. I lost myself. I don’t believe I need you any longer– Wait. Could you potentially disrobe or give me a piece of your flesh? For work purposes, of course.”
At that, I met him with a glare so fierce that the Crest scholar winced. It probably didn’t help that my dagger was out in a flash, pointed directly at him.
Goddess, Byleth, it looks like you want to kill the man.
Sothis. Not now.
At least he has the decency to look stricken–
“Ah. My apologies. But now that I know you have a dagger, could you provide me with a couple of drops of your blood? Right on the device, if you please.”
Wanting to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, I relented, cutting my finger open slightly and allowing my blood to drip onto the surface of the device. As soon as that was over, I sprinted out of there, not listening to hear what sounded like a “thank you” from Hanneman. I didn’t even know what I was running from – the fact that Hanneman thought he had a right to my body, the realization that I had a Crest, or the new responsibilities that would probably come with it.
Byleth…
Sothis. I knew something was off about that.
His intentions were probably fine–
He wanted me to disrobe! Alone! In public! Goddess, he was no better than that mercenary from Remire Village.
Why don’t you go back to your room and relax? You have to meet your class later today…
Ugh, right.
Aiming to do just that, I slowed down to a speed-walk, my legs striding across the stone floor with purpose. Unfortunately, either my steps or my general presence was enough to attract the attention of Lady Rhea as I was walking, as she stepped into my path with a warm, consoling expression on her face.
“Young one? Is everything okay?” the archbishop prompted soothingly.
“Lady Rhea, do you urgently need me for anything or can I go?”
“Not urgently, but it seems that something is bothering you. Just know that I am always here if you would like to talk about it. It is the archbishop’s duty to listen to her constituents.”
My father’s warning echoed in my head at that moment, the one he had repeated multiple times to me regarding the seemingly warm, motherly figure in front of me. Don’t let your guard down.
Yet the warning lay unheeded, as the relatively innocuous prospect of actually talking to someone – a woman outside my own head at that – about what had just happened appealed to me more than listening to my father’s opinion about someone I hadn’t even met until recently. While it was clear that his thoughts had some merit, there was another recent piece of advice I had received.
See the best in people, Byleth.
“I don’t want to bother…” I said, the words betraying my own wishes.
But that was a lie. I did wish to bother. I wished to have someone in my corner that wasn’t my father who would just… understand. For my entire life, it had always been him, and up until now that had been enough. But as my life changed as drastically as it did, for some reason I felt it necessary to talk to someone – anyone real – about the effects it was having on me. About how I felt like a fish out of water, tossed into an inescapable maze where every side path led to even more questions. It was as if the lines that showed up on Hanneman’s device regarding my Crest mirrored me, my mental state and my life. Complicated, confusing, and unnavigable. Even the people who were supposed to understand them better than anyone couldn’t make any sense of either. I was lost, so in over my head I felt like I was drowning.
As far as talking to someone, Rhea just… seemed right. Not because I trusted her necessarily, or because I didn’t have anyone else – but because I didn’t know her. And for some reason, that made it seem a lot easier, a lot less daunting of a task to speak to her. I do think some other contributing factors included me not wanting to bother my dad with more stuff, as he was already going through a change of similar magnitude, and the fact that I wasn’t 100% sure if he would understand how creepy Hanneman was for some reason.
“You’re never a bother, young one. I’d be delighted to listen to your concerns. What’s troubling you?” Rhea said warmly, invitingly.
Maybe I’ll regret this, but I really couldn’t care less right now.
“Goddess, Rhea, Hanneman needs to put a fucking filter on his mouth. When he was examining me, he told me straight up to take my clothes off! When we were alone! How the hell do you expect me to work with someone like that? He–”
Byleth! Use the archbishop’s title!
“Byleth. I know you know he didn’t mean anything by it–”
“I don’t care if he meant anything by it! Killing someone accidentally is no better than if you wanted to – the guy’s still dead! Their family won’t care if you sobbed afterward! I–”
“Byleth,” Lady Rhea interrupted again, sternly but not unkindly. “I think we might be getting a little bit sidetracked. I sympathize with your concerns, especially as a woman. I will talk with Professor Hanneman about his methods and his words. And I see your point regarding intent as well. However, I also see that Hanneman’s actions are not the only thing weighing upon you right now, Professor. Is my inference correct?”
“No, I–” I started, before immediately stopping myself. Lady Rhea was right. It wasn’t just Hanneman that was bothering me. It was the results of the test as well. The fact that I had a Crest – something that, even factoring in my limited knowledge, I understood to be meaningful and significant in some way – was bothering me. A lot.
What on earth could it mean, having a Crest? How did I inherit one? And an “undiscovered” one at that? How did that even work? If Crests were something the goddess made flesh, how could one have gone undiscovered for millenia? And why was I the first one to have it?
“First off, my apologies for not using your proper title earlier,” I started. “And you are right: something else is bothering me. I just…”
As I trailed off, Rhea smiled comfortingly. “Do not worry about it. Titles are important, but your feelings are more so. I suspect that since this bother came about after our meeting this morning, it has to do with your meeting with Professor Hanneman?”
“That would be correct. I think you know that during our meeting, he tested me for the presence of a Crest.”
“And?” Rhea prompted, a flicker of something – interest? – evident in her eyes.
“He found one. But it wasn’t one of the traditional Crests that he said were passed down through the noble families. It was an undiscovered one, apparently, or at least one he had never seen before.”
“Did he know what it was?”
“No, and that is kind of adding to what bothers me. The fact that I have a Crest is trouble enough. I don’t know of any personal relation to nobles or saints, and I didn’t even know I had a Crest until today.”
“That does sound concerning. I–”
“But what’s really troubling me – besides the disrobing thing – is that it was an undiscovered Crest. Why me? Why do I have something no one’s ever seen before? What does it mean? What is it going to change about me?”
“The goddess works in mysterious ways, Byleth,” Rhea said cryptically. “What I can tell you with near certainty is that the way you live or are perceived by other people won’t change whatsoever because of your Crest. Maybe because of your newfound responsibilities as a professor, but not because of your Crest.
“Speaking of your Crest, I think it would be best if we kept this between us. While it is nothing to be concerned about, the public thinks of Crest-bearers as greatly important and even a commodity of some sort in rare cases. I think it would be better for you for those beliefs to not be thrust upon you, as your life has changed drastically recently.”
Why did she mention the goddess here? Was this… whole thing predetermined, like destiny or something?
I can see why your dad told you to be wary.
Yeah, me too. This whole thing rubs me the wrong way. And I can say with full certainty that this will not be the last time my Crest will be brought up.
“Sure, that’s fine. Did you notify the Blue Lions that I’ll be meeting them later?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Yes, I did. You should go meet them soon, after lunch. We can discuss this topic again at a later date, if you’d like.”
“Thanks for offering, Lady Rhea. I’ll see you around.”
Go get lunch or nap or something. It’ll help you reset before you meet your class as a professor for the first time.
Right. That’s probably important…
And as I walked out, feet clacking against the stone floor just like when Rhea stopped me earlier, an uneasy feeling welled up in my stomach. Something about the way Rhea acted, the way she brought the goddess in, alluding to the fact that this was predetermined… It made me sick.
A nap, a meal, a walk, something was necessary… if only for a brief moment of respite. A moment where I could breathe. Because at that moment, the cathedral’s tall, imposing walls didn’t feel sacred. They felt like they were closing in. Suffocating. Inescapable. And more overwhelming than anything I had ever felt.
Notes:
Chapter 9 (finally)!
Sorry it took so long for this one to get out, I was struggling with motivation to write this scene for some reason. Luckily it seems as if my motivation is back with me, so chapter 10 should be out in the next three-four days!
As always, until next time,
Carrot
Chapter 10: The New Professor
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Does anyone else ever feel like naps never last the time you want them to? They’re either way too short (often due to responsibilities or your body just screwing you over) or way too long (which disrupts your sleep schedule.) If you hadn’t figured it out already, this one was the former.
“Fifteen minutes???” I vocalized indignantly. “What was the point of coming back here in the first place? I should’ve just eaten lunch or something.”
Yeah, I’m sure lunch was the only reason why you wanted to go to the dining hall.
Sothis. I’m seeing him in a half hour. You don’t need to bring him up.
Ah, but I didn’t say anything. It was just you making an inference.
Sothis, remember when I said that me being woken up before I wanted was not a pretty sight? Are you sure you want to keep going–
All right, all right, I relent. You have more important things to focus on right now anyway.
For the record, I would have slept longer AND probably made my way to the dining hall if that damned Rhea hadn’t stopped me. I’m starting to get why my dad urged me to be so cautious with her.
Title. And why? I have my own conclusions, but I’m curious.
Screw the title. Respect is earned. And as for your question, a couple things. Did you get the sense that her words felt… planned? Like the whole thing was premeditated, from what she said to how she acted? I’m starting to suspect that she asked Hanneman to make me uncomfortable–
Okay, you had me in the first half. As for the latter part, how are you feeling now?
Better… a bit. Still creeped out and a little irritable, but–
I can see that.
Stop interrupting me!
Sorry, geez…
Doesn’t matter. What does matter is the fact that I have a meeting with the Blue Lions in… twenty minutes and counting. What do you think is gonna happen?
Byleth, you’re the professor. You control what’s happening. You are in a position of authority. They have to respect you.
Respect me as in treat me as a person authority or treat me with basic human decency?
Both, ideally. I know you think respect has to be earned–
Because it does. I just said that.
–but even with a bunch of nobles, you’re still the most powerful person in the room. Both fighting-wise and authority-wise, at least at Garreg Mach.
…Thanks, Sothis. That actually helped a bunch.
I wasn’t lying when I “said” that. Pretty much since I got the professorship position, I had been worried. Constantly. Yes, I had been worried about teaching in general, as in no way did I come even close to being qualified for the position. I had also been concerned about Rhea’s motives regarding it, and those concerns had only amplified in the last three hours or so. But what had eaten at me most, honestly, was the nobility.
From what I had seen during my life as a mercenary, nobles were a bunch of stuck-up bastards who expected everything to be done for them. While I had never done a job for any high-ranking nobles, my dad most definitely had, and he lamented constantly about how annoying they were.
“Good grief, Byleth, I’m glad you’ve never had to interact with any of those noble fuckers.”
“Why?”
“How much time do you have?” he responded, to which I laughed. “The biggest thing is that they treat you like a servant, and hold zero respect for you while simultaneously expecting you to bow down to them.”
“That sounds… horrible.”
“It is, kid. And you have to tread carefully around them as well. Even though it’s unjust, nobles can afford to act like they do because of the power they have. Crossing them is rarely a good idea.”
That conversation had stuck with me for a while, and honestly had probably contributed too much to my preconceived notions about the nobility.
But the reason why I was worried was not necessarily because of interacting with the nobility. It was because my perception of them had completely shifted in the last few days. When talking to Dimitri, I would have never guessed that he was a noble, much less the Crown Prince of Faerghus. Sure, his mannerisms were polite, but he didn’t act rudely or differently from any kind person I had ever met. He actually seemed to care about how I felt, about welcoming me, about helping me with the rest of the Blue Lions.
Speaking of them, the rest of the Blue Lions weren’t too insufferable either. As I told my dad, it was part of the reason why I was drawn to them. Ferdinand and Lorenz were kind of picture-perfect caricatures of my brain’s definition of a noble, in both good ways and bad. And when I met the Blue Lions, they didn’t seem bad at all. Despite all of them (except Dedue) having some exposure to the noble life, none of them acted overly arrogant or annoying, and all of them seemed to treat me normally.
Then again, I wasn’t a professor at the time, at least not to their knowledge. Maybe my perceptions would change–
Byleth. Stop worrying. You should get going soon.
As much as I hated to admit it, Sothis was right. I had found in my life that worrying almost never made things better, and only served to amplify any negative emotions or feelings present in me.
Fine. Rhea said to meet in the classroom, right?
What would you do without me? You’d be lost… or dead, honestly. Yes, she did say that. Get going! It’s never bad to be early for a first impression.
In response, I threw myself out of bed with a groan, rubbing at my eyes to chase the blurriness away. Impressively, I managed to make it from my room to the classrooms in one try. Not like it was hard – straight, right, then right again – but still. I was proud of myself. Small victories, you know? I chose to take it as a sign: maybe monastery life wasn’t as difficult to adjust to as I had originally thought.
I entered the middle classroom (the only one I hadn’t gone in beforehand) to be met face-to-face by the entire Blue Lion House. Apparently, arriving five minutes early was equivalent to being dreadfully late in Faerghus or something.
“Ah, Professor Byleth! Welcome!” Dimitri’s voice rang out jovially, his smiling face the first to turn around as I entered.
“Hello, all,” I replied nervously, causing the rest of the students to focus their gazes on me. “I’m Professor Byleth. Good to see you all again.”
“Wait, so that means our new professor is… No! I really can’t believe it!” Annette was the first to react. “But I was speaking to you so casually, as–as though we were companions! Oh, I am so sorry, Professor! You just… look the same age as the rest of us, and – Oh, and I'm sorry I just said that too! I really must watch my tongue…”
Manuela was right. These reactions are funny.
“Annette, really, don’t worry about it. I don’t mind if you treat me as a friend. I’m not much older than all of you, and I like to think I look young–”
“You do!” the orange-haired girl blurted out, clapping her hands over her mouth immediately afterwards.
“Well, I’ll take it as a compliment. Thanks, Annette.” I laughed.
“You say that, but… I just don't know about all of this, Professor,” Annette said hesitantly.
“What, treating me as a friend?”
“I'll admit, it doesn't sit well with me either,” Dimitri said, a faint pinkish hue present on his cheeks. “After all, I – we – wish to show you due respect.”
“Sure, but if Miss Byleth says it's okay, shouldn't that be enough? That is, if… Your Highness can consent to such a thing,” Sylvain interjected before I could respond, placing special emphasis on Dimitri’s title. “After all, we're already speaking this way to our future king, so we may as well relax our speech with our professor too, right?”
“Good point, Dimitri. You’ve already consented to having your subjects call you by your first name and drop the title, so why can’t I?” I prompted.
“Well, we're not in the Kingdom, so Faerghian noble titles are relatively unimportant here… Nevertheless, you have a point as always, Prof– Byleth,” Dimitri replied, his resistance failing him by the second. Finally, he sighed. “Very well. I concede. If you say it's fine to address you like a friend, we ought to accept that kindness gratefully and should all speak companionably.”
“Thank you, Dimitri,” I said, grateful that I wouldn’t be reminded of my newfound responsibilities with every interaction.
“As for me, I’m not so sure I can manage…” Ingrid piped up from the back. It made sense, after all, that the most knightly of all the Blue Lions (from what I knew) would want to respect titles as much as she could.
“You don't have to force yourself if it's too difficult. You're fine with that too, right, Professor?” Mercedes asked, attempting to alleviate Ingrid’s worries.
“Yeah, that’s okay. Don’t force yourself if it makes you uncomfortable. However, I do feel more comfortable being called just Byleth, or at least hearing my name when you speak to me. Miss Byleth is fine too. Hopefully one day all of you will feel comfortable enough to just call me by my name, but that day does not have to be today.”
“Such benevolence is a sight to behold!” Sylvain winked, a cocky smile on his face. “I don't suppose you would care to join me for tea as a reward? We could discuss education… and marriage.”
Dimitri really wasn’t lying when he called Sylvain a skirt chaser, huh… At least he’s not ashamed of it.
“Control yourself, Sylvain,” Felix admonished, saving me the trouble of doing so. “I have more important matters to discuss with Professor Byleth.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Sylvain said with a wink, earning absolutely zero acknowledgement from Felix.
Turning to me, Felix continued. “Having heard of your skills, I'm eager to meet you in battle. Come to the training ground later. There, you will show me what you're capable of.”
“Oh, will I now?” I responded cheekily.
“You aren't wasting any time, are you, Felix? As it were, count me in for any such battle,” Dimitri said.
Finally, a battle opportunity. The mock battle was still just under a week away, and going more than a couple days without a battle equaled a dry spell of sorts for me. Probably the only dull aspect of the monastery so far was that there were no battles to be fought. On one hand, that was a good thing, as peace is always good if it results in happiness. On the other, I itched for the feeling of adrenaline that came with battle, even if there were no “real” stakes involved.
“Hmph,” Felix grunted, turning his head away from Dimitri with a scowl on his face. It was… more of a discontent expression than what usually lay on his face, especially regarding battle. From what I had seen so far, Felix was the Blue Lion that matched my love for swordfaire the most, so to see him apprehensive and even against the thought of sparring led me to suspect something. However, I thought it best to wait and ask the two men later on instead of in public. Not that I would have had the chance to do the latter, however, as Ashe cut in (albeit hesitantly) for the first time.
“Pardon me, but I would also love to observe you in battle, for future reference. If that's okay with you, of course.”
“Ashe, I won’t have you speak of merely watching. You should join us as well,” Dimitri said kindly.
So considerate…
Byleth! Focus!
Right. Thanks, Sothis…
“Yes, Ashe, please join us. And the rest of you, too. It’ll be good for all of us if I can see your fighting capabilities. Besides, it’ll be fun.”
“If you get injured, simply say the word, and I'll patch you up straight away!” Mercedes giggled. “I’m more proficient in white magic than anything else, Professor, so I’m afraid I won’t be much help in a friendly battle.”
“I’m aware of your proficiency, but your idea that you won’t be useful is simply not true, Mercedes. I’ll let you sit out this one because the teams will be uneven, but healers will be needed even in the upcoming mock battle against the other houses.”
“Sounds good, Professor!”
“Yes, this sounds like a wonderful idea,” Dimitri commented.
“Indeed. However, do take care not to go overboard, Your Highness,” Dedue advised, stoic as ever.
“You worry too much, Dedue. I'll be fine, I promise!” Dimitri laughed.
“Yes, Dedue, please don’t worry,” I added. “None of us will get too hurt. And Mercedes has generously volunteered to patch us up if need be.”
“Yes, I’d be happy to!” Mercedes’ high-pitched voice rang out.
“My companions,” Sylvain stated dramatically. “Is there not something inherently wrong with crossing blades, as a way to bond with each other?”
My whole life I had thought sparring and fighting was the way to get to know people. It was all I’d ever known. Socializing included going to a tavern and watching my dad shoot the shit with other mercenaries. It included learning other people’s fighting habits, how they thought, what they aimed to do, as much as I could about them – just as my dad had taught me. However, even in the few days that I had spent in the monastery, I had learned how that approach could easily be insufficient. I had never really had friends, just acquaintances or people I enjoyed working with. Now, though…
“Huh… I never thought of it that way,” Ingrid remarked. Then, a teasing glint came into her eyes before her next comment. “Well, if that's how you feel, I suppose you'll just stay behind while the rest of us are at the training ground?”
“Ingrid, my dearest friend! You really are too hard on me,” Sylvain said, putting a hand to his chest as if he had been grievously wounded.
His pride, maybe.
“Well then, Professor, what do you think?” Dimitri circled back to the original subject. “As you can see, the Blue Lion House is a lively bunch, but you'll find none who work harder. I'm certain we'll cause our fair share of trouble, but I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead.” At the end, his face broke into a sweet smile, almost… shy.
Byleth, he likes you!!!
Shut it, Sothis. He’s just excited for the battle.
Believe what you believe. I know the truth.
Sure, sure…
Yet I couldn’t help but spiral into fantasies at the thought. What if he did? What if a lowly mercenary like me could earn the affections of the most powerful man in Fódlan? What would the consequences be?
As my brain arrived at its last question, I decided it would be better for me to worry about it later. For now, I had to act as the professor I had so recently become.
“I am as well. And it will start with the mock battle. I expect all of you in the training grounds tomorrow afternoon,” I commanded with a slight smile, both regarding the reality of battle and the fantasy of my new house leader.
Damn, Byleth! Look at you. So authoritative.
“But it’s Sunday,” Sylvain groaned.
“Precisely why I’m asking for us to meet tomorrow. From Monday onwards we'll have class in the mornings…?” I trailed off, looking instinctively for an affirmation from Dimitri. When he nodded, I continued on. “I figured you would all be more eager to fight after a day of rest than a day full of lectures.”
“Wow, you’re already adapting to help us learn!” Annette exclaimed. “I knew you were going to be a good professor.”
“While the professor is right,” Felix said, smirking, “You had no idea she was going to be our professor.”
“Neither did you, Felix!” Annette said, stamping her foot as her cheeks colored.
“Well, yeah, but I didn’t say I knew anything.”
“Well… fine!”
“You two should just get a room at this point,” Sylvain remarked with a smirk. “We all know–”
“Stop talking before I stick my sword in you,” Felix snarled.
“Ooh, I’d let you stick something in me any day. Although I don’t swing that way, as we all know.”
“Yes, unfortunately, we all know.” Dimitri sighed. “Can we please stop? You’re making Byleth uncomfortable.”
Goddess, they’re rowdy. And thank you, Dimitri.
“Thank you, Dimitri,” I said, before anyone else could add anything. “It was great to really meet you all for the first time. I’m super excited to get to know you guys further and to help you guys out with your fighting abilities. I promise to help you with what you know along with teaching you what I do. It’s likely that all of us – myself included – will learn things we want to learn from each other over the next year.”
“Hear, hear!” Ashe said energetically.
“And I also want to be forthcoming. This is my first teaching position, and any doubts about my abilities are understandable and probably ones I would have if I was in your positions. I hope to prove those doubts wrong, but also keep in mind that I’m learning as you are. While I am your professor, I also want to be a friend, an advocate, and a trusted person in your life.”
Very well said, Byleth.
“So what you’re basically saying is you have no idea what you’re doing?” Felix asked.
“Pretty much. But I sure as hell know I have a better idea of what I’m doing than you do,” I replied, my pride stung just a bit.
“Let’s test that tomorrow on the battlefield, then?” Felix responded with a smirk.
“If you’re trying to intimidate me, it’s not working. But yes. I’ll see all of you at the training grounds tomorrow afternoon.”
“Thank you, Professor Byleth!” Ingrid said excitedly. “It was great to meet you too!”
In response, I just waved, stepping back and departing the classroom.
You handled yourself very well, Byleth. Congrats.
Thanks, Sothis. That was… not as bad as I thought it’d be.
See? You’re already a natural.
The rest of my day that day was mostly uneventful. I took a shower and went to the dining hall, eating another delicious meat dish by myself (as none of the Blue Lions were in at the time). As I was heading through the dormitories on the way back to my room, however, I was stopped by my name being called.
“Byleth! Professor!” I heard from behind. It was Dimitri, his steps audible against the grass beneath.
“Hi, Dimitri,” I replied, turning towards him.
“I wanted to catch you for one moment before nighttime, if possible.”
“You can catch me any time,” I blurted out.
Oh my goddess, did I really just say that?
“U-um, well, Professor, I– thank you, I guess, heh,” Dimitri stammered, his hand flying to the back of his head in a sign of discomfort.
Byleth, you made the poor boy uncomfortable!
I didn’t mean to!!!
“Well, I imagine you wanted to say something to me if you needed me. Go on.” At this point, I was just trying to save face and maintain a fraction of decorum; I… don’t think I was successful.
“Ah, yes. Right. Well, while I do appreciate your time regardless of urgency, I wanted to talk about the upcoming mock battle. I want you to know, Professor, that I do not intend to lose. I hereby declare my intention to prevail… Goddess, listen to me. The thrill of competition has carried me away. I won't speak so formally of a class assignment in the future.”
“No, Dimitri, it’s okay. It shows that you care. And for the record, I have no intention of losing either.”
“I figured as much.” Dimitri smiled. “Even so, we must not neglect our training. I trust that you will carefully study the strengths and weaknesses of each of the Blue Lions so that you may provide effective guidance. Regardless of the results, this battle will be a great learning experience. Even so… What is the point of competition if the aim isn't to win?”
“Damn straight,” I responded, a fierce grin creeping across my face as the thought of battle took hold. “As far as everybody’s capabilities, that was the main reason why I wanted to do a friendly battle tomorrow between our house. Felix’s attack on my pride just made me bring it up a bit sooner than I originally would have.”
As he heard my last comment, Dimitri looked… jealous? Angry? It was some sort of strong emotion, at least, judging by his stormy facial expression.
“Great. Yes. Well, it was great to see you again, Professor,” Dimitri said, turning away. “I hope you have a relaxing evening.”
“Oh… okay. Good-bye, Dimitri,” I concluded meekly.
Evidently, my desire to not let the day end just yet was present in my voice, as Dimitri spun back around to say something else.
“Wait. One last thing, if you don’t mind?” When I nodded, he plowed on, “Unfortunately, our tour was cut short the other night, and understandably so. However, I had a great time showing you the monastery, and I would love to show you the ropes of how the rest of the monastery works soon. Of course, only if that’s okay.”
I’m sure you’d let him show you the ropes, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink.
Did you just say wink, wink? Out loud?
Potentially. Now answer him!
“Yes, please! I would love that. I had a great time too. How about tomorrow morning? Are you free?”
Oh my goddess, that was so awkward.
“I believe so. I’ll check with Dedue. As my retainer, he thinks it necessary to remember my schedule and ensure that I eat – even after I’ve told him it’s not required and that I’d prefer him not to. It’s terribly frustrating.”
“Maybe that’s his way of showing he cares about you,” I suggested.
“Perhaps. If only knowing how people felt about you was so easy…” Dimitri’s voice faded as he blushed.
“Yeah…” I matched, my face also coloring.
“Well, good night,” Dimitri bid farewell. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“Yes! The dining hall?”
“Sounds good.”
“Perfect. Good night, Dimitri.” I waved.
“Good night… Byleth.”
And as I returned to my quarters for the night and got ready for bed, a smile never left my face. It wasn’t just caused by a certain crown prince, however (although he was most certainly a major factor). It was also because, for the first time, I actually felt like the professor I was meant to become. And while I didn’t have all of the answers – hell, I didn’t even know half of the questions – I had a loyal house, eager students, and two battles on the horizon.
And the affections of the dreamiest man in Fódlan!
Sothis…
Yes?
I’ll let you have this if you promise me one thing.
Anything!
…Don’t ever say “wink, wink” again.
Fair. Good night, Byleth.
It was a good night indeed.
And with that, I drifted off to sleep, giving my mind permission to replay a montage of the last four hours – dreams I’d never remember, but ones I’m sure I enjoyed all the same.
Notes:
Hey everyone!
Sorry for the long wait, motivation has NOT been where I want it recently! Good news is this chapter is one of my favorites!
Hope you enjoy, and as always, until next time,
Carrot
Chapter 11: The Ropes
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Hey, Dimitri!” I called out, noticing the man from across the dining hall. I had just finished a light breakfast with my father – after one of the best nights of sleep of my life – when I spotted him, sitting with Dedue at the end of the room. When he didn’t turn, I called his name again, speedwalking towards him.
Damn, By, no need to be so eager.
Where did you learn that nickname?
Oh, Jeralt called you it once. Is it okay?
Yeah. I’ve always liked it.
“Good morning, Byleth!” Dimitri welcomed me as I came up. “I hope you slept well?”
“Good morning, Dimitri, Dedue. You’ll be happy to know that I slept damn near perfectly last night. What about you?”
“Well, Dedue had to get me from my room and ensure that I ate, so…”
When I looked to Dedue for verification, he nodded. “His Highness is telling the truth. And good morning, Professor.”
“Dedue, please, call me Byleth when you feel comfortable. How was your evening?”
“Peaceful.”
When it became clear that Dedue was not going to say anything more, Dimitri filled the silence. “Byleth, please don’t be offended by Dedue’s lack of words. He’s the taciturn type, and he does not mean anything negative by it.”
“Dedue, is this true?” I asked, to which he nodded again. “Well, that’s good to know. I hope one day you feel comfortable enough to hold your words back no longer.”
“One day, I shall. Having people speak for you can make the words lose their meaning. However, that day is not today.”
“And that’s totally understandable. As for you, Dimitri, I’m glad you slept well. Are you ready to start the tour?”
“Yes, I am. Dedue, there is no need to follow me. Me and the professor will be perfectly fine on our own.”
“Understood, Your Highness. I will tend to the plants in the greenhouse,” Dedue said.
“Ooh, a greenhouse? Can the three of us go together? Dedue can stay after if he likes, but I’ve never seen a greenhouse before.”
At this, a bit of affection entered Dedue’s eyes, which was conveyed in his response. “In Fódlan, at least, this greenhouse is said to be one of the most beautiful in the land. I know it better than most. If you would like to come, I would appreciate showing you around. If that is permissible with you, Your Highness.”
In response, Dimitri deferred to me. “Byleth, it’s your call. We were going to go there anyway later on.”
“Sounds good. Dedue, lead the way. I remember Dimitri telling me you enjoyed gardening over there.”
“I do. It reminds me of home.”
“Duscur?” I prompted, recalling another detail from Dimitri’s brief introduction.
“Yes. Although that is not why I was hoping to go today. There is a dish I would like to make, but I need more of a certain vegetable to do so. I was planning to grow it from seeds in the greenhouse, but if you'd like to help, I would greatly appreciate it.”
“I’d love to help,” I replied truthfully. While Dimitri had pointed out the greenhouse during our previous tour, I had never actually stepped foot in one. And if Dedue’s ringing endorsement was indicative of the quality of the building, then I wanted to learn just how I could both appreciate and utilize it as much as I could.
“Dedue is a phenomenal chef. Everyone in the Blue Lions says he’s a fantastic cook. Some of us are talented in the culinary realm. Others, like myself… are not,” Dimitri said with a sheepish laugh.
For some reason, when my brain processed that, I wasn’t disappointed or repulsed. In fact, I thought it was cute. It made sense logically; Dimitri, being the Crown Prince of Faerghus and heir to the throne, probably had never cooked a dish by himself in his life. However, the fact that he was so ready to admit a flaw (proving that there were actual imperfections in him) was just… I don’t know. It made me smile.
“You give me too much credit, Your Highness.” Dedue bowed his head slightly.
“Nonsense. If anything, I don’t give you enough. Your cooking is a million times better than mine.”
“And that’s okay, Dimitri. All of us can learn. I like to think I’m a good cook, but that was with mercenary tools, not the fancy stuff I’m sure Garreg Mach has stocked up here.”
“Hm. That’s interesting,” Dimitri commented, falling back from Dedue to talk to me one-on-one. “How did you learn to cook?”
“Well, we had access to good food, so that was never the problem. The problem was that my dad was a terrible cook, and I got tired of going to taverns or eating raw stuff. And don’t even get me started on the few times he tried to make me something. It was dubious, every time. I basically learned by necessity.”
“Well, I hope to taste your food someday. I–”
“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highness, Professor. We have arrived.” Dedue cut in, opening the door for the two of us.
“Wow!” I exclaimed as the sight of the greenhouse blessed my eyes. The back wall was lined with colorful plants, pink and red and green, with ferns seemingly growing out of the smallest crannies. On the sides lay beautiful flower beds, producing shades of color I didn’t even think existed naturally. The room was lit up by patterned windows both around and above the plants, allowing the sun’s rays to infiltrate. It was pretty practical, honestly, as not only was it prettier and more natural to have sunlight as a light source, but the plants could grow with it too. (I think. That’s the extent of my herbology knowledge, honestly.) The floor was made up of stone bricks infested with moss, which only added to the ambience of the rest of the building.
“This greenhouse is the greatest sensory overload I could have ever imagined,” I thought aloud. The greenhouse was beautiful, undoubtedly, with the different colors and patterned windows and arched layout. But the thing that stuck out to me most in the room was the smell. The aroma in the room was delicious, probably because of all the flowers. The mixed scents felt like heaven to my nostrils. Furthermore, the greenhouse seemed to isolate a bit of the noise from outside. Whether it was to improve the experience or the environment for the plants, I don’t know, but it definitely allowed me to appreciate the room without external distractions.
“Oh, hey, Professor!” Ashe’s voice piped up. “And Your Highness! Dedue!”
“Good morning, Ashe,” the three of us said simultaneously.
“Did you come to look at the plants too?” Ashe asked.
“Oh, Dedue and Dimitri were showing me the greenhouse. I’ve never been in here before.”
“Well, welcome! It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Talk about a good first impression. It’s stunning.”
“It’s really incredible. There are so many rare flowers here that I'd never seen back home. And herbs I never even knew existed!”
“You seem well-informed on the subject,” Dimitri commented. “I’ve never had much interest in plants myself, but…”
“That’s normal, Your Highness. Honestly, they all looked the same to me until I really started studying them.”
“When did you start that?” I questioned.
“A couple years ago. I’ve learned a lot, but my adoptive father is the real expert. He taught me everything I know about herbs, including how to tell them apart and how to make medicines.”
“Lord Lonato?” I inquired.
“Yes, him. It’s an unusual hobby for a noble, but he instilled a love for herbs that I hope never goes away. In any case, I’ve kept you from your tour too long, Professor. I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“Actually, Ashe, I wanted to speak with you for a moment, if that’s okay,” Dimitri said.
“Oh! Sure! I’m not super busy or anything! What about?”
Instead of responding, Dimitri led Ashe to the front of the greenhouse, which left me to join Dedue in the corner of the building, by some plants.
“His Highness has said that he trusts you, and I have no cause for doubt,” Dedue said suddenly as I approached. “But if you mistreat him in any way, I will take action.”
Whoa! Back off, dude! Sothis exclaimed.
Relax, Sothis. He means no harm. Besides, I could take him.
Then tell him that!
Moments like these make me happy I’m the one with a mouth to the outside world and not you. No way in hell I’m telling him that. That’s rude.
“I appreciate your concern, but you don’t need to worry. Dimitri has done as much for me as I’ve done for him. I wouldn’t dream of hurting him,” I said instead, hoping to alleviate the dark-skinned man’s concerns.
“Good. Now, let me show you how to plant some seeds. First, you need to…”
After a surprisingly short amount of time, the seeds were firmly planted in a soil patch, earning a nod of approval from Dedue.
“Excellent, Professor. That looks good. You have my gratitude for your help. The greenhouse is an invaluable resource. If we cultivate more plants, I'm sure we'll be able to cook a larger variety of meals. When these are done, let me know when you are hungry. I will make you a quality meal, as thanks for your service to His Highness.”
“Thank you, Dedue! Food always tastes better when you have a hand in preparing it, I think.”
“Hm,” Dedue said, the faint traces of a smile present on his face.
“Well, you two seem to be getting along nicely,” Dimitri said stoically.
“Yes, we have been. He even offered to make me a meal one day when the seeds I just planted are ready! You should come along for that, if you want.”
Byleth. You just asked him on another dinner date.
I really need to get better at thinking before I say anything, huh?
Yeah… For now, let’s just hope he didn’t notice. You know, because he doesn’t like you at all.
Hmm…
“I can try to make that happen, Byleth,” Dimitri replied, thankfully(?) not noticing. Truth be told, I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted him to notice.
“Yes, I can make dinner for both of you if you would like,” Dedue said, responding to a question I hadn’t heard.
“Wh-why don’t we continue the tour, Dimitri?” I said, praying that the subject would be changed. “After all, the monastery is huge, and there’s so much more to see.”
“Sounds good to me. Dedue, would you like to come with us?”
“Staying here is fine. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Not a problem. Shall we, Byleth?”
“We shall. Bye, Ashe, Dedue. See you this afternoon.”
In response, Ashe gave an energetic wave, while Dedue bowed his head again before tending to his plants.
“Thank you for showing me the greenhouse, Dimitri,” I said as Dimitri held the door for me.
“Not a problem, but it’s really Dedue you should thank. He takes great joy in looking after the greenhouse.”
“I’ll be sure to do so soon. Now, where to next– Wait. Is that a fishing pond?” I said excitedly.
“Indeed it is. Should we go?” Dimitri asked apprehensively.
“Why not?”
“Well… truth be told, I’m not very good at fishing. I’m afraid I’ll be embarrassed,” Dimitri confessed bashfully.
“First off, thank you for telling me that. Secondly, who cares about embarrassment? We’re here to enjoy ourselves, at least for the morning.”
“I don’t know–”
“I do,” I said, cutting him off. “Come on! It’ll be fun.”
Dimitri bowed his head, shaking it while muttering something under his breath I couldn’t understand. Something about resistance? I wasn’t quite sure. In any case, he then laughed before making eye contact again.
“All right. Just… temper your expectations, if you will?”
“For you, maybe. For me, I want to catch dinner!” I said as we arrived at the fishing docks.
“Good morning, Your Highness and company,” the fishkeeper said. “How can I help?”
“Hi, I’m Professor Byleth,” I replied. “We’re here to catch some fish.”
“Great! Welcome, Professor. Is this your first time fishing here at the monastery?”
“It is indeed, sir.”
“Well, I can provide some bait for you if you’d like. Just this once, of course. In the future, go to the marketplace. The bait they sell there is better anyway.”
“Thank you!” I said. (I would figure out how to afford it later.)
“Here, Byleth,” Dimitri said, handing me over a fishing rod and a couple of worms. “Good luck.”
“You’re not doing it?” I inquired, casting my line into the water.
“Unfortunately, there’s only one fishing rod, so I’ll be content with just watching.”
“Ugh. Fine,” I said faux-exasperatedly. Just then, I felt a pull on my line, barely steadying myself in time before I got flung into the water.
“Reel it in… nice and easy…” I thought aloud, moving my hand in a circular motion on the fishing rod. “Just… one… there!”
Well, would you look at that! That has to be the size of your face!
Are you calling my forehead big, Sothis?
Not in comparison to that fish. It’s huge!
“Impressive, Byleth,” Dimitri remarked. “It seems you’re a natural.”
“Oh, stop. I’m only good because I’ve practiced. Next time there’s only one rod, you’re taking it.”
“Nice fish, Professor!” came a high-pitched voice from behind me. Turning around, I spotted who I believed to be…
“Flayn?”
“Yes, Professor! Well, I call you that, but I am afraid I am not a student here myself…”
“That’s a shame,” I replied, sensing that validation of some sort was the correct response. Evidently, my intuition was right, as Flayn smiled sweetly before speaking again.
“Should the opportunity arise, I would love to become a student and begin my studies in earnest. Maybe I could even be in your house!”
“Possibly.”
“Besides, I want to repay the monastery for being kind enough to provide a sanctuary for my brother and I. He's the only family I have.”
How does studying at a place repay their kindness? Sothis asked, nearly causing me to laugh.
“That’s admirable, Flayn,” Dimitri commented.
“Thank you! I’m sorry to interrupt your date. Would you like me to take your fish to the dining hall? I can get it prepared for dinner.”
“Oh, um, this isn’t a date. Dimitri’s actually my student, actually, so, uh…” I choked out.
“Oh, my apologies! Do you want me to take that for you?”
“Um… sure,” I said, wanting to move on from this as soon as possible.
“Okay! Good to see you, Professor! Your Highness!” Flayn responded, taking my fish (which was certainly not bigger than my average-sized forehead) and walking towards the dining hall.
That might have been the most awkward interaction of my life. What the hell was that?
Only your dreams and fantasies.
Sothis, if you were real, I’d have killed you by now.
Oh, stop it. You like me.
That could change…
I’m good, thanks.
“So…” I started, finishing my internal conversation and hoping Dimitri would pick up the cue to literally never talk about this again.
“So… uh, let’s move on, shall we?” Dimitri asked, thankfully answering my prayers. “But where to, I don’t know…” Dimitri started, before he broke into a smile. His trademark smile. “Have you seen the cathedral yet? I don’t believe I showed it to you during our earlier tour.”
“Those huge spires I saw when we arrived? I didn’t even know you could go in there!” I exclaimed.
“I’m surprised you haven’t visited it yet. It is indeed open to the public, for praying and showing reverence to the goddess and the Four Saints.”
“I only haven’t visited because I didn’t know I could! Can we go? Please???”
Good goddess, why am I so damn desperate?
“Sure, Professor, we can go,” Dimitri said. “Follow me.”
I liked to think I had a good grasp on the maze that was Garreg Mach Monastery, but there was no way in hell I ever would have found the access point to the cathedral on my own. It was way in the back of the monastery, behind a doorway so inconspicuous I never would have thought to randomly open it. Honestly, I still think it should have been more noticeable, as behind it lay a fantastic bridge, suspended over the great valley below. Lined with extravagant banners and ornate designs on each side, I felt like a queen walking across it to a building that could not have been more emotionally distant from the greenhouse.
No, Sothis, not his queen, I said mentally in reply to a giggle from the long-haired girl.
Perhaps the only similarity between the greenhouse and the cathedral was that they were both beautiful. It was by far the most ginormous building I had ever seen. Everything about it was grand, even the large gate and entryways that the two of us had to pass through. At the back sat one single window that had to be at least ten times my height, diluting the sun’s rays to make them a brilliant gold. In front of it were rows and rows of pews illuminated by candles on each end. If the greenhouse was homey and built with the intention to appreciate nature, the cathedral was anything but. It was sacred. Holy, intimidating. A space not just built for worship, but to reinvigorate mankind’s faith in itself.
I felt my breath catch as I looked around, marveling at the scale of the place of worship before me. If emotional solace was defined by a place, it had to be here. For some reason, I got the vibe that everything was just… okay, so long as the faint music in the air never stopped playing and the golden light in the back never stopped shining.
“So… what do you think?” Dimitri prompted me.
“Wow…” I said, mirroring my earlier response with wildly different emotions. Just like at the greenhouse, I was stunned at the beauty of it. However, this time was more… awe-inspiring, I guess.
“Indeed. There are some areas here that are not open to the public, as far as I know, but the one secret part is in the way back. You see that opening in the back right corner?”
“Hmm…” I squinted my eyes, willing my vision to cooperate with me – and cooperate it did. There seemed to be a little off-shoot in the corner, containing something I couldn’t see. “Yeah, I do. What’s back there?”
“Go and see for yourself,” Dimitri advised.
“You sure you don’t want to come with?” I asked, slightly disappointed.
“Believe me, I do want to come with you, Professor. However, the first time I went back there, I went alone. I think everyone else should have that same experience, even if it only serves as a conversation topic.”
“Well then, I’ll follow your lead,” I relented, leaving the crown prince behind to go check the corner out.
What met my eyes were four figures, all of them about four times my size. They were made of a shiny metal of some sort, probably either bronze or gold. On the base of each statue lay a plaque describing the being portrayed in the statue above; Saint Indech, Saint Macuil, Saint Cethleann, and Saint Cichol.
Maybe those were the Saints Dimitri mentioned earlier, I thought.
No wonder Dimitri was enthralled by this corner. It was… cool, especially the secrecy of it all. I had always enjoyed deciphering secrets of some sort. And I could see why Dimitri told me that going alone was the right call; it made the piety of the statues… resonate with me more, if that makes sense. (Now that I describe it, it sounds stupid, but I swear I’m not making this up just to validate Dimitri’s point. I truly felt as if being alone enhanced the experience.)
Hmmm… for some reason, those names sound familiar. But why…?
I don’t know, Sothis. But this cathedral is… spectacular. It’s amazing the lengths people will go to to show appreciation or faith.
Indeed. Whoever this cathedral is directed to is probably pretty pleased, if they know it exists.
They should be. This place is… really, really sacred. I can see why so many people are inspired to believe in the Church.
I feel it too. The solemnity, the belief, the religious atmosphere…
Yeah. I wonder how many of my students come here often.
Well, there’s one. Look behind you.
“Hey, Mercedes!” I called out, seeing the young woman walking towards me.
“Good morning, Professor. How are you?”
“I’m well, thank you.”
“It’s rare to see another soul back here by the Saint statues,” Mercedes started, confirming my suspicion of the four statues each depicting a Saint – the same ones that Dimitri had mentioned. “May I ask what brings you here?”
“Dimitri told me about it. He’s waiting for me actually, at the front of the cathedral. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, that’s wonderful, Professor. I just finished choir practice. I was really happy when I found out that the monastery had a choir.”
“So you sing? How’d you get into that?”
“Well, before I came to the Officers Academy, I attended a school of magic in the Kingdom capital, Fhirdiad. There, they had a choir that students could enroll in. That's where I met Annie!”
“Annie?” I wondered.
“That's what I call Annette! Oh, I guess Lorenz was at the school of magic too? But Annie was always just so nice to me, even though I was older. She's my best friend in the whole world.”
“That’s wonderful, Mercedes.”
“I love her so much. I’ve tried to get her into singing for the choir, seeing as she loves singing too, but she’s not as big of a believer in the Church as I am. I think the songs may make her nervous…”
“That’s okay. Maybe one day I’ll go with you.”
“Ooh, that’ll be fun! For now, though, are you busy with anything?”
“Unfortunately, I have a tour with Dimitri to get back to. It was good to see you, though!”
“Ah, yes, you did mention that. Well, I’m sorry for keeping you. Good to see you too, Professor!”
“No need to apologize. See you this afternoon!” I concluded, waving to Mercedes as I returned to the front of the cathedral.
“Well? How was it?” Dimitri questioned.
“Awesome! I did not expect there to be four huge statues at the back. I ran into Mercedes back there, too.”
“Oh, interesting. Did you get to enjoy the statues alone, at least?”
“I did. I definitely understand your point about seeing them alone now. I–”
My dialogue was interrupted by my stomach growling, a really unflattering noise filling the air.
“Huh. Guess I was hungrier than I thought,” I commented flippantly as we exited the cathedral.
“I guess so. It’s probably important that you eat before the battle later today,” Dimitri advised.
“It is. Want to join me?” I proposed.
You really need to stop accidentally asking the Crown Prince on dinner dates.
I KNOW, Sothis! If only I realized how my words sounded before I said them…
“Unfortunately, I cannot today. I have received a large amount of royal correspondence that I was hoping to address today. Maybe another day?” Dimitri asked hopefully.
“Sure. Thanks for the tour, Dimitri.”
“Anytime, Professor. See you this afternoon.”
“…Yes. This afternoon. And please, call me Byleth. At least outside of class.”
“Right. Sorry, Byleth.”
And as I somehow managed to navigate my way back to the dining hall to grab lunch, the taste of the food was not the taste on my mind. Battle was near.
Notes:
Chapter 11!
Sorry it's a bit late.
As always, leave feedback in the comments!
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter 12: The Mock Battle Before...
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“So, everyone,” I announced to the eight students in front of me. “As I believe you all know, we have a mock battle against the other houses in a couple days. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I don’t settle for less than the best. We will win this mock battle, and we’ll do it handily.”
“Hell yeah,” I heard Felix mutter under his breath.
“However, we can’t unlock each other’s bests without knowing what we can do as a team. That’s why I’ve set up this miniature battle. I want to see what everyone here can do in battle. And before you ask, Mercedes is excluded because I’m aware of her healing prowess. During the mock battle later this week, she won’t be, but in order to make the teams even and to ensure that nobody gets hurt, she’ll be on standby.”
“W-wait, people can get hurt here?” Ashe asked, a little wary.
“Ashe, this is a mock battle,” Sylvain answered. “People shouldn’t get hurt, but that’s life. Besides, the beautiful Mercedes will help any of us in need be. Maybe I should get hurt intentionally–”
“Do you ever stop?” Ingrid punched Sylvain’s arm, rolling her eyes.
“Ow! I’m hurt! I need healing! Mercie, help me!”
“Sure, sure,” Mercedes laughed.
“Back to the topic, everyone, please,” Dimitri said, steering control of the conversation back to me – a fact I was very grateful for.
“Thank you, Dimitri,” I acknowledged. “I know you guys are wondering what the teams are gonna be, so… I hope the ones I’ve created are good enough. I tried to make them as even as possible, so we’ll see. Ashe, Sylvain, Ingrid… you’re with me. That leaves Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, and Annette as the other team.”
“Sounds good, Professor,” Dimitri said.
“Thank you for putting me with His Highness,” Dedue thanked.
“No problem. If any of you have any questions about the teams, please let me know – although I doubt anything will change.”
“Yeah, just one,” Felix piped up, an angry expression on his face. “Why the hell am I with the boar?”
“I’m sorry, who?” I asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Me, Professor,” Dimitri confessed.
Damn it. I should’ve known not to put Dimitri with Felix. It was clear that there was some bad blood between the two.
There was no other way to make it fair though, Byleth. You wanted Ashe and Annette apart because they both are ranged threats. You wanted Dedue with Annette because her magic would have hit a big target like him really hard, effectively rendering him useless. You wanted Dimitri with Dedue because you wanted to respect Dedue’s sense of duty. You wanted Felix on the opposite team as you because you didn’t want all the swords on one team. And you wanted Dimitri on the opposite team as you because you two have seen each other fight. There was literally no way you could have made everyone happy.
Thanks, Sothis, but still…
“Well, Felix, I’m sorry. It was the only way I could make the teams fair. Besides, you’ll be fighting with each other in the mock battle, and probably after that as well. You should get used to it.”
“Believe me, I’m already used to it,” Felix muttered.
“Felix, please treat His Highness with respect,” Dedue advised, a bit of an edge to his voice.
“I’ll give him my respect when he earns it.”
“Felix, I feel the same regarding respect. People have to earn it. However–”
“You don’t know the full story, Professor,” the dark-haired man said.
“And now is not the time to unpack it,” Ingrid finished. “Let’s focus on the battle.”
“Indeed,” Dimitri said, a crestfallen expression on his face. “And let’s make the best of it, Felix.”
“…Fine.”
“Wonderful. Now that that’s all settled,” I began. “We’re gonna get to fighting. My team, please go to the left side of the room. Dimitri’s team, the right side. Mercedes, you’ve done this more than I have, so I trust you to position yourself well enough.”
At that, the eight of us split off, walking to our respective areas. When I looked back, I noticed Annette lagging a bit behind, her face locked on the ground and her posture slouched.
She’s been quiet this whole time, too, right? Like she hasn’t said anything? Or am I misremembering?
No, you’re right. Should I go… check on her?
She would probably appreciate it.
“Annette?” I asked, running up to her.
“Oh, h-hey, Professor. What’s up?” the orange-haired girl replied, her voice catching.
“I noticed you were being a bit quiet during the instructions, and you were walking as if something was… I don’t know, wrong? Is… everything okay?”
Goddess, I don’t know how the hell to do this shit. I’ve never actually done this before.
“Oh… I’m fine. P-promise. It’s just…”
At Annette’s apprehension, I offered an ear. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I wanted to just check and see if you were in a good mindset before the battle. I can probably get Mercedes to fight for you if you want.”
“Nononono, I’m okay, Professor. Really. I just… have a teeny tiny question for you, if that's all right…?”
“Of course.”
“So, uh, I was just wondering if, um, you’ve seen a man with hair the same color as mine, a scowling face, and a generally gloomy demeanour…? N-never mind, it’s stupid…”
I racked my brain, trying to remember if I had seen any depressed orange-haired men recently. Unfortunately, nothing was coming to mind.
“It’s not stupid, Annette. I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen anyone like that. Are you looking for someone?”
“Well, yes. It's a bit difficult to explain, though… Anyway, I figured you hadn’t seen him, but it was worth asking. Please just let me know if you do see him, okay?”
“I can do that, Annette,” I assured. “And truly, it wasn’t stupid to ask. While I am your professor, I’m also someone who you can trust if you want.”
“Thanks, Professor. That’s reassuring.”
“Anytime, Annette. You ready to fight?”
“Always!” Annette exclaimed, a bit of her trademark bubbliness present in her voice.
“Beautiful. Let’s do it!”
Jogging back to the left side, I was met by Sylvain, a questioning expression on his face.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“All’s well. Now, let’s discuss how we’re going to win this. Sylvain, Ingrid, you fight with lances, right?”
“Yeah, we do,” Ingrid replied.
“Good to know. I want the two of you to focus on Felix. Overwhelm him and get him out. Ashe, I want you to shoot at whoever comes to help Felix. If it’s Dimitri, Dedue will follow, and I’ll help you guys. If it’s Annette, try and take her out before she can take Sylvain and Ingrid out.”
“T-take them out?” Ashe asked fearfully.
“Just preoccupy her. Your arrows should be blunted, so they shouldn’t hurt too bad. If you struggle, I’ll come and help.”
“Oh, okay. Good,” the archer said.
“What I’m going to do first is try and bait out Dedue, rendering him useless before I fight Dimitri. By then, I expect at least one of you two” – at this, I pointed to Sylvain and Ingrid – “to be ready to help me or Ashe after you’ve taken care of Felix. Got it?”
“Yes, Professor,” Ingrid and Ashe said simultaneously.
“…Sylvain?” I prompted.
“Yes, Miss Byleth,” he replied with a wink.
“Oh, shut it. Hey! Dimitri!” I called.
“Yes, Professor?”
“Are you guys ready?”
“We were born ready!” Dimitri hollered back after a unified nod.
He’s so cheesy, Sothis commented.
“Right. Charge!” I cried, rushing forward with my blade in my hand. (It wasn’t actually mine; I had procured some training weapons from Manuela earlier, but it was mine for the day.)
On my left, I saw Ingrid and Sylvain approaching Felix head-on, while on my right, I saw Ashe stringing an arrow to let fly at Annette. In front of me were the two strongest men in the Blue Lions: Dimitri and Dedue.
“Let’s see you dodge this!” Dimitri cried, lunging at me with his lance. In response, I said nothing, simply weaving to the side, trying to get Dedue in front of me. As I said to my students, I wanted to take Dedue out first. A two-on-one was generally not a good idea (even though I could probably win it), and there was no way Dedue was letting Dimitri get hit before him.
Just as I had hoped, the large man blocked my vision of Dimitri, meaning that Dimitri’s vision was blocked as well. I feinted left, getting Dedue to take a step that way, before ducking down low and slicing his side. Once, twice, and then he was down.
“Ngh. My apologies, Your Highness. I can go no further,” Dedue said as he sank to the ground. I didn’t take any time to process it, though, as I heard a cry from behind me and immediately spun around. Distancing myself from Dimitri, I saw Ingrid on the floor, with Sylvain and Felix trading blows. Fortunately, the latter seemed to be fatigued after dealing with two foes at once, as his blade speed was slow enough for Sylvain to get a couple lance jabs in. As I was watching, Sylvain leapt back and to the side, dodging Felix’s vertical swing and getting a full hit in – causing the broody man to yield.
“Dammit… I’m out,” Felix said.
“Good work, Sylv– ow!” I started, being interrupted as Annette’s magic crashed into me from the side. Luckily, it didn’t hurt bad at all, as it seemed she was also tired after fighting Ashe (who I observed on the ground out of the corner of my eye, next to Dimitri. Apparently they had tag-teamed him.)
“Sylvain! Keep Dimitri busy while I take out Annette. I’ll help in a moment!” I commanded as my legs started moving. Before the mage could cast another spell, I was right up in her face, causing her to squeal and break her concentration.
Glad that worked. I did not want to take a point-blank spell.
I wound back my sword, using the momentum to deliver a hard blow. It was something my dad had taught me, using my momentum to hit harder while not taking any extra time.
“Aieee! You got me, Professor!” Annette yelped, moving to the side so as not to disrupt the battle.
Her action proved useful immediately, as I could see Sylvain being overwhelmed quickly by Dimitri’s strong lance thrusts. I raced over to help the red-haired man, a battle cry leaving my mouth as I leapt in the air.
“Hyahhh!” I shrieked as I brought my blade in between the two warring lances, blocking Dimitri’s barrage of attacks.
Damn, he’s strong. I’m surprised that Sylvain lasted this long.
“Thanks, Professor!” Sylvain breathed, moving to try to hit Dimitri from the back. Unfortunately, the prince was faster, spinning around and ramming the butt of his lance against Sylvain’s side.
“Professor! Use my sacrifice!” Sylvain groaned.
And use it I did. Dimitri’s back was turned, ripe for an easy knockdown. He tried to turn, but he was not fast enough, as I slashed my sword. Just like before, once, twice, and then a third time – and it was over.
“It’s over!” I declared, adrenaline pumping through my veins.
“It is indeed,” Dimitri agreed, slumping down to the floor.
Oh my goddess, did I hurt him at all?
Ask, dummy!
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I whispered under my breath.
“My ego, maybe, but physically I’m all right,” Dimitri replied with a chuckle.
“Mercedes! Does anyone need help?” I asked, seeing her unoccupied – a good sign that nobody was hurt too bad.
“I don’t think so! Great job, everyone!” the healer complimented.
“Yes, great job. You all did very well. It was quite close. I have feedback for all of you in order to help you improve.”
“I don’t know about you, Professor, but a glorious victory like ours deserves a reward. How about… dinner in town? Just the two of us?” Sylvain asked.
“Will you ever stop, Sylvain?” Ingrid lamented.
“With a beauty like Miss Byleth in front of me? Never.”
“Sylvain, that is enough,” Dimitri commanded, his lips tight – almost as if he was restraining himself.
Look at his face. He’s jealous!!!
Lies…
Byleth, he looks like someone just kissed his girlfriend.
Dimitri has a girlfriend???
Why do you care? You don’t like him that way. You said it yourself.
You suck. Don’t trap me like that again.
“Dinner sounds good to me. I’m so hungry,” Felix commented.
“Indeed it does. But before we all disperse, I want to give feedback to all of you. Starting with my team–”
“Uh-oh,” Ashe mumbled.
“First off, congratulations. We did well. However, it could have been better. Ingrid, I need you to use your range more on your lance. You fight with a lance like you do with a sword. The benefit of a lance is that it can attack from further away than other melee weapons. Utilize that.”
“I’ve been trying to work on that recently. Good to know I still have more work to do,” Ingrid said, her mouth turned downwards.
“You did well, so don’t be too harsh on yourself. And we won,” I said gently, turning to the resident archer in the room. “As for you, Ashe, you need to work on nocking your arrows more quickly. It’s okay to load them slowly from further away, but you can’t fight up close without nocking them quickly.”
“Got it, Professor. Thank you,” Ashe said.
“Finally, Sylvain, you just need to work on decision-making. Sacrificing yourself here worked because we were fighting with blunted weapons, but can you imagine if Dimitri hit you with a steel-tipped lance? You’d be dead.”
“You wound me, Professor. But you’re right. I’ll work on that… for the right person,” Sylvain smirked.
“Moving on… Felix.”
“What?” the boy snapped.
“You need to work on stamina. Your blade shouldn’t be slowing down as you fight longer. It makes you less accurate and effective. This goes for everyone, but I noticed it in you especially. I’d be happy to spar with you soon to help if you want.”
“Sure, let's fight soon. I look forward to beating you.”
“Felix, you couldn’t even beat Sylvain and Ingrid!” Annette piped up.
“You couldn’t even beat Ashe without any help.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean, Felix?” Ashe cried.
“Guys…” I began, rubbing my temples. “Please don’t argue or insult each other.”
I might actually lose it. I’m trying to help them, for goodness’ sake! How the hell am I supposed to teach if–
“Sorry, Professor!” Annette replied eagerly, cutting off my thought spiral. “What can I work on?”
I took a deep breath before continuing. “Annette, when I was fighting you, I wanted to break your concentration so that you couldn’t cast a spell. Others will do the same thing in real battles. You need to work on maintaining your focus.”
“Got it!”
“Dedue, similarly to Sylvain, work on your decision making. By that, I mean don’t put yourself in front of Dimitri all the time. Both of you are competent fighters. I trust both of you to handle opponents if need be. Don’t turn a two-on-one into a one-on-one.”
In response, Dedue said nothing, just nodded in confirmation.
“Lastly… Dimitri. You did very well, but I was surprised when you used the wrong end of your lance to hit Sylvain. Evidently, it worked, but–”
“I didn’t want to hurt him,” Dimitri confessed.
“In the mock battle coming up, I don’t care. Don’t decrease the population and we’re good,” I ordered, earning a collective laugh from my students.
“This was really helpful, I think. Thank you, Professor,” Dimitri admitted.
“Not a problem. It was helpful for me too,” I agreed. “Last thing before we meet on Tuesday for the mock battle; I’m giving us a rest day tomorrow to prepare and recover after today. Use it wisely. Rest and do non-strenuous things tomorrow. I’ll see you all bright and early Tuesday morning, back here.”
“WOOOOO! Go Blue Lions!!!” Sylvain yelled, earning awkward and exasperated looks from the rest of the class – myself (and Sothis in my head) included.
“Sylvain, hold back a minute,” I asked in reply. “I’m detaining you for two minutes. The rest of you, you’re free to go.”
As the students filed back and the chorus of thank yous and goodbyes slowly faded away, I was left with Sylvain alone.
“So, Professor,” Sylvain began, not wasting any time. “If you've got spare time, want to join me for a trip into town tonight? There's an inn that serves the most amazing food. It's one of my favorite places to eat. You simply must come try it with me.”
Sothis, O Great One, how do I… politely refuse him?
Just say you have plans! Like with your dad or something.
“I’m sorry, Sylvain, but I have, uh, dinner. With my dad. Planned. So, uh, sorry, but–”
“It’s all right, I already had plans.”
“Then why the fuck would you ask me out?”
“Because it’s… fun? And Ingrid and Felix wouldn’t care.”
“You’re eating with Ingrid and Felix?”
“Yeah. The three of us go way back. We were childhood friends, along with Dimitri. Although I guess you saw how Felix sees him now…”
“The boar prince? Why is that?”
“Want to come along and ask them? I’m genuinely serious here. They wouldn’t mind, and I think it’d be good to get to know each other better.”
“…Fine. But as friends.”
“Of course, ma’am. Who do you take me for?” Sylvain concluded with a cocky smirk.
“You really want to know the answer to that?”
“Nah, I’m good. Come on. Let’s go.”
“Oh! Hello, Professor! What are you doing here?” Ingrid asked as the two of us approached.
“What, no hello for me, Ingrid dearest?” Sylvain asked dramatically.
“You don’t deserve one. Hi, Byleth,” Felix deadpanned.
“Hey, Ingrid, Felix. How’s it going?”
“Despite the fact that I lost… not bad. I guess. Why are you here?”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I’m here because Sylvain invited me. He said you guys were having dinner together…?”
“Yes! Yes, we are. Did he tell you that the three of us have been friends since childhood? Felix, Sylvain and I have known each other since we were children. His Highness, as well. I’ll always remember those long treks to House Gautier or Fraldarius land…”
“He did mention that, yes. Got any embarrassing stories about them?”
“Byleth, you’re killing me,” Felix said.
You’re evil, Byleth.
Who? Me? Never.
“I’ll wait to tell you those until a later date, Professor,” Ingrid said. “I should warn you, though, that both of these guys are a bit… challenging at times. The moment I take my eyes off them, they're off causing all kinds of trouble. It's always been that way.”
“Ah, so you’re like a big sister?”
“You could say that. So… would that make this a family dinner?” Sylvain joked, slapping his knees in an overexaggerated manner.
All three of us just stared. I mean, it was bad. No slight quirks of the mouth. No restrained laughs. Not even a sarcastic “ha, ha.” Just silence.
“Moving on… I do hope it’s okay that I tag along? I wanted to get to know you guys better and–”
“Please tell me you mean that “get to know you” in a normal way and not a ‘this guy’ way,” Felix groaned, slapping Sylvain in the process.
“Believe me, I do. He hasn’t gotten to me yet.”
“Ah, you said ‘yet’. So there’s a chance–” Sylvain began, before I cut him off.
“No. Sorry to tell you, bro.”
“Shame. Sit, sit. What should we do for dinner?”
Byleth! You should have that fish you caught earlier today.
The odds that Flayn actually ended up bringing that fish here are close to zero. You think it’s even worth it?
Try it!
“W-well, I caught a fish earlier today when Dimitri was showing me around the monastery. Would it be possible if we… uh, if we ate that?” I asked, suddenly sheepish.
“Because you caught it, sure. No way in hell I’m eating something that the boar mangled,” Felix said under his breath.
“Felix, be positive for once. We’d love to share it with you, Professor! Do you know what kind it is?”
“No, sorry, Ingrid. I wish I did, but–”
“Surprises are more fun anyway?” Sylvain finished.
“…Not what I was gonna say, but sure.”
“Professor, you should go up and ask for it! You’re the one who caught it, after all,” Ingrid encouraged.
“Sure, I’ll ask,” I conceded, deciding not to share my prediction that the fish either wouldn’t even be here or wouldn’t taste good at all.
“Excuse me?” I asked, walking up to the order station.
“How can I help you, missy?” the person replied.
“Okay, so this may sound weird, but, uh, do you know Flayn? And did she bring any fish in here today?”
“Yes, I know her. And yes, she did! She said it was for somebody named… Byleth?”
There was no way. My prayers were answered!!! I hadn’t eaten a meal I had actually caught for myself in a long time. It had to have been at least two months, if not more. We had always just bought stuff from wandering merchants or gone to taverns to eat.
“Yes, that’s me. I’m Professor Byleth. Can I get four servings of that for me and my students?”
“Sounds good. I’ll get that prepped straight away.”
“Brilliant. Thank you!”
“What’s got you smiling so hard?” Sylvain questioned as I sat back down at the bench.
“Honestly, I was surprised they had the fish I caught. I gave it to Flayn to deliver and had absolutely zero faith in her actually doing so. I hope it tastes good…”
“Food you catch always tastes better, I think. Especially when the chefs here cook it. They do a really good job. I feel so fortunate…”
“Ingrid, you like any food. You don’t care what it is,” Felix said bluntly.
“Nuh-uh! Not true! Yes, I like to eat, but I have preferences!”
“Oh, so you literally eating a horse when you were younger is just a preference thing?” Sylvain teased, a knowing glint in his eyes.
“That– that… It’s not nearly as bad as your incessant flirting! Professor, did you know–”
“All right, all right. My dearest friend, love of my life, my–”
“Shut up and eat, Sylvain. The food’s coming,” Felix grunted.
The fish I had caught was served with some tomato paste in a very aesthetically pleasing way, and it tasted absolutely divine. I was proud of it, honestly. I had known that the dining hall cooked good food, but the taste of my own handiwork had never been so delicious.
The rest of dinner passed by pretty uneventfully, just the four of us talking about random shit. Finally, there was a moment of silence – a comfortable one, but one that Ingrid filled with a question.
“So, Professor… Do you know the origin of the name of our house?”
“The Blue Lions? Not a clue,” I admitted.
“That’s expected. The Blue Lion House derived its name from the honorary title of the first king of Faerghus. Loog, the King of Lions, wore brilliantly blue garments. His chivalric exploits are recorded in multiple legends. The library holds various historical accounts regarding him and the Blue Lions. If you find time, you should read them. They're filled with insights.”
“That’s interesting. I didn’t even know we had a library. Dimitri didn’t show me it on our tours.”
“It’s on the second floor,” Felix said with a scoff.
“What is with you today? This is, like, the third or fourth time you’ve turned sour when Dimitri’s name was mentioned. Is it jealousy or something?” Sylvain asked.
“Shut it, Sylvain. You know why I hate when the boar’s name is mentioned.”
“Actually, I don’t,” I interjected. “It’s clear that there’s some bad blood between the two of you, but where it comes from I don’t know. Do you want to share?”
“Uh-oh,” Sylvain muttered.
“You know what? I do. For years, the boar prince and I were inseparable. I know him better than almost anyone else. Then, there was a rebellion in the western part of Faerghus that I fought in with the boar. I’m not gonna get into all the details, but there, I saw his true nature. What he did that day… Byleth, let me give you some advice. Beneath all that princely polish, he's an animal, nothing more. He's strong and skilled, sure. But don't place your trust in him as a human being. Take care he doesn't chew you up and spit you out.”
I wanted to press on, to know what had made Felix think so poorly of the polite, sweet man I had come to associate with Dimitri. However, it was clear that the swordsman did not want to divulge anything else, and both Sylvain and Ingrid were… a little off-put by the whole interaction.
“Thank you for telling me that, Felix. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, trying to end the conversation.
“Moving on… Have you guys noticed all the lovely ladies at the Officers Academy?
“Sylvain! What on earth compels you to say that?” Ingrid sighed.
“Well, if you really want to know, there's Dorothea, Hilda, and Mercedes. Lady Rhea's quite the beauty too. And I must admit, I've even checked out Professor Manuela once or twice.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Ingrid complained.
“Sylvain, your philandering disgusts me,” Felix muttered.
Just then, my mouth opened involuntarily, air rushing in as I yawned.
“Damn, Professor, you tired?” Sylvain asked.
“Kind of, yeah. Today’s been a long day,” I conceded. I was very much looking forward to crashing onto my bed, especially since I knew I could sleep in for the day.
“It is late, to be fair. Thanks for eating with us, Professor! I always love eating with company outside of these two,” Ingrid said.
“Thank you so much for having dinner with me,” I replied. “All of you. It was good to get to know you guys better. I’ll see you guys Tuesday?”
“That’s the mock battle, right?” Felix questioned.
“Yep. And I don’t intend to lose.”
And as the four of us wrapped up, I looked back on the day. It was a long one, no doubt, but also a successful one. For the first time, I began to feel more at home – not just as a teacher, but as part of a group, something I had never really experienced before. It felt… good, the feeling of belonging and beginning to form friendships with a few of my students. And yet… I couldn’t help but think that the best was yet to come.
Notes:
Chapter 12 (finally!)
I have been so busy with traveling and stuff that this chapter has taken forever to write. Expect the next chapter in five days-ish.
As always, until next time,
Carrot
Chapter 13: The Real Mock Battle
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The thirty-six hours or so between my dinner with Sylvain, Ingrid, and Felix and the morning of the mock battle passed really quickly. They say time flies when you’re having fun, but I wasn’t having fun at all. Sure, the prospect of battle was enticing, but to tell the truth, I was terrified. Seteth’s warning of not disappointing the archbishop had been ringing in my ears, but I was more scared of disappointing my own students.
How will they ever believe I’m taking this seriously if I lose at the one thing I’m supposed to be good at?
Battle?
Yes, Sothis! That was literally my job for all my life. What if I lose? What if I–
Respectfully, shut up. You know, deep down, that you’re not gonna lose. And your students know you’re trying. Not only have you told them, but you stayed back after a long, grueling mock battle to give them feedback instead of resting.
I don’t know if it was long and grueling…
If that’s the only thing you find wrong with my statement, then I’m right.
But what if Dimitri–
Byleth, the boy clearly thinks the world of you. Already. You should go see him and find out.
…Fine. I said training grounds, right?
You astound me sometimes, By. And I don’t mean that positively. YES, you said training grounds!
All right, all right…
I dragged myself out of bed, getting dressed in the same battle wear I had put on when I had first met Dimitri. (Not that I had a lot of other options, but… eh.)
As I started my short walk to the training grounds, I told myself two things. One, that I should thank whoever put my room a two-minute walk away from the training grounds (probably Seteth). And two, that today was my time to shine.
Sothis was right. This was the one thing I was supposed to be good at. What was the point of worrying about anything? I had done things a million times more difficult (combat-wise) than the mission this morning in the mock battle. And I had already given my students feedback on their fighting earlier.
How many of them do you think are gonna be here? I asked Sothis as I opened the massive doors that led to the training grounds.
For you, Byleth? I bet Dimitri is already here.
“Hey, Professor!” Dimitri called as I entered. “It’s finally time for the mock battle.”
Told you, Sothis said with an internal smirk, warranting an internal eye roll from me as I replied to Dimitri.
“Indeed it is. Good morning, Dimitri. You ready?”
“I'm eager to put my skills to use. And you, Professor? How are you feeling?”
“I'm looking forward to it,” I answered truthfully. “I’ve always enjoyed battle, especially when people’s lives aren’t at stake.”
“Quite. You know, I have high expectations for your command. I’m sure you do as well. That said, I've no doubt it will take everything we've got to pull off a victory.”
How does he know that I’m worried? Is it that obvious?
…Do you really want to know the answer to that?
Shut it.
“I’m excited for the mock battle, but I hope we can win,” I said. “No point in fighting if you don’t try to win.”
“Agreed. As far as winning, I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it. If you command us as you did back in the village, I have no doubt we'll be fine.”
“Let’s hope so. That battle was fun, huh?” I vocalized.
“It was. I think this one will be more so, considering the stakes you mentioned. Our opponents are mighty, that much is certain – probably more so than the thugs we fought back in the village. Regardless, I'm positive we can win. Especially with you at the helm,” Dimitri finished.
“That’s very kind of you to say, Dimitri,” I replied. “I would advise, though, to not put our opponents on an artificial pedestal. Mentally, you always want to believe that you’re stronger than your opponent.”
“Compared to you, Professor? It’s no contest,” Dimitri said casually, apparently unaware of the way his statement resonated with me.
You’re blushing!!!
You don’t need to call out every single detail that happens when I talk to Dimitri, Sothis.
Okay. But you’re still blushing.
Just then, the doors behind me opened again, interrupting my mini mental conversation. Turning around, I spotted the house leaders of the other two houses entering, smiles on their faces.
“Speaking of our opponents,” I muttered, earning a slight chuckle from Dimitri. “Good morning, Edelgard, Claude.”
“Hey there! Did we miss our invite to this strategy meeting?” Claude joked with his signature wink. “Oh, no worries – we'll just join in now.”
“Nice try, Claude, but I do not intend to let slip our strategies. Especially when we are up against such strong opponents as you two,” Dimitri replied coolly.
“Well now! Kind words from his kingliness. If that's the case, we'd better come up with some clever schemes so as not to disappoint. Right, Princess?”
“Like you haven’t already done so,” I said flatly, a bit irritated. The reason why?
It’s so easy to forget that Dimitri’s literal royalty. He’s probably the most powerful man in Fódlan. And he doesn’t even act like it! Not to mention Edelgard and Claude, and all the nobles in my class and others…
Why does that bother you? I know we’ve been over this, but I thought we were past this. What’s up?
I don’t even know… I’m just confused, I guess. Like I don’t know why I’m irritated, but I am.
Well, when you figure it out, tell me.
“I’m not going to confirm or deny anything, Professor,” Edelgard replied. “But I will say this. No matter the tactics you’ve devised, we will destroy you. The best you can hope for is to learn a thing or two.”
It was clear that both of them were ready for the upcoming mock battle. Both of them radiated confidence. Claude was his normal loud, joking self, but it was clear that he knew he could back up his words (or at least, he had the confidence to think so.) Edelgard’s confidence was more quiet, subdued, yet her demeanor was intense, almost fiery. It almost reminded me of me, how my attitude flips when combat comes around and all.
“Oh, you’ll destroy us now, will you?” I challenged, half-jokingly. Apparently, Edelgard only heard the half that was serious.
“Yes, we will. Make no mistake,” Edelgard affirmed, a bit arrogantly.
At that, Dimitri laughed nervously. “Professor, Edelgard, there's nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry, but let's not get carried away. A rash attitude could be our undoing, after all.”
“Yeah, maybe yours, Dimitri. Not like you need undoing, though. We’re going to win, and we’ll do it easily. Perhaps your time would be better spent preparing instead of worrying about the competition's mindset,” Edelgard goaded.
The goading didn’t appear to work on Dimitri, as his face remained neutral, but it sure as hell worked on me. I didn’t see it as a bad thing; fighting while fired up always seemed to work better for me than standard fighting. It especially seemed to work when pride was on the line, whether it was someone making digs at me or me coming back from a battle where I did not fight well. Before I could respond indignantly, however, the Golden Deer leader grinned casually, hands behind his head as he observed the relatively toxic words being exchanged.
“Hey, now! If you two are getting this fired up before the battle even starts… it'll make it that much easier for my class to sweep up a win. So please, carry on,” Claude cut in.
At that, Dimitri sighed. “A good point, Claude. I apologize – that wasn't my intention,” he conceded, taking control of the situation again. “At any rate, let's vow to make this a productive battle, shall we?”
It was amazing how the man could diffuse tensions or uncomfortable situations. It made sense, given his noble background (he probably had had to sit through hundreds of hours of boring noble shit growing up, which probably helped him out), but it still amazed me. I wasn’t hot-headed, necessarily, but I wouldn’t call myself calm or entirely reasonable in heated situations like Dimitri was. I think it was the stark difference that wowed me, honestly.
“Good call, Dimitri,” I said, hoping to not say anything that would escalate the situation to something more than a “friendly rivalry”, as Dimitri put it. “Don’t go too hard on us, yeah?”
“No use trying to hide how you really feel, Teach,” Claude chided in response to what evidently turned out to be a failed joke. “I can see it in your eyes – you don't intend to lose.”
He’s damn right I don’t intend to lose. I can see why Edelgard was so exasperated with him back at the village, what with that whole squabble and all.
Why are you telling me this? Say something to them, then!
Heeding Sothis’s advice, I stood tall, chin lifted high in reply as the words left my mouth almost involuntarily, powerful and determined. “You know, Claude? You’re right. I don't intend to lose. And I always make good on my promises.”
“Oh?” Edelgard said in surprise, taken aback by the ferocity in my voice. (Both figuratively and literally, as she literally took a step back in addition to the shocked expression on her face. “In that case, I won't hold back,” she continued, potentially trying to save face…? I wasn’t quite sure.
“So you were going to hold back before, Edelgard, hmm?” Dimitri asked, a tiny quirk in his mouth the only evidence of emotion.
Fuck yeah, Dimitri. You don’t always have to be the adult in the room. That’s supposed to be my job…
Before the white-haired girl could reply, the door crashed open for a third time, the floor illuminating a bit as the now-open entryway allowed additional sunlight to filter in. In that sunlight lay two shadows, one of a voluptuous woman and one of a monocled man.
“Aw, how precious,” Manuela gushed. “Looks like you four have become fast friends. Isn’t that just wonderful?”
“Good morning, Professor Manuela,” Edelgard greeted. “And you too, Professor Hanneman.”
“Good morning, Edelgard, Byleth, everyone,” Hanneman replied before turning to me, his mustache… extraordinarily prevalent. “While I am pleased that you are taking the initiative to acquaint yourself with the students, I'm afraid it's about time for the faculty strategy meeting.”
Two things. One, when was a faculty strategy meeting mentioned? Why is that even necessary? Isn’t the whole point of a mock battle to simulate regular battle conditions? You never know the opponent’s full strategy before a battle!
That’s a good point, Byleth. You should bring that up in the meeting. What’s your second point?
…Hanneman really needs to shave, I confessed, earning a guffaw of approval from Sothis.
“I wasn’t aware of a strategy meeting. Was it supposed to be here?” I asked.
Manuela facepalmed. “Did I forget to tell you? I guess it doesn’t matter now, since we’re all here. We were supposed to meet here for a quick faculty session before the mock battle.”
“Manuela, you had one job.” Hanneman sighed exasperatedly.
“Well, I’ll leave you three to it. I'll see you later, Professors,” Claude bid farewell.
“Professor Hanneman, Professor Manuela, I wish you the best of luck. Byleth, our victory depends on your leadership. Do not let us down.” Dimtri urged.
“I most certainly won’t, Dimitri. Until the battle.”
“Byleth, I look forward to assessing your abilities. I hope you don't disappoint. See you on the battlefield this afternoon," Edelgard followed suit.
“I most certainly won’t,” I repeated angrily. Her words… irked me, for some reason. A lot more than Dimitri’s similar message, anyway.
Why does my name sound so disingenuous coming from her? It’s almost like my name feels better coming from a philanderous skirt-chaser than it does from an Imperial empress who only lives because of my actions?
I’m assuming you’re talking about Sylvain, Byleth?
Who else?
…Fair point. I can’t answer that question for you, unfortunately. It’s good that you’re aware of your emotions, though.
That was one thing I had always tried to do throughout my life; be emotionally aware and available. Sometimes, it was to my detriment, as my emotions had gotten the better of me at times, either during battle or conversation. One of the few pieces of advice I had ignored from my dad is when he had advised me to not wear my emotions on my sleeve during battle. I tried it and it just felt… I don’t know, awkward. I just had never really seen a reason to change the way I acted or lived through my feelings or emotions – especially since it usually helped me. As I mentioned before, emotionally charged battles helped me fight, and emotional connection with other people (while infrequent, and honestly mostly reserved for my dad before Garreg Mach) made life a lot more fun to live. Eventually, my dad saw what I saw; that emotions were generally beneficial, and relaxed his piece of advice – “so long as emotions didn’t kill me”, according to him.
“Well, now that it’s just the three of us…” Hanneman started as the door closed behind the three future leaders. “Should we begin our strategy meeting?”
“Let’s,” I replied, wanting to get through it as soon as possible.
“Hanneman, we’ve gone over this already. We need to actually get to the mock battle. It’s at the practice field, right?”
“Correct, Professor. The Golden Deer will bring home the victory today!”
Over the Blue Lions? Not a chance.
“They won’t do shit if we don’t end up fighting. Byleth’s right. Let’s get to the practice field,” Manuela said with a smirk.
“Sounds good. Good luck to you both,” I finished, walking out of the training grounds at a rapid pace.
Good goddess, it’s finally over. Is it seriously the afternoon already?
Getting through that damn meeting turned out to be one of the most dreadfully boring things of my life, even more boring than Hanneman’s full Crest lecture. The thing with the Crest lecture is that Hanneman’s expertise was clear, and I got to learn some new stuff about both myself and Fódlan as a whole. This meeting, on the other hand? The other two professors could have been students for all I knew. Their knowledge of battle and the terrain was basic at best, even with this mock battle not being their first. Even after I brought up the fact that this kind of battle strategy itself was flawed (as knowing what your opponents are going to do is not something that happens during almost any battles), I was merely dismissed in favor of this meeting being “something the teachers did every year.” And don’t even get me started on the patronizing nature of it all. I was a motherfucking mercenary; anyone not named Jeralt, the Blade Breaker explaining battle to me proved essentially useless.
You should get ready for battle and meet with your classmates. Take out your frustration on the other teams. You said it yourself; emotional battles work in your favor. Leverage it today.
…Thanks, Sothis.
The five-minute walk to the practice field was relatively uneventful, as was the terrain the battle would take place on. It was pretty flat, with a couple trees scattered around and a couple magic tiles that I allowed Manuela and Hanneman to take. The Blue Lions were waiting in the southeast corner of the field, obscured from view of the other two houses.
“Long time no see, Dimitri. And good morning, everyone else,” I greeted as I came up to them, earning a chorus of some variation of “good morning, Professor” from my students (excluding a nod from the taciturn Dedue).
“It is about time for the battle to begin,” Dimitri stated. “Should we do anyth–”
“Yes, Dimitri, that is how time works,” Sylvain teased with a wink.
“You’re incorrigible, Sylvain.” Felix sighed.
“And Dimitri is right!” Annette pointed out. “The battle is going to start soon. Do you have any last tips for us, Professor?”
“You all remember what I told you after our mini mock-battle, right?” I asked in response. When the class nodded, I continued on. “Focus on those when fighting. As far as strategy goes, I want to go for the Golden Deer first. If we get them out first, we’ll be able to pincer the Black Eagles. I’m guessing that a couple of the Eagles will come for us first, so we’ll take them out but not push any further. Once we take them out, half of the team will stay back, defending the area, while the other half will push forward and take out the Golden Deer.”
“Good idea, Professor!” Mercedes praised. “Who will stay back?”
“Good question. I… honestly hadn’t really thought that far. I know for sure that I’m going to go further to deal with the Golden Deer, and I want three of you guys with me.” I trailed off. “Dimitri and Dedue, I want you with me. Annette as well. Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, you three head the defense corps. Ashe, you stay behind them. Mercedes, you stand behind everyone, waiting to heal if necessary.”
“Sounds good, Professor. Your tactics are wise,” Ingrid commended.
“Thank you, Ingrid. If the Black Eagles all rush you guys, we’ll double back and play defensive, but knowing Claude, he’ll fight defensively, which Edelgard will see as a sign of weakness. I also want to be relatively aggressive, but I don’t want to leave our flank open–”
“Hence you leaving the four of us back to defend. Good thinking, Professor!” Ashe exclaimed.
Damn, that’s three of them now who’ve complimented you. Good going, girl.
“Thank you, Ashe. I–”
My voice was cut off by none other than my father, his voice booming out over the field.
“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to this morning’s mock battle. Incidentally, I'll be overseeing this mock battle, so listen well if you want to win.
Thanks, Dad.
I'm sure you already understand, but the house that defeats the other two is declared the winner. Once all forces from a house are defeated, that house is out. Last one standing wins.”
“When does it start, Captain?” a voice I recognized as Leonie’s rang out over the field.
“Right now. Good luck, everybody!” my dad responded.
“Charge!” Dimitri cried, as my students took up their positions. Just as I predicted, a couple of the Black Eagles came running towards us in Caspar and Dorothea in what would (hopefully) prove to be a futile attempt to draw us closer, while none of the Golden Deer came to fight.
“Ingrid! Sylvain! Gang up on Caspar!” I yelled, hoping that the two of them would use their lance’s range against the blue-haired boy, who looked to be carrying no more than a pair of gauntlets on his fists. “Felix, Ashe! Bring down Dorothea!”
In response, nobody said anything, simply nocking their arrows and getting into position. I saw Ingrid take a punch from Caspar and Felix take a spell from Dorothea, but Ashe’s arrow and Sylvain’s hard blow took the two Black Eagles out without a fuss.
“Nice work! Split up into the groups we had planned! Mercedes, heal the two of them! Go to Ingrid first!” I cried. “My group, come with me!”
As soon as I finished that, Lorenz came bursting out of the trees next to me, a disorganized Ignatz and a confused Raphael trailing him.
“Lorenz, this isn’t what Claude said, bro!” Raphael called.
“His orders are worthless. We’ll dismantle the opposition easily,” Lorenz stated.
Not… exactly what I planned, but we’ll take it.
“Annette, go after Raphael! Use your magic from far away! Dimitri, Dedue, rush Ignatz! I’ll take down Lorenz!”
Rushing up to the purple-haired noble, I swung my sword in a wide arc, too wide for Lorenz to leap back from. His swing proved useless, as I backflipped over it before rushing in again, swinging my sword twice. The first one he dodged, but the second dropped him to his knees.
“I've lost?! Oh! Unthinkable!” Lorenz cried as I pushed him over with a little more force than what was probably necessary. It probably helped that Annette’s two wind spells blew into the two of us from the side, hopefully signifying that Raphael was down.
“Don’t underestimate me,” I hissed as I turned my head.
Not only was Raphael down as I had hoped, but Ignatz was also down too, with no injuries present (or at least openly visible) on my students.
“Good work, you three. Let’s press on.” Analyzing my surroundings, I realized that unfortunately we had just gone forward enough to where I couldn’t see the other five students. I could, however, see a little cluster of trees, somewhere I immediately recognized as a prime ambush position. “Claude is probably waiting back there with someone else. Be careful.”
“What should we do?” Dedue asked.
“Come at him head-on. He won’t expect a frontal assault through foliage. He’s probably hoping that we go around him.”
“Yes, Professor!” Annette replied eagerly.
We marched a little bit forward, close to where I thought Claude might be laying in wait, when quick footsteps approached our group.
“Hey, Mercie!” Annette greeted Mercedes as she came from behind us.
“Hey, Annie, everyone. Does anyone need healing?”
“Luckily, none of us got hit,” Dimitri said, confirming my happy suspicion. “What’s the situation back there?”
“Petra came to fight, but Felix and Sylvain were able to take her out. Sylvain got hit, but I was able to heal him. I’m not sure how much more healing I have left in me, Professor,” Mercedes finished sadly.
“That’s okay, Mercedes. You’ve done well. Can you see anyone else from where you are?”
“Yeah. Bernadetta, Manuela, and Linhardt are at the back of the field.”
“So that means Ferdinand, Hubert, and Edelgard went to fight… Interesting. Thanks for the update.”
“Psst… Psst…” I heard from the undergrowth close to me.
“Claude! What are you doing?” Dimitri asked in disbelief, again confirming my suspicions of Claude taking a relatively defensive position and setting up an ambush.
I am on one right now.
“None of your concern, Your Princeliness. In other matters, you've got a thing for Edelgard, right? Come on, fess up. You'll feel better.”
What?!? I thought indignantly. There’s no way…
The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts, Byleth, Sothis reminded.
Fuck that, I responded mentally as the hilt of my practice blade cut into my hand. For some reason, I was bothered. A lot. And this wasn’t an idle thought: it was an active one, one that I wanted to use to slice Claude’s head off at the moment. (Okay, not literally, but you get the gist.)
“Claude, please. This is no time for idle banter. Your defenses are wide open,” Dimitri chided, a focused look on his face as he sliced his practice lance across Claude’s chest.
“Ha! Right into my…” Hilda’s voice screamed as she swung her axe wildly, only to be met with Dedue’s axe blocking her. As the two axes clashed against each other, Annette’s spell blew Hilda back, putting her in prime position for me to finish her off.
“Ouch! Was that really necessary?” Hilda yelled as her waist became the unfortunate recipient of an angry Byleth’s blade swing.
“Ambushes won’t work on me,” I muttered in response, catching Claude putting his hands up in my peripheral vision.
“That didn't get to him, huh? What a shame. I'll find a better way to ruffle him up next time,” Claude said, probably intended for Hilda but loud enough for the rest of us to hear.
You certainly ruffled someone up, I thought.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Claude asked, a knowing look on his face.
Holy fuck, did I say that out loud?
You’re an idiot. At least with non-battle related things.
Sothis, if you were real, I’d kill you.
But I’m not. Deal with it.
I’ll deal with it all right, I finished, ending our mental conversation and replying to Claude.
“None of your business. Wait here while we dismantle the rest of your house,” I commanded. “Mercedes, go back to the other students. Tell them to advance forward and take out the Black Eagles at the back. Go with them, too, in case anyone needs healing.”
“Got it, Professor!” the mage said in response, before running off.
“Let’s move!” Dimitri cried, striding off with Dedue and Annette behind him.
“Good luck, Teach,” Claude said with a wink as I sprinted off to join my students.
The sight that met my eyes was pretty much what I had expected. Leonie, Marianne and Hanneman were locked in combat with Edelgard, Hubert and Ferdinand, while Lysithea had turned towards Dimitri and Dedue.
“Ha!” the young girl cried as she flung a spell at Dimitri. Fortunately, the crown prince dodged, a “too slow!” taunt ringing from his mouth as he advanced on Lysithea.
“Dedue! Annette! Take out Ferdinand! I’ll go for Hanneman! Dimitri, finish off Lysithea!”
I almost felt bad at my next action, as Hanneman was turned away from me, probably focusing on casting a spell to take out one of the Black Eagles. Almost.
In response to Hanneman’s ridiculously long lectures – plural – I’m not showing any mercy, I thought, slashing my sword five times on Hanneman’s side.
“Augh!” the professor cried as he dropped to the ground. “My goodness, Byleth! I was as good as useless there!”
“Leave the battle strategy to the battle-hardened warriors,” I grunted, vocalizing a fraction of my displeasure as I moved along. Looking up, I saw that Marianne had fallen to the axe of Edelgard, while Leonie had taken out Hubert. Additionally, Dedue had taken a blow from Ferdinand, but had clearly responded with a harder one with his axe.
They’ll be fine, I thought, which was immediately corroborated with Ferdinand’s cry of defeat.
“No! I am the son of House Aegir! How did I fail? I must need to train harder…” the noble uttered painfully.
“Shut up, nobl– ow!!” Leonie yelled as Dimitri’s lance and Edelgard’s axe turned her into a weapon sandwich. Keeling over, that left Dimitri to fight Edelgard, a fight I wasn’t entirely comfortable with.
“Annette! Dedue! Go help your classmates with the rest of the Black Eagles!” I ordered, sprinting over to help Dimitri in his fight against Edelgard without looking to see if they followed my command.
“Dimitri… It's time! We can finally settle the question of who's stronger,” Edelgard challenged as I approached.
“Very well. I accept your challenge. With you as my opponent, I won't hold anything back,” Dimitri responded.
“Too fucking formal,” I chided as I sliced my sword at Edelgard. It was blocked, but that was perfectly fine, as the absence of her axe allowed Dimitri’s lance to land a direct hit on the future empress’s sternum.
“Where the hell did you come from?” Edelgard screamed as I reared back my sword to hit her again.
“Plan better,” I hissed as I swung again, landing another direct hit on her chest and causing her to fall.
Turning around, I saw Manuela in a one-versus-six situation, Dedue having stayed back to watch Dimitri – a fact I would need to resolve later. Now, however, I took a sigh of relief, and a well-earned one at that. We had won.
Just then, Manuela screamed, my father’s booming voice ringing out over the arena again.
“All right, that's that! The winner of this mock battle is… the Blue Lion House!” Jeralt announced, a cheer going up from the seven students across the map. Not wanting to miss out on any of the post-fight festivities, I sprinted over, my fatigue irrelevant as I lifted my arms, cheering right along with the rest of the Blue Lions.
“Congrats, everyone!” I yelled as I reached the group.
“Congrats to you, Professor. Your tactics were nearly decent. All of us made it through,” Felix conceded.
“That was dangerously close to a compliment, Felix,” Sylvain said. “What’s next? Ingrid becoming a brawler?”
“There’s one person I’m very close to punching,” Ingrid replied, a dangerous gleam in her eye that made Sylvain take about three steps back.
“Circling back…” Dimitri cut in. “This victory is the result of everyone's hard work. Thank you, my friends. You did well.”
“We did do well, didn’t we?” Ashe asked, a wide smile on his face.
“Hell yeah we did!” Annette replied, her hands flying to her mouth at the minor curse.
“Annie! What’s gotten into you?” Mercedes gasped.
“I need something to get into me! I’m hungry! You should make your sweets, Mercie!”
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, I’m so tired I can barely stand…” The healer sighed.
“I can put something in you, Annett– OW! Ingrid! You’re gonna damage the biceps!”
“Be grateful it’s just there, Sylvain,” Dedue muttered with a slight grin. Clearly, the post-fight morale boost had infected all of my students.
“Food is a good idea, though,” Dimitri mused. “What if… the Blue Lions all shared a meal together? Later tonight. It could serve as both a victory celebration and a post-battle analysis. What do you think?”
“Ooh, that’s a good idea, Your Highness!” Annette said. “Let’s do it!”
“A Blue Lions feast? I’m so in!” Ashe seconded.
“Great! Let’s do it. Of course, only if our professor joins us,” Dimitri finished in what was potentially an invite to the dinner…?
Aww, isn’t that sweet! He’s asking you out on a dinner date this time!
Are you sure it’s even an invite?
At Sothis’s idea, I was taken aback. Of course, I had wanted to join the festivities. But I had gotten the impression that it was simply a Blue Lions feast, as Ashe had said, and I was perfectly content with leaving my students to enjoy a dinner in order to celebrate their hard work. Nevertheless, I allowed myself to hope for just a moment as I asked my next question.
“I’m invited?”
“Of course. Why wouldn't you be?” Dimitri said matter-of-factly.
He says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world…
“Come now, Miss Byleth! We can't very well celebrate without the key to our victory present, now can we?” Sylvain encouraged.
“He's right! He really is! We were only able to win because we had your help, Professor!” Annette continued before I could answer Sylvain’s question.
“I don’t know about that…” I said sheepishly.
“Professor, your tactics were truly extraordinary. While we did well, it’s clear I have much to learn,” Dimitri praised, mirroring his words from the first battle I had fought with him.
What is this feeling? I asked internally, feeling full of… something. It was a good feeling, a happy one, but not one I had ever felt before. The closest thing I could describe it as was… honored, in a sense.
Hunger?
You’re unhelpful AND unfunny, Sothis.
“Well, we have a lot of time for that. Should we head to the dining hall?” I questioned.
“Let’s! Together,” Ashe exclaimed.
And as the Blue Lion House marched towards the dining hall victorious, casual chatter all around, I felt as if I had passed my first test. And the reward?
Let’s hope it’s a tasty one.
Notes:
Chapter 13!!
I know it's been a while since I've posted, so I wanted to release the new longest chapter so far as a reward! Hope you enjoy 🙏
As always, until next time,
Carrot 🥕
Chapter 14: The First Feast
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
You want to know what my first thought when I entered the dining hall with my class? I hope you said yes, because if you didn’t, you’re gonna be disappointed because I’m saying it anyway.
This is a lot more full than I expected it to be.
It seemed as if not only had the Black Eagles and Golden Deer returned to the monastery before we had, but that they also had the forethought to eat together in the dining hall as well. It was by far the most packed I had ever seen the hall; there were maybe two free tables for me and my students.
“Well. This is full, isn’t it?” Dimitri commented, evidently observing the same thing I had.
“Indeed, Your Highness. There are two tables at the back if you would like those,” Dedue said in his curt manner.
“Are you sure that will fit all of us?” Mercedes asked concernedly.
“It’ll be fine. Besides, I’m so deprived of energy I don’t care where I sit so long as we all sit,” Sylvain said.
“For once, Sylvain, I agree with you,” Felix said. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
As the nine of us approached the tables, I was struck by just how unified the house seemed. Sure, some people were closer than others and some had known others for a longer period of time, but the Blue Lions truly felt like a house, not just a random collection of nobles and noble-adjacents led by a former mercenary. The whole house fought together, celebrated together, and now was about to eat together. It was… weirdly fulfilling.
So why don’t you say that to them? Sothis asked.
Good call.
“Good evening, everyone,” I announced to the group of students in front of me as we collectively got situated on the benches. “First off, I just wanted to say congratulations.”
“WOOOO! GO US!” Sylvain yelled way too loudly – yet I couldn’t even be bothered to care at this point.
“While not as… spirited, I want to express the same sentiment, Sylvain,” I continued. “We all fought extremely well. Not a single one of us didn’t make it through.”
“That was because of your tactics, Professor! Honestly,” Ashe praised.
“Not really–”
“Professor, you’ve earned the praise,” Dimitri interrupted.
“…Fine. Maybe my tactics were… decent. Nearly,” I conceded, not wanting to sound arrogant about myself. Arrogant bragging about my students to Edelgard and Claude and my dad later? Totally okay. But acting like a pompous bastard to my students? Nah, I’ll pass.
“However, a complete and utter victory such as ours would not have been possible without talented fighters such as yourselves. All of you fought well, listening to commands and easily dispatching our adversaries. There are a couple things I noticed, but tonight is not the time for those. I’ll cover them later on this week. For now… we celebrate!”
“Hear, hear!” Ingrid echoed, a radiant grin on her face. “Now let’s dig in. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s hungry.”
“You can say that again!” Annette and Mercedes said simultaneously, before looking at each other and giggling.
“Let’s eat!” I called out, getting up from the table to place my order.
“Whatever the best fish you have is, please,” I asked as I walked up.
“Coming right up,” the chef acknowledged before turning around. As I was walking back, however, a male house leader intercepted me, and not the one that had just won the mock battle not two hours prior.
“Hey, Teach! Great work today. That was a brilliant win!”
“Thank you, Claude. Everyone did well – at least, my house did.”
“They did indeed. Yet I notice you… deflecting. Am I right?”
“How so?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Oh, just you playing ignorant as to the quality of your command and deflecting the praise onto your students. You really are a model professor, Teach.”
“…Thanks, Claude. That’s kind of you to say.”
“Anytime! In other news, it’s a shame the ambush didn’t work. I had a bunch of other schemes planned as well, just in case the situation called for it.”
At that, I couldn’t resist a slight tease. “Maybe you should’ve gone with one of the other ones. I mean, lying in wait in a bush and getting Dimitri’s attention with a whisper? Literally anything else would have been better!”
In response, Claude just chuckled, apparently seeing the humor in the situation. “Fair enough. I’m more of a… mastermind than a fighter. Coming up with brilliant schemes, I can handle. Not a problem. But I'm not much for fighting. Besides, how was I supposed to expect Lorenz charging off on his own?”
At a skeptical raise of my eyebrow, the Golden Deer leader continued. “Okay, well, maybe I should have taken it into account. But him taking both Ignatz and Raphael with him? I had no forces!”
“I’ll be honest, I was a bit taken aback, seeing the three of them charging. I thought you were a better commander than that. Risking three people to try to beat nine? Not worth it.”
“Believe me, you’re preaching to the choir. I tried to tell Lorenz not to make light of you. Said he was gonna get hurt and all. But of course, he didn’t listen. He never does.”
“Yeah… it was pretty clear that he was not happy with your defensive strategy. He said as much while fighting.”
At that, Claude’s face darkened, the smile plastered on it not nearly seeming as genuine as it had been a minute ago. “Hmm. Is that so? I’ll be sure to have a word with him about it.”
“Please do. The man is insufferable.”
“I’ll tell him you said that,” Claude said with a wink, to which I gasped, my face reddening as I frantically waved my hands randomly.
“Nononono, it’s okay! It can be… our little secret! Yeah! A secret.”
I was met with… nothing. Just a stoic silence, a hint of a grin the only emotion present on the Golden Deer leader’s face.
Should I beg? I’m begging.
“Right? C’mon, Claude, I–”
“Damn, Teach!” Claude interrupted, apparently having gotten what he wanted. “The only time I’ve seen you this flustered is when I goaded Dimitri by reminding him of his nonexistent crush on Edelgard.”
What the fuck???
If I hadn’t just gotten blatantly called out, I would have breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. How the hell did Claude pick that up?
“I, uh… I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” I stammered.
“Sure, Teach. Sure. You only live once, as they say. Just remember that.”
“I have no idea what you’re insinuating,” I lied, hoping that the socially adept man in front of me would take the hint.
“…Right. No idea whatsoever. Well, congratulations again. The Golden Deer won’t fall so easily next time.”
“Tell yourself what you want, Claude. I do think you fought decently, all things considered.”
“Oh my, I’m flattered! Keep going. My ego needs inflating again. It’s not nearly as big as it should be.”
“Good night, Claude,” I said with a laugh, a smile appearing on my face as I stepped away (just to step back to pick up the fish I had ordered five minutes prior.)
Dinner… was awesome. It seemed that the dining hall got better and better every day. And it wasn’t just the food that had improved (although it was certainly delicious.) It was the people. Getting to eat with my house, the noise of companionable discourse filling the room as the smell of freshly grilled fish and meat blessed my nose… Let’s just say there aren’t a lot of better ways to celebrate a victory.
“Holy crap, what did you guys order for dessert?” I asked, already having wolfed down about three meals’ worth of food. (What can I say? Exercise tires me out. And I’m a growing… girl… yeah, okay, maybe one valid excuse is all that’s necessary.)
“We ordered some sweets! Like pastries and stuff. I wanted to see how the dining hall’s desserts compared to Mercie’s,” Annette replied.
“Oh, hush, Annie. They aren’t that good,” Mercedes said bashfully.
“I beg to differ, my dear Mercedes,” Sylvain interjected dramatically. “You taste great. Your sweets, I mean.”
“They are pretty good,” Felix admitted, a confession so monumental I was surprised the monastery hadn’t collapsed. “You should bring them to class again. One of these days.”
“Goddess, I would love that. I love sweets!” I exclaimed girlishly.
Good grief, what has gotten into me?
The taste of victory?
Rhetorical question, Sothis.
“Ooooh, same! I’ll definitely remember that,” Annette replied. “I wanted to ask, actually, about that. Are you a sweets girl or a spice girl?”
“Hmm…” I pondered. “I’d probably say sweets. Spice is good in moderation, and too much spice is a bad thing. And it’s really easy for something to be too spicy. Too many sweets are only bad for your health.”
“I’m the same way!” Mercedes said. “I suppose I should bake some sweets for the class later this week, huh?”
“Yes, please!” Ashe piped up from the end of the table. “We would all appreciate that!”
“I don’t know… These ones are pretty good,” Ingrid said, having already eaten about half of the ice cream that one of the girls had apparently ordered. “Although I’ll never say no to Mercedes’s patented pastries!”
“Ooh, alliteration! That’s hot,” Sylvain commented.
“Must you always do this, Sylvain?” Dimitri sighed, although the expression on his face was fond.
“One day it’ll work. One day…”
A soft grunt, almost like a chuckle, left Dedue’s mouth as Sylvain’s (hopefully) futile hopes rang out.
“Well, I, for one, thought today was a really great day,” I said, slapping my legs with my hands. “Thank you all for a wonderful mock battle. I’ll give you guys the day off tomorrow again, but lessons start Friday morning, nine A.M. They shouldn’t get too intense until Monday, though. Friday will mostly just be going over the mock battle and a bit of individual work.”
“So I can slack during our first lesson?” Sylvain asked. “Just clarifying, I mean.”
“You’re funny. Girls don’t like slackers.”
“Ouch, Miss Byleth! You wound me.”
“Cry me a river, build me a bridge and get over it,” I finished with a smile.
I could literally see the cogs turning in Sylvain's head, trying to come up with a decent reply to at least save face. Evidently, he could not, a defeated sigh escaping his mouth as he conceded victory to me.
“…I don’t have a comeback. Damn, Professor.” It seemed that I had rendered him speechless, for once.
“Roast battle? ROAST BATTLE!” Annette cried out.
“Maybe, uh, later? I’m quite tired,” Ashe offered.
“Same. I’m gonna head to bed soon. Any last things to go over?” I asked (mostly as a matter of courtesy.)
“One thing,” Dimiri replied. “If it’s okay with you, I would like to walk you to your room. The… thing would better be said in private, I imagine.”
“Oh, uh… sure. Good night, everyone.”
And with that, the two of us bid adieu, myself a bit befuddled at the reasoning for this. I hadn’t done anything, as far as I could recall, and I couldn’t think of anything urgent or pressing that warranted Dimitri’s inquisition. Nevertheless, I was more than happy to allow him to walk me back to my room, and conversation is almost always nice if you’re with good people.
“So, Professor… I wanted to ask you something,” Dimitri started abruptly as we walked through the student dormitories.
“Shoot.”
“I'm sorry to intrude, and I could be one hundred percent wrong, but… you don't look too happy for someone who just won.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked in response. “Did you not see me celebrating animatedly on the field earlier?”
“I did, but I have a… feeling of some sort. Like me sharing this is important. I know we only just met, so this may be presumptuous of me, but it seems as if our happiness as a house is your happiness as a professor.”
“Go on…” I stated, pondering. At face value, Dimitri was right. When my house was happy, I was happy. When they did a good job, I was proud. When they won the mock battle, I was ecstatic. Yet it felt as if there was another arrow already being loaded, ready to burst the bubble of naïvete present in my brain.
“And just to be clear, I'd love nothing more than to share our happiness with you. Joy can be so fleeting, after all. We're all in this together.”
“Cut to the chase, Dimitri. We’re close to my room, and cranky late-night Byleth is not nearly as fun as celebrating post-mock battle Byleth.”
“All right. My honest opinion is that you aren’t super happy because you take no joy out of merely winning yourself.”
“Hmm… Go on. What do you mean by myself?” I asked, intrigued.
“You expected to win, and we did. Handily. But I think your excitement comes from seeing us in the Blue Lions thrive and win. I don’t think it comes from your own efforts.”
I wanted to respond, to refute the crown prince’s observations, but… I couldn’t. I couldn’t because he was right. I did expect to win. In fact, I felt as if it was my duty, and not winning was a disappointment. Victory was the standard. Maybe it came from my mercenary background. Maybe it came from the expectations placed on my shoulders from my very first step in the monastery. Maybe it simply was me being desensitized to harmless battle. Whatever it was… Dimitri had seen it before I had.
“You’re a good psychoanalyst, Dimitri. Yet I can’t help but think that there was a point to telling me all of this. What’s up?”
“Astute as always, Professor. You are correct in that I wish to tell you something. How do I put this…”
“Go on,” I urged.
“I suppose putting it straight is a good way to go about this. As I mentioned, happiness is fleeting, so don’t rely on others for it. Other people can make you happy, but if you can’t make yourself happy… then something needs to change.”
“Thanks, Dimitri,” I replied, not necessarily irritated, but certainly not happy. I guess I would have rather known Dimitri’s observation than not known it, but… I don’t know. It felt like a call-out. And maybe there was a part of me who didn’t like that other people saw things in me that even I didn’t.
At my reaction, Dimitri flinched, scratching his head. “Of course. And I understand how difficult it can be to accept joy sometimes. My life has… not been full of it. For years. In any case, I'm sorry for prying,” Dimitri apologized bashfully.
“Dimitri, it’s okay. Really. Ignorance isn’t bliss most of the time. Thank you for telling me this. I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to tell me, honestly.”
“I am too. I always want people to speak openly to me. I figured that, at least with you, I could do the same. To some extent.”
“And for now, I greatly appreciate it. Hopefully that extent widens in the future. For now, though, my bed is a present I need to lay on. Now.”
“Understood. I’m quite tired as well. Good night, Professor.”
“Byleth. Call me Byleth. And good night, Dimitri.”
“…Right. Sleep well, Byleth."
And with that, I entered my room, sleep claiming me before I got the chance to analyze the incredibly deep conversation that occurred ten minutes prior.
“Good morning, Professor,” Lady Rhea greeted as I approached. “Welcome to the audience chamber.”
“Thank you, Lady Rhea. And good morning. I’m guessing this meeting is about the mock battle yesterday?”
Annoyingly, I had gotten called into a meeting with the archbishop (and Seteth, who honestly could have been her shadow for all I knew) way too fucking early in the morning. My sore body walking up numerous flights of stairs for a meeting with a woman I didn’t exactly trust was not exactly the ideal way to start my day, but… meh.
“Most of it, yes,” Rhea answered. “First, congratulations on winning the mock battle. Your work with the students was remarkable. I can see Jeralt trained you well. I do hope you were able to use the occasion to bond with the students.”
“Thank you, Lady Rhea. We did bond, in fact, me and the students. There was a feast in the dining hall yesterday that brought us closer. And I think the victory helped too.”
“Wonderful. I am so happy to hear it. Nothing would please me more than if you would use this coming year to grow closer still,” Rhea said, disguising her command as a wish.
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
“Good. That is all you can do. However, the mock battle was mere practice. The real fight is the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, which will take place during the Wyvern Moon. You are expected to properly train your students so as not to humiliate the academy during the long-held tradition that is the coming battle,” Seteth continued.
How many moons away is the Wyvern Moon? Five?
Six, but close enough.
Oh, nice, that’s more than enough time. If the class approaches any tutoring or the like with the attitude and earnest nature they had regarding the mock battle, the real fight should be a breeze.
I like the optimism.
“I will do so, Seteth. Thanks.”
“The other thing I wanted to tell you about, Professor, is your mission for the month ahead. Your class is to dispose of some bandits causing trouble nearby,” Rhea ordered.
Didn’t she literally say that I wouldn’t work here as a mercenary?
Yeah… What does she mean?
“Lady Rhea, I’m confused. A… mission? For me? And my class?”
“Those affiliated with Garreg Mach Monastery have a moral obligation to help those in need, regardless of social standing,” Seteth began. “Students are no exception. Each month, before the newly birthed moon departs, each house of students must complete their assigned mission. You shall work to complete the task at hand alongside your students and report back to the archbishop before the deadline. Understood?”
“Understood, Seteth.”
“Good. Soon, I will provide you with the necessary details for your first mission. If I told you now, I expect you would only forget, and I despise repeating myself.”
“You’re probably right,” I admitted with a laugh, a laugh that… literally nobody else shared. It was like walking into a cemetery or graveyard or something. It felt like there should have been crickets, honestly, with the way the room dropped into dead silence.
Damn. Tough crowd.
Maybe you just aren’t funny, Byleth.
Ha. You like it. Your life would be a lot more dull if I was boring.
…
What? No reply?
I need a moment, Sothis said, uncharacteristically seriously.
O-kay…?
“Jokes aside, my child, I hope the mission goes well,” Rhea unknowingly interjected in a manner that I interpreted as demanding – like I didn’t want to know what would happen if the mission didn’t go well. That interpretation was only backed up by her following words: “I can sense something special within your heart… I have high hopes for you.”
“Thank you, Lady Rhea,” I replied. “Do you need anything else?”
“Our students have been learning about combat through study, but this mission is a precious opportunity to provide them with practical experience,” Seteth said curtly. “The knights will support your mission and are prepared to offer their assistance if necessary.”
“It won’t be necessary,” I vowed.
“Good. However, this is no mock battle. You must be prepared for anything. You will receive a message from the knights when it is time to depart. Until then, use your time wisely.”
“Thank you, Seteth,” Rhea commented. “I would advise you to get to know your students and the monastery more, as I mentioned. Even now, there are still things I have not done at Garreg Mach. It truly is a maze, with seemingly endless things to do. I hope it continues to please you with its plentiful offerings.”
“I will, Lady Rhea. Anything else?” I asked, hoping that whatever higher deity existed would grant me the privilege of the ability to leave.
Luckily, my prayer was answered with the archbishop’s response. “Nothing, Professor. Congratulations on the mock battle. Have a good rest of your day.”
“You as well,” I replied quickly before taking my leave.
I was not to go far, however, as my eyes immediately lay on one of the two men I was hoping to find; my father, Jeralt. He looked to be walking towards his office from somewhere (probably the dining hall, judging by the time of day.)
“Hey, Dad!” I called, jogging up to him as he turned towards the corridor that lay home to the captain’s office.
“Hey, By,” my dad replied, ruffling my hair affectionately. “Good job on the mock battle. I knew it wouldn’t be a problem for you, but congrats are still in order.”
“Thanks, Dad. How have you been?”
“All good, honestly. How about you? You seem well.”
“It’s hard not to be happy after you win a battle, Dad. You should know that better than anyone.”
“True. But that’s not exactly what I’m getting at. Just in general, you seem… good. Accustomed, even. Have you adjusted to life at the monastery?”
“Hmm…” I took a moment to think on my answer as we stepped into my dad’s office.
What would be the best way to put it? I definitely have adjusted somewhat, but not fully.
Byleth, I’m not an oracle. Just say that!
Fine, fine… What was that moment you needed earlier about, anyway?
Oh, that. Nothing, really. I’ll tell you later. Talk to your dad.
“Tough question,” I answered as I sat down on the couch opposite my father. “I would say… yes and no.”
“Huh. Interesting answer. I didn’t expect it would be as easy on you as it seems it has been,” my dad remarked.
“Why is that?” I asked, taken aback.
“I don’t mean it as a slight on you, kid. Don’t worry; if I wanted to tease you, I’d do it straight up.”
“Believe me, Dad, I know. Answer the question.”
“Fine, fine. When we were mercenaries, I handled everything. Finances, shopping, commanding – for the most part, anyway. Outside of battle, you didn't have much contact with people. I thought being thrown into a swarm of noble brats to teach would be a bit much for you. But I guess I was wrong to worry,” Dad admitted, his voice a mix of shame and pride.
“You weren’t wrong to worry, necessarily. I thought it would be a bit much for me too. And there are still things I haven’t gotten used to. Thinking about what to say before I say it, addressing people by their titles, having everything prepared for me if I want it… all of that is weird, though not fully in a bad way.”
At my dad’s quirked eyebrow, I continued on. “Okay, maybe the second one is a bad thing. But I like to think the other two are indicators of just how drastic the shift is from mercenary to monastery, you know? And apart from those things, I think I’ve adjusted pretty well. Lessons haven’t really started yet, so my answer might change a bit in a week or so, but getting to know the Blue Lions has been surprisingly easy. And fun. I’m excited for the year ahead, which is not something I would have said… hell, even three days ago.”
“Good on you, kid. I’m proud of you for acclimating quickly. Moving on… What were you in Lady Rhea’s office for?”
“Oh, she was telling me about my mission. I have to–”
“Take out some bandits, right?” my dad asked. When I nodded, he continued. “A real battle this month, huh? I hear even the Knights of Seiros are involved. That's pretty routine for you by now, but don't forget it's the first real taste of battle for most of those brats. It'll be tougher to sleep at night if you let one of your little pupils die, so stay vigilant and lead them well. I wish I could offer you my support, but Lady Rhea won't allow it. For now, I'll try to figure out what she wants from you. I don't mind you settling into your life here, but don't let your guard down. Ever.”
At that, I mentally replied to pretty much everything my dad had told me throughout the conversation. The biggest thing I was feeling at the time was… caution, in a sense, mostly regarding Rhea. I had seen firsthand her ambiguous nature, saying kind things with dark undertones like they were nothing. Staying on my guard never felt so mandatory. Not letting my dad support me…? What was the logic behind that?
The caution also had a bit to do with my students. The mock battle went well, but there was no way for me to know how my students would respond to real battle. It would probably be the first battle – and first kill, if I was being one hundred percent truthful with myself – for a couple of them.
“I won’t, Dad,” I finally said, replying to his last request. “Believe me, I’d be wary even if you hadn’t advised me to keep my guard up.”
“Good. You know, regarding your mission, I have something for you. I never taught you much about tactics, but there's a primer at my desk. Give it a read,” my dad prompted.
“What’s in it?” I asked stupidly.
“Uh, tactics. It’s a tactics primer. As for what kind, just basic ones for certain situations, but I think it’ll help you out a bit. I also chose some knights to help you out. They were some of my best knights when I was captain years ago. They'll be deployed in your next real battle, probably the upcoming bandit skirmish. I'm sure you'll be able to make good use of them.”
I was most definitely intrigued by the stuff my dad was saying. While my tactics were… decent in the mock battle, I think a large portion of why they worked so well came from the fact that I knew who I was up against. Now, against bandits, in an unfamiliar battleground? Tactics would help. And so would elite soldiers.
I need to outfit the Blue Lions with battalions too… Just basic ones should work, I thought.
Having grown up as a mercenary, I always knew that there was strength in numbers. While fighting alone against the bandits and then in the mock battle felt normal, I was significantly more accustomed to fighting in a group. However, that group was usually led by my father, not by me.
That was probably why the tactics primer my dad mentioned intrigued me so much, honestly. I had always admired my dad, adeptly commanding soldiers such as myself while simultaneously fighting like one of the greatest knights to ever live at the same time. I had always wanted to learn that kind of thing, being a leader as well as a warrior, a weapon, a demon.
“Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. Can I read it now?”
“Sure, By. There’s also a map over there with the mock battle field on it, if you want to go over it with your students.”
“How’d you know?” I asked. “That was my lesson plan for tomorrow.”
At that, Jeralt smirked. “I have my ways. I’ve been doing this for a long time, kid. On another note, I actually have some business to get done, so I’ll leave you to it. Come and visit when you have the time.”
“I will. Bye, Dad,” I concluded.
As my dad left, I walked over to the desk in the corner of the room to read the mini-book. The primer itself was old, yet in good condition, similar to the table beneath it. As I sat down to read it, I made an offhand comment in my head.
Just goes to show that age doesn’t necessarily correlate with quality.
…True.
Oh, there you are. You’ve been oddly quiet.
Yeah… Sothis sighed.
What’s up? All good?
Kind of. I was just pondering the meaning of life.
Deep.
It really is, especially for me. When you made that comment about my life being dull if you were boring, I…
At that, Sothis trailed off, seemingly lost for words – or just not knowing how to put something. Suspecting the latter, I pressed on, also (kind of) hoping to hear the thing that had gotten her to be quiet. (It felt like I was on the right track, at least.)
What? I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings.
It wasn’t anything you did or meant to say, honestly. It’s just that your comment really made me think about the circumstances of my existence, of my connection to you, of… pretty much all I know.
How so? I asked, concerned and interested.
I am alive solely within the confines of your heart. I am unknown to all but you. But through your eyes and ears, I see and hear. Through you, I exist. You are literally my life, Byleth.
That all seems true… I said mentally, a tad confused as to what Sothis was going on about. What’s got you so deep in thought?
I guess it’s just that my life is permanently connected to yours, and yours to mine. If you were to die, I would meet the same fate. And that… kind of scares me, truthfully.
Wow, that is deep. And it sounds terrifying. Obviously I’m not in your place, but having no control over anything… Ugh.
Exactly. It’s not as if I don’t trust you to live carefully. It’s just that my life could end at any moment, and it wouldn’t be my fault.
I think that in that moment, I empathized with someone else more than I ever had before. Talking about a shift in events… I hated the loss of control I felt as I moved to the monastery, putting myself in a position where my actions were dictated by Lady Rhea and the higher-ups above. To live my whole life like that… It was unimaginable.
And yet, it felt so real. So possible. And even though the long-haired girl in my head may not have been real, her life was in my hands. I knew I had to protect it.
I’ll do my best to protect you, Sothis, I vowed.
Thank you, Byleth.
Anytime.
And as I bid farewell to the second voice in my head, the maze metaphor that had been used about Garreg Mach rang true more than ever. It wasn’t just about the layout of the monastery; it was of the mysteries, of the people, of everything that made Garreg Mach what it was. The monastery was a living, breathing puzzle, and it felt like I had only solved the corners – if that.
Notes:
Chapter 14!!!
Sorry this one took so long (again), writing has been slow lately.
Until next time,
Carrot
Chapter 15: The First Lesson
Chapter Text
The rest of my day that day had been relatively uneventful. Most of it was either spent in the dining hall or reading the tactics ledger my dad had given me earlier in the morning. The latter was pretty entertaining, honestly. A good portion of it was tips and tricks (that looked suspiciously like my dad’s handwriting) about what to do if your allies don’t listen to you and are consumed in something else. However, the other two-thirds or so were mostly tactics, which made sense as it was a tactics primer.
About half of the tactics portion was tips on how to command a battle and lead your allies. Some basic stuff, sure, like ensuring your voice is loud and always going into a battle with a solid plan if need be. The other stuff, though, was stuff I had experienced firsthand as a mercenary that I guess my dad thought would be useful to teach my students, like ensuring your allies were confident in themselves before a battle by celebrating victories, training in battle environments instead of just in the training grounds, and knowing when a battle was lost or won and stopping at the right time. Additionally, there were also some basic fighting tips for individual things, like taking out the long-range threats first, focus-fighting if one felt an enemy was almost down, and using terrain as cover when possible.
The other half of the tactics part and final third of the whole primer was devoted to strategies for certain situations. This was undoubtedly the most helpful bit of the whole book, as the tactics discussed here consisted of things I had done, but had either never even considered teaching to my students or not having the foggiest idea where to start with them. Things like fighting in fog or smoke (ha! I’m hilarious), going up against a monster much bigger than you, and winning a battle against an army far larger than one’s own forces. All of those were extremely difficult, and I had learned how to do them through practice. However, my father had saved my ass numerous times in situations like those, and I honestly should have realized sooner that since my students probably would need to be that kind of savior post-Officers Academy, I would need to teach them how to lead and save in all situations instead of worrying how to breach the subject.
I had honestly been so wrapped up in the primer that I hadn’t realized how quickly night had fallen. The dining hall was probably closed by that point, but I had no way to know for sure. Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped on my boots and began the short walk over.
As soon as I stepped out of my room, however, I saw Dimitri and Dedue walking together on the left side of the dormitory lawn, towards the training grounds. Picking up my pace to catch up, I overheard what appeared to be the start of a conversation. Me being the kind of nosy person that I am, I trailed a couple steps behind them, just far enough where if the two men turned around, it would look innocent, but hopefully close enough so that I could hear whatever it was they were talking about.
“…Your Highness, the hour is late. May I ask where it is you’re going?” Dedue asked.
“I’m off to the library for a bit of research before I train. After that, a bath and bed,” the prince replied.
“Very well. I shall accompany you,” Dedue stated plainly.
At that, Dimitri stopped, his head drooping in a sigh. “Ah-heh, Dedue, I promise there’s no need for that. I am a grown man, after all.”
“Ignatz hit you with an arrow yesterday during the mock battle. I know you toughed it out so nobody else knew about it, but you still sustained an injury. My presence may be of use to you.”
What?!? I thought nobody was hurt! How did I miss that?
Before I could run to confront Dimitri about his secret injury, however, he started speaking.
“It was a mere bruise that will heal in no time. It didn’t even pierce the skin because of the blunted arrows. I swear, there is no need to fret over me.”
At that, Dedue’s reply took me by surprise. Instead of continuing to press, the dark-skinned man bowed his head in what appeared to be… shame?
“Are you dissatisfied with me, Your Highness?” Dedue asked quickly, his voice a bit more intense than normal (when he did actually speak.) “Please do not hesitate to correct me.”
“And there it is again,” Dimitri sighed.
“Yes? What is it?” Dedue asked.
“Well, you often choose to address me as ‘Your Highness’, Dedue,” Dimitri started. “When we first met, you used to call me by my name.”
“That was because I was unfamiliar with Fódlan speech,” Dedue replied sternly. “Thinking back, such manners were inexcusable.”
“You know what else is inexcusable?” I interrupted. “Concealing an injury from your teacher, Dimitri!”
“Oh! Good evening, Professor,” Dimitri replied, while Dedue just nodded his head in greeting. “I swear, I didn’t intend to hide it. If you had asked, I most certainly would have told you about it.”
“I shouldn’t need to ask, though, Dimitri. You should tell me or Mercedes or whatever healer is nearby if something like that happens again. It sounds like the only reason Dedue knows is because he saw it happen.”
“Understood, Professor. My apologies,” Dimitri said meekly.
“Go on, you two. I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation,” I urged, only for Dedue to shake his head as Dimitri spoke again.
“Please, Professor. Walk with us. You can probably add something to the conversation if you’d like.”
I suppose I have nothing better to do… Why not?
“Sure. But carry on as if I was never here,” I ordered.
“Back to my title, I honestly much preferred it when you called me by my name,” Dimitri began, apparently listening to my request as the three of us started walking again. “Dimitri feels more comfortable than any title could ever feel. Those honorifics that go along with being a prince make me feel above people in a way I dislike.”
“But–”
“No buts, Dedue. I did not teach you how to read and write so that you’d know how to address me properly,” Dimitri plowed on. “And I don’t want to feel unequal to you. I brought you to the academy as my friend, not a… vassal.”
“Your Highness, a vassal is precisely what I am,” Dedue said as the three of us turned onto the stone path that led upstairs.
“So much has happened since we met in Duscur, yet we cannot seem to bridge this gap…” Dimitri lamented, slouching not out of exasperation but what looked to be acceptance. Correcting his posture, almost as if he was signifying a shift in topic, the blonde man continued on. “So be it. Dedue, I give you leave to return to your quarters. Take an early night and reflect on what I’ve said. Please.”
“I couldn’t possibly,” Dedue replied in the exact manner it seemed both me and Dimitri had expected. “I said I would accompany you, did I not?”
“True, but I would rather accompany you on the journey to ease this mindset of yours. I don’t want to be placed on a pedestal, especially through titles. And if you want me to have company, the professor can walk with me if she likes.”
“That’s the second time you’ve called me by my title, though, Dimitri,” I pointed out. “Why is that?”
“Well, it’s a manner of respect–”
“Exactly. All Dedue wants is to respect you. The reason I didn’t call you by your titles is because when we met, you were just Dimitri. I didn’t know you were a crown prince or the heir to the Faerghian throne. And I continue to do so because I don’t want to be called by any title. My name is Byleth. Isn’t that enough?”
“It is, but–”
“No buts, Dimitri,” I went on, echoing his earlier statement. “I’ll call you by your titles if you call me by mine. A couple slip-ups are fine, but since we both prefer being called by our names… why don’t we do that?”
“But Dedue doesn’t have a title,” Dimitri answered, semi-dodging my question.
“There is work he has to do to address you by your name, Dimitri. I don’t think any of us will deny that. But try to call me by my name, and see how it works for you. If it makes you uncomfortable, that’s okay. You don’t have to. But regardless of your emotions, it will help you understand where everyone – Dedue, Ashe, Ingrid – is coming from when they call you His Highness.”
“Good idea, Professor,” Dedue commended.
“Hmm… I will try. It is as Dedue says; a good idea. For now, however, I advise that we split… Unless you want to walk with me a bit, Prof– Byleth?” Dimitri asked, correcting himself.
“I’d be honored. Dedue, do you want to come with us?” I replied, secretly happy inside. Not only had the conversation gone well, but I got time with Dimitr–
Oh my goddess, what are these feelings?
“You do not want to spend time with me. If you spend too much time around a man of Duscur, there will be rumors,” Dedue responded.
Is that why Dedue is so secretive?
“I don’t care, Dedue. Come walk with us!”
“That’s nice of you to say. However, I will not. His Highness has requested me to take an early night, and I want to honor that. Good night, Professor, Dimitri.”
“Good night, Dedue,” both of us replied as the huge man turned around.
“So… shall we? I was planning to go to the library,” Dimitri asked.
“I’m aware. We shall.”
At that, Dimitri stopped, his eyes analyzing me with a bit of a smirk on his face. “Well now, Professor, how long were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”
If he’s trying to fluster me, it’s not working.
Yeah, maybe this time. You turn into a tomato whenever he randomly says something sweet with the way you blush.
“And how long will it take you to change your first instinct from Professor to Byleth?” I replied back, a challenging glint in my eye.
“Touché,” Dimitri said, the noises of our shoes against the stairs echoing through the tight stone chamber. “You know, we should brace ourselves…”
“Oh? For what?” I asked, a bit worried.
“I heard about our upcoming mission. The Blue Lions are going to subdue some bandits, yes?” A brief nod of confirmation was all he needed to proceed. “We have only just arrived at the academy, and we're already being sent out to take care of bandits. It hasn’t even been a month for you yet. It is a noble mission, but one that will likely require battle. In practice, there is little difference between a battle and a war. Even with the support of the Knights of Seiros, we must still brace ourselves for the challenge.”
“Agreed. This will be our first true battle,” I remarked as we reached the second floor. “Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to fighting with you and the rest of the house again.”
“If it goes anything like the mock battle did, there’s no need for concern. During the mock battle, your commands were thoughtful and thorough, as was your strategy. With you on our side, I'm confident we will prevail.”
“I’m touched by the confidence, Dimitri, but the mock battle was a group effort,” I said, truly meaning it.
“It was, but you were exceptional. You’ve inspired me and many others to study and train after your display of skill yesterday. Maybe we could train sometime soon? I’d love to test my skill against your blade,” Dimitri suggested, opening the doors to the library.
“Thank you for the praise, Dimitri. We do have some time before we have to depart, I’d imagine, so… why not? It’ll help us prepare to the best of our abilities.”
“Sounds like a plan, then,” Dimitri finished, warranting smiles from both of us.
“What causes you to hit the library at this hour of night?” I asked, shifting the subject.
“Just studying before our lesson tomorrow.”
“You don’t need to. Tomorrow will be light. Monday is when shit will get real,” I advised, earning a slight chuckle from the man opposite me.
“Never change, Byleth. What will be different on Monday?” Dimitri questioned.
“I’m getting us all better weapons. The stuff we had during the mock battle won’t cut it. I’ll also start teaching you guys individual things instead of group seminars, kind of like what I did after the mini mock battle a couple days back.”
“Sounds good, Professor. I’m excited to learn from you.”
“And I’m excited to teach you all,” I concluded.
“Your Highness, why do you look so tired?” Annette asked as I walked into the classroom.
“I was up late studying and training with the professor,” Dimitri answered.
Too damn late…
Spending a couple hours with Dimitri in the library was not how I envisioned the night before our first lesson going – especially since those hours spanned from sundown to nearly midnight. And apparently he even stayed up later training on his own!
“Oooooh, interesting!” Sylvain commented. “So, how’d you sleep?”
“I slept fine. And alone,” I snapped, drawing the attention of everyone in the room (which looked to be all eight students.)
Lies. At least the first part.
Shut it, Sothis.
As much as I hated to admit it, Sothis was right. I did not, in fact, sleep well, though I did sleep alone. I had gone to bed quite late and overslept, leading me to jolt awake at the bright light coming from the sun and hurriedly get ready to teach, not eating, bathing or doing pretty much any of my normal morning routine. Luckily, it seemed that I had made it to the classroom on time (two minutes isn’t that long, is it?) for the first lesson.
“Good morning, Professor!” Ashe and Mercedes greeted simultaneously.
“Morning, everyone. I trust all of us had a good, relaxing day yesterday?” I ‘asked’, though it was more of a check-in.
“I’d say so,” Felix said. “Let’s get on with the lesson, Byleth.”
“Felix! No need to be so blunt,” Ingrid chided. “But I must admit, I’m quite excited to start the lesson.”
“Then let’s do it. I see all eight of us here plus me, so… let’s do it!” I declared. “I did say today would be a bit of a lighter day, and that hasn’t changed. We’re gonna go over the mock battle in a more analytical lens before some individual discussion regarding future goals. We should be out before lunchtime, efficiency permitting.”
“Glad to see you’re prepared, Professor!” Ashe exclaimed. “I know I’m not the only one who’s ready to go over the mock battle.”
“You’re correct on that front, Ashe, because I’m ready as well. Come here,” I motioned to the class as I unrolled the big ass map my dad had given me yesterday.
“This is a map of the mock battle’s terrain that my dad gave me. What we’re gonna do with this is go over my tactics and the results from two days ago, before I give you guys a chance to come up with your own tactics. I’m not just here to help you grow your abilities with weapons or magic. I’m here to teach you how to lead and win battles.”
“Yessss,” Sylvain hissed under his breath.
“To start, because of the terrain on the left, I thought taking a more aggressive approach would work better because…”
“That might have been the most informative teaching I’ve ever had in my life,” Annette commented after about ninety minutes of mostly me talking about my plans before giving the students a chance to be in my shoes from two days ago. “Not only did you explain literally everything, but you gave us a chance to do it ourselves!”
“Oh, stop it. It wasn’t that great,” I responded.
“It was that great, Professor! We didn’t even get this high quality of teaching at the Royal School of Sorcery!” Mercedes exclaimed.
“I never went to a school of anything, but even growing up, my tutors were never this complete. You’re a natural,” Felix commented.
“Maybe you should have gone to a school of social cues,” Sylvain muttered under his breath.
“What was that?” Felix snarled.
“Moving on…” Dimitri said, taking control of the situation as he so often did. “I agree that Professor Byleth’s teaching was both incredibly informative and innovative. If this is how it’s going to be the rest of the year, all of us should be excited.”
“Lessons in the future will have more training and individual work, but I’m glad to see that today worked well for all of us,” I said, relieved. Truthfully, I had made up a lot of what I was doing on the fly. I knew what I wanted to talk about and a general idea of when, but I was just hopping around in the actual moment, trying to please everybody – and somehow succeeding. I never would’ve guessed that my first lesson would have been received this well.
I should go brag to Dad about it later.
You do that, Byleth.
“Speaking of individual work…” Ashe said. “I remember you mentioning that we were going to work individually for a bit later on in today’s lesson?”
“That we are, Ashe. That we are. The mock battle’s result was flawless if we simply look at numbers. However, a lot of us did not fight perfectly – though all of us fought pretty damn well. Some of us took injuries, and some of us still need to work on self-preservation. Mercedes told me she was tired of healing, like magically tired. While she does need to work on that…” I trailed off, seeing a reluctant but accepting smile on the motherly woman’s face. “She shouldn’t have to be tired because we shouldn’t be getting hit that much. Ingrid, Sylvain, Dedue, Felix, Dimitri. All five of you got hit, from what I can remember?”
“Dimitri? When did he get hit? The only one you didn’t mention was Annette,” Mercedes asked.
So he didn’t tell Mercedes about it… What I thought.
“Ignatz got me with an arrow on my bicep. Nothing painful. Just a bruise, honestly,” Dimitri answered, loud enough for the whole class to hear.
“That’s six people who got hit out of nine, and the three were an archer, a healer, and me. That’s not a great record. Obviously it’s good that none of us were hit too bad and that Mercedes could heal everyone that asked for it,” I said, the last part a bit of a dig towards Dimitri.
“My apologies, Professor,” Dimitri said shamefully.
“No matter – this time, because everyone made it out unscathed,” I replied, not wanting to dwell on the matter any further. “However, there’s still work to be done. I’m going to buy you all some healing concoctions so we won’t need to rely on a singular healer as much, but going through a battle unscathed is always a good thing. What I’m about to tell you guys are tips to help you do that against the bandits– oh. That’s right. Have you all heard about our mission for this month?” When eight nods met me, I continued on. “Good. Whether it’s then or before or after, all of us are going to get through a battle unscathed one time. Maybe not all together, but one day. Today won’t be that day, but it will be a day where I talk to you guys about your fighting, just like what I did after the mini mock battle. Got it?”
“Understood,” Dedue said, the rest of the class following.
“Good. Starting off… You guys saw how Claude hid in the forest? Unfortunately for him, it didn’t work out, but the idea behind it was good. Using terrain to your advantage is a good way to win battles, because…”
My next forty minutes-ish were spent giving similar feedback to students. Some of it came from the primer’s tips, like the terrain and focus-fighting, while the rest was individual. The latter part of it was just basic stuff – for example, Annette, being a mage, needed to stay far back enough to not get hit by a brawler in Raphael when she was casting her spell.
A bit of why I spent today going over this kind of thing was because I wanted to get a sense of my students’ learning styles a bit before creating specific lesson plans. Some of them were very eager to learn, like Ashe and Annette, while others were more relaxed yet still receptive to feedback, such as Dimitri and Dedue. Thankfully, none of them seemed to reject the feedback, with only Felix talking back a bit before agreeing.
I actually appreciated Felix talking back, as it not only allowed me to tailor my teaching more specifically as to what he needed to work on (by showing him why what he had done was wrong), but it made the lesson feel a lot more… even. Yes, I was the professor, but I didn’t want to be treated like one most of the time. I wanted to be on relatively even terms with my students, on “a first name basis” as some say. I didn’t merely want deference by default – that wasn’t how relationships worked, as far as I’d seen. I wanted to teach by conversation, not by lecture. I knew – or maybe it was wishful thinking – that we would get to that point eventually. Seeing Felix already treating it as a conversation of sorts was… noteworthy.
There’s no way that he meant to treat it like a conversation. He was trying to find flaws with your teaching.
Maybe so, but… I take things how I want, Sothis.
After the forty minutes had passed, I concluded the lesson, feeling as if both the students and I had benefited signifiantly for it. Judging from the looks of satisfaction and respect coming from my house, I had done well.
“And that’s that. Good job, everyone. I’ll speak to you all individually again about your tutoring goals in the next week or two. Until then, take some time off. Next class is Monday, 9 A.M. sharp. Be there.”
“Yes, Professor! Now, let’s eat! I’m sure some of us are hungry,” Ashe responded.
“House lunch?” Ingrid proposed.
I was definitely hungry, and I was not opposed to another Blue Lions bonding meal. It wasn’t like I had a lot to do for the rest of the day.
“Why not?” I asked, a smile breaking out on my face.
“Let’s go, then!” Mercedes exclaimed, hooking her arm around Annette’s and marching away happily.
“Well? Shall we, Professor?” Dimitri asked.
And as I readied myself to reply, I realized that I didn’t even have to think about my answer. It was the easiest yes of my life.
How things have changed…
For the better?
All of it, Sothis. All of it.
WithPatienceComesPeace on Chapter 1 Fri 23 May 2025 06:00AM UTC
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thecarrotmaster2 on Chapter 1 Fri 23 May 2025 06:03PM UTC
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howsthatanklehealingup on Chapter 1 Fri 20 Jun 2025 02:09AM UTC
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WithPatienceComesPeace on Chapter 2 Sun 25 May 2025 10:58PM UTC
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thecarrotmaster2 on Chapter 2 Mon 26 May 2025 06:56AM UTC
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WithPatienceComesPeace on Chapter 3 Sun 25 May 2025 11:14PM UTC
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thecarrotmaster2 on Chapter 3 Mon 26 May 2025 07:03AM UTC
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WithPatienceComesPeace on Chapter 9 Sat 26 Jul 2025 05:40PM UTC
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