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Chapter Text

Edelgard pushed her yawn away as she entered the dining hall for a proper breakfast. She would need her strength to prevail in today’s battle.

The imperial princess grabbed a meat pie, some pickled Caledonian with veggies, and a cup of peach sorbet, taking care to arrange it neatly on her tray before settling into a seat.

‘Early breakfast, early training session, and clothes lain out for the victory banquet to follow after my triumph,’ she thought meticulously, setting a spoon into the sorbet and grabbing a knife to slice at the meat pie, making bite size pieces.

“I see I’m not the only one with the idea to rise early and be well sated for the mock battle,” Dimitri said, placing his tray down across from Edelgard’s.

“Dimitri,” she greeted, grabbing for some green tea that one of the kitchen staff brought by. “I trust you’ve strategized for today.”

The prince took his napkin and neatly tucked it into his collar. “Of course. I have no doubt that you’ve done the very same,” he said knowingly.

“You’d be correct not to,” she replied. “I only wish the same could be said for our colleague,” she intoned, giving the meat pie a taste.

“Claude,” Dimitri started, giving care to give their peer the respect he deserved. “Is likely just as, if not more, prepared than you or I. I have full confidence in this fact,” he said.

“My focus will mainly be on penetrating your defenses,” Edelgard said, dismissing Dimitri’s comment indirectly.

‘So political. Even in her dismissal,’ Dimitri thought, feeling for her. Sometimes he wondered if she truly was just robbed of emotion in her childhood.

“The simple matter,” Edelgard started, setting her fork down momentarily. “Is that I have the qualities it takes to win. I have full confidence in this fact.”

“What qualities would those be?” Dimitri asked genuinely.

“Ample training, hard work, perseverance,” Edelgard answered, indicating she had a plethora of qualities in her mind.

Dimitri considered these qualities as he spread some jam on the toast before him. They were vital indeed. As he went to set his knife down for a moment, Edelgard turned the question around to him.

“What qualities do you consider most important?”

Dimitri recalled his youth. He pictured Sylvain, Felix, Glenn, and Ingrid all training in the fields beyond the castle, inviting him to join. They would train for half the day, and spend the other half enjoying one another’s company.

“Friendship, loyalty, and motivation to win,” he answered.

“You haven’t changed a bit,” Edelgard said. At first, the prince felt this was an insult, but then looked to see Edelgard hiding the faintest of smiles.

‘Am I imagining that? Or is Edelgard referring to our past fondly?’ he thought, winded.

“However, it doesn’t change the fact that these qualities will unfortunately come up short for you. Idealism is a brilliant, albeit childish notion. Practicality is the only ally on the battlefield,” Edelgard said, going back to her usual pragmatic self.

“I don’t believe that one can have too many allies,” Dimitri evened.

“It is precisely the fact that your beliefs differ from mine that we could not be a part of the same house,” Edelgard made clear. “A shame really. We could have been unstoppable.”

“I like to believe that with my friends, I am unstoppable. Do not mistake my empathy for me going easy on your today,” Dimitri clarified.

“Is that why Lonato was able to get away?” Edelgard said with judgement, trying to get answers to questioned she couldn’t dare ask directly.

Dimitri was taken aback by the comment and it showed on his face.

…

“May the best house win,” Dimitri offered as peace.

“I think we both know who that will be. My victory will be absolute. No matter what it may take.”

‘She hasn’t changed either,’ Dimitri thought tiredly. With any luck, Claude would go head-to-head with her first to save him the burden.

-

“Aaaaand there,” Caspar said, finishing up applying war paint to his cheeks.

“Uh, Caspie, do you really need all of that on today?” Dorothea asked, sticking a bronze sword into its sheath.

“Today is about expecting the unexpected. It’s about imperialism. It’s about STRENGTH!” Caspar cried out, getting emotional as he lifted his iron axe with purpose.

“Caspar, calm down. It’s a mock battle,” Linhardt said, rolling his eyes.

“While Caspar’s sentiments are a bit over the top, I’m glad to see some of us taking this battle seriously,” Edelgard said, clearing her throat as she entered the Black Eagle common room. “Remember, no mere sentiment such as love, or friendship will guarantee victory for us. It takes hard work, dedication, and an appreciation for the craft of war,” she said seriously. Dimitri was wrong. Friendship could only employ one’s weaknesses. It might grant limited strength, but the crash of it would be its downfall.

“I am being serious too Edelgard. My sword bends to you,” Petra vowed, moving to touch up her eye paint and assist Caspar as much as one could.

“We just have to survive, right? We don’t need to actually tackle people down?” Bernadetta asked wearily, hiding behind a rider’s bane lance someone left standing against the wall.

“The idea is to come out on top,” Hubert spoke up. “Like Lady Edelgard said, this battle must not be taken lightly. If we were to lose to the Blue Lions or-dare I say it-the Golden Deer, we will be put at a huge disadvantage for the rest of the school year,” he said, cringing at the thought of being bested by Claude’s house.

“We will not let our house down,” Jasmine said with a nod.

“I have taken great care of my trusty steed, Epona,” Ferdinand chimed in. “We are sure to clear the field for the taking.”

“Well, it seems as though you all have thought this through. It appears you won’t be in need of my counsel?” Byleth asked, walking into the room with a fond smile.

“Professor Byleth!” the house chimed, huddling around him at once.

“We would be foolish not to heed your counsel my teacher,” Edelgard said with a nod.

“Well then, let us ride to Gronder Field and secure a win to honor our house leader,” Byleth said, chuckling while Caspar barreled out of the room with a war cry. Edelgard smiled appreciatively at Byleth and followed him on their trek toward the field.

-

The battle hall was occupied with the blue lion students as they came to grab their freshly polished weapons. Dedue grabbed a steel axe and used it as a dumbbell to stretch out his muscles as Ashe watched in fascination. Felix, Glenn, Nazareth, Annette, and Mercedes were by the sword rack, with the latter three reaching for pitiful rusted swords as last resorts. Lastly, Sylvain and Ingrid stood by the lances and weighed their options. Ingrid had three lances she was choosing between and seemed to have decided on a blessed one.

Sylvain considered the lances in front of him, wondering which to use. On one hand, a steel lance seemed to be the obvious choice with its decent reliability as well as power. But on the other, the Lance of Ruin was sure to bring victory if he wielded it properly. If Dorothea were with him, she’d guide him to make the best choice. But she wasn’t there. She was with her own house, no doubt ensuring her magic was up to snuff.

He'd have to make this decision himself.

“Trying to decide if the burden of wielding the weapon is worth prevailing on the battlefield?” Ingrid asked, leaning against her own lance.

Or Ingrid could help him make it.

“Something funny?” the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow. Sylvain hadn’t realized he laughed.

“Yeah, it’s funny that you and I aren’t together more often,” Sylvain said with a wink.

“Sylvain, you know you can talk to me when things feel uncertain or strange,” Ingrid said with a sigh.

“I know I know~” Sylvain sang, twirling around to lighten the mood. Ingrid shook her head and stalked off, feeling she’d get nowhere with him.

“Sorry I’m late!” Dimitri called out, bursting the door to the weapons hall open. He seemed out of breath, but his trusty steel lance was equipped to his back.

“Where have you been your highness?” Dedue asked, stepping forward when no one reacted. “We do not mean to sound accusatory, but morale must be at its highest if victory is to be ensured.”

Dimitri looked around the room. Annette and Nazareth seemed to be struggling with rusted swords as Felix and Glenn attempted to give guidance. Mercedes was praying in a corner that was adjacent to the cathedral. Ingrid was steaming away in a separate corner while Sylvain chuckled in amusement.

Dedue was right. He’d failed in his task as house leader. And for what? Edelgard’s speech about this week’s nonsense?

“Please accept my humblest apologies. Everyone please gather!” He called out and the house members did as asked, murmuring amongst themselves.

Dimitri looked to Dedue who nodded encouragingly, expression stoic as ever.

“Ahem,” the prince started, clearing his throat. “I know that our adversaries are great in both number and strength,” he began. “But know this. There is no house more capable of coming out on top other than the one that houses my dearest friends,” he continued, gaining confidence and momentum in his speaking.

The houses members looked among themselves, some feeling touched, some holding in laughter at the cheesiness. Dimitri then looked right at Sylvain, Felix, Ingrid, and Glenn, gaining heart and spirit.

“It is after all, the ties we forge, the bonds we share, that are greater than whatever strategy or weapon our foes can wield. I hope you hold these words as dear as I hold each and every one of you, so that we may carry the day,” he finished, feeling satisfied in his own mind. Edelgard was wrong. Friendship was not an occupational hazard. It made one stronger. It ignited a fire that would lead him to victory. He was certain.

Mercedes beamed and began clapping. Everyone else looked at each other and mimicked the action. Felix shot Dimitri a look and flashed the tiniest of smiles, causing the prince to be surged with confidence. Everyone seemed to be on the same wavelength today.

“Let us head out now. We are to meet Hanneman on the field for a briefing,” Dedue reminded, feeling proud of the young prince.

“Let’s go Mercie!” Annette said excitably, reaching for her friend’s hand and rushing out of the hall. The rest followed, with Sylvain staggering behind a smidge. The prince noted how Nazareth hadn’t said a single word or met his gaze and told himself to check on her later. The magic of their date must have worn off and whatever was troubling her was back.

“Sylvain, a word?” Dimitri asked. The womanizer shrugged and walked over to where the prince was.

“I know what you’re gonna say,” Sylvain began. Dimitri smiled easy enough and gestured for him to continue.

“You’re gonna say that my ‘past does not define me’ and it’s my ‘action’s today that determine who I am,’” he mocked. Dimitri rose his eyebrows.

“I know that if I take the Lance of Ruin, we’ll probably be guaranteed a win, but it feels cursed. Do you have any idea what that’s like? It’s not a sentient thing but I feel like it has this power over me!” Sylvain said, growing frustrated. Dimitri thinned his lips and nodded.

“But I know that if I don’t use it, it’ll be like I’m giving it control in a completely different way,” Sylvain went on, growing more agitated. Dimitri gave his friend a sideways glance and gestured over to the lance rack with his head.

“I want to use it, but I don’t know if I should,” Sylvain sighed, shaking his head. He then squinted his eyes and said, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Dimitri smiled with mirth that was atypical for him.

“Dick,” Sylvain grinned when Dimitri went to follow the others toward Gronder field.

“I am certain that whatever you decide will be the right choice. Just because someone carries a burden, does not mean it must weigh them down,” Dimitri said as his last words to his childhood friend.

“Then why is everything so heavy?” Sylvain asked no one, sighing as he grabbed the lance he decided on.

-

“We were betrayed by our own kind and forced into hiding as a result. It all started with that wretched Thales. May the Goddess not show mercy on his soul.”

“He performed an unholy ritual unto the goddess. One where she bore a most intense pain.

“Does the term blood splice mean anything to you?”

“NO!” Evangeline shouted, waking up with a start. Her breathing was heavy and her grip on the monastery provided bedsheets was so tight, blood flow stopped in her hands.

“Oh gods oh gods oh goddesses,” she hyperventilated, tears forming at her eyes at the memories of last night. It wasn’t a dream like she’d prayed.

Sir Cecil. There one moment, gone another. Because of her. She’d killed a man. She’d really killed a man.

A sudden knocking at her door pulled her out of the thoughts momentarily.

"It’s open,” she said to whoever it was. Lysithea opened up the door and stepped in, her expression changing from annoyance to concern when she saw the blonde’s expression.

“Evangeline, are you alright? I was going to say you need to wake up right away, but it looks like you could do with some rest,” her housemate said, coming over slowly.

“What? Wake up why?” Evangeline asked. if memory served right, classes were cancelled today so if she wanted to sleep in, she should’ve been allowed to.

“It’s the mock battle today,” Lysithea said, looking more concerned for the blonde with every word she said.

“Oh my goddess!” Evangeline said, jumping out of bed and getting into her monastery uniform at lightning speed. “How could I forget?! I read about battle strategy all last week!” she said, berating herself in her head.

“Slow down,” Lysithea said, moving to stop the girl, but Evangeline wasn’t having it.

“Please tell me I didn’t miss the briefing!” the blonde cried.

“Evangeline slow down!” Lysithea demanded. The blonde stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Was it abnormally hot in her room or was it just her?

“You didn’t miss the briefing. We were waiting for you when Shamir and Claude asked me to check up on you,” Lysithea explained.

“I am so sorry. I got in late last night which I know now was a stupid idea,” Evangeline apologized.

“It’s really okay. I think you should sit out of the battle if I’m being honest. You don’t look well. You’re as white as my hair!” Lysithea commented. Evangeline shook her head.

“No way. I can’t just sit out. Claude won’t admit it, but he’s on edge enough as it is. Lysithea please, you cannot tell him I’m not feeling well. I’m begging you,” Evangeline said, widening her eyes.

“Evangeline, if something happens to you on the battlefield because you’re ignoring your current state, I could never forgive myself,” Lysithea said, but her voice gave her away. She would cave if Evangeline pushed hard enough.

“Just for today. I’ll tough it out for today and afterward, I’ll do nothing but rest. I swear,” Evangeline promised. Lysithea frowned.

“I don’t approve of this,” she said, shaking her head. But Evangeline knew that meant she’d let it be.

The pair rushed out of the blonde’s room and made for Gronder Field.

-

“Bottom line, survive, defend, and attack,” Shamir said, reaching for a bow from her quiver.

The Golden Deer House hummed out “okays” and “Got its,” but none seemed all too prepared for battle. Raphael was ensuring that his stomach was full, Lorenz was staring at his reflection from a nearby puddle, Hilda was pretending to find it difficult to pick up her axe, Marianne was cowered on the floor, Leonie was brushing her horse, and Claude was staring at the battlefield. The only one who seemed to have paid any attention to Shamir’s speech was Ignatz, who was jotting down key words from it onto a notepad.

“Tell me we didn’t get here too late?” Lysithea asked, already knowing the answer as she watched Shamir stalk off while muttering something about being entrusted with the joke house.

“I’m afraid you did,” Claude said with distant expression. Evangeline felt guilty all over again and went to apologize for their tardiness, but Claude walked after Shamir, asking her about bow range.

“I swear I didn’t mean to sleep in,” Evangeline said helplessly to Lysithea.

“Don’t take it to heart,” Hilda piped up, walking over to the late duo. “It’s not just that you missed the briefing that has him in a mood,” she explained.

“What do you mean?” Evangeline asked, looking at how laser focused Claude was.  

“I think he’s disappointed that no one’s really taking the mock battle seriously,” Hilda explained, feeling bad for him.

“That would make sense,” Lysithea replied. “He didn’t make a joke about me not sleeping at my proper bedtime last night.”

“Now that you mention it, he didn’t even elect to give the speech. He just let Shamir take over,” Ignatz chimed in, pushing his glasses up.

“Ignatz!” Evangeline cried out. The boy was startled and dropped his notepad. “Oops, sorry,” the blonde said sheepishly.

“No problem, Evangeline. What is it?” Ignatz asked.

“Well, you took notes on Shamir’s speech. Do you mind if I take a look at it?” she asked sweetly. Ignatz blushed at her tone and nodded, handing his notes over. Evangeline flipped through and tried to memorize the words. It was the least she could do for being so late to the briefing. She knew what winning the mock battle would mean for Claude. Their house would finally be seen as an adversary.

“Any helpful battle tips in there?” Lysithea asked, peeking.

“Yes! Apparently Dorothea learned meteor magic. We’d best stay cautious,” Evangeline relayed, scanning through Ignatz’s various scrawling.

“Sweet! Now that we know, we can get Marianne to silence her before it becomes a threat,” Lysithea said with a nod.

“And Shamir reminded us that Sylvain might be using the Lance of Ruin,” the blonde said, shuddering at the thought of being on the receiving end of such a weapon.

“That isn’t much help unless we know what the lance is capable of,” Lysithea sighed, still happy to be warned.

“It doesn’t have the best accuracy, but it’s plenty powerful if it strikes. And it’ll slow him down a little. That, and while it’s a sacred weapon, it only has a range of 1,” Ignatz listed.

“How do you know that?” Hilda asked, impressed.

“I read about it at once when we heard the Blue Lions were going after Miklan. I anticipated its recovery,” the boy explained.

“Ignatz, you’re a genius!” Evangeline beamed. The boy flushed harder and stammered over his gratitude.

“Let’s show Claude that we can win this. For the house,” Evangeline said with determination.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but knowing about the Lance of Ruin’s stats doesn’t help us as much as you think it does,” Leonie said realistically.

“Leonie, you were listening?” Ignatz asked in surprise.

“We all were,” Leonie said, gesturing to the rest of the house minus Claude.

“I will do my best to use my silence on Dorothea. And stay out of the way otherwise,” Marianne spoke softly, eyes downcast.

“And Leonie is incorrect. Knowing its stats helps me greatly,” Lorenz said, holding up his spear. “His lance cannot strike from a distance, but we can,” he said, looking to Lysithea and Evangeline. The girls grinned and nodded eagerly.

“Ignatz! Is this a whole map of the field?” Evangeline asked, holding the notepad up.

“Yes! I sketched it from a book in the library in case I needed help in a tight spot,” he answered.

“With this, we’re privy to any surprise attacks!” Lysithea pointed out.

“Guys, we actually might be able to do this,” Hilda said, surprising herself.

“Hell yeah we can. I’ve got a full belly and I’m ready to charge,” Raphael said heartily.

“For Claude?” Hilda asked, putting her hand in the middle of them all and smiling.

“No, for the house,” Lysithea corrected, smiling and putting her hand on top as well.

“For Claude, our house, and ourselves,” Ignatz said hesitantly, joining in. The rest of the house piled their hands in and were about to launch them in the air when a ninth hand came on top.

“Claude,” Evangeline said with emotion. The house leader smiled at his housemates.

“I ask that you all forgive me,” he said, voice heavy. “I know you all think I lost hope momentarily because I felt that I was the only one with true vigor to win this battle,” he started. Evangeline and Hilda went to speak up, but he held a hand to stop them. “However. Despite my lack of volition, you all stood up to not only give our house proper recognition, but to strategize. And as a self-proclaimed master tactician,” he joked, smiling in his usual fashion.  “That makes me proud to be your house leader. I have all the faith and then some that we can emerge victorious as long as you all keep that drive in you,” he said, bowing to his house. “We shall carry the day with the honorable qualities of tact, knowledge, and enjoyment.”

“We’re going to win Claude,” Lysithea promised.

“We will emerge victorious,” he repeated, smiling brighter. They all then launched their hands in the air, shouting, “Golden Deer!”

Evangeline looked around. Everyone was amped up to win this fight. She could put her personal feelings aside for this. Grieving Cecil would have to wait. She had a duty to fulfill.

-

Jasmine tried to focus, but her vision seemed to be hazy. She could see the green of the grass and trees, but making out each blade and leaf was proving to be difficult. Was she malnourished? That wasn’t likely. She’d made sure to consume a breakfast high in protein to avoid this exact conundrum.

“Welcome students! To the annual battle of the Eagle and Lion. I would like you all to know that whatever happens, as long as you perform to the best of your capabilities, you will do your house proud,” Rhea spoke, standing on the watch tower of Gronder Field.

“Remember to keep this civilized. Minor wounds only. Anything more will result in a foul and you will be excused for the remainder of the battle. This is more than a test of strength. It should speak to your ability to function as a unit. The whole is more than the sum of its parts,” Seteth announced, shooting a pointed look to the heavier armored units.

“More importantly, it is not just about winning. It is about not losing. While the house that comes in first place will be given the next significant mission as well as excused absence from classes for two days, there is another reward to be handed out. The house that comes in second will have the opportunity to choose between the next two missions, meaning the house that places last will be given the remaining mission,” Seteth concluded.

“And above all, have fun!” Flayn beamed, hunching down when Seteth shooed her away.

“On your marks, get set, begin!” Rhea shouted, making a gentle motion with her hand and allowing a firework to set off in the sky, indicating the start of the battle.

Immediately, the houses went to work with their in-battle preparations. Dimitri and Hanneman ensured that Dedue and he had 2 vulnerarys each and double checked that the rest of his housemates had their necessary items. Edelgard and Byleth checked to see that they had plenty of antitoxin amongst their house and that the vulnerarys were evenly distributed. Claude was in position at his ballista in the middle of the field and he nodded to Shamir who made sure everyone had their shields and were ready to rally.

“Who’s my first target Hilds?” Claude asked, squinting through the bright sunlight and paying attention to the Black Eagles while she covered the Blue Lions.

“Uhhh, Ooh! There! Felix is near the frontlines. Get him!” Hilda cried out, pointing. Claude nodded, took aim, breathed in, and fired a solid iron arrow at the swordsman who yelped at the shock of the blow.

“Alright. Remember the plan. Felix is one of their harder hitters, so taking him down will prove beneficial in the long run. Raphael, Leonie, you two go and take care of him and I’ll cover you from up here. Hilda, give her a defense rally before she does,” Claude ordered.

“Yes sir,” Hilda said, granting the needed stat to her housemate. Leonie thanked her and then she and Raphael were off.

“Okay, n-UGH!”

Claude was cut off by a hearty magic attack that came from seemingly nowhere.

“Oh no, it was Dorothea’s meteor attack!” Evangeline said, rushing over to the house leader’s side. “Here, let me heal you,” she said fervently.

“No,” Claude said instantly, stopping the blonde. “Remember what we decided. Sparingly use the heals. It’s more important to be able to heal whoever’s out there. We’ve only got you and Marianne to do it,” he reminded, coughing through the blow. “I’m on a healing tile. I’ll be okay. Go make sure Leonie doesn’t need help,” he said, and Evangeline frantically nodded.

“Marianne,” Claude called. The blue haired cleric made her way over to the leader with hesitation.

“Remind me how many times Dorothea can do meteor,” he asked.

“Only once more,” Marianne answered softly.

“Okay, I want you to wait to see who she’s going to strike while I try to weaken her from here. If it’s someone on our side, silence her. If it’s someone on the Blue Lions, let her keep her magic. I need you to stay vigilant and decide who’s magic needs to be subdued, okay?” he instructed. Marianne nodded and went to get a good view of both sides.

“Remember guys, if we can get the Black Eagles and Blue Lions to fight each other, we’ll be able to sneak past and try to take out the house leaders in the crossfire,” he said. His housemates nodded in understanding and went to their respective posts.

Lysithea, Evangeline, and Ignatz stood with their backs facing each other in a triangle, ready to go in and hit whoever threatened one of their units, while Hilda stood at the front of their base, ready to tank any non-magic hits.

The Black Eagles appeared to be off to a decent start. While Edelgard did not approve of Dorothea using one of her meteor blasts so early on, it was nice to see Claude caught off guard. ‘Not too surprising though, if I’m honest,’ she tacked as an afterthought.

“As discussed, you will not leave my side,” Edelgard said to Hubert who nodded, ready to defend his lady to his dying breath.

“The ballista is in the center of the battlefield. Claude houses it right now, but if we secure it, we will have a clear advantage,” Edelgard said.

“Caspar, you and Petra fan out and take on anyone who approaches. That way we can clear a path to approach the ballista,” she started.

“Hell yeah! Put me in there!” Caspar said, throwing his axe up in the air and catching it swiftly.

“And by the Goddess Caspar, I do NOT want to see you anywhere near a mage,” she threatened.

“Yeah yeah, I got it. Magic bad, swordsman good. I’m about to mow em down!” he swore, yelping a battle cry as Petra rallied him with resistance and fought to keep up.

“Jasmine, do you feel confident enough in your bow ability to go help them? It would help to do some chip damage so that they may knock the opponent out in one or two strikes,” Edelgard said.

“Yes Edelgard. I’ve been practicing. And even if I feel uneasy in my ability, I always have my fire magic to turn to,” she assured, chasing after Petra and Caspar.

“Linhardt, please keep an eye on Caspar specifically. You may have to use physic, knowing his recklessness,” she asked. The ever-sleepy house member nodded and got himself sheltered but kept a clear view of the blue haired axe wielder.

“Ferdinand, go ahead and be ready to act as reinforcement to Petra and Caspar,” Edelgard instructed. The cavalry unit nodded and did as he was told, letting a luck tonic pour over him.

“Shall I go on the frontlines as well?” Byleth asked the princess.

“I trust you to make the right call. Do what you feel is best,” she answered, focused on making sure she could see everyone to avoid a surprise attack. She’d seen Claude launch an arrow at Felix already and was prepared to avoid those as they moved in.

Over on the Blue Lion side of the field, Dimitri thanked Mercedes for healing Felix from his arrow wound.

“Felix, remember what we discussed,” the prince began. “We decided it was best to let Edelgard’s house engage with Claude first to get him off of the ballista. Our victory-

“Depends on your leadership, I know,” Felix said, feeling dumb for having been the first one hit.

“I don’t mean to chide, honest,” Dimitri said, feeling bad for his childhood friend.

“It’s fine. Just tell me what to do,” the swordsman said, spiffed up from Mercedes’s healing.

‘He’s definitely been kinder to me as of late,’ Dimitri thought, grateful.

“Ashe, have you taken your resistance tonics?” the prince asked.

“Yes your highness. I’m ready to man the frontlines with Sylvain,” Ashe answered.

“Excellent. You two handle Petra and Caspar. They’re nearing our territory,” the prince said. Before he could begin commanding the rest of the house, a yelp from Ashe caught his attention.

Dimitri looked to see that Caspar had thrown a hand axe and yelled, “Bullseye! BaBAM my man! You got FANNED. In the face. With my axe…”

“Caspar, you promised Edelgard to be doing the focusing,” Petra reminded, moving in front of him so as to be ready to deflect counter attacks.

“You good?” Sylvain asked quickly. Ashe nodded and got into a fighting stance with his iron axe, ready to retaliate. He charged toward Caspar, but Petra was ready and protected her housemate before countering at lightning speed, wounding poor Ashe significantly. Sylvain didn’t even blink, but still he missed Petra’s movements completely. The Brigid warrior’s swordsmanship was of eagle-eyed swiftness.

Grunting in pain, Ashe fell to the ground. He attempted to get up, but the wounds proved too great. Just as he thought it was the end of him in this battle, Sylvain picked up the slack and defended him from Caspar’s oncoming attack.

“Not on my watch!” Sylvain said fiercely, countering Caspar, albeit not by much because his steel lance couldn’t fair too great against Caspar’s hand axe.

“Weapons triangle for the win!” Caspar cheered out, striking Sylvain this time.

Mercedes had seen what was going on and quickly let her physic fall onto Ashe who thanked her before standing back up at the ready. At the same time, Nazareth had fired a heal spell from a distance, thanks to the caduceus staff she’d equipped herself with. Sylvain and Ashe were back on track, but still had to deal with the opponents in front of them.

“My resistance tonic won’t last forever,” Ashe reminded Sylvain.

“On it. Take this!” he cried out, jabbing Petra with his lance. While it landed the hit, it didn’t appear to have done much and she quickly countered at that same unbelievable speed, leaving Sylvain weak.

“Sylvain!” Ashe called, worried. He quickly went to attack Petra as well with his iron axe, but she dodged it effortlessly and countered him as well.

“Oof!” Caspar suddenly called out, wincing for a moment. “Can’t pull back yet,” he said, breathing heavily.

Ashe and Sylvain looked to each other, silently asking ‘was that you?’ with their expressions seeing as neither one of them had moved.

“Guys, it was Claude’s ballista!” Annette explained, rushing up and launching a fire spell at Caspar who took the hit and fell to the ground, choking out a “oh no, I told Edelgard I’d stay away from magic.”

He tried to get up, but it was proving difficult after the fire attack.

“Petra, I’m kinda losing focus here,” he said, voice strained. Petra breathed in and made a decision she felt was best. Quickly as she could, the Brigid warrior rallied him in speed to get him out of there, just as Ashe was moving to finish him.

“We did not have the great result,” she said to Caspar sadly as she helped him away. She seemed to be taking most of the blame.

“Don’t blame yourself. It’s my fault for being weak,” he insisted, hobbling off with her and feeling Edelgard’s death glare on him. He’d almost let his house down all because he was on a high.

“Nice shot Annette,” Ashe said, thanking Mercedes as she healed him yet again and then went to heal Sylvain. Annette bowed in acknowledgement of his praise and went back to surveying the field to spot oncoming enemies.

“How are you on healing power Mercedes and Nazareth?” Dimitri asked.

“I can use it twice more your highness,” Mercedes answered.

“I still have four uses left for healing and two for physic,” Nazareth answered.

“Alright. Mercedes, make sure you only use it in critical condition now,” Dimitri instructed.

Over on the Golden Deer end of the field, Claude seemed pleased with Caspar’s condition. ‘An arrow well spent,’ he told himself, deciding who to send to finish the job.

“Uh, Claude, could use some help here,” Hilda said weakly. The house leader looked to their fort in time to see that his retainer had become wounded at Dorothea’s hand. The Black Eagle mage had fired a nasty thunderbolt, leaving Hilda winded. He quickly fired a speedy arrow at the mage and rushed to Hilda’s side.

“Whoa, I feel much better!” she said suddenly, smiling and moving to counterattack Dorothea. The mage expertly dodged it however, and Hilda pouted. She noticed however that her feeling better should be accredited to Marianne who had healed her and then run to a corner.

“I can’t hit anyone though,” she whined, bracing herself for another magic blast, but it never came.

Claude had seen the attack coming and used some wind magic he’d picked up to misdirect the attack, knowing that as offensive magic, it wouldn’t have done much coming from him.

“Thanks Claude!” Hilda beamed, moving to attack Dorothea again, but once again, missed. “UGH this is so annoying,” she whined, throwing her axe on the floor.

“Hilds, focus!” Claude said, worrying for her as Dorothea launched another thunderbolt at his retainer.

“Back away from the ditz!” Lysithea suddenly shouted, launching a wicked miasma at the Black Eagle mage. Dorothea fell down at the impact and winced.

She thought she may have to retreat, but Petra was suddenly at her side and deflected the oncoming arrow Claude was launching in her direction so that it landed in a tree.

“Thanks Petra,” Dorothea said, thanking Linhardt as well for healing her.

“I could not be protecting Caspar good, but your back is what I have!” Petra cried, going straight for Marianne who shrieked as she was slashed with Petra’s sword.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not good enough…Forgive me Claude,” the blue haired cleric said softly, moving to retreat.

“You’ll pay for that!” Hilda cried out, moving to pick her axe up and attack Petra. The attack wasn’t even close to landing this time, and Hilda was becoming more and more frustrated. “I have the worst luck!” she shouted bitterly.

Petra blinked in confusion and shrugged. “Counterattack!” she shouted, moving to slash Hilda. While the attack made contact, Hilda’s armor was not to be trifled with, and Petra stumbled back from the impact.

“Leave damaging her to me Petra,” Dorothea winked. But before the mage could do as planned, another arrow from Claude struck her and she cursed in pain.

“New plan, fall back like Edelgard said. We’ll be of no use to her in pieces,” Dorothea said. Petra agreed and the two started falling back, trying to catch up with Caspar.

“Should we go after them?” Hilda asked Claude.

“You should go to the healing tile. You’re still in bad shape from the lightning. Evangeline and I will handle it,” he said.

“But we’re out a healer,” Evangeline protested. “If I go with you, who will heal those who need it?” she asked.

“I’ve got it. You guys go,” Lysithea insisted.

“Claude, I read the strategy notes and memorized the map. It makes more sense if Lysithea goes with you, and I stay back to guard the fort. My healing magic is stronger than hers while her reason magic is stronger than mine,” Evangeline proposed. The house leader considered this for a moment before shaking his head. 

“Lysithea can handle healing just fine with Hilda on the restoration tile, and her magic will scare away anyone who approaches the ballista. Hilda can’t tank hits for me right now, so I need your healing magic. Let’s go,” he said, the blonde following his order.

“Claude,” Evangeline said as they charged after Petra and Dorothea. “If they get too close to their house, we have to stop. Hubert’s dark magic isn’t a joke,” she warned.

“Heard,” Claude winked, firing an arrow at Dorothea and smiling when it was a bullseye.

“Claude’s retainer is not longer here! I shall attack,” Petra said, moving in front of Dorothea and holding her sword out in front of her in warning. “You should be rushing for healing,” she said to the songstress behind her. Dorothea didn’t waste any time and began to head back, when she suddenly felt an intense heat blast and fell to the ground once more, seemingly out of commission.

“Damn it! Not here…I can’t quit now. Sorry Eeide. Sorry Byleth,” she said in sorrow, moving to retreat from the battlefield.

“Nice shot,” Claude said to the triumphant blonde.

“I actually took someone out!” Evangeline said happily, accepting praise. Her glee was short lived however, and she screamed as Petra came at her with a sword attack.

“Not on my watch,” Claude said, blocking the attack and countering with a mini bow that Petra dodged easily.

“It’s impossible to hit her. She’s too fast,” Claude said, impressed.

“Let me try,” Evangeline said, firing off another fire spell as fast as she could. Petra expertly dodged the spell and countered with a sharp sword attack; eyes void of emotion. The warrior was on a mission to avenge her teammate.

“Ah!” Evangeline cried, badly wounded. “I think this might be it for me,” she said weakly.

“Now Glenn!” Felix directed, and the Blue Lion brothers charged ahead, straight for Petra. Felix rallied Glenn in speed and watched as he slashed at Petra, effectively hitting her.

“Damn, he actually matched her speed,” Claude whistled, helping Evangeline up and getting away before they could be attacked while the blonde was down.

“Petra!” Bernadetta cried from the other end of the field, debating coming to help.

“Do not be coming here! I will handle it,” Petra assured, moving to counterattack Glenn and smiling when she got a critical hit.

“Oh gods,” Glenn groaned, holding his side. “Wish I could stay to help little bro, but I think I should leave to fight another day,” he said, moving to retreat, much to Felix’s displeasure.

“You’ll pay for that!” Felix said to Petra, fired up with energy as he moved to attack her. He successfully landed a hit with his sword thanks to Annette’s rally from earlier, but it still wasn’t enough to take her out. She did seem significantly wounded at least.

“I will not falter in the moves,” Petra swore, still holding her stance. It was then that she felt energized once more and smiled victoriously. “I give you the thanks Linhardt,” she said, circling in on Felix and landing a powerful hit on him.

“Ah!” Felix cried, cursing. ‘Glenn can’t have retreated for nothing. I’ve got to finish her. She’s one of our biggest obstacles,’ Felix thought, trying to quell his frustration. That wouldn’t do his swordsmanship any favors.

“I’ve got you Felix!” Nazareth called, healing him from a distance thanks to her fated staff. It would have been cause to celebrate were it not for Petra coming right at her. ‘Oh no. Oh god. She’s so scary. She looks like she might kill me!’ Nazareth thought, paralyzed with fear.

“Take this!” Lysithea cried, firing off a miasma at the Brigid warrior who grunted from the blow. Evangeline and Claude returned to the scene, the blonde healed and was ready to go again.

‘I cannot believe I missed the magic!’ Petra thought, not having been so negligent throughout the battle. She was growing uneasy as people seemed to surround her.

“I’m coming Petra!” Bernadetta said unsurely, deciding to muster up the courage to help. She fired an arrow at Lysithea and seemed surprised when it actually hit her target.

In the commotion, Nazareth had established more distance and launched a cutting gale at Petra while she was distracted. It hit her mark, and she mentally praised her accuracy. Petra was close to quits now, and prayed for strength to carry on. Felix nodded at Nazareth in approval of her wind magic before moving to finish the job as he neared Petra for hopefully the last time this battle.

“Bernadetta use your fussilade gambit NOW,” Edelgard shouted, fury igniting in her eyes. ‘Petra needs help and I am too far. As long as Bernadetta can cause a distraction, she can get herself and Petra to safety,’ she thought with worry.

“I-I forgot it. I’m sorry I-EEK!” Bernadetta shrieked. She’d been struck by Evangeline’s fire spell and finished off by Claude’s arrow. At the same time, Felix had landed a direct hit to Petra, effectively taking her out.

“I’ve gotta retreat. I’m sorry Edelgard!” Bernadetta yelped, scurrying off the battlefield much to the house leader’s anger.

“I did not grab the victory. Forgive me Edelgard,” Petra said solemnly.

Edelgard was furious, but couldn’t even dwell on the loss of her two house members because there was a threat to deal with at the moment. Claude and Evangeline had time to recover, and Felix, Ashe, and Sylvain were coming right for their holding. It wasn’t looking good for her house and her frustration was growing.

Caspar stood at the front of the hold along with Ferdinand, both at the ready to neutralize the threat. Jasmine saw that Nazareth was close and grew worried. From the beginning of the battle, she felt her strength was lacking. Now that her sister was in her sights, it was dwindling further. Her magic was weak and so was her mental ability.

“You absolute idiot,” Felix snarled, approaching Caspar. The Black Eagle student didn’t falter to his credit, but internally he was panicking. “If anything happens to that book, I’ll know,” he said under his breath, striking the boy with his iron sword.

“Back away Felix you brute!” Ferdinand said, moving in front of Caspar to block the hit. Caspar shot a grateful look to his housemate before moving to counter. Felix let out a sound of frustration from being stricken by the imbecile and moved to extract revenge, but Ferdinand went to strike before he could. Luckily, Felix avoided the hit by ducking to the left and smiled victoriously. 

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time you absolute cad,” Felix said in disgust, moving in on the orange haired cavalier. Ferdinand scoffed at the insult and readied his lance, but Felix was too quick. He landed a hit and smirked.

“I knew you weren’t man enough to face me,” Felix taunted, pleased when Ferdinand’s demeanor faltered.

“I’ve got ya man!” Caspar insisted, moving to swing at Felix again. Felix, not giving the hyper boy enough credit, didn’t anticipate the attack landing and fell.

“Ugh, I…don’t think I can take much more of this…” he said, trying to get up before Ferdinand could finish the job. Before he could brace for impact, he was bathed in a white light and looked up in confusion as Nazareth’s healing magic had a blue tinge to it. He was fully healed but if it wasn’t Nazareth’s doing, then who was responsible for this? Had Mercedes ventured this far out into the field?

“Evangeline, what are you doing?!” Lysithea demanded in anger. The blonde’s cheeks were turning scarlet in embarrassment, and she could barely stand upright.

“I-I’m sorry. I thought we were on the same team!” she sputtered. Claude wasn’t angry, but he wasn’t too thrilled either.

“Go back to the ballista. Gather your bearings. Shake it off,” he commanded. Evangeline nodded, blinking away tears.

‘Did Evangeline really heal this miscreant? Just so he wouldn’t have to retreat?’ Ferdinand thought, a lance piercing through his heart. It quickly morphed into a fire and his eyes suddenly began to match his hair. Hot anger coursed through his being, and he held his lance up threateningly.

“Say your prayers Felix. Because I’m glad Evangeline healed you. It will make taking you out all the more satisfying. Taste mother earth vile fribble!” he cried out, charging right for Felix. Nazareth went to try and defend her housemate, but Sylvain held her back, shaking his head.

Felix was expecting to be pierced by a lance, but Ferdinand wasn’t holding one. Instead, his hand was ignited by a blaze of yellow and red, the shades matching what the cavalier felt on the inside. Felix’s eyes widened as it was a critical, purposeful hit. The swordsman was out.

“Can’t…move. Can’t lift my weapon any longer,” he said through gritted teeth. Sylvain sighed and helped Felix up, giving him a sad smile.

“Down and out?” The playboy asked. Felix nodded, wordlessly retreating from the battlefield. He’d avenged Glenn. That was enough for him to not feel like a total failure.

“C’mon Naz, I think it’s best if we fall back,” Sylvain said, ushering the brunette back toward the rest of the Blue Lion house. But this time it was Nazareth who shook her head. There was a fire in her eyes that mirrored the one in Ferdinand’s just moments ago.

“What are you doing?! If Edelgard gets down here, it’s game over for us both. This isn’t what Dimitri would want,” Sylvain warned.

“This won’t take long,” Nazareth said with a hardness to her voice that Sylvain hadn’t expected. ‘You don’t want to believe me Jasmine? Well, this will make you hear me,’ Nazareth thought, holding up the caduceus staff with both hands and taking a deep breath.

Sylvain watched in awe as the wind seemed to pick up all around them. It gathered into a mini typhoon with a blue hue right above Naz and then went into the silver staff she bore. The air felt oddly cold around them as a result.

 The brunette looked right at Jasmine who was behind both Caspar and Ferdinand. Jasmine looked afraid of Nazareth’s staff, and she moved to try and find shelter, but it was too late. Nazareth aimed the staff just so, and fired the icy wind blast right at Jasmine. The Fimbulvetr spell whooshed past Caspar and Ferdinand and landed right at Jasmine. The blast was so strong, it lifted Jasmine up and brought her right to Nazareth.

“Still think the blood splice theory is made up?” Nazareth whispered to her sister before her.

“Naz, take it easy. I’ll…retreat,” Jasmine offered, weak from the blast. ‘There’s no way she’ll attack me again when I’m like this, will she?!’ Jasmine thought, panicking.

“I don’t want you to retreat! I want you to believe me!” Nazareth screamed, moving to send another Fimbulvetr on her sister, but Sylvain stopped her.

“Easy there bluey,” Sylvain said, laughing dryly as he dragged the brunette away from the Black Eagle holding. Edelgard was starting to march down the steps and the last thing they needed was an axe to the face. That, and Jasmine already said she’d retreat. There was no need to add insult to injury.

“Let me go,” Nazareth said to Sylvain, her stormy eyes welling with tears. Taking her back to the Blue Lion holding was proving to be difficult with her squirming, but Sylvain kept at it.

Unfortunately, a certain bowman took advantage of the predicament and fired a flaming arrow right at Nazareth who got pierced in the arm. Sylvain immediately turned to see Claude back at the ballista and groaned. ‘Great. Just when I think we’re out of the woods,’ he thought, trying to get out of his line of sight.

It wasn’t looking too good for them however, because Lysithea and Hilda were nearing them, with the former firing up a swarm spell. If that hit Nazareth, she was sure to be out of commission.

Hilda came for them first, but Sylvain blocked her attack easily enough, much to her annoyance. The same couldn’t be said for Lysithea’s spell as it made impact with Nazareth who fell to her knees, eyes cascading with tears now.

“I didn’t hurt you too bad, did I?” Lysithea asked, suddenly feeling bad.

“N-no. I just wasn’t good enough. I think I better head out,” Nazareth said, apologizing to Sylvain and dragging herself off in the opposite direction Jasmine had gone. The last thing she needed was to be next to the very person causing her inner turmoil.

-

The battle was coming to an end, with each house having lost a significant number of units.

Dimitri, Dedue, Sylvain, and Ingrid remained on the Blue Lions side. Claude, Ignatz, Lysithea, Evangeline, and Hilda remained on the Golden Deer end. And on the Black Eagle side it was Edelgard, Byleth, Hubert, and Caspar remaining.

All units were in range of each other. It was close, but Edelgard was on her guard. She and the Blue Lions were at a disadvantage. The frustration was only growing as it was the house she least expected to be a threat that had the advantage over them. Losing to Dimitri wouldn’t be nearly as humiliating.

All the movements were happening so quickly now. Arrows were being fired, magic was being casted, and weapons were being wielded. Edelgard saw a nasty blizzard spell heading for Caspar and tried to warn him, but it was too late. He’d been hit.

“Aw nuts, I thought for sure the war paint would blend me in with the grass,” Caspar said, retreating from the battlefield.

“You used black paint,” Hubert judged in disgust and annoyance as he watched the hyper boy take his leave.

“I did it!” Ignatz said happily, proud of his ice magic.

“Well done, Ignatz,” Claude praised, his bow at the ready, aimed right at Hubert. The mage went into a defensive stance, feeling his adrenaline begin to pump.

‘Better I than Lady Edelgard,’ he thought, hoping to resist the attack from the joke of the school.

Claude took aim and was about to shoot when Lysithea began to warn him about an attack coming in from Ingrid. He considered changing course, but Hilda came in between them and took the blonde’s lance attack. Ingrid stumbled back from the impact of Hilda’s armor and gladly took Sylvain’s help in gaining distance.

Claude took that distraction as his chance to fire an arrow at Hubert, which met its mark. The mage took a knee and cursed before opening a vulnerary over himself to heal quickly and casting a miasma spell back at the bowman. Claude took the hit head on and grunted, prepared to counter strike. Lysithea however, stopped him and claimed they should turn their efforts toward Byleth, seeing as he was a bigger threat.

“Good call. Evangeline, you step back and be ready to heal. Hilda, take the front lines. Lysithea, tank any magic hits people try to throw at her. Ignatz, you’re here for chip damage with me, stay close,” Claude instructed. Everyone took their positions in a pyramid formation.

The remaining Blue Lions saw this strategy and looked to Dimitri for guidance.

“Alright. Edelgard only has Byleth and Hubert left, but do not underestimate them. The professor is a worthy adversary and we will need all of our strength to beat him, especially when he is backed by Edelgard,” the prince said quickly, arranging them in a formation as well. He and Dedue would now lead the charge, with Sylvain and Ingrid right behind.

“Ingrid, when you see an opening, I want you to try and take Hilda out with Sylvain’s help. She is our biggest obstacle on that side. Without her, we’ll be able to land hits on other house members without worrying about her taking them. That way, we can eliminate Evangeline. Without her healing, they will finally be on similar standing as us,” he said. The prince then looked to Dedue and had a silent conversation with him on their expectations.

“We may be lesser in number, but we can very well still win,” he said, and with that, they drew near the Golden Deer house.

Dimitri and Dedue approached, expecting Hilda to come as guard for her housemates, which she did. Sylvain and Ingrid quickly came to the front and with a swift tempest lance from Sylvain, Hilda was weak enough to be finished off by Ingrid, who did the same technique. The poor armored knight went tumbling down with a clang and whined from being ambushed.

“Guess that’s it for me. I’ll just go…rest up or something. You got this Claude!” she said, moving to lethargically retreat away.

“Excellent work,” Dimitri praised his friends, tanking an arrow from Claude that almost hit Ingrid.

It seemed to be evening out on the battlefield, until professor Byleth began charging toward the Golden Deer house. Ingrid and Sylvain took their place behind Dimitri and Dedue, rightfully cautious of the mercenary.

Byleth seemed to move as the wind did-there was no direct path. There was only one purpose-divide and conquer. His skills shone as he leveraged a levin sword out in front of him, a deadly weapon of choice. He seemed to be approaching Ignatz, but right as the mercenary’s sword went to strike Ignatz, he sensed Lysithea’s magic attack and swiftly dodged it before taking the mage out in one slash.

“Seems…I may have…overestimated the enemy,” she choked out, having suffered a nasty gash. “Good luck,” she said briskly before retreating in slight embarrassment.

Everyone was on edge after that display, but clearly not cautious enough because Byleth’s eyes were void of mercy. Edelgard watched in awe as he delivered a fake out strategy by moving to strike Claude who was being defended by his remaining house members, and then quickly moved to utilize his Levin sword’s range by casting a nasty thunder spell right at Dedue, who again, fell in one fatal strike.

“A critical hit,” Evangeline breathed in both awe and fear, her form glowing from the aftershock of the thunder that the professor shot. Her body was frozen, though all she willed to do was attack the professor before he could set his sights on her.

“I’ve failed…my apologies your highness. I could not fulfill my duty,” Dedue said, taking his leave.

Dimitri’s hair stood on his arm; nerves abuzz. Hearing about Byleth’s exploits was one thing. Seeing the professor fight opposite him on the battlefield was another. Dedue, his most trusted retainer, had been reduced to nearly nothing after one simple blow.

‘My teacher will lead us to victory like I knew he would. It is not because of our friendship, but the trust I place in him,’ Edelgard thought, her heart blazing with a fire that was ready to end this battle and bask in victory. She was more than pleased at how everyone seemed to be afraid to approach their remaining trio.

“Hubert, you are to guard me from Evangeline’s magic. She is the only true threat that remains to me. Byleth, no matter what, you will stay on the offensive, understood?” Edelgard commanded. The two nodded, taking on their roles as Byleth scoped out his next target.

“Dimitri, Byleth is too fast. He’s too strong. What do we do?” Sylvain asked, taking on Dedue’s role as the prince’s guard. While he was also weary, his appearance did not give that away.

“We eliminate Hubert and Evangeline first. With any luck, outnumbering him will be our savior,” Dimitri said, voice steady as he fought to lead his house to victory. If that was possible.

Byleth narrowed his eyes at Evangeline, knowing he should take her out next. The blonde’s eyes widened, and she quickly took a resistance tonic before putting everything she had into dodging the professor’s attack.

“Ignatz, now!” Claude shouted. Ignatz slapped on his leather shield and fired a glass arrow at Byleth who barely flinched from the hit. ‘Geez, is this guy even human?’ Claude thought, fearing this was a worse opponent than Petra. Regardless, he also took his chance and fired a steel arrow at the professor who took slightly more damage this time.

Evangeline moved behind Claude and Ignatz, their formation a triangle now. Byleth, unwavering in stance, moved in on Evangeline next, ready to power through the other two if he had to. Just as his sword went to make contact, Ignatz threw himself in front of it and yelped as Byleth’s sword took yet another unit out in one blow.

“I’m so sorry. He’s just too powerful,” Ignatz said, moving to retreat.

“He saved me,” Evangeline breathed, still in shock from the quickness of it all.

“He did it so I’d still have a healer and mage. Get ready. He can’t have done it in vain,” Claude warned, and the two stood back-to-back, ready to face Byleth with everything they had.

Just as they were about to be at the mercy of Byleth’s sword, the professor turned around instinctively and couldn’t believe his eyes. Sylvain and Ingrid were approaching Edelgard and Hubert while Dimitri was headed this way.

‘Hubert can’t withstand attacks from them both. Edelgard needs my help. Dimitri can take care of them on his own, and then taking him out with Edelgard will be feasible,’ Byleth thought, moving to change course.

‘You can’t! You promised her royal highness that you’d stay on the offensive. She’d want you to wipe out the Golden Deer!’ Sothis chided, trying to change his mind. Byleth shook his head and continued on his path to change course. ‘I don’t care. I can’t just stand by knowing she’ll lose that fight,’ Byleth said, mind made up.

Just as he reached the princess, Hubert had fallen from Ingrid’s tempest lance. Sylvain was praising her for picking up the art so quickly when he panicked seeing Byleth right behind them. They were now sandwiched between Edelgard and Byleth-a place no one would ever want to be.

“Sylvain, what do we do?” Ingrid asked, voice wavering slightly. Her initial plan was not going to work with enemies on either end. Dimitri was too far to get to them in time to help.

Sylvain fought to think of something. Edelgard’s armor was not going to be easy to get through, and her highness’s hits were going to be brutal at worst. Their steel lances weren’t going to help, and Byleth was an entirely different category. Internally groaning in frustration as he’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, the flame haired boy faced Ingrid, hoping she’d pour her trust in him now.

“Rally me in strength, NOW,” Sylvain ordered. The blonde was unsure of how exactly that would help them. There was no time to debate it, so she did as he asked. ‘I hope he knows what he’s doing,’ she thought worriedly. 

‘With the crest of Gautier, I Sylvain Jose Gautier will fulfill my duty to wield this weapon as the heir of Laetita, the first Margrave of Gautier before me had,’ Sylvain thought bitterly, swapping out his weapon to Ingrid’s utter shock.

‘He’s really using it…?’ she thought, watching as her friend pulled out the Lance of Ruin and with an utterly focused expression, moved to strike Edelgard. As he held the weapon in front of him, the lance slowly bathed in a light that covered his whole body and obstructed Ingrid’s view. Her green eyes were widened in shock as she wondered what the outcome of this fight would be.

Seconds passed that felt like eons to the remaining units. Even the Golden Deer house had paused in their movements to witness this turning of the tide.

Eventually, the light petered out and…professor Byleth was on the ground before them. Ingrid fought her confusion and came to the conclusion that professor Byleth must have braved the attack for Edelgard before it made contact.

Sylvain stood in front of the professor, too stunned to speak. The lance was more powerful than he thought if it was able to take out the mercenary so quickly, although he had been damaged by a few arrows before. Still, Sylvain was unable to move, in awe of the lance that brought him this victory.

“I knew…you were meant to have it,” Byleth said, voice strained, but his pride was evident in his expression. Sylvain swallowed, trying to process this.

“You’ve done your house proud,” Byleth praised, moving to stand and pat Sylvain’s shoulder. “But you’ve done your lineage and I prouder,” Byleth said, taking his retreat.

“Sylvain, that was incredible,” Ingrid praised. Her housemate unfortunately still seemed to be in a state of shock.

Edelgard was furious beyond explanation. ‘I told him to STAY on the offensive and what did he do?! He wasted his talent and efforts on defending me when it WASN’T HIS JOB!’ she thought, fuming in anger. The imperial princess clenched her tomahawk and furiously took on a fighting stance. She would not lose this battle. She’d win it on her own if she had to, which now seemed to be case.

“Sylvain, move!” Ingrid cried out worriedly, as Edelgard went to attack. Sylvain turned around and tried to block Edelgard’s attack, but her anger proved to be a worthy ally as her axe made contact.

“Oof!” Sylvain said, pained. Ingrid quickly stood in front of him, trying to shift the house leader’s focus away.

“You’re not what I’m after,” Edelgard said, sneering at Ingrid as if she were gum at the bottom of her shoe. The princess still took aim at Sylvain and was ready to finish him off when Ingrid made a game time decision.

“Sylvain, it’s up to you and Dimitri now,” the blonde said, rallying him in resistance before taking Edelgard’s finishing attack head on. Edelgard’s anger was rising, seeing as her target had evaded the attack meant for him.

“Thanks Ingrid,” Sylvain said gratefully, watching the girl retreat. Now each side, save for Edelgard, had two units left. It was still anyone’s fight, but the advantage went to Claude.

“You’re next,” Edelgard swore, moving in on Sylvain. Before she could, Dimitri caught up and obstructed the attack by tossing a javelin at Edelgard’s hand. It worked and Edelgard’s axe fell to the floor.

Claude and Evangeline looked to one another before nodding and running over to the commotion. “This ends here,” Claude said as they arrived at the scene.

“Evangeline, now,” Claude said, as the blonde lit Claude’s arrow on fire and he launched it at the imperial princess. Edelgard took the hit and grunted, trying to shake it off.

“Sylvain, go heal. I’ll handle this for now,” Dimitri ordered, holding his brave lance at the ready.

“I fear this is the end for you,” Dimitri said to Evangeline, voice a kind warning. The blonde gulped, ready to accept her fate. She’d done enough.

“Not on my watch princey,” Claude said with a sideways smile, sheltering Evangeline from the attack by pushing her to the side. He narrowly avoided the blow himself.

“But perhaps on mine,” Edelgard called, and just as her tomahawk went to strike Evangeline, Claude moved to help her again, but was unable to get out of the way in time himself.

“Well, I didn’t expect that. Call it a stalemate?” Claude said, wincing through a smile at Edelgard. The Black Eagle leader scoffed, unsurprised.

“It’s up to you now. You could never let me down, but don’t throw in the towel kay?” he asked Evangeline as he retreated.

“I’ll do you proud Claude,” Evangeline said, feeling a surge of courage and pressure on her shoulders. ‘Good thing I saved this one,’ she thought, prepping her strongest magic while establishing distance so as not to get caught in whatever was about to go down between the remaining house leaders.

“Looks like we face each other at last,” Dimitri said, bowing to Edelgard in respect before they went head-to-head.

“Looks like it,” Edelgard said, moving to attack him. The prince took her axe with aplomb and countered with his brave lance, thankful to consider Edelgard’s lack of speed. Despite this, his attacks did not do nearly as much damage as he’d anticipated during training sessions.

Evangeline watched both house leaders go back and forth, with growing anxiety. What was she to do? She could easily take Edelgard out, but being left with both Sylvain and Dimitri to deal with was not an ideal scenario for her lithe self.

Sylvain was in range for her to fire an attack his way, but then she’d be left with two house leaders to face, which wasn’t much better of a situation.

She watched as Edelgard landed a hit on Dimitri once more. The prince couldn’t handle much more of it. Struck with an idea, the blonde prepared her fire and waited for Edelgard to counter strike the prince. As she did, Evangeline cast her fire spell at Dimitri, effectively taking him out.

Dimitri accepted his fate and backed away from the field. “So, this is my fate. I have no choice but to accept defeat,” the prince said, trusting the rest to Sylvain.

Only one from each house now remained. Evangeline had adrenaline coursing through her, not wanting Claude and Ignatz’s sacrifices to be in vain. ‘This is for the Golden Deer and for Ingrid!’ the blonde thought, recalling how her friend had taken the hit for her own housemate.

“No openings? I’ll make one!” the blonde suddenly shouted, casting her dazzling Sagittae at an unsuspecting Edelgard who took the hit directly. Evangeline, hopped up on speed, fired another right after, the fire mirrored in her eyes. A critical hit.

Edelgard fought tears that began to form. She blinked them away faster than any attack fired on the battlefield today. “To be left standing only to fall…unacceptable,” she said bitterly, taking her leave and naming her house the first to be down and out completely.

It was just Sylvain and Evangeline remaining. The blonde didn’t need to be told that if she was hit with that fated lance even once, it was all over for her.

“Sorry cutie. You’ll have to settle for second place,” Sylvain said, fully healed and raring to go. But Evangeline was not one to back down. Her magic was at its highest and her health was full. All she had to do was out speed Sylvain and victory could very well belong to the Golden Deer.

The blonde readied her fire, knowing she was on its last use. After that, she’d have to use the pitiful bronze lance she’d borrowed from Ingrid during training sessions.

“You may have the Lance of Ruin, but I still have some magic left,” she said bravely, launching fire right at the boy. It hit him directly.

Sylvain tried to shake it off quickly and counter, but Evangeline’s speed must have been rallied from earlier because she fired another one in tandem with the first. The blonde grinned, knowing this victory was in the bag.

Sylvain took a breath and tried to remember what to do in a situation like this. She had a good amount of distance from him. The lance wasn’t going to be much help if he had to close the space and strike in the same wind.

“Did I forget to mention that I’ve got magic too?” Sylvain suddenly asked with a playful wink. He swapped his lance out for some thunder magic and readied himself, ready to put a stop to this.

“We shall see whose magic prevails then,” Evangeline said, knowing it all came down to this. “But do not think I forgot that spells are not your specialty.”

“Astute. But I’ll still take my chances,” Sylvain teased, conjuring up some of the magic himself, prepared to strike.

Evangeline’s blood ran cold at the word Sylvain used. ‘What the Fodland is wrong with me?! Why can’t I move?!’ Evangeline wondered, frozen from a familiar feeling.

“Astute…ah, you’re a very well read one aren’t you?...well read indeed Evangeline…you remind me of her…of Marigold.”

Sir Cecil. He’d said that to her. He’d trusted her. Her pathetic curiosity led to his untimely demise.

‘I have to shake it off! I’ve got to fo-

Evangeline cried out as her body felt the familiar tingle and shock of thunder magic.

She’d failed.

“Hey, let me know if you want any private training sessions, not that you need em. You fought well,” Sylvain said, smiling and reaching his hand out to help Evangeline up. The blonde took it wordlessly and allowed him to help. It was over before she could even process what had fully happened.

A response wasn’t needed anyhow. Gronder Field erupted in cheers and Rhea had released hundreds of fireworks in the air. The Blue Lions were jumping and clapping and embracing one another, congratulating themselves to a tremendous degree.

Evangeline drowned it all out, unable to fully understand what had just happened.

Claude and Hilda barreled into her, both carrying proud smiles.

“Evangeline, you’re so that girl right now,” Hilda beamed, crushing her in a hug.

“You did the house proud,” Claude said in approval.

“Evangeline?” Hilda asked in concern, noticing she wasn’t reacting.

The blonde suddenly took a deep breath, her eyes dazed. “Yes. I’m. Thanks,” she said finally. The weariness from earlier this morning came crashing down, hard.

“Do you need to see the nurse?” Claude asked, picking up the vibe that everything was far from okay.

“No no,” Evangeline said quickly, adjusting to reality. She’d lost the battle. The Blue Lions won. “I just…need some air. I’ll catch up with you guys later,” she said, moving to head back to the monastery.

“Are you sure you don’t want anyone to go with you?” Claude asked.

“More than sure. I’ll see you guys at the Blue Lions celebration banquet tonight,” she insisted, trekking back.

-

The air of celebration was strong within the Blue Lion house. Once Edelgard was out, those on the sidelines had been cheering fiercely for the prince and Sylvain. And once Dimitri had fallen, they all cheered their lungs off for Sylvain.

“When Ingrid performed back-to-back temptest lances?! That was crazy!” Ashe said in awe as he and Annette headed to the banquet.

The young knight-to-be was decked out in dark gray slacks, his hair styled in a fashion neater than usual, but clearly in a rush. Annette was adorned in a peach gown made of lace, her hair in more traditional braids for the evening.

“I know! And when Sylvain started using the Lance of Ruin?! How incredible,” Annette mused, as she walked into the dining hall, hand in hand with Ashe.

The grand dining hall was filled with festive lights, trays upon trays of food, and live music. All the Blue Lions were already there, high fiving each other, admiring their outfits, and recalling their favorite moments of the battle.

“Ashe, Annette! You made it. How about some drinks, to celebrate me,” Sylvain said, handing them each a hearty glass of wine.

“Subtle,” Felix snorted, dodging a punch from Ingrid.

The two younger members of the house happily accepted the cups and drank the pomegranate-colored beverage. They moved to try and scan the food options, but Sylvain quickly refilled their glasses and told them to loosen up, to which they shrugged and did so.

“I give it two more until they’re bouncing off the walls,” Glenn mused, sipping slowly at his own wine glass. Ingrid shook her head, leaning against Glenn. The battle had worn her out, and changing into her mint green colored ensemble wasn’t helping.

Nazareth smiled as much as she could manage upon seeing the décor of the dining hall. Her house had won. She should be happier, but the weight of what she’d done to Jasmine was contributing to a grand sense of ennui.

Even being able to wear her icy blue formal gown hadn’t cheered her up, no matter how sparkly the bodice was. ‘I was way too harsh. I pushed too hard. How was that going to get Jasmine to hear me?’  the brunette thought, setting her untouched drink down on the table behind her. She hardly had an appetite. Coming here was seeming to be more and more of a bad idea.

Dimitri noticed that Nazareth seemed to be down and went over to see if he could brighten her mood. As fate would have it, before he could get close, Nazareth had run toward the door and left the hall.

‘I fear I missed my chance,’ Dimitri thought.

“Missed your lady in distress?” Sylvian asked knowingly, bumping the prince’s shoulder.

“If it isn’t the man of the hour himself,” Dimitri replied, smiling proudly at his closest friend. Sylvain rolled his eyes, clearly humble in regard to his win despite his antics.

“So we’re gonna pretend like we don’t hear the stuff that the Black Eagles are saying under their breath, huh?” Sylvain mused, handing the prince a drink. It seemed to be his unspoken job. Dimitri accepted the chalice and sipped its contents.

“I will not pretend to be blind as to how we had a bit of an advantage in many forms,” Dimitri said with some consideration.

“Many forms? The only advantage we had was the Lance of Ruin,” Sylvain said, finishing off his champagne.

“Ah, but we were greater in number as well. We had one unit more than the other two houses,” Dimitri pointed out. “Nazareth enrolled for classes at the academy last minute.”

“True,” Sylvain said. “But we can’t deny how Byleth nearly swept the board.”

“Indeed,” Dimitri agreed. “I would hate to be the opposite of his blade in a real battle.”

“I wanted to ask you something,” Sylvain said, changing course. He set his glass down on a tray and contemplated the phrasing before saying, “Do you ever…hear your parents voices? When you use the lance, you used…back then?”

“Are you asking if I remember them in battle?” Dimitri asked.

“No, not really. I mean, do they talk to you?” Sylvain asked.

“Sylvain, did you hear Miklan’s voice?” Dimitri asked, realizing what his friend was getting at.

“I’m not sure if I really heard it or if it was a trick based on the memories of my past,” Sylvain confessed. He seemed to be telling the truth in being unsure.

“What exactly did he say if you don’t mind my asking?” Dimitri asked.

“Oh, you know Miklan. He was all ‘I love you lil bro. Give Mom and Dad my regards. By the way, I regret every horrible thing I did to you growing up!’” Sylvain mocked, the sarcasm oozing out of him.

Dimitri crossed his arms and gave Sylvain a pointed look.

“Sorry. It’s just. You’d think I’d be over it by now, right?” Sylvain asked with a forced chuckle. Dimitri looked at Sylvain as though he’d grown a second head.

“No, I wouldn’t,” the prince said incredulously. “Sylvain, your brother is gone from this world. Whatever your feelings toward him were, there is still a process of grieving to happen. That, and it did not happen that long ago,” Dimitri said, still not believing Sylvain’s perception of the situation.

“How are you supposed to grieve someone you hated? All I’ve gotten for thinking about him is being haunted by his stupid voice,” Sylvain said bitterly.

“I suppose the same way one moves on from someone they may have thought they loved,” Dimitri said, though his voice seemed elsewhere, as were his thoughts.

“Uh, who are you talking about there Dimitri?” Sylvain asked, briefly distracted as his familiar grin was taking over his features. The prince jolted back to Sylvain’s predicament at once.

“That is neither here nor there,” Dimitri said, straightening his tunic. “What’s important is that you should be proud of your victory and enjoy the festivities tonight,” he said, moving to grab some food.  “Oh! And process Miklan. Yes. Very important,” Dimitri added before moving out of Sylvain’s line of sight.

Sylvain watched him go, suppressing laughter. ‘Man, for a prince, he has NO game,’ Sylvain thought.

“It would appear that congratulations are in order~”

Sylvain smiled sincerely for the first time all day.

“I was wondering when I’d get to see you,” he said, drinking in the enchantress that the world called Dorothea.

Rich brown hair was curled into perfect ringlets, clipped with what looked to be real gold leaves. Her immaculate figure was concealed by a gorgeous gown of black and gold, the puff sleeves drawing attention to how even her shoulders appeared to be artfully sculpted. The songstress’s pouty lips were painted a deep, sinful red and they were curled into the prettiest little smirk for our resident playboy.

Her dress may have been the same colors as the monastery uniform, but it was clearly to give every other girl a chance of standing out next to the beauty.

“Are you going to stare at me all night or is the winner of the mock battle going to serve his queen a drink?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes in a trained fashion.

“Who says I can’t do both?” Sylvain asked, eyes not leaving her as he grabbed a drink that one of the dining hall staff was serving from a tray. He offered it to her, gaze unmoving, much to her pleasure.

“How does it feel?” Dorothea asked, miraculously not leaving a red stain on her glass.

“To look at the goddess reincarnated?” Sylvain asked suavely. Dorothea shook her head at the boy affectionately.

“To be at the top of Edelgard’s hitlist,” she sassed, moving into his space.

 Their faces were so close, they left no room for Sothis.

“I’ll be on every hit list,” Sylvain breathed, wanting, craving, needing her all day. And now here she was. “Just please let me…”

“Let you what?” Dorothea mocked, using her most innocent tone. She jutted her bottom lip out ever so slightly for good measure.

“You know what,” he said, his gaze burning a hole in her eyes.

“Tsk tsk Sylvie. You need to learn to control yourself. There are so many people watching,” she chided playfully, stepping away much to his displeasure.

“Dorothea Arnault, you are gonna kill me,” he said, leaning back into his easy demeanor now that she wasn’t so close.

“Better me than Edelgard, no?” She said in her sultry tone, continuing her steps away from Sylvain so she could lean into Byleth who had promised her a dance earlier. Sylvain watched as Professor Byleth spun her into proper position as they began to softly waltz to the music. He shook his head, mirth upon his lips as he accepted the challenge.

He walked over to where Ingrid and Glenn were dancing together as well and cut in between them. “You don’t mind if I steal her for a dance, do you bud?” Sylvain asked, spinning Ingrid. The blonde huffed and moved to protest, but before she could, her fiancé chimed in.

“Of course not! Glad to see you celebrating! Have fun you two,” Glenn said heartily, moving to join the rest of the Blue Lion house.

“Glenn, no! I don’t-that’s not-ugh,” Ingrid groaned as Sylvain smiled smugly.

“Don’t look so down,” Sylvain joked.

“You are positively primeval,” Ingrid said with an exhausted expression. Dorothea noticed Sylvain’s dancing partner and nodded in approval as the two couples danced in each other’s space.

The music was flouncy and light, matching Dorothea’s rhythmic movements. Ingrid on the other hand, was doing her best to get through the motions without injuring Sylvain.

“Do you mind trading partners?” Sylvain asked Byleth after a few beats.

“He doesn’t mind at all,” Dorothea said, her face unforgiving. Sylvain wondered what she could have meant by that, but it was answered quickly when Dorothea took Ingrid’s hand in her own and led her into a dance.

Byleth and Sylvain looked at each other, somewhat awkwardly.

“Let the lesson begin?” Byleth joked.

…

“I’m gonna get another drink,” Sylvain said, smile stung stayed on his lips. The chase continues.

-

The docks were empty, save for one house leader hanging his feet below. Him, and one brunette who couldn’t find much of an appetite at the banquet.

“Weren’t in the mood for a grand feast?” Jasmine asked Claude who looked up at the intrusion.

“Your hair. I never said it before, but I like when you have the braid,” Claude answered, smiling. His voice had a tired edge to it.

“Thanks, but I didn’t come to get compliments from you,” Jasmine replied, taking a seat on the dock. She made sure there was ample distance between them. Goddess forbid he get the impression that they were friends.

“Then what did you come for?” Claude asked, tiredness growing, but still able to produce a kind, easygoing voice. He swung his legs up to sit in a crisscross position. Jasmine tried not to pay attention to the muscle on his calves, seeing as his slacks were folded up. As were the sleeves of his white button-down shirt…

“I came to skip rocks. I heard it was a thing around here. If you skip enough of them, the Goddess answers your prayers or something,” she explained, shrugging.

“Me too,” he said, a smile growing on his face. “Minus the Goddess thing,” he clarified.

“You did really well out there,” Jasmine noted, having been watching him once Nazareth took her out of the battle.

“Yeah? And what happened to you guys?” I didn’t take Edelgard as someone who was gonna lose this battle,” he asked, looking up at the sky.

“It definitely wasn’t the plan. And she’s certainly not happy,” Jasmine said, almost laughing when she remembered the short house leader’s fury. She’d outright said she wasn’t going to be attending the banquet but the rest of them were free to, despite not having deserved it.

“But what can you do? Dimitri’s house just performed better,” she shrugged, letting her feet fall to the water. She enjoyed the cool feeling and waded them around.

“That’s not what I saw,” Claude rebutted.

“Oh?” Jasmine asked with a sigh. “And what did you see?” she asked.

“I saw that you looked drained before the battle even began,” he answered.

“What can I say? I didn’t get the best night’s sleep,” Jasmine said quickly. ‘Ugh that was too quick an answer. he’s going to be onto me now for sure,’ she thought to herself.

“I don’t quite believe you,” Claude replied.

“That’s not surprising. It’s why our friendship actually ended in the first place if you recall,” she snapped, the words cutting into him.

“I…” Claude trailed off, still smiling. It was an uncomfortable one this time to his credit.

“Like I said, just didn’t get enough sleep,” Jasmine reiterated, tightlipped.

They sat in silence for a moment, both wading their feet in the cool water below now, hoping their sorrow from their prospective losses would wash away.

“I always believed you,” Claude said finally as a breeze passed them by. His hair went flying in all directions.

“Then why did you-

“I knew Felix would never agree to work with Caspar, and he has insight I need. I knew you could get answers without me. I always planned to reconvene with you when I had the ones I needed,” he explained. Jasmine wanted to call him out on his bullshit, but something about the way he said it made her stop. He had no real reason to lie. He didn’t know she had the book right now. And he hadn’t known she’d come here.

“Why didn’t you just tell me this?” she asked instead, not knowing what to believe.

“I had to look like I wasn’t going to leave Felix. He has enough trust issues as it is,” Claude justified.

“Maybe he’s not the only one,” Jasmine sighed. “I can’t-I’m not…” Jasmine sputtered. Claude moved to say something, but Jasmine found her words first.

“I can’t afford to trust anyone else right now,” she said, getting up. “I actually came here to offer condolences and relate to a feeling we both have right now. We’ve suffered a loss. That’s all,” she said as parting words.

“Jasmine,” Claude spoke without looking up. “I may not have your trust right now, but you have mine. You always did.”

Jasmine felt the wind pick up once more and pursed her lips. ‘Should I say something to that? What would I even say? “Thanks?” ugh, boys couldn’t be any more confusing,’ she thought. Wordlessly, she took her leave.

Claude watched her go, admiring the way her braid swayed to the left and right respectively with her every step. She certainly was a sight for sore eyes with her wine-colored dress that hugged her figure.

Claude nearly fell over the dock when he started to piece something together.

‘She was tired during the battle while Nazareth was amped up on energy. I’ve seen Jasmine’s magic before. If she wanted to, she could counter a spell easily. But she didn’t counter Nazareth’s…’  he thought, goosebumps forming on his arm.

‘The signs are there. And Jasmine skirted around the question. Could she and her sister be…” he thought, scrambling to his feet. ‘Blood spliced?!’

-

Evangeline was in tears. Silent ones, but tears all the same. It was all her fault. Lately, it seemed like everything was. Felix and Ferdinand’s anger, Cecil’s death, the Golden Deer’s loss in the mock battle. How many more things was she meant to screw up with her propensity for knowledge? How could she have been so stupid as to waste a heal on the wrong team member during such an important battle?! And despite it, Claude had trusted her to see the battle through. What a blunder that had been.

‘You’re not good enough. Lysithea was right. You should have just sat this one out,’  her voice told her.

“E? What’s going on? Are you alright?!”

Before Evangeline knew it, her ugly tears were landing on Nazareth’s gown. The brunette was holding her best friend close and shushing her soothingly.

“E, it’s all going to be okay. No one can be mad at you for the outcome of the battle. It wasn’t a matter of life or death. Please, breathe sweetie,” Nazareth cooed. “I know you’re probably thinking it’s all your fault, but I swear to you it isn’t! No one thinks that. Claude and Hilda can’t stop talking about how proud of you they are!”

“It’s not just the mock battle Naz,” Evangeline croaked out, voice raspy. “It’s everything.” ‘Ferdinand learned that fire spell for me! He was clearly meaning to show it to me during the battle as a sign of honor and respect! And I ruined it all because of a stupid mistake. He’ll never forgive me,’ she thought bitterly.

“Whatever ‘everything’ is, I’m sure it can’t be as bad as you think,” Nazareth insisted. “We can figure it out together.”

“What if it’s worse?” Evangeline asked, unable to get Cecil’s face or voice out of her head. Nazareth eyed her best friend curiously and wiped away another falling tear. ‘I also know about blood splicing, and I should really tell Naz. But what if that just makes things with her sister worse?!’ she thought, her anxiety growing at a rapid rate.

“What could be worse?” Nazareth asked with a slight laugh.

“You know what? Nothing. It’s nothing. I’ll talk to you later,” the blonde said hysterically, racing off to her dorm room to try and sleep off the past few days.

“Evangeline wait!” the brunette cried, wanting to give chase to the runaway. But Evangeline turned around and glared at the brunette, spitting out, “leave me alone. Don’t you dare follow me.”

…

The blonde kept on running. She ran and ran until she felt her shoe snap and she went barreling toward the floor. Looking down, Evangeline shook her head, saying “of course,” as she saw what happened. One of the heels from her newly purchased cream pair with the red soles had snapped off completely. She supposed it was the Goddess’s way of telling her that they really didn’t compliment her yellow formal gown.

“Could this day get any worse?” she whispered to no one. The blonde wiggled the heels off and inspected her feet. They seemed fine, until she went to stand up and realized she must have twisted her left ankle in her efforts to escape Nazareth.

“Oh my word, Evangeline, are you hurt?” Ignatz’s voice came.

“Can everyone just leave me alone?!” she cried out instinctively. The blonde looked at her housemate in time to see he had been picking blue windflowers. She’d run all the way to the garden?

“I apologize. It is none of my business,” Ignatz stammered, moving to leave with his makeshift bouquet. Evangeline sighed the deepest she could before shaking her head and realizing she was only hurting the people around her. It had to end sometime.

“No no. Please. Don’t go,” she said, looking apologetic. ‘I really need to apologize to Nazareth. She didn’t do anything but care,’ she thought miserably.

“Are you sure?” Ignatz asked, looking apprehensive.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m afraid I’m simply not having the best night,” Evangeline chuckled dryly.

“That would make two of us,” Ignatz said, matching her laugh. He moved closer to Evangeline and threw his coat over the blonde’s shoulders.

“Thank you. How's Claude taking the loss? I couldn’t stick around to see the disappointment in person,” she said, adjusting the coat to cover her better.

 
“He was actually fine. He took it in stride and thanked us all for doing our best and making his house proud,” Ignatz relayed. “We all missed you. Lysithea especially was worried.”

“Really?” she asked, thinking back to the battle. She supposed it could have been worse. They could have come in last place. She could have retreated without taking anyone else out. Surely Edelgard’s house was taking the loss a lot harder.

“Really,” Ignatz said, noticing the cream heels on the floor. He grabbed the broken one and eyed the snapped heel next to it. “You know, I think I can actually fix these,” he said.

“Don’t bother. I don’t see myself wearing them again,” Evangeline waved off.

“Sometimes things that you think don’t have a place in your life end up being one of the most significant,” Ignatz said, scooping up the other heel and placing it into his book bag.

Evangeline thought about that. It was hard to find the wisdom in that at such a low point, but she figured it wasn’t for her to understand just then.

“You didn’t happen to go to the dining hall yet, did you? Evangeline asked.

“No, I’m afraid I hadn’t made it past the windows. I couldn’t find it in me to work up an appetite,” he answered, looking up at the moon. It was a waning gibbous. ‘That, and right when I was about to walk in, Nazareth ran out,’ he thought.

“Me either, but I heard that they have an enormous selection. How about we go take a look?” the blonde suggested.

“You know, it’s funny,” Ignatz said, looking to his flowers. “I saw you on the ground and was going to ask you to join me to the dining hall as a distraction. But when you asked me to leave you alone, it made me think maybe I should just turn in for the night.”

“Oh? And what changed your mind?” Evangeline asked, brushing aside the guilt momentarily.

“Ironically enough, your broken shoe,” he said. Upon seeing the girl’s confusion, he elaborated. “I thought that was why you were so upset. So I thought, well, if we’re both upset, we might as well just sleep it off. But when I realized it was because you wrongfully thought that us losing was your fault, I thought you could use a treacle tart.”

“Well then, let us go have that tart!” the blonde said merrily, handing her housemate his coat back. “Nazareth was right. He really is a good guy. And an amazing friend,’ she thought as he escorted her to the dining hall.

“Wait, why were you upset?” the blonde suddenly thought to ask.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” he said briskly.

“Please, you can tell me. I can keep a secret, believe me,” she insisted. “Does it have anything to do with your bouquet?” she asked knowingly. Ignatz looked to the side and shrugged.

“I just thought they would go with Nazareth’s dress,” was all he said as they walked. Evangeline looked to Ignatz and wondered if he had a crush on her friend. He had good taste, she’d give him that.

-

“Turning in so soon?” Dimitri asked, approaching Nazareth, who was just about to open the door to her room. She turned around to see Dimitri smiling kindly.

“Your highness. You came to check on me?” she asked, cheeks flushing with feeling.

“You stormed out before we could truly begin to celebrate,” Dimitri answered.

“Oh,” Nazareth said. “I, uh, fear that the battle wore me out more than I thought,” she said, her toes wiggling around in her flats nervously.

“Is everything alright?” the prince asked, taking note of her mannerisms and stepping forward. Hoping he was conveying comfort, the prince patted her shoulder hesitantly. Nazareth was about to say ‘Yes! Everything is fine!’ when her resolve crumbled, and she crushed Dimitri in a powerful hug.

“Nazareth?” he asked, worried. Still, he embraced her in return, his hold strong and sincere.

“No! Everything is not fine Dimitri,” she said, smushing her face in the prince’s chest. “I completely lost control on the battlefield, Evangeline brushed me off, and my sister couldn’t be less interested in having an actual conversation with me!” she blurted, voice muffled.

Dimitri broke their embrace to hold Nazareth’s face tenderly in his hands. “I know what that feels like. All of it,” he said, feeling for the poor girl. “To lose oneself in battle is an occupational hazard I’m afraid,” he said, growing a tiny smile. “To be brushed off by those we hold dear can be devastating,” he continued. “But the tide will turn. In that, I am confident,” the prince insisted, wiping a tear away softly from the brunette’s face.

“Thank you. You-you’re always here for me. It’s not something I wish to take for granted,” Nazareth breathed, feeling again that she would be okay. Running away never did her any favors. Leaning on the prince though, that always made her feel like everything was as it should be.

“Earlier, you called me by my name rather than my title. I quite enjoyed it. I do not think you take me for granted,” Dimitri said, smiling. Nazareth grew embarrassed at this realization.

 “But if you must repay me, may I have this dance?” Dimitri asked, holding out his hand.

“Here? Outside my dormitory?” Nazareth asked humorously.

“If you’d do me the honor, I’d love to do so in the dining hall,” he answered. Nazareth thought for a moment and then nodded, her bubbliness coming back. And the two made their way back to the grand hall.

…

Dimitri pressed a gentle kiss to Nazareth’s hand as they made their way to the dance floor. “My goal is to celebrate our victory by waltzing you into a stupor, if possible,” he said, looking at her.

Something fluttered across Nazareth’s heart. She was stunned by Dimitri’s words, as usual. They were positively delightful. He was positively delightful. He’d said the word ‘you’ as though Nazareth were the belle of this banquet. He made her feel so special. She wordlessly accepted the prince’s plea, allowing him to lead her into a dance she was unfamiliar with.

“I fear I’m outmatched. Your years of ballroom dancing lessons show,” Nazareth said nervously as they swayed, her heart doing flipflops as Dimitri spun her around. Her icy blue gown flared out beautifully as he did so, the glitter on the bodice sparkling various constellations in the process.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Dimitri asked, gazing into her stormy eyes. ‘Because I certainly am,’ he thought, holding her tenderly.

“More than ever,” Nazareth admitted, welcoming the flutters and gladly letting herself be lost in them.

“Then I believe I have met my match,” Dimitri said, lowering his hands to her waist to better hold the maiden. Nazareth fought not to melt entirely. She felt like a princess.

‘This is a feeling only possible with Dimitri. It has to be love,’ Nazareth thought. ‘Only love can distract one so.’ Her thoughts from their date resurfacing full force.

“You fought bravely, valiantly, perfectly,” Nazareth complimented, recalling her brief distraction on the battlefield where she’d seen Dimitri’s muscles flex through the tear on his tunic.

“And you fought majestically, beautifully, exquisitely,” he replied, earnest in his every word. He smiled as Nazareth giggled.

“I’m going to barf, puke, and hurl,” Sylvain joked, twirling Dorothea around. He’d managed to squirm his way into dancing with her after all.

“Oh come on, it’s rather sweet,” Ingrid commented from the sidelines, sipping at her apple cider. She was all too grateful to be off of the dance floor.

“Sure, if you’re a four-year-old reading a fairytale,” Felix scoffed.

“M’lady, will thou grace me with a dance?” Glenn suddenly asked Ingrid who begrudgingly accepted. Glenn, knowing that she wasn’t one for dancing, began whispering embarrassing secrets about Felix in her ear. Ingrid smiled at his antics as they joined the dance floor once more.

“Figures,” Felix mumbled, alone on the sidelines now.

“Felix, would you like to dance?” Annette asked, flushed a bit from her drinks.

“What? No. I don’t dance,” Felix refused instantly. He felt slightly guilty when he saw Annette’s pout. ‘Ugh, I’m beyond glad I don’t have an actual younger sister,’ he thought with a grimace, changing his mind and letting her lead him to the dance floor as well.

“Do you think Ashe likes me?” she asked, slurring slightly as they swayed lazily together to the lute music. Felix tried not to gag in disgust. Why on Goddess’s green earth was she asking him about her romantic life?

“I don’t know. Has he told you he does?” Felix asked, uninterested.

“Nope! But we kissed,” she said, giggling uncontrollably. ‘She is so fucking wasted,’ Felix thought with disapproval. ‘Guess they didn’t waste any time with that ridiculous plan of theirs.’

“Well, then he might,” Felix replied, praying the music would just stop.

“I hope so. I want to grow old with him. We could have three kids. The girls would marry princes, and the boy would become a knight, just like Ashe,” she sighed happily, picturing this nonsensical future.

“Uh huh. And maybe Rhea’s a dragon,” he said sarcastically.

“You think so too?” Annette asked, eyes doe wide.

“I think you’ve had enough drinks,” Felix said, stopping her from spinning at his hand

-

Professor Byleth’s classroom was empty, save for one student settled at his desk in front. There was a jar of ink, filled to nearly the brim, as well as five quills lain out, ready to be called upon.

Edelgard furiously scrawled on the piece of parchment in front of her, trying her best to retain some semblance of composure. It was proving to be difficult as she harshly crossed out some of her marks and berated herself before redoing whatever equation had come into her brain.

“Think smarter, not harder,” she said aloud in frustration, crumpling up the parchment and tossing it behind her to join countless others.

“I thought I heard someone in here,” Byleth said, entering his classroom and closing the door behind him. Edelgard didn’t bother looking up or even acknowledging that she saw him.

“Edelgard, what’s the matter?” Byleth asked, familiar concern for his students taking over. The princess looked up slowly, almost movie like, and narrowed her lilac eyes at the man she’d trusted to lead them to victory.

“You know what the matter is,” she said pointedly, crossing her arms.

“You’re angry,” he observed, sitting at a desk in the front row. ‘Funny. So that’s how the students in this row feel when I’m lecturing,’ he thought offhandedly.

“If your observations were this precise during the battle, perhaps the outcome may have been different,” she said, not attempting to cushion the words with a soft tone.

“You do blame me for the loss then,” Byleth stated, unbothered.

“You let Hubert into the field without a shield or gambit for protection, and he crumbled as a result! All you did was rally him with defenses so insignificant, you wasted time!” she cried out, frustrations going to an all-time high.

“Bernadetta might as well have sat out of this battle with how poor her performance was,” she went on, not letting Byleth speak.

“I have thought of it from nearly every angle,” she said, gesturing to the discarded balls of parchment behind her. The floor was littered with them. “And they all come down to not having strategized enough. That was your responsibility, and you did not deliver.”

“And I suppose that made you feel as though your trust was misplaced,” Byleth hunched once she paused to take a breath. He leaned his head into his hand and had a thoughtful expression perched on his normally stoic face. Edelgard shook her head, a dry laugh escaping her lips.

“I let my guard down! I will not make that mistake again,” she said, fury building, evident from her tone and inflection.

A few moments passed as Byleth soaked those words in, putting together the deeper meaning within them.

“I knew I was right,” she said, her voice alarmingly humorous now. It lowered in decibel and sounded almost comforting with a chill. “Depending on virtues such as trust, and friendship are a waste. That is what cost us this battle. No, you are what cost us this battle,” she accused, calming down and accepting the matter.

“If that were true, would Dimitri’s house not have lost?” Byleth asked curiously. “Not only are they fueled by the virtues you disregard, but it appears to be the driving force of their battle tactics.”

“The difference is that they never let their guard down,” Edelgard said.

“Then why did you?” Byleth challenged, leaning back in his seat and giving the princess a patient glance. Edelgard appeared winded. Her posture faltered, and she knocked a quill down in the process.

‘Because I made the mistake to trust someone other than Hubert,’ she thought reflexively. Hubert was the only one she could truly let her guard down around without feeling it was a mistake. Byleth was different. ‘Why is he so different?’ her own thoughts taunted.

“Your highness?” Byleth asked, feigning concern. ‘Whoa, where did that sass come from? Have you been spending all your time with Sylvain while I was gone?’ Sothis chided, but deep down she was impressed. Perhaps she rubbed off on him more than she thought.

“Do not push me,” Edelgard warned.

“Because no one would dare push the imperial empress?” Byleth pressed, standing up.

“I am warning you.”

“And I am imploring you. Dig deep Edelgard. What is it really that is bothering you?”

Rage built to its maximum capacity, Edelgard stood too, walking up to her teacher with a wicked glare.

“You!” She shouted, swiping everything off of the desk before turning back around to the source of her turmoil. “You were never a part of my plan! You are unpredictable. You are insufferable at times! You are unknown to me!” she screamed.

“Then why trust me,” Byleth asked, crossing his arms.

Edelgard shook her head and crushed her lips against his. The professor, shocked, stood frozen.

‘I am no expert, but I believe if you reciprocate, your lips should show it!’ Sothis chimed in before disappearing for the time being. Byleth looked to the side before closing his eyes and returning the action.

Edelgard backed away as soon as he’d done so, breathing heavy from confusion and arousal.

“I don’t know…” she said quietly, stalking off to let him clean up her mess.

-

Evangeline and Ignatz entered the hall, where most of the students had now gathered. A good amount of people were on the dance floor, while several sat with hearty plates of food before them.

“So, what’s your plan? You going to hand those to Naz?” Evangeline asked, nudging Ignatz.

“I um, I don’t know. Perhaps this was a bad idea,” Ignatz said, eyeing the trash bin.

Evangeline gasped and grabbed the flowers from her housemate. “Don’t you dare! Either you take these and give them to her or I will!” she warned. Ignatz seemed to panic at the prospect of Nazareth receiving the flowers from Evangeline and quickly took them back.

“Okay I will!” he squeaked before running onto the dance floor. Evangeline watched with mirthful eyes as Ignatz asked to cut into Nazareth’s dance with Dimitri to which the prince allowed. Nazareth looked kindly to Ignatz and them graced him with a golden beam of a smile when he offered her the flowers. The two then began a dance of their own as Dimitri watched, clearly happy for the girl.

Evangeline then looked around until her gaze set on who she was looking for. Ferdinand. The cavalier was sitting at a table, watching couples dance. He seemed rather disinterested in the event.

“Might I convince you to join me for a waltz?” Evangeline asked nervously, approaching her faux boyfriend.

“You may. I’d be interested to see how,” Ferdinand said cooly, not looking up. Evangeline sighed. He justifiably was not going to make this easy.

“I owe you an apology. More than letting down my house, I felt guilty for disrespecting you on the battlefield,” the blonde said, taking a seat across from Ferdinand. “It was a complete accident. I would never intentionally do something so careless,” she explained. “And I felt honored to see you using a fire spell. You really were paying attention during our study sessions,” she said.

…

“Why him?” Ferdinand asked finally. “Out of anyone you could have made that mistake with, why did it have to be him?”

Evangeline cringed. “I know. I know how badly I messed up. I think it was all of the emotion from last night. You two were there with me so you two were on my mind. If it was going to be anyone, it was one of you,” she tried justifying.

“Then why not me?” he asked, but Evangeline could see he was letting up.

“You didn’t need my help,” she said plainly. “You’re a worthy adversary Ferdinand Von Aegir,” she said, placing emphasis on his title. Ferdinand couldn’t help but smile at that.

“I do believe you have convinced me,” he said, standing up. Evangeline mirrored his smile and interlocked their hands as they joined the many couples on the dance floor.

As they glided across the floor, the couple ended up in earshot of Felix and Annette. They caught the tail end of a conversation in which Annette was fantasizing about her future with Ashe, to which they snickered a little in good humor.

Felix saw Evangeline dancing with Ferdinand and shook his head. He seemed as though he were about to try and cut in, but Ferdinand put a stop to it quickly. He quickly dipped Evangeline and then whispered fiercely to Felix, “You will stay away from us tonight. Unless you want me to go poking around about that book you were angry with Caspar about.”

Felix stopped in his tracks. Ferdinand had heard that? The swordsman held in a spiel of curses, glaring at his archnemesis before heading off of the dance floor, much to Annette’s disappointment.

“Did you say something to him?” Evangeline asked as Ferdinand scooped her back up swiftly.

“Just that he might wish to give us some well-earned space,” Ferdinand said. Before they could enjoy each other’s presences fully, Felix came back, saying, “If it were a true 1v1, you wouldn’t have stood a chance. You won’t always have Caspar and Petra backing you.” And then he stalked off, leaving the grand hall.

“I cannot stand him!” Ferdinand said bitterly, moving to give chase to the Blue Lion. Before he could, Evangeline pulled him back and pleaded with him.

“Please, just leave it for tonight,” she asked. “Just dance with me and forget about him.”

Ferdinand looked at Evangeline. How could he possibly refuse her when she was done up to look even more beautiful than usual? He acquiesced, and was rewarded by a kiss on his cheek.

-

“You said we’d win,” Lysithea said, marching over to Claude who had just entered the grand hall. Claude was unphased as he regarded the girl.

“Actually, I said we would emerge victorious. What that means varies depending on how you look at it,” he replied with a grin.

“And just where were you?” Hilda asked, coming up to the two of them.

“Ah, don’t be like that Hilds. I was just making sure I had on my Sunday best! Wouldn’t want to disparage the Goddess,” Claude answered, gesturing to his formal attire.

“Well, look who finally showed up,” Lorenz sneered, joining the trio.

“Wow guys, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you needed me to get this party started,” Claude joked. Lysithea and Hilda eased up upon hearing that and crashed their leader in a hug. Lorenz shook his head, not impressed with the display.

“We really came close,” Hilda said happily. “You should’ve seen Edelgard. People are saying she was pissed.”

“We really did. Evangeline performed extremely well,” Lysithea chimed in. “Though if I’m honest, I do feel a little bad for Edelgard. She didn’t even show up tonight.”

“That was her decision,” Lorenz scoffed. “It’s not a very noble thing to cower in defeat.”

“Hey now, we don’t need to talk ill of who won or lost,” Claude said, giving Lorenz a pointed look. “Let’s just enjoy the festivities. They’re kind of for us too after all,” he winked, leading his house members over to a table.

“Claude, can I ask you something?” Lysithea said as they settled down and were served food. “Why did you choose to take the hit for Evangeline at the end?”

Claude considered his housemate’s question as he sampled a buttery roll. “Well, Arrows weren’t going to do much in the way of Edelgard’s armor,” he reasoned. “And I trusted her to play it out better than I could’ve, given the circumstance,” he explained.

“What do you think we could’ve done better?” Lysithea then asked.

“Well, for one thing, we’ve gotta get Hilda here some accuracy training,” Claude joked as Hilda shrugged with a nonsensical smile.

“But honestly, I wouldn’t do much else differently. Sometimes you just have to let the battle run its course. We did our best,” Claude said.

“Did Evangeline not appear troubled?” Lorenz brought up as they ate.

“Troubled?” Hilda asked, wrinkling her nose. Lysithea stayed quiet, recalling their morning encounter.

“Yes. It seemed as though Sylvain out sped her, when that shouldn’t have been the case given the circumstances,” Lorenz pointed out.

“I think I might’ve put too much pressure on her,” Claude admitted. “We didn’t discuss ending tactics and that’s on me.”

“Welp, as fun as this celebratory strategy meeting is, I told Caspar to save me a dance, so I’m gonna go cash that in,” Hilda said, hopping up and jolting the blue haired boy alert by jumping onto his back.

“Whoa! You scared me,” Caspar said, grateful he didn’t fall over. He’d quickly gotten a grip on Hilda’s thighs so she wouldn’t fall off of him.

“Dance with me axe boy!” she whooped, cheering as he carried her over to the dance floor. The live musicians noticed the pair and switched their music to a livelier tune as Caspar started spinning around.

Nazareth and Ignatz shrugged before engaging in some spins of their own, while Evangeline and Ferdinand continued their waltz despite the music shift. Ingrid was pleased at the change and she and Glenn began dancing much more casually. Sylvain and Dorothea seemed to be in their own bubble as the boy kept chasing the songstress around the hall. There seemed to be something for everyone at the celebration banquet.

“Are you having fun?” Hilda asked from Caspar’s back.

“I think I have the most fun when you’re around!” Caspar answered innocently. Hilda smiled bashfully at that.

“Didn’t take you for such a romantic!” she teased, laughing heartily when Caspar pretended to fall back only toss Hilda up in the air like she weighed nothing and then catch her in his arms.

“Romance? Nahhh. This is just celebration Caspar,” he said casually, closing his eyes and spinning some more. Hilda was on cloud nine and wondered how she never noticed Caspar until recently. Was he always so childlike and carefree? Even after coming in dead last during the battle?

When the music slowed down, Caspar let Hilda onto her feet again and breathed heavily through a smile. Hilda balanced herself before admiring Caspar for who he was; a sweet soul with nothing but pure joy in his heart.

“Teach me to throw an axe,” she said suddenly. Caspar was caught off guard by this and he looked at her to see if he’d misheard.

“What?” he asked with a laugh.

“You hit every nearly target you went for today,” Hilda explained. “My accuracy is nonexistent. Train me,” she stated.

“Okay,” he shrugged easily enough.

“Also, I think we should be together,” she then said, on a high from the night’s festivities.

“Aren’t we already?” Caspar asked in confusion, scratching his head.

“I mean like, date,” Hilda clarified, putting a hand on her hip.

“Yeah, I thought that’s what this was,” Caspar said, gesturing between them.

“You thought we were dating and didn’t think to clarify?” Hilda asked, holding in laughter.

“Well, no,” Caspar said, eyes innocent as ever. “I just kind of figured it was one of those unspoken things. Don’t girls do that?” he asked.

“You’re so dumb,” Hilda groaned, pulling him in and kissing him square on the lips. “But I like you anyway for some reason.”

Caspar was stunned and he tried to come back into focus. “Uh-it’s. Well, that’s-ahem, nice,” he said incoherently. Hilda giggled and the two engaged in a slower dance this time.

‘I don’t know why the hell she likes me but man I wanna do that again,’ Caspar thought, dazed. He stumbled when Hilda led him into a position to dip her but quickly gathered his bearings as they danced the night away.

-

“Well in any case, we’re all grateful for your leadership,” Lysithea said as their conversation about the battle came to a close.

“Couldn’t have done it without a proper house to lead,” Claude said humbly.

“Hey, what’s that?” Lysithea asked, pointing to some parchment sticking out from under Claude’s plate. The house leader shrugged, unsure as he took it out.

Unfolding it, Claude splayed it out in front of them as the two read its contents.

‘Well well well. Looks like Lady E’s fall from grace has knocked her off her pedestal. Maybe she should think twice before trying to 1-up everyone’s favorite prince~

We don’t kiss and tell but sparks are flying in the monastery today. We haven’t ruled out the swordsman just yet in that love triangle by the way! You can’t fool us completely you little blonde minx. Your performance in the mock battle was great, and we’re not talking about your being the last of your house left standing~

And just what is a certain house leader doing poking around about crests? Since when did a book become the hottest commodity around here? Basic literacy is more than enough people~

Wait, who’s that at the door?’

“The door? What does that mean?” Claude asked, looking to the doors of the hall. Lysithea looked along with him before furrowing her eyebrows.

“What is this and who wrote it?” Lysithea asked when no one came through the doors.

“I’m not sure,” Claude said, though he had an idea. “I think it’s meant to be the confessional box letter,” he said.

“What?!” Lysithea asked in disbelief. “Why would it be under your plate?”

“I…don’t know,” Claude said, lost in thought.

“Whatcha got there?” Hilda asked, making her way back to the table. She snatched the paper out of Claude’s hands and skimmed it before gasping. “Oh! This is the words of wisdom,” she said, putting it together.

“Shh, Hilds. Lower your voice,” Claude urged. Hilda rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“No way! This is meant for everyone’s ears,” the pink haired girl said, stepping on top of their table.

Claude and Lysithea shared a look but shrugged. What was the harm in everyone knowing after all? Their confusion was still at a high as Hilda commanded attention.

“Hey everyone!” Hilda said loudly. The hall quieted down, except for one flute player who embarrassedly stopped a few beats later.

“I have a words of wisdom note! I’ll read it out loud!” She announced. Once the girl said that, the hall grew dead silent. Hilda read the note in its entirety out loud. When she read the last part, everyone turned their attention to the door just as Seteth burst through them, looking deeply disturbed.

“Maybe the note had to be read aloud for that to happen?” Claude whispered to Lysithea who shrugged, confused but curious.

“Has anyone seen Flayn?!” Seteth shouted in panic, looking around the hall anxiously.

No one said anything. The grand hall was the quietest it had been that night. Peers looked at each other, wondering who, if anyone, had the answer to that unexpected question. The musicians seemed as though they hadn’t been paid enough for this, and the staff was in a frenzy.

“What do you mean has anyone seen Flayn?!” Hilda cried, hoping her worst fears weren’t coming true. She looked at Claude as if to say, ‘I knew this would happen!’

“She’s gone missing…” Seteth revealed.