Chapter Text
GARREG MACH, 7th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1159
Jeralt awoke to the smell of smoke filling the halls of Garreg Mach. The first thought in his mind was to wake up his wife, so he turned to his right in bed to make sure she rose.
It took him a moment to remember why she would not be there.
Without another second of pause, he rolled to his left and stood, dashing out from his chambers to the hall. A few knights were already rising from their own chambers, coughing as they entered the smoky halls, but other doors were still closed. He couldn’t yet tell where the fires were coming from.
“Alright, everyone out! Out! Up and out!” Jeralt yanked open the nearest door and urged the six soldiers within out of their beds and up to their feet, sending them down the hall as quickly as he could. Turning to the next door, he found it stuck in place, unable to move. “Hey! Wake up in there! You’ve got to get this door open!”
“I’m trying, Captain!” He recognized the voice on the other side as Alois’s voice. “It’s stuck! Give me a countdown and I’ll push on it while you pull!”
“You got it, kid. One, two, three!” Jeralt pulled as hard as he could on the door until it swung open hard, sending Jeralt and Alois crashing to the floor. Five other knights piled out of the room and towards the exit. “Get water buckets, now! Find mages, we need some wind and ice magic as soon as possible!”
“Captain,” Alois called out as they got to their feet, “You’ve gotta get out too!”
“I’m fine! I’ve gotta get my kid and find any other stragglers. Go! That’s an order!” They both lifted the collars of their nightshirts over their faces as Alois quickly ran to the nearest door. Jeralt, for his part, ran through and checked every room he could find in the hallway, fortunately finding no other knights still asleep. The fire had started three doors down from Jeralt’s chambers and had spread into another hallway from there.
Jeralt dashed back to his own room and tore his black shirt off of the small open box next to his bed. Reaching into it, he lifted the tiny infant lying within into his arms. She was still asleep. He instinctively checked for a heartbeat before remembering that it would be futile. Her nose was still circulating air, so he knew she was alive, but the sight still frightened him.
He was scared. For the first time in over a century, Jeralt was scared. In the time since Lady Rhea had given him her blood, Captain Eisner had largely lived a life without fear. He was a man who had cheated death, after all—what could he possibly need to fear if not that? But it was not death that terrified him now.
Rhea did something. Rhea had done something to Sitri, and to Byleth as well. She killed her. She had killed his wife. He had no way to prove it, but he knew it to be true all the same. What had she done to his wife? To his child? Why did Byleth never cry? How was she alive without a heartbeat? Nothing about it made sense.
With Byleth still tucked in his left arm and a thin cloth protecting her from inhaling smoke, Jeralt stepped out into the hallway to assess the fire. Sparks of it were spreading into the hallway towards his chamber, blocking the exit. He couldn’t help but wonder if this is what Lady Rhea had wanted. Did she want to be rid of them? To eliminate him so that she could have Byleth to herself? But if she wanted that, why would she risk her safety?
In that moment, Jeralt finally found the courage to do what he had been contemplating for some time.
Stepping back into his own chambers, he strapped a sword belt around his waist and threw a cloak over his shoulders before stuffing his journal into a small leather bag, right next to Sitri’s ring. He tied it to his belt as quickly as he could before picking Byleth back up and dashing into the neighboring room.
Jeralt gathered the oil lamps from beside the knights’ beds as quickly as possible before returning to his own room and dumping them across the room. He made sure to cover his bed, his extra belongings, and reluctantly, his wife’s dresser. He kept one oil lamp to the side and made sure to empty it entirely into Byleth’s little makeshift storage-box-turned-bassinet. Finally, he clambered up to the windowsill of his room, his little child still sleeping soundly in his arms. He almost slipped on a cloth object laying across the sill.
It was her dress.
Sitri’s favorite green dress. She hadn’t had the chance to wear it again, and Jeralt never bothered to put it away, so there it laid, draped over their windowsill, never to be worn again. As the fire began to finally spread into Jeralt’s chambers, he dragged his hand gently across the shoulder cuffs and sleeves, trying to remember what it felt like to have those sleeves wrapped around him, hugging him so tightly he could barely breathe. A part of him, at that moment, didn’t want to leave. The mages had not arrived yet, so if he did remain, the fire would overtake the room with him in it. He could wrap himself in her favorite dress, feel the ghost of her loving him again, and finally reunite with the only person he had ever loved. He wanted it. He wanted that death so badly. He didn’t want to live without her.
Then he glanced down at the figure in his arms. She had woken up. Byleth was staring up at him, still not crying. Her mouth and nose were covered, so all Jeralt could see were those little blue eyes boring into him.
Sitri had been so excited to be a mother. It was what she wanted more than anything else—enough for Jeralt to overcome his own fears and hesitations about fatherhood out of his faith in her. And if Rhea was telling the truth and she had sacrificed Sitri for Byleth at Sitri’s own request, then he couldn’t die here.
Jeralt gently lifted Sitri’s dress and bundled Byleth up in it before swinging his other leg out of the windowsill and taking one last look back into his chambers. The fire had finally spread into his chambers, spreading quickly over his bed and carpet. Sitri’s dresser went up in flames a second later, taking any other memories of his wife away. Once the fire swept over Byleth’s bassinet, Jeralt closed his eyes, and while he was never spiritual or superstitious, he tried to call out to the soul of the woman who had never left Garreg Mach, while he would be leaving it behind forever.
Goodbye, Sitri. I’ll keep her safe. I won’t return to you until she’s all grown up and fine without us. I love you. I love you, Sitri.
He wrapped his arms around Byleth as tightly as he safely could before throwing himself from the window.
Jeralt had not realized just how steep and how large the hill beneath his window was, nor how bumpy it had been. As he rolled down the hill, he could swear he was slamming into every possible stone or hard dirt patch along its surface. Without armor, each blow and bump was sending shocks through his body as he spent a good minute or two tumbling down the hillside. He would have plenty of bruises once he finally reached the bottom of the hill and came to a halt.
After lying on his back and resting his head on the damp grass for a moment, Jeralt pulled one of his arms back to check on the child in his arms. She was still awake—and based on the eyes staring blankly back at him, she was not injured or even terribly fazed by the tumble down the hill. Jeralt let out a sigh of relief before turning his head to glance up the hill at the monastery. The knights’ quarters were still engulfed in flames, although he could tell measures were being taken to contain the spread. His own window was entirely consumed in orange and red flames, ensuring an explanation for his and Byleth’s disappearance.
As much as he wanted to lie there on the ground and have some respite for his aching body, he needed to leave before any flying patrols found them. So, with a grunt, he pushed himself up to a seated position, then to his feet. His joints were aching, and his bruised legs and chest throbbed with pain, but he had no intention of stopping now. He clutched his little girl tightly to his chest as he limped away from Garreg Mach, letting the red and brown leaves of the surrounding forest shroud them as they left the monastery behind for good.
GARREG MACH 4TH DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1180
“It’s finally time! The Battle of the Eagle and Lion is at the end of the month.” Claude strolled casually up to Byleth’s table in the dining hall, a plate of biscuits in his hand. Hilda quickly picked one off of the plate and sat down at Byleth’s side, while Claude occupied the seat across from them. “I hope you haven’t forgotten, Teach!”
Byleth blinked. She had not forgotten that this was a thing that would happen, but she had not given the contest much thought. “I don’t really know much about it.”
“You're kidding! Didn't Rhea or Seteth fill you in? Guess I have to do everything myself around here.” Claude took a bite out of a biscuit before launching into his explanation. “The Battle of the Eagle and Lion is one of the academy's annual traditions. It's a huge mock battle between the three rival houses.”
“It’s a bit like that mock battle we did when you first got here, Professor!” Hilda spoke with her mouth full, making her words a bit difficult to understand. “This one will be bigger, though, and the field will be larger, too!”
“It’s not a straight-up last house standing battle, though,” Claude explained, “Since it’s the house that defeats the most foes that wins the day.”
“My brother writes about it all the time in his letters! He won it for the Golden Deer as house leader when he was a student here. I don’t really care about it that much, but he’ll be awfully disappointed if I don’t win it.” Hilda rested her chin idly in her hands, still chewing on a biscuit. “Not to mention his ex is here, so Holst really cares about how we do in this.”
“Holst’s ex is here?” Claude raised an eyebrow, a curious smirk across his face. “Who’d he date? Constance wasn’t here at the time, nor was Hapi. Was it Catherine?”
“Hah! As if! I can’t imagine what that would look like. Think about it. Who else was there at that time?”
Byleth struggled to think about who that could possibly mean. Who did they know at the monastery who was there at that time and around the right age for that? “Oh. Ohhhhhh.”
Claude coughed and covered his mouth, trying to hold in biscuit crumbs. “Really? Your brother had a relationship with Balthus? Well, having met your brother, I’d say that was quite a catch for ol’ Balthy.”
“Yeah, they were together all year! Holst won’t tell me why they broke up.” Hilda finished the last bite of her biscuit. “In any case, I’ve got to wonder what Professor Manuela’s lingering injury means for the battle.”
“I'm afraid she's sitting this one out, as is Professor Hanneman.” Claude cleared his throat before launching into an exaggerated impersonation of Professor Hanneman. “‘As my persistent rival will not be present, it only goes to follow that I must also sit out this year's battle. Now leave me be, Claude!’”
“Well, in that case,” Byleth pondered, “I should sit this one out too.”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, Byleth!” Manuela and Hanneman had arrived in the dining hall and picked out biscuits of their own before sitting down for breakfast with the two Golden Deer and their professor. “You know you wanna see the kids in action.”
“Ah, Professor Manuela! All things considered, you're looking well.”
“Thanks to your class and mine, Claude,” Manuela replied. “But I'd only be a burden out there. My students don't need to see me collapsed. Well, not on the battlefield, anyway.”
“So you really won’t be joining us for the battle?”
“Correct, Miss Goneril.” Unlike Hilda, Hanneman finished chewing and swallowing each bite of his biscuit before speaking. “Regardless, do not expect victory to come easily. Or at all.”
“Well put,” Manuela chimed in. “We've spent the past few months pushing our students to their limits. You can see me in the infirmary after they destroy you.”
Byleth had no desire to make things lopsided by fighting alongside her students when Manuela and Hanneman were not available. “This doesn't seem fair.”
“Oh my, look at you!” Manuela laughed before finishing her biscuit. “If you're as confident as all that, my students will walk all over you.”
“We have taught our students well. There is no need to hold back.” Hanneman’s words reassured her to an extent, but Byleth still wished to make things fair.
Well, if you want to keep things fair, Sothis mused, You could participate only as a tactician and not as a combatant! Byleth agreed.
“Well, I’ll do the tactics for the battle,” Byleth decided, “But I’ll leave the combat to my class. That seems fair enough.”
“Not getting your hands dirty with the rest of us, eh, Teach?” Claude smirked across the table at his professor before raising his hands. “I’m just joking, Teach. You’ve done a lot over the past couple of months. I think we’ll be just fine if you take a rest.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” Manuela announced, “I’ve got a date with a handsome knight that I wouldn’t miss for all the world. Ta-ta!” She twirled on one foot after she stood up before strolling away and out of the dining hall. With a roll of his eyes, Hanneman departed moments later after bidding a polite farewell to Byleth.
“Professor! Claude! Oh, I have the most excellent news!!” Byleth blinked in surprise before turning to see Flayn dashing over to their table and taking the seat next to Claude that Hanneman previously occupied, a pot of tea and four cups on a tray in her hands.
“Hi, Flayn!” Hilda passed her a biscuit as she arrived. “What’s happening?”
“Oh, it’s just wonderful!” Flayn was practically vibrating with excitement as she set her tray down on the table. “Remember how I was supposed to be sitting out of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion so that the numbers could be fair? Well, it took a lot of convincing, but my brother has agreed to allow Monica to fight for the Black Eagles and Cyril for the Blue Lions, so now that means I can participate in the mock battle!”
While Flayn was so excited that she was speaking at a breakneck pace, Claude and Hilda seemed less enthusiastic about it. “...Oh.” Hilda scratched her forehead with a puzzled look on her face. “Are you sure that’s fair? I don’t mean to be rude, Flayn, but compared to them, you’re kind of… inexperienced, you know?”
“Oh, it’s unfair, all right.” Claude’s puzzled look slowly turned into a smirk. He began to pour tea into the four cups before them. “Seteth just handed us the win.”
“Huh? How’s that?”
“Hilda,” Byleth cut in, “Flayn practices white magic, while Cyril’s an archer and Monica’s a mage. We will have one more healer than the Eagles and Lions will.”
“Oh! Yeah, that’s big.”
“Yep! I’ll have everyone in tip-top shape the whole time!” Flayn patted Claude on the back—and given that he lurched forward from the impact of her hand, Byleth had a feeling she may have been patting too hard. “Plus, the preparation for that will be a welcome distraction from my embarrassment tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Byleth had no memory of anything being scheduled for the following day. “What’s happening tomorrow?”
“After everything that happened last month, my brother promised to give me anything I asked for. I wanted to be reasonable, since he’s so busy, so I only asked for a feast of fish. But he had Shamir organize an entire fishing tournament!” Flayn buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment. “I just wanted some fish. I didn’t know he would turn it into such an ordeal.”
A fishing tournament?
Ugh, of course that’s the only thing you’re thinking about.
“If there is a fishing tournament tomorrow, I’ll give it a try.” Byleth took a cup of tea from the tray and began to drink, her entire fist wrapped around the handle. “I like fishing.”
Hilda spewed tea amidst her sputtering laughter at Byleth’s remark, inadvertently spitting tea all over Claude. “Yes, Professor, yes you do. We know.”
“Nothing wrong with that, Teach, don’t apologize.” Somehow Claude had guessed her next question before Byleth had even asked it. Fortunately, he didn’t seem terribly bothered by Hilda spitting hot tea at him. “Not a doubt in my mind that you’ll win, that’s for sure. I don’t know of anyone who fishes as much as you do around here.”
“We’ll see. I bet there will be a lot of participants, but I’ll do my best.” Byleth was out of practice, but she did want to do right by Flayn. Besides, she was never going to turn down a chance to go fishing for anything in the world.
And with everything that had happened in recent months, Byleth couldn’t help but feel like she had earned some downtime. She just hoped her father (or Leonie) wouldn’t be disappointed by her attitude.
GARREG MACH, 5th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1180
“So… second place in the fishing contest, huh?” Shamir took Catherine’s fishing pole and stowed it with the others in the shed near the pond. “Couldn’t quite beat Professor Eisner. Guess that makes both of us.”
“Heh, I guess so. Still, Flayn was happy, so I call that a win. She’s a good kid. Besides, I know Seteth was delighted, so I have the benefit of getting into his good graces.” Catherine leaned against the shed with her arms crossed, gazing out across the water. “Speaking of kids, where’s your son?”
“Ha, very funny, Catherine.” Shamir took a seat on a crate next to the docks. “Cyril’s cleaning the greenhouse today. He should be done any minute now.”
“That’s good. You’re doing a good job of raising him.”
Shamir shook her head, smiling despite herself. “Catherine, he’s my squire, not my child.”
“Does he know that?” Catherine nodded towards the greenhouse, where Cyril was emerging with the work apparently finished. Linhardt and Caspar were waving him down, so he stopped just outside the greenhouse to talk to them. The two knights couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he smiled slightly when he made eye contact with Shamir from across the pond.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re not a very good liar, Shamir.” Catherine pulled another two crates over next to Shamir and sat down, kicking her feet up next to him. “I’m not trying to be rude! It’s good. You’re genuinely doing well. He adores you. I don’t think he’d trade you for all the world.”
“Hey, he adores you too,” Shamir replied. “Thanks for your help with him, by the way. The last month has been hectic.”
“For you?” Catherine leaned closer to her, propping herself up with her right hand on Shamir’s crate. “It was no trouble.”
As Shamir replied to Catherine with nothing but a slight smile, Catherine leaned in the rest of the way and pressed a kiss to her lips. Shamir braced herself with a hand on Catherine’s waist before closing her eyes and surrendering to the moment for the few seconds it lasted for. She was just enjoying the aftertaste of the experience when Catherine looked past her and shouted, “Hey, Cyril! How’s it going?”
Shamir bolted to her feet as Cyril came to a stop next to them. “I’m fine. Greenhouse is clean now. I was just held up for a minute chatting with Linhardt and Caspar.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got an archery session this afternoon, right? If you go get the targets set up in the field outside the gates, we should have some extra time before dinner if you want to practice anything else. You’ll want to be ready for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, I bet.”
“You got it, Lady Shamir!” Cyril nodded before dashing away towards the gate. After he rounded the corner, Shamir could hear the startled laughter of the Gatekeeper in the distance.
“Well,” Catherine grunted as she rose to her feet at Shamir’s side, “I’ve got a meeting with Lady Rhea. See you tomorrow?”
“A meeting with the Archbishop?” Meetings with Lady Rhea had grown rather frequent for Catherine as of late. “What for?”
“Does it matter? She’s my boss.” The blond-haired knight shrugged as she took the first few steps away from the pond. “If she calls on me, I answer.”
“She’s been calling on you a lot lately. You go out on missions more than any other knight.” Shamir quickly walked out in front of her, getting in Catherine’s way. “What does she have you working on now?”
“That’s between me and her—and besides, what does it matter? It’s my job, and I’m good at it. She sends me out a lot because I’m the best.” Catherine moved to walk around Shamir.
“Yes, Catherine, I know you’re the best. Everyone does.” Shamir grabbed her sleeve, holding her in place. “And that might be why Rhea wants to have you doing a bunch of extra work, but that’s not good enough for me.”
“LADY Rhea,” Catherine corrected. “You're the only one in the knights who doesn't address her with the proper respect. It's not just that I worship Lady Rhea. I respect her, admire her, revere her…”
“Oh, for the love of… do you worship Seiros, or just her? I don’t get it. Any of it.”
Catherine abruptly pushed Shamir’s hand away. “Shamir. If you were anyone else, I would cut you down for saying that. She saved your life.”
“Doesn't mean I worship her.”
“You never change. You're so stubborn.”
“You're the stubborn one. When we're on missions related to Rhea, it's like you're wearing blinders! Is it so stubborn of me to want you to only do as much as you’re obligated to do so that we can actually spend some time together?” A long silence followed. “I thought that it would be cleared up after we dealt with Flayn’s disappearance and the Death Knight, but you’re still always busy with these new assignments from Rhea. Will you at least tell me what it is?”
Catherine stared back at her, taking in the sight of Shamir’s sunlit visage before her. Then she grimaced and shook her head. “That’s classified.”
“What do you mean it’s classified? I’m a knight too!”
“I am under specific instructions from Lady Rhea to keep this assignment confidential!”
Shamir crossed her arms in front of herself. “So it is just one assignment, then? Not a bunch of different assignments.”
Catherine exhaled aggressively, nostrils flaring from the air being pushed out. Then Catherine turned and stormed towards the main hall.
“I miss you, Catherine.”
At the sound of those four words, the Lady of Charon stopped in her tracks. She didn’t know if Shamir was looking at her, but she couldn’t bear to turn around and find out. After a moment, Catherine continued on, leaving Shamir alone by the pond without looking back.
GARREG MACH, 7th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1180
“I must say, Edelgard, it is unusual to see you like this.” Ferdinand took a brief pause to sip a bit of his tea. “You lack the usual dark and brooding presence that tends to lurk just over your right shoulder.”
“Yes, I imagine so.” Edelgard likewise took a sip of her own cup of tea. “Given the confidential nature of our discussions, Hubert’s presence was only likely to draw unwanted attention. He is working in the greenhouse with Bernadetta today. I believe they are cultivating some carnivorous plants.”
“Lovely! Perhaps I’ll check it out soon. I’ll probably do it while Hubert is not there, however. I don’t think he likes me much.” Ferdinand cleared his throat as he set his cup back down upon its saucer. “If you do not mind me asking, Edelgard, why did you choose me to deal with this matter? Hubert is far better at matters of subterfuge, espionage, and other plots like that. Why not ask him for this help?”
“It’s very simple,” Edelgard replied. “With Hubert, people are actively looking for complex and well-thought-plots or secrets. But you? Your shortcomings with stealth and spying are well known, making you an excellent candidate to slip under their notice.”
“Well, that’s somewhat hurtful.” Ferdinand frowned as Edelgard continued to sip her tea, smirking slightly. “Still, you are the Imperial heir. If it is what you command, I will do it. Once our time here is done, my success in this manner will be further proof of my superiority to you.”
“Ugh. Perhaps I should have just agreed to that duel you wanted.” Edelgard rolled her eyes and set her tea back upon her saucer. “In any case: Catherine. Where has she been going?”
“It would be easier to inform you of the places which she has NOT visited,” Ferdinand explained. “Western Faerghus, the Gautier lands to the North, Derdriu, Remire Village, Enbarr, even the village Leonie comes from. She’s gotten around.”
“The former Nuvelle lands?”
“No, not there. Why do you ask?”
“Hm. What do those places have to do with the Death Knight and the Flame Emperor?”
“Nothing,” he answered, “as far as I can tell. She is working on something entirely separate for the Archbishop. It has largely involved gathering a series of very old artifacts: Heroes’ Relics, Sacred Weapons, and some other things I could not identify.”
“Huh.” Edelgard blinked in surprise. This was not at all what she expected. “Are they not concerned with the capture of the Death Knight and the identity of the Flame Emperor? We saw how imposing they were and how much damage they could do.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call the Flame Emperor ‘imposing,’ per se.” Ferdinand chuckled quietly to himself, raising his cup for another sip of tea. “He was very short. And besides… did you see? I didn’t think you were there.”
“What do you mean?”
Ferdinand gave her a puzzled look. “You were helping Professor Casagranda, remember? You didn’t return until well after they were all gone.”
“…Ah. Right. Apologies, Ferdinand, I misspoke.” Edelgard cleared her throat loudly before shifting her seated posture carefully. “I merely meant that they are certainly a threat, and I would expect the Archbishop to dedicate her best knight mainly towards those matters.”
“True. Nevertheless, that has not turned out to be the case. This appears to be a matter entirely unrelated to the little Flame Emperor.” He finished off the rest of his cup of tea, not noticing the way Edelgard scowled when he called the Flame Emperor ‘little.’
“Do you think it has anything to do with the professor? Professor Eisner, that is.”
“Her? I suppose it’s possible,” Ferdinand mused. “I may not be as savvy an investigator as Hubert or Claude or Yuri, but even I can tell that Archbishop Rhea has taken a particular interest in Professor Eisner. Even her appointment here when she appears to be the same age as most students. She may even be younger than Mercedes.”
“Not to mention the way Lady Rhea seems to grant each and every request she makes,” Edelgard added. “Did you hear that she granted her extra funding to hire battalions to go resolve that issue in the Gloucester lands last month?”
“…Edelgard, I was there. I went along on that excursion with the Golden Deer.”
“Oh.” Edelgard blinked in surprise once again. “I suppose I forgot.”
“Are you quite alright, Edelgard?” Ferdinand set his cup and saucer back on the tray in the center of the table and leaned forward onto it. “You seem rather put out. I am all for putting in long hours and hard work, but if you’re exhausting yourself like this, proving my superiority to you will not even be a challenge. There would be no honor in that!”
“Must you make everything a competition?” Edelgard rolled her eyes again, rubbing her temple with her right index and thumb. “Still, you have a point. Perhaps I need some rest, especially with the Battle of the Eagle and Lion coming up.”
“Indeed! As the reigning winners, the Black Eagle house must bring honor to Adrestia by successfully retaining our title! Having Monica will be a great help, as she was part of that victory,” Ferdinand added, “But perhaps more trouble than it is worth. She has been unusually cheerful and chipper since her reappearance. She was not at all like that when I knew her—and she follows you around almost as dutifully as Hubert.”
“Oh, do not remind me. As much as your constant desire to exceed me is tiring, it is a welcome change of pace from Hubert and Monica.” Edelgard shook her head as she likewise returned her tea to the tray. “If I had to guess, her change of attitude is simply a result of a relief to be back and among the world again. She was missing for quite some time. Sylvain has certainly not wasted any time in pursuing her, so perhaps his philandering will provide me with a bit of space from her if she accepts his advances.”
“Already? He is certainly relentless.” Ferdinand chuckled, seemingly relaxing a bit. “Perhaps a rest is what we all need. It has been a hectic first half of the academic year—hopefully the second half will be easier. At this rate, though, it would not surprise me if dragons and ghosts and spirits are swarming the monastery by the Pegasus Moon.”
Edelgard stifled a laugh. “Don’t tell me you actually believe in ghosts and spirits, Ferdinand.”
“Do not laugh!” Ferdinand furrowed his brow at Edelgard’s amused reply. “They exist! I have seen a nymph with my own eyes, I’ll have you know!”
“…Seriously?” A part of her would have thought Ferdinand was playing some sort of prank if it were not completely out of character for him. “You’ve seen a nymph?”
“Truly!” Ferdinand’s tone seemed entirely sincere. “I remember it distinctly. Back when I was a child, I saw a water nymph dancing and singing in a fountain along the main street in Enbarr. She was radiant, brilliant in the dewy light of the sun. But as an immature young lad, I grew embarrassed and ran away.”
“…A water nymph?” It took everything in Edelgard’s power not to outright laugh at his naïveté. “You’re certain of this?”
“Absolutely. Her song resonated within me—it was a bucolic tune sung by commonfolk around the capital. As I recall, she had not been wearing so much as a scrap of clothing. Anyway, once I finally mustered up the courage to return, the nymph had vanished.” He smiled to himself as he closed his eyes, re-entering the memory. “I have not seen one since.”
Edelgard loudly cleared her throat to avoid chuckling at his story. “Such a tale hardly seems possible, Ferdinand.”
“Believe what you like, Edelgard.” Ferdinand was either undeterred by her dismissal of his story or did not notice her amusement. “In any case, should such spirits pop up again, it will simply be yet another piece of proof that I am wiser and more capable than you.”
“You really should be saying ‘Your Highness’ and not my first name, you know. Hubert will likely start scolding you about it before too long.”
“Does Dorothea not refer to you as ‘Edie?’ It would be hypocritical for him to attack me for such a thing.” Ferdinand pushed his chair back, slowly rising to his feet. “Does it truly matter to you?”
“Oh, I do not mind it at all,” Edelgard replied, likewise standing up. “But Hubert is insistent on such formalities when my station is involved. In any case, I do hope you will keep me informed on the situation pertaining to Catherine and the professor.”
“Of course.” Ferdinand crossed one hand over his chest and bowed. “I bid you good day, ‘Your Highness.’”
Finally, Edelgard laughed. “I’ll see you in class, Ferdinand.”
GARREG MACH, 12th DAY, PEGASUS MOON, 1180
“Wow, Petra, you’re really good at that!” Ashe looked on in awe as the Brigid princess slowly lowered her training sword. “And the way you fight is totally different from everyone else here. It’s so cool!”
“Thank you, Ashe.” Petra walked back to her starting position, wiping sweat from her brow. Ingrid did the same, moving to the other side of the training grounds. “You are impressive as well, Ingrid! I am not seeing members of the Black Eagles handle the sword as you do.”
“Truthfully, it’s not my specialty.” Ingrid tossed her training sword and caught it in her opposite hand. “I’m more comfortable with a lance, but I want to make sure I can use both. That’s why I go to Professor Eisner’s seminars whenever I can, especially now that Jeritza’s gone.”
“Well, for a weapon that’s not your specialty,” Ignatz remarked, cutting into the conversation from where he sat with his simple sketch brushes and a small canvas before him, “you sure are good at it.”
“Well, if you want to see what Faerghus sword fighting technique looks like at its best, just wait until Felix gets here.” Ingrid idly swapped her sword back to her dominant hand. “I think he loves sword fighting more than anything else in the world.”
“I have not been able to spar with him much,” Petra replied. “I am hoping this changes during the seminar.”
“Yeah, he usually trains with Caspar when he’s here,” Ashe noted. “Will Caspar be attending?”
“Ah, no.” Petra’s expression darkened slightly at the mention of the Bergliez boy. “He is busy today, so no other Black Eagles will be attending besides me.”
“Oh. Well, that’s a shame.” Ingrid shrugged before taking a few practice swings. “His technique isn’t perfect, but he’s strong and energetic. Makes him a good sparring partner.”
“Hey, looks like everyone’s already getting started!” Raphael swung the wooden doors ajar and marched into the training grounds, while Leonie followed in after him. “How are you all doing today?”
“Pretty good, Raphael!” Ashe high fived the large Golden Deer student as he made his way over to the rest of the waiting students. “Glad to see you’re joining us.”
“Are you kidding? We’ve never missed one of the Professor’s dueling seminars yet,” Leonie proudly stated, “And we’re not going to start now!” She grabbed two additional training swords off of a weapons rack and tossed one to Raphael. “Usual crowd, it seems. Where’s Felix? Feels like he’s already here more often than not.”
“I’m here.” Felix had quietly slipped into the training grounds after Raphael and Leonie. “I was busy with something before this.”
Felix did not specify what he had been doing, so he could not understand why everyone was looking at him as though he had something on his face. The grounds were silent. Everyone was staring at him for some reason.
“Your hair is looking nice, Felix.” Petra was the one to finally break the silence.
“Huh? Oh, right.” He took hold of the braids in his hair and pulled each of them into large loops, holding them in place with one hand. With his other, he took out the white bandana tucked into his vest and tied it around his head to hold the loops in place. “Now they won’t get in the way.”
“That’s a… new look, Felix.” Ingrid was smirking at him, which was unusual. “Who did that for you?”
“I didn’t ask for this,” Felix replied. “This was a favor for someone else.”
“So you’re a hair model? Hah!” Leonie found the entire situation incredibly amusing. “Never thought I’d see the day! Although I always knew you were a big softie deep down.”
“I was just letting someone practice a hairstyle.” Felix felt his face getting hotter for some weird reason. “What does it matter?”
“Nobody’s angry at you!” Ingrid was laughing at him now, too. “It’s a good look for you. I’m just surprised—I thought you would have killed anyone who would try to touch your hair, much less style it like that.”
“I owed a favor, so I fulfilled a request. Why are you all looking at me like that?!”
“Um, Felix? Sorry to bother you, but you, uh, forgot your belt.” Felix whipped around to see Annette standing in the doorway, her hair tied up in the same braided loops as him. She even had the bandana around her head to match. “I was just going- well, I was heading over to, uh, the- the library, so I thought I’d walk it over.” She walked over to him quietly and awkwardly draped the belt over his shoulder. “Well, you have it now. And thanks again for offering to let me practice the braids on you. Okay… bye.” She nodded to Felix, waved to the other students in the training grounds, and quickly shuffled out.
Felix slowly removed the belt draped over his shoulder and fastened it around his waist. He hoped that if he simply went about his business as usual, nobody would comment on what had just happened.
“I thought you said you were fulfilling a request.” Felix turned to face a rather inquisitive Petra. “But unless I am not understanding, it is sounding like you approached her to style your hair.”
“No, you got it, Petra.” Ashe reassured her as the two of them smiled at Felix, not seeming to understand how mortified he was.
“Is everything alright in here?” The students all began making their way to the center of the grounds as Byleth entered the training grounds in black pants and a white shirt. Claude followed close behind in similar dress.
“Sounded like there was something going on in here before we came in.” Claude was wearing his usual playful smile. “Is anything amiss?”
“Not at all. We were just getting warmed up.” Felix gave him a clear answer before anyone could say anything to the contrary. “Can we get started?”
“Of course.” Byleth took three training swords from a rack and handed one to Claude before passing one to Felix. “Nice hairdo, by the way.”
CASTLE GASPARD, 13th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1173
If anyone found him, he’d be dead.
But if Ashe couldn’t find a way to pay for his siblings’ next few meals, they would all be dead in a couple of days. There was no other choice to be made.
The security around the Gaspard manor was heavier than most places he had targeted before. Two guards were posted at each gate at all times, with more roaming the estate depending on the time of day. Even in the late evening, after the sun had set, there was sure to be men stationed at each entrance who would not hesitate to stop him.
However, as much as the Gaspard family involved themselves in their community and were lauded, and despite the frequent visitors hosted and welcomed at the central manor, the fence around the manor was not without damage. Most major breaches were resolved quickly, but much smaller gaps were not prioritized for repairs under belief that they were of little harm, since dangerous individuals would not be able to pass through them. Emaciated nine-year-olds who had not eaten in ten days, however, had an easier time crawling through the small gaps in the bottom of the walls.
A quick glance around the grounds showed that the watch was low in number, as it tended to be on Mondays. Still, he kept low and crawled across the yard around the manor as quietly as he could. He still had welts on his back from the lashes he endured the last two times he was caught in the act of theft in neighboring towns. That was reminder enough of the consequences of being discovered. Once he had slowly and carefully crawled to the side wall of the manor, he clambered up the brick wall to the second story window. He withdrew a dagger from the rope serving as his belt and slid it in the gap in the middle of the window frame, sliding it upwards to unlatch the window and allow him to swing it open.
Ashe quietly rolled into the room and took a moment to gather himself. The room he found himself in was clearly some sort of side room or lounge. A few cushioned chairs were strewn about the center of the room, while the tables that sat between them were topped with platters of glassware and a fine tea set. The wall nearest to him was covered with different paintings, and while some of them were portraits which might prove harder to sell, one of the landscapes would probably fetch a good price. Some intricately engraved metalware was stacked on a table in the corner of the room as well, which would be easier to pawn off and less cumbersome to transport back out of the manor.
Better than all of that, however, was the golden medallion hanging from a display rack next to the paintings. He had stolen enough by now to know how to identify real gold, and this was as real as it gets. Regardless of whatever else he might be able to swipe, that was the obvious first choice.
As he went to get it from the wall, however, he spied a glint from across the room. The opposite wall had multiple bookshelves, each one chock full of more books than he had ever seen in a private collection. Propped up on one of them, three shelves up from the floor, was the most beautiful, ornate book cover he had ever seen. He found himself drawn to it, walking slowly across the room and drawing it down from the shelf.
The cover had a stunning depiction of a man on horseback, a massive lance in his grip. The horse he rode was rearing up, while golden lines shot forth from around where the lance’s complex point was. Blue accents swirled around the golden lines, while the man’s face was drawn in immense detail, letting out a war cry he could almost hear. There were words on the front of the cover at the bottom, but he didn’t recognize any of them. Ashe knew certain books could be highly valuable in some markets, and he had a feeling this one would fetch the best price he had ever—
“It may be a bit difficult to read in the dark.”
Ashe whipped around to face the individual speaking to him, fumbling for his dagger. After adjusting his grip in a panic, he raised the blade threateningly towards the man standing in the doorframe before him, dropping the book on the floor. He held a candle in a small holder in his right hand, and the light from it allowed Ashe to see him fully. He wore a simple brown shirt and trousers, contrasting sharply with his white hair and mustache.
“When I first heard commotion, I thought it might have been Christophe, but he is out of town tonight. It would not have been the first time I found him down here at a late hour, though.” The man took a step into the room, causing Ashe to shuffle back from him, dagger still raised, hand shaking. “I apologize if I frightened you—that was not my intent.” He squinted into the dark corner, moving closer until his candle allowed him to fully see the child crouched in the corner, knife raised. His gaze softened further once he got a good look at the tiny boy before him. “I don’t… I don’t believe I’ve seen you in town before. My name is Lonato.”
Ashe quickly glanced over at the window he had entered from. It was still open, leaving Ashe to calculate in his head whether he could make it over there before Lonato closed the distance on him. The odds were not in his favor.
“Did you climb in here?” Lonato spared a glance towards the window before crouching down before Ashe. “That must have been difficult.” He picked the book up off the ground. “Ah, ‘Loog and the Maiden of Wind!’ You climbed up all that way to read this?”
“I can’t.”
“I am unarmed, I promise you. I mean you no harm—”
“I mean… I can’t read.”
“Oh.” Lonato seemed more puzzled than angry. It made no sense to Ashe. “If you cannot read, what drew you to this, of all things?”
“We’re hungry.”
Lonato inhaled through his nose while trying to suppress a chuckle. “Well, I certainly hope you weren’t planning on eating a book.”
“Selling it would cover some meals for my brother and sister, though.”
“I see.” Lonato glanced down at the book, then back at him. “I’d reckon most people who own books own this one already, though, so you may not get much compensation for it. ‘Loog and the Maiden of Wind’ is a rather well-loved chivalrous tale. Are you familiar with it?”
Ashe’s dagger was slowly lowering. “No. I just thought the cover looked cool.”
Lonato smiled softly and sat down cross-legged on the floor. He put his candleholder down and opened the book up to its first page. “Well, I can read it for you, if you like.”
“No.” Ashe abruptly shot to his feet, shuffling near the window. “Siobhan and Eoin are waiting for me.”
“Your siblings?” Lonato raised his arms, hoping to further reinforce the fact that he was entirely unarmed. “Are your parents not with them?”
“They’ve been dead since I was five.”
“…And how old are you now?”
“I…” Ashe was still wary of this stranger, but at this point, he had a feeling Lonato would have already attacked him if he was planning to do so. He finally stashed his dagger away for good. “I turn ten in four days.”
“…Ah. I’m sorry.” Ashe was used to seeing feigned sympathies and pity in the eyes of adults, but something about this man was not like that. “Where are your siblings, then?” Ashe did not answer, instead swinging one leg out of the window. “I swear on my son’s life, I mean you no harm. I can read the book for all three of you. I should still have enough water drawn from this afternoon to brew another pot of Angelica tea. There’s some biscuits and a few apples in the kitchen too, if I recall correctly.”
It was a trap. It had to be. Ashe didn’t know what this strange man’s endgame was, but this couldn’t possibly be as good a situation as it seemed. Still, what choice did he have? He was desperate. If he didn’t find a way to get food for Siobhan and Eoin, they would die before too long. He had to take the chance.
“Okay. I’ll go get them.” He started to swing his other leg over to exit through the window.
“You can just take the front door. It’s safer.” Lonato rose to his feet and picked up his candleholder before offering a hand to the boy before him. “May I ask your name?”
He hesitantly took the man’s hand. “I’m Ashe.”
“Well, Ashe, let’s see if we can’t get your siblings a warm cup of tea and a bite to eat.” Lonato led the thin child through the house and down the stairs to the front door. When he swung the doors open, his guards jumped in alarm, but he assured them that they could be at ease while he followed Ashe out of the manor and turned down the road. He followed the child to a pile of old wooden crates and barrels, at which point Ashe crawled into the pile and vanished from sight. Lonato was about to call for help when Ashe re-emerged, followed by two even smaller children with the same grey hair. The girl had the same green eyes as her older brother, while the younger boy’s eyes were brown. He looked much like a younger Christophe. The twins weren’t quite as thin as Ashe was, but they had clearly not been in the best of health.
Lonato would have to consult with a professional about how to best remedy their health, but such matters had to wait. For the moment, he led the three children back to his manor—through the gates this time—and straight to the kitchen, where he had a pot of tea to brew and a promise of snacks to keep.
GARREG MACH, 17th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1180
“Angelica tea! Did Dedue tell you it was my favorite?”
“Yes.” Byleth welcomed Ashe to the courtyard on the morning of his 17th birthday for tea, pouring his cup before he even arrived. “I do my research.”
“Thank you so much for this! I know you invite everyone to tea on their birthdays, but it’s still very nice.” He took a long sip from his cup and smiled happily at the taste. “I can’t imagine how much the tea and snacks for everyone has cost you.”
“I bought in bulk.”
“Smart!” Ashe giggled to himself as he enjoyed the aroma of the tea before him. “Still, thank you for sparing the time. I know we’ve all been busy, what with the Battle of the Eagle and Lion coming up.”
“Yes, it’s certainly occupied much of my free time outside of class prep.” Byleth took a sip from her own tea cup. “And I know it’s been challenging for students as well. It’s been harder for you to visit your siblings, I’m sure. Are they alright? I know the Gaspard lands have been troubled recently.”
Ashe stiffened slightly but smiled, nevertheless. “They’re doing well. I’ve got them moved away to a safer place. The Church can’t hurt them now.”
“I’m glad to hear they’re safe.” Byleth considered asking where Ashe’s siblings had relocated to. If he wanted to tell you, he would have already. Ultimately agreeing with Sothis, Byleth decided to move on. “I’ve noticed that social interactions between students outside of classes and seminars have declined considerably this month. Do you think that’s mainly because of the battle?”
“I think so,” Ashe replied. “People do take the battle pretty seriously.”
“Still, I would hope people would not put their friendships on hold for such a thing. I know you have some friends in the Black Eagles. I hope they haven’t treated you differently for it.”
Ashe shook his head. “No, they haven’t been anything but good to me. Edelgard’s been very kind to me and generous with her time. Ferdinand has always been available to offer advice or assistance when I ask. And Petra… well, she’s wonderful, I’m sure you know that. They’re all nobles, but they don’t treat me like I’m inferior to them. I’m grateful for that.”
“That’s good,” Byleth replied. “And how are things with your own house? And with the faculty? I know you help the knights out from time to time.”
“Oh, the Blue Lions are wonderful! Dimitri has been very good to me.” He poured himself a second cup of tea before moving to refill Byleth’s as well. “Dimitri is always kind and helpful. Honestly, it’s a bit embarrassing how much I allow the prince to help me when I’m supposed to be helping him. Ingrid and I talk about knights’ tales all the time, and Felix was surprisingly empathetic after what happened with Lonato, too. It’s honestly been a lot like what Christophe told me about.”
“He was a student in the Blue Lions too, right? Same as Catherine.”
“Yeah.” Ashe maintained his smile once Catherine came up, but Byleth had spent enough time around Claude to be able to identify a fake smile. “It’s nice to be able to carry on like him in a way. I’m not sure how I’ll make it work financially, but I’m hoping to be able to pay the tuition for my siblings to attend the academy someday. If I’m knighted in Faerghus, I might be able to afford it.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Byleth bit into a biscuit she had lifted from the platter in the center of the table. “You’re a good person, Ashe. I hope you know that.”
“Thank you, Professor. Means a lot coming from you.” Ashe finished the last of his tea and stood up, bowing formally to the professor. “I do have to go now, though. I wouldn’t want to miss preparations for the big day. Thanks for the tea. I hope we can do this again!”
“Of course. Happy birthday, Ashe.” Byleth stood and returned his formal gesture before watching the boy exit the courtyard.
Well, something’s definitely off with him.
Yes, but he seemed like he would be upset if I pressed the issue further. I just hope his siblings are okay.
I’m not sure where they would be, Byleth. We might have to do some poking around when we have time.
Well, I can’t ask Seteth. I doubt anyone in the church knows.
Yes, clearly he doesn’t trust them… Yuri might know. He seems to constantly gather information like that. Maybe Claude?
Maybe. It can wait for now, but I’ll try to see what I can dig up later. For now, I’ve got classes to teach and a battle to prepare for.
GRONDER FIELD, 27th DAY, WYVERN MOON, 1180
“So… This is Gronder Field.” Claude scanned the valley before them from their vantage point. The leaves of autumn had not yet begun to fall, meaning the trees around the valley created a ring of red and orange around the battlefield. A mighty hill occupied the valley’s center. “Not a bad place to wage a war, is it?”
“Absolutely.” Byleth had seen fields like this in her time as a mercenary. It would do.
“Yeah, I knew you’d understand.” Claude’s eyes gleamed as he snapped his right fingers and pointed at his Professor. “Plenty of places to hide, and our pick of paths to advance through. It's the perfect battlefield for our tactics. I have my eye on that low hill over there. See it? It's the ideal spot to lure our enemies to and then surround them with fire.”
“Absolutely not.” Byleth’s gaze turned sternly upon him. “No fire, Claude. No poisons either.”
Claude chuckled at her scolding reply. “Gotcha, Teach! I know, I know. We want all students to make it back to the monastery. Still, with you in command, we can't lose. The Imperial princess and the crown prince don't stand a chance.”
The other students of the Golden Deer were beginning to catch up to the two of them. “Professor! Claude! What are you two talking about?” Hilda skipped up to their side donned in Pegasus Knight armor, a training axe hanging from the loop in her belt.
“What do you expect? It's Claude.” Lorenz was dressed for horseback riding in the armor of a cavalier. He held a bow in his left hand and a quiver stocked with blunted training arrows in his right. “I expect he was foisting more of his ill-advised schemes on our poor professor.”
“Oh, you have me all figured out, Lorenz. You know me better than I know myself.” Claude smirked as Lorenz handed him the bow and quiver.
“Win or lose, it's an honor just to participate in the legendary Battle of the Eagle and Lion!”
“Win or lose, Ignatz?” Leonie raised an eyebrow at the boy clad in brown and green. “Speak for yourself. I’m here to win!” Ever the competitive spirit, Leonie wore similar shooting gear to Ignatz, only differing in the color of her gear being yellow rather than green.
“Yeah! I’m ready!” Raphael was loud and excited, wearing lighter leather armor that restricted his movement less. “Let’s go!”
“Haha! Rah!” Flayn was beaming, barely able to keep still. She wore a standard cleric’s uniform, a magic staff in her hands. She was doing her best to match Raphael’s boisterous energy. “I shall give it my all!”
“I’m glad everyone is excited.” Marianne was dressed similarly to Flayn. “I'll just...stay quiet and follow along so I don't get in anyone's way.”
“That will not be acceptable, Marianne. The whole point of this exercise is for each house to act as one.” Lysithea, wearing the long, flowing robes of a warlock, clutched Marianne’s hand tightly. “And we can’t do it without you.”
“She’s right, Marianne! Do your best! I can’t wait to see how well everyone does.” Hilda clutched Marianne’s other hand and squeezed it once.
“All right, sounds like Hilda will be taking control of a central hill and watching the battle from there.” Claude’s remark earned him a smack on the arm from the pink-haired Goneril girl. “Anyhow, it’s almost time. Teach, I know you won’t actually be fighting in this one, but are you ready? Let’s go!”
Byleth nodded and followed Claude down a path to their starting point for the battle. It was unusual for her to do battle tactics for a skirmish she would take no part in, but she had trained her students well. Besides, she had a trick up her sleeve for this one. And that would make her Golden Deer impossible to predict.
“It appears everyone is in position, your highness.”
“Thank you, Hubert.” Being the house who had won the previous battle of the Eagle and Lion meant that the Black Eagles could choose their starting position first, so Edelgard had opted to move her forces to the western side of the battlefield to begin with. This allowed them to control the major fortifications and have forest lines between them and the two other armies. Most importantly, though, they gained access to a ballista mounted at the top of the central hill. Bernadetta had been tasked with manning it, ready to fire off nets attached to thin poles (the church would never allow the firing of real ballista bolts during a mock battle, but the nets would incapacitate anyone caught in them). Edelgard knew Claude’s Golden Deer liked to take defensive positions in well-shrouded areas, waiting for their enemies to overextend and fall into their trap. But Edelgard was prepared this time. Once they had begun to take down the Blue Lions, Claude would be forced to make a move, and Bernadetta would keep them pinned down, leaving them sitting ducks for Monica and Dorothea’s magic.
“Miss Varley is rather isolated in that position, your highness.” Hubert pointed up towards the position Bernadetta held, standing just behind the ballista. “Perhaps we should give her more direct support upon the hill.”
“I must say, I’m inclined to agree with Hubert for once.” Ferdinand circled his horse around so that he could face the two of them. “If anyone manages to close that gap before she is able to return fire, we will be exposed to attack from our own ballista.”
“We cannot afford to dedicate more forces there. We need all hands ready for the Blue Lions.” Hubert slowly nodded. Ferdinand seemed less convinced. “…Oh, fine. Caspar! Join Bernadetta at the top of the hill!”
Caspar turned and saluted to Edelgard before starting towards the hill. As he got to the base and started to make his ascent, Edelgard could hear a horn and saw a waving flag next to the point where Seteth—and Lady Rhea—stood.
“It seems the battle has begun.” Linhardt was standing centrally amongst the Black Eagles so that he could heal everyone as needed.
“Yes!!! Let’s do this! How many people get to fight in this historic battle twice?” Monica was brimming with energy, seemingly eager to get into the action.
“Shall we advance, Ferdie?” Dorothea waved down Ferdinand from her position next to Monica. “Dimitri and the Lions will probably be charging any minute now.”
“Indeed.” Ferdinand offered a hand and pulled the spellcaster up onto the saddle just behind him. “Let’s move. We need to take advantage of the cover Bernadetta’s given us.”
“I will be moving with you!” Petra drew her own training sword and started quickly moving along the base of the hill. Ferdinand led his horse after her, maintaining a brisk pace that would soon see them overtake Petra and land the first strike on the Blue—
Petra gasped and ducked for cover as the poles of a trap net spread out in midair and nearly tangled her up entirely in rope. Dorothea leapt from the back of Ferdinand’s horse as he circled it around once again. She ran over to Petra’s side, who had been fortunate enough to only get one leg caught in it, meaning she would not be eliminated from the battle right away.
“Bernie!” Dorothea shouted. “You’re supposed to aim that at them, not us!”
But when Ferdinand and Dorothea looked up the hill, the figure they saw manning the ballista was not a slender purple-haired girl clad in purple and black, but a figure in yellow and brown armor. Leonie was hard at work loading another round into the ballista.
The Golden Deer had already taken the hill.
“The Golden Deer have already engaged them!” Dimitri couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. Byleth and Claude were the type to set traps, not charge right into them. He couldn’t tell which house controlled the ballista atop the hill. All he knew was that it was not currently theirs. “We should take this chance to break through the Eagles’ flank.”
“You got it, your highness!” Sylvain’s horse reared her front legs forward. “Better keep clear of that ballista’s range, though.”
“I’m with you above!” Ingrid’s mount took to the skies and followed above him.
“Dimitri!” Ashe called out to his house leader. “Should I follow them?”
“No, you should move through the trees and see if you can get behind the Golden Deer undetected. Take Felix and Cyril with you.”
“You’ve got it!” The youngest member of their team started into the tree line, wearing similar gear to Shamir’s.
“…Alright, let’s do it.” Felix followed Ashe and Cyril into the thicket.
“The rest of us will take on the Eagles!” Dimitri started off towards the Black Eagles, waving for the other Blue Lions to follow him. They obliged, charging closely after him.
As Dimitri closed the distance, he could see that the results were mixed. Apparently, the Golden Deer had figured out a clever way to quickly overtake the central hill, leaving the Eagles without Bernadetta or Caspar, who were required to vacate the field immediately. Still, as long as they kept outside of the ballista’s accurate range, the Deer would not be an immediate problem for them, since they would seek to hold their high ground. As such, the prince turned his attention to the disadvantaged Black Eagles. Such a tactic was not considerably honorable, but Dimitri did want to win.
For their parts, Ingrid and Sylvain were having some success. Ferdinand and Sylvain were locked in a battle on horseback, making charges at each other with their training lances. Monica had tried to fire off wind magic at Ingrid, but it was so weak that Ingrid and her Pegasus had been able to make a diving move and land a blunt lance strike directly on Monica’s midsection. She was so inept at magic that Dimitri had to wonder how the Black Eagles had possibly won the previous battle with her on their team.
“I believe,” Dimitri loudly announced, his own training lance hovering just above Monica as she laid on the grass, “That this is the part where you yield.” She did.
“I’ll help Sylvain with Ferdinand!” Ingrid began to make a circling motion to join Sylvain, but she pulled too close to the hill as she did so. Netting flew forth from the ballista and tangled up Ingrid and her mount. The blond-haired student screamed as she fell off her mount, while Annette had to quickly cast a wind spell of her own to slow her fall.
“I’ve got her, Annie!” At Mercedes’ words, Annette turned her attention to the duel between Ferdinand and Sylvain. She was about to fire off another wind spell when she spotted Dorothea aiming a spell at her, forcing the ginger girl to duck for cover.
“Dedue!”
“I’ve got it!” At Dimitri’s command, Dedue charged towards Dorothea, training axe in hand. But before Dimitri could decide his own course of action, a blast of wind magic sent Dedue flying several yards away. Dimitri turned to his right to see Lysithea near the top of the hill, Thyrsus in her hands.
“It’ll take her time to cast another one of that power,” Annette shouted. “Take her down now!” Dimitri nodded and started marching up the hill, nothing between him and the small white-haired mage. He had to take her down or his main force would be decimated.
“Sorry, Dimitri,” Lysithea announced smugly, “But that wasn’t me.”
Dimitri paled as he saw Marianne emerge from behind Leonie at the ballista. The realization that Lysithea did not practice wind magic was the last thing that crossed Dimitri’s mind before a blast of dark magic from Lysithea sent him tumbling down the hill.
“Hey, Princess! Heads up!” The distraction created at the central hill had allowed the Golden Deer’s leader to get behind the Black Eagles leader undetected. “There's a rat right by your Imperial feet...”
“BAH! I-” Edelgard spun around, eyes wide with panic and face wrought with fear as she scanned the area around her feet, hopping nervously. She blinked and tried to regather herself with a scowl when she realized she had been tricked. “How dare you make a fool of me. You will not rile me with such childish tactics.”
“Ah, so the sheer terror in your eyes was...something else entirely. My mistake.” Claude couldn’t help but laugh at the spectacle Edelgard had put on before her. “Anyway, it was only a joke.”
“You really hope to unsettle me with childish jokes? It won't work. You must stand and fight!” The imperial princess seemed far more upset by his joke than Claude had expected her to be. Still, that could play right into his hand.
“Precisely my thought as well! I’ll stand right here, and you can come to fight me. After all, I’m the one with the bow.” He quickly drew a training arrow and shot it towards Edelgard. She quickly stepped to her left to avoid being hit by it.
“Missing at this range?” Edelgard was starting to regain her composure as Hubert arrived back at her side. “And here I thought you were one of the best archers in the academy.”
“Well, I’m not THE best. That’s Ignatz. Still, it’s funny that you’d assume I was aiming for you.” Claude pointed past Edelgard, and the princess followed his gaze to see Linhardt on the ground, clutching his chest and wincing in pain.
“That one hit me right over my heart. That’s me out of it.” Linhardt opted to lie down in the grass rather than leaving the field.
“Yikes!” Claude sucked in air between his teeth. “Looks like the Black Eagles are without a healer.”
“Yes, but you’re right here in front of us,” Hubert bluntly declared, readying a fire spell, “With nothing to protect you from a swift defeat.”
“Real tempting, aren’t I?” Claude drew another arrow and twirled it between his fingers before nocking it. “And here I thought you were going to adjust to Teach and I’s normal strategy by waiting for US to close the distance.”
“Oh, enough!” Edelgard raised her own wooden axe in one hand and a shield in the other, then charged towards the archer in gold and brown garments. Claude responded by firing two swift shots. The first was aimed at Edelgard’s midsection, which she was able to block with her shield. The second was aimed at Hubert’s leg, and that one got to its target. Claude nimbly rolled to his right when Edelgard aimed a downward slash at him, nocking a new arrow as soon as he got back to his feet. He drew it back as Edelgard pulled her axe out of the earth she had buried it in. She sure swung that axe awfully hard. That would have left quite a bruise if it had landed. As the imperial princess turned to charge for him again, Claude took a deep breath in.
Then he turned to his right and shot Hubert again. The training arrow hit the princess’s retainer squarely in the chest, sending him to the ground as well. Edelgard was alone.
That was not the most convenient truth for Claude at the moment, however. He was barely able to raise his bow quickly enough to block Edelgard’s next horizontal swing, and the momentum of her strike still sent him staggering back. “Sending your entire force to swarm the hill was a bold gambit, Claude, but you should not have come here alone. Now there’s nobody to protect you from me.”
Claude lowered his bow to his side and smiled his favorite fiendish smile. “Who said I came alone?”
Edelgard did not have a moment to react before a green-haired girl emerged from a bush nearby, took four quick steps to close the distance, and absolutely clobbered Edelgard in the back with a magic staff. The imperial princess’s armor appeared to be of little use as she went flying a good two to four meters through the air before falling to the ground with a thud.
“Wow, you really are strong!” Claude couldn’t help but laugh as he drew another arrow from his quiver and started to walk over to Edelgard’s side. “I don’t think you needed to hit her that hard.”
“Sorry! I was just so excited!” Flayn was hopping up and down ever so slightly at Claude’s side. “To participate in a battle like this… it’s so exhilarating!”
“Well that, I’m inclined to agree with.” Claude drew another arrow from his quiver and nocked it before aiming it from nearly point-blank range at Edelgard, still lying on the ground. “Now, Princess, would you like to yield now, or should I let this arrow take a very short flight?”
At Seteth’s loud declaration, the Golden Deer knew they had won.
Beyond her experience with healing magic, Flayn’s access to the church’s resources meant that she had already learned warp magic. One quick warp spell used on Leonie allowed her to reach the top of the hill within seconds of the battle’s start, and she caught the two Eagles atop the hill completely by surprise. The other two houses had expected Byleth’s students to use their typical tactic of taking defensive positions in forts or forests and waiting for the foe to come to them. As such, Byleth had suggested that they instead make a fast and direct attack towards the main hill, continuing their aggressive tactic as quickly as possible with a sweep down from the hill, and the Eagles and Lions had been left completely unprepared for the sudden assault. Suppressing fire from Leonie atop the hill allowed Lysithea to advance just far enough down the hill to use Thyrsus to its full effect, even if she was using weaker non-lethal versions of her usual spells. Flayn followed Claude on his flanking maneuver, but since she was not their only healer, Marianne was able to keep Raphael and Hilda in tip-top shape as they tore down the hill at top speed. Raphael had opted for training gauntlets rather than an axe, and the extra speed from it as he bolted down the hill allowed him to clobber Dimitri and Dedue before they could recover from Marianne’s attacks. Sylvain managed to counter by bringing his horse around and landing a powerful lance blow on the Deer’s big man, but a well-timed swing from Hilda on a diving attack with her Pegasus had sent him crashing off of his horse.
Once that was done, things spiraled out of control for the Black Eagles as well. Without Caspar and Bernadetta, they had no melee or ranged support. They had hoped for backup from Edelgard, Hubert, and Linhardt, but that help never came. As such, Petra and Dorothea were sitting ducks, with Lysithea blasting the former with magic until she yielded. Lorenz shot a weak fireball off at Dorothea from horseback, and while she was able to easily fend that off with one of her own, Lorenz followed it with a lance charge, knocking her off her feet. Ferdinand’s revenge charge knocked the heir to House Gloucester from his horse, but Ignatz was on top of him moments later. He shot Ferdinand squarely in the chest with a training arrow, knocking him off the back of his horse, then followed up with three more shots before a pained and bruised Ferdinand loudly yielded.
With that, the Black Eagles were routed, and with Mercedes and Annette surrounded by Golden Deer, they had no choice but to yield as well. By the time Ashe, Cyril, and Felix had started to make their flanking attack, they were the only students left outside of the Golden Deer house. Felix yielded on their behalf before Ashe or Cyril could even get an arrow off.
It was the fastest Battle of the Eagle and Lion in decades. Claude was cheered on and hugged by a delighted Flayn, with the other members of the house joined her moments later. But he knew he couldn’t have done it without the figure standing on the plateau next to Seteth and the Archbishop, her teal hair sharply contrasting with the autumn leaves behind her.
“Good work, everyone! The Golden Deer have won the day,” Claude proudly said, “And pretty smoothly, too.”
“What a great plan that was, Professor! Great work today!” Hilda skipped happily to Byleth’s side after dismounting from her Pegasus.
“As long as we have you and Claude, the Golden Deer House is unstoppable!” Ignatz had ditched his heavier armor plates and joined the professor and house leader as quickly as possible.
“I am sure we did not require Claude for our victory,” Lorenz interjected, standing beside Ignatz, “but it certainly would not have been possible without our professor. You made an excellent battle plan.”
“Haha! I'm so please to be in your class, Professor. You truly bring out the best in us.” Lysithea offered a slight bow towards Byleth, which she returned in kind.
“It was a big change from your usual, Professor!” Leonie strode proudly up to Byleth’s side and wrapped an arm around her from the side. For once, Byleth didn’t jump in surprise or flinch away as she might once have. “I better work harder if I want to keep up with you!”
“What an exhilarating experience! I’m so glad I got to participate after all! Please allow me to offer you my gratitude once more, Professor.” Flayn was still vibrating with energy, seemingly consumed with adrenaline still.
“We’ll have more fights to come, Flayn!” Raphael, dashing up to them, offered Flayn a fist bump, which she happily accepted. “We’ll keep fighting! And winning!”
“Because of you, I managed to get through the fight without feeling like a burden. Thank you, Professor.” Marianne was almost smiling as she spoke. Byleth enjoyed the sight of it.
“I hear Lady Rhea and Seteth are singing your praises too!” Hilda winked at her professor, leaving her to wonder where Hilda had the time to hear as much.
“It wasn’t on me for the most part, though.” Byleth wanted to reinforce just how well they had done, and how proud she was of them. “I just made suggestions. You’re the ones who executed the plan perfectly.”
“Oh, you’re always so modest!” Hilda marched over and threw her arm around Byleth from the opposite side to Leonie, sandwiching the professor between them. Under other circumstances Byleth might have quickly writhed free from being pinned between them, but for whatever reason, this was okay somehow.
“Well done, Claude. I see your schemes are not to be underestimated.” Edelgard seemed to have settled down since the battle’s conclusion as she approached the Golden Deer. Byleth couldn’t hear what was happening when she fought with Claude and Flayn, but she did not seem terribly pleased with any of it. Now that the battle was over, however, she seemed to be more at ease.
“Yes, I must wholeheartedly agree,” Dimitri chimed in, standing not far from Edelgard. “As ever, I have proven to be no match for your tactical ability.”
Claude cleared his throat and stood up straight at Byleth’s side, doing his best impersonation of the most uppity nobles he had encountered. “It is the utmost honor to receive praise from your royal–” Claude couldn’t keep the voice going with Hilda beginning to chortle at Byleth’s side. “I'm kidding, of course. Really, though, I was lucky to have Teach planning for our side. If I had to face you again without her, there's no telling which way it would go. In any case, I hope the day never comes when we have to put this experience to use.”
“Agreed,” Dimitri replied. “I would hate to know a future in which I'm forced to cross swords with you.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t mind,” Edelgard said with a smirk. “I’ll accept a challenge from either of you at any time.” Slowly her smirk gave way to a proper smile. “Heh, kidding, of course! Wouldn’t want Ferdinand to hear me accepting challenges.”
“Well,” Claude continued, “now that the three-way battle has ended in an Alliance victory, I daresay it's time for some post-battle reconciliation. The victor has but one request. When we get back to Garreg Mach tonight, let's have a grand feast to bring down the walls between our respective houses! And by a ‘grand’ feast, I mean a fairly regular feast in the dining hall.”
“Very well,” Dimitri answered. “I accept your proposition. Please notify me once your preparations are complete.”
Edelgard sighed loudly, throwing her hands up in defeat. “It seems I have no choice but to drown my sorrow at losing in overindulgence. I'll help you with the preparations.”
“It's not a feast if you don't eat too much! Leave it to the Imperial princess to say such wonderful things.” Claude’s remark had Edelgard’s face growing as red as her armor and cape.
“That's not exactly what I said, but... Ugh, forget it,” Edelgard finally said. “Laugh all you want.”
Claude’s smirk transformed into an even more mischievous grin. “Oh, if you insist! Hahahaha! You’ve absolutely flummoxed the princess, Teach. You really are incredible. Though you can be a bit absentminded at times. Your mind is like a giant bowl with a tiny crack in it...”
“Claude, saying that only makes your own mind bowl seem tiny,” Hilda retorted.
“How dare you! My bowl is much bigger than Teach's! Unfortunately, it doesn't just have a crack. The whole bottom of my bowl is missing.”
“So in other words,” Lysithea mused, “In other words, you are the absentminded one, not our professor.”
“That's true. He just admitted it,” Ignatz quickly said. “I’ll mark it on the calendar when I return. This is a momentous moment!”
“Hahaha!” Byleth looked past Hilda on her left and spotted Marianne as the source of laughter. Her eyes were almost closed as she smiled through her loud peals of joy.
“It's unusual to hear you laughing, Marianne!” Leonie, still glued to Byleth’s side, was smiling too. “Your smile is really cute.”
“Yeah,” Hilda chimed in, “It feels so great to laugh and joke around like this, doesn't it?” Giggles began to spread between the two students at Byleth’s side.
Claude’s attention turned towards her moments later. “Hey, Teach, looks like you're having a good time too.”
Byleth had not realized it until he had pointed it out, but she was smiling too. More than that, she was giggling. Giggling. It was entirely unlike her. She really should stop right away.
Oh, shush. Sothis finally made her presence known for the first time since the battle’s conclusion. Just breathe and enjoy the moment.
“Well, I’ll be! Look at that! I don’t think I’ve seen that in a good while!” Byleth’s face turned pink at Hilda’s words, realizing her students were all looking at her. “And I’ve never heard you laugh, either. You’ve got a good one!”
“True! You sound a lot like Maya! Glad you’re having a good day, Professor!” Raphael started to step back from the group. “I’m gonna get everything packed up to go. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can eat!” Spurred on by Raphael’s energy, the students started to split off, eventually leaving Byleth and Claude alone.
“All joking aside, I'm having trouble sizing you up, Teach.” Claude took a moment to breathe in the autumnal wind. The afternoon sun made his tanned face shine. “The honest truth is that I'd hate to have you as an enemy. If possible, I wish for you to fight by my side.” Byleth somehow found herself stepping closer to him as he spoke. Before too long, they were less than half a meter apart. “I’m glad things have worked out this way, in some part. If I could use the Sword of the Creator like you, we likely wouldn't even be having this conversation.”
Byleth blinked suddenly, reaching for the sword dangling from her belt. “I told you before, I can give it to you if—”
“No, it’s okay, Teach. I can’t use it anyway.” It was Claude’s turn to laugh now. He raised his arm for a moment, and Byleth wondered for a split second if he would wrap his arm around her like Leonie and Hilda had, but he ultimately lowered his arm back to his side a second later. “Still, the fact that if I could use it, you would trust me to? That selflessness may be what I like best about you.”
“Thank you, Claude.” Byleth took in the orange and red leaves around them again for a moment, reveling in the tranquility of it all. “Well, we should get back to the others.” She turned quickly and started towards her students ready to depart, her leading student right at her side.
The smile had never left her face.