Zanado, the nucleus of all civilization on Fodlan. Historically, commonly known as the home of the 'Children of the Goddess' and only later to be a grave for Sothis and her kin at the hands of Nemesis. But that isn't the full story. Zanado was Sothal and Sothis' home before the grand betrayal as Sothal calls it, and Nemesis was his message to his sister and this world that he won't stop until his purpose is fulfilled, and I won't stop either. Sothal can count on it.

Waking up the first thing made apparent is my throbbing headache that seems to want to push my eyeballs out of their sockets. I open my eyes to look around and notice I'm tucked in bed in my small room and nothing looks out of place.

Confused as I don't remember much of last night I check underneath the covers and notice I'm still fully clothed in my robes but I remember to take off my shoes, oddly enough. Mentally trying to retrace my steps I state, "Okay, so I remember drinking more with Shamir in the bar and going on about tech and politics. Stayed for a while on the topic of cars and then...we went back to Garreg Mach because a brawl broke out. Right. Then… we shot something with her bow and my fire spell…"

Right, the last thing I remember was debating with her who had better aim, her arrows or my spells so we had impromptu target practice...somewhere. That's it, so hopefully, she remembers more than I do. And that we didn't cause any property damage with drunken shenanigans.

I push the intrusive thoughts of last night's revelry from my mind as I change into clean robes and slip my shoes on to get ready to head to the clinic. I check for my pocket watch and notice it's about 6:30 am, meaning I'm a little late, but nothing terrible since I just have to beat Manuela there and she usually arrives by 7 am. I briefly think about going to get breakfast first, but ultimately decide that checking in at the clinic first is the better option. No need for me to be exceedingly reckless with my relatively new position, at least not yet.

The walk through the floral courtyard in the early morning sun is pleasant with only a few knights on patrol and some students rushing off to attend early classes leaving me in relative peace as I make my way to the clinic unabated. The doors to the clinic are still locked and the lights are off signaling to me that I managed to beat Manuela here for her check-in which means I'll have some time to kill with more reading.

I go through my normal routine of checking the equipment to make sure it's where I left it last, the cabinet is organized and stocked full of herbs and remedies and I cast a basic Fire to light the candles around the room. As I'm finishing up and just about to pull out a book to read from on of the upper shelves Manuela strolls into the room and exclaims, "My Santos, aren't you the diligent worker."

"Morning to you as well Manuela. Anything new?"

Manuela takes my questions as an invitation and seats herself on a stool across from me and laments, "Oh, nothing really. We have a few weeks to train up students for their first taste of combat, which shouldn't be too hard. I've been assigned a relief effort to a village in Northeastern Leicester that's been hit by small-time bandits recently."

"Seems like that isn't the whole story," I prod at the songstress and she huffs, "Well, no. I had a date this weekend. Went less than stellar. He was hardly interested in me by the time dinner was over. These younger knights need to be more attentive, unless...I'm the problem? No, that can't be right."

"Let me wager a guess. How much did the guy talk?"

"Hardly a peep as I was telling him about my illustrious career and- wait. Do you think that's the problem? I talk too much?" Manuela shudders as I can see fear creep onto her visage.

"I'm just saying if the only words he managed to get in edgewise were his order, maybe ease up a little? It's a date, not a job interview."

"Oh it is an interview, and the biological clock is ticking," Argues Manuela defiantly so I counter, "Manuela, you're not that old."

"Not that old? What's that supposed to mean?"

Well, shit. I managed to step on that landmine as Manuela has gotten worked up that her face is starting to become red and I'm quickly becoming the target of all her negative emotions. Gotta think of an exit strategy to this losing argument and quick.

"Not what I meant. What I was implying was with someone as available and young as you are that you should take it slowly rather than race to get all of your details out on the first date. That way it doesn't seem forced,' I reason and Manuela ponders my thoughts and slowly responds, "That...makes sense. Could try that. How has dating worked for you lately, anybody catch your eye?"

"Excuse me?" I stammer as the sudden question causes a deep sense of unease in me.

"Well, in you're recent therapy we discussed that you'd be open to relationships as a need to move on from the past. Figure a handsome guy like yourself would be at least interested in a few suitors, right?"

Looks like drunk Manuela's memory is better than I gave credit to. I pinch the bridge of my nose and reply, "Yeah, I said I would be open to it, not that I'm actually pursuing anything."

"And expect the lady to make the first move? Presumptuous aren't we Santos?" Manuela teases which manages to get a groan out of me in response.

"No, it's just not a priority right now."

Manuela stands up from her stool to straighten out her outfit and remarks, "Santos, love is always a priority. I figured someone like you would understand that" Manuela finishes as she walks back to the doorway and sends me a wink with a few last words, "Find me if anything big comes up!"

Left speechless at her last comments I sit there in silence to contemplate the depth of what was said. It was my priority for leaving Fodlan in the first place and primarily what got me caught up in this mess. Perhaps I'm being too harsh on myself and should be more open to the possibility of dating someone. As much as I dislike it, Manuela is right that I can't keep living in the past.

With a relatively low influx of patients, most of which being students with a few bumps and bruises from morning training activities I manage to get everyone out of my clinic to get some lunch by 2 pm. This time as I'm heading to the dining hall I keep a sharp eye out to avoid Byleth or Leonie as I don't want to have a repeat of last time, and I get a meal that I want this time, a green salad with seared salmon.

I munch on my meal at a table by myself giving me ample opportunity to eavesdrop on nearby conversations to catch up a little on the local gossip. The loudest I can hear is a few tables overcoming from a blue-haired boy shouting about a sword-fighting tournament happening in about an hour, which piqued my curiosity a bit. I've lived in a medieval-style world and I've yet to see a tourney of any kind. It seems like a bucket list sort of thing to do. That and go see a really good tragedy or comedy play at a big amphitheater, but that one will have to wait.

I finish my meal quickly and set off in search of some of the local clerics near the cathedral to have them cover the clinic for a bit while I observe the tournament. My excuse is that I want to be onsite in case of injuries, but in reality, I just want to see some good action while being on-site for medical injuries. Sometimes you just get lucky with circumstances, and most of the common rabble here don't question physicians when they get involved.

With my clinic duties covered for a few hours, I make my way towards the training grounds only roughly remembering where they are as I passed them on my way to the sauna the other day. I can tell I'm in the right place as many part-time students are gathered and many murmurs among the crowd seem to indicate that this is the first official tournament of the year, and it is going to be sword only duels.

I weave my way through the crowd of people to the main training grounds which is much larger than I previously thought from looking at the outside of the building. I look around and see staircases going below the ground which means that all the rooms and storage must be on different levels, at least that's what I would assume. As I'm busy looking around with mild curiosity and delight I feel a hand on my shoulder and a deep and grandiose voice behind me, "Come to observe the battle?"

I turn around, and to my surprise, it's the strange masked man Jeritza looming over me, which startles me a bit as I didn't even feel the man's presence. I look into the man's eyes and reply, "Yes, a good fight should be interesting. A good escape from my normal duties."

"Yes...an escape," Jertiza mumbles as he brushes past me towards the middle of the ring where a few senior knights seem to be located discussing something.

I disregard the strangeness that is Jeritza as one of the knights announces, "The tournament will be underway shortly! Make room in the arena and all onlookers please move to the side seating. Master Jertiza and I will be serving as judges to call the matches. It is a single-elimination. Let's cheer on all our competing students & knights as we start another year of bouts!"

I stand off to the side of the stone benches that are occupied with students of various houses and other lower-ranked knights. I'm not here to draw attention and being on the other side of one of the many pillars supporting the roof gives me a good vantage point of the match while avoiding the direct line of sight of most students.

People seem to be settling down and anxiously awaiting the first match to be called while the tournament organizers take their respective positions around the ring and the knight doing the announcing once again proclaims, "For those watching, here are the rules of the tournament. Training weapons only naturally, sword only. No magic. No substitute weapons. You may win by ring out, " The burly knight points to the circle drawn in the middle of the arena which by comparison is about 50 percent larger than an MMA octagon, "Victory may be achieved through technicality on dealing 3 blows in a row without being hit back, a competitor is disarmed, until submission, or until 3 minutes expires and it goes whoever scored more blows. Now let's fight!"

The crowd of knights and students roar once more with enthusiasm as the first two people exit from the lower barracks to reveal the loud blue-haired kid I heard about the tournament from earlier. The announcer knight shouts out, "First bout; Caspar Bergliez of the Black Eagles versus Squire Regis Varlogh. Take your positions fighters and watch Master Jeritza for the signal."

Both fighters draw their weapons and look pretty eager to get started, and with a swift hand motion from Jeritza, the match commences quickly as the two clash blades immediately. Both competitors seem to be relying on raw strength to overpower their opponent, leading to an early blade lock and stalemate. I watch on for about a minute as heavy blows are traded and messily parried by each combatant, and in the midst of this I hear behind me a familiar voice, "Didn't take you for someone to attend one of these."

"Even I need a break from the book, Shamir," I cooly reply as I turn around to see Shamir dressed in her usual mercenary attire with her longbow strapped to her back and arms crossed.

"Fair. How'd you sleep?"

"Good, I think? How'd I get back into bed? The last thing I remember is the target practice."

"I carried you back after you tried to show me what a 'firework' was and passed out. Scared the hell out of some of the villagers, but other than that no damage was done," Shamir responds and I hesitantly reply, "Oh. I don't remember that."

"Yeah, well it was a huge fireball in the sky. You were doing fine until you said 'now watch me turn it a different color' and that's when you passed out and the magic dispersed," Shamir chides like I'm an irresponsible child.

"It was that bad?" I tentatively ask and Shamir shakes her head, "No, I thought it was hilarious. I even laughed."

"Really? Didn't think you were capable honestly with your serious mercenary demeanor," I joke back to the archer who rolls her eyes at my verbal jab.

"I do, but only when things are funny."

"So passing out is funny to you?"

"Pretty much," Shamir says with a shoulder shrug and then points to the match, "Looks like we have a winner. Newbie knight stepped over the line."

"Moving on is Caspar Bergliez of the Black Eagles! Next bout! We have Petra Macneary of the Black Eagles versus knight errant Henryk!" The announcer dramatically bellows as the blue-haired boy marches triumphantly back to the barracks and gives Petra a high five as they walk by each other. I narrow my eyes to analyze Petra better and then look to Shamir, "Don't we know her? The kid we met years ago in Brigid?"

Shamir nods and confirms my guess, "The very same. Seems she's grown up a bit. From my sources, I heard she is now a vassal to the Adrestian empire due to Brigid's involvement with Dagda in the invasions years ago."

A pang of guilt hits my heart as I watch her elegantly twirly her sword around as opposed to the knight who in his basic leather armor gives some broad swings to his sword before the match begins. I return my attention to the match and whisper, "Just another thing that I feel partially responsible for. Poor kid lost her home."

"It's not your fault, and you know it's Sevihn's fault anyways. Now shut up and watch the fight."

I follow Shamir's advice and watch as the bout begins and both competitors launch themselves at each other, though unlike last time it we have two different skill sets present. The knight is a large bulky man with power but looks like he is moving in slow motion when compared to the agile Petra who stays low and crouched to the ground dancing around the man's heavily telegraphed swings. And responds with thrusts of her own. Within 30 seconds I hear the announcer shout out, "Match set! Winner is Petra Macneary through technicality!"

"She's good. Her fighting style mimics that of the hunters from her homeland. She'll be difficult for any slower or sloppy opponents in the later rounds," Shamir comments to which I reply with a nod.

The competitors shake hands and as Petra looks around she manages to spot me and waves enthusiastically at Shamir and me to which we awkwardly wave back. I look to Shamir stating, "I think she remembers us."

"Mhmmm."

Seeing as Shamir is focused on the next match I look to the next competitors exiting the barracks and I see Dimitri and Leonie. I've heard of Dimitri and his monster-like strength and intensive training, though Leonie is a bit of an anomaly as I haven't seen her fight before.

"Next up is Prince Dimitri Bladdyd of the Blue Lions versus Leonie Pinelli of the Golden Deer, take your places and begin!"

The battle starts with Dimitri taking the initiative as Leonie looks to create space between them and wanting to avoid a blade lock, seemingly knowing a bit about her opponents' strengths. Dimitri keeps pressure on Leonie as she is constantly backing up and circling the ring to not get cornered while exchanging brief blows with Dimitri. Dimitri's fighting style to me is reminiscent of Darth Vader from Star Wars as he just keeps barreling forward aggressively, but not being too greedy and falling for any of Leonie's feints. The pop culture thought causes me to chuckle to myself, to which Shamir glances at me with a raised eyebrow, but I wave my hand dismissively at her to continue watching the match as it's not important.

The match continues for about 2 minutes in the same cat and mouse game until Dimitri increases his pursuit a bit and Leonie manages to parry, although a little late and the sheer force of Dimitri's swing disarms Leonie and her sword is sent flying across the arena. A few 'ohs' and 'ahs' are heard from the crowd with some clapping as the announcer shouts, "Match set, the winner via disarmament is Dimitri Blaiddyd! Next match!"

"That kid is strong as a bull," I comment and Shamir replies, "You don't even know the half of it. I've seen Leonie train before and she isn't weak. She is technically sound and a crafty fighter, but she doesn't have the physicality to deal with a juggernaut like Dimitri. She only had two ways of winning realistically."

"And what would those be?"

"Well, she could try and tire him out by baiting more swings and fighting closer, but that is risky and requires you to have better endurance than your opponent, but that's unlikely with the time limit. The other option is to win with a solid parry and riposte, but if you mess up once on an opponent like Dimitri you'll be finished," Shamir explains to which I nod and silently chastise myself for not bringing a journal to take notes.

The next match proceeds with two part-time students clashing in the most back and forth match of the day going to time, with the slightly taller boy winning by 2 points. After that, a fairly lopsided match of a masked knight errant versus the bulky Raphael of the Golden Deer, and the poor big guy gets parried into oblivion by the knight and losses on a technicality. After that, the Golden Deer house gets some revenge with a win produced by Lorenz against a part-time student by disarming him about halfway through the bout. Next, after them is Felix of the Blue Lions against a part-time student that loses in about 8 seconds due to being disarmed. Impressive as it is for Felix he seems relatively irritated by the whole match despite moving on.

"Alright, folks last match of the qualifying round! We have Irina Fastas versus Ingrid Galateaof the Blue Lions!"

"Oh great," I mumble to myself and try to hide behind the pillar a bit more to avoid Ingrid from seeing me. I remember she wanted space, and to be honest I do too as it's only been a few days since I unloaded a metric ton of information on myself to the poor girl.

Ingrid and the part-time student Irina square off and attack each other immediately. They trade a blew glancing blows and some brief blade locks for about 20 seconds until Ingrid slips past the girl's guard and delivers a nasty blow to her head with the hilt of the training sword, knocking her out cold before she even hit the ground. The announcing knight and Jeritza call the match as I hear the loud knight shout, "Match set! Winner via knockout is Ingrid Galatea!"

Jeritza is looking over the fallen girl who has regained consciousness and seems to be holding smelling salts in his hand. Once she is awake he gruffly hoists her to her feet and points to the lower barracks to change. Ingrid walks off with an intense look on her face, though she does look to the other girl and give her a small nod of sympathy.

"She's vicious," Shamir comments with a hint of approval to which I ask, "How can you tell?"

"That girl fights with a chip on her shoulder. She isn't as fast or as strong as some of the other competitors we've seen, but she is technically sound, and more importantly, she's mean."

"Yeah…"I trail off as Shamir glances at me and remarks, "Relax, I know you and her family have bad blood, but that's it. Remember, I try to avoid politics."

"Me too, but you're actually successful."

Before Shamir can respond to me the announcer chimes in, "What an excellent round! Now things will get more interesting as all our fighters compete for the grand prize of 500 gold and a beautifully crafted steel blade imported from Sreng! Now, our first match of round two will be Petra Macneary versus Dimitri Blaiddyd!"

Both students emerge from the barracks wishing each other good luck as they take their positions and hold their swords in ready position. With a swift signal from Jeritza, they pounce into action, and as they clash I can see some students on the benches leaning forward with amazement as we witness arguably the best fight of the day with Petra's dexterity against Dimitri's power. Unlike Leonie, Petra fights aggressively with Dimitri who embraces the tactic with glee, though his blade only seems to cut the air as he slashes at Petra. Though Petra is making Dimitri work and a bit frustrated she can't seem to create an opening for herself to counter.

The two manage to clash swords a few times, but Petra breaks away from a potential blade lock and resumes dodging the prince's assault. As time begins to wind down to the last 30 seconds Petra engages Dimitri in a blade lock this time trying to twist and disarm the prince, which almost works as Dimitri fumbles backward trying to get a grip on his sword. Petra confidently strides forward going for a finishing blow to push Dimitri out of the ring, but Dimitri seems to have other plans as he grips the blade with his non-dominant hand and ducks low to hit Petra with a sweep of her legs.

A sickening crack echoes throughout the arena as Petra collapses to the ground screaming in pain as her left leg is clearly broken near the upper ankle, and judging by Dimitri's power, even with his non-dominant hand, I can easily tell from a distance that the fibula and tibia bones are snapped in half. Dimitri immediately drops his sword and tries to console Petra and apologize profusely as the announcing knight rushes over to take a look at the damage and Jeritza stands at his post at the edge of the arena but points at me directly.

I jog over to the center of the arena as the crowd of onlookers are shouting and some people running to find a medic. I manage to get to Petra and the others as Petra is groaning in pain and hyperventilating as Dimitri is hysterically saying, "I didn't mean to hit you so hard, I'm so sorry. It was never my intention to harm another fellow student."

Shifting fully into my medical professional mindset I demand, "Step aside and let me assess the damage."

Thankfully Dimitri complies immediately as he and the announcer looks at me with hope as I focus my mana to produce a strong Restore spell. I let the magic flow from me to Petra and the sound of crunching bone can be heard mending itself back together for a few moments. Petra seems to calm down a bit as her breathing slows down, but I can tell by the look in her eyes and confusion on her face that she's still fully in shock.

"Did you fix it?" The announcer quietly asks and I reply, "Yes, her leg should be good as new, besides being a little sore for the next few days. She's still in shock and will need to be monitored back in the infirmary for a bit."

"That's a relief," Dimitri exhales as he steps away to give himself some space.

I turn my head as I hear more footsteps approaching as some part-time students rush in with two clerics of the church right behind them with a stretcher. The come right up to us and one of the clerics asks me, "Is she still injured?"

"Physically she is fine, but she'll need to be monitored if her shock gets any worse. Keep an eye on blood pressure, signs of fatigue and slow breathing. I'll be back once the tournament is done to check on her," I explain to the clerics who nod and lift the dazed Petra onto the stretcher and ferry her out of the arena.

I exchange a nod with the head knight running the event and head back to my post where Shamir is still watching with an unreadable neutral expression. I glance over my shoulder and see the knight is talking with Dimitri, who is nodding and seems to be agreeing with whatever is being discussed. I finally get back to Shamir who says, "Good job."

"It's why I'm here," I reply as I run my hand through my hair to help ease some of my anxiety. As with most battlefield injuries, if you aren't an active participant it usually happens too fast to react to.

"Alright, we had a scary injury but with Garreg Mach's great physician on standby, I reckon Petra will have a full recovery in no time. The winner is Dimitri Blaiddyd via knockout. Next, we have Felix Fraldaruis of the Blue Lions versus Caspar Bergliez of the Black Eagles!" The announcer shouts as he tries to reinvigorate the crowd after the injury, and he seems to be doing a good job as people seem assured Petra is fine and cheer, indicating they are ready for more action.

The fight plays pretty similarly to Felix's first fight, in him disarming his opponent in record time, this time in about 14 seconds with a very confused Caspar looking around for his blade and exclaiming, "Wow, that was not what I was expecting."

Felix sheathes his wooden blade and walks off without another word with an air of arrogance and frustration as the announcer calls out another match between another part-time student and the parry happy knight errant from earlier. As much of a let down the previous match was, this one ranks about the same enjoyment as the knight masterfully parries the student's attacks and scores three unanswered pokes to win via a technicality.

"Looks like we are finally getting down to the people who know how to fight," Remarks Shamir as Lorenz and Ingrid take center stage and start their bout.

I look on with curiosity as both noble children trade blows and look fairly evenly matched as far as technique is concerned. Ingrid seems to have a slight upper hand as she keeps the pressure on Lorenz preventing him from using his superior reach its fullest extent. The crowd seemingly fully recovered from the scare Petra gave us earlier is cheering for their favorites, which seems to be mostly on Ingrid's side. At about the 90-second mark, both fighters clash again in a harsh blade lock, and to everyone's surprise, Ingrid delivers a sudden yet highly effective headbutt to Lorenz's nose.

The noble boy yelps as he retreats and holds his broken nose while Ingrid keeps the pressure on and delivers three swift unanswered strikes to his chest causing Lorenz to stumble to his butt. Lorenz looks around in a panic and shouts, "Sir knight! That isn't allowed is it?"

"I'll allow it." Jeritza calmly intones from his nearby position as he crosses his arms and cracks a slight smile.

"Damn, you were spot on in your analysis," I concede to Shamir who acknowledges my compliment with a nod.

A flustered Lorenz is escorted out by the announcing knight as Ingrid walks away with a razor focus and a small grin on her lips. The announcer escorting Lorenz stop by me and asks, "Sir doctor, would you be so kind as to reset his nose?"

"Yes please, I could use some healing magic right about- ouch!" Lorenz cries as I reach towards his face and physically reset his nose with a strong tug from my hand. I give a once over and decide that it's on straight as it can be and reply, "Looks good as new."

"Ugh, you could have healed me instead. Ahh, it's still tender," Whimpers Lorenz as he tenderly prods his nose.

"I could have, but I want to preserve my magic for potentially more serious injuries," I half-lie while trying to keep a straight face as the noble's child huffs and marches his way out of the arena. I look over to Shamir who seems to be soaking in the student's pain like a sponge with the dangerous gleam in her eyes.

The announcer makes his way back to the center of the arena and declares, "It is time for the semi-finals! From looking at the roster we have a strong showing today by the Blue Lions making up 3 of the 4 competitors! As for our first semi-final match, we will have Felix Fraldarius versus knight errant Yuri! Let's give it up for our fighters!"

The crowd whips up into a storm of cheers as the masked knight and Felix exit the barracks and take their stances. Both fighters at this point have breezed past each of their respective opponents so the tension in the air is palpable as the crowd quickly quiets down as each combatant swings their blade a bit before settling into a ready stance.

"So, who do you think wins this one?" I ask Shamir who quickly replies, "The knight. Look at their body language."

Confused I look back to the fighters and can't really see what Shamir is talking about as the knight has a fencer's pose while Felix is ready with his sword held overhead with two hands. I shrug as I can't figure it out, and Jeritza gives the fighters the signal to begin.

Both fighters engage each other in a flurry of blows for the first 10 seconds before backing off and circling each other to further analyze each other. Further confused I look to my combat expert and ask, "So why are they just staring each other down and circling? I've never understood this concept in fights."

"They just tested the waters on the other's skills. It's a mental game now on who will predict who since they are relatively matched in speed, technique, and strength."

"Ahh, got it," I reply as the two continue to give occasional jabs at each other and maintain their distance.

After about a minute of circling the crowd as seemingly gotten bored, but without warning Felix and the knight both bolt at each other but the knight has changed to a reverse grip on the blade and Felix is no longer using both hands on his blade. With both fighters trading once more it's evident that the speed of their trades has increased since the initial engagement. The trades go on for another 30 seconds before the knight in a burst of brilliant speed slides between Felix's guard to grab ahold of Felix's sword-wielding wrist and hold the broadside of the blade to Felix's throat.

"I submit," Felix grunts out and the knight quickly lets him go to which the announcer excitedly shouts, "What an excellent performance! Winner via submission is knight errant Yuri!"

The crowd cheers once again accompanied by a round of applause as the knight Yuri retreats into the barracks and Felix walks off looking content and determined. The announcer calls forth the other semi-final bout of the tournament with Ingrid and Dimitri emerging and talking casually as they make their way to the center of the ring.

As the match commences both Dimitri and Ingrid block and parry each other without fear as they get dangerously close to nasty injuries but seem to avoid danger at the last second. Seems that they've been steady sparring partners for years as I remember Ingrid, Sylvain, Dimitri and Felix all have trained since childhood together. The crowd is cheering for both of the Blue Lion's members as the momentum of the fight swings rapidly between each fighter gaining the upper hand only to lose it to their determined counterpart. Nearly coming to the three-minute mark for time I hear another loud snap and my mind immediately panics as does much of the crowd being reminded of earlier events, but thankfully it's not a repeat.

Standing there with a broken training sword from the latest clash of blades is a weary Ingrid with Dimitri looking rather tired himself as he huffs out, "I think that counts a disarming the opponent."

The announcer steps forward to observe for a moment before saying, "There we have it fellow knights and students, the winner of this round via disarmament is Dimitri Blaiddyd! We will have a brief 5-minute break before we move onto the final round"

Dimitri and Ingrid shake hands before Dimitri walks back to the underground barracks and Ingrid makes her way out of the Arena while awkwardly waving at the crowd that continues to cheer for her and Dimitri. As she walks further closer to the exit she turns her head once more and spots me on the rear pillar where I couldn't have been spotted from before with Shamir next to me and she slows her walk down considerably. With the intermission going for a few more minutes I trot over to Ingrid and greet her, "Nice moves out there. If you had a real blade it could have gone either way, Dimitri was looking pretty tired."

"Thanks, I've been really trying to improve myself," Ingrid states as she is still trying to catch her breath and completely recover.

"Keep that up and you'll be better than Lancelot," I joke and Ingrid casually replies, "I akin myself more to Sir Galahad, but thank you, Santos."

Ingrid continues to walk off, and though I have more to say I find my jaw locked without the ability to have words come forth as I can't think of what else to say. Feeling just standing at the exit a bit too awkward for my taste I walk back to rejoin Shamir near the pillar who doesn't say anything but is looking at me with a curious look in her eyes.

"Just say it," I insist to Shamir who shakes her head while smiling smugly and replies, "Just watch the next match."

I roll my eyes and return my attention to the training grounds where the last two competitors are lining up and stretching a bit waiting for the announcement. Dimitri looks a bit tired from the previous fights and the masked knight Yuri doesn't seem as tired from his body language. Dimitri has the size and power advantage as Yuri has proven to be the most technical fighter here with great speed, but Felix seemed to have more raw power than him and everyone around knows while Felix is strong, he isn't on Dimitri's level. Also, Dimitri has shown people he can take on agile fighters like Petra and not get circled into oblivion, so it's shaping to be a really interesting final match of the day.

"Alright everybody, it's time for the finale! We have the knight Yuri facing off against Prince Dimitri Blaiddyd of the Blue Lions! Let's see who will claim the tourney prize! And remember folks, next month's tournament will be lances! Now, competitors ready up!"

Both Yuri and Dimitri take aggressive stances as they wait for Jeritza's signal, and with another quick arm motion, they are sent into a frenetic clash of blades. Dimitri seems to be pushing really hard and driving Yuri back quickly, and as he gets Yuri to the edge of the ring the crowd gasps, myself included gasp as Yuri performs a huge acrobatic flip over a weary Dimitri who isn't able to catch the airborne fighter.

Dimitri turns around to block a swift front kick to the chest skidding back a bit, and as he raises his blade to retaliate the announcer shouts out enthusiastically, "Match set! Winner via ring out is Yuri!"

Astonished, Dimitri looks down at his feet and notices that the skid from the front kick he endured sent his left foot just barely over the line in the dirt. Dimitri shakes off the surprise and bows to his competitor saying, "Well done, your situational awareness speaks volumes to your skill."

The knight Yuri bows while taking off his helmet to reveal long lavender-colored hair and an elegant face to Dimitri as well saying, "You do me a great kindness future king of Faergus. I could never hope to match your strength and I won due to the rules. I daresay a real fight may have gone differently."

"No matter, you are the victory today and I'm happy to learn from this experience, so thank you kindly good knight," Dimitri optimistically replies as they shake hands and the winning knight goes over to the announcer to collect his spoils. Dimitri heads over to the crowd of people watching to talk with them a bit.

"Looks like it's over, time to head out." Shamir states and I agree, "Mhmm, I need to go check on Petra. I'm sure the clerics did a fine job, but I need to be there to clear here since I'm sure Manuela is bogged down with classes and paperwork.

"Sounds good, see you around," I respond as I take one last look around the arena before deciding to walk back to the clinic.

I walk back into the clinic to see one of the clerics still lingering about next to Petra who is on one of the medical beds with her eyes closed and covered in some white sheets. The young female cleric looks over to me and motions for me to enter and whispers, "She fell asleep about 10 minutes ago. All vital signs are stable from what you showed us to do."

I nod and walk over to my main worktable and grab a clipboard with a chart attached, "Good, I can take it from here. I don't want to keep you from your other duties, thanks for helping."

"Of course. Blessings of the goddess upon you," the cleric earnestly says with a bow before making her departure, thus leaving me with my sleeping patient. I go over and start taking readings of temperature, pulse, blood pressure and I use a Heal spell to give me a better diagnostic of the damage to her leg and help with some of the bruising and inflammation.

As I'm finishing up the check-up Petra begins to stir and I hear her say, "Where am I?"

'You're safe and at the Garreg Mach infirmary. You can rest easy."

Petra sits up quickly and inquires, "The tournament! What had happened?"

I leave the bedside and over to the herbal cabinet to take a few ingredients to create a small poultice for her and reply, "It finished up a little while ago. The knight Yuri won by defeating Dimitri."

"Ah. I see now," Petra states in a somber tone as she looks at the sheets covering her legs before something seems to alert her as she shouts, "Wait, it's you! I've been speaking in Brigidese! I now know it's you for sure!"

I turn my head and nonchalantly reply, "Uh, yeah. I told you I was bilingual, still surprised?"

"Yes- I mean no. I am surprised I can speak my native tongue with another so fluently here. It is refreshing as I have many difficulties with the local language. How do you do it?"

"I just have a knack for it I suppose," I muse as I think of the weird abilities Sothal has granted me to make me a more functional member of society.

"You are lucky then," Petra concedes as I begin mixing the various herbs in a small bowl of water.

I apply a bit of a fire spell to the water to heat it up and then grab a cup off the shelf of the alchemy table and pour in the liquid. I walk over to Petra with the glass in hand of hot remedy and reply, " I wouldn't say lucky. It just means more people know how stupid I am."

"You aren't stupid," Petra sternly asserts as she carefully takes the hot cup from me and continues, "Also what is this?"

"It's my take on a vulnerary. Should help with some inflammation and any potential internal bleeding, plus I mixed in some valerian and lavender to help soothe your nerves a bit," I explain as I go back to the alchemy table and clean up my small mess.

"So, you are a doctor here now?" Petra asks as she takes a small sip from her poultice.

"Yeah. A lot happens in 5 years, but here we are again. I'm sorry that your country became a vassal state. Brigid had no sense going into that war with Dagda."

"Yes, but what is done is done. I was scared when I came to the empire, but I have adjusted, though what happened to you was curious once I figured out you were the same person I met back at grandfather's palace."

I raise an eyebrow, "Oh really? All the nobles and news explain it pretty explicitly."

"True, but I remember the rumors. Being so close to my grandfather had its advantage in information. Many soldiers said you broke out with help, many said it was a power grab by Rigden, and many in Brigid wanted to not enter into a full-blown war after the first assault. A lot of darkness still shrouds the truth, which is why I don't harbor ill will."

"Well that's a relief," I happily reply as I finish putting away my supplies. I walk back over to the nearby stool and state, "Still, I'm sorry for what it's worth."

"Thanks, but I do have one question for you," Petra says with vague curiosity to which I respond, "And what is it?"

"You had two arms when I last saw you, right?"

I chuckle a bit and say, "Yeah. Yeah, that is correct. I miss those days."

"Yes. I suppose we both lost a part of ourselves with that war," Petra sadly remarks to which I just grunt in response as we both sit in relative silence for a minute thinking about the past that we decided to dredge up.

Getting a bit uneasy with the silence I ask, "Would you like some food? I can get your dinner from the dining hall. I'd like to keep an eye on you a bit longer until the vulnerary has completely worked through your system and to make sure all your muscles, tendons and ligaments are healed."

"I'd like that. Can you get me pheasant?" Petra politely asks and I obliged, "I'll get it if they have it. Be back in a bit, and don't go trying to walk yet, understand?"

"I understand," Petra chimes back as I stand up and make my way to the dining hall.

I manage to get into the dining hall relatively easy and manage to get a pheasant for Petra and a spicy looking shellfish dish for myself. I stroll back through the courtyard and see Seteth in the distance talking with some knights, so not wanting to even get close to initiating conversation I take the long way around with the tray in my hand. I have to ask some passing clerics to open a door for me back into the main building with the medbay, but after being gone for about 20 minutes to travel and get food I make it back and I hear voices coming from the medical ward.

I shoulder into the slightly open door with a tray of food in hand and see a very pretty brunette with a stylish black cap and slightly modified students uniform standing next to Petra chatting casually. Both notice me as I lumber into the room and the brunette exclaims, "Wow, you're even getting food delivered to you in bed. Aren't you lucky, Petra."

I set the tray of food down on the alchemical table and ask, "And who might you be?"

"Ah, I'm Dorothea Arnault, I'm with the Black Eagle house. I was just here checking on Petra as I heard she was in the infirmary. Is Professor Manuela coming by?" Dorothea asks curiously but I shake my head, "Not today, she's busy with House business. I'm Dr. Capetillo, I'm the one who runs the clinic when Manuela isn't around."

"Ah, well you must be very busy then. I'll talk to you later Petra, see you in class!" Dorothea cheerily declares as she makes her way to the door, but not without flashing me a suspicious look of warning. Seems like I have another person that's not a fan of me.

As Dorothea closes the door behind her I say, "So, I got you pheasant," to which Petra's eyes go wide and she gushes as I hand her the plate of food with a utensil, "Thank you, Dr. Capetillo!"

We both eat our meals with some good banter about our hobbies, which I end up encouraging her talking to Alois as they seem to have a fondness of fishing and hunting. We talk about studies, and to my surprise, Petra is quite the scholar when it comes to history as she wanted to know as much as she could about the strange land she got sent to. Her reading skills are practically fluent though it seems the struggle is still with the spoken word and with things like idioms and such; things that aren't very prevalent in Bridigese and don't translate well.

We talk well into the evening and a bit past dinner before I suggest, "Well, I think enough time has passed. Ready to try walking?"

"If you think I'm ready," Petra confidently replies as she throws the sheets of her body and rotates her legs to the side of the cot.

I fetch some wooden crutches from the corner of the room and bring them over to Petra, "Try this. I'll be right here for support, and if there is any pain when you put weight on it let me know immediately."

Petra nods to me as she grabs the crutches and sets herself upon them. She keeps her left raised and gently lowers it to the ground and begins to put weight on it before stating, "It feels unsteady, but it doesn't hurt."

"That would be the restore spell. Stitching together muscle and bone that's been torn apart is an ordeal. I reckon you'll be 100% in a day or two. Just come by tomorrow and the next day for more vulnerary and in three days you'll be back to your normal self."

"Thank you, doctor, it's most appreciated," Petra affirms as I go to open the door and state, "I think you're good enough to go back to your room, you think so?"

" I think so, but I'd like you to come with. There are a lot of stairs and I'd rather not risk a fall in the dark."

"Good thinking. Let me grab my lantern and we can get you going," I reply as I fetch my lantern near the door and light it with a quick spell.

With the time around 10 pm, we make it across the different courtyards with ease and only a few patrols since curfew has been enforced by the church, though the big clear sky reveals a wondrous crescent moon in the sky that makes me want to stay outside and stargaze. We finally reach her dorm to which we exchange brief goodbyes and I head back off into the night.

Deciding I haven't experienced a lot of night views from Garreg Mach, and tonight being especially beautiful I make way towards the cathedral where it's large outside areas are high up and give great views. Maybe if I'm lucky I can find a common constellation, wouldn't that be wild? Besides if Seteth finds me like the bloodhound for trouble he is I'll just shoot straight with him. I haven't gotten any strikes yet so I can afford a little slip up like this, and I'm an adult damnit, not a student that's bound to the curfew.

As I reach one of the higher terraces I can hear someone softly talking to themselves, so I try to be quiet as I can be coming up the stairs when I can finally see the source of the noise. WIth my lantern in hand and with the aid of the moonlight, I see a girl that I saw at the mock battle days ago with stark white hair and a very regal and ornate uniform variant. She's currently facing away from me and towards the wilderness and muttering something to herself that I can't quite make out.

I slowly approach the unaware girl and when I'm about 10 feet away I offhandedly voice out, "Quite a nice night, isn't it?"

The girl gasps and turns around suddenly with her right hand grasping for the knife strapped to her belt and with wide alert eyes. She observes and analyzes me for a moment without moving and in a wary and uncertain tone, "It's you. Finally, we meet."

A/N: Small cliffhanger, but hey, something interesting is brewing! I also hope that the tournament was palatable, still trying to get a feel for writing combat scenes, though I did enjoy writing this chapter immensely. Also, the DLC character cameo! woohoo, who's still amped for Cindered Shadows?! Also, Byleth is in Smash which is awesome! So much FE love recently and it's awesome. I've only played four of the games and I still think the franchise deserves all the praise with 3 houses and perhaps a bit more. Anyways, onto the reviews and plans for next week.

Review Response:

Sakura108645: Thanks! I wanted to include something light-hearted as it's not always doom and gloom. Yeah, a little cameo from Anna and glad you are liking the story! I'm only on chapter 7 of yours as of writing this, I read things intermittently and have to take breaks but I can type 8-9k words in day no problem :/ I don't get it.

VGblackwing: Good to hear from you again, thanks for following! And yeah you'll get your answers about Tomas and Santos in the coming chapters. Pernicious plans lay over the horizon, stay tuned.

Greyjedi449t: thanks mate, cheers.

Thepowerfullkira: HMMMM, yeah I'm not decided on anything like that yet, but minor correction is Santos is not an SI, just an OC character made up. I have drastic differences from this person in real life, one being I'm not a doctor and work in a completely different field haha. As for the relationship stuff...It's one of the weaker subjects/lists I have detailed out in my stockpile of notes. Hopefully, that will change soon.

Argo Devillian: Yeah...not sure what you are talking about. I went through 2 different wiki's (fireemblemwiki & ) on Petra before I made those chapters and came up with nothing for her relative's names. I've only found unnamed father and king of Brigid for the grandfather as the listed names. Not sure where you found your source, but I'm pretty sure I'm on canon with that. PM a link to a canon source that explains this and I'll probably go back and fix it for continuity. thanks for reading by the way!

SyncroX: It's tricky with Ingrid, but my belief is she is too forgiving a person (as evidenced in some supports) to outright call him a liar, but she is unsure. Wants to believe, but is more having trouble convince herself more than anything, so it'll be rocky. And alcohol can do wonders to a person's personality, even Shamir, who I believe would loosen just a little bit up around her peers and people she's comfortable with.

That is all this week folks, and January is already over! Feels like the year is moving fast, at least for me. But, next week we will kick things off with Edelgard & Santos meeting and then some other things I have planned. Again, thanks to all who have given me feedback, followed and favorited. I still feel like a newbie and I'm trying to improve each week, so thanks.

Next Chapter: 2/7-2/9

Have a wonderful day!

Edited: 2/9