After all of the concern that had been stirred up following the mission to Castle Gaspard, and the pall that the events with Lord Lonato had hung over the spirits of the students, Byleth was pleased to note that Flayn's party seemed to have breathed a breath of fresh air into everyone, and both the atmosphere and the hearts of her charges appeared to be much lighter in the aftermath of the celebrations.
In spite of the exhaustion that the planning of the party had wrought - Byleth found herself actually relaxing for the first time in ages, and she was genuinely enjoying the company of Aaron and Amelia, whose joy and awe at their surroundings was infectious.
Byleth had accompanied Ashe and his siblings on their tour of the Monastery all morning. After a somewhat awkward introduction to Edelgard, there was a trip with Dedue around the greenhouse followed by a visit to the stables and the rookery, where Ferdinand wowed the children with an impromptu display of horsemanship and Ingrid introduced them to her Pegasus. In the training grounds, Aaron squealed in delight when Raphael lifted the boy clean over his head a few dozen times as part of his weights routine and when Byleth took up a wooden training sword against Felix, and they sparred the children cheered them on until their throats became hoarse with the effort.
At lunch, Flayn joined with them and offered to come along on their trip up to the Cathedral.
'My brother was hoping to meet with you as well.' Flayn told them all over their meal. 'Unfortunately, the Archbishop called a meeting this morning, and both he and Jeralt have been tied up for the day.'
'We have seen so many amazing things!' Amelia sighed happily.
'Ashe is lucky to get to live here and everything.' Aaron added. 'Although our new home is really nice too.'
'It always smells of baking...' Ameilia explained dreamily. 'Auntie is almost as good at cooking as our real mum, Ashe!'
'I know.' Ashe beamed at his sister. 'I got to try out some of her cooking when Myles first took me to meet with them.'
'Ashe said that when we are old enough, we will be able to come to the Academy too.' Aaron was telling Byleth. 'Then you will be able to teach us how to fight as well!'
'Wouldn't that be something.' Byleth smiled back at him.
'Mhmm. Prince Dimitri asked whether we had started training when we were with Lord Lonato.' Aaron continued, spearing a potato on his fork and brandishing it wildly. 'When he learned that we had, he promised he would come down to town every month and give us a lesson! Can you imagine! Us... being taught by a Prince!'
'A very handsome Prince...' Amelia giggled.
'As well as being a Prince, he is also an exceptional pirate!' Flayn laughed.
'Professor!' Cyril came running up towards the dining table, a frown on his serious little face.
'Can I help?' Byleth asked patiently as the lad caught his breath.
'I have been looking for you everywhere!' Cyril complained. 'The Archbishop requests your presence immediately.'
'Oh... Okay.' Byleth rose from the table. 'I'm really sorry,' She said to her companions. 'Look's like you will have to continue the tour without me.'
'Don't worry, Professor!' Flayn beamed at her. 'I will make sure that everything is covered!'
After hugging the children and promising to see them again soon, Byleth took off at a run for the Archbishop's council room, mentally kicking herself for actually believing that she might have a chance to relax a bit. Given the infrequency that Rhea had ever directly called to see her and the fact that her father and Seteth had been in a meeting with her all day... Byleth was pretty sure that whatever was about to be presented would not bode well for anyone.
'Huh...' Byleth skidded to a stop when she reached her destination, surprised to see both Dedue and a scowling Hubert sitting outside one on either side of the door.
'You have been called in too then.' Hubert noted when he spied her.
Byleth nodded. 'Edelgard and Dimitri?' She guessed.
'Claude too.' Hubert nodded.
'Crap.' Byleth murmured. She knocked on the door, and it was opened immediately by a guard who ushered her in, then took his leave.'
'Ah, here you are, Byleth.' Rhea stood from her position at the head of the long table that dominated the room. 'Please take a seat. You are the last to arrive.'
Jeralt kicked a chair out for ner next to him, and she sank down into it, taking a quick glance around at the three house leaders and Seteth, who smiled slightly at her, relieving her tension just a little.
'Good. Now we can begin.' Rhea sat herself back down and delicately arranged her robes to avoid creasing, then picked up a burgundy folder that sat on the table in front of her. 'Yesterday I received a request for aid...' She began, taking a paper from her file and running her eyes over the lines written on it. 'It was unexpected and quite an unusual occurrence, although that in itself isn't what has concerned me the most. It is the timing of the situation that I suspect is worth greater investigation.'
'On account of the potential assassination attempt mooted for the Rite of Rebirth.' Jeralt clarified helpfully.
'Quite.' Rhea agreed. She looked over at Seteth, who nodded, then cleared his throat and stood.
'Firstly, I need to explain an initiative that the Church has been involved in for a number of years.' He said slowly. 'It's relevance will become clear as we move forward.' He paused to collect his thoughts. 'The Church, as I am sure all of you are aware, is a place that can offer Sanctuary to those who require it. Down the years, many have left their previous lives behind and joined our cloisters in pursuit of becoming a nun or a monk of the order. Sometimes the reasons they have chosen to do so is to escape from the life they are forced into leading.'
'You mean something like an arranged marriage, sir?' Dimitri asked politely.
'That is one example, yes.' Seteth agreed.
'It's not uncommon that people are unhappy when their nuptials are arranged, but I find it a rather extreme reaction... to take holy orders to escape..' Edelgard muttered.
'You are not the only one to feel that way.' Seteth nodded. 'While some do desire that solution, for others... a different sort of Sanctuary can be offered. Particularly when a person's need to disappear is temporary or to avoid persecution for something over which they have no control.'
'Oh?' Claude's brow raised. 'That sounds rather... clandestine.'
'This is information that each of you would have been initiated to later in the year prior to your graduation.' Rhea was sat back in her chair, seemingly gauging the student's responses. 'All of the Kingdom leaders are aware of this initiative we run. On occasion, we are petitioned by them to take on somebody requiring assistance that they, for political reason's cannot give themselves. There are as many stories and situations living below as there are people. Each is an individual case. Each a person in need of a break or a chance.'
'Where in the world do you keep all these people?' Dimitri looked stunned.
'Well, now, that's where things get really fun.' Jeralt grinned. 'Underneath us is a whole damned town that nobody knows about! And it's called 'The Abyss'.'
'Underneath us? You mean underground?' Edelgard asked.
'There was a quite extensive complex here long before the Monastery was built up around it.' Seteth told her. 'There are literally miles and miles of buildings, spaces, corridors and even locked and impenetrable area's down there. Some we actually utilise, but most have been forgotten by time.'
'Can nobody actually be bothered to explore it all?' Claude sounded faint.
'It would be the undertaking of several lifetimes, so I am led to believe.' Seteth shrugged.
'While the Abyss is an initiative that the Church maintains, it is quite separate from the Monastery itself.' Rhea brought the conversation back into line. 'It does not impact on our day to day business, and we do not impact on theirs. We do have a representative from the Church who deals solely with the Abyss and who manages issues and provides any coin that is required from our donations. Aside from that, the people who reside there are completely independent.'
'So, your request for aid has come from these people then?' Byleth asked quietly.
Rhea nodded and took up her paper again. 'I received a note that alerted me to the fact that they have been experiencing an issue with bandits.' She frowned. 'It is not something that has ever happened before. The entrances to the complex are well hidden and kept a close secret, but these miscreants do not appear to be accessing the area from any known location.'
'And while these bandits are getting in from outside the Monastery and the chances of them being able to find their way up here is unlikely, they are an unknown.' Jeralt tapped the table heavily. 'Hence, the timing is suspicious, it could be some kind of a ploy to add fuel to the chaos that's planned for the Rite, or it could even be the source of the threat itself.'
'Or neither.' Seteth added. 'It could just be a completely unrelated incident.'
'I don't understand what any of this actually has to do with us...' Edelgard admitted. Won't the Knights be dealing with this problem?'
'Perhaps.' Rhea said softly. 'Although if that is avoidable, we will avoid it.' She looked directly at Edelgard, her gaze keen. 'We try to be as inclusive in our provision as possible. There are individuals, many of them in fact – who call the Abyss their home but that have no love for the Church itself. That feeling extends to our Knights.'
'Yet you allow them to stay?' Edelgard sounded unsure.
'Like I said – our Sanctuary aims to be inclusive. Available to all.' Rhea asserted.
'Nice idea.' Claude leaned back in his chair. 'So what? You want us to go fight off these bandits?'
Rhea chuckled. 'No, Claude.' She shook her head and smiled at him. 'Jeralt has agreed to go downside and assess the threat, not as a Knight, but as a former mercenary who has a lifetime of experience of dealing with bandits. He has requested that you go with him, Byleth...' She added.
Byleth looked at her father, who grinned and nodded enthusiastically at her.
'Of course.' She agreed.
'Between them, we trust that the threat can be assessed, and we can come up with a plan to deal with it.' Rhea concluded.
'So why are we here then?' Edelgard asked impatiently.
'Aside from giving you the information that you would receive at some stage this year anyway...' Seteth interjected. 'We thought that you may wish to go along and get a look at The Abyss yourselves when Jeralt and Byleth go information gathering.' He shrugged. 'No leaders have ever had that chance to do that before, and since all three of you are here with us...'
'Sounds like a great idea!' Claude grinned.
'I admit I am also intrigued.' Dimitri added.
'Well, obviously, I shall attend too.' Edelgard decided.
'Is it a good idea to take all three of them into an unknown situation?' Byleth asked pointedly. 'It seems like an avoidable risk to me.'
'You will be meeting with the young man who notified me of the problem and is willing to speak directly to you on behalf of the Abyss.' Rhea said reassuringly. 'Unfortunately, our own liaison, Aelfric, is not here at the moment. When the assassination threat was identified, he went out to talk to his own network of prior Abyss dwellers to see if anything could be learned. A number of them continue to live lives in the shadows, and they know people...'
'So these bandits are also hitting at a time when this Aelfric is away from his usual post?' Byleth asked.
Seteth nodded at her. 'Another unusual coincidence.' He agreed.
'Yuri is very highly regarded by Aelfric, and if you can present yourselves well to him – I can see no reason why he would not allow you all access to the town itself.' Rhea continued. 'I do believe it would be a useful exercise both for you and for the continued future success of the Abyss.'
'I'm happy enough to take the kids along with us, By.' Jeralt added. 'No more than a hundred people are living down below, and only a handful of them have any martial experience. That's why they need help.' He couldn't prevent a grin from forming. 'You and I together are pretty much a two-man army... it'll be fun!'
'I'm not sure you are supposed to be having fun.' Seteth groaned.
'You are just jealous that you can't come.' Jeralt smirked.
'I would insist on Hubert being allowed to accompany me.' Edelgard spoke up. 'After the last time we three went on an excursion and were nearly killed by bandits, I am not willing to venture forth without him.'
'The same goes for Dedue.' Dimitri murmured.
'And I need to bring... ah... Hilda!' Claude laughed.
Byleth was smiling now. 'That sounds like a plan.' She raised her brow at Jeralt.
'Merry...' Jeralt agreed with a rumbling chuckle.
'Fine.' Seteth nodded. 'I will arrange for you all to be free tomorrow. Byleth, I will take over your class for the day, and I will square the rest of your's absence with your Professors.'
'So soon?' Dimitri looked surprised.
'Aye, lad.' Jeralt said heartily. 'We need to get to the bottom of the threat and put together a plan and all before the week of the Rite if possible. Busy, busy busy!'
'Why am I not filled with confidence about this?' Byleth mumbled to herself.
'Becasue you know that you attract chaos like flies to dung..' Sothis observed wistfully.
