I am done moving out and hopefully back on schedule. Thanks for your patience.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own FE3H or any of the characters.
Chapter 7)
It was late in the evening. The sun would set in about an hour or two, and it had taken them the whole day to reach the ruins of the Conand tower. Byleth was breathing hard, his chest hurt with every move he made.
During the short climb of the waterfall, he had slipped on a loose rock. He had been able to catch himself on time, but he had slammed hard against the rock wall with his chest. He was not sure, but his rib had maybe punctured his lung. He needed Lindhardt's or Dorothea's healing powers as soon as possible.
Edelgard had been worried about him ever since he slipped. She had not left his side and insisted on resting often to let him catch his breath. She had offered him her last vulnerary, but he had declined it.
Byleth did not tell Edelgard, that he had an ominous feeling that something was about to happen, and that they would need that vulnerary later. Try as he might, he was not able to shake the feeling off.
He had feverishly wished that Sothis would respond to his call. He needed her company and her guidance. Ever since they fell from the tower, he had not been able to communicate with her. And it added to the list of worries he had.
Byleth reclined on a tree, catching his breath while surveying the pile of debris that was once a tower. The terrain was difficult as a lot of trees had been broken down by big rocks and other materials.
Edelgard had advanced a few paces ahead of him, climbing up to the highest point of the ruins and debris to have a better look at the damage and to try and find her peers. Byleth knew she was worried, and if the speed she had climbing up was any indication of it, she was anxious too.
"What did you see?" He asked her once she came back to his side. "A lot of debris everywhere and no apparent sign that they camped here." She was clearly disappointed. "They returned to the camp near the river then." He said worried.
He made a move to stand up again from the tree he was leaning on, but he winced as pain shot through his side. Immediately after he started coughing uncontrollably. Edelgard was at his side in a second, trying to keep him from falling.
Damn. He had no time to panic, not for his sake but for Edelgard's. His hand had been covering his mouth, and once he moved it, he saw blood on his glove. Edelgard must have seen as he heard her gasp.
"I have gone through worse." He told her. And it was true. He had been stabbed with knives and swords before. But he had never experienced a punctured lung before. His vision was starting to blurry, but he was not about to tell her that. "We need to track them down before it gets too dark." He continued.
Edelgard was eyeing him critically, he saw a mix of emotions in her eyes. Concern, tiredness, anger, and dread. Byleth reached out to take her hand. He squeezed it.
"We need to move. There is a chance that they are still at the campsite we set two days ago…" He said looking at her. She was not convinced. He could see that. But she nodded regardless helping him stand up straight.
They walked carefully around the debris. Byleth was focusing on his breathing and looking at the ground. He was trying to find any tracks that could at least ease his mind that his students could be alive. But it had rained heavily it seemed. All hopes of finding tracks were disappearing fast.
Until he saw something shimmering on the ground. He was going to bend down to grab it, but Edelgard beat him to it. It was a fragment of a broken vulnerary bottle. The shape was consistent with the ones you could buy at the marketplace inside the monastery.
Edelgard and Byleth locked their eyes. Hope was rising. The nodded to each other and started to slowly move, almost revitalized. As they went, they found other fragments of the same broken bottle. Had the beast followed his students to this place?
That question was answered once they reached a burned down part of the forest. The trees were charred, and the ground was black. In the middle of it all there were the remains of a charred body.
Panic rose as they approached. The body was on all fours facing down. A tall man. There was a black slime that had mixed with the coal of the trees on the ground. Edelgard crouched down to see his face. She sighed relieved. "Not any of our companions."
"Then who?" Byleth asked. "Miklan…" She said. He looked around. There were clear signs of battle that he had missed before. Claw marks on the trees, slashes on the ground. They were able to kill it. He was relieved somehow. But his concern did not vanish completely.
A twig snapped behind them. He turned around resting his hand on his sword. Edelgard held her dagger in her hand. They waited for a bit. He was starting to see double and felt dizzy. A fit of coughing was threatening to rise and he was desperately trying to suppress it.
For a short while there was no movement, no more snaps were heard. Byleth relaxed a little bit. He turned to Edelgard, lending her shoulder for support. "Let's go." He said wheezing. She looked alarmed but nodded and helped him walk.
They advanced painfully slowly. But with each step, they were closer to their destination. He was determined to arrive at the campsite. His vison was blurry, and every step hurt, he had trouble breathing and his coughing was getting worse.
It was already dark. He felt as if they had walked for ages. He turned his head to the side to cough, but he saw movement. "Professor, look!" He heard Edelgard say. "A bonfire." She said excitedly. We made it! He smiled.
"HELP!" Edelgard shouted on top of her lungs. A few figures stood up and started running their way. A twig snapped again. Byleth turned his head to see where it had come from.
He saw a figure standing at a distance. It could be male or female, his sight was too blurry to distinguish any kind of feature, but he could see a faint glint. "Edelgard…" He wheezed trying to warn her. But she was preoccupied shouting to her peers for help. They were approaching as fast as they could.
The unknown figure fired its nocked arrow. Byleth had barely time to shove Edelgard out of the way and drop to the ground. The arrow embedded itself in a nearby tree. Another arrow followed. It hit Edelgard's leg. She shouted in pain.
Byleth grabbed his dagger and threw it with all the force he could muster. He grunted at the effort but was rewarded as their attacker hit the ground hard. A second later, the last arrow embedded itself deep into his already un-beating heart.
"PROFESSOR!" Edelgard's voice was the last thing he heard before darkness won the battle over his consciousness.
"Wake up." A childish voice commanded him. "Come now, no time to waste!" The voice was insistent and annoying. "Me? Annoying?! How thoughtless of you." The voice was apparently able to read his thoughts.
"I am done coddling you! Wake up now!" He opened his eyes. He was blinded for a moment and he blinked a few times to get accustomed to the light. His eyes met radiant green ones. "Sothis?" He asked confused.
"Who else could it be?" She was angry at him. He could see and sense it. But he did not care about it. He got up and embraced her. "Hmph!" She protested. "Sothis, I thought you vanished!" He said overjoyed and relieved to have his dear companion back. She pushed him away forcefully. "What on Goodness name are you talking about?" She demanded.
"You were gone again. Like in the Holy Mausoleum." He explained. "What?" She was surprised. "Is that what happened?" She said. "You don't remember?" He asked her concerned. "No. I just woke up a few minutes before I woke you up." She said deep in thought.
"How long was I gone?" She asked almost sounding concerned. "Um… almost two days." He said sheepishly. "You make such a fuss because of two days…?" She said smiling at him. He could feel her contempt. "I really missed you." Byleth answered with the truth.
Sothis was visibly pleased with his answer. "And you should." She said arrogantly. "So, bring me up to speed. What happened in these two days and how did you get here?" She asked walking away from him.
He looked around for the first time he woke up. He was again in that familiar throne room he had dreamt so many times. It was still lit up by some green light. He was standing not so far away from the stairs. He decided to follow Sothis and sit down a few steps lower than her throne.
"We were battling Mikl- the Black Beast. Edelgard and I took the right flank While the Knights and the students took the left flank and the middle." He recalled. It seemed that the fight was months ago. "That much I remember." Sothis said helping him. "Then you know that I was barking orders to fight just as you had instructed me?" He asked and Sothis nodded.
"Well, we all attacked in unison and manage to break its barriers. The beast got confused, just as you predicted." He offered a smile. "But in its confusion, it started wailing its tail at Edelgard and me." He said. He offered he the fuzzy images he remembered to fill gaps.
"I tried to stop the tail from wailing too much." He said. Once Sothis saw how he had tried to immobilize the tail with his sword she scoffed. "That was foolish of you. Even a child would know NOT to do such thing." She was shaking her head in annoyance.
"Yes… In retrospect, that was not a very clever thing to do." He said offering her the images of his short flight through the air and wall. He also showed her how both he and Edelgard fell to the freeing waters of the river below the tower.
"It is amazing that you survived that fall. An even more amazing that you kept your princess from separating from you." She said smirking. Sothis was expecting a rebuttal or a comment trying to deny his attraction to Edelgard. She widened her eyes once none came.
She was about to ask him for details, but he raised his hands. He noticed for the first time that his hand was not splinted anymore and that his chest did not hurt a bit. "We were dragged by the rapids and fell down a waterfall. I… broke a rib or two with the last impact." He explained sheepishly.
"Typical of you. But please continue." She said reproachingly. "I managed to reach the shore of the river. I was relieved but mostly amazed that we had not drowned in it." He continued. "By the looks of your princess, she must have felt sheer panic. Poor thing."
"Once on firm land, we managed to build a fire. I took off my clothes to let them dry. But Edelgard… was hesitant. I closed my eyes." He said quickly because Sothis had raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You really are a fool…" She said in an almost inaudible whisper.
"Huh?" He asked. "Nothing. Please continue." Sothis said innocently. "OK… I do not know how long we sat there. I only know that I was so exhausted that my mind was slipping fast." He continued eyeing the smile that Sothis was giving him suspiciously.
"I asked what the time could be. To which Edelgard's reaction was of surprise. She told me that I was mad." He said shaking his head. "She… made me open my eyes. She was kneeling in front of me." He offered the images of his memory to Sothis.
"She let me look at her arm. It was maddingly staggering… The number of scars…" He remembered the rage he had felt in that moment. He tried to suppress it. "I do not know how she managed to survive that kind of torture."
"It is OK to feel that way. After all you love her." Sothis said in a smoothing voice. "Yes." He replied looking at Sothis. "Anyways, she told me who was responsible for her torture." He recalled the conversation. Sothis watched it and listened. Byleth looked at her intently. Her reaction was very similar to his. "Those oafs. They will pay sooner or later. But I'd rather have it sooner." She said with poison in her voice.
Byleth was surprised by it, she had never had such a display of hate before. "Remind me to stay on your good graces." He said almost afraid. She scoffed and waved him to continue. "She possesses a second Crest. The Crest of Flames." He said to her.
"What are the odds…?" Sothis mused. "She showed it to me. Do you remember how my Crest was pulsating once it manifested?" He paused and she nodded. "Well, hers was static. But it began pulsating once I called out mine." He recalled the images.
"That is more than interesting. It that why you felt this attracted to her?" Sothis asked herself. He nodded. "That is our theory. But there might be something more. Edelgard believes that we were fated to meet." He continued. "That might be true." Sothis mused again.
"Sothis, could it be that fate is sending you to the sidelines once some key event between Edelgard and myself happens?" He asked not sure if the was making any sense. "That… is an interesting theory." Sothis was rubbing her chin.
"The more I think about it, the more I realize that it is true." Sothis said after a pause. "Fate wants you to have these moments with your princess." She was musing again deep in thought. "But why?" He asked. There was no response.
"Did fate also want for you and me to be bound together?" He asked curious. "That… No." Sothis raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, maybe after something happened… to an extent." She said.
Her eyes were moving fast from one side to the other. As if she was reading something. "Arrgh! This is so frustrating. I cannot remember, feel or read more to this." She exclaimed exasperated, throwing her arms out and slumping into her throne.
"What's wrong, Sothis?" He asked concerned. She eyed him for a moment trying to decide whether to tell him what she was thinking or not. She apparently decided to be honest with him. "I feel that there is a key event that was not fated but forced into us. It inevitably bound us together." She sighed.
"What key event?" He asked curious. If her feeling was correct, the implications were… disturbing. "That is something I cannot see or remember. It is as if I hit a wall that must be torn down to be able to reach the truth." She said frustrated.
"But I have a feeling that that Rhea lady has something to do with that particular event." She said in a whisper. "That woman is not to be trusted, Byleth." She warned him again. "I know. You remind me every time I speak to her." He responded with a sigh.
There was a moment where no one spoke. They were both deep in thought. "What happened next?" Sothis broke the silence. "I… asked Edelgard if fate was the only thing that attracted us to each other…" He said sheepishly. In retrospect it was a sloppy way to ask it to her.
"You did not!" She exclaimed giggling. "Hey… in my defense, my mind was slipping, and I did not think it through." That statement earned another fit of giggles. "When have you ever done that?" She told him. "And then?" She asked sitting on the edge of her throne.
"It might be better to show you." He said remembering the feelings and the images. Sothis sat there absorbing everything. He stopped the memory flow just after he had consoled Edelgard after her nightmare.
"I did not think you would be so bold! To kiss the future emperor of the Empire." She said to him. "For what it is worth, I am proud of you." She said. "Just warn me to disappear when things get hot between you two." She said winking at him.
Byleth coughed into his hand. He felt something sticky in it. He lowered his gaze and found blood on it. "Sothis!" He said alarmed. "What? I know you have been fantasizing about it for a while now." She said mocking him.
"No… Look!" He showed her his bloody hand. He was feeling tired and weak. He could barely hold his weight while sitting on those stairs. Sothis' eyes widened.
She was quick to catch him as he was slumping down on the stairs. "Byleth! Byleth! Can you hear me?" She exclaimed holding his shoulders with her arms. He could hear her, but he was not able to respond. "What is happening?!" She shook him.
Her eyes showed her panic and concern. He opted to share his memories. He could not concentrate, and he could only hope that Sothis was able to make sense of the mess he was delivering. "Oh no…" He heard her say.
Byleth was losing consciousness. He registered another fit of coughing and a warm liquid slowly running down the corner of his mouth. Sothis' hand glowing green on his chest. She was using her power to heal him. He felt warmth where her hand laid.
His coughing stopped but the pain did not. He was having trouble to stay awake. "Stay with me!" Sothis' was muffled. "Byleth! Don't you dare die on me." She exclaimed angrily. His vision was blurry, but he saw that she was shedding tears.
He mustered all his strength to raise his left hand to her cheek. Once he made contact with it, pain shot through his whole arm. She must have felt his pain, as she winced. "Save your strength, you fool." She said to him soothingly. She was holding his hand in place.
He smiled. Or at least he hoped he did. He could not feel any pain anymore and all he wanted was to rest. He closed his eyes. "No! No, no, no. Byleth!" He heard Sothis say before darkness consumed him once again.
A/N:
So… I honestly thought about leaving the chapter here, BUT:
I felt the chapter was too short.
I decided that as an apology for not uploading a chapter last week, you deserved better than a cliffhanger and a short chapter.
This chapter was writing itself, so I did not want to cut my inspiration all of the sudden.
Keep enjoying.
There was a buzzing sound that annoyed him. It was not letting him rest like he would have liked to. He swore he would kill whoever was making that sound. Byleth? Sothis asked relieved. You are alright! Thank Goodness it worked.
What worked? Byleth tried to speak, but he was not able to move. "Any change, Professor?" He heard a soft concerned female voice ask. A familiar voice. "No. He is alive but unresponsive, Lady Rhea" Lady Rhea? Had she made all this way to the Kingdom for him? No, she would not leave the monastery.
"It's been three days since they brought him here. Five since he got those injuries and infection." A male voice spoke up. A familiar voice. Father? "I know my son. He should already be awake and jumping around." Jeralt said concerned.
Yes, Jeralt has not left your side since you arrived. You can smell it too. Sothis answered him. Byleth tried to chuckle but was not able to. "Still, it is worrisome that his heart is not beating." Manuela sighed. "His heart has never beaten." Jeralt responded curtly and bitterly.
"How has he been able to survive, then?" Manuela demanded incredulously. "Don't ask me. I am no doctor. If you want answers, ask her." Byleth had experienced Jeralt being angry. But this time his voice was different. It was accusing. "Let's not get into that argument again." Another male voice interjected. An arrogant one. Sethet.
Byleth heard a chair being pushed forcefully away and decided steps moving away from him. "He and I deserve answers, Rhea!" Jeralt screamed. "I am fed up with you and your secrets!" Jeralt continued.
"Keep your voice down and show some respect to the Archbishop, mercenary!" Sethet growled his answer. "That is enough! The both of you!" Lady Rhea raised her voice. Byleth could feel a surge of energy in the atmosphere.
"Jeralt, my dear friend." Lady Rhea said in a soft tone. Jeralt scoffed. "I promise, that once your son is awake and recovering well, I will make time to answer all of your questions." She said. It sounded sincere enough. Nothing about that woman is sincere. Sothis answered him.
"More lies, Rhea? Just like you told me that Sitri had died from childbirth?" Apparently Jeralt was again at his side. He heard a chair being picked up from the floor and placed beside his bed. The amount of emotions Byleth heard in his father's voice made him want to reach out to him.
He tried to move again. It did not work. Maybe just open my eyes. No, that was not working either. Move a finger? Again no. You should rest. Sothis said to him.
Sothis! Can you see where we are? He asked desperately. No. I can only see what you see. Rest, Byleth. "He is glowing again!" Manuela exclaimed alarmed and short after there was a commotion of footsteps and noises as people approached him. Byleth was feeling very sleepy once more.
Darkness claimed him once more.
Byleth awoke to the sound of familiar snoring. He opened his eyes. He was in the infirmary of the monastery. How did I get here? He asked himself. I was wondering that too. Sothis answered. Nice to see you awake. You gave us all quite the scare. She said relieved. Sorry. He responded sheepishly.
Looked to his right. Jeralt was splayed on his chair asleep. Byleth chuckled and tried to sit up. Jeralt woke with a snort. Once he looked up his eyes lit up. "Son! You are awake!" Jeralt was at his side taking Byleth's hand in both of his.
"You scared the shit out of me, you know?" Jeralt said. "No… What happened?" Byleth asked confused. "I should be asking that." Jeralt shook his head. "You came in via Pegasi-express directly to the infirmary with an arrow to your heart and barely breathing."
"Pegasi-express?" Byleth asked trying to imagine it. "Yes, along with your House leader and the other young girl with white hair." Jeralt said. "It was bothersome to get those creatures out of here again." He was rambling. "Edelgard and Lysithea? What happened to them?" He asked alarmed.
"Calm down. They are fine. The younger girl, uh… Lysithea was in a critical state. It turned out she was exhausted because of a 'force field' she made with her magic." Jeralt continued. "She was released from the infirmary four days ago." Jeralt said.
"What about my other students?" Byleth asked anxiously. "They should arrive tomorrow evening if nothing went wrong along the way." His father informed him. "Are they…?" Byleth could not finish the question. "All alive and well." Jeralt smiled. Byleth nodded relieved.
"As for Edelgard… She forcefully dismounted a Knight from its Pegasus and flew here with you both. Her injuries were minor, and she was already treated and fine once she arrived." Jeralt was smirking. "Sounds like something you would do, dad." Byleth answered trying to suppress his laughing. Sothis on the other hand giggled freely.
Jeralt beamed at him. "Yes, it does." He said also laughing. After a moment, they both calmed down. "It is good to see you laugh, son." Jeralt said smiling at him. Byleth nodded at him. "She got an earful from Sethet, though." Byleth winced at the image.
"You know. I think that the princess… Edelgard is in love with you." Jeralt said winking. "She has been here for hours on end after class." Jeralt informed him. "I know." Byleth answered. "Now is your chan-" Jeralt started excitedly but confusion set in soon after. "What?"
"You should see the look on your face." Byleth answered amused. "I said that I know." "You told her." Jeralt's grin was turning goofy. "And she reciprocated!" He added triumphant. "Something like that." Byleth tried to deflect.
"Aww. Come on. Give me the dirty details." His father seemed exited for him. "There are none." Byleth said. Someone is approaching. Sothis warned him. "Look it is a secret… Try not to tell anyone." Byleth pleaded. "I am a tomb. But I will need details later." His father winked again. Byleth nodded.
The door opened a second later and Manuela barged in. "I heard laughing." She stopped dead on her tracks once she saw Byleth awake. "Hello Professor." Byleth greeted. "My Goodness. It is a miracle." She exclaimed taking a stethoscope to and approaching his bed.
Without another word, she placed it to his chest, where his heart should be beating. She scoffed. "Not a single beat." She mused to herself. "Told ya." Jeralt crossed his arms. "But you would not listen to this old bone." He shook his head.
"How?" She asked Byleth. Careful now. Sothis warned him. "Not a clue, Professor Manuela." Byleth responded. She turned to Jeralt and looked bewildered. They exchanged a meaningful look before Jeralt nodded. "I will have to inform Lady Rhea that you are awake." Manuela said regretfully.
"Afterall, she took care of your healing." She said to Byleth before leaving the room. "Did she now?" The young man asked his father. "Yes. She did not allowed Manuela near you." Jeralt answered looking glum. "When she was done, she was so exhausted that she barely could stand up." He frowned.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Byleth said. "That is why I did not leave your side for one second." His father said proudly. Do you think it wise to ask about the conversation we overheard? Byleth asked his mind companion. No, we should play our cards carefully. Her answer was serious. We may still need that particular one. She said and he agreed.
"I can smell that." Byleth said. Jeralt chucked loudly. "So… Five or six days?" Byleth asked playing a game he used to play with his father. They would try to guess how long they were unconscious. "Close. Seven days, son" Jeralt said saddening a bit. "Phew… I broke your record." Byleth tried to lighten the mood.
"That you did…. Try not to do it again. It was a lot to my fragile old heart." Jeralt said smiling. "No promises. But I will try." Byleth answered smiling at his father. "Its all I can ask for." Jeralt said.
They stayed in silence for a moment. It was peaceful silence until the door opened again. Lady Rhea almost ran into the room. She had not bothered changing her nightgown or combing her hair.
"Dear Professor." She said dramatically putting a hand to her mouth. "I am glad to see you alive and well." Jeralt scoffed crossing his arms. "May I?" She asked Byleth ignoring his father completely. She motioned to the chair on the left of his bed. Byleth looked at his father but nodded, nonetheless.
Lady Rhea took a seat gracefully. "How long have you been up?" She asked. Byleth heard in her voice that she was testing them both. He had been awake for almost an hour, but he did not want anyone to get in trouble with the ruthless archbishop of the church.
"Hard to say. I wager about fifteen to twenty minutes. Does that sound about right, dad?" Byleth looked at Jeralt warningly. "Yes, give or take." His father answered smoothly. Lady Rhea eyed them suspiciously.
"Tell me, what happened to you?" She demanded. "Lady Rhea, with all due respect, I am sure you have already interrogated my House leader about it. I have just woken up from a serious injury and I would like to spend time with my father tonight." Byleth said as sweetly as possible.
You make too much effort to please the woman. Sothis reproached. You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar, Sothis. He answered. "I promise to report to you as soon as I am released from this bed." He reassured the archbishop.
"Of course. How senseless of me! I do apologize. I was just so worried." Lady Rhea was trying to hide her displeasure. She stood up and walked to the door. "It is a miracle of the Goddess that you have returned home safe." She said. "No wonder you were muttering her name through your fevers." She added a glint of light on her eyes.
A test again. Sothis scoffed. I'll play along. He said confidently. "The Goddess' name?" He asked innocently. "Yes, dear child. Please be careful not to use it in vain." Lady Rhea said. "Sothis. It is a beautiful name, isn't it? Fit for the Progenitor God." She smiled.
Byleth's blood went cold. He was thankful that his face was naturally emotionless. "… Sothis?" He said asking her companion to react. He could feel the confusion emanating from her. He placed his hand to his chin as if thinking. In truth he was just buying time.
"It is a beautiful name. But I cannot say I had heard it before." Byleth hoped he sounded convincing enough. He was being scrutinized by the archbishop. Every reaction he made, was observed closely.
"Oh… Then the Goddess blessed you in a moment of need." She raised her hands as if prayer. But her eyes never left his. She did not seem disappointed nor happy. Damn she is a good actress. She did not give away anything she felt. "I wish you both a goodnight." She said before she left the room.
Byleth let a breath out, that he had not realized he had been holding. "That was… weird." Jeralt commented after a few moments. "Yeah… It was disconcerting." His son agreed.
"Is it true?" Byleth asked his father. "Yes, it was all incoherent babbling." Jeralt frowned. "But 'Sothis' and 'Edelgard' were names you were muttering quite often." His father was frowning.
So… You are a Goddess? Byleth asked his companion. He could feel her confusion. I… don't remember. Sothis answered. He sighed and looked outside the window. The sun was rising slowly. "Well if you don't mind, I will go take shower and change clothes." Jeralt said standing up.
"Please do." Byleth smiled at his father. He chuckled in response. "Alright. I will take my cue." He said walking to the door. "Come find me so we can talk later." He said stopping at the door. "Will do, dad." Byleth nodded. Jeralt looked at him for a moment before leaving the room.
Talk to me Sothis. Byleth said concerned. What exactly am I? She asked no one in particular. Apparently, you are the 'Progenitor God'… Byleth offered. But it that is true… Then what are you? Sothis asked him. Sothis, I am and will always be your friend. Goddess or not. He said to her truthfully.
That is true for me too. She offered. It makes sense that I would be a Goddess. Otherwise why would I be able to turn back time? She said almost arrogantly. Yet again, why am I inside of you? She asked him again.
I have a feeling it has to do with the conversation we overheard. He said. It has to do with Rhea. She growled. It is so frustrating. I cannot remember anything, yet I feel that the archbishop's statement to be true. She continued. Byleth nodded.
What is going on here. He said referring to all the secrets and mysteries surrounding him. He was not able to sleep for the rest of the night.
Manuela had just finished her final check on him. "You will have to take it easy for a bit." She said sternly. "… Anything to get me of this bed." Byleth answered. Manuela chuckled. "I am relieved that your sense of humor was not damaged along the way."
"Take it easy." She repeated before drawing the curtain to give him privacy to change clothes. Jeralt had dropped him a new change an hour ago. He heard Manuela leave the room.
He jumped out of the bed and stretched his muscles a little. They were sore from laying down for too long. He proceeded to put on his clean clothes when he heard the door open and close.
Not paying much attention to it he proceeded to sit down to put his boots on. The curtain of his bed was drawn open. Byleth looked up almost surprised. Edelgard was standing there looking at him. She looked happy to see him alive.
"Hello Edelgard." Byleth said calmly. He was trying to suppress his first reaction to stand up and run to her. "Professor… It is good to see you well." Edelgard said almost as calmly. The only thing that gave her away was an almost inaudible crack on her voice.
"I was about to go looking for you." He said looking back down and finishing the job of putting his boots on. "I will need a report on what happened while I was… indisposed." He said to her standing up. "Of course, you would." She said smiling. "I have already prepared a paper on it. And I am sure Hubert and Ferdinand have their reports done too."
"I should have known that you would already be done with it." He said walking to her. "Still, would you humor me with a spoken report? Perhaps over tea?" He said bushing his hand with hers once he passed beside her. She closed her eyes for a moment.
"It would be my pleasure to join you." Edelgard responded walking a few paces behind him. "Let me arrange it today. I am sure that Professor Manuela told you to take it easy today." She was looking at him sternly. "Have you been eavesdropping, Edelgard?" He stopped in front of the door, raising an eyebrow, and looking to her.
"Maybe…" She said in a whisper smirking at him. Byleth shook his head and resisted the urge to laugh out loud. "Alright. I will let you arrange the tea party." He said simply. She flashed him a disarming smile.
Byleth sighed. He opened the door to walk out. "I was told that the rest of the Eagles would arrive today." He said. "Yes, the Pegasi rescue squad took only the most injured with them." "… And what are you doing here then?" He asked suppressing a smile.
"I… As a House leader it was my duty to accompany my esteemed Professor and my injured peer." She was blushing but said the words with conviction. "I see. You sound like Ferdinand." He said almost smiling. "And that was not accomplished by flying with the Knight you stole the Pegasus from?" He asked reproachingly.
"So, you know." She said shaking her head. "Of course. And you should know that there will be consequences for those actions." Byleth said. Edelgard paled visibly. "What do you mean, Professor?" She asked him. "Well, you leave me no choice than to give you detention after class." He said smoothly.
"… I see…" She looked down to the ground trying to hide a smile. "You will have my perfect file stained by detention?" Edelgard scoffed. "Will it matter in the end?" He asked seriously. "Suppose not." She answered sighing.
"Then it is settled." He said triumphantly. "You will stay with me after class for at least a week." He informed her. "A week?" She almost shrieked. "You really are an overachiever." He said to her amused. "I…" She started. "Speaking of which, don't you have classes to attend?" He continued teasing her.
"The Blue Lions have been working on Crestology lately." She rolled her eyes. "You may know that it is not my favorite topic." She said walking beside him. "Although I managed to ask Professor Hanneman if two persons with the same Crests would be attracted to each other." She said giving him a meaningful look.
"An interesting question. What did he answer?" He responded curious. "That there were no recorded incidents like those. But that persons with the same Crests could develop a very deep friendship with each other." She said sighing.
"I was approached by Dimitri after class and asked if I was attracted to your father." Byleth almost laughed. She possessed the Crest of Seiros just like his father did. "And are you?" Byleth asked in a very good mood. Edelgard scoffed. "Your father might have his charm. But I have set my eye on someone else." She said smoothly.
Byleth stopped in his tracks. He needed to distract any prying ears that might or not be hearing this conversation. "Hm… I will not pry, my student. But just that you know, I will keep an eye out in case you need my protection." He said seriously. She nodded at him smiling. "Thank you, Professor."
"Ah! There you are." Sethet called them. Byleth turned around to face him. "Good morning, Sethet." He bowed a bit. "Yes, good morning to both of you." He said greeting Professor and the student. "Lady Rhea is waiting for you in the Audience Hall." Sethet continued.
"Ah… I was hoping I could go take a shower first." Byleth said almost crestfallen. "It is very important to give her a complete repo-" Sethet was saying sternly when he was cut off by a soft voice. "It is OK. Sethet." Lady Rhea called him off. "He has after all been confined to a bed for a whole week. Let him clean himself up." She waved his advisor to leave.
"As you wish, Lady Rhea." Sethet said sounding frustrated. He bowed to her and turned around on his heels towards his office. "I am sorry, dear child. He can be very demanding at times; I should give him some time off to spend with his sister perhaps?" Lady Rhea was musing to herself.
"Ah, forgive me. I am overjoyed to see you out of that bed." She smiled at him. "I was meaning to ask you… Maybe it is silly of me, but may I invite you to a cup of tea this evening?" She was looking at him intently.
Careful, Byleth. This woman is clearly trying to manipulate you. Remember the conversation from the other night. Sothis growled. Still I think you should accept the offer… According to your terms. Sothis said mischievously.
"I would love to, Lady Rhea." For a moment he saw her eyes light up. "But I have already a tea party to attend with Edelgard and my father later this evening." He continued. There were two thing he noticed in that moment. First one, Lady Rhea seemed crestfallen. And second Edelgard seemed unhappy.
"But maybe, you could join us?" He added trying to corner the Archbishop. Edelgard was looking at him in disbelief, and Lady Rhea, luckily was not paying attention to her. She smiled graciously. "It has been a while that I have had tea with a student." She said looking at Edelgard for the first time. "If miss von Hresvelg does not object, I would like to accept the offer."
"It would be my honor." Edelgard responded graciously enough, but Byleth saw the smallest hint of her eye twitching. Oh! You are in for an earful later today. Sothis giggled. I just hope it is worth it. He said sighing mentally.
Byleth and Edelgard bowed to the Archbishop and continued their walk to the dormitories in silence. Once they reached the outside of the training grounds, Edelgard spoke up. "Are we being followed?" She asked in a whisper. "Yes, to your right behind the pillars." He responded.
"Not exactly in earshot." She analyzed. "What were you thinking?" She almost growled at him. "There is something I have to find out." He whispered back. "The only person that can give me answers is her." He said softly. Edelgard seemed unconvinced.
They had reached the door of his room. "That reminds me, I have a paper I need to give back to you. The one for Extra Credit I assigned before the mission." Of course, he was making it up, but she caught on his scheme right away.
"Ah yes." She said smiling. "Your views on the battalion formation are quite interesting. Would you like to come in? It will take me a while to find the paper." He asked her. "If it is no bother to you…" She said fake-shyly.
"Nonsense." He opened his door letting her in. "It will be just a minute." He said closing his door again. "Silence." He cast a spell on his room. "Ward." He had never cast that spell to ward his room, but he sure hoped that it worked.
He closed the space between them and kissed her. She responded wrapping her arms around him. They separated to breathe. "I thought I had lost you." Edelgard said pulling him closer. "I thought I was a goner too." He said truthfully.
He reluctantly let go of her making his way to his desk. He searched for some empty papers to give her. "Rhea did something to me." He said. "What?" She asked alarmed. Byleth looked at her in the eyes. "I do not know how to explain it." He said to her handing over the papers.
"My heart… It has never beaten. And my father has his suspicions that Rhea has something to do with it." He tried to explain. Edelgard looked incredulously. Without a word she approached him and placed her ear where his heart was. He heard her gasp after a moment.
She looked up alarmed. "How?" She asked. "That is something I hope to find out later today." He said. "Then I will not interfere. This is something you and your fath-" She started rambling. "No. I need you there." He said truthfully. "You of all people would understand the implications, if what I fear is true." He continued taking her hand in his.
There was a loud bang on his door. It opened a second later and Jeralt barged in. Byleth released her hand, but his father had seen it already. He smirked. "Well, I do hope I am not interrupting anything." He said walking in and closing the door.
"Silence." Byleth whispered, placing the spell back in place. "No, actually you were not." Byleth said to his father raising an eyebrow. "I heard you were going to take a shower. I figured I would wait here for you." He said eyeing the princess who had taken a few steps back and holding an empty stack of papers to her chest.
"You were not planning on taking the princess with you, were you?" Jeralt asked wiggling his eyebrows. Edelgard blushed immediately at the implication and her eyes wide. Byleth shook his head in amusement. "Not without her consent." He said smoothly. Edelgard looked like a deer on the run.
"Hah! I am just messing with ya." Jeralt approached the princess. "I know." He whispered. "And I approve." He smiled at her. Edelgard nodded at him smiling shyly. "Now that that is done, why am I invited to take tea with Rhea and you two?" Jeralt crossed his arms looking at his son.
"She was trying again to get to me alone. I figured there are some things we need to discuss." Byleth answered. "And since I had already agreed to take tea with Edelgard, I found it rude to exclude her." Jeralt looked between Edelgard and his son.
He threw his arms out shaking his head and saying. "Alright. I will trust your judgement, son."
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