Year 1

"Besides being a scheming snake, are you good for anything?" Felix bluntly asked Alythia. On a cold morning of the Ethereal Moon, they took a walk outside the Fraldarius estate. It was nearing the end of another year in Fódlan, Year 1181. Felix was preparing for an early training session with her before heading out to support a rebellion against the Empire. Though her swordsmanship wasn't superior to Byleth, he had to make do.

"You realize that I practically run the estate… do you?" Alythia answered nonchalantly. She grew used to Felix's chastising and shrugged it off.

He sneered and rolled his eyes. Though he took a small liking to Alythia, that didn't excuse her for being useless. She did, after all, live in the manor without a title. "Sparring with me does not help pay for running the estate."

"It's true, I don't earn coin from sparring you," said Alythia with a smirk, "However, I do earn my keep by helping Lord Rodrigue and the council defend the few remaining noble houses of Faerghus."

Felix stopped dead in his tracks while Alythia carried on the path without him. He had trouble wrapping his head around the idea.

"You… help?"

After Dimitri was falsely accused of murdering Grand Duke Rufus, he was executed by Cornelia. Faerghus, in turn, became a vassal state of the Empire. The last loyal houses of Faerghus banded together to create a union to defend their territories under the leadership of Lord Rodrigue. Felix, among others, were dispatched in strategic regions to help rebellions opposing the Empire.

She looked over her shoulder and gave him a smug look, then quietly motioned for him to keep up. He didn't like being called over like a pet… but he wanted to know what she meant. So he stubbornly dawdled next to her.

"Have you noticed the blight of the fields in the Gautier territory? The food shortages? How do you think our union continues to afford battalions despite our limited access?" One question after the other shot at Felix like a rain of arrows- none to which he had answers to.

Felix stared at her blankly, mouth slightly open. He was fully prepared to berate her for being useless but the last thing he expected was an ambush.

"Do you even know how much it costs to run the estate?" Alythia looked at him doubtfully. She graded all the students' exams well enough to know arithmetic wasn't Felix's strong suit.

"How do you-"

"When my family were mercenaries, did you think Byleth took inventory of the food and supplies? Budgeted our overall income? Helped negotiate terms and contracts with the hired arms?"

Felix closed his mouth to give this possibility a considerable thought. Although Byleth was the Professor, it was Alythia working tirelessly behind the scenes preparing lesson plans down to the last detail, going over homework and reviewing scores one-on-one with students. Byleth trained his students in the art of battle and weapon classes, how to recognize an opponent's weakness and upheld high expectations for the class to reach. They were a team that completed each other.

"You... did all that?"

"Jeralt taught us," said Alythia in a matter-of-fact way, "But I was better at it."

"... There is a food shortage?"

"There was a food shortage," she corrected him.

"How did you even know how to-"

"I learned a lot from the other students. Ferdinand, for example, goes into detail about his agricultural surveys about farmland and harvests. Petra explained how the people of Brigid prepare meats to last longer in the winter,"

The familiar feeling of guilt stung him. While he was so focused on training his sword and whatever opponent was in front of him, he forgot all other responsibility. Here was Alythia, working tirelessly behind the scenes again. As always.

Felix narrowed his eyes at her and couldn't stand how pleased she looked; collecting information like a spy and using it to leverage her status. He scoffed, but couldn't help but to feel a little bit impressed. And lucky.

His expression softened when he decided to point something out, "Don't hold all your students with such high regard. Ferdinand and Petra are our enemies now."

There was no need to peer at her face to know she was frightened by that realization. Alythia's head was down, but Felix firmly looked on ahead. Fódlan was now consumed by the tempest of war and turmoil. The Empire, the Kingdom, the Alliance. Someday, they might have to cross swords with their old classmates.

Felix knew Alythia would hesitate committing a necessary evil. But if that were to happen, he swore to himself to be there and defend her. He changed the topic to lighten the mood. There was no point in sparring with someone whose thoughts wandered elsewhere.

"Sylvain actually invited himself to come by again this year," Felix grumbled, "For some reason, Ingrid thought that non-existent invitation extended to her as well."

"Why are they coming here?" Alythia asked, confused. Though the three did meet up to prepare for battles, it wasn't common for them to visit the Fraldarius estate.

"Sylvain wants to play the piano for us," Felix shifted uncomfortably away from her. Gods, he'd rather be sparring with her than have this painful conversation, "Ingrid wants to accompany and play the flute."

"Why would they-" Alythia's eyelids fluttered rapidly when she finally comprehended why, "Oh."

Felix's face reddened, heated by embarrassment and annoyance, "I told them not to but they insisted we should make it a tradition. There's no point in doing another stupid dance. I'll tell the housekeepers to turn them away when they arrive."

The silence between them was deafening.

"I wouldn't mind another dance with you," she said.

Alythia looked up at him eagerly. The way her blue eyes wavered with excitement weakened his knees. Usually, she's in her old mercenary clothes, refusing to wear the dresses the maids pick out for her (despite their insistence). Byleth's brooch was always clipped onto her hip. It was her way of keeping him close.

She hasn't worn a dress since last year. She'll certainly wear one again to dance with you.

Curse these insidious thoughts.

"Oh," was all Felix could muster. Alythia smiled at him, knowing that if he didn't reject a proposal with a threat, it was a 'yes.'

"Come, Fraldarius," She mimicked Byleth's low stern voice, even straightening her back to copy his posture, "Forgo your troubles and spar with me. Perhaps you will find the source of your hunger as you swing your sword."

Alythia unsheathed her sword with a single swing, in the same habit her brother did, and lunged towards Felix.