Alright, I'm back, after a hiatus of, let's see, last I updated anything was... *Ruffling through notes* JUNE OF 2020?! Well, that's what happens when your focus is divided between a contested election, a global pandemic and being sucked into the entire Dragon Age series. For now, onto the show!

DISCLAIMER: Fire Emblem: Three Houses and all associated characters, locations, etc. are the property of Nintendo Co., Ltd. and Intelligent Systems. The Witcher and all associated elements are owned by Andrzej Sapowski, SuperNOWA/Orbit Books, and for the games side, CD Projekt Red.

[Remire Village, Adrestian Empire]

[17th of the Great Tree Moon]

[Imperial Year 1180]

[No P.O.V.]

"Belial?" Byleth asked, her face showing shock, an emotion neither Belial or Jeralt have seen her show. All the while, Byleth could only stare in awe and confusion. "H-how is that even possible? Dad said-" Byleth began to ask, until Belial cut her off.

"That I was what, kidnapped? Dead? Or whatever excuse he could conjure up?" Belial said, not even bothering to hide his anger at Jeralt. "Let's just say, I've been away from Fodlan for too long." 'That, and the fact that the School of the Wolf collapsed after no less than two pogroms, but I don't want to say that.' Belial thought, not wishing to reveal too much.

"So, you're alive..." Jeralt muttered under his breath, and while he was relieved, Belial didn't think so.

"What, were you hoping I died or something?" Belial spat, his words like wyvern venom, "Did you give me up, because I was a burden? Or were you all too happy to have the Law of Surprise invoked?"

"Dad, what is he talking about?" Byleth asked, confusion evident, even as her face returned to a neutral expression.

"Look, can we not argue about this now?" Jeralt asked, tired, and more than a little hurt at his son's accusations. "We can talk about this later. For right now, why don't you and your brother catch up, kid? I need to talk to the mayor here." Jeralt added, before walking off.

"Bastard." Belial spat under his breath, before looking at Byleth and nodding towards a tavern, which Byleth agreed.

[The Silverite Griffon Tavern]

Entering the tavern, Belial noticed the name of the place and shook his head in disbelief. An unamused grin adorning his face.

'Heh, guess the spelling for Griffin is different depending on where you are. But I can say they're not nearly as graceful as the tavern sign suggests.' Belial thought, as he and Byleth sat down, and a barmaid walked over to their table.

"Good to see you, miss Byleth." The barmaid, a woman of twenty-two, with fair skin, eyes green as emeralds, with ginger hair, and freckles dotting her face said, "So, what exactly will you and your friend be having?" She asked, as a few people looked at Belial with ire and suspicion. One man even sneering as the young Witcher. Not knowing that Belial knew he was sneering at him.

"Just some water, please." Byleth answered, looking at her brother, who returned his twin's look.

"Give me something that could knock out a heard of moose." Belial said to the barmaid, who nodded at the Witcher with a sly wink, which Belial took notice of.

"All right, that's water and a mug of Gloucester's Noble Charge, then?" She asked the twins, who nodded, "OK, let me just-HEY!" The barmaid shouted, as two rather surly men, one dressed in the garb of a Brigand walked up to the table where the Eisner twins were sat at.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming 'round 'ere, freak." The Brigand-looking man spat at Belial, some of which was actual spittle. "I didn't travel across the world away from Cintra and the Nilfs, only to end up encountering some mutated bastard in the arse-end of Fodlan." The man continued, unaware of the crowd gathered around. "So, why don't go on, and piss off. We don't want you 'ere, Witcher" The Brigand finished, practically hissing the words at the young Witcher, as Belial sighed in annoyance.

"Y'know, all I wanted was to get a drink, and catch up with my sister..." Belial sighed, as he shook his head, exhausted by the man's anger.

"And now?" The Brigand asked, unaware about what's going to happen.

"Now, I'm probably going to feed you your teeth." Belial answered, standing up, and delivering a right hook into the Brigand's face, knocking the man to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.

"Argh! I think he broke me nose!" The Brigand groaned as he spat out a few teeth. 'Well, don't just stand there, KILL HIM YOU WANKERS!" He shouted, ordering his two lackeys to attack Belial, but the Fodlan-born monster hunter was quicker, elbowing the goon on the left, whilst kicking the man on the right, breaking his kneecap while doing so.

"So, are you and your thugs done yet?" Belial asked, cracking his knuckles and neck, as the Brigand got back on his feet, wiping his face with his glove.

"Not even fuckin' close, Witcher." The Brigand replied, as someone from the crowd tossed him an axe. "Now, do me a favor, and DIE!" He screamed, rushing towards Belial, performing a downward slice, attempting to bisect the young monster hunter, but the Witcher dodged to the left, and delivering a swift punch to the man's throat, causing the Brigand to drop his axe, and began coughing.

"Had enough?" Belial asked, lowering his arms, "Or do you need me to break a few bones so as to get the message across?"

"Ugh, I'm not done yet, freak." The Brigand growled, as the barmaid rushed up to the fight.

"Piotr, enough! I think you and your men should leave." The barmaid shouted, and the Brigand, Piotr, got up and spat blood out.

"You'll regret this, Witcher, you and everyone in this damn town!" Piotr yelled, shoving past the barmaid, his minions on his heels. The group of eight stormed out of the tavern.

"Some idiots never learn." Belial sighed, sitting down back at his and Byleth's table.

"What was that all about?" Byleth asked, as the barmaid went to retrieve their drinks after the crowd dispersed.

"It's, something of a long story." The young Witcher replied wearily, expecting his sister to drop the subject. But he sighed when he saw Byleth's raised eyebrow, "All right, what do you want to know?" The monster slayer asked, as the barmaid set their drinks down on the table.

"As much as you're comfortable telling me." Byleth answered, as Belial sighed in relief and taking a swig of his ale.

"All right, the night after fath-" He began, but caught himself before he called Jeralt 'father,' "After Jeralt gave me up, I was taken to the fortress of Kaer Mohren. In the country of Kaedwen…" And thus, he began the story of how he became a Witcher.

[Several hours later...]

"...And then, Artyom ran out of the inn, stripped down completely to his naked arse, as the innkeepers threw his gear out into the snow, and all Khan and I could do was look at him." Belial wheezed, almost on the verge of collapsing of laughter. Byleth actually began to laugh, somewhat. "Well, Khan was looking at him, I was too busy laughing my ass off." He finished, coughing.

At that moment, Byleth lost all her remaining composure, and began to laugh her ass off as well. To the rest of the tavern, it was a welcome sight to see the feared "Ashen Demon" showcasing an actual emotion. To remember that she was, at her core, human. Not even Byleth herself could understand what was even happening.

'What is happening?' Byleth thought to herself as she wiped a tear from her eye. 'I don't think I've ever laughed this hard, ever.' At that moment, the barmaid, who Belial would later find out is named Merida, came back with two more drinks for the twins. 'Considering that I'm actually catching up with my brother, and learning about his time as one of these Witchers. And then he goes and tells this kind of story...' She thought as Merida sat down in a nearby chair.

"I have to say Ser Belial, I never thought that Witchers led such exciting lives." Merida said, "I especially enjoyed the story about the...Leshen, was it?" Merida asked, as Belial wiped his eyes of tears.

"Yeah, the Leshy was quite the fight." Belial responded, lightly rubbing the scar he had on his arm beneath his clothes. "Actually, that reminds me of..." The Witcher trailed off, as Jeralt and Remire's mayor walked into the tavern, all merriment drained immediately from Belial's features, as a sneer formed on the monster hunter's face.

"So, we're just about done with the job, and until I hear from my contact, we'll be staying here for a couple of days." Jeralt said to Byleth, who nodded, her face returning to an emotionless visage. "And what about you? Are you going to stick around as well?" The Blade Breaker asked his monster hunter son.

"What, trying to get rid of me so easily?" Belial spat at his father, his resentment of the man frothing up to the surface, again.

"Look, can we not deal with this right now?" Jeralt sighed, as Belial slammed his mug onto the table in frustration.

"Why? Afraid of airing your dirty laundry in public?" Belial growled, his voice lowering, "Afraid to admit, that the great Jeralt 'The Blade Breaker' Eisner, gave up his only son, his flesh and blood, to become a monster hunter? A mutant freak, shunned and hated by society, BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T SAY NO?!"

"DON'T YOU THINK I WANTED TO?!" Jeralt yelled, the entire tavern growing silent. "Goddess, I wanted to say no... But you know what happens when the Law of Surprise is invoked. You know that there was no damn way I could refuse." The mercenary chuckled darkly, "If I could turn back time, I would've punched him in the face, but that would've ended with me dead, and possibly you AND your sister being taken. So, I had to accept. And I've been living with the guilt for years." Jeralt finished, as Byleth had a look of shock adorning her features.

"All right, all right! I think that it's time for everyone to finish up their drink, and get the fuck out!" The owner of the tavern shouted, as the three Eisners left, Belial glaring at his father, Jeralt trying not to look like a man slated for his execution, and while Byleth kept up her stoic expression, she was determining how to separate her father and twin brother in case Belial tried something.

"Relax Byleth, I'm not going to kill him." Belial finally said, not looking at his twin. "I'm not supposed to kill an intelligent creature." He added, but that didn't exactly eased the mind of the Ashen Demon.

"Look, what happened, happened. Belial's here, and we can all move on." Jeralt said, but right now, let's rest."

"No. Not until you apologize." Byleth stated, much to the surprise of her father and brother.

"What?" Belial asked flatly, his expression showing as such.

"Look, you have some issues to work through, and Dad has to apologize for just, giving you up." Byleth replied, stopping the two Eisner men. "Look, I don't know much of HOW the Law of Surprise works, nor do I care. All I know is that I didn't have my brother for years. And I'm not losing my chance to reconnect with him, just because of your damn stubbornness!" She finished, giving a poignant glare to Jeralt, who, for the briefest of moments, was shocked at his daughter's sudden, but not unjustified anger.

"You're right kid." Jeralt sighed, looking at his son. "Belial, I am so, so sorry for giving you up all those years ago." Jeralt said, feeling like over a decade of guilt was-

"I can't." Belial stated, a plain, expressionless face.

"W-what?" Jeralt stammered, totally dumbfounded.

"I can't forgive you. Not yet." Belial clarified, pointing at his father, "I understand that you couldn't do shit thanks to the Law of Surprise, and I get that you want to make amends, but I have well over a decade of paternal issues to work through." Belial added, "I will stick around, but only because SOMEONE has to keep you within my sight, and to reconnect with my sister."

"That's, fair." Jeralt sighed in resignation, shaking his head. "Anyway, I need to go over some things with my contact before our next job."

"Like what things?" Belial asked, looking confused.

"Like if there's a job that requires monster-slaying." Jeralt replied, actually somewhat impressed, but he didn't dare show it.

"Well, that's something." Byleth muttered to herself, yet Belial heard it clearly, earning a soft chuckle from the Witcher.

'On one end, I never expected to see my son again, but, I can't say that I'm unhappy about it. Even if it involved having my dirty laundry aired.' Jeralt thought to himself, as the three Eisners walked through Remire.

Jesus CHRIST! It took me way, WAY too long to get ANYTHING out. Anyway, I've finally got this out, hopefully you all see this. Anyway, don't forget to read and review, and I hope to see y'all again! Be good people!