Hello again! Back with another chapter of this story right here.
Before I talk about this chapter, I just wanted to say that I've officially cross-posted this story on AO3! It'll be under the exact same pen name as the one that I have on here, so feel free to visit that version and drop a kudos! I'll be dropping updates on both versions, so feel free to read on whichever site that you prefer!
Now then...
This here is an important chapter! Especially for the development of our two favorite kids. If you were wanting to see more interactions between these two, then you're in luck. Prepare your hearts.
I hope you all enjoy!
III. Faith
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*thunk*
The noise of an arrow meeting its mark reverberated through the afternoon air.
The girl released her breath, letting herself relax. She was dressed in a slightly tattered old blouse and a dark pair of pants.
Mercedes pointed towards the target, the arrow having made a clean tear through the cloth and laying a mere inch away from its center.
"Look – Almost got another one!"
She walked over and pulled the arrow away from the target, twirling it in her hands as she returned to her original position.
She smirked as she turned to face her partner.
"If I keep this up, I might catch up to you! How about that?"
Mercedes giggled to herself. Byleth stepped forward to meet her halfway.
He smiled as he watched the girl cheer to herself.
"You're getting really good at this. Are you sure your first time shooting was only two days ago?"
Byleth looked up into the sky as he watched a flock of birds fly into the horizon.
The days passed as Jeralt's company of mercenaries continued their journey to Fhirdiad. Since they had taken a day off from travelling two days ago, they continued on a relatively leisurely pace.
By his calculations, Jeralt reasoned they would arrive at the Kingdom's capital within two days.
At least, it would be two days, had it not been for a broken carriage wheel delaying their travel that morning.
While it would not take long to repair, it would cut into precious daytime travel that they would have to make up for.
Byleth stood with his father that morning as he apologized profusely to Ava, as it would mean another delay to her and Mercedes reaching Fhirdiad. However, the mother insisted that they take their time as they were in no rush.
Jeralt insisted that the mother and daughter make themselves comfortable as the repair would take a little while longer.
In the meanwhile, Mercedes had approached Byleth and asked the young boy if he had wanted to continue their lessons from the other day, seeing as how they would be stuck on the side of the road for a couple of hours.
After grabbing a practice target and a few training weapons, Mercedes led him to her mother, explaining that they would be back later on after their practice.
Of course, Ava simply smiled as she watched her daughter run off with the boy she had become such quick friends with.
The two children soon found themselves within a vast clearing, a meadow surrounded by a small ring of trees from which they came from. The mountains of northern Faerghus loomed in the distance, their snow-covered peaks in stark contrast to the greenery of the meadows.
Byleth set up a simple target and lent Mercedes the bow that she had grown so fond of those days ago. Within no time at all, she had begun shooting target after target with ease.
While her technique was not quite as refined as Byleth's, it was still a commendable feat for one who had just first touched a bow and arrow only two days prior.
"…Your posture could use a little bit of work. You're either relaxing or tensing yourself up too much. You have to find that sweet spot."
"Okay…"
"…Other than that, it's just the fine details you have to worry about that. You're doing really well otherwise."
Mercedes beamed after hearing his compliment.
"Thank you! I-I wanna live up to your expectations, after all!"
"…I didn't have any expectations for you, you know."
Mercedes lightly slapped his shoulder again; a typical action she found herself doing whenever Byleth would annoy her.
"Hey! I'm doing my best, you know!"
He chuckled as Mercedes crossed her arms and pouted at him.
Byleth was used to speaking out whatever he thought, no matter who he was speaking to. While he had been trying to get better, he still was not used to interacting with other kids his age; something that he had never really done before.
In a way, he was grateful that Mercedes was the one who would be willing to be his first…
Friend? Could he even call her that yet?
Mercedes looked on as Byleth laughed softly to himself. She held her hands up to her cheeks.
"You know, I'm still not used to seeing you laugh."
He stopped as he looked her in eyes. A curious look grew on both of their faces.
"…Is it bad? I-I can-"
"N-No, no! Not at all! It's just…"
Mercedes held her hands together as she slowly walked through the tall blades of grass. Byleth slowly followed behind her.
"You're really quiet. But… you're strong. You can do a lot of things that I can't. I'm almost jealous of you!"
She turned around and met his gaze. The wind began to pick up slightly; her long hair began to flow into the breeze.
"Whenever I see you laugh though… it reminds me that you're just like me. I've never really had a lot of friends before. My dad never allowed it. So, when I hear you laugh, it makes me feel… happy, too."
Byleth relaxed his arms as Mercedes walked up to him.
"If it's okay with you, let's keep being friends! I… want to hear you laugh some more."
Byleth nodded.
"Okay. I can do that. I… want to be friends with you too."
Mercedes shook her head quickly.
Another idea popped up within Byleth's head. He turned to run towards his practice weapons.
Curious, Mercedes followed him as he rustled through the grass looking for something.
"You want to keep learning too, right?"
"Y-Yeah! Whatever you can teach me!"
He stood back up, holding a pair of wooden swords in his hands.
"Okay. Do you want to learn how to use a sword?"
Byleth half-expected Mercedes to refuse right on the spot. A young noble girl like her would have no need to learn sword skills; even archery seemed a bit much.
Thankfully, Byleth had underestimated Mercedes once more.
"Yeah! I wanna give it a try, at least!"
He smiled in relief as Mercedes raised her fists in anticipation. While archery was one skill of his, sword fighting was something that he could truly call his own.
The other members of the company agreed; Byleth was truly a force to be reckoned with when given a blade to work with.
He handed one of the swords to his partner.
Byleth relaxed as his hands gripped the wood of the practice blade. This was a weapon that he was truly comfortable with.
As he did, however, he watched as Mercedes' fingers fumbled as she attempted to match her teacher's grip.
She grappled the hilt of the blade with both hands. She smiled shakily as she turned to Byleth.
"H-How does this look?"
Byleth walked up to her and stared down at her grip.
"…First off, this is a one-handed sword. You're not meant to hold one like this with both hands."
He approached her from the side and held his own blade before him to show her.
"Hold it like you're giving the hilt a handshake. That way, you won't overextend your wrist."
"Okay… like this?"
Her hands shook as she held up the blade in her right hand. Her grip was slowly beginning to match that of Byleth's.
"Just like that. Now, a couple of things…"
"A-Alright!"
Byleth began to teach Mercedes the very basics of swordsmanship as she listened intently, the grip on her blade never wavering.
The breeze continued through the air as Mercedes swung her sword into Byleth's own block.
As she had expected, learning how to use a sword was far more difficult for her than learning how to shoot. While she had felt an innate aptitude for the bow and arrow, the art of the blade was proving itself to be a much more intense topic to grasp.
She found herself incredibly lucky that Byleth had even offered to teach her, however. She could tell by the way he moved and the way he held his sword that he was a seasoned swordfighter, despite his age.
He moved with a finesse and elegance that she had never seen before in her life. There was no one better qualified to teach her.
As for Mercedes herself, while she struggled with the basics, she eventually had a reasonable grasp on his teachings. She was able to hold and swing her blade well, and held her posture with relative grace.
While it had not come to her as easily as shooting did, she still found herself enjoying her lesson with Byleth. After about an hour of Byleth teaching her the basics, they decided to have a basic duel; a simple back and forth between the two, in order to begin honing her skill.
The clank of wood reverberated through the air, as did the heavy breathing of Mercedes as she clashed blades with Byleth.
While she had begun growing tired of their back and forth, Byleth simply danced around the field of grass, blocking each of her strikes effortlessly. He launched his own basic attacks every once in a while, giving Mercedes ample time to block the offensive. She would brush off the attack half of the time, the other half failing to notice a flaw in her defence.
They would have to work on that later, he thought.
The two clashed blades once more, Mercedes holding her sword in place as she pushed with all her might into Byleth.
She pushed on, hoping to break Byleth's defence with her own offense; leaning forward, she smirked as Byleth stood his ground.
"H-Ha! How about this?! Don't-"
In an instant, Byleth released his hold as he sidestepped away from Mercedes. Without any assistance from him, Mercedes found herself pushing on blank air; she quickly lost her balance and found herself falling forward.
"H-Hey! Whoa-"
She felt Byleth's firm grip on her hand as she was pulled up back to her previous stance, mere moments before she hit the ground.
"U-Um…"
"…Your center of balance was off there. Keep yourself grounded at all times, or you'll be more likely to lose your balance. Like you just did there."
Mercedes released her breath as she found herself back on even ground.
"Y-You're right; I got too carried away there, I think!"
Byleth smiled once more.
"But… you fought well. A few things to work on, but we'll get there. I know it."
"Thank you! I'll keep doing my best!"
The wind blew once more as the two children stared into each other's eyes.
Mercedes looked down, only to see their hands still locked to each other.
As she began to blush, Byleth released his grip from hers.
"We can practice again another time. Let's get back to the others, they must be wondering where we are."
Mercedes broke out of her stupor.
"Yes, my mother must be worried sick! Let's go, Byleth."
The children gathered their practice gear and departed from the grassy plain. As they walked side by side, Mercedes looked down at the hand she held just moments before.
As she did, she looked over to the boy that she walked with.
She found something within those blank eyes of his.
What it was, she wasn't sure of.
Once more, Byleth found himself sitting at a fire, the flames crackling as they always had. The cool evening air rested like a blanket over their campsite.
After the two had returned to the others, they had found the carriage mostly repaired and nearly ready to depart. However, they found that late afternoon would likely not be an ideal time to begin travelling; they would only be able to travel for about another hour or so before they would be forced to stop for the evening anyways.
The group was lucky that they had broken down at such a perfect spot to stop for the day, anyways. Instead of travelling for the hour, they had decided to pick things up again the next day, hopefully without any further mechanical problems.
Byleth sat by the fire as he breathed in the nighttime air. As he chewed on a piece of jerky, he grew mesmerized by the dancing of the embers.
While he sat with a blank stare, inside he was pleased with how his lesson with Mercedes had gone.
She was a natural at shooting. That much was obvious to him. And while she struggled a bit with the blade, she had started to get the hang of it and was capable enough to hold her own in a simple duel with him.
He smiled as he remembered her enthusiasm as she held a sword for the first time. He was happy to see that she was a keen learner.
Byleth continued to stare at the fire as he poked the logs with a stick.
In his travels, he had met all sorts of people. Those people also included other children. Byleth would always find himself watching as the other children would go off and play with their friends.
He had never felt like he belonged with other kids his age. He was just too different to belong. That had just been a fact of his life.
Mercedes was nice. And friendly. He enjoyed the time that they spent together. But something nagged at the back of his mind as he thought.
He knew deep down that this likely wouldn't last. They would be arriving in Fhirdiad in a few days' time, after all. After that, they would part ways. Likely to never see each other again.
He breathed out at the thought. It wasn't something worth worrying about. He was used to it, after all.
"Hello, Byleth. May I sit?"
Byleth was shaken from his thoughts by a woman's voice above him. He looked up to meet Ava's gaze.
"Oh. Yes, go ahead."
"Thank you, Byleth."
Ava sat on the log as she hugged her warm coat. She took a sip from her steaming mug of tea as she stared at the flames, same as Byleth.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of the forest and the distant chatter of men surrounding them.
"My daughter talks about you."
Byleth turned towards her.
"Hmm?"
"Every night we've been on the road, she tells me of a young boy who keeps her company. A boy who teaches her things that a mercenary does."
He tensed up.
"A boy who teaches her to shoot arrows, tie ropes, or swing swords. And every night, she comes to me, tattered and dirty, and tells me all about him… that wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
"…It is. I-I'm sorry if I'm showing her things she shouldn't see. I-I can stop-"
"O-Oh!"
Ava held her hands up in protest as she waved them back and forth.
"I-I didn't mean it in a bad way! I apologize if you took it the wrong way, my dear."
"W-What do you mean?"
Ava let her hands rest on her lap as she turned towards him. Byleth let his form relax.
"Mercedes and I are going to be on our own now. I've taught her as much as I can, but with those matters, I'm afraid I'm of no help. She is so very lucky to have someone like you."
Byleth continued to stare at her, a curious look growing on his face.
"You know of her brother, correct? I believe Jeralt must have told you."
He nodded. Ava looked at the boy in the eyes, as if she could stare right through him.
A single tear began to crawl down her cheek.
"Emile, my son…"
She began to laugh softly to herself.
"…Mercedes was right. You remind me of him."
"Lady von Martritz…"
She wiped the tear away.
"I'm sorry, my dear. I shouldn't be pushing my son onto you."
"…It's okay. I'm not annoyed by it. I promise."
She smiled again as she composed herself.
"You are your own person, Byleth. And obviously my daughter has taken a liking to you."
He felt his chest tighten up at her choice of words.
…? He didn't recognize the feeling. He brushed it off.
"Because of our… circumstances, Mercedes has never truly had a friend she could call her own. In truth, much of it was… through no fault of her own."
Byleth held his hand up to his chest. He wasn't sure where the feeling was coming from, but he felt it anyhow; it was dull, painless, and… distant.
"For however much time we have left, continue being a friend to her. She will not forget you. I know of it."
"I… will. I… want to be her friend. O-Or try to, at least."
Ava found comfort in Byleth's earnest answer.
She turned back towards the fire and took another sip of her tea.
Byleth dropped his hand from his chest. The feeling within his chest had begun to disappear. He released a breath he had no idea he was holding in.
The two continued to share the warmth from the fire as the night continued. Ava grew curious herself and asked Byleth what exactly he was teaching her daughter.
He perked up as he told her of her daughter's strength with a bow and her newfound hobby in swordplay. Ava smiled as Byleth explained in detail Mercedes' styles of shooting and fighting. In a way, she felt herself grow closer to her daughter as she learned of her skill in the art of archery.
Even though she wasn't with them physically in the moment, Ava still felt her heart grow warm at the thought.
A wry smile grew onto her face as well. She thought of her daughter following in Byleth's footsteps; she wasn't sure if Mercedes would be fit for this kind of lifestyle, but it was still important for her to learn the skills that would help her later on in life.
"Mother! Oh, mother!"
Mercedes ran up towards her and Byleth, as a smug Jeralt followed behind her.
She held up a fish on her line, as she closed her eyes and smirked.
"Hello, dear! What do you have there?"
"It's a fish, mother! Sir Jeralt taught me how to cast a fishing line, and pull in a catch! See, this one I caught on my own! Isn't that right?"
"Shoulda seen her face when she reeled this fella in. Proudest look I've seen in a while."
"Seems like every time I see you, my child, you've gotten the hang of something new. You're doing great, Mercedes. Catch one just for me next time, will you?"
She patted the girl's head as she grinned.
"Just tell me next time, mother!"
Jeralt took the line from the girl and held it up in front of the fire, so as to get a better look at it.
"Let's take this one to the cook. We can cook this guy fried, steamed, grilled, whatever you're feeling."
"Okay! You can have some too, mother! You too, Byleth!"
Mercedes ran off towards the mess tent, Jeralt following closely behind.
Byleth stood up, as did Ava.
As he turned to follow, she placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, little Byleth. Now come, I'm sure she'll be waiting for us."
She laughed softly as she walked towards the tent.
Byleth followed closely behind. He held his hand up to his chest again.
The feeling wasn't there this time. But he remembered what it felt like, and he would find out how to feel it again.
Byleth shivered as he sat upon the caravan's driver seat. The moon shone down as the camp slept the night away.
Tonight, he was assigned to watch duty. He had taken over for another one of the men a few minutes past midnight; he would stay there for an hour or two, before his position would be taken over by another.
Thankfully, incidents during the night were very few and far between. The road they had travelled on was a particularly safe one, due in part thanks to the Kingdom soldiers that patrolled these trails.
The closer they got to Fhirdiad, the more frequent the group would have run-ins with the Kingdom's guards. As they were a well known group, the soldiers would typically salute the men before continuing on their way.
Having such a reputation came with its perks, Byleth thought.
As this was likely to be another boring night, he laid back in his seat and crossed his arms, as he rested his bow to his side. The sounds of wildlife, spurred awake, consumed the night.
Byleth looked up into the sky and watched as the moon slowly crossed the sky, as it's light cut through the clouds-
The rustling of a tent shook him alert. Byleth craned his neck as he searched for the source of the noise.
His eyes grew wide as he watched the small frame of Mercedes close her tent flap, moving gracefully so as to not wake anybody up.
She grasped her cloak as she began to walk through the camp, eventually reaching the edge of the treeline as she followed the trail into the woods.
Byleth recognized the trail as the same one the two children took that afternoon, which led to the grassy meadow they had their lesson at.
Something told Byleth that it was for the best for him to follow her, to make sure she wouldn't be getting into any trouble by herself.
He climbed down from his post, his bow and blade by his side, as he silently followed her tracks.
His hand brushed the hilt of his sword. While it was likely to be nothing, it was better to be safe than sorry.
But at the same time… what reason would she have to head off into the forest at this time of night? Especially, presumably, without her mother's permission?
As he followed the trail that they had walked earlier that day, the air around him grew quiet, as if the nature around him had decided to silence themselves.
The night grew silent as Byleth walked alone through the woods. He grew conscious of his breathing as his was the only sound he could hear. The light of the meadow appeared before him.
As he stepped out into the meadow, he looked up to see the night sky having cleared. The moon had conquered the night sky, driving off its competitors as it dominated the space above.
The grass swayed softly in the night breeze, the familiar scent of dew wafting into his nose. A new sound revealed itself; the buzzing of fireflies, as a few of them began to drift into his view.
Byleth looked down into the center of the meadow, his hand beginning to grip the hilt of his blade as he approached.
He was greeted by the familiar sight of Mercedes dressed in her nightrobe, kneeling with her hands clasped together. The girl was surrounded by the faint light of a pair of fireflies, as they drifted around her.
He relaxed as he let his arms rest at his sides. He walked up slowly as the sounds of soft murmurs began.
Thankfully, he knew what she was doing. She was doing one of her nightly 'prayers', her messages that she would send to her 'goddess', as she would call her.
"What are you doing out here?"
Mercedes jumped upon hearing the voice that approached her.
"E-Eep! H-Hey! Stop doing that! You're gonna make me grow some grey hairs, you know!"
She turned and threw one of her familiar shoulder slaps at her partner.
"Sorry. I was on guard duty tonight and I saw you leaving your tent. I had to make sure you were going to be safe."
"Hmm… alright, that's a good enough reason, I think."
Mercedes patted the softened ground next to her.
"We're out here anyways… sit down!"
Byleth nodded as he sat upon the soft ground, his legs crossed.
"…What were you praying about tonight?"
Mercedes looked over towards Byleth as he stared off into the sky.
"Well… I was telling the goddess about my day. The usual things I tell her about every night."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Well, I told her about us, of course!"
…?
There it was again.
"About us?
Mercedes giggled to herself.
"Yeah! I told her about what you taught me today. I even told her about how I'm getting really good at shooting things, and…"
Byleth grew curious.
"And what?"
"…And I also talked to her about you too! How you're teaching me all these things, and how nice and friendly you are."
His hand drifted towards his chest, once more.
"Oh… well, did she anything in return?"
Mercedes looked up into the sky.
"Well, I can't really tell to be honest. Sometimes I say everything I want to, but nothing comes back in return."
A disappointed look appeared on Byleth's face.
"But… my mom says that even if she doesn't say anything back, she responds to us by giving us signs."
"Hmm? What does she mean by that?"
"To be honest… I wasn't sure at first. I think when the goddess wants to answer us back, she'll show us. It might not be obvious, but when we see it, we'll know."
"…Huh."
"…At least, that's what my mom says."
Mercedes threw her arms into the sky and let out a frustrated sigh, before letting herself fall back onto the grass. Byleth sat above her as she laid on the grass, staring into the sky.
"Sometimes these things don't make sense. Right, Byleth?"
"…I never got it to begin with, to be honest."
Byleth stared down at the grass. A wry smile grew on his face as he listened to Mercedes open up to him.
If the power of prayer was so strong to some people that it could influence their whole lives, then there was no harm in trying… right?
Mercedes turned her head on the grass towards her partner. She laughed softly to herself.
"Well… why don't you-"
Mercedes grew wide-eyed as she watched Byleth rest his clasped hands on his lap, eyes staring down.
"Oh, Byleth… I'm surprised to-"
She shook her head, deciding not to finish her sentence.
"Well… what are you praying about?"
"I… don't know, actually. I'm just thinking whatever I want her to hear."
Mercedes turned back towards the night sky. The moon crested above the two.
Byleth's breathing slowed as he watched the grass sway softly in the wind.
"But… it feels nice. To talk to someone. Even if they don't say anything back. It feels good."
"I'm really happy to hear that."
She reached her hand out, as if to touch the moon itself.
"Like I said before, it's nice to think that someone is out there watching us… isn't it?"
"Yeah. I think so."
Mercedes sat back up as Byleth concluded his short prayer. He shook his eyes open so as to adjust them back to the vibrant moonlight.
Silence overtook the two children once more as they sat together. Another pair of fireflies fluttered between the blades of grass, glowing dully in the night.
"Mercedes… can I ask you something?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
The children continued to stare off into the sky together, without facing the other.
"Can… we be friends? But, for real?"
Mercedes giggled.
"Aren't we already friends, Byleth?"
Almost by instinct, he held his hand up to his chest again. That same feeling stuck its head out once more.
"…Are we?"
"Yeah, of course we are! Friends hang out, do things, play together, and talk to each other lots!"
Mercedes turned away from the sky to meet Byleth's gaze.
"So… isn't that what we're already doing?"
"…I've never really had a friend before. I'm sorry if I don't know what I'm doing."
"It's okay! You don't have to. To be honest… you're one of the first people I can call a friend too."
He recalled what her mother had told him.
Byleth let his hand rest, down from his chest. This feeling… he could get used to it.
"Okay… we're friends now. Right?"
"Right!"
Mercedes held her hand out in front of Byleth. She held her right pinky out for him to see.
"Since I can tell this is important for you… let's swear on it!"
"Huh?"
"We'll pinky promise! If you shake with your pinky, that means you promise… that we'll be friends from now on, okay?"
Byleth stared at the girl's hand, her smile reaching out to him as well.
In response, he shakily brought his own pinky out for her to see.
"…Okay. I promise. I'll be your friend."
"And I'll be your friend too! No going backsies, alright?"
Their fingers interlocked as they shook their hands up and down. A smile began to grow on Byleth's face as his gaze locked with that of his first friend.
The first friend that he had ever made.
"I don't feel like going back just yet. The moon is really pretty tonight. Let's sit out here and watch for a bit longer, okay?"
"Okay… friend."
Mercedes giggled once more.
"No need to call me 'friend'! Just call me Mercedes… Mercie, if you want.
"Mercie?"
She sighed in relief as she heard him say the name.
"...Yeah."
"Okay... Mercie."
More fireflies began to float in slowly as the two sat quietly together. Their dull glow became a vibrant light as the bugs flew around the children. Soon they were surrounded by nearly a dozen of them.
The breeze began to pick up again. Mercedes clutched her cloak as she continued to watch the moon travel across the sky. He turned to look at her. Their fingers remained interlocked.
As Byleth sat there with his friend, the feeling within his chest grew once more.
But this time, it wouldn't bother him. Instead, it would comfort him.
Was this what having a friend felt like? This… warmth he felt?
He wasn't sure what exactly it meant.
But he swore to find out.
Oh, my heart... what did I tell you? Anyways, let's talk...
I really do love the idea of Byleth teaching a young Mercedes the ways of a mercenary. Last chapter we got to see her toy around with a bow, this chapter we got to see our girl with a sword! Setting up the teacher/student dynamic is lots of fun so far, so I hope you guys are excited to see what comes of it.
I'm a sucker for night time one-on-one talks. Very happy that I had the opportunity to write one here. Something about the vibes that it gives off... just warms my heart.
The talk between Byleth and Mercedes was such a joy to write. Anything wholesome I find so much fun to write; especially between these two 3
But, they only have a few days left on the road, don't they? Hmm...
Once again, thank you guys for following this story! Writing this has been a blast.
Don't forget, I've also posted this story on AO3 now as well! Feel free to read on whichever site that you prefer! ~
Thanks for reading, my friends! See you guys next time.
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~Arujira