Byleth opens her eyes once again and finds herself in the same throne room as the one from her dreams.

Is she… asleep? Is she dead?

She cocks her head and looks up the familiar, stone set of stairs in front of her. As before, the little girl sits on top. But this time, she is awake, furiously peering down at her.

The girl slaps the arms of her throne. "You fool! What exactly were you trying to accomplish with that little stunt?!" she shrieks, her green eyes shining with fury, "It's as if you're TRYING to get me killed!"

"No no, I wasn't, I was trying to save the woman in red." Byleth quickly insists, "She could have been killed if not for me."

"So you let yourself get killed instead?!"

Byleth freezes. Her lips quiver.

No, no it can't be true. She can't be dead. Her father and brother would be devastated. And she'll never get to live a peaceful life, or fall in love, or get married, or see Darius get married…

"It's… I… so I'm…am I really… dead…?" she manages, her lips quivering.

The girl leans back in her seat and rolls her eyes. "Well, after throwing yourself in front of a stranger to take a big hit to the head with an axe, what do you think?"

"W-well, I would hope that I just got really badly injured, and that this is all a dream. I…" Upon seeing the girl's stern glare, her chest sinks. Her arms fall to her sides, while her head. She looks down at her boots and finally whimpers, "I see. I am dead."

"Well, you would have been, if not for me!"

Byleth looks up, her eyes slightly widened. "So I have just fallen asleep?"

"No, you're not asleep! I stopped time for you!" the girl yells, "Are you really so clueless that you cannot even say 'Thank you'?!"

"Th-thank you…" Byleth fumbles, still confused about whether stopping time is even possible, "But… I still don't understand. Stopping time is impossible. Surely you can't…"

The girl frowns and waves her hand. In an instant, a glowing figure appears in front of her. Byleth walks up the steps to get a closer look, only to see that it's something she recognizes.

"A glowing magic circle," Byleth remarks, while she observes the strange symbols and shapes inside of it. She runs her hand across the streaks of light, mesmerized.

"I used this to stop time. And I just did it again! … Except, time is already stopped, so that doesn't do much."

"My brother tells me that this appears when you're about to cast a very powerful spell… he's been trying to get something like this to appear for so long."

"Yes. Well. I am quite spectacular," the girl happily decrees while twirling her hair. The circle disappears. The girl continues. "Hm. Perhaps I have been a little too harsh with you. After all, if you don't know how valuable your life is, then you're not going to protect it very well, are you?"

"I slipped. If I hadn't, then I could've saved the woman and myself too."

"But you have to be more careful than that!" the girl sternly replies, "Going forward, you must learn to protect your life, for both of our sakes. I was able to protect you by stopping time now, but what would have happened if I interfered just a second later? You would have already been dead."

Byleth looks down. "So… what now?" she asks, "You've stopped time, saving me, but if you let it resume, I'll die anyway."

The girl frowns and leans back in her chair. "Yes, that is the question…"

Suddenly, the young mercenary looks down and asks, "If you can stop time… is there a way you can turn it back too?"

The girl's round eyes perk up. "Ah… yes, you're right! I am sure it can be done."

Her small fists clench together while she concentrates. Then, the magic circle appears again. "Yes! I think it can be done." she declares, satisfied, "I'm not sure how far I can turn back the hands of time, but I'm sure I can travel back far enough to get you out of this little predicament. Then, you can protect yourself! Are you ready?"

Byleth sees the world around her transform into the Remire Village forest she found herself in once more. She notices herself stepping away from the woman in red, while the bandit hides back behind the tree. Darius's face shifts back from horror to satisfaction.

Then, time resumes.

"Well, that went well." Darius soundly remarks.

Snap.

Byleth turns her head. The thief is here, and she's ready for him this time.

She makes a beeline for the woman in red, once again pushing her aside.

But this time, Byleth knows exactly what to do. She doesn't slip. Instead, she knocks the axe out of the bandit's hand and sends it flying into the air. She then jabs him in the stomach before ruthlessly kicking him to the ground.

The bandit falls. Her job is done.

Suddenly, a horse whinnies in the distance. Byleth looks up to see her father approaching in the distance on his brown steed. She rushes past the three teenagers to greet him.

"Dad. We've taken care of the bandits here."

Much to her confusion, though, his eyes widen. "Yeah, yeah, good deal. Knew you kids could do it. Now, we gotta hurry onto the next mission, alright? One of you can climb up with me on my horse, then maybe we can get Bill's horse, and-"

"Wait, Sir! Please, allow us to repay you and your children somehow." the man in blue calls out to him, "It would not do for us to let you go empty-handed. Here…" He digs his hand in his pocket.

"Hey! Nice." Darius yells with a smirk on his face. He rushes over to the young man. "We'll take whatever you can give."

"There's no time for all of this!" Flint sternly yells, "Darius, get on my horse. Byleth, go find Bill and get on his. We have to get out of here. Now."

Darius frowns as the prince finds his money pouch. "What, you want us to continue being poor? This guy might have a good amount of money on him! And I need a brand new book."

Before Flint can respond, though, a voice rings in the distance: "EVILDOERS, HAVE FEAR! FOR THE KNIGHTS OF SEIROS ARE HERE!"

Flint's face pales.

Byleth's chest tightens.

Darius looks up. "That voice…" He picks himself up and jogs in the voice's direction. Then, through the bushes comes a set of brilliant white stallions. The riders each don a set of bright, silver armor, with the Church's insignia engraved on their armor.

She recognizes one of them: Alois, the very same knight that she and Darius had met in the marketplace.

The Church soldiers. They really came. So, while Darius perks up and waves, she darts behind her father's horse, hoping that there might still be a moment where the three of them can run away.

"Hey! Alois! Over here!" Darius calls out.

The jolly, middle-aged man happily returns the boy's wave before gesturing his comrades towards the defeated group of bandits. He leaps off of his horse and gives a firm handshake, along with the heartiest laugh. "Why, if it isn't Mableson! Good to see you!" he happily states, "Just what were you doing in the forest?

"Good to see you, Alois." Darius states with a friendly smile, "My dad, sister, and I were just camping out here when I came across these three teenagers. They requested our help with some bandits, so we did the job."

Alois's eyes fly wide open. "Pardon? You saved these three? Why! You've done Fodlan and the Church a great service, then!"

Darius frowns. "Service?"

"Don't you know? The three nobles you met earlier were Princess Edelgard Hresvelg, Prince Dimitri Blaiddyd, and Lord Claude Riegan: the heirs of Fodlan! They are staying at the Garreg Mach Monastery, and the Knights of Seiros has been tasked with protecting them!"

Darius freezes that statement, clearly in shock. And Byleth, who is in disbelief herself, can't help but peer over her father's horse bug-eyed.

"Y-yes… we are the royal heirs," Dimitri nervously begins, "But, please, do not treat us any differently. I'd even prefer it if you just call me Dimitri, in fact! The 'Your Highness' is not necessary. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Claude casually shrugs himself. "I'm the same- not a big fan of all the fancy titles. You can just call me Claude. Nice to meet you without all the chaos, Mableson."

"I understand it may have been hard to believe, I really do. However, perhaps now, surely you must realize the power each of us wields," Edelgard remarks, "I would highly advise you not to mock us so willingly going forward."

Visibly stunned, Darius bows. "Your Highness's-and Claude-I've made a grave mistake. Please, forgive my rudeness." he frantically speaks, "Allow me to actually introduce myself. My real name is Darius. Darius Rider. … Alois thinks my name is Mableson because of a little joke my sister Byleth made."

"I see! What beautiful names the two of you have," Alois remarks, before asking, "By the way, where is your sister anyway?"

Byleth holds her breath and looks at her father, who continues to stand in front of the horse, plain in sight. "Dad!" she whispers, "We can still run, right? Let's move before he sees us-"

Much to her surprise, though, Flint frantically shushes her. "It's too late for that now."

"Captain Jeralt? Is that really you?"

At that moment, nothing can be heard except for Alois's boots stepping across the soil.

Byleth tilts her head, while Darius furrows his eyebrows. "Uh… no," Darius remarks while walking after him, "That's not… the all-famous, awe-inspiring Jeralt. That's just my dad."

"I find Dad awe-inspiring…" Byleth mumbles while hiding behind her father. He affectionately ruffles her hair in response.

Alois persistently rushes over with a bright smile on his face. "It is you! Captain Jeralt, it's been so many years, my friend! I… see that age has caught up with you!"

"Alois. You may have grown some facial hair, I guess, but you really haven't changed a bit." their father sighs with a faint smile, "Loud back then, and still loud now."

Alois bursts into laughter. "Right you are, Captain."

Upon seeing the men's brief sense of camaraderie, Byleth can't help but feel a little less nervous. So, still clinging onto her father's fur hood like a child, she cautiously peeks from behind him and hesitantly separates from him. Even as the man offers a friendly smile, she can't help but see him as a hungry shark, just waiting to tear her apart the moment she gets close enough.

"There you are!" the knight says while holding out his hand, "Alois Rangeld, Young Maiden! Your brother says that your true name is Byleth. Is that a fact?"

"Um… Y-yeah." she barely manages while staring at her feet, "It's… um… nice to meet you."

"No, wait. Look, this doesn't make any sense." Darius butts in, "I'm Darius Rider. That girl is Byleth Rider. And that man is Flint Rider. We're Riders, not Eisners."

"Actually, Darius, he's right." Flint admits.

Darius's jaw drops, while his sister freezes. "Don't tell me…" he manages to say.

Byleth agrees. It just can't be right.

Her father is Flint. It's not Jeralt. He's not Jeralt.

"Your names are Darius and Byleth, but about me… well, it's true," their father hesitantly admits, avoiding their gazes as he spoke, "I'm… Jeralt Eisner."

"Indeed! And a fine captain he was!" Alois chimes in.

"Well, you're not that Jeralt, right?" Darius says, weakly pointing between his father and the knight, "Y-you…But you're not… But you were in the…and then you went to the Church… became legend… CHURCH… you had babies, then a fire… y-you DIED… in a fire…"

"But he didn't!" Alois happily chimes in, "And neither did you… his children with Sitri. I can see it clearly! You look so much like your mother…"

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but let's get to the point," Their father sternly replies, "You've come to bring me and the kids to Garreg Mach. Is that right?"

"Correct, Captain! You're not going to run away again, are you? Because I'm sure Rhea and Seteth would love to see you."

Byleth couldn't help but feel baffled… as baffled as Darius is, for sure, as he slips away with a wide open mouth.

Rhea? Seteth? Who are these people?

She wants to respect her father's boundaries, but even she can't help but wonder… is Alois telling the truth? Is he really the famous Jeralt, the famous knight who would've had to have given up the perfect life for a career wandering across Fodlan?

What's going on here?

Perhaps this shouldn't be the focus right now. After all, her father has always avoided the Church soldiers, for some reason or another, and that must have been for a reason. Some reason that she shouldn't try to find out. She just needs to figure out a way to help her family escape this situation…

"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Seiros." her father wearily states. He sends his daughter a knowing glance, "No one would."

Byleth sinks her shoulders.

Fine. The Knights of Seiros have them in checkmate, then. At least for now.

When she turns around, she finds her brother, only to see that he's already surrounded by the three nobles they met previously. She marches over to his side but darts behind his cape, desperate to hide from judging eyes.

"I really do appreciate your help back there." Edelgard begins with a small nod, "Your skill is beyond question."

Darius laughs and scratches the back of his head. "Well… thank you, Princess! I have been studying magic for quite a while now."

"And your father is Jeralt the Blade Breaker… what an interesting tale. I'm sure there must be a story behind that." the woman continues, clearly intrigued, "Did he… really not tell you about his work with the Church?"

Darius's smile fades. "No. I… had no idea that was even his name."

The princess brings her gloved hand to her face. "Naturally. It certainly must be quite a shock. The explanation behind that must be fascinating indeed…"

"Are you two heading back to the monastery? Because if so then I'd love to bend your ears as we travel," Claude suddenly begins, moving from side to side in hopes of getting a better glimpse at Byleth, "Because I would love to have a conversation. You know, get to know each other little by little. What do you say to that?"

"Sure," Darius responds, standing proud and tall. He clearly enjoys the attention he's getting. "I'd be happy to talk about whatever you like! And in fact… look, I know that you must have your own fancy bodyguards. But if you ever need my services down the line, for whatever reason, then you should know who to call."

"Riiiight. I know exactly who to call." Claude remarks with a knowing smirk, "I'll call Byleth first thing! Right, Byleth?"

Byleth startles, hesitantly peeking over her brother's shoulder.

Claude? Needing her services? But she's just a stranger… what could he possibly want with her? "Um. No. You don't have to call me." she murmurs.

Darius indignantly folds his arms. "You know, I thought we were talking about me here.

"Eh, I know." the casual man says while stretching his arms, "Still, what's life without a little fun?"

"Joking aside, though, your work was captivating, Darius!" Dimitri states with a smile on his face, "And if you really are interested, I can say that-"

"That your skills are precisely why I must ask you and your sister to consider lending your services to the Empire." the Adrestian princess cuts in, her violet eyes glowing with pride, "Although the Empire has fallen from its former glory, the other regions are merely offshoots that pale in comparison. We would greatly benefit from having you, and you'd greatly benefit from working with us."

Byleth feels herself sinking at the prospect of her name being known to everyone. Things are bad enough for her as is. Everywhere she goes, the merchants know her as the Ashen Demon.

What is she supposed to do if the entire Empire starts calling her the "feared Ashen Demon, unflinching as the blood of so many splatters on her face?"

They'll say that she has a heart of stone! More than they already do, anyway.

"And that is not to mention-"

"Halt, Edelgard. Please, allow me to finish my own proposition," the Faerghus prince cuts in, "As I was saying, Darius, The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire needs of exceptional individuals such as yourself. Please, do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."

Darius confidently laughs. "Well! At least you and Edelgard seem to want my services." he remarks with his nose held up high, "I'd be happy to have further discussions about it as we head off to the monastery."

Filled with glee at the amount of attention he's getting, he nudges his sister off. "I'll be back." he excitedly whispers, "Go talk to someone else."

"But-" Byleth begins. But before she can finish, he's already gone with Edelgard and Claude… leaving her all alone.

Wait.

There are three of them, right?

There's Edelgard, Claude, and…

"P-pardon me…"

Dimitri!

Byleth jolts upright, her eyes slightly widened as she hones her focus on the prince, who offers a warm smile while standing in front of her. What is she supposed to say to him? What is she supposed to do? "O-oh, um… hi." she murmurs without making eye contact. She can only pray that this conversation will end quickly.

The prince frowns. "I… don't mean to intrude, but you seem a little… standoffish. Are you alright? I hope that my presence isn't making you uncomfortable."

"It's not that…" Byleth struggles, fidgeting as she speaks, "I just… don't do well with strangers. … I don't want to build a reputation as a warrior. I'm just not that kind of person, so please don't ask that of me."

"That is fine. I didn't speak to you on the subject because I could tell you that you weren't quite interested."

"Oh. … Thanks."

"Of course."

And then the silence begins. The silence that usually comes when Byleth is alone with a stranger. They stare at her, she stares at them, and an awkwardness ensues that she can't hope to save herself from.

Well, if he's really going to keep standing here, maybe she should try to practice having a good conversation, if nothing else.

Byleth takes a few deep breaths, while the prince watches her with an awkward smile. Stil, she isn't afraid. For while it is true that the sight of her preparing for a conversation would probably be weird, Byleth has seen how people interact before. She knows the rules.

All she has to do to ease the tension is to give a compliment. Everyone loves compliments. All she has to do is find something she likes.

Dimitri opens his mouth. "W-well, perhaps I should-"

"These trees… they're beautiful. I like their leaves."

There. She has given a compliment. That works.

Until she notices the surprise on his face. Oh no.

What could she have done wrong? Was she supposed to compliment… him?

Still, much to her surprise, the prince then adjusts and takes the conversation in stride, smiling fondly at the tree leaves above their heads. "Ah. They… are rather nice to look at, aren't they?" he shyly continues, "I would collect some of them in the fall as a child."

Byleth nods. She likes where that conversation started to go… although admittedly, she wishes that it didn't end in deadpan silence.

Perhaps she can compliment him now. But what can she compliment on? What does she like about him?

She studies the surprised prince carefully, who awkwardly smiles once again.

He has an adorable smile, that's for sure, and his blue eyes are striking… but then there's his hair. It's so strange… it clumps together, almost like pasta.

Weirdly enough, though, she likes that about his hair. It reminds her of noodles. Delicious noodles that she might be able to eat at a fancy city restaurant once in a while…

"I like your noodles."

The prince frowns. "What?"

Byleth's shoulders stiffen. Wrong words. Wrong words. She can't walk back from this. She can't walk back from this.

There's no salvaging this conversation at this point. The only thing she can really do is make an excuse, and walk away…

"What I meant is that your hair… reminds me of noodles. And… I like eating noodles." she fumbles to the baffled prince, "I don't want to eat your hair, just to be clear. That's just, um… a joke."

The prince still tries to work with her, the considerate soul. "Oh! I see! Yes, I'm sure my hair does resemble noodles a little bit." he starts with a small chuckle, running his hand through his blonde bangs, "I've never heard of it being called noodles, but I certainly understand it. … I hope you're not considering eating it."

There is no saving this conversation. Nope. Nope. "I'm hungry." she blurts out, desperate for the conversation to end. "I just… Do you have a snack? Can you get me a snack?"

"I can ask one of the knights," he responds, maintaining a reassuring tone. How has he lasted this long? "But perhaps when we get to the city that is right by Garreg Mach, we might be able to grab some of the noodles you are craving so much."

Byleth quickly nods. That seems to relax the prince, who appears to be happy that the conversation is going alright.

But in her mind, Byleth has messed up with this man. He's seen her fight ruthlessly, he's seen her race behind her brother like a coward, and now he thinks that she wants to eat his hair.

What a lovely first meeting the two of them have had.

At this point, she can only hope that this is the only meeting they will ever have, as kind and sincere as he seems to be.

"Pfffffft. What kind of conversation was THAT?!" a shrill, child-like voice yells.

She jumps in place and searches the area. Who said that?

"Byleth?" Dimitri asks, "What's wrong?"

She briskly shakes her head. "Oh. Um. It's… nothing. Nothing at all."

When the team arrives back at the monastery, Darius can't help but stare in absolute awe.

It. Is. Huge. The stone bricks of each wall are tightly stacked, up as far as the eye can see. Inside, the halls' floors are made of a solid marble as chandeliers drape from the ceiling. And the people… there are so many people just as old as he is, giggling and conversing as they stroll from one door to the next.

Still, they can't stay there long, for he, along with the rest of his family, has business they have to attend to: they have to meet the archbishop.

So, after they say their goodbyes to the three nobles from before, Alois takes them to the top of the monastery.

Then, upon entering the Audience hall on the second floor, they see her.

The archbishop is a mesmerizing, ethereal, youthful woman dressed in a large, gold and blue robe. Her smooth, long, mint green hair is adorned with large, white flowers, on top of which is a golden headdress of supports.

By Darius's recollection, this woman is a stranger. Yet somehow, strangely enough, the woman knowingly looks at his father as if he is an old friend. But she's so young… even if he had really left the monastery, it would have been too early for her to remember. So how could she possibly know him?

Beside her is a middle-aged man with neatly combed forest green hair draping over both sides of his head. His eyebrows are sharp and furrowed as he squints down at the papers in his hand with his stern green eyes. He looks… strict. Terrifyingly strict.

Still, when he looks up and sees the twins himself, his eyes flicker. He stares in awe, with his stern nature disappearing almost immediately.

"You… you look just like your mother." he murmurs.

He exchanges a glance with his sister, who is bug-eyed as usual.

That man clearly knows who they are. Clearly he knows. But how does he know? Oh, the number of questions Darius still has…

"Jeralt… It has been so long." the woman calmly begins with a small smile. Her voice is as soothing as a lullaby.

Jeralt sighs, wrinkles forming on his face. "Yes, it's been a long time, Lady Rhea. … Forgive my silence all these years. The fire that happened at the monastery ultimately set us apart, and after that…"

Lady Rhea holds up her hand. "Say no more, Jeralt. No explanation is needed," she insists, before shifting her attention to the twins. To them, she offers an even warmer smile, her eyes oddly fixated on Byleth.

The young woman shrivels, opting to hide behind her brother's cape… much to Darius's annoyance.

"It is you… dearest children." the woman calmly continues, "Come closer. Let me see you."

Darius steps forward readily, still utterly in awe of the archbishop's beauty.

That is, until his father firmly grips his shoulder and pulls him back. "You can see them well from here." he firmly states.

The man in front sullenly folds his arms. "So. You intend to hide the children from the Church and disrespect the Archbishop." he responds, his nose evidently wrinkled with bitterness, "Honestly, Jeralt. What would Sitri think?"

"H-he didn't mean it. He's just… had a bad day, that's all." Darius states defensively, trying to save his father with grace.

"It is alright, Child." The archbishop assures him, "Your father is right- I can see you from here. Still, Jeralt, I hope you will allow Seteth to come closer. After all, he is your children's uncle."

"Of course." Jeralt grumbles, edging away.

Darius raises his eyebrows. "I'm sorry. Did you say… Uncle?" He repeats in disbelief. He spins towards his father, "Is this true? Why didn't you tell us about him?"

"You… you didn't tell them about us?!" The man barks as he approaches, "Jeralt, did you really intend to hide them from us forever?"

"Now, Seteth," Rhea begins, "There is no need for this. That was the past. And this… this is the future. The Goddess has surely smiled upon us and blessed us with such a beautiful reunion."

It is clear to them that Seteth is not convinced. Still, upon seeing a hesitant Byleth, he softens his tone. "You… you look just like your mother."

"So I've been told." Byleth murmurs back, "By Alois. He says the same."

Rhea's eyes light up. "Ah, yes! Alois. He has really spoken so glowingly of you. While you were waiting outside, he told me how all of you saved the heirs of Adrestia, Leicester, and Faerghus. I am sure that all of Fodlan is in your debt today."

Darius's chest swells with pride at her words. Of course, while it was all by chance, he sure has found himself in a wonderful position indeed. And if he could get closer to Prince Dimitri or Princess Edelgard, then perhaps they could even offer him a position in the nobility.

And then he will be set to study however he sees fit. He'd be able to pursue his dreams without so much as a care in the world. What a life that would be…

"It's… really good to see you," Seteth states, his voice quivering as a smile forms on his face, "The both of you. I know I must seem like a stranger to you, but for me, this is a moment that I've been waiting for since the day you were born."

Darius frowns. "I… you didn't see us after the first day?"

"No. I didn't even get to say goodbye."

A beat passes.

"You're kidding."

"I am not." Seteth declares before taking a deep breath.

Rhea claps her hands together. "Well! It seems that we have some catching up to do. I request that you stay for dinner. Then, we can all catch up. You can be introduced to your cousin, who's been so excited to meet you ever since she had heard the news!"

Darius and Byleth both look to their father. He shrugs, evidently knowing that he has been beaten. He has a lot of explaining to do. That's for sure.

"Well, I won't say no, but…"

"Your apprehension stings. Still, I do hope you'll take the time to enjoy yourselves here. For you will always have a home here." Rhea states, still beaming at the twins in front, "Welcome, children. Welcome to the monastery."

Special thanks to abracadoozles for editing this chapter.

And of course, thank YOU for reading!

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Hydra1996: Hopefully this last chapter answers your question!

Temporal King: Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm so glad you're enjoying the twins' characterizations thus far.