This story went on an unintentional hiatus, but it's not being discontinued. I just was going through some rocky times. Trying to explain would probably take up more time than the rest of the chapter. I've also been very preoccupied with my job in healthcare. I'm sure everyone is aware of how hectic things are in the world right now. Anyway thanks for hanging in there, everyone.

There were eyes on them. To be expected, considering their growing reputation and the circumstances of their arrival. But, this gaze felt different. Almost…hesitant. As students continued to chat with them, making light conversation, Byleth's attention slowly turned to the source of the prickling at the nape of his neck. A petite girl squeaked, her mop of purple hair swaying as she ducked to hide her face. Shoulders trembling, she began muttering to herself. Words so soft not even his sharp hearing could pick them up.

The line progressed, and for the moment he pushed the odd interaction to the back of his mind. People twice her size with deadly skills and a mountain of muscles had said he was intimidating.

"Hello, what dish would you like?" His focus was drawn to the woman waiting to serve him a hot meal. It was apparently his turn.

Shrugging, he inclined his head to see what Bylara had gotten. Some type of stew over rice? It smelled heavenly at the least. "Whatever she's having is fine."

Byleth was carefully handed a plate in short order, surveying the vegetables and hunks of meat as steam hit his cheek. "Ah, you've both decided to sample the lamb and cabbage stew." Dimitri approached, nodding in approval. "It's quite good if I say so myself, though I'm partial to anything with cheese." Flushing slightly, he looked up to his tall retainer, then back to them. "Would either of you be interested in eating with us? You're not obligated, of course—"

"That's right," There was a flash of yellow and bronzed skin as Claude ambushed the group, Raphael and Hilda standing with him. "Feel free to come sit with the herd, Prof. And I wouldn't mind you joining us either, Teach." he winked toward Bylara, and Byleth stiffened.

Brushing it off without as much as a blink, Bylara shallowly dipped her head. "That's kind of you both to offer."

"Excuse me, may I extend my own invitation?" Princess Edelgard was obviously not one to be left out. Her smile was thin as she stared down her fellow House Leaders. "It only seems fair. You'll be seeing them every day in classes. Let them be my guests for their first evening here."

Dimitri's brow furrowed, his mouth twisting into an absent frown. "But, we—"

"Maybe she's got a point." Claude conceded. "As long as Her Highness doesn't think she's going to steal them away any time after today."

Sniffing as if the mere thought was beneath her, Edelgard placed one hand at her hip, shifting her weight. "I don't recall ever employing the underhanded tactics that you favor." Byleth watched as her demeanor went from cool to cordial. She gave them a small but more sincere smile. "Shall we?"

"We should all just eat," Raphael whined. "If I don't start soon when am I gonna have time for seconds?"

"Ugh, Raphael." Hilda scoffed, her long hair glinting under the dining hall lights. "You always find time for seconds. Even if it's sneaking back for more later!"

The two continued a light conversation as they made for the Golden Deer table, Claude wiggling his eyebrows before he followed.

Dimitri politely bowed out with Dedue trailing his every step, leaving Edelgard to triumphantly bring them to the table with the group of students they had interacted with the least.

Again, the former mercenary was very aware of the attention they had attracted. Although this time he met the stares head on, taking note of who held his gaze and who bowed their heads. "Please, sit," Edelgard urged as she reclaimed her previous spot.

There was a plate of barely touched food, and she picked up her utensils to begin taking measured bites. Byleth wondered if they were expected to imitate. Bylara didn't seem as concerned with that notion, reaching for the basket of rolls and tearing one in half to butter. He decided then that she had the right idea. Just because their surroundings had changed, it didn't mean they needed to.

"So you're the mercenaries the whole place has been buzzing about, huh?" A boy with close-cropped blue hair eyed them with intrigue, chewing with his mouth open. "Yeah, I gotta say, I think I could take ya."

"Caspar, curb your impudence for once." The man with the lank black hair falling into his face all but hissed. His cold, citrine eyes caught Byleth's. "I've heard about your deeds. You rescued Lady Edelgard. The entirety of the Empire is grateful." From the general description supplied to them, it had to Hubert von Vestra addressing them.

"Helping where we're needed is something we're used to." Bylara replied smoothly. She popped a piece of roll into her mouth, chewing with appreciation. Curious, he picked up one for himself and bit into it to find it was warm, honeyed and flaky.

"Yes, but surely you didn't ever imagine winding up here." a green-haired boy muttered. After wiping his mouth, he waved lazily. "I'm Linhardt, by the way. I know I'll eventually end up in your lessons on days when we rotate classes. But…" stifling a yawn, he smacked his lips. "Please don't take it the wrong way if I drift off a bit."

Byleth lifted a brow, finally trying the stew. It was hearty, flavorful, and delicious. The kind of thing that tasted homey enough to be from a good tavern. But apparently fancy enough to serve to nobles used to having the best. The navy-haired boy was nearly so caught up in the food, he forgot to reprimand his student-to-be.

Edelgard, however, didn't miss a step. "Unacceptable." She took a dainty sip from her cup. "If you don't pay attention to your lessons and it holds you back, it holds the Black Eagles back. I know you to be perfectly capable, and I won't allow anything other than your all."

Snorting quietly, Linhardt had another forkful of mashed potatoes. "Right…I saw that coming I suppose."

The air cleared, the sounds of clanking against plates and faint chewing settling. But only for the next three bites or so. "New faces!" A boisterous voice suddenly stole the attention, however briefly. The students eating with them barely looked up before they were back to their meals. "I apologize for my tardiness. I simply lost track of time on my afternoon ride!"

"Ferdinand, lower your voice." Edelgard commanded. In a word, the boy who sat down at the table was probably best described as: dashing. His short, wavy orange hair was neatly combed to a luster. And as far as Byleth could tell, he wore his uniform without a thread out of place. But it was the radiant, princely smile he graced them with as he sat down that really sold the 'well-bred nobility' aspect of his character.

"Right." This Ferdinand said, somewhat calmer. "You must be—"

"Strangers!" someone yelped. The purple-haired Black Eagles girl had come over and spotted them. She was shivering so violently Byleth wondered if she needed the infirmary.

"Bernadetta," Ferdinand gasped. "These are no strangers. They're the academy's newest professors." Once he had cleared that up, his chest inflated as he motioned to himself. "And I am Ferdinand von Aegir, of House Aegir. This is Bernadetta von Varley."

"It's nice to meet you both." Bylara said. Byleth nodded in agreement. There was no need to be repetitive. And, if such a statement came from him they might doubt its sincerity. On more than one occasion people had told him his face was ill-suited for genuine hospitality.

Bernadetta's quaking subsided the smallest amount, and she cracked one eye open. Slowly taking them in, her grip tightened on the tray she still held, her face warm with a blush. "Er, I…sorry! I…This is a lot for me." She pivoted, almost tripping as she scurried away.

Edelgard dabbed at her lips with a sigh. "I'm sorry about that. She's…not one that warms quickly to change, I'm afraid. But, as House Leader I'll take personal responsibility to make sure she gets to class."

"Should someone follow her?" Caspar asked. "She looked pretty shaken."

"She'll be fine." Hubert's dour expression didn't change as he drank from his cup.

Byleth wasn't so sure. As far as first impressions went, his was that she needed serious work on her mettle. He couldn't imagine how she handled herself in training with confidence that easily stolen. And decisive action was a huge part of the fundamentals. Namely, staying alive.

Yet another student he would have to work hard at remolding. Letting the others do the talking, the ex-mercenary retreated into his thoughts. He had helped rehabilitate several horses for his father's company.

The most recent wasn't so different. Easily spooked, no confidence, always ready to cut and run when approached. Months of attention and a cautious approach had made the mare a new horse, almost. She was steady and faithful, one of the best horses the party had now. Turning a timid noble into a warhorse seemed like the same concepts would apply.

Bylara nodded as the Black Eagles (the ones they had gotten to meet) said their goodbyes. They had been told Professor Hanneman was looking for both Eisners. After departing from the dining hall, they were walking up to his office, speculating quietly on the reason for the summons.

"He's a Crest scholar." Byleth reasoned. "He's likely wanting to further explore the nature of whatever Crests we possess."

"Hm…" She hummed thoughtfully. There was no denying she felt an inkling of curiosity herself. Up until recently she nor her brother had been truly aware of Crests or their importance. "But are you even sure we're headed in the right direction?"

Though hardly discernable without close attention, Byleth's lips twitched into a brief smirk. "It's you who loses your way indoors, sister, not me."

Returning his cheek with a glare, Bylara murmured, "In a facility this large, even you would find yourself hopelessly turned around from time to time."

He shrugged, "Whatever you say."

Though in the end, Byleth's sense of direction was annoyingly sharp as ever, and they arrived at Professor Hanneman's quarters in hardly twenty minutes. Bylara knocked, not trusting her brother to do so when he was just as like to burst in.

"Yes, yes, do come in!" An airy voice called. The Professor was certainly in high spirits. The siblings let themselves in to find the older man straightening a veritable mountain of research on his desk, quickly getting to his feet. "Ah, thank you for agreeing to stop by! I know you're only just getting settled."

"Yes." From her side, she could see Byleth eyeing a device in the middle of the office floor.

"Well then, let's get on with this then. You both know I'm a Crest scholar. And a very renowned one, if I do say so myself." the man beamed, eye twinkling from behind his polished monacle.

"So we've heard." Bylara said diplomatically. She hoped he would stick to the most direct explanation possible. Years spent around her father and brother made her pretty apt at learning people, and she could already tell Professor Hanneman was a scholar who would go on passionate tangents indefinitely.

"Hm…but hearing and knowing are hardly one in the same, yes?" Hanneman raised a brow, folding his arms behind his back as he peered between them. "What do you know, really, about Crests and how their role in our society."

"Not much really." Her brother remained poker-faced as Hanneman tinkered with the device on the floor

"Nothing?" the researcher gasped, his scandalized expression out of place on his distinguished scholarly features. "What an unorthodox upbringing you must have had. Well then, allow me to tell you everything, absolutely everything about Crests!"

Bylara winced, having had the hunch things would go this way.

Before she could politely decline, Byleth was already shaking his head. "That won't be necessary. Could you stick to why you summoned us?"

Sighing, clearly put out they weren't as interested in hearing him lecture as he was in giving it, Hanneman nodded. "Very well. In my research I've come across a great many Crests. They're…very special and unique. Not everyone has them, you see. You see a great deal more in the nobility, a source of immense prestige is centered around them in some families."

Having interacted with more nobility since arriving at Garreg Mach than they had their whole lives, Bylara was getting a clearer picture of that. The academy was welcome to students from nobility and commoner families alike. She hadn't witnessed anything overt to suggest those classes did not get along, but people weren't so quick to shirk the way they were raised simply because they found themselves in a new environment. Some having these powerful Crests was sure to create a natural division in some aspects.

"We're the furthest thing from nobility." Byleth sighed.

"That maybe how you see it, but you aren't quite commoners either, now are you?" Hanneman insisted, "And individuals from both those classes can find themselves in possession of Crests. That is why I would like to check you both, if you don't mind, to see if either or both of you possess one."

Bylara stared at her brother, silently communicating in that special way they often did.

On the surface, his face was unchanging. They had never had any reason to wonder over if they carried Crests, and it wasn't important anyway. Was finding out now worth it? It wouldn't change anything, surely. But…they knew so little about themselves in a way. Their father wasn't chatty in the best of moods. Their mother was long gone before they knew her. Could this be…a chance to get new information?

"It won't hurt a bit, not even a bit, I assure you." Hanneman clarified. "You would only need to hold your arm over this device."

Bylara gave her brother a tiny nod, and he nodded at Hanneman in permission. "We'll participate."

Given his advanced age, Bylara slightly fretted over how suddenly giddy their fellow professor became at the news. He clapped, smile wide, eyes shining. "Then who would like to go first?"

"I will." Byleth stepped forward, and a little fondness warmed her chest. Even now, when they were both perfectly capable, on some level he still felt the need to go forward into the unknown ahead of her, to ensure the path was fine.

Holding his arm over the machine, a quiet whirring came from the floor as it hummed to life. Bylara blinked, watching an intricate pattern she had never seen project onto the space at their feet.

"My word!" Hanneman scrambled closer, crouching. "What is….this? I've never seen this pattern….am I looking at a yet undiscovered Crest?!"

Now there was very real fear the man would simply fall out after hyperventilating. "Remarkable!" he cried. Eager eyes fell on her, and Bylara could surmise that it was her turn. "And you, young lady? Would you do us the honors?"

Byleth stepped away, and just as her brother had, Bylara held her arm over the device and watched an identical pattern project itself.

"Two of them!" Hanneman made a most undignified squeal, now breathless. "This definitely merits further study." The siblings watched him pace, murmuring to himself. "What is this Crest? Where did it come from? The secret surely lies in the blood…but no, if I consider that…" His hushed rant had left him in an almost trance-like state, and Bylara found herself easing away.

Was it safe to interrupt when he was like this? He was acting much the same as a dog who had been given a very juicy cut of fat and didn't know where to go at from first. "Professor…are we done here?" Byleth interrupted.

"Oh, yes, my boy. For now that'll be all I need. However, I hope it's alright that I may call on you again in the future."

"If we're not busy, we'll think about stopping by." Bylara didn't want him thinking they were going to be around whenever he needed them, just waiting for him to poke and prod.

"Of course," Hanneman agreed. "Thank you, and have a good evening."

They sat in Bylara's room, contemplating over the events of the day. Byleth straddled a chair as Sothis floated above them, appearing drowsy.

"Do you know about that Crest?" he asked the green-haired girl.

"Perhaps," she yawned. "But I've hardly remembered my own name! Do not expect me to be much use on this matter."

"Hanneman seems insist on being…thorough." Bylara noted, splashing water on her face. She could just see Byleth through the washroom's cracked door. "If there's any more mystery to delve into, and he seems to think there's a great deal, we'll know soon enough."

"Crests…" Byleth repeated the word that had been the main topic almost all day. "Father may know. Crests are passed along through the blood. If the one we both carry is really so rare, would he not be the person to ask?"

Bylara tossed a towel his way after patting her face dry. "Funny you think Father would be any more open to sharing now when he hasn't been for most of our lives."

"This pertains to us."

"Most things he's chosen to keep hidden do, in some ways." Bylara eased down onto her bed. "We decided long ago to trust that he has his reasons, remember?"

"Yes," he grumbled stubbornly. "I just wonder when he'll trust us enough to share. He had a past here at Garreg Mach. It's obvious he never meant to return, and yet we're all living here for the foreseeable future."

"So is your blood stirring?" Bylara tittered.

"He's not the only one," Sothis interjected. "I have my own curiosities. But for the time being, everyone remains guarded around you both, they smile in your faces but tell you close to nothing."

"Maybe this is a conversation best held over for another time, when we've made progress." Bylara adviced, beginning to feel her eyelids grow heavy. "We're to participate in a mock battle between the three Houses along with the students, even though we've only just arrived…"

"Mm," Byleth stood up, stretching. "Tomorrow we prepare, and the battle occurs the day after. I have a feeling it's as much a test of us as the students, from the way Seteth and Lady Rhea spoke."

"We're commanding two different Houses." Bylara grinned quietly. "We will most likely face each other, so be prepared."

"Likewise, sister." Byleth's gaze softened, a look he reserved for her and his horses. "Rest well."

As he strolled from the room, Sothis rubbed her eye, curling herself into a small ball, only the drape of her long, mossy hair nearly touching the floor. "I require more rest as well. You should do the same now."

Bylara stood to get ready for bed. It seemed like their new lives at the Monastery were only going to get more eventful from here on.

Yes this was short. Sorry, but I am replaying FE as a refresher and thinking of changing up some things here and there, which will become more evident soon. This story was already going to contain heavy canon divergence as well as the merging of the routes, to a degree. Just want to give myself some space to use creative license when needed. But, the first big mock battle is still on schedule to happen very soon. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and be well.