Chapter 8: A New Dawn
About a year had passed since everyone's reunion at Garreg Mach and the events that followed. Within this time, the war was won and with Dimitri as king, Faerghus was on the way to becoming a land of pride and glory. Professor Byleth became his advisor and took Rhea's place as the new Archbishop. Felix, Ingrid, Dedue, Sylvain, and Ashe became captains in the Knights of Faerghus. Mercedes decided to help those that lost everything to the war. Annette stayed to help Mercedes and became a magic professor at the new Officers Academy. Also, wherever Annette went, so did Richter. The two had married just as soon as the war ended.
Hoisting a crate onto a reinforced wagon, Richter called to Mercedes, "Alright, that the last of 'em." Mercedes did a final check to make sure everything was there before sending the driver off. Richter looked at the receipt for the goods they just sent off. "A war relief plan isn't cheap, huh?" He asked. Taking the paper out of his hand, Mercedes giggled, "That's the last thing you should worry about." Finishing up their current task, they headed to the dining hall. When they arrived, they saw Annette yelling at an empty barrel. When she saw them, she beamed, "Hey guys!" Richter kissed his wife on the cheek. "You're finally done with classes for the week?" He asked. Annette exclaimed, "Yeah. Honestly, I never knew teaching could be so fun!" Mercedes happily watched the couple as they went on about random things for a while. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sylvain in the main hall. Excusing herself from the others, she went over to him.
"Hello, Sylvain." She greeted him. "Mercedes." He said in return. Mercedes noticed that he wasn't his usual self. "Is something the matter?" She asked. Sylvain shook his head, "It doesn't make any sense how Richter went and got a wife before me, the kid has skill." Mercedes playfully frowned at him. Sylvain laughed it off and went back to thinking. "Funny how quick those two hit it off. One day, we were studying for an exam, the next, those two are married." Mercedes nodded. "I agree... but I think WE could hit it off too." She winked at him. Sylvain couldn't believe his ears. Mercedes was flirting with him. Snapping from his thought, he saw Mercedes walking off, beckoning him to follow. Sylvain looked wide-eyed and shouted, "The Goddess is on my side for once!" He then pursued Mercedes.
Meanwhile, Richter and Annette were in their office, eating some imported sweets she managed to get from Dagda. "I never thought my life would be like this." Richter said. Annette laughed. "Is it being Faerghus' only mechanic, teaching other people, or being my husband?" She teased. Richter took a piece of candy and ate it. "All of them, actually." He sighed. "I can relate. I never expected to become a Professor." She said, standing up and mimicking Byleth from their days as students. This got a laugh out of Richter. "Who knows what'll happen next, we could even become parents." He added. Annette smiled and whispered in his ear, "I'd love to see a future like that."