Welcome, one and all, to the start of my Fire Emblem: Three Houses longfic. And trust me, it's gonna be long. Long enough that it's going to require two parts, and long enough that I worry whether I'll be able to finish it.

In preparation for this fic, I've been working on numerous chapters beforehand, but I do not plan to release them all at once. Also, I was delaying the start of this fic until after the release of Cindered Shadows, which thankfully doesn't require me to change much of my plans. I intend to release these chapters on a timed cadence, specifically on Mondays and Fridays, to give myself time to write more chapters and give myself a bit of a buffer in case of writer's block or other reasons. Of course, this schedule may change depending on real life circumstances.

The thing I'm most worried about is keeping myself interested long enough to see this through. I've had other fics that I've written in the past that I dropped due to lack of interest or getting distracted or other reasons. As such, it's my hope that your reviews will keep me motivated.

Now, before I get started, there are a few things you're going to need to know. Firstly, this fic is not for kids; there will be considerable violence and sexual content to contend with, including a few moments you're no doubt going to go "ick" over. As such, I've rated the fic 'M' ahead of time. Secondly, not every character you know and love is going to survive; this is not some attempt at a Golden Route, just a route that differs from the others. Part of the appeal of Three Houses is the lack of a Golden Route, which makes the sacrifices feel meaningful. Third is that I'm going to be taking quite a few creative liberties to certain events in the story, which may end up being a controversial decision in some cases. I ask that you be open-minded about it. Finally, I am assuming that you have played through the game at least once, so I don't plan to cover up spoilers. You have been warned.

With all that out of the way, let us begin this story of our beloved Professor and the opera girl from the streets of Enbarr. I hope you will not be disappointed.

Chapter 1 – Orientation (Great Tree Moon)

Dorothea Arnault absentmindedly twisted a brown lock of her hair around her finger as she sat outside the classrooms of the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. Classes hadn't started yet, but even if it were time, she wasn't sure there was going to be a lecture that day. The bandit attack that had hit them a few days ago had a lot to do with it.

As she looked around the courtyard at the many students who were busy chatting, she would catch glimpses of various boys ogling her and of girls who either whispered praises about her or disdained for her commoner heritage. It was no secret that Dorothea was the only commoner in the prestigious Black Eagles, and a lot of rumors went around about how she had managed to get in.

The one thing that no one would debate, however, was that she was astonishingly beautiful. Dorothea's long brown hair cascaded softly down over her shoulders, unbound by any braids or accessories besides her black hat, and led one's view down to her body. And what a body she had, a perfect blend of full-figured and slender. Her skin was clear, silky, and without a blemish in sight. Her hips were the perfect width while her chest was ripe and round. She had customized her uniform with a short skirt and knee-high boots so the boys could get a good look at her smooth thighs, while her black shirt left a generous amount of cleavage on display. It wasn't the kind of beauty one would find among stuffy nobles, but the tantalizing sensuality of a performer.

It was no surprise that many men and boys had courted her ever since she arrived at the monastery. She had even enticed a few herself, but none so far had been worth a second date. She was gaining something of a reputation as an incorrigible flirt, one only matched by that redheaded skirt-chaser from the Blue Lions, Sylvain. She hadn't flirted with him yet, but he was on her list of prospects. That is, if she got desperate.

As she was lost in thought, a new face caught her eye. It was a woman who looked a similar age as the 18-year-old diva, with blue hair to match her eyes. She was not dressed in an academy uniform but wore a design unlike any Dorothea had seen before. The woman wore a black shirt and what looked like a bustier or corset made of black metal around her torso, one that strangely exposed a small portion of her navel and didn't fully cover her chest, showing she had an ample bust that exceeded Dorothea's own. She wore black shorts over a set of bizarrely patterned stockings, with a single metal plate covering her left knee and well-worn black boots. Two silver vambraces adorned her wrists and metal pads covered her elbows. The whole thing was topped by a black, long-sleeved overcoat that flowed over her shoulders like a cloak, and a detached white collar around her neck. Beyond just her outfit, though, the woman was very curvy, yet well-toned and with a lovely face that was all but inscrutable in expression. Dorothea wouldn't admit it at first, but this woman looked as though she could give her a run for her money in terms of beauty.

The woman strolled about the courtyard, surveying her surroundings. As she approached, Dorothea noticed the well-forged sword strapped to her side, along with a small dagger in a blue scabbard. She was clearly a fighter of some kind, but her outfit didn't suggest she was one of the Knights of Seiros. Then again, that Dagdan woman Shamir was much the same, but this one didn't carry herself like a knight either.

Curiosity got the better of Dorothea, and so the diva rose from her seat and walked up to the blue-haired woman.

"Well now, you don't have a familiar face," Dorothea said as she approached the blue-haired woman. "What brings you here?"

"Hmm? I was having a look around," the woman replied, her voice firm yet strangely comforting.

"Well then, welcome to the Officer's Academy. Oh, my name is Dorothea. I'm a first-year student here at the academy, part of the Black Eagles."

"I see." The woman paused as she looked over Dorothea, to which the diva flashed a smile at the woman. She then said, "I heard the Black Eagles are only made up of nobles. You don't really look like one."

Dorothea dropped her smile a bit, a bit put off by the woman's insinuation. People tended to judge her strictly by her commoner birth, so she was a bit defensive about it. Still, she didn't find herself mad at this woman.

"Well, that's because I'm not," Dorothea replied. "Before I joined the academy, I was a member of an opera company in the Empire. So yes, that makes me a commoner. I'm pretty much the only non-noble in the Black Eagles."

"Is that so? People tell me it's very difficult to get into the academy if you're not part of a noble family."

"It is. Do you have some problem with that?"

"None at all. Sorry if I sounded that way. I'm not a noble either. I'm a mercenary, and so is my father, but we're going to be staying at the monastery for a while now."

"Oh, you're a sell-sword. That explains the wardrobe." Dorothea giggled a bit at this; this woman clearly did not keep up with fashion trends.

"Huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"You said you were from an opera company?" the woman asked.

"Yes, I did. I was a diva in the Mittelfrank Opera House in Enbarr. Have you been there?"

"I'm afraid not. I've never been to Enbarr. Actually, I've never even seen an opera before."

"Really? Then you should hear me sing sometime."

"Maybe I will." The woman looked around again, noticing some of the students getting ready for class. "Looks like classes are about to start."

"Yes, at least for the Blue Lions and Golden Deer. But we Black Eagles were recently deprived of our professor. We were out on a training exercise when a group of bandits attacked us. He ended up ditching us before the bandits even got close."

"Really? That's disappointing."

"I never liked him anyway. He was a lousy instructor and was always eyeballing me far too much for my liking. I hear he was found dead after the Knights chased off the bandits."

"So, there's no one teaching your class?"

"Not now, no. It's kind of a letdown. Edie's been a bit grouchy over it."

"Edie?"

"Our class leader, Edelgard. She's the Imperial princess and next in line as Emperor of the Adrestian Empire. She's talented but a bit too serious for her own good, at least in my opinion."

At that moment, Dorothea remembered something she had overheard earlier. Edelgard had been separated from the class during the bandit attack alongside Prince Dimitri of the Blue Lions and Claude of the Golden Deer. She heard that a mercenary had saved the three from the bandits.

"Hey… I heard Edie was rescued from the bandits by a mercenary. You wouldn't happen to–"

Dorothea stopped as a familiar bell sounded a simple, yet strangely nostalgic five notes.

Dum… Dum dun dun… Dom…

"Ah, time for class. I'd better be off. Edie's expecting me and I'd best not disappoint her. Maybe we'll see each other again soon?"

"I'm sure we will," said the woman.

Dorothea then made her way to the classroom for the Black Eagles, despite knowing it was likely to be another day of dawdling. But as she went inside, she suddenly realized something and cursed herself.

She hadn't even gotten that woman's name.

Deciding there was nothing to be done about it, she made her way to her seat in the middle of the classroom, stopping briefly to look under one of the desks to see a familiar purple-haired girl trembling underneath it. Bernadetta realized Dorothea was staring at her and made a cowardly squeak as she tried to squirm further under the desk. Dorothea sighed; she had been trying to interact with Bernadetta for a little while now, but the girl was as panicky as a rabbit, and even a simple 'Hello' had been enough to send her darting for her room. The only thing that kept her in the classroom was Edelgard's retainer, Hubert von Vestra, who terrified the girl far more than anything else.

Knowing she couldn't do anything for Bernadetta, Dorothea took her seat in the classroom and sighed, expecting another day of dawdling while the Church of Seiros looked for someone to replace their instructor. She hoped dearly that it wouldn't be the weapons master, Jeritza von Hrym. Something about that man unnerved Dorothea beyond just the weird mask he wore.

A minute later, however, Dorothea's thoughts were interrupted when a familiar stern voice sounded through the classroom.

"Students, please take your seats," said Seteth, the advisor to Archbishop Rhea.

Dorothea groaned in dismay. Seteth was going to teach them? Suddenly Jeritza was starting to seem like a more appealing option.

Seteth made his way to the teacher's desk at the front of the room, dressed in his usual attire and his face bearing his familiar stern countenance.

"As you are no doubt aware, ever since Professor Kurtz's unfortunate passing, we have been seeking a replacement to instruct you here at the academy. I am here to inform you that our search has ended. Your new professor is someone who has been handpicked by the archbishop herself, despite my concerns on the matter."

Dorothea perked up a little at hearing this. It was unusual for a professor to be picked by the archbishop herself, as it was usually Seteth's job to find suitable people for the job. At least, that was how Dorothea understood it.

Looking to the entrance, Seteth then said, "You may enter."

The class turned to see who their new teacher would be.

And as she came in, Dorothea was left totally surprised.

It was the blue-haired woman from before.

As the woman walked toward Seteth, a familiar teal-haired boy, Caspar, said, "No way! YOU'RE our new professor?! You're that mercenary who saved Edelgard, right?"

Dorothea didn't even realize her jaw had dropped as she heard Caspar. She turned to look at Edelgard, as if to see some confirmation of what Caspar had said. The Imperial princess was smiling. It then clicked in for Dorothea: Edelgard knew this mercenary was going to be their new professor the whole time!

As the woman reached her new desk, Seteth said, "May I introduce to you Byleth Eisner. Her father, Jeralt, was once Captain of the Knights of Seiros some twenty years ago. I can only hope for your sakes that she has learned well from her father."

The room was then filled with the murmurs and voices of the Black Eagles, all who bore great curiosity over their mysterious new teacher. Yet their voices didn't even register to Dorothea, who found herself staring Byleth directly in the eye.

And unheard by all but Byleth herself, another voice chimed in from an invisible, green-haired girl.

"I must say, you certainly surprised her, didn't you?" said Sothis.

And so begins the journey. I hope to see your thoughts on it as we go.