Chapter 12) Investigation


Eventually, the Garland Moon waned and the Blue Star Moon came. Caspar's birthday was celebrated in Gaspard, with the local florists surprisingly kind and helping me find flowers and ribbons for him, but we left for the monastery the day after. Ashe came with us. He insisted, and reassured us that the townsfolk would care for his brother and sister in his absence. Though I worried he was forcing himself, I decided to simply keep an eye on him and let him do as he wished. Or said he wished.

The return trip was quiet, the mood as heavy as the storms which raged over our heads. Rain wasn't uncommon during this moon, of course. The fierce winds roared across the lands, dragging along rain which sparkled in what little sunlight pierced through the clouds. Sometimes, if you were lucky, you even got to see a rainbow.

But though I knew it wasn't uncommon, the storms did little to lift our spirits. I could only hope we made it through this next month without incident.


You would think I'd be apathetic to the nightmares. I always had them. Always. And I was a monster. Monsters weren't supposed to care about anything. But I was an unusual monster, because I did care, and worse, it felt as if my dreams had become far more vivid these past couple of months. More vivid, more real, and oh, how they lingered even after I woke with a groan.

["Easy there…"] Sothis soothed, hovering next to me. She gently rubbed my back while I hunched over and fought against my rebelling stomach. ["I think I said it before, but it is absolutely horrid you only dream of such painful parts of the past."]

"Must you remind me that this actually happened?" I muttered, rolling over to curl up in a ball. Sothis floated to remain near, still rubbing my back. "Seeing children stabbed with their hearts ripped out… being run down by dogs as if they were foxes in a hunt…" All of them screaming and crying and wondering just what was going on while the adults desperately tried to get them to safety. Desperate… and, ultimately, futile. Because whoever attacked them showed no mercy, and slaughtered them all to the last… "I know the world can be cruel and that such things have happened, but…"

["It would be nice if it could just remain in books. Something you can read and walk away from, if need be."] That was one way to put it. ["Those children… did you notice…?"] I waited for her to continue. ["No, it is nothing. For now, it is nothing. We can talk and think on it again another time, when your heart is calmer. And your stomach behaves."] Both might be a while. I still felt nauseous. ["You might want to uncurl yourself. I doubt scrunching your stomach up is helping."] Of course, right then, someone knocked on the door. ["Pretend to be asleep."] I didn't. After all, if someone was knocking at this hour, they likely needed something. So I slowly got to my feet and pulled on my sleeping pants before opening the door. And, I had to say, of all the people I might've expected, Raphael was not one of them.

"Sorry, Professor, but uh… can we talk a little?" he asked, smiling almost sheepishly. I stepped out of the way to let him in and went to fetch my tea set. I knew how these things went. "Thanks."

"It's no problem," I reassured, rummaging through my teas while he closed the door behind him. What sort would he like? Did he even dislike anything? "Preference? For tea, I mean."

"Do you have almond?"

"I do, actually." I gestured for him to sit and set up the tea. And found those candies I kept on hand. "Here we are…"

"Thanks." Despite sitting at the table and nodding when I handed him the cup, he didn't drink it immediately. He just watched the steam drift up. "Um…"

"Take your time." I, however, sipped my tea as soon as I sat down across from him, despite it being hot enough to scald my tongue. The warmth was grounding.

"It's just… how to explain…" Raphael fiddled with the handle of the cup. "I try to be… you know… support? Pillar?"

"For the cohort?"

"Yeah. I mean; I'm not all that smart." Honestly, I thought he was quite intelligent. He just had a different way of learning, and a different set of priorities that made it harder for him to concentrate. "But even I can see most of the cohort is traumatized as all hell. More so the eaglets and cubs than we fawns, but even we have our own issues. Not to mention what the pups hide." I would be forever amused that they took to calling themselves that. "It's harder than it sounds, of course. Quite a few run away from me. Like how Marianne ran after she told me about the bird that spoke human with her." The bird that… what? "Then I tried complimenting Bernadetta on her playing, she was performing some music in the greenhouse, and she ran off frightened!" Given how loud he could be, and how Bernadetta was in general… "Then some of them just don't take care of themselves! Take Lorenz, for instance. My little sister eats more than he does! It's no wonder he's so prickly all the time. Maybe if he ate properly, he'd be more a little nicer and actually learn how to get along with people." Now did he eat too little or was that just because Raphael himself ate quite a bit? I'd have to look into that. "So, I just… want to support everyone. I can't solve their troubles, and I think… a lot of them didn't have support. Not like I did, with my sister and my grandfather. Support helps when bad things happen, you know?"

"It does." Clearly, I was a good conversationalist. Still, I felt this was less 'reassurance' and more of Raphael desperately needing to get his thoughts untangled. With that said… "What has you awake?"

"Huh?"

"You're awake when you normally sleep like a log. The only other time I've seen this is the night after that first battle." Even then, he'd remained in his room until the others got him. "You've also not even looked at the candies I set out." I smiled slightly. "So, something has you awake and thinking this tangle of thoughts. But this tangle isn't what has you awake in the first place." That's what I thought, at least.

"...Professor, do you read minds or something?"

"Not in the least, nor would I want to." I shrugged and went back to my tea. "It's simply a guess, based on what I know. If I'm wrong, please tell me."

"No, you're right. But the support thing is related to it." Finally, he took a gulp of his tea. I refilled his cup. "Like I said, support's important. And… well, I do still need some with everything. Yet, no matter what I say, Ignatz keeps avoiding me because of what happened to my parents."

"They died in an accident, yes? Your parents?" Best to focus on that part for now.

"Yep. Just an accident. But they happened to be on their way to a job with a noble, and they'd been recommended for the job by his parents." Raphael hesitated before looking down. "Well, to add a little more to it… the noble they were traveling with was Lord Godfrey Riegan."

"...Ah." That was… um… "So, it…"

"Was an accident." His words were firm. "Even if it was like the rumors say, it doesn't have anything to do with Lorenz or Ignatz or me. There's no proof, probably never going to be proof, and I've got my sister and grandfather to look after." He squeezed his fist on the table, hard enough to make the wood creak. "So, it… hurts for him to run away, you know? We were friends. Known each other since we were toddlers."

"I think I can understand enough." Perhaps I should arrange for them to do chores together. Their current lesson plans didn't match up well, but surely there was… "There's something else though, isn't there?" Best to focus on the present. "You do not have to tell me, of course. But something else kept you awake to dwell on these thoughts, yes?" And that present was ensuring Raphael had whatever support he felt he needed right now.

"Wow, you're smart." More that I was lucky at making guesses. "It's not much. Just… my parents. How they died so suddenly and how it felt like the ground gave way under my feet when I heard." He tried to smile, but it was so forced that it looked nothing but pained. "What happened in Gaspard and all… it brought back bad memories. Then I started wondering of how to help Ashe and…"

"Needed someone to listen?" I smiled slightly. "I hope you don't plan to apologize for that. I'm happy to listen."

"Yeah, you're good at that. Listening, and not letting the other person feel silly. Making them feel valid." Wha…? How was I supposed to react to that? "Though, I do feel bad waking you up."

"Oh, I was already awake." I almost mentioned my nightmares, but decided against it. Raphael, big-hearted as he was, would likely worry too much. "I have midnight tea with Flayn. It helps us both sleep."

"Flayn… that's Seteth's little sister, right? The one with tiny arms and is as threatening as a kitten, even when she tries to mimic a battle cry?" No clue why he knew that last bit, but I nodded because it definitely described Flayn. "She's sweet. She reminds me of my little sis!"

"Raphael, my understanding is that all of us remind you of her."

"Not everyone! Mostly her, Lysithea, and Edelgard. Then again, Edelgard and Lysithea are pretty similar themselves." He had a point there. "They're both the 'I'm so smart, I don't need any help! And when things don't go my way, I'm going to go sulk and be moody' type." He pitched his voice up for the mimicking part, and a bubbly feeling tickled my throat. "They look too far ahead. Going to trip over their own feet if they're not careful. Particularly Edelgard."

"Well, if they trip, then we simply help them back up." I nodded to his tea cup. "Is it good? Should I make a different one?"

"No, no, this is great!"

Talk from there moved to lighter things, mostly the direction his lessons took and what goals he had for the future. I worried on how easily he agreed to things, so long as it was phrased as 'this will help you become a knight', but the best solution for that problem was simply watching and hoping no one took advantage. Other than that, I had to ensure he did not overwork himself. Which, considering he made a mention of doing a training regime based on some things Dimitri mentioned before leaving… well, something told me Raphael might end up carried to the infirmary soon. I didn't like it, but I couldn't watch them all the time. Or even 'most'. As I was reminded of again when I stepped outside for the fresh air and saw Hubert carrying a limp Bernadetta to her room.

"What happened?" I asked, striding over. Hubert sent me a withering look, but I ignored it to instead rest my fingers on Bernadetta's cheek. Clammy and a little cold… a pulse of magic to warm her, then, and to reassure myself. "Fainted? What would have scared her?"

"I am standing right here, and you ask that?"

"You're not scary." I paused, thinking the words through. "Ah, but yes, that should have been obvious. Even if you are not scary to me, Bernadetta expects harm from everyone." I gently brushed the hair out of her face, before stepping back to open the door for him. "Thank you for carrying her."

"She somehow managed to faint while standing up. It would've been more trouble in the long run to leave her." Looking disgruntled now, he carried her inside and laid her on her bed to take off her shoes. "What has you up and about at this hour, Professor? I fear I was too busy to shadow you."

"I figured, given I didn't see you." Sothis snickered at that, for some reason. It took me a second to realize it was a barb. Hadn't… meant that… "I might have told you this before, or you may have heard from Edelgard, but it's not unusual for me to be awake at late hours."

"Being awake and being outside are two different things." Shoes off, he scooped Bernadetta up again to pull the covers back. I helped him tuck her in, and jotted a quick note to let her know what had happened. "...Your handwriting is atrocious."

"It's actually rather neat for me." I glanced at him just in time to see his expression morph to abject horror. I decided for whatever dignity I had to not comment further and, instead, fussed over Bernadetta's blankets. She remained fast asleep. "We should let her rest. To actually answer your question, Raphael wished to speak to me."

"He has thoughts besides eating and training?" Hubert scoffed and I frowned a little. At first, because of the demeaning insult, but then I frowned when I noticed how stiffly he held himself. If he were any more rigid, I could break him with a tap. "That's quite the surprise."

"His loyalty to his sister surpasses even your loyalty to Edelgard. Do not your own thoughts constantly swirl around how best to assist her?" Gentle rebuke as I continued studying him, shutting Bernadetta's door behind us as we finally left. His jaw was clenched; he kept digging his hands into his arms now that he had nothing to occupy them with. "Hubert, is all…?" How did I ask this? I knew he didn't trust me. I reminded him too much of someone he hated. Yet I couldn't simply ignore… "You are tenser than usual, and you…" I peered up at him, studying his expression. Stoic as he tried to be, I could still catch the flickers of emotion in his eyes. And each flicker built into the same emotion: pain. "It's almost as if you cannot decide whether to cry or scream, and thus, you pulled both deep into your heart."

"What? Are you a reader of minds now?" The words were sharp, biting. More so than usual. I simply held his gaze. "What if I say I do not wish to elaborate?"

"Then don't." I could not force him. "Would you like some tea? I can give you the mix for you to brew yourself."

"I do not drink tea usually." I supposed I had never seen him drink any when we had them for our friday classes. Just water. "It's nothing anyway. Just a conversation with Hanneman about my father."

"Your father?" How would that topic come about?

"He was friends with that miserable wretch and thought to bring him up." Hubert spat out the words, fury and loathing burning in his gaze. "As if I wish to speak of that traitorous piece of filth! The one who led the assault on the castle, ensured the capture of the emperor, despite a legacy of loyalty spanning over a thousand years…!" He trailed off suddenly, his eyes widening. I simply waited. "I… did not intend to say any of that."

"I suppose 'screaming' won in your heart, then." I shrugged, feeling a little awkward and helpless. I wished I could ease his pain, but I couldn't. No healing magic could tend to wounds of the spirit, and his wounds were deep. "Do you want water?"

"No." He frowned at him, looking almost troubled. "You will not say I shouldn't speak so of my father? Hanneman did."

"That's strange. Being bound by blood does not mean…" How did I want to phrase this…? "If someone hurts you, then they hurt you. Being related doesn't give them an excuse. It does not mean you must forgive them for everything. Forgiveness is a choice, just as much as trust is."

Hubert was silent for a long time before he ducked his head. "I suppose… that is one clear difference between you and Lord Arundel." The words were mumbled, as if he had to force himself to say them. "You see straight through everyone, yet do not judge. It's unnerving, really."

He bolted then. All the way down to the staircase by the greenhouse, and he disappeared up. It was, perhaps, the fastest I had ever seen him move. Rather impressive, truthfully.

["Why, I do declare…"] Sothis appeared next to me, smirking like a kitty-cat who caught a pigeon. ["That almost seemed like a compliment."] Perhaps one of the stranger ones I'd received, but given it was Hubert… ["Indeed. But let us think of that another time. For now, I think it's past time for you to go to bed."] Reading first. ["Fine, fine. Reading first. Then bed."]

I ended up not sleeping. The story I'd picked had been far too interesting to put down, and Sothis herself ended up too entranced to make me stop! I didn't mind, though. It had been really good!


With everyone's spirits still worn down by Gaspard, I decided the best way to spend classes was to do unconventional things during class time. Things that were productive, yet different. The first on the list? Getting everyone measured once more for new armor. I wanted everyone to get something new, no matter how much it cost me. I hoped it would help them find their footing in the coming battles. No matter how much I wished otherwise, I knew well there would be more fighting.

"Was a little surprised to see you and yours during a regular class day, but it's clear they needed some sort of distraction," Grace commented, watching Taylor measure everyone while asking rapid-fire questions about looks and fighting style and color. She smiled softly as he worked, face glowing with adoration. "Particularly the gray-haired one."

"I fear the battle at Gaspard was particularly hard on him," I murmured, not sure what else to say. Instead, I focused on Mateo, who I held. Not really sure how I ended up carrying him, but I wouldn't complain. He was adorable and warm, and he was so very affectionate, hugging me tightly around the neck and pressing wet kisses to my face. "It was hard on all of them, truthfully."

"Particularly since this was the Kingdom. They always feel justified in what they're doing. Justice always follows the righteous and all that nonsense." She had a point. "Not surprised trouble brewed there. The Empire and Alliance tend to keep their implosions inside until something shatters." She also had a point there. "Bah, don't mind me. I'm just grumpy. I wanted to be back in the smithy by now, but Manuela said to wait one more month." She made a face; I had to smile a little. "Getting a little stir-crazy. I miss my forge."

"That's enough to make anyone cranky." Noticing Mateo squirming and reaching for his mom, I passed him over to her. "Speaking of cranky…"

"Yeah, it's feeding time and damn, he knows it." Still, Grace smiled so beautifully as she cradled her son against her shoulder. "Oh, Byleth, do you or any of yours wander about at night? Through town, I mean."

"So, outside the monastery?" How to answer… "There's nothing I technically know about." If someone told me that a few of mine (Sylvain, Claude, Hilda, Yuri, others I wouldn't try to name right now) meandered through the streets at night, I'd believe them. Still, it was nothing I knew. "Why?"

"Tell them to be careful. There's been some strange rumors lately. Something about death lurking about." Death? ...Was Azrael getting bored and playing pranks on people again? I'd have to confront him over that. "And I think one or two have gone missing."

"I see." Missing people and not a word to me in the monastery, huh? While it could be very recent, all I could think was 'how typical'. "Thank you for the warning."

Still, I wouldn't say anything more. Instead, I leaned against the wall, watching my students excitedly talk armor and battle-wear with Taylor. Eventually, he sent them to some curtained off areas just outside, where they could try on 'store-owned' armor similar to what they wanted. Good for ensuring they would be able to move as they wished. Or… something. It made sense, but in a way I couldn't fully articulate. Though, that could be because I was busy thinking of other things. Especially when the last of my students (Felix dragged by Ingrid) left the shop, leaving Taylor alone at his counter. Just what I was waiting for.

"Hey, Taylor?" I drifted over to the counter, angling myself to keep mostly hidden from whoever might walk in. Didn't want my students catching on to this, yet. "I came across something unusual during the battle at Gaspard," I explained softly. He glanced at me briefly, scribbling something down, but then paused to fully look at me. "Think you can take a look?"

"Sure, come into the back here," Taylor answered, gesturing me to follow. He finished with whatever he was writing and pushed back the curtains that led to the back, waiting for me to pass before letting them fall. "Something tells me it's not going to be a pretty color to try and replicate with dyes."

"That would be much more interesting." I lingered by the curtains, taking in the surprising homely atmosphere. I wouldn't outright deem anything particularly special. Wooden table surrounded by wooden chairs, hallways snaking towards other rooms, windows with colorful curtains to let in the sunlight… all of it looked normal, and yet there was something so warm to it all. "I'll keep it in mind the next time I see an interesting color."

"Please do. It's quite fun playing with dyes." Taylor sat at the table, and I did the same. "So, what is it?"

"These." And I pulled out the scrap of cloth I'd cut off the strange mage's robes, as well as their dagger. I'd realized while planning this that Taylor would be an excellent resource for this. "The cloth felt unusual to me, while the blade is nothing I've seen."

"Oh?" Taylor picked up the fabric first, running his fingers over it and holding up to the light to study. "Soft, smooth… reminds me almost of silk, yet it's not." He folded the fabric and rubbed both sides against each other. "Definitely not silk. That's not the right sound at all. It's not as shiny either, more of a sheen…" He unfolded it again, frowning more and more by the second as he continued to study it. "Not sure how it was made, either. The weave is near perfect, no slubbing or anything. Lifeless. Even the most talented of weavers will make some sort of mistake." He set the cloth down on the table and picked up the dagger, examining the blade. "I am not even going to try and this one. Noah? Are you still back here? Or did Father convince you to go drinking with him?"

"Not yet, and he was sorely disappointed," someone answered. I sat straight in my chair as a new person entered the room. At first glance, he almost seemed frail, fragile even, yet he moved with casual and careful grace. As if everything in the world was made of glass, and a sharp movement would shatter it all. "Hmm? Fiona?" He frowned at me, sharp eyes completely focused. I stiffened automatically. "But you're…"

"Noah, meet Byleth," Taylor introduced, cutting him off. He smiled apologetically at me, and I realized he'd noticed my reaction. That was… surprising. "Sir Jeralt's daughter."

"Oh. Right, Liam did warn me you looked like Fiona. Wish he'd done a better job with the warning, mind." Noah nodded at me, intense gaze softening. I made myself smile faintly. "I will gladly complain to him later about it. What is it, Taylor? Normally if you need advice on what sort of blade to recommend, you ask Grace."

"One, Grace is with Matty. Two, I'm not sure she'll have an answer to the question." He casually passed the dagger to Noah. Belatedly, I remembered just where I knew the name; he was Grace's father, former owner of the smithy, and a friend of Dad's. "Speaking of things I'm not sure of, is Father still here too? I want his opinion on this cloth."

"No, he said something about teaming with Alois to drag Jeralt from his work and left, complaining about how I'm 'no fun' anymore." Noah idly inspected the dagger, eyeing it from every angle. "My, my… now if I'm correct, this is a material I've not seen in quite some time."

"You know it?" I asked, surprised. More than that, even, but Sothis's own shock drowned it. "Truly?"

"I believe so," Noah murmured, still studying the blade. Then, suddenly, he stabbed the table with it, startling both Taylor and me. "Similar material, but a different sort of blade. Different forging technique, perhaps, to draw the power within? Or maybe redirected it for a more potent strike…"

"Pardon?"

"There are a pair of weapons known as the 'Devil' Weapons." Must have been coined by an Imperial for that sort of naming. "Powerful, and one needs but the barest idea of how to wield a blade to bring out its true potential. But the name comes from how you make a deal with a devil with every exchange of blows, and like many such deals, you pay with blood."

"Oh, those weapons…" Dad told me about them. Said they first showed up during the War of the Eagle and Lion, but were rare nowadays. "This is one such weapon?"

"No." Noah's eyes narrowed, but there was a distinctly enthused glint in them. Like he had fun with this. "No, but I am almost certain it's a similar metal, if not the exact same. Fascinating, really. Might I keep it for further tests?"

"Certainly."

"I'd like to keep the cloth as well, if only for Father to take a look," Taylor added with a little smile. While warily eyeing the dagger still in the table. "If you don't mind, that is."

"That sounds perfect," I reassured, making sure to smile slightly in return. I'd hoped for an 'instant answer', but this was just as good. "Just be sure to relay the information to me? Dad might need to know as well." I certainly wasn't going to trust the Church (or, to be more accurate, Rhea) to actually tell anyone anything. Not after what else I had learned she'd hidden, and what else I had seen her hide. "Thank you very much."

Would the answers give any sort of closure to what happened in Gaspard? I had no idea. But I had to try.


After conversing with Taylor and Noah a little longer, I slipped down to the market to purchase flowers and ribbons. I also made a point to hunt for Anna, hoping she might have more information, but sadly, I did not see her. I'd have to check another day. Which meant braving the market another day, which I really didn't want to do, but knew I had to if I was to have any chance at finding some answers to the questions that lingered.

"There you are, Professor!" Of course, I hadn't really expected any of my students to be waiting for me. I thought they'd still be busy. "Was wondering where you were," Dorothea noted, standing awkwardly alone in the store. Not even Taylor was here. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, there's just a birthday, so I needed ribbons," I explained, holding up the bouquet for emphasis. Sunflowers and chrysanthemums, tied together with ribbons of silver (for the pups) and burgundy. "I didn't think anyone would be done yet."

"Well, you're right with most. Me? Quick as a flash. I've practice with fittings, after all." She grinned and winked. "We had quite a few for the opera."

"Ah, that's right. If I recall correctly, you and your fellows had a habit of walking about in the garments to check how they felt after extensive wear."

"We… did, yes." Dorothea blinked slowly, eyes wide. "How did you know that?"

"We guarded some shows for the Mittelfrank in the past. They were nice, easy jobs." I smiled slightly, remembering. I truly had enjoyed those jobs the most. "We were there to look suitably threatening and discourage potential kidnappings and assaults. As such, we were rarely close enough to the stage to actually watch the show." The only one I'd seen was the very first one, with the beautiful singer who sang and danced with such wonder… "Still, they were very fun to listen to."

"I'm glad you enjoyed them." She hummed a little in thought, tapping her cheek. "Oh! Of course, you and Azrael must've been the twin mercenaries the others in the company gossiped about!"

"Azrael and I are not the only twins who are also mercenaries."

"Yes, but they always said these ones were young, around my age or a little older." Still not the only ones who fit that. "A few would always sneak down to take a peak when you were there, and I remember the girl being described as 'someone with the face of a masterpiece statue'." ...I did have to admit that did fit me a little more. Except the 'masterpiece' part. "While the boy was described as someone who freely said whatever thought came to mind, no matter how caustic or pointed the words." Right, she had me there.

"I do remember seeing some of the company attempting poorly to spy on us." Absently, I adjusted the ribbons around the bouquet, keeping them even and not too tight. "We ignored them, though Azrael always thought it fun to 'conveniently' begin talking about the show when we noticed."

"That explains the other parts of the gossip, then. They always mentioned the two had the most insightful and genuine of observations." Dorothea sulked suddenly. "Drat. I knew I should've tagged along. I never did because of the attempted kidnappings and murders and whatnot I had to deal with, but I was always curious." She clasped her hands behind her back, and leaned forward a little. "I did hear the most adoring praise for my aria during my last show."

"Oh?" Wait, that's right. Dorothea was the Mystical Songstress. So, given that and my own past jobs, she was talking about… "The aria parlante in the middle of the third act of Meadows of Poppies?" She went right back to staring. Reasoned that one wrong, then. "A different one? Then perhaps…"

"No, that was it. I'm just startled you knew the technical term." ...I may or may not have begged Dad for a book on musical theory at some point. He may or may not have indulged me. I may or may not have bought a few from Miriam's store also. "You are just full of surprises, professor."

"I… have a wide range of interests?" What else could I say to that? I debated it, but Sothis noticed more of my students drifting in and around. "It looks as if some of the others are done. Do you mind ensuring no one needs assistance while I check on them?"

"You got it! Leave it to me!"

Dorothea skipped back out to… wherever they tried things on. My brain did not want to work, frazzled as it was with dealing with the market crowd. Instead, I slipped out the front and walked along the edges of the store, avoiding the main 'stall' to hunt for any of my students. Some might have decided the noise and sunshine were a good way to unwind. Like Balthus, who was one student I was looking for in particular. So, of course, I didn't find him immediately. Instead, I walked in on the tail end of… well...

"Well, I should probably get going. Places to be and all." On what had to have been a dreadfully awkward conversation, given how stiffly Sylvain stood and how Marianne had shrunk back. No idea how they… well, never mind. Marianne was pretty. Sylvain probably… "Just remember, if you should ever need me…" he continued, while bowing gracefully. Marianne blinked a couple of times in confusion. "I will forever be your knight, my maiden." Without another word, he left, leaving Marianne staring after him. Awkward. Very awkward.

"What did he mean by that…?" she mumbled, pulling on one of the fallen strands by her face. Then she turned and saw me eavesdropping. Very, very awkward. "Oh, Professor!"

"Is everything all right?" I asked, a little worried. Marianne told me she had difficulties talking to people, after all, and Sylvain was… well, Sylvain.

"I… think?" She frowned a little, still visibly confused. "He invited me to walk through town with him once we were done here. He made a mention of a story about a beautiful maiden and a knight who saved her, and when I told him my adoptive father told me not to stray far from the monastery, he made a mention of having a crest. Which I don't care about, so…"

"I think Sylvain's suggestion was that your father wouldn't disapprove of you spending time with him, due to his ambitious nature."

"Oh, was that it?" She shook her head. "Afterwards, I think… I think he noticed I was uncomfortable and so he left. Yet he made a mention again of that story…"

"Do you need me to talk to him?"

"I think I'd like to try and think on it more on my own for right now." She ducked her head. "If that's okay?"

"It's just fine." I made sure to smile, even if she couldn't see it. "Why not return to the others?" While I tried to see if I could follow Sylvain. He did just walk off during 'class time'.

Sadly, though, Sylvain apparently used the 'duck into the crowd to disappear' trick, as I couldn't find any trace of him at all. I almost thought about 'asking' Azrael, but decided against it. Azrael was no doubt busy with knightly things, and everything was relaxed. So long as he returned by curfew, I wouldn't press. Instead, I resumed my hunt for Balthus, finding him and Hapi conversing not too far from the armory. At least, that's what it appeared like, until Hapi scowled, snapped something I didn't quite hear, and stormed off. Leaving Balthus himself sighing and watching her leave, appearing almost forlorn.

"Man, I just wanted her to relax for a change," Balthus mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "Whew… she's prickly as ever." He shook his head and turned, gaze falling on me immediately. Because that was my luck. What was with me and coming across awkward conversations? "Oh, hey! What's up? Need a wolf to help wrangle the rest of the menagerie?"

"No, fittings are still underway," I replied, since… well, they were, as far as I knew. I thought about asking about what happened, but decided it was better to bit. "I simply wished to give you this." I handed him the flowers, and was mischievously pleased by how confused he looked by them. "I give flowers to everyone for their birthdays. Happy birthday."

"How did you even find out when it was?" He slowly grinned, barely biting back a chuckle. I'd inform him later it was actually Hilda who told me. "I don't think I've gotten a gift for my birthday in years. Thanks, pal."

"Of course." I smiled faintly. "I'm glad you like them."

"More than like them. Mind if I swing to Abyss to put them in a safe place?"

"No, no, go ahead. Just make sure to tell Taylor any changes you needed, and check in with me at some point."

"Will do." Didn't think Balthus the type to skip, but there was certainly a spring in his step when he left. I blinked slowly, amused despite myself, and I wasn't the only one.

"He's going to be incurably smug for the rest of the day, at least," Yuri drawled, slinking up next to me. Somehow, I wasn't surprised to see him. "Hapi's fine. Balthus's well-meaning words unfortunately scraped a raw nerve." I was less surprised he looked into that. "But my, birthday flowers, huh?" He smirked, distinctly amused about something. "What a shame I shan't obtain any."

"Why would that happen?" Perhaps he worried because… "I did wonder if the date you used when enrolling was your birthday. Not that it would have mattered if it was fake or not, but since I had another resource, I wrote your mother and asked her."

Immediately, his expression flattened. "You did what."

"I wrote and asked her, explaining why I wanted to know, and she replied promptly. She has very pretty handwriting, by the way. It's almost as pretty as Dad's." I smiled faintly, thinking of the book we'd retrieved from the scorpion tattooed folk. "Yours is too."

"Mine?" He frowned. "Took a peek, huh? At the book?"

"No, it was just a guess."

"...Milady, that's just cruel." He scowled, and a strange bubbly feeling ticked my throat. "Fine, fine, yes, it was mine." Despite his annoyance, he couldn't help but smile. "The elder gave it to me when I was small. Losing it really got me where it hurts…"

"The elder?"

"Mmm, well, it can't hurt to tell you about it. Given you apparently write to my mother…" He scowled again; I shrugged. I hadn't actually planned to write his mother regularly, but he could learn that later. Sothis thought so too. "You'll likely hear about him." He leaned against the outer wall, glancing up at the sky. "Can't quite remember how old I was, but my mother had taken in an elderly man who wandered into town. He was worse for wear, you see. Could barely even walk. So, she nursed him back to health under our humble roof."

"That's kind of her."

"It was, but that's… just how she is. Kind and gentle, no matter what life throws." His face softened with a warm smile, and he closed his eyes to better remember the memory. "In return for that kindness, the elder taught me how to read and write. The notebook… it's a relic of those times."

"It reminds me of the books Dad used to teach Azrael and me." All sorts of papers strewn about the camp, or in the inn room we used while he taught us so patiently... "He taught you mathematics as well?"

"He did, though we had an… interruption during then." He fell quiet, picking his next words with care. "My mother hinted towards it, back when you two talked but during the plague which ripped through Faerghus, I was one of the many who took ill. We had no money to speak of, so a proper doctor's visit was out of the question. My mother went everywhere asking for help, walked until her feet bled even, but to no avail. I just got worse and worse, a brush away from death."

"Yet, you lived."

"I did. The elder… he saved me, somehow." He shrugged then, smiling wryly. "I don't know how, of course. Truthfully, despite the lessons, he never spoke much of his past. He could've been a doctor, a mage, a scholar… haven't the foggiest."

"I take it he passed if you do not know even now."

"He did, not long after curing me. Natural causes. It was while we buried him that I learned of the plague. There were… a lot of new graves." He leaned more heavily against the wall. "Yet, there I was. Alive, healthy. Better than ever, even. All by some strange luck."

"That's how most people escape death."

"True, though little me didn't know that yet. All I'd felt at the time was grateful, and helpless." He opened his eyes to look at me, now with a sardonic smile. "So, little Yuri figured it would be his mission to help anyone he could as he grew up. Just as his mother did. Just as the elder did."

"Oh?" I smiled as well, and I hoped it appeared sincere enough. "I find that admirable, personally."

"Yeah? Well, thanks. But don't go forgetting I'm a Lord of the Underworld and all, and no, I don't mean Abyss." His smile gained an edge. "I do what I have to, fair or foul."

"That's why the people of Abyss trust you. They see the kind heart behind it all."

"Milady, I do believe you're teasing me." He made a face, and I shook my head. After all, it was seeing their trust and seeing how much he cared that clued me in on his part in Aelfric's scheme, and why he did any of it. "Still, if I can help one unlucky soul, that's… well, I'm doing my part. A small dream, but one I hold in my heart."

"It's a wonderful dream." And it didn't seem small at all. Not to me. Perhaps if one focused on the supposed 'big picture', but no life was small. Saving a life meant saving a world, and all the hopes and dreams that came with it. "Let me know if I can assist."

"Careful, I might hold you to that." Why not? I offered. "Anyway, you disappeared into the back earlier. Was it for payment or something else?"

"Well…" I had to admit to debating. But then I immediately decided it was foolish. It wasn't as if I didn't want the Church to know. I simply didn't trust Rhea wouldn't hide this information from me, despite how it affected my students. Besides, he'd been with me when we found them, and I wouldn't have found the dagger without them. He deserved to know. "I consulted them about the cloth and dagger we found."

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "Clever. Anything interesting?"

"The cloth can only be described as 'completely abnormal' for now, while Noah recognized the metal, if not how it was forged." I shrugged. "I'll give you a better summary later."

"Good call. Especially given the interruption." Interruption? What in creation was he-?

"Professor!" In less than the blink of an eye, Ingrid had dashed behind me, crouching to hide. "I am done with these fittings!" she groaned, very firmly keeping me between her and everyone else. It took a couple of blinks to see Annette and Mercedes were outside as well, looking about for 'someone', no doubt her. "Done! No more!"

"You'd think you were being tortured with that sort of reaction," Yuri snickered, back to being distinctly amused. He smiled innocently at Ingrid's immediate scowl. "Relax, relax. Once we're done here, we can go to that inn with the meat dishes you nearly choke yourself on." The what?

"Shut up, Yuri!"

"What? I'm sure the innkeeper would be delighted to see his favorite food enthusiast again."

"Yuri!"

My students were weird. I wouldn't give them up, or these lighthearted days, for anything, though.


["You should gather up more pillows."]

"While I agree, Sothis, I do think I need to figure out another way to carry them." I gestured to the large pile of blankets and pillows I had already acquired and left on my bed. Sothis hovered over them, frowning. "I fear I do not have large enough hands."

["Maybe if we tie them up?"] The question hung in the air for a moment before Sothis shook her head. ["No, no. They'll drag on the ground, and you'd need to find a rope large enough. Why not have Azrael help?"]

"He's assisting Alois." Not just because he actually liked Alois either. After all, Alois delighted in telling stories about Dad. My understanding was that he told Leonie as well, since she asked, but I hadn't talked to her about it yet or anything. I had a feeling she'd rather I didn't talk to her at all. "I suppose I simply must make multiple trips. In which case, I'd better…" Someone knocked on the door then. Sothis and I both looked at it, and while I remained resigned, Sothis sighed in exasperation. Still, I couldn't ignore it, so I shrugged and opened it up. And got my own surprise. "Madeline?"

"Hey," she replied, surprisingly quiet. She carried four baskets, all stuffed to the point of overflowing, and I quickly seized two to help her. "Sorry, I know this is an unexpected visit. And yes, I'm actually apologizing for this one."

"Makes me think this is less you deciding I work too much and more for serious reasons," I commented, setting the baskets on my table. Sothis curiously floated around them, studying what peeked out, but I focused more on helping Madeline with the last two and then rubbing her hands. They had deep red impressions, and parts were rubbed raw. "I hope you didn't carry these all the way from Remire." Her wrists were also aching, so I used my magic to ease the pain she no doubt was in.

She sighed in relief, before shaking her head. "No, I promise I didn't. I came with the soldiers on patrol, and carried them once we arrived. I know I should've taken that nice Gatekeeper's offer for help, but…" She smiled awkwardly, and watched me tend to her hands. "We… received the letters you sent."

"I would hope you would receive all the ones we sent, given you specifically complained about a lack of letters."

"Indeed, but it's more…" She paused to gather her thoughts. I waited for her. "We read what happened. In Gaspard. To Ashe's father. What your students went through, are going through. And though we can't turn back time or erase the memories and pain, we wanted to bring a little cheer. And, specifically, give something to Ashe. But we didn't want him to feel awkward, so…"

"You brought a plethora of gifts to hide the special one for Ashe, and in the hopes it would lift the menagerie's spirits." I could only smile slightly, because it was… just like everyone. Terribly kind and warm hearted… I loved them for it. "You're quite in luck, as I plan fridays to be relaxing free-for-alls anyway."

"That's no luck. I remembered!" She grinned then, the playful light finally back in her face, and my smile grew. "There's… uh… quite a bit, as you can see, so what's the best way to disperse them?"

"You help me set up the room, and we'll easily be able to stash the special gift until you can give it quietly." Having finished tending to her hands, I nodded to my bathroom. "Still, if you're here this early, you probably cut short your normal morning routines. Finish up there, and I'll find something for you to snack on. Did you skip breakfast?"

"I ate on the way!" Still, she was quick to duck into the bathroom, proving me right. I could only shake my head, touched she would go through such trouble and effort for my students. I mean; I wasn't surprised, but I was touched.

Still, something she said did pierce my slow-beating heart, and wriggled deep inside as I hunted for a good morning treat for her. Namely, turning back time. I… could do that. I hadn't even considered it, outside of preventing Constance's death. I hadn't. I should've, though. I should've. If I had, then I could have… I could have…

["Even if you had considered it, I would have stopped you."] Sothis floated next to me, done with her inspection of the baskets. ["As difficult as it is to accept, there are some things that simply cannot be changed."] Her voice was soft and gentle, yet for the first time, it grated my nerves. After all, that sounded like 'fate' and… ["Yes, I know. You think fate is an excuse. But you have already pieced together what likely happened, that day. Some things cannot be changed because you are not responsible for the choices other people make. And all the decisions that led to Lonato's death were chosen and written long before you could reach him."]

"...I suppose that does make sense…" I mumbled under my breath. Didn't want Madeline to hear and question why I was talking to empty air. After all, she couldn't see the gremlin.

["Must you call me that?!"] Sothis scowled, and I did have to smile a little. It was fun, calling her that, specifically because no matter how many times it was, she reacted just like this. ["Ugh… regardless, there was no changing what occurred. Everything was set in motion before you arrived and there was naught you could do to divert its course. That is not necessarily fate, but a consequence of choices."]

"Right…" Still, I hung my head. That I hadn't even considered it…

["What? In between fretting over the wounded and your students? Tending to them and ensuring they were well? You did as you should. You focused on the present. And now, you focus on helping them find their footing once more and walk forward to the future. The past is a guide, but you cannot be trapped by it. You cannot let it chain you."] She floated closer to hug me, resting her cheek on my hair. ["While we can turn back time, it is a limited ability. As it should be. Otherwise, we would obsess on ensuring every option is the 'correct' choice. Our every action is the 'right' one. In doing so, we would cease to live in the present and condemn ourselves to lose sight of any future at all."]

"Dad says something similar."

["Good. Remember the words, the next time you find yourself fretting on something like this."] She 'hugged' me a little tighter. ["As for dear Madeline, I think the candies you keep in the jar on your desk would suit marvelously."]

She was right, of course. Madeline gobbled up the candies as soon as she had stepped out from my bathroom and then together, we carried everything to the classroom. It took two trips, and Madeline teased me the entire time over the most random of things that both exasperated me and made me smile a little. From there, we went about arranging things, making sure everything was on display and yet would not get in the way. Harder than it sounded, especially with Madeline insisting on being silly.

In fact, Madeline and I had barely finished setting up the room (hiding Ashe's gift behind my desk) when the first of my students trickled in: Edelgard. "Apparently, Chloe's tendency to make things when she's bored got out of hand and, worse, infected the rest," I lied when I saw her wide eyes, mostly because I figured Madeline could tell them the truth if she wanted. Her grin told me 'no, for now'. "Grab what you'd like, but leave some for the others. The first part of class today shall be admiring all the gifts they sent."

"So, we can take whichever ones we want?" Edelgard repeated slowly, looking around at all the various trinkets, toys, food, and whatnot scattered about amongst the blankets and pillows. I needed to bring out the tea sets still. "Whichever?"

"You just can't take all of one thing. Leave some for the others." Best to be a little teasing. "That does mean you can't take all the tasty baked treats Annabelle made."

"Drat." Still, she smiled. "Does it count if I leave one?"

"Only if you take no more of the rest. There's still other treats."

"Never mind. I'll be good."

Edelgard wasn't the only one to gawk and stare. Most of my students did, as they trickled in, and didn't quite believe me when I repeated what I had told her. That is, until Edelgard finally took one of the treats. That sparked the avalanche and there was certainly… something about watching everyone fall onto the gifts with unbridled, child-like glee. I eventually decided the 'something' was along the lines of 'bittersweet', though it didn't quite fit. But to see my students happily playing with the toys and games, cooing over the trinkets, devouring all the food… many of them had brief looks of wonder on their faces, as if they had never experienced a time where they could do something so simple. Or they had, but thought they never would again.

All the treats were gobbled up, particularly the baked treats and the smoked meat dumplings (brought specifically because Annabelle remembered some of my students were not fond of sweets). Both Madeline and I had to keep a close eye on a few (Linhardt, Mercedes, Lysithea, Raphael, and Hapi) to ensure everyone had a chance to try at least one baked treat. And we had to keep an even closer eye on a couple of the others (Caspar, Petra, Felix, and Ingrid, plus Raphael and Hapi again) to make sure they didn't eat all the meat dumplings! Harder than it sounded, given how I tried to keep an eye on everyone.

In the middle of the room, Hubert, Claude, Yuri, and Sylvain all clustered around a tactical board game, eagerly placing stones on the board with distinct 'clacks'. "This is like a game I've played since I was a child," Claude noted absently, more focused on the board than in being secretive. Then again, I wasn't sure anyone was truly paying attention to the tidbit of his past that he let slip, not even Hubert. For one thing, Hubert was distracted by Edelgard coming over to watch over his shoulder. I hid a small smile when I saw her clutching one of the stuffed bears Chloe had made to her chest; she had seized one immediately and refused to let go since.

Given Edelgard and Hubert were by the board game, I would have expected Ferdinand to be near, if only because of his rivalry with both. He wasn't, though. Instead, he had 'stolen' all the tea pots and taken them to a corner so that he, Constance, and Lorenz could happily gush about the orange blossom teas sent from Remire, made from the very ones they had picked and dried during their last visit. They didn't horde the tea, of course. They just insisted on being the only ones to make it, citing that there was a certain process and elegance to it that simply must be observed in order to pay proper respect.

In another corner, Mercedes, Hilda, and Dorothea cooed and gasped over the sparkling gemstone beads that had been tucked into a handkerchief. No doubt from Shawn. While his specialty was working with leathers and furs, he enjoyed fashioning beads as well, as Sofia simply adored weaving sparkly things into whatever she was making. 'A little surprise for the owner', she would laugh, and he would smile so sweetly at her… no doubt he'd hoped one of my students would enjoy the same. Or some sort of handicraft in general, since there were also various dried and pressed flowers, feathers, and other little trinkets perfect for whatever craft someone wanted to make. I thought that was why Marianne and Bernadetta were close, but not too close. Bernadetta hid whatever she was sewing, but I could see Marianne carefully arranging some of the fresh flowers that had arrived with the rest. She was even smiling while she did so.

Part of me thought Ignatz might be with them, though I wasn't sure why. I had only seen him sketching, after all. Maybe it was because it was a shock to see him sitting next to Balthus, the two talking about a coin Balthis owned and, for whatever reason, didn't try to pawn off. Not sure why, because even I could tell it was ancient, but perhaps it had sentimental meaning to him. Whatever the reason, Ignatz was certainly enthralled by the stories. He even took notes, like we were in proper class. Not that he was the only one. Some of the menagerie did try to study. Try. I wasn't sure how well it worked, but I could see Annette and Lysithea making a great effort to do so. They just… kept getting distracted.

"That bear is so cute!" Annette squealed, poking the bear Lysithea had claimed as hers. It had been the first thing she'd gone for, before even the sweets. "Do you like dolls? I've a wooden one my father carved for me. I'll show you later!"

"I… can appreciate them, yes," Lysithea mumbled, blushing. Thought she might be embarrassed. "You don't think it's silly?"

"Huh? Why would I? It's so adorable! And my doll is terribly special to me." A bit of sorrow flitted across Annette's face before she was back to smiles. "But that's for later! Here, I found that textbook from the School of Sorcery I told you about before. Well, more that our professor found it and returned it to me. And there's this arithmetic book I borrowed from her too, and I remembered you mentioning wanting to study crests a little more, so I borrowed a book from Professor Hanneman-"

"A book on crests, huh?" Linhardt asked, suddenly appearing between the two. Both girls shrieked and jumped from shock, and I couldn't blame them in the slightest. After all, not even half a second ago, I would've sworn he was asleep near where Caspar, Raphael, Felix, and Leonie were chatting about training methods and what weights to use. Which was on the complete other side of the room. "Interesting, mind if I take a look?"

"You can look with us, I suppose?" Annette answered, slowly getting situated again. She frowned, though. "How do you wake so fast for this and not lectures? You sleep straight through most of them!"

"I do not. Our professor teaches us very interesting things most days. But then I get sleepy from staying up so much, so I fall asleep immediately afterwards." That was strangely flattering coming from him. Confusing, but flattering. "Now, about this book on crests…"

"You have to pay a toll of sweets," Lysithea demanded, surprisingly grouchy. Annette looked at her worriedly, but Lysithea shook her head. "Otherwise, you won't get to see a single letter."

"That's a harsh price," Linhardt complained. Yet, without hesitation, he walked over to grab some sweets and brought them back, taking only one and giving the rest of Annette and Lysithea. "But worth it. So, that book."

"You're impossible."

The trio fell into quick and surprisingly good-natured arguing as they jostled each other to find a way to read together. I smiled a bit at the sight, and looked over the room again, hunting for anything 'out of sorts'. Sadly, I found something immediately: Ashe. Though everyone else had clustered together, delighted by the gifts, he sat far away, tucked into the back corner. Alone. It hurt my heart, and I snuck along the edges of the room towards him, to see if there was something I could do.

"Ashe?" But there was no need, truly. Madeline had also noticed where Ashe was and, judging everyone sufficiently distracted, she gathered the gift made especially for him, crept over to him, and waited for him to look up at her. "This is for you," she explained in a whisper, draping a handmade blanket around him. Pale blue with small violets embroidered on the hem, made by Chloe from thread Sofia wove. "For when the what-ifs and nightmares chill your heart."

Ashe stared and opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying and failing to form words. He settled, eventually, for simply clutching the blanket and pulling it more firmly around him. Seeing the gratitude in the action, Madeline ruffled his hair and left his side to teasingly scold Hapi for trying to steal more food. Ashe wasn't left alone for long, though. Dimitri gently dragged him over to where he and Ingrid were sitting, Ingrid excitedly reading knightly stories aloud for the three of them to enjoy.

At first, I wondered why Dedue was not there with them, thinking he would try to stay near Dimitri as he always did. But he was on the other side of the room, trying to catch someone's attention. "Petra?" he quietly called, barely loud enough for me to hear even as I crossed the room towards him. Petra finished up what she was doing (eating a meat dumpling) and came to his side, looking up at him curiously. "My… understanding is your difficulties with Fodlan's language are opposite of what mine were." He spoke, each word chosen with more care than usual. "However, these…" He pulled a small, well-worn notebook from his pocket and handed it to her. "These are my notes from when His Highness taught me how to read, write, and speak the language. I thought, perhaps, you may find some use for them. There is a section strictly on idioms, for instance."

"Truly?!" Petra gasped, eagerly clutching it to her chest. Her smile threatened to rival Ashe's normal smile with its brightness. "You have my thanks! Idioms and jokes have been giving me most trouble. I had been asking Alois to explain his, but after trying, he had said the humor was disappearing with the explanation."

"Many of Sir Alois's jokes rely on puns, a type of word-play." Dedue smiled faintly. "The most common reaction to puns tends to be some sort of groan, but I like Sir Alois's. They make His Highness laugh, and he has not laughed much these past four years."

"Yes, yes, he does much playing with words." Petra bounced on her toes before leaning forward with eyes sparking with curiosity. "You said your difficulties while learning were opposite of mine?"

"Due to Duscur's contact with traveling merchants, we could speak the language of Fodlan well enough to hold casual conversation, though reading and writing were difficult." Dedue made to retreat, likely because he decided he'd used up his allotted allowance of words, but Petra followed him and even sat next to him while he sorted through some spices that had been in one of the baskets. "I… fear I will not be good company while I discern what these are."

"That is fine. The smells are being most interesting. Some are reminding me of my home." Petra smiled and happily opened up the notebook to begin reading. "The one you are holding is not one I am aware of, however."

"This one?" Dedue tilted the tin so that she could see the words. "We called it something different in Duscur, but I believe it is from lands to the far east, past even Almyra. An earthy flavor not unlike cumin."

"Cumin… I do not recognize the word. What dishes be using it?"

"Truthfully, quite a few."

Not even Dedue's stoicism could hold up against Petra's cheerful questions, and he haltingly explained various spices and dishes to her. A bubbly feeling tickled my throat as I watched, and warm contentment slinked around me and settled in like a particularly pleased cat. It was a feeling that only grew as I looked over my students again, watching them all smile and laugh so much. It was the happiest I'd seen them since Gaspard, and I was so delighted by it that I almost missed Azrael's approach. I still might've if he had not 'prodded' me before actually arriving.

"Wow, no wonder you're all giddy like a proud mama bird," Azrael teased, stepping inside the room. He leaned into me with a grin, gently butting his head against mine, and I smiled faintly at him. "Of course, it is rather nice seeing them finally chipper. Given the variety, though, I'm going to guess a care package from Remire showed up. Complete with a cheerfully annoying messenger."

"Cheerfully annoying, am I?" Madeline repeated archly, pretending to sulk as she skipped over to join us. At least, she tried to pretend. Her barely contained smile belied the attempt. "Hmph! I see how it is!"

"That would be much more threatening if I didn't know you." He grinned and Madeline rolled her eyes. "I see your plan is a rousing success. Though I'm confused by the spices Dedue has. Did your dad return?"

"No, Father is still traveling about, being a merchant and all." He was one of the very few who regularly left Remire. "The number of bandits have been increasing on the roads, so he's playing it safe. But he sent some things ahead, including the spices, and Annabelle was sure it would spark some creativity in the more cooking inclined members of the menagerie."

"Well, Dedue seems to like them. He's actually talking."

"Not everyone says all their thoughts for everyone to hear."

"Besides, he may be thinking of how he can use them to help distract Ashe," I murmured, remembering Ashe had once mentioned Dedue teaching him how to cook. It made sense to me for those lessons to continue, if Ashe was up for it. "Then again, I'd like to think he's slowly opening up to the others. Slowly."

"Well, he's apparently teaching Sylvain how to cook," Azrael informed me. I pressed my surprise at him, and he shrugged. "Not sure when it started, but I came across them while I was looking for a midnight snack."

"I wonder how that came about, given how Dedue usually tries to avoid people." But if he was slowly opening up, then I was glad. I could only hope it would help him move past the frankly terrifying mentality he had of being nothing more than an object to be used as Dimitri willed. "Hmm?" Even as my thoughts turned that way, though, I caught a little bit of movement and barely turned in time to avoid Hapi as she slipped past us to head outside. "Ah…" I looked up at Azrael, and he nodded, catching my silent request to watch everyone for me. Then I chased after Hapi.

Thankfully, she didn't go far. "Huh? Firebird?" she asked, blinking when she noticed I'd followed her. She sat against one of the pillars, bringing her knees to her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you all right?" I asked, deciding to simply cut to the heart of the matter. Thousand of possibilities streaked through my head. "You pushed past me."

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm fine." She even waved her hand, as if to wipe away my worries. Sadly, they only made them worse. Did Madeline and I scold too much? "It was just the noise."

"Noise?"

"Yeah, I'm really not used to all the chatter." She pushed herself to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. "My village was quiet, and things aren't exactly loud when you're a prisoner. Abyss, meanwhile, is pretty open. So, all the chatter here… it gives me a headache at times." She made a face. Without thinking about it, I reached over and touched her temple to send a pulse of healing magic through her to ease it. "...Uh… oh, right your magic is strange. Keep forgetting that." She smiled, though. "Thanks. Might just ask next time. I've been sneaking out or covering my ears, but…"

"I'd be glad to tend to you. I'd rather you not sit and suffer in pain."

"Yeah, you're nice like that." Her smile grew. "Remire is filled with weird people, isn't it? Or at least the ones we interact with most are weird as heck. Sending all this stuff to cheer us up, and let's not pretend otherwise. I think we all realized it."

"That's not my secret to tell."

"Of course not." Still, Hapi muffled a laugh. "Next time, for treats, let's have berries. Lots of berries. I miss having fresh berries. I used to eat them all the time back in my village. The taste of the forest really can't be beat."

"When we next visit Remire, I'll see if you and some others can go berry picking."

"Now that's a chore I'll happily do." She muffled another laugh. "Well, while I'm making suggestions, can we learn about stars?"

"The stars?" That was a surprise. "Hmm… well, they are useful for navigational purposes, and the varying stories between regions about the different constellations provide an interesting insight into history and culture. I can see about working it in."

"Good, now Yuri-bird doesn't have to feel as bad, and I don't have to deal with teaching him myself. It's a pain." Yet another muffled laugh. She… tricked me, didn't she? I couldn't even be mad about it. "I'll head back in now. Leonie's been bugging me about the hunting knife I own, so I guess I'll indulge her or something."

"Let me or Azrael know if your head begins hurting again."

"Will do." She skirted past me to head inside, and I followed her to the door. Not inside, though. Because when I reached the door, I noticed Jeritza was near and lingered outside, surprised to see him. Then I stiffened because as soon as he saw me, he strode over with purpose. Not good. Not good at all.

"Jeritza, hello," I greeted, stepping away from the door. I was tempted to shut the door entirely and only didn't because I had to keep Azrael from coming outside. "Did you need something?"

"You," he replied, the word blunt and to the point. His focus shrunk to me, like a needle to the eye. I did my best to not tense. "You do not train at your usual time."

"Sadly, due to recent events and work, I had to find a different time." And I didn't want him to know when that was. I had no intentions of repeating that sparring match. "Were you looking for me?"

"I wanted to ask about those sweets." Took me a long second to remember what he was even talking about. The sweets I had given him as thanks for telling me about Cyril falling asleep in the greenhouse. "Where did you acquire them?"

"If you wish to buy some of your own, I fear they came from no store." Okay, this was not what I expected. At all. "One of my students baked them for me."

"I see." Even through the mask, I could see his disconcertion. The slight frown, the tiny narrowing of the eyes, the tensing in his shoulders… all of it. "Thank you." With that, he left. That… that was not what I had…

"Professor?" Still reeling from whatever the hell just happened, it took me a full second realize Mercedes calling for me. "Is everything all right?" she asked, when I turned to face her. "You stepped out suddenly…"

"Surprised you noticed, given how enthralled by the stones you were," I gently teased, heading over. She made a little face at that. "I'm sorry. I'm gladdened you are enjoying yourself. But all is well, as far as I know. Jeritza simply had a question for me."

"I see." She glanced over to watch him disappear behind the corner of the classroom building. Likely heading to the training yard. "It's strange, but something about him seems familiar. However, I certainly don't know the name, and I don't remember meeting anyone of House Hyrm when I still lived in House Bartels…" She rested a hand on her cheek with a little sigh. "I suppose the resemblance is merely coincidental."

"...Do you want me to ask?"

"Oh, heavens, no! It's certainly not that important!" She smiled sweetly, and after a moment, I nodded. Better to not press. "Shall we return? Everyone is wondering where you went."

Why would they? I almost asked, but I decided to simply let it go. I wanted them to relax and not worry about anything today, so it was much better to go with it. Particularly when I saw them smiling. Confusion was more than worth that.


Between Dad's duties and my own, it was difficult to find a time when both of us were free and there wouldn't be interruptions. I actually took to carrying the mask in a bag with me, just in case the opportunity presented itself. And, surprisingly, one did. Though, not in the way I would've ever anticipated.

"Dad's free right now?" I asked, surprised. After all, it was the middle of the day in the middle of the week. I'd just finished with afternoon classes, and gotten out of my bath. "Really?"

"He is, and since I noticed you've been hovering, I thought I'd let you know," Alois explained with a laugh. As usual, he wore his armor, and I had a feeling he was on his way out on another mission. Still, he… "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask him about something." I couldn't help but smile a little at him. He immediately beamed in return. "Thank you. While I wouldn't call it 'important', I do want to ask sooner rather than later."

"Not a problem at all." He ruffled my hair, and I made myself hold still. My instinct was to flinch, but… but this was Alois and if there was one thing I knew about him, it was that he'd rather die than hurt me. I… I could trust that. "I do wish there's more I can do for you, though."

"Helping with the axe users helps me far more than I can say." Actually, given their progress… "I might need some extra lessons myself soon, though."

"I'd be glad to help." Somehow, his smile became even brighter. Maybe he could help Ashe regain his own bright smile… "For now, though, I best head out. Mission and all."

"Stay safe."

I lingered in the doorway just long enough to see him leave before ducking back in my room to find the bag. Inanely, I wondered if it had been a bad idea to clean the blood and rot off, but even if it was, it was more than a little late for that. I'd done it before we even left Gaspard. So, shaking my head, I gathered it close and darted for the Captain's Office. That's where Alois said he'd be and, lo and behold, that was where he was. Hunched over the desk, working on papers.

"Hmm? Byleth?" he called, noticing me as soon as I swung into the doorway. I hesitated, but he looked up from his papers with a smile. A nice, relaxed smile that showed I was not interrupting anything. Either he was double-checking something or was trying to get ahead. "What is it, kid? You've been hovering recently and Azrael said you wanted to ask me something."

"Of course he did," I mumbled, feeling strangely nervy. I tried to hide it by shutting the door behind me, but Dad's eyes narrowed anyway. He always knew my moods. "But yes, I had a question."

"And you're speaking around it." Dad frowned, his eyes narrowing a little more as he continued scrutinizing me. I had no idea why I was so anxious suddenly. I mean; Dad was here. Dad was here and, thus, everything was fine. Or would be fine. That was how it always was, how it always would be. "Do I need to stab someone?"

"No, you don't need to remind people here that Azrael gets a lot of his traits honest." I picked my way to his desk and stood beside him. I still clutched the bag to my chest. "I just wanted to know if you recognized something."

"Which is presumably in that bag."

"Yes." I still had to gather my wits, what few there were, before thrusting the bag at him. It only occurred to me then that not all the nervousness was 'mine'. The bulk was actually Sothis's, for reasons she did not understand. "There. It's cleaned, probably shouldn't have, but…"

"Cleaned? What was it covered with in the first… place…?" Dad pulled the unknown mage's mask out of the bag. And fell silent. Completely silent. It was rare to see him speechless. It was rarer to see him utterly dumbfounded. Yet, here he was, afflicted with both. "Why is it…?" He slowly turned it this way and that, examining every angle in the light. "Haven't seen one since Pan… why is it here…?"

"Dad?" No answer. It unnerved me. He'd never been that shocked before. "Papa?" Dad jerked back, blinking slowly. He'd been more than lost in thought, then. "Is it… bad?"

"I…" He looked at the mask again and then leaned down to tuck it into one of the bottom drawers of the desk. The Captain's Desk which was supposedly not his, but I think it was just lip-service to whoever took over after Dad. I certainly never saw the 'official' captain. "Let me get back to you on that, Byleth. It's familiar, and on the tip of my tongue, but I need to hunt down an old journal before I can give a proper answer."

"I see." I frowned, studying him, but nodded. As near as I could tell, he was telling the truth. He knew the mask, knew of what he associated with it, but did not remember anything else. Only that it was important. "I'll leave it with you, then." Thus, it was time to switch the subject. "You have a friend named after Loog's tactician?"

"Yes, I had a friend by the name. He died a long time ago, though." And that was going to be the end of that subject. Dad rarely talked of dead loved ones, with the sole exception of Mom, and that was something Azrael and I firmly respected. Even more so than usual. "Where did you come across this mask?"

"Gaspard." I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling strangely cold suddenly. Sothis 'hugged' me, sending a wave of reassurance to ground me. "Think they used blood magic to generate the unnatural fog we had to deal with. They're clearly not with the Church and it seemed Lonato didn't truly know them either."

"A potential third party causing trouble?" Dad drummed his fingers on the desk, cursing under his breath. "Got it. I'll make finding those journals a priority and let you know as soon as I can. Though, it could still take a while." He smiled bitterly. "Not only have to remember where I stored them, but also remember what entry it could be. Assuming I wrote it down at all."

"I'll only accept that if you do not stress over it, or worse, hurt yourself." I frowned a little and he immediately brought his hands up in surrender. "I'm quite serious, Father."

"I can tell, even without you calling me that."

"Just making sure, Papa." I relaxed and held my hands out to him. "I want a hug now, though."

Dad, thankfully, laughed at the request and, even better, obliged and let me tuck my head under his chin and listen to his heartbeat. 'Thump, thump, thump'. The most comforting sound in the world… it soothed me enough for my own thoughts to stop battering my brain and for my nerves to ease enough to sense something off with Azrael. Namely, incredulous irritation growing more and more by the half-second. So, with one last hug, I left to track him down and determine the cause. And that's when I was hit with a couple of surprises, because I found him in the courtyard, near some of the trees, talking with Edelgard. Sort of.

"Most of the Imperial nobles are useless, slovenly ambitious brats who do naught but leech of their people," Edelgard was saying, crossing her arms. Scathing words, and normally, Azrael would be amused at someone being as harsh and blunt as him. That he instead was irritated… something told me this wasn't the first time this sort of conversation had come up. "When I am emperor, I intend to only appoint those who can actually be useful, no matter their bloodlines."

"Charming," Azrael drawed. He was perfectly sarcastic, all of his thoughts more towards 'why must she tell and ask me these things?'. Definitely not the first, then. Why did she, though? Azrael wasn't… well, he wasn't someone most would turn to for advice. "And if those with vaunted bloodlines protest?"

"It doesn't matter. It's just a matter of doing it, and doing it right." Edelgard frowned. "Besides, as I told Dorothea, the nobility system has only been around for twelve-hundred years."

"The Empire has only been around for twelve-hundred years. The concept of nobility and, more specifically, of social hierarchies is older than humanity. Just learn about pack animals and herds if you want more proof." Azrael gave her a droll look; Edelgard frowned more. "Look, if you didn't want someone to point out where you're conveniently ignoring or twisting facts to suit you, you shouldn't talk to me."

"I suppose I should have said the 'current' system of nobility, with its emphasis on crests, is only twelve-hundred years old."

"Which probably speaks more to your feelings on crests than nobility, but that is neither here nor there. Whatever your reasons and justifications, it doesn't change your goal, yes?" He crossed his arms and raised a brow. "You wish to create a more… merit-based society."

"That's correct, yes."

"All right, so what are you going to do about the ones who aren't particularly gifted?"

"Pardon?"

"Not everyone is gifted at something. Not everyone is talented. Some people are just… normal. That's kind of what normal means." Azrael leaned against the tree, looking down at her. "So, what are you going to do about them? The ones who are not talented." Edelgard grimaced, clearly thrown for a loop. " How will you balance the inherent discrepancy between those who are wealthy enough to enjoy the luxury of training and exploring their interests and those who do not and must work themselves to the marrow just to scrape enough together to eat? Suddenly declaring bloodlines have no meaning won't change the number of children starving in the streets, or the number of people doing jobs they cannot stand simply because the alternative is death or worse."

"Well…" Edelgard bit her lip, trying to think. And coming up blank.

"Furthermore, how will you determine who is useful? What will you do for those who are wickedly skilled in a specific field, one without glory or prestige? How do you stop parents from forcing their children to overwork themselves for the sake of training and moving up in the ranks? Or forcing them into fields they do not like because they are viewed as 'better for society'? What do you do about those who have no talent for things they love, and a terrible talent indeed for things they cannot stand?" Azrael rattled off the questions as they came, though he paused a little after that last one, his heart keening as he thought of me, so good at killing yet each death broke my heart. "Ah, then of course, how do you determine who is best suited for a role in the first place? Tests? What about things that are subjective? Performance? How do you ensure the person is in situations where the supposed ideal traits show themselves? Surely you don't think you have the resources to trial and error it."

"Well, of course not, yet-"

"And again, how do you determine someone is suited for the role? For example, leading an army. Please tell me you won't say the best leader for them is the one who can kill the most. You're looking at someone who is very good at killing and yet should never be in charge of anyone."

"I think I can tell that much for myself." The words were almost dry enough to catch fire. "As for the rest, I…" Azrael waited for an answer, finally, but Edelgard struggled for one. "A ruler must act on behalf of the people as a whole."

"Yeah, yeah. One for the many and all that." Azrael sighed, grumbling under his breath. Edelgard scowled. "Told you this before, but whatever you need to tell yourself to keep on walking."

"Then what would you do?" Edelgard's face flushed from quiet rage and she glared up at him. "Adding clean water to a dirty well won't clean the well."

"Once again…" Azrael's voice dropped to a growl, his frustration spiking. "Whatever you wish to tell yourself to justify your decisions is not my concern."

"What is your concern then?!" Never heard Edelgard snap like that. He must've snipped a nerve or three. "You live in this world in case you've somehow forgotten!"

"Yet if it burned itself into fire and ash, nothing would change for me." Silence. Nothing but silence, loud enough to echo. Azrael held his head high, daring her to continue challenging him. She simply stared, aghast, and thus, Azrael slowly made himself relax. "I… how do I word this? I suppose I simply must be rambling and hope the point comes across. Maybe then you'd realize why asking me these things is pointless." He crossed his arms and closed his eyes to find the words he wanted. "I am not like you. I am no dreamer, no idealist. I do not seek to change the world. I do not care to. In fact, that… summarizes it right there. I do not care." He sighed and opened his eyes to smile sardonically. Edelgard continued staring. "To me, the world might as well be gray. It's there. It exists. Everything is the same thing over and over again, different words set to the same tuneless melody. I might as well be walking through a garden in thick fog." He shrugged, uncrossing his arms to gesture. "It is through Dad and Byleth I am able to find any beauty to the world. That is why I say they are my world. They, and the people of Remire. As such, I protect them with all I have, and those they wish to protect."

"So…" Edelgard bit her lip, her eyes narrowed and her brows knit together in clear confusion. "If it does not directly deal with you, then you…"

"Don't care." He shrugged. "I'm not my sister. She can pick out the individual qualities of each person in a mob. For me, however, they are faceless blurred blobs, completely unremarkable. I think no more of them than I do a dull rock on the road." No answer. Only silent staring. "Now, if you're done with the questions, I really need to get going. Seteth asked me to investigate potential areas for bandits to hide in northern Faerghus, and I need to report. He gets cranky if he thinks there's a delay."

Azrael strode off without another word, his thoughts drowning in irritation. Edelgard herself stared after him, utterly flabbergasted, before she turned and walked the other way. I… debated on what to do, who to talk to, and eventually decided neither. I did not think Edelgard would want company after that, and I knew from experience that talking with Azrael right now would lead to either him becoming grouchier or, worse, him trying to 'pull' all the irritation deep in his heart where it would fester. All for the sake of sparing me. Better to ignore and support quietly. Instead, I decided to head for the dining hall, since it was normally empty at this hour and, thus, I could quietly get something to snack on before returning to my work. Of course, thanks to my 'luck', it was not actually empty. Instead, Ferdinand was there, fussing with a plate of cookies, and Dorothea had literally just walked in through the other door.

"Ah, you've arrived at just the right time!" If Ferdinand was actually the puppy he so emulated, his 'tail' would have been wagging up a storm with how pleased he looked and sound. "Care for one of these handmade treats?" he asked, proudly holding the plate out.

Dorothea looked between them and Ferdinand a couple of times before responding, "My goodness, Ferdie." Though she widened her eyes as if in surprise, sarcasm wafted from every word. "When did you become such a talented confectioner?"

"Oh, Dorothea!" Naturally, however, Ferdinand completely missed the sarcasm and visibly preened at the perceived compliment. "I'm hardly an expert!"

"Nevertheless, you managed to make some delicious looking treats." Dorothea smiled very faintly, possibly amused. "Especially given how you have not baked before."

"Indeed, and truthfully, there were many failed batches prior to this. Still, I persevered. After all, I made them to solve the riddle you gave me." Ferdinand grinned; Dorothea's eyes widened in true surprise this time. "The reason you despise me, that is."

"Oh?" Dorothea looked back to the treats, and for a brief second, I swore something conflicted flickered in her eyes. That is, before she tucked it away behind the armor that was her smile. "And how do these factor in?"

"When we were at Remire last, I took the opportunity to study the bees there. I discovered that while the bees are dutiful workers, just as I am, they inherit a capricious home, with a wealth of honey. The honey we harvested from the hives was excess. Similarly, no matter how hard I work, it is fact I inherited my fortune, not earned. This, of course, gives me luxuries and advantages no matter what." He smiled, rather pleased. Dorothea kept on smiling, though it was easy to see the sheer incredulousness slowly creeping into it. "I had hoped by earning something on my own, without relying on my wealth, might lead you to feel differently."

"By making cookies."

"You seem to like sweets." He said it as if it was obvious. Dorothea's eyes were wider than plates by this point. "I made sure to obtain most of the ingredients without the stipend I receive from my father. To earn the flour, I spent an afternoon working in the fields. To earn the sugar, I carried a merchant's wares." His smile became a little shy and sheepish, and he glanced away in embarrassment. "I cannot say I earned the honey I used, of course. It's some we received from Remire. A-and the recipe itself is one Miss Annabelle uses." Eavesdropping as I was, I had many questions, including when and how the hell did Ferdinand manage all of this? He'd been perfectly attentive in both class and training, and had not missed a single chore!

"Did she do the cooking?"

"Oh, no, that would undermine my goal. I did extra chores in exchange for nightly use of the kitchen these past few days." Ferdinand, when did you have the time to do this? "I asked Mercedes for advice after the first night, though. It took me quite some time to clean the charcoal filled mess I made."

"I… have to admit that's impressive." Dorothea looked down and the side, unable to hold his gaze at all. "Hey, your hand…"

"Hmm?" He brought up his right hand, which had a very distinct and almost shiny pink mark marring it. First degree burn… "Ah, I forgot to put my gloves back on. I burned myself while baking; it's nothing to be concerned about."

"Nonsense. That burn will scar, you know." Gently, Dorothea took his hand and cast a quick heal spell on it. While perhaps lacking the power the other magically inclined students might have, it was masterfully cast. "There we are." She let go and frowned slightly at him. However, for once, there was a glint of good humor in her eyes. "You should've gotten this properly treated immediately, Ferdie. Big-shot nobles have to treat their bodies with care just like the rest of us."

"There you go again. Noble this, noble that." Ferdinand sighed, all enthusiasm draining away. "Still, it was not with as much disdain as usual."

"Nothing gets past you. I may have reconsidered you a little." She held up a finger to stop whatever excited reply Ferdinand might have had. Considering how he'd instantly brightened, it no doubt would have been loud and perhaps a touch dramatic. "I said just a little. And you didn't find the answer to my riddle."

"So, I am still a bee." Ferdinand raised his hand to his temple, frowning. "A completely mystified bee."

"With that said, I… do appreciate the effort. Even if I am confused by it." Dorothea leaned forward, a smile of armor on her face once more. "Why go though such lengths? Is it because I'm the Mystical Songstress of the Mitellfrank Opera?"

"Well, I would not mind discussing some of your operas. Your performance in The Bluebell was particularly masterful, to say nothing of The Phantom." Ferdinand continued frowning, and his absent tone hinted he focused far more on solving the riddle than actually answering Dorothea's question. "However, I must first properly apologize for whatever harm I caused you and, more importantly, correct the behavior which led to it."

"Because nobles must protect us commoners, yes?"

"While I do believe that is true, I also believe one should always apologize for hurting someone and strive to do better." His frown deepened and he grumbled something. "Ah, I believe I should make some tea before I attempt to tackle a new approach to determining the answer. I'm thinking in circles."

"...Ferdie, just to clarify…" Dorothea shifted to remain in front of him. "You're… going through all this effort to 'properly' apologize?"
"Yes?" Ferdinand tilted his head, confused by her confusion. "How else can I minimize the chances of me causing harm once more?" Dorothea remained silent. "I must be off to attempt anew, but please, take the cookies."

"I will. Thank you, Ferdie." Dorothea watched him leave, a conflicted look crossing her face once more. "I… can I believe…? No, no, of course not. Believing nobles only gets you hurt. I know this. I know this. Yet he…" With a surprisingly shaky hand, she picked up one of the cookies and bit into it. "A little too sweet… but still…" She nibbled on the cookie and happened to look up then. Right at me, because I stupidly remained in the doorway. "Professor?!"

"Hello, Dorothea," I greeted, wondering if I should tell her what I witnessed. The way she shied back hinted 'no'. "I'm sorry. I'm bothering you, am I?"

"I… no, you're not!" she instantly reassured. It was kind of her to say. "I… it's just… Oh, I should just come out and say it, huh? Instead of trying to make up an excuse" She smiled awkwardly, and set the half-eaten cookie on the table. "I… find you difficult to be around sometimes." Oh. Well, I was used to that. Not… quite sure how we got onto the topic, but it made sense to her, clearly. "I know; I know. I'm your student, and you're just watching out for me. But sometimes…"

"It's fine." I was honestly surprised she felt bad about it. No other stranger had before. "Many find the stoicism unnerving."

"It's not that. Or… maybe that does make it worse?" She sighed heavily, shoulders rising and falling with the motion. "It's just… sometimes, it seems like you stare right through me."

"...Stare right through you?"

"Don't worry. I know you don't mean anything by it. I'm just… self-conscious." She took off her hat, and ran a hand through her hair to fluff it put again. "The thing is… I don't have anything to call my own. No land, no birthright, no fortune, no home… nothing. So, I've always clung to my popularity as a diva and even after leaving the stage, I've kept up the act." Her smile became bitter when she looked back to me. "Yet when I look at you, sometimes it feels like you can see straight through the act. You can see the street girl under the mask of a diva. That's why it can be difficult sometimes. Particularly when my heart is already a mess." I had… absolutely no idea how to reply to that. "Hmm… perhaps if I knew a weakness of yours?"

"A weakness?"

"Well, you know my biggest fear." Unless that fear was… actually, never mind. I could take a guess. "If I know one of yours…" She shrugged, laughing. "I know it sounds nuts, but…"

"So, you wish to know a fear of mine?" I leaned against the wall, a little amused, if confused, by the turn the conversation took. "Well, the dark."

"Oh?"

"I'm terrified of the dark. Of course, it was worse when I was younger." I smiled faintly. "When I was younger, I had to curl up with Dad or Azrael to fall asleep, especially on a moonless night. Nowadays, I either burn a candle or keep the curtains of my window open to let in the moonlight." Just starlight wasn't quite enough to take the edge off, though they were relaxing and beautiful to look at. And I enjoyed how they endured through the darkness. "Azrael, for the record, is terrified of needles."
"He is?"

"Indeed. He saw Bernadetta embroidering outside her room, caught the flash of the needle, and bolted for the other side of the monastery. To give you a clearer idea."

"He did not!" She burst into laughter, and actually fell into a chair. "Who would've thought? Given how piercing he can be! Won't he be mad at you telling?"

"It's nothing we hide, truly." Most simply never cared to ask. You didn't need to know the fears a blade would have. If it even occurred to you that your 'blade' had them at all. "Regardless, Dorothea, your past is your own. I quite enjoyed your performances, but the person I see in front of me is Dorothea, my very dear student." She slowly quieted her laughter to look at me. "I see Dorothea, who adores playing with everyone's hair, whose kindness is only matched by her fierce protectiveness of her fellows, and who adores humming while she reads and sometimes switches songs in the middle of a verse. That's who I see, because that is who I know."

"You see things so differently compared to others. Maybe it's because of Sir Jeralt." It would have to be, given that he raised me. "Ah, that was a good laugh. I needed that. Come here and share these cookies with me? I dread the weight I'll gain if I eat them all! How do you eat all that you do and not gain anything?"

"Never had, truthfully." I hesitated, but did join her at the table. And immediately stole one of the cookies. More honey than what Annabelle used, but still so very good and warm. Ferdinand did an excellent job. "When we were younger, Azrael and I were unnaturally thin, truthfully, as we didn't quite know how to convey our large appetites." But Dad had figured it out, and encouraged us to always eat our fill. Even when money was tight and jobs were few.

"Hmm… I wonder if it's related to your crest? Or your atypical magic?" Now that was a thought I didn't think Azrael and I had ever considered. Wondered if I could ask Rhea about Mom's appetite. She had the same magic, at least. Though, I did wonder why I needed to eat more than Azrael. Was it because of Sothis?

["I live in your heart, not your stomach!"] Sothis's indignant reply almost made me smile. I hid it by eating another cookie. ["Honestly, it's probably due to your healing rate. After all, it already violates typical physics. Really should generate enough heat to incinerate you, not to mention how you don't get infections and everything re-aligns properly. But all power has a price and, in this case, the healing would pull from your very marrow if not for the massive amount of food you consume for it to draw from instead. Which would be a very good way to incapacitate you, I suppose. Constantly bleeding and healing as your body eats itself in an effort to keep you alive…"] I might have mentally snarked at her, but Sothis's worry spiked at whatever mental image she conjured up for herself. ["Not going to happen. Ever. I will make sure of that, and we are definitely keeping more snacks in your room!"]

She sounded so panicked; all I could do was send her reassurances as I paid attention to what Dorothea talked about, lighter subjects as well as what direction she wanted her lessons to go. And ate the cookies. No one said I couldn't snack while doing what I could for my students, after all.


As one could expect, even with everything else going on, investigations on the blatantly false assassination attempt continued as if this were a true threat. Eventually, Rhea informed me herself that all the students would be assisting the knights during the Rite of Rebirth. Which I still didn't know much about, though it sounded vaguely familiar. And, truth be told, I couldn't care less about knowing. I just had to inform my students they had to play along with the paranoia.

"So, our task for the moon is to help patrol and guard the monastery, in the hopes of thwarting the assassination plot," Dimitri summarized once I'd finished informing the three heirs about everything. I figured it was best, and so, we gathered in the gardens near the dorms. A little square or circle so that we could talk quietly. "The Knights certainly will have their hands full guarding Lady Rhea." He crossed his arms and tapped a finger against his elbow. "Perhaps our enemy is counting on that."

"Wait, you don't think the real goal is assassination?" Claude gasped, almost looking scandalized. At least, until he grinned and ruined the act. "I mean; I agree, of course. But still, I wouldn't have thought you'd catch on!"

"Mayhaps you can take it as a sign of just how damned obvious it is?" Dimitri's words were very, very dry, and sparked a surprisingly genuine laugh from Claude. "I fear your impression of my intelligence if you thought I would not find something odd about Lord Lonato carrying a 'secret' note with an assassination plot written on it."

"As hard as it is the believe, I concur," Edelgard murmured, tapping her finger on her cheek. Before pausing. "That… wait, what does that sound like I'm agreeing to?"

"You will not hurt my feelings by stating you thought the same as Claude, Edelgard," Dimitri sighed, looking very done. Claude laughed again; Edelgard had the grace to smile sheepishly. "I suggest we move on. I need not learn more of how lowly you two think of me."

"It's more that you are trusting and straightforward, not lacking of intelligence. And it seems like most of the monastery has bought the ruse, sloppy as it is."

"Moving. On."

"Right, yes." Edelgard coughed, looking distinctly embarrassed. I was a bit surprised, since I didn't think she'd shy away from stating her opinions, no matter what they were. Then again, perhaps their brief talk on the way to Gaspard helped soften her feelings towards him? "This is a very sloppy attempt. It was barely hidden." Was it? Yes, it was on Lonato's person, but Catherine had mentioned finding it because she'd been removing his armor to help his spirit cross the rivers of death. Seemed more to me that someone counted on that, but what did I know? Looting corpses wasn't completely unusual. Then again, it would also have to be someone who would not dismiss the threat out of hand, perhaps by hyperfocusing on the potential threat to Rhea and not thinking the whole thing through... "Professor?"

"Hmm? Yes?" I replied, jolted from my thoughts. All three heirs stared at me, and I wondered what I had missed. "My apologies. I was lost in thought."

"What thoughts were you thinking?" Claude asked, peering at me curiously. That ever-present calculating glint was even brighter than usual. "The enemy's motive, perhaps?"

"That would require more investigation. I would recommend organizing groups among the cohort to question people and explore potential areas on the Monastery, but do not stick strictly within Houses. You should make it less obvious as to what you're doing." How to answer the first part, though… it was not only Claude studying me, but Edelgard as well. Probably best to lie through my teeth. "As for my thoughts, I was mentally revising training schedules for everyone."

"Teach, you work too much." Claude sighed, and both Edelgard and Dimitri nodded as if in agreement. "Though, it definitely won't hurt to up our training some, just in case. But first, investigations and, more importantly, groups."

The three of them began to discuss groupings and potential places to start. Though I knew I should contribute, I… didn't. No, my thoughts once again turned to Gaspard and Lonato because the more I thought about it, the more I had to wonder if this was artfully manipulated. Lonato carrying a 'secret' message, clearly something to be discovered. Lonato driven to mad grief and heartbreaking fury at seeing Catherine, destroying any possible attempt at resolving things peacefully. Catherine, removing the armor quickly after the battle due to her beliefs and finding the note. Catherine, who clearly did not think things through when Rhea was involved. Then there was what Shamir had confirmed about Rhea's response to Lonato's 'rebellion'. The assassins with multiple targets with no clear connection, the fog that had smothered the field...

Was it all a coincidence? Was it someone getting lucky? Or did someone anticipate all of this, for the sole purpose of gaining… whatever it was they wanted to gain…? I had no answer save frustration. Was I making connections in a desperate and futile attempt to find some semblance of sense of this mess or was there something actually there?

"Professor?" This time it was Dimitri who jolted me from my thoughts. It took me a couple of blinks to realize he was the only one here; neither Edelgard nor Claude were anywhere in sight. "They went to gather the others," he explained. I didn't know how to react to that. "Since I had another matter to discuss with you, I remained."

"You do?" I asked, twisting to face him more fully. Immediately, I began thinking of just what it could be. "What is it?"

"It has to do with the Blue Lions." The cubs? "Ah, pardon, I mean the Blue Lion House as a whole." It took me a very long moment to remember I was technically in charge of the whole House, as well as my cohort. It took everything I had just to keep up with them that I'd forgotten completely. "Inter-House Tournaments begin this month, martial contests to spur rivalries and practice for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion in the next few months."

"I see." I vaguely remembered Hanneman and Manuela mentioning this sort of thing. Once again, I'd completely forgotten and guilt chafed at my heart. Ignoring some of my duties… even if it was because I was overwhelmed, that was no excuse… "Do I need to provide a list?"

"Actually, I was hoping you would leave that to me?" He smiled sheepishly, and I spared a thought over how terrible it was for him to do my work for me. "It'll give me a good excuse to interact with those outside the cohort, and given that I will be their king, I wish to hear their thoughts and feelings." It was even worse that he'd found a good reason to take over. "I… also remembered how uncomfortable you were at the mock battle." He did have a point there. And, terribly of me, I...

"I'll agree to it if you promise to not overwork."

"Professor, I fear you are the last one to scold anyone for overworking." This again? I was just doing what needed to be done. "Still, I will keep that promise to the best of my abilities." His smile became a little teasing. "I must be careful on who the Eagles and Deer field in these tournaments, though. If they choose those of our cohort, I fear I shall have to do the same. Given your magnificent guidance, anyone else would provide a poor showing!"

"There's no need to flatter me."

"I'm quite serious. If you need more proof, then you should look to the children you help me with." I personally thought their progress was more due to their own drives and Dimitri's endless patience. "I've studied swordsmanship since I could walk, yet your skills are truly on a different level entirely. I imagine a great deal of that comes from your own experiences…" Strangely, an uneasily serious light crept into his eyes. "That does remind me."

"Hmm?"

"You do not have to answer this, of course. It's a question which has lingered in my head for quite some time, and given your feelings about what happened in Gaspard…" He paused, gathering his words, and I waited. "You have been a mercenary for ten years. Since you were a child. Yet from what I've seen of Sir Jeralt, it's… difficult to comprehend how such a thing might have occurred. You two are clearly his everything."

"I…" My mouth went dry as I put the pieces together. Took a guess at what exactly he wanted to ask.

"Aelfric mentioned forced, which would make more sense, but at the same time…" Again, he stopped to collect his words. Though most of me felt like bolting, I waited. "May I ask about your first battle?"

"It…" I wanted to run. Run away from the memory. Run away from the question. Yet… well, to quote him, given his feelings of everything with Lonato, I thought… he might actually… "It wasn't by choice. Not mine, not Azrael's, and not Dad's." So, the words came out slowly, haltingly. Each one wriggling out from the deepest part of my heart. "I think we were in Adrestia at the time. There had been a rebellion. Dad was hired as a mercenary. As usual, Azrael and I… whenever he left for jobs, we hid in the inn."

"Hid?"

"Children of mercenaries are not welcomed, no more than mercenaries themselves. And…" A slight, bitter smile broke onto my face. "I told you this before, I think. Azrael and I were strange, the children of a mercenary. People… were not welcoming. Easier to hide. Then everyone could pretend we weren't there, and we would be safe. Most of the time, it worked. But not..."

"Professor…" Dimitri took a step closer and gently took my hands "If you would rather stop-"

"That day, it didn't work." Now that the words were loose, they were eager to surface. Eager to gnaw their way out of my heart. "I suppose someone had seen Dad training us. He taught us because it was good exercise. Good way to discipline. Maybe it was the Kingdom in him, since he's apparently from there and all. Though, he did teach us to read and write first."

"Unusual for those of the Kingdom." It was a weak attempt at a joke.

But it still did ease the strained smile which insisted on being on my face. "Regardless, someone might have seen. Maybe they didn't care at all. They just… burst down the doors, snatched us up, and threw us onto the field."

"You were ten!"

"It didn't matter. Not to them." Bitter resignation burned my tongue. Lingering fear made me rigid as a statue. "We were disposable. All of us were. The battered armor they shoved on me, the dulled weapon they forced into my hand… both were given more care than me. Both were worth more than my life to them. Both were worth more than the lives of each person who fought and fell, that day."

"Professor…"

"I don't remember the battle itself. It's just… a blur. I fought because I did not want to die. I killed because I did not want to lose this precious gift from Mom." My hands shook. Even with Dimitri holding them, they shook. "The first clear memory I have is afterwards, where I scrubbed my skin until I bled. That's where Dad found Azrael and me. He hadn't known we were on the field at all until then." I ducked my head. "We learned only once the battle was over who we killed. Civilians with barely any training. People ripped from their homes and told to march if they valued the lives of their families. They hadn't known they were marching for battle until the arrows came."

"That is…" He squeezed my hands. It was a little tight, but I found it grounding. "I'm… surprised you went anywhere near a battle after that."

"No choice, again." I glanced up briefly, just long enough to see his surprise. "Ten year olds surviving a chaotic battle spark many rumors. And people always feel entitled to disposable blades, no matter their apparent age. I think I was dragged from my room ten times before Dad and I agreed we'd simply… make it official. He couldn't stop taking jobs; we needed to eat. Yet every time he left, someone would break the door and drag us out." And no one ever stopped them.

"I…" He struggled for his words, but soon gave up. "I cannot even imagine. And forced onto the field as such, how did you reconcile…?" He paused, shaking his head. "No, rather, did you?"

"Reconcile what?"

"Killing. I…" His own smile was bitter, wry, and a little broken. "It is not a burden I bear well myself, truth be told."

"Ah, that's what you mean." I hesitated in answering. I'd never actually told anyone before. But, then again, that described… I had never told anyone about that first battle. I had never told anyone my thoughts on battles in general. Azrael and Dad knew, of course, but I had never told them. So, perhaps it was… "I don't bear it well either." He looked almost surprised, but he glanced at my hands again. They still shook. "After the battle in the chapel, before we confronted Aelfric, I… well, in your point of view, I suddenly started talking about my perfume."

"You did, yes?" His eyes widened. He'd caught the thought. "Was that because…?"

"I can smell it long after the battle's end. The blood, the death… it always feels like a shroud." I should keep this simple, yet once again, the words wriggled free, eager to be known. "After that first battle, I couldn't keep anything down. I couldn't eat. In desperation, Dad… he thought if we could mask the smell I insisted was still there…"

"That's why you have so many then."

"I do like the contents of my stomach to remain in my stomach." I glanced up at him, and tried to smile. "Pretty pathetic for a mercenary, isn't it?"

"I… find it amazing, truthfully." How in creation did he see that? "Despite everything, you continue to walk forward with your head held high. You found a way to adapt and persevere. How can I not admire such a thing?" Goodness, he really did think too much of me. "And in asking so much, I suppose I should share my own first battle. Then again, it's fairly typical for a kingdom noble. I led our soldiers against a rebellion two years ago." Sylvain mentioned this, if I remembered correctly. Felix fought in it as well. "A noble in the western part of the Kingdom wished to take advantage of my father's untimely death. It was…" He closed his eyes briefly, gathering his thoughts. "It was not a difficult fight. The enemy was not well-trained and their morale was low."

"The flash of a blade, and the path opens up." I knew those battles all too well. Most thought them the best, because easy money, but they always shattered my heart.

"Easy, right?" He grimaced, and stepped back, almost letting go of my hands. However, without thinking, I turned my hands to hold his too and, thus, prevented him from letting go. "I recall coming across a dead soldier's body. Even in death, he clutched a locket. Inside was a lock of golden hair." Yes, I'd come across similar before. Sometimes, if a person realized they were dying, they would desperately hold onto whatever they had of loved ones… "I don't know who it belonged to, of course. I never will. After all, he was a soldier. An enemy. Someone we cut down with no hesitation."

"Yet he was also a person." It was so easy to catch the thread of his thoughts. I'd had them myself, so many times. "A person with family, friends. Dreams."

"Indeed." His posture slowly relaxed. "Of course, we cannot simply stand idly by and allow anyone to commit senseless acts of violence. Yet in dispensing that which we call justice, we take so much from those who are nowhere near the battlefield."

"It would be nice if war was rational, but it's not." I closed my eyes briefly, remembering our previous conversation. "Yet to spare someone this most horrible choice…"

"Indeed, though some days, I am chilled to the bone by the depravity of my own actions." Yes, they weighed so heavily. Still, it was a weight we had to shoulder. "Ha… you know; when we first met, I never… would have expected to have such a conversation with you."

"Because you thought me emotionless, yes?"

"Not quite…?" He glanced away, sheepish and shamed. I couldn't help but smile a little. "Well, no, that was it. We talked about it." We had indeed. "I thought you were someone who killed without hesitation, and holds no strong feelings towards it."

"I think my job would have been much easier if I were like that. But I am not." I leaned to the side to catch his eye. "Dad says I inherited it from Mom. She never liked violence either. That's why Azrael was so insistent on cleaning his hand before holding hers."

"We had wondered about that. I thought it might be a similar reason to why he never hugs or leans on you after battles, until after he's gotten all the blood off." That and because of experience. Our first few battles, he hadn't done that, and it made the smell so much worse. The crawling, wriggling feeling so much worse. "Professor, I-"

"Miss Byleth?" Dimitri jumped at the new voice, and let go of my hands. Though I strangely felt out of sorts by him doing that, I paid it little mind and focused on the new arrival: Cyril. "Finally found you," he noted, jogging over. "Seteth wanted to see you."

"Did he?" I asked, a little surprised. What else could he want? I'd already received the 'mission', after all. Did he not know Rhea had told me? "Then I'd best meet him." I smiled a little at Dimitri, hoping I appeared apologetic enough. "Sorry, but Seteth isn't one to be kept waiting."

"It's fine, as I should join the rest of the cohort," Dimitri reassured smiling. He then bowed very formally. Again, I felt a little out of sorts, but perhaps that was because my students had finally stopped with all the bowing recently. "Until later, professor."

"Indeed." I waved as he left, and then turned my attention back to Cyril. "All right. Will you lead the way, Cyril?"

Barely had the words left my mouth before Cyril was off, and I actually had to jog in order to catch up. It felt as if I had barely blinked before Cyril dropped me off at Seteth's office and left me there to enter on my own. Didn't even wait to see if I did enter. Thankfully, I was more inclined to cooperate with people compared to Azrael and I did knock on the door before stepping inside.

"Ah, there you are." Seteth's greeting was surprisingly prompt, though he barely looked up from the papers on his desk to confirm it was me. I briefly amused myself with the thought of him saying the same words to different people. "That took longer than expected," he continued, scribbling something down. Not sure what else to do, I decided to peruse his bookshelf for books to potentially borrow. Or buy from Miriam later. "Did something happen?"

"No, I was simply informing the three heirs about our mission for the month, and then Dimitri and I discussed things for the Blue Lion House," I answered, not quite lying. Sothis 'appeared' next to me and pointed to a book she thought I might like. When I pulled it from the shelf and flipped through, I saw it detailed several tactics for fliers. Not only that, but the pages were worn on the edges and the cover faded, as if it were old. To my distress, there were also handwritten notes in the margins, because who wrote in a book? Even if the notes seemed to be jests, with a 'Ziu' mentioned during passages with wyverns. Seteth's own, perhaps? "What did you need?"

"There was something I wished to verify." His tone was crisp and no-nonsense. I tensed, instantly on edge, though I did my best to mask it. "I believe I told you this, or it has come up, but usually I conduct investigations into those who are hired here. Typically, of course, this happens prior to the actual hiring, but we already know the unusual circumstances of your hiring." I did wonder if Seteth considered I was being held hostage to chain Dad to the monastery, while Azrael served as the 'collar'. For some reason, I didn't think he had. "I reached numerous dead ends while attempting to do the same for you, Azrael, and Jeralt. It's almost admirable how hard it is to trace anything. Whatever Jeralt did to hide, it was certainly effective…" He trailed off then, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I saw a distinctly uncomfortable look cross his face. "Regardless, I know you are good at war and strategy, and you have been most effective thus far in teaching your students. Yet anything else is just the barest of information. There's even less on Fiona and Jeralt."

"So…" Time to take a guess at what this is about. "Are you questioning me directly?"

"It seemed more conductive than continuing my fruitless investigations." He fixed me with a hard look; I tensed even more. Might have bolted if not for Sothis soothing me. "Which book is that?"

"Flying tactics? Where someone rudely wrote in the margins?"

"Rudely wrote…? Oh, Mira. She thought my squawking amusing, and added her own personal experiences with certain tactics." He smiled sadly yet softly. I wondered if 'Ziu' had been her wyvern, then. "You can borrow it, if you wish. The tactics within are old, with some claiming to have been used during the War of Heroes."

"Thank you." I wasn't going to say 'no'. More books to read, and even better, this one should help my students. "So, what were your questions?"

"Question, truthfully. Specifically, how long you have been a mercenary." He wanted to know that… why? "Based on my investigations, its anywhere between three to seven years, but you are only twenty."

"It's been ten, actually." I braced myself for his disbelief and, sure enough, I received a skeptical frown. Still, I didn't… want to go into the hows and whys. Not so soon after I did with Dimitri. It was too raw, too painful. And I did not think he would understand. Not as Dimitri did. "You can confirm it with Dad if you want, but beware the frequent cursing. It's always been one of Dad's biggest regrets."

"You would have been ten, Byleth." Yes, I knew what twenty minus ten was. "Why would a ten year old…? Then there is Jeralt and…" He trailed off once more, mumbling under his breath. His frown grew deeper and deeper. "If that is true… if that is true, why did he not return here?" I had to strain my ears to catch the next bit. "Rhea, what are you hiding?" Silence. Long silence. And then his focus snapped right back to me. "How have things been with you and your cohort?" Well, that was certainly a different subject. I supposed my answer rattled him? "How… is Ashe doing?" Still, I had to smile a little at his concern. It seemed genuine enough.

"He's… as to be expected." He was still quiet, still distant, and barely ate. But ever since Madeline gave him the blanket, he seemed to finally rest well enough through the night to no longer be quite so pale. "He was sent to kill his adoptive father, after all." For the first time in my life, it took everything I had to keep my voice even. And I still didn't think I succeeded.

"...Personally, I had hoped he could reason with Lord Lonato, but I knew such a hope was fleeting at best." He 'returned' his attention to his papers, but it was clear he was only pretended to look at them. Still, it was… perhaps it was a lie, but it was nice to hear some sort of explanation besides 'just not caring'. "Regrettably, because of the Kingdom's obsession with honor and chivalry, they can remain blind to when their zealotry leads them to ignoble actions, and their certainty in their righteousness leads them to not only completely annihilate whoever opposed them, but to scorch the very earth and ensure they cannot rise up again." No idea what to say to that. He wasn't wrong; you only had to look at Duscur to see that. "But that is a topic for another day. Based on your jobs, you likely know more about Fodlan's various flaws than me." I wouldn't say that. Exactly. "Back to the first question, have things been going smoothly with you and your students?" Wasn't it technically the second question?

"I think so, though…" I hesitated, but… well, he was Flayn's brother. And I saw how gently and kindly he treated the children in Abyss, not to mention… again, his concern for Ashe seemed genuine enough. And I remembered him asking Dad how he was doing after Aelfric and everything, and how he'd apologized. "The various flaws and tragedies that the countries suffer have left terrible scars on them. I fear I can do little for them but listen when their wounds ache."

"Sometimes that is the greatest gift one can give. Listening and the reassurance that one is not alone, that one can let their guard down for a moment and simply rest. Rest, and regain what strength is needed to move forward after such suffering." He smiled almost nostalgically. "It's a lesson I do my best to remember. Some very important people to me taught me that. Still, it does not hurt for someone to have more than one person who will listen."

"Will you?"

"When I am able." That was enough for me. "To end this conversation on a lighter note, however, Flayn's birthday is coming up."

"It is?" I hadn't known that. "She didn't mention it during our teas."

"I figured she might not. She can be terribly embarrassed by it." Seteth laughed softly, and I immediately began trying to figure out what sort of flowers she liked. "However, I have noticed your preference for at least acknowledging your students' birthdays, and Jeralt mentioned you and Azrael felt birthdays were quite important." Of course they were! They were when a person was born, when their life began. Life may have its twists and turns, but it was a wonderful gift. That was why death and killing were so… so… "She likes forget-me-nots in particular."

"Thank you very much." I remembered the greenhouse had quite a few, not to mention the florist. So, it was just a matter of finding flowers that would suit, as well as ribbons. "What date was it specifically?"

Had to plan this out carefully. Didn't want Flayn to find out before I had them ready. This would be much more fun as a surprise.


My plan for the day was simple. Find Flayn, give her the flowers (it was the day after her birthday, but I'd been too busy yesterday sadly), and then begin investigations into just what the true target of these 'assassins' were. Predictably, the plan hit a snag almost immediately. In this case, it was the copious confusion and 'what in the name of creation?' I sensed from Azrael and I had to investigate.

"Just a moment!" However, I certainly didn't expect to see him outside of Manuela's door, a door which barely muffled the loud thunking thumps of many things falling over. "What should I do?" she asked to herself, the door also failing to muffle her voice. "I can't open the door in this state…" More sounds of things of various sizes falling. I poked Azrael with my free hand to let him know I was here and he leaned on me, silently pleading for me to not leave him here. I wondered why he was here at all, much less not walking away. "Manuela, you simply must stop… oversleeping." Based on the faint note of pain threading her voice, I thought this was more due to a hangover. "Hold on. Where are my clothes?" I take it Manuela didn't sleep in- "I can't even find my… Where in blazes is my underwear?!" ...Anything. She didn't sleep in anything. "Oh, I…! What is my dressing robe belt caught on?!" Yet more sounds of things falling. I knew her room was messy, but this sounded a little absurd. "I can't even tie this properly! It's not even covering...!"

"I can hear you," Azrael finally drawled, all but sagging against me. His answer was a very, very long silence. "Pretty clearly, too."

"...I would hope, Azrael…" Despite the shut door, it was all too easy to imagine her warning glare. "You would have the decorum to pretend you heard nothing."

"You've known me for more than a day and think decorum is a thing I have?"

"Manuela, are you okay?" I asked, interrupting the potential argument. This was not what any of us needed today. "I heard something fall?" More like many somethings.

"Byleth? O-oh, I'm fine!" Manuela replied, voice distinctly flustered even through the door. Something else fell behind it. "Just… just hold on a moment!" More loud sounds, including one that sounded like some empty bottles rattling about. "Ugh… this will have to do…" One more brief pause and then the door swung open. "Ahh, hello!" She smiled as if she weren't dressed in only a robe that was badly tied, and she didn't have day-old makeup smudged on her face. "To what do I owe the pleasure of having the monastery's most delightful twins at my door so early?"

"Are you well?" Tentatively, I glanced behind her at the chaos that was her bedroom. It was even messier than before. Didn't think that was possible, and I purposely pushed Azrael to the side so he couldn't see. He'd have a heart attack. "I can make you some tea if you need some."

"You're sweet, Byleth, but I'll be fine. Nothing I'm not used to." Yet now I seriously worried about her liver, among other potential problems! "Azrael? You were the one who knocked originally, I believe."

"Yeah, I've a message from a knight," Azrael sighed, shaking his head. I glanced at him, wondering how he ended up playing messenger. His 'response' was a resounding 'I have no clue'. "Specifically, it was 'we will never go out together again'. Seems like something he should tell you directly."

"Perhaps, but I saw that coming," Manuela sighed, drooping. The shoulder of her robe nearly slipped off, but I quickly fixed it. A good thing too, as she clearly wasn't wearing a bra. Azrael and I wouldn't care about her being topless, but she might. "It's why I came back to my room. To forget." Where else would she have gone…? "Was there anything else?"

"Not from me, no."

"I see." She sighed again. "Ugh… and that other splendid specimen of a knight I had a date with suddenly doesn't want to see me anymore either." She sighed gustily, draping her arm across her stomach as she leaned against the doorframe. "I blame those rumors of a deathly figure showing up in town. Such an uproar must have, beyond reason, drawn his attention away from me."

"Well, as a knight, he is sworn to protect the people of the monastery," I suggested, more to try and make her feel better than anything. I also very quickly covered Azrael's mouth to keep him from saying anything. He might've tried anyway, but I silently begged him not to, and he acquiesced. "Remember to drink some water, please. I know we have today off, but please?"

"I will, Byleth," she reassured. She smiled sweetly, and I wondered if she smiled like that on her dates. If she did, I was sure she wouldn't have… as much trouble. "For now, though, I think I'll sleep a little more."

"Sleep well." Both Azrael and I waited until she shut the door, and Azrael brought his hand up to mentally count the seconds. At six, we heard something else fall, and a muffled curse. "I will definitely check on her later."

Azrael didn't bother replying. He just took my hand to lead me away, as a reminder of my 'important task of the day'. However, my mind latched onto what Manuela had said. Those rumors… I glanced at Azrael, silently 'questioning' him. His response was amusement, followed by the silent equivalent of 'damn, I wish I had thought of that'. Which told me this wasn't him playing pranks then. Damn.

"I'll look into it more, and see what the wind has to say," he reassured me softly, wrapping at arm around me. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. "Tend to do a check before I sleep anyway, since some of the menagerie like skirting the edge of curfew and I know you'd worry."

"Thank you," I whispered, grateful even as I wondered. What did they mean by 'death', then? And just what all happened? "I know I should look at only one problem at a time, yet it feels as if there's ten thousand."

"I miss when things were simple. Getting involved with people sucks."

"We must do what we can for them." I straightened and made to step away, only for Azrael to playfully whine and immediately slip behind me for a better hug. And putting most of his weight on me. "Azrael, I do have things to do."

"Yeah, yeah, and I've got stupid patrols. So?" My only response was pressing my exasperation on him. "Fine, fine. Anything I can do to lighten your load today?"

"Well…" I debated for a moment. "...Ask Yuri to look into these rumors?" I hated giving him more work, but given his connections, I thought he might be the best person to ask. At least, out of those I knew.

"Will do."

Azrael held me a moment longer, just because he could, before leaving to relay my request to Yuri in Abyss. I continued on my way, meandering through the monastery towards the docks. Figured it was as good of a place to start as any to find Flayn. Though, as I crossed the courtyard, I found myself distracted. Again. And it was most unexpected. Again.

"Um… Miss Byleth?" Never had I heard Cyril sound so shy. When I turned to face him, I decided it was the most hesitant I'd seen him as well. He kept shuffling his feet, kept his gaze down, and kept fussing with the scarf around his waist like a belt. "Do… do you have a minute?" he asked, more speaking to the grass. Still, I nodded and sat down on a nearby bench, resting Flayn's bouquet in my lap so that I could arrange it again. "Um…"

"Take your time," I urged, gesturing for him to sit beside me. Though he didn't, he did move a little closer. Two shuffled steps. "Did you need something?"

"Well, Shamir said that I needed to practice making curved shots more. For my archery." He studied archery with Shamir? I didn't think Shamir was the type to teach anyone, truthfully. Terrible as it sounded. "But I'm having some trouble."

"Curved shots… ah, to extend your range past the normal reach?" While useful for that reason, it could also strain the bow and make it easier to break. "Did you want some advice?"

"If you don't mind? Shamir's my primary teacher and all, but even she's says you're really good. And she never says that." He refused to look up, and his hands did not stop fidgeting with his scarf. The pattern on it wasn't familiar, which made me wonder if it was something he'd brought from Almyra. "I'd rather do it myself, truthfully, but it's more important to help Lady Rhea. I have to protect her."

"I see." At least, I saw his utter devotion and near obsession. No wonder Rhea worried. But that reminded me… "Well, one good thing is knowing mathematics." Almost immediately, Cyril's expression blanked. I could see it even without him looking at me. "You have to account for gravity, angles, movement of your target, wind speed…"

"I… um…" He flushed. He flushed all the way to the tips of his ears. "Can't just practice it, huh?"

"Practice helps, but if you do not know how to account for everything, how to calculate the best angle, you will miss every time."

"...And if I can't read?"

"I'll simply have to teach you. Or have one of my students teach you." It might be a good way to keep some of them busy while I worked with the others. Lysithea might be good for it, truthfully, since she would often finish her assigned tasks quickly, especially when working alone. "I guarantee it is exactly what Dad used to teach me." That described most of my lessons, truthfully, particularly with the weaponry parts.

"Mmm…" Cyril frowned and shifted his weight, as if physically weighing the options. "I do have a lot of work…"

"We can work it in between, or even incorporate it into your work."

"Really?" He debated a while longer before nodding. "Okay. I'll do it." And thus, I kind of tricked him into- "What do you want in return?" Now why did he think I would- "Lady Rhea might get mad if I just eat up your time."

"You won't 'eat up' any more time than my students." Still, I could see that stubborn look in his eye. He actually made a point to look up, just so I could see it. "With that said, if you'll feel more comfortable, you can help me with setting things up for my lessons."

"Yeah, I can do that. I'm good at things like that." He finally smiled. It wobbled on his face, teetering like a toddler's first steps, but it was a pretty one. "Um… thanks. I know you work a lot already."

"It's no trouble at all, Cyril." I thought about ruffling his hair, but decided against it. I wasn't sure if he'd be comfortable with it. Besides, I was a little busy ignoring Sothis's exasperation at me 'gaining more work'. "Let's discuss later when to start?"

"Yeah, I need to get to the stables and set the fodder out. Then it's to the forest to chop some logs, and the corridors needed sweeping…" Cyril nodded a few times, mentally planning out the most efficient way to go about his day. I… thought that was a little much, but maybe he packed everything and… actually, no, he probably didn't. Now, did he do these on his own or were they assigned? I'd have to look into that. "See you later, Miss Byleth!"

"Remember to get some rest."

Not sure if he heard me, given how fast he bolted. It felt as if I'd blinked and poof! He disappeared. Still, there was nothing else I could do about it, so I got to my feet and continued making my meandering way to the docks. Where I received another surprise, though this one was not quite as distracting. But it felt like it had been weeks since I last saw Dad outside his office, excluding breakfast, and just as long since I'd seen Seteth outside of his. Yet there they were, both sitting on the docks, chatting as they fished. Dad kept reeling them in, skilled as always, while Seteth himself did not appear to have caught a single one. Yet both smiled like they were enjoying themselves and I couldn't help but smile a little at the sight. Rare for either of them to relax and I was terribly curious about how this came about. However, I didn't want to ruin the mood, so instead, I looked around for Flayn, found she was not here, and left before either saw me. Instead, I crossed the front gates, waving to the jubilant gatekeeper, and… attempted to pass through the stables. My thought process was to head up that way, swing up to the cathedral, and then make my way back down. Or just head to her room. However, I found myself distracted. Yet again. Surprise, surprise, though at least this time, it was because I was a worrier.

"Hmm…" Namely, it was the trio clustered by the stables: Ferdinand, Marianne, and Dimitri. Aside from classes, I'd never seen the three of them interact. "Setting fire to the stables…" Ferdinand mused aloud, looking over the structure. Next to him, Marianne and Dimitri stood with Dorte, with Dimitri petting his nose and Marianne petting his neck. "It is one of the oldest tricks in the book, to cause a commotion and distraction…"

"The stables are warded against flames," Marianne mumbled. She shrunk back behind Dorte when both Ferdinand and Dimitri looked at her. Probably surprised she answered without prompting. "I… I asked. The stables were completely burned down by the great fire twenty, twenty-one years ago. None of the horses were hurt, thankfully, but when the new one was built, they placed the wards to ensure their safety in future fires."

"Great fire?"

"From what I heard, they call it that because it destroyed half the monastery," Dimitri commented absently, still hesitantly stroking Dorte's nose. When he tried to pull away, Dorte butted his hand for more pets. I had to smile at that, even as I hid behind the corner. I didn't want to interrupt. "It's why the buildings on this half are noticeably newer than the other half. They were completely incinerated."

"So, likely, whatever our enemy's objective is, it's not on this half," Ferdinand mused, resting his hand against his temple. "Unless it is underground, that is?"

"If it's underground, we're better off letting the pups try and hunt it out. Abyss is massive." Dimitri smiled softly when Dorte kept insisting on pets. "I must thank you, Marianne. You were right in that Dorte would improve my mood."

"You did seem angered when you first came over." Ferdinand tentatively crept closer, his attention more on Marianne than Dorte. I vaguely remembered he mentioned accidentally upsetting her before. "May I ask?"

"The monks 'kindly suggested' Dedue stay far away from investigations and, in fact, remain where he could easily be seen." Dimitri smiled sardonically; it did nothing to hide the cold fury in his eyes. "After all, they said, the people of Duscur cannot be trusted."

"That has to be one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard."

"He's… right," Marianne whispered, surprisingly joining the conversation again. Even more surprisingly, she did not duck away when Ferdinand and Dimitri focused on her. "Dedue is very kind. The animals are scared of him, but that's just because they think he's mad at them. They really like the berries he grows, and I… I've noticed he is careful to not pick from the areas they like to nibble from."

"Dedue is often dismayed by how animals run from him," Dimitri commented, managing a small chuckle. He looked between both Ferdinand and Marianne and slowly relaxed. "And… my thanks. Too many are quick to assume the worst of him, and Dedue himself simply lets it be. He even said he could not fault the monks, given the circumstances, yet it always makes my blood boil to see him endure such baseless accusations." He smiled thinly at Dorte, who still pestered him for pets. "You, however, are very good at distracting me. Perhaps it's because I often go on long rides to calm my heart, back in Faerghus."

"Why not… go now?"

"Pardon?"

"Actually, that's a good idea," Ferdinand added, his eyes bright with excitement and his voice equally loud. Marianne squeaked and flinched back, and Ferdinand immediately took a couple steps away to ensure she had space. "It might be good to patrol and look for potential entrances, and there's a possibility that with everyone's focus inside the monastery…"

"It would distract everyone from a potential target on the monastery's surrounding grounds," Dimitri mused, nodding slowly. "Aye, I can see the thought, and I am not so noble as to not seize the excuse to ride. Marianne, would you like to accompany us?" Marianne's eyes went very wide and for a second, I was certain she'd refuse. But then, to my immense surprise, she bit her lip and nodded slowly. "Wonderful! I'm assuming you'll ride Dorte, so let Ferdinand and I find horses to borrow."

A strange bubbly feeling tickled my throat as I watched them choose their horses, gather their saddles and gear, and rode away, with Dimitri between Ferdinand and Marianne. Only once they were out of sight did I resume my walk, hiding a smile behind my free hand while hunting for Flayn. Part of me wished I'd had the foresight to ask Azrael to help find her for me, but I'd made my choices and I didn't want to distract him for something I could solve on my own. It just took time, and there was nothing wrong with that, or getting in an extra bit of exercise. Besides, I had Sothis to help me, and she ended up being the one to find her. It took walking all the way to the back of the cathedral, since she'd tucked herself into an alcove, but that was fine.

"Byleth?" she called as soon as she saw me, eyes wide. Her mouth even gaped open, firmly conveying her surprise. "What are you doing here? You are not one to linger in the cathedral."

"I'm not, but I will from time to time," I answered, jogging over to her. As soon as I was close enough, I held out the bouquet for her. "It's a day late, but happy birthday."

"Eh?! How did you know?" Still, she giggled and beamed as she took them, burying her nose in the blossoms to better smell them. "And there's forget-me-nots! Seteth told, didn't he?"

"Birthdays are important." And that was all I'd admit to. "What brings you here, though? Am I interrupting?"

"Oh, I was sulking, truthfully." She said the words lightly, but I caught the worn edge to the words. "I told Seteth I would like to enroll in the Academy. But he won't allow it. He's a touch overprotective at times."

"Is that so?" I could understand being protective, but she was already here in the monastery. I didn't see why… "That seems a little much."

"I think so as well, though I understand where he is coming from." At least she did. "Still, it can be frustrating."

"Well…" Should I offer? Probably not. But I didn't like her being sad, and… well, Sothis was rather indignant about the whole thing. She all but screamed 'how dare he cage her?!'. "I suppose we can 'just so happen' to discuss lessons during our teas. It would do me some good to practice what I want to teach my students." Flayn's eyes went wide, catching the implication immediately. "You are also very good at healing, and it would benefit my students to learn from you. Of course, that would require you to attend some of my lessons."

"Byleth…" Flayn blinked a couple of times before giggling. "Hee! With excuses like that, even Seteth will have trouble finding grounds to protest!" Wasn't sure on that, but there was no reason to tell him. He could find out on his own. Preferably when Dad was near to remind him that protection didn't have to be smothering. "Let's make plans later. For now, might you walk with me? Please?"

Though part of me knew I should refuse, because I still did have to investigate, I didn't. I couldn't, really. Not when she smiled so adorably, and squealed in delight when I agreed. And also not when she immediately declared our first stop was to retrieve some candies Seteth had bought her. My sweet tooth demanded it.


I never did get around to investigating. I felt terrible about it, but thankfully, the three heirs didn't seem to mind. Instead, they decided to jot down everything the rest of the menagerie found and compile it together for summarizing and deduction. They also decided my table was perfect for such a task, so the three had papers strewn about, and I made tea for the three of them.

"Seems like more people want to talk about the rumors in town," Claude complained, tugging at his braid. The three had been summarizing for the better part of two hours, and it looked as if the most they had accomplished was devouring my paper as fast as they devoured the sweets I put out. Not to mention the tea. I was currently working on the fifth full pot, debating what to change it to. Edelgard like citrus based teas, like bergamot, while Claude seemed to like things more 'earthy', like the Almyran Pine Needle mix, or mild flavors like chamomile. Meanwhile, Dimitri seemed to drink whatever was put in front of him as if it were water. Even the one tea he seemed to like, chamomile, was more about how it smelled than tasted. "What is it? Death striding through town? Sounds more like someone playing a prank to me."

"Particularly when no one has any solid idea of this 'death' and their supposed crimes," Edelgard muttered, frowning at her notes. She went to re-dip her quill, but found her inkwell empty. "Dimitri, do you mind-?" Without a word, Dimitri pushed his inkwell closer to her, reading through what he had. "Thank you. Anyway, with those rumors, are we certain Azrael isn't involved? This seems like something he might do." Though her slightly grouchy tone hinted she might still be angry over their last conversation and was being thoroughly uncharitable. "Or accidentally cause." Okay, perhaps not 'thoroughly'.

"Now there's a thought…"

"I've already asked Azrael about it," I informed them, deciding to mix up a blend of orange peels, rose hips, and chamomile flowers. If I kept going with my pre-made things, I feared I run out. "I can thus confirm he has nothing to do with it." That he knew of.

"There have been more patrols recently due to the increase in bandit activity and now the threat to the monastery directly, so perhaps it's due to that," Dimitri mused, pulling a small note from his pile. He glanced through it and nodded. "That said, Annette heard this death apparently kidnaps people." Grace mentioned something similar...

"Something to keep in mind for later. We haven't heard of anything definite here at the monastery, after all." Even as I said the words, I couldn't help but wonder if we would. Everything with Aelfric had been covered up, and then there was the killed professor who I replaced. The student who went missing just before graduation, a mere month before my students started. Not a word about any of it. "Let's focus on the more immediate threat for now." It was still only rumors. Just what the students had said, and what Grace had told me.

"Yes, one thing at a time," Edelgard agreed, scribbling something down. Her writing was very neat, I absently noticed. "Let's see… ah, the Goddess Tower is where the ceremony will take place. Assuming we're correct, it's likely the last place we should look into."

"What a shame, since it would give a good excuse to go exploring," Claude 'complained' with a smirk. He leaned forward to rest against the table, and pitched his voice down as if telling a secret. "I heard something about a legend associated with it."

"If you're talking of what I think you are, it's better to wait. The legend says it has to be during the Ethereal Moon, around when the ball is." Legend? Ball? "So, instead of plotting-"

"How can I do anything else? I plot every hour of every day, clearly."

"You can, instead, contribute to the topic at hand." Edelgard refused to be deterred; Claude sighed gustily. "So?"

"Well, let's see…" He sat back in his chair again and made a show of looking through his notes. His eyes, however, were firmly on both Dimitri and Edelgard. "Lorenz, in all his haughtiness, is convinced the rumors themselves are the objective, to cause a disturbance during the most sacred of the Church's rituals. Or, in simpler terms, and distasteful joke."

"Considering this 'joke' was bought with lives…" Dimitri replied, his words immediate yet somehow still slow. I paused in my mixing briefly when I swore I heard a growl in them as well. Sothis wasn't as certain. "I'm not sure we should dismiss it."

"I agree, but I felt obligated," Claude explained, his focus entirely on Dimitri. Made me wonder if he heard it too. "So, to switch to a more amusing theory…" Claude grinned and held up a paper with melodramatic grandness. He'd fit right in with an opera. "Raphael wholeheartedly believes they're using this assassination nonsense to sneak in and raid the pantry."

"Excuse me, what?" Dimitri stared, waiting for Claude to declare it was a joke. Edelgard dropped her quill to rub her temples, warding off a headache. "I… suppose one can make some sense of that. There have been food shortages."

"Yet it seems inconceivable that someone would go through the trouble of planting a note on a corpse for the sole purpose of raiding our food supplies when they could have simply raided Gaspard's," Edelgard noted very dryly, picking up her quill again. Sothis and I were both intrigued by what she said though. Planting it on the corpse… if someone had seen Catherine tending to the corpses, or even seen her approach, then they could have stuffed it inside. "I'm assuming it was planted. Why would Lonato carry such a note into a battle?" She definitely had a point there. "Who keeps valuables in a kitchen anyway?"

"Willing to bet some of the centuries-old wines they store would sell for pretty coin," Claude pointed out. He dropped the paper, grinning. "But I wouldn't think it very drinkable, myself. Can you imagine how fermented it would be?"

"I don't drink, so I cannot even begin to comprehend."

"You don't?" Claude seemed surprised by that. "Not even a 'you are officially of age' drink? I've heard the Empire has the youngest age for alcohol." Edelgard shook her head. "Huh. What about you, Dimitri?"

"I'm underaged by the Kingdom's laws," Dimitri answered quickly. Almost too quickly, making Edelgard and Claude both look at him. "...I may or may not have accidentally drank some of my stepmother's once."

"...Accidentally?" Claude repeated with a very slow grin. His eyes danced with genuine delight, as did Edelgard's. I supposed both liked to tease him. "Really?"

"I was ten and thought it was juice." Dimitri, meanwhile, slowly turned redder and redder. "I'm sure you can imagine my surprise, Claude. I take it you had your own 'congratulatory' drink when you became of age."

"I did, but I can say I'm not all that fond of it. I like my mind sharp, after all."

"How did we even get on this topic?" Edelgard groaned, scowling at them both. Claude grinned, unrepentant. Dimitri smiled apologetically, even as he blushed all the way to the roots of his hair. That bubbly feeling tickled my throat once more. I'd never been ill before, but perhaps I should talk to Manuela about it? I was spending more time with people, after all. "To continue with the topic at hand… Caspar made the 'brilliant' deduction of the Archbishop being the target." Edelgard shrugged off Dimitri and Claude's skeptical looks. "To be fair, his reasoning was somewhat sound, if reliant on 'I know you know I know'."

"Announce the target, people assume you're lying and scatter the guard to the four winds, and then they actually do attack the target. A double-bluff, in other words," Claude summarized, still looking skeptical. "Not necessarily a bad strategy, but..." Claude attempted to tickle Edelgard with the end of his quill, but Edelgard moved out of reach. "Random, but that quill of yours is really worn down, princess."

"I have to write a lot of letters. It's part of the job of being heir, and Emperor." She shrugged, smiling fondly at the black feathered quill she held. "This one was given to me by my father, so I am a little sentimental about it."

"More or less than the dagger you wear and rarely use?"

"That's hardly a fair question." She scowled and Claude smiled innocently. "...The dagger is precious to me. I would be upset if I lost it, so I keep it on my person." Absently, I thought about what she'd told me about the dagger, of the little boy she could barely remember, and almost smiled. But Sothis noticed something interesting. Dimitri had apparently stilled, though he'd gone back to work by the time I looked at him to try and confirm. "What of it? I'm allowed to have sentimental items, you know."

"If you write so much that your quill is worn that down, you should do some wrist exercises, particularly since you use such a strong grip with your axe." Claude set his quill down and reached over to actually take her wrist, gently massaging it. "There's a nerve that goes through your wrist here that causes all sorts of trouble if it gets compressed."

"You're talking about the median nerve, yes?" I asked, remembering that from my anatomy books. Both Dimitri and Edelgard looked at me curiously. "And, specifically, compression when it passes through the carpal tunnel."

"Yeah, that," Claude confirmed. He raised a brow when he noticed Dimitri and Edelgard didn't know what we were talking about. "It's anatomy. Fairly basic anatomy."

"I'm impressed you know of it, actually. Anatomy as a study has been around for a century, but most even among doctors and healers think it pointless. Those sufficiently skilled in faith magic can determine much of the same, after all." I smiled faintly. "Dad disagrees, stating its good to know regardless, and not everyone has access to faith magic. He taught Azrael and I some basics, and I read anatomy books for the fun of it." Though, now that I thought about it, I might've started in the hopes of making my heart function normally.

"Teach, you seriously read it for fun?"

"It's interesting." I returned to my mixing, trying to balance out the flavors. I hoped this would work out… "We can add it to the field medicine studies." And I'd ask Manuela for help. I already knew she was a genius at it.

"Thank you for adding more to our lessons, Claude," Dimitri said, in a tone which somehow conveyed both sincerity and sarcasm at the same exact time. Claude let go of Edelgard's wrist to put up his hands. "Are Lorenz and Raphael the only ones with opinions amongst the fawns?"

"Don't think we haven't noticed you not bringing up the cubs, Dimitri," Claude groused. Still, he played along and pulled out another page. "The only places Ignatz could think of were the library and the vault, but I think we can rule the vault out." Claude underlined part of his notes. "Leonie learned the vault doesn't keep donations to the church. It's mostly just weapons and artifacts. Anything of true value is kept in a different, safer location."

"Weapons themselves could be the target. Felix mentioned the possibility of the Church holding onto weapons to rival the Relics."

"Convenient."

"Well, we do know the Saints wielded their own weapons. I believe the weapons of Saint Seiros are here at the monastery, while Saint Cichol's spear is entombed within a shrine along the coast. I believe Saint Cethleann's staff is also there." Dimitri leaned back in his chair, thinking and fidgeting with his quill. "Saint Indech's bow was lost in the same battle where he lost his life, and Saint Macuil did not wield weapons. The ones he forged for the Elites… I think one blade was lost in battle much like Saint Indech's bow. The Sword of Moralta remains with House Fraldarius, and the Tathlum Bow was entrusted to the royal family by the church."

"Tathlum Bow?"

"It used to be a sacred weapon held by those of House Lamine. However, about two hundred years ago, House Lamine fell due to brutal infighting. I would have to look at the records, but I'm sure it had something to do with Crests and inheritance." Dimitri barely bit back a sigh. "I'm forgetting a weapon, though. What was… ah, right, the Axe of Ukonvasara."

"The what?" Edelgard asked, brows raised. She and Claude shared an incredulous look. "I must ask who this Ukonvasara is. That's clearly not the name of an Elite."

"No, the one who wielded the axe was Gloucester," Dimitri explained. He paused long enough for Claude to snicker, likely at the mental image of Lorenz wielding an axe. "Ukonvasara is the title given to one of the fey, Edelgard, specifically one associated with storms in the tales. I think the axe is stored here in the monastery, but I would have to research why that is."

"I wonder if we can ask Lorenz about it." Edelgard tapped her cheek with her quill; Claude continued snickering. "Lamine, however… is that not Mercedes's crest?"

"I think there was a branch family in the Empire, but the head of that family refused the bow. Thus, the church acquired it."

"So, weapons should not be completely discounted, then. That's at least two potentially here."

"Assuming I'm remembering correctly, yes." Dimitri straightened in his chair and flipped through his papers. "What about the library?"

"Hubert and Linhardt investigated that one. Well, Hubert investigated and dragged Linhardt along with him." Edelgard found those notes and skimmed through. "In the library itself, Tomas did not think anyone would steal anything there. After all, once you're there, you can read any of them any time you'd like. Those that Seteth deemed inappropriate would potentially be more valuable, but most of those are in Abyss."

"Best to warn the pups of the possibility, but otherwise leave those defenses to them." Dimitri paused. "Speaking of them, why didn't we drag Yuri into this? He leads the pups. All four of them, yes, but still."

"Yuri wisely stated he had other duties. Specifically, he mentioned looking into something for our teacher." Oh? Was he already investigating those rumors? "Believe me. I tried." She made a face; Dimitri smiled sympathetically. "Before I forget, why do you know so much about the Sacred Weapons?"

"I am the heir to the Kingdom and, thus, was required to learn. Particularly since, as I said, the royal family guards the Tathlum bow for the Church." Dimitri pulled a paper from his pile and set it down closer to the center of the table. "Sylvain made an interesting point while complaining about how he wouldn't be able to chase as many ladies." Dimitri circled the note in question. "It's the specific day. Why choose the day of the Rite? With the number of people coming in and out of the monastery, security tends to be greater."

"Perhaps they plan on using the crowd to mask their arrival?" Edelgard made to take a sip of her tea, only to find the cup empty. "I didn't think I drank mine so quickly…"

"You didn't. We just drank the pot, again, and our professor has been making us a fresh one." For quite some time, but thankfully, I was just… about…

"Ah." She blushed faintly, and smiled awkwardly. "Well…" To save her from further embarrassment, I came over and refilled everyone's cups at last. "Thank you, professor…"

"Masking their presence is a good idea, but something like that would be better to do in stages," Claude commented, dragging the subject back to the matter at hand. Even as he nursed his cup of tea. "So, let's focus on that. What's special about the Rite? What happens differently in the monastery that day compared to other days? I mean… is there an area or something people can't… usually…" Claude trailed off as the answer hit all four of us like an avalanche. Yes, we knew of one such place. A place usually sealed, but would be open for the public on the day of the Rite… and then alone. "Oh. Hell. The Holy Mausoleum."

"Only cardinals and the Archbishop know how to undo the seal on the doors," Dimitri murmured, setting his quill down before carefully picking up his cup of tea. Both he and Edelgard sat up straighter as the answer became clear. "I remember asking about it, after what happened with Aelfric. That was how he was able to enter."

"And, of course, with everything going on, defenses will likely be even thinner than usual." Claude let his head fall to the desk, just barely avoiding the wet ink on his papers. "Damn it. I really didn't want to go back there. Think they got all the blood out?"

None of us answered that. Instead, we debated a while longer, mostly to try and find another answer, but nothing made as much sense. Thus, I left the heirs to inform the rest of the menagerie, with Claude volunteering to head below and inform the pups, and went to find Rhea to let her know of what we thought. It was easy to find her. As one would expect, she was in her office. What I hadn't expected was that Catherine was with her. And having… not quite an argument, but certainly close to one.

"Lady Rhea, please, until this is settled, you simply must have a guard," Catherine was saying. She held herself stiffly, hand twitching for Thunderbrand at her hip. "Imagine the chaos if something befell you."

"I understand your concerns, Catherine, but I am perfectly safe," Rhea answered serenely. She smiled softly, barely inclining her head. "Jeralt is just down the hall, and I am capable of defending myself, should the need arise."

"Sir Jeralt is skilled, yes, and I know that's why he's in charge of security for the monastery. He's pulled out defensive formations and patrols I've only seen in history books to cover as much of the monastery as possible on the day of the Rite." Oh? Hadn't known he was in charge of all that. "But even he can't teleport." Of course, now I was in an awkward situation where I probably should just walk away, but I did want to bring this up to Rhea… "Who's there?!" However, I could unintentionally solve that by making a bit of noise and having Thunderbrand in my face. That worked too. "...Byleth?" Catherine, for her part, blinked a couple of times before returning Thunderbrand to her belt. I had to admit her draw speed had been impressive, all things considered. "I'd advise against sneaking up on people until this is settled. I almost cut you down."

"I'm out of your range," I pointed out. Besides, even if she had struck me, it would've only caught the front of my throat at best. Messy, but I'd heal from it quickly enough. I knew from experience. "With that said, I hadn't planned on sneaking. I simply wanted to talk to Rhea." I could have imagined it, but I thought Catherine twitched at the lack of a title. Sothis thought so too. "And came upon you two having a conversation."

"You could have simply come in," Rhea chided, even as she muffled a quiet laugh. Reminded me of Edelgard, that. "What brings you here at this hour, though? Might you have come looking for me out of concern for my safety?"

"Yes, and no." Best to focus on her for now. Even if Catherine was frowning. "You're quite skilled in combat, and I'm certainly not just saying that. You fought circles around Azrael and me during that training session a couple days ago." Half-certain Catherine gawked at that.

Even more so when Rhea outright laughed. "I was not always the Archbishop. Yet you give yourself too little credit. You and Azrael are quite skilled. It's clear Jeralt taught you well." He had to, given everything. But I wouldn't ruin her good mood.

"Yet even the most skilled of combatants can be taken by surprise, and it only takes one unlucky blow to kill." You saw it far too often on the battlefield. "So, in that sense, I am worried." After all, regardless of what I felt about her, complicated as it was, I could admit she was an important leader for Fodlan. I also knew if something happened to her, Dad would be upset, regardless of how complicated their relationship was now. "I also worry because this trap appears almost too obvious. Surely there is another objective."

"Indeed, I have worried much of the same." She had? "Yet if I can be the bait of the trap, then perhaps our enemy shall break their necks." Ah. Yes, this made much more sense. In which case, telling her the potential 'real target' might not be needed. "Sadly, this means asking the students for aid, as our own numbers are spread too thinly as it is. In order to make it appear we have fallen for their ruse…"

"Yes, I understand." I did smile slightly, relieved. Good, not everyone had fallen for the trap. They simply pretended. "In that case, since Dad is in charge of security, I'd best track him down and share my students' theories as to the main objective."

"I believe Jeralt is in his office." So, we were going to stop pretending it wasn't his? Worked for me. "See if you can convince him to rest. He'll work until dawn if no one stops him."

"So, exactly like you and Seteth?" Unable to help it, I raised a brow and she immediately made a face. "Oh, before I forget… well, we can talk more about this later, but I convinced Cyril to take reading and writing lessons." More liked 'tricked', but she didn't need to know that. "Thought you'd like to know."

"You did?" Her face lit up with a smile. "Ah, I'm so relieved… yes, let's discuss it in the morning. We should also plan your next brawling lesson."

"We can do lunch. I'm sure Azrael will be free as well." Probably a little bold, but Rhea's smile warmed and glowed even more, so I didn't think she'd mind. Even if Catherine was openly staring like she couldn't believe what she was hearing and seeing. "Until then."

"Yes, until then."

I made a point to wave goodbye to Catherine, though even I couldn't explain what the point was. It just felt rude to ignore her when I left the room and strode down the hall. It was so convenient that all of the offices were so close together. It felt as if only seconds had passed before I arrived at the door.

"Dad?" I poked my head into his office, and saw him hunched over the desk, muttering under his breath. Still, he smiled when he lifted his head to look at me. "Azrael and I shall be most cross if you miss breakfast because you stayed up too late," I teased, stepping properly inside.

"Oh, I won't miss it," Dad immediately reassured. He sat back in his chair with a sighed groan and I dashed to his side so that I could use my magic to ease whatever aches he had. "Thanks, kid. So, what's up? If you're here to scold me about working too hard on Lady Rhea's orders…"

"I pointed out she and Seteth do the very same thing." I frowned a little over just how stiff he was. How long had he been sitting here? "No, I just heard you were in charge of security and wanted to convey my students' theory on the true objective."

"Ah, so that's why your students were running all over creation." He leaned his head back to look up at me. Not satisfied with how stiff he still was, despite my magic, I moved behind him to rub his shoulders and neck. While sending my magic through to heal him. He sighed in relief and let his head loll. "Well, where do they think?"

"The Holy Mausoleum." And Dad immediately tensed up under my fingers again, no doubt because of what happened last month. "Easy, Papa…"

"Right, right…" He breathed in deep and let it out slowly, doing his best to relax. I continued massaging and healing. "The Holy Mausoleum… if that's the case, then they're likely after the bones of Saint Seiros."

"Why would they go after bones in the first place?"

"Could be someone who simply hates the Church and wishes to defile that which is sacred to them. Could be people who want to sell it. Anything and everything in between, really." That did not help matters. "Without knowing who exactly is behind it, we can't guess a motive, sadly. However, that's probably the most 'valuable' thing in there. Unless there's anything left of that chalice thing you destroyed."

"Right…" Technically, there was and Dimitri wore it, but I definitely didn't want to talk about that right now. "Regardless…"

"Regardless, I'm sure you've thought it through so I'll arrange things to ensure you're assigned to the area. And Azrael. Because we both know Azrael will be right there with you." Of course he was. "Honestly, their true objective isn't my main concern." I made some noise of acknowledgement, more focused on tending to his aches. Sothis paid enough attention for us both. "It's what they'll do to get it." Dad sighed and let his head fall back. "There's going to be a lot of blood. A lot of blood, and maybe death. For the knights, and the students. Especially if they go with multiple diversionary strikes."

"...We'll do what we can, Papa…" I stopped what I was doing to simply hug him. "That's what you always say, isn't it?"

Why could this have not been a quiet month?


Caspar von Bergliez

Crest: none

The second-born son of the current Count Bergliez, his lack of crest more or less ensured he would never inherit anything worthwhile from the family's fortune. Though many would, and do, despair in this sort of situation, he has never let it get him down, vowing instead to tear his own path through life and make his own fate regardless of what his family dictates.

Unsurprisingly, given his 'punch first, think tenth' personality, he is a very reckless physical fighter, able to hit hard but normally unable to defend against blows. However, his determination allows him to throw his all into whatever he focuses on and, as such, he is capable of not only carving a place for himself on the front lines, but also inspiring his fellows to do the same.

Between his father's status as a famed war hero and his brother's inheritance, he was often ignored as a child, overshadowed by both. It's partially because of this that he developed such a passionate, honest, and unrestrained personality, while his simple outlook and missing of social cues is likely due to how often he spent alone. His only friend growing up was Linhardt, a friendship he treasures, even if Linhardt's lazy personality exasperates him.

Sylvain Jose Gautier

Crest: Gautier (Minor)

Second son and heir to House Gautier, on the surface, he is a terrible womanizer who leaves a trail of broken hearts in his wake. Worryingly, this behavior started from a very young age, almost as young as his tendency to hide his feelings and pain through gallows humor. To confront him on this is pointless, however, as he'll play up the act of the 'whimsical good-for-nothing' to annoy any worrier. Not even his childhood friends are exempt from this.

Though he likes to pretend he is only good at a handful of things, his skills in battle belie such such lies. His flexibility in roles can only be equalled by Ferdinand and Leonie, and he takes to lessons easily. He will never be the strongest in one field, but his ability to fit multiple roles ensures he will never be helpless in a bad situation… and can always protect those dear to him.

Despite how he acts, he is, in truth, a terribly cynical person whose only hope for change lies in his friends, particularly Dimitri. Because of this, however, he tends to keep his distance for fear of adding to the weights that already bow and break them, preferring instead to be a distraction for them and someone they can relax around. And be terribly exasperated with because at least then, they're not thinking about duty and losses.

Raphael Kirsten

Crest: none

The eldest son of the Kirsten merchant family, he and his sister were orphaned after their parents took on a job for House Riegan, and perished in an 'accident'. Though initially devastated, he found the strength to hold himself together by taking care of his inconsolable sister and, later, through helping his grandfather make ends meet. That isn't to say the deaths do not grieve him, but through his family, he was able to keep it from consuming him.

A mountain of a man, it's of little surprise his strength and bulk are among the highest of his cohort, nor is it surprising his speed can be lacking. However, when combined with more defensive fighting styles, he becomes the best in protection among the fawns. So long as no mages are involved, at least.

Friendly and kind, he approaches life in a simple and easygoing manner and looks after everyone as an older brother might. Despite this, he can hyperfocus on his goals, devoting everything to his ultimate goal of 'taking care and helping his sister'. As a result, conversations with him tend to revolve around the same few things and he himself has difficulties prioritizing tasks, especially if he does not see how it can assist him in his goal.


Author's note: So, this covers roughly the first 'half' of the Blue Star Month, give or take, hence it ending around Flayn's bday of the 12th.

Supports either shown or mentioned include: Raphael's with Marianne, Bernadetta, Lorenz, Ignatz, Flayn, and Dimitri; Hubert's with Bernadetta and Hanneman; Sylvain's with Marianne and Dedue; Balthus's with Hapi; Yuri's with Byleth, Ingrid, and Hapi; Alois's with Leonie and Dimitri; Dorothea's with Edelgard, Ferdinand, and Byleth; Byleth's with Dimitri, Seteth, and Manuela; and Cyril's support with Shamir. There's also a touch of Byleth's support with Flayn in their conversation, while her conversation with Cyril serves as his C in this story, and his recruitment. (Meanwhile, the conversation between Edelgard and Azrael more or less serves as their 'C+' support, though I will fully admit the first part of it borrows heavily from her support with Dorothea. If a touch harsher because Edelgard's learned Azrael doesn't care if ANYONE censors themselves around him)

There's not much in game about Raphael WANTING to be the pillar of support for his classmates, nor does he have much of a reaction about Lonato, but it made sense to me. Similarly, I've added in Byleth actively trying to investigate things because it just makes sense, particularly with the extra things I've added, and Rhea admitting to playing along with the trap specifically to lure out the conspirators. And also why Byleth eats so much. Yes, I know, the popular joke is that it's for two people (her and Sothis), but I thought this would be more interesting. The other reason why she and Azrael eat a lot is, in fact, due to their magic. But her healing is why she eats even more than him.

It's during this month that rumors of 'the death knight' first start appearing, so I wanted to have that trickle in. Most of it is, of course, seen only through exploratory dialogue (with some only appearing if the student isn't recruited), which is why it's brought up again during the 'heirs put things together' scene (and tied into Manuela's C support). Almost all of the clues mentioned there either reference the students' exploratory dialogue, dialogue during the initial cutscene, or the actual investigation notes you technically 'collect'. Which I didn't have Byleth do because it's more fun to have her eavesdrop on others.

Interestingly enough, the Devil Weapons actually require Agarthium (or however it's spelled) for repair/forging, a metal only used for weapons connected to Those who Slither. So, there's the reason why it's brought up. Another interesting thing is that in the Abyss library, there's a note on the church refusing to let people do autopsies, while it's also shown that Manuela has quite the knowledge of anatomy. Now, granted, it could've been done with magic and all, but given how an interview with the developers mentioned Rhea simply 'slowing down' progress, I choose instead that the book in Abyss is outdate, and anatomy as a field of study is very recent. (Claude, being from Almyra, likely was taught it, or chose to learn it, as it's simply a normal field of study.)

There's next to no lore on any of the Sacred Weapons, so I made up a bunch of things that hopefully make enough sense.

Seteth normally gives Byleth quests every month, but here, I'm having it where Azrael actually is the one who does most of them, to free up Byleth some. Hence his excuse to walk away from Edelgard after their argument. Similarly, I put the 'inter-house weaponry competition thing' on Dimitri to free her up further. She works too hard as is.

The scene with Madeline makes a reference to the Gift System and, indeed, quite a few gifts actual feature, such as the board games and stuffed bears. The Lost Items are also mentioned. Thought it would be a fun way to bring it in. Hapi having difficulties with people's talking a lot comes from her in-class "I have a question" scenario. Mercedes commenting on how familiar Jeritza appears is from her non-recruited exploration dialogue. The whole start of the Ferdinand, Dimitri, and Marianne talking is because of Ferdinand's exploration dialogue (and then ran away from there, particularly when I realized I could sneak in Dedue's exploration dialogue as well). Catherine's is also briefly mentioned, but here, she actually does try to attack, instead of it simply being a 'joke'.