"Captain Jeralt?! It is you! Goodness, it's been ages." The knight's eyes brighten up as soon as he sees Jeralt. The excitement in his voice is hardly contained when talking to his former captain. "Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway. It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever." Jeralt lets out a tired sigh. " And drop that "captain" nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore. These days, I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend."
"Right… Good-bye, Captain." Alois gave a small disappointed look with his farewell. Jeralt turns his shoulder to leave when a bright idea came to Alois's head. "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"
Jeralt stops dead in his tracks, turning back to Alois. "Garreg Mach Monastery… I suppose this was inevitable."
"And how about you, kid? Are you the captain's child?" Alois looks toward Byleth, catching his attention as he was giving a blank stare to his father.
"Yes, that is correct. I am Jeralt's son." Byleth nods slowly to the statement.
"Is that so?" Alois closely examines Byleth for a moment. "Well, physical differences aside, your mannerisms do remind me of the captain. I'd love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?"
"Sure," Byleth answered again with a nod. The nobles who fought the bandits have indeed caught his attention. He wanted to see what to make about the other students at the academy.
Unfortunately, Jeralt wasn't all too pleased with that answer as he lets out a noticeable groan at the fact. Alois catches it with a frown. "What's troubling you, Captain? You aren't about to run off again, are you?"
"Even I would dare run from the Knights of Seiros." Jeralt comments as the two of them start making their way to the preparations for travel.
"The Knights of Seiros… They do seem rather skilled." A voice calls out inside Byleth's head. Getting defensive, he swiftly turns around to see no one.
"Sothis?" Byleth calls out, recognizing the owner of the voice. He had noticed that Jeralt was motioning for him to come over.
"Ah. It seems your presence is required. Get going!" The voice comes from his head once again. Puzzled by the circumstance, he makes his way over to Jeralt to begin travel preparation to Garreg Mach Monastery.
"How are you guys holding up?" Robin walks to the three students, handing each of them a bottle of water.
"Better now that the battle is over." The man in yellow lets out a sigh of relief, happily accepting the water while resting against a rock. "Thanks."
"Had you all not been here, our fate could have been drastically different. We all owe you all a debt of gratitude." Edelgard comments, taking the bottle. "Your quick thinking during battle is a great trait to have as a mercenary."
"He's a royal tactician, actually." Dimitri corrects, immediately downing all of the contents of the bottle. "He had corrected me when we thought the battle had died down. But you're right. His quick thinking really helped us."
"It was nothing really. I was just making use of what was around us." Robin was embarrassed by all the sudden praise from the students. He scratches his head, before taking notice of the clothing of the groups. "By the way… I wanted to ask you guys something. Given your similar outfits and from what the knight said, are you all, students?"
"That's right. We're students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery." The man in yellow explains. "Most of the students are nobility who were sent off to be taught how to be soldiers."
"O-Oh! I'm sorry that I've been informal to you three!" Robin swiftly apologizes, remembering a similar situation that he was in with Chrom and Lissa.
"I don't have any problems with it. You saved our lives after all." Dimitri said, brushing it off with a simple smile.
"Alright then… Wait. If you're at Garreg Mach, what are you guys doing all the way out here then?" Robin asks again.
"We were doing some training exercises at the time the bandits attacked us," Edelgard said, being the one to explain this time. "Claude ran off during the whole ordeal and we followed behind him."
"It was a strategic retreat that failed because these two followed me. If it was just one guy, it'd be different." Claude states in a carefree manner, obviously joking about the whole ordeal. "But enough about us. I'd like to know a little bit more about you. You should come to the monastery with us."
"That sounds like a good idea. After hearing a bit about it, I'm interested in the academy." Robin smiles at the idea. He notices Jeralt motioning for him to come over as he stands up. "Ah sorry. Excuse me for a moment."
"That's fine. It looked like you guys were leaving for somewhere anyways." Edelgard nods with the other two agreeing. Robin stands up before starting to walk towards Jeralt. "Oh before I forget. What's your name? I don't think I heard of it."
"Oh, sorry. Guess I forgot despite hearing your names… It's Robin. A pleasure to meet you all." Robin smiles before walking over to Jeralt. Edelgard looks over at Robin with a close eye. She lets a frown while she stares at Robin's white hair.
"You wanted to see me, Jeralt?" Robin asks as he passes by Byleth who walks toward the three students.
"Yeah. Seems there has been a change in plans. We'll be heading to Garreg Mach Monastery. Thought I should give you the heads up so get ready. We'll be leaving soon enough." Jeralt looks over at his equipment.
"Alright then. I'll go grab my bag. What about the sword I borrowed?" Robin takes out the iron sword from his side.
"Oh, that? You can keep it. After seeing you battle the bandits, it'd be better if you had a weapon." Jeralt nods before taking his leave. Robin makes his way over to his house, grabbing the small pouch. He wraps it around his body before seeing the students talking to Byleth.
"I have lived in the Adrestian Empire for a large period of my life. So to choose a place, I would pick it." Byleth comments, thinking about it with his usual blank stare. This answer pleases Edelgard who smiles at the fact.
"A wise choice. Though the Empire has fallen from its former glory, the other regions are merely offshoots that pale in comparison." Edelgard said with a hint of pride behind her voice.
"And what about Robin, here? I'm also curious about what your allegiance lies?" Claude asks with Robin taking a step back.
"Uh… I'm a foreigner so I don't really know much about the three kingdoms except a few bits." Robin comments, thinking a bit about the information that one of the mercenaries has explained to him. "Though the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus has caught my attention the most seeing how it is the most similar to the land I'm from."
"Faerghus is a noble and distinguished kingdom that has always valued chivalry. Seeing that it holds a sense of familiarity with your Kingdom is comforting." Dimitri smiles at the idea. Before he could continue, Alois approaches the group.
"All right, that's enough with the small talk. It's time to head back to the monastery!" Alois calls out to the group before turning around.
"Looks like we'll have to pick this up another time. Seeing that you're a foreigner Robin, I could give a little bit of history about the monastery on the way." Claude offers to Robin with a chuckle. "And if you want, there's a library that goes more in-depth if you'd like."
Robin's eyes shine at the sound of a library, being even more interesting in the place now that he has a good place to read his books. "Thanks, Claude. I think I'll take you up on your offer."
Alois once again called out to the students to hurry up. Seeing this, Dimitri and the others start to walk off with Byleth being left to ponder much to Robin's confusion. Not really understanding the circumstances, he walks off with the others to Garreg Mach Monastery.
"It feels just like old times where I would travel from small villages to cities. In a way, it's kind of nostalgic." Robin looks up to see the sun faintly being shown through the branches of the trees above the group.
"I must say. I am interested in the stories that you can share with us." Dimitri states with Byleth and Robin turning over to him. "The history that you both have… There must be things that you could teach us that we can only find on the battlefield."
"You've been on an actual battlefield with your life at stake… There is one thing you should learn. It is the main difference between school and the actual battlefield. What do you think that is?" Byleth asks the trio of students, quizzing the students for something specific.
"The main difference between school and the actual battlefield?" Edelgard questions with a hint of interest to the question.
"In school, if you fail, you have the next day to try again. But on the battlefield, with people's lives at stake, you cannot afford to make those mistakes." Byleth's cold sense of reality gives an eerie feeling to the three students. He notices it from quickly adding a follow-up to the statement. "That's something that you need to learn. For now, you have a safety net at your academy. Make use of your time, properly."
"I will. The whole reason that I'm at this school is the better myself in combat. I'm sure that the members of my house follow the very same goal." Dimitri states with Robin giving an interested look at the fact. "Ah. The students of Garreg Mach Monastery are divided into three separate houses, each hailing from where they are from."
"Divided into three houses? I guess that would explain the different colors of your clothing." Robin examines the three separate colors of the three students. "So your houses are divided by that nation you're from. And they are all separated by the colors, blue, yellow, and red?"
"A common misconception. The members that hail from the Adrestian Empire are members of the Black Eagles class." Edelgard comments, much to Robin's confusion. "It has to do with how the Adrestian Empire's army has a traditional black armor color. So while it may seem that red would be the more logical choice, we focus on honoring our tradition."
"Oh, I see… But an animal does revolve around your house's banner? I guess that shows a distinction between all of them. I'm looking forward to meeting the members of your house." Robin smiles, hoping to gain a better understanding of the land he's in.
"I'm also interested in your classmates. I want to see how they are able to hold up in combat." Byleth comments, focusing more on their combative ability. However, he thinks a little more about the little knowledge he holds about the monastery, despite it being a central part of the country. "However, Garreg Mach Monastery also catches my attention."
"It really is Fodlan in a nutshell with all of the classmates there." Claude comments in a carefree manner. He lets out a small sigh at the fact though. "The good and the bad though."
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon enough," Edelgard comments with a hint of sadness behind what she said.
"Well, seeing that it's your first time at the monastery, I'd be happy to show you both around." Dimitri offers to the two with a smile.
"I'll accept your offer then," Robin notices a few castle walls off in the distance. Over the small increasing hills, a huge set of buildings is seen in the distance. "Is that…"
"Yes… That's Garreg Mach Monastery." Edelgard stops for a moment to look up at the monastery. She lets out a sigh before walking the rest of the way in silence. Something was eating her mind, remaining silent for the rest of the trip to the monastery.
A few of the outer guards take notice of the new faces with Alois swiftly dismissing any possible commotion. After a moment, the main gate slowly opens up with mechanical clanging. The party enters with the gate closing behind them. Jeralt examines the area, looking up as his eyes open wide to see a woman in formal clothing overseeing the people entering the monastery.
"Captain. Please wait here while I go report in and bring the students back to their dorms to rest." Alois says with Byleth and Robin walking up to the group.
"Take your time. We'll be waiting here in the meantime." Jeralt nods with Alois escorting the knights and students into the depths of the monastery.
"This is the famed Garreg Mach Monastery…" Robin takes a look around the area, noticing a small shopping area was being set up for the day.
"It looks accurate to the paintings that I've seen," Byleth comments looking at the main building of the monastery. "Though I don't know much about the insides of the temple."
"Rhea's here…" Jeralt manages to let out with a hint of disdain towards the familiar face. Byleth looks over at his father with a hint of confusion by the fact. Before he could ask a question, Alois makes his way towards the two with a green-haired man in a similar outfit to the archbishop walks beside him.
"You're giving the recommendation of a position for teaching rather quickly, Alois. I know that they're affiliated with Jeralt, but still." The man in formal clothing asks the knight as they walk towards Jeralt.
"It's fine, Seteth. I have trust in these people." Alois smiles, giving Seteth a firm nod of confidence in his belief.
"Very well. I will relay your recommendation to Lady Rhea. However, she will make the ultimate decision on the matter." Seteth and Alois stop as they meet Jeralt. Alois gives his former captain his usual smile.
"Captain! Lady Rhea wishes to speak with you in the audience chamber." Alois looks over at Byleth and Robin. "She would also like to speak with you two as well."
"Me as well?" Robin was shocked by the fact that the archbishop was interested in him.
"It's a welcoming into Garreg Mach Monastery. Given the fact that you traveled here with Jeralt, we would like to get to know you as well." Seteth explains to the tactician. Finding the explanation reasonable, Robin nods to the meeting. "Very well then. Let's us head to the audience chamber."
As the group makes their way into the monastery, Rhea takes one last look from the patio, staring at Byleth. "I wonder… Did the flow of time bring you here?"
"Please wait here while I bring in Lady Rhea." Seteth gives a small bow before leaving the three for a few moments.
"This place is more overwhelming than the palace back at Ylisse…" Robin makes a small comment, turning around to see the insides of the monastery.
"It's been years since I've last set eyes on this place." Jeralt comments once Seteth leaves the main room. He turns his head to see the interior of the audience chamber. "To be forced to see her now…"
"You were Captain of the Knights of Seiros, right? Which means that you've been here before?" Byleth asks for clarification with Jeralt slowly nodding to the fact.
"I guess you heard about it from Alois… Many years ago, I was a knight here. I reported to the archbishop… Lady Rhea." Jeralt explains in a solemn manner to Byleth.
"Lady Rhea has been the archbishop for Garreg Mach all this time?" Robin asks, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the room.
"That's right. Quite a marvel that she holds the ability to lead this ridiculously large religious organization." Jeralt comments with a sigh. Two pairs of footsteps echoed through the audience chamber.
As the echoes grow closer, Jeralt stops the conversation to see Seteth walk behind Rhea to greet the group. The archbishop's eyes open wide to seeing Byleth, almost taken aback by some kind of trait that he possessed. Byleth gives a look of confusion, feeling a lingering remnant of familiarity with the archbishop. Rhea simply moves her attention to Jeralt with a small smile at the familiar face.
"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop." Seteth introduces himself formally in the same studious manner he has had since the group had arrived.
"Right. Hello." Jeralt gave a swift greeting, not wanting to take his attention away from the archbishop.
"It has been a long time, Jeralt," Rhea speaks in a soft voice, looking at the former captain with a moment of happiness from the fact. "I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?"
"Forgive my silence all these years." Jeralt gives an honorable bow to the archbishop out of respect and force of habit. "Much has happened since we last spoke."
"So I see." Rhea looks over at Byleth with a hint of hope in her eyes. "The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?"
"Yes… Born many years after I left this place." Jeralt grunts a little from the fact. The news seems to hit Rhea rather bitterly with a small bit of sorrow. "I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child… but I'm afraid we lost her to illness."
"I see. My condolences." Rhea takes a moment to take in the information before talking to Byleth. "As for you… I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?"
"My name is Byleth Eisner." Byleth follows Jeralt's offer of respect by replicating his bow to the archbishop.
"A fine name indeed." Rhea gives Byleth a somber look, before turning her attention to Robin. "And I heard that your quick thinking and actions also helped in saving the children. May I ask for your name?"
"I'm Robin." Robin stops for a moment about his last name. Being the son of Validar, he had come to realize his last name, "Fellborn". However, Robin's hate and disdain for that side of himself made him want nothing to do with it. So he chose to give the last name that Maribelle had given him in order to greet himself to nobles that fitted his role as the tactician for Ylisse's shepherds. He follows Byleth and Jeralt's bow as he gives his full name. "Tacticus. Robin Tacticus."
"A fine name as well." Rhea smiles, looking at the group. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."
"Hmph." Jeralt lets out a small frustrated grunt, knowing that Rhea's attention has once again gone back to him.
"Jeralt." Rhea noticing Jeralt's reaction gives a small look of determination. "You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?"
"You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don't you." Jeralt takes notice of Byleth's interest in the archbishop. He lets out a sigh before looking at Rhea. "I won't say no, but…"
"Your apprehension stings." Rhea closes her eyes to the response, pondering about the fact. "I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you."
"He did… That is one of the reasons I didn't need much time to think about it." Jeralt thinks one more about the decision he makes. He gives a small nod. "But yes. I will join the Knights of Seiros again."
"I'm glad to hear that…" Before Rhea could continue the conversation, Seteth catches her attention. The two discuss to themselves for a moment with Rhea turning back to the group. "I must step away for now, but I will expect the students will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… Farewell."
Rhea walks off with Seteth not far behind. He stops for a moment before walking up to Robin. "Alois had stated that you aren't originally from Fodlan. Is that correct?"
"T-That's right," Robin responds, not expecting there to be a question towards him.
"I see. Would it be possible that we could have a meeting of our own before tomorrow? There is something that I wish to discuss with you about." Seteth asks with Robin turning towards Byleth and Jeralt. He turns back to Seteth with a small nod.
"That's fine. I have no problem with that at all." Robin agrees with Seteth giving a small nod to the fact.
"Very well then. Would it be alright to meet me at my office in an hour?" Seteth asks once again.
"Yeah… I don't see why not." Robin was a bit confused with all of the sudden interest in him, to begin with.
"Alright then. That'll be all. Please excuse me." Seteth bows to the group before entering the room that Rhea has entered. Once Jeralt was sure that the two had left, he lets out a loud sigh.
"I can't believe it. Forced back into the Knights of Seiros." The group walks out of the audience chamber. Jeralt takes a look at Byleth and Robin with a frown. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. Looks like I'll be stuck here for a while… and I'm afraid your services are requested as well. Both of you."
"I've been asked to work as well?" Robin gives a puzzled look at the idea. Jeralt nods slowly, turning to Byleth.
"Robin and I will be doing mercenary work for the church?" Byleth asks, seeing as that was the only possible work that he could be given.
"Nothing like that. They want you two to teach the students of the academy." Jeralt's response was a shock to both Byleth and Robin both. They weren't able to respond to why the fact is. "During the night the brats met us, one of the professors apparently ditched the kids for his own sake."
"He ditched them?! No wonder they don't want this person teaching the students." Robin grunts with Jeralt nodding to the idea.
"That was the exact reason. And with the sudden opening, that damned Alois went and recommended you both for the position." Jeralt said with a shrug, almost knowing that this predicament was usual for his former fellow knight. Two figures make their way to the group, one of them was a distinguished-looking man which was a stark contrast to a younger-looking woman that looked more carefree.
"So… These are the new professors. My, how stern and handsome you two are!" The woman calls out to both Byleth and Jeralt with interest in her eyes.
"Er, no. I'm not one of the new professors. That would be Robin." Jeralt motions to Robin who waves to his new coworkers. He then motions to Byleth. "And this is the other one. Byleth. You can handle things from here."
Jeralt turns around and whispers something to Byleth. Byleth gives a confused look to what he was hearing, leaving Robin to simply wonder what the two were talking about. Jeralt leaves the two with the fellow professors as Robin takes the initiative. "I'm Robin. I'm a tactician. Good to meet you."
"Byleth. Previously, a mercenary." The two's introduction seemed to have interested the female professor. She closely examines the two with a small smile on her face.
"Oh. You two? You're both so young…" The woman chuckles in amazement. The old man beside her grunts at her amazement with a swift correction.
"Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, Manuela. Surely you have seen it in the students here at the academy." The man proclaims before turning to the new professors. "I am Hanneman, a Crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy. I wonder if you bear a Crest of your own. When next you have a moment to spare, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further."
"I'm Manuela. I'm a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available." Manuela cheekily adds it in, hinting at that as the main point. "It's nice to meet you."
"A songstress and a physician? I'm surprised at how experienced you are in two vastly different fields." Robin was impressed by the professor's expanded field of work.
"I don't seem like that age too, right? When I'm not teaching, I can be found in the infirmary." Manuela seems pleased that she had caught the attention of Robin. However, she wanted to cast her net for the other fish in the sea. "If you're ever lonely, please do come and pay me a visit. I would love to-"
"Spare our new colleagues the needless chatter, Manuela." Hanneman abruptly cuts Manuela off. While annoyed, Manuela seemed to have caught the picture at the multiple attempts at the men's attention seemed to have made them unsettled. "Now then, it seems you two will be taking charge of one of the academy's three houses. I expect you haven't yet been briefed on the nature of each, have you?"
"We've got a basic understanding of the houses from the students," Byleth explained, not needing the explanation. "The leaders of those houses are the future leaders of their respective nations, right?"
"Indeed. It is certainly going to be a promising year for the academy." Hanneman is admired by future research in the vast amount of crests from the students.
"I'll say. I just hope none of those little treasures cause any trouble." Manuela gives a cautiously optimistic smile from the fact. She had noticed that Robin has been in thought for a while now. "Is something troubling you?"
"You said that there are three houses, correct? That would mean they would be divided by three professors. Aren't there four of us?" Robin asks with Hanneman nodding to the fact.
"Since the two of us have our own duties to perform outside the classroom, Manuela and I have agreed to divide the work of one house between the two of us," Hanneman explained to the two. "For now, I suggest taking a stroll around the academy to get your bearings. And when you've a moment, please stop by my research laboratory."
"The old man has a point. Oh, and keep in mind that I've only notified the house leaders that you're our new professors." Manuela chuckles to herself at the work that she's done. "It's more fun that way. I suggest you try spending time with the students. Some odd ducks in that bunch, but they're good kids."
"Lady Rhea will have more information for you tomorrow. However, that can wait. For now. The best of luck to you." Hanneman said to the two before walking off. Robin is still somewhat in disbelief at the fact with Byleth shaking his head to the fact.
"Shall we head off?" Byleth catches Robin's attention. "Given that we had these roles placed on us suddenly, we need to get used to it soon."
"You do raise a fair point." Robin follows Byleth out of the audience chamber. He stops and turns back. After a moment, he catches up with Byleth, feeling like someone is watching him.
So... I got a couple of comments saying that I shouldn't worry about knowing what I'm doing. I just want to say that is kinda my outro to my fanfiction messages for a bit now. While I appreciate the words of encouragement, I should say that right now.
In any case, hello everyone. Sorry that this chapter took a bit longer than usual to publish. I had some stuff that I wanted to do and I was doing some last-minute planning for the future parts of the story. What I'm mainly referring to are the missions that Robin will have to take his house at the end of every month (some won't be at the end of the month for reasons). I had to double-check how many months took place in the monastery arc to get a true understanding of what things from the main game to include, and what to not. I'm still figuring out whether to put the Ashen Wolves in cause I've never actually played that DLC story of FE3H. Though from what I heard, the maps in that kinda suck so maybe I'll just read the story which I also heard is half-decent. Will be fully noted at a future installment. For now, thank you all so much for reading this. This is NexusMHX signing off! I still don't know what I'm doing!
And check out the sneak peek to Robin's first mission at Garreg Mach Monastery.
Off the Rhodos Coasts of the western side of the Holy Kingdom Of Faerghus, a pirate ship is sailing towards one of the nearby trading posts, a bit of distance away from the cemetery, held sacred by the Church of Seiros. One of the figures from the ship makes their way to the side, motioning to the people at the port, asking permission to dock. After being given the approval, the figure calls out to the men inside the ship to make preparations.
"Here we are! The land of Fodlan." A man in ragged-looking clothes with a white bandana covers his hair calls out to the insides of the pirate ship. A few steps could be heard from inside the ship, revealing a young girl with green hair, wearing a blue dress, white skirt, and a purple cape behind her.
"Thank you again for bringing me along, Dart. You said that you dropped him off here as well?" The girl asks the pirate who slowly nods.
"That's right, missie. He'd asked Captain Fargus about a ride here. Paid-up for the trip and everything." Dart grabs a few items. He turns back to the girl with a frown. "Didn't say where he went though."
"Thank you. That helps me out a lot actually." The girl frowned, looking out towards the lands of Fodlan.
"If ya want, we could go ask around. A chance that they might know where he may be." Dart offers to the girl. She looks up at the pirate with a determined look.
"I wish... I wish I were more worthy... So that I could have helped him. So that he didn't have to leave! That's why... I have to do my best! For Jaffar's sake!" The girl calls out towards Fodlan. She readies a red tome at her side, prepared for what is at stake for her.