Continuing my FE story line up, here's the first of a handful of non-lemony Heroes One-Shots that I've had on my mind for a while. Of course, just because there won't be any sex doesn't mean that there won't be some couples-focused drama and action. In the case of this story, the primary couple will be a pair from Elibe, Roy and Cecilia. Yes, you read that right. Turn back if you want after hearing that, but if not, then enjoy this slice of Roy/Cecilia fluff, which feels like it's in short supply on this site. Also, expect some character analysis to go along with the fluff. Enjoy!
I do not own anything.
Fire Emblem Heroes
You're Still the Best in the World
When Byleth Eisner was first summoned to Askr, Cecilia felt a mixture of excitement and anticipation, practically to the point she could sometimes feel it bouncing about within her like an excited humming bird. After a while, it became noticeable to her friends and comrades; some members of the Order reacted with dread. For those handful, it was all they needed, another teacher to help further instruct them in the arts of battle, which many of them stubbornly proclaimed to already know. While that may have been true, it never hurt to keep studying and learning. Then again, there were also the still young and green members of the Order of Heroes. That's where instructors like Cecilia were fully able to shine. She was ecstatic that she'd be getting a new collage to work with.
Byleth Eisner wasn't what she'd been expecting.
For starters, on the surface, he had all the emotional presence of a slab of stone, were it not for his voice and actions, one might have believed that's what they were talking to when in his presence. At times though, the latter were carried out with the same…dispassionate demeanor in which he approached most other things. Such a thing was rather terrifying considering he had the fighting ability of a veteran warrior, able to hold his own against dozens of enemies, be they human or not, warrior or sorcerer, and come out victorious. True to the stories, it was…unsettling, albeit Cecilia had discovered that he could bask in the glory of victory like other warriors. Byleth was just at times more reserved about it, something she didn't at all find strange or unlikable. Likewise, he wasn't completely barefoot of emotions like many stories made him out to be.
His students adamantly defended him, stating that he did have emotions, the blue-haired mercenary just wasn't the type to nakedly show them. Or at times recognize them. It was only natural as they'd gotten to know him, discovered he had emotions and even helped him get in touch with them. Those emotions occasionally came out when he was teaching.
Cecilia had seen those emotions, rather at his side or from the sidelines, as she was now. Truth be told, the latter left a bit of a…bitter taste in her mouth. At one time, Byleth had been rather upfront when he caught her spying on him, he immediately deduced she'd been judging his teaching method. He was surprisingly accepting of her spying and her silent judging. Cecilia had felt both relieved and ashamed of herself when he asked for her input regarding his teaching at the Order so far. Sure, she was the veteran instructor, but what right did she have to pass judgement on a fellow teacher who had his own way of doing things, and his way had produced results.
Ultimately, she approved of his teaching, encouraging him to continue on. In this moment, somewhere deep within her, a small part of her wished she'd withdrawn that encouragement, though it probably wouldn't have made a difference. Still, she could see that her approval had meant something to him. He respected her, and she in turn respected him; that mutual exchange made it so their opinions mattered to one another. Matter of fact, Cecilia would have liked to go as far as to say they could be called friends considering they'd learned to work together and she came to enjoy his company as she did others.
But…it was normal for friends, and especially colleagues, to feel a little jealous of each other from time to time, right?
Was she jealous of his teaching ability? Point-blank, the answer would have been yes, but there was more to it than that. Cecilia was incredibly grateful to have another teacher in the Order of Heroes. They were an ever-growing army, and it almost seemed the threats they faced were ever-growing. Of course, they attracted new members, some by choice, some by chance, and others…well, life led people on strange journeys. She smiled as she remembered sharing such a conversation with their own Summoner, once a university student living a blissfully ordinary life before fate decided he had more to do. It was by his hand they'd all been summoned to Askr. Her, her friends, her countrymen, her enemies…and Byleth. They'd all found their niche in the Order. Case-in-point, she and Byleth their teaching.
He was in the middle of teaching the useful and useless motions of swordplay and even axe usage. As usual, he was doing a rather good job. It took a special kind of skill to be able to hold the attention of Barbarians, hell, it took something special to get the normally rowdy fighters into a classroom. Cecilia had tried and failed more often than not in the past. Byleth seemed to have had better luck for a variety of reasons-one of them likely being the quality of his lessons. Lessons such as this, which included the proper way to dual-wield a sword and an axe. Unlike most, Byleth knew how to do so, and do so with some rather evident skill.
The sword was a weapon that could go either way, but an axe was often seen as a brutish weapon. Combining the two together could result in a surprisingly effective fighting style as she and the rest of the class discovered. Dual-wielding was a powerful skill, one that was flashy but could be quite effective. Cecilia herself had learned the skill to the point of being considered an expert on it; it was thanks to that expertise she could say that the skill was tough to learn, and even tougher to become well-versed in. Plenty of warriors had boasted of being the latter, but more often than not, their bravado crumbled in real combat.
As she'd seen with her own two eyes, Byleth was most certainly not that, and he was teaching the others to fall into the same category.
Though she herself was proficient in the art of dual-wielding, Cecilia couldn't deny that there was a prime time for her to strengthen her abilities. One never stopped learning, that was true in life ad it was especially true for warriors. As strong as you were, there was potentially someone out there who was stronger. Being brought to Askr had even forced a few rather proud fighters to realize that; others had readily accepted it with glee.
Better fighters…or better cooks…better horsemen…or perhaps even…better teachers.
Cecilia felt her heart skip a beat at the last statement, her eyes widening. Something cold gripped her heart once it resumed beating. Having felt this feeling before, she shook it off, knowing it had no place in her, nor was it right for her to feel that way. At least, that last bit is what she told herself. Catching her attention was the sudden sound of wood thumping together-the clash of practice weapons. Realizing she'd temporarily spaced out, she leaned back in, watching the unfolding events of the classroom. Roy was wielding two swords as were Byleth, and both were having a light-hearted sparring match. Normally, classrooms were built for such a thing, at least not without moving desks and chairs, which Byleth had apparently done during her momentary departure.
She felt her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the Ashen Demon and her beloved pupil exchanging blows with one another in the still compact space They were fighting at impressive speeds, speeds that would have overwhelmed an ordinary fighter. Byleth was far, far from an ordinary fighter, and so was Roy. He was no rookie fighter, he was a seasoned veteran in spite of what many would have called his young age. Speaking of which, that was actually becoming a bit of a moot point-he'd turned sixteen during the time he'd spent at Askr, and in a few months he'd be seventeen-years-old. Roy was getting older…and as she could see with her own eyes, becoming a better combatant. It had happened under not just her tutelage, but that of others as well.
Including Byleth.
Green eyes widened as a pair of swords were dropped and palms were brought together at the bottom. Roy was completely unprepared for the sudden palm thrust that knocked the air out of his lungs. The sight made Cecilia's heart freeze in her chest, raw protective instinct caused it to blaze back into motion. Every cell in her body screamed for her to move, to dash across the classroom and put herself between Roy and Byleth, maybe even go on the offensive to eliminate the potential threat that the latter represented.
Except Byleth wasn't a threat. She chastised herself for eve seeing him as such.
Byleth stopped at holding the two practice swords in Roy's direction, ready to use them in a heartbeat, yet his attention focused on explaining what to do next to his opponent and his class. When disarmed of both of your weapons, what was a warrior to do: try to steal one back, both, continue to fight unarmed, or claim one of the other fallen weapons. The answer was all of the above, the only question was which one would they choose and how would they go about it. Byleth spent the next ten minutes going over the pros and cons of each option, ultimately devolving into a session about what to do when you'd lost your weapon but your opponent still had his. In Roy's case, there was a bit of a special condition.
"If wearing any sort of armor, you have the option of engaging in unarmed combat. Though dangerous, this choice can still turn the tide of the battle around. If lacking armor but a way to enhance your physical abilities, perhaps you have all the more reason to choose this option." He declared turning his gaze toward the royal redhead. Nodding, he held out his arms and closed his eyes; the change was immediate to all in the room. They all felt the sudden chill to the point that some could have sworn they saw their breath materializing as clouds of frost before their lips.
Roy's draconic heritage never ceased to amaze her, even here in Askr where they walked amongst not just other dragons, but even dragon gods. Cecilia knew it was a personal belief, but Roy and Lady Ninian were the most majestic of them all. The latter had passed her powers onto Roy; those powers manifested in the silvery blue scales that grew along his arms and up his face. His red hair became rigid the tips sharp as did his eyes, round pupils sharpening into reptilian silts. His finger nails elongated into claws, claws she knew could rend steel armor just as easily as a Killing Edge blade could. He exhaled, releasing a cloud of frosty air thicker than those others had breathed.
Cecilia would never forget the first time she saw the manifestation of her student and lover's draconic side. He was only twelve years old, practicing against another combat instructor who was hard pressing him. She'd been sensing something building within him, fighting its way to the surface as Roy went on the defensive against the warrior's lance swings that were punching holes in Roy's defense. One well-aimed thrust would have grazed his arm had his dragon blood not finally made its way to the surface. The spear's upper half flash-froze, shocking everyone, including her. What happened next was so fast it took onlookers a few seconds to realize what had happened. They saw a broken, frozen lance lying on the ground along with its wielder, a set of icy claws at his neck.
The look on Roy's face was feral, more befitting of a beast than a human, or at least a sane one. Cecilia's heart pulsed in her chest as she realized that what she saw was the true form of the power his mother had passed onto him. To hear about it was one thing, but to see it was…breathtaking.
It was later during the war that she revealed she hadn't felt a sliver of fear in seeing his draconic form. Just as she'd never forget her first time seeing his draconic powers manifest, she'll never forget the relief that colored his face upon telling him she thought of him no differently, that she didn't see him as a monster. She could never see Roy as a monster, never. Cecilia had reached out and taken his hand, feeling the warmth in it, as well as letting him feel the warmth that her hand held.
Watching the Roy and Byleth continue their mock battle, she felt a strange urge to step out of the doorway and go to them. Not to stop the fight, but to take over. She'd known Roy's dragon form longer, she'd seen it in battle, up close and personally actually! She knew more about it than Byleth did!
But when it came to hand-to-hand combat, she was loath to admit the Professor of the Blue Lions had her beat by a sizable stretch. He also knew more about how to use said form of combat to counter weapons, as he was demonstrating with Roy.
Though he was fighting Byleth with focused eyes, the redhead was paying attention to his lectures. It was equally impervious that Byleth was masterfully countering the Young Lion's punches and kicks while talking in a rather lax voice, like he had nothing to worry about. One could say with his vast experience and his own power, he didn't have to worry. He had more than enough power to harden his practice swords to keep them from breaking under the pressure of Roy's punches.
Reinforcement, yes, one of the most basic yet useful ways to manipulate one's inner energy. For most mages like her, they enchanted their bodies using magical power thus boosting their strength and durability far above the level of the average human. For those already having sufficient levels of both, it made almost made them juggernauts. Brawlers could do that too, brawlers like Byleth could do that too, and some of them relished using that superior strength to catch weapons in their bare hands and crush them. Learning how to do that was a big appeal for some of the students in Byleth's class, and they were getting a prime demonstrate on how to do that through his instructions and Roy's demonstrations.
"Enjoying the show so far? Thinking about joining in yourself?" In spite of her deep concentration, Cecilia kept from jumping. It robbed her eavesdropper out of some of the fun of appearing so suddenly, but she satisfied herself with the sheepish shaking of the head that Cecilia gave. "Oh come on, I'm sure the boys would love it! Hey, maybe we could have a tag team sparring match!"
"P-P-Perhaps some other time, Catherine." Responded the Mage General, making sure to keep her voice low. "Have you come to aid in Byleth's teaching?"
"Well, sort of, but it looks like he's got it handled by himself. Like he always seems to." In stark contrast to her, Catherine's posture was completely lax and her eyes filled with affectionate amusement. Like Cecilia, she'd been in this position before. From what she understood, the Knight of Seiros had taken to, well, stalking Byleth upon first meeting him to discover his secrets. She kept up the practice even after they'd gotten to know each other…and became romantically involved apparently. "What about you, Cecilia? Came by to make sure Roy was still getting a first-class education? Or…were you worried that he was getting too good of an education?"
Cecilia immediately felt a shiver of pure fear run up her spine, as it did, her cheeks blushed crimson.
To her credit, Catherine kept her snicker reserved, knowing if she went any louder, they both would be caught. "Hey, hey, no need to get so tense. If you want to join in, go for it! Byleth's never against having other teachers jump in to aid in his lessons, especially you! He's got a lot of respect for you!"
"I-I-I know that." She quickly retorted, also making sure to keep her voice down as not to give them away. "I…I just…"
Leaning in, the blonde whispered, "Like I said, you're worried that he's training Roy too well."
"I-I am not!" Cecilia heatedly retorted. Catherine's smile made it clear she wasn't convinced. "S-S-Since you're so focused on learning, perhaps you can do some yourself. Your magic could use some polishing, as well as your swordsmanship."
"Ohoho, that's quite a boost to make, Cecilia. You better have something to teach me." The devoted knight declared with a leery grin. "We can go now, or we can stay and watch the show a little while longer."
"Now, come." In spite of her own words, her gaze moved back over the edge of the doorway to the classroom. The mock battle had ended and Roy was back in his seat and Byleth was back in front of the chalkboard. Her student and lover had been able to make the former mercenary work up a sweat, something she felt Roy had a right to be proud of. The lesson had now shifted solely to defense, an area just as vital as offense. That too was a lesson that she'd struggled to instill into a few hot-blooded warriors. She'd succeeded of course, and so had Byleth.
Catherine could tell that she wanted to stay a little while longer; she didn't mind staying. Truth be told, she was perfectly fine with continuing to watch the seminar. Watching Byleth was always a treat for her, it was one of the things that had made her fall for him. Moments like this, Catherine felt she could feel her heart stirring in joyous excitement once again. She wasn't alone as Cecilia's heart was racing as well…though Catherine knew it wasn't quite in happiness like hers.
Every blow shook the air itself. It was only natural as though the two fighters looked human, within them was the blood and power of dragons, the strongest creatures to ever grace the world, a fact that held true across multiple worlds. One could say the question was how did dragons from different worlds compare to one another. It was a dangerous yet intriguing question that quite a few at the Order had wanted to see answered, others feared it.
Cecilia believed she might have fell somewhere in the middle. She'd seen with her own two eyes how destructively powerful dragons could be. They lived up to their title of power incarnate…so what did that make humans who could wield the power of dragons?
Some would have used the word, "monster" to describe them, at times directly to said people's faces. She'd never do that, for her, the term monster was reserved for the lowest of the lowest, some of which she unfortunately had to fight alongside.
But at this moment, she could hear the murmuring of the word in accordance to the two fighters brawling it out in the sparring ring. They were dishing out blows that would have pulverized an armored knight in a heartbeat, and fighting with such speed that lightning might have seemed slow. Cecilia's well-trained eyes had a hard time tracking some of the moves being exchanged, but she did her best.
This was without a doubt one of the most intense training sessions that Roy had ever been in, the training matches with her included. Loath as she was to admit it, this fight was far beyond anything the two of them had ever gotten into.
Seeing it, Cecilia could see how some of the inhabitants of Fódlan, namely the three House Leaders, became such fierce fighters. And dear, innocent Flayn had gained some surprisingly attempt combat skills.
Dragon-scaled fists repeatedly collided against one another, along with legs and even occasionally headbutts. Cecilia wanted to protest that Roy was learning how to literally use his head, but she withheld her tongue. The forces of Embla, Muspell, Hel, and the Nightmares were held to no code of honor or battlefield conduct. It was simply fight and win or die. Each one of their parried blows released a thunderous burst of air, the strongest which ripped across the audience in the stands. She would have liked to know whose bright idea it was to have the magical barriers disabled. Cecilia hated it when they did that. Damn the thrills, some sparring bouts could end with harm to the spectators just as much as the combatants.
At the moment though, her concern primarily lay with her student and lover in the arena itself.
Roy was holding his own like he always did, but he was being pressed, hard.
It was ironic as between the two of them, he had more experience with his "dragon side", having known of it since his birth while Byleth had only discovered his draconic heart when he was twenty-one. He'd had more time to practice tapping into and controlling his draconic power so one would have thought he had the advantage…but he didn't. What Byleth lacked in having trained the Crest of Flames' power, he made up for in his superior combat ability. It was honestly impressive and even a little disturbing how quickly he learned.
Almost every one of Roy's strikes were parried, his icy blows failing to make a solid hit, but holding up against the heat of Byleth's divine flames. But Cecilia could see that the stalemate would only last for so long. Byleth's punches and grapples were breaking through, the latter coming closer to ensnaring the Lycian royal.
THUMP!
Arm locks, classic contests of strength, especially between men. Byleth and Roy stared each other down while summoning forth all their strength to overcome the other. Draconic scales were visible running up their necks, and their pupils glowed with inhuman power that manifested in the auras that flared up around them. Said auras shaped themselves into concrete shapes-dragons. Roy's was icy blue and roared as its azure eyes glared at its flaming, emerald-green double. The two ethereal forces collided as the two swordsmen broke the ground beneath them with their continued struggle.
And then Roy was stumbling to that shattered ground.
Cecilia had seen it happen-the sudden sweep kick that knocked her lover off his feet. It was a calculated move unbefitting of the primal forces that Byleth and Roy were channeling. Though such things were precisely why sparring matches like this were taking place-Byleth had a much firmer hold over his draconic power than Roy did, better control that allowed him to think more clearly unlike the younger swordsman.
A knee rose, slamming into Roy's side and knocking him back up where he met a series of punches that left him stumbling backward. Each punch held enough power to shatter a stone pillar, but in the state he was in, they were only slightly more painful than an average punch. Roy's right leg stomped into the ground, his right arm reared back then launched forward. Byleth waited until the last second, then literally waltzed out of the way, a flicker of emerald flames being all that Roy punched. He was wide up for a counterattack, which Byleth was about to hit him with.
WHOSH!
Except he got a test of his own medicine, his back fist passing through a cloud of cold air and ice particles.
A cheer rose up from the crowd, including Cecilia herself. She nearly jumped out of her seat and pumped her arms up in excitement with the rest of "Roy's fanbase". Still, her arms went up and her fists tightened. Pride and joy exploded within her heart, even as she searched for him. She found him coming down atop of Byleth with an axe kick, one shrouded in a whirlwind of icy energy.
Cecilia saw the smirk on Byleth's face. Her Roy had managed to catch him off-guard and surprise him. W-W-Wait, d-d-did I…oh, I did it again. Mused the green-haired sorceress, a crimson tint on her face.
Byleth brought both arms up denying Roy the glory of a clean hit. He pushed his arms up, sending the younger male falling backward. A flaming fist rose in an uppercut that that Roy knocked back with a kick. Byleth merely lashed out with his left arm, Roy responded by bringing his arms up in defense, blocking the attack. At first. Muscles and scaled along the former mercenary's arm bulged as he aggressively pushed his arm to the side. The redhead winced as he felt an incredible amount of force throwing him to the side, then he felt a sharp crack of pain in his lower left side. He responded by throwing a straight right jab, the fast one he could.
Finally, the Young Lion's fists connected. A gasp and a ring of applause went up from the audience.
THUNK!
The Ashen Demon followed the hit up with one of his own, knocking the air out of Roy with a gut punch.
"Don't let one direct blow break your concentration. Your moment of triumph can easily turn into your last moment of life." Whispered the blue-haired swordsman. Mere seconds later and he made good on his implied threat, his fists slamming into the teenager's abdomen again and again, each blow seemingly connecting simultaneously. Roy's face was a frozen mask of pain and shock, incredibly difficult for Cecilia to look at, yet she kept her gaze on him.
Come on, Roy! You've suffered worse! She knew that for a fact as she'd been with him through some of those worst beatdowns. "Roy…Roy, don't give up. Don't give up yet!" Her heart raced with each blow, and with so many it was a miracle it hadn't exploded.
WHOSH!
Byleth blinked in surprise finding both his arms were frozen solid in whitish-blue blocks of ice. His eyes briefly widened before his mind settled on thawing them out using his Crest, a process that would be near instantaneous, but that still wasn't fast enough. Roy's right leg came at him at high speed, forcing Byleth to raise his left arm block. It was like bringing two bombs together as they were about to explode, in this case, they were ice bombs. Another explosion of icy air rocked the arena, this time aided by the literal eruption of a jagged chunk of ice at the center. At the center of it lay Byleth Eisner, his left arm and even encased in ultra-thick ice; he could melt it in an instant, but again, his younger blue-blooded opponent was faster.
All across the stands, eyes widened as Roy jumped back, his left leg stretched out and burning with bright orange and red flames. No one's eyes were wider than Cecilia's.
"R-R-Roy, t-t-that's, that's…" She could see the traces of mana that had ignited into fire surrounding her lover's leg. Her eyes continued to watch in awe as he shot forward, literally, attempting to lead a spin kick on the half-frozen academy teacher.
Boom!
The ice block shattered in a left-facing jet of flames that reached all the way to the end of the arena. A new series of flames suddenly shot upward, emerald-green ringed with gold. They briefly stood adjacent to Roy's more normal-colored flames. At the heart of them stood the Ashen Demon, the Proven Professor of the Officers Academy. He looked to the young blue-blooded royal in front of him, a boy who'd had his own series of adventures where he'd proven himself to be many things: a capable warrior, a capable leader, a bridge between humanity and dragon kind, a hero.
Byleth looked to him and he smiled. Roy looked back at him and smiled. Then they went back at it with all that they had.
Cecilia continued to watch the sparring match, utterly mesmerized like the rest of the audience. Or at least almost all of them.
"You know…this is the kind of training that I'm sure some wished that I could have given Roy." A familiar voice rung in her ears.
Wide-eyed, Cecilia looked to her right, she ended up staring into the crimson orbs of the boy's mother, lady Ninian herself. "M-M-Milady," she said bowing her head.
The dancer giggled. "Come now, Cecilia, we've been through this countless times before, haven't we?" Though she fully understood formality, she was never one for it when she personally knew the people in question, when she considered them friends. With the Estrurian general, she was certainly more than a friend, Ninian knew she'd one day be family. She looked back to the sparring match involving her son. "As you know…I…I passed away before I could truly get to see Roy grow up. Before I could even attempt to truly teach him about his…other side. A part of me is happy he's found not just me, but other dragon-blooded individuals to take him under their wings."
Cecilia's heart clenched at the statement. "That is…true. There were only a handful who could teach him how to harness his draconic powers in Elibe. Not…even I." The admission seemed to hurt her almost as much as one of Zephiel's thunderbolts. "On top of that, he seems to have found mentors here who could help foster his magical growth. Unlike me."
"But you stirred Roy onto a path that he excelled at, and what you taught him was enough to save the entire continent and everyone in it, human and dragon alike." The blue-haired woman declared. Cecilia looked away from the battle to her, the woman she was sure was going to be her mother-in-law one day. It was absolutely surreal to think about, even now. "Cecilia, just because Roy is finding other teachers here doesn't diminish the education you gave him…nor does it somehow lessen the place you've taken in his heart."
Cheeks flushing red, the sorcerous woman looked away, an act of childish embarrassment she failed to curb before it overtook her. "I…I'm sorry. I know I must seem so childish behaving like this."
"Cecilia, jealous finds us all from time to time…it certainly found me."
Over the roar of the battle happening before their eyes, the female general stared at the manakete in slight open-mouthed shock. "Y-You, Lady Ninian? J-Jealous?" Suddenly, a bell rung in Cecilia's head. With its tolling, buried memories and feelings were unearthed. She wasn't particularly happy they were, but to deal with the emotional crisis before her, she supposed they had to be brought to the surface. "Then, I suppose this might be a…family trait."
She nodded good in good-natured understanding. "It seems so. The men of the House Pherae are destined to always meet such varied and interesting people. It is a fate that I for one am quite happy for."
In spite of the unease still gripping her, Cecilia nodded in agreement. "They say you learn something from meeting new people. As a teacher, I perhaps embody that…as does Byleth."
"Yes, he does, in more ways than one. A teacher teaches his students, but students also sometimes end up teaching their teachers." The ice dragon stated, looking first to Byleth, then to her. She was smiling both times. That smile caused Cecilia to blush while she nodded in acceptance of her words. It was arrogant for any teacher to believe they're ever at a point in their lives where they stop learning, at least Cecilia believed so. She wasn't so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice how the red-eyed woman took her hold of her right hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It came just in time as Roy hit the ground, coughing and wheezing as his aura began to die down. One more heavy blow that it'd likely be the end of the match, ending in his loss. It was painful for the both of them to watch, but they continued to do so.
Cecilia felt a stirring within her in seeing Roy losing. It was the desire to take him up in her arms, which she would most certainly do once the match ended. She also felt a desire to immediately put together a lesson plan so Roy would win the next sparring bout he had with Byleth, rather it was weapons or no weapons. Every fiber of her body was screaming for her to teach Roy what he needed to know so he could be victorious in the next bout. That was both the teacher in her…and the lover.
THUUUNK!
The uppercut broke through Roy's defenses and launched him a good ten feet into the air. His arms limply fell to the side as he began to descend. He hit the ground with a loud thud and a groan. His opponent descended to the ground barely a heartbeat later, standing over him and looking down with every intention of making sure he stayed down if he tried to get up. The two stared into one another's eyes for almost a full minute before Roy tapped the ground twice. Immediately, Byleth's entire body relaxed and his arm was stretched out. Laughing, Roy reached up and took it. Seeing the match was over, the rest of the audience finally came alive.
Already knowing what they were going to do, Cecilia and Ninian rose from their seats and walked down the stairs toward the arena. They didn't separate their hands until they stepped onto the arena, by which point both Roy and Byleth took note of their presence. It was clear that they'd been expecting them. The latter stepped away and allowed the two women to tend to the downed noble. His lips twitched in a smile as he watched them immediately care for him, Cecilia in particularly having summoned a staff which she used to heal him immediately. His eyes visibly twinkled at the sight as if it were rousing fond memories; knowing Byleth, he probably was. Some of the participants in those memories were shouting his name in the stands, waving at him. He cast them an aside glance and a smile before turning his focus back to Roy, and Cecilia.
The two teachers locked eyes with one another, a silent understanding passing between them. Blue eyes and green eyes held yet another silent conversation that lasted for only a few seconds at best, but a fulfilling conversation was had.
It would be followed up upon later, for now though there were other things to attend to.
-O-
"So, if you were to grade me, how'd I do?" Questioned the teenage redhead once he and his emerald-haired lover and teacher were finally alone.
She laughed at the question, a sense of joy blooming within her. His grade, yes, that had became a little joke between them, and Lilina, though it took on a more…unique meaning when it was just the two of them. Sometimes it was enough to make her blush.
Pushing a few strands of her emerald hair behind her, she sat down beside him on the bed, their hands finding one another in seconds. "First off, I'll say you get an A for effort, and an A for your hand-to-hand abilities. You've come a long way in that area, Roy. Further than I think any other instructor could have brought you."
She gave away the parasite infesting her right there, and Roy caught it in a heartbeat. "Cecilia."
Softly shaking her head, she looked to him with sad but hopeful eyes. "Coming here to Askr, everyone has to broaden their horizons. Including me. It's actually been a good thing as we've both learned new things, haven't we? In my case, I full appreciate being able to compare notes with other instructors, such as Byleth."
"He talks about you from time to time." The blue-eyed Lord chirped. He laughed at the naked surprise that manifested on her face. "Hey, don't look so shocked. When me and Sharena talked with him, he talked about how insecure he sometimes felt as a teacher and how he looked to you for inspiration. You knew that, right?"
"I…did, I do, it's just…" She looked away, that same damn blush coloring her cheeks the same shade as her lover's hair. "Well…I was your…first-"
"My first a lot of things." He chuckled, causing her blush to brighten. The sixteen-year-old grinned as she looked at him with a positively scandalized look on her face. Roy remembered what a certain unexpected but treasured friend of his had told him, about how that shocked and blushing face would always be a sight to see; it certainly was. "You were not only my first for a lot of things…but also my best, including the best teacher that I've ever had."
Her blushed deepened to the point Cecilia was sure she could rival Roy's flame-red hair. "R-R-Roy, y-you don't need to flatter me."
"Fine then, I'll just go get Lilina and she can tell you how good a teacher you were to us." He responded in a sing-song voice. Cecilia's eyes widened and her mouth gaped. "Or…we could just…keep this between us, if you want."
Shutting her jaw, the Mage General of Etruria stared at her lover, her face heating up to rival a flame drake's breath attack. By the gods, he's gotten so…so…so much…better at charming people! He's gotten better at charming me! She'd been racking her brain trying to figure out what had induced this transformation in her normally polite yet at times shy lover. No doubt, Roy was still the polite and kid young man she'd fallen for, but at times he seemed…sharper, and more upfront in his affections for her. Not that Cecilia disliked any of it, quite the opposite!
Roy could almost literally hear his teacher and lover's fast-beating heart, one of the perks of having learned to channel his superhuman abilities. With that hearing, he waited for it to calm down somewhat before he began to speak again. "I was able to hold my own against Byleth and all the others because of the training that you gave me. Training that's become the foundation for my entire fighting style. Without you, I wouldn't know how to wield a sword properly or ride a horse, how to plan and strategize, and how to lead. But most importantly," his grip on her hand tightened causing her cheeks to flare up. They grew hotter as they looked into one another's eyes, both felt their hearts frantically beating in joyous anticipation. "You taught me what it means to love someone, and have that love empower them, and let that someone support them through the best and the worst."
She knew they were in the infirmary and that there were rules. Then again, everyone seemed to bend those rules from time to time, and if not bend, then push them to their limits. Would there be any harm in the two of them doing the same?
Regardless of what the answer was, Cecilia already knew what she was going to do. "That I did…and, Roy, you taught me the same." Heart thumping in her chest, she reached up and placed her left hand on his shoulder. He was moving in as she did so, being the first to reach her lips. Cecilia moaned in acceptance of the kiss, sweet euphoria surging through her. It surged through the heroic young man as well. Their interlocked hands moved to encircle one another's backsides as they deepened the kiss.
For both of them, it felt like it'd been ages since they were last able to be physically intimate with each other. It wasn't like they had anything to hide, not here in Askr where all manner of relationships existed; theirs…wasn't totally out of the ordinary, they'd found solace in that. They always found solace in each other, as they always did. The glory of victory, the sting of defense, just like every other couple, they found one another in both and accepted both as they came in the war of the realms.
The couple separated for air, taking swift breaths before reengaging one another's lips. The absence of physical intimacy seemed to have gotten to the both of them and now was the perfect time to remedy that. Or at least, that's what they thought for a time.
Roy's sensitive ears registered the sound of feminine snickering, snickering that caused him to go dead still. Cecilia noticed this and attempted to elect a reaction out of him by aggressively probing his mouth with her tongue. Though common sense told him to resist the action, the pleasure from her probing temporarily sent his mind into a frenzy of lust.
"I'm telling you, let's go! Let's leave them alone!" Snapped a hushed voice.
This time, Cecilia heard it, and with it, she too went dead still, yet her body broke out into an intense sweat. She didn't dare turn and look toward the door, her ears told her enough. Unfortunately, that left her looking at Roy, who gave her a pained smile as he confirmed that he knew they'd been caught. He was taking it better than her, a somewhat pleasant surprise.
"Ahem," called a voice that they both recognized. Slowly, they turned their heads and looked to Libra, who sighed while rubbing his brow. "Cecilia, for what it's worth, Roy will be discharged in a minute. I ask that you please wait until then…and please confine such activities to either of your rooms. Or a secluded patch of the garden somewhere."
"Hey, you're giving them some ideas!" Lissa coyly called. "Hey, you two, if you want, we could give a few suggestions, right, guys."
Were Chrom (or Emmeryn) there, they'd likely have looked to their little sister with shocked, blushing expressions. Especially Chrom who would have suspected his own "couples spot" had been compromised.
"Um, hehe, sorry, Libra." Roy apologized. "I guess we got a little…carried away."
"Not enough. You two were just getting started from the looks of it." Tiki cheekily declared. She winked at both the quarter-dragon noble and the sorcerous noble, both of which blushed deeper. "Hm, maybe we should just leave them alone and let them have their fun for now."
The couple's faces grew even redder at the implication, though neither of them seemed to be denying the proposition. That only caused some in the small crowd to snicker and some to outright laugh all the louder.
"A-A-Ahem, k-k-know that you'll be alright-"
"Mostly thanks to your quick treatment." The redheaded teen whispered while winking at her. A second ago he was just as flustered as her, but he'd recovered his wits and was working his charms on her like it was nothing! He was growing more and more with every passing day!
Flustered, Cecilia moved through the crowd, doing her best to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. She could feel them all on her, and she could practically feel everyone grinning and giggling. A part of Cecilia felt bad at leaving Roy behind, but he could handle himself. Not to mention he actually had a better reason for being there than her. Still, Cecilia's heart fluttered in her chest as she remembered how he'd thanked her for her on-sight treatment of him, which healed close to sixty-percent of his injuries then and there.
Shortly after Cecilia left, Libra quietly ushered the rest of the crowd out. Are almost all of them. Lissa was still as bouncy and giggly as she was when Roy had noticed her presence. It almost made him glad that he was mostly healed to the point all the two blondes would do was give him a quick check-up then he was free to go. Lissa outright told him to simply wait a little longer than he could find Cecilia and they could pick up where they left off. Roy blushed and out of the corner of his eye, he was sure that he saw Libra smiling.
"You've gotten so much better at hand-to-hand combat, and becoming attuned to your dragon side." The feminine priest offered.
"Well, it's been a work-in-progress sort of thing. I gotta admit, using it filled me with a type of…rush. It felt incredible, maybe a little dangerous since I felt a bit of an impulse to run wild, but I was able to control it." Roy responded.
"And that's the important thing, but it's not like there was ever any doubt about it. Roy, you're positively one of the nicest guys in the Order!" Leaning forward, she winked at him while whispering in his ear. "Plus, one of the most popular. You've got tons of people around you who care about you, including us. If you ever think about going a little crazy, don't worry! There'll be plenty of people there to pull you back from the brick, especially Cecilia!"
Roy found comfort in that, he always found comfort in that. Hearing about how his mother had been temporarily driven to madness forcing her to battle his father and his compatriots had been…disheartening to say the least. The feeling only grew when he met several other dragons and dragon-blooded individuals in Askr who had similar experiences, to say nothing of how the Earth Dragon Tribe of Archanea had gone completely berserk and threatened the entire continent. In spite of such tales, Roy never lost faith or pride in his draconic heritage, even when some had tried to claim it made him something less or more than human. As his father, his teacher and lover, his best friend, and so many others had repeatedly told him-he was simply Roy, and that was enough.
His attention was ripped away from his inner thoughts to the large rectangular device that Lissa was moving. At her behest, she instructed him to lie back down as the panel was moved over his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small whiff of green hair picking out of the doorway. He smiled knowing that Tiki was listening to every word that was being said.
"Kiran is probably the most incredible inventor I think I've ever met." He murmured, fully aware that the manakete could hear him.
"Make that two of us." A fourth voice declared. The two blondes and redhead blinked in surprise as they drunk in the sight of Catherine staring between the panel and the screen that Libra was standing at. Her blue eyes drunk in every detail, especially the scree which displayed a perfect recreation of Roy's bones. "So…this is…what are they called again, x-rays?"
"Yes, from what Kira has told us, they're a medical tool of the modern area. I must say, they're quite a marvelous invention. It truly does give one a better idea of what areas of the body need to be treated, not to mention the severity of the wounds."
"Manuela would love to have something like this. Kind of hoping she gets summoned soon as we'll have another physician to patch us up." The former Faerghus knight mused.
"Ah, you say that like you plan on going out and getting injured even more." Libra drily remarked.
"Hey, come on! The Order is just like the Shepherds, only bigger and better!" Lissa kind-heartedly protested. "Besides, we've handled worse case surges! Some of which you were a part of, Libra!"
A rare humorous laugh left the priest's lips. "True, so I suppose me lamenting such a fact would be a of hypocrisy."
"Hey, we need people like you talking like that to serve as a reminder to us not to be so reckless out there." Catherine noted before turning her gaze to Roy. "Hey, you gave Byleth one hell of a workout, almost as good as the ones me and Dimitri are able to give him."
"Heheh, I'm happy that he doesn't mind…erm, sharing Professor Byleth with me." The young redhead sheepish spoke. His words caused Catherine to break out into laughter.
"Oh, don't even worry about that! Byleth loves teaching, not just his students from Fódlan, but anyone willing to sit down and learn. Really, it was one hell of a surprise to see a guy like him take to teaching." Catherine declared crossing her arms and cocking her head to the side. Her lips curled into a warm smile that the room's occupants had long since come to recognize came up when she was discussing people whom she truly cared about. Those three people were the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, Rhea, her partner Shamir, and Byleth, whom she clearly had romantic feelings for. The latter were on full display. "At first, I was pretty skeptical of him, and his ability to teach, but the more I watched him, the more I realized he not only had a talent for it, but he liked it, a lot."
"I seem to recall hearing Annette tell me that you dropped in for some of his classes too instead of just being a mere teaching assistant." Lissa excitedly said.
"Hehehe, well…yeah, once or twice." The older blonde admitted.
"Given how close you two are, I have a feeling it was maybe a couple of times more than that." The youngest of Ylisse's royal siblings fired back with a cheeky smile. It was enough to draw a blush out of Catherine; it was fully evident to Roy and Libra, both of whom seemed to be enjoying the show.
Roy's chuckling stopped when he looked around, noticing something-someone-was missing. "Um, Catherine? Where's Byleth? Shouldn't he be getting treated as well?"
"Knowing him, Marianne or Mercedes probably took care of it." The swordswoman waved off. "If I had to guess, he probably went to his office to record the results of the sparring. That was the first time he ever got to see your abilities up close and personal…and you even dragged more of Byleth's Crest out of him, Roy. That was pretty damn impressive." In three short steps, she was standing over the teen and lightly tapping him on the shoulder. "Cecilia raised one hell of a warrior…and she's a lucky woman."
The compliment filled Roy with joy and pride that manifested on his face in a cherry smile. "She's the best, the best I've…ever had."
The three blondes looked around at each other, smiling at the expected answer. If anyone ever asked who was the greatest teacher Roy Pherae had, the answer was obvious. No doubt some would have accused him of having…ulterior motives, but those motives didn't take away from the fact that everything he'd been able to do, the foundations had been laid by the Mage General of Etrusia.
Roy felt it was perhaps time he reminded the woman herself of that.
Cecilia's ears registered the sound of pen on paper, a sound that she knew down to her bones. Paperwork was without a doubt one of the least glamorous things a person could do, or at least that was the general perception. For people like Cecilia, it could be tedious at times, but it was necessary. Paperwork wasn't all that bad though, there were times it could be fun, exciting even. She laughed remembering those few times she'd had to explain the notion, and the baffled expressions she'd gotten. Cecilia supposed she was just one of those people, partially thanks to being a teacher and something of a scholar. Byleth appeared to be a similar soul.
He was at his desk writing away, a certain spark in his eyes while his fingers moved at incredible speed. How much of the last sparring session had he recorded? It'd only been ten minutes at best since the match, roughly a third of which he should have taken the time to recover from. Though Roy hadn't came anywhere close to defeating him, he'd certainly given the former mercenary a run for his money.
"Hm, Cecilia? How's Roy doing?" Putting his pen down, he looked up at her, the same light in his eyes as he inquired about the quarter-dragon youth.
"Oh, he's fine. Odds are he's probably all fixed up by now. His recovery speed can be quite something." She walked into the "teacher's office" that had been set up long before any of the Order of Heroes had been summoned. Askr had combat instructors and they needed offices to work in; those offices had been commandeered by Cecilia and the rest of the army's teachers as their private work space. Needless to say, they'd all accommodated to the office space quickly.
Byleth's lips briefly curved into a smile, though it was brief. "I figured that. You'd have healed yourself in entirety had you chosen to." His gaze went from her down to the desk and the journal that he'd apparently been writing in. "I'm actually a little…jealous of that."
Cecilia blinked. "Jealous? Jealous of me?"
"You're far, far better at healing sorcery than I am." Byleth explained moving his eyes back to meet hers. At times, he could be a rather shrewd man, yet on the other hand he was as straight-lanced as an arrow. "I know you've probably heard this a lot about me, but I was raised to fight."
"And you're incredibly good at it, with and without the power of your Crest." She noted.
"I tried with all my hardest to be good at fighting, it was practically one of the few concrete things that I had in my life. But…as you live your life, you experience new things…you find yourself in different positions. Some of them unexpected. I never expected in my wildest dreams to become a teacher…and I thought for sure that I would fail so incredibly hard at it."
"But you didn't fail, and I'm saying that as a veteran teacher." Declared the Estrurian woman. "Sometimes we're prepared for the unexpected roles life has us fulfill…other times we're not, but that doesn't stop us from growing into them." A pause ensued as the two instructors looked into one another's eyes. It'd been said over and over again that they were opposites, polar opposite instructors amongst the Order's handful of teachers. One of the most oft talked about differences between them was their outward demeanor-Cecilia was warm and friendly while Byleth was stoic and seemingly cold. But he wasn't cold at all. "Like I said, Byleth, you've grown into your role as a teacher."
"Perhaps…but I feel like in some areas I'm still lacking. When Roy or Lilina are injured, you're always there to tend to their injuries with your healing magic. To be fair though, it's not just you. The Corrins and Robins do the same." He explained, feeding her pieces of the issue that had been eating at him.
Cecilia sympathetically smiled at him. It wasn't often that you found a warrior who lived his life on the battlefield become so determined to preserve it, even willing to step outside of their comfort zone to learn how to do so. "Well, it's not like I'm one of the best healers."
"But you are incredibly skilled, and not just in healing, but in magic as well." His eyes slid shut as a passive yet contemplative look crossed his face. "In those two areas, you have me beat."
"Only those two areas?" Cecilia coyly fired off.
One eye opened, and with it the Ashen Demon's lips briefly curved upward. "Well, I'll give you horsemanship. You're one hell of a rider, something that I admire amongst many other things. Dimitri and Ingrid also believe you're quite the rider, especially the latter. I was hoping that you could organize another equestrian class…and that you wouldn't mind me attending it."
"Y-You? Byleth, of course not! There's no limits on anyone who can attend our classes! We established this back when we were, well, most of us, summoned."
"Fredrick told me that he shed tears when he was able to get certain people to come to class, like that Henry fellow."
"Ah, yes. Fredrick's quite proud of him, even if he does find him a little quirky, but so's everyone in our order. Including you." He smiled at her, genuinely smiled. Cecilia smiled back. "I…want to thank you for sparring with Roy in such a way. While he's done so before with Tiki's adult form and male and female Corrin, you're the first one whom I believe has been able to help him make some serious improvement."
"Kind of ironic considering that I didn't know until I what feels like recently that I had a dragon's heart inside of me." Byleth mused reaching up and placing his hand over his chest. Cecilia remembered how she'd placed her hand to his chest expecting to feel a heartbeat, she'd felt one, but it wasn't a mortal's heartbeat. As she'd learned directly from the goddess of Fódlan herself, Crest Stones had a magical pulse that served as a heartbeat. One had to listen with their magical senses to hear it. "It's always a learning experience for me too, one that always leaves me feeling quite exhilarated."
His words didn't surprise her. "You know, you're not the only one who gets that…exhilaration in battling another. I'm just glad you're not one of those people who takes it to an excess."
"I've met the sort like Ashnard before. He's not the sort of man that I'd ever want to become…and not the sort I think I'd ever want to work for. I'll admit though, he's probably one of the strongest fighters I think I've ever met." The Crest-bearer stated. He knew his opinion wasn't exactly in the minority. Ashnard fell into the same category as several other so-called heroes, violent, bloodthirsty maniacs and diabolical villains who Kiran kept on an extremely short leash. Zephiel was another such individual. "If it's not too much trouble…I would like it if you were willing to tutor me a little in magic."
"Ah, I was wondering when you would make such a request. I'd be more than happy to have you in my next magic class!" A sudden pause ensued as the green-haired woman looked away. "Um, Byleth, during your sparring match with Roy, I noticed him performing…fire magic."
"I'm sorry if I seemed a bit intrusive. I know he's your…personal student." He was always polite in phrasing the intimate relationship between the Mage General and the Young Lion. He never once accused her of taking it easy on Roy simply because they were romantically involved; at times Byleth thought she seemed a little harder on him because of their relationship. Actually, Cecilia recalled how he never gave his opinion on the teacher-student relationship at all. "I've been told that while you tutored Lilina in sorcery, you didn't do the same for Roy. He has no natural aptitude for it."
"No…and I…believed for that reason, it would be better to focus on his strengths-physical combat."
"You were right to. He's grown into a magnificent warrior under your tutelage."
She smiled at him, though he could tell there was some pain behind it. "Sometimes I…feel like I made the wrong decision. Or at least I in some ways stifled his growth by denying him the opportunity to learn sorcery."
Byleth shook his head. "Perhaps Roy could become a great sorcery. Personally, I doubt it, but just because he won't master it doesn't mean that he shouldn't try. Rather than magic as his main form of combat, I taught it to him as a supplementary skill, just like I did with Ingrid and Sylvain."
"With the latter, you may have taught him more than that. Sylvain is…quite a warrior, I'd argue he is one of your…success stories. Mostly."
For the first time since the meeting began, Byleth laughed. "I did my best."
"And that in itself is worthy of praise." Cecilia laughed back. "Supporting physical combat with a little bit of magic…I never once thought of the idea. I was always under the belief one should follow their strengths while shoring up their weaknesses."
"You're right, that's a fine philosophy, one that produces results. What I've found is…it…never hurts to experiment a little." Byleth politely responded. "Roy's ice dragon heritage makes for a perfect counterbalance to his seemingly affinity for fire. Hm, suppose it's another thing we have in common. It's quite a polarity."
"Heh, yes, but we believe that's one of the best qualities about him-bringing together opposites and differences to create an amazing union." The Mage General stated with evident affection in her voice. Byleth looked at her smile with a great deal of curiosity indicating he wanted to know the story of that affection. Cecilia would be more than happy to tell him about it one day.
Instead of asking to look back, Byleth decided to speak of the future, of what he believed it would be. "I fully agree with you. He stood up to Edelgard's views on human-dragon coexistence…and held his ground against her."
"With all due respect, if he could stand up to Zephiel, I doubt anything could frighten him." Cecilia proudly declared.
"Except maybe you." The catty remark was a well-timed arrow that penetrated her defenses and left her blushing in embarrassment. The former mercenary smirked at his snipe; people tended to forget for all of his stoicism, he could be quite smart-mouthed, a trait that baffled almost everyone he met. "You're the best teacher, the best mage, and the most fantastic woman he's ever met." Her blush deepened; Byleth laughed. "He only told me he thought of you as the first two, but I picked up on the last one myself. He's right to think of you as such." Byleth wasn't aware of it, but his smile became as warm and bright as the sun shining outside. It was a look that Cecilia thought perfectly suited him. "He's always going to be your student, and because of that, he's going to grow into a fine king. With you at his side…that's a certainty."
For someone supposedly lacking in emotions, Byleth Eisner seemed to know how to stir the emotions of others, more often than not in a positive manner.
"You…know around you, I've felt…inadequate." She deduced.
He looked down. "Ironically, that's how I've always felt in regards to you, Cecilia. You're a far better teacher than me."
The two instructors locked eyes with each other, a silent understanding consuming them. They ended up laughing, Cecilia's soft feminine laughter mixing with Byleth's light chuckling. Their join laughter filled the academic office, a far cry from what some would have believed would happen if the two instructors were left alone.
Well, that other possibility still existed, but not at this moment. Another time perhaps.
"Cecilia," the Crest-bearer asked. "Tomorrow, I'd like to spar with you myself."
"I would be honored to, Byleth." Responded the Estrurian woman. "I do hope that you take the time to learn…and I shall do my best to learn from you."
Reaching over, the two teachers shook hands, black and white, two opposites yet similar in some ways.
The tension in the stands almost rivaled that of the riders on the race track. Such was the nature of a race, even light-hearted races such as this. Even a race such as this had a little bit of betting going on. Several had lost money while others saw a glimmer of hope as their personal picks were eagerly competing for first place. The latter could be divided into two groups, both rooting for the two princely young men currently neck-in-neck for the position of first place.
Roy of Pherae and Prince Dimitri of Faerghus, the younger version of the latter, mind you. From the moment the two had met, a friendship and rivalry had been born between them. Part of it was no doubt fueled by the fact they were the star pupils of two of the Order's most noteworthy teachers. Naturally, said teachers were watching the race with focused eyes. Cecilia was openly cheering while Byleth remained silent but sent his best to his royal pupil. Both princely young men also had their respective fans cheering them on.
With every passing second, the two inched closer and closer to the finish line, pushing their respective stallions to the limit. Albeit in Dimitri's case, Byleth, Cecilia, and a handful of others were able to detect a certain tension in him; they knew exactly why, though they could see that he wasn't letting that stop him in attempting to win. Neither of the boys spared a glance at each other, they merely kept their gaze focused on the finish line, drawing ever closer by the second.
The brown and black stallions were pushing themselves to the limit, determined to deliver victory for their riders. Both beasts gave one final cry of effort as they summoned forth all the strength they had within them.
A gong sounded and a wave rippled across the stands.
"And the winner is…Roy!"
"Yes! Yes! He did it!" Cecilia shouted, not even bothering to hide the joy now bursting through her. Byleth looked to her and smiled, something she noticed after several seconds of excitement. "U-Um, D-D-Dimitri's efforts were just as impressive, as were Ashe ad Sylvain's."
"Next time, they won't lose." He coolly responded before closing his eyes and smirking at her. "This victory though, is Roy's…and yours, Cecilia."
"T-T-That might be…" She attempted to say before stopping as she felt a pair of eyes on her. A proud blush colored her cheeks as she looked back to the track and saw Roy smiling at her. He was clearly waiting for her to come down. Looking back to Byleth, she saw him winking at her. Yep, not nearly as emotionless or so-called socially unaware as I've been told.
Excitement still bubbling within her, she started to make her way down. She was far from alone as now that the race was over, the horses and racers were to be tended to and everyone prepare to move onto their next set of activities. Ordinarily, Cecilia would have been doing the same…but her plans were about to take an unexpected but happy detour.
She wasn't the first to reach Roy, far from, but those that were there parted ways for her, including his father. Cecilia gave a slight bow to the marquess of House Pherae. Eliwood chuckled as he already knew full well what was coming next, and he fully supported it.
Roy himself sweat to the point his red locks were sticking to his forehead, yet he still looked quite handsome. That belief was only furthered due to his bright and cheerful smile. "Cecilia, I know I'm…probably not looking my best-"
"Nonsense, Roy." She immediately declared with a giggle, fully aware of how she sounded like a smitten maiden. In spite of her wisdom and years, that's what she was…and she was okay with that, as was everyone else. Still blushing, she met his eye, "I, um, well then, I suppose we should celebrate your victory while we can."
His eyes lit up like candles. "I think I've gotten an idea on how to do that." Holding out his hand, a mystical sigil flashed bright blue. In his hands was a small brown bag into which he dug into a pulled out what seemed to be a set of bright green-colored berries. He held them up and fed them to his panting brown steed. Upon devouring them, the chestnut brown stallion reared back and neighed. Cecilia could practically see the waves of revitalization rolling across the animal's body. "You up for a little ride?" As usual, he offered his hand out…and as usual, Cecilia accepted it.
The next thing the green-haired woman knew, she was sitting behind her boyfriend, his hands on the reins. From up high, she could see more than she could before-she could see several looking at her. Lilina saw the two of them and flashed her a grin alongside Fir and Sae, albeit the archer was more subdued in her encouragement. Others were more outgoing, including Prince Dimitri. He looked to up Roy and gave him a thumbs-up, a sign the redhead happily recuperated. Clearly there was no love lost between the two over the race's outcome. Cecilia noticed out of the corner of her eye another Garreg Mach student in the crowd-Marianne von Edmund. Her attention wasn't on either of them though, but on the Faerghus prince. She couldn't help but giggle at the budding relationship between the two; Cecilia hoped that they would find the same happiness she and Roy and countless others had. The pair certainly deserved it.
Speaking of happiness, Cecilia felt her heart flutter with excitement as Roy took off, having missed his request for her onto to him. She immediately did so, burying herself in the warmth of his back as she always did when they went riding together with him at the front.
"Thank you, Cecilia." She heard him whispered over the whipping wind.
"Roy…sometimes I feel like I should be the one thanking you." Cecilia murmured back already losing herself in the sweet euphoria of the moment. It was just the beginning, yet it was a continuation of something that had begun a while ago back in their own world. Their unified story, their bond, their love, it would continue onward through surprises, trials, and tribulations.
Fin
Well, I'd like to say this story is a drop in the incredibly small bucket of Roy/Cecilia stories on this site. It's a little headcanon of mine that while she and Byleth respect each other, there's a playful rivalry there. I'd love to explore it in future stories and I probably will, especially if they involve Roy in some way. Personally, Roy and Byleth being sparring partners would allow both of them to test out their draconic abilities, which I made up specifically for their characters. In doing so though, Cecilia does feel a bit jealous as Byleth can help teach Roy in ways she can't. Luckily, Roy will always go on to show she's irreplaceable. I hope you all enjoyed this little story! Until next time!