Author's Notes

Let's look into Hubert's perspective now with Flayn! Maybe he's noticing some stuff about Edelgard while he goes about his daily activities! Can you remember one or two things that Edelgard did with Dedue that could have looked inappropriate without proper context? :p

For some reason I feel like Flayn never uses contractions due to her more formal and old-timey speaking habits. For example, 9 times out of 10 she would say "It is" instead of "It's". I tried to reflect this in her manner of speaking throughout this chapter. Because this fic is 100% realistic. Obviously. :D

I don't know if Flayn's pegasus had a canonical name or gender, but May deemed it as female and called her Saffron in Flying Lessons, so that's what I'll be using for this fic. Don't forget to take a look at that fic just to have more context on what's going on if you haven't already!

Chapter 2: Hubert's View

"Hubert! I'm so proud of you! You're doing it all by yourself now!"

Hubert could only shake his head as he walked over to the sound of Flayn's voice. Three weeks ago, had you told him that he'd be taking Pegasus flying lessons, he'd tell you that you were hallucinating. But there he was, strapping a saddle onto the mischievous pegasus like he'd been doing it for years.

He would never admit it, but he was proud of himself. He was excelling in a skill that he learned, not out of necessity, but out of a genuine interest. And he did it all on his own.

Well, all on his own, and with the help of a small cleric, of course.

"Certainly. I had a good teacher," Hubert replied, and he tightened the final buckle needed to secure the saddle. Satisfied with his result, he continued, "so what is the plan today, then? I feel I am getting the hang of many different flying techniques. I will eventually be an even bigger asset to Lady Edelgard once I show her my new skills as a rider."

Hubert's original plan was to keep his new hobby a secret forever. But after he mulled it over for a few days and briefly discussed the matter with Flayn, he had changed his mind, figuring that his new prowess in another field of combat would be highly advantageous to Edelgard and her ambitions, but only after he completely mastered the technique of flying. For some reason, Flayn hadn't looked too happy when he came to this conclusion, but nevertheless she supported him in his decision.

"Let's just straighten this out a little bit more…" Hubert mused to himself, and after everything appeared to be ship-shape, he started to lift himself onto the saddle, but Flayn put a hand on his shoulder, which stopped his progress. "Did I forget something? Everything looks to be in order."

Flayn nervously wringed her fingers before answering. "I was thinking… that perhaps you could simply let me take the lead today. Over the last few weeks, I have taught you many things. But I don't want you to forget the joy of simply being in the air, like the first time we rode together."

She then took a deep breath, almost as if she was psyching herself up for something. "If that is alright with you, of course. Perhaps I can even show you one of my favourite spots to simply sit and relax whenever I wish to take a break from flying." She then appeared to calm down somewhat, judging by the smile on her face. "It is full of flowers and ladybugs that like to tickle your nose if you let them. In my opinion, it is a wonderful place to unwind."

Hubert thought about her proposal for a few moments, and then nodded in acknowledgement. "That is fine with me. I have nothing pressing to do for Lady Edelgard today, so we can afford to spend some extra time together. Though I'm not a fan of ladybugs, I'll put up with them for a while as thanks for the help you've given me in this regard."

As Flayn clapped her hands together in excitement, Hubert pondered over his situation. Flayn had indeed been a huge help to him, as not only did she reveal the truth to him about men being able to ride Pegasi, but also in the fact that she trained him to ride one for himself, though it would most likely still be a while until he could fly all on his own without supervision.

But he also knew that she was hiding a gigantic and potentially dangerous secret; the fact that she was Saint Cethleann of the legends. She saw the history of Fodlan firsthand, and of course was in cahoots with the Archbishop herself, Lady Rhea. If she knew about Edelgard's plans to rise against the church and abolish the Crest system, she would of course warn her father and the Archbishop, and then they would be tried for plotting against the church.

And that certainly wouldn't end well.

Lady Rhea gave the world a taste of her true personality when she declared judgment against Lord Lanato and the Western Church conspirators, proving she was not as serene and calm as she was trying to make herself to be. And Seteth, although genuine in the fact that he was a stick in the mud, was certainly trying his best to cover for her, and that didn't grant him any credibility in Hubert's eyes.

Flayn, however, never hid behind a false personality. That was one thing he admired about her.

Alas, it still wasn't a good idea for him to continue to associate with her in this way in the long run. So why did he continue to do so?

"Let us begin," Flayn said, interrupting his thoughts, and he decided to think about it later. Instead, the two of them got up together onto her steed; Saffron was her name; and positioned themselves with Flayn in the front, and Hubert in the back. Hubert had placed his arms around Flayn's stomach like someone should do when riding as a passenger, (which was a tad awkward due to their height difference) but Flayn looked back at Hubert with an embarrassed expression on her face.

"I know that proper procedure dictates that you keep your hands around my torso, but today I want you to… place your hands onto my hips," she said with a hint of redness in her cheeks. "I know it appears to be a less useful way of holding on, but for a leisurely ride like this, it is a good alternate way of positioning."

Hubert didn't exactly feel comfortable with Flayn's idea. What Flayn was suggesting made no logical sense from the standpoint of actually preventing a fall if trouble arose.

"Flayn, I'm fairly certain that…"

"Hubert," she interrupted, having none of that from him, "Be a man and grab onto my hips."

He could have sworn Saffron was snickering at him as Flayn said that.

"Hmph," he muttered, and he rolled his eyes at the pegasus that continued to snigger. "Very well then. I'll assume you know what you're doing."

As Flayn felt Hubert's calloused hands on her thin hips, her blush intensified. Her head knew it was wrong to get closer to the dark mage. She was more than a thousand years older than him, and considering the secrets that she has to keep from the world around her, she should never have offered to teach Hubert to ride a pegasus in the first place.

But her heart had told her otherwise. She knew that he was happy serving Edelgard, almost like it was his life's calling to give his life for the glory of the Empire. But the Professor had assigned the two of them to stable duty at the start of the month, and she had gotten to see a different side to the man than most had ever seen.

Including the fact that Hubert's face was filled with regret whenever he groomed any of the Pegasi.

She had put two and two together before she eventually called him out on it.

So by today, they had been in close contact with each other for close to a month. And despite his off-putting personality, he treated her with respect and dignity. She was even able to get him to smile for her on multiple occasions, so she felt that the two of them shared a unique bond with each other. Other than Edelgard, it didn't appear like anyone else was able to accomplish the same feat.

It also didn't hurt that he was quite handsome too.

"Let's go see these ladybugs of yours," Hubert said, and after he sufficiently pulled the small girl out of her thoughts, Flayn flicked her wrists to signal Saffron to start flying.

After the two of them flew to Flayn's special spot and spent an hour or so chatting there, it was time to go back. Against his better judgment, Hubert allowed Flayn to take the lead again, and without even thinking about it he placed his hands on her hips again as they slowly flew through the air.

"I know you have heard me say this before, but… I just love the sky!" Flayn cheered, and Hubert smiled without thinking. He'd been doing that more and more lately in Flayn's presence. "My hair gets so disheveled while flying, but I wouldn't have it any other way!"

She then turned around to face him, and since it was a difficult position to maintain while flying, Saffron used her head to help Flayn face Hubert properly. "You know, Hubert, I think you would look good with long hair. Would you consider trying to grow it out? Then you could experience the same joy that I do!"

"Heh," Hubert smirked, and he leaned in close to Flayn to whisper something in her ear: "I'll let you in on a little secret. I was planning to grow my hair out once I took over my father's position as the head of House Vestra. When that time comes, I'll try it out and let you know how it goes."

Flayn chuckled at Hubert's suggestion, and with a warm smile on her face Flayn reset her position and spurred Saffron forward. As Hubert leaned back to his original position, he happened to glance to his left and noticed his liege, Lady Edelgard, sitting on a bench with a dark frown on her face. Even weirder than that, though, was that the Duscur man, Dedue, had his arm on her shoulder.

"Now that's odd," Hubert mumbled to himself, but Flayn heard him, and she turned her head to see the same sight that Hubert did. "You know, Flayn, I don't remember them being that close."

"I think Dedue looks so gentlemanly when he's comforting Edelgard like that!" Flayn responded, and her smile silenced the dark mage. "Does it matter if you weren't aware that they were close or not?"

Flayn continued her reasoning: "I understand that Edelgard is dear to you, Hubert. But Edelgard is her own woman too. She's strong, independent, and can take care of herself. She wouldn't open her heart to just anybody. The fact that she is allowing herself to lower her guard around Dedue speaks volumes about the man that he is on the inside."

Hubert couldn't deny the small girl's observation, and he knew that Edelgard could make her own decisions. He also had zero qualms about Dedue and his personality; he was as genuine as they came. The problem was that Dedue was too committed to his own ruler, Prince Dimitri of the Blue Lions. There would be no chance that he would be swayed to the side of the Empire when it was time to put Edelgard's plan into action.

Logically, there should be no reason for her to be getting that close to him...

Despite his misgivings, Hubert decided to shelve the dilemma for another occasion. "Well, I'll ask her about it some other time. Let's fly for a little longer, shall we?"

"Yes, let us do so!" Flayn replied cheerily, and she spurred Saffron on to pick up speed.

For the next ten minutes, Flayn showed off some tricks in an effort to distract Hubert, and it appeared to be working, as he was no longer scowling about the previous situation. After the two of them landed to switch positions, she then decided to take a risk and ask him something else that was on her mind as they took off once again.

"Hubert, would… would you care to join me and the Professor for a bit of a late lunch tomorrow?" Flayn asked while her confidence was high. "He is planning to propose to Professor Manuela, and he wished to pick the brains of some of his students to get some ideas on how to do it. Especially since I have known her for longer than most of the other students."

Hubert perked up at her words. "Professor Byleth wishes to marry Professor Manuela? Hasn't he only started dating her last week?"

"Yes, that is true," Flayn replied, and she giggled into the back of her hand. "In his own words, he said that he wished to marry her so that he can fondle her huge breasts in public without it looking indecent."

I'm pretty sure that's not how it works, Hubert thought to himself, and he facepalmed. "I'm not even going to comment on that. Though I shouldn't be surprised that he said something like that in the first place. That professor is a horny bastard, after all."

Flayn's face then flashed crimson, but Hubert didn't notice. "I'd feel a little better if I wasn't alone, though. I mean, there will be other students, but I'm still not close with any of them."

Hubert hesitated. He understood why Flayn would feel uncomfortable, but he didn't think that it would be a good idea to get involved. "Well, I can see where you're coming from, Flayn. However, I…"

Before he could finish his sentence, though, he glanced to his left and noticed a very strange sight indeed; while it was only a partial view due to some nearby shrubbery, it was obvious that Dedue was lying on the ground… and that Edelgard was sitting on top of him in a very suggestive position.

And just to make the matter worse, Edelgard was leaning backward and yelling out, "YES! YES! YESSSSSSSSS~!" at the top of her lungs.

"What in the hell is Lady Edelgard doing down there?!" Hubert shouted to no one in particular, and Flayn turned her head toward the scene that Edelgard and Dedue were involved with down below. "Look at those two. Copulating like it's going out of style. What do you think, Flayn? You're a grown woman aren't you?!"

Flayn tried to make herself look as innocent as possible. "Don't look at me! I… I am a pure young maiden that has absolutely no understanding of what… vulgar activities Edelgard and Dedue are engaged in!" Flayn stammered rather loudly, and Hubert could only roll his eyes. He knew that Flayn was thousands of years old, and in fact probably had a better understanding of the situation than Hubert did, a thought that disturbed him more than it should. "Hubert, I'm sure that there is a perfectly good… oh my. She's really smiling, isn't she?"

Hubert looked away from the scene in annoyance. "Throughout the entirety of my service to Edelgard, I knew her to be a proper woman who held her head up high with dignity. I have nothing against Dedue specifically. I just can't believe he would convince her to engage in such extracurricular activities in such a public place. Or should I be more surprised that she decided to go through with it?"

Flayn seemed to figure out a possible answer. "Well, Edelgard is a small woman, and Dedue is a large man… probably in more ways than one. No wonder she was shouting with such glee. He would probably fill her up nicely since it is likely that he is very well h… H-Hubert, look out!"

In his distracted state, Hubert nearly guided the duo into one of the towers, and in a desperate tug at the reins, Hubert was able to steer them away at the last second, followed by an angry neighing from Saffron at her driver's faulty flying skills.

"I'm trying the best that I can, you insolent winged horse," Hubert barked, but there was almost no bite in his statement; he did secretly like Pegasi, after all. Saffron seemed to understand this, and she waved her head nonchalantly in assumed forgiveness.

Flayn was thankful for the disruption, as Hubert didn't catch onto the fact that she is much more knowledgeable about human anatomy than she should be, despite the fact that she'd never even had her first kiss yet.

"I'm sorry Flayn, but I've lost my desire to fly at this point," Hubert apologized, and they traveled back to the stables. Flayn was obviously disappointed at the new development, but she said nothing as they put away the saddle and other flying equipment. She still said nothing as the two of them walked to Hubert's quarters and he went inside to grab a book off of his desk.

No, she simply continued to follow Hubert to the monastery gardens until he noticed that she was still with him. "Flayn?" he gawked in surprise, and he shook his head apologetically as he sat down on one of the benches. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry that I'm gloomy. I'm also sorry that I forgot to say goodbye. I honestly had fun today, despite everything that happened. The ladybugs were easier to deal with than I expected, and I thank you for the lesson as always."

"Hubert Vestra. I didn't follow you because I was waiting for you to thank me or say goodbye to me," Flayn replied, adopting a surprisingly assertive posture and stance that somehow intimidated the dark mage. "I followed you because you are my friend. And when one of my friends is feeling down, I will do everything in my power to make sure that they're okay."

And with no fear she then climbed up onto Hubert's lap and snuggled into his chest. "So I will cuddle with you until you are feeling better. And you cannot stop me."

Hubert dumbfoundedly stared down at the small girl laying on him. It didn't look like she was going back on her word too, so Hubert was forced to sit in on his spot on the bench. After a few minutes, Flayn's eyes gingerly closed, and her breath slowed as she settled into a peaceful sleep on his lap.

Despite the secrets that she keeps, she's certainly an honest girl, isn't she…

He knew it wasn't a good idea on his part, but he couldn't get the youthful cleric out of his mind. He greatly enjoyed her company, and she's taught him things he could have never even imagined. She's even made him smile on a regular basis, which was something that rarely happened throughout the entirety of his service to Edelgard.

And now here she was, putting herself out there only to make sure he was alright, out of the goodness of her heart.

It was a shame that he couldn't pursue a relationship with her.

Life isn't fair, I guess…

The man sighed to himself before opening his book and reading it from the beginning. He then began to absentmindedly play with her coiled hair without even realizing it.

Hmph. Look at yourself, Hubert Vestra. What are you, a schoolboy? Letting this girl into your heart without your permission…

He didn't get very far into his book or his thoughts before loud stomping revealed a very angry Edelgard staring at him with a disgusted look on her face.

"Well, hello there, Hubert," Edelgard growled. "What do we have here?"

Author's Notes

The saga continues! My laptop was being iffy with ventilation and stuff, so that's part of the reason why it took so long to release and update this fic. Sorry for the delay!

I don't know if Hubert would have calloused hands or not. But I decided that for the sake of the fic he should have calloused hands. So now he has calloused hands. Aren't you glad I told you that? :p

It was interesting trying to make sure that all of the events of chapter 1 intersected properly with the events of this chapter. Once chapter 1 was released, it became the official canon, and it wasn't going to be changed. So for example, I needed to explain even little details like Hubert shouting in this chapter because shouting was briefly heard after Edelgard's little incident with Dedue in chapter 1. Another example is explaining about Saffron holding up Flayn with her head because Edelgard noticed Saffron doing that (albeit for a different reason) in chapter 1. Hopefully I caught all of the little details like that! That was one of the risks of handling the fic like this, having Edelgard's perspective in chapter 1 and Hubert's perspective in chapter 2. But thankfully there shouldn't be much of that in chapter 3!

I hope you like the little sub-plot I've got going with Byleth in this fic. It just amuses me when he says such overly inappropriate things. You'll get to see how his story ends in the next chapter as well!

And by the way, I recently released an M-rated CorrinxPeri fic called A Suffocating Relationship that is probably going to be one of the weirdest things you've ever read. If you like jokes about large breasts and want to get a little bit aroused, go give it a read!

I also finally officially completed my Fire Emblem Fates Lunatic No DLC No Children run! Birthright and Conquest were completed earlier this year, and Revelation was completed in late November. Overall, it was a tough challenge, but thankfully I was able to do it! Time to take a break from FE14 though! Now I'm attempting an Ironman run of FE7 Eliwood Normal Mode. I just lost my first units; Erk and Raven in chapter 16x, the one with the pirates. Let the fun continue!

I think I'm still gonna release another one-shot, or maybe even two, but after this fic is done… that's it. It's a little sad, but I'll be happy to have more time in my life again. Don't worry, though; there's going to be nothing bittersweet about the ending of this fic! See you then!