The day of fate is approaching fast, young one," the voice lifted Aster up through the darkness that had been drowning her in her sleep. "Will you be ready when it arrives?" the voice laughed at its own question. "Of course you will, I will be there to guide you to it, after all…"

xxxXXXxxx

23rd of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180 Month 4

xxxXXXxxx

"Get up," the rough-and-ready voice entered Aster's ears, suddenly awaking her from her restless sleep. The smell of grass and leather filled her nose; a familiar scent.

Aster stood, forcing the tiredness from her body. "Problem?"

"Bandits; they're attacking a town nearby," the man said, leading Aster to the entrance of the tent.

"Who's paying?" Aster questioned.

"No one, but I owe a debt to those asking us for help. They're an official bunch, so be careful with what you say," he lifted the flap, and Aster was met with three figures; all young, all anxious, all shaking.

He...was indebted to children…?

Despite himself, one of the youths smirked, the one sporting short brownish hair. "A quiet one, huh?"

"So young…Sir Jeralt, are you sure?" a man with several blond locks commented.

"And she's so…" the white-haired girl beside them couldn't come up with a word as she did a once-over with her eyes, but Aster would bet she wanted to mention how her hair made it look like she just got out of bed. Yet this new girl was the jester in this situation; Aster never did anything with her hair. "C-can you help us? We'd be more than willing to pay you."

"That won't be necessary," Jeralt spoke for them, as he always did. "The town is a half-mile northwest," he moved to where he'd tied off his horse. "I'll focus on getting the townspeople to safety. This one here is quiet, but reliable. She'll take down the bandits."

"But-"

Before any of them could argue, Jeralt had ridden off. The youths stood staring at Aster, confused as to what they should do. Inwardly, the mercenary sighed. "I'll be back," she said bluntly, beginning toward the town Jeralt had mentioned; they'd stocked up on supplies there this morning, and truthfully she didn't want to see it burn like so many others had since the Tragedy at Duscur.

"W-wait!" the girl stepped forward. "We may not have much real combat experience outside of sparring, but we can help too."

Aster blinked. "'Much'? You look like you don't have any," she thought. The two boys stepped forward as well, nodding in timid determination. Aster nodded back and continued toward the town. If they wanted to kill some bandits and save her sword the stench of their blood, then she wouldn't complain.

Thankfully, it was a small group and Aster was used to dealing with them anyway. She drew her sword, ready to strike, but hesitated. The three children were watching her, waiting for her signal. But for what? What would they do other than run in, flailing about? "Were you trained?"

"By the best," the blond boy said, raising his spear, holding it with surprising confidence. The other two raised their respective weapons as well; an axe and a bow in turn. Suddenly, they all looked a little too ready to have not seen any real combat. "Just...not against a real opponent, just in practice," he added unconvincingly.

Aster closed her eyes, considering. These three had seen battle before, if the blonde's obvious lie was any indication. The question was how much. The shaking, the looks of fear in the eye, these were hard things to fake, so Aster would bet that they had seen only a small amount of war. If they were lucky, they might not have had to kill anyone yet, but if they were adamant about helping, that would change tonight.

It would be a tough lesson, but...Aster opened her eyes, looking at each of them fall into a sort of trance. They already knew to try and clear their mind of empathy...perhaps they had potential, or perhaps instead of having no experience, that they'd simply had bad ones. Bad experiences were often the worst of the two.

Aster peered over the top of their hiding place. Six bandits; three in a group, one keeping lookout—not very well, Aster would add—and two discussing. One of the talkers looked a bit badder than the others; their leader.

She pointed to the blond boy. "Let the lookout see you."

"Excuse me?"

"Draw him here," she pointed to the bow boy. "You shoot him when they clash. He'll call the others; you two take on the clumped three."

"You mean fight at a disadvantage?" the bow boy questioned, shrugging. "Eh, not my style."

"You won't be fighting. You'll be killing," Aster said curtly, silencing the boy's bluster in one fell swoop. Eyes now focused, he nodded. Aster turned to spear boy. "Keep them at bay; you have a longer reach, use it. Can you?"

"I can try," he nodded, voice strong for the obvious nervousness in his form. Aster nodded back to him, and then turned to the white-haired girl. "We're after the leader; if he falls, the rest will scatter, especially if they're injured."

"How do you know?"

"Bandits have no spine; they're after money, not blood. They won't often die for coin."

"But should they not be felled here and now?" the spear boy wondered. "If let free, they'll simply go on to terrorize more people."

"Why do you think they're doing this?" Aster retorted, to which he didn't have an answer. Maybe they would keep terrorizing villages across Fódlan, but it would likely be because they need to provide for someone; a family. Though, some are just greedy and violent—many were, actually—but striking up a conversation with them to find out wasn't an option. Jeralt had taught Aster to assume the good in people, even as you aim to cleave their arms off. Spear boy looked less-than-thrilled about the question, but held his tongue. "Do what you think you should," Aster concluded, leaving the decision to him. Her eyes went to each of the three. The two boys looked to be mentally readying themselves.

Meanwhile the girl kept her eyes on Aster, intrigued by the woman's bluntness. Left with little other option, the boy stepped out and readied himself for a fight. The lookout immediately noticed and called the others, rushing forward to attack before they could even grab their weapons.

Aster tapped the brunette boy's bow, and pointed it at the blond boy; bow boy would stick with spear boy. Trusting that he got the message, Aster prepared herself, bumping shoulders with the white-haired girl as she did; the girls would stick together.

They heard footsteps pounding forward and Aster gave a silent countdown. When her hand closed into a fist, the bow boy leapt to his feet and readied his weapon. As soon as spear boy's shaft clashed with the bandit's axehead, he loosed his arrow and it went straight into the man's temple; impressive aim for a boy his age.

Spear boy gasped as some blood splattered onto his face, but grit his teeth and shoved the dead man aside, twirling and launching into a defensive sweep to ward off the incoming opponents. Already, he fell into his trance. Bow boy continued to shoot toward the group of three, hitting mainly limbs.

Footsteps came from a different direction now; the two talkers were approaching. In an instant, Aster's body tensed and then exploded upward over the rock they were hiding behind, sword flashing toward the two men. Before they even knew what was happening, she'd gashed one of the men's dominant arms, the one who wasn't the leader, unfortunately. She whirled around and parried the leader's overhead swing, wondering where her backup was.

After pushing back the leader, she kicked the now useless helper onto the ground, figuring he would scramble away without his good arm working. Aster's attention focused on the leader, and she went to work warding off his powerful blows; strong, but unrefined. She saw her opportunity, parried, and then drove her blade into the man's gut. She'd expected the fight to just end there, but instead he roared and head-bashed her onto the ground, sword stuck in his gut and out of her reach.

Before he could bash her brains in, Aster rolled backwards right into the man's helper, who had stayed to fight. That that kind of injury, this meant either she didn't cut deep enough, or he was incredibly stupid. Either way was bad for Aster, as it meant she was rolling right into his axe.

Thank the gods, then, that this is when the white-haired girl appeared. With a single swing of her own axe, she cleaved his arm off, and, because of the angle, then cleaved deep into the man's chest. He let out a small gasp and gurgle before falling to the ground, dead. Surprisingly, the girl didn't look at all bothered by this kill, but it was all the better because the fight was still on.

Aster ducked out of the way of another swing by the leader, but was unable to get a grip on her sword. The white-haired girl wasn't so lucky. She managed to bring her axe up to block it, but the power of the attack knocked her to the ground, where she was too dazed to recover quickly.

Aster leapt into action, mind racing at a thousand miles an hour as a red glow burst from her body. She dove for the severed arm of the dead bandit and grabbed the axe, springing to her feet and dashing toward the leader. Her crest flared to life, and time slowed down. She leapt in front of the swing and met it with her own, putting all of her strength into it to match his. He was successfully caught off-guard and put off-balance. This provided Aster the perfect opportunity.

She dropped the axe and grabbed the hilt of her sword with both hands. She wrenched it to the side with all of her might and cut a massive tear into the man's body. He was so stunned by this that he didn't even notice the white-haired girl leap to her feet and lay a fatal blow right into his head. He didn't even scream before he dropped, axe implanted in his skull.

The white-haired girl let go of the axe with shaking hands and took a few steps back, in fear of her own work. Aster wiped both sides of her sword on her vambrace, clearing most of the blood off of it, still knowing it'd need a polish later. She looked toward the white-haired girl and her wide, buggy eyes; terrified.

Taking a brief look over to see that the boys had made quick work of their opponents and had similar, haunted faces, Aster took the girl's hand and went over to them. "We did it," she announced, but that didn't seem to spark any joy in their eyes. "They were going to kill us if we didn't stop them."

"Yeah, but…" bow boy looked at his own hand, covered in blood. He might've had to drive an arrow into one of the bandits by hand if he'd gotten too close. The other two similarly looked ashamed of their work.

"...Your names?"

The blond boy was the first to answer. Somehow, the disturbed look vanished, if only for a moment, as he bowed. "I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, heir to the Faerghus throne."

Bow boy stepped up next, again wiping away the look for his introduction. "Claude von Riegan, heir to the Leicester Alliance."

White-haired girl was last, but was unable to get that look from her eyes. Perhaps she simply knew that Aster would see through it. "Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian throne."

Aster looked upon the three future leaders of all of Fódlan, and couldn't help but feel sorry for them. It was a time of turmoil, where the Empire's monarch was a weakened old fool—though, admittedly, most people didn't know that—the Kingdom was without a leader at all, and the Alliance was in disarray due to its inherent lack of unification. And these children would have to bear that weight.

She placed her hand on her chest, gaze moving evenly from one child to the next. "Byleth Eisner, a member of Jeralt Eisner's mercenary band, the Blade Breakers."

"Eisner…?" Claude spoke the surname with some familiarity. "You mean…"

"Then that makes you Byleth, the Ashen Demon?" Edelgard said, form tensing. "That's…"

"Yours and your father's names are known across Fódlan; your 'band' is legendary."

"My father's responsible for that," Aster said simply, turning away. "You saved lives today. This is a good lesson for you all. To achieve what is just and right, blood must often be shed."

"But..."

"But what?"

Dimitri flinched. "It's just...you asked us why they were doing this. They...probably had families. They're probably expected home, and now they-"

"I asked you to understand why they were pillaging. Sympathy wasn't in the question," she answered, sheathing her sword. "What is just and right…" Aster walked away. "Is determined by the victor. Thinking anything less is foolish."

xxxXXXxxx

Aster and the kids met back up with Jeralt at their camp, where there were also plenty of newcomers. The mercenary leader noticed their late arrival, quickly finished up wrapping a woman's leg wound, and then made his way over to them. "You're back. You took longer than I expected," he said, which was his own gruff of saying he was worried about her.

Aster nodded, looking over the wounded; she counted over two dozen. "How many didn't make it?" she asked. She was used to asking the question, only it was usually about their own numbers after a tough battle. Jeralt cleared his throat at it this time, and made Aster remember who was also listening. "Do we have a few spare tents?"

"Why?"

"They're royalty," Aster returned, already knowing that they'd packed extra supplies for the long trip. "Two is enough."

"Of course," Jeralt resigned himself to the idea and Aster went to retrieve them, Jeralt himself trying to entertain their royal highnesses while she was gone. When she returned with two rolled-up tents under her arms, however, there was an entirely new face speaking jovially with him. Jeralt seemed...less-than-thrilled about his presence. "I'm not so sure, Alois. I already have commitments in Faerghus and-"

"Peace, friend; arrangements can easily be made! Lady Rhea would be thrilled to see one of her best knights back at the monastery, even for a single night!"

Jeralt sighed, only now noticing Aster's return; she was quiet like that. "You may have already heard of him, but this is Alois; a Knight of Seiros. Alois, this is Byleth."

Aster nodded to the man, but he forcefully took her hand, knelt down, and kissed it. She blinked, but otherwise didn't react. "Ah, your assistant is truly stunning, Jeralt."

"Daughter," Aster corrected. Alois stood, eyes wide with surprise. Jeralt quickly interjected.

"I was drunk one night; stood by the mother's side and parted ways when she was born," he claimed. Aster's eyes briefly flicked to her father, but she chose to remain silent.

"Ah, then…" the knight cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad you found some level of peace; it is needed to raise such a capable child."

"Ah, Byleth, can you tend to their royal highnesses?" he gestured over to where the three were sitting at the edge of camp. "They're likely shaken up, and I'll be putting you on bodyguard duty for the night as well."

Aster nodded and took her leave, eyeing her father to tell him that they would talk later. He nodded back, which he only did when he understood her.

Upon reaching the kids, she tossed one of the tents to Dimitri and began setting hers up. It was a simple process; a child could figure it out, but the children were having difficulty. Once hers was set up, Aster moved over to keep Dimitri was entangling himself. The tents were nothing special; just big enough for two grown men to stretch out inside. There was no padding, no heat, and no circulation, but it did protect from the elements. It wasn't comfortable, but it was manageable. When you're a mercenary, that's the best you can often hope for.

Aster pointed at the boys. "You two are in one. Edelgard and I are in another. I'll protect you," The three exchanged glances and then sighed in unison. "It's still early. Start making a fire," she pointed to the boys, hoping they could at least do that. "We'll get food," she bumped Edelgard's arm with her own, urging her to follow.

The women did so, gathering a few hunks of meat to cook over the fire. Aster even pulled out some spices which were reserved for very special occasions. When they returned, a fire was indeed burning, and not even the whole forest. It was still a bit big, but it would do; Claude probably did it, he looked to have some Almyran descent and they usually made their fires big for their big family gatherings. "Have any of you cooked for yourselves?"

The three heirs looked at each other. Claude was the one to speak. "I have...wasn't very good at it though," he nudged Dimitri. "These two numbskulls never had to."

"You have to now," Aster cut off pieces of meat and then skewered them on some sticks lying nearby. She handed one to each of the children before making one for herself, and lowering it over the fire. "Cook evenly on all sides. When it's a little black, take it off" The three nodded and lowered theirs. Aster kept hers spinning, and the others mimicked her movements, not saying a word as they were concentrating. "Why were you three here?"

The three appeared startled at the question. "We were given...preliminary lessons, for our upcoming year at the Officer's Academy," Dimitri stated. "Unfortunately, the instructor that came with us was...less than ideal. He ran at the first sight of trouble, and we haven't seen him since."

"He's likely dead, if he was on his own," Aster said bluntly. The three looked a bit down at that. "But you three did the right thing. You were smart enough and humble enough to know that you were unable to help by yourselves, but wanted to help anyway. Coming to us was likely a stroke of luck, correct? Or did the Knights of Seiros that were tailing you mean for us to meet?"

Dimitri and Edelgard avoided Aster's stare towards them, while Claude shrugged. "They weren't being very subtle about following us. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't jump in when that village was attacked."

"I...didn't notice them," Edelgard admitted. "Out of curiosity, how did you figure it out?"

"I saw archers," Aster confirmed, getting confused looks from the children. "Around the perimeter of the village, the Knights had archers aimed at our battle. They would've helped if they felt any of you were truly in danger."

Of course, she said that, but they didn't fire when Edelgard had nearly been crushed. That meant either they were incompetent, or they somehow knew Aster would save her. Of course, the latter implied they knew about Aster's abilities, which concerned her more than it probably should've.

"You mean...they would've just let those people be slaughtered," Dimitri didn't hide the disdain in his voice at that notion. "To be considered knights and do that…"

"Knighthood is secondary to duty," Aster said with a shrug.

"It shouldn't be," Edelgard returned. "Knighthood...honor, code, loyalty. These are things that everyone should reach for. Attacking innocent village people or failing to defend them...they both end the same way, with the villagers dead."

"Truer words," Dimitri did a small toast to the girl's words. Claude turned to Aster.

"What do you think are the most important qualities in a knight? I mean, I know you'd never want to be one of them, but still…"

Aster considered the question. "Something like what you three did. Shaking in your boots and having no business risking your lives, you still stood your ground and bloodied your hands. Your paths won't be easy. You'll take more lives and the blood with stain deeper, but if you remember that it's blood that other people are saved from, then it becomes easier."

"Is that how you think of your work?"

"My work is my work," Aster said simply. She knew it didn't answer the question, but she didn't want to answer it. "It's all I've known."

"One step away from a criminal…" Claude muttered. "Terrifying…"

"Claude, you shouldn't say things like that," Dimitri chastised him. "She led us when we were wholly incapable of thinking straight."

Since you've all seen real combat, why weren't any of you thinking straight? Aster thought.

"Still…"

"Is her ruthlessness not why she's known throughout Fódlan? Byleth Eisner, the Ashen Demon," Edelgard smiled at her. "Your tactical prowess is known throughout the Adrestian Empire. I've heard that you once took command of enough mercenaries to match the Empire's military."

"Well, I heard that she's tamed some of the fiercest monsters in Fódlan, and uses them to devour her enemies," Dimitri added.

Claude winked at her. "I heard that she's got 85 legions of mercenaries to herself, trained by and fiercely loyal to her, and is ready to conquer Fódlan with them."

The three kids stared at Aster with expectant and almost hungry eyes. They weren't the kinds of stares that she was used to. Normally, when people learned of what she did, she was either feared or written off as a brute. Never before has she seen such childlike wonder directed at her, and she certainly didn't realize that such myths had been invented around her.

Of course, it wasn't surprising if she thought about it. Edelgard had travelled so much across Fódlan that she had next to no relationship with her father and was assigned only a single retainer that was her own age. Dimitri lost his whole family during the Tragedy of Duscur. Claude was yanked between all around the Leicester Alliance, never truly adjusting and finding a solid foundation in any of its territory, at least not of authority figures. Perhaps, considering their pasts, it wasn't unreasonable to think that they would latch onto the exploits of those operating outside the system that they felt trapped in, exaggerated as those exploits could be.

"...They're all just rumors," Aster said of the myths, stomping their dreams a bit, admittedly. They all looked dejected to hear that. Claude was the first to bounce back, with a shrug.

"Well, they were all pretty hokey, if you ask me."

"Do not attempt to put yourself over us, Claude," Dimitri said. "We all had our hopes."

"Still, this one seems a very capable warrior and strategist," Edelgard smiled at her.

"On that, we can agree," Dimitri said.

Claude took her hand. "Which is why I must formally ask you to lend your services to the Alliance. Your tactical skill would be helpful to navigate the intense political theater of the different families."

Aster blinked at him, trying to process what he'd just asked; was she to simply pack up and leave her current life, then?

"Claude, you lack tact as always," Edelgard said, and he let go of her hand with a frown. Aster hoped that the girl would see the folly in his request. "Of course, she would much rather join the Empire in any case. Your level head would help alleviate my nation of extremes."

"Nonsense; Faerghus is in dire need of capable individuals such as her. I would be blessed and honored if you would return with me to once again strengthen our nation."

"They...don't get it at all…" Aster realized, once again getting their gazes aimed at her. She ignored each of them, simply checking the progress of her meat, finding it to be adequately done. She took a bite and closed her eyes, hoping they would lose interest in her and fast; too much more of this and she didn't know if she could take it.

"Byleth," Jeralt said from behind her. She turned, chewing. "A word, please?"

Aster silently thanked the gods as she stood and swallowed. "You three eat and rest. I'm sleeping when I get back; you should too."

The three didn't even respond, still expecting an answer to their outrageous requests. Aster and Jeralt stepped to the edge of the camp. On the way, Aster noticed that many of the townspeople were already sleeping or leaving with small detachments of the Knights of Seiros.

Jeralt sat on a nearby box, and motioned for her to do the same, which she did, dragging one over to sit across from him. "Well, I assume you have questions," his voice was already tired before she asked them.

"Two," Aster said. "What's the reason behind not using my real name and why you lied about how I was conceived?"

Aster knew the story of her birth. She was born to Jeralt and a woman working at Garreg Mach Monastery, though her mother died due to complications with the birth. Unhappy with the life they would have if they stayed under the Church's care, Jeralt fled and became a mercenary; the most legendary in all of modern Fódlan.

Knowing the true story, it made Aster a bit wary that he'd hide it. True, within the story itself he had shown mistrust of the Church, of whom the Knights serve, but to hide it completely...surely they would already know about her. The question is why would they care?

Of course, she would never dream of doubting Jeralt's decision. If he chose not to disclose her true origins, then it was the least Aster could do to assume he had a good reason. But she still wanted to know it.

Jeralt sighed. "Million coin question, isn't it? The Knights serve Rhea, the Archbishop, and those kids were wearing Officer's Academy uniforms, hence why I told you to be careful. I heard those kids call you 'Byleth' which meant you took my advice," he said, though both knew that the 'advice' had been an order. "I have a...history with Rhea. I'd rather not go into it tonight, but just know that, if they prove their good faith, I'm more than willing to go back on this choice."

Aster nodded. She didn't really get what she wanted, but it was clearly very private, maybe even dangerous. This was the Archbishop they were talking about, after all. Second question: "What are we going to do now?"

Another sigh, and his voice only grew more tired. "Change of plans. You and I will be escorted by the Knights to Garreg Mach Monastery. I've been requested to speak to Rhea, and you…" he shook his head.

"They know you were lying," Aster figured.

"We can assume. Keep up the facade; hopefully they won't press the issue."

Aster nodded. "And what about the kids?"

"You seem to be getting along with them. They'll be heading back to Garreg Mach for their time as students at the Officer's Academy. Keep an eye on them during the trip, keep them company," Aster took a deep breath. "I know you're not much of a 'people' person, but they seem to like you."

"They like my sword arm."

"No," Jeralt shook his head again. "That would make them impressed by you. The look in their eyes was something more akin to awe. They seem to look up to you like that."

"..."

The mercenary stood, offering a hand to help Aster to her feet, which she took. "Get some sleep, kid. We're going to have a long day of marching tomorrow."

xxxXXXxxx

Aster didn't return to the kids right away, as Jeralt had hoped. Instead, she found herself wandering around the camp, tending to the still-wounded and making sure they had plenty of food and water. Those that were awake thanked her. Those that were asleep cursed her.

It wasn't that she didn't want to go back to the kids. They seemed nice. But their requests bothered her. Were they so naive that they'd expect her to give up her life in favor of an entirely new one, just because they request it? Who did they think they were, the Archbishop?

Alas, eventually she had to return. What she found surprised her.

The fire was petering out at that point, and the night air was chilling Aster to the bone by herself. Maybe it wasn't too surprising, then, that the three kids were huddling close together, conversing amongst themselves. Aster expected some arguing, but instead, her heart was warmed.

Stepping closer, just close enough to hear each of them, Aster waited.

"So...we'll be at Garreg Mach in a few days, and then it's all over, huh?" Claude wondered, arm wrapping around Edelgard, hand hanging on Dimitri's shoulder past the girl.

"Indeed. Our houses will call, and our studies will take precedence," Dimitri said. He was leaned into the girl from the other side. Truly, they were chivalrous; keeping the woman the warmest of them by being in the center.

"I wonder if we'll still be able to find time to just...talk like this?"

"These times are ending, Edelgard," Dimitri reminded her. She let out a deep breath, as if hearing the words so bluntly was taking the air from her lungs.

"I suppose…"

"We'll still be friends, though," Claude claimed. "And when the opportunity arises, when all three of us are in power, I'm inviting you guys to a big feast."

"I'd quite enjoy that," Aster could hear the smile on Dimitri's face. "Edelgard?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. And if either of you need the might of the Adrestian Empire-"

"Edelgard, please. In our rule, peace will be the defining paradigm," Dimitri assured her. She shifted uncomfortably. "At least, that is my hope for the future of Fódlan."

"I'll cheer to that," Claude nodded. "To a peaceful Fódlan."

"To a strong Fódlan," Dimitri said. Edelgard hesitated.

"...To a united Fódlan."

Aster smiled, despite herself. It was an odd feeling; the opportunity for the gesture didn't come very often in the mercenary business. But this was one of those times. Seeing them there, backs turned to her but figures so close and comfortable with each other, she felt good about the future of the continent. Satisfied, she retired to hers and Edelgard's tent.

She found the tent a bit warm; it was designed to keep heat in and cold out. While she would've loved to strip down to something more comfortable, she had her orders to protect them and she wouldn't be able to do that as effectively without her armor on. Thus, she simply laid down and tried to rest her mind. It had been a long day, after all.

It was a while before Edelgard entered the tent. She came in with a sigh. Aster was faced toward her and was watching her, but the girl didn't even notice. To Aster's surprise, from the warmth of the conversation she'd heard, Edelgard look rather down. She was sluggish in removing her own uncomfortable formal garments, and held a look of melancholy on her face the whole time. It was only when the girl looked ready to retire did Aster speak.

"Why do you look sad?"

Edelgard let out a short scream, much higher-pitched than her normal voice. This accompanied a visible jump and a frantic search to find the source of the unexpected voice. Then, she zeroed in on Aster. Even then, it took the girl a moment to calm down. "Oh...the quiet one...right…" the girl put her hand to her face and tried to regain herself. "I...didn't expect you to be back yet, given how long you were taking."

Aster simply stared. She wasn't one to speak when she didn't have something new or meaningful to say.

"I...well, I was just reminiscing, is all. I assume that if you were in here, you heard what we were talking about out there?"

Aster nodded. "You three are all going to the same Academy. Can you not spend time together there?"

"Maybe sparingly, though likely for but moments at a time," Edelgard sat down beside Aster, whose head was resting on her arm as she lay on her side, facing the girl. "We are all leaders of the student body. Garreg Mach has three houses alongside many squires, and each is led by a student as well as given an instructor. We are all the leaders of the three houses. This, of course, means that we'll have more responsibilities and thus less leisure time."

"..."

"I'd imagine this comes off as silly. We're the future leaders of Fódlan, and we're worried about spending time with our friends…"

"Do you not have friends in your class?" Edelgard was caught off-guard by the question. She turned away, not answering. "Why don't you?"

"I...I know everyone who will be in my class. Some I even know personally, but...lately there has been a kind of gap, growing for some time. While there are other nobles, I am the only one who is considered royalty. As such, it makes things difficult...to relate…"

So, in essence, she feels isolated from her classmates due to her status. It was a tragedy that would socially cripple her for life, but ultimately it was not Aster's problem. Edelgard sighed.

"I'd imagine that this all sounds very petty, so we will speak of it no more."

"Does it embarrass you to be socially inept towards those you consider beneath you?"

"Wha-?" Edelgard nearly stumbled over her own two feet. "You can't say-"

"It will make it difficult to make the necessary political connections needed for a stable empire."

She stood there, flustered, for a moment. She kept stuttering, stopping and starting, trying to find something to say. In the end, she defaulted on a threat. "As the future Empress of the Adrestian Empire, I could have you killed for much less than that. Do you realize that? Do you even care?"

"I tend not to care about what a child thinks of me."

"Eh?" Edelgard certainly wasn't expecting that response. Aster closed her eyes. The girl closed her fists, anger rising. Her voice kept low. "I may be young, but I am not a child. I would suggest you refrain from calling me that in the-" she cut off upon hearing a light snoring from Aster. She was already asleep.

Author's Note:

So, prepare for an unreasonably long justification and explanation for this soon-to-be-beast of a fic.

First, the character tags are misleading, this will not just be about the four that you see, but rather all of the playable characters in the game, at least partially. While the majority of the focus will remain on whatever house Byleth ends up choosing, an effort will be made to portray every character and give them some kind of arc, some major, others minor.

Second, about Byleth. I would literally only have to change pronouns if I wanted to have a male Byleth, but I chose female because I like her design better and feel she has better fan art. That's literally my only reason, consider her bisexual for the purposes of this fic, as her gender doesn't ultimately matter.

Third, Byleth's name. I don't like 'Byleth' as a name, so I changed it to a title, with Aster as the character's first name. Get used to it.

Fourth, scheduling. Information will be on the Discord server

Fifth, the Discord server: I made one for discussion and Q&A because I don't check my profile enough on this site to answer them in a timely manner, the server invite link will be on my profile. If you don't know what Discord is, it's a better Skype, is free, and is one-hundred percent safe.

Sixth, what even is this fic? This fic will adapt the entirety of Three Houses, and is for anyone who has played any number of the routes, and elements from all of them will be included in some way or another. I'll be adding a magic system based around the crests in the game and am using the same general rules of the weapon triangle and durability and stuff like that, though it will be more implied than be a hard rule. As well, pairings/supports will happen, though they won't all be the same as in the game, and some new supports will be explored between characters that otherwise wouldn't have them, so get ready for that.

Seventh, despite the 'T' rating, there will be depictions of sex. It will be far from graphic, as I'm uncomfortable writing stuff like that, but if you don't like scenes of intimacy, then you should look out for those scenes. If anything goes a little overboard, I will post a message about it at the top of that particular chapter, so you will have warning.

With all of that said, I hope you all enjoy reading it, and I hope to read your reviews to tell me what you liked or how to improve! Until the end, my friends.