20th Day, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180

It was peaceful as they walked through the woods. Their footsteps were muffled by pine needles carpeting the path, which kept it quiet. So did their reduced numbers. Alois had detailed the majority of his knights to pursue the bandits, and Jeralt had sent the mercenaries on ahead to Faerghus to complete their contract without them. Now their tiny band trudged up the slopes towards the monastery, all nine of them.

After the morning, punctuated by violence and the sounds of battle, it felt wrong somehow to walk through such a calm forest on a sunny day. Jarring.

Perhaps you're simply tired? Sothis suggested. I know I am.

Byleth doubted it. The fight had been easy. Short. The travel rations he'd eaten not long after were more than adequate for so little exercise. It was a little disappointing to turn down the village's hospitality, but they needed to reach the monastery as soon as possible, apparently, and it wasn't the first time Byleth had traded a hot meal for a cold one.

No this was something else. Byleth felt…uneasy. He couldn't remember the last time that had happened.

He glanced up the path, to where his father walked with Alois and the knights. They were conversing quietly enough that he couldn't hear them—excepting Alois who was too loud to understand—but he thought he could see Jeralt smiling. It was a small one, certainly, but clearly genuine. For all his grumbling, Byleth could tell his father truly was pleased to see Alois again.

How many other people did Jeralt know in Fodlan? Surely he had met quite a few as the captain of the Knights of Seiros?

Byleth didn't know what to think about all that had happened at dawn. He'd fought bandits before, many times, but it wasn't the kind of thing one ever grew used to. Violence and death were an infrequent part of even a mercenary's life, since most jobs involved standing as a deterrent. And Byleth had never come quite so close to facing his own death before. It was alarming, to say the least.

But as unfamiliar as that was, Byleth was confident he could have handled it without any difficulty, if not for all the other ways his life had been shaken up that same hour.

Discovering that his father had a history that he'd never shared with Byleth…well it made sense, but there had never been any cause to question it before. In hindsight, Jeralt must have some kind of past, but to Byleth he had simply always been there. A fixture of the world, much like eating and sleeping. It was like waking up one morning to discover the sky was no longer blue, and then realizing you had never considered why it was blue in the first place.

Jarring.

And now, when Byleth finally knew there were questions to ask, he didn't have the opportunity. It was obvious that whatever secrets Jeralt held involved both the monastery and the knights. Byleth couldn't expect him to discuss them openly in company with those very same knights.

He was going to have to wait for any answers, and that wasn't something he'd ever had to live with before.

"You never did answer my question." Claude noted from beside him, catching Byleth's eye.

"Hm?" He raised a brow. Claude, Dimitri and Edelgard had seemed content to join him in silence thus far, for which he was grateful, but it seemed his reprieve was over.

"About the Leicester Alliance." Claude reminded him of their discussion just after the battle. "Ever been there?"

"Oh. Yes." Byleth nodded. "I have. We sailed into Derdriu just over a month ago." Derdriu, of course, was the nominal capital of the Leicester Alliance, seeing as it was the home of the Sovereign Duke.

"Oh?" Claude eyed him thoughtfully. "Where from?"

"A little port in the south of Sreng." Byleth answered. "I don't remember what the locals called it."

"Are you not from Fodlan then?"

"I've never been here before." Byleth glanced over at Jeralt. It was his first time on Fodlan that he could remember, at least.

"You must have traveled a great deal…" Claude grew a mischievous smile. "Can you speak it?"

"I can get by." Byleth replied in the same language, albeit accented. "I don't usually handle the clients."

"Is that Almyran?" Edelgard frowned.

"It is!" Claude exclaimed, smiling at Edelgard. "It's such a shame nobody in Fodlan thinks to learn it. Almyra is one of our closest neighbors, after all."

"Yes, and they're constantly trying to invade, which is hardly a course of action that lends itself towards conversation." Dimitri noted.

"See, that's just the attitude that keeps the fighting going." Claude replied. "But enough about me, are you truly saying that you've been traveling your entire life, Byleth?"

"I have been traveling my entire life." Byleth acknowledged.

"Fascinating." Claude grinned. "Do you know where you'll be headed next then?"

"Next? I imagine we'll…" Byleth trailed off, glancing at his father agains. Alois—and his students—had roped the two of them into traveling to the monastery with them, but after that…Byleth wasn't sure. Their band of mercenaries usually followed where the work led them, and Jeralt had been the one to mostly sort through the various contracts available. Byleth hadn't ever bothered with any of that.

It struck him suddenly that this was what had him feeling so uneasy. Byleth had grown used to following his father from job to job, but…visiting the monastery wasn't a job. He didn't know what they would face there, nor what was expected of him. He didn't even know when they would leave. Jeralt may choose to stay for a day or a week or even longer, and Byleth didn't know which he would choose. He hardly knew what to expect from his own father.

No wonder you feel so uneasy.

And of course, this whole incident with Sothis was a bundle of mysteries he couldn't even begin to unravel. Byleth didn't have the slightest idea where to begin.

Hey! You could try asking me.

Would that really work?

Well…probably not…

Byleth did his level best to project how unimpressed he felt at her. Then he realized how long he'd been silent. Even Edelgard was eyeing him with concern, and she had been mostly ignoring them all for the entire trip.

"I'm not sure." He admitted. He was going to have to figure out some way to avoid these internal dialogues with Sothis, or at least disguise them better. It wouldn't do to have people worrying over his mental state.

Especially when he didn't know what was going on.

"Well then, if you don't have anywhere to go you could always head back to Derdriu." Claude raised an eyebrow at him. "I happen to know a guy who could use a man of your talents."

"Some kind of mercenary work?" Byleth queried. He couldn't think of anything else it could be, but Claude was difficult to pin down. He looked over at Edelgard and Dimitri. "Didn't the two of you have something in mind as well?"

"I did." Dimitri nodded. "Do, I mean. My homeland, the Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of skilled fighters." He hesitated, glancing at Edelgard. "I would be happy to discuss the details with you another time."

"That is, assuming you don't accept my offer." Claude leaned back with his arms over his shoulders. "Naturally, it will be completely superior to anything these two could offer."

Byleth thought he saw Edelgard roll her eyes, but she said nothing, so he ignored it.

"Right." He acknowledged. Not that it really mattered, but he could always tell Jeralt and maybe they would even find some work out of it. Fodlan's nobles did tend to control most of the more lucrative mercenary contracts on the continent, he'd noticed.

The continued on in silence, working their way ever closer to their destination. For a place Byleth had only ever heard about that morning, it loomed rather large in his mind.

"Since this will be your first time at the monastery." Dimitri noted. "I'd be happy to show you around."

"You don't have classes to attend?"

"We don't." Claude, answered for Dimitri, and shook his head. "The classes aren't set to begin for a little over a week, since most of the students are still getting settled in."

"Oh?"

"The students come from all over the continent." Dimitri explained. "And it can be difficult to predict how long the trip may take, so our classmates have been trickling in for over a week now."

"It really is Fodlan in a nutshell." Claude mused. "The good and the bad."

"Like it or not." Edelgard dismissed calmly. "We'll be there soon enough."

Byleth would find out soon enough, he supposed.


-Flower Red-


Eventually the forest ended, and they came into sight of their destination.

Garreg Mach Monastery.

If Byleth had formed any expectations of it during the half day's journey, they were nothing to the massive stone castle that greeted his eyes now.

The monastery itself was enormous, easily the biggest structure he had ever seen. It was situated at the highest point of the mountain they had been climbing, with it's walls climbing several hundred feet higher from there. At the base of the hills, a larger wall encircled the only approach that wasn't a massive cliff side. Smoke and steam rose up from the other side, which probably originated from something of a city, if Byleth wasn't mistaken.

It was truly a magnificent sight. Byleth had traveled through many different lands over the course of his life, but none of them, however grand, had ever constructed something on a scale such as this. It boggled the mind.

When they'd called it a monastery, he had expected something a little more humble.

"What a sight for sore eyes." Claude stretched his shoulders. "I cannot wait to hit the sack."

Oh! I quite forgot! These three haven't slept a wink in over a day!

Byleth looked his companions over, a little confused. By all accounts the three of them had spent a full day on field exercises, fled throughout the night, and then fought a battle for their lives at dawn. It was actually quite incredible that they were still standing at the end of it, let alone the fact that they then spent the better part of a day marching back to the monastery.

Yet not a one of them looked as if they had been awake for more than an hour or two beyond their regular schedule. Something was going on here that Byleth didn't understand.

The knights and his father had paused at the end of the forest to wait for them, and Jeralt walked over with a wave.

"Alois was asking for you three." He told them. They pulled on ahead with a wave and left Byleth with his father as they all resumed course for the monastery. Their path out of the forest joined up with a smooth stone road at an angle before heading straight for the outer wall. They must have been following some kind of natural trail or less common road. Now thought they were going to arrive very shortly.

From beside him, Jeralt gazed up at the monastery with a frown.

"Father…" Byleth wasn't sure how to address this rising sense of unease, but he needed to try. Jeralt was obviously reluctant to return to the monastery. What was he missing?

"It's been years since I've last set eyes upon this place." Jeralt mused. "To be forced to see her now…"

He seemed lost in thought, but Byleth wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not.

"Her?" He prompted. Jeralt had clearly sought him out, maybe he wanted to explain?

"I've never spoken to you of this before, but…many years ago I was a knight here." Jeralt sighed. "I reported to the Archbishop…Lady Rhea."

"I thought this was where the Knights of Seiros were based." Byleth frowned. "Are you saying they're not just an order of knights?"

"Just an order of…" Jeralt shook his head. "I guess I never told you. The majority of the people of Fodlan are devout members of the Church of Seiros. The knights are the church's military branch."

A church with a military branch? That seemed strange although now that Jeralt had pointed it out…Byleth couldn't help feeling like a fool.

Fodlan was renowned throughout the world for its patron goddess, and yet he had made no effort at all to learn more about the native religion after finally arriving on the continent himself. He'd seen the crest of Seiros all over the place, but after it was identified in relation to the Knights of Seiros, he hadn't thought twice on the matter. It was likely the church was so ubiquitous in Fodlan that no one could imagine he didn't know about it.

"So Lady Rhea…"

"Is the leader of that ridiculously large organization." Jeralt replied.

Suddenly his reluctance to come to the monastery was beginning to make a lot more sense. Anyone with as much power as the Archbishop held could easily make life difficult for a pair of simple mercenaries like them. And that would have been reason enough to avoid drawing attention without adding in Jeralt's unexplained history with the woman.

"Should I be worried?" Byleth kept his voice quiet. Jeralt sighed and shook his head.

"No, we should be…" He frowned. "It should be fine. With any luck we'll be out of here in a day or two and on our way to meet up with the men in Faerghus."

"Alright." Byleth nodded. He was glad Jeralt had decided to fill him in on some of the details, if not all of them. Hopefully he could get the rest of the story out of his father after the visit was over.

You might as well ask him now. Sothis disagreed. He seems more talkative than usual.

And how did she know that? Byleth wondered. Sothis was basically claiming to know his father rather well. He mentally raised an eyebrow at her, but got no response. She was probably going to continue to comment when and as it pleased her. Which wasn't ideal, but seemed harmless so far as Byleth could tell. Even if it did startle him periodically.

Either way, Byleth wasn't going to press his father for answers yet. Jeralt clearly had his reasons for keeping his past a secret, and as much as Byleth longed for answers, he trusted his father to tell him when the time was right.

They caught up to the rest of their party shortly before the gates, which was surprisingly tactful of them to have waited. Byleth realized a moment later that it was because Alois appeared to have run into something of an obstacle.

"Can't you idiots tell its me?!" Alois shouted up at the closed gates. "Open up already!"

Incredibly, that worked. The massive wooden gates split down the middle and began to swing inward. Next to him, Jeralt covered his eyes and let out a tired sigh.

"Why did it have to be him?" He asked plaintively. Byleth patted him consolingly on the shoulder.

As the gates swung open, a view of the city within revealed itself slowly to them. Fine stone buildings stood arrayed in orderly lines around large plazas and even some small artificial streams. It was a refreshing sight after their latest run of missions among all the small villages in the middle of nowhere.

Given what he'd learned that morning, Byleth suspected Jeralt had been trying to avoid any…chance encounters…at the larger population centers of Fodlan. Ironic.

It soon became clear that there was something of a welcoming party waiting for them, as the gates had opened no wider than halfway before two individuals whose uniform matched Byleth's new friends marched out to greet them in short order.

They were a study in contrasts. One tall and large, with light grey hair and dark skin, the other was thin and pale, with dark hair that hung down to loosely shade his eyes. Dimitri and Edelgard stepped forward.

"Your Highness." The larger one bowed to Dimitri deeply. "I am relieved to see you return safely."

"My lady." The other one acknowledged Edelgard, also with a bow, although not quite as deep.

"Thank you, Dedue." Dimitri replied. "How did the others fare?"

"Hubert just came from the infirmary." Dedue replied with a gesture to his companion. "If you would?"

"Gladly." Hubert drawled, turning to address the group. "The rest of the students at the field exercise returned safely, with only minor injuries that Manuela healed easily." He sniffed. "Not that they deserved such treatment after abandoning you, my lady."

"It was hardly their fault, Hubert." Edelgard's tone was dry. "I left them, after all, chasing after this fool." She gestured at Claude.

The look Hubert turned on Claude could best be described as 'scathing'. Claude was as unfazed as ever though and turned to wink at you.

"No welcoming party for me, I see." He sighed dramatically. "I suppose I'll have to find a more loyal stalker for my second in command."

Second in command? Sothis mused. Aren't they all students together?

Apparently not. Byleth hadn't thought to interrogate his new friends…and given the experience they'd just gone through he refused to feel guilty about that. He could probably find out easily enough after they'd had a good night's rest.

By that time though, the gates had finished opening to reveal a full party of soldiers, one of whom was walking forward to greet them. Alois met him halfway.

"Vincent, what's going on? Why were the gates closed?" Alois voice echoed against the walls.

"The messenger you sent last night never made it back." Vincent told him grimly. "The first we heard that there were bandits in the area was from the students and their escort, so we closed the gates as a precaution."

"Hm. Yes." Alois nodded. "Well done. But what are all of you doing standing around here?"

"We didn't have any leads to follow, so we just prepared to ride out the moment any news came in. We're waiting for your orders, sir." Vincent. He looked over to their small group with a concerned frown. "What's the situation?"

"The rest of the knights are tracking the bandits down." Alois told him reassuringly. "I need to report to Lady Rhea, naturally, and we should probably send them some reinforcements. Hey!" He smiled. "Would you look at that! You're all ready to go!"

"As you command sir." Vincent replied with a smart salute. Alois ordered one of the knights who came back with them to accompany Vincent and walked back over to their cluster of students and mercenaries.

"We've arrived." He seemed almost giddy with excitement as he spread his arms wide. "Welcome, to Garreg Mach."


-Flower Red-


The students split off from their company once they reached the monastery proper, which took another hour of walking, so it was a rather footsore duo who took a seat in the reception hall Alois guided them to. He had to carry on to deliver his report, but promised someone would be by to see them soon and called over a servant to get them some food.

Byleth didn't mind. After walking for over eight hours, it was a relief just to sit down, and with the promise of food on the way there really was no point in complaining. The hall seemed to be somewhat of a central location as well, which allowed Byleth to observe the various residents of the monastery passing through semi-frequently. Some of them wore the uniform of the officers academy, others the crest of the Knights of Seiros. Still others were dressed in formal robes that Jeralt told him were reserved for the clergy of the church.

It seemed the monastery was a busy place.

The only other people who were seated in the hall itself was a gaggle of girls surrounding a lanky youth with shocking red hair. He seemed to be regaling them with some tale or another, if their reactions were anything to judge by.

"Excuse me, are you Jeralt and Byleth?" One of the passing clergy asked them. Jeralt nodded, and the man smiled at them. "If you could please follow me, the Archbishop will see you now."

They were shown through to a room on the second floor, with elaborate stained glass windows and a beautiful facade. It was clearly intended as a room for the archbishop to meet with people and hear audiences. The archbishop herself stood at the center of the room, or at least someone who clearly looked like she ought to be the archbishop.

Standing to her right was a man dressed in similar finery, likely another official of the church. And Byleth noticed that they both had green hair…

Huh. Sothis shrugged. Maybe such hair is more common than you thought?

"Thank you for your patience." The man addressed them with a nod of his head. "My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the Archbishop."

"Right." Jeralt replied. "Hello."

Seteth frowned, apparently thrown off by Jeralt's simple acknowledgement. Sometimes, Byleth loved his father.

"It has been a long time, Jeralt." The archbishop gave no sign of noticing Jeralt's breach of protocol. "I wonder…was it the will of the Goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?"

Not unless her goddess is running around as one very loudmouthed knight. Sothis joked.

Byleth did wonder though. Every land had its myths and religions, but only Fodlan's goddess was famed across the world. Did she actually interfere in their affairs?

"Forgive my silence all these years." And Byleth had to hide his surprise as Jeralt bowed deeply. His father didn't typically put on much of a show for anyone. "Much has happened since we last spoke."

"So I see." Rhea gestured towards Byleth. "The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. This is your child, is it not?"

Alois didn't tell her that?

"Yes…born many years after I left this place." Jeralt hesitated, and a note of pain crept into his voice. "I wish I could introduce you to his mother…but I'm afraid we lost her to illness."

"I see. My condolences." Rhea replied. She sounded sincere, and Byleth was grateful for that. Whatever past history lay between them, she at least seemed to care for his father.

The archbishop turned to face him. "As for you Byleth…I have heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."

"It was nothing." Byleth replied. Jeralt grunted.

A small rueful smile passed over Rhea's lips, as she turned back to him.

"Jeralt. You already know what it is that I wish to say, do you not?"

"You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros." He sighed. "I won't say no, but…"

"Your apprehension stings." Rhea replied, and she did sound hurt. "I had expected that Alois would have already have asked this of you." She shook her head. "It is late, and I have to see to an urgent matter. It would please me greatly if you would agree to meet with me tomorrow when we have more time, both of you."

She was asking, but Byleth didn't really feel like they had much of an option given the circumstances. The peculiar thing was that she seemed to be looking at him instead of his father when she spoke. Which…what interest could she possibly have in a lowly mercenary?

"Of course, Lady Rhea." Jeralt sounded resigned, and the archbishop's advisor frowned again but, thankfully, said nothing.

"Then it's settled." She smiled. "Seteth will arrange a room for your stay. I look forward to meeting with you again in the morning."

"Until then." Jeralt replied, and they followed Seteth back out the way they came.

"Alois mentioned that you had been fed?" He inquired as he led them back down the stairs and through a side corridor. Byleth answered in the affirmative.

"I see." He nodded. "Then I must ask that you remain in your quarters for the rest of the evening. Recent events have forced us to step up security, and there's no time to introduce you to the various patrols at the moment."

"Increased security…because of the attack?" Byleth frowned. From what he had seen so far it hardly looked like simple bandits could pose a threat to the monastery, let alone the city at the base of the hill.

"I'm afraid I cannot discuss the matter." Seteth, apologized, although he didn't sound in any way sorry.

They arrived at a door which Seteth opened. It led into a simple enough room with two beds. "If you are in need of assistance, please signal for the staff." And he pointed out a bell pull in the corner.

"I doubt we'll need it." Jeralt told him as he set down his pack. After a moment examining the room he turned back and sighed. "Do me a favor?"

"That would depend." Seteth raised a brow at him. "What is the favor?"

"Do not tell Alois where we are." Jeralt shuddered. "If he wants to catch up it can wait for the morning."

"As you wish." Seteth sounded amused. Byleth suspected Seteth knew exactly why Jeralt had asked. "We will be holding an assembly in the reception hall before breakfast tomorrow morning. Someone will come to fetch you for it. The archbishop will likely see you after the meal."

"Thank you." Byleth told him. Seteth simply nodded, and then left. Despite his general reticence and stiffness during their brief interactions, Byleth appreciated that Seteth did not actually close the door behind him on the way out. It made him feel less like an unwanted prisoner, and more like and actual guest.

He closed it himself a few moments later.

Jeralt was already seated on one of the beds, his head bowed. He often did that when he needed time to think…or maybe he was praying? Byleth wouldn't have thought it before, but his father had been part of the Church's military branch. Perhaps this was but a lingering habit formed all the way back then.

Regardless, it gave Byleth a moment to gather his thoughts as well. He slid onto the opposite bed.

This Lady Rhea… Sothis whispered. Byleth nodded. Her hair was the same color as Sothis' was. What was the connection there?

Sothis didn't reply, but Byleth could almost feel her uneasiness…which matched his own.

His world had been flipped upside down more ways than he could count in the space of just one day. And now the leader of a powerful church wanted to meet with him personally. Byleth couldn't shake the feeling that he had been walking blindly through life.

"Do you still think we'll leave in a couple of days?" Byleth asked Jeralt. His father looked up, then frowned.

"Lady Rhea is…difficult to turn down." He admitted. "But she's not the type to abuse her power. We should be free to leave by the end of the week."

"And that's what you want?" Byleth asked him. Jeralt didn't respond immediately, and Byleth focused back on his father's face. Surprisingly enough, he looked conflicted.

"Ask me again in a week." Jeralt replied.

Byleth simply nodded, still a little surprised to see his father so openly uncertain. Well…a week wasn't too long, in the grand scheme of things. He'd just have to find some way to occupy his time.

Something that didn't involve prying into his father's secrets, no matter how much they pressed themselves upon him. No matter how much his curiosity burned.

It was going to be a long week.