So I actually just started my Black Eagles play through. I'm writing this story alongside playing the route which is making for a very interesting experience. Causes me to think more in depth of what could actually be happening while I'm playing the game. My first route was Golden Deer, FEAR THE DEER, but of course I recruited Bernadetta. I'm starting to like the Black Eagles characters so as I unlock their supports and understand their personalities I can add more of them to the story, maybe. Another note, I have no idea how other people write things so quickly. Kudos to them, I struggle so much to come up with things to write about while they just shell out massive walls of text. Not saying that they don't struggle too of course. I'm just doing this for fun, doesn't mean it's not stressful though. I'm studying to be an engineer after all, not a writer, so this is not my specialty. Enough of that though, enjoy!
Ok Bernie, you can do this…
Bernadetta stared at the tall wooden doors before her. Their large height only added to their menacing appearance, seeming as though they were ready to crush her body into jelly at a moments notice.
Deep breaths… deep breaths. I mean I'm just walking into class. Nothing bad is going to happen... Right?
As if on cue her brain decided to give her plenty of ideas. She could tumble into pitfall as soon as she stepped in, impaling herself on a plethora of spikes. The chains holding the chandelier could snap while she was under it and break her skull, leaving her to bleed out on the cold stone floor. A training arrow could somehow break through the window and find itself lodged into her throat as she choked on her own blood.
Then she swallowed hard, last but not least, the professor. Maybe the reason he asked her to come to class was just so he could skewer her in front of everybody! Her last moments would be spent being an example of those who would even dare dream of skipping. Mercenaries were prone to making bold statements after all! Her knees buckled and she trembled before the door.
Noooo! You can't think like that Bernie! Everybody is already inside! The professor wouldn't kill me in front of all those people. It-it should be safe. I hope…
She mustered every ounce of her courage and opened the door.
Inside the rest of the Black Eagles class were already seated and chatting amongst themselves.
"Ah Bernadetta, glad you could join us." Edelgard spoke as she took notice of the girls entrance.
The whole class paused to look at her.
"Heh-heh…" Bernadetta let out a small nervous laugh.
Why would you say that! Now everybody is staring at me! I'm going to die! Oh sweet merciful goddess save meee!
She glanced around the room and for a short moment her eyes locked with the professor's. He gave a brief nod before returning his attention to some papers on his desk.
Bernadetta was sure that her soul would ascend from her body at that very moment. The gaze of the professor was far too much for her to handle, and her heart almost stopped. His eyes were completely devoid of life, apathetic to a fault. She could have sworn a smile formed on his lips, like one of a predator that had just caught his prey. The Ashen Demon would finally devour her whole! She would have fainted right then and there if that wouldn't had just drawn more attention to herself. Quickly she ran to the nearest desk, sat down, and covered herself with an opened red book.
Uwaaaaaaa! This can't be happening! All these people! I can't do this! I was too full of myself earlier, seeing the professor in person is just too muuuch!
Bernadetta began to hyperventilate. Leaving her room had been a huge mistake.
Good thoughts Bernie, good thoughts… You're alive aren't you? That's right, I'm alive!
While she had indeed received stares from the entire class and the professor, somehow she managed to stay breathing.
Maybe I can actually survive...
She slowly peeked out from under her book. Much to her pleasure, she had managed to nab a seat at the very back of the classroom. While she had just barely lived through having everybody stares fixed on her from the front, there was no way she could bear her classmates staring at her from behind. Her every movement being watched, judged, ridiculed...
Nevermind! This is it for Bernie! I'm going to dieee! Somebody please save meeee!
Bernadetta nearly tipped over in her chair as the bells marking the beginning of the class period rang, catching her off guard.
Byleth cleared his throat and positioned himself directly behind his desk and placed both hands on the table. If he was nervous, he showed no signs of it.
Everybody's eyes soon drew to the professor, eager to see how he would perform as his first time as a teacher. Out of everyone's, Edelgard's gaze was the most intense. Calm, observant, and evaluating. While their victory in the mock battle had earned the professor some of her respect. She still wished to see the former mercenary's capability for herself, and judge whether he was truly fit to be their instructor. Yet something in her eyes seemed to suggest there was more to it than that.
"Before I begin, I must announce that this month, we have been tasked with the disposal of bandits that have been making trouble as of late. As such, you will be placing your lives on the line in actual combat."
Oh thank the Goddess! Only Bandit disposal! I thought we might have to do something actually dangerous like… wait… bandit disposal?
Caspar was the first to speak up. "Professor, by disposal you mean?"
"Eradication, if that is more comprehensible." Byleth responded bluntly.
Wha-whaaaaaat?!
The cyan haired youth pumped his fist into the air. "Lucky me! I already get to show my skills in battle!"
"Please… quiet down Caspar, I was having a wonderful dream until you decided to bang the table." Lindhardt yawned as he set his head back down.
You're really sleeping after hearing this?!
Petra raised her hand. "Professor? I am not having understanding. E rad...icate? What is so 'rad' about these bandits."
Nothing is rad about them at all!
"My dear Petra." Ferdinand stood up and outstretched his hand. "What our esteemed professor here is saying is that we are to kill or capture these heinous criminals. And I for one am more than happy to show the world what Ferdinand von Aegir has to offer this mission."
"Oh Ferdie how absolutely splendid of you to clear this up for us. I'm sure our small brains wouldn't have figured it out." Dorothea said with a wicked smile on her face. "Now why don't you do us all another favor. Kindly sit down, and never open your mouth again."
"Hmph." Ferdinand grumbled as he sat back in his chair.
"This will indeed be the perfect time for all of you to show what you have to offer in service of lady Edelgard." Hubert said coldly. "I do hope you all prove to be… useful."
Oh Bernie will be useful alright, as a meat shield!
"Settle down everyone. This is very important for our future success at this academy, random outbursts will only seek to hinder our progress." Edelgard said sternly to restore order.
How can everybody be so calm! We are actually supposed to fight b-bandits?! We could die! School just started for the goddess's sake!
"While some of you seem to be enthusiastic, I must remind you that this is not to be taken lightly. It will be the first time many of you step foot on a real battlefield. I will prepare you to the best of my ability, but be warned, this will be nothing like the mock battle. Your foes will not be fellow students aiming for your surrender, they will be experienced killers aiming for your life. When the time comes for your to strike one down, you must not hesitate. These next few weeks will be some of the most important of your career, it would be best to pay close attention, as it is no exaggeration to say that your lives will depend on it. Now let us begin by discussing proper combat techniques."
Oh this is just great… I'm going to die during the first month of school.
The sound of wood clashing filled the air. The Black Eagles watched in awe as their professor and their house leader engaged in a fast paced duel.
While Edelgard was doing a fair job at keeping Byleth's assault at bay, his constant strikes were beginning to drain her stamina. Soon her training axe was knocked from her grasp and Byleth's sword found itself pointed at her throat.
"I yield." The white haired princess said as she put her hands in the air.
All the observers clapped respectfully at the display, save for Hubert who glared menacingly at the professor.
"You would be wise to treat the heir to the Adrestian throne with more caution." The black haired man scowled.
Edelgard held her palm out. "Please Hubert, I am more than capable of receiving a few blows. It was a valuable learning experience." She turned to face Byleth. "But be warned Professor. Next time I shall not fall so easily."
Byleth gave a nod in response.
Bernadetta trembled at the scene. She knew the professor was scary, but seeing him in action was something else entirely. He didn't even break a sweat in battle against Edelgard, and he defeated her swiftly after analyzing her movements for only a few exchanges. It just served to solidify the idea that he was more than capable to extinguish her life at any given moment.
Byleth placed his training sword on a nearby rack and motioned his students to follow.
"Edelgard's strength clearly lies with the axe, where as she may struggle with things such as a bow or white magic." He began.
The class watched intently as he started selecting certain weapons and placing them on a table.
"Like her, you all have strengths and weaknesses. In combat it is crucial to know your limits. Your enemies will try to exploit them. By improving upon what you have a talent for, and understanding what you lack, your chances of survival will increase exponentially." He continued.
"The great Ferdinand von Aegir has no weaknesses!" The orange hair noble loudly proclaimed.
Dorothea stepped over to Ferdinand. "Oh that's wonderful! So it won't hurt when I sock you straight in the face."
"Please, let us not have the fighting, we should instead be having the learning, no?" Petra said, trying to calm Dorothea down.
Ignoring them, Byleth continued. "Today we shall be exploring your strengths and weaknesses in preparation for the end of the month. I want to see how you fare using different weapons and spells so I can effectively instruct you on where and what you should focus on."
The students all nodded in agreement.
"I would now like for each of you to display your abilities to the class. By observing each other's movements and habits, you can increase cooperation efficiency."
Bernadetta took this as a cue to disappear.
Oh, that corner looks mighty comfortable. Why don't I just go and sit myself down before...
"Bernadetta."
Oh no…
"I believe you are familiar with the bow. Would you mind demonstrating?"
Would I mind?... WOULD I MIND!? Of course I would mind! Are you trying to kill me! No wait, don't answer that.
Bernadetta would have liked to do nothing more than scream and run out of the training grounds back to the sweet comfort of her room, but the looming threat of her professor's rage frightened her enough to comply.
"Sure…"
She reluctantly walked over and plucked a bow and a few arrows from the table. Her hands began to shake as she positioned herself in front of a target.
Ok Bernie, you can do this… you can do this... Just like you practiced. It's no big deal. Aim and shoot, easy as pie.
She stood motionless for a while in focus, her eyes shut tight.
Except now there's people watching me and judging me and the Professors here and...
Her breaths became more and more rapid as she pulled back the string.
It's all over for meeee! I'm going to miss and everybody will hate me and the Professor will yell at me, and probably kill me too!
She let loose her arrow as tears began streaming down her face.
I'm going to die!
*Thunk*
The arrow hit the target dead center and the whole class applauded.
"Amazing Bern! I knew you could do it!" Dorothea cheered.
Byleth placed a hand on the violet haired girls shoulder. "Excellent shot Bernadetta, your form was most effective."
Not so much as a peep escaped from her.
"Bernadetta?"
Bernadetta's eyes were pointed completely upwards and her mouth was agape. The bow she was holding fell from her hands making a solid thud as it hit the ground. She had fainted whilst standing.
"Oh this week was just horrible! Terrible! Awful!"
Bernadetta lay face down and screamed into her pillow recounting the past weeks events.
"Who knew school could be so frightening?! Everyday has become a constant battle for my life!"
The Officers Academy was already taking it's toll on the small, fragile girl.
"Me, a student?! That's almost as big of a joke as I am! Why did I have to be forced here? I just want to go home..."
She peeked out from her pillow.
"Surely you can understand me Mr. Bear." Bernadetta said as she poked one of her stuffed bears on the nose.
She rolled over to face the ceiling and covered her face with her hands.
Soon her eyes began to water. "Ughhh… I can't believe I actually fainted in front of everybody. How embarrassing... I can't get married anymore!"
Wiping away her tears, she sat up on the bed and dusted herself off.
"At least I'm alive." She sniffled. "I guess the professor didn't even deem me worth killing."
A knock on the door crushed her gratification immediately.
I spoke too soon!
"Wh-what is it! I'm not doing anything!" She blurted in panic.
"..."
"..."
"Hey, what's this cake doing out here?"
"Cake!?"
Unable to contain her excitement at the mention sweets, Bernadetta ran to the door and cracked it open.
There was no cake, instead there was only the professor... The professor!? IT WAS A TRAP! How could she fall for something so obvious?!
She slammed the door closed before Byleth could react and jumped under her covers.
Why was he here again! Couldn't he just leave her alone?! Had he not caused her enough stress already?! Was he here because she fainted during his lesson? That had to be it!
Oh he's so mad, he's angry, he's furious! What am I going to do!
She had disrespected his teachings, so now he was here to finally finish the deed. Bernadetta would be found dead in her room the very next morning.
"The Reaper is here to claim my soul! All that's left for Bernie is to face the black abyss!" she cried as she gripped her blankets tightly.
Byleth decided that it was time to take his leave before he made anything worse. He had wanted to check on Bernadetta after she had fainted as he worried for her health, but he never found the time for it until now. Though it seemed she was not in the mood for conversation.
He grabbed out a small notebook and began flipping through the pages. He stopped at the page with 'Bernadetta' written at the top. Taking a pen, he wrote 'sweets' and flipped the book closed.
It was clear to Byleth that he was lacking in social ability. He could speak lengths when it came to instructing his students and talking about combat or tactics, but trying to converse casually with them was well, difficult at best. Instead he felt that providing gifts to his students would help him win their favor without showing his weakness with words. So he kept a list of all their interests in that he might be able to find common ground and provide items of their liking. As he would be teaching and leading them through missions in the coming year, he felt it imperative to gain their trust, and perhaps even some of their affection. He couldn't expect them to just follow his orders if they didn't respect him after all. Content with his new finding, he left the dormitory grounds.
*Knock* *Knock*
There it was. The dreaded knocking. This time, Bernadetta was ready. She had made her peace. Now, she would just accept it. She couldn't bear the thought of sitting around and just waiting for her death any longer. For what reason did the professor leave earlier she didn't know, but she did know it would only be a matter of time until he returned for the kill. She walked up to the door, closed her eyes, and turned the knob.
Take me, oh sweet sweet darkness.
She waited for the end, but it never came.
She slowly opened her eyes to see that there was, in fact, nobody around. The dormitory yard was completely empty. Instead, there was only a single piece of cake on the ground in front of her, glistening in the moon's rays.
I can't possibly eat that! It must be poisoned!
Her thought was cut short as her stomach growled loudly, she had been far too scared to leave her room to get food after the professor had visited, so she hadn't eaten at all since breakfast.
It looks so good though...
It may have been poisoned, but at this point it was worth the risk.
She picked up the plate and fork, shut her eyes, and prayed as she took a bite. Instead of the bitter taste of death, she was only met with the delicious taste of cake.
"Mhmm, it's so tasty!"
She began happily digging in and after a few bites, she noticed a small note attached to the plate.
"Hope you are not feeling ill. Some sugar should help prevent future black outs. Best wishes." -Byleth
For the first time all week, Bernadetta smiled. It was then she thought, maybe her professor wasn't such a bad person after all.
So there it is. What did you think? I had no idea how to start this chapter at first, or what would even be in it, but I think it came out alright. Also brownie points if you noticed, it actually had me bursting out laughing when I realized it. I just did the Ferdinand has no weaknesses line on a whim because it sounds like something he would say, then I looked up to see what his weaknesses were. Turns out he actually doesn't have a weakness. I guess I'm just a genius, and Ferdinand is just a god. Hope you liked it! Now what will our poor Bernadetta do against those big bad bandits. Until next time!
- Arcale
