First of all thank you all so much! I can't believe this story has gotten over 100 followers, that's actually crazy. I really appreciate you all taking the time to read my story. Sorry I take so long with chapters. I have a bunch of ideas but figuring out when in the story to put them is super hard. Sometimes I think I'm in over my head trying to do a retelling but it is quite fun and I just want to see more Bernie. I'll keep trying to do her justice. Also Sans is in Smash... what(sorry Terry, your cool too). More DLC characters on the way, HYPE! Can we get Bernie in smash!(oooh that's a story idea right there) Probably not though sadly, but I would love a Three Houses Rep. Having Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude in a Pokemon Trainer style character would be amazing.


"A LITTLE HELP HERE LINHARDT!"

"I thought you said you could take them all on your own."

"I'M SORRY, PLEASE HELP ME OUT!"

Caspar held on to his axe with everything he had, barely blocking a downwards swing aimed straight for his skull.

Linhardt let out a yawn. "Such a bother... fine I'll humor you."

He shot out a small burst of Nosferatu, knocking Caspar's assailant to the ground.

"Thanks... I owe you." Caspar panted as he caught his breath.

His victory was short lived as he took an arrow straight to the chest.

"That was lethal Caspar, you're out." Byleth shouted.

The Black Eagles students were in the midst of a training exercise with a unit of the Knights of Seiros. Byleth had wanted them to practice alongside the knights that would be accompanying them on their first mission so he could prepare his students as much as possible.

"Damn it! Linhardt, why didn't you warn me!" The cyan haired warrior yelled.

"Couldn't be bothere..." The white mage was cut off as an arrow hit him in the back of the head and he face planted into the dirt.

"You're out as well." The voice called again from the sidelines.

"How is that height advantage working for you now?" Caspar snickered.

Caspar had charged out without backup and Linhardt, lacking any care, decided to follow him. This caused the duo to become stranded, and they met their end a distance away from their classmates.

"Well it looks like we've had two casualties so far. This never would have happened if I was put in charge." Ferdinand scoffed.

"Following your orders would be no better than looking to a dying fish for leadership." Hubert coldly responded.

"Enough! Now is not the time. Prepare yourselves, we are being rushed." Edelgard shouted as she tightened the grip on her axe.

Knights scrambled at the trio from the side. Ferdinand and Edelgard moved to meet the assault head on while Hubert retreated a distance to launch his spells safely.

"They are having the trouble! We must be helping them!" Petra shouted to her own group.

"I would love to but we seem to have our own problems to worry about." Dorothea replied, readying herself.

Dorothea, Petra, and Bernadetta had been caught off guard and were surrounded.

This can't be happening! School should be about learning from books, not...THIS! This isn't learning, this is torture!

Bernadetta screamed and covered her eyes as the enemy began to advance on their position.

"Bern! We really need you right now!" The songstress shouted desperately as she fired a thunder spell at one of the attackers.

What do you actually expect me to do?!

"Please be shooting them!" Petra screamed as if answering her question. She was now engaged with two of the knights at once.

You want me to shoot at these people?! I've never shot at people before! You know what happens when you try to shoot at people!? They try to kill you back! I can't do it, I won't do it!

"Bern, help!" Dorothea yelped as she barely dodged a sword swing and fell on her behind.

"Ohhh fine!" Bernadetta yelled back. She hastily drew an arrow and shot it in Dorothea's direction.

The arrow completely missed its mark and bounced off a nearby tree.

That was really bad...

Dorothea closed her eyes and laughed. "I guess that's it for me." She was stabbed and disqualified from the match.

Petra continued to fight fiercely against her two opponents. With a quick parry she shoved her shoulder into the gut of one knight and knocked him into the other one, taking them both down at once. Unfortunately, she met her end when a third knight struck her from behind.

Bernadetta was now alone. "I'M SORRY! I DON'T WANT TO DIEEE!" She cried and sprinted as fast as she could away from her downed teammates.

"She really is reminding me of prey." Petra thought out loud as she observed the escaping archer.

Byleth watched intently as the battle continued to play out. While he had expected them to be defeated in the first bout, he had not expected them to fall this quickly. Clearly more training was needed. He mentally noted where each student could improve in their conduct.

"What's our status Hubert!" Edelgard yelled as she brought down her axe on a knight.

Hubert quickly scanned the battlefield. "Petra's group has been compromised my lady, only us and Bernadetta remain. I fear victory is now out of our grasp."

"Nonsense, the battle is not yet lost as long as I stand!" Ferdinand proclaimed, only to have his spear flung from his hands. "Ah, I yield…"

Hubert and Edelgard were soon forced back to back. A large number of knights remained and they moved in to surrounded the pair.

"I suppose we have lost." Edelgard relinquished.

Bernadetta squirmed desperately through the brush and found herself watching the scene from behind a tree.

They're in trouble! Maybe I can still help them! You have to at least try Bernie, you haven't done anything useful, and the professor is going to be mad!

Bernadetta quickly notched an arrow but was interrupted when she heard a rustle from behind. The knight that defeated Petra had followed her.

She instantly dropped her weapon to the floor and curled into a ball. "Ahhhh! Please don't hurt me! I wasn't going to shoot your friends, honest! Just let me live! I'll do anything, anything!"

The knight slightly recoiled from the outburst. Taking pity on the poor girl, he lightly tapped her on the shoulder with his sword.

"You're dead Bernadetta." Byleth reported.

Uwaaaaa! I knew I shouldn't have left my room today!

Thus the training exercise ended with the Black Eagles complete defeat.


"That was abhorrent. You were rash and disorganized. The knights were not acting to their full potential and yet you struggled to even make a dent in their number." Byleth recounted as he regrouped his class.

"You would dare call the leadership of Lady Edelgard disorganized?" Hubert scowled.

"Considering all of you are now dead, yes."

The students winced and cast their gases slightly downward.

"Can anyone tell me the difference between a bandit, and one of you?"

Ferdinand perked up. "Well for one thing, they do not hold the grand title of legitimate heir…"

Byleth cut him off. "The main difference between a soldier and a common thug is their ability to cooperate. More often than not, bandits think only of themselves in battle, they do not see their fellow men as comrades. They think individually, act individually, and die individually." He took a short pause. "You on the other hand, are with your fellow classmates, your fellow countrymen. This is where you all hold the advantage. You will fight together, or you will die alone."

Dying alone huh, sounds like a fitting end for Bernie.

"We did just fine in the mock battle when you were leading us Professor." Caspar chipped in.

"Which is exactly why I wanted you to act on your own. There may come a time where I am struck down on the battlefield. If that time ever comes, you all must be able to cooperate with each other and operate without me. Relying too much on my strategies and leadership could get you killed. Now, we will continue to do this until you manage to succeed, without any casualties."

Whaaaat! You mean we have to do MORE of this?! I can't handle MORE of this!

The knights began to ready themselves for another fight.

Bernadetta nearly cried.

I just want to go home!


"Tsk, what a pitiful display, I have much to learn before my dreams come to fruition. Still, the first step is now at hand."

Edelgard stepped quickly through the halls of the monastery, the knights had just informed her they had found the bandit's hideout in a place known as the Red Canyon. She moved to gather her classmates so they could discuss the details along with their professor.

Their professor. Byleth was an enigma, nothing was known about him except that he was the child of Jeralt and was a former mercenary in his fathers group. She had dug up every record she could but he was practically a ghost with no past. She had only managed to dig up his nickname from among Jeralt's mercenaries, "Ashen Demon". Edelgard disliked the fact that she knew so little about the man that lead their class, but she knew he was invaluable. He had proved he was skillful in the battles she observed thus far. All that was left was to see his conduct in the coming mission and she would be absolutely sure about him. It must have been fate that brought him to her class, not that she believed in such things. She couldn't let this opportunity fall out of her grasp.

"I need him. If only I could…"

She stopped herself when she spotted a violet haired girl doing a rather poor job trying to sneak through the courtyard.

"Bernadetta."

"EeEEee! What! Who's there!" Bernadetta nearly tumbled over as she looked around for the speaker.

"Over here Bernadetta." Edelgard answered as she walked closer.

"Oh! Your highness! Forgive me, I must be an unsightly piece of trash that has stained your vision! Please allow me to remove myself from your presence." Bernadetta said with a curtsy.

"Hold, Bernadetta. How many times must I tell you. We are fellow classmates, you have no need to treat me any different than anyone else."

"Ah of course, sorry..."

"Well this is convenient, I was actually looking for you anyways." Edelgard reported.

"For me?!" Bernadetta's eyes opened wide in shock. "I didn't do it! It wasn't me I swear! Please don't have me executed! I can name fingers and point names! Wait… I mean!"

"Bernadetta!" The princess shouted impatiently.

The recluse flinched and attempted to shield herself with her arms.

Edelgard sighed. "Bernadetta, I've said before, no harm will come to you. I am trying to gather our class together for a mission briefing, not drag you to the executioner's block."

"Ah of course… I wouldn't even be worth the effort would I…"

Edelgard rubbed her temple in frustration. "Just come with me will you, we need to group up and find the professor." She said as she grabbed Bernadetta by the hood and began dragging her down the path.

"Noooooo please, I'm too young to die!"


"That took longer than expected."

The Black Eagle head had finally gathered her class, after no small amount of trouble.

"My apologies Lady Edelgard. I should have made preparations before hand. I will not fail you next time." Hubert bowed.

"Well it's not our fault Linhardt was hidden in some bush. What made you think that was even a good place to sleep." Caspar grumbled as he poked the crest enthusiast.

"I didn't want to be disturbed, and if it was hard for you to find me then I would say it served its purpose." Linhardt responded.

"Everyone, our esteemed professor approaches." Ferdinand outstretched his hand, causing the group to turn in that direction.

Byleth walked up to the class.

"Perfect timing, Professor. I just received word from the knights. They've located the bandits." Edelgard said at the head of the group.

"It seems they have them cornered. They are in Zanado, the Red Canyon." Hubert added.

"The Red Canyon?" Byleth stroked his chin. "I cannot say I have ever heard of its existence, yet somehow it sounds familiar."

"Who cares about that, I can't wait to get started! I'll strike down those heinous thieves before they know what hit them!" Caspar shouted enthusiastically.

"Charge ahead if you must, Caspar. Just do not put the rest of us in danger. Lest you forget what happened the last time you rushed without us." Ferdinand commented dryly.

"I'm going back! I won't be of any help anyway, the thought of getting hurt is just too much! I think I'll just be cheering you all on from the comfort of my own room. Preferably where I won't die." Bernadetta fretted.

Dorothea placed a comforting hand on Bernadetta's shoulder. "Don't worry, Bern. It's just some bandits. We'll have no trouble at all."

"Eh, don't get ahead of yourselves. Unfounded optimism isn't a great strategy, it's how you find yourself with a sword in your back. Let's just get this over with." Linhardt yawned.

"There is nothing to get over. We will work with togetherness to achieve our mission, right Professor?" Petra stated, missing the point.

The professor closed his eyes. "I suppose it is finally time. Although I cannot help but feel some unease."

"We have worked hard through these past two weeks. We can do this Professor. Give us our orders, and let's move out." Edelgard sternly replied.

"Very well, rest up everyone, tomorrow we will meet at the gates and begin our trek to Zanado." Byleth commanded as he left to go discuss plans with the knights.

"Well, you heard him everyone. We should all go and relax for now. We have trained more than enough, I am certain we shall be successful." Edelgard proclaimed.

Ferdinand cleared his throat. "Might I suggest we dine together tonight as a bonding experience before our first fight?"

"Ohhh I think I'm feeling faint. I'm gonna go now!" Bernadetta shouted as she ran towards the dorms.

"Something is very wrong with that girl." Caspar said, holding his arms behind his head.

"Well I second her opinion, you all can go on and eat without me. I have something more important to attend to." Linhardt stated as he walked away.

"More important than the bonding?" Petra questioned.

"Yes." The healer responded bluntly without even looking back.


"Oh it's all over for me Mr. Bear. I tried my hardest but I just don't think I'm going to live through tomorrow's battle."

Bernadetta slouched over the side of her bed facing one of her stuffed bears.

"It's almost unreal. I was just at home doing what I always did, and the next thing I knew I was thrown into this school. Now I'm expected to go and 'Help protect the peace of Fódlan?' I don't think that's very fair. What do you think?"

She was met with the blank stare of her bear's black button eyes.

"Nothing huh… guess I just have to hope for the best, but it's not looking very good…"

I'm really going to die tomorrow aren't I. I wonder what's in store for Bernie. Beheading? Blunt force trauma? Multiple stab wounds? So many great choices. I'm such a failure so anything would be a fitting end for me.

Various incidents of the past week flashed in her head. She had been next to useless in the training exercises with the knights. She had scored low on practical exams the professor had given out to the class. During stable duty she had accidentally managed to unhook the door causing a horse to bolt wildly through the monastery. She had even been missing most of her target practice shots from all the stress. It was a complete disaster.

"I'm just not cut out for all of this. Maybe it's better for everyone if I just die." She sighed as she covered her eyes with the back of her hand.

It would be easier on everybody if she was out of the picture. Especially the professor, she could only imagine how much of a pain she was to him. A teacher like him didn't deserve such a failure of a student like her.

She never would have guessed that he had been a mercenary before he came to the monastery, his teaching skills were amazing. His explanations were concise and easy to understand. He would answer any questions a student had, no matter how small, and he was able to clearly grasp each students strengths to help them improve.

His leadership was absolutely incredible as well, the way he looked at the battlefield and quickly figured out the best course of action. It took them more than half a dozen tries before they had managed to best the knights on their own, but with the professor leading them it took only one battle, and it was far easier than any of their previous attempts. He expertly guided the students through the whole ordeal, and before she knew it the battle had already been won.

Before, she had always seen him as a threat to her safety, another gust of wind waiting to blow out the candle of her life, but now she couldn't help but admire the professor. After observing him for a while, she noticed he was in fact very kind. He treated others with respect and encouraged all of his students to perform to the best of their ability. He was even able to make a useless girl like her useful.

There was also the cake that he had given her. It was a shock at first. She couldn't remember the last time someone had actually cared about her, let alone give her a gift as meaningful as this one. She still had to thank him, at least before she bit the dust.

Too many thoughts swirled in her head all at once, the upcoming mission was beginning to overload her emotions.

"Some reading ought to help cheer me up."


"You're definitely a strange one, Professor."

"Maybe so…"

The professor and Linhardt? What could they be talking about?

Bernadetta was on her way back from the library having picked up a new batch of books to read but she caught sight of her professor and her classmate having a chat. Curious, she decided to hide behind a pillar and listen in.

Linhardt continued. "In truth, your very nature is odd. You're definitely not a commoner, but you don't seem like a noble, either. You're… something else. Perhaps you're a villain who came here to enact some evil plot. That wouldn't surprise me either."

"Is that what you think?" The professor questioned. His face still showing no signs of emotion.

What did he just say?! A… a villain?!

A villain that came to enact an evil plot?! The very thought of it was enough to give her shivers. Is that what actually lay behind those cold eyes? Linhardt was one of the smartest students there, had he noticed the professor's true nature, something she didn't see? Was he was actually evil? Surely he wouldn't dispose of her during the next battle?

He… he wouldn't do that. He did give me cake after all.

She tried to shake it off but again, her paranoia got the best of her. Her back would be turned, she would never see it coming. Killing her would of been too noticeable at the monastery. He would instead get rid of her during the mission where it could easily be blamed on a bandit. A quick movement of his hand, and she would be lying dead in a ditch on the side of the road, no one would ever know the truth.

The cake had just been a ploy! A trick to give her a false sense of security! She knew it was too good to be true!

Nooo! I can't let my guard down! I have to fight back!

"Ah Bernadetta, fancy meeting you here."

"Wha-wha-what! Oh, ummm…" The girl nearly jumped out of her shoes.

While she was busy freaking out, the other two had already finished their conversation, and she had been caught red handed.

Bernadetta gulped as she turned around to face the speaker. "H-hello there professor! Fancy meeting you here…"

Byleth blankly stared back.

He said that already, didn't he…

"Ahahahaha..." She laughed nervously.

I can't let him figure out I know about his evil plot, or else I'm dead for sure!

"Indeed… are you alright? You look quite pale."

"Oh I'm f-fine professor! Absolutely no problems with Bernie at all! You must have a busy schedule, please don't let my worthless self waste any more of your time. I'll just be going." She frantically spoke as she tried to walk away.

"Your well being is no waste of time. Something clearly ails you." He spoke, stopping her escape.

Am I that easy to read?! I need to get out of here before he kills me!

"Are you perhaps…"

No don't say it! I don't suspect anything I swear!

"...worried for tomorrow?" He finished.

"Ahhhh! I won't tell anybody anything! My lips are sealed! Please, just don't! …what did you say?" Bernadetta uncovered her head from the pile of books she carried.

Byleth put down his fist down into his open palm. "That must be it. Do not fret, it is perfectly normal for your nerves to be on edge before your first battle. It must be especially hard on you since you often enjoy staying in your room."

Huh, he's not going to kill me?

"I apologize if my teachings have been making you anxious. I know I have been putting a lot of pressure on you all as of late. Especially during active training, the thought of fighting without an experienced leader can be unnerving. I merely want to make sure you are all prepared for the worst."

Wait, wait, wait, your completely off! Well I guess not completely, I am worried.

Bernadetta shook her head furiously. "No! That's not it at all Professor! It's not your fault! I appreciate everything you taught us, I really do. It's just, I don't think… I don't think I can do this! I mean I miss most of my shots, I panic on the battlefield, I fail at almost everything I do! I'm going to get myself killed, or even worse, one of you!"

Byleth pondered for a moment. "You are not a failure Bernadetta."

"Wha…" Her mouth opened wide at that statement.

"I feel perfectly confident in trusting you to watch your classmate's backs, as well as my own."

"You… you trust me?"

"I do, and besides. I have no intention of falling in battle. I will ensure each and every one of you makes it back safely. There will be nothing to fear, you have my word." He clenched his fist tightly.

"Professor…"

He had a fire burning in his eyes, the likes of which Bernadetta had never seen before. His words held a passionate determination, they were different than his usual level tone.

"Rest up, you will need all of your strength for the battle. I will see you tomorrow" Byleth said as he walked away to another hall.

He's not evil at all.

Their conversation was brief, but Bernadetta realized that the one most worried for their mission was none other than the professor himself. He desperately wanted to keep them all safe, their harsh training was just his way of preparing them.

He even said that she wasn't a failure, that he trusted her. Her of all people. She had never heard those words before. She never knew how much she needed to hear that. Tears began to well in her eyes.

She pumped a fist into the air with a newfound determination.

I guess Bernie has to do her best for everyone, and for the professor!

If the professor was there, she might just be able to survive after all.

Oh shoot, I never thanked him for the cake.


Yeah so remember when I said Bernie was gonna be facing bandits last time? Well that's going to have to wait for next chapter, sorry about that. I originally planned this chapter to be the bandit fight but I came up with some other stuff to put in after seeing some new support conversations. Also I didn't think it would make since to have all this filler stuff in the same chapter as the battle. It's going to be my first time writing a real battle scene so I need some time to try and experiment with it. Thank you all for the great reviews. I read and enjoy everything you have to say. Please keep them coming so I know if I'm actually doing a good job or not. As always, let me know what you think. Until next time!

-Arcale