"Hello parental figure!" Beleth chirped.
"Welcome back, problem child," Jeralt sighed.
And he didn't even miss a beat! Beleth internally sniffled. Starloon would have been so proud...
He looked up from the various papers on his desk. "You two seem well. Are you adjusting to life at the monastery?"
"Not quite," Byleth responded.
"Well, I didn't expect it would be easy on you," Jeralt shrugged. "When we were mercenaries, I handled everything. I thought being thrown into a swarm of noble brats to teach would be a bit much for you. It seems I was right to worry."
Beleth knew that it wasn't the foreignness that was giving herself and her brother trouble. It was the opposite: the déjà vu that each face and location brought to both of them.
Not that he would be able to know that though. "A kind thought. But there's no need to worry about us. We'll be fine."
"Of course. I know you kids are tough," Jeralt said with a small smile. "By the way, I heard about those bandits. Your first assignment is to take them out, right?"
"The ones that attacked at Remire, yes," Byleth confirmed.
Jeralt nodded. "That's fairly routine for you by now, but don't forget it's the first real taste of battle for those brats. It'll be tougher to sleep at night if you let one of your little pupils die, so stay vigilant and lead them well."
Jeralt sighed, sitting back down into his chair. "I wish I could offer you my support, but Lady Rhea won't allow it. For now, I'll try to figure out what she wants from you." He looked at the twins with intensity. "I don't mind you settling into your life here, but don't let your guard down. Ever." He said the last word sharply and with emphasis.
"They should fear our instruction more than the bandits, considering that it'll be similar to yours," Beleth laughed. Jeralt's Mercenaries were famous for a reason, after all. "We'll keep them safe."
Jeralt nodded. "Good luck."
Byleth bowed loosely, a gesture gained from Starloon no doubt, and hopped out the window.
"That boy and his fascination with windows," Jeralt lamented, shaking his head.
"They're practical," Beleth shrugged. She could spare her father and go down the stairs, but where's the fun in that?
Starloon did call her chaotic good after all.
As she followed her brother through the window, she could almost hear her father's internal suffering.
"So much excitement," Beleth murmured, taken slightly aback. She watched the students drift away to the dining hall, trying to remember if they were quite as eager in her past lives.
"Perhaps we are a bit overly excited, but remember that we have the knights on our side." It seemed Dimitri overheard her. "All should be well."
Dimitri paused, his eyes lighting up. "Ah! And speaking of the knights, I heard that Jeralt is once again one of the Knights of Seiros. Perhaps we'll have the good fortune of seeing you two fight side by side."
Beleth shook her head. "Sadly, my father was sent away on another mission. I apologise if you were looking forward to it."
"Oh, of course," Dimitri deflated, Much like a kicked puppy would. "I apologize for letting my childish whims get the better of me. In all honesty, I'm a bit jealous. My parents are no longer around."
Ah Sothis, her heart couldn't take that look.
(Ashe looks similar when he's sad, but she would rather not see that expression on either of their faces).
"Ah, no need to worry!" Beleth quickly amended, quietly panicking inside. "I'm sorry I brought up painful memories."
Dimitri shook his head. "I'm sorry to bore you with such things." He gestured to the dining hall. "Dinner is awaiting. Eh, Professor?"
Beleth watched Dimitri walk on ahead,heart aching.
"You can't do anything for his past," Sothis' voice appeared gently in her head. "All you can do is fix the future that is to come."
Beleth bopped her head slightly in wary understanding, exhaling slowly.
After all, it was the one message fate always left her.
"Hey, Teach," Claude beckoned. "Glad you could make it. We've been waiting on you.
Byleth stopped his path towards the dining hall, swinging wildly into a 180 degree turn.
"It seems the knights have our foes cornered." Lorenz reported, brow raised in what was no doubt bewilderment. "They are in Zanado–the Red Canyon."
"It's bandit time?" Raphael cheered. "That sounds like real knight work. Let's get to it!"
"I'm itching to put my skills to the test as well," Leonine grinned. "We have to win so Captain Jeralt can see how much I"ve learned!
"I thought Jeralt wasn't coming with us," Ignatz said, unsure.
Byleth nodded. "My father will not be joining us. He is tied up with another mission."
Ignatz nodded."Either way, I'll give it everything I've got."
"Good." A grin flickered across Byleth's face, similarly to how Starloon used to. "On another note, I managed to snag some of my Father's mercenaries to give me a report of the area." He formulated a map into the center of the group. "There's a back road that we can use to flank the enemy."
Byleth eyed the rest of the Golden Deer. "That," he clapped, "is where the Golden Deer come in. The Black Eagles and Blue Lions will be holding the main path. We figured that your house has a little more versatility, which landed you the flanking job."
"Um... Even if I go, it's not like I'd be of any use…" Marianne trailed off, going silent once the attention turned to her.
"That's enough of that," Lysithea reprimanded. "If we don't work together and give it our all, we are doomed to fail."
"Especially since you're our only healer," Byleth nodded, frowning in thought. He'd have to change that soon, most likely through Lorenz.
Byleth winced as Marianne shirked away. It took a second for Byleth to realize that he was frowning.
"Good job, you hurt the poor girl," Sothis sighed, voicing Byleth's thoughts.
"You can be pretty intense sometimes, Lysithea." Hilda said, oblivious to Sothis' voice. "But I agree! Let's do our best!"
"I hope we do well," Byleth nodded, frantically trying to recall Marianne's favorite gifts. He was determined to make it up to her.
"If we fight half as well as we chatter, we'll be fine," Claude shrugged. "C'mon, Teach. Lead the way." He gestured towards the dining hall expectantly.
"Even after all these years," Sothis sighed, floating a little ways away from Byleth's horse. "It disturbs me that we will be taking children into battle."
Byleth hummed in agreement, inspecting his sword in the morning sun. They had just arrived at the Red Canyon.
"Remember, Time Pulse is at your disposal, should you require it."
"I sincerely hope I don't." he replied with a wince. He called upon Sothis' power, feeling a comforting pull in response. "Such power in my hands…" He let that thought trail off.
"That, and you are a resource hoarder," Sothis grumbled.
Byleth hopped out of the horse, using Wind to make his coat flair behind him. "For the better, perhaps." Byleth muttered out loud.
Sothis rolled her eyes. "Showoff."
"Oi, Teach!" Claude hailed Byleth over to the mass of Golden Deer students. He gestured to the Red Canyon. "So this is the Red Canyon? Doesn't look red to me... Anyway, let's get things started. Looks like the thieves have been driven back. That's what we last heard, so no surprise there."
He shrugged. "There's that back road you were speaking of. I did my own digging to confirm it."
Byleth nodded in confirmation. "But first, that bridge." He pointed to the bridge in the distance. "We'll let the Blue Lions and Black Eagles take point. They have more physical units that can hold the line."
"In that case, are we putting Lorenz and Raphael up front?" Claude asked.
"Better keep them in reserve," Byleth shook his head. "You'll be attacking the flank yourselves."
"You're not joining?" Claude asked.
"Beleth will join you," Byleth nodded. "Within our mercenary group, her reputation precedes her as an offensive prodigy."
"Right, I think I heard something like that," Claude shrugged. "Stay safe out there."
Byleth knew that more likely than not, that information came from Claude's research on the twins, not from a rumor he happened to overhear.
"I ask the same of you," Byleth replied.
"Hold the line! We don't want to give up this chokepoint!"
Edelgard swung her training axe, the sheer momentum enough to send the offending bandit clean over the bridge railing and into the abyss below.
"Front line, switch with Team B!"
Byleth's calls rang out clearly across the bridge. Soon enough, Sylvain and Felix advanced slightly in front of Edelgard and Dimitri.
Finishing off his last opponent, Dimitri jogged back, falling in step with Edelgard. "I know they are just thieves, but this never gets any easier for me…"
"You must steel yourself if you are to become a future king," Edelgard reprimanded. "It is regrettable, but there was no other way."
"No other way," Dimitri repeated slowly, trailing off. He seemed unconvinced.
"Mages, fire on the advancing line!" Byleth called out. Crackling thunder came down with force, sending plumes of dirt upwards. Sylvain and Felix made quick work of the weakened enemies.
He turned to the royal duo with a nod. "A wonderful thing, being able to conserve spell stamina," he quipped. "Good job on keeping the opponents at bay by yourselves."
She was surprised at the effectiveness of the Professor's recommendation to use training weapons. Iron weapons would have been easier to kill with. However, with her and Dimitri's sheer strength, the blunt trauma from the training weapons alone was more than enough to hold the enemy line, with the added bonus of being easier to wield.
Edelgard felt healing magic wash over her, mending small cuts and bruises that she didn't even realize were there. "Seeing as you don't look too beaten up, I'll top you off for now. Lindhard and Mercedes could use a break." He shrugged lightly. "Let me know if you need more healing. And don't be afraid to use a vulnery if you need it."
He flashed a large gold bullion from out of his pocket. "Petra managed to get this using the key a bandit dropped. Don't go overboard, but we can afford your safety."
Edelgard could hear the implied luckily under Byleth's slight laugh. Something to do with church funding perhaps?
"I'd hope that the church would give you enough gold to purchase necessities," she prodded.
"Ah, you know," Byleth's smile began to show hints of strain. "I'm sure we'll get more eventually. That is actually a hidden second reason for the training weapons." He shook his head, "Sorry, but try not to worry. I'll make sure we always have a reserve."
"Don't worry Professor," Dimitri said. "We are sure that your leadership will bring us safely to the end of the battle. Nonetheless, I have found the usage of training weapons to be a valuable asset."
Byleth nodded back with a frown, obviously deep in thought.
Edelgard narrowed her eyes slightly. She wondered where the money went if the church couldn't provide basic supplies for their missions.
More likely than not, it would lead to another indicator of the church's corruption.
"Keep up the pace! We've almost cornered them!"
Claude rushed forward in response to Beleth's call, already used to the pace that she was setting. Ranged units engage, melee units follow up before the enemy can approach. Keep the line rolling forward, then spread out and collapse onto a group of enemies.
He had to admit, even though he had his doubts, the plan was rather good.
He stopped briefly to let two arrows fly loose. Lorenz quickly followed up, his spear crashing into the bandit's side.
"It is a noble's duty to guard the welfare of the people. Nothing personal." Lorenz grimaced, kicking the body aside.
"Good work."
Claude's sword snapped up, whipping around him and meeting empty air. He relaxed when he saw Beleth bobbing up from a duck, hands up placatingly. "Apologies if I startled you," she said.
What worried him was that he didn't even hear her approach. He took a step backwards, willing himself to put away his sword and pick up his bow. No need to show hostility to someone who was currently your ally after all.
"Woah there Teach!" Claude laughed, keeping the nervousness out of his voice. "You might not want to sneak up on me like that. We royalty are tightly wound when it comes to this sort of thing."
She frowned slightly, and turned to watch Raphael and Lysithea overtake them. They circled around another bandit engaging Lorenz. The poor man stood no chance.
"Bow formation, facing Northwest!" she called, "Archers take point, melee at base!"
"You're a slave driver, you know that Teach?" Claude sighed. He smiled to ensure that she didn't take it as an insult; she seemed fine with friendly ribbing.
"Rethinking my invitation to be a Golden Deer professor?" Beleth laughed.
Claude shook his head, running to join Ignatz up front. Claude watched him sink an arrow into a mage, the man stumbling before falling to Claude's own arrow. Turning around, he saw Hilda take out an unlucky swordsman, training axe sending the man flying.
Male Teach was right. Beleth's offensive tactics were a terror on the battlefield.
"You can feel that power too, can't you?" Sothis asked.
Beleth pulled on Time Pulse, the gentle humming in the air vibrating faster in response. "We still don't know why," she murmured. "Even after so long, we've only managed to recover a few of your memories."
"And then that tragic route..." Sothis trailed off.
Beleth remembered. The one time she turned against Edelgard, sided with the church.
That path only led to bloodshed.
"To live in a world without all four," Beleth sighed. "I don't know if I could do it again."
"We'll take the information and move on." Sothis grimaced.
"Teach?" Claude called, jogging towards Beleth. "What are you doing here? We should get back to the academy."
Beleth gave one last look at the imposing cliffs. A flicker of red marred the cliffs, a memory from a distant past.
"Of course," she nodded. She turned dramatically, coat flapping outward behind her, listening wistfully to Claude's laughter about her dramatics.
The memory was slotted snugly against the pile of similar others.
"On our way out, I had the chance to observe the Red Canyon... Did you notice anything, Professor?"
Byleth stopped his humming and looked up, meeting Edelgard's gaze. "The ruins?" he said.
Edelgard nodded with a pleased smile. "The area was covered in ruins, each more curious than the last. They did not match the architectural style of any era or culture within the Empire. Or across all of Fódlan, for that matter."
Edelgard's eyes glinted. "That can only mean one thing... The valley's civilization must have flourished and fallen in the distant past, long before the Empire was established. Who do you think lived there?"
"A culture long since perished," Beleth said, drawing her horse up beside the two.
"Heh, it's possible they weren't even human," she hummed. "Perhaps their remnants still influence this world..."
"Edelgard, Professors," Dimitri nodded, pulling his own horse alongside the group. "I trust you are well and unharmed."
Edelgard tensed slightly. "There's no need to state the obvious, Dimitri. But tell me... Why the concern? Perhaps you doubt my abilities? If so, your lack of insight is disappointing."
"That's...not what I meant." Dimitri sighed. "If I've offended you, I hope you'll accept my apology."
That pause and Edelgard's posture… Byleth forgot the chemistry that the two had.
"Don't worry about it," Edelgard dismissed. "I should return to my position."
Dimitri hummed, watching Edelgard walk away.
"Oooo, puppy love?" Beleth teased.
"Aahaha!" Dimitri laughed. "Now, that's a lark. I had no idea you had a sense of humor, Professor. I'll tell you all about it...some other time."
He shook his head. "Anyway, I should return too." He nudged his horse away from the duo.
An unpleasant feeling bubbled in his chest. They formed a phantom tightness, intensifying then ebbing when it came to the forefront of his mind.
"Ah," he murmured, voice airy. "It's been a while since I've felt this."
"You say something?" Beleth said.
Byleth loath to admit it. However….
"Sister dearest," he said reluctantly. "Perhaps you may be right."
Beleth's eyes widened fractionally, all theatrics and exaggeration gone.
Author's Note:
I got my first comment (yay!). In the actual game (which I still haven't finished), I used training weapons throughout most of the early game, so I thought I'd incorporate that into the story.
