"I don't like interfering in squabbles between noble brats," Byleth read. "But the parents complain if I don't. It's annoying."

"Is that a note from Shamir?" Beleth asked, leaning over. She dropped her own note back into the advice box, cursive swirls decorating the parchment.

Byleth smirked. "Perhaps it could be entertaining to make the parents fight instead." he sang, penning the words down in neat print.

Beleth's eyes widened at the words. "We can't be encouraging that!" she hissed. "Cross it out, cross it out!"

"Nah," Bylteth hummed. "I got this."

He grunted as Beleth threw her weight onto him, her hands pushing down on Byleth's shoulders in an attempt to jump higher.

"Professors?" Mercedes said in surprise. "Is everything alright?"

"We good," Byleth confirmed with a lazy smile. He threw the card into the advice box, keeping a hand on Beleth's shoulder to keep her from jumping up and catching it. It landed neatly into the slit, aided by a Wind spell.

"Byleth," Beleth whined. "We can't give bad advice like that!"

Byleth patted his sister on the head placatingly. "I am a wonderful advice giver." He looked up to Mercedes. "Don't you think so Mercedes?"

Mercedes sighed. "Please don't bring me into this Professor."

"Your brother gives good advice," Shamir nodded, lining up beside Beleth.

Beleth's next shot went wider than her eyes.

"He WHAT now?!"

"Professors," Rhea nodded. "I have a new mission for you."

"We have received reports that Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros," Seteth said gravely.

"Who is Lord Lonato?" Byleth inquired.

Seteth internally scoffed. He could admit that the professors had an aptitude for battle. However, he still has no idea why they are allowed, much less encouraged, to have a professorship position at the most prestigious school in Fodlan when they have such large gaps in knowledge.

" Lord Lonato is a minor lord of the Kingdom," Rhea explained, unconcerned of Seteth's plight. "He has been showing hostility towards the church for some time now."

"A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard," Seteth explained.

He managed to keep most of his animosity out of his voice, if only in respect for Rhea. "Lord Lonato's army is nothing compared to the knights. It's quite possible the rebellion has already been suppressed."

"Even so, I would like for you to join the Blue Lion class to travel with the knights' rearguard to deal with the aftermath," Rhea explained.

"War zones are unpredictable," Seteth sighed. At least the students would be well taken care of, assuming he wasn't a traitor. "We do not expect you will have cause to battle, but be prepared for the worst."

"Excuse me. You sent for me, Lady Rhea?"

Rhea gestured towards Catherine's entrance. "This is Catherine. She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying."

"Nice to meet you." Catherine nodded. "We've heard a lot about you. If you need anything, just ask."

"She is one of our bravest knights, and that is no small feat," Rhea praised. "Only an exceptional few have what it takes to join the Knights of Seiros. This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church…"

Seteth swore he saw a flicker of a frown pass across the male twin's face, but dismissed it as his own bias.

"You can count on us," Byleth affirmed.

Beleth, who remained silent through the exchange, merely bowed.

"There is solitude on the battlefield...but there are limits to what one can achieve alone," Jeritza turned to Beleth. "To be stronger, more efficient...visit the battalion guild."

"Battalions?" Beleth winced, mentally checking her funds. "I wonder if I can afford that..."

"Why would Lonato incite such a reckless rebellion?" Ashe muttered, troubled.

"You should know more about that than any of us, Ashe," Catherine said.

"Well, I don't," Ashe replied sharply. "Lonato never mentioned anything of the like to me."

"He probably didn't want you getting caught up in his own personal vendetta," Dimitri suggested.

"What vendetta?" Byleth asked. The specifics of each event were always a little hard to keep track of.

"How much do you know about the Tragedy of Duscur, Professor?" Catherine asked.

"Not much."

"It's when the king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was...was murdered by the people of Duscur. It happened about four years ago..." Catherine hesitated, looking towards Dimitri.

Dimitri sighed. "It's OK, Catherine. Please, go on."

"Right," Catherine nodded doubtfully. "Well, Lord Lonato's son, Christophe, was accused of being involved in that whole awful affair. He was executed by the church."

"I take it that a trial took place?"

Catherine nodded. "I assume so, but I was only briefly involved."

She sighed. "Whatever the truth behind that incident may be, Lord Lonato has harbored resentment towards the church ever since. Well... To be more specific, his grudge isn't only against the church. It's also against the one who turned Christophe over to them..."

"Report!" A church soldier ran towards the group, panting. "The enemy is approaching! They can't be avoided. Their numbers are far greater than we predicted. They used the fog to slip past the knights' perimeter!"

"Fantastic," Byleth sighed. He turned to Catherine. "I'll catch up with my sister and the rest of the Blue Lions and loop back to you. Dimitri, I assume you're coming?"

"Right behind you Professor," Dimitri affirmed.

"I hate fog," Beleth grumbled.

"Yes, you've said that before," Felix sighed. He swatted at a silhouette, the jolt in his arm signaling that he hit his mark. "Quit being melodramatic and focus on fighting."

"But Felix," Beleth moaned. "I can't see your beautiful face!"

At times like these, she was almost worse than Sylvain. "Go bother someone else."

"Sorry, sorry," Beleth said, voice sullen. Her face fell back to her normal deadpan look, resuming their previous silence save for the swinging of swords and the occasional spell from the Professor.

At least she stopped her antics when he asked.

"The fog's lifting," Beleth noted.

She walked over to Felix, nudging his latest kill. "Seems like the fog was coming from this dark mage," she nodded.

Turning to Felix, she said, "Join Sylvain and clean up the east for me, please. I'm going to join the northern group and push ahead."

"Alright," Felix replied.

She winked back. "Don't miss me too much now."

He watched the Professor walk off to join the boar prince with a cordial nod.

Felix shook his head. What a troublesome woman.

"My respects to your cause!" The flat of Beleth's blade bashed a militia member in the head. He crumpled under the blunt force, a wind spell tying rope around his limbs.

"Dedue!" Beleth called. "Are the other's still subdued?"

"They are still incapacitated, Professor," Dedue nodded.

"Good, good. Keep making sure that they don't pose a threat."

"I appreciate this, you know."

Beleth turned to Ashe with a flicker of a smile. "I have great power," she said. "I am lucky to be able to spare even a few lives."

And when her strength fails to outpace her foes?

Well, she won't hesitate to strike with extreme prejudice.

"One day I wish to be like that," Ashe said. "To have enough power to help everyone."

Beleth internally chuckled at the irony of that statement.

She nodded, then turned her attention to the north. "Lonato is to the North. I'll need your help if we are to come to a bloodless resolution. Can I count on you?"

"Yes," Ashe nodded. "Together!"

A well-placed wind spell knocked Lonato clean off his horse.

A hook responded to his next charge, Beleth narrowly bobbing around the steel spear.

An iron sword swiped at Lonato's arms and limbs, hoping to debilitate him.

Beleth's foot whipped forward into Lonato's chest, the chest plate denting from the impact. She held a sword at his neck. "Don't make me kick you around again," she half sighed, half pleaded. "I'm running out of tricks here."

"I won't surrender," Lonato growled, batting the sword away with the back of his gauntlet. "No matter how many times you knock me down, you won't force me to bend. You have been deceived by that witch... I will show you the truth!"

He scrambled for his lance, swiping the point up at Beleth's neck. She blew it away with a wind spell, hands flying outward in a grand gesture. Her eyes shone brightly, showing no hints of fatigue.

Ashe turned around, grimacing. The fighting immediately became more intense as they approached Lonato. As soon as the professor was tied up trying to subdue Lonato, the Blue Lions were pushed back and were given the order to fight back with a disregard for sparing lives.

"It's either us or them," Ashe reassured himself, ignoring the waver in his voice.

Ashe cursed his lack of power, looking away as another arrow flew true.

Ashe spun around and released an arrow at Lonato's chest plate, earning a grunt from the man as he stumbled back. "Please surrender, Lonato! Whatever your reason for doing this, we can still talk it out!"

"Tell your professor to stand down, Ashe," he spat with exertion. "I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary!"

"What drove you to do this?"

"Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the goddess! We have virtue and the goddess herself on our side!" Lonato roared.

"Even if all that's true, dragging the townsfolk into it like this isn't right!" Ashe said.

"Enough." Lonato exhaled heavily. "If that is how you feel, prepare yourself! I'm putting an end to this!"

"Ashe! Get down, that's-!"

Ashe turned and immediately felt lightheaded as a wave of heat washed over him. He blinked heavily, smoke stinging his eyes.

"Blaze," his mind supplied for him. Lonato must have had a battalion on him, hiding in the forest.

Ashe waited for a beat, trying to give the ringing in his ears a chance to die down.

Lonato's voice rang over the smoke. "Your Highness... I cannot stop here... For my child, and for the people of Fodlan. If you will not stand aside, then I have no choice but to cut you down."

Coughing, Ashe crouched low, searching for the source of Lonato's voice. He could make out the silhouette of Dimitri and Lonato 40 meters away, locked in a duel. His professor was nowhere to be seen.

The screams of the fallen echoed around him. The ringing wasn't from the explosion.

Lonato's spear crashed into Dimitri, sending his prone form flying into a tree. He groaned, head rolling to the side.

"I apologize, Your Highness. It is regrettable that we should cross swords like this. I promise that I will not make your sacrifice be a vain one." Lonato raised his spear up, the tip glinting in the setting sun.

A beat later, an arrow was through Lonato's neck. A Wind spell sent the corpse flying.

Ashe's hands shook as the full implications of what he did came crashing down upon him. His bow, still outstretched, clattered to the floor.

"Ashe! Ashe, hey-"

"Lonato, I…" he stumbled forward, falling to his knees.

He had to do it. If he waited any longer, more would die, wouldn't they?

"There's always another way," his mind whispered. "You just didn't want more blood on your hands."

But what's one man's life compared to his hundreds of people!

He numbly followed the arms that pulled him a second later, a smaller, brief wave of heat following. "Dedue! Get us some cover!"

A small part of his brain identified that as his professor's voice, no doubt struggling to keep the two of them alive.

"Ashe. Hey, Ashe," the professor shook lightly. "We need to move," she said, voice wavering slightly.

Ashe gave a small nod, He curled further into the professor's cloak in an attempt to block out the pounding in his ears.

When Dimitri came to, the first thing he noticed was a heavy weight draped over his body.

Dimitri grunted, hands grasping something wet and warm as he roughly shoving the offending object off. He got up shakily, jabbing the blunt end of the spear into the ground as he hobbled upright. He looked down.

Lonato.

Despite showing no signs of life, the late lord's armor was more or less intact besides a few dents. Turning the body over with his foot, Dimitri saw the source of the pool of blood that threatened his footing.

"Dimitri?" Beleth called.

Dimitri turned his head. The professor, holding Ashe close to her chest, limped over to Dimitri's location. Dimitri flushed slightly as the professor combed a hand through his hair, quickly hissing instead when her hand ran over a spot that was already turning purple.

Beleth clucked disapprovingly. "You really need to be more careful out there."

Dimitri wordlessly looked away. Beleth's sigh tickled his cheek before a rush of relief overtook his body, Heal working to mend some of the damages his body sustained.

Beleth passed Ashe into Dimitri's arms. "Take him to Ingrid, please. Tell her to bring Ashe back to the convoy."

Dimitri gingerly slung Ashe's shoulder over his back, hands shaking slightly in effort.

"Let's go, Ashe."

"I'll be departing to give the archbishop a report," Byleth stated stiffly. He opened his mouth again, then closed it into a grim line. He turned and walked towards the audience chamber.

"Why…" Ashe murmured. Why did this happen? Lonato was always such a kind man... Everyone in the village…"

He choked up, drawing away from Mercedes who had placed a hand on his shoulder. "They...they were so nice to me. And I...I killed them." The last part was barely above a whisper.

"Hey. There was-" Sylvain began.

"I killed them all! I had to, I know I had to... I know that! But still... look at the blood on my hands. The blood of my country..." Ashe broke out into a single

"Please, don't beat yourself up, Ashe," Dimitri sighed somberly. "We did what had to be done."

"I'm...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be bothering you." Ashe took a step away. I'm...I'm going to check on the town. I hope my brother and sister are OK."

The group watch Ashe all but run out of the Entrance Hall doors.

"Come, Annie. Let's back some sweets for when he comes back."

"Right," Annette said, eyes flicking upward. She followed Mercedes towards the kitchen.

"I'll see you around, Professor," Sylvain nodded. He turned and went in the direction Felix left in.

"That...that was my first time killing civilians too…" Dimitri said once everyone left. "Those who I'm sworn to protect."

"Lonato forced our hand. I'm afraid that's our current reality of war."

"Are you insane?! Those weren't knights or soldiers, but fathers and sons! We...we shouldn't have killed them. We should have found another way…"

Dimitri slumped over. "I...I'm sorry. It's not fair for me to blame you for the circumstance. I know that you tried to have as many people spared as possible. I know that if we hadn't...done what we did, even more civilian lives would have been lost. At least, my mind understands that. But...my heart... Professor..."

Beleth winced. She reached for the tiny wisps of melancholy that stuck to the corners of her mind, pulling on them and fanning them.

Her heart twinged for those lost, but that was all.

"Those in power, no matter the era, always claim they fight for a just cause. That they take life to protect it," Dimitri continued. "But... Is it truly OK to take any life you please, all in service of some implacable 'just cause'?"

Even after witnessing the change brought by Edelgard's war, Beleth still didn't have an answer for him.

"Lord Lonato didn't take up arms out of a lust for power. He simply believed his cause to be just. Who's to say it wasn't?" Dimitri laughed bitterly. "Maybe we didn't have to cut him down like that. Maybe we could have reached a mutual understanding...found a path of peace," Dimitri said softly.

Beleth nearly chucked at the irony of the statement.

"I...I have to believe that." Dimitri said with quiet resolve. "Perhaps the notion sounds laughable to you. Mere lip service to naive ideals. But I can't believe otherwise."

"Hold onto that belief," Beleth stated. "If more people thought that way..." Footsteps cut off her thoughts.

"Sorry to intrude," Catherine cut in, "but this incident may be more serious than anticipated."

She held up a scroll of parchment. "I found this on Lord Lonato. It's a note that mentions a plan to assassinate Lady Rhea. We can't tell who sent it, so the source is suspect, but the content is too disturbing to ignore. We must report this to Lady Rhea right away."

Catherine shook her head in worry. "I hope that it's nothing..."

"My brother is already upstairs," Beleth nodded. "We better hurry if we want to catch him."

Beleth turned to Dimitri. "I apologize, but may I handle this first?" She would have preferred to stay behind, but Beleth didn't want to get on Rhea's bad side.

Not this run.

"Of course," Dimitri bowed. "I'll… I'll be off. Thank you professor."

Author's Notes:

Angst is still something I need to work on; I don't feel as if I properly captured it.