A Noble turns.
Garland Moon: When the warm winds blow from the from the sea to the south of Adrestia, residents of Fodlan know that the rainy season is upon them. Before the heavy rains take their toll, the young women hurry to pick the last of the white roses. The ivory buds are woven into garlands and given as gifts to close friends or potential lovers.
The day after Akame and Byleth returned from their missions, Byleth was on her way to the Audience Chamber to talk to Rhea. While she wanted to spend more time with Akame, after what almost happened to her, Akame had assured her she would be fine, and just needed some time. Byleth respected her sister's wishes and went to see Rhea.
Once arriving in the Audience Chamber, The Arch Bishop was already waiting for her "Byleth, I have a new mission for your students".
"We have received reports that Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros" Seteth explained.
"Who is Lord Lonato?" Byleth asked.
"Lord Lonato is a minor lord of the Kingdom. He has been showing hostility towards the church for some time now" Rhea answered.
"A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard. Lord Lonato's army is nothing compared to the knights. It's quite possible the rebellion has already been suppressed" Seteth said.
"Even so, I would like for your class to travel with the knights' rear guard to deal with the aftermath" Rhea said.
"War zones are unpredictable. We do not expect you will have cause to battle, but be prepared for the worst" Seteth instructed.
Suddenly, Catherine approached the group "Excuse me. You sent for me, Lady Rhea?".
"This is Catherine. She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying" Rhea explained.
Catherine looked at Byleth "Nice to meet you. We've heard a lot about you. Even Esdeath has taken an interest in you. If you need anything, just ask".
Rhea smiled "She is one of our bravest knights, and that is no small feat. 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..." Byleth nods as she began to leave, but stopped when Rhea spoke "I hope your sister is recovering well from her experience. Someone so young should never have to go through something like that".
"Thank you... Lady Rhea" Was all Byleth said before leaving. She too hoped her sister could move on. But given what Akame already went through even before Byleth and Jeralt took her in. She worries that Akame's mind has been further damaged.
As for Akame herself, she was blowing of some steam by training. Sitting around feeling dirty about the mission was not going to help her. She needed something to do, and training always helped her calm her mind. As she was training she heard and familiar voice.
"Hey Akame. Got a moment?" Akame sighed as she stopped and turned around.
"Sylvain, if you are here to flirt with me again, it will end very badly for you" She warned.
"Calm down, I am not here to flirt. Even I'm not indecent enough to flirt with a girl who's been through something really unpleasant" Sylvain said.
Akame narrowed her eyes "How did you know what happened on my mission?".
"I overheard some of your classmates talking about it. How disgusted they were and how they wished that swine could've paid for it" Sylvain answered.
Akame sighed "Of course they would talk about it".
"I think it's because they are worried about you, Akame. Now I may not know any of you that well, but I can tell your class cares about you. That's what friends are for" Sylvain said.
"I know that. Now, is it something you wanted?" Akame asked.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Felix has been itching for a rematch against you. He told me to make sure you had a good meal. To avoid that you fall in to his arms again in the middle of your duel" Sylvain answered.
Akame's stomach voiced it's agreement "Alrigh, I will go eat now. Thank you, Sylvain".
"No problem. And Akame? We may not know each other that well yet, but I'd like to. That way you have more people to lean on whenever you need to. This is not a flirt, I mean it" Sylvain said.
Akame looked at him for a moment before smiling "I believe you. Thank you Sylvain".
Sylvain smiled back "You sure look cute when you smile. You should do it more often".
"And back to flirting. If you want a kiss that badly then you only needed to ask" Akame said as she walked towards him.
Sylvain blinked "Wait, what? I mean, well, I".
Akame got in his face, and for a moment it almost looked like she really was going to kiss him... only before her to suddenly snap her teeth at his nose, barely missing it. Sylvain yelped in surprise as he backed away, only to stumble and fall on is back side.
Akame couldn't help but to giggle "Dorothea was right, that was a good way to put shameless flirts in their place. Sorry Sylvain, you will need to run a little faster to chase my skirt. I am not one of the girls you normally deal with".
Akame walked away, laving Sylvain to say only one thing "That girl is something else".
Meanwhile, Byleth was walking around the Monastery, searching for Akame, but stopped when she heard a voice "Hey, Byleth!".
Byleth stopped and looked "Esdeath? Do you need something?".
"A moment of your time please. I've wanted a real talk with you for a time now" Esdeath answered.
"Make it quick, I need to find Akame" Byleth said.
"I wouldn't worry to much about her. Last time I saw her, she was stuffing her face in the dining hall. I think she will be fine" Esdeath said.
Byleth was relieved that Akame's apatite had not been lost, meaning she was slowly recovering from the ordeal "Alright. What do you want?".
"I want to learn more about you. Ever since we met, I've been fascinated by you. And our clash during the mock battle only made me want to learn even more about you. You are the best challenge that I've had in years. No one has ever managed to score a hit on me, not even Catherine. How did you become so strong?" Esdeath asked.
"I'm not sure what to tell you. My father trained me while I was growing up and I often sparred with Akame. I was a mercenary before coming here. In that line of work, if you can't fight you won't survive" Byleth answered.
"Yes, I heard about that... Hmmm, that something we have in common" Esdeath said.
"You were a mercenary too?" Byleth asked.
Esdeath shook her head "No, I wasn't. But like you, I grew up in a life that demanded strenght for survival. Not many know this, but I figured you've earned the right to know. I grew up in a tribe in a very cold region. It was winter all year round. We had to hunt very dangerous animals in order to provide food for the tribe. However, my father made sure I understood a certain detail very clearly".
"What's that?" Byleth asked.
"Only the strong may survive. Many hunters died during their battles against the beasts. All because they were too weak, and weaklings have no place in a life like that. My father never failed a hunt, he was stronger than the beasts, and the beasts were to weak to match him. He didn't train me at all, not even when I was a child. I had to learn everything on my own, and on the day I was strong enough to hold a weapon, I was sent out to hunt for my own meal, because no one would make it for me, nor give me anything. That was the only way to prove I was not weak, I had to earn everything I had" Esdeath said.
"But you could've been killed, hunting at such a young age" Byleth pointed out.
"If I was weak, then yes, I would've died. But I killed my first beast, and returned home strong. I've never lost a battle, and the day I do, will be the day I finally meet someone stronger than me. That is why I am so fashinated by you, Byleth. You may not be my equal yet, but perhaps one day, you will be. And when that day come, I hope to face you in a real battle, to see which one of us is trully the most powerful warrior to ever live" Esdeath said.
"You hope we become enemies? There is no need for that" Byleth said.
Esdeath shook her head "Sorry, but I believe in strength above all else. One day we will duel to the death, there is no avoiding it... unless".
"Unless what?" Byleth asked. She wanted to find a way to avoid an duel to the death with Esdeath if she could.
Esdeath shook her head before grabbing Byleth's chin and got close to her face "Sorry, sweetie. You are yet to earn the rights to know the one thing I desire more than strength. Grow stronger and if you put up a better fight against me than last time, I will tell you. Until then, I bid you farewell".
Esdeath walked away, leaving Byleth to think about what she just said. That woman was not like anyone Byleth had ever met before.
Back with Akame, she decided to visit Jeralt "Father?".
Jerlat looked up "Oh, hello there Akame... how are you feeling".
"Better than yesterday. The people around here are very supportive" Akame answered.
"Glad to hear it. Still, I am not to pleased that you charged ahead of your professor and classmates like that. It almost ended badly" Jeralt said, his exprecion saying it all.
Akame looked down "I know, it was stupid... I am just so used to ending battles quickly, and didn't think about that some battles can't be rushed. I believed killing Ogre quickly would make the battle easier... but it was a mistake".
"The reason your class were sent after Ogre in the first place was because Esdeath was the one person here who could've defeated him easily. You are strong yes, but you are still to young to be so casual about gambling with your life" Jeralt said.
"I'm sorry father..." Akame said.
Jeralt sighed before putting a hand on Akame's shoulder "But, at least you made it back safely. That's what matters".
Akame smiled "Thank you father, I will not make such a mistake again".
"See to it that you don't. Now, run along, your friends must be concerned about you" Jeralt said.
"Yes, see you later father" Akame said before heading out.
"Kids these days" Jeralt said while shaking his head.
Akame decided to go see Felix before spending some time with her friends. She found him at the training ground, like always. Seemed whenever he wasn't eating or sleeping he just spent most of his time training. Akame had to admire such dedication to his training, but she wondered why that seemed to be the only thing he did. Didn't he like spending time with his own classmates?
"Hello, Felix" Akame said as she approached him.
Felix stopped what he was doing and looked at him "Oh, you finally made it, good. Grab a sword and we can get started".
"Sorry Felix, I just wanted to talk this time" Akame said.
"Why is that? Did you forget to eat again?" Felix asked, sounding annoyed.
"No, my belly is full. There is just something about you that I want to know" Akame explained.
"And what is that?" Felix asked.
"You spend the most of your time alone. In fact, the only time I've seen you spend time with anyone is during training. Do you dislike your classmates or something?" Akame asked.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say I dislike them... well, not all of them anyway. I'm simply not like them, that's all" Felix answered.
"What makes you so different from everyone else? I mean, you are not like most I've met so far, but I want to know why" Akame said.
Felix sighed "Fine, if you must know. It's because I can't stand their view on knighthood and honor. They speak like there is some honor in death, writing of the deaths of strong warriors like they died for a noble and just cause and that they are proud of them for it".
"Oh..." Akame said.
"Pure nonsense. Honor in death, what a joke. There is no such thing as a good death. And people who take pride in someone's death, are either an idiot, or they just don't want to face reality, so they make up some noble fantasy to make the deaths sound less serious than they are. I can't stand people like that" Felix said, making no effort to hide his disdain "But I guess you agree with them, being raised by a former knight after all".
"Actually, I agree with you" Akame said.
Felix blinked "Excuse me?".
"I agree, there is no such thing as a good death. And honor in death is not something people should be proud of. A person should be honored for how they lived, not for how they died. Saying they died in a noble and just cause is just spitting on their graves. And I am not going to be part of such an insult" Akame said, making it very clear she believed what she was saying.
"Well... I am surprised. You are among the only people I've met who actually gets it. I always knew there was something different about you" Felix said.
"About that, why have you taken such interest in me? You have been actively searching for reasons to fight me and even now that we talk, you haven't pressured me in to a duel. What makes em so special?" Akame asked.
"To tell you the truth, I don't know. You are different from the others, and the first I've met who chares my belief when it comes to the dead. You sure are an interesting individual, Akame. A worthy rival, and maybe..." Felix trailed of.
Akame tips her head "And maybe?".
"Never mind that. Now, unless you want to duel, there is no reason to keep talking" Felix said.
Akame smiled "Next time. And to make it more interesting. How about a bet?".
"What kind of bet?" Felix asked.
"The winner of our next duel will get to name their prize. If I win, you will have to tell me everything I want to know. Not matter what I ask" Akame said.
"A duel for keeps huh? Alright, and what do I get if I win?" Felix asked.
"Like I said, that's up to you. I won't undress for you though" Akame said.
A small blush appeared on Felix's face "Not that I would ask you to do that anyway. Unlike Sylvain, my mind isn't always on women's bodies. Fine, if I win, I will think of something I might want. Until then, make sure you don't stop growing stronger, I wont".
"Alright Felix. See you soon" Akame said before walking away.
Felix watched her leave "What makes her so special? That is a good question, Akame".
Later that day, Akame spent some time with her class, and all were really supportive and helpful. Akame could move on from her ordeal fairly quickly thanks to them. Byleth was proud that Akame had made so many friends. Looked like she didn't need Byleth and Jeralt to swoop in and help her anymore... hopefully she wouldn't grow more attached to her new class than her family.
Luckily, those worries went away when they slept in each other's arms that night. The bond between family was not easy to break.
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Tell me what you think.