Day Of The Ball.
Ethereal Moon: Though most stars will still glimmer in the crisp winter air, the blue sea star has gone back into hiding. Legend states that the goddess prays for peace from her home in the heavens. In the town of Garreg Mach, the anniversary of the monastery's completion nears, and the people's prayers intensify ahead of the millennium festival, still five years hence.
Akame blinked a few times as she woke up. She noticed she was in the healer room. She tried to remember what happened. She remember going out with her father and sister, along with Byleth's class, in order to stop the chaos going on at the Remire Village. She remembered they were mostly successful, though to many innocent died before they got there and it was revealed the librarian Tomas was really a dark mage is disguise. Regardless, they managed to defeat their enemies and made it back to the Monastery, she met up with her class, and then everything began to spin and she ended up collapsing.
She slowly sat back up rubbing her head "What happened...?".
"Oh good you are awake" The healer said as she walked up next to Akame "You passed out for a while. How do you feel?".
"I feel fine. Like I took a long nap" Akame answered.
"Good, Lady Rhea wanted to see you as soon as you felt well enough to move. Think you can handle it?" The Healer asked.
Akame nodded "Yes, I'm fine now".
"Then I will leave you to get changed so you can leave. Take good care of yourself" The Healer said as she left.
Akame honestly wasn't surprised that Rhea wanted to see her again. And she had a bad feeling Rhea would ban her from going on missions again. She really wasn't looking forward to what Rhea had to say.
At the Audience Chamber Rhea was speaking to Byleth "We are planning a grand ball for this month. I am sure the students will be most pleased".
"Yes, certainly. However, we must not devote all of our time to frivolity. We have a new mission for you. We have found evidence of someone sneaking into an unused chapel" Seteth said.
"Was something stolen?" Byleth asked.
Rhea shook her head "No, there is nothing of value in that building. We do not yet know what the intruders' objectives are".
"This month, your class is tasked with guarding the chapel and investigating these intruders. With the recent state of affairs surrounding the holy church, we cannot afford to overlook any abnormality, no matter how seemingly trivial" Seteth explained.
"I am ordering a seasoned knight to assist you to ensure the safety of the students. In times like these, I am afraid we must always expect the worst" Rhea said.
"Which knight?" Byleth asked.
Suddenly Jeralt joins them "Reporting for duty, Lady Rhea".
Rhea smiled at him "I thought you two could use the time to bond. And to speak of important matters...".
"Appreciate the thought" Jeral said.
"Bear in mind that Jeralt has a separate mission of his own. He will join you once he has finished it" Seteth explained.
"It's true. I'll be away from the monastery for a while. But when I return... I'll come and watch you work. I'll be looking forward to it" Jeralt said and Byleth nods, then they turned their heads when they heard the doors opening "Well, look who's awake".
Akame entered the chamber "Sorry to interrupt, but you wanted to see me Lady Rhea?".
"I do indeed. How are you feeling little one?" Rhea asked with some concern.
"I'm fine, I just needed to rest for a bit" Akame answered as she walked up next to her family members.
"This is not the first time you passed out like that. Is it because of that blade you've been using?" Jeralt asked, but his tone made it clear he already knew the answer.
"I... thought I could handle it" Akame said.
"I will have to ask you to come with me Akame so we can give you another check up. This isn't something we can ignore" Rhea instructed.
"Yes, Lady Rhea" Akame said with a small sigh, time to undress for the Arch Bishop again.
Byleth put a hand on Akame's shoulder "Are you sure you are ok Akame?".
Akame smiled at her "I'm fine sis, really".
Byleth sighed but nodded "Alright, just look me up later. We need to talk".
"I will, I promisse" Akame said before she walked away with Rhea.
Later Akame was in Rhea's room, standing naked in front of the Arch Bishop. Akame was starting to think being naked wasn't really needed, and that Rhea was simply enjoying the view. But she knew better than to accuse Rhea of being a pervert. Besides, it was causing no harm, so Akame didn't really have anything to complain about.
Rhea checked her from heat to toe, leaving no spot un-examined, well she didn't inspect Akame's crotch, and thank the goddess for that "No markings anywhere. You've recovered a lot quicker than last time. Still it's clear Murasame is still comes with a lot of side effects".
"On the mission, I faced of with the Death Knight. He said the only way to master Murasame was to give my life and soul to it. Do you know what he could've meant?" Akame asked, remembering the Death Knight's words.
"Yes. I heard stories about that. It's said the only way to access Murasame's true power is to completely submit to it's influence but those that did either died or turned in to mindless killers. So even those deemed worthy of wielding Murasame is not free from the danger that the blade presents" Rhea explained.
Akame looked at her with concern "You... you're not going to take Murasame away from me, right?" Rhea was silent and Akame knew the answer "Please don't. I promise I can learn to master it without becoming a killer".
"Akame, you must understand the grave risks that would come to both you and everyone else if I allowed you to keep it" Rhea said.
"Alright, then I just won't try to tap in to it's true power. I will learn how to use it normally. I fainted for a while, but like you said, I recovered quickly. I'm sure with enough training I can use it without the dangerous side effects" Akame insisted, she really didn't want to lose her new sword, she had grown quite attached to it, and felt it was allowing her to catch up with Byleth.
"Akame..." Rhea said with some hesitation.
"You can kill me if I lose control, just please, give me another chance" Akame begged.
Rhea was silent for a moment before she walked up to Akame and hugged her, making the young girl gasp in surprise, but she found Rhea's warm embrace to be very calming "Don't speak like that Akame, I wouldn't even want to consider ever killing you. I care about you, more than you might realize... very well, I will let you keep Murasame, but only if you promise to stay away from it's darker side".
Akame hugged her back "I promise... thank you Lady Rhea".
Rhea smiled "You really are a special girl, Akame. I'm starting to wish you were my daughter".
Akame blushed at thought of calling Rhea mother. Well she would be much better than her birth mother. That goes without saying.
When Akame was done with Rhea she was on her way to meet Byleth, but on the way she spotted Caspar, and boy did he look furious "Caspar?".
He looked at her, and his face grew a little softer "Akame! Are you ok? You just collapsed out of nowhere".
"Sorry I worried you, I was just exhausted" Akame said, deciding not to worry him more by telling him about the dangers of Murasame.
"I shouldn't wonder, after what happened at Remire Village. I can't believe this... I'm so angry right now! First it's the Death Knight, and now Tomas, and neither of them are in custody! I can't stand the thought of such evil lurking in the world. We have to do something about this! I have to do something about this!" Caspar declared.
Akame put a hand on his shoulder to calm him "Calm down Caspar. As soon as we find out who they are and where they are, we will make them pay for all the lives they destroyed".
Caspar took a deep breath "Yeah, you're right. Sorry didn't mean to unleash my anger on you like this".
"Don't worry about it, that's just what I come to expect from you by now" Akame said.
"Wait, what does that mean?" Caspar demanded.
"Caspar, I think we know each other well enough by now. And I can tell you are the kind of guy who acts first, think later. Don't get me wrong, that is a good instinct to have in situations where there is no time to think. But sometimes you need to slow down and think things through. Otherwise, you will get in to trouble. And I would not be happy if my friend got hurt" Akame said.
Caspar rubbed his neck "Well I would hate to make you unhappy, Akame. But just so you know, if you are in trouble I won't waste time thinking and help you out".
Akama smiled "Well, I can't tell you not to do that. Just don't be reckless".
"No promise" Caspar said with a smirk.
Akame rolled her eyes but bid him farewell and went to meet her sister.
Meanwhile, Ingrid was by herself, she had ran of to get away Mercedes, who had insisted on helping her with make up for the upcoming ball. She wasn't much for make up, so she decided to escape.
However she heard a voice "Ingrid...".
"Chelsea... Why are you here?" Ingrid asked, barely keeping her spite out of her tone.
"I... was looking for you... I owe you an apology" Chelsea said.
Ingrid looked surprised at that "What?".
"Last time we spoke... about Glenn... I meant what I said, but the way I said it was way to harsh. His death effected you just as much as it did me, so me snapping at you like that was insensitive. In fact, it was down right cruel. I'm sorry Ingrid" Chelsea said.
Ingrid could tell she meant it and sighed "I'm sorry too. I should've known you were still hurting from Glenn's death, and I should've been more concideret of your feelings. But you are right, Glenn's death isn't something that should be idolized. He died to early, there was still so much he wanted to do, and all his death did was rob us of a good man".
Chelsea looked down "Yes... After I lost my parents, no body wanted me. Had it not been for Glenn, I would've jumped of a cliff a long time ago. He saved me... and now he's...".
Ingrid saw Chelsea was ready to cry and put a hand on her shoulder, this caused Chelsea to hug her hard as she began to sob. Ingrid said nothing and hugged Chelsea back. It was clear her classmate needed to get her pain out. Still Ingrid couldn't help but to smile a little, now she was sure she and Chelsea had made peace, and had become friends again. And she wouldn't have it any other way.
Back with Akame and Byleth, Akame was resting on Byleth's lap. She had explained everything that went down with Rhea, and she was allowed to keep Murasame for now.
"That's good to hear. But if that sword causes you pain, maybe you shouldn't use it" Byleth said.
"It's not as bad as it was before. I just need to master it then everything will be fine. And I can finally catch up to you" Akame said.
Byleth gave her an confused look "What do you mean?".
"Sis, I know you are not that oblivious. We both know you are better than me at everything. And when you got the sword of the creator, you rose to a level I could never hope to reach on my own. But if I can master Murasame, then... maybe I won't need to be worried that you will leave me behind, and I can fight next to you, and not behind you" Akame said.
"Akame, is that really what you think of yourself? You really believe you are that inferior to me?" Byleth asked "Akame, you are the source of my strength".
Akame looked at her in confusion "What?".
"Akame, we may not be related by blood, but you are still my sister, and I love you more than I could ever express. Without you, I might've never become this strong. You are not inferior to me in anyway Akame" Byleth said.
Akame sat up and gave her sister a big hug "Thank you...".
Byleth smiled and hugged her back "So, are you excited for the ball?".
"No" Akame said.
"Something wrong?" Byleth asked.
"Sis, I don't know the first thing about dancing. I will just make a fool out of myself" Akame said.
Byleth chuckled "If you are that worried, just ask someone to teach you. I am sure at least one of your classmates know how to dance".
Akame thinks, and there was only one person she knew of that could teach her how to dance.
Time passed and the night of the ball had arrived. Many were excited to get started, and the Black Eagles were waiting for their last member to join them.
"She is coming right?" Caspar asked.
"She better. After all the dance lessons I gave her, I would be really upset if she got cold feet and decided to not show up" Dorothea declared.
"If Akame's feet gets cold. Maybe she need to warm them up" Petra said.
"That's not what I meant Petra" Dorothea said while shaking her head.
"Sorry I'm late" Everyone looked and got wide eyes. They saw Akame... and she was wearing very nice clothes, and even some make up. She looked utterly stunning "I took a while to get myself to look more pleasant".
"Wow..." Caspar whispered.
"Akame, you look amazing!" Dorothea said happily.
"Y-yes, you look beautiful, Akame" Bernadetta said with a blush.
Akame blushed too "It's nothing special".
"I disagree. Your looks is quite the work of art" Linhardt said.
Edelgard smiled "No need to be shy, Akame. You look really beautiful".
"If you say so..." Akame said, feeling more than a little embarrassed. She had never dressed herself up like this, it felt so strange.
Ferdinand offered his arm "Akame, would you honor me with a dance?".
"Well... if you insist" Akame said as she took Ferdinand's arm, who smiled and lead her inside.
Everyone smiled and followed them inside. Akame's dance with Ferdinand went well, Dorothea's teachings paid of. After a while they were done and Akame walked to the side with a sigh. This was all new to her.
"I can see you are not much of a ball girl" Came an familiar voice.
"Felix! It's been a while since we last talked" Akame said.
"It has, even longer since our last duel. I am getting impatient" Felix said.
"Sorry, there has been so much happening recently, and it leaves little time for anything else" Akame said.
Felix nods as he looks at all the dancers "I know, and yet everyone is dancing around without any worries. Like the past few months never happened".
"It's not like that Felix. I've learned by now that even warriors needs to take the chance to relax every now and again. Otherwise, we will just be uptight all the time, and tight muscles makes for poor fighters" Akame said.
"Guess that is a fair point" Felix said.
They stood in silence for a few moments before Akame blushed "Felix... do you want to dance with me?".
Felix looked at her "Why?".
"Well, it's a ball, so if we try to avoid dancing, someone will just drag us in to it" Akame answered.
Felix sighed "Fine, but only one".
Akame smiled as she and Felix walked out on the dance floor and began dancing themselves. Felix proved to be a rather solid dancer. He was a quick study, easily learning the basics of the simple dance they had. Akame was relived, saved them both a lot of embarrassment. As they danced, they couldn't take their eyes of each other, both were completely focused on the other's eyes. And this wouldn't change for a while.
Byleth stood on the side lines, she smiled as she saw her sister dance. But she was brought out of her thoughts when Esdeath walked up next to her "Plan on being a spectator the whole time? Come on, why don't you dance with me for a while?".
"I'm not sure" Byleth said.
"I missed the part where I gave you a choice" Esdeath said as she grabbed Byleth's hand and pulled her on to the dance floor.
Byleth couldn't argue after that, Esdeath was dead set on dancing with her for as much as possible. All in all, the ball went well, Akame was having fun and Byleth decided to sneak away.
"Running away? I understand. You hardly had the time to breathe in there. It must be hard to be the favourite teacher at the ball! Poor, poor Professor!" Sothis teased.
"I am not everyone's favorite..." Byleth said.
"Was that a joke? I find it hard to tell with you. Just think of all the students begging you to dance! But where is there to run? This place is filled with joyful students looking for a dance" Sothis said as Byleth looks ahead of her "Ah... I see. The Goddess Tower waits for you...".
Byleth nods and leaves. She soon arrives in the Goddess Tower and looks up in surprise "Esdeath?".
Sure enough, the powerful woman was there "You didn't think you could just sneak of without me knowing? So what brings you here?".
"I just needed a break. Did you follow me?" Byleth asked.
"Of course, I had to make sure you weren't trying to escape from me. You should know when I take an interest in anyone, I don't let them go so easily" Esdeath said with a smirk before she looked around "Still interesting you came here to the Goddess Tower. Do you know the legend of this place? If two people make a promise here, during this exact night at this exact time of the year, then that promisse will come true".
"I think I heard it from a knight" Byleth said.
Esdeath smiled "So, how about we make a promise together?".
"Us? What promise would that be" Byleth asked.
"I believe you already know" Esdeath said as she walked up to Byleth and pulled her close.
Before Byleth could react, Esdeath kissed her on the lips. Byleth gasped, but for some reason she couldn't help but to kiss back. Yes, she had a feeling of what kind of promise Esdeath wanted to make. And honestly, she didn't mind.
As for Akame, she left the ball with Felix and had a smile on her face.
"Thank you, Felix. It was fun dancing with you. More than once" Akame said.
"Not sure how it happened, but so much for only one dance. Well the ball will end soon, so might as well head back to our rooms" Felix said.
"Maybe, but there is one more thing I wanted to give you" Akame said. Felix was about to ask what that was before Akame kissed him on the cheek, leaving him stunned, Akame giggled "Goodnight, Felix".
Akame walked away, leaving Felix confused. This was the second time she had done that. What is up with that girl? Still, Felix couldn't help but to blush a little. Maybe there was something more between them after all.
.
Well, tell me what you think.