Byleth - Remire Village
"Jeralt?! It is you! Goodness it's been ages!" The knight who had been leading the reinforcements bellowed out a string of salutations as he walked up and embraced Jeralt like he was an old friend. "Don't you recognize me? It's Alois Rangeld! Your old right hand man!" The man continued on, mentioning something or other about Jeralt disappearing twenty years ago while Jeralt placed a hand over his forehead.
"Ugh... You haven't changed a bit Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that "Captain" nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore. Nowadays I'm just a mercenary. One who has work to do. Good-bye, old friend." Jeralt was about to turn and leave when suddenly, Alois was down on one knee, yanking Jeralt's arm.
"No! That isn't how this ends! I insist you return to the monastery with me!" Jeralt threw his hands up as Byleth heard him mutter something about Garreg Mach and the Seven Hells. "And what about you, kids?" Alois asked as he turned to Byleth, Robin, and Corrin who stood off to the side. "Are you members of Jeralt's crew?" Before Byleth could reply, Robin spoke up first.
"Actually no. I'm just a traveler in these lands. My name is Robin." He said with a bow.
"And I'm Corrin!" Came Corrin's easy reply. "I'm sort of a traveler too. I'm here on some business though." Byleth sighed as he finally got a moment to speak.
"I'm with him." Byleth said flatly as he pointed to Jeralt. "He's my father after all."
"Is that so?" Alois quizzically looked Byleth over as if trying to size him up. "Well... Physical differences aside, you do seem to have the captain's mannerisms. I'd love for the three of you to see the monastery as well! You will join me won't you?"
"Even if we refuse, it'd take an idiot to think we could run from the Knights of Seiros", said Jeralt, rubbing his forehead as he turned to give orders to his mercenaries. "Men! Change of plans. I'm going to Garreg Mach for some personal business. Continue your march to the kingdom as ordered. I'll send a hawk to Arianrhod with further commands!" The men all groaned, but returned to their campsite to finish packing. While Alois dragged Jeralt into a new conversation - which seemed to be Alois just rambling while Jeralt sighed in response - Byleth noticed Robin and Corrin had moved over to the three students from earlier.
Corrin - Remire Village
"-way you carried yourselves on the battlefield was incredible! The two of you never lost control of the situation. I think I speak for all three of us when I say you have shown us there is still much to learn." The blonde man praised Corrin and Robin as Byleth approached. Corrin smiled and waved.
"Hey there! It's Byleth right? Great job on the battlefield. Dimitri here was just telling us how amazing you were!" She pointed to the blonde while the other boy and girl nodded in agreement. "Claude and Edelgard over there asking if they could 'recruit' us. "
"Sorry... But I don't believe we've been formally introduced." Dimitri offered a bow. "I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I hail from the Kingdom of Faerghus. If I may, I would-" He was cut off by Edelgard before he could continue.
"I am Edelgard von Hresvelg. I come from the Adrestian Empire. I must implore you three to consider lending your services to the Empire. For you see, I'm no mere student. I am also the Empire's-
"Halt, Edelgard!" Dimitri threw a hand in front of her. "Please allow me to finish my own proposition!" Turning and smiling to the three he continued. "The Kingdom is in dire need of individuals like yourselves. Please con-" Before he could get any further, Claude stepped in front of Dimitri and pushed him away. Corrin found herself giggling under her breath at the antics of the trio. They were almost like siblings, vying for a parent's attention.
"Whoa there! Don't be so hasty you two. You can't just recruit people you just met. I on the other hand was going to build a long and lasting friendship with these three on the way back to the monastery before I started asking any favors. But since we can't have any niceties in this world then I, Claude von Riegan, must ask where your allegiance lies?"
"Uhh... My allegiance?" Corrin hadn't expected to be put on the spot so quickly. She couldn't exactly tell strangers she lived in an underground kingdom, much less that she came from the Outrealms. "W-well. I'm from a Kingdom to..." In the distance, Corrin saw a shimmer of light in the bushes. Lillith, huddled under the brambles, pointed her finger downward. "The South! Far to the South!" Corrin shot out quickly. In the bushes, Lillith rolled her eyes. Robin followed with a similar excuse, saying he was just a traveler. Finally, it was Byleth's turn.
"Well my father says we belong only to ourselves, but I've been told I was born in Adrestia, The Land of Ancient History", he said. In the corner of her eye, Corrin saw Edelgard flash a smug look before she stepped forward.
"A wise choice. Although the Empire has fallen from its former glory in recent years, the other regions are mere offshoots that pale in comparison." Edelgard was about to go on a tangent about Imperial history when Alois shouted from across the village.
"Alright, you six! That's enough small talk. Let's get going!"
"My my", said Claude. "It would seem as though we'll have to continue this conversation another time. C'mon! Last one to join the group travels with Jeritza!" Edelgard and Dimitri took off running after Claude leaving the trio to ponder what had just occured.
Robin - The Road to Garreg Mach
The morning sun beat down from overhead as Robin wiped a bit of sweat from his brow. The convoy consisted of only a few covered wagons and horses which were being used to carry the injured back to the monastery. From what the tactician had gathered, the bandits had apparently caught the group in a surprise attack, resulting in quite a few injuries. Any leftover horses had been given to the knights in order to scout ahead. It was a simble yet effective strategy for insuring the group's safety. Robin was so lost in thought, he failed to notice Dimitri moving up to him.
"So have you truly never been to Garreg Mach before?" Robin turned and saw the young man walking next to him, his blue cloak shining in the light. "I'd be happy to show you and the others around."
"Yeah that sounds nice. So, what exactly do you do at the monastery? Are you a reserve army or something like that?" Dimitri chuckled at Robin's suggestion.
"Close. Edelgard, Claude, and myself are all students at the Officer's Academy. The three regions of Fodlan send students there to be trained as knights under the Knights of Seiros. They are considered the most elite force in all of Fodlan."
"From what I've heard, these knights seem quite skilled." Robin was about to question further when a sudden whisper in his ear caused him to jump. He whipped around to see Claude had snuck up behind him.
"Sorry about that, but I couldn't resist eavesdropping." Claude said through a grin. "The monastery is really something else. It's literally Fodlan in a nutshell. The good and the bad. And... here we are!" As the convoy broke through the trees, Robin's jaw dropped as he saw the monastery situated high on top of a mountain.
"Incredible..." Robin quickly began sizing up the terrain around the building. There was only a single path up the mountain as well as numerous battlements from which a defense could be mounted. Even to a trained eye like Robin's, he could spot little to no weaknesses in the structure. "It's quite the place. I can see why it's regarded so highly."
As they began the ascent up the side of the mountain, Robin heard a new voice whisper in his ear.
"Robin..." came a voice, barely a whisper. The white haired tactician whipped his head around only to find an advancing group of carts behind him. Brushing it off as nothing, Robin resumed walking up the trail, not noticing the mark on his hand had begun to give off a faint purple glow.
Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in awhile! All this Coronavirus stuff had seriously messed up my schedule and then I could never force myself to sit down and write long enough to make something I was satisfied with. Hopefully this somewhat makes up for the lost time and I'll be able to make a new update sooner. I'd also been struggling with how to juggle the three viewpoints of the main characters now they are together and I feel like this is the best way as of right now. Unless I choose otherwise, each character should get a section of the chapter devoted to them and hearing their perspective on things. Also, Sothis will be coming, but I've decided to hold her off a bit longer in order to let Robin and Corrin breathe a bit and establish themselves. Until next time, enjoy!