Rhea sighed contentedly as she set her teacup down on the table. The Archbishop had recently returned from morning prayers at the monastery cathedral and was currently relaxing in her private chambers on the monastery's third floor. She had an upcoming meeting with Seteth concerning the upcoming Feast Day of Saint Macuil. It would seem the Macuil statue in the cathedral had fallen into disrepair in the last few years and Seteth was adamant about having it fixed up in time for the feast day. Rhea stood from her table and was preparing to look for the green haired advisor when the door to her chamber opened and a dark skinned boy poked his head in.
"Lady Rhea?" Cyril asked as he stepped inside. "It would seem the expedition sent to Remire Village has returned. They sent a hawk in advance. Apparently there was a surprise attack by a group of bandits. Hanneman and Manuela were injured in the battle, but they are expected to recover."
"Very good. I'm proud the students were able to hold their own. Thank you for the news, Cyril", Rhea said, giving her attendant a graceful smile, but the look in Cyril's eyes meant there was more news.
"Not just that, Lady Rhea, but Captain Alois has reported that he's bringing guests back to Garreg Mach with him. Among them is Jeralt, The Blade Breaker."
"Jeralt?!" This news caused Rhea to briefly lose her composure before she righted herself. "Can it be so? I can't believe he's alive. Why would he return to Garreg Mach after all these years..." Rhea thought for a moment before remembering Cyril was still standing at her doorway. "Er... Thank you once again, Cyril. Would you please find Seteth and tell him to meet me in the audience chamber as soon as he is able?
"Yes, Lady Rhea!" Cyril bowed before turning and bolting out of the door, eager to please the archbishop. Meanwhile, Rhea found herself walking across the hall to the balcony which overlooked the courtyard of the monastery. At the gates, she made out Alois' party returning from their expedition. She smiled as her eyes made out Jeralt's blonde hair from the distance. As she continued, her eyebrows rose as she spotted the three travelers with the former captain, a certain blue-haired individual among them. Rhea raised a hand to her mouth in muted shock.
"I wonder... did the flow of time bring you here", Rhea asked to no one in particular.
"Wait... You want us to do what?!" Robin was quite taken aback as Alois chuckled to himself. No sooner had they arrived at the monastery when Alois had pulled Jeralt, Byleth, Corrin, and Robin aside and shepherded the group off to the audience chamber.
"Why to teach of course," said the knight as he got a moment to compose himself after Robin's outburst. "As you are aware, the student's professors were injured as a result of that attack so now we'll need three new teachers to take over the duties of running our three houses of students. I've seen you three on the battlefield so it seemed natural to suggest you for the positions. I've already recommended you to the archbishop so there's no changing my mind. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some duties to attend to around the monastery!" With that, Alois dashed out of the room leaving Jeralt, Byleth, Robin and Corrin alone in the audience chamber. While they waited for the archbishop, Jeralt began to mutter under his breath.
"To think I'd be back here after all these years... To not only be forced to see HER again, but even forced back into the Knights of Seiros to boot..."
"Erm... Excuse me, Jeralt, but I have a question," Robin said as he approached the former knight. "I've been meaning to ask, but who exactly are the Knights of Seiros? Are they some sort of private army?"
"Hmm? Oh that's right. I suppose you and that Corrin girl wouldn't know who the knights are; not being from Fodlan and all. You are right on one thing. The Knights of Seiros are the main military force of the Church of Seiros, the main religion on the continent. They are known as the strongest warriors on the continent. The Knights themselves are headquartered here in Garreg Mach, the middle point of all Fodlan."
"Wow... That's amazing." Corrin walked up to the group, her eyes gazing around the chamber. "I never knew a church could have such power. I mean, religion was never really much of a thing in my home country. We have ancestors we pray to, but that's about it. What about you, Robin?"
"Oh... me? I'm... not the most religious person." Robin offered an awkward smile and continued his new exchange with Corrin. Meanwhile, Byleth slid over to Jeralt and confronted his father.
"Father, you never told me you used to be a Knight of Seiros. I've never even heard you speak of your past before..." Byleth stared at the hard lines on his father's forehead, watching them grow deeper as Jeralt carefully chose his next words.
"Yeah, kid. I did raise you outside the influence of the church. Let's just say I'm not fon-", Jeralt was cut off by the sound of the doors opening. All the heads turned towards the door to see a green-haired man dressed in crisp blue and white robes enter, followed by another green-haired individual. Corrin and Robin both took a double take as this woman stepped into the room. She had an easy smile and ever her presence seemed to have a calming effect on the already quiet atmosphere of the room. As they approached the group, the man took a deep bow.
"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I'm the current advisor to the archbishop", he explained.
"It has been a long time, Jeralt", the woman said. "Was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?" Turning to the other three she gave each of them a smile. "I see the miracle of fatherhood has blessed you well. They all seem like strong children."
"Oh no. Only the blue haired one is mine. He was born long after I left this place. I'd introduce you to the mother of my child, but we lost her to illness. These two are travelers that joined up with us in Remire." Jeralt pointed to each of them in turn.
"I see... Pardon my mistake then. As for all of you, I've heard of your efforts from Alois. Please tell me your names?" They all quickly introduced themselves before Rhea continued.
"Robin, Corrin, and... Byleth? All fine names indeed. I am Rhea, archbishop of the Church of Seiros. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving the students of the Officer's Academy." She then turned her attention to Jeralt before she continued. "Jeralt, I assume you already know what I wish to say to you."
"You want me to re-join the Knights don't you?"
"Your apprehension stings, but I had assumed Alois probably asked you already. I fear I must step away at the moment. As for you three, Professors Hanneman and Manuela would like to speak with you in the Cardinals' Room. They have already made the arrangements for you three to take over as the teachers at the academy in their absence. Until tomorrow... farewell." With that, Rhea stepped out of the room.
Robin - Garreg Mach Training Grounds
Robin rubbed his forehead as he walked down the hall through the monastery. Getting taken in by this Church hadn't been part of his plan and neither was getting a job as a teacher. After meeting with the professors however, the tactician had begun to reconsider. Even with Naga's direction, Robin had to face the facts. He was in an unfamiliar country with no knowledge of the history and no connections whatsoever. If he knew anything about dragons, looking in the church would be the best place to start.
As Robin walked, he began to hear the sounds of weapons clashing up ahead. As he rounded a corner, his eyes widened at the large training ground that opened up before him. The area was much larger than the Shepherds training ground in Ylisstol, and there was a wide variety of practice weapons and dummies available. A small group of students was spaced around the grounds, all wearing the academy uniforms. On closer inspection, all of the uniforms here had blue highlights on them. Robin remembered Hanneman talking about one of the houses being the Blue Lions, the students from a kingdom to the north. Out on the grounds, Robin spotted a familiar face in the middle of a sparring match.
"Hello, Robin!" Dimitri's voice carried across the training grounds like a clap of thunder. With a single strike from his lance, Dimitri knocked his opponent, a dark brutish looking man backwards. "Take a break, Dedue. I'll be a bit."
Dimitri dashed across the grounds towards Robin and smiled as he drew close. "I heard from Professor Manuela that you'll be accepting a teaching position here. I sincerely hope you'll consider lending your strength to the Blue Lion house."
"I'm looking into my options", replied Robin as he leaned against a pillar. "Would you mind telling me a bit more about you? I'm still the stranger here after all."
"Oh right!" Dimitri perked up as he readied himself. "Well as you know, the Blue Lions hail from Faerghus, to the north. Our house is the most adept at the military arts, since our soldiers are trained in the ways of the sword, lance, and axe from birth. We also have one of the foremost sorcery schools in all of Fodlan as well." Robin nodded along as Dimitri continued to spew information about the Kingdom and how it all operated. Before long, Robin found himself chuckling to himself.
"Why are you laughing?" Dimitri asked. "Is there something about the legend of Loog that is humorous?"
"No no!" Robin waved his hand as he composed himself. "It's rather that I've been in a situation similar to this a long time ago. It struck me as funny that I should be experiencing it all over again. Continue"
Before long, Robin soon found himself introduced to the current members of the Blue Lions. Among them were Dedue, the dark skinned man from earlier, Ashe who smiled and thank Robin profusely for saving the King's life, Annette, who quickly began asking Robin about his Levin Sword and magical skills followed by a cleric named Mercedes who pulled Annette off Robin so he could finish his introductions, and Sylvian, Felix, and Ingrid fellow nobles and Dimitri's childhood friends. When Ingrid bowed to greet Robin, he noticed she quickly shot a foot backwards to kick Sylvain who had tried to look up her skirt. Felix on the other had, just nodded to the newcomer before quickly returning to his training. When all the introductions were complete, Robin smirked as he finally reached a decision about being a teacher.
"It's the Shepherds all over again." he muttered. "I think... I'm going to love it here."
Corrin - Officer's Academy
"So what do you think, Lillith?" Corrin asked as she sat next to a bush where the tiny dragon was currently hiding. "Do you think I should accept the job for now?"
"It might be our best chance." Lillith replied. "I sensed something off about that Rhea woman while I was hiding on the outside of the building. She's a dragon all right, and a powerful one at that. If she's this Immaculate One that Moro was referring to, then we best be on our guard." Corrin nodded in agreement.
"Right... Well then I guess I'll-"
"You'll do what, Scales? Keep talking to bushes all day?" Corrin's head shot up to see Claude approaching from across the grassy space where she and Lillith had been talking. "You know, if Hanneman or Manuella caught you doing that, they MIGHT start reconsidering Alois' recommendation. "
Corrin quickly got up and brushed the grass off her cloak. Meanwhile, Lillith pulled herself back into the bush, careful not to make a single sound for fear of being discovered.
"Uh... right!" Corrin offered a grin. "I was just muttering to myself! It's a... bad habit I developed after battles." Claude raised an eyebrow then shrugged it off as though he'd heard weirder explanations.
"Whatever you say, Scales. Either way, now that you are gonna be teaching here, have you considered which house you'll be leading? I might suggest the Golden Deer. We're not as... difficult as the other two. Care to learn more about the Alliance?" Corrin nodded and Claude gestured for her to follow him over to a set of oak doors emblazoned with the Golden Deer banners. "Welcome to the Golden Deer!" he said, opening the door to reveal... chaos.
"Rapheal!" shouted a young white-haired girl. "Would you please stop eating so loudly?! I'm trying to study!"
"Sorry, Lysithia!" shouted a young blonde with a muscular build, "I gotta buff up before the brawling tournament!"
"Would both of you be quiet?!" A third voice piped up. "I'm trying to properly enjoy my tea time!"
Nearby, a girl with a torn uniform was shooting arrows into a drawing on the wall in a crude target design while another boy in glasses was furiously drawing newer ones for her. All the while, there was a blue haired girl sitting in the corner, trying desperately to keep her head down in a silent prayer. Corrin stood there in shock as Claude just smirked and walked inside.
"Ahh! Home sweet home!" turning around, he gave Corrin a disarming smile. "Y'know... maybe I should start calling you and the others new nicknames. What do you think about Teach?"
Byleth - Dining Hall
While all this was going on, Byleth found himself in the Garreg Mach dining hall. Thankfully, Rhea had offered them full use of the monastery facilities and the dining hall was one of them. After grabbing a bite to eat, Byleth found a table and sat down, giving the food in front of him the full attention, he didn't notice Edelgard sitting down in front of him.
"Fancy meeting you here, Byleth, or should I say Professor?" Byleth looked up and saw the young white haired girl sitting in front of him, a saughert and cream in her hand.
"I guess you could call me that." he replied after a few seconds of thought. "I was given a teaching position here."
"I'm well aware. Manuela and Hanneman informed all the house leaders that you, Corrin, and Robin are to be our new professors for the year. I came to ask if you've decided which house will be getting your support in the future?" Byleth chewwed his fish for a few minutes before responding.
"I haven't given it much thought yet. I wanted to speak to some of the house leaders before I made my choice. I guess you'd be first then. What can you tell me about the Black Eagles?"
Edelgard smiled before she began, "Well since you claim to be from Adrestia then I'll spare you the ancient history. The Eagles are the most skilled class of mages here at Garreg Mach. Our numbers include Dorothea and Lindhardt over there." Edlegard pointed to where a young girl stood flirting with a knight and a young man who was currently sleeping on one of the dining room tables. "They seem quirky, but they are some of the strongest warriors here. Then there's Hubert." A chill filled the room as a shadowy figure appeared behind Edelgard.
"You rang, Lady Edelgard?" Hubert asked.
"Not now, Hubert." Edlegard said, causing Hubert to vanish as quickly as he had appeared. "Then we have soldiers of our own as well such as Ferdinand and Caspar." Byleth turned to see two young men arm wrestling at the table across from where they were.
"Finally there's Bernadetta, but she's currently in her room. If she tries to skip class, though, I'll make sure she gets out." Edelgard winked. "There's your basic rundown of who is in our house, I hope you'll give us your consideration." With that, Edelgard picked up her now empty glass and left the table. Byleth watched her leave, then shrugged. He wouldn't have to choose now, but Edelgard already seemed the most approachable of the three leaders. He'd check in with Robin and Corrin and see what they decided. Byleth picked up the last of his crayfish and popped it in his mouth. It was going to be a long couple on months.
Holy crap this was the longest chapter I've done so far! I tried to trim out as much exposition as I could to keep the story going so I apologize to the Manuela and Hanneman fans. Hopefully we'll see them later, but for now they are background. What I can confirm is I think I finally found a viable story format to be writing this from now on. Later chapters will likely focus on one character apiece rather than all three at once to save me the headache of writing in three different voices. For now though, I hope you enjoyed this quick chapter and next time we'll finally see students picking there houses. Maybe there could be some surprise appearances as well! Anyway, it's late here so goodnight or good morning to you.
Also... Do you guys think Lillith should join the officer's academy? Leave a review or PM me your thoughts.