He bowed. When he was standing again, he said, "My name is Byleth. Nice to meet you."

Byleth? I shook my head. No, that wasn't possible. I was Byleth. Maybe he really was my clone!

Byleth kept standing there, waiting. Waiting for me to respond. There wasn't a trace of emotions on his face, just calm. I cleared my throat. "Well, that's funny, because I also go by Byleth," I said. I watched his face. Still nothing. His eyes barely widened, or maybe he was blinking.

He rested his chin in his hand and his elbow on his arm, striking a thinking pose. "Are you a student here?" he asked. He had a low, quiet voice.

I nodded. "Are you the merc everyone's talking about? The one who saved Prince Dimitri and the others."

Byleth straightened up again and nodded.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here to meet the students," he said. So Yuri was right. He really was going to be another student - or professor - here. I glanced in at our classroom, where all my classmates were. Merecedes and Annette were chatting in a corner.

"You… You're…" Byleth was staring at me. I met his steady gaze with my own. "You're my sister, aren't you?"

I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something smart, like, No, I'm an alien. No, I'm… I don't know! I shook my head, stuffed my hands into my pockets. "I don't know." But wait, Yuri had mentioned two mercs. I glanced back up at Byleth. "Is the other mercenary related to you?"

Byleth nodded. "My father."

I felt my chest tighten. I stepped back. "I see."

"Do you want to meet him?" Byleth asked.

I didn't know. I really didn't. If they were really my family… so what? I was already twenty some years old. I was an adult. I didn't need a father figure or a random brother popping into my life like this.

"Where is he?" I said, staring at the ground.

"I'm not sure. Lady Rhea would know."

"I see." I took another step back. "Well, don't let me keep you standing there." Byleth looked at me for another second before nodding. He dipped into the classroom and I watched, from outside, as he went around the room, meeting each of my classmates and introducing himself.

When he left our classroom, I followed a few steps behind him. He moved to the Black Eagles classroom and proceeded to do the exact same thing. He talked to every single student with that stony face of his, never cracking a smile.

I stayed outside and watched him do the same with the Golden Deer students. Then he stepped outside, struck his thinking pose for a bit, before nodding at me.

"Let's go," he said.

To where? I had a feeling he was the terse kind. I followed him anyway, down the hall, up the stairs, to Rhea's audience room - whatever it was called.

Rhea was standing there waiting for us. She smiled when she saw us enter.

"Byleth," she said. "And… Byleth."

Yes, yes, it was confusing.

"Where's my father?" Byleth asked.

"Jeralt's in the Captain's Quarters," Rhea said, looking at me. "Just down the hall, first room on the left."

Byleth turned to look at me too. He nodded. That seemed to be a signature trait of his: just nodding, no words, no expressions. They wanted me to go meet him. Byleth's father. My father…? It sounded strange to think about.

"All right," I said. I nodded back at Byleth and at Rhea, then trod out of the room.

I stood outside in the hall for a second, gathering myself, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. I was just meeting a new person. That was all. It would be fine. Maybe. No, definitely.

I walked down the hallway, steeling my mind. I was going to get answers. I stepped into the doorway. The man inside glanced up. He had yellow hair, a part of it tied back into a plait, a square jaw, broad-shouldered and tall.

Maybe I had the wrong person. He looked nothing like Byleth or me (which, I suppose, was Byleth too).

But I didn't have the wrong person. I could tell by the way his eyes widened, his gaze darting across my face.

"You-" he said, opening and closing his mouth.

"Are you Jeralt?" I said.

He nodded. "Yes, and you're…"

I looked at the ground. It felt weird to say it, because it probably wasn't really my name. My birth name. "Byleth," I said.

Jeralt gestured at the two couches at the side, so we moved to take a seat on either one. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. "I'm guessing you've met Byleth?" he said. "Er, the other one, my son."

"Yes." I stared at my own knees. I didn't know where to begin, and Jeralt probably didn't either. We sat in silence for a few seconds. I took in a deep breath and sat up. "Are we related?"

"I had a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, the boy being Byleth," Jeralt said. "But… there was one night when my daughter disappeared." Jeralt's balled his hands into tight palms, clenching his jaw. "I looked everyday for a month. We visited nearby villages. Nothing. I kept hoping I'd get a ransom note, anything."

Disappeared…

I swallowed. "The earliest memory I have is being at an orphanage. There were two other kids. It wasn't really an orphanage, just a kind elderly lady feeding parentless children. But she was poor. Most of the village was."

I still remembered it like it was yesterday. The hunger pangs, rolling around on the hard ground, shivering next to the other children. The first time one of the children was adopted. We were all happy because it meant there was more food for us.

"I'm sorry," Jeralt said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wish I'd found you sooner."

"Are you actually Byleth's father?" I asked.

Jeralt laughed at that, shoulders shaking. "I hear that a lot. I know we don't look alike. It's because you two both take after your mother."

You two both…

"What's my real name?" I said.

"If you're fine with being called Byleth, then just keep using it."

Was I fine with it? After meeting Byleth - the real Byleth, I realized I didn't even have my own name.

"But how did you end up being named Byleth?" Jeralt asked.

"The orphanage lady called me Byleth. When I asked her why, she said… she said that when she found me, it was the only word I knew how to say."

Jeralt nodded. "I see. You and Byleth were close."

Were...

I stood up and cleared my throat. "Well, thanks for your time."

Jeralt stood up too. "I'll be working here now," he said. "Feel free to come talk to me whenever you want."

I stared at his golden eyes. Compared to the plank board his son was, Jeralt had a lot more emotions on his face.

I nodded, moving towards the door. "All right. Bye then."

"Take care," he said.

Once I'd reached the first floor again, I broke into a run. I ran for Abyss, feet pounding against the ground. I ran and ran to the makeshift classroom where Yuri usually was, screeching to a halt at the entrance.

Yuri was, as usual, studying. He had a tall stack of books beside him, and he was writing. Constance and Hapi were having tea and pastries together. Constance's loud ohoho laughter rang through the room, but Yuri didn't seem to mind.

I walked towards him.

Yuri didn't look up. "So what's the merc like?"

I was still catching my breath. "He's…"

Yuri glanced up at me now.

"He's my brother!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "Your brother? Then, the other merc…"

"Is my father," I said, rubbing my left arm. "I think. If we're actually related."

"That's good news."

"Is it?" I searched around for an empty seat. They were all out of arms-length. Constance was watching us - no doubt, curious - but Hapi was too busy eating the pastries. I reached my hand out for Yuri, and he took my hand. I squeezed his hand, perhaps with too much force. "Is… Is Rose still at home?"

"Yeah, she should be." Yuri squeezed my hand back.

"All right." I nodded. I released his hand and turned around to head out of the classroom, almost running into Balthus. I turned down the hallway until I heard Balthus's voice.

"Hey, Yuri, Byleth isn't looking so good. You sure you shouldn't chase after her or something?"

I slowed my pace down and craned my ear to try to hear Yuri's response. "No, she'll be fine. She has my mother after all."

He was right, of course. I picked up my pace again and walked back home, Rose's home. She was at the dining table, sewing, and glanced up when I entered. She dropped the shirt on the table and ran to embrace me as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Rose patted my back.

It was too hard to talk. I was too busy crying. But I didn't know what was wrong. How should I feel? Knowing that I hadn't been abandoned? Knowing that I wasn't unwanted? I thought I'd feel relieved, and a part of me was. But another part couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like if I hadn't just disappeared. If I could look at Jeralt and call him father. If I had my own name…

"You-You're my family," I sputtered out. My nose was stuffed and my vision blurry. "You're my family."

"I know, I know." Rose's arms tightened around me. "You're like my daughter, Byleth. No. You are my daughter."

I nodded into her shoulder.

"You'll always have me, dear. And Yuri." Rose was stroking my hair. "Don't worry. You will always belong with us."

The other Byleth - my twin - was going to be a professor, and he was taking over for the professor who'd ran away. He was going to teach the Black Eagles house.

"This month's mission," Professor Manuela was telling us. "Will be a mock battle between the classes. The professors will also be part of the battle. Technically, the professors are supposed to be in charge of tactical and battle strategy, but I've decided that you are all perfectly capable of doing that. So, Dimitri, I'll leave strategizing to you."

"Yes, ma'm," Dimitri said.

A mock battle. That meant I was going to fight Byleth. My twin.

"That's all for announcements. Time to start class," Professor Manuela said. I grabbed a quill and ink to take notes.

After class ended for the day, I found Byleth standing outside of my classroom. I stopped in front of him.

"What?" I said.

"Do you want to eat dinner together?" he asked. Still emotionless.

I shrugged. "Fine."

We walked together to the cafeteria.

"What do you like to eat?" he said, when we were staring at the menu options.

"I don't mind," I said. I didn't have a particular favorite food. Well, I did have a bit of a sweet tooth, but that had nothing to do with dinner.

"How about Bourgeois Pike?" Byleth pointed at the item on the menu. It sounded delicious. Gourmet fish dish? Airmid pike, vegetables, and a sprinkle of expensive spices? Hell yes. I nodded, with a little too much enthusiasm.

Just then, I saw a trace of a smile on Byleth's lips. And just as quickly, it was gone.

We sat down together. It smelled amazing. I dug straight in with my fork. Honestly, if there was one good thing out of attending the Officer's Academy, it was the food. Expensive, quality food for rich noble kids. It was nothing like I'd eaten before.

Byleth didn't say anything. The cafeteria provided enough background sound anyway: clattering utensils and chattering students.

"Can professors eat with students?" I asked, when I was halfway done eating.

Byleth nodded.

"That's not like… bribery or something unprofessional?"

Byleth shook his head. "I'm raising motivation and increasing support points."

I had no idea what he meant by that. Besides, I wasn't in his class, so what motivation could there be? "Do you want to spar sometime?" I asked.

Byleth nodded. "Sure."

I grinned. "You might be a merc, but you've never lived on the streets like I have."

"Do you want to eat with our father next time?" he said.

Our father. That sounded strange to hear.

"Hang on, we don't even know if we're actually related." I held a hand up.

Byleth shrugged. "Then, do you want to eat with Jeralt next time?"

"The three of us?"

Byleth nodded.

"Fine," I said.

There it was again. That ghost of a smile. It flitted onto Byleth's face and then vanished again. I stared at him, and he stared back.

"Why are you like that?" I asked, stabbing a green vegetable that looked like a tree.

"Like what?" he said.

"Emotionless," I said. "Or, at least, you're very good at not showing any emotion."

Byleth shrugged again. "I don't know."

"You don't say much either," I said and bit into the vegetable. Crunchy. He nodded in agreement to that. "What do you want from me?"

Byleth's eyes widened. Surprise. Then he shook his head. "I don't want anything from you," he said.

"That's a lie. Everyone always wants something," I said.

He struck that thinking pose of his, resting his face in one hand and his elbow on the table. When he sat straight up again, he said, "I want to get to know you."

"Because we might be siblings?"

Byleth nodded.

"All right."

We were too full afterwards to do any sparring, and I had some assignments to finish. Byleth walked with me to my dorm room. I wasn't sure if that was also inappropriate professor behavior.

We stopped outside, and Byleth nodded again and said, "Good night."

"Good night," I said. I waved and waited for him to turn around and head for his own room. Once he was gone, I entered my room, sat down at my desk, and picked up a quill pen. Time to be a student.

The next day, I walked into the classroom in Abyss. Aelfric was there, with the Ashen Wolves students surrounding him. He spotted me and smiled.

Yuri didn't have to turn to know it was me. He reached his hand out to brush the back of his hand against mine. The reassuring tap that I was here and he was here. We were both still alive.

"Well, I have to get going again," Aelfric was saying. The students bid him farewell, and we watched him walk out.

Once he was gone, I turned to Yuri. "Spar with me," I said.

"Right now?"

I nodded. It was before dinner this time. I had to practice before sparring with Byleth, or I'd look like a fool. All talk and no game.

Balthus looked at me and flexed his bicep. "I'll spar with you, Byleth! I've been wanting to spar with you ever since I saw you take down that bounty hunter."

Oh, Balthus was talking about the time when I found Yuri surrounded by thugs, asking him if he knew where Balthus was. Of course, Yuri denied even knowing who Balthus was. Then Balthus had to walk into view, and the bounty hunters jumped on him. Yuri had said that I didn't need to intervene, that Balthus could take care of them, but I hated standing by and watching an unfair fight.

"That should do," Yuri said.

"All right, let's go, Balthus," I said. Considering how defined his muscles were, I'd always want to test his strength too.
Balthus and I walked away from the residential area of Abyss to a larger open room. Hapi followed us, saying she was bored and wanted to watch. We arrived at an arena-like room, with a tall, domed ceiling.

"This should do," Balthus said. Hapi sat down on a nearby step, while I stretched my shoulders out. "Are we brawling? Or using weapons?"

"I'd prefer a weapon," I said. I'd brought one of the wooden training swords with me, thinking Yuri might have one, but Balthus didn't. There were a few rusting weapons lying about, broken axes, dull blades.

"Hm, I've got this axe with me," Balthus pulled an axe from his back and grinned.

"I suppose that'll work." I shrugged. I gripped the wooden sword in my hand.

"Don't go easy on me, pal," Balthus said.

I smiled back. "No worries."

Then we both stepped forward to attack.

Hapi was getting bored of our sparring. To be fair, Balthus was fast. He dodged most of my attacks, and the rest he blocked. But I was fast too.

"Ugh, this will never end," Hapi said, standing up and dusting her skirt off. "I'm leaving."

"All right," Balthus said, as we clashed again. He was strong. The muscles weren't just for decoration.

I gritted my teeth. If I couldn't defeat Balthus, I doubt I could defeat Byleth. I pushed against Balthus, then he sidestepped, throwing my balance off guard. I stumbled forward. Balthus was swinging for me. I jerked myself away, tumbling to the floor and rolling away.

"Oof." Most of the air had been knocked out of my lungs. I scrambled back onto my feet, dark spots dotting my vision.

"Nearly had you there," Balthus said. "But damn, you're fast."

"I could say the same to you." I was gasping for air. "I'm not finished yet," I said, rolling my right wrist around.

Balthus grinned. "Me neither. Come on, pal!"

He swung first with his axe, but I dodged away. He was open, and I moved to tap his side with my sword, but Balthus parried my attack.

I was getting tired, my movements slowing. Even though the training sword was lighter than the iron one I usually used, my shoulders were burning. My face was dripping with sweat, and my hair was sticking to my forehead. Just five more minutes. I could do this.

There was the sound of footsteps. Lots of them. Balthus and I both stopped at the same time and looked towards the source. A group of five bounty hunters appeared, forming a circle around us.

"There he is," one of them said with a smirk.

Oh Goddess. I sighed. Balthus's grin only got wider. He glanced at me and said, "Whoever takes the most down wins."

I rolled my shoulders back. "Sounds fair."

The bounty hunters' eyes were glued to Balthus.

I attacked first, swinging my sword at the nearest bounty hunter, aiming for his throat. He didn't react fast enough and was knocked backwards, falling to the floor. Weak. They pounced on us then. I kicked one away and stabbed another. But a training sword wasn't very sharp, more of a blunt weapon, really. The bounty hunters got back up.

Balthus had put away his axe and was beating one of the men up with his fists. I had to admire his grappling skills. I didn't like getting so close to enemies.

I dodged one person's lance and struck his hand with my sword. He screeched, dropping his weapon, then I stabbed his side. He crumpled to the floor.

"I got one!" I shouted over the din of clattering weapons and footsteps.

"Nice," Balthus said. I glanced up and saw an archer in front of me, drawing his bow to aim at Balthus.

"Balthus!" I rammed my sword into the opponent between the archer and me. I had to get closer. "Watch out!"

"What?"

The archer fired. I stepped to the side and struck the arrow down. It hit the ground with a clank. I leaped up the steps. The archer was running away, shooting random arrows at me. One grazed my leg.

I stumbled, but kept going. I reached for one of my daggers and threw it. The archer screamed when the dagger landed right in his stomach. He fell to the floor, turning to aim at me.

"I got one!" Balthus yelled.

I was too busy dodging arrows to respond. I closed the gap between the archer and me, bringing my sword down on his was a loud crack. I grimaced. Blood pooled on the floor. I didn't want to think about it. How many lives I'd already taken.

Then I saw that the training sword was splitting in half. Oh great. I threw it down and drew my own sword. The archer was unconscious though. Possibly dead.

"You good?" Balthus was still yelling. "I got two!"

I raced back to where Balthus was dodging and striking two opponents. One turned to face me. She swung her axe at me. I hopped back.

"Byleth, watch out!" Balthus lunged forward to punch the axe person for me.

I could tell someone was right behind me. I spun around to meet them, but not before they swung their lance. I jumped back, bumping into Axe Lady. The blade grazed my stomach. Ouch. I winced from the sting. My stomach felt warm and sticky from the blood oozing out.

I stepped forward and knocked their lance to the side. Before they could regain control of their lance, I kicked them in the stomach.

I turned around and saw the axe person had fallen on the ground. Balthus met my gaze with a grin. "That's two." He then went after the lance bounty hunter. He gave the person a few square punches in the face and stomach.

"Phew," Balthus said, when there weren't any signs of the bounty hunter getting up soon. "Guess we can call it a tie."

I nodded, touching the bleeding cut on my stomach. Ouch. Luckily, it wasn't very deep. Balthus looked at me, eyes wide.

"That doesn't look good. Come on, let's get out of here, and I'll heal you up."

Balthus held his arm out. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I grabbed his arm anyway. I leaned my weight on him, as we trudged back towards Abyss.

"Sorry about that," Balthus said.

"Sorry...?" I winced. It hurt to talk. To move. To breathe. We stopped, and Balthus held a hand near my stomach, hand glowing as he healed the cut. "Just a bit is fine," I said. "For it to stop bleeding."

Thank Goddess, Balthus could heal. I needed to learn some light magic too. The wound felt warm and tingly, then the pain eased.

"Better?" Balthus asked.

I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Much better. Thanks."

We continued walking back.

I wanted to go back to my room, wash the blood off of me, but if I left without seeing Yuri, and Yuri saw Balthus and his blood-splattered clothes… Would Yuri be worried? He'd ask Balthus what happened, and Balthus would explain. Yuri would ask where I'd gone, if I was all right, and Balthus would say not to worry because he'd healed me. Would that put Yuri at ease? He'd wonder why I didn't stop by to see him first. And he'd know it was because I hated seeing his face when he was worried - eyebrows scrunched up, lips pressed tightly together.

Hmm, it'd be less of a hassle to just see Yuri now.

Thanks for reading! :)