My Murder Pony
Byleth entered the massive cathedral of Garreg Mach Monastery, the heels of her boots clacking against the cold stone of the floor beneath her feet. The usual bustle of the knights and members of the church produced their usual white noise, which often held all sorts of secrets if one listened to the right person at the right time. People were so eager to speak about things that they should not, especially in a church! But Byleth did not care about which of the knights were sleeping together or whom among them had problems with alcohol or gambling. No, today Byleth came to this blatant display of wealth for one simple object: the advice box.
Lately, the students had taken to submitted anonymous questions or concerns in the hopes of receiving her feedback. The teal-haired woman had to admit some part of her was flattered that the students so sought her counsel, but the professor would never confess such a thing out loud. Luckily for her, Byleth had a constant companion in her mind so that they might have a truly private conversation.
On this sunny morning, Byleth found two notes awaited her. While the students perhaps assumed that their professor did not know their identities, once the woman saw the handwriting on the small sheet of paper, her advisees became apparent.
The library is a place I favor, but I am having a problem. Ah, this was Petra's handwriting. So neat! Sothis praised as both she and the professor examined the first note in the advice box. The tattooed warrior had not developed the lazy habit typical among those fully literate in a language: rushed, illegible handwriting. It is lacking sufficient information about Brigid! I have the hope that I can be fixing this problem.
"If the library lacks materials regarding Brigid, who better to provide it than its princess?" Byleth muttered to herself quietly. The tiny dragon goddess in her mind agreed. The people of Fódlan do not publish texts about other countries and their people unless it is to brag how it was they were conquered. Yet they prattle on and on about their own nation of birth and gloss over its flaws, I have noticed. Sothis huffed with aggravation. You humans assume that whatever group to which you were born is best!
Are you saying having a goddess in my head does not make me special in some way? Byleth argued silently, smirking to herself as she wrote, "You should add to the Traveler's Journal" on the back of Petra's note and pushing it through the slot and back into the box.
Sothis frowned. That is not what I said at all, you silly human! she complained fervently. You should be honored and grateful that I am here to guide you and the other children. Byleth nodded absently to placate the deity as she fished the second note out from the wooden container. Her lips pulled back in a grin as she realized which student submitted the note. "Well, well, well..." Her dark blue eyes wagging back and forth as she read the note. Despite my appearance, I have long wished to be a Pegasus Knight that I may indulge in the lofty view. Only dear Hubert would bother to disguise his handwriting. The magic-user had tried to copy her own style and it was a poor attempt at that.
The professor had to confess that the idea of a flyer who could wield magic would present all sorts of options on the battlefield. However, such a soldier would be a glass cannon if there were any units trained to specifically take down pegasi and wyverns. But Byleth was getting ahead of herself.
Yet that dream has always seemed out of reach. Can you guess why? A guessing game? Sothis voiced her annoyance, sitting back on her haunches, though still completely suspended mid-air. Such a waste of time. It's not even a cleverly-worded riddle!
"Yes, it is a bit lazy," Byleth acknowledged to the emerald-haired goddess. The nun in charge of guarding the advice box gave her a confused look. "Ma'am?" the blonde stated quizzically, hoping the professor would provide more detail.
Pocketing the note, the young professor flashed the woman a charming smile. "Nothing at all. You're doing a marvelous job. Keep at it!" she instructed the woman as she headed for the large southern doors to exit the place of worship. The nun's light eyes widened in panic as her hand reached out toward the professor who was quickly leaving the cathedral.
"I beg your pardon, professor," the woman in the brown frock called out desperately. "But those notes are to be returned to the advice box in a timely manner."
Byleth paused for a moment, but only turned her head back toward the blonde. "Some answers need a more delicate approach," the professor objected, donning a confident expression. "Wouldn't it be best to provide a student with good advice rather than a haphazard one?"
The nun hesitated. "I... suppose so, ma'am," she concurred quietly. The woman adjusted her tri-corner hat, using the opportunity to scan the room to see if anyone might be watching. When the member of the clergy determined no one was paying them any mind, she added: "Just make sure to bring it back, professor. I will get into trouble if you don't!"
Tilting her head to one side, Byleth nodded reassuringly. "Of course, I want nothing more than the well-being of my students and those that care for them." Without another word, Byleth headed directly for the Officers Academy. She had some lesson plans to adjust.
Crossing the courtyard, Hubert von Vestra passed the skillfully embroidered banner of the Black Eagles house. As he rounded the corner, his chartreuse eyes focused on the assignments board. The magic-user scowled when he found his name next to "Sky Watch."
"Is this some kind of joke?" he challenged his educator, knowing fully well that the professor was within hearing range. The teal-haired woman did not look up from the notes on her desk in the front of the classroom.
"No, Hubert," Byleth informed the irate young man, scratching notes on the piece of paper in front of her. "I take my students' education very seriously."
The student did not believe his educator, but attempted to find a diplomatic way around this. "I am afraid flying is not one of my many strengths, professor," he declared firmly.
Her sapphire orbs looked up at him. "All the more reason to work on it now in a safe environment where you are unlikely to make a fatal mistake," Byleth countered. She rose from her chair, collecting her things. "Besides, that is why I paired you with Petra. You two complement one another in terms of skill." The professor came around to the front of her desk and leaned on the piece of furniture casually. "While one of your affinities lies with magic, hers is in flying. You could teach each other a thing or two."
"Wyverns are more suitable for ax users and I am not among their ranks. Not to mention the pegasi are particular about the sex of their riders..." he replied calmly, the irritation in his voice only slightly perceptible.
The woman grinned, mocking him, Hubert was sure of it. "Take up an ax, even if you do not intend to wield it for the wyverns if you feel it will help," Byleth shot back without missing a beat. She then added, "Or, if you prefer one of the pegasi, perhaps you could convince one you are a woman. I'm sure Dorothea would love to help."
She stood up straight now, "Or, better yet, ask for a pegasus as broody and ill-mannered as you. I'm sure you two would be thick as thieves by the end of your patrol." The professor did not wait for Hubert to continue the argument, but instead walked out into the courtyard to speak to Lady Edelgard.
Hubert clenched his teeth. If only he had never submitted that damned note! First was the drugged coffee, now Sky Watch. The new professor was surely trying to kill him in the most discreet way possible. That woman was becoming more dangerous by the day.
And yet, he could not practically argue his way out of his assignment. This was a military academy and she was both his instructor and general, in essence. It was infuriating, but he knew he would have satisfy his obligations.
Friday could not come soon enough for Byleth. But when the day finally arrived, she positioned herself perched on a windowsill that gave her a fabulous view of the monastery and its air space. Her aegean eyes found her intended targets - Petra and Hubert - on the ground below preparing to mount their steeds.
"It is alright if flying gives you the nervous feeling," Petra assured her classmate, giving her wyvern's scales a stroke along the length of its snout. "But you must trust your riding creature so they do not sense your fear." The flying reptile gave an excited trill as Petra threaded her foot through the stirrup and mounted the beast.
Hubert face remained in a stony expression of neutrality. "It is merely that this pegasus will not accept my authority," he responded, keeping hold of the reigns as the dark winged horse attempted to pull away from the man.
"You must not hold the reins in such a way," Petra advised, showing him the correct form. "It is most ideal that you grip your pegasus using the might of your thighs in battle, so that your hands are free for fighting. But that is something to which the improving can happen."
The wavy-haired man took note of the way the woman beside him held onto her war wyvern and tried to mimic the posture. The pegasus relaxed slightly and no longer pulled away. "I see..." Hubert said thoughtfully as he gripped the horn of the saddle and swung his leg over the horse-like animal.
Petra beamed at the results of her advice. "Now, let us command our beasts for off take!" the Brigid princess announced, her grape-colored braid flew behind her as she kicked her heels, and called out with a woop. The over-sized flying lizard echoed in answer as it beat its wings, propelling it from the ground.
Hubert's pegasus squinted its eyes and took a few steps back, irritated by the dust the wyvern kicked up. But the animal showed no signs of taking flight without direct orders from the dark mage. The black-haired man mimicked Petra's dramatic call as best he could and jabbed his steed with the heels of his boots. The pegasus did not appreciate the sharpness of the hit to its ribcage and in response bucked wildly before taking flight. Byleth watched in exasperation as Hubert lay motionless on the ground. Is he dead? Sothis asked out of morbid curiosity.
Her teal-haired host shrugged. "No sense in waiting to find out," she replied with a heavy sigh as she snapped her fingers to activate the Divine Pulse.
The dark mage ordered his pegasus to alight when it thrashed about defiantly. Hubert cursed, trying to control the animal, but quickly noticed the falling sensation in his gut as he realized he was falling backward toward the stone-paved ground. The young man had no magic to help him in this instance, so he could only brace himself and hope that his injuries were not too severe. Hubert could have sworn he heard the crack of his skull on the pavement when he landed on something far more forgiving than rock. Byleth stumbled backward, keeping with the momentum but slowing down the fall and protecting her student's head.
Petra's wyvern landed gracefully beside them and she dismounted quickly to check on her classmate. "Professor!" she exclaimed. "Hubert has the greatest luck on his side that you were so near to catch him. The bones in his neck could have snapped if the cobblestone caught him instead."
Hubert, both grateful to be alive and highly suspicious of his supposed savior, rose to his feet and glared at the blue-eyes woman. "How did you know to catch me, professor?" he demanded to know, his face even more pale than usual.
Byleth shrugged, "You're new to flying and it's typical for new riders to fall." Throwing her cape behind her, the professor stood at her full height. "Besides, you are useless to both me and Lady Edelgard if you are concussed or dead," she pointed out. "So why would I not ensure your survival?"
The warrior princess seemed puzzled by her classmate's accusation. "Hubert, do you not wish to be alive?" she wondered gravely. "You should be thanking the professor."
Exhaling deeply, the man had to admit that his professor had a point. He had no use to anyone dead, if they did in fact expect to take advantage of his abilities, but he was not about to thank his teacher for saving his life. "That is not the case, Petra," Hubert assured the young heir to the Brigid throne. "I simply found it amazing that our dear professor happened to be in the right place at the right time," he claimed, staring Byleth down. The professor neither blinked nor did her face display any emotion. She was good. How irksome.
"I can take care of the duties to watch the sky if you do not wish to risk your life again, Hubert," Petra chimed in, interrupting the staring contest.
Hubert shook his head. "No, I shall fulfill my assignment like all the other students. I do not expect special treatment." His pegasus, now mellowed by the discovery that she could remove her pesky rider if she so desired, allowed him to try again. Hubert mounted the flying horse and with Byleth only a few steps away, the two students took to the cloudless skies above.
Hubert did his best to conceal the pounding in his chest from his classmate as the people and objects on the ground became noticeably smaller.
"Is it not invigorating to fly?" Petra shouted to him with a happy laugh as she fell back to soar alongside him.
The pale man did not like how the wind flipped his bangs up to reveal both of his eyes to his enemies at once. How was he supposed to avoid someone anticipating his every move without concealing some part of his face? And there were no walls or buildings to shield him from an assassin in the sky. Hubert dreaded the fact that he could literally be accosted from any angle while airborne. There were so many variables, countless dangers, and blind spots. Edelgard's right hand felt himself grow ill from the anxiety of it all.
Leaning over the side of his steed, he retched, despite his best efforts to hold it in. Petra blinked in surprise, but did not object when Hubert quietly dismissed himself.
Byleth sighed forlornly. Gone were her chances of having a dark flyer, she thought to herself pitifully. She glanced over to Lorenz, whose face was so contorted in disgust it was almost unrecognizable. The young noble let loose a blood-curdling shriek when he realized what foul liquid had fallen on his head.
That boy is going to cause in international incident if he finds out it was Hubert who vomited on him… Sothis mused in their shared mind.
"I suppose I ought to clean things up," her host agreed reluctantly. Her dark eyes watched for a few moments more to savor the moment before she snapped her fingers and undid it all.
Hubert returned to the advice box only hours after submitting the query to his professor on a whim. Frankly, he was surprised that the professor had so much time on her hands. He took the note from the nun in charge and read its contents.
Because heights make you uneasy. Well, that was certainly a diplomatic way of putting it, Hubert thought to himself. Don't worry. I will never put you on Sky Watch again. I would hate to be the cause of an international conflict.
"Again?" Hubert repeated in disbelief. "When have I ever been on Sky Watch?" He shuddered to think. The professor had an odd sense of humor.