Hi Everyone,
I haven't been writing for a while and with the Coronavirus and all, I decided to use my free time to finish up some stories like ¨Brave¨ and other stories. I also want to start writing a FE3H Fanfiction. I am going to write the first chapter to see if it is good enough to continue. Please read and review!
-Ashalita
I do not own FE3H or it's characters.
CHAPTER 1: A Skirmish at Dawn
"I wonder how you two got in here…" A beautiful little girl said, yawning. She had long emerald hair and eyes. She was resting on a throne, staring at something. "It is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose. Very rude indeed." She let out a sigh. "Now come to me. I wish to have a look at you both." Two figures appeared in front of her. One of the figures was a handsome young man with dark green hair and blue eyes. The other figure was a beautiful young woman with the same features except she had glimmering violet eyes. They look so alike, especially with their emotionless face. "Hmm… I have not seen the likes of you? And you? Who are you two, anyway?"
"We are mortals." They said. "But we can be demons."
"I see. Then you two must have a name of sorts"
"Byleth." The young man said.
"Byra." The young woman said.
"Huh. I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names." She said, looking interested. "You two must possess a day of birth as well. Beneath which moon and on what day were you born to this world?"
"Blue Sea Moon, 20." They both answered.
"Well, wonders never cease! It seems we share our day of birth. How strange!" She replied, surprised. "Hmm. It all feels so… familiar. I think it may be time for yet another nap." She let out a yawn and closed her eyes. "It is almost… time… to… begin…"
"Hey. Time to wake up." A voice said. Byleth and Byra woke up and a man with dorty blonde spiky hair stood in front of them. "Were you two having that dream again?"
"I was dreaming about a young girl," Byleth said.
"Same with me," Byra said. "She looks familiar."
"You two described her to me before. I don't think I've ever met anyone like that." The man said. "In any case, just put that out of your guys' minds for now. The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Risking your lie is part of the job for mercenaries like us. Letting both of your minds wander is a sure way to get yourselves killed." They looked at each other for a brief moment and turned to him with a nod. "Okay, time to get moving. Our next job is in the Kingdom. I told you both before. It's far from here, so we'll need to leave at dawn."
"Of course." Byleth which Byra nodded with agreement. Then a fellow mercenary entered the room.
"Jeralt! Sir! Sorry to barge in but your presence is needed." The mercenary said.
"What's happened?" Jeralt asked.
"There are some kids that need help." The mercenary explained. "They are asking for our help."
"Kids?" Jeralt said, walking out the house. Byleth and Byra followed behind their father. They found three kids that looked like nobles.
"Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn't bother you were the situation not dire." One of the nobles said. He had blonde hair and blue eyes. He seems like your typical noble.
"What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?" Jeralt asked.
"We're being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope that you will be so kind as to lend your support." The blonde noble said.
"Bandits? Here?" Jeralt said.
"It's true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp." Another noble replied. She had long white hair and beautiful pale violet eyes. One again, she looks like your typical noble.
"We've been separated from our companions and we're outnumbered. They're after our lives...not to mention our gold." The last noble added. He had spiky brown hair and green eyes. He may dress like a noble but his demeanor says otherwise.
"I'm impressed you're staying so calm considering the situation. I...Wait. That uniform…" Jeralt said. It can't be. He was interrupted by a scoot mercenary."
"Bandits spotted just outside the village! Damn… There are a lot of them." The scoot said.
"I guess they followed you all the way here. We can't abandon this village now." Jeralt said, turning to his children. "Come on, let's move. I hope you two are ready." They both nodded.
They made it to the gates of the village, armed and ready to protect it. "Let's take care of those thieves before they overrun the village," Jeralt ordered. "Take down the enemies in the front first. That should take the wind out of their sails." There were a bunch of bandits racing towards them. The nobles were about to attack until Byleth and Byra gestured to them to stop.
"We will handle this," Byleth said, pulling out his blade. "Sis, do you have my back."
"Always, By," Byra said, holding her blade as well. "This is like any typical day on the job."
"Yeah but those nobles though, I feel something strange from them," Byleth said. "Well sis, it is time for work."
"Oh joy, let's get something to eat after this," Byra said. Byleth dashed towards them and sliced his blade through them one by one. He killed most of the bandits but in his blind spot, a bandit was about to attack until a knife went through his chest. "You okay."
"Thanks…" Byleth said. "When did you carry a dagger?"
"Just now." She said. More bandits raced towards them. "I do not have enough daggers."
"That is why we have swords." Her brother said. The frontlines were defeated easily and the three nobles were shocked.
Who are these people? The three nobles thought. They turned to them and somehow, the twin mercenaries' eyes were glowing devilishly. Are they even human? Then the blonde noble walked to them.
"Thank you. We are in your debt. It wouldn't do for us to fall in place like this." He said. He was then distracted by Byra. Even though she did not show any emotion like her brother, she was indeed beautiful. He snapped out of his thought and hid his blush. "Please, lend us your strength. Let's work together to drive out these thieves!" Then the brunette noble walked to them with a smile on his face.
"It's because of you guys that I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that!" He said. "I didn't expect to run into mercenaries like you in some remote village. The gods of fortune must be smiling on me!"
"You mean on us." The blonde noble added, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, of course…" The brunette noble laughed.
"Somehow you both have a strange aura." The white-haired noble said, walking towards them. "You say you two are mercenaries, so show me what you can do."
"I think they just did, Princess." The brunette teased. "They did just killed a bunch of bandits in front of us."
"Shut it, Claude." She said, pouting.
"Good work! We'll advance while protecting ourselves from the enemy. Take up position inside the forest." Jeralt ordered. Then did what they were told and entered the forest.
"You two advance but hide behind trees so the bandits do not find you two," Byleth said, looking at the white-haired and the blonde noble. They nodded and hid. "You, since you are an archer. I need you to hide and keep your distance from the fight. We will be decoys."
"Alright, I like the plan." The brunette said.
"Byra, are you ready?"
"Yes, do not worry about me," Byra said. Bandits found them and underestimated their numbers. The siblings fought through the chaos and it looks like they were dancing with their blades. When they were a few numbers, the nobles stepped in and attacked. The bandits were no match for the five of them. Then the bandit leader approached them.
"Hey, you with the blank stare! Outta my way!" He snapped, swinging his ax to Byra. She was too late to block his attack. Her brother made it in time and deflected the ax with his blade. "Wait… I know you two…"
"You have some nerve to attack my daughter." A voice said. They turned and found Jeralt on his horse, armed with a spear.
"What the?! Aren't you Jeralt the Blade Breaker?" The leader asked. "What's a renowned mercenary like you doing here?"
"I'm the only one who should be complaining, I'm caught up in the mess you started! Also, do not forgive anyone that harms my kids." Jeralt said, attacking him. The bandit got stabbed on the shoulder and Byleth grabbed him by the shoulder and tossed him to the ground. "Good work son." Byra looked away from her father. He placed his hand on her cheek and made her look at him. "Hey, things happen. As long as we have each other, we will be safe. I am happy you are okay, kid." Then the bandit leader got back up and charged to the white-haired noble. She pulled out a knife to protect herself but Byleth grabbed her to shield her from the ax. Byra saw this and rushed to shield her brother. At that point, no one was safe. However, something unusual happened. Everything froze and both twins were teleported into a dark space.
They searched through the darkness but were confused about how they got here. "Honestly! What were you both accomplishing with that stunt?!" The little green hair girl scolded. The same little girl in their dreams. "It is like you are trying to get me killed, you fool!" She calmed down and let out a sigh. "Well, it is fine. After all, if you do not know the value of your own life. You are not going to protect it very well, are you?" Then twins were shocked not because of the scolding but with the little girl. She seems very real in front of them. "Of course not." She then let out a giggle as she stood up from her throne. "Well then, I guess it is up to me to guide you for now on, right?" She let out a smile. "You can call me Sothis but I am also known as "The Beginning"." Then she closed her eyes and put some thought into what she said. "Hmmm… Sothis… Yes, that is it. My name is Sothis. And I am also called… The Beginning. But who once called me that?"
"Sothis?" Byra said.
"I was not able to recall my name… until just now." Sothis said. "And just like that, it came to me. How odd. That look upon your face… Did you think of me, a child? A mere child forgot her own name?!" She glared at the siblings. "Phooey! That "child" just saved our life! And what does that make you?" Then the twins exchange looks at each other and replies.
"Make you feel better, we are less than a child?" They both said.
"It is correct! You understand." Sothis nodded. "You threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl and then you threw yourself to save your brother." She crossed her arms. "Yet, all is well as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You both would have died but I did not intervene.
"Thank you." They said, bowing in front of her.
"There now. Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you both worth saving after all." Sothis said, smiling. "Though it is only momentary, the time has stopped. However, did I manage that…"
"What now?" Byra asked.
"What will happen when time resumes?" Byleth added.
"When time begins again the axe will tear into your flesh, and you will surely meet your end," Sothis said. "The second swing of that axe will kill your brother." They were both surprised by that response. "How rude of you to drag me into this!" She started thinking. "Now what to do…"
"Can you turn back the hands of time?" Byleth said.
"Of course! I must turn back the hands of time." She said, casting a spell. "Yes… I do believe it can be done. You both are really quite troublesome. I cannot wind back time too far, but all is well. You are both aware of what's to come, which means you can protect yourself this time." She pours more of her power into the spell. "Now, go… Yes, you both bear flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…" The time rewind back to when the bandit leader stood up to attack. The white-haired noble ready herself with a dagger. Byleth walked in front of her and used his blade to deflect his attack and sliced through the bandit.
"Hey, over here." A voice said. They turned and found the other nobles racing towards them.
"Thank you." The white-haired noble said. Byleth nodded. He is a man with a few words but his skills are superior to mine.
Jeralt raced towards them. "I am glad you two are safe." He said. Suddenly, a group of knights marched towards them.
"The Knights of Seiros are here! We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students." The leader of the knight said. He then noticed that bandits were retreating. "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!" He scoots the area and finds the students. "The students seem to be unharmed. And… who's this?"
"Ugh… Why him?" Jeralt said.
"Captain Jeralt?! It is you! Goodness, it's been ages. Don't you recognize me? It's Alois! Your old right-hand man! Well, that's how I always thought of myself anyway." The leader said, smiling. "It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace. I always knew you were still alive!"
"You haven't changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop that "captain" nonsense. I'm not your captain anymore." Jeralt said, letting out a sigh. "These days I'm just a wandering mercenary. One who has work to do. Goodbye, old friend."
"Right… Goodbye Captain." Alois said. "Wait! That isn't how this ends. I insist that you return to the monastery with me!"
"Garreg Mach Monastery… I supposed this was inevitable." Jeralt said, letting out a sigh.
"And how about you two? Are you both the captain's children?" Alois asked, turning to the twins.
"That is correct," Byleth said while Byra nodded.
"Is that so? Well, physical differences aside, your mannerisms do remind me of the captain." Alois said. "I love for you to see the monastery too. You will join me, won't you?" They both nodded and Jeralt let out another sigh.
"What's troubling you, Captain?" Alois asked, looking concerned. "You aren't about to run off again, are you?"
"Even I wouldn't dare run from the Knights of Serios." Jeralt said, walking beside Alois.
The Knights of Seiros… They do seem rather skilled.
The twins were surprised by the voice in their heads.
Ah, it sees your presence is required. Get going!
Without question the voice, they did what they were told and walked to the nobles. As they stood in front of them, the nobles greeted them with a smile. "I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question." The white-haired noble said. "You're both clearly experienced mercenaries. And your father…. That would be Jeralt the Blade Breaker? Former captain of the Knights of Seiros. Oft praised as the strongest knight to ever live. Have I missed anything?"
"The Knights of Seiros?" Byra said.
"We didn't know he was a captain," Byleth added. Sis, did you know?
No, I didn't. Was there a secret life that Dad did not share with us. Byra thought.
I do not know sis. All I know that there are people here that knows more about him. We can learn from them. Byleth thought, nodding at his sister.
"How curious. I'd wager the explanation for that is fascinating indeed." The white-haired noble said.
"Hey! You both are coming with us to the monastery, right? Of course, you are. I'd love to bend both of your ears as we travel." The brunette noble said. "Oh, I should mention that the three of us are students of the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. We were doing some training exercises when those bandits attacked. I definitely got the worst of it."
"That would be because you ran off." The white-haired noble snapped.
"Too true! I was the first to make a strategic retreat." He replied. "Everything would have worked out if these two hadn't followed me and ruined everything. Because of them, every single one of those bandits chased after us. Utterly ridiculous."
"Ah, so that's what you were thinking, Claude. And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all." The blonde noble said.
"His intentions were as clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person's words." The white-haired noble said.
"Hm. You will prove a lacking ruler yourself if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on." The blond noble rebuttal.
"Oh, joy. A royal debate between their Highnesses, I Wonder how being completely predictable affects one's ability to wield power. Personally,, as the embodiment of distrust. I'd say your little exchange smacks for naivete." The brunette teased.
"Me? Naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of well-awareness a condition of some sort." The white-haired noble snapped. They were going back and forth with sharp and smart remarks. Then two twins stared at them with discomfort and the blonde noble noticed their reaction.
What a lively bunch? Byra thought.
Are all nobles like this? Byleth thought.
"In any case, forgive our digression. I must speak with you both for a moment." The blonde noble said. "The way you both held your ground against the bandits' leader was captivating! You never lost control of the situation. It showed me I still have a lot to learn."
"Both of your skills are precisely why I must ask you two to consider lending your services to the Empire." The white-haired girl said. "I might as well tell you now. I am no mere student. I am also the Adrestian Empire's…"
"Halt, Edelgard. Please allow me to finish my own proposition." The blonde noble said. "The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is in dire need of exceptional individuals such as yourselves. Please do consider returning to the Kingdom with me."
"Whoa, there! You two sure are hasty. Trying to recruit someone you just met. Tactless really. I was personally planning to develop a deep and lasting friendship with these two on our journey back to the monastery before begging for favors." The brunette noble said. "But it seems there's no tie for niceties in this world. So, capable strangers, let's get right to it. Where does your allegiance lie?"
Hmm. They are so impressed by you that they all want to recruit you. Well? Who will it be?
"They are very good offers but we already have a job in the Kingdom," Byleth answered. "So the Holy KIngdom of Faerghus, Land of Noble Knights."
"Understood. Faerghus is a noble and distinguished kingdom that has always valued chivalry." The blonde noble said. Anyway, how rude of us for not introducing ourselves. We do not even know both of your names. My name is Dimitri Alexander Blaiddyd and I am the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and soon to be king." He bowed in front of them.
"And I am Eldegard Von Hresvelg and I am the heiress to the Adrestian Empire." She said, bowing as well.
"Me? Well, I am Claude Von Riegan. I am the noble heir that leads the Leicester Alliance." He said, giving them a wink. "So strangers, what do we call you two?"
"My name is Byleth and this is my twin sister Byra." Byleth said. Byra just waved.
"Byra…" Dimitri mumbled. I noticed that she hardly talks or shows emotions. They way they kill those bandits, it is like they did not care. Do I really want them?
Hi Readers,
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am going to do a DimitriXByra pairing and still debating on who Byleth will marry. I am also going to follow the Blue Lions route for this story. Please give me your thoughts about this first chapter.
-Ashalita