Over the course of his time with the Shepherds, Robin has fought conquerors, sword masters, and demonic dragons. He has participated in two cataclysmic wars and he has coordinated the movement of entire armies across multi-front campaigns. He did all this in his previous life and then some. Yet he feels the same chill down his spine from packing his teaching supplies as he would when preparing for battle. The last few weeks have felt surreal to Robin. How he went from engaging the hierophant in mortal combat to becoming a professor in some faraway continent is beyond his understanding. Perhaps Naga had a wicked sense of humor? One other thing that Robin can't stop thinking about since his arrival is the names the Hierophant mentioned in his dying words: Ingrid, Felix, and Dimitri. Especially now that he is teaching a class that has students with those exact names. The sheer coincidence seemed maddening. But what truly haunted Robin was the Hierophant's mention of being a failure of a brother to Felix. Something about that statement bothered Robin at a fundamental level and he didn't fully understand why.
Before Robin could dwell any deeper on the implications of what that meant, he took a sip from his waterskin and then adjusted the baldric holding Mercurius. There was no time for any more thinking as today is the first day of the school year and class is about to begin in an hour. Tired of getting lost all the time in the monastery, Robin made sure to scout out a path to his classroom the day before. As he gingerly stepped out of his living quarters and into the hallway of the faculty quarters, there was a voice-female- that could be heard from downstairs. Robin recognized the voice as Byleth's and figured it would not hurt to stop by and say good luck before class started. When Robin made it to the ground floor and into the faculty lounge, he saw Byleth sitting alone in the middle. She was having a conversation with herself evidently just like in Remire. Although this time she looks a lot less panicked here and seems more annoyed at whoever she is talking to.
Byleth seemed intently focused on talking to whoever she was talking to, even waving her hands around in exasperation, "Look, I'll be fine out there today. If you keep at it like this then I'm going to look like a total we- ", she stopped when she noticed Robin from the corner of her eye. After a moment of surprise, her expression returned to her usual, emotionless self.
After Robin took a seat across from Byleth, "Sorry for the interruption,"
Byleth waved off Robin's apology, "It's fine,"
Robin would beg to differ. If the contents of her 'conversation' and the uncharacteristic emotionality meant anything, it seems Byleth has just as many misgivings about becoming a teacher as Robin. Both professors exchanged questions on whether the other was ready for the day or not followed by a moment of silence between the two. Robin always liked these moments of silence with Byleth, it was a relaxing change of pace from his usual hours-long conversations with either Manuela or Hanneman about how the church or academy functioned. He will need the reprieve too since the next hour and a half is going to be nothing but his first class with not one, not two, but all three classes of the officer's academy. He can already imagine all manner of ridiculous situations he will have to contend with today: the lords getting into stupid arguments, Sylvain either showing up late or writing stupid 'love letters', Felix getting snippy, Lorenz feeling like he needs to uphold the honor of House Gloucester, Lindhardt snoring in class, just to name a few.
While Robin kept brainstorming other stupid situations he would have to contend with in the classroom, Byleth started snapping her fingers in front of him to get his attention, "Robin, your class is starting soon,"
Robin leaped out from his seat in surprise and soon it dawned on him that he might miss a class at this rate. He bolted out of the faculty lounge and started his dash across campus to the classroom without second thoughts leaving Byleth alone and bewildered.
"Um…good luck then?"
Robin ran as fast as he could to the classroom, passing by various academy faculty without saying a word. He even saw some of his students who were going to attend class today near the tail end of his trip, he hoped that meant he wasn't late. As he crashed into the door of the classroom, he was met with confused looks from some of his students. There were students from all three classes in the room. The three lords were sitting in the front of the class with students from each lord's respective class behind them. Each lord also seemed to have their respective "retainer" with them as well. Not all students were in the class though. From the Blue Lions alone, Robin noticed that both Sylvain and Felix were not here yet. Robin immediately set up his notes and books at his desk and made a final review of his lesson plan. He could hear the sounds of more footsteps of more students in the background, with conversation following soon after. Among the new voices, he could recognize Caspar, Felix, and Dorothea just to name a few. After he finished reviewing his notes, he looked up to see the rest of the classroom and take a roll call of who is available. Robin made sure to double-check with his student dossiers whenever possible.
Golden Deer? Check.
Blue Lions other than Sylvain? Check.
When he finally turned to Black Eagles, he had to recount attendance again to make sure he didn't get anything wrong. Out of all the classes, he is least familiar with the Eagles. While looking between the classroom and his student dossier, Robin could have sworn at least two students were missing. Just as Robin was about to ask if anyone was missing, more footsteps could be heard from the classroom entrance. When he turned to face the source of the noise immediately, instead of the two students he hoped would be there, he saw a panicking Sylvain step into the classroom while getting scornful looks from Ingrid and Felix. The scion of house Gautier gave Robin a quick apology on his way to the back of the class. Robin nodded wordlessly at Sylvain's apology and turned back to his dossier list to announce the students who were absent today.
"Lindhardt von Hevring…" Robin called. There was no response from the class except for some irritating grumbling from Edelgard, "…Bernadetta von Varley," Again, no response.
When Robin looked back at the classroom he was met with the shy and bashful faces of the Black Eagles, the content expressions of the Blue Lions, and Claude cheering triumphantly at his class's apparent superiority. Edelgard was not impressed with Claude's taunting and he could see Lorenz rolling his eyes in annoyance at his class leader's arrogance. Among the Black Eagle students, he could see Dorothea whisper something to Casper who shrugged in response. Perhaps she was asking where Lindhardt was this morning?
"So…where's Lindhardt and Bernadetta?" Robin asked.
"Lin is probably asleep while Bern is still in her room," Dorothea replied.
Robin rolled his eyes at both answers. He knew he would eventually deal with problem students. He even had a feeling from the orientation that those two would be it but he thought they would at least try on the first day to set things off okay. He took a quick glance at the sundial outside of the classroom and quickly realized nearly 3 minutes have passed since he started taking attendance.
Just when he was about to start the class without them, Caspar raised his hand, "Hey professor, I can go out and get Lindhardt and Bernadetta. We're in the same class so I know where they are and can convince them to join the class,"
Robin considered it for a moment but was worried that Caspar being outside for too long might make him lose a lot of class time, "Class is about to start Caspar, at this rate it might be easier to either wait for them or tell them what they missed afterward,"
"Perhaps someone else can go with Caspar so he can get Lindhardt while the other can get Bernadetta?" Ferdinand suggested.
Right after Robin started asking for volunteers, Ingrid from the Blue Lions side of the classroom raised her hand, "I could go with Caspar and get Bernadetta while he can get Lindhardt, professor,"
Robin didn't want to waste any more time deciding on this issue so he relented and let Ingrid and Caspar go off on their merry way. He is pretty sure nothing bad will happen. Caspar being Lindhardt's best friend should make this short and at least Ingrid seems like a reliable student for the most part. With that out of the way, Robin can finally start class.
"Good morning students! My name is Robin and I am going to be your professor for today!" He announced.
Most of the students in the class seemed interested thus far. In particular, most of the Blue Lions, Ferdinand, Lysithea, and Claude seem enthusiastic. Others such as Hubert, Felix, and Lorenz look somewhere between detached and bored but Robin would deal with them later.
"Today's lesson is going to be on the philosophy of war. As future officers and leaders for the realms of Fodlan, it is one thing to learn how to use a weapon and command troops, and it is another thing to learn how to build and manage an army. But the most important question all of you should think about even after leaving this academy is why…" Robin paused to raise the dramatic tension within the class, "…why go to war?"
Robin's question was initially met with silence from the class. There was some murmuring between the students in the back but many of them looked to the three main lords up front for an answer. Not surprising, given that what they say here may characterize how they handle foreign relations once they take their respective offices. After what seemed like the longest five seconds in Robin's life, the three lords of the respective classes volunteered to answer his question.
"To defend an ally against the predations of an invading power," Dimitri said bluntly.
"To reclaim lost lands wrongfully stolen by your enemies," Edelgard followed.
Robin then waited impatiently for Claude's answer. He is not sure if Claude is delaying his answer because he wants to be witty or because he cannot come up with one on the fly. As Claude continued pondering, both Dimitri and Edelgard looked more obviously irritated. Right when Robin was going to ask Claude to hurry up or the class will move on without him, he finally answered.
"Whenever it benefits me to do so, prof," he said flippantly. Robin raised an eyebrow at Claude's answer. He could see similar looks of annoyance from other sections of the classroom as well. Dimitri looked confused by Claude's answer while Edelgard looked obviously irritated.
"Claude, what kind of answer is that?" he asked
"Can you please be serious for once in your life…" Edelgard groaned.
"It's the smart kind of answer," Claude replied, shooting Robin a smirk in the process.
His 'witty' remark was met with a chorus of complaints from the rest of the class but mostly from Edelgard and Dimitri.
"You realize that Robin is asking by far the most important question that all of us must consider in our future responsibilities!" Dimitri exclaimed.
Claude raised his arms up defensively, "Oh, I know that prof's question is an important one, why would I reveal my future ambitions to potential enemies?"
Edelgard and Dimitri both recoiled at Claude's insinuation of them being future enemies. In hindsight, maybe Robin should have asked a different question than this. After all, asking 'why would you go to war' in a class where the future King of Faerghus, Adrestian Emperor, and Arch-duke of the Alliance are within earshot of each other is bound to not end well.
"Claude, not all non-friendly relationships with your neighbors are destined for war. Dimitri and Edelgard will only be your future enemies if you let them," Robin said.
Claude looked confused and offended, almost as if Robin accused him of slander, "What prof!? I'm just saying that the three of us are going to be future heads of state one day! I just want to look out for the alliance's best interests in the future,"
"And in what world would it be in the Alliance's best interests to declare war on anyone else in Fodlan? Your round table already has enough trouble deciding when their next meeting will take place, let alone who to declare war against!" Edelgard declared, much to the annoyance of Hilda and Lorenz. Just as they were going to continue arguing, Robin cut them off by slamming his fist on the table.
"Okay, that's enough you two." Robin snapped, Edelgard and Claude stopped arguing upon hearing Robin's voice.
Getting back to the topic at hand, other students would pitch in their own opinions defending or rebutting the arguments made by the three lords. Ferdinand in particular was quick to point out that there is an outspoken minority of imperial nobles who view Faerghus as nothing more than a rogue province that rightfully belongs to the empire. Sylvain scoffed at this view and said that those nobles were "delusional idiots" and stated that Loog's rebellion was justified by the imperial crown's abuse of power and neglect of its governing responsibilities. Just as Sylvain was going to continue his story, Lorenz interrupted him by pointing out that if Loog was so benevolent in his desire to liberate the people of Faerghus why did he also take the opportunity to annex Leicester during his rebellion. The scion of Gloucester went into great detail about how Faerghus was no better than Adrestia in governing Leicester, something that both Ferdinand and Sylvain took offense at. As the class got more raucous, Robin slammed his hand on his desk to get the class's attention.
"I really appreciate the candid debate you all are having students but don't talk over each other," he stated.
Robin cursed himself for not clarifying this earlier but reminded himself that he is new to this whole teaching affair. The conversation was indeed candid but it seemed like only the views and opinions of noble dynasties mattered throughout. If wars on Fodlan are anything like wars at home, then there will be a lot of dead or impoverished commoners in the end regardless of who started the war.
As class resumed, he saw a frustrated Leonie with her hand raised, "Just leave it to the nobility to make the wars about nothing but themselves, huh professor?"
Robin nodded in agreement. Lorenz and Ferdinand looked shocked at Leonie's statement, almost as if someone spilled wine on their fresh clothes.
"I mean, does it really matter who started the war or why? In the end, common folk from all sides will suffer," she continued, receiving some very enthusiastic nods from Dorothea in the process.
Lorenz, on the other hand, seemed less than flattered by Leonie placing all the responsibility for the destruction of war placed on the lap of nobility.
"Wars are indeed destructive but much of the destruction is inflicted by commoners against their fellow common folk," He interjected. Just as Leonie was about to rebut his statement, he continued 'defending his honor' so to speak, "If it weren't for us nobles, who would protect the commoners from predation?"
"Commoners protect themselves from threats all the time," Leonie snorted.
Lorenz gave an exasperated sigh before replying, "A village militia is no substitute for a professional army,"
"Isn't Raphael over there one of your 'professional soldiers', Lorenz. How much longer could you retain your title without commoners like him in your employ?" Leonie retorted.
Not wanting to take chances, Robin pre-emptively told both of them to settle down. He explained that Leonie is right to point out that the destructive effects of war should be considered before deciding whether or not to go to war, furthermore he also agreed with Leonie's assessment that commoners could be just as capable of fighters as nobility. On the other hand, Robin also pointed out that commoners that are part of a militia do not stand a chance against professional soldiers. Just as Robin was going to continue with the rest of the class, he could hear the voice of a girl screaming in the distance. As Robin focused on the voice, it got louder and louder almost as if the girl was getting closer. Many students in the class reflexively covered their ears as the sound became worse.
When Robin realized who it was, it seemed like Dorothea came to the same conclusion as well, "Is that-"
Just before they could finish their question, a very terrified Bernadetta came crashing through the classroom door with a very bewildered Ingrid following in her wake. The scion of Varley collapsed in front of Robin in a panicky, sobbing mess and started begging for mercy, "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me! I'll do anything you want!"
Robin crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes towards Ingrid, "What did you do?"
The scion of Galatea raised her hands defensively and took a step back in response, "I got Bernadetta out of her room. She was quite hesitant at first so I had to kick her door down and- "
"YOU DID WHAT!?" Felix and Robin blurted simultaneously.
The rest of the class seemed either shocked or embarrassed at the whole scene. Sylvain had his hand across his face in embarrassment while Dimitri looked disappointed by Ingrid's actions. Ingrid defended herself by explaining that she tried persuasion initially but apparently Bernadetta had the door locked and then started barricading her room as the conversation went on. Robin marked down two mental notes, one about Bernadetta's shut-in habits and another about Ingrid's impressive kicking. Nevertheless, Robin is exasperated that his first day of teaching has been made even more complicated. By one of his own students no less. He turned toward Bernadetta to make sure she was doing better. The poor girl looked like a complete mess, even with Dorothea and Mercedes helping her out. Throughout all the ongoing commotion, Robin was unaware of the fact that a confused Caspar and a sleepy Lindhardt just silently strolled into the classroom without informing him of their arrival. He only found out when he heard Lindhardt's voice from the very back of the classroom.
"Professor?" He yawned, "What just happened?"
Robin's expression dropped from annoyed to tired. He really wished Cordelia, or even Chrom, were here right now.
Much to Robin's relief, the class continued without further incident. There was some further discussion about whether certain claims behind certain wars like the War of the Eagle & Lion or the Crescent-Moon War were justified but the remainder of the class was peaceful otherwise. After class, Robin made a mental note to apologize to Bernadetta personally tomorrow and to have an extended conversation with Ingrid on what happened exactly. Two hours after lunch, Robin would find himself with the Blue Lions class in one of the monastery's many courtyards dedicated to group combat training. The students were arrayed in one line each carrying some kind of practice weapon in front of Robin. The class so far has gone swimmingly-Felix's constant snipping notwithstanding. Robin planned on teaching the Blue Lions about the pair-up tactics he would use all the time with the Shepherds. He also explained to the Lions the importance of attacking and defending as a cohesive group and how vulnerable isolated combatants are. Robin demonstrated this by inviting some of his students to try and hit him with practice weapons. The melee fighters of the class all stepped forward while Mercedes and Annette observed from the background.
The demonstration did not last long. The students were competent enough as fighters, certainly more competent than the students from the other classes if Byleth's distant complaints are of any indication, but their attacks were predictable. Sylvain tried to strike high but Robin knocked his spear aside and hit him soon after with a high cut. Robin misdirected Dedue with a feint before finishing him off with a low strike. Dimitri's strength was used against him as his first missed attack caused his practice spear to get stuck in the ground. Robin managed to get Ashe to aim in a way so that his arrow would hit Ingrid when Robin successfully dodged it. Felix misjudged his first attack and Robin punished him with a counterattack. What they all had in common was a tendency to go one at a time or bump into each other when trying to take a swing. By the time the demonstration was over, the Lions were sent packing.
Dimitri gave Robin a bewildered look, "Goddess Robin, do you always dispatch your foes with such contemptuous ease?"
"Don't worry Dimitri, none of you were that bad. Had you all been any faster, you might have scored a few hits on me!" Robin gave Dimitri a reassuring smile, "And besides, I usually don't fight multiple combatants alone back when I was in the Shepherds,"
"How did you fight your foes then Robin?" Ashe asked.
Robin turned towards Ashe, "Good question! When the Shepherds deployed for battle, we would deploy in pairs. That way each partner can cover the other fighter's weakness and take advantage of any openings their partner has created,"
The rest of the class besides Felix started to look curious now about this 'pair up' fighting style. Robin raised an eyebrow at the obvious disinterest Felix is showing in the lesson but carried on with the lesson anyway.
"The key to the 'pair up' system is to find a partner you can mesh well with and learn to coordinate with one another in attacking and defending. To demonstrate this…" Robin looked into the class to see which students he would want to participate in his demonstration, "I would like to have Felix and Dimitri step up,"
Felix frowned at Robin and begrudgingly stepped forward to stand across Dimitri, who looked more eager. Robin measured the distance between them to ensure both were one step outside of each other's range at the start of the demonstration. He then announced that Dimitri and Felix would duel for a few rounds while Robin watches from the side, not participating. Felix's footwork and point control are both excellent. He concentrates on moving past Dimitri's defenses to land a punishing blow on him. Despite all this, Dimitri's superior reach and strength mean he often gets the better of Felix in 4 out of 5 rounds. Felix asks for a do-over which Robin replies that will happen later.
"As you all can see, the shorter reach of Felix's sword has a harder time getting past Dimitri's spear point. Any step forward he takes runs the risk of facing a counter and any of his attacks can easily be parried at a distance. Felix will have to hope that Dimitri misses his strike to close the distance," Robin explained.
"I could have taken him, let me show you!" Felix snapped. Robin raised his eyebrows in skepticism at Felix's claim but acquiesced to his request for a rematch against Dimitri anyway. The following round went on a little longer but Dimitri scored the first blow all the same, as Robin expected.
Robin shook his head at Felix and continued his announcements, "So on the next round I will be Felix's partner," He then took on a guard stance with his practice sword next to Felix. Felix looked obviously annoyed at Robin but the tactician paid no heed.
At the start of the round, there was a brief pause between Felix and Dimitri as each fighter sized the other up. Felix attacked first but Dimitri batted away Felix's blade and struck back. However, Robin intercepted the incoming attack from Dimitri before Felix had a chance to parry the attack himself.
Felix glared at Robin, "I could have stopped that,"
Robin nodded and then the duel continued. The next few rounds played out the same with some variation of Robin either parrying incoming attacks from Dimitri or landing opportunistic attacks when the prince missed Felix. With each passing round, Felix looked more frustrated and desperate. Getting the memo, Robin stopped making opportunistic attacks but continued to play defense. In the last round of the duel, right when Robin rushed to parry Dimitri's attack, he was pushed aside by an angry Felix that looked desperate to parry the attack himself. Robin was left bewildered and by the time he regained his bearings, Felix was sent sprawling on the ground by Dimitri's brute strength. Whatever attempt at blocking he tried evidently failed. The whole class looked shocked at the whole debacle. Robin didn't expect something like this to happen but at least it shows the class why cooperating with your partner is paramount.
Robin gave Felix a look of disapproval, "What was that for?!"
"I could have blocked that professor!" Felix replied.
"But you didn't…"
"You were in the way,"
"I was trying to block his attack so you could strike back, Felix,"
"Well, you shouldn't have done that!"
Robin facepalmed at Felix's sheer stupidity, "Please don't tell me you're one of those 'lone wolf' types, are you?" There was no response from Felix.
"He is," said Ingrid.
Robin sighed in resignation when he heard that. There was a moment of silence before Robin finally considered what he would say to Felix.
"Felix, that lone wolf stuff?" Robin asked rhetorically, "That won't cut it on a battlefield. Whether you are leading troops in battle or cooperating as part of a team,"
"Then don't have me lead troops, it's not like I would be a good commander anyway," snapped Felix.
Robin raised an eyebrow in skepticism, "Aren't you the heir of House Fraldarius?" there was no response from Felix, Robin decided to continue, "Given your status in Faerghus, I don't think you have a choice in the matter of whether or not you will lead troops into battle,"
"Who are you to lecture me about leading troops or teamwork? All you do is get in my way and do all the fighting for me! I might as well not be in this battle," Felix spat.
"Felix, I have fought two wars against all manner of enemies and one thing I have learned is this," Robin stated, "A victory is a victory, whether you are able to prove your strength is only relevant if it leads to victory and allows you and your friends to come home in one piece,"
Felix chuckled at Robin's mention of his war record, "Don't bring up your fantastical stories again, foreigner,"
Felix hit a nerve in Robin's head. There was something about what he just said, whether it was the sheer arrogance or sheer stupidity, that bothered Robin deeply. Robin made sure not to show his annoyance to Felix and instead he felt the urge to test Felix's claims to see if they were justified.
"You seem rather confident in your abilities as a fighter, Felix," Robin replied, "But a fighter's skill is only truly tested when fighting actual opponents. Care to test your skills against me in a duel?"
Felix raised one of his eyebrows in surprise at Robin's offer, as if he was not expecting him to offer something like that, "Time and place?"
"Tomorrow in the afternoon, 2 hours after lunch," the words came out of Robin's mouth almost habitually. It was as if he has done this sort of thing before.
After a brief pause, the tension in the courtyard settled down. Robin made sure to apologize to the class for the disruption and then told the students to pair up with a partner so he can walk through the basics of attacking and defending as a pair. Robin was not sure about what he just got into or why, but something about that whole standoff felt strangely familiar. The way he just quickly went through the motions of aggravating Felix and then provoking him into a duel. Robin pushed that thought aside as there was a lesson to be taught but it seemed intriguing to say the least. He also had a feeling this would not be the last time he would feel this way.