Middle of Nowhere, Present Day

Byleth Eisner's night was not going well. What was supposed to be a reasonably straightforward bounty had gone entirely sideways. She found him at his usual bar, but he had been able to wiggle out of her grasp and jump in his car. Then he had been able to lead her out of town through a series of country back roads. Somehow he had been able to ditch her. Now she was utterly lost with no cell phone service.

She had been driving down the same lonely road for what seemed like forever until she finally came upon another car. Unfortunately, upon shining her headlights on it, it looked utterly wrecked. Two people, a man, and a woman, were ducking down on one side of the car. She then saw three men approaching the car with guns drawn. "What the hell?" she thought.

Seeing her, the men turned and fired. " Oh hell no," she said. Grabbing her two pistols, she jumped out of the car and returned fire. The men were clearly not expecting someone who could fight back. One yelled, "We can't be found here. Let's go!" They ran into their nearby car and peeled away.

The man and woman ran up to him. The man was dressed in a yellow polo shirt and khakis. He smiled broadly and said, "It's because of you that I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that! I didn't expect to run into someone like you out here in the boonies. The gods of fortune must be smiling on me!"

The woman, dressed in a red silk blouse with black pants, was much more serious. "You have a strange aura about you," she said. She continued, "But what about Dimitri? He's still in the car. I think he's hurt. Can you help?"

Byleth ran over to the car. The driver was slumped over the steering wheel but was trying to sit up. She placed her hand behind his head and helped steady him as he tried to sit back in the driver's seat. His forehead was bleeding a little, and his breath was unsteady. He probably broke some ribs on the steering wheel. He had beautiful blond hair, icy blue eyes, and a muscular physique. My god, he's gorgeous - wait, focus, Byleth! She turned to the woman and said, "Do you have cell phone service? I think he needs an ambulance." The woman stepped away to try to dial. The man in yellow stayed next to her.

She kept one of her hands behind the driver's head and used her other hand to hold his. "Stay with me, okay? We're getting help."

He squeezed her hand and turned to look at her. His eyes widened, and he said, "Byleth, is that you?"

But before she could respond, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness. She squeezed his hand and said, "Hey, hey, come back to me," but it was no use.

"Byleth? Is that your name?" The man in yellow asked.

"Yes," she replied. "But I don't know how he would know that."

The man stared at her and was about to speak, but he was interrupted by the woman. "The ambulance is on its way. Ingrid is coming too."

They waited for the ambulance to arrive in silence. Byleth continued to hold Dimitri's hand and watch his chest rise and fall while the man and woman knelt next to him. Why am I helping him right now? He's their friend. But she couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand.

The woman broke the silence. "I appreciate your help back there. Your skill is beyond question. You're an experienced markswoman. But I have to ask, why are you out here?"

"Please, I'm just a bounty hunter. Markswoman makes it sound so fancy. Normally, I'm actually good at my job. But I got lost on these back roads chasing my bounty. It worked out well for you all, though. How the hell did you end up out here getting shot at?"

They looked at each other, each waiting for the other to explain. The man said, "Well, it's probably best to start with introductions. I'm Claude, this is Edelgard, and that's Dimitri. We work for the mayor here in our little town of Crestwood. I've been hearing reports of weird things happening at the town border, and so I convinced Dimitri and Edelgard to investigate with me. Once we got here, these guys started shooting at us. Dimitri lost control, hit a tree, and then you showed up and saved us like a badass!"

They're all very weird, even if you're extremely attracted to the unconscious one. Better get out quick.

The ambulance and a police car arrived. The paramedics quickly went to work on Dimitri while a tall, blonde woman in uniform stepped out of the police car. She looked pissed as she approached their group. Claude approached her with his hands raised in surrender, "Ingrid, before you say anything, there's a perfectly reasonable explanation…."

Ingrid smacked Claude on the shoulder and said, "What the hell, Claude? People are shooting at you, and Dimitri is in the hospital? I told you to keep your conspiracy theories to yourself! Why can't you do anything I tell you?"

Edelgard spoke up. "It's not entirely Claude's fault. Dimitri and I wanted to investigate too."

Claude rubbed his shoulder and said, "Hey, don't you two think what happened shows that there is something strange going on? And anyway, we wouldn't have met our hero tonight if we hadn't been out here. We still haven't even learned your name?"

"Byleth Eisner, Bounty Hunter. I was just leaving." She started towards her car.

Claude rushed around to get in front of her. "Hey! You are coming back to town with us, right? Of course, you are. I'd love to bend your ear as we head back."

Ingrid added, "Ms. Eisner, you'll need to make a statement before you leave."

As they were speaking, a black Lexus pulled up. A stern-looking man in a suit stepped out. His long brown hair was tied back. He looked pissed too. Upon seeing him, Claude immediately turned away and muttered, "Oh shit, you just had to call him, didn't you, Edelgard."

"What was I supposed to do, Claude?" Edelgard whispered back. "How long are you supposed to wait to tell someone their nephew is being rushed to the hospital?" She turned to the man, plastered on the biggest smile she could, and reached out to him. "Uncle! I'm so glad that you came. It's been a rough night."

The man smiled broadly and said, "Oh Edelgard, I was so worried when you called. I came as soon as he could. Poor Dimitri, we will go to the hospital as soon as we're done here." He wrapped his arms around Edelgard and glared daggers at Claude over her shoulder. "I have to ask, though, what were you all doing out this late at night?"

Claude spoke up, "Oh, it was my idea to go on a night ride. I was bored, wanted to see the stars, and convinced Dimitri and Edelgard to tag along. Who would have thought we would get shot at while we were out for a drive? What is the world coming to? Three young people in their twenties can't even drive on a country road on a Friday night."

The man narrowed his eyes at Claude and replied icily, "Indeed. As mayor, I will make it my top priority that this area is monitored at all times, Claude."

Claude looked disappointed for a moment but quickly recovered into a smile. "Maybe we can get Byleth to stay and clear out any robbers or troublemakers. She really saved us tonight with her shooting skills."

The man looked at Byleth with an expression that she thought could be described as shock mixed with disgust. It was almost as if he recognized her. Geez, why does everyone seem to know me here? His expression made Byleth feel uncomfortable, and she wanted to get out of there now more than ever. The man finally spoke, "Then I am grateful to you, Miss... Byleth? I am Volkhard von Arundel, mayor of Crestwood."

"She's a bounty hunter, Uncle. You should have seen her. She was amazing!" Edelgard explained.

Arundel somehow seemed to look even more disgusted as though Edelgard had waved a rotten fish under his nose. "A bounty hunter. We have no need for your kind here. Our town is peaceful, and people like you attract undesirables. You best be on your way." He pointed towards her car.

"Oh, don't worry, I was just telling them I needed to go. Your peaceful town can get back to dueling banjos or whatever it is you do for fun." Once again, she started to walk towards her car.

Claude spoke up, "Now wait. She hasn't given Ingrid her statement. How about you stay overnight at Raph's - the finest motel in the area. It will be my treat. Think of it as a thank you for saving our lives. Then you can give your statement to Ingrid first thing in the morning and get back on the road nice and refreshed. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Arundel said sharply, "And I already said it was best if she left."

Byleth had to admit that spending the night did sound nice. She usually spent her bounties on motels and gas. What little she owned was already in a suitcase in her car. Losing her bounty tonight most likely meant she would be spending the next few nights in her car. Also, the idea of staying the night in town seemed to piss off Arundel royally, so she could have the added satisfaction of knowing it made him unhappy. She smiled at everyone and said, "You know what, Claude? It does sound nice. I will stay tonight. Thank you so much for your hospitality."

Arundel was seething. He mustered up a very disingenuous smile and said, "It's splendid that you want to see our town's hospitality. Now come Edelgard, we'll stop by the hospital, and then I'll take you home. You've had a long night." Edelgard took one last look at Byleth and Claude, and then she got in the car with her uncle.

Ingrid offered to take Claude home. She gave her card to Byleth and reminded her once again to stop by the police station first thing in the morning. She gave Claude her number so he could text her the address of the motel. He promised to call ahead so the owner would be expecting her. When she arrived at Raph's, she was greeted warmly by the gigantic man that apparently owned it. He showed her to her room and loudly promised her that she would get the full royal treatment to save Claude's life. He mentioned that usually, he would be booked solid during tourist season, but fortunately, he had plenty of rooms available. She had to admit that her room was pretty cute and cozy. When she was finally alone, she had just enough energy to change clothes and collapse in bed.