The Alliance, 1172

The search for the missing man and woman proved useless. Alliance soldiers combed the area for a week, but there was no trace of them. They simply left their manor in the middle of the night, leaving their young daughter alone. The servants were the ones who had alerted the authorities that they were missing, but the daughter never said a word. She stared at the ground when asked about her parents. The butler explained that she rarely spoke to anyone. "She'll have to go to the Margrave's - that's the only relative she has. I suppose the rest of us are out of work," the butler sighed.

"You should arrest her! She's the beast that ate them!" A brown-haired man ran over to the soldiers. "She only looks like a little girl, but she carries the curse of the beast!"

The soldiers dragged the man away while he still screamed, "You can't do this! I'm Modestus Dupont, a renowned crest scholar!" The girl continued to look down at the ground.

Crestwood

Crestwood resident Moe delivered flowers to one of the local businesses, and the customer was delighted. The delivery man happily returned to his van, emblazoned with "Game of Thorns," to make another delivery. As he attempted to pull out of the parking spot, he noticed a figure in black in the rearview mirror. Panicking, he jumped out of the car to approach the man.

"I'll have the money for you next week, I swear, Mr. Vestra."

Hubert was unmoved, "The terms of the loan were concrete, Mr. French." He gestured to a large dark-haired man with a bouffant leaning on a tow truck, "Take the van."

Moe was stricken. He stretched his arms across the side of the car and pleaded, "No, you can't. Tomorrow is Garland Moon, and I have a grand worth of white roses in there - it will ruin me."

Hubert simply turned away and pointed again to the tow truck driver. "Take it up with Mr. Adalbrecht. I'm done here."

The tow truck driver went to work on Moe's car. He shrugged, "Sorry, man, I know how it feels."

As Hubert crossed the street, Moe continued to yell at him, "Oh, this is no way to do business, Vestra! You think you're hot shit, but people won't put up with you forever!"

Hubert continued to walk as Moe's cries became more distant. He heard someone shuffling up behind him. "My, my Hubert, what a spectacular display," Arundel oozed. Hubert merely shrugged and kept walking while Arundel hurried his pace to walk beside him. Hubert morosely stared straight ahead.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about something," Arundel said.

Hubert continued to look ahead instead of making eye contact, "Oh? And the moment you have something to discuss that I want to discuss, we'll have a chat."

Arundel stopped and grabbed his arm. The look in Hubert's eye almost made him regret it, but he tightened his grip. "No, we're going to discuss this now. It will only take a moment."

Hubert looked down at Arundel's hand on his arm and looked back up at the mayor with fury in his eyes. He leaned forward, "Why, is something eating away at you? Something you need to get out in the open?" he hissed. His tone made Arundel shrink away, and Hubert walked off.

At 7:15, Byleth and Dimitri sat drinking coffee at separate tables, not quite ready to let the public see their relationship. Byleth inquired about the book he was reading, and Dimitri asked her questions about the upcoming day. Hapi walked between them with a coffee pot and cocked her head sideways, "You know, you can just sit at the same table." Edelgard snickered at a nearby spot. Embarrassed, Dimitri buried himself in his book, and Byleth looked at her phone. Hapi rolled her eyes and returned to the counter.

The diner bell rang, and Leonie proudly entered, holding Jeree. A woman with short blonde hair kindly offered to hold her so Leonie could eat. "You're a lifesaver, Mercedes!" she replied. She then plopped down across from Byleth, and Hapi brought her a coffee. Byleth asked her how she was doing, and she answered, "Pretty good, all things considered. Lorenz is really there for me. I just wish he wasn't hosting a poetry night at the bookstore tomorrow night. I was hoping that we could finally go on a real date. It's Garland Moon!"

Before Byleth could ask what the hell Garland Moon was, Hapi spoke up, "Let's make it a Girls' Night. Edie, you should come too. We'll drink and be loud until Dedue throws us out. Lorenz can hold Jeree during his stuffy poetry night anyway. Just promise to leave the badge at home, Chatterbox."

In her entire life, Byleth had never been invited to a Girls Night. From what little she knew of Edelgard's childhood, Byleth didn't think she had been to one either. "You know what, I will go, Hapi.

I look forward to seeing how much trouble you and Leonie can cause in one night," she said. Edelgard agreed to go as well.

Hapi looked delighted as she returned to the counter. Leonie left to get Jeree back from Mercedes. Byleth's phone rang. "It's the station - that's probably not good." Edelgard eyed her with concern as she stepped outside to take the call.

Byleth gingerly opened the already busted door and peeked inside. The living room of the house was completely trashed. She tiptoed inside and closed the door. Then she knelt to sift through the scene. Her heart raced when she heard footsteps coming from outside - slow and deliberate. The footsteps stopped at the door. She rose and drew her gun, waiting for the person to enter. The door flew open, and Hubert stepped inside, gun drawn.

"Ms. Eisner," he said coldly, gun still drawn.

"Hubert," she said slowly, "Your neighbor, Ignatz, called the police because he saw your door was open." She continued to point her gun at him.

Hubert kept his weapon raised but looked around at the mess, "It would seem that I've been robbed."

"Funny how that keeps happening to you," Byleth replied.

Hubert lowered his weapon, "What can I say? I'm a difficult man to like."

Garreg Mach, 1180

The day was not going well for Ignatz. It was his turn to hang the laundry, but a gust of wind had blown a sheet entirely across the monastery. He looked on in horror as the sheet floated towards the stables. "Ugh, don't land in horse poop, please don't land in horse poop, Goddess, please don't let it land in horse poop," he prayed aloud.

Fortunately, the sheet landed near Marianne, and she deftly caught it in the air. She quietly looked away from him as she held the sheet out. Ignatz set down his basket and thanked her profusely. When he tried to lift the basket again, he realized that he had spent most of his energy running, and he dropped it back on the ground. Marianne silently grabbed one side of the basket, and Ignatz held the other.

When all the laundry was now safely hanging on, Ignatz thanked Marianne again for her help. He was surprised that she apologized for her behavior and lack of conversation. Before Ignatz could ask what she meant, she suddenly brightened up at seeing a patch of beautiful wildflowers nearby. He joined her to admire them. "See, if we had been chatting, we would have missed these beautiful blooms. There will always be a silver lining."

Marianne's face darkened once again, and she walked away without saying anything.

Crestwood

Byleth continued to take pictures of Hubert's ruined interior, but Hubert wanted her to leave. He explained to her that he already knew who robbed him and that it was a personal matter. Finally, when Byleth threatened to throw him in jail for obstruction of justice, Hubert decided he could cooperate a little.

He sighed deeply and crossed his arms, "Fine. His name is Moe French. He sells flowers, and he recently defaulted on a loan. A short time ago, we had a little disagreement over collateral."

Byleth gave him a slight bow, "There - was that so hard? I'll go check him out."

"I'm sure you will, assuming I don't find him first."

"Is that a threat?" Byleth stepped closer to Hubert, but he only smirked.

"Just an observation," he shrugged. "Good luck, now please get out of my house."

Garreg Mach, 1185

Ignatz was pleased to be back at Garreg Mach once again with his former classmates. He had taken no joy in fighting friends for the past five years, and Grondor had been a downright nightmare. Thank the Goddess, the Professor had managed to stop Dimitri, Claude, and Edelgard from further fighting. His peaceful reverie was interrupted by Marianne running, clearly in fright. He chased after her.

Marianne grabbed the Professor and begged for help. Ignatz drew his bow and looked around. A stern-looking man in religious garb rushed in and ordered the Professor to step away from Marianne. She clung to the Professor and buried her head in her chest. Ignatz looked at the Professor and waited for the signal to fire. The man wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by him or the Sword of the Creator hanging from the Professor's side.

"I'm telling you this for your own good. You're putting yourself in danger by associating with her. Have you ever heard of the Wandering Beast in Alliance territory? The one that drags people off at night to feast? The identity of the Beast is that girl," he shouted.

"That's absurd!" Ignatz shouted. "She's been a Healer in the Alliance Army for the past five years! She saves lives!"

Marianne sobbed harder into Byleth's chest. She raised the Sword of the Creator at the man, "Get. Out."

The man raised his chin, "I'm Modestus DuPont, and I've tracked this girl for years. She even ate her own parents."

Ignatz released his arrow, but Modestus was surprisingly fast and dodged. He was not fast enough to avoid the whip on the Professor's sword. She knocked him off his feet. After struggling to get up, he ran out of the monastery, screaming that they would regret ignoring his warning.

Crestwood

Byleth stood proudly at her desk, which was now covered in odd items. There was a silver brooch, hair clasp, an ancient city map, and a bunch of other odds and ends. Byleth wondered how Moe thought he would sell this stuff for more than ten dollars, especially since he had taken everything from the only pawnbroker in the area. Hubert rushed in, and Byleth dramatically waved her arms over the found items. Hubert said nothing and began to rifle through them.

"You're welcome," Byleth said sarcastically. "You were right about Moe. This stuff was still at his place."

Hubert continued to sift through his things, "And the man himself?"

"Still looking for him," Byleth replied.

"So, job well half-done then. Or maybe even less - something is missing."

"And I will get that back too. When I find Moe."

Hubert left in a hurry while muttering, "Not if I find him first."

Edmund Territory, 1185

Byleth and the Golden Deer cleared the forest of Demonic Beasts. The final beast thanked them for ending his suffering, leaving behind human bones and a glowing blade. Marianne held the sword in awe. Claude mused, "So a Hero's Relic was behind this after all." A voice behind them snapped, "If you think killing a few beasts in this forest is somehow going to free you from suspicion, you are wrong. I certainly don't believe in her little "I'm so shy and innocent" act!"

All the Golden Deer pointed their weapons at Modestus while Lysithea formed a ball of black magic between her hands. Byleth spoke slowly, "Leave now - before I give you something to believe in."

Instead of running, the crest scholar noticed Marianne's sword. "That's Blutgang - the legendary sword wielded by Maurice himself. Did you get that from the beast you slew?" Marianne nodded and pointed her sword at Modestus. "Legend says that he held on to the sword until the very end. My apologies, it seems you weren't the beast after all. I shall go."

Ignatz had heard enough, "You're sorry? You've stalked this poor woman most of her life, and that's all you have to say now?" He fired his bow at the ground next to Modesto's feet. He shrieked and started to run. Leonie and Claude joined in, firing arrows around him as he ran until he was out of sight.

Marianne lowered her sword and smiled brightly, "I feel as though my curse is lifted. Thank you all. I couldn't have done it myself. Without you all, I never would have found peace."

Hilda gave Marianne a big hug. Marianne smiled at Ignatz, and he blushed profusely.

Crestwood

"Pace yourself, Leonie," Edelgard said with a long-suffering sigh.

Leonie slammed her mug down, "Please, it's my first night out without a baby. Tonight, I'm pumping and dumping, and I intend to make the most of it!" Ashe poured her and Hapi another.

Edelgard sipped her rosé, and Byleth enjoyed a beer as they watched Hapi and Leonie down their second beers in seconds. Marianne hadn't touched her glass of chardonnay and instead stared intently at the tablecloth. Byleth hadn't met the other woman, Petra, before. She had beautiful braids and a purple tattoo under one eye. She laughed musically, "You both will suffer from the headache tomorrow if you do not slow down the drinking."

Hapi lamented, "Look at us, we're the hottest people here, but the only ones that are single. Look, even Cyril has a date." She pointed to a young man sitting with a wide-eyed girl that looked at him in adoration. "I guess he found out who had been sending him all those secret admirer letters. I told him those were from a serial killer. Guess I was wrong. Night's still young, though."

Byleth looked around and caught Ashe clearly checking out Hapi, but Hapi didn't seem to notice. At a nearby table, a short blue haired man was arm-wrestling a much larger man with a low-cut shirt. Their girlfriends, a woman with blonde curls and a woman with bright pink hair, cheered their men on enthusiastically. The other couple sitting with them, a purple-haired man, and an elegant brunette in scarlet, watched in bemusement. "That's Hilda and Caspar versus Constance and Balthus," Hapi explained. 'You've got to go to one of their parties some time. It's pure chaos. Gilbert has told them he won't send the fire department over there anymore, so they're on their own." Dedue walked over to the arm-wrestling table and put a stop to it. The chic couple mouthed a "thank you" to him while the other four pouted. "And that's Yuri and Dorothea, the ultimate power couple. They run the playhouse."

"I haven't met them yet," Byleth responded.

"They'll come to you when they want to meet."

Byleth recognized the paramedics sitting together at another table. "Now Catherine and Shamir - they are couple goals," Leonie explained. Been married for years. Total opposites but mess with one, and the other will end you,"

At another table, Flayn held hands with Ferdinand as he loudly regaled her on the differences between Southern Blend and Crescent Moon Teas. She seemed fascinated. Nearby Ashe brought Lysithea and Linhardt a small chocolate cake. Byleth watched Linhardt cut a piece for himself and then slide the rest of the cake to Lysithea. She beamed at him. "Maybe someone will love me enough to give me ¾ of a cake," Edelgard sighed.

The entire table turned and stared at Edelgard. "What?" she said.

"Edie, you are the one person at this table that has someone so in love with you that he would burn down an orphanage if you asked him to," Hapi replied.

Edelgard's face turned as red as her outfit. "Hubert? He's just a childhood friend. He doesn't think of me that way."

"I don't think Hapi said his name," Leonie laughed, and Edelgard turned even redder.

"Go easy on her," Byleth piped up. "Besides, just because he's in love with Edelgard doesn't mean that she has to feel the same way." Edelgard's eyes widened in fear, and she downed her glass of wine. "Oh my God, you feel the same way!" The entire table erupted in laughter.

Petra came to her defense, "Leave Edelgard alone. Let us talk about me for the moment. Will someone tell me why Claude will no longer pay the attention to me?"

This was even better. Byleth said, "You have a crush on Claude?"

"Yes! We used to do the archery together, and I thought he liked me. His cheeks get all red when I talk to him, but he never does the asking out. What am I doing wrong?"

"Sounds like he's too shy to ask," Edelgard offered, relieved for a change of subject.

"Oh, we can fix that," Byleth proclaimed. "He meddles in everyone else's business - we'll meddle in his love life. Don't worry your pretty self, Petra, I'll get to the bottom of this.

She turned to the quiet veterinarian to ask, "Hey Marianne, what about you? You're a successful vet, you must have guys after you." Marianne flinched, and Byleth realized that she had made a mistake.

Leonie said, "It's okay. Marianne had this guy named Moe that followed her around and wouldn't take no for an answer. Then he started nasty rumors about her. Felix, Ignatz and, I paid him a visit, and now he stays away from her. I think Hubert may have had a talk with him too. But Marianne, you can't let him control your future. Ignatz is head over heels for you, but he's never going to say anything. You should go to him. Take charge."

Marianne took a sip of wine and set it back down. "Oh no, I think I'll stick to talking to animals," she said quietly.

Byleth sighed as her cell phone rang. Speak of the devil, it was Hubert's neighbor, Ignatz. "Hello, Sheriff?" I think I made a mistake."

Byleth asked him to explain. "Well, I saw Moe heading towards the woods. I really hate that guy for what he did to Marianne, see. So, I told Hubert where I saw him. But now I'm worried what Hubert is going to do - "

"Tell me exactly what you told Hubert."

Garreg Mach, 1185

Ignatz took Marianne by the hand and led her outside. She was having a hard day. A soldier had yelled at her for making a mistake during training, and Ignatz had found her crying near the stables. To his excitement, she had taken his hand after he had offered it. He continued to lead her to a quiet spot just outside the monastery.

The sunset was beautiful, and the town glowed a warm red. Marianne's brown eyes lit up as she looked out over the view. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I saw it, and I just knew you would love it!"

Marianne was confused, "But why show me? You didn't need me here to enjoy it."

Ignatz looked back up at the sky, "Because I wanted to make you happy." He looked into her eyes.

Marianne looked back down at the ground, "Why are you looking at me? Did I say something wrong?"

Ignatz jumped, "No, that's not it at all! I just realized that I was missing something - something even more beautiful than the sunset. A remarkable beauty that's been in front of me the whole time.

Marianne tilted her head, "A remarkable beauty? Where? What are you talking about?"

Ignatz panicked, "Ack, no, nothing. Ignore me!"

Crestwood

Byleth hurried to the place where Ignatz had last spotted Moe: the trail leading to the woods. Why are there so much dark woods around here? She didn't know how she would be able to find two men in the dark like this. Fortunately for her, she could just follow the sounds of a grown man screaming for mercy. She followed the cries until she reached an abandoned cabin. Gun drawn, she kicked the door open and ordered Hubert to stop beating Moe French to a pulp.

She read Moe his rights and then let an annoyed Catherine and Shamir take him to the hospital. Hubert dusted himself off and prepared to leave, but Byleth blocked his path. "Good news, Hubert! You didn't break anything vital! You're a very lucky man," she sarcastically effused.

He put his coat on, "You have a funny definition of lucky, Ms. Eisner. But nice policework anyway. I'm still short an item, but at least that asshole knows not to steal from me anymore. Goodbye, we're done here."

He was shocked when Byleth shoved him into the wall and cuffed him, "Actually, we're not."

The spirit of Girls' Night was starting to fizzle out. They had run up a considerable tab, but the women were running out of conversation topics. Leonie sighed, "Damn, I thought this would get my mind off things, but it's just making me miss Lorenz more!"

As if on cue, Lorenz burst into the diner and rushed to Leonie's side, baby snuggled in a sling on his chest. He took her hands and knelt beside her. She asked him who was watching the bookstore, and he lamented, "Oh, Leonie, poetry night was a disaster. Claude found my secret stash of poetry, and he's been doing a "dramatic reading" of them all night. Manuela thought it was so funny that she joined him on stage and started singing them. That left Seteth all alone at his table, so he just drank up all the wine and started crying about how his little girl was going on dates and growing up too fast. Then he vomited on my Ficus! And the whole thing just makes me think about how you and Jeree are the only people that matter to me, and you're the only people that put up with me. So, I just had to come here and ask, Will you marry me?

Leonie happily accepted, and Lorenz pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and slid it onto her finger. Then they kissed while the entire diner burst into applause. Lorenz took her arm, "My lady, your carriage awaits!" They happily left together while Hapi rolled her eyes and ordered another round for her still single friends at the table.

Byleth sat contentedly at her desk while indulging in a pastrami sandwich. Hubert looked on in contempt from his cell. She moaned while eating and held the sandwich out to Hubert. Mouth full, she said, "Hubert, you sure you don't want any? I still owe you a favor, this could be a deliciously fatty way to settle our agreement."

Hubert sneered, "I don't need to be reminded of our agreement. When the day comes for me to collect, I promise you that I will expect much more than half a sandwich."

Byleth received a call that a kitten was trapped in a tree. Disappointed, she set her sandwich down. "There's a kitten that needs me. I'll be right back - please don't burn down the station."

"No promises," Hubert called out.

Ignatz tried to paint, but he couldn't concentrate. He kept glancing out the window to see if Hubert had returned home yet. Hopefully, he hadn't killed Moe. Even though Moe was an absolute garbage person. Still, Ignatz's conscience was heavy. There was a soft knock at his door, which made Ignatz jump. But surely, Hubert, Byleth, or Moe would never knock so delicately. He cracked the door open, and there stood Marianne.

He opened the door for her, and she quietly entered. "I apologize for interrupting you. I can come back another time." She started to leave, but Ignatz pleaded with her to stay. She squared her shoulders and looked him directly in the eye, "Thank you. You've always been so accepting of me. You've never rejected me for my flaws."

Ignatz stammered, "You're giving me way too much credit, Marianne. Your strength is your own. I'm the weak one. I really screwed up tonight. I told Hubert where Moe French was before I told Byleth. I hated what he did to you, so I thought that would make it right. I told Byleth so she could get him away from Hubert. Hopefully, it wasn't too late. I'm sorry."

Marianne just smiled, "I know you're a peaceful person, Ignatz. Even kind people make mistakes, but in the end, you tried to make it right. What I'm trying to say is - I'm trying to move forward, and I was wondering if we could go to dinner with each other tomorrow night?"

He was stunned by her question, "You still want to be around me after what I just told you?"

Her round eyes shown so brightly, "Let's support each other. That way, we'll both become stronger. How does that sound?"

Byleth drove to the location of the distressed kitten but found nothing. She looked around and heard footsteps. She turned and saw Dimitri with a bouquet of white roses. "Byleth? I'm so happy to run into you. Happy Garland Moon!"

She took the flowers and inhaled their scent. "Thanks, I'm still not sure what this holiday is of yours. But I'll take them." She gave him a kiss. They kissed a few more times until Byleth broke away, "You know, if you want to give me flowers, you don't have to make false police calls about kittens. You can just give them to me."

He looked confused, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean? I was driving to your apartment when I saw you wandering around."

They paused for a moment, but then resumed kissing.

Arundel walked triumphantly into the station. He took Byleth's chair and rolled it up to Hubert's cell, and sat down with a shit-eating grin on his face. Hubert gave him a slow clap, "Paying someone to rob me? Kittens in distress? You must have desperately wanted us to have a chat. I assume you have my last missing item."

Arundel laughed, "Yes, it was easy to get Moe to go along with it. He's broke, and he really hates you. You can have your little box back after you do one thing for me. Tell me your name."

Hubert's face remained impassive, "I'm just a small-town pawnbroker, Mr. Mayor. My entire time on earth, I've had the same name."

Arundel rose from his seat and leaned into the bars, "But what about time spent other places?"

Hubert stood and grabbed the bars of his cell. In a low voice, he asked, "What are you asking me, Volkhard?"

"I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours. You'll tell me your name."

Hubert took a deep breath and smiled, "Count Hubert von Vestra, Minister of the Imperial Household, and Lady Edelgard's Right Hand."

Arundel grinned and reached into his bag. "There, was that so hard? There's no need for such hostility between us. We're allies, remember? Here's your little trinket." He passed a small porcelain container with intricate designs through the bars to Hubert. Hubert snatched it away and returned to his seat.

He watched as Hubert clung to the box and burst out laughing, "You know, Hubert? Edelgard used to report that the Professor would spend countless hours returning lost things to you students. I thought it was so pathetic that she had the power to cut a mountain in half but chose to waste it trying to make friends with such pitiful creatures as yourself. Then, I thought I must have had it the worst of all – knowing that we were cursed to be here."

His laughter grew louder as he tried to continue speaking, "But you –choosing to spend your time here by collecting these same worthless items and pitifully hoping someone will buy one and remember who they are. You're the most wretched of them all, Hubert." His laughter was now a wheeze and he had to sit down to catch his breath.

Hubert looked up from the box and narrowed his eyes at the laughing man, "Thank you for the analysis, Lord Arundel. Now that we're being honest with each other, let's remember how things used to be, shall we? And don't let these bars fool you, milord. I'm the one with the power around here. I will be out of here in no time, and nothing will change between us."

Arundel waved goodbye, "We shall see, Count Vestra."