Falling.
Falling.
Warm.
Warm.
Comfy.
The overwhelming sleep that took over her body as she closed her heavy eyelids, that was what it felt like.
Fall.
Fall.
Warmth.
Nothingness.
"Please..."
A whisper so faint, you wouldn't be able to hear it if the darkness was not so still and silent. Only that whisper so, so, faint, could be heard.
"Who..."
She whispered as she felt the grogginess from her body begin to go away. She can tell she was still falling but it felt more like floating. This time, the heaviness of her eyes was almost gone and this time she was able to open her eyes a bit. She saw what seemed to be a small sphere of light floating to her till it was only a few inches away from her chest. The small spark glowed, and it showed the outline of someone. She could tell it was female though they were seen through. The female outline was talking, and she could barely even make out what it was saying.
"Can't-alone-don't-please-sorry-thank-you-"
That was all she could hear till the female outline smiled softly and intertwined her hands with hers. A warm feeling filled her body as the outline disappearing into a glowing shower of green dust. It surrounded her till it seemed to be absorbed into her. Her strength was returning, almost as if she was healthy again.
Floating, floating.
Softly, she felt her feet gently touch some type floor. Cold it felt. Like stone.
"Hmmm...where...?" She muttered as she carefully opened her eyes to look at her surroundings.
She blinked as she kept looking around. She spun a bit to have a better look of her surroundings. A blue and green colored stone floor she saw as her eyes travelled through the room. Two tall torches with burning blue flames stood on the right and left of stairs. The stairs were tall, it reminded her of the stairs of a Aztec Pyramid. The glowing light of the blue flames gave the place a majestic feeling, almost divine.
"Zzzzz..."
She blinked as she walked towards the stairs she saw. Carefully, she took a step on them and the flames seemed to glow a bit brighter. She heard the soft snoring and began to climb up the stairs, towards the snoring. Up she walked the stairs, the snoring becoming clearer, she could tell it belong to a female, perhaps a child. A few more seconds of climbing and she reached the top. Before her eyes, was a huge throne made of stone. On it, was a symbol that looked familiar. Her eyes travelled down to a sleeping figure on the throne. A young girl with dark green colored hair, slight peach skin, pointed ears, and wearing a strange foreign dress. Through her mind, "she looked adorable" Arisa was thinking. The girl began to stir a bit and lightly opened her eyes, but not fully. She blinked a but still yawned into her hands and her eyes locked with hers.
"Hmmm...Oh...my. What could have...yaawwnn..brought you here? I wonder how you got here...yaawwn." She woke up and rubbed her eyes, yawning. She stretched her arms and Arisa couldn't help but chuckle. The feeling of familiarity was beginning to fill Arisa as she look a closer look at this girl. A few thoughts were going through her head.
"What's so funny?" The girl asked with a bit of a halty voice.
"Sorry, but you honestly looked cute right now." Arisa said.
She looks familiar. Where have had she seen her?
"How rude! You dare call me cute, especially when we do not know each other what's more, I know you are supposed to be down there! It is a most rude to interrupt a moment of repose! Very rude indeed!" She said as she pointed back down the stairs.
The sight almost reminded Arisa of an angry child who almost wanted to throw a tantrum.
"Ahh, forgive me my lady but even I do not know where I am. If it be alright, care to enlighten me?" She smiled kindly.
"I wanna scold her." Were the older woman's thoughts.
Similar when she would scold her baby brother.
"At least you have manners. Very well, what is your name?" The young girl asked her.
"My name is Arisa Hernandez. I'm a professor. Well, former professor..." Arisa whispered that last part.
"I see." The girl for some reason looked at her sadly. "Honestly, I can never get used to the strange sounds of human names. You must have a day if birth as well. Beneath which moon and what day were you born into this world?" The girl asked.
This is really starting to feel extremely familiar. But the terms "Moon", did confuse her. Usually it's another term used for months.
"Moon...hmmm...August 23. So...Verdant Rain Moon, I believe." Arisa said a little bit unsure.
The girl smiled. Why did she say that...? Moons...? Wait...a...
"Well wonders never cease! We share our month of birth! Though we are only 3 days apart from our day of birth. How strange!" The girl said with a warm smile.
Arisa smiled to her sadly. She then noticed the girl began yawning again.
"Hmmm. It all feels so..familiar. I think it may be time for another nap..yaaawwwwnnn..." she yawned and leaned into her throne.
She curled up in a small ball as if she was wrapping herself in a warm blanket to protect her from the cold.
"Alright, I'll be going now my lady. Have a good night's sleep." Arisa spoke softly and unconsciously patted her head.
She felt the girl was surprised at her doing this. Arisa always did this to her younger and even older siblings for them to feel safe.
"It's a warm touch...yawwn...I'll allow it..." she said and the girl fell asleep with a peaceful smile on her lips.
Arisa sighed. All this feels too familiar. Slowly, the light in the room turned dark, and so did her vision. It felt like she was floating again. The place was dark, it didn't feel suffocating like the hospital rooms. This darkness felt warm, almost as if someone was protecting her.
She didn't know better. She honestly didn't. All she could remember was that she had this overwhelming feeling to sleep. Her body and mind felt like it was falling, but it wasn't one that would scare the life out of you. It felt like a gentle fall. Like when a leaf falls off a tree and gently land to ground. But...she remembers one wish she had.
"Just a little longer."
She whispered to herself as she had closed her eyes at that time.
"Just hold on a little longer
Even when we're hurting I still want you
And if you walk out that door you know it's over
Can't we just hold on a little longer?
A little longer"
She heard a soft female voice singing.
"Theresa?" Arisa whispered then she saw a small flicker of light and felt it getting closer and brighter.
She used her arms to shield herself from the blinding light. Now, it was gone.
- Waking up: Sun Kiss Confusion and Panic -
The sounds of birds chirping she could barely make out. Her body felt heavy, and she hissed as she felt a sharp pain in her chest.
"I swear if I needed another heart surgery..." she inwardly cursed.
Her eyelids she could barely opened, and she hissed once again as light entered her vision and it blinded her for a moment. She forced herself to sit up and coughed a bit. She always did it since it was usually required when bed ridden people must stay in hospitals for days, months or even years. The purpose was to keep her lungs from shriveling like a plant. Her vision was now becoming much clearer and she felt her hair was...short. She coughed again and like usual, was expecting the taste of iron in her mouth but instead, it was the bitter taste of herbs?
"Wha...?" With a groggy vision, it didn't register to her yet that her hair was a different color, almost...teal.
She shook her head a bit and this time her vision was much clearer. She blinked. And she blinked again. She blinked multiple times as she looked around the room, she was in. The room was like a cabin. Inside were a few shelves, a table with medical supplies it seems. On the wall to the left, was a simple small desk with a few opened books and a paper on it. She saw the chair had a green colored cloak hanging on it. Seems to be the size for the child. Once again, she heard birds chirping and turned to the source.
"Tssskkk!" She said between her teeth as she used her right arm to protect herself from the light that hit her face.
"Sunlight?" She said and her vision now fully adjusted.
She blinked as she noticed the window with brown curtains opened. The sun's rays were touching her warmly, hugging her like a warm blanket. Her eyes slowly went wide as she noticed the green forest outside the window.
Forest...
Forest...
FOREST?! WASN'T SHE SUPPOSED TO BE IN A HOSPITAL ROOM?!
Did the doctors do a blood transfusion on her and cured her?! Or did she manage to get naturally better?! Did she get kidnapped in the process and sent to an inn? The girl jumped out of bed, not caring how heavy her body felt and the sudden surge of energy she had, but ended up tripping because the blanket ended tangling around her legs.
"Kyyaaa!" Arisa yelled out and winced as she felt a painful shock through her body.
She looked down to her chest (which was flat?!) and it was wrapped in bandages. It was bit bloody but not so much that she was bleeding out. She noticed her sight was very much better and far clearer than usual. Her voice sounded so much younger and then noticed a single strand of teal colored hair. She frantically began to look around and noticed more things in the room she was in. The walls were not the sickly white but a dark color brown with a few things hung on them. Almost like a living room. The blankets of the bed she was on were not blue or white, but a forest color fur blanket that was soft and warm to the touch. The bed sheets were still white though. The bed was made of wood and she could tell it was hand carved.
She quickly began to look around frantically for a mirror and found a small one next to the chair of the desk. She ran to it and with shaky hands grabbed it.
"Wha...wha...wha..." she a shaky small hand, she touched her cheek, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"What...que es esto?!" Arisa screeched so loudly that a crack formed on the mirror as she looked at her own reflection.
Or should she say, someone else. With eyes the color of emeralds, her skin was a slight light peach color with rosy warm cheeks, her hair was to her shoulders, but the color was teal. Her hair was a dark color brown, not teal. Not teal. It should not be teal! Her body was much, much smaller, that of a child.
"This better be a prank...this better be a prank...this better be a prank..." her voice became shaky as it was finally beginning to register what had just happened to her.
"...how...Aahhh!" Arisa suddenly screamed out as shock of pain went through her head as flood of memories entered her vision.
"Stop! It hurts! It hurts!" She cried as she screamed and collapsed to the floor.
These weren't her memories, but of the person she had now become. She could hear yelling that sounded worried, but it was in a completely foreign language she did not understand. It was not Spanish (her native tongue), nor English, nor Japanese, French, Portuguese, or even Hmong language. Finally, when the voices were near, there was a click in her mind that made her freeze. She could now understand it. Her blood ran cold as she understood the name that was yelled out. Her mind was still processing everything at a rapid pace.
"Byleth are you alright?!"
The door to "her" room slammed opened, and she saw a big muscular man in armor, was panting and next to him a younger woman? dressed in what seemed clothing of a mage. Arisa was crying and was a sobbing mess. She was still in pain and hugging herself as she looked up at the two. She was shaking and terrified. Her eyes were filled with tears as she finally fully understood where she was and who she was now. The individuals were very surprised to see her or should she say, Byleth, crying. The memories Arisa saw were painful. All Byleth's memories had become hers and merged with her own. It hurt. The sudden surge of memories was a painful process. The stress was so much that she felt herself black out again and that man, who she knew was Jeralt. Byleth's father. The last thing she heard was him and the mage running over to her worried and yelling out Byleth's name.
[-]
"Florencio, get Sandy immediately! Byleth, stay with us!" Jeralt yelled out as he quickly picked up his daughter.
Her fever was high, and her eyes were red. There were tear stains on her cheeks and a few were still fresh.
"I'm going! SANDY, WE NEED THE MEDICINE NOOOOWWWWWW!" The magician named Florencio yelled out in a panic and dashed through the door.
Jeralt turned to his daughter, worried and quickly put her back on her bed and wrapped the blanket around her. Her fever was high and she was panting rapidly. He heard running footsteps and next to Florencio, was a woman dressed as Fodlan dancer. She had tan skin, dark black hair tied in a bun, and her silver eyes were wide with worry.
"I brought the medicine! I need you all to get out now! Florencio, assist me!" She yelled out to the magician next to her.
He wore a female purple colored dress with a what seemed to be some type of witch hat he wore. On it, were multiple colored flowers. His long hair was loose with his bangs braided. His skin was also than that match his right silver eye and purple left eye.
"Jeralt, we need you to step out. I promise Byleth is safe with us." Sandy said and closed the door.
Florencio summon his grimoire and chanted a spell as multiple stones came out and circled around Byleth's bed. He began chanting a spell as the small stones began to glow a warm green and blue color. Sandy began opening a small bottle with a purple colored cream and began to undo the bandages around the child's chest. The older woman then noticed the mirror on the floor, it was cracked. Her eyes narrowed at it. A mirror is said to show the reflection of the soul. And if cracked, it can damage it or trap the soul inside.
She shook her head and finished removing the bandages and placing the purple colored cream on the girl's chest.
"If ta efu, rah hagta me. Ifte sho, urganake." She chanted along with Florencio.
The stone glowed a bit brighter and the cream also glowed. It turned to dust and was absorbed by the girl. She began to breathe normally again and the wound on her chest was no longer bleeding but healing slowly now. The two adults sighed in relief as the girl was now sleeping soundly and fever was now low. They heard a knock and Florencio opened the door, to see it was Jeralt.
"How is she?" He asked.
"She's feeling better now Jeralt. Byleth a strong girl." Florencio smiled to him worried.
"Oh thank Sothis..." he breath out and the man let him in.
Sandy smiled to him as she was done with putting new bandages back on the girl and her night gown back on. Jeralt got the chair next to the desk and sat next to his daughter's bed.
"I thought I was going to lose her..." he muttered and the two smiled sadly.
"We all did Jeralt. We all took care of those bandits and the leader has been executed by you. Florencio and I have placed a barrier around the village, and we'll be on high alert if bandits try to come back." Sandy said and he nodded.
"Hmmm..."
Everyone turned as they saw the girl stir a bit and opened her eyes a bit.
"Go back to sleep my lady. You need to rest." Florencio said as he walked over to her.
Byleth lightly reached out her hand and Jeralt gently held it. He really thought he lost her.
"Pa...pa..." she muttered.
Everyone's eyes went wide, and the girl had fallen back to a deep sleep thanks to the sleeping spell Florencio used.
"D-Did she just...?!" The magician stuttered as he looked back and forth between the father and daughter.
Jeralt was still processing hearing that and somehow, he felt a form of pride because that was the first time his daughter has ever called him that. It was usually "Father."
"Okay, stop that smug look on your face." Sandy called Jeralt out.
"Cough. Sorry." The man cough.
"But still, Sandy if you were the one to come in, I think you would be surprised by what we saw." Florencio said as he got a chair and sat next to her.
"Wait, what happened to Lady Byleth when you two came in?" She said.
"She was crying. Shaking, sobbing, screaming. We have never heard so much emotion come from her. And honestly...it's not how we wanted to see her Express her emotions first." Jeralt said as he looked over to his sleeping daughter.
"What?! Are you serious?! You're not lying right?! Especially with whatever...that woman did to her when she was an infant!" Sandy said.
"Sister, if we were lying, I think we wouldn't be hearing her say "Papa." Right now." Florencio said back.
Sandy was still in shock and looked over to the girl.
"Sigh...never mind..I guess you are right. For now, it's better we go and get our job done. It is early in the morning. If she is awake during lunch, I'll bring her my famous chicken stew." Sandy grinned proudly at the talk of her stew.
"Thank you, you two. Really." Jeralt said and the two nodded.
The three stood up and began to leave the room. Jeralt looked over to his daughter one last time, beyond grateful that she is alive and well.
- 4 hours later: Lunch time -
Silence filled her room as she sat up and stared at the wall. Her eyes were beginning to fill with tears again as she finally broke down and cried. She remembered everything from her previous life, and it hurt. She died in her sleep. She whispered, "just a little longer." She died alone in that damn hospital room. She was more than happy looking forth to her 26th birthday, so she would celebrate it with all her friends and family. Especially with her little brother and her best friend. Gone, it was all gone. She wasn't even able to say goodbye to them, only through the letter she wrote. She hated it, she hated it. If she could go back in time, she would and at least tell them goodbye before she was completely gone. Especially Theresa and Christian. The dream she had of meeting Sothis was very much real, and she now understood that the female outline that she saw was Byleth's, the female version. Arisa just cried. She didn't know how to feel. To suddenly be in a body not your own. It felt...it felt so strange...
She gasped when she heard footsteps approaching the room and quickly laid back down on her bed with the blanket over herself, pretending to be asleep. The door opened and it was the woman she heard called Sandy, before she had passed out.
"Sigh...she's still asleep. I'll just leave her lunch here on the table. Thankfully the heat rocks will keep your food warm Byleth." Sandy smiled warmly as she placed the tray of food on the table next to her bed.
"No...no...my name isn't Byleth. It's Arisa." Arisa thought and felt the woman's hand on her arm.
"Get rest dear. I know you're stubborn and strong like your father." She lightly patted her head.
The feeling reminded her of her mother.
"I'll be going now Byleth. Need to teach those newbies a lesson in today's training." The woman chuckled and left.
Once she heard the door closed and made sure she was gone, Arisa sat up and stared at the door, unsure of what to think. This was still too much for her and she then turned to the table where the food was. There was a medium size bowl filled with chicken stew. A small plate with butter and cooked vegetables, along with another plate with a chocolate cake and a warm cup of milk.
"Sniff...hmmmm..." she hummed at the delicious scent and carefully sat back up and got off her bed.
She walked over to the table and sat down on the chair. She stared at it, unsure if she should eat it.
Her diet in the hospital was heavily restricted when she was there and to the point she has almost forgotten what sweet, salty, spicy, savory, sour, how regular food tasted like. The hospital food was always so bland that it became something normal to her. She took a deep breath and with a shaky hand, picked up the wooden spoon. She took a spoon full of the broth and put in her mouth with eyes shut.
"Hmmmm!" Her eyes went wide at the explosion of flavors in her mouth to the point she began crying again.
How many years has it been since she tasted food like this? How long has it been since she was able to eat like a regular human?
"Ouch! My tongue!" She accidentally burned herself but didn't care.
She began to devour the stew as if she had never eaten before in her life. She grabbed a cup of milk and took a big gulp of it. Once again, she squealed as the creamy taste of milk hit her tongue and the sweet taste honey? She thought. She got her fork and stabbed into a carrot and took a bite out of it. Once again, she was squealing mess as she ate her dinner. In a couple more minutes, she was completely done with her milk, vegetables and chicken stew.
"Sighhhh..." she let go of a long and happy sigh as she relaxed after eating that meal.
She looked over to the cake and grabbed the fork and used it to cut a small piece off it. Take that piece to her mouth, she squealed loudly as the taste of chocolate filled her mouth.
"How long has it been since I actually had something so sweet and delicious?!" Arisa thought as she began eating her cake, but this time at a much slower pace.
She did not want to throw up this delicious meal. After 20 minutes of relaxing when she finished her cake, Arisa sighed as she looked around the room. It felt...forien.
"I need sleep..." Arisa muttered and walked back to her bed and plopped into her bed. She needed this...why is she here...? Did she accidentally take over Byleth's body?
- Dream -
Floating, floating
Falling, falling, falling.
That was what it felt. Her body felt light as a feather as she gently floated down to the stone floor once again. It was the same room that Sothis was in, but this time, the torches had green colored flames. She looked at the stairs and saw the throne, but it was empty. Sothis was not there, but...
"Thank goodness! I'm so happy!
Arisa's eyes went wide as she saw the dark green haired child run down the stairs and to her.
"I'm sorry! But I don't have much time. I don't...I can't leave my father alone like this. Please don't be angry with me. please...I'm sorry..." the child said.
Though their face could not show emotions, their voice did. Arisa smiled sadly and got down on one knee, so she could be at their eye level.
"Was it you who I heard?" She asked.
The child nodded.
"I didn't survive...but...I don't want my father to be left alone. So please..." they said.
Arisa smiled sadly and held their hands.
"I lost a lot. I can't say goodbye to my old family, but...you chose to help me...so...I'll help you Byleth." Arisa smiled sadly to the child in front of her who nodded.
"Thank you...thank you..." Byleth smiled sadly to her and she hugged the child tightly in her arms as they disappeared in a shower of green flower petals.
"My memories...keep them...live a healthy life. Explore the world...thank you.."
- Later at night -
Waking up from the dream, Arisa was once again crying but smiled sadly and nodded.
"I will...thank you..." she whispered and wiped her tears away.
It's been a few hours since that disasters wake up call. From the surge of memories Arisa got, and the dream she had after eating, it was like a slap to the face multiple times.
"I won't survive..but...I don't my father to be alone..so please...can you help him?"
How could she say no to a soul of a child? Despite Byleth being emotionless during her years before the monastery, even such a plea, held sadness and love for her father. Even if it was a small smile, how could she say no? It will take time for Arisa to adjust to this new life. Who knows how long it will take?
She sighed once again and looked at the bandages wrapped around her chest. Byleth reacted when her father and his group of fellow mercenaries and merchants were attacked by a group of bandits. She jumped in front of her father right when one of thieves charged at him. The sword had gone right through the heart. Such a blow should have killed her instantly, but Arisa is guessing, this forcefully caused Sothis to awaken and use a time pulse so the attack wouldn't go through the heart, but at most, managed to get slashed instead. The cut was still fatal but enough to miss the heart.
"Ouch!" She winced again.
Byleth didn't survive the attack but her will to save her father, and not leave him alone, led to her being here. Arisa was guessing, also assuming her soul was compatible with her body. The number one requirement when a body needs a soul is that they are compatible. Their waves need to match and at most, their personalities. At least like their personalities or somewhat opposite of each other.
"Tch." She bit her lip a bit.
A habit she had when she unsure or nervous of something or someone. She questioned how Byleth and her were compatible but then again...at some point in her life she was very much emotionless.
Knock, knock.
"Come in." She said once she heard the knock on the door to her room.
It felt strange. It still didn't feel real. Almost as if she was in some prank show. But reality can really be a bitch when it wants to.
"Hey kiddo, are you feeling better? You gave everyone a scare." Jeralt said to her worried.
Arisa was silent as she stared at him as he came in.
"Oh, lady Byleth, thank goodness you're alright!" She heard the young Male magician from earlier behind him.
She was still quite cautious of them but chose to take it slowly. She smiled sadly to them.
"I'm okay Papa. I swear this cut is nothing." She said a bit too confidently.
Jeralt turned to stone as well as the magician. That's when it clicked to her that Byleth never smiled and what's more always address Jeralt as "Father". Also, her own habit of calling my own past father, "Papa" came through. She looked down to her hand, embarrassed that she let that side of her show. Her cheeks had turned a bright rosy pink.
"Ummm...I mean...I'm okay father!" She stuttered as she turned to look back at the two.
No Byleth doesn't stutter! Before she knew it, the magician ran to her and quickly placed a hand on her head.
"You're not running a fever! Are you sure Jeralt that she didn't hit her head?!" He said and kept checking her.
Okay, this seriously felt out of her comfort zone.
"Mmouuu! Cut it out! I'm perfectly fine thank you very much! Hmph!" Arisa snapped back a bit harshly and turned away from him and pouted.
She crossed my arms and just turned away. It was something she usually only did with her baby brother.
"Aaahh! This the first time we seen you pout! At this rate, if you keep making those cute expressions, all the boys are going to ask for your hand in marriage." The magician gushed.
Arisa's ear perked up a bit and raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not ready for a husband." She said and the magician chuckled.
That made Jeralt snap out of it and glare at him.
"She is in no way getting married." He said.
"Ahhhh...I mean..." the poor magician shrunk away.
Arisa couldn't help but giggle. This reminded her of when her uncle and father were arguing over her older sister's wedding dress.
"It's okay father! And it's okay umm...who are you again?" And with that, the poor magician fell to the floor as if he was stabbed by arrows.
Arisa searched through Byleth's memories again and the name Florencio showed up.
A booming laughter filled the room and she turned towards the direction of her "father" who was laughing and holding his stomach. He looked up to them and smiled. He walked towards the bed and ruffled her hair. She blinked like an owl and looked up to him, confused. Honestly, she really is confused. The hair ruffle was something her dad did to her, and she got the habit to do that also.
"I'm just glad you're alright. This is honestly the first time we have seen you express so much emotion. I can't help but be happy seeing this." He said.
"I see...he's happy. It was only for a moment, but I felt my heart beating, despite the Crest of Flames being there." She thought and smiled to him warmly.
"I'm sorry I caused you to worry father. I really am. But, seeing you nearly get stabbed, I guess it's only natural for family to protect each other." She said.
And it's true. That was part of her culture. The bonds of family were stronger than steel.
The two were shocked to silent but a smile slowly crept onto Jeralt's face. He ruffled her hair and she once again blinked like an owl but giggled.
"Thank you, kiddo. But don't ever do that again. But, I'm proud of you. I'm sure you'll be an amazing mercenary one day." He said.
Father scolding their daughter.
"By the way Lady Byleth, how are your wounds?" The magician asked.
Arisa touched her chest and felt the pain going away. Seems the medicine was working.
"Umm...Florencio, right?" She cringed at how she asked that.
"Yes! Finally, someone got my name right!" The magician now known as Florencio cheered.
"Cut it out. You're going to make my ears burst." Jeralt said, with a bit of annoyance.
"I'm alright Florencio. These wounds should heal in a week, right?" She said.
"They should. But I swear, the human body is so complicated. Magic at most heals the physical part of humans like closing wounds, physical pain. International part of a human is a completely different story. Luckily you don't have internal bleeding. Out of safety measures, it's better to rest and not move around so much." He said.
If she remembered correctly, there was no Florencio nor Sandy in the game. She is guessing they were one of the many NPCS in the game.
"I'm going to go get Sandy to come change your bandages. We'll be back in a bit." He said and walked towards the door but stopped.
"Byleth, I'm glad you're okay." He smiled at her and then left, gently closing the door.
Jeralr turned to her and ruffled her hair.
"I got to go finish some papers for the next job. For a 4-year-old, you're pretty brave." He said and she giggled lightly.
"So Byleth is 4 years old then..." she mentally thought and smiled to him.
"I'll be okay father. You go finish your work! Gambatte!" She gave him a peace sign.
"Gam-ba-te?" He was confused.
Shit! There goes her weeb side!
"It means good luck! I overheard one of the kids in the village say it!" She said quickly.
"I see. Well, get some rest. Sandy will bring you your food later tonight. Take care Byleth." He smiled and about to leave but stopped.
He scratched his cheek a bit.
"Also, I don't mind if you call me Dad or Papa.." he said and coughed.
...
Oh my.
"Alright. Take care Papa!" She gave him the biggest grin.
She swears she can feel flowers surrounding her. Jeralt seemed very happy as he left.
Ha. So, her "daddy's little girl" side came out...? Bloody hell..
[-]
Arisa was looking through one of the books that she had gotten from the shelf. She frowned as she opened it. If it wasn't for Byleth's memories, she would have absolutely no clue how to read this damn thing. Luckily the language was a bit like English and the characters used were a bit similar to Japanese characters. She still couldn't read it properly, but she could understand a fair amount. She heard a knock on her door, and it opened. In came in the woman Sandy, with a tray of food.
"Thank goodness! You seem so much better!" Sandy smiled at her as she walked to the table with the tray of food.
"Hmm! I'm surprised you finished your plates clean!" The older woman said as she placed the new tray down and picked up the other tray to take back to get the plates cleaned.
"The food was absolutely delicious. How could I not leave my plates clean?" Arisa said as she walked over to the table and sat down.
Sandy giggle and ruffled the girl's hair. Arisa smiled to her kindly and Sandy looked her surprised but quickly recomposed herself. This was the first time she had seen the girl smiles, it completely caught her off guard.
"Is that so? Well, I think you'll love today's dinner. Your father hunted a nice big dear with the gang today so for tonight, we are having dear stake! I also made some mushroom soup and your typical cooked vegetables. You can't exactly drink wine yet, but I brought you apple cider." Sandy smiled to.
"I'm excited! It's been a while since we had deer steak!" Arise grinned as she clapped her hands a bit excitedly.
Each happy emotion was throwing Sandy off. The girl's speech had even changed a bit and all the smiling was just new. The feeling of the pure joy of food was in the girl's eyes.
"Let me go get my tray quickly. Your father and Florencio are going to eat their food in their offices tonight. Your father has been getting a lot of new requests and Florencio is trying to strike a deal for trading route for transporting medical herbs. I'll be back in a bit." Sandy smiled as she stood up and walked out of the room.
Closing the door behind her, the woman took a deeeeeeeepppp breath that she didn't even know she was holding. Every smile and movement of joy Lady Byleth was doing was so much. Her lip was twitching, and her eyes held this overwhelming look of joy.
"I want to dress her up in a cute dress..." Sandy hummed as she walked back to the kitchen with the tray of empty plates.
After a few minutes, she returned with her tray and floating behind her was a tray filled with a different variety of pastries and sweets.
"Sorry I am a bit late. Needed to get these?" She hummed.
Arisa's eyes sparkled at the sight of all the sweets. Oh, she was going to tr- and she spotted cheesecake. Hell no. One thing she absolutely refused to eat, even when she got healthy in her old life, was cheesecake.
"What's with the sudden grimace?" Sandy said as she put her tray down along with the sweets.
They were placed at the center of the table.
"Sorry...it's just...I don't like cheese cake..." Arisa said a bit nervous.
Sandy face palms, just barely remembering that Lady Byleth hated cheesecake.
"It's alright Lady Byleth. I'll save this for your father. He does like eating this." She said.
Arisa nodded and took her knife and fork and began cutting into the stake piece. She didn't notice that Sandy was staring at her hands as she used the utensils for her food.
"Since when...?" Sandy thought as she saw the Lady properly use her utensils and take a bite of her stake.
Jeralt and Florencio didn't teach her that. Neither did she.
"Was it one of the ladies in the clothing shop?" She thought to herself and turned when she heard Byleth squeal as she chewed her food.
"It's so good! The meat is salty but not so much that it overpowers the taste of the other herbs used! It's juicy and the vegetables match it perfectly! Even the mushroom stew gives it more to its natural earthy flavor! This is heaven!" Arisa squealed as she continued to eat.
This was absolutely heaven. It had been years since she ate a proper dinner like this! All those years in the hospital had nearly numbed her sense of taste. Sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste, to have it all back...it was truly a blessing. Sandy stared at her with wide eyes. She...Byleth looked just like her mother when she would eat food. Sandy smiled sadly and patted the girls head. Arisa blinked and looked over to the woman who had a kind gentle warm smile.
"I'm glad you love it." Sandy smiles to her warmly.
Arisa nodded and the two women continued to get their food. After they finished, they waited around 10 minutes before they set their sights on the sweets. If a camera exists in this world, Sandy would have been talking hundreds of pictures of Arisa's smiling face and squeals as she watched her try the different pastries. Arisa absolutely loved the tea flavored ones.
- The Two Days Later -
"Hmm...your fever has gone down and seems your strength has returned. Luckily it's still summer so don't have to worry about a cold." Florencio said as he was checking her temperature.
"Wait, it's summer? I thought it was spring..." Arisa thought to herself.
Maybe she thought it was spring because she was used to damn heat in California. At least it wasn't as bad as Texas or Arizona. Gah, worse in Japan! Especially during rainy seasons! Sandy had already come early in the morning to change her bandages.
"Am I allowed to walk around the village then?" She asked.
She was getting used to being called Byleth despite her name is Arisa. Also, finding out that it has only been 4 years since Jeralt left the Monastery and didn't settle with her. She wanted to find out more. She wanted to know more than what the game let on.
"Huh? Oh, of course. You have enough of your strength back. Just don't move around so much. The wounds are still closing, and we don't want them to reopen." He said as he put away the medicine, he gave her.
"At least this is better than a pile of bloody pills every day." Arisa thought to herself as he handed her a cup filled with a green liquid.
She gulped it down in one go, making the man's eyes go wide.
"Ugghhh!" She grimaced at the bitter taste.
Florencio chuckled a bit and handed her a cup of water, which she gladly gulped down.
"I got to go back to the medical shop for the new stock today. Also, your father had some new clothing ordered for you since...your previous one had to be cut down." He said that last part a bit silent.
She knew what he meant. The day of the assault, they had to cut open Byleth's clothing she was wearing to treat the fatal wound.
"You remember where the shop is?" Florencio asked and she nodded.
"Near...the bookstore right?" She said and he nodded.
"Yup. Take care Lady Byleth. I'll see you later today." He said and left.
Arisa waves goodbye and the door closed. She sighed and went to her closet. She raised an eyebrow as she saw the clothing there was. Mostly shorts and white button up shirts with long sleeves. Part of her was hoping there a black dress. Despite her being a bit of a tomboy, she still liked wearing feminine clothing. She shrugged and put the clothing on, brushed her hair and put it in a high bun.
"Having short hair is going to take a while to get used to... plus it's mostly straight..." she muttered as she looked at her teal colored hair through the big mirror on the wall.
Her hair was originally curly and a hassle to work with. She would just wake up, brush her damn hair like it was some damn mop, and put it in a ponytail and left for work. It wasn't till Theresa began treating her hair using natural things like honey, avocado, coconut oil and castor oil that her hair had become healthier, smoother, and straighter.
She finished her bang so it can partly hang loose on the right side of her face.
"Hmmm. Not bad." She muttered as she looked at herself and did a quick twirl.
She nodded, grabbed the green cloak, put it on, got on her boots and headed out to the village.
- Village-
She couldn't help but have small skips in her steps as she walked down the pathway of the village. Walking down the pathway, feeling the sunlight on her skin. The sun felt warm instead of it wanting to burn off your skin. She didn't cough blood or vomit when she wanted to move around. Everything still just felt so unreal. Even walking around like this felt like a dream. After a couple more minutes, she arrived at the shop.
The doorbell rang as she opened the door and suddenly heard a loud squeal. Before she knew it, she is being hugged tightly by no other than Sandy.
"Good you came!" Sandy was a squealing mess as she looked at her with a flushed face and a bit of drool on her lips.
A feeling of dread was beginning to fill her, and she slowly backed away. Every muscle memory in Byleth's body was telling her to run as Sandy's smile was turning to a crazy one. She also noticed that female shop owners that wore glasses had a wide smile with a terrifying gleam on their glasses. Even the men were terrified, and she heard a few of them begin praying for her.
"Umm...I got to go..." Arisa said and began to back away.
The woman smiled and began to get closer to her. Compare to Byleth, who most likely just had a blank face, for her, she was terrified.
"NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Bubump.
Emerald eyes snapped open from their slumber and unconscious used a time pulse, saving the girl from the hands of the women who wanted to dress her up. Sothis too screamed at the same time as Arisa when the hands of the women were trying to get her. Time stopped for a few seconds and reversed back, enough for Arisa to choose not to go into the clothing store and make a run for it.
"Oh goodness that was terrifying!" Sothis said as she saw through the girl's eyes that she had safely escaped.
She hummed and noticed the girl was now happy. Yeah, for she will use this power of hers to help her.
"Hmm...I shall watch what she does before I manifest myself before her again."
Chapter 1: Clear Clouds: Part 1: Taking Small Steps