Chapter 3: Belonging
It has been a few weeks in the academy, the twins are still adjusting to their new way of life. "Thank you two for making time off your busy schedule," Hanneman said.
"It is not a problem," Byleth said. "I just gave my class an assignment while I am out."
"I already finished with my assignment so there is nothing to worry about," Byra said.
"Wonderful, there is a device I designed to determine whether the power of the Crest resides within you both. Usually, one twin is fortunate to have a Crest while the other does not. It is a rare case if both of you process the power of the Crest." Hanneman explained. "Anyway, the device won't hurt you, I promise."
"What is a Crest?" The twins both said. Hanneman was shocked by their question.
"You both do not know about Crest? Well, allow me to tell you both everything, absolutely everything about them. Is your calendar clear because it is going to take a while?" Hanneman said.
I regret asking the question then.
Same here.
The crest is a fascinating topic and just to keep it simple, Crests are power incarnate. They are said to have been bestowed upon humans by goddesses countless ages ago. They exist within the flesh and passed down through bloodlines." Hanneman said. "Those who carry Crests may excel in magic, display exceptional strength or number of boons."
Brother, do you think we carry a Crest?
I do not know Sis, but it sounds kinda interesting.
"Each Crest has its power, the nature of which is beyond mortal understanding for now," Hanneman said.
"And you believe that one of us might have a crest?" Byra asked.
"Yes, but we do not know for sure unless I look into the matter," Hanneman replied. "Your ancestors might have a crest and you happen to inherit it. But keep in mind that someone who has a crest does not particularly mean that their offspring will inherit it."
"Do what you can to find out please?" Byra said.
"We are interested if one of us does have a crest," Byleth said.
"Yes, of course. I'll get to the bottom of it straight away." Hanneman said happily. "Now then, please go ahead and hold out your arm over the device. Both of you please." The twins did what they were told and Hanneman was shocked by what he saw. "What is this? A pattern I have never seen before and you both have it. Is it possible that I made a discovery? An undiscovered crest?"
"So we both have a crest?" Byra asked.
"Yes, you both have the same crest. To think that there are still Crests out there that even I am not aware of." Hanneman said. "How thrilling!"
"You mentioned that it is also rare for both twins to have crests," Byleth said.
"Yes, you two are the first set of twins that I ever encountered that inherit crests," Hanneman said. "Very interesting, anyway, thank you for your time and you both can leave now."
"Come on Byra, we have to get back to class," Byleth said.
"Yes, professor." She replied. They both walk out the door. "Hey, professor…"
"Byra, we are alone. You can call me by my name." Byleth said.
"I know but the professor suits you. You surprise me though, you are such a good teacher." She said.
"I am more surprised that you wanted to be a student instead of a professor," Byleth said.
"Are you mad?" She asked.
"Not at you. I am only mad at myself that I did not come up with that idea in the first place." Byleth said, patting her head. "Just know that I am not going to go easy on you just because you are my sister."
"No one told you to," Byra said. "I am very capable of being a dedicated student." They made it to the classroom and found them off their desks and socializing with each other. Well, I guess it is time for you to go into professor mode now.
Yeah, I know.
"So did everyone finishes the assignment?" Byleth asked. Everyone turned to them. Byra walked to her desk. She shared a long desk with Dimitri and Dedue.
"I did, it was hard but I managed to figure it out," Ashe said. Everyone quickly went to their seats. "Hey, wait for me.."
"Well, that is one of you," Byleth said, walking in front of the classroom. "How about the rest?" Sylvain raised his hand. "Yes, Sylvain."
"I am confused with question number 5. It is about archery and geometry." He said. "I am not planning on being an archer so why does it apply to me. I understand if Ashe has to answer this question."
"I see, what an interesting notion," Byleth said. "Sylvain, please stand up from your seat." Sylvain stood up from his seat. "Good, now hold your assignment above your head."
"Okay, how is this going to answer my question?" Sylvain asked, lifting his paper above his head.
"Training yourselves in battle is the top priority in this Academy," Byleth said, pulling out an iron bow and aiming at Sylvain. "However, without a clear mind, it will get you killed in a real battlefield."
"Professor, what are you doing?" Sylvain asked nervously.
"If my main goal was to hit a target, I must subtract the theoretical probability to the number of favorable outcomes and divide it to the number of total outcomes," Byleth said. "Yes, it is all math but that is where your experience and theories come in. As you can see, Sylvain is very uneasy about the situation."
"Yeah, very uneasy," Sylvain said.
"We should keep him like that," Felix added. "Class is starting to get interesting and you are more tolerable."
"Felix, I thought you were my friend," Sylvain said.
"Professor, please continue. I am intrigued." Dimitri said.
"I agree, I want to know more," Mercedes said.
"Same here," Annette added.
"I thought we were all friends," Sylvain said. "Does anyone see that an arrow is being aimed directly at me?"
"Alright, like I said before. A skilled archer or mage has to learn this because they depend solely on long-range attacks." Byleth said. "Alright, Sylvain, get ready."
"Please do not shoot."
"If you miscalculate, you might miss your target. In this case, I might miss his assignment and the arrow might go directly to his head."
"My head?" Sylvain said, shaking. "Please don't…" Byleth shot the arrow and Sylvain instinct was to duck and let the paper flow in the air. The arrow pierced the paper and hit the door.
"With geometry, you can determine the probability that you will hit the target but the rest is instinct and experience," Byleth said, walking slowly to the door. "I knew that Sylvain would duck due to his behavior and gestures. It is only logical to avoid the arrow at all costs." He made it to the door and pulled out the arrow and grabbed the piece of paper. "Even when you are not wielding a bow, you will come across long-range adversaries and if you cannot determine where they are hitting, you will be dead." He walked to Sylvain and flicked his nose. "Please try to do your work. I noticed that there was nothing on your paper."
"Sorry, Professor…" Sylvain said. Then the bell rang for lunch.
"Your assignments are due at the end of the day," Byleth said. "Please make sure to turn it in on time and if any of you need help, please let me know." All of the students were making their way out of the classroom.
Bravo, you use Father's lecture on them.
He was a good teacher and still is.
I am impressed, brother. You are a natural.
Thank you.
"Professor, your lecture was amazing," Dimitri said.
"Indeed, I am starting to understand more with all of your lectures and teachings," Dedue said.
"I am pleased to hear about it," Byleth said.
Brother, I am going to go on ahead. There is something I need to take care of.
Alright, be safe and call out to me if you need me.
I will…
He watched his sister leave the room and let out a sigh. I wonder what she is up to. I will check on her later.
"I heard there will be a mock battle soon," Dimitri said. "We must not neglect our training. I trust that you carefully study the strengths and weaknesses of each of your students, that you may provide effective guidance. Even when the whole point of this mock battle is to gain experience, what is the point of competition if the aim isn't to win?"
"Do not worry Princey, I know what everyone is capable of and I know we can win," Byleth said. I feel uneasy yet happy here. I guess being a professor is not that bad. "But thank you for your words of advice."
"Not at all, I just want to help," Dimitri said, scratching his head and blushing at the same time.
"Your Highness has said that he trusts you and your sister, and I have no cause to doubt," Dedue said. "But if you mistreat him in any way, I will take action."
"Dedue, he is our professor. He is supposed to treat us equally." Dimitri said. "I apologize, professor, Dedue can be overprotective."
"I understand him completely, I too have someone that I respect and trust with my life. I will do anything for this person and protect her." Byleth said. Then a student entered the room. "Yes…"
"Hello Professor, I have a note from Professor Manuela." The student said, giving him the note. He read it and nodded.
"Tell Manuela, I will be right there," Byleth said. "Thank you." The student left. "I will love to chat some more but there is a staff meeting. I will see you all again in our next class."
"Alright, take care Professor," Dimitri said.
"Your Highness, we should get something to eat," Dedue said.
"Food sounds good right now. Let's go to the dining hall." Dimitri said. They made their way to the dining hall and noticed Byra, taking to the gardener. What is she up to? The gardener happily gave her a bag of herbs. "Hey, Byra?" She turned to them.
"Hello." She said. "Dimitri and Dedue…"
"Hello," Dedue said. I realize that I do not know anything about her besides being the Professor's twin sister.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" Dimitri asked.
"No, I was on my way," Byra said.
"Will you like to join us?" Dimitri asked, smiling at her. "We were on our way to eat as well."
"I…" She said, looking away.
"I noticed that you hardly eat in the dining room unless you are with your brother," Dimitri said. "I am not your brother but we both want to get to know you more and share a meal."
"We are in the same house after all so it is vital to know everyone especially you," Dedue said.
"I see, then I will accept." She said, putting the bag of herbs in her pouch. They walked into the dining room and she noticed a lot of people staring at her and whispering to each other.
"I will order our meals," Dimitri said. "Is there anything particular you wanted to eat, Byra?"
"I will eat anything. You can decide for me." Byra said.
"Dedue, can you please find us some seats while I order?" Dimitri asked.
"Your Highness, let me order our meals while you rest," Dedue said.
"It is fine, we are all friends here," Dimitri said. "I'll be right back."
"Dedue, I will meet you at the table. I have to talk to the lady that owns the dining hall first." She said.
"Alright," Dedue said. I wonder why she needs to talk to that woman. Oh well, I have to look for seats. He looked around the dining hall and found a vacant table near the exit. A few minutes later, Dimitri joined him.
"Dedue, where is Byra?" Dimitri asked.
"She is talking to the dining room owner about something," Dedue explained. "She did not give any details about what."
"Very mysterious…" Dimitri said, letting out a grin.
"Your Highness, I notice that you took an interest in this girl," Dedue said. Dimitri started blushing in front of him. "My apologies if I misspoke."
"You are right, Dedue. I do not know what it is but this girl captivated my thoughts. Not in a romantic way though." Dimitri explained. "Her brother is revealing his true self little by little as our professor but her, she is still a mystery. A puzzle that I dare to solve." He found her talking to the woman. Not in a romantic way….
"Hey, you guys." A voice said. He turned his gaze to the rest of the team. "Can we join you two?"
"Of course," Dimitri said.
"It is so good to relax and enjoy a good meal with friends," Annette said.
"I agree, it is good especially when we have a strict professor," Mercedes said.
"I think our professor is incredible," Ashe said. "He is very skilled and smart."
"He may not look it but he also has a sense of humor," Ingrid said, letting out a giggle. "Right, Sylvain?"
"That was not funny," Sylvain said. "However, he has eyes of a hawk because I was hiding my paper from him when he entered the room. I can't believe he was able to see my paper."
"Maybe if you focus more on doing your work instead of flirting with girls, you will not be the target," Felix said.
"I do focus on my work," Sylvain said.
"All I can say about our new professor is that he is not a pushover and I am happy that I finally found a worthy opponent," Felix said.
"Felix, he is here to teach us not to fight you," Ingrid said. She then found Byra, talking to the owner. "Hey, is that Byra?
"Yes, she has been talking to that woman for a while now," Dimitri said.
"I wonder what they are talking about," Annette said. Then she bowed at the lady and walked towards them. "Hey, she is coming our way."
"We invited her to eat with us," Dimitri said.
"How wonderful. I noticed that she does not eat here very often." Mercedes said. "Somehow, I do not know where she goes during lunchtime." Then Byra made it in front of her. "Hello, Byra. I hope you do not mind. We also wanted to join you for lunch."
"I…" Byra said uneasily. Then Sylvain grabbed her hand and kissed it lightly.
"Byra, you look lovely as ever," Sylvain said, cupping her face. "Let's ditch this place and go somewhere private."
"Sylvain…" She murmured.
"Sylvain, can you stop doing that? You are making her uncomfortable." Ingrid said, hitting him on the head.
"Ouch, that hurt Ingrid," Sylvain said. Then Mercedes and Annette grabbed Byra and hugged both of her arms.
"Come Byra, you must be hungry," Annette said.
"I baked some cookies for all of us. I hope you like it." Mercedes said happily. They escorted her to the table and she sat next to the prince. The group of servants came towards the table to serve their lunch.
"It's time to eat," Felix said. The blue lions started eating their meal while Byra sat there silently.
Sister, what are you doing?
I was invited for lunch with the Blue Lions.
That is good right?
I guess…
Sister, you can do it. I know you feel uncomfortable at the moment but please try to make some friends.
I will try.
"Byra, are you going to eat? I hope you like the meal I ordered for you." Dimitri said. She turned to him.
"I am sorry. I was just lost in thought." She said. She turned to her food and started to eat. Itś is good.
"Byra, how do you like it here in Garreg Mach Monastery?" Ashe asked.
"It is different from the other places I have been," Byra replied.
¨You must be in a lot of places since you were a mercenary.¨ Annette said.
¨You also probably fought a lot of strong adversaries." Felix added.
¨Yes...¨ She said. ¨My family never stayed in one place. Once the job is done, we leave for the next job." She then found the same group of girls, glaring at her with rage. Idiots…
¨So this is the first time your family settled down?¨ Dedue asked.
¨Yes, like I said it is different. I am not used to being around people without my brother but I am happy to try.¨ Byra said. Mercedes grabbed her hand.
¨You do not need to force yourself if you are uncomfortable around us." Mercedes said.
¨Yes, we can take it slow." Sylvain said. ¨I can go first and we can be alone." Ingrid hit him on the head again. ¨Ouch!"
¨You are going to make her very uncomfortable." Ingrid said.
¨I apologize for not realizing that you feel uncomfortable around people. I should have been more considerate." Dimitri said.
¨We can move to a different table if you feel discomfort.¨ Ashe said.
¨That won't be necessary.¨ Byra said. ¨I am happy to be here with you all. It feels different but nice." Everyone smiled at her. Then the owner made her way in front of her with a bag.
¨I brought what you requested.¨ She said.
¨Thank you, I am ever in your debt." Byra said. She stood up from her seat.¨I am afraid that I will be leaving early. Thank you all for the meal and company.¨
¨No, thank you. We are happy that we finally got to spend some time with our new classmate.¨ Mercedes said.
¨Then we can do this again another time." Byra said, grabbing the bag from the owner. ¨See you all later.¨
¨Goodbye Byra.¨ Annette said. She waved and left the dining room. ¨I wonder what was in the bag?¨
¨And where is she going?" Ingrid added. Dimitri stood up from her seat. ¨Your Highness?¨
¨Letś go and find out." Dimitri said.
¨Boar, are you seriously going to stalk her?¨ Felix asked.
¨I know deep down that you are curious too," Dimitri said. Felix grunted after hearing that. ¨We all want to know what she is up to so who is with me?¨
¨Your Highness, I go where you go.¨ Dedue said.
¨I am curious where she is going.¨ Ashe said.
¨What are we waiting for? Letś go!¨ Sylvain said.
¨Remember, we have to be out of sight. We don't want her to know that we are following her.¨ Mercedes said.
I need to visit Ms. Manuela and Father. Byra thought, walking through the dormitories. Little did she know, her classmates were following behind her. I had a fun time with my classmates though. Then the girls for earlier blocked her path. ¨Excuse me, I need to go through.¨
¨We have a bone to pick with you. I am so pissed that a bloody mercenary became part of the Blue Lions just like that." The leader said. ¨A lowlife like you should not be around them plus Prince Dimitri.¨ The girls circled her and blocked all exits. ¨So I am going to show them that you do not belong there.¨
¨She is outnumbered.¨ Annette whispered. ¨We should do something.¨
¨We can´t. We might be spotted." Ashe whispered.
¨But she is going to get hurt," Mercedes whispered.
¨She can handle it." Dimitri murmured.
¨Your Highness, she is clearly at a disadvantage.¨ Dedue whispered.
¨Just watch…" Felix replied softly. I know what the professor is capable of. Letś sees what his little sister can do without him.
¨There is nowhere to run." The leader said. Byra let out a sigh and put her things down.
¨I am not in the mood for this but if you wish to challenge me, I will accept it," Byra said. They are not carrying any weapons. So they must be all mages or gauntlet users.
¨You are very confident that you can take all four of us." The leader said. All of the professors and officials are in a meeting right now. This is our only chance to get rid of this loser. ¨Let's finish her!" Two of the girls raced towards her and swung their fists. Byra blocked every single one.
¨STOP MOVING!¨ One girl screamed. Byra lured them closer to the dormitories´ walls. ¨We got her!" Byra jumped in the air and the two girls slammed to the wall.
¨Ouch, that must have hurt.¨ Ingrid said.
¨I am surprised that Your Highness has a fan club.¨ Sylvain said, patting Dimitri on the shoulder. ¨I guess you won't have a hard time finding a queen.¨
¨Not funny Sylvain.¨ Dimitri said. She put her palm in front of those girls and seconds, they drifted to sleep.
"What did you do to them?" The leader snapped.
"I don't know," She replied.
This girl is getting on my nerves. Then the leader cast fire magic towards her while the other girl pulled out a bow and shot it. We got her now. Byra deflected the fire magic with her palm and caught the arrow with her other hand. ¨How did you do that?¨ The leader said.
¨I have a great professor.¨ Byra said, break the arrow into two. ¨Can I leave now? I have important things to do."
¨HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! I am a noble." The leader snapped.
¨I do not care who you are. I do not care if you come from a noble family. If you are going to attack someone just because of stupidity and jealousy, you are just nothing to me.¨ Byra said, glaring at them. Her eyes turned dark, cold, and intimidating. The girls shivered with fear as those eyes glared at them. She grabbed her things and walked towards them.
¨STAY AWAY!" The leader screamed. She lifted her palm and prepared to cast a spell but it failed. ¨What is going on? Why can't I cast?¨ She turned to the other girl. ¨Do something, idiot!¨ The girl shot an arrow towards her but she used a small dagger to deflect it. ¨What is she?¨ She finally appeared a few inches away from them.
¨Sleep Hex…" Byra said. The two girls rubbed their eyes and slowly fell asleep. They were about to hit the floor until Byra caught them.
¨What did she do to them?¨ Ashe asked.
¨She used Silent to seal that girlś magic casting. Then she used Sleep Hex to put them all to sleep." Annette explained. ¨I did not know she was a magic caster.¨
¨Believe it or not that she was self-taught.¨ Dimitri said.
¨SELF-TAUGHT!¨ They screamed. Byra turned to the screams and did not see anyone. I hope she does not see us.
¨I thought I heard something." She said. ¨Oh well. Letś put these guys down.¨ She placed them all in an open and empty dorm and made her way to the 2nd floor.
¨She is moving." Sylvain said.
¨That was a close one." Ingrid said, letting out a sigh.
¨Let's hurry, we are going to lose her." Dimitri said. The team followed her to her father, Jeralt.
¨How are you adjusting here in the monastery?" Jeralt asked.
¨I am still working on it." She said.
¨Well, it is like you. You mostly isolate yourself from people and I was worried you will feel uncomfortable here. But your brother told me during the staff meeting that you were eating with your classmates. I was surprised and happy for you." Jeralt said. Who would have thought that your brother was a natural at teaching.¨ He patted her head. ¨I am proud of you both."
¨Father…" She said.
¨Oh, I forgot. I got you some sleep wool as requested." Jeralt said, showing her the wool.
¨Thank you, Father." Byra said.
¨I will be going off to a mission soon so let me know if you need something else," Jeralt said.
¨I will." She said. ¨I have to go but see you at dinner." She left the room and raced to Manuela´s room.
¨I wonder why she needs wool?" Mercedes said.
¨Maybe she has a sewing project or something." Annette said.
¨She also got some herbs from the gardener.¨ Dimitri said. ¨I do not know what she got from the dining hall owner.¨
¨I wonder what she is up to?" Sylvain said.
¨You guys tell me." A voice said. They turned and found Jeralt standing behind them. ¨Get in here….¨ They all raced into his room. ¨What are you guys doing?¨
¨My apologies Sir Jeralt, we were just curious what our classmate is up to." Mercedes said.
She had to tell the truth. They all thought.
¨Then I will let you guys figure that out. Even as her father, she keeps secrets from me.¨ Jeralt said, letting out a sigh. ¨She is going to Manuela for some clean blankets and bandages.¨You guys should make haste before she leaves that room.¨
¨Thank you, sir.¨ They said, bowing in front of him. They swiftly left the room. He looks mean but he is quite nice.
"They don't know what they are getting themselves into," Jeralt said. Well, I am happy she is opening up to other people. They finally caught up to her. She was making her way to a forest.
"You know, if you guys wanted to know where I was going, you should have asked," Byra said, turning to them. "You guys can come out now."
"How did you know we were following us?" Dimitri asked.
"I knew from the beginning. I was just curious why you guys were following me." Byra said. "So why are you guys following me?"
"We wanted to know what you were up to," Dimitri answered.
"Also, why are you in the forest?" Felix asked.
"Oh, I am here to meet a friend," Byra said.
"A friend?" They all said, confused by her statement. I did not know she had a friend.
"Yes, he is very shy around other people so, during my lunchtime, I come here to keep him company," Byra explained.
"That explains why you are not at the dining hall every day," Ashe said.
"Yes, no one comes into the forest so it is the perfect place to meet," Byra said.
"So where is this friend of yours?" Dimitri asked.
"I need you guys to hide in the bushes first. Like I told you before, he is very shy." Byra explained, giving him the bags. "You can trust me."
"I do trust you," Dimitri said, assuring her with a smile.
"I am not going to…" Felix snapped but he was interrupted when Ingrid pulled him down to hide. "Why do we have to hide?" They all hid and Byra pulled out a flute. She started playing a beautiful tune. "What is she doing?"
"She is probably calling out her friend," Mercedes said. Suddenly, a gust of strong wind blew right through them. "What is going on?"
"Where is this wind coming from?" Sylvain said.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" Dedue asked.
"I am fine…" Dimitri said. Then a roar filled the forest. That does not sound like a human being. Byra stopped playing the flute when a huge beast appeared in front of her. The creature had a body, tail, and back legs of a lion and a head, wings, and front legs of an eagle. "Is that a griffin?"
"I can't believe a legendary creature is in front of us," Annette said.
"I am not dreaming this right?" Sylvain said. "Someone pinch me." Ingrid pinched his cheek. "Ouch, I am definitely not asleep."
"Aether, how are you doing?" Byra said, running her hand through his feathery fur. The creature licked her cheek and cuddled it's face to her embrace. "I am happy to see you too." She then makes the creature face her. "I brought people with me. The ones I talked about. Do you want to meet them?" The creature answered by licking her face. "Okay, you guys can come out now." They slowly came out from the bushes. "These are my classmates, I mean my friends. I like you to meet them."
"Wow, I can't believe my eyes. I am lost for words." Ashe said.
"Do not be afraid. Aether may look intimidating but he is a sweetheart." Byra said.
"Hello, Aether," Dimitri said, walking towards them. The creature leaped towards Dimitri and sniffed his hair. Dimitri did not make sudden moves while the creature was examining him.
"Your Highness…" Dedue said worryingly.
"It is alright," Dimitri said, placing his hand in front of the creature. "I am glad to know that Byra has a friend. I hope we can be friends as well." Aether looked at him and then his hand. The creature placed it's face to his hand. "I am happy you feel the same way." Suddenly, the creature licked his face.
"He likes you," Byra said.
"I want to be your friend too," Annette said, running towards the creature with her arms open wide. Aether swiftly raced towards her and tackled her down to the ground. Aether started licking her face. "Wow, he is super friendly."
"It is nice to meet you, Aether." Mercedes said, petting him. "My name is Mercedes."
"He looks pretty cool," Sylvain said.
"I thought his kind was just a myth," Ashe said. "The books do not lie about their appearance." He petted Aether. "Hello Aether, my name is Ashe and do not mind me if I faint. It's just unbelievable."
"I guess that no one knows about him," Felix said.
"Yes, I am surprised that she let you meet him." A voice said. They turned and found their professor. "Class started thirty minutes ago but my classroom was empty."
"Forgive us, Professor. We lost track of time." Dimitri said.
"It is quite alright," Byleth said. "Hey, Aether…" Aether leaped towards him and licked his face. The creature was so happy to see him. "You must be happy to have so many friends."
"Oh Aether, I forgot to give you your treats," Byra said, opening one bag. It was filled with fishes. "The dining room owner steamed it for her with a herb I got from the gardener. It is good for you." Aether purred happily and started eating.
"Hey Byra, can we come here tomorrow with you?" Ingrid asked, petting Aether as he eats. "I want to see Aether again."
"Yes please, can we come here again? We can help you prepare his food and all." Annette said.
"I can also bake some fish cookies for Aether," Mercedes said.
"I…" Byra said, feeling nervous.
"We won't tell anyone about Aether if you wish him to be concealed," Dedue said. "I know if someone finds out about him, they will do anything to capture him for a coin."
"Yes, we won't tell a soul," Sylvain said. "It will be our little secret." Aether licked him on the face. "Well, it will be our big secret."
"If someone does find out, we will strike them down," Felix said.
"We will make sure that does not happen," Ashe said. "Please, trust us. I know we only have known each other for a few weeks but believe us. We want to help."
"I am not sure it is a good idea," Byra said. "Hunters and poachers have been trying to get a hold of Aether." Aether walked towards her. I don't want to lose him. What is wrong with me? Why did I show him to them? He can sense his dear friend was nervously shaking."Aether…"
Sis, are you okay?
I am still overwhelmed by what is happening. I thought meeting Aether will scare them off but…
There was a part of you that you did not want that to happen.
Yes, I feel that I want to let them in but there are voices in my head telling me to do the opposite.
I think you should let them in.
Really?
Yes…
"Byra, I know that you feel like you do not belong here but I assure you that you do. You belong here in the academy and with us." Dimitri said, smiling at her.
"We want to get to know you more," Annette said.
"You put up a wall every time we try to be close to you, please let us in," Mercedes said.
"If you need anything, let us know. We are your friends." Ingrid added.
"You do not need to do things alone," Ashe said.
"If you need herbs next time, I can gladly do that for you. I am in the garden most of the time." Dedue said. "I can give grow some for you."
"I am not good at fishing but I am willing to catch fish for Aether," Sylvain said.
"And I will make sure that he does not fall off the docks," Felix said.
"We all want to help and also know more about you," Dimitri said.
"Thank you all…" She said. I belong here? I belong with these crazy people. "I will love to have a picnic here tomorrow with you all after the mock battle. If you all agree with this. You guys might have other plans and..."
"Of course we do!" The girls screamed, hugging her. They were chatting away and playing with Aether. Byleth was very happy to see that his twin sister finally feel a sense of belonging.
It is good that you are finally out of your shell. Byleth thought. We both need to at some point. We can't keep people away. We have to adapt and be brave enough to trust other people. So Byra, I am happy that we are here.
"Professor?" He turned to the voice and it was Dimitri.
"Your Highness, I want to thank you." He said.
"What? Why?"
"My sister never had friends except for animals. She always thought she was meant to be alone but I am happy to see her like this, with friends." He said. "It is all because of you."
"I won't take all the credit," Dimitri said. He stared at Byra and for a moment, he saw a small grin on her face. I am happy too.