Author's Note: By the way, I forgot to mention something in the previous Author's Note. I don't have a beta reader for reasons. I won't go into them. Read the Bulbagarden or Zelda Universe versions if you want to know.

Part One

White Clouds

Return to Garreg Mach

As the group entered Garreg Mach's courtyard Byleth couldn't help but look up. Standing atop a balcony was Rhea. Well, Lady Rhea. Byleth didn't call her that in her head but two thirds of the Monastery would be at her throat if she didn't refer to Rhea "properly" and she didn't feel like dealing with that.

"Rhea's here." Jeralt muttered.

Alois explained the situation to a young and eager looking Gatekeeper and it didn't take long to attain an audience with Rhea. Rhea only wanted to see Jeralt and Byleth so Alois and the three house leaders left to attend to whatever things they had to attend to.

Byleth and Jeralt were escorted to the empty audience chamber. The two mercenaries were told that they'd have to wait for a bit, since Rhea is always very busy.

"It's been years since I've last set eyes on this place." Jeralt said to seemingly no one in particular. "To be forced to see her now…"

"Her?" Byleth asked. "Do you mean that woman on the balcony?"

"Yeah, that's her." Jeralt said. "The archbishop… Lady Rhea."

"Archbishop?" Byleth asked.

"As you know, the majority of folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros." Jeralt said. "The leader of that ridiculously large organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea."

It was at that point that Rhea showed up with Seteth in tow. As per usual, Rhea had a pleasant smile on her face and a serene look in her eyes. It was obvious why people fawned over her. Seteth, meanwhile, looked grumpy, also as per usual.

"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt." Seteth said. "My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop."

"Right. Hello." Jeralt said bluntly.

"It has been a long time, Jeralt." Rhea said. "I wonder…was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?"

(What do you think?) Byleth joked to Sothis. (Was it your will that Jeralt had another chance meeting with Rhea?)

"I doubt it." Sothis said.

"I apologize for my silence." Jeralt said. "A lot has happened since I left."

Rhea nodded. "So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your daughter, is it not?"

" Yes," Jeralt replied. "Born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child, but I'm afraid we lost her to illness."

Jeralt was a very good liar. If Byleth didn't know the truth from reading his diary, she would have believed him fully. And she had the first time around.

"I see." Rhea said. "My condolences." She turned to Byleth. "As for you…I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?"

"Byleth." Byleth replied.

"Ah, a fine name." Rhea said. She turned back to Jeralt. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."

"Hmph." Jeralt hmph'd.

"Jeralt. You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?" Rhea said.

Jeralt sighed. "You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros." Jeralt put his hand to his forehead. "I won't say no but…."

"Your apprehension stings." Rhea said, not sounding the least bit stung. "I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you. I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… Farewell."

With that, Rhea and Seteth left. Once they were out of sight and, hopefully, out of earshot, Jeralt sighed.

"I can't believe this. Forced back into the Knights of Seiros." He turned to Byleth. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. Looks like I'll be stuck here for a while…and I'm afraid your services are requested as well."

"My services?" Byleth asked, faking confusion. "For what?"

"Apparently they want you to teach." Jeralt said.

"What?" Byleth asked, now faking incredulity. "But why? We both know I'm not good for anything but fighting."

"You shouldn't talk about yourself like that." Jeralt said. Byleth found it comforting to know that he cared. "Anyway, you heard about the Officer's Academy from those brats, right?" Byelth nodded. "Well, apparently they're short a professor and that damned Alois went and recommended you to Lady Rhea."

If it wasn't for her current situation, Byleth would have cursed Alois too. Her? A teacher? Ridiculous. What had Alois been thinking at the time. Byleth was, of course, thankful now but that was with the benefit of hindsight (or would that be foresight now?).

"So. You must be the new professor." A flirty voice said. "My, how stern and handsome you are!"

It was none other than Manuela. Hanneman was there as well.

"Er, no. I'm not the one you're looking for." Jeralt said uncomfortably. He looked at Byleth. "You can handle things from here. Good luck." He turned to leave but before he went he added in a whisper. "And watch out for Lady Rhea. I don't know what she's thinking, making you a professor like this. She may be up to something. Stay on your guard."

Byleth couldn't help but agree. Something had been (would be?) going on with that ceremony down in the Holy Tomb but she never got the chance to ask Rhea about it before she was knocked into the river and fell asleep for five years.

"Oh. It's you, then?" Manuela said, leaning down to look at Byleth. Why did people keep doing that? The height difference wasn't even that big this time. "So young…"

"Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you well know." Hanneman said. He turned to Byleth and held out his hand. "I am Hanneman, a Crest scholar and professor at the Officers Academy. I wonder if you bear a Crest of your own. When next you have a moment to spare, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further."

Byleth took his hand and shook it.

"I'm Manuela." Manuela said. "I'm a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well." Byleth said, crossing her arms. "My name is Byleth, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't flirt with my father."

"Oh, that was your father?" Manuela asked. "I must say, he is quite handsome."

"Moving on." Byleth said, choosing to ignore Manuela's comment. "I'm going to be taking charge of one of the Officers Academy's three houses, right?"

"Ah, so you've already been briefed." Hanneman said. "Excellent. So you know what each of the Three Houses are?"

Byleth nodded. "Yes. There's the Black Eagle house, which consists of students from the Adrestian Empire. It's led by Edelgard, the imperial princess and heir to the imperial throne. Then there's the Blue Lion house, which consists of students from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. It's led by Prince Dimitri, who will someday be king of Faerghus. And finally, there is the Golden Deer house, which consists of students from the Leicester Alliance. It's led by Claude, who is the grandson of Duke Riegan, the current leader of the Alliance."

"Very good." Hanneman said. He put his hand to his chin. "To think that the next emperor, king and sovereign duke are all here. This certainly promises to be an interesting year."

"I'll say." Manuela said with a chuckle. "I just hope none of those little treasures cause any trouble."

"Yes, quite." Hanneman said. He looked at Byleth. "There will be a meeting between the three of us and Lady Rhea two hours from now. Make sure you don't miss it. For now, I suggest you take a stroll around the academy to get your bearings. And if you have a moment please drop by my research lab."

"I think I'll do just that." Byleth said.

"Oh, one more thing before you head off." Manuela said. "I've only notified the house leaders that you're our new professor. More fun that way." She winked.

Garreg Mach Officers Academy was a very lively place. Students were everywhere, some just hanging out and others studying. Some gave Byleth funny looks as she walked through the Academy but most just ignored her. Byleth herself was rather happy. It was great to see Garreg Mach so full of joy. Nothing like the somber atmosphere of five years in the future.

As she walked, Byleth happened across the three house leaders, hanging around under a tree. Claude and Edelgard appeared to be arguing about something. Curious, she walked over to them. Once she got within hearing distance of them, Claude - seemingly sensing her presence - looked up and beckoned her over, to which Byleth obliged.

"I'm glad you're here." He said. "Maybe you can settle this little dispute." He pointed his thumb at Edelgard. "Princess thinks that Saint Cichol could beat Saint Macuil in a fight."

"Saint Cichol has superior strength." Edelgard said matter of factly. "Therefore, he could easily beat Macuil."

"So what if Cichol is strong." Claude argued. "Macuil's a master tactician. He's probably thought of at least 30 ways to beat Cichol in a fight."

"Why are they fighting?" Byleth asked, deciding to take the dumb road. "Aren't they allies?"

"That's what I said." Dimitri replied.

"Of course they're allies." Claude said. "That's why it's a hypothetical." He leaned back and looked at Byleth. "So, you're going to be our new professor, huh?" He said, apparently deciding to change the subject. "Have you decided which house you're going to teach?"

"No, not yet." Byleth said.

"In that case, may I suggest the Golden Deer house?" Claude said smugly. "We're much more manageable than the other houses."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Edelgard asked.

"Just that your houses are full of trouble makers." Claude said. He began counting on his fingers. "Felix, Sylvain, Ferdinand, Caspar-"

"That is enough, Claude." Dimitri scolded. "I will not have you defame our fellow students." He turned to Byleth. "I assure you that all three houses are full of fine students. The Blue Lion students in particular are exceptional, if a bit quirky."

"Dimitri is both right and wrong." Edelgard said. "He is correct in saying that all three houses consist of excellent students. However, the Black Eagles are far superior to the Blue Lions and the Golden Deer."

"You know, this isn't really helping me choose a house to teach." Byleth said. "I think I'll just have to go based off of which one of you I find the cutest." She chuckled.

Dimitri and Edelgard just gave Byleth a bewildered stare. Claude, however, was perfectly willing to play along. At least, she thought he was playing along. He could be serious. It was hard to tell.

"Ah, so obviously you'll be picking the Golden Deer, then."

"Well, you are pretty cute." Byleth said,resting her right elbow on her left arm and placing her palm on her left cheek. "But so are you two." She pointed at Dimitri and Edelgard.

Dimitri gave her yet another bewildered stare. She'd have to get around to teaching him humor some time. Meanwhile, Edelgard's face was almost as red as her cape.

"I… don't understand." Dimitri said. "You think I am… cute?"

"No, I'm just joking." Byleth said. "Well, mostly."

"Mostly?" Dimitri asked.

Suddenly, the church bell rang. Byleth facepalmed. She was late for her meeting. It wouldn't matter which house she chose if she wasn't there to choose one.

"Ah crap, I'm late!" She said. "I'll see you at least one of you later." She waved to the three house leaders and dashed off.

Byleth ran into the Audience Chamber, stopping in front of Rhea. The other two teachers and Seteth were already there. All three gave Byleth an impatient look.

"Someone's rather late." Manuela said.

"Sorry." Byleth said, rubbing the back of her head. "I was acquainting myself with the school grounds and got caught up in a conversation."

Seteth glared at Byleth. She had a feeling that her tardiness had only increased his negative opinion of her. "Well, since we're already running late, we might as well skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."

All three professors nodded in agreement.

"It is time for you to each take charge of one of the three houses." Seteth said. "While I trust our two longstanding professors completely, I am personally against entrusting children to someone with a lack of trackable background." He sighed. "But, it is as the archbishop desires."

"Since you are new here, we have decided to allow you first pick." Hanneman told Byleth. "Manuela and I will take charge of the remaining two houses."

Byleth rested her right elbow on her left arm and placed her palm on her left cheek. The Black Eagles, the Blue Lions, and the Golden Deer. Three very different houses. This had been a tough choice the first time around, but now the fate of Fòdlan could very well rest on this choice.

(Care to weigh in?) She asked Sothis.

"What do you want me to do?" Sothis asked.

(I don't know, spitball ideas or something.) Byleth said. (The fate of Fòdlan-)

"-Could very well rest on this choice." Sothis completed. "I know, I heard the narration. But you should be able to do this without me."

Sothis was right. Byleth was perfectly able to do it without her. She had three options. She could choose the Blue Lions, just like last time or she could choose one of the other two houses.

Choosing Blue Lions didn't seem right. While it would be nice to be part of something familiar, she needed to think about this logically. The secrets of the Three House leaders were at the center of this, so who had the most secrets. Or, more importantly, who's secrets were the catalyst.

"Hello? Are you there?"

Byleth suddenly returned to reality. It appeared that she had spaced out, which seemed to annoy everyone. It especially annoyed Seteth who was snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Woah, sorry." Byleth said. "I was just thinking."

"Yes, well, you've been thinking long enough." Seteth said, glaring. "Please make your choice before my hair starts turning gray." This earned him a scornful look from Hanneman.

"Yes, right." Byleth said. "I choose…" She paused for dramatic effect. "The Black Eagle House."

Some might find that weird. The Black Eagle house is led by someone who in the future was her worst enemy and is heavily linked to the Adrestian Empire. But it made sense. Edelgard was the catalyst for this whole thing. If Byleth could get close to her, she might be able to convince the future emperor to not start a war.

"Excellent." Hanneman said. "In that case I shall take charge of the Blue Lion House."

"I guess that leaves me with the Golden Deer house." Manuela said.

"Feel lucky, Claude told me they're much more manageable than the others." Byleth said.

"Your hearts have made their choice." Rhea said. Byleth decided not to point out that Maneula's heart didn't choose anything. "All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity."

"They are all promising youths who bear the weight of Fodlan's future upon their shoulders." Seteth said. "I hope you appreciate what an honor it is to lead them."

It was certainly an honor, that was for sure. But whether it was a good honor or a bad honor, only time would tell.

"Brother?" Said a voice. In walked a little green-haired girl. It was Flayn, Seteth's sister (actually his daughter). "Oh! I am so sincerely sorry! I did not mean to interrupt."

"I am in the middle of something, Flayn. Is it urgent?" Seteth said.

Flayn shook her head. "No, no, it's nothing. More importantly, who is this?"

"This is our newest professor at the academy." Seteth said. Byleth gave a little wave.

"Oh my!" Flayn said, excited. "A new addition to the Officers Academy! I am so very pleased to meet you, Professor. I am Seteth's little sister, Flayn. I am so happy to make your acquaintance."

Seteth cleared his throat. "Let us focus on the topic at hand. In three weeks time there will be a mock battle. We will be using not only to ascertain the students' abilities, but your own as well."

"What do you mean by that?" Byleth asked.

"Your job is to instruct the students." Seteth said. "Should they perform poorly it will reflect poorly on your teaching skills."

At that moment, another bell rang. Time sure did seem to fly, even when you weren't having fun.

"It appears to be getting late." Rhea said. "Seteth, would you please show our new Professor where she will be sleeping."

Seteth nodded. "Understood." He gestured at Byleth. "Come along now."

Byleth said goodbye to her colleagues and Rhea and followed Seteth out. Tomorrow would be her first official day teaching at the Academy. Now if only she could get rid of the butterflies in her stomach.