Chapter Twelve: The Celebration
Author's notes: Pardons for the wait, I had to work last weekend. Now let us enjoy this chapter together! Also for those who offer ideas and suggestions, I do enjoy reading them and if it can be entwined into my plan then I am more than happy to weave them in, however I cannot make any guarantees.
SapphiRubyCrys: Thank you so much for your reviews! I too forget that the students are really just teenagers. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story!
Anthiese: Oh wow! Thank you Anthiese! I'm glad I'm glad to hear that! Speaking of more of Jeralt, I hope you will enjoy this chapter too!
Sn: Ooohhh yeah, and here's a little more of that too!
NyanCat: I hope you enjoy the additional content! I was planning on having a bonding moment between Jeralt and Seteth over sharing tips to keep miscreants away from their lovely daughter / 'little sister.' Again thank you for your review! :)
Osheana259: Thank you for the review! I've been enjoying their friendship too. It's going to make things very bittersweet though later on. Oh well, we shall enjoy it for the time being! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!
Guest: Thank you for your review. More magic in store later as I figure that part out! xD Oh ho oh! Speaking of Flaynn…
Sparks101: Thank you very much! Papa Jeralt has been fun to write so far :3 I am happy you liked the chapter and hope you continue to enjoy it!
Lychee-ran: Lols! Seriously, Edelgard is just sneaking right under Jeralt's radar xD
Snow in Starlight Moon: I'm so happy you wrote that! It's exactly what I was going for :) Indeed, I hope to have Dimitri and Claude bond more, and then we'll see how it goes post-time skip. Thank you so much!
The Apocryphal One: Why thank you! :3 Indeed, Felix is so rude to Dorothea in the initial support conversation during the game that I didn't have the heart to make her keep talking to him! It was Felix's loss! Also I am happy you spotted that detail about Tomas...it may come into play later.
RAX: That is a great question. Jeez, Jeralt must have been going crazy at the start of Byleth's period. You can imagine it, Byleth with her stoic face saying, 'Father...I am bleeding out from my bottom…' Jeralt '...' Byleth '...' Jeralt racing to the nearest village for a healer only to be patted on the back by an elderly innkeeper explaining that it's just his daughter coming of age. And then Jeralt still not understanding why the female body would do such a thing. xD
Fantasy Fan 223: I'm glad you've been enjoying protective papa Jeralt. It's been fun to write. It's still early in my game to successfully recruit other students, but my plan is to catch 'em all! Well except for a couple of characters I don't care for, including Leonie. Didn't care for her at all during my first play through. I haven't had the other students yet but that is so sad about Marianne! D:
Byleth pushed open the creaky wooden door of her modest bedroom and released a deep sigh. It was only midday, yet it felt as if she had lived through a condensed version of an entire month. The young woman's steel blue eyes glanced over at the comfy bed; it looked even more invitingly soft and plushy than ever, but as Sothis preached, the day time was for living. The Blue Lions had dispersed once they set foot upon the monastery's ground, leaving Byleth to her own devices as there was no class scheduled for today. To fill the void the professor had decided to pay the infirmary a visit and check up on those who may still be recovering. At this thought, Byleth felt renewed with a sense of fresh purpose and quickly shimmied out of her mercenary armor in favor of her professor uniform.
A shiny new hairbrush awaited her upon the desk, and beside it was a small cotton pouch heavy with coins. Byleth realized that this must be her stipend as a professor, yet she continued to stare down at it in wonder. Never before had she had money of her own. Her father had always taken care of the finances and she had observed his frugality. Carefully, Byleth portioned out the stipend, saving most off to the side within her desk drawer before tucking a few coins into a pocket of her skirt.
A familiar scratching and hooting came from behind the wooden door. As Byleth turned the knob, an energetic owl zoomed into the room, circled about the ceiling before landed carefully upon a perch anchored just above the bulletin board. It looked at her knowingly as it puffed it's feathers proudly. Then with a loud important hoot, the bird stuck out one of its sharp taloned legs. Byleth eyed the crisp rolled letter neatly tied to the owl's leg; she was starting to recognize Seteth's prim notes.
"Please come to the Audience Chamber to receive information pertinent to your house's next mission. A prompt arrival is advised. Best regards, Seteth"
Byleth huffed through her nose. She had just returned from the mock battle, a few moments of dawdling wouldn't pain the advisor...much. With no rush to make her way to the Audience Chamber, an idea struck her mind. Byleth could stop by the marketplace a purchase a few flowers for those in the infirmary. Wasn't flowers a customary gift to give those who are unwell, in the hope that they felt better? Byleth wasn't sure, but she now had a slight bounce to her step as she headed out, eager to spend some of her allowance upon flowers for the first time.
At the bustling marketplace, a florist was arranging his colorful stock of flowers when he looked up to see a young woman surveying the fresh cut blooms with great interest. "Ah Professor," the young man greeted. "How can I help you?"
The young woman looked up, then tilted her head to one side with a questioning glance at the florist. "Do you have any more colors?" Byleth asked as she was hoping for a wider variety of flowers.
"Ah," the young man sighed as he rubbed a gloved hand along the back of his head. "These are all the flowers I currently have. A couple of students came by early and bought a fair amount. Said they were holding a little special something," The florist shrugged. "I'll have a new assortment of flowers next time Professor."
Byleth selected a handful of golden marigolds and crimson carnations. "These will do," the young woman remarked as she handed the florist a few coins and waved him farewell. As she walked up the stairs, the young woman gazed down at the warm colored bouquet. Byleth had always loved flowers, there was just no use for them on the road. So she would just admire them where they grew and moved on. What she loved most was how ladies would wear crowns of flowers and decorate their hair with blossoms. Just like how Rhea adorned her hair with the two white lilies...Byleth looked back up as she climbed up the stone staircase. Maybe one day she would try that look as well.
The professor crossed over the threshold into the audience chamber where Lady Rhea and Seteth were waiting. Rhea looked mildly surprised at the bouquet in Byleth's hand. "Flowers?" The archbishop inquired as she looked back at the young woman before her.
"For the students in the infirmary," Byleth replied with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
"What a thoughtful sentiment," Rhea remarked with a gentle smile. "Based on the colors of the bouquet, are you are going to see the other house students as well?"
Byleth nodded as she appraised the bouquet again.
"Even though they are not your own...how interesting," the archbishop murmured, more to herself.
"Ahem," Seteth voiced as he cleared his throat loudly. "Lady Rhea, shall we begin?"
"Ofcourse," Rhea nodded before continuing, "Byleth, your work with the students was remarkable. It is unmistakable to see how the Blue Lions students hold you in high esteem, even after only knowing you for less than two days." The archbishop paused for a moment before adding, "And it seems you have learned more about yourself as well. You have unlocked the ability to use magic. May you continue to discover more about yourself and strengthen your bonds with the students," Rhea finished before nodding towards Seteth.
The adviser rocked upon his heels and slightly puffed out his chest as he began to say, "Indeed, for that mock battle was just a mere appetizer of what is to come. The real fight is the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, a long-held tradition here at the Officer's Academy. It will take place during the Wyvern Moon and by that time your students are expected to become well season fighters as well as leaders of their own battalions. Until then we have another mission for the Blue Lions. In the coming month the Blue Lions will be tasked with disposing a group of bandits that have been causing trouble nearby."
"Brother! I have arrived!" A cheery yet polished female voice rang out. Byleth turned to see the owner of the unfamiliar voice. A young girl with vibrant seafoam green eyes dressed in an antique black ruffled long sleeved dress with frilly golden trimmings. Her voluminous seafoam green hair parted into two twists that cascaded over her shoulders, all the while pinned back from her face by two golden clasps. The girl's bright eyes were framed by side swept bangs as she peered around at the three. "Oh! I beg pardon for my intrusion," she apologized as she realized the three had been actually in a meeting. Her innocent eyes widened in awe as she recognized Byleth. "Ah, you must be the new professor that I have heard so much about," the girl remarked before dipping into a formal curtsy. "I am Flayn, pleased to make your acquaintance."
Hmmm, Byleth was absolutely sure she had never met this girl in her life, yet there was the same sense of familiarity about Flayn as the professor had felt with Rhea. Speaking of the archbishop, Byleth wondered if Flayn was related to Rhea in someway as they both had seafoam green eyes and hair. The young woman then caught herself and returned the greeting with a cordial nod. Byleth then realized Flayn was looking intently at the bouquet. The professor picked out a marigold and offered it to the girl as she said, "Welcome to Garreg Mach Monastery, Flayn."
Flayn gasped, "For me?! Why thank you!" She smiled brightly as she took the marigold. "Oh look brother! What a lovely flower!"
Rhea beamed radiantly at Byleth, while Seteth looked as though he had just bitten into a slice of lemon. It was as if Byleth had outdone him in some kind of competition the professor had not realized she had entered. Seteth cleared his throat loudly to bring back the attention to the matter at hand, "Well then, I will provide you the necessary details for your mission soon. If I told you now you would only forget and I rather despise repeating myself. So until then, use your time wisely." Seteth made a small cordial nod towards the professor. "Come along now Flayn," he prompted before turning upon his heels and returning to his office.
Flayn turned to smile warmly up at Byleth as she remarked, "May we meet again, Professor!" And with that the girl hurried off after her brother, leaving Byleth alone with Rhea.
Rhea broke the few moments of silence as she spoke gently, "I can sense something special within your heart." Byleth glanced back at the archbishop, the light shining through the stained glass windows behind her, seemingly encasing the woman in a glowing light as she continued. "I have high hopes for you." And with that, the archbishop nodded her crowned head and turned to follow after Seteth and Flayn.
Byleth silently watched Lady Rhea go, before the archbishop disappeared behind the closing office door. The professor then turned and retreated back down the hall towards the infirmary, just narrowly running into someone who was exiting the room.
"Oh! Why hello Professor," greeted the ever polite and soft-spoken Ignatz. "What are you doing over here?" The young man asked curiously as he pushed back up his slipping glasses.
Byleth divided up her bouquet so that she created a mini version of crisp golden marigolds, she then offered it to Ignatz. "For the Golden Deers," Byleth stated as she held up the golden bouquet. "It was a good match," the young woman added.
Ignatz's warm cider brown eyes widened at the gift. He then tentatively accepted the bouquet, clearly at a loss for words before he let out a soft chuckle, "Thank you, but I feel your house pretty much squished the living air out of us, both literally and figuratively." The Golden Deer student then gazed back at Byleth, a curious look in his eyes. "We pestered Claude for leaving us on the eve of the mock battle, but when he returned to us on the battlefield Claude was feeling absolutely energetic. Said you inspired him. Even though he didn't get insight on your mock battle plans, Claude said he gained insight into something else far superior," Ignatz smiled warmly before adding. "I'll go hand these out to my classmates. Thank you again." And with a cordial nod the young man walked away, feeling quite inspired himself.
Byleth quietly entered the infirmary. "Oh, Professor?" Manuela remarked in her melodious voice. "How sweet of you to stop by," the healer paused at the sight of what Byleth held in her hand. "And you brought flowers?! That's so thoughtful, hold on!" Manuela snatched a vase off the nearby table that had a few sad wilted and naked stems. She opened her window and dumped out the old wilted flowers and questionable murky water right out. There was a shocked cry from someone down below, but Manuela quickly shut the window before the ruckus could travel in. Manuela filled the vase with pristine water from a pitcher and offered it to Byleth. The young woman shrugged and placed the rest of the crimson flowers into it as Manuela gushed at their beauty. The professor then surveyed the infirmary, noting that most of the beds were empty.
"Has Felix recovered?" She asked the healer.
"Oh, that one? Why he was barely able to stay still as I patched him up. Kept saying he had to go or he'd be late," Manuela responded as she set the vase back down upon the table.
Byleth felt a wave of relief; at least he was alright. Though what was he rushing off to? There wasn't any lessons planned today.
There was just one other occupant behind a drawn curtain. But Byleth could see that the occupant had a visitor, someone with long silver hair. Byleth picked out a red carnation from the vase and walked over to the last bed. Byleth cleared her throat as she peered behind the curtain. Hubert laid prone upon the bed, still out cold by the look of his deep sleep. Edelgard sat quietly at his side reading a tome of reason magic. The princess looked up in surprise at Byleth's sudden appearance. Silently, the professor held out the crimson carnation to the Black Eagles' leader.
The princess's soft violet eyes widened at the sight of the flower. Seemingly at a loss for words, the Black Eagles' leader just continued to stare at Byleth's peace offering with her lips slightly parted.
"You don't like flowers?" Byleth asked with a questioning tilt of her head.
The professor was about to pull her hand away when Edelgard gasped, "No!" And quickly plucked the flower from the young woman's hand. "I...thank you," the princess replied as she kept looking at the carnation.
Byleth nodded, then remarked as her gaze flitted to the other Black Eagles student. "Please tell Hubert that I hope he will feel better." And with that the professor turned around and walked away.
As Byleth left, Edelgard twirled the carnation in between her fingers. "Why do you do this to me teacher?" The Black Eagles' leader whispered as a blush just as red as the flower spread upon her cheeks.
"Oh my dear confused sweet pea," Manuela tsked under her breath before she quietly busying herself cleaning up after the recent discharges.
As Byleth left the infirmary and walked down the hallway, Hanneman's polite and posh voice beckoned to her. "Ah Professor, please may I have a moment of your time?"
Nodding, Byleth stepped into Hanneman's office for the first time. It was just as she expected for someone who was a reputable scholar. Tall bookshelves that reached the ceiling were crammed with assorted texts, tomes, and worn notebooks. A few portions of the walls were dedicated with blackboards that had intricate notes scribbled in dry while chalk. Hanneman stood behind his large desk, which was neatly arranged down to the alignment of quill pens by size. The young woman was about to continue forward when she realized that a large metallic disc laid at her feet.
"Ah," Hanneman remarked once he noticed the professor curiously gazing down at the Crest analyzer. "I have developed a device that will determine if the power of a Crest resides within you. I call it, the Crest Analyzer. Please just step upon the round platform." Upon noticing her hesitation the scholar calmly added, "It won't hurt a bit, promise. Plus, did you know that Crests are power incarnate that can bestow the bearer any number of boons?" Hanneman began, then feverishly continued to lecture, "It is said to be bestowed upon humans by the goddess countless ages ago. They can be passed down through bloodlines, though not all offspring will inherit it, actually scarce few end up inheriting a Crest's power."
Byleth cleared her throat, tearing away Hanneman from his deluge of information as he watched her step onto the platform with bated breath. The disc was a pressure plate which instantly turned on as the young woman stood upon it. A sudden churning of hidden mechanical cogs and wheels vibrated the metal under her before a tube of light beamed up, bathing Byleth in iridescent light. A swirling nebulous cloud of light hovered just above the Byleth's head and it was taking some form of a swirling symbol.
"Remarkable! Absolutely remarkable...I have no idea what that Crest is!" Hanneman exclaimed, then he snatched his quill pen and quickly began to copy the floating symbol down into his notebook. "Could it be the key to your sudden awakened power of magic? Who knows? No, I will know...the answer may very well be here!" The scholar rambled to himself as he began to scouring through his personal library. Quietly, Byleth stepped off the detector, causing the lights to fade and its internal mechanism to fall silent. Hanneman, so absorbed in his new endeavor, didn't even notice the professor quickly bow herself out of his office and close his door.
Out in the quiet hallway, Byleth realized her father's room was just nearby. Wishing to pay him a visit, the young woman knocked on his door. "Come in," replied Jeralt's slightly muffled, yet strong voice. The captain looked up from his diary as the door creaked open, revealing his daughter. "I had a feeling it was you," Jeralt remarked as his daughter closed the door behind her. "Good job on leading your class to their first win," the captain remarked as Byleth drew closer. "At first I was worried you would have a hard time transitioning to life here, let alone staying put in one place for more than a day. But, I can't deny it, you've flourished since we passed through the front gates of Garreg Mach." Jeralt sighed as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's an odd feeling. I used to handle everything when we lived on the road. But, you don't really need me around much do you?"
A silence hung in the air as both were lost in their respective thoughts. Then an idea came to Byleth, "Father, tomorrow, can you teach me that one trick with the sword and shield?" The young woman asked.
"You still haven't figured it out?" Jeralt was genuinely surprised as Byleth shook her head in answer. He thought his daughter knew how to do the trick, but just didn't bother utilizing it in battle. Afterall, she didn't need to be a Blade Breaker, when she was the Ashen Demon in her own right.
"Alright," Jeralt said as his expression brightened while he leaned forward in his chair. "Looks like you still need lessons from your old man after all. Tomorrow morning then, at our usual sparring time." Then an idea struck him as the captain added, "Hey, bring those Blue Lions of yours."
Byleth nodded and as she left her father's study, but the young woman paused in the middle of the hallway when she realized that the class had dispersed upon setting foot back in the monastery and the professor hadn't seen any of her Blue Lions since. The young woman came to a halt at the bottom of the staircase. Again Byleth repeated what had felt so odd for her to say, 'my Blue Lions.'
'Oh how they've grown on you,' Sothis remarked curiously from the recesses of Byleth's mind.
'Hmmmm', Byleth murmured at this revelation as she continued down the quiet stone hallway.
'You, who have never had such closeness to others apart from your father,' Sothis continued as she flitted in and out of the young woman's thoughts. 'To suddenly find yourself in the midst of something akin to...family,' Sothis added, in a tone heavier than usual.
Byleth stood at the entrance of the Blue Lions classroom, but it was empty. The young woman felt a sudden tightness in her chest as she walked into the quiet room. It was such a foreign feeling that it caused the professor to look down upon her skin in curiosity.
'It's loneliness,' Sothis whispered as Byleth looked back up. 'Something I have known long ago, before you came around'.
'Oh…' Byleth breathed as she placed an inquisitive hand upon her chest. Still, quiet, devoid of a heartbeat...just as the bodies that trailed behind her on the battlefield.
'Hey now,' Sothis chided at the morbid thoughts. 'There were no dead bodies today, remember?' She gently reminded Byleth.
"Yes, everyone is alright and all is well," the professor whispered into the empty room.
Quickly nearing footsteps caused Byleth to instinctively turned upon her heels with arms flexed and ready. What she saw was Dimitri's earnest face peering into the classroom. "Ah, Professor! I knew I'd find you here!" The prince beamed at the sight of her. "Please, follow me," he beckoned eagerly to her. Curious, Byleth followed his eager steps as he lead her to the rose courtyard.
Instead of the numerous patio tables, there was one long table with the rest of Blue Lions students patiently sitting around awaiting her arrival. They all stood up as the pair approached. "Surprise!" They cheered in unison.
"We've been cooking, baking, and prepping while you were out and about," Dimitri stated as the the many faces beamed at Byleth.
Mercedes indicated with a wave of her hand towards two large food trays, "For dinner we have sweet and salty whitefish sauté and for dessert saghert and cream. Dimitri told me you are quite fond of that dish Professor."
There was a vase at the center of the table with a lovely bouquet of sky blue Forget-Me-Nots. Realizing that Byleth was appreciating the flowers, Ingrid piped up, "Ashe and I selected some flowers we thought you would like!" Ashe nodded in agreement.
Dimitri pulled up an empty chair at the head of the table, "I was hoping we could all share a meal together as victory celebration for the Mock Battle." He prompted the young woman to take a seat. "Of course. After all, we fought hard out there. Such exertion is bound to make anyone hungry, don't you agree?"
Unable to restrain himself, Sylvain added, "Come now, Professor! We can't very well celebrate without the key to our victory present!"
Annette nodded fervently at this as she too added, "He's right! He really is! We were only able to win because we had your help, Professor!"
A less crispy looking Felix nodded, "Yes. Compared with that boar who knows nothing save frontal attacks, your tactics were nearly decent."
"Felix!," Ingrid added with a slight frown. "You really need to stop picking fights with His Highness," she admonished.
Dimitri raised his hand at this, "Don't worry, Ingrid. I encourage all to speak freely. And I must agree that the professor's tactics were truly extraordinary. I mean, climbing up a tree to take out an opponent completely by surprise. No one was even looking into the tree canopy...indeed I have much to learn."
Mercedes gently nodded at the prince's words before adding, "Oh, it was exciting to be sure, but today was quite exhausting. I'm so hungry I can barely stand…"
Ashe added as he punched the air with his fist, "Let us enjoy this feast together!"
Byleth had been quietly taking in the scene of her Blue Lions. Nodding an affirmative to the invite, the young woman approached the chair Dimitri had offered her. The prince was beaming with happiness as he took his own seat at the other end of the table. Eagerly the class passed around the large trays of steaming fish, filled goblets of noa fruit juice, and spooned up hearty portions of saghert and cream. The rose courtyard fell into hungry and amicable silence, only broken by a servant who came by to light the few candelabras scattered upon the table as a starry nightfall was setting overhead. There were a couple of burps, sighs of content, and pats of satisfied bellies.
"Whew, I think I should head to bed," Annette remarked as she leaned back in her chair and stretched out luxuriously.
Indeed quite a few of the students looked very sleepy. Even Dedue looked ready to nod off. "Lesson tomorrow morning at the training grounds," Byleth announced to her sleepy eyed students. "My father and I will be sparring," the young woman added.
Instantly all the pairs of eyes perked up at this news. "What? Oh wow! Tell us more!" They began to twitter like hungry baby birds. But Byleth shook her head, "Off to bed," the professor stated.
The lively and interested chatter continued as the students dispersed to their dorms, finally leaving Dimitri alone with Byleth. The Prince gazed at the professor over the bouquet of blue forget-me-nots, it was quite a lovely view, with the glowing candle light in the cool night air. Dimitri kinda wished they could just stay here like this, savoring the moment...together.
Byleth finished her last spoonful of saghert and cream with a satisfied sigh then opened her eyes to see that Dimitri's bright blue eyes had been watching her from over the bouquet. His head leaning upon his propped up hand.
"Ah! Ahem, Professor," the Prince's hand slipped as he realized he had been staring of Byleth. He leapt from his chair and gave the young woman a cordial bow. "Again, thanks to your leadership we were successful at our first battle."
"Don't sell yourself short Dimitri," Byleth stated as she set down her spoon.
"Pardon?" The prince remarked quizzically.
"Your tactic against the Black Eagles leader," the professor explained before adding, "It was impressive."
"Impressive?" Dimitri repeated with mouth slightly agape. Did he hear her correctly?
Byleth nodded as she rose from her chair, "See you in the morning." The young woman then paused and decided to take vase of forget-me-nots with her.
Dimitri silently watched the professor go as he replayed the moment over in his mind. Byleth was impressed! The prince headed towards his dorm with a slight bounce to his step.
As Byleth changed for bed in the dim glow of a single lit candle, Sothis's voice sighed sleepily, 'My goodness, what a day.'
'Sothis?' The young woman asked as she plopped onto the comfortable bed.
'Mmmhmmm?' Sothis murmured softly.
'I'm glad you're with me,' the professor admitted as she stared at the flickering flame.
There was a pause before Sothis replied, 'I am too, I am glad to experience all of this with you.'
The young woman blew out the candlelight and they both yawned in unison.
'Good night Sothis,' the professor sighed as she snuggled under the blankets.
'Good night Byleth,' Sothis replied sleepily as she curled up upon her stone throne.
The morning light began to seep into the room, warming the petals of the forget-me-nots on the desk. Byleth was already up and tightening the straps of the fasteners on her armor. The young woman unsheathed her sword to inspect it, a habit Jeralt had helped her solidify. His cautionary voice echoed in her mind, 'Always check your equipment and weapons before battle, otherwise you wont even get a chance to regret it.'
Speaking of her father, Jeralt was already awaiting her on the training grounds. "You think your kiddos will show up?" He asked as he looked about the barren arena.
"They'll be here," Byleth stated confidently as she approached him.
Jeralt surveyed his daughter's resolved expression and smiled. She had reacted the same way the captain had when nobles would question his ragtag group of mercenaries. "Heh, you've got your own little Byleth Co," Jeralt remarked with a chuckle, before movement from afar caught his attention. "Hey, speak of the little devils," the captain nodded as Byleth turned towards the direction of his gaze.
Not only were the Blue Lions showing up, but word of Byleth's spar with her father must have spread as even more people were appearing. From curious travelers and Seiros worshippers to Alois and the knights of Seiros. Even the students of the other two classes had arrived. Leonnie looked absolutely starstruck while Claude nudged Dimitri's shoulder playfully as they chatted. Edelgard, Dorothea, and Hubert stood off in the back; Edelgard had tucked the crimson carnation into her lapel.
"Wait," Annette voiced. "They are both armed with real weapons…someone could get really hurt!" The young woman remarked with concern.
"Pssh, they are professionals," Felix waved away Annette's worries as he eagerly awaited the sparring to begin.
Byleth unsheathed her simple well balanced steel sword, while a few feet away Jeralt raised his round shield and gripped his sword. As they positioned their stances, with eyes locked upon each other, the training grounds fell into utter silence. Even the ubiquitous cooing of pigeons, meowing of cats, and barking dogs had stopped.
Jeralt nodded to his daughter, who acknowledged the signal. Taking in a deep breath, Byleth charged, quickly and quietly with her blade swept back in her right hand. She then leapt into the air, bringing her sword down upon the captain, only to be met by a strong effortless block by Jeralt's sword. Sparks flew as their blades clashed and grated against each other. Byleth pushed off of the captain's blade, her feet seemingly just barely touched the ground before she leapt again, unleashing a dizzying flurry of slices with her sword. But, where Byleth was light and quick upon her feet, Jeralt was like a bulwark. Nothing could phase him as he parried each slice with a deft flick of his sword or angle of his shield.
Finally Byleth wrapped both hands around the hilt of her sword, drawing it towards the right side of her chest as she rushed forward primed with the point of the blade ready to pierce through her father. Jeralt braced himself against his shield, but to any trained eye, that shield would not fully withstand a front lunge with such force! Surely it would pierce right through! And it did! But that was exactly what Jeralt wanted. It was all part of the trick for he met Byleth's sword at such an angle that her blade entered the shield just below his arm and was pushed through just next to Jeralt's torso. Indeed, the captain directed the rest of the blow away from his body as he allowed the shield to be impaled. Now Byleth held one end of the sword while the other end was jammed into the shield, allowing a perfect striking point upon the section of weakness...a notch into Byleth's sword where Jeralt had aimed all his precise blocks. Now for the breaking blow...
Jeralt's usually warm brown eyes flashed with an inner fire as brought his blade down with all his might just as Byleth tried to pull her sword out of the shield. The captain's blade struck the etched notch in the metal with a resounding clang that echoed about the arena, followed by crackling as Byleth's sword shattered at that precise spot. The young woman was just left with a hilt and bits of metal too awkward to utilize. Byleth dropped the broken sword just as Jeralt swept back around his sword for a finishing blow. In one swift fluid motion, the young woman withdrew a small dagger at her hip with her other hand, and with quick thrust had the point of the small blade gently pressing at Jeralt's right carotid
They paused, Jeralt in mid swing of his sword, realizing that his Blade Breaker move had given his daughter just enough of an in to get close enough to strike him. "Touche," the captain acknowledged as he relaxed his sword arm.
Byleth took a step away from him as she stowed away her dagger and lowered herself into a formal bow. "Thank you, father."
"Oh! What a show!" Alois's voice boomed as he walked onto the training ground clapping loudly. "What a grand show!" The rest of the crowd cheered and clapped at the performance.
A young man, hidden in the shadows at the far end of the arena, had been watching the spar unfold with great interest. "What a display," he drawled as the spar came to an end.
As if she heard him, Byleth turned to peer over in his direction. What she saw was a tall young man with parted light cream colored hair, that framed his fair face, while the rest was gently pulled back into a ponytail and held in place with a dark ribbon. He wore a mask that just covered his forehead and eyes. The eye-holes were embellished with crimson paint which gave Byleth the unmistakable déjà vu of the phantom from last night. Another person wearing a mask, was this a new fashion trend Byleth was late on picking up? "Dimitri, who is that?" the young woman asked as the prince paused at her side.
"Hmmm?" Dimitri followed her gaze. "Oh, that's Jeritza. He is one of the fencing instructors here."
The masked swordsman noticed the prince staring in his direction. One corner of Jeritza's mouth curled before he disappeared into a nearby hallway.
Dimitri frowned and was about to ask Byleth why she had asked about Jeritza, but someone else had scooped up her attention.
Sylvain grasped both of Byleth's hand into his. "Professor you were amazing, no, my meager compliments do not do your skills justice. These hands have such talent."
It was as if Jeralt had a hidden antenna that picked up transmissions on those getting too close to his daughter, for just at that moment he turned around and spotted both of Byleth's hand held up in Sylvain's.
"Oh dear goddess…" Dimitri gulped when he saw the captain's eyes narrow dangerously. "Sylvain….Sylvain!" The Prince tried to interject into his friend's deluge of compliments. But the prince's warning fell on deaf ears.
"Like I was saying," Sylvain continue to profess, "however am I supposed to pay attention to learning when you are just simply mesmerizing. I cannot fathom a way that could make me…."
WHOOSH!
A sword flew just inches past the tip of Sylvain's nose before impaling itself into the stone pillar next to the pair as the young man dropped the professor's hands in shock. "As you were saying, kid." Jarelt remarked as he leaned on his sword, shadowing Byleth from Sylvain's sight.
"Ah haha, well that, that will definitely do it!" Sylvain acknowledged as his face began to turn pale.
Jeralt's eyes then looked towards Dimitri, who stood behind his friend and purposefully avoided the captain's intense gaze. The prince looked upwards as if there was something far more interesting up in the sky than what was transpiring with his comrade who...ahhhh, a puzzle piece just snapped into place within Jeralt's mind. "Oh, I don't think it's enough. I've definitely heard about you, rapscallion," Jeralt murmured darkly.
"Sylvain!" Ingrid huffed indignantly as she grabbed the red-headed student's ear.
"Don't worry sir, we got this," Felix nodded as he grabbed Sylvain's other ear.
The duo then dragged Sylvain away as he cried out, "Ow ow owwww guysss!"
Jeralt watched, seemingly content with Sylvain's punishment as the rest of the Blue Lion's chided the young man. The captain withdrew his sword and surveyed the damage to the cracked marble column for a fraction of a second, before shrugging. It appeared to be still structurally sound and Rhea could deduct the cost for repairs out of his next paycheck. Currently he had more important things to do at the moment.
"Father, where are you going?" Byleth asked as the captain began to step away.
"To get some hot coals," Jeralt replied pleasantly, as if this was the normal thing to do. "I think a certain someone could benefit greatly from it." There was a glint in the captain's eyes that was a herald of great wrath upon the unfortunate soul.
Byleth tilted her head and asked, "How about you come with me to have Queen Fish saute for lunch?"
Jeralt paused in his footsteps, on one hand he would have the great pleasure of seeing the red haired young man try to cross a walkway of burning coals...on the other hand his daughter had just invited him to join her in his favorite fish dish. Byleth had not yet extended such an invitation. The decision was simple ...plus there would be plenty of opportunities for a hot coal walk later. "That sounds nice. But, you can definitely send that one into a bear cave," Jeralt added.
"Don't worry. He has quite a rigorous training session in store for him," Byleth remarked.
"That's my girl," the captain nodded as he patted her on the head.
Dimitri sighed as he watched the pair walk away. A part of the young man wished he could have joined them...to be a part of a family meal, just like he once had.
The prince then realized that he could hear the sound of a quill scribbling furiously upon paper. Peering about, it seemed to be coming from behind the cracked marble pillar. Curiosity peaked, Dimitri peered around the column to find Seteth hurriedly taking taking notes upon his scroll.
"Seteth?" The prince questioned.
"Ah!" The advisor nearly jumped in surprise as he clutched the scroll and quill to his chest. "Prince Dimitri, what can I help you with?" Seteth asked as he quickly regained his prim composure all the while he tucked away his quill and began rolling up his scroll.
"What were you doing?" The Blue Lions' leader asked with his brow slightly raised.
"I was taking notes," Seteth explained the obvious. "Did you not see how exquisite Captain Jeralt was?"
"In the spar?" Dimitri had not figured Seteth to be remotely interested in such things.
"Of course not!" The advisor scoffed, "In his retribution upon that red-haired miscreant. Such raw force and fatherly essence. I must study his tactics. Surely it will make me a far more effective fath...brother, a far more effective brother!" Seteth cleared his throat. "Now, if you'll excuse me!" The adviser quickly whisked himself away down the nearest hallway, leaving the prince to just shake his head.
More rambling notes from the Author:
Why yes, I do love playing with our characters' hearts! Muahaha! :3 And special thanks to NyanCat for the idea of Papa Jeralt teaching Sylvain a lesson, while Seteth takes notes!
Also a slightly different take on Jeritza, but I think I may make him more...deviously ubiquitous...much to Dimitri's annoyance ;)
Okay, with the new DLC now open, what is your opinion on the House Loungewear? Yay or nay? I personally love the idea, but not sure if I quite like the design :/
Now onto vanquishing Bandits in chapter 13!
(DISCLAIMER) I do not own nor claim to own any of the Fire Emblem Franchise, Intelligent Systems Co., and Ninetendo's exceptional work. It is from the team's own brilliance…my additions are from my own madness.