"Catherine really didn't go easy on you."
Lysithea flinched as Leonie helped to apply bandages from the many gashes and bruises she had received during training. "It's preferable to being paired up with Felix at least."
"He's a bit… difficult but he's also a fun challenge. I actually beat him recently."
"How did you do that?" Leonie was skilled with a lance and knew her way around a bow, but even she would be hard-pressed to deal with Felix's skill with a blade.
"I dug a hole."
"A hole?"
"A pit trap. He fell for it after I riled him up."
"Good job." That honestly did sound like something Felix would fall for. He had probably been so focused on his and his opponent's blade that he failed to notice anything else around him. "Maybe I should try doing that."
"Don't think it'll work on him twice, but there are some other tricks I can teach you. How well can you tie a knot?"
"Adequately. Why?"
"Well snares are probably your best bet. You can even use a nice sword as a bait," Leonie said with a smile.
Lysithea chuckled. That also sounded like something Felix would go for.
"Are you two scheming without me?" Claude acted offended as he joined the two of them.
"How did your patrol go?" Leonie asked.
"No heretics lurking in the shadows. Not sure about other things though."
The note with plans for Rhea's assassination had gotten the entire Monastery in an uproar. Obviously, it wasn't something they could ignore but it was very clearly a distraction for something else. She didn't need to be Claude to figure that out. Still they had a job to do, and their class had been assigned to help out with security during the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. They would also have to patrol the monastery before then which honestly cut into time, she could something more productive.
"What other things would we be looking for?" Lysithea asked.
"Oh, you know spooky ghosts for example."
Lysithea flinched at the mention of ghosts. "How many times must I tell you Claude. Ghosts do not exist." She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened… again. She had never seen one herself and by all logic they didn't exist, but the idea of being haunted just terrified her. Especially if there was a chance that they would be the siblings that she had lost. She already had enough nightmares about her failure to protect them, she didn't need to see their fear and despair while awake.
"Not what you said when you were with Teach last night."
"He promised that he would keep that a secret!"
"He did. I just happened to overhear you two."
Lysithea lunged at Claude only to be stopped mid-way by a pair of arms hooking her under her arms.
"What were you doing wandering around at night?" Leonie asked as she held Lysithea back so that the white-haired girl couldn't throttle their house leader.
"Just fulfilling my responsibilities as a student. I can't have the rest of my Deer overworking themselves after all."
Lysithea eventually stopped struggling in Leonie's arms and let herself be returned to her seat. "He was clearly up to something malicious like always."
"You know me so well Lysithea."
"Just don't ask me for help. I refuse to get into another one of your schemes."
"Alright I know when I'm not welcome," Claude made his way out of the room though he couldn't help but turn his head just as he made it past the doorway. "And good luck with your patrol. Hopefully you won't run into those ghosts you're afraid of." He then disappeared from sight just as a Miasma flew by where he had been previously standing.
Leonie glanced at Lysithea who still busy panting from frustration and exertion. "Maybe you should work on that temper. Not going to be able to trick Felix if you get riled up first."
The cakes that from Enbar that Edelgard had brought over were fluffy, creamy, and delectably sweet. So much that Lysithea couldn't stop as she shoveled mouthful after mouthful into her mouth, long having since forgotten her manners around the future Empress.
"Are you not having some?" Lysithea took a brief break from her cakes to ask Edelgard before shoving more into her mouth.
Delicious and delectable. A life with cake was truly a life worth living for. It truly was the divine essence of the heavens and no one could convince her otherwise.
"They are a bit too sweet for my tastes," Edelgard responded as she took a sip of her tea. "I'm glad to see you are enjoying them though."
"They're delectable. Absolutely delicious." Lysithea was grateful that she had accepted Edelgard's very first invitation for tea if it meant that she could indulge herself in treats like these from now on. Her parents had not held back in indulging her own tastes back home but the treats in Ordelia territory simply couldn't compare to these.
"Enjoying yourselves?" the familiar voice of her Professor called behind her.
"Teacher!" Edelgard immediately stood up to greet Byleth who had just entered the room. For a brief second Lysithea saw the Empress's face light up before she quickly composed herself. "I thank you for accepting my invitation."
"I appreciate it. It's good to spend time with my students," Byleth replied. Though his face was composed as always, there was a notable lightness in his steps as he made his way to take a seat next to Edelgard. The two shared a brief glance before Byleth turned to speak to the other guest at the table.
"I'm glad you two have been meeting each other," Byleth addressed Lysithea. "It's good to form bonds between the houses."
"And I'm glad you've joined us Professor. You and Edelgard are both very good company," Lysithea responded.
"Enjoying the cakes?"
"They're exceptional. Do you want some?"
"I'm not a fan of sweets. You can have them."
Oh well, the Professor's loss. Lysithea continued eating as Edelgard prepared a cup of tea for Byleth. It was a rare sight to see a future Empress prepare something for anyone, but it seemed that Edelgard and the Professor were perfectly comfortable with their current arrangement.
"How have you been my teacher?"
"Busy. Helped Claude with his patrols, confiscated his laxatives, and finished grading this set of certification exams." Byleth turned to Lysithea. "You passed your Myrmidon exam by the way."
After the training she had went through with Felix and Catherine it would be a shame if she hadn't.
"I thought Lysithea would focus more on being a Mage?" Edelgard asked.
"She already passed the exams for Mage and Priest. She's a hard worker and learns quickly, which makes it easy for her to branch out."
"Thank you for the praise Professor, but I do believe it can be attributed to your skills as a teacher," Lysithea said with a grin on her face. Receiving a compliment from the Professor always made her feel a bit giddy. He was blunt and rarely minced his words, so any compliments or criticisms from him were truly genuine.
"Just speaking the truth."
"Perhaps the three of us can spar sometime if you're also picking up the blade Lysithea?"
Lysithea shook her head. "It'll be a long time before I can keep with you two in a sword fight."
"Nonsense. I can take the time to tutor you if you'd like. Though I do prefer axes, I still know my way around a blade."
"I wouldn't want to use up your time on this. Besides I already have Catherine volunteering."
"Thunderbrand Catherine? Is she training you because you can also wield the relic?"
"I don't know," Lysithea admitted. "She never mentioned it all to me and there's plenty of people more suitable to being her successor than me."
"But there are precious few that share your Crest of Charon," Edelgard commented. That was true. There weren't any other people with a crest of Charon, at least in the monastery.
"I don't believe she intends to force Thunderbrand on you," Byleth said.
"Then why does she teach me?" Lysithea asked.
"I believe that she shares a certain kinship with you."
"A kinship?"
"Yes, and also you did save her life."
"I didn't do that much."
"You did plenty and you're an excellent student. There are many who should feel honored to teach you."
Lysithea tried to hide the blushing on her face as Edelgard smiled at her expense.
"Perhaps you should hold back your praise a little teacher."
"I'm merely speaking the truth."
"But as I informed you not everyone might receive it that way."
"Ah," Byleth's eyes lit up in realization as he looked at Lysithea. "I apologize if my praise makes you feel uncomfortable."
"No, it's fine Professor," Lysithea replied as she let out a warm smile. Being around the two of them just made her feel at ease. Edelgard was surprisingly considerate and the Professor always treated her like an equal instead of a child. "Might I ask about some of the places you've been to as a mercenary?"
"Farghus was cold, Deidru was wet, and Goneril was bumpy."
"Perhaps a few more details would suffice Professor," Edelgard suggested. "Particularly about your exploits there."
Byleth nodded and would then tell the two stories of his time as a mercenary.
"Is that Seteth's sister over there?" Lysithea asked Edelgard.
After tea with the professor the two of them had been making their way across the pond to the marketplace when they saw the distinct green hair girl standing in front of it. A look at the clear reflection of the girl's face on the waters showed a sullen look on her face.
"I believe so," Edelgard replied.
"Should we go see what's wrong?" Lysithea suggested as the girl let out a deep sigh.
Edelgard stared at Flayn for a brief moment as if to consider it. "If you wish," the future empress eventually replied, though Lysithea could detect a hint of reluctance in her voice.
They made their way to the mysterious girl and Lysithea would be the first to greet her. "Hello there… Flayn."
"Hello there Edelgard and… Lysithea I believe," Flayn replied politely.
Lysithea nodded. "Is there something bothering you."
"Oh…" a wistful look appeared in the girl's eyes. "Perhaps." She sighed again as she looked out toward the pond.
"Would you mind telling us what that is?" Edelgard asked.
Flayn turned around to face the two of them. "Have you wondered what it's like to be confined?" Lysithea felt her breath catch up in her throat. "To be trapped in a small space even as you can see the place beyond it. You try to reach that other side even for just a moment, only to be sent to the depths once more.
Lysithea couldn't answer that. She could hardly even breath. Of course, she knew what that was like, she had experienced it herself. She just never knew that Flayn had been going through the same. She wanted to say something, anything to help, yet just thinking about it caused the words to just freeze up within her.
Edelgard took a step forward. "Flayn… I do know what that is like."
It was the first time Lysithea had ever seen Edelgard showing sympathy and yet the sound of her voice told her that that the future Empress was speaking honestly. Somehow, she too understood that feeling, it was something that they shared. The difference between the two of them though was that Edelgard had the courage to face it. It made Lysithea feel ashamed over her cowardice yet also admiration for the future Empress.
"You might be forever trapped in that space, but even then there are ways to decide your own fate," Edelgard continued. "To take your life into you own hands."
"So, you understand too," Flayn replied with relief in her voice.
Edelgard nodded. "I do."
"You understand then what it is like for these fish in this pond."
Lysithea sputtered. "I'm sorry what?"
"These fish," Flayn gestured toward the pond. "You understand what it's like for them to spend their entire lives here only to serve their fate as sustenance for us all. It is both sad and admirable that even in their deaths they serve for our nourishment."
"I uh… believe so…" Edelgard replied unsurely.
"How wonderful," Flayn cheered her spirits apparently lifted up. "I thought it was only the Professor who could understand, but you two, you two are also kindred spirits."
Flayn walked up to hug the two of them. As the girl wrapped her arms around them, it took all of Lysithea's self-restraint to not start blubbering in a disordered mess.
Lysithea looked up at Edelgard, who looked just as confused, before awkwardly reciprocating the hug. "Uh… sure."