AN: I don't own anything of Fire Emblem

Dreams were such odd things to Byleth. She'd always had them, and in those dreams she could express what she felt. The love of her father, holding hands with him and giggling like a normal child. She wanted to share those feelings with him, but she didn't know how. It had always been that way ever since she was little. And so the only way she could tell him how she felt was in writing, but that never fully expressed how grateful she was to have Jeralt as a father. She wanted to share those dreams with him, to show him things, but she couldn't. So she would make do with what she could in the dreams and hope that one day she could fully tell him how much she cared for and loved him.

Her dreams, though, had changed ever since the fight with Captain Berling's company. They had fought against them, though her memory of the event wasn't keen. What she could recall was the strange person, or were there two there, who had attacked her and they had fought? It wasn't that big of a deal to her. Another one or two mercenaries. But they were young, and she didn't want to cut them down. It was really only when that power had come out that things had shifted. She'd covered it for a few hours, but then she felt exhausted and her father had caught on, insisting that they rest.

So she did, and even after, she felt a sensation in her being that she couldn't connect to. Not painful, but something stirring. She dreamed of bright fields then, of cities she'd never seen before, faces she didn't recognize. A woman with long blue hair that seemed ancient and young all at once who praised her and cared for her. A man who was beside that woman whom she respected, and a world that she didn't recognize. Sometimes the dreams were short jaunts to towns with young children clinging to her. Others were devastating battles where she sobbed endlessly into the sky at the fallen warriors who fought beside her. Yet none of this was her own memory. Byleth didn't understand it at all. She wanted to, but couldn't.

It was after a long travel into town, via Barnabas Woods near the Empire's border, that things became somewhat clear, and even then it was more complicated than she first thought. She'd fallen asleep, exhausted for some strange reason–she thought maybe it was the heat of the day, but she'd never had that issue before–and dreamed. Only this time, it wasn't a simple dream. It was dark, but calm, like a tomb. She didn't like the feeling, but walked on, trying to get an idea of where she was going. Eventually she saw a light and quickened her pace, hoping that it would be the way out of the dark place she was in. However, what was at the end of that light was not what she expected to encounter.

Sleeping on a stone throne was a girl with long green hair that had twists of red and white in it. She seemed to nap, and Byleth wasn't sure if she should wake her or not. Moving forward cautiously up the stone steps past the stone railings that stood as a guard side by side to the stone chair, the young woman approached the resting child and put her hand out to see if she could touch her. It startled her back when the girl moved and rub her eyes, yawning some.

The girl blinked and stared at the young woman. While her voice was young, there was something almost grandmotherly in the tone and the timber of it. "Oh, my… what could have brought you here? I wasn't…" she yawned again, "expecting you. Oh well, I suppose you're here now, but I do what brought you to this place?"

The girl put a fist to her cheek as she sat upon her throne and rested an elbow on the stone arm. Her green eyes looked over at Byleth and the young mercenary knew that those were not the eyes of a normal human. Not to mention the ears. She could swear she'd heard stories of beings with ears like that from other travelers to Fódlan. The girl seemed not too keen for her to be there, though. That was the one thing that her body language told the Ashen Demon.

The girl raised her head some as she spoke, as if trying to give off an air of royalty, which wasn't completely working in Byleth's opinion. "It is most rude to interrupt one's moment of repose, you know. Very rude indeed."

Byleth nodded and bowed. "I'm sorry then."

This made the girl smile some. "Well, at least you have some manners." She raised her hand and beckoned her forward with a quick motion. "Now come to me. I wish to have a look at you."

Rule one when dealing with someone who seemed to have magic, her father had told her, always follow the instructions and stay on guard. The blue-haired girl nodded as she approached the young girl on the throne. The girl with the green hair twisted a lock in her fingers as she looked over her guest, and crinkled her nose.

"Hummm, I have not seen the likes of you before. Who are you anyway?"

There was something familiar about this girl, Byleth felt as she took a calming breath before speaking, "Well, I'm not a ghost or a demon, though I have been called that. I'm mortal, a human."

"I see, and so you must have a name, then." The green-haired girl supposed and seemed interested, "Go on. What is it then?"

"It's Byleth." Simple and to the point, that was what her father had taught her. Never give out more than you need to. The girl chuckled some and smiled at her, pleased with the response, which made Byleth feel more at ease for the moment. The tension in her shoulders dropped some as the girl went on.

"Byleth, huh? That is a unique name. Though, to be frank, I shall never grow accustomed to the sound of human names. They always pick things that seem so…" the girl thought a moment, "different and difficult to pronounce. You would think after so long they would try to make it easier, but no."

The girl's attitude confused the blue-haired merc. At the moment, she sounded almost like an old woman, yet a moment before there was a childlike curiosity to her. She wasn't sure what to make of the green-haired child, if she was a child at all, and it kept her on guard as the young being spoke to her as she leaned forward.

"You must possess a day of birth as well." Byleth nodded slowly, still being cautious. The girl smiled, "Well then," she waved her hand as if asking her to go on. "Beneath which moon and on what day were you born into this world? I'm curious to see when it lines up."

Lines up with what? The young woman wondered as she stood there being examined intently by the young girl, who was now looking excited, her green eyes sparkling.

"I… I was born in the year 1159, to Jearlt and Sitri Eisner, on the 20th of Horsebow Moon." She looked at the young girl curiously. "May I ask why you wish to know all of this?"

"Well, well, will wonders never cease," the girl looked surprised at this news, but then smiled happily. "I was wondering if we share our day of birth, and it seems we do. How strange. Though not the same year, it seems. Eleven fifty-nine, hmmm…"

Though she was curious about the comment, Byleth bit her tongue and waited to see what the girl did. This dream was so very weird to her, and unnerving. Whatever this girl was, it wasn't human at all. Though how she ended up in her dreams was beyond her comprehension. She didn't like it, but she would settle for what she could get out of the girl.

The young girl with the strange crown upon her head also seemed to ponder things and then yawned. "Hmmm. It all feels so… familiar… and yet… like something or someone shook me awake." She covered her mouth as she let out a yawn and blinked her eyes sleepily. "I think it may be time for yet another nap…"

"Wait, please, I don't understand. Who are you…?" Byleth tried to ask, but the girl was already closing her eyes.

"It is almost… time to… begin…"

"Could you please wait on the nap for just a moment?" She pleaded, but the moment the girl fell to sleep, Byleth felt a tug at her back and was whisked up and away from the girl. A silent scream came from her lips as she was flung back through the darkness, only to hear her father's voice calling to her from above.

"Hey… Sleepy head. Hey. Time to wake up. Come on."

Byleth slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times to get them situated in the dim room. She sat up from the bed she was resting in and saw her father sitting near her. He looked concerned, and the age on his face showed. She cricked her neck and glanced at him, biting her lip.

"You okay?"

She nodded, "Yes… I… give me a minute."

Adjusting herself on the bed, she looked around the small room. There was a table and an oil lamp, and a wardrobe. The bedroom was neat, but there wasn't a lot to it. A rug on the floor and some flowers in a vase on the sill by the window were the only decorations. She put her feet on the floor as he looked her over.

"When you gathered yourself, meet me in the main room, okay? We need to talk."

Byleth looked up at him. He was worried, that much she could tell, and it was probably about her. Sighing, she pulled on her boots and headed out of the room after fixing her hair to make herself presentable. Outside the room was a short hallway that lead to a large main room where there were wooden tables decorated with old tablecloths that had been had woven, set with wooden chairs that had been hand crafted ages ago. A long couch sat under a large double set of windows, close by a huge bookcase with more books than she could read in a month.

Her father was sitting on a stool next to the kitchen counter, which doubled as an island bar for the men. The fire place was going low, as the warmth of the spring air was overtaking the winter chill. She looked over the man, with his broad shoulders slouched some, and the clean, yet oddly cut hair and beard, and his braid, and wondered why he seemed to be such a living oxymoron. He gave off an unkempt appearance in how he presented himself, what with the tunic from Faergus, and the armor from the Alliance, and other pieces from the Empire, and yet every piece was well kept, oiled, and cleaned so much that if not for the clear scratches and chinks in the armor, one would not know he'd been in battles. He was a man of strictness and precision, learned from long ago, he'd told her, another life. Yet he tried to hide all of that, but it affected how well he led his troops.

Jeralt Eisner was a man of contradictions, and it had passed onto his daughter, or at least she thought so of herself. She couldn't laugh, or smile, or frown even. Her face so passive that everyone saw her as a ghost, but the passion in her fighting, the way she would defend others, and the kindness she showed to those younger in the villages they went though, letting children use her as a horse to carry them around, or helping them collect flowers without even hesitating, it belied everything spoken of in harsh whispers of the Ashen Demon.

When she approached him, the man turned his brown eyes upon her and stood up. He gave her a look that expressed he was anxious, something that she didn't see in him a lot. "Were you having that dream again?"

Byleth stared at him for a moment. If she told him about the girl, he probably would ask questions, questions she had no answer to. And he would find it unnerving and then question about other aspects of her dreams, things she was quiet, ready to share with him yet.

"Not really, no." She rubbed her arm lightly, a sign to him she was covering something up. "I was dreaming about a war… you know. I don't think I liked it very much at all." She explained what she saw before she ran into the girl. A woman in white with a sword clashing against a man with a huge army. Blood and chaos everywhere, and in the end the woman stood in triumph, but it was clear she wasn't happy about winning, rather it seemed she was happy to just have avenged someone, though at the moment Byleth couldn't think of who that was and everything except the green-haired girl was a blur.

Jeralt's eyes went wide for a moment as he took it in. "Two massive armies clashing on a vast field, right?" She nodded, and he gazed away for a moment. "There hasn't been a battle like that in over three centuries… I wonder where you might have heard of that."

"A book I read," Byleth offered.

"So I don't want you reading tactic books before you sleep, it'll put vivid thoughts into your mind and give you nightmares." Jeralt put his hand on her shoulder and looked at her gently, "In any case, just put that out of your mind for now, alright? The battle field is no place for idle thoughts. One moment you might be daydreaming, and the next you're cut down."

There was a look of unease that flickered in his eyes as he spoke to her in a serious tone, one she knew all too well when getting a lecture. "Risking your life is part of the job for mercenaries like us. Letting your mind wander is a sure way to get yourself killed."

The words unspoken lingered in the air, and he doesn't want to lose me like he lost mom.

The blue-haired girl knew little about her mother, only that she had been a wonderful and kind woman, according to her father, who talked about her in hushed reverent tones, and that she gave her life for Byleth in her birth. What little she knew came from him and Jeralt didn't enjoy talking a lot about his past, so she tried not to pry. Still, she had to wonder about her and what he had been like back then, before she was born.

"I'll remember that."

"Good," he told her and then smiled some and let her rest on a chair for longer. It wasn't too long before the main commanders of the band came in to the large room and sat down. Byleth blinked and sat up to pay attention as her father took to the center of the room.

"Okay, settle down. It's time to get moving. We have our orders. Our next job is in the Kingdom. I told you all before, it's far from here, so we'll need to leave at dawn." He glanced at his daughter as the others headed outside. "Byleth, were you listening?"

She lifted her head from her cupped hand where she was resting on her cheek. "Of course. Every word."

"Hm?" He closed his eyes and sighed. "Good grief. Let's go. Everyone is already waiting for us outside."

"I know, I was just…" she wanted to say. She was thinking of a faster route to take when one of the guards rushed in, his face showing an expression she could only read as perturbed. Her father turned his attention from her and faced the man who had rushed in, looking a bit out of breath.

"Jeralt! Sir!" he saluted and Jeralt gave a nod, allowing him to drop his arm. "Sorry to barge in, but your presence is needed. Straight away sir, if you can. And you too Ma'am."

Her father's brows narrowed, and Byleth watched as his demeanor changed from a worried father to a man of presence. No one in the world, in her opinion, had as much loyalty from their men as her father did. She knew they wouldn't just rush in unless it was something serious. Her father trusted them to decide on their own with skill and knowledge honed after many years of working together as a team. "What is it?"

"Sir, you'll have to come outside. We captured some young people who were out in the woods."

"What? At this time of night?" His vexed look told her he didn't trust it, and neither did she. The Ashen Demon was now on guard as she followed her father outside.

To her surprise, there was a trio of young people, slightly younger than herself, standing with two guards. Her father quickly apprised them as they spoke. The blonde boy in the center bowed to her father and explained things hurriedly, while the white-haired girl and the brown-haired boy both interjected. They had been on travel to the Remire Village when they had gotten lost on the path and had made camp. It appeared they had traveled with a larger group and had gone off on their own. After a bit, her father had waved off the guard, clear that they were safe.

Byleth held back a smile, thinking of the times she'd tried to do that too, only for her father or his men to come bring her back quickly. The blonde explained they were being chased by bandits, which gave her father pause, and her some concern.

Bandits never come around these parts. The village doesn't have many people and there's not much to steal. This makes no sense. She thought, listening to the story. Her eyes took in the group. While the white-haired girl explained how they were ambushed, the brown-haired boy commented about the bandits wanting to go after their lives and gold. A small frown came upon her lips. What reason would you have to be carrying around gold? Remire doesn't have a late night market. Typical nobles, I suppose.

She looked them over, their outfits, she had not seen them before. Each bore a color that seemed to mark them as unique. The girl turned to look at her father, though his countenance seemed more surprised, and it made her curious as he spoke.

"I'm impressed," Jeralt had been saying in the dim firelight from the torches that were outside of their home, "you're staying so calm considering the situation." It was then that he seemed to recognize something. "I… Wait. That uniform…"

"Sir?" Byleth was going to ask when another one of their men rushed up to the group of five.

"Sir! Bandits were spotted just outside the village." The mercenary looked clearly annoyed with the problem. "Damn… there were a lot of them."

The girl blinked. This had gone from a case of lost teens to a fight, all in a matter of moments. What could the bandits want with them? True, they had to be nobles, their presence aired of just that, but they were basically kids. No reason to go after them, unless the goal was kidnapping, which she would not stand for. Not to mention that if it was the sort that roamed around in a large group, then they would surely harm those in the village, leaving it devastated. They couldn't just walk away from this. It was their crisis now as well.

Her father must have been thinking the same thing. "I guess they followed you all the way here. This is bad. This village has a small amount of people and most are older, I might add. They don't have defenses built in here for bandits. We can't abandon this village now." He glanced at her over his shoulder. "Come on, let's move."

She nodded and looked at the trio. "You three are coming too. Your actions lead them here, so time to show some responsibility for this as well. You'll be helping us defend. Hope you're ready."

The white-haired girl called Edelgard nodded. "Yes, of course!"

"Whatever you need of us, Sir, just ask." The blonde who had been called Dimitri added, while the brown-haired boy named Claude grinned.

"Well, I guess there's no way around it. Time to fight some bandits."

As the group hurried off, Byleth glanced back, thinking she heard something. When nothing came out of the dark, she assumed it was the wind and followed her father and the others. When they got to the gate, she stared at the sight and scowled, then muttered, counting the bandits to herself.

"Five… six… seven."

Dimitri glanced over at her on her right. "What are you doing?"

"Getting an idea of how many we have to deal with and what they have. It's better to know who you're going to be fighting and how they may attack based on their weapons. That way, you can know if it's best to fight offensively or defensively as you go about the battlefield."

"I see," he seemed impressed by her comment. Behind her, she heard Claude call out.

"Seems we have a tactician to help guide us. Nice to know."

"It's better to focus on the matter at hand, you two. You can act impressed and question her later." Edelgard indicated to him.

Byleth smiled slightly. These three seemed like acquaintances. At the very least, they knew one another well enough to call each other out. Dimitri took what she said to heart and bowed slightly at her.

"You are right Edelgard, Apologies Miss."

"No, it's fine." Byleth told him and shook her head. "Just follow Jeralt's lead. He'll set you up right."

She looked back at her father, waiting for him to give out his commands, but then grew puzzled as a girl with purple hair rushed out of the darkness, calling to them, and offering her help. She seemed to talk to her father for a moment, and he nodded, and she only could catch the name Shez before her father gave out his orders of attack.

"We need to move quickly, so let's take care of these thieves before they overrun the village." He looked to Byleth. "How many?"

"Seven groups, including the leader. All swordsmen, except for him."

"Kostas, he's an axe user. Not someone to mess with. You four," He nodded to the purple-haired girl who was beside him and behind Claude now. "Stay out of his range. You're going to focus on his men. Byleth and I will handle Kostas ourselves."

The Ashen Demon gave a nod as she let out her breath and focused on the fight at hand.

"We take down the enemies in front first. That should take the wind out of their sails." Her father had clarified when Claude moved before her to take aim at the thief in front of the gate.

"Ready and willing, Allow me!" He was fast and quick with his aim, even if flashy. With a sure-fire pull, and a grin, Claude loosed his arrow upon the thieves, sending it flying and pushing back the leader scattering the men. It gave her a perfect opportunity to move in and attack the first leader with a quick slash of her sword, taking him down.

"You okay?" She asked Claude quickly as she pushed back one of the other men who rushed to avenge their fallen leader.

"I'm fine. It's because of you guys that I'm not dead right now. Thanks for that." He laughed as he fired off a volley of arrows at the men and glanced at her curiously. His green eyes were playful, but also deceptive in how much knowledge they really held. She wasn't sure if he was being honest, teasing, or flattering. "I didn't expect to run into mercenaries like you in some remote village. The gods of fortune must be smiling on me!"

"Not sure about that," Shez interjected as she cut down a man aiming for him and Claude jumped back. "Maybe you should pay less mind to the gods of fortune and more mind to the guys in front of you."

"Well, aren't you a friendly one," He smirked at the purple-haired girl. "Thanks for the save though."

"Sure," Shez imparted, and Byleth moved aside to give them range to deal with the men that were coming after them.

Edelgard was soon by her side as the Ashen Demon went after another bandit had come down upon the archer and purple-haired girl. The white-haired young woman carried an axe, and she had to wonder why she would pick such a weapon. Still, the young woman was confident in her skills. "You say you're a mercenary, so… show me what you can do."

"If you really want, but I don't see the reason for showing off. This isn't a game here, you know." Byleth told her as she quickly slew another opponent that came at them. She easily side stepped another attack, allowing Edelgard to get the kill on the man who tried to stab at the younger woman.

"So you're not at all how I thought you might be."

What was that supposed to mean? Byleth wondered as Claude joined up with Edelgard and she moved over to help Dimitri, getting behind him at his back and blocking a blow from behind. He twisted fast to take the man down when she pushed him into his range. Glancing over, the blue-haired girl noticed he had a kind smile on his face, though his eyes were masking something, but she couldn't put her fingers on it.

"Thank you." He gave her a gentle nod. "We are in your debt." He looked out over the field. "It wouldn't do for us to fall in a place like this."

"It wouldn't do for anyone too, and we will not let that happen," she assured him as she seemed to dance away to fight another man who was coming at them. Moments later, he joined her, and she again glanced at him. His voice was soothing to her ears, and she wasn't sure why.

"Please, lend us your strength." She nodded, and he smiled some. "Let's work together to drive out these thieves."

"That is the plan, yes."

As they moved about the field, the group of five young people seemed to be easily besting the thieves who fell back. Byleth knew this tactic. They were going to connect to one another and then come at them from behind with a surprise attack.

Which means, father is going to order us into the forest.

Right on cue, she heard Jeralt call out. "We'll advance while protecting ourselves from the enemy. Take up positions inside the forest."

"Yes, sir!" She motioned to the other four. "This way. We don't want them honing in on us."

"Stealth attacks. Oh, I like this." Claude grinned as he took up behind some trees. Edelgard quickly moved over to some rocks, crouching, while Dimitri followed Claude's lead and ducked behind a tall pine. Shez had moved to some brush and Byleth joined her, causing the girl to nearly gasp when she knelt down beside her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Lying in wait," she nodded to Shez. "You have a good eye for this."

Shez seemed to hesitate and nodded, "T... Thanks." then she looked away and Byleth could feel a sense of tension from her. It was… bizarre. She wasn't sure why the girl was coming off like this, but then again, she knew little to nothing about her. She'd assumed she was a girl from the village, but now, she had to really question if she was an ally or a plant by Kostas. If she was the latter, she'd cut her down before she could blink.

Her father's voice was a near whisper to the group as he joined them. "Yes, good."

"How does this work?" Edelgard asked softly as he hid between the trees near her. "I understand we're spying on them right now.. but…"

"If we're in the forest, we can sustain their attacks without losing the advantage." He explained to her. "We can use the trees, brush and the shadows to throw them off and as protection."

Dimitri nodded, "By keeping ahead of them and using these woods, we can keep them off our plans of attack."

"So basically we're taking advantage of the terrain and using it against them." Claude noted and looked around the trunk at the number of men waiting for them.

"Exactly. Now we wait and see what they're going to do next." Jeralt whispered as the group bided their time. Kostas's men advanced into the woods, seeking them out and cutting away the bramble as they went.

"I'm damn sure they went into the forest," muttered one thief as he cut a low branch down near Dimitri. The blonde moved back cautiously, monitoring where they were moving, and slid around the trunk to keep out of sight. He nodded to Claude as the two got in range and the brown-haired boy took aim.

"Yeah, well, if we can't lure 'em out," another thief smirked as he pulled out a torch and lowered it to some leaves on the ground. "We'll smoke 'em out."

"Boss ain't being paid to burn down the forest." A third one pointed out.

The one with the torch stood up and snapped at the third, "You got any better ideas?"

"Well, I…" started the third, when he had his hat taken off by a well-loosed arrow by Claude. The third turned as Dimitri took the first down, followed by Edelgard leaping out at the second and taking him down with a blow from her axe. The trio's attack forced back the group as Shez and Byleth came from behind them and forced them out of the woods with their swords.

Soon enough, the five young warriors were pushing back the thieves farther from the village, and Jeralt leaned into his daughter as she joined him to observe their field. "This is a fine opportunity to use the combat arts I taught you!"

"Yes, I'll make them count." She told him and then turned to Shez, who was the closest as she thought. If I attack with Shez near acting as a distraction to them, it will make them intimidated, and easier to attack. We can take them down faster than.

Shez glanced at her and again Byleth felt like she was being watched by the girl, but tried to ignore it. Something about this girl was giving her second thoughts, and yet she was helping them. She shook off her worries. She had to focus like her father had taught her. Moving about the field, she helped the others deflect blows and counter attacks. Each had their own gifts, and the weapons they wielded were the ones they were best suited for. This gave every attack an advantage.

Eventually, the group made it up to where Kostas was hiding and she was beside Dimitri by some trees. He looked at the man and then at Byleth.

"You seem to know this man?"

She shook her head. "Not well. We've fought before, but this is not where he normally travels," the blue-haired girl looked up at him. "And you are certainly not his normal prey."

He scowled, some worry etched in his brows. "That is something to consider, yes. My concern though is that, should he retreat, he might go back to the camp."

"Camp?" He nodded and spoke in a low tone.

"Our houses were out on a camping trip, a mix of training and social interactions for the Officer's academy."

"Oh, so that's why you're dressed as you are." He glanced down at her for a moment, then back at the men before them, but nodded. "I see. It would explain a bit more than what his goal was. Though it's still very bizarre."

"Well, it has been a very, er, bizarre night."

She chuckled lightly, and he blushed some, though she wasn't sure why. She assumed embarrassment, and added quickly, "Apologies. I didn't mean to offend you."

"Oh, none… none taken." The young man cleared his throat and then turned his attention back to Kostas, who was shouting.

"Damn! There are mercenaries in this village?" The man screwed up his face into a wicked smile. "Guess we'll just have to take care of them, too."

"Seems like this man thinks he can get the better of us," Edelgard came over to them, followed by Shez and Claude. "Hmph. I don't think I've seen anyone as arrogant as the likes of him before."

"Trust me, there are more where his like comes from." Shez wrinkled her nose with irritaiton, Claude nodding in agreement.

"It's true Princess. I'd say there's a lot more Kostas in the world than I'd really like to think about."

"If that's the case, then we should remove this one so there is one less to bother innocent people," Dimitri muttered softly to himself, though Byleth caught the utterance as her father hurried to join them.

"He has his two major leaders with him," she pointed out the men beside Kostas as they searched the forested area. "We can't simply do a head on attack right now."

"No, but I have a plan." He motioned to the others and pointed out to Edelgard, one leader. "See that one there? I know for a fact he's slow on a swing when countering an axe attack, if you can hit him…"

"Claude can easily fire a ranged attack from the trees." Shez pointed out, and Jeralt nodded.

"Dimitri, can you handle a follow up attack?" Jeralt turned to the boy, who gave a blunt nod of affirmation. "Good," Jeralt motioned to the other companion of Kostas as he spoke to him and Shez. "I need Shez to come at him with a solid duel attack, get him confused and then Dimitri can come and finish it and send him falling back."

"Yes, and what of yourself and…" Dimitri asked and Jeralt motioned to Kostas.

"Leave him to us. Do we all understand the plan?" The group nodded firmly. "Good, then let's move."

Jeralt caused the distraction by making noise, causing the first guard of Kostas to come closer to their ambush spot. With light but firm steps, Edelgard raced out of hiding and swung her axe hard at the man, throwing him off, and knocking him back hard. He spun around dazed as Claude quickly grinned at Shez and Byleth.

"Watch this." He let loose the arrow, and it hit the man, causing him to retreat. "Now that was too easy."

"Impressive," Shez smirked and turned to run out at the second guard, who had noticed his ally's retreat. "But I'm sure I can easily keep up." She slashed at the man in the back, knocking him into position for Dimitri to spin around and knock the man back into the woods with a heavy blow from the side in a diagonal slash. He seemed pleased that the man stumbled away from them back into the darkness.

"Cowards!" Kostas cried out, shaking his fist into the air. He turned to face Byleth, but his eyes were upon Jeralt. "Guess I'll just have to take care of this myself." He roared at Byleth as he swung at her. "Out of my way!"

The Ashen Demon easily dodged and twisted in a way that gave her a chance to strike a blow with the pommel of her blade into his gut, sending the thief back, skidding him in the dirt. Kostas roared and came at her. "That hurt! You witch!" He slashed, but as she dodged, Byleth realized it was a distraction to come after her father. She turned, but Jeralt was already ready for his attack.

Rearing up, and with the flaying hooves of his horse, he knocked Kostas back and then slashed at him with his lance, forcing the thief away from him. "Give it up Kostas. You aren't winning this."

"Says you! I'm gonna kill you all where you stand!" Kostas charged at Jeralt, only to be cut off by Byleth, who easily blocked his blow before it neared her father. She shifted on her right heel and used her left to spin around the thief and slashed at him with her blade, cutting at the armor and knocking the man off his feet. She watched as he fell and noticed the look from Shez, and then turned her attention to the others there.

"Is everyone alright?" She called out to the others as she kicked Kostas to see if he was still breathing. Nodding lightly, he was still alive. She headed over to the group.

"Yeah everyone seems to be good," Shez was saying to her with Claude giving a nod.

"Nothing to worry about here. You good, Dimitri?"

The blonde boy was checking on two of the other bandits and made sure they were alive, then nodded, "Yes… Edelgard…" His eyes went wide when Kostas suddenly got up on his feet and charged at the white-haired girl. "Edelgard!"

The thief moved fast, his feet pounding the ground, and the white-haired girl drew a dagger from her side scabbard and turned to face the man that was ready to attack her.

Byleth's eyes went wide. Was this girl mad? A dagger would never be enough against an axe. Before she could fully think, she moved and threw herself between the girl and the incoming axe. She could feel the wind as it came down, the breath of Kostas as he screamed for them to die, the sharp blade as it hit into her back and the cry of Edelgard.

Then there was a cracking sound, as if glass shattered around her, and everything seemed to slow and freeze. Her eyes were closed, and she held her breath, waiting for death to take her. Except, for Byleth, that moment never came. She was still breathing, and everything sounded quiet. Like back when she was in the dream with the girl.

Byleth slowly opened her eyes and raised her head, taking a breath and looking around. The forest, the field, it was all gone. So were Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri. She let her eyes linger, wondering where her father and Shez were, and Kostas and his men. There was nothing but darkness around her, above and below, to her left and right. Her sword was still in her hand, so this couldn't be a dream, and yet, it all felt so dream like.

Her attention snapped back when the voice of the girl shouted angrily out at her.

"Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt?!"

Byleth spun around and faced the green-haired girl from her dream. Her eyes widened as the girl spoke to her with fury as she sat there with her hands on the arm of the throne and a heated glare coming from her green eyes. Green eyes that now, to Byleth, looked way older than she first originally thought. Those eyes held power and scared her a little. The girl went on berating her.

"It's like you're trying to get me killed, you fool!" she waved her hand and went on. "Just what were you thinking? No, you probably weren't thinking at all. That's the trouble with you humans. You don't think before you act, and when you think, you take forever to act."

The green-haired girl groaned as she slumped back in the stone throne and heaved a heavy sigh as she did so. She seemed thoughtful for a moment, cupping her cheek like a petulant child and kicking her legs a bit. Her eyes closed as if deciding something, and she shook her head.

"No, it's fine. After all, if you don't know the value of your own life, you're not going to protect it very well now, are you?" The green-haired girl looked lazily at Byleth as the young woman approached the throne, unsure what to make of all of this. She was confused and annoyed at the presumption of the tone of the girl. "Of course not."

"I… I was just trying to save that girl…" she tried to explain to the strange girl as she stood up from where she was sitting.

"I'm sure that you were. How very chivalrous of you. You probably would have done the same for all of them? Am I right?"

"Yes, of course!" Byleth interjected, and the green-haired girl giggled and grinned.

"Well then, since you're going to be all chivalrous, I guess it's up to me to guide you from now on. Right?"

The girl clapped her hands as if she was seeing this as a worthy game of sorts for her, and Byleth didn't like it. She came down the steps and up to her. The girl was a lot smaller than she thought, and the young mercenary stared at the strange youngster that was invading her space. She was still slightly above her, looking down at her with a grin. "You can call me Sothis… but I'm also known as 'The Beginning.'"

"And what does that even mean?" Byleth asked her and the girl smirked some.

"Oh, you are too cute." She cupped her cheek and seemed thoughtful, as if recalling something. "Sothis… yes that is my name, Sothis. But I was also once called 'The Beginning' Hmmm, but who called me that? I wonder…"

Byleth gazed at her, trying to figure it all out. "What… What are you talking about? The Beginning? Sothis? Who are you?"

"Well, I could not recall my name until just now," the green-haired girl explained and tilted her head for a moment, "and just like that…" She snapped her fingers, "It came to me. How odd."

Byleth shook her head and sighed. This was getting her nowhere, and she needed answers. This was her body, her life. Who was she sharing this with? Was this the reason she could only dream of her feelings rather than express them? She was annoyed, and it showed. Sothis could see it too, plain as day, and it did not please her one bit.

"That look upon your face…" her brows narrowed as she leaned towards Byleth, who stood her ground. Sothis waved her arm wide. "Did you think me a child? A mere child who had forgotten her own name?!"

"Well honestly, yes…." Byleth admitted to her and Sothis was taken aback for a moment, then huffed and gritted her teeth.

"Phooey!"

Phooey? Well, there's a word I didn't think I would ever hear. Byleth thought as the girl ranted at her.

"That 'child' just saved your life! And what does that make you?"

Byleth could feel the intense power from the glare, but she wasn't about to back down from this being, whatever, or whoever, she was. She was Jeralt Eisener's daughter, the Ashen Demon, and she was not one to be scared. Yet something in her tone made her think it was wiser to not claim she wasn't a child herself. So she took a soft breath and responded as calmly as she could, a question in her tone.

"I'm less than a child?" Though she couldn't believe she was bowing to this girl's tantrum. It was better to play along for now rather than risk whatever she could do to her in this place.

Sothis smiled then, clearly pleased with her comment. "Correct! You understand. Very good." She crossed her arms then at Byleth, "You threw yourself before an axe to save just one young girl."

"As I told you…" Byleth started and Sothis cut her off with her hand and looked at her with the same sort of look her father would give her when giving her a reprimand for doing something dangerous or stupid. She bit her lip and listened as the girl spoke.

"As I was speaking. Because of my hand, all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now."

"St… Stalled the flow of time? But why?" Byleth stared in shock at what she was hearing. How could this girl stop the flow of time? That was impossible, right? Time didn't just stop. What was this girl… for once the Ashen Demon felt a pang of fear run down her spine. To be that powerful, it had to mean something.

Sothis huffed again and wrinkled her nose. "You would have died had I not intervened. And yes, before you ask, I stopped time. It wasn't just for your benefit, you know."

Byleth nodded and figured it was best not to piss off the girl who could freeze her like that, and instead opted for "Thank you, Sothis." She bowed to her as she would a noble. This seemed to please the girl, and she uncrossed her arms and smiled at her from where she stood.

Sothis relaxed then, "There now. See, is gratitude so much to ask? I deemed you worth saving, after all."

Byleth couldn't exactly say no to that factor, but it still seemed she was immature in her view. The mercenary watched as Sothis's gaze wandered off as if in thought.

"Though it is only momentary, time has stopped. However did I mange that, I wonder?"

"I'd like to know that too, honestly." Byleth told her gently. "I'd like to ask what will happen when time resumes, but for now I'd just like to know what are we going to do now given the circumstances."

Sothis looked at her seriously and held out her hand to the girl, "When time begins again, that axe that was swung down on you will tear into your flesh and you will surely meet your end. That is the last thing either of us wants."

Byleth flinched some at the thought. Her father, what would happen to him, the three young officers that she met? Would Kostas kill them then? And the strange girl that joined them; was she part of of the plan of attack? No, she couldn't just die here and now. She couldn't leave her father alone.

"How rude of you to drag me into this!" Sothis shouted at her with a worried look.

"Rude of me? I wasn't thinking about…"

"Clearly not," Sothis cut her off again and Byleth exhaled. Would this girl ever listen to her, the Ashen Demon wondered, and bit her lip. Probably not.

Sothis seemed to be concerned and a crease of worry touched her brow as she put her cheek to the base of her wrist and cupped her elbow as she pondered aloud, "Now what to do?"

Byleth cleared her throat. "Well, you could try keeping time frozen till I'm safe. That's one option."

"And what do you think would happen if I did that? You can't move, and I can't move you. No one can move with time frozen. What a silly suggestion." Sothis chided her. "No, that won't work at all…"

Byleth crossed her arms. "Well then, I guess I'll just stay here and wait to die then. Unless you have a way to turn back the hands of time?"

"Oh, don't be so silly. That's not an option at all, and if you die… well, I die as well, and I'm not about to die." Sothis looked exasperated and closed her eyes as if contemplating other things. Her eyes shot open, and she looked at Byleth.

"Wait, say that again. Not the part of waiting to die, but the other option."

"Turn back the hands of time?" Byleth offered again, and the girl nodded.

"Yes, that one…." Sothis seemed almost giddy, or as giddy as she could seem to be. "Of course," she clapped her hands, "I must turn back the hands of time!"

Byleth relaxed for a second. At least that was taken care of and the girl could do that. Then she blinked hard and stepped back as Sothis manifested a glowing golden circle before her, illuminating various crests and words that Byleth couldn't read. In the center was a marking, a brand of some sort, though she didn't know what it was of. The young woman watched as the glowing sigil spun slowly around before the green-haired girl.

"Yes…" she intoned as she looked at the rotating mark, "I believe it can be done." She smiled at Byleth in a grandmotherly way as she held out her hand to the blue-haired girl. "You really are quite troublesome, you know that?"

"So father has told me too, yes." Byleth cupped her cheek. "How will this work, then? If I may ask?"

"Well," Sothis mused quietly, "I cannot wind back time too far. That would be dangerous for both of us. But all is well." She motioned to Byleth to look at her hands. "You are aware of what is coming," the mercenary nodded slowly.

"Kostas is going to attack Edelgard. Yes, I'm aware of that."

Sothis smirked. "Which means you can protect yourself this time." Her hands raised to press at the floating mark before her. "Now go… Yes, you who bear the flames within…." Byleth's eyes trained on the spinning circles and felt herself shifting, as if in a slight trance. "Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek."

The world once more swirled, and she felt tugged back through the darkness. It swung back to the moment that the axe came down, and then… things changed. Kostas flew backwards, everything moved around, including herself, and she found that the man was back on the ground. Claude and Shez had called out to Dimitri who had echoed he was fine and his attention turned to Edelgard.

It was at that moment that the thief lept to his feet again and rushed at the white-haired girl who drew her dagger. Byleth sprang into action, but unlike the last time where she covered the young woman, she turned and faced the attacking bandit head on.

"Now die!" he yelled as he swung his axe at them and she swung her blade, clashing against his axe as it chopped down. The blade cut through the wooden handle, sending the head of the axe crashing down, and Kostas flying back. He hit the ground hard, groaning loudly with pain as Byleth stood before the girl Claude called Princess.

She glared at him as she let out an annoyed breath and then looked at Edelgard, who nodded a silent thanks. Even as she stood at the ready, a shout caught her attention and she turned to look at the voice.

"Hey! Over here!"

Claude and Dimitri hurried up to the two young women, with Shez following.

"Edelgard, and Miss. We're glad you're both alright!" Dimitri replied as he looked over the two young women. Claude nodded and grinned.

"That was kind of amazing how you pulled off that move."

"How did you do that anyway?" Shez asked her curiously, and Byleth felt the girl was holding something back. She shook her head and sighed, "Well never mind… Now that that is settled. Ashen Demon… It's time the two of us had a rematch."

The others turned on Shez and looked a bit shocked at her pulling her blade.

"What is the meaning of this Shez?" started Edelgard with a glare. Claude raised an eyebrow.

"Since when do allies fight each other after the battle, and what is the Ashen Demon, exactly?"

"She… that… is the Ashen Demon," Shez tried to explain as Dimitri got between her and Byleth, much to her surprise.

"It doesn't matter what you call her. I will not allow you to harm this young woman. She lent us her support when she did not need to and protected Edelgard. So I will stand for her now. I suggest you put that weapon away, Shez."

Byleth leaned around him to look at her as Shez got annoyed.

"Gah, can you just stand aside?" She saw he was serious and then put her sword away. "Fine. Look, she knows me… Don't you."

Byleth stared at her for a moment. "No… I don't think so."

The purple-haired girl's eyes went wide. "What? How could you not! We fought against each other! You killed my company, you slew my Captain…."

Byleth seemed thoughtful, "There's been many that I've killed. I'm sorry, but I can't quite put a finger on it. Though I know we have met at some point."

Shez let out a frustrated sigh, but stopped when Jeralt rode over. His brown eyes were wide. There was some awe and worry and some fear that lingered in his look. Byleth turned to look at him as he rode up and nearly jumped off his horse.

"Hey… Did you just…" He stopped when they were suddenly surrounded by a group of men and women in bright silver white armor. Jeralt seemed hesitant to speak at the moment and shut his mouth tight.

"Don't move!" commented one man, while a woman in armor added.

"Your Highnesses, are you alright?"

"Highnesses?" Shez questioned and looked at Claude, "What's going on here?"

Before he could explain, a man with bright blue eyes and brown hair approached them, "The Knights of Seiros are here!" he was looking at the remaining thieves and Kostas. "We'll cut you down for terrorizing our students."

Kostas got up and bolted upon hearing the voice of the man, followed by the rest of his men as he shouted it was every man for himself. The man in the silver armor looked a bit surprised as they ran off into the woods and he sputtered as he relayed orders, "Hey, the thieves are running away! Go after them!"

"Sir!" came the response, and the troop hauled off after the fleeing bandits.

Byleth looked at her father, who was trying to keep his face covered, and moved back some into the darker area. The man approached them and seemed pleased to see the trio. "There you three are. We were looking for you. And all of you seem to be unharmed." The brown-haired man smiled as his blue eyes spotted the three mercenaries. "And… who's this?"

Claude was first to speak up, and motioned to Shez, as she stood out, "This is Shez. She's a mercenary who came to aid us. I think we owe her some gold for doing a good deed."

"Ugh… why him?" Byleth could hear her father mutter as the man in the silver armor shook hands with Shez, assuring her they would be more than happy to pay her for her services. The man turned his eyes upon her then, and went to thank her as well, when he paused and took a step back.

"By the Goddess…" the man exclaimed with a shocked expression on his mirthful face. "It can't be…"

"Here it comes," sighed Jeralt as he dismounted. "Well, nowhere to hide now." He moved out of the shadows and looked at the man. Byleth watched as the man in the silver armor burst out into a wide, happy grin, and he looked like he was going to cry tears of joy.

"But it is… Captain Jeralt?! It is you!" The man hurried over to shake her father's hand. "Goodness, it's been ages!"

Byleth blinked and looked at her father. "You know the Knights of Seiros?"

All Jeralt could do was nod.