AN: I don't own anything of Fire Emblem, it's owned by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems
Dimitri had been walking from the training grounds when he had figured on heading back to his dorm to freshen up before eating some lunch, but stopped short when he nearly ran into Byleth, who was coming out of the building. He drew back, flustered. "Ah, Miss Byleth. I didn't see you there. Apologies." He bowed, and she shook her head.
"No, it's fine. I wasn't paying attention either, er, Prince Dimitri."
He chuckled, "Dimitri is just fine. I'm not a prince while I'm here, just another student, as are all the others." The blonde boy glance down and noticed the book she was carrying. "Is that a history of the school?" She nodded slightly. "Are you considering applying here at the academy, then?"
Byleth laughed and, for a second, he felt something slightly different in the beat of his heart. Her laugh was sweet and kind, and more ladylike than he had assumed it would be, given her upbringing. Something about it felt warm, and he enjoyed the sound of it. For a second, ever so briefly, that laugh had overtaken the whispers in his mind.
"No, I will not be joining you here as a student," she explained, and he felt disheartened by the news.
"Then you'll be leaving us soon to travel with your father? I suppose the work comes first in your field."
Again she shook her head, "Unfortunately, we've had to decline our last job offer for the time being. My father's third in command, Arthur, is taking over and finding a new job, as neither my father nor I will leave here for a while." She explained to him. "Lady Rhea has requested we both stay and work here for a while. She asked that I become an instructor at the academy, as it seems there is an opening and Alois recommended me for the job strangely enough." She sighed, and he thought it was a pretty sigh. "Though I can't fully understand why, I've taught no one before outside of the new men, and this is going to differ from that."
Dimitri smiled at her, feeling better knowing she would stick around. It would give him a chance to talk to her about the possibility of her father's men helping the Kingdom out. Yet, a part of him seemed to feel relieved she was staying, and not for any political reason. He couldn't fathom why, though.
"I'm glad to hear that you're going to remain here. I'm sure that you'll enjoy the work too. The students in the Blue Lions house are always ready and willing to learn, and I'm certain they would love to learn from someone who's had as much experience on the battlefield as you." He paused and cleared his throat. "That came out weird, didn't it?"
She chortled. "Just a tad, but I understand what you mean."
"So I should call you Professor then, er, Professor."
"If you would like." Byleth nodded to him. "I am glad that I ran into you. Lady Rhea asked me to get more familiar with Garrag Mach, and you offered to give me a tour. Is that offer still open, or would you have to rescind it for the time being?"
"No, no, I'm completely open," Dimitri quickly said with a grin and bowed to her, "It would be my pleasure to show you around. But could you, ah, give me a moment or so to freshen up? I just finished training and well…"
When she chuckled and nodded understanding, he thanked her and mentioned he'd meet her there in a few moments and to please wait for him. Nearly racing back to his room, the young prince bolted in and cleaned himself up, and put on a new uniform. This was a chance to pay her back for the help earlier, and to get to know this amazing young woman.
Amazing, he thought and stared at himself in the mirror. Had he just consideration that? He hardly knew her, and yet. Shaking his head, he fixed his cape.
"What are you thinking, Dimitri? She's going to be teaching here at the school and certainly will train you, just as she will with the others. She probably sees you as a student and a prince, and nothing more than that. Your only job is to get her to consider your proposal about going to the Kingdom and helping once this year is up, and that is it."
He stared at himself for a moment, fixing his bangs. "So why are you worried so much about how you look? And why are you racing around like an idiot?"
Once he'd calmed himself down, the young prince hurried back to the Center building entrance, where he found the Professor leaning against a wall waiting. He bowed to her slightly and grinned. "If you're ready?"
She nodded and followed him back inside. "So they have tasked you with getting to know all the students and the buildings. That is a rather tall order from the Archbishop. But I'm certain we can get it all done."
"I trust that you'll help me?" she asked kindly, and he nodded.
"Certainly, Professor." He motioned slightly as they came into the reception hall, where the tables and benches lined the sides, giving room for students to sit around and chat. "We're right now in the Central building of the Monastery, and this is the reception hall. The Central building is one of the oldest here at Garrag Mach, and we host all of our events here, such as graduation, and our first day meeting, and other such things. Students can study here or just meet and socialize with each other and guests."
Byleth glanced at her book and then at him. "It mentions a ball that happens here too?"
Dimitri regarded her slightly nervously. "Yes, it happens during the Ethereal Moon. But that's not for a while and it's part of the celebration after the mock battle." Dances were not something he completely enjoyed, as it had never been one of his stronger suits. He watched as she looked around in awe of the size of the room.
"When I first arrived here and saw this room, it intimidated me; The castle back home is large, I will admit, but this was something else in scope and history. To think that my father and mother both walked through these halls and came into this very room when they first started here, too." He was muttering and then noticed her watching him. A pink tint came upon his cheeks, "Ah, apologies. I was reminiscing about… some stories I heard from my father…"
He grew quiet for a moment, not wanting the voices to overtake his thoughts and her words cut in. "You must have history with this place. It must be nice."
"Nice?" he gazed at her, puzzled. "Well I suppose, yes. But what makes you say that, Professor?"
"I can't say the same. I don't really have a place I can feel connected to in such a way," she told him and walked. "We should move on."
"Yes," Dimitri nodded. Doesn't have a place she feels connected to? I suppose wandering around from place to place means that she didn't have a hometown. If that's the case, then the least we can do is make the academy feel like a home for her.
He was following when he noticed Edelgard off to the side, and the Professor approached her. The two were already talking when he walked up.
"So you've accepted a teaching position here… Pity. I was hoping you would lend your strength to the Empire." the princess was saying as he approached. "I never properly introduced myself to you, did I? My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg. I am the princess and heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire. I wonder if you'll be tasked with leading the Black Eagles…"
"That has yet to be determined," he heard the professor inform her and stayed distant enough so that he wouldn't be seen as eavesdropping. He watched them and felt a sharp pang as they spoke. At one time, Edelgard had been close to him, one of his dearest friends and a sister. If he was being honest with himself, a small part of his heart still loved her, and yet she didn't recognize him at all the day they first met again at the school, and she treated him as she would a stranger. It had hurt, more so than he believed it could, and now she was trying her hand at convincing the Professor to teach her house.
It's only natural, given her skills, that El would want someone like her to take charge of her classmates. And if the Professor chooses to teach the Black Eagles, whom am I to stop her? Still, I have more time to convince her to choose our house. Though for now, it would be wise to listen in on how Edelgard describes her fellow students.
Edelgard grinned at her, a wrist resting at her hip as they spoke, "I hope you've had a chance to meet everyone."
"I haven't yet, no." Byleth admitted to her and Edelgard grinned. He knew that grin. It was the 'I have an opening' grin.
"Well then, would you like to know more about any of the Black Eagles? I would be delighted to tell you about them."
"Alright, if you have a moment." Byleth told her.
"Then where should I start?"
"How about with yourself, if I'm going to teach your house, I need to know who it is that I will rely on to help me with the students?" Dimitri heard the Professor say and hid a small grin. She was cunning, too. He liked that. She would not go easy on anyone it seemed and was honestly dedicating herself to knowing about the people that she was going to instruct, it seemed.
Edelgard seemed taken aback by being asked about herself. "Me? Well… I think I'm distant. Arrogant even. But there's little to be done. One day, I must rise to become Adrestia's next emperor."
That's not true, El, he thought to himself as he listened in. You were always slightly bossy, that's true, but you were also kind, and caring, always worried about others. You were always stronger than I was when it came to facing fearful things. But how you have changed?
"What else?" the white-haired woman went on. "Well, we may have similar personalities." Edelgard glanced over at him for a second, then back at the Professor. "Then there is Hubert von Vestra. He is the heir of Marquis Vestra, and has served me since I was a child."
That's right. I faintly remember hearing about him. Though El talked little about him when she was with us at the castle. As I recall, he's a rather stern person. Dimitri understood and tried to shake off the rumors that were running around that Hubert was a vampire.
"You may think his blood runs a bit cold, but… Heh, actually, that's rather accurate." Edelgard commented to the Professor. "Still, if you can get past that, you'll see he's quite astute and reasonable."
"I see. So what about Ferdinand von Aegir?" Byleth was looking at the book again.
Edelgard rubbed her head and sighed loudly. This made Dimitri raise his head. He'd heard the son of the duke had become El's rival, though he didn't see why. "For some reason, he thinks of me as a bitter rival and is always trying to challenge me."
"Maybe he sees you as someone who has a skill level he wishes to attain and surpass?" suggested Byleth with a light shrug. "I had plenty of mercenaries consider me their rivals, even if I didn't see it that way."
"Yes, well, to me it's terribly irritating," Edelgard ran a hand through her hair. "His house is that of Duke Aegir, which produces Adrestia's Prime Ministers. That family is… perhaps too pleased with its own status."
As the two talked, Dimitri learned several things that he didn't know about. That Linhardt was far more intelligent than he let on. He'd seen the young count von Hevring when he was invested in something, and seemed to excel far beyond what someone had asked of him, but when he wasn't interested, Linhardt didn't bother applying himself. Then there was the napping he'd seen the young man do, in the strangest of locations as well. While Edelgard found it annoying that Linhardt didn't have a work ethic, it intrigued Dimitri in his own way. There was a slight similarity to Sylvain there.
That Caspar, being the second son of Count Berliez, meant he was going to have to forge his own path in life since his father was leaving him nothing. That bothered him. As for the young prince, he didn't see a fairness in that. Then again, with the way the crest system worked, it denied his own uncle the crown all those years ago. Another thing was he was headstrong, which reminded him a bit of Felix. The eccentric, as El had put it, Bernadetta von Varley, was a gentle soul. Though from what Dimitri had seen of her, she seemed afraid of her own shadow and hardly talked to anyone.
One that surprised him was that of Dorothea Arnault, one of the older members of the Black Eagles, and the only one that was not of nobility. He had heard of her from nobles before coming to the academy when they had traveled to the Empire and had taken in an opera while visiting. He was curious about what brought her there, and wondered if she had a patron, like Ashe had. At the mention of Petra Macneary, the princess of Brigid, Dimitri listened up. One thing he wanted was to make peace with Sreng and Duscur, and given that her country was a vassal of the Empire, though to Dimitri he did not want such a thing for either countries, rather some sort of mutual peace accord.
"Well, thank you for that information, Edelgard." The Professor replied and bowed some to her. "I'll be glad to meet your housemates."
"I'm certain you'll find them all fascinating." The imperial princess disclosed and then glanced at Dimitri. "Did you find it enlightening, too?"
He sighed as he stood up. "I'm sorry Edelgard. I assure you I wasn't listening in. I was waiting for the Professor."
"I see. Come to tell her about the Blue Lions?" She seemed curious, though there was a jab of challenge in her tone too.
"Dimitri was kind enough to give me a tour," Byleth explained to her and bowed again as she pulled at his sleeve to get him to move away from the white-haired girl. "If you'll excuse us."
The prince nodded to the princess as they left, feeling her gaze upon his back as they walked away. They were silent for a moment until he gave her a thanks.
"I did not mean to cause any tension back there."
She shook her head. "No, it's perfectly alright. I didn't see the problem with you sitting there, and I'm sure she didn't either."
"I hope you're right." He was saying when they were stopped by a guard, who beamed at the two of them.
"Greetings! You must be the new Professor, and I'm pleased to see you too, your highness. What a pleasure!" the guard exclaimed with excitement.
"Ah, pleased to meet you." Byleth said with a nod. "And what do you do here?"
"Me? My job is to stand here at this glorious entrance and leisurely watch over the comings and goings of everyone. Make folks smile, you know?" He cleared his throat. "Er… and by that, I mean… to vigilantly guard this entrance with my very life! No levity whatsoever."
"It must be a wonderful job. So then I take it you're the Gatekeeper." She asked, and the man laughed.
"If you would like to call me that, then yes, that is what I am. As of right now, nothing to report."
"Good to know we have someone like you keeping watch over us all," Dimitri told him kindly, and the guard smiled back.
"You're too kind, Prince Dimitri. Well then, I'll see you two off."
With a wave Dimitri steered her from the reception hall and down an open air walk way. "This is the way to the study halls, or classrooms for the houses. It's also officially known as the Officer's academy. Each house has their own room, and it's marked by a flag." He pointed to the Golden Deer house as a voice wafted over from behind them.
"Well, what do you know? You actually gave her a tour."
They both spun around and Dimitri saw Claude coming over. He inwardly sighed. He's probably going to make some comment about how I'm pushing for the Kingdom. The young prince stood relaxed though as the duke heir apparently made his way over with a happy wave.
"Wasn't expecting to see you here. What's going on?"
Dimitri motioned to the Professor standing beside him. "Our savior in the woods has been invited to become a teacher here at the academy, Claude. So I was showing her around the grounds."
"Already trying to be teacher's pet, I see," teased the brown-haired duke. Dimitri shook his head and huffed, somewhat embarrassed.
"Hardly. I just wanted to help her complete the Archbishop's request."
"Oh, so Lady Rhea is already working with you," chuckled Claude. "So Teach, I can call you Teach, right?" She nodded. "Must be nice to score a teaching gig here. Talk about a great first impression."
"I wouldn't say that. Lady Rhea surprised me with this when I went to see her with my father. He's working here as a knight now as well. I'm going to see him later." She explained, and he nodded.
"Cool, so you'll be here for the rest of the year, then. I guess that means I'd better introduce myself properly. I'm Claude von Riegan. I'm from the ruling house of the Leicester Alliance, but don't worry too much about all that madness." Claude gave a short bow.
Dimitri sighed, "All that madness is rather important though, Claude."
"To you maybe, but honestly, formality- I think- keeps people apart." He grinned at Byleth and winked. "Right Teach?"
Dimitri shook his head. "We didn't come here for a debate on formalities, Claude."
"Right, right, I'm just messing with you." He put a hand on his hip. "I'm guessing you don't know which class you'll be teaching yet, do you? I bet you'll like ours. We're not as… difficult as the other two."
Dimitri frowned some, "Claude…"
"I'm just saying your Royalness, your house and the Black Eagles are full of nobles. Teach here is a person who grew up away from all of that. Might be kind of hard for her being around that sort of environment."
"I can assure you the Blue Lions would welcome her with open arms if she picked our house to teach." Dimitri told him honestly and sighed. Why was he like this? The blonde wondered, gazing at the young future duke. Ever since he'd met Claude, there was always this edge to him, as if the mere idea of nobility rubbed him the wrong way, and that all nobles were the same sort that looked down on others. It bothered him, but he said nothing and let Claude converse with Byleth.
"So what do you want to know, then?"
"Well, what about yourself?" She asked Claude and Dimitri moved away giving her the space. He didn't want to be around to influence her discussion with his fellow house leader, but he was curious all the same about the members of Golden Deer. Of the other two, the Deer house had always been the more friendly with the Kingdom as the Alliance had been born from a broken off section of the Holy Kingdom, so the relationship between the two had been fairly friendly if not tense at times.
Claude grinned proudly, "Piqued your interest, have I? As luck would have it, I'm pretty curious about you as well." Dimitri watched as Claude smoothly spoke with a light tone of flirting in his voice. He would admit he admired his charisma, and that the boy could so easily speak with others. He would also admit to being a bit jealous of the way Claude could worm his way into anyone's confidence, something he struggled with personally. "But what's life without a bit of mystery? Let's just spend the next year or so learning about each other, little by little."
"Sounds like you have plans for me, Claude; I hope those include actually studying, because that is all you're going to be doing with me." She told him seriously and the sly smile on Claude's face fell for a second, causing Dimitri to cover a small chuckle with a cough. To his credit, the comment didn't faze Claude very much, and he laughed.
"Oh I see, all business then, Teach. You are going to be a hard nut to crack, and I like the challenge."
As with Edelgard, Dimitri listened quietly to the information Claude discussed with the Professor. Lorenz was the heir to the Gloucester territory, something that everyone in the academy knew by this point as he reminded others every chance he got. He could agree with Claude's opinion that the young heir was a bit on the arrogant side and believed himself the type to 'woo over any woman he saw'. At least that was how Ingrid would have expressed it. While it didn't surprise him to hear that Lorenz was the devoted type, honest wasn't something Dimitri thought he would hear from Claude, given that Lorenz's house had been historically to be rather cutthroat for the title that was held by Claude's grandfather.
Then they spoke of Raphael, whom Dimitri had been told might be as strong as he was. Raphael came from a merchant family, and it pained him to hear about the deaths of the young man's parents and the familiarity with that feeling of being without the guiding hand of a mother or a father. Yet, as Dimitri had observed, Raphael didn't seem bothered by it, or rather, he'd found an acceptance. The young Prince wondered how he'd come to that point.
"Training and eating. He probably would have liked the man that used to work for us named Zeke. He was the same way." Byleth told Claude as they chatted and Dimitri had to watch the way her face made some small quirks. He noticed she had glanced his way and turned to look at her.
No need to give her the impression I was staring at her. How rude am I being? I know to behave far better than this.
Claude talked about Raphael's friend Ignatz, who's family was also merchant's and that he and Raphael knew one another. As with Caspar, it seemed Ignatz was the second son, and needed to become a knight because of his older brother inheriting the business. It made the prince empathize with the plight of the boy, as it sounded like he would rather be elsewhere and not be following this path. Dimitri had to agree with Claude, he was doing this to please his parents. The name Ordelia struck a chord with the young prince. He'd heard it mentioned a few times from some of his father's friends, who still visited from time to time. Lysithea, according to Claude, was the youngest student here, and the eldest child of the Count's family. He grimaced, recalling when her anger, remembering a day by the greenhouse when she had berated him for treating her like a child. He had vowed to never do that again, and didn't understand how Claude had the will to tease her as he did.
Make his own fun at this place? The words resonated with the prince some, and he reflected on it. The school was a place of socialization, and they couldn't always study. He decided that should the Professor pick the Blue Lions, he would make it an enjoyable and fun experience. After all, what she had revealed in the reception hall had taken him off guard and he wanted to make such a place for her.
To his credit, Claude didn't make up any information about the noble daughter of Margrave Edmund's, Marianne. The girl was as quiet as a mouse most times he saw her. Have I heard her talk? Maybe once to ask for a book in the library, maybe… or it could have been the wind.
Of course, the name Hilda Goneril was one he was used to hearing in Blue Lions, as Ingrid would go on about the girl when annoyed by her behavior. From what he knew himself, she was the only daughter of the Duke, and her elder brother was a high ranked General named Holst. He wasn't then surprised to hear that they coddled her, though he didn't think Claude was fair with the 'lazy' assessment, and it again drew his attention that the boy seemed to have some biases regarding nobles. He wondered if there were some opinions the young duke had about him as well.
When the mention of Leonie came up, Dimitri noticed the Professor look down, as if trying to recall something, but if Claude had noticed it too, he certainly didn't draw attention to it. Rather, the brown-haired boy talked about the fact that Leonie wanted to be a mercenary, much like the Professor had been, and that her father was a hunter. Though he wasn't surprised that she was a person who saved up. He'd met hunters in his own territory who were the same way. It surprised him at the stingy comment, seeing as he'd seen Leonie being fairly generous with the people in the village near the monastery, with her helping them. Still, he supposed it was more about money and less about time and effort. The girl seemed to have energy in spades.
"It's good of her to do that," Byleth sighed lightly. "Not sure how much debt my father has built up over the years of his work."
"Not an easy job, I take it." Claude commented as Dimitri came over to them.
"No, it's not, but it's something I know how to do." She admitted and then walked into the room. Dimitri followed and Claude pulled him to the side.
"Slow down there Dimitri. I think she's got this," the young duke smirked at him as he yanked him by the arm to the side. "You got a second, actually?"
"Of course. Is there something that you need to talk about, Claude?" He asked honestly and waited as the boy seemed to gaze around subtly.
"Yeah. Actually, there is. Remember the other mercenary that helped last night? Shez?"
Dimitri nodded, "Yes. Difficult to forget when one has a sword aimed at one's chest. What about her?"
"Well, that's the weird thing. Last night she said Alois told her she was going to come to the Monastery and they would give her a reward for her helping us. You know, a bit of a… er, payment, for not letting anyone know we were in trouble."
Dimitri held back, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms. "We would not be having to pay her such money if you had not run off. But I suppose that happened in this case and she has since departed."
"Yeah, no." Claude corrected him and Dimitri stared at him curiously.
"What do you mean by no?"
Claude lowered his voice some and moved back to lean on the cool stone wall behind him. "I mean, just what I said, no. No, she did not depart the monastery. In fact, according to the guard I was talking to earlier, word was that Lady Rhea wanted to reward her by letting her study here."
Dimitri blinked and stared. "Is that so? Well then, I suspect she could be in Lady Rhea's quarters?"
"Not according to the one maid that works on the third floor. No one was brought up to the third floor." Claude's brow furrowed.
"And why are you bringing this to my attention?" Dimitri asked, unsure of how he could help. If Lady Rhea had her somewhere, surely Claude didn't think he could use the Kingdom's influence to find out? Could he?
"Because I was wondering if you saw her. See after she went into the Central building, that's the last time anyone saw her. But no one ever saw her leave the grounds." He watched as Claude scowled some. It was the first time he'd seen the boy look like that in the short time he'd known him. Worry dashed through his green eyes, and Dimitri glanced down slightly at him.
"I'm sorry, I did not. But if she is on these grounds, then we will help you look for her." He wrinkled his brow. "Where could they have taken her, too?"
"That's what I want to find out," Claude told him and looked seriously at the taller blonde boy. "But it needs to be kept between us, okay?"
"You have my word Claude." Dimitri bowed slightly to him.
"Once I know what's going on, I'll call in a favor with you and the Blue Lions." He grinned and patted Dimitri on the arm, "and perfect timing. Hey Teach, your guide here is ready to go show you the other two rooms."
As Byleth joined them, Claude waved them off, shooing them on their way, mentioning something he had to do and then went into his classroom, being called out by Lysithea for not warning them about the mercenary that had just randomly walked into the room.
"They're a rather amusing bunch," Dimitri mentioned to her and Byleth gave a nod, looking up at him. He quickly focused his attention on the other two houses when the student outside of the Blue Lions called to them.
"Dimitri, did you see my notebook? I thought I left it on the desk," the boy appeared worried as he searched his pockets.
"Did you check under the desk or maybe on the book shelf André?" Dimitri asked him, "That's where it was the last time, wasn't it?"
"Thank you. I'll go check right now." The younger man hurried back into the house, and Dimitri smiled shyly at her. "I suppose you already figured out this was the Blue Lions' classroom."
Byleth pointed to the flag, and he bowed. "Professor, please accept my apologies for the other day. Claude reminded me I never thanked you properly for your aid and I haven't even given you the courtesy of a proper introduction of myself." He stood and faced her. "I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. I still have much to learn, but I'm confident I could benefit greatly from your guidance."
Byleth gave the proper bow in return, and he grinned some.
"Well, I'm sure you have some questions then about the Blue Lions? Who would you like to know about?"
"Well, let's start with you." Byleth told him, and he cleared his throat.
"Me? Oh. Um." Dimitri nodded slightly, "Please forgive me… It's difficult to open up on the spot, don't you think?" Yet it was easy for Claude and even Edelgard.
"I understand that," she nodded, "But I would like to get to know you and your students since I'm getting to know the others as well."
"And you need to complete your task. Very well," he took a breath to relax his mind as he spoke. It was hard to bring up the matter, let alone talk about his past, but he would help her complete Lady Rhea's request. "I'm afraid my story has not been a pleasant one… I do hope that doesn't color your view of me, but I understand if that can't be helped."
She nodded and then studied him thoughtfully, "If you don't feel up to talking about it, then that is alright. I'm getting a better understanding of you, even with you showing me around."
He grinned and felt a bit of the stones in his stomach dissipate. "Thank you for understanding, Professor. Perhaps, at another point in time." She nodded to him. "Then would you like to meet the students?"
Dimitri led her into the classroom only to run into Sylvain, who was watching from the distance. He was certain that his friend was probably trying to see who the Professor was, given that word had already spread about the situation last night throughout the academy, and he had been questioned by both Annette and Ingrid earlier that morning.
"Hey Dimitri, I was wondering where you'd gone to." The tall red-head glanced over at the woman beside him and put on a charming smile. "Well, well! It must be my lucky day to see such a beauty."
Dimitri gave him a short look. "Sylvain, this is the Professor. She's the one that aid myself, Edelgard and Claude last night."
"Oh," Sylvain smirked. "So this is the mercenary that saved you? Huh. I thought she had darker hair."
"You're thinking of the other young lady, Shez." Dimitri shook his head. He sighed. It would be Sylvain who would get the two mixed up. "I'm sure you recall her from the camp last night."
Sylvain nodded, "Right. Got it. Two different mercenaries." He turned to Byleth. "I'm Sylvain Jose Gautier. I've known Dimitri since we were kids, so feel free to say hi whenever you like."
Byleth gave him a smile in return, and he glanced at the prince. "I'm going to head out to the reception hall. I'll be there if you need me."
"Of course, thank you Sylvain." He nodded as the boy waved and headed out. Dimitri glanced at Byleth.
"Sylvain is the heir to house Gautier. He is a capable person who highly values his friends." Dimitri told her and watched him leave with a concerned look, "That said... Well, he's always been a bit of a... ahem, skirt chaser, so to speak."
The blonde caught a bit of a laugh slip out of her, and he blushed some, "Pardon my bluntness. I speak with him about it often, but it doesn't seem to help."
"It doesn't matter who talks to him about it, it just goes in one ear and out the other." The sarcastic voice of Ingrid rang in his ear and he turned to see the blonde girl walking over, with Felix following her. He smiled, seeing them as they approached, Ingrid taking the lead.
"Hi there. You must be one of the mercenaries from the fight last night. I heard all about what you did from Prince Dimitri." She bowed some. "As a citizen of Faerghus, I thank you."
"I was glad to help," Byleth told her, though from the way she looked Dimitri was sure the praise was making her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"He also said you're quite skilled. And he doesn't just say things like that," the purple haired young man beside Ingrid commented and Dimitri noticed him smirking. "I look forward to sparring with you and beating you."
"Felix," Ingrid shook her head. "Must you always speak of fighting right away?"
"The Boar doesn't talk highly of others that often. I figured it was a good time to see if she was willing to test her skills against mine."
Dimitri felt flustered and winced at the name Felix had taken to calling him. Did they have to make it sound like he was gushing over her? "Pardon, Professor, but may I introduce to you to Ingrid Brandl Galatea, and Felix Hugo Faraldarius? Two of my longest and dearest friends."
Felix snorted, and he could feel the tension mounting. While the two could talk, it wasn't as it used to be. Ingrid thankfully cut in to break it.
"Oh! Are you going to be teaching here? And, uh… you may call me Ingrid. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"I still expect to see how good you really are," Felix commented as he walked off to talk to another random student, and Ingrid sighed.
"Forgive him, he's always like this." she told the Professor and then left the two of them mentioning that she was going to find Sylvain as she was sure he was going to get into some form of trouble. Alone again, Dimitri glanced over at Felix and then spoke quietly.
"I've known Felix, Ingrid and Sylvain since we were quite young. So it was no surprise that we would come here together. Still… I'm sure you noticed the tension there. Felix and I are not as close as we are. He's the second son of the Duke of Fraldarius, and the heir. As you say, he has a bit of a sharp tongue, but please, don't let that fool you." Dimitri sighed sadly. "Deep down, he's a good guy. He gravitates towards people who are skilled. If you want to gain his confidante, it would be wise to enjoy a friendly competition with him sometime."
"Would you be watching?" she asked in such a calm voice he wasn't sure if she was teasing him or being serious. The younger man cleared his throat and nodded.
"Well, I'm sure that everyone in the Blue Lion's house would enjoy watching such an event."
Byleth nodded to him and then asked, "And Ingrid?"
"She's the daughter of Count Galatea's daughter." He explained to her, "She's one of the most diligent, industrious and principled people I know of." he laughed lightly. "She's more knightly than most knights you will ever meet. She was the one keeping us in line when we were younger. Though I'm sure you can guess that Sylvain was the one that got us into the most trouble."
"Your Majesty?" Dimitri raised his head as Dudeu and Ashe approached them. "I thought I saw you come in."
"Professor, this is Dudue Molinaro and Ashe Ubert."
The gray-haired boy grinned, his eyes excited. "Hi, there! You must be the one everyone's talking about. I'm Ashe. Great to meet you." Ashe motioned to his taller and broader companion, "This here is Dudue. He serves Prince Dimitri."
Dudue gave a slight bow to her, "I have heard that you rescued His Highness. Words cannot express my gratitude. Should you ever require my strength, please know that I will hasten to repay this debt."
The white-haired man glanced at Dimitri. "Is there anything that you require at the moment, Your Highness?"
"No, I'm fine at the moment, but thank you," Dimitri told him and escorted Byleth away from the two of them. As they walked, he spoke softly. "Dedue has been in my service for these past four years. He was born in Duscur, and is one of the most loyal people I know. Though he is rather taciturn, but once you get to know him, you'll see he's a kind and good-natured young man." She nodded as he finished. "Ashe is the adoptive son of Lord Lonato of Castle Gaspard, but I hear he was born a commoner."
"So he was taken in?" She asked curiously, and Dimitri nodded.
"As far as I know, yes. He has mentioned he has siblings, but I'm not sure if they are under Lord Lonato's care. I really didn't know him very well till coming here. He has an extremely earnest personality, so I'm certain he will approach your lectures with great enthusiasm."
"Well, you seem to know a lot about your house members."
"I admit, there's more I should know, but it is a start. As house leader, it's my duty to assist our fellow students with their needs." Dimitri told her honestly, and he believed every word he said about it. They had made it over to the fireplace when he noticed the two girls standing nearby and gestured to them.
"Annette; Mercedes, could you come over here for a moment?"
The red-head with the cheerful smile walked over first, followed by the older blonde girl, who seemed rather serene at the moment.
"Yes Prince Dimitri, what is it?"
He turned to Byleth as he spoke. "Professor, I would like you to meet Annette Fantine Dominic, and Mercedes von Martritz. May I make your acquaintance with the Professor?"
The blonde girl surveyed Byleth and smiled kindly. "So very pleased to meet you. Are you going to be working at the monastery? Or was this a title from before?"
"I'm going to be instructing one of the houses," Byleth informed them, and Annette grinned brightly.
"Oh Mercie! She's the mercenary that people have been talking about!"
The older girl nodded to her friend. "Now that I think about it; that does sound like something Dimitri may have said…"
He inwardly groaned. Why was everyone saying he was the one talking about what happened? It almost seemed as if this was a vast conspiracy to embarrass him. Though he was sure that, that wasn't the case; or did he really brag that much last night and this morning about the Professor? He could feel his ears get red at the notion.
"I suppose you'll be teaching our house, then?" Mercedes asked her, and Byleth paused and shook her head slowly. "Oh, you're not?"
"Well, I haven't decided anything yet," the Professor admitted to the two of them.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, and I really hope you consider picking Blue Lions. I hope you'll at least visit sometimes even if you don't. You can call me Mercedes, and this is my best friend…"
"I'm Annette. At least you can call me that. It's really nice to meet you." The bubbly red-head told her. "I hope you enjoy working here."
"I'm certain I will." Byleth told her simply, and the two went back to talking to one another. Dimitri quickly escorted her from the room, and as they left, he spoke openly to her and walked over towards the Black Eagles.
"From what I hear about Mercedes, she was born to Imperial nobility, but a twist of fate brought her to the kingdom." He glanced at her. "She may seem carefree on the surface, but she's actually a kind soul who pays careful attention to everyone around her. Annette is Baron Dominic's niece. She's a very talented student, and from what Ingrid has told me, she scored high marks at the Royal School of Sorcery. I'm a bit surprised she came here. As you saw, she's very cheerful and hardworking. Brilliant, really. She outpaces everyone in the class in magic."
"She sounds quiet amazing." Byleth told him.
"She is, though she can be a bit oblivious at times." He chuckled some, "I hear she caused an explosion in the kitchen."
They stopped by the Black Eagles and the student outside stopped them and glanced over at the duo. "Prince Dimitri, you know this is the classroom of the Black Eagle House, right? Which is for students from the Adrestian Empire? Of which you are not a part of."
"Yes, I know that well," Dimitri commented coolly and bowed to Byleth. "I'll wait out here for you, Professor."
She nodded and was just heading in when a young man inside called out. "Hey, what the heck do you think you're doing?"
The student twisted his head some and glared at a short blue-haired boy with close cut hair, followed by a green-haired boy who was yawning. Dimitri had seen them before but not interacted with either and knew them as Caspar and Linhardt, both of whom Edelgard had mentioned to the Professor before.
Caspar was the first out the door and glaring at the student in the front. "I asked you a question. Just what do you think you're doing acting like a rude jerk to them? Just because the Prince is from a different house doesn't mean you treat him like that! What would Edelgard say if she saw you act like that?"
"Not to mention, Hubert." Yawned Linhardt as he stood nearby and seemed only partly aware of what was going on.
"Well, I… how do we know he's not here to spy on us?" the boy alleged and Caspar rolled his eyes.
"Are you kidding me?! What would he have to spy on us for? What, you think he's coming in here to steal the test papers or something?"
"No, I just…" the boy stammered.
"You just what?" Caspar threatened, and the boy scrunched his face.
"You're just the second son of a noble house. I do not have to take this from the likes of you!" the student huffed and stormed off. Caspar shouted after him.
"Hey get back here. We're not done yet!"
Linhardt shook his head, his long hair waving back and forth as he did so. "Whatever you're thinking, Caspar, leave me out of it. I'm going to go back to my seat and sleep some."
Caspar glanced at his friend and gave a hard gesture to the fleeing figure. "He was acting like a jerk out here. Can't let someone in because they're not from the Empire. What a load." He sighed and looked at Dimitri and Byleth sheepishly. "Sorry, that happened. I don't think we've met, but I've heard a lot about you. You're Prince Dimitri, right?"
"Yes, and this is…" He said when Caspar went off.
"Wait, is this the mercenary that Edelgard was talking about?" Byleth nodded to him and the blue-haired boy grinned. "Is it true that you saved Edelgard?" again a nod. "That's incredible!" he glanced at Dimitri and bowed to him. "Oh sorry, forgot the introductions again. The name's Caspar von Bergliez, but most just call me Caspar. Pleased to meet the both of you."
"And you as well, I am Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, a pleasure to meet you Caspar." He bowed to the blue-haired boy who grinned and as Byleth bowed in return to Caspar saying her name as well. "And the guy with me is…"
"Lindhardt. Good-bye." Linhardt said bluntly and gave a short wave as he turned to go back in and Caspar grimaced.
"Yeesh Linhardt. How'd you get into the academy with those manners? You can't just walk away like that."
"Oh, very well if I must," the boy with the green hair droned on with a heaved sigh, then bowed to Dimitri and Byleth. "Linhardt von Hevring, there is everyone happy. Good, now I'm going to take a nap."
Linhardt walked quickly inside after that and Dimitri blinked as Caspar shook his head.
"He certainly is different."
"If that's a polite way of saying weird, then yeah, he is." Caspar told him and waved them in. "Come on in. I'm sure the others would like to meet you, Professor, and I know at least Ferdinand would love to talk to you, Prince Dimitri."
"He would?" Dimitri questioned and followed in after Caspar with Byleth. His eyes took in everything in the room. As with the Golden Deer and their own classroom. There were fireplaces, rows of seats and bookcases from which they could take texts and tomes down and read. The difference was, of course, the banner being the Black Eagles, in the room's corner.
Caspar gave a nod. "Yeah, probably hoping to do some bragging and get you on his side."
Dimitri looked confused. "For what purpose?" I bet it has something to do with his rivalry with Edelgard.
Caspar shrugged his shoulders. "He's got this thing going on where he thinks that he and the princess should butt heads. So don't be too surprised if he tries to get you to agree that he's better than her."
"I shall keep that in mind." Dimitri nodded as they approached the tall orange haired noble who was standing and talking next to a shorter, slightly scared, purple-haired girl.
"Hey Bernadetta!" Caspar called out and waved. The girl nearly jumped six feet.
"Wh… what! Caspar! Don't scare me like that!" Bernadetta shouted and her eyes went as wide as saucers as they approached. "P… Prince Dimitri! What is he doing in our house? An… And who's this stranger with him?"
"He came here to talk," Caspar said and grinned to Dimitri, who bowed to her.
"Ah! A man of class like myself," the orange-haired boy commented with a smile. "I am Ferdinand von Aegir, legitimate son of the Aegir family, the Empire's foremost house. I'm sure you've heard of us, Your Highness. And my friend here is Bernadetta von Varley, daughter of Count von Varley, head of House Varley." He glanced at his companion. "Bernadetta, this is no stranger! Our House leader owes this young lady a great debt. Is that not right?"
"No, I'm not looking to have debts owed to me for protecting a village," Byleth told him simply, and Dimitri smiled softly. This woman kept on impressing him with her humbleness.
"This is Professor Eisner. She's going to be teaching one of our classes."
"Oh? Is that so? Well then, I look forward to getting better acquainted with you," Ferdinand declared and he turned on Dimitri. "I hear you are one of the strongest fighters in your house. Care to spar some time?"
"I would be delighted to Ferdinand, if time permits."
"Splendid, then when I defeat you in battle, I can proclaim to Edelgard that I, Ferdinand von Aegir, have defeated the crown prince of the Holy Kingdom. I doubt even she can ever say she did that."
Caspar rolled his eyes to meet Dimitri and intoned, "No, I doubt she will ever say that."
"Nice to meet both of you," Byleth replied and Bernadetta nodded to her as Caspar yanked them away.
"Warned ya."
"Yes, he's certainly, uh, an interesting fellow." Dimitri commented as he paused, seeing the brown-haired girl by the bookcase. "Pardon, but I think I may have seen her before."
Byleth glanced over and nodded. "I think I have to. Not in person, though."
"No, nor have I, but in posters and flyers that came from the Empire…" Dimitri scratched his chin. "Now where? Was it an opera poster?"
"That would be correct, your grace." The brown-haired woman walked over, smiling coyly. "Though it's formerly now. I couldn't help but notice you two staring at me."
"My apologies Miss. We didn't mean to be rude." He bowed lightly, and the woman grinned at him.
"So mature and gentlemanly. Are all the nobles from Blue Lions as polite as you?"
"Well, I… ah," he cleared his throat some. Flirting like this didn't come naturally to the prince, so he was glad when Caspar stepped in.
"Oh come on Dorothea, give him a break."
She laughed, "Oh, all right. Sorry about that, Prince Dimitri. Yes, I know who you are. I'm Dorothea Arnault. I used to be part of an opera company in the Empire before I joined the academy. You should really come hear me sing some time."
"That would be lovely, yes. I think, ah, yes, I remember now. You were called the Mystical Songstress, weren't you?" Dimitri complimented her. "They said that she was going to be the next greatest diva. Though why did you come here?"
"Well, a girl has to have her own secrets, now doesn't she?" Dorothea mused. "And you must be the Professor. I ran into Eddie earlier, and she mentioned meeting you. I have to say, you're prettier than I heard described by some of the other students around here."
Byleth nodded, and he noticed she didn't seem to react to the comment about her looks, which he'd seen other girls do when complimented by Dorothea.
"Well then, I hope to see you teach here. If not, then I hope to see you around the monastery."
With a wave Dorothea brushed past them and Caspar laughed, "She's a handful. Come on, got two more people to meet the Professor. This way. I know he's in a dark corner brooding or something."
"Brooding?" Dimitri asked, and Byleth shrugged when they exchanged glances. Following Caspar, the two wandered over to where a girl with dark maroon hair was standing and talking to what Dimitri at first supposed was a shadow, then he realized it was Hubert, Edelgard's longtime friend from the Empire. She had mentioned him before to him back when she lived in the castle, but his memories of the man were foggy. Still, he cut a striking, if slightly unnerving figure compared to the young lady he was talking to.
"Hey Hubert, Petra, come meet the new Professor." The boy called out warmly, and the girl approached first, followed by Hubert.
"I see you're making odd new friends, Caspar." Hubert intoned as he came over and gave a polite nod to Dimitri. "Prince Dimitri. What brings you here? Are you looking for Lady Edelgard?"
"No, excuse the intrusion Hubert, I was actually here escorting the professor." He returned the formal gesture. "Lady Rhea requested her to get to know the facility and the students."
"I see, well then." Hubert bowed to Byleth beside Dimitri. "I am Hubert von Vestra. A humble servant of Lady Edelgard, and son of Marquisate of Vestra. I heard you came to the aid of Her Highness. You have my most sincere thanks." He motioned to the young woman beside him. "This is Petra Macneary. She has come all the way from Brigid to study in the Empire. Back on her archipelago, she is actually a princess. In Fódlan terms, she would be called heir to the throne."
Dimitri immediately deeply bowed to Petra, fully introducing himself to her. Vassal state or not, his father had always taught him you showed the utmost respect for the rulers of any kingdom, even those whose cultures differed from your own. Byleth followed his actions and did the same, saying her name. Petra bowed back.
"Hello, Prince Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd and Professor Byleth Eisner. I am called Petra. I am pleased to be meeting with… no, I am pleased to have met you."
Dimitri nodded. "Your language is amazing. I'm pleased to have met you as well, Princess Petra."
She shook her head. "Here I am, only Petra."
"Then you can call me Dimitri."
Petra gave him a warm smile as Hubert cleared his throat.
"Well, now that, that is settled. I would think that the Prince has other things he needs to do."
Dimitri noticed a look in his yellow eyes that seemed to show the man did not want him staying long in their classroom.
"Yes, of course. Please let Edelgard know we stopped by to meet with the others here."
"Of course," Hubert responded, and motioned to Caspar to escort them out. The blue-haired boy sighed as he did so.
"Hey sorry about that, Hubert is a bit... uh…"
"Persnickety?" Dimitri offered him and the boy laughed.
"Heh, I like that word. Yeah, that's a good one." He leaned on the door as they exited. "I take it you have someone like him in your house?"
"Yes, but he is not quite the same." Dimitri thought of Felix as Byleth wished the boy well and he waved as he went back inside. The blonde prince gazed down at the young woman beside him. "I don't think we have much time left, though. I think that Professor Jeritza might be near the training grounds. I'm sure that Lady Rhea wouldn't mind you meeting him as well."
He walked along with her over the grassy knoll that was before the classrooms and pointed out some of the other locations, among them the newly built Sauna that was recently being used by the staff and students. "I'll admit I haven't used it yet."
"I've never seen one." She murmured as she stared at the large wooden structure. "There's a lot about this place I can honestly say I've never really seen before."
"Well, I hope I get to see you learn about it." Dimitri suddenly blushed when he realize how that sounded and tried to walk it back, "I mean as a student that is. I didn't mean in a…" He cut himself off when he saw Jeritza off to the side, looking like he was in deep contemplation.
"Maybe now is not the time to… Wait… Professor." The young woman had strode up to the taller blonde man, who turned his head over his shoulder at their approach.
"What do you want?" His deep lazy tone echoed in Dimitri's ears and he gazed up from her, seeing the blonde boy with her. "Oh, it's you Dimitri."
"We're sorry to bother you, Professor Jeritza, but Lady Rhea asked the Professor here to get to know the students and staff at the academy. We won't take up much of your time." The boy told him and the taller man nodded, his blue eyes under the mask boring down into Dimitri's, who felt frozen on the spot.
The man nodded to Byleth. "So then you are the new Professor. I am Jeritza von Hrym. I teach here. Weapon Instruction." He slowly gestured to the building beside him. "These are the training grounds."
"This would be where we work on our weapon skills and…" Dimitri was explaining when Jeritza cut him off with a curt.
"Good-bye." Indicating that he wanted them to leave. Sensing the air changing, the blonde prince nodded and ushered Byleth from the man with the mask.
"Professor Jeritza is…" he tried to come up with the best words to describe the man as he walked her back to the open air walk way. "Well, he's not exactly someone whom you can be too close to. No one is sure why he wears that mask. There are some rumors, but I'm not about to regale you with gossip that has no meaning. But he is a strong and talented fighter. If you honestly would want someone to teach you and help you advance as a swordsman, I can think of very few who could accomplish that as well as he."
She nodded as they walked along the path back to the Central building and inside. Fidgeting some, Dimitri glanced over to her, "I hope I've been helpful to you, Professor. I know this wasn't as large of a tour of the grounds as it could have been."
"No, it was very helpful. Thank you very much Dimitri." She grinned at him. "I think I know which house I would like to teach."
"Oh? Well, I'm very glad to hear that. Hopefully, I will see you soon." He smiled at her gently. "Again, my greatest thanks for aiding us with those Bandits, Professor. I don't think we could have done that without you or Shez's help."
She shook her head once more slowly, "As I told everyone. I did that because you needed help. Jeralt always told me you don't run away from others in need, even if they are someone you might oppose later."
"Your father is a wise man, Professor."
He felt his heart skip some, seeing a different expression on her face. "I'd like to think so, too. Till later Dimitri."
He waited and watched her go up the stairs and then took a seat in the reception hall. What was wrong with him? He'd only felt this way once, and that was back with El. She is to be our teacher. I cannot let these thoughts cut into my duties here. Yet the voices, the whole time she was with him, had been silent.
