AN: Fire Emblem is owned by Intelligent Systems and Nintendo
Dimitri's eyes had gone wider than Sylvain had ever seen that evening as he had dragged Felix into the Prince's dorm room. The blonde had been poring over a book when the redhead had knocked loudly and called out to him.
"Hey Dimitri, you will never guess what happened!"
Sylvain heard Dimitri hurry to the door to throw it open, "Did something happen to one of the…"
"Students are fine, Boar," Felix huffed, and Sylvain nodded with a Cheshire like grin. He was going to have fun with this.
"Mind if we come in if you have a moment?"
"Well, I was doing some light reading," Dimitri glanced at his desk, but then pulled the door open. "But yes, I have a few moments to spare."
Sylvain strolled into the room and made himself comfortable on the bed, while Dimitri was saying it was rare for Felix to come and see him, then waved at Felix. "Tell him."
Sylvain watched as Felix shot daggers from his brown eyes at him. Oh, this was just too good. Normally he was the one to get them into situations, but now it was Felix's turn and he would enjoy every moment.
"Tell me what, Felix?" the prince looked at his friend curiously. "Has something happened to your father? Or Mother? Or…"
"Nope, nothing that serious, Prince Dimitri. On the other hand, I think Felix kind of went overboard." Sylvain grinned and Felix hissed at him.
"Would you knock it off?!"
Sylvain chortled and crossed his ankle over his leg, then cupped his cheek as he watched the scene play out. Felix had come into his room a little after he'd been at the Training grounds, looking like a storm was raging in his mind. Of course, he had to find out what was happening. It wasn't every day that Felix looked like he had just made the biggest mistake in his life. So when the grumpy future duke had told him he'd 'unwittingly'–as he put it–agreed to a three-way duel with Ferdinand and Lorenz, Sylvain had been shocked at first. Then nearly died of laughter.
"What is your problem? I came here asking you for help!" He was promptly hit by a pillow by Felix, who had yanked it off the bed and threw it at his head. Sylvain gigged.
"And I will, I will. But you have to admit that it's kind of funny how they got you to agree to this."
"Hmph." Felix snorted and then rubbed his forehead. "We only have two days, and we need to talk to the Boar about this. He needs to know."
"Well then, you have to tell him." Sylvain said pointedly and smirked. "I think he's in his room right now. Let's go."
"What?! No, not tonight." Felix balked and Sylvain, who had been walking to the door, stopped short of pulling it open.
"Oh? And when did you plan on seeing him? The day of?"
Felix scowled. "No. I was going to talk to him tomorrow after training."
"And wind up distracting him while we're trying to learn from the Professor." Sylvain commented. Not like Dimitri wasn't already distracted. Most of the guys in class and some girls kept their eyes glued to the woman at the front desk. And who could blame them? She was alluring as hell. A pretty face, with a nice voice, a great figure from what he could see, brains to boot and mysterious, all things that left room to imagine the type of romantic partner she could be. Hell, it was giving Sylvain ideas of actually taking up her offer to do some training with the students tomorrow on her free day.
"And when do you want me to go? Tonight? And then the Boar will stay up all night." Felix pointed out to him and Sylvain crossed his arms, thinking.
"Better to warn him now, from us, than for it to be Lorenz or, you know, Claude. Because you know he will mention this to the good old heir to the Alliance, right?"
Felix sighed, "Right. Of course he would."
"So then, why not get it over with? That way, you won't have to worry so much about it, and we can tell Ingrid in the morning." Sylvain noted and pulled open the door. Felix grumbled as he followed the taller boy next door. The prince's room sat between them, so it was as simple as just taking a few steps away from his door to knock on Dimitri's.
Inside, he was now waiting with bated breath as Felix explained directly what had occurred on the training grounds. That he'd gotten swept up in the moment and had agreed to a duel with the other two houses in two days.
Dimitri was standing there in slight shock and then furrowed his brow. "Who knows of this?"
"Only myself, Lorenz and Ferdinand." Felix clarified, and Dimitri seemed contemplative.
"Perhaps I could catch them and see if we could—"
"We are not backing down from this," Felix stated coldly and Sylvain looked over at him. "I will never hear the end of it from that popinjay from Golden Deer, nor that Birdbrain from Black Eagles if we do."
"Popinjay? Birdbrain?" Dimitri looked confused and Sylvain grinned.
"Lorenz and Ferdinand, Your Highness. And I can see where Felix is coming from." He shook his head. "You know Lorenz will tell Claude about this, and knowing their house leader, he'll support this a hundred percent." Sylvain explained. "Then there's Edelgard, while she won't agree, I can see her letting this be since if Ferdinand loses, it might move his attention away from her for a while, don't you think, given he's going on about her being his rival and all that."
Dimitri let out a long sigh. "Yes, I do see your point, Sylvain. But what to do in this case? We don't have much time to practice."
"Well, we do have three of the best lance wielders in the school right now," Sylvain smiled and pointed, "You, me and Ingrid make three, right? And given how long we've all been training together, I can't see how we can lose this."
"All of what you say is very valid, Sylvain. But exactly who is to judge this?" Dimitri asked, and the redhead grinned.
"Why not the Professor? She'd be impartial, I would think, even if she is our teacher."
"And if not her, then Jeralt would be the next choice." Felix added and Dimitri smiled some.
"Ah, yes. Very well, tomorrow we shall explain this all to Ingrid and the Professor. Hopefully, they will agree."
Felix went quiet just then, and Dimitri glanced at his friend beside him.
"Felix?"
"I'm thinking," he snapped for a moment, then shook his head. "Ingrid isn't going to simply say yes. We're going to have to convince her. Which is going to leave little time to talk to the Professor about this."
Sylvain grinned a sly grin and chuckled as he got up. "Gentlemen, leave this to me. I know many ways of convincing a lady."
His smile was short-lived as he caught a very slight glare from Dimitri as the Prince spoke. "I would prefer if you did not use any of your many ways to get the Professor's approval to assist us."
Oh, ho? Did I see a spark of something there? Sylvain wondered and nodded.
"I have to agree with him," Felix frowned at Sylvain. "We don't want to frighten her off."
"Me? Do that? How?" Sylvain gasped, putting his hand on his chest, feigning shock.
"Give it a rest, you fool. You know what I mean." Felix told him. "Your flirting and chasing anything that wears a skirt could piss her off. So don't play with her."
"Indeed. Such actions would be seen as reprehensible Sylvain, and I want the Professor to enjoy coming to class to teach us, not worrying if you are going to be hitting on her." Dimitri told him and Sylvain chuckled, thinking to himself.
Unlike what you do every time you gush about her? He found it endearing that the prince had some sort of crush on their teacher. At least it was keeping him from thinking about the Kingdom and his uncle, something that Sylvain was worried about. He was going to have to talk to the prince about other more political matters in the moons to come, but he wanted to give him time to settle into a routine at the monastery, and the Professor was posing as the perfect distraction for that.
"Right, I hear you loud and clear, Dimitri." Sylvain nodded, and the three quickly worked out a plan for the next afternoon. Dimitri and Felix would corner Ingrid out around the gazebo so she couldn't just run off on them, and he would catch the Professor on her way out of her room and ask her to chat. What they didn't know was that Sylvain intended to ask her out to eat along with that plan.
So with their traps set, the three bid each other good night in their own ways and Sylvain headed for his room. It was too late to sneak out now. The guards would catch him. He pushed open his window and gazed out at the night sky. Below, guards walked along the sidewalks, checking the doors to buildings and patrolling the monastery. It was comforting to him knowing that this place was one of the safest in all of Fódlan.
The redhead's mind wandered a bit as he rested, and he looked up at the moon. Things had changed so much in four years. Dimitri had gone from the little excitable kid to, well, he wasn't sure yet. It appeared to outsiders that he'd accepted his parent's death, but Sylvain suspected that wasn't close to the truth. The problem with Dimitri was that he seemed to cover whatever he was really feeling, and push others away from helping him.
Then there was Felix. He'd become more intense since the two years when he and Dimitri fought, though Felix hadn't given him details about what had happened on that mission. Whatever it had been, it had fully broken their bond, and Sylvain wasn't sure how to fix it. This was on top of Felix's issues with his father since the time of Glenn's death. It had made for some tense times between the three of them. It wasn't easy being the only one of the three boys that didn't have direct issues with the Tragedy. But he knew who had it harder; Ingrid.
She had been devastated when Glenn died, and he had felt guilty as hell. Back then, when they were still nothing more than a bunch of little kids not fully understanding the world, he'd always felt annoyed by Ingrid's attachment to Glenn. It wasn't a huge thing; he knew she cared for him as she always had, but the more time she spent with Glenn, and the less time she spent with him, the more he wished Glenn would just… go away, find someone else, anything. He wanted to have his friend back, wanted her to look at him and say he was the cool one. It was childish. He knew that back then, but in his heart, he'd just wanted Ingrid to admire him in the same way.
Then one day, Glenn died, and with him went so much of Ingrid's joy that for a while, there seemed like nothing could make her happy. So he worked and worked and worked, trying to pull all three of them back. But when they came back out the other side, even Ingrid had changed. She had always been strict and direct, noble and kind, but also silly and willing to go along with fun things. But now, now she was intent on helping her family, and throwing herself into her studies of being a knight. And her view of Sylvain had changed, too. She was more likely to scold him for not behaving than to admire him for his humor.
He sighed, disliking where his thoughts were going. As he rested his chin on his folded arms and leaned on the sill of the widow, he caught sight of Claude talking to someone near the stairs. The redhead tilted his head some, then lifted it to lean out more.
"Who's he talking to this late at night?"
From where he was looking, Sylvain could see the figure in the distance was wearing the garb of some sort of spy, or a thief. The two were conversing softly, but he couldn't hear a damn thing and could only watch. So he did, memorizing what he saw. He'd catch the Golden Deer leader on his way back into his room if he could. Waiting for the second figure to leave, Sylvain watched as Claude, once he was done talking, went back up the stairs.
He ducked to the door and pulled it open after counting and peer out to see Claude making his way softly to his room. Damn, this dude knows how to sneak. Gonna have to keep my eye on him.
As Claude reached his door Sylvain came out acting as if he was going to the washroom. He blinked and stretched and yawned. "Oh… Hey Claude. What are you doing up?"
The brown-haired house leader stopped for a second and Sylvain's lips quirked some. He had caught him off guard. Or so he assumed. Claude easily rounded with a grin.
"Oh, coming back from a date with a rather nice-looking girl from the Village. Her name is Mary. Maybe you know her? She was telling me all about her ex…"
Sylvain raised his eyebrow. So that's the game you want to play? Sure I'll play.
"I don't suppose you know her, do you Sylvain?" Claude smiled at him kindly and Sylvain shook his head.
"Ex, already, just because she saw me with Sara that one time. Ah, but better to have loved and lost than not loved at all."
"Yup, that's how I see it." Claude nodded and stared to open his door again. "Well, good night Sylvain, oh and can we keep it a secret between us? I don't want to get Hanneman upset that I was sneaking out at night, you know."
Sylvain nodded. "Sure, no problem. But uh, one thing. Was she wearing a little flower charm in her hair?"
Claude thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention to her hair, you know, but maybe. Why?"
"Because I never gave her a charm like that." Sylvain clarified, and Claude laughed.
"Then why are you asking me if she was wearing one?"
He wasn't taking the bait. Fine, he'd just be more direct. "You didn't even leave the monastery, Claude." The future Duke froze and tensed some. "You were just outside the dorms and talking to someone. Who was it?"
Claude didn't look at him. "How much did you see?"
"Enough to make me wonder if you may have had something to do with the attack on the camp." Sylvain accused him in a low voice and Claude nodded some.
"I wouldn't blame you for thinking that. I ran off, lured everyone away." Claude's voice was calm, but his tone was dangerous. He clearly didn't like the accusation. "Easy enough to have it all have been a trap. But no, Sylvain, that was not what I was doing."
Claude pushed open the door. "Come on in. Let's chat."
"Who knew Deer can be so dangerous?" Sylvain chuckled as he went into the other boy's room.
"Those antlers aren't there for nothing you know." Claude shut the door after him. "I would offer you something to drink, but as you can see, I don't really have anything to serve, and you're not going to be in here long, anyway."
"Another threat?" Sylvain crossed his arms, and Claude shook his head.
"No, it's just that we can both get into trouble. So I'm going to make this quick." Claude put a hand on his hip. "What did you see?"
"You talking to some guy down by the steps?" Sylvain said, and stayed standing and mimicked the stance. Claude noticed it and nodded.
"You hear anything?"
"If I did, what of it?"
Claude smirked, "I might have to have Lysithea curse you."
Sylvain snorted, "Sic'ing a little girl on me? Kind of low for you, Duke Riegan."
"It's not low. It's just a warning." Claude shook his head. "Now, do you know what I was talking about with the person by the stairs?"
"No," Sylvain admitted. "But I know a thief when I see one."
"You're right, he was a thief," Claude told him, and smirked. "But it has nothing to do with the camp. I ran because I wanted to get them away from everyone, and I figured I was the main target."
"Why?" Sylvain looked at him curiously.
Claude took off his cape and laid it on his desk chair as he spoke. "Let's just say, being the heir to the Alliance isn't all sunshine and roses, if you get my drift." Sylvain nodded as Claude went on. "But what I was doing has nothing to do with the thieves. It's got more to do with that mercenary that helped me and your house leader out in the woods that night."
"Shez right? Prince Dimitri mentioned her to us, and we met her in the camp." He nodded and crossed his arms. "So what does that have to do with the guy you were talking to in the dark?"
"That man, I was paying, to gather some intel for me," the house leader told Sylvain as he sat on the chair and looked up at the redhead. "Specifically on her. Seems the church has made her, what's the word, vanish."
"Vanish?" Sylvain commented, and Claude nodded.
"One day she's here at Garrag Mach, the next. Poof. No sign of her here and no sign of her leaving. It's like she never existed."
"Creepy. So what are you doing asking for intel?" Sylvain asked. "Are you looking for her or something?"
"Yeah. I figured someone should." Claude stood up. "And now that you know that, time to get some sleep."
"Hold on, you haven't told me what he told you." Sylvain looked at him curiously. "You can't leave me hanging like this."
Claude laughed, "Hmmm, maybe I will, if you can beat Lorenz."
"So you know about that?"
"Oh, yeah." Claude chuckled. "He couldn't help but brag. So yeah, I know all about this weird duel–contest thing. So tell his Royalness that he better be ready."
"Oh, we will be." Sylvain nodded. "But at least tell me one thing. Anyone else know about Shez missing, if she is."
Claude shook his head. "That's for me and anyone else that knows to know Sylvain. I'm sure that you can figure out who knows." He went to the door and opened it. "Goodnight Sylvain, and keep this between us, okay?"
"Maybe I will," Sylvain told him and grinned as he walked out. "If you beat us."
By the next morning Sylvain had Claude on the brain. The whole thing with the missing mercenary and his weird warning had burrowed into his mind, so much so, that he felt distracted during the training that the Professor was giving on the Training grounds. It was obvious enough that the Professor had knocked his training spear out of his hand when he wasn't paying attention.
What was that guy up to? Sylvain wondered as he walked out to the lawn area outside of the dorms and leaned against the wall. Off to the side, he watched as Claude was conversing with the Professor and Hilda, and he had to wonder if the gossipy girl knew anything. She and Lorenz were the two that seemed to be Claude's confidantes, so it would make sense that he would tell her his plans. But something told him that Hilda wouldn't be able to keep the secret for too long. He assumed she was very much the blabber mouth type.
As he spied on the two, he caught bits of conversation between the three.
"Hey, Teach! I hear there's going to be a mock battle between the houses." The brown-haired knave was saying, and their Professor nodded.
"Yes, but I thought the house leaders knew that?"
Claude smiled at her gently. "Well, yes, but we just found out today." He shook his head slightly. "I'm not gonna lie. I'm a bit concerned about facing an elite mercenary like you. Maybe take it easy on us, what do you say?"
Right, I've seen you shoot, Sylvain thought. What's he playing at with this? Trying to get our Professor to go easy on him? Not a chance.
"I'm not sure that's how it works, Claude, but I'm certain Professor Essar will have you ready in no time. And if not, then you can always practice with us," the Professor offered and Claude grinned.
"Thanks Teach, I'll consider it."
Hilda giggled. "Don't mind Claude, Professor. We're actually working a lot harder than he lets on. By the way, have you adjusted to life at the academy yet? Me, I'm still not used to it. I'm not one for all this studying and training."
Sylvain saw the Professor give a light nod, "Well, it differs greatly from I'm used to. Thankfully, I have people like you to offer me help getting used to being here, Hilda."
"Oh, well, if you put it that way. I can certainly show you around the town some time. We can do some shopping, maybe get you a little something um… different, then your, ah, working outfit?"
Byleth blinked, but nodded anyway and parted ways with them. As she came down the steps, Sylvain saw her bump into Leonie. He'd heard from some of the other Golden Deer that the girl had been trying to talk to Captain Jeralt from the moment he came in. So much so that the redhead was wondering if she was just into older guys. Way older guys.
"Professor, do you have a moment?"
"Yes, I think so." Byleth said to her and Leonie had a serious look on her face as she spoke.
"I'm Captain Jeralt's first and best apprentice. I can beat anyone, Professor. Even you, if I have to!" Leonie told her and Sylvain raised a brow at hearing this declaration.
She does know that that's the Captain's kid she's talking to, right? I mean, talk about bragging to the wrong person. The Professor probably knows more than she does. She'll wipe the floor with her.
"It may have been only for a short time, but I learned from the absolute best. So I won't lose."
Blyleth blinked and stared at the girl, confused. "Is this about the three houses' mock battle or something different?"
Leonie's eyes went wide for a moment. "You don't know? Or are you pretending not to know? Well, either way, even if you are trying to trick me, it won't work. I won't lose to you, not once. You'll see."
The orange-haired girl brushed past her, and Byleth turned to watch her go. Sylvain saw the former mercenary shake her head and then notice Bernadetta as she was standing outside; for once.
This ought to be good. Sylvain chuckled to himself as he watched the Professor approach the short purple haired girl. She was like a skittish mouse, always ducking into the hole that was her room at the first sign of human interaction. He had tried to find out why from the other students, but it was always the same, something to do with her father. But the girls really didn't find her very appealing at all. He almost felt sorry for her, almost.
As the professor approached her and lightly tapped the humming girl on the shoulder, she cried out, leaping up.
"Professor! Um. I, ah, was jut heading back to my room–bye!" and with that the timid student bolted back into her room, slamming the door. Sylvain sighed and shook his head.
Well, at least this time she didn't jump into the bushes.
However, he glanced over at the Professor and watched with interest as the young woman approached the door and knocked on it. She had seemed confused by the sudden outburst of energy and then the run-away maneuver Bernadetta had perfected. He watched as he heard a muffled voice shout out from behind the door at the Professor.
"I don't like to come out unless I really have to. Hope you're Okay with that, Professor!"
"Bernadetta, I… guess, but I would like to talk to you some time if you have a moment." The woman called out to her. After a second or two, when there was no response, Sylvain saw the blue-haired girl slump her shoulders slightly and turn to head down the stairs nearby. Seeing her walk down, he waved to her and called out to get her to stop. She did.
"Hey Professor." Sylvain smiled wryly at her and turned on the charm. "If you've got spare time, want to join me for a trip into town? There's an inn that serves the most amazing food."
Byleth blinked and stared at him. He had to admit those blue eyes of hers could be unnerving with the way she could look at someone with little emotion. It was beautiful and haunting and made him shiver some, in a good way.
"A trip into town? I'm not sure if I have the time for that right now, Sylvain."
"It's one of my favorite places to eat," he offered, and grinned. "You simply must come try it with me."
"Maybe some other time," she offered, and now he felt worried. He needed to talk to her and wondered if some of the other students had told her some not so wonderful things about him.
Damn, I can't just let her walk away like this. Come on Sylvain, think.
"Actually, Professor, if you can't go to the inn, I wouldn't mind eating here with you." He offered. "They have some pretty good options in the Dining Hall, you know. And there's something that I need to talk to you about."
"Does it have anything to do with your not being mindful today, Sylvain?"
He nodded, "In a way, yes, actually. You see, I need some advice for a friend of mine. He sort of put us in a bit of a spot, and I'm hoping you could help out."
Byleth crossed her arms and listened as he spoke. He'd noticed that too. When she was paying full attention, she would do random motions with her arms. So he smiled kindly.
"Thanks Professor. You see…" he glanced over seeing Ferdinand coming their way. "Actually, let's take this into the Dining hall. I think it would be a better place to talk."
Walking around the long way, he chatted with her about the inn and the delicious menu they had, hoping to change her mind and entice her into going. The girl was stubborn and refused to budge, insisting that the Dining hall was just fine. Grabbing dishes, the two plated a full meal and then sat down to eat.
"It's nice to eat in the company of such a mature and beautiful woman," he complimented her, and she looked up at him curiously. Huh, no blush? Wonder if she's not as humble as others think. Most girls would look away from him when he stated such things, but not the Professor. Her eyes met with him in a questioning way.
"Hey Professor, what's with the stare?"
"I'm trying to figure out why you're using those words with me? If you want my help with something, you don't need to say things like that." she told him and he laughed.
"But you are both mature and beautiful."
She blinked once and then went back to eating.
"Oh, don't tell me no one told you that before."
"No, they have, all the time. Right before they tried to get me to not fight them, or kill them." Byleth put some jam on the sticky buns she had grabbed. "That's why calling me that makes me think you're eating with me, not because you want to, but because you want me for something."
She looked up at him, "So which is it Sylvain, are you asking me here because you actually want to be friends with me, or are you asking me here because you want me to do something for you, and you think letting me eat with you will help make me say yes?"
He stared for several seconds, trying to figure out what to say next. Most girls would giggle and were blushing by this point, but the Professor just caught onto him faster. He let slip a genuine smile and chuckled.
"Can't fool you, can I?"
She shook her head and ate. He leaned back and let out a long sigh.
"Okay, you got me. Fair enough, I was trying to butter you up some because I genuinely need your help. Or rather, the Blue Lions need your help."
"And how can I do that?" She asked him.
"Well, yesterday Felix may have accidentally made a deal to have a three-way duel with the Golden Deer house and the Black Eagle house, around three in the afternoon tomorrow. And we were hoping you could either help us practice today, and be the referee tomorrow?"
He waited for something like a scolding, as he was sure he would get, or at least how dumb it was. Instead, Byleth seemed to mull it over for a moment. Then that small smile came onto her lips.
"Sounds like a lot of fun, and a great idea."
The redhead nearly fell out of his seat. "Wait, you're not upset about us having a duel?"
"It's not a real duel, is it? No one's trying to kill one another. So it's more like a contest." She explained and finished her first bun. "I don't see a problem with that at all. In fact, I'm glad."
"You're glad?" Sylvain raised an eyebrow. This woman was way different than he believed she would be.
"Yes. When I talked to Lady Rhea, I had asked if there was a way for the houses to mingle, like our bands do." She explained to him. "We do jobs with other groups, and it's a great way to get to know about different regions and cultures and people that live there."
He nodded as she spoke. The Professor had a point. Personally, he didn't get why they had to be split up like they were in the dorms–nobles on the top, commoners on the bottom–but it was something he'd heard from his dad, and the upper classes liked it that way. So hearing her say she wanted to see them mix with the other houses was kind of relief.
"So then, would you be willing to meet with me, Ingrid and His Highness later tonight to practice so we can be ready for tomorrow?"
Again, she nodded and then pulled out a history book. He winked at her. "Doing some light reading?"
"Yes, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about the history of the Holy Kingdom and the region, since all my students are from there."
"Huh." Sylvain ate some of his meal and watched her. "If you really want to know things, I'd be happy to answer your questions."
When he looked up, he saw Claude standing to the side, talking to a guard. The woman rocked back on her heels and shook her head, then explained something to him and Claude's stance changed some. He seemed aggravated and waved off the guard, who had shrugged as he stepped from the hall.
Glancing back to the Professor he noticed her watching too.
"He's intriguing, isn't he?" Sylvain carefully moved the topic over. "Claude I mean. From what I know, for all his open, eager smiles, many people find him really private and mysterious. I mean, he's friendly and all, but that friendliness seems to be undercut with something way more serious."
She nodded, and then he watched the shadow of the Golden Deer leader vanish around the corner.
"I saw him out last night talking to some random rogue. Not sure what it was all about, but when I confronted him, he implied that there's something going on with Shez. You know that mercenary we met at camp?" Again the Professor stayed quiet and nodded. "Well, apparently, he thinks she's missing."
"Missing?" Byleth's brow narrowed some, and he nodded.
"Yup. Up and vanished." He gestured with his fingers as if tossing a ball in the air. "Poof. Gone. I was asking around about it. But seems no one has seen her since the camp. But he's sure she came here, and didn't leave."
He grinned, "So care to guess what could have happened?"
"I'll have to talk to my father about it." Byleth muttered and then she asked. "Sylvain, your family's house is near Sreng, isn't it?"
The Duke's expression faltered a bit as he sat there and tried quickly to recover it. "Yeah, we do. Why do you ask?"
"I was just reading about it in the history of Fódlan and wanted to know more about the country and connections to Faerghus. It's one of the areas I haven't traveled to." She told him and Sylvain grinned.
"Well, when we have some free time, I'd love to take you on a trip up there." He teased her and again there was an eyebrow raise. "But it can be really cold, so you'll have to dress warm." Byleth nodded. "What did you want to know about?"
"The conflict between the two nations." She admitted, "The book doesn't go over it a lot, and I figured that someone who lives near there could tell me more."
Sylvain sighed, Great, she wants to know more about my family's ties to all that. He didn't blame her, though. History books never always got all the details. "Can I ask why you want to know?"
"Well, you and the other students, I want to learn enough to understand you and where you come from. And the only way I can do that is to learn about you. And I believed this could be something you could tell me about. Maybe something about your family?" The Professor explained to him and he laughed.
"You don't let up on wanting to get to be friends with us, do you?"
She shook her head, and he softly smiled at her. No wonder the prince has a thing for her. He thought and spoke carefully, trying to fill in as much as he could, without letting slip too much. His dad wouldn't be fond of a mercenary, even if she was their teacher, knowing about their history. She wasn't family, after all.
"So, House Gautier, what can I say about it? Well, my father is the Margrave, and after he dies, it's going to pass to me." He rubbed his neck some. "I'm the one born with the Crest, but my older brother Miklan wasn't, and because of that, he kind of hates me." He joked some. "You know this one time he dropped me down a well and left me there. Good times."
Sylvain noticed her worried face and looked away. This was why he didn't enjoy talking about his family. "My brother isn't the nicest of guys. I would even go so far to say he's a horrible person. But I think he's got his reasons for that. My dad's first wife, Miklan's mom, was from the Empire. They met here at the academy. Apparently, he must have really loved her a lot, because even with the objections he got, they got married and had Miklan. But then, during the invasion of Sreng, he sent her away with Miklan to keep them safe. They got attacked, and Miklan's mom was killed. After that, I think my dad distanced himself from him."
Sylvain looked at the Professor, "He married my mom after that, took him a while to do so, and when Miklan was a bit younger than me, he came here, and found out he didn't have a Crest." Sylvain sighed, "And we found out I did."–The redhead shook his head–"So my dad basically named me the future heir to the Margrave, and it made my brother snap and we lost him to Bandits."
Byleth nodded slightly as he tapped his fingers. "Sorry it's not a happy story, Professor. But you asked."
"And Sreng?"
"Well, what I can say about it is not a lot is known because a lot of the country doesn't really like us coming to visit." Sylvain told her. "They don't speak our language at all. My dad see's the people there as Barbarians, but King Lambert used to see them as regular people. According to my father, he wanted a peace accord with the people there. And I agree with him."
He looked at the professor. "Back when I was young, during an invasion, the leader of Sreng offered his son up as a political prisoner. So we took him in and my dad educated him. The thing was, we actually got along, me and him. I know it wasn't for a long time, but I can kind of remember him being friendly and wanting to know everything. Then, when we had another battle with them, he left us to go back to them. I haven't seen him since."
"From what I remember him saying, it's a lot of snow and tundra with desert. Not a lot of land for crops to grow. Honestly, our territory was once part of their country." Sylvain explained to her. "There's not much to tell you, other than most of the people there are broken up into clans. Then there's the problem that we like to invade, biggest one was in 1168, and that's when King Lambert, Prince Dimitri's dad, went in for reasons. I think it was more because of my father's first wife's death, but I was eight, so I can't really tell you."
"You know, you're a lot smarter than you let on Sylvain." The Professor told him and he laughed.
"Eh, I wouldn't say that. Though honestly, I find it a lot easier to not show a lot of smarts around here." Sylvain told her honestly and looked down at his now empty plate. "One of the thing I've learned over the years is that there are two types of people. Those who like me because of my Crest and those who want to use me because of my Crest. And usually if I don't apply myself, it makes them want to avoid me. The dumber I look to them, the more likely they'll go bug someone else for political favors."
"So what about your friends, then?" Byleth asked him and Sylvain let slip a real smile again.
"You mean the Prince, Felix and Ingrid? Well, they're special. Dimitri was always kind of, I don't want to say, bullied, but his kindness always made him a target of other nobles." He giggled. "You should have seen him when he was younger. You would not have known he was a boy. Ingrid was a tomboy, always wanting to be a chivalrous knight, to protect the weak and all that. She hung around Dimitri because she wanted to help him, and Felix, well, he was always a bit of a grump. Don't tell him I told you this, but while he looked up to his brother, there was always a sense of living in his shadow, I think."
"So you have all these kids with a lot of dumb adults around them all the time. Is it any wonder we all came together and formed our own little group?" He asked her and the Professor nodded. He wasn't sure if she fully understood, but it seemed like she did.
Getting up, he grabbed her plate. "Hey, I asked you here. So let me at least do this for you."
Byleth nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you Sylvain." She stood up. "So, I'd like you, Dimitri, Felix and Ingrid to please meet me at the training grounds after dinner…" she paused, "No, wait… Yes, meet me outside there, we'll need to grab training lances."
"Why?" Sylvain raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You got a plan, Professor?"
"I might," she smiled some and then headed out with a wave.
Sylvain was on his way back out to the gazebo, as he figured that Felix and Dimitri would have convinced Ingrid to agree to be the third member of their triumphant trio, as he was going to call them, when he slowed seeing Claude moving quickly across the courtyard between the classroom and the Dining hall.
Now, where are you going in such a hurry? Sylvain wondered as Claude was clipping at a pace just short of busting out into a run. He hesitated. He needed to meet with the others, give them the news, but he was too damn curious what the young Duke was up to. Well, better to be late and say sorry than to miss out on some information on what our challengers are up to.
Following just far back enough that Claude didn't see him, Sylvain chased after him as he went through the courtyard near the classrooms and cut into the reception hall. Claude quickened his pace and zipped through the corridor and over the bridge, and Sylvain hurried after him. Why is he going to the Cathedral?
Claude slowed some as he went up the steps, and Sylvain leaned on the railing of the bridge to seem like he was busy doing other things, but kept his eye on the younger student. Stopping at the top, Claude looked around for a moment, then went inside through the portcullis and then through the double doors into the main chapel.
Counting to three, Sylvain then jogged after him and looked around. He noticed Claude heading through the left side door that lead out to a balcony area. The redhead waited a few moments, lingering by the columns until Claude had gone round the corner through the door. With determined steps, Sylvain moved over to the doorway and carefully peeked out.
There on the balcony Sylvain saw a woman dressed in the garb of a mercenary talking to Claude. She seemed way more animated than him, and he just nodded and listened. A moment or two later, the woman handed him something, and Claude seemed to pass over something to her and the woman gave a slight bow before turning and making her way away from him.
Seconds passed and Sylvain waited to see where Claude would move to next. Soon enough, he was coming back into the cathedral proper, and Sylvain ducked into the shadows. He knew he wasn't the best at sneaking around, not like Felix was at any rate. But he kept his tall form less conspicuous than most, of that he was a tad bit proud.
So where are you going to now? He considered as Claude moved past the large alter area at the front of the Cathedral and then went into the door on the right side near where the saints' statues were on display. Again Sylvain counted and then crossed over at a clipped pace, walking fast to keep up. He went through the door, expecting Claude to be walking back around and down, but the Golden Deer leader wasn't out where he assumed he was.
Where did he go? The older redhead was thinking when a hand clapped on his shoulder and spun him around; Claude stood behind him, his brow narrowed, clearly upset, green eyes flashing.
"Claude! Fancy meeting you here!" Sylvain tried to play it off.
"Were you following me Sylvain?"
"Me? Uh, no. Why would you think that?" Sylvain questioned, but Claude wasn't buying it, and he could see it in the tight smile on his face.
"Because you've been behind me ever since I crossed the courtyard back by the Dining hall." Claude's smile faded. "So, who told you to trail me? Professor Hanneman? Teach? One of the guards here?"
"No, nothing like that," Sylvain told him. Something in the way Claude was talking gave him the chills. This normally calm, easy-going guy had the tone of a threat to his voice. So he chose his words carefully. "I was just curious. You seemed in a hurry to be somewhere. I assumed you might be on a real date this time. Or planning something for the contest tomorrow. Or, you know, the mock battle?"
Claude stared at him for a long moment then sighed deeply, "Can you not do that again? Please."
"Sorry, I didn't know it would upset you so much." Sylvain told him and blinked as Claude held the package. "So what's that?"
"This?" Claude held it up to him. "Why do you want to know?"
"Color me curious." Sylvain told him, and Claude raised an eyebrow.
"About?"
"Well, I saw you with that woman outside. So what is it? Package from home or something?"
"As if I would tell you if it was," Claude chuckled and grinned. "You trying to learn to be an information broker, Sylvain? Never thought you would want to go that route."
Sylvain shook his head. "Nothing like that. But it is my job as an advisor to Prince Dimitri to know who he can and can't trust. And seeing as you were hanging around him, I figured it would be a good idea to know more about the guy that's hanging around with rogues in the dead of night."
Claude gave a simple smile, "Imagine that, Sylvain Gautier, actually applying himself for someone other than himself."
"Well yeah, and I'm sure Hilda would do the same for you." Sylvain pointed out. "She's way sharper than she lets on."
"Okay, fair point. I suspect she'd be flirting with someone to find out what his princeliness was up to if she was in your shoes." Claude nodded and seemed to agree with his assessments. "Still, not a big fan of you sneaking after me like that."
"Won't happen again, unless it has to." Sylvain told him, and Claude nodded, then glanced around.
"Are you actually interested in what I was doing?"
Sylvain shrugged lightly. "Well, sure. Seems kind of mysterious."
Claude chuckled, "I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, there is a mystery here."
The younger boy went quiet for a moment and seemed to weigh the package in his hand. Then motioned Sylvain to follow him and the two went down some steps to the graveyard, which gave him some pause.
"Uh, not exactly where I thought you'd be taking me."
Claude smirked, "The dead don't tell secrets."
"True enough, I guess," Sylvain shrugged, and the two went over to the wall to look out over the forest area near the monastery. Alone in silence, they stood until he asked. "So, what is it she gave you?"
Claude carefully unwrapped the cloth around the item and showed Sylvain a simple green notebook. He blinked and then looked up at Claude. "A notebook? You paid money for a notebook? You could have easily bought one in town at the stationery shop."
Claude shook his head. "That's not what this is, Sylvain."
"Then what is it?"
"I'm not really sure. See, what I can tell you is that there's this place called Abyss." Claude told him and sighed. "I don't know enough about it, though. According to the rogues I've talked to, it's some hidden underground village. But only so many people know where it's located, and, unless you know someone who knows where it is, you're not getting in."
Sylvain gave a firm nod as he listened to Claude's story. "Truth be told, I don't have the foggiest what I'm looking for."
"But why are you looking for it? Unless this has something to do with Shez?"
Claude nodded and crossed his arms. "Some say it's a myth, that's why I needed hard evidence. From what that rogue told me last night, there's been some weird activity going on around town. Mercenaries running around that don't have any place being there, and there's a gang in town that I didn't even know about."
Sylvain raised an eyebrow. Claude grew more unusual by the minute. "You know about gangs?"
"Well, it pays to know people who have an ear to the ground, especially when it comes to rumors, and that goes double when it comes to the nobles in the Alliance." The brown-haired boy grinned, his green eyes full of mischief. "But that's not what I'm worried about here." He motioned to the book in his hand. "The guy told me there was something important stolen, and that a noble of lower regard had his hands on it. So I paid that lady to get it for me."
"And what are you going to do with it?" Sylvain asked him.
"Read it," Claude admitted to him. "When I have the chance. Thing is… since the guy had this stolen, he probably wants it back. So I can't have it on my person."
Sylvain sighed, seeing where this was going. "And because of that, you want me to keep it safe for you?"
"Well, you were spying on me, and I don't think Lady Rhea or Teach would be too keen to hear about that. Not to mention how it would look for a noble of Faerghus to be seen as gathering intelligence on the future Duke of the Leicester Alliance. Wouldn't be good to cause that big of a scandal this early in the year, now would it?" Claude shook his head then grinned.
Sylvain groaned, he'd been played very well and crossed his arms. "Okay, I get it. You won't go telling I was snooping on you if I hold the book for you."
"Exactly."
"And what will you do for me to hold this for you?" Sylvain asked. "It's stolen goods. Who knows if it's a banned book or not? I'm not taking any risks without something in turn, Claude."
"Fair enough. How about this? You hold this for me. And I do you a solid and help you out with your little girls' problem. Deal?" The future Duke offered and Sylvain considered for a moment.
"Fine, you'll be my alibi if I need one," he shook Claude's hand, and he took the book from Claude. "So, you'll be picking this up from me?"
"In a few days, when things calm down. Yes." Claude told him and smiled. "Don't worry Sylvain. It's probably not as important as I think. But if it is, it might help me find her."
"Why are you so worried about a mercenary, anyway?" Sylvain asked him and Claude looked out over the graveyard.
"Call it karma, or fate, or destiny or whatever. But I think that girl has something important in her that could end up helping. I don't know how, and I don't know why yet, just something was there." Claude supposed, "And something about her eyes. It's like she needed a friend to have her back. She lost everything, Sylvain. Her whole company wiped out in one night. I can't even imagine how that would have to have felt. So, I wanted to help her. But her going missing worries me, and makes me wonder, what if other people like her are going missing too? I can't just sit on it."
Sylvain stared at him for a long time. Was this really the flirt that he'd seen in the first weeks of the year at the academy? Was all that as much of an act as his own? He wasn't sure who Claude really was, but he nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I understand. I'll keep this safe for you."
"Thanks, I appreciate," Claude told him and nodded. "Just be sure not to tell anyone you have this."
"Trust me," Sylvain wrapped the book up again and headed up the stairs. "I'm not that stupid about running my mouth."
After dinner Sylvain returned to his room to change his shoes. Ingrid had thankfully agreed to this contest, even though she complained that it was one of the dumbest things she'd heard of in a while, and still wasn't convinced that Felix had done this on his own.
"Are you sure you didn't help get him into this Sylvain?" she'd accused him at their supper and he rolled his eyes.
"Now, why would I do such a thing, Ingrid? I mean, sure having the title of lance champ would be a boon for me, but honestly, don't you think I would set up something way cooler than a contest like this?" he'd argued back. She'd huffed about his immaturity, and Sylvain had just laughed it off.
Shoes changed. He went over to his dresser and opened a drawer where he'd stashed the book. It was safely tucked under several other items, still wrapped up, so it wouldn't stick out. Satisfied it was secure for the time being, he headed out. Halfway down the steps, he spotted Ingrid, who was making her way across the yard, and called to her. She stopped and waited for him as Sylvain joined her.
"Nice night for a walk," he joked with her and she smiled, shaking her head. "Hey, look, I just wanted to say thanks for helping with this."
"If the prince asks this of me, who am I to say no to him?" she explained and seemed puzzled. "Still, I wonder how Felix ended up in this situation in the first place? Even after he explained it–twice–I still didn't get how it happened."
"The might of two of the most talkative nobles combined, that's how." Sylvain chuckled as he put his hands in his pockets as they went up past the sauna and towards the Training grounds.
"Seriously, though, with you, I know we can win this."
Ingrid looked at him gently as she tilted her head some. Sylvain couldn't help but think she looked cute like that, but there was no way he would tell her, as she would just think he was being his usual teasing self. "How so? Black Eagles have Ferdinand, and Lorenz is considered a strong opponent, according to some of the other students. I'm not sure I'm nearly as good as they are."
"Ah, see that's the thing, I think you are." Sylvain laughed. "I mean, you always give your all. They already know about my moves, and that Dimitri is strong as hell. But you, they have no idea, and that's going to be the surprise to our success, Ingrid." He grinned at her. "You're the third strike in our Triumphant Trio."
"Triumphant Trio?" She blinked, then giggled. "Wait, did you make that up?"
He nodded, "You like it? I thought we could get matching jackets and have them embroidered with that on the back."
She shook her head, blushing some, but laughing. Sylvain grinned. Seeing her happy again was one of the best things about this school, and he wanted that to last for as long as he could.
When they neared the training grounds, Dimitri was already there with Felix. The purple-haired boy called out. "About time. I was starting to think you ditched us."
"Not a chance. I'd like to at least get some of the smug look off Lorenz's face for once," Sylvain smiled and looked at Dimitri. "Were you waiting too long?"
"Not at all," Dimitri admitted, "The Professor was waiting for us when we got here."
"She's inside getting the training gear right now." Felix explained and shook his head. "I don't get what she's planning."
"Planning?" Sylvain glanced over and Felix nodded.
"She told us to wait here when we arrived. Next thing I know, she's going into the training ground to get training lances."
"We offered to come with her, but she said to wait here," Dimitri explained to Sylvain as the door opened and Byleth walked out. She smiled at them and was holding five lances.
"Sylvain, Ingrid. I'm glad you two are here." She walked. "Follow me."
He glanced at the Prince who tilted his head in confusion, but none the less followed as requested. The Professor led them down to the gates of the monastery, through them, and just a short way outside of the town in a meadow. Setting down the lances, she looked around and nodded.
"Yes, this would be a good spot."
"For what? Aren't we supposed to be practicing?" Felix asked her, and the blue-haired woman nodded and held out a training lance to him.
"That's exactly what we are doing. But we don't want the others to know, correct?" She smiled some as she gave a lance to Sylvain. He took it, grinning. She was being straight up deceptive, keeping their lesson away from the eyes of any knights that could tell the other house leaders or students.
"Huh, I didn't expect this of you, Professor." Felix told her.
"Nor did I," Dimitri said as he took the lance. "So then, what exactly will you be teaching us?"
"Namely, a few tricks my father uses. I'm not as good as he is with a lance, so I can only teach you so much." The woman admitted, and Ingrid nodded.
"Anything that can give us even a small advantage would be nice to have, Professor."
"Right, so where do we start?" Sylvain asked, and swung the wooden lance a few times to get used to it.
"We start by sparing so I can see where your weaknesses are, and then we build on that." Byleth told him. "They already know what you're strong with. We need to build defense into you so you can better block their attacks."
Dimitri nodded, "A sound plan. But I assume there is more to it than that?"
She nodded and went over to Sylvain, holding up the lance. "Allow me to demonstrate. Sylvain, attack me. Don't hesitate, think of me as your challenger for tomorrow."
Sylvain grinned, "Okay, Professor, sorry in advance if I knock you over."
She didn't reply, only took a calming breath and closed her eyes. He came at her swinging down, but when her eyes opened, something had drastically changed. The kinder eyes that he'd seen that afternoon were gone, replaced by something far darker and determined. The way she looked in the dark and her demeanor nearly had him frozen. Sylvain was thankful that he'd swung already, because if he had not, he probably wouldn't have been able to.
She blocked the attack and then twisted, pushing him back off. He tried again, now used to her countenance, and slashed up with a sweeping motion. Again she countered, but her block was different and she pushed him off again. Sylvain rolled his shoulders. If she was serious, he would be too.
A series of fast jabs at her, and swings came from him as she moved side to side, blocking and ducking. He assumed he had her on the ropes, but to his surprise, she got her lance under his and between his arms. She twisted, and kicked his feet out from under him, sending the taller boy falling to the ground and her pulling the lance from his hands. Holding it, their teacher took a few breaths before offering her hand to help Sylvain to his feet.
"You're not even winded after that?" He asked, slightly surprised, and she shrugged.
"Defense is how we're going to win this." She pulled out some paper. "Jeralt wrote some notes down for me." She smiled. "Let's begin."
An hour later, Sylvain groaned as he flopped onto his back down on the grass of the field. The sun had long since set, but the lights from the town nearby, and the bright moon, gave them enough light to work by. He was sore all over, in spots that he didn't think he could be sore in. The Professor had not let up on them. He suspected it was so that Felix wouldn't lose face before the other two houses, or rather before Lorenz, given how he could act.
Looking up at the stars, he studied them, naming all the old constellations that his mother had taught him. It made him feel calm and drew his mind away from the aches he was feeling. He heard footsteps in the grass, and then a slight groan as Dimitri sat down beside him.
"I take it you're exhausted too Sylvain?" the young prince asked him and he chuckled.
"How did you ever guess, Your Majesty?" He pushed himself up, grunting some. "I think I'm going to skip training for a few days after the mock battle." He grinned. "She sure knows how to train, though."
Dimitri nodded, "Indeed. The Professor keeps surprising me. So much about her is unknown, but every day there is something small that show's a new side of her."
Sylvain grinned, "And she's not bad on the eyes."
"No, she is not…" he paused and turned his head. "Sylvain!"
The redhead laughed, "I'm sorry Dimitri, but you left yourself wide open for that one."
The blonde shook his head and pulled up his legs to cross his arms and put his head down, embarrassed. "I should have been more mindful."
"It's okay, you're tired." Sylvain looked over at the remaining two still with the Professor. Ingrid was still training with her. The sound of their training lances echoed over the field in a series of sharp wooden clacks as the two hit, and swooshes as they stuck out with a slash at each other. Clack, clack, swoosh, clack, clack, clack, swish.
He watched as the two girls danced while Felix was monitoring the fighting. The Professor pausing every once in a while to talk to the two of them, and use Felix to show Ingrid a new way to hold the lance, or different footwork. He stared at the blonde girl as she moved and smiled. Under the moon, her hair shimmered, and he thought she looked rather pretty, even if she was beating up their childhood friend, by knocking him off his feet yet again.
"Hey Felix, try grounding yourself next time!" Sylvain jokingly shouted, and he was sure Felix had shouted back a rude response but couldn't hear from the wind blowing hard past them. The redhead laughed and the blonde beside him smiled. He glanced at him and then leaned back. "So, you think we have a shot tomorrow?"
"I do indeed." Dimitri nodded and relaxed some. "I'm still surprised that Felix ended up getting roped into this, but it is what it is, and there's nothing to do about it but win."
"Yeah, that's the way I'm thinking." Sylvain told him. He was getting fired up just thinking about the contest tomorrow. "I'm pretty sure that since we have the three best lance users in the school, we will totally beat them."
Dimitri grinned, "Agreed. It will be nice to face off against the other houses in a friendly rivalry versus being graded for the mock battle the next day."
"Tell me about it," Sylvain said and after a moment gestured some, "I saw Claude talking to the Professor earlier. He was trying to get her to go easy on him out there. Can you believe that?"
Dimitri looked over at Byleth, and he nodded. "No, I can."
This caused Sylvain to tilt his head. Where was this coming from? "What do you mean?"
"It's just that she can be unnerving." He expressed somberly and watched the two girls' training in the moonlight. "When she's fighting, there's… it's hard to explain. The Professor never seems to smile, or hardly ever. And when she does, it's so minute that I'm not even sure if I'm just imagining it. She doesn't get angry either, but it's not like she's hiding or suppressing those emotions. It's like they're not even there."
Sylvain nodded understanding. "Yeah, and when she went after me, the way she looked. I froze for a second there. There was this, not darkness, but a void. It's like she was dead serious about killing me in that moment. So yeah, I can totally see what you mean."
"Yet, I feel guilty about feeling like this." Dimitri told him and shook his head. "She has been nothing but honest with us. Trusting us, and wants it in return. But how can I face her knowing that I feel like this around her?"
"Well, be honest. Tell her the truth. You said you noticed little things, right? Maybe she's the sort of person who her emotions show up more in her actions." Sylvain told him and pointed out. "Look at what she did tonight. She purposely took us all the way out here, where it's cooler, so we don't get too hot fighting. And she's staying here to work with us over a dumb kids duel… Well, I mean, she's a mercenary, so it has to be dumb to her."
The blonde prince nodded, and Sylvain watched him still look down, and he sighed. "One other thing, though. When I was talking to her. I told her about my brother."
"Miklan?" Sylvain nodded and Dimitri looked a bit confused. "Why would you do that?"
"Well, she said she wanted us to trust her, and, Dimitri, she's been studying about Faerghus." Sylvain motioned to the small bag she had on the ground with the book sticking out of it. "That's one of the history of Fódlan text books. When we were talking, she was pouring over it. She asked me about Sreng, and we talked a bit about the family." The prince nodded and Sylvain turned his eyes skyward. "You know what she told me? She wanted to know more about our kingdom so she could relate more to us as students, and wants to know about us. I don't think she even gives a damn about Crests. She really wants to be our friend."
"Our friend?" Dimitri questioned and closed his eyes. "Can I… We… be allowed to have someone like that in our lives?"
"Of course, why not?" Sylvain seriously told him and put a hand on the young prince's shoulder. "Dimitri, there's no reason you shouldn't be happy. And if being around her helps you feel happy, then do that."
The blonde shook his head, as if he was trying to keep something from bubbling up, and Sylvain looked at him, worried. Dimitri saw it and smiled slightly. "I'm fine, Sylvain, really."
"If you say so," he wasn't going to push it, and changed topics. "By the way? What do you make of Claude?"
"Claude? Well, he's a nice person. Shrewd, but kind. I have the feeling that there's more to him, though I'm unsure of what that could be. But he cares about others." Dimitri looked up at the sky, too. "Why do you ask Sylvain? You mentioned earlier he was trying to get the Professor to go easy on him."
"No reason, really. Just noticed him rushing around a lot recently." Sylvain told him, and Dimitri nodded. "So you've noticed it too."
"Well yes. He's determined to find out where the mercenary Shez went to."
Sylvain blinked. "So he talked to you about her?"
"Well, only a small amount. He seems to think she's gone missing, and that the church may have something to do with it." Dimitri explained to him and Sylvain went quiet. "Did he say something to you?"
"Huh? Not really." He hated to lie like this to Dimitri, but he didn't want the Prince getting too involved with Claude's scheme, the blonde had been hurt enough over the years. "He mentioned Shez went missing, but I think she probably hightailed it out of the monastery."
Dimitri clarified that he agreed with him, though something in his eyes told Sylvain that it wasn't the total truth.
"Hey you two!" Ingrid called out to them and waved. "Come on! It's getting late and we have stable cleaning in the morning."
Sylvain nodded and got up, stretching. He was still sore. Turning to face Dimitri, he saw he was lost in his thoughts. "Hey, Your Highness. Prince Dimitri… There's a bug in your hair."
"There is?" the Prince blinked and Sylvain laughed as the younger boy tried to shoo it out and shook his head, making his hair messy.
"Nah, I'm just messing with you," the redhead grinned as their teacher came over. "Hey Professor, don't you think His Highness looks good with his hair like that?"
Dimitri shot him a heated look. "Sylvain!"
She paused and stared for a long moment and then spoke, "I like it the other way, but this way looks nice too." Byleth held out her hand to the blonde. "Come on, Dimitri. It's going to be too cold to stay out here. The rain is coming."
Sylvain watched as, even in the dark, there was a faint pink tint that came on the Prince's face. Dimitri cleared his throat, but took her hand and stood.
"Thank you for this evening, Professor. We'll take everything we've learned and put it to good use tomorrow and win." He smiled to her and Sylvain noticed she seemed pleased.
"So Professor, how do you know it's going to rain?" the redhead asked as they walked back to the dorms. The blue-haired woman glanced at him and then pointed up.
"Clouds are rolling in, and can't you smell it?"
He teased, "And here I thought you were using some sort of magic spell to tell the weather."
She shook her head as she walked slightly ahead of them, Dimitri asking her questions about other techniques to use, while Sylvain loped along behind. His eyes closed for a moment and then he heard it. It was soft, distant, but it was there. A song on the wind. Sylvain turned his head at the woods, but the moment he opened his eyes, the song was gone and all he could hear was the sounds of the night.
"Sylvain," Ingrid touched his arm, and he nearly jumped.
"Oh, Ingrid! Sorry."
"Are you okay? You zoned out there for a bit. Something wrong? Don't tell me you're so tired you fell asleep on your feet." She looked worried, but tried to make it seem like she wasn't.
"No, I'm fine. Just thought I heard a night bird singing." He muttered and gave her a light push. "Don't worry about me."
She sighed, "Someone has to."
Sylvain laughed it off, and hurried after them, trying to ignore the strange feeling he had when he heard it.
Arriving back in his room, he went to the drawer and pulled out the book. He knew he had told Claude he would keep it safe, but he never said he wouldn't read it, and he needed to know what the Alliance's future leader was drawing their prince into. Unwrapping it carefully, he threw himself on his bed after he changed, and opened it to the first page.
"A survey of the people in Abyss…" he read as he pored over the long lists of numerous names that were in the book until sleep overcame him and he couldn't keep his eyes open.
