Claude was enjoying what little respite he had left before the school term began. However, he was rudely interrupted by a persistent knocking on his door. The young noble thought perhaps if he were to ignore it, the person outside the door would give up and leave him alone. However, Claude was severely mistaken.
"CLAUDE, I KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE, AND I KNOW YOU ARE AWAKE! COME OUT. NOW." Claude groaned as he recognized the strict tone of Black Eagle house-leader.
"Edelgard, perhaps we should simply go to the Archbishop without Claude?" The Blue Lion house-leader said in a hushed tone.
"Dimitri, Rhea summoned all three of the house leaders. Not to mention, we had been notified of this meeting A MONTH PRIOR. There is no doubt that Claude remembers but is CHOOSING TO FORGET AND LAY IN BED."
"Alright, alright, alright, give me a moment." As much fun as Claude was having to hear the two squabble, Edelgard was right in more ways than one.
Reluctantly, the young Riegan pulled the sheets off himself and opened the door, where he was met with Edelgard staring daggers at him. "You aren't even dressed?! You're still in your nightgown!"
"Look, I forgot the whole thing with Rhea was today. I was really hoping today was a free day just to relax!"
Edelgard shook her head and let out an annoyed sigh "Whatever. Just get ready. We leave in half an hour."
"What? No fair! That doesn't give me enough time to-"
Edelgard cut him off "Then you should have thought that before neglecting your duties and sleeping in."
Claude rolled his eyes and groaned as he shut the door.
Edelgard and Dimitri patiently waited outside the doors of the Audience chamber. The pair eyed the clock as it reached the appointed deadline.
As the clock reached zero, Dimitri let out a sigh. "Looks like Claude won't be joining us then."
Edelgard groaned as she reluctantly opened the giant wooden door. "Come on, let's head inside."
A strange garbling could be heard down the hall. Dimitri and Edelgard looked at what could be the cause of it, and the pair's eyes widened when they realized that the sound was coming from Claude running down the hall shouting at them with a toothbrush in his mouth.
Brush still in his mouth, Claude looked at the Prince and Princess with a grin "Tanks four waiting four me guys!"
"Pardon?" Dimitri said while taken aback by Claude's sudden appearance.
Claude, realizing that the toothbrush was still in his mouth, took it out and cleared his throat, "Thanks for waiting for me guys!"
"That is of no importance now. Come on, you two." Edelgard ushered the pair inside.
As the trio entered the Audience chamber, Rhea welcomed them with a soft grin. "Thank you for coming, all of you. Please, be seated."
"Lady Rhea, if..I may ask, what is the purpose of our summoning?" Dimitri asked intently as he sat on one of the wooden chairs in front of the Archbishop's desk.
Claude joined in with the Prince, "I would very much like to know myself."
Seteth sighed "Well if you must know-"
"…may I explain this month's mission to them." Rhea interrupted.
"...My apologies." Seteth immediately set himself aside.
"Thank you. The purpose in the summoning of you three is to accompany me whilst I retrieve my student from her current place of study and bring her here to Garreg Mach monastery, to further her studies."
Dimitri's eyes widened "Student? Lady Rhea, I don't believe you ever mentioned having a student?"
"Ah… That was… intentional. We had a….scare, seventeen years ago. For her, and for the protection of the church's future, her existence is not known to the public. However, as of recently, my student has proven herself capable."
Edelgard wore a puzzled expression on her face, "Wouldn't the Knights be better suited for this mission? Whilst the three of us are adept at combat, we are…rather inexperienced."
Seteth joined in, "I agree with the Princess, Lady Rhea. It seems rather reckless to have students participate in such an important mission."
"This mission is relatively discrete, and the Knights secured a route for us a few days prior. We will have a small battalion accompanying us as well. While your concerns are warranted, if going to plan, this mission would be uneventful."
Claude awoke to the violent jolt of the carriage coming to a stop. A bit disoriented from the long journey he looked out the window and realized that it was now dusk. Claude looked towards Dimitri and Edelgard and the young heir could see that the pair were just as tired as him.
Rhea rose from her seat and with a soft grin, extended her hand to the handle and opened the door to the coach, "We have arrived." Stepping down the carriage stone and reaching solid ground, Rhea dusted herself off and cleared her throat gathering the student's attention, "I will be back shortly with my student."
Thoughts bounced across the young heir's mind about this 'student', the kind of 'scare' that Rhea mentioned, and this remote monastery they were waiting in front of. Breathing in the cold night air and taking a glance at the starlit sky, Claude braced himself for things to come.
Claude noticed the loud creaking of the Church doors opening and saw Rhea exiting the building with someone following closely behind.
This individual quickened her pace, making her way past Rhea and towards the coach opening the door.
"Why the hurry my child? Shouldn't you introduce yourself to the individuals escorting us today?"
The girl lifted her hand away from the coach's handle, "I fail to see the purpose in doing such thing?" Her eyes turned to meet with Rhea's "Would it not be better if we make haste to Garreg Mach?"
"The Monastery will still stand even if we are a little bit late."
"Very well." Stepping down the carriage stone, and made a quick jaunt towards Lady Rhea. Arriving to meet the Archbishop, the young girl stood closely by Lady Rhea's side.
"Forgive my student's rudeness. She could be a bit more task-oriented at times."
"No need for apologies Lady Rhea, it is actually quite admirable having someone actually care about the task at hand." Claude rolled his eyes at Edelgard's remark, suspecting that was a not so subtle dig at him. "Edelgard von Hresvelg."
"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd."
"Claude." Claude noticed that Dimitri and Edelgard were staring daggers at him, "What? We're really supposed to go with formalities with our new friend here?" Claude nervously scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat, "Claude, Claude von Riegan."
Rhea gave a slight nod at her student. Taking the signal the girl stood forward and grabbed onto the left and right sides of her dress, and lowered her head to a curtsy, "Byleth, student of the Archbishop and deaconess of the Church. Honored to make the acquaintance of Fodlán's heirs." Quickly raising her head, she made her way towards the carriage.
'She's in quite the hurry.'
Rhea clapped her hands, gathering the attention of the three, "Come now everyone, quickly. We should make it to Garreg Mach monastery by dawn."
Claude's finger tapped back and forth against the coach's window glass while he stared out onto the passing woodlands. Whilst he practically couldn't see hide or hair out the window, it was better than making eye contact with the deaconess.
On the surface, there wouldn't be any indication to take caution of. Hair tightly kept, wears the dress typical of students of the church with black dress and gold lacing, dagger sheathed, and hands kept together at her lap. It was when he met her eyes, a chill ride up his spine.
Claude would call himself a pretty good judge of character. Taking a glance at Dimitri, he could tell that the guy is kind hearted, but there's definitely a sadness there.
Edelgard, uptight, and a little too ambitious for his liking.
But this deaconess? Byleth? He couldn't read anything off her. This bothered Claude immensely. Being able to read a person can determine a lot of factors. Friend or foe, strengths and weaknesses, possible intentions.
Claude liked being the one holding the cards. It meant he had some control of the situation, but right now he wasn't the one holding the cards and this frightened him.
A grunting and a heavy thud could be heard from the outside. Claude could felt the carriage coming to a stop. 'This can't be good.'
He could hear a gloating laugh outside the car door, "All those bratty nobles AND the Archbishop! We hit the Jackpot!"
"We're gonna be rich, Kostas! Whoever gave you that intel was right on the money!"
"Now, now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves..." Kostas knocked on the glass window, gathering the attention of everyone inside, "If these bratty nobles play their cards right, we might all leave here very happy people."
Kostas snapped his head towards his henchmen. "You two! Stand guard over these brats while we go to negotiate with the Knights. Make sure these nobles don't get any ideas."
One of the thieves guarding the coach car grabbed a plank of wood and slid it through the handles, "That should keep them from going anywhere."
"Those noble brats must be quaking in their boots!"
Claude's mind was racing, assessing the situation.
Dimitri charged at the door, trying to bust the sealed door open, his frustration already bursting as each punch he laid on the door. Dimitri's anger was going to get them into more trouble with these thieves and have them behind ropes next. Claude needed to do something. "Dimitri, pal, stop. We are already trapped as is, if we are going to break out we need to do it discreetly. We need to get the jump on them."
Dimitri snapped himself out of the flood of anger he was feeling "I am sorry. It's just- our weapons are held in the compartment under us, and I thought-"
Suddenly the deaconess rose from her seat "Weapons are in the compartment under us, correct?"
"Yes but-"
Pulling out her dagger, the deaconess slowly but surely cut away at the wood surrounding the glass on one of the windows. Eventually this loosened the glass plane, gently she grabbed it and set it aside.
"Lady Rhea, may I address the issue outside?"
"You may, my child."
Byleth, knife drawn, climbed over the window sill and into the jaws of conflict.
The three heirs were stunned by Byleth's sudden move out the window frame. "She doesn't intend on taking on those guys alone, does she?"
Edelgard pulled out an old dagger from her top coat and headed to the window sill "She won't. Whatever her intentions may be, she has the right notion. I won't sit here waiting for the knights and neither should you."
"What are you-ah! AHHHHH!"
Thud!
"When did you-" The second man's voice flooded with blood.
The door to the Coach's cabin flung open and an iron box slid across the floor.
Quickly the two boys opened the box. Dimitri grabbed his spear, and rushed outside.
Claude carefully strung the bowstring on the string notches of his bow. "Lady Rhea. Will you be alright here by yourself?"
"Worrying is not necessary. I can handle myself. The task at hand is more urgent."
Claude gave a nod to Rhea and took one of his arrows from his quiver and carefully placed it on his bow, Claude hesitatingly exiting the coach car. He took a glance left and right, and noticed the two bandits who were guarding the coach laying dead with their throats slit. 'Deaconess or the princess, whoever did this made quick work of them.'
As Claude quietly stepped through, making sure that the crack of leaves or a twig didn't give away his location to the thieves, someone jerked his arm, pulling him behind a tree, and put their hand over his mouth.
Looking up at the presumed assailant he realized it was the Deaconess. Using the other hand, she made a shushing gesture, and released him from her grasp.
"Rude."
"Apologies. It was necessary to not give away our location."
"Where are the others?"
"Close by, waiting on my signal."
"Plan in mind?"
"Not quite."
"Reckless to attack an enemy without one."
"Do you have one?"
"Possibly. What do you know so far?"
"To the left of us, two swordsmen, and one ax wielder. Further right of us, three individuals wielding axes, and one of them appears to be the ringleader of all this."
"Alright, alright. Four against six. If we play our cards right we may have a fair shot at this. We take the men to the left of us first, you handle the man with the axe, Dimitri takes care of one of the swordsmen, and Edelgard and I will handle the remaining swordsmen. Then we can go on from there."
Byleth briefly glanced over the pine they were hiding behind, then looked to the left and the right of them. Byleth, with her hand raised, made a forward gesture signaling the two remaining members of the party. Edelgard and Dimitri slowly crouched out of the shadows towards Byleth and Claude.
She then raised three fingers and motioned towards the enemy waiting for them outside the tree. Byleth then pointed at Edelgard and Claude and motioned towards the swordsmen. The deaconess then motioned to the man with the axe and herself, and Dimitri to the swordsman.
The group quickly dispersed with Edelgard following after Claude, and Byleth following after Dimitri.
Slowly but surely, sneaking through the brush with her sword drawn, Byleth lunged at the man wielding the axe; her sword quickly piercing the man's chest.
Dimitri bursts through the forest and thrusts his spear at the swordsman. However, the thief quickly noticed and dodged.
Drawing his sword, the thief took a swing at the prince, the sword grazing Dimitri's arm.
The thief was about to make another strike at the prince but Dimitri blocked the sword with his spear and shoved the man down to the floor knocking him unconscious.
"You didn't kill him?"
Noticing the voice, Dimitri turned to see the Archbishop's student looking down at the unconscious criminal, "There was no need to."
"This man committed a crime against the church. He would be sentenced to death regardless."
The coldness in her voice troubled Dimitri immensely, "How do you know that this man would be sentenced to death? Isn't he worthy of a trial?"
Before Byleth could respond, a familiar voice interrupted "Have you guys seen Edelgard? We took down the swordsmen, but then she went ahead on her own."
A shocked expression ran through Dimitri's face. "Why would she go alone like that? Is she mad?"
The deaconess spoke up. "Most likely to scope out the enemies ahead or possibly searching for Knights of Seiros nearby. That is the only rational explanation." Returning her sword to her scabbard, she continued, "You two go look for the knights, see if the princess is with them, I'll see if the princess scouted ahead."
"Hold it, hold it, hold it, this whole disaster of a mission is to escort Rhea's student. Escort YOU, and make sure nothing happened. You can't just go out there by yourself!"
"Does it appear that I am in need of an escort? I am well aware of the risks. This is the best strategy to ensure our survival."
Claude was about to open his mouth in dissent, but the cold look in Byleth's eyes made him hold his tongue. It was as if she had seen it all before. Grabbing the Prince's shoulder and giving a huge grin, he spoke to Dimitri. "Come on, Your Highness. The sooner we find the Knights, the sooner we're out of this nightmare."
"R-right!"
As the pair walked off, Claude gave another glance at the Archbishop's student, seeing her walk off with her sword drawn into the shadows of the night.
The young heir regained his focus, looking high and low for any sign of Knights nearby. Rhea had said there would be a small party not too far behind them. 'If there were any knights here it sure didn't seem like it.'
"Claude! Come here!"
"What'd ya find?"
"See for yourself. Evidence of the Knights. They aren't too far from here."
Looking at where the Prince gestured, he could see the unmistakable outline of the Knight's of Seiros plated hard to see due to the lack of light, the shape was clear. It wasn't softened and rounded like commoners, it was sharp, and the upper edges of the footprint dug into the ground. The corners of Claude's mouth lifted to a grin "Way to go Dimitri!"
Quickly but carefully the two boys followed the footprints until it led to what seemed like the dim glow of a fire in the distance.
Suddenly a booming voice could be heard in the distance, "WHO'S THERE? RESPOND QUICKLY OR ELSE!"
Claude was cautious, while it could be the knights, he knows too well that it could very well be a trap. He kept his mouth shut.
"We could ask you the very same question!" Dimitri's voice boomed.
Claude whipped his head towards the Prince. 'What is he doing!'
The voice responded, "Alois of the Knights of Seiros!"
"Alois! Thank the goddess it's you!"
The light closed in on the two boys, revealing the jolly mustachioed man. The man's eyes squinted at the two nobles, and gave the biggest grin. "Your highness?! I could say the same to you!"
Releasing a gasp of air, Claude gave a relieved smile. "Thank goodness we found you! We need the Knights now more than ever. We have a…small hiccup."
The Knight grimaced. "I could say the same here… Somehow, our party got separated from yours. It was the strangest thing!"
The Prince cut in, "You two, this could be pondered upon later! Did Edelgard come upon your party by any chance?"
"No? I haven't seen the princess."
"Then we don't have time to waste! The Princess and the Deaconess are in danger!"
Alois' relaxed nature then stiffened, his tone taking a sharp direction. "I'll gather my men. Can you two lead the way?"
The Deaconess tightened her grip around her blade. Edelgard right beside her, both her hands grasping her axe. Byleth and Edelgard have been spotted by the thieves.
'You fool, how did you get spotted this time?! Now we're surrounded!' The small elven girl bursted with anger. Byleth's head felt like it was about to burst due to this creature's tantrum.
'S, behave yourself."
'Behave myself?! Behave myself! How many times must I save you from your own failings!"
'My apologies S. Forgive me for speaking out of line. I will find my own way out of this cumbersome situation. I will not trouble you any more.'
The invisible being huffed at the deaconess, 'I am afraid you must trouble me, because if you die, I die! Though I'd like to see you try! I can't help but pity you. What was your teacher thinking? No matter. Let us hope you and the princess can hold off these thieves while those two boys get the supposed party of Knights.'
When Byleth first met S, the Deaconess thought she had finally gone mad. A new symptom of her affliction that would cause her reckoning. However, this creature that had taken residence in her mind had not done such a thing. In fact, this creature was more useful if anything. Providing a new ability, and guidance through certain situations.
S was just as confused as Byleth, if not more as to how the two were bound together. The being didn't even remember her own name on her first meeting, only remembering a single letter.
One of the thieves snarled, interrupting Byleth's train of thought. "What are you two noble brats doing outside your carriage?!"
Edelgard furrowed her eyes at the criminals, "We could ask the same to you! Kidnapping the Archbishop, and three of the future heirs of Fodlán, those actions are wreckless, if not outright stupid."
Insulted, the thief haphazardly lifted his axe and swung at the princess.
Edelgard quickly dodged the thief's attack and returned a strike of her own, cleaving her axe deeply into his shoulder. Unfazed by the man's burning screams, she kicked the criminal off her weapon and turned to the remaining two men who were stunned by her brutality.
"Taunting the enemy like that is ill-advised, your highness." Byleth glared at Edelgard for the inconvenience created. While the actions she took were impulsive, Edelgard evened out the battlefield.
However, considering the background of these men, it wouldn't be much of a fight.
Steadying her gaze, Byleth focused in on the man that appeared to be in charge of this whole operation. 'He needs to be brought in for questioning. This mission was not known to the wider public.'
Charging up to the portly man, she kicked him down with the heel of her boot, knocking him down to the ground, leaving him gasping for air.
The remaining crook stood still, shaking in his boots. He dropped his weapon and raised his hands in the air in surrender.
"You two alright?" A somewhat gruff yet joyful voice echoed across to the two girls.
It was Alois. He slid to lower ground to meet the pair. Byleth was relieved it wasn't any reinforcements to the band of thieves.
Claude and Dimitri quickly followed in tow.
Shaking the dust off her dress, she promptly addressed the men. "We're fine, thank you."
Looking at the remnants of the fight, Claude was left aghast. "It looks like you two really wiped the floor with them."
Edelgard eased her shoulders and lowered her axe. "They didn't put up much of a fight. Thankfully the Archbishop's student arrived when she did. If she hadn't, it would have made the fight much more of an inconvenience than it ought to be."
"I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT PUTTING UP A FIGHT REALLY LOOKS LIKE!" The defeated leader grabbed his axe and was about to strike Edelgard before she could react.
Edelgard braced herself for the unexpected blow, but it never came.
Opening her eyes, she saw Byleth was blocking the axe that was near inches away from her face.
Byleth thrusted her sword forward, knocking the weapon out of Kostas' hand, and knocking him to the ground.
Looking into her eyes, Kostas was utterly terrified. It was like she could see every outcome of this situation. Unable to even speak, Kostas grabbed his remaining man and ran.
Claude couldn't help but have his breath taken away by this individual. Managing to take an unexpected situation with limited men, weapons, and a slap dashed plan, but managing to turn it into a victory with little loss.
If he could get this individual who can predict even the most unexpected movements and act with such speed to be his ally, it would certainly make his goal a bit easier to reach. The question is... how?
