Testament of Dawn

by Naryfiel Lilith

It should have been a simple year, a year like any other, but a chance encounter leads Byleth and her twin, Azrael, on a path neither ever expected to be on. A path that led to bonds stronger than fate itself. A path that would lead to a war of ideals. Fodlan's night of chaos and war ends with the dawning light, but will fate or bonds decide who bears witness? (3H Novelization)

2. Chapter 1) Three Houses

Chapter 1) Three Houses

---

A teacher. They were making me a teacher. They conscripted Azrael for their Knights of Seiros, and were forcing me to be a professor for their Academy. Azrael's made some sense. Mine only did after a bit of thought. Namely, while Azrael served as a way to collar Dad, I was the leash. Azrael and his position allowed the Church to force Dad's cooperation. Me and mine, insurance that Dad wouldn't run again. I wasn't really sure why they'd chosen 'professor' instead of 'student', but I supposed it was because being a professor was a more permanent thing.

So, here we are. A 'god of war' shackled to the church after escaping twenty years ago, with an 'angel' and a 'demon' forced into labor. Azrael is ready to summon a couple of tornadoes and run, even if summoning more than one at a time would have him unconscious and spitting up blood from the strain, but Dad refuses. He's given his word, after all, and promises are important. More important than almost anything. However, both Azrael and I knew that if the two of us run, Dad wouldn't stop us. He'd even help us. But of course we don't. We can't leave him. It's always been the three of us, and the three of us we would remain. We were family, and all each other had.

We stay, and let ourselves be used. It's not any different than being a mercenary.

---

A loud noise jolted me awake and I rolled off my bed and onto my feet before I even fully opened my eyes. I snatched my dagger from my desk and unsheathed it before rushing out the door and… and stopping because despite the loud noise that sounded suspiciously like an explosion, there was nothing unusual outside. Just a calm, moonlit night. The only thing abnormal was the young girl with pale green hair and eyes standing on the lawn by the dorms, looking down the way. I wondered if I'd somehow imagined the sound, confused one of the dreams of war with reality, but a couple of the students also briefly poked their heads out their doors, so…

"Oh, hello!" The girl turned away from whatever she'd been looking at and smiled warmly at me. "I do not believe I have seen you before?" she commented, tilting her head curiously. Then she smiled. "Ah, I wonder… are you the new professor I heard about?"

"I am," I confirmed, slowly making myself relax. Had the noise been their version of a 'midnight bell'? Some of the larger cities did something like that. Bit loud for it, though. "I'm Byleth. Who are you? Another student?"

"Sadly, I am not." She placed her fist over her heart and bowed deeply. "I am Seteth's little sister, Flayn. I am so very pleased to meet you."

"What are you doing out so late?" 'Very pleased', huh? No one had said that to me before. Still, she was terribly adorable. "At least, I think it's late. Could be early."

"Ah, well…" She straightened with a little hop, and smiled sheepishly. "I… often have difficulty sleeping." A shadow crossed over her face, lingering in her eyes for a moment, and I wondered if she suffered from nightmares. I'd read that people who suffered traumas often had difficulties, even a phobia, of sleeping because of the nightmares that plagued them. I'd even seen it in a few mercenaries, younger ones just starting out or those who lost friends brutally. "So, I was taking a walk. The monastery is safe at all hours, after all, and there is something peaceful about the quiet. Well…" She glanced back towards where the noise had come from. "It is normally quiet."

"I noticed you weren't concerned by the explosion."

"More than likely, it was one of the students causing an accident in the kitchens again." She giggled, muffling it with her fist, and I tried to think of what sort of thing did you do to cause an accident that loud. And not cause a fire with it. Too tight of a lid on something boiling, perhaps? My cooking lessons with Crystal's mother, Annabelle, never covered anything like that. "Some here are cooking for the first time, so they make mistakes?" Why would they be practicing this late? Or early. Whichever it actually was. "I am sorry it woke you, though. You must have been fast asleep."

"I imagine most were." But now, I was wide awake. And I was still anticipating some sort of ambush. Explosions in the past had almost always meant fire magic combined with some sort of combustible. I had even sparked a few, thanks to my connection with fire. So many people screaming in pain as they writhed in the flames, desperate to escape but unable to before their skin blackened and peeled and oozed… "Want some tea?"

"Pardon?"

"Tea. Do you want some? I'm going to make a pot to help me go back to sleep." I turned back inside my room, but gestured for Flayn to follow me. "Come on. I've got another cup."

"I…" She seemed surprised for a moment before beaming brightly. "Oh, thank you very much! Though, ah..." She studied me for a moment, thinking. "Should I wait for you to change clothes?"

"Hmm? Why?" I didn't think I was wearing anything weird? I always slept in one of Dad's old shirts; I had since I was little. I mean… he was much taller than me, and I just felt… safer. Safer from the dreams of war… "I'll just change right back anyway."

"Oh, that is a very good point." Flayn finally followed me inside, and shut the door behind her. I made sure to sheathe my dagger before getting my tea set from the shelf. "What a beautiful tea set!" Her eyes sparkled as she admired it. I didn't blame her, as it really was very pretty. Cream with flowers delicately painted on the pot and on every cup. "I feel as if I have seen this before?"

"You might have." I set about making the tea, taking one of the handmade teabags Dad made me, just for this sort of thing. A mixture of lavender, chamomile, and ekress… Dad said an old friend used it to help his patients get rest, even through terrible pain or nightmares. Ekress was apparently very good at putting people under. Dad had also given it to people in the field to knock them out before stuffing their guts back in them and sewing them up. "I'm told it was my mom's."

"Truly?" Flayn tapped her cheek, still studying the designs with interest. "So, is your mother here? I only began living here last year, since the monastery was nice enough to give me shelter. Seteth's worked here for… oh, sixteen years or so? Perhaps it is longer." Seteth must've started working when he was young, then, and Flayn must have been a toddler. I wonder why… ah, well, that's not my business. "Wait, no, it is longer. Twenty years? Sixteen is how long Hanneman has been here. I think? Years and math are confusing. Oh, bother, I am babbling, aren't I?"

"It's fine." I was used to Azrael, and she was nowhere near as bad. "But she's… sort of here? She died years ago and her grave is here." I finished getting the pot ready and set it down on the table. "Apparently, after Dad disappeared, Alois kept everything safe in his own quarters, not wanting to believe Dad was dead until he actually saw a body." So, last night, when I was first shown this room, Alois had swung by to deliver the tea set to me. There were apparently other things as well, but safely packed away, so it would be a bit before he could give them to us. I was surprised Alois had kept everything for so long. "If you had ever been by his quarters, you might've seen it."

"Ah, yes! Now I remember! He kept it on the shelf." Flayn smiled brightly at me. "He told me that it belonged to someone important, someone he considered family, so he was keeping it safe. So, that someone must've been your mother! Or your father. Both?"

"Both, probably." I poured the tea for both of us and sat down in front of her. "Sorry that I don't have sugar or anything."

"No, no, this is just fine! Sugar would keep me awake anyway." She looked around my room curiously, before focusing on the shelf where the tea set had been. "That looks like quite the variety of books…" Absently, she sipped the tea and squeaked. "Ah… too hot…!"

"It was just poured." I smiled slightly, amused despite myself. "And I suppose it is an unusual variety. Loog and the Maiden of Wind, a book on anatomy and diseases, a couple of theory books for Reason and Faith magic…" While the first two were for pleasure, the latter ones were because I had to brush on on the theory if I was to have any chance of actually teaching those subjects, or even just help students with those subjects. My magic just… didn't work that way. At all. "Also the Hresvelg Treatise on War and Cichol's General Treatise on Mercenaries." The librarian, Tomas, had recommended both to me when I went to the library earlier to find books on tactics. He was very nice and helpful, so I looked forward to talking to him more. "Do you like reading?"

"Oh, yes, very much so!" Flayn beamed, laughing. "I love fables the most, particularly the ones Seteth writes."

"He writes stories?" That… strangely, that didn't fit the image I had of him. Then again, he had barely talked during the brief meeting I'd had with him.

"Yes, he does. He will write them for the children of the monastery and even read to them when he has time!" Her eyes shone with warmth and affection as she talked and I couldn't help but keep smiling. "He can be a little callous at times, but most often, it is because he is so protective of everyone."

"That so?" I'd have to keep that in mind, then. Dad was pretty similar, after all. "Sounds like you two get along."

"We try! After all, we love each other very much. Though, sometimes, his overprotectiveness can be irritating…" She sipped her tea and her eyes now sparkled. She was really too adorable. "Oh, this is so delicious…"

"I'm glad you like it."

"It's a subtle flavor, but soothing…" She took another sip, beaming at me. "Wil once told me that you can tell a lot about a person by the tea they serve."

"Really now?" I had… no idea what to think of that. Tea was a simple process?

"Mmhmm!" Still, she was happy at the memory, so I wouldn't say anything against it. "Though, that could've also been an excuse to get me to actually sit down and take a break. He was an even worse fusser than Seteth!"

"Does he live at the monastery?"

"...No…" All at once, her cheer vanished, replaced by longing sadness. "No, he died a while ago. I miss him every day. Him and Mira and… well, quite a few people."

"There's a saying about how it's better to have loved and loss than to have never loved at all." I wondered if it was the death of her friends that led her to have trouble sleeping. "I don't have much experience with loss personally, but I know that Dad cherishes his memories of Mom."

"That is true. I worry about forgetting, but Seteth has written many things about them. So, if I ever get too scared, I can just pick up one of the stories. It's not as good, but…" She finished her tea, and I refilled it for her. "Ah, this tea really is nice. It feels almost impossible to be sad long while drinking it."

"...You're more than welcome to come by for more, when you need it." I wasn't sure about the offer, but it felt wrong to not at least try to help. And if my simple tea could help someone so adorable… well, until she ran away screaming from me, as many did, I could do that. "I sometimes have trouble sleeping myself, so I rarely run low."

"Truly?" Her expression lit right back up again. "I'll remember that!"

Talk shifted to lighter things, mainly daily life in the monastery. Flayn chattered excitedly about the greenhouse and its gardeners, the kitchen staff and the various mishaps students got into, the monks and choir practice, some incident a couple months ago where the knights somehow broke the sauna (leaving it still in repairs), the various reports of the gatekeeper (typically some sort of silly story), the pranks the squires pulled whenever they were left without work for too long… It was clear that she made an effort to talk to people every day and learn how everyone lived. And, I had to admit, her stories really helped make the monastery sound like any other place. A community of people who worked together to support each other. It didn't quite soften the feeling of a prison, but I could at least appreciate the gild. Just a little.

Around the time we emptied the pot, and were finishing up the last of the tea, there was a strange sound outside. A very loud groan, followed by a dull 'thwump'. Wondering about just what caused that, I set my cup down and cracked open my door to peek outside. It took another groan to find the source, though, as the source was a woman wearing a fancy dress paired with a white robe. Who was passed out against the small staircase in front of my room. At first, I thought she might be injured or something, but then I caught the smell of alcohol. She was… she was drunk. Passed out drunk. In a monastery. In front of the student dorms.

"Well, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that," I murmured, trying to make sense of this. Flayn, being curious herself, sidled up and peered around me. I absently noticed she was a head shorter than me, give or take. "Okay, what should I do…?"

"Is that a person?" Flayn asked, getting on her tiptoes to try and see better. After a moment, she gasped. "Oh, Manuela!" ...So, did this woman work here or…? "Goodness, is she ill?"

"Yeah, she drank too much poison."

"Poison?!" Flayn immediately panicked and rushed down the steps to 'Manuela'. "Oh, Manuela, you have quite a bit to live for! You were so excited about teaching this year's students!" ...In retrospect, being sarcastic right then probably hadn't been a good idea. "Let's see… oh, I do not carry antidotes on me anymore… maybe helping her purge?"

"Flayn, she's not dying. I think she's drunk." I shut the door behind me and joined her by Manuela. A quick touch to sweaty, flushed skin and a pulse of healing magic later just confirmed my 'diagnosis'. She was fine. Or would be. "Humans are strange creatures that willingly drink something technically poisonous for recreation." Flayn briefly glanced at me weirdly before fussing over Manuela again. "Too much at once, and you get something like this." And a mess of health issues. Liver disease, pancreas problems, ulcers and nutritional deficiencies, heart disease, bone issues… "At this point, she needs to sleep it off."

"Oh. Oh, right, Seteth was grumbling about how much Manuela drinks." Flayn giggled awkwardly, face bright pink from embarrassment. "I should've thought of that first."

"My sarcasm likely didn't help." With a grunt, I got Manuela up onto my back. She groaned and belched, and I wrinkled my nose at the near-tangible stench of alcohol that wafted off of her, but began walking towards the teacher's rooms. "Where does she sleep?"

"I'll lead the way!"

Flayn easily did just that, navigating the monastery's grounds with practiced ease. She even knew quite a few shortcuts, so it felt like no time at all had passed before we made it to the other side of the grounds, where the knights roomed along with (most) of the professors. Manuela mumbled sleepily against my shoulder the whole way, grousing about some 'sweet talking jerk', but I mostly ignored it for following Flayn up the stairs and to Manuela's room. And attempting to open the door because for some reason, it was difficult. I actually had to get Flayn to move so that I could kick it open. The sound of something falling made Flayn jump and, cautiously, both of us peered in, hoping I hadn't broken anything. But… uh…

"What sort of tornado came through here?" I asked softly, blinking slowly. The room was a complete disaster. I had seen battlefields that were neater. "Is there even a path to the bed?"

"We might be able to pick one out?" Flayn suggested, looking about with wide eyes. She then looked behind the door to see just what we knocked over. From what I could see in the shadows, it was just some boxes. But there were some bottles rolling about. "Oh, no wonder Hanneman complains. He gets twitchy if there is even one speck of dust on his desk."

"Who is Hanneman? You mentioned him before?" Carefully, I made my way over to the bed, which was covered in rumpled clothing. I freed one hand to knock them off and sat Manuela down on the bed. She swayed a little, head nodding, but was surprisingly cooperative when I helped her get her robe and shoes off. And her knives. She had knives strapped to her calf. That was cool. That was actually really cool. I didn't know how practical it was, but I could freely admit that I had always wanted to wear something like that. "I'm guessing he's a staff member?"

"He is a professor here as well, specializing in Reason magic and bows. Manuela specializes in swords and Faith magic." Flayn skirted around the door and lit a couple of candles to get some light in the room before she skipped over to help me get Manuela to lay down on her side. I didn't want her choking on her own vomit. I'd seen someone die from that, in one of the taverns we stayed at for a job. "Jeritza, a newer teacher, specializes in lances and riding. What do you specialize in?"

"I don't." If I had to pick, I would say 'swords' as I was most comfortable with them, but… "Few mercenaries specialize, Flayn. That's for soldiers." Soldiers could afford specializing and mastering a single art because they were always part of a whole. But mercenaries were never 'part' of anything. Not really. Even mercenary groups rarely traveled together for every job. Dad, Azrael, and I were very atypical for always taking jobs as a team. So, they had to be adaptable because adaptability was how you survived a battle. So many died because they were just too new to fighting, too 'green' to even get a chance to learn before someone had their spear ripping their guts from their abdomen, screaming in pain and sobbing from fear as they bled out… clutching some small token from home and… "I suppose I will teach whatever they tell me to teach."

"Wow… you must be very skilled despite your youth!" She smiled warmly at me, before crouching to focus on Manuela. Manuela mumbled something and opened bleary eyes briefly before falling asleep with a slight snore. "No wonder Alois recommended you!"

"I suppose." While Dad's trust in Alois made me relatively certain the recommendation had been in good faith, I was dead certain actually giving me the position was nothing more than using me as a hostage. But there was no need to dampen her mood, and Manuela's current predicament took priority anyway. "Regardless, I should probably let the infirmary know…" I noticed Flayn squirm at that. "Is something wrong?"

"Well… uh…" Flayn coughed before smiling sweetly. And awkwardly. She fidgeted with her hands. "Manuela runs the infirmary, you see?"

"...Ah." Well, that's awkward.

"B-but I can stay with her! It is important to not leave her alone, right? Just in case?" She held up her fists determinedly. "I know I am young, but I am a most excellent healer! If I may boast a little."

"Yeah, that'll be good for her." I looked around the room, and noticed a couple of glasses on a shelf and a tea set on the table underneath it. And a whole lot of obstacles in between, most of them precariously balanced boxes and books with clothes strewn about like rags. "I think I'll get her some water and tea, though. She's going to have one hell of a hangover in the morning."

It was a struggle to get to the table, and to reach the shelf. And then I discovered that both the glasses and tea pot were dusty (at the very least), so after wading my way to the adjoining bathroom, I had to first clean both. And since a rinse didn't wash off the dust and dirt, I left them soaking while I hunted around for some sort of tea. Which also took a while because her teas were in a container with 'morning wellness' scrawled across the lid, on a table on the complete opposite side of the room, hidden underneath a lacy bra and discarded shirt.

It was frustrating, though I did my best to hide it from Flayn, who fussed over Manuela. But it didn't surprise me at all when I sensed Azrael wake up in confusion, and sensed him hunting for me. It wasn't long at all before he found me and knocked on the door. "Byleth? The hell are you doing up at this hour?" he asked, yawning loudly as he opened the door. Flayn squeaked from surprise, but I just continued making my way to the bathroom to make the tea. Because, damn it, I said that I would. "It's late, and your room is on the other side of the monastery and… holy freaking hell!" All at once, Azrael was wide awake, with all his exhaustion replaced with scandalized horror. "I… what? What?" And his grumbling was replaced with strangled words as he tried to process the mess. Because while Azrael had no qualms with how messy battles were, non-battle places were a completely different story. "I can't… what sort of nightmare did I walk into? Did someone drop a hurricane in here?"

"Um… who are you?" Flayn asked, tilting her head curiously. She looked between Azrael and me, no doubt noticing how similar we looked. "I believe I had heard the newest recruit for the knights was the twin brother to the new professor. Is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm Azrael, Byleth's less adorable twin." Still scandalized, Azrael hopped over to the bed, picked Flayn up by the waist, and set her down on the bed next to Manuela, towards the back where the bed met the wall. "Stay there so that you don't break your neck, okay? Who are you, by the way? Besides adorable?"

"I… oh, my." Flayn giggled, blushing a little. "My name is Flayn. It is so very nice to meet you."

"Pleasure." Azrael glanced at me, and quickly recognized what I was doing. "Byleth, take your time with making the tea. You're not taking one step out of that bathroom until I get a damn path cleared." He immediately got to work, grumbling under his breath. "Madness! And people call us beasts! How can people even find anything when their rooms are like this?"

Azrael continued grumbling and cursing the entire time he cleaned, no doubt rapidly expanding Flayn's vocabulary on the subject. As he'd ordered, I took my time cleaning the pot and glass and making up the tea. Even with that, I had to wait a little before Azrael was content with the path he had from the bathroom to the bed and the bed to the door. Only then did he let me bring the tea and glass of water to the nightstand by the bed, and set them down so that they were easy to find, but she shouldn't accidentally knock them over in her sleep. Flayn watched it all with a smile, and waved us goodbye when Azrael and I left, since she was very serious about watching over Manuela.

Once we were down the hall, Azrael nudged my shoulder and asked, "so, who the hell was the drunk?"

"Thank you for waiting until we were out of earshot before asking like that," I sighed, exhaustion creeping in now. The tea was definitely working its magic. "Her name is Manuela. She is a professor here, and she also runs the infirmary."

"Please tell me you're joking." Azrael groaned without letting me answer because he already sensed I wasn't. "Well, no wonder Fodlan is a mess, if the 'best and brightest' of its leaders got educations here."

"Now, now…" I had no idea how to respond. I'd like to think there was more to her, but I was also very tired and inclined to be uncharitable. Still, Flayn liked her. Then again, Flayn seemed to like me. "She's only one of the professors?"

"Still not a great impression." Well, he had a point there… "Should we go bug Dad? Your thoughts are bouncing all over the place, and I'm still twitchy from that mess. And I'm honestly not sure you're making it halfway to your room before you pass out."

"...Yeah, I think so."

Dad grumbled when we snuck into his room, mostly because we 'informed' him of our presence via jumping on the bed. But he let us stay the night with him, and even told us some stories to help quiet our nerves. I love him so much...

---

The next day, Rhea called me to her audience room to briefly tell me a bit about my appointment. Which more or less was what I already knew and I felt like the meeting was less to inform me of things and more to just talk to me. Afterwards, I was instructed to go to one of the staff rooms to wait for 'two of my colleagues'. Who took a while to get there. I was glad I had decided to bring those tactics books I borrowed from the library. It gave me something to do.

["That strategy there seems far too specific."] Sothis read with me, and provided commentary on each and every thing. Every once in a while, I thought I saw her hovering over my shoulder when she 'spoke', but only a flicker. ["I don't know much of battle, but I think you'd be hard pressed to get soldiers to agree to that."]

"I think so as well," I murmured aloud, shifting to get more comfortable in my chair. My voice echoed slightly in the empty room, the only sound save for the turning of pages and the quiet creaking from the table I sat at. "You would need the complete trust of your soldiers. Most wouldn't have that."

["Still, you might be able to adapt it for a scenario for the children. Whichever ones you're teaching. Would be nice if you had more information of what you were doing, but that Rhea seems incapable of telling the full truth about anything."]

"You think so?"

["Yes, though I'll admit it's just based on the two interactions you've had with her."] Sothis grumbled something else under her breath, which I didn't catch. ["I agree with your father. Watch out for her. One second, she seems to regard you like one would a beloved niece. The next, she looks at you like you're a tool for something. And I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with either."]

"I had been hoping I'd been imagining that…" In the short time I had been here, I had heard many talk about how kind she was, but I just couldn't help but feel uneasy. Not helped was how Dad insisted on Azrael and me to be careful around her. That hinted that whatever caused Dad to run, it was connected to her. "What do you think about her, Sothis?"

["Hmm…"] Sothis thought for a while, analyzing everything she could remember about the two meetings. ["There's something… broken about her. I can't explain why I think this, but I feel it deep in my heart.] Sothis was silent for a moment longer and then I got the impression of her nodding. ["Yes, 'broken' is how I would describe her. And I believe Seteth is much the same, though he's better at pretending. Somewhat."]

"What makes you say that?"

["I just told you that I can't explain, you know.] Her annoyance colored her words, before they became thoughtful. ["What makes me worried is… well, being 'broken' doesn't automatically make you a danger. But if you put the shards back together wrong, there's a bad chance of something cutting deep. And there's no way to know if it'll cut deep into yourself or someone else. Not until it is far, far too late."]

"I understand." I understood far too well. Who knew how I would've turned out, if not for Dad and Azrael? They were my entire world. "Do you think she could see me as a replacement?"

["Oh, now there is a thought. It's quite possible. Maybe for your mother? I think if I hear one more person comment on how you are the mirror image of her, I'm going to snap."] She grumbled a little more, just wordless sounds of frustration and annoyance, and it made me smile slightly. She was right, though. Just this morning alone, I think there had been twenty different people who had commented on it. ["Well, we'll keep an eye on it. With luck, this will all just be paranoia."] I thought about replying, but I heard footsteps approaching. So, ideally, that meant...

"Oh, my! Are you the new professor?" There was something familiar about the voice, and when I looked up at the two people entering the room, I saw why. The speaker was Manuela, who looked remarkably well considering how drunk she'd been last night. "Goodness, you're not what I expected…" she murmured, studying me before sitting across from me at the table. I wondered if she remembered me from last night, before deciding that was ridiculous. "So young…"

"Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you well know," the other person, an older man wearing a monocle and a suit, sat down next to Manuela. I studied his face closely, wondering if he wore the monocle because he had vision trouble in only one eye or if he had ptosis, but there were no hints to either in his expression. He wore it with practiced ease, so whatever the reason, he had clearly been wearing one for a while. And it ultimately didn't matter because I was quickly distracted by the sharp way he studied me. "I am Hanneman, a Crest Scholar and a professor here."

My mind blanked at the word 'crest', trying to remember what exactly that referred to, so I missed whatever else he had said. After all, it took a second to recall that Crests were those things nobles were overly fixated on. Dad had often grumbled about how society believed a person's worth was intrinsically tied to whether or not they had one. I never understood it, but you don't have to understand something for it to be a reality. And I knew it was reality. Quite a few mercenaries we had worked with over the years were former nobles who had been thrown out by their families as 'worthless', just because they didn't have one.

And then there had been jobs related to it as well. One that I remembered clearly, would remember until my dying day, was when a noble girl (we had dubbed her 'Theresa', so that she wouldn't have to use her birth name) had snuck away from her home and ran to the first mercenaries she could find to beg for help. Despite being only fourteen, her family was (essentially) selling her to someone three or four times her age, because that someone was wealthy and wanted a crest to adorn his family name, and her family wanted that wealth. She had broken down in sobs, absolutely desperate because her sister had been forced into a similar situation, and was trapped in an abusive marriage with someone who viewed her as nothing but a vessel for producing more crest-bearing children. She had been so scared… Dad took the 'job' (we'd refused payment for it) without hesitation, and we smuggled her out of the city with us the very next morning. It had taken days to determine a safe place for her, but finally, we located her old nurse two cities away, who had been relieved to see her former charge. The amount of thanks we had gotten had been heartbreaking…

And that was just one job. There had been others. Others that Dad had taken just because of how horrible he thought the system was. And seeing those broken people who bore those crests and the broken people who didn't… I truly would never understand why they were so important. I certainly didn't understand why anyone would want to study the things.

["Particularly when he's looking at you like a piece of meat to be chopped up."] And there was Sothis with the lovely imagery that captured why I was just becoming more and more uneasy with all of this. ["What a lovely place you're in.] Yes, clearly. ["Might want to pay attention again, though."]

She was right. Manuela had leaned forward to do her own introduction. "I'm Manuela," she introduced. I pretended that I didn't already know that. "I'm a professor, a physician, a songstress…" She winked at me with a little laugh. "And available."

"You're a songstress?" I asked. I decided to simply focus on that, and not why she would mention that last thing. It made no sense to me at all. Did… did she want me to set her up with Dad? That was ridiculous. For one thing, I knew nothing of 'matchmaking' and, for another, Dad was still mourning Mom. "Really?"

"Of course! Before I came here, I belonged to a renowned opera company." She drew herself up as tall as she could while remaining seated, but I was more curious about 'opera'. We'd guarded a few shows in the past, more than a few actually, and they had always been among my favorite jobs. Not just because those jobs rarely involved killing, or even blood, but because the music and performances were just so… even though I had only seen-seen one show, I had still heard all the others and they had just been breathtaking and amazing… "You might have heard of me? The Mittelfrank Opera's beautiful, peerless…!"

"Spare our colleague your needless chatter, Manuela," Hanneman scolded, sharp words cutting through her bombastic air easily. I was a bit disappointed, as the Mittelfrank Opera was the one we had worked for the most. Meaning that I might have actually heard her performances and I was curious. Beyond curious, actually. I could hear Sothis laughing at me in the back of my head. "I'm sure she needs an explanation of how the academy actually works. Seteth mentioned it, at least."

"Wait, they didn't tell you that before offering you the job?" Manuela asked, noticeably surprised. She then smiled a little and reached over to brush the hair out of my face. "You're certainly brave to accept without knowing!" Now, if I were Azrael, I probably would've mentioned that the job had been forced on me, but since I wasn't, I actually knew how to bite my tongue. "Do you know about how the houses are divided out based on country of origin?" I nodded, remembering Edelgard mentioning that on the way here. "Good, that's half of it out of the way."

"So, here's the other half." Hanneman pulled out a piece of paper from the inside of his coat and began sketching a grid. I frowned when I noticed him write 'Black Eagles', 'Blue Lions', and 'Golden Deer' along the top. "Has no one told you the names of the houses?" I shook my head and he 'tsked' and shook his head. "Goodness, what are our colleagues thinking?"

"Well, that's why I suggested we meet with her prior to her being thrown into the waters." This meeting had been Manuela's idea? "I'm now particularly glad for it. Since they told her less than I thought." She smiled at me, and I noticed that when she wasn't three sheets to the wind, she was incredibly beautiful. "Black Eagles are the Adrestian Students." So, that meant Edelgard's house. ...Why did she wear red then? "Blue Lions are from the Kingdom." Dimitri then. And based on process of elimination, and colorings for cloaks that made sense… "And Golden Deer students live in the Alliance." Called it. "There's actually a fascinating story for each of the choices." Was there? ...Actually, I could probably guess.

"Black Eagles are for the twin-headed eagle on Adrestia's flag, and the color of their army's armor, yes?" I asked absently, thinking it through like it was a puzzle. I liked puzzles. They were a good way to pass the time. "Blue Lions must be named for Loog. All the stories about the King of Lions mention his famous blue clothing." That I was sure had been crimson and brown by the end of each battle, though there was a full paragraph in Loog and the Maiden of Wind that talked of how Loog's 'brilliantly blue garb' remained untouched by the ravages of battle, despite the foes he'd slain. "The Alliance has many folklores depicting a deer with golden fur and horns as a protector of the lands. Some even going back to the time of Riegan and some of the other Elites."

"What a perfect answer!" Manuela praised, laughing. She must have many, many admirers if she smiled like this all the time. "You're absolutely correct! It often serves as a conversation starter between the houses."

"And reflects values." Adrestia and its military, Faerghus and its chivalrous royals, and Leicester and its individual culture. After all, no other land in Fodlan was depicted as having any sort of animal protector.

"Precisely."

"To return to the matter at hand, however…" Hanneman interrupted, tapping the now fully drawn grid. I looked over to see he had divided it into nine squares. The three categories on the vertical part were simply labeled '1', '2', and '3'. Almost seemed too simple. "There is one other division we do here at the Academy, besides the Houses. We call them 'cohorts', and how they're separated out is… well…"

"Rank and test scores," Manuela deadpanned, smiling slightly. Hanneman rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement. "We often nickname the first cohort 'leaders' because that's essentially their role in the house. So, of course, the House Leaders are among them always, regardless of how well they did on the entrance exams. That said, since nobles tend to have the extra time to study..."

"Let's not get into that right now because, for one thing, agreeing with you will put me off my lunch." Hanneman tapped the paper again, easily ignoring Manuela's scowl. "Houses and which house each of us three are in charge of is typically only important for inter-house activities. The two biggest is the mock battle that will happen soon, and the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, which will be a few months from now. Though sometimes, we arrange little competitions just for fun. Relay races, academic competitions… that sort of thing. It's up to the three of us to decide on what'll happen." I already knew I was just going to smile and nod at whatever they suggested. "Cohorts, however, are the day-to-day lessons and training. They will be the ones you see the most."

"Is that so?" I asked, studying the grid. This just seemed overly complicated to me. "What's the point of having two different separations?"

"Well, the Houses help with fostering internal relations within each of the countries," Manuela explained with a soft smile. She leaned forward a little to better look at me. "All of these darling treasures are the children of the nobility and the wealthy. By meeting each other in an informal setting, they can form friendships that make them more likely to listen to each other when they have different opinions, and work together for the sake of their people and country. This year, it's especially important as the three heirs are in attendance. This is their best chance to meet their future subjects and learn about the different areas that make up their lands. Make sense?"

"A little." I could only guess that the various inter-house activities were what encouraged these bonds to form? And that, perhaps, it had less focus because those from the same country theoretically had more chances to meet. "The cohorts, then?"

"That's for fostering relations between the countries. After all, Fodlan's peace is…" Manuela hesitated, struggling for words. "Well, as a mercenary, you probably are more aware of both the internal and external conflicts than Hanneman and me." I wouldn't quite say that. I would say that the mercenary business was… well, there was always someone hiring. And there were far more jobs than there were mercenaries. And few of those jobs didn't involve blood and death and killing and pain. "But, ideally? Well, the students of the Academy are the future leaders of the land. If they can form friendship with each other, then perhaps they'll also be willing to talk with each other. To compromise. And so, bit by bit, the uneasy peace we currently live in becomes a little more stable." Well, that was...

["...Huh. That was actually inspiring."] It also really helped show why she was a professor. The way her eyes had shone… she truly believed in it. In both things. And that was one of the reasons why she taught here, to help with that.

"The divisions also help us teachers keep things organized, particularly since there's so few of us," Hanneman added, pulling in logic to ground the ideals Manuela rattled off. She frowned at him, but he waved her off. "There's only a handful of teachers at the Academy. The Knights assist where able, of course, but from my understanding, the greatest reason why Alois recommended you was because of your adaptability and wide range of knowledge. And some prior experience."

"...I did teach some of the children in Remire," I reluctantly conceded. I remembered Alois chatting with the villagers, including Sera's parents. It must've come up then. I guessed he'd either learned about the 'wide range of knowledge' from Dad, or took a guess based on what he knew about him. "Really just that, though."

"You needn't fret. We're all a team, striving towards the same goal. We'll be happy to assist you in any way we can." Despite the warm words, Hanneman glanced pointedly at Manuela, who immediately scowled. "Providing someone can stop stumbling back to the grounds while drunk."

["Well, well… they certainly make better impressions once you get past the first bit. I wonder if this monastery is just poor at first impressions."] Sothis mused, distracting me from whatever squabbling Hanneman and Manuela devolved into. Not that I minded, especially since I thought she had a point. ["I'd still be wary, though. Not necessarily of these two, but of this place. There are secrets here, hiding in the shadows."] There was no doubt about that. Not one bit. ["Oh, look, they're back to remembering you're here."]

"Sorry about that, dear," Manuela apologized, smiling wryly. Hanneman cleared his throat and briefly removed his monocle to clean it. "We tend to clash a lot. But we both do take our jobs seriously."

"The difference being what we value as 'serious'," Hanneman groused. However, he put his monocle back on and smiled at me, determined to keep the conversation moving. "Now, Manuela and I discussed our thoughts about who would teach whom. If you have a preference…" Hanneman waited for me to answer, but I just shook my head. I didn't know what I was doing. "In that case, we thought that you could take the Blue Lion House and the first cohort, while I took Golden Deer and third and Manuela takes Black Eagles and second."

"You want me to teach the 'leader' cohort?" I asked, surprised. That was… not what I expected? "Really?"

"Yes." Hanneman nodded and, to my surprise, there was no hesitation in his expression. None at all. "While, Manuela and I both have theoretical knowledge, and have fought to some degree, neither of us have experienced anything like a pitched battle." Hanneman rested his fist against his chin, thinking of just how to explain his reasons. "You, however, do have that knowledge. I think they will need that more than the other two cohorts. Sadly, with things as they are, there are many rebellions and bandit attacks. Even the Knights of Seiros are stretched thin to deal with all the threats, not to mention the various armies of the countries." Despite the morbid words he smiled slightly, chuckling. "That cohort is also the smallest." Ah, that did make sense. I wasn't sure about the whole 'battle experience qualifying me' part, but I could understand giving the 'professor' who didn't know what she was doing the smallest of the bunch. "As for the house… well…"

"While no one doubts the skill of the Kingdom's knights, the fact of the matter is that they are very… straightforward, I suppose you could say," Manuella helpfully explained. She smiled a little sardonically, though, and her eyes were sad. "But the Kingdom at the moment is… well, it's perhaps the most chaotic of the nations." That was an understatement. A lot of our jobs had been for the Kingdom. Nobles trying to take advantage of the power vacuum, food shortages, brutal winters, an increase in attacks from Sreng… it was certainly the most openly chaotic. Adrestia had to deal with corrupt nobility squeezing its people dry and Leicester's petty squabbles were kept internal, and almost always caused 'collateral damage' in the form of commoner deaths… "Straightforwardness isn't always a good thing when things are… messy."

"And, of course, Manuela is the expert on messes." Hanneman sighed and Manuela glared at him. I chose to not comment. "The reasoning is that your experiences might help them learn how to adapt. Become flexible, so that they do not snap under pressure." I wasn't so certain on that. Maybe Dad could help, but me? What could I do? "And to add a not-idealized reasoning for the choice, Sir Jeralt was once a soldier of the Kingdom, before serving here as a knight." ...He was? "It might be nice to learn a little bit of his homeland from the people who live there, yes?" Considering Dad never mentioned that, I wasn't actually interested. But while I mentally debated whether or not to reply, a bell suddenly rung, a gentle string of notes that sounded like the beginning of a song. "Goodness, is it so late already? We best hurry if we are to actually eat within a reasonable time."

"Especially since today, the cooks are experimenting with candies and sweets." Manuela laughed and stood before smiling at me. "Come on, dear. We can talk more over lunch."

Not sure what else to do, I simply nodded and followed them out of the room, still very confused and uncertain about everything that was going on. If I made it through this year alive, I swore it was going to be a miracle.

---

"And, finally, the skills marked in blue are ones the students excelled at during the aptitude tests, while those in red are their weakest areas," Seteth concluded, pointing to an example of each on the roster page we happened to have on top. Claude's, and he pointed to the 'strength' with bows and the 'weakness' in Faith. "This should help you build your initial lessons plans, though I recommend also talking with your students once you're more comfortable with each other. Sometimes, students will surprise themselves and want to pursue something they never considered before."

"I see…" I murmured, thumbing through a few of the other roster pages. I wondered how they determined 'strength' or 'weakness', but decided I really didn't actually need to know. "Thank you for going over this with me." Especially since I had discovered he was the only one with sense in the place and actually questioned why I was suddenly a professor. He had no qualms informing me of such. "I'm sure you're busy.."

"While I do object to your sudden appointment, especially without a background check, it is more important to ensure that you have all the tools necessary to teach and help the students. Guiding them to reach their fullest potential and helping them grow is our duty." He actually smiled. It was very faint, but I could see it. "Particularly this rambunctious group. I do expect you to at least try to keep them in line."

"I will." Unease tore its way through me as I looked over the roster again, noticing just how many files there were. This was madness. What could a monster like me teach anyway? And to be surrounded by strangers, without Azrael or Dad? The thought made my stomach turn and, unbidden, memories flitted through my head. Memories of other times where I had been separated from Dad and Azrael, and it hadn't been a chaotic mess of a battle. The taste of iron in my mouth from where someone had punched me in the face… the sting and bruising from thrown rocks… the cold mud seeping through my clothes after being shoved down… the screams of 'monster' and 'demon' and 'your fault they died!' and 'give them back!'... the cold, indifferent glares from those nearby before they ignored it all… the murmurs of 'maybe they can beat some humanity into her…'

["You will be fine."] Sothis's calm and gentle voice shredded the memories into fragments, and the flood of reassurance from her washed them away. The shards cut and clung, but she simply kept wordlessly reassuring me until I was back in the present. ["I am here, remember? I am always with you, and always will be."] Right, because she was in my head now. ["More like your heart, but close enough. If there is any hint of that, I'll freeze time and we'll come up with an escape together."] Again, there was the wave of warm reassurance, and I took comfort from it.

Seteth, of course, didn't notice my internal dilemma, or Sothis's reassurance keeping me grounded. He simply continued to show me to the entrance hall and, after double-checking that I had all the roster pages, left me to… well, to start being a professor. Sort of. Classes hadn't 'officially' resumed, and wouldn't until the next moon, but today was the day I would formally meet all the students. Luckily for me, though, I had at least met three already. And they were the three waiting for me.

"Byleth!" Edelgard called, smiling as I walked over to join her, Dimitri, and Claude. Her smile became a little sheepish, and she bowed her head. "Ah, sorry, I should call you 'Professor'. I am very pleased that you'll be the one teaching us."

"Indeed," Dimitri confirmed, smiling softly at me. He bowed formally, but still smiled. "Seteth also informed me that you would be the head of the Blue Lions house. Delightful news, really."

"Yeah, you got lucky, Dimitri," Claude teased, grinning. I was surprised to see his eyes had some warmth. "Maybe I should try to steal her for the Golden Deer?"

"Reminder that the house head is only for the inter-house battles."

"Details, details! Ah, well. I just have to come up with a lot of schemes."

"Careful to not overthink, or over rely, as I fully plan for the Black Eagles to destroy both of you," Edelgard joked. Though, there was a seriousness to her eyes hinting that she at least wasn't joking about wanting to win. I was already nauseous. I didn't have much experience with 'competitions' like mock battles, except sparring with Dad or Azrael. 'Winning'... all I really knew about the term was 'hooray, you survived another battle at the cost of other people's lives'. "But we should meet with the others before they break something. Again."

"Er… last time was my fault, Edelgard," Dimitri sheepishly admitted, not able to look at anything but some interesting spot on the wall. His blushed a pale pink from embarrassment, though. "I didn't think the chair was that fragile?"

"Didn't you also somehow snap one of the steel lances in the armory?" The long silence was answer enough. "What are we going to do with you, Dimitri?"

"Likely? Tease me silly. Especially Claude." Dimitri cleared his throat, still blushing. Edelgard muffled a little laugh, while Claude openly smirked. "Anyway, this way, Professor?"

Though it was easy to tell that Claude, at least, wanted to tease Dimitri more, their sense of responsibility prevailed and the trio led me through the halls and to the classrooms. Specifically, they led me to a relatively large classroom, filled with students I actually recognized somewhat. They were all the students who had greeted Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude when we had first come to the monastery. So, the reason for that must've been because of both the house and cohort division of the students…

The four of us lingered by the door, since it gave a good view of everyone, and thankfully for my nerves, none of the students noticed our arrival. Save one, the boy with black hair that I had seen standing behind Edelgard, when Alois gave us the tour. He began to walk towards us, but Edelgard shook her head, silently gesturing for him to wait. Which he did, returning to the shadows of the corner, watching over everyone with wary, calculating eyes.

"Seems like everyone has more or less stuck to their Houses, so I suppose we'll just go one at a time for introductions," Edelgard suggested, glancing at Dimitri and Claude to see what they thought. Both nodded and she smiled. "We'll start with Hubert, since he saw us. He's the heir to Marquis Vestra, and has been serving me since I was a child. Upon meeting him, you may think his blood runs cold..." Edelgard muffled a little laugh when Claude smirked at her. "Okay, that is rather accurate. Still, he's very astute and reasonable."

"Is that last one supposed to be a pun because he's good at Reason magic?" Claude asked dryly, still grinning. Dimitri, surprisingly, was desperately muffling chuckles. "Because…"

"I am not Alois." She scowled briefly, but sighed and smiled faintly. "But I will acknowledge the unintentional joke. And quickly move on to the rest of the introductions."

"Aw, are you embarrassed?"

"Shush." She ignored Claude's snickers and pointed to a pair standing not fair from Hubert. A boy with orange hair, and a girl with magenta hair tied back in a braid. "Ferdinand sees me as a bitter rival, for reasons I cannot fathom. It's terribly irritating, so I must apologize in advance if I snap at him." Her eyes glinted, and there was something there… cold hatred, I thought, but not necessarily directed at Ferdinand. "He's of House Aegir, a family that has traditionally served as Prime Ministers for the empire." Perhaps, instead, it was a hatred for the house? I'd ask Sothis what she thought later. I knew she was paying close attention, after all. "The family is often a little too pleased by its status, but I can admit that Ferdinand takes noblesse oblige incredibly seriously and his determination has absolutely no equal."

"He can be oblivious to sarcasm, though," Dimitri noted, having recovered from his chuckle fit. I wondered what caused it. The pun? Was it even a pun? "He tried to talk to Felix and somehow missed every barb."

"Believe me, I am surprised at how he ignores things," Edelgard sighed, grumbling a little. I guessed it was that 'rivalry' thing she mentioned. "Anyway, he's talking to Petra, who is the heir to a vassal state of the Empire, an archipelago in the west dubbed 'Brigid'." I knew a bit about it, mostly how it had tried to attack the Empire alongside Dagda about five years ago, and failed. Which meant that Petra was likely here as a hostage, and I wondered if I had to 'politely ignore' that or not. If so, I'd have to make sure Azrael kept quiet too. "Her grasp of Fodlan's language isn't perfect yet, but she's easily one of our smartest students, and is incredibly studious. Are you okay so far, Professor?"

"Yes, I am," I murmured, flipping through the rosters to pull those three's to the front. I couldn't help but notice how Ferdinand's didn't have any red marks on it, hinting to no 'weaknesses', but I also knew that was something I would have to focus on later. Instead, I simply found the other Black Eagle students' pages so that they were all together. "There's… four more, right?"

"Yes and, thankfully, two of them are paired offf." Edelgard smiled and nodded to a pair of boys, one with long green hair tied back by a ribbon and one with short light-blue hair. "The taller one there is Linhardt. He is remarkably intelligent, but he will only apply himself to things that interest him and nothing else. You'll see this most often with the thing he's most fond of: napping." She sighed and shook her head in clear disappointment. "If he had any sense of duty or work ethic, he would easily rise to whatever status he chose. Though, I suppose he's destined to inherit his father's post. Count Hevring is the Minister of the Interior, handling domestic affairs and the like."

"And the one next to him?"

"Caspar is the second son of Count Bergliez, the Minister of Military Affairs." Oh, he had hired us for some jobs over the years. "Between his birth order and his lack of crest, he has no inheritance in his future, which is probably why he's eager to prove himself. Sometimes, I think he's absorbed Linhardt's energy, given how he has no impulse control and often leaps first and thinks fourth. Still, he's very kind and accepting of people… so long as they're not criminals, that is." She laughed softly, eyes soft. "He and Linhardt are best friends, which is rather amusing since their fathers can't stand each other. I don't think they can spend even two seconds in each other's company before arguing."

"Hey, one of the last one's is Bernadetta, right?" Claude asked, helping to keep things moving. He looked around for a moment before pointing to a girl with purple hair hiding under a table, and a book. Near her was a girl with brown hair who wore a very distinctive hat. "She's there, if you didn't see her."

"Ah, thank you, as I was wondering why Dorothea was standing there instead of chatting with the others," Edelgard murmured, nodding. She waited for me to get to the page before continuing. "As he said, the one under the table is Bernadetta. She is the only daughter of Count Varley, the Minister of Religion." So, all of the future leaders of the Empire were here, not just the future Emperor. Interesting… "She's a bit… eccentric, and there's been some creepy rumors about her, but she seems like a gentle soul to me." From what I saw right now, I was reminded of an abused animal backed into a corner. I had seen many in the past act similarly, but it was never comfortable to see. "She shuts herself in her quarters most of the time, but don't worry, I'll make sure she makes it to class."

"I think this is the first time I've seen her outside of class at all. How did you all bribe her?"

"Cake."

"Ah, sugar. The ultimate of bribes." Claude nodded sagely; Dimitri just shook his head in amusement. "I wonder if-"

"Tease or prank Bernadetta, and I will retaliate."

"Duly noted!"

"Good." She glared at Claude until he raised his hands up in 'surrender'. Only then did she return to the introductions. "Finally, there's Dorothea, who is the one talking to Bernadetta there. Few commoners join the Black Eagle House, but she's the exception for this year." I hoped none of her fellows hurt her for that. I knew what it was like to be the only one 'different' among 'normal' folk. "She's a songstress from a famous opera company in Enbarr and is incredibly talented. No one really knows why she chose to attend the Academy, but she's a lovely and friendly girl and quite intelligent." She smiled proudly for a moment before turning to Dimitri. "The lions took the middle of the room, so you're next."

"And it looks like Sylvain dragged Felix into conversation, so I suppose I'll start with that trio," Dimitri began, gesturing towards three I vaguely recognized. The scowling one, the flirting redhead, and the axeman from the training grounds. "The tallest one there is Dedue. He was born in Duscar, and has been working loyally in my service for the past four years." That was… weird. That meant Dedue would've been Dimitri's vassal since the Tragedy of Duscar, and the subsequent genocide of the Duscar people. Why would…? There was no benefit as a political hostage or anything… was it another way to show that Duscar had to 'submit' to the Kingdom? That didn't seem right. "He's rather taciturn, and stoic, but he's incredibly kind. He's also the best cook." Especially given Dimitri's easy praise.

"Everyone rushes to the dining hall when they hear it was Dedue's turn to help out in the kitchens," Claude joked. Or, I thought he joked, at least, until Edelgard and Dimitri nodded. "I can't blame anyone either. It's ridiculous how good he is."

"Well, he claims that part of it is because he picks the herbs he uses himself. He likes gardening, so you'll find him in the greenhouse a lot." Dimitri turned his attention to the scowling one between Dedue and the redhead. Who was definitely irritated and might have been debating murder. "Felix is the heir to House Fraldarius, and we've known each other since we were babies. He's gained a bit of a sharp tongue since… everything that happened…" Dimitri's gaze wavered briefly, and I decided to go ahead and make a mental note of 'Tragedy of Duscar has likely completely traumatized most of the cubs. Probably even in ways they weren't willing to admit. After all, that was why Manuela and Hanneman thought I could help, but I wasn't so sure... "But underneath the thorns, he's very kind and loyal. He tends to gravitate towards people who are skilled, so I apologize if he pesters you for spars in our free time."

"He will, at least, accept 'no' for an answer, unlike some others," Edelgard added, throwing a barb Ferdinand's way. At least, I thought she was. "I am surprised he specializes in swords, though. The Kingdom is famous for its lancemanship, and its knights."

"Ah, that's because Lady Fraldarius was gifted with the Sword of Moralta by Saint Cichol, after it was forged by Saint Macuil," Dimitri explained easily. His eyes lit up, like he was happy to talk about the history of his lands. "So all of her descendants are expected to be swordsman. In honor of that, House Fraldarius's forces actually has the fewest cavalry among the Kingdom Houses. Or, that's the 'official' reason." He smiled slightly, the light in his eyes now distinctly teasing. "The terrain there can also be very difficult for horses, so most don't bother trying to learn. They'd rather use their time to study other things."

"Really?" Edelgard seemed surprised. "I'd heard the Shield of Faerghus was a talented Holy Knight, though?"

"Rodrigue was taught how to ride alongside my father, since tensions in the north led to him being fostered by my grandfather. Even then, Rodrigue refuses to ride any horse that's not of House Gautier's personal stock, since they're the only horses who can reliably traverse those lands. Speaking of which..." Dimitri pointed to the last of the trio, the redhead. Who seemed to be easily ignoring whatever growls Felix threw his way to chat happily with Dedue. Or chat as much as Dedue's one-word replies let him. "Sylvain is the heir to House Gautier, and he had the misfortune of having to babysit Felix and me when we were young." So, another childhood friend? "He's an incredibly capable person who highly values his friends, but… ah…" Dimitri coughed awkwardly, squirming, and Claude immediately smirked. "He's also a bit of a… skirt chaser."

"A bit?" Edelgard raised a brow to perfectly convey skepticism, while Claude somehow managed an incredulous snicker. "Just that?"

"He's actually better than he used to be? A little? He's not making eyes at scarecrows… though I think he had a concussion that day due to Miklan… ah, no, never mind. That's not important." He waved it off, and I had Sothis wordlessly questioning that interesting sentence. She wasn't the only one. Who was Miklan? "We try to do damage control for him, especially Ingrid, but I apologize in advance for anything and everything he says and does?"

"And if his cheeks are red, don't worry because one of his girlfriends just slapped him," Claude teased, back to grinning. Dimitri could only groan, while Edelgard rolled her eyes. "I am impressed how he keeps getting girlfriends, given his reputation."

"He can be charming?" Dimitri suggested, smiling awkwardly now. I had a feeling Sylvain's behavior was a bit of a sore point. "Anyway, to continue, the one behind Sylvain there is Annette." He was also very quick to move the subject along, focusing our attention of the pair of girls happily chatting in the middle of the room. The one with orange hair was very animated with her words, almost flailing about with excitement, while her companion remained perfectly calm, only moving to adjust the ribbon that held her side ponytail together. "The energetic one, if that helps, with the looped pigtails. She's the niece of Baron Dominic, and is as cheerful as can be, as I'm sure you can guess. She's equally hardworking as well, having earned a scholarship to the Academy here due to her high marks at Fhirdiad's School of Sorcery. She's brilliant, really, though she can be a bit scattered." He smiled slightly. "She… ah… well, she caused an explosion in the kitchen last night, actually."

"Oh, so that's what it was?" Edelgard asked, muffling a laugh. Her eyes shone with mirth, though. "That actually woke me up."

"You and half the people in the monastery. Annette was mortified. We still don't know how she did it. Just that she looked away for a moment." It had to have been longer than 'a moment', unless she hadn't been paying any attention at all. "The one she's talking to is Mercedes. She was born to Imperial nobility, but circumstances led her to the Kingdom. She's rather open about it all, but that's still her story to tell." I didn't see much of a point in asking. While a person's past was important, and something you would always carry with you, it was no one's business unless you chose. It was a person's present that was most important, who they were in the here and now. That's what Dad said, at least. "Like Annette, she came to the Academy on scholarship from the School of Sorcery, and she's a gentle soul who always keeps an eye on everyone."

"And he does mean everyone." Edelgard still muffled her laughter, but her gaze was different now. It was studying, as if there was something hidden about Mercedes that she was determined to discern. "Just yesterday, I was studying with Hubert and she dropped off some pastries she made for us. Coffee treats for Hubert especially."

"Mercedes is a marvelous cook, with sweets being her specialty."

"We should probably mention now that Blue Lions has the best cooks among all the students." Edelgard's attention returned to us, and the 'studying' look in her eyes disappeared for amusement again. "We're always very excited when we learn one of them is cooking. It's almost unfair."

"And with that, I suppose we should go to the third of the cooking genius trifecta." Dimitri pointed to a young boy with gray hair and freckles, talking with a girl with her blond hair braided back. I remembered him as the archer from the training ground, and her as the one who almost punched Sylvain because he interfered with her training. "That's Ashe, the adopted son of Lord Lonato of Castle Gaspard, which lies in the western part of the Kingdom. He was born a commoner, and lost his parents young, but Lonato took him and his siblings in and, by all accounts, they are a very happy family." I had heard about them, actually. One of the jobs Dad took without Azrael and me had been for that house. "He has an extremely earnest personality, and is probably the only one who can outdo Mercedes for niceness."

"I can vouch for the earnest personality, as he came over to ask me for some archery tips, and there's just no way to refuse him without feeling like you're kicking a puppy," Claude 'complained'. He chuckled too much for it to be a true complaint. "I worry about how much apologizing we'd hear if he and Ignatz ever have a proper conversation, though."

"I'm hoping we can help Ashe build up his confidence," Dimitri defended, smiling to soften the words. He then nodded to the girl Ashe was talking to. "Ingrid is another childhood friend of mine, and is the daughter of Count Galatea."

"A house that has an interesting relationship with House Daphneal of the Alliance."

"Things have been cordial ever since Lady Judith took over the house, but there were tensions in the past." Dimitri smiled at me, perhaps sensing that I was a little lost. "House Galatea split off from House Daphneal after an inheritance dispute. You can imagine the awkwardness." Only a little? Certainly had to take some jobs born from 'inheritance disputes', which always seemed to lead to far too much death. Then again, that described almost everything regarding mercenary jobs... "Regardless, things are cordial between those houses and Ingrid even looks up to Lady Judith."

"Really, now?"

"Indeed. Ingrid has always striven to be a knight, and she's diligent and principled at pursuing that goal." He smiled proudly at Ingrid, though I saw a bit of sadness in his expression. More related to the Tragedy? "Truthfully, she's more knightly than many sworn knights I have met."

"You forgot to mention she's fussy."

"She often shows her affection by fretting over people, yes. And she can probably out-eat anyone, if I must add more." Dimitri bit back a laugh. "I find both endearing, personally."

"Of course you do. But, I guess I should introduce the last of us, huh?" Claude frowned slightly as he decided which ones to start with. He eventually went with the duo in the corner, a very tall and broad boy who ate kebabs while listening to a girl with short orange hair talk as she messily patched a hole in her bag. "The Golden Deer House has more commoners in it than the other two, mostly merchant families. The big guy there, Raphael, is from one of them, though I heard he lost his parents in an accident three years ago or something. He and his sister live with his grandfather, but I heard life was rough because Raphael is the only one who can work." Claude grinned, though, and it actually reached his eyes. They danced with warmth and genuine respect. "However, he's the most boisterous and kind guy I've ever met. Cheerful as well, though he's also as loud as Alois, so warning you on that. His passions are training, eating, and…" Claude frowned for a moment before he shrugged. "Actually, that's it. Well, I suppose you could include his sister in it. Careful, as he'll talk your ear off talking about her!"

"He does have a tendency to play 'brother' to any female student smaller than him, which is all of us," Edelgard added, grimacing. There was quiet pain in her eyes, though, and I remembered hearing about how the current Emperor once had eleven children, but in the aftermath of the Insurrection of the Seven, all but Edelgard perished. There were dark whispers even now about just what might have befallen the others, though officially, it had been illnesses and accidents. "He's pretty good at backing off when you snap, though, and holding no grudges."

"Sometimes, I wonder if Raphael even knows the meaning of the word 'grudge'," Calude joked. His grin softened to a warm, and slightly incredulous, smile before shifting to a small smirk. "The one he's listening to is Leonie. She probably has the least illustrious lineage in the room, being the daughter of a hunter from a village in the middle of nowhere in Gloucester territory. Depends a bit on how much clout an opera singer has."

"She's very famous."

"So, maybe I should say 'least illustrious' and 'least amount of connections'? Regardless, she enrolled to get the best training possible. Apparently, she actually met Sir Jeralt a few years ago, and decided to be a mercenary like him." That might explain why the name was familiar then. "While she's loyal and hard-working, she's also a bit rough around the edges, and can be blunter than a dull axe." So, she and Azrael might get along. Or she might try to kill him. Either-or. "She's also as stingy as they come. Habitual saver as well, and she can get real creative to keeping things good for longer. I think it's because her village helped her pay the tuition fees and she wants to repay them, with interest."

"Based on the tuition alone, that's going to take a while," Dimitri mumbled, almost like he was thinking aloud. Claude glanced over at him with interest, while Edelgard nodded in agreement. "It's almost ridiculous how much it… ah, no, now isn't the time for such talk."

"Yeah, sadly, since I think you and I can have a very interesting discussion about that," Claude replied, in a friendly tone. His eyes, however, were calculating. "But back to introductions, since Leonie is from Gloucester, we should switch to Lorenz. He's the tall, noodle-like one with purple hair by the bookshelf, talking to the short one with glasses." Thanks to that interesting description, it wasn't hard to find the duo in question. "Lorenz is the heir to House Gloucester, which I'm sure you've heard about because the family never shuts up about anything." Claude rolled his eyes. I remembered hearing that House Gloucester and House Riegan didn't have the best of relationships. "He's arrogant, and fancies himself a ladies' man, so I'm sorry for whatever he says and claim no association with him. With that said, though, he's actually a good guy deep down, devoted and honest and always striving to back tomorrow better than yesterday." He glanced at Edelgard with a smile. "He and Ferdinand would probably get along as he takes his duties as a noble seriously. Very seriously. Just as seriously as I would like to never hear him talk about his 'noble obligations' ever again."

"Ah, so maybe if either bother you two, you can distract them with the other?" Dimitri became thoughtful for a moment. "I imagine they can easily find topics to talk about."

"That's… a good idea, actually. Edelgard, we should come up with some sort of signal for that. Or maybe just brew some tea. Lorenz is obsessed." Claude snickered and Edelgard had to smile at the mental image. I just busied myself with getting the roster in order and making sure I could match them to the person. There were so many… "The adorable one he's talking to is Ignatz. Like Raphael, he's from a merchant family, though he's the second son. With his brother set to inherit the business, Ignatz is here to become a knight to secure more contacts for his family and whatnot. But, honestly, I don't think he wants to do that. Not sure what he wants, except maybe to please and help his family." There had to be other ways to do that… then again, I knew well what it was like to be forced into roles without real regard for my wants. Mercenary life… and now a professor… I'd have to see if there was something I could do for him. Then again, maybe it would be better if I didn't… "He's a sweetheart, though. Not sure he can say a bad word about anyone."

"Professor, are you doing okay?" Edelgard asked me suddenly, studying my face. She frowned a little, eyes narrowed. "I can't read you well. Or at all, actually, and I know it's a lot of information at once."

"Oh, good, not just me who can't read her at all," Claude noted. Unlike Edelgard, he sounded a little irritated by it. Unease clawed my heart and I knew whatever expression I might have had on my face just blanked further. Emotionless… demon… fey… monster… would I hear it from them? More than likely. Everyone called me that, eventually. Still, all I could do was nod to have them continue. The sooner we got through this day, the better. "Okay, down to the last three then. And I have no idea how Hilda bribed Lysithea into letting her brush her hair, but there they are." He nodded to the only three sitting at the various desks, a girl with white hair reading a book while a girl with pink pigtails brushed her hair and talked to a quiet girl with light blue hair braided back into a messy bun. "We'll start with Lysithea, the reader. She's the sole surviving daughter of Count Ordelia, one of the great five houses of the Alliance. Heard something about a plague running through when she was small that killed a lot of people in her household, including her siblings." I knew those rumors. I also knew the darker ones about how it had been no 'plague', but a series of assassinations. Perhaps done by one of the other houses in the alliance to weaken Ordelia. "She's the youngest student here, but watch out!" He laughed, no sign of his early irritation at all. "She gets aaaaangry if you treat her like a child. Which I know for a fact because I do it on purpose. She's got such fun reactions."

"If she throws a spell at you, all of us are going to say you deserve it, you know."

"Aw, that just breaks my heart!" He winked and Edelgard rolled her eyes. Dimitri looked between the two, as if debating whether to get involved. "The one with light-blue hair there is Marianne, the adoptive daughter of Margrave Edmund, who is the newest edition to the ruling houses as they took the place of Daphneal when Judith stepped down. And that's pretty much all I know about her. She's quiet and shy, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if some of the students had never heard her speak." He thought for a moment, as if trying to come up with even one more little detail. "Oh, she's very devoted to the Goddess, though, and apparently, there's not an animal in the entire monastery that hates her." He nodded to the pink-haired girl then. "Pigtails there is Hilda, the only daughter of Duke Goneril, another of the ruling houses and charged with protecting Fodlan from Almyra. She's a spoiled, coddled, and if you look up 'lazy' in the dictionary, her picture… won't be there because she never got around to submitting it." Both Edelgard and Dimitri had to quickly bite back laughs at the comment. "Pretty much the normal for a noble, but she's far cleverer than she likes to let on. And there you go, all the students! Unless we need to give commentary on ourselves, but that sounds like it would be boring. What's life without a little mystery, right?"

"If you truly thought that, you wouldn't be spying and sneaking about everywhere."

"Hey, the more you learn, the more questions you get!"

"Should we wait for you two to finish bantering or should we go ahead and call the others over to meet our professor?" Dimitri interrupted before Edelgard could retort. He smiled innocently when both looked at him. "I believe they're starting to notice us. Besides Hubert, who already did." He was right about that. A few were glancing over at us curiously and… and focused their attention on me. I felt ill. "Everyone, would you come over here please? This is our Professor, Byleth Mikayla Eisner."

"Wait, so our professor is you?!" Caspar yelped, pointing at me dramatically. The gesture made him linger back while everyone else slowly gathered around. "Seriously? I didn't expect that!"

"Easy, Caspar," Dorothea immediately chided, clicking her tongue in disproval. "Don't you think that's rude?" She walked over with a smile, and looked me up and down. "Though, I am curious why no one mentioned how gorgeous she is." ...Gorgeous? Me? I never heard that before? "My goodness… ah, I probably should've waited for a comment like that, but I really couldn't help but notice. We're all about the same age, so we're used to talking casually with each other."

"It's fine," I reassured, doing my best to keep calm. Group of strangers crowding around… no Azrael or Dad… stones or beatings had always followed such circumstances… Sothis kept me calm, but I was definitely more and more uncomfortable with all of this. But I knew none of them noticed and, for once, I was fine with being 'expressionless'. "I don't mind. You can talk to me the same way."

"That doesn't sit right with me," Dimitri immediately protested, shaking his head with a little frown. Annette, who had moved next to him, nodded vigorously. So vigorously that one of her pigtails came undone, though Mercedes quickly fixed it. "We wish to show you all due respect."

"Well, I get that, but hey, if the professor says it's okay, then shouldn't we oblige?" Sylvain asked, coming up to casually lean on Dimitri. He winked at me and smiled before focusing on Dimitri. "I mean… we're all pretty casual with each other, despite having the future Emperor, King, and Sovereign Duke among our numbers."

"Well, yes, but…"

"But at the academy, we are simply students like you," Edelgard countered, frowning. Dimitri nodded, agreeing with her. "It's only natural that you speak casually with us."

"And it's not like I'm big on formalities anyway, but how about we just go with everyone addresses Teach as they please, so long as it's polite?" Claude suggested, resting his hands behind his head. He grinned at everyone, easily ignoring Lorenz's pointed glare. I gathered it was at the 'Teach' part. "That way everyone is happy."

"Mmm… well, I suppose that's how it would end up anyway."

"Particularly since Teach is so close to us in age. At least, I think she is?" Claude paused and looked at me. "Teach, how old are you anyway?"

"Claude, that's not something you ask a lady!" Hilda scolded, though she laughed while saying the words. She, Marianne, and Lysithea had remained where they were, and she was still brushing Lysithea's hair. Though Lysithea had put down her book to focus on me with a studying frown. "So, I'll ask instead! How old are you, Professor?"

"I'm twenty," I answered, not seeing any reason to hide it. Or why it would be rude to ask? Considering everything, I thought they had a right to know. "I'll turn twenty-one during the Horsebow Moon."

"Wait, seriously? You really are around our age!" Hilda's eyes widen in surprise, perhaps expecting me to have said 'twenty-five' or something. "In fact, I think Hubert is your age. He's the second-oldest of us, I think?" If he was, then one of the group was older than me. My guess was Mercedes, since a slightly uneasy look crossed her face. "Wow, and a Knight of Seiros personally recommended you? That's amazing."

"Indeed, you have a gut, Professor!" Petra eagerly… complimented. At least, I thought it was a compliment. Remembering what Edelgard had said earlier, I guessed she had simply mixed up an idiom. "I am greatly looking forward to your teachings." Yep, she'd mixed up an idiom.

"Petra, I believe you mean that she 'has guts', not that she 'has a gut'," Dorothea gently corrected. With a smile even. It was pretty, but I thought there was something sad to it. Couldn't quite place why, though. "You really couldn't say someone so slim has one. Well, unless you were talking anatomy."

"Oh! Please take my apologies!" Petra bowed deeply, her braid falling over her shoulder. "I am still mastering this language…"

"Idioms are always the worst, aren't they?"

"Still, one must truly marvel at the exceptionality of the appointment," Lorenz murmured, looking me over. He didn't quite look me in the eye, though, and he seemed like he was debating whether to ignore me or not. "It truly is unusual to become a teacher to students your own age. There's talk of you being a skilled mercenary, but…"

"Well, there's one good way to confirm the boar wasn't babbling nonsense about that talk," Felix immediately interrupted, focused entirely on me. His eyes actually glinted with anticipation. "Training grounds. Let's see what you're made of."

"Excuse me, but that is hardly the way to welcome-!"

"Sounds like a great way to break the ice!" Caspar yelled, jumping up from excitement. He nearly elbowed Bernadetta in the face. "We should do that!"

I wasn't quite sure what happened next, considering that everyone began talking over everyone, but somehow, it turned into the Black Eagles and Golden Deer bickering amongst themselves, while the Blue Lions teased and reassured each other. I just stepped back to let them, trying to figure out just… what to do.

"They're not normally this rowdy…" Edelgard groaned, facepalming as she joined me. Hubert followed her like a shadow, chuckling under his breath. "I suppose they're excited?"

"Well that and we're all still trying to learn about each other," Claude pointed out, also joining me. Dimitri was trying to extract himself from the group, but his fellows kept pulling him back into conversation. Interesting, really. "We're all very different people, but hey, it keeps things exciting!"

"And loud." Edelgard stepped forward and yanked on Dimitri's arm when he managed to step out enough for her grasp it. "There you go."

"Thank you," Dimitri laughed, fixing his sleeve. I still thought it interesting that he was the only one who had trouble. It hinted to how Edelgard and Claude were more distant, and how the cubs were a close-knit group compared to the other two. That could be both good and bad, depending… "Everyone got so lively all of a sudden, huh? Professor, I'm sure we're cause our fair share of trouble, but we're all looking forward to the year." Dimitri smiled warmly at me, still laughing a little. "That said, I don't think anyone is going to be deterred from a session at the training grounds? Or, rather, I believe those who are will find themselves outvoted."

Well, this was… going to be interesting?

---

"Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude, I want you three to sit out and help make sure no one is overdoing it," I ordered when our large group made it to the training grounds. We had gotten a few odd looks from the staff when we arrived, likely because today wasn't supposed to be a class day or anything. And it was later in the day, when most wouldn't be practicing at all, but resting and getting ready for dinner. "I already know how you three fight, and you know your classmates better."

"Of course, Professor," Dimitri agreed for the three of them. He sounded a little disappointed, but his smile was genuine. "Anything we should relay to the class for you?"

"Anyone who is primarily a healer should also sit out to do the same thing." And so that it was easier for me to know who they were. They'd need a completely different lesson plan than the others. ...Well, all of them needed individual ones, but... "Other than that, practice weapons and stretching, please."

Dimitri left to give the class my instructions, and while they prepared, I tried to formulate the best plan of action for whatever I just got myself into. Lingering on the edges, I took off my coat and began carefully stretching my arms and legs, looking over the area. The training grounds were simple, flat ground with minimal distractions, surrounded by pillars with various platforms at varying heights. In this sort of place, and with beginners… while it wouldn't be wise to underestimate my own students,I thought it was reasonable to assume only the cubs would have experience fighting together. Even then, based on the grips I saw when I happened on their training session… yes, the best way to analyze everyone would be too…

"Is everyone ready?" I asked, when I finished stretching. Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude were standing on one side of the field, while Mercedes, Linhardt, and Marianne were sitting on the other. Everyone else was scattered about the field, expressions and stances showing varying degrees of comfort. And none of them seemed inclined to pair up. "Then come." My students looked at each other awkwardly, like they weren't sure what I meant. "I want all of you to attack me. All of you versus me." Dad had done this when he'd been hired by a minor lord to help train his personal guard. While I wasn't anywhere close to being as strong as him… "Let the lesson begin." And I lunged forward to uppercut the closest one: Raphael.

I had been right. None of them really knew how to fight as a group. How to coordinate attacks, or avoid friendly fire. Their muscle memory was good enough that they didn't have to worry about footing or stances, but most were basic and, thus, had easy weaknesses to exploit. I wouldn't say they didn't get any good hits because they did, and I would be nursing the bruises later, but they also didn't last as long as soldiers and mercenaries I had fought in the past. It was all too easy to set up the mages and archers into accidentally attacking their fellows, or for me to throw some of the melee fighters into each other. Because their grips were so basic, it was relatively easy to break their holds and for me to steal the weapons to use against them and others. While I wasn't Azrael, who frequently changed weapons throughout any fight, I certainly knew how to. And since this was also them trying to evaluate me, I figured it was best to show that I did, in fact, have some experience with almost every weapon. It was harder to demonstrate that for the mages, because I couldn't cast spells as humans could, but I still knew how to disrupt the spell patterns before they could finish, so I hoped that would be enough to quell their nerves. And as I fought against them all, I did my best to analyze each of their fighting patterns, for my own purposes.

The cubs seemed to have the most fighting experience, which fit what I knew about the Kingdom. Kingdom nobles learned how to fight before they even learned how to read, and it wasn't uncommon at all to see toddlers toddling about with practice weapons in hand, learning how to walk and fight at the same time. So, Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid held their weapons differently than their non-Kingdom classmates, more like the weapons were part of them than the others. But if they had fought in actual battles, it couldn't have been more than one or two. At least, I guessed because their fighting was still just 'standard', and they all had glaring weaknesses.

Felix's only ability to 'guard' was dodging. Even then, though, the dodges were predictable and he rarely, if ever, used his sword to parry or redirect his opponent to make dodges easier. He was strong, certainly. Fast as well. And sometimes, there was a glow about his arms and sword that somehow made his blows hit a little harder than expected. But when I was done studying his fighting style, it was easy to disarm him (dodge, grip his wrist, spin to slam elbow into his shoulder to jolt him into dropping the weapon) and even easier to throw him to the side. Even if he was heavier than I'd originally anticipated.

Sylvain was harder to discern because he purposely held back while fighting. Did he underestimate me? Did his 'skirt-chasing' ways make him not want to hurt girl? Did he always hold back like this? I had no way of knowing the answer, only that he did. Still, I could see he was a more adaptable fighter than Felix. Master of all or master of none… that would depend solely on him and him alone. As it was, he relied more heavily on strength than Felix, in that he didn't necessarily go for killing blows, but ones that, if I wore armor, would deter me. Give an opening for others to take advantage of. Not a bad thing necessarily, but since his fellows didn't know that, all it did was give me the opportunity to snake in close and use his lance and arm as a fulcrum to flip over his head. As I did so, wrenched the lance from him and, when I landed, threw it at Ingrid. Then I twisted to kick Sylvain in the back, knocking him off his feet and face down on the ground.

Ingrid did well until I threw Sylvain's lance at her chest. Though that was mostly because of her sheer speed. She wasn't strong at all, but she was fast and if she had the stamina, or support, she could easily just whittle away at any foe. What was it that Dad called that 'strategy' again? Death by a thousand cuts? It was an interesting tactic, and those who excelled at it often were also good at dealing with mages. For some reason. Regardless of why, the speed gave her another potential advantage: dodging. And unlike Felix, she would roll off the momentum of my own strikes to better help her escape before attempting to counter. One trick in particular, a fierce frontal jab, would've been a critical blow if I hadn't managed to dodge in time. However, she was definitely far too used to the 'set' movements of a spar or training, not the chaos of a battle, and thus, she wasn't great with surprises. As the thrown lance proved.

Dedue was easy to figure out as well, but he still came with surprises. The thing I noticed first was how he held his axe as the battle went on. While he started with a typical, basic grip, as he fought, it gradually shifted into one I didn't actually associate with 'fighting'. Instead, it reminded me of how blacksmiths held their hammers at the forge. The second thing I noticed was how he was essentially a stone wall when it came to damage. A shame he kept himself noticeably apart from the others, as he could have been a good 'shield' for them. However, he had the same weaknesses that a stone wall did: slow as hell and, if I weren't holding back and not using magic, I was willing to bet that I could take him out with a single 'spell'. However, since I wasn't using my weird magic, I had to utilize his momentum against him, eventually twisting up and over his head to flip and throw him. Definitely strained my shoulders with the trick, but it had been effective enough.

Neither the Alliance nor Empire were as infamous for its fighting (or training from such a young age) as the Kingdom, though both had their stereotypical traits. The Imperial army always utilized numbers when they fought, in combination with powerful magic and heavily armored cavalry, to simply overwhelm the opposition. That meant those trained primarily by Adrestians utilized those sorts of tactics, even when… well… they didn't actually have the numbers. Which led to relatively quick defeats, a lesson the eaglets learned the hard way. Particularly Caspar and Ferdinand, since they were the Imperial-Trained physical fighters.

Caspar, in particular, didn't last long for one key reason; Edelgard hadn't been exaggerating when she said he 'leapt first'. As soon as I landed that first hit on Raphael, Caspar had charged forward to attack me with no attempts at 'guarding' or anything besides 'hitting me' and 'bellow at a volume that rivaled Alois'. I had to admit to being startled, and only barely managed to deflect his strike enough for a glancing blow, but his lack of guard meant it was all-too-easy to not only relieve him of his practice axe, but to kick him into the wall. His stubbornness and determination led him to recover quickly and try to take me out with his fists, but eventually, after numerous kicks and punches, he could only groan and remain against the wall. A good thing too, since I was worried I'd have to break one of his limbs to actually get him to stop.

In contrast, Ferdinand was much more… balanced, I should say. Reminded me of Sylvain in that way, though unlike Sylvain, Ferdinand didn't hold back. However, I could tell he was rattled when I landed that first strike on him, like he hadn't actually anticipated being hit. Not nearly as confident. Still, he remained determined enough to keep going, and he managed to thwart my first attempt to disarm him and got a good hit on my face with the shaft of his practice lance. But since I'd been hit with worse, and far harder, I simply rolled with the movement to lessen the damage and ducked down to sweep his legs out from under him. Then, as he fell, I swung up and kicked him to send him flying, taking him out of the fight (and conveniently sending him right into Ashe and Ignatz, making their shots go wide).

Petra was different from Ferdinand and Caspar as it was clear she was not 'Imperial-trained'. Made since, given she wasn't even from Fodlan, and I spent a little longer studying her than I did the others, mostly out of fascination. I wasn't sure how long she'd been a hostage, but her basics were so different that I assumed they were typical of Brigid. She was wickedly fast, and moved silently, darting in quickly with her practice blade to strike before retreating and hunting for another weakness to potentially exploit. She actually coordinated somewhat with the others, in that she paid attention to where and how they struck at me. Not only a hunter, but one trained to move in a group, like a predator chasing down prey. However, she had one clear weakness, one she shared with Felix. Next to no defenses, and while she was strong, she wasn't adept at breaking out of holds. Meaning that when I caught her? She went down with two punches and a kick.

The best way to describe the 'Alliance Army' was… well… as Dad always said 'ragtag bunch of misfits'. Every house's personal guard specialized in its own thing, and the only thing any of them had in common was a liking for long range cover, followed by a quick and brutal strike with frontliners. And even then, all of them had different ideas for what 'basics' were, and Dad always said that if someone could actually unite the Alliance against a single foe, the myriad of strategies they could pull would make them a terrifyingly unpredictable foe. While I couldn't say whether or not the fawns here fit that stereotype, I did keep that in mind whenever one of them got close enough to strike.

Leonie was intriguing to fight because I recognized at once that Dad had trained her. From her stance to the way she held her lance… it was the same basics Dad had taught Azrael and me. So, it didn't surprise me at all how balanced she was as a fighter, and how quickly she was able to adapt to the chaotic spar, being the only one of the students to actually change her grip depending on what sort of strike she wanted to make. I made a mental note to ask Dad about how to take her lessons, and 'took' a couple of additional ones to note her speed. But there was a detriment to her knowing and using the same style I was taught, and it was that I knew it too. And I knew the weaknesses of each stance and each grip she used, and had far more experience with it. I ripped the lance from her hands after dodging one of her attempts to hit me, and spun to add momentum to hit her in the stomach with it. She coughed and choked on spit, but I gave her no chance to recover before elbowing her in the chest and sending her reeling back. And trip over Raphael, where he had fallen earlier.

Raphael had recovered very quickly from that very first strike, almost managing to catch me before I darted back and took on the others. In fact, if not for the surprise, he might have caught me, which told me he at least had some good reflexes. Another advantage he had over the others was that he actually specialized in hand-to-hand combat. No weapons to disarm from him, and he was very comfortable using both of his hands to attack me. In many ways, he fought similarly to Dedue, but it also meant he shared the same weakness. In fact, I thought he might be even slower than Dedue, probably due to how he'd bulked up muscle-wise. Still, he was careful enough to try and time his strikes, but a lack of experience meant it was easy to bait him into a trap. When he tried to come up behind me, I dropped down and threw him over my shoulder to lay him out flat on his back. And then I used him as a step to jump up and avoid an attack from Ingrid, further ensuring he was out of the fight.

Lorenz was a unique fighter for one big reason; he utilized both weapon and magic in tandem. Or, at least, he tried to. He was still too clumsy at switching between, but it certainly spoke to his ingenuity to consider that sort of hybrid fighting. It wasn't as if he wasn't powerful or anything. His fire spells left surface burns and blisters on my arms, and he was quick to swing his lance if he thought I might be too close. The problem, however, was that he was too balanced. He didn't excel at either, and without the ability to quickly switch between, all he did was get tangled in his own feet and spell patterns. Made it easy to steal his practice lance from him while he attempted to cast a spell, and I used the practice lance to disrupt the pattern and render the spell useless. The force splintered the practice lance (metal held up better), but I was able to use the remains of the shaft to hit Lorenz over the head before kicking him right into Leonie, who had been trying to get back up. But she gave up since she was pinned by a groaning Lorenz on top of a equally-groaning Raphael.

As for Hilda, she was… well, at first, she didn't even fight. She just stayed back with the long-ranged fighters, tucking her practice axe behind her as she watched her classmates fight me. I'd thought she was waiting for a moment to pounce, and purposely opened my guard to try and lure her into attacking, but she didn't. She simply continued to keep back. As a result, she ended up being the last of the 'front line' fighters standing out of the group and even then, she didn't seem inclined to fight. She only brought up the axe at all when I darted in close to her, and she quickly used it as a shield to keep me from hitting her in the face. From there, she tried to hit me hard and fast, but there was little effort in the swings. Meaning she missed. A lot. And I was able to kick her to the ground quickly. And it was made even quicker by the fact that unlike the others, she didn't attempt to stand up to keep fighting.

Normally in a battle, you tried to target the long-ranged fighters as soon as you could. Arrows could slide into the crevices of armor, or immobilize a joint, and magic was a nightmare for most since a naturally high resistance to magic wasn't particularly common. I chose against doing that this time, because I wanted time to analyze how each of them fought, while also fighting off their classmates. It made for some annoyances, such as aching joints from when I had to twist awkwardly to avoid an arrow, but I did get to watch, at least. Though, I did have to wonder if the leader cohort had been chosen not just for 'rank' and 'test scores', but also 'roles'. Each house had one mage and one bow, and the only bit of variation had been one extra mage for the eaglets.

When I focused on the long-ranged fighters, my first priority was taking out Lysithea as soon as possible. I wasn't sure what spells she cast, other than it wasn't the typical elemental magic associated with Reason magic, but she cast them fast and they easily had the most power behind them. If not for my accelerated healing rate, the one hit I took head on (or, to be accurate, 'back on') might have knocked me out entirely. And, like a few of the others, a glow would sometimes appear at her fingertips to weave through her spell pattern and add even more power to her spells. Thankfully, she went down quick. Fast as she was, there was always a handful of seconds between when a spellcaster began the spell pattern, and when the spellcaster actually casted the spell. Get in close or disrupt the pattern, and they were helpless. Though, Lysithea was much lighter than I thought; a simple elbow to the chest sent her clear off her feet. Which, for once, I hadn't actually intended.

Annette was second, partially because she was closest to Lysithea and partially because her wind spells were sneaky. It was much harder to track a wind spell than fire or thunder, and the spell itself put less strain on the caster, increasing the chances of multiple castings with one spell pattern. Which was something Annette had clearly mastered, given the number of wind blades I had to avoid. The sheer number was impressive, and unexpected, but I wondered if it was tied with the glow I saw around her chest and arms. Whatever the glow was, it was clearly some sort of boon. But not a defensive one, as she went down as fast as Ashe once I closed the gap and roundhouse kicked her to the ground.

Dorothea ended up being next, since out of habit, I tried to neutralize magic users as quickly as possible, and I quickly noticed that she didn't have the sheer raw power that Lysithea or even Annette had. She wasn't as fast as Annette either, possibly due to the powerful thunder spell she utilized. However, she was methodical, able to cast her spell at set intervals (something that would be very useful for covering). Interestingly, she hummed under her breath as she conjured her spell patterns, perhaps to help her concentrate. Except there was some power in the sound, and I noticed her subtly moving towards injured comrades while she hummed. Curious, and I would have to check the roster for why she did this, but whatever the reason, it wasn't offensive or defensive. It took two punches and a kick to take her down, but I still managed to do so before she completed whatever she'd been plotting.

Among the three archers, Ignatz stood out for one reason: accuracy. I could never fully dodge any of the arrows he shot, and if this had been an actual battle, only the lack of strength behind those arrows would've kept me alive. He was also fast, which became even more apparent due to his skill, though I did have to wonder if he would've hit 'harder' if he took his time. At the same time, though, such skill meant he'd be able to easily send his arrows into joints to cripple enemies. Hell, he might even be able to manage an eye-shot, which Dad said was hard to do thanks to how hectic a battlefield was, and thanks to helmets. He was prone to flinching, though, so when Hilda landed at his feet, he jumped back in surprise and lost his footing. And when my last kick sent Dorothea sliding across the ground to stop next to Hilda, he jumped yet again. Thanks to the rattling, I was able to subdue him before long, twisting his arm behind his back and forcing him to the ground. And nearly broke his glasses on accident because he faceplanted. Definitely would have to figure out some way to help him keep those intact during a fight…

Like Ignatz, Ashe didn't have a lot of strength behind his arrows. He wasn't quite as accurate, but something I noticed was that he was almost as silent as Petra and he had the sense to actually move around while shooting. He also took advantage of the uneven texture of the pillars (and small stages also set up) surrounding the field, showing both good climbing skills and a sense of balance a cat might envy. And helped him stay out of range of his thrown/kicked classmates (save for the one that got him and Ignatz). And minimized friendly fire since he was elevated. However, he didn't know how to counter in close quarters, or guard, so when he jumped down from one perch to try and make it to another, I was able to take him out with a single punch.

While at first Bernadetta seemed almost exactly like Ashe and Ignatz (good speed, good accuracy, not so good strength), when she realized she was in danger, her arrows gained a little more force. I wasn't sure how healthy such a thing was, though it did mean I had to focus more on dodging her arrows than I had Ashe's. Another thing I noticed was how, at some points, there was a glow about her hand and a spectral arrow would fly just behind her actual arrow. Which was… confusing because I had never seen a magic like that. But no one else acted as if it was unusual. The only reaction at all was when one grazed my cheek and it actually cut me, and I heard a lot of yelps. Bernadetta even began babbling apologies, so when I 'took her out', I gently rapped her on the head instead to silently tell her she was done. Anything more seemed mean, especially when she began trembling. Besides, she was second-to-last left standing by that point. No need for anything showy.

Hubert was the last one remaining, and that was because he had wisely kept back, kept moving, and kept to the shadows. He studied the fighting and only cast his spells when he pinpointed a weakness in my guard. Thankfully, whatever spells he used (non-elemental like Lysithea's) were not the most accurate of magics. One grazed my side, and the burning pain that lingered told me a direct hit wouldn't be kind to me. Even if the power behind it wasn't quite as potent as Lysithea's, he was probably the second-most powerful, magic wise. However, he had a few weaknesses and one of them… one of them ended up lending to a different lesson entirely, and it was all Azrael's fault.

Shortly after the spar began, I had sensed Azrael's presence in the training grounds, though the lack of noise hinted he was just watching. Gathering more information for me to utilize. It was something he had done in the past, because he knew how important it was to me to know how allies might fight, because if I knew how they fought, then I had a better chance of protecting them and maybe, just maybe, keep one less corpse from hitting the bloody, muddy ground. As the spar stretched on, though, I sensed him slowly becoming mischievous, either from boredom or sheer impulse. Around the time I started in on the long ranged fighters, he'd begun circling around the grounds, moving silently for whatever trick he'd planned.

While I decided how to best defeat Hubert, Azrael pulled his trick. He spooked Edelgard via scooping her up with one arm, and her resulting yell of surprise distracted Hubert for a critical moment. One I seized because I was in pain, bleeding, bruised, aching, and tired. A kick to the chest to make Hubert slam against one of the pillars, and everyone got a very quick lesson in the dangers of splitting your attention while in combat.

"I suppose I should be grateful you didn't blast any of them from behind," I noted softly, turning my attention over to the three house leaders and Azrael. By that point, Azrael had shifted Edelgard so that she was more or less sitting in the crook of his elbow with her hands braced on his shoulder. Dimitri had been prepared to punch whoever had 'ambushed' them, but started relaxing once he recognized who was their 'attacker'. Claude started laughing, the bright sound easing the tension in the air. "But why in creation did you do this?"

"They were just so enthralled!" Azrael teased with a grin bright. Edelgard's shock slowly faded as she put the pieces together and she soon began looking as if she was ready to strangle Azrael. While I didn't wish him harm, nor did I wish to feel that pain secondhand, I couldn't blame her. "I couldn't help but prank them a little! If you're wondering why Edelgard…" Edelgard paused in her mental plans to murder my twin to be surprised. I thought it might be because it was the first time he'd actually used her name. "She was just closest. So, did your students enjoy the firsthand experience with your combat skills? These are your students, right?"

"Yes, I'm their professor." I noticed Mercedes and Marianne were on their feet and quickly dragging everyone together to begin healing. Linhardt joined them with a giant yawn. I hoped he hadn't napped through all of that… "It's set up so that I teach a cohort on a day to day basis, so it's a mix of students from the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, and Golden Deer."

"Are those the house names or something? Certainly explains the… wait." Azrael frowned for a moment before grinning. "Aw, how adorable! They're your eaglets, cubs, and fawns!" While I could admit in my head that I had referred to them as such, I was mildly exasperated that he'd called them that to their faces? Azrael, of course, didn't care. "Also, Edelgard, if you're wanting to strangle me, just go for a good hit to the throat to collapse the windpipe. Same effect, less effort."

"Please refrain from helping her complete her murder plans, and perhaps introduce yourself?"

"Hmm? Ah, right, names. Got to pretend I've got manners." Azrael smiled at everyone, still chuckling. "I am Azrael Kimaris Eisner, Byleth's twin brother and the newest conscriptee for the Knights of Seiros!" Ignoring how that last part wasn't something that should be said while we were surrounded by people faithful to the church, was 'conscriptee' even a word? "You'll see me around because I just love messing with my adorable sister." While he did like teasing, I knew that was not the reason why he'd originally came over. "Who I am stealing because I haven't seen her all day."

"You might want to put Edelgard down first."

"Hmm? Oh, right, still holding her." Ignoring the weird looks that I knew screamed 'how do you forget you are holding someone?', he set Edelgard down gently, keeping a grip on her arms as she settled on the ground. "Got your footing?" She nodded, frowning in confusion. Considering their previous interactions, I didn't blame her at all. "Good. Stealing now."

"Edelgard, Dimitri, Claude… can you three make sure that everyone stretches and walks around to cool down once the healers clear them? And that they get some water?" I waited to follow Azrael until they nodded. "Thank you."

As soon as we stepped off the training grounds and behind one of the pillars, Azrael rested a hand on my cheek and immediately began healing me up. I sighed in relief as the pain eased and the aches faded. I was still tired and stiff, but I could deal with that easily. I'd dealt with worse.

"Sorry, I didn't know they would challenge me to a match," I murmured, looking down in regret. The pain feedback he'd sensed must have been confusing and scary. Still, he 'dismissed' the apology with a smile and a gentle kiss on my head. "How's your day been?"

"Boring, and I'm sorry I wasn't free to be there for you when you met them," he answered, and counter-apologized. I shook my head and smiled slightly, reassuring him that it was fine. "I only just managed to wiggle free to come check on you. All okay?"

"So far, it seems so?" We would have to see how things would develop in the future. "Wiggle free, though? Are you not done for the day?"

"Sadly, no…" He grimaced before scoffing and rolling his eyes. "There's a 'welcome dinner' party thing that I have to attend. Dad has to attend as well." ...Ah, so I would have dinner alone, then. "I asked Dad if we could sneak out, but apparently, they will hunt us down if we do." He brushed my hair out of my face, sensing the little bit of loneliness I felt. It was very rare I ate alone, after all. I normally had at least Azrael. "You can join if you want, but from what I hear, it's going to be loud and annoying."

"That doesn't sound like a thing I would enjoy. If you want me with you, though?" I waited and he immediately shook his head. It was easy to sense how little he wanted to go, and how he definitely didn't want me to suffer for his sake. "Then, I think I shall refuse." To my surprise, in the distance, I heard someone calling Azrael's name. I glanced down the hall and saw someone wearing light armor searching for something. Or, someone. "...You didn't actually have free time, did you?"

"You are way more important, and I wanted to visually confirm you were okay and not just sense it." He sulked with the words, each one ringing with a whine. Oh, Azrael… "But I guess I'd better get back before they drag me. Literally. They seem to have a thing for dragging and chaining and-"

"Let Dad know I'm doing okay?" Best to interrupt him before someone overheard. "And please try to behave."

"I promise to only pull pranks once everyone is too drunk to remember, and with Dad's full permission." It would have to do.

I made to sure to hug him and 'send' him reassurance before watching him catch up with the person and disappearing down the hall. Once he was out of sight, I checked on my students and saw they were also leaving. It looked as if everything was clean and nothing was out of place, but I knew I should take a walk around to make sure of that. Then I could head to the kitchens and snag some food for myself. At least, that was my initial plan, but…

"Ah, Professor!" Dimitri, however, caught me before I could even take a step and gently took my hand to tug me after him. "We all thought having dinner together would be a nice way to finish off the day," he explained, smiling as he let go of me. I could only stare in confusion, though I did my best to keep up. He had a longer stride than me. "It looks like Edelgard and Claude waited for us." He was right. Both were at the entrance to the training grounds, smiling. Edelgard's was soft, and Claude's was warm. "Welcome to the Academy, Professor. We're looking forward to the year."

I spent most of dinner being very confused, because I had never eaten with so many strangers at once before. I certainly never had so many strangers drag me into conversations, even if the conversations were mostly questions about the spar. But there was a warmth to it, and that was nice. If strange.

---

["Even if Hubert has a supposed strength in bows, I think going with lances is a good idea."] After dinner, I retreated to my room to jot down my notes on how everyone fought and outlining tentative 'lesson plans'. Since Sothis had been watching, she gave me her own observations and opinions. ["He'll need something for close range, in case someone gets too close, but something that still allow some distance given how fast he went down. If they're far enough back for a bow, then they'd be far enough for a spell, right?"

"It depends, and the bow could give additional range, but I agree on the lances thing," I murmured, writing that down. Along with the reasoning for why it was chosen. Being able to justify why was just as important as the lessons themselves. I knew that from teaching Malcolm, Richard, and Sera. If they understood the 'why', they were less likely to try to go ahead on their own, and potentially hurting themselves. "Are there magic lances…?" I didn't think so. I hadn't encountered any. So, if that was the case, Hubert would need to build up his strength a little so that the lance was actually a deterrent.

["It seems so silly to me that there's magic swords, bows, and axes, but not lances."] A flicker out of the corner of my eye and, for an instance, I thought I saw Sothis actually hovering over my shoulder. But the image was gone in a blink. ["Still, that looks like a respectable beginning. Once you and your students interact and bond more, you can work together to improve it."]

"Yes, that's important." Everyone had their own goals, and those goals shaped what they wanted to study. That was why, for instance, Richard and Sera had focused more on tactics, while Malcolm had more weapon lessons. And why Crystal had lessons in flower crowns and nothing else. "Hubert was the last one, right?"

["For the basics, yes. You should take a little break and then look them over again."]

"Yeah, that sounds…" I had to hide a smile as I realized something. "I am far too used to you already, aren't I?"

["Your adaptability and I've been with you your whole life technically. I've also made sure to talk as much as possible to make sure you got accustomed to my voice quickly."] Sothis's laughter rang through my head like a series of bells. ["You know… I sometimes catch echoes of what you sense from Azrael. I wonder if I can make him hear me? Does he know that I am awake?"]

"Yeah, I told him." At some point on the trip between here and Remire. He and I had no secrets. We couldn't. We sensed too much from each other. Honestly, if not for Dad taking extra efforts, the two of us might not have been two separate people at all, but some weird 'half of one whole' abomination. "I can already tell you that if you do manage it, his reaction won't be all that interesting."

["I shall be the judge of that."] She might've said more, but there was a quiet knock on the door, interrupting our conversation. ["Hmm? I wonder who that might be. I can tell it's not Azrael. Perhaps your father or Alois?"]

"Dad would've said something as he knocked." And I had no doubts Alois was at Azrael's 'welcoming party'. "Just a moment." I stood up slowly, easing my back and shoulders into some stretches as they protested the movement. I wasn't used to simply sitting and working at a desk for long periods of time, and my muscles informed me of how much they hated it with all the passion of a two year old throwing a tantrum. But I was used to worse aches, so I ignored the lingering dull pain to open the door and see just who would be visiting me. To my surprise, it was Edelgard. "...Hello?"

"Hello, I'm sorry for the late hour," Edelgard greeted, smiling a little sheepishly. She brushed some of her hair behind her ear, and I noticed she didn't have it tied partially back with her ribbons. "I had meant to visit you earlier, but I didn't expect you had your rooms in the student dorms. I was searching for you where the teachers and knights sleep."

"Apparently, one teacher is always housed with the students so that you all don't have to trek across campus during an emergency," I explained. The teacher who ran had been the one they'd assigned to that duty, so I'd simply been placed in the same room for convenience. I had no idea what they'd done with the previous teacher's things. "Would you like some tea?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes, that would be nice." She followed me inside and shut the door behind her. She looked around the room for a moment and then sat down at the table, still looking. I began making tea, choosing a citrus mix on a whim. "I must admit that I didn't think you were the type to enjoy tea."

"Most think that mercenaries survive on ale." Considering how many I'd seen drown their sorrows after a fight, I could see where the stereotype came from. Even if I didn't particularly like it. "Do you mind citrus?" I should've asked that before I started actually making the tea.

"No, I love it. Bergamot is my favorite, truthfully." She fell silent then, just watching me make up the tea. When I glanced over to see if she wanted to say something, she looked away quickly, like she was embarrassed. Still, when I handed her a cup of the tea, she accepted it with a smile. "This smells wonderful…"

"I don't have any sugar with me, but it's naturally on the sweet side. The mix uses honey." I sat down across from her and blew on my tea to cool it faster. I noticed she was still staring at me. "Something wrong?"

"Ah, no, it's nothing." Again, she glanced away for a moment. I was really confused. "How are your injuries? Linhardt mentioned you didn't see him, Mercedes, or Marianne."

"That's because Azrael healed me up while we were talking. So, I'm just a little stiff." Which was not helped by the time spent hunched over a desk, but that was just the price to pay. "I didn't see anyone acting particularly hurt during dinner, but is everyone okay?"

"Everyone seems to be fine, though Mercedes gave very strict orders for rest and relaxation."

"Is everyone listening?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Edelgard laughed softly, quick to muffle the sound. "I had worried about Caspar, but he said that Mercedes was just too sweet to upset."

"I see." Good, I had been particularly worried about Caspar. I'd had to hit him quite a few times before he finally stayed down. "Was anyone upset at the sparring?"

"No, if anything, everyone is very happy to see you are as skilled as Dimitri, Claude, and I said." She smiled softly, though she still talked with a bit of a laugh. "The three of us also found it fun to watch you fight again."

"Azrael did say you three were enthralled." I didn't see why, personally, but everyone had their own tastes. "I apologize for his little prank. His impulse control only goes so far."

"He has one?" Couldn't blame her for being skeptical. Only Dad and I knew how deep Azrael's apathy could go. "Ah, wait, that reminds me of why I was looking for you in the first place."

"Oh?"

"Yes, it… actually, it probably could've waited, but it's been bothering me and seeing Azrael again made me remember." She sipped her tea to gather her thoughts, and I took a guess for what this was about. "What, exactly, is wrong with how I hold my axe?" Called it.

"It's not actually 'improper'. Azreal simply calls it that because of how we were trained, and because he used to hold his axe the same way until Dad showed him the weaknesses of the grip." I sipped my own tea, letting the warmth fill and soothe me. I'd have to make more of this mix when I could. "It's good for maximizing damage, but that much force isn't always a good thing. For instance, everything can only handle so much force before breaking, so if you're constantly hitting things as hard as you can, the weapon will break faster. Broken weapons aren't ideal for fighting, though you can make do."

"Like how you hit Lorenz."

"Well, yes, but that was also using the remains as a bludgeoning tool, which is not what a lance is designed for." Lances were best for thrusts, piercing and pinning enemies. Though particularly well made ones could handle slashing well-enough. "So, that's one reason. Another reason is momentum. One reason why axes are known for being inaccurate is because of how heavy they are. Once you start swinging, it takes a great deal of strength to change the direction. This trait is exacerbated if you're always throwing your full weight behind the axe." For that reason, axes were typically favored by two types of fighters: those with the strength and skill to make sure that first hit killed and those who wore a large amount of armor and could afford to take the extra hits. "A third reason is that while all weapons can get stuck in the mud or in bodies, the chances increase when you hit with a great deal of force. Despite what stories would have you believe, bone is very strong. Cleaving through foes is nowhere near as easy as bards tell, and requires a lot of practice to know where to hit to maximize the chances."

"Ah… right…" She squirmed a bit at the last reason, though she tried to hide it by sipping more of her tea. I knew it was because that was exactly what had happened back during the fight in Remire. "So, he called it 'improper' for those reasons?"

"He called it 'improper' because you used that one grip for everything. But not everything you will encounter is a nail to be hammered down." I stood up to pour us both more tea. "I imagine you prefer that grip because few expect such strength from you. After all, you are small and your features are delicate. It's clever to take advantage of the preconception." For a split-second, I thought she blushed. But any pinkness was gone in a blink, so perhaps it had simply been a trick of the light. "However, if an enemy survives…"

"I have my guard completely open, especially if they play dead." She smiled in thanks for more of the tea, and waited for me to sit back down. "I never considered all of that when I fought."

"Most don't. It's the experience of many battles that teaches them." Or they died, forgotten among the chaos and blood until long after the battle ended and rot had set in. That was why there were so few veteran mercenaries. "A great deal of battle is being in situations, recognizing them, and then determining the best strike for the current predicament. And what is 'best' will differ depending on the person, and how they've been trained."

"So, what would be a situation where you would use the grip I've used?" She brushed some hair behind her ear again and leaned forward to better watch my face. "If you had to, I mean."

"I can think of a few. For instance, if I was fighting against a heavily armored foe, then using that much force would be useful for denting the armor." Or crushing/cracking it, but that wasn't something I could do very often. Azrael could, though. "If the armor is dented, it could immobilize a limb, or make it harder to breath." The force would often make them buckle as well, exposing less armored areas. "Another scenario could be if you absolutely had to finish an enemy in one strike for whatever reason. That sort of strike would be a gamble, but if you're skilled and lucky, you'd win it."

"I understand." She smiled warmly, pleased about something, but then she noticed something that got her attention. "What are those papers on your desk? Did… I interrupted you, didn't I?"

"Actually, you had good timing because I'd just finished and was taking a break before reviewing them again." I got up to pour us more tea again and, on a whim, found the lesson plan I had for her and brought it over to show her. "They're tentative lesson plans, based off the information the rosters have and what I observed."

"Interesting…" Edelgard eagerly looked over the plan, careful to keep her cup away from the paper in case she spilled it. "Hmm? Reason magic?"

"If you're completely opposed, I can change it, but I thought it would be a useful backup if you did lose your weapon. Magic tends to be better at fending off charging enemies than a single dagger." I smiled very slightly, and she actually sulked. "You can also use it to knock a foe off balance before charging in yourself."

"A way to let me use the strategy I am most comfortable with in a safer manner?"

"You're also going to be learning a lot of grips and stances. But yes, a safer way. When you're exhausted, you're more likely to default to your absolute basics." I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed now. Should I not do this? "It would also minimize the need to carry a hand axe for long range."

"It would…" After a moment, she smiled and her eyes shone. "I have to admit that despite being from the Empire, I hadn't considered learning magic myself. But your reasoning is so sound that I almost feel silly for it."

"That's why it's useful to get outside opinions on things." And also why I was determined to make sure I had good reasons behind each of the decisions when it came to lessons. Even if my students didn't agree, I at least wanted them to see the thought behind the choices. That was the only way to reach any sort of understanding. "I didn't write it down, but if you would like, we can add on a few knife lessons. It would be a shame to have one of that quality and not use it."

"You can tell the quality from just a glance?"

"Part of it is a guess. It's Kingdom made, though, and I don't think I've seen a poor weapon from there." Weaponry and blacksmithing was among the Kingdom's key exports after all, and it was sorely needed since the Kingdom had little in the way of fertile ground, and the harsh cold also meant they had a shorter growing season. "They have a particular way of shaping the hilts."

"Do they? I'll have to ask Dimitri about that. But yes, you're right. It's Kingdom made." She sat back in her chair and absently touched the sheath on her belt. "It's very precious to me."

"A gift from a friend?"

"Yes." She nursed the last of her tea, expression fondly nostalgic. "During the Insurrection of the Seven, I was taken to the Kingdom by my uncle. It was cold, dreary, dark… I felt frozen, bored and even apathetic to everything. I had no idea what was going on, only that I had no control over anything and I was trapped." Despite the words, she smiled. "However, during the last year I was there, a new person came to visit my uncle. A boy around my age. I don't remember much about him now. A… a lot of things happened afterwards, and my memories from that year are hazy." No doubt whatever had traumatized her. I personally couldn't remember much before or after the first battle I'd ever fought. "But I remember he was like…"

"The sun?"

"Ha… that is what most would say, but that gives the impression of something burning and he didn't burn. I think…" She paused, thinking. "I think I'd say he was more like the moon. The full moon on an otherwise dark night. Giving hope and showing the way, even though everything was still dark and cold." She looked down at the dagger, smiling softly at it. "He gave me this when I had to leave. At the time, I was surprised to get such a dangerous gift, but I knew he had been thinking of me and that it had come from the heart. And I have treasured it since, both because having it has saved my life many times and because it is a physical reminder that those happy times really did happen. That I didn't dream them, even if they're just as hazy as a half-remembered dream…" She was quiet for a moment longer before stiffening. "I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble."

"Why be sorry? It's a wonderful memory, isn't it?" Though perhaps she was uncertain about saying so much to a stranger? I could understand that. "I'll definitely show you a couple more tricks to use with it, then. In a way, you could say your friend continues protecting you."

"...Yes, I could." Her smile was strangely sad then, but it passed before I could try to discern why. "Ah, I'm sorry. I ended up staying far longer than I meant to."

"It's fine." I stood up and took the cups over to the bathroom to rinse out. "I don't mind."

"Thank you, Professor." Edelgard bowed and smiled. "Next time I visit, though, I'll try to make it at a more reasonable hour."

"Again, it's fine. I was awake." The idea of someone visiting, and wanting to visit again, was very foreign to me. I wasn't sure how to react. "Make sure you take it easy with your classmates tomorrow. Otherwise, they might push themselves to keep up with you."

"Particularly Hubert and Ferdinand. Well, there is a book Dorothea has been trying to get me to read." She laughed softly, once again muffling the sound. It was a little sad she kept trying to quiet it. "Good night, Professor."

"Sleep well, Edelgard."

After Edelgard left, I finished cleaning up and carefully rinsing and drying the tea cups and tea pot. Once I was satisfied, I tried to sit back down at my desk to review the lesson plans. The first attempt didn't work out because I forgot Edelgard's was on the table still, and I had to get up to retrieve it. The second didn't work out either because I had another visitor. One who knocked, but didn't wait for me to open the door.

"Ah, good, you're awake!" Manuela cheered, coming in and taking me by the arm to drag me after her. I barely managed to flail enough to snag my coat, and to hook my foot under the door to shut it after us. "Come with me to town! A couple of the female knights and I are heading there to chat and have some fun! You've been cooped up too much today!"

I had a bad feeling about this. I had a really bad feeling about this.

---

I was right to have a bad feeling. Manuela dragged me all the way to town with no one stopping her (only the kind gatekeeper looked like he'd noticed that I might not like whatever was going on) and through the crowded streets. I couldn't breath with all the people crushing into us, and only Sothis's gentle reassurances kept me from mentally blanking or being trapped in memories of other times I'd been devoured by a crowd of strangers. Without Azrael or Dad, while being dragged off. Many had dragged me out of rooms or off of streets to hit me or scream at me for being a monster, and even with Sothis, I knew I was rigid from tension, eyes darting around for any hint of someone about to throw something at me. For being different, for being wrong. For being a ghost, demon, monster…

It was almost a relief when Manuela finally actually entered a building, but not really. Because it was a tavern, meaning there were still a lot of people and it was so damn loud. At least it smelled better than some of the taverns I'd been to in the past?

"And then he tried to puff himself up by claiming he was a knight of Seiros!" Catherine laughed, gossiping with Manuela about some encounter she had while out on a mission. I wasn't sure what exactly happened, but I could at least get some of the humor of that part. After all, both Catherine and Shamir were Knights of Seiros. And apparently, Catherine was a frequent drinking partner of Manuela. "Can you believe it? Of all the things he claimed to be to get out of consequences, he went for that!"

"We wouldn't have had to hear that nonsense at all if you hadn't made a scene," Shamir pointed out dryly, casually tossing an ash tray towards a nearby table. I knew without looking that she'd aimed for an overly grabby drunk who was harassing one of the barmaids. I knew by the sudden yell that she had hit her target perfectly, just like the other ten times. "You calling him out almost led to a brawl."

"Hey, we calmed everyone down with a drinking contest!" Catherine waved at a passing barmaid and had her come around to top off everyone's mugs. I wondered if I would ever reach the bottom, since this was the third time Catherine had done that. "You should've seen how fast some of them went under the table, Manuela. Think even you could've drunk them under!"

"That almost sounds like a challenge, Catherine," Manuela joked, laughing. Unlike the rest of us at the table, she was already flushed. "Shall we test that?"

"Not yet, because I'm determined to tell a story that gets our young professor here to at least crack a smile," Catherine declared loftily. She winked at me before downing all of her ale in one swig. Shamir leaned over to grab the salt shaker and use that as a 'dagger' to hit another grabby drunk. "Wow, we're on the shakers, Shamir? Or are you just annoyed tonight?"

"Isn't she always? It's part of her charm." Manuela giggled and took a large gulp of her own ale. "Byleth, drink up! You're only on your first one!" Considering how many times this 'one' had been topped off…

"I take it you were dragged out as well?" Shamir asked me quietly while Manuela and Catherine went right back to loudly sharing stories. I nodded, though I was briefly distracted by Manuela's story about a date gone horribly wrong. "Well, I hope they're not making you pay for your drink. If they are, I'll sneak yours onto Catherine's tab. She's not going to notice."

"Is this a regular thing?" I asked in return, passing Shamir another shaker when she began to reach for it. She smiled slightly, nodded, and perfectly threw the shaker. "I'm amazed you can be so accurate with such different items."

"I've had a lot of practice. Catherine has been dragging me out since she joined the knights four years ago." She scowled at Catherine, but immediately softened when Catherine caught her look, grinned, and winked at her. "I'm sorry for her, though."

"I've dealt with worse." People were ignoring me, thankfully. "Has she been telling another story?"

"Might have. I'm used to ignoring her, though."

"Oops."

Catherine and Manuela didn't notice that our attention had been diverted, and just kept on with the gossip and stories. I did my best to listen, but it was difficult to focus when I was so aware of the people around us. Loud, raucous even… I didn't like it here. I didn't like having so much noise ringing in my ears. The only time things were so loud were when I was dragged about by strangers, or I was in the middle of a battle. I just couldn't relax. So, I tried to look for things that could distract me, and, eventually, something did. A flash of gold caught my eye, mostly because you didn't see much of the color among the crowd. Curious, I stood up, made some sort of excuse, and went to investigate. To my surprise, the source of the gold was Dimitri, of all people. Why was he here? No clue. Not only was there a curfew for students, but he didn't seem the type to willingly come to a tavern.

"Dimitri?" I called softly, mostly to confirm it really was him. He stiffened and whirled before gaping at me. I noticed he was wearing casual clothes instead of his uniform, surprisingly simple ones at that. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Professor? I…" he began. He struggled with his thoughts for a moment before sighing and smiling wryly. "I'm trying to find Sylvain."

"In a tavern?" I scanned the area, looking for Sylvain's distinct red hair. Finding nothing on the first floor, I glanced up at the balcony tables. And, lo and behold, I found him there, poorly attempting to hide behind the railing. Interestingly enough, he wasn't the only student there. Claude and Hilda were with him. Hilda was even worse at hiding than Sylvain (or was only making a token effort at it), but Claude didn't bother. Instead, he winked and waved at me, no sense of shame whatsoever. "After curfew?"

"Yes, well…" He cleared his throat, and didn't look me in the eye. "Uh… oh, Ingrid."

"Your highness, did you find…?" Ingrid started to ask as she pushed past a person to reach him. She stiffened when she saw me, though, and immediately began squirming in discomfort. "Um… hello, Professor…" Like Dimitri, she was in casual clothes, and hers were even simpler than Dimitri's. "We were… um…"

"Looking for Sylvain, right?" I filled in, glancing up at the balcony again. The trio of curfew-breaking students was still there. Sylvain and Hilda were still very bad at hiding; Claude watched me with amusement. I wondered why the three of them were here. "Dimitri just told me."

"Oh! Yes, that's right." She immediately bowed, some of her hair falling over her shoulder. It wasn't in its earlier braid. "I am so sorry. He's always causing trouble as soon as someone takes their eye off him. We thought he'd at least wait a little before doing something like this, though…"

"Is anyone else out?"

"Dedue and Felix are checking a different tavern," Dimitri explained, stepping closer to Ingrid and me to let someone pass behind him. The person stopped and stared at me, but I ignored them. They were probably just thinking of how inhuman my stoic face seemed. "It should be just us, though? I certainly don't know of anyone else."

"I see," I murmured, nodding at the explanation. Still, what was I supposed to do in a situation like this? Escort them back to the dorms? Actually, that would be a good excuse to leave and return to the blissful quiet of my room, where I could finish working. "I take it you didn't inform anyone?"

"Sylvain gets into enough trouble without us informing people." He frowned at the person still standing behind us. Ingrid glared, bristling. I didn't know why, unless they didn't want people eavesdropping or something. "Good sir, would you kindly-"

"Apologize to our professor at once!" Ingrid snapped, all-but-snarling. I had no idea what was going on now. "Such crude language is uncalled for!"

"...Wait, was he talking to me?" I asked, still very confused. Though she had been silent during this entire 'adventure', I thought I heard Sothis cackling in the back of my head. "I wasn't listening." Crude language? What? "Was it something important?"

"Professor, please don't ask me to repeat what he was saying about your breasts…" She still glared at the person, focused entirely on him. Behind me, the man seemed to be aggravated by something, muttering words I didn't catch because the tavern was loud, I was confused, and Sothis's cackling was surprisingly 'loud'. And because I sensed Azrael's curious worrying (no doubt over all the emotions he was sensing from me) and focused on 'sending' back that I was fine. Didn't want him to come roaring down here thinking I was being hurt by strangers again. "Excuse me? What was that you just called-?!"

"Okay, enough of that," Dimitri sighed, stepping between the man and me. Then, very casually, he picked up the man with one hand and dropped him into a nearby chair. Despite the man being at least a head taller and twice as wide. That strength had not been mentioned in the roster notes. At all. "Why is it that whenever we try to minimize the trouble Sylvain gets into, we just run into-?"

Bit of a blur what happened next. The man yelled something, face turning purple with anger. Some friends of his leapt to their feet and rushed us. And one of them pulled out a knife and tried to stab Dimitri in the back. I snatched Dimitri's arm and yanked him towards me to get him out of the way, but I needn't have bothered.

"Whoops!" Because just as I pulled Dimitri to me, Sylvain appeared from nowhere to grab the knife-wielder's arm and twist in sharply behind their back. "Good evening, your highness, Ingrid, and Professor!" he greeted us cheerfully, continuing to very casually twist the arm. His victim had tears of pain streaming down their face, collapsing to their knees to avoid their arm breaking. The knife clattered to the ground, and Sylvain quickly kicked it away. Not the smartest trick. Would have been better to retrieve it personally. "Lively place, isn't it?"

"Sylvain, did you just jump down?" Dimitri asked, steadying himself by using my shoulder. He looked up at the balcony curiously before returning his attention to Sylvain. Who was still pinning the knife-wielder. "And you can let him go."

"Maybe." Sylvain held on for a moment longer before listening and releasing his victim. They promptly scampered off into the crowd. "So, I wasn't really able to hear what happened. Normally I'm the one people are trying to stab, not you."

"Sylvain, please don't make light of attempts to hurt you." Dimitri scowled, but I saw very real pain and fear in his eyes. "And I'm not quite sure what happened? It started with a couple of uncouth comments and… Ingrid, please don't." Dimitri reached for Ingrid, but Sylvain caught her by the arm and pulled her into a one-armed hug that conveniently pinned her. "As you can see by Ingrid's lingering anger, it was really uncouth and disrespectful and… well…"

A bellow of anger. The sound of chairs tumbling and glass breaking. And somehow, someway, a fight broke out in the middle of the tavern. Which somehow, someway, involved every single one of the patrons. When did my life get so confusing?

"If this is what taverns are normally like, I really don't see what Dad likes about these places," I murmured, trying to not get involved in any of the fights. Someone bumped against my back and I glanced over my shoulder to see it was Dimitri. Who looked as bewildered as I felt. "Why is everyone involved? How?"

"I have no idea?" Dimitri answered honestly. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down as he ducked, to make sure neither of us got his by the flying chair that someone threw for reasons unknown. "I really don't see how this escalated."

"Neither do I, frankly." Worriedly, I tried to find Manuela, Catherine, and Shamir in the mess. And quickly saw Manuela was at the bar, flirting with the bartender while she continued to drink, like the chaos wasn't happening at all. Shamir had the barmaids tucked into a back corner and focused on protecting them, easily dispatching anyone stupid enough to come close. And Catherine was right in the middle of things, grinning and laughing as she subdued anyone she came across. "I don't know where Sylvain or Ingrid are."

"If they're together, then they're fine. Sylvain won't accept anything less." The fighting crowd tried to push us away from each other, and Dimitri snagged my hand to keep that from happening. "I think… we should head to the door, Professor? And maybe get a guard?"

"I think that is an excellent idea." I felt nauseous as the smell of fresh blood hit me. Not accompanied by fire or death as I was used to, but the fighting had turned much more violent. And it reminded me of battles, or of the times I'd have stones thrown at me. "Are you sure Sylvain and Ingrid will be fine?" I checked on Claude and Hilda on the balcony, and saw that the fighting hadn't spread there yet, so they were okay for now. If watching the chaos with very wide eyes. "I don't…"

"I promise, Professor." The words were almost too soft to hear, but were said with such conviction that I could only nod. "Ah, there's an opening!"

"Then let's take it."

Thankfully, we didn't really need to fight our way out. Whenever someone blocked our path, Dimitri just picked them up and moved them to the side, with all the ease of picking up a kitten by the scruff. With one hand, because the other continued to hold mine. Some people tried to jump us from behind, but I was able to shove (or kick) them back, letting Dimitri just focus on moving us forward. I watched our backs, and mentally 'grumbled' at Sothis who continued snickering and giggling at everything. No idea why she found this amusing, but I sure didn't!

"Sir Jeralt? Sir Alois?" Dimitri's surprised tone drew my attention to the door, which was thankfully clear of fighting. Mostly because Dad and Alois were there, and had knocked out the people who had gathered there to fight. "What are you two doing here?" he asked, helping me over one of the groaning, unconscious folk sprawled out on the ground. Only then did he let go of my hand. "Ah, wait, I should…"

"We heard the noise and came to investigate," Dad explained, paying more attention to the situation at hand. Beside him, Alois chuckled and went to separate a couple more of the fighters. In what felt like seconds, he not only stopped their fighting, but had them laughing. Somehow. "But yeah, you're definitely Lambert's kid." Dad rolled his eyes, but there was a touch of a smile on his face. Slight, but I easily saw the warmth and fondness in it. "Number of times I had to drag him and Rodrigue out of bar brawls… pretty surprised how well those brats grew up."

"There are… many questions about what you just said?" Dimitri glanced back at the chaos, frowning. "But… ah…"

"Yes, many questions. Most important to me at the moment, though…" Dad focused on me, raising a brow now. "The hell are you doing in a tavern?"

"Manuela dragged me here," I explained, shrugging. He was right to be incredulous; I never sought out crowds willingly. For obvious reasons. "I'm not sure how all this started, though."

"Why the hell did she bring you here?" Dad asked, now just confused. Something loudly cracked behind us, and I turned to see it had been a table, after Catherine had thrown someone into it. Was… was this normal? Catherine's surprised face hinted it wasn't? "The one down the street is much nicer. That's where Alois and I were."

"...And how many glasses have you had, Father?" Probably shouldn't focus on that, but...

"I'm being good!" Dad held up his hands in mock surrender, laughing awkwardly when I frowned slightly at him. When Azrael and I had learned about all the negative effects of alcohol, both of us had grown very concerned about the amount Dad had. We wanted him around for a long, long time, after all, and there were already risks of that due to the mercenary life. We didn't like that he took more by drinking. "Alois can confirm. Just on the third, and the glasses are smaller than the ones here." He reached over to pull me into a hug, and I let him, resting my head briefly against his shoulder. Safe… I finally felt safe… "How many did you have here, kid?"

"I'm not sure, since Manuela and Catherine kept topping off the mug." I shrugged. "As usual, though, I don't see what the fuss is. It doesn't taste all that good, and I never get that warm, fuzzy feeling people describe." Azrael was much the same.

"Yeah, you're like Fiona. She could drink everyone in the Knights under the table, and then some." Dad laughed, fondly smiling as he clearly remembered a time where she had actually done that. "Don't think she even got tipsy, which annoyed her so much…" He was quiet for a moment, no doubt remembering more things, but then shook his head to rid himself of them for now. "I'll get this quiet. And don't worry. Neither Alois nor I will mention your students broke curfew. But you have to get them back to the dorms."

"Of course." I tried to remain impassive, but Dad always knew me well. He grinned at the relief he'd heard in my voice, and seen in my eyes. "Oh, how was the welcome dinner?"

"Still going on, and poor Azrael is stuck. Alois and I slipped out to reminisce a bit." That certainly explained why Azrael hadn't come down here anyway. "Get going."

"We will." I tugged his sleeve subtly and he brushed a kiss over my hair before leaving to help Alois calm the tavern. He handled it via knocking people out. "Well, this is…"

"I know we said we would likely cause trouble, but I did hope it wouldn't be quite so quickly," Dimitri mumbled with an apologetic smile. "I'm truly sorry for such a poor impression."

"I honestly don't think anyone 'caused' trouble, so much as trouble spontaneously combusted," I pointed out. I was still very confused by how all this escalated. "Still, Dad is right. I need to get you all back. You mentioned Dedue and Felix were somewhere else, so we need to get the two cubs here, and snag the two fawns."

"Cubs and fawns, huh?" Dimitri laughed before he processed that last word. "Wait, fawns? Some of the Golden Deer students are here?"

"Claude and Hilda." I pointed to where they were, and saw they were attempting to make their way down the stairs. Claude waved again when he noticed us looking. "All of us are leaving before things get crazy again."

"I quite agree. Though, what are those two doing here? I know why Sylvain is." He made a face, and I remembered what Dimitri had mentioned about Sylvain being a 'skirt chaser'. "Oh, never mind. Claude won't give a straight answer anyway. I think I see Ingrid, so I'll get her and Sylvain."

"Of course."

It turned out that the fighting hadn't reached the second floor because someone had barricaded the stairs, so I had to help Hilda and Claude over it. By then, Dimitri had returned with Sylvain and Ingrid, with no one showing any injuries besides a couple of bruises that I healed up easily. From there, we picked up Dedue and Felix, who both demanded to know what had happened, and I snuck them all back to the dorms before anyone caught us.

Azrael was going to die of laughter when he heard about this. What a great way to start off teaching, huh?

---

He didn't quite laugh himself to death, but Azrael did laugh so hard that I could sense his chest and stomach ache terribly. He also turned very red in the face, and fell off my bed to curl up in a ball and keep laughing. Though the lack of air turned it more into shaking and snickers. I wondered if I'd have to dump water on him or something to shock him into breathing, but a knock on the door distracted me from that. Particularly when I saw it was Lysithea.

"Good afternoon, Professor," she greeted, stepping inside when I silently invited her. She stopped mid-step when she saw Azrael and his 'condition'. "...Why is he acting like a hyena crossed with a tomato?"

"That's a bit of a tale, but the short version is that he's laughing at how my night went," I explained, automatically going for my teapot. I paused before I actually began making any, though. "Tea?"

"Hmm? Oh, that sounds delightful!" Still eyeing Azrael warily, she sat down and watched me prepare the tea some tea for us. I'd have to keep sugar on hand at this rate, but I went with a sweeter tea anyway. Sweet apple, to be specific, a mix Catherine had dropped off for me this morning. 'Apology for how rambunctious last night ended up', she had said. "Are you still unpacking, Professor? Your room seems a little bare."

"Mercenaries are constantly on the move, so I don't have a lot of things." Though, Dad mentioned taking Azrael and I shopping, for new clothes and things for our rooms. And now that I thought about it, I could probably improvise something to hang up the charm Nicole gave me. "I imagine I'll add things as the months go by." I poured the tea and handed her a cup. "Here you are."

"Thank you very much." She didn't drink immediately from it, but she cradled the cup in her hands, as if seeping the warmth from it. "Though, for the record, a proper tea is supposed to have sweets."

"Yes, I think I'll need to keep a stash of candies and whatnot." I sat down at the table as well and blew on my tea to cool it. Or attempted to. Azrael finally recovered and stole the cup from me to cool it with his wind magic. "Thank you."

"Huh? I've never seen magic used like that." Lysithea frowned and, when Azrael finally stood up, held her teacup out to him. "Do it again."

"You're not going to see much," Azrael warned. Still, he did indulge her request, and cooled it more slowly than he had mine so that she could observe. "See what I mean?"

"There's no spell pattern or formulas." She continued frowning, even as she accepted the teacup back and took a sip. "Magic doesn't work like that."

"My twin and I have a very unusual magic. Dad said we inherited it from Mom." Though, sometimes, I wondered if he just said that to make us feel better. Or, rather, make me feel better. Surely Mom couldn't have been as abnormal as… "It's not an actual set of spells, but a sparking and controlling of a certain element. Both of us can heal, while I can command the wind and my sister can conjure flames." He sat down on the bed and shrugged. He never minded how different we were from normal people. "On the other hand, we have to have our hands free to use it, and it's just that. Healing and wind, or healing and fire. Neither of us can use Reason magic and Faith magic as you know it."

"Really?" Lysithea continued frowning, though it was more thoughtful now. But there was something dark and sad in her eyes, stitched together with fear. I wouldn't ask, but I made a mental note of it. Particularly when Sothis wordlessly agreed with me. "Then, Professor, how do you plan to teach us magic users?"

"Just because we can't use it doesn't mean we don't know the theories behind it. Byleth really likes it, because it's like a puzzle." He grinned at me, and his grin widened when he sensed my slight annoyance. "Besides, don't the other teachers specialize in magic?"

"Hmm… that is true. And truthfully, a lot of the trouble with Reason magic is working through the formulas and theories." She gasped then and focused entirely on me. "Right, that reminds me. Edelgard told me at breakfast that you had lesson plans for us. Might I see mine?"

"Of course," I answered, already standing up. I'd guessed this was why she came as soon as she'd gasped. "Let's see… it should be… there we are." I pulled it from the pile easily and set it down in front of her. "This is just what I have for now. We can modify it as you want."

"I see." She eagerly leaned forward to look over the plans, but immediately caught something she didn't expect. And I knew exactly what it was. "Um… swords?"

"You can go for another weapon if you'd like, but swords are very light."

"Well, yes, but…" Unease and worry warred with each other on her expression. "Professor, I'm not sure if you're aware, but I'm not… my body isn't exactly…"

"You're very frail, physically speaking. The roster included notes from Manuela, based off the results of your initial physicals here." They were incredibly detailed as well. Clearly, Manuela took her job very seriously. "But you know well how it takes time for a spell pattern to complete. And I'm sure you saw how I disrupted Lorenz's pattern." I waited for her to confirm, since she might have been concentrating too much to have noticed, but she nodded. "I've seen many mages cut down because of one or the other. Particularly when fighting a lot of people."

"We also killed a lot utilizing those two weaknesses," Azrael easily added. I drank my tea to hide my discomfort. Because he was very right about that. Their wide-eyed stares of terror and horror remained on their faces even in death… "The ones that survived were the ones who were either older and had the experience to quickly cast, or those who listened to their elders and grabbed a weapon to ward off anyone who got too close, too fast. Learning a weapon will let you get that experience."

"Mmm… I do understand the reasoning," Lysithea admitted slowly. It was still easy to see her discomfort, though. "But I'm not sure if…"

"You never grow if you don't make an effort." Azrael said the words lightly and tilted his head curiously when she scowled at him. "What? It's true. Just think of how much effort it takes to grow flowers. You have to get the right soil, the right amount of water, make sure it gets the right amount of light… and it takes practice and guidance to get it all right. But your efforts are rewarded with a beautiful blossom. Or, if you want to be more practical, fresh herbs and vegetables for meals. But you're pretty, so I think the flower metaphor suits you better."

"I… huh?" Lysithea's expression completely blanked and I couldn't blame her in the slightest. Azrael's apathy and lack of a filter for anything save what he knew would upset Dad or me meant he complimented and insulted with the same ease he killed and breathed. It confused a lot of people. With that said, though...

"Lysithea, the swords won't be a priority, and I promise we'll only work on them when you feel up for it," I said, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. Azrael might just ramble a while, and the point might get lost. Besides, I was sure it wasn't the effort that worried her; Lysithea clearly had worked hard to be so skilled at her age. It was her health. "I'd rather you have the skill and not need it, instead of need it and not have it."

"I see…" Lysithea murmured. After a moment, she nodded, accepting the explanation. "I have heard about magic blades before, and have always been a little curious…"

"You can do some research on them. Something like that would suit you quite well." And I would do the same. I definitely knew of the levin swords, imbued with thunder magic. But were there others? "They use your magic as a spark, but don't actually drain your magic."

"Really? I wonder how they do that?"

"It's because of the arcane crystals used to forge them," Azrael answered easily. Wasn't surprised, since Nicole's father, Zain, was a talented blacksmith, especially for such a tiny village like Remire. And Azrael had a bit of a fascination with the forge. "They're harder to fix because of that, and expensive, but the crystals provide the magic." He might've continued for a while, but someone knocked on the door. "Come on in if you need to visit my sister."

"Weird greeting, but okay?" Leonie noted as she opened the door. "Whatever. Professor, have you seen…?" She paused and just blinked a few times at Lysithea before smiling slightly. "Oh, well there's one of the missing duo."

"You were looking for me?" Lysithea asked, finishing off her tea. Azrael took the empty mugs, and pot, to clean them for me. "Why?"

"Well, Lorenz was." She laughed when Lysithea immediately made a face. "Yeah, I know. But since no one had seen you since breakfast, we decided to help out. And help you hide if need be."

"Who's the other missing one?"

"Marianne."

"Cathedral. Stables."

"Yeah, nope. Neither. Those were the first places Hilda checked. So, I'm also helping because Hilda is fretting."

"I swear Marianne is the only one who can make Hilda exert any sort of effort. Wonder why. It's not like they knew each other before we came here." Lysithea hopped to her feet and bowed to me. "Thank you for the tea, and for explaining your choices for my lessons."

"Oh, drat, I'd wanted to talk about that too." Leonie grumbled a bit before dramatically pointing at me. "Whatever. I won't lose!" And she was off before I could even begin thinking of what she 'wouldn't lose' at. Lysithea followed quickly, to make sure she wasn't left behind.

"You have a delightfully ragtag mix of students, Byleth," Azrael commented when he was finished washing. I nodded in agreement and picked up Lysithea's lesson plan to put it with the others. "So, a missing fawn?"

"It seems so," I murmured, thumbing through my roster. Marianne was one of the healer trio, so I had added lessons in medicine and anatomy. They weren't part of the 'traditional' lessons, but even I knew how vital that knowledge was. "Hey, Azrael?"

"Yes?"

"Please use their names? For me?"

"For you, I'll try?" He made a face before sticking his tongue out at me. "I'm bad at names!"

"You are not." But I did know that he didn't bother remembering most of the time. The people of Remire had actually been the first strangers he'd called by name. "Regardless, wind?"

"Of course." He gestured and the wind gently swirled around him. After all, he'd sensed what I wanted: use the wind to find Marianne. "Which one is Marianne again? The timid fawn?"

"Light blue hair, quiet voice, keeps her head down a lot…"

"Ah, the skittish one! That's right. The timid one was the one with glasses." With his 'target' defined, he closed his eyes and let the wind's power flow through and around him. He hummed to help himself focus, a song from the opera we had recently guarded, and I took the opportunity to grab some paper to begin making flash cards to make sure he could actually get names right. How he'd confused Ignatz for Marianne was truly beyond me, even if we were twins. Though, he at least got the house right? "Got her."

"Already?"

"Yeah, she's outside." He hopped to his feet, and leaned down to hug me. "Follow me."

"Who else am I going to follow?"

He laughed and playfully tugged on my arm, as if this were a game. I shook my head, but did get up and let him lead me to wherever Marianne was. And she must've either been hiding, or had just arrived, because that place was the stables, where she lovingly brushed down one of the horses. She also talked to them sweetly, calling them 'Dorte', and cooed over them. However, she froze when she saw Azrael and me walk up and tentatively half-hid behind 'Dorte'.

"Um… hello, Professor, Sir Azrael," she mumbled, looking down at the ground. Though part of me wanted to get close and reassure her as Dad would always reassure me, I kept my distance. I had tried comforting and reassuring people in the past, but I often just made things worse. "What brings you here?"

"...I was curious about the stables," I lied, deciding to go with that. Azrael glanced at me, but sensed my reasoning. I didn't want Marianne to feel like she was causing trouble. "Azrael showed me where they were."

"Oh? Do you like horses?"

"I do, actually. Though, that's not the only reason I wanted to come by." I stepped forward, and waited to see how she reacted. When I didn't see any sign of flinching, I came over and gently stroked the horse's nose. "Some of the lessons I'm planning involve riding."

"Really?" Marianne cautiously stepped out from behind Dorte, though she kept her gaze firmly on the ground. "You'll be teaching us how to ride?"

"Not everyone. But some, yes." I tried to pull away from Dorte to better talk to Marianne, but Dorte followed my hand to press their nose into my palm for more pets. "Ah, you're a spoiled one, aren't you? Well, you deserve it." Besides, I did like animals. It was probably one of the few things I got from Dad, actually. Whenever we stayed in a city, Dad always left out some seed for the birds, and some meat for any stray cats or dogs. "Though, whether or not they'll learn to fight while mounted will be their choice."

"Oh?"

"Most forget this, but in battle, a mount is just as much of a target as their rider. More so, even, because they're larger." And if you shot down a galloping horse, the rider was thrown and often broke their neck. I had… I had killed a few like that, in the past. The memory made my stomach turn. "That can be difficult to understand, and difficult to accept. Particularly those who like animals. So, I want that to be a personal choice. If they can agree to that risk for the benefits of being mounted. And if they can agree to the extra lessons." Because if they were going to fight while mounted, then I'd work with Dad and whoever else was willing to help in order to give them, and their mounts, the best possible chances of surviving...

"...You are a kind person, Professor." She glanced up briefly and smiled faintly, but immediately went back to looking at the ground. "That must be why Dorte likes your pets."

"You think so?" Kind, huh? Dad and Azrael described me as that. I wasn't so sure, though, especially with the blood staining me. Despite the days since I'd last fought, my hands still reeked with it. It always surprised me that animals didn't run away from the smell alone. "Then you must be a kind person as well."

"Huh? Oh, no, I…" She curled into herself, trying to make herself smaller. Trying to somehow hide within her own shadow. "I'm sorry… I… being around me brings bad luck, so… um… I'm not..." That sounded ridiculous to me, but I kept silent.

"Well, that's idiotic," Azrael, however, scoffed, clearly showing his own annoyance with the statement. Poor Marianne jumped at his voice, likely having forgotten he was even there. "It sounds just like the same idiocy people say about Byleth. Justifications people force on others who appear a little different." It wasn't fair to Marianne to compare her to a monster, but I chose against actually saying that.

"But, it's…!" Marianne began, her hands trembling as she clasped them together. Whatever she wanted to say, however, dried up in her mouth. "Um…"

"That's not to say bad things didn't happen. Because life can really suck. And sometimes, life just looks at a person and goes 'well, screw this one in particular' for the hell of it." Azrael sighed, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his face. "And then you have people's own tolerance to things. What's tolerable for one person will break another. And, well, I don't know what happened, but clearly, it hurt. That's another reason why you're kind. Sadly, it's only the kind who feel pain in their hearts when others suffer. And if you're worried about bringing bad luck to people, then clearly, you're more worried about the people around you than you are worried about yourself."

"Um… that's…" Marianne finally looked up, though she kept her gaze on Dorte. Probably because it was easier. "Uh…"

Not that it mattered. Azrael was definitely in a rambling mood. "But you're still here. With all that pain. So, your kindness causes pain, but because of that, you're stronger than anyone. Well, most anyone. Byleth and Dad are stronger, no offense." Oh, Azrael… so silly. I wasn't strong at all. "Wait, where was I going with this? I had a point somewhere." He frowned, desperately trying to remember. I could only shake my head in fond exasperation. "Oh, right. Basically, whatever happened in your past… well, it's not like it doesn't matter. Because it does. It made you who you are, and you carry the pain and scars. But you're still here, and when you find the courage to reach out, you'll find that so are the people around you. Because no matter who unlucky you think you are, there's going to be people who think themselves the luckiest people in the world to know you."

"...That was a lot of words." Marianne spoke slowly, but smiled faintly. She had a very sweet smile. "And I'm not sure I understood them all. Or… um… any of them. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, sorry, I babble." He shrugged and grinned, laughing a little. "When you're ready, ask Byleth to translate. She'll gladly do it." I made sure he sensed my exasperation before nodding at Marianne. "Anyway, enough of my rambling off philosophies like Dad does. Who is this beauty again? Dorte?"

"Ah, yes…"

While Marianne shyly and quietly told Azrael about Dorte, I stepped back to give her some space and looked around, wondering who I would have to speak to in order to arrange those horse lessons. There were no stablehands in sight, but I did notice one other person: Claude.

"Heya, Teach," he greeted, waving. I nodded in acknowledgement and, after a glance to make sure Azrael was behaving, walked over to him. "Thought I'd check the stables again to see if we just missed her, and I caught that ramble. Which, no offense, was much kinder and philosophical than I thought him capable of."

"I told you that he means no harm," I chided, even though I couldn't blame him for the surprise. Few strangers got to actually hear the nicer thoughts Azrael had. Most spat hateful words at us, and Azrael retaliated with his bluntly honest thoughts of how stupid and hypocritical he thought they were. "He always says what is on his mind, for good and ill." Save for the thoughts he knew would upset Dad and me. "Dad isn't exactly the most tactful person either, so that doesn't help."

"And the philosophy?"

"What he said was simply what Dad has taught us."

"Somehow, I expected Sir Jeralt to be much more of the cynical, pragmatic sort." Claude shrugged and clasped his hands behind his head, watching Azrael and Marianne talk. He was probably surprised at how patient Azrael was with her. I knew (and sensed) it was because she was my student, so he didn't want to frighten her. That would upset me. But Claude wouldn't understand that. "Well, guess I'll let Hilda know that Marianne is fine. Then listen to her grumble about the effort she put into the search."

"Good luck with that." I watched him leave, and looked back to Azrael and Marianne quietly talking by Dorte. And I thought of all my students… their strengths, their weaknesses, their goals… whatever issues they might have hiding behind their personalities…

How in creation was I going to teach them? How was I going to…? They deserved so much better than a monster, especially one who had no idea what she was doing… but I was what they had, so I supposed I'd just have to do what I could...

---

Edelgard von Hresvelg

Crest: Seiros (Minor), Goddess (Major)

Princess and Heir Apparent of the Adrestian Empire, she is a serious, confident, and even arrogant young woman. She is a perfectionist and has a tendency to micromanage practically everything around her, showing a need for control that some might call unhealthy. She simply believes that 'if you want something done right, you must do it yourself'.

Fitting for Andrestia's future emperor, she focuses a great deal on 'power' while fighting, though she doesn't use magic as previous emperors have. Instead, she chooses to wield axes, in order to maximize the damage her immense strength can do. However, because of this, she can have issues with hitting, and can leave herself open for multiple strikes from enemies if she misses.

Though most think her perfect, serious, and incapable of relaxing, in truth, she often wishes she could connect more with people and often feels lonely. However, because she is also far too used to people betraying and using her, she is hesitant to reach out her hand. She also has things that she feels she must accomplish, no matter what, and that forming ties with people will only set her up for more betrayal.

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

Crest: Blaiddyd (Minor)

Crown Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, many refer to him as the 'perfect prince'. He is patient, kind, empathetic, chivalrous, willing to listen, and has an eagerness to learn about anything and everything around him. These traits have inspired great loyalty from his people, and with the Kingdom slowly becoming more and more unstable, his people look to him as their hope for a better future. A fact that he is heavily aware of.

As expected for a child of the Kingdom, he's been trained in weaponry from a young age, though because he was the heir, his training was particularly harsh. He has to pay close attention to the condition of his weapons, however, as his immense strength can lead to them breaking more quickly than expected.

Since he is the sole survivor of the Tragedy of Duscar, many express surprise that he does not hate Duscar, and even has a native as his most trusted vassal. His people believe it to be another sign of his kind and forgiving nature. In truth, though, it is because he knows the people of Duscar are not to blame, and he is absolutely determined to find the evidence to prove it, in atonement for being too weak to stop the genocide that followed his father's death.

Claude von Riegan

Crest: Riegan (Minor)

Grandson of the Sovereign Duke of the Leicester Alliance, he is a complete anomaly, having only been in the public eye for a year. Many whisper that he is some orphan off the streets propped up as the heir to secure house Riegan's power, but his Crest proves his legitimacy and many reluctantly note the great resemblance between him and his deceased uncle. His unknown past and sudden appearance, however, lead many nobles to distrust him.

As expected from one of House Riegan, his weapon of choice is the bow and arrow, allowing him to take down opponents from afar. A good thing as well, as he is not particularly strong, and he chooses to maximize speed at the cost of defenses by wearing light armor only. He surprisingly also has a fondness of flying, but he hasn't incorporated that into his fighting style. Yet.

Has an open love of scheming, and an extensive knowledge of poisons and other unsavory tactics that highlight his pragmatism. He is constantly watching everything and everyone, developing plans within plans, but for the most part, he stands apart and lets everyone's problems play out around him, never interfering, even when he could possibly settle things sooner and more peacefully.

---

Author's notes: So, slightly early intros for Flayn, Catherine, and Shamir. And slightly different initial intro for Manuela. The bar scene is inspired by a tumblr post by msbluebell (if I recall correctly). And a bit of an explanation for how this story is going to work! Far more fun having everyone, yeah? (though, going to be blunt, some will feature more than others as per usual for my novelizations).

Monocles can be worn for a variety of reasons, but based on research, the more common ones (that weren't 'fashion statement') included things like 'only needing the vision correction for one thing', 'vision trouble in one eye', and 'help keep the eye open for people with ptosis'. (Ptosis is 'drooping eyelid', btw. Not 'lazy eye', that's another disorder technically).

There's nothing really about what Jeralt seems to think of crests one way or the other, but given that he (at least in the present) doesn't think much of the church and because canonically, Byleth grows up without any knowledge of their crest at all and, apparently, has to have Hanneman explain them to them… I figured it makes sense that Jeralt doesn't like the system that much.

I… somewhat apologize for the long paragraphs of just analyzing the characters, but the whole point of two of these scenes were… well, introductions and Byleth getting baselines, so yeah… the house leaders comments about their house-mates are based off their lines when you're first 'introducing yourself to the house leaders' in the very first quest of the game (albeit with more banter between the house leaders since they're all together). There's nods to personal abilities and gameplay notes in Byleth's analysis of the chars. And some things from support convos (like Sylvain purposely holding back in spars, and Ingrid's 'fierce jab' with her lance). Also, since Byleth was analyzing, she compartmentalized, so the order of chars isn't necessarily a list of 'who went down first'. So… uh… unless specifically stated, have fun imagining the order?

For clarification, no, none of these scenes feature the 'free day' in game. This is more of just Byleth's first two-ish days as a professor. (That said, the reasoning for the names behind each class is in monastery dialogue from that free day. Lorenz, Ingid, and Ferdinand, I believe.) Also, yes, Edelgard's second crest isn't revealed yet in-story, but again, keeping it for the bio anyway.