Ferdinand turned around to face Robin. His long orange hair caught her attention immediately. "Ah, you must be this 'Reflet' Ced has informed me about. Bernadetta and I were just discussing stories about the nation you hail from. Please, sit down and introduce yourself over some tea. I will have Ced make whatever blend you request."
Bernadetta waved and said a small, soft "Hi."
"Hello." responded Robin, pushing down her hoodie and bowing, since keeping it on could be seen as rude. "As you already know, my name is Reflet, and I come from the far-off land of Ylisse."
She then sat down on the small table.
"Ylisse? That's not any place that I've ever heard or read of. How about you, Bernadetta?" commented Ferdinand.
The woman (who Robin assumed was the lady of the house) shook her head. "Neither have I."
This delighted Robin. This'll make it much easier to keep my story straight.
"So tell me Reflet, what brings you to our fine Adrestrian Empire?"
"I was tired of my simple life back in Ylisse, so I decided to travel the world, with no particular destination in mind, other than the uncharted. The Empire was simply where the the winds took me." answered the white-haired magician.
Seeing the look of interest in her audience's faces, she continued. "I'm mostly seeking to expand my knowledge of strategy, magic and sword-fighting. In exchange, I'm willing to impart with any of my own."
"Have you ever wielded a lance or a bow?"
"While I have attempted to do so in the past in order to round out the range of weapons that I might be proficient with, I never got past the beginner phase." calmly replied Robin, while sipping a bit of the tea that had just been made.
Ferdinand leaned in closer. "Well, it just so happens that our former professor Byleth is still an excellent teacher, so it would be most courteous to impart the knowledge our knowledge onto you."
"Yeah," Bernadetta said in between sips of her Albinean Berry Blend.
"Is that so?" responded Robin, doing her best to feign her surprise. "Any chance I could meet up with him any time soon?"
"I don't know where he could be. In the meantime, let us train you."
"Very well. I'd be glad to learn a thing or two from you, Lord Ferdinand." replied Robin with a smile.
"Alright then." Ferdinand finished his tea and led Robin to a training field, where he tossed her a Training Lance. He wielded one too, striking a pose before the battle. "Let us see what you are made of Reflet."
"Alright then." Ferdinand finished his tea and led Robin to a training field, where he tossed her a Training Lance. He wielded one too, striking a pose before the battle. "Let us see what you are made of, Reflet."
Robin placed herself in a defensive position, standing sideways, holding her lance with both hands and planting her feet parallel to them. Let's see how much I can use what Fredrick taught me. Breathing deep, she steeled herself. "Ready."
"Ready." Ferdinand twirled his lance around effortlessly blocking Robin's first blows.
He then proceeded to attack with some basic blows. Clumsily, Robin moved around and tried to avoid them using techniques that she had honed in the battlefield. Unfortunately, these were made for swordfighters and translated poorly to a lance user. However, she quickly adapted her movement and was able to block the next strikes, albeit not without plenty of effort on her part.
"Quite the quick learner; however," said Ferdinand. He then waited for an opportunity to maneuver his lance in such a way that Robin loosened her grip too swiftly for her to even see what was going on, allowing him to claim the lance he gave her as his own once more. "I happen to be two to three steps ahead."
Robin was not pleased with Ferdinand's attitude. However, she could see that he didn't mean anything bad by it, but rather was his way of pushing her to try harder.
Claiming back the Practice Lance, she once again put up her stance. Unlike last time, she put up a more defensive and less mobile stance, more fitting for a spearman, which Ferdinand didn't fail to notice. "Ready." she stated, signaling the beginning of the simulated bout.
Byleth saw the castle over the horizon. He smiled. He was looking forward to meeting Ferdinand and Bernadetta again.
In the meantime, Robin was beginning to get a grasp at how to move around with a lance. The length and weight of the weapon still meant that some of the movements came out as too strong or too slow. But she was surprised at how quickly she was picking up pace, and, given Ferdinand's reaction, she wasn't alone on this.
Ferdinand, noticing her exhaustion, motioned her to stop. "It seems like enough sparring for now. We should rest. Then you may show me some of the knowledge that you've promised."
"Is there anything in particular you would like to know about first?"
Bernadetta inquired about any unusual creatures that might live in Ylisse.
"Well, I imagine most of them aren't that much different from those in Fódlan; we have rabbits, bears, wolves; but also Manaketes and Taguels-humans that when can turn into dragons and giant rabbits respectively through the use of certain stones..." Robin was interrupted when Bernadetta choked on her tea.
"You have to deal with Demonic Beasts in Ylisse too?!" She started freaking out, causing Ferdinand to give Robin a grimace.
"Oh no! It's not like that at all!" Demonic beasts? What could she mean? What kind of creatures live here?
"They go through the transformation willingly and retain their intellect during it, so it's actually beneficial. They're also quite friendly, so there's no need to be afraid." Even if they weren't, it's not like there're many of them left...
"If that's the case, maybe meeting one wouldn't be such a bad thing."
Byleth walked into the scene, curious about what the commotion was about. In a few sentences, Ferdinand explained the situation to him. Byleth then turned to Robin.
"What a surprising guest you have here."
Robin held her breath. Hopefully...
"I don't believe we've met before. What's your name?"
Robin exhaled in relief. Then she noticed that everyone was looking at her expectantly.
"Reflet." she replied. "I'm a traveler from the distant continent of Ylisse."
"Ylisse? That sounds vaguely familiar...The land of the fabled Exalt Chrom, correct?"
Robin nodded. "That's right. He's a famous hero back where I'm from. I wish I could've met him."
"I'm sure you two would work great together."
The tactician smiled. "I truly appreciate the compliment. But enough about a nobody like me. I'd like to know more about you. Lord Ferdinand told me that you were a professor. Does that mean you taught at an academy?" asked Robin with an expression that denoted curiosity.
"I was a professor at Garreg Mach Monastery for a single year, but at the end of it a five-year-long war erupted, and I was forced to stop my duties in order to aid the Empire. When it ended, I decided to return to my previous role as a mercenary. Although, I still visit my former students from time to time."
"I'm glad that everyone's healthy and unharmed, but it must've been dreadful going through a war like that. Who were you fighting against?" replied Robin, feigning a mixture of surprise and sadness.
"No, many soldiers and civilians were lost in battle, but I am at least thankful that all of the students, even those in the other houses of the former Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and Leicester Alliance were unharmed. It's a miracle, honestly." Said Ferdinand, calmly sipping the last of his tea.
"I see. I've heard of this war plenty since arriving here, but I'm having trouble recalling the names of each faction's leader. Care to enlighten me?"
"Edelgard is the one leading the Adrestian Empire. Dimitri is the former successor to the crown of the Kingdom of Faerghus, and Claude was the one at the helm of the Leicester Alliance."
Robin snapped her fingers. "Dimitri! That was the name I was looking for! I heard he lost an eye in a battle. Is that true?"
"Where did you hear of such a claim? Did you not see the painting of his surrender in the castle?" wondered Byleth.
The white-haired mage pretended to be confused. "Strange. Where did I hear that from, exactly?" she mumbled, purposefully loud enough for the former professor to hear. "I also heard incredible tales of Dimitri's wild nature, incredible strength and bravery. How did you get such a man to simply surrender?"
Ferdinand interjected with his usual swagger. "With our sheer might and charisma. Indeed, it would have been foolish to challenge the prowess of the Black Eagles Strike Force."
"Incredible! If I recall correctly, the commanders were all of similar age. Does that mean that they attended this monastery you taught on as well?"
Byleth took back control of the conversation. "Yes, in fact, all three of them attended the same year. We still keep in touch with them and the other students. For instance, we helped Dimitri and Dedue restore the reputation of the people of Duscur."
Robin smiled. Interesting.
She continued with her questioning. "I've heard that the survivors of Duscur are very reserved about letting others help them. That Dimitri's former right-hand man known for not letting anyone aid him in that regard. How did one of the Empire's top general and conqueror of their land ever achieve that? It almost seems... too good to be true."
Byleth suffered a headache, startling Ferdinand, Bernadetta, and even Robin herself.
"Are you alright? Should we fetch a healer?" asked an uncharacteristically frenzied Ferdinand.
"I'm fine," said Byleth, "Did you not hear him earlier? Our message of unification was one that inspired them at a time when the people of the vassal of Faerghus so desperately needed it-to reassure them that everything was going to be alright."
Robin could feel the gears turning. "Right... the same Empire that went to conquer all their lands and subjugate them, that attacked the symbol of union of the three nations and their leader's own school, where she met one of her most loyal generals. I see how that could inspire loyalty and trust."
"Our quest was to rid the continent of corruption of the Church. We wouldn't have been able to accomplish this in a diplomatic manner." Countered Byleth.
"And what happened to the head of said Church? Did she also surrender to Empress Edelgard's glorious ideals?" retorted Robin with a sarcastic undertone. Come on, Byleth... you know the truth.
Byleth's legs gave way and he fell down, hitting his head on the ground. The voices of those he and his friends killed came rushing back to him.
"Lady Rhea, thank you... for everything."
"Lady Rhea... My service ends here. It's been an honor."
"Your Majesty...you must survive..."
"Sorry to go so soon..."
"No! Not yet... I can't die just yet..."
"I'm...dying for someone else? I can't believe this."
"Ungh... I should have known this would happen..."
The fabricated world around Byleth slowly began to crumble into nothingness.