Sorry this chapter took so long to come out, there were several things that held me back. I got addicted to Persona 5 Royal so that took much of my time. Thanks to online classes I need to get used to having homework again that's not just a paper due every now and then. And lastly I started this chapter thinking that Sylvain's birthday was on the 15th of the Garland Moon and it was only halfway through writing the chapter that I decided to check and well that just threw this chapter and the next few chapters off.
Garland Moon 1180:
Fifth of the Garland Moon:
It was Sylvain's birthday and what was supposed to be a joyous event was a subdue one instead. Sylvain had been cheerful throughout the day, but it was an act. An act that Byleth never liked seeing but she knew he wasn't trying to hide anything; he was just trying to lighten the mood.
Sylvain's birthday was the first of her friend's birthday she was going to celebrate in years (she never had the chance to visit Claude on his in the two years they became friends) and it was going to be the first time she ever got to celebrate his. When Byleth had realized that she would be staying at Garreg Mach with her friends, she had been so looking forward to that day and yet…the timing for that wretched battle was terrible. Another reason for her to dislike the archbishop.
The class had a small celebration and gifts were given but few really had the heart for it. Sylvain was trying very hard to keep the morale up but by the end of the day he, too, gave into the gloom. The professor really wished she could have helped her students better.
Byleth had plans for how she wanted to celebrate Sylvain's birthday. She wanted to do all kinds of things but because of the battle and the heavy cloud that hung over her students she was unable to do many of her ideas. In the end, she decided to treat the core group of her friends to a meal at a restaurant in town, at least they could still have a small feast.
The mood in the group of friends was much stronger than with the whole class, she assumed it was because her friends had been better prepared for what battle entailed. She felt terrible for feeling that way, but she was grateful for the lighter mood, the constant gloom of her class was starting to get to her too. She hoped that the dinner would help Sylvain, Ingrid, and Dedue find some comfort, while also helping Felix and Dimitri getting over their anger.
Once they were allowed to sit, Sylvain quickly took his seat and Byleth sat across from him. Dimitri sat as far away from Byleth as he could, and she did a marvelous job at hiding her annoyance. Dedue took the spot between Sylvain and Dimitri, which created an amusing situation for Byleth as she watched Felix struggling on where to sit. He could sit next to her, who he was currently angry at or he could sit in front of Dimitri, both she was sure were irritating options for him. The decision was made for him when Ingrid sat next to Byleth forcing to sit in front of Dimitri; and if that bothered him, he only showed it every single second.
The meal was going fantastic. Everyone was in a jolly mood, even the two grumpy members. Free from the stress of the church, Byleth was finally able to relax and enjoy a meal with her friends again, it had been far too long.
"So, By?" Sylvain called and she glanced at him with a mouth full of food to which he snorted. "I was curious as to why you did make me a leather item like you always made for His Highness." She tilted her head. "I really do appreciate the board game you gave me, but I am just wonder is all. Please do not think that I am ungrateful."
It took her a second to swallow. "Do you want a leather item?" she asked with her head still tilted.
His cheeks became a light shade of pink as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I thought having you continue that tradition would be nice. Unless that tradition is only for His Highness." He glanced at Dimitri with a cheeky grin, to which Dimitri tried to ignore but his blush betrayed him.
"I didn't make one because I thought you guys were to old for them." And because she unfortunately didn't have time to make anything, but she would make time from now on. She glanced at everyone at the table. "Do you all want homemade gifts?"
Felix scoffed but the look in his eyes betrayed him. Dimitri was still trying to be distant and wouldn't even look at her, but she noticed the small nod. Dedue said nothing and she suspected that he had no idea what they were talking about. Ingrid was clearly was very honest with her emotions.
"You once told me, when we were younger, that you would make me a seashell necklace. I would like one, if you do not mind," Ingrid said and Byleth nodded.
"I tried making you one before, but I broke it, but I'll try again."
The conversations were lively, and it seemed like the pain they felt from the battle was a thing of the past. Everything would have been perfect if it wasn't for Dimitri remaining so stubborn to his anger, at least he interacted with everyone but her. She could ignore Dimitri's stubbornness and just appreciate the nice diner.
Dinner came to an end far to quickly for Byleth's liking but they couldn't stay out that late on a school night. It was weird that she had to worry about such a thing, but it was nice at the same time. Her life felt like it had a sense of normalcy; not that she hated her old life, but waking up without having to worry about where her next job would be was a comfort, she never knew she was missing.
She went to pay and despite being a bit of a brat throughout the meal Dimitri tried to pay for a meal, but she wouldn't have it. Sylvain had to pull Dimitri away so that she could pay. Before she had been worried about being broke after big expenses (Claude greatly contributed to that little fear) and would have never considered treating so many people to a meal but now she had a secure source of income and she didn't need to worry about it. She didn't really trust the church, but it certainly had its perks working for it.
Once the meal had been paid for, they started walking around the town for a bit, not ready to return to Garreg Mach. As they wondered around, Byleth discovered two female students standing around looking uncomfortable with a man standing incredibly close to them. The situation didn't sit well with her that she all but forgot about her friends and went over to the students. Before she could inquire about anything, she heard the students asking for the man to stop but he clearly refused.
She rushed to the students' sides and she discovered that the man was groping the bottom of one of the girls. Without saying anything she grabbed the man's hand by one of his fingers and violently pulled his hand back. The man screamed out when his finger was broken.
"Let this be a lesson," she said in the most threaten tone she was capable of. "Keep your hands to yourself." With tears at the corner of his eyes, the man pathetically nodded yes. She leaned closer and the man was unable to look away. "If I catch you doing such a vile thing to anyone again, whether they be students or not it will be worse than a finger, okay?" The man vigorously nodded his head until she let go of his hand and then he took off running in the opposite direction of her.
"By, what is wrong?" Sylvain asked as he and the rest of their friends joined her.
"I'm fine." She turned to everyone and gave them a nod. "I was just dealing with a creep." She turned to the two girls that were staring at her in amazement. "Are you two alright?" They nodded. "You two better head over to Garreg Mach. It's close to curfew." They gave her another nod and thanked her before they left.
"Did you break that man's finger?" Sylvain asked as he watched the girls leave. Byleth said nothing and simply smiled at him. "Is that not a little too extreme?"
"In my experience, it is the only way to get through those types." He gave her a look. "I'm a lot nicer than my dad. He broke a guy's arm one time."
"Do you have to deal with men like him a lot?" Ingrid asked with a frown and Byleth patted her head.
"Being a mercenary, I often had to stay in areas where lowlifes would hang out, so I often had to deal with more than my fair share of creeps." Dimitri, Sylvain, and Ingrid wore scowls and she gave them smiles in return. "Through my father's constant insistence, I taught all who dared to try and take advantage of me a painful lesson." The scowls didn't leave her friends, but they were at least less intense, except for Dimitri's that remained fierce as he glared at the ground.
There were no other interruptions as they made their way back to Garreg Mach. The mood was great for the most part, but no one was able to completely ignore Dimitri's sour mood. They didn't let it get to them too much as they (mostly Byleth, Sylvain, and Ingrid) happily chatted about the times they were separated.
When they got to Garreg Mach she walked everyone to their dorms, wishing them a goodnight. Everyone, even Felix, returned the gesture except for Dimitri, who closed the door in her face before she could finish. She tried to hide her disappointment but failed as her sights lingered on the door.
"Thanks for dinner," Sylvain said, pulling her attention away from the door.
"Happy birthday!" she said in a cheerful tone that shoved her disappointment aside. "I'm sorry I couldn't do something grander for your birthday."
"This has been the best birthday, I had in years! And it is all thanks to you."
"But I didn't really do anything."
"Of course, you did. It is hard to be excited for a birthday when you do not know if one of your friends is okay or not. Besides this is the first birthday I got to celebrate with you, so how could I not love this birthday?" She couldn't help her small smile or the light blush that colored her cheeks.
"And about His Highness do not worry about it. He will eventually come around." He pattered her head and she frowned, the head pat was supposed to be her thing and she wasn't sure if she believed him or not. "Just give him some time. There is no way he can stay mad at you for long." He gave her a wink, but her frown remained. "Goodnight By." She wished him the same before he closed his door.
It was now just her and Dedue alone in the hallway. She knew she needed to escort Dedue back to his room and return to her own, but she remained rooted in place. She stared at Dimitri's door as if it would tell her everything she wanted to know.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at Dedue, who was also looking at the door. "His Highness isn't angry at you," he said, and she frowned. "His issue is more with himself."
"But still…," she mumbled with a slight pout. "Would it help if I apologize?" Even if she didn't know what she was apologizing for.
He shook his head. "If you did that, I am sure it would only upset His Highness more." He moved his hand from her shoulder to her back and slightly nudged her away from Dimitri's room. "Now, it is getting late. We should return to our room before misguided rumors start." She gave him a small nod and led him to their rooms.
Seventh of the Garland Moon:
Several days had passed since the bandits' mission and her students had yet to recover, and Byleth was starting to get worried. Sylvain and Ingrid were fine outside of the classroom, it seemed like the little birthday celebration helped them but once class started, they would give into to the others' gloom. None of her students had reached out to talk to her, which she would have been okay with if it seemed like they were reaching out to someone, but she didn't believe they were. She had no idea if it was alright for her to approach them about it or if that would just further upset them.
She tried to be patient and wait for them, she really did, but she also hated seeing them like that. But she had no idea how she could help them. Whenever she was sad it was Dimitri or Claude that helped her, but she didn't think they would be able to help. Dimitri was still stuck in his bad mood and though great as Claude may be, he wasn't close with any of them, and she didn't want to wait for the months of boding to take place before he could help them.
Eventually Byleth had enough and decided to seek outside advice. She avoided the archbishop and Seteth because they were the ones responsible for her students suffering. But she did decide that everyone else involved with the church was okay. Though she was a bit hesitant about asking Professor Manuela or Professor Hanneman as she couldn't see how they would be comfortable with sending their students so early into battle. But from what Claude told her, it was only the Blue Lions that were given such a mission and she was sure if it was all because the archbishop wanted to test her and that only reignited her anger.
She sat in Professor Hannenman's office looking all around it. He had been in the middle of an experiment and had asked her to wait. She never realized that there was a science to crest and how someone could be so enthusiastic about it. If anyone could figure out her mysterious crest, she was sure it was him and despite how much she wanted answers she couldn't let the church find out and so she continued to lie to him about not having a crest.
His experiment came to an end and she could not tell if it went how he was expecting or not; she decided to not comment on it less it dominated their conversation. After a few more minutes he finally sat at his desk. It was only when she was sure that she had his undivided attention that she spoke up.
"How do you cheer up your students after they first killed someone?" she asked and was surprised at how hard it was to ask that.
He closed his eyes for a long moment. "I do not know," he said after a minute of silence. "Usually such a mission is given to the students later into the school year, in order to give them enough time to mentally prepare themselves."
She gripped her knees and struggled to keep her expression neutral. While he never outright expressed it, she could sense his confusion for the archbishop's decision in his underlining tone; or maybe she was just sensing what she wanted to sense in her anger. Regardless it angered her that her students were sent too early into battle, that she was sure was for foolish reasons.
"Of course, those bandits attacking students has made everything different," he added all of a sudden and she was sure it was because his underlining tone could get him into trouble.
She did not say anything and just looked down at her hands, in her lap. The conversation wasn't going as well as she would have hoped, and it was all thanks to her inability to contain her anger. She could only really remember getting angry once in her life before she came to Garreg Mach and now she was getting angry all the time and she had no idea why. Not even when she discovered that nobles had placed the blame on her for the Tragedy of Duscur did she get angry (now was a different story), so what in her changed? Why was she able to express that one emotion so much?
Professor Hannenman began to shuffle around and it pulled her attention back to him. He had placed a small plate in front of her with a few shortbread cookies on it. "I will admit I am not an expert on the matter of comforting someone but eating sweets can help alleviate stress so maybe they can help your students?"
Giving him a gentle smile, she took at cookie and bit into it. She remembered Mercedes and Annette talking about sweet a lot and she was sure that the others wouldn't mind them. The only problems came from Felix, who didn't like sweets, and Dimitri, who she didn't know if he regained his sense of taste yet; but both of their issues were for something entirely different and she would worry about them later.
Giving him thanks, Byleth left his office to speak with Professor Manuela. It took a few minutes before Professor Manuela, finally opened the door. The older woman had a strained smile and was very disheveled, Byleth deemed it was best to not comment on the other woman's appearance or the strange sound she heard coming from the room.
"Hello Professor," Professor Manuela said in such a calm tome that did not match her current appearance. "What brings you here so early in the morning?" It was nearly time to go to class but Byleth remained quiet about that.
"I'm sorry for troubling you but I am looking for advice," Byleth said and Professor Manuela relaxed to that.
"Is that all? Then please come in."
The office was a complete mess and Byleth had no words for it. She couldn't believe a room could be that messy or how anyone could live like that; but then again, she never lived in one place long enough that didn't have maids to know is she was messy or not. She was offered the only open and clean seat and she had to be careful as she made her way over to it.
"So, what can I do for you?" Professor Manuela asked as she nonchalantly dumped a stack of books onto the floor.
"I was wondering how to cheer up my students."
The older woman looked at the beds, reminding Byleth that this office was also the infirmary. Now that she remembered the fact the mess began to bother her more. She pushed that thought out of her mind, for the time being.
"A distraction might help them. Or maybe some kind of reminder of the joys in the world." There was a pause as a frown formed on Professor's Manuela's lips. "Those students shouldn't have gone into battle so soon."
A distraction? What could make a good distraction? Byleth was really out of her element. Unaware of it she sighed loudly.
"You don't like my idea?"
"Oh no!" Byleth was quick to say. "I just don't know what a good distraction could be…" With a small frown her gaze drifted towards the floor.
"Hm, how about just helping them relax for now?" Byleth looked at the other woman. "Foods and teas are a great way of getting people to relax sometimes."
"Professor Hannenman mentioned sweets were good for stress."
"Did he now?" Professor Manuela began to mumble the rest, "that's surprising."
The two professors talked for a bit more until it was nearly time for class and Byleth was swiftly kicked out so that Professor Manuela could get ready. When she passed by her father's office, on the way to her classroom, she briefly stopped to stare at the closed door. He was gone on a mission and she hated that. Ever since the Knights of Serios found them, she had so little time to spend with her father, despite really needing to speak with him. With a final glare she stepped away.
Class ended with nothing really interesting happening, but it did strengthen her resolve to help her students more. She decided that tomorrow she would head into town to buy sweets and teas and hope they help as she still had no idea of what would make for a good distraction. She had thought about asking Claude for ideas, but he had been busy, so it was a plan she was going to put on hold.
She found a few minutes to herself to think so she sat in the gardens enjoying the scent of the flowers, growing there. Her little quiet was disturbed when someone called out to her, though she didn't really mind. Ferdinand walked over to her carrying a box.
"Forgive me for disturbing you," he said once he was closer and she shook her head. "If you are not busy, I was wondering if you could help me with something."
Her smile didn't waiver, but she did dread what his request might be. Ever since he learned that she developed her crest countering technique by practicing against the Crest of Serios he had nearly bothered her about it almost as much as Felix did, until he understood his limitations. Preparing for the worse, she gestured for him to speak.
"You see I ordered a tea set or at least I thought I just ordered one, but it seems I was mistaken and ordered two." She tilted her head. "I just cannot return the other one so I was hoping you could help me find someone, who would appreciate this tea set." She stared at him and if he noticed she was staring he didn't say anything. "I already asked Lorenz, but he has no need for a new set."
"May I see it?" she asked, and he handed the box to her. Inside was a beautiful white tea pot with pink flowers and their vines painted on it. Her eyes widen when she held the pot and felt the smooth but cool to the touch material. "Is it really made from such high-quality porcelain?" She had only even felt such a fine product when she was staying at Castle Blaiddyd and Riegan Manor. "You will be able to brew such fine teas with this."
"I am surprised Professor." She glanced up at him. "I did not expect you to know of such a thing." She looked back at the teapot; she only knew such a fact because Dimitri had randomly told her one time. She smiled fondly as she remembered the time when he had started to randomly tell her all kinds of tea facts.
"Professor," Ferdinand paused until she was looking at him, "do you like this tea set perchance?" She nodded. "Excellent than I shall gift the set to you."
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly-"
"My goal was to find someone would appreciate the set and I believe you will."
She looked back at the tea set for a moment before looking at him with a wide smile. "Thank you!" The tea set gave her the perfect idea. She would throw her class a tea party and hoped that would be the distraction they would need.
Eighth of the Garland Moon:
It was a free day so Byleth decided to go into town to buy some leather, sweets, and teas. It was such a nice day that she hoped that her students would be able to enjoy it. At that thought of being able to help her students, there was a little pep to her steps as she made her way into town.
That day was going to be the first day that she would be able to walk around town by herself and so she took her time shopping. She may still have her doubts about Garreg Mach, but she could not deny that she felt safe there as she did not feel the need to constantly look over shoulder less her mysterious attackers ambush her. Well mostly safe as the archbishop and Tomas were people, she still needed to be weary of.
After stopping by a confectionary shop, she placed an order for several different types of treats to be delivered to the Blue Lions' classroom tomorrow morning, as well as for a few treats she was going to allow herself to gorge on when she got back. Afterwards she made her way over to a tea shop and her eyes light up at all the teas she could buy. Since she was staying in one place, she could buy all the teas she wanted, though her wallet would object.
"May I help you?" the shopkeeper asked.
A bit reluctantly, Byleth tore her eyes away from all the teas to look at the keeper. "Yes, I would like some chamomile tea please. Enough to serve an entire classroom." The man stared at her for a moment before nodding and turned to leave. "Oh, one more thing." She pulled out a carefully wrapped teacup from her bag. "I need five more teacups of this kind please." The man took the cup and his eyes widen.
Excusing himself the man gave the cup back and hurriedly left to fetch the desired goods. Carefully she put the cup back into her bag. It was a few minutes before the shopkeeper returned with two cups, their designs were not exactly the same, but they were close enough that Byleth didn't care.
"I only have two cups matching that quality and for these two cups that will be 4,000 gold each."
The smile instantly left her face and she stared at him as if he had grown two heads. He repeated the price and it still didn't completely register to her. A frown grew on his face.
"Why is it so expensive?" she finally asked after several seconds of silence.
"Because it's such fine quality porcelain. It's such a high quality that it is rare to find it in shops like mine. I just happened to be lucky at the moment and have these two cups."
She continued to stare at him. She was starting to wonder if it was okay for her to have accepted such a gift. How much did the whole tea set cost? She didn't really want to think about that. Did Ferdinand even realize he gave her such an expensive gift? Should she return it? Or would that be considered rude? Now it made sense to her why she only experienced such a material at Castle Blaiddyd and Riegan Manor.
"I'm sorry. I cannot afford that." The man gave her a look that let her know that he was already aware of that. "May I have some much cheaper cups that will match mine?"
"Of course. May I ask how you came to possess that teacup though?"
"It was given to me."
"Well then, it seems like you are quite fancied to receive such a gift." She doubted that. Or at least she really hoped that wasn't the case.
"You are such a popular professor," Sothis teased in a tone that caused Byleth to blush.
The day was nearing its end when Byleth finally returned to Garreg Mach. She had every intention of heading straight to her room but as she passed by the greenhouse, she decided to pay it a visit. She remembered that scents also had a way of calming as Dimitri often commented how the sent of jasmine relaxed him (she always kept her soap jasmine scented because of that), she wished to see if there were any flowers that she could use for tomorrow.
She walked through the greenhouse enjoying all the different scents of flowers that graced her. She had stopped to look a set of white flowers and remembered a fun little tradition girls would do with them during the Garland Moon. From the corner of her eye she spotted a young woman with sky blue hair. The young woman was huddled in a corner and could have easily gone unnoticed if it wasn't for Byleth's keen senses. The professor walked over to the woman and noticed that she was wearing the school's uniform and she couldn't recall if she had seen the woman around; but then again Byleth didn't really have any time to check out other students.
"Excuse me," Byleth said once she was close enough. "Are you alright?" The student screamed a little as she fell onto her bottom. "I'm sorry I did not mean to frighten you."
"Ah, no it is my fault," the student said so quietly that Byleth nearly missed it. "I did not mean to be in your way, please forgive me." The blue haired woman began to walk away. "If you will excuse me."
"Wait!" Byleth ran up to her. "You were not in my way. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Oh…I am fine." The student didn't lift her head up enough for Byleth to see her eyes and that bothered the older woman a little. "There is no need to worry about me." She began to walk away again. "Now if you will excuse me."
"Wait!" Again, Byleth gave chase. "Why are you so eager to leave?"
"I…ah…," the woman's voice trailed off and her gaze drifted lower. Byleth didn't want to let the go, when she was upset, but Byleth understood that she wasn't helping either.
"If you don't mind. Can you please tell me your name?"
The woman finally looked at Byleth and her eyes were so sad. The professor didn't want to let her go but she didn't want to push either. "My name?" Byleth nodded. "It is Marianne." Byleth smiled but Marianne didn't. "May I please go now?"
"Oh, just one more thing." The professor pulled out a carefully wrapped cinnamon, spiraled, sweet bread and handed it to Marianne. "I want you to have this."
"Oh, I couldn't-"
"Please. I just want to make it up to you for troubling you."
"You didn't…," Marianne mumbled quietly but eventually to the bread with a very small smile. "Thank you." She bowed before she left with no more interruption.
It was only after that Marianne was gone that Byleth realized that she never got her last name nor what class she belonged too. She decided that she would ask Dimitri about the sad girl but then she remembered how he had avoided her at breakfast and decided that she would ask Claude instead. Claude would be much more helpful, she concluded.
Nineth of the Garland Moon:
Byleth started class late so that she would get everything ready. She looked at her little tea party set up with pride; two tables were pushed together, and two white sheets were draped over them and a vase filled with flowers sat in the middle of them. It was far from fancy, but she was sure her students would enjoy it, or at the very least she hoped they would.
The scent of the tea mixed lovely with the scent of the few flowers she picked. She found the scent relaxing and was sure her students would too. When she was sure everything was perfect, she called to let them in.
She stood behind the tables with her arms open wide. She was silent until Sothis told her to shout "surprise", so she did. The students walked in gawking at the set up in silence.
"Professor, what is all this?" Ashe asked once he was at the tables.
"I know you all have been struggling with coming to terms with the battle, so I wanted to help you all relax a little," Byleth explained.
"What about class?" Annette asked as she was eyeing some cookies.
"Don't worry about class." They all looked at her, while Felix glared. "It is important to take care of oneself both physically and mentally. And today we shall focus on the mental part."
They all stared at her skeptically for a bit and she struggled to keep her smile from wavering. Mercedes was the first to step forward and she complimented the bread, she had taken a bite from, after that everyone finally joined it. Byleth nearly released a sight of relief when everyone started to relax.
"Chamomile tea?" Dimitri asked, once he brought the cup up to his face.
"It's your favorite right?" That wasn't the reason why she bought it but when she remembered it was his favorite, she thought of it as a nice bonus. He looked at her with wide eyes and a slight coloring to his cheeks. The pleasant image didn't last long as his little scowl returned, and he looked away.
"What a brat?" Sothis said and Byleth nodded in agreement. "I did not think it was possible for anyone to be a bigger brat than sword boy." Byleth snorted before she caught herself and luckily for her, no one seemed to have noticed.
"By- I mean Professor," Sylvain started and waited for her attention, "this tea set is exquisite."
"Isn't it? It's way too expensive. Nothing I could ever afford." She heard a teacup jostle and when she looked around, she discovered that Ashe became really stiff with the cup he held. "Relax Ashe, it was a gift and I won't be upset if you accidently break one." That did not help him at all.
"A gift? From whom?"
"Ferdinand von Aegir." A sigh escaped her because of how easily that man's name slipped from her lips. She wondered if she would ever be able to forget his name.
The smile left Sylvain's lips as she placed his cup back onto the table. He walked over to her and leaned towards her. The frown was still ever present, and she wondered if he didn't like Ferdinand. Sure, Ferdinand was a bit eccentric, but he was still a good kid, or at least that was what she believed. From over his shoulder she could tell that Dimitri was glaring at his cup.
"By, you are not allowed to accept expensive gifts from men."
"I didn't know it was expensive when I accepted it. If I had known I would have never accepted it."
"Why did you not return it then?"
"I couldn't do that after I accepted it. And besides," her voice began to trail off a little as her cheeks warmed, "I was too excited about having a tea party with everyone."
Sylvain sighed as he stood up straight. His smile returned as he shook his head. Patting her on the shoulder, he walked over to Dimitri.
"From now on you cannot accept expensive gifts from men, unless they come from," he paused to wrap an arm around Dimitri's shoulders, "His Highness, okay?" The prince was bright red as he glared at Sylvain, who returned it with a cheeky grin. Byleth tilted her head as she watched the two boys.
Sothis' sigh grabbed the professor's attention. "We really need to work on that innocence of yours," Sothis mumbled and Byleth frowned.
Despite the bit of confusion, she felt, the tea party was a success as her students began to relax. It would take some time before they would fully accept their actions, but they at least wouldn't let that hold them back anymore. Byleth was immensely proud of them.
She ended class early and everyone left in a much better mood. She was cleaning up when she noticed that Felix had remained. She smiled at him, but he didn't look at her and stared at the wall.
"Can I help you with something?" He remained silent and continued to stare at the wall. With a little huff she folded her arms over her chest, and she watched him.
After a few seconds of nothing, he finally voiced his frustrations with a loud groan. He looked at her with a glare and then dropped it as his gaze drifted towards her chest. Suddenly his cheeks turned red and he quickly looked away.
"Are you alright?" Still no response from him and she rolled her eyes.
He mumbled something she didn't hear and when she inquired for him to repeat himself, he glared at her but eventually relaxed his stance. "Does the wound on your chest still hurt?" She shook her head and he nodded absently.
"You…You need to take better care of yourself!" he shouted and then stormed out of the room and she watched him go with a small frown.
"He is an awkward boy," Sothis said, "but I guess he is not a bad kid."
Eleventh of the Garland Moon:
Dimitri didn't like being angry, especially when he knew it was for a childish reason and yet he couldn't help himself. Whenever he thought he was ready to let it go, it would flair up whenever he saw Byleth being competent (so basically every time he saw her). He knew it was beyond childish to feel that way, especially when he knew he should have expected for things to turn out this way, but it didn't change anything.
His anger was making his petty too. Not only was he unable to look at her but he was also neglecting his duties as class leader. His fellow classmates were clearly suffering and Byleth was struggling but no matter how much he tried he just couldn't get over his frustrations to help.
That day had been no exception of him neglecting his duties as he quickly fled the classroom as soon as class was over. Even without any help from him, Byleth was able to help the class. Seeing everyone slowly returning to themselves should have been a happy sight but it only frustrated him more. Everyone was getting better but him, even Felix had seemed to have gotten over his anger.
He, along with Dedue, cut through the gardens on their way to the training grounds. It was a longer route, but Dimitri was hoping that the pleasant scents of the flowers would relax him a little, they didn't. He was about to exit the gardens when he bumped into Jeralt.
"Ah, just the boy I wanted to see," Jeralt said and Dimitri immediately stood at attention. Jeralt look around and then pointed to the nearby, empty tables. "Have a seat we need to have a chat."
On a normal occasion (maybe) Dimitri might have found the image of Jeralt sitting on at cute little, white garden table with rose at his back hilarious but at that moment Dimitri's mind was running through so many different scenarios. He sat completely straight his princely smile straining, as the older man stared him down. Only when Jeralt sat back did Dimitri release his held breath.
"So, you and Byleth got into a fight?" Dimitri immediately went back to holding his breath.
"No sir," the prince quickly stammered out, "we did not get into a fight."
Jeralt rubbed his beard as he looked at Dimitri. The prince's fingers dug into his legs under the silent stare. Eventually a smirk worked its way onto Jeralt's face.
"That's not what I heard. My kid says you are mad at her and she has no idea why."
The smile finally left the prince's face and stared at the table between them. "I am not mad at her." A small scowl worked its way onto his face. "I am mad at myself."
"Is that so? So then what's bothering you?"
Dimitri pressed his lips together. Sharing an insecurity with anyone wasn't something he was wanting to do. He also had been avoiding putting his insecurity into words because he didn't want to acknowledge it even though he knew it would help him. When Jeralt said nothing, Dimitri resigned himself with a sigh.
"I…" He frowned as he really didn't want to put it into words. "I want to protect By, but it is clear that she does not need me and I…" He let the thought die as he didn't want to say anymore.
He heard Jeralt hum, but he didn't look up. Now putting his insecurity into words only frustrated him more. He felt more of a child and he absolutely hated it.
Of course, he wouldn't be able to protect Byleth. He couldn't do anything. Squeezing his eyes shut, he desperately tried to ignore the snickering voices in the back of his head.
He flinched when he feels a delicate hand on his shoulder and the ghostly figure on his back. The voice echoed loudly in his ear as if the ghost was whispering directly into it. "Of course, you are useless," his stepmother sneered.
His fingers dug into his knees, leaving bruises, when he heard Glenn's voice. "Why would Byleth need a pathetic, little worm like you?" he asked with a vicious laugh. "She probably resents teaching you. You are completely useless."
He shuts his eyes even tighter and locked his jaw as he prepared for the third voice, the one that was always the most painful to hear. On his other shoulder was a new grip and he heard the voice whisper into that ear. "My pathetic, little son, how long will-" Dimitri was unable to hear the rest as a new voice broke though the haze.
Dimitri's head shot up to look at Jeralt, who was frowning. With a shake of his head, the older man sighed. Jeralt learned back in his chair and gave Dimitri a disappointing look.
"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?" Jeralt asked and Dimitri was unable to look at him. Another sigh, and Dimitri's gaze drifted towards the ground. "I said, it's only natural that you would be unable to protect Byleth in a physical sense."
Dimitri knew that but being told that from a living person hurt immensely. "I've trained my daughter from a very young age to be able to defend herself. To the point where she thought I valued strength above all else." Jeralt's gaze briefly dropped to the table before returning to Dimitri, but the boy was unaware of it. "She also unfortunately had to spend the last six years having to learn how to defend herself from attackers that could appear out of nowhere." Dimitri felt his blood boil at that, but he didn't let his anger get the better of him.
"What I'm trying to say is Byleth doesn't need anyone to protect her in battle." Dimitri pressed his lips together and still refused to look at Jeralt. Everything the father was saying made sense and yet… What good was he to Byleth? Why would she need to look at him?
"You know, there are other ways to protect her besides in battle." Dimitri finally looked at Jeralt, who now had a little smile. "You will protect her when you grant her asylum." The prince's gaze drifted away again. That wouldn't be him, that would be his title protecting her.
"Hey prince, what do you think of Byleth?" Dimitri went back to looking at Jeralt with an unanswered question in his eyes.
"She is incredibly strong," Dimitri started off slowly and a fond smile slowly settled over his features. "She is so very kind and sweet. Immensely brave and does not hesitate to save or help anyone." He easily spoke of all the amazing traits about the woman he adored so much. "She is also beautiful." He felt the air shift and he noticed that the smile on Jeralt's face was now strained. "Beautiful soul! She has a beautiful soul because she is so kind!"
The father's eyes narrowed as he rested his hands on the table. Dimitri was rigid in his seat and he struggled to remain calm under the intense gaze. "Nice save," Jeralt finally said as he sat back, and Dimitri was able to relax a little.
"Confident?" Jeralt randomly asked.
"Excuse me?"
"Would you say she's confident?"
Dimitri furrowed his brows as his gaze drifted towards the table. He wasn't sure if he would say Byleth was confident. When she held a sword, sure she was confident; he had no doubt that she wouldn't be able to command an army when she held a sword but when she didn't have one…Sure people easily flocked to her but he would chalk that up to her charm more.
"How about selfless?" To a fault. He really wished she would think about herself more. "Naive?" Yes, frustratingly so. He couldn't help but worry that such sweet words from some undesirable person would be able to sway her. At least he was able to take comfort in knowing that she could at least deal with creeps. He was curious as to how much stress Jeralt had to deal with her learning to deal with them because he was sure she just allowed them to get away with that in the beginign and that thought angered him immensely. "Reckless?" Most definitely.
He looked at Jeralt, unsure of what he was supposed to make of all that. "My daughter is not used to staying in an area with so many people and I'm sure she is overwhelmed and could use some help in dealing with it." Dimitri arched an eyebrow. She did live in the castle for some time that had way more people, sure most of the people ignored her, but still she should be used to it right? And what did that have to do with anything?
"That is one way to protect my daughter." Dimitri's mouth formed an "O" shape for a moment before he closed it to nod. "The church is determined to send me on missions that will keep me away, I'm sure she will be glad to have someone she could confide in and share her worries with." He could easily agree to that. And the irony of him taking care of someone else's mental state was not completely lost on him.
"There are other ways you can help protect Byleth too that don't rely on a battlefield." Dimitri wasn't sure how, but he was determined to find them. "And if you really want to get stronger faster, I'm sure Byleth would be more than happy to offer you extra lessons." Dimitri missed the bitterness in Jeralt's tone.
The father got up and that broke Dimitri out of his thoughts. Jeralt walked over to the younger man and clasped his shoulder. Dimitri gave him a little smile until the grip on his shoulder tighten lightly and the smile wavered. Jeralt leaned down with his own little but slightly malicious smile.
"You can also help Byleth by keeping all the pesky boys away from my little girl, okay?" Unable to find his voice Dimitri could only nod and Jeralt laughed. He patted the prince's shoulder before walking away. "You're a good kid."
Once Jeralt was out of sight Dimitri released a shaky breath. He slumped into his chair as he wasn't ready to get up. He nearly jumped out of his seat when Dedued approached him and his cheeks warmed a little from the embarrassment of forgetting his friend.
"So that's your future father-in-law," Dedue spoke.
"Yes," Dimitri answered absentmindedly as he stood up. "Wait! What did you say?!"
"That Jeralt is your future father-in-law."
Dimitri's face was bright red as he turned away from his friend. "Not you too!" He groaned as he covered his face.
The future prince could have sworn his face was going to melt off. "Yes, I mean, I do not know. We have only just reunited, and everyone is getting way ahead of themselves." He didn't even know if Byleth still remembered his confession and he was too much of a coward to check. He groaned as he rested against the tall hedge.
"Well, I will support you on whoever you choose to marry but I do hope that you chose Byleth." Dimitri looked at his friend.
"You like Byleth?"
"She is so very kind." There was a slight blush to accompany Dedue's smile. Dimitri might have been very insecure when it came to Byleth and potential love rivals, but he was at least able to tell that Dedue's soft features were not because of a hidden love. "She doesn't judge anyone based on their race or ethnicity." Dimitri knew it was a foolish question he asked as he knew from the very beginning that Dedue liked Byleth. She had helped him just as much as she helped Dimitri during that trying time. To have his best friend's support warmed his heart.
They stepped out of the gardens and discovered that Jeralt hadn't gotten very far before he was stopped by a student, Leonie, Dimitri believed was the student's name. Dimitri watched them for a bit. As much as he might try to play ignorant the idea of him possibly marring Byleth had crossed his mind once or twice thanks to Sylvain's comment, but he never realized that if they did get married that Jeralt would become his father. He did very much like the thought of having a father again.
Twelfth of the Garland Moon:
Class had been going smoothly now that everyone was in much better moods. Even though yesterday it bothered Dimitri that Byleth was able to achieve such a feat without him, he was now enormously proud of her. He could tell that she was proud of herself as well by the way she carried herself and that pleased him more.
Sylvain stood in front of the class answering the question that he had been called up for. When he answered the question correctly, Byleth had to jump a little in order to pat his head. It took Sylvain a moment before he burst out laughing.
"What was that?" he asked in between laughs.
With cheeks slightly pink she looked away. "It's not my fault that you are so tall," she mumbled with a little pout, and Sylvain's laughing didn't cease.
"What were you planning to do for Dedue?" She slightly pulled out the chair, at her desk, and Sylvain lost it even more.
"It's not that funny!" Her cheeks were now fully flushed as she gave him a weak glare. "I thought a head pat might motivate you guys."
Sylvain kept up his laughing fit and Dimitri could tell that she was tempted to hit him, and Dimitri would back her up if she did. Eventually Sylvain stopped laughing and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close so that he could whisper into her ear. Dimitri tried and failed miserably to not be jealous, so he just glared at the Gautier heir in a silent protest.
Whatever Sylvain said caused Byleth to look directly at Dimitri and he wasn't sure if he liked that or not. Their conversation ended with a small nod from Byleth and a large grin from Sylvain. When Dimitri tried to inquire about what they talked about the ginger haired man just gave him a smirk and the prince spent the remainder of the class pouting.
Class ended fairly slowly for Dimitri but now that it was over it was finally time to ask for private lessons. He hovered around his spot trying to work up the nerve. He couldn't figure out if he should start off with an apology or try to start off with a light conversation. Normally, he had no problem with talking to her but usually he didn't let his frustrations get the better of him when it came to interacting with her.
"Is something the matter?" Byleth asked and he jumped slightly. She was at her desk and was watching him. When he started walking towards her eyes widen.
"I have a request," he said quietly. She smiled widely at him and he realized that was the first thing he had said to her in weeks outside of class related calls. He wanted to crawl into a hole for how much a brat he had been acting like.
"I will gladly help you in any way I can!" Her brilliant smile only made him feel worse.
"I was wondering if you would be willing to provide me with some extra training?"
"Certainly!" she said it so swiftly that he couldn't help but smile. "I can begin whenever you want!"
He was slightly taken aback. "T-then would you be willing to help me today?"
"Of course!" Again, another fast response. "I just need to put these papers away first, so I'll meet you at the training ground, okay?" He nodded.
After quickly changing into his sportswear, he stood at the training ground's entrance with a training lance in hands. He was trying to maintain his princely calm, but it was hard to keep the little excited smile off of his face. He twirled his lance around as he gave up on trying to contain himself.
When he heard her call for him, the smile was there to stay as he happily turned to face her. His face broke out into a massive blush, when he discovered that she was wearing the Blue Lions' sportswear and he focused was on all the exposed skin that he normally didn't get to see. He hated how childish he was for getting excited at just seeing her bare arms and legs; but then again, her breasts were much more noticeable in that outfit. Roughly he shook his head to try and chase away such thoughts.
A light touch from her and having her look up at him returned all those vile thoughts and he had to suppress a groan. He gave her a small smile to ease her worries and he became aware of all her visible scars. He was vaguely aware of them the last time he saw them, but he decided to focus on them this time.
Unconsciously he reached out and lightly touched a particularly nasty scar on her left arm, it was strange but painful looking streaks along her arm. He pressed his lips together as he recalled that that was the same arm that she injured during the monster ambush, but it didn't look like it was something a monster was capable of doing. She lightly touched his hand and he looked into her eyes.
"I got that scar because I casted a spell far above my skill level." His sights returned to the scar and he could now tell that it was a strange burn. "It no longer hurts but it is a reminder of a valuable lesson about magic that I learned that day."
"What happened?"
"Sorry, but that is a secret." He frowned. "I'm fine so there's no need to dwell on it."
His frowned remained but he nodded. His eyes scanned the rest of her exposed skin and she had so many small scars. "So many scars," he mumbled to himself.
"It comes with the job of being a mercenary." He looked at her as he wasn't expecting a response. "Do they bother you?"
"No." No amount of scar would ever be able to tarnish her beauty to him, especially when he knew she had at least one scar from protecting him. He very much liked the small smile she was giving him and he reached out to cup her cheek only to remember that they were not alone when he heard a particularly loud grunt from Felix, who was also in the training ground.
Clearing his throat, he gestured over to the training grounds. "Shall we begin?" She gave him a small nod.
Byleth took his training seriously, which he found to be both a blessing and a curse. She was not shy of getting close enough to the point where her body was pressed against his, in order to correct his stance. In those moments her warm breath would skirt across his bare skin causing a jolt to run through his body. She was making it incredibly difficult for him to focus. It was torturous but he found himself like it so much.
Dimitri was able to eventually discover, in the few times he could focus, that she was determined to break everyone out of their strict formal styles for more adaptable styles. He was finding it hard to breakout of a style that had been engraved into him for so many years. At the very least she was incredibly patient with him and he was so grateful for that for a number of reasons.
Dinner was close to starting so they finally called it quits for the day so they he could bathe before eating. It was just them as everyone had left to prepare for dinner and Felix had gotten fed up with him at some point and called it quits. He listed quietly as she listed off some points, he needed to improve upon.
With each point he nodded as he relaxed a little. He leaned his lance against him and his gripped remained lax. Her voice was so soothing that he found himself dozing off a little.
"Oh! One more thing," she said, and he perked up a little at her sudden tone change.
He barely had a chance to properly look at her before she leaned into him. He felt the light press of her lips against his cheek, but it did not register for the longest moment. Suddenly all the pieces were put together, and he broke out into a massive blush and his lance snapped into two easily at his sudden intense grip.
"Hey! Be careful! I have to pay-"
"W-why did you do that?!" His face was so hot that he was having a hard time looking at her. Her innocent head tilt she gave him, felt like a slap to the face to him. "You cannot just be doing that!"
"But Poppy-" Of course, it was Sylvain, he groaned. "He said it would be the best way to motivate you."
Dimitri groaned again as he squatted. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Why did Sylvain have to go tell Byleth that? He should have known that she would have not really thought anything of it and that just bothered him more.
"Aster, are you okay?" She kneeled down in front of him and he shook his head as he was not ready to face her. "Did I do something wrong?" He shook his head again and remained silent. He still didn't want to explain anything to her.
"I'm sorry if I upset you." Reluctantly he finally looked up at her. He felt his face warm even more when he looked into her eyes.
"I am not upset." She frowned but still kept up her concern look. He sighed. "You just cannot do that." She titled her head and he fought back a sigh. There was that naiveté that he needed to protect her from, but did he really need to protect her from Sylvain and even from himself?
"You…that…You just cannot do that to out of the blue and to anyone." The last part was something his jealously added and he wondered if he would be able to protect her from himself.
"I know. It is something that I would only do for you." His face grew even hotter.
"Only for me?" She nodded and he groaned into his hands that now covered his face. He failed. He would not be able to protect her from himself. He was far too greedy.
"You cannot do that when people are around." He was now mumbling into his hands.
"I know that." Did she really? Did she even know what that little action did to him? Did she know that he now wanted so much more? That some little kiss on the check was nothing to the depth of the desires he held?
Slowly he raised his face to look at her. He reached out and lightly cupped her check. Was she aware of what this gesture meant? How intimate it was? She often done it to him, and he was using that as an excuse to do the same to her.
Jeralt didn't need to worry about other men approaching his daughter without his permission. Dimitri was the greatest offender that the father needed to worry about. Dimitri was the one she needed the most protection from.
He dropped to his knees as he leaned closer to her. How many times had he found himself in such desirable positions with her since they were reunited? Was she even aware of how close they were? How he only needed to work up the nerve to just get a little closer and how he would be able to claim her lips?
He grabbed a few strands of her hair and brought it up to his lips. He looked into her eyes as he planted a small kiss on her hair, and he was delighted to see her cheeks warm at his gesture. As much as he wanted to kiss her lips, he knew he needed to control himself. He wasn't deserving of such a joy yet, but soon he would be. But until that day he would have to be strong, even if it frustrated him greatly.
"You should not do such a thing. Even if we are alone, okay?" he said as he let her hair fall from his fingers. She gave him that little head tilt of her. "Or I will become greedy and seek out more." Her eyes widen and she gave him a small nod. He had no idea if she truly understood what he meant but he hoped that she was at least becoming more conscious of him.
So, I am about two-thirds done with Persona so I can't guarantee if I'll have the next chapter up any time soon. Sorry, it's been so long since I have gotten into a videogame and I just love Persona. Also getting Sylvain's birthday mixed up really messed up my plans so I gotta figure all that stuff out as well.
I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!