Quick before a paper can take me away, I need to upload this!
Garland Moon 1180:
Fourteenth of the Garland Moon:
Byleth was sitting in her classroom finishing up some paperwork before lunch break ended. Her students were doing much better and she was so happy to see that. Turning them down to eat lunch with them was hard but she needed to finish that paperwork before tomorrow's meeting or who knew what kind of lecture Seteth would give her.
There was a knock on her classroom's door and when she looked up, she saw a dark-skinned teen heading over to her. "Sorry to bother you Professor," the boy said when he arrived at her desk. She didn't answer him for a moment and stared at him.
It was only when he started to squirm a little under her gaze that she realized what she was doing. "You're Almyran," she voiced her thought without realizing it and he was instantly on guard.
"Yeah," he said bitterly and glared a little. "Is that going to be a problem?"
"Oh no!" She quickly understood that her little remark was no welcomed. "I'm sorry. I really have no problem with you being Almyran. It's just you surprised me is all." While he did relax a little, it was still obvious that he was not comfortable with her. "You don't really see any Almyrians this deep into Fodlan, is what I was trying to get at."
"Yeah, Lady Rhea saved me from my old life." His whole demeanor changed when he mentioned the archbishop. "It's because of her that I can live a good life now." Byleth still didn't like the archbishop but if the holy woman really did save the boy than maybe she wasn't so terrible.
"I'm glad to hear that." He finally relaxed around her again. "What can I do for you…um…"
"Cyril."
"Cyril. Do you need me for something?"
"Oh yeah." He rummaged in his bag to pull out two envelopes. "These letters just arrived for you. I'm told that they are from some important people and was asked to deliver them to you as soon as possible."
He handed her the letters and across the envelops was her name elegantly written. She felt like she should recognize the hand writings but most of her students had such beautiful penmanship that she wouldn't be able to tell their writings apart, let alone handwriting from some distant person. Still, now that she was seeing Claude every day, she couldn't think of anyone, who would write to her, let alone knew that she was staying at Garreg Mach.
"Professor?" She looked up at Cyril, who was watching her carefully. "Does it really not bother you that I am Almyran?"
She set her letters aside so that she could rest her head on her hands. "I'll let you in on a little secret." She smiled when she saw him lean a little closer to her. "Two of my favorite people are Almyran." His eyes widen a bit and he smiled.
"You know, Lady Rhea said you were a kind lady." Her smile became a bit strained. "And I believe her now." That was nice to hear at least. "I should get going now. I'll see ya later." He waved goodbye as he ran out of the room.
She sat back in her chair and looked up at the roof. She honestly didn't know what to make of the archbishop. She was angry at the woman for sending her students to early into battle and her unvoiced expectations was still nerve racking but if the archbishop was really willing to take in an Almyrian with no issue than maybe there was more to the archbishop that Byleth needed to acknowledge. Though she wasn't completely ready to give the woman a pass for the bandit issue.
Dropping her gaze to the classroom's entrance, she wondered if Claude was aware of Cyril. Her mind danced with the idea if she should ask him or not. He made it perfectly clear that he wanted to keep his identity a secret but would he like seeing another Almyran? Byleth imagined she would like to see another Fodlan person if she were alone in foreign land.
She didn't dwell on that though for long as she turned her sights onto the two envelops. When she saw the wax seals on the back of them, her eyes widen, and she instantly understood why they were rushed to her. One letter was from Duke Riegan and the other was from someone from House Blaiddyd, and since Dimitri had no reason to be mailing her a letter it could only have come from one other person.
Holding the Blaiddyd envelop at arm's length, she stared at it as if it would tell her all she needed to know without reading the letter. She pressed her lips together as she continued to keep the letter a bay. She wasn't ready to read it and discover what disappointment it held within.
With a sigh she decided to put that letter on hold for the moment to read Duke Riegan's letter first. As soon as she opened the envelope she was hit with the scents of spices, instantly reminding her of her brief stay at Riegan Manor. She smiled as she recalled how much Riegans love spices and made a note to buy some Almyran Pine Needles tea the next time she was in town so that she could have a nice tea party with Claude.
[[ Dear Miss Alexandre or is it Miss Eisner? ]]
It was just at that moment that Byleth realized she never gave anyone in the Alliance (besides Claude) her real name. She was going to have to fix that. Luckily, she only had a select few people that would probably like to know her real name.
[[ If your name is truly Byleth Eisner than there is no need for you to apologize for giving me a false name, I understand why you did it. I do hope that you will share your real name with me some time. I never did believe the rumors that came out of the Kingdom that surrounded you. The rumors always did sound like some attempt to separate the young prince of Faerghus from his commoner friend. After meeting you I have come to believe that there is no credibility to those rumors as you are not someone capable of doing such a thing.
You must be surprised to receive a letter from me, my grandson had always informed me of how everything was going in your life and so I did not feel the need to write you a letter but now that he is away, I guess it now falls on me to write you a letter, not that I mind. While this letter is meant to determine if you are well or not that is not its main purpose that is because I wish to show you my immense appreciation for once again saving my grandson. When you have the time, I would like to invite you to return to Derdriu so that I can properly show you my appreciation. It seems my family will always owe you a great debt and though I do no like being in debt to anyone, you are someone I can make an exception for.
My grandson has told me that you have become a professor at Garreg Mach. Though, I have never witnessed your skills for myself, I did hear a great many things about them from several different people on my staff. It is a shame that the Alliance will no longer benefit from those skills, but if you ever so wish to return, do know that I will gladly give you your old job back.
Well Miss Alexandre, I do hope my letter finds you in good health. When you do have some time to spare, I do hope that you will decide to pay Derdriu another visit. I do wish to see you again. Be well.
Sincerely,
Oswald von Riegan ]]
She smiled as she put the letter down. Duke Riegan, wasn't a very expressive man, and in the beginning, she thought he might have hatred her until she realized that wasn't the case. He was very different from King Lambert, who easily showed off his feelings and was quick to give his affection. She was pleased to learn that the Duke didn't just tolerate her but actually liked her.
She basked in the good feeling for a bit before she resigned herself to reading the other letter. She stared at the seal for the longest time, in an attempt to distract herself from having to read the letter and to enjoy a pleasant memory. Her fingers ran over the seal, feeling all the sharp lines of the Crest of Blaiddyd. She first saw the crest on the back of King Lambert's hand and back then it meant nothing to her but now it brought so many emotions. With a final deep breath, she opened the letter and was greeted with no pleasant scents; no fanfare, just a plain old letter, just like she expected.
[[ Dear Miss Eisner, ]]
She paused to sigh; she really didn't want to keep reading.
[[ Tales of you saving my nephew and becoming the professor of his class has reached my ears. I will state this now, I do not see you violating our deal. With the exception of the one letter, you have been faithful to the deal for the last four years. I will concede that it is the will of fate that you and my nephew are meant to be together. As I do not know how to describe the happenstances that led you to meeting Duke Fraldarius in Derdriu or saving my nephew from some bandits. Since you now work for the church, the only entity in all of Fodlan, that can give you permission to enter the kingdom despite a royal decree, maybe that too is the will of the goddess and if so I shall not fight it. I will let you know that I never did am offical royal decree exiling you from the Kingdom that was just between you, me, and the few people that Duke Fraldarius shared with. If the church sends you on a mission to the Kingdom, by some chance, you should have no problems entering.
I know I was cruel with my judgement to separate you two, but I standby it. You two live in completely different worlds. My nephew's world is vicious and inhuman. You are a sweet woman who is willing to sacrifice yourself just for the sake of making someone else happy. An admirable trait, if also not a foolish one, my nephew's world would eat you alive with no hesitation. But you already know that do you not? I did what I did to try and protect you, but it seems I have failed, and I will accept my defeat.
I will no longer intervene in whatever you and my nephew wish to do. I just hope you two will think things through before you two foolishly rush in. Be well, Miss Eisner. I do hope that fate is not too cruel to you, and tramples over you in its regard to keep you and my nephew close.
Sincerely,
Rufus Bain Blaiddyd ]]
She placed the letter on the desk and stared at it. She wasn't sure what to make of it. A part of her wasn't surprised by the contents of the letter at all, as he had never really been outright antagonistic against her but still…A frown plastered itself onto her face as she stared down at the letter. She wasn't sure why, but she felt terrible for disappointing Lord Rufus; she didn't plan for all of it to happened, it just did; like it was the will of fate like he said.
Claude's voice broke through the still of the classroom and when she looked up, she could barely see him standing outside. She grabbed the Duke's letter to show him. When she stepped out and discovered that Dimitri was with him, she was pleased to see them getting along. Dimitri was quickly at her side when he noticed her.
"Heya By," Claude greeted and Byleth tapped the Duke's letter against his head. "What is this?" He took the letter and smiled upon looking at it. "I should have expected Gramps to write you a letter. He always asked about you whenever I received a letter from you."
"He wants me to visit Derdriu," she said. "He says he needs to show me his proper thanks for saving you again." She nudged him lightly and he nudged back. "I wonder what my reward will be."
"Maybe Gramps wants to offer you my hand in marriage."
"What?!" Dimitri shouted as he looked at Byleth, who was pretending to be deep in thought. "By, you cannot be seriously of thinking marring Claude, can you?"
"I guess you would make an alright reward," she said and was still "inspecting" Claude. "I would prefer something better."
"Ah, rude!" The Alliance heir mocked hurt. "I am the best prize across this land, I will have you know!"
"You are not serious By, are you?" Dimitri asked but she continued to ignore him.
"I feel like you must do something to deserve my hand in marriage. Seems a bit unfair that I do all the work and you get to marry me," she said. She rested her weight on one side as she continued to "inspect" Claude. "You must defeat me in battle if you wish to marry me."
"What?!" both Claude and Dimitri shouted in unison.
"That, I believe, would be the most annoying task for you." Claude made a face at her.
"Then you are staying single forever." She laughed and he soon joined in.
"Is-Is that all that is really needed for you to marry someone that asks you?" Dimitri asked quietly and she finally turned to address him.
"No, just for Meadow because I know it will annoy him."
"Rude!" Claude chimed in with a laugh.
Dimitri fidgeted by her side with a small pout. She patted his head in hopes of calming him, but it seemed to only upset him more. With a small shake of her head she decided to not pursue his issue anymore and focus on Claude instead, who was watching them with a curious smirk.
"You told Duke Riegan my real name?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Yeah, sorry I kind of forgot in my excitement," Claude said as he threw his hands behind his head. "I do not think Gramps minds that you used a fake name, though."
"You gave the Sovereign Duke of the Alliance a fake name?" Dimitri asked and it seemed curiosity got the better of his sour mood.
"Yup, she went and called herself Byleth Alexandre." Dimitri's face broke out into a blush as Claude leaned towards the taller man with a smirk. "I always did wonder where she got that name from." He nudged the prince, who refused to look at him. "Well, I will leave you two alone as I should see if my teach needs me before class."
Byleth watched as Claude left. When he ducked into his classroom, she entered hers and nearly forgot about Dimitri with how quiet he was. She stood in the doorway for a few seconds before he got the hint to come inside.
"So, um…," he quietly mumbled as he followed her to her desk. "Do-do you not like the name Blaiddyd?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Y-you used my middle name instead of my last name." His face was red as he mumbled the final parts while looking at the floor.
"Of course, I couldn't call myself a Blaiddyd, now could I? I was trying not to draw attention to myself with a fake name." She sat at her desk watching the squirming teen, in front of it.
"Oh yes. T-that makes sense." She could tell that he said that more to himself than her.
"Besides, why would I want to call myself by such a difficult name like Blaidid?"
"Blaiddyd!" he shouted with a little foot stomp and she broke out laughing.
"You easily fell into that old gag." He joined in her laughing fit.
It took a few seconds for them to settle themselves. Dimitri had seemed to be in a better mood and she almost didn't want to ruin it. Sitting back in her chair she eyed Lord Rufus' letter.
"Duke Riegan isn't the only one who sent me a letter."
"Oh? Did you make another friend in the Alliance?" She shook her head and held up the envelope that Lord Rufus' letter came in and instantly Dimitri's whole demeanor darkened. "And what did my uncle say?"
"He said that he is going to stop trying to separate us." The look in his eyes, told her that he didn't believe her, so she handed him the letter. His eyes widen slightly but his expression remained dark after he finished it. "How did he know it was the Jeralt Mercenaries that rescued you and that I became your teacher?"
"That is because I told him in a letter." She arched an eyebrow, and he sighed. "I knew he would have found out eventually so I thought it would be best that I was the one to tell him." He crumped up her letter and she gave him a small glare for destroying her property, but she said nothing.
"What should I write to him?"
"Nothing!" There was a lot more venom in his tone than she liked. "You do not need to write my uncle anything."
"Are you telling me to not write back to a nation's leader? Wouldn't it be seen as rude on my part?"
"My uncle does not need to be shown such respect. Not from you of all people! He is undeserving!" She stared at him for a moment as he glared at the floor as if it there was some unseen enemy. It was a bit hard for her to accept that the once peaceful boy that loved his family so dearly was capable of having such hatred towards his last living family member. "I will write him a letter, so you do not need to worry about it."
She would admit she wasn't really fond of Lord Rufus. The separation was cruel, but she understood why he did it. He did protect her in away. She didn't want to think what the nobles would have said and done to her if she were to have returned.
"I don't think Lord Rufus is such a terrible man." He was one of the few Kingdom nobles that treated her with some respect. And, she glanced at the crumbled letter in Dimitri's hand, she believed that he was truly trying to protect her.
"For two years I had to believe that I killed you because of his stupid rule!" Dimitri's voice rang out in the empty classroom and she feared that Professor Hanneman and Claude heard him. His body began to tremble, and the letter was crumbled even more in his tightly balled fists. She got up to quickly rush to his side. "I had to go four years without ever having hope of seeing you again because of him!"
She reached out and cupped his face and he allowed her to guide him to look at her. "Yes, but I am here now. I will never leave your side again!"
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The letter slipped from his hands as he grabbed hers and pulled them down to rest in between them. He leaned closer to rest his forehead against her and opened his eyes to stare into hers. She stared back into his blue eyes and saw a bit of the darkness in them recced.
"Yes, yes you are," he whispered so softly. "And for that I am forever grateful."
That night Byleth sat at the desk in her room, staring at her letters. She was going to write to Duke Riegan no matter what, especially after Claude had told her he would appreciate one. Her problem was what to do about Lord Rufus' letter. She wanted to send him one, but Dimitri was completely against it. He refused to acknowledge any of the points she made about Lord Rufus possibly being a decent guy. She couldn't blame Dimitri though, if she went two years believing she had killed him because of Lord Rufus than she was sure she would feel the exact same way.
With a deep sigh she pulled out some parchment and ink. Dimitri might be against it, but she decided she was going to send the letter regardless. It was the least she could do for one of the very few Kingdom nobles that treated her with respect.
[[ Dear Lord Rufus, ]]
Or should she refer to him as King Regent? That was so unlike her to use a title unless she was directed to do so. She didn't use it when she spoke to him that one time but that was under a very strenuous situation where she was barely aware of what was going on. In the end she decided to leave it as is.
[[ I never planned for all of this to happen so maybe this was the will of the goddess like you said. I am sorry if I disappointed you for taking the job. I truly never planned for any of this. I never once imagined that I would be stepping foot in Garreg Mach, let alone being a teacher there and a teacher to my friends no less. I did not choose to teach the Blue Lions; I was assigned to it as it was the only class that didn't have a professor when I joined. But I will not lie, if I were to be given a choice, I would have chosen the Blue Lions. I am sorry.
I will not hide my feelings from you, I do greatly resent you for separating me from Dimitri and my other friends but now that I am older I believe I can understand why you did it. Before the Tragedy, before everything went to hell, I had started to believe that maybe I did not belong in Dimitri's world. That maybe our friendship was wrong and that it possibly should not have happened. But in the four years that we were separated I have decided that I will face his world head on, if it means I can continue to be his friend and stand by his side. My friends mean so much to me that I do not know if I want to live in a world where I could not continue to be their friend. I am probably being incredibly selfish in that regard, but I do not care as this is what I want!
Though I resent you, I do not hold any ill will towards you. I cannot begin to imagine how much stress you must have had to endure every day since the Tragedy. To not only lose your brother, but to also take care of your traumatized nephew, as well as being suddenly thrust as the leader of a nation and having to keep it from collapsing, I don't think there are enough words that could even come close to describing the level of stress you must have suffered under everything. I am sorry. My presence must have only added to your suffering.
I wish you all the best. I hope the situation in the Kingdom can get better now that Dimitri is close to coming of age. Again, I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused you. And I thank you for trying to protect me.
Sincerely,
Byleth Eisner ]]
She stared down at her letter unsure if it was enough. Enough for what though? Expressing her frustration? But she wasn't really frustrated with Lord Rufus anymore. She didn't know if that was because she was now with her friends or because she understood where he was coming from. So, was her issue being that she didn't apologize enough? Sure, she understood why he did it, but she also believed that he was a little to strict with it. Was it so terrible that she couldn't exchange letters with her friends?
With a heavy sigh she sealed the letter in an envelope so that she couldn't make any changes to it. She knew she wasn't going to be satisfied with it no matter what. She just felt too many conflicting thoughts and emotions towards that man. Maybe Dimitri was right. Maybe she shouldn't have written that letter. No matter, she already wrote it, so she was going to send it. Lord Rufus can make of whatever he wants with the letter for all she cared.
Fifteenth of the Garland Moon:
"Professor! Professor!" Annette shouted as she and Mercedes rushed towards Byleth, who had just got out of a faculty meeting.
"Do you need me for something?" Byleth asked. She very much wanted some time to herself at that moment. She had no idea that Professor Hanneman and Professor Manuela could argue so much, especially about useless stuff too. And then Seteth started lecturing them about it making the meeting even longer. And for some reason he started lecturing her about it as well, despite her remaining quiet throughout the whole ordeal. She was ready for some peace and quiet but oh well, Annette's smiling face was hard to deny, especially after her weeklong depression from the mission.
The two women held up their arms that where filled with white flowers. The professor stared at the flowers for a moment before looking at the women, seeking an explanation. The two girls exchanged looks before looking back at their professor.
"It is the Garland Moon," Annette said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was. Byleth gave her students a nod as her prompt for more information. Annette looked to Mercedes for help.
"Since we all have been having a hard time since the last mission we thought it might be nice to make everyone garlands and hopefully that will cheer everyone up some more," Mercedes explained and understanding flashed over the professor's features. She was vaguely aware of the tradition that happened during that Moon though she never had a chance to participate. The only chance she had was with Claude but that had been one chaotic month that it passed by before she even realized it.
"That's nice. You two have fun then. I'm sure everyone will love your garlands," Byleth said with a little nod.
"You have to help too Professor!" Annette said and Byleth gave her a look. "I am sure Prince Dimitri would just love to receive one from you!" Would he? Wasn't this a tradition that kids participated in? Sure, she could easily picture a younger Dimitri demanding one, but would his current self really want one?
"There is more to this tradition than kids giving one to their friends," Sothis explained with that little knowing smirk that Byleth was beginning to hate. Was there? She couldn't remember there being one but then again it had been years since she last thought about that tradition. She waited for an explanation from Sothis that never came but she did imagine the girl's smirk growing. "I am sure the little prince would just LOVE to receive one from you."
Byleth had her doubts but it seemed like Annette and Mercedes really wanted her to come and she couldn't say know to their hopeful eyes. After dropping off her work in her room, Byleth joined Annette and Mercedes in the courtyard, in front of the classrooms, making the garlands. For some reason doing it in such a busy area made her self-conscious.
She glared at her ugly garland. Sure, arts and crafts were not her thing, but she wasn't terrible at them either, she was able to do some intricate details on leathers so why was she so bad at weaving flowers together? She glanced at Annette and Mercedes and they both had just started their third one and all of theirs looked so nice. Byleth didn't want to give hers to anyone.
"Oh, you finally finished?" Mercedes asked and the professor was tempted to hide hers behind her back. "It looks nice." Byleth made a face but said nothing.
Biting back a sigh Byleth reached out for some more flowers, only for Annette to sudden jump up, stopping her. "Professor, what are you doing?!" Annette shouted and Byleth froze. Did she do something wrong? Was there an etiquette to this tradition? She could feel Sothis snickering in the back of the mind and it wasn't helping.
"Making another one?" Byleth said slowly and unsure.
"Why are you doing that?!"
"Because we are making them for the whole class, right?"
Annette made some unintelligent noises and weird gestures before looking at Mercedes. With her ever present calm smile, the healer said, "Professor, why don't you give yours to Prince Dimitri." Annette butted in with a loud "yeah". "We will finish up the rest and distribute them for you."
"Is mine really that bad that you don't want me to help anymore?" Byleth asked with a pout. She knew she was being childish, but she just couldn't help herself.
"Oh no! Yours looks nice, honest! It is just…um…Mercie help!" Annette cried as she latched onto her friend's arm.
"We know that you are busy Professor and we appreciate you indulging us with this, but we don't wish to take up anymore of your time." Okay, Byleth could accept that but why did she have to give hers to Dimitri, specifically? "As for why Prince Dimitri, he would be the one most to appreciative to receive one from you." Again, Annette butted in with a loud "yeah". Byleth still had her doubt but she decided to not argue with them.
"What are you guys up too?" asked a familiar voice and Byleth turned to see Claude with a large smile on her face. It had been some time since she got to spend time with him that didn't involve her stress or anxiety.
Wrapped around his neck were several white garlands that looked way nicer than hers. On top of his head was an especially nice one that had small more colorful flowers mixed in, it almost looked like a crown and she found it oddly fitting for him. She could easily see him being a fairy prince or something. She became more self-conscious of hers as she gripped it slightly tighter.
"Making garlands, I see." He looked down at the one, in her hand, and she wished she hide it. "Who are you going to give it too?" He gave her a little knowing smirk and she frowned a little. "His kingliness by chance, hm?" Of course, she would give it to Dimitri, shouldn't that have already been obvious? But why did no one seem to expect for her to not give it to others? She had more friends than Dimitri!
She held up hers towards Claude and he looked at it with wide eyes. Her frown turned into a scowl. Of course, she was going to give him one! He was one of her precious friends!
"Professor no!" Annette screamed and everyone looked at her. "Um, I mean…um…"
"I do not need it," Claude said, and everyone's focus was on him. "As you can see, I have a few. Maybe you should give it to someone, who does not have any?"
"Like Prince Dimitri!" added Annette, and Claude sighed before nodding.
"Like his kingliness." Her frown remained but she decided to just keep quiet.
"Claude!" a female voice called out as its owner rushed over.
"Hilda," Claude said as he turned slightly to address her. "What brings you here?"
"You!" she said before she looked at the others. When she laid eyes on Byleth her eyes widen for a moment before a mischievous glint filled them. "Professor Eisner! Or should I say Professor Alexandre since I do not see a ring on your finger."
Claude gave Byleth a sympathetic look. Hilda had been the one that Byleth most needed to let know most about the lie. The girl had even sent Byleth a few letters and the older woman had felt bad after that for lying but Byleth didn't know if was okay to tell her in a letter or not; so she opted to not say anything as she always believed that she would see Hilda again and would explain the situation in person.
"About that I'm sorry for lying to you about my name. There is a terrible rumor about me in the Kingdom and I didn't know if it was going to be okay to share my name or not as I didn't want to hurt Meadow's reputation," Byleth sheepishly explained hoping that no one would seek out a further explanation.
"You are Prince Dimitri's mistress?!" Annette shouted and then swiftly covered her mouth as soon as she was done. Instantly Byleth was bright red, while Annette was sporting her own little blush and was looking down. "I am sorry. Your name has always sounded so familiar and now I know why…"
All eyes were on Byleth and she wanted to crawl under a rock and die. She really didn't want to explain that to anyone, especially in not such a public place. Her head shot up as she looked around and was grateful to discovered that it was just them at the moment. If no one else heard that would just be downright wonderful and a small blessing in this little nightmare that she found herself in.
She groaned loudly. She really, REALLY didn't want to explain that of all things. Could she use Sothis' power to get out of it? The girl, in her head, shook her own head no and Byleth groaned again. What good was that power then? She felt Sothis' glare.
"I guess I should explain my strange situation with Dimitri," she started off with a sigh. "When I was ten, my father accepted a contract in Fhirdiad to help defend the citizens from Giant Wolves during the winters. From there I met a seven-year-old Dimitri, who was very lonely. He was the only kid in the castle, so he was desperate for friends." She made sure to emphasize their ages, in hopes of having everyone truly understand why being called a mistress not only bothered her but creeped her out as well (once she knew what a mistress was). "He clung to me and would ditch his classes to play with me. Soon, I was forced to attend the classes with him, just so he would go."
"Oh, so that is what you meant," Claude interrupted, and it took her a second to understand what he meant, and she nodded when she did.
"For the next five years every winter my father's mercenary company would accept the contract and I would live in Fhirdiad and eventually I would come to stay in the castle for a few months throughout the year. During those years Dimitri would cling to me and I, a lowly commoner, was given special treatment because of it. Many of the nobles didn't like it and started to spread the rumor that King Lambert was grooming Dimitri's mistress."
She took a small break as she could already feel her blood boiling because of the next explanation. "When I was fifteen the Tragedy of Duscur happened." There was a small pause as the mood dropped at the mention of that event. "Some nobles that didn't like me having such an "influence" on Dimitri used that as an excuse to spread a rumor that I had helped to orchestrate the Tragedy because I had grown impatient waiting for power."
She gripped her arms in an attempt to reign control of her anger. "I loved King Lambert, Lady Patricia, and Glenn. I would never do such a thing!" she mumbled out that last part and folded in over herself as she became overwhelmed.
She felt a hand rub her back and when she looked up, she saw that it was Claude and his expression didn't make her feel any better. She gave him a small smile as she slowly uncurled herself. Taking a deep breath, she was back in control, somewhat.
"I was driven out of the Kingdom because of that rumor and I was not allowed to see or have any contact with my friends."
"What?!" Annette shouted and it went ignored.
"I didn't know if the rumor had spread to the Alliance or not." She was now focusing exclusively on Claude and Hilda. "I was afraid that the rumor could damage your reputation and I couldn't have that. So, I used the fake name. I'm sorry for lying to you."
Hilda's hands covered her mouth and her eyes were misty. She shook her head and no sound escaped her. Byleth didn't want to upset the pink haired girl but at the same time she felt good to see that reaction. To know that an outsider was on her side.
"By," Claude's voice was quiet at first before it became fierce, "that, that is so abhorrent! Are the Kingdom's nobles really that vile?!" He glared daggers at the ground and his fits were tightly clenched.
She said nothing for a long moment. She didn't know what to say. Glancing at her students she discovered that Mercedes was comforting Annette, who was offering apologies for things that Byleth didn't blame her for.
"That is all in the past," she finally said, and once again commanded everyone's attention. "I much rather focus on the present, especially now that I can be with all my friends."
"But still!" Claude shouted and she gave him a small smile.
"I appreciate the thought, but we have no way to change the past." Sothis whispered a small apology but Byelth just brushed it off with a small shake of her head. "Lets just focus on a bright future."
It was clear that that wasn't enough to dissipate Claude's anger, but she didn't know what else to say. Glancing at the garland that had fallen onto her lap she decided on what she needed to do. Getting onto her feet, she was very much aware that the mood wasn't really going to change with her around.
"I'm going to give this to Dimitri." She held up the garland to bring everyone's attention to it.
"I'm sure, he will like it very much," Mercedes said remaining the calm that everyone needed. Byleth gave her a small nod and left, hoping that with her gone everyone's mood will lift.
Even though she said she would give her garland to Dimitri, she didn't want too. She just wanted to go to her room and avoid everyone. But she knew if she didn't, she was probably going to hurt her students' feelings. However, she wasn't really in the mood to see anyone, so she cut through the gardens to try and avoid the busier areas and be potentially stopped by someone.
"Heya By!" someone called for her as she tried to slip past the gardens unseen and she bit back a sigh.
After she was sure her expression was neutral, she looked up to see it was Sylvain, who called her and was now walking towards her. He had a near ridiculous number of garlands wrapped around his neck. Her eyes were fixated on the garlands. Why did he have so many? Wasn't it just a traditions kids liked to do? She could understand why Claude had some, he was a bit childish, and that could spark someone to make him one but Sylvain?
"Is that for His Highness?" Sylvain asked with a little grin that bothered her a little. Again, with Dimitri. Why did she have to give hers to Dimitri?
She held up the garland to him. "Do you want it?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"Nope, you should give that to His Highness." She frowned but kept quiet. "He is in the training ground I bet he is waiting for you."
Why? She decided to not ask and gave him a nod before leaving. As soon as she gave it to Dimitri the sooner, she could go hide in her room and be done with the tradition.
Just as Sylvain said, she found Dimitri in the training grounds along with Dedue and some unknown female student. She was handing Dimitri a garland, to add to his already several ones. Again? Maybe there was more to this tradition that she was forgetting about and maybe she should try and remember. She sensed Sothis' knowing smirk and decided to just forget about it and remain ignorant.
Having given her garland the female student dashed out the grounds with a happy blush on her face. Byleth watched the student leave for a bit before turning to look back at Dimitri, who seemed to be struggling with what to do with all of his. All the ones he had were nice and pretty, unlike her clumsy mess of one. Now she really didn't want to give it to him. Besides, didn't Claude tell her to give it to someone who didn't have any?
Before she could leave, he spotted her, and she bit back a sigh. He cheerfully called out to her, while Dedue had retreated further into the room. She didn't have time to dwell on why Dedue wasn't joining them before Dimitri was upon her.
"What brings you here?" he asked. He glanced at the garland in her hand before snapping his eyes back to her. He didn't comment on the garland but there was a little hopeful glint in his eyes that Byleth found adorable.
"I was just walk around and decided to stop by the training ground." She didn't know why she said the little lie, but the flash of emotions in Dimitri's eyes had her wanting to continue with it. As she watched him struggling to keep his eyes on her face and his hands fidgeting at his side, she realized that she had felt a lot better now. Even after all the years of knowing of him, she was still none the wiser as to why Dimitri always made her feel better and she was done trying to understand at that point.
"Oh," he simply said. Once again, his eyes dropped to the garland before snapping right back to her face. He was now bouncing on the balls of his feet and she could no longer help herself, she needed to tease him.
"How's training going?"
He hummed a little and it was clear to her that was not what he was expecting her to say. She struggled to keep herself from snickering. For the hell of it she folded her arms across her chest, bringing the garland a little higher up.
"It is going okay," he finally said after a few seconds. His eyes lingered on the now slightly closer garland for a moment. "I keep getting interrupted though."
"Oh. I am sorry for disturbing you then. I shall take my leave." She turned slightly to add to her bluff.
"No! You are never a bother! Please do not leave!" She had to hide her escaped laugh as a cough. She turned back to him and now his gaze was constantly darting between her face and the garland.
"Oh, do you want me to help with training then?"
"Yes! I mean no! By!" he whined her name, completely forgetting where he was, and she burst out laughing. Grumbling, he covered his face with his hands.
"What is it?" she asked and was struggling to hold back her laughter. He mumbled something she honestly couldn't hear. "What was that?" He mumbled it again and again his hands muffled it. "I honestly can't you when you speak into your hands."
With a little whine he finally pulled his hands away. His face was as red as a tomato and he wasn't looking at her. He mumbled about the garland and she could see his hands twitching with the desire to cover his face.
She held up the garland, but he didn't look at it. "What about it?" He made a little whine. Laughing she wrapped it around his neck and somehow his face turned even redder.
"Are-are you sure you want to give it to me?" he asked as he finally looked at her.
"Of course. I made it with you in mind." His blush now extended to his ears and neck. That was true. Despite her getting annoyed at everyone trying to force her to give it to him, she had always planned to give him one.
He mumbled his appreciation but the large smile he wore was infectious. Despite her earlier annoyance she was glad she gave it to him. Any of her earlier despair was completely gone, under his bright smile and radiating mood and she found her desire to hide away was long gone.
He twirled one of the ends of the garland between his fingers and slightly buried his face into all the garlands around his neck. She had to fight back at a laugh, it was clear to her that he wanted to ask something else. He was terrible at hiding his emotions and she enjoyed that.
"Miss Oblivious is now allowed to think that," Sothis interrupted and Byleth frowned for a second. "Until you can actually see what is obviously in front of you, you cannot enjoy how much of an open book the little prince is."
Byleth didn't know what Sothis meant by that and she decided she wasn't going to humor the little voice in her head. Smiling, she decided to just focus on Dimitri. "What is it?" she asked, and he tried to bury his face further into his garlands.
"D-did you give anyone one else a garland?" he asked into the flowers and she nearly didn't hear him. She shook her head no and that seemed to give him a bit of confidence as he came out of his hiding a little. "T-then are you going to give anyone else one?" She wanted too but she was sure if she tried someone would just try and stop her, so she decided that she would give up on that. She shook her head no and he was once again being positively radiant with a giant smile on his face. If it truly made him that happy that she wasn't going to give anyone else one, then she could be okay with just making the one.
The pleasant moment came to an end when another female student interrupted them. The student asked to speak to the prince alone so Byleth decided to check on Dedue in the meantime. Or at least that was what she had planned to do so but she found her focus entirely on the two students from inside that training grounds.
A bitter feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched the girl show off her garland to Dimitri. Why should Byleth care if Dimitri was getting another one? He was clearly excited to be getting one from her so maybe he wanted a lot, then it should be a good thing that the girl was giving him one, right? So, why did it bother her so much? The other student gave him one and it didn't really bother her, nor the idea that several other girls had given him one; actually, that was starting to bother her a little.
Was it because of how close the girl stood next to him? Did she know nothing of personal space? As if Byleth was one to talk but she blamed Dimitri for that, he had been clinging to her ever since they first met. When the student tired to wrap her garland around Dimitri's neck a sour taste invaded Byleth's mouth. The professor was able to take in some comfort that he had stopped the girl at the very least, but he did accept her garland, much to Byleth's unexplained annoyane.
"Jealous?" Sothis asked with her dumb smirk, and Byleth didn't even bother to dignify the voice in her head with a response. Because why should she be jealous? Sothis didn't help with the bitterness that still dwelled within Byleth.
With a new garland in hand Dimitri walked over to her. He continued to hold the garland instead of wrapping it around his neck like with all the others. Why was that one being treated differently? Why did she care? She could feel Sothis little smirk growing and Byleth was grateful that she couldn't actually see it.
"Someone is popular," Byleth said with a bitterness she wasn't expecting. Dimitri's eyes widen for a moment before he reflected the smirk that she knew Sothis would be exhibiting if she was in front of Byleth right then.
"By, are you jealous?" he asked, and she gave him a small glare.
"Of what?" She snapped quickly and she wondered if she had been sparing too much with Felix because of how fast and challenging her tone had been.
Her remark didn't seem to bother him as his smirk grew. Wordless he removed her garland to wrap the new one in its place. She clenched her fists tightly not sure of what to make of it. Still maintain his little smirk he then wrapped hers around his neck.
"I want my favorite one on top."
"Why? It's much uglier compared to all the others." There was still a slight bitterness to her tone.
He learned towards her and he still had his smirk. The smirk no longer annoyed her as it was having a new affect on her and she believed it was because of the new look in his eyes. An excited feeling now bubbled within her and her hands clutched her clothes because she was afraid of what she would do with them and to him, when he was so close.
"Because it is the only one, I wanted," he whispered in a tone that had sent a slight shiver down her spine in a delightful way. Unable to find her voice she could only give him a small nod as she as stared into his eyes. That look in his eyes did something to her. She didn't know what, but she liked it. She felt helpless to it and she was okay with that. He could ask her to do anything when he looked at her like that…Apart of her wished he would ask her to do something, but he never did.
I fear that the Garland Moon is going to be longer than I expected. These two little moments I had not expected for them to be so long. Oh well, I ended up really liking them and I hope you did too.
A little warning that the next chapter will probably be delayed as it is midterms time and because of online classes I just have 8-page papers to write instead. Don't major in political science, kids.
I have now filled two different notebooks and then some with this story and I'm barely in the begging of part two. We are going to be in for a long ride, guys. A LONG RIDE. This story has officially become the longest thing I have ever written, and it will probably remain the longest thing. I hope you all are enjoying what I have written so far.