A/N: Thank you to everyone that wished me well. I would like to say that I am doing a lot better, but I still have one major issue looming over my head so bear with me on the sparce updates.
On a more positive note, I think I finally got over my writer's block as such of this chapter came easy to me, though the second half gave me a bit difficulty.
Blue Sea Moon 1180:
Twenty-first of the Blue Sea Moon:
Thanks to the attack Jeralt had pushed the group to keep traveling and so they arrived at Garreg Mach a night sooner. Byleth felt a bitter sweetness to be back in Garreg Mach. On the one hand she knew she would be safe but on the other she felt like she had returned to the lion's den. She hid her discomfort behind her blank expression in an attempt to at least bring some comfort to Ashe and her father that were still on edge.
Jeralt took over the duties of alerting the church officials of their return so that she could escort Ashe to his room. Despite his alarm and concern Byleth managed to get the boy to promise that he would never mention the ambush. Though he promised, the look in his eyes were hesitant and so she wouldn't be surprised if he did tell someone; she could at least tell that he would only do so out of genuine concern for her.
It took a bit of assurance to convince the boy that she was alright and that he could go into his room. While he needed his own assurance, Byleth needed her own and it made it difficult to hold herself back when the door closed. She didn't care about what had happened to her, she had already gotten used to it, but seeing those she cared for die, was something that greatly troubled her and that she hoped she would never get used too. Sothis' power was a blessing, and the former mercenary was sure many would agree if they knew about it but to her it was also a curse as it didn't allow her to escape from the nightmares. At night when she would awaken from such a fright, she would darkly wonder if maybe it would be best if they had died so that she could move on, though she would quickly admit that was something she didn't want.
She stared at Ashes' door for a few more seconds, still not ready to leave. Ashe's second death was still fresh in her mind, and so she knew sleep would be avoiding her; or was it her that was avoiding it? Either way, she wasn't ready to return to her room. Slowly her gaze drifted upwards to stare at the second story and discovered that there were still a few rooms with some light on, and one held a particular interest for her. Before she realized what she was doing, she had already started walking towards the stairs that led to the second floor.
The night was quiet, but it brought some comfort as she walked down the hall. As she passed Claude's room, she had thought about stopping to let him know she was back, but quickly decided against it as she wanted to see Dimitri as soon as possible. The strong desire to see the prince wasn't just for her peace of mind but because she wanted to act upon her father's and Sothis' advice as soon as possible.
It didn't take her long to arrive at Dimitri's room. All the pain and frustration that her little trip to Castle Rowe built up melted away at the thought of returning things to the way they used to be with her childhood friend. Her fingers itched with anticipation and she wasted no time on knocking.
He was slow to open the door and she was a bit worried that she had awoken him, but still her excitement had her unable to stop herself. She felt a calming warmth spread in her chest as she stared into blue eyes. A little smile grew on her face as those eyes, she loved so much, focused on her.
"By…leth?" Dimitri quietly mumbled and she gave him a small nod. Nothing else was said by the prince as he stared at her. She wasn't daunted and was simply happy that he was looking at her.
"May I come in?" she finally asked, and it seemed to have taken him a second to register what she said before he slowly stepped aside and the confusion still never left his face.
The smile momentarily left her face when she saw the state of his room. As far as messes went she had seen far worse (nothing would ever beat Claude's room back at Riegan Manor) and yet to see any disorder from the prince's things was surprising but she quickly realized that she should have expected that. Her little smile returned as she turned around to face him.
The shock that had held him captive earlier was gone as he now looked away from her with the frown that she had become accustomed to as of late. Her smile became strained, but she didn't allow it to vanish. Doing her best to hide her feeling she walked over to him, but he never looked at her or even in her direction.
She stood before him and yet he continued to refuse to look at her. Her smile became even more difficult to maintain but she did not faulter. The air around the prince felt heavy and she struggled with what she should do next.
Byleth reached out to touch him but her arm didn't make it far before it fell back to her side. She stared at him, hoping that he would look at her or at least make some sort of gesture acknowledging her, but he never did. Her father's words echoed in her mind and with a deep breath she found her resolve.
"Aster," she called softly. While he did not respond, he did flinch a little, to which she ignored. Unsure of how to continue she looked up at him as if the answer would just magically appear for her.
Biting her lower lip her fingers gripped the sides of her pants as she struggled with what to say. Comforting had never been her specialty and while that had bothered her in the past, she had never really hated her inability until that moment. Her mind raced with words to say and yet none of them felt right.
Actions speak louder than words that had always been a belief that she held and so she would trust that belief. Thanks to her frustrations she gave the prince no warning as she threw her arms around him. Upon her touch he went rigid and she didn't care as she continued to hold him.
"Aster, I am here," she whispered. "You are not alone." He flinched but she didn't stop. "I want to help. Please, you can rely on me."
At first, he was as stiff as a board but when she finished what she was saying he relaxed greatly. It wasn't long after that he returned her embrace, though his grip was much stronger. A small smile came to her when he buried his face into her neck.
"I am here," she repeated in her soft tone, and his grip increased.
Humming softly, she rubbed circles on his back. The tension slowly left his body and she hummed louder in response. She felt so at ease in his arms, it was like all her problems were nothing and everything was alright with the world.
So at peace, she found herself slowly drifting off as her exhaustion started to catch up to her, but that all changed when Dimitri's whole body went suddenly rigid. She called his name gently, but he never responded. His grip was strong, but she managed to loosen herself enough so that she could see his face. With wide eyes he was staring at something but from what little she could see over her shoulder there was nothing there.
Once again, she called his name softly and that seemed to bring him back to his senses. His grip on her slowly slipped away until his arms hung limply at his side. He dropped his head to the point that his bangs shielded his face from her gaze. She wanted to reach out to him and hold him so that their connections wouldn't break but her arms felt like lead.
"Please leave," his voice was so quiet that she was barely able to hear it and yet it echoed inside her mind. She wanted to shout at him, but her voice was lost but she found the strength to reach out to him only for him to avoid her touch. "Please…" His plea was nothing more than a hush whisper but it pierced her chest with all the might of a powerful arrow.
Her arms that hung in the air dropped to her sides as she stared at the man that refused to look at her. Balling her fists tightly her stare turned into a glare. She wanted to scream at him and demanded answers, but the words were stuck in her throat from the lump that had formed. With blurred vision she rushed out of his room and had barely enough sense to not slam the door, though the temptation to do so was incredible.
Her mind and emotions were a jumbled mess, and she had no idea how to sort any of it. Sothis awoke to the unstableness that was Byleth's heart and mind but nothing the mysterious girl said could help. The professor wanted an explanation or a solution, just something that could possibly help, but the only one who could give her any of that was so determined to push her away.
She did not know how long, nor did she care, for how long she stood in front of Dimitri's room glaring a hole into the floor. Her surroundings never crossed her mind until she felt a touch on her shoulder, and she jumped. Her head snapped up to stare at the person, who had dared to disturb her, Sylvain. No thoughts came to her as she stared into his concern eyes. All at once all her inner turmoil left and she collapsed into Sylvain's chest with no warning.
"By, what is wrong?" Sylvain asked in the gentlest tone she had ever heard from him before. Despite what Dimitri was doing to her, it did feel nice to know that at least one of her childhood friends had still cared about her, even if she never doubted Ingrid or Felix.
Apart of her knew that she should separate herself from Sylvain and yet she wanted another's warmth; to know that she was in fact awake and not trapped in a nightmare. She didn't answer his question and instead buried her face into his chest. An overly floral scent bombarded her nose that reminded her of the noble ladies that would wear too much perfume. It was a scent she didn't think suited Sylvain, but she never said anything about it.
"Did His Highness do something?" His tone was much too dark for her liking and her head shot up to look at him. Despite him wearing a fierce expression (something she believed that didn't suit him at all), his eyes were clear, and she felt a great relief wash over her.
With that relief she found the strength to leave his warmth, though he seemed to be reluctant to let her go as his grip on her was somewhat strong. He did not let her go complete and still held onto her arms in a weak grip. The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither one saying anything.
She was the first to break eye contact to stare at the wall. Not wanting to worry Sylvain anymore she turned to face him but didn't really feel like putting up an act for him. She wanted to give him a smile and put whatever speculations he had to rest but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't muster up a fake smile. All she could do was her usual blank expression and she hoped that would be enough for him, but she knew it wouldn't be.
He continued to stare at her for a few more seconds before he slightly shook his head. He was able to flash her the smile that she couldn't, and that helped to bring out a small one from her. Without saying anything he held out a hand towards her and she looked at it for a second before glancing up at him.
"Since you are back, we need to celebrate your return!" he said with a little wink. Cocking her head to the side she watched him for a bit. While she wouldn't say no to a celebration, she couldn't help but think it was too late at night for one. He said nothing else and grabbed her hand. The smile, he wore, had her unable to turn him down as he began to lead her away.
Right when they got to Felix's door, she stopped to point at it. "We will have a proper celebration tomorrow but for now it will just be you and me." He gave her another wink and again she cocked her head, but she said nothing, as she understood it was late.
"You were going to go out and not invite me?" a new voiced asked and Sylvain spun on his heels to face the intruder. Looking pass Sylvain, she was able to see that Claude's door was open and he was standing there with a mischievous smile. It was only at that moment that she realized that Sylvain didn't come out of his room.
"Sorry, but it is just going to be the two of us." The normally aloof tone that Sylvain used was a bit flat. As if to emphasize his point he held up the hand that was holding hers and Claude's gaze narrowed on them, but his smile remained.
Tugging on the taller man's hand, Byleth waited until he looked at her. "Meadow is already awake and ready. It should be okay to invite him, right?" she asked, and his smile became strained.
"Yeah, you do not have to worry about disturbing me since I am ready," Claude said as made his way over to them and got close to Sylvain, who's smile had fallen at this point. "The more the merrier, right?" The Golden Deer's leader's gaze shifted to Sylvain and his smile became smugger.
Sylvain wore a scowl as he glared at the younger man, but his gaze was pulled away when Byleth pulled at his hand again. She looked up at him with such innocent eyes that he was struggling to maintain a scowl. When she finally pleaded to let Claude join them, he relented with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head.
It took him a bit of a moment, but his smile returned, and it was a genuine one that made her feel at ease. "If that is what you want, how can I refuse?" At his words she flashed him a smile and he squeezed her hand in return.
"Now that that is settled, where are we going?" Claude ask as he casually made his way over to Byleth's free side and took her other hand, to which she didn't bat an eye at. Once again Sylvain's smile became strained as he looked at the other man.
With a little, warning glare Sylvain turned away from them and began to lead the way before he spoke, "I was thinking about going out to drink."
She stopped in her tracks and both men turned to look at her. She looked and the floor between them, not really wanting to be the one to ruin their fun. "I shouldn't," she said a bit weakly. "After last time…"
"You will have us to protect you," Claude said with a smile as he gave her hand a small squeeze, bring her attention to him.
"We shall make sure nothing bad happens," Sylvain added with a wink.
She stared at the two men unsure of what to say. While she did feel safer with those two than Wil, she still didn't know their limits nor if she could really count on them if they became tipsy. There was also the threat that she could be attacked, and she didn't want to put any more people in danger. Despite them assuring her that everything would be okay, her legs felt like lead and she couldn't move.
"Just go!" Sothis demanded. "It will take your mind off of things." Byleth wanted to object but the mysterious girl wouldn't allow it. "You know your limits now so just be mindful of that and there is no way the cunning wretches would be foolish enough to attack you in a large group with a bunch of knights around. Everything will be fine, trust me."
Sothis made such good points that Byleth couldn't argue but she still wasn't sure if she should go or not. Looking up at the men again she found it difficult to turn them down when they were giving her such hopeful looks. With a bit more nudging from Sothis, the professor nearly agreed to go until she remembered one crucial fact.
"You both are students," she said as if she just discovered that fact right then and there. While they were both old enough to drink, Garreg Mach had strictly forbade students from drinking.
"I will not tell if you do not," both said in unison. The two men gave each other a glare which caused her to giggle. And just like that she found her resolve to deny them defeated.
Sylvain and Claude took Byleth to the only tavern in town. Since it was the only one it was constantly frequented by knights and neither of the two students seemed to care, even though they were both well known. With how calm they were, she got the feeling that they had come to the tavern often; in fact, by the way the waitress reacted earlier to seeing Sylvain Byleth suspected that he had been there earlier that night.
The professor's gaze drifted away from the smiling faces of her friends that sat in front of her to look at the two drinks before her. On the way over she had stated that she would only have one drink, to which she assumed both men interrupted it as one drink from each of them. She made no move to take either drink and instead went back to looking at the men. She was sure if Seteth saw her right then and there, it would be a never-ending lecture as he would have so much fuel to work with.
"I am sure the more refined taste of gin will suit your taste best," Sylvain said with a little smile as he rested his head on one of his hands, watching her carefully.
"No way, the spices from mead will surely suit By best," Claude said as he mirrored Sylvain's stance.
She spied the small glare that Sylvain gave Claude before her gaze drifted back down towards the drinks. Thanks to her circumstances she was never an avid drinker as her father and so she only ever drank what her father drank and with how much he could drink he never liked spending to much money on the more expensive alcohols. Absentmindedly, she listened to the two men argue about what was the superior alcoholic drink, an argument she had little interest in.
Tired of staring at the drinks she returned her sights back onto her friends, who stopped their argument to go back to watching her. "I prefer ale," she said in her normal matter-of-fact tone. Almost instantly both men gave her a look that annoyingly screamed, "of course you do", she couldn't help but feel irritated at the look.
"That is just such…," Claude said and glanced at Sylvain, who seemed to be on the same wavelength as he gave a small bob of his head. "…a typical mercenary drink of choice." With a little frown she glared at them. What was wrong with that? She was a former mercenary so shouldn't that make sense that she would prefer that? Sothis chuckled in the back of Byleth's mind, only adding more to the professor's annoyance.
"Come on By!" Sylvain started and pulled her attention to him. "Live a little and have some good alcohol!"
"Once you have mead there is no way you will go back to plain, old ale."
"No, it will be the gin that convinces her!"
The two men gave each other a small glare, but she wasn't interested in it. Once again, her gaze returned to her drinks, it was weird to her to not see a heavy amount of foam on her drinks. When she reached for one of the glasses, she felt the intense gaze from her friends, and she froze. She peaked at them from beneath her bangs and the expectant gleam in their eyes had her unable to move.
Sothis' laugh rang out in Byleth's mind and the troubled woman frowned. Reaching out for a drink again only made the pressure greater and once again she froze. The frown she wore didn't bother the men at all nor did the glare she sent them later, in fact, it only seemed to have encouraged them which frustrated her more.
Done with their shenanigans she grabbed the gin because she thought it would be best to get the more alcoholic drink out of the way. Sylvain shouted a trumpet "yes", while Claude pouted and at that point she didn't care anymore. When Sylvain's gloating extended to him wrapping an arm around Claude's shoulder, who in turn stuck his tongue out at the older man, she decided to just down the drink in one go and spare her anymore of their childish antics.
The gin may have had a smoother taste than ale, but it burned on the way down all the same. The last time she was at that tavern she was drinking to escape but this time she was there for more joyful reason and she was sure that was the reason why the drink left her feeling good. When the last of her drink was gone, she placed the glass back down on the table and she instantly regretted finishing off the drink so quickly.
Sylvain's complaint of her not fully appreciating the gin by drinking it like that fell on deaf ears when she spied the sparkle in Claude's eye. The Alliance heir grabbed their attentions by leaning forward and rested his head on his hands. A smug, little grin grew on his face and Sylvain's cheer came to a screeching halt.
"By," Claude practically sang, and the ginger haired man's smile slowly morphed into a frown. "Do you remember that thing you asked me to look into before you left?" She cocked her head to the side, not really remembering what he was talking about nor why he randomly brought it up. "You remember right?" She arched an eyebrow. "That thing that you asked me and only me to do?" Sylvain's frown turned into a full-blown scowl when recognition flashed in her eyes.
The night passed on merrily to the point that both Sylvain and Claude might have overindulged in drinking; Byleth had stuck to her two drinks despite the men's insistence. It was up to the professor to guide the students back to their dorms as they clung to her because of their inability to walk properly. She kept her complaints to a minimum and instead wore a smile all throughout their walk back.
The little drinking expedition didn't go as Sylvain had planned but it did succeed in cheering Byleth up, so he couldn't complain, or at least he couldn't complain as much. Claude had been an unexpected annoyance and if anyone else had asked to join them, the older man would have been okay with it but because he couldn't read the Alliance heir or knew what the boy's intentions were towards Byleth, Sylvain couldn't help but be on guard the entire time. Byleth's complete and utter trust in Claude only made everything worse for Sylvain.
Sylvain always believed that if Byleth had problems she would have come to her childhood friends before going to see anyone else (besides her father), but that night proved him wrong. She had sought out Claude about her suspicions about the perceived assassination attempt; she never mentioned it to him at all despite him having the same suspicions, though he knew it was because he never voiced his, it didn't make the bitterness any less strong. He wanted her to rely on him and their friends more but bitterly seeing how much trust she had for Claude made him realize he wasn't deserving.
For all the criticisms he threw at Dimitri for not helping her, he realized he was the same. He also only watched her suffer and it was only when she started to feel better that he started to help. He was nothing more than a hypocrite and that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Despite all that he still wanted her to rely on him and he didn't want her getting too close to Claude, as he didn't trust the Golden Deer's leader completely. Claude might have been all smiles, but Sylvain knew that it was all to keep people at a distance, after all he was doing the exact same thing. And so, Sylvain just couldn't trust Claude, even when he saw those barriers that the younger man erected start to crumble slightly when he was with Byleth, it didn't change his feelings. She was able to see through him and so deep down within Sylvain he had no doubt that she had been able to do the same for Claude but still it didn't sit right with him, and he realized that just made him a bigger hypocrite but he didn't care.
Thanks to both men clinging onto her the walk over to the dorms had been slow and difficult. On the walk over Sylvain had sobered up enough and could walk on his own but because Claude wouldn't let go of her arm, he refused to do the same. He couldn't tell if it was because Claude still hadn't sobered up yet or if the Alliance heir was thinking the same as him. He got his answers when they arrived at the dorms' stairway that was too narrow for them to continue as they were. The small glance Claude had given him, had singled for a truce and the both of them had released her at the same time. They both played innocent at Byleth's confusion.
The Gautier heir had expected Claude to put up some kind of resistance when they got to his room, but he never did and wished them a good night rather quickly. The Golden Deer leader continued to prove to be a great mystery to Sylvain. Sylvain almost didn't believe that Claude was going to leave them alone and half expected for the younger man to pop out and interrupt them at any moment, but he never did.
When they passed Dimitri's room, he had expected for Byleth's gaze to linger on the prince's door but all she did was give it a quick glare. The glare didn't last long before it morphed into a frown as her gaze dropped to the floor. Many of her expressions were still small and almost unnoticeable and even he still had a difficult time reading some of them and because of that he wasn't sure if his suspicions were right.
Before they could reach his door, he swiftly walked in front of her so that he could stop her. She looked up at him with a blank expression that was weakening his confidence. He gave her a smile, more to boost his resolve than to calm her, as he knew she wouldn't reach much to it.
"You know," he started but he could already feel his confidence wanning, "you are allowed to be angry at His Highness."
Her eyes widen before her gaze shifted to the floor. A silence settled over them as she continued to stare at the ground clearly lost in thought. As if finding an answer, she looked up at him with such quivering eyes that he almost didn't believe that they belonged to her. He had seen her exhausted, unsure, and even a little sad, but he had never seen her so vulnerable and it left him speechless.
"Is it…," her soft voice broke him out of her thoughts, "is it really okay for me to be angry?"
His eyes widen for a moment, before his features relaxed into a genuine, soft smile. The Byleth of his childhood was so incredibly strong, kind, but intimidating in a way that his father or brother could never hope to imitate. His younger self would never admit it, but he was afraid of how inhumane her younger self was, but the Byleth before him was most definitely human and that little dormant fear was finally put to rest.
"Yes," he answered just as quietly as she spoke, but his voice gradually grew louder with each following word. "I do not know why His Highness is pushing us away, but I do know that it is unfair." Her gaze momentarily drifted away but his voice brought it back to him. "But I do know that he is being the most unfair with you. You have more right than anyone to be angry."
Once again, her gaze dropped, and he was silent as he watched her work through her thoughts. It was a few seconds before she seemed to have found her answers as she gave herself a little nod. When she looked back at him, she was sporting a smile and it seemed like the weight that had been weighing her down, since he found her that night, was finally lifted.
"I…I think I will be angry," she said with a tiny bob of her head. He smiled as he patted her head and chuckled when she gave him a small pout.
While she occupied much of his attention from the corner of his eyes, he could see the door to Dimitri's room open slightly. The two men locked eyes for a moment and a smirk grew on Sylvain's face. The prince's face was obscured by the shadows so all Sylvain could do was hope that his dear friend was nervous.
The playboy brought his attention back to Byleth and was pleasantly surprised to discover that she seemed to be unaware of the prince. When they were kids, she was always on guard, which made it almost impossible for anyone to sneak up on her and he was a bit disappointed to see that she was still the same after their reunion, but to see her so relaxed and unaware brought him great joy. He didn't know if it was because she felt safe around him or what, but the reason didn't really matter just so long as she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down.
Grabbing a few strands of her hair he brought it up to his lips, watching her unwavering expression with a bit of humor. Her hair wasn't as soft as any of the other women's he flirted with but he knew that such a detail was unimportant to her, especially during travel, and it didn't bother him; it just furthered reminded him just how unique she was. Rubbing his thumb over her hair, he marveled at the unique color she possessed he was also trying to draw out more of Dimitri's jealousy, even if he couldn't see the other man's face.
Once again, his eyes locked with the onlooker's and he wished he could see his friend's face, to see how much he must hate to see another man getting so close to his precious Byleth. With eyes still locked Sylvain brought the strands of hair up to his lips and placed a chastise kiss upon them. Being unable to see the prince's face he could only imagine the anger that Dimitri had to be feeling.
Still holding onto her hair, he turned his attention back onto his professor, who seemed to be none the wiser to the little showboating he just did. Pleased at her ignorance he gave her a little smile and she returned it. The strands of hair slipped through his fingers and yet he didn't feel like his lost anything.
Byleth was so many things; she was incredibly strong, fierce, caring, and so much more and he truly felt so proud to know such an amazing person. In the four years that they were separated, Sylvain couldn't imagine what difficulties she had to face during that time and yet her eyes were just as clear and innocent like he remembered. In that regard she was nothing like her old friends. Felix's eyes had become sharp and ferocious, Ingrid's lost the confident sparkle, his had become hollow, and Dimitri's…he wasn't sure how to describe Dimitri's. They all needed a guiding light to help bring them out of the darkness and Sylvain knew that Byleth would be the one to do so but a guiding lighting was useless if the person didn't follow it.
His genuine smile took on a more devilish look as he leaned forward so that he could bring his face closer to hers. It took a lot of effort for him to not snort through his nose when he unsurprisingly discovered that she didn't react at all. Now he understood why Dimitri had made so little progress, when he wasn't distancing himself, and the flirt wanted to laugh at himself for not realizing it sooner.
"Byleth," he said her name as seductively as he could and besides a raised eyebrow, he got no reaction. "Thank you for tonight. I had a marvelous time. I will look forward to our next date." He said the last part while looking in Dimitri's direction.
The door to the prince's room shut suddenly, momentarily pulling Byleth's attention away, but her gaze didn't remain on it for long. When she brought her stare back to him there wasn't even a hint in her eyes that let him know that she was even remotely aware of what he was doing. He struggled to not laugh at her innocence. When it came to women, the overly innocent ones annoyed him as he could never accept such cluelessness as being real, but not only did he believe Byleth's it was an aspect of hers that he greatly appreciated.
"You're welcome," she cheerfully said, and it brought a warmth to him he so rarely felt as of late. "But why are you thanking me? You're the one that invited me out. Shouldn't I be the one thanking you?"
Finally, he let out the chuckle that he had been holding in as he patted her head. Pouting, she reminded him that head pats were her thing and he just had to do it again after hearing that. He didn't know how she did it, and truth be told he never cared to find out, but she always found a way to make him feel at peace, to make him believe that everything would be okay. He had no doubt that she would be able to bring Dimitri down the right path as well as help their other friends find theirs. He would always be grateful to have her in his life.
Twenty-fourth of the Blue Sea Moon:
Claude's birthday was something that Byleth was supposed to be incredibly excited for and she was, just not to the extent that she had wanted to be. When she first learned that she would be staying in Garreg Mach, she had thought she would be getting excited for a month in advance and would have so much time to work on gifts, but unfortunately, she hadn't been able to do so. But now that it was Claude's birthday, all her worries had been forgotten.
Not wanting to interrupt, like she did for Edelgard's birthday, she had decided to wait until after the Golden Deer had their party to give Claude her gift. She was perfectly fine with waiting, but the Golden Deer had other plans and Hilda had personally took up the task to escort Byleth to the party (though the girl did complain the whole way over). On the way over, Byleth couldn't contain her smile. She hadn't realized until that day that she was afraid that Claude might reject her like Edelgard did.
Given some of the Golden Deer's preference to food a "feast" was held in Claude's honor, or at least that was what the Golden Deer elected to call their larger than normal portions of food. The celebrations were open to all students but apart from a few greetings or gifts being dropped off no one besides Byleth joined in; though Ashe did stay around for a bit to talk to Marianne.
Despite not being too familiar with the Golden Deer students they made sure to make sure she felt included and for that she was grateful. For a day, she forgot all about her troubles and worries and was just able to have fun. She would make sure to let Claude know how much she appreciated being given such an opportunity.
While everyone ate there was a little lull in the festivities and that gave Marianne some time to talk to Byleth. "Professor," Marianne called right when the older woman took a bit of food and faced the girl with her mouth full. "I-I am sorry for disturbing you." Byleth wanted to argue that statement but was too busy trying to quickly swallow. "I-I will come back!" Marianne was about to scurry away when Byleth's mouth was finally free of food and she was able to call out the girl and get her to stay. With a little bit of prompting and assurance that the professor wasn't bothered, Marianne finally said what she wanted to say. "I…I just wanted to thank you for helping Ashe. He…he seems much happier now."
A small smile formed as Byleth reached out to pat Marianne's head but stopped when she realized her fingers weren't the cleanest. "It is I, who should be thanking you," Byleth said. For a brief moment the student's head shot up to look at her before her gaze quickly dropped but not before a noticeable blush was seen.
"Oh no," Marianne started to mumble, "I-I did not do anything."
"No, you did everything." Once again, the younger woman looked up. "You helped break through my haze and helped me see what Ashe really needed." Marianne's eyes widen slightly. "Thank you for helping Ashe."
The quiet woman dropped her gaze again but Byleth could tell that the girl wasn't doing it to hide her herself but because she was lost in thought. "I…helped someone…?" Marianne mumbled quietly and the professor silently watched with a smile on her face.
Claude's birthday celebration had been one the best moments Byleth's ever had since coming to Garreg Mach but unfortunately all good things must come to an end and the little dinner was no different. After the dinner she had to return straight to her duties, but she did so with a smile, though it didn't last too long thanks to the incredibly long and dull meeting she had to have with Seteth afterwards.
With the Rite of Rebirth in two days Seteth thought it was apparent that all staff of the Officer Academy come together and plan out how the night will go. It was important so she couldn't complain too much but none of the church officials would entertain the thought that maybe the archbishop's life wasn't the intended target. Having to face their doubts she was glad that she had asked Claude to look into the matter before she left.
Sothis was easily able to drift off during the meeting leaving a jealous Byleth to stay attentive throughout the entire meeting, which was a great challenge. Even though she didn't really do much during the meeting she left feeling exhausted and she feared Seteth's voice would haunt her the rest of the night as it just wouldn't stop ringing in her head. The trek back to the dorms was long and by the time they were in sight she was ready to collapse on her bed.
A weary smile spread across her face as she was entering the dorm area only for it to immediately vanish when she spied someone on the roof. Instantly, her hand went to her dagger while her other began to channel magic until she noticed a yellow cloak that could only belong to one person. A slew of complaints spilled from her lips as she lowered her guard and felt even more exhausted.
She thought about playing ignorant and just pretending that she never saw him as she knew he liked to be in high places but as she turned away from him she reluctantly realized that if anyone else saw him he was going to get in a lot of trouble. Shouting at him would be dangerous as it would alert people to his presence as well as disturb all the good students. With a heavy sigh she went about trying to figure out how he got on the roof.
It took some time for her to figure out how to get up on the roof and she was sure it wasn't the way that Claude got up there since hers was a difficult path; she swore she was going to make him show her his path when she was done talking to him. Her exhaustion melted away as soon as she got on the roof and saw the wonderful view of the area outside of Garreg Mach. The gentle breeze felt so wonderful and being away from the close buildings made her feel free.
She marveled at the view for a moment before turning her sights on Claude. He wasn't enjoying the view like she thought he was and instead was starring down at the ornate hunting knife that Hilda had gifted him. Seeing him like that reminded her of all the times where she would have to hunt him down during her brief stay in the Riegan Manor.
"Meadow," she called when she had gotten close enough and instantly regretted doing so. Startled, he jumped slightly causing him to drop his knife and slide down the roof. It was thanks to her quick reflects that prevented the knife from falling off as well as grabbing him before he could slide even further down. "Sorry, I didn't think I would be able to sneak up on you." Even when he was in deep thought he had always been on guard in the pass and she wasn't sure if his lack of guard was a good thing or not.
"By?!" he shouted once he got situated. He gave his surrounding a quick look over and relaxed greatly when he discovered it was just her. His gaze returned to her and horror filled his eyes. "By! Your hand!"
With little concern she glanced down at her hand that had grabbed the knife and discovered that it was bleeding profusely. In her haste she had grabbed the blade which hadn't bothered her at the moment but now that she could see the blood dripping off the blade, she became acutely aware of the pain. He gave her little time to react before grabbing her hand and inspecting the wound after letting the knife drop, and luckily it got caught between two tiles and was unable to slide away.
"Geez By, you really need to learn how to take care of yourself!"
"I'm not the one, who threw a knife."
He gave her a small glare before ordering her to remove her necklace to which she obeyed without question. The comforting warmth of Faith magic soon enveloped her hand. It was a crude spell that still needed some refinement, but it did at least stop the bleeding, but it didn't stop him from pouting when it was clear that more needed to be done.
"Since when did you learn Faith magic?" she asked to distract him from trying to waste more magic to try and heal a wound that was beyond his skill level.
"Professor Hanneman said it would be a good idea if we all at least learned the basics of Faith magic." As he explained that he looked up at her, which gave her the opportunity to pull her hand back.
"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea. Should I add that to my lessons?"
"No way!" They locked eyes for a moment and a smirk grew on his face. "This is the Golden Deer's secret weapon! I will not allow you to steal it!"
With a little laugh she gave him a small shake of her head. The two shared a brief laugh before the mood grew dark thanks to Claude. He was completely silent as his sights turned away from her and settled on the bloody knife.
Without saying anything she sat down and waited for him to do the same, but he didn't. She followed his gaze to look at the knife for a moment and when he still didn't move, she took the knife and his eyes followed it. Still matching his silence, she wiped the blade clean of her blood the best she could with her tunic. It was such an overly ornate knife that she had suspected that it wouldn't have been of any practical use but now she thought differently after learning firsthand how sharp it was.
After a few more seconds passed he finally sat down next to her, but he kept his gaze forward. Carefully she handed him the knife, but it took him a moment before he took it. Now with the knife in hand he stared at it instead.
The silence stretched on as neither of them would say anything and she was beginning to worder if she should say something or just wait for him. Luckily for her it didn't take that much longer for him to break free from his thoughts. With a sigh he put the knife aside to look at her.
"By, what do you think of the Golden Deer students?"
"I think they are great. They are the most welcome and most willing to help class. The Alliance will be in good hands with future leaders like them, I think."
He gave her a little, half-hearted smirk. "So, do you regret not accepting to be our teacher?" His teasing didn't even last long enough for her to explain that she didn't get to choose who she taught. With another sigh he turned his sights back to looking at the forest that surrounded Garreg Mach. "They are great, huh?" He mumbled that so quietly that she wasn't even sure if it was meant for her to hear.
Unsure of what to do she went to her go to try and true method of getting attention by patting his head. It took a quite a bit of head pats before he looked at her. "What is wrong?" Was the only thing she could think to ask at that moment. His gaze dropped to look at the roof.
"They are great people, and I am lying to them." He fiddled with his hands instead of looking at her.
"Do you want to tell them the truth?"
Balling his hands tightly he continued to stare at them. "I cannot. They will surely despise me if they discovered what I am…"
"I doubt that but," she paused to pat his head, "maybe start with opening up a little more."
"Easier said than done," he mumbled bitterly.
With a small frown she stared at Claude. He once told her that friends were there to listen to each other's problems, and she was more than happy to listen, but she knew that wouldn't be enough. A professor needed to provide guidance and advice, areas she was still struggling with when it didn't pretrain to just battle. A small scowl decorated her face when she discovered just how useless she was at that moment.
Still not sure of what to say or do she followed Claude's gaze to stare at the vast wilderness before them. No advice still came to her and Sothis was asleep so she couldn't rely on the mysterious girl for advice. The silence grew until Byleth remembered a gesture that Claude had once used to comfort her.
Without warning she started to rub circles onto his back. With wide eyes he jumped and stared at her with a fear she didn't understand. Right when she was about to pull her hand back, recognition flashed in his eyes and he relaxed a little. Her hand rested on his back unsure of what to do next.
"Maybe," she stared though she had no real thought to continue with but when he looked at her, she knew she had no other choice but to finish it somehow. "Maybe…start with opening up just a little to Hilda?" His eyes widen slightly. "You two are cute together so I think it will be an easier start…yes?"
With slight red checks, his eyes narrowed into a pointed stare. "What do you mean by cute?" he asked in a flat tone.
"I mean you two get along greatly and always seem to have fun together. You are best friends, right?" Her voice lost a bit of confidence at the end when his stare didn't change.
"Best friends?"
"…yes…?" She almost didn't want to answer him and when he broke out laughing afterwards didn't help her confidence.
She might have not known why he started laughing but she could at least tell that he was laughing at her expense and so a light blush dusted her cheeks along with a pout. The longer he laughed the lighter the mood became, and her little pout soon melted into a smile as she watched him. His little fit only came to an end when he started to gasp for air and even then, it persisted a bit more.
With a deep breath he looked at her with a large smile and it seemed like his small bout of depression was a thing of the pass. "I really needed that," he said as he wiped away a stray tear. The two stared at each other for a second before he snorted and had to look away once again, and she started to sport a tiny frown because of it.
The mood around them shifted into more a solemn one, though it was still much lighter than the earlier one. He still retained his smile, though it was a more neutral one as he looked up at the sky. She said nothing as she followed his sights. Silently, he pointed out a few constellations that he had once taught her.
"You are right," he said quietly and suddenly. She looked at him, but his gaze remained on the stars. "In order to achieve my goals, I will need to change. But…" he paused to look at her. "You do not need to change. In fact, do not ever change." She tilted her head slightly. "You are already perfect. I could not have asked for a better friend than you."
She wasn't entirely sure she what he meant but she smiled, nonetheless. "Happy Birthday Meadow." He gave her a smile, the genuine smile that she loved.
A/N: I finished up my third notebook for this story and I'm still not close to being done! How much more can I write?!
I hope after this I can start getting into the grove of things again and will be able to update more frequently, but I will still ask you guys to be a bit more patient with me. Thank you.
I know you guys want those sweet Dimleth moments and I want those too but we gotta wait a little longer because the boy is a difficult one.
Stay safe and healthy!