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FireEmblemMaster101 – Well let's just say you'll be shocked by the end of this second part. And I will touch on parts of Shez's backstory that I've also been formulating as well. In a way it's just my own theory of Shez's past so… take for it what you will.


Fire Emblem: Three Houses of Hope

Roar of the Lion

Chapter 6 – Two Mercenaries - Part II

"Well looks like everyone's out and about. So it's probably we best we go looking for them." Shez said.

"Wait up, I know you get lost easy enough so stay close." Byleth said in return.

"Oh come on, I'm not a child you don't need to follow me around like a mother bird anymore." Shez said annoyingly.

"You mean just like how you claimed jumping off a cliff those three times to quote: get tough? It was practically a miracle you survived. Or when you continued to find yourself fighting packs of monsters the other eight times?" Byleth listed off.

"Okay, okay… so I've had some trouble doesn't mean I'm always lost. Besides, if it wasn't for me, Lazley and Getz coming back when we did from patrol that Kostas guy would've gotten away." Shez countered.

"You got lost on patrol again didn't you? That's why you hadn't reported in –" Byleth didn't finish as Shez sighed in annoyance.

"Alright fine… I got lost again. Sorry, but you gotta admit I always come out at the right time; kind of like a hero?" Shez replied but Byleth's stoic frown showed no amount of amusement.

"Hah, what am I gonna do with you? Come on, I think I see one of the house leaders… it looks like Edelgard." Byleth said pointing out the ashen-haired heiress.

"Oh, it's you two. So it's been heard one of you is to be a teacher and another a student. Pity. I was hoping you'd both lend your strengths to the Empire. Though I suppose I never properly introduced myself, I am Edelgard von Hresvelg." The Imperial heiress said with a bow.

"Yes, I must say you are rather bold to simply ask two mercenaries you know little about to simply join you; I hope you understand our hesitation at such a sudden invitation." Byleth explained the main point.

"Yes, know that I reflect on that… perhaps Claude did have a point. But I still have to wonder if you'll join the Black Eagles… Ah that's right you only introduced yourselves to the Black Eagles for a few moments back at camp correct; is there anything else you'd both like to know?" Edelgard offered.

"Actually, yeah. We came to learn more about the school before we both decided who to join. So who's all in your class?" Shez inquired.

Edelgard began to list off her fellow classmates, "Well… To the west of Fódlan is an archipelago called Brigid. Petra is the granddaughter of their king. Brigid is a vassal state of the Empire, which is how she came to be enrolled here. She's incredibly smart and studious."

"Oh yeah, I remember her; she had a interesting way of speaking, but I could tell she was just trying to get used to the language." Shez pointed out.

Edelgard continued, "Few commoners have joined the Black Eagle House, but Dorothea is an exception. She's a songstress from a famous opera company in the Empire. I'm not entirely sure what brought her to the Officers Academy."

"I thought I heard singing back at the camp, that voice must've been hers… it was gorgeous I have to say." Shez replied, "She also told me one of your other classmates was absent too?"

"Yes, Bernadetta. She's Count Varley's only daughter. I suppose you could say she's a bit eccentric, but she seems like a gentle soul. I believe she's shut herself away in her quarters and doesn't care to leave, but...don't worry. I'll make sure she finds her way to class."

"Hahaha, I'm sure her fears being confirmed is going to make that harder…" Shez pointed out the irony.

"Yes… quite indeed but moving on…" Edelgard continued with a frown.

"Caspar von Bergliez. He's the second son of Count Bergliez. He has no inheritance in his future, which is perhaps why he's always so eager to prove himself. He's overly energetic and rushes headfirst into any battle. If he ends up in your care, be sure to keep a close eye on him."

"Yeah, he seemed pretty sure of himself. A pretty loud guy too, you probably couldn't miss him if you tried." Shez said remembering his boisterous personality.

"Yes, he can have that effect on people I think it's what makes out house much more… lively as you say." Edelgard agreed.

"Linhardt von Hevring. He's remarkably intelligent, but he only wishes to apply himself to tasks that particularly interest him and nothing else. He's also fond of...well, napping. If he had any work ethic or sense of duty to speak of, I suppose he would be destined to become an official of the Empire."

"Yeah, the whole time I was talking to Caspar, he was shutting his eyes every second. I couldn't tell if he was sleeping or just drowning us out." Shez remembered her rather… quick "chat" with Linhardt.

"And then… Ferdinand von Aegir. For some reason, he thinks of me as a bitter rival and is always trying to challenge me. It's terribly irritating. His house is that of Duke Aegir, which produces Adrestia's Prime Ministers. That family is...perhaps too pleased with its own status." Shez and Byleth then noticed the muted annoyance in Edelgard's voice.

"Finally, Hubert is the heir of Marquis Vestra. He has served me since I was a child. You may think his blood runs a bit cold, but... Heh, actually, that's rather accurate. Still, if you can get past that, you'll see he's quite astute and reasonable."

"Could've fooled me… Ow." Byleth elbowed her sister in the gut.

"Well, we thank you for the introduction. We're going to visit the other parts of the academy and see if we can meet any of the other leaders." Byleth replied.

"Of course, I hope you're enjoying your time here, and I hope to see you again soon hopefully." Edelgard replied as she walked out of the reception hall into the main hall.


The two sisters then headed outside to the main courtyard where they found multiple students mingling and gossiping.

They then heard yet another familiar voice, "Hey you two! Over here!" It was the yellow-bearing leader of the Golden Deer, Claude von Riegan.

"Well, well I heard the news. Scored a teaching & student gig here, did ya both? Talk about a great first impression. I guess that means I'd better introduce myself properly. I'm Claude von Riegan. I'm from the ruling house of the Leicester Alliance, but don't worry too much about all that madness. I'm guessing you don't know which class you'll be teaching yet, do you? I bet you'd like ours. We're not as...difficult as the other two. Have you met the folks from the Golden Deer House yet? Care to know more about anyone?" Claude offered.

Like with Edelgard the sisters nodded in unison as Claude began to list off some of the important friends he's come to know…

"Leonie enrolled because she wants to be a mercenary. I think she said that her father is a hunter. She's pretty blunt and as stingy as they come. A habitual saver, too. I think she's hoping to repay her village for helping to send her here."

"Yeah, she's definitely got the guts to do it for sure. That energy I got to say is a good thing." Shez offered.

"But she should know that being a mercenary is no easy or wonderful task. It's good to set goals, but you should always look before you leap into the unknown." Byleth logically replied.

"Hilda is the only daughter of Duke Goneril. It seems her father and brother coddle her quite a bit. If you look up "lazy" in the dictionary...her picture won't be there because she never got around to submitting it. Not too unusual for a noble, I guess."

"I don't know she came off as just pretty easy-going; I think it's easy to get to know her after well… you get to know her." Shez said.

"Eh, you got me. Maybe you just see something I can't and people say I can see a lot of things. But I just say that's cause an archer's gotta have a good eye." Claude makes a small wink. "But moving on…"

"Marianne is Margrave Edmund's daughter...and that's pretty much all I know about her. She doesn't interact much with other students, so I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of folks here have never even heard her speak."

"Reminds me of someone when I first met them…" Shez looks at Byleth from her peripheral vision.

"I was not that quiet. I merely spoke when asked too, there's nothing wrong with that." Byleth countered.

"Oh come on sis, you look as stiff as a tree. When Dad saw you smile he thought you were somehow a monster had body swapped you with them." Shez playfully retorts.

"Ugh, don't remind me of that…" Byleth sighs in embarrassment.

"Haha, it's funny seeing you two like this… it's like your polar opposites, but you understand each other still." Claude chuckled pointing out the siblings' dynamic.

"Isn't Marianne friend's with some other girl besides Hilda? What was her name…?" Shez ponders.

"Oh yeah that's right…" Claude continues on.

"Lysithea is the daughter of Count Ordelia, and is probably the youngest student here. But watch out! She gets angry if you treat her like a child. As for me, I do it on purpose. You have to make your own fun in this place, you know?"

"Don't I know…" Shez said as she smiled "innocently" at Byleth.

Byleth's face was stoic as always as she had a strained look of annoyance on it, possibly remembering all of the pranks and jokes that Shez would pull on her.

"Well, Ignatz's the second son of a merchant family. Since his brother will inherit the business, he's training to become a knight. If you ask me, doesn't seem like he truly wants to be a knight... He's probably just doing it to please his parents..."

"Sometimes fate has a strange way of doing things, maybe he'll come into it." Shez replied.

"You know, that's the first smart thing you've said all day." Byleth quipped.

"Oh, shut up…" Shez said with a frown.

"Raphael comes from a merchant family, but his parents died in an accident. Seems like he's had a rough life. Despite all that, he's just about the most cheerful guy you'll ever meet. His passions are training, eating, and... Actually, that's about it."

"Simple, enough." Byleth replied with Shez nodding.

"Finally, the shining light of nobility himself…"

"Lorenz's the heir of Gloucester territory. If you haven't already picked up on it, he's a bit arrogant and fancies himself a lady's man. That said, deep down he's really devoted and honest... Though I wouldn't mind never hearing him talk about his noble obligations ever again."

"Ugh, I hate those types. Some nobles just look us female mercs sometimes and all you see is them running over your body with their eyes. But from how you sound… he doesn't sound that bad." Shez said.

"We'll take your advice under consideration. It's been great knowing your friends and yourself." Byleth said with a small bow.

"Thanks for meeting ya, hope you'll join the Golden Deer and be sticking with us for the whole year to come!" Claude said as all three went their separate ways.


Heading down further down the yard the girls heard yet a third voice call out to them, "Excuse me!"

The duo turned to see that it was Dimitri jogging towards them, "Please accept my apologies for the other day. You came to our aid, yet I hadn't even the courtesy to properly introduce myself. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Of course, at the academy I am simply a student. And I've heard word that you are to become a professor and student here. Delightful news. I still have much to learn, but I'm confident I could benefit greatly from your guidance and your companionship. In any case, welcome to the monastery. I hear you're investigating the different houses. Did any of the Blue Lions catch your attention?"

"Yeah, I actually met some of your guys during camp before we came here but I didn't get to meet all of them." Shez said.

"Ah, yes and I assume you as well don't know much about my classmates." Dimitri looked to Byleth who shook her head from side to side.

"Well then were to begin… Ingrid is Count Galatea's daughter. She is also a childhood friend of Felix, Sylvain and myself. She is diligent, industrious, and principled. In truth, she is more knightly than most knights you will ever meet. Well except for Mathilda who would disagree."

"Yeah, she's really nice and down to earth. It's like there's not one bone in her body that can just hate someone immediately." Shez says.

"…" Dimitri remains quiet but a frown appears on his face which causes Shez to frown as well.

"Oh, well… that is to say she's still human." Shez tries to remedy the situation.

"Oh, no… I was just thinking on something. Please, I'll continue…" Dimitri does so.

"Annette is Baron Dominic's niece and Arthur's cousin. She is a talented student who scored extremely high marks at the Royal School of Sorcery. She's cheerful and hardworking. Brilliant, really. Though she can be a bit oblivious at times. I hear she caused an explosion in the kitchen last night after we returned..."

"Mercedes, I hear was born to Imperial nobility, but a twist of fate brought her to the Kingdom. She may seem carefree on the surface, but she's actually a kind soul who pays careful attention to everyone around her."

"Yeah, they seem to be rather nice and hospitable like even if you're just a complete stranger they'd never think twice about helping people in need." Shez replies.

"Hahaha, that is about right. Mercedes is always volunteering to help those who have been hurt and Annette's boisterous personality is quite infectious." Dimitri said with a smile.

"Sylvain is the heir to House Gautier. He is a capable person who highly values his friends. That said... Well, he's always been a bit of a...ahem, skirt chaser, so to speak. Pardon my bluntness. I speak with him about it often, but it doesn't seem to help."

Both sisters remained quiet remembering the boy's small flirtatious comments.

"Ashe is the adoptive son of Lord Lonato of Castle Gaspard, but I hear he was born a commoner. He has an extremely earnest personality, so I'm certain he will approach your lectures with great enthusiasm or be an excellent training partner."

"Oh yeah, he looks so focused on whatever he's doing and even if he's doing something he'd be the type of person to stop and help another no matter how tiring it would be." Shez said.

"Haha, yes… he's always been like that since I've met him. His focus on helping people is only matched buy Annette's I must say."

"Felix is the heir to House Fraldarius. He has a bit of a sharp tongue, but don't let that fool you. Deep down, he's a good guy. He gravitates towards people who are skilled. Perhaps you would enjoy a friendly competition with him sometime."

"Yeah, considering he challenged me to a match just before we left. Had it not been for Alois, I'm sure we'd have been left behind in the forest. What was it he also said… something about calling you a… "Boar prince?" Shez says with a laugh.

"Shez…" Byleth seemed to warn her younger sibling

"Yes, that sounds like him indeed…" Dimitri said with a rather disappointed tone.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up anything bad…" Shez tried to apologize.

"No, no… not at all if anything I'm… used to his nicknames for me by now." Dimitri tried to wave off the sadness in his voice but it lingered, nonetheless. "But I haven't finished introducing everyone yet have I?"

"Dedue was born in Duscur, and has been loyally working in my service for the past four years. He's rather taciturn, but once you get to know him, you'll see he's a kind and good-natured young man."

"Yeah, he seems rather… focused in way, but I think if you get to known him he's just a gentle giant." Shez replies.

"Yes, exactly as I have told him before. He truly is a good person, I just wish he could see that." Dimitri's voice holds a sort of longing.

"Arthur is the second son of Baron Dominic, and the cousin of Annette as I said before. He has an older brother but… it's a rather touchy subject. He may appear to seem rather lost in thought most of the time, but above all he's a good man who you would make quick friends with and is an excellent listener. He's especially talented with a lance and is quite the intelligent planner."

"Yeh, I didn't get to know him much since we were just about to leave as I was talking to him, but maybe we'll get another chance he seems like a mysterious guy I gotta say…" Shez puzzles as she thinks of the young Dominic.

"Mathilda is the daughter and only child of House Kleiman, they rule over the Duscur peninsula in the northeast of Faerghus. After the Tragedy, she has been taking care of displaced Duscur survivors on her own for some time… I just wish I could help her. She's a modest woman, but is also said by man to be the most beautiful woman in all of Faerghus."

"Amelia is the youngest daughter of Viscount Gideon, she hails from western Faerghus like Arthur and is a kind and caring young lady. She and Mercedes have volunteered many hours with Professor Manuela looking after wounded knights and students."

"Bernard is the son of Viscount Mateus. He's an energetic young man with a passionate streak; he's swordsmanship is quite spectacular and is infamous for challenging Felix to constant sword matches… He tells me he wants to master a form of fighting with two blades, much like your style Shez."

"And then there's Reynold, who is the oldest son of Viscount Elidure. He can be rather eccentric, but deep down I know he's a good person who cares for the people of his land. I know that one day he'll be an able administrator and knight."

"Finally we have Madeline Arnette; she's Arthur's household knight which she dreams to bring glory to her family's name and be the greatest knight in Fódlan's history. Her father actually serves the Knights of Seiros here and is one of their greatest warriors as I've heard. His nickname is the "White Knight of Seiros" for the white-colored steed he mounts into battle."

"Well I'll definitely hope to meet all of them soon. I don't think I got the chance to before, but thanks for the information I guess." Shez said.

"Of course, I'm glad to have helped in anyway that I can. I do truly hope you'll chose our class to teach this year. It would be a great honor to have both of you as our newest arrivals." Dimitri said with a smile.

Shez and Byleth both bowed and turn to leave, but not before Dimitri grabbed Shez's shoulder forgetting something, "Oh, I apologize I just wanted to say I'm sorry for putting you in that spot of trouble before. Had I not been separated by the others I would've realized I was in trouble and then you came to help me all on your own…"

"Oh please, don't sweat it, I was just doing the right thing is all. Just be sure to pay attention on the battlefield is all. See ya." Shez replied as she jogged to catch up with her sister.

"Shez…" Dimitri trailed off as he watched the young mercenary run off.


(Audience Chamber)

After taking some time to walk the campus and talk to not only the staff, but the students as well the two had finally made up their minds. Rhea returned as she had heard from a monk about them having made their decisions.

"So, have you both come to a conclusion as to what house you both will be joining?" Rhea inquired.

Both sisters nodded as they replied…

"Blue Lions/Black Eagles." Said Shez and Byleth respectively much to the shock of the other. Even Rhea seemed to go wide-eyed for a moment thinking that both sisters' would make the same choice as well.

Both sisters could only stare at each other as they each thought the same thing…

"Why…? Shez/Byleth?" They each thought.


AN #1: Welcome everyone to the second part of the sixth chapter of Fire Emblem: Three Houses story, "Fire Emblem: Three Houses – Roar of the Lions". In this chapter Shez and Byleth finally make their choices only to come… to different ones!?

How will this decision effect their relationship? Surely this choice… couldn't change the fate of a continent… could it?

Next time join as they make the two sisters settle in to Academy life in the next chapter, "Familiar Scenery – Part 1."

AN#2: As always it's you guys that keep me going and I hope you hear from you with any constructive criticism. So remember to favorite, follow, and most importantly review so I can hear from you guys.


AN#3: DUN DUN DUUUUUUN! The choices have been made!

You thought things were going to be that easy!? HA! You haven't meet me if you think things are going to be easy. But have no fear there is a method to my madness. And I hope with time you all can see what I'm trying to do and still support me along the way.

Find out next time!

Author of Mystery, out!