AN: I'm so sorry this took so long to get out to you all. Life got really busy with everything. Thank you for your patience! Without further ado, Chapter 3!

-Chapter 3: Meetings-

-Part One: White Clouds-

[Day Twenty-Nine, Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180, 10:00 AM]

The monotonous sounds of rough scribbling resounded in Byleth's room. He sat at his study desk, several books lay open, papers scattered around. Sketches of various names and insignia marked them haphazardly.

Three major emblems printed on them, one with a red banner and a large, imposing eagle. Another a blue banner and a lion proudly marking it. Finally, a drawing of a deer with massive antlers scrawling out with a yellow and grey banner. Titles embolden them, "Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer'' Respectively.

Under the emblems were lists of names, such as, "Dedue", "Claude", "Ingrid", "Hilda", Among others. These were the students of the three classes that he had the option of teaching this year. Having finally written enough names, he sat back, taking a moment to finally organize things, matching everyone to their respective houses.

He took a look at the Golden Deer class. Led by Claude, his students were mostly commoners and sons and daughters of merchants and mercenaries. This house represented the Leicester Alliance, eastern Fódlan. The students consisted of Claude, Hilda, Raphael, Lysithea, Ignatz, Leonie, Lorenz, and Marianne.

His focus moved towards the Blue Lions. Led by Dimitri, most in that class were knights in training. The kingdom was known for such. Being the second-largest faction in Fódlan, Dimitri's class represented The Holy Kingdom of Fareghus. The students consisted of Dimitri, Dedue, Ingrid, Ashe, Sylvain, Felix, and Mercedes.

Finally, his eyes found their way to the Black Eagles Class. Led by Edelgard. Those in her class were mostly nobles. The Adrestian Empire made up most of the continent of Fódlan, ruling the entirety of south Fódlan. The students consisted of Edelgard, Hubert, Lindhardt, Caspar, Bernadetta, Dorothea, Petra, and Ferdinand.

A petite, ghostly form floated over him, reading his scribbles and names with genuine interest. Sothis grinned at his rather crude drawings, only somewhat resembling what he had intended to capture. Art wasn't something Rhea often allowed time for. Silence reverberated between them, Byleth focusing rather intently on his drawings and papers, ignoring the girl entirely.

Unfortunately for Byleth, being ignored was not something Sothis tolerated very well.

"You're so indecisive. Pick one already!" Sothis snapped, only to receive silence from the man in question. Hyperfixation was common. Once he started on something, he was unless deadset on finishing unless Rhea says otherwise.

He was tasked with picking one of these classes of students to lead. It was a bit overwhelming. Every class had its flair, with unique people he wanted to get to know. Despite how indecisive he felt, Time waits for no one. It was time to meet with Rhea and the other teachers, and pick what class he was to teach. He sat up and pushed his chair in, not bothering to clean up the mess he had made. His desk was almost always messy anyway, much to Rhea's dismay. The audience chamber was just one set of stairs below him, making for a brisk walk. His hasty steps could be heard echoing throughout the stairwell.

Excitement bubbled within. For the first time since he could remember, he was given some sort of freedom. So much so to the point where he almost slipped as he turned the knob and swung the door open.

There stood three people, an older man, a woman with a faceful of makeup, and Archbishop Rhea herself. The soft discussion between them halted abruptly as the boy willed the door open. Rhea's soft smile seemingly brightening up the room. The man and woman turned to Byleth as well, quickly motioning him over.

He nodded and made his way over. Becoming the only sound in the room until he had joined them, fitting between the man and woman.

The people that were there, Byleth was at least, somewhat familiar with. The woman aside from Rhea was Manuela, The school nurse. She spends her days practicing healing magic, helping others… and getting drunk. More than once Byleth had found empty bottles of wine littered about her room. (Which so happened to be the nurse's office.) Byleth ignored it and went on with his day when such occurred. Manuela herself was an older woman, normally more scantily dressed. (But still modest, somehow, in Rhea's eyes…) But now, she dressed more modestly. A soft green dress covered her body going down to just before her feet, as to not trip when walking. This was her more casual clothing.

The jolly older man was known as Hanneman. Someone who Byleth was vaguely familiar with. He had a monocle on his right eye. A pronounced mustache above his lips. Dressed professionally all the time, he had a refined air to him. His outfit consisted of a suit with a coat over it. Fitting, considering how chilly the air had been as of recent. His role here was… apparently obsessing over crests. Byleth had only been to his office once in his life. From his memory, it could be described as busy. Books lined the room, most consisting of history and crest research. In the middle of it was a typical desk.

Crests were something that Byleth had read about in his religious textbooks. According to the texts and mother Rhea, they were a gift from the goddess, and it was a gift to have one.

"Ah. Byleth, my child. We were just discussing who would lead each class. But ultimately, as you are most junior, we have decided you have the first choice." Rhea's kind, relaxing voice rang

This was it. The moment that he had been waiting for. Finally, he was going to pick a house to lead and teach for the foreseeable future. A choice that he didn't take lightly. Byleth closed his eyes, thinking over everything. A deep breath escaped his lips. After what felt like an eternity, his answer came.

"I wish to lead the Black Eagles house."

"So your heart has chosen. I only ask that you lead them well my child."

Hanneman and Manuela nod simultaneously. They would take the other classes. For now, it was time to meet with the students that he had chosen to teach. Byleth turned around, only for his gaze to catch a familiar young girl staring expectantly at him. Almost as if she wanted something. The girl motioned him over, before floating through the door with ease.

Making his way out of the room, a green-haired blur would zip past him. Flayn. A short-haired girl with lime green hair and a gluttonous love of fish. Short statured and polite, she rather enjoyed living here. Byleth saw her as an unofficial younger sister.

"Oh! Byleth. Am I interrupting something?" A polite, soft voice came from behind him. Flayn, being as fast as she was, tended to miss out on things. She had come to find her brother, which so happens that he wasn't here. Odd. Usually, he was constantly with Rhea, worrying over the smallest of details. Looks like she would have to find him elsewhere.

Byleth shook his head, mind ablaze with his thoughts. His class, Bells, and much more. Not to mention, Sothis looked like she had something she wanted to say… As always.

"Ah. I see. I've been looking for Seteth. Please do tell me if you see him."

Byleth nodded, only half paying attention to her words, Sothis still staring at him expectantly. There was so much to discuss… Then there was the matter of meeting the classes.

The first order of business was to attend to Sothis, lest he never hears the end of her nagging and snarky comments. Slipping away back upstairs, into the identical "T" shaped hallway, to finally meet a very snappy Sothis.

"Honestly. I didn't even know if you're going to pick one." her voice came quickly, looking away with her arms folded. Byleth just raised an eyebrow in confusion. Why would she drag him up here just to say that? There had to be more to it…

"You need to spend more time with that girl. The one in your dream. I've already told you this but, seriously. You're gonna get no answers hiding in your room." Sothis's voice came harshly. She, despite having interacted with Bells. Knew almost nothing about them. Save that they were twins. No doubt about that.

Byleth was taken aback. Sure he had spent most of his time in his room. He crossed his arms. Things had gotten drastically busy for him. Not only did he have his pre-set schedule, he now had to study to be a teacher, but also pick a class to lead. It's not like he had any free time on him…

"Sothis. Please. I realize that you're curious about her. But I have other things to do. You of all people should know that Rh-" Sothis returned fire before he could even finish his sentence. She wanted to go see these two talk to each other. Forget the schedule, she had things to do and learn from.

"Maybe sometimes you should do something for yourself for once in your life. Rhea be damned." Sothis was getting rather fed up. She usually tolerated his reserved nature, but not now. This was a unique opportunity that she refused to slip by her. Byleth didn't know what to say. Sothis had never been this… Aggressive. Sure, she could be persistent and annoying, but never quite like this.

Dumbfounded, Byleth was at a loss for words as the girl's intent stare bore into him. Several times Byleth would open his mouth to say something, yet nothing came out. Moments passed of pure silence. Before too long Sothis shook her head.

"Do you see my point now?"

Byleth only nodded. She had made her point crystal clear. He would never hear the end of it if he told her no. She could peer into his thoughts. It's not like he could hide much of it.

"Professor. Whoever are you speaking to up here, alone?" A female voice came. Byleth whipped around quickly to find an imposing Edelgard peering at him intently. If Byleth wasn't in a situation that would make him look crazy, he would have looked behind him to see Sothis with her arms crossed, rather irate.

"Oh! Hello Edelgard. I…" His voice trailed off. How would he explain this?

"I'd hate to interrupt a moment of vocal thought, but you are our professor now. You must come and meet the class." Edelgard's voice came in a very matter-of-fact tone. Edelgard was too busy to be concerned with why he had isolated himself up here. It only mattered that she had found him and would be coming with her.

"R-right. Of course." Byleth voices to get a soft smile from his new student. White hair turned to him and started to walk away. Byleth turned to face where Sothis was, who was now gone, most likely hiding in his room. All Byleth could do was walk with his student and meet the awaiting Black Eagles.

The soft echo of chatter filled the reception hall. Once vacant seats were now being filled with students from various classes with each leader standing at the edge of their respective tables. All students were in their designated uniforms. However, Two students stood out from the crowd, 2 individuals, each sporting a blue and yellow uniform respectively, stood at the far back. Claude and Dimitri spoke to their fellow housemates.

Chatter was indistinct, having so many conversations to keep up with would surely drive someone crazy, so it was best to not try to.

Bells quickly stepped into the far end of the hall. Gazing around, colors blurred together. Save two. Dimitri and Claude. Quickly traversing the hall, she was met with the smiling faces of the students sitting down, only after did the house leaders seem to notice the female standing behind them.

"Oh hey! I heard you scored a teaching gig. Care to meet everyone?" Claude hastily lets out with a smile, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

Students in similarly clad colors perked up, now noticing Bells standing before them. Bells simply nodded. It looks like Dimitri would have to wait his turn, much to his mild dismay.

"First. Myself, I'm Claude Von Riegan. As it turns out. I'm pretty curious about you too. Care to take this year to learn about each other?" His hands went behind his head and rested there, quickly moving on to his classmates.

"Next up. Ignatz Victor." Claude points to a short-haired boy with a bowl cut and glasses, idly drawing on a blank piece of paper. The boy broke out of his trance, startled at the sudden attention. He didn't say anything in response, too struck with embarrassment to do so.

"...Alright then. Raphael "

A tall, well-muscled boy sat up, busy stuffing his face with his latest meal. Bits of food lay on his chin. As with everyone. He was clad in the class's yellow robes.

"Hiya. Names Raphael. Raphael Kirsten. Nice to meet you." He lets out loudly, Normally this would have been quite the disturbance, but given that the hall was quite loud already, most didn't bat an eye. Bells waved to him. He then went back to eating.

Next up was Leonie. An orange-haired female with a sharp look stood up and got out from the chair, going to face Bells. With a small snap of her finger, Bells found herself face to face with the orange-haired girl, almost.

"You. You of all people got a teaching job here. How." Having a better look at her brought back memories. Vague ones, but still memories none-the-less. After a moment, Bells blinked.

"Oh. Yeah. You're that girl from that village we once went to." Bells tilted her head to the side, thinking back to the time that she had seen her. Sometimes when she and her father had gone to Gloucester territory. The Leicester Alliance wasn't somewhere she had spent long in. Surfacing now was memories of the orange-haired girl.

...Boy. Could she have been less annoying? Leonie was rather… obsessive when she had last met her. Jeralt, her father was the only thing she could ever talk about. Besting him in combat being the major thing. That and how she begged to travel with them. That was… something Jeralt nor his daughter could allow. The life of a sellsword was a dangerous one. Not something a young girl should be in, regardless of her enthusiasm.

"I still stand by my father's choice. You were still too young." Bells' lips creased into a half frown. Then there was the question that she expected to come up immediately since they had seen each other years ago.

"Where's Captain Jeralt? Did you come alone?" There it was, the one she had been expecting and dreading at the same time.

A sigh escaped Bells's lips. She would have to deal with the consequences later. Jeralt probably was gonna tell her off for it but nothing could be done. Leonie had a habit of being… clingy and uncompromising when it came to what she wanted. Purple hues met Leonie. Bells finally nodded.

Leonie's eyes lit up like jewels. The orange-haired girl would've surely run off to try to find him, but the monastery was so large, and she hadn't fully memorized the rather large place.

"Enough fangirling Leonie. You can look for him later" Claude lets out with a half-grin. Claude was of the mentality that one had to create fun in such a place, but there were other things to attend to.

"Next up. Lysithea." Claude motioned to a white-haired, child-like girl, nose deep in a book. A frustrated huff escaped her lips, she put her book down, turned to Claude, sharp words exploding from her mouth.

"Claude, I swear to Sothis if this is one of your silly pranks, I'll-" Her voice fell off abruptly upon seeing Bells. She was so invested in her studies that she had missed everything going on and what had happened for the past few minutes. Upon seeing Bells, she straightened up to meet the taller woman

"Oh! Hi Professor, I am Lysithea Von Ordelia. It is a pleasure to meet you." A curt response escapes her lips before she picks her book up again and busies herself with where she was before she was interrupted by Claude. The house leader just shrugged.

"That's her alright. Always busy with something, usually learning. Or cake. Don't treat her like a child or you'll find yourself on the end of some rather nasty magic she's mastered." Claude sighs. He liked to mess with her, much to her anger and dismay.

A sky blue-haired woman rubbed her eyes in the back. Bells quickly found herself transfixed on her. She looked like she hadn't slept well. Or at all in fact. Claude tilted his head, only taking a moment to notice what she had found so interesting.

"Ah. Marianne. I… She comes from… Well, I don't know much about her actually." Claude's voice trailed off. This caused Bells to raise an eyebrow. She didn't know how long he had known her, but that struck the mercenary as odd. As Bells began to mull over her thoughts, another student entered the scene. A tall lad with purple hair stood up, very prim and proper. Claude let out a defeated, slightly annoyed sigh. Claude opened his mouth one final time to speak before he was interrupted by the boy.

"I am Lorenz. Lorenz Hellman Gloucester. Noble, Perfect, can't wait to learn from you." A half-smile showed. His uniform was identical to everyone else's, save a rather large rose sat on his upper chest, just above where one could feel a heartbeat. With that the boy sat down, Claude finally being able to speak without potentially being interrupted by Lorenz.

"Well. That's Lorenz for you. He acts… like that. All the time." Claude lets out a sigh. It seems that Claude has his limits on who he liked. Lorenz was not one of them. Claude quickly continued, as to move past Lorenz.

"Finally. We have Hilda. She's the daughter of Duke Goneril. She's lived a comfy life. So much so that one could call her lazy. Though if you were to look up lazy in the dictionary. Her picture wouldn't be there. Because she never got around to submitting it." A sly grin continued onto his face. It seemed that nobody was safe from Claude's chargin. Bells cocked her head to the side, certainly an interesting bunch, Leonie especially. Bells knew she was stubborn, but this only reinforced that image of the girl she had met years ago.

"Professor. If I may." Dimitri perked up his voice, now finally getting his turn to speak and introduce his classmates. Bells quickly turned to him, his face lighting up quickly. He was quick to start speaking.

"As you know. I am Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Heir to the Faerghus throne. I'm the house leader of the Blue Lions. Despite my lineage. I would rather you speak to me as your equal. We're all friends here, regardless of status." He tells her with a smile, motioning to his classmates. A varied bunch of students who you could consider the "calmest" of the mass. He then points to an orange-haired girl, who was humming to herself before perking up.

"That's Annette Fantine Dominic. She likes to sing and is pretty cheerful. However, she can be a little uh…" He lowered his voice to the point where only Bells could hear him. Mostly as to not hurt her feelings.

"She can be a little dense. Many stories tell that she caused an explosion or two in the kitchen." Dimitri gave her a nervous sideways glance before clearing his throat to continue his introduction of his classmates, but not before Anette gave a quick wave and a smile.

"Next up Dedue Molinaro. He's been with me ever since I was a child. One of the people I trust the most." A tall, well built and quiet man raised his head from the back. He simply nodded and leaned back against the wall. Dedue wasn't much for words it seems.

"Next is Mercedes Von Martitz. She's from the empire but some twist of fate led her to be here. Pretty soft-spoken but looks can be deceiving. Her tongue can be as sharp as any sword." He motions to a blonde female, chatting away happily with Annette. From the looks of things. She was a devout follower of the Serosian religion, having some religious texts on her almost at all times.

"Next u-" Dimitri was interrupted by a redheaded boy who stood up and smiled gently at her. He took a few steps forward and took Bells's hand. Similar to how a prince would for a princess.

"My name is Sylvain Jose Gautier. It's very nice to meet you, professor." He gave a soft wink to Bells before sitting back down at the table. Dimitri let out a sigh. Sylvain was always like this.

"That's Sylvain. He's a good friend and reliable. That said… he's quite the skirt chaser." Dimitri was pretty curt with his description of his classmate. Getting side-eyed by Sylvain, who then went back to talking with Mercedes about some other topic.

Dimitri quickly moved on, his eyes shifting towards a blonde-haired girl, chatting about a book or something with a grey-haired one that Bells would be introduced to in a moment.

"This is Ingrid." The prince says, the blonde girl perking up at her name. She was well dressed in the school uniform, nothing much else to note about it. She stood up, moved out from the table, and gave a curt bow to Bells.

"I'm Ingrid Brandi Galatea. A pleasure to meet you." She announced to her, looking to Dimitri as to what to do next. He just motioned her to sit back down and carry on with what she was doing. Dimitri quickly perked up again.

"The Holy Kingdom of Fareghus is known for its knights and chivalry. She's very disciplined and more knightly than most. Another childhood friend of mine." A black-haired boy stood from his spot, almost irate. Catching Bells off guard with how… almost upset he was. Before he could speak, Dimitri piped up, knowing how… crass he could be.

"That's Felix. Felix Hugo Fraldarious. A childhood friend of mine. He enjoys a good sword fight. I think he will take a great interest in learning from you." Felix just looked up and down at Bells, almost determining if she was worth his time or not. After a moment, he seemed satisfied with her and sat back down. Finally, he spoke, a harsh tone coming out of his lips.

"Whatever. Just give me a good challenge and we'll be fine." He crossed his arms, indicating that he would rather not be bothered anymore. Bells tilted her head to the side, Felix was… peculiar to say the least. Dimitri just gave her an earnest but slightly nervous smile.

"Finally we have Ashe Ubert. He's kindhearted and one of the most genuine people you will ever meet." The boy perked up similarly to Ingrid. He gave a quick hello and a smile before turning back to his conversation with Ingrid. It wasn't out of being rude, more so that he was rather invested in the conversation he was having.

That was the entirety of the classes. There were a few smaller ones, a group of four, named the Ashen Wolves, among others. Looking around was just a blur of color and nondescript faces.

Just as they finished up talking, Byleth came into the room at the far end of the hall with Edelgard. The Black Eagle class quickly followed behind. Bells and the other leaders quickly turned to face them. It wasn't hard to spot them either. Blue hair wasn't typically common. As Byleth walked toward the other group, he could faintly make out the whispers of other various students. Unsubstantiated and wild rumors, all focused on how he even got the teaching job in the first place. He promptly ignored them.

Quickly making his way over the group, Edelgard had a soft grin, something rare for her. The other house leaders cocked their heads to the side. It was a little uncanny how similar these two looked. They really were siblings. It was only then that the house leaders realized that they had been introducing themselves to someone who wasn't the teacher. Meaning that they had to do the whole process over again. Not that anyone minded. (Except Felix.) They went over who was who, just much quicker this time.

Finishing round two of introductions would reward them with two more people entering the room. Hanneman and Manuella had finally finished up business with other things. Students seemed to pay them no mind as they both came over to what was getting to be a rather large group. (Even if the Black Eagle students had found an empty table to sit at.) The other two came over to what would have been a simple meeting. That was If Hanneman didn't start obsessing over the twins like a child with a new toy.

"Twins!? I must say, the possibility of crests being passed down-" He cut himself off. Despite his older age and appearance, his mind was racing fast that his mouth was.

"Bells, was it? I insist that you come to my office with me. Just to see if you have a crest or not. Nothing weird. As a crest scholar. I simply must know-" This time, Bells just cut him off with a hesitant sigh. He wasn't going to take no for an answer, just like another person she knew.

His eyes lit up at the prospect of seeing if she had a crest, maybe even a new, undiscovered one was just something that excited him to no end. Just as Bells began to follow him, she grabbed Byleth's arm and began to drag him with her. She wasn't going alone for this crest thing. Especially since they were twins and all. Much to his dismay. Manuella had just accepted that he wasn't going to be deterred from what he was doing.

"H-hey! Whe- Okay. Fine." Byleth begrudgingly joined her. It was mostly a quick jaunt up the spiral staircase, landing them on the second floor. Turning around and going into the hallway and an office leads them into where Hanneman spent most of his time. Grading papers and writing detailed notes about crests and whatever he felt needed to be jotted down.

The room was just as Byleth remembered. Busy, but organized. Books lined the shelves with his notes and other books on crests, both religious-related and not. In the middle of the room was his desk. A grand one filled with many drawers. The one thing that Byleth didn't remember… Was the large purple circle in front of the desk. Hanneman motioned to it. It looked to be made of glass.

"Now. Bells, Put your hand over the scanner." He announces, digging through his desk frantically over trying to find an empty notebook. (Or the one he was currently working on anyways.) Bells tilted her head, she had never seen anything like this. Sure, she had seen magic, both restorative and destructive, but nothing quite like this. Curiously, she put her right hand over the circle.

A purple light appeared over her hand. Bold lines appeared, showing scribbles of lines that seemed to have no rhyme or reason for going the way they did. That being said, the lines cut off, only showing a fraction of what was something much larger.

"I'm not sure if your father ever told you… But crests are… unique. They give the holder powers that most may not have. They are passed down from bloodlines. From parent to child. It's said that, ages ago, the goddess bestowed them upon humanity. Those who have them may excel at a variety of things, Magic, among other things." Hanneman monologues while he dug through his rather large desk.

"Each crest has a unique power th-" He popped up from his desk rapidly, pen and book in hand. Cutting himself off as it was a pattern he had never seen before. Scribbling what he could quickly, as he told Bells to hold her hand there until it was done.

"Bells! You seem to have a crest that is yet undiscovered! Most fascinating!" His eyes had that glint in them that he had just a few minutes ago. Now the question that he had. Did both of them have a crest? If so, is it the same one? Or is it different? After finally giving Bells the motion to remove her hand, the lines faded away.

Now more prepared than he was before, Byleth put his hand over the scanner. He expected nothing, after all. What were the actual chances of them both having a crest, much less the same one? Much to his surprise, Similar lines appeared, though it displayed more of the same image. The scholar almost dropped his pen. The chances of them both having a crest were astronomically low. Much less one that was undiscovered. After a minute of him frantically scribbling the unfinished design of it, Hanneman composed himself.

"Please excuse my unrestrained jubilation. I just find this, so fascinating. I have much to consider and do. You two are excused now. Thank you for your time." He shut the leatherbound notebook and adjusted his monocle. Almost pushing the duo out, it was in this moment that he remembered he had much more than crest research to do. He was leading a class after all. He put the notebook in one of his many coat pockets and shut the door, promptly moving down the stairs and back to the reception hall where he would take his class.

Neither had the chance to get a word in. Much like Sothis, he left very little time to get a word in. Such was the nature of obsessions…

Silently, the two walked out next to the stairwell. Neither knew what to say.

Before they could descend the stairs, a certain green-haired girl appeared before them, looking rather. Smug?

"Finally. I thought you would never take my advice." She announces to them, floating in front of them. Byleth paused, turning to Bells.

"You… You can see her too?" His voice was soft, almost inaudible. Never once in his life, did he think that someone could see the girl too. Sothis just rolled her eyes. Byleth could be… rather slow sometimes.

"Of course she can see me. Why else would she be stopping and staring at me!?" Sothis snapped. Bells just glanced at her twin. She didn't know what to say. She never thought anyone could see her either. The silence between them ensued. Sothis... Wasn't the type who liked that.

"Are you two just going to stare or what? You two are linked somehow if you can both see me."

Byleth's expression contorted into something resembling confusion and regret. He felt guilty for how he had treated his sibling. If nothing else, it proved beyond any reasonable doubt, that they were connected. Byleth had his doubts… Not anymore.

"I'm… Sorry for how I treated you earlier." Byleth's voice continued to be quiet. Unable to look her in the eye. It's just how he was. He could never do that if he felt this way. Bells didn't respond audibly. Not at first anyway. She only responded by pulling him into a hug.

"It's okay." Bells whispered in response. She was just glad he wasn't so… rejective of her anymore. Sothis just sighed. She wasn't the type for sappy things like this. But at least it means they would finally stick together.

More silence ensued.

Before too long, the doors to Rhea's office opened, revealing the archbishop herself. She noticed them almost immediately. Pursing her lips before turning to a more neutral stance. She cleared her throat, startling both Byleth and Bells. They pulled away immediately and quickly turned to Rhea who was back to that soft smile she wore all the time.

"A-ah! Mother Rhea. Wh-" He was cut off by her soft voice. Her gaze peering into both of them. It was… almost uncomfortable.

"Nothing to worry about. I was just coming to inform you of your first task as a teacher." She answers his rather nervous composure with a piece of paper, he took it and glanced over it. In big, bold letters came the words.

"MOCK BATTLE"

Oh. That was right! He had completely forgotten about it. The houses were going to have a mock battle as a show of leadership. (Well the three prominent houses anyway.) He was going to be leading the Black Eagles into his first-ever battle. Of course, there was no chance of serious injury, this was a mock battle and just a friendly competition. The winner got bragging rights among other rewards.

"You are to show your leadership skills in battle. I wish you the best." Her voice never faltering. With her business finished here, she turned back to go back into her office. That would have happened if Bells didn't speak up.

"Lady Rhea. I would like to ask a favor of you. May I act as an assistant to him? Surely being a teacher isn't easy." Bells were quick with speaking, as to not hesitate and hopefully, get her permission.

A long silence ensued, Rhea only slowly turning to her with that same soft smile. Bells were about to speak up, assuming it was a no, only for the archbishop to finally speak.

"Of course. I expect nothing short of your best." She announces before slowly returning to her office and shutting the doors behind her.

Byleth turned to Bells again, curious. Why did she want to help that badly? Not that he minded. Admittedly, taking on such a responsibility, as eager as he may be, could be rather daunting.

"Looks like we have a long road ahead of us… Brother."

-End of Chapter 3-