And here we are with the next chapter. First all thank you for those who have reviewed my story, you guys gave me the motivation to write the chapter. There will be a... casual confirmation in this chapter, especially in regards to relationship between the two Avatars.
And thank you for the information LazyWriterDude, I thought that perhaps any descendant from Robin could bear the Brand of Defile since they might inherit his pure Fell Blood but then again, depend on his spouse, the blood would be mixed enough that the Fell blood would no longer be considered to be pure any longer? Is that what you meant?
As per usual, please review and tell me how I am doing with this chapter. Enjoy!
Beta Reader: DarkAngelDan98.
Edit: There are some key elements that I changed here, thanks for the reviewer KeeltheSwift to remind that Byleth didn't know her exact age (I'm sorry, I honestly forget about it! *hides face with hands*). But yes, I do realize the complication I made in this chapter. However, I do want to point out Twin Stars weren't about their relationship... most of the time, it was said in chapter 0 (or 1) what Twin Stars would be about.
"Here is your schedule."
Robin nodded as he accepted the scroll that contained the timetable of his duties from Jeralt. At the moment, Robin was in Jeralt's office so that he would be able to know exactly how his duties had been organized.
"I made sure to match it up with the kid's schedule so most of the time whenever she's free, you will be too." Jeralt informed the young knight as he crossed his arms and leaned against his seat while Robin opened up the scroll to see exactly how his schedule looked.
"Sneaky." Robin commented without taking his eyes off the parchment in his hands. There were three days where he would be required to stay up late at night for a guard duty…well, at least he wouldn't have to do a late night shift on Sunday or Saturday night since Sunday was the day where Byleth was free for the whole day.
"I also heard about what happened yesterday when Hanneman wanted to check whether you have a Crest or not." Jeralt added after a few moments of silence.
Robin winced a little at being reminded of that rather unexpected incident. Truthfully, he had tried to put it out of his mind for now and focus more on what was presently going on right now, namely adapting to his new environment as well as keeping an eye on Byleth. He already had enough of his plate and he wasn't looking to add anything more to the load he was already dealing with, thank you.
"According to him when he asked what your thoughts were on why his device broke down like that you theorized that it could've happened because you possessed special blood that you inherited from your family and that the device must have reacted violently to it since part of the devices identification process involves magically checking the target's blood to determine whether the individual has a Crest or not." Jeralt continued on when Robin said nothing.
"I was technically telling the truth." Robin finally spoke up as he rolled up his scroll and shifted his attention back to his captain.
It was true, technically speaking Robin wasn't lying. The blood flowing through his veins was far from ordinary, it was something that he had inherited from his so-called 'Father', though as far as Robin was concerned that insane wretch may have sired him but he was never, not even for a single moment, his Father. His blood ties to that man was a bit of a sensitive topic for Robin so he was thankful that Hanneman hadn't made any further inquiries or explanations after he had said that his special blood allowed him to make use of some sort of magic that wasn't native to Fodlan which may have been what reacted to Hanneman's device. Though it seemed that the scholar was more than a little disappointed once Byleth revealed that Robin wasn't from Fodlan as he believed Crests only existed in Fodlan thus in his opinion it was impossible that what happened yesterday was tied to any potential Crest that Robin might have.
If only he knew the truth…
"So, do you know that your daughter has a Crest? And to top things off it seems it might be one that hasn't been identified yet" Robin asked as he placed the rolled up paper inside his coat.
"I didn't…that was unexpected." Jeralt admitted with a tired sigh as he massaged his forehead. Robin could tell just from the way he sighed that Jeralt genuinely didn't know that his daughter had a Crest.
"Any ideas from whom she might have gotten that Crest from? Did you come from a family that has a Crest?" Robin asked as he put his fist under his chin. Truth to be told, Robin had a suspicion that Byleth's Crest was connected to the appearance of Sothis in her mind. Robin has gone through enough supernatural experiences to know that it wasn't impossible for such occurrence to actually happen.
What if Sothis' recent awakening truly was tied to the manifestation of Byleth's Crest? It was only recently that Byleth got a dream of meeting Sothis after all. While Hanneman already explained that it wasn't impossible for someone to have Crest and not be aware of it, it seemed like far too much of a coincidence that Byleth's Crest only started to make itself known when this mystery girl showed up in her subconscious mind.
"I don't know…I cut ties with my family a long time ago." Jeralt admitted with another sigh before he leaned forward slightly and stared directly at Robin's eyes.
"Look, the fact that she seems to have an unknown Crest should tell you that there are other reasons why the Archbishop wanted me and the kid to stay here that have intentionally remained unsaid."
"Do you think Lady Rhea already knew that Byleth possessed this unknown Crest all along?" Robin could see the logic behind Jeralt's theory. The tactician in him already had disapproved of Rhea's decision in appointing Byleth just like that without a proper test or a background check, but if Rhea had prior knowledge about this unknown Crest that Byleth happened to have then he could see why the Archbishop wanted Byleth to stay.
But something else was bugging him about this…
"If we assume that's the case then how is it that Rhea knew about it? You said that Byleth was born many years after you left the Monastery but something tells me that there's more to the story than that." Robin stated as he narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, hoping that Jeralt would be willing to share something about this.
The words that Alois said that morning, that Jeralt disappeared from the Monastery without a trace, were still stuck in his mind and now with the possibility that Rhea might be aware of Byleth's mystery Crest, he felt that there was some history between Jeralt and Rhea that might or might not involve Byleth somehow despite Jeralt claiming that Byleth was born after he left the Monastery. His mind had worked on a theory at this point…though he still wanted to hear the truth from Jeralt himself…
Robin nearly slammed his hands on Jeralt's table in frustration when the man remained silent. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was his own belief that Jeralt must have a good reason from keeping all these secrets to himself…plus as irritating as Jeralt's habit of keeping everything to himself was, Robin also didn't want to push Jeralt too much…partially for his daughter's sake.
"Fine, I'll keep my eye on her and Lady Rhea. I should go ahead and get started on my patrol duty now." Robin said with a sigh, knowing that continuing this conversation wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Robin."
Robin, who about to leave the office, immediately turned around when Jeralt surprisingly called him by his name instead of 'boy'. He knew that if the older man called him by name then whatever he had to say would be important.
"I know I keep some secrets from you and the kid, secrets that I should have told you by now…and I will tell you…but I need you to give me some time to…consider everything first." Jeralt said solemnly as an emotion reflected in his eyes that Robin couldn't quite describe.
…Was it guilt?
"Don't worry; I believe you'll come around. I truly do have faith in you." Robin assured with a small grin and a nod, causing Jeralt to look rather surprised, clearly not expecting to hear that, before he shakes his head with a sigh.
"You can be too trusting sometimes."
"I'm your second-in-command after all, it's only natural to trust my captain."
Jeralt gave him a wry smirk after shaking his head again while Robin simply gave the man a playful wink in response before he finally left Jeralt's office.
Time to patrol but first…he needed to make a quick stop at the Dining Hall…
Just to 'inspect' the food there.
…Purely for research purposes of course. He had to make sure this place could provide Byleth with the daily nutrition she'd need to be able to keep up with her no doubt busy schedule.
He most certainly wasn't planning on 'borrowing' some of the spare provisions they had because he was feeling hungry.
Nope…that certainly had nothing to do with it.
Byleth let out a sigh as she put down a piece of paper, the contents of which she had just finished reviewing, onto the small stack of papers on the table before pulling out another one and started to read it. She was certainly grateful that the Monastery's library was a quiet, peaceful place which allowed her to examine her students' essays without any disturbance.
Yesterday she had given her students the homework assignment of writing an essay about why they decided to use their current weapon, what it was they wanted to learn regarding broadening their skillset and improvement in general, as well as what they believed to be their strength and weakness.
While Byleth herself had already determined their flaws and strengths based on their performance yesterday but she also wanted to know if her students were also self-aware of their own fortes and flaws. She also hoped that by learning what they wanted to learn and why they decided to use their current weapon, it would give her the idea on what to do with her class. It was her opinion that it would be to the benefit of both her students and herself if they were all on the same page so they could have a clear idea of what approach they should take going forward.
Though for now, she just simply wanted to make sure that they could at least cover their shortcoming with their strength and ensure that their skills were more than enough to face their opponents in the upcoming mock battle.
"Hey Teach."
Byleth looked up from her work when she heard a familiar voice to see the leader of the Golden Deer house approach her with an easygoing grin. She raised her eyebrow at what he just called her but decided to ignore it.
"Claude." Byleth greeted with a nod before she dips her quill into the vial of ink on the table and began to write what she wanted to write before she ended up forgetting what her original point was.
"What're you doing there Teach?" Claude asked as he took a seat across from her, looking at all the papers around her in curiosity.
"Making a note." Byleth replied without looking up from her work. This was something that Byleth did once she finished reading a student's essay, writing up notes on what she thought she could do for them for now in order to help prepare them for the mock battle. That way when she gave them some one-on-one training they'd already would have an idea of what they'd be working on.
As soon as Byleth answered his question, Claude immediately tried to take a peek at what she wrote by leaning forward but one unamused glance from the blue haired professor was enough to stop Claude and make him lean back with a chuckle.
"Easy there Teach, I was just fooling around." Claude said as he raised both his hands in front of him in surrender. Byleth simply rolled her eyes in response before she continued to write on the paper.
For the next few minutes neither Byleth nor Claude said anything else, which was just fine with Byleth as she preferred to work in peace like this. As she continued on writing the note on the essay she was marking, she could feel Claude's eyes on her though she mostly ignored it as she didn't feel disturbed by his stare…until he finally spoke up.
"There is something I've been meaning to ask if you don't mind. Tell me Teach, did your father teach you how to fight?" Claude asked as he crossed his arms on the table.
"Yes he did." Byleth answered without looking up again.
"I'm guessing he started teaching you from a pretty early age?"
"That is correct."
"I figured. Your father used to lead the knights didn't he? And I hear he was a legendary mercenary as well."
"All of what you've heard is true." Byleth, continued to answer his queries without batting an eye as she made sure to keep most of her focus on getting her work done.
"It must have been hard on your mother, when you followed in your father's footsteps and became a mercenary too, she had to have been pretty worried about both of you having such dangerous professions." Claude commented as he leaned back slightly on his seat.
Byleth's fingers stopped moving for a few moments once she heard Claude's comment before her fingers resumed writing the note she wanted to make once she closed her eyes briefly.
"I never knew my mother." Byleth replied simply before she puts away her quill and placed the reviewed paper on top of the small stack of papers on the table.
"Oh, I see. Still, you must have a rough childhood, right? Growing up while moving from battlefield to battlefield with your father and constantly seeing violence in every one of them. I can see why it lead you to having an unusual amount of composure despite being around the same age as me. I guess it's only natural that you'd be different from young nobles who grew up in the lap of luxury." Claude continued on as he placed his hands behind his head.
"You don't seem like a noble either." Byleth said rather plainly, while she wouldn't claim to be an expert on the behaviours of nobility, she had been around enough nobles in her travels to know that it wasn't often that they described their lifestyle in such a manner. The way that he'd worded his response it almost sounded like the young man was speaking of nobles from an outside perspective as though he wasn't one himself.
"Ha! Well, even so, I am heir to House of Reigan, the leading family of the Alliance. But I didn't exactly grow up in luxury like most people of noble blood. Despite my current situation I've certainly had my fair share of ups and downs in life." Claude answered with a chuckle, appeared to be amused by Byleth's astuteness.
Even though it was only for a brief moment, Byleth certainly noticed something the boy's eyes change for a split second before it disappeared. She wondered what were the emotions that flashed in his pale green eyes.
"And what about Robin?"
"Robin? What about him?" Byleth asked as she titled her head slightly.
"Well, he doesn't look that much older compared to the two of us yet your father made him into his second-in-command despite how much younger he is and now he's been knighted by the Archbishop already plus you did mention that he was the strongest in your father's group. I'm just wondering if perhaps your father found him when he was young and raised him alongside you or something." Claude explained with a curious glint in his eyes.
"He isn't my adoptive brother if that was what you're implying. We met him a few years ago and he was already that powerful when we met him." Byleth corrected. She had to admit, it felt rather wrong to think of Robin as her brother...especially since he was…
"Oh? So he was a mercenary who did his work solo before meeting you and your father?" Claude asked again as he leaned forward slightly.
"No not a mercenary, he was a traveler." technically, Byleth knew that Robin was in-fact a tactician before he encountered her and Jeralt but she also knew that it was better to keep his military career a secret from the others for now unless the man himself gave her permission to reveal his past occupation.
"A traveler huh? With power like his travelling around must've been far simpler than it would be for most folks, especially since he never would've had to worry about thieves and bandits. Still, it's pretty crazy to think that a traveler could get strong enough for your father to make him second-in-command of a mercenary band." Claude commented with a low whistle.
Byleth simply gave the boy a shrug in response. Byleth herself was in awe the first time Robin showed what he capable of by fighting against her father to a standstill though Robin himself admitted that should Jeralt limit their sparring to the use of weapons only then Robin was positive that Jeralt could defeat him since it was his magic that allowed him to fight on par against Jeralt himself.
"I wonder if he went to the School of Sorcery or something similar; he fights primarily with magic, right?" Claude continued on as he placed his chin on his palm.
Byleth shrugged once again since she honestly didn't know. While Robin did tell her of many tales of his journey during and after the wars that he experienced, he never talked much about his past beyond that…most likely because of the amnesia he suffered. Though, Byleth honestly didn't care much about Robin's past, at least not nearly as much as she cared for his present and future.
"What with all the questions?" Byleth finally asked as she crossed her arms. It already struck her as strange that he referred to her by that nickname despite not being the one teaching his house but now him asking her all of this began to come across as rather strange. Then again she had to admit that the way that she and Robin came to work at the Monastery was far from ordinary and considering Claude had seen a brief glimpse of Robin's strength firsthand she couldn't exactly blame him for being a little curious about both of them.
"I just want to get to know the two of you better." Claude replied with a grin as he gave her a shrug. Despite saying that, Byleth felt that there was something else that Claude was not telling her.
"I noticed this before but despite his jovial demeanor his smiles don't seem to reach his eyes, even now." Sothis commented, something that Byleth agreed on.
"Though admittedly, I was a little disappointed that you didn't choose my house." Claude finally admitted with a sigh as he crossed his arms and leaned back against his seat.
"Shouldn't you be happy that your house was picked by Professor Manuela? From what I heard, she has been teaching here for a while, meaning she has more experience in being a professor than I do." Byleth replied as she tilted her head slightly, not understanding why the tanned boy would be disappointed by her choice when in her opnion he should be happy that his house had gotten a more experienced professor just like the Blue Lions.
"Well, yeah…but she doesn't intrigue me as much." Claude replied with a grin, earning himself a confused frown from the blue haired woman.
Before either Claude or Byleth could say anything else, the two of them could hear the sounds of the Monastery's bell being rang, telling the students and the professors that the second teaching period was starting and the lunch break had ended.
"Well, it was nice speaking to you Teach. I hope we can speak again like this, just a small chit-chat between us. See you later." Claude said as he stood up and waved at her before making his way toward the entrance of the library.
Byleth kept staring at his back for a few moments after he walked away, thinking about how strange it was that he was intrigued by someone like her.
"Well, he, alongside the other two, offered you a place in his nation, right? Perhaps he became fascinated with you after seeing your skills first-hand." Sothis commented as Byleth started to pick up all her papers and place them into the satchel that she carried with her.
"I have a feeling that it was more than just my skills by now. I wonder what he saw in me that interested him so much." Byleth replied before she stands up and slings the satchel over her shoulder.
"Let's try to focus on one thing at a time. For now, simply focus on your class. You still need to guide those children for the upcoming mock battle, correct?"
Sothis was right; there were still many things she needed to do in order to prepare her students for the battle between all three houses, especially since now that she had a clear grasp of their flaws and strengths based both on her own judgment and their opinions. Byleth stood up from her chair before quickly walking toward the entrance of the library.
If everything went well then hopefully by the end of the second teaching period, they could decide on a formation and strategy that they would utilize during the bout.
"Come in."
Robin opened the door he just knocked to see Byleth, without her usual armor or overcoat, sitting on her bed with a piece of paper in her hands. When their eyes met, a smile instantly bloomed on Byleth's face.
"Hello." Byleth greeted as she put the paper down on her table.
"Hey." Robin greeted back as he closed the door and removed his coat.
"How was your first day at the classroom professor?" Robin asked as he walked toward her and draped his coat on her chair along the way.
"Aside from the fact that Bernadetta had to be forced to attend class, nothing too eventful happened." Byleth replied with a sigh as Robin sat next to her.
"Wait what?" Robin blinked twice, he certainly wasn't expecting to hear that one of Byleth's students had to be brought to her class against their will.
"Bernadetta von Varley, a daughter of a noble. When I arrived at the classroom, she was absent so I asked the others students if they knew where she was. To my surprise, Edelgard simply asked Hubert to retrieve her and a few minutes after leaving the class, Hubert returned with a flailing Bernadetta. As it turned out, Bernadetta has a bit of a reputation to never leave her quarters at the dormitory so when she was absent from class, everyone already knew where she was." Byleth explained with a small frown. This would be another thing she would have to address later, how she could persuade Bernadetta to attend class of her own volition instead of being forced to attend it like today.
Dragging her kicking and screaming to the classroom certainly wasn't a solution as it was important that the girl wanted to learn and improve on her own accord otherwise there'd be little point in trying to teach her. Not to mention Byleth certainly didn't want to keep forcing her when it clearly caused her so much distress.
"That does sound unusual, perhaps it's a case of shyness or anxiety? It would better if you try to interact with her outside of classroom in a gentler and more relaxed manner. If it is a case of her being very shy then try to make her feel more comfortable around you first." Robin advised as he took off his boots.
"That probably was the most preferable approach though I admit that I still have no idea on how to actually make her come out of her room without forcing her." Byleth admitted as she crossed her arms.
"For now, I suggest focusing on getting closer to her through interactions in the classroom. You should be able to learn one or two things about her that way." Robin suggested before he started to lean back and lie down…with his head landing in Byleth's lap, prompting Robin to give her a grin as he looked up at her.
Byleth blinked her eyes twice at Robin's sudden action before she smiled at him and started to gently stroke his white hair.
"Getting impatient, are we?" Byleth teased as she held his right hand with her free hand.
"In my defense, I haven't gotten any lap pillow sessions in the last two days." Robin replied with a chuckle.
Byleth let out an amused giggle after hearing his response before she leans down to press a light kiss on Robin's forehead, earning herself a fond smile from the man.
"How was your day? Did Father already give you your schedule?" Byleth asked while kept stroking the man's hair.
"Yeah, I got it this morning. Nothing too eventful happened though I did notice that most of the knights seem to be skeptical about me which I can understand since it's not just that I'm new but I also got the 'Byleth's treatment' from Lady Rhea." Robin as he closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling of his hair being gently stroked by the woman.
"That's to be expected but shouldn't their doubt disappear once you show them your skills through sparring?" Byleth asked as she titled her head slightly, ignoring the fact that he still used that term he came up based on her. She hoped that if she didn't acknowledge it then maybe he'd forget about it and it would go away.
"I haven't exactly sparred with anyone yet." Robin admitted with a small grin.
"Let me guess, you couldn't resist the temptation of spending most of your free time in the library?" Byleth asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.
Robin simply opened his eyes and gave her a playful wink to answer her question which Byleth replied with a small chuckle as she shook her head in amusement.
"Resist the urge and set aside some time to head down to the Training Ground soon. If you keep this up then your peers might not take you seriously." Byleth advised as she gently moved some of his bangs from his forehead.
"I'll do it once I fin- I mean, of course ma'am! I'll head down there tomorrow." Robin said with a mock salute, changing his sentence immediately when Byleth gave him a firm look.
Byleth giggled a little at his response before she looked at him with a soft expression, one that could be inferred as 'what am I going to do with you?'. For the next few minutes, neither Robin nor Byleth said anything as they were content in enjoying the comfortable silence that started to surround them. Eventually, Robin decided to break the silence between them as there was something else he wanted to talk to her.
"Is Sothis awake?"
"Yes she is. As matter of fact she just asked me if what we do now is some sort of tradition or custom." Byleth answered with an amused smile.
"Well, in a sort of non-technical way, yes, what we do now is a tradition…between the two of us only. Anyway Sothis, do you think your presence in Byleth's mind might be tied to the unknown Crest that she has?" Robin asked as he stared curiously at Byleth though his expression was actually directed to Sothis rather than Byleth.
Byleth blinked her eyes when she processed what Robin just asked Sothis though she should have expected that the revelation of her having a Crest would still be in the forefront of his mind. While Byleth was far from forgetting the revelation, she was more concerned with what happened afterward as well as her new responsibility as a professor; so, the subject about her Crest currently was at the back on her mind in contrast to Robin.
"Good question, at this moment it's the most plausible explanation as to why I can exist within this child's mind."
"She said it was the most likely explanation regarding how she can exist in my mind." Byleth informed Robin since she knew that the man couldn't hear Sothis.
"But the question is why you woke up now of all times? From what I read, Crest tended to manifest in within the bearer during young age. Byleth is in her late teen or early twenty now, judging by her appearance, if you really are tied to her Crest somehow then wouldn't it make more sense if you manifested within her mind when she was still a child?" Robin asked as he put a fist under his chin.
"Unfortunately, I am also at a loss as to what the reason could be as to why I only awoke the other day even though she supposedly had this Crest within her all her life. But your inquiry makes me wonder…if I really am nothing more than the manifestation of the child's Crest then why do I have a name? Or a date of birth? Why is it somehow I know that I once was known as 'The Beginning'?"
"She also has no idea but she questioned the idea of her being a manifestation of my Crest, if that was the case then why does she have her own identity? If she was some kind of materialization of my Crest then wouldn't it make more sense if she didn't have a name or any sort of self-awareness?" Byleth told Robin, agreeing with Sothis' questions.
"You're right, perhaps there is more to it rather than Sothis just being a mental embodiment of your Crest…but…" there was only one other explanation that he could think of as to why Byleth has another consciousness, if Sothis could be called that, in her mind that might or might not be tied to her Crest which even a scholar of Crestology was unable to identify.
But there were too many holes in this theory of his that he doubted it's credibility…of course, Jeralt being so secretive was not helping their dilemma in the slightest.
Robin blinked his eyes before looking up at Byleth when she poked his cheek twice.
"There's no need to overthink it. For now, I believe it would be best for the two of us to simply focus on our new responsibilities. I'm sure the answer will eventually make itself known to us." Byleth reassured with a smile. Robin replied her with a smile and a nod before he closes his eyes as she continued stroking his hair.
Perhaps she was right, for now he should just continue his duty as a knight…while also looking out for Byleth and monitoring Rhea. Perhaps the Archbishop might know a thing or two about Byleth's current condition but something told him that just like Jeralt, Rhea wouldn't reveal what she knew…that if she even knew anything about Byleth's Crest or Sothis at all.
"Putting that aside…are you okay now?" Byleth asked with her voice laced with worry and concern.
Robin didn't need to think hard to know that she was referring to what happened the other day with Hanneman's device.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Yesterday was…unexpected." Robin admitted as he reopened his eyes.
"Why did your Brand react violently like that?" Byleth asked as she titled her head slightly.
"Brand?"
'Not now Sothis…couldn't you access my memories or something to get the information you want?'
"Unlike with our dreams, we do not share memories…at the very least not yet otherwise you might have been able to see the past that is currently lost to me."
"I have no idea. Maybe I could know for sure if I knew how Hanneman's device actually works but what I told him yesterday was honestly what I thought might be the cause of that reaction." Robin answered with uncertainty.
"I see." Byleth replied quietly as she used her thumb to gently rub the back of Robin's right palm, the spot where he claimed his Brand would often appear.
"But I'm fine now, I promise. It did bother me last night but not anymore." Despite his attempt to reassure her, Byleth still could see the anxiety in his eyes. But for now…she would chose to believe him.
"Do you know? I spoke to one of the dining staff this morning and he said that both professors and students are allowed to cook in the kitchen. Do you know what that means?" Byleth said, deciding to shift their conversation into something more lighthearted. Thankfully, it did the trick as Robin eyes instantly sparkled childishly once he understood the implication behind her words.
"I'd be able to cook your favorite dish. I will start to look for the ingredients tomorrow after class; hopefully the market area will have all that I require to make your favorite meal." Byleth continued on with a smile, prompting Robin to give her a bright grin.
"Thank you dear."
"Anytime love."
The white-haired main closed his eyes when the woman above him leaned down to press her lips against his in a chaste kiss.
Robin came across an unexpected individual while he was out on his night patrol, using the training facility despite the fact that the curfew was now in effect. According to standard procedure, he should ask him to return to the dormitory so he could give his body some rest…however, Robin would lie if he said he wasn't interested in seeing more of the youth's techniques especially since the boy made demolishing training dummies looked really easy.
Robin leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed as he watched the leader of the Blue Lions house, Dimitri, pierce through a training dummy with his training spear. He then quickly kicked the dummy away to free his spear and turned around to cleave a dummy in half with a single swing of his polearm before Dimitri quickly leapt into the air, twirling his spear, before throwing it toward the last dummy with enough force to pierce through the dummy's head. Unsurprisingly, his spear also broke the moment it went through the wooden manikin, training spears were among the basic and lowest quality of weapons one could find so they weren't made to endure that much force.
Dimitri panted lightly as he tried to regain his breath before he quickly turned around when Robin clapped his hands to make his presence be known.
"Sir Robin." Dimitri muttered as he watched the white haired man approached him.
"Your Highness, any reason why you decided to demolish those poor dummies instead of getting some sleep in your room?" Robin asked as he surveyed the mess that Dimitri made through his training.
"…I am steeling myself for the mock battle between the houses." Robin raised one of his eyebrows when he noticed the uncertainty briefly flashed across the prince's eyes.
"And do you desire victory that much that you decided to keep training despite it being so late already?" Robin asked as he crossed his arms, deciding to not bring up the boy's brief uncertainty for now.
"I…have a duty to uphold." Dimitri answered slowly though by this point the prince wasn't looking at Robin directly any longer, focusing his attention on something else.
"And I assume you would refuse to go back to your room even if I told you to do so?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. Even though Dimitri didn't answer him, his silence was an answer on its own.
Robin let out a sigh and started to think over what he should do. Curfew existed for two things, to make the individuals that weren't affiliated with the church or Academy to leave the Monastery grounds, unless they had permission to stay, and to remind students to get some necessary rest for the sake of their bodies and minds. It was recommended that in the event a student was encountered wandering about after curfew went into effect that the student in question should then be escorted back to the dormitory unless tomorrow was Sunday.
Though, Robin believed that no one has explicitly told him that he needed to force the students to go back to the dormitory if they didn't want to.
"Alright then." Robin said with a small smile as he used his magic to pull another training spear from the nearby weapons rack into his hand.
"Show me your stance." Robin commanded as he threw the spear to the blonde boy. At first Dimitri simply stared at him in confusion but eventually complied with his request when Robin gestured for the prince to do what he said with a tilt of his head.
"Hmm…not bad, your stance clearly focused on prioritizing brute strength and mobility. Is it a standard Faerghus spear stance?" Robin commented as he circled Dimitri slowly with his hands clasped together behind his back. Examining someone's stance, it reminded him of the old times when he was training the new recruits alongside Frederick(son) and Cordelia during…'difficult' times.
"Yes but slightly modified to suit my fighting style since I rely more on strength than an average individual." Dimitri answered, keeping his stance as his eyes followed the knight's movements while his mind tried to figure out what the man wanted. Dimitri got his answer a few moments later when Robin suddenly kneeled and grabbed his leg before gently moving it a few feet back. The man then did the same to his shoulder, arm, grip, and other leg.
The knight was modifying his stance.
"When I said thrust, you thrust your spear forward, understand?" Robin commanded and Dimitri immediately replied with a nod, understanding what it was the knight wanted to do.
"Thrust!"
Dimitri thrust his spear forward.
"Thrust!"
Dimitri repeated the motion but…something felt odd.
"Thrust!"
Dimitri thrust his spear for the third time…and he finally noticed what it was that felt odd to him.
"Notice the difference?" Robin asked with a small smirk as he crossed his arms while watching the boy finally straighten his posture and looked down at his hands.
"It was subtle, but I noticed my muscles…they seemed to move with more…fluidity." Dimitri commented before he turns his attention to the knight.
"Keeping the body flexible is important during a battle thus I felt that it was best to find a stance that not only complimented your strength but also could help keep your body poised, flexible and balanced. A small change like that can the deciding factor in whether you win or loss a fight." Robin explained.
"I see…thank you for your advice Sir Robin." Dimitri replied with a small smile as he gave the knight a formal bow.
"Now, if you insist on staying here, why don't you train against someone who can give you a challenge? I'm sure destroying those dummies will only bore you sooner or later." Robin said with a small smirk as he used his magic to once again pull something from the weapons rack into his hand though this time it was a training sword rather than a spear.
"Are you sure about this Sir Robin?" Dimitri asked, looking a little hesitant at his proposal.
"I am. It'll be also a good opportunity to sharpen my skills again since I was planning to spar with some knights tomorrow." Robin replied as he assumed his fighting stance. He had made a promise to Byleth to spar with knights tomorrow so he would keep his promise…even if it meant temporarily stopped his reading.
…The things he does for that woman.
"As you wish then." Dimitri finally agreed as he assumed his own fighting stance.
Robin noticed that the prince tried to assume the position that he had suggested earlier by shifting his body so he would be in similar stance like before. The action made a smile appeared on Robin's face.
"Ready?"
"Ready!"
Dimitri wasted no time and immediately charged at the knight. When Dimitri thrust his spear forward, Robin tried to deflect it…only for his eyes to widen slightly in surprise at the force behind Dimitri's thrust.
Blast, he underestimated the boy's strength…while his lean physique and confidence when wielding a spear made it clear that he was no slacker or beanpole, Robin wouldn't have guessed that he packed so much force behind his blows just based on what he'd seen so far…it seemed that this boy might be close to his best friend's level of physical strength.
An impressive feat to say the least.
Even though Dimitri's initial strike managed to make Robin stumble a bit, the knight managed to regain his balance before quickly leaping back. Dimitri immediately gave chase, not wanting to give the knight a room to counterattack.
When Dimitri attacked him again, Robin opted to dodge. He was well aware that the boy might be stronger than him physically and that blocking or deflecting his attacks would give the prince the advantage. For now, it was better to observe his fighting style while waiting for an opening.
Dimitri growled in frustration as Robin kept on evading his attacks, no matter how he delivered his strikes the knight always managed to evade it by either sidestepping or leaping back. This made Dimitri launch his attacks in a much fiercer manner…however, Robin was actually waiting for something like this to happen.
"Keeping your cool is important Dimitri, empower your strikes with emotions but do not allow your emotions to cloud your judgment or control." Robin advised just as he smashed Dimitri's spear upward when he thrust it forward again, giving Robin the opening that he needed to smash Dimitri's head with his sword.
If the prince was in better shape then that strike alone wouldn't have caused him to lose consciousness…but in his current condition, where he was already tired from today's activities as well as his earlier training, that one strike was enough to knock the prince out cold.
"…Perhaps I should hold back my strength more next time." Robin commented as he watched the blonde boy fall to the ground. Letting out a sigh, Robin grabbed Dimitri's fallen spear and sent it and his training sword back to the weapons rack with his magic before he decided to hoist the unconscious prince over his shoulder.
"Well, it wasn't exactly my intention to send you to your slumber personally but I guess it just shows how much your body needed some rest…or how I should hold back more." Robin said to the unconscious prince before he started to walk toward the entrance of the Training Ground.
But it was only when Robin left the Training Ground that he finally remembered…
"Blast…I don't know where your room is."
He was still new to the Monastery so while he knew where the dormitory was and that the upper levels were reserved for nobility and royalty he didn't know where to begin looking for the prince's room beyond that.
…Well, he had to get the boy back into bed before the sun rose and that room wasn't going to find itself so with that in mind he started heading towards the dorms while thinking about how he could try and find the right room without causing a ruckus.
He hadn't even been here a whole week and already Robin found himself in a troublesome situation.
At least it was a sign things wouldn't be boring here at Garreg Mach if nothing else.
Pretty anticlimatic isn't it? About Robin and Byleth I mean. For those who worried that all focus would be given to BE, don't worry, the other students of different houses will also be given enough focus, not only their leaders especially since unlike Byleth, Robin is unafflicted to any houses so he can interact freely with all the students and even might or might not help them... of course, Byleth will also interact with the other students... well, you see my point. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. See you in the next chapter.