8/1 Verdant rain Moon
Edelgard opened her eyes to the sound of the rain. Fódlan had just entered the rainy season and she knew it was the first of the many rainy days that were going to follow. "And in the north is going to be worse"
It was too early yet, but Edelgard changed to her uniform and left her room. The aisles were completely deserted, only the sound of the rain falling could be heard. It was at moments like these that she could feel at ease. Walking without aim she arrived to her classroom. When she opened the doors she was surprised to see him there.
He was looking the rain through a window and he didn´t appear to have noticed her. Remaining silent, she watched him, feeling a strange feeling of tranquility just by looking at him. However, those feelings clouded the moment she saw the Sword of the Creator shining next to him.
"Do you like this kind of weather Edelgard?"
She was surprised by his question.
"Did you know I was here all this time, my Teacher?"
"I knew, but you said nothing so I decided to remain silent."
"Why are you here so early?"
"The same I could say about you. I just had a nightmare, nothing to worry about"
"You have nightmares too" The mere thought of it was strangely comfortable. "You always seem to be under control, but the fact that you can suffer nightmares too feels reassuring. Forgive me if it sounds strange."
"You have nothing to feel sorry about."
When he turned his head to her she saw his usual serene gaze, but his lips were curved in a light smile.
"I know that my expressions are lacking, but that doesn´t mean that I´m a statue. In fact, I´m starting to feel some change within me and you and the rest of the students are the reason for it"
It didn´t matter how many times she had spent talking with him, his honesty was an unexpected yet comfortable light to the world she was used to.
"I´m glad to hear that coming from you. I must admit that you too are of great importance to me"
"I wish you could walk alongside me in my path" she thought. She trusted him, but being raised in a world where treason was under smiles had made her heart of ice, yet that was also starting to change. "The emperor inside me wants to be cautious about you, my Teacher, but I would like that you reached for my hand by your own will"
"Has something happened to you Edelgard? You have grown silent"
"I´m sorry, it must be the weather. The rain makes me think about lots of things, but you don´t need to worry about that"
"The burdens of your path?"
She looked at him.
"I know that despite your age you are the bearer of too much burdens" he continued. "But I don´t want these burdens to crush you. You are strong, but even the strongest can fail when they are left alone. As my father would say a mercenary is only worth the value of his group."
"I really appreciate your words my Teacher, but why would you choose to help me? A lot of students here need your help and so many others are carrying their burdens without any help. Why would it be different for me?"
Byleth grew silent for a moment, his eyes never leaving hers.
"I guess that I´ve grown fond of you…and a part of you is similar to me.
Edelgard was left speechless by her Teacher´s words, a torrent of emotions trying to leave her mouth and a strange warmth feeling appearing inside her heart.
"I´m sorry if I said something strange. I want to protect all of my students but I feel that I can help you the most. I may not be a good Professor after all"
Edelgard couldn´t avoid giggling at her Teacher´s reaction. "Don´t worry my Teacher, I will keep this conversation a secret between us"
"And thank you. Even if the emperor trusts no one Edelgard will. Your honesty won´t be in vain" she thought. "Hubert sees me as the future emperor, the murderers of my family as a simply tool that can be used to fulfill their objectives, but you are the one to treat me as simply Edelgard, without paying attention to my status"
She wished to stay at ease for a bit longer, but she could already hear the footsteps of her classmates.
"I guess that the class is about to start"
"I guess so"
Byleth returned to his desk and Edelgard sat in her usual place.
"Good morning Professor!"
"Good morning, in days like this it would be better to stay in bed"
"What are you saying Linhardt? You would be skipping the whole month if you did!"
"Days like this make you appreciate the good weather; don´t you think Professor?" asked Dorothea.
"I don´t mind rainy days"
"I thought you would say something like that" she smiled
"In days like these I don´t want to leave my room"
"What are you saying Bernie? The Professor would be sad if you skipped the class"
"Really Professor?"
"Of course"
"Then it cannot be helped." Bernadetta said with a smile on her face.
"Fódlan weather is too cold, too different"
The last ones to arrive were Ferdinand and Hubert
"Excuse me Professor; Ferdinand has been trying to persuade me about his superiority to Edelgard and I´m afraid that his chatter has made us arrive late"
"You are only telling half the truth Hubert. I was just telling you that in order to be a good ruler Edelgard had to have someone to compete with and I would be the most suitable in that case"
Felix and Sylvain arrived just in time and took seats at the bottom of the classroom.
"Don´t be surprised. They will be assisting us in our next task"
"A new task with this weather? How bothersome"
Edelgard had got used to the endless chatter of her classmates. "This must be how a normal life feels" she thought, smiling to herself.
…..
"Our current month task will be the eradication of a group of bandits in the Holy Kingdom; they have stolen the relic of House Gautier. We will count with the help of Felix and Sylvain, which will train with us for this month. I hope that all of you can get along with them. For this quest we will be using battalions, you will put into practice your knowledge and commanding skills. I hope for the best"
"Where are we going to practice with such a group?" asked Dorothea
"We will practice outside"
"It´s raining Professor" complained Linhardt. "Do you want us to catch a cold?"
"I believe that fighting in unfavorable conditions would be useful for the future. You don´t know when you will be facing your enemy"
"The enemies I would like to face are just books, but protesting against this would be too troublesome"
"Prepare your equipment. We will met in 15 minutes at the gates of the monastery"
Everyone started to leave the class. Byleth was already prepared so he didn´t have too much to do. He headed to the Pegasus stables.
"How are you feeling?"
"I´m fine, it was just a nightmare"
"I highly doubt so. It wasn´t a normal dream. You may be having visions" pointed out Sothis
"Visions of a past long ago forgotten. If that´s right I need to know more"
"Do you intend to keep having these dreams?"
"If it´s necessary yes. I have the feeling that something important is hiding just within my reach. I intend to learn about it"
"You have heard the old Professor´s advice. We don´t know the true nature of this sword. Besides, how do you know if what you saw was real or just an illusion?"
"For years I had the same dream of a big battle. In Zanado I had a vision of the destruction of an ancient city and last night I was Nemesis. I need to know for the sake of everyone and for my own."
"Ok, but don´t do something stupid, we are together in this"
"Don´t worry Sothis"
He had just arrived to the stables. His usual mount came to greet him accompanied by Edelgard´s.
He caressed the Pegasus neck and rode it, carrying the reins of Edelgard´s. He also considered bringing a Pegasus to Petra, but the current weather would do more bad than good to Petra if she kept flying during a session.
"You are going to make everyone catch a cold, don´t you think?"
"I won´t be too harsh on them"
He flew with his Pegasus to the gates of the monastery, closely followed by the second Pegasus.
Most students were already there, some of them surprised by the Professor´s sudden arrival. The battalions were already waiting.
"Let´s head to the plain next to the township"
He gave Edelgard the reins of the other Pegasus. "Edelgard you can ride if you want" He then looked at Petra "I haven´t forgotten about you Petra, I just thought this weather would be inappropriate for you"
"Don´t worry Professor, you know that I don´t like the cold" she smiled to him.
"March!" shouted Byleth, as he returned to the skies. He was accompanied by Edelgard, who had improved a lot her flying capabilities.
They quickly arrived to the plain so they waited for the rest of the group to appear.
"The world is really small if you see it from the heights" commented Edelgard
"I agree, but there are still places unknown waiting to be found"
"Did you enjoy your travels around the world Professor?"
"They were for work, but I must admit I did"
"I would like to hear soon more about your travels"
"Of course Edelgard, I have no problem telling you"
She gave him a gentle smile as a response.
The rest of the students and battalions were arriving.
"Edelgard, return to your battalion"
"Understood Professor"
They flew lower until they were at the same level than the rest.
"We will have a mock battle, between two teams. The first team will consist of Edelgard, Hubert, Bernadetta, Sylvain and Dorothea. The other team members will be Ferdinand, Felix, Caspar, Linhardt and Petra. Edelgard and Ferdinand will act as the commanders. I will be an enemy to both teams. The last team remaining will be the winner"
"The battle I´ve been waiting for" smiled Ferdinand. "I´m sure that I will lead our team to victory"
"To achieve victory you have to fight for it first Ferdinand. Let´s see how the events unfold" said Edelgard.
"5 minutes for preparation" Byleth said. He then flew to the clouds. He didn´t want to spoil the two teams' preparations. When the time passed, Byleth released a fire spell into the sky, marking the beginning of the battle.
Byleth flew into the battlefield. The moment he abandoned the cover of the clouds he saw a front line already established between both teams. Ferdinand was trying a spear formation with his horses, but he was facing Sylvain´s mercenary's opposition. Linhardt and Dorothea were boosting their team's offensive capabilities and Hubert was trying to hit Caspar with his spells. An arrow coming from his right made him realized he was targeted by Bernadetta´s group. He made evasive maneuvers and approached the group of archers when a red shadow came from his left. The impact of Edelgard´s axe almost made him lost the control of his Pegasus, but he was able to stabilize. He reciprocated with a fire spell, which used as a distraction to gain height. He was being chased by her. Taking a glimpse of the battlefield, he could see that she had distributed her own battalion between her different team members. "That means her objective is neutralizing me without losing or neglecting the ground battle. Interesting" he thought.
He changed his direction to face her. His sword clashed with her axe. They were flying in circles trying to knock the other down.
"I didn´t expect enjoying the skies so much Professor"
"It´s quite the experience but you will have to defeat me to claim victory"
"I won´t back down. Bernadetta fire at will!"
A group of arrows came from the ground, impacting both of the Pegasus; they were blunted but the subsequent panicking made Byleth almost lose control of his Pegasus.
"The little Princess has courage, but I don´t want you to break your bones if you fall" said Sothis.
He was surprised by the attack, but he didn´t have time to answer her. Edelgard was trying to shoot him down, while down there a new barrage of arrows was approaching.
"If she is taking risks I will do the same"
He led his Pegasus to approach Edelgard´s Pegasus. When both creatures impacted he jumped behind her.
"My Teacher?!"
Edelgard was surprised by Byleth´s counterattack. She tried to attack him with her axe but her current positioning was disadvantageous to her. Byleth was trying to disarm her while he was trying to take control of her Pegasus when a new barrage of arrows arrived. Holding the reins with only one hand Edelgard was incapable of taking control of her mount, which was flying lower and lower, the ground dangerously close to them. Anticipating the crash Byleth dropped his weapon, embraced Edelgard and jumped to the ground. The grass softened the impact, but Byleth suffered a severe pain in his back, the first part of his body that touched the grass and his chest, with the friction of Edelgard´s armor.
"Are you ok Edelgard?"
"Yes my Teacher, but this is a bit…"
He realized he was still embracing her, her head on his chest. He released her, her ears and cheeks redder than her own armor.
"You did well I didn´t expect such strategy."
"More than a strategy was a bet. You didn´t need to do that" her eyes avoiding him while she was playing with her hair.
"Improvisation is an important part of the battle, but I must admit that what I did was too risky" he said while applying magic to ease his pain and he then applied the same healing to the crashed Pegasus, which was slightly injured.
"No matter how much I train you seen to be a step ahead of me"
"That´s not true Edelgard. I´m gladly surprised by your improvements. We are both out of combat so you can consider it a draw"
He mounted Edelgard´s Pegasus, offering to her his hand. "Come with me Edelgard, we must see how the battle develops"
She mounted behind him, her hands firmly surrounding his waist. He felt a strange pain in his heart, but he thought it wasn´t related to his injuries.
They returned to the skies, where they had a panoramic of the battle below them. Felix and Ferdinand were facing Sylvain and Hubert. His students looked exhausted and covered in mud and there were some injured between the members of their squadrons, but nothing life threatening.
Ferdinand noticed Byleth reappearance.
"Professor, have you come to take part in the final battle?"
"I´m out of combat"
"As I am. Hubert, Sylvain lead our team to victory!"
Most of the students were surprised by that.
"Even the Professor can be defeated in battle. I wish I could have seen that" commented Dorothea.
"What I want to see is a hot bath. I´m covered in mud" lamented Linhardt.
"If Lady Edelgard has made so much for our victory I cannot do less. Farewell, Ferdinand" Hubert said while releasing a powerful spell.
"If you say it like that, you sound like you intend to kill me" Ferdinand answered avoiding the spell. "I will do my best to achieve victory too!" he said while charging at him.
"Felix, you always describe Dimitri as a boar, but seeing you covered in mud makes me think of a real life boar."
"Covered in mud or not your chatting won´t save you from my sword"
"You were sweeter when you were younger" Sylvain sighed. "Let´s end this quick, a hot bath awaits me"
Both teams clashed at the same time. Hubert was able to knock down Ferdinand and Felix did the same to Sylvain.
Felix then started a charge against Hubert. A battle between a mage and a swordsman was heavily in favor of the later one, but Hubert was accumulating magic in his hands. When Felix was on him he released it the explosion sending both rivals to the ground.
"Defeat, my training wasn´t enough" said Felix
"I´m afraid I can claim this as a victory Lady Edelgard" said Hubert, incapable of getting up.
"Good job everyone!" shouted Byleth "I´m proud of all of you, even if it is a triple draw. Linhardt, heal Hubert. Get some rest tomorrow, you have earned it!"
Byleth made a round thanking the members of the church and the mercenaries he had deployed, healing those who were injured.
When everyone started to head back to the monastery he looked at Edelgard
"Should we return to the monastery or do you want to go with your classmates?"
"If it is you I don´t mind returning with you my Teacher, aren´t you worried about your Pegasus?"
"I´m sure it has already returned to the stables, they are tamed so I´m not afraid of losing it into the wild"
They landed next to the stables where Byleth´s Pegasus ran to greet them.
"I told you, it had returned" Byleth said caressing the animal as an apology for the battle.
Byleth got off the Pegasus and offered his hand to help Edelgard. The moment he touched her he felt something strange.
"Your glove is missing"
Edelgard had just realized it, her cheeks getting red.
"You don´t need to comment on every little detail my Teacher"
"You always wear gloves so it just caught my attention seeing your bare hand"
"If you say it like that you make me feel as if my hands were strange"
"Quite the contrary, I like it"
Hearing that, Edelgard´s ears turned red too.
"I gladly receive your compliment" she said toying again with her hair "I will be going ahead. See you tomorrow"
Byleth looked at her back as she was walking to the monastery. He was glad that Sothis was napping inside his head; if she were awake, he felt that he may be yelling at him now.
…..
After taking a hot bath and going to the greenhouse, Byleth returned to his room. He started to prepare a drink.
"What are you preparing?" asked Sothis
"A somniferous drink"
"So you intend to fall asleep as soon as possible to find out if your theory is true?"
"Yes"
"I don´t know if you are brave or masochistic"
Byleth drank the drink he had just made. Placing the Sword of the Creator next to him he awaited until a feel of dizziness invaded his body.
…..
"You are telling me that you want me to fight against Nemesis"
"Yes, that´s right" Byleth said.
The man who stood before him was a middle age man with brown hair and a brown beard, but his most striking feature were his purple eyes, which looked at Byleth with suspicion.
"Nemesis is a strong foe; questioning his power will mean the death of us all"
"Yet you have granted me an audience Wilhelm. If you were so sure about your response you wouldn´t have done it"
The man called Wilhelm smirked to Byleth´s response
"It would have been unwise to ignore Lady Seiro´s request. After all, your power is quite remarkable."
"Wise words I dare to say"
"What would I gain if I join your cause?"
"Your heart´s inner desire, the unification of Fódlan"
Hearing that, Wilhem looked at Byleth with renewed interest.
"I must admit that the unification of Fódlan is the objective of my lifetime, my lands are prosperous but only as the ruler of the whole continent the future of House Hresvelg will be assured. A glorious task I dare to say, but against Nemesi´s might it would be suicidal to send my troops to the north"
"You shall not be alone; I will help you with all my might. I have on my side the survivors of that hideous creature."
"A father and a daughter and two more warriors. I know that your brethren is strong, but I´m afraid it wouldn´t be enough"
Byleth knew that the man in front of him was ambitious. "Humans only wish for wealth and power and they are easily corrupted. If lending my strength to this man allows me to have my revenge, then shall be it." Byleth thought
"I´ll gift you my strength. A strength worthy of a god." As he said it, Byleth showed him a cup filled with a strange green liquid. "If you drink it you will earn the power of my crest and your descendants may receive it too. With that power your dynasty will be secured and you will turn into an asset in our fight against Nemesis"
Wilhem was really pleased to hear that, his eyes full of a ruthless ambition.
"Such power would surely allow my dynasty to rule over the ages. I will gladly accept the cup you offer me"
He took the cup with his hands and drank its content.
"Not my favorite taste, but its bearable. When will I see the effects?"
"It will take some time to manifest but it will not take too long"
"Excellent news. For now we should cooperate in secret. Quarrels between lords are frequent in this land, but it would be suspicious if you were to appear in front of my troops"
"What plans do you have for your upcoming campaign?"
"The lands in the south of this land are rich in food. They also have rivers that can ease the transport of troops and food at greater lengths. If we take these positions first we will gain the control of the population too. These lands are usually assaulted by groups of bandits. If we can offer them a better protection than their current one, we could duplicate the amount of troops we can deploy in battle without taking into account forced conscription"
"What do you want me to do?"
"You and your kin will take the mountainous areas in the north of my lands. They are relatively poor and are usually ravaged by great beasts, but the folk living there is tenacious. They only believe in strength. Make disappear the beasts that are menacing their livings and you will earn their trust."
"Understood Wilhem. I hope that your loyalty will definitely stay on our side now"
Wilhem grinned to her.
"It will. I have great dreams for my House and if you are the one to provide me the necessary help to achieve my objectives I will gladly fight for your cause."
"I will inform the others about the results of our negotiations"
"Do as you please" Wilhem dismissed her. "But don´t leave my territories and keep hidden, if possible, the color of your hair. My soldiers are loyal to me, but we don´t know if there are spies around here"
Byleth left the room with a sour taste in his mouth. "Wilhem is arrogant, but he will stick to us. His arrogance binds him to our path"
Outside the room there were waiting two of the four survivors of the massacre.
"Where are Cethleann and Cichol?"
"They are outside fishing at a stream" said Macuil with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Let them be Macuil, Cethleann is just a girl and Cichol is just worried about her wellbeing" said Indech.
"The time of rest can wait. We are here for revenge. Don´t you think Seiros?"
"I agree"
"I would prefer to avoid joining forces with humans, but we cannot waste our limited resources" said Macuil. "Did he agree to help us?"
"He will join us, his ambitions exceed his cautions"
"As expected of humans" said Macuil in a disdainful tone.
"What will we do Seiros?" asked Indech. Despite the events of the tragedy, Indech´s personality had remained almost the same, being his usual timid self, Byleth couldn´t avoid smiling to him.
"We will head north to exterminate a group of monster that is causing havoc. He says that, if we help the humans living there they will join us. He will lead his forces to the south. He wants to control the rivers and fertile lands to the south."
"Understood Seiros, with their help our route to vengeance will be a step closer"
"Nemesis is not the only one we need to eradicate. I´m sure that those filthy creatures are behind the tragedy that unfolded in our home. The Argarthans must be exterminated. Their blood shall not spoil this land anymore. If we succeed we will have an everlasting peace. For those who died and for our mother, we must succeed"
"You are right Seiros, we will never rest until every last one of them drowns in their own blood."
"If that´s the path you choose I will continue to the bitter end" said Indech.
Byleth exhaled a deep breath, his eyes focused on the horizon. "I will prevail mother and I will recover you, no matter the price"
…..
When Byleth opened his eyes it was still dark. His blood felt like if it were boiling, the sword next to him emitting a faint glow.
Nothing to report Professor, you should get some sleep!