9/15 Horsebow moon
Byleth had to raise his voice to make everyone remain silent.
"Remember that this is not a school trip. We are heading north to take care of a group of bandits and to protect Dimitri in his travel to Fhirdiad."
"I thank you for protecting his Highness, Professor" said Dedue with his usual serious gaze.
"When I said I wouldn´t mind some reinforcements I didn´t expect something like this" Felix sighed.
"Is it wrong for you Felix? It's just like the old times"
"Enough of your talk Sylvain, I´m sure you are not here for the fighting"
"Touché" Sylvain laughed.
"Why are you always arguing? You weren´t like this before Felix"
"Let me be Ingrid"
"If we are going to Fhirdiad that means that we can visit the Royal school of sorcery there. I´m already feeling so nostalgic, don´t you Mercie?" asked an excited Annette.
"Of course Annie, how can I forget such a beautiful time?" smiled to her Mercedes.
"I can´t hear my own thoughts with such amount of noise" complained Linhardt
"Don´t spoil the moment Linhardt. The more the better. I can´t wait to fight!" shouted Caspar.
"The north is cold, but if the Professor goes I will go too"
"Thank you Petra" Byleth nodded to her. "You are free to talk during our journey, but please let´s leave the monastery already"
They followed him to the entrance of the monastery, where the horses and Ingrid´s Pegasus were already waiting.
"My Teacher, there must be some problem. There aren´t enough horses for everyone"
"The count is correct Edelgard" He then whistled.
Three pegasi appeared above them and landed in front of them.
"I have received the authorization from Seteth to use them from now on in our missions. "You, Petra and Ingrid will act as the scouts of our group to make sure that our advance is safe. I will be joining you from time to time to make sure that everyone stays close. Are you ok with your new mount?"
"Of course my Teacher. I will make sure to not let you down. I will put into practice everything I have learnt until now" she said smiling to him. Her sincere smile made him smile too.
"Our journey begins now." He said mounting his own Pegasus. "Everyone, let´s leave the monastery and do our best!"
"Yes Professor!"
With a mere move of his reins, the Pegasus started running and in a few seconds he was flying.
"The last one to arrive will have to cook for everyone"
"That´s not fair Professor! You are flying!" shouted Caspar, although his voice grew weaker as he gained height.
"Thank you Professor" he could hear Petra´s voice behind him "Thank you for letting me fly outside"
"This is just the fruits of your efforts; I hope you can enjoy it" he said looking at her.
Like that his group departed from the monastery, flying or riding it didn´t matter. They had left together and he would make sure that they return together.
….
The first part of their journey was easy. With the end of the rainy season the roads weren´t as muddy as before so the advance of the horses was faster. Besides, half of his group consisted of Blue Lions students that were taking care of the Black Eagles students as they left the dominion of the monastery.
"The wind is cold, but if we keep our path like this we will be in Galatea territory in a matter of days" commented Ingrid flying next to him. "My father's land is poor, but that doesn´t mean we neglect hospitality when it is due."
"If it isn´t too much of a burden, I thank you for your offering." He nodded to her "I will go to talk with Dimitri" He then flew closer to the ground until he was flying next to Dimitri.
"Hello Professor, I must admit that I am surprised with your skills riding a Pegasus"
"Ingrid has told me that we could rest in Galatea territory."
"It is a good option, but we won´t be there until a couple of days had passed. We will have to camp out here at least for this night, two if the weather changes and we cannot forget about possible attacks from bandits. The fact that the territories of House Fraldarius are under attack means that these bandits had grown reckless"
"Why is the situation like that? Is the kingdom short of troops?"
"Our current situation is dire and my uncle Rufus, the regent, isn´t the best suited man to have in control of a crisis. I´m still too young to succeed to the throne, but the moment I gain control of it I promise you I will resolve these problems."
"Is that the reason why you are heading to the capital?"
"That´s true. In order to prepare the succession I have to resolve some problems there. I´m sorry to make you involved in something like this, but the roads aren´t safe anymore"
"Don´t worry about that, it is my duty to protect all of you"
"That´s the answer I expected from you Professor" he smiled to him. "I wonder how our everyday life would have been if you were the Professor of the Blue Lions." He said, looking to the sky. "Forgive me Professor, I was just thinking aloud. I have nothing against you teaching Edelgard and I can´t thank you enough for your generosity, treating the other classes as your own."
"Why should I treat everyone in a different manner? I will treat all of you as students not as factions"
Dimitri looked at him surprised, before he composed himself. "You are right about that, it doesn´t matter where we come from, but what we do. Don´t you think so, Dedue?"
"I will always be by your side, your Highness. I owe you my life" The usual serious Dedue couldn´t avoid to smile to his class leader.
"I will make sure that the rest stays together. I will be going now"
"Of course Professor, leave the vanguard of the group to me"
He made sure that everyone was keeping the rhythm of their march. After checking everyone and making sure that Linhardt didn´t fall asleep on his horse, he returned to the skies. A gentle breeze was coming from the west.
"The world really looks tiny from here"
He looked to his right and saw Edelgard, flying beside him. The wind made her hair move as if it were floating in the water.
"Are you enjoying this?"
"I do, my Teacher. I´m glad that Seteth finally accepted your request"
"He had done so in exchange for saving Flayn. By the way, she will be joining our ranks from next month"
"How interesting. I will make sure to treat her as an equal. Lots of things had occurred in the last few months. I hope that for once we will have nothing to worry about, but with you by our side I´m sure we won´t be in danger"
"Since there are no enemies around us do you want to practice some aerial maneuvers?"
"Of course, I will gladly take this opportunity to learn something new"
They started with some evasive maneuvers and soon after they were joined by Petra and Ingrid too. Petra and Ingrid were really experienced with their mounts, but Edelgard was holding her own too. When light was starting to run scarce Byleth ended the lesson and approached the group in the ground.
"A few hundred meters ahead from us there is a forest glade. We will be making the camp there; the trees around us will protect us from the wind and will protect us from undesirable visits. We will march to that place to prepare our camp"
"Understood Professor!"
They started to prepare the camp. Dedue and Caspar went to the forest to get some wood while the rest of the students started to prepare the tents. Byleth had brought two large tents for his students, one for the males and one for the females and a smaller one for himself. He wanted to use this opportunity to deepen the bounds between the students of the different classes and he considered that allowing each one of his students to bring his own tent would be troublesome.
"You said that, but you have a tent for yourself" pointed out Sothis
"I want them to feel at ease when they interact with each other"
"You know that you are almost their age. It wouldn´t be that strange, but I respect your decision"
With the wood they had, Byleth casted a fire spell and started to prepare the dinner for their students. They had brought provisions from the monastery so it wasn´t a difficult task.
"Professor, can we help you?"
Byleth looked to the students in front of him. They were Mercedes and Annette.
"I don´t mind, although there isn´t much to do with the food we have"
"When we don´t have that much of ingredients it is the time when we have to be the most creative Professor!" said an excited Annette. "Besides, if we use magic to prepare it we will be training too. Don´t you think that it's a great plan?"
"You are right" seeing her energetic attitude he didn´t find motives to refuse her help.
"I will lend a hand too Professor. I know how to make some sweets and looking to the ingredients we have I have all I need to make them"
"That´s a great idea Mercie! You must try Mercie´s sweets, they are delicious"
With the help of the two Blue Lion student dinner was prepared faster than usual. They enjoyed dinner together around the fire, chatting between them. Even Dorothea sang a pair of popular songs to liven up the evening. Looking at his students getting along with each other made Byleth feel happiness inside his heart.
"If they always get along like this, there is nothing to worry about" he thought.
"You are right about that. The fact that you worry that much about them makes me happy."
"Everyone" he said, raising his voice. "It is time to go to sleep. If I find someone outside the tents without justification I will make sure that they stay outside all night."
"If you do something like that a student is going to catch a cold, although I don´t understand why someone would want to stay out with this chilly weather" said a yawning Linhardt.
One by one they entered their respective tents. Byleth did the same and extended a map of Fódlan on the floor of his tent. The lands of the north were harsh, but the terrain was bland enough that could turn into a swamp with enough rain. He wanted to make sure that they avoided those areas where the terrain was the worst.
"For now the terrain is stable, but we aren´t sure what could happen"
…
"Why don´t you use makeup Ingrid? I´m sure it will look good on you"
"I told you Dorothea that I don´t have time to bother with such things."
"But you are missing something so fun Ingrid!" said Annette.
"Are both of you teaming up against me?"sighed Ingrid.
"It's for something really important, you are cute and some makeup will only improve it" giggled Dorothea.
"Me, cute? Well, I suppose I find it all somewhat intriguing" Ingrid said a bit blushed.
"Then let me try doing something on you. Help me Mercie!"
"How is that supposed to mean I accept?!"
Edelgard couldn´t avoid smiling to the chat between her classmates and the Blue Lions students. Their friendly personality had already broken the ice between them. Even Bernadetta was more relaxed than usual.
"Talking about makeup, won´t you give it a try too Edie?"
"Me? I must admit that I´m not too fond of using makeup"
"See? I´m not alone on this matter." Said Ingrid
"Both of you are already beauties, but some makeup will certainly help. Give it a try for me Edie" she said, looking at her with imploring eyes.
"If you said it like that I feel defenseless. Very well. I will concede now, but only once"
"Only once is enough for me Edie" Dorothea smiled. "Bernie you come next"
"Why? I´m fine as I am!"
"Don´t worry, I know that" she reassured her. "We could improve some things, just that""
"I want to help too" Petra said, joining the conversation. "I can draw you a sign to avoid being possessed by the evil spirits of the forest"
"Being possessed?! Don´t say something like that at night!"
"Calm down Bernie, there is nothing that will harm you here"
"Mercie and I will be taking care of Ingrid then"
"Ok, ok, I surrender" Ingrid sighed, "But only once"
Dorothea applied some of the cosmetics she had on her face. She could feel how she applied it on the eyelids and under her eyes. She remained with her eyes closed until she was told to open them.
"Take a look to your face Edie. I´m sure you will like it" Dorothea said, offering her own pocket mirror to her.
Edelgard looked to her own reflection. The area surrounding her eyes was darker than usual, enhancing the look of her eyes. She also had a pinker color in her cheeks, like a gentle blush.
"What do you think?"
"I must admit that you are a skillful cosmetician, Dorothea" she said smiling to her.
"Thank you for your compliment. It makes me really happy to hear something like that from you. I´m not saying that you use it every day, but from time to time it won´t harm you Edie"
"I´ll consider it"
"You don´t have to change my hairstyle Anette!"
"Why not? If we change it a bit it will certainly improve the impact of this cosmetic"
"You will catch everyone´s attention" smiled Mercedes looking to Ingrid.
"That´s true, I´m already falling for you, Ingrid" giggled Dorothea.
"What?!"
Edelgard couldn´t avoid laughing to the situation unfolding in front of her. "So this is how it feels to have a normal life. I wonder how Hubert is spending his time with the rest of the students"
"I will go to clean my face outside"
"Ok, Edie, Bernie come over here, it's your turn now"
"I guess that I have nowhere to escape" Bernadetta sighed
After leaving the tent behind her, she headed to a small stream that was near the bonds of the forest glade. Even if she was at meters of distance from the male´s tent she could clearly hear some of his classmates' voices.
"You have won this game, but I promise you that next time I won´t be defeated so easily Sylvain"
"Take it easy Ferdinand, you play well. Do you want to join Felix?"
"This is not a simple school trip, Sylvain. We are heading to the north to get rid of some bandits"
"I know, but right now is the best thing we could be doing, don´t you think Dimitri"
"We should be already sleeping, but I guess that a pair of games won´t be counterproductive"
"If his Highness plays I want to do it too"
"I want to give it a try too"
"No problem Dedue, Ashe. Then we should divide ourselves into two teams, to make it easier"
"I want to give it a try too!"
"There is no need to shout Caspar; I guess I will be joining all of you then"
"No problem, your name was?"
"Hubert"
"Ok then, let´s get started with the first round, the green guy over there wants to join us?"
"Linhardt? He is already sleeping"
"The fact that he can sleep with such an amount of noise is interesting" chuckled Hubert.
Edelgard smiled hearing the chattering of the students. The fact that even Hubert was joining them was in fact heartwarming. After cleaning her face in the stream she returned to her tent. There was still light in her Teacher´s tent. "It is impossible that he isn´t hearing all the chattering coming from the two tents. I guess that he doesn´t mind." As a former mercenary it was surprising his level of tolerance, but she appreciated that from him too.
When she reentered the tent she could hear the screams from Bernadetta talking about some demons mark.
9/17
"We are close to the domains of my father" Ingrid informed him. "I´m sure we will be arriving there before the sun sets"
"Understood" Byleth nodded to her. "Only a bit more of effort and we will have a roof above us"
"The Goddess is merciful; the soil was too hard for my liking"
"What are you talking about Linhardt? You have spent both nights sleeping without a problem"
"Not only the quantity, but the quality is also important" he yawned. "Let´s get there already"
Byleth had noticed that his students were getting along better between them. He could feel that the barriers between the different groups were slowly disappearing.
"I guess that your little experiment did work" commented Sothis inside her head. "I´m glad to see that"
"Me too" He then looked to the rest of his students "Keep the rhythm and we will be there before the sun sets" Returning to the air he could see Edelgard and Petra in the distance. Edelgard had improved a lot since her first time and Petra appeared to consider flying her second home. On their rear was Ingrid, whose skills were also to consider. "She will be a formidable opponent next month" he thought.
"You are always thinking about training, don´t you?" complained Sothis. "If I were you I would spend all day looking at the clouds."
"If you stared like that to the sky people would think that you are mad"
"How disrespectful, but I will forgive you since you are doing your best for your dear students."
There wasn´t remarkable during their journey into Galatea territory, although the wind that has accompanied them from the west had ceased, substituted by a chillier breeze from the north.
When the sky was starting to darken Galatea Castle appeared in the horizon.
"We will soon be there. I will go first to inform my father about our arrival" Ingrid said, flying faster to the castle.
When they arrived at the gates of the castle a small group of soldiers and servants were already waiting for them. Byleth noticed that only the person in the middle was riding a horse, his hair and eyes equal to Ingrid´s.
"I welcome all of you to my humble home. House Galatea has seen better times, but we will preserve our hospitality until the end of our days. Besides you are all friends of my daughter."
"Thank you for your hospitality"
"There is no need to thank me. You must be the Professor from the monastery." He then looked to Dimitri. "Your Highness, I feel honored by your presence here"
"The honor is mine. I will never forget your hospitality"
"I´m happy to see you well too" Sylvain smiled to him
"Oh, Sylvain I´m glad to see you well. Felix is here too, it looks like the old times." Said Ingrid´s father with a smile, he then looked at everyone. "I beg that all of you are tired from the journey, please enter. The nights here are cold and it is better to stay warm inside"
When they entered Byleth realized that the Castle had seen better times. The walls were sturdy, but there were places where it was necessary a reform. After entering his room he found a pair of wool clothing. The clothes were designed for someone with a wider chest than him, but they were comfortable.
He reunited with everyone at the dining room, where they had a modest, yet fulfilling dinner.
"I´ve been told by my dear daughter that you are heading north to get rid of a group of bandits"
"They are attacking my father´s territory; we are here to assist him"
"I hope for the best. This area is poor so we haven´t experienced bandits raids, but I have heard that the situation to the north is far worse"
"At least we got rid of the idiot of my brother"
They continued their dinner talking about different topics. According to Ingrid´s father the lands around them were difficult to work due to the difficult weather conditions.
"Our land is poor, that´s why I have all my hopes in my dear daughter"
"Enough of this talk father, our guests don´t need to learn about all of our problems"
With that their conversation ended, although Byleth sensed there was something more to it.
"I hope that all of you have enjoyed the meal. Regarding your travel I highly advised to head east from here. The last rains have destroyed the wooden bridge to the north of our region and the waters are deep enough to cause problems even to horses.
"I appreciate your advice" Dimitri said. "We will not been causing any trouble. We will be leaving tomorrow"
"That´s right" Byleth commented. "I don´t want to abuse your hospitality"
"I hope for the best of your journey. Now is time to rest, I hope that everyone replenish their energy here"
Everyone returned to their respective dormitories. Ingrid was about to do the same when his father interrupted her.
"Dear daughter, I wish to speak with you about an important matter"
"I´m afraid that I´m not going to enjoy it, but you are my father"
Feeling he was about to hear something private, Byleth hurried up back to his room.
…..
The wind was blowing violently outside the walls of the castle when Byleth opened his eyes. The moon was still high in the sky so it was still early. After trying without success to sleep again he decided to leave his room.
There were no lights in the aisles, but the moonlight was enough for him to see. He was walking aimlessly when he saw a familiar blond haired girl in one of the battlements. Ingrid didn´t notice him when he approached. He could only see her back, but he could feel that she was thinking about something.
"Is something bothering you, Ingrid?"
"Professor! You have scared me, you shouldn´t talk all of a sudden, you surprised me"
"I´m sorry, I felt that you were wondering about something"
"Even if you aren´t my Professor you have noticed too, right?" she sighed. "It is about my father. He is a good man, but he is worried about the future of House Galatea. You can see it by your own eyes. We have a castle, but there are some areas in it that urgently need reparation. Furthermore, the lands around us are poor and we have to face famines from time to time. That´s why he wants me to get married as soon as possible"
"A political marriage?"
"That´s right. With my marriage he could use the money obtained from it to improve our economic situation. He had just talked with me about a proposal he had received from a noble with a rising status that is offering a hefty dowry in return for our marriage. Did you know I was once engaged to Felix´s brother? I was thirteen back then, but growing up alongside with Sylvain and Felix I wasn´t upset with that plan. However, after his death my father has kept searching a suitable husband for me, despite telling him I want to be a knight"
"That sounds harsh. Why are you forced to give up your dreams like that?"
"It is the duty to my family I guess" she sighed. "I´m not even sure why I´m telling you all of this. I guess I just wanted to vent my frustrations."
"You don´t have to worry, I won´t tell anyone. Do you know him?"
"I thank you for that. Not at all, but that isn´t unheard of between nobles."
"If you ever feel in trouble with something I will help you. It doesn´t matter if you are my student or not. I will help you without a doubt"
"I will consider it. You are really a nice person. You have helped Ashe, helped Sylvain to recover the Lance of Ruin and you are now assisting Felix and accompanying Dimitri. Thank you for taking care of the rest of the students" she smiled to him. "You should return to your room. Even a battle hardened warrior can fall ill and it would be a pity if you catch a cold"
"Aren´t you coming?"
"In a short while. I just want to feel the night breeze a bit more"
Leaving Ingrid alone he returned to his room lost in thought. A lot of his students were facing the same dilemma and he couldn´t avoid feeling sad about that. Ingrid, Sylvain, Edelgard. There were too many students that were chained with such futures. He felt sorry for them, although he particularly felt sorry about Edelgard.
"I don´t want them to give up their dreams"
"That´s just wishful thinking. You have already heard about it multiple times. That´s the system most nobles live in"
"If it could be changed"
"Are you planning to start a revolution? Even if you did, things won´t change for a while. After all these months I´ve realized that a lot of humans are afraid of change."
"You are right about that, although it is still a pity"
With those thoughts he entered his bed again, a feeling of pity in his heart.