I recommend listening to "A place to rest" while you read the first part of this. See you next weekend!
10/18 Wyvern moon
"Wyverns are ferocious creatures that only respect sheer strength. To gain the trust of a Wyvern you must take care of it during the initial phases of its development or defeat it in combat. The wyverns in Fódlan and Almyra lack the ability to breathe fire, but there have been reports from beasts capable of that beyond the seas of Dagda, although the scholars doubt about the veracity of such reports."
Byleth closed the book he was reading when he noticed that the outside world was already dark. "It is time" he thought as he left his room. He headed to the courtyard and waited there. Since she wasn´t still there he thought about the information he had just learnt. Wyverns were creatures with great strength. They were more difficult to tame and slower than the Pegasi but they were extremely resilient in battle. "I must talk with Petra about this". He knew that in Brigid they were used to ride wyverns and he was interested in using them in their expeditions around the continent.
"I prefer the little white horses" Sothis said
"Pegasi"
"Do as you wish, but they don´t look that safe"
"Even if we don´t use them it is interesting to learn about them in case that we have to face wyvern riders in the future"
"My Teacher, sorry for making you wait" He looked at her. She was already wearing her training clothes. He nodded in approbation.
"No worries Edelgard, I´ve just come here"
"Shall we go them?"
"Of course"
They started to walk to the underground pools of the monastery.
"In two days we will be leaving the monastery. Time passes quickly"
"You are right Edelgard, but with the train you have received I´m sure we will win the upcoming battle."
"Gronder Field is under the domain of House Bergliez. Nowadays is an area well suited for agriculture, but it has been the witness of several important battles. It was the place where took place the battle of Gronder, between Nemesis and the Adrestian Empire"
"Nemesis" he murmured as he recalled the strange dreams that had tormented him for a while. He had been more careful with the use of the Sword of the Creator since then, but he felt that there was still something lingering in the shadows.
"Fódlan has been the witness of several important battles across the history." continued Edelgard. "Some of them improved the situation of Fódlan and some of them worsened it. We don´t know when the next conflict will start so we have to be ready just in case."
Her voice was firm when she said it.
"I hope you don´t have to meet such dire times Edelgard"
"Me too my Teacher, but our future is not ours to decide" she said with a sad smile.
They have finally arrived to the pool area. The mist coming from the pools made him realized that the water was hotter than the last time he had been there. "Perhaps it is due to the coming of the winter" he thought.
"Get comfortable around the water, Edelgard. We will begin shortly" he said as he jumped into the water. After a few moments Edelgard entered the pool through the shallowest area. The combination of the mist from the water and her unusual hair and eyes made him remember the stories of spirits his father used to tell him when he was younger.
"It is hotter than before, but I prefer it like that"
"Try swimming by your own in the shallow area. You need to activate your muscles before we move to the deeper areas"
"I´m not sure I will be able to do everything by myself yet."
"You don´t have to worry, I´m here for you"
She slowly started to move in the shallow area. At first her movements were clumsy, but after a while they were starting to get smoother.
"You are doing great. Try doing the same over here. Don´t worry I will catch you if you have any trouble"
"Thank you…" she said, her cheeks stained in red.
They slowly advanced to the center of the pool. He made sure he was always close to her to avoid she could get in trouble. He realized that she was advancing with her eyes closed. "She still has fear" he thought.
"You are doing great Edelgard. There is no need to have fear. There is nothing that can harm you here. Stay still and try to open your eyes."
She slowly opened her eyes and looked to her surroundings. She tried to return to a vertical position, but the moment she did she lost her balance, hugging him to avoid sinking into the depths.
"Are you ok Edelgard?"
"Forgive me, my Teacher I was just…" She stopped what she was saying when their eyes met.
They were closer than ever before, her arms surrounding the lower part of his neck and their faces mere centimeters from each other. He could perfectly see his own reflection in her amethyst eyes. A sweet fragrance was coming from her. "It must be her perfume, I wonder what kind of perfume she uses" he thought, feeling at the same time an intense aching in his chest as if something inside him was trying to move for the first time. Both of them remained silent for a while, he didn´t know how much time they spent like that, but it felt like an eternity.
"Edelgard"
"Yes, my Teacher?"
"We should reach the edge of the pool" he said, although a part inside him was longing to remain like that.
"You are right" she said. As if she had been freed from an enchantment her face started to turn red as she took some distance from him.
Using one of his hands he advanced to the edge of the pool while he used the other one to hold hers.
"You did a great job Edelgard. Take a rest"
"It wasn´t good at all. I still need time to overcome this fear of mine" she said, avoiding looking at him.
"Relying on others is not a problem. You are fighting to overcome your fears and that´s what matters"
"Relying on others… You are right about that. Since the time you turned into my Teacher you have done a lot to ease my path. You trust me, yet I´ve never been able to reciprocate like that."
"What do you mean Edelgard?"
"I wish to show you one of my inner secrets, one I´ve told no one. I…"
"Who is there?" a voice asked.
Hearing that voice Edelgard stopped talking and hid behind him.
"It´s just me" he said.
"Oh Byleth, I didn´t expect to see you here" greeted him Hanneman.
Sensing he was approaching, Edelgard came even closer, hiding her face in his back and embracing him from behind below the water to avoid losing her balance. Her proximity was making him feel very strange.
"Byleth, are you listening?"
"Sorry, I´m just a bit tired" He was glad that the mist coming from the water didn´t give too much visibility.
"I thought I heard someone else here, but I guess I´m getting old" he laughed. "My eyes are not as strong as before too" he said, soaking his feet a few meters from him.
"Do you usually come here?"
"I come when I need to rest my body, but only in this season. Age doesn´t forgive and the thermal waters of this season do wonders to my old body. You will understand it someday. And you?"
"I just wanted to relax for a bit"
"By the way, have you felt anything new related to the Sword of the Creator?"
"Not at all, I haven´t been using it recently that much"
"If you want to I could analyze your body. Even when I´m resting I have my little machines at hand" he said, starting to stand up.
Feeling that Edelgard´s grip of him had grown stronger he refused immediately.
"Not now, I´m…just here to rest"
"Oh I see. Don´t worry, I understand" Hanneman said a bit disappointed. "I like to take my time here so don´t worry if you want to leave earlier"
"Don´t worry. I usually stay here…for a long time". Her proximity and the aching inside him were making him feel really strange.
…..
Finally Hanneman left after an hour and after he had promised him to come someday to his office.
"Edelgard, it is safe now"
"T-Thank you for hiding me" she said as she got out of the pool, her face and ears extremely red. "It is too late; I should be hurrying to my room, before someone else comes"
"You are right" he said as he applied some magic to dry her clothes. "If you want I can accompany…"
"T-There is really no need, my Teacher. Thank you for your instruction" she said as she rushed to the exit of the area.
He had never seen her like that. "That could be said about me too, though" he thought. "I really need to talk with my father". Sothis was in complete silence inside his head. He was in part relieved noticing that, although a part of him wondered if she could help him to understand the strange feeling he had begun to feel inside him. Closing his eyes, he remained still for a while, although his head was thinking about the events that had just happened.
…
Her heart was fiercely fighting to break free from her. As she entered her room she could only hear her heartbeats in her ears.
"Too close" she thought, sitting on her bed and embracing her armored bear stuffy. "I´m losing control of this" she admitted to herself. She used to pride herself upon her ability to control her surroundings, but the feelings that were blossoming inside her were dangerously growing out of control. On the one hand she was relieved to know she was capable of falling for someone, but on the other hand it was extremely dangerous with creatures like Kronya, Solon or Thales around her.
"I must be an idiot" she sighed, embracing her armored bear stuffy even stronger. She entered her bed and tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she could see her own reflection in his blue eyes. "I guess I won´t be able to sleep" she thought, as she looked to the ceiling of her room.
…..
10/19
She opened her eyes to the sound of someone knocking her door.
"Lady Edelgard, are you there?"
"Wait a second I need to change my clothes" she said as she realized she had slept with the clothes she was wearing last night. The moment she thought about that, the events of last night started coming to her mind, making her blush again. "I need to avoid thinking about that" she thought, using the cool water of the small fountain she had on her desk she tried to cool herself down. When she thought she was ready she opened the door.
"Good morning Lady Edel…Are you ok?"
"I didn´t have a good sleep, that´s all. What do you have to report?"
"I hope that you will get a better sleep. I was able to arrange a meeting with Count Bergliez"
"Thank you Hubert, I will take that opportunity to convince him. His support will be priceless when the time comes"
"You are right Lady Edelgard. We need to take advantage of every little opportunity we can get. Has Monica pestered you yet?"
"She has been ordered to remain quiet so I guess we won´t have too much problems from her for the moment, but we have to keep alert about her whereabouts"
"Leave that to me." He said, bowing to her. "I will continue my duty as always"
"Thank you Hubert."
"You don´t need to thank me. It is my duty to serve you"
"I told you not to belittle yourself like that"
"Forgive me" he said as he left her alone.
"What should I do today?" she asked herself. They had the day free since they will be leaving the monastery tomorrow and she had plenty of time until the night, when they were going to celebrate the departing with the fishes of the tournament. She was thinking about staying in her room reading, but the nice weather coming from outside was too tempting.
"I guess I will go for a walk"
She walked around the courtyard, a spotless sky above her.
"Good morning Edie" greeted her Dorothea, who was sitting on one of the benches. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"
"Hello Dorothea. I think I do, and you?"
"Oh, but you look so tired? Something happened to you yesterday?"
"I´ve just had a bad sleep"
"Is that so? I´ve just met with the Professor. He was heading to the greenhouse, but he had the same face than you. I wonder if…"
"That is just a mere coincidence Dorothea" she said, fighting the urge to blush. "He may be tired because he had to overwork"
"I know that is due to overwork, but don´t exhaust him too much Edie. He is the Professor of us all, after all" she laughed.
"I´m not trying to monopolize him. By the way, what are you doing around here?"
"I was just waiting for Manuela. Between her injuries, the trip to the north and our upcoming journey to Gronder I´ve barely had time to talk with her"
"You really are close to each other"
"She was my mentor after all. We were together at the Mittelfrank Opera House in Enbarr."
"The Opera House. I recall watching her once, it was a pity I couldn´t see another of her performances."
"Better to leave at the peak of your career than when your sun has already set." Dorothea sighed. "That´s the world we live in"
"Time, the thing I lack too" she thought. "If you ever return to the Opera House I would like to see your acting"
"Really? That makes me happy." Dorothea smiled. "Perhaps I could sing about you, the battles you had to face, and the forbidden loves you had to endure. Oh, I can´t wait to sing about you"
"I´m not sure about what version of me you are going to portray" she said a bit embarrassed. "However, I promise watching your performance, whatever it may be"
"It´s a promise then. Thank you Edie. Oh, Manuela has already come. See you later!"
After leaving Dorothea with Manuela, she continued walking around the monastery.
"So he is tired too. That must be my fault." She felt embarrassed from leaving him like that so suddenly. "Coming from me, that was an improper way of acting. I should apologize to him, even if feel too embarrassed to do that. If I could use an axe or a sword to resolve this kind of problem everything would be easier" she sighed.
She headed to the greenhouse. The moment she entered she could smell an incredible variety of scents coming from the different plants there.
"Professor, do you like pitcher plants?"
"I don´t really hate them"
"I´m happy to hear that, they don´t need to fight for food since food comes to them. I´m really jealous about that"
Watching a more relaxed than usual Bernadetta talking with the Professor made her smile.
"I feel a presence" Bernadetta said as she looked behind her. "Hello Edelgard, please forgive me!"
"What are you saying? You have done nothing to make me mad Bernadetta"
"You were smiling and you don´t usually smile, so that means something had happened"
"Is it that wrong for me to smile? I was just happy to see you around here, having a normal conversation with the Professor"
"Oh really? I didn´t expect to hear that from you" she said a bit blushed.
"Hello Edelgard, do you want to lend me a hand?"
"Of course. What are you trying to plant?"
"I´m helping Bernadetta to plant some pitcher plants"
"If you don´t want to you don´t have to do it!"
"Bernadetta, I don´t mind lending you a hand"
They spent some time like that. She was surprised to see Bernadetta acting more sociable when she was feeling safe. "I guess that the Professor has a positive influence on her too" she thought. She knew that Count Varley was a ruthless individual and she suspected that the panicking of Bernadetta about her surroundings was related to his father. "Aegir and Varley were among the nobles that started the Insurrection of the seven. If I want my plans to succeed I will have to leave them powerless. If Bernadetta had more confidence she could be a good substitute to her own father" she thought.
"Are you happy with the result Bernadetta?"
"Thank you Professor. You have planted plenty of them for me. I must thank you for that. I will be leaving to my room now."
"Bernadetta"
"Yes Professor?"
"Try not to leave at night. If you feel hungry try to take some food before that"
"Professor! Edelgard is still here! How embarrassing!" she said as she ran away
"Don´t worry too much about her, my Teacher. She didn´t look too upset about that and I´m sure she is thankful for helping her planting all these plants"
"I hope so. Do you want to talk with me about something, Edelgard?"
"I do. I must apologize for my behavior yesterday. I was rude. I shouldn´t have run away like that"
"Don´t worry about that Edelgard. You will never be a burden to me. You should take some rest. Tomorrow will start our journey towards the Empire."
"You are right about that, but you should take a rest too"
"I will as soon as today´s celebration ends. I barely could sleep too"
"May I ask why?" she asked "Could it be? No it cannot. I´m just acting like a naive woman" she thought.
"I was just feeling strange, exhausted"
"That could be due to the temperature of the water" she said, in part relieved in part disappointed.
"By the way Edelgard"
"Yes, my Teacher?"
"What kind of perfume do you use? It smelled nice"
Hearing him she was starting to feel hot in her cheeks again.
"It´s just a perfume from Enbarr. I´m honored that you liked it, but please don´t much such questions if there are people around. I´ve just remembered that Hubert wanted to talk about something. You know that he doesn´t like to wait. I will be taking my leave"
"See you later Edelgard"
She quickly returned to her room again. As she walked through the courtyard she was having an inner fight. "I´m acting so foolish. Why am I clinging to something like this?"
The moment she entered the room she went to embrace her armored bear stuffy, which was quickly showing signs of excessive use. "I may need to ask him for another one. No, I cannot ask him something like that" she thought.
She stayed in her room for the rest of the day.
…..
The canteen was filled with life. All the students were enjoying their meal. It remembered him of the day before a great battle when he was a mercenary.
"At least in this case everyone will live"
"Apart from the poor fishes. What you did was really a slaughter, but I guess they taste delicious" said Sothis inside his head.
"This banquet is worth of the Goddess herself" laughed Alois besides him. The Professors and the members of the Church where sitting in one big table at the bottom of the canteen. The students were sitting in three large tables, each one for a different House.
"You barely caught anything Alois and you almost drowned yourself" laughed Shamir.
"Let´s skip this little detail and just enjoy our meal. Don´t you think Professor?"
"Of course"
"This fish is so delicious. It must be because you are an incredible warrior. I told you that fishing and fighting are related Professor." Flayn said smiling to him.
"You don´t say something like that when I fish for you Flayn." Complained Seteth, which was sitting next to her.
"You already know that in my opinion you are the best"
"Time passes really quickly" commented Manuela with a cup of wine in her hand. "In a few days we will hold the battle of the Gronder Field and in a few months they will graduate from this academy. It´s always sad when they leave"
"Manuela, don´t use that as an excuse to intoxicate yourself"
"I am an adult woman, Hanneman. I can get drunk if I want to"
"That´s why you don´t get any men"
"How do you dare to say something like that?!"
Ignoring the quarrel between his two colleagues he thought about Manuela´s words. He knew that when the time came his students would graduate and assume the positions that the world had prepared for them, but he couldn´t avoid feeling sad about losing contact with them.
"In that case why don´t you leave the monastery and follow your own path?" asked Sothis.
Sothis was right. Working at the monastery wasn´t meant to be a work he would do for the rest of his life, but he had grown fond of the place.
"I don´t know. For now I´m fine here"
"I will be with you, whatever it happens, but I don´t mind staying here neither"
"Professor, your fish is going to get cold!" said Flayn.
"Oh sorry"
…..
"Before everyone goes to sleep the archbishop wishes to speak" said Seteth, clearing his throat.
"I hope that everyone has enjoyed their meal." Rhea said smiling to everyone. "As you all know we will be departing at dawn to the Adrestian Empire. No matter who wins, I hope that all of you can treasure this event for the rest of your lives. May the bonds born between all of you lead to a brighter Fódlan. For now rest, I will be seeing all of you tomorrow. May the Goddess bless all of you"
After hearing the archbishop words the canteen slowly started to empty. Byleth was about to take his leave too when Seteth approached him.
"Professor Byleth, Rhea wishes to speak with you"
"Understood"
"In a few days the Battle of the Eagle and the Lion will take place. How are you feeling Professor?" greeted him Rhea with a smile.
"My students have done their best in their training. I´m confident they will achieve victory"
"The confidence in your voice denotes the fruits of your work. I cannot wait to see your progress with your students. Since most of our forces will be leaving the monastery I want you to bring the box containing the Sword of the Creator with us. I think it will be safer with us. You don´t have to worry. I will return it to you when this event has ended."
"Understood"
"May I ask if you have got used to the Sword? A weapon of such power must be exigent to its wielder."
"I haven´t recently used it, but I´m certain it contains a great power."
"Yes indeed, but I am confident that you will use it for great purposes. Have you grown accustomed to living in the monastery?"
Byleth thought about her question. He was getting used to it, but he wasn´t sure if he would stay for the rest of his life there.
"For the moment I´m enjoying it"
"I am glad to hear that. I hope that one day you will call this place home" she said smiling to him, although the way she looked at him made him feel she was looking through him.
"I will bring the Sword then"
After returning he gave her the box with the sealed sword inside it. The rest of the people had already left, the light from the torches their only companions.
"Thank you Professor. I will not take more time from you. I hope you rest well"
"Thank you Lady Rhea"
"There is no need to call me like that. You can just call me Rhea."
"I will remember it. When is my father going to return?"
"I must apologize from taking so much time from both of you, but I promise you will see him again next month. I do not wish to disturb father and son like this. In fact seeing both of you reminds me of my mother" she said looking to the sky through the window, her eyes covered in clouds of sadness.
"I´m sorry for your loss". Imagining losing his father made him shiver by the mere thought of it so he couldn´t avoid feeling sorry about her.
"Don´t worry Professor. Even if I miss her I still have a lot of people that care about me." She said smiling to him. "I won´t take more time from you, good night Professor"
"Good night"
He returned to his room. He had already prepared all the things necessary for their journey. "I hope that everyone can get enough rest" he thought.
"In that case you should be doing it too. That´s the purpose of a Professor right? If you fall asleep in the middle of the trip you will embarrass all of your students. Just do as I do"
"You are right" he said smiling. "I need to be fit to make sure that everyone is at its best"
As he said that he entered his bed. "So tomorrow starts the journey to the battle we have been training for months. I will make sure they win" he promised as he fell asleep.