Fire Emblem: Three Houses

The Hound of Siorus

Chapter 6: Preparing for Departure

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem Three Houses. All rights go to Nintendo.

Author's Notes: I should've added this earlier. Siothrun is pronounced Shu-hroon.

DAY 5 OF GREAT TREE MOON, IMPERIAL YEAR 1180

Dorothea groaned in disappointment as she walked to her dorm in the evening. The date with the noble was grueling, boring and had drained any life she had at the moment. She didn't want to revisit any memories of that date, wanting to forget any recollection of it as soon as possible.

"Ugh, why has every young noble I met been such a pig?" she groaned. "Actually, that's not entirely true…"

The young man named Konnor Siorus was definitely different from the other nobles she had met so far. Where most of them were self-important, arrogant, egotistical and claimed Dorothea to be blessed to be in their presence, Konnor was nothing like that from what she had seen of him so far.

He seemed like a genuine and earnest young man, one she had already spent time with on an unofficial first date. During that time with him, she never felt bored, never felt the urge to put on a fake smile nor did she find being around him grueling. In fact, she found him rather refreshing from all the other nobles she had met so far.

One problem she had with him was his inability to pick up on her flirting. Most likely due to his troubles with women, Konnor didn't pick up when Dorothea flirted with him, but it was clear that he enjoyed spending time with her. Luckily, she could say the same about spending time with him.

But that left her wondering: why did he have troubles with women? He seemed like a genuine and caring, if awkward, person. But for all she knew, perhaps he could have a side to his personality that she knew nothing about, one that would make him appear appalling in his eyes.

"Hey, Dorothea," a female student greeted her as she neared the dorms. "How'd the date go?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Dorothea rejected as she made her way to her dorm with the other student following her. "I just hope tomorrow will be better."

"You already have another date?" the female student asked. "Hold on, is with that Konnor Siorus?"

Dorothea stopped as soon as the other student brought up Konnor's name. She looked at her with a questioning expression. If there was something she felt she'd need to know about Konnor, perhaps this would be a good opportunity.

"Do you know him?" she asked.

"Only by reputation," the student replied. "A lot of people back in his territory call him the Hound of Siorus, apparently for his skill in combat."

"I didn't know that," she replied. If he had earned the nickname through his skills as a warrior, then he was certainly strong.

"I actually heard you spent time with him yesterday," the student brought up.

"I did, yes," Dorothea confirmed. The student scoffed in response.

"Do yourself a favor and stay away from him." Dorothea raised an eyebrow. What made him so despicable in the eyes of this young woman? Did he had a reputation as a womanizer? Was he in reality a very corrupt and despicable person, someone who'd remind Dorothea of her hatred for nobility?

"Why do you say that?" Dorothea questioned.

"He's not even a real noble," the student answered. "He's just some orphan Lord Siorus took in. He's only heir to House Siorus because his brother died two years ago."

"Orphan?" Dorothea asked, taken a bit back by that revelation.

"Yes, he's an orphan," the student repeated. "No Crest, no noble blood, nothing. I mean, surely the young man you went on a date with is ten times better than him."

That wasn't true in the slightest. The noble she had recently gone on a date with the same stuffy, self-important, arrogant type of noble she had come to despise. All he did was talk about how great he is, how his status made him better than anyone else, and how Dorothea was 'very lucky' to spend time with him. Only two things were good about the date in Dorothea's opinion: the food was good and it gave her a chance to improve on her patience.

If she had gone on that date with Konnor instead of the other noble, she was almost certain she'd feel much happier.

"Good night," Dorothea replied in a polite tone, hiding her disdain for what the young woman said.

This would explain why Konnor had so much trouble with women. As an orphan herself, she knew how shallow the nobility was to those who lacked Crests and noble blood. It appeared Konnor had received that same treatment, despite being adopted into nobility. It was a minor detail, but it explained why Konnor was put on the first floor with the commoners instead of the second floor with the nobles, despite being heir to a prominent Kingdom house.

It disgusted Dorothea to hear that young woman disregard Konnor simply because of his lack of a Crest and being adopted. Then she had the gall to claim that the noble she just went on a date with was much better than Konnor. Why? Simply because he had noble blood and Konnor did not.

"Gosh," Dorothea spoke. "And I thought noble men were shallow."

Now she knew a bit more about Konnor than she expected. But perhaps it'd be best not to talk about it so soon, especially since they had just met.


DAY 6 OF GREAT TREE MOON, IMPERIAL YEAR 1180

"Everyone," Seteth addressed the students around nine in the morning. Any student who had arrived within the last five days was instructed to gather in the reception hall to meet the man for what was told to be an important message.

Konnor and Hanraoi stood side by side with some of the Blue Lion students.

"Thank you all for coming and I apologize for relaying this message on short notice, but my schedule has been busy," Seteth addressed before starting.

"One of the professors who was supposed to be here was unfortunately killed on his way here." Some of the students gasped in horror and shock at the news of the dead professor.

"Until we can find another, classes may be delayed for a while. But there is something else to discuss. At approximately two o'clock, we will be departing south into Empire territory for training exercises. Attending is mandatory, so any student who refuses to go will not be allowed to enroll in classes this year."

"That's not fair!" one of the students called out. "Some of us just got here!"

"Then you should've arrived earlier," Seteth brought up. "We always let everyone know when classes start and when students are supposed to be here by. If that's not to your liking, feel free to leave." The student groaned in annoyance before shutting his mouth.

"If you do not have a weapon, which I hope you do, the Knights of Seiros will provide you with one. But it must be given back once we return to the Monastery, then you will hopefully have the good sense to get yourself a weapon. Are there any questions?"

A few students asked questions, some productive, others sounding more like they were complaining about having to go so far south. Konnor didn't see what the problem was: Remire Village was only four days away.


After the meeting was over, Konnor and Han went to the stables to get their horses ready for travelling to Remire Village. Konnor got North Wind's saddle on and Han got Snow Star's on while Bronze sat there with his tail wagging.

"I wonder why Remire Village," Konnor wondered.

"Maybe to help the students get out of the Monastery and get a feel of what we'll be doing," Han brought up. "We'll be out on missions at least once every month or two. Not all the students here have the battle experience we do."

"Fair point," Konnor agreed. "Many of them here have never been in combat before. If they're not properly trained, they'll be a burden to their classmates."

"Then let's not be burdens, shall we?" Han suggested. Konnor smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

Konnor stopped when he heard Bronze panting loudly, prompting him to turn around and see what he was doing. His dog was looking at the entrance to the stables where Ashe was.

"Hey, Ashe," Konnor greeted. "Are you here to get your horse ready?"

"Actually, I don't have a horse," Ashe brought up. "You know I'm not good with horses, Konnor."

"Does that mean you walked your entire way here to Garreg Mach?" Konnor asked his friend. "No wonder you had an easier time avoiding bandits. You're much quieter on foot."

Konnor wondered if Ashe truly intended on walking from Garreg Mach to Remire Village. It meant four days of walking, which would undoubtedly make his feet very sore from the long travel. The Hound wouldn't have that, not with his friend.

"You can ride on North Wind with me," Konnor invited.

"Ride on…North Wind?" Ashe asked, taken by surprise. "But…you're the heir to House Siorus. You can't let a commoner like me ride on a horse with you."

"Don't make this about social class, Ashe," Konnor insisted. "You're my friend and friends help each other out. You really want to walk for four full days?"

Ashe couldn't disagree with what Konnor said. His feet were very sore after walking from Gaspard territory to Garreg Mach for so long. As he said, he was terrible with horses, which is why he didn't bring one. But he didn't want to turn down Konnor's offer, knowing he was acting out of concern for his friend.

"Thanks, Konnor," Ashe replied. "I really appreciate it."

"Might I ask that you reconsider?" a voice spoke up, belonging to a tall, yet thin young man with purple hair and eyes and wore a rose on his uniform. Konnor could immediately tell by his posture that he was a noble…and potentially an arrogant one at that.

"Reconsider what?" Konnor asked.

"If I remember correctly, you are the heir to House Siorus, correct?" the noble asked. "And your friend here is a commoner?"

"What of it?" Konnor asked. "I'm just helping a friend out. It's a four day journey to Remire Village."

"I can understand wanting to help friends out, but allowing a commoner to ride on a horse with a noble such as yourself is frowned upon," the noble stated. "Surely, you must understand how poorly it'd reflect on your station-"

"Stop," Han spoke up. "Konnor's not going to change his mind. Trust me, I've tried."

"Who are you anyway?" Konnor asked. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you."

"Oh, how rude of me," the noble brought up. "I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, heir to House Gloucester of the Leicester Alliance. Perhaps you've heard of me?" Konnor shook his head and answered no, shocking Lorenz.

"You've never heard of me? Well, that's unacceptable. I can assure you, I set the standard for nobility. Perhaps it'd benefit you to mimic my example."

Konnor sighed in annoyance, making it plain to Lorenz that he found him irritating. All he wanted to do was help Ashe and he was getting lectured by Lorenz Bellman Holster about acting more 'nobly'. As far as Konnor knew, he himself was of common blood as well; he was only a noble because he was raised by Lord and Lady Siorus.

"You're seriously lecturing me for wanting to help my friend?" Konnor questioned in disbelief.

"I'm merely stating that commoners and nobles cannot mingle in such a way," Lorenz replied.

"I don't know if you know, but I've been 'mingling' with commoners my whole life," Konnor revealed. "I've fought alongside them, I've drank with them, I've rode with them…I don't know about you, but I won't denounce someone simply because of their station. Now, will you leave us alone so we can finish packing?"

It was clear to Lorenz that his words were falling on deaf ears. Worse, it was angering Konnor since all he wanted to do was help his friend travel from Garreg Mach to Remire. Lorenz felt it best to leave the conversation for now and leave the three of them be. However, it was clear this conversation would need to continue one day.

"House Gloucester?" Ashe asked. "They're a house in the Alliance, right?"

"One of the five Great Lords, to be precise," Han explained. "Unlike Faerghus or Adrestia, Leicester is governed by a coalition of nobles who govern their nation together, though they do retain separate territories. House Gloucester is one of the five Great Lords, ruling territory in the south of the Alliance."

"And a major opponent of House Riegan," Konnor brought up. "I'm not too deep into the politics, but House Gloucester has practically blamed House Riegan for the Alliance's failings and are advocating for them to be removed from power. Pfft. As if House Gloucester hasn't caused problems of their own for the Alliance."

From what he had heard, House Gloucester had done whatever they could to pin the blame on House Riegan for the Alliance's current issues. It had become such a major flaw in their form of governing the Leicester Alliance: many of the Great Lords were more motivated by their own personal agendas rather than the welfare of their nation. It led to Leicester being divided and fighting among themselves.

Who was Lorenz to speak how nobility should act when his family was the main factor of causing problems in the Alliance? And for him to claim 'nobles and commoners cannot mingle in such a way'…Konnor shook his head in utter disappointment. He hated it when nobles were so full of themselves.

"It's as if being decent is a crime to some nobles," Konnor spoke with immense scorn.


After North Wind and Snow Star were ready to depart for when the students left for Remire, Hanraoi decided to head to the library area to study on his spells, focusing mainly on defense today in the case that they were attacked on the way to Remire. The Knights of Seiros would be escorting them, of course, but that didn't mean the students could just sit back and let them do all the fighting.

At least he hoped the students wouldn't just sit back and do nothing; this was mandatory, after all. Any students refusing to go would mean immediate expulsion from the Academy. It was harsh, but necessary.

In the Officers' Academy, students would be required to go on missions that would place them in life or death situations. If they couldn't handle that, then they'd be nothing but dead weight the entire time they were here. He didn't need to worry about himself or Konnor since they had already been in those kinds of situations.

There were already plenty of students who had no desire to go, even after Seteth stated it was mandatory if the students wished to enroll in classes this year. Some of them who had adamantly refused to partake were already told to pack up their belongings and leave.

"Oh!" a female voice groaned in frustration. Hanraoi looked up from his book and turned his attention to a short, white-haired female who was gazing up at one of the bookshelves. Unfortunately, it seemed that something she wanted was out of reach. Han put his book down and walked on over to see if the girl needed help.

"Excuse me," he spoke. "Do you need help with something?"

"Huh?" the girl asked. "No, I'm fine. I'm just having a little trouble…" She kept trying to reach for a book on a high shelf, but she was clearly too short to reach it on her own. Han let out a quiet sigh and walked on over after deducing which book she was reaching for. He grabbed it and held it over to her.

"If you had trouble getting it, all you had to do was ask for help," Han insisted.

"I would've gotten it eventually," the girl replied.

"If you say so," Han responded.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?" the white-haired girl asked in an accusatory manner.

"You were having trouble getting the book," Han pointed out. "You wouldn't have reached it on your own, so I simply decided to help you. But if you want, I can put the book back-" Just as he was about to place the book back on the high shelf, the girl quickly said 'No!', so Han lowered the book and handed it to the girl. Just as he was about to leave, the girl recognized him.

"Wait a second…I've seen you, back at the magic training grounds," she remembered. Han stopped and turned around to face her.

"I'm simply one of many students who practices magic," Han stated. "Would you care to elaborate how I stand out?"

"You're Hanraoi Siothrun, correct?" she brought up. "I've heard several of the students complimenting your magical skills. Unfortunately, I've only had the chance to see your magic in action once."

Han wasn't aware that his magical skills had started earning him a reputation among other magic users. His spellcraft must be very impressive for many people to compliment him, despite the fact that he didn't attend the Fhirdiad Royal School of Sorcery.

"I am Hanraoi Siothrun," he confirmed. "Might I ask your name?"

"Lysithea," she answered. "When you have a chance, I'd like to test my magic against yours. I've heard some people call you a prodigy in magic; I'd like to see it for myself."

"Perhaps we'll have a chance during the training near Remire," Han responded. "If we get an opportunity, I will gladly test my magic against yours. Actually, if you're in the Blue Lions, we may have more chances when we return."

"No, I will be with the Golden Deer," Lysithea informed. "I hope that won't hinder our interactions, though."

"It won't," Han assured. Being in separate houses certainly wasn't going to hinder Konnor's interactions with Dorothea Arnault, so he saw no reason why it should do the same for him and Lysithea.

"Did you study at the Royal School of Sorcery in Fhirdiad?" Lysithea asked.

"I did not," Han said. "My family, House Siothrun, have studied magic ever since the founding of our house three hundred years ago. You could say I was homeschooled. What about you? Did you attend a school for magic?"

"No, I was taught by members of my house as well, House Ordelia," Lysithea explained. "I'd rather leave it at that, though."

"I understand," Han responded. "Do you require any other books? If not, I'll return to mine."

"No," Lysithea assured. Han then returned to the table where his book was and continued studying the defense-based spells he was familiar with.


"Go get it, boy!" Konnor called as he threw a large, wooden stick that Bronze chased after and quickly brought back. The Hound chuckled and knelt down to retrieve the stick from his dog, who stubbornly held onto it.

"Let go, boy," Konnor demanded, but Bronze kept his teeth on the stick, making it hard for Konnor to pull it out of his mouth. "Come on!" The dog pulled back on the stick, leading a small playful scuffle between the two of them before Konnor finally pulled it out.

"Ha!" he gloated right before Bronze snatched the stick from Konnor's hand and plopped down. Konnor groaned in annoyance.

"Ugh, dumb dog." He then rose to his feet, thinking he had played enough with Bronze for now.

"Konnokins," Dorothea addressed. Konnor looked back to see the brown-haired, green-eyed beauty walking up to him, though he was thrown off by being called 'Konnokins'.

"Konnokins?" he asked.

"That's my nickname for you," she replied. "I was going to call you 'Kon', but I didn't like the sound of it. So…Konnokins."

Konnor didn't know whether to feel complimented or embarrassed about her nickname for him. However, if she was giving him a nickname, perhaps it meant she felt they were on good terms with each other.

"What can I do for you?" he asked as Bronze sat up and leaned against Konnor.

"You didn't forget about our lunch date, did you?" she asked. "I was hoping we could have it before we leave for Remire."

"I didn't forget, but we didn't settle on a time," Konnor brought up. "Do you want to go right now?" Dorothea's stomach then grumbled, giving away her answer.

While Bronze played around the Monastery with some of the other dogs, Konnor and Dorothea went to the dining hall, where they both ordered Garreg Mach Meat Pie. They then sat down across from each other at one of the ends of the tables.

"So, how do you feel about going to Remire?" Konnor asked. "For the training exercises, of course. Do you have some experience fighting?"

"I do," Dorothea replied. "I may not look it, but I can handle myself in a fight."

"I'm glad to hear that," Konnor replied. "I'd imagine you'd have to be since you made it to Garreg Mach safely. The roads aren't always safe; trust me, I know. Han and I had some run-ins with bandits on our way here."

"Well, if bandits appear on our way to Remire, you don't need to worry about me," Dorothea assured before smiling. "Although I wouldn't object to you coming to my rescue. That is what knights do, after all."

"If you were in danger, I would come to your rescue, same as anyone," Konnor replied.

Dorothea wanted to sigh in annoyance to Konnor not picking up on her flirting, but she found him too endearing to do so. He was definitely much better than any of the other young nobles she had dated so far in her short time at the Academy.

However, she remembered what the female student last night said: Konnor was a Crestless orphan, which was the cornerstone of why he had a hard time finding a noble bride. As a Crestless orphan herself, Dorothea knew firsthand how cruel nobles could be to people like them, even if they were adopted into nobility.

"Dorothea," a male voice called out, belonging to a male student. Konnor and Dorothea turned to see a young noble approaching where they were sitting. Once she saw him, her expression changed from warm and happy to a disappointed frown.

"Why haven't we gone on a second date?" he asked her.

"There wasn't a reason for one," Dorothea replied. "I already told you that I had no interest in a second date." The noble scoffed.

"Why not? You should be honored to have gone on a date with me. In fact, you should begging me for a second date." The noble then looked over at Konnor.

"Who's this? Your replacement boyfriend?" Konnor frowned.

"My name is Konnor…and we're just having lunch," he responded. The noble scoffed mockingly at the Hound of Siorus.

"Wow, Dorothea's standards must be low."

"If my standards were low, I'd have gone on a second date with you," Dorothea shot at him. "Now, would you please leave us alone? We're having lunch together." The noble growled in annoyance before walking away.

"Who was that?" Konnor asked.

"A noble who I went on a date with last night," Dorothea answered. "I thought he'd be charming at first, but…well, I guess I don't need to explain." She certainly didn't.

The chef called for Konnor and Dorothea's orders, so Konnor went up and brought back their meat pies. He placed one in front of Dorothea and the second in front of his seat.

"So, do you date a lot?" Konnor asked as they started eating.

"I do," Dorothea answered. "Unfortunately, in the short time I've been here, there's been no need for a second date. Or more appropriately, I haven't wanted a second date."

Until now, if Konnor considered this a date. Even though the Knight of Faerghus wasn't picking up on her flirting, she still had fun around him. She was hopefully waiting for him to realize that this was technically their second date-

"Hold on," Konnor said. "Wouldn't this be our second date if you count the tea time we had?"

"If you consider it a date, then yes~" Dorothea flirted.

Konnor was somewhat hesitant to call their meetings 'dates' since they were just getting to know each other. But due to his self-acknowledged lack of experience with flirting and romance, perhaps they could be called dates. That would mean he's the only one who's had a second date with the lovely Dorothea.

Suddenly, a thought struck his mind, one that had been buried for a long while.

"Hold on," he said again. "Are you…Dorothea, the Mystical Songstress?"

Dorothea was taken back by this. She knew she was very popular in the Adrestian Empire, most prominently in Enbarr since that's where she always performed for the Mittelfrank Opera Company. But she didn't expect her popularity to reach the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, at least not on a large scale.

"Yes, I am," she confirmed. Konnor let out a sigh and shook his head, thinking himself stupid for not recognizing the Mystical Songstress.

"How did you know? I mean, if you were from Adrestia, I wouldn't be surprised, but I never performed in Faerghus."

"I often heard about you from merchants who came from the Empire," Konnor answered. "To be honest, I wanted to see you perform, but since you were in Enbarr and I was in Faerghus, I didn't think I'd have a chance. I hope I didn't offend you by not recognizing you."

"No," Dorothea responded. It was actually refreshing to meet someone who admired her without knowing she was the Mystical Songstress, the beautiful opera star who many nobles adored…and coveted.

Just as they finished their meals-

BOOOMMM!

"What was that?" Dorothea gasped.

"It sounds likes it came from the courtyard," Konnor stated. "Let's go check it out."

The two of them hurried over to the courtyard where several students had already gathered. Upon breaking through, Konnor and Dorothea saw a gray wyvern on the ground, a rider on its back wearing a helm. The rider leapt off the wyvern and petted its head, who clearly enjoyed the gesture.

"What is going on here!?" Seteth demanded to know, breaking through the horde of students. When he saw the rider and his wyvern, he immediately gave the man a stern look.

"What is your business landing your wyvern here in the courtyard?" he questioned. The rider took off his helmet to reveal a young man of around seventeen with messy reddish-brown hair, sharp green eyes and an arrogant smile on his face. The female students immediately started gushing over him, calling him gorgeous, handsome and other names. The young man smiled at the ladies and winked.

"Excuse me," Seteth addressed once more. "Answer my question. Why did you land your wyvern in the courtyard? We have designated areas for landing wyverns and pegasi."

"Sorry," the young man replied half-heartedly. "I was in a rush to get away from Enbarr, so I had to land as fast as I could. It doesn't look like I caused any damage though."

"Someone could've been hurt," Seteth reprimanded. "Please be more cautious of your actions in the future, Mr..." He waited for the young man to give his name.

"Reinhardt von Sommer," he answered. The females quickly went wild with cheer over the gorgeous wyvern rider, who started to lead his wyvern, Cloud, away. He clearly relished in the attention of the young women who continued to follow after him, all the while wearing an arrogant smile on his face.

"Great," Konnor groaned. "Another arrogant noble who-" When he looked at Dorothea, her face had grown pale. She appeared mortified, as if she had seen a ghost or something that haunted her.

"Dorothea?" Konnor asked, touching her shoulder. She quickly snapped out of her daze and looked up at the Hound.

"Are you okay?" he asked her with a concerning tone. "You looked mortified."

"It's nothing," Dorothea replied. Before Konnor could ask, she walked away, leaving the Hound to wonder what was wrong with her. What happened that caused her to look so afraid, as if she had seen a ghost?

Author's Notes: Hey, guys! I hope you enjoy this next chapter! If you have constructive criticism to share, please leave a review or PM me! Keep reading and writing, my fellow writers!