Chapter Two

The journey to Garreg Mach from Remire Village took them approximately three days, and in that time Byleth felt he had grown to know the three students pretty well. Claude was a trickster, and someone who enjoyed hunting down the answers to questions and mysteries that intrigued him. Edelgard was proper, and she seemed the stubborn sort who would fight tooth and nail for whatever she wanted, no matter the outcome. Dimitri was a bit harder to pin. He was quiet and reserved, but every now and then Claude would be able to draw out the more playful side of the Prince of Faerghus. More often than not, the blonde was drawn out of his shell by Claude's gentle teasing, which usually left Dimitri flustered and floundering.

Byleth found it interesting that while Edelgard would often talk with her fellow House Leaders, she didn't seem to have the same kind of friendship with either of them that was growing between Dimitri and Claude. In fact, sometimes it seemed like she was purposefully keeping herself distanced from them. It was odd, and it put Byleth on edge because he didn't understand why the girl would want to do such a thing.

Byleth spent much of the journey in silence, though every now and then he would be drawn into conversations with the three. Dimitri in particular was impressed with how well Byleth handled his sword, and wondered if once they reached the monastery the older boy would mind sparring with him a couple of times. Byleth has stared at the young prince in bewilderment for a moment before acquiescing. Edelgard had cut in at that moment, voice all proper and unwilling to put up with nonsense as she asked Byleth if he had any experience with the axe.

"Some, but I'm not well off enough in it to beat you in a spar," he had answered honestly. "I've picked up a little bit of everything over the years, but I put focus into my swordsmanship more than anything else. If I had to fight with another weapon, I could manage, but I'd prefer my blade over anything else."

"A shame," Edelgard murmured.

"This will be your first time at the monastery," Dimitri commented as he and Claude fell back to walk next to Byleth and Edelgard. The blonde boy sent Byleth a soft, reassuring smile. "I'd be happy to show you around."

"It really is Fódlan in a nutshell," Claude added, smirking slightly. "The good and the bad."

Byleth considered the offer before nodding. "I would like that, Dimitri. You have my thanks."

"It is no trouble, truly," Dimitri insisted, waving off Byleth's thanks. "If we left it to Claude, he'd probably drag you into some sort of trouble."

"Trouble? Me?" Claude repeated, looking offended. "I would never."

"Like it or not," Edelgard cut in. "We'll be there soon enough."

Byleth glanced toward the girl, wondering why she didn't sound too pleased to return to the place she was currently calling home.

The trees began to thin out before the edge of the forest opened into grassy hills. Byleth felt his breath catch in his throat as he gazed upon the large castle for the first time. Truly, Garreg Mach Monastery made for a beautifully breathtaking sight.

"There it is… Garreg Mach Monastery."

The walk up the paths took them another half hour, but soon they were through the gates of the monastery. Byleth gazed around, knowing the wonder he felt did not reflect on his face.

"Rhea's here."

At his father's voice, Byleth glanced at him before following his gaze upwards to look at the woman watching them from the balcony above. She was too far away to make out many features, but her soft green hair as well as the ornamentation of her headdress were impossible to miss.

"Jeralt, Byleth, Lady Rhea wishes to see you," Alois informed them. "Jeralt, I'm sure you remember where the archbishop's chambers are?"

"Yes, we'll find it."

And now here they stood, waiting for her to appear before them.

Jeralt seemed nervous, if the stiff way he held himself was any sort of sign. "It's been years since I've last set eyes on this place. To be forced to see her now.."

"You've been here before?" Byleth questioned, sending his father a curious look.

"I've never spoken of this to you before, but… many years ago I was a knight here," Jeralt explained. "I reported to the archbishop… Lady Rhea."

Byleth contemplated his father's answer for a moment before nodding. He wouldn't press on why his father hadn't said anything to him about this. Instead, he focused on the second half of his answer. "The archbishop?"

"As you know, the majority of folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros," Jeralt scratches absentmindedly at his beard. "The leader of that ridiculously large religious organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea. We saw her earlier on the balcony."

Byleth opened his mouth to ask more questions but fell silent when two sets of footsteps echoed through the room. The woman from the balcony, the archbishop, was walking towards them with a stern looking man with dark green hair close behind her.

"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt," the man began, not looking very pleased. "My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop."

"Right. Hello."

"Hello," Byleth echoes politely.

Lady Rhea smiled gently before speaking. "It has been a long time, Jeralt." Byleth was struck by the gentleness of her voice. "I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?"

"Forgive my silence all these years," Jeralt responded as he bowed politely to Lady Rhea. "Much has happened since we last spoke."

Her gaze went to Byleth before returning to Jeralt, a soft laugh leaving her lips. "So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?"

"Yes," Jeralt nodded, averting his gaze from Lady Rhea's appraising eye. "Born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child… but I'm afraid we lost her to illness."

Byleth had to force himself not to send his father a bewildered look. Illness? Jeralt has always told Byleth that his mother had died giving birth to him. So who was Jeralt lying to - his son or the archbishop? And why was he lying in the first place?

Lady Rhea's sharp gaze softened. "I see. My condolences." Her gaze shifted to Byleth again. "As for you… I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?"

Byleth bowed politely. "My name is Byleth, Lady Rhea."

"A fine name indeed," she praised, smiling brightly. "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."

Jeralt let out a soft hmph, eyes closing thoughtfully.

"Jeralt, you already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?" Rhea questioned, hands folding over one another at the front of her dress.

"You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don't you? I won't say no, but…"

"Your apprehension stings," Lady Rhea interrupted, looking slightly put out. "I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you."

Seteth leaned over and whispered something in Lady Rhea's ear that made the archbishop sigh and nod in acquiescence.

"I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon," Lady Rhea informed Jeralt. "Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… Farewell."

Seteth stood stiffly before them as Lady Rhea retreated from the chambers.

"I will have someone show you both to your rooms," he said firmly. "They will also show you the dining hall. Dinner is at seven and ends at eight thirty. If you miss dinner, there will be no exceptions made for you, so do be on time."

With that, he turned and left the hall, leaving a surprised Byleth and a quiet Jeralt behind him.

"He doesn't seem very… polite." Byleth observed.

"He just takes his job seriously," Jeralt said before sighing. "I can't believe it. Forced back into the Knights of Seiros. I'm sorry I dragged you into this. Looks like I'll be stuck here for a while… and I'm afraid your services are requested as well."

"I must work here?" Byleth questioned. "Doing what? Servant jobs? Mercenary work?"

"They want you to teach, from what Alois told me," Jeralt explained, looking just as thrown off as Byleth felt. "Apparently, one of the people who was with those brats from the Officers Academy ran off during the bandit attack, and another woman who was supposed to take one of the houses will be unable to this year due to some of her infirmary helpers quitting unexpectedly. She'll be too busy running it by herself to teach them. So the three classes will be divided between you and the remaining professor. So Alois said he was going to recommend you to Lady Rhea."

The doors opened and a Knight came in, announcing he was to show them to their rooms and then the dining hall.

"Get some rest, kid," Jeralt ordered. "You'll likely have a busy day tomorrow. Jeez. My kid, the mercenary, a teacher. What's the world coming to?"

Byleth was wondering the same thing. A teacher? He didn't know the first thing about teaching. He'd have to get to know each student's strengths and weaknesses and come up with their lesson plans, and teach battle tactics, strategy…

He was getting a headache just thinking about it.


The next morning, Byleth was awoken early by a firm knock on his door. Rising from the bed, he opened just a crack to peer at the Knight outside.

"Lady Rhea wishes to see you in the Audience Chamber."

"Very well," Byleth agreed. "I'll head there once I am dressed."

The Knight nodded politely before returning to his patrol, as Byleth closed the door behind him. He quickly dressed himself before leaving the room, navigating the path to the second floor and the Audience Chamber. It was no surprise to find Lady Rhea and Seteth waiting there, though Byleth wondered why the latter was staring at him so intensely. He noticed Manuela and Hanneman were exiting the chamber as he entered. He had met them at dinner the previous night - Hanneman was going to be the other Professor to one of the classes, while Byleth would teach the remaining two. Manuela was supposed to have taken one before becoming swamped down in the infirmary fiasco, which she had spent most of the meal complaining about. Then they had taken it upon themselves to give him a detailed breakdown on the three houses.

Hanneman has mentioned they tried to ask another member of the church, a man named Jeritza, but he had turned it down, as had a few knights that had been asked. Hanneman had been kind enough to tell Byleth that he had asked Lady Rhea to allow the new professor to pick which houses he wished to teach.

He suspected this was why he had been summoned this morning. Now he simply wondered why Seteth looked as if he had been sucking on a lemon.

"Good morning, Byleth," Seteth greeted coolly. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes," Byleth agreed politely. "You wished to see me, Lady Rhea?"

"I did." Lady Rhea smiled softly. "I assume you are already aware that you will be teaching here at the Officers Academy. Correct?"

"Yes."

"To start, I want you to speak with the three house leaders, and their students," Lady Rhea instructed, her tone soft yet firm, making it clear this was an order. "Also take a look around the academy and acquaint yourself with your new home. That is your first task here at the monastery."

"Very well, Lady Rhea," Byleth replied with a bow.

"Once you have finished, come and speak with me again, then you will decide which houses you wish to teach."

Byleth bowed politely again before turning on his heels to exit the audience chamber. Seteth had moved away to chat with Alois, the Knight having entered while Rhea was giving Byleth his task for the day. Byleth pauses to speak with them for only a moment before moving on and leaving them to their conversation about the man who had run off - the one who was supposed to be teaching here as opposed to Byleth. Seteth wanted him found and punished for abandoning the three heirs to their fates.

He came across Edelgard first, and she looked up from the book in her hands when he strolled over.

"So you've accepted a teaching position here," she said, closing the book to gaze at him in a scrutinizing manner. "Pity. I was hoping you would lend your strength to the Empire. I never did introduce myself properly, did I? My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg. I am the princess and heir apparent of the Adrestian Empire."

"I see," Byleth mused.

"So, would you consider leading the Black Eagles?" Edelgard asked, a smile spreading across her face. "I can tell you all about them, if you'd like."

"That would be appreciated."

So she launched into explanations for each member of her house. She spoke quite fondly of Hubert von Vestra, a friend of hers since childhood, and went into detail on his family. The smile faded a bit when she spoke of Ferdinand von Aegir, making it clear that she did not seem overly fond of the Prime Minister's son. He seemed to think himself Edelgard's rival, a fact she was displeased with. Linhardt von Hevring was someone she spoke about with an exasperated fondness. The boy was intelligent, but he focused only on the things that interested him. Caspar von Bergliez was the second son of his family, and seemed to have a drive for fighting that Edelgard found concerning. Bernadetta von Varley was a shy and gentle girl, who likes to hide away in her room more than anything else. Dorothea Arnault was one of the few commoners in the Black Eagle house, but she was quite well known for her work with the Mittelfrank Opera Company, and was adept in magic. Finally, Petra Macneary was what amounted to an exchange student from Brigid, a vassal state of the Adrestian Empire who Edelgard said was very studious.

While the information was helpful, Byleth decided he would like to meet the students himself before making any sort of decisions. And so he spoke with both Claude and Dimitri in much the same way he had Edelgard, learning their opinions on their classmates before he tracked them down himself to get to know them. Since the house leaders were the only ones who knew he was going to be their Professor, he didn't have to worry about the students pretending to be something or someone they weren't.

He also ran into Professor Jeritza, who had been placed in charge of weapon instruction for some of the younger students, and it was easy to see why the man had refused to take one of the houses. He came off as very brusque and standoffish.

He found the students sequestered to their assigned classrooms and took the time to meet each. He found the Black Eagle house to be full of competent individuals, though the underlying tension between Hubert and Ferdinand quickly made Byleth uncomfortable. The two always seemed to be arguing about something every few minutes and it almost always had something to do with Edelgard. In the complete opposite end of the spectrum was the Golden Deer - the students there were so relaxed and comfortable with each other. They had a lazy air about them, but it was clear to see that they took their futures seriously. In the middle were the Blue Lions. While they were more serious than the laid back Golden Deer, they weren't as serious as the Black Eagles appeared to be. With the exception of Linhardt, Bernadetta and Caspar, that is.

Byleth was quite confident in his choices now. He told Rhea that he wished to choose the Blue Lions and the Golden Deer, leaving Hanneman to handle the Black Eagles.

Now he would have to worry about perfecting separate lesson plans for each student based on their goals. But first, he supposed, he would simply worry about the upcoming mock battle.

Byleth smiles to himself as he enters the Blue Lions classroom on the first morning of class the next day. The students stare at him gobsmacked for a moment before Annette speaks.

"Oh no, I was speaking to you so casually, as though we were companions!" She groaned, placing her head in her hands. "Oh, I am so sorry, Professor! You just look the same age as the rest of us, and… Oh, and I'm sorry I just said that, too! I really must watch my tongue…"

Byleth chuckled. "It's fine, Annette. I am your Professor, yes, but seeing as we are all close in age, I don't mind being treated as a friend, also."

"You say that, but… I just don't know about all of this…" she trailed off unsurely.

"I'll admit, it doesn't sit well with me either," Dimitri admitted, frowning. "After all, we wish to show you due respect."

Sylvain shrugged. "If the professor says it's okay, shouldn't that be enough? That is.. if Your Highness can consent to such a thing. After all, we're already speaking this way to our future king, so we may as well relax our speech with our professor, too, right?"

Dimitri glanced at his friend before slowly nodding. "Well, we're not in the Kingdom, so it only goes to follow that we should all speak companionably." He sighed. "I concede. If the professor says it's fine, we ought to accept that kindness gratefully."

"As for me, I'm not sure I can manage," Ingrid admitted, her green eyes worried.

Mercedes sent the girl a kind smile. "You don't have to force yourself if it's too difficult. You're fine with that too, right, Professor?"

"Of course," Byleth admitted. "Now, where are the Golden Deer? I told Claude what time to be here."

"Sorry, Teach, had trouble getting Hilda out of bed."

Byleth and the Blue Lions turned at Claude's voice. He stood in the doorway of the classroom, trademark grin on his face and with the Golden Deer hovering awkwardly behind him.

"Alright, enough chatting," Byleth ordered, tone light. "Everyone to your seats, we only have a few days to prepare for the mock battle. Today I will be calling each student up here one by one to learn what their future goals are, and together we will decide on what Master Class you will all strive for."

The students shuffled into their seats, Blue Lions sticking to the right side of the classroom while the Golden Deer took to the left. Byleth frowned - he had hoped the students would mix together a little more, but perhaps that sort of bond would take time.

"Alright, Dimitri, I'd like to speak with you, first…"

By the time lunch rolled around, Byleth had successfully spoken to each of the students and the black board behind him had their names along with the Master Classes they would strive for written on it. He let them go to lunch and stayed behind for a moment, staring at the chalkboard. Some of the students had been firm in their knowledge of what they wanted to be while others hadn't provided Byleth with an answer.

Dimitri - ?

Dedue - ?

Felix - ?

Ingrid - Falcon Knight

Sylvain - ?

Annette - Dark Knight

Mercedes - Gremory

Ashe - ?

Claude - Wyvern Master

Hilda - ?

Ignatz - Bow Knight

Leonie - Falcon Knight

Raphael - War Master

Lorenz - ?

Marianne - Gremory

Lysithea - ?

Byleth would have to set the lesson plans for each student tonight, finalize what skills they needed to focus on. Even his mages would be learning a weapon skill of some type, since he didn't want them vulnerable on the battlefield before they learned any powerful spells.

Well, he would begin with that after lunch. For now, he was starving.

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait on updates, but those who have seen this fic on ao3 would know it is tagged as Slow Updates. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!