The next thing Byleth knew, she was lying face-down on the rickety hard-wood floor of an old inn. Groaning, she scrambled to her feet as she regained her bearings. Looking behind her, she noticed that she had dragged her bedsheets off with her when she had fallen off. As she began to make the bed up, her thoughts drifted back to the strange dream that she had just had. Or was it a dream? It seemed too real.

Resolving to forget the dream and move on with her day, Byleth finished making her bed, tucking the tattered sheets underneath the pillows.

As she was finishing getting dressed, three sharp knocks rang out on the door to her room, and a gruff voice called out to her.

"Hey, kid. It's time to get a move on. You decent?"

"Yeah, Dad."

The door opened and her father stepped through, handing her a mug of her favorite coffee as he did so. "We've got to get a move on as soon as we can. Our latest contact isn't exactly what I'd call the patient type, and I'd like to try and avoid getting any more of those Imperial stiffs crawling up my ass."

As the daughter of the leader of a mercenary band, rising in the wee hours of the morning was nothing out of the ordinary for Byleth. Nevertheless, the lingering memory of the strange dream she had during the night left her feeling a bit disconcerted, and it showed on her face.

The fatherly smile on Jeralt's face gave way to one of concern, and he stepped back to assess his daughter's condition. "You aren't feeling ill, are you? Did you eat too much of that damned curry again? I know it's your favorite, but still, I'd think that four servings would be enough." Byleth rolled her eyes, a rare display of emotion for her, eliciting a chuckle from her father.

"No, Dad. I'm fine. I just had another weird dream again. Nothing to worry about, I promise." She looked up at him with a determined expression, and he ruffled her hair gently.

"If you say so. Well, if you're ready, let's…"

At that moment the door to Byleth's room burst open, and one of Jeralt's men ran in, a worried grimace on his face. "Jeralt, sir!" he shouted.

"What did I say about knocking?"

"Sorry, sir! It's just, there's an odd group of kids waiting outside, wanting to see you. They said there are bandits on the way!" he gasped. Turning to face Byleth, Jeralt motioned towards the front door of the inn and began to walk away. "I'm going to go scope out the situation. Come out as soon as you're ready, ok?" The young woman nodded as her father stepped through the inn's front door.

After drinking down the rest of her coffee, Byleth grabbed her well-worn silver sword from her dresser, placing it in a loop on her belt. After spending a few minutes scrambling around looking for her shield, which she found under the bed, she began to make her way to the front door.

As Byleth stepped out of the old inn into the misty morning air, she saw her father standing before three young men, speaking with them in hushed tones. The three men wore identical black uniforms with golden accents, but they each wore a differently colored cape. Blue, gold, and crimson. The colors of the three nations, Byleth noted. Iwatodai, Inaba, and Shibuya. While this gave her a general idea of their respective nationalities, she had no clue as to their actual identities, but she could tell that they were of noble bearing.

"Blue" was the shortest of the three and had a somewhat gloomy disposition. The hue of his cape closely matched that of his azure hair, the bangs of which covered one eye and left the other exposed. Byleth noticed that he stood in a slightly stooped position, his hands tucked in the pockets of his trousers and his head down low.

"Yellow" was the tallest in the group, standing at least a head above both his comrades. He stood tall and proud with a gentle smile on his face and seemed to have a calm and collected attitude about him. His silver hair was styled into a neatly trimmed bowl cut, and Byleth noted that he was quite the looker despite his simple style.

"Red" stood between the others in height, and unlike the other two boys wore a pair of plain black spectacles on his face, framing his dark gray eyes. His black hair was unkempt, almost if he had neglected to comb it. He stood with his hands at his sides, taking in his surroundings. Unlike Blue and Yellow, Byleth realized that it was almost impossible for her to get a definite read on him. While he seemed quiet and unassuming on the surface, she couldn't help but feel that his eyes held something like a glint of rebellion within them.

At the moment, Blue was speaking to Jeralt, his hands never leaving his pockets as he spoke. "We were east of here, performing training exercises when a group of bandits began to attack us. Unfortunately, someone here decided to abandon his duty…"

He glared at the boy next to him, dressed in yellow, who shrugged and smiled serenely. "Sorry 'bout that. I just thought that if I could get away from them, you guys could as well. Besides, we made it here in the end." Yellow clapped Blue hard on the back, making his scowl deepen further. "Personal space," Blue grumbled, slapping the other boy's hand and shuffling to the side. The last boy, clad in red, hadn't spoken, only watching his comrades with bemusement as they began to bicker back and forth.

Once their argument had ended, Jeralt cleared his throat loudly, his mounting exasperation all too noticeable to Byleth. "Okay, settle down. So, I'm going to assume that you three need my company's help, is that right? I'm willing to lend a hand, but it'll cost you quite a bit, just so you know."

Red just nodded before removing a heavy leather pouch from his belt. "Will 50000 G do it for you? If that's not enough, these two can pitch in as well." At this Blue shifted his glare to Red, while Yellow continued to smile good-naturedly.

Jeralt whistled. "Sheesh, what kind of kids are you? I could have sworn that I recognized those uniforms from somewhere…" He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before catching himself and shaking his head with a sigh. "Ah, whatever. It's a deal. But I'm not going to let you three brats sit on your asses, watching on the sidelines."

He turned around and nodded at Byleth. "Good, you're here. I'm going to need you to babysit these three. Something tells me that these aren't just ordinary kids, so protect them with your life."

"Yes, sir."

"This here is my daughter, Byleth. Stick close to her and do as she says, and you'll all be able to walk away from here safe and sound. Any funny business with her and you'll be answering to me, is that clear?"

Blue shrugged noncommittally, voicing his agreement with a muttered "Whatever."

Yellow merely nodded and bowed politely. "Of course."

Red, however, looked Byleth square in the eyes, his brow furrowed. After several moments of deliberation, his expression lightened, and he seemed to decide that she was trustworthy. He nodded at her. "I'm in."

There was a strange intensity to the young man in red's response that failed to escape the notice of Byleth and her father, who exchanged a significant glance. Jeralt turned to his daughter and whispered in her ear, "And keep an eye on that one for me, alright? Can't get a read on him for the life of me. Seems a bit reckless, so make sure he doesn't fly too far off the handle."

"Will do." She turned to the three young men and nodded. "You're with me. Let's head out."