Byleth didn't know what to make of the three young men that had accompanied her in the battle. Their matching uniforms aside, they were each all quite different from one another. Although they tried to put forth an outward image of camaraderie and friendship, she could sense an underlying tension in their interactions. Blue was the most withdrawn of the three. Yellow was the most talkative, his kind smile unwavering as he spoke, but his eyes were vigilant as a hawk's as he scoped out their surroundings. Red was…
To say that the young man in Red was quiet was an understatement. Byleth had nearly forgotten that he was there, and she jumped as he caught up alongside her.
"Sorry," he said quietly, pushing his glasses up with one hand.
He's quite stealthy, I'll give him that. This gives me an idea.
Waving off his apology, Byleth began to issue instructions to the three young men.
"Yellow and Blue, the two of you will take the left and right flanks of the bandits. Use the trees as cover and tread lightly. Red, you're with me."
"We have names, you know," muttered Blue.
Oh. I didn't even think about that. Probably make this a bit easier for them.
"My name is Yu," said the boy in yellow.
"Minato," Blue tersely replied.
"Ren. Nice to meet you," Red stated with a friendly smirk.
"Ok, then. You already know my name, so that clears things up for introductions. Now, back to the matter of the bandits."
Byleth laid out their plans to ambush the Bandit King and his men. The clearing that the self-proclaimed monarch and his men occupied was overshadowed by a rickety observation tower, a line of lanterns strung across its roof. Yu and Minato would take point on the east and west sides of the clearing, respectively. Meanwhile, Byleth and Ren would approach from the front, with Byleth distracting the bandits long enough for Ren to take advantage of his stealthiness to sprint through and reach the tower. In theory, this would ensure that the bandits would be pinned down from all sides.
Now to put this strategy into action.
Byleth looked to the three young men, noting that they were each assuming their unique battle stances. Ren stood just behind her, spinning his daggers in his hands, while Yu and Minato clutched their weapons on her left and right.
Their posture showed their battle-readiness to a peculiar extent, more than she expected from a group of youth their age, but their eyes reflected the fear and uncertainty that lay underneath. They're a bit naïve, but they each have great potential. No doubt they'll be powerful figures in the world some day.
Nodding to each of them in turn, Byleth unsheathed her sword and pulled out her shield.
"On my mark."