The Sound of Your Laughter
Ethereal Moon
"I am so sorry" Leonie said when Byleth opened the barrack door. She had only a moment to process the girl's remorseful expression before she was overwhelmed on all sides. Hilda gripped one arm, Dorothea the other, Annette and Mercedes had taken up similar positions on Leonie. Willard started forward with a "Little Boss-!" but was quelled by a fierce glance from Mercedes and could only look on in horror as they were marched up to Byleth's room
"Leonie." Byleth demanded as she was forced to sit at the edge of her bed. Leonie, beside her, buried her face in her hands
"I'm sorry! I lost a bet! Apparently Claude is more of a disaster in the kitchen than Annette is." Annette sent her a cheerful salute as she set out numerous makeup palettes across her desk. Dorothea was adjusting a portable mirror, Mercedes produced a basket of snacks and Hilda was sizing them up, more actively on-task than Byleth had ever seen her. It was downright threatening the way she watched them.
Sothis was laughing uproariously at her for thinking that.
"And I am involved because…?"
"Because all women need their battle-paint for a ball." Hilda answered. "You know, you're very well coordinated already, you wear black very well. I think you must have a winter colouring. What do you think, Dorothea?"
The diva hummed and Byleth shot Leonie a glance begging explanation but the would-be mercenary looked as confused as she felt "It's difficult to tell, she could be a summer. Charcoal and navy might be better than true black, but you're right, Hilda, she does pull it off. Even that pink is just cold enough to fit in. Shame about the gold, but we can work with what we have. Bronze and Gold palettes for Leonie, Annette, Byleth needs the cool ones."
"Sure thing!" the girl chirped "Why don't you take Byleth first while Mercie and I work on Leonie's nails –they might take a while."
"Hey! What's wrong with my nails?"
Hilda pulled Byleth inexorably over to the desk and resettled her in front of the mirror where Dorothea was setting out an alarming array of brushes and other tools Byleth couldn't even begin to guess at.
"Who cuts your hair? It's all uneven at the back here." Hilda pouted
"Nobody cuts my hair. It just –gets cut."
"Yes, I believe that" Hilda sighed "You're worse than Holst. Well let's see what I can do-"
Byleth did not need to look in the mirror to catch hold of Hilda's wrist "It did not end well for the last person to bring a blade so close to my face." Hilda's pout intensified, but she dropped the scissors.
"Fine, fine, I believe that as well. Let's see what magic I can work with just a brush then."
"Close your eyes, dear." Dorothea asked. Byleth held her gaze for a long moment before sighing heavily and submitting.
It was a strange feeling, to have Hilda's fingers playing over her scalp, Dorothea's gentle, gentle, touches to her face, soft puffs of breath flitting across chasing them. Annette and Mercedes provided background chatter. Sothis eased into a doze, saving up her energy for the ball ahead and Byleth felt a happy feeling of contentment wash over her.
It was strange, but it was nice, to have people so close, to share this gentle contact.
By and by, Dorothea turned her face one way, then the other, and satisfied with her work, invited Byleth to open her eyes. The woman in the mirror was still very obviously her, there was no disconnect or disbelief, but she was also somehow more. Eyes brighter, lips fuller, skin more even, hair more lustrous. Hilda had brushed it to a shine and pulled it forwards to settle across her collarbones instead of hanging where it may.
She felt pretty.
"That's the look" Hilda said, meeting her eyes in the mirror "That feeling just now, that expression, that's what we were going for. Oh, you are so cute! And now you have your battle-paint, you're ready." A grin split her face "Le-o-nie! Your turn." She sing-songed, offering Byleth a hand out of her chair as they exchanged places.
"Do I have to?" Leonie groaned
"A bet's a bet! It's not my fault you forgot to account for the mushroom incident. Come on, you've put this off long enough. If Captain Jeralt's daughter survived it, you can too, right?"
Leonie groaned again and Byleth took a seat on the bed between Annette and Mercedes, letting them take a hand each to clean, file and buff her nails.
Leonie was much more prone to flinching than Byleth had been and had earned another admonishment from Dorothea when a knock sounded on the door
"Ashen One? Safe to come in?"
"Come in, Sanderson." Byleth replied and he had barely poked his head through the door before Leonie was calling out;
"Sanders! Save me!"
Sanderson took in all the paraphernalia around the room, the four hard glares directed at him and came to one conclusion "Sorry, Miss Leonie. Not for all the gold in Leicester." Hilda, Dorothea, Annette and Mercedes all have him a sharp nod and a grin eased over his face. "Just to let you know everyone is away now, Ashen One. And don't worry; I'll have them back in good order ready for tomorrow."
"Enjoy yourself, Sanderson"
"Oh I shall" he replied and then directed a nod and a wink to the room at large "Ladies, break their hearts."
~o~*~o~
By the time Leonie passed muster, everyone else was ready and the snacks had been demolished. Byleth turned out to be a dab hand at buffing nails and if she couldn't quite join in on the gossip she was at least able to help Mercedes maintain a sea of calm in their corner of the room.
Hilda linked arms with her and leaned in to explain how the ball would operate as they made their way up to the monastery; only one dance per partner. That sounded like a nightmare to Byleth, who hoped she knew enough people to avoid being overwhelmed by introductions again. She allowed Sothis's enthusiasm to buoy her up and tried to face the prospect with optimism.
As they arrived, she let the students pull ahead and stood in the entry way to take in the changes to the room and all the people therein. The musicians had taken up residence on the gallery above, and Byleth could just make out the shadows of more at rest –ready to switch in through the night to keep the music going. Sothis approved, heartily.
"Here you are." Dimitri beamed, coming up to her and bowing over her hand "You look lovely this evening."
"Thank you" Byleth replied, smiling and Dimitri opened his mouth to continue, but was cut off when a long note sounded from the musicians above.
"Will you lead off with me?" He asked instead, extending a hand to her. Byleth placed her hand in his and let him draw her onto the dancefloor
"Wait, Child, Byleth, you have never danced before! I applaud your determination, but do you really want to lead off a ball?" Sothis asked
"If I hesitate, I might wait forever. I've seen the students practising steps all this moon; how hard could it be?" Byleth replied. It was the same thought that had led her to giving that first seminar as soon as she could. Once she had decided to do something, she went at it with all the inevitability of a boulder rolling downhill.
The strategy served her well. Dimitri was a strong lead and Byleth was confident in her ability to move her body as she willed it. They made a striking couple, joined shortly by Edelgard and her partner, and then the rest of the students who were prepared to dance the first.
People were watching. There were eyes upon her. Byleth was aware of them, but they did not matter. She felt pretty. Dimitri was sure in his step. Dancing was fun. Sothis was happy.
Byleth was happy.
~o~*~o~
The first dance ended and Dimitri could only shoot her a helpless, smiling, glance as she was swept away into a succession of partners; Sylvain, Ashe, Lindhart, Caspar –who ensured she inhaled a plate of food to keep her energy up before whirling her round the floor-, three students she'd not met before, Lorenz –clearly goaded into gracing a commoner with his hand by Hilda and Leonie, and then Ferdinand.
She was beginning to flag by the time their dance finished, and realising it, the young nobleman made it his duty to ignore the tap on his shoulder and lead her off to the side, promising to return in a moment with refreshment.
Edelgard came alongside her; also resting for a set. "I see Dorothea caught you. You're exceptionally pretty tonight; I do hope she wasn't too overbearing?"
"Thank you –No, she left the intimidation to Hilda."
Edelgard smiled "They did the same with Ingrid this morning. A more effective ambush I've never seen. Mercedes can be surprisingly deceptive."
"After today I'm prepared to believe it. I'll have to find a way to thank them; despite the ambush I enjoyed it." The Princess nodded and they watched the dancers companionably for a moment before a motion caught her eye
"Ah, here comes Ferdinand. Just so you know; he is good company so long as you can get him talking about anything other than his noble duty or lineage. Pity it's all he focuses on with me."
"Oh, is that the secret? I'll bear it in mind -What is a noble lineage anyway? It seems to me that half of you are adopted."
Edelgard's eyes widened and after a second she let out a surprised chuckle, a becoming blush across her face
"Indeed! That is why… I would wish to be valued not for my name or my Crest, but for my capability. That is the sort of Empire I wish to lead. It must seem so simple to a mercenary; you are hired or not for your skill alone, frankly I'm jealous."
"Byleth," Ferdinand said, handing her a cold flute of champagne "Edelgard" he continued, drawing himself up and pronouncing her name in what Byleth felt was a very specific tone "wi-"
"Lady Edelgard, may I have the pleasure?" Hubert asked, appearing out of nowhere on Edelgard's other side, hand extended. Whether the greater 'pleasure' was the dance or denying Ferdinand the opportunity was less than clear.
"Certainly" Edelgard answered and with a smile to Byleth and a nod at Ferdinand allowed Hubert to lead her off.
Ferdinand directed a shrug at her and Byleth smiled around her first sip of champagne, before engaging him on the topic of her new appreciation for the opera. Ferdinand brightened, and immediately began regaling her with a list of productions she must see and arias she must coax out of Professor Manuela, if she possibly could. His enthusiasm drew others into the conversation and suddenly Byleth found her limit; she could bear in a crowd when her conversations were happening one-on-one, or with a small group, but this discussion, the group forming sub-groups and talking over each other, with the music playing under all, was just too much.
She finished the champagne, let Ferdinand know she was stepping aside for a moment, and escaped into the night.
Emerald eyes watched her go.
~o~*~o~
Sothis sent her a wave of concern as she passed out of the side door towards the Academy and training grounds. She sent back as much assurance as she could, that she just needed a moment away from the noise, and would be fine to return shortly.
She made her way languidly along the path towards the training grounds. Trailing a hand on the stone wall that separated the walkway from the sheer cliff, consciously feeling the texture of the sandstone, until she came level with the last bench before the high walls of the training grounds would obstruct her view. She turned to rest her forearms on the wall, looking out at the cathedral and the strange building beyond.
She had felt better almost as soon as she stepped outside, but now she could close her eyes and take a breath, the tension she hadn't realised had crept into her posture started melting away. A minute later and she would call herself 'recovered' -yet not quite ready to dive back in to it all. Now that she had stopped, it was difficult to begin again; the boulder had lost momentum.
A step sounded nearby; deliberate –letting her know they were approaching.
"Evening, Milady Mercenary."
"Good evening, Claude." She greeted him, as he eased into place beside her, resting his arms on the wall next to hers.
"Had to escape? Can't say I blame you; parties like this aren't for me either."
"I don't believe that."
"Ha! Think you see through me, do you? No, seriously, music and fun are all well and good, but those dances the nobles do are… something else."
"Too formal for you?" He smiled at the question
"Something like that. I wasn't brought up to it, you could say."
"Did you not expect to inherit?" She asked, tentative, in case it was a sensitive topic.
"Nope." He answered, lightly enough "I had Riegan cousins, I'm told, but they died before my Uncle did, the chances that I'd ever end up here are… fantastically small, actually. Huh." He mused, and his brow furrowed for a moment as he considered that, but his expression cleared again as he glanced back to her "I always expected I'd have to scrape by on the strength of my wits, that whatever recognition I got would be hard won. That I'd have to be self-reliant. It's not the worst way to grow up, but it does mean I don't really fit in with that lot in there. Things they take as given, I see differently. I'm an Outsider."
Byleth looked over to the hall where light and music were spilling out "I think I 'fit in' there less than you do. I guess that makes me an Outsider too?"
"I guess it does." he agreed, smiling down at her "Anyone could be, in the wrong company. But, even knowing that doesn't make it any easier to live with." Byleth hummed an acknowledgement and rested her chin in one hand, still propped against the wall as she looked back out across the distance. Following her gaze, he asked: "Have you heard the legend about the tower? They say if a man and a woman pray for the same thing there, on this night, the Goddess will grant their wish without fail."
"Why tonight?"
"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with celebrating the anniversary of the monastery's completion. Maybe the Goddess comes down on this night and this night alone to celebrate with us. Even Goddesses like to party, right?"
Byleth spluttered a laugh and Claude looked at her astonished as she giggled helplessly, turning her face into her hand to stifle it, cheeks flushed.
"I think She would." Byleth managed, smile splitting her features, eyes sparkling brightly with laughter "You know I've been reading about the Church recently; there are whole books just about the Harpstring Moon and music performed for the Saints and especially the Goddess. If that legend were true, then it wouldn't have anything to do with the monastery or the tower, it'd be because of the ball. The first people the Goddess would offer blessings to would be the musicians and the couples who stayed on the floor; not anyone who snuck out."
"I know you are making fun, but I cannot say you are wrong." Sothis shot at her "I certainly would not grant any wish of yours, no matter how nicely you prayed." She added, with a teasing lilt of her own.
"Ruined our chances already, have we?" Claude asked, and his smile mirrored hers; mirthful and true. "Well, it's only a rumour started by the students, not like it had any basis in fact. What would you have wished for, though? If it was real? For a mercenary you don't strike me as being particularly… well, mercenary, but there must be some things you want?"
"I wonder about that." Byleth mused, tilting her head up to look at the stars. Her mind wandered briefly over the gold she'd earned from Gautier, still sitting untouched, then turned to and lingered over her troop, the students she'd started to get to know recently -Leonie and the House Leaders particularly, of lunches spent with Manuela, afternoons listening to the choir with Sothis, and most of all her Father; bearing with her preference in pubs, standing beside her at the dock, laughing at her in the infirmary "Not things, but… I have hopes."
Claude was silent and she glanced over to him. He looked away quickly and cleared his throat "I suppose it's the same for everyone. We can never be fully satisfied; all have something to strive for –otherwise what's the point of it all? Even I've found myself holding tightly to some pretty big ambitions…" A new song started up, music swelling up to spill out from the hall, and he stepped away from the wall, extending a hand to her "What say you to starting our own legend? A dance under the stars where the Goddess can see us, as we wish for our hopes and ambitions to come to fruition?"
She raised a brow at him even as she placed her hand in his "Even though it's a formal dance?"
"So long as it isn't a minuet or a gavotte or any other stuffy dance with two or more syllables in the name, I think I'll manage. In fact, you'll find I'm a treasure on the dancefloor." Sure enough, he pulled her confidently into the traditional three-beat step of a waltz, though he guided her into far more twirls than any dancing instructor would have approved of, delighting in her breathless giggles as the spins left her dizzy and leaning on his support.
The music ended on a long chord and he bowed low over her hand, then pulled her back into form again as the next song started up almost immediately "One more to be sure? Wouldn't want the Goddess to think we weren't willing to put the effort in, even if just for a dance."
"I thought we were only allowed one dance per partner?"
"Sadly, yes. Only one dance at the ball. But, we're not technically at the ball just now." He winked, already leading her into the steps of a much slower tempo and Byleth felt herself smiling and blushing
Sothis was laughing "Accept your fate, Child! There is music, a partner before you, and so you must dance! Well done, Little Schemer, well played!"
~o~*~o~
She danced a third time with Claude, the last one being the official one at the ball, before he handed her over to Ignatz and thence to Raphael, who took her through the turns of a reel with so much force and momentum that her feet cleared the ground a number of times.
Sothis's joy was complete.
She conceded that, yes, Byleth had work tomorrow, so yes, it would be acceptable to start making her way to bed, but she was still expected to accept any offers as she made her way out. And if she happened to end up dancing until she simply fell upon the ground, Sothis would only approve.
Fortunately for Byleth she found Dimitri fairly quickly and thanked him for the invitation. He insisted on escorting her at least to the gate, his presence keeping anyone else from approaching her.
Several of her men had already returned and she bid them goodnight, trusting in the rest to turn up before too long as she made her way to bed; removing her makeup and settling in to slumber.
She dreamt; but not of the battlefield.
Instead, a ballroom -and Sothis singing a lullaby.
~o~*~o~
When Claude returned to his room he didn't even make it as far as his bed. He slid down the back of the door and buried his face against his knees stifling a groan that was almost a scream in the heavy fabric of his uniform.
Byleth had laughed.
She had laughed and suddenly his head was full of her. Commanding and assuring when they'd met in Remire. Intriguing when he'd shown her about the monastery. Brilliant in the training battle with the Knights. Cute in the firelight on that one mission they'd taken together. So fragile and breakable, human despite her reputation, in her father's arms as he rushed her to the infirmary. Adorable wrapped in a blanket as they spoke in the library and she dropped the title for the first time. Grace itself, when she showed him what swordplay really was in her spar against Jeralt. Intelligent and compelling when she gave that first seminar on tactics. Approachable, friendly, when she had made Dimitri laugh after the Battle of Eagle and Lion, and joined in with the rest of them. Charming when she had answered his banter at Manuela's seminar. A peaceful, calming presence when they happened to share a table in the library. Captivating as she blessed the dancefloor with her presence. Radiant under the starlight, as whatever hopes she had thought of lent her… that smile.
And fool that he was, he'd asked her to dance. Held her in his arms and sealed his fate, unable to bring himself to dance with anyone else thereafter.
Claude swallowed back another groan. His head thumped back against the door three times.
This. Was not. The plan.