A/N: Hi everyone, I'm so sorry that it took me so long to post this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. As you read, keep a lookout for one of the many FE3H memes I hid =)

~Saffron

Garland Moon

When the warm winds blow from the sea to the south of Adrestia, residents of Fodlan know that the rainy season is upon them. Before the heavy rains take their toll, young women hurry to pick the last of the white roses. Their ivory buds are woven into garlands and given as gifts to close friends or potential lovers.

The Blue Lions were chattering eagerly when Byleth entered the classroom.

"Professor, what's the next mission?" Annette said, sitting up straighter in her chair. "Oh, I hope it's something exciting!"

"I agree. Those bandits were far too easy." Sylvain was clearly back to his normal self and had shaken off the fear that had plagued him during their last mission. In fact, all the students seemed a bit lighter on their feet. Byleth only shook her head, her heart dropping when she spotted Ashe talking amongst the group.

"Professor, what's wrong?" Annette spoke again, except now her expression was concerned.

"Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the church," Byleth explained slowly. Ashe's head snapped up, a strange expression on his face. "Knights have already been dispatched to quell the movement. Lady Rhea would like us to accompany the rear forces. We have no cause for battle, but-"

"No!" Ashe's shout echoed across the room, causing Byleth to stop. "They can't… I can't… They can't kill him!" His face was red with anger, his eyes alight with rage. "He's my father, I should have a say in this! Lord Lonato would never do something like this, I… I swear it!" A single tear ran down his face, but he wiped it away quickly. He stormed out of the classroom, and Byleth saw he was headed for the cathedral where Lady Rhea undoubtedly resided. The students looked at one another in shock.

"There should be no cause for battle. We will be accompanied by Catherine and a few of her legion just in case." Byleth continued, though much quieter. Ashe's outburst worried her. Was it something I said, or just the overall idea of having to face his father? Didn't I say before that there should be no cause for battle?

"Should someone go after him?" Mercedes said, barely whispering. "I wouldn't want him to face Lady Rhea on his own. Who knows what she'll do," her voice shook slightly. Lady Rhea's previous words came to Byleth's mind. This mission will prove useful to demonstrate to the students what it would mean for them to oppose the church of Seiros. It sent shivers down her spine every time she thought of it. Don't let your guard down.

"I think it would be best if we just leave him be. I assume he won't be willing to listen to reason," Dimitri said thoughtfully. His eyes were filled with a strange sadness.

"If you say so," Mercedes dropped the subject. Byleth explained how they would all be taking beginner exams soon, and that they must train and study. The students agreed, eager to drop the uncomfortable subject of Ashe's outburst.

On the first free day of the month, Byleth had lunch with Sylvain to commemorate his birthday. He obliged, happy for the break from excessive studying and sparring.

"Well, professor, how are you faring? Lovely weather today, hmm?" He beamed at her from across the table.

"Cut the act, Sylvain."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he grumbled, and ate a bite of peach sorbet to excuse Byleth's refusal to talk.

"I've just had so much to do this week, between organizing the exams and dealing with the upcoming mission. I bet you don't know how hard it is to teach eight students the ways of war." She dropped her head into her hands and heaved a sigh.

"Tsk tsk, table manners, Professor," he replied with a laugh. "Sounds pretty easy to me. You just give us all A's and call it a day. Then you slice and dice when the mission comes."

"Why don't you teach, then?" Byleth mumbled through her fingers. "And, to add to it, now I have to deal with Ashe. I don't know what to make of his aggression. Should I report him? Should I console him? What?"

"Oh professor, do stop talking about such boring things," he said, shaking his head earnestly. "It is my birthday, after all."

Then the day of the exams arrived, carrying with it many complaints and protests.

"What if I fail, Professor?" Ingrid asked, worry stated all over her face.

"And what if I fail? It would ruin my perfect reputation!" Sylvain said in an attempt at Ingrid's voice, gleefully making a mockery of the students' valid concerns.

"If you fail, you'll have a nice E to look at on your report card." Byleth replied. Ingrid and Annette's faces both went a scary shade of white. "I hope you all studied," she said, and passed out the exams. Then, Byleth walked back to her desk and sat down, a book full of fishing strategies to last her the hour. During the test, there were several cries of outrage, frantic scrabbling of pencil on paper, and sighs of frustration. Felix was the first one to turn his in.

"Too easy. Make it at least worth my while next time," he said with a smirk. Dedue came next, silently placing his paper on Byleth's desk. She lifted Felix's up, scanning quickly through his answers. His handwriting was a neat scrawl across the paper. For the multi choice section, every single one of his answers lay on A. How did he… She had done it on purpose, to confuse them. But it seemed Felix had bested her intellect.

"You can't do that to poor children! Look at them stressing over the answers," Sothis' voice filled her head. Byleth jumped a little in her chair, causing several students to look up at her in concern. "You really must get used to my voice. It just will not do if you keep jumping every time I speak." Not now, Sothis, I'm busy. As the remaining students turned in their exams, Byleth was filled with pride as she examined their results. Most of them passed with flying colours, with the exception of Ashe, who was still missing.

The week before the mission, Byleth heard a quick knocking on her door. She stood up to answer it, peeking out the window first to see who it was. Sure enough, it was Dimitri who stood in the evening air. His face was twisted into a frown, and he held something behind his back. He turned to leave right as Byleth flung open the door.

"Dimitri?" she said, rubbing her eyes. It had been a long day.

"Oh, Professor!" he said, his expression immediately shifting to a nervous smile. "I… I have something I want to give to you."

"Alright," she replied suspiciously. What is wrong with him? Sothis stayed silent, watching the scene play out through Byleth's eyes. Thanks for the help.

"Um, well, you see… It's the Garland Moon, and I… um…" he cleared his throat, his face quickly turning to a deep shade of pink. "Here." He thrust a long strand of white roses at her. It dangled between his fingers, swaying in the evening breeze. The roses were bound together by a length of twine, which had been carefully dyed green so as to blend into the stems. "It's tradition across Fodlan to… um…" he trailed off, shaking his head as if he didn't want to say anything else.

"Thank you, Dimitri, I love it. It's beautiful." Byleth reached out and lifted the garland before placing it on her head. He beamed at her, before mumbling something about 'crown' and 'pretty' and running off to who knows where. She heard Sylvain's shout of approval in the distance and briefly saw his shadow clapping Dimitri on the back before turning back to her own room with a tiny smile on her face.

Byleth knew something was not right the moment she saw the fog enveloping the road. They had deployed for their mission early in the morning, so it was not unusual to find a shroud of mist covering the field. However, this amount was strange.

"Progress with caution," Byleth said quietly to her students, not wanting to disrupt the long line of knights ahead. The Blue Lions shivered with fear and the cold, and as the fog enveloped them, Byleth lost sight of the knights.

"Where are the knights?" Dimitri said from somewhere in the fog. His voice sounded panicky, but somewhat near, and Byleth swung her arm out. She caught hold of his hand and dragged him towards her.

"Stay together, and stay quiet," she hissed. Someone grabbed her arm and she whipped around, sword drawn. But it was only Catherine. She had Ashe with her, to Byleth's relief. I hope he's forgiven me.

"Professor, find your students. We don't know what is lurking out here. It's certainly not natural."

"Of course," Byleth nodded respectfully and made her way through the fog, Dimitri trailing after her.

After several minutes, they ran into Dedue, Mercedes, and a terrified Annette.

"Where are the others?" she whispered, her breaths coming in sharp, frantic gasps.

"We haven't found them yet. But we will, don't worry." Byleth did her best to reassure her, but she couldn't even convince herself. Lady Rhea is going to be so angry when we return, she thought, then corrected herself. No, if we return. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past the group, narrowly missing Byleth's right ear. Damn. Not only are my students lost in here, my enemies are here as well. Dedue rushed forward, disappearing in the fog. Byleth heard faint clashing of metal, then a thump. Dedue returned, victorious.

"Be on your guard, everyone," Dimitri whispered, then disappeared with Dedue in tow. Byleth was about to stop them when she realized something. This fog is not natural. That means something must be causing it. It's too thick for tech, it must be magic.

"We must split up. I'll find the mage causing this mess. Mercedes, Annette, you two stick together. Find the other students. If you get hurt, retreat to the main road and wait for us to finish the battle. Catherine, take your soldiers and find Lonato. Finish him before this gets out of hand."

"Yes." Catherine agreed, then said something indistinguishable to her men, and they disappeared into the mist. Annette and Mercedes held each other's hands and nodded goodbye to Byleth, then vanished from view. Byleth was alone.

The fog was everywhere, blocking her sight. The only thing she could barely see was her sword in front of her and the ground she stood on. Everything else was enveloped in the thick mist. Every time she ran into someone, she scanned their faces, determined if they were friend or foe, and stabbed them if they were the latter. She left a trail of bodies littered behind her, but she kept pushing through. Several minutes passed, feeling like eternity. Where in the world am I?

"Byleth! Watch out!" Sothis' voice echoed just a second before a powerful blast of magic slammed into her, causing her to fall to the ground. Luckily, she had shielded herself with her left arm, causing the bone to shatter, but saving the rest of her body from harm. That must be the mage that's causing all of this, she thought bitterly, her teeth clenched tightly from the pain. Every movement sent daggers shooting through her, and she had to ignore the blood dripping on the wet grass. More magic erupted on all sides, but Byleth deflected them with her sword. The mage stepped out of the fog.

"Certainly… one for… the dramatics… aren't you?" Byleth said in between breaths. The mage smiled, showing his teeth. Then his lips curled back in disgust.

"You are nothing but a Seiros rat. I will show you no mercy." His voice sounded like stone being raked across stone, and it grated on her ears. Before Byleth could reply, he hurled a ball of swirling black magic straight for her, and it struck her in the chest. The breath was knocked out of her, and she lay coughing on the grass. "Pitiful. And the new professor was supposed to be a skilled swordmaster." he cackled, but the sound was distant and distorted to Byleth. Her head ached, and her vision wavered, but she gritted her teeth and stood.

"And you are… nothing but a… waste of space… I will… cut you down!" she shouted, and rushed towards him, her right hand gripping her sword tightly and spinning straight into the mage. He threw spell after spell at her, hitting only her right foot as she jumped up high. Then, she sent her sword crashing down into him, ending his life and his fake fog. For a moment, nothing happened, and Byleth cursed her stupidity. Then, the mist slowly lifted, showing her how far she had strayed from the road. Her students clustered together, led by Mercedes and Annette. Dimitri and Dedue had found Catherine and Ashe in the fog and were approaching Lonato, who now stood exposed without his magical fog. As soon as she spotted Byleth, Mercedes rushed towards her and hooked her arm around the professor.

"Don't worry, Professor, I'll heal you. It'll all be alright." Her voice was soothing as the white light enveloped Byleth, and after a few minutes, her arm had stopped aching. "It's not fully healed. I… I ran out of magic. But don't worry, Catherine and Ashe are heading straight for Lonato. It'll all be over soon."

"Thank you… Mercedes. You have-" Byleth winced as her chest throbbed again. "Greatly improved… I'm proud…" Mercedes shushed her, but she could see the happiness in the healer's eyes.

Catherine had ended up finishing off Lord Lonato quickly, with only a few losses of her men. Dimitri had hooked his arm around Byleth and helped her limp back to the monastery, accompanied by the knights and the rest of the Blue Lions. As they walked through the reception hall to return to their respected rooms, the scattered knights and students raised their eyes to the battered line of soldiers returning from their mission. Byleth could hear their murmurs, only mere speculations of what could have possibly gone wrong. But even so, they hurt her pride. It wasn't supposed to be a battle. We weren't prepared, I wasn't strong enough… I should have led better. But there was nothing that could change what had happened except prepare for the next mission.