Chapter 3: To Prove Your Worth
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According to her calendar she didn't have to start class until the following Monday. However it wasn't going to be a traditional class day yet. That would be reserved for after the mock battle. Which meant she only had a few days to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of her new students. She also had to meet with her brother and Hanneman to decide which subject she'd be responsible for. On top of that, the older professor wanted to speak to them about something. That was not even counting her own obligations to her own house. She heaved out a deep breath. Suffice to say she was feeling overwhelmed. Not to mention she'd never really faced off against her brother in a serious manner. They always strategized together. More than likely he would know all her plans. She only hoped he was in the same bind. Her stomach growled and she clutched it with a frown. There was also the fact that she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and she could hardly call that a meal.
With a groan she stood up and got dressed, she considered her armor for a moment but decided against it. She'd be in the monastery all day, did she really need to armor up? Instead she opted for a black shirt that she tucked into her pants. Once she pulled her boots up she grabbed her cloak. It was one of the only precious items that she possessed. Her father had gifted it to her along with a matching one for her brother when they had 'come of age'. She pulled it over her shoulders and stepped outside. The bright sun shone through and stung her eyes, she squinted in the brightness and looked around. To her surprise she spotted Claude leaning against a pillar a few feet away. When he saw her he jogged over to her with a wave.
"Mornin' Teach! You're up early."
She rubbed her jaw absentmindedly, wincing when she touched the bruise. "Well, I didn't sleep too much. I was… planning."
"Already trying to wear yourself out?"
She shook her head, "No, I just want to be ready."
He grinned, "Good, cause we'll do that for ya."
"Do what?"
"Wear you out."
She stared at him for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is there a reason you were waiting for me?" She didn't feel like entertaining his… nonsense. It was too early. The sun was still orange in the sky!
"Well, I thought it'd be nice if I woke you up. I figured out some things…" She narrowed her eyes at him, but he continued undeterred. "but lo and behold you're right here anyway. You didn't even go to sleep did you?"
"No."
He winced as if in pain and shook his head. "That won't do, you're going to have to come with me." He reached for her hand but she crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look. "Heh, wrong side of the chair, eh? Let's go then." He spun on his heel without even looking back to see if she followed.
Balaiya sighed and begrudgingly followed. She jogged a bit so she could catch up to him. "I find it hard to believe you got up just to make sure I was awake."
He hummed to himself and glanced over at her "Based on?"
She blinked a few times. He had her again. She sighed and covered her face with her hand. She opened her mouth to ask something but decided against it. Instead she dug into her pocket and pulled out the small journal that was given to her. She flipped to his profile and examined it carefully. Grabbing the pencil that was tied to the top, she started writing.
Claude doesn't like sharing information about himself, but appears quick to call someone out on baseless accusations.
He turned to her and rose an eyebrow "Whatchya writing there Teach?" He leaned over her shoulder to try and take a look.
Turning away from him she added 'nosey' She then snapped the book closed and stuffed it back in her pocket. "Nothing."
He stared at her with a slight look of shock before it formed into a smirk. "Anyway, here's the dining hall." He opened the door for her and gestured for her to step inside.
When the door opened, the smell of food hit her and she felt her mouth water. She looked around and her eyes widened slightly, the table in front of her was filled with food, most of which she's never seen before. The entirety of the Golden Deer House was also in the room chatting amongst themselves.
"This is our official welcome feast, Teach. Let me know what's your favorite. I guarantee it'll be the dishes I've prepared." He winked and ushered her towards the table. The group seemed to grow in volume when she sat down, but she could hardly pay them any mind. She was too busy shoveling food in her face. After awhile she noticed Lorenz shaking his head at her. She raised her brow up curiously.
"What?" She swallowed the food in her mouth and he visibly cringed.
"I would have hoped you had a more...refined taste for food." He shook his head in dismay.
She blinked at him for a moment and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "What are you talking about?-" She sighed contentedly and spooned some more food in. Food was something that was special to her. She had fond memories of sitting around a campfire with an old beat up pot as she stirred about the supper she would make for the troop. With a mouth full she pointed her spoon at him and said, "-this is great, I love it."
Claude suddenly stood up from his seat beside her and threw his fist in the air, "Ah, Victory sure does taste sweet! Or rather spicy, right Teach?" He sat back down and nudged her with his elbow.
She blinked at him, bewildered. "You made this?" She gestured to the plate of food in front of her.
"Yup, I guarantee you won't find dishes like this anywhere around here unless it's crafted by my own hands."
Balaiya marveled back down at the food, making mental notes to add this new information to her journal. "That's amazing." She smiled happily, she would definitely have to try this recipe out when she got the chance. For that to happen she'd have to assign Claude to kitchen duty...hmm.
"Yes, it's just because she's used to being on the road. I trust that once she has gotten ahold of more delicate tastes she'd see what true cuisine is like." Lorenz flipped his hair. "This doesn't excuse you Claude for the terrible mess you made in the kitchen!"
Balaiya turned to Claude, pulling the spoon from her mouth with a pop. "You made a mess?"
Lorenz grasped the opportunity, "And he destroyed some of the fine ceramics! What a terrible sight it was."
Claude pointed at Lorenz with a gasp. "Hey! You're just jealous that my tastes are far superior than yours."
Lorenz scoffed and turned his nose up, "Please, with the wild behavior you often fall into I would have thought that you were raised on a pasture with the other cattle." He gasped, "Could that be your mysterious origin Claude? Nothing more than a barn animal?"
Balaiya frowned, 'Why would Claude try so hard to make me believe everyone in his group was kind? So far it doesn't seem like this Lorenz person is very respectful.'
Claude rolled his eyes, "You know what Lorenz? You could have fooled me. What with that face of yours, I would have thought you were one of the hor-"
Finishing the last of her food Balaiya slammed the silverware on the table and stood quickly. She turned to Claude and slapped her hand over his mouth, then she turned to Lorenz and pointed at him, speaking cooly, "You must learn respect and humility. You're going to be cleaning up after everyone today." She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Can I even do that? I mean I guess… I am their professor now. Doesn't that mean I can punish them?' She found a small satisfaction in the way he spluttered on his words before he resigned himself to silence. In the same moment she squeezed Claude's face and turned her irritated gaze at him. "You. I'm going to...double your homework for the week coming up. Got it?"
He only stood there with wide eyes, nodding to her silently.
She huffed and released his face. He had a very light handprint across his mouth. Concern stabbed at her. She hadn't meant to actually hit him, she only wanted to stop him from adding fuel to the fire. She was about to apologise but decided against it when she noticed the strange look in his eyes. For whatever reason she figured it best she remain quiet. Unsure of what to do next she sat back down and grabbed more food.
The silence slowly went away as the student resumed their chatter. Raphael being the main reason the tension had lifted. He laughed loudly to something one of his peers said then he punched the table. "Professor! I must challenge you to an eating competition! You're the first one I've seen pack in so much other than me!"
She blinked, now that he mentioned it she had eaten quite a lot, and now she was definitely feeling it. Deciding there was no harm in entertaining the idea she said. "Perhaps I will. It depends on how you perform in class."
He groaned and went on about books and how they were unnecessarily difficult to understand. She made a mental note to ask him in private if he had trouble reading.
It was probably around noon by the time the students had finished cleaning up the dinning area so the regular employees could start their own meal preparations. Balaiya had made sure she helped them with whatever task needed and finally stepped out into the fresh air perhaps an hour later. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, she definitely wouldn't be eating anything else today. Maybe a cup of coffee or tea in the evening, but besides that she was good. She sighed and rubbed her stomach, she couldn't remember the last time she felt so full. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes, the warmth of the afternoon sun a kindness. 'Good thing I didn't wear my armor today. My stomach would be hurting right about now.' Something suddenly felt off to her and she opened her eyes and threw her hand in front of her face, successfully catching the rock that was aimed for her forehead.
"Rude." She glared at her brother, who was once again laughing at her in his own silent way. She was just about to throw it back at him when she spotted her father around the corner. "Father!"
Jeralt stopped beside the siblings and pat them both on the shoulder. "Good Morning Balaiya, Byleth. How are you doing today? Is everything going alright?"
She shrugged, "Leth threw a rock at my face. I caught it though."
Jeralt sighed and shook his head "Well, I'm glad you're not hurt."
Balaiya couldn't help but notice the way her father's hand squeezed her brother's shoulder roughly. She smirked, 'ha.'
Byleth only blinked for a moment, but slowly narrowed his eyes at her.
Jeralt released them both, but not before making sure Byleth was wincing. He then walked into the dinning hall. The twins watched him leave before turning back toward each other. A faint 'Captain Jeralt!' resounded from the hall.
"Excited to lose Bala?"
She didn't miss his taunting tone. "In your dreams, dear brother. My house will be claiming victory for this mock battle."
"You haven't even reviewed everyone's strengths and weaknesses have you?" He crossed his arms smugly.
"I have." She copied his pose, 'After all, Claude can cook very well, and Leonie has a weird obsession with Father…I wouldn't doubt that Raphael would be able to lift everyone in the class either. Lorenz has no sense of fashion…Ignatz loves to read, and...'
He leaned in closer to her "Doubt it."
"Whoa! If looks could kill right?"
Balaiya felt her eye twitch at Claude's interruption but didn't acknowledge him.
Byleth turned to Claude, "I was just wondering if you've come up with anything even close to a challenge for the mock battle is all."
"Professor Byleth has come up with a wonderful plan. We will not lose." The trio turned to Dimitri as he joined in.
"That so? Well, Your Princeliness, Teach and I have come up with the perfect scheme. You guys won't know what hit ya. Ain't that right?" He held up his fist in Balaiya's direction.
Without hesitating she tapped her own against his. "That's right, Fear the Deer!"
Claude's face split into a large grin. "I'll see you two on the field~" He sauntered off with his hands behind his head.
Byleth raised an eyebrow at her. " 'Fear the Deer?' Where did that come from?"
Balaiya shrugged and left as well. She didn't even know where that came from either.
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Magic sure was a wonderful thing, the more things she came across that were affected by the strange energy the more she considered trying to learn it as well. The occasional floating candle here, a healed arm there. It could definitely come in handy. The wonder of magic was even present in the monastery's greenhouse!
"Wait, so if I plant some seeds in the ground now… You'll add a little magic, and they'll be ready within a week?"
The gardener smiled and nodded happily, "That's right, even fruits and vegetables will be ready for cooking."
Balaiya looked around the greenhouse in amazement, there was so many plants she'd never seen in her life here. "Do you have any regular flower seeds?"
The woman dug around in her apron and pulled out a small bag. "Lucky, I just happen to have this left over. It's an assortment of flowers. I hope you don't mind."
Balaiya took the bag happily "I don't mind at all."
"Do you want me to cultivate them for you?"
She considered this for a moment, Perhaps one seed. Just so she could witness the magic. "Just for this one." She placed a seed into an empty plot. "I think I'll tend to the rest of them on my own." She hugged the rest of the seeds to her chest for a moment and knelt down to plant them in the dirt. When she was finished she paid the gardener to look after the one seed she had separated from the others.
"Oh! Hello professor. You like plants too?"
Balaiya turned to the young boy who had stopped before her. "Um, yes?" The boy pinked slightly and fumbled with his hands.
"Oh, excuse me. I'm Ashe. I don't think we properly met yet."
She held her hand out, "It's nice to meet you."
"Oh, no. The pleasure is mine, really." He shook her hand, his grip gentle. Much like his mannerism she decided.
"Do you like plants too?"
His eyes lit up and he nodded. "Oh, yes I do. There are so many cool and amazing things you can do with different plants and herbs. For example, one can craft many kinds of medicines or even poisons sometimes even with the same plant as the main component."
"I like plants too. Flowers are my favorite." She smiled gently at her new plot. She couldn't wait to see what kinds of blooms they were.
Ashe gestured around the greenhouse. "As I'm sure you're aware, Professor. There are so many exotic plants here. Most of them are accessible to you as a staff member."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. It was nice meeting you Ashe. I look forward to teaching you."
"Oh! Me too professor!"
She bid him farewell and stepped back outside. 'I guess it'd be a good idea if I went over some things with my students. I'd have to round them up first though.' She sighed and went about doing just that.
Standing in front of her class now felt surreal. Here she was, barely older than any of the people in here, and she was supposed to teach them. 'Age doesn't correlate with competence.' She had to admit that definitely made her feel better. She just stood there for a moment, observing everyone. Her eyes drifted to Claude sitting at the front. He was staring at her expectantly. She relaxed some when she noticed his face was no longer red. She was worried she'd hurt him.
He rose his eyebrows a moment then winked, silently mouthing 'You got this, Fear the Deer.'
She blinked and quickly looked down at her journal. He wasn't going to let her forget that was he? She sighed and knocked on her desk loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Afternoon everyone. I just called you here so I can review some very basic things about your abilities. We'll be going through some quick tests." She glanced at the horrified look on Raphael's face. "Don't worry it won't be counted against you for anything. However if you participate with your best ability then you might get some-" She peeked down at some key terms Seteth had jotted down in one of the pages of the journal. "-some extra credit." She smiled to herself. She sure sounded like she knew what she was doing. "Let's just um… start with some stretches."
She had everyone line up along the middle isle of the room. "Alright, just try and touch the floor. If you can't then go for your toes. It's okay if you can't." She took a step back and watched quietly as everyone looked around, some awkward before doing as she asked. To her dismay most everyone could barely touch their toes. She blankly watched as Lorenz even bent his knees in his attempt. "No knee bending guys." To no one's surprise Leonie gracefully placed both palms to the floor with ease. Balaiya nodded at her approvingly and wrote down some notes, motioning for her to stand straight. She went down the line, discovering nearly all the students were lucky to reach their knees. Raphael seemed to have trouble mostly due to his size rather than his flexibility. That would be an interesting problem to tackle. Hilda was surprisingly able to touch her toes though she complained all the way down.
"This is so difficult Professor!"
Balaiya shook her head and motioned for her to stand, which she wasted no time doing. Ignatz was pretty much in the same boat as everyone else, along with Marianne. Lysithea was able to touch the floor with the tips of her fingers. Balaiya hadn't expected that. When she got to Claude she found he was also struggling at his knees. For some reason, something told her otherwise. She chewed her lip for a moment, placed her palm on his back, and pushed him lower. Sure enough he easily touched the ground with his palms flat against the stone.
He glanced over at her and smiled sheepishly, which she returned with a deadpan look. 'What's he trying to do?' She shook her head and allowed everyone back to their seats. The rest of the tests she had for everyone followed a similar vein. Leonie scoring top marks.
"Okay! That's all. Thank you everyone. This weekend I'd like us to meet up somewhere to go over more serious exercises. Makes sure you bring your weapon of choice. I'll send you a notice by tomorrow night on where that'll be. So pay attention to your boards, okay?" She added a few more notes in her journal and dismissed the class. She glanced up as Claude got up from his chair. "Hey, I need to speak with you."
"Huh? What's up Teach?" He leaned against his desk.
She waited until the rest of the students left the room before she sat down on top of her desk. "...Did I um… do okay?" She sighed and rubbed her temple, 'Why am I even asking him?'
"Of course! It seemed as natural as breathing for you. I'm not worried about you in the slightest."
She sighed and flipped through her journal again. "Thanks, about that extra homework I mentioned."
His face fell, "Aw come on Teach. You have to admit he was asking for it."
Balaiya ran her hand through her hair and opened up her journal to some notes she had taken on formations. "I need you to copy this down. Tell me what you think and give me some fresh ideas."
He rose his eyebrows. "Wha?"
"My brother and I used to help my father with strategies. Many times it was just the two of us coming up with where and when our troop would move. Obviously that means most of what I can come up with, he probably has or will at some point. If we want to win the mock battle, I need you to help me out."
Smirking he started to copy her notes down on a separate sheet of paper. "Finally realized my genius, hey Teach? Don't worry, I'll come up with a scheme so great their highnesses will be left wondering why they even thought they could beat us." He scanned over her notes once more. "This looks pretty great already. Our combined efforts sure will be impressive."
Balaiya stuffed her journal back in her pocket when he was finished. "Thank you Claude." She slipped off the desk and started to leave the class. She stopped at the doorway and looked over her shoulder, "Oh, if you tell the other students I'm not giving you real homework…" She pointed at him and punched her palm, then turned the corner, not giving him the chance to reply.
The next few days seemed to fly past, they trained as a group a few times during that period. Balaiya decided to no one's surprise that Leonie was placed at the front of the charge, along with Raphael. For now her only two dedicated archers were Ignatz and Claude. Unfortunately she couldn't yet determine how good the former's defenses were. She placed him at the back of the group. 'Dammit I forgot to consider myself in the equation.' She groaned and hit her forehead with the heel of her palm. 'The mock battle is tomorrow…' She sighed and leaned back in her chair. 'Where did I put your notes Claude?...' She opened the drawer of her desk and searched inside. There was a knock on her door and she slammed it shut, a familiar voice called out.
"Bala? Are you up?"
"Yeah."
Byleth opened the door and stepped in her room.
"Did you forget we agreed to meet with Hanneman?"
Balaiya sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Ugh, I did."
"Not getting enough sleep?"
"I am. I'm just not used to staring at words all day. Aren't you?"
He looked to the side for a moment before returning his gaze back to her. "Yes. I am."
"Plus, my students are such a... handful."
Byleth have the slightest smirk. " and unorganized?"
She sighed and stood from her desk. "You wish."
"Hmm."
Balaiya fell into synced steps beside her brother as they walked through the monastery, and they remained in a comforting silence until they got to the older professor's office.
The door was open but Byleth still knocked on the door with the back of his knuckles. "Hanneman? You asked to see us?"
The older man turned suddenly, his face lighting up. "Oh yes! Thank you for coming down here! We have much to discuss!"
Balaiya stepped in cautiously, she wasn't sure she liked this room. The air felt, strange. "What do you need from us?"
"Why I want to see if one of you possess a crest! Or perhaps even both! Never in my life have I encountered a set of twins…the possibilities!" He continued rambling to himself, most of which was unintelligible.
She was sure that she heard him say something about flesh sample and a shiver of unease crawled through her. Balaiya hesitantly nudged her brother's arm. 'I wonder if he heard that too…'
A small gesture that never failed to comfort her, Byleth took a slight step forward, angling his body so as to block her from view. "What is a crest?"
Hanneman's eyes widened, " you don't know about crests?" He peered over Byleth's shoulder to look at Balaiya.
She shook her head.
"Well, allow me to tell you everything-absolutely everything- about them. Is your calendar clear? This will take awhile." When neither of the twins granted him an answer he continued anyway. Launching into a long and detailed explanation on the origin of crests, what some can do, and all about the different kinds. "So, would you two be willing to provide a flesh sample?!"
Balaiya cringed, 'So he had said that…'
On seeing her reaction Hanneman backtracked "How about just some blood then?"
After a moment of consideration Byleth held his arm out. "I'll go first."
"Wonderful." He clapped his hands together and motioned over to this strange device. "Just prick your finger here and allow the blood to fall into the dias."
After taking a moment to inspect the strange device, Byleth sighed and pulled his glove off. He allowed just a drop of blood to hit the center of the device before replacing his glove. The device began to creak and parts of it spun. The thing that intrigued Balaiya the most about it though was the purple glow that began to pulse out of the center.
"How strange! This is astonishing!" He hurriedly grasped for some papers and began scribbling furiously.
Balaiya stepped out from behind her brother and peered at the symbol curiously, "What does it mean?"
"It means your brother does indeed have a crest. From the looks of it...hmm yes...I see…" More notes, "from the looks of it, it seems to be a minor crest of some sort. But the amazing part is that I have no idea what crest it is! To think there are still crests out there that even I have not seen." He motioned her over urgently. "Please, you must allow me to check yours as well. I must see if my suspicions are correct!"
Balaiya bit her lip and glanced at Byleth, he nodded once. As if to say there was no harm in it. She sighed and carefully pricked her finger on the device. The same thing happened as before, only this time the light shone so much brighter.
Hanneman's eyes were wide. "This is amazing! Oh! You have the same crest pattern as your brother only… It seems to be a major crest of the same origin. Two individuals born on the same day, with the same crest? This is a breakthrough. I must study this more...please return in a few days. I hope to have more information for the two of you then."
The siblings glanced at each other and Byleth shrugged, leading the way back out in the hall. "That was odd."
"What do you make of it?"
"Not sure, I don't get why he was so excited about us having the same crest."
Balaiya nodded, "Yea, I mean. Look at us."
"Well, I have to meet with my students. Got to make sure we are prepared for tomorrow. Oh, and father's office is on this floor if you want to visit him. He's in there now." He held his hand up. "Good luck Bala."
She smiled slightly and punched his palm, "Likewise." She waved him off and headed down to her father's office. To her luck he was in there rummaging around in his desk. She knocked on his door as she walked in. "Hello Father."
He turned around, a smile on his face when he saw her. "Oh, hello Balaiya. How are you adjusting to life in the monastery?"
She looked around his office and took a seat on the couch against the wall. "Well, I'm not quite sure actually."
He sat beside her, groaning about old bones.
"Oh please father, everyone here talks on how youthful you look. I'm sure you probably just need to train some. Not used to this…" She gestured around.
He laughed and leaned back into the couch,, "Perhaps you're right. That the same for you?"
She nodded after a moment. "It's just...the students are more so my peers than pupils. Now, I know officially, class hasn't started yet. But I've already met with them multiple times to prepare for this mock battle." She sighed to herself 'There's also this nonsense about crests now.' She rubbed her face with her hands. "Plus, I've put my hands on one of the students…" She frowned, wincing as the words tumbled out. That sure did sound worse when she said it out loud.
Jeralt sat up, surprise laced in his words. "You what?"
"I um...slapped a student…" she bit her lip, "in the face…"
"What?"
"..." Balaiya covered her eyes with her hands. Repeating it outloud just made it sound so much worse. She jumped when her father suddenly burst into laughter. "Father! What's so funny?"
"You slapped one of those rich brats in the face?"
"It...wasn't that hard. I didn't do it on purpose!"
"I bet they deserved it."
"No. I don't think so." She frowned, if she was going to strike anyone it definitely should have been Lorenz. "I'm worried that I'll get in trouble…"
He quieted and rubbed his chin. "Hm, I suppose that is an issue. What were they doing?"
"... arguing."
He chuckled then shook his head. "Alright. I'll keep my ears open. If necessary, I'll do my best to diffuse the situation. Who was it? That will be the deciding factor on how much trouble this could cause."
"Um, Claude von Reigan." He wouldn't report her, would he? What's the worst that could happen anyway if he did? Balaiya chewed her lip in frustration. It wasn't so much that she was worried what would happen to her. She was worried about how her careless actions could reflect on her father, and even her brother.
"The Reigan boy? Hmm, do you want me to. Talk to him?"
Balaiya shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary."
"Well, let me know if you change your mind. I'll also let you know if I hear anything."
She nodded and stood. "Thanks father."
He stood with her and patted her on the shoulder. "Good luck tomorrow sweetheart. Don't tell your brother I'm rooting for you."
She smiled genuinely. "I promise." She waved as she left the office and sighed as she made her way back to her room. She sure did miss the simplicity of her mercenary days. When she could hit whoever she wanted without concern over who could or would get offended. If they did, they could just fight it out.
When she got to her room there was a folded up piece of paper on the floor by the door. 'Someone slipped a note in here?' She glanced around and closed her door before she stooped down to pick up the letter. There was a small stick figure deer in the corner.
'Hey Teach,
I've attached some great formations that could definitely lead us to victory. Good luck tomorrow! We in the Golden Deer believe in you!
PS: I may or may not have eavesdropped on a certain redheaded lion telling a lady friend all about the formations they plan to use tomorrow. I promise I wasn't actually snooping in anyone's room.
-Your Golden Deer'
Balaiya re-read the letter twice more and sat at her desk. After reviewing the notes she was more than positive they we're in fact real. Even if they didn't work. She had some good back ups to go off of. She hid the papers under her bed. Just in case. She'd have to talk to Claude tomorrow about ethics. After they won, of course.
The following morning had flown by so quickly it was a wonder she even managed to get in a quick meeting with the students, let alone food in her stomach. Yes it was a mock battle, but the students were so competitive over it. Their enthusiasm had rubbed off on her as well.
The three groups of students took positions on the field, and her father's familiar voice caught everyone's attention.
" I'm sure you already understand but the house that defeats the other two is declared the winner. Incidentally I'll be overseeing this much better to listen if you want to win. Any use of weapons that have not been accepted by the safety regulations will lead to an automatic disqualification. Any further punishment will be handled after the mock battle. This restriction of course, applies to mages as well. You have been given special spells to use, nothing else has been cleared. When a student is defeated a bell will sound. It will not let you know on which teams the student was. Good luck out there."
The beginning of the battle started off smoothly. Since the winner was determined based off of who was left, Balaiya thought it best if they hang back. Save their energy for when they truly needed it. It would do them no good if they showed off all they had only to be beaten due to exhaustion. For now they knelt in the bushes, and behind trees. Waiting.
It wasn't long before Ferdinand grew impatient and ran forward, his confident boasts cutting through the air. " I will fight on the front lines! I can stop the enemy's advance with grace. I alone will bring victory to my house or my name isn't Ferdinand von Aegir!"
Hubert's annoyed voice followed, "Do you have Lady Edelgard's permission to-" He muttered angrily under his breath.
Sighing heavily Edelgard said, "Thank you Hubert. We are off to a terrible start."
Balaiya signaled Ignaz to make himself look visible, so as to lure Ferdinand toward him. Not even a few feet away Raphael hid behind a boulder with a wooden axe over his shoulder. The Black Eagles must have been pretty close to hear the majority of their conversations. Balaiya made sure to keep a sharp look out.
Ferdinand was easy to take out at this point and once he was down Balaiya signaled the rest of the students to hide again. A bell echoed out across the field to indicate his defeat. She kept peeking out from around her post to look for any movement. It had been quiet for quite some time and she wanted to make sure everything was going according to plan. When things looked right she motioned for Claude's attention. He nodded and snuck off away from the group. 'Let's hope your notes work Claude…'
Leonie noticed his departure and her head whirled around to where Balaiya was crouching, a protest burning in her eyes.
Balaiya shook her head slowly and brought a finger up to her lips and mouthed 'stay in formation.' She had made some last-minute changes the night before and could not brief everyone on the details. About fifteen minutes passed and Balaiya heard the clear ring of a bell sound twice. 'Two more are down… hopefully all is working out.'
Slowly the group moved through the forest to close in on the fighting, for observing purposes only. The plan still to let the Black Eagles and Blue Lions take each other out, then they strike whoever is left. Of course that was assuming everything went exactly as planned, something which inadvertently never actually happens.
"The Deer are hiding in the trees to the west of us your Highness."
Balaiya cursed. Hubert. Of course he would discover their whereabouts. A ball of magical energy hurried towards Marianne, the poor girl cowered in fear. Balaiya grimaced and abandoned her post to go save the girl. It'd certainly reflect badly if she allowed her students to get hurt, let alone her main healer. The magic hit her square in the chest and she stumbled back on impact. The force seemed to reverberate around her chest though it did little more than stun her for a moment.
Lysithea took the chance and stepped forward, hurling back a counter spell. A specialized magic meant to temporarily incompacitat people, with little side effects. Surprisingly it didn't do much to Balaiya. The spell was geniusly aimed for Edelgard, but Hubert allowed himself to get hit in her stead. Though it did force him to his knees, he wasn't out yet.
"Oh Look, a real-life Princess! I had better be careful not to scratch that pretty face of yours." Claude stepped into view a good five hundred yards away, a faux arrow aimed for Edelgard.
"Careful Claude, I will win no matter what but you're only making things harder for yourself. So you had better watch that tongue of yours."
"Losing hasn't even crossed your mind, has it? Ooh, this'll be a bit of a shock, then."
Balaiya sighed and motioned Raphael to cover the flanks, making sure he was (somewhat) hidden behind the trees. If Claude was going to be a distraction she could at least make use of the extra time. She ushered the rest of her group east of the field and tapped Raphael on the shoulder. "If you see Dimitri, remember your focus is strictly defensive. Do not engage unless necessary." She bit her lip and motioned for him to fall to the back of the group. "I need you covering our flank." She quickly did a head count. Luckily everyone was still present, but something didn't feel right.
Raphael gave her a thumbs up and grinned, "Got it Professor. I'll be a stone fortress."
Balaiya absently returned the gesture. She'd heard of Dimitri's strength, she also hadn't heard anything about him engaging in combat. Byleth was certainly aware of his strength as well then. Of course he was.
Edlegard's voice brought her attention back to the front. " I can't believe it, forced to retreat… Well, things will only get tougher from here on out." The bell sounded once again, and then twice more after that.
'Claude got Edelgard, good. Judging by the amount of bells went off… there's only a few left if we assume all the losses were Black Eagles, most likely that's not the case.'
As if on cue Claude came into view ahead and signaled the remaining students.
'Things have gotten so quiet, I wonder whe-' She turned around in time to see the side of Dimitri's Lance hitting Lorenz in the stomach. Balaiya could do nothing but stare with wide eyes as the boy went airborne for a few breaths, before hitting the ground with a thud.
"Forgive me, but this must be done." Dimitri said and spun around to parry a strike from Leonie, the force of his hit enough to send her stumbling back.
Balaiya cursed and ran toward him, somehow he had snuck up on them from behind. She looked around quickly to discover Raphael locked in combat with Dedu, Dimitri's close friend (and possibly a bodyguard). 'It's just a mock battle Bala.' She glanced at Lorenz's form on the ground, 'Still... Dimitri might not even realize his own strength.'
As if the Blue Lions needed anymore members with absurd strength.
She got there just in time to block an attack Dimitri had for Hilda, though she was only able to block the blow with her gauntlets crossed in front of her. The sword at her side of unreachable at the moment. The force of the impact made her teeth clamp together painfully and his lance practically exploded on impact. Splinters of wood flew in every direction.
Shock enveloped everyone's faces in the area, but no one's seemed to beat the look on Dimitri's face. Taking the opportunity, Balaiya quickly spun and kicked his feet out from under him. A second blow with her right leg sent him hurling into a tree.
From the corner of her eye she spotted Mercedes rushing over to provide assistance, unfortunately for her Claude took her out with a well placed (fake) arrow to the forehead. He winced when it struck her and the gentle girl stumbled back, landing on her behind. "Ooh, I'm sorry, are you okay?"
The kind girl rubbed her forehead and laughed softly "It's alright, no hard feelings. I'm sorry Dimitri!" The bell echoed her call.
Dimitri, now on his feet nimbly catches another lance tossed his way. "Thank you Professor Byleth, and do not worry Mercedes, you did well!" He turned to her, a determined look on his face, "Beautiful work Professor. But the true challenge starts now!"
Balaiya tenses at the name and took a step back to regroup with with her students, doing another head count. 'Claude, Leonie, Raphael, Hilda, Lysithea, Marianne… Where is Ignatz?' Another bell confirmed her suspicions, Ingrid came into view, not a moment later.
Balaiya narrowed her eyes at her brother, "Finally decided to join us Leth?"
He regarded her quietly and pointed his sword at her "Well, it is only fitting that the prey hides away from the predator. A Lion must hunt to achieve victory."
Balaiya drew her sword as well and stepped closer to him "So it would seem."
More bells rang out around them, but it was getting difficult for her to keep track of the number of students fallen vs who could still be in the battle.
Byleth rushed her, and her focus quickly turned to trying to take him down quickly. Something that had always been a challenge.
She heard Claude's taunting voice poke Dimitri about a crush he supposably had on someone, did he say Edelgard?
A sudden blast of magical energy temporarily blinds her, and another bell tolls the fall of another student. When she regains her vision she is relieved to see Dedu down for the count. Apparently a blast by both Marianne and Lysithea was too much for him. To her left Leonie and Raphael turned their attacks on Ingrid and it wasn't long before she too was defeated, though she did manage to disarm Leonie which Dimitri took the chance and knocked her off her feet with the end of his lance. Effectively taking her out as well.
Claude went about teasing the Faerghus heir until he swung carelessly at him, busting his second weapon against a tree trunk. Dimitri was left with one of Claude's arrows pointed at his forehead, point blank. Claude grinned and fired it anyway, earning him an annoyed glare from Dimitri. "Oops, my finger slipped. Sorry your Highness." Interestingly enough Dimitri didn't do much as stumble back with the impact, though the rules stated he was definitely out.
Byleth followed just a few minutes later, lucky for her the rest of her students were now free and once Balaiya managed to kick the sword out of his hands the students took it from there.
Her father's voice announced loud and clear, "All right, that's that! The winner of this mock battle is, The Golden Deer!"
Claude cheered and threw his fist in the air, "Great work everyone!" He turned to Balaiya and winked, "Even if it's just a mock battle, the taste of victory is sugary sweet!"
The students were ushered off the field and sent to the infirmary to check out their injuries.
It was nearly sundown when Balaiya found herself ushered into the dining hall by Claude and Hilda.
"Great work, Teach! That was a brilliant win!"
Balaiya shook her head slightly, "Shouldn't you guys be resting?"
Hilda laughed and waved her off. "Nah, we didn't work that hard!"
Claude laughed and sat Balaiya down at one of the dining tables "Oh? And where exactly did you go towards the end there? I don't recall you actually getting taken down."
The pink haired girl laughed and waved him off. "Of course I worked my butt off…I was just uh..."
Balaiya narrowed her eyes at the girl, now that he mentioned it, she didn't remember what happened to her after she blocked that hit for her.
Hilda laughed and waved him off. "All that matters is we won! Right Professor?"
"Well, I am glad we won." Balaiya said with a tired sigh. "But I hardly did much."
Claude winked her way, "You're the reason we won really. I've been anticipating that magic moment when your tactics and my schemes entwined, and you did not disappoint. That composed expression you always sport like a permanent mask is a perfect mask to my ruthless schemes."
Balaiya narrowed her eyes at him, 'Permanent mask?...'
He laughed lightly, "That's a joke, of course...Mostly. To be honest, I had a bunch of other schemes planned as well, just in case the situation called for it."
Balaiya stared at him, her face unintentionally expressionless, "So, you had no faith in me?"
"I didn't say that, I mean. I didn't have to resort to any of the. It was close. I suppose our opponents lucked out."
"..." Balaiya chewed the inside of her cheek, for some reason this bothered her. She wasn't sure if he was complimenting her anymore or not.
Lorenz pushed his way through and cleared his throat. "I believe she did wonderfully. I must admit your tactics were masterful, Professor. I shudder to think what may have transpired had it been Claude leading us into battle."
"Shouldn't you be resting too Lorenz? You took a pretty bad hit there." Balaiya eyed him skeptically.
He took a seat, wincing at the pain. "Nonsense, what kind of nobel would I be if I can't handle a simple mock battle."
Claude snorted "I dunno Lorenz, you went airborne when Dimitri hit you. Are you sure you didn't bust anything?"
Lorenz slammed his hand on the table in protest.
Balaiya rubbed her temples, this was starting to sound all too familiar. This time she decided it best she just ignore them completely. Somehow her father's name was thrown around again, and the students began to gush about her supposed childhood training as if she wasn't there. She rubbed her temples again, it wasn't their fault. She didn't want to get bothered over something so trivial. After all this was an exciting time for them, they couldn't help it. Besides it was just a natural reaction to admire someone as renowned as her father, right?
"It's time we celebrate!" Claude grabbed Marianne's hand and dragged her toward the kitchen. "Marianne if you would be a Deer, I'd love it if you assist me in the kitchen!"
The timid girl attempted a protest, but relented easily. The kitchen certainly was calmer than the main hall right now, but for how much longer, no one knew.
"Invite the others too! I'd love it if they joined us!" Claude ushered for Raphael to fetch the other students and before she knew it the dining hall was packed to the brim with people and food.
"Congratulations Professor, your skills amaze me still." Dimitri smiled and sat beside her. "Next time, victory won't come so easily."
Balaiya shook her head, "I don't know about easy Dimitri. Your skills are extraordinary yourself." She absently rubbed her wrists, perhaps she should have gone to the infirmary too.
"Teach could have beaten you easily. She just went easy on you so as not to hurt your feelings." Claude squeezed himself on the bench on her other side and slid a plate of food in front of her with a wink. "Oh here, brought one for you too, your Highness." He slid one over to Dimitri too.
"Thank you Claude, please drop such silly titles. And I have no problem believing she could have! After all your kicks are quite powerful Professor!"
She had no time to respond before another familiar presence entered the group.
"Great work out there kids!" Jeralt sat across from her, followed by Byleth. "I am impressed to say the least."
"Yes, congrats Bala. Next time though, you won't be so lucky." Byleth said with the smallest of smirks.
The chatter only grew from there, of course with many students surrounding her father with excited questions. The look of regret that flashed across her father's face wasn't missed by either of the twins.
Balaiya couldn't help but share a knowing look with her brother.
By the time Balaiya found her way back to her room, her ears were ringing. She groaned when she saw the letter pinned to her bulletin board.
A summons to meet with Seteth and Rhea "First thing in the morning."