Chapter 9: The Missing Lamb
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"I'm sorry Sylvain, but it's been decided that you must accompany the Blue Lions on their mission… There is concern regarding the student's safety that have close ties to the Kingdom." Balaiya said with a sigh. This had to have been the third time she was telling him this and still, he fought her on it. It wasn't even her own decision!
Sylvain inhaled sharply, probably trying to keep his cool. "Professor, come on. You could really use my help if things get bad! I'm the best lancer on the team!"
"I know… but we have to keep our guar-"
He cut her off, "Why? Are they afraid I'll defect or something? We don't even know what happened to Ashe! For all we know he could have been kidnapped!"
Balaiya frowned and stood from her desk. "Sylvain, please… don't yell." She fixed him with a stern look and crossed her arms. "Believe me, I'm worried too. But arguing with me like this isn't going to help the situation."
He looked away from her gaze and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Professor, I'm just frustrated." He signed heavily.
"It's alright." She sighed and gathered her things from the desk. "There is still time before the mission. I can try and speak to Lady Rhea about it, but you have to promise me not to cause any more of a hassle. Everyone is on edge, a cool mind is what we need right now."
"Right, I'm sorry again. I know you can't just overrule what they say so easily, and I appreciate you saying you'll try."
"Just don't do anything stupid." She sighed again and motioned for him to exit the class. "I'm not really hungry Sylvain, go on ahead. I'll see you tomorrow for our fencing class."
"Alright, have a good evening Professor." He waved shortly and left the room.
Now that he was finally gone she was left with a deafening silence. Ever since Ashe had gone missing a few days ago, everyone was on edge. She'd been the last one to see him too! The fact that she didn't pick up on anything suspicious made it so much worse. She couldn't help but feel at fault, if he'd been kidnapped, could the person have followed them to his room? Waiting in the shadows until she left so they could strike? If he had been taken, why hadn't she sensed anything? What if he did defect? What would the Church do to him?
Those were the whispers traveling around the monastery now. That Ashe had defected to Lord Lonato and abandoned the monastery, but Balaiya refused to believe it. He looked so sad and lost when she'd walked with him that evening… and she'd given him the best advice she could. What if it was her advice that caused him to leave? ...I'd do whatever I could for my father... Her words echoed in her head for the hundredth time today, as if taunting her.
She shook her head and turned to leave the classroom, locking it behind her.
"Mulling over it like this will get you nowhere you know."
Balaiya glanced over to the small woman beside her with a frown. "I know Sothis… but I have to keep retracing my steps to see if I missed anything. If something bad happened to him because of me…"
"Well, obviously you cannot come up with something as you are now. Tired and fretting. You need outside opinion." Sothis said matter of factly.
"I just finished taking to my brother at lunch." Balaiya whispered. "If he had a revelation since then I'm su-"
"Not your brother silly."
"Um, Father would surely be busy at this hour."
"My, you really have drifted apart, haven't you?" She sighed and shook her head. "Well… you could always check the library. Knowing more about the history of Castle Gaspard would help. Maybe more on the Western Church?"
"Um, alright I suppose." Balaiya said quietly and pocketed her keys. She made her way to the library, half buried in her own thoughts.
The library was a vast thing filled to the brim with books she'd never even imagined. Though she knew how to read she was embarrassed to admit her range of vocabulary was rather limited. As a result there were some books she could hardly comprehend. Doing her best to further her understanding of her own language was a task she dedicated to only the moments she was sure no one was around. Reading aloud helped and she didn't want anyone to know she struggled with complex literature. Granted Raphael struggled with simpler books but he was getting help from herself, Ignatz, and occasionally Lysithea. He was improving steadily. She didn't want him to get to a point where his own Professor couldn't help him!
The fourth floor of the library was reserved for Professor's only and had a charm on it that reacted to a special keystone she kept on her person. If anyone passed that didn't have the key on them it would alert a nearby guard.
Though she'd never been up there, checking now couldn't hurt. Despite having trouble with some of the books even the students had access to, she was curious to know if anything on this restricted floor could be of help.
When she walked out into the room she was greeted with a place much more extravagant than the ones below it. There were hundreds of books that sat upon shelves so tall a walkway was built to assist those trying to reach high up, along with of course, the sliding ladders she'd grown accustomed to. A rather large stained glass window decorated the wall in front of her, casting tinted light from the evening sun all around the room. She turned in all directions, a feeling of awe overwhelming her. She stepped to the center of the room and looked up to find a circular skylight, the image of a winged woman looked down at her with open arms was detailed in fine stained glass as well. As if she was beckoning her to another world.
She just stood there as if enchanted, she didn't know for how long but when a small sound pulled her from her trance, the sun was still out, only now it was hovering over the horizon. She frowned and quickly stepped into one of the aisles, her hand ghosting over her dagger. There was always the chance that one of the other teachers was up here, but after the last few days she was definitely on edge.
Balaiya peeked around a few corners until she heard the sound again, it was a tiny high pitched sound. She unsheathed her dagger slowly and stepped around the corner. It sounded like a-
Her eyes widened when she saw who was sitting in the back corner of the aisles, practically buried in tomes that had been haphazardly brushed of dust. She looked on in shock for a few seconds and when he noticed her his expression mirrored hers.
"Professor?"
"Claude? What are you d- wait, what?" She frowned, what did he say?...
"Haha, what are the chances of you being the one to catch me…" He eyed her dagger and smirked. "Do you always greet people like that? Or is it just me?"
She observed him silently, her grip on the weapon tightening. How did he get up here without alerting anyone? Though it definitely looked like Claude, down to the way his smile left his eyes dull and untouched, she was wary. He'd always been different around her. Now? It felt like he had his own dagger pointed at her with the way he looked at her. Not to mention he'd never been so formal…
"Who are you?"
"What?" He frowned.
She stepped slightly closer, her guard still up. She felt a wave of confusion smash in to her the longer she held her weapon at him. If it really was him, then she'd have to worry about explaining why she was acting like she didn't know him. If it wasn't him…
"What's my favorite star?" She demanded, her voice just barely above a whisper.
He blinked at her a few times. After what felt like forever he spoke up, his voice carried an unreadable tone. "When you were a girl, you used to tell your father that the orange tinted star was him and the two smaller white ones below it were you and your brother."
She felt her whole body give and she fell to her knees in front of him, and she hastily sheathed the dagger. Claude was the only one outside of her family that knew that, and it'd been so long since she mentioned it to her brother or father they probably forgot about it.
His brows shot up and he finally moved, his joints cracked, almost echoing in the silence that blanketed them, like a testament of how long he'd been sitting there. He stopped about a foot away from her and sat back on his heels, his hands hovered in the space between them as if to reach out to her but he pursed his lips and dropped them to his knees.
"What's wrong Professor?"
She looked up through her lashes and bit her lip. "Why did yo- no nevermind… Ashe is missing." She found herself mumbling. A part of her felt ridiculous. Of course he knew Ashe was missing, everyone knew Ashe was missing.
"Yes?" His brows furrowed.
"I was the last one to see him…" Her throat burned uncomfortably and she began to chew her bottom lip. Why hadn't she used Sothis's power when she first discovered he was missing? It had been a few hours at that point but she didn't even consider it... What if she was the la-
"But you won't be the last."
Her eyes widened and a soft gasp escaped her lips. "How di-"
He rubbed his palms against his knees a few times and smiled warily. "I had a feeling…" He shrugged a shoulder and raked a hand through his hair. "Everyone knows you're blaming yourself… you have to look after yourself too ya know." He appeared to reach for her again but hesitated and once again dropped his hand to his side. He bit his lip and smiled wryly. "You'll worry yourself gray, Teach." He winked. "You wouldn't want that."
She stared at him owlishly for a few breaths, why did she suddenly feel so relieved? She exhaled a long and shaky breath and sat back. A laugh escaped her then, it was a forceful one. Nearly a bark with how sudden it was. "You're right… I don't think I would." She laughed again, quieter this time, though it was devoid of any real joy.
He watched her for a few moments before he sat back against the wall but he kept his eyes on her. "Is everything alright?" He asked after a while. His voice was quiet, and she would have to describe it as soothing.
She felt vulnerable beneath his steady gaze but couldn't find the strength to look away. She was too caught up in trying to control the fire that threatened her throat and her lungs. It was an unruly tempest that left her feeling shaky and confused. Besides, why would he ask her such a ridiculous question? Everything was not alright! She'd just mentioned that Ashe was missing, had he not been paying attention? But then, hadn't she just done the same? Saying something ridiculous? Though on his part it wasn't ridiculous. He wasn't asking about Ashe, or the people in the monastery, he was asking about her… wasn't he?
Selfish as it may sound it felt nice to have someone disregard everything swirling in the world around her. To at last seem like he was only concerned about her. Even if he really wasn't.
She thought back to the stained glass skylight, perhaps she had gone to another world. She quietly observed the dust that floated about the room, illuminated by the setting sun that peeked in through the windows.
Wordlessly, she moved closer to him and he shoved some of the old books away from his side. She took that as an invitation and sat in the small space beside him.
"I've been worse." She mumbled finally.
He hummed quietly and leaned his head back against the wall, his eyes closing. "I'm sure you have."
She looked up at him curiously. She could never hold his gaze for very long, and she wondered if he noticed. She hoped he hadn't. Looking at him now, she realized the sun was rather kind to him, in fact she would say it favored him. The last of the day's golden rays were gently touching his face, giving his skin a soft glow. She held her hand by his face curiously and glanced between her pale skin and the tanned complexion of his own, 'He must spend a lot of time in the sun…' She thought. She hadn't really considered it before, but for a noble he definitely didn't look like one. But of course, he wasn't like most nobles… was he?
She really wanted to look him in the eyes again, and like most things surrounding him: she wasn't sure why.
As if he heard her, his eyes opened, and she marveled at how his slightly curled lashes left tiny shadows on his cheeks. She also wondered how thin her own looked in comparison, but that hardly mattered now. She was more concerned with being caught staring at him so closely. She braced herself for some sort of smart remark but to her surprise none came. Ironically time seemed to escape her, and she was once again lost. This close up she could see shall flecks of gold hugging his pupils before they bled into darker and deeper shades of green. Like a miniature starburst. How fitting that he would be the Leader of the Golden Deer. Since gold was so becoming of him after all.
She suddenly had a strong urge to touch his face, and a part of her was scolding herself vehemently. Another part was insistent, reasoning that he could already see her hand frozen in the air by his face anyway, and the look in his eyes was so intense, it burned her. But, she was never really afraid of fire, and curiosity always pushed her into trouble anyway. Many in the troop would tell her as a child that curiosity killed the cat… or kitten? She frowned and glanced up at his head, her hand instead of hanging uselessly in the air was now pointing.
"Is that a cat on your head?"
He blinked at her then his eyes widened, and he leaned away from her dramatically. Though she did too. Their noses were nearly touching after all. "Oh, yeah. It is actually."
"...Why?"
"Why not?"
She sighed and shifted, suddenly very awkward. She tried to get up but he was already plopping the tiny cat in her lap and she froze. Her insides melted.
"Oh." She stared at the tiny cat in silence. After a moment she reached down and pet the small creature carefully.
"Her name is Shai... Er I mean Shay, I found her outside of the library. Someone must have dumped her there."
"She's rather adorable." She pet the cat gently and the cat mewed once and then settled into a tiny ball on her lap. Balaiya smiled and she felt her chest swell with affection for the tiny thing. "Which one does she prefer?"
"Which what?"
"Name silly."
"Um..."
Balaiya looked back down at the kitten and quietly whispered both variations of the name. The kitten's ears perked the most when she said the name how he first did. She smiled. "Seems like you've been calling her Shai mostly. It sounds cuter. She does seem shy." The kitten tucked it's face underneath her hand. "I think it's perfect." After a moment she frowned when it occurred to her. She was now stuck. How could she move now? She didn't want to disrupt her sleep! He'd definitely done that on purpose, she reasoned. After all, who in their right mind could move such an adorable creature once it had fallen asleep? Apparently not her. Definitely not her.
Balaiya grumbled to herself and sat back against the wall, now aware of just how tiny the space was she was sitting in. They were nearly overlapping each other. There was another urge to look at him but this time she kept her eyes on the kitten. She knew when her curiosity could be dangerous, and this time it definitely felt like it was bordering that line. Personal space was a thing that everyone had, but it seemed like Claude didn't have a boarder. Or was she just ignoring it?
She frowned and tried to move over a bit, but there wasn't much room. Strangely she realized she didn't really mind being so close. More importantly, did he mind? Surely he would have cleared a larger space if he did, right?
The room had dimmed significantly by the time she found the words to speak again, and it was getting dark quickly. Especially since there were no candles lit in the room. "You know, they put a curfew in place."
"Mhm?"
She pet Shai absently. "You're currently violating it."
"Oh, deer."
She couldn't help the smirk that tugged at her lips then. His tone was obviously sarcastic, as if he knew she'd never write him up. Something occurred to her then, she couldn't believe she forgot! She turned her head suddenly to look at him. Thankfully, most of his face was shrouded in darkness by this point. "Hey!" Her voice echoed and she felt heat sting her cheeks. She lowered her voice. "How'd you get in here anyway?"
He chucked shortly. "I was hoping you'd forget about that."
"Well?"
He clicked his tongue a few times and pulled something out of his pocket. "Professor Manuela is awfully forgetful." He opened his palm.
Balaiya leaned closer to look at the item better. It was a small stone with a white gem in the middle. It definitely looked like a keystone. She gasped and reached for it but he closed his hand tightly. Before he could withdraw his hand though she grabbed his wrist. "Where'd you get that?"
"Like I said, Professor Manuela is awfully forgetful."
She tightened her grip on his wrist. If he was sneaking around and getting into places without permission, he risked getting caught. And punished. "Claude." She muttered through gritted teeth. "Fess up."
He laughed awkwardly. "Alright, alright. Sheesh I didn't know you were a stickler for rules, Teach. I was minding my own business in the library one night when Professor Manuela stumbled in. I didn't think too much on it until I realized she was stumbling. Yeah she walked in drunk, mumbling about something or another. She tripped and dropped some things so I went to help her. When she left I noticed there was another item on the ground. It was the keystone. I'd never seen anything like it before but I heard briefly about it. So I decided to do some tests… slipping up here was a solid confirmation what it was."
"How many times have you been up here?" If it was more than once he was definitely putting himself at risk.
"This is my third time actually."
"Claude!" She squeezed his wrist until she could feel his pulse protesting against her thumb. "if you were caught, you would have gotten in big trouble!"
"The need for information is worth it."
Balaiya frowned and chewed her lip again. "Why didn't you just ask me?"
"Eh? You trying to tell me you would have broken protocol… for me?"
She sighed heavily and released his wrist, she moved her hand to her thigh and stared down at her palm silently. 'Breaking protocol? Guess I would…' She laughed dryly and shook her head. "I kinda already am."
After a few moments he shifted and placed the keystone into her palm. "Guess, I owe you one, huh?"
She clenched her hand tightly around the stone and shoved it in her pocket. "Yes you do." She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Whoa alright." He held his hands up in surrender. "What can I do to make it up to you, Teach?"
"Can you please tell me what information you've been looking for. Don't try and dodge the question either. I want the truth."
The silence between them grew heavy until he disrupted the weight with a dramatic sigh. He stood suddenly and Balaiya watched as his silhouette moved over to a nearby table. There was a small spark and his face was suddenly illuminated by a candle flame. He gestured her over to the table.
Balaiya gently picked up the kitten from her lap and moved over to the table he stood at.
"Since you asked so nicely, I guess I have no choice." He smirked and set a book down on the table. "My father always said, '' You must always speak the truth son. To do anything but is far beyond a disgrace…"
Balaiya felt her lips curl up at the comical way he changed his voice to quote his father. It occurred to her then that this was the first time he had directly mentioned anything about his father to her.
"Of course, he never mentioned anything about bending it."
She had a retort on the tip of her tongue but decided against it, in case it prevented him from sharing more with her. She didn't want to ruin her chances.
He glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Hey, no need to be so serious. I was only joking. I wouldn't lie to you, Teach."
She forced a laugh and sat down in a chair at the table. "I know." She was surprised at how much she really believed it. She set the kitten down in her lap and peered over at the book in front of her.
His hands were suddenly on her shoulders. She felt herself jump, startled. He squeezed her, and shook her lightly. "You need to loosen up Teach. I know everything is stressful and you're worried. But right now, there's nothing we can do. Ashe will be fine." He loosened his hold on her but he didn't remove his hands. "We'll find him, and if he did leave for Castle Gaspard… we'll just have to drag him back. Simple as that."
She nodded silently. He was right, there was no use fretting over it now. Besides, she'd already done enough of that these last few days. "Do you think he abandoned the monastery?"
"No, he's smarter than that. He probably thinks he can talk to Lonato. We have a lack of that in our world you know, Teach."
"A lack of what?"
"People willing to talk… and listen." He started massaging the knots out of her shoulders. She tensed at first and he paused, but when she made no move to stop him he continued.
Guilt cut into her as his words settled in, she was among those people. Those unwilling to talk about what plagues their mind. Those that would rather remain in solitude. Could he also be thinking about her in that sense?
A part of her figured he was probably trying to distract her and though she was aware of that, she found it difficult to keep focused. On occasion in the past her father would offer to massage her shoulders, but he was always too delicate with her so she eventually just declined the offers. She rarely accepted from others in the past but they hardly actually helped any. However, this was different. Claude was kneading away at the knots in her muscles with a sort of practiced ease. Somehow he knew exactly where to push and she could literally feel the pressure leave her. She leaned forward slightly to distance herself from the back of the chair.
It occurred to her that she really was starting to forget what she wanted to ask him and she frowned to herself. She figured she should probably stop him, but at the same time…
He started humming some tune that she'd never heard before as he pressed his thumbs up between her shoulder blades in small circles.
…She really didn't want to.
She startled again when he placed his hands around her neck, more so from how cold his skin actually was against hers rather than the action.
He seemed to pick up on that and he laughed quietly. "Ha, sorry. I'm a bit cold." He removed his hands.
"It's fine." She blurted much too quickly. She hurriedly kept talking in an attempt to make it seem not so abrupt. Thankfully he didn't comment on it. "I know it's night time… but it's still pretty warm out. It's the summer season after all."
"I know, but…" He gingerly placed his hands back and lightly drummed his fingers against her throat "... I get cold easily." He started working his thumbs into the back of her neck.
She sighed involuntarily and tried to mask it with a yawn. She felt that same prickly sensation she got during their first real mission spread to her ears again. "Why?" She hoped he didn't notice how her voice wavered.
"It's much warmer back home." He straightened her up so she was sitting properly and leaned over her shoulder suddenly. "Mind if I crack your neck, Teach?" He whispered in her ear.
Repressing a shiver she shook her head no to signify that she didn't mind.
He grinned, and the shadows that darkened his face from the candle made him look… dangerous. Though she was far from frightened. He disappeared behind her just as quickly and before she could comment further he cracked her neck twice.
The sound that escaped her lips then was such a girly high pitched sound her face instantly flushed. It was practically a squeak. She was suddenly really glad it was dark. Hopefully it would hide whatever weird expression she felt on her face.
He released her and she slouched against the back of the chair. The silence that followed felt worse than if he would have said something. He walked around to sit across from her at the table. He set his elbows on the smooth surface and propped his chin on the back of his hands. He had a smirk on his face and his eyes shone mischievously in the candle light, but he said nothing related to what had just happened. She held her breath while he stared, and tried to think of some sort of explanation for whatever that was. Unfortunately she was drawing a blank.
"I've been trying to find information on a number of things." He kept his eyes on her while he spoke and reached for one of the books and opened it up to a section. "The history of the Church for example, and about it's different factions."
She relaxed when he started speaking, luckily she didn't have to ask him anything after all because she didn't think she'd be able to use her voice right now. She swallowed thickly and nodded to indicate she was paying attention.
"The information is pretty heavy and layered with lots of boring details." He sighed and pushed the book aside. "So basically, nothing. However it did say that a woman has been the Archbishop for a long time, but it doesn't say whether or not that is a requirement. I tried to find a list of names but so far I have no luck." He grabbed another book and opened it up. "I've also been…" His expression changed and he eyed her for a moment, almost wary, then took a deep breath. "Looking into stuff about visions…"
"Oh." She frowned. Is that why he looked at her like that? To see her reaction? She glanced down at the book, seeing words such as divination and oracle but she didn't know their meaning. After a heavy silence she cleared her throat. "Did you find anything?"
"Well, yes and no… it'd help if you told me more about it."
She looked down and closed her eyes. Images of the scene playing out again, and the rush that had overwhelmed her when Sothis's power consumed her. "I… don't want to lie to you. But I don't want to tell you either… I just. Can't." She sighed and opened her eyes to look at him.
He was staring off to the side. "Does anyone else know?"
"My brother."
"Your dad?"
"No." She rubbed her face and leaned closer to the table. "Claude, please don't ask my brother about it. I promised him I would say nothing. You're the only one that knows anything besides him… don't make me regret that."
His eyes snapped back to her face, a look of shock enveloping him. "Alright… I won't."
"Promise?"
"... Promise." He smiled gently and stood. "Well, it's late. I should probably get to bed now huh?"
She sighed, feeling relieved. "Yes. That's a good idea." She stood herself and gestured to the books. "Shouldn't we put these away?"
"Nah, we can do some more digging on the church's history tomorrow."
"That implies I'd let you up here."
He grinned and leaned closer to the candle. "You already said you will." He winked and blew the candle out.
She blinked and looked around, when her vision adjusted he was already standing in the center of the room under the skylight.
"C'mon Teach, you're burning moonlight." He placed a hand on his hip and waved her over with the other.
"Oh hush." She carefully lifted Shai and walked over to him. "Not so loud." She whispered with a frown.
He smiled and pet the kitten on the nose. "Hey she's the one that gave me away."
"Really Claude? You're going to blame this swe-oh! She was mewing earlier wasn't she?"
He laughed quietly and nodded. "That's right."
"Oh, I would have found you eventually."
"Maybe." He grinned and took the cat from her to cradle her in his hands.
She shook her head and moved to leave the floor, making sure they passed through the threshold together when they reached the exit.
The pair moved silently through the hallways on their way to the dorms, and Balaiya kept her eye out for any guards that might spot them along the way. Obviously they didn't have a torch with them to light the way and were only guided by the candle light that still remained in the hallways, but most of those had long since burned out. Everything was going smoothly until they got outside. The space was more open and there were more guards than usual on patrol thanks to recent events. She made sure they stayed hidden in the shadows and had been nearly there when she saw a light grow up ahead. She froze and held up her arm to signal Claude to stop.
He must not have been paying attention though because he ran into her arm and lost his footing. He muttered something strange under his breath and he nearly toppled over her outstretched arm.
"Who's there?" A guards nearby voice called out.
Balaiya spun on her heel and placed her hand on his chest, shoving him back against the stone wall they stood by. She winced when she heard his head hit the stone and bit her lip. "I'm sorry." She whispered urgently. She really hadn't meant to be so rough.
He hissed in pain and his hand shot up to the back of his head. "S'okay Teach." He grit his teeth and inspected his fingers carefully.
Though she couldn't see what he was looking at, she knew. The stone wasn't perfectly smooth and had little rough spots covering the whole wall. 'He's got to be bleeding. Gosh why am I so brutal?' She frowned and without thinking she reached her hand up to the back of his head. Carefully, she inched her fingers up through his hair till she found the place he'd been injured. There was definitely blood.
He took in another sharp breath through his teeth. Probably because she'd touched his injury without warning. "T-Teach, it's nothing really. Don't w-"
She cut him off. "Shh! There's a guard nearby!" Without another word she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, doing her best to summon forth the magic that Rhea said she had within herself.
'Every soul is blessed with the ability to know and use magic. Granted, some are more gifted than others… But I have faith in you. You're a hard worker, you're already doing so well.' Rhea's words echoed in the back of her mind and instilled her with confidence. Though she'd felt the warmth of the healing magic at her fingertips only a minute amount of times, she'd never actually used it in practice.
She furrowed her brow in concentration and relaxed slightly when she felt the gentle energy envelop her hand like a soft caress. A few heavy moments passed by and she carefully poked at him to see if the wound had healed. To her absolute delight there was no trace of it, save for of course, the bit of blood that had been left behind. Balaiya felt her face split into a wide smile, so much so that her cheeks were hurting. She leaned away a bit to look at him, her face still beaming. She hadn't felt this elated since childhood! "It worked!" She breathed quietly.
From what she could see he was staring at her with wide eyes and she could feel his heart beating rapidly beneath the hand she still had on his chest. As far as she knew, that wasn't a good sign.
Her face fell, had she done more damage that she thought? Had she gotten the spell wrong? She stepped away, schooling her face back to normal. "Are you okay?" She shoved her hands in her pockets.
He nodded briskly.
She glanced at the tiny kitten he still had in his hands. "And Shai?"
He gave her a thumbs up.
She observed him for a moment, biting the inside of her cheek. When he said nothing more she turned and surveyed the area again, when the guard finally walked away she motioned for him to follow and continued to the dormitory steps. "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow for class. Don't let me catch you out late again."
He spoke quickly. "Hmm, Don't let you catch me? Got it. Night, Teach." He grinned and winked then disappeared up the steps in a flash.
"Wait I didn't mea-" She groaned and made her way to her own room, she really needed to get to sleep. She had to be up early after all.
.
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When Balaiya woke the next day there was a letter by the door with information with updates regarding the situation in the Kingdom. There was also a new request from Seteth asking that teachers patrol the grounds before heading to bed. Other than that there was really no new news on Ashe's whereabouts and that had put a damper on her mood.
She dressed in a simple short sleeve white blouse and black pants tucked in her usual boots and though it was a little warm she still wore her jacket on her shoulders. The sun was already streaming through her room, which meant she had missed her lesson with Rhea. An unfortunate result from so little sleep the night before. She would have to apologise to her. Dawn was the only time they both had available for a consistent lesson, which now meant Rhea most likely had woken up before the sun for nothing.
What a way to start the morning.
Balaiya hurried out the door and made her way to the training field, today was her fencing class. Which meant Felix would most likely be giving her that disapproving look he much too often sent her way. She did her best after all!
Today when she surveyed the class she spotted an extra person in the field. "Good Morning everyone. I'm sorry I'm a little late."
The students turned to her and most greeted her cheerfully. The newcomer, Edelgard approached her. "Greetings Professor, after this weeks homeroom Professor Hanneman finally approved my request to add the sword to my schedule. All I need is your approval." She handed her some papers.
"You can use my back to sign the papers if you want Professor! Or my chest~." Sylvain yelled.
Balaiya blinked a few times and walked over to a pillar to sign the papers.
"Sylvain! Why?" Dimitri asked disapprovingly.
"What? You can't admonish me anymore Your Highness!" He laughed dramatically.
"Ugh, Claude! Do something."
"Why?"
"He's in your house now. You are responsible for making sure everyone in it is in check."
"Sorry Dimitri. Last I checked. Gautier territory was snug in the Kingdom."
Dimitri gasped. "Claude!"
"Hey now, I'm just saying. Perhaps you sho-"
Balaiya rolled her eyes and tuned them out. She finished with the others and gave them to Edelgard. "Alright, welcome to my fencing class."
"Thank you Professor." Edelgard took the papers and moved over to the group.
'This will be interesting. Now I have all three house leaders in a class together… but that also makes my class uneven now.' She looked over to where the trio stood. 'Should I put her in a group with Dimitri and Claude?'
"Dimitri, you'd be foolish to waste another breath on the likes of him. Obviously he couldn't care less for responsibility. It's truly no wonder his housemates are off the walls. The only reason there is even a semblance of order for them is thanks to Professor Balaiya." Edelgard flicked her hair in Claude's face.
His eyebrow twitched and Balaiya noted how his whole demeanor tensed up, a small tell Balaiya had only recently begun to notice.
Dimitri frowned "Edelgard, how can you speak so callous towards another classmate? You must not forget he is just as much a capable leader as the rest of us."
"Oh I doubt that Dimitri, do you not remember he just happened to appear so conveniently when everyone was wondering whatwto do since Duke Reigan had no heir? How do we even know h-"
Balaiya frowned and stepped between them. "That's enough." She angled herself so she was standing mainly between Claude and Edelgard. "It's impolite to speak about someone as if they are not there."
"Ah, Forgive me Professor." Edelgard said and walked toward the weapon wrack.
Balaiya glanced over at Claude but all signs of irritation from his face were already gone, instead she was met with his usual laid back expression. She sighed and turned back to the class.
"Okay everyone, start your warm ups. Edelgard let me know if you need assistance. Afterward, team up in your usual pairs. Edelgard I'll be your partner for today's class." She stood off to the side to watch everyone. She was going to put her in a group with them but decided against it after that little… excursion. Claude had only recently started addressing Dimitri by his name and she didn't want to throw off whatever development there was between the two. Perhaps she'd give it time before she did so.
The lesson passed at a steady pace and Balaiya found that Edelgard was decently proficient with the sword. She definitely wasn't green. She wasn't surprised though, using a sword seemed like a requirement for nobles, especially royalty.
"Edelgard, I'm curious to know why you've decided to take my class." She asked.
"As you know, I'm going to be the next Emperor. I must be proficient in as many forms of basic combat as I can. Though my family's relic is an axe... A sword is the most common weapon one can find and I should master that as well."
"I see. Thank you for indulging me."
"Of course Professor."
When class was dismissed Sylvain walked over to her. "Hey Professor, did you um…"
Balaiya shook her head. "I didn't get to speak to Lady Rhea yet. I'll talk to you as soon as I do."
"Ah, right. Thank you again. I'm worried… I heard some knights claiming they saw him. It's probably just rumors but…He's probably made it back home by now an-"
She shook her head, Claude's words from last night rolled off her lips. "Don't worry Sylvain, we'll find him, and if he did leave for Castle Gaspard… then we'll just have to drag him back now won't we?"
"Yeah, you're right." He scratched the back of his head. "Thanks Professor."
She nodded and left the field, she had a lot to do today. There were papers to grade not to mention she had to track down Manuela so she could return her keystone. She also had to review some lesson plans… and talk to Rhea about Sylvain.
Balaiya decided to look for Manuela first and went straight to her office. She knocked on the door and stepped in.
"Professor Manuela? Are you… hm?" She stepped into the room with a frown. She was nowhere in sight and the ground was littered with various items both trash and not. "Maybe she's in her room."
Balaiya left the office and moved down the hall to where Manuela's room was. She knocked once then twice when there was no answer.
"I... Who... Oh, settle down and stop with the knocking. I'll be there in two shakes." Came Manuela's irritated reply.
Balaiya stepped away from the door. "I'd like a word." She said.
"Oh, dear... Professor? Is that you? I...just a moment. Manuela, you simply must quit...oversleeping. Hold on. Where are my clothes? I can't even find my— Where in blazes is my underwear?! Oh, I— What is my dressing robe caught on? I can't tie this properly! It's not even covering— Oh, Manuela... This will have to do…"
Balaiya frowned slightly, it sounded like she was having a hard time. "Are you okay Professor Manuela?"
"I-I'm fine. Just... Just hold on a moment." She called, the sound of something else falling seemed to contradict her statement. After a few more moments the door cracked open and Manuela slipped through, closing the door hastily behind her. "Ahh, hello. Sorry to have kept you waiting. So... What do you want?"
Balaiya shifted from one foot to the other. "Um, I just wanted to return something to you."
"Oh! I see. Forgive my tone… I've had a rough night. What is it you have for me?"
She pulled the keystone from her pocket. "I was in the library when I… found this…" She held the stone out to her.
"Oh! Haha, I was looking for that!" She plucked the small object from her palm. "Thanks Professor!"
Balaiya nodded and held the side of her face in thought. She doubted Manuela had actually been searching for it, but on the off chance that she was...Well she was glad she got it to her before anything had happened. "No problem…" She eyed her carefully. "Is um, everything alright with you?"
"Yes, yes just um… trouble with the opposite sex is all."
"Oh."
"Tell me Professor! What about you? Have you met anyone around here that you fancy?"
She frowned. "Fancy?"
"Yes! Someone that makes your heart go pitter-patter!"
"I'm sorry Professor Manuela, I don't understand what you're getting at."
She stuck her lip out in a pout. "Oh come on Professor! You've never had someone you looked forward to meeting? Someone that made you happy to be in their presence?"
"Um… well I always look forward to when my Father would come back from a mission…"
Manuela waved her off. "No no, not like that. Oh gosh. What was Jeralt thinking? Sheltering you so much?"
"What?"
"Hold on, I'll be back." She disappeared into her room again and rummaged around then returned with a black book. "Here, take this Professor. I've removed the cover so no one will be suspicious."
"Why?" Balaiya inspected the book curiously. "Suspicious of what?"
"Nothing sweety, It's a fantastic story. About adventure and heartbreak, lost love… Oh! It's wonderful. Read it will you? Let me know what you think when you've finished!"
"Uh, okay?"
"Good! Thank you again for returning my key. I guess I have to head to work now huh?"
"Yeah. I will see you later Professor Manuela." She tucked the book under her arm and waved to the older woman as she left. 'I guess I can read it before bed. I'll have to drop the book off in my room though. I don't want to lose it anywhere.'
She decided to stop by the Audience Chamber before she left. 'I can try and speak to Lady Rhea now I suppose.'
She walked down the hall till she got to the room and when she found it empty she checked the Advisory Room, and though the door was propped open she knocked anyway outout curtisay.
"Come in." Came Rhea's smooth voice.
Balaiya walked in. "Afternoon Lady Rhea."
"Ah, Professor! I hope you are doing well?"
"Yes, I'm sorry I missed my lesson. I overslept."
"Oh don't worry yourself over it. I spent the time praying to the goddess. So time was not wasted." She stood from the desk. "Is there something you wish to speak to me about?"
"Ah, yes actually. It is regarding the mission you gave everyone for this moon."
Rhea nodded and motioned for her to continue.
"Well, I have put some thought into it and I believe it would benefit the Blue Lions if they actually came with my class on this mission. Since Ashe has disappeared many are uneasy. He's their friend, I'm confident they won't allow such a detail to alter their judgment but… We can't label him a traitor without knowing all the details. He may need their help. Lonato is his Father, and I know if it were me… I would do whatever I could to get him to see reason. Whatever it takes to save him… I don't know if you can understand I did grow up under different circumstances but…"
Rhea held up her hand and Balaiya stopped speaking. "I think I can… see where you are coming from." She sighed. "I can only imagine the desperation one might feel at the risk of losing a loved one… However this is not a sudden rebellion do not forget I mentioned, Lord Lonato has been causing unrest for some time now."
"I understand but…" Balaiya observed her silently, The woman that stood before her now was a firm leader, her motherly persona no longer present, but somehow Balaiya was not intimidated. She fully acknowledged there were certain things a leader must do that most without enough knowledge would question. But Balaiya did not want to be one of those people, she had seen how Rhea could be when not faced with the responsibility that came with being the Archbishop. She squared her shoulders and stepped forward. "Lady Rhea, if I may speak plainly… I know I don't know the whole story, and I don't know what you've told the Knights to do . I must admit at first I was wary of taking my students into a potential battle without fully understanding the situation myself, but I was going to do it regardless. Now that Ashe is missing I think he should be our priority, we don't know why he left. I just have a feeling that he needs us Lady Rhea."
Rhea's eyes softened slightly and she moved back over to her desk and rifled through some papers. "Thank you for coming to me with your concerns Professor… you are right, the students need to be our priority here at the monastery. The Blue Lions still need to complete the mission that was assigned to them. However, I suppose if they leave earlier and complete that mission they can meet up with your class at Castle Gaspard." She grabbed a feather and signed a few papers.
Balaiya nodded. "Really? Oh, thank you Lady Rhea."
Rhea looked up and smiled softly. "Dimitri is the next in line to be King and the Kingdom has always been close allies with the Church. If he and the other nobles are involved now as students, at least assisting in calming a rebellion… it could make for some necessary experience. Leadership is a difficult role, and I suppose we must prepare everyone for that responsibility. Very well, I shall make adjustments, Seteth will not like this but…" She offered her a smile. "I trust your opinion… Unfortunately I will have to hold you and Professor Byleth accountable for any unauthorized behavior done by the students. Are you prepared for such a burden?"
Balaiya nodded. "Yes."
"Then it will be done. You have a week to prepare. Please inform Professor Byleth of these changes and tell him to see me if he objects." She handed her some papers. "If there are none he would have to leave with his class in two days time. I will inform Alois of the change. Good luck Professor."
"Thank you Lady Rhea." She turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "Oh, I wanted to thank you again for taking the time to teach me magic. I was able to heal a student. They uh had a small injury and I healed it."
"Oh that's wonderful! I hope this student was alright?"
"Yes, just a minor injury." Balaiya was glad to see the woman's warm smile return to her face.
"I see. Well I'm glad everything turned out alright! Have you taken the time to visit the cathedral?"
Balaiya shook her head. "No, not really. I've only just quickly looked through it my first day here."
"I see, I hope you can find the time to make a proper visit. You might find your time there could further improve your efficiency with healing."
"Alright, I will try."
Balaiya exited the room and hurried through the halls. She hadn't expected it to go so well but now that it had she couldn't be more relieved. She still hadn't discovered what it was about Rhea that her Father distrusted so much but she hoped it chalked down to a lack of understanding. Though nothing was ever that simple.
.
.
On her way to the dining hall she ran into her brother heading in the opposite direction. She waved to get his attention.
"Leth, I have news. I hope you don't mind I went ahead and spoke to Lady Rhea on behalf of your class."
He tilted his head. "What for?"
"I convinced her to allow your class to meet up with mine at Castle Gaspard." She gave him the new paperwork.
He took it from her silently and looked it over. "Huh, this is doable. I'm sure the students will appreciate the chance to look for him."
She nodded in agreement.
"She didn't ask you for anything or change anything else?"
"No not at all. I hope you don't mind the extra work."
"Of course not, any experience is good experience. Guess I better make preparations to leave for our first mission." He folded the papers up and stuck them in his pocket. "I'll tell the class officially tomorrow morning. If you see any of them could you let them know?"
"I will." She held up her fist. "If I don't see you before then, well… good luck."
He smiled slightly and tapped his palm against her fist. "Thanks. You too. Good night." He turned and walked towards the dorms.
Balaiya watched him leave before she turned and continued on her way to the dining hall, right before she walked in Sylvain appeared by her side.
"Evening Professor!"
"Hello Sylvain."
"Care to join me for dinner?" He asked with a wink.
"I suppose." She walked in the hall with him shadowing her. She moved to the back of the line then turned to him. "I talked to Lady Rhea, she has agreed to allow you to come with us on the mission."
"Wow really?"
She nodded. "Yes, in fact the Blue Lions will be meeting us there."
"You're amazing Professor! How did you do it?" He grabbed her hand and tried to kiss it.
She pulled her hand away before he could and brought her finger up to her lips. "That's a secret"
His face reddened and he straightened. "W-Wow I didn't know you had it in you Professor.~ Tell me, picking up on some of my quirks?"
She tilted her head. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on don't be l-oof!"
Hilda suddenly brushed past him. "Heya Professor! Is Sylvain harassing you again?"
"No, he's fine."
"I would never! Hilda that's rude to interrupt you know!"
"Suuure. Anyway! I was thinking… you've been drowning in a lot of testosterone lately haven't you Professor?" She flicked one of her ponytails in Sylvain's face. "I mean what with this one tailing you all the time."
"Hey! The Professor values my presence."
"Yeah! I know. Oh! That reminds me. Professor! Can you come with me for a second? I think we need some girl time!" She grabbed her arm and tugged.
"Oh, um alright." Balaiya got her plate together and allowed Hilda to drag her away. Though the farther she took her from the dining hall the more confused she got. "Hilda? It couldn't have waited until after I ate? I'm really hungry."
"Just have a seat there and you can eat with the rest of us!" Hilda grinned and gestured to a white gazebo with a few tables under it Balaiya had seen on passing.
"Oh." Occupying much of the space beneath the shelter were many of the other female students. Balaiya walked over and set her plate down between where Hilda went to sit and where Dorothea sat.
"Hello Professor!" The students greeted her enthusiastically.
"Hello everyone, Is something wrong?" Balaiya asked with a frown.
"No, no, we just thought it'd be a good idea if we had a meal together." Hilda chirped at her side.
"I must admit it is nice to see all of us together." Ingrid said. "How did you put it Hilda?"
"Drowning in testosterone. It's the best way to describe it." Hilda shook her head in dismay.
"Ah you're right! I mean, just the other day I had to comfort this poor lady because of Sylvain's antics! Goddess does he infuriate me."
"Ugh, Lorenz is worse!" Lysithea added then reached for a small tea cup. "Think about it Ingrid, at least everyone knows Sylvain is a player. Any girl that starts anything with that is absolutely an airhead."
"Are you girls just going to gossip about the guys?" Balaiya asked with a frown.
"What do you think the boys talk about?" Hilda asked her.
Balaiya shrugged. "Training?"
"Or their muscles." Leonie said whilst rolling her eyes.
"Or girls." Ingrid mumbled.
"You girls really shouldn't tal-"
Dorothea cut her off "Oh come now Professor, it's surprisingly a good stress reliever. Besides no one is saying any falsehoods… Lorenz even attempted to force me into dinner with him. I tried to tell him how terrible his attempt was but he would have none of it! Could you speak to him Professor?"
Balaiya leaned back in her chair. "I suppose I can."
Most of the girls let out some sort of sigh of relief. That surprised her, she had no idea that Lorenz was that much of an issue. Sure he was annoyingly rude to Claude quite often, but she wasn't aware of his habit of being pushy with the girls.
"Oh I don't think Sylvain is that bad." Mercedes's soft voice pulled her back to the conversation. "Ingrid, I am more than willing to speak to him in your stead. Perhaps a different point of view would do him some good?"
"Oh that'd be nice, perhaps he'd listen to you more. Maybe if I'm not the only one talking to him about it he'll realize how wrong it is."
"You know Ingrid you shouldn't feel obligated to reign him in all the time. He's your friend, not your son." Leonie said while shaking her head. "You have more important things to worry about."
Ingrid nodded slowly. "That's true… I can't be a very good knight if I'm always trying to correct his behavior."
Annette ran over and sat beside Mercedes. "Sorry I'm late girls, I was waiting in the library for Ashe to j-oh…" She looked down and started fiddling with her food. "I'm sorry guys I forgot."
Balaiya felt the atmosphere of the whole area plummet.
Annette chewed her lip and started to explain herself. "We decided not too long ago to have a study session and I was so busy today I got caught up in-"
"It's okay Annette…" Ingrid interrupted. "Don't worry." She laughed dryly. "I actually have a book to return to him… I nearly knocked on his door today. "
Balaiya frowneded and stood up. "Don't look so worried everyone. We're going to get him back. In fact those of you in the Blue Lions will be meeting up with my class at Castle Gaspard to help assist. Our priority is going to be to bring him back safely. My brother will make the official announcement tomorrow morning but he's asked me to tell you guys… " She made eye contact with the Blue Lions members. "... to prepare early for your mission. Your class will actually be heading out for the check up mission in a few days so you can meet up with us on time."
"I am having much happiness from this news!" Petra clapped her hands together. "It is only too bad I cannot come with you too."
"Well, when you do get Ashe back. We're just going to have to punish him for making all of us worry so much." Dorothea said confidently.
The rest of the conversation carried a lighter tone and eventually they were joined by Edelgard and Bernadetta. The latter had arrived clinging to her house leaders arm.
"Professor I didn't know you were going to be here too." Bernadetta practically squeaked and pulled up a chair right behind Balaiya.
Edelgard shook her head. "I believe I mentioned it on the way here that the Professor might join us." She sat closest to Petra and Dorothea.
"O-Oh right! I'm sorry I forgot!" Bernadetta covered her face with her hands.
"Don't worry about it. It's nothing to apologise for."
"Oh Bern! I'm so happy you decided to join us!" Dorothea exclaimed. "Here, I got this for you!" She reached over and gave her a small box she pulled seemingly out of nowhere.
"Oh, thank you so much!" Bernadetta opened the box and squealed happily.
Balaiya strained her neck to see the contents before she shoved the box in her pocket. 'Sewing supplies?' She made a mental note to add that bit of information to her journal later.
"Well, it's getting late. We should probably get going now so we can prepare." Ingrid said after awhile. She gathered her dishes and Annette and Mercedes followed her.
"Oh my we got carried away didn't we." Mercedes laughed gently. "It's nearly dark."
"It is?" Balaiya looked around with a frown. "Oh, I have to get going too actually. I have some um… things to attend to." She stood as well. "Thank you for inviting me Hilda."
"Sure Professor! It was fun! Next time, we should do more than just chat."
"Maybe we could do each other's hair?" Dorothea asked.
"Ooh! Yes!" Hilda clapped her hands together. "Marianne what do you think?"
"Oh um… I guess we could." The shy girl mumbled before pouring herself some tea that had no doubt gone cold by now.
"Remember the curfew girls" Balaiya called over her shoulder. "Best you wrap up too. Have a good night."
"We will. Don't you worry 'bout a thing.~" Dorothea sang.
Balaiya smiled to herself as she turned the corner. That had to have been the first time she was around only girls for so long! It was also nice to engage in such pleasant chatter, despite everything. Hilda had mentioned a next time and Balaiya found herself feeling hopeful for it.
Her last stop for the day was the library and it wasn't until the large yawn that momentarily blinded her did she realize just how tired she was. Turns out staying up late and waking up early still wasn't easy for her. She took a moment to survey the room when she finally made it to the library's third floor. If he hadn't given up on waiting for her then Claude should be around somew-
"There you are!"
Balaiya jumped in her skin and her voice caught in her throat, nothing but a silent intake of breath indicated she had been startled at all.
"Aw man." Claude looked oddly disappointed.
She narrowed her eyes at him. He was currently hanging upside down from one of the ladders attached to a shelf. "Claude, what are you doing?" She asked unamused.
He laughed quietly. "Oh nothing. I was just… bored."
She rolled her eyes. "Get down. You'll break your neck."
"But you'll heal me right up, won't ya Teach?~"
"I don't know." She crossed her arms. "If it's something stupid you did and it's your fault I might just let you deal with the pain." She turned away and started walking up the next flight of steps after making sure no one else was around. "That way you could think of it like a punishment. Follow or I'll leave you behind." She heard a quiet thump of his boots hitting the floor then he appeared behind her as she crossed over the boundary for the restricted floor.
"Hmm, is the why you kept your injuries from your 'training match' with your brother?"
She paused and turned to face him. "What?... What makes you say that?" She was surprised he hit the nail exactly on the head, as he would say. It wasn't that obvious that they were bickering… was it? Or had he seen more than she thought?
He grinned mischievously and brought a finger to his lips and smirked. "That's a secret.~"