Felix silently counted every strike through the air. His sword moved in perfect harmony with his arm, an effortless extension of himself, more like another appendage than a weapon. For each sweeping blow, the number slowly climbed. And with each number, a faceless, nameless foe materialized in his mind's eye.
"Don't ever forget, Felix. Once you forget they're human, you forget your own humanity. Be better than a beast."
His brother's advice whispered in his ear. The same voice that kept count alongside him with every slice. Gone, but never forgotten.
I have no intention of dying a 'knight's death.' I only need to grow stronger.
Felix twisted his foot to the side and slashed again and again at the phantom figures, keeping tempo with the rising count, which happened to sync up nicely with The Library Song (as much as he would prefer not to admit it). He had no intention of ever becoming a mindless beast, but in order to survive the battlefield, it would still require him to amass the strength of one. After his warm-up strikes, he took aim and swung once more.
Stronger. Faster. Never enough.
The training dummy's arm split clean off in a single strike. He lowered his blade as the severed arm hit the ground with a soft thud. The sound of applause broke the silence.
"Wow! What a clean cut!"
His trance was broken. Felix fumbled and spun around, but he already knew who the onlooker was just by the sound of their voice.
Annette stood at the training hall entrance, a lumpy bundle clutched to her chest. "O-oh no, did I break your concentration?! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt! It's just...you looked so cool."
"You didn't. I'm done."
"You're done? Don't feel like you need to stop because of me!"
He gestured to the wounded straw dummy. "It's not like my target is about to stitch itself back up."
"You're right, I don't think he's moving anywhere anytime soon," Annette giggled. The sound was nice. She broke her gaze away from the straw dummy and caught his eye. Something in his stomach flip-flopped. "Oh! But I'm glad I finally found you! I was looking everywhere for you."
"Why?"
"I-I brought your cloak back!" Annette thrust the bundle into his arms. "I… well...I made sure to clean it first before bringing it back, it was Mercie's idea," she added quickly.
The neatly folded bundle smelled faintly like peach currant. Felix wasn't sure if it was from being laundered with whatever concoction Mercedes kept on hand, or simply by being in Annette's care. He preferred to attribute it to the latter.
"Thanks."
Annette watched him with keen interest as he draped the cloak across his shoulders and fastened it back into place. "You...didn't have to do that, you know."
"Do what?" He knew. But for some reason he wanted to hear her interpretation.
"Well… leaving it like that! I mean, it wouldn't be the first all-nighter I've pulled!"
She was right, of course. There really was no logical reason for leaving behind his cloak. It was a funny twist of fate—after spending ages searching the monastery grounds, Felix finally stumbled upon Annette when he wasn't looking for her. Of course, he didn't exactly envision their next encounter consisting of her sleeping atop a book in their old classroom. But it was only spring, and the evening air was still cold. And if his recent declaration to the professor was going to come to fruition…the irony was almost amusing.
I can't serve as an adjutant to someone who winds up sick from catching a chill, obviously.
Just because their roles were reversing for the upcoming battle as fighter and adjutant didn't mean they needed to take turns in the infirmary as well.
"Are you ready for the next battle at the end of the month?"
"Huh?" Annette furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Of course I am! If you're insinuating I wasn't studying enough...there are only so many hours in a day, Felix!"
She doesn't know.
The reality slowly dawned on him. Clearly the professor hadn't relayed a single word to her. Meaning Byleth's push to encourage "harmonizing" was about more than just working together—Felix was going to have to tell her about their adjutant arrangement himself.
"Annette."
"W-what?!"
"Spar with me."
"I...what?" Annette glanced across the empty training grounds as if searching for someone else. "Me? What are you talking about?!"
"Spar with me," he repeated again and drew himself into a readied stance. "Right now."
She laughed. He still liked the sound, even if its timbre was high and nervous. "You're joking, right? Okay, okay, you've got me—where's Sylvain? Did he put you up to this?"
"No joke. Show me what you've got."
"I can't spar with you! My sword proficiency is nowhere near yours!"
"That's fine. Don't use a sword then."
"No sword? Then...with magic? But…" her eyes darted down to her hands.
"A good swordsman needs to be able to counter magic attacks. And a good mage—"
"—needs to know how to counter a sword," Annette finished. "I know, but…" she looked back up at him with a determined frown. "Are you sure?"
He flicked his wrist. The edge of his blade caught the light. His answer was wordless.
"Well...the professor did say I've been making progress lately," Annette smiled. All her earlier hesitation was gone. She sprang back and raised her arms. The faintest scent of magic radiated from her fingertips as she bounced on her toes. "You ready?"
He nodded.
Felix Hugo Fraldarius does not just simply become the adjutant of anyone. It needs to be earned.
Annette twisted to the side and released her first spell. Wind sliced across the training grounds with a sharp whistle.
"Too slow!"
Felix moved instinctively and dodged with ease. Dirt crunched underneath his boots as he swept into a low crouch. With a spurt of energy he shot ahead and took aim. His blade soared like a shining dart whizzing through the air.
Annette lifted her arms and fired off another spell. The gust of wind threw off his balance as she evaded his strike. She hovered just barely above the ground, her toes peeking out from underneath her cream-colored dress as they skimmed the dirt. He felt the hairs along the back of his neck stand on edge as another wind spell barely grazed past him. The air crackled with magic.
"Heh," Felix drew back into a more defensive stance. "This new class suits you."
"O-of course it does! I didn't spend all that time studying just to fail the certification, you know!"
Something about her flustered tone shook his concentration. Was she embarrassed? The pink hue rising to her cheeks was distracting. He didn't dislike it.
Another spell shot off before Felix had a chance to adjust, and the force slammed against his hip, pushing him back across the dirt. His chest heaved with exertion.
That's more like it.
Annette appeared briefly rattled at the sight of landing a blow, then hastily recovered and discharged a follow-up spell.
But this time he was ready.
Felix sprinted forward again. His vision honed in on her red hair, a brightly-colored target shining ahead of him.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
A deep chime intoned as the Minor Crest of Dominic's power activated, enshrouding Annette in a soft light. Her next spell burst with a dazzling flash. A wall of wind churned upwards, clashing against the broad edge of his sword and throwing his balance. The blade flew out of his hands and pitched through the air before sinking deep into the chest of the straw dummy.
A cry of surprise reached his ears, but it was too late. Felix stumbled forward from the impact and knocked into her shoulder, pushing her back against the wall as his hand slammed to the side to steady himself from tumbling any further. Vestigial remnants of her last spell pricked against his skin as the wind dissipated.
Suddenly she was too close. He was acutely aware of just how close the tip of his nose was to hers. Every eyelash, the golden flecks of color in her green eyes, even the tiniest smattering of freckles peppering the bridge of her nose—each detail was all at once too visible and far too close.
"Wh…" Annette struggled to catch her breath. Color crept up her cheeks again, and her voice took on an indignant tone. "You… you went easy on me, Felix! That's not fair!"
The scent of peach currant was back again. His heart thundered in his ears, no doubt from losing his balance after getting hit with her parry. For a fleeting, bewildering moment, he wondered what would've happened if he hadn't caught himself against the wall, and instead—
"F...Felix? Um…"
He snapped back from the wall and immediately turned away to retrieve his sword. Even with his back facing her, Felix could sense Annette's eyes following him. His hand closed around the hilt of his sword, and he finally breathed again.
"H-hey! Felix! I'm serious! You can't just ask to spar and then go easy on me!"
"Don't insult me."
"Huh?"
With his sword in hand, it felt easier making eye contact once more. "There's nothing to be gained from fighting someone not worth sparring with. I didn't go easy on you. Would you have preferred I gutted you with my sword?"
"Well…no, obviously not! That's not sparring, after all!"
"You should accept that you've improved after all your hard work."
Now it was Annette's turn to avoid eye contact. She flustered, seemingly unprepared for the compliment. "I did warn you I've been studying."
"I just needed to be sure."
"Be sure?" She stamped her foot into the dirt and made a little disgruntled noise. "So you do think I'm not ready for this month's battle! I should have known! And here I thought you were being thoughtful, offering your cloak and looking out for me—"
"Let me be your adjutant."
Annette opened her mouth to continue her tirade, then abruptly stopped and turned as red as one of the greenhouse tomatoes. "I…what?"
The tips of his ears felt hot. This wasn't supposed to be difficult. He made the decision, they sparred, and he assessed.
Simple, right? Simple. Extremely simple.
So why did it feel so complex?
"Okay, if sparring wasn't a joke, this definitely is. Is Sylvain blackmailing you or something?"
"Tch. Don't make me repeat myself."
Annette rolled forward on her toes and cast him a quizzical look. After another moment of silence she started to giggle. His ears felt hotter. "You're really not joking, are you."
"I'm only asking once."
"I'm sorry, let me just enjoy this moment!" Annette's giggles were almost a melody in themselves. She spun around and flashed a cheeky grin. "It's not everyday the mighty Felix deems someone worthy enough for him to serve as their adjutant, after all! To what do I owe this great honor?"
"You work hard," he tightened his grip around his hilt, "harder than most people. Even with a minor crest, you still push yourself instead of relying on its power. I just wanted to see how much you've improved. It wasn't ever a question of competence."
It was no secret that Annette's work ethic put most members of their team to shame. Finding her asleep across a book was only one example. Every task she took on, she committed herself to completing it whole-heartedly. From cooking to casting spells, even crafting songs—her attempts weren't always successful, but Felix couldn't fault her for trying. In many ways, they weren't all that different. Neither of them were satisfied with "good enough," and both were constantly striving towards self-improvement. It was refreshing, admirable even.
Maybe that was partly why he was growing to enjoy her company so much.
She giggled again, but this time it was light and bashful. "That's… that's really nice of you, Felix. I don't know what to say."
"Don't read into it."
"In that case, I accept your offer!" Annette's smile was broad, and her eyes were shining. It felt comforting seeing her good cheer return in full force. "Not that I needed any support...that is, if I'm as good as you say," she added playfully.
Felix sheathed his sword. This was becoming embarrassing for reasons he couldn't identify. "I wouldn't exaggerate something like that. Don't get sloppy and make me change my mind."
Her laughter returned. If it had been anyone else, the sound would be immensely annoying, possibly even taunting. "I wouldn't dream of it! Maybe this calls for a new verse in my song about you…!"
His stomach did another somersault.
Felix knew exactly which song she was referencing. He wanted to hear about the lemons and honey again. "I'm pretty sure that song is complete as it is, but don't let me stop you from singing if you want." The sound of his voice lacked the flat indifference he was aiming for. Maybe she'd interpret it as an open invitation...in which case, who was he to stop her?
Annette turned pink again, and her eyes darted down to his hand at his side. She offered nothing in response.
This was definitely embarrassing now.
"Right. I'll be going now. Bye."
Felix tossed his cloak across his shoulder and cast a dismissive wave as he began to walk away. The faster he moved on with his day, the sooner his heart rate would hopefully return to normal.
"W-wait, where are you going?!"
"Stable duty with Sylvain."
"Oh," her voice dropped in disappointment. "Well, don't you get sloppy either! I want my adjutant in tippity-top shape, got it?"
"You should know me better. I don't intend to disappoint."