Summary: Byleth visits Edmund territory for the first time, and meets someone new.

Following the fall of Shambhala, the Leicester Alliance and the Knights of Seiros now had the oncoming threat of Nemesis and his forces to deal with, the latter ravaging everything in their path on their beeline towards Garegg Mach. Small squads were dispatched to guide refugees and to evacuate any villages. Leaving Lorenz to act in his place, Byleth readied himself to depart from the monastery, packing saddlebags before laying it over Dorte's back. Marianne, meanwhile, was preparing said horse, fitting the bridle over his muzzle, and giving him small words of encouragement.

"That should be everything," Byleth said, wriggling the saddle to check it was secure before mounting the Sword of the Creator and Blutgang, each in a custom-made leather harness, the products of a seminar held by Catherine for other relic wielders.

"You've never been to Edmund territory before, have you?" Marianne asked as she threw the reins past Dorte's head, the stallion shaking his head and twitching his ears.

"No, never." Despite seldom having ridden horses, the mercenary expertly guided his foot into the stirrup and threw himself upwards, straddling the saddle. "What's it like?"

Marianne made her way around the horse, looking up at Byleth. "It's much colder there than the other territories of the Leicester Alliance," she answered, holding her hand out for him. Just as quickly, he pulled Marianne onto the saddle, with her taking the seat in front of him. "Even right now, it's not very hot there."

"It sounds lovely," he said, holding up the reins for Marianne to take. "It's a shame that my first time there is due to emergency protocol."

"Mm". With a soft press of her feet against Dorte's sides, the stallion moved forward, walking towards the steps leading out from the stables. "They shouldn't be in any danger, but I still worry…"

Before Byleth can question the architecture of the monastery, Dorte deftly maneuvered past scaffolding and placed guards until they were across from the main gates.

"Greetings, professor!" the gatekeeper hollered, holding his hand up briefly for a quick salute.

"Nothing to report?"

"Correct! Well, apart from the usual… We just took in more refugees."

"Very uncouth, this Nemesis," the Gloucester heir chimed in, walking out into the sunlight. "He's nothing more than a basic barbarian if he's plowing right through villages. To think this is what the legend truly was."

"We're learning a lot about what the past actually was, aren't we?" Claude walked past the purple-haired noble. "Setting out, teach?"

"Yes. You can handle everything in my absence, Lorenz?"

"Certainly! I think I am more than capable of helping everyone brush up on combat and tactics before this threat arrives. Still, I hope that no harm comes to both you and Marianne during your travels."

"I shall pray for everyone's safety in return," she said as she adjusted her grip on the reins.

"Great, because we'll need it," Claude returned. "The last thing we need is Nemesis arriving here faster than our estimations or you two getting into trouble. The 'we got ambushed and can't make it back' kind of trouble, I mean." Following it with a wink, Marianne's cheeks flushed, tilting her head away and causing Claude to snicker.

Lorenz quirked an eyebrow. "What other kind of trouble are you insinuating, Claude?"

"Nothing!" Claude proceeded to perform a mock bow, which served to exasperate Lorenz, who retreated back into the hall. "Anyways, stay safe, you two."

Marianne quickly cued Dorte to move forward, the stallion making his way towards the gates once more.

Sitting in his place on the saddle, Byleth leaned forward. "Just what did Claude mean, do you know?"

"W-well… Um… Don't worry about it."

Without a convoy of their peers to contend with, Byleth and Marianne traveled as fast as Dorte could take them, informing villages they passed through and resting for the night. It wasn't until they finally left Derdriu that Byleth felt the winds change, the familiar warm summer air now replaced by cool breezes.

It seemed Dorte, too, felt the change as his traveling speed slowed to what seemed like a light jog for the steed. Despite the urgency, they all took a moment to finally unwind from the past few days of constant travel.

"This is… This is nice," Byleth said suddenly, his head tilting around to take in his surroundings. Distant villages and sprawling green filled his vision, only interrupted by the woman sitting in front of him. "How far do we have left?"

It took Marianne a bit to answer, having taken the time to indulge in the cool air herself. "Not too much now," she answered, pressing her feet against Dorte's sides again to get him to move faster. "I don't think the people here are in any real danger, so we'll head straight for the estate."

"That sounds good." While the past few days whizzed by in their hurry, the minutes that encompassed passing by the first village on the main road felt excruciatingly long for the mercenary until once more his vision was filled with unfamiliar greenery...

"You alright, kid?"

Byleth blinked as he looked to the side, his father staring back worryingly.

"You've been staring past the edge for a while there. Teaching's got you like that?"

Byleth shook his head.

"Oh, then is it your assignment? You've dealt with bandits before, and so have your students. Just because it's in a tower doesn't make it any different."

"No, I'm not worried about that," he said, looking back over the edge at the forestry surrounding the monastery.

"But you are worried."

Byleth merely nodded. "I am."

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." Jeralt leaned forward, resting his arms on the stone in front of him. "It's a girl, huh?"

Byleth made no noise, remaining stone-faced as possible, though it made no difference. "You can't fool me, kid. I mean, unless it's a boy, which is also fine… A-anyways, I'll keep hush about it—don't want you getting reprimanded by the church for having a little crush."

"Y-yeah…"

Jeralt patted the younger mercenary's shoulder before taking a look past the edge. "... Your mother liked this spot, too, y'know?" Byleth simply looked at the older man, a wistful smile on his face. "Oh yeah. Sometimes, she'd read to the kids that come in from outside the monastery's grounds, or she'd just sit here on her own when the day was winding down. More often than not, I'd find her here when I can't get an answer from anyone else on where she was… But, that's enough rambling out of me. I'll tell you more about her someday, alright?"

"Yeah…"

"Okay." Jeralt patted him on the shoulder once more. "Good luck out there, kid. You're gonna need it."

Byleth groaned as his eyes flashed open, feeling his body slumped up against something in front of him.

"You're awake," he heard in an amused tone.

"Where are we?"

"We're almost to the estate," Marianne said, feeling Byleth right himself, his hands using the space between them to push himself upright. "You can get all the rest you need there."

"I think you'll need it more, Marianne." A light laugh answered him.

He could feel the horse speed up under Marianne's ministrations, her hands lightly tugging the reins whenever Dorte started to veer slightly until the sight of a large home broke through the trees.

The two approached the steps of the estate when Marianne froze all of a sudden, her legs quivering.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just… This time of year—"

"Before Lilith…" Byleth watched her nod from where she stood. Before he knew it, his hand was outstretched in front of her, his palm presenting itself. "... Would you like some help, then?"

Marianne blinked a few times, her eyes moving from his palm to his own eyes repeatedly before a shaky hand placed itself into his. "Can you help me?" she said in a small voice as her shoulders started to climb up.

He simply nodded and tightened his grip before easing her forward, softly pushing at the small of her back as she tentatively took the first step. Between the two of them, she made a few heavy exhales, her free hand pressed against her diaphragm—he realized she was reliving the days leading up to Lilith's birth despite the years since. A few encouraging words here and there along with a guiding hand…

"Just a few more, okay?" Marianne nodded before taking another step, only for her to stumble forward, nearly pulling down Byleth with her.

The force of falling over was enough to pull her into the present, but, rather than landing onto the steps, her body was quite a ways away, held up somewhere between a vice grip and a soft embrace as she felt a rhythmic pressure against her—Byleth's quick breathing from having to catch her. Before she could say something, he eased both himself and her to sit on the steps, placing her onto his lap and leaned his head forward, pressing it against her shoulder.

"I should've been there for you," he said, his voice muffled by the blue fabric, only to look up at her when she pressed her hand to his chest.

"You're here now. Thank you." She rested her head into the crook of his neck, and he leaned back in turn...

"Mister, what are you doing to mama?"

Both Byleth and Marianne craned their heads in the direction of the voice, finding a small girl looking at them oddly. Her blue hair, apart from her bangs, was pulled back by a flower-print hairband and cascaded over her shoulders, and she held a storybook against herself, the leather cover wrinkling the navy fabric of her dress.

Ultramarine eyes moved to look at the mercenary in particular, a shade he had only seen when looking in a mirror before being taken into a realm of darkness, before Sothis became a part of him.

Releasing his arms from around Marianne, Byleth helped her off his lap, the noblewoman placing her legs under herself. "I'm… I'm back, Lily," Marianne said, instinctively pushing a loose lock back behind her ear.

"You were gone for a long time, mama," Lilith returned, her eyes flicking between the two adults. Byleth could already see suspicion brewing in the child's face.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Marianne said, giving her a soft smile. "I… I found something important, that's why."

Lilith pouted. "Am I not important?"

"You're very important to mommy, Lily, but what I found is important for you. Can you forgive mommy?"

The child seemed unconvinced but continued to look at Marianne. "What did you find for me?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively.

"I want you to meet someone very special," Marianne returned, letting herself relax, her shoulders slacking somewhat. "This is your father."

If Marianne and Byleth were expecting any energy out of the girl, they didn't get it, with Lily's eyes continuing to flick back and forth between them before settling on the mercenary. "... You don't look like me," she mumbled as she raised the book, hiding her face partly behind it.

"I don't look like my father either… But apparently I look like my mother," Byleth said, trying to give as best a smile as he could give to the child.

"I look like mama, too."

"Then, we both have something in common."

Lily's face remained unconvinced, but she didn't shy away from Byleth. "... Miss Margot said lunch would be ready soon."

Despite just starting lunch, Lily's plate was already picked clean with barely a scrap left, the child still at her seat as Byleth and Marianne worked at their plates.

"Do you want more to eat?" Byleth asked, noticing how Lily was staring at the empty plate.

"I want seconds, but…" She peeked up at Marianne before her eyes settled on her plate again. "Mama never eats seconds, so I feel bad."

"So you won't eat seconds if someone else doesn't?" Her head nodded. "I'll have seconds, then."

"You will?"

Byleth's head nodded in turn. "If you want thirds, or fourths, I'll eat those too."

"Byleth don't encourage her," Marianne tried to reprimand him, even with the laugh that threatened to break through.

"You have to promise, then!" With newfound vigor, Lily held her pinky up. "Will you?"

Hooking his finger around hers, he simply nodded once more.

"Oh… I don't think I can eat another bite." Three servings were enough to do the child in as she sank into her seat, looking over at her supposed father, who continued to fork food into his mouth with ease. "... You don't look full yet."

"Not yet, but almost," Byleth answered, as he polished off his third plate.

"Then you can still have one more!"

"I could, but it doesn't feel right if I'm eating it on my own."

Lilith looked almost distraught, like it was her fault that someone else couldn't eat another portion. Her brow quaked as guilt started to mount on her bones…

"I'll… I'll have seconds, Lily," Marianne interjected. "That way, your father can be full." Lily looked over at her mother, swallowing the lump in her throat and watched in disbelief as her mother, usually a scarce diner, lifted a few pieces of roasted aubergine from the casserole dish and onto her plate.

"Thank you, Marianne," Byleth said, as he started to fill his plate again. "And thank you for looking out for me, Lily. You're a wonderful host."

Lilith gazed up at him and simply nodded with an affirmative grunt, leaning forward to watch him eat his fourth serving, with Marianne holding back a laugh at the sight.

Despite her absence in the previous months, the estate staff kept her suite in pristine condition, with the linens of the massive bed spotless, wooden surfaces polished and smooth, and nary a speck of dirt on the floor. Donning a sleeping gown, Marianne was already settled for the night with the covers pulled up over her waist as she watched Byleth take a seat at the edge of the bed.

"I never thought I'd see you like this," she said, leaning towards him as he craned his head back. "I will admit that it's an odd sight."

Byleth cracked a smile as he started undoing his armor and some of the outer garment layers on his person. "You've seen me in bed, Marianne, it's not that odd."

Marianne couldn't help but laugh. "No, I meant here, in the estate… For a long time, I never thought I'd see you again, so it never occurred to me that you could ever be here."

Before Byleth could open his mouth to answer, a knock came at the door, followed by it being cracked open as Lilith barged in, almost dragging the storybook with her while a maid hesitated on walking in before remaining outside.

"Lily? Why are you up?"

"She couldn't sleep, Lady Marianne," the maid—Margot—answered, at least pushing her face in between the door and the frame to be visible. "She insisted she come here."

"Oh." Surprise crossed Marianne's face as she looked at her daughter then back to the maid. "Thank you, Margot."

"Good night, Lady Marianne, and for you as well… S-sir Byleth." Without pause, she closed the door.

The mercenary tilted his head. "Sir Byleth?"

Marianne let a sigh escape her nose. "The staff insisted you have a title, if temporary… It's for their convenience, in all honesty. Your name isn't a common one."

"I suppose that's that." He looked at the child still standing by him, almost hiding behind the storybook as she had earlier that day. "What can we do for you, Lily?"

"Can you… Can you read me a story, papa?" she asked, lowering the book to reveal her mouth.

"Papa?"

"Yeah. Mama said you're my papa, and mama likes you… And you said you look like your mama, and I look like mama… And you eat a lot, like me, so… Can I call you papa?"

Byleth reached down, gently taking the storybook before lifting her onto the bed. "You can. But first, papa wants to read you a story. Which one?"

"Mm… Any of them!"

"Well, I don't know any of them."

"That's alright, we can read them together!"

Byleth smiled as he rested his back into the pillows and patted the space between him and Marianne, causing Lilith to look on, a confused expression across her face. "All three of us can read them together. Is that okay?" Marianne asked, giving a soft smile.

Beaming a grin, Lily scooted herself until she was in the middle as Byleth and Marianne eased in closer, flipping to the first illustration-filled page.

Author's Notes: Sorry for the long wait between now and the last chapter. In between the holidays plus a massive imaginary block, I've been struggling to write. It was pointed out that the anthropology style of this fic meant Lilith's introduction was abrupt, so this serves as a sort-of prequel to that chapter. This was also an experiment for running two plotlines back-to-back in the same chapter (i.e. you could probably split it into two separate chapters with some tweaks no problem), which I want to explore in a future "prologue" chapter. It's certainly not my finest work, but writing like this is a journey.

I actually finished a bulk of this at the end of January, but it wasn't until Cindered Shadows dropped that I felt motivated to finish this. Btw, bless Sitri, and I hope she and Jeralt know peace.

This is being posted on Valentine's Day, and while this isn't strictly a romantic chapter, I just wanted some moments where it's just them.