HI GUYS.
THIS IS KINGNIKEN WITH ANOTHER FIRE EMBLEM THREE HOUSES ONE SHOT!
I REALLY ENJOYED WRITING THE PREVIOUS ONE AND IT SEEMS YOU GUYS LIKED IT TOO (BASED ON THE COMMENTS/REVIEWS ETC.)
I'M SUFFERING FROM WRITER'S BLOCK ON MY PERSONA STORIES AND DECIDED TO TAKE A BREAK.
SO I WROTE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE BECAUSE I'M A SUCKER FOR MALE EDELETH!
PLEASE DO ENJOY!
Manuela nodded to herself as she concluded her examination of a frowning, slightly reluctant Edelgard.
The leader of the Black Eagle's house had been forced back into bed earlier this morning.
"You were right to call me Hubert. This seems to be more than just a little cold."
A tall raven haired man joined the physician at his lord's bedside.
"I had surmised as much from the high fever and dry coughing. Do you have any idea of what we are dealing with?"
The songstress scratched her chin.
"Well there has been a nasty little virus going around the monastery in the last two weeks. As I've said it's a lot stronger than an average cold and can be rather difficult to shake off. The high fever and coughing is just the start though."
The future Emperor of Adrestia finally spoke, taking a moment to mask a coming cough.
She did not succeed.
"I...am fine. This is just a minor inconvenience."
The two magic users glanced down at Edelgard and her crumbling poker face before resuming their conversation.
Hubert folded his arms.
"What are your recommendations?"
"The usual. Bed rest, healthy meals, lots of water and some herbal teas sweetened with honey for her throat. She should be feeling better in the next three or four days."
Edelgard grunted.
"Three or four days?! Our class has a mission tomorrow! Can't anything else be done?"
"As I said Princess. The virus has only been around for a short while. So there's not much I know about it. I can only tell you what has worked for those before you."
Edelgard bit her lip, choosing not to say anything more. It would be rather unfair of her to expect Manuela to have a cure for everything.
Hubert offered a small bow to the Golden Deer's Professor.
"Thank you for your time and assistance, Professor Manuela. I will be handling things from here. If anything changes I will seek you out."
"Of course...I do hope you feel better soon Princess. Goodbye."
Edelgard cleared her throat.
"Thank you Professor Manuela. Goodbye."
With the room now left to the two of them, Edelgard was quick to make her will known to her loyal advisor and friend.
"Find Dorothea. I'm going to need some help to get out of my sleeping garments and into my armor."
Hubert perched an eyebrow.
"Lady Edelgard. We were just advised that you should get bed rest. May I ask as to why you would need to get into your armor? We don't have any classes or trainjng scheduled for today."
"I will not miss tomorrow's mission. I'm sure if I get active and have a few spars in the training ground I'll sweat this virus right out."
Hubert studied his lord for a moment before sighing.
"I'm sure our Professor will understand if you miss the mission. You don't have to pressure yourself into trying to impress him. He already acknowledges you as the best in our class."
Edelgard blushed. Her toes flicking about under her sheets.
"I-i-i'm not trying to impress the Professor! Be careful of what your words imply, Hubert! ...the Professor said I was the best in our class?"
Hubert sighed...
"I believe Ferdinand was ranting about it a few days ago. It seems he was trying to convince the Professor that he was on your level."
Edelgard smiled. Her teacher's recognition was indeed a mood lifter.
Hubert continued.
"So I'm sure if you took a few days off..."
"No. I cannot allow myself to be bested by a simple malady. Hubert, retrieve Dorothea. That is an order."
Edelgard's retainer frowned before bowing.
"As you wish Lady Edelgard."
Edelgard perked up as she heard Dorothea's voice from the other side of her room's door.
"Edie? Can we come in?"
Edelgard cleared her throat a couple of times before answering.
"Yes, please come Dorothea. I could use your help-"
Edelgard's sentence died on her lips.
Where she had expected Dorothea and Hubert to be the only ones to enter her room, she had been given quite the surprise.
A third person stepped out from behind them.
Edelgard's voice became a squeak.
"Professor?"
Byleth walked right over to his student's bed, taking a seat beside her as he removed his combat gloves.
Hubert smugly explained himself.
"Oh right. While I was on my way back with Dorothea, we just happened to run into our Professor. I thought it prudent to advise him of your current ailment. He was so worried that he decided to come along to check up on you."
Edelgard narrowed her eyes.
"Traitor ..."
A small gasp left her lips as she felt the tips of Byleth's fingers glide across the skin of her neck.
Her Professor noticed the sound and apologized.
"My apologies, Edelgard. I wanted to feel the strength of the fever for myself. Did I hurt you?"
The Imperial Princess shook her head. Not trusting herself to speak.
How could she?
Having the Professor inside her room was no strange occurrence but this felt different.
Toss in the fact that he was sitting on her bed right next to her.
His fingers and hands carefully touched her forehead and neck, gauging her temperature.
Edelgard's cheeks reddened.
Under her sheets she was still in her bed garments!
Not that her teacher could see them but the reality of the situation seemed to make it feel all the more scandalous for some reason.
The ever perceptive Dorothea noticed her leader's 'plight' and barely managed to hide her giggle.
The opera singer had noticed Edelgard's not so little crush months ago.
Edelgard silenced Dorothea's soft giggle and merry expression with a hardened glare.
The violet haired opera singer carefully hid behind Hubert, making him into her 'perfect shield'.
Byleth stood up, the sudden movement was enough to get everyone's attention.
He spoke as he pulled on back his gloves.
"Hubert. Dorothea. I will return later this afternoon. Until then, ensure that someone is always checking in on Edelgard and that she is kept hydrated."
The pair of Black Eagle students nodded.
Byleth turned his gaze back to Edelgard.
"Edelgard."
"Yes Professor?"
"Stay in bed."
"But Professor, I could-"
"That was not a suggestion, Edelgard. It was an order. As your Professor, I expect you to follow it."
Even when being a bit rough with her, there was still a gentleness in her teacher's blue eyes.
The Imperial Princess was uncharacteristically submissive.
"I understand. I will do as you have asked."
"Good."
The Professor excused himself, walking out of the room at a rather brisk pace.
When Edelgard was sure he was out lf ear shot, she narrowed her eyes at Hubert.
"You will suffer for this, Hubert."
Hubert chuckled.
"You may deal out your punishment once you have recovered, Your Highness."
Later That Afternoon
Edelgard sighed as she looked outside a nearby window.
The day was almost over and the Professor had not returned as yet.
Thankfully Hubert and Dorothea had ensured that the day had been filled with pleasant company and several visitors.
The rest of the Black Eagles, Dimitri, Mercedes and even Seteth made a brief cameo to express his hopes for her recovery along with a message of greeting from the archbishop.
She took one more sip from a nearby glass of water.
"I must recover my strength. These missions with Professor Byleth have improved our strength and tactical awareness. For what I intend to do...I'll need every advantage."
A question sparked in the back of her mind.
A question she knew would be answered soon enough.
Would the man she admired with her very heart and soul choose to remain by her side?
No.
It was no use worrying about it.
She chose this path and she would follow it to the end...even if it meant-
"Edelgard?"
The white haired Princess blinked. Staring at her closed door.
She recognized that voice.
"Captain Jeralt?"
" Uh...yeah.Are you decent? May I come in?"
"Of course."
The man revered as the Blade Breaker slowly pushed the door open with his shoulder.
A bright green apron was tied around his body, mittens covered his hands.
Cradled against his stomach was a small pot.
The food's delightful aroma somehow made it's way past Edelgard's stuffy nostrils and conveyed it's sweet taste to her curious mind.
"Captain? Is that for me?"
Something else floated to the surface of the young woman's thinking pool.
"Wasn't your squadron deployed to the Taliver mountains to dispatch a large bandit ring? How are you back so soon?"
Jeralt chuckled as he carefully placed the pot on her desk.
"Funny story about that. One moment I'm kicking some ass in Taliver, the next thing I know I see Byleth jumping off a Pegasus almost demanding I return with him to the monastery."
Edelgard blinked.
"Wha?"
"Yup. The kid flies in, killing the bandit leader in the process mind you and then tells me that I should come back with him to make my Virus-Breaker stew!"
Edelgard tilted her head.
"Virus...Breaker...Stew?"
The man chuckled again.
"Yea it's what I used to make for our crew whenever they caught something on a job. It's quite potent."
"I see..."
"So then I tell the kid that the monastery probably doesn't have all the ingredients we need and I'm still in the middle of a mission. Do you know what he does?"
Edelgard shook her head.
Jeralt continued.
"He whips out his fancy new sword. Goes into some kind of rage mode, kills all the bandits. Throws me on a spare Pegasus that he brought with him and flies us all over Central Fodlan collecting ingredients."
Edelgard sighed.
"Oh...I'm sorry he put you through so much trouble, Captain Jeralt."
Jeralt waved off her concern.
"No no. I should be thanking you. I've never seen such strong emotion from my son before. It's only after we finished making the stew that he told me who it was for. He seems to really care for you."
Edelgard blushed heavily.
"I...uh...where is the Professor?"
"In the infirmary."
The Imperial Princess almost jumped out of bed.
"HE IS HURT?!"
Jeralt quickly eased her worry with a shake of the head.
"Nothing serious. Just a few minor cuts and bruises. The idiot did take on three dozen bandits by himself."
Edelgard frowned.
"There was no need for him to be so reckless. Doesn't he know that I- We! We need him."
Jeralt perched an eyebrow before sighing.
"I get the impression you would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed."
"Uh..."
Jeralt folded his arms.
"Princess Edelgard. Let me make this perfectly clear to you. Byleth is different, but he is my son whom I love very much. I treasure him above everything else and I would burn down an entire country for him if I had to. I may be a little overprotective but no parent wishes to see their child used or manipulated. Do you catch my drift?"
Edelgard squeaked.
"Yessir!"
Jeralt smiled.
"Good. Eat the stew while it's hot. Works better that way."
The world-famous Paladin turned to make his exit but paused as something on Edelgard's work station caught his attention.
The warrior chuckled before excusing himself.
"Well...perhaps I may be worried over nothing. Have a good evening, Princess."
Edelgard was a bit confused but returned the salutation.
"Good Evening and Thank you Captain Jeralt."
That Night
The Virus-Breaker stew was no joke.
Within two hours after consuming the unbelievably tasty dish, Edelgard could already feel a majority of her symptoms disappearing.
If things continued in this upward trend she would be ready for tomorrow.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
"Edelgard. Are you awake?"
The student quickly responded. Double checking her appearance as she pulled up her sheets.
"Yes. You may come in my teacher."
Byleth quickly slipped into the room and closed the door behind him.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. The stew really helped."
The Professor smiled gently as he investigated the mostly empty pot.
"I'm glad. We had to substitute a few of the ingredients because of short notice but it still had the desired results."
"Professor...Captain Jeralt told me about what you did...for me."
Byleth bit his lip. Two very small patches of rosy red could be seen over his cheeks.
"I...could see how frustrated you were and I wanted to do my best to help you. It is the oath I took as your House's teacher."
"I...see."
Edelgard deflated a little.
Was she wrong to hope and believe that he had done all of this for reasons greater than being her teacher?
Did Jeralt know something that she didn't?
Byleth cleared his throat before picking up the pot.
"I should return this to the kitchen. We kind of borrowed it without asking anyone."
The Imperial Princess perched an eyebrow.
"Oh? Stealing school property is a serious offence, Professor. Seteth might give you some type of annoying punishment."
Byleth smirked.
"Well it would be worth it..."
Edelgard's eyes widened as the cobalt haired man continued.
"Our mission wouldn't feel the same without you there. We...I would miss you."
Edelgard blushed.
"Oh...I...uh...well I feel...uh..."
Byleth cut the stammering beauty off.
"You should get some rest. I'll check in with you in the morning. Good Night Edelgard."
The purple eyed warrior reached out a hand to stop her Professor from leaving but decided against it.
"Good Night my teacher."
Interestingly enough as Byleth made his way out of her room, he seemed to pause mid step.
From Edelgard's point of view it seemed as if her teacher was having some kind of internal struggle or...conversation?
Finally a whispered phrase slipped from his mouth.
"...what? On her work station?"
Slowly Byleth approached Edelgard's desk, examining it for a few seconds.
Edelgard perched an eyebrow.
"Professor? Is everything okay?"
"Uh...yes...I..."
Byleth took up a sheet of paper with his free hand...
...and all the color drained from Edelgard's face.
"I like these pictures you drew of me. You seem to have a lot of hidden talents. "
"...My teacher..."
"Yes?"
"I wish to change into something else. I hope you don't mind me asking you to leave?"
"Oh my apologies. Good Night."
Edelgard waited a full minute after Byleth closed the door behind him to scream into her pillow several times.
This was without a doubt the most embarrassing...
Another terrifying realization dawned upon the distraught young woman.
Manuela.
The rest of the Black Eagles.
Dimitri.
Seteth.
Jeralt.
They could have seen them!
Her drawings...of the Professor!
The pillow fell out of her hands.
Later That Night
Hubert stifled a yawn as he teleported into his lord's room. It was not often she summoned him so late in the night.
Edelgard was pacing the floor, she seemed to be feeling better.
"Glad to see you in better spirits, Lady Edelgard."
"Hubert? I need your help!"
The faithful servant stepped forward.
"What is it? Have we been discovered? Is your Uncle and those who slither making their move?"
"No. None of that."
"Then what's going on?"
"Do you have an omnipotent spell that can wipe everyone's memories of my drawings of the Professor?"
"..."
"Well?"
"I'm going back to bed. Good Night."
"Hubert! Please!"
WELL THERE YA GO!
AGAIN. THIS WAS FUN.
I THINK MY WRITER'S BLOCK HAS LIFTED SOMEWHAT.
PLEASE READ, REVIEW, COMMENT, ETC.
THIS WAS KINGNIKEN.
PEACE.