AN: Canada has decided to skip spring for whatever reason and the heat has made me drowsy SO! Apologies for the typos I have inevitably glazed over-I am tired af and didn't do much editing on this chapter lol.

Before I continue, thank you to Glasses Writer for the comment once more! Indeed, things will be getting better...slowly. Lol.

Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter III: The Three Houses

In which Dimitri is scared of his peers and all the possible ways he will fail them. Meanwhile, Edelgard finds them to be another agitation added on to her rapidly bulking schedule.

When Edelgard had mentally declared the Prince would not be a distraction in a few hours time, she'd been referring to the brain fluffing madness that went on when she downed a bottle of her modified calming potion from her purposefully limited stock. It had come to her attention, courtesy of the Agarthan masquerading as a librarian, that the distraction that was Prince Dimitri would be permanently ended by more…violent means.

"It's a rather overzealous plot, no?" Edelgard had asked within the dark gloom of the library. She sat across from the creature at one of the study desks, one leg over the other while a candle burned between them. "The death of Prince Dimitri and Lord Claude would create a dangerous power vacuum."

"Chaos," Solon agreed with a gleeful hiss. The shark like grin spreading across his mouth caused the wrinkles of his stolen face to make eerie shadows. "And chaos is where we thrive."

The pronoun we never included Edelgard when it came from an Agarthan's lips, but particularly when they salivated over senseless chaos was she glad to be disassociated with their madness.

"I assure you, there will be no thriving when Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance join forces to attack Adrestia in retaliation."

"Subtlety is another thing we value, child," Solon said. "No need to slit their throats in the middle of the Courtyard."

"There is no such thing as subtlety when rulers are involved," Edelgard argued with crossed arms. "Who came up with this asinine idea? Kronya?"

"We will worry about the ramifications," Solon said calmly. "You go in for the kill. Preferably, as soon as possible."

"I thought we were to wait for a year."

"If we needed a war," Solon said. "Believe me, this is the subtle way."

It peeved Edelgard, that foolish plan. No, a war was hardly subtle, but it was an organized sort of chaos that Adrestia could keep its head above if plans moved the way they'd already agreed. Additionally, creating too much chaos now would only add to the mountain of bodies destined to loom over Edelgard and her every step.

But, loathe as was to admit, she was in no position to push too petulantly against the Agarthan's demands. Which is why she stood here, clad in suffocating two-toned armour before a tavern shuddering with glass clinking and roaring laughter.

"Are you certain you do not wish me by your side?" Hubert questioned. He was half-hidden in the shadows of the nearby forest, his visible green eye the only beacon Edelgard could gleam.

"Yes," Edelgard responded, wincing at the rough, alien tone her voice took on. She'd need to get used to that. "This will not take long, and I do not want you to be recognized." With that, Edelgard marched forward. The strange armour she bore weighed heavy on her limbs and clanked softly with her movement, while the world she saw behind her mask was tinged in a cobalt blue that faded to black the closer she got to the tavern.

Honestly, how was she supposed to fight in this? The heavy plates and low visibility did nothing but put handicaps on Edelgard's fighting style. Which…now that she was thinking about it…would perhaps aid in disguising her.

Still, it wasn't a purposeful design feature—Thales had given her the heavy trunk containing the wearable weights before she'd left for the Monastery and told her, "This is a legacy heirloom I believe will serve you well." He'd said this with a smirk as if he were telling a joke. Edelgard hadn't gotten it, and frankly she didn't want to. In addition, it was annoying to deal with so Edelgard felt she was allowed to complain about it in the comfort of her head.

A spell seemed to be have cast as Edelgard threw open the tavern doors and stepped inside. Every head had turned sharply towards her, drinkers stopped drinking, conversation died, and bar tenders froze like statues. All of them were warily eyeing her armour as it cast shadows onto the warm candlelit floor.

Another thing she could begrudgingly give the Agarthans—the armour did make for a memorable and arresting sight with its two-toned mask, perpetually in an eerily neutral expression, the tall jutting plume arching from the helmet, the wide and imposing plates and the feathers dotting it like small flames.

"I have come in search of aid," she said as she continued to stride forwards. Several patrons skittered out of her way like rats beneath light. "Who here can boast of a powerful and competent group of warriors?"

She was hoping for bandits. While mercenaries had a better track record of getting the job done with the right amount of money, they also tended to have a moral code, regular noble clients, and comradery with the other mercenaries—she didn't think pointing them in the direction of Fódlan's future heirs would be a good idea. Bandits, however, were far less careful of the consequences of their actions if it meant more gold lining their pockets. That being said, everyone had a price—if her best chance at success was to hire mercenaries, than she'd simply have to give them an offer they couldn't refuse.

The latter needn't have been a problem thankfully, as one scruffy man from the back strode forwards into the centre of the tavern to meet her. He crossed his arms and sneered up at her with a mouth full of missing teeth. A reckless man, then—one unconcerned with getting rough in the battlefield.

Excellent.

"The name's Kostas," he said with an air of self-importance. Immediately telling his name to a stranger that could easily be a tricky soldier trying to take him in. Very reckless, also an idiot. Pliable. A vicious attack dog. That was good.

Edelgard looked around to see if anyone would contest this answer to her query. The rest of the patrons simply continued to stare, with the exception of a few people in the back where Kostas had once stood—they stood tall, brandished their weapons, bearing their rotting teeth. Nobody else made a sound of protest.

A reputation, then. Very good.

"Where may we meet, Kostas?" Edelgard asked, finally turning back to him.

Kostas puffed up his chest and grinned broader. "Just gotta name time and place, sir…for a price."

Wordlessly, Edelgard opened her palm and Warped in a hefty pile of gold atop of it. "Will this suffice?" It was a futile question, given the look of awe on Kostas's face and the rapid fire whispering of his men in the back. He quickly caught himself however, clearing his throat and snatching the bag before giving her another grin.

"Yeah." He poured some into his palm with a slow nod and chuckle. "That'll do."

-o0o-

There was a grand amount of relief in Dimitri's heart once the weekend ended and Monday morning had arrived. Monday morning brought classes, and classes brought structure, and structure distracted him from headaches and made it difficult for his family to hiss in his ears and give him nightmarish visions (and he knew, he knew it was a selfish thing to be glad about but…). Additionally, through a healthy dose of extensive training and library research, the sting of Edelgard's disdain for him had faded to a manageable degree. That was why, when he and the rest of the student body made their way into the Cathedral once more, he should've felt lighter than he had since coming here.

And he…did. Technically. But feeling like the numb, sleepwalking being he was back in Faerghus was hardly an upgrade from the consistent blows he'd been sustaining all throughout the weekend. Though despite the dark circles Dedue had had a hard time covering, and the yawns he was keeping at bay with his clenched jaw, the Cathedral was filled with cheerful voices similarly out of reach as they had been on his first day here, and there was a warmth to that. One that very much rivaled the cold of the castle with Father's booming laughter gone.

"D'you think we'll have a Welcoming Breakfast?" a boy exclaimed excitedly as he passed Dimitri and Dedue by.

"We've been here for four days now, Caspar, what's there to welcome?" his companion asked blandly.

"Hurry, Mercie! Let's get to the front so we can see Lady Rhea better!" A girl cried as she dashed passed, another girl's hand in hers.

"Oh yes! She's an absolute vision isn't she?" The other girl giggled.

"Who do you think will lead the Houses this year?"

"Goddess this place is beautiful—you can't truly appreciate it in the late evening, can you?"

"I'm gonna meet so many new friends once classes start!"

Dimitri sighed at the sunny chirping that surrounded him—such a happy contrast to the tempest constantly taking place in his head. It shouldn't be too hard to feel just a fraction of that joy, could it? Even if the weekend passed hadn't been the greatest, it didn't mean his time here would always be—

A heavy hand slammed on Dimitri's shoulder with a cheerful yell of, "'Morning!"

Dimitri yelped in surprise and jerked his head to the left of him, revealing a grinning boy laughing in amusement—dark hair just bordering on curly, vivacious verdant green eyes and skin that bore a warm, syrupy hue. Dimitri's first thought was that the boy was possibly the most handsome one he'd ever encountered in his life, the second being that he looked fairly familiar. As the curious stranger walked in step with him, he continued with, "Sorry about that, but it looked like you needed a little oomph you know?"

"A simple greeting should suffice next time," Dedue said in mild disapproval. His slightly narrowed eyes apprised the boy and he moved ever so closer to Dimitri as if afraid he would try something else.

"Fair," Claude accepted with a shrug. He patted Dimitri's shoulder again, lighter this time. "Sorry."

Dimitri blinked in mild confusion and gave the handsome boy an awkward smile. "I…um…apology accepted and—hello?"

"Morning!" the boy repeated, before sliding the hand from his shoulder and holding it out to him. "The name's Claude."

Dimitri took his offered hand after a moment and prettied up his smile. "Prince Dimitri of Faerghus."

Claude scanned the prince's form with a hum before saying, "Figured as such. It was a pretty carriage I hit in my snowball fight."

Dimitri's eyes lit with recognition and his smile broadened as the two boys let go of each other's hands. "Ah! That was you, was it?"

"That it was! Didn't think you'd remember."

"It would be difficult to—you made quite the impression, assaulting my window and making me drop my tea."

"You didn't mind?"

"Not all! It was only tea."

Claude appraised him a second time, smile broadening before declaring, "I like you."

Dimitri almost didn't hear the compliment, as all his senses had immediately zeroed in on Edelgard as she briskly strode down the hallway with her glowering companion in tow. There was no sound but the click of her heels against the marble, no scent but the aroma of cinnamon wafting off her, no sight but her and her sharp gaze as those intense eyes locked briefly with his awe widened ones. Her brow furrowed nigh imperceptibly and she tossed her snowy hair behind her back as she breezed passed him without another backwards glance.

…and just like that the pain was back, and so was the gloom Claude had oh so briefly distracted him from.

"It seems like she doesn't agree," Claude commented.

Dimitri swallowed painfully and continued trekking forwards. "No," he said softly.

"Don't take it too personally," Claude shrugged. "Miss Hresvelg doesn't seem to like anyone from what I could gather. She'll be a tough nut to crack for sure." He turned from Edelgard's retreating back to Dimitri again, before tilting his head to the side. "Then again…it looks personal."

Dimitri quickly looked away from Claude and cleared his throat. "Ah, anyway…this would be me." They slowed by the pews where Sylvain and Ingrid were engaged in an argument of some sorts. Felix, unsurprisingly, was nowhere in sight.

"Alrighty," Claude chirped and gave Dimitri yet another pat on the shoulder. "See you around, yeah?"

Dimitri smiled and bowed quickly in response as Claude sauntered off, then he and Dedue took their seats.

"Your Highness," Ingrid said the instant he'd sat. "Tell Sylvain how wildly inappropriate it would be to ask Lady Rhea out on a date! In the middle of an assembly within a cathedral no less!"

Dimitri sighed warily, though the familiar constant of the two of them at each other's throats did work to brighten his mood somewhat. "Sylvain, please don't tell me—"

"Then I won't," he shrugged. "But you can't stop true love, Your Highness."

"Sylvain," Ingrid ground out.

"I do believe he is only trying to get a rise out of you, Lady Galatea," Dedue stated sagely. Ingrid shot Dedue a look, but anything she was about to say was quickly halted when Dimitri gave her a warning glower of his own.

Ingrid huffed and shifted away from Dimitri, and by extension the man of Duscur by his side.

Moments later, just like during the Welcoming Assembly on Friday, a Seiros Knight commanded the students to rise, and soon after in came Lady Rhea, Seteth, and the professors. Polite applause followed in their wake as they took their places at the very front.

"Thank you," Lady Rhea said after raising a hand to silence everyone. "Please take your seats."

The students complied. Rhea nodded to Seteth who stepped forward after clearing his throat. "Tomorrow will mark the beginning of your classes of which there will be three a day—a morning, afternoon, and evening. Additionally, homeroom classes will be split into…"

Seteth's droning faded to background noise, slipping beneath the soft spoken sentence of, "You should've ran after her back then."

Dimitri gasped softly and his gaze flickered briefly towards the nearby tall narrow window. Like Lambert, Patricia's ghost was one he entertained regularly. Unlike him however, Patricia was never covered in blood and instead bore a silver dress singed at the hems and moving under an invisible wind, soot spoiled hands clasped behind her.

Dimitri didn't need to ask who she was referring to—not that he would in the presence of so many people, though his former stepmother continued anyhow.

"Time has buried El," Patricia continued forlornly. "Is she choking there beneath the years? Scared? Yes, yes, I think she is."

Dimitri tensed and furrowed his brow as he watched Seteth's lips continue to move, not a single word reaching his ears. Scared?

"We bury ourselves when we are scared." Patricia said. "You do it. I did it. El is doing it."

Dimitri inhaled shakily and turned his head once more to look at Patricia's ghost. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her lavender eyes sadder and duller than they'd ever been in life. "We are not gone. Never fully gone, no, no, but always and forever out of reach."

A firm squeeze on his shoulder and the Cathedral came rushing back in an explosion of applause and a sharp intake of breath.

"They want you upfront, Your Highness," Dedue murmured in his ear. Dimitri nodded vaguely as he got up and walked down the aisle. The eyes of the student body followed him, and Edelgard stood lonesome at trek's end, hands crossed behind her back, eyes lilac coloured ice.

"Never fully gone, no, no, but always and forever out of reach."

Dimitri turned his gaze a little to the side so that his eyes could only graze half a cheek and the long hair that framed it. And when he stood at her side, he kept his gaze firmly forward. He regretted coming to stand so close…so close that their shoulders were centimeters away from brushing and her presence was all too—

'It is done now,' he told himself as Seteth called on who would be the leader of the Golden Deer House—Dimitri's mind was too scrambled to catch a name. He would accept El's loathing and Stepmother's council and simply move forward.

Behind him, Patricia clicked her tongue. She knew he was lying.

-o0o-

Lovely.

Edelgard wasn't surprised that Faerghus's future king had been chosen to lead the Blue Lions, just as she wasn't surprised that she herself had been chosen to lead the Black Eagles as future Emperor of Adrestia. Yet, she was still disappointed as she watched him stiffly make his way to the front of the Cathedral where she stood. He was gazing pointedly over her shoulder, off into the ethers, and when he finally stood at her side he became a barely breathing statue.

How in the world was she to work with him if he turned stiff and awkward at just her presence? What was wrong with him?

"And last, though certainly not least we have the leader of the Golden Deer House," Seteth said once the applause died down. He gestured in front of him and called, "Claude von Riegan, please make your way forwards."

And he was hardly a step up.

Claude von Riegan appeared to be the complete opposite of Prince Dimitri—he moved with a confident bounce to his stride, and just as he neared the front he spun on his heel and walked the rest of the way backwards to toss kisses at the crowd (the annoying girl from Friday was cheering from atop her seat. Figures they knew one another). But despite his clear assuredness there was…something…no. Everything about him felt fabricated.

He reminded her of the Agarthans, especially when he stood on the side of Dimitri not occupied by her and nudged him with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes, and those eyes held no warmth. Dimitri didn't seem to notice as he smiled back and noticeably relaxed his posture by a few degrees.

So, the two people she'd be working with before their untimely deaths was a skittish prince and a future leader with a facade thinner than wet paper.

Once more, lovely.

"These three fine young people will be helping to ensure you get the most out of your time here at this Monastery," Lady Rhea said as she stepped behind them with her robe clad arms spread wide. Edelgard tensed slightly, finger twitching at her thigh where her dagger once lay. She did not like that woman so near and so out of sight. "Treat them with the respect they are due, and follow in their esteemed examples."

"Aye! Thanks for the vote of confidence!" Claude von Riegan said over his shoulder with a grin. Seteth grunted in agitation as the audience giggled, while Rhea let a soft, amused laugh. Dimitri in contrast inhaled sharply and his throat worked around a heavy swallow. His skin was also tinged a light green. Edelgard pursed her lips and let out an irritable, harsh breath from her nose.

She hoped her House—or at least the cohort she would be working most closely with—possessed people who were neither fake or pathetic.

-o0o-

"Be calm, Your Highness."

"I know, I know, I'm trying but…" Dimitri's voice trailed off as he paused before the classroom entrance. The Blue Lion emblem proudly framed the doorway and voices were already buzzing from indoors—incredibly lively for eight a.m. "It truly was a poor idea to put me in some semblance of authority, especially when—"

"Your Highness," Dedue said as he placed a firm hand atop his shoulder and squeezed. "You will do well."

Dimitri respectfully disagreed, but he couldn't stay idling outside like a lost lamb forever—the bell had rung a minute ago. With a squeeze back on Dedue's shoulder, he entered the classroom with a deep breath. His hammering heart immediately increased in tempo when the thirty-two pairs of eyes within the Blue Lions classroom zeroed in on him and the buzz of conversation was shot dead. The only sound Dimitri could hear was his thundering pulse and Dedue's heavy footsteps as he found an empty desk near the back of the room.

Dimitri recognized Ashe at the front of the classroom as he slammed the novel he was reading closed and tried to quickly shove it into his book bag, only for it to slip from his hand and crash to the ground with a loud thud. He jerked up and sat ramrod straight, ignoring the fallen book as his cheeks burned a faint rose.

Figuring the boy's anxious energy wouldn't help him, Dimitri shifted his gaze. On either side of the scarlet cheeked boy were two other students who looked caught between excitement and trepidation. One girl braved an awkward grin and a wave that Dimitri returned with a smile and nod of acknowledgment. She proceeded to blush as bright as Ashe and buried her face in her hands with an excited muffled shriek.

Dimitri's smile dissipated again. Oh dear.

Unfortunately, the next pair of eyes he came in contact with were Felix's. He sat in the middle of the class beside two male students and was sharpening his sword, but he had no qualms pausing to give Dimitri a narrow eyed glare paired with a snarl of disdain.

Dimitri tore his gaze away and quickly strode over to the teaching desk, fighting the urge to duck his head and hunch his shoulders. He could feel the memory of King Rufus shoving a harsh palm against his spine in an attempt to make his spine straighter. He shuddered as he placed the baby blue hued folder atop the wood. As he slid out the attendance sheet and announcement script, a call had Dimitri lifting his head to attention.

"Hey, Your Highness!" Sylvain said from the corner of the room, a hand raised in greeting. His legs were lackadaisically crossed over top his desk's surface and he was rocking his chair on its back legs. "Took you long enough." Though the light jab felt far more comforting than hurtful—perhaps it was the familiarity of Sylvain's demeanor, or the encouraging side-ways tilt of his lips, but Dimitri was thankful for it and felt his chest loosen its strangling grip on his lungs.

He cleared his throat before saying, "Good morning, everyone. I'm sorry that I'm so late, though I promise you this will not be the norm."

"Oh, you're not that late, Your Highness," a vaguely familiar dulcet voiced girl said with a sunshine warm smile. She sat in the front of the room as well, on the other end of the aisle opposite to where Ashe and his neighbors sat. "Besides, it's only the first day and our Professor isn't here either."

"Thank you for your grace," Dimitri said with a nod, before taking up the attendance sheet. It was a simple thing with the date at the top and neat, alphabetically listed names below, inked in Seteth's neat cursive. He briefly scanned the desk for the red ink pot, located it, and took out the quill. He tapped away the excess before saying, "Let's get started then. Annette Dominic?"

"Here!" the strawberry blonde beside the dulcet voiced girl shot her hand up and waved it around. "I'm so happy you're going to be our House Leader, Your Highness." She squealed with clasped hands. Annette Dominic. "I was really hoping you would be!"

"Oh?" Dimitri asked, blinking twice in quick succession.

"W-well," Ashe began with a clearing of his throat. "Being prince, you would have the knowledge to best lead us, no?"

Dimitri bit the inside of his cheek as he forced a smile back onto his face. "I hope that will indeed be the case, Ashe. And—" he raised his voice slightly and swept his gaze around the classroom in order to address everyone else. "—there's no need to refer to me by my title; Dimitri will do just fine."

"You're taking your new role well, Dimitri! We of course figured you would." Dimitri spun sharply and let out a surprised "oh!" before bowing swiftly.

"Good morning, Professor," he said in a rush. The rest of the Blue Lions murmured their greetings as well.

Professor Hanneman chuckled. "Just as you require no honorifics, I require no bows or curtsies, Dimitri," Dimitri murmured his ascent before standing up as the man continued inside, plopping the books he'd carried under his arm atop the desk with a loud thunk. "I'm pleasantly surprised to see most of you bright eyed and bushy tailed this fine Monday morning!"

Ingrid failed to stifle a yawn behind her fist and blushed. Hanneman smiled good-naturedly. "For the most part, that is."

"We're all used to it Sir; as they say: a knight of Faerghus rises with the sun," Sylvain said before turning to the neighboring desk to give Ingrid a smirk before confirming, "For the most part." She shot him a half-hearted glare.

"I am very, very happy to hear that," Hanneman praised before gesturing to Dimitri. "If you would continue, Dimitri?"

"Of course," Dimitri nodded and quilled a check-mark next to Annette's name. He went down the list, pleased that every name was answered with a raised hand and reply (Felix notwithstanding). A full class, that was a good sign, no? He then picked up the script page. The paper was yellowed and the ink was faded with age.

"Thank you all for being here," Dimitri said, placing a fist atop his heart and sweeping his gaze across the classroom again with a smile. "It means much that you have chosen to attend this fine morning, now, onto the announcements." Dimitri lifted his fist to his lips and cleared his throat. "First, welcome to your first class as a student of the Officer's Academy. I, your name here—" Dimitri furrowed his brow in confusion and squinted at the page. "'Your name here'? Oh!" Dimitri flushed and cleared his throat again, voice slightly wavering in embarrassment. "I…I, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, will be your House Leader for the year here—ah! I mean, 1180. Um…and will help guide you on your learning journey for the remainder of your stay here. I hope that we will have a wonderful year together and that your time here will grant you with exceptional knowledge." Dimitri inhaled deeply before continuing once more. "Secondly, Professor their na—Hanneman will separate us into four separate cohorts consisting of equal parts. Please treat him and I with the respect we are due and above all else, enjoy today and the subsequent classes to follow. That will be all today, welcome again." Dimitri bowed swiftly as the class applauded. Dimitri quickly left the exposed front of the room to hide in one of the several empty desks near the back next to Dedue. He kept his pleasantly smile intact until the whole room had seized watching his every move, then sighed and slumped his shoulders once they turned to the front once more.

He had to do this every morning? Goddess he couldn't do this…

Dedue squeezed his shoulder and Dimitri turned to meet his steady nod. "You did well."

"You lie well," Dimitri said.

"Never to you, Your Highness."

Dimitri managed a soft smile and placed a hand atop Dedue's, squeezing it tightly. A wave of gratitude washed over him and steadied his hummingbird pulse. He gave his friend all the appreciation and love for him he felt through his gaze before turning back to Hanneman who was in the midst of unpacking his trunk.

"I will list the cohorts your be sorted into all in order," Hanneman said, picking up a sheet of his own. "Class Azure will consist of House Leader Prince Dimitri. In addition to him, the students Annette Dominic—" Annette cheered and clapped. "—Ashe Ubert, Dedue Molinaro—" Dimitri let out a breath of relief, feeling more tension leave his body. "—Felix Fraldarius—" the tension returned immediately to Dimitri's limbs as Felix scoffed in displeasure. "—Ingrid Galatea, Sylvain Gautier—" It was Sylvain's turn to let out a happy whoop before wrapping a single hand around Ingrid's neck and grinning at her. Ingrid gave him another half-hearted glare that was ruined by her slowing growing smile. "And finally, Mercedes von Martritz." Annette cheered again and she and Mercedes clasped hands as they grinned at one another.

"Oh," the girl who'd screamed into her palms earlier said in disappointment. "His Highness won't be with us?"

"Unfortunately not, Miss Ifan," Hanneman said with an apologetic smile. "You will be in Class Sapphire along with…" Hanneman continued separating the students into the other cohorts before directing them to their morning classes. Class Sapphire was sent to Manuela for Intro to Faith Magic, Class Cerulean was sent to Intro to Combat tutored by Professor Jeritza, and Class Periwinkle went to learn tactical strategies with Professor Dedrick. Dimitri's cohort—Class Azure—remained to learn reason magic.

Dimitri was, at first, relieved to find the class mostly empty except for his friends and the kindly Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes. He felt his shoulders slump minutely moments later when a trickle of students from the Black Eagle and Golden Deer houses entered with book bags and conversation. He supposed it made sense that some of the students from the other houses had been told to come here like the Lions were directed elsewhere, but he'd been hoping for the closest bit of solitude that would be manageable in a class setting.

Ah well. At least…at least she wasn't here.

"Hello, everyone, and welcome to your first Intro to Reason Magic class!" Hanneman said pleasantly once everyone had taken their seats. He strode around the desk, hands crossed behind his back and warm smile beneath his thick mustache. "First question, how many of you are comfortable with this form of magic?"

A couple students raised their hands, mostly from the Black Eagle students. Only two Golden Deer raised their hand, and the only Blue Lion to do so was Annette. "One…two…ah, nine! Wonderful, wonderful!" Hanneman said with a clap of his hands. "Second question, to those of you who raised your hands, which spell is your favourite?"

-o0o-

"Welcome to your first class as a student of the Officer's Academy. I, Edelgard von Hresvelg, will be your House Leader for the year 1180…" Edelgard had practiced the bland little speech a handful of times before the morning bell rang, as she much preferred to gauge the faces of her future peers. The front row consisted of one empty desk—frustrating—but the other students there appeared to be paying attention, so that mollified her a bit. One of them, she was pleased to find, was the usually mildly agitating Ferdinand von Aiger who was resting his chin atop a fist and sitting with one leg crossed over the other in a casual manner. It was lovely to note that he wasn't starting anything with her this early into the school year. At his side was Hubert, watching her closely as always.

One row behind them sat the attentive Petra Macneary, writing notes unnecessarily. A beautiful brunette at her right gave the action a curious look but nonetheless appeared to be paying attention. The final row consisted of what Edelgard recognized as the fidgeting Caspar von Bergliez and the shamelessly bleary eyed Lindhart von Hevring who looked moments away from face planting the desk and falling asleep right then and there.

Well. Twenty-nine out of thirty-two wasn't all too bad; so far so good.

"…secondly, Professor…" Edelgard's voice trailed off as she glanced at the class doorway before sighing softly. "Professor Manuela will…eventually I hope, separate us into four separate cohorts consisting of equal parts. Please treat her and I with the respect we are due and above all else, enjoy today and the subsequent classes to follow. That will be all, welcome again." Light applause filled the room as Edelgard took a seat at Hubert's side and rested her palms atop her lap. Her gaze was leveled patiently at the still empty teachers' desk.

Five minutes later and the air had turned awkward with the sound of squeaking benches, light coughs and the persisting lack of a professor.

"Uh…is the class gonna start or…?" Caspar broke the silence first.

"Perhaps we should fetch her?" Ferdinand suggested. His amber eyes were glued to the doorway and his brow had furrowed.

"Ridiculous," Hubert said, glaring at the same area. "On the first day of class no less."

"Oh give her a break," An unfamiliar feminine voice said from behind them. Glancing over her shoulder, Edelgard found the pretty brunette sitting next to Petra looking up from her hand mirror to address them. She seemed to be the only student at ease (well…her and Lindhart at least, who was fast asleep). "A lady needs her beauty rest."

"She had the weekend to rest," Edelgard argued. "But even if she hadn't, she has a duty to fulfill and—"

There was a loud curse from outside that pulled everyone's attention to the doorway once more. Then, Professor Manuela stumbled into view grumbling. She tripped on the ledge leading up to the classroom and shot her hand out to catch herself on the door-frame. The sharp action caused a strap on her dress to slide off her shoulder and release an ample breast to the air.

Edelgard choked as she and Hubert averted their gaze in opposing directions while the rest of the classroom was filled with the sound of hands slapping across the eyes and horrified squawks.

"Oops," was Manuela's nonplused response. There was the sound of heels scraping against wood before the stumbling continued and she crashed face forward atop the desk.

Silence.

She grumbled something about how early it was before lifting her head again and letting out a heavy sigh. "Good—" hick "—morning class. S'everyone here?" Her eyes glazed over the desks before she turned back to the desk and opened the drawer. "Good, good. Soooo I have it all written down here…" Manuela stared blankly at the pages in hand before sighing heavily and rubbing her temples, eyes closed irritably. "I—Goddess this handwriting is too tiny. What was I thinking?" She hiccuped again and thrust the papers out. "House Leader, you can do the honours."

Edelgard pushes her displeasure pursed lips into a tight smile as she gracefully stood and accepted the papers. She cleared her throat, brushed off a couple dubious crumbs from the grease stained pages, and began sorting everyone into their respective cohorts. She was greatly relieved that her house—Class Crimson—consisted of Hubert. She was displeasedto find that A; one of her cohort mates was missing (Bernadetta von Varley) and B; as Manuela had proclaimed the minute the other students had left for their other classes—

"Class is dismissed." She then proceeded to pull a flask from her cleavage and tilt her head back to guzzle the (most likely alcoholic) liquid within. With a lick of her lips and a pleased "ah!" She staggered towards the doorway, shoving between the confused group of Blue Lions and Golden Deer students who were just beginning to trickle in.

Awkward silence returned, and after a moment, Petra said what was on all their minds, "I am…in confusion."

Edelgard stared wide eyed at where Manuela had disappeared to before a wave of indignation washed over her. The only sign of her agitation she allowed was a feather light furrow of her brow and a sharp exhale through her nose. She was going to bring this up with Seteth as soon as possible. In the meanwhile…

She turned to the still idling out of House students and tilted her head towards the desks. "Go on, take your seats." With some hesitation, they conceded and did as they were told while Edelgard opened up the teacher desk drawer once more. "Hopefully there's a syllabus…ah, here we are." Edelgard triumphantly pulled out the sheet she'd been seeking, though her pleased smile faded when she saw the contents populating week one.

Faith Magic.

She couldn't…Faith Magic was…a scenario flashed in her mind; her attempting to cast a spell, only for the magic to go haywire or worse, not appear at all. To promote herself as pathetic—and so early in the year at that—was absolutely unthinkable.

Swallowing her anxiety, Edelgard calmly said, "We will be learning about Faith Magic today, but will be strictly contained to theory." There. That should do it for now. Edelgard could do theory. She was good at theory.

Caspar groaned loudly from the back of the class, and was completely unaffected when Edelgard shot him a withering glare. Judging by the students faces, his feelings were shared by the majority.

Lovely. Everything was going so, so, swimmingly in this sanity forsaken place. She was so agitated by having to pick up the slack for her alcoholic professor, that she found herself eagerly awaiting combat class in order to blow off some steam.

Edelgard would later hear at lunch that the Golden Deer Professor had fainted halfway through the class and the students had spend the rest of the time competing in a paper airplane contest. He was now in the infirmary recovering and would not be having any more classes for the day. Meanwhile, combat class had also been canceled because Jeritza had rendered five students unconscious and shattered the ribs of another.

Still, this did not make Edelgard feel better in the slightest. At least they'd had a class. She hoped tomorrow's Reason Magic class with Hanneman would fair better, but at this point her faith was thinner than a spider's web.

-o0o-

AN: At 6k words, this is the shortest chapter thus far! Woo! (or woo...if you prefer them longer).

Anyway, one of the biggest struggles I had with the OG story was filling up the Monastery-we see nameless academy students in the game, but how to incorporate them in a story while keeping the intimate friendship of the characters we know in love? In that story, I had it so there were more academies within the Monestary, and the main cast was apart of the Officer's one, but I was never fully sastified with that. I decided that separate cohorts would make a lot more sense here!

Welp, see you next week!

Fantasy Fan OUT!