I had to delay this slightly so I could focus on some assignments. Anyway I've answered some of these before, but I'll do it again!
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: This is just after the chapter when Flayn gets kidnapped. Think of it as her being found roughly the same time Robin finds herself in Fodlan, and the very end of the Wyvern moon. By the time she gets to the monastery, it's already next month. Also about your question about the Brand and how it might function, that's a surprise!
Jerryborjon: I will make a promise to continue to write this story, even after lockdown finishes and I'll be busy again. I am 100% invested in this.
Half-beastdragonsoul2013: Thank you for liking Aries! I will have her back one day and we'll see what sort of fighting class she fits into, I won't spoil too much though.
Anyway, please enjoy. Stay safe and continue to wash your hands!
"No doubt you've heard of Gerreg Mach Monastery." Alois' voice brought her out of her thoughts. "It's the finest establishment in all of Fódlan!"
Robin saw the pride in his eyes. She smiled and nodded just to please him and not arouse suspicion. Technically she had heard of it before, Basil had told her. They had been on horseback for a few hours now, following the Knights of Seiros to the monastery. She remembered saying goodbye to Aries.
"Will I see you again?" she asked Robin.
"Of course, once I get the information I need, I'll come visit you. No doubt you'll have become a successful opera singer by then." She chuckled. She would miss Aries' eccentricity. "If I have to stay there for an extended period, you know you can write to me."
Aries hugged her tightly, "stay safe, ok?"
"You too," Robin hugged her back, glad she could travel safely to Enbarr without her. Aries was a little shy around some of the knights, but some had needed to go that way anyway, which was lucky Robin remembered thinking.
Robin brought herself back to the present and looked upwards, the rain had stopped for a while but it was now lightly spitting. The forest they were in looked serene, but damp from the constant rain. She was riding next to Alois, who had another smile plastered on his face. Perhaps he's just happy to go back home. Alois had been explaining that they were stationed in Remire village for a while because of a missing girl. She had been found safe and sound, so they could head back.
She must be quite important for the knights to look for her, Robin thought. Either way, she was glad the girl was safe.
Alois turned his head in her direction, "I'll take you straight to see Lady Rhea and tell her what you've done. She would surely lend you access to our library after hearing about it!"
She smiled at him, "yes thank you, I would appreciate it."
They let a comfortable silence surround them. Robin was ok with that, she had many questions about the monastery, but she knew that once you start asking questions, some would be fired straight back. As of right now she didn't think it wise to tell the whole truth about her own story.
Soon the trees parted and Robin looked up and could see what must be the monastery. To call it massive seemed an understatement. It sat at the top of a hill, for all around to see and admire. Several spires reached for the sky. This was a power statement, Robin was sure of it. Even though she was still in awe of the building in front of her, she kept silent as she rode on. In the back of her mind, she wondered what Chrom would make of this place.
They waited for the front gate to be brought up before entering, Robin could see in the corner of her eyes the knights visibly relaxing. She and Alois dismounted in the courtyard and as he dismissed the knights she took the time to scan her surroundings. For some reason, she felt herself becoming anxious. There was a small sense of foreboding. But there's no going back now, she made it this far and to see her friends again she'll go much further.
A small burning sensation raced across her right hand. Panicked, she looked down but it quickly left as suddenly as it started. Holding it, she became aware of two strange presences, somewhat similar to each other. They were almost familiar but before she could discern anything else they faded, but from the few seconds she felt it, they had almost overwhelming power, and it was like they had triggered her Brand to flare up. No, that's hardly enough evidence for a correlation, she held her hand tighter. Was the fell dragon back? No. She killed him, she saw it with her own eyes and no one comes back from death, not even Grima.
"This way, Robin" Alois thankfully pulled her out of her thoughts. She smiled and nodded, trailing after him as he practically marched into the building.
Very few people were around. Some were clearly more knights, and some were dressed in a gold and black uniform. They must be the students. She wondered what kind of lessons they were learning. Some paid Alois no mind but watched Robin with unease. She realised she was covering her face with her hood but didn't bother to lower it as they were soon outside again. Now it was hailing. Fódlan's weather was stupid, she thought crassly. Alois didn't seem to mind as he seemed to make a beeline towards their destination. They soon found themselves at a bridge and someone appeared to be walking towards them. Robin saw she had short purple hair and a green shirt. The lady stopped and glared at Alois.
"Shamir! It's been too long!" Alois bowed to her. She didn't pay that any mind and simply nodded towards Robin.
"Who's this?" Robin was about to take off her hood and introduce herself when Alois stepped in.
"This is Robin, I'm taking her to see Lady Rhea. She has done us a great service that the archbishop should know about." Shamir just continued to stare daggers at Robin, who in turn found herself not backing down, until Alois winced. "Please, Shamir. I trust her with the archbishop, and it's been a super long day, I'd like to relax as soon as possible."
Shamir grunted and reluctantly moved aside. "I trust you, Alois. But I'll still be keeping an eye on you." Robin noticed the way her arm was casually dangling besides her daggers.
"Let's move along, Robin." Alois called. Once they were inside and heading up some stairs, he turned to Robin.
"Sorry about her, everyone's been on edge since Flayn disappeared."
"Perfectly understandable." she kept her voice flat as she removed her hood. A lot of people don't take too kindly to strangers, she knew from experience. They walked into a chamber where she quickly noticed a man with green hair. He turned around when Alois called to him.
"Seteth!" Alois bowed in respect.
"Ah, Alois," he tucked the book he was holding under his arm, "here for your report? I trust everything went well?"
Alois nodded, "I would like to give you my full report with Lady Rhea present." He motioned to Robin, who stepped forward.
Seteth's eyes narrowed, "and who is this?" He doesn't sound too happy, Robin thought.
Before Alois could answer she bowed in front of Seteth, "My name is Robin, I am a mage and have travelled from Remire with Alois. I hope I am not intruding, but I seek an audience with Lady Rhea." It was better to get straight to the point, this guy seemed like a no nonsense kind of person.
Seteth's frown didn't leave his face, "she is in a meeting with professor Byleth," he shook his head slightly.
"She saved a few of my knight's lives back in Remire," Alois straightened himself, "that is what I would like to discuss with you and Lady Rhea."
Seteth gave another small sigh and brought his hand up to his chin in thought, "once Lady Rhea has finished with professor Byleth, we will discuss this." He looked down to Robin, "you shall wait here until we call you in."
"Thank you," Robin nodded. Once his attention was back on Alois she tried to get a look at the book he was holding. It had been so long since she was able to just relax with a good book…
Then the doors to the side opened and out walked a man with blue hair and dark clothes. He seemed to notice Robin immediately, but Robin couldn't tell if that scowl was always there or not. A soft voice called out from behind him.
"Thank you professor, I hope you will come to me should you need anything." Robin noticed it was a woman, she had similar coloured hair to Seteth and a very ornate headdress. She noticed Robin too and for a second, shock appeared on her face, but vanished almost immediately, making Robin wonder if she had actually seen it.
"Lady Rhea," Seteth bowed, with Alois following suit.
Lady Rhea bowed back and smiled at Alois, "It is good to see you back, Alois. Are you here for your report?"
"Yes, Lady Rhea. I wish to discuss the incident at Remire village and Robin here,"
At the mention of her name, Robin bowed to Rhea. "Good evening Lady Rhea, as Alois mentioned, my name is Robin."
Rhea smiled and bowed back, "Good evening, Robin."
"I suggest Alois gives us his full report in your office, my Lady. Robin can wait out here until she is called."
Rhea gave Robin one more small smile, "of course, please make yourself comfy in the meantime, Robin."
Robin nodded and watched the three of them file into Rhea's office, trying not to smirk at the scowl Seteth sent her way. She let out a small breath, but quickly realised she was not alone. She turned around to see that scowling man looking at her. Yep, with a scowl.
"You must be professor Byleth," she had enough of bowing, so she extended her hand, "I'm Robin."
He stared at her hand before shaking it. He froze for a second, then relaxed. "Byleth."
She had a feeling a conversation would be difficult to get out of him, but she felt like trying anyway. "So you're a professor, huh?" He nodded. "What is it you teach?"
He continued to stare at her a few moments before answering. "I teach my students how to survive in a battle, that includes sword and lance techniques and tactics."
Her brows shot up, "tactics you say?"
He just nodded, before staring at the floor for a few seconds. His face seemed concentrated, like he was listening for something. Then he looked back to Robin.
"I have to go, I'm very busy. Goodbye." He said curtly and left.
What an odd person, there was something off about him. She shrugged. Nothing to be done about it so she just leant on the wall opposite Rhea's study and tried to gather her thoughts. She had to get on Rhea's good side, she seemed to hold a lot of power. If she managed that, she could access the monasteries library, where there were surely answers to her conundrum. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, last time she woke up in a weird place there were friendly faces greeting her, and it all went from there. Her battles with Risen, the anguish and pain in Plegia when she attempted to save Emmeryin's life. She had faced many hardships with her friends, but there were many good memories as well, filled with love. Would she get to see them again? She shook her head lightly, she needed to rehearse what she was going to say in her head, and make it sound believable.
The door opened and she opened her eyes to see Seteth.
"Lady Rhea will see you now." His demeanor was finally calm.
She nodded and followed him into the room. Alois was off to the side and smiled at her as she took her place in front of Rhea, who was seated at her desk.
"Robin," she smiled, "Alois tells me of the brave deeds you have done for the Knights of Seiros. I must thank you personally, from the bottom of my heart."
"Thank you, Lady Rhea. I am glad to have been of help, I could not have stood by and watched such an atrocity happen." Robin smiled with confidence but deep inside she found herself anxious again. It took a lot not to fiddle with the hems of her sleeves.
"Alois tells me you would like access to the library?" Rhea brought both her hands underneath her chin and leaned forward on the desk.
Here goes nothing. "Yes, my Lady. I heard the monastery has the best library in all of Fódlan." Hopefully. "Where I am from, the people are facing hardship and corruption from the ones who are meant to govern us. Bandits are actually a regular problem, and it has impacted trade. Some have asked me to find academic resources for us to use for our benefit." This was an outright lie and it didn't feel at all nice but she hoped all the time she spent with Gaius rubbed off on her.
"And where are you from, that your people would send you to find information?" Seteth narrowed his eyes at her.
"Nuvelle." That was technically true.
"Hmm," Seteth closed his eyes in thought, "I have had reports in that area of a bandit problem. And the lord in charge of the city seems to have been ousted because of such a problem."
So far so good.
"I am very sorry to hear this," Rhea looked down with a frown.
"Why do you simply not ask for the church's help in quelling such things?" Seteth asked Robin.
"When I left, some had already written to those they have a connection to, such as House Nuvelle. They asked me to look for academic information to arm themselves with for the future." Robin scratched her right hand.
"I understand your plight then, Robin. However, we simply cannot allow you free access to our records. That is strictly only for members of the academy and staff."
Robin deflated a bit, and looked over to Rhea, who looked like she was deep in thought.
"No, that is true. However…" Rhea trailed off. Seteth looked over to her with surprise, like he knew what she was thinking.
"Lady Rhea-" he started.
Rhea raised her hand to silence him and smiled at Robin. "You look like you've plenty of experience, Robin. What means of weaponry do you use?"
"I'm a mage, I can use the sword effectively as well. I used to be a tactician."
Now Rhea's eyes lit up. "A tactician? How long have you used your services?"
Robin wondered where this was going. "Two years, my Lady."
Rhea's smile widened and Robin couldn't tell whether she should be nervous or not. "Well, as Seteth said, we cannot allow just anyone to use our library. However I am willing to let you use them if you work for the academy."
Robin looked at her in shock while Seteth looked taken aback and stammered, "L-Lady Rhea, you cannot be serious! You have done this once already and I-"
"Seteth, you trust me, correct?" Rhea rose from her chair.
"O-of course, but-"
"Then I would like to hear what Robin thinks."
Robin didn't know what to think. Work for the academy? In what capacity?
"What sort of work would you have me do?" She asked.
Rhea smiled and placed her hands in front of her. "There is a vacancy for a new professor."
A new professor? Like that Byleth guy? He was strange, she didn't want to work with him. What were the students like? Would they even accept her? But… she thought back to her friends, and a wave of sadness washed over her. Then Chrom's face appeared and she remembered how she liked seeing him smile, his eyes would light up and he had an infectious laugh that would lighten her heart in many ways. No, if this is what she had to do to see him, the Shepherds and all of Ylisse then she would do it. Fate brought her to Chrom, and it would guide her back. Her hand clenched over her heart as she looked at Rhea.
"I'll do it."
Her new room was quite comfy. It had pretty much everything she needed. A desk sat opposite her bed which she had tried out moments ago. It had a pile of documents she had to go through, Seteth had handed them to her and asked that she fill them out.
By the time he led her to her new room, it was pretty late and they didn't meet anyone on the way. Except for a pink girl and a rather large man, Robin noticed them looking at her and she was glad her hood was back up. No one could see her face and that brought her some comfort in the new environment. Seteth went over the curriculum in his office.
"Before I show you to your new sleeping quarters, I'd like to go through a few things." He had said before sighing. He sure liked to sigh a lot.
Ordinarily she'd throw a few snarky comments here and there, but his green hair reminded her of Tiki and it made her think of her a lot. So she kept them to herself and decided she'd get on this guy's good side. He was probably just under a lot of stress.
"You will be teaching the Golden Deers. This was professor Manuela's class before she decided to go back to being in the infirmary. Here is their list of names and their information. This gentleman," he tapped on the name Claude, "is the house leader, speak to him if you have the time."
Robin took the papers and nodded. She flipped through them while Seteth continued.
"Also, please use that journal I have given you. It comes with a calendar and feel free to use it for notes. There is an event at the end of the month I must tell you about. Called the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, it is a mock battle that all the houses will take part in. Since you are a new teacher, we only ask that you prepare your students to your best ability.
Now, if you will follow me." he got up and Robin hurriedly bunched the papers and her new journal together before standing up too.
He didn't have the time for a proper tour, he first showed her where the mess hall was, then to where her classroom will be tomorrow and then to her room. He said if she would like a full tour, then to come see him when they were both free, and he would direct her to the library.
Robin was sitting back in her bed, her coat hung by the door. She closed her eyes, this was a lot to take in at once. Her? A professor? Sure she spent her time teaching a few of the Shepherds some techniques, but never to this scale. She threw her gloves off and they hit the wall. Her Brand stared at her with its six eyes, almost glowing purple in the dark. She hoped she made the right decision.
After spending some hours going through the files and her new journal, she came up with what she hoped was a solid class plan and went to sleep. This was a different schedule than what she was used to. Would she get on with the students? What kind of teacher would she be? In the end, she mentally slapped herself to get some sleep and listened to the rain hitting the window before drifting off to a dreamless sleep.
"They were wearing a dark robe and were following Seteth around! They looked super creepy!"
"Are you sure you didn't just see a ghost, Hilda?" Claude chuckled and threw a crumpled piece of paper at her.
"Ghost!?" Lysithea cringed.
"They were not a ghost! They looked as real as you and me! Raphael was there with me when we saw it, tell them!" She threw the paper back to Claude and turned to the large man next to her. He rubbed the back of his head, looking uncomfortable."
"Yeah, well...we saw something I guess. Hard to tell when I was so hungry…"
Hilda huffed, "You're always hungry Raphael. Why are we here anyway? Professor Manuela isn't here to teach us anymore."
"Seteth told me this morning they'd found a replacement." Claude paused to yawn, "he woke me up early so I could bring the news to you guys and gather you here."
"I wonder who they are! And how they were found on such short notice." Ignatz shifted his books on his desk.
The atmosphere in the room quickly became hushed when a noise grabbed all of the students attention.
The creaking of the doors opening caused the students to look behind them in surprise. The open doors let in the rain and the wind that had been pounding on their classroom windows. Their voices quickly hushed and Hilda barely hid her gasp when she saw a dark form in the doorway. The cloaked figure let go of the door and let themselves into the room. The students watched in disbelieving silence as the spectre made their way through the central aisle, water seeping off their cloak onto the floor as they went. Heads turned as they passed, but the hood made it impossible to see a face. Finally, they made it to the front desk. Turning around they addressed the students, "Good morning everyone. I will be your new teacher."