Byleth yawned as he walked through the sleeping monastery's halls. The students had long since retired for the evening, leaving the once packed and bustling hallways noticeably empty. The sounds of his footsteps echoed back and forth through the corridors, rattling in his ears.
It was all rather… eerie. The mercenary-turned-professor didn't scare easily, but it didn't surprise him that the rumors of ghosts and other nefarious beings plaguing the monastery at night was a popular one among the students. There was something about a still Garegg Mach that didn't sit well with him.
"Byleth?"
He spared a glance at the floating form of the small, green-haired girl beside him.
"Yes, Sothis?"
"Do you mind explaining to me what we are doing?" She gave him a rather annoyed look. "It is entirely too late in the evening to be gallivanting around the monastery."
"I am not 'gallivanting.' I am researching," he explained with a sigh. "Were you not paying attention in class?"
"Don't speak to me like I'm one of your slack-jawed students," Sothis huffed. "And as a matter of fact, I was. I was also under the impression that you and your group of amateur investigators already deduced the assassination plot was a ploy to-"
"Distract us from their true goal of infiltrating the monastery, yes."
Byleth already had a sneaking hunch of where their aim lies, but it never hurt to be careful. As Jeralt would always tell him, 'it's better to be over-prepared than to get caught with your pants down.'
"And, given the fact we are currently patrolling the second floor of the dormitories in the middle of the night, I take it you assume their target is here? At the dormitories? Where the students sleep?"
Byleth clicked his tongue. The sarcastic tone in his companion's voice was unnecessary he thought.
"You can never be too sure. Perhaps their plan is to get us believing they're after the archbishop, when in reality they're planning to assassinate or kidnap one of the students. Most of them are of noble birth, after all."
"Ah, yes. I am sure that is the case," Sothis hummed to herself, her eyes drifting to the numbers on the doors. "As I am also sure that none of this has to do with the fact the arrogant one fell asleep in your class today."
Byleth hesitated mid-step. While completely unnoticeable to anyone else, Sothis caught it immediately.
She fluttered in front of him, her grin annoyingly smug.
"Ha! I knew it! You are concerned about her!"
Byleth rolled his eyes, turning his head away. Honestly, he was concerned. Edelgard was… well, Edelgard. She completed her assignments on time (sometimes a day or two early), never slacked off, never missed class, and certainly never slept through a lecture. The woman had perfect marks in all of her subjects. That didn't happen to those that slept through class.
It wasn't just the sleeping, either. The bags under her eyes had nearly doubled in intensity ever since they returned from their last mission. On her last pop quiz she missed a few questions, not to mention the fact her fuse had been shorter as of late. Poor Ferdinand got quite the tongue-lashing the last time he attempted his one-upsmanship with her.
"Heh, you might be able to pull one over on the other children in your class, but not me!" Sothis's placed her fists on her hips triumphantly. "Do not think I have not noticed your subtle little glances at her during your lectures, or how you turn your head slightly whenever she walks by. You are quite smitten with her, are you not?"
She was getting waaaay too excited about this.
"Be quiet," Byleth hissed. "Edelgard is one of my students. While I admit I do enjoy her company, I simply am worried about her well-being. She fell asleep in class today, which is very unlike her. I simply wanted to check in-"
Byleth shook his head, realization dawning on him.
"You've been reading those romance novels again, haven't you?"
"That is only because watching you grade papers is so dull!" Sothis exclaimed. "And they are not novels- they are epics. Do not insult the authors with your generalizations."
The mercenary took a deep breath, running a hand over his features. Goddess save me.
"Look, why don't you go back and read some more of your… epics," Byleth suggested. "I've got this handled."
"Phooey! Do not think you can be rid of me so easily," Sothis grumbled. "Besides, it is dreadfully boring in that room all alone…"
Despite himself, Byleth smiled slightly at the softly spoken line- well, he felt like he was smiling. Without Edelgard here to make certain, he was rather unsure what his face did in the presence of others.
Sothis stared at him wide-eyed, blinking dumbly.
"Was that a-"
"Ugg… Ahh…"
The soft groans coming from down the corridor caused Byleth to freeze in place. Given the catch in Sothis's breath, she must have heard it too.
Considering its tone and pitch, one could only assume it belonged to a woman… one in pain. It wasn't very loud, but with how quiet the monastery had become, it may as well have been a bloodcurdling scream.
"Did you hear that?" He glanced over at Sothis.
"Yes…" she mumbled. "A ghost perhaps? No, that surely is not the case…"
He tilted his head to the side, giving her an inquisitive look.
"You sure?"
Sothis pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Before you even think of uttering that sentence, I am no gho-"
"Fath… Save…"
The ethereal girl yelped, ducking behind Byleth's back.
Byleth's eyes wandered down the hallway, trying to pinpoint which room the noises were emanating from. He honestly came here to simply check in on his student, but all of a sudden it seemed like his claim about shady business taking place in the dorms wasn't so much of a lie after all.
If he were to guess, it sounded an awful lot like the groans were coming from…
Without another word, he took off in a dead sprint down the hallway.
"H-hey!" Sothis called after him. "Do not run off without me!"
Byleth ignored her plea, his feet eventually skidding to a halt outside of her room.
He rapped his knuckles on the wooden door.
No response.
Against his better judgement, he twisted the doorknob only to find that it was locked.
Once more, he knocked against the door.
"Edelgard?"
Still no response… The only sound he heard come from the room was the crashing of something falling.
Without a moment's thought, he rammed into the door with his shoulder, bursting into the room-
-Only to find a disheveled princess sprawled out on the floor, her desk chair lying next to her.
Edelgard was, to put this delicately, a mess. Her iconic black and red uniform was all wrinkled, and her hair an absolute disaster. The hints of drool at the corner of her lips glistened in the candlelight, and a few stray locks of her snow-white hair were stuck to the side of her face.
"P-Professor?" Edelgard stammered, looking up at him from behind her white bangs.
"…Oh, dear."
It didn't take a genius to gleam an insight as to what might have happened here. Edelgard, being the diligent student she was, probably fell asleep at her desk making up the work she had missed today or some other work she was behind on. The crashing sound probably happened when Byleth knocked on her door, startling her, and most likely causing her to fall out of her chair.
Although that didn't account for the strange noises…
He took a cursory look around the room. No one else was here, so who…?
"What are you doing here?!"
Edelgard's less shocked, more angry tone dragged him back to reality. By this point, she had already jumped up off the floor and had hurriedly brushed some of her strands of hair back into place with her hand.
Byleth glanced back at the door he had just pushed through, then back to his very red, very upset Edelgard. This… This was not a good look for him. Here he was- a teacher, all alone with a student in her room at the dead of night.
After he had nearly broken down the door to get in.
"If that Rhea figure saw this, I believe you would be… What's the mortal term for that?" Sothis paused, a finger prodding her chin. "Ah, yes! Fired!"
Sothis laughed at her own joke, the chimes of her giggles a stark contrast to the mood in the room. It took all of Byleth's willpower not to say something to her teasing. Being branded a lecher would be one thing but being branded a crazy lecher he would like to avoid if possible.
"Forgive me," he sighed, his gaze now steadily on the floor. "I was doing some research for our mission when I thought I heard some strange noises coming from your room."
A lie again, but it wasn't as if he could tell the truth after what he did. Even he had enough tact to know when a little white lie was needed.
"…Oh."
Edelgard frowned, her entire disposition changing.
"Perhaps I was talking in my sleep," she whispered as if to herself. Shame had etched into her features, her eyes cloudy with confusion.
Byleth took another look at the door, suddenly feeling supremely out of place. On the one hand, he, a teacher, had just broken into one of his students' rooms, the heir of the Empire no less. It felt a little foolish to suddenly engage in conversation with her after all of that. But, on the other, he was concerned about her. That was the point of his entire excursion.
Another one of his father's famous quotes popped into his mind.
'Son, there is a time and place for-
"Bad dreams?"
He asked against his better judgement.
Edelgard's nostrils twitched, her jaw tightening. Byleth's question definitely struck a chord. One that was better left unstruck, by the looks of it.
The professor wore a full suit of armor with a jacket adorning his shoulders. Despite all that extra padding, he couldn't help but shiver at the sudden drop in temperature. Even Sothis had lost the amused expression on her face.
"Ah. So, you could hear what I was saying even," Edelgard nodded to herself, her upper lip quivering. "And then decided it wise to break into my room in the dead of night to discuss the matter with me?"
Byleth blinked, taken back by the sudden hostility in her tone. The coldness in her voice. The hardening in her eyes. He had only heard her talk like that a few times before, and only on the field of battle.
"Edelgard-"
"While your concern is noted, I would very much appreciate it if you excused yourself so I can get some rest for tomorrow's class. Your class, might I add."
Byleth frowned at her piercing gaze. He knew when he was backed into a corner. There was no point in trying to discuss the matter any further at this time.
"Of course. My apologies."
Bowing once, he turned and promptly left her room, closing the door behind him.
Once he was out of sight with a wall of wood between them, Byleth allowed himself to sigh, falling against the door behind him. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he let loose a string of curses in his mind. That was stupid. He was stupid.
"That did not go the way I expected," Sothis mumbled, watching her friend with a pair of sad eyes.
"How else would it have gone? She had every right to be livid with me."
Byleth exhaled slowly from his nose. Without another word, he pushed himself off the door and made his way back to his own bed for the night. If anything, this just went to show that some of his father's advice had some merit to it after all.
The next morning…
Byleth walked into his room, vigorously drying his wet hair with a towel. The professor wore nothing but a pair of wool pants, another towel draped over his bare shoulders. His mind had been elsewhere this morning, so he had forgotten to grab a clean shirt before heading out to the bathhouse. It was regrettable that he had to walk all the way back to his room in nothing but some pants and a towel to cover his upper half, but at least no students were up this early.
Hey, isn't that the Captain's kid? He's… kind of weird, isn't he?'
"Back from your bath?" Sothis looked up from her spot on his bed, her feet kicking the air as she read from one of his books.
'Did you see him in our last battle? The boy's face didn't show a hint of emotion as he cut down those thieves- some of them were even younger than him! They'd cry for their mothers and he just stared at 'em, watching as the life left their eyes. You know, I heard from some of the others that he hasn't laughed or cried. Ever. Even when he was a babe.'
'Wha? What kind of baby doesn't cry?'
'Ones that ain't right in the head, that's who. No wonder they call him the 'Ashen Demon.' It ain't human the way he kills.'
Byleth plopped down on his bed, the force causing the small girl to bounce up and down.
"H-Hey, watch it!" Sothis grumbled, flipping the pages back to the correct spot. When he still didn't respond, she looked over at him.
'Heh, he's far from human, I can tell you that much.'
He dried his hair in silence, his eyes looking past the wooden floorboards beneath him. Memories of the Ashen Demon's past life had danced around his thoughts since the night before. Memories of the other mercenaries talking behind his back. Memories of when he was nothing but a lad and the other village children would point at him and whisper something to their parents as he walked by. Some of them would even avert their gazes, afraid to meet his eyes. Their parents would look at him with confusion on their faces, and sometimes, disgust.
Not much unlike how Edelgard had looked at him the night before.
"Byleth?"
Byleth was always respected, sometimes even feared, but never had he been liked. Before coming here, he had no friends. None of the other mercenaries dared to get close to him, and because of his nomad lifestyle, there were no childhood friends. Other than his father, the only one that's ever truly loved him, he had no idea what the warm embrace of love felt like. Jeralt wasn't one that often practiced open displays of affection, and he never knew his mother, so he had no frame of reference as to what love felt like, or what it felt like to be loved. The weight of that loneliness was often overbearing.
Perhaps that was why he was so protective of all his students. They were the first ones to ever accept him with open arms, without knowing a thing about his past other than his relation to Jeralt. The look of joy on their faces (minus Hubert) when it was revealed that he would be their professor… It was one he held dear to his heart. It was one that brought him strength he never knew.
Perhaps that was why he was beginning to overstep his bounds as a teacher. He was so excited at the prospect of being accepted by others that he had begun to push the limits of his relationship with Edelgard. He hadn't even known them for a year, and already he put their lives above his own.
"There is no rule saying that teachers and students cannot be friends, you know. It is unlike you to mope like this."
Byleth looked up, only to see Sothis's green eyes staring into his.
"Did you forget?" She raised an eyebrow. "You and I are one. Though I try not to infringe on your privacy, your thoughts are of no secret to me."
"Right," Byleth nodded, turning his head back to the ground. "You are right, of course. But it was wrong of me to assume as such. I am their teacher, nothing more. It is forward of me to hope otherwise."
"And why is that?" Sothis asked. "What is so wrong with that? Have you ever stopped to wonder that maybe you are more to them than a simple teacher, just as they are more to you than students?"
Sothis floated up from her spot, repositioning herself so she would be beside him on the bed.
"You have heard their stories, have you not? Many of them have troubled pasts, never truly knowing what it feels like to have someone stand beside them unconditionally. I can assure you, they need you as much as you need them. Do not begin to doubt that, and do not go using those old memories to reinforce that doubt all because you had a little scuffle with one of your students."
Byleth stared at his friend with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open. Slowly, the corners of his lips began to tug upwards, until a full-fledged smile stretched across his face.
"Ah-ha! I knew you could smi-hey!"
Reaching up, Byleth tousled her hair.
"Thank you, Sothis. It seems I have forgotten that you've always been there for me, haven't I?"
"Do not treat me as if I am a mere child!" she grouched, trying, and failing, to slap his hand away. "And yes, you have! You would do best not to forget that again."
Knock, knock, knock!
Their touching moment came to a screeching halt at the sound of someone tapping at the door.
"Who could that be at this hour?" Byleth mumbled to himself.
"Maybe you should go and see. Hmph!"
Thanks to the distraction, Sothis finally succeeded at getting his hand off her head, then went back to reading her book.
Pushing himself off the bed with a grunt, Byleth strode over to the door. If this was Alois again to "enthrall" him with more stories of his past, Byleth was going to be extremely-
"Edelgard?"
Byleth blinked at the girl standing at his doorstep. Of all the people to come knocking at his door this early in the morning, Edelgard would be at the bottom of the list. For her to look so hesitant and rather sheepish was an even bigger surprise.
"Professor," she greeted him, her gaze pointedly avoiding the land down south of his chin. "I know it is early, but do you have a moment?"
He looked back at his laughably bland dorm, then back to Edelgard. Shrugging, he stepped out of the way of the entrance, letting her inside.
"Go ahead and have a seat."
Edelgard nodded and walked into his room. Taking a brief look around at his barren accommodations, she stopped in front of his desk chair and took a seat, thankfully avoiding the invisible Sothis on his bed.
"For someone on their payroll, you would think the monastery might provide a nicer room."
"I'm fine with it," Byleth replied, slipping on a black tunic. "Besides, I don't need anything larger than this."
This time, he made a point out of dropping himself on the bed with the elegance of a rock. Sothis bounced up and down on its surface, a growl similar to a puppy's escaping her lips, but otherwise she ignored him.
"What can I do for you today, Edelgard?" he asked, trying not to appear too amused. Truthfully, while Sothis's pep talk did cheer him up, he still felt somewhat uneasy around the Adrestian. It probably wouldn't help matters for him to let out a chuckle.
"Ah, yes…"
An unfamiliar pensive look adorned her features. Her hands gripped at the hem of her skirt, her face avoiding his.
"About last night…"
Can't say this wasn't expected.
"Again, I am sorry, Edelgard," Byleth interrupted her. "It was wrong of me to-"
"No!"
Byleth blinked, shocked by the sudden outburst.
Edelgard cleared her throat awkwardly.
"No, it wasn't wrong. You were just worried for my safety. I am aware of that now," she spoke softly. "While I was somewhat… shocked to see you standing there when I awoke, it was wrong of me to snap at you like I did. For that, I apologize. I hope you won't-"
Edelgard stopped midsentence, her eyes widening.
"You-You're smiling? Teacher, why are you smiling?"
"It's nothing," Byleth shook his head, mentally thanking Sothis. "I'm just glad to hear that, is all. Why don't the two of us agree to just forget last night ever happened?"
Edelgard let out a sigh of relief, placing a hand to her chest.
"I would love nothing more. I was up half the night worried that you might come to hate me."
"Hate?" Byleth tilted his head to the side. "Nothing you could say or do would make me come to hate you, Edelgard. Honestly speaking-"
Byleth spared a glance at Sothis before continuing.
"While I am your teacher and you are my student, I'd also like to think of you as a friend."
"Teacher…"
Edelgard blinked, dumbstruck by his words. After a few moments, she herself began to smile as well.
"Your words are a great relief to hear," she nodded, her smile faltering. "Truthfully, I did come here to speak with a trusted friend rather than my teacher- if you have the time, that is."
"Oh?" Byleth rose an eyebrow. "I'm all ears."
Edelgard's knuckles turned white, her features stiffening. Just like last night, her entire disposition changed. He could tell this was a challenge for her, but as to why, he did not know.
"Promise me that you won't tell a soul about what I'm going to tell you. Promise me."
"Of course," Byleth replied softly. "You can trust me with anything."
Despite the paleness of her face, Byleth detected the traces of a smile at her lips.
"I had a feeling you might say that."
Edelgard lifted her head, her eyes meeting his. The light of her fire had returned, leaving Byleth to wonder if it had ever disappeared to begin with.
And just like always, she was unwavering in the face of a challenge.
"You asked me about my dreams. The truth is, they are more like nightmares-"
And there you have it!
While some of you might be a tad disappointed, I decided not to rehash what was already said in her C support. None of that I would have changed, so I didn't want to bore you all with the same words essentially copy pasted in here. Plus, I hate doing that and avoid it when I can. Besides, I'm sure most of you came here to see something new rather than just a retelling of their C Support.
Also, as you can probably see, I changed up the C Support pretty hard. While I love the dialogue in it, it never really sat right with me. I mean, Byleth literally just barges into her room, wakes her up, then decides to ask her a very personal question about what she was dreaming about. I can't imagine a single person who would be like "Yeah, okay Prof, let's talk about my past and all my dead family members after you so politely entered my room."
So, instead, I decided to add some Byleth character and Sothis to this chapter.
Hopefully you all liked it! Until next time!
Oh, and a few of you have been asking if I'll add any of the other characters outside of Beagles into the story. The answer to that is, a big resounding yes. In fact, expect a few Blue Lion members coming in a few chapters. Can't wait!
