Byleth stood at the front of the Black Eagle army, the Sword of the Creator resting comfortably on his shoulder. His eyes scanned the vast grain fields of Gronder, numbers racing by in his mind as he counted each head he saw. It was a futile effort. There had to be hundreds of men and women that stood on the field, anxiously awaiting the signal to commence the battle. His gaze could hardly make it anywhere past the sea of students. In that great herd, he could point out the familiar yellow of Claude standing at the front of his forces, and the familiar blue of Dimitri standing at the front of his.

The professor swallowed the growing lump in his throat. He had no doubts in the abilities of his students; only his own. This would be the first time he had ever commanded a battle of this size. The largest group he ever led was somewhere around fifty men. The flock of students and soldiers behind him dwarfed that.

"Are you ready, Professor?"

Byleth glanced at the house leader beside him. As always, Edelgard appeared calm and collected. Her expression was blank, but her purple eyes burned with the fires of determination at the conquest before her; a common look that adorned her face in scenarios such as this. He envied her ability to stay levelheaded like that.

Truthfully, unlike her, he wasn't ready. Not mentally, at least. The strategy he had cooked up with the help of Hubert and Lysithea (and occasionally Edelgard) he felt was foolproof, there was only the slight, nagging doubt that he could lead an army of this size to victory.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Byleth nodded.

His eyes traveled up the cliffside to where a small group stood. He could spot the green tufts of hair at the front.

Lady Rhea and other members of the church were already in their front row seats to watch how the battle will play out. They were silent observers in this grand, mock battle, but they also played the part of moderators to this event. While all students were given training weapons for this bout, the margin for human error was still great. Even with wooden weapons, basic magic spells, and blunt arrows, injuries could and would still transpire. Rhea and her group of healers were there to ensure no student got seriously wounded and to transport any beaten student away from the battlefield. In the off chance that some poor soul's life was threatened, they would also Warp them out before serious damage could be done.

Taking that into account, the sword that rested on his shoulder felt heavier than ever. The decision to allow the professor to use such a weapon as the Sword of the Creator was as curious as it was baffling. Byleth also had a training sword strapped to his waist that he would be using in one-on-one fights, but he had been given full reign by Rhea to use his blade on the field of battle as he saw fit.

Her motives were perplexing, but even so, Byleth could garner a few theories as to why the decision had been made. He was sure part of it was just a test to see how far he had progressed with mastering the sword, but a larger part of him wondered if perhaps this was a convenient opportunity to showcase its destructive power. Rhea had never been soft-spoken about what would happen to those that opposed the church. Perhaps she saw this as a chance to show all the onlookers and the rest of the students the power they held in their possession. To show everyone what they would be up against should they raise their blades to the Church of Seiros.

Byleth frowned, exhaling slowly through his nose.

Regardless of the reason, he disapproved. Of course, it was entirely possible that this entire battle was just put in place to remind everyone how terrible and destructive war really was, but he doubted it. If that were truly the case, the victor wouldn't be lauded in praise. They had been very blatant with their promised rewards to the winner. It seemed counterproductive to reward the victors of this battle if their purpose was to dissuade the instigation of war in that manner.

"Nervous?"

He could feel Edelgard's eyes evaluating him.

"How can you tell?" Byleth asked.

"You seem almost… jumpy today."

"Jumpy?" Byleth raised an eyebrow as he glanced at her. He had been called a lot of things before, but 'jumpy' was never one of them.

But… he supposed he was feeling rather on edge. Part of him wished the horns would sound just so they could get to fighting. Wielding a sword was what he was trained to do- what he lived to do. It was where the Ashen Demon in him felt most at home.

Leading an army, though… that was something Byleth wasn't accustomed to.

"I suppose I am." Byleth nodded.

"There is no need to worry, my teacher. With you leading us, there's nothing we can't accomplish."

Byleth turned his eyes away from her encouraging smile, the butterflies in his stomach increasing in intensity. It was incredible how such a fierce woman could flip the switch like that. It caught him completely off guard, despite what his facial features might be exhibiting.

It didn't help matters that he still felt somewhat awkward around his precious student. Ever since that night where he nearly let his most bottled secret slip, he felt somewhat… uncomfortable being with her. Not that he didn't enjoy her company, quite the opposite, but the feeling of being wrapped around one person's finger was something he didn't quite comprehend. He wasn't sure how to act around her, but thankfully, Edelgard hadn't seemed to pick up on it.

Byleth only feared that the next time she swayed his reason, he might really say something he couldn't take back. He only had to wait a few more months, but when he considered how long that time frame was, it felt like an eternity.

"Eagles, gather around."

Byleth pushed the thoughts from his head and turned to face his class. The battlefield was no place for thoughts of this nature. That could wait until after the day was won. People were relying on his steely nerves. He couldn't get lost in his thoughts here of all places.

The heads of Hubert, Petra, Bernadetta, Ferdinand Linhardt, Caspar, Dorothea, Felix, Flayn, and Lysithea came to stand before him and Edelgard.

"Just follow the strategies we laid out and the day should be ours," Byleth told them, his eyes scanning each of their faces. Some looked more ready for the battle to commence than others. "If you find yourself caught out or being pushed back, just call for aid. Heroes belong in the storybooks, not the battlefield. Understood, Caspar?"

"Hey, why are you singling me out?" The boy in question grumbled, crossing his arms indignantly.

"I believe it is rather obvious." Hubert glowered at him. "You are more likely to scream some obscenity and charge the enemy recklessly than you are to wait for backup."

"One time that happened!"

"Just once?" Hubert challenged. "I would require an abacus to hope to count them all."

Caspar growled and turned his head, his cheeks a slight shade of red.

"Worry not, Professor!" Petra exclaimed. "I will be a… a…"

The girl from Brigid fumbled for the right word.

"Team player!"

"That's the spirit, Petra!" Dorothea giggled into her hand. "As long as we work together, we can do anything."

The songstress turned to Felix and winked at him.

"Isn't that right, Felix?"

"Don't wink at me."

Dorothea took a step towards him.

"Come on, don't be such a spoilsport, Felix."

Felix took a step back.

"And I thought the Deer were a rowdy bunch…" Lysithea mumbled to herself as she watched the conversation unfold.

"Ha! You will find no bunch rowdier than the Black Eagles!" Ferdinand boasted, for some reason looking rather smug at that. He turned to Byleth. "Am I right, Professor?"

"Don't answer that, Teacher," Edelgard groaned, a hand absently rubbing her brow.

The Eagles' antics always had a way of calming him. The group would get wildly off topic, only for Edelgard to make some disapproving remark or try to reel them back in. Even in the face of battle, they somehow found a way to act as usual. The silly routine was always welcomed.

Perhaps it would bolster morale if he joined in on the fun every once and awhile. Yes, he reasoned that was a fine strategy.

"That's right, Ferdinand. We are hands down the rowdiest class."

Ferdinand grinned triumphantly, much to Edelgard's dismay.

"Not you too," Edelgard sighed, her shoulders drooping.

Byleth felt himself smile as he watched the exasperated princess roll her eyes.

However, before he could open his mouth to administer some smarmy rebuttal, the sounds of a horn being played blared across Gronder Field.

And with it, his grin vanished.

"It is time. Man your positions."

The group nodded in unison and scattered across their side of the field. Meanwhile, along with Edelgard, Byleth moved to the front. Despite the tumultuous emotions that swirled in his chest, he really did feel at ease with her standing at the front with him.

"You ready?" Byleth asked his partner.

"Always, my teacher." Edelgard nodded.


With the battle fully underway, it was truly a sight to behold. Edelgard was no stranger to combat, but even she had a hard time truly grasping what she was witnessing. She had worked with Byleth countless times after he had received the Sword of the Creator, but never had she seen it put to use in a battle of this size. In an area as open as Gronder Field, the true potential of the Creator's Sword could be, and was, put to use.

To put it bluntly, it was a force of nature.

The legendary weapon twirled high overhead like some great dragon, cracking the air as the sword whipped back and forth. Red strands of electricity crackled around the length of the blade, arcing to the ground below while avoiding any passing-by soldiers.

"Lion cavaliers approaching from the west!" Ferdinand's voice boomed over the sounds of the fray.

Edelgard slammed the hilt of her axe into the nose of the Blue Lion student she had been fighting. The man yelped in pain, falling back onto his rear. The minute his body touched the dirt, ethereal light rain down on him, teleporting him away.

With her foe beaten, Edelgard turned to the oncoming threat.

Sure enough, a battalion of two dozen horsemen were attempting to flank their main force. The thundering sound of their hoofbeats somehow managed to drown out the chorus of shouts and weapons clashing.

The cavaliers were outnumbered nearly two-to-one, but with them being on horseback, they could simply charge through their ranks and trample many of their troops in the process.

The air cracked as the Sword of the Creator veered to the left and toward the encroaching Lions.

But, instead of aiming for the students themselves, the blade collided with ground in front of them.

A miniature explosion of dirt erupted into the air. The shock wave caused the horses to rear back on their hind legs. The creatures neighed in fear as they tried, and failed, to backpedal away. Many of the horses toppled over, while the ones that had been able to remain standing were eventually pushed over by gusts of wind magic.

Several pillars of light cascaded down from the sky as the beaten troops were warped away.

Had Edelgard been anywhere other than the battlefield, she would have been awestruck by the pure display of power Byleth had just unleashed. Their leader probably didn't even break a sweat at dispatching that amount of men.

"Fliers in the southwest!" A voice Edelgard did not recognize shouted.

"Petra, Bernie, scare them off!" Byleth ordered from somewhere in the distance. Her teacher was leading the charge with her at the front, but with a battle this grand, she couldn't hope to spot his face in the crowd. The field was dotted with small, contained battles, obscuring her vision. "Mages, hold the fort! Push back any assault! Edelgard, advance!"

Edelgard twirled her axe as she sped forwards, her own battalion of troops following behind her.

Her brows twitched as she heard a familiar droning sound in the air.

Skidding to a halt, she turned her head to the sky.

A cloud of arrows was falling towards them.

"Professor, above us!"

At her warning, the Sword of the Creator began to bend once more.

The glowing red blade tore through the volley of arrows, turning the threat into nothing but splinters.

Shards of wood rained down on them harmlessly. Another attack deterred.

Edelgard turned her focus back to the task before her. There was still a considerable amount of ground to cover before she could reach Dimitri at the back of his force.

"Follow my lead!" She barked before resuming her charge. "Hold nothing back!"

Edelgard's forces tore through an unsuspecting group of Golden Deer. They had been so preoccupied with battling the Lions, they hadn't bothered to protect themselves from an attack to their backs.

She dipped under the thrust of a lance, swinging her axe at the attacker's rib cage as she rose back to her full height.

At the last second, she pulled back. Had she used all of her strength, the student would have been sent into the dirt with a multitude of broken ribs. Instead, when her wooden weapon collided with his midsection, he was probably only left with a cracked rib and a nasty bruise.

Another flash of light, another group of students transported away from the battlefield. Another win for the Eagles.

Edelgard turned her gaze to her next opponent, only to freeze when she heard the familiar sound of hoofbeats fast approaching. However, this time, she could only pinpoint one horse over the sounds of battle.

The Eagle instinctively rolled to her right, narrowly dodging a blow from a lance as the horse galloped by.

"Nice reflexes!"

Edelgard raised her head, her eyes narrowing at the sight of familiar red hair.

Sylvain grinned at her from his seat on the saddle. His horse trotted in place, its head twisting back and forth as it neighed.

"I promise not to bruise that pretty face of yours, Princess, so don't hold this against me, okay?"

Edelgard growled, her hands tightening around the hilt of her axe. She always did find Sylvain's constant jabbering to be grating. A small part of her would enjoy this.

Sylvain whipped the reins with one hand, while in the other he raised his lance.

The horse galloped forward, it's path right towards Edelgard.

She tensed her legs, readying herself to jump out of the way once more. With her axe, she was at a supreme disadvantage in terms of reach. She would be hard-pressed to dodge Sylvain's lance while retaliating in kind, so she'd be forced to get creative.

At the last second, she jumped to the opposite side of the lance, avoiding the thrust.

As she moved, Edelgard adjusted her grip on the axe's hilt.

With as much strength as she could muster, she hurled her weapon at his chest.

"Oof!"

Sylvain grunted as the wood struck him squarely in the sternum, knocking him clean off the horse.

He fell to the ground with a thud, gasping as the air was stolen from his lungs. Meanwhile, the frightened horse whinnied and galloped off without its master.

Despite all of that, Sylvain found the wherewithal to sit up and flash her one of his trademark, "charming" smiles.

"Man! Those slender arms of yours sure do pack a punch!" Sylvain laughed, rubbing his bruised rear. "To celebrate your victory, maybe you and those beautiful arms of yours should accompany me to-"

Before he could finish his would-be proposal, the pillar of light transported him away.

Edelgard scoffed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as she bent down to retrieve her weapon.

Not a moment too soon, might she add.

"Lady Edelgard!"

One of her troop approached her.

"What is it?" She asked but kept her eyes on the battle unfolding around her. Under Byleth's command, they had slowly pushed their advantage. The Eagles had cut through the battling Lions and Deer, interjecting themselves in between the two forces.

"Prince Dimitri and his men have joined the fray! What are your orders?"

Edelgard's hands clenched at the name, her knuckles turning white as her grip tightened around her weapon.

Truthfully, this duel was a long time coming. For some time now Edelgard had wanted to test her might against his; to finally decide who among the two was the stronger fighter. Dimitri was one of the many obstacles on her path that she would one day have to do away with. Their battle today could be a good indicator of how the future conflict might play out. If she could beat Dimitri here, she could be confident in the fact that when the day came for them to clash once more, she would emerge victorious.

The last mock battle the two fought in was hardly a worthy assessment. Their first battle was nothing more than a meager training session. The Battle of the Eagle and Lion was as close to the real thing as she would get until that day came. Were she to win today, the victory would be much sweeter.

This battle would be a fitting final test of her resolve. If she could abandon what little scraps remained of her past-self and strike down the man she once called a step-sibling, there would be nothing left to hold her back. Her last "attempt" to do so had failed miserably when Byleth and his father had intervened, but that had been different. While she had given the order to Kostas, she wasn't the one wielding the axe. It was hardly the same when it was by your own hand.

If she could force Dimitri into a loss with her own two hands, then nothing could shake her will. Nothing other than-

Edelgard stopped that line of thought right in its tracks. Now was hardly the time to get lost in the endless possibilities that involved her enigmatic professor.

"We will meet them head on," Edelgard declared as she stepped forward. "Leave Dimitri to me."

The man saluted, falling into step with Edelgard as they moved forwards.


Byleth sidestepped the swing of the axe, slapping the training weapon out of Hilda's hands with his own.

"Yowch!" Hilda shrieked, her good hand gingerly rubbing the fresh welt. "Watch where you swing that thing, Professor!"

"Sorry, Hilda." Byleth smiled apologetically at her as he lightly tapped her chest with his sword. "For a delicate flower, you fought well."

A few seconds and a flash of light later, a grinning Hilda was warped away from the field.

Setting his sights on the rest of the battle, Byleth moved to rejoin the fray.

The Golden Deer's forces were quickly being depleted. With Hubert's assault from the east, the Deer had been pincered on all fronts. Other than the small group Hubert was currently dealing with, all that remained was Claude and his troop. Once they were beaten, Byleth could turn his focus to wiping out the rest of the Lions. All was going according to plan.

As Hubert had put it, it had been a bold strategy to engage both houses at once. The Eagles were stretched thin, but if one were to take a single glance at Gronder Field, they wouldn't know it with how well they were fairing. Other than a few students and a disgruntled Caspar and a thankful Linhardt, no other Eagle had been knocked out of the battle- at least, not that he had seen.

And for that, Byleth was immensely proud of his students. They were all handling the hectic ordeal of war with poise and grace. Byleth expected a fair share of hiccups during today's battle, but to his surprise, there really hadn't been. The Eagles had followed his orders to the letter, and other than a few quick adjustments, the strategy they put in place had been working quite well. Byleth hadn't even felt forced to use an instance of Divine Pulse (not that he would).

If things continued as they were, he felt confident in the fact that-

Byleth leaned to the right as an arrow whizzed by. Had he moved even a second later, his skull would have sustained some serious damage. A concussion, at the very least.

He whipped his head towards his new opponent, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of his challenger.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to space out on the battlefield, Teach?"

Claude was grinning as he stepped out from underneath the small cluster of trees, his fingers twirling an arrow across the backs of his knuckles.

"I thought you of all people would know that!"

In one fluid motion, he had nocked the arrow he was holding. There was a sharp twang as the bowstring was released.

Byleth barely had the time to dodge it with a sidestep. It seemed Claude's dexterity wasn't just for show.

"Damn, I thought for sure you'd pull out that sword to deflect that," the Deer's leader sighed as he scratched his head. "I was really hoping I'd get the chance to see firsthand if the Sword of the Creator was all it cracked up to be."

"Sorry, Claude, but I won't be needing it for this battle."

"Ooh! Backtalk! Okay, now we're getting somewhere!" Claude smirked as he pulled another arrow from the quiver. "Show me what you got, Teach!"

Truthfully, that wasn't intended to be "backtalk," but Byleth didn't have the heart to tell Claude that. The Riegan just looked so pleased by it.

Nor did he have the time.

In the blink of an eye, another arrow was sent flying at his chest.

Byleth dropped to all fours to avoid the attack. The minute the arrow flew over his head, he pushed himself up, setting out in a sprint towards Claude.

Claude's smirk grew as Byleth got closer and closer, as if this had been what he expected from the start. Even if it was, there wasn't much Byleth could do otherwise. Unless he closed the distance between the two, he had no hope of besting him. Of course, he could simply use his Sword of the Creator, but he would prefer not to use such a powerful weapon in a scuffle like this.

The Deer leader let loose another arrow, followed by another. With each shot he took a step back.

Byleth had been able to dodge the first one, but the second arrow had been shot right where he had moved to. As expected of the skilled archer, he had predicted which side Byleth would jump to after evading his first attack.

The professor grunted as he smacked aside the arrow with his sword. The impact had been greater than he expected.

He didn't have much time to recover before another arrow flew by.

This little dance continued as Byleth tried, and failed, to close the distance between he and Claude. It was near impossible to gain much ground without having to duck, roll, or jump to the side in order to dodge one of Claude's well-placed arrows.

But, as long as Byleth continued to avoid, he would ultimately gain the upper hand. There were only so many arrows in his quiver; truly the bane of every archer's existence.

Claude was clearly aware of this fact as well. As he drew his final arrow, he didn't nock it against his bow's string. Instead, he simply held its shaft in his hand, grinning as Byleth grew closer and closer.

Byleth raised his sword in a two-handed grip as he approached, his feet smacking against the dirt floor as he ran.

The professor slashed at Claude's midsection.

Claude ducked under the blow, dropping to the ground on one hand as he spun to the side.

As he rose back to his full height, he threw that same hand outwards.

"Tch!"

A fistful of dirt and mud was flung in Byleth's face, effectively blinding him.

He stumbled backwards, his free hand swiping at his face to try and clear the dirt from his watering eyes.

Through his blurry vision he could see Claude's arm descend upon him. In his grip was his final arrow.

Byleth lashed out, grabbing Claude by the wrist before the blow could connect. His sight might be compromised, but his honed instincts were still untainted.

He brought his sword arm down towards Claude's head, pummel first.

Claude stopped the blow with a hand of his own, then smashed his head into Byleth's nose.

Byleth grunted and stumbled away, his hand moving to his fractured nose.

"Yeesh, you've really got a hard noggin." Claude was wincing as he gingerly rubbed his forehead.

As Byleth pulled his hand away, he frowned at the wet, red splotch on his fingers.

"You don't fight like the others, Claude," he stated, wiping his hand off on his jacket.

"Of course I don't." Claude shrugged. "A win's a win, I don't care how I get it."

As if to punctuate his point, Claude nocked his final arrow and fired at Byleth.

Byleth smacked it aside and lunged forwards.

He swung his sword downwards towards Claude's right shoulder.

Claude raised his wooden bow, blocking it.

Pushing Byleth off of him, Claude jumped backwards.

"I've got a proposition for you, Teach." He smirked as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"Oh?" Byleth raised an eyebrow but didn't lower his sword. He wouldn't put it past him to try and attack while Byleth's guard was down.

"If you promise to let me have the prize, I'll give you the honor of a victory." Claude winked. "How does that sound? Deal?"

Byleth frowned. Claude sure did enjoy running his mouth, but he knew that was just another one of the Golden Deer's classic tactics. The man knew better than most how words could affect someone's focus. Were Dimitri or Edelgard here in Byleth's stead, such a strategy might have worked.

To his credit, Claude von Riegan was quite the enigma to the professor. The leader of the Alliance was truly the antithesis to what he had witnessed from his counterparts Dimitri and Edelgard. Claude didn't seem to mind getting his hands dirty or sullying his own reputation if it meant getting a win. In a way, Byleth respected that determination.

"Sorry, Claude, but I can't let my students down." Byleth smiled slightly, his grip tightening around the hilt of his weapon.

"Always the dutiful professor," Claude chuckled, shaking his head. "Fine, have it your way."

Claude darted to the side, so Byleth followed, his sword trailing behind him as he ran.

He had no arrows left, so all Byleth had to do was overcome him in close-quarters combat, and the battle should be won.

Byleth veered to the right, moving to intercept him.

Claude skidded to a halt, his hand shooting to his boot.

Byleth's eyes widened.

In a single motion, he had pulled out the single arrow he had kept hidden and placed it against the string of his bow.

How long has he been hiding that?

Taking aim, he let go of the string.

Byleth dropped to the dirt floor, using his hands to cushion his fall. The arrow flew by harmlessly.

Swinging his lower half around, Byleth attempted to sweep Claude's legs.

His right leg connected with Claude's, sending the startled Deer tumbling to the ground. The Riegan grunted as his back crashed into the dirt.

Jumping to his feet, Byleth pressed his sword to Claude's neck.

"Damn, that was a sneaky one," Claude laughed shakily, letting his head rest against the ground. "I didn't think you were so flexible."

"Don't feel too bad. The same thing worked on Edelgard."

"That's something I guess," he sighed, his eyes moving to the point of Byleth's wooden blade. "Well, go ahead. You got me."

Byleth poked his neck with his sword.

"Later, Teach."

Claude winked at him as the bright light of a Warp spell shimmered down on him.

Byleth snorted, moving his arm back to his side.

Claude von Riegan really was cut from a different cloth.

Turning his back to the dwindling Golden Deer, Byleth set out to rejoin Edelgard.


Edelgard slammed her axe into Dimitri's lance. The Lion grunted as he caught the blow. He pushed the axe aside, taking a single step back before lunging forwards.

She backed away, narrowly avoiding the lance's point to her abdomen.

"I never imagined the day where we crossed blades would come to pass," Dimitri said, his chest rising and falling slowly as he caught his breath.

Edelgard huffed, the back of her axe resting on her shoulder as her free hand moved to her hip.

"If the Empire and the Kingdom go to war, we'll be able to fight as much as we please."

Dimitri's mouth contorted into a deep frown.

"I am very sorry, but that is not something to joke about. The thought of fighting you is troubling at best."

The prince truly looked disturbed at the very thought of it. His eyes were dark and murky, his hands unconsciously clenching around his weapon.

Little did he know, there was no jest in Edelgard's statement.

"In that case, I wonder when you'll be able to stomach facing me in battle… Do you need a few moments?"

Anger spread across Dimitri's features. She knew that struck a nerve. Try as he might to cage those dark emotions, Edelgard knew better than anyone how to press those buttons.

"I'll wait to take those moments until after the Lions have claimed a victory here today."

"Hmph. We shall see."

Edelgard planted her foot into the ground, bringing her arm around to smash her axe into Dimitri's head.

Dimitri skirted to the side to avoid it, thrusting at Edelgard's exposed side with his lance.

Edelgard smacked it away with the back of her hand, swinging her axe horizontally in the same motion.

Dimitri jumped backwards. The moment his feet touched the ground, he sprung forwards. He lashed out with the back end of his lance, aiming for Edelgard's forearm.

Edelgard braced herself for the blow to connect. Knowing Dimitri's strength, it would no doubt be a powerful strike.

At the last second, he faltered. It was brief, but Edelgard could spot the flash of indecisiveness in his light blue eyes. He had pulled back at the final second.

The wooden shaft connected with her arm, but it felt like nothing more than a punch than a strike from a lance.

Grabbing the lance with her free hand, she twisted it to the side as she threw the elbow of her other arm into Dimitri's cheek.

The prince grimaced as he stumbled away, but somehow managed to keep a firm hold on the weapon Edelgard had tried to wrench from his grasp.

"What do I have to do to get you to fight me at your full strength?" Edelgard scowled at him. Him refusing to hit her with the brunt of his strength was a bigger blow to her pride than any insult he might utter.

"I-It's not easy raising your hand to family," Dimitri muttered, his hand wiping away the small trail of blood from his mouth. "I'm sure you could understand that, El."

She stiffened at the familiar name, her jaw clenching. Dimitri was the only one left to call her that and understand the weight behind that name. To think he would have the audacity to call her that in the midst of battle… A name that once gave her so much joy now left her with a bundle of conflicting emotions.

Edelgard couldn't allow herself to falter now.

"That sentimentality of yours will be your undoing, Dimitri."

Edelgard barreled forwards, her axe trailing behind her.

Dimitri's eyes widened. He hurriedly put up his defenses, but in the face of Edelgard's sudden charge, he was a few seconds too slow.

Edelgard hefted her axe, preparing to bring it down in an overhead strike.

Dimitri lifted his lance, readying himself to receive her blow with the shaft of his lance.

At the last second, right before the two weapons could connect, Edelgard changed direction. A feint.

Twisting her arms to the side, she swung with all of her might at Dimitri's exposed midsection.

Dimitri grunted in pain as the wooden axe connected with his ribs, shattering on impact.

The prince was thrown to the ground, his body skidding across the dirt surface for a few inches before coming to a stop.

He hissed as he sat up, a hand gently grasping his side.

Edelgard stalked over to him, tossing aside her broken weapon.

Dimitri raised his head as she approached, his lips curving up into a pained grin.

"Looks like you bested me this time," he mumbled, wincing as his chest moved.

"It won't just be 'this time' if you continue to hold back every time we fight," Edelgard retorted, the back of her hand resting on her hip.

The grin on his face faded. His blue eyes met hers. They refused to waver.

"Then I hope this will be the last time," Dimitri stated somberly.

A pillar of light rained down on his form. Dimitri's eyes never left hers as the magic from the Warp spell whisked him away.

Before she had a moment to ponder his words, the sound of a horn being played blasted across the field.

Edelgard lifted her head, turning her gaze to the cliffside behind her. Had the others already defeated the rest of the forces?

"That is the end of this year's Battle of the Eagle and Lion!" Seteth's commanding voice boomed. "And the winners are... the Black Eagles!"

Cheers erupted across Gronder Field as the declaration was made. Fists and weapons were pumped into the air. Even Edelgard felt herself smile somewhat at their victory.

She turned to the battalion of men and women that she led.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I daresay that prize is as good as ours."

She was met with a bastion of smiling, happy faces. The crowd let out another ear-popping cheer as they lifted their weapons high into the air.

Edelgard jumped as she felt a hand fall upon her shoulder.

She lifted her head to see Byleth looking down on her.

"Well done, Edelgard."

Edelgard smiled, her spirits lifting at the sight of her professor.

"And you as well, my teacher." She lifted her hand, wiping off a small trail of blood from his nose with her glove. "I hope Claude didn't give you too much trouble."

Byleth flinched at her touch, but made no moves to distance himself from her.

"He's a slippery one, but I managed," he mumbled through her hand.

"So I can see," Edelgard chuckled, letting her arm drop back to her side. She turned her head to the sea of Eagles, recognizing a few familiar faces in the crowd as some of her classmates. "Shall we go and celebrate our victory with the others?"

He grinned slightly, nodding once.

"Let's."


The two didn't make it very far before they were flanked by the other house leaders at the academy.

"Edelgard. Professor." Prince Dimitri greeted the two as he approached. "That was a spectacular battle, you both fought exceptionally well."

Byleth nodded his thanks. He personally hadn't seen Dimitri fall, but he was well aware that Edelgard had been the one to defeat him. An exceptional feat given the prince's battle prowess, but Byleth wasn't surprised in the least. Edelgard's skill was nothing to scoff at.

The professor raised an eyebrow as Dimitri's eyes seemed to linger on Edelgard's. Curious, but not something of note. The two had a closer relationship than Byleth understood. He had been wanting to ask her about it for a while now, but to tread those waters felt dangerous. If Edelgard wanted to discuss it with him, she'd come to him eventually. There wasn't much the two hadn't shared with one another at this point. Whatever her relationship was with the prince, it was obviously something she didn't want to talk about at this time.

"Complete and utter defeat," Claude sighed as he shook his head. "I would hate to make an enemy of you two."

Edelgard's reserved expression didn't break, but Byleth could see the sparkling of her eyes and how her chest had puffed out slightly at the praise. It was clear that she was rather pleased with their decisive victory, but he knew Edelgard wasn't one to boast after a win.

Claude snuck a glance at Byleth, grinning apologetically.

"Hope I didn't bust up your nose too bad, Teach."

Byleth blinked. Oh. Right. He had nearly forgotten.

"Don't worry about it."

He waved his hand across his face. There was a brief flash of white in his palm as he casted a simple healing spell. The sensation of the broken bone shifting back into place was unsettling, but compared to the actual pain of it breaking, it was hardly anything.

"It happens."

Claude pursed his lips and crossed his arms.

"Man, nothing can break that composure of yours, huh?"

"You'll have to do better than that if you're aiming to aggravate my professor." Edelgard frowned disapprovingly.

"Hey now, I was just trying to salvage one win from today." Claude raised his hands defensively. "No need to get all riled up over it, Princess."

A crooked smile spread across Claude's features as he looked back and forth between the two.

"I promise to refrain from 'aggravating' your precious Byleth in the future," Claude said with a wink. "I wouldn't want to step on any toes."

Edelgard shot the Deer leader a glare worthy enough to send chills down one's spine.

"Anyways-"

The princess exhaled slowly with her eyes closed. Claude always had the exceptional ability to get under her skin.

"Your praise was unnecessary," she continued as she composed herself. "I know you both feel we won by a paper-thin margin."

Byleth hummed quietly. Always the modest one, Edelgard was. Personally, he saw it as a crushing victory, but he decided it best not to voice that conceited statement.

"And I won't deny it. If we were to fight again, there's no telling who would prevail. What do you think, Professor?"

Edelgard turned her head to Byleth.

"It wasn't much of a-"

Byleth stopped himself, his brow furrowing. That had been close. He had almost said it wasn't much of a challenge. And he liked Claude and Dimitri. He personally didn't want to trample on their egos too much.

"Decisive victory," he finished after a brief pause. "It could have gone either way."

Despite her neutral words, Byleth could spot the slight, approving smile on Edelgard's face after hearing the hesitation in his voice.

"That doesn't sound very convincing when you pause like that," Dimitri chuckled. True, Byleth probably wasn't very subtle about it, but at least the two didn't appear to be offended.

"In any case, I hope the day never comes when we have to put this experience to use," Claude said, an uncharacteristic frown on his face.

"Agreed." Dimitri nodded. "I would hate to know a future in which I'm forced to cross swords with you."

Byleth watched as Edelgard's indifferent expression faltered. It was brief and had gone unnoticed by the other two leaders, but Byleth spotted it an instant. It was possible he could have been mistaken, but Byleth liked to think he knew Edelgard and her tells pretty well by now.

Edelgard's stormy, purple eyes met his. They were unblinking. They only held his gaze for a moment, but to Byleth, it felt like an eternity.

She eventually shifted her focus back to Dimitri and Claude, but Byleth couldn't help but wonder if that little showing had been for his benefit. It was almost as if she had wanted him to see that and was double checking to make sure he had.

…But what was it he even saw in the first place?

Byleth shook the thoughts from his head. Speculation was pointless.

"True. Although the Battle of the Eagle was originally named after a war between the Empire and the Kingdom," Edelgard reminded the two, pausing briefly before continuing. "But that's all in the past. I'm sure even the name will one day fade from the pages of history."

"Yes," Byleth agreed, but his eyes were still trained on Edelgard. "Let's do our best to get along."

"How admirable, Teach! And on that note, I have a proposition." Whatever look of trepidation that had been on Claude's face was already long gone, replaced by his usual easy-going grin. "When we get back to Garreg Mach, let's have a grand feast to break down the walls between our respective houses."

Claude rubbed the top of his head, his excitement wavering somewhat.

"And by a 'grand' feast, I mean a fairly regular feast in the dining hall."

"It would be a fine opportunity to get to know each other better," Dimitri agreed, looking rather pleased with the idea himself. "Count me in."

To his surprise, Edelgard nodded. Perhaps he should have expected that answer. She had mentioned before how she enjoyed 'lazing around' and eating sweets.

"So be it. Let's plan to meet up on the night we return."

Again, Edelgard turned her head to check in with Byleth. Unnecessary, but he appreciated the gesture.

"Is that okay with you, Professor?"

Byleth smiled. The prospect of sharing a meal with the other houses sounded like… fun. It was something that happened far too rarely at the academy.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Edelgard blinked at his quick response, scratching her cheek as she avoided his smile. Byleth had seen a lot of expressions on her face as the days had gone by, but her flustered one was a bit more uncommon. Welcomed, but uncommon.

"Seeing such a big smile on your face is always a gift," the princess professed meekly. "It makes me feel like I can maybe relax a little too."

Dimitri raised an eyebrow as he examined the two, while Claude watched on with a knowing smirk.

Edelgard's features immediately hardened when she looked to Claude. A shame, really. A flustered Edelgard was a rather agreeable image to the teacher.

"What's that silly grin for?"

"Nothing, nothing," Claude chirped, lacing his hands behind his head. He turned to Dimitri. "Think we should bolt and let these two have their tender moment?"

"Eh?" The prince appeared confused as his eyes bounced around the three. After a second, the realization of what Claude had been alluding to seemed to have dawned on him. "O-oh, er, yes. I suppose I should excuse myself to touch base with my house anyways."

"What a coincidence! So am I!" Claude's grin grew. He gave Byleth and Edelgard a two-fingered salute. "We'll catch you two lovebirds later."

Byleth went rigid at the term, his eyes pointedly staring at the ground.

"L-lovebirds!" Edelgard balked, looking positively appalled by his choice in words.

Claude simply laughed as he walked away with a still somewhat confused Dimitri in tow.

"Please ignore that man, my teacher, h-he does not know what he's saying," Edelgard effused, hiding her rosy cheeks behind her hand. "Claude's got some nerve assuming such a thing…"

Edelgard growled like a small dog might, a foot kicking at the dirt.

Byleth frowned at the floor, his brows knitting together. Was he really so transparent?

But, truthfully speaking… the terminology didn't bother him as much as it seemed to bother Edelgard. It was a welcomed changed compared to the names he had been called in the past. He'd prefer being called Love Bird to Ashen Demon any day.

He stole a glance at the still bristling Edelgard. Her blush had spread to the tips of her ears.

His scowl dissipated. He didn't particularly mind if they were referred to as 'lovebirds' if it meant he could be associated to her in one way or another. Granted, he wasn't sure what such a thing might do to his reputation as an instructor if the nickname stuck, but he was beginning to think that perhaps there were more important things in life than one's occupation. Given his lesson plans, it wasn't like he tried that hard to salvage his good name anyways.

Edelgard gave him a once over, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Are you not going to rebuke his statement as well?"

Byleth shrugged. He didn't want to lie, so…

"Come along, Edelgard. We should reconvene with the rest of the class."

"Huh?" she gaped at him, her purple eyes following him as he walked off. "That's it? Wait, are you… smiling? Why are you smiling? Byleth, hold a moment!"

A grinning Byleth made his way back to the rest of the Black Eagles, while a confused, protesting Edelgard skittered around behind him.


And there you have it! Sorry for the delay with this chapter, I planned on getting it out around Tuesday but duty called.

Originally, I wasn't planning on writing any action scenes here. I was just gonna skip to the end with a Eagle win. But, considering the battle at Gronder Field plays such a large importance in the story and is "a precursor" for things to come, it felt pretty important to sneak something in there. Plus, should I decide to add my own spin to a Gronder Field battle in the post time skip, it'll be fun being able to mirror this chapter to that one.

I'm a little undecided on how this chapter turned out. I don't know if it's my finest work, but I hope you all liked it though! If it's not up to my usual snuff, hopefully the next chapters return to form.

Few things of note:

I tweaked the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. From a story perspective, it felt weird to fight with actual weaponry here. Plus, how the hell does this battle actually work? Killing students is a no-no, but a pegasus or horse is fair game? That's why I added bits like Rhea and the church members Warping out beaten students or those on the verge of serious injury. Like, what else would they do? Walk off the field? Psh!

Expect some more Claude. I'm going to fit him in some more later on. I really like his dynamic with Edelgard and Byleth.

Expect the "grand feast" scene next chapter. I was going to fit it in here, but that would have made this chapter particularity enormous with what else I had planned. So, if you're worried it's not gonna happen, don't be!

Also, I've seen lots of talk in other fics' reviews and author notes about Byleth's inherit "OPness," so I'd thought I'd give my own two cents to add some clarity to my rendition of Byleth. Personally, I don't have any plans to keep his power level in check other than plot reasons. I think a big part of Three Houses is just how crazy strong Byleth gets, and it sounds fun to really let loose with Byleth, so I plan on doing that as he continues to improve, and especially when he gets his Anime Jesus power up. Three Houses has such a diverse cast of crazy strong characters, it almost feels like a disservice not to utilize that.

Finally, a lot of reviews and PMs have mentioned Byleth and Edelgard's increasing closeness and have been wondering if I plan to have them shack up before the end of the game. The answer to that is a RESOUNDING yes. In fact, it'll happen sooner rather than later (don't expect anything too soon though...) To say I haven't over planned the Ball scenes coming up would be a massive understatement. I'm still ironing out the kinks for those scenes. I truly want to make some magic happen there.

See you all next time! The AN was a bit longer than usual, but I always love being open with all my readers and discussing my thoughts in these little tidbits.