(A/N: These next two chapters are an intermission of sorts into the 'war' half of the story. There are things I want to clarify and explain before the fighting actually starts. That being said, it is mostly Byleth stuff, so…apologies in advance?
'Intermissions' like these will pop up in between timeskips or important plot points during the war chapters in order to focus on certain events that hold character/story significance.)
There were a lot of things Jeralt didn't think he'd do. Going back to Garreg Mach was a pretty big one. The fact that the monastery had Imperial soldiers searching through every nook and cranny to see if the knights and students left anything behind just made it stranger.
He had to admit, though…it was nice to see Byleth expressing herself a little more. Sure, he saw it, but there were others here that could tell as well. What little she showed when talking about what happened in Remire was more than he'd seen from her in…all twenty-something years of her life, actually.
And she looked so much like Sitri when she talked to the new emperor.
Jeralt trusted Byleth to wander the monastery on her own while he did a quick look around the area. Not that much changed, although he couldn't tell if he expected it to. They seemed to have gotten the fire sorted out and the damage fixed. They might've added more rooms for the Officers Academy students and knights, but he couldn't tell—both places were reserved for Imperial troops, so he couldn't exactly wander in.
He stayed away from the graveyard. He didn't necessarily know why; he tried to avoid answering that question. It took a few minutes of staring at the place from a distance before he decided it wouldn't hurt. When he got to the steps down, however, he paused again.
He should probably get flowers. Jeralt turned to go to the greenhouse—they wouldn't miss any flowers since the chances of them being maintained was very unlikely—and noticed Byleth standing a little ways away, watching him with some curiosity.
Jeralt sighed, and his daughter came closer. He couldn't think of a good enough excuse on why he was there without her catching on.
"I asked you a while ago if you'd visited the graveyard," Jeralt said. "Want to know why?"
Byleth only gave a quiet nod, and he realized he didn't know how he would explain it. How…could he explain it?
Maybe he'd just start with her name, and then only expand on it if Byleth had questions.
Jeralt gestured for Byleth to follow him down to the graveyard. They paused in front of the corner grave. There was barely any dirt on the thing—Rhea must have maintained it. In his thoughts, he apologized; he didn't visit before he left.
Byleth bent down to read the name. "…Sitri."
There was something about the way she said it. Was it just strange to hear it from her? Or… "Recognize the name, kid?"
"Rhea mentioned it once," Byleth replied, nodding. Very subtly, she frowned as well.
"So Rhea's talked about her?"
"…Not to me directly. I just overheard it."
Byleth reached towards the headstone and brushed off some of the dirt from the edge of the last name; she pulled away almost immediately, then looked up at him with that vague mix of confusion and a desire to learn.
"Your mother," Jeralt explained, glancing at the grave. "She died after you were born—complications during the birth itself, I was told. Sitri…always looked forward to meeting you."
Byleth stood up and brushed herself off, staring at the grave.
"…That's the most you've ever said about her," Byleth noted quietly.
"It's a hard topic," he admitted. "I didn't…expect her to die—she never mentioned the possibility and Rhea wasn't worried, so I never thought of it." He paused for a moment, and continued with a little smile. "Sitri never left the monastery—Rhea worried she wouldn't be strong enough for it—so I always told her stories after I came back from missions. I told her that I'd take her and the kid somewhere after a year or so; I didn't know how I'd convinced Rhea, but just the idea was enough for her."
Both of them fell silent again. Jeralt turned towards Byleth; there wasn't a lot to read, but he could pick out a few things. A sort of respect, mixed in with unfamiliarity and some remaining confusion.
"You're a lot like your mother, you know." She cast him an odd look at the comment, and he continued. "She had some trouble showing what she felt, too—she was fine around me, but with others she could seem strangely quiet or calm. You remind me of her sometimes."
Byleth glanced at him, then at the grave, completely quiet. Jeralt acknowledged that was mostly his fault; in two decades, the most he's said about Sitri was that she was dead.
The only thing left of her now was a ring, and their daughter that fought with so little emotion people nicknamed her a demon.
Someone walked near the graveyard and paused; Jeralt looked back towards the entrance and noticed the emperor standing there, watching them. She stepped back as soon as he saw her, but he spoke to Byleth before she could leave.
"Looks like Emperor Edelgard wants to talk to you, kid."
Immediately, Byleth's expression changed from solemn thought to a bit of surprise, and she turned around as well. She glanced at Jeralt for a second.
"I'll bring back some flowers later," she promised. She hesitated for a second, then asked, "And when I'm done, could you tell me more about her?"
"I'll give you however many stories you want, kid. You know where to find me."
Byleth offered a grateful nod, then went to Edelgard. He couldn't help but smile as he watched them exchange some greetings and went towards the classrooms. Jeralt could recognize the look, but he didn't think Byleth understood what it meant.
Like Sitri, he could tell she found someone who made her show emotions more openly. She really did look like her mother when she smiled.
