Chapter 9 – An Easy Target
When Annette agreed to fill in as a teacher for Garreg Mach Monastery, one of the things that convinced her was working alongside Byleth and Hanneman once again. It had been ages since she last saw either of them. Her classes at the School of Sorcery demanded much of her attention.
Dimitri had visited the school a few weeks ago and piled on the offer, loading it with all sorts of attractive incentives. "You can make your own schedule," he promised. "And have free reign of the subjects you want to teach. You can have as much time as you need for your own research and studies too."
It all sounded splendid. The thought of molding new, eager minds at a prestigious school alongside her former comrades was a tempting prospect. "I can't leave my students here," she said, marking another test and adding notes to the margins.
He swept closer to her. "I'm not saying to leave them. No, you can work part of the time at Garreg Mach and part of the time here. You'll be able to escape our cold winters."
"I don't mind winter," she said, checking another answer. "They're nice sometimes."
"Then we could start you on a summer rotation next year."
She raised her eyes to his. Something was off about his proposal and his demeanor. As if he was hiding something. "What's the catch?"
"No catch," he said. "We just need a third teacher."
"Why not someone from your court?" she asked. "There's other professors versed in magic."
"Not as talented as you." She didn't want to sing her own praises, but she wasn't about to stop Dimitri either. He took a seat across from her and leaned forward. "And the others are busy with other matters that require their attention."
He was a terrible liar. His twitching facial muscles gave him away, as though he were about to drop an act. Much like he had been back at school. He wasn't suited for deception like this.
She mulled over the offer. Being able to retain her classes here and teach at Garreg Mach? She had considered eventually trying for a permanent position there and now here was such an opportunity, dropped into her lap as though gifted by the goddess.
"Another thing to think about," Dimitri continued with his pitch, "is that many of your students may attend Garreg Mach. After all," he gestured to the empty lecture hall, "you did the same, going there after you graduated from this school."
There was something off about this, but she couldn't figure it out. "Do you need an answer now?"
"Unfortunately, yes," he said. "Byleth sent a letter that the school will be ready next month, if not sooner. So we need to find a professor to fill the spot."
She chewed her lip. Weighing the prospects over quickly once more, she finally nodded. "I'll do it. For this year. I reserve the right to continue in the future."
"Wonderful. That's all I can ask for," he said. "You'll leave in three weeks' time. I'll provide an escort for you."
"I can handle myself." She held out her hand and a small fireball materialized out of thin air, dancing gently a few inches above her palm.
"I'm well aware. But we've had troubling reports lately and I'd hate to see anything happen to you."
"What kind of reports?"
He shook his head. "Nothing major as yet. We're just taking precautions." He stood and smiled at her. "I must be going. I have some meetings to attend. Allow me to thank you again. This means a lot to me."
As she watched him leave, she already started itemizing what she would need to pack, how to wrap up her classes here, and who she would need to contact. So much to do, she thought, staring down at the red-marked test.
At the back of her mind, she wondered idly about the reports Dimitri mentioned and this escort. She figured an increase in bandits, perhaps even rebels, and that Dimitri would assign her a guard. Maybe even someone from his court, like Ingrid or Dedue. It'd be fun to see them again.
What she certainly did not expect was Dimitri to meet her in the castle three weeks later, introducing Felix as her intended escort.
"Wait, what?" Annette asked. "Why him?"
"Yes, why me?"
She noted that he didn't even look her way. He kept his eyes fixed on Dimitri, avoiding her at all costs. Seems like some things don't change.
"Obviously, because you're a good swordsman," Dimitri said, a smirk worming its way up his face. And that's when Annette spotted it. This was the catch and she had fallen for it. She was willing to bet that Dimitri always planned to ask her, even if there were other people in his court available.
"That's hardly a reason," Felix said.
"Well, I want to make sure she gets there safe. Don't you? Especially given the past year."
That stopped Felix's protests and he glared hard at Dimitri. If looks could kill, the king would be an eviscerated corpse along the floor.
"What about the past year?" Annette asked.
Dimitri turned to Felix, posing a silent question to him that received no apparent answer. "There's been some incidents over the past year," he said diplomatically. "Attacks on our lands by an unknown entity."
"Rebels?"
"We don't believe so," he said. He waved her onwards up the grand staircase in the entrance hall and directed her to the central throne room, Felix trailing behind them, sullen and silent.
"I'm telling you this in the strictest confidence in the hopes that knowing may keep you safe on the road. There is a faction that has been seeking to continue the war."
Her eyebrows shot up. "What? Is it Adrestia?"
"It doesn't seem like it, but we can't be sure. All we know is they're targeting me and 'the goddess' children.' They've been quiet for a while now, but in the past month, I have started to receive reports here and there."
"Like what?" she asked.
His face darkened. "Villages looted, people kidnapped. Others put to the sword. Just last week, they stole a trade ship from a harbor with supplies bound for Enbarr."
"What?" Felix caught up to Dimitri on his other side. "Why didn't you tell us this?"
"I did," Dimitri said smugly. "During the meeting today. I knew your mind was elsewhere."
Leading them into the throne room, Dimitri shut the door behind them so they were safe from all prying eyes and ears. "Our forces are spread thin after the war, so we haven't been able to guard the land as well as I hoped. That's why it's essential that Garreg Mach reopen." He turned to the pair and folded his hands behind his back. "If we can train more people at Garreg Mach, we'll have the manpower to put a stop to these demons."
That explained why he had been so insistent to recruit her for the task. Her experience with the war and battle-tested skills would be a boon for the school. Yet something still puzzled her. "Even if the school reopens, you won't have the extra help for at least a year. Not unless you rush the curriculum. Why the hurry?"
"Byleth," Felix said, turning to Dimitri. "Byleth is at the monastery there. If they're targeting the goddess' children, they'll attack the monastery itself."
That made sense. It was the seat of the church's power. Not to mention the goddess' tomb underneath.
"You're using your own wife as bait?" Felix asked. "That's low even for you."
"It wasn't my idea," he said. "It was hers. She thought the most effective way to draw them out was to present an easy target of being alone and unguarded at the school, acting as if everything was normal. And I agreed. Which is why I made myself a target as well."
"What are you going on about, boar?"
"The guards," Annette said slowly, looking around the room. For the first time, she noticed that it was completely empty save for them. No guards standing at attention in the room or outside the doors, no soldiers patrolling the halls, nary a soul in sight. "You've left yourself open too."
"Yes," he said, pleased at her noticing. "There's a few here and there, but I wanted to present Fhirdiad as stretched thinner than it actually is."
"And the townspeople?"
"Safe," he assured her as he settled on his throne. "The castle guards are hiding out among them to protect the people should our enemy make their appearance. The same is true of any students. We've rebuilt the tunnels to the Abyss for them at Garreg Mach to hide out should an attack come."
"This is foolish," Felix said. "What makes you think they'll come?"
"They might not. Yet if our experience with these mysterious assailants has taught us anything, it's that they like an easy target. Which is also why I asked you to escort Annette. While I know all too well you can handle yourself in a fight," he said to Annette, "whoever these people are, they have shown they have a number of skilled fighters too."
"Why not give her a regiment of soldiers?" Felix asked.
"We don't have the troops to spare, unfortunately," Dimitri said before that smile returned to his face. "Besides, I'm certain a whole army of soldiers couldn't compare to the effort you would put in to protect her."
Again, Felix clamped his mouth shut and Annette was once again left in the dark. From Dimitri's none-too-obvious remarks, he seemed to be hinting that Felix still cared deeply for her. But that was impossible of course. After all, his silence over the months had made his feelings very clear and she hoped her own tight-lipped position since they last met made hers equally apparent.
"Annette," Dimitri said, taking on a more serious tone, "I must ask that everything we've discussed stay between us. If word were to get out about any of it, it may unnecessarily worry the people. And our carefully laid traps may be all for naught."
"Don't worry," she said. "Your secret's safe with me."
He nodded. "Thank you again. I wish you both a safe journey."
Annette gave a short curtsy, then addressed Felix. "Shall we?"
"Yes," he croaked, then cleared his throat. "I mean, yes. After you."
Felix was conflicted towards Dimitri as he and Annette rode in silence along the road. On one hand, the king managed to reunite Felix with the one person he had been desperate to see, accomplishing what Felix himself hadn't over the many months.
On the other hand, Dimitri had tossed him into the deep end with no warning, no preparation, nothing other than that oh-so-excited smile of his like he had done Felix a grand favor. No doubt Byleth had a helping hand in this. It smelled of the kind of scheme she would cook up. He cursed both of them through gritted teeth over and over again.
He looked over at Annette. She was every bit as breathtaking as when he last saw her. Perhaps more so. He wanted to reach out to her, hold her like that day in the forest. But he didn't even know how to strike up a conversation with her at this juncture.
How he left her had shattered things between them. Even he sensed that from her straight-laced posture on her horse, her neutral expression, and the frosty air that emanated from her. The entire atmosphere tied his stomach in knots. I have to try though. I can't just back down.
He pulled his horse up closer to hers and she deigned him with a cocked eyebrow. "You," he drew out the word, searching for a good starting point, "you became a professor?"
"Yes," she answered rather tersely.
"At the School of Sorcery?" She nodded. "That's very impressive. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Is that something you had been planning to do?"
She nodded. "I thought about it now and then. It seemed like a good option after the war. Not like I had anything else waiting for me."
That last part stung and he wanted to protest, but he already heard Ingrid in his ear, demanding he let it slide. The conversation died for another minute before he tried to revive it. "How has your family been? I saw Gustave a while ago. He looks happier."
"He is. Everyone's fine."
Felix gripped his horse's reins tighter. There has to be something. Think!
"What happened during the past year?" she suddenly asked.
It wasn't the ideal topic, but it was at least something. "My family home was attacked," he said. "My brother was held hostage, along with the rest of my house."
The chilling air surrounding her relented a little bit and her eyes widened. "By the people Dimitri mentioned?"
He nodded. "Yeah. They convinced some of the local lords to attack our house, take our lands, and try to continue the war."
"But everyone's safe?"
"Yes," he said. "We got there in time and fought them off. Didn't catch the leader though." He considered his next words carefully for a moment. "That's why I left so quickly. I'm sorry."
She stared at him for a while before simply facing forward again. "I see."
Somehow, that didn't settle his stomach. A nagging sensation told him he shouldn't pose the next question yet, but he had to know the answer. "Then where does that leave us?"
"What do you mean?"
She was really going to make him say it. "I mean, where we were at on that day. Are we still there?"
"No," she said flatly.
"No?"
"No."
"But why?"
She pulled the reins of her horse and stopped. "Because you left me behind."
"I just told you-"
"I know and I understand. I'm sorry that happened and I'm glad your family is alright. Really, I am. But you could've left a message besides 'See you later.' "
He groaned and now Sylvain was in his other ear, berating him. "I know, but I wasn't thinking. I meant to write and explain it."
"Which you never did."
"I tried," he said. "But you were never home. I wanted to make sure you got it."
"You could've left a letter with my parents," she pointed out. "Or even leave a quick note for Dimitri to give me. Anything at all."
She was right. That was the worst part. She was right. He'd wasted so much time drafting the perfect response and demanding only she receive the letter. Now the repercussions were here to blow up in his face. "I know and I'm sorry."
Annette picked up the reins and squeezed them. "You left with hardly a goodbye and I haven't heard from you since. I thought," she took a deep breath and shook her head. Then she urged her horse onwards. "We should find somewhere to camp. It'll be dark soon."
Felix raised his hand, as though to ask her to wait, then dropped it limply at his side. It was no use. That was a disaster, he thought, but even that didn't cover it. He'd completely blown any hope of making things up to her. That much he was sure of.
No, I have to keep trying. The only question was how? After that argument, he was out of ideas.
He rubbed his tired eyes. She was right. They should make camp soon. He needed some sleep and to forget about this awful day. "Four more days," he muttered, starting his horse after hers. Four more long days.
Annette sat by the fire, pouring over a book from her class and putting the finishing touches on her lesson plan. She assumed some of the students would be from the School of Sorcery, but she couldn't put complete stock in that. It might help to put in a review, she noted in the margins of the book. Make sure they have the basics down before we get into anything too advanced.
"Your food's getting cold," Felix said. He sat across from her, polishing his sword. Every now and then, he grabbed one of the logs in the fire and stoked it, pushing some much-appreciated warmth in her direction. The night was especially chilly, as autumn truly settled in.
"I'll get to it," she said, absently picking up the plate of quail meat and bread, setting it on a nearby rock beside her, and returning to the book. The very same rock she moved it from to the grass beside her the last time Felix pointed out her cold food.
She didn't really want to stop and eat, preferring to busy herself. Because if she stopped at all, Felix may take the opportunity to continue their earlier conversation. And she didn't really want to.
At least, she thought she didn't. The entire exchange had her torn-up. For months, she lived with the notion that Felix wanted nothing to do with her. Now, he dumped the entire explanation on her and that he still wanted that same relationship they were building to before he left?
How was she supposed to handle that? She had put all feelings for him aside, gained a teaching position, and moved on. Yet when he asked her if they were still in the same place as before he left, her heart fluttered at the thought and she wanted to immediately hop back in with both feet. It took all her willpower to adopt a dispassionate tone and reject him.
It wasn't fair in her opinion. Nothing about how her heart clawed at her chest or how Felix popped back into her life after so long or how she couldn't focus and realized she was writing the same review notes for the third time on the same page was fair. She cursed under her breath and scribbled out the repeating notes, then set herself to her task.
Annette listened to the snap and crackle of the fire between them and the chirping and buzzing of the night insects around the small clearing. Gradually, it took on a sort of rhythm, like an accompaniment and beat of a song.
Which is probably why she noticed a soft humming nearby. A deep tone, unused to singing, humming one of her songs. She raised her eyes to Felix and he noticed her stop writing.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"No, it's fine. I haven't heard that one in a while."
"I thought it appropriate." He nodded at the meal. "I think it's 'Fry the food, it tastes so sweet. It fills up our hungry tummies.' "
"Close. It's 'it tastes so good.' "
"Right. It's been a while since I heard it. But I still remember the song." She couldn't help grinning at that. "Written any others since?"
"A few," she said. "Usually about grading papers or teaching lessons."
"Figures."
"There is a new one I'm writing. I've got part of a melody, but I haven't thought of any good lyrics yet."
"When you finish it, I'd love to hear it. The grading papers and teaching lessons ones too."
She looked across the fire at him and his small smile. For a moment, she was back at the greenhouse, singing her entire catalog of songs for him. His handsome face breaking out in pure delight in a way she never saw before. How he focused on her like there was no one else in the world.
One of the logs in the fire broke and crumbled, succumbing to the heat, and Annette was back in the present. She closed her book and gathered up her quill and ink. "We should get to bed and get an early start tomorrow."
"I can take first watch," he volunteered, then pointed out, "What about your food?"
She picked up the plate and held it out to him. "Sorry. I'm not really hungry. You can have it though."
He accepted the plate, set it beside him, and turned back to her. They locked eyes for a long moment and her heart seemed to beat faster, much like that day back in the forest. "Annette, I-"
"Wake me up when it's my turn. Good night," and she hurried to her tent, awkwardly stumbling inside and dropping her books to the ground. She sat in the corner of the tent for the longest time, well after the fire died down and Felix took his watch, and buried her face in her arms, squeezing back the tears welling up inside her.
Annette didn't know what time she woke up. Although, she wasn't sure when she fell asleep either. At some point, she collapsed in an awkward sleeping position, still in her clothes. A gray light peered through her tent's flaps, but it was still pretty dark. Before dawn, she assumed and rubbed her bleary eyes. Why didn't Felix wake her up for her turn at watch?
She threw back the flap and crawled onto the grass, her head bumping into the back of Felix's knees. "Felix," she groaned, pushing on her legs. "What are you doing?"
He shushed her and she noticed that he was in a battle stance, his sword drawn, and scouring the trees around them. Annette squinted at the darkness, but couldn't see anything. The early dawn shrouded everything in shadow.
"There's someone here," Felix said softly. "Can you see the horses?"
She craned her neck around his legs to the large tree to her left. The horses were still tied to the trunk, same as last night. "Yes," she whispered.
He reached for her hand and helped her to her feet. "When I say so, run for them and ride like hell." A twig snapped to their right. Both their eyes cut in that direction and they waited, neither moving a muscle. Annette didn't see anything and wondered if Felix spotted the person.
"There. Cast a fireball," he said, nodding to the bushes. His fingers edged to a pouch on his hip and she caught the glint of a few throwing knives. "Then the horses."
"Okay," she said, summoning the energy to her palm. She kept her hand low and behind him, hopefully hiding it from whoever the intruder was.
Suddenly, Felix pushed her head down and flung a knife behind them. An armored soldier cried out and slumped to the ground beside her tent. "Now!"
Annette hurled the building fireball at the bushes and it exploded on impact. For a brief second, she spotted at least a dozen dark shapes in the foliage. A couple leapt out of hiding, rolling on the ground and patting out flames on their arms. She didn't pay any attention to them and bolted for the horses as Felix threw more knives at the enemies.
The attackers abandoned all subtlety. A few shouted commands to the rest and the rest charged the pair.
Annette reached the horses and untied the reigns from the tree trunk. She turned back to Felix, who had drawn his sword and was running toward her. "Look out!" she shouted. Clapping her hands together and holding them out in front of her, she shot forth a bolt of lightning, striking a pair of enemies in the chest that were closing in on Felix. Both spiraled through the air and went down in opposite directions.
A rough pair of hands grabbed her arms, twisting them painfully behind her back. Her feet left the ground and she kicked at the person.
Felix was on the individual in seconds, his sword slicing through the air above. The hands holding her went slack and Annette fell back to the ground. "Hurry!" Felix said, helping her on her horse.
She slipped into the saddle. The horse realized the danger around it and stamped its hooves anxiously as arrows soared overhead. Before Annette could calm it and help Felix, he slapped the horse's flank. "Get going!" The horse bucked and galloped from the clearing, heading back for the road.
"No!" Annette shouted. She yanked on the reins uselessly. The horse was too scared and all she could do was hold on for dear life.
Behind her, Felix kicked off a soldier and stabbed another. However, for each he defeated, two more swarmed into their place. Soon, she didn't see him anymore, only the black mass of unknown attackers while her horse raced far, far away from the battle.
A/N: Just curious, but is anyone enjoying this? If there's something to improve or anything, I don't mind any feedback, as I'd like to think I'm hopefully entertaining everyone. So, you know, drop a line if you'd like.