This chapter is a bit of filler, but it returns us to the monastery and shows how things just won't ever be the same for our heroes.

Chapter 9 – Bitter Nostalgia (Guardian Moon)

It was early in the morning at Garreg Mach Monastery. Several weeks had passed since the reunion of the Ethereal Moon. The sun was shining, but the damaged buildings were still covered in layers of snow and ice, which made the job of repairing them all the more difficult for the dozens of construction workers.

Of course, not everyone was busy working. Many of them were lined up in and outside the dining hall, awaiting a meal before they got started.

In the dining hall, Dorothea made a disappointed groan as she saw the meagre plate of food laid in front of her, with only three small slices of meat, a piece of bread, and some water. It was the amount everyone was getting, so she couldn't complain.

The sight of it made her think back five years ago when everyone could eat as much as they wished, and no one ever had to go hungry. Now, food was limited, as there were few working farms near the monastery willing to throw their lot in with the Church, and not enough merchants were bringing in goods yet. They had to ration what was available.

Dorothea was about to help herself to her paltry serving when she heard a young boy say, "Mister, can we have some more?"

The singer turned to see a trio of children, two boys and a girl, holding their empty plates up to the Knight who was busy serving everyone in the kitchen. The children were almost skin-and-bones, a sight that pulled at Dorothea's heartstrings in an instant.

"Sorry, you three, but you already got your servings," said the Knight.

"B-But mister…" said the second boy.

Interrupting, one of the workers said, "Oi, get lost, you brats!"

The worker moved threateningly toward the children, scaring the kids, and prompting them to run away.

"Greedy little scroungers…" the worker mumbled.

Dorothea was appalled at the worker's cruelty, but she knew it wouldn't help to antagonize him. These men were needed to rebuild the monastery.

She looked down at her own serving and then, a second later, sighed loudly. She knew she was going to go hungry that day, a feeling she knew all too well.

She picked up her plate and strode out of the dining hall in the direction the children had fled. It didn't take long to find them at the bottom of the stairs leading to the dormitories. The girl was now crying, and the boys looked absolutely dejected.

"Hey, are you three alright?" asked Dorothea. "What's wrong? Didn't you get your servings?"

The first boy sniffled as he said, "W-We did, but…"

"Some of the workers came over and took it," said the second boy. "They said we had to help them fix the monastery by letting them have our food."

"Oh…" said Dorothea.

The story wasn't all that surprising to her. She had gone through similar scenarios years ago as a street rat in Enbarr, only the ones who took her scraps would threaten to hurt or kill her if she refused, or they would skip the threats and simply try to get rid of her. These kids wouldn't have required much urging to give up their portions.

Just as the little girl was about to start crying again, Dorothea said, "There, there. It's alright. I've got some food here if you want it."

She showed her plate to the orphans, whose faces lit up at seeing something to eat. Without even asking, the three quickly scooped up Dorothea's meal.

Dorothea smiled as she watched the orphans wolf down her meal, unaware that Byleth was watching her from a distance. The greenette smiled at seeing her friend's generosity had not changed over five years.

The new Archbishop then turned and strode out of sight, intent on finding the greedy workers who had robbed the orphans of their meals.

…

The whistling of an arrow drew Dorothea's attention as she entered the training grounds later that day. The brunette turned to see Leonie was busy practicing on a set of targets, each one a poorly-drawn diagram of a vaguely arachnid creature. Dorothea almost had to laugh at how shoddy the orange-haired mercenary's artistic skills were.

Leonie fired her bow at the targets in rapid succession, hitting four of them, but missing the fifth one.

"Shit…!" Leonie hissed. "Gotta do better than that."

"Hey, that's better than what I can do," said Dorothea as she walked up to Leonie. "I've never been good with a bow."

As she went to retrieve her arrows, Leonie said, "Yeah, well, if I'm planning to fight the Empire, I can't afford screw ups like this. Every target I miss is someone who could kill one of our people later."

Dorothea was a little shocked to hear Leonie being so grim about her training, but she couldn't disagree either. Little mistakes could be deadly in battle, after all, even if not for oneself.

Deciding to get some training in herself, Dorothea walked over to a practice dummy and drew Joyeuse. Assuming a stance, the singer went through her steps, moving, slashing, and stabbing away at the dummy. Each strike was quick, precise, and would've been lethal had the target been a person.

But as she made another thrust, Dorothea's strike went slightly off target, hitting just above where a person's heart would be. Dorothea hissed briefly at this slip-up.

She took a deep breath as she lowered Joyeuse and said, "Hey, Leonie? Do you remember when we used to practice here five years ago?"

"Yeah, of course I do," Leonie answered. "Why'd you ask?"

"It's just… back then, we weren't learning how to fight in preparation for war. We were learning how to fight so we could keep the peace, or so we could compete in contests, or… you get the idea. It just feels so… different now. It's not something we're doing for fun or so we can make a career out of it. We're now only training so we'll stay alive…"

Leonie couldn't find anything to say to this.

"The purpose is still the same, Dorothea," said Felix as he entered the training grounds. As she and Leonie turned to the swordsman, he said, "Our training serves to make us stronger. Faster. Better. That's never changed."

Dorothea wanted to snap at Felix for saying something that sounded downright selfish to her, but she knew he was right. After all, without power, what could one possibly do in the world as it was now?

As Dorothea turned away from Felix in disgust, Felix said, "You've gotten a lot better with your blade, Dorothea. I can see it in your strikes."

"Wait, what?" Dorothea said in confusion.

"A compliment from Felix? That's a new one," Leonie said jokingly.

Felix ignored Leonie and said, "I'll be honest: if we were to face each other only with fencing techniques, I think I'd have my hands full with you." Then, as Dorothea looked like she was about to say something, he interrupted with, "Don't misunderstand me. You still have a lot of room for improvement. And I wouldn't use solely fencing strikes to win if I had to fight you."

"O-Oh… of course…" said Dorothea.

"Now, if you're up for it, I was wondering if you might be up for a little sparring session."

"Wait? Against you?"

"Do you see anyone else with a sword here?" Felix raised a wooden practice blade as he said this.

Dorothea hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why, though? I don't want any part of the Church's war with the Empire."

"That doesn't mean you can't improve yourself, or help others improve."

Dorothea sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get out of a sparring match with Felix at this point. Taking a deep breath, she raised Joyeuse and took a stance, allowing Felix to make the first move.

The sound of clashing blades rang out from the training grounds for a good thirty seconds before Joyeuse was finally knocked Dorothea's grip. The same blow, which had been empowered by the Crest of Fraldarius, sent the singer to the floor on her side.

As Felix settled from his stance, Dorothea scowled and said, "Figures I still can't beat you in a sword fight."

Felix extended a hand to Dorothea and said, "You did well."

Dorothea took Felix's hand as he pulled her to her feet. But as he handed Joyeuse back to her, she still felt inferior to the swordsman.

But from the entrance to the training grounds, Byleth—who had been watching the sparring match from afar—was proud of Dorothea's progress.

…

Caspar took a breath as he stood next to a large pile of rubble near the classrooms. He had been busy clearing away rocks and debris for hours now. The brawler gasped for breath as he placed his hands on his knees.

"Caspar? Are you okay?" said Annette as the mage walked up to him.

"Oh, hey Annette," Caspar replied. "I was just clearing this stuff away from the classrooms. Seteth needed someone to do it, so I volunteered."

"Yeah, I saw you at it this morning. Have you been at it all this time?"

"Yep. Figure I should take a breather, though. Not gonna get through all this in one day, so why rush it?"

"That's not like the Caspar I know," said Dorothea as she walked up to him and Annette.

"What do you mean by that, Dorothea?"

"The Caspar I knew from five years ago would've kept going until he collapsed from exhaustion."

Annette couldn't help giggling at this. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Very funny, you two," Caspar said sarcastically. "Let's just say I learned a lesson or two about pacing myself. I've got a few new scars to remind me too. Besides, I think I'm gonna need help with some of the bigger pieces."

Caspar gestured to some larger boards that had crashed down from the ceiling into the Blue Lions' classroom, and then to a wall fragment that had broken inside the Black Eagles' homeroom. Both looked too large for a sole person to carry, and not just due to their weight.

As she looked at the classrooms, Dorothea sighed.

"What's wrong, Dorothea?" asked Annette.

"We were learning so much in this place," Dorothea answered. "All of us from the Black Eagles, Blue Lions, or Golden Deer. Whether it was from Byleth, Manuela, or Hanneman, we were taught so much in our time here. And there were so many others too. Not just us first-years, but the second and third semesters too. I know we weren't too fond of the seniors, but they were still classmates… I miss it… I miss those days, when things were so much simpler."

"Yeah…" Annette said dismally. "I was so excited to learn more about magic, even after attending the Royal School of Sorcery. And we ended up learning so much more than that. Tactics, history, combat techniques, literature." Sighing, Annette said, "I'd do anything to go back to those days…"

"I get what you mean, Annette," said Caspar. "I wasn't big on studying and that kind of stuff, but… you get where I'm going."

Annette and Dorothea nodded at this.

Nearby, Byleth stood behind a wall as she overheard the conversation. The memories brought pangs of nostalgia and regret to her.

She, too, missed those days.

And even with the power to reverse the sands of time, she couldn't go back to them.

…

Flayn held her hands in prayer in the cathedral as she looked up at cracked panes of stained glass depicting the goddess and her children. Five years ago, the glass had been a work of art, but now many pieces of it were broken on the floor, still being cleaned up by some of the workers. Additionally, a massive hole had been blown in the roof of the cathedral, exposing it to the elements. Several other statues inside the cathedral had been broken, though the statues of the Four Saints were still intact.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Flayn ended her prayer and turned to see Dorothea approach her.

"Dorothea, have you come here to pray to the Goddess?" asked Flayn.

"No, I haven't," Dorothea answered. "I've never really believed in her that much."

"I see. But I do seem to recall you used to come here often for recitals, did you not?"

"Yes, I did. I was always around for choir practice. Had to keep my singing voice strong, after all. And it was always a good time to catch up with… with Manuela…" Dorothea paused for a moment, and then asked, "Flayn, do you have any idea where Manuela might be?"

Flayn bit her lower lip and said, "I am sorry, Dorothea, but I have not seen Professor Manuela since the battle five years ago. She and Professor Hanneman were assisting my brother when we had to flee through the cathedral. My brother believes they may have been captured by the Empire."

"I… I see…" Dorothea turned away from Flayn as tears started filling her eyes. She then said, "She's dead, isn't she?"

"I do not know. But we have not heard a word from her nor from Professor Hanneman since that day. I can only pray they are safe."

Dorothea sniffled as she walked away from Flayn, the green-haired girl knowing it wasn't what Dorothea had wanted to hear. But as much as she tended to hide the truth from others, this wasn't something she could lie about.

As Dorothea left the cathedral, she saw Byleth standing outside the main doors.

"Byleth? What are you doing here?" asked Dorothea.

"I was looking for you, Dorothea," said Byleth. "Would you like to join me in town for a little bit?"

"Huh? Why?"

"You've been having a rough day. I thought maybe a walk around the market could help."

"What do you – Wait, have you been watching me?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spy on you, but…" Byleth couldn't find anything else to say as she blushed bashfully.

Dorothea sighed at this, but then she smiled and said, "It's a date, then."

…

The town at the foot of the monastery wasn't nearly as busy as it had been five years ago. Most of the shops currently running in the market were ramshackle stalls selling either food or weapons, with no one peddling curiosities and only a few selling old clothes. Many of the buildings were still damaged and went unused or were otherwise being scavenged for construction materials.

As Byleth and Dorothea reached the center of the bazaar, the two saw Anna speaking with two of her merchant contacts. The two merchants, after hearing what Anna had to say, nodded to her, and then turned and left her.

Anna then turned toward Byleth and said, "Hey By. I was just organizing a shipment. Got a convoy coming in a few days with some special materials we're gonna need."

"Special materials?" asked Byleth.

"Let's just say that Seteth's not gonna like it. But the Empire's gonna know we're here at some point, so we need to be prepared for when they come knocking again."

"I'll leave that to you, then. How is everything else going here?"

"Harder than I thought. We've gotten word back from some of the nearby farms. They're not all too keen on helping us out if it means painting a target on their backs for the Empire."

"I see. What about more craftsmen?"

"Same story. Most of them would rather steer clear of this place and not get involved. Gotta tell you, By, this is harder than I thought it'd be. But don't worry, I'll get us the people we need. I promise."

Dorothea looked sullenly away from Anna, which the redhead noticed.

"Something wrong, Dorothea?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I–"

Dorothea stopped as the three women heard a commotion and turned toward the south side of the monastery town. Several of the local guards were rallying to the southern entrance with their weapons drawn.

Concerned, Byleth immediately moved to investigate as Anna and Dorothea followed.

As soon as they saw the ones responsible for the commotion, Dorothea's eyes widened in surprise.

"Brigitte?!"

The guards turned at hearing Dorothea declare the name of the redheaded lead diva who, seconds before, had been ready to fight her way through them. Accompanying her were three familiar faces, all women from the Mittelfrank Opera Company.

"Dorothea! Perfect timing!" said Brigitte as Alicia, Lana and Cia's faces all lit up at seeing their friend.

Yes, I brought the four OC divas back. I plan to make them seem a lot less OP; in fact, they're gonna be a tad UP early on.

And ugh, I'm not writing new chapters fast enough. I hope I won't have to slow down releases.