The students, knights, and mercenaries had come across a green forest. They were almost back, much to the relief of Rhajat. She was glad that nothing seemed to go wrong.
"This will be your first time at the monastery. I'd be happy to show you around." Dimitri said, breaking the silence.
"It really is Fódlan in a nutshell. The good and the bad." Claude snarked.
"Like it or not, we'll be there soon enough." Edelgard snarked as well. The trees parted, and the monastery looked down on them in all of its glory. They noticed that Lady Rhea was there too. It wasn't often they spotted her here. "There it is. Garreg Mach Monastery."
"Rhea's here." Jeralt mumbled.
Byleth looked up at Rhea, but their expression was neutral. It did make sense to Rhajat, if she didn't know of the knights, perhaps she didn't know of Lady Rhea either.
"I wonder... Did the flow of time bring you here?" Rhea said to herself, which no one else heard. Rhea left, seemingly wanting to come closer. The four house leaders looked towards Jeralt as he began to talk to his daughter.
"It's been years since I've last set eyes on this place. To be forced to see her now…" Jeralt didn't seem to be fond of Rhea. Rhajat wondered what their history was.
"You've been here before?" Byleth asked.
"I've never spoken of this to you before, but...many years ago, I was a knight here. I reported to the archbishop...Lady Rhea."
"The archbishop?" Byleth repeated. Rhajat wondered just how little Byleth knew about Fodlan.
"As you know, the majority of folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros. The leader of that ridiculously large organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea." Jeralt explained. Rhea and Seteth had arrived, the former seemingly focused on Byleth.
"Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop." Seteth introduced.
"Right. Hello." Jeralt replied.
"It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder…was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?" Rhea mused.
"Forgive my silence all these years. Much has happened since we last spoke." Jeralt didn't seem too apologetic despite his words.
"So I see. The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. That is your child, is it not?" She turned towards Byleth.
"Yes...born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child...but I'm afraid we lost her to illness." Jeralt explained.
"I see. My condolences. As for you…I heard of your valiant efforts from Alois. What is your name?" Rhea asked.
It was Byleth's turn to introduce herself. "My name is Byleth Eisner."
Rhea smiled. "A fine name indeed. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy."
"Hmph." Jeralt grunted.
"Jeralt. You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?" Rhea asked.
"You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don't you. I won't say no, but…"
"Your apprehension stings. I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you. I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow… Farewell."
On that note, Rhea and Seteth walked away. A slightly awkward mood filled the air. They all got the impression that Jeralt had a few issues with the knights, either that or Rhea herself. Rhajat hadn't been here long enough, neither in the academy nor Fodlan itself, to know enough about either to form an opinion. She had barely seen Rhea, and Seteth got on her nerves a bit. She saw the knights around here and there, but the only time she saw them in action was them coming to save them from bandits and faceless, after the factions had been defeated. Then again, the fact that they came at all should be commended she supposed.
Jeralt began to walk away, as Byleth followed behind him. Claude, ever the nosy figure, spoke up. "I wonder what the connection between the blade breaker and the church is..."
Edelgard took a thoughtful stance. "I agree it's curious."
"I'm a bit intrigued as well, but I suppose it's none of our concern." Dimitri didn't want to dive too deeply into their business. He knew he had things he kept to himself.
Claude smirked. "What do you think Rhajat?"
Rhajat lifted an eyebrow. "I guess the same as you all."
"Why don't the four of us do a little asking around then?" Claude suggested.
Dimitri raised an eyebrow next. "Asking around?"
"We could ask the blade breaker. But he seems rather frustrated at the moment. Plus he doesn't seem like the type to tell us his business." Edelgard thought aloud.
"We should stay out of this. It's not our concern." Rhajat said, agreeing with Dimitri.
Claude winked. "Come on! You just said you were curious. How about this? You and Dimitri ask Tomas. No way in hell would Seteth ever say a word. The two of us..." he gestured at Edelgard. "...could try and talk to Byleth."
"Tomas...?" Rhajat repeated.
"A librarian who's worked here for decades. It stands to reason that he'd know something." Dimitri explained.
Edelgard nodded. "Exactly."
"Hm, I'm not sure about this." Dimitri said hesitantly.
"We're just learning a bit more about our guests. Making sure they're not dubious individuals." Claude justified. Though Dimitri had a feeling his reasoning was less than noble.
"I... suppose." Even if he had his suspicions, he had to admit that Claude had a point. "Regardless, I'll go along with this. What about you Rhajat?"
Rhajat rolled her eyes. "Leave me out of this. I don't really care."
"But if you don't come, poor Dimitri will be on his lonesome." He teased.
"I'm not a child." Dimitri retorted. "If she doesn't want to come, that's her decision."
"Hm." Rhajat said with a grunt. "On second thought, sure. I'll come along."
Edelgard smiled. "That's the spirit. We'll meet back here when they're done. Come Claude." Claude nodded and followed her, leaving Dimitri and Rhajat by themselves.
"Shall we be off?" Dimitri asked.
Rhajat nodded and the two started walking towards the library.
They walked in silence for a bit, before it was broken by Dimitri. "Why did you decide to come with me? You didn't seem interested initially."
"I just hate feeling like I'm being forced to do something." She answered. "Since I have a choice, I may as well."
"I can understand that..." Dimitri admitted. "It's... difficult to feel as if you have no control over your life."
Rhajat looked a bit sympathetic. "I imagine you have a lot of pressure and expectations on you huh?"
"You... don't know the half of it..." Dimitri looked uncomfortable.
Rhajat didn't know any royal people particularly well, but she imagined it was hard. While one was given a lot of opportunities, it came with a lot of responsibility too. It didn't help that she didn't know much about Fodlan politics. The two continued to walk in silence for a bit, until they reached the library.
"Wow... this place is impressive." Rhajat said.
"Indeed. Are you a reader Rhajat?" Dimitri asked.
Rhajat shrugged. "I suppose so. It's moreso for my hexing though."
"Hexing hm...? I don't know much about it. Oh look, there's Tomas." Dimitri pointed at him.
Rhajat nodded. "I guess we should go talk to him."
The two walked up to him as he was putting up books. He turned around and smiled at the two. The smile unnerved Rhajat, but she couldn't put her finger on why.
"Hello students. Is there anything I can help you with?" He asked.
"Yes. The two of us wanted to know if you knew anything about Jeralt Eisner?" Dimitri began. "We wanted to know what his connection was to the Church of Seiros."
"Jeralt Eisner? He used to be a knight here. He left so long ago though... why do you bring him up?" Tomas tilted his head in confusion.
"He's returning to the knights. But it doesn't seem to be of his own free will." Rhajat explained.
"He is?" Tomas seemed rather surprised. "Hm... all I know is that he suddenly vanished after a fire broke out."
"So even you don't know too much..." Rhajat had a look of concern on her face. "Despite being here for so long."
"So for all the church knew, Jeralt could have passed away in the fire. I imagine it's a relief to know he's okay." Dimitri suggested.
"If he didn't die though, he left. What could have happened that'd make him leave?" Rhajat wondered.
"I wouldn't know sadly." Tomas looked down. "There was a timeframe of about 20 years when I wasn't here. Apologies I couldn't be more helpful."
Dimitri smiled reassuringly. "No, no it's fine. We were just curious. Thank you Tomas."
Dimitri bowed and walked off, and Rhajat followed behind him. "Well that was a waste of time..." she complained.
"I suppose so..." Dimitri half heartedly agreed. "Perhaps Edelgard and Claude figured something out?"
"True. Only way we'll know is by asking them. Let's head back to the meeting place. Perhaps the others had better luck."
Dimitri nodded in agreement, and the two left to meet up with the other house leaders. There were a few things troubling Rhajat on the way back. She felt a weird aura from Tomas. Not to mention, him not knowing anything about Jeralt made her not only feel a bit off about both of them. The Eisners were rather mysterious to her. She wasn't sure if they could be trusted. Once they made it back to the meeting place, Edelgard looked annoyed as Claude looked a bit annoyed himself.
Dimitri walked up to them. "What's wrong?"
"Eisner didn't know anything." Claude explained. "Then again, should've expected that."
"Indeed. She knew nothing of the Knights of Seiros after all. It's incredible how sheltered she is..." Edelgard looked thoughtful. "How does one get through life here knowing so little about Fodlan?"
"Either way, what did you guys find out?" Claude asked, hope in his eyes.
"We got more than you, but not by much." Rhajat began. "All Tomas knew was that he was a knight before, but disappeared during a fire."
"That's not much to work with." Claude admitted. "Hm... did he start that fire do you think?"
"It's possible." Rhajat agreed. "He needed to get out of here. Which casts suspicion on either him, or Rhea. Maybe even both."
"Hm? Are you implying you don't trust Lady Rhea?" Dimitri asked.
"I mean... it's a bit hard not to. She just seems sketchy." Rhajat explained.
"..." Edelgard looked interested, but decided not to comment.
"Point is, we're still in the dark." Claude said. "I might do some digging on my own."
"While this was interesting, I can't say I'm too keen on looking into this any further. They don't want us to know. Everyone has things they'd rather keep to themselves..." Dimitri looked a bit saddened.
"Sorry Dimitri, but once my curiosity is piqued, it must be quenched. But I'm not gonna force any of you to help." Claude explained.
"Hm, I suppose this is where we part ways then?" Dimitri asked.
"I suppose so." Edelgard confirmed.
Dimitri and Rhajat walked away, leaving Claude and Edelgard to themselves. "If you find anything, let me know Claude."
"Oh, so you're still interested Edelgard?" Claude asked teasingly.
"I... need to know more about this Byleth..."
"Well classes will start today. I should prepare. It was nice talking to you Rhajat."
Rhajat suppressed a small smile. "Working with you... could've been worse."
"Haha, you sound like Felix. I'll see you around."
"See ya." Rhajat turned around and walked off. She admittedly was suffering from a bit of anxiety. Being surrounded by so many new people, having to lead them, and now mercenaries she knows nothing about are at Garreg Mach. She had no idea what Rhea was planning, but in spite of that, she had no choice but to push it aside, as a leader does.
"Hey, Rhajat!"
Rhajat turned around to see the ever cheerful Corrin running towards her. "Corrin."
"I just wanted to talk to you. I don't know you particularly well, but I trust you'll lead us well. It's just a feeling I get. But you also seem distant. Know that we're a team. The class I mean. You can count on all of us."
Rhajat was a bit taken aback at how sudden it was. "I... see."
"Haha, sorry if that was weird." Corrin began. "It's just… you always seem so lonely. I'm always here if you wanna talk, you know?"
"I… I'm not lonely, but I appreciate your words."
Corrin smiled and nodded. Rhajat noticed a familiar face approaching from behind. The Eisner daughter.
"Hi." Byleth began.
"Oh, hi!" Corrin began. "You helped our leader and the others! Thank you for that!"
Eisner shook her head. "It's no problem."
"Do you need something?" Rhajat asked.
"I'm just going around talking to people. You lead the Gray Dragons right? Can you tell me about them?" Byleth asked.
Rhajat nodded. "Hm. Sure. Well... there's Asugi. He's obsessed with sweets, but he's reliable enough. We're childhood friends actually. Caeldori has a stick up her butt. But she's a determined warrior. We have a bit of a history too, but I don't know if I'd say we're friends. Shiro is a hot head, his brain is his smallest muscle. He's definitely strong though. He's heir to Hoshido, so he has a lot on his shoulders. It says a lot about his strength that he hasn't collapsed under it. Forrest is really soft spoken, it's hard to get him to open his mouth sometimes, he's also rather kind. He's pretty fashionable, it's easy to get him to open up when that's the topic. Selkie has way too much energy. That can be fun sometimes though. She's actually a kitsune, a person who can transform into a fox. Velouria has the strangest hobbies. She's rather dedicated though. She's a wolfskin, another transforming creature. And lastly, Corrin. She's a bit naive, but..." She turned to her and smiled softly. "She's great at watching over people. She's strong willed clearly."
"Wow Rhajat, I didn't know you had been watching everyone so closely. I expected you to say you didn't know much about them." Corrin's eyes were wide.
Rhajat shrugged. "She asked, I answered."
Byleth's expression was impossible to read. "Thank you." She walked away, leaving Corrin and Rhajat to themselves.
"What an interesting woman..." Corrin noted.
"If you say so..." Rhajat added.
"Class will be starting soon. Wanna walk there together?"
"Sure, why not."
Rhajat thought Corrin seemed rather sweet. A lot kinder than her as far as she was concerned. She felt as if she would be getting along well with her in the future.
Rhajat's eyes widened. "...What."
Byleth walked into the classroom as they were waiting for their teacher to arrive. Rhajat couldn't believe her eyes.
"You're our teacher!?" Selkie exclaimed. "That's so cool! You're so cool Byleth!"
"Selkie, show some respect! If she is to be our new teacher, we should treat her like it." Caeldori reprimanded.
"Oh, no it's fine. I don't mind being treated as an equal. I'm only 20 after all." Byleth revealed.
Shiro was amazed. "Oh wow, 20? Some of us here are older than you! So young..."
"I mean, you're only a bit older Shiro..." Asugi reminded him.
"Yeah, but I'm not the one teaching!"
Forrest bowed. "Well anyway, it's nice to meet you Professor. I hope we all get along."
Velouria yawned. "I'm bored, are we done yet?"
Corrin smiled. "Haha, almost. I hope we have a good year with you Professor."
"Indeed." Byleth agreed.
"It seems we'll be working together then." Rhajat mused.
"Aw lighten up Rhajat! The woman just said we don't have to be formal!" Shiro exclaimed.
"I know that! Just... ugh." Rhajat grimaced.
"I'm sorry, have I done something to offend you?" Byleth asked with a tilt of the head.
"Oh no, this one here is just slow to warm up to most people." Asugi teased.
"Shut up." Rhajat growled.
"Now now, let's all behave." Corrin said with a smile. "We're all friends here."
Shiro rolled his eyes, but figured there was no need to vocalize what he was thinking.
"Aw don't worry about it Corrin, I'm used to it, that's just how we interact." Asugi explained.
"Well... let's do our best in the coming year Professor." Despite her words, Rhajat was still wary of the Ashen Demon. She knew virtually nothing about her. Her past was shrouded in mystery. She had no idea what Rhea was thinking when she hired her. Her position has been getting stranger and stranger. However, it was time for the year to start. She could worry about the rest later.