BACKSTORY

30th, Harpstring Moon, 1166

'Jeralt, don't, not now,' Pieter hissed.

'Something's clearly up with them,' Jeralt murmured.

'A bunch of ragtag commoners who live in the woods, leave them be.'

'I think the man's injured, Pieter, and the woman's clearly pregnant.'

'Good for them. We haven't eaten yet, Jeralt, and we've got another hour or so before we reach the market. We're mercenaries not heroic knights, leave them be.'

'What's he gonna do?' one of the other mercenaries asked.

'He wants to talk to those people ahead,' Pieter whispered, rolling his eyes.

Groans rung out amongst the band of mercenaries.

'Ah c'mon, leave them alone.'

'We need to have breakfast!'

'He always does this!'

Lilia walked at one side of the group. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't join in on the protests. She didn't agree with them. Byleth walked at one side of her and Arthur at the other. The man snorted.

'Why you all worried? You think they're gonna ask Jeralt to spend the day building a new hut for them?'

'Wouldn't surprise me,' one of the mercenaries beside him said. 'They'll ask him to build them a whole damn village! He always gets asked to do stuff. He's'-

Lilia turned her head left. A feeling, an instinct made her. She looked down at Byleth and noticed his eyes. She paused. She looked up at Jeralt and then back at the boy.

The boy, who'd spent most of his life gazing blankly, now had his eyes fixed on his father.

'Hey, you guys okay?' Jeralt called out. The towering man in orange armour approached the wooden hut that sat amongst the trees. There, Lilia saw the couple Pieter had labelled a "bunch of ragtag commoners." A man with a scruffy beard and tattered tunic sat amongst the grass with his legs splayed. A woman sat on a chair beside him, cradling her large belly. Her eyes were blotched red.

'Twisted my fuckin' ankle,' the man grumbled. 'I was carrying logs and I slipped.'

'We can help,' Jeralt replied. He turned. 'Lilia, come heal this man's leg.'

Lilia did, and after a few minutes, the man was able to stand.

'Thank you,' he breathed.

'You must take it easy for the rest of the day at least,' Lilia said. 'No running or heavy lifting.'

The man cursed. 'I'll need to move I'm afraid. The thing is…'-

'We don't have food,' the woman said in a wavering voice. 'T-The market is an hour away and I-I can't walk I- (she rubbed her belly) I'-

'It's okay,' Jeralt said, putting a hand on her shoulder 'We ate the last of our supply but we'll go to the market for you. What do you need?'

'It'll take you two hours to get back here,' the injured man said, his eyes wide.

'It's alright,' Jeralt said. 'We have time.'

'That's going to delay us,' Pieter hissed, tapping Jeralt's shoulder.

'We have time,' Jeralt repeated. The man recorded what the couple needed on a scrap of paper and then the mercenary group were on their way again.

'I don't get why you do that,' Pieter said, once they were out of earshot of the couple. 'Wasting all this time for two commoners you don't even know. You won't get a reward, you know that right?'

'I'm not stupid, Pieter. Of course I do.'

'So why are you helping them? You can't help everyone.'

'You can't help everyone but you do what you can when you can,' Jeralt said. 'That's what I live by and if you don't like it, tough. For those of you that don't agree with me you can leave at the next market.'

There was a moment of silence before reluctant calls of "We're with you" and "We're staying" filtered out from the group behind him. Lilia smiled.

That, that's why I joined his group. He's not in it for the money, he genuinely wants to help others.

She looked around at the other mercenaries. Some grumbled whilst others rolled their eyes. Arthur was the only one who beamed.

It was then, however, she remembered Byleth. She turned her head left and her eyes widened.

The boy was still watching his father.

END OF BACKSTORY

Saturday 19th Great Tree Moon, 1080

Byleth limped through the swaying trees. Birds and insects chirped and ticked, a breeze brought wafts of pine and soil to his nostrils and at his feet, the grass shone a bright green in the morning sunlight.

Of course, they weren't the only things he noticed. He could smell sweat and odour. He could hear the clicks and clanks of knights marching nearby, as well as the soft, thudding footsteps of the "students" up ahead. He could also hear his father, Jeralt, talking and Alois's booming laugh, as well as the remainder of the mercenaries chatting.

And even with his head hung down, it wasn't only his feet he could see.

'This will be your first time at the monastery?' Dimitri asked. 'I'd be happy to show you around.'

'It really is Fódlan in a nutshell,' Claude added. 'The good and the bad. But enough about that, you wanna know how the Officers Academy works?'

'Sure,' Byleth mumbled.

'It's a military school of sorts,' Claude continued. 'It helps prepare Fódlan's young people for their future responsibilities as leaders of their nations.'

'Most people who attend belong to families that are in positions of power,' Dimitri said. 'Though, anyone is welcome to join, granted they are able to afford the costs.'

'Which rules out most commoners,' Claude said. He winked 'Apart from a few outstanding ones that you'll meet soon. It's an interesting place.'

'It plays an important role,' Dimitri said. 'It helps promote cooperation between the Adrestian Empire, Kingdom of Faerghus and Leicester Alliance, protecting us from outside invasion as well as from infighting amongst ourselves. It prepares us for war so that we can maintain peace.'

'The uniforms could be better though,' Claude said.

They spoke, and Byleth continued to limp, watching one foot move in front of the other.

And then his foot landed on a small hole, hidden in the grass. It was tiny, but it was enough to flex his ankle in an unnatural way. The pain wasn't what made him pause, however.

It was the strange tingling sensation that rippled up his leg and the flash of light-headedness that accompanied it.

'We're here!' Claude said.

Byleth looked up. A final set of trees lay before them. They moved past them and the wind smacked his face.

'Welcome to Gareg Mach Monestary everyone!' Alois said.

Byleth rubbed his eyes and looked up.

They were close to the foot of a long ascending footpath. Along it lay two sets of grand stone walls, taller than any castle or building he'd had seen before.

And then he saw what lay beyond them.

'Goddess,' Pascal breathed.

Sat above, at the top of a hill was where the "monastery" was. It was a grand, stone goliath that looked like a castle. Its stone walls shone gold in the sun and towers protruded from the corners, rising high into the clouds. Winged horses, rare animals only found in elite armies, circled them.

'Pretty cool place, huh?' Claude said, church bells ringing from somewhere inside, echoing through the air.

Byleth didn't reply. He looked at his father, who Alois clapped on the shoulder.

'Welcome home, captain!'

'I told you not to call me that,' Jeralt said, shaking his head. Alois laughed and patted his shoulder again.

'As part of Jeralt the Blade Breaker's mercenary group, you must have travelled across all of Fódlan, is that correct?'

Byleth turned and nodded. Edelgard, who hadn't spoken since Remire village, gazed at him.

'You have travelled everywhere and yet you have not been here?'

Byleth looked up at the towering monastery again and shook his head.