An hour passed and Dorothea swung her hook into the pond, standing beside Ferdinand, Petra and Linhardt who were all fishing as well. Bernadetta now sat back at the top of the steps and Hubert and Edelgard still watched from a distance.

'How am I doing, Professor? Am I a natural or what?' Dorothea asked.

Byleth nodded. 'Four fish from eight casts. Impressive.'

'All thanks to you,' she cooed, winking at him.

'Know that I fully intend to catch up with your score,' Ferdinand said, casting for the sixteenth time. His smile had faded somewhat. 'Once I get a fish to bite that is.'

'You will, but just remember to reel slowly, you aren't giving the fish chance to bite.'

'You're right, though it is just so much fun I can hardly contain my excitement, what a fun sport this is!'

'I agree,' Petra said. 'It is most fun!'

'I must say Professor, you are quite the fisherman,' Lindhardt said, blinking as he peered into Byleth's own almost full basket. 'I must ask, what is the rarest fish you have ever caught?'

'A goddess messenger.'

Linhardt's eyes widened. 'Really? They're the rarest fish in all Fódlan!'

'Are they the huge ones that glow gold?' Edelgard asked, sounding more like a curious child than a cold heiress.

Byleth nodded and Linhardt whistled. Petra then shouted. 'I have you fish!'

Byleth turned to where the girl jerked her rod from one side to the other, her reel creaked, her rod looked ready to snap. Her face reddened and her brow furrowed. She gasped. 'It is coming with g-great difficulty.'

'Keep your shoulders down. Remember, pull and then reel, not at the same time.'

Petra closed her eyes and exhaled.

'Oh wow, your shoulders dropped big time Petra,' Dorothea cheered. 'Go girl!'

'Yes Petra, you can be victorious!' Ferdinand called.

For the first time that morning, Petra pulled something more than just her hook from the water. The Black Eagles clapped. Linhardt's eyes widened.

'I must say, I think that's a bullhead fish!'

'Well done,' Byleth said. A wide smile broke out on Petra's face.

'It is your instruction and patience that has guided me. I thank you.'

Byleth nodded at her. So far, things had gone to plan with the four of them fishing at least. Dorothea's cooing and Ferdinand's hyper enthusiasm weren't things he'd normally care for, but today he did, because it was how they'd been when he'd met them a week before, and that meant, for now at least, they had fully taken their minds off the mock battle, the same with Linhardt and Petra.

'Was fishing your favourite pastime as a mercenary, Professor?' Dorothea asked. 'You're so good at it!'

'Yes.'

'You grew up in the mercenary group, correct?' Edelgard asked. 'Were there other people your age in it?'

'No.'

'Everyone was older than you?'

'Yes.'

'That must have been hard,' Dorothea said. 'You have no brothers or sisters?'

'No.'

'I wouldn't say that's a bad thing,' Ferdinand said. 'That would mean you must have been given lots of attention in terms of training. Was it just your father that trained you?'

Byleth shook his head. 'I was also trained by a man called Alain.'

'Alain Deschain?!'

The group turned to Edelgard whose eyes had widened. 'Deschain was his surname, correct?'

Byleth nodded and she smiled.

'My father knew him. He was the old battle instructor here and once served high up in the Kingdom of Faerghus. If he helped train you, then it's no surprise that you performed so well in Remire.'

'You must have been learning lots from them,' Petra said.

'To be trained by such elite warriors… what a privilege,' Ferdinand said.

'Professor, Seteth said that an illness was the reason behind your loss to Caspar. Is that true or are you just a terrible swordsman? Be honest.'

Heads spun and eyes widened. 'Linhardt!' Edelgard said, her eyes suddenly blazing.

'You are very… to the point,' Ferdinand said. His jaw gaped. Linhardt shrugged, continuing to reel in yet another catch.

'I am just asking the question everyone really wants to know but is afraid to ask. It would certainly make me feel a bit better about the mock battle if I knew that my professor was more competent than Caspar. (He raised his rod and out came a large Airmid Pike). That's not exactly a difficult accomplishment, so it does make what happened last week rather concerning.'

'Caspar is like a caveman,' Hubert said. The man grinned for the first time that day, clearly enjoying the direction the conversation had taken. If he was grinning, Edelgard was the opposite.

'Linhardt, you don't just ask questions like that. Do you not remember what I told you about Remire? He took down a giant almost twice his size, one that easily overpowered me and Dimitri, and he did it whilst injured! It's thanks to him that Fódlan still has their future emperor, king and sovereign duke.'

If Linhardt had asked him if that were true, Byleth didn't think he'd be able to avoid saying that Edelgard had wildly exaggerated, but the man didn't. Instead, he nodded and cast his line out into the pond again.

'Alois, a Knight of Seiros would not have recommended him to be our professor if he wasn't exceptional,' Edelgard said. 'I certainly would not have chosen him myself otherwise. Please believe what Seteth said.'

'I do, Edie' Dorothea said. 'Seteth is too scary of a man to lie about something like that.' Petra nodded in agreement.

'We did vote on it after all!' Ferdinand said. 'The professor deserves a second chance in my boo- I have one!'

Bernadetta squeaked with surprise at his cry. Ferdinand sprung to his feet, his tongue hanging out the corner of his mouth. 'I can feel a bite on my hook, Professor, a challenger! This is riveting! I am about to engage in a battle against a worthy foe!'

'Do not pull and reel at the same time,' Byleth said. 'Remember to'-

'I, Ferdinand von Aegir, shall overcome you!'

His eyes blazed and his voice echoed. Two old monks who'd been talking on the other side of the pond stared at the man with wide petrified eyes.

'It's coming! It's'-

Ferdinand heaved the hook from the water. There was a moment of silence and then Hubert spoke.

'I think congratulations are in order, Ferdinand. I don't recall anyone else managing to catch as much algae as you have.' He smiled for the first time that day and Dorothea snorted.

'This algae is more than what you have,' Ferdinand said, shaking his rod at him. 'I dare you to come down here and stand in the arena yourself!'

His line swung forward and the algae landed with a loud squelching splat on the ground. Muck rose and hit Ferdinand's nose. There was another moment of silence as everyone stared at the algae and Ferdinand, and then Petra snorted and Dorothea giggled. Edelgard put a hand to her mouth and stifled a laugh. Ferdinand first tried to appear appalled, and then he attempted to frown. Both times he failed, and then a grin broke out on his face.

'Ridiculous,' Hubert muttered.

It was ridiculous, one of the most ridiculous things one could possibly laugh at, and yet… the Black Eagles were laughing. That was good. The stupidity of it all made a small smile appear on Byleth's face.

'Aww, the professor smiled!' Dorothea said. 'That's so adorable!'

She giggled and Byleth looked away, not knowing that in the next few moments she would change the trajectory of his life forever.