Month of Harpstring Moon - A House to Call Home

Chapter 4

The next morning Navan met me at my door with a tremendous bang. The force of the shuttering blow rattled the hinges of my door half scaring me onto the floor.

"Git up Lass! Yer have 10 minutes to meet oi at yonder trainin grounds."

I muttered something incoherently as I rubbed my head and worked to untangle myself from the swath of blankets.

"Whats that lass?" Navan roared as I caught myself muttering a curse of insults in my mother tongue. The rough mercenary thundered on the door again, causing dust to fall down from the rafters.

I fumbled for a reply as I picked myself off the floor and began making my bed. "Y-Yes sir! 10 minutes, training grounds!"

"Thatsa better, yon could get usta less lip." I heard roughly through the door as I scrambled to shed my sleepwear. As I pealed my top layer off and stumbled to grab my training gear I wondered what had put my guardian in such a fowl mood.

In slight morning light that filtered in through the top shutters of my windows I heard another two sets of footsteps on approaching my door. I grabbed the first layer that came to my hands and began trying to pull it on.

As I changed a stern female voice halted my guardian. "Good morning master Navan I presume?"

"That would be oi." Navan answered with a hint of distrust in his voice.

"You'll need to excuse me, but I need a moment of Lilianna's time."

I fell over trying to step inside my work out shirt as I attempted to listen to the conversation outside. After a second or two of struggling I realized I was trying to wear my shirt as shorts. With a grunt of effort I threw the shirt onto the bed and started again, this time with my shorts.

Navan gave a grunt of reluctant admittance. "Hmph, the lass be all yers."

The heavy footfalls from my mentor trampled down the stairs as I finished pulling my shorts on. A second later there was another knock on my door. This knock was much more polite.

"Excuse me, Lilianna?"

I began fumbling to pull my shirt over my head as I made my way towards the door. As I stumbled towards the door my foot managed to collide with the edge of my desk. An intense wave of pain spiked through my entire foot forcing me to swear violently. A long jumbling of curse words in every language I knew spewed forth from my lips in a loud hiss as I yanked the shirt over my head with force.

"Excuse me, I didn't quite catch that." The feminine voice at the door was unsure of what I was saying.

I leaned on the dresser next to my desk and rubbed my foot, sucking in a deep breath of air as I did so. Grudgingly I glared at my toes in the darkness, muttering a short apology. "Just a minute."

I hobbled over to my door and started unbolting it. The lock took a second to undo as I leaned on the wall, still attempting to rub my foot at the same time. I finally got the locks undone and pulled open the door to the courtyard.

"My apologies, my lady!" I gave a short bow while I attempted to swallow a hard knot that was forming in my throat. "I am sorry to keep you waiting."

Edelgard's light violet eyes twinkled in the dawning light wanted from me as she frowned.

"I have just been informed by Seteth that you wish to join the Black Eagles house."

I straightened up from my bow and put my foot on the ground with a flash of pain. Carefully I made sure that the flickering of discomfort did not make it onto my face as I nodded to confirm her statement. The knot in my throat tightened as I judged Edelgard's body language. The princess's sharp and military-like personality did little to betray what she was thinking, but something about her wary eyes told me I should be prepared for battle. I felt a light sweat break out on the back of my neck as the cool morning air pushed past me into my cozy bedroom behind me. My mind jumped to the worse conclusion, the leader would be at my door first thing in the morning if it was anything good.

Summoning my courage I bowed my head again to show respect. "Yes, I have indeed applied to join the Black Eagles. Is there some problem with my application my lady?"

Edelgard had the slightest hint of a scowl on her face, a further warning to me that something wasn't quite right. I began to think I had made a decision I might regret. Edelgard did not keep me waiting in suspense very long. She let the axe drop, though her tone seemed dissatisfied with what she was saying. "Actually, I need to speak with you about your application."

"I figured as much." I forced out the words as the knot traveled to my stomach. Dealing with nobles and their petty whims was always a hindrance, and I hadn't even had breakfast yet.

Edelgard looked me up and down. Her cunning eyes lingering on my accident and then traveling down to my grey training gear with an appraising eye. Apparently whatever she was looking for she didn't find as she continued. "If you figure as much, then you must have also foresaw why I came to speak with you first thing this morning."

I remained silent, neither looking to confirm or deny her allegations.

Edelgard continued like she did not expect my answer. "While I would like to accept you into my house, I regret to inform you that I must respectfully decline your application. I cannot simply accept an unknown commoner into my house simply because the Archbishop has chosen to sponsor you."

I tilted my head to the side, but otherwise did not let my emotions register on my face. It was surprising to me that Edelgard was choosing to deny the archbishop's wishes and guest. That tiny fact spoke far more than enough her excuse to accept a commoner into her house.

Edelgard continued however and I felt my stomach drop a little more at the end of every sentence. "I was going to allow Professor Byleth to lead the Black Eagle's instruction, however she declined my offer and went to go teach the Blue Lion's instead. At this point in the year I am disinclined to take any more risks. The Battle of the Eagle and the Lion in little over two months from now, and I will not jeopardize my houses standing by accepting any more outsiders into my house."

I flinched at the word outsider but otherwise listened to the princess laying down the law without any comments.

"I am hoping you will reconsider your application, given my grievances." The wind blew the chilly spring air between us lapping at her straight white hair, tugging at her silken violet ribbons as it ruffled my unruly green locks.

I had nothing to say and lowered my eyes to the well worn timber decking. "I understand your grace. I will reconsider, I apologize for bothering you."

Her violet eyes shifted from my eyes to someplace just behind my face. She coughed briefly to clear her throat. "However that does not mean that I do not appreciate your assistance yesterday. On the contrary I enjoyed your company and was hoping we could talk again, perhaps over tea."

I read between the lines. It wasn't that she didn't want me in her house, something was preventing her from accepting. I sighed and looked up, gathering what dignity I could muster. "Please forgive me for not considering your position while selecting a house to join, I did not realize that I would be such a burden."

The princess's analyzing sharp glare softened a bit. "I want you to know that it is not due to any personal that I decline this offer. It is because I wish to consider both of our best interests."

I nodded mutely, unable to muster up the will power to even consider accepting her invitation to tea.

When I didn't respond, Edelgard looked around awkwardly and then turned around. "Please let me know if you ever feel like accepting that offer for tea. I am certain that it would be an interesting conversation."

She then turned and started to walk away, her heels clicking against the wooden boards. With each click of her boots it felt like another nail was being driven into my stomach. The fading pain in my foot was dismissed as I struggled to deal with the implications of being rejected by a house leader. A whirlwind of scenarios ran through my mind about what should my next move should be. Should I stay? Should I continue my original route and leave the monastery?

The scenarios lingered in my mind as I stared off into the rising sun. The sky slowly turned a red and gold hue that chased the purples and blues of night away. Reluctantly I came to terms with remaining. It was too early to give up on the security and benefits the monastery offered, and I still had two other houses that I could turn to. I shut the door to my dorm room with a sigh, still lost in thought.

As I flopped back down on my bed and pulled my pillow close the hour bell went off. The loud alarm denoting the start of the dawn training periods. I jerked myself out of my bed with a horrified curse.

"%#*S! I am so dead!"


Navan's expression when I raced in was thunderous. I didn't make any excuses for being late, but he knew I had been delayed but he still highly displeased that I had kept him waiting. As punishment, I was forced to run extra laps until I thought I was going to pass out.

By the time I had even arrived at the training courts Dimitri and Felix, along with several other Blue Lions students, were already well into their morning training routine. Proof they had been training was littered all over the training grounds as freshly busted wooden training swords and spears lay scattered and discarded across the floor, a physical testament to how hard they were training. As I put my hands on my knees, gasping for air, my trainer came up and dumped a bucket of cold water over my head with a roar.

"Ach didn't say ya could rest lassy! Yer kept me awaitin!"

The frigid water saturated my light grey training shirt as I shook my head back and forth to shake the water out of it, yelling in irritation. "Navan! What the hell?!"

The steel ax came down next to my head and embedded itself in the wooden support beam, thrown with either precision or spite. Knowing Navan's dislike of being kept waiting in the morning, I supposed it was probably the latter.

I glared at the embedded axe and attempted to tug it out. Planting a foot on the side of the pillar I pulled with all my might. The incoming sound of footsteps was the only thing that alerted me something strange was going on. My gut instinct kicked in and I dropped to the ground and rolled as a wooden axe chopped down where I had been standing a few seconds prior.

Dimitri heard the fuss as I swore violently at the surprise attack. The prince must have caught me looking around for any weapon I could lay my hands. Not finding anything I could use, the axe cleaved down towards me again. I half rolled and jumped out of the way as I heard a shout. "Here! Take this!"

In the next second a spear launched itself at my and the tip clattered along the paving stones by my feet. I didn't have much of a chance to react as I grabbed the only available weapon. The lace was strange and unfamiliar in my hands as I tried to fend off my instructor by sweeping at his knees like I would with an axe.

Navan gave a hearty laugh as I swung the spear at him. "Oh oh! Oi lassy, wut yer going do with that long stabby stick?"

I had to wonder why Navan was in such a fowl mood. The only logical conclusion I could come up with was probably because the ale had been absent in his diet for more than one meal. I paid for my thinking as his axe smashed through my spear shaft with a surprising amount of ease. I was sent flying backwards and landed heavily on my back holding two broken shafts.

"Wut hav oi told yer about non focusing on yer opponent?!"

My instructor roared as he let the lesson be driven home as his heavy combat boot connected with my center mass. I suddenly found myself flying through the air wishing very much I had just remained in bed this morning.

The stone flooring appeared much sooner than I anticipated it to. The abrupt landing sent me rolling over the paving stones with enough force to knock the wind out of me. I groaned in pain as I heard Navan growling from somewhere over on the other side of the arena.

"Oi lassy! Are yer going to go back to sleep so soon? Yer only just got here!"

He was definitely cut off from ale I concluded as I pushed myself up onto my elbows with a grunt of left ear detected movement on my blind spot, the heavily armored footsteps approached rapidly. Acting on my gut rather than thinking, I rolled away from the sound fearing that Navan had decided to follow up with his lesson again.

The footsteps followed me and a brief second later I felt a large hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The voice was much younger than Navan's reached my ear a second before and a metal gauntlet reached down into my field of vision. In a panic, I turned my good eye to see Dimitri standing next to me offering a hand up.

After this morning's incident, I could barely bring myself to look the prince in the eye. Looking away, I pushed myself to my feet, still holding both spear halves. "I can continue..."

"Don't force yourself-" Dimitri seemed to realize what he was saying and paused. "How much training have you received on lances?"

I looked down at the two shattered weapon pieces in my hands. "...Today is my first lesson apparently."

Navan was quickly growing bored with our conversation. "Oi lass, are you gona get a move on sometime this morning?"

I snorted and tossed the shattered remains of my training spear towards the rubbish heap. There was no chance in repairing it.

"Why not just use an axe? You fight better with it anyway." Felix's cold logic cut though the air as he stopped hammering the training dummy with his sword. The fowl tempered swordsmen mopped his brow with a training towel as I examined the training dummy in front of him. The wooden dummy looked like it was about to fall apart, as wood chips and splintered jutted out over the floor at every angle.

Making up my mind, I went and grabbed a new spear from the training wall behind me. "Because, I am here to train and learn." I growled back at him as I watched Dimitri go over to the Navan's steel axe and rip it out of the wall with ease. I pulled a face of disgust as I swung the wooden training spear. "I have found that I can rarely afford to be picky about what kind of weapon I use in combat. A weapon is only as good as its wielder, so I plan to train in them all. A knight cannot be picky."

"Hmph. You'll never master anything that way." Felix responded with a growl.

I shrugged as Dimitri grabbed fresh training spear for himself. "Don't mind Felix. We all learn to swing swords in the north."

I gave the spear another experimental practice swing and Dimitri ducked as my experimental sweep went wide, aiming for his head.

"Hold on, here let me help." The prince grabbed my lance and stopped my swing. He then moved behind me and re-positioned my hands, forced them further apart. "You're holding your hands to close together, like you would on an axe. I recommend holding it like this."

"Go away boar prince, you're only going to contaminate her." Felix spat as he began attacking the wooden dummy once more.

Dimitri signed reluctantly. "Really, Felix is always just this grumpy. Try not to hold it against him, he actually isn't that bad of a person."

"Sure…" I dismissed his comment as I did a few practice lunges and sweeps with my lance. I scowled as noticed my hands were sliding towards each other again.

"Are yer gona kiss him next lassy?" Navan barked from the sidelines, leaning on his axe and watching the proceedings with a disapproving glare. I turned my scowl into a glare as I met my guardians deep brown eyes. My guardian's temper was fraying my last nerves.

"How about you just the hell shut up!? You old whisky barrel!" I yelled as Navan leaned on his battle axe mocking me as he normally did to irritate me during our training sessions.

"Ach, if yer keep fluttering those pretty lashes at the young prince oi bet me last ten pieces he'll kiss yer."

"Hold this for me." I thrust my training lance at Dimitri and snorted thoroughly over the harassment. Highly irritated and already having a bad day, I growled as I stepped forward to face my mentor. "It sounds like I'm not training in weapons today."

I narrowed my eyes at Navan as my magic swirled around me for the briefest of seconds. The magic flashed, lighting up the entire training facility in a blinding white light as I unleashed my Saraph spell. The faith magic sparked and twinkled as the spell zipped past Navan's beard. My mentor's face paled in response as the magic orb slammed into the wall behind him.

"Well now, on now lassy, let's naut be too hasty."

"I think you owe me for the flying lesson earlier though." I felt the evil smirk tugging at the corners of my mouth as I hissed my challenge. Navan realized he had pushed me a bit too far and stopped leaning on his axe.

"Yer have a fair point, all right yer better brace yerself lass!"

The blinding white faith magic flashed and flew from my hands as Navan took my challenge seriously. The double casting the low level faith spell caused a wave of exhaustion to fall over me, but this time I aimed my spell to hit spell rang true as my opponent charged, causing Navan to grunt in pain as he took the blast head on. However that did not stop the experienced warrior from continuing his charged toward me. The incoming juggernaut thundered towards me with a raised axe, posed to deal me some serious damage. I didn't let myself think, letting my years of field experience kick in as I promptly ducked the incoming threat and readied another spell.

Firing the holy spell at such close range burnt holes through Navan's heavy training armor. The scent of slightly charred flesh permeated my nose as my instructor's horrendous yell rattled my brain. I had just enough time to put my arms up in defense and I braced my legs for impact.

The world almost slowed to a standstill as Navan's wooden axe slammed into my arms. The force of the blow deadened all the feeling in my arms as the impact blew off my feet again. The backward momentum carried me through the air, gravity brought me back down to the ground once more. On impact I lost feeling in the rest of my body as I tumbled, rolling to a stop on my side as all my senses started to protest the beating they had just incurred.

"Uggghh, yup that hurts." I hissed as I curled into a ball clutching my side and arm shaking from the beating I had just incurred.

My mentor's hellish mood changed as he walked towards me shaking his head and grumbling. "Ach, I overdid it. Yer lil sparkys are startin to pack quite th'e punch."

I glared up at him with my one good eye as if daring him to continue. He sighed as he reached down and lifted me up with a single one arm. With a single fluid movement Navan hefted me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Lilianna!" I looked up to see Dimitri's ashen face hanging over the arena's sidelines.

"I'm alright..." I informed him through clenched teeth my rough and ready mentor shifted his steps towards the direction of our training supplies. I confirmed why my standard issue backpack was filled mostly with medical supplies as Navan set me down next to our supplies. I leaned against the pillar for support as he dug around in our packs.

I few seconds later my guardian pulled out two concoctions and uncorked them. Deftly he chugged his and then passed me the spare. I struggled to hold my potion as my arms protested.

As I sipped my concoction, feeling my pain ease as the healing potion took effect I heard Dimitri growling. "How do you call that training?! That is more than a bit rough!"

My mentor stopped chugging his health potion and looked down his nose at the blonde boy that stood level with his shoulders."Eh lad, what use is yer training, if ya don't fight like yer would in the heat of battle?"

Dimitri's icy blue eyes glared up at him, spear standing at the side. For a second I could see a king, concerned over one of his subjects' well being. The thought was ridiculous and I almost let out a half-hearted chuckle, but my wounds protested and I leaned over with a groan instead.

The prince had no such problems and he tried to calmly approach the subject. "The point of training is to provide a safe environment in which we can safely train our bodies and minds with receiving proper instruction on proper technique and application. The entire reason we train here is so that we don't endanger ourselves on the battlefield!"

I curled into a ball as I waited for the health potion to take effect. Navan's concerned brown eyes appraised me and he leaned down and lifted me up onto my feet.

I protested as he uncurled me. "No, just let me die here."

"Nay Lassy, yon'll do better standin upright then curled in yonder sphere."

I groaned and leaned on him. "I know you're right, but I hate it."

"That's the spirit lass!" He ruffled my hair as I took a deep breath.

"Your highness, what you say might be true here in this training hall, but I haven't always had that luxury. The way these past few years have gone, being on the road, everyday is a constant struggle. You never know when an attack could happen and by who, or what, so Navan is just training like we normally do."

Dimitri wasn't buying my explanation. The prince scowled and folded his arms, with a lofty glare he stood in his sky blue workout uniform."I did not observe such behavior while we were with the caravan."

The prince looked visibly upset and concerned as I caught him checking me over.

Navan reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tit's was but another job lad. The lassy's contract required her ta be prepared to serve the caravan night or day. Oi could hardly be training her rightly under such sodding conditions."

The prince looked like he was going to protest so I jumped in. "Actually it is the reason I was reading so much on the trip. I need to improve my magic skills along with my physical body" The potion finally kicked in and I let out a sigh of relief as I began to feel my hands again.

"Hmph, they have a point. Holding back during training will only cause you to be weak." Felix stepped into the conversation with a strangely hostile smile.

"I think I can see why the professor wants me to learn reason now." The swordsmen finished as he folded his arms in a matter-affect manor while Dimitri looked aghast that we all agreed beating each other to a pulp was the point of training.

Unable to find a better argument the blond turned to me and bowed. "Fine, say what you think is true, that is hardly a way to treat an injured lady. She is still recovering from her accident, that can hardly be healthy for her to train with such rigor while still under orders for rest and recovery."

I struggled to hold in a laugh and ended up coughing. "Ahaha! Are you taking tips from Sylvain now? That sounds like a reason he would use to slack off on his training with!"

I caught Felix nodding as Dimitri shook his head not quite understanding. Navan gave me a rough push. "If yer have breath enough to keep yaking, yer can do more training."

I sighed as Navan handed me the same axe that had just clipped me halfway across the arena. "You are a cruel man."

"Would yer rather have the steel?"

"No." I scowled at him and began going through light pattern dances for both axe and lances for the remainder of the training session.


The rest of the morning and part of the afternoon was just a blur of lectures. I took up residency in the Blue Lion's classroom offered by Dimitri while I ate breakfast like my life depended on it. I drifted in and out of the lectures, full of food but still being exceedingly sore from training.

The lectures from the Blue Lion came directly from Byleth, so all the students were diligently and earnestly taking notes on all her lessons. The topics focused mostly on lances and how they played a vital role in combat. She touched on how a footsoldier's lance work differs from a mounted knight, citing that lances made up the backbone of most knights training.

I struggled to take notes as I tried to muster the courage to ask Dimitri and Byleth if I could enter the Blue Lions. The tea time bell tolled out a few hours past lunch, indicating a breaking point between periods. As the bell rang, I still had not settled on a good way to ask, so I decided to go for a short walk to air out my thoughts.

Several students were of the same mind as me, wanting to get up and stretching in the warm spring air. As I wandered the courtyard I caught Sylvain cheerfully chatting with some of the castle maids, and I shook my head as a few minutes later the pair ducked into a darker corner of the yard. I took a couple of steps forward, interested in seeing what game Sylvain was after when I felt a tap on my blind side.

"Hey you."

I turned to look down and caught the young male with red eyes glaring up at me in irritation.

"Could you be anymore dense? I have been yelling after you for the past minute." Cyril crossed his arms in annoyance as I scratch the side of my face.

"Err, I apologize. I have a lot of my mind right now. Do you need something?" I offered hesitantly as he sighed heavily.

"Professor Hanneman asked me to come get you. Says he has something he wants to discuss with ya."

"Oh?" I wondered with the professor could want with me. I grabbed my elbow and grabbed my chin in thought. "Did he say why?"

"No. My only job was to come get you. I don't ask questions." Cyril's reply was short and clipped as he continued. "So if ya are just walking around, we should get going."

I wondered why the boy was in a fowl mood as he pursed his lips and stared up at me, waiting impatiently for me to get going.

"Uh, give me a second. I just want to let Professor Byleth know where I am disappearing off to."

Cyril rolled his eyes but followed me as I turned around to head back into the classroom to locate Byleth. We were just getting ready to enter the classroom as Ingrid's bench slammed to the ground with a clatter. I paused to allow the raging blond to stomp out of the classroom and watched with amused interest as she made a direct beeline for the corner Sylvain had ducked into with the maid a minute prior.

The commotion started as I approached my desk and began gathering my things up. I stifled a laugh as I hurried to stuff my notebook into my bag. Ingrid's yells echoed throughout the classroom.

"Sylvain! This behavior is completely deplorable! How can you continue to do this everyday?"

Byleth looked up from talking with Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes with a cookie still in her mouth, caught completely off guard by the impending lecture that wasn't one of her own.

Sylvain tried to defuse the situation, but only succeeded in making the angry blond more furious. "Hey now, Ingrid. Just calm down, I can explain..."

Ingrid's voice exploded as Byleth and the others ate their snacks, listening intently to the situation erupting in the corner of the courtyard. "How can you logically explain this deplorable behavior Sylvain? You have been doing this since you were a child! When you were 8 you came on to my grannie! My sweet sweet grannie!"

"Are you going somewhere?" Dimitri inquired with a stern look as he watched from his seat in front of my desk. I finished putting all my school supplies away into my bag and tossed it over my shoulder. "Cyril says that Professor Hanneman is looking for me."

"I see. Before you go, I heard you were rejected this morning by Edelgard." The prince's demeanor was concerned and well meaning, but the way he ground out Edelgard's name was enough for me to be concerned. I stopped as Cyril tapped his foot impatient, clearly wanting to get going.

"What about it?" I asked slowly, reluctant to bring the subject up.

The prince's blue eyes narrowed as he coughed to clear his throat. "Aham, I simply wanted to know why you didn't choose to join us here in the Blue Lions."

Dimitri seemed genuinely interested in my reasoning and I sighed. I knew this was going to happen. I rubbed the back of my head, feeling my unruly hair ruffle under my unease. "Umm well, I don't know anyone here all that well yet your highness and I do appreciate all you have done for me so far, but I choose the Black Eagles because they had the most amount of magic users. I know Annette and Mercedes used to attend the school of sorcery before attending the Officers Academy here, but I thought that with Hubert, Dorothea, and Lindhart that I would have the most room to learn and grow."

The prince seemed taken back by my analysis of the group, but didn't interrupt me as I continued. "With such a diverse group of casters around my skill levels I thought I could integrate into the class easily, but apparently I have done something to offend Edelgard enough that she has rejected my application."

"You clearly took selecting a house into great consideration." He started with praising my logic as he nodded his head. "However the Black Eagles is a notoriously elite group to get into."

Dimitri paused as I sighed heavily. Now would probably be a good time to ask him, but my stomach twisted and I held back as the prince continued."What I mean to say is, you are more than welcome to join the Blue Lions. You would make a great addition to our group if you choose to join us, and I am sure we could help you achieve your goals. We have professor Byleth who is very proficient in teaching and several skilled magic users that I am sure would help you benefit in your studies."

"I am not looking to train in just magic." I followed up slowly, restless as Cyril grabbed my arm.

"Be it in magic, weapons, or leadership we have a very diverse group here, and I am sure all of us would all be willing to help you improve." Dimitri glared at the retainer who set his jaw and started pulling me towards the door.

"Speak for yourself Boar prince, I am only here to improve my own skills. Anyone else is just going to get in my way." Felix growled as he looked up from polishing a battle worn sword on the other side of the classroom.

I let Cyril lead me out the door as I turned my head over my shoulder and called back."I appreciate the offer your highness, I will consider it!"

Cyril lead me diligently right past Ingrid's as she had Sylvain pinned up against the wall. The tall redhead was pleading for the much shorter blond to keep her voice down. "Could you keep it down? You're attracting a lot of attention..."

"I don't care Sylvain! This behavior needs to stop." Ingrid roared her fury as Cyril lead me away from the classrooms.


"So you injured yourself trying a new spell hmm?" Hanneman finished looking at my injured eye and then set his instrument down. "This is most peculiar. Your injury seems to be clearing up nicely, I don't see anything that could cause you any lasting implications." I let out a collective sigh of relief as the professor picked up another instrument from his desk along with a etched gold and white leather bound book.

"Say Miss Lilianna, do you mind if I ask you a couple more questions?"

He offered me the ornate book and began fiddling and adjusting the delicate instrument in his hands. "You are a commoner, correct?"

"Well I am not a noble, so the alternative makes me a commoner does it not?"

He stroked his beard in thought as I accepted the book. He didn't seem disturbed by my cheekiness as he continued down the same line of thought. "So the odds of you ever having been tested for having a crest is slim, correct?"

I was busy running my fingers over the gold inlaid cover of Comprehensive Magic vol 1 in awe.

"Aham, Miss Lilianna, if you would please answer my question." Hanneman coughed to get my attention.

"Huh, oh, my apologies. I do not recall ever being tested for a crest." I confirmed with a tilt of my head. My fingers cracked open the edge of the book with interest.

"That would not be surprising given your lineage." He sounded mildly offended as my fingers deftly started flipping through pages towards the index. My eyes skimmed over the headings at a frantic speed.

"Miss Lilianna, please could you focus on me for a few moments?" I was clearly exhausting the scholar's patience by ignoring him. "I assure you, you will have plenty of time to read the book in the future. Right now I am discussing your future, would you please pay attention?"

I reluctantly put my finger on the index pages and looked up at Hanneman. "You want to check me for a crest in hopes that I, a lowly traveler with no land or place to call home, will magically procure you a crest in which you can utilize to further your research."

I rolled my eyes as the professor set the instrument down on the coffee table in front of me.

"Well yes, I assumed that given your hair color and skill with magic that there is something exceptional with you. You mentioned you had some knowledge of crests the other day did you not?"

"It is just passing knowledge, nothing more..." I flicked my eyes around the room and pursed my lips feeling agitated with the direction the conversation was taking.

"Very interesting, I would very much be interested in chatting with you more on the matter later. As it is we are running a bit short on time. I was hoping to gain your approval to move forward with testing."

"What do you hope to gain?" I drew my arms up and clutched the book closer to me feeling my heart start to beat heavily in my chest.

He frowned at my question but shrugged, listing off a couple of reasons for him being interested in my blood. "Your hair color looks remarkably like Seteth's, and my hope is by either confirming or denying the existence of a crest in your blood, that it would lead me to some kind of new revelation in my research."

"Wouldn't that imply that I am the child of some noble house, or something of that nature?" I inquired nonchalantly, trying to pass off my nervousness as dismissive interest.

"Perhaps, but nonetheless I would encourage you to be tested. Some of the weaker bloodlines are scrambling for heirs now and even if you are of some distant lineage we might be able to secure you a better position. Crests can lie dormant for years before making appearances again, so even if it is very unlikely, it is still a good idea for you to be tested." The professor pressed his attempt to convince me about the necessity of getting tested. He possessed an air of excitement that echoing around the office space and rattled my senses and I took a long slow breath.

What could it hurt? I thought reluctantly as I slowly released my grip on the book I was holding. I knew that I would never be part of an existing noble house given to my bloodline, but if he was that interested in researching crests now was probably the time to see what the church, and the leading crest researcher of the empire knew about them.

"If you are that interested, I suppose I can be tested..." I mumbled as there was a knock on the professor's doorway.

Both of our heads jerked in the direction of the doorway and Professor Hanneman called out. "Come in."

The door inched open to reveal muddled green hair and large brown eyes. The boy was out of breath as he pushed open the door and adjusted the large circular glasses on his nose.

"P-Professor Hanneman!" Ignatz gasp as he entered the office in a hurry. "Hilda wanted me to let you know there has been an accident in the alchemy classroom and to let you know we are admitting Claude into the infirmary."

The professor brushed his mustache and sighed in disappointment. "Not again, what did he do this time?" Hanneman looked downright unimpressed with the news as he started to move towards the door. I unfolded myself from sitting on the plush office chairs, setting the ornate pillow back in place as I got to my feet in order to follow the professor.

"W-we are not sure. One minute he was at his desk conducting experiments, and the next minute he was on the ground." Ignatz was clearly concerned about the situation, while the professor was grabbing equipment and packing them into a bag.

"That is typical. The boy probably has poisoned himself again. I keep warning him about not experimenting those strange plants he keeps scrounging about in the woods for, but will he listen?" Hanneman was clearly exasperated by the incoming news, but neither of them appeared to be shocked by this development.

"He said earlier that he had obtained a rare mushroom from one of the traders in the Caravan. I-I think it has something to do with that."

I couldn't stop my curiosity from getting to me. I tilted my head to the side in interest as Hanneman snapped the bag shut with a click and began shepherding us out of the office. "A rare mushroom?"

Hanneman procured an impressive ring full of different keys as we hovered around the door. He proceeded to lock the door while informing me that my testing would need to wait. "Unfortunately we will have to postpone your testing until after I get back from cleaning up Claude's experiments. Ignatz, did everyone evacuate the room before you came to get me?"

"N-no, I was just following Hilda's instructions and came to get you right away. She said she didn't want a repeat of last time when we all broke out in rashes attempting to clean it up on our own."

"When will he learn." Hanneman raised his hands in despair as both he and Ignatz left the room.

I stood in the doorway, puzzled. It seemed like Claude really did have a habit of messing with poisons. I shrugged and cracked out my book, delighted to get my hands on some actually magical texts that might be of use to me at the same time a tiny voice in my head told me I should go seek Dimitri back out so I could accept his offer to join the Blue Lions.

My fingers were skimming over the index again as a muffled conversation drifted down the corridor. A few seconds later my good eye flicked to the top of the stairway to reveal two tall figures I was quickly becoming familiar with. One was the towering easy going blond, and the other was the tall elegant man that had fought Claude so much yesterday. Lorenz made it up the stairs first as Raphael appeared next carrying Claude effortlessly in his arms.

Claude was clearly conscious now as I heard him protesting."Guys, I am honored you're willing to carry me all this way but I am fine, really."

Raphael let out a thunderous laugh as he grinned down at his protesting house leader. "It's a great way to get a workout in carrying you up all these stairs! I don't mind! Besides your light as a feather!"

Lorenz did not miss an opportunity to start ranting to his leader. "This wouldn't be necessary if you would have a bit more care when you are creating these things! Really you could have a proper hobby, but here you are wasting my time in more of your unreputable pursuits! Really, have your ever considered the implications of your actions? You might have sent the entire class to the hospital wing! Again, might I add! Not to mention the fact that your little experiment rendered you unconscious!"

"Aww Lorenz, I didn't think you would actually care." Claude joked as the three of them finally looked down the hall to see me standing there listening to their conversation.

I felt my cheeks start to flush as was an awkward silence hovered in the air. The uncomfortable tension was quickly broken by the injured house leader. "Oh hey there Lilianna, what are you doing here?"

The leader's pale green eyes shifted and honed in on me like a hawk and for a split second I thought he was looking right through me. Claude's piercing stare caused me to avert my gaze and I got a quick glance at the other side of his face. He was holding a fancy white handkerchief to the side of his head and it was tinted pink on the edges, still he continued smiling like there wasn't anything to be concerned about.

Lorenz snorted as I followed them into the infirmary. "Since you are here, have you happened to see professor Manuela anywhere? As you can see our fearless leader here hit his head on the counter as the result of his childish antics."

Since when was messing with poisons child's play? I wanted to ask the noble, but I held my tongue as I answered his question. Now was not the time to consider cheeking someone. "I apologize, I have not seen her."

I entered the medical bay a few steps after the trio to see Raphael carefully depositing Claude onto one of the beds.

Claude immediately started protesting as he attempted to get up from the bed. "Really guys this isn't a big deal. I can…"

Raphael put a hand on his shoulder and pushed Claude back down into a sitting position. "Nuh huh, chief! You hit your head pretty good back there, so why don't you just sit tight until we can get someone to look after ya? We can't just let our leader run around all banged up like that!"

Lorenz huffed as he looked around. "He has a point. Just look at you! That's my finest handkerchief I sacrificed for you I want you to know. Now where has that woman got to?" The noble shook his head and sighed at the gravity of the situation he was facing. "I suppose there really isn't any help for it. I'll have to go off and find her myself."

Lorenz's violet hair swayed back and forth as he hurriedly stuffed a bottle of disinfectant into Claude's hands. I leaned on the counter, setting my new book to the side as Lorenz looked down his nose at me.

Claude looked down at the disinfectant and continued his protesting."Really this isn't necessary, I just hit my head. I promise I'll be fine." Lorenz sniffed as he scowled expectantly down at the injured male, causing Claude to roll his eyes.

Lorenz stared his house leader down and Claude relented a second later. He pulled the pink fabric away from his head and tried to wave off Lorenz' concern. "See, guys are totally overreacting."

This time it was Lorenz's chance to roll his eyes and the noble's slanted eyes came to land on me. I half wished to hide behind the partition, but I gave him a small smile instead.

My smile did not do anything to please the irate noble and he immediately attempted to dictate tasks and responsibilities to me.. "Well what are you doing just standing there? We need to split up and look for Professor Manuela."

I snorted in disagreement, unimpressed by Lorenz's arrogance and attitude already. "Tsk, I think I'll stay right here with Claude. If he passes out again you will need someone here to help. I also don't know the monastery well enough to know where professor Manuela might be."

"She does have a point there." Claude backed me up with a cheerful wink as Lorenz went to argue. I shook my head as Raphael just picked him up headed out the door.


I listened to the pairs retreating footsteps as Claude pushed himself off the bed with a groan of the springs. Still in seemingly good spirits, the house leader set the disinfectant on the stand next to him and began to clean his wound while looking in the mirror. I leaned my head on my hand watching him attempt to clean the wound around his hairline. He wasn't having much success, and I was unsure of how to approach him.

Claude seemed to pick up on my unease and flashed me a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "So, you wanted to spend some time alone with me again so soon, hmm?"

I scowled as he teased me, the leader's easy smile enticed me to come closer even as my nervousness told me to stay away.

"I was, umm, in the middle of a meeting with Professor Hanneman when Ignotz ran in saying you had an accident." I nodded to the bed, a subtle indication for him to have a seat.

"I wouldn't call it an accident, but I certainly didn't expect it to have quite that fast of an effect." He chuckled as I pursed my lips, not believing his explanation in the least.

Claude caught my unimpressed reflection in the mirror as he touched the disinfectant to the side of his head. "Alright, it was an accident, but I totally did not intend to inhale any of that mushroom powder. It kind of just happened."

"Just holding it there isn't going to help you." I informed him feeling a wave of deja vu as I gestured again for him to take a seat on the bed. "Could you sit back down please? You're worrying me."

Claude looked like he had just caught a canary as he sat back down obediently. "Oh, so you're worried about me are you? Are you going to take care of an injured deer if I behave myself?"

I left off leaning on the counter and approached him. My hand shook as I took the cleaning cloth from him without a comment.

My lack of a reaction to his teasing caused the leader to pout."Aww come on, I don't get any reaction out of that?"

"Would you like a reaction from me?" I muttered as I worked up the nerve to carefully brush his unruly brown locks out of my way.

"You'd be a lot cuter that way." Claude muttered as his eyes shifted away from me. I ignored his comments and went to work on cleaning his wound.

In truth his injury didn't look that bad, just like he had said, but head injuries were nothing to joke about especially if he had fainted. I worked silently diligently removing the excess blood from the side of his face as I muttered. "Just to be clear, you hit your head after you were knocked out right?"

"That's what they say."

The leader had gone quiet as his hand gripped his knees. I moved another section of hair and that time he flinched. It was a slight one, but he didn't say a word on complaint as the disinfectant did its job.

"So the mushroom's side effect is to knock you out?" I tried to keep Claude talking, something to take away from him concentrating on what I was doing.

The grip on his knees grew tighter as he let out an exhausted sigh. "From what I can tell it just makes you feel really dizzy and nauseous."

I finished cleaning and walked over to toss the bloody cloth in the bin. "I am sure there is something here for dizziness and nausea...but first we need to deal with that wound. Would you mind if…."

The golden deer focused squarely on the ground in between his feet as I began to panic. "Claude? Hey Claude!"

He looked up with me the second time I called his name. "Oh sorry, you kind of lost me there. I was thinking about something, did you need me?"

I failed to hide my concern as I set my hands on my head and leaned forward annoyed. I sniffed lightly, suspicious, but something in the way he spoke made me hold back. "Ugh, I was asking your permission to cast a small healing spell rather than using the supplies here."

"Huh?" He looked vaguely surprised by my offer as I rolled my eyes. "You're not going to wait for Manuela?"

"Is there a reason why I should wait?" I countered as I locked eyes with him. "What might happen to you if I wait for her? What if you somehow have some kind of adverse side effect to hitting your head?"

I didn't miss how his eyes darted to the damaged side of my face and I sighed. He did have a valid reason to be concerned I Suppose as I approached the side of the bed again. "I promise I won't try anything strange. Honestly I am a fairly skilled faith user. It's one of the reasons I was speaking with Professor Hanneman to begin with. I wanted to speak with another instructor who specializes in magic since Edelgard rejected my application to enter the Black Eagles this morning."

I stood next to Claude waiting to see how he took my news. His sharp eyes appraised me in a second light as I rubbed the back of my head. "Look, all I am going to do is a standard healing spell. I just want to stop the bleeding and swelling before it gets anymore dangerous."

I tried to swallow the hard knot in my throat as I held my hands out to touch him.

Claude snorted and met me halfway, bringing his head in between my outstretched hands. "That's such a shame. I find it hard to believe that Edelgard would turn down a talented person like yourself without a good reason. Still her loss could be my gain, ehh?"

I gently took his head and tilted it so I could focus on his injury as he gave me an encouraging grin. "Maybe, if you hold still a moment."

The golden deer stopped moving as I cast the spell. The minor healing spells light flickered on and off for a few minutes as the spell worked to close the wound. In the holy light I watched in relief as Claude's injury faded to a healthy pink.

"Just a reminder, I would still gladly welcome you into the Golden Deer house." Claude winked at me as I let my hands drop down to my sides feeling a wave of my own nausea. The feeling was even more discomforting as I felt the blood rushing to my face, flustered by the golden deer's casual flirting.

"There that should about do it." I hurriedly stepped away back towards the medicine cabinets trying to hide my emotions while search for something for to cure both our dizziness and nausea.

"You're an absolute life saver, thanks!" I watched as he ran a hand through his hair. His fingers trailing over the same spot I had just healed. "Good as new! Now do you think you could find me something for this dizziness and nausea?"

I nodded as I felt my own stomach knot. Claude's normally tan face was steadily turning paler as I picked over the contents of the medical cabinets, feeling more and more useless by the minute.

"Err, how about you try laying down." I suggested as my mind tried to concentrate on the foreign labels and concoctions in front of me.

"Na, I am good." The golden deer muttered as I had to admit to myself that I had no idea what half of the medications were let alone their uses.

Feeling more than a bit lost at what I was looking at in the cabinets, unable to read half of the labels. I pulled down a few powders and pills that I thought might help, and I attempted to read over their documentation and labels. I was mulling over my options when I heard the springs on the bed groan.

"Do you know what I am looking for?" I shot a look over my shoulder to see Claude laying down in the bed.

"No, can't say I do. Manuela normally just starts pulling down bottles when I get here."

I put all the medications back into the cabinets and shut the cabinet doors softly as he draped an arm over his eyes with a soft groan of his own.

"Don't close your eyes." I cautioned as I tried to decide if I should wait for the head of the infirmary or if I should start looking for medical records to see what Manuela normally gave him. I took a second to breathe and decided to wait for Manuela.

If they were not back shortly, I would try to do what I could, but I didn't want to risk poisoning Claude any further by giving him random potential medications when a more experienced individual might have more knowledge and be able to be more precise. It was more logical to wait for help then substituting my own guess work if he wasn't in danger of dying.

"Don't worry, I won't fall asleep. It's just this headache it is getting worse." He muttered from the confines of his arm as he turned paler.

I bit my lip trying to think of something, anything I could do to help. My magic was only good for treating minor physical wounds. Any sort of poison or toxin was completely outside my realm of expertise. As my brain flipped through scenarios and instances, trying to recall anything I might have on hand, or in my knowledge base of different plants that might help, I looked around the infirmary once more. This time my roving gaze settled on the table, where a lone flower stood elegantly next to a water pitcher. Not hesitating, I proceeded to fill up a small glass with water.

"Here, try to drink some water." I held out the glass to Claude as I heard the footsteps rounding the corner.


The hours passed with Manuela giving both Claude and I something for our nausea. I lingered in the medical wing waiting for the medication to take effect, as the head of the Infirmary took down notes and slowly administered antitoxins to Claude. She also took the chance to reexamine my face, and declared the same thing Hanneman did. That it was healing on its own and that it was progressing well. When she finished she shooed me out of the infirmary with a firm citation that both her and her remaining patient needed to rest. Claude gave me a weak wave as Manuela gave me my book and chased me out into the hallway.

I held my book close and looked out a nearby window, noting how far the sun had drifted since I had last ate. With nothing better to do I follow my nose down to the dinning hall to find something to eat.

As soon as I entered the dining hall, the whispers started. I quickly collected my food from the kitchen staff and attempted to find a seat. The whispers and sly eyes followed my every step, rumors of why I had been rejected from the Black Eagle house had already spread like wildfire and I noticed distrustful eyes following me everywhere. Extremely uncomfortable with the amount of attention I was receiving, I retreated to the gardens down by the greenhouse.

The sun had not quite set yet, so the light was still bright enough to see by as I settled down in a secluded corner of the gardens with my book and tray of food. I picked up my fish sandwich and balanced my new textbook on my knee whilst flipping through the book with interest. A source of well documented, standardized faith spells, I flicked though the logic behind each spell completely engrossed in my studies while the sun drifted lower in the sky.

The light had almost given itself over to twilight when I looked up next. I stretched and gave a small gasp of surprise. With a short gasp, I realized I had acquired some company while I had been studying. Passed out in the grass next to me was the healer from the Black Eagle's house, Linhardt. The healer was by all manner of the words, soundly asleep by my feet. Perplexed as to what he was doing napping at my feet I quickly memorized the page number I was on and closed my book.

The sunlight was fading rapidly as the cool night air was starting to gather in the garden. Setting my book and tray to the side I crawled over to the slumbering man and gave him a slight shake.

"Hey Linhardt, you should wake up."

Linhardt cracked a deep blue eye and mumbled. "Isn't it rather rude of you to wake a person up when they are sleeping? I didn't disturb you when you were reading."

The healer's response had me lost for words as his soft snoring sound started back up.

"Linhardt, no really, you really should wake up." I waited for a second and gave him another shake, adding a quick please to the end of my sentence in hopes that he might listen. "Please?"

"Alright then, stop shaking me." Lind yawned as he sat up in the grass. "Now what do you want now that I am awake?"

I knelt on the grass entirely lost for words. The noble that had been sleeping soundly in the grass next to me, was now peeved at me for waking him up. "I, umm, I was getting ready to leave and I didn't want to leave you here all alone."

That didn't quite come out right but Lind sighed nevertheless. "Ahhh, that is what you woke me up for? You didn't want me to be alone here?"

l looked up at the night sky and the half-awake blue eyes followed my line of sight. "Ah, it makes sense now. It is getting dark and a bit chilly I suppose. Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

I pushed off the ground and offered him a wordless hand up as he commented dryly. "You are a bit strange aren't you?"

Linhardt gave me his hand and I pulled him upright with a grunt of effort. I stood there analyzing the noble before me as he stretched and dusted himself off, double checking that his own books were still in the grass next to him. Something about Linhardt reminded me of Claude and I had yet to figure out why.

Both of them dressed like nobles, but perhaps what threw me off was that they didn't really act like a proper noble. In stark contrast, Dimitri and Edelgard's stiff and proper mannerisms were off putting and made me nervous. I was in the middle of comparing the three house leaders when my question kind of rolled out of its own accord. "Linhardt, what house do you think I should join?"

"Well now, that is an odd question. I suppose that depends on your interest and goals." Lind grabbed his pillow from the ground and started to fluff it. "But why ask me?"

I held up my book on magic and pointed. "Because I know you are the primary healer for the Black Eagles, so I wanted to know which house you would pick if you were not in the Black Eagle's house already."

"Well that's just a strange assumption, who said I was anything of the sort?"

He looked ready to doze off standing there so I gave up and dropped the question. It was obvious the mage wasn't interested in my dilemma. I scowled myself for asking an almost random stranger a very personal question. I sighed and gathered up my things. "Nevermind then, I guess. I apologize for bothering you. Have a pleasant evening Lind."

"Wait-a moment...Zzzz…" Linhardt muttered as I looked up at the sky. The stars shimmered with a bright light overhead and I huffed. I had to make a decision, one way or the other, and I needed to make it soon.

I stared back at Lind who had started snoring again. I waved a tentative hand in front of the sleeping healers face, confirming despite the odds that he had fallen asleep standing upright. Slightly amused, and slightly concerned, I forward my brow and considered how I should proceed. "I can't very well leave you here now can I?"

I sighed and looked back up at the stars as if they would give me an answer to all my current problems. As if to answer a falling star shot across the sky in a spark of wonder. I watched the star shoot across the sky, the bright blue white tail fading to darkness as I made up my mind. Mustering up my conviction I went over and grabbed Lind's hand, informing the sleeping man pointedly. "I don't know where your dorm room is, but maybe someone in the mess hall can help you get back to your bed."

Without a second thought, my world went dark as magic wrapped itself around us in a swirl of light. My stomach knotted as my magic spell warped the pair of us into the significantly less crowded dining hall. I felt the wave of dizziness washing over me as we appeared about an inch above the solid surface of the dining room table. The spell let us go and we dropped onto the table a heartbeat later.

The table wobbled slightly as I deftly caught my balance, keeping both Lind and myself upright as I looked around to see where we had landed. I had missed my mark by a few feet, but overall the spell had worked just as I had intended it to. I finished looking around feeling that I was attracting entirely too much attention by standing on top of the table. I started to get down, assuming my miscalculation was just because I was simply unfamiliar with the dinning hall and it's layout.

"Well that is interesting." Lind's eyes opened to look down at the table. "I recall falling asleep out in the garden, but now I am in the dining hall. Did you do something while I was out?"

I was already climbing down off the table as the few stragglers looked up from eating dinner to stare at us. I felt my cheeks turning a brilliant crimson as I motioned for Linhardt to climb down off the table. "I hate making a scene. Lindhart come down here."

"Why? The view from on top of this table allows me to clearly see...Zzz."

I watched impatiently as Linhardt's eyes fluttered once, twice, and then shut completely. The soft snoring started a second later and I looked up at the healer completely baffled on how he had just fallen asleep standing on a table in the middle of the dinning hall. I shook my head and decided to leave Lind standing on the table. It was a problem for someone else to deal with, I concluded as I went to clean up my tray.

"That is a very interesting spell." I refused to make eye contact as I set my book down on the counter and handed my tray over to the kitchen help.

"Errr, I am sorry. He won't come down. I think he fell asleep up there." I muttered as I refused to make eye contact with the sharp tongued kitchen aid.

"No, that's not what I mean!" The kitchen aid slammed her hand on the counter top causing me to jump. My good eye flicked up from looking at the wall to meet Lysithea's pale pink eyes as she glared at me. "You just teleported two people! How did you do that?"

"Errr…" I wanted to run as I flushed an even deeper shade of red as she pressed me for more information.

"I need to know how you do that! I have been researching how to warp others, but that spell looks much more useful." The white haired mage handed the tray to another student and then put her hands on her hips. "You need to teach me how you did that!"

I started to back away from the counter waving my hands in the air. "Errr, ah, I don't really know how to teach you that spell."

"Nonsense! You just did it! We can experiment and I'll take notes. I know, we can practice it after class tomorrow." Her fierce gaze had me shaking my head as sweat collected on the back of my neck.

"No, really, I have never taught anyone magic before. I don't think I can do it." I attempted to to deter the young mage from taking any unnecessary risks.

"Its fine, I am a quick study. I do a lot of research on my own anyway, so I can help you with the basics. I really want to learn that spell." Lysithea pleaded with me as I tried to convince her otherwise.

"You do see this right?" I pointed to my injured eye. "This is what happens when I start playing with spells. I don't feel that comfortable teaching them to others when they can backfire like that."

"I don't have time to play it safe! I need to know how to do that spell" She argued with me and I was close to giving in when an arm slid around my waist causing my agreement to die on my lips. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I froze in place, readying a combat spell on the tip of my fingers. My hands glowed with a radiant white light as I turned and jerked myself away from my attacker.

"Wow, hey now! No need for that!" Sylvain held up his hands as I let out a steadying breath.

"What - the - hell Sylvain!" I hissed as I let the light fade from my fingertips.

" Well now that is surprising, I was just going to ask you for the same thing." Sylvain gave me a wink as he tucked his hands behind his head like nearly being blasted wasn't a huge deal to the knight-in-training. "Your reaction time is kind of impressive. You know what? You should totally join the Blue Lions so we can practice together."

"Ugh, you can't just say things like that Sylvain." Lysithea rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she started scorning the redhead. "By that logic she should join the Golden Deer so she can study with me. I am clearly more competent than you when it comes to magic, so it would only make sense she could learn more in our class then yours."

Sylvain wasn't off-put by the younger mages resistance and just countered in a casual tone. "Hey now, we have professor Byleth leading our class. She is totally a better combat instructor than old Hanneman there, and not to mention a complete babe"

"Uggg, is that really all you think about? Well, Professor Hanneman is a highly accredited mage and a crest scholar. He is more than capable of providing us with comprehensive magic studies!"

I was about to step in to defuse the situation as a huge explosion from within the kitchen echoed through the dining hall alarming me enough that I ducked and put my arms up in defense as the redhead next to me stepped into the line of fire. From within the open doorway to the kitchen I was able to make out a flickering red and orange light as the black smoke began pouring out into the dining hall. Screams started to piece the oppressive silence as the knight in front of me jumped over the counter and made for the kitchen. His voice carried over the screams as he called out. "Is everyone alright?!"

Lysithea followed into the kitchen a moment later as several yells from the cooks inside called out. "We are alright! Annette just blew up another pan and we have a small fire!"

A pitiful cry sounded out as the orange ringlets of the Blue Lion's mage appeared in the doorway. "I am so sorry! I promise it won't happen again!"

The head cook appeared to not be buying her protests as the mage was tearfully pushed out of the kitchen and into Sylvain's arms. Can you take care of her for us? We need to address the fire."

The head cook motioned for Lysithea to join them in the kitchen as Annette looked tearfully up at Sylvain covered in some sort of red sauce.

"Heyo Annette, another accident in the kitchen huh?" The cheerful redhead immediately relaxed when he heard everyone was alright and that the situation was under control. He patted Annette's head and trailed his finger over a dollop of red sauce that had taken up residency on the side of her cheek. With a wink he licked it off his finger.

"Tasty, strawberry preserves. Man Annette that's going to be one sticky mess. You sure you're alright?"

The mage nodded weakly as she gazed around in tears. "I can't believe I did it again! I made such a mess!"

"Your cooking skills do leave something to be desired. Well come on, let's get you taken care of. Let's go head to the showers, just you and me. I'll make sure to scrub every inch of you squeaky clean!"

I put my head on my forehead for a second, amazed Sylvain had the guts to even deliver that kind of line given the current circumstances. I held my hand to my forehead and had an idea. My good eye shot to where Sylvain was putting his hand on Annette's shoulder and then drifted to Linhardt who was now curled up on the table top sleeping soundly.

"Hey Sylvain - can you do me a favor? Can you help Lind find his way back to his dorm for me please? I can help Annette out in return."

Sylvain stopped patting Annette's shoulder and looked at me. It was easy to tell he was appraising my offer as he led Annette out from behind the counter. "Awww man, I can't reject a direct request from a cutie like you, but I got a better idea. Why don't we all hit the showers and leave Linhardt to his own devices?"

The idea of going to the showers with Sylvain sent a quick shiver down my spine and I shook my head to rid myself of the thought. Instead I came up and grabbed his arm and promptly began begging. "Please Sylvain? I don't want Linhardt to get angry with me for waking him up again. Won't you help me, please?"

The redhead's brown eyes lit up and he leaned down towards me. I stopped myself from backing away, still clinging to the knight's arm as the predator closed in on me. "Alright, alright you win. I'll deal with Linhardt while you take care of Annette. I can't turn down a request from a cutie like you."

Sylvain ducked his head down a little lower, and I timed my release a second faster. With a coy smile I latched onto Annette's arm and wave him a slight way. "You are a lifesaver Sylvain! Thank you!"

The redhead recovered from my rejection with a bit of a surprised grin on his face as I tugged Annette's arm, indicating it was time to flee.


A while later I dropped off a jam free Annette to Mercedes's room a bit later. Annette had insisted on telling her friend what had happened right away, and I had shrugged as I escorted the now clean mage to her dorm room. As soon as we both got out of the hot and relaxing baths the bubbly and cheerful mage turned into a bur. She stuck close to my side chatting incessantly as we hit the cool spring air. The orange haired mage chattered on and on about how Mercedes was going to react to her catching the kitchen on fire again, and how the older healer had told her that the monastery grounds were haunted at night.

Judging by how she was reacting I would say Annette was scared of ghosts and she freely admitted that she was now afraid to go out at night. I shrugged and admired the towers and rooftops of the Monastery under the soft glow of the moon and stars. It was pretty, and Annette was happy that I was there to keep her company.

I simply enjoyed the cool night air while the mage filled the noiseless void with absent chatter. I reflected as the moonlight hit the cobblestones on the path to the dorm bath's had been hot and an absolute luxury after spending so much time on the road, the water relaxing my tense and batted muscles after a brutal training session this past morning. This morning felt so forever ago after everything that had happened.

In contrast to the hot baths, the cool night air was refreshing and the night was peaceful. I was content just to admire and have someone friendly to chat with, it made considering staying at the Monastery less intimidating.

I was still mulling over the events that had occurred today as I waved Annette off. The damp but clean mage stood in the doorway of Mercedes's room waving me goodnight as the pale yellow light bathed the pair in a warm and inviting glow. The walk to my own room was silent, my footsteps making nary a noise in the cool spring air, and I was left with just my thoughts. A normal feeling that gave me time to think in earnest about everything that was happening.

I clicked open the lock on my own room and came to the stark realization that I had left my new magic book in the mess hall. I distinctly recalled setting it down in front of Lysithea as I handed over my empty food trays and then being distracted by Sylvain. With a groan I rested my head on the door to my room and decided I should go get the text. Reluctantly, cursing my own folly, I shut the door and walked back through the monastery.

The walk gave me more time to think. The soft silence of the night accompanied by the light of the moon, allowed me to consider my next step. Selecting a house to join.

At this point I had a choice between Dimitri or Claude, the Blue Lions or the Golden Deer. Each of house had their own strengths and weaknesses, and a distinctly different leader. I thumbed my bottom lip in thought, stopping to lean on a rampart overlooking the loch. A crisp night wind blew through the monastery off the lakefront, chilling the air around me.

The reflection on the loch rippled reflecting the pale sliver of the moon and the twinkling lights of the Monastery in its glistening waters. The sight was tranquil and set me at ease. A refreshing respite from all the traveling and worries that had been hounding me the past few years, as this place offered protection.

The uneasy reminder of my past had me frowning and feeling unsettled. The unsettling feeling of being hunted persisted and caused me to stop admiring the view in front of me and take action. I began walking towards the dining hall once more. The unwelcome feelings continued to spread, plaguing my mind and beginning to eat away at my confidence that staying at Garreg Mach was the right decision. They persisted to the point I started to jog. The exercise was welcome and helped me escape the feels that were creeping up from the dark recesses of my mind. The dark doubts cropped up and made it hard to settle down.

My boots clicked as I fled my thoughts and soon I found myself in front of the door to the mess hall. I pulled the door open and caught the attention of a few lone staff members silently cleaning up the kitchen area. I poked my head further inside curiously, expecting the hall to be empty of students given the late hour.

The dark gloom of the hall was offset by the red light coming from the kitchen nearest me, and at the far end of the hall a lone figure sat bathed in a soft yellow light. The open door must have caught their attention as the dark silhouette gave me a quick wave.

My eye took a second to adjust to the gloom and soon I was able make out the ornate gold and white book on the table in the candle light. Delighted that I had found my book so quickly and I gave a small wave back to the unknown figure who had secured my book. I entered the abandoned mess hall allowing the door close softly behind me and then made my way over to the table.

From out of the gloom I approached the soft yellow candle light and was surprised to find Claude sitting at the table all alone.

The golden deer gave me a haggard grin as he held my missing textbook out to me. "Missing something?"

"Umm, yes I am. I forgot it in here earlier when I returned my tray." I accepted the book from him, feeling a faint rush of heat to my cheeks. I clutched the text to me and took a minute to examine how the leader was doing after his own ordeal today.

Dark shadows resided beneath Claude's pale green eyes and he appeared to be picking away at his dinner. Judging by the amount of food on his plate, he wasn't making much progress. However, the golden deer still retained his keen observation skills.

"What, is something the matter?"

I leaned up against the table and peer into the guarded green eyes that were analyzing in return. I put out a hand and tapped the table. "How are you feeling?"

The green eyes flashed as he answered in a flat tone. "Pretty terrible if I am being honest, but I'll get over it."

He motioned to the seat across from him. "You can have a seat if you want to chat."

I looked at the seat and then at the recovering deer sitting at the table all alone. Claude was looking pretty miserable, but somehow he stubbornly was attempting to eat. It didn't take me anything to consider his offer and then accept.

"Actually if you wouldn't mind me joining you…" I sat down and crossed my legs to get comfortable.

The house leader gave me a strange look as I tugged on my skirt annoyed that it wouldn't let me sit how I wanted to but waved me off. "I did offer, besides eating alone sucks."

His abruptly honest comment caught me off guard. I had a hard time surpassing my giggle as he looked up from blowing on his soup. "Haha, I don't think I have ever heard a noble put it quite like that, but I do agree. Eating by oneself can be rather lonely sometimes."

The tension broke under my giggles and Claude slid in more of his charm. He gave me a wry grin. "Well, I didn't have a typically noble's upbringing."

I nodded as I hid a giggle behind the back of my hand. "Ha, I can tell! You're not quite..."

I left off suddenly unsure if what I was going to say was going to offend him.

"I am not what?" He inquired curiously as he took a bite of his soup.

"As stuffy and off-putting as most nobles." I finished lamely and looked away from my table mate feeling the gloom closing in on me.

"True! I'm not all that bad once you get to know me." The golden deer winked as I crossed my arms, leaning forward onto the table. My heartbeat was starting to increase as my stomach knotted. I went with my gut instinct and decided to risk asking the question.

"Hey Claude?"

"Hmm?" He was chasing a runaway carrot around the edges of his bowl, not really eating, but making an effort to appear like he was.

I took a deep breath and then just let my question on. "Can-can I join your house?"

Claude paused in chasing his carrot, caught off guard by my sudden question. The house leader blinked like a deer caught in the headlights and it quickly changed to an easy, brilliant smile. "Oh so you are interested in the Golden Deer then?"

He gave a short laugh and rubbed the back of his head. "I thought for sure after this afternoon you would have gone over to Teach's class. I heard you have been making quite a few friends in the Blue Lion's house."

I gave a nervous laugh and scratched the side of my face. "Errr, well you're not wrong, but I am kind of going on my gut here. In my line of work, gut instincts mean a lot and well you intrigue me..." I struggled with the words I wanted to use. Claude waited for me as I looked up at the stain glass lily. "...Your house just feels more open and relaxed? I mean sure it's argumentative at times, but it's also very friendly. Not nearly as formal as the other two houses either. I don't know, something just feels right about it..."

I refused to make eye contact as I felt my face flush with heat. I could scarcely believe I was trying to explain my gut feeling to the next sovereign duke of the Leicester Alliance.

"Besides, you helped me when I, umm, messed up in the back of the caravan so one good turn deserves another right?" I offered sheepishly unable to explain why I was defying all logic and asking the man in front of me to take me into his house.

"Haha! I guess you're right!" I felt his eyes raking over me, assessing me again with a colder, calculating, expression on his face. "How is your wound doing anyway? I didn't get much of a chance to ask you earlier."

My words died on my lips as Claude's hand reached over the table and slowly moved the mess of unruly green hair that hid my injured eye from view.

"It doesn't hurt, but I still can't see out of it." I muttered, letting my good eye fall to the ground.

"Huh, it looks better than it did the other day that's for sure. No pain or anything?" I flinched as he brushed the side of my face gently with a finger tip. My sharp intake of breath caused him to stop and pull away.

"Sorry, did that hurt?" Claude leaned over the remains of his dinner in concern.

"N-no. I just...I wasn't expecting you to touch it."

He grinned as if he had just found out a valuable piece of information. "Tell you what, you can touch me in return, feel free to do so any time you want."

"No! No! Thank you! I am quite alright!" I panicked as Claude gave me the sliest of grins. I hurried, about tripping over myself, as I got up from the table. "G-Good night!"

"I'll pick you up in the morning and let you know the Deer's schedule!" He called out in a much stronger voice then I gave him credit for in his current state.

I called my response over my shoulder as I fled for the exit. "I'll be at the training ground at first light!"


The next morning I broke the news to Dimitri while we were training in lances together. "I am sorry, your highness I would like to inform you that I have chosen to join the Golden Deer house."

The prince finished his pattern and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Ah, then a congratulations are in order then! I am sorry that you are not joining the Blue Lions but you are free to continue to train with us any time you like!"

I began my own spear pattern slowly going through the motions to learn the pattern and making sure my stance was proper.

"Raise your spear tip a bit more. You're goal is to stab down." Dimitri got behind me and lifted the lance up as Navan's axe flew by us once more.

"Ach, yer are skilled lassy! That be ter third time this morn that me axe has flown from me hand!" Navan barked a hearty laugh as Byleth shrugged and answered in a flat tone.

"They used to call me the Ashen Demon back when I was a mercenary"

"Well, ya, you are captain Jeralt's kid. This doesn't surprise me." Leonie stopped practicing with her lance and looked over at me with a question in her eyes. "You said you're joining the Golden Deer right?"

I nodded as she walked over and held out a welcoming hand. "Great! That means I got another sparring partner to train with!"

I looked at her hand and then at her. Hesitantly I grabbed it and she gave it hearty shake.

"I don't know how good of a sparring partner I will be. I am a bit better at magic."

"Ehh, it doesn't matter. Don't sweat it! We are all here to training, so feel free to let me know if you ever need a hand. Maybe I can even give you a few pointers if you like?"

Felix stopped slicing the training dummy long enough to growl. "Don't forget I'm here. If you need help with swords I am always willing to fight."

Dimitiri put his hand to his face. "Yes, the better question is when are you not here."


Claude wandered into the training hall on the tail end of my morning training session just as Navan and I were having it out with one another once again. My eye wandered to see who had just entered the hall and caught the golden deer mid-yawn as he leaned casually over the railings of the training hall. Navan caught my mistake again and swiftly grabbed my arm and threw me over his hip in a draft movement.

I rolled, skidding across the floor for a second before I climbed back onto my feet huffing. With a spark of white light at my hand I fired off my Saraph darts. Navan was prepared for my magic attacks this time and he parried it with a large shield he had taken to wearing as a precaution.

"You'll need ta do better than that lassie if yon hopes to beat me."

I scowled as my spell bounced harmlessly off his shield. The spell I had been learning yesterday randomly clicked into my mind. The calculations and symbolize clicking together in a rapid succession and I swiftly followed up my first spell with a second.

A sudden wind picked up and blew around the training ground, the source of the sudden gusts rolling off my hands and I unleashed a blade of wind. The armored knight paling visibly as he mustered a defense.

"Ach, lassy, yer can control yon wind now?"

Launching off the spells caused my vision to go hazy and my stomach knotted as my head began to pound. Not one to waste an opportunity however, the spell gave me enough time to maneuver Navan into a corner of the training arena.

It did not take my mentor long to realize I had backed him into the corner and he came out swinging his wooden training axe.


We called it quits not long after that. Navan complained he had lost some of his beard to my wind gusts and on closer inspection we found half a braid on the floor of the area. He scowled as he cut the other side to match while I rested against the stone pillar. I felt each and every bruise from every time I had kissed the floor during training today. With a groan, I popped a concoction and went to met with Claude.

"My, my, aren't we quite ambitious first thing in the morning?" My house leader greeted me as I walked over to the side of the arena.

I scowled darkly at his cheerful greeting, still very much in agony over my training. My head throbbed painfully, focusing on a point just behind my injured eye as I looked him over carefully. The golden deer still had dark circles under his eyes and he was significantly paler then his normally tan complexion should allow. By all appearances it looked like he was still recovering.

"Rough night Claude?" Dimitri inquired as we both stood under the Golden Deer leader.

"One could say that." He looked down from top of the arena at me and gave me a short wave. "You about done here? I have some stuff I want to go over with you."

I nodded up to him as my stomach rumbled.

"Make sure to eat a healthy breakfast." Dimitri clasp my back firmly. "You're training hard, so make sure you eat well. You'll need to keep your strength up."

I nodded numbly to the prince as he put his heavily armored hand on my shoulder. My good eye flicked up to see Claude watching us from above. I flinched as he watched us with all the interest of a cat studying its prey. It was uncomfortable, but I tried to shrug off the feeling of impending trouble.

"Dimitri is right, I'll go grab us breakfast while you clean up. Tell ya what, I'll meet you in our spot from last night." The golden deer leader gave a lighthearted wave as he walked away with a savage grin on his face.

As my new house leader left the training grounds, Dimitri turned to me with a concerning blush written all over his face. I felt my gut twist as the sense of trouble I had just felt manifested.

"What is the meaning of this? You were with Claude last night? I am…"

I gave the prince no more time to speak as I quickly pressed my hands over the prince's mouth. A bead of sweat dropped down the side of my face as I hastily whispered. "Not another word, please your grace! You will start rumors that I really don't need to be a part of!"

Claude must have heard my panic as his laughter resounded throughout the training hall. In tangent Dedue caught me attacking Dimitri and yelled.

"Your highness!" The second in command yelled out in concern and he dropped what he was doing to come to the prince's aid.

Dimitri, on the other hand, didn't even attempt to fight me off. I knew he was more than capable of doing so.

The prince only nodded that he understood. I held my hand over his mouth as I quickly explained what had happened last night. "Look, I just forgot my textbook in the mess hall last night and Claude happened to pick up and return it to me. That's all."

Dedue was almost on top of us when I stepped away. The glowering second in command was ready to attack me as I released Dimitri with a heavy sigh.

Dimitri held out a hand to stop Dedue from attacking me as the big man swiped at me. I ducked behind Dimitri for cover as the prince shook his head. "She is fine Dedue. I made a statement that said something to offended her. She was simply remedying my misunderstanding. My apologies for offending you." Dimitri bowed to me, his face still a faint shade of pink.

"P-please don't apologize! It's not your fault!" I sputtered as I bowed back profusely. "I-I really must apologize for attacking you like that!"


Author Corner:

Ok Ok - I want to give you a serious kudos for surviving two really massive chapters - Oh my god thank you for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed these really long chapters - I know the chapters might be a little slow moving. But! I hope your enjoying seeing all the different students popping in and out of the story and seeing them interacting - my goal is really to detail more interactions and supports in this work to give everyone more love. I mean sure I'll play favorites, but everyone has a place and I am hoping that comes across and that you enjoy the interactions!

Chapter Recap:

Sooo how are you enjoying the ride? You saw Lilianna apply for the Black Eagle's but the house leader, Edelgard, rejected her application. Sure she has her reasons, but its not exactly what Lili was hoping for. So Lili spends the next day, kind of having a rough day - Really she has some awful luck - Navan's in a bad mood - but she appears to be picking up training in lances with Dimitri. You also learn a couple of Lilianna's spells - her spells are mostly non-standard spells having not been taught them traditionally - and she experiments with them on a regular basis to the point they are not quite what they appear - and they act differently then the normal spells.

Well - her Wind spell works just like she read it in the book - the night prior - that book was a lot of hassle was it not?

And we officially learn that Lilianna is in the Golden Deer House - on nothing more then a gut instinct because it felt right. (Ok there is more to it, but I'll let you draw those lines based on past thoughts and conversations Lili has had in the different groups.) However it does appear that Claude's persistence and efforts to recruit her appears to have worked - much to his surprise and delight.

At the same time how did you like that little side adventure with Claude poisoning himself? It seems the rumors were well founded, as it appears that he does indeed have a hobby with creating them. However, he must have slipped and accidentally - well - had some adverse side effects that take him some time to recover some.

You also learn a bit about these nobility and crests - they seem to mean a lot and Hanneman is very interested in them - the question is - does Lilianna as a commoner have one?

We also see that Sylvain is at it again and that he is hitting on Lili quite hard - she ducked a kiss from him and it seems he is enjoying her playing hard to get. (The horror of letting him shower with Annette - and proposing a three way shower...he is trouble is he not? - and we see Ingrid trying to get him to behave) But when there was danger the redhead stepped up to shield Lili and he was one of the first to spring into action - so maybe he isn't so bad hmmm?

I feel like there was more that happened here - but in truth this was another meaty chapter - I really hope you enjoyed the ride and look forward to seeing more of Lili's story unfold!

Please hit that follow button if you don't want to miss the next chapter - if you enjoy the story please give it a heart - and it would be amazing if you dropped a comment saying you liked the chapter! Until next time!