Month of Wyvern Moon - No Snacks in Class

Chapter 24

Several hours into the afternoon I managed to make it to class only to be met by Seteth. The advisor was standing at the front of the class, lecturing over large scale battles. He was detailing the use of gambits to gain the upper hand in longer drawn out battles.

I attempted to creep quietly into the back of the class when he called me out. "Mistress Lilianna, how nice of you to join us for the last few hours of class today."

Caught, I straightened up and laughed. I rubbed the back of my head in nervousness. "Haha...err, my apologies. The medical wing is short on assistants since Professor Manuela is recovering. I was in there most of the morning."

Seteth scowled at me and pointed to the nearest empty seat. "I am well aware of where you have been, but you are drawing more attention to yourself slinking around the back then if you had just come in normally."

There were snickers all around the classroom as I felt the heat rush to my face. Embarrassed, I ducked into my seat and began pulling out my books as Seteth tapped the board. "Now, since you are late, perhaps you can inform us on what you know of wyvern vs pegusi gambits."

Scowling and feeling like I was being singled out for doing my assigned duties, I bit back my tongue and pulled out my paperwork while I fumbled for an acceptable answer. "Pegusi typically only take female riders, and because of that, they are typically more lightweight units. Pegusi routinely prove to be faster units then Wyverns, but because they are subjected to light armor only, it makes them more susceptible to taking heavy damage."

Seteth folded his arms as he nodded his approval. "Very good, it's good to know that you still keep up with your studies even when you are apt to slacking off."

I snorted and pursed my lips as I held back my retort. It would do no good to protest, so I kept my resentful thoughts to myself as the advisor called on another student. "Master Riegan, help educate the class and expand on Miss. Lilianna's explanation. What can you tell us about wyverns in particular?"

The Golden Deer looked up from his book and quickly rattled off an explanation about wyverns being a slower moving flying unit, but still faster than ground units since they didn't worry about terrain. To follow up Claude also mentioned that wyverns are more susceptible to magic and ranged attacks due to their size, but to make up for that weakness, wyvern normally possessed more armor and tended to be more powerful in combat, laying waste to ground battalions if the ground units were left unprotected and out in the open.

As the Golden Deer leaned back impudently in his chair Lysithea chimed in about how some spells targeted armor in different ways. The young mages insight was valuable, and I actually made an attempt to take detailed notes based on her input. As I hastily scribbled notes, I hoped that I could follow up with her later on some of her more interesting points.

Unfortunately, my note taking was interrupted by my stomach protesting my missed meals. The painful cramps alone wouldn't have been a problem, but the half a dozen shallow cuts on my forearms made note taking a much more painful process than I anticipated. I winced and held my stomach as I waited for the cramps to pass. My plight was lost on my table mate. After the first round of cramps had passed Hilda leaned over and passed me a folded up piece of paper.

I carefully unfolded the note and looked down. It was a small picture of Ignatz and a question asking if I was feeling alright.

I looked around at the artist and shook my head as he adjusted his glasses. Not bothering to hide my discomfort, I scribbled down that I was fine. I added a little note that said I had just had a really busy morning and could use a snack.

I passed the note carefully back to Hilda as Seteth turned his back and drew a new formation on the chalkboard.

The note was passed around the class and I caught several people reading it. Putting one hand on my forehead, I immediately wished I had not written anything down at all.

The next time Seteth turned around to face the board everything broke out into mass chaos. It was a bit confusing to watch as I lifted my head up to see Leonie passing a training bow and arrow over to Claude while Ignatz reached into his bag and procured several fruits. At the same time Hilda crumpled up a piece of paper and launched it up towards the front of the class.

The first projectile launched itself up into the air in some sort of signal as an apple, a slice of cheese, a slice of cake, and a small loaf of bread, either made its way onto my desk or was launched up into the air.

Thoroughly confused as to what was going on I watched as several other students also joined in the rising chaos. Quickly tossing either paper airplanes or more paper balls up into the air, a small battalion of flying projectiles filled the air. I had a jolt of realization as to why Seteth had a shorter temper. This chaos was probably what the advisor had been putting up with all day.

Claude managed to shoot down three of the paper balls from the angle he was at and Hilda passed two paper balls to me while I struggled to make sure the cheese, cake, bread, and apple didn't land on the floor.

By the time Seteth turned around from drawing his new diagram, it was clear chaos had broken out while his back had been turned, but the entire class was hiding the evidence. I, myself, had a small feast hidden on my lap and in my bag, but it was almost impossible not to notice the frosting and crumbs that had been scattered all over the room.

Seteth pinched his nose but diligently continued the lecture while struggling to keep his disapproval in check. It was easy to see why the advisor was exasperated with us. Every time Seteth turned his back to draw a new diagram, we proceeded to break out a little more chaos. It got to the point that, in between eating, I was also tossing paper balls into the air and Claude would either snipe them down or Lysithea would magic them out of existence.


As such was the end of our school day and I felt so much better after eating and participating in class that I didn't notice Raphael come up behind me until he put his hand on my shoulder. "So, did you get enough to eat? I shared all my snacks, but I was worried it wouldn't be enough."

Having eaten a few too many snacks, I started to grin. "You're an absolute lifesaver Raphael!"

I beamed up at him, entirely grateful to no longer be hungry. "I haven't had anything to eat since last night?"

Was it last night?

I had to think.

"No, I haven't eaten anything since lunchtime yesterday." I corrected myself with a shrug.

My giant classmate appeared to be about ready to cry at my confession. "You need to eat more if you want to be big and strong like me! Come on we can go grab more food from the dining hall! They will be open in a bit for dinner, but I am sure we can convince them to give us something to tide us over!"

Raphael grabbed my hand and I found myself being partially pulled along, partially following Raphael of my own violation. As the firm hand led me forward, I called out in pain. "Ahhh, Raphael could you not grab right there please? It kind of hurts…"

"Oh sorry, I didn't think I was hanging on so tightly." The big man gave me the warmest, most apologetic smile. "I know! How about I just carry you then? You're small enough and I know you don't weigh anything, so it will be no problem!"

I rubbed my wrist feeling the fresh cuts from Professor Hanneman's most recent round of testing. "Nn-o I'm good! I'm just a little sore."

Raphael's smile didn't waiver, but it was clear a new thought just entered his head as he nodded. "That's right you were caught up in the fighting yesterday were you not?!"

"Yes- I was but this has nothing-Ouch..." I hissed as I continued to rub the tender spots under my long gloves.

Raphael's smile faltered this time, as his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Did you hurt yourself then?"

"Depends on how you define it." I muttered darkly, realized it was just easier to lie and say these cuts were from the fighting yesterday. "I was being stupid, and ended up getting myself and Ashe in trouble..."

"Oh...is Ashe going to be alright?" Raphael's concern continued; the man was an easy read with his heart on his sleeve.

Leaning a bit more into the lie, I nodded. "Ashe was resting in the infirmary this morning, but he might have been released by now."

Raphael's face lit up as he came to a conclusion. "Huh, we should grab him something tasty to eat then! You know, to celebrate his recovery!"

Thinking that wasn't all that terrible of an idea, I followed Raphael into the dining hall. I ended up persuading one of the younger line cooks to hand me a bag of freshly made sweet buns while my classmate kept the main cooks busy. I thanked the young cook and skated out the door before anyone was any wiser.


As I jogged for the infirmary sweets in hand, my route took me though one of the monastery's many gardens. It wasn't a secret one, just one of the everyday ones, but I remembered the flowers by Flayn's and Manuela's bedside tables and thought it might be nice if I bought everyone some.

It only took a couple of quick flicks of the small dagger I kept on my thigh and I had a bouquet full of lavender, baby's breath, forget-me-nots along with a few of my name sakes. Satisfied I had a gift for everyone, I continued my journey back to the infirmary.


I took the stairs to the infirmary three at a time, my legs protesting the steps as I raced up the stairs until I reached the landing. I took a second to catch my breath, flipping my hair out of my eyes and adjusted my uniform before I walked into the infirmary. I first checked in with Marianne who was now acting as an overseer and was astounded to find Hilda casually helping around the infirmary.

I did a double take, not quite believing that Hilda was voluntarily helping out, but shrugged and continued on into the injury ward without putting my nose into it.

As I entered, I scanned the injury ward. It was easy to see that both Manuela and Flayn were still sleeping, but, to my relief, Ashe was now awake and alert. I felt some of the tightness in my chest unknot as I attempted to nudge the door shut behind me.

The injured archer appeared to be busy reading, as there was a book open on his lap. At the sound of the closing door, he looked up from his reading and gave me a small wave. There was no one else in the room, which meant that Monica had already been discharged. I found the rapid discharge to be a little strange, but I was having more difficulty closing the door than I was thinking about the mysterious student.

I figured I could ask Claude about her later. He always seemed to know what was going on, so I filed the thought away for a later date. I managed to push the door shut without too much noise, but one of the lily's fell to the ground while I did so. Scowling down at the fallen flower, I decided to drop off my gifts and then come back for it.

I quietly set the forget-me-nots in the vase by Flayn's bed and took the baby's breath over to Manuela. The small white flowers were almost lost under the extravagant roses and other pricy flowers, but a small pitcher plant was easily the strangest of flowers on the girl's bedside tables.

With my hands much less full, I returned for the fallen flower and then took the lavender and lilies over to Ashe with an easy smile. "Hey Ashe, how are you feeling? I brought you some flowers to help cheer you up!"

I held the flowers out towards him, feeling nervous, as I watched the astonished smile slowly creep over the archer's pale features. The intensity of Ashe's blush and smile made each and every one of his freckles stand out and he stuttered for a response. "T-Thank you! This is lovely."

I glanced around and found a small stool next to the archer's bedside. I pulled it closer and sat down next to his bed laughing nervously, scratching my cheek as I smiled. "I didn't think about it until now but it's kind of strange to give a guy flowers isn't it?"

"Well, maybe, it is, but I like them! Lonato used to teach me all about them, which are good for medical purposes and which ones are good for cooking." He sniffed the lavender, holding the strange impromptu bouquet in his good arm. "Did you know that Lavender has a calming property? That's why it makes a good relaxing tea."

"Ah, I feel like I should have known that." I chuckled as I bit my lip and looked down at the bag in my hands. "I grabbed them because I felt like they kind reminded me of you...calming and noble."

I felt I should shut up but watching Ashe hold the flowers while the sun filtered in from the window had me continuing to in spite of my better judgement. "And... this morning when I checked in everyone else, they had all received flowers and get-well cards, but your bedside was kind of empty. It, err, upset me a little bit, so I thought I would grab something to cheer you up."

I felt like I was going to die of embarrassment at my confession and I wasn't quite sure why. My cheeks felt like they were on fire as my grip on the edge of the stool tightened enough to hurt.

"That's very thoughtful of you! You know, Lilianna, you remind me of this noble lady in my book. She's the love interest of the knight you know." Ashe smiled at the flower and then pointed eagerly to his book.

I jerked my head up not sure if I had heard Ashe correctly. "What?"

The palest of pinks flushed over the archer's face as he struggled to explain. "Oh, I am sorry. I love reading, and this is one of my favorites. It's about King Loog, the King of Lions and the Maiden of the Wind."

I nodded, kind of remembering the book that Ashe had chased down a thief for last week. The memories of the walk in the rain, and the events leading up to it floated, to the front of my mind. I shook my head to clear the thoughts as I leaned forward towards Ashe. "So I am like the Maiden of the Wind then?"

"A little bit. She is described as being very beautiful and having green hair." Ashe responded faintly as he put the flowers in the vase next to his bedside.

"That seems to fit Flayn more than it does me." I deflected the complement as I scuffed the tip of my boots along the floor.

"You have a certain rugged charm that this lady has. I think I could see you ripping your dress at a ball to fight off intruders. " Ashe smiled honestly, and I felt something tickling deep down in my chest.

Unsure of what to say to the earnest confession in front of me, I opened the bag I had been holding onto in an attempt to transition away from the book. A sweet scent filled the air as I pulled out a freshly made sweet bun and tried to make things less awkward for the both of us.

"Aww you're such a sweetheart Ashe, but I am not nearly as valiant or brave as the ladies in those fairytales. Now, you, you came down after me. I think that was really brave." I admitted as I handed him the snack.

The blue lion looked like he was going to cry with joy at the sight of the sweet treat. "You even brought me fresh sweet buns from the dining hall! Wow, you really are amazing Lilianna!"

I failed to hold back a laugh as I pulled out another bun. "I had some help. I managed to convince one of the younger chef's while Raphael managed to keep the head cooks busy."

Ashe's face grew dark and he stopped eating. The archer's voice was thick with regret and emotion as he stared down at the snack. "I regret killing him you know. I didn't want to, but in the face of having a teammate killed...I pulled the string back with no remorse."

I took a bite of my own snack, my own heart heavy. "I am sorry I put you in such a position. I shouldn't have…"

"You didn't do anything wrong. I followed you on my own violation and you were only trying to reach your family. I was the one who pulled that bow string back!" Ashe's voice strained, tense with emotion.

I sighed and lowered my snack, my heart growing heavy. "It's not something you should feel guilty about Ashe. You were protecting people who could not fight back. Flayn and Monica wouldn't be here if we had been later in the rescue. Minutes were critical in this scenario and because of that we are here."

"I just can't stop thinking that there might have been something I could have done. Let you talk it out, seen if we could have reasoned with him. Got him to put the weapon down." Ashe looked out the window, his pain filled eyes looking out into the sky as if searching for answers.

I set the bag down on the table and moved to grab Ashe's hand. "Ashe, you can't beat yourself up over this. You can run these scenarios through your head again and again, what-if yourself to death, but it's not going to change the fact three people are alive because of you. You did the best in the given situation. It was stressful and there was so little room for error that you shouldn't beat yourself up over this. You need to focus on the living, not the dead."

My voice was soft as I continued speaking, my grip growing tighter. "...It's the price we sometimes have to pay."

Ashe squeezed my hand back and turned back to look at me. His pale green eyes scanned mine as I stared bitterly down at our interlocked hands. "Then...I'll just have to work harder so it never happens again."

I struggled to smile at the archer's raw optimism. "Ya...So it never happens again…"

Ashe's grip loosened as he finished his treat. "I'm not naïve enough to know life is always like it is in a fairytale, but the stories never mention these types of feelings, do they?"

I shook my head, my mouth a tight thin line. "No, they barely ever mention these decisions...or what it is like to be a survivor."

"I can't help but think of that poor man's family. What will happen to them?" Ashe grabbed one of the lilies from the bouquet I brought him earlier. He twirled it in his fingers as we both stared at the pale creamy white petals.

"I don't know. I don't know if we will ever know. The world is a large place." I struggled for words to reassure him but found myself just stating facts. "But I hope they survive."

"That's not good enough!" Ashe's voice broke as I inhaled sharply.

"What do you want to do Ashe? The soldier had nothing on him that identified him, and we never even caught his name. There's nothing we can do and think about it. Their family is just as likely to kill us if we went looking for them." I sighed again, the conversation weighing heavily on me. I continued it for the young archer's sake, but it didn't make it any easier.

"It is not like they would accept help from us even if we found us." I narrowed my eyes as I crossed my arms and went to get up.

Ashe looked wistfully down at the lily in his hand. "Then what should I do?"

I moved over to lean on the windowsill looking out at the blue sky. "Pray. Pray for the lost, for the dead, for the strength to do better next time."

There was silence for a while and when I looked back, Ashe was holding the lily out to me. "You...have been through a lot, haven't you?"

I didn't say anything for a moment as I held the flower gently in my hand. The petals danced as I twirled it between my fingers as I answered softly. "Ya…you can say that."


Author's Corner:

Hello again! I return with the second promised chapter for the holiday season! Thank you to those who wished me a happy holiday, and I hope you all enjoy/ed whatever holidays your practicing this season! The snow is getting deeper as we head toward new years - and I have a lot planned for this next week! I am not sure how long it will take me to update this next chapter because Whooo Hooo - its a long one and I haven't even began to edit it.

It's mostly dialog though as Lili ends up on an...impromptu date of sorts. Well she doesn't consider it a date - but it doesn't stop a certain individual from planting a kiss on her anyway - so stay tuned! I'm hoping to have that one up before new years!

As it is we are quickly heading towards some my favorite chapters/scenarios and have entered the month of October - and I hope your ready to see all the mishaps Lili gets into. (Voluntarily and involuntarily - but you'll have to wait and see how things pan out as we move 'slowly' towards the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.)

In a recap of the chapter - most noticeably is the conversation the Ashe and Lili needed to have on the sewer explorations. I hope you enjoyed that scene, and seeing Lili interacting with the hopeful archer and at least trying to help patch the guilt he is feeling about the whole scenario. Lili is, rather upset about the whole thing, but knows that there are somethings Ashe doesn't need to know and is trying her best to give him some level of comfort over the whole ordeal.

Unfortunately she isn't that good at consoling others - so its a little rough. (She gets some points for trying right? She really tried.) We also see Lili sneaking into class and her Golden Deers supporting her giving her a hand when she needs it, and poor Seteth having to put up with all of them. (It was glorious wasn't it? Seteth in as a substitute teacher? He had a rough day too.)

Anyway - I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I really hope you look forward to that next one! Remember to follow, and like/kudo to show your support! I really really appreciate the support and am so so delighted to know that you 'deer' readers look forward to these chapter releases! I hope to see you soon!

P.S. I released a short FE3H holiday one shot last week (Its a one-shot right now but I might update it to have a part two later IDK yet) - its kind of cannon on Lili's timeline - takes place over the holidays so it has more of a humor/festive feel - but it is rated for all audiences. Its called Adorn the Halls With Nocuous Plantae (Blame Hubert! Blame Hubert for the name!) - where I loosely show what is going on for the holidays as the Monastery gears up for the winter solstice. (Really I suggest you give it a read - its light hearted, funny, and Lili steals a kiss of her own - so if your into light hearted reading please I encourage you to check it out!)