Silver Snow Revised

by Cosmic Sky

When Byleth Eisner came to Garreg Mach, he brought an unexpected hope with him. It was a hope Rhea knew she had to nurture, never suspecting that things wouldn't quite work out as she expected. Byleth would show her that wasn't a bad thing. Likewise, she'd become something unexpected but precious to him. This is the story of the silver studded path they walked together.

3. Chapter 2-Iron Texture

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the second chapter of this story. I'm so glad that this story's gotten a positive reception right out of the gate. Seeing it fills me with a lot of confidence going forward. Speaking of going forward, that's what this chapter will focus on. Byleth will continue his introduction to the Black Eagles and vice versa, and some more Rhea-focused content showing what's going on behind the scenes. I hope you all enjoy!

Oh, and one more thing before starting off. My feelings about Three Hopes are rather mixed on top of my having already planned out most of this story. For that reason, don't expect too many aspects of the former to show up in this story. And by that, I mean Shez and Arval. In this story, as in Three Houses canon, Shez is dead and Arval is…well, not a factor let's say. The latter will get some hints from Rhea's side, but that'll be it. Don't expect anything more.

Also, since quite a few have asked about it, the Ashen Wolves will be included in this story. Likewise, the events of Cindered Shadows will be its own story arc.

Now, with that out of the way, onto the story!

I do not own anything.

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Chapter 2-Iron Texture

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Byleth was honestly surprised with how engrossed the Black Eagles became with his first lesson. Some more so than others such as Edelgard, Ferdinand, Petra, and Caspar. His earlier analysis had been spot-on regarding the four being the most driven. At least when it came to learning the arts of combat. He was still new to teaching, but he had a feeling that they might be amongst the easier students to teach. Minus whatever hiccups that came with their respective personalities.

Such as Caspar's naked eagerness to put all that he was learning o the test. Almost every question he had involved some variation of, "when can we put this to the test?", which Byleth appreciated but was getting slightly annoyed with.

He wasn't the only one.

"If you're so eager to put to the test everything we are learning, then I will make the sacrifice and train with you." There was a noticeable edge in Hubert's voice as he made the sudden declaration. Anyone with eyes could tell he was getting annoyed, and perhaps not just by Caspar's constant questioning but his over eagerness. His words caused a bit of a stir in the classroom, but in Caspar that ignited something.

"What? Seriously? You'll spar with me after we've finished training with Professor Eisner!" The shorter boy shouted practically jumping out of his seat with excitement.

"Provided you're in any condition to move after our free-for-all against the Professor." Though the words were mocking, there was a challenge hidden in them. Byleth caught how Hubert's eyes flicked in his direction. He wasn't swayed by his reputation alone, and he wouldn't be until he saw that it was deserved. Over the past four hours he'd seen the book smarts that he'd accumulated, but the black-haired man wanted to see him in action. In a way, he was like Caspar, but far more subdued. Not to mention just a little more picky. With Caspar seemingly subdued, he fully turned back to Byleth, signaling for him to continue the lesson plan.

That's what Byleth did, quietly thankfully to the greasy-haired teen for helping him get class back on track. They had little more than half an hour left in the school day. Afterward came the fight that he promised, the fight that would pit all the current Black Eagles against him. After the initial shock had faded everyone seemed to quietly accept it…or not in some cases. Every so often Byleth's eyes would flicker to Bernadetta. The girl continued to remind him of a baby deer caught in a wolf's gaze. Was he the wolf? He'd been compared to the predatory canine before, but he had no dangerous designs on the girl. She seemingly jumped whenever someone, mostly Caspar, made mention of the coming fight.

He saw her hands moving, indicating she was at least taking some notes. Rather or not they were good notes would be another question. In the corner of his mind, he supposed since this was only the first day, he could be lenient.

She's definitely no fighter. I suppose it won't be a good idea trying to turn her into one. Not unless I can generate some fighting spirit in her. Frankly, Byleth didn't enjoy the idea of doing so. It'd only been one day, and he felt like he had the personalities of some of the students pegged. That could be chalked up to said personalities being pretty hard to miss. His eyes drifted to Linhardt, who'd remained awake after having had to be woken up for the second time. He might have felt Byleth's gaze on him as he kept his focus on his work and on Byleth's lessons.

Speaking of gazes, there was one person's gaze who never wavered. Edelgard's. His imperial pupil was undoubtedly the most devoted to his opening lessons. Byleth found it a funny coincidence that she, the leader of the Black Eagles, had eyes befitting the animal her house was named after. She was continuously analyzing him, testing his worth as a professor. Unlike Hubert, she was being a little more polite about it, which Byleth supposed he could appreciate. That said, there was still something about her that gnawed at him; it was something that was making him look forward to the coming battle more so than usual. He'd asked all present if they had prior combat experience. Hubert had raised his hand but not Edelgard. Normally, he'd be willing to accept that, but what he'd seen of her before told him a different story.

In Remire Village he'd seen her move. While not perfect, he recognized them as having some sense of refinement. She'd been in battle before, and Byleth was doubtful that it'd been practice combat.

She has her secrets, her own story. Try not to think about it too much. You've got enough on your plate to deal with already. He told himself for fear that he'd overwhelm his mind. Byleth knew that he was sometimes prone to letting his mind overwork itself, especially when something caught his interest. Normally he was able to curb that curiosity in favor of the job at hand. Given what his current job was, he pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind, again.

Minute by minute, the school day drew to a close, and with it the time for class work. He could see the realization dawning on a couple of the students. Caspar grew more excited by the second with Ferdinand not that far behind. Byleth supposed he should have considered it a miracle that either of them were even able to remain focused on the paperwork and books in front of them. He imagined once the bell rung, they'd probably lose whatever hesitation they had.

For Caspar, that's exactly what happened when the bell rung signaling the end of classes for the day.

"Yeah! Finally! Now we get to take a crack at you, right, Professor Eisner?" He'd jumped out of his seat like a windup toy, one that had been building for the past couple of hours. It was a small wonder he didn't touch the sky.

"Yes, it is indeed time. I hope all of you were paying attention as I ran down the basics. If not, well…we have the next three days to get those down for the mock battle. After that, well…" He trailed off actually finding himself unsure of what else to say. He wanted to believe that the Black Eagles would at least be able to grasp the basics after a couple of days. Surely they weren't that bad.

His hesitation caught the attention of the class's greasy-haired shadow. "Professor Eisner, no need to hold your tongue. Any fool who fails at that point will undoubtedly be spending a long, long time in this classroom. Or sitting out every combat mission least they wish to get themselves killed. Or weigh the rest of us down." Hubert's words were like a dark wind, inducing anxiety and annoyance throughout the classroom. Practically everyone knew he was speaking of, although he refrained from looking in the direction of those people.

Linhardt had no reaction, seemingly letting Hubert's words bounce off of him. Bernadetta, on the other hand, was a different story. She looked like Hubert had reached out and choked her. The ruffle-headed girl grabbed her book and held it over her head as if it would shield her from the boy's stinging criticisms and predictions.

Quite the direct and venomous tongue, that one. Sothis inquired having awoken from her latest nap. It was no doubt to see how the mock battle between the newly minted teacher and his students would unfold. Be weary of him. Something tells me that he is perhaps the most experienced of this bunch.

Noted. Byleth mentally affirmed. Truth be told, he had a feeling that Hubert would prove to be a capable student, but his personality…well, he acted as he looked. "If even after the mock battle I still have to go over the basics with some of you, then I will do that. I'll do it as many times as it may take." He paused watching his words play out amongst the Black Eagles. Bernadetta heard them as she momentarily poked her head out from underneath her book. Next, he looked to Edelgard, who seemed about to speak. It took him a fraction of a second to realize what she was about to say. "Privately. I'll tutor that person or persons privately on my time or theirs." The imperial princess immediately shut her mouth, seemingly content with his specification. "Alright, now let's get over to the training arenas. We're going to be using wooden weapons since this'll be your-"

"Professor Eisner, would it not be better if we at least used iron weapons?" Edelgard spoke up.

"Huh?! Iron weapons? Real weapons?!" Bernadetta yelped.

"Edie, this is just our first sparring match." Dorothea cautioned, looking slightly taken back. "Someone could end up getting hurt."

"Possibly, but that is the risk we face every day we attend classes at the Officers Academy." Hubert seconded. "Besides, how can we know our new professor's true capability if we don't' endeavor to push him. Not to mention if he doesn't push us." His eyes settled on, of all people, Ferdinand. "Best to start with our absolute best right out of the fate."

Ferdinand was quiet for a second, clearly mulling over the idea. "I agree. Professor Eisner, please, let us at least use iron weapons. Such things will be authorized for the mock battle, so using them will indeed be worthy practice for us!"

"I am seconding that notion." Petra said.

"Hey, that sounds way better than using wooden imitations!" Caspar affirmed having jumped on the band wagon.

"I'm fine either way, it's not like I fight using physical weapons anyway." Linhardt declared. With his words all that was left was Bernadetta and Dorothea. The former looked ready to curl up into a ball while the latter was quietly realizing that the majority was against her.

Byleth could see that the brunette was clearly trying to look out for the shorter girl. He could respect that. At the same time, the students had put forth a conceiving argument for him to step things up a little. "It's decided then, we'll use iron weapons. It won't be a problem." His flat voice sounded. There were some cheers along with a quiet shriek of fear from Bernadetta. "Everyone, on your feet and to the training arena. Once there I'll procure the weapons so we can start." He saw apprehension and excitement in the eyes of his students. None of it was unexpected. Byleth also wasn't surprised to see Hubert leering at him with a dark smile. He really wanted to see what Byleth was capable of…and so too did Edelgard. Unlike her retainer, she was more reserved about it.

So, will I be seeing the 'Demon'? Sothis inquired as the students collected their paperwork and books then stood up to file out the door.

Absolutely not. They're all just hatchlings. Byleth didn't miss a beat in replying to her.

---

It was a beautiful day to be outside. Even though there was a lingering chill from the end of winter the sun was doing its best to whittle that down. Over the next couple of months that chill would be replaced with a growing warmth. That's when the time for outdoor activities would really come about. It was also a time many would be looking forward as with it would come the wild flowering, farming, planting, and whatever else one found enjoyable in warmer weather.

For Byleth, that meant training and fighting. He always preferred warm weather just like he had a preference for spicy food. Those plans might run into some complications given his time was now going to be spent training others, not just himself.

Said others all stood in front of him, each of them armed with their weapon of choice. For Edelgard that meant an axe, a weapon that was favored by Caspar as well, along with a set of gauntlets. Ferdinand had gone with a spear while both Petra and Dorothea were wielding swords. Byleth was slightly impressed with the latter as she was actually holding the back correctly and had a proper stance. Bernadetta was cowering behind her and Caspar holding a bow. She was trembling so much it'd be a miracle if she could notch the arrow, let alone fire it. Finally, that left Linhardt and Hubert, the two magic users. The latter's gloved hand glowed with wisps of dark; Byleth wasn't at all surprised to find him an aspiring dark mage. The young retainer had the looks and personality down to the slightest detail.

"The goal of this match is to knock me down. Do that and I'll give you all a fifteen-point increase on your final grade for the month."

Can you even do that? All her previous napping had served to give Sothis the energy needed to stay awake for this. Even after their final exchange in the classroom she wanted to see just how big the difference between her host and his students were. He'd rather openly told her it was incredibly vast, but actions spoke louder than words.

As their teacher, I'd like to think I can. After all, I was given free reign to teach them as I saw fit, short of anything ridiculous, cruel, or exceedingly dangerous.

I am tempted to ask you what your definition of those things are.

You'll just have to watch me to find out. His words gave an extra boost of motivation to the students, all but one. Bernadetta didn't seem too enthused at the prospect of a grade boost. Something different was needed for her, and he had just the idea. "Bernadetta!" he called. Yet again, the girl nearly jumped, dropping her bow and arrow in the process. "If you all succeed in knocking me down, or if you score a hit on me, I won't call on you for any questions for the…rest of the month." Sothis raised an eyebrow beside him, clearly recognizing that he'd chased words. Byleth was originally going to give her one week but decided a month would provide her greater motivation. He turned out to be right as the girl seemed to find some small measure of resolve. She grabbed onto it and stepped forward, still shaking but now a little more determined. "You all are free to use whatever methods you deem necessary. Take this as if it were a real battle."

"Professor Eisner," Edelgard called out. "That said…will you be treating us as if we were real opponents?"

She's very direct and eager, not to mention perspective. The goddess within the former mercenary remarked. He silently nodded in agreement.

"I will treat you all as my opponents, albeit ones I don't have to kill. I've fought such battles before and walked away victorious." Byleth plainly responded.

"I see…so you will not be using your full might against us." The purple-eyed girl summarized.

"Edelgard, you're making this sound like you want us all to use our full power against each other. This is only the first day of school and our professor is a professional sell sword." Linhardt casually retorted. "Can't you just take things slow and easy, especially since, again, this is only the first day?"

"You know, Eddie, he's got a point." Dorothea added. "I get the right out of the gate claim, but no need to go full force." After speaking she took a deep breath and faced toward Byleth, indicating she was clearly ready.

The rest of the Black Eagles did the same.

"Right then," Byleth whispered gripping his sword. "Knock me down before I knock all of you down. Begin!"

Hubert struck first, lobbing a sphere of dark energy at him. Edelgard dashed in after it with Caspar following in tow. The short boy managed to overtake her, apparently heedless of the magical attack that might hit him as crossfire. Getting in close proximity of it was likewise a bad move since if it were to detonate, he'd be caught in the blast. That's exactly what happened as Byleth swung his sword in a vertical manner, releasing a blast of concentrated air that impacted the sphere causing it to explode. Caspar realized how close he was and jumped away, having lost his rhythm. Edelgard, meanwhile continued forward.

Her first slashes were precise and powerful, but Byleth perfectly blocked every one of them. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ferdinand charging him with Petra moving alongside him. She was quite fast, faster than the others. Her leaping slash came from his back right where her sword was primed to come down atop his right shoulder.

Swiftly kicking Edelgard away with a kick to the gut he jumped forward, surprising her with the speed of his leap. When their blades met, he easily knocked her back. Spying her sword, he grabbed at the upper portion of the blade and used it to reel her in. The braided-haired girl was utterly surprised to find herself being pulled forward, then smacked upside the head with the butt of his hilt. Byleth held onto her sword tip as she let go of it, stumbling backward with her head ringing. In seconds, he flung the stolen sword at Ferdinand, who easily deflected it. In the time he did so though, Byleth had moved in; he hit the orange-haired noble with the blunt side of his sword sending him stumbling backward. Just as he began to go, Byleth heard a battle cry. He also felt a surge of mana and the stirring of the wind.

Instinctively, he twirled aside, easily evading Caspar's downward swing. The gust of wind had added some extra power to his attack, but he was left off place after it failed. Byleth took advantage of that with a swift sweep kick that knocked him to the ground. As he cried out he saw and felt the next attacks coming. Hubert was firing another dark bolt at him while Edelgard lobbed a fireball at him. Two attacks from two different directions.

Gripping his sword, he spun about in a complete circle, releasing a pressurized burst of air that intercepted both attacks. As soon as he finished his revolution he jumped away, avoiding Edelgard's downward swing and parrying the darkness-composed daggers that Hubert hurled at him. Byleth silently noted how skilled the dark-haired boy was with his magic. He could not only fire the darkness as projectiles but mold it into solid shapes. Out of the corner of his eye he saw him clasp his hands together to form a new weapon, a spear. Byleth looked back to find Edelgard coming at him with her axe. Yet again, he met every one of her blows while remaining aware of her housemates closing in on him. After locking blades with her he judged each of their positions and responded accordingly.

Byleth swiftly sidestepped Edelgard and used his left foot to trip her up. Surprising, she regained her balance quickly, swinging her axe in as sideways arc hoping to catch him from behind. Unfortunately for her, he was faster.

"Gah!" She gasped feeling his fist slam into her gut. It made her temporarily lose her breath given the force of the punch. While she was stunned Ferdinand and Caspar struck.

He deflected Caspar's axe with a downward swing while he struck Ferdinand's spear with a left uppercut. The latter was left more off-guard so he was the one he went for.

SLICE!

"M-M-My spear!" The refined noble cried. "Gaah!" Like Petra, he learned what it felt like to be hit by sword's hilt, albeit this time in the gut instead of the face.

Byleth hadn't expected to carry him away, but that's what happened when he felt the heat of a fire attack. Grabbing Ferdinand, he jumped away just as the fiery slash exploded, scorching the stone pavement black. Before dropping the noble, he chopped him on the side of the neck, knocking him out. Standing up he looked at the attack's sender, Dorothea. She'd used her sword as a medium, now the iron blade glowed red with a fiery aura.

For a minute, she looked a little unsure, afraid even. She knew perfectly well that her attack could have hit Ferdinand…and she knew Byleth knew it as well.

He merely held his left hand up in a "bring it on" manner. Her fear dissipated and she came at him. She wasn't alone as Bernadetta stood behind her, having notched her arrow and appeared ready to fire. She was using Dorothea as cover. Not at all a unsound tactic.

Byleth readied himself to move, but he felt the ground beneath him simmering. Recognizing the concentration of mana, he jumped away as the ground erupted in toxic green goo. Dorothea leaped over it and swung at him. Byleth's could see the determination on her face, illuminated by the flames of her own sword. He summoned a fraction more of his strength and easily fended her off. That's where it became a back and forth with the two of them exchanging blows; all the while he never lost sight of the others, including Bernadetta who was still waiting for her shot.

Hubert beat her to the punch.

Spying an opponent, he flung his dark spear directly at Byleth, only shouting at Dorothea at the last possible second. Yelping, she broke away.

THUNK!

Hubert looked genuinely surprised that his magic-created spear had been so easily deflected, and with a simple iron sword no less. Apparently, he'd been expecting a surefire hit.

Looking back at Dorothea, Byleth dove for her. To the girl's credit she backflipped away, then came back at him upon coming back up. Their swords met in a resounding clash that tested their strength. As expected, Byleth was far stronger, and quicker. His hand moved like a viper, striking at her wrist and pinching the nerves just enough to get her to lose concentration. Byleth twisted the sword out of her hand, grabbed her wrist and slammed her overhead. The green-eyed girl groaned as she lay on her backside.

"That…seriously hurt. Goddess, Professor, you didn't have to-"

"W-W-What the?! How'd you do that?! Do you have eyes in the back of your head!"

Dorothea looked up to see the former mercenary standing sides, in his right hand one of Bernadetta's arrows.

He looked straight at her making her shiver in greater fear. "No, I just have a very good pair of ears."

"Well, so much for a surprise attack via Caspar." Linhardt amusingly noted.

"Hey! I can so do a surprise attack!" The light-blue-haired fighter shouted.

"Shouting that you can do it only proves you can't." Hubert coldly barked.

"Then why don't you take a crack at it then! You're the one who uses dark magic!" Caspar impulsively fire back.

"Gladly." Was all Hubert responded. His hands glowed with dark magic, which then extended to the rest of his body. Within seconds he literally melted into a shadow and moved straight toward Byleth. His classmates, save for Edelgard, gawked in shock at the move and the speed in which he approached Byleth.

He was happy he zigzagged on his way to him, even if it wasn't enough. Hubert was fast, but he wasn't fast enough to outwit Byleth's eyes. His iron sword glowed with whitish-blue light.

Boom!

Hubert was forced out of his mobilized shadow, the surge of magical energy being too much for him. He had little time to figure out how much he was outclassed as Byleth was in front of him in a second. For the first time since meeting him the black-haired teenager showed the former mercenary fear.

WHAM!

"Aaaahh!" Bernadetta cried as if she were the one who'd been struck instead of her tormentor. Hubert slumped against the floor, seemingly unconscious just like Ferdinand. Powerful as he might have been, it seemed he had the paper-thin defenses commonly assigned to mages. This made a direct hit his worst enemy.

While the rest of the Black Eagles were stunned, Byleth moved about in dispatching them. Linhardt gasped as he realized that he was to be the next target. Coming to that conclusion, Caspar jumped in front of him, standing guard over his friend.

"Boost me, Linhardt!" He shouted with determination. That's exactly what the green-haired boy did. A magic circle appeared beneath both of them. Yellowish light surged into Caspar as he held up his axe, now pulsating with renewed energy.

Byleth raised his sword up, channeling his own inner energy into it giving the weapon a bluish glow.

CLANG!

Their first clash sent sparks flying.

CLING!

Caspar balled his fists and decided to use those at his sword went flying skyward. Byleth was still faster, slamming his right hand into his gut knocking the air out of him. Grabbing him by his shirt he twisted him around and threw him directly at Dorothea, who'd managed to get to her feet. Yelping, she ducked, letting him roll across the ground. Byleth turned back to Linhardt.

He threw up his hands. "I give up."

"Unsurprising." Byleth remarked. His attention went to Petra and Edelgard. The latter had enchanted her sword just as Dorothea had done. She slammed her axe down sending a linear wave of fire at him. Instead of air, Byleth hit it with an energized slash of his own, resulting in a dual red and blue-colored explosion. Both girls rushed through it, intending to strike at Byleth in the short window of opportunity they thought they had. He blocked both of their blades and pushed back. To their shock, and their classmates, they found themselves seemingly fighting off two fighters. That was how fast Byleth was moving to their eyes. It was a surreal, and even terrifying sight.

Petra was the first to lose her sword. A fist slammed into her fist sending her stumbling back. Undeterred, Edelgard pressed her attack, pouring more fire into her axe turning it into a blazing torch. Byleth remained unfazed and continued to meet her blow for blow.

Gnashing her teeth, she raised her weapon up, an ethereal sigil appearing atop of her. Byleth instantly recognized it.

CLANG!

Flames spread around them as the former mercenary met the imperial princess' axe. To the latter's amazement, the former's sword held. Not only did it only, it overpowered her empowered axe.

In that short window of time, Byleth and Edelgard locked eyes with each other. The future emperor was actually chilled by what she saw, not emptiness but focus. Sheer willpower made manifest and pointed at her. It left her speechless…and slightly captivated. That captivation remained even as she felt intense pain in her left side. She tasted blood and dust as she rolled across the ground, coming up backside. Amazingly, she held onto her axe. She couldn't lift it though as a foot came down atop her wrist. Edelgard saw a sword tip moved at her throat. In her professor's eyes she saw that same determination, albeit considerably lessened as he knew the battle was over with.

"I…I…I…I yield."

"Me too!"

Byleth looked at Bernadetta.

"What? Come on, you can't seriously expect me to want to fight you after you demolished all the others! No way!" She shrieked. The girl had dropped to her knees at some point and seemed intent on remaining in that position.

Elsewhere, Ferdinand began to awake. He pushed himself up, rubbing his sore neck. "Aaahh, what on earth happened?"

"We lost, Ferdinand. Our new professor showed us why he is the teacher, and we are his sorely lacking students." Linhardt called He looked none too displeased now that the battle was over with. Knowing him, he was probably thankful for it since it meant he could finally rest.

"Geez, none of us even managed to lay a scratch on him!" Caspar remarked. "And your punches, Professor, how'd you learn how to punch so hard!"

"Practice." He simply answered. Stepping his foot off of her wrist, he offered Edelgard his hand. She took it, fixing him with a somewhat awed stare once she was back on her feet. "Practice is how I've gotten as strong as I am. It's how you all are going to get stronger. Dorothea, wake Hubert." She nodded and walked off to do that. Byleth watched her even apply healing magic to his cheek where he punched him. "I'll be blunt…you all actually did slightly better than I was expecting."

"You know, that actually sounds more like an insult." Linhardt quipped. "Still, hopefully this means you'll have less work to do than you originally thought."

"Oh no, I have much to do with you all. We only have three days before the mock battle, and I need you all at three times better than what I just saw." His words drew their attention like a bolt of lightning. "The Blue Lions are the most combat efficient class. I can't speak for the Golden Deer, but I recognize they're not to be underestimated. That leaves you lot, who are good but can be better. I will make you better, as best I can in three days. After that I will continue to do so to the best of my ability."

"Urgh," Hubert muttered a thank you to Dorothea as he fixed Byleth with a hard stare. It wasn't one of anger but more genuine respect. He stood up straight and bowed. "Then we will do our best to learn from you."

"Quite so. After a display like this, it's obvious you have much to teach us." Ferdinand seconded. Though potentially embarrassed, he was pushing past that for the opportunity to learn how to do better.

After scouring the students, Byleth nodded in acceptance. Good, they all seem to have an eagerness to learn. Or almost all of them. "Come on, all of you. We're going to the infirmary. Afterward I'll give you all a rundown of what you did right, what you did wrong, and what you're all going to be improving on."

All the weapons were put up, including Ferdinand's broken spear. Byleth was asked how he managed to break it so easily, to which he'd responded with a simple word, practice. He let it slip he could have used his fist, a remark that got Caspar pretty excited. Byleth could understand his excitement, once he'd been intrigued at the prospect of breaking a weapon with his bare fists. It'd been an arduous journey, but upon its completion he'd found himself feeling proud. He was sure Caspar would feel the same way. As would hopefully the rest of the Black Eagles when he imparted what wisdom he could onto them.

---

Dining Hall…

"…Huh, I wouldn't call that anything to write home about, but hey, it's a start." Jeralt's words invoked a round of laughter from the rest of the table. None from his son, which he'd expected.

Compare to the fighters they'd encountered in the past the Black Eagles were indeed nothing special. That wasn't their fault though; over half of them had never seen actual combat, and they certainly hadn't been at it as long as any member of the Jeralt Mercenaries. Especially not Byleth, who'd grown up on the battlefield. Against him, their efforts hadn't amounted to much, but he respected them for trying in their own way. Including Bernadetta, who's…contributions he'd remained neutral on. The last thing he wanted was the girl getting laughed at by the rowdy mercenary band that was his surrogate family.

They were all back together in the dining hall, apparently enjoying themselves. It was a far cry from yesterday where they'd all mostly gathered with conflicting feelings about long-term employment under the Church of Seiros. Byleth internally smirked watching them all eat; food had a tendency to change one's opinion from negative to positive. Not to mention a roof over one's head.

If they hadn't met Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude, they'd all be marching their way to Faerghus about now. As dinner got under way several expressed their pleasure with the fact that they weren't. First of all, the food wouldn't have been as good, and second, they'd all be eating out in the wilderness, with the temperature progressively getting colder as they neared their destination. Garreg Mach Monastery was undoubtedly preferrable on multiple levels.

It'd been a while, almost two months by Byleth's count, since they were able to settle down like this. That included not having to worry about the roof over their heads being blown apart or enemies storming in to kill them. Given what he'd seen, he honestly doubted Garreg Mach would ever have that sort of thing happen to it. Somewhere within him he found relief in that.

He found delicious enjoyment in the food that had been prepared. It was undoubtedly better than what they could have been eating. Even better was that it was coming relatively free of charge.

"So, in closing you've got a couple of potentials and some sprouts that you're really going to need to water to get them to grow. Can't exactly say I envy you, Byleth." Fizza had never been one for formalities, or complexities even though she was capable of them herself. The Alymran swordsman always preferred to be direct. Teaching probably fell under the category of "complex" in her view. "Are you really sure you want to go down this road? Maybe you could make some requests to get assigned with the Knights of Seiros."

"Fizza, I've already committed, so I don't plan on going back." Byleth responded as he dug into his mashed potatoes. "Besides, I gave my word to them."

The dark-skinned woman smirked at him. "Then those kids have gotten lucky. Provided they can learn from you. You're good, but you're not the best at communicating with people."

"So we're all aware, Fizza. This is still the opportunity that Byleth could use." Ron motioned from his seat on Jeralt's right. He leaned over and locked eyes with Byleth. "Catch fire, kid."

"Ugh, you're asking a bunch of royal brats to do that. Brats that are only just starting out on the warrior's path." Jeralt decried. "Hey, out of curiosity why did you choose them? The Blue Lions would have been an easier choice."

His father's suggestion got the rest of the attention of the table. That didn't surprise Byleth at all. He wasn't a stranger to all eyes being on him. If anything, more often than not people were quick to diver their eyes away from him because his gaze could be "unsettling". Thankfully, that wasn't quite the norm with the people around him. People he'd grown up with.

"I have my reasons." The blue-haired swordsman simply said before going right back to his food. There was an outcry of disappointment from around the table.

"Jeralt! Come on, order the kid!"

"Yeah, we wanna know what's running through his head!"

"The hell makes you all think I know that? Half the time I can't tell what's running through his head." The former mercenary declared. He shot his son an aside glance. "The kid's got his reasons, we'll wait to learn what they are." His words were spoken with the air of finality that usually went with his authority. Several groaned seeing that was to be the end of discussion. "When you're ready, kid."

Byleth nodded, thankfully for his father's support. He leaned over and saw Ron smiling at him; he was in clear support of his father's decision to be patient. Looking around at the rest of the table he saw that the decision had support. That meant that the topic was well and truly closed. For now, at least. Byleth was absolutely certain it was going to come up again, especially if he sat with his father's mercenaries like this instead of eating with his own students. It'd been a decision he'd came to in private and informed Edelgard and the rest of the Black Eagles of. They'd taken the news pretty well, though Dorothea had kindly asked if he'd join them next time. He very much would have liked to.

From what he heard, the rest of the band was already settling into Garreg Mach. It hadn't taken too long for many. That could be chalked up to a number of things, including the perks they were currently enjoying. Byleth himself had to admit the food was pretty enjoyable. He could definitely look forward to more meals like this in the future.

Ah, food, it never feels to inspire loyalty. The voice of the goddess.

Hope you're not jealous. As a ghost can you even get hungry?

Sothis moved in front of him, unseen to everyone else at the table except for him. As used to her as he had became, it was still a little…unusual seeing her literally floating above the dinner table. She looked down at the spread of food as if she were contemplating what she could eat if she could. Yet again, I do not know. I feel no hunger look at all of this, yet I can't help but imagine what it would be like to have my fill. The young girl reached down and attempted to scup up a slab of steak to no avail. Sothis let out a sigh of partial disappointment and acceptance.

She floated back over to behind him and watched him eat. So, what did you think of them? The Black Eagles?

I agree with the sentiments of the others. You have much work to do with them. Some more so than others. Of the lot, I'd say that girl, Edelgard, and her retainer are the most skilled.

I agree. She's likewise the most driven, and perhaps amongst the most prideful. She wanted to keep on fighting when I had her defeated. Not surprising though. If she got to use more of her Crest's power, then she might have pushed me.

Crest's power, her Crest…that of Saint Seiros. My…most loyal follower. In their research they of course came across the namesake of the Church of Seiros. Evidentially, she'd bestowed her Crest upon Wilhelm, the first Adrestian Emperor. That same man also happened to be Edelgard's ancestor. He supposed it'd been passed down from ancestor to descendant. That man, the one with the monocle and mustache, Han…Hanneman. Remember to go see him in the morning so that we may learn more about Crests. Surely the 'Father of Crestology' will be able to help us learn more.

It hasn't slipped my mind. As he spoke his eyes flicked to his father. Expectedly, he'd ordered another round of drinks. Something else he's kept from me.

…Your father has kept many secrets from you, hasn't he? There was an air of sadness in her voice.

Byleth didn't quite know how to react to it. It's…just who he is. Everyone has secrets, even loved ones and family.

She floated back in front of him, giving him a benign smile. That's quite a mature thing to say. It shows some of your age as well. You've been around many people with secrets, have you not?

Yeah. Almost everyone in the band has secrets, some public ones and some private ones. Including me.

Oh? Hearing that makes me wonder if I can scour your mind to find some. She challenged.

As best he could, he shot Sothis a short glare. You can try, but I'll warn you I've had my mind probed. Don't think you'll be able to open some simple door to discover them. Oh, and remember, I'm helping you recover your memories.

True, true. I suppose I'll learn of them when you feel ready to share them…or when they're forced into the open. Do you plan on sharing any with your students? The closer you grow to them, the more likely they will want to learn about you.

I've lived a mercenary's life.

Such a thing is foreign to them, Byleth. After seeing your combat prowess, they will surely ask you what such a life was like.

A round of laughter rolled over the table leading Byleth to looking up. He saw everyone smiling and laughing, including his father. There was a slight twitch of his lips, the ghost of a smile that only the most observant could see. The kind that makes you treasure moments like this, knowing that they might not last.

When he returned to his dorm room, he'd record the day's events. His first day recount of teaching at Garreg Mach. A couple dozen yards away his father would do the same. Father and son would go to sleep with opposite feelings towards the coming day.

---

The Next Morning…

Rhea was quite familiar with the saying out with the old and in with the new. One could say she had a tenuous relationship with it.

She was very old herself, and some would call her a traditionist. Maybe they were right. While she looked to the future a good portion of her attention remained on the past. For her, that was the better place to be, the place that she wanted to return to. In a sense, this decision had been a product of that yearning. As her brother had informed her, that choice was going to come with consequences, and complications.

As Archbishop she had complete authority of the Knights of Seiros, that extended down to their command structure. It wasn't a power she liked exerting. Her time as a warrior had came and gone. For all her longings for the past, her warrior persona and the weight that came with it weren't things she wanted to reclaim. Rhea wanted to stay where she was, in administration and secular matters, not military organization. That didn't mean that she'd lost her eye for such things. Some traits stayed with you, regardless of how much time had passed.

A century of fighting had left that military and combat-focused thinking engrained into her head.

Was she making a move that would bolster the Knights of Seiros? Would her feelings of sentimentality be a net positive? Rhea was tempted to say yes, without a doubt.

Jeralt Eisner was one of the strongest warriors she'd ever met and considering her long life that was saying a lot. Even amongst those who she'd personally given her blood to he was amongst the strongest. Rhea would outright say that he was comparable in strength to the Ten Elites, and Wilhelm. He was the last person for her to share her blood with and develop such a close bond with as well. Unfortunately, death had taken him from her, just as it had taken countless other loved ones. Jeralt had been taken by death though, he'd left of his own violation, spurred on by her accursed secrecy.

In those ten years there had been warriors whose strength could equal his, but she never had quite the same close relationship with them. Rhea sorely missed that.

Was there any hope she could get it back now? Honestly, she was doubtful. For all she knew, Jeralt probably suspected she had a hand in Sitri's death, and something to do with their son. The same son that had shown up alive and fully grown alongside him. Whenever she thought of his face, she felt a flutter ripple through her body. Everything about his gaze had reminded her of Sitri, it was both assuring and painful.

"Lady Rhea, I'm here." Called a male voice as the door pushed open.

Twenty years ago, Jeralt had gone missing, and she'd been forced to find a replacement for the Knights of Seiros. After three weeks of fruitless searching, she realized he wasn't coming back and decided to find a replacement. One had been found in Augusta Cornell Delaine. She'd had an honorable thirteen years of leadership before dying in battle. Within two months her successor was found, and in perhaps the most unlikely of places.

"Good morning, Capri." She waved at the current captain of the Knights of Seiros. Her eyes swiftly moved down to his hip where she saw the silver sword given to the captain-general of the knights. The Alliance native had worn it for the last seven years and proved quite deserving of it. Ironically though, he'd rarely used it; Capri was an archer, and when deprived of the bow had no problem using hand-to-hand combat. It hadn't been the first time that the engraved sword had been more for decoration than anything.

The blue-haired man bowed in respect to her. Strong in battle, tactically capable, a superb leader, a kind disposition, and as many would say, quite a looker. Rhea understood he'd left behind hundreds of admirers in his homeland; the number had grown over the years and had spread to other lands. While she didn't particularly care for such things, Rhea had a feeling those admirers would be weeping once word spread, he was stepping down from his position as head captain. There was already some dissent here in the Monastery and the surrounding lands, although nothing too extreme.

One wouldn't get the sense of any of that looking at Capri himself. After his bow he took his seat at the square-shaped table. It was the first time in ears he'd sat in a seat other than the largest one engraved with the Crest of Seiros, the seat reserved solely for the captain-general. Or the archbishop if he or she every decided to drop by for a visit. Rhea had forgone sitting in it, and Capri had chosen to do the same. The archer had already made peace with her decision, he just wanted to meet the man who would be his eventual replacement; this same man was one he'd heard stories about as had all the other knights over the past twenty years.

Jeralt Reus Eisner, the strongest knight Garreg Mach had ever seen. Also known as the Blade Breaker. Rhea had an idea where that nickname had come from, but she'd rather have had the heard from Jeralt himself.

Speaking of which, she was beginning to wonder where he was.

Her pondering didn't go unnoticed. "Lady Rhea, is he a…punctual man?"

"As far as I remember, albeit that was twenty years ago. Some things could have changed in that-here he comes."

Capri chuckled as he laced his fingers together. "That ability of yours never ceases to amaze me, your holiness."

She shot him a somewhat proud smirk. "Let's just say I've always been blessed with good hearing." Behind her curtain of green hair, her pointy ears twitched in joy. Sometimes it was a chore hiding them, and sometimes living with the enhanced hearing could be downright dreadful. At the end of the day though, Rhea was proud of them, just as she was proud of her hair and eyes. All parts of her Nabatean heritage.

The doors were gently pushed open to reveal the six-foot figure of Jeralt Eisner. He hadn't lost a bit of height or muscle since the last time Rhea had seen him two decades ago. Even though he'd traded professional soldiers for mercenaries, he walked with that same proud stride, the sort that invoked a presence and commanded respect.

Capri stood up and bowed. "Sir Jeralt, it's an honor to meet you."

"Capri Alario, the Star Shooter. Likewise, it's an honor to meet you in person as well." Hands with shook as a show of respect. For the first time Rhea saw a glimmer of genuine respect in his eyes. Jeralt could always respect warriors of equal or greater caliber to himself, and Capri was certainly in the equal category. "Sorry to be stepping on your toes here. Honestly, I'd rather not be the one to sit in that seat again." His trademark bluntness was there was he said how he really felt. He didn't look to Rhea but at the captain's chair, the chair he'd sat even for three times as long as Capri.

"I just…would feel safer if you were to resume your old post. No disrespect to you, Capri, but Jeralt, you were the best head captain the Knights of Seiros ever had. It would be a great blessing to have you back in that position again." She said. That was the truth, or most of it anyway. Again, part of this was her pining for the past, but she couldn't outright say that.

She could sense Jeralt's eyes on her without even looking at her. He could no doubt sense that she had ulterior motives. While he was right, they weren't sinister of any sort.

But even if she told him that, would he believe her? Once again, she was struck by the enormity of her failure to communicate to him what had happened with Sitri.

"It's not like I can just up and run away. Not to mention I've already told all my people I'll be taking my old post as head captain of the knights. Some of them found out for the first time." He finally said.

Capri raised an eyebrow. "You never told them that you used to be in the Knights of Seiros? I can understand telling them you weren't the leader, but not telling them at all?"

"I had my reasons." He simply stated. Rhea could take a guess as to what those reasons were: he was trying to leave his old life behind, he didn't want to present a bad image, and finally…he was slightly paranoid of one of them talking. None of the three options were unreasonable, they all sounded just like the man she'd came to trust with her life and her blood. "I'll personally vouch for every man in my band. Sure, some of them can be a little rowdy and some may need to be wrangled in, but I can assure you they're loyal."

"Then I'll give them all my trust." Rhea responded.

"As will I. Sir Jeralt, I believe your band is about one-hundred-and-twenty men? That brings the Central Church's army up to-"

"Little over five-thousand troops." Jeralt cut off. "I read the most recent reports yesterday. Seems like there's been a boom in membership since I was last here."

"A variety of circumstances has led that to be so." Rhea explained. She could still remember a time when the Knights of Seiros had numbered in the tens of thousands instead of just barely numbering at ten-thousand; that was when all branches of the Church were included.

"I'm guess that includes the wars. I've noticed a hell of a lot more Dadgans and Alymrans running around." There was a short pause as he turned his gaze directly toward Rhea. "I can't imagine the Western Church is happy about that."

Rhea tightened her hold over her interlaced hands. Across from her she saw Capri looked at Jeralt with a little bit of surprise. Just because he'd been out of Fόdlan didn't mean that he wasn't kept in the loop. Even that aside, his men were on their way to Faerghus, of course he would know what the situation there was like. "No, they are not happy, but the Church opens its arms to all those in need, regardless of creed or nationality."

"Then I'd recommend finally changing that tenant about meddling with foreigners. It's sure as hell been a cause of a lot of headaches over the years." Jeralt casually fired off. "Speaking of the Western Church, am I right to assume I'm being brought back because they're acting up again?"

The Archbishop and soon-to-be former captain shared a quick look between each other. They both had privately pondered how much of Fόdlan's current situation Jeralt was aware of. Perhaps he was more aware than either of them initially thought. "There have been…whispers, rumors, that their discontent with us has been mounting. In some cases, it has turned violent, but we're refraining from doing anything drastic until we have concrete evidence."

"If that's the case, I have some people who can gather that. Look, Lady Rhea, we both know exactly what kind of people are running the Western Church. Deegan is apparently still the same old pig-headed bastard he always was."

"A crude way of putting it, but I respectfully agree with him, Lady Rhea." Capri spoke.

Her brow knitted at the mention of the Western Church's Cardinal Bishop. Bernex Charles Deegan, he would have been the twenty-second head of the Deegan Family of Faerghus, had he not chosen the clergy over inheriting his noble title. Rhea felt no doubt in saying that life for many, including herself, would have been better if he had. She could have thought of several others, their pompous nature and racism aside, who'd have been preferable in Bernex's position. A few of them had actually came to her with similar thoughts, though she'd turned them down. No matter how much she disliked him, she couldn't just remove him from his post without some form of just cause. Rhea sincerely dreaded what that something might be, especially given some of the more troubling reports she'd been getting.

"Jeralt," she called out. "I would appreciate you using those people to gather intelligence for us. As you resume your old post, you will also have full disposal of the Central Church's intelligence wing."

"Thank you, Lady Rhea. Now, onto the next order of business. I hear that the divisions are still the same as they were before, right?"

"Ten divisions of five-hundred men. All now under your command, Sir Jeralt." Capri affirmed.

"Urgh, just give me the names of the people whose names I need to know."

Rhea couldn't help but laugh. "Some of them are familiar faces who'll be happy to see you after all these years." He actually looked a little sheepish at the prospect of meeting those familiar faces. Obviously, Alois had been at the time of the list. Twenty years ago, he was just a greenhorn who taken a shine to Jeralt and vice versa. "I understand that you've had your own commanders, correct?"

"Ronald Holton, my second-in-command. Neela Marlee, my third-in-command and the best aerial combatant in my army. And finally, Clancy Breathnach, my fourth-in-command. None of them have to be given division leadership, and none of them want it for fear of stepping on anyone's toes."

"We'll find positions for them. Regarding Ronald Holton…um, do you want him working directly underneath you?" Capri inquired. Rhea knew he was asking for Alois' sake. The Adrestian was a very inviting presence, something that Capri needed even now.

"Ron can handle himself, not to mention it's perhaps time he starts coming into his own. Alois is already on that path so maybe it's time for him to do so as well."

But…what about Byleth? Strange how he hasn't mentioned his own son as coming into his own. She found herself pondering. The face of the blue-haired young man appeared in her mind. It briefly intermingled with the face of another, her mother. They were so different on the surface, but inside surely they had to be the same, right?

"Sir Jeralt, there's something else I think you should know. Well, I have a feeling you already know it." Came Capri's voice. "Word has now spread of your return and your soon-to-be placement on that seat over there." With his left hand he jabbed toward the head captain's seat. A somewhat amused chuckle tumbled from his lips. "There's quite a few upstarts who've been eager to challenge me for it, but now there'll be lining up to challenge you. If not for the position, then to see if you're worthy of hold it."

Rhea held a neutral expression while Jeralt leaned back in his seat and chuckled. He'd been expecting this…and frankly, so had she. While she didn't know the names and personalities of every one of her knights, there were a few whom she did know. There were some who'd stood out, made names for themselves. A good chunk of them were "battle junkies". While Rhea didn't hate them, she did find their love of fighting tended to lead them to picking fights with whoever they could. Including some fights that were out of their league. She would bet the Church's treasury that Jeralt was way out of their league, including some of the most capable knights.

"Amongst those who want to test your mettle, there's one in particular you should take note of, Caden Hopley."

Rhea, Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, leaned her head back and sighed. Mind you, it wasn't enough for her headdress to fall off, but the brazen act of…exasperation was still quite striking.

"The Scarlet Needle, huh?" Jeralt clarified. "Gotta say, I wouldn't mind fighting him. In my absence, he's become one of the strongest knights in the order."

"He's currently on assignment in Adrestia. He sent me a letter stating that once he gets back, he wants to fight you." Capri chuckled.

Recomposing herself, Rhea found herself the recipient of her old guardian's gaze. "He's due to be back three days from now. The day after the mock battle, or night."

"You're looking like you're dreading the thought of us going at it. Granted, if we were to fight with our full strength, one of us would kill the other, or we'd kill each other. Even if I walk away alive, he'd probably have struck so many of my pressure points I'd drop dead five steps after the battle."

"A scenario that I sorely wish to avoid, Jeralt. I do not have a problem with friendly sparring, I just ask the…destruction be kept to a minimum." She pressed.

To her quiet relief, the former Faerghus knight laughed. "Now, Rhea, when have I ever been the type to go hog-wild? You know me better than that."

Her Crest Stone heart fluttered in joy at the jovial behavior. It was the first of such that they'd shared since his arrival. "Yes, I do, so I suppose I have less reason to worry. That said, as I'm sure you've heard, Caden is quite a fierce fighter, even when he's not fighting to kill. Capri himself can attest to that."

"That just makes me a little more eager to see him and see if his fists are as strong as I've heard. Alright, I'm guessing he's not the only one who wants a crack me, does he?"

"Oh no, there's quite a list. That includes the current head of the Indech Sword Fighters, Ophir Regev." Capri further explained.

Jeralt raised an eyebrow at the name. "So, did Markus retire or…"

She was happy to shake her head in refusal of the latter possibility. "He retired fifteen years ago. Currently, he's enjoying his retirement in Fhirdiad."

"Huh, I wonder if that's still true regarding the current regent."

He couldn't exactly be blamed for thinking that. It was an open secret that the late King Lambert's brother was proving highly insufficient as a ruler. Luckily, his reign was only temporary. The sooner Prince Dimitri took the throne, the sooner Faerghus would be able to breathe easy.

Thinking about the young prince's future ascension brought Rhea back to another topic, one tied to their current conversation. Looking Jeralt over, she found herself overlaying the man he was now with the one he'd been several decades ago when she first met him. It'd been a steady climb for him to the position of Captain General of the Knights of Seiros. Memories of the ceremony made her heart swell with joy. It was a distant light that she impulsively reached for.

"I would like to announce your return to the knights in a more formal way, especially your reclaimed position as captain."

Jeralt's eyes widened. "Uh, is that really necessary?"

"You don't want that?" She asked, confused and feeling a little disappointed.

"Eh, to be honest…no. I…look, it's a little complicated. I'm willing to reclaim my own position, but…"

"You don't want to make a spectacle of it, right?" Capri correctly deduced. Odds were even before arriving he'd realized his role as a potential mediator between her and Jeralt. Such foresight wasn't exactly out of character for him. "I can understand that, but still. There's a good number of knights here who don't know you. Perhaps it'd be best if you tried to make a good first impression on them with a speech or two."

"I figure I could do that by taking on all my naysayers and admirers." Jeralt mused.

Rhea thought about it for a minute and formulated an idea. "Then what about doing exactly that? Those who wish to spar with you can do so, and afterward you will give a short speech as you accept your old position back. I won't ask you to make it long and inspiring, but…just try a little."

He fixed her with a long stare before heaving out a sigh of acceptance. "Guess that's what I'll do."

She found herself chuckling. "You were never one for ceremony, Jeralt."

"I just prefer getting to the heart of the matter. Besides, I'm practically old news."

"Not around here. Once word spread the legendary Blade Breaker had came to Garreg Mach and he was to become captain of the Knights of Seiros, your name's been on everyone's lips. Your name and your son's."

Capri's words caused the spearman to look at her, but only briefly. Rhea knew that he had his suspicions of her. Granted, he was right to, but it still stung how he seemed so on edge with her.

But again, she could understand his reasons.

Deep within, she found a desk and let her head drop against it. The more she interacted with Jeralt the more she sat on how she'd mishandled Sitri's death. What hurt her the most was him potentially thinking he'd may have killed her somehow. Rhea would never do something like that, potentially not even if it meant…if it meant…

"I suppose you're right, Capri. Sometimes you can't escape the trapping of fame." Jeralt said moving the conversation along. "It'll be something if his name starts coming up as much as mine."

"With all due respect, it already is." Capri affirmed. "That can be chalked up to several reasons. Word is yesterday afternoon he fought all the Black Eagles by himself."

"And easily won, as anyone with an inkling of intelligence could have predicted." Minor as it was, Rhea caught the air of pride in Jeralt's face and his voice. It was clear that he'd raised his son to be every much the warrior he was. Having known him for several years and seen him in battle, Rhea knew that meant Byleth Eisner was potentially one of the most skilled combatants at Garreg Mach. That also made him a perfect teacher for the Officers Academy, which conveniently had a vacancy opened up.

Thinking about that caused an idea to pop into her head. Looking at Jeralt, she decided to take a chance in voicing it. "Since you're not do to be formally reinstated until after the mock battle, why not watch it?"

"You want me to watch a bunch of half-wit kids playing around?" He cracked.

She kept her composure. "I'm asking you if you want to see how well your son has done in three days. Surely your hesitancy about his teaching position will be cleared up if you see he's done some good in it." The more she could get him to accept his son's new role, the better his odds of staying would be. Rhea felt like she had to take as many precautions as possible. At least those that didn't come off as heavy-handed, those would undoubtedly drive Jeralt, and his son, away.

Thankfully, he seemed to consider her words. Even with her (honestly) ulterior motives, he had something to think about. Rhea didn't know what kind of father Jeralt had been in these twenty-years, but she could tell there was…something about the relationship between him and Byleth. If she were to venture a guess, it had something to do with the latter's lack of emotions.

Her gut lurched as she remembered exactly how he'd came into the world…and how shortly he'd have stayed if Sitri had pleaded for her to act. Had her decision came with consequences?

Based on the fact that her most trusted knight had ran away and broken off all contact with her for twenty years, was reluctant to accept his old job, and plainly distrusted her, the answer to that question was yes.

But she wouldn't say everything had turned out bad, Byleth, her mother's vessel, had survived, and had finally returned to her. Her dream was within reach.

"I suppose since you'll be waiting a while, you don't immediately want me to return this to you?" In the time the two had their silent stare down, Capri had gotten up and walked around to Jeralt. He presented him with the captain's sword.

Rhea watched him eye the blade with not disdain but nostalgia as if he were fondly remembering his day's of using it. Even if he'd preferred the spear, he certainly knew how to handle a sword. He was the proud winner of six official sword tournaments that had been held at the Monastery. Then there were the genuine battlefield victories, some of which had came with that sword.

"This is…really the same one from all those years ago, huh?" Jeralt whispered.

Capri nodded. "As I'm sure you know, the Monastery's best blacksmiths forged this blade. It's no Sacred Weapon or Hero's Relic, but it's a fine blade none the less." His eyes cackled with amusement and his lips ticked upward in a slight smile. "Besides, even though you're a spearman, I think you'll get more use out of it then me."

"Hehehe, maybe. I have my own personal weapon, but I won't deny that it'd feel good having this old thing back in my hands." He reached for the sheathed sword, only to refrain from taking hold of it. Jeralt withdrew his hand and looked straight at Capri. "Hold onto it until after I've fought these other folks. I'll accept it from you after everyone can see I'm capable of wielding it."

He seemed to be taken by surprise by his response, but he quickly accepted it. "I understand. I'll await the day. For what it's worth, I'd say Lady Rhea has the right idea. It might be a good morale boost for your son."

"That's two more people saying that. Suppose it can't hurt." The blond man said. Rhea was further intrigued to hear that others had apparently pushed for Jeralt to attend the mock battle as well. It made her further question how close the two of them were.

She doubted she'd get a straight answer from Jeralt, but from Byleth himself…

"If you two will excuse me, I have some matters to attend to. Sir Jeralt, until you take your place, I'll continue to exorcise my duties as head captain. Latter one I suppose we can meet to discuss my new placement."

"Yes, that'll do. Maybe this afternoon or tonight." With a bow to the both of them, the archer began to walk toward the door. He was within five steps of the doors when Jeralt called out to him. "Capri!" Curious, he turned around and found Jeralt approaching him. He stepped within arms' length of him, his full six-foot-one height brought to bear. While Jeralt didn't exactly tower over Capri, who stood at a good five-ten and a half, the older man still had more of a force of presence. "I know about the incident involving your brother, about the insurrection he tried to mount in Leicester Alliance. I'm going to be direct and tell you I don't give a damn about it. As far as I'm concerned, you're another knight in the order I'm going to be counting on, nothing more and nothing less."

Capri's composure temporarily shattered. His shoulders sagged as if he were freed of some invisible weight. Relief slowly enveloped him.

Rhea watched it happen with a beaming smile, and a bit of relief herself. It seemed in the ways that truly mattered, Jeralt Reus Eisner hadn't changed.

"I…I…thank you, sir. I'm…I'm quite happy to hear that." The blue-haired archer said once he regained his composure. He gave his soon-to-be superior a bow, then walked through the door.

It was just the two of them now.

Rhea spoke first. "Thank you, Jeralt. Thank you for telling him that."

He looked back at her with a sympathetic look. "I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people with talent and ability squander it, and how it's affected the people around them. Especially family. Hell, I've seen what it can be like to live in a family member's shadow. It's never a fun thing…especially when that family member's done something horrible."

The archbishop was temporarily taken back to the incident seven years ago. It wasn't a fond memory, one of many in a lifetime that had been filled with its triumphs and tragedies. In her eyes, Levanzo Alario's rebellion had been a blackmark on the Church and the Knights of Seiros. In one foul swoop he'd knocked the Eastern Branch back several years, not to mention he'd gotten hundreds of people killed and many others ruined. That list had almost included his twin brother, who'd been the one to defeat him.

"I…heard he was brought before you, Rhea." Now that they were alone, he'd dropped the honorifics. It wasn't a sign of disrespect, just acknowledgement of the somewhat personal relationship they shared. Even if that relationship had been severely dented. "Is it true you really spared him?"

"…For Capri's sake more than anything." Rhea answered. "He pleaded for his brother's life, and I took that plea to heart."

"A little surprising. You can be pretty merciless, especially when it comes to rebellion." Jeralt remarked. As one of her personal attendants and confidants, he certainly knew how deep her merciless streak ran.

"Let's just say I…made an…exception. Capri pleaded for his life, and after all he'd done, I decided to do so for his sake. A somewhat optimistic part of me hoped that one day Levanzo may repent."

"Do you really believe a man like him is capable of that?" He asked point-blank.

Several old faces from the past appeared in her mind. Their bones had long since turned to ash, although for some it was hard to say for the blood in their veins. Some of them, she'd held in their last moments as they asked if salvation awaited them. Rhea had hoped it was so for some of them. Would a man like Levanzo Alario, who reminded her so painful much of Nemesis and his cohorts, ever be counted amongst that group?

A deep, cold and cynical side of her violently refuted the very thought.

He betrayed every oath he swore when he joined the knighthood! He took mother's name in vain! He attempted to kill hundreds! He'd set all of Fόdlan ablaze just to satisfy his ego! He's no better than Nemesis and his legions of thieves and butchers!

Her hands clasped together, and her eyes shut as she attempted to calm the vengeful voice. It'd been no less violent when she made the decision to have Levanzo imprisoned for life instead of executing him as several thought she would and called for her to. Had she made the right decision? According to what she'd last read Levanzo had been extremely subdued since his imprisonment. Capri himself had seen to it that he didn't have any more allies who could break him out, as had the Riegans, who'd been amongst those who'd called for his head on a pike. They'd accepted him never seeing the light of day again though.

While she reminisced Jeralt seemingly decided to drop the issue. "Forget it. If either of us are lucky, we'll never have to see his face."

She was more than happy that he chose to drop the topic himself. Unfortunately, he moved onto another one with his next question.

"What is it you have planned for Byleth? Why did you make him a professor?" Jeralt asked point-blank. It wasn't an accusatory tone, but Rhea knew he could shift into that if she misspoke.

Composing herself, she answered, "With the…ahem, desertion of our newest instructor, the academy had a vacancy. As fate would have it, you and your mercenaries were close by, including your son. According to reports, he's every bit the skilled fighter you are, thus making him an ideal pick to teach at the academy."

"Byleth's never taught before. Not a bunch of kids. At most he's helped shore up defenses and some local militia, and that only lasted for a couple of days." He pointed out. Jeralt was like a bloodhound. He knew a scent was there and he was going to find it and follow it to its source.

Rhea knew she had to do something to throw him off. "True, but I fully believed in his ability given he's your son. If there's anyone who can pass down the arts of combat onto others, it's one either you or your kin."

"You're that eager?" He shot back with a raised eyebrow. Apparently, the high regard she still had for his abilities went unnoticed, or he simply didn't care.

"We have the leaders of all three nations attending the academy this year. Such a thing hasn't happened in centuries." She responded. "Not to mention this is a…precarious time for Fόdlan. As I'm sure you know, the land is at a dangerous tipping point, and its youth could use some guidance." In truth, the guidance she was speaking of stretched to everyone, not just Garreg Mach's youth. Her included. "Besides, the chance to interact with others…it's something that Sitri would have wanted, wouldn't she?"

Jeralt went still and wide-eyed.

Personally, Rhea hated bringing her up in such a way, but she felt like she had to seize on the opportunity while it was there. "She never had the chance to venture out around the Monastery…or beyond it. She…wanted more for Byleth though." That part was true, and Jeralt knew it. They'd spoken of how they hoped Byleth would be able to ride atop his father's shoulder and in his lap. To see the great world and make friends in it. True friends. "She wanted him to have a ring of friends and associates."

She was fully expecting a rebuttal, perhaps even a violent one. When Jeralt's shoulders sagged she realized one wasn't coming. Her words had thrown the old knight into a reminiscent of his own.

"Thank you…for…keeping her grave clean all these years." He finally said in a quiet whisper.

"She was one of my closest friends, I'd do nothing less for her." The grave he spoke of was only the one known to the public. Beneath it lay nothing but dirt. Sitri's true body lay elsewhere, surrounding by flowers just as eternal as her flesh. "Have you…taken your son to see her?"

Jeralt shook his head. "Not yet…but…I have to. Byleth deserves to see her and know about her. I've kept that from him long enough." She watched his fingers spread out in a sign of acceptance. That was a sign that he'd kept much from his offspring, perhaps entire portions of his life. "Look…I won't try to force the whole truth out of you. Just know that I will do what I have to protect him."

There were many ways a threat could be delivered. The most chilling threats were delivered with subtle, sometimes not even appearing as threats at all. The latter is the sort that Jeralt had just given her. She took it to heart knowing if push came to shove, he'd finally through on it.

Nodding she signaled her acceptance of his declaration. With that acceptance, he took his leave. She was left alone in the knights' central office. It was a place that she'd been to countless times, she'd in fact been there when it was constructed centuries ago. She'd seen many knights come and go, some with dignity and some without. Rhea never particularly counted Jeralt amongst the latter group, even if others did. When he disappeared without a trace it'd caused quite a stir.

Especially since he did so under the cover of a fire, one that he may or may not have caused. She could have charged him for that, just like she could have charged him for desertion. Neither of those things were ever going to happen though. No one had been injured in the fire as she now knew, and the property damage was dust in the wind.

Thinking about it, she found some whimsey in the nickname that Jeralt's child had gained, the Ashen Demon. A child she'd last heard disappeared in a fire. From the ashes he'd returned and bringing with him hope that she could return her face from the ashes as well.

---

"Well, I'll be damned. The kid got the brats to pull it off."

Frankly, Rhea was as surprised as he was. It wasn't often she was able to take time off to witness the opening battles between houses, but for this one she made an exception. She was honestly happy she'd done so for multiple reasons.

The Blue Lions had been the favorite to win the mock battle, the Black Eagles the secret favorite. Those who'd placed bets on the latter had found their money well-placed. That was undoubtedly owed to the leadership of the Eagles' mysterious professor, who took command of them throughout the battle.

Under his command, the Eagles had succeeded in luring both the Lions and the Deer into well-placed traps. Rhea, Jeralt, and the rest of the onlookers had watched multiple explosions ring throughout the battlefield, bolstered by powerful winds that blew them in the direction of the attacking houses. As they scattered to avoid them, the rest of the Black Eagles had charged in, inflicting moderate damage on the other houses before retreating back to their side. Only the Golden Deer had sense enough to not follow them, the Blue Lions had, and paid dearly for it.

Rhea had sensed the casting of an illusion and knew that a trap was being set up. It was sprung when the Blue Lions charged into it, falling prey to a barrage of attacks from the Black Eagles. With the element of surprise on their side, the strength gap between the two houses was closed just enough for the latter to clench victory. It didn't stop there as the Black Eagles Professor never lost sight of the Golden Deer. A detachment force was sent out to fight them, led by the imperial princess herself. She crashed into the Golden Deer like an eagle upon its prey. Her axe moved in swift arcs with her fire magic used to full effect. It was a rather aggressive attack, but one that broke the Golden Deer.

With her keen insight, she saw how vigorously the Hresvelg heiress had gone after the Golden Deer. Rhea was faintly reminded of her ancestor, her closest human friend, when he threw caution to the wind and fought with his full force. A couple of times she'd seen her Crest flare up as its power was used to aid Wilhelm's descendant.

Looking over, she saw a look of pure amazement on her old knight's face. "You seem surprised, more so than me."

"Because I am. Fighting, sure, Byleth's always been great at that. Tactics though…he's honestly better than I though." The grizzled warrior remarked. He met Rhea's eyes as the Black Eagles raised their arms up in victory. "Actually, he's been given tactical command before, but over experienced troops, not-"

"Spoiled, peppered little kids?" Rhea jokingly finished for him. Her old friend grumbled out an affirmation and looked away. "While your son's skills are no doubt superb, perhaps something has to be said for the students. As you saw, the future Adrestian Emperor is certainly a force to be reckoned with, as well as her fellow house leaders."

"Yeah…none of them are too bad, except for maybe the Golden Deer's leader. Claude. There's something about that boy that feels a little off. The way he used his bow, it reminded me of Alymrans."

"He does have the skin tone." Rhea admitted. Besides Cyril, she knew several Alymrans around the Monastery. The Golden Deer's leader had the skin tone for one, and from what she understood he'd seemingly came out of nowhere following Godfrey von Riegan's mysterious death. "As I told you before, this year there is quite an interesting crop of students."

"And you thought my boy could mold them into capable warriors and maybe, just maybe people. I'll admit this on the former, you may have been onto something."

Hearing that admission made her happier than she thought it would have. She could do with praise just fine, but hearing praise from someone she personally knew struck differently. When that person was someone she was trying to mend bridges with, the good feeling was amplified.

"The kid's first victory." Jeralt said with a visible smile.

"May he and the Black Eagles have more to come." Rhea affirmed, honestly hoping her words would come true. If Wilhelm could have seen it, she was sure he'd have been happy at the Eagles' victory, as well as the performance of his descendant. This was only the start of the school year, there was still so much more to come. "The Battle of the Eagle and the Lion, do you think you'll be able to make it?"

"That all depends on what the future holds for us. After this, I'd like to see what Byleth can do with a couple of months of working with them. Not to mention how much stronger the other houses will get in that time." His expression further softened as he perhaps picked out his son from the hilltop upon which they'd watched the battle. While not on par with hers, she knew Jeralt's senses were quite sharp. He had both the blood Nabateans and years of experience refining his senses to superhuman levels. "I'd like to see it though." A short laugh fell from his lips as he looked at her. "Of course, you'll be there, Lady Rhea. Unless it's serious, you're there every year."

"It is tradition, not to mention it increases morale."

"Having the captain of the Knights of Seiros would also be a good boost for morale?"

"For which house?" he humorously shot back. He didn't retract his statement when she giggled at his remark. His weary eyes went to the white-dotted sky. "Like I said, we'll see how things play out. The Battle of the Eagle and the Lion is a couple months away. It's now something to look forward to."

"Please excuse me, Lady Rhea." A female voice called out from behind them.

Before the conversation could continue any further, one of her attendants had came upon them. She informed her that they'd just received some important news that she'd best hear. Rhea supposed that she was fortunate that the mock battle had just wrapped up in time for her to be presented with this news. It would have been quite a disappointment to be unable to see the conclusion herself.

"Guess I better get going too. It was nice to be able to see this battle. Gives me something to talk to the kid about next time we're able to sit down together." Jeralt sounded as he began to walk beside her. "Guess it's back to work for us adults, huh?"

"That's what it seems like." Rhea said with a smile. It tickled with genuine warmth as she and her old friend began to walk side by side. It'd been twenty years since they'd done this, including being able to speak to each other so jovially. She'd missed spending time with Jeralt like this. Even with the suspicion that he now had for her, he was at least willing to be friendly in interactions like this. The hope that they would continue was added to her long list of wishes.

---

That concludes Chapter Two. Byleth, Jeralt, and their band of merry mercenaries are settling into the Monastery, the latter of which I'm trying to flush out a little more.

In something of a common thing for me, I debated on the chapter title, only finalizing it after I was almost half-way done with the chapter. Byleth and Jeralt's surname, Eisner, is German for "iron", thus I decided to go with the title "Iron Texture" since they were the focus. First was Byleth introducing himself to his students, then Jeralt reintegrating into the Knights of Seiros. I felt it was a good name since both father and son are stoic men who are particularly good at fighting, traits that can make them good warriors but somewhat hard people to interact with.

As this story removed gameplay and story segregation, Byleth is miles above not just the Black Eagles but the other houses in combat ability as well. The sparring match was meant to show that, and I hope that it did. For fans of Ferdinand, I'm sorry I made him the first one Byleth took out. As I was writing that one sort of just happened and I didn't feel like stopping. On the positive side, you can bet this'll motivate him to train harder! Aside from swordsmanship, in-story, Byleth is going to be a very good melee fighter. That means he'll be good with his fists, spears, and axes. That said, there's always room for improvement, and a certain someone is certainly going to be helping him improve his fighting ability!

When writing Jeralt's portion I chose to have it be from Rhea's perspective. It's clear that she and Jeralt had a rather platonic Knight and Lady relationship; she longs for it like she does many other things in the past and is self-aware that it ended because of her actions. Poor communication kills is a bit of a theme with her that she's going to struggle with. Personal relations aside, by showing things through her POV I was able to drop some info on how the Church of Seiros, Knights, and Garreg Mach will be portrayed here.

In total, the Central Church has a fighting force of almost five thousand with the Western Church, billed in-lore as its near equal, has a fighting force of a similar size. As Rhea stated, together the current Knights of Seiros number at around ten-thousand strong. This is vastly inferior to Fόdlan's three nations, all of whom have standing armies at and above two million. The knights have quality over quantity and that's the angle I'm going with. They're a mixed force that accepts people from Fόdlan and beyond, as Shamir (and to a degree Cyril) can attest.

Garreg Mach sits in what is apparently neutral territory at the center of Fόdlan. Within this story, that territory is almost twelve-thousand square miles. For a reference, that's about the size of Belgium and Maryland. I'm going with the developers' statement that Fόdlan is two-thirds the size of Europe, that means it's 2,724, 220 square miles. With that in mind, I'm hoping the size I went for regarding Garreg Mach and its surrounding territory sounds somewhat realistic. Think of the Monastery and the surrounding lands as akin to Vatican City, within it, Rhea, the archbishop, has the most authority. It is the only part of Fόdlan where she has anything akin to absolute authority. There are local lords with their own private militias, which the knights occasionally spar with and join forces with in times of crisis (*cough* Imperial invasion *cough*).

As for the Knights of Seiros, I'm filling in a couple of those thousands of nameless faces and giving the knights some more backstory. As discussed last chapter, when Jeralt left twenty years ago they couldn't just leave his position empty. I've thrown a little drama in since a lot can happen in twenty years, especially in a place like Fόdlan where every nation and faction have their own dramas and problems unfolding. Since I've experienced a resurgence in interesting in it over the past two years, I'm basing some of them off of characters from Saint Seiya. Capri, Jeralt's predecessor, is based on Gemini Saga. For fans of the series, I'm sure you know what that means. For those that don't, the short version is good twin and evil twin, split personalities, and drama. More on him, his brother, and the incident that was discussed will be revealed in time. That'll include a look at Rhea, who as Jeralt stated was unusually mercifully to a rogue knight who attempted a coup. Byleth will be the one to learn that story…when he gets dragged into the family drama himself.

As I stated in my opening author's note, Cinder Shadows will be its own story arc. Likewise, you can say the Western Church are going to be arc villains themselves. They're the first real overreaching antagonists Three Houses presents and how they're dealt with has caused some mixed feelings amongst the fanbase (some of which is frankly ridiculous). I'm doing some subtle buildup with them, starting with pointing out that everybody knows they're fanatics, including Rhea.

While what I said about mixed feelings about Three Hopes is true, I'll admit that the captain's sword was an unexpected inspirational boost for this chapter. It caught my eye when I saw it on the cover of the Three Hopes-themed Nintendo Dream cover. My immediate thought was that it was some sort of special sword given to the Knights of Seiros, turned out I was right. For this story though, Jeralt left it behind since he wanted to leave all traces of his past behind. Now, he's about to get it back…except he's more of a spear fighter so he might not get so much use out of it. Oh well, we'll just have to see what the future holds!

Woah, that's probably the longest post-chapter author's notes I've done in, well, ever. If you read all that then I'm deeply thank you. I spent almost an hour looking at maps of Fόdlan and real-world maps, looking up size estimates for real countries, and those done by fans for Fόdlan. It's the size of a continent so I'm trying to write it as such. When I get down to it, that'll include characters being gone for two or three days for missions that in-game were done in a day or so. That long stretch of time I believe would actually help the characters bond with each other. Alright, that's it for the author's notes for this chapter. Thank you all again for your support, and please await the next chapter! It's going to be the Black Eagles first mission to Zanado where Byleth and Sothis will be getting a sense of déjà vu! If you have any questions or thoughts about anything in this chapter or future chapters, let me know in the reviews!