[IS]: Insert song - "Rival (Fire Emblem Awakening)"
[ISE]: Insert song end

"Laura, I want you to spar with me."

Under normal circumstances, Laura would have been ecstatic at the prospect. Axe users in general were rare to come across in Erebonia, especially with the advent of orbal weapons that rendered most medieval weapons outdated, and a fighter as crafty as Morgan would undoubtedly yield some interesting matches regardless of who emerged the winner.

But then came the latter half of the request. "Your swordsmanship...against mine."

That caused Laura to hold her tongue. Was Morgan already well-versed in swordplay? It would certainly explain her precision when she briefly wielded Rean's tachi. But why reveal this fact now of all times? Did this have to do with what she commented earlier about making up her mind?

Ultimately, her curiosity got the better of her, and Laura couldn't resist accepting Morgan's challenge. After making a brief detour at the dormitory to drop off their new possessions, the two of them made their way to the main campus.

"If memory serves correctly…" Laura said as they walked. "This will mark the first time the two of us have ever sparred by ourselves, will it not?"

"Yeah, I think you're right," Morgan confirmed. "I guess this has been long overdue, huh?"

"Truly." Laura recalled the first time she had requested Morgan to train with her. The black-haired girl had indeed showed some interest in finding out how Laura trained, but when it came to sparring, Morgan refused to time and time again, instead opting to observe from a distance. The only other time they fought on opposing sides was during Instructor Sara's classes, but Laura was hesitant on considering those group assignments actual sparring.

"Is there a reason you have abstained from using a sword until now?" Laura asked.

"There is," Morgan responded. "Actually, I can think of several reasons. But if I had to choose one, it'd probably be…" Morgan put a finger to her chin, the same way she would every time she entered contemplation. "Fear?"

'Fear?' The answer only seemed to result in more questions. What would someone like Morgan be afraid of? She certainly didn't appear afraid from where Laura was standing.

Laura continued to mull over Morgan's response as they turned left at the entrance to head in the direction of the gymnasium. Right as they were about to enter, a thought came into her mind, which she proceeded to say out loud. "Might this have to do with the scar on your face?"

Morgan's hand stopped at the door. She didn't respond.

"My apologies." Laura lowered her head. "I spoke out of turn."

"It's fine." Morgan turned to Laura and gave a weak smile. "You know, Fie made the same connection too."

That got Laura's attention. "Fie did…?"

"Maybe you two should get together sometime and compare theories. Two heads are better than one, right?"

It was clear that Morgan had said that to lighten the mood, but when she saw that Laura's expression hadn't changed at all, she broke off eye contact. "Right. Getting off-track."

At last, Morgan pushed open the door and Laura found herself in the gymnasium for the second time that day. The two of them walked to the first door on their right and opened it to enter the training hall. To their surprise, the room was mostly empty, save for two students, one male and one female, who were cleaning up the space. Laura recognized them as the primary members of the academy's fencing club, the female being Friedel, the club's captain, and the male being Loggins, her second-in command.

The former of the two was the first to greet them. "Ah, Laura Arseid!" she said with a bow. "A pleasure to see you as always."

Laura returned the gesture. "Likewise, Friedel Gladiole. Although, I can't help but notice that the rest of the Fencing Club isn't present at the moment. Was there no club meeting today?"

"Oh, there was one," Loggins spoke up. Loggins had a reputation to be rather hot-headed, a contrast to the calm and collected Friedel, but today his visage was more angry than anything. "It just ended."

"Did something happen today?" Morgan wondered aloud.

"Hyarms happened." Loggins grit his teeth. "Fricking kid, doing Alan dirty like that…"

Friedel placed a hand on his shoulder. "Loggins, what did we say about uttering such things about someone of his standing?"

"Sorry, but after what happened today? I think he deserves it."

"Are you talking about Patrick Hyarms of Class I?" Laura asked.

Friedel nodded. "The very same. One of our members, Alan, challenged Patrick to a duel today. The former wanted to measure his capabilities against another first-year student, but unfortunately he learned the hard way that the skill gap remains rather wide."

"That's just putting it lightly," Loggins growled. "Patrick knew that, so he decided to use it to bolster his own ego. He was toying with him the whole damn time. That match was a complete disgrace to the art." He looked at his companion. "I'm surprised you can be so calm after seeing all that."

"Such behavior is common among nobles, I'm afraid." She closed her eyes solemnly. "Even I have my moments where I delight in taking my time when dismantling an opponent."

"At least you don't go around being a pompous prick about it." He turned to face Laura and Morgan. "But we're going off topic. Why are the two of you here?"

"We were wondering if we could use the training hall if you were done," said Morgan.

"Oh, what's this?" Friedel's eyes lit up. "Is this a duel I smell brewing? This should prove much more entertaining than the one we witnessed earlier today. What do you say, Loggins? Care to stay and watch?"

"I think I'll pass. That match left me in too sour a mood to care." He didn't waste any more time in grabbing his green blazer, which was resting on a nearby bench. "Go ahead and do whatever you want. Friedel, I'll leave the rest to you."

The club captain simply smiled and waved good-bye as her partner exited the room.

"Don't let his rough exterior deter you," Friedel said once the door closed. "Loggins just gets rather defensive when he sees people getting picked on by those of higher standing. He and Alan are among the only commoners in the Fencing Club, so they get along rather well. Thus, you can imagine how he felt when he saw Alan lose in such a manner."

"Hearing that makes me like Patrick less and less," Morgan snorted. "People like him give nobles a bad name, no offense."

"There's no doubt that he is lacking in humility," Friedel conceded, "but frankly, that is something that can't be learned overnight. Even after saying that, though, he truly can back up his words with skill. Granted, his footwork and approach could use some improvement…" The fencing captain shook her head, realizing that she had started rambling. "Ah, but I'm getting sidetracked. The two of you wish to spar, correct? I can't help but notice that neither of you are carrying weapons."

"I don't have a sword of my own," Morgan explained, pointing to a large crate in the far corner of the room. "So I need to borrow one from the training hall."

"And I'm assuming that Miss Arseid decided to go along with you to even the playing field?"

Laura nodded. "That is correct. You're as astute as the other second-year students have said."

Friedel smiled. "If the two of you so desire, I can do the honors of overseeing this match."

"That won't be an issue for me. Would that be alright with you, Morgan…?"

The girl in question had already started walking towards the large crate. Opening the lid of the crate, Morgan brought out two wooden swords, one a large two-handed sword and the other a medium-sized one-handed sword. She walked over to Laura and held out the two-handed sword. "I don't mind. We'll go to first hit wins."

She gestured for Laura to take the large sword from her hand, which she did. The wooden sword in her hands was likely the heaviest one in the crate, but even then it wasn't as heavy as her normal two-handed sword. Then again, both her sword and her father's sword would make anything else seem light in comparison.

The two of them made their way to the center of the sparring hall, placing themselves a small distance from the two designated marks on the floor. Friedel, meanwhile, stood at the outer edges of the arena, marked off by a yellow rectangle.

"Let me lay down some rules just so we're clear," Friedel announced in a loud voice. "You are free to use the entire space of the arena, but stepping outside the yellow boundaries will result in an immediate loss. Furthermore, as we're indoors, the use of orbal arts will be prohibited. The winner of this duel will be decided when either one of the combatants lands a clean hit on the other. Do the both of you consent to these rules?"

"I do." Laura lifted her sword into her battle stance.

Morgan stayed still, gripping her wooden sword.

"Morgan, do you consent to the rules of the duel?" Friedel asked once more.

"Yes, I do," Morgan finally spoke. "But before we begin, can I say something first?"

"What is it?" Laura asked.

Morgan stared back impassively, which was enough to indicate to Laura that she was being completely serious. Morgan was usually one of the more expressive members of Class VII, almost always having some sort of playful glint in her eyes, so seeing all of her cheerfulness gone, even if only for a brief moment, was very jarring to see.

"Laura, I want you to come at me as if I'm Fie," she finally replied. "I don't want you to try and get those thoughts out of your head. Instead, I want you tap into those feelings and act based on them."

Laura furrowed her eyebrows. "That would prove difficult, considering you're not using her weapons."

"True," Morgan admitted, "but that doesn't mean I can't act like her to gauge your reactions. Trust me; you'll see what I mean."

'Truly, you're already doing a good job at replicating her face,' Laura quipped in her head.

Morgan's free hand reached over to grip her other arm and took a deep breath. Laura squinted her eyes. Was her arm...trembling?

"Rean told me something earlier today," she continued. "His master said that you can tell a lot about a person by how they swing their sword. I'm not going to pretend that I understand exactly what's going on between you and Fie, but there are some things in life you can only share with someone by fighting. Words and logic can only get you so far; that's why sometimes you have to fight to get your point across. So promise me one thing for this duel…"

She stopped to change her footing so she was standing sideways with her right leg in front of her left. Then, she closed her eyes and held her sword close to her chest, as if saying a word of prayer. "Don't think - feel!"

[IS] At that last word, her eyes bolted open and her stance lowered. She held her sword hand close to her face, making the blade point in Laura's direction, while her other hand was open facing forward. The stance she was now in left little openings, and the few that she did leave could easily be covered. "I'm ready now!"

Laura blinked in surprise. It was almost as if Morgan had become a completely different person. Gone was the carefree axe-wielder who would intentionally leave herself open to learn the fighting styles of others, now being left with a cautious, guarded individual who seemed prepared to counter any strike.

"Then we shall commence this duel. Combatants, en-garde!"

Both Laura and Morgan readied themselves.

"Pret...allez!"

At the sound, Morgan dashed in quickly to deliver a horizontal slice. Laura hastily blocked the strike, but Morgan continued pressing her attack. Her swings were relatively similar to how she swung an axe, but they were considerably more quicker and precise, no doubt thanks to the sword's lighter weight. If it weren't for the fact that she was currently on the receiving end of her assault, Laura would have commended Morgan's form.

Refocusing herself, Laura grunted and pushed her blade against Morgan's, signaling that it was now her turn to attack. She swung her sword and aimed for Morgan's side, but her opponent was ready. Placing her free hand on the blade of her wooden sword, she blocked the strike and used the momentum to push Laura's sword out of the way.

'Irregular guarding?!' Laura exclaimed in her mind. In contrast to conventional guarding, irregular guarding involved placing one hand on the blade so the user could use the full lateral length of a sword to ward off attacks. This allowed for better control of defending certain areas but it also prevented the wielder from using the full disjoint of the sword as a means to retaliate. Laura had recognized it as a technique that Rean often used; had Morgan learned how to do it simply from observing their duels?

Not a moment later, Laura jumped backwards to move out of the way of Morgan's counterattack before readying her blade to retaliate. She performed a stab, which was fended off by another guard, and quickly followed up with an overhead slash. On reaction, Morgan sidestepped and rolled to the side. Once she was in an upright position, she leapt from the ground and performed a spinning slash. Had Laura not turned with Morgan instinctively so she wouldn't run the risk of facing her opponent with her back turned, she would have been hit. She faltered for a moment before leaping backwards and holding her sword up in a defensive position.

Truth be told, she had always suspected that Morgan had at least seen some form of combat prior to entering Thors; her quick reflexes, battle-honed mind, and affinity with a tactical orbment were enough to indicate that. However, this was beyond anything she had ever expected. It wasn't just coming up with tactics on the fly or having an extra orbment on hand; Morgan had been holding back an entirely different way of fighting from under Class VII's nose. Laura's mind couldn't help but try to piece together why she would wield an axe or a polearm when she showed at least this much proficiency with a sword. Who was it that taught her? Did she have some sort of experience that led her away from it? Was it simply because she was looking for a challenge? If that was the case, just what other hidden skills was this girl keeping from the classmates she claimed to be friends with? All these questions left Laura with an odd feeling that she couldn't describe but swore she felt somewhere before. It was almost as if…

Ah, yes. Now she remembered. This was the same feeling she had when she found out that Fie was a jaeger.

Morgan flourished her sword and readied it by her side with her left arm cocked upwards, signaling her intention to attack. Laura readied her own sword in response, bringing it behind her. A few moments later, both combatants dashed forward and met in the center of the room, their wooden blades locked together.

As Laura got a closer look at her opponent's impassive expression, she began to visualize the stoic face of Fie. She looked into those bored, emotionless eyes that always seemed to know something Laura didn't. They were eyes that looked so drained of life from having taken so many lives, yet they possessed enough of a spark to continue staring right back.

What was it that those eyes had seen? What was it that led them to live that sort of life? For what reason did they continue to live?

The more she clashed with them, the more determined she felt to unearth those secrets. The more determined she felt, the less she found she cared about her opponents' origins. Such matters were trivial on a battlefield; the only thing that was important at the moment was emerging victorious.

Laura began to press harder against her blade, which caused Morgan to shift backwards. In terms of brute force, there was little doubt that Laura was the strongest among the females in Class VII and possibly one of the strongest first-year students, period. So long as she continued to place herself in situations that favored strength, she would be able to triumph in due time. Thus, her objective was to figure out how her opponent moved and attack when she least expected it.

Morgan started to buckle under the weight of Laura's sword. In a last ditch effort to escape, she pressed her free hand on her wooden blade and pushed it to the side, redirecting Laura's force and allowing her to twirl out of harm's way. As both fighters returned to a neutral position, Laura noted that Morgan's sword arm was once again trembling, which was promptly stopped when her opponent gripped it with her other arm and took a deep breath. Any opportunity to ask if Morgan was ready to continue was prematurely hushed by the sight of her readying her sword, holding it close to her face and pointing it in Laura's direction. Instead of preparing an attack of her own, Laura adopted a defensive stance and stood her ground, challenging her opponent to try and open her guard. Taking the bait, Morgan dashed forward once more and began to press her offense.

With each strike she successfully guarded and parried, Laura began to understand Morgan's behavior. Her opponent would alternate between delivering quick, precise swings and utilizing tricky footwork, almost reminiscent to the movements of a dancer, to either continue pressing the offensive from a different direction or retreat backwards to a safe distance. This made the timing of her approach, as well as some of the force of her attacks, much more ambiguous and harder to predict. However, just like with any other dancer, Morgan's movements hinged upon one important aspect: her lower body. If Morgan's legs and feet were restricted in their movements, then that would make it significantly easier for Laura to catch up to her.

Thus, Laura altered her approach. Upon finding a gap in Morgan's assault, she retaliated with a stab aimed at Morgan's right leg, forcing Morgan to guard the attack lest she suffer a hit and lose the match. In doing so, however, she gave up a crucial opportunity to retreat to a safe distance. Now that Laura had her opponent in her reach, she continued applying pressure directed at her opponent's lower body, thereby forcing Morgan to block instead of evade. It wasn't before long that Laura had Morgan cornered at the edge of the yellow boundaries.

"How will you respond to this?" Laura prepared a thrust forward, but before the attack could come out, she twirled and performed an upwards swing. Morgan sidestepped and rolled to the side, hoping to attack Laura from behind.

Except this was what Laura had been waiting for her to do.

"Not this time!" Laura quickly shifted her feet so that she was facing the other direction. Her arm still raised from her previous attack, she brought her weapon down right as Morgan tried to leap from the ground. Their wooden swords met once again, but Laura's strength once again proved greater, causing Morgan to teeter off balance.

Raising her sword high with both arms, Laura envisioned herself standing in a body of water. The water was still, the kind where even the slightest touch would send ripples across the surface. Laura focused on emptying her mind, ridding herself of the thoughts that had plagued and bothered her over the past few days and releasing them into the water around her through her feet. Then, she began to concentrate whatever energy had been left over and poured it into her weapon. Her sword now glowing with her own essence, Laura brought it down forcefully, causing the water, along with her unneeded thoughts, to be split in two.

In reality, the force of her swing had cut a straight line through the air and send a shockwave flying in front of her. Because she had exchanged her usual zweihander for a wooden substitute, Laura couldn't swing her weapon as hard as she normally would lest she risk breaking her sword, but even then she was still able to leave a visible mark on the ground on which she struck. This was one of the techniques of the Arseid school, titled "Earth Cleaver", and right now, Morgan was on the receiving end of it. She put her sword up in one last attempt to guard against the incoming attack, but the preceding exchanges had already taken their toll on her stamina. Thus, it was no surprise that the shockwave broke her guard with little effort, leaving her staggered and open to attack.

'Now!' Laura advanced on Morgan's position. She was not going to waste this chance. "You're mine!"

Morgan's eyes widened in fear. "No!" she gasped.

"That's enough!" [ISE]

Laura halted her attack mid-swing, moments away from landing a clean hit on her opponent. Morgan didn't even try to guard against the strike, hence why Friedel made her call. Trembling, Morgan dropped her sword and fell to her knees.

"That wasn't the way I was expecting it to end…" Friedel remarked as she walked over to where the duelists were. "But that was a spectacular duel. In the end, I think we can agree that Laura was the victor."

Laura stood up straight and closed her eyes. The duel had left her winded, but at the same time she felt refreshed. Had sparring always felt this way?

No, there was more to that. In this particular duel, Laura had deliberately cast aside her thoughts until there was nothing left but a desire to win. In doing so, she had become more accepting of learning about her opponent. In just a short span of time with minimal words used, she had reached a basic understanding of the kind of person Morgan was underneath her normal behavior.

"I was surprised," Laura finally said, still trying to catch her breath. "I didn't expect to have my back against the wall so many times." She opened her eyes. "Your skill was commendable, Morgan. Thank you for giving me this chance to spar with you."

Laura smiled at her classmate and had begun to reach out her hand to help her back up. However, it soon dawned upon her that something was wrong. Morgan remained in the same position, her body still trembling and her face still stricken with the fear of getting hit.

Laura frowned. "Morgan? Is something the matter?"

"I-I…" she stammered.

"The bout has already ended," Friedel added, kneeling beside her. "Come. Up on your feet."

The fencing club captain offered her hand, but Morgan smacked it away. "S-Stay away!"

"Morgan?" Now Laura was getting worried.

Morgan stared at her trembling hands. Her breaths started to quicken at an alarming pace. "I…no…!"

"Morgan, please pull yourself together!" Laura made the mistake of putting her hands on Morgan's shoulders, which caused her classmate's body to stiffen in response. "Morgan?"

"A-Ah…" Morgan's eyes seemed to stare several selge past her head. "Lucy…"

Without warning, she collapsed forward into Laura's arms.

"M-Morgan?!"

Two swords clashed against each other underneath the dark night sky. One belonged to a soldier wearing an eye-obscuring helmet. The other belonged to a young woman with blue-hair that reached her shoulders and a tiara adorning her head.

Neither fighter moved an inch. They had reached a standstill.

"Your movements…" the blue-haired woman muttered under her breath. "I see now…" She squinted her eyes at the helmeted soldier. "It is you, isn't it?"

The soldier didn't respond, instead opting to continue standing their ground.

"Very well then." The blue-haired woman broke from the blade lock and jumped backwards. "Let us settle this once and for all."

She readied a special stance. The helmeted soldier also mirrored the same stance. Both of their swords started to glow yellow. A few moments later, they dashed forward and clashed their swords once more.

"Haaaaa!" "Raaaaa!"

Both combatants screamed as they put their full force into their attack.

In the end, however, the winner was decided not by the strength of their attacks but by the quality of their weapons. Cracks started to spread throughout the soldier's blade while the blue-haired woman's sword continued to remain intact.

"!" The soldier's sword eventually gave way, breaking in two.

The blue-haired woman followed through with her motion, spinning in the air before landing on the ground and leaping backwards. Then, she raised her sword behind her, causing it to glow with a holy blue aura.

There was no way she was going to miss this chance. "You're mine!"

The woman dashed forward and slashed diagonally upwards.

Morgan woke with a start. She was sitting upright in a white bed with two other beds situated on either side of her.

This place was…

"Morgan?" a low voice called from her left.

Morgan turned her head. Her vision was still rather hazy, but she could make out the outline of a young woman with blue hair.

"M-Mother…?" she croaked.

The woman shook her head. "No, it's Laura."

Her vision began to clear up. Indeed, it was her classmate that was sitting by the side of the bed.

"O-Oh. Right." Morgan blushed slightly in response and looked away. "Where are…"

"You're in the infirmary," Laura told her. "After our duel, you abruptly fainted. Friedel notified Instructor Beatrix, and you were then carried here."

"Friedel did…?" Morgan's memory of the past few hours was rather hazy, but she could remember the calm, collected face of the captain of the fencing club.

"Oh, that's right. How long was I out for…" Morgan looked at the window. "Wait, it's almost sunset?!"

Laura followed Morgan's gaze. Outside the window, the sky had already started to turn red.

"You were asleep for a few hours," Laura confirmed. "Elliot and Gaius visited you while you were unconscious, as did Angelica, President Towa, George, and Crow. They were all worried about you."

"They did?" Morgan felt touched that there were people who came to check up on her, but even still… "I really overdid things, didn't I?"

"You only did what you deemed was necessary in the moment, regardless of whether it was the 'right' thing to do or not." Laura shifted her position in her chair so that she was hunching over. "With that said, I do believe an explanation is in order. I understand if you don't want to disclose your personal details, but after seeing your condition earlier today, I'm afraid I cannot let this slide."

Morgan sighed. "And here I thought I was the one who was going to help you with your problems, not the other way around."

Laura allowed herself to smirk before returning to a concerned expression. "Has this always happened?"

"You mean the freaking out?"

"For the lack of a better term."

"Ever since two to three years ago, give or take," Morgan responded. "I...dream a lot in my sleep. Sometimes they're good dreams, other times they're bad. Sounds normal, right? Well, I wake up one morning from a bad dream, and all of a sudden, I couldn't pick up a sword without dropping it." She curled up her legs underneath the bed sheets. "All because every time I pick up a sword, it reminds me of one nightmare in particular.

"I'm in the middle of a clearing. I don't know where since it's nighttime, but I'm fighting against someone. Eventually, we clash, but my sword breaks. Then, that person...she swings her sword at me. That's where the dream ends." Morgan have a weak smile. "Bet you can't guess where she hit."

Laura stared intently at her face. "Morgan, it's just a nightmare."

"That's what I thought, too. But my body says otherwise." Morgan's left hand unconsciously drifted towards her right arm. "The reactions were worse back then. For the longest time, I stayed away from swords like the plague; that helped to ease the nightmares a bit. Then, a few weeks ago, I was able to hold Rean's tachi for a short period of time. I thought that maybe since I was able to do that, I could try using a sword again."

"And so you decided to take a gamble by challenging me to a duel," Laura surmised. "But why not ease your way into swordsmanship? Why choose to spar with me instead of Jusis or Rean?"

"Actually, it's precisely because it's you that I wanted to take a chance."

"Because it's me…?"

"I know that you're a good person, Laura. If there's one thing I learned ever since coming here, it's that everyone has secrets. Most people are hardly what they appear at first glance. But you're one of the few exceptions; you're straightforward and direct, and you wear who you are proudly on your sleeves. In other words…" Morgan paused to take a breath. "You're the complete opposite of someone like Fie."

Laura's expression hardened at the mention of the girl's name.

"L-Look, just...hear me out, okay?" Morgan stammered. "Do you remember what you asked me during lunch today? About what I would do if I had to choose between you or Fie?"

Laura nodded. "I do."

Morgan took another breath. "To be completely honest, I can't choose between the two of you. You're my friend, Laura, but so is Fie. I don't want to stay friends with one if it means giving up the other. That's why I want to take a third option and help you two to make up as soon as possible. But in order to truly get to the root of the problem, I needed to walk in one of your guys' shoes, and…" She scratched her head sheepishly. "No offense, Laura, but it's easier for me to walk in Fie's shoes than it is to walk in yours."

A thought seemed to dawn on Laura. "Then, what you said before our match, about acting like her…"

Morgan chuckled. "You're a smart girl. I'm sure you figured out my aim sometime during the fight." She placed her hand on her chest. "I could feel them, you know? The weight behind your strikes. They were cautious at the start, but once you started to get serious, they felt more focused and concentrated. I didn't stand much of a chance after that, but at least I got what I needed to know."

"Which is…?"

"I think that deep down, you don't hate Fie. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you really want to get to know her. You wouldn't have gone all-out on someone and still kept your cool if you legitimately hated them. However…" Morgan cupped her chin. "There's something stopping you from going all the way, like what you're doing by talking to me. Maybe it's the fact that the two of you are complete opposites, or maybe it's because you don't like people who only meet you halfway. I don't know. At any rate, I think I have a better understanding of why you two aren't seeing eye to eye."

Laura appeared to be taken aback at her thought process. "So you went through all of that, even knowing your own limitations, just for us?"

"Pretty much!" Morgan puffed out her chest. "What do you think? I can be such a genius sometimes!"

"When you're putting yourself at this much of a risk? I am inclined to think otherwise." Laura's expression was stern yet full of concern. "I appreciate that you're going to such lengths for others, but please count yourself in the number of people that you're helping."

"So long as everyone has a smile on their face at the end of the day, I don't mind." Morgan shifted her legs from under the covers.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Laura reached out her hand to prevent Morgan from stepping out of bed.

"I'm fine, Laura," Morgan assured her. "Really, I am. Especially after we talked things out."

"Perhaps you may be fine…" Laura said. "But Instructor Beatrix told me to watch over you until she returned from a faculty meeting, and I would rather not test the patience of someone of her status."

If Instructor Beatrix was a factor in all of this, then Morgan had no choice but to stand down and comply. One does not simply go against a nurse's orders. "Fine…"

She shuffled her legs back under the bed covers. "What about you, Laura? How are you feeling right now?"

"Me?" Laura pursed her lips. "Everything that occurred this afternoon has been enlightening for me. However…" Her expression fell. "I feel that I still require some more time to process everything, from what you have just told me to my own feelings on the matter. I understand that this may be selfish, considering the risk that you put yourself through…"

"Well, Heimdallr wasn't built in a day. You should take your time in thinking this through. One thing to remember, though…" Morgan held up her index finger. "Our practical exam is coming up this week, and if the last two field studies are of any indication, Instructor Sara might have something planned for our groups this time around. You might want to be prepared just in case."

"I will keep that in mind." Laura looked at the clock on the far end of the room. "It is nearing 5:30, so Instructor Beatrix should be on her way back. I will need to take my leave so she can perform her examinations, but before then, can I ask you one question?"

"What's up?"

"Throughout my years of training, I have been exposed to a myriad of different fighting styles," Laura began. "I have fought against a variety of different opponents, and I have seen my father battle against many more. But despite this, I have never seen a fighting style quite like yours. That is why I wish to know…" Her eyes were filled with a desire for knowledge. "Morgan, where did you learn how to use a sword?"

In the end, it came to that question. Morgan had anticipated its inevitability ever since she made up her mind to challenge Laura to a duel.

"I first picked it up when I was a kid," she finally answered. "I had a lot of people who helped me back then. There was an uncle of mine who helped to hammer down the basics, a friend and his family who showed me how to play to my strengths, an older sister who pushed me to go past my limits, and a few other kids I used to spar with in my free time…"

She looked up wistfully. "But in the end, the ones who really started it all were my parents. Well, my father just knew how to make it look cool; it was my mother who inspired me to take it seriously. She was a swordswoman, one of the best in the land, but she was also kind and gentle towards others." She then looked at Laura. "Kind of like you."

"Is that why you call me 'Mother' on occasion?" Laura guessed. "Because I remind you of her?"

Morgan rubbed the small of her back. "I'm sorry if that sounded weird, but...yeah, you do. You have the same headstrong personality, the same proficiency in combat, even a head full of blue hair…" Morgan then started giggling. "And you're both totally clueless when it comes to shopping."

Laura couldn't help but blush and yell, "I beg your pardon?!"

Morgan couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. "Don't worry. I mean that in the most endearing way possible."

The door to the infirmary opened, followed by the sound of a group of footsteps entering the room.

"Hello? Instructor Beatrix?" a male voice called out.

"It looks like there's no one in at the moment," a female voice sounded.

"No, I can definitely sense some people in here…"

"Rean? Is that you?" Laura got up from her seat and walked to the entrance to the bed area, where she was met by Rean and the classmates he chose to accompany him to the old schoolhouse.

"Laura?" asked Rean. "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask the same thing," she replied. "Have you come back from the old schoolhouse?"

"Hey, Rean!" Morgan waved her hand from her bed. "Welcome back!"

"M-Morgan?!" Emma exclaimed. "What are you doing in bed?"

Morgan laughed nervously. "Ahaha… It's kind of a long story."

Another pair of footsteps made their way to the entrance.

"Elliot and I saw you all making your way to the infirmary," Gaius explained, "so we decided to follow you."

"Did I hear Morgan just now?" Elliot queried. "Thank Aidios she's awake!"

"Awake from what?" Alisa asked in response. "Did something happen while we were gone?"

"Goodness, I didn't expect things to become so lively once I came back!" said an elderly voice from the entrance to the infirmary.

The entire class turned in the direction of the voice. "Instructor Beatrix?!"

"I never imagined the entirety of Class VII would be in my office at one time," Instructor Beatrix chuckled. "I can see some of you have bruises, but right now I need to check on a patient. Perhaps you can tell us about your daring expedition into that old schoolhouse while we wait?"

To summarize, Rean's group found that the old schoolhouse followed a series of set rules. First, there is always a door at the entrance to every floor. Second, there is a really tough monster waiting at the end of every floor. Third, a new floor opens up for the class to explore, though the layout of the floor is still random. The students felt that the task of "completing" each floor was akin to a form of complicated test, which opened up a new bag of questions in regards to who made the floors the way they were and why. The month's expedition ended without a hitch, though a few of the members had sustained some bruises while fighting against the floor's boss monster, hence why they made it their first priority to visit the infirmary.

The good news was that all of Class VII was allowed to leave once Instructor Beatrix had finished tending to them. Even Morgan was deemed fit to be discharged, though the elderly woman warned her to avoid getting into fights for the time being. That was fine by her; she didn't see herself partaking in any duels or mock battles for a while. Except for maybe the upcoming practical exam, but even then the stakes were low enough to not warrant any concern.

And speaking of Morgan, she gave her own summary of the events of her afternoon, from meeting up with Laura to their eventual duel that resulted in her passing out for a few hours. All of her classmates were concerned, as she had anticipated, but she assured them that she was fine. When it came to explaining why she went out of her way to challenge Laura in the first place, Morgan decided to leave out what she and Laura had discussed after she came to, since Laura had said that she needed more time to process everything, and instead chalked up her sparring match as a means to overcome her fear of swords. There were some skeptics, with people like Rean and Fie having exceptionally skeptical expressions, but they didn't prod further.

Now it was dusk, and Morgan was sitting in her room, watching the time tick by on her alarm clock. She had already written down a summary of the events that had transpired today, even if she wasn't awake for a good chunk of it, and was now waiting for the appointed time. Instructor Beatrix had recommended that she turn in early for the night, but there was one last thing that she had to do.

Unbeknownst to the rest of Class VII, there had been one other motive for her wanting to stick by Laura today.

The time was now 9:00 PM. Morgan took the journal that she used to write in and tiptoed her way out of her room and all the way to the first floor. All of her classmates had already retired to their rooms for the night, and there were only two other people who she knew would be up at this hour.

As Morgan descended the stairs, she caught a glimpse of light that was coming from the door directly next to the staircase on the first floor. What had once been an unused room that primarily existed for extra storage space had been, over the course of the past day and a half, turned into Sharon's living quarters. No one knew exactly how the maid managed to turn such a dusty, barren room into a manageable living space except maybe Alisa, but as she had proved several times already, Sharon was frighteningly good at her job.

Though she was tempted to see how Sharon was fitting into her new living space, she was not the person Morgan wanted to see this evening, and so she moved to the second door past the staircase. Seeing that there was a light emanating from the bottom of the door, Morgan knocked on the door three times.

"Instructor? You in there?" she called out.

"Give me ooone sec!"

It actually took more than a few seconds, but the door eventually opened to behold Instructor Sara Valestein in all her drunken glory.

"Guten tag, little Wunderkind!" she said with a giddy smile on her face. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Morgan took a whiff and almost physically reeled back from the smell of alcohol coming from her instructor's breath. "You haven't even been back for a few hours and you're already wasted?"

"S'not my fault!" She pointed to the room next to hers. "It was that maid's idea! 'Get to know each other over a drink,' she said. Well, one drink turned into two, two became four, and she still didn't show any signs of letting up!"

"And so you decided to make it a competition?"

"Bah, a part of me needed an excuse to drink some booze anyway." Her face scrunched up as she started grumbling to herself. "Stupid Toval. He really needs to learn how to treat a lady…"

A bead of uneasy sweat dropped from Morgan's forehead. "Putting aside all that…"

"Yeah, that reminds me…" Sara hunched over to study Morgan. "Why are you down here again?"

"Wha…" Morgan's jaw nearly hit the floor. "You can't be serious...can you?"

Her instructor pressed a finger to her temple as she tried to recall the details. "Oh! Could it be that you're offering to share a drink with your lovely instructor? Egads! I never thought I'd get a chance to find a drinking partner so soon!"

"That's not-!" Morgan wasn't sure whether Sara legitimately forgot or was just messing with her, but she was just about ready to leave when another idea popped into her mind. "You know what? Sure. Why not? A little alcohol may be what I need right now. Got any recommendations?"

Sara put a finger to her chin. "Hmm, for someone of your body shape, I'd recommend something on the lighter-wait, what?" In the midst of her double take, she sobered up immediately. "Did you seriously just agree to that? I was kidding!"

"Well, I'M not kidding." Morgan put her hands to her hips. "I feel like a drink tonight. If you're going to say something like that so casually, you should be prepared to see it through fully."

"You know I could get charged for giving alcohol to a student, right?"

"Says the person whose love for alcohol is literally on display for everyone to see." Morgan pointed her hand at the open crate of champagne bottles in her instructor's room. "Besides, last time I checked, there's nothing in the law that says teachers can't have a drink with a student if that student is at the legal drinking age."

"And you're...what, seventeen?"

"Twenty."

Sara blinked. "Huh?"

"I said I'm twenty," Morgan said matter-of-factly. "Just turned it this past May. You can look it up in the official documents, or I can show you my student handbook. Your pick."

Sara peered outside her room to make sure no one was in the general vicinity and invited Morgan in. Once the door was closed behind them, the violet-haired instructor opened one of the drawers under her desk and pulled out a folder that, Morgan presumed, contained the basic information of each of the Class VII students.

"Daraen, Daraen...ah, there you are." She pulled out a piece of paper with Morgan's photo in the upper left hand corner. "'Morgan Grima Daraen. Date of birth: May 5th, S.1184 (?).' 1204 minus 1184 is...huh. Guess you weren't wrong. What's with the question mark at the end, though?"

"I don't have an official birth certificate," Morgan explained. "But I know that I'm twenty."

"And the academy was just...fine with that?"

"Was Fie carrying a birth certificate when you found her?"

"...Fair enough. Let's talk turkey, shall we?"

…

"...And that's the gist of what happened."

Morgan closed her journal and took a sip from her cup. At Instructor Sara's insistence, she was drinking hard apple cider instead of beer. It was a bit on the sweeter side to offset the bitter taste of the alcohol, but Morgan didn't mind the odd taste; this was coming from someone who enjoyed the taste of bear meat, after all.

"Has anyone told you that you can be pretty crazy sometimes?"

"As crazy as crazy gets, Instructor."

Sara pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Well, putting aside all THAT…" She took a quick swig of beer from her bottle. "Thanks for compiling all this info. Did they suspect anything?"

"Remember what I told you the day before you left?" Morgan reminded her. "I've been wanting to find a way to help them myself. I didn't mention anything about you at all."

Sara snickered. "And you said you weren't good at telling lies."

"I'm not. I just try not to tell the whole truth."

Another chuckle from the tipsy instructor. "So it's not that they hate each other; it's because their natures as people conflict so much that they can't see each other being partners." Sara heaved a big sigh. "And THIS is why I wanted to be a combat teacher. This whole 'cognition' thing is WAY beyond me…"

Morgan perked up at one of Sara's comments. "You mean Fie has the same problems?"

Sara raised an eyebrow. "You didn't know?"

Morgan shook her head.

"Alright. Let me put it this way…" Sara cleared her throat. "When you're a jaeger, you need to be an expert on picking up subtle things while also making sure you stay as subtle as possible; if you do anything less, you'll be the first on the chopping block. Fie's lived that life for pretty much her entire childhood, so you can imagine how much of a culture shock she went through when she came to Thors. This is the first time she's ever interacted with kids her age outside of a warzone, and some of these kids are like Laura, who live their lives honestly. Is there any wonder that she's almost given up on trying to fit in now that people are talking about her behind her back?"

Morgan's expression fell. "So it's true? People know about Fie's background?"

Her instructor grimaced. "It was going to happen at some point, but I didn't want it to happen like this…" Sara took another swig of beer to refresh herself. "It's why she pushes people's buttons, you know. Acting all insensitive and seeing someone's reactions is her way of getting a feel for what kind of person they are, and...well, if they can't handle her remarks, they probably won't take learning about her background any better."

"I didn't realize…"

"I'd be more surprised if you already did. This isn't something normal people would think about on a daily basis."

"Wait…" Morgan interrupted, pouting slightly. "Does that make me not normal, since I'm thinking about this now?"

"At any rate…" Sara continued, not even listening to Morgan's comment. "Now that I've got a better idea of how to go about doing things, it's about high time that I start the next phase of the plan."

"There's a next phase?"

The instructor took another sip from her bottle. "I may as well tell you now: I'm going to pull a little 'Machias and Jusis' on Laura and Fie for the next field study."

"You know you can just say that you're going to put them in the same group, right?" Morgan remarked, understanding her instructor's intentions clearly.

"Just making sure that your mind's still working, cause the next part also requires your participation. If you're willing and able, of course…"

"Name it."

Sara raised an eyebrow. "You agreed to something before you hear the details? That's a bit unlike you."

"Maybe it's the alcohol." Morgan pushed the thought from her mind. "So? What's the plan, Boss?"

"Boss…" Sara chuckled to herself. "Funny. Never thought I'd hear someone call me that."

"S-Sorry." Morgan scratched the back of her head. "It just kind of...slipped."

"No, it's fine. But back to the matter at hand…" Recomposing herself, Sara pointed her bottle at Morgan. "I want YOU to be in the same group as Fie and Laura. Look after them, help them make up, push them in the right direction, all that good stuff."

Morgan let the question linger in the air as she took a sip of her drink. She should have expected this to be the outcome. And yet, for some reason, she couldn't help but utter a simple question after she swallowed: "Why me?"

"Uh…" Sara started counting the number of fingers on her hand. "You get along with everyone, everyone seems to trust you, you're smart, you're good-looking-"

"No, I mean, why choose me instead of...someone else?" Morgan clarified. "If you want someone to be a peacemaker, wouldn't Rean be a better choice? He's practically our class's unofficial leader, after all."

Sara hummed to herself. "I won't deny that Rean has all of the qualities of a leader. He's charismatic, he's empathetic, and he can back up his words with skill. If not the leader, then he is at the very center of Class VII and the person keeping everyone together. He's sort of like the...glue, as it were."

"Then why…"

"Because right now, you have something that Rean doesn't have," Sara continued. "Or anyone else, for that matter."

"And that would be…"

The instructor pointed with her bottle at Morgan's journal, which was sitting on the coffee table (or rather, it was more like the alcohol table now). "You've seen the perspectives of both Laura and Fie. You took the time to get to know them and figured out what they're struggling against. Knowing that, you have a better shot at playing mediator than anyone in Class VII. And also…"

Sara paused, her expression turning sober. "I've got a feeling that the reason you're so invested in helping them is because you can personally relate to what they're going through."

"..."

Morgan opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She closed her eyes, picturing two people standing before her.

The first was a young woman with blue hair who took up the sword to protect others. The second was a girl on the cusp of adolescence who took up her weapons to survive.

One was motivated by personal duty and honor. The other was motivated by the thought of living to see another day.

One fought for her friends. The other fought for her family.

They were two sides of a singular coin, and that coin was…

"Alright," Morgan finally decided. "I've already come this far, so I'll continue to play along with you for the time being."

"Great!" Instructor Sara got up and carefully hobbled over to her desk. "And since you've already agreed to this, I'll even let you get first dibs in choosing your group as a little bonus!"

"You'd let me do that?" Morgan asked. "Won't that be collusion?"

"Ah, only if you get caught! Like you said, we've already gone this far, so we might as well go all the way." She found a piece of paper and started to write. "We've got you, Laura and Fie on one team. Personally, I'd choose two guys to go with you to balance out the gender equality, but ultimately the choice is yours. Excluding Rean for obvious reasons, which two poor souls do you want to take with you for this daunting mission?"

"You make it sound like this is going to be life-threatening…" Morgan muttered. 'Then again, this is Laura and Fie we're talking about, so she may have a point…'

"Instructor…" she said. "Where is it that we'll be going to this time?"

The violet-haired instructor shook her head. "Mmm, sorry. Can't say much about that right now. The locations for your field studies are supposed to be classified until the day of your practical exam. However, I CAN say is that depending on who you choose you may end up going on one trip or the other by default."

'So my other party members can dictate which trip I go on…'

After a few more moments of thinking, Morgan made up her mind. "Alright. Here's who I want in my party…"

Author's note: And with this, the free day period is officially over! It definitely felt more drawn out than usual, so I'll need to work on pacing, but there was a lot of content I wanted to fit in.

So Morgan can use a sword, as one would expect. For the basis of her fighting style, think of Lucina and Chrom's moveset in Fire Emblem Warriors but faster and with an emphasis on movement similar to Marth's moveset in the same game. This was to reflect Morgan's stat modifiers from my playthrough of Awakening, as Speed was her biggest positive modifier. In essence, she is a "Fragile Speedster" who focuses on using her mobility who also can't afford to get hit.

Now for the big elephant in the room. As you can see, this chapter was mainly focused around bringing several things to light regarding Morgan's character, such as her swordsmanship and reasons for not using swords. This plan for this arc in general is to set the stage for Morgan and the things she went through in the past, so for those of you who felt that Morgan's role thus far was rather underplayed, this should make up for it. (ง •̀_•́)ง

I hope you all enjoyed reading this. If you did, feel free to leave a review saying what you enjoyed so I can keep doing that. If you have any constructive criticisms on what I can do better, you can also leave a review or contact me with a PM. I don't know when the next part will be out, but I hope I can finish it within a month.

Thank you all, and see you next time! (≧ω≦)ゞ