Chapter 2: An Urgent Letter

"Annette!" Ingrid shouted beside her. "The stove!"

"Hm, oh!" The short woman yelped as she noticed the roaring fire building beneath the pan, threatening to swallow the simmering meat whole. She quickly turned off the stove, doused the flames, and checked the steak. "Um, did anyone want their food well, well -done?"

Dedue leaned over, grimacing at the meat. "Let me try to salvage it," he said, sliding it onto a plate and taking it over to a spice rack. "But please, focus on the food. We have a lot of extra people to feed for dinner tonight. Why don't you help Ingrid with the vegetables and I'll handle the steaks?"

"Right, sorry," Annette said, moving to the cutting board and grabbing a knife. That was the third piece of food she nearly ruined tonight from letting her thoughts wander.

"You're a million miles away," Ingrid said, draining a pot of vegetables and pouring them onto the cutting board for Annette. "Something on your mind?"

"No, it's nothing really," she said, chewing her lip for a moment as she took a tomato and neatly diced it. Ingrid watched her as she gathered fresh vegetables into the pot, expecting her to continue. Annette considered it. After all, Mercedes was busy with the injured soldiers and would be the rest of the night.

At the same time though, Annette needed to talk to someone or she would absolutely lose it. And Ingrid did ask her.

"It's just," she said slowly, deciding how to word this, "have you ever had someone close to you suddenly stop speaking to you?"

"You mean like an argument?"

"No," she said, slicing some celery stalks next, "not like that. Not someone cutting ties with you, but," she waved the knife around, stabbing the air for the words, "well, like having, I guess a friend you thought you were close with and suddenly there's a distance between you for no reason?"

Ingrid filled her pot with water, rolling the vegetables around it, and shook her head. "No, I can't say that I have. Why?" Then she paused. "Is it Felix?"

Annette cut the board harder than she meant to, wedging the knife in. She pushed the celery aside and yanked the blade free. She was glad Ingrid hadn't made some joke about "trouble in paradise" like some other people might've. For her part, Ingrid hadn't really indulged in the gossip circling through camp about it.

Ever since word had gotten around about that day, people had kept asking Annette questions about how the pair were doing, and she had to keep reiterating that they weren't dating. Mercedes had sworn that she hadn't told a soul, but Annette wondered sometimes if she didn't oversee all rumors in the camp herself like a head gossipmonger. Her friend had a mischievous streak that showed up unexpectedly and she had made frequent comments that Felix and Annette would make a cute couple.

Not that Annette didn't want that as well, but ever since the greenhouse, Felix hadn't spoken to her. In fact, he seemed to avoid her, like earlier today in Enbarr. She had hoped to at least stand beside him, maybe make some small talk and take a moment to figure out where they stood, until he quickly left during Dimitri's speech.

"Annette," Ingrid tapped her. "I think the carrots have had enough."

She looked down at the microscopic orange bits on the cutting board and groaned, clearing them aside. "Sorry, got lost again. Yes, it is Felix. I thought maybe he was overworked at first, but today, he definitely avoided me when I tried to approach him. And ever since, you know, there's been this rift between us."

"There's a rift between Felix and most people," Ingrid said. "Believe me, he's not an easy person to get close to."

Annette nodded "But I thought we were close. Now we seem like casual acquaintances."

Ingrid nodded, then looked past her. "Here's your chance to fix that."

She tilted her head and turned around. In the doorway, standing with plates at the ready, were Felix and Sylvain. The former caught sight of her, froze, then averted his eyes as if he would rather be anywhere else. The latter waved his hand and loudly called out to Ingrid. "Hey, what's on the menu tonight?"

"Steak and vegetables," she answered. Since Dedue was cleaning some dishes, she headed over to the pile of steaks, skewering a piece from the stack and sliding one on Felix's plate.

"You're positively shimmering tonight," Sylvain noted. "Is it the heat in here or are you that happy to see me?"

She hummed, giving him a fake smile, and took Annette's seared steak from earlier and shook it off on his plate. "Eat up. Made it specially for you."

Annette carried over some of the diced vegetables, loading up each of their plates. When she finished with Felix's, she stayed there and, just like him, looked down and away. "Um, t-there you go," she said.

"Thanks," he muttered. Neither seemed to move.

Ingrid picked up on the situation and grabbed Sylvain by the arm. "I need to talk to you about something. Outside."

Once they were gone, Annette glanced up at Felix, into those normally stern, narrow eyes that scurried through a mix of emotions, widening and shrinking as if deciding to bolt or stay. His brow furrowed then relaxed, and he seemed sad and angry at something in particular. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject, not so suddenly, not when he was like this. But Ingrid had given her the chance, so she had to try.

"Felix," she started, not sure what to do except say his name again. "Felix, I," the dull roar from the mess hall distracted her, like a buzzing pounding against her skull. "I wanted to," she shook her head. Sylvain was right. It was sweltering in the kitchen with the stoves on still roasting steaks.

"Yes?" he asked, prompting her.

She took stock of the kitchen and herself, her apron covered in grease and bits of vegetables. This isn't the right place, she realized. Not for this conversation. She needed a quieter place.

"I wanted to say I hope you enjoy your meal," she said, putting on a wide grin.

"Oh, thanks. I'm sure I will," he said, nodding at her and exiting the kitchen.

Annette took to the cutting board, slicing carrots very thinly until Ingrid returned. "Didn't go well?" she asked.

The small woman shook her head sadly. "It wasn't the right time. I need to get him alone somewhere. Figure out what's wrong."

"I'm not very good at relationship advice, so I don't know what to tell you," Ingrid admitted, clearing away the carrots and dumping a fresh set of vegetables on the cutting board. "All I can tell you is try talking to him tomorrow morning. With Dimitri needing to recover, we shouldn't be going anywhere for a few days. And on free days, Felix usually heads out to train early before anyone else. You could catch him there when no one's around and he should be at ease then."

That sounded like a good idea to her. Perking up, Annette said, "Thanks for the tip. I'll do that."

However, no one had any time the next morning. A messenger arrived early with the sunrise, bearing a letter from Rhea, urgently requesting their presence in Enbarr's church.

"Does she say why?" Dedue asked, standing at Dimitri's side in the king's tent as he read it off for the Blue Lions and Byleth.

"No, she doesn't," he said, rubbing his bandaged shoulder. "Only that she asks we meet her as soon as possible, as she has an important announcement to make. And that you especially attend, Professor."

"Me?" Dimitri handed the letter to her and Byleth read it over.

The whole time, Annette stood next to Felix, hoping, praying that the meeting would end soon and she could pull him aside. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and shuffled his feet, standing straighter.

"Could it be a trap?" Dedue asked, cutting through her thoughts. "Some remnant of the Empire's forces planning to ambush us?"

"I don't believe so," Dimitri said. "This is the Lady Rhea's handwriting. And Claude sent word yesterday that the Empire had been defeated on his end."

"But why does she specifically ask for me too?" Byleth handed the letter back to Dimitri.

Dimitri shook his head. "I don't know. But we were planning to return to Enbarr anyway to assess the damage and what they needed. Without the Empire, the city will require new administration and leaders, assistance rebuilding, and more. We'll simply leave earlier than expected with a detachment. Will that satisfy your concern?"

"It will for that," Dedue said. "But Your Highness, your shoulder."

"I am well enough to travel," Dimitri assured him. "Let's make haste. We shouldn't keep the Archbishop waiting. I'll head out with the Professor and some of the battalions. The rest of you tend to the refugees and prepare to pack up the camp. Depending on the meeting with Rhea, we may need to travel quickly. Dedue, will you rally the troops and make them ready to leave?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," he said, smacking his fist against his chest and bowing low.

As everyone started to file out of the tent, Annette tried to reach Felix first outside, but Dedue beat her to it, enlisting him to help marshal and lead the soldiers. She cursed her luck, stamping her foot in the dirt and clenching her fists to her temples. One minute! she thought as the pair walked off to the troop tents. I just need one minute alone with him.

"Annette?"

Behind her, her father exited the king's tent and approached her, a worrying frown adding one more deep line into his already aged face. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh, nothing," she said quickly, not at all wanting to discuss the situation with him. The last thing she needed was confirming if her father had heard the rumors and his reaction. "I just remembered I need to help Mercie pack up." She waved to him and scampered off for the medical tent.

However, she soon started regretting helping Mercedes. Maybe I should've stayed with my father instead. From the moment she stepped foot in the medical tent to offer her assistance, Mercedes flitted around her, humming merrily to herself and asking her about last night.

"I hear you and Felix were together at dinner," she said, sporting a knowing smile that refused to leave. "Have things improved between you two?"

"It was nothing," Annette said, grabbing another rack of herbal jars and mixtures, then tucking it into a corner of a trunk. "I was just talking to him."

"About what?"

"About," she sighed, dreading the next word, "us."

Mercedes immediately threw the blankets she held haphazardly into the trunk without a second glance and zipped to her friend's side. "Yes and?"

"I was trying to ask him about why he's been avoiding me."

Mercedes covered her mouth in surprise. "He has?"

"Yes and I don't know why. I couldn't ask him last night and Dedue took him before I could try this morning."

"Oh, Annie. I'm sorry." She touched Annette's shoulder, her voice genuinely sympathetic and tender like normal. "I didn't know."

"It's okay," she said. "I just don't know what to do. He's probably marching on ahead at this point with Dimitri and the others." She folded up the blanket Mercedes had abandoned, separating it from what seemed like a blue bedsheet, before fitting the blanket neatly in the trunk. She tried to shut it, but the blanket kept it open, so she threw up the lid and punched the fabric down as if it were responsible for her morning frustrations.

"I think that's about it," she said, slamming the lid shut and forcing it closed.

"What we need is to get you in touch with him right now," Mercedes said, tapping her chin. "If we wait until they reach Enbarr, he might be too busy with whatever the Archbishop needs."

"I could always wait until after."

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow. "Can you really wait that long for an answer?"

She had her there. "No." She needed to know now. Not tomorrow, not later, now.

"Neither can I. Maybe you could ride after them and catch up to him."

There was an idea. Then she remembered her own tent and how she needed to pack as well. And it wouldn't be right to leave all the camp duties to everyone else. "No, I can't. I really should help all of you here."

Mercedes waved her off. "Annie, I'll take care of it. You go."

She wrung the bedsheet in her hands and looked down. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Annette breathed in and out, psyching herself up. She was really going to talk to Felix this time. She had to. Steadying herself, she smiled. "Thanks. What do you want me to do with this?" She held up the bedsheet.

Mercedes examined it for a moment and grinned. "Use it as an excuse."

She looked at her for a moment, baffled by what she meant. Then she checked the bedsheet in her hands more closely. Or rather, the king's cloak.

"Get going," Mercedes urged, pushing her to the exit.

"Right," she said and ran for her horse. She had to catch him before her boost of adrenaline wore off.