The dawn of the next day found the monastery bathed in the soft, early morning light, a stark contrast to the shadow that the news of the assassination attempt had cast over its inhabitants. The usual morning rituals proceeded, but there was a palpable tension in the air, a sense of unease that had settled over the once tranquil grounds.
Byleth awoke, her body protesting the sudden movement after the brief respite of sleep had finally claimed her. The events of the previous day replayed in her mind, a tumultuous cascade of emotions and revelations that threatened to overwhelm her. Yet, as she prepared for the day, the weight of her responsibilities anchored her, steadying her resolve.
As she walked through the corridors, the echoes of her steps mingled with the hushed conversations of the students and staff. The news of the assassination plot had spread, and with it, a myriad of rumors and speculations that filled the halls with a buzzing tension.
She didn't know how it had spread so fast, seeing as the meeting was only between the three of them, though she guessed that someone might've overheard the Archer when he'd handed over the message.
She made her way to the dining hall, where the Blue Lions were gathered. Their faces, once filled with the vibrancy of youth, now bore the marks of the battle. The previous innocence was already long gone.
It was painful to witness.
Her own innocence had long been crushed, but that didn't mean that she wanted everyone else's worldview shattered.
"Good morning," Byleth greeted, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside her. "I hope you've all had some rest."
A series of nods and murmured greetings met her words, but it was Dimitri who spoke up, his blue eyes reflecting a depth of concern. "Professor, we've heard about the assassination attempt. Is there anything we can do to help?"
Byleth paused, considering her words carefully. "Yes, there is. Lady Rhea and Seteth have requested our assistance in securing the monastery during the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth. I know we've just returned from battle, but..."
"We're with you, Professor." Ashe spoke up, though his voice carried no emotion. And while it was troubling to see, Byleth nodded at him.
As much as she wanted to help him, this was something that he needed to handle himself. She'd help if he asked, but not before.
Doing so would only think she was pitying him, when it was anything but.
The others echoed Ashe's sentiment, their determination shining through the weariness that shadowed their features. Byleth felt a swell of pride for her students, despite the awkwardness that had filtered after Ashe's words.
They had gotten to work quickly after that.
As the day progressed, Byleth and her students prepared for their role in the upcoming ceremony. They reviewed the layout of the monastery, identified key points of vulnerability, and developed strategies to counter any potential threats. Despite the seriousness of their task, Byleth noticed a renewed sense of purpose among the students, a unifying force that brought them closer together.
She admitted to herself that that was the reason why they accepted so easily. They wanted something to occupy their minds, and such an important task as defending from a possible attack was just the opportunity to do so.
Meanwhile, whispers of the Archer and his role in the events continued to circulate among the faculty and students, more so on the end of those who weren't there. His identity and motives were the subject of much speculation, but for Byleth, his words lingered in her mind.
He was wrong.
He was right.
Two contradictions that she, bitterly, couldn't fight.
It didn't help that the man wasn't just speaking out of his ass. Byleth had seen more than enough veterans to know that the Archer was speaking from experience. A cold, brutal one, if she had to guess.
No matter.
She'd figure things out in her own time. For now, she needed to focus on shoring up the defenses, as hidden as they were.
As the day of the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth drew nearer and nearer, the monastery braced itself, hidden as they were. Security measures were heightened, and every corner of the grounds was scrutinized for any sign of threat.
All the while, a pair of golden eyes watched from a distance.
…
There was a subtle tension in the monastery on the eve of the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth. The festive preparations, usually a source of joy and celebration among the students and faculty, were now overshadowed by the looming threat of an assassination attempt. The church and corridors were decked out with decorations, yet there was a palpable sense of hushed alertness among those who understood what was at risk.
Together with a few of her students, Byleth found herself circling the monastery's perimeter, their eyes darting through the shadows for any indication of impending danger.
Originally, the plan had been to wait near the entrance of the Holy Mausoleum. A decent one, but one that would've left her students to stew in their own thoughts.
It wasn't particularly popular because of that. Moreover, that plan more than assured that the perpetrators would make it in the monastery, and who knows what could happen. The other students and the faculty would be in danger, and they would be none the wiser.
No, the better plan, one that they were following now, was to be proactive. Patrols were the best method they could assure that. They tried to do so as casually as they could, to make it seem like this was more for training than anything else.
So far, they had found nothing.
As always, Dimitri walked at her side, his lance casually held in his hand, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Felix appeared even more tense than usual, his hand never taking off from the sword's hilt. While engrossed in their own thoughts, Ingrid and Ashe proceeded with a quiet determination, though the quiet was more or less enforced by Ashe's determination to keep himself that way, with the others following suit.
As they passed by a particularly darkened corridor, Byleth's intuition screamed at her to halt. She raised a hand, signaling the others to stop. The group fell silent, their training kicking in as they listened for the faintest sound, the slightest indication of a threat.
It was Ashe who whispered, his voice barely audible, "There's someone there."
Byleth nodded, gesturing for Dimitri and Felix to flank her as she approached the shadowed alcove. With a swift movement, she drew her sword, the steel whispering against the scabbard. The figure in the shadows tensed, then stepped forward, revealing themselves.
It was not an assassin or a spy, but a frightened servant, a young boy whose eyes widened at the sight of the drawn weapons. Byleth lowered her sword, her heart rate slowly returning to normal as she addressed the boy. "What are you doing here at this hour?"
The boy stammered, "I-I was just - I heard a noise and thought-!"
A sigh. By his shivering, it was clear the boy posed no threat. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They sent him on his way, as Byleth rubbed her head, a headache already forming.
Paranoia. She was not accustomed to it, but that had been too close.
She needed to focus.
Rhea was already in the Goddess Tower, and the night was quiet.
That didn't mean that it would stay that way.
"We'll do another round before we meet back up with the others." She whispered to her students, keeping an eye forward. Something was just gnawing at her. The Archer was certain he had found the missive on Lonato, and she was certain that he was telling the truth.
However, that begged the question as to why the man was carrying it on his body in the first place.
Such a message should've been burned the moment it was received, to prevent any leaks and making the target aware of the assassination. It would prevent the very thing that they had done, and it was the main reason it gnawed at her now.
An assassination attempt against a figure like Rhea, already made complex by the fact that it involved Lonato, surely wouldn't have done that by accident, right? The stakes were too high, and more than enough 'mistakes' had happened that it was suspicious by default.
In fact.
She whirled around, her eyes glancing at just where the servant boy came from.
A dead end.
The only way he would've found himself in front of them like that would have been to pass them in the hallway. In the distance, she could hear hurried steps quickly fading away.
Right in the direction that the mausoleum was in.
Her feet were off the ground faster than her students could react.
…
Byleth's mind raced as she sprinted through the dimly lit corridors, her instincts screaming that something was amiss. Behind her, the sounds of her students' footsteps followed, a testament to their training and readiness to support their professor in any situation. Dimitri, Felix, Ingrid, and Ashe quickly caught up, understanding the urgency of the situation without needing words to be exchanged.
As they neared the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum, the sounds of a scuffle reached their ears. Byleth's grip on her sword tightened, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Byleth…" Sothis warned in her head, "The assassination plot, do you think that this is just a distraction for that?"
Byleth's stride didn't falter, but her mind raced with the possibilities. "It might be." She muttered under her breath, "But we can't take the chance."
Not when she knew what was beyond the mausoleum's doors.
The reason why the plan was originally to guard the Holy Mausoleum was not just because the place was sacred. In fact, it all had to do with what was inside.
Normally barred from the public, the tomb was only opened on the day of the Goddess's Rite of Rebirth. And, being a burial tomb, it held just about the greatest symbol of the Church of Seiros.
That being Saint Seiros herself.
With Rhea being heavily protected by virtue of being inside the Goddess Tower, the second option would be the one that just about anyone can check out with no one being suspicious.
Therefore, they'd figured out that the next best target, barring Rhea herself, would be the burial place of Seiros, only exacerbated by the ease by which they would have done so.
As Byleth and her students rounded the corner leading to the Holy Mausoleum, the reality of the situation unfolded before them. The skirmish outside was more intense than they had anticipated. The knights of Seiros were locked in combat with a group of cloaked figures, each one moving with a dangerous precision that suggested they were far from ordinary intruders.
The assassins, then.
Byleth grimaced as she saw that the entrance had already been breached, and the sounds of fighting inside the actual mausoleum was already raging wild.
Thankfully, the civilians had already fled, which meant that they wouldn't need to worry about them anymore.
"Dimitri, Felix, with me. We need to keep them from advancing further into the mausoleum. Ingrid, Ashe, split up and contact the others. Quickly!"
With a nod, the two men rushed forward to join her, and while Ashe and Ingrid hesitated for a moment, they rushed off nonetheless.
As one, the three of them barreled into the hooded figures. Ordering the remaining guards that had been posted here, Byleth directed them to form a tighter defensive perimeter around the critical points of entry within the mausoleum.
It was difficult, as many of them were already injured or worse, but her barked orders were followed nonetheless. Soon enough, they had a line that the figures hesitated to approach, for fear of retaliation.
A stalemate.
The defenders couldn't push forward, nor could the attackers.
Except that the attackers had more than one advantage to their name. One that had spread quickly within their forces, as they relaxed and backed away, seemingly content with leaving them alone.
After all, they technically had the advantage, with Byleth and the defenders being encircled by whoever was still fighting the knights inside the mausoleum.
'Not for long.'
With Dimitri and Felix by her side, she plunged into the mausoleum, a brief word of 'hold on' to the oldest of the knights leaving her lips as she did so.
The sounds of battle only grew louder.
She hoped that she wouldn't be too late.
…
Commissioned by: FireRogueWolf25
A/N: If you like what I do and want to support me, check out my P-atreon at P-atreon•com(slash)Almistyor.
And a special thanks to: FireRogueWolf25, brutalcrab and Tassimo.