An: Time to answer reviews, because that's what heroes do! (Or so I hear at least)
To MrPerson0 (Dec 26, 2023): You know, so am I... and I would bet Joseph is panicking about the same.
To coolguy21jz2015 (Dec 28, 2023): 'Move the needle'? One google search later. Huh, TIL. I'm glad to hear that the exposition so far has been decent, there's a lot to cover and always a danger that it bogs things down.
To eseer (Dec 20, 2023): Oh boy... guess, I'll just have to continue for now then.
To all three of you, thank you! I know the rule is to write for oneself, but knowing someone else appreciates the work certainly helps!
Haunting Daybreak - Dawn and Victory
The lone orange haired girl walked along the dirt road, a small pack on her back and nothing in sight.
"So, you want to be a knight now, hm?" questioned the voice only she could hear, "well, do you know the most important thing you're going to need to make that happen?"
The girl jumped up with a bright wide smile.
"Courage, strength, skill, and heart!" she answered with great enthusiasm,-
"Wrong!"
-only to immediately deflate at the ghost's answer.
"While those are certainly the traits that make up a good knight, acquiring them with your own hands is an unreasonable task," he explained, before elaborating further. "What you need is teachers, and all the best teachers can be found at Garreg Mach Monastery, the Officer's Academy."
With wide eyes, Reidun stared up at the smirking ghost, nodding fervently.
"So, what do we need to make that happen?" he asked.
Reidun thought. She thought really hard.
"...money?"
Joseph snapped his fingers, and Reidun, caught up in the excitement, mirrored the motion.
"That's right, we need money. Do you remember your lessons?"
Reidun nodded, eyes lit with lightning and practically jumping as she proceeded to explain the topic they were both thinking of. "In the Leicester alliance, it is not unusual for wealthy commoners to pay a noble for entrance into the Officer's Academy." Then she looked confused. "but… we're not in the Leicester alliance?"
Joseph nodded with sagacity.
"You're right, we're not, and if we tried it they would probably refuse on account of being seen as 'poaching' the common folk from their fellow nobles, but the precedent is still there, meaning a noble could be convinced to accept it." he lectured, "remind me, which noble family does your home belong to?"
"House Galatea." she snapped out quickly.
"I'm not quizzing you, you can take your time" Joseph lightly chastised, before continuing, "...and what can you tell me about them?"
"They branched off of House Daphnel in the Leicester Alliance, and are the main bearers of the crest of the same name and the heroes relic Luin…" she answered, somewhat automatically, before her eyes dropped, "...due to the poor quality of their lands, they and most of their common folk struggle economically."
Memories of barren fields darkened the mood for them both.
After a moment, Joseph sighed and continued, dropping the educational questions entirely.
"...because of that, house Galatea is in much need of funds, and much more likely to accept a technically reasonable excuse," he explained. "That item we got, the Bullion? It's valuable, and we can sell it for a lot of money, not enough to get us into the academy, but enough to serve as starting capital."
Joseph paced around Reidun as he continued speaking.
"While I don't have some sort of secret get rich formula, the advantage we do have is that we aren't bigots. Following the Tragedy of Duscur, most merchants completely avoid the country. That means opportunity. If we got into the market there, we'd have an effective monopoly over all the countries imports and exports. As it stands, we wouldn't want to sell any of Duscur's exports in Faerghus, the demand would crash the moment they found out where we got our stock, but we could sell in the Leicester Alliance, and sell goods from Leicester on the way back. Do you follow?"
Reidun nodded, still a bit sombre
and they continued walking in silence for the next couple of minutes.
'This won't do...' Joseph thought, before entertaining another.
"You know… Duscur doesn't have much of a production base, so we'd mostly be importing raw materials from them and exporting manufactured goods back. Eventually we could invest in our own industrial base…" he'd used a bunch of really complicated words that Reidun didn't know yet, but the next part he knew she'd understand, so he found himself smirking again. "...but for that we'd need to pay a whole bunch of people to do all that work. It would have to be somewhere on the route as well. I'm struggling, Reidun, can you think of a place that fits?"
Reidun stopped walking, her voice soft.
"Home…" with a renewed, possibly desperate energy, she turned to face the ghost again, "...but the food, mommy and daddy need to eat, if we don't grow our food-"
"We'll import it. If we start paying them, they'll have the money to buy. Time is money, and right now most of Galatea's lands are spending that time at a horrible exchange rate." he quickly rebuked, then he placed a reassuring ghostly hand on Reidun's shoulder, "but all that is still a few years off. In the end it all boils down to this, we need money."
With a renewed determination, the 12 year old Reidun ran towards the approaching city.
"Let's begin with selling this Bullion for far more than it's worth. When we get there I'm going to need you to repeat after me…"
2nd of the Great Tree Moon, 1180
Reidun smiled at the girl on the other side of the door. In truth, the assignment didn't surprise her, and she was sure that Joseph wasn't surprised either.
Ingrid Galatea, heir to the house that ruled Reidun's home. Which likely meant whoever had pulled that assignment had likely actually looked at Reidun's application.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. As you seem to know, I'm Reidun. I'll be in your care, and apologies for the extra work." she said, before standing aside, "Would you like to come inside? I've mostly unpacked, so it should be clean enough to work."
"Of course." Ingrid answered with gusto, and with the same energy, the two stepped inside and got to work.
They went through academy regulations, which parts of the monastery were off limits, the academy's facilities and how to use them, as well as the timetable for the standard week and the house's weekly missions.
"Many of the classes will be in a frontal lecture format. During these, the front row will be reserved for us honour students. I've talked with the rest of the cohort and they've agreed to sit together during the lessons, and I expect you to join them." Ingrid explained, pausing to let Reidun nod and jot down more in her notebook, "while there is no official timetable on this, the cohort will also be meeting up after each lesson so that we can compare notes and review our information."
"A lot of free time, so closer to a university setup than a regular school." Joseph commented, looking over the timetable the two girls had sketched out. Then he scratched his chin, "but this is excessive."
"There's a lot of free time here." Reidun commented, echoing Joseph for the sake of the living.
Ingrid nodded.
"You're right. That's because most of our specific time tables are going to be determined by our professor once they've picked their houses." Ingrid explained, "It is mostly up to the professors and us Honour students to book the more practical resources we need. In practice, we arrange lessons for you, and the professors take our opinions into account, coordinate, adjust, and give us the final result."
"Wouldn't that get really messy?" Reidun doubted.
"To set up or change? Yes, but it is no effort otherwise, and allows for us to get the most out of specialised education," Ingrid elaborated.
"Huh, so that's why the students needed Byleth's permission to change their focus…" Joseph voiced, before cringing, 'I changed those every week when I played. Sorry Byleth.'
Reidun ignored him, attributing it to something about the 'game' he'd often mentioned.
"Naturally, then, most of the first month is for us to get to know our cohorts, you, and for the professors to get used to us." Ingrid continued, fetching out another diagram, "this is what we put together with the rest of the cohort for the first month. We'll mostly be getting used to each other, try a few basic formations, run drills, and do some general fitness and studying."
Reidun looked it over, copying it over into her notebook in her own format, and double checked by Joseph. Unseen, his presence oozed with satisfaction.
"I'm hoping we can maybe arrange for some supervised team battles against the other cohorts." the blonde continued enthusiastically, "you can really learn a lot facing off against Felix' sword-"
Ingrid cut herself off.
"Ah, sorry, I'm rambling."
"No, no, I agree, it was an experience," Reidun interjected. "I'm not likely to fall for that feint again, and better a spar than a battle."
Without giving Ingrid time to question further, Reidun spoke on.
"We've been working a while now. I know it's late, but could I interest you in something to eat?" Reidun asked, "I still have some travel rations from Leicester, and it would be a waste to leave it be."
Ingrid's eyes lit up, and a grin soon followed. "Absolutely."
The 'devastation of Reidun's Snack collection' was a terrible tragedy. A slaughter of untold magnitude in the face of the two food lovers. Joseph could only watch in morbid curiosity-
"Mm, when you mentioned that they were travel rations, I was expecting much less, but these are good." Ingrid complemented.
"Mhm!" Reidun agreed, savouring another bite, before continuing, "If you want the best, you talk to the best, that's-"
Reidun felt Joseph's eyes on her, and without missing a beat she-
"-something I've learned over the years." -fixed her mistake and continued, raising a finger for emphasis "The Leicester alliance has the most merchants in all of Fodlan, and they spend the most travelling. Of course they'd know where to get the best food for the road."
"So you travel often then?" Ingrid asked curiously.
"Indeed, all the way-"
"Don't mention Duscur." Joseph interjected.
"-across Faerghus and even into the Leicester Alliance. I feel like I've spent more time on the road than not these last few years." Reidun continued smoothly again.
"I can't imagine," Ingrid mused, "I've taken shorter trips around Faerghus to visit Felix or Silvain, but nothing to the extent you're describing."
"You could try it." Reidun stated, sharply cutting down Ingrid's more airy contemplation.
"Huh?" Ingrid uttered, caught off guard
"Try it," Reidun repeated, "When you're done here, you could find yourself a horse and a fistful of coins and just…" she gestured vaguely "...travel."
Ingrid stared incredulously, before questioning, "What would be the point of that?"
"To experience it," Reidun shrugged, "you said you hadn't, but you could. It's how I started. Albeit… that was because I disagreed with my family at the time."
Ingrid let out a mirthful chuckle. "Unfortunately, I'm quite happy with my father, so it seems I won't be travelling anytime soon."
Reidun motioned to speak, but Joseph was faster.
"She's deflecting, it's better you leave it alone." he warned.
'Thank you,' the girl thought, before chuckling and joking along with her cohort leader, "an absolute shame. I'll have to find someone else to seduce with my travelling ways."
"Seduce?" the noble prodded with a tinge of mirthful apprehension.
"Metaphorically of course," Reidun clarified to her with a smile, "perhaps we should get back to work."
"Right," she affirmed, "the last element of note is to discuss your own personal skills and how we will be working together during the practical assignments."
Reidun nodded along, and Ingrid elaborated further.
"Each month we'll be given a mission by the church so that we can gain some field experience in a safe environment. For that and during any other academy battle situation, you will all be under command. I'll be trusting you to cover me and to act as officers for the rest of the soldiers under my command, when it comes to that. Meanwhile, I-" she emphasised the point with a hand on her chest, "-will focus down the enemy commanders."
"So…" Reidun brought a finger to her chin, and began to summarise, "...I'll mostly be dealing with enemy soldiers, and possibly backing you up against the commander if they're alone"
"Correct," Ingrid acknowledged with a smile, "out in the field, I'll be expecting you to respect and uphold the chain of command, but other than that, I don't see any reason we cannot be casual with one another."
Reidun felt Joseph smile in the background, "Lady Knight indeed, no wonder she gained extra might and hit with battalions."
Reidun, instead, saw the opportunity for a joke, pulling up her hand in a mock salute.
"Aye, aye, maam."
Ingrid didn't break decorum to roll her eyes, but she seemed to appreciate the humour.
"Well, then all that's left is for you to tell me about yourself," she subtly commanded.
"My skill set is quite simple," Reidun noted, "most people I've met say I have a talent for weapon use. I'm currently relatively balanced in terms of strength and dexterity, but my constitution and toughness are behind."
Ingrid nodded and wrote something down in a notebook of her own.
"I saw you use a tempest lace against Dmitri, I don't suppose you know any other Combat Arts?" she queried, clearly looking to bring the session to a close.
"I can reliably use the sword art Wrath Strike, and only just started trying to figure out axe art Smash." Reidun swiftly testified in the same vein.
The humour faded from the noble's face and her quill froze in the air as she stared silently for a second.
"That's… far more than I was expecting." she slowly admitted, her confusion swiftly taking root as seen with the idle tap of her finger, "That's a lot more than what your peers could do, and I myself am still working on Wrath Strike… are you sure there hasn't been some sort of mistake?"
Reidun shook her head.
"Then…"
"Dmitri, Felix, and Dedue."
The Galatea girls face flashed with understanding, then locked into determination.
"We'll get this sorted out," she declared, before softening up to a smile again, "but for now, I would appreciate the help with the rest of the cohort."
"Aye, aye." Reidun answered, with a final mock salute, before they wrapped things up and the Galatea girl departed.
"So… you thinking what I'm thinking?" Reidun questioned the empty air now that they were alone.
"That the timetable was half as empty as it needed to be and that we'd be training double time?" he answered playfully, both of them ignoring that Joseph could hear her thoughts and was technically always thinking what she was thinking.
Reidun opted to smirk instead of answering as she cleaned away the last of the mess.
As she did that, an empty book floated up to the desk and the candle there lit up.
"What are you working on tonight?" Reidun inquired.
"If I tell you, you'll stay up thinking about it-"
"If you don't, I'll stay up trying to figure out what it is."
Joseph relented with a playful roll of his eyes.
"Fine, fine. Was thinking fiction, we were talking about soldiers and officers, so thinking maybe something like Captain America, more Star Wars, or something else."
"Pictures. I want pictures."
"You always want pictures."
"Your comics are cooler than…"
The conversation droned on, but like every other night, it didn't long before Reidun was asleep and Joseph was left to his own devices.
3rd of the Great Tree Moon, 1180
Reidun was running.
Rounding a corner, she greeted the knight on duty with a nod before slowing to a jog.
"...keep that up for a couple of minutes, then do another sprint."
'Got it!'
The knight on guard returned the gesture with a befuddled expression.
"It's barely sunrise…" the man lamented, his voice fading in the background as the girl kept up her early morning jog.
She was in uniform now, but had opted out of the heavier jacket in favour of the white shirt for the sake of the run. A piece of twine tied her hair back into a simple pony, much lower maintenance than her preferred style.
One of the horses locked their gaze and turned its head to follow her as she passed the stables.
"This one is going to be a double, get ready…go!"
On the ghost's signal, she broke out into a sprint again. A jump and a roll saw her down the first set of stairs, prompting a curious glance from the merchants setting up their stalls in the monastary's entrance courtyard, before she darted across and strode up the stairs on the other side.
With controlled steps, she turned and circled around the pond, mentally noting that she needed to ask the staff whether it was allowed to swim in.
She rounded the last corner of the pond, angling towards the entrance to the greenhouse still in a full sprint.
But rather than tire out, she kept her pace, a wave of energy washing away her fatigue as she started running up the line of dorms, the longest straight path she could travel.
Reaching the end, she finally slowed down to a halt. Heart rate high, and spirits higher.
Satisfied exhausted breaths robbed the oxygen from the air as she reached down to the canteen of water she'd left at her designated finish line.
"How'd I do?" her ghostly companion asked.
Reidun took a greedy swig of her drink, before thinking, 'you dropped the heal too quickly, I still had more sprint in me.'
"Alright, we'll get it on the next round. I can still-"
"Hey! You done?" a sudden loud voice asked, rudely interrupting the ghost the boy couldn't hear.
Reidun wanted to reject the boy, but she could feel Joseph's gaze lingering on her, so she smiled instead.
"Not at all, that was just the first round. I was planning on doing at least two more before getting cleaned up." she declared and turned to look at the boy.
It took her a second to recognise that the boy was pretty short, the intensity in his posture and especially his icy blue eyes, made his presence all so much bigger. His cyan hair was trimmed short, exempting the pointed tufts on his forehead that were as focused as the boy's electric gaze.
"Caspar, of course. If anyone would be awake at this time, it would be him." Joseph remarked, unintentionally revealing the boy's identity to his living charge.
Reidun's friendly smile was a poor match for the boy's naturally competitive grin. "...but, based on how long that took, I'm sure I'll have time for at least 4 more instead before then."
"Woo, then I'll be running with you." he declared as he started stretching, "what kind of run 'we doin'?"
"Interval training," Reidun explained, leaving the matter of him 'inviting himself along' alone. Joseph wasn't questioning it, so she wouldn't either. "That means that we switch between jogging and sprinting."
"Alright," the boy shouted, jumping up to a ready position, "I'll follow your lead."
She nodded, and the two were off.
…
"Woo, boy, you sure can sprint." Caspar remarked at the end of the second round.
"Having trouble keeping up?" Reidun teased.
"You've got longer legs, it's cheating." the boy complained.
"-and you've got less weight." she shot back.
"Hah, that I do." he accepted confidently, "let's go again."
Reidun's canteen hit the ground.
…
Students had started waking up, and odd glances were sent to the two unnatural early birds finishing up their stretches before the final round.
…
Reidun dipped right, and then wove left, passing through the group of people in the stables that could now be reasonably called a crowd. Casper was a step ahead of her, but her slower path saw her break from the group faster, regaining her lead in the open path.
She dropped down the stairs with a roll, only this time, instead of continuing up the other side, she turned abruptly and ran out the now open gate.
Caspar didn't question it, sliding down the stairs and matching her step.
Through the gate, Reidun's run skidded to a halt, just before the path started to incline downward.
In the distance, the sun had begun to peak past the mountains, painting the blue sky orange over the glimmering green fields that shone in the morning light.
Reidun's chest heaved, and the chill mountain air cut back back to try and cool her down.
Side by side, she and Joseph took in a deep breath. Then, at the top of their lungs, pumping their fists out into the air shouted:
"Victory!" "Victory!"
Caspar, took only a moment too take in the foreign english word and the sudden action before doing the same and joining with his own:
"Victory!"
Then he quickly turned to Reidun, "what does that mean?"
Despite the way breathing in the cold air burned down her throat and into her lungs, Reidun laughed. Then, turning to face him, she answered back in the local language of Fodlan.
"It means 'victory'." She held up her index and middle fingers in a V shape, "no better way to start the day than with a win."
"Ha, that's right!" Caspar pumped his fist in solidarity, then finally decided it was about time to show some basic courtesy, "I'm Caspar, what's your name?"
"Reidun," the girl answered with a lazy wave.
"Same time tomorrow?"
"Yup."
"Hah, I'll bring my cohort, they could use the energy!" Caspar declared, "I'll see ya around!"
He waved goodbye as he rushed back inside.
"...and they'll likely hate every second of it." Joseph noted monotonously.
Reidun rolled her eyes, casually strolling back in to get cleaned up for the day.
3rd of the Great Tree Moon, 1180
An enthusiastic shout broke Cethleann out of her thoughts. She didn't recognise the language of the word, but despite her long age, that wasn't unusual.
"People are most fascinating." she remarked to herself, and then continued her way.
The girl who bore the name Flayn to the world around her made her way up the stairs of the main building, ending her walk in her father's office. Not that she could say that out loud, 'Flayn' was 'Seteth's sister, not his daughter.
…and Seteth was certainly not saint Cichol. No siree.
"Flayn, good morning, it's good to see you." the man behind the desk spoke.
"Good morning brother, I brought you tea." Cethlean answered with a huge bright smile. Her eyes caught the new addition to the man's desk, "did you purchase a new book series, brother?"
A sapped smile graced his face.
"It was a gift, actually. Though I doubt I will have the time to read its… fantastical contents." he explained, balancing the discomfortable amusement of discovering what was essentially 'fanfiction' of himself.
Flayn clapped her hands together enthusiastically.
"Then brother, perhaps you would allow me? I have oh so little to do."
The man shook his head exasperatedly.
"I don't see the harm in it." he answered, handing over the card and the book labelled 'White Clouds'.
"Wonderful!" she exclaimed, receiving the book.
"Please keep in mind that it was a gift. It would be a shame for it to be damaged."
"Of course brother!" she answered, before running off.