AN: This chapter sees the addition of dates to the main timeline (aka not the flashbacks). They've also been added retroactively.
No to answer a couple reviews:
To eseer (Feb 4, 2024): Actual great vibes. Your review had me smiling the rest of the day, really, thank you.
To Louie Yang (Feb 9, 2024): Haha, thank you. I love the vote of confidence, but its a bit unfair to call Fire Emblem simpler. Each series definitely has their own nuances.

Haunting Daybreak - Moonlit Lies

Reidun was scared.

A scary looking group of men had showed up near the house. Now she was running. Her mother was holding her hand, while her father ran alongside them with a pitch fork.

No one explained it to her. She didn't know what was happening. Even Joseph just told her to listen to her parents and keep running. He wasn't calm. He was panicking, more than she was, and she didn't know how to deal with that.

They were running to the village centre.

They needed to warn the knights.

The knights would come and save them.

Hooves clapped against the earthen road behind them.

Closer. Closer. Closer.

Would they reach them? How far away were they?

Reidun couldn't take it and looked back over her shoulder, just in time to see the blade pass by her head and strike her mother across her back. The woman collapsed immediately, tripping and falling face first into the mud.

"Mom!" Reidun's panicked voice escaped her.

They needed to keep running. They needed to go. She couldn't lie there.

Blood.

There was so much blood.

Her father stopped, hearing her voice. He ran, but he wouldn't be fast enough.

The second horse rider was moving too fast. The ugly man's weapon was raised, and Reidun knew that there was only one target.

She closed her eyes and called out to the only person she could think of.

"Joseph!"

"Nosferatu!"

A glimmer of light shone, bright enough that she saw it through her closed eyes. She hesitantly opened them again, and her spectral guardian stood in front of her, his silhouette visible for the first time thanks to the golden white magic.

If knights were supposed to save them, then Joseph was her knight, her bastion against fear.

The warmth of the light echoed in her chest, eradicating every last fragment of fear.

That feeling of levity. That release. She wished she could trap it in a bottle and treasure it forever.

If sharing that feeling was what it meant to be a knight…

With a glimmer in her eyes, Reidun grasped a dream.

…

Joseph didn't know what to do.

Bandits. Actual real life bandits.

Until that day, bandits had been a thing of fantasy. A basic mob used as a throwaway enemy for early levels in a video game.

He'd grown up in peace. The irrationality of hurting someone else, of wanting to hurt anyone was unfathomable to him.

He didn't know what to do.

He didn't know what he could do.

"Joseph!"

…but when Reidun had cried out to him, he simply moved.

His spectral hands were already in motion, his words chanting automatically. A combined effort to actualise the faith spell that he in theory was capable of: Nosferatu.

The final component came easily to him.

The man who'd grown up in a peace, who had never even entertained the idea of bringing harm upon another, let alone killing them. He stared down the worthless trash that trampled over that with a newfound hatred.

You're better off dead!

The man hadn't died to the first blast, so he'd sent another. Then he did it again to be sure.

Nosferatu was a spell that drained the life of the enemy and made it your own. So the firefly like motes of golden light bounced back off the enemy, illuminating this form.

Joseph didn't care.

He just wanted to protect his charge.

Without stopping, he turned to the other horseman who was making his return for another strike.

He wouldn't get the chance.

The corpse did not even hit the ground before, Joseph crouched down and healed the injured woman, needing two casts to get her stable.

While Joseph literally glowed with the fading effects of Nosferatu, he saw Reidun metaphorically glowing, eyes wide in wonder.

He reached out, patting her on her head.

"It's okay, you're safe now." he reassured, while his thoughts grimly concluded that, 'the rest are too occupied with looting the farm to chase after you.'

The glow faded away from him, the last bits scattering like pixie dust from his hand over her head. Reidun had calmed down and was even happy, her attention entirely focused on him.

…but something wasn't right.

Behind him, Joseph turned and saw Reidun's father cradling his wife. His eyes locked on Reidun with a look that a parent should never direct at their child.

"Dad, we're going to be okay, Joseph is here!" Reidun announced gleefully, but when she stepped towards her parents, her father flinched back. Her mother's eyes were manic.

Even Reidun, emotionally blind as she was, could tell that something wasn't quite right.

"Mom? Dad?" she asked, less concerned than just curious.

Wordlessly, the man picked up his wife and ran.

"Mom? Dad?! Where are you going?!" Reidun cried out. Receiving no answer, she turned to him instead, "Joseph, where are they going?"

There was little time and he didn't have the heart to tell her, so he made a choice.

"Don't worry, they're going to keep going to the village to get the knights and make sure your mother is okay, but I think… maybe we should go this way instead," he lied, keeping his tone calm despite the still present urgency and danger in the situation. "Your parents aren't watching, so we can go on that adventure you always wanted to go on. We can figure out what you want to be when you grow up."

"Oh, oh! I figured that one out." Reidun answered excitedly, ignorant to the loss she'd suffered, "I want to be a knight! Help people like you helped me now!"

Joseph continued to talk, leading the girl away from the road and starting a new chapter in their lives.

3rd of the Great Tree Moon, 1180

In the same way as back then, Joseph could only be baffled by how unaffected by the world Reidun could be. The monastery may not have been literally on fire, but as far as dates go, arriving in time to see the end of the last one should have spelled disaster.

…except it didn't.

To put it another way: the elephant wasn't just in the room, it was prancing down the catwalk with a cloud of fanfare. Yet neither of the two acknowledged it. Reidun didn't care and Sylvain was probably even attempting to actively provoke a reaction. So It had devolved into a game of chicken, waiting to see who would blink first.

So Reidun maintained her polite smile and asked "What did you have in mind?"

"I was thinking we could walk together, there's this beautiful path some of the locals travel. Then, on our way back, we could maybe head to town and get a bite to eat," he answered coolly with an easy going smile, "but I'm happy just being around such a beautiful girl."

"You said you could show me a thing or two that isn't covered in the classroom." Reidun said as she skipped ahead in front of the boy, a hand on her chest as she turned to look at him face to face. "I was hoping to see some of your famous Lancework up close, just the two of us.-"

"Literally speaking," Joseph quickly interjected.

"-House Gautier holds the Lance of Ruin after all," she added, stepping closer to take Sylvain's hand in her own as she did. As far as she understood these engagements were supposed to be moderately intimate.

"Are you sure about that?" he teased, his grin widening with playful charm, "The training hall tends to get rather crowded this time of day. It might be a challenge to find a quiet corner when I'm in the company of someone as enchanting as yourself."

"Of course. I insist," Reidun answered, blind to his flirtation. She flipped the boy's hand palm up and revealed the calluses within. "With hands like these, you must have worked hard, really hard. I want to see what that looks like."

Joseph wasn't emotionally blind like Reidun was. Combined with what he knew, he managed to catch the minor hiccup in Sylvain's act.

'Critical hit' he thought to himself.

Unfortunately, in terms of that metaphor, Sylvain had a lot of hit points and high defences. '...not to mention situational buffs.'

So, the said boy recovered quickly, adjusting the grip so that they were holding each other's hands instead, "then I'm confident we can create our own private oasis, away from prying eyes."

…

The theatre like performance of the date continued on to its second act, the figurative curtains opening on a spar.

The torchlit hall under the night sky was in motion, and the actors were in place.

Reidun felt the sweat on her brow, and she knocked the point of Sylvains strike off course with the centre of her own weapon, before bringing it to thrust. She didn't make contact as Sylvain brought the tip of his lance back and used the leverage to deflect the attack.

They had both realised that the two of them were equals. Scarily equal. Their skills were at the same level, their strength was equivalent, their toughness comparable. Sylvain was a bit faster, but not enough that it mattered. He also had a stronger constitution, but only enough that he could barely take one more hit than Reidun.

Equals.

Of course, the script had declared that Sylvain was the teacher, the veteran, in this circumstance, and the two acted as such. Reidun complimented his refined technique and teaching skills, while Sylvain waxed poetry about how well she was picking up on his advice.

…

They ate together. The food from the stall in town they'd visited was mediocre, but for the sake of the act, they both pretended it was excellent. '

"...but that might just be because I'm sharing a meal with the most beautiful girl in Garreg Mach." Sylvain flirted.

'Except for all the other ones you're going out with,'Joseph said , his voice tinted with irritation.

Reidun ignored him, instead turning Sylvain's compliment around on him. "That's sweet of you to say Sylvain, but I reckon it has more to do with your boundless optimism and positive attitude…"

The polite conversation continued.

…

The last scene, they met by the pond.

"This was fun, we should do this again sometime," Sylvain concluded.

"Of course, I'd love to," Reidun answered with a bright smile.

Curtains close, the maiden is left alone, and the actors return home.

"So… thoughts?" Joseph asked, curious.

"It was… enjoyable." Reidun answered, hazarding a glance his direction as she put her things away, "He may have been as genuine as Pyrite, but that didn't make what we did any less fun."

She paused, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I guess… It was like reading a book. I could enjoy it, even though it wasn't real." she elaborated, then her speculative mood shattered with an excited jump as she readied to head out again. "We still have the rest of the night ahead of us. There was this one move Sylvain used when I tried to Tempest Lance him while he was flat-footed where he…"

4th of the Great Tree Moon, 1180

"They're all glaring at you," Joseph stated flatly.

'Huh… why?' Reidun thought back confused as she continued her morning run. Caspar was keeping pace with her, but a small collection of other boys were dragging behind, their anger loaded gazes locked on her.

Joseph floated along as he looked from them, to Reidun, back at them, and then back at Reidun again.

"Probably blaming you for their suffering. It's probably a lot earlier than they're used to waking up, and they clearly don't have the fitness to keep your pace. It might have been Caspars idea to bring his cohort along, but the run started with us," Joseph finally answered when it was clear Reidun wasn't going to put it together herself. Then he frowned before continuing. "Do I have to remind you again that most people don't have a pocket healer who's willing to waste magic on indulging their unhealthy sleeping habits?"

'No, no, I remember-' Reidun quickly thought in a panic. Increasing her tempo, as if she could outrun the inevitable lecture.

"No, I don't think you do," Joseph interrupted, casually floating along, "you stay up late and wake up early. You barely sleep at all and rely on me using an obscene number of Heal spells to prevent the drawbacks. While using your advantages is fine, it is important to be aware of your privileges or your going to-"

"Caspar! I believe we should maybe double up on the break now. It seems like your Cohort is struggling to catch their breath," Reidun interrupted, having reached the finish line.

"Oh them? Nah, they're fine." Caspar answered nonchalantly as he caught up, before turning to his cohort to confirm, "right, guys?"

A chorus of groans from the zombies catching up to them was the answer they received.

Caspar turned back.

"See, fine." Caspar concluded happily.

Joseph had respectfully gone silent when the conversation started and had resorted to projecting his disappointment over the connection. Unfortunately being met with a wall of pride from the girl happy with having escaped the lecture.

"If you say so. It's not my place to tell you how to manage your cohort…" Reidun continued.

'Well… I suppose if it means she is talking to people I can let it slide this time.' Joseph thought without stopping his barrage of disappointment. It wouldn't do to undermine the point after all…

"...c'mon, all together now" Caspar started, turning to the horizon in sync with Reidun as they both shouted "Victory!"

…even if he was happy with the result.

The rest of the day passed by quickly.

Reidun and Joseph worked together taking notes during the classes, then Reidun reviewed them with Ingrid and the Cohort.

Like the day before, Reidun couldn't escape their company for lunch.

Then, as per the plan, the cohort met up for training…

"...while we're waiting for permission to train with the pegasi, we'll be focusing entirely on our weapons. To do that, I need to get a good idea of where you all stand." Ingrid announced, taking a couple of weapons off the rack, "let's start with lances. It will be our focus after all."

Ingrid offered the lance to one of the other girls, the one who'd graduated from the sorcerer's academy.

'What was her name again..?' Reidun wondered.

"Seraphina" Joseph helpfully supplied.

The two got ready, and the battle commenced.

Calling it a battle was perhaps an over exaggeration. They were sparring. Ingrid clearly had control over the battle, but she held back enough that it wasn't overwhelming, meaning that Seraphina could try to show her best.

It left Joseph somewhat perturbed.

'Joesph?' Reidun questioned, her expression unchanged by the mental conversation as usual

"It's nothing much…" he answered, "I was just expecting more of a difference. Based on the game, it seemed like the masses were a non-factor to the important characters."

Reidun gave a mental nod of understanding. He'd explained the game before, so she figured out the rest herself, and where the assumption came from. Given that in the game a whole battalion could be worth as little as going from steel weapons to silver.

'Is Ingrid holding back that much?' she wondered, but Joseph quickly shook his head to deny the assumption and, watching the fight closely, she agreed.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, this isn't a game anymore," Joseph finally concluded. "Better to keep our minds open."

"That's enough." Ingrid announced, before giving her opponent a quick review of their strengths and weaknesses. "...but we'll keep working on it throughout the year. Next…"

…and so it went, until finally...

"...Reidun." Ingrid said, as she offered one of the two training lances. "It's your turn."

"Of course" she answered, taking the weapon that was offered to her, and readying her stance.

Ingrid had done the same, her weapon held horizontally with the point down. A defensive stance.

Is she being cautious, or giving me the first move?' Reidun wasn't sure, but if it was the latter… 'I'm not a liar, Ingrid. I am worth your attention!'

In a swift motion, Reidun slid forward threatening with a thrust with far more force than any of the other's had threatened with.

''So don't hold back for my sake!' her thoughts echoed through her eyes.

Ingrid was unperturbed by the sudden attack. She brought her weapon up, catching the point of Reidun's thrust with the haft, before leveraging the opposing aside and positioning herself for a strike of her own.

The manoeuvre was well practised, disciplined even, but a smile graced the other girls lips, as the look in her eyes answered back, 'of course'.

Reidun kept a grip on her weapon with her right hand, while her left swept up passed her face, deflecting the incoming attack with her palm. The improvised defence wouldn't buy her much time, so she jumped back to gain some distance and regain her grip on her weapon. Which unfortunately gave Ingrid the space to wind up for a more powerful attack.

'Tempest Lance!' Reidun realised.

To make matters worse, she saw the telltale emerald glow of a crest activating.

A thousand possibilities flashed through her mind all at once, while her footing was off and Ingrid began her swing.

Then it all became still and her mind's eye saw Sylvain.

Instead of recovering her footing, she gave it up, instead focusing on bringing up her weapon to block the incoming swing.

She felt the strike through her whole body as the weapon impacted her own, with the crest of Daphnel proudly on display behind her opponent. The attack was deflected upwards, and unbalanced as she was, Reidun was knocked back towards the ground.

Just as planned.

With one hand still on her own weapon, she swung it with her whole body, extending it in a thrust with only her right hand holding the very end of the haft, and her left foot planted in a low kneel.

It was a haphazard attack, but it forced Ingrid to block, giving Reidun the opening she needed.

'Payback is only fair after all!' she thought energetically as she finished readying her own combat art. 'Hyaa-!'

"Alright, that's enough." Ingrid declared, a hand held up. Which left Reidun,who was fully committed to an attack from an unsteady position-

'Woah-!'

…falling flat on her face as she failed to stop herself in a controlled manner.

The applause that followed didn't make her feel any better.

As she was getting up, Ingrid offered a hand.

"Well fought."

Reidun looked at it a moment, before planting her polite smile on her face and taking the hand. "Likewise."

"Especially at the end there, I've only ever seen Sylvain stumble into an attack like that." Ingrid complimented.

Reidun laughed politely.

"He did it to me yesterday, I was just following his example," she explained. "If I hadn't tried that I would have been done for, especially with your crest activating like it did."

Ingrid gave her a raised eyebrow, before asking, "how did you know I used my crest?"

Reidun blinked. Joseph floating beside her unseen blinked as well.

Then the words caught up to them.

'Joseph quick, truth or secret!?' she panicked.

"Um, I don't know!? Truth?!" he panicked back.

Reidun's visage shifted to an emulation of concern.

"Well, I saw it. Literally speaking. It took the form of a green glow in your crests shape. I saw it when I fought Dmitri as well, so I just assumed…" she trailed off, before asking "is that not normal?"

"No, not at all." she confirmed with her face scrunched up in thought. She brought a finger to her chin to think and quickly came to a decision, "we should go talk to professor Hanneman."

"It'd be nice if we had a chance to talk between ourselves first," Joseph commented.

'Agreed,' she thought, before regaining her smile, "there's no rush, I can go during a free period. We're supposed to be training now after all."

Ingrid's posture tightened up for a moment to object, but her eyes went to the rest of the cohort, then she loosened up again. "Right, right. Of course. We can go together after the last period."

Then she turned her attention to the rest.

"As you can all see, there seems to have been a mistake with Reidun's test. While we are working to fix it, she will be helping me tutor the rest of you…"

…and the rest of the session continued productively under Ingrid and Reidun's supervision. With their focus there, Joseph was the only one of the three to notice the chatter behind their backs.

'Not good.'

4th of the Great Tree Moon, 1180

Getting the rest of the book series from Seteth had been a simple matter for Flayn. She simply asked if she could keep a hold of the whole collection while she read and he acquiesced.

She had also taken the time to talk to the students attending! It was oh so much fun, but more than that, she managed to confirm a number of minor claims the books made about them.

She would still have to wait for something bigger to happen for her to know for certain, but she was confident in their validity.

But for now she had a major decision to make.

'Which one of these shall I read first?'' she pondered.

In truth, she couldn't make a decision, and settled on simply reading them in the order they were stacked. Starting with Crimson Flower.

Edelgards story.

Flayn Hesitated.

This was the story of the fearsome flame emperor who would try to destroy everything Rhea had built and held dear.

'All the more reason to continue,' she thought, stealing her nerve and opening the first page…

…

Night had fallen when she put down the book, feeling conflicted. Unlike the first book, this one had gone into great lengths to explain why. Why Edelgard felt the way she did. Why she had lost faith in the world Rhea had built. Why she felt that she had no recourse but to fight for the world she envisioned. All explained in great detail.

Flayn didn't agree, but she could understand.

Fodlan was flawed. Flayn didn't like admitting it, but it was the truth. There were cracks everywhere, and in every crack the Agarthians festered.

…but there were many things she didn't understand. She couldn't imagine Rhea burning Fhirdiad like, she couldn't imagine her overcome by that kind of insanity. She couldn't understand Byleth, she couldn't understand Dmitri, nor the Agarthians.

Her eyes drifted over to the next book.

Azure Moon.

She wanted answers.

She wanted to help.

But before that, she needed to know what was wrong.

…it was also really late.

'Tomorrow'