Three Houses - From the Outside
"So… Remire Village?" Reidun asked.
"Yeah, no. We're not just going to let you sweep that under the rug without at least talking about it," Sylvain immediately refused.
"Even if we're still surrounded by bandits and need to keep going?" she countered.
He motioned to object, stopping when he actually processed the words.
"Urhg, I hate that you're right," he groaned, before turning to Flayn and Ingrid. "Is she alright?"
"I… think she will be," Flayn answered uncertainly. "I don't like being here, but I'm hesitant to move her too much. Could you carry her carefully?"
Sylvains eyes softened.
"Yeah… I can do that."
…
The rest of the trip had been peaceful. Enough so that Sylvain felt comfortable confronting Reidun again as they walked.
"So… was everything the two of you said true?"
Reidun's eyes stayed focused on their surroundings as she queried, "which part?"
"All of it."
Sylvain couldn't pick up anything from the girl, who was as unexpressive as ever.
"For the most part, yes," she admitted casually.
"You actually robbed him?" Sylvain clarified.
"Correct."
"Great, the only one of us armed with a weapon is a criminal," he said humorously.
"I was 13 and he'd locked me up in a dungeon," Reidun answered seriously before Joseph could point out that Sylvain was joking.
The boy would have stumbled at the words if he hadn't been carrying his dear friend.
"I'm sorry, you were 13?!" Sylvain clarified with disbelief. "When you said he'd locked up a 13 year old, I thought you were talking about someone else."
Reidun simply shrugged and an awkward silence fell over the group as she refused to elaborate.
With his nerves deflated, Sylvain asked, "Why'd he do it?"
"Because he could. No other reason."
"Wow…" Sylvain said. "At least he's not going to bother anyone anymore."
It was at this point that Flayn decided to ask a question of her own.
"If I may interject. While we are speaking of the former professor," Flayn started. "Could I ask you two to be discreet about what happened back there?"
"No way!" "Sure."
Sylvain rejected fervently as Reidun casually agreed.
"Huh?" Sylvain exclaimed, turning to the orange haired girl in surprise, before arguing, "Didn't you just admit that he was a complete jerk? And this could definitely get you acknowledged as an honour student– Not that I know how you didn't qualify to begin with. Why are you okay with that?"
"It could… or it could get me expelled," Reidun disagreed. "I'm already on thin ice for being a 'troublemaker'. Even if he attacked us, I did technically provoke him before he tried to actually kill us."
She shrugged again, still not having turned back to face them as she walked.
"Anywho, if we're going to talk about the fight, that was mostly you. I j wasn't doing more than standing my ground until you cracked open his defences and created that opening. I'll prove myself in a different way later. Do well in class or something."
"That… urgh, fine," Sylvain reluctantly accepted. 'I'm starting to get why this girl stressed you out so much, Ingrid. Sorry for doubting you.'
Then he turned to Flayn. "...and why do you want to keep what happened secret?"
Naturally, she didn't state the actual reason.
'Because revealing that there are manipulators and schemers with villainous intentions against the church this early would throw the entire plot as I know it out the window and may cause my father to take extreme measures to ensure my safety,' Flayn thought, quickly trying to come up with an excuse that sounded plausible. "It is much like he said himself. The professor being a traitor will look far worse for the church than him being simply a coward."
"Fine, fine…" Sylvain accepted, but it did leave him wondering how many other secrets the church had swept under the rug. 'I will have to look into it later.'
Taking his mind off the heretical thoughts, he turned his eyes back to Reidun to change the subject. He adjusted his grip on Ingrid before asking, "I don't suppose you want to tell us what that was during the fight, do you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Reidun shamelessly lied .
"Really? That's what we're doing?" Sylvain accused flatly, before letting a hint of amusement enter his voice. "Alright. How do you explain the way you were healing?"
"I drank a vulnerary," she lied again, maintaining the exact same tone.
"I didn't see any empty bottles."
"It was my crest," she lied again, not even bothering to acknowledge her previous attempt.
Sylvain had to pause a moment to process the sheer audacity of it. Though… it did align with what he'd started to understand about her.
"You don't have a crest," he countered again, less digging for the truth this time and more curious how far she'd go.
"It was Flayn."
"She was busy with Ingrid."
"Major crest of Cethleann, it lets her multitask."
"No it does not," Flayn interjected. "How did you know of my crest?"
"I saw you use it," Reidun answered, and given her current chain of lies, it was suddenly a lot less believable than it would have been an hour ago, even if it was most likely true.
"So, the healing?" Sylvain prompted again.
"Viktor was right, I mastered Bishop and heal passively," Reidun excused.
"That doesn't explain the little teleport you did," he pressed.
"Alright, you caught me," she finally admitted.
…before blatantly lying again, "I can use magic."
"Reidun…" Sylvain started, his tone and expression entirely deadpan"...you're a Fighter, you literally can't use magic."
"You noticed?" she said, a bit of surprise actually tinting her voice as she finally turned to look back at him.
'Of course I did,' he thought, then finally put the game to rest even if he was still curious. "It's fine if you don't want to tell me what's going on. You've made it clear you're just going to lie if we force you."
'...and do a scarily good job of it too,' he thought. She'd had no visible tells or ticks at all. If what she'd said hadn't been so blatantly wrong, he wouldn't have even suspected.
It should have probably been concerning, bu, again, it lined up well with what he'd figured out.
"I think I see someone up ahead," Reidun said, before waving and shouting "Hey!"
'Behind that well put together exterior… she's just really awkward and sincere, in her own way at least,' Sylvain concluded. Looking through everything that had happened so far through that lens, and all of her actions suddenly made a lot more sense. 'Now I just need to figure out if she legitimately didn't notice I was making a move on her, or if she was just too awkward to refuse.'
With that settled, he brought his attention to the large group of people up ahead, and specifically the three who split off to meet them.
Sylvain recognised Alois, the captain of the knights of Seiros, so they were definitely friendly.
The leading figure was an older man with a blocky, scarred face and rough short blonde hair who wore an orange tabard over some seriously heavy duty armour.
Sylvain didn't know him by sight, but he knew their reputation: Jeralt the Blade Breaker.
'Which means that's probably the Ashen Demon,' Sylvain concluded looking over to the last figure.
The Ashen Demon was a man about his age. He had a head of middle length dark bluish-green hair. Unlike his father, he was far more lightly armoured, with dark plated grieves, gauntlets, belt, and a mantle. His choice of clothing did make it difficult to notice that though, since the black colours blended well with dark metal. His entire silhouette was framed by the coat he wore over his shoulders, sleeves hanging loosely.
But the most notable part of the man was the source of his namesake, the entirely expressionless face and the lifeless blue eyes that seemed to pierce all illusions and stare right into the soul.
For most people, that would have been unnerving, but for Sylvain and Flayn it felt like meeting an old friend again and somewhere in the back of their minds they knew they could trust this person.
Yet, those soulless weren't focused on either of them, but Reidun, and as they approached, it was he who spoke up first.
"You're… not meant to be here," the Ashen Demon said flatly, though the strangeness of the comment was swept away by the most energetic of the knights.
"Indeed! You should be with the rest of the students- Flayn?! Goodness, what are you doing out here?!" Alois followed up, interpreting the nonsense in his own way. "Seteth must be beside himself with worry."
"We were separated from the camp, and figured it was best to move away from where all the bandits were heading," Reidun answered. "I happened to run into Flayn on the way –though I can't speak for why she was there in the first place, and we made our way here."
She dropped her guard, letting the butt of the lance rest on the ground.
"It's quite a relief to run into the four of you here."
'Four?' Sylvain wondered, looking back at the group that had approached them.
Reidun blinked, recognising the strange silence.
"Ah, sorry. Three of you," she corrected, faking a sheepish expression and a laugh. "All that running must have had me seeing doubles."
The conversation continued, but an intense look from Byleth and Flayn both assured that the comment hadn't gone unnoticed.
Jeralt the Blade Breaker, mercenary, and former captain of the knights of Seiros had definitely not been prepared for the direction the day had taken.
For any other mercenary, receiving the heirs of Fodlan's three nations right in his lap would have been a godsend.
For someone who was trying to lay low on the other hand…
'It is what it is,' Jeralt thought with resignation, because those kids had been followed by the Knights of Seiros and now he and his kid had no real choice than to follow them back to the monastery.
There was also the other group of stragglers they'd picked up. Must have been from the kingdom, since the blonde prince split off from the other heirs to check on them. He'd traded places with Flayn, who Jeralt figured had to have some connection to Rhea.
"...perhaps you would replace our missing professor, Byleth?" the green haired girl suggested.
"Aren't you being a little premature?" the imperial princess Edelgard interjected. "I would think the church would not be that desperate to replace their missing faculty as to hire a complete stranger to such a prestigious position, no matter how talented. I would think that honour would most likely go to Jeritza instead…"
Though, maybe Jeralt shouldn't complain. 21 years and he'd never seen his son so engaged or alive.
It was always difficult to find a moment to be alone, especially for the imperial princess Edelgard.
Fortunately for her, Hubert had long since become an expert at the subject.
"They won't be pleased," Hubert noted.
"It is their own fault," Edelgard denied, knowing exactly who Hubert had been referring to. "In the end, we fulfilled our goals, and their chosen tool failed to even draw blood from the girl."
Edelgard had no qualms about threatening the cowardly professor into compliance, but she had taken no joy in ordering him to isolate Flayn. Consequently, news of her escape had been a pleasant surprise.
"Indeed," Hubert agreed with that trawling sadistic tone he took when he was entertaining a joke.
"Did you manage to confirm their story?" Edelgard queried.
"No, your majesty," Hubert denied. "While it is true that Sylvain and Ingrid did pursue Reidun, much like with the rest of her background, Reidun's account is inconsistent."
A nod from Edelgard encouraged him to elaborate.
"While she did happen to be separate, it is quite obvious that it was by design, not chance," Hubert started, a sadistic smirk entertaining his expression. "It seems our wayward professor had his own motives for betrayal."
"That makes for a dangerous loose end," Edelgard pointed out.
"Hardly," Hubert denied with a shake of his head. "My agents found his body. It just so happened to be on the path our mysterious friends had walked."
Edlegard hummed thoughtfully.
None of the three had made any mention of the professor, but that would explain how Ingrid had gotten as injured as she did. Though, this did invite questions with only unfortunate answers.
"What other consistencies have you discovered?" she asked.
"Reidun had plenty of opportunities to return to the camp, as Isabella did, so her claim of being separated holds little water," Hubert explained. "It is possible that she acted with pure and noble intentions, but I find that unlikely."
"You believe she's an agent of the Church?" Edelgard surmised.
"There is little other reason for her to lie about the missing professor and her motives," Hubert elaborated.
Edelgard nodded.
"It would also explain her presence in Duscur shortly after the tragedy. The church has few official agents who would have the freedom to properly investigate what happened subtly," she added. "Have you managed to ascertain her origin?"
"Nothing certain,your majesty. A girl her age was reported missing from one of the villages in Galatea's territory. There's a chance it could be her," Hubert answered, before once again, letting amusement colour his voice. "It would be very much like the church to kidnap and indoctrinate a child to serve their interests."
The humour fell away as he continued more seriously, "again, I believe it would be better to remove her from the picture entirely."
"Then, again, I will assure you that it is unnecessary," Edelgard refused fervently. "I am not so lacking in self control that I cannot avoid using the 'gift' from them in her presence. Furthermore, if she truly is an agent of the Church, then it would simply draw attention to us to kill her."
She let the words hang in the air for emphasis, before continuing.
"Even if it is still unlikely, there is still a chance we may instead draw her to our side, especially if we are mistaken. You prompted Ferdinand to assist her when you leaked her secret, and Caspar did so of his own accord. She won't forget those favours easily."
The authority in her tone dimmed down as she summarised her point.
"One girl will hardly make the difference, one way or another. She will join us, or she will be irrelevant."
"I understand, your majesty," Hubert accented.
"I will need you to keep monitoring the other house leaders," Edelgard commanded, changing the subject. "While their personalities are unusual for their standards, there is still far too high a chance that at least one of the two is not who they claim to be…"
"You take that back, right now!" Isabella interrupted, garnering befuddled looks from her fellow Blue Lions as she forced her way into the ongoing conversation in the cafeteria.
It was going to make her enemies, and lose her a number of friends, but she didn't care. She wouldn't let this stand.
"Ah- um, Isabella-? What-?" The student stumbled, confused and trying to regain their bearing. "I mean, we both know that she worked with those animals. It wouldn't be far fetched for her to been aligned with the ban-"
Isabella's hand slammed onto the table between them.
"Lady Reidun would do no such thing!" She declared, resting a hand on her heart. "I personally saw her take down three of those ruffians on her own that night when she saved my life. How many did you defeat? How many of your fellows did you save?"
The argument escalated and the results had both of them assigned extra chores as punishment.
For Seteth, the weekend had been a horrible rollercoaster of emotions.
Panic and fear when Flayn had gone missing.
Relief and disbelief when he'd discovered she'd gone with the students on the field trip.
Worry and suspicion when word had reached him that the same field trip had been attacked.
Then a whole bag of mixed feelings when he'd learned the details.
Someone had attempted to kidnap Flayn, and the professor who should have been keeping her and the students safe had run off and gone missing! She had to be saved by students. Students!
The knights weren't in a position to protect the house leaders either, who had to be saved by mercenaries. Fortunately, the mercenaries had been led by the former captain of the Knights of Seiros, so the church's reputation hadn't been too damaged.
Jeralt was supposedly a good man, but it had been 21 years and that was plenty of time for a person to change.
As for the man's son. They knew nothing, and despite that, Rhea had hired them as a professor.
'Why didn't she at least discuss it with me first?' Seteth wondered with distraught frustration.
At least he had managed to negotiate a compromise when Jeralt had mentioned Jeritza: Byleth would still be a professor at the academy, but it was Jeritza who would replace Viktor.
Though, he would acknowledge that Byleth was a man of talent. In just his first night he had somehow managed to restore all four of the statues of the saints back to prime conditions. On top of that, most of the student body seemed to regard him favourably.
Again though, that said little of how trustworthy he was.
In truth though, soon none of that would be his concern…
The door to his office opened, and Flayn made her way inside.
Seteth had wanted to be angry with her, but he could only be relieved that things had turned out fine, and perhaps a little disappointed that she felt the need to deceive him.
"Brother," she greeted.
"Flayn…" Seteth began, hesitating. This was not going to be an easy conversation. "...you need to start packing your things; we will be leaving tomorrow."
Alarm swept across her face.
"Brother, why!?" she exclaimed.
"We are not safe. You were almost kidnapped, and who knows what would have happened if the students hadn't come to rescue you," Seteth reasoned. "The whole attack was clearly targeted at us."
"No, we can't-!" Flayn started in shock, before he interrupted her.
"I understand that you've made friends, but we're only going to put them in danger like during the field trip," he explained in a sympathetic tone. "It is best for all of us that we disappear."
Flayn didn't stamp her foot and cause a tantrum, because what Seteth didn't know was that she had been expecting this conversation, albeit not nearly this early.
She needed only a moment for the shock to wear off and to gather her thoughts.
Once that moment passed…
"Half a day," Flayn said calmly.
"Excuse me?" Seteth questioned.
"Half a day," she repeated, emphasising the words with a gesture. "That is how long our enemies had to find out I had left the monastery and organise their plan."
"So you understand then? It is far too dangerous for us now," Seteth said.
"Exactly!" Flayn agreed. "How shall we disappear when we may perish within half a day? How can we be sure that they will not find us if we do?"
The words hit the man like a hammer.
"I was only at risk because I was alone, and unable to defend myself," she continued, before Seteth could counter. "Where else would we be safer than surrounded by the walls of Garreg Mach and the Knights of Seiros to protect me?"
Seteth felt his body tense up as he reexamined the situation.
'Half a day…' he echoed in his thoughts as he realised the depth of what that meant.
Flayn was right. There wasn't any way for them to disappear under these conditions.
His shoulder's fell in defeat.
"It seems this time, it was I who understated the danger," he admitted.
Flayn smiled.
"Then, perhaps you would grant me a small favour?"
"This is hardly the circumstance for jests," Seteth chastised, but she shook her head.
"I meant to ask you already," she said. "Would you let me study with the students?"
Seteth sighed once more.
"Flayn, I understand you want to make friends but-"
"No," Flayn interrupted. "As much as I would like that, this is about me not being able to defend myself."
A pained expression crossed her face.
"Even when-" she quickly shifted away from the words she'd intended, instead saying "-we were escaping, I could do little but trust my allies and help them stay standing, and before they arrived, I could do nothing at all."
Their eyes met, and Seteth bore witness to a determination in those eyes he had not seen for a long time.
"Let me grow stronger. Allow me to stand on my own two feet."
When put like that, how could he refuse?
'I suppose I will have to tell Rhea that I will be keeping my position here,' he thought.
For her part, Flayn was suddenly very happy she'd convinced her two allies to stay silent about Viktor. Seteth would have not been nearly as agreeable if he'd understood that being in the Monastery is what had put her in danger in the first place.
Ingrid did not like being left in the dark.
She remembered that someone had managed to sneak up on her, but Sylvain, Flayn, and Reidun had all been unhelpfully vague in explaining what had happened afterwards. None of them had lied to her at least, and she felt that Sylvain would likely tell her eventually, but for now she was left in the dark.
To make matters worse, professor Maneulla had 'suggested' that she take it easy for at least a week to make sure she recovered in good health, which would put a damper on both her cohorts training and her own.
That particular subject was why she was sitting in a meeting with Professor Hanneman, who was now officially the Blue Lion's home room professor.
"Hm, I see the issue," the professor said thoughtfully. "I'm sure we can come to a solution. Would you perhaps be interested in a temporary adjustment to your lesson plan?"
"Not at all," she assented, before admitting, "but I don't quite see how that would help."
"I commend you for your honesty. There is nothing wrong with admitting when one doesn't understand." he praised. "Allow me to explain. From what I understood, Manuella suggested you specifically avoid excessive motion, due to the head trauma and potential concussion. As such, it should be perfectly fine for you to participate fully in any of the more theoretical subjects."
"Are you suggesting that I focus entirely on Authority for now?" she asked.
"Hm, that would be one solution, yes," he assented. "But perhaps, you could see this as an opportunity, rather than a hindrance. Have you ever considered the study of magic?"
Ingrid's immediate instinct had been to refuse, but… the one thing that had been clear was that she'd only survived thanks to Flayn's magic.
'It wouldn't hurt to at least try,' she thought, and opened her mouth to answer.
…
"...so for now, we will be learning some beginner magic. Any questions?" Ingrid finished explaining to her cohort.
From the looks of things, they had taken the news far better than she'd expected. At worst, her cohort seemed mildly indifferent, with a couple even being excited.
After a moment, Reidun, with her ever-present polite smile raised a hand.
"Yes, Rediun?"
"Could you inform the professor I'll be transferring to a new cohort?" she asked without any malice or hesitation, and Ingrid couldn't help but feel disappointed. With how hectic things had been the last two days since the field trip and Isabella's lie…
'We never got the chance to make things right.'
Felix was a swordsman.
Even before being a noble, he was a swordsman.
He wasn't a leader or a teacher, so it was hardly a surprise to anyone that Felix's cohort had all transferred out by now.
"People say you're quite skilled. Perhaps if I joined your class, I could watch your sword technique up close," he suggested, eyes fixed on the mask of the academy's former combat professor.
Jeritza's gaze met his own.
"Fine," he accepted with his airy aloof tone. "Inform your professor."
…
"I'm sorry to hear that my boy, but I understand that you would do better under the eyes of an expert than under my guidance," Professor Hanneman acknowledged. "Ah, that reminds me, be sure to tell your cohort."
Felix frowned at the possible insult.
"No one is in my cohort."
"Not anymore it would seem," the professor denied with a small amount of amusement.
Edelgard stared, backed up by the rest of the Black Eagles.
Reidun stared back, standing by Felix and Isabella(?!).
They were both wondering the exact same thing.
How in the world did this happen?!
AN: Hmm, the first half of this could probably have been part of the Prologue, and if it wasn't clear, the naming scheme here is in relation to the game's timeline. The game starts with "Prologue - An inevitable Encounter" and then "Chapter 1: Three Houses". At least, for now it does.
To Royalrain20xx (Sep 16. 2024): Well, nothing of particular note happens this chapter. There are no consequences and things are following canon quite closely, and other lies I like to tell.
To Uemei (Sep 16. 2024): Gonna have to disapoint you on the remire front I'm afraid, our heroes arrived way too late. The Death Knight isn't actually that far off what I'd originally planned actually. In my initial plans, Reidun was going to have a run in with Those who Slither and Shez. Viktor was going to see the whole thing while hiding in a bush or something.
To MrPerson0 (Sep 21. 2024): That's a yes on Byleth at least. Gonna have to leave a ? on Sothis though.
To Kasierreich (Sep 21. 2024): The obvious answer, pretend the problem doesn't exist!
To jemjd25 (Sep 26. 2024): As someone who isn't that great about writing reviews myself, I salute you and show my apreciation.
To EveryNameIwantHasBeenTaken (Sep 28. 2024): Oh yes, most likely. At that point I'll be writing out of spite, not commitment. I don't like works being unfinished. (I am still writing on my other fic, even if the chapters aren't being uploaded for... reasons)
AN2: So, at this point I guess I can share a little bit of something behind the curtain. If anyone is curious, here are Reidun's starting stats, growths, skills, and skill mods:
REIDUN
STATS
HP: 24 (50%)
Str: 9 (45%)
Mag: 4 (25%)
Dex: 8 (40%)
Spd: 7 (40%)
Lck: 6 (35%)
Def: 6 (35%)
Res: 5 (35%)
Cha: 7 (40%)
Total: 76 (345%)
SKILLS
Sword: D (+)
Lance: D (+)
Axe: E+ (+)
Bow: E ( )
Brawl: E ( )
Reason: E (-)
Faith: E (-)
Authority: E ( )
Hvy Arm: E (?spoilers?)
Riding: E (?spoilers?)
Flying: E (?spolers?)
Personal Ability: Second Sight
Foes do not gain hit/avo from Linked Attacks when attacking this unit.
Miscellaneous other notes:
All in all, Reidun's stats are neither particularily impressive nor noticably bad.
Reidun hit lvl 2 in chapter 5 after sparring with Sylvain. She hit lvl 3 in chapter 8 after her first spar with Caspar. At that point I figured she was levelling too quickly and switched the exp formular to use the Madenning lvl diff modifiers. The bandits in chapter 10 took her to level 5 (where she classed into Figher) and then in the last chapter she hit level 6.
Flayn's comment about the difference in chapter 13 is a direct reference to the fact that Ingrid and Sylvain were lvl 1 at the time, though they both hit lvl 4 by the end of the chapter.
So far she has gained 39 Sword Skill; 128 Lance skill; 128 Axe skill; 2 bow skill; and 150! Brawl skill.
So far, Reidun's level ups have given her: 3 HP, 1 Mag, 3 Dex, 3 Spd, 3 Def, 2 Res, and 4 Cha. (Her strength growths have been kinda oof, and she's been relying on her Might Support with Joseph to do damage)
The two most notable events in reference to the mechanics so far are:
1. Against Ingrid. Reidun had 18hp when Ingrid's crest procced. With her crest, Tempest Lance, and Reidun's Def, Ingrid hit for 17 dmg. Reidun stayed standing with 1hp, purely because she hit lvl 2 and gained 1 hp after sparring with Sylvain. (Hence why she winds by copying what she saw him do)
2. Against Viktor. With his Steel Sword, Viktor had a true hit of 93 against Reidun. The last hit roll was a 86. Joseph as an A-rank support ally could give Reidun 10 avo via adjutant Linked Attack, which was just enough to cause the lethal hit from Viktor's Vantage to miss without me needing to fudge any of the rolls.
I have made some mistakes, of course. The exp formula is just an approximation, since Three Houses is pretty cagey with the details on that front and I have needed to make adjustments if the numbers were either too big or small. Notably, in the last two chapters, I kind of forgot that the brave effect on Gauntlets only applies in player phase.
...
So yeah, that's the secret. Every combat/fight/battle/spar in this fic so far has been played out using spreadsheets and dice, and I'm actively tracking how much skill/exp/stats Reidun has.
I'm legit curious, did anyone notice this before I mentioned it now?