Chapter Text
“Dammit…” Felix muttered to himself as he walked through the hallways of the Monastery, heading towards the Courtyard.
Today was the day that the Blue Lion class was to accomplish it’s monthly mission: rout a group of bandits that had been causing trouble in nearby villages recently. Of course it was a job that the Knights of Seiros could casually get done, but he was glad and worried that it was turned into a training experience for the class. He could finally have the chance to hone his blade against something that wasn’t a training dummy that fell apart in a few minutes, and the feeling was exhilarating.
On the other hand, he had to keep an eye on Dimitri. The last time he had been tasked with putting down a group causing trouble alongside the future king was horrifying, to say the very least. He had seen how one of his closest friends from his childhood had slaughtered each and every one of those people without a shred of mercy, and it still haunted him to this day. He needed to watch the blonde-haired man, as the last thing he wanted was for the prince to turn into a wild boar on his own classmates. The very idea of seeing him murder Sylvain, Ingrid, Annette, or any of their friends was more than enough to put the swordsman on edge.
Felix shook the thought out of his head, deciding to focus on his current predicament: lunch.
There wasn't anything wrong with lunch at all. If anything it had become an overall better experience due to Bernadetta’s fear of him slowly dying. While he used to prefer a completely silent lunch, he found that he didn’t mind talking with the Black Eagle student, actually taking to the opportunity to get to know her better. He learned that, despite her constantly talking about how she’s extremely untalented, she was actually quite talented at a lot of things, ranging from knitting to painting to gardening to even playing an instrument. It really did impress him, especially since she was surprisingly good at archery as well from what he’s heard from Ingrid (who had apparently forced the girl out of her room by kicking her door down). He’s also been pretty happy that his friend had a mutual enjoyment of cats, even if he didn’t admit it to her.
So having lunch wasn’t usually a problem until today. The cause behind his minor feeling of despair was that his class had to pack their own lunches for the road, something that he had completely forgotten to do. He was so caught up with his training that his mind blanked on getting some food for the journey there. The trip to the Red Canyon was to be a decently long one and they were to depart soon, giving him no time to request any food from the Dining Hall. Every shop that he would have time to go to was packed with nothing but sweets, something that was generally enjoyed by many who resided in Garreg Mach; he was not part of that group.
Knowing that his trip to town would be pointless, he decided to accept the consequences of his negligence and go hungry, hoping that it didn’t distract him too much. He might ask Ingrid for some extra since she might bring more than she needed.
So why was he heading over to the Courtyard? To say goodbye to his purple-haired friend, of course. He knew that she had to go on her class’s monthly mission as well, something about training with the knights from what he heard from Ashe. It was a relief to him, not due to his class getting the best experience out of the three (though that was partially the case), but because Bernadetta would be safe from any lethal harm. The idea of the shy girl that so happily talked about carnivorous plants being harmed in any matter by a lowly bandit with him being unable to protect her was an extremely unpleasant thought, as she was too innocent to deserve something like that (so were Annette and Ashe, but he would be there to protect those two any time they headed out on the battlefield).
He shook the thought out of his head as he entered the Courtyard, thankful that his fellow loner wasn’t going to experience what he worried about. Her class departed later than his and he knew she’d want to say goodbye at the very least. While he saw it as a bit childish to say goodbye to someone that she was very likely to see later in the day, the miniscule chance that he might meet his demise on the trip undoubtedly plagued the girl’s mind, considering how negative she was when she spoke of the future.
The swordsman soon arrived at the room of the recluse, knocking on the door of it. “Bernadetta, it’s Felix.” He called quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear him. He didn’t want any rumors to start that the two were dating, as that would make life hell for the both of them. When no response came, he knocked again, wondering whether she was in at the moment or not. He was somewhat disappointed when she didn’t open the door, knowing he had to go soon. It seemed that he wasn’t going to be able to say goodbye to the recluse.
As he turned around, from the corner of his eye he saw the girl he had been looking for, carrying both a container covered by a white cloth and an iron shield. Ignoring that slight feeling of relief he felt upon seeing the girl before he left and the amusement of seeing the girl’s face turning into a smile, he walked towards the archer to speak to her.
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”I wonder if he’ll like it…” Bernadetta thought to herself as she made her way to the Courtyard, her hands loaded with a container and an iron shield.
The recluse had overheard a conversation between Ingrid and Sylvain that the Blue Lions had to leave pretty early in the day if they wanted to get to the Red Canyon before it got dark and that they had to pack lunches for the way. Normally, this would’ve been an irrelevant piece of information for the Black Eagle student. However, it was now something she was thankful to have overheard due to her newfound friendship with the swordsman that resided in the class.
Felix was the third person she had become to be comfortable around in the Monastery, the first two being Professor Byleth and Alois. At least with those two it made sense the prior had some type of aura that made every student like the teacher, and the latter reminded her of her late uncle. Felix though? She couldn’t figure out what it was that made him so easy to be around.
But that didn’t matter to her, as she was more than happy to have made a friend after all those lonely years of being too afraid to try after the incident with her first friend. He made her lunches far less lonely than before, the archer finding him to be surprisingly kind to her as he did not show many, if any at all, signs of being annoyed as he listened to her prattle on about useless stuff like her various hobbies or how her day had been going. She had learned a bit more about the boy as well; he was, surprisingly enough, younger than her, his only family left was his father (he didn’t mention how his mother or brother had died and she wasn’t going to push him since he seemed rather uncomfortable when speaking about his family), and she suspected him of having a fondness of cats from how a small smile found its way onto his face the moment she had started to speak of the cute fluff balls that populated Garreg Mach.
Bernie sighed as she felt her arms start getting tired from carrying the shield. The girl had been looking around the entire Monastery for the swordsman, knowing the Blue Lions hadn’t left yet from seeing Dedue in the Greenhouse not too long ago. The girl had been looking for him ever since she left the Dining Hall, thankful that she overheard Sylvain’s joke about Felix having forgotten his lunch. She knew the boy often tried to go through less populated paths in order to avoid his friends constantly pestering him (she did the same after all), but even those were unoccupied by her friend. He wasn’t in his room and, upon checking it for the third time, she couldn't see him anywhere in the Training Grounds. Finally, after some time, she decided to try and catch him alone when he was called down to the Marketplace before his class departed, the small girl being unable to tolerate the weight of the shield as she made her way back to her room.
Fortunately for the archer, any plan she had was to be totally forgotten as she saw her target walking away from her room. “What’s he doing in front of my room? And how long has he been waiting there?” Bernadetta thought to herself, stopping in her tracks as she thought to herself. ”Did he want to see me before he went off?” Her thoughts were met with the same fate as her earlier plans as they faded out of her mind once she locked eyes with the young man, a smile sneaking onto her face without her realizing it. She soon started moving towards Felix, happy to finally have the weights on her arms removed from them.
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“Weird seeing you out of your room.” Felix teased as he came face to face with the small girl. He didn’t know why, but he had taken a bit of satisfaction as he saw the girl pout and blush a bit.
“Weird seeing you out of the Training Grounds.” Bernadetta teased back before giggling when he rubbed her hair, the girl not missing the smirk that edged its way onto his face. She couldn’t remember when Felix had started messing with her hair, not that it mattered since the simple gesture was comforting and made the boy all the easier to be around. Of course, she didn’t mind her hair getting messed with, as she never really messed around with it. “So, what were you doing outside my room just now? I thought you didn’t wanna be seen near it?”
“Don’t worry, I made sure to check no one else was around to see us.” He responded to the first question, looking around again to double check that no one would catch the two together. Fortunately, it seemed that no one but the dogs and cats were here. “And I came to say goodbye since we’re going to be leaving soon.”
“Oh, then I came at the perfect time!” Bernie said before handing the swordsman the container covered in a cloth. “I packed you some lunch for your trip since you forgot to!” She said with a big smile on her face. The recluse couldn’t contain her happiness of being useful to her friend in any way possible.
“...wait, how did yo-” Felix started to ask before being interrupted by the purple-haired girl.
“I overheard Sylvain talking about you forgetting to get yourself lunch, so I made it for you.” The archer said, her smile not wavering.
“Ah. Well either way, thank you Bernadetta. You saved me from going hungry today.” Felix said, rubbing her head again with his free hand, this time more slowly. The blush that appeared on the girl’s face was an indication that she appreciated the praise. It was pretty easy to read the girl at times, but he kinda liked that about her. The moment would last a bit longer before Felix withdrew his hand from Bernadetta’s head, much to the displeasure of the both of them, something that they both tried to hide from the other. “Well, I’ve got to go now. Make sure not to get hurt in your exercises.” Felix said, about to turn away when he felt his hand get tugged on, prompting him to turn around.
“B-Before you go, I need to give this to you as well!” Bernie said, holding out the shield that she had been carrying the entire time, much to the surprise of the swordsman.
“...I thought you were gonna use this in your monthly mission?” He asked, taking the shield from the girl and looking at it. The thing must’ve cost a hefty amount of money for the girl since it was a fresh shield, not having a single scratch on it.
“My mission is just some training with the knights, so I don’t think I’ll need it.” She said, sighing as the heavy object was taken from her. The archer could tell it would help protect the holder from a good hit, but it was just too heavy for the girl to happily wield. “You’re going up against actual bandits...actual criminals. I just...d-didn’t like the idea of you getting hurt badly by them since I know you’re kind of a, uh, reckless fighter…” Bernadetta said, looking at the floor as she thought of the possibility of her first friend in a long time being harmed by some bandits, or even worse, killed.
Felix stayed quiet before she put his hand on her head, not rubbing her hair. Bernadetta looked up to him with somber eyes only for the sadness to drain out a bit at the sight of a rare small smile from the swordsman. “Thank you again, Bernadetta, and don’t worry about me too much. I promise you that I’ll come back safely, ok?” He said, trying to cheer the girl up, hating any moment of seeing the girl upset. “Plus, how could I die before I find a way to pay back my debt to you?”
“Y-Your debt to me?” Bernie asked, a small smile replacing her frown, the girl now in a mix of happiness from seeing a genuine smile, albeit a small one, from the taller boy, and confusion of what debt he possibly owed her.
“You’ve cooked for me on the day the Dining Hall was filled with nothing but sweets, you cooked for me again today when I forgot my food, and now you’re spending a hefty amount on a shield for me...I’m pretty sure I owe you something.” He said, rubbing her hair as he saw her mood brighten up.
“That’s just because we’re friends! Friends do favors for one another!” Bernadetta said with a big smile back on her face. “You don’t have to do anything for me.”
“Ok, then I’ll have to do a couple of ‘favors’ for you.” Felix said, not accepting all of his friend’s efforts for free. She had worked too hard just because he kept making mistakes and he was going to pay her back in one way or another.
“Fine...then the only favor you need to do for me is to make it back alive.” The short girl said, smiling lightly as she spoke. She didn’t have any concern or fear in her voice, though, knowing the swordsman would see the mission through. Besides, the Professor was there, there was no way Felix would die under her watch!
“Then I’ll fulfill that favor, no matter what.” Felix said, rubbing the girl’s hair one more time before taking his hand off of her head. “I’ve gotta go now. We were supposed to meet up in the Marketplace in five minutes, and I don’t want Sylvain to see us together when he’s looking for me.” After speaking, he turned around and started walking off, somewhat upset with having to leave the girl behind.
Bernie smiled, fully understanding the swordsman. “Ok, bye! Be safe!” She said, waving at him as he made his way through the Courtyard.
He turned around and waved back before he disappeared from her sight.
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Bernadetta was nowhere near a devout follower of the Goddess. The Empire’s relation with the Church had been declining, of course, and it made many of the latest generations have no belief in the Goddess. For the recluse, however, it was her father that had ruined any chance of her following Sothis. Her father, the cruelest man in all of Fodlan, was only able to get away with his crimes and his torture of her because of his stupid status as the one who inherited the Empire's Ministry of Religion. It was because of his status and her stupid Crest, a ‘blessing’ of the Goddess, that she was tied to a chair for hours. It was because of that she was beaten anytime she broke a plate. It was because of that her childhood friend was…
If it was because of this religion that she was tortured her entire life, then why was she at the Church, praying to the Goddess that gave her the cause of her torment?
An easy answer: she was praying for Felix’s safety. The Goddess Sothis had done so much bad for her, but she was blessed with one good thing, and that was Felix. The kind, strong, gentle, and admittedly handsome young man had been willing to become her friend, cared for the girl, and made her feel a type of warmth she never felt before. Her hero, the one who teased her nearly everyday and responded to her comebacks with a simple rub to her messy hair, could possibly have his life ended. She did everything she could do to ensure otherwise, so all she could do now was pray, pray to the Goddess that blessed her horrible life with a simple ray of hope in the form of a moody teenager, pray that that ray of hope isn’t destroyed...
“...please, Sothis, keep Felix safe…”
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Felix sighed as he sat against the wall of the wagon, doing his best to ignore the useless conversations that floated around him. He didn’t tell them to shut up, though, as he could tell it was meant to help everyone forget that they might be moments away from death. Sure, it was highly unlikely due to the Professor being there to protect them all, but the worst outcome is always the most thought about outcome. The swordsman eyed the prince, who had a big smile plastered on his face as he spoke to Annette, who had her mouth full of what he presumed was cake at the time. He needed to do everything in his power to not only assist in making sure no bandits would kill anyone, but make sure that the boar didn’t go on a rampage as well. Memories of the boar, strangling a horrified rebel leader who had been pleading for his life, was all that filled the boy’s mind at the moment. The thought that he could strangle anyone else in this wagon if he became unhinged was…
Felix turned his head down to his food, not wanting to think of Dimitri killing all those around him any longer. Instead, he opened up the container of food that he had been withholding in the white cloth from Bernadetta.
Sylvain had tried to interrogate him on where he could have possibly gotten the food from, but eventually dropped it when Ingrid dragged him away, not wanting Felix to get too grouchy. He turned to see Sylvain happily talking to Ingrid who was shoveling food into her mouth. He had counted three containers of food in the blonde girl’s arm, but seeing the fourth one made him smile a bit. “She really never did change after all of these years, huh?”
He turned back to his own container and opened the lid, the smile on his face not wavering as he smelt the spiciness of the meal. He unwrapped it to find a few pieces of cooked fish, all neatly packed side by side. Using a fork that was also wrapped up in the white cloth, he took a chunk out of one of the fish and ate it, already falling in love with his meal. The amount of dedication put into the food was easily seen with just how delicious it was. Bernadetta was truly an excellent cook, no matter how much she tried to deny it.
The bottom of the lid of the container soon caught his eye as he ate, the Blue Lion student picking it up before reading it.
“Please be safe out there!”
- Bernadetta
He read it with a smile, placing it down as he took another bite of his food. The dark-haired boy tried to blame the food for making his face suddenly feeling warm, happy that no one had noticed. Even if it was very unlikely, he couldn’t help but feel a bit happy that his friend was worried for the worst to come, the boy looking at the iron shield that rested right next to him.
“...I’ll make it back, Bernadetta…”