Chapter Text
Byleth had much to consider, walking around Garreg Mach Monastery. She had to admit, she was amazed by the architecture. High ceilings, soaring spires...it was incredible to behold. Not something she saw every day in her life with her father.
Still, what she found most fascinating were the students.
Black Eagles. Golden Deer. Blue Lions. Three houses. And she would have the immense responsibility of teaching one of these classes.
But after interacting with a few of the students, not to mention the house leaders, she felt she wouldn’t have much of a problem with such a task. Most were eager to learn, save for the pink haired girl. What was her name, Hilda?
The house leaders, themselves, were fascinating. Edelgard, with her thinly veiled fire. Dimitri, with his careful gestures. And Lorenz, with his brash attitude. Byleth wanted to interact more with all of them.
She had already spoken with Edelgard about the members of her house, and while intriguing, she wanted to hear about Golden Deer and Blue Lions.
Dimitri answered all of her questions about the Blue Lion house with eagerness and fondness.
Ashe, the eager. Ingrid, the hardworking. Sylvain, the philanderer. Each student, she was regaled with Dimitri’s special fondness for them.
There was only one student left to ask about.
“And what of Claude?” She asked.
Dimitri’s expression turned pensive. He raised a hand to his chin as he spoke, contemplative. Yet somehow, his eyes never lost the spark of fondness, though it was not nearly as obvious as it was when speaking about Ingrid or Sylvain or even Felix.
“Claude, yes. He is Ingrid’s cousin on her father’s side, though no one can be sure who the identity of his father is. In all honesty, even I have trouble getting a read on Claude. He’s rather secretive and keeps most of his emotions to himself. But despite this, he would be a valuable ally and a willing student! His tactical genius is second to none, his schemes have unprecedented success.” Dimitri explained.
“Schemes?”
“That’s what he calls them. His plans are often related to poisons of various sorts, but I assure you, he will not harm anyone unprovoked.”
Byleth nodded, taking Dimitri’s words into consideration.
“Thank you for your time, Dimitri.”
“Of course! And I do hope you’re entrusted with the Blue Lion house. Ours is a chaotic house, but it is full of heart. There is never a dull moment, I can promise you that.”
The soft smile on Dimitri’s face was enough to convince her.
It was of no surprise to her that, when asked to pick which house she would like to instruct, she chose Blue Lions without a moment of hesitation.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Byleth gathered the students must have already heard the news of her teaching, as they all awaited her when she arrived.
Annette, the excitable orange haired girl, began to exclaim:
“Wait, does this mean our new professor is--” She shook her head. “No! I really can't believe it! But I was speaking to you so casually, as though we were companions! Oh, I am so sorry, Professor; you just look the same age as the rest of us, and--” She cut herself off.
“Oh, and I’m sorry I just said that too! I really must watch my tongue…”
“I don’t mind if you treat me as a friend.” Byleth assured. After all, Annette was correct. Byleth was roughly the same age as her students, though she couldn’t pinpoint the exact number.
“You say that, but...I just don’t know about all this…” Annette trailed off, casting a glance down to her feet.
“I'll admit, it doesn't sit well with me either. After all, we wish to show you due respect.” Dimitri had the same level of apprehension in his voice.
“Oh come on, your princeliness! If Teach says it’s okay, then it’s okay! You need to loosen up some, my friend.” Claude interjected, lazily stretching his arms behind his back.
“Exactly. If the professor says it’s okay, shouldn’t that be enough? That is, if Your Highness can consent to such a thing. After all, we’re already speaking this way to our future king, so we may as well relax our speech with our professor too, right?” Sylvain added.
It continued on like this, Byleth offering little to the students’ light-hearted bickering. She enjoyed it this way. She didn’t much care for an excess amount of her own words, listening had always been her strong suit. And she had to admit, the bickering was rather endearing.
She was certain she made the right choice.
Annette and Ashe’s chipper attitudes, Mercedes’s kindness, Sylvain’s easygoing attitude contrasting with Ingrid’s hot-headed nature and Felix’s prickly disposition, Claude’s plotting tones and mischievous eyes, all lead by Dimitri’s stalwart kindness.
Dimitri interrupted her musings by addressing her, directly.
“Well then, Professor, what do you think? As you can see, the Blue Lion House is a lively bunch, but you’ll find none who work harder. I’m certain we’ll cause our fair share of trouble, but I’m very much looking forward to the year ahead.”
“As am I. I look forward to working with you all.”
The smiles that overcame most faces in the room were enough to melt her heart.
There was no other place for her.