Chapter Text
“Say, Lord Leo, what do you expect the people to be like?” the white haired archer asked, lazily stretching his legs out on the wooden bench of the boat.
Leo stopped admiring the bright blue waters that surrounded them for a second and faced Niles.
“To be honest with you, I’m not so sure. These lands are so incredibly… foreign to us that it seems the personalities of those who inhabit them aren’t the prime topics when it comes to studying their ancient history.”
Their gazes turned to the eccentric mage who was walking up from the small cabin located under the nose of the boat, greeting them with a contagious smile. “Foreign, milord! What a wonderful use of the word because not only is their culture an unexperienced enigma, but they are by gods more distant than Niles and the idea of common decency.”
Niles threw his head back and laughed a carefree laugh, heard only by his two closest companions and the company of the sea.
Leo did his best to hide his grin, but it was obvious that his usually hardened composure was but putty while alone with his retainers, with no current goal but to traverse the ocean. Truth is, the three of them had shared too many experiences and sufferings that they felt as if they’d gained the right to let their guards down once in a while, and while Leo was known to be a firm, apathetic figure to most, he gave himself the luxury of allowing his retainers to truly see him as he is from time to time.
“Odin, toss me that book behind you,” Niles said, catching the leather-binded text in the air as Odin took a seat next to Leo.
“Fodlan,” Niles read, “is a land which dedicates itself to the Church of Seiros, whose headquarters are located in Garreg Mach Monastery, a neutral territory home to the Officers Academy.”
“That’s where we’re headed right Lord Leo, this monastery?” Odin perked, flashing a quick glance to his right.
“Precisely, it’s an academy where the royalty and nobility of the Adrestian Empire, Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and Leicester Alliance send their heirs to learn the art of warfare,” Leo said. He had studied up extensively on the subject, naturally. “As you both know they are expecting us, we sent the official Nohrian royal request to study their land, traditions, and teachings so as to expand the culture in our lands and therefore economically and culturally benefit from it, and it was granted.”
Niles chuckled, “My Lord Leo, how bold of you to assume we would forget the cover story so quickly.”
“I felt the need to repeat it, in case you had not memorized it.”
“In reality,” Odin stated enthusiastically, “We are but to find as much information about the dragon stones as possible so that we may help Princess Corrin!”
“Correct, there have been rumors, not particularly about this land but rather of this Church - the Church of Seiros. The traveling mercenaries Niles managed to extract information from last month said there is talk of a hidden evil that lies in the core of this faraway Church, an evil rooted in the bastardization of dragons and, subsequently, the dragon stones.” Leo said.
“We need to find out as much as possible,” Niles said, face suddenly serious, “it is no secret that dragon stones are rare in Nohr, or in any lands that we know of as a matter of fact. Now that Princess Corrin’s is beginning to dim it means it’s running out of magic, and if we don’t find out why, or as a temporary solution, find more, we don’t know the effects it will have on her and her body.”
Niles turned his face up to the wind as a short silence settled over them.
Though Niles thought himself far less than Corrin, not even worthy enough to have his name leave her lips, there was something about her that had always pulled him in. Granted, his suggestive comments, perverse humor, and downright boundary-free personality towards Corrin (and everyone elseto be fair) had all but gotten him punished by every member of the Nohrian family, save Elise. He deserved it (and at times enjoyed it), and yet he still wanted to know more about this mysterious dragon girl who had shown up, quite literally, out of thin air. Unfortunately that personal goal would have to wait, as he served his Lord first, and his Lord had given them the mission to save Corrin, and no one would go to the far ends of the earth itself for Lord Leo like he would.
“By gods! I think I see land! Finally this month-long excursion has come to an end!” Odin yelled, blonde spiky hair glowing as he ran to the front of the boat.
“Shut up Odin it was only 28 days,” Niles called out sarcastically, though he couldn’t hide the twinkle in his eye that revealed that he was just as excited to stand on solid ground again.
Leo stood up and sternly looked between his retainers, “Listen, these are the rules. Niles, do not involve yourself with anyone that could sabotage this mission, don’t get yourself in ANY trouble and do not, by the gods, do anything to anger any nobles. Odin, do not use your dark magic, use only your white one. They don’t know that our type of Nohrian magic exists, the one I have taught you. We are saving this in case we need to use it if something is to occur. We are to locate as much information about the dragon stones, and if the church officials ask anything of us we are to do it. We are foreigners, and we can’t risk getting caught extracting information they might not want us to have. Do you understand?”
Immediately, Niles’ and Odin’s demeanors changed as they stood tall and faced Leo. They were two retainers who were ready to serve.
Bowing deeply they said in unison, “Yes milord.”
“Then,” Leo said as they looked upon his gaze staring off into the undeniable green land that approached, “let’s complete our mission.”
~
Claude watched intently as Byleth sparred with Sylvain. He watched her calculated footsteps and the dedicated swings of her sword, confidently declaring that none of her attacks were unplanned, they each had a purpose, and this was more than clear when Sylvain’s sword flew from his hand, declaring her the victor.
“Wow, professor, you’re way too good.” Sylvain said, putting his hands up in surrender as Byleth lowered her practice sword.
“You’re getting a lot better with the sword Sylvain, I’m glad that you’re putting in extra practice to use new weapons,” Byleth praised.
“Well you know, one day I might not have my lance with me and what will I do then Professor?” Sylvain said, throwing her a flirty smile. “More importantly, I’m glad I’m being taught by someone as lovely as yourself,” he continued with a suggestive tone.
“Go shower Sylvain,” Byleth mused.
When the infamous academy skirt-chaser was gone, Claude approached and clapped slowly, meeting Byleth’s eyes as she turned around to face him.
“You impress me every day teach, you do it all AND you offer private lessons? How I wish you’d save some time for me,” Claude said, fake-hurt laced in his tone.
The truth is, his statement wasn’t a complete jest. Byleth had arrived to the academy two months ago and had managed to win over the hearts of everyone without saying a word. What was once a stoic, apathetic figure, Byleth had slowly and eventually opened up to those at the monastery. She smiled more and was more expressive, and Claude had even had the honor of having her share a joke with him once in a while.
He didn’t quite know how he felt about Byleth.
She had chosen to teach the Golden Deer house, and if Claude was being honest he didn’t trust her at first, but when he saw Dimitri and Edelgard bickering over who’s house she should teach at, he knew he had to have Byleth on his side, simply to spite his other two counterparts. In his head, it was just another one of his schemes, and boy was he proud of himself when she chose his house, like he had waltzed in and won a competition he wasn’t even in the running for.
Since then, Claude had felt weird about certain things. He didn’t know why he disliked the idea of Byleth sparring alone with other men, why the perverse stares some of his classmates held at the sight of her lace tights infuriated him (though he had caught himself peaking once or twice, but it wasn’t the same), or why he simply wanted to have her attention… at all times.
It was nothing, Claude thought, pushing his thoughts away as he watched Byleth pick up her weapons.
“They’re not private lessons,” she said, “Sylvain just wanted to practice with the sword a bit more and asked me to help him. You exaggerate you know Claude,” she said, giving him a small teasing smile.
He pretended it didn’t make him feel anything.
“Well teach, you should head over to the entrance gates with me, we have some guests that we’re supposed to greet and I think they’re arriving right now,” Claude said as he took the practice weapons from Byleth’s arms to carry them for her.
“They’re here? That must have been an exhausting trip, Nohr is incredibly far.”
Claude chuckled, “Oh yeah? What do you know about Nohr teach? Don’t tell me you’ve been there before.”
She gave him a playful look as they began to walk.
“No way teach, seriously!? You’ve been? I read up on the place and it’s like… like… just so far away!” Claude exclaimed, genuinely surprised.
“It’s been years, I was about 12 so I don’t remember all that much, but living a mercenary lifestyle will take you places you’ve never imagined, I suppose I have my dad to thank for that,” Byleth said.
“Well I guess you’ll have something to talk to them about, they’re supposed to be nobles so I don’t think they’ll know much about the mercenary lifestyle but, hey, you never know teach! Regardless, I’m sure they’ll fall head over heels for you just like everyone else has,” Claude said as he threw a quick wink at Byleth.
She laughed as to play it off, but Claude saw a wisp of pink stain her cheeks.
As they neared the gates they were greeted with Captain Jeralt, the other house leaders and professors, as well as Seteth, standing tall at Rhea’s side.
They watched the sizable boat near closer until it reached land and the men hopped out stiffly, slowly stretching their muscles and finding their footing on solid ground again.
“Three of them,” Byleth said quietly to Claude, who didn’t reply, gaze locked on one of the men particularly, studying his appearance intently but saying nothing.
“That’s a hell lot of them just watching us milord,” Niles crudely said as he stretched his legs and tried to get a gaze of them all.
“This land… feels different milord,” Odin stated oddly seriously, his eccentric tone uncharacteristically missing.
The three of them felt the heavy aura and the intimidating stare of the lady in white with the bright green hair pierce them. If there was one thing they had studied about Fodlan, it’s that the Church was run by her, the supreme leader, Rhea… and they did not trust her one bit.
“The mission,” Leo addressed his retainers, “has begun.”
And with that, they grabbed their belongings and began their walk up to Garreg Mach Monastery.