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It was late outside; the shallow moonlight illuminating the murky depths of the lake at Garreg Mach. Flayn sat quietly on the dock, bare feet splashing in the water as she tried to watch the fish swim past. Her brother wouldn't appreciate her being out at such a time - near midnight, she predicted - but he was in a meeting with Rhea that would likely drag on until the early hours of the morning. Besides, she thought she had earned the right to be rebellious for once.
She started humming under her breath, a barely in tune rendition of the goddesses' song, until she heard faint frantic footsteps from behind her. Her head whipped round startled, wondering who on earth could be running around at such an hour, until the culprit sprinted down the steps and stopped in front of her.
Ah, of course. It was Sylvain.
"Flayn?!" He whispered not so quietly, clearly surprised to see her there. "What are y- wait there's no time for that! If you see a girl come past, please don't tell her where I am!"
Flayn didn't even get a chance to reply before she watched him slide into the pool without hesitation. One moment he was there in front of her, the next moment he had simply vanished with a loud splash, having submerged himself completely under. Just in time too, for a girl came rushing by not a moment later.
"Excuse me!" The girl called out, stopping at the bottom step, clearly out of breath. She was dressed beautifully in what looked to be an expensive blue dress, hair curled up delicately, high heels in hand.
"Is there something the matter?' Flayn asked, a picture of innocence on her face.
The mysterious girl nodded. "Have you seen Sylvain Gautier? That bastard was supposed to take me out to dinner but I saw him with another woman. And then he had the audacity to run away when I confronted him! Can you believe it?!"
Flayn shook her head. "That is indeed awful, but no I have not seen him as of recent. Perhaps you could try the cathedral or the library? Sorry I can't be of much help."
"No worries," the girl sighed. "Thank you for your help anyway." She nodded with determination and hitched up her skirts as she ascended the stairs, quickly going back the way she came. Flayn watched her go until she heard another splash in the water and a flash of red hair popped up beside her.
"She's gone," she sighed softly. "I told her I hadn't seen you at all."
"I heard. Thanks, I really owe ya one." Sylvain pulled himself out of the lake as he spoke, fine clothes drenched as he sat beside her, a little out of breath.
"You know you really ought to be kinder to these girls. It's not nice to play with their feelings like that."
"Yeah, yeah." Sylvain waved his hand dismissively. "I'm a horrible, cheating scumbag and I don't deserve love. Tell me something I don't know!" He laughed amusedly despite the self deprecating words and Flayn found herself smiling alongside him. Even if he was rather rude to women she still could see his charm and wanted to be friends with him. Not that Seteth would ever approve.
"So," Sylvain asked, leaning back and tousling his wet hair with his free hand. "It's uncommon to see you out so late. Isn't Seteth going to be mad? He doesn't seem like the type to let you wander monastery grounds when it's so dark out."
"Yes, he is a little … overprotective." Flayn splashed her bare feet in the water as she spoke, watching the fish dart about in the depths.
"He's with Rhea at the moment. I would usually do what he requested of me however I am quite annoyed with him and his behaviour as of late. He will not stop interfering in my business and ruining any good friendships I have with the students here. He's so frustrating!" She splashed the water harder to emphasise her annoyance.
"That does sound frustrating," Sylvain agreed. "Perhaps if he's refusing to respect your wishes you should teach him a lesson. Play a prank on him or somethin'."
"A prank?" She thought about it for a moment. Surely Seteth would be upset at such foolishness - but she had to admit it was tempting.
"Hmm, what kind of prank should I play, I wonder…"
Her face frowned in concentration as she searched for an idea.
"Perhaps I could put salt in his tea? Or switch his belongings around?"
"Nah you gotta go bigger. Do something that shows him exactly how mad you are."
They sat in silence for a moment, both in contemplation, until Sylvain turned to grin charmingly at Flayn.
"I've got it! You should tell him that all his meddling has made you want to do things in secret, so you ran off and got married!"
"Married?!" Flayn laughed at such an absurd thought. "Brother really would be angry at such a thing…"
"Yeah but it'll be funny. Plus, who's the biggest bastard in the monastery you could marry?"
"Felix…? But I'm not sure he'd agree to pretend to marry me…"
Sylvain howled with laughter next to her and she wasn't sure what she had said that was so amusing but she found herself laughing along with him.
"Oh man," Sylvain wiped tears from his eyes. "I wasn't expecting you to insult Felix. He really is a bastard, although I meant who's the biggest bastard to women."
"Oh!" She exclaimed, suddenly understanding. "Without a doubt it's you. Are you saying we should pretend to marry. Brother really will be very upset."
Sylvain hummed in agreement. "Seteth might finally snap and murder me but that's the price to pay for hilarity."
"Ok!" Flayn held out her hand so they could shake on agreement. "Let us do it!"
***
It took a week of preparation to fully formulate their plan. The two students met in secret on several nights, with Flayn sneaking out whenever Seteth was occupied with work or busy sleeping. Sylvain was surprisingly good at planning; even if it was just for a silly prank, thinking of all the finer details that she surely wouldn't have thought of. They had matching rings; cheap costume jewellery from the markets, and had decided 'darling' and 'my love' were the best pet names to use. Flayn wore her ring on a necklace around her neck, hidden underneath her dress for the time being, whilst Sylvain wore his proudly around his marriage finger.
In fact, Flayn had heard a conversation about the ring earlier that day that she found quite amusing.
"Ingrid, why has Sylvain started wearing a ring on his wedding finger?" Flayn heard Ingrid sigh. "I have no idea, Felix. Perhaps he has come to his senses and chosen to settle down with one girl. Or perhaps it is a purity ring." Flayn heard them burst into laughter after that statement, as if the very notion of Sylvain doing so was utterly absurd. Which she had to admit it was.
So the plan was set and everything was prepared. Flayn thought she ought to feel terrible for pulling such a prank on her father but she couldn't find it in herself to care. He had been even more protective over her since the rumours of a deathly knight patrolling the town had come to fruition and although she understood his concerns for her safety she found herself quite irritated with him as of late, even more so than usual. Only the other day she had waved at Bernadetta as she was crossing the monastery grounds and Seteth had rushed her away. Sweet, anxious Bernadetta. How could befriending her be dangerous? What ever harm could she inflict?
She found she was still upset about that particular incident now as she clutched her fake ring and marched towards her father's office. The sun was just setting and she knew he had no plans for the evening; which was a rare occurrence. Sylvain was waiting just outside, with that ever present cocky grin on his face, as she knocked on the door once before letting herself into the office.
The room was immaculate as it always was, her father sat at his desk with an old book in hand and round glasses perched on the tip of his nose. He looked up at the sound of the heavy door and closed the book with a smile.
"Ah Flayn, how lovely to see you this evening. Is everything alright?"
"Brother," She said sweetly, still acutely aware of the wide open door and her pretend husband stood right outside. "I'm wondering if I could have a word with you?"
Seteth's expression turned serious and he took the glasses from his nose, sitting up straight with his shoulders back. He had on his sympathetic father figure expression and Flayn had to stifle a laugh. That expression always amused her.
"Of course, my dear Flayn. Is there something bothering you?"
She could see the worry creasing his eyes and she almost felt bad. Almost .
"I've fallen in love." She twirled a strand of long green hair around her finger, trying to imitate the girlish nature she'd seen from the other students when they talked about their crushes, and smiled wistfully. Her father could barely contain the judgement in his expression but she had to commend him for trying his best to keep an open mind.
"Love? Is there someone you think is handsome, someone you wish to court? I've seen how often you young girls get crushes."
"Oh no it's nothing like a silly crush. He and I, we're in love!" She exclaimed the last part with as much joy as you could, clapping her hands together in delight. "We belong together, we even got married in secret!"
"Married?!" Seteth had a look she'd never quite seen on him before. Perhaps it was best to label it a mix of shock and anger.
"Yes, we're married!" Flayn tried her best to ignore his expression and thrust her hand forward, showing off where the ring sat on her fourth finger. He stared at the cheap metal with disapproval written all over his face as she spoke. "I didn't want to keep it a secret from you any longer. I would like for you to meet him and give us your blessing."
There was silence for a moment, her father looking incredulous as he sat there and fiddled with his glasses, trying to contain his anger.
"You want me to give you my blessing? Flayn, may I remind you about the dangers of-"
"Please, brother!" It was rather rude to interrupt but she didn't want anyone else (Sylvain) to hear what he was about to say. Besides, she'd heard that tirade about how dangerous the world was a thousand times before, thank you very much.
"Please, just meet him and give him a chance. He's very important to me." Flayn put on her best pleading face and Seteth sighed in resignation. Ha, she knew it. He never could deny her anything, particularly when she pleaded.
"Fine, if it's so important to you I will meet him. However, I am still unhappy about this, I hope you're aware of that."
She nodded enthusiastically and turned to face the open door, calling out to her 'beloved'.
"My love, you should come in and speak to my brother! He wants to give us his blessing."
Seteth looked as if he was about to argue about that last particular point but he quietened down as soon as Sylvain strolled into the room. Well, if he was angry before by now he was positively enraged. Flayn would never quite forget the look of pure betrayal and anger on his face. It was rather frightening!
Sylvain looked every inch the troublemaker he was. Uniform sleeves rolled up carelessly to his elbows, collar rumpled and two buttons undone on his shirt showing off just a hint of skin. He even still wore that confident, borderline cocky grin.
"What's up, professor? Looks like we're gonna be family now, brother ." His grin grew as he uttered the last word and Flayn heard the glasses in Seteth's hands crack as he broke them clean into two pieces.
"Flayn, what is the meaning of this?" She could hear the anger simmering in his voice and could see his expression darken considerably. "Tell me you haven't really married Sylvain Gautier. He is not worthy of you! It was only the other day that I saw him flirting with some other students in the greenhouse."
"Hey give me a break! It's hard to suddenly stop years of practised flirting! I'm committed to your sister 100%, she's my wife now." Sylvain made a move to wrap his arm around Flayn's waist but thought better of it once he saw Seteth push back from his chair and stand up, eyes narrowing.
"I cannot believe this! Flayn, you have betrayed my trust, gone behind my back and married this utter fool ! I cannot accept this."
"Please brother!" She clasped her hands together and put on her best pleading expression. "This is my choice, I love him!"
"Yes, Seteth," Sylvain piped up. "Respect your sister's decision. We're in love and we're going to live happily ever after and have wonderful Crest babies!"
Flayn couldn't hold it any more after that statement. Laughter erupted from her and she found she could not stop, no matter how much her father stared at her incredulously. Tears rolled down her cheeks and it was a while before she could quieten down. She saw out of the corner of her eye that Sylvain had an amused grin on his face too.
"Flayn?" Seteth asked tentatively, a mix of confusion and worry and fury now wrought upon his features. "Flayn, what is it? Why are you laughing so? Do you find my anger amusing?"
"I'm sorry, brother." She wiped a tear from her eye and straightened up, still giggling. "I cannot hold this pretence up any longer. Sylvain and I aren't married, I just wanted to pull a silly prank on you!"
Hurt flashed across her father's face.
"Flayn, why would you do such a foolish thing?"
"You're always ruining my friendships with the students here, you're too overprotective! I only wished to return the favour from all those times you treated me like a child and embarrassed me in front of my friends."
"You're being childish now, Flayn. I was very angry with you, in fact I still am angry with you. How could you try to fool me like that!"
Seteth crossed his arms and held her gaze with a stern look. She felt a flash of guilt wrack through her until Sylvain gently put a hand on her shoulder and spoke up. He must've seen the expression on her features and decided to rescue her. Maybe he wasn't so heartless after all.
"Hey, don't be too mad at your sister, alright? It was mostly my idea, she just went along with it. Besides, you should've seen your face! Your reaction was priceless!"
Sylvain grinned once more and she couldn't help but smile along with him; both of them amused at the dumbfounded expression on her father's face.
"Sylvain Gautier." Seteth spoke slowly, punctuating each syllable with a sharp edge to his voice. "You are on stable cleaning duty for the rest of this month. I'm also going to ask Professor Byleth to give you extra training every day so you can't cause any more trouble. Consider this your punishment."
Flayn felt bad for getting him into trouble but Sylvain just shrugged and muttered "worth it."
"As for you Flayn, I shall be paying close attention to who you concern yourself with. I will also ask the Professor to assign you some extra work to study."
Flayn pouted childishly. Extra studying was never a good punishment.
Seteth seemed to ignore her pouting, barely glancing her way, and continued on.
"Sylvain, if I ever see you trying to convince my dear Flayn to go along with your foolishness again then I promise you will regret your actions. Now get out of my office before I inform the archbishop about your idiocy."
Sylvain quickly scrambled to leave the office, barely giving Flayn a wave before he left the door close with a heavy thud behind him. Seteth signed and sat back down in his old office chair, looking disappointingly down at the broken glasses resting on the oak desk.
"Father that was rather a harsh punishment for him," Flayn said, sitting down in the chair opposite with a dramatic flair.
"I don't think it was harsh enough," was his reply.
Hmm. It definitely was but she wasn't about to argue and get herself (or god forbid Sylvain) into even more trouble.
"Are you satisfied from your amusement at my expense now? You had to choose the worst possible candidate for a pretend marriage."
"Yes, it was very funny," She said as she thought about her father's reaction and fell into a fit of laughter once more. It definitely was funny and, given the chance, she would do it again.
Flayn heard Seteth release a heavy sigh and she looked up to find him frowning; seemingly in contemplation. She waited a while before he spoke, wondering if she was going to be on the receiving end of one of his 'concerned father' lectures. She really hated those. Luckily he chose to spare her that particular annoyance for once.
"Fine, I suppose I should acknowledge your reasons for the prank." He sat up and faced her head on, arms crossed.
"I realise I have been a little overprotective." Flayn couldn't help but scoff at the use of the word 'little'. "I care about you more than anything else and I will do all that I can to protect you, my dear Flayn. From now on I shall stop interfering with your friendships. I should learn to trust you to take care of yourself. Unless I see you with Sylvain then I will take action."
He laughed at that last statement but there was still a seriousness in his demeanour. Flayn supposed that was a fair compromise, despite how much she had enjoyed Sylvain's company the past week.
"Thank you father, that's all I wanted," came her reply. "I promise I'll stay away from Sylvain this time, there's no need for you to worry."
Smiling, she stood up and made her way around the desk to throw her arms around Seteth and give him a hug as a silent apology. Even if she was in trouble for her behaviour, her prank had worked in her favour in the end. Maybe next time her father was being unreasonable she could plot another prank with Sylvain.