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Felix is five the first time he hears her sing.

He is in the middle of practicing how to use a sword with his big brother Glenn. He raises his small wooden training sword to parry Glenn's attack when he hears it. He immediately turns to see where the voice came from, but in that instant, Glenn knocks his sword from his hands, and Felix finds himself on the ground without knowing how he got there. Confused and overwhelmed, he begins to cry.

"Again, Fe?" Glenn groans. "You're never gonna be a knight if you cry every time you lose. And what were you thinking, taking your eyes off our battle like that?"

"I… I…" Sniffles and hiccups muddy Felix's attempts to speak. Yet despite his tears and Glenn's complaints, he can still hear a girl's voice singing. It seems to come from all around him, and yet he knows there should be no one here but him and Glenn. "D-don't you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Glenn asks.

"The singing. Oh, wait, it stopped…" Felix finds himself feeling sad. He hadn't heard the words over his own crying, but it sounded so nice.

Glenn gives him a funny look. "Singing?"

Felix sniffles again and nods, and Glenn frowns at him.

"Are you sure?" Glenn asks.

"I-I'm not lying! I promise!" Felix cries.

Glenn looks confused. He mumbles something under his breath and puts his sword away. Then he looks back at Felix and says, "Fe, we need to talk with Mother."

Felix's eyes widen and fill with tears again. "A-Am I in trouble?"

"No, no! By the goddess, Fe, stop crying already!"

As it turns out, Glenn was telling the truth. When Felix tells his mother about the singing, she looks surprised, but not angry. She pulls him into her lap, smiles, and strokes his hair.

"Oh, Felix. You don't have to be afraid. You were hearing your soulmate."

"Soulmate?" he repeats curiously.

"A soulmate is someone very special. The goddess has decided that you're going to need this person in your life, so she tied your souls together. The reason you can hear her sing is because music is something that moves the soul. That means she can hear you sing, too."

"Really?" Felix asked, eyes wide with wonder.

His mother smiles and nods. "Yes. Would you like to give it a try?"

Felix nods and breaks into a soft, shy rendition of his favorite lullaby. He's nowhere near as good as his mother, but he tries his best. When he finishes, he looks up at his mother and asks, "Do you think she liked it?"

His mother strokes his hair again. "As long as it came from your heart, I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

That makes Felix feel a little better. His soulmate had such a nice voice, and he wishes he could sing as well as her. He wonders if she'll mind if he practices for her.

He gasps. Practice? That's right, he has sword practice to get back to! He quickly thanks and hugs his mother before scrambling off her lap and racing to find Glenn. As much as he'd like to keep singing for his soulmate, he has to get stronger first so he can become a knight, and the only way to get stronger was to keep practicing.

Later, when he's sitting in his room crying because Glenn beat him again, he hears his soulmate singing again. Her voice instantly makes him feel a little better, and does his best to stop sniffling so he can understand her words. She's singing about flowers and trees, which is weird, but it's kind of cute in a way. And her voice is so nice and soothing, just like his mother's.

He curls up on his bed and quickly falls asleep, lulled by the voice in his head.

Annette is thirteen when her soulmate falls silent.

At first, she doesn't think anything of it. Her soulmate has always been a quiet sort. He sings very rarely, and when he does, it’s always in a shy manner. He often stumbles over a lyric and sometimes falls off-key, but his voice holds a certain charm. Still, it’s clear singing isn't something he typically does because weeks or even months pass between his songs.

It's also hard to think about her soulmate when her own life has turned upside down. Without warning, almost the entire Faerghus royal family and most of their royal knights were wiped out in a surprise attack while the king and queen were on a diplomatic mission in Duscur. Almost immediately after hearing that news, Annette's father, a royal knight who was not assigned on the Duscur mission, leaves their small Fhirdiad home without a word. Days turn into weeks and then moons, but he never returns.

Annette and her mother are soon taken in by Annette's paternal uncle, and they are forced to move from Fhirdiad to House Dominic's barony near the Rhodos Coast. Despite being technically part of the nobility through her father's side, it is Annette's first taste of noble life. The manor she now lives in is enormous compared to her childhood home, and she is not at all used to having servants take care of chores she once had to do herself.

Everything is so overwhelming that she doesn't realize how long it's been since she last heard her soulmate until one quiet night four moons into her new life at Dominic. She is standing on her bedroom's balcony and singing a soft tune about the stars when it finally hits her. Though she knows her soulmate doesn't sing often, he's never been quiet for this long. Thinking back, the last time she heard him was before her father left.

She begins to wonder if something has happened to her soulmate, or worse, that she offended him somehow. It's a bit ridiculous, since she hasn't even met him, but she can't help herself. Maybe, like her, he was so caught up in his own life that he didn't have time to sing anymore.

But when moons turn into years and her soulmate remains silent, she becomes convinced he's lost his voice… or his life. It hurts her more than she cares to admit. She was actually quite fond of his shy little songs, and now that they're gone, she misses them. Not for the first time, she wonders if her soulmate liked her singing. She'd been mortally embarrassed at first when she learned someone else always heard her when she sang, but over time she slowly grew to accept it. She wasn't about to stop doing something she loved over something so silly, especially since the connection didn't seem to deter her soulmate.

Now, though, it seems like she will never hear him again. First her father, and now her soulmate. Is she cursed to keep losing people?

Well, cursed or not, she's not about to stand by and let life crush her dreams. She has a plan to find her missing father. She will enter Fhirdiad's Royal School of Sorcery and study as hard she can to reach the top of her class. The student with the highest marks in each graduating class earns a recommendation and a full scholarship to the Officer's Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery. It's the only way she could possibly enter the Academy, as a minor noble like her uncle couldn't possibly afford the tuition. And she must enter the Academy at any cost. Her father had always been a pious man, so if he is anywhere in Fódlan, he will most likely be at Garreg Mach. And once she finds him, she will convince him to return to her and her mother so they could all live as a family again.

Unfortunately, there is nothing she can do about her soulmate. It is not unheard of for someone to pass away before they meet their soulmate. The person left behind simply has to move on with their life and endure the pitying looks of people luckier than them.

Well, Annette is not about to let herself be pitied. Soulmate or not, she will bring her father home, and she will live a successful life.

Felix is seventeen, and he no longer cares about soulmates.

He'd discarded such fanciful things when Glenn died. What was the point of having a soulmate connection if you died before it amounted to anything? Losing Glenn opened Felix's eyes. He now knows that the only thing that matters in the world is strength.

And yet… He can't get his soulmate's voice out of his head. She sings even more frequently now than when he was young, and he wonders if it has to do with the fact that he stopped singing years ago. It's entirely possible that she thinks he's dead and thus feels freer to sing what she wants.

Whatever the case, her songs are always varied and interesting. One day she'll be singing about boxes, and the next she'll be singing about sweets. Even when she's not singing, her voice rings in his head day and night. It's maddening, and yet he can't say he dislikes it.

He tries not to let his soulmate distract him from his goal. He trains as hard as he can every day, although he finds himself moving to the beat of his soulmate's songs more often than he'd like. The boar, Sylvain, and Ingrid give him strange looks from time to time, and Ingrid even confronts him over how he basically abandoned his soulmate, but he ignores all of them. Becoming stronger is far more important than connecting with someone he never intends to meet.

It is a plan he intends to keep when his father enrolls him in the Officer’s Academy. For once, he does not object to his old man’s decision, as he is well aware of the Academy’s reputation. It is the perfect place for him to learn and grow stronger. Unfortunately, he has to put up with the boar being his class leader and the other students constantly bothering him, but it is a price he is willing to pay, especially since his class’s professor winds up being a renowned mercenary.

He challenges Professor Byleth as soon as he can, and she defeats him with ease. He is not deterred, for he now has a new goal to aim for. The professor asks him why he is so focused on becoming stronger, and he realizes he doesn't have an answer for her. He'd never thought about why he needed to become more powerful. He knows he doesn't want to die on the battlefield like Glenn did, but other than that, he doesn't really have a reason behind his ambition.

He stews over Professor Byleth's suggestion that he find an answer to her question. He'd never had to think about these things before, and now that he's been put on spot, he's at a loss of what to do. He's so lost in thought that he's surprised when he looks up and finds himself near the greenhouse. Seiros, this isn't like him at all. He quickly pulls himself together and turns around, intending to return to his dorm.

"Today's dinner is steak and then a cake that's yummy yum!"

He freezes in place. He knows that voice. He's heard it in his head for years. This time, however, it's coming not from his mind, but from the greenhouse. Before he can stop himself, his feet move of their own volition and carry him toward the voice.

He opens the greenhouse door and calls out a greeting, but the singer must not hear him, because she doesn't stop or even acknowledge him.

"Oh, this mountain of sweets, and treats that I long to eats! Oh, stacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums!"

Felix finally makes his way through the maze of plants and sees who is singing. He's shocked to see he recognizes her. It's Annette, one of his classmates. He's barely spoken to her despite having been at the Academy for nearly a moon now, but that bright orange hair is unmistakable. He's seen her enthusiastically taking notes during lectures, and she usually has her nose buried in a thick tome during their free days. Now, however, she is moving to and fro with a watering can in her hand, coordinating her steps to her song as she waters the plants.

She does a little twirl and she freezes as her eyes land on him. Her mouth falls open and she stumbles and nearly drops her watering can.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," Felix says, belatedly realizing he'd been watching her for longer than what was probably appropriate.

"Felix! You weren't… listening, were you?" she asks.

Well, he can't exactly lie to her, especially when he's been caught red handed. He admits he's heard enough to know that she's hungry. She denies it at first, but soon relents and admits he's right. She asks him if he saw her dance, and he tells her that he was impressed by her footwork before offering to take over watering the plants for her.

For some reason, this makes Annette explode. She yells at him, calls him evil, and throws her watering can down before storming off. Felix's reflexes let him escape a drenching, but he can't figure out why Annette is so mad. All he did was compliment her! With a sigh, he refills the watering can and waters the plants in Annette's place. As he does so, the significance of what just took place finally sinks in.

Annette is his soulmate. And she has no idea that he is hers.

The question now is what to do with his newfound knowledge. Logically, he should tell Annette about it, but after everything that just happened, he imagines she won't take the news well. The saints only knew how furious she would be upon learning he'd been hearing her songs for years.

He nods to himself, his mind made up. What Annette doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, he'd decided long ago that he didn't need a soulmate, and he'd never intended to find out who she was, either. Yes, he will simply feign ignorance and move on with his life. Annette is clearly doing fine without him anyway.

He finishes watering the plants and heads outside. If he enjoys the new song playing in his head, that's only for him to know.

Annette is seventeen when she learns Felix Hugo Fraldarius is the evilest villain to ever exist.

First, he has the gall to spy on her while she's singing and dancing in the greenhouse. Then, when she attempts to bribe him to forget that incident, he turns her down. Not only that, he mocks her with a straight face! He even refuses her when she offers to cook him dinner! How can one person be so diabolical?

She keeps waiting for the day when he'll spill what he saw to everyone. She knows he's biding his time, waiting for the right moment so he can humiliate her most.

"I'm ruined, Mercie," she whines to her friend over tea and scones. "I'm going to be known as the steaks and cakes girl for the rest of my life!"

"Now now, Annie, let's not overreact," Mercedes says, as level-headed as ever. "Felix isn't the type of person to spread gossip."

"It doesn't mean he won't," Annette protests, but she grudgingly admits Mercedes has a point. She hasn't known Felix for long, but she has seen that he typically tries to avoid people rather than seek them out. But who's to say he wouldn't change that just to humiliate her?

"Annie." Mercedes puts her teacup down and gives Annette a stern look. "This isn't like you. Why are you so convinced Felix has it out for you?"

"Because he's evil, Mercie! He has no right to spy on me like some… creeper!"

Mercedes frowns. "I doubt that was his intention. But if he continues to bother you, I'll have a talk with him. How does that sound?"

"Oh, thank you, Mercie!" Annette exclaims. "I couldn't ask for a better friend!"

And so the weeks pass. Annette keeps expecting people to give her funny looks and call her names, but it never happens. Furthermore, Felix continues to behave as if their encounter in the greenhouse never happened. Annette cannot understand what he's thinking. He refuses to forget her song, but he isn't telling anyone about it, either. She's tempted to confront him again, but something tells her it will be as fruitless as last time.

Besides, she has a bigger problem now. An inevitable part of so many young people from all over Fódlan congregating in one place is that soulmates often wind up finding each other. It feels like Academy students are finding their other halves on a weekly basis. First, Ashe realizes that he's been hearing Brigid hunting songs all his life after meeting Brigid's princess, Petra. Ferdinand repeatedly attempts to curry Dorothea's favor after he recognizes her singing. Even Mercedes has found that the songs she'd been hearing were traditional songs of Duscur, courtesy of Dedue. Then there are those lucky enough to have found their soulmates when they were younger. Ingrid and Sylvain are one such case, which makes Sylvain's constant womanizing all the more frustrating for Ingrid.

Annette tries not to feel too envious. After all, she'd vowed to fulfill her dream, soulmate or not. Even so, it's hard seeing her classmates grow closer to their soulmates while knowing she is doomed to never experience that bond. She can't help but sigh despondently as she watches Mercedes and Dedue walk hand in hand through the monastery gardens.

"Is something the matter, Annette?"

Annette jumps and shrieks before whirling toward the voice. "Y-Your Highness! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to see you not acting like yourself," Dimitri states.

Had she really been that obvious? "I'm sorry," she says. "I was just… Never mind. It's stupid."

"It can't be that stupid if it has you so upset."

Annette takes a deep breath and makes up her mind. Dimitri is the last person who would make fun of her predicament. She confesses everything to him: how her soulmate is most likely dead and how much it hurts to see other people experience what she can never have. Dimitri listens quietly the entire time. When she finishes, he smiles wanly at her.

"I understand how you feel."

Annette can hardly believe her ears. "Huh?!" she shrieks.

"I've gone my whole life without hearing my soulmate's voice," Dimitri explains, a distant look filling his eyes.

Annette suddenly feels horrible for moping in front of him. Dimitri's situation is not unheard of, but it is extremely rare. Those unlucky few usually live their entire lives alone and are shunned by society. Faerghus's crown prince being cursed with that fate shines a poor light on the kingdom's future.

Annette apologizes for her rudeness, but Dimitri brushes her off. He says that they are equals since they are both students in the same situation, so there is no need for her to feel guilty. Annette still feels bad about it, but decides to put her feelings aside for Dimitri's sake.

They wind up becoming close over their shared experiences. Dimitri is like the big brother she never had, especially since her father played a significant role in raising him. Dimitri tells her that he sees a lot of her father in her, and she learns that her father was almost like a different person with Dimitri. Dimitri also apologizes to her for taking so much of her father's time, as he feels that he stole her father from her in a way. Annette admits that growing up without seeing much of her father was lonely, but she understood how much he loved his work. She loved her father in spite of everything, and she still loves him now, which is why it's so important for her to find him and bring him home.

Unfortunately, she still hasn’t found a trace of him despite asking a lot of people about him. To make matters worse, Felix has suddenly decided to butt in on her life again.

“Stay away from the boar,” he says.

“What?!” she exclaims. “Who made you the boss of me?! I can be friends with whoever I choose!”

“You shouldn’t try to make friends with a beast,” Felix spits. “That… thing is nothing but an animal masquerading as a prince. He’ll chew you up and spit you out.”

At first, Annette is so shocked by his cruel words that she doesn't know what to think. Then she remembers Felix has known Dimitri since childhood. He must know about how Dimitri has no soulmate. Is this what Felix thinks of people without soulmates? That they're beasts? She clenches her fists as rage boils in her gut and pressure builds behind her eyes.

“You… You…” She is so furious that she can barely form words. "You really are a villain!"

She turns and runs away, determined to not let him see her cry.

Felix is seventeen, and he is going to kill his professor.

Never mind that Professor Byleth still trounces him every time he challenges her; one day he will make her pay. One day, completely out of the blue, she has him start studying Reason. Why in the name of the four saints would he ever need to know black magic when his sword serves him perfectly well? Worse, she assigns Annette as his tutor. Annette, his soulmate, who hates him.

It goes as disastrously as he expects. He gets pissed off because he does not understand all these damn formulas, Annette gets pissed off at his impatience and apparent villainy, and both of them quickly give up and go their separate ways. Of course, Professor Byleth finds out about their falling out almost immediately and practically drags them both by the backs of their uniforms to her office, where she gives them an ultimatum: they either learn to work together, or she is going to fail them both. Annette immediately starts to protest, but Professor Byleth refuses to budge on the matter.

"Personal feelings are irrelevant on the battlefield," she says. "If you can't learn to cooperate despite your differing mentalities, then you're not cut out to be soldiers."

With their grades on the line, Felix and Annette reluctantly agree to a truce. Annette is furious that the professor stooped to such a low, while Felix would have admired her brilliance if he wasn't on the receiving end of it. Now they are both stuck in an arrangement that neither of them wants.

It's not that Felix dislikes Annette. In fact, she's one of the very few people at the Academy who doesn't bother him. He just sees studying Reason as a waste of his time. Annette, however, has for some reason decided that he is the scum of the earth and keeps giving him nasty looks whenever she thinks he isn't watching.

Felix can't figure out what he did to make her hate him so much. He hadn't been lying when he'd told her that her songs were interesting and that she had nice footwork, but she didn't believe him. She's been even more irate with him ever since he warned her about the boar, and again, he has no idea why. The goddess clearly made some sort of mistake when she bound him to Annette. Is it any wonder that he still hasn't told her that he's her soulmate?

Despite her disdain for him, though, Annette is a surprisingly good teacher. Black magic textbooks are a mess of symbols and numbers, but Annette helps guide Felix through them. Whenever he gets stumped by a formula, she calmly goes over it with him until he understands it.

As time goes on, he finds that black magic has more in common with swordplay than he thought. Mastering a formula involves practicing with it in different situations, just like learning a new sword technique. When they put his studying into practice and he begins actually casting, he finds that using black magic requires focus and discipline. Just one mistake will leave a caster wide open and vulnerable. Worse yet, an unfocused caster can easily lose control and injure themselves.

Annette is there to help him every step of the way. She adjusts his stance, guides him through the motions, and helps him draw upon the store of magic inside him. It's still clear that she doesn't like him, but she is willing to tolerate him for the sake of her grade, and that's good enough for him.

Their continuing lessons are a steady constant as a series of increasingly disturbing events uproot everything they know every moon. From having to strike down Ashe's foster father to rescuing Seteth's sister from the infamous Death Knight to watching Sylvain's disowned brother Miklan transform into an abomination, every member of the Blue Lions winds up shaken in one way or another.

Things grow even more complicated when Felix accidentally witnesses a confrontation between Annette and Gilbert, a Knight of Seiros who aided them in defeating Miklan. He finds out that Gilbert is Annette's father, and Annette pleads with him to come home with her. Gilbert, who Felix finds himself disliking more every second, is completely unmoved. He refuses to look at Annette and says some nonsense about "repenting for his sins'' before walking away.

Annette falls to her knees and starts crying. The sound makes something inside of Felix twist painfully. He is torn between wanting to rush to her side and wanting to punch something. For a moment, he wonders if she'd even want his help, but he quickly makes up his mind. Even if she hates him, he has to at least try to cheer her up. Seeing her so distraught is just… wrong.

He quietly approaches her and crouches down beside her.

She looks up at him, shock and confusion written all over her tear-stained face. "F-Felix? What are you—"

"Here," he says, pulling out his handkerchief and offering it to her. "You look like you could use this."

She stares at him in disbelief and he braces himself to be yelled at. After a moment, though, she stammers a quiet thank you before taking the handkerchief and dabbing her eyes with it.

For a while, neither of them say anything. Felix considers leaving now that Annette has calmed down somewhat, but her continuing sniffles keep him in place. He wants to help her more, but he has no idea how.

"Stubborn old men suck," he blurts.

Annette looks at him in alarm. "You saw all that?!"

"I didn't mean to," he says, cursing his sudden inability to hold his tongue. "I just happened to be passing by."

"I can't believe this," Annette groans, burying her face in her hands. "I must have looked so pathetic…"

"You're not pathetic," Felix says quickly. "If anyone's pathetic, it's your old man. He had no right to treat you that way."

Annette stares at him, looking like she can't believe her ears. "Felix…"

"These knights… They'll throw away everything for the sake of duty, even if it hurts the people around them." He closes his eyes. "My old man is exactly the same. So don't you dare think this is somehow your fault, because it isn't."

"Felix…" Annette says again. She is quiet for a moment, and then she smiles softly. "Thank you."

Felix feels the tips of his ears burn. "It was nothing. Don't mention it."

After that night, the air between them becomes far more amiable. Annette doesn't give him the evil eye anymore, although she is still frustrated over how he can't and won't forget her singing and dancing. At least she's figured out that he hasn't told anyone else about it, and he has no desire to do so, either.

He still doesn't know why she's so embarrassed about her singing and dancing. She's good. Really good. At the same time, though, he kind of likes the idea of being one of the only people to have seen her like that. It makes him feel special somehow. Privileged. And every time he hears her voice in his head, he's reminded of just how privileged he is.

He still hasn't told her that he's her soulmate. At this point, he knows he should, but every time he considers doing so, his thoughts inevitably drift to how angry she'll be when she finds out he's kept it a secret all this time. He shouldn't care, but for some reason he doesn't want her to go back to hating his guts, and so every time he winds up telling himself that he'll do it another day. He knows that the longer he puts it off, the worse the end result will be, but he can't help it. He’s gotten used to Annette actually smiling around him, and the thought of losing that makes him feel cold and empty inside.

This isn't like him. He's not supposed to get attached to other people. Is the soulmate bond messing with his head? He briefly considers distancing himself from Annette, but he dismisses that idea almost immediately. If he left her with no explanation, he'd be no better than Gilbert.

The problem comes to a head during the Ethereal Moon. First, Professor Byleth chooses Felix to represent their class in the White Heron Cup, which is yet another reason why he is going to kill her. He's a noble, so of course he knows how to dance, but it's not something he enjoys or finds particularly useful. He tells this to the professor, but she is unmoved.

"Dancing isn't so different from swordplay," she says. "Both require precise movement and good footwork. If you approach your dancing the same way as your sword training, you should have no problem."

She admittedly has a point, although it doesn't make him feel any better. Still, since he's been forced into this, he might as well give it his all. He'll be performing in front of the whole academy, and he's not about to make a fool of himself in front of them. Maybe he can impress Annette, too—

Wait, what? Where did that come from?

He shakes the intrusive thought away, but much like Sylvain, he can't seem to get rid of it. Even after he wins the White Heron Cup, thoughts of Annette continue to plague him. He wants to see her smile again. He wants to hear her sing for real, not just in his head. It's confusing and overwhelming, and he has no idea what to do about it.

It gets worse during the annual Garreg Mach ball. Why the archbishop chooses to still hold a ball despite the horrors that occurred in Remire Village during the previous moon is beyond Felix. He didn't want to attend, but the training grounds were locked for the night, and Sylvain dragged him out of his room because he was being "a stick in the mud".

Felix spends as much time as possible pressing himself against the walls and glaring at anyone who comes near him. It works for the most part, although Sylvain and Ingrid are too used to his abrasiveness to be deterred. At least he's doing better than Professor Byleth, who gets dragged onto the dance floor by almost everyone, starting with that schemer, Claude. Even the boar gets in on the action, and he looks pathetically star-struck as he dances with the professor. Felix snorts at them. Seeing that animal pretend to be human disgusts him.

Then he hears a giggle that makes his heart skip a beat. It's Annette, laughing as Ashe spins her around. It makes something hot and unpleasant bubble up inside him, and he isn't sure why. His irritation must show on his face, because Sylvain gives him a knowing look.

"You look even grouchier than usual," Sylvain notes.

"I didn't want to come here, idiot," Felix grates.

"Something tells me there's more to it than that," Sylvain says. He glances at Ashe and Annette, who are still dancing, and a smug smile forms on his face. "You're not jealous, are you?"

"What?! Why the hell would I be jealous?" Felix snaps.

Sylvain's smile grows. "You know, I bet Annette would be more than happy to dance with you if you asked her."

Heat immediately floods Felix's face, and he curses his body for betraying him. "Who said I wanted to— Forget it. I'm out of here."

"Wait, Felix!"

Felix ignores Sylvain and shoves his way through the crowd toward the exit. He's had enough of this. His heart is beating way too fast, and he can feel how red his face is. He desperately wants to smash a training dummy apart, but the training grounds are still locked, so he instead retreats to his room. He manages to slip inside and lock the door before Sylvain can catch him.

He leans against the wall, covers his face with his hand, and slides to the floor. By the four saints, what is wrong with him? He's never felt like this before, and he's at a loss of what to do.

He knows only one thing for sure: this is not a problem he can solve with a sword, and that scares him more than any foe he's ever faced.

Annette is seventeen when her world turns upside down.

It all starts the night her father ignores her pleas to return home and leaves her behind a second time. It's the lowest moment of her life, but then Felix of all people appears and pulls her back on her feet. It's so strange. She'd always thought he was a horrible person, and yet instead of mocking her, he told her exactly what she needed to hear—even if it was a bit on the blunt side.

After that, she begins to see Felix in a different light. He's still gruff, prickly, and rude, but he's not cruel. He hasn't told anyone about her singing, although he still says he can't forget it. He's also diligent and a hard worker, and once he sets his mind to something, he always follows through on it. As a result, he picks up black magic surprisingly quickly once he stops being impatient and starts studying the formulas.

She begins to look forward to their regular Reason study sessions. Felix doesn't usually talk much outside of asking her questions regarding whatever formula he's currently working on, but his steady presence has become a comfort. It's a different sort of companionship than what she gets from Mercedes, but she grows to treasure it just as much.

On the battlefield, she knows she can trust Felix to watch her back. Whenever she falters even the slightest bit, Felix is quick to assist her with either his sword or his new Thunder magic. In return, she keeps a close eye on him and is always ready to jump in with a Wind spell whenever he gets in over his head.

It's strange how they've gotten so close despite their rocky start, but Annette can't imagine going back now. That means that she can never, ever tell Felix that she doesn't have a soulmate. The thought of him giving her the same icy treatment he gives Dimitri hurts her even more now.

It gets even worse when the White Heron Cup happens. As Annette watches Felix perform some ridiculous spins and acrobatics—all with a sword in hand, of course—she is suddenly hit over the head with the realization that he is beautiful.

This is very, very bad. Felix has not yet met his soulmate, and while not all soulmate bonds are romantic, attempting to court him now would be extremely taboo. Even when he does find his soulmate, she has no chance of being with him. House Fraldarius is one of the most esteemed families in all of Faerghus, and they would never accept the niece of a mere baron, especially when she has no soulmate.

It's unlikely that she'll ever see Felix again after they graduate, and that makes her heart sink into a cold, dark sea. All she can do is make the most of their remaining time together. She finds herself scanning the crowd as she dances at the Garreg Mach ball, foolishly hoping that maybe she'll catch sight of him.

She is surprised when she sees he's here, but is unsurprised that he has glued himself to the wall. She wants to approach him, but then Ashe asks her to dance. She accepts because she'd feel bad about turning him down for such a selfish reason. And to be fair, she has a wonderful time as he takes her in his arms and twirls her around, but a tiny part of her wishes he was someone else.

After she finishes, she tries to find Felix again, but he's gone. Instead, she finds Ingrid, who tells her that Felix left early, and that he looked like he was in a foul mood. Annette had somewhat expected this, but hearing it stings anyway. She tries not to let it spoil the rest of her night, but based on how Mercedes keeps asking her if she's okay, she's not doing a very good job of it.

Later, she confesses everything to Mercedes. Her friend gives her a sad smile and a tight hug, and only then does Annette finally break down and cry. Mercedes says nothing but rubs circles into Annette's back while Annette sobs into her shoulder.

She doesn't realize that this is only the first of many tragedies to come.

First, Captain Jeralt is assassinated during a routine mission. Professor Byleth is inconsolable, and when the responsible parties are discovered in the Sealed Forest, their whole class sets out to defeat them. However, it turns out to be a trap, and Solon, one of the masterminds, succeeds in trapping the professor in some strange dark void. Solon claims she will wander in darkness for eternity, but Professor Byleth surprises everyone by reappearing only minutes later. Her hair and eyes have changed to an otherworldly green color, the Sword of the Creator blazes in her hands as she strikes Solon down.

The professor's changes are clearly important, for Archbishop Rhea requests that she and the Blue Lions join her in the Holy Tomb so Byleth can sit on the throne there and receive a revelation from the goddess, much like Saint Seiros did. Once there, however, they are suddenly attacked by the Imperial Army, led by the enigmatic Flame Emperor, the one responsible for many of the year's strange events. In the ensuing struggle, Dimitri knocks the Flame Emperor's mask off, and he—no, she is revealed to be none other than the Imperial princess, Edelgard.

In that instant, a change sweeps over Dimitri so strongly and suddenly that even Professor Byleth is visibly stunned. He laughs like a man unhinged, and when he crushes a soldier's skull with his bare hands, Annette finally understands why Felix calls Dimitri a boar. The kind-hearted prince she knew is gone. All she sees in his eyes now is madness and bloodlust.

The worst part is that Felix isn't smug or triumphant about it. He just looks disappointed. Annette's heart breaks as she realizes Felix doesn't hate people without soulmates and that he really did care for Dimitri all along. She'd been wrong, so horribly wrong, but there's no time to think about her own mistakes when Dimitri is hell-bent on killing Edelgard.

While they manage to make Edelgard and her soldiers retreat, it is only a temporary victory, for Edelgard ascends the Adrestian throne and declares war on the Church of Seiros. She immediately mounts a massive attack on Garreg Mach, and all of its residents, including the students, have only two weeks to prepare.

Tensions are high at the monastery, and time that would usually be spent studying for final exams is instead used to discuss battle plans and preparations. The Knights of Seiros are already helping the townsfolk evacuate, while the students have to come to grips with the fact their studies are soon going to be put to the ultimate test. Some have fled, but others, including Annette, choose to stay and fight. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared, but her father is still here, and she refuses to leave the monastery without him.

She doesn't see much of Felix in the weeks leading up to the Empire's attack. Like her, he is wrapped up in battle preparations, and he spends almost all his free time in the training grounds. Even if that weren't the case, she doubts he's in much of a mood to talk, and she doesn't blame him. It's hard to hold up any sense of normalcy when their lives hang in the balance and when Dimitri is not even trying to hide his bloodlust.

On the day of the attack, Archbishop Rhea gathers all the students, faculty, and the Knights of Seiros together, and they brace themselves for the onslaught. Though they are grossly outnumbered, they fight with everything they have. Professor Byleth's Sword of the Creator whips through the air and cuts through any soldiers that draw too close to her while Ashe, Mercedes, and Annette rain down arrows and magic from above. Ingrid darts in and out of the fray atop her pegasus. Dimitri only has eyes for Edelgard and makes a beeline for her, and anyone who gets in his way ends up either stabbed or mangled. Sylvain, Felix, and Dedue stay close to him in order to keep him from being overwhelmed and to ensure that he doesn't charge off on his own.

For a time, it looks like they might succeed in forcing the Empire back, but then Edelgard calls in reinforcements and all hell breaks loose. The Empire's reserve soldiers, accompanied by several Demonic Beasts, draw in on the monastery, and Professor Byleth calls the order to retreat. Soon after, a massive white dragon appears and begins to lay waste to the Imperial army and everything around it.

Sylvain, Dedue and Felix somehow drag Dimitri away from the battlefield, and their class flees from the crumbling town together. Annette desperately searches for any sign of her father, but he is nowhere to be seen. She prays that he retreated with the rest of the Knights of Seiros.

They don't stop running until long after the sun has set. By then, they are all out of breath and ready to collapse. Mercedes begins tending the wounds she hadn't had the time to heal earlier, Dimitri curses Edelgard under his breath, and the rest of them discuss what they're going to do next. With the monastery in ruins, they all know they must return home and prepare for war. Faerghus, being closely associated with the Church of Seiros, is certain to be Edelgard's next target.

The Knights of Seiros soon join them, and Annette is relieved to see that her father is safe. However, Professor Byleth is still missing. According to Alois, the last time he saw the professor, she was rushing to join the dragon fighting the Imperial army. As the dragon is now gone, he grimly concludes that Professor Byleth must have been slain in battle.

The news causes Dimitri to slip even further. The only reason he doesn't go tearing off after Edelgard again is because Dedue keeps a firm grip on him. The Knights of Seiros and the rest of the Blue Lions tell him that he'll get his revenge another day, but right now, they must retreat and regroup.

Knowing that they may not see each other again alive, all of the Blue Lions say their good-byes. Hugs are exchanged, although no one dares approach Dimitri except for Dedue, who is still restraining him. Annette is surprised when Felix allows her to hug him and even more surprised when he hugs her back. He looks like he wants to tell her something, but all he says is a simple, "Stay safe."

"You, too," she replies. She tries to ignore the disappointment that rushes through her when he releases her and approaches the horse the Knights of Seiros provided her. She looks around for her father one more time, but he's already vanished. Her heart sinks, but she knows she can't dwell on it. Her mother and uncle need her more now, especially since their territory's close proximity to the Empire makes them vulnerable. Reluctantly, she mounts the horse, gives her friends and the knights one last parting glance, and begins the long ride back home.

Felix is twenty-two, and he can't believe he’s going to this stupid reunion.

The idea was foolish from the start. The entire Blue Lions class agreed to meet again at the Millennium Festival, having no idea where they'd be in five years. No one imagined the entire continent would become enveloped in war, nor that both the boar and Professor Byleth would perish along the way.

With House Blaiddyd wiped out, Imperial loyalist Cornelia Arnim has seized Fhirdiad, and most of the western territories have sworn loyalty to the Empire and now call themselves the Faerghus Dukedom. Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, and their houses' armies have been fighting all they can, and yet the most they've been able to do is hold Cornelia's forces back. It's a losing battle, and they all know it, but still they fight on.

Despite everything, Rodrigue is convinced the boar is still alive. There are rumors of Imperial generals being slaughtered in gruesome ways. It certainly sounds like the boar's work, but Felix isn't about to accept hearsay at face value. Even if the rumors are true, pinning the kingdom's hopes on a beast is foolhardy.

Yet he still finds himself joining Sylvain and Ingrid and returns to the ruins of Garreg Mach. It's utter lunacy, but he admits it's slightly better than continuing the deadlock with Dukedom forces. And, though he'll never say it aloud, he's worried about Annette.

House Dominic was one of the first to swear loyalty to the Empire. The move was unsurprising, as Dominic is a minor house and had no hope of fighting off the Imperial army to the south, especially when House Rowe to the east also allied with the Empire. Felix received only two letters from Annette before House Fraldarius halted all communication with House Dominic. The only reason he knows Annette is still alive is because he still hears her voice in his head. She sings very little these days, but every song helps push Felix to keep fighting.

He regrets not telling her that they were soulmates before the war tore them apart. He tried to, but the words wouldn't come to him, and having all their classmates watching them didn't help, either. He considers singing for her, but he hasn't sung in almost ten years, and who knows what Annette would think after learning that her soulmate had been willingly ignoring her all this time. The worst part is that he made this problem himself, and there is no easy way out of it.

As he, Sylvain, and Ingrid approach Garreg Mach, Felix wonders if Annette will even show up at the reunion. It's possible Baron Dominic refused to let her leave Dominic lands. Ashe is in a similar boat, as he began working for House Rowe after the fall of Garreg Mach.

Sounds of combat violently yank him out of his thoughts. He glances at his friends and an unspoken agreement passes between them. Felix dismounts his horse, and then all three of them throw themselves into the fray.

Their foes are mere bandits; scavengers that came to pillage whatever valuables that still remain in the town. It's a refreshing change of pace from the Dukedom soldiers. The bandits are skittish and prefer to run rather than fight, and Felix relishes the chance to take the offensive for once. Any that dare to flee from his blade are quickly felled by a blast of Thunder. Moments like this help him appreciate how useful black magic is, and he offers a silent thanks to Annette and the late Professor Byleth for pushing him into it.

A roar of fury draws his attention, and that's when he sees the impossible. The boar and Professor Byleth are both alive, and they are fighting off the bandits together. There's no time to gawk, however, for their foes still outnumber them and are not above resorting to cheap tricks.

An arrow flies from seemingly out of nowhere and embeds in the shoulder of Felix's current opponent. Felix quickly recognizes it as Ashe's work, and sure enough, he spots Ashe taking cover in an alley out of the corner of his eye. After dispatching the injured bandit, he feels the familiar warmth of white magic envelop him, and he knows Mercedes made it, too. He looks over his shoulder, sees her, and gives her a nod of thanks.

He prepares to charge at yet another group of bandits when a blast of wind comes out of nowhere and sends all of them flying. Felix's heart skips a beat. Only one person could have created a gust like that. Sure enough, Annette steps into view, her hands glowing green as she readies another spell. Her hair and her dress billow about from the force, and Felix finds himself in awe. The years have been kind to Annette, and combined with the fierceness she is currently displaying, Felix is utterly captivated.

"Felix, look out!"

He snaps out of his reverie and curses himself for getting distracted as he parries a blow from a bandit who had snuck up on him. He quickly cuts his foe down and grunts a thanks to Sylvain for warning him. The remaining bandits are easily dispatched now that almost their entire class has pitched in to help out, and after they finish, they all gather together again. Gilbert has also joined them, and Felix is disgusted to see him shower the boar with gratitude whilst completely ignoring Annette. The last five years haven't changed him at all.

Gilbert aside, Felix finds the sight of all his old classmates to be surprisingly comforting. However, Dedue is conspicuously missing. The boar claims Dedue died in his place, and Felix feels his stomach turn. He'd always despised Dedue's blind loyalty toward the boar, but hearing that yet another person has died for a bloodthirsty animal disgusts him. Meanwhile, Mercedes accepts the loss of her soulmate solemnly, but it's clear she is putting on a brave face for them all. Losing a soulmate is never easy, especially when it happens in such a sudden way. The worst part is that Felix knows Dedue won't be the last to die for the boar, especially since Gilbert says they can now take the fight to the Empire in earnest. He glances over at Annette and vows to keep her from becoming one of them.

Now that they have essentially gathered a small army, their first order of business is restoring Garreg Mach to a somewhat livable state, since they will be using it as their base from now on. There’s a lot to do: removing rubble, cleaning their old dormitories, and gathering food and supplies. The boar is no help, preferring to spend almost all his time in the ruined cathedral muttering to his ghosts. Thankfully, the Knights of Seiros arrive soon after learning that the old Blue Lions have liberated the monastery and assist in the restoration effort. Other former Academy students who transferred to the Blue Lions join them as well. Knowing that they have so many allies is reassuring. They need all the help they can get against the Imperial army.

The downside to having so many people around is that Felix seldom gets a moment to himself. On some days, he ducks into the library and spends an hour or two organizing the tomes that weren’t destroyed during the siege of Garreg Mach. Usually, his only company is a snoozing Linhardt, so it’s a good way for him to get some peace and quiet. One day, however, his trip is interrupted when he hears a very familiar voice coming from the library.

"Oh, how I just love to clean! Clean the library room! Just takes a flash of light, and then it all goes boom!"

Felix’s heart skips a beat. He hasn’t heard this song before, even through their soulmate bond. Before he can stop himself, he finds himself approaching her. Annette is dancing about with an armful of books and scrolls, presumably intending to put them away. Felix is once again struck by how lovely she is. Saints, what is wrong with him? Somehow, it's even worse now than when they were students. He shakes his head and pushes those disturbing thoughts aside, deciding instead to focus on Annette's song. As usual, it's very interesting, but he's also puzzled by it.

"If you blow up the library, where will we put the books?" he asks.

Annette yelps in shock and whirls toward him. She demands why he's there, and he tells her that he heard her singing. She accuses him of spying on her again, but her tone holds no bite. Though she is once again embarrassed that he heard her, she is flustered by her choice of song more than anything. She claims it's not finished, which disappoints Felix—he's curious about what happens after the library is blown away. Annette soon relents and continues singing, but the next part of the song doesn't mention the library at all. He wonders out loud if a new one will get built, and Annette laughs and mumbles about how embarrassed she is.

Felix wants to tell her that she has nothing to be embarrassed about; that he likes her singing and dancing; that he's heard her voice in his head for years and wants to keep hearing it for real. Every time he tries to speak, though, the words get stuck in his throat. They're at war now, and though he doesn't like to think about it, there's a very real possibility that one or even both of them will die. Of course, he'll do everything in his power to keep that from happening, but he's not a fool. Glenn didn't march into battle intending to die, either.

As far Annette knows, her soulmate is dead. It would be unimaginably cruel for him to tell her the truth, only for him to die for real. He can't do that to her, especially not after how he watched Mercedes try so hard to stay strong after losing Dedue. He hates himself for it, but he once again decides not to tell her he's her soulmate—at least not yet. If they somehow both survive this war, that's when he'll tell her. Until that day comes, he vows to fight with everything he has. If death decides to come for him, he's not about to take it lying down.

He'll fight to his last breath if it means he can see Annette smile again.

Annette is twenty-two, and she is living a nightmare.

She thought she'd gotten used to the reality of war, but Gronder Field is on a whole different level. Three armies clash as they once did in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion five years ago, but the consequences are far more dire. The screams of the dying fill the air, and countless bodies litter the landscape. There is no time to mourn the lost, as even a moment of distraction can result in you joining them.

As terrible as all of that is, it pales in comparison to the sight of Felix bleeding profusely beneath her. Moments ago, he'd taken the full brunt of a javelin that was meant for her, and now he was fighting to remain conscious. Although Annette blasted the paladin responsible for his wound with the strongest Excalibur she could muster, that did not change the fact that Felix was badly injured.

She screams for Mercedes, but with the battle still raging, there's no telling how long it will take her to reach them. Annette is nowhere near as skilled with white magic as Mercedes, but she can't let Felix die. She pours as much energy as she can into her healing spell and wills his wound to close. Sweat pours down her forehead and her vision blurs, but still she presses on.

"Please," she whispers. "I can't lose you, too."

"'Nette…" Felix murmurs. "I'm sorry."

Annette quickly hushes him. "Save your strength."

"'Nette… You're crying."

"Sh-shut up, you villain!"

She is crying, but why did he have to point it out? And why is he looking at her so strangely, like he's trying to memorize her face? She is not going to let him die, not after all they've been through, and especially not after she'd spent the better part of five years not knowing if she'd ever see him again.

She'd missed him terribly during their five years apart. She hadn't even been able to contact him for most of that time because House Dominic surrendered and allied with the Empire. She needed help from her mother to sneak out of the manor and head to Garreg Mach for the promised five-year reunion. She knew it would be the only way to know if Felix was still alive.

And he was alive, although it was clear the war had taken its toll on him. Despite that, he'd somehow grown even more handsome since they'd been students, and she was dismayed to find that time and distance failed to dampen her feelings. A voice in her head whispered how wrong her affections were, and that she was setting herself up for heartbreak. Still, she made a silent vow to make sure he lived through the war. Maybe she was doomed, but Felix deserved to meet his soulmate. He deserved to be happy.

And so their small army defended Garreg Mach from Imperial invaders, fought through the Valley of Torment, and crossed the Great Bridge of Myrddin. In the process, they joined with Lord Rodrigue and his forces and reunited with Dedue, who had actually been alive and in hiding with the people from Duscur who rescued him from prison. He then apologized to Mercedes for leaving her in the dark. He could not risk the Duscur forces being discovered and wiped out, so he had to remain silent until he was able to rejoin the Kingdom army.

After that, Annette became more determined than ever to keep all her friends alive, especially Felix. She did her best to watch over him and make sure he didn't get into trouble while he tried to keep Dimitri alive. She had not expected him to risk his life to protect her, especially considering how much he criticized Lord Rodrigue for that mindset.

Suddenly, Felix sucks in a huge breath, and the wound in his chest fades, leaving behind a scar roughly the size of Annette's hand. Annette lets her white magic dissipate and is hit by such a strong bout of dizziness that she nearly collapses on top of Felix. After she recovers, she glances around and spots Mercedes sprinting towards them. Once she reaches them, she bends over and gasps for breath.

"Good, I made it in time," she wheezes.

"Oh, Mercie, thank you so much!" Annette cries, crushing her friend in a hug. Then she turns back to Felix, who is slowly getting to his feet. "And you! Don't ever scare me like that again!"

To her surprise, Felix looks genuinely remorseful. His eyes are downcast, and he mumbles an apology that’s soft but sincere. It tugs at Annette’s heart and she almost feels bad for snapping at him. There's no time to dwell on it, though. They have a battle to get back to.

They succeed in forcing both the Imperial and the Alliance armies into retreat, but their victory comes at a heavy price. Their army has sustained numerous casualties, including Lord Rodrigue, who lost his life protecting Dimitri from Fleche. Fleche had tried to assassinate Dimitri as revenge for how he tortured and killed her brother, Randolph. While Professor Byleth quickly disposed of Fleche, by the time Mercedes caught up to them, Lord Rodrigue was already dead.

The loss is staggering, but Dimitri and Felix are especially shaken. Their march back to the monastery is solemn, and Annette finds herself at a complete loss of what to do. Words of sympathy would be nothing but false comfort, and she doubts Dimitri or Felix are in the mood to talk now. The worst part is that she can't stop thinking about how Felix had come so close to sharing his father's fate, and it was all because of her.

A shroud of rain greets them when they return to Garreg Mach, and they all scatter to lick their wounds. Although Annette is dead tired, sleep eludes her that night, and so instead of fruitlessly tossing and turning, she decides to take a walk around the monastery in spite of the rain. As she does so, she discovers she's not the only one who can't sleep. She spots Dimitri skulking about, but he doesn't notice her. Strangely, he seems to be headed to the stables. She considers tailing him to see what he's up to, but then she sees Professor Byleth already doing so. She decides to leave them be. Dimitri had always admired the professor, and Annette had witnessed those feelings grow over time until they became something far stronger and more special. If anyone could pull him out of the dark place he was in, it would be Professor Byleth.

With that matter settled, Annette wanders into the training grounds and is not at all surprised to find Felix there. Based on how all the training dummies are in shambles, he'd been here for quite a while. Now, however, he's just sitting on the ground, staring at something in his hands. Annette creeps a little closer and realizes with a start that it's the Aegis Shield. Lord Rodrigue had given it to Felix after he'd helped protect a Fraldarius village from bandits, but Felix had never used it. He'd always said a shield would just weigh him down. His dancer training made him even less inclined to use it, as that fighting style needed as much free movement as possible. Now, though, Lord Rodrigue is dead, and Annette feels her heart break as she realizes that the shield is all Felix has left of his father. Despite their strained relationship, it's clear that Felix still loved Lord Rodrigue deep down.

For a moment, Annette hesitates, but she quickly steels herself, knowing that Felix can't sit out in the rain all night. "Felix?" she calls.

He stiffens a bit, but he doesn't look up at her. "What are you doing out at this hour?"

"I couldn't sleep," she replies. "Obviously, you couldn't, either."

Felix snorts, but says nothing else. Annette takes it as an invitation to sit by his side. The ground is muddy and she's soaked to her skin, but she doesn't care. For a while, the only sound comes from the rain pelting them.

"You should get out of this weather," Felix says at last.

Annette shakes her head. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"I'll be fine."

"I'm not stupid, Felix. If I leave you, you'll stay here all night. So I'm not moving from this spot until you do the same."

Felix lets out a long, gusty sigh. "That stubbornness is gonna get you killed one day."

"Look who's talking," Annette counters.

He breathes a laugh, but there is no humor in it. "Right. It almost cost me my life at Gronder."

"Felix…" Annette swallows and forces herself to continue. "I've been wondering… Why did you—"

"It was either you or me," he answers. "I saw the javelin, and the next thing I knew, my body was moving. I didn't even think about the consequences until after I got impaled." He lowers his head and huffs another humorless laugh. "Stupid, right? All that talk, and when it comes down to it, I really am no different from my old man."

Annette feels her heart squeeze. "Felix, wanting to protect someone is nothing to be ashamed of."

"What's the point of it all if I die, though?" he growls. "I’ve seen what such reckless sacrifice does to those left behind. Hell, I’ve gone through it myself. I can’t… I don’t want to put anyone through that. Especially not…”

He trails off, but from the way he shyly glances away from her, she has a pretty good idea of what he was going to say.

Especially not you.

Annette’s breath catches in her throat. “Felix…"

“Annette, I…” He takes a deep breath and tries again. "A long time ago, the professor asked me why I wanted to become stronger. I didn't have an answer for her then, but now I finally understand what she was getting at. Having a reason to become stronger pushes you to work even harder to achieve your goals. I've come to realize that I want the strength not just to fight, but to protect the people I care about. But Gronder Field proved I'm still too weak. I couldn't even protect myself."

"Don't say that!" Annette cries. "It's all not your fault! I… I should have been paying more attention! You were the one covering for my mistake!"

"I know," Felix says softly. "But I also know that if the same thing were to happen again, I would make the same choice every time. And I hate it."

"You… hate that you want to protect me?"

"Wha— No! That's not what I— It's just that—" Felix cuts himself off with a groan and buries his face in his hand. "This is coming out all wrong…"

Annette smiles in spite of herself. She's never seen Felix so flustered before. "It's okay. I think I understand what you're trying to say."

"You do?" he asks, looking at her in surprise.

She nods at him. "I'm flattered that you want to protect me, Felix, but I don't want you to give up your life for my sake, either. So let's get stronger together."

Felix looks dumbstruck. "What?"

"I failed at Gronder Field, too. If it weren't for Mercie, you would have died. So, I also want to get stronger. I want to be able to protect you, too."

"Annette…"

"I… I've never told anyone except Mercie and His Highness, but my soulmate died before I got to meet him. Then my father left, and then His Highness went insane, and then the war happened, and… I just don't want to lose anyone else."

Felix gives her a strangely intense look. An emotion she can't identify swirls in the depths of his copper eyes. A long moment passes, and then he lowers his head, looking almost… ashamed. "Annette… There's something I need to tell you."

Annette's heart freezes. Had telling Felix her secret been a mistake? Was he going to scorn her now? She quickly tries to reason with herself. This is Felix. If she truly disgusted him, he wouldn't hide his displeasure. Something else had to be going on. She swallows and shakily asks, "What is it?"

"Your soulmate isn't dead."

Annette couldn't have recoiled more if Felix physically slapped her. She stares at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "Wh… What? How do you know that?"

"I…" Felix takes a deep breath, steeling himself for whatever he's about to say. When he opens his mouth again, though, it's not words that spill forth.

It's a song.

"Boxes, boxes all around; stack them up and knock them down."

Felix's voice is soft, shy, and slightly off-key. It's strangely familiar, and yet Annette knows she's never heard him sing before. More importantly, she recognizes the song as one of her compositions, and it leaves her reeling. "How… How do you know the box song?! Were you spying on me again?!"

Felix huffs another gusty sigh. "I should have known you'd jump to that conclusion…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Annette snaps.

"You always assume the worst from me. That's what makes this so hard."

"Makes what so hard? Stop being so confusing!"

"Annette." Felix affixes her with a piercing gaze. "It's me. I'm your soulmate."

For several long seconds, Annette's mind goes blank. When Felix's words finally sink in, all hell breaks loose. "Y-YOU?! You're my— But how?! That's impossible! I haven't— How long have you known?!"

"I've known since… that day in the greenhouse," Felix admits.

It's yet another verbal sucker punch. "You mean… That day? But that was years ago! And you never told me?! Why would you do that?!"

"I was an idiot," Felix says quietly. "I didn't care about soulmates at the time. And, well, I wasn't sure how to break the news after you yelled at me for complimenting you."

"Okay, I admit I was a little harsh back then, but that doesn't explain why you waited almost six years to tell me!" Annette yells. "And why did you stop singing in the first place? I spent so long thinking my soulmate was dead! That I was cursed to spend my life alone while you… While you…"

She's grateful for the rain, because it helps hide that she's crying. Stupid, evil Felix. It hurts all the more because she'd trusted him, and all this time he'd concealed something so important from her. Now he has the gall to drop all this on her and look apologetic about it.

"I know nothing I say can make up for what I did to you," he says. "I was stupid and selfish. I just wanted… No, it doesn't matter what I wanted. I hurt you, and I'll never forgive myself for that."

Annette is still furious, but Felix at least understands the gravity of what he's done. She turns to him and asks, "But why? Why did you do it? And why tell me now?"

"When Glenn died, I lost all faith in soulmates," he explains. "He never met his soulmate, after all. I saw no point in having a soulmate bond if I died before it amounted to anything. So I gave up on singing to a soulmate I wasn't sure I'd ever meet and devoted all my time and energy into my training."

Annette feels a tiny sting of guilt. She'd completely forgotten that Felix lost his brother. It made sense that he'd be too grief-stricken to want to sing after that. "But why did you keep me in the dark even after we met?"

"Like I said, I was selfish. First, I didn't tell you because you hated me. Then, after we got closer, I decided not to tell you because I didn't want you to go back to hating me. I knew it was wrong to keep the truth from you, but I… I didn't want to lose you. But I just made everything worse."

Annette quietly digests this. Felix didn't want to lose her? It almost sounds like he… likes her. Despite everything, warmth floods her heart. Suddenly, the girlish fantasies she'd been harboring for five years seem less far-fetched. Still, she's not ready to let him off the hook, at least not until she finishes her interrogation. If they are going to make this work, they will have to be open and honest with each other. No more secrets. No more hiding.

"So, why tell me now?" she asks.

"I was going to wait until after the war was over. You had already convinced yourself that your soulmate was dead. If I told you the truth and then I died, it would be like losing your soulmate twice. I didn't want to put you through that. But then Gronder Field happened, and…" He looks down at the shield in his hands again. "When I thought I was going to die, I realized just how stupid I was. You didn't know I was your soulmate, and you still cried over me. Then my old man died, and I saw just how dangerous it is to leave things unsaid. I… I don't want to have any more regrets. That's why… I had to tell you the truth, even if you hate me for it."

"Felix," Annette begins. "I don't hate you. I'm upset that you decided to hide all this from me, but I could never hate you for it."

The corners of Felix's mouth twitch. "That's more than I deserve."

"Don't say that," Annette says sternly. "I couldn't possibly abandon you right after you lost your father, no matter how slighted I felt. And besides… I understand why you did it."

"You… do?"

She nods. "You just didn't want to wind up hurt again. That is selfish, but it's not like I'm any better. You know, back in our academy days, I convinced myself that you'd hate me if you learned I had no soulmate."

"What? Why the hell would you think that?"

"Well, you were always so cold to His Highness, so I thought it had to do with how he had no soulmate. And people without soulmates usually are looked down upon."

A look of understanding crosses Felix's face. "So that's why you got so upset when I confronted you about the boar. Annette, I'm sorry I ever gave you that impression. I—"

Annette raises a hand to silence him. "It's okay. I know now that you were just trying to protect me. It was very sweet of you, even though the execution was… not so great."

Felix turns pink and grumbles something under his breath. It's ridiculously adorable. "Well, now that you know the truth, what are you gonna do about it?"

"About what?" Annette asks.

"About… us," Felix says softly. "I won't force you to stay with me just because we're soulmates."

Annette smiles at him. "That's very considerate of you."

He grunts and turns away. "I just… I don't care whatever the goddess decided for us. We should be able to make our own choices about who we want to be with."

"Oh, Felix. I've wanted to be with you for years."

Felix turns to face her so quickly that Annette is surprised he doesn't get whiplash. "Wh-what?!"

"I realized that I had feelings for you back at the Academy," she admits. "You're brave and strong and smart, and you have a kind heart underneath all that grouchiness. But I knew your family would never approve of a minor noble with no soulmate, so—"

"Seiros," Felix curses. "I really messed up."

Annette reaches over and places her hand on top of his. "Hey, it's okay. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"I guess," he concedes. "But… Are you really sure about this? We might not survive to see the end of the war. I already almost died once."

"I've never been more sure about anything. I'll take on the emperor herself if it means I can stand at your side."

Felix smiles wryly. "Took the words right out of my mouth."

Annette breaths a laugh and plays with a strand of her hair. "I'm glad that's settled. So, um…"

"What?"

"We should probably get out of the rain, don't you think?"

"Oh. Right."

They both climb to their feet, and Annette offers Felix her hand. He hesitates a moment before slowly taking hold of it, as if her hand was something precious that he was afraid of breaking. It warms her to her core. She then looks at the Aegis Shield in his other arm and feels a fresh wave of grief.

"I'm sorry about your father," she says softly.

"Don't be," he replies. "My old man made the choice to sacrifice himself. All we can do now is make sure that it wasn't wasted. If that means I have to take up his shield, then so be it."

"Felix…"

"I won't repeat my old man's mistakes. I'll fight as hard as I can to protect you and live."

"And I'll fight to protect you, too," Annette promises. "So, let's get stronger so we can both live."

Felix nods approvingly, and the two of them leave the training grounds together. Despite the continuing rain and her soaked clothes, Annette feels warmer than ever. Felix's hand is warm and solid around hers, and his steady presence is comforting. With him by her side, she feels like she can take on anything. There are still many problems to solve, not the least of which being Dimitri's bloodlust, but right now, nothing feels insurmountable. For the first time in a long time, the future looks brighter.

Felix is twenty-three when the Kingdom army takes Enbarr.

Getting here was a long journey. After Gronder Field, the boar—no, Dimitri—took Rodrigue's sacrifice to heart and put his bloodlust aside in order to reclaim Fhirdiad from Cornelia. Cornelia sent enormous magical automatons and countless Dukedom soldiers to take them down, but ultimately, the Kingdom army proved victorious.

Afterwards, Felix confronted Dimitri and demanded what his true face was: the animal's or the man's. Dimitri told him that both were his true face, and that it was his responsibility to shoulder the regret and anguish of the people who died for him. In response, Felix warned him to not serve corpses, and that wallowing in pain would do him no good. Dimitri smiled at him, told him that he was becoming more like Glenn, and thanked him for his insight. Felix doubted that they'd ever have the same relationship as when they were children, but it was a start.

They'd barely gotten the chance to celebrate their victory when they received a desperate plea for aid from the Alliance. Severely weakened at Gronder Field and under relentless attack from the Empire, the Alliance army, led by Claude, gathered in Derdriu to make their last stand.

Dimitri wasn't about to abandon them to the Empire, and assisting the Alliance made strategic sense, so they all set out for Derdriu the moment they could. As it turned out, Claude bet everything on the Kingdom army coming to assist them. Together, they drove the Imperials out of the city, and Claude left his Relic and the Leicester Alliance in Dimitri's hands. He claimed he had his own goals, and he needed to leave Fódlan to accomplish them.

With both Fhirdiad and Derdriu liberated, the Kingdom army no longer had to fear attack from the north or the east, and they could march into Imperial territory unimpeded. They captured Fort Merceus and defeated the Death Knight, enabling them to take the fight directly to the Imperial capital.

Now, Edelgard is finally dead, bringing an end to the long war. Rhea, weakened from her long imprisonment, has stepped down as archbishop, and Professor Byleth has taken the role in her place. On top of that, the former professor is also soon to be married.

To Dimitri.

The announcement surprises absolutely no one. Dimitri had been pining after Byleth for ages, and it became even more evident after he stopped listening to the voices of the dead. Byleth's affections were far less obvious at first, but as time went on, her blank face gradually became more expressive, and now the fondness in her eyes when she looks at Dimitri is unmistakable.

Their marriage is a bold move, both due to their positions and the fact that neither of them has a soulmate. Somehow, Felix is not surprised to learn that Byleth is like Dimitri—she has never heard her soulmate's voice. Byleth always had been an enigma, after all. Unlike Dimitri, though, not having a soulmate was not an issue for her, since she grew up as a mercenary. Now, she and Dimitri hope to forge a new Fódlan, where neither Crest nor soulmate will determine someone's status.

Change doesn't happen overnight, however, which is why Felix is grateful to have Annette as his soulmate. He can court her unopposed—although he would have fought tooth and nail against any noble that disapproved of his choice. When he tells Annette this, she sighs, kisses his cheek, and tells him not to change.

He's still not completely used to their new relationship. He'd figured Annette would want nothing to do with him after what he did to her, so discovering that she returned his feelings threw him for a loop. After that fateful rainy night, they'd cautiously explored new territory: holding hands, shy kisses, and even occasional bed sharing. It all feels both new and familiar at the same time. On the flip side, their friends found out about them almost immediately and proceeded to tease them relentlessly. Felix made sure to repay Sylvain for it the moment he had the chance.

Although the war is now over, Felix can't spend as much time with Annette as he'd like. With his father dead, he now must lead House Fraldarius as its new duke. In addition, Annette has her hands full trying to convince her father to come home with her. While she had managed to get Gilbert to talk with her over the course of the war, and he even gave her a massive pile of unsent letters addressed to her and her mother, he stubbornly remained at Dimitri's side.

Felix admirex her resolve, even though Gilbert sure as hell doesn't deserve her forgiveness. Then again, Felix didn't deserve her forgiveness, either, and yet she granted it anyway. Her ridiculously large heart is just one reason why he loves her.

The moons drag on, and Felix does his best to ignore the hole in his heart. It's not like he's completely disconnected from Annette—they regularly exchange letters and they still have their soulmate bond, after all—but he frequently finds himself longing to see and hear her for real. During the war, he admitted to her that he'd been captive to her voice for years, and that is truer now than ever before. Eventually, he gets tired of pining and decides to finally make his move.

As the new Duke Fraldarius, he is constantly loaded with work, but he manages to delegate some of it to his advisors so he can pay Annette a visit. They all know that she's his soulmate, so they don't object, although they request that he keep his business brief. He has to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying what he thinks about that.

He writes to Annette about his pending visit and tells her not to write back because he'll be in Dominic before he'll receive her response. He spends the entire trip with his heart pounding in anticipation. When he finally arrives in Dominic, Annette is there at the door to greet him, and she jumps him with a hug almost as soon as he climbs out of his carriage.

"I missed you," she says softly.

"I missed you, too," he responds, hugging her back.

Annette and her mother lead him inside where they share tea and pastries. Annette had even prepared Four Spice Blend and some savory pastries for him. Baron Dominic, for his part, keeps a watchful eye and a respectful distance. He is well aware of Felix and Annette's relationship, but it's clear he's still protective of his niece. If only Gilbert could get his head out of his ass enough to do the same.

Afterwards, Felix and Annette take a stroll through the garden. Dominic is much warmer than Fraldarius, and the spring flowers are in full bloom. As lovely as they are, none of them can compare to Annette. His cheeks flush at his own thoughts, and it takes all of his willpower to not touch the box in his pocket for the thousandth time. Saints, if he's getting this embarrassed over something so small, then how is he going to propose to her?

"Felix?" Annette asks.

"Huh?"

"Is something wrong? You seem… distracted. It's not like you."

Felix holds back a wince. Has he been that obvious? "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Thinking? About what?"

"About…" He sighs. At this point, he might as well come clean. "About how nice you look today."

Predictably, her face turns pink. "F-Felix! Don't say things like that out of the blue!"

"I wasn't going to, but you asked, so…"

"Oh, you're horrible!" she shouts, giving him a playful shove.

He chuckles. "I guess that's a step up from 'villain'."

"Oh, you're still a villain," Annette remarks. "Evil through and through."

Felix smiles in spite of himself. "I can't be that bad if you're still with me."

"Well, I have to make sure you're taking care of my heart because you won't give it back."

Felix feels all his blood rush to his face. He must look as red as Annette now. "That, um, makes sense."

"For the record, you're doing a pretty admirable job," Annette continues.

"Um… Thanks." Saints, his heart is going to burst out of his chest at this rate!

Annette giggles, and Felix is not sure how he is still alive. "You're blushing again."

"Sh-shut up."

Annette laughs again, but Felix can't bring himself to feel annoyed. She can tease him all day if it means he can keep hearing that lovely laugh. Saints, he is smitten.

They fall into a comfortable silence as they continue their walk, but Felix's mind is buzzing. He doesn't have much time before they'll have to return to the manor. He has to get this over with, because he has no idea when he'll get another chance to be alone with Annette.

"Annette," he calls softly.

"Yes?"

"I…" He swallows and tries to get his nerves under control. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

She looks at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I… Would you…" Seiros, why is this so hard? He can't get cold feet after coming all this way, but the words keep dying on his tongue. He takes a deep breath and makes up his mind. Throwing both caution and propriety to the wind, he reaches into his pocket and shoves the box into Annette's hand. "Here."

Annette stares at the box for several long seconds. She blinks once. Twice. After what feels like an eternity, she finally speaks. "Felix… Is this…?”

“Just open it, okay?” he says.

Annette raises an eyebrow at him. “You realize you’re the one who’s supposed to open it, right?”

“Fine,” he says with a sigh. He opens the lid for her, revealing a small silver ring embedded with a sapphire. Annette gasps at the sight.

“If you don’t want it, just say so,” Felix blurts. “I won’t force you to accept it.”

“Felix!” Annette exclaims. “Why would you buy this if you didn’t think I’d say yes?”

Felix winces. Of course he still found a way to screw everything up. “I just… It’s not that I thought you’d say ‘no’ outright. But if you’re not ready—”

“You dummy,” Annette interrupts. “I’ve been ready.”

“You… You have?”

“Well, I admit I am a little scared,” she explains. “But we survived a war, right? Running a territory can’t be too much harder.”

Felix gives her a wry smile. “You'd be surprised.”

“You’re only saying that because you can’t solve diplomacy problems by stabbing them,” Annette points out.

He can’t help but snort. “You know me too well. So, does that mean—”

She practically tackles him in a hug. “Yes! Of course I will marry you!”

The joy that sweeps through Felix at that declaration almost knocks him off his feet. He pulls himself together enough to slide the ring onto Annette’s finger, but he does not bother to hide his jubilation, even when they announce their engagement to Annette’s mother and uncle. He’ll probably earn another round of relentless teasing from Sylvain, but right now, he can’t bring himself to care.

He supposes he has the goddess partially to thank for this. Though he did not want it, she led him to Annette: the strongest, bravest, and kindest person he knew. And Annette had fallen for him without knowing he was her soulmate. Their bond is much stronger than a simple soulmate bond. He’s certain that he would have been drawn to her even if he hadn’t heard her voice in his head for years. The goddess just gave him a little push, so to speak.

He still finds the whole idea of soulmates flawed, but he'll never begrudge what his own soulmate bond has given him. A part of him feels guilty knowing Glenn never got to experience what he has, but he knows he had no control over Glenn’s fate. Besides, Byleth and Dimitri’s new Fódlan will give people who lost their soulmates a chance to find new happiness, and he knows he will have to play a big role in allowing that vision to come to pass. For now, though, he is content to indulge in his own happiness. Getting here wasn’t easy, but now that he has Annette, he wouldn’t trade her for the world.

After all, soulmate or not, she is his whole world.