Chapter Text
Sometimes Ashe Ubert thought there were too many instructors to keep track of at the Officers Academy of Garreg Mach as he made a point of trying to remember all their names. Even if some professors were exclusive for particular houses, it seemed like common decency.
Sure, some were quite eccentric and memorable characters, such as the Blue Lions’ own head of house, Professor Hanneman. Or the heads of two other houses, the diva that was Professor Manuela of Black Eagles or the silent and deadly, yet rather friendly and understanding Professor Byleth of Golden Deer. It also helped that those were, well, heads of houses, so you have to try to forget them or their names. Many other professors, though, were rather unassuming and, frankly, forgettable.
For example, Professor Jeritza, in charge of all general combat training, was mostly notable just because of his mask, and Professor Hayden, the Blue Lions primary archery instructor, had rather gruesome facial scars from his days as an Imperial knight. Both men were pretty reserved and kept to themselves, so visual distinction was about the only reason Ashe managed to memorize their names as fast as he did.
Professor Prompto, the Blue Lions primary faith magic instructor, didn’t even have that, with his mousy sandy hair and an unassuming monk robe, befitting a faithful member of the church. Though Ashe could see how the man loved his job; he frequently conversed with Mercedes and Annette after classes, educating them in theology and answering all their extra questions.
Professor Catherine Antirrhinum fell somewhere in-between the two extremes. She was invited as a temporary swordsmanship instructor for Ashe’s class after Professor Iustus, their usual instructor, came down with a bad case of flu. From what Ashe knew, their new professor previously served as an exclusive tutor for the Golden Deer house. Hanneman introduced her at the beginning of the class, before leaving for other business, or, perhaps, returning to his crest research.
At a glance, the woman seemed rather unassuming and quiet, contrary to her more famous namesake within the walls of Garreg Mach, the boisterous Thuderbrand Catherine. Though Ashe noted the way her assassin uniform with its light shoulder pads and twin blades incorporated formal clothing was peculiar.
Then Sylvain opened his mouth.
“Guys, Hanneman must’ve accidentally summoned an angel here,” the redhead flirted, earning the groans of his fellow students. Dimitri silently buried his face in his hands and Ingrid looked like she was about to strangle the man. Ashe just sighed as he sat next to the Gautier heir.
“Most amusing, Gautier,” the woman said in a deadpan manner, fixing her sleek square glasses and closing in. Sylvain continued to smile, but with each step that Professor Antirrhinum took, it turned more brittle. Ashe himself felt a bit out of place as the atmosphere shifted and the class grew silent. Suddenly, each step of her war boots that previously seemed silent, was now as loud as a magical explosion. Though the gray-haired student wasn’t the one pierced by the hardened green eyes, Ashe, too, felt a chill climb up his spine.
“Professor, please forgive Sylvain’s manners-” Dimitri started, but the woman interrupted the prince by raising her hand in his direction.
“There is nothing you should apologize for, Your Highness,” Catherine said calmly, her eyes never leaving Sylvain’s face. Ashe wasn’t even sure if she blinked once. “Perhaps, if sir… Sylvain feels confident, he would bedazzle us with his theoretical knowledge of swordsmanship. First question. Name two or three C-rank swords. Fifteen seconds, it’s an easy one.”
“I- erm…” Sylvain certainly looked out of his element, his carefree smile falling in an instant. “S-silver swords?”
“Time’s up,” the woman interrupted in the same calm voice, loudly snapping her fingers right in front of the man’s face, making him flinch. “Venin edges, levin swords, killing edges. They all require high proficiency to wield. Especially levin swords, in my practice, as they classify as magical weaponry.” The woman said, before pausing. She finally turned around to return to her desk and the blackboard, and Ashe noticed Sylvain slump with relief… only to freeze when the professor addressed him once more. “And silver swords belong to the B-rank. I hope you’re taking notes, Gautier.”
Sylvain did so immediately as Catherine turned around, surveying the class like a predator looking at their prey. Most began taking notes as well. Seemingly satisfied with all students paying attention to her words, the woman began her lecture proper, never raising her voice.
“From Iustus’s notes I’m aware that you’ve covered E-ranks and D-ranks in full, so today we’ll cover C-ranks as a whole. There is no specialized anti-class weaponry in that rank like rapiers or armorslayers you’ve encountered previously, the closest being levin swords due to their semi-magical nature. However, there are certain nuances to consider. Let’s start with the basics. Silver swords.”
The rest of the lecture passed in near-dead silence, as Ashe and other Lions scrambled to take notes.
“What a woman,” Sylvain giggled nervously after the class, stretching, as the core Blue Lions gathered not too far from their classroom to discuss the new professor.
“Yes, and you most likely ruined her impression of us,” Ingrid scowled, crossing her arms. “An ‘angel’, you said? That angel’s married, and you’d know that if you paid the slightest of attention. And you’ll be lucky if there aren’t two professors out after your head now!”
“Oops?” the redhead shrugged with another giggle. “Wouldn’t be the first time…”
“You had one lord after you, not two professors, of which at least one looks like she could break you like a twig!”
Ashe didn’t really consider it, but now that he thought of it, yes, there was another Professor Antirrhinum who read lectures on reason magic for Black Eagles and Golden Deer. Weird how the two of them managed to avoid Blue Lions.
“I do not believe that Professor Catherine would be presumptuous like this, Ingrid,” the crown prince interrupted, not necessarily protecting Sylvain from the critique. The blonde hummed, considering the professor’s character. “She appears to be judging students by their merit. She seemed respectful of our stations, but treated them like an afterthought when addressing us.”
“She’ll likely think better of you if you complete her assignment in time,” Ashe suggested. The new professor didn’t strike him as needlessly cruel. Demanding and no-nonsense? Certainly. Ashe could even admit, with no shame, that she was frankly terrifying. But Catherine seemed to have good intentions and didn’t really belittle anyone who had questions. Not that anyone was brave enough to ask questions during that lecture, but she still answered some that had been on their minds, framing them as questions that students usually had at that point.
“I wonder if her bite measures to her bark,” Felix hmphed. With all due respect to Felix’s sword fighting abilities, Ashe didn’t think the Fraldarius heir could hope to beat that woman. Appearances could be deceiving, but the archer really didn’t think it was the case there.
“Bold words from the guy who sat in the back of the class,” Sylvain barked a laugh. The insinuation, obviously, irked Felix and the two quickly devolved into a quarrel. Ashe shook his head as their little group began to disperse for the time being, however, something caught his eye.
In the doors of the Blue Lions classroom stood Professor Antirrhinum. Her eyes, ever cold and calculating, seemed to follow something. As Ashe followed her line of sight it appeared that she was watching Dimitri, who was conversing with Dedue as the two made their way to the dining room.
Suddenly, her gaze shifted onto him, as Ashe froze, not used to having her undivided attention on him, and involuntarily locked their eyes.
Fortunately, the student was saved by Professor Hanneman who entered the picture to thank Catherine for assisting with his class. The fearsome assassin had to break eye contact to engage in small chat with her senior colleague. Ashe was still certain in his judgment of her character, but for now he just didn’t feel brave enough to stay in her presence.
In the end, Ashe couldn’t say she was one of the eccentric professors, per se, but he certainly wouldn’t be forgetting her name anytime soon. He had to write to Christophe and ask if she was around when he was a student.