Chapter Text
“Today we’ll be practicing the pair-up maneuvers,” Byleth announced at the training grounds as the class began. “Hilda, with Marianne. Leonie, with Ignatz. Raphael, with Lysithea. Lorenz, with Claude-”
Lorenz felt his eye twitch, while the professor kept listing students of minor noble names and forgettable, if rather capable, commoners. To be paired with the single most irritating and least trustworthy person that Garreg Mach hosted was a torture even before the exercise began.
The gates behind the group of students suddenly opened right as the head of house finished dividing students into groups. Two figures stepping in, both quite familiar to the students of the Golden Deer. An assassin and a warlock, their recurring instructors.
“Professor Catherine and Professor Basil volunteered to assist, demonstrating a unit of a close combat fighter and a long-range mage,” the mercenary finished, as if the couple’s arrival was planned to a moment like a line in a play. Lorenz cringed as he felt Claude’s painfully insincere one-armed hug.
“Hey, Lorenz, buddy, I think we’ll be a good team against these two,” Claude chuckled. “We may even knock them out and impress Teach if we’re lucky.”
“If you truly think so, then you’re not just a menace to society, but a delusional fool as well. Not that it would be news to me,” the purple-headed noble scowled, roughly removing von Riegan’s arm from his shoulders. The tanned man only seemed amused, to Lorenz’s increasing frustration.
Claude had to know perfectly well that their swordsmanship and reason magic instructors were a force to be reckoned with. It’s true that theoretical knowledge didn’t necessarily translate into battle proficiency, but these two were some of the instructors for whom it did. It was obvious that they weathered plenty of battles. It was seen in every economical move that Professor Catherine made, if not in the magics that Professor Basil used.
A loud snap interrupted the venomous words that the Gloucester heir was about to spit at his unfortunate pair-up partner. All heads turned to Professor Catherine, who was visibly annoyed with the students’ chatter and fixed the twin blades hanging from her belt, before glancing at her companion and also fixing his signature silver feather. Lorenz was still doubted the rumors of the accessory being a dagger. Catherine's husband, Professor Basil, glanced around the training grounds, seemingly performing a mental headcount, before nodding in satisfaction.
“Marvelous, it’s simply marvelous!” the magic user clasped his hands in enjoyment. Considering how the man was hardly taller than Hilda, Lorenz couldn’t help but compare him to an overexcited child for a moment, but immediately banished these thoughts. It was unbecoming to think poorly of an esteemed instructor. “Thank you for inviting us, Professor. It is a great honor to show our strategy in motion, as you say.”
“We need volunteers,” Catherine said, her piercing green eyes surveying the students. Some trembled immediately, but Lorenz stood strong. “We need to demonstrate how you should work together. …and how you shouldn’t.”
“My love, you’re scaring the students,” Basil chuckled, cupping his chin. “We won’t go too hard on you. So, is anyone willing?”
Lorenz himself turned around to see if anyone, perhaps, raised their hand, when a sudden “Us!” sounded… right next to him. It’s been a moon and a half since Lorenz had a desire that strong to strangle the Riegan heir. But alas, today was not the day he would actually do it.
“Ah, Claude! Enthusiastic as you always are,” the warlock’s grin grew. For just a single moment, Lorenz could swear he saw it turn a little bit too wide, as if the professor could see some hidden motivation in Claude’s actions. Though it may have been a trick of light and Lorenz’s raging emotions clouding his perception. “And who’s your fortunate partner?”
With a ridiculous bow with a twist and a twirl, Claude pointed at Lorenz, and Basil couldn’t help a quiet snort he unsuccessfully tried to play off as a cough. The purple-headed noble could hear some of his classmates snickering as well at the charming schemer’s antics.
“Not so fortunate, then.”
“The Gloucester boy. That’ll be interesting,” Professor Catherine smirked, and somehow, that was even more terrifying than her usual frown. Shaking his head and cursing Claude’s enthusiasm, the noble sighed and went to pick up a training lance, as Byleth ordered everyone to clear the space.
Lorenz held his weapon firmly, absent-mindedly regretting his intentions to take cavalier qualification exams instead of training as a mage. Though he did see benefits in confronting, if only in a training battle, some of the most efficient fighters of the Officers Academy faculty. The Antirrhinums weren't of the same league as, say, Sir Alois or the renowned Thunderstrike Catherine, but they did make ripples in the water, and Lorenz did hear of their exploits. They once assisted Lord Holst in deflecting an Almyran invasion in Leicester, shortly before the archbishop's visit there. It was one of the shortest confrontations with their neighbours to date, and that was not a coincidence.
Lorenz noted that he did have a weapon type advantage against Professor Catherine, though he doubted it would help him much against her superior overall experienced and proficiency. In the corner of his eye he could see Claude twirling an arrow in impatience, or, perhaps, in thought.
“Begin,” Professor Byleth announced, and the fighters sprang into action.
The lance-wielder barely had time to blink before he had to put his lance sideways to block Professor Catherine’s overhead swing and immediately dodge to the side to avoid her second blade. A couple of arrows struck from above, forcing the professor to put some distance and allow Lorenz to use his lance as the Goddess intended - to keep the enemy at a distance.
“An excellent curved shot, Claude!” Basil commented, and Lorenz couldn’t help but agree. For all his faults, the schemer was more than a decent shot. However, immediately after that proclamation, Lorenz had to dodge himself, as the warlock took an active approach, sending miasma spells his way. True, it wouldn’t kill him or even leave nasty wounds in this environment, from such an opponent, but to be hit with one would be rather painful.
As Lorenz dodged the volley of spells, sent in short succession, Claude seized the moment to send several projectiles the professor’s way… only for them to be deflected by Catherine’s swords. The Antirrhinums shared a glance before turning to face the students.
“Acceptable basic teamwork,” Professor Catherine nodded.
“But now we’ll up the ante,” her husband chuckled once more, before casting. Expecting to dodge, Lorenz was caught unaware when dark magic instead flew to the side where he was going. In an attempt to evade it, he barely caught the assassin’s swords against his lance. A flurry of furious strikes pushed him back, closer to Claude, obstructing the man’s view and making it hard for him to shoot straight.
The Gloucester heir felt beads of sweat on his forehead as he tried to keep up with the professor’s speed, at the same time avoiding another professor’s spells that always seemed to cover the assassin’s weak spots. Adding to that, his back was almost pressed to Claude’s position. However, the archer caught a moment to roll to the side to attempt to shoot the swordsmanship professor from a crouching position. Unfortunately, he was blindsided by a dark spell that he barely managed to avoid.
Lorenz saw the opportunity now that the spellcaster was distracted trading blows with the dodgy archer. The lance-wielder tried to go on offensive, and it seemed that Catherine started to fall into defensive positions. However, it left him open to a miasma spell sent in-between answers to Claude’s arrow. And that one spell finally hit home. As Lorenz gasped in shock, the woman tripped the student, leaving him to crash into Claude when he dodged yet another spell.
The heirs of noble houses crashed into each other and went down for the count, groaning on the floor. Applause reigned as fellow students were in awe of the intense fight. Lorenz could see Professor Basil planting a chaste kiss to his wife’s cheek before coming in to offer a hand to the defeated students.
“You’ve done a great job,” the man smiled warmly, helping the noble up. “I hope we didn’t hit too hard.”
“Have no… worry, professor,” Lorenz answered, gasping slightly as he felt the strain on his muscles. “No significant injuries.”
“A bruise or a two from that body crashing into me,” Claude joked, taking Catherine’s hand to stand up. “Sorry, Teach, we tried!”
Professor Byleth, watching the exercises closely, shook his head. His stoic expression could be interpreted as disappointment, yet all Golden Deer students by now could see that their head of house was, if anything, bemused.
“You did a good job,” the mercenary said, approaching the group. “Your individual techniques were adequate. Your falling was in lack of awareness of your battle partner.”
“Hard to keep track of what’s going on behind my back,” Lorenz couldn’t help but note, earning Professor Basil’s chuckle.
“I’d say it’s a matter of experience, Lorenz,” the warlock pointed out, as he absent-mindedly, yet lovingly held Catherine’s hand in his. “We spent years fighting side by side and back to back. Naturally, we can read the intentions of each other simply by reading our body language to make split-second decisions. It’s something that will come to you in time, as you continue to fight alongside your fellow students.”
“Now, there’s enough room for two separate fights,” Byleth announced. “Leonie and Ignatz, you go against Wilhelm and Ophelia. Ernest and Ronald, you’re against Raphael and Lysithea.”
Lorenz could hear the groans from who he believed to be that Ernest and Ronald pair who didn’t want to face Lysithea's devastating magical might. He would have chuckled, but his body felt too much like one giant bruise.
Contrary to popular belief, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester was not a stranger to romantic ideals. It’s true that his obligations as a noble demanded him to find a respectable bride to further the power and influence of his house, but deep inside, he couldn’t help but yearn for a true love at times, as he stayed up late, perfecting the wording of his poems. The ones dedicated to love, in particular. Perhaps, in a perfect world, his needs would coincide with his wants, but alas, such a scenario was highly improbable.
Still, the clock was ticking, and Lorenz was no closer to finding a suitable partner, which was something his father bothered him about in his regular correspondence, among other things. As Lorenz remembered the loving couple of instructors that he faced that week, he thought that maybe one of them could offer him some guidance in romantic prospects. Professor Byleth did chastise him for his fairly harmless advances towards several ladies, so he must be doing something wrong.
Normally Lorenz would consider himself a courageous man, but he did feel odd, hesitating to knock on Professor Basil’s door this late in the evening, on a weekend, too. As the man raised his hand, he suddenly heard voices inside the room.
“Excellent job!” the professor's jolly voice exclaimed. “You’re making good progress. I’ll extend my thanks to Lysithea. But it should be enough for today, pack up.”
“I coulda kept going,” another voice said. Lorenz felt like he heard that young voice around the monastery, but couldn’t put a face to it.
“Nay, my boy, you should never underestimate the benefits of a good night’s sleep,” Basil countered. “It’s what I always tell my lovely Catherine. You remind me of her in that regard. Lovable workaholics who never think they do enough.”
Lorenz couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on something personal, so he gathered his strength and knocked on the door. In a moment, it opened, revealing Professor Basil, though without his signature steel feather in his hair. As he involuntarily peeked into the quarters, the noble could finally see who that other voice belonged to. That was Cyril, the Almyran boy that he did indeed see around the monastery, doing all sorts of tasks. Claude seemed fond of him and, apparently, so were the Antirrhinums. It made one think…
“Ah, Lorenz, a pleasure, if a surprise,” Basil greeted the young man cheerfully, before growing worried for a moment. “How can I be of service? No major disasters, I hope?”
“Good evening, Professor. Nothing of the sort,” Lorenz quickly reassured. “It’s… a somewhat sensitive matter.”
“I see, I see,” the warlock glanced around, making sure that no one was in the corridor, before turning to face his other visitor. “Cyril, I think you should be going. And don’t forget-”
“...the end-of-the-week seminar for axe-wielders tomorrow. I remember, Professor,” the boy nodded, passing the two men. “Blue Lions classroom, with Professor Julian, early in the morning. I got it.”
Basil shook his head in bemusement, before focusing on Lorenz.
“Come in, Lorenz, come in.”
On one hand, the professor’s quarters were cozy and full of life, with several plants around, even if most of them were cacti, and a painting hanging on a wall. It wasn’t large, but Lorenz couldn’t help but gaze at it. It was a simple motif, of a knight clashing with a titanic dragon, yet the vision of the artist was unique. The noble warrior was a blue figure with a golden sword and a shining shield, and the dragon was a dark demonic presence, melting into the shadows of a cathedral. Whoever drew that had quite the imagination.
Still, on the other hand, once Lorenz was no longer distracted with grand painting, he noted that the rest of the room was a bit of a mess. Random papers on each corner, books put in haphazard fashion on the shelves and on the floor - some of those paper columns seemed unstable. About the only place of the room that looked proper was the weapon rack with a variety of lances that Lorenz was surprised to recognize as high-ranked: a killer lance, a short spear and what seemed to be a modified venin lance. The very fact that Professor Basil could seemingly wield those, even if as secondary weapons… Lorenz had his sights on dark knight qualification and he knew how using both magic and conventional weapons could be taxing and required significant experience.
Stunned, Lorenz withheld his comments about the general state of the professor’s quarters. For the moment, at least, as it would be counterproductive to his visit. Lorenz's host followed his eyes to the rack.
“A connoisseur of lances, I see. Understandable, it's quite a collection. So, what of this sensitive matter of yours?” Basil said, as he poured tea in the surprisingly fine china that was already on the table. Lorenz assumed that the professor already shared a cup of tea with Cyril. The smell was divine, and the noble smiled, recognizing the smell of bergamot. “Your favorite?”
“Indeed, thank you,” the purple-headed noble said, accepting the cup and collecting his thoughts, scattered by both his nerves and the oddities of the instructor. “I believe you… are aware of the obligations that nobles face, are you not, Professor?”
“It depends on what exactly you mean,” the man smiled, sipping from his own cup. “I am aware of a great many things, indeed, but I cannot read minds yet.”
Lorenz wouldn’t be surprised if the professor was of noble birth with his manners and skills, even though his quirkiness didn’t exactly suit most noble houses.
“What I’m talking about is the obligation of furthering the prestige of one’s house… through marriage,” the young noble admitted, and he could see the eyes of his instructor lighting up, as he seemed to realize the core of Lorenz’s issues.
“Ah. Love troubles, then.”
Lorenz neither admitted, nor denied the words, sipping more of his tea.
“And you’ve decided to ask a respectable man for some tips, I presume,” Basil chuckled. “Out with your question, then, young man. The etiquette of courtship, the best choice of a bride? I can offer you advice on many different aspects of the matter.”
The student carefully considered his next words, but his lips betrayed him as he asked the question his romantic heart yearned to ask.
“How did you and Professor Catherine meet?”
Professor Basil got quiet for a moment, heightening Lorenz’s well-hidden anxious thoughts, though his smile never fell. If anything, it had grown softer and even more sincere.
“Ah. My first meeting with Catherine,” with just the inflections of his voice around her name, Lorenz could see how deeply in love the man was. “You, perhaps, expect a tale of a daring adventure, or a story of a dramatic meeting at a grand ball. …but, really, it was something more subdued and grounded.”
“In our youth we both fashioned ourselves as people of art and culture. Still do, in fact, to an extent. Like attracts like, and I befriended a good man, who introduced me to Catherine,” Basil chuckled. “Our very first conversation quickly devolved into an inspired discussion of proper spelling of different words. We never really agreed on that, in the end. It became one of our inside jokes.”
It’s true that the story wasn’t all that exciting, but the emotion behind the words moved Lorenz, who put his now-empty cup on the table.
“Some momentous occasions come in unassuming forms,” the noble offered.
“Well said,” the professor agreed. “It’s possible that you’ve already met your perfect partner, who knows.” Lorenz nodded thoughtfully before standing up. Basil followed, to lead the student out of the room. “Take a good, hard look around you. Catherine and I were friends before we could ever hope to become something more. Not to mention, the fires of battle strengthen relations, and if you can rely on a person in war, there’s a good chance you can rely on them in peace as well, so to speak.”
“I will take your wisdom into consideration, Professor,” Lorenz nodded gratefully as he exited the room. “Have a pleasant night.”
“You as well, Lorenz.”
Someone that he already knew. It wasn’t really a thought that frequented his mind, but Lorenz supposed there could be a grain of truth in the professor’s words. There was still almost a year to be spent at the Academy, so if Lorenz could deepen his relations… there could be someone.
It was something he kept in mind that night.