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“No, no, you got it all wrong Professor Hanneman! The stage should be a little over to the left!”
Byleth approaches the field just outside of the Officer’s Academy’s classrooms to see the other two professors already preparing for the big night.
“But if I move it, then it won’t be in the center, now would it be Manuela?” The gray-haired professor replied, waving his arm to guide the podium.
“Oh, charming, that you dropped my title. Since when have you been so informal with me?” Manuela gave a wink.
Hanneman gave a frustrated sigh, and looked away from the podium, his eyes peering onto Byleth.
“Ah, Professor, you’re just in time. Could you help Manuela string the lights?”
Byleth nodded. “Yes, I would be willing to lighten the load.”
Hanneman smiled. “Thank you,” he said gently. As the professor walked by him, he added quietly, shaking his head. “I see what you did there. You’ve been around Alois too long.”
Byleth followed Manuela into the Golden Deer classroom, where the tables were covered with packages of decorations, a helium tank, wrapping paper, and various cut-outs.
Manuela went towards the teacher desk in the back of the classroom, grabbing stringed lights. She whipped around and gave a smile to Byleth.
“And how is our favorite little professor today?”
The professor’s green eyes peered away from Manuela, looking towards the unlit fireplace. “Excited…yet nervous.”
Manuela gave a giggle, striding away from the desk. “You, of all people, nervous? I can’t imagine why.”
The two of them walk out of the classroom and make their way to the pillars beside the classrooms. Manuela sets the lights down.
“Well it’s…tomorrow’s speech.”
“Hah!” Manuela bursted out laughing, facing away from Byleth and waving a hand to lift the lights up. “That old thing? You’re afraid of a speech when you’ve done mercenary work and have risked your life? Why would you be afraid of that?”
Byleth lifted a hand to help Manuela. They started placing lights along the pillars by the classrooms, and continued adding lights away from them.
“It’s…hard to explain, but it’s different,” The professor stated quietly. “I have done mercenary work throughout my life, so it is second nature to me. But you know,” their hand faltered, watching as the final light was stamped onto a pillar outside of the entrance to the main hall. “I am not the most social or talkative. What if I mess up in front of everyone?”
“Aww, you’re worried because you care about us that much,” Manuela replied sweetly. “I don’t think you have anyone to worry about, Professor. If you mess up, it won’t be the end of Fódlan. We love you too much to care.”
“Besides,” Hanneman butted in, finally putting the stage in the center against the brick wall directly opposite of the classrooms. “You have practiced your speech for weeks, and I have watched you do it. Thrice. You’ve exhausted your potential.”
“And your father Jeralt helped you write it, didn’t he?” Manuela asked, walking towards Byleth. Byleth nodded as Manuela placed a hand on their shoulder.
“Then it’s top-notch and full of heart. I believe in you, Professor.”
Manuela withdrew her hand from Byleth’s shoulder, but Byleth’s frown did not change. “I sure hope so,” they sighed.
Hanneman stepped away from the podium and went into the Golden Deer classroom. Manuela watches him and says “Come Professor, we must help Hanneman out with the rest. He can’t do everything by himself.”
She turns away, chuckling. Byleth stands there frozen, their heart sinking into their chest.
From outside, Byleth could hear Hanneman yell “Manuela! How dare you leave everything a mess in here! It was all organized until you came!”
…
Later that evening, the entire field was adorned with not only flowers, but by strung lights, streamers, balloons, and a podium surrounded by chairs. Those chairs were filled by students, professors, and some of the Knights of Seiros. Everyone who had made that school year was in attendance.
Archbishop Rhea was behind a podium, looking down at everyone in their seats. Beside her was her right-hand man Seteth, on stage.
“Good evening everyone and welcome,” Lady Rhea began warmly, spreading her arms “To tonight’s pre-commencement ceremony and party.” She closes her arms, and rests them on the podium. “I hope tonight and tomorrow will fill you all with not only joy and warmth, but to serve as a reminder. A reminder to all students and faculty to what they have accomplished academically and personally, the friends as well as the international connections we have made along the way, and the memories that will last a lifetime well after you step away from the Officer’s Academy.”
Rhea paused. “This year was special because we have all three heirs from their respective countries here in the graduating class. I am proud to have invested into their future ambitions as Emperor, King, and Duke.” She straightened her posture, and plastered a small smile on their face. “Enough formalities. Seteth, why don’t you go ahead and reveal what’s underneath that curtain?”
“I thought you would never ask, Lady Rhea,” Seteth answered in his usual, stiff intonation. Using one hand, he threw the curtain off of a large rectangular canvas sitting atop of a large easel. The canvas was facing horizontally. “Behold, paintings of the greatest moments throughout the year,” he stated plainly.
“I’m sure everyone remembers the mock-battle between the Three Houses,” Rhea started, lifting a hand to demonstrate the picture. It had Black Eagle students and Blue Lions students close to each other, some locking blades, and others shouting and yelling. Meanwhile, we see Claude and the Golden Deer hiding in a bush. “It was not only a test of strength, but of character. We got a sense of who the students were. Their…humble beginnings you could say.”
Seteth then removed the easel, and then it showed the next picture. It looked similar. Some students were a few inches taller. “Ah, the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, which took place a few moons after the mock-battle. Not only historical to Fódlan’s history, but also a hallmark of students’ progress. Or…” She pointed at Claude in the picture, hiding behind a bush. “A lack thereof.”
The crowd began to laugh. Claude, who was sitting beside Lorenz, elbowed him. “Hey, who could blame us? The other houses were at each other's throats, and we wanted to strike when the time was right. Patience is a virtue, am I right?”
Lorenz scoffed. “Yeah, if we actually won. We would have if you let me take the reins!”
Seteth then removed the canvas to reveal the next painting. It was a picture of the ballroom. It was warm and vibrant.
And in the center, a red-haired student dancing his heart out. Other students are watching in shock.
“The White-heron cup is a renowned tradition and beloved by our students. Naturally, the contest is exciting. The ball itself is where many romances have bloomed between our students throughout the years. Based on the painting, I’m sure you could guess who won the cup this year.”
“SYLVAIN!” A group shouted behind him. It was Caspar, Raphael, Claude, Hilda, Annette, and Leonie. They were also howling like wolves.
Sylvain stood up proudly with his eyes closed, bowing at his praise.
“Yeah, but he still doesn’t have a date though!” Ingrid said, laughing.
“S-shut up,” Sylvain said quietly, his posture collapsed. He sat down.
When the cheering waned, Rhea’s expression went from a mix of disgust and confusion to her neutral state. She continued. “Outside of extra-curriculars, and monthly missions, students were expected to study their craft and find a style of combat they excel at.” She turned to Seteth, with him removing the White-heron cup painting. The next one had three students standing in a classroom. “I am proud to say that everyone had made it to their Master certification by the end of the school year. However, three students, one from each house, got their certifications first through hard work and persistence:
“Lindhardt of the Black Eagles, Annette of the Blue Lions, and Lysithea of the Golden Deer all got their certifications first. I am proud to say that these three students, along with the house leaders, will get the opportunity to stand on the stage tomorrow and give a class speech.”
There was applause and a few whistling sounds from the audience. Seteth moved the painting to reveal the next one. “These three are our winners for the Field Award, which is awarded to students who stood out during the monthly missions. They acted accordingly in emergencies, were brave when brigands were tough, and will make fine soldiers. I bestow the award upon Caspar of the Black Eagles, Felix of the Blue Lions, and Raphael of the Golden Deer. Come up here you three, so that I may award you.”
The audience applauded again as the three of them rose from their seats, and walked onto the stage by the podium. Rhea walked away from the podium, holding three medals in her hand. She placed the medals around each of the students’ necks in order of house. Raphael wore a huge grin, while Caspar yelled a “Yeah!”, while Felix remained indifferent.
They walked off stage, and returned to their seats.
“And finally, we have one more award to present: the citizenship award. This goes to students who were kind, social, and helped those in need around the monastery. The award goes to Petra of the Black Eagles, Ashe of the Blue Lions, and Leonie of the Golden Deer.”
The three of them rose from their seats, hearing applause, received their medals, and returned to their seats.
Rhea leaned over her podium. “If you did not receive an award today, do not fret. It was a tough race, and everyone stood out in their own way. When you pick up your cap and gown, you will find that I left everyone a few gifts as well. Remember: tonight is about you. I want you to have a grand time tonight.
“You can pick up your cap and gown in the Black Eagles classroom. Food will be served in the Blue Lions classroom, and party games will be hosted in the Golden Deer classroom. The dance floor will be in the field here once we tear everything down. Thank you everyone for coming.”
“Er, Lady Rhea,” Seteth said in a confused tone. “I have something to ask of you: where did these paintings come from?”
“Oh?” Lady Rhea turned around to look at Seteth.
Seteth removed the award painting to reveal the first: It was Dimitri sitting in the same field as the one they were in, his hands were full of strands of grass, and his cheeks were puffed up. His eyes are wide. In the audience, Dedue face palmed while everyone else was laughing.
“I…don’t remember asking the painter to make this one,” Lady Rhea said, sounding lost.
“There’s a few more,” Seteth said urgently. Removing the next one, he revealed one in the training grounds. Ferdinand was shown flexing his muscles, a dummy was broken on the ground. A speech bubble in caps read: “I AM FERDINAND VON AEGIR!”
The audience laughed louder. Rhea shook her head. “What? You can’t hear sound in a painting.”
“There’s one more,” Seteth finished as he revealed the final painting. It pictured Claude putting a finger over his mouth. He’s upside down. Beside him was Hilda trying not to laugh. Marianne is behind them seated in the dining hall beside Raphael, who is trying to eat through styrofoam food on his plate.
“I don’t remember that,” Rhea said in confusion. “Seteth, where did these paintings come from?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Seteth shook his head.
In the audience, Ignatz had a paintbrush behind his back. “I guess they’ll never know,” he shrugged.
“Hey, it was worth it. Thanks for doing that for me,” Claude whispered, winking.
Byleth put a hand over their mouth, quietly laughing.
“Anyway, students, I direct you over to the Black Eagles classroom where you can get your cap and gown, among other things. Have a fine time, everyone,” Rhea finished, bowing and walking off stage.
Students began to rise from their seats. Some lingered and talked outside while others were beginning to form a line inside of the classroom.
As Byleth rose, a hand was placed on their shoulder. They turn around to see Alois.
“Hey there, Professor of the hour! Mind if you help me give out the caps and gowns?”
“Of course not,” Byleth replied. “Let us commence .”
Alois was silent and so was Byleth.
“I-I’m sorry, let us go,” Byleth replied, shaking their head.
As they made their way to the Black Eagles classroom, Alois winced, whispering. “Yikes, even I haven’t made a joke that bad.”
…
The Black eagles classroom had desks covered with tablecloth, and on top of them, painting supplies. Towards the professor’s desk, some other desks were lined up. Byleth was on one end where the line was, handing out caps and gowns. Alois was on the other, handing out gifts and welcoming students to sit down and paint.
A few students had already passed by, either going back outside, or sitting down to work on their caps. As Byleth handed out caps and gowns, they would not say much, but they would wave and smile and listen to the students speak to them. They would respond accordingly.
“H-hey, Professor,” a student greeted them.
Byleth waved. “Hello Bernadetta,” They turned around at the wall to look at the Black Eagle’s rack. They grabbed the garment bag labeled “Bernadetta Von Varley”, and walked back to the desk.
“Here you are,” They replied, smiling.
“Thank you,” Bernadetta sighed with relief. “Hey…before I go, I want to thank you, Professor.”
“Oh?” Their eyes returned to Bernadetta, curious.
“Without you…I probably would have never left my room and made friends. I-I’ll never forget when you encouraged me to go dine with you and the other Black Eagles. It was hard at first…but I felt like I was able to make friends, in and out of the class. And when I struggled to speak, you helped me with my thoughts, and reassured me that nobody was going to judge me. Thank you, Professor,” Bernadetta smiled, her eyes watering.
“It’s…it’s my pleasure,” Byleth’s chest warmed unusually. “I’m always happy to help.”
“I hope I still see you around after tomorrow. I’ll be in that corner painting with Ignatz if you want to um…if you need me or anything.”
“Alright. Have fun,” Byleth waved once more as the recluse walked to Alois’ end. He greeted her and started to make a bad pun. The hypocrite.
A few more students pass and things go smoothly until Leonie was next in line. Her hair was well-kempt, and she was dressed in an evening gown.
“Evening, Jeralt’s child,” Leonie chuckled.
Byleth shook their head and went to the Golden Deer rack to grab her cap and gown.
When handing it off to her, Leonie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, lighten up, will you? The Jeralt part was only a joke,” she paused, grabbing the bag. “In fact, I stopped thinking about him a long time ago. My internship with Catherine is going very well and I can’t wait to continue it beyond graduation.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Byleth replied, their shoulders relaxed.
“Actually, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I would have been in this internship.”
Byleth cocked their head to the side slightly. “I did not do much.”
“Nonsense, you did plenty. You helped me raise the money, but it was more than that. With our time together, I got to learn more about you and…I realized something. I wasted years comparing myself to you. It was great being your father’s apprentice and all, but I’ll never be his child. It’s so stupid in hindsight.”
She paused for a moment, stretching her arms. “And besides, finding my own worth as a warrior and working under someone else’s wing was a huge help. Thank you, Professor. My further education is set, and I’ll always be grateful.”
“You are welcome, Leonie,” Byleth’s smile returned.
Leonie gave a wave and walked off.
Byleth did not expect two, let alone any students to thank them for anything. Since even before they helped set everything, Byleth felt low. However, those words of kindness lifted their spirits. They continued to be courteous to the other students who passed by, and all of them were friendly.
The last one in line was Annette, who was just behind Mercedes.
“Hey there Professor!” Annette started, beaming.
“Hello Annette,” Byleth replied, wearily yet happily. They turned to the now near-empty racks, grabbing the final garment bag on the Blue Lions’ rack.
Handing it to her, Annette grabbed it. “Thank you! I can’t believe I won the Early Certification Award!”
“I am not surprised. It was all thanks to your hard work.” Byleth said, stretching out a hand.
“Well, I know that I am a bit of an academic nut, but I would have drowned myself in work if I didn’t get some help first. You, Mercie, and the other Blue Lions reminded me to take time for myself. I wish I had learned that sooner at the Royal School.”
“Weren’t you a top student there as well?” Byleth asked.
“Yes, but I pulled all-nighters left and right. It was exhausting to get to where I was. I’m very happy I did n’t have to repeat history, and will take what I’ve learned here to heart.”
She looked at Byleth with her blue eyes, and her wide grin turned into a warm smile. “Thank you Professor, for helping me.”
“It was nothing, Annette. Being a Professor means helping out the students in any way I can,” they said, shaking their head.
“Well, I think it’s special. No one at the Royal School treated me like this.”
“It’s true,” Mercedes butted in, walking by Annette with her garment bag and a gift bag labeled “Mercedes”. “No need to be so modest, Professor. I think you have a gift. It’s not every day that you get to meet a teacher who does more than just the bare minimum.”
“You’re too kind,” Byleth said softly, blushing in the face.
“Anyway Professor, we won’t hold you any longer. Mercie and I are going to get a bite to eat.”
“And you should do the same,” Mercedes added. “If you have a sweet tooth coming on, I think some of our baked goods will be served tonight!”
“Alright ladies, thank you,” Byleth waved. “I’ll see you both later.”
“Goodbye, Professor!” They both said out of sync as they walked out of the Black Eagles classroom.
On the other end, Alois was stretching his back.
“I’m famished. It looks like our work here is done, Professor! Hopefully we won’t be needed for anything else and we can enjoy the celebration.”
Alois and Byleth walked out together, but not without seeing Bernadetta interacting and painting with Ignatz. They both were smiling, and it was as though Bernie was in her element.
…
Entering into the Blue Lions classroom, most of the students were already flocked there. It was crowded, with each seat in the room being taken. Its livelihood was infectious.
Raphael was seen with many, many plates stacked on one side, and a crowd of students urging him to down yet another piece of meat. They cheered as he ate the last piece.
Claude was trading stories with another group, and that included the other house leaders. They were all chattering and talking up a storm. Hubert and Dedue were the only ones not actively talking, but he smiled as he listened to Edelgard interject. Dedue also nodded in approval.
Byleth noticed the expansive amount of food on the backwall. It included all of the students’ favorites, but also some rarities that came with sacred holidays or celebrations like this.
As Byleth grabbed a plate, they noticed Lysithea by the dessert bar, struggling to reach a piece of cake that was sitting close to the wall. Lysithea caught sight of them from her peripheral vision, putting her arm back to her side.
“H-hey…Professor,” Lysithea started.
“What is it?” Byleth asked, approaching closer.
“Could you…help me get this piece of cake? I can’t reach it.”
“The cake from Enbarr?” They asked, pointing.
“That’s the one,” Lysithea replied, her tone wavering.
With no difficulty, Byleth got it for her.
“Thank you, Professor,” Lysithea said, her eyes peering off to the side.
“No problem,” Byleth nodded. Lysithea was about to walk away when Byleth reached out a hand.
“Hey, I know it’s hard for you to ask for help, but thank you for confiding in me.”
Lysithea did not make eye contact with them. “Yes…it was hard for me. In fact, it might still be a little hard for me. However, it has gotten easier. After I realized I could not do everything on my own, I started asking for help more. Otherwise…I may have been seriously injured on last moon’s mission.”
Byleth nodded. “I remember that. You were in the infirmary for a little while.”
“Yeah…I got a mouthful from Manuela. When you arrived, things felt different. Instead of scolding me, you were encouraging me. It was like…you didn’t treat me like a child,” she moved her arm holding the plate of cake, and it had almost hit someone walking by.
“Ugh! Be more mindful of your surroundings, Miss Ordelia,” Hanneman said in surprise. “Your cake could have splattered all over my robe.”
“Oops. I’m sorry Professor Hanneman,” Lysithea sighed.
He walked away, not leaving her out of sight for a few seconds.
“Anyway,” Lysithea held the plate firmly with both hands. “Thank you for being there for me in my time of need. I know the other Golden Deer wanted to be there, but too much attention would have made me uncomfortable.”
Byleth smiled. “It was the least I could do.”
“I’ll see you later,” Lysithea bowed, and walked away.
Byleth then turned their attention to the table with all of the savory foods, and began to fill their plate with it. Grabbing a second plate, they added a few sweets into the mix, making sure at least one came from Annette and Mercedes.
Because the tables were full in the classroom, Byleth ate outside, where it was a bit quieter. They could still hear the chatter from inside the classroom, but they also had a lovely view of the sunset outside.
It turned out that they were not alone. Two other students were eating outside, sitting in the grass.
Byleth found it unusual to see Dorothea not with a group, as she is very social. Her friend beside her however, Byleth was not surprised to see outside.
“Hello Dorothea, Marianne,” Byleth greeted.
“Hey there Professor,” Dorothea grinned.
Marianne gave a wave and a soft “Hello.” Byleth noticed that her hair was tidy, and that her face was dressed with foundation, blush, and eyeshadow. She was wearing an evening gown.
“Are you enjoying yourselves?” They asked.
“Very,” Marianne replied. “I can hear all of the birds. They are singing lovely songs.”
Byleth listened, blocking out the noise from the party. Faintly, there was a choir of different kinds of birds, singing a serenade.
“Other than listening to the birds,” Dorothea added, “We are talking about girl things.”
“What sorts of girl things?” Byleth asked, sitting down beside them.
“Makeup, jewelry, dresses, skirts, that sort of thing. Well, I guess they’re not technically just girl things, because Lindhardt asked about them too. But…Marianne told me she wanted to experiment with herself. So, I wanted to help out.”
Byleth smiled. “Are you more comfortable with yourself?”
“Very,” Marianne said happily. “I am very happy that I am a girl now. Professor, thank you for helping me accept that part of myself. I don’t know where I would be now.”
“It makes me glad to know that you’re happy with yourself Marianne. More than I am able to express,” Byleth said, their chest still full of warmth.
“Oh! While we’re on the subject of girls,” Dorothea said excitedly after swallowing a bite of food. “I finally have a girlfriend!”
Byleth’s eyes went wide.
Dorothea giggled. “Take a guess as to who it is!”
“Well…I don’t like to assume. Is it…Petra?”
Dorothea looked at them in shock. “No way. How did you get that right on the first try?”
“Well, I notice you two are around each other a lot, and you told me you were going to ask someone out. Therefore, it had to have been her,” Byleth concluded.
“Wow Professor, you sure are perceptive,” Dorothea giggled. “Well, I mustered up the courage to ask her out after I told you about my predicament. So thank you Professor for believing in me.”
“Of course. Everyone deserves to love who they want and be who they want,” Byleth finished.
The three of them heard footsteps coming from inside the classroom, getting louder by the second. Heels clicked against the brick floor, revealing it to be Ingrid, who was wiping food off of her shoulder.
“What’s going on in there?” Dorothea asked, leaning her body to the right to see past Ingrid.
“A food fight,” she sighed, dusting the rest of herself off. “And I want no part of it.”
The three of them watched as other students began to file out of the classroom. It was Ashe, then Felix, and Hubert, among others.
Felix sighed, scoffing “We’re about to graduate. You would think these kids would be adults by now.”
Ashe was smearing the icing off of his cheek, licking it. “I guess they think this is the last night they can be young-at-heart. In a way, I don’t blame them.”
“But when you put everyone else in it when they didn’t ask…it’s all the more irritating,” Hubert butted in.
His eyebrows furrowed, fists clenched. “You know what? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind.”
“Don’t you mean cake?” Ingrid asked.
Hubert was already in the classroom by the time Ingrid said that and didn’t hear her.
Dorothea’s eyes went wide. “Now they’re in for it. When Hubert is angry, he plays dirty.”
…
The moon shone above the monastery in its full splendor. The Blue Lions classroom was cleaned up swiftly by a disgruntled Hanneman. Some of the students filed into the Golden Deer classroom to play party games, while others were on the dance floor in the field.
In the field, the lights shone brightly, and an orchestra was playing a waltz. There was a table filled with refreshments where the stage used to be, and a few chairs in case students needed a break.
Byleth watched happily as the students waltzed around the field. It took them back to only a few moons ago when they had to train a student to compete for the White Heron Cup.
They also remembered that night, when Claude reached for them and they danced together. However, the future Duke was not out on the dance floor. Earlier, they noticed that he was playing Pin-the-Crest-on-the-Divine-Beast with some of his friends.
Looking at the dancers, Sylvain stood out as always. He was dancing out-of-form as usual, but everyone loved him for it.
Dorothea was dancing with Petra. They both seemed a little awkward at first, but got the hang of it with time.
Mercedes and Annette formed a pair too. Ferdinand was with Hubert, Ingrid was with Glenn, Shamir was with Catherine, Gatekeeper was with a girl, and Byleth had just noticed Ignatz asking Marianne to dance, placing a hand out for her to reach it.
Byleth smiled, watching as they all did Fódlan’s traditional dance.
In a chair beside them, Dimitri sat down, sighing.
“Good evening, Professor,” Dimitri started.
“Good evening,” Byleth responded plainly.
“I know tonight is supposed to be happy and all, but...is it alright if I asked you a question?”
“I’m all ears,” Byleth replied, crossing their arms.
Dimitri looked up at the star-filled sky. “Do you ever feel like the past is weighing you down? Like, no matter what you do, it comes back to haunt you?”
Byleth shook their head. “No. Maybe it’s because I don’t remember much.”
“Okay, well, that is how I feel, and it hurts. I try to do everything right, but then I make another mistake, or worry that I’ll lose everything I worked for.”
“Dimitri,” Byleth started, releasing their arms from locking together. “Look how far you’ve come. You are about to graduate, and that is a huge achievement. Everything you worked on here is going to stay with you for the rest of your life.”
Byleth looked up at the sky with him. “And, you aren’t the only one. I’ve talked to many of the students this evening, and they all learned something about themselves throughout their time here, and they have grown as people.” Byleth looked back at him. “I know you have too.”
The prince sighed. “There are truth in those words, but…” Dimitri said, looking back down from the sky, slumping in his chair. “I know Edelgard and I never had the best relationship, but I want to fix it so badly. I don’t want our past ties to define who we are as people now.”
Byleth cocked their head. “Didn’t you sit beside her earlier?”
“Well yes, but…” Dimitri sighed again. He straightened his posture. “Claude dragged me into it, and I felt awkward around her. I was worried about saying something wrong, and kept thinking about the mistakes I made before.” His arms laid in his lap. “I know some of the other students have siblings and perhaps step-siblings, but…it seemed like no one else had anything this complicated.”
“What about Sylvain?” Byleth asked. Dimitri looked at the center of the dance floor. “He had a troubling brother, didn’t he? I don’t see that affecting him.”
“It does. He just doesn’t show it. Besides, Miklan is out of his life now.” Dimitri looked away from Sylvain, leaning back into the chair.
“I may not know the whole story, DImitri, but I know Edelgard, and I know she’s very open to change. Why not try and talk the issue out with her?”
“That’s the thing. I’m…afraid.”
“Okay,” Byleth replied, leaning back into their chair as well. “Think of it this way: you confronted her in the mock battle and in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, correct? If you can do that, I think you could talk to her.”
Dimirti stood up in his chair. “Yes. You’re right! We may have lost the mock battle that day, but we won the Battle of the Eagle and Lion! Maybe I can talk to her,” he looked back at Byleth. “Thank you Professor. I think I’ll go talk to her right now!”
The prince walked away, going into the Golden Deer classroom. As he did that, Byleth saw someone else take Dimitri’s place.
“Well, well, Professor, I’m surprised that they didn’t hire you to be a counselor instead,” she started, yawning.
Byleth did not say anything, and continued to look out onto the dance floor. “You know,” the person continued. “I am surprised you aren’t on the dance floor yourself, especially after me pestering you about it last time.”
“Well, I’m not much of a dancer, Sothis. You should know that by now.”
“Borrrrring!” Sothis yawned. “I would dance for an eternity if I could.” She kicked her legs like a bored child.
“I know,” Byleth chuckled.
There was a pause between them. Byleth watched Dimitri and Edelgard leave the Golden Deer classroom, both covered with confetti. They approached the dancefloor, and Dimitri invited the Princess to dance. She accepted, and they started to dance, as if they had done it many years before.
“Hey, aren’t you worried about that speech tomorrow?” Sothis asked. “While no one has you captive, maybe now would be a good time to practice.”
Watching Dimitri and Edelgard dance perfectly in sync, Byleth let out a satisfied sigh. “No. I’m going to be just fine.”
“Ah,” Sothis nodded in approval. “I see what happened. As they say, good company soothes the soul.”
The two of them were silent for the rest of the waltz. The occasional student came to sit down, but they did not stick around for long. The moment was peaceful. The party games room was the quietest it had ever been the whole evening, and the music continued to cut through the silence like a knife to butter.
The moment was ruined when Dedue came up in front of all of the dancers, and put down a table with two discs on them. Headphones were around his neck, and the instrumentalists stopped when he put a hand on a disc that made a scratching sound.
Then, music similar to Shambhala Area 17 Redux began to play out of the speakers. Students flooded out of the classroom to run up to the field. Everyone started to dance to it, even Archbishop Rhea and Seteth. Everyone followed Sylvain’s dance moves as he hopped and bopped around.
Sothis looked at Byleth with a raised eyebrow and a sassy smile. “There’s no way you’d skip out on this, right? Go out there and join your students!”
They rolled their eyes. “All right.” They shrugged, getting into the grass field, getting in between Edelgard and Dimitri. Claude was close by, and everyone was doing their best to get funky with it.
Dedue was bopping his head to the beat. “I like this,” he said plainly, his smile wide.
…
Everyone had a fun night, but the next day was their grand moment.
It was graduation day.
Everyone was out in the same field, only this time there were more chairs. Some of the students’ families were there as well. Everyone including the Knights of Seiros were in attendance.
The students all looked vibrant in their caps and gowns, their colors assigned by the houses they were in. Some had painted caps, others did not. They sat down in seats reserved to them away from the other guests from throughout Fódlan and beyond.
Lady Rhea had an opening speech, welcoming everyone. Not long after, it was Byleth’s turn. Any feeling of anxiety or worry had disappeared from the love that their students had given them last night.
As they walked up to the stage, they remembered how grateful everyone was to them, and the wonderful memories they had with the students.
With that strength, Byleth delivered the speech just as they had imagined it. When they had finished, they wiped a tear from their eye and stepped off the podium.
Then, the Monastery choir performed the Alma Mater. After that, the House Leaders gave their speeches, followed by speeches from the Early Certification Award recipients. Once that was done, the students were given permission to throw their caps, and they did so. Many of them cheered.
Finally, the orchestra began to play an arranged version of Colors of Sunrise, as each student came up to the stage and received their diplomas. All of them also got a handshake from Rhea, and to everyone’s surprise, a hug from Byleth.
Byleth loved each and every single one of those students. They could not believe how much time had passed since they had met all of them, and yet, it was unbelievable how much they had grown as individuals.
Byleth was so proud of them, yet so upset that they would no longer see them around the Academy, that things would have to start over with new students. Despite this, Byleth knew that everyone would go on to do amazing things.
Who knows what they would all accomplish in five years?
It’s a mystery. For now, in this moment lost in time, Byleth decided to relish in the last moments they had.