"Did you hear about the new Professor of the Black Eagles?"
This was a common phrase spoken by the students of the Officers Academy. It seemed that every day there was more to talk about. The most interesting topic was his relation to the Legendary Blade Breaker. The return of the nearly mythical figure was a surprise, but the revelation he had a son had started to churn the rumor mill. Some speculated that Byleth was the son of some noble woman, while others whispered that he was the fruit of a foreign woman from beyond Fódlan. Even more claimed he was the illegitimate son of Lady Rhea. That rumor was harshly stamped out by Seteth.
His past aside, the mysterious professor's fame continued to grow from his actions. He had already garnered the attention of many with his overwhelming victory in the mock battle between the three houses, but that was only the beginning. Students exchanged rumors of the Black Eagle's unorthodox lessons. The subject matter was not only informative but had variety, covering topics that reached much further than any standard lesson plan. The most impressive factor was how engaging the classes were. The students wanted to learn the material, despite how unique it was. Some teachers had even whispered that they had seen Casper of all people reading in the library to stay on top of his homework.
Byleth seemed like the perfect teacher, but when Edelgard was asked if this was true, she grimly shook her head. The Black Eagles knew the truth, that for all his knowledge and dedication, when it came to a specific subject, Byleth was truly a demon. The very same subject she and rest of the class were attending now.
"Over the last two weeks, I have been able to accurately gauge each of your physical abilities. Thus I will be beginning you each on a more personalized training regimen to better improve your areas of focus." Byleth addressed the Eagles, who stood before him in a straight line in the training field awaiting their fate.
To 'gauge' their abilities their teacher had run them through a barrage of tests. He assessed their proficiency with their weapons, hand to hand combat and their reaction times. He measured their top speed, strength and stamina. In fact, he had only called it a day after pushing all of them to their very limits.
Even now, their professor watched them with sharp eyes, slowly walking down the line. His azure eyes gazing at each of them before coming to the end of the line where a small purple haired shut-in violently trembled. A beat of silence passed before it was broken.
"Miss Varley," At Byleth's voice, Bernadetta squeaked, stiffening at his sharp gaze. The professor continued, ignoring her tension. "You favor a bow in battle, correct?"
"Yes!" The shivering girl nodded as the Professor examined her.
"Firing a bow utilizes muscles in the back, as well as the biceps, triceps and deltoids. You will also need a strong core to control your form when firing." Byleth paused for a moment before making his decision. "Drop and give me forty." The trembling girl immediately complied, collapsing into a push-up position and beginning her set. Without waiting Byleth continued to the next student.
"Miss Hresvelg," Edelgard outwardly remained unphased, however she could feel the dread begin to coalesce in her stomach. If Bernadetta had been assigned forty push-ups, Edelgard was not looking forward to her assignment. "You use an axe correct?"
"That is correct," Edelgard prided herself in the fact that she kept her voice level. Byleth nodded before continuing.
"You will need to strengthen your lower and upper back, as well as- keep moving Miss Varley." Byleth interrupted himself, eyes flashing back to Bernadetta who had stopped her exercise. The girl whimpered before shakily doing another rep. Byleth's attention flickered back to Edelgard, and continued, "As well as shoulders, arms and abdominal muscles." He stared into her eyes before delivering his sentence. "Drop and give me eighty." Without complaint, the imperial princess got into position and commenced. Byleth moved to the next student who quickly spoke up.
"Professor," the green haired mage began. "You know that I am a healer. I don't think having me perform push-ups is a suitable form of training." Byleth leveled his gaze on the boy before speaking.
"I agree Mr. Hevring. A healer does not carry heavy weaponry and an overabundance of muscle in the arms would do more harm than good." The mage gave a sigh of relief. "A healer's main concern is to move to where there are wounded. They must be able to do so quickly and for long periods of time. To accomplish this you will need to build your stamina and as well as develop your leg muscles. Your assignment is to run ten laps."
"You want me to run ten laps around the training field!" Linhardt exclaimed in distress looking at the area around him.
"Don't be ridiculous," Byleth responded with a blank look on his face. "Ten laps around the monastery. Mr. Vestra will be accompanying you." Linhardt's jaw dropped while Hubert's tightened at his new assignment.
"Professor this is ridiculous!" The bold voice of Ferdinand interrupted Byleth as the student stepped out of the line. To his credit, the dark-teal haired professor didn't even blink, changing to his focus to the distraught noble.
"Is there a reason you are against my lesson Mr. Aegir?" Byleth calmly asked.
"This is a military academy!" Ferdinand shouted. "You should be teaching us how to fight and defend ourselves, not giving us basic exercises! We are nobles, and we demand you treat us as such!" His declaration echoed in the stunned silence that followed. Dorothea stared wide-eyed, covering her mouth while Casper nervously looked between Byleth and Ferdinand. Even Edelgard stopped in her training, shooting Ferdinand a reproachful look.
"Then you believe you no longer need to learn the basics?" As opposed to his students, the Professor's face remained placid, not even a twitch to show any anger in the slightest. "You are ready for more advanced training?"
"Yes, I believe that would serve us the best." At Ferdinand's response, Byleth took a thoughtful posture.
"Grab your weapon of preference." The command was short and precise and Ferdinand blinked in surprise. "Grab your weapon of preference." Byleth repeated, motioning to the racks of training weapons beside the fighting ring. "When you are prepared, I will test you to see if you are ready." Permission granted, the boy quickly complied, departing for the weapons rack and plucking a lance from where it was stored. He slowly returned to the ring only to find his teacher remained weaponless.
"Professor, which weapon will you be using?" Ferdinand asked in confusion.
"I won't be needing one." Came Byleth's reply. At his student's confused silence, Byleth continued. "If you can land a hit on me or last five minutes without being defeated I will accelerate your training. Is this acceptable?" After a few beats of silence the noble finally nodded. "Then you may begin when ready."
With a shout Ferdinand charged, his spear pointed at Byleth's chest. A few feet before reaching Byleth, the heir to House Aegir stopped, lunging with his weapon. The effect proved to be fruitless as the more nimble professor easily avoided the attack. Not to be outdone, the orange haired student quickly performed a flurry of thrusts. Despite his speed, the armored teacher was far faster, effortlessly dodging the assault. For nearly a minute this continued before Ferdinand stopped, panting hard. Byleth continued to watch his student, breath completely even.
With a cry, Ferdinand attacked again missing by the barest of margins. It was then Byleth countered, grasping the shaft of the spear and pulling. Ferdinand stumbled forward, the sudden motion throwing him off balance. Taking advantage of his state, Byleth raised his foot drilling the noble in the stomach. With a choking gasp, Ferdinand relinquished his weapon, flying backward only to land in a crumpled heap. Before the fallen student was allowed to catch his breath, the tip of the training spear was brought to his throat. Ferdinand stared wide-eyed at his professor's passive face as Byleth spoke.
"Your stance is too rigid," he began withdrawing the weapon from his defeated student. "This made your movements easy to predict. Furthermore your form when you were attacking was sloppy, allowing me to avoid your weapon with ease. Your stamina is lacking as you tired after a mere minute into your assault and this allowed me to catch your spear and turn the tables." Byleth stopped allowing Ferdinand to digest his analysis. The disgruntled noble's scowl slowly drained from his face accepting the criticism.
"How can I improve?" His voice was weak, and the noble looked exhausted. But when Ferdinand looked up, his eyes shone with renewed resolve.
"You can start with improving your stamina. Your core and biceps could also use some development." Byleth responded easily. "Your form will become easier to correct once your body can handle the strain better." He held out a hand to the fallen noble, hoisting him up once Ferdinand grasped his hand. " You, as well as the rest of the Black Eagles, are well disciplined already. If you all continue to push yourselves, we could easily start more advanced classes by the end of the month. Would that be agreeable?" At Byleth's diagnosis, Ferdinand couldn't help but smile.
"Yes professor, that sounds wonderful."
"Good, then drop and give me sixty."
-Ω-
Seteth considered himself a fairly adept reader of others. After years of dealing with hordes of different types of people, he had had plenty of time to nurture his skills. He could identify a greedy noble at a glance and could easily weed out corrupted leaders within the church. If he wanted Garreg Mach Monastery to continue to be the shining paragon of faith and devotion the people believed, it was necessary to purge those unfit of affiliation from within the church. He had toiled tirelessly under this ideal and succeeded too, until a certain mercenary muddied the waters.
If Seteth was honest, he held no contempt for the man himself. Byleth seemed like a competent mercenary and being the son of the Blade Breaker certainly helped his case. He would have been more than happy to allow the swordsman a place within the ranks of the Knights of Seiros and called it a day. The problem arose when the man had been given a teaching place in the esteemed halls of the academy.
Despite his warnings, Rhea had declared her decision to be final and Seteth resigned himself to his fate. Perhaps after a few weeks it would become obvious the mercenary was incompetent in teaching which would allow a more qualified individual to take their place. It was unfortunate the Black Eagles would be behind by almost a month, but it was better than allowing them to suffer for an entire year. It had been three weeks since Byleth's hiring and yet… Seteth was hearing nothing that would indicate improper teaching.
Students talked eagerly about his lessons and seminars. In fact, Byleth's last seminar had reached capacity and they had to turn students away, something practically unheard of. Byleth also seemed to assist students regardless of house, answering questions or addressing their concerns. Seteth had asked the other teachers their thoughts on their own students seeking a different teacher for assistance and was disgruntled to find Manuela and Hanneman supported it.
"I think that it's impressive that he has gotten so many students to confide in him in such a short period of time." Hanneman had commented. "I believe it is important for all teachers to be available to assist students whenever the need calls for it." Seteth privately thought that Hanneman was just happy his research wasn't being interrupted as often. Still this left Seteth at an impasse. He had no evidence of malpractice and Byleth was proving Rhea's decision to be flawless. It was an innocent suggestion by his sister that sparked Seteth into action.
"Why not attend one of his lectures?" Flayn asked as they shared a cup of tea in Seteth's private chambers. "If you are so concerned with his teaching ability, why not experience it first hand? Surely you could gauge his worth then, correct?"
"That's not a bad idea," Seteth responded evenly. "However, what reason would I have to sit in on one of his lectures? I don't do the same to his colleagues, so he may make a complaint." Flayn only rolled her eyes.
"I doubt the professor will care all that much." Flayn offered. "But if you need an excuse, you can say that you are checking to see how the academy's newest professor is settling in."
"Yes, yes I believe that will work," Seteth nodded slowly, accepting his sister's proposal. "Thank you for your suggestion."
"Happy to help brother," Flayn chirped. "I am sure you will find his skills up to par. His lectures are quite enjoyable." That gave Seteth pause.
"Flayn," He began slowly. "You haven't been attending his lectures have you?" His sister froze, quickly averting her gaze, which only caused Seteth to narrow his eyes accusingly.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Flayn quickly denied. "I have simply... heard that his lessons were easy to understand." Seteth certainly had doubts about the validity of his sister's claim, but decided to shelve them for now. He had a teacher to find and a lesson to attend.
-Ω-
"You want to see how well I am adjusting to the new environment?" Byleth repeated with a flat look.
As luck would have it, Seteth had caught his target just before he entered the classroom. His luck ran out then as the teacher clearly didn't believe a word he said. Looking back, Seteth probably should have prepared a better cover story for his operation. But there was nothing he could do now and he could only hope the new professor would accept such a flimsy excuse. Byleth continued to examine Seteth with his piercing gaze before giving a shrug.
"You may take a seat in the back of the class. Feel free to join in the topic if it interests you." With that Byleth entered the double doors and Seteth quickly followed behind. Several students gave Seteth questioning looks as he took a seat in the back, but their attention was short lived as Byleth reached the front and began class.
"Professor," Dorothea asked as she unpacked her writing materials "what is the topic for today?"
"We will be continuing our lesson from yesterday, about scouting and espionage." Seteth blinked in subject was this man teaching? He was about to speak but the lack of commotion gave him pause. The students seemed completely at ease with the topic. Even Hubert, who Seteth was certain would have said something stayed silent. "Can anyone tell me the most important factor of scouting?"
"Stealth." The Adrestian princess answered quickly earning her a nod.
"Correct, the ability to remain unseen is vital when trying to gather information about the enemy." Byleth continued. "However while sticking to the shadows is a valid strategy in the forest or mountains, it is not useful everywhere." Here Byleth looked over the classroom. "Mr. Bergliez, if you were assigned to sneak into the cathedral here at Garreg Mach Monastery, how would you do so?" Despite the basis of the question being very questionable, the boy began to think.
"I would wait till night professor." Casper responded. "There would be less people around to catch me and there would be less light to detect me with." Seteth couldn't stop himself from scoffing, which had the downside of attracting the attention of the room.
"Do you have something to share, Seteth?" Byleth asked, his gaze pinning Seteth to his seat.
"I would like to add that sneaking to the cathedral at night would be pointless," Seteth declared. "The gates are locked at night, and the bridge is guarded by at least ten Knights of Seiros. No one would be able to get past. Furthermore, there is another group of knights patrolling the grounds, so even if a person used a warp spell to get there they would be caught quickly." His piece said, Seteth leaned back into his chair waiting for the professor to make his next move. To his surprise, Byleth nodded.
"Seteth's analysis is accurate." Byleth confirmed. "Attempting to sneak into the cathedral at night would be extremely difficult. The chance of slipping past the guards is minuscule and the light and sound given off from using a warp tome would give you away instantly in the darkness. The church has its guard up constantly regardless of time of day. Nevertheless, my question still stands. How would you access the cathedral?" Ignoring the legality of the topic, Seteth found himself intrigued. Was it possible to access the cathedral without being caught?
"Professor, why isn't - couldn't one just walk into the cathedral?" Petra asked. Silence followed and Seteth wanted to facepalm. A person would be caught instantly if they tried to casually walk into the church. Was that even a legitimate question?
"Could you explain your reasoning, Ms. Macneary?" Despite the absurdity of the answer, Byleth remained passive asking for an explanation.
"Well, we are all students of Garreg Mach, yes? Could we not just walk in?" As the class digested this piece of information Byleth nodded.
"Full marks, by being or at least looking like a student, you could access the cathedral without trouble."
"But professor," Ferdinand argued. "Wouldn't you be spotted? I thought you said you had to reach the church without being seen."
"Being seen and being caught are two different things Mr. Aegir." the swordsman corrected. "If I told any of you to go to the church at this moment, all of you would have been spotted but none of you would have stopped or detained. This is called social stealth. As opposed to pure stealth, in which you work to cover your presence entirely, social stealth is working to appear as if you belong there. No one would question if a student, member of the clergy or a knight went to the cathedral during the day."
Byleth continued to speak, but to Seteth the rest of the lesson passed in a blur. He was honestly dumbfounded at the lecture. It was as if each topic and question flowed to the next allowing Byleth to teach his chosen subject with ease. By the time he came to the class had finished.
"Please keep in mind what we have talked about this week. You will be tested on it tomorrow." With that the students left, eagerly chatting about the lesson. It wasn't until the room was empty of students that Byleth spoke. "Was my teaching performance satisfactory?" Seteth could only sigh in defeat. Leave it to the newest professor to figure out the true reason for his visit.
"It was… adequate," Seteth grudgingly admitted. "I hope you can keep this level of teaching up for the remainder of the year?"
"I intend to," Byleth responded evenly. "Is that all?" Seteth nodded and Byleth left the classroom without another word. Perhaps Rhea had been right. Seteth had to agree that Byleth did make a half-way decent teacher… if he squinted.
-Ω-
"Did your professor not tell you the assignment?" Alois asked in confusion looking at the Black Eagles who had assembled before him. The classmates exchanged curious looks. When class had begun, Byleth had told them to go to the market, where Alois would be waiting for them. He had something else to prepare, and Alois would explain their assignment.
"No, he didn't say a word." Edelgard frowned. "The professor said you would give us our assignment."
"How odd." Alois huffed. "I was told to give you these ribbons." Here he lifted a handful of red ribbons, one for each of them. "You were to tie them around your right arm and proceed to the cathedral. Your professor would be waiting for you there." This of course only confused the eagles more, but they followed orders nevertheless.
"W- were there any other directions?" Bernadetta nervously asked once they all had their armbands secured. Alois took a thoughtful posture before snapping his fingers.
"That's right, he said that you were not allowed to remove the armband until you got to the church or there would be some sort of penalty." Alois recited. "If this happens, you are to return to your classroom. I never did ask what he meant. Sorry I couldn't help you more." With that the jovial knight left, humming a tune to himself.
"Well… I guess we should go meet our professor." Dorothea suggested and the class slowly made their way to the entrance hall.
"I don't see why he sent us to pick up this filth," Hubert growled, gesturing to armband. "What an incredible waste of time."
"Don't be like that Hubert." Ferdinand chided. "I am sure the professor needed to collect these armbands for a reason. Although I do find it odd. I could have swore he said there would be a test today. Perhaps he forgot?"
"I certainly hope so," Linhardt yawned. "I don't think I have enough energy to take a test." Edelgard's brow furrowed at the oddity of the situation. The professor had mentioned a test, but it seemed that idea had been scrapped. Had the professor changed his mind on a whim? If so, what was the purpose of today's lesson and why the armbands?
"The professor did say he was- had something to prepare. So maybe the test will be at the cathedral?" Petra thought aloud as the group exited the entrance hall into the courtyard. Her question remained unanswered as a voice called out.
"Caspar!" The booming voice of Raphael drew their attention and the fellow student waved to them.
"Raphael, what up?" Caspar asked, running up to the larger boy. Edelgard stared at the scene before her. This was in the middle of classes, so both the Blue Lions and Golden Deers should be having lessons right now. Was Raphael skipping class? Her mind ground to halt as Raphael's hand lashed out and ripped the red ribbon from Caspar's arm.
"Raphael!" Caspar screamed. "You dastard! Why would you do that!?" Raphael looked at the distraught boy in confusion.
"The professor said that if I collected the most red bands, he would treat me to lunch. I mean, weren't you told the rules?" The silence was deafening as all the pieces clicked into place. Their test wasn't waiting for them at the cathedral. THIS was their test. To reach the church with their armband still around their arm.
"Raphael, don't tell them that!" Hilda yelled. "You're gonna give us away!" Suddenly the Golden Deer class in its entirety emerged from their hidden places behind the shrubbery. The Eagles were quickly surrounded, and Claude gave a wry smile.
"Tell you what, hand over your ribbons now and we'll go easy on you." While he sounded causal the demand was anything but. The two classes stood still with an uneasy tension filling the air. Finally a lazy sigh broke the stalemate.
"Fine you win." Linhardt announced pulling his band off his arm. "This is too much work as it is." Claude's smile only grew, but Linhardt wasn't done. "Still if you want my ribbon that badly you gonna have to retrieve it." With that he balled the fabric into one hand and launched it into the surrounding courtyard. The red cloth fluttered through the air attracting all eyes to it. Which is exactly what he planned. "RUN!" Linhardt shouted and like that the Eagles bolted pushing past the distracted Deer, Edelgard herself rushed past the stunned Raphael. All she needed to do was get through the reception hall then across the bridge and Edelgard would be home free.
"Edelgard, fancy meeting you here." Of course her plans crumbled to dust as she entered the reception hall where the Blue Lions waited. She watched in dread as they all zeroed in on the cloth wrapped around her arm. "Edel-" Whatever Dimitri was going to say was lost as she immediately took a left making her way to the classrooms of the three houses. The courtyard was empty but she knew she had limited time before the Lions would catch here.
"Edelgard over here!" To Edelgard's relief, she spotted Manuela waving to her wildly from the Golden Deer's room. Without hesitation she sprinted to the room and the doors were slammed shut behind her. A few seconds later, there was a mad stomping of feet as the Blue Lions rushed by shouting to one another.
"Thanks for the help professor. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me." The princess panted trying to regain her breath.
"Think nothing of it Edelgard, it is a teacher's duty to help their students." To her surprise it was not Manuela but Hanneman who responded. Upon looking back, she saw that both Professors were present. At her confused look Hanneman continued, "Byleth informed us of a joint training session that he wanted to run. While his class practiced stealth, our classes would play the role as aggressors."
"We agreed to his lesson plan, but I didn't think they would get so crazy." Manuela sighed dramatically. "I think they should tone it down a bit. I know the professor offered incentives to everyone who chose to participate, but this a bit much." Now that Edelgard thought about it, the lesson seemed rather fun. If their roles would have been reversed, she would've been more than happy to hunt down her classmates for a prize of her choosing. Still her grades were on the line and sitting here wasn't helping.
"Again, I thank you for your help but I really must be off." As Edelgard approached the door she was stopped short as two arms came out to block her.
"I did say that everyone who chose to participate was offered a reward." Manuela repeated. "I fully intend to capitalize. The generous professor has offered to introduce me to a man from the Jeralt's company and I wouldn't want to pass up such an opportunity."
"Are you serious?" Hanneman exclaimed. "You're doing this for a date!? Byleth has offered me the chance to study his blood! This opportunity could revolutionize Crestology as we know it. I will be taking that ribbon."
"What? You can get his blood anytime! I won't be young forever." Manuela argued.
"I'll have you know that Crestology is very time-sensitive!"
"Hanneman!"
"Manuela!"
"Would both of you silence yourselves!?" A third voice entered the cacophony as Seteth wrenched open the doors, a smiling Flayn behind him. "I could hear you half across campus! Both of you, in my office now!"
"But-"
"In my office!" Both the teachers scurried out not wanting to annoy the man more. Flayn waited till the trio was a distance away before facing Edelgard. "Miss Hresvelg, please ignore the misconduct of the staff. I am sure my brother will speak with them about their behavior." At Edelgard's uneasy nod she continued. "Also I hear the greenhouse is lovely this time of day, no one is around." With one last wink, she closed the door leaving a stunned Edelgard in silence.
"Well I guess there is nothing better to do." The greenhouse was in the opposite direction of the cathedral, but at this point Edelgard wanted a place where she could get one minute to think. With that in mind she snuck to the greenhouse. The way there was thankfully uneventful and soon she slid into the confines of the glass building. The only problem was it wasn't empty.
"Oh?" The legendary Blade Breaker looked at her in surprise. HIs hand was hovering near one of the flowers planted there, as if he meant to pick it. "I thought all the students were in class at this time. You're not skipping are you?"
"No," Edelgard quickly denied, "we are in class but…" She quickly explained her situation and the insane test she found herself in.
"Only my son would think of such a thing." Jeralt laughed, upon hearing the details. "Still, it might be a bit much for you to manage alone. However I think I know a way to get you there safely." Opening the door to the green house he put his fingers to his lips and blew. A shrill whistle echoed for a moment until it was answered with a sharp cry. With a flurry of wing beats, the professor's hawk, Subaru descended, landing on Jeralt's outstretched arm. "This here will be your guide as well as your eyes in the sky." He said while scratching the birds plumage.
"Will he know where to guide me?" Edelgard asked suspiciously as she looked at the bird.
"Easily," Jeralt nodded. He turned to the hawk. "Lead, Byleth, Clear Path." With a chirp the hawk took flight and disappeared. "He is off to find my son and when he does, he will be looking for a path that doesn't have a lot of people. But no time for that we need to get you ready." As he spoke he pulled out a glove of thick leather. "You'll be needing this, it's a falconer's glove and if you don't want your arm to be shredded while holding him this is the best option. Still, be sure to brace yourself, hawks have a strong grip."
A minute later Edelgard found herself waiting outside the greenhouse, silently praying that the hawk wouldn't attack her. The glove was on, and she had a handful of jerky to feed the winged beast but she was still nervous. Her attention was drawn skyward as a familiar cry echoed out and as Jeralt had taught her, she held out the glove with a piece of jerky waiting. The effect was immediate and Subaru dove. Just before impacting her arm, the hawk outstretched its wings, slowing it's descent and latched onto her arm. She winced at the pressure as the claws took hold. Jeralt wasn't kidding, she could feel the talons despite the protection. Still the bird quickly devoured the treat before he looked back at her.
"Subaru," the name felt awkward on her tongue, but it seems to hold the bird's attention as he gave her a curious look. "Can you lead me to Byleth?" Edelgard asked, uncertain how the fowl will react. It chirped as if in confirmation and he then flew off. She quickly followed, passing the fishing pond and the market place before approaching the stables. Here Subaru gave a cry, causing her to halt. Jeralt had explained how the goshawk communicated. A shrill cry to stop and three chirps to proceed. She peeked around the corner to see members of both houses looking around the stables.
"Where did she go?" Sylvan called out. "Edelgard's the only one not accounted for."
"Stop yapping and keep searching," Ingrid called back. "We already checked the dorms and we have the others scouring the dining hall, she can't stay hidden forever."
"Uhm," the shy voice of Marianne gathered both their attention. "Dorte says that she hasn't been here." The lions exchanged a disbelieving look before shrugging in defeat.
"Well who am I to argue with such a pretty woman? I guess I will check elsewhere." With that Sylvan left with Ingrid quickly following after. Eventually Marianne departed as well, telling Dorte to alert her if Edelgard passed. With the three gone Edelgard emerged from her hiding place. As she began to pass the horse name 'Dorte,' it began to snort and whiny loudly.
Edelgard started to panic before a shriek echoed nearby. On instinct, her right arm shot out and Subaru landed, giving another cry. The horse surprisingly backed away, snorting as it did so. The two animals glared at each other, one neighing and the other chirping. Finally the horse backed down and the hawk chirped three times as if smug. Edelgard blinked, unable to comprehend but decided that it was best left for later.
The rest of the journey was mercifully uneventful except for a brief reprieve in the cemetery. Finally Edelgard was at the bridge and as she rounded the corner to sprint across she came face to face with her fellow house heads.
"Have to give you credit Edelgard, didn't think you would make it this far." Claude laughed hands behind his head. "To not only avoid all our classmates but reach here without alerting anyone, that takes skill."
"I agree, your ingenuity should be praised." Dimitri added. "But that stops here. I will get that ribbon and the professor will need to give the Blue Lions a private tutoring session."
"That's the prize you want?" Claude exclaimed whirling on Dimitri. "You must be joking."
"I am not! Education is-" The prince began to defend himself, but paused. "You know what, we can discuss this later."
"Fair point." The heir laughed before refocusing on his prey. "Hand over the ribbon princess."
Edelgard narrowed her eyes. There was no way she could flee from this. If she left they would stay and wait for her. If she tried to run past, one of them would grab her ribbon without a doubt. She was out of options. She might as well hand it over the ribbon on her right arm. Wait...right arm. A small smile made its way to her lips as she deposited the last treat in her glove and held out her arm. Then with her left hand, sent out a shrill whistle. Claude frowned.
"What are you-?" His question was answered as a hawk latched on to Edelgard's glove.
"This is my professor's goshawk, Subaru," Edelgard introduced with faux politeness. "He is quite obedient but very wary of strangers. I wouldn't recommend getting near him." She had no idea if anything she said was true, but they didn't need to know that. All they needed to know was that there was a very dangerous animal with very sharp claws on her right arm. The same arm that her ribbon was on. Declaration made, she strode forward and Dimitri and Claude parted without resistance watching her go with a mix of frustration and fascination. She found her professor waiting for her at the entrance to the cathedral.
"Well done, Miss Hresvelg. You are the only student who has reached the destination." Byleth intoned "And I see you had some assistance." The hawk chirped at the recognition.
"I did," Edelgard admitted, stroking the bird causing it to coo softly. "He was a wonderful help." As she continued to stroke it, it nuzzled her hand in affection.
"He must like you." Byleth observed. "You handle him quite well."
"Oh no, your father taught me what I needed to know." Edelgard denied "I doubt he likes me all that much." The hawk chirped again, giving her a questioning look. Byleth gave a short whistle and Subaru reacted, immediately leaving his perch to settle on Byleth's arm.
"What my father didn't tell you is that my hawk will only respond to the call of those he trusts." Byleth explained. "Aside from my father and I, he has never responded to another's call." He gave Edelgard a searching look and Edelgard couldn't help but shiver at the intensity. "Perhaps he sees something in you," Byleth finally decided. With a flick of the teacher's wrist, the goshawk took off and flew high above the monastery. "Come, let us return to the classroom. I am sure your classmates are eager to see how the test turned out."
With that the pair crossed the bridge once more, but Edelgard shot one more look to the sky, only to find a soaring bird watching them, wings outstretched.
-Ω-
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