#Billy teaching 'cousin' Flayn how to fish

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how would have Rhea raised Billy if Jeralt failed to take them from the monastery? Aside from actually giving a shit about them and not letting them starve on a semi regular basis I mean

See their enlightened one outfit?

They would have gotten tacky outfits in the same style from age 3 onwards, all "made" by the Archbishop herself.

More seriously, I think the plot would change?

Maybe Seteth wouldn't have been "summoned" at the Monastery, if Billy had been there, or he would and would have acted as Billy's caretaker ?

If Billy was raised by Rhea since day 5, I'm pretty sure they would have told her about the gremlin in their head, and that plot would have been solved way earlier, but as to what happens with Supreme Leader's war... idk.

I personally see Billy, in this verse, as someone raised like Sitri, maybe being a monk/random ward in the Monastery, but Billy likes to help people (and smiles at least in the jp!version!) so maybe they would have became some sort of kickass cleric, or a member of the knights of Seiros (Rhea'd disagree at first, she doesn't want them to be hurt and would have prefered if they became a fisherman or something that would keep them away from the battlefield, but Billy makes their own decisions, and wishes to protect the monastery and the people they cares about, maybe being triggered by another assassination attempt targetted at Rhea, maybe Christophe's or someone's else).

Billy'd be good friends with knighs and members of the CoS, maybe take Cyril under their wing (as much as they can) and have wednesday evening sessions of sitting with their "like" family eating Zanado fruits, or even fishing. When they want to become a knight or know how to use weapons "to protect", they could spare with Seteth'n'Rhea and end the "training" sessions with some of Rhea's cookies and Zanado fruit juice.

If Billy's still a teacher in this verse - well, I don't think the entire "crust + church BaD" spiel affects them, hell, they might be a bit more pissed at this entire nonsense and voice their annoyance, why are those nobles blaming the church for their own failings in ruling their lands?

(that's where Seteth has to remind them about this thing called "tongue in check")

Maybe they can decide to travel through Fodlan to make up for the regional branches' failings (but only after Rhea got from the gremlin the promise that Gremlin will keep Billy safe!) - when Supreme Leader comes crashing down with her army?

If Rhea survives, Billy hangs out in Faerghus, but if Rhea is caught, Billy leads a resistance force (like SS) - granted, in this AU, Sothis is around and less of a gremlin that in her canon appearances, so Rhea's freed from her Enbarr jail way earlier than in the game, the Agarthans are toasted and everything's well that ends well.

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Any headcanons on what would life had looked like if rhea told jeralt to piss off and she raised the baby herself?

Ooh!

I think Rhea would have come clean to Seteth (who still returned with a sleeping Flayn) earlier, still being shocked about everything and the "sin" she committed by creating homonculi, but Sitri asked her, from her own will, to look after her child - can she really continue creating people instead of creating vessels for the Progenitor God?

But Billy's here, and they're born from Sitri's will and actions, so whatever she wanted before or whatever Sitri was supposed to be, it doesn't matter anymore, and she's going to look after them.

Seteth thus understands how desperate Rhea is and tries to support her, to the best of his abilities, and maybe help her move forward and abandon her dreams of meeting Worst Mom again.

Billy grew up with the most ridiculous handsewn uniforms, but they still had difficulties to emote. Rhea didn't really care, and they could often be spot eating zanado fruits on the star terrace, whenever Rhea had free time from her duties.

Rhea's actually reluctant to let them learn how to fight, because she doesn't want them to be hurt. But they can learn how to heal if they want, and Billy's kind of happy to heal people around, and help around the Monastery, being the Archbishop's "ward". Seteth'd teach them how to ride a wyvern too, and actually impart wisdom from Saint Cichol or something.

They fish together, and Seteth sometimes takes them out for "fishing trips" outside GM.

One thing leading to another (maybe the 15th assassination attempt against Rhea), Billy wants to learn how to fight to "protect" their family, they get in their first argument with Rhea, but when they tell this is what they want to do, to protect their family, the monastery and all the things they love, Rhea relents.

When Cyril is brought to Garreg Mach, Billy takes upon themselves to help them settle here, and isn't bothered the least when Rhea expresses satisfaction at how nice it is that they are getting along like good siblings. Cyril is still completely puzzled, but he still has a lizard fam like in canon. Flayn calls them "cousin" and they try to discover the "modern" world together, rather, Billy tells her all about they know, and Flayn coaxes them to learn more about "romance", asking them to borrow books for her.

Rhea told Billy the truth about their mother - part of it anyways - how she died in childbirth, how Sitri was her daughter and how she wished for them to live and to be happy. She lies about Jerry, saying he was a most formidable knight, a legendary captain of the knights, who tragically died while rescuing people from a disaster - she asked Alois and the rest of the KoS to "lie" to Billy about Jerry, and they agreed because it's better for them to believe their Father died than to learn their Father "ran away" from parenthood because his baby was "not normal".

Sothis wakes up and Billy immediately tells Rhea about that weird gremlin in their head - discussions happen and Rhea tells them more about "the truth", how Seteth, Flayn and herself are called Nabateans, and are from a race of people who were created by Sothis, different from humans. And how she created Billy's mom to be a vessel for Sothis, but Sitri was her own person, and then she fell in love with a human, and Billy was born from their union. Rhea then apologises, because it was her desire to meet Sothis once again that led her to create Sitri, and which ultimately brought Billy, but Billy cuts her, she has nothing to apologise for - no matter the reasons why Sitri or they were born, they're happy to exist and live in this world, and want to help everyone, Rhea herself, included.

Billy thus enrols in the Officers Academy, but as a teacher, to gain more experience about the world and help the various nations, with Rhea's blessing - she thinks that with enough experience, if of course they want, Billy could take over her role and guide/help the people.

Sothis doesn't want to get the job, but wonders what her host will do, and she found it very interesting how they the product of human-nabatean breeding, and wants to see what they will do, can they build a peaceful world or not?

Jerry returns to the Monastery, and while Billy at first thought he was a poor soul who needed counselling, they come to realise this person is the father who abandonned them - Rhea lied, yes, but they understand why - and might decide, or not, to have some sort of relationship with Jerry.

the end