#Sylvain x Byleth

[fe-fictions]

hi! do you still have that prompt where during dinner, sylvain tells his children that he once joked about killing byleth, and they’re horrified and run to protect their mother? it was so funny 😄

(The ginger army returns!!!)

Neither of you were sure how the conversation reached this particular point. But you were sitting at the dinner table, telling your children stories about your younger days at the monastery. You were talking with a calm reverence, regailing them with tales of your duties as a professor and Sylvain as your impossible student.

But then it shifted, and Sylvain mentioned made an off-hand comment about how suspicious of you he used to be. Thinking it all quite humorous now, he made the mistake of mentioning how he considered killing you once, because of how suspicious he was.

The second the words left his mouth, the entire gaggle of children that had been sitting with quiet enthusiasm erupted, rallying around their mother and barricading him from reaching you.

You were surrounded by a wall of ginger, all of them shouting at Sylvain to stay away from their Mama. He had never looked so confused and heartbroken, before.

“W-what? I don’t-”

“Papa’s bad!! Stay away from Mama!”

“Yeah, don’t you touch her!”

“We’ll beat you up real bad if you even think about it!!”

“Children, I don’t even feel that way any-”

“No excuses! You touch my Mama, you die!!” They were quite serious. You managed to peek over the protective barrier of babies, shrugging at your husband’s bewilderment.

“But I didn’t hurt her! It was just when I didn’t know her. I love her very much now, children. Why do you think all of you are here at all?”

“That’s a good point.” You agreed, biting back your smile. The twins turned and looked at you, appalled.

“But he wanted to hurt you!!”

“That’s also a good point.” You nodded solemnly. Sylvain stared at you.

“What?? C’mon, don’t encourage them!!” 

“They make a very convincing argument, Sylvain. Maybe I shouldn’t let you get too close. What if you try to stab me?”

Your oldest and the twins gasped in horror, glaring accusingly at their father. Sylvain’s hands went up in surrender, but they weren’t having it.

“No stabbing Mama!” “I-I won’t, I swear! I’ll never ever hurt her, not even when we’re sparring. Okay?”

“No weapons for Papa at all!” The eldest son charged forward, snatching his fork and knife. Sylvain was working really hard to suppress his laughter, seeing how serious the children were. 

The troublesome twins each took a confiscated utensil, pointing them at Sylvain from across the table. A serious threat.

“All right, all right. You’ve all turned against me. But I’ve still got you, baby girl. Right?” He looked to his youngest little daughter, who hadn’t moved from her seat (quite focused on her mashed potatoes). 

But as the antics continued (and when she heard of her father’s plans to stab you), her gaze drifted from her food and towards her Papa.

He was smiling so very sweetly at her, as she was his sweet little angel who could do absolutely no wrong.

So his shock was immense when she quietly climbed out of her chair and waddled over to you, hugging your leg. 

She looked at him so very sadly, tears in her eyes as if this was the hardest decision she ever had to make. 

To turn against her Papa, who she loved with all her heart...but no one could hurt her Mama. 

“No hurt mama.”

Sylvain clutched his heart. “N-no, not you, too!! My only daughter…”

“Hey! I’m here too, Papa!”The other twin protested, her braids whipping behind her in defiance of her father’s words.

Sylvain shook his head. “Any child who would turn against me is no child of mine! At least, that was the plan, until your little sister decided she loves Mama more than me.”

“‘Cos you wanted to hurt her!!”

“Yeah, Papa! That’s really bad! I’m gonna tell Uncle Seteth and he’ll beat you up!”

“Yeah!! Uncle Seteth!!”

“Now, now, little ones. No need to get anyone else involved.” You chided them gently, taking the fork and knife from the twins and ushering them back to their seats.

“But Mama-”

“No but’s. Yes, your father did want to hurt me once, a long time ago. And yes, it was very wrong. In fact he  was so wrong I think he should go to jail for a while to think about his actions.”

“Thanks for the help, babe…”

“But, that was a very long time ago, and he doesn’t want to hurt me anymore. In fact, he wants to protect me, and all of you. Do you know why all four of you are here?” Your littlest daughter looked up at you hopefully. 

“Why, Mama?”

“Because he loves me very much.”

“Ew.” The twins’ noses crinkled, staring at their father with an all new form of disgust. And while he was plenty glad that you were saying such sweet things now, he wasn’t sure if this was any better.

“So you should know that I love him, too. We don’t have to worry about him hurting me anymore. He would never do it...at least, not on purpose.”

“Papa...okay?” Your littlest girl asked, and you nodded, unable to keep your smile from broadening.

“Yes, my darling. Papa is okay, now.”

“...Okay.” She whispered, nodding  as if she had received some sort of divine revelation. That her father wasn’t a horrible evil person that they would have to defeat.

It was just about the worst thing her little mind could conjure up.

“Well, all right.” The eldest huffed, narrowing his eyes at his father. “But if we hear that you try and hurt Mama even once, we’re gonna get you!”

“Being threatened by my own children.” Sylvain’s head thunked onto the table, “My family’s betrayed me even when they’re okay with me…”

Distressed, the toddler wiggled from your grasp, quickly waddling over to the far end of the table. She tugged on Sylvain’s pants leg, drawing his attention to his precious kitten. 

“Papa…” Sylvain scooped her up without hesitation, especially when he saw the tears bubbling over. 

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“Sorry.” She mumbled, burying her face in his chest with pudgy little fingers gripping his vest tightly. You were both positive she couldn’t have gotten cuter.

“Aww, don’t cry! It’s okay! Papa forgives you, okay? I forgive you. The others, though...they’re still in trouble. But not you.” He snuggled her close, peppering those chubby, rosy cheeks with plenty of kisses.

“What do you mean, we’re in trouble?!”

“You haven’t apologized to me for threatening me with forks and knives! So as far as I’m concerned there won’t be any dessert for any of you.” “What?!”

“Mama, help!!”

“Maybe we should apologize for hurting his feelings.” You suggested with a hint of amusement, “We do have some shortcake for dessert, after all.”

They gasped.

“Shortcake?!”

“Cake!!”

“We’re sorry, Papa!! We know you’re not an evil demon monster who wants to kill Mama!”

“Yeah! We just wanted to protect her in case you were! We love you lots and lots!”

“Not as much as shortcake, though.”

“That’s fair.” Sylvain laughed, the other three children barreling up to him and smushing him into apologetic hugs.

Despite the mess they’d accidentally made, Sylvain was still happy that his children were so protective of their mother. It was pretty clear where they’d gotten it from, seeing how defensive he’d been of you in his time before the children.

All the concern was forgotten and erased with strawberry shortcake, as all concerns should be.

[measuringbliss]

I am now the happy owner of 3 doujinshi.

The first one is a FE3H Sylvain/Byleth fanfic (entirely text!), and the two others are Tenet Protag/Neil mangas (with very different styles).

[icyplumpirate]

Sylvain and Byleth just chilling.

Silvain is actually my personal favourite fe3h character. I think he's even my favourite overall. What do you guys think about him? Who is your fav? I'm curious.

> Sharing is much appreciated!🩵

Don't repost/edit/use without my permission!

[rorah]

FE warriors 3 hopes is undervalued, It gave us DANCER BYLETH 💃 (and I think it gets a pass solely for it, lol ok kidding but still undervalued, but that's another post)

The king won't admit he has a crush on the skillful mercenary, of course he doesn't know he's capable of such things. Fortunately, he has someone like Sylvain on his team 😊...

Love illustrated stories where you don't need words to know what's happening and it's free to interpretation 🫶

[treeato]

SHSJSJAKHSSI LOOK AT THIS AMAZING COMMISSION ART RECEIVED! MY FAVORITE COUPLE!!!

Y’all need to go commission them!! @veroniikus

[asperrusual]

3H x Tumblr

[fiction-box]

Blood From A Stone

Blue Lions Boys X Fem!Reader

Hello, my lovelies! I wrote this in an attempt to psyche myself up for these next few days as I will be traveling for a job interview. I hope you all have been staying warm these past few weeks (the temperature has been consistently negative where I am now). I will attempt to start working on my inbox once I return. This work was not originally going to go this far in-depth, but this is where the story wanted to go. Nonetheless, please enjoy!

Requests are open. The story will continue under the cut.

After what might have been a ten minute walk, Professor Byleth halted her Blue Lions in the middle of the woods surrounding the monastery. You felt the warmth of the late spring sun shining through the trees; an experience made more pleasant by the soft breeze rifling through your hair.

You and Ingrid had been speculating what exercise you might be coming outside to do, taking an opportunity to make conversation during the walk. Each Friday, the professor enforced some group activity - shopping relays in town, competitive hunting, blindfolded sparring matches - to let everyone better learn the strengths of their classmates.

Sure enough, you watched the former mercenary pull the infamous blindfolds out of the satchel sitting on her waist. A hefty exhale resounded next to you.

“Aw, come on! Not this again…” Annette whined.

No one could blame her; Dedue had hit her uncharacteristically hard in the confusion of his blindness during their match. She might even still be sore from last weekend.

“Now, now - repeating the same exercise two weeks in a row wouldn’t be much help to us. This is meant to build our sense of camaraderie, not our dread for the end of the week,” Byleth corrected. “Line up, please.”

You did so, shuffling into a spot between Annette and Ingrid as your teacher scrutinized the class.

Dimitri caught a green bandana in the same second Dedue was handed a brown one. Green for Ashe and Mercedes, brown for you and Annette.

“Teams,” Dedue noted.

“Please tie them around your foreheads. I’ll explain in a moment.”

A brown scrap of fabric landed in Felix’s palm, the bluenette bringing it to his forehead before Ingrid and Sylvain received their green cloths. Silently cheering, you watched Professor Byleth fix the final brown textile to her own head.

“Today’s activity focuses on both stealth and strategy. Everyone received a color responding to their team. Your objective is to steal all of your opponents’ headbands - the first team to lose all of which will lose.”

Immediately, Sylvain reached over Ashe’s head to pull Felix’s bandana off his head, dangling it in the air.

“One down, everyone!”

“You know damn well we haven’t started yet!” the swordsman snapped.

Dimitri grinned, “I must say Felix, I never saw you as someone to be so easily caught off your guard.”

Ingrid hardly held back a snicker, Ashe’s body practically trembling with a similar sentiment as he reflexively moved out of the way of the two nobles.

Felix clenched his hands into fists, “I’ll tear that cloth into tatters while it’s still wrapped around your insolent-”

“That’s quite enough.”

Professor Byleth eyed Sylvain, prompting him to quickly return Felix’s band. Not without receiving a moderate punch to the arm in retaliation, of course.

“The forest will be split down the middle in regards to starting positions. Those with green bands will begin on the east while brown will start on the west. Each team will be given one minute to conceal themselves, come up with a plan, and do anything else they see fit before I sound the whistle.”

“Your opponents’ accessories can be taken by any means necessary. While use of stealth is encouraged, feel free to use weapons and other advantages as you see fit. The goal is to win, first and foremost. Once you are eliminated, you are to return here until we finish.”

“Prepare to sit on your ass for fifteen minutes, boar.”

You couldn’t help the sound that came out of you at that. Dimitri’s eyes flashed over to discern your reaction before his face promptly flushed a light hue of pink.

“Wh- Sylvain took your headband, not me!”

The redhead frowned, lightly ghosting his hand over his new injury, “Throwing me to the wolves so quickly, your Highness? Maybe-”

“Oh, enough already,” Byleth huffed. “Off to the woods with you all. Right now. Sixty seconds!”

Newly motivated by the time constraint, everyone shifted to group up before rushing to their respective sides.

You weaved between the trees, Professor Byleth following close behind as you trailed Dedue and Annette. Not long after you reached a central-western location, Felix instantly pulled the two in front of you aside.

“...-ce at the northern end of the forest where the dirt is…”

A bit confused, you shifted your eyes to meet those of your professor. Apparently, neither of you were invited to this strategy meeting.

That meant you weren’t needed then, right?

It was all the same to you. Better than the same, actually; an archer flying solo on a stealth mission in the woods didn’t sound like a terrible assignment in the least.

To top it all off, Professor Byleth on her own elsewhere in the forest at the same time? The anticipation would surely kill you. Maybe you would even see her skills more personally than you had on the few traditional battlefields your class fought on so far.

You were brought back to the present as your professor turned to you in real life, nodding at you before slipping into the shadow of a thick tree.

Sticking around just a little longer, you gathered enough snippets of Felix’s conversation to understand his plan. He wanted to make a hole in the ground on the northern side large enough to hold as many members of the opposing side as possible. It sounded a bit ambitious, but you supposed that was nothing new concerning the second son.

In any case, your team seemed to masquerade as the better part of a mess. You wondered how things were with Ingrid…

…45, 46, 47…

After a moment, you strengthened your resolve. The best way to see what the other team was up to would be to go see for yourself, right?

Swiftly working your way counterclockwise around the forest, you snuck over to the eastern side, crossing over only upon hearing a shrill note knocking against the trees. It was now imperative to stay hidden in whatever darkness would conceal you. Having a bow certainly made this easier in terms of mobility since you could just sling it across your body.

Even the animals seemed quiet. Accordingly, you were on high alert. Your movements became more careful, more deliberate as your heart began to race in anticipation. No stepping on branches or leaves; just grass and dirt. No bumping against the trees or sudden movements; just liquid flow and shady cover. Soft, swift, and silent.

Once you believed yourself to have rounded the terrain far enough, you stopped, climbing the tree with the best vantage point in the area and scanning the shady path where your opponents must have started. That is, if the ruined leaves on the ground served as any clue. Prepared for action, you took your bow off your back and pulled an arrow out of the slim training quiver you had been given. Patience was a game you were sure to win, especially in such a good position.

Nothing happened, though. You detected no movement, no flash of colors, and you eventually concluded that the other group must have had a similar idea. After all, most people are right handed, so they might have felt more comfortable countering on the northern side than from the south.

You were somewhat discouraged at your failure to help, but it was no big deal. Especially not when you heard the sound of branches snapping back the way you came. Felix’s strategy must have worked - there was nothing else you could imagine that might make that kind of sound. It must have been effective, too; you recalled an offhanded comment he made about Leonie teaching him something about traps.

Resigning yourself to picking off any stragglers that might have strayed from the group near Felix, you lowered yourself from your tree. Perhaps enough time remained for you to return to your side and assess the damages to see who was left.

Progressing back the way you came would be simple enough. Although you were intent on remaining undetected, you heard several branches snapping and some shouting up ahead.

Felix must have really gotten to them.

You grew close enough to the commotion to recognize Dimitri and Ashe’s voices as the ones yelling, but it made no sense. You had hardly moved a few paces past the tree you were in, and you were still circling the southern side of the forest.

Why were they being so loud? Did they lose, or did they forget this was meant to be a stealth exercise?

But that didn’t make sense, either. They were the best listeners in Professor Byleth’s class, barring Annette; there’s no way they would slack off now of all times.

Silently, you crept toward their shouts until you were brought to a wall of greenery. If you went through…

You didn’t have enough time to hide before they came barreling through the bush.

“Woah!” an ambush? And you fell for it, no less?

Ashe’s eyes widened, his natural agility allowing him to dodge you just in time. Dimitri, with no such skill, slammed into you. The two of you crashed into the ground, the prince scrambling to the weapon you knocked out of his hands as Ashe pulled you onto your feet.

“Come on, get up!” the archer begged you.

 Dimitri frantically shot off the dirt while Ashe started to guide you in the direction they were running. You didn’t have a moment to collect your thoughts or ask questions.

The crown prince’s longer legs carried him past you before he grabbed your left arm with his free hand. Your right hand still connected to Ashe, the three of you formed a chain for a moment as Dimitri lent you his momentum.

A terrible roar emanated from the bush where the boys appeared, prompting you all to detach and pick up the pace. The sounds of three sets of feet slamming against the dirt bounced off the trees in the forest. 

Two crest beasts barrelled through the shrubs, snapping branches in their pursuit of you and your friends.

“How?” you pleaded, your legs moving impossibly faster with the new adrenaline rush.

“No clue,” Dimitri weaved between the trees, his breath heavy, “where they came from.”

A wave of terror pulsed through you. All you felt were eyes on your back, on your friends, and there was nothing you could do about it. They approached, so much larger and covering so much more ground.

Naturally, your smaller size and unfamiliarity with the area caught up with your group. The demons pursuing you could simply demolish the forest in their path, but Dimitri could only get so far before his height forced him to fumble through a group of low-hanging branches.

Unable to slow down, you crashed into him, sprawling to the forest floor. Ashe had once again been attentive and agile enough to change course, but you and the prince lied prone on the ground.

A sound of anticipation came in the form of an unearthly squeal from one of the monsters trailing seconds behind you. If you did nothing here, you would surely die. 

Upon noticing Dimitri had again dropped his lance in his fall, you snatched it and flipped over to face one of the beasts, contesting a well-timed snap of its jaw by holding the weapon up and angling it to act as a pike. It worked just well enough to force the creature’s mouth open…

…until the beast’s maw clamped down on the training weapon, struggling over it with you before it splintered and snapped.

Knocked backwards, your shoulders never got the chance to hit the ground. Dimitri had been given enough time to stand, placing his hands under your arms and dragging you back while Ashe shouted from another direction.

The archer’s cries were enough to split the horrific hunting party, though the only thing you and Dimitri did was continue running.

This is hopeless. All our weapons are meant for training, Ashe is on his own, there are no other fighters with us…

“We can’t keep running,”  you breathed, looping around a tree to throw the monster off your trail, “something has to change.”

…Felix…

You curved around the forest, switching to head back to your group, “Follow me.”

The two of you determined that zig-zagging was the best way to outrun the monster, though if you slowed down, you would no doubt be back on the ground again.

Intuitively, you followed the path you were fairly certain Dimitri’s teammates must have taken to get to the western part of the forest. All the while, you silently prayed that your legs would continue to carry you at a pace fast enough that the beast wouldn’t gain too much ground.

Not that it could be helped; you took two strides for every one of the beast’s.

“Felix! Felix, where are you?”

“Felix!” Dimitri followed your lead.

A figure appeared in the distance, his fair skin and blue hair giving him away, “Why the hell are you two-?”

The shriek from the beast trailing you and the prince drowned out the rest of his sentence.

“Felix, where’s the trap?!”

“Shit,” he cursed, though you couldn’t hear. “This way!”

Pushing yourself just a bit further, you forced your mind to ignore the screams of protest from your body. Felix sprinted just ahead of you, his lack of fatigue allowing him to match pace with your adrenaline spike before he rounded a bush.

“Get the professor!” your teammate ordered someone you couldn’t see.

Dimitri rushed past you to follow the bluenette. Upon leaving the beast’s line of sight, however, he was yanked into the large shrub. You recognized Felix’s hand wrapping around your arm before you stumbled into him, entering the branches as well.

“Thank you, Dedue,” you heard Dimitri’s voice next to you, the phrase uttered out between gasps for air.

It was in the split second before the beast rounded the shrub that you turned your head and recognized the trick. The covering on the pit was placed in the path next to the bush you four were in. If someone hadn’t known to stop and take a route through the hedge, they would have fallen through the dirt.

And upon seeing Professor Byleth appear at the other end of the pit, creator sword drawn to lure the crest beast toward her, you recognized how smart your teammates really were.

The pit wasn’t big enough to hold a crest beast by any means, but it certainly did the trick to immobilize it as the monster lost its footing. A well placed strike to the crest stone on the back of its neck shattered the source of its power. You could only stare at the crumbling animal, its bony limbs reduced to dust. The only thing lying in the crater at the end was…

“A person?” Dedue balked.

You moved to get a closer look before realizing Felix still had his arm around you.

“Um…”

Absentmindedly, he released you, throwing an apology over his shoulder before going to examine the woman lying dead in what very much could have been her grave.

Unbeknownst to you, your body was beginning to shut down. Running all that way left you exhausted, and having done so at a sprint certainly didn’t make matters any better. Yet the second you sank to the ground to truly catch your breath, you remembered.

Ashe.

“P-Professor,” you coughed, “...Ashe-”

“...What?”

“Damn, we left Ashe in the forest!” Dimitri agonized.

Byleth’s eyes sharpened, “Understood. I’ll go find him.”

“I’m coming, too.”

“What?” Felix questioned. “No, there’s no way - you’re way too tired.”

“Dimitri and I are the only ones who know where he is!”

At this, the prince attempted to rise from his position bracing on his knees “Then I’ll go.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re a worse candidate than I am - you’re still bleeding from the trees!”

“Bleeding? I’m not-”

“Your highness,” Dedue cut him off, “your chest.”

Certainly, his uniform was ripped in places, blood pooling out from the cuts he received when he scraped himself on the branches, earlier.

“You must not have felt it due to the adrenaline. We should get you to Mercedes.”

Sure of yourself, you began to walk backwards in the direction you came from, “Professor, there’s no time! You have your sword, so if push comes to shove, I’ll be fine. Ashe doesn’t have a proper weapon, though, and he must have been running for a long time!”

Professor Byleth wasted no words, “Fine then. Lead the way.”

As the two of you picked up the pace, she turned to call out, “Be sure to clear that girl out of the pit! Get her to Mercedes!”

The dull ache in your legs became impossible to ignore once you ran back into the forest. Still, through a mix of retracing your steps and following the sounds of roaring and trees snapping, you managed to get close to where you and Ashe had parted ways.

Sure enough, several trees had been reduced to splinters and fallen trunks. The damage created a small clearing, through which you could see your friend. He looked really out of it, the forest around him a mess from the beast’s rage. 

“Ashe! Over here!”

The professor hit the creature a few times with her sword, extending its reach to divert its attention to herself. Recognizing her attempts to hurt it, the beast reared its head and focused its efforts on Byleth.

She had provided enough of a distraction that Ashe could make it to you. Allowing himself a moment’s respite, he braced himself on his knees similar to how Dimitri had earlier. Breathless, the two of you watched your mentor’s skills at work.

The creator sword would wrap around the wild creature’s neck; Byleth’s obvious attempt at trying to break the stone. Each time, the tether was countered by a snap of the beast’s teeth, or her attack missed entirely. The angle was impossible from where she was standing.

“Fall back, you two - I’ll be right behind you!”

Ashe began to protest, “But-”

“You’re both tired, you’ll need whatever headstart I can give y-ngh!”

Her opponent had grown impatient, swiping its claws at the chain of her sword before her next attack could connect. The weapon was yanked to the side, knocking the professor off balance for a moment and sending the weapon flying out of her hand.

“Just go! I promise I’ll be right there!”

Willing your legs to move, you grabbed Ashe’s wrist and pulled him up, guiding him the first few steps of the way. Once he managed to find his footing, you took a position to lead him back to the group in the west.

You didn’t think you would be able to do much of anything tomorrow, after this. The taste of blood stained your every breath, your throat felt dry to the point it hurt, and you were surprised you could even lift your legs anymore. The adrenaline had worn off by the time you left Dimitri with Dedue.

The noise increasing behind you cut off your train of thought. The pounding of paws much heavier than your own feet thundered against the forest floor. Leaves crushed so loudly you could have sworn they were snapping logs, and the veil of the safety you thought you still had was quickly torn away.

What about Professor Byleth? She should have been on her feet, should have caught up to you and Ashe by now if-

“Keep moving!”

The voice next to you startled you almost enough to make you lose your footing, but a steady hand at your back and the sight of a flash of green hair at your side kept you upright.

“Over here, Professor! This way!”

Annette waved her arms over her head, signaling a new location nearby. They must have created a separate trap in the time you had been away.

But why…?

A snap at your backs inspired the three of you to round this new shrub at record speed. This time, you were ready when Dedue pulled you into the bushes.

“Woah!”

You supposed you had forgotten to warn Ashe.

Sure enough, everything else was the same story, just with different people. The Professor pivoted out of Sylvain’s hold in time to pull the sword she retrieved from her hip. The beast fell in the trap upon rounding the hedge, giving her a more advantageous angle to properly fracture the stone, reverting the creature to the body of a young man.

“I don’t understand,” Felix’s brow furrowed, Ashe ducking out of his hold and falling to the ground to finally breathe.

You were beginning to feel similarly. Were it not for Dedue, you doubted you would be standing. Your classmate seemed privy to this knowledge, as well.

“I will bring you to Mercedes.”

A nod was all you could muster while Dedue bent to put an arm beneath your legs, lifting you off the ground. The air you were practically drinking filled your lungs with more oxygen than you thought they could hold, and your resulting breaths sounded almost raspy. Respectfully, you ensured that your head was turned away from Dedue (though it was also to ensure you could get as much air as possible).

Even still, you managed to catch the final words of those behind you.

“Why didn’t you just take that girl to Mercedes and reuse the last trap?” Professor Byleth wondered.

“Well…” Sylvain, “there wasn’t really a point...she was already dead.”

“...then…this boy…?”

You tried not to focus on the silence that followed her final question.

A few paces later and Dedue had made it to the outskirts of the woods. It was where you all met at the beginning of the exercise.

Mercedes approached the two of you before you cleared the trees, guiding Dedue to set you down on a patch of soft grass in the shade next to three green scraps of fabric. She must have anticipated your arrival.

“Will she be alright?”

“Oh, yes,” Mercedes assured him, though her light tone didn’t match the furrow of her brows. “She’s mostly dealing with fatigue, but the strain on her lungs should be soothed before she tries to go anywhere.”

A moment of silence.

“Where is his Highness?”

The glow of soft magic hovered over you before you felt inclined to close your eyes. You tried not to focus on the strange feeling coursing through you - you still weren’t used to healing spells, yet.

“He and Ingrid went back to the monastery to consult Lady Rhea about all this.” She sighed, and you felt a pause in the flow of her enchantment, “I don’t really understand everything that happened today. It all feels so wrong.”

“I agree. There should not have been any crest beasts this close to the academy. The knights should have noticed.”

Another pause led to a stronger wave of magic passing through your lungs; it was all you could do to focus on breathing next to this weird feeling, but you opened your eyes just to make sure you were still okay.

 “I will head back to the monastery as well.”

The healer nodded, “I’ll let the professor know.”

“Let me know what?”

It seemed the rest of your class made it out of the forest. Professor Byleth approached at the lead, followed close behind by Annette, and finally by Felix and Sylvain supporting a pale and winded Ashe.

As Dedue filled your teacher in on everything, Mercedes abandoned you to go help Ashe. Annette replaced her, kneeling where her friend sat just a moment ago to continue her work. Fortunately, you didn’t feel like there was much left to do.

“Right. You can head back. Take some of the training weapons with you, please - I have a feeling everyone else will have their hands full by the time we head back.”

Dedue removed the brown band wrapped around his forehead, adding it to the pile lying about a meter away from your feet. Picking up the discarded wooden lance, bow, and sword lying in a pile closer to the woods, he turned and wordlessly took the path leading back to Garreg Mach.

“My bow…” you remembered, testing out your voice from your position on the ground, “I think…I dropped it somewhere in the forest?”

Felix scoffed, “With the amount of trees those beasts managed to fell, I don’t think a bit more wood lying around would hurt anyone. The Church can just buy a new one. They replace training weapons all the time.”

“Take it from Felix, they’re used to broken weapons,” Sylvain grinned. “Repairing a broken bow can’t be much different than replacing a missing one.”

A small huff of air came from the swordsman’s nose at his classmate’s remark. Rather than respond, however, he just turned back to you.

“How the hell are you still awake after all that? I expected you to have passed out by now.”

“Me? Shouldn’t you be more worried about Ashe? Whatever running I did, he ran and then some.”

“He did pass out.”

Turning your head to where Mercedes knelt, you found your friend sleeping on the grass, uneven breaths heaving from his chest.

After everything he went through by himself, you could only think that he deserved to rest.

“Professor? What is it?”

Annette’s inquisition immediately led your mind to drop the subject, turning instead to see Professor Byleth lost in thought.

“I’m just…trying to understand something. Those people that came from those monsters - did I kill them, or were they already dead? How did this happen so close to the monastery without anyone coming to help us? And…”

No one knew what to say. You hadn’t recognized the people that died, not their clothing or their faces.

“Nevermind. We need to head back in case anything else unexpected is looking to find us.”

“That should be just fine, Professor,” Mercedes agreed. “I’ve made sure these two are stable. The best thing for everyone now would be to rest.”

“Very well,” your teacher began circling around to everyone, collecting their headbands to place in the bag she had left here earlier.

Annette extended her hand out before Professor Byleth made her way over to the two of you. Taking it, you attempted to get up only to be frustrated by the fatigue of your legs. A sharp inhale followed by a hiss of pain accompanied the feeling of Annette lowering you back to the ground.

“Yeah…might not be ready for that yet…” you gritted your teeth.

Byleth walked over, tugging the brown textile off your head in a fluid motion, “Sylvain, please help her get back to the monastery. Felix, you can carry Ashe.”

“What?!”

Sylvain barely contained his laughter, approaching you with easy footsteps and lifting you off the ground bridal-style.

“You’re sure you want Sylvain of all people carrying the woman that can’t walk? Or fend for herself right now, for that matter?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of experience with this sort of thing.”

“...with carrying people?” you raised a brow.

Sylvain winked, “...with carrying women that can’t walk.”

Professor Byleth hit him on the back of the head so hard that Sylvain dropped you on the ground.

You landed, reeling with a small squeak and a light curse. Your breath came labored through your teeth from the incidental blow to your legs. Not that it could have hurt as much as whatever she just did to Sylvain.

“Agh- What the hell, Professor?!”

“You and Felix have done an excellent job of changing my mind. I think we would all feel better if you volunteered to carry Ashe back with us, instead.”

Now it was Felix’s turn to fight a smirk, though he was hardly trying. After making sure you were okay from your slight fall, he picked you up in much the same way Sylvain had mere moments ago.

Meanwhile, Sylvain seemed to be making a point to carry Ashe over his shoulders.

The seven of you headed back to the monastery together, Professor Byleth calling off her lessons for the beginning of next week just to make sure everyone was well rested. Annette tried to reason that taking the weekend off would be plenty of time for most of the Blue Lions. After all, you, Dimitri, and Ashe were the only ones that really suffered any fatigue. Your teacher countered that if she were holding class, you three were the most likely suspects to insist on attending regardless, no matter how badly you were injured.

Perhaps you left too good of an impression on the professor today for her to think such things of you. Regardless, you agreed with her, if only to save Annette from the pointed glares of Felix and Sylvain at the idea of rejecting a day out of class.

[justrandomselfships]

SECOND PART OF MY SCUFFLE SILLIES!!!

Commission status is in my pinned post!

taglist utc!

@lovehollyberry

@resident-cake-anon

@maynope00

@princesheepish

@n1rolankisser

@lapinbunwrites

[aroejumping]

Winter Festival fairies❄

[creativesplat]

My three favourite fire emblem couples, made with this picrew: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/399481

[fe-fictions]

I need more of the gaggle Gautiers. Do you happen to have any more reposts for them?

(I only have one more repost for the Gautier fam... their first introduction!!! Please send in more prompts for them if you want to see more, I'd love to keep writing them ;; U ;; )

Sylvain had certainly slowed down a little bit since the end of the war.

This was due to a few different reasons; the first was living in peace time meant there wasn’t as much need for training.

The other was that he married the Archbishop. Naturally, that came with a lot of new responsibilities, and actual romance he’d never been able to experience.

But the third reason was the one taking his focus; a hoard of red-headed, wild children bursting out the front gates of the monastery and charging straight for him.

“PAPA’S BACK!!” Several loud, young voices exclaimed, and he barely had enough time to dismount his horse and crouch down in front of them before he was charged by the swarm. The very cute, very happy, very much so his children, swarm.

“A-all right, all right. I missed you, too.” He laughed, fighting to keep his balance as more of them ran into him. There weren’t really that many; it was only about four of them, but each one was precious and filled with energy, just like he used to be as a child.

The oldest, hardly over the age of seven, was currently wrapping his arms around his father’s neck and squeezing him tightly (if he wasn’t in armor he was sure he’d be fighting to breathe).

The youngest, who was two and a half, was still waddling behind her siblings and trying to keep up so she could hug her Papa, too.

The middle pair, his twins, were currently climbing over his back and onto his shoulders, fighting for his attention. 

It was all he could do to keep from crumbling under their energy.

“We missed you, Papa!!”

“Did you have lots of fun?!”

“Did you bring us anything back?”

“Snacks?”

“Presents?!”

“A horse?!”

“A new necklace for Mama??”

“A quill for Uncle Seteth?!”

“He was really mad when you left, y’know.”

“He doesn’t like it when you chase us down the halls!!”

“He found the bust of Saint Cichol that we broke by accident-”

“W-we didn’t break it!! It was the creepy guys who live under the church!!”

“Yeah!!”

“Papa…” Sylvain was able to hear the soft, shy voice of his littlest one, his precious girl who was barely able to make her way through the crowd of kids and reach her father. Those chubby cheeks were begging to be kissed.

“Okay, everyone, settle down-” Sylvain plucked his son off, kissing his forehead and setting him down. He peeled off the first twin, kissed her cheek, and managed to flip her brother over and kiss his nose. “I missed you all very much. Now go let Mama know that I’ve come home.”

“Yes sir!!” They burst away from him and stumbled back up to the monastery gates, a very unimpressed Seteth already chiding them for running off so recklessly.

In their haste they bumped their little sister, sending her tumbling backwards- but with expert Dad Reflexes, Sylvain caught her, scooping her up and away from the painful ground.

“Easy there, little girl.” He beamed at her, “Did you miss me, too?”

“Yeah.” She huffed, teeny, tiny hands coming around his neck and hugging her as best she could. Oh, he could just melt on the spot.

“I missed you, too, sweetheart. Did you behave for Mama while I was gone?”

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded, spreading her arms wide. “This good.”

“Ohh, wow. That’s very good.” He kissed her nose, earning a shy little giggle. “Almost good enough for, say...a present?”

“Present.” She confirmed, eyes widening. It was his favorite thing about his littlest girl. She had dark blue hair just like you used to, but there was no mistaking her father’s eyes. 

They lit up with joy when he revealed a small package just for her, which jingled happily when she started to tear the paper away.

Sure enough, there was a small stuffed bunny in her hands, that looked up at her with handsome button eyes.

“You like it?” He asked as he bounced her gently, earning a vigorous nod and a happy blush on her rosy cheeks. Absolutely made the week away from his family worth it.

“Thank you, Papa.”

“You’re welcome. Just make sure you keep it a secret for now, okay? The others will get their presents soon, but for now, you’re the only one. It’s between us.” He said with a wink. She snuggled into her new bunny, but nodded all the same.

“Secret.” She whispered. Goddess, he was blessed.

He carried her up to the monastery, letting her hold the horse’s reins and “guide” the beast along with them. It didn’t take long for you to appear, though, coming down the steps of the main building and smiling at the sight of your husband.

“I take it the talks went well?” You said, spotting the toy in your daughter’s hands. He smirked, handing the horse to one of the stable hands and setting his girl down on the ground.

“As always. It’s not hard to get things done when you’re the Archbishop’s closest advisor.”

“I’m sure the ring on your finger had something to do with it, too.” You added, welcoming his arms around your waist with a smile and a kiss. “...Welcome home.”

“Good to be home.” He murmured against you, kissing you once more. “I hope the kids weren’t too rough on you, this time. Seteth looked like he was about to rake them over the coals when they were running back.”

“They were a little more excited than usual, though that might be my fault.” You explained, breaking apart long enough to take his hand in yours, and your daughter’s in the other. “There’s something I told them that...I need to tell you.”

“Oh?”

“Mama secret.” The toddler chimed in, looking at her jingling bunny. “No tell Papa.”

“Mama secret?” He echoed, eyebrows raised. He looked at you for an explanation, but you just shrugged, giving his hand a little squeeze.

“You’ll find out soon enough.” You assured him, “Let’s get you settled into something more comfortable.”

“Please and thank you.” He grinned, “Hey sweetheart, why don’t you go and play with Flayn? I think she’s looking for you.”

“Okay.”

She scampered off as quick as her legs could carry her (not very), both her parents proudly watching her go off on her next adventure, jingling the entire way.

“I don’t think we could ever top that, honestly.”

“Hmm?”

“I love all my children equally, and you know this. But Goddess, we were unbelievably blessed with the cutest human being on the face of the earth. Probably of all time.”

“You’re just saying that because she’s the baby, and she has different hair from your ginger brood.”

“You have to admit it gives her an advantage. She’s going to have all the boys after her.”

“That’s what her brothers and sister are for.”

“The twins are gonna be all over that.” He agreed, escorting you up to the bedroom. “Though I’ve gotta admit, I’m impressed you can still keep secrets from me, even with all my little informants.”

“I know you think you’re the favorite parent, but...there’s a reason we have Mama secrets.” 

“Care to tell me what it is?”

“Not yet. But I will admit, it’s not going to be as easy for a little while.”

“Why’s that?” 

“Well,” You released his hand, undoing the latch and letting yourself into the bedroom. You paused in the doorway, peeking back at him, “There’s going to be another informant that has to keep the secrets, too.”

“Oh, I see.” He nodded, it made sense. Then he gasped.

And choked on air.

And proceeded to tumble into the bedroom behind you. 

“W-wait, another informant-!?”

Your reunion home proceeded to wash away all of Sylvain’s exhaustion with your special little announcement, as if he couldn’t be over the moon enough with the big, beautiful family he already had. 

There was no reason for him to be as fast paced and stressed out as he used to be; he was allowed to slow down.

After all, he easily had the greatest family in the world. And it was about to get a little bit bigger (and a little more ginger).

[wilberia]

Happy Lunar New Year! 🐇🐰

Illustrations for @SRSR_54 and @tachiloltachi

[linilou-von-hevring]

Winner Takes It All

Read it here on AO3

There’s no better time to get in some training than after the dinner bell; the monastery grounds still bustle with moving bodies, but the training grounds are far from a favorite late-night destination. More often than not, it’s left deserted; the gardens or the banquet hall are far more interesting places to spend an evening, a cup of tea in hand as idle chatter momentarily drowns away the hardships of war. Anywhere is better than the training grounds, or so that’s what Byleth has observed over the weeks. Everyone seemed to have found their routine, but none of those routines included training after a hearty meal. Well, almost none of those routines included the training grounds.

“Not bad, Teach, but,” Claude’s grins as he wipes away beads of sweat that drip from his forehead, “is that really all you got? I thought you said you weren’t going easy on me, make me work for that victory. Unless that really was your best shot and you’ve lost your edge, Ms Renown Merc.”

Byleth narrows her eyes, sucking in a heaving breath. The boy had gotten stronger since the last time they had sparred; maybe such is the effect of his becoming a man behind her back. He’s as cunning as ever, but there’s more to him now. Now, he seems stronger, more calculating, less predictable. He seems steadier on his feet; it’s not as easy to knock him back as it had once been. It’s not as easy to pin him down and claim victory.

The cool breeze is pleasant against Byleth’s bare arms, her coat now tossed to a corner of the arena. It helps ease her ragged breaths, but it isn’t long before she must turn her attention back to the man standing across from her. While she would have loved to enjoy the fresh evening air, be it just for a moment, Byleth knows better than to let her guard down around a grinning archer. She knows better than to let her guard down as Claude reaches over his shoulder, his fingers curling around another arrow he pulls from his quiver. She knows better than to trust the mischievous smirk pointed at her; it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s accompanied by a storm of arrows, each barely missing Byleth before lodging themselves in the stone columns delimiting the arena. And she can hear the oscillation of the fletching, the slow calming, but her eyes are on the man reaching for yet another arrow.

It’s a warning shot he sends her way, a reminder to keep her eyes and mind on him. It’s a warning shot, the cool metal grazing Byleth’s cheek. Had it not been a warning, it wouldn’t have missed her; Claude does not miss. Claude, he’s the best archer Byleth knows; Claude, he’s got the best aim Byleth knows of. And she knows she can’t be lax with him; this is a simulation of the battles to come, after all. They both have to be at the top of their game; they both have to be ruthless in their fighting, even if they will be standing for the same cause.

“I thought we were practicing your swordsmanship.” Byleth pushes her sweaty bangs out of her eyes before tossing her hair over her shoulder and straightening herself out. “And as far as I’m aware, a bow isn’t the same thing as a sword. Or did you forget that?”

Claude huffs out a laugh as he tosses his bow aside. It clatters against the ground, begging for Byleth’s attention, but her eyes refuse to leave Claude. They follow his every movement, following the curl of his fingers around the hilt of the sword. She watches as he twirls it around a few times, accustoming his wrist to the weight and motion of the weapon. She watches, swallowing back a snort as the sword hits the ground, slipping from those hands Byleth knows all too well.

While reaching for a bow has become second nature to Claude, swords aren’t exactly his field of expertise. He’s grown more comfortable with the close-range weapon, Byleth can see that from his stance, but he’s still nowhere near as prolific as she is. And he’s honestly almost cute, slowly going through the motions; he’s almost cute as he nods to himself, steading his grip on the hilt.

There are little chances Claude will ever actually use a sword on the battlefield, but both know it’s better to be overly prepared than caught by the unexpected. They’re both  unfortunately aware of the fatality that comes with using the wrong weapon at the wrong time; they’ve seen the risk it poses. Hence the reason for their training sessions; they can’t risk the loss of the Alliance’s leader. Byleth can’t risk losing Claude, not when they’ve just been reunited after a five year long dark night.

There’s a glint in Claude’s green eyes as he readies the blade in his hand. Clearly, he’s rusty, his clumsiness overshadowing his many hours of practice, but the rust seems to wash away as confidence flows through him. It glistens in his eyes, those same eyes Byleth knows only grow more distracting as nights go by. It pulls at the corners of his mouth, a grin she knows the taste of. Claude, he’s going to give it his all; Byleth, she’s in for a good fight.

“Ready, Little Fawn?”

One last flick of the wrist is the last warning Byleth gets before Claude is charging towards her. Her eyes follow his footwork as she parries the attack, the clanking of metal resonating in her ears. The corrections fall from her lips just as naturally as swinging a sword; all it took was one year of instructing for it to become ingrained into every sparring session she partakes in. And with each correction, Claude readjusts his stance, power cutting through, strength Byleth quickly mirrors. Even if he’s taller, even if he appears stronger, even if he’s flashing his charming grin, there’s no way he can win. He can be as attractive or as cunning as he wants; he still won’t beat the legendary Ashen Demon; no one will beat her in her field of expertise.

They’re both quick on their feet, they’re both agile fighters, but Byleth still has the advantage. She’s just a little faster than Claude, always striking first, always more on the offensive than he can be. And Claude deflects every one of her attacks, pushing her back, but it’s not enough; for every step forward of Claude’s, Byleth makes him stumble back three. He’s a worthy opponent, but she’s still stronger, still more skilled; his moves are still too predictable. His schemes haven’t worked this time; three more steps back and he’s caught between a wall and his opponent. Two more steps back and Byleth is claiming her victory. One more step back and—

She should have known better than to try to corner a stag. Claude, he’s fast, faster than she remembers him to be. He’s fast, and he’s cunning, and he’s far too charming, his stupid smirks and taunts leaving Byleth with the slightest hint of flushed cheeks. Claude, she had underestimated how good a fighter he is; she hadn’t anticipated the possibility of him slipping beneath her, kicking up a storm of dust as he inverted their positions. She hadn’t anticipated him to be this strong, his final blow making her stumble back, her back hitting a wall.

Everything suddenly feels like it’s going a million times faster than before. Byleth’s mind races as she takes in her surroundings, looking for an opening. She hasn’t lost, not yet, not ever. Claude might have more tricks up his sleeve than her, he might be more agile than her with his light archer footwork, but Byleth is still stronger than him. She’s still more skilled with a blade, pushing Claude off of her and quickly bringing them back to the center of the arena. She’s more powerful than him now that determination burns from within; there’s no holding back any of her strength, Claude now stumbling back as he deflects every one of her hard blows.

Byleth is determined to win this fight. No matter how much of a fight Claude puts up, he will not be keeping victory away from her. His little archer steps will do nothing to lead him to victory; his little schemes will not help him win; his green eyes won’t distract Byleth enough for her to drop her guard once more. There’s nothing that can keep her from claiming her victory.

A cry echoes throughout the training grounds, Byleth’s sword descending onto Claude’s shoulder. The cry echoes until it’s drowned out by the sound of clashing metal, Claude’s blade barely managing to protect him from what could have been a fatal blow. Both his hands grip the hilt of the sword, his body shaking ever so slightly as he concentrates all his energy on repelling his opponent. Concentration pulls on every one of his beautiful features, but despite his gritted teeth, there’s still a glint in his eyes. There’s a glint in his eyes, but it’s not their usual glimmer of mischief. This shine, it’s something Byleth can’t name.

“Is this really your best shot—” His strength is incomparable, jerking his opponent off of him with nothing but his blade— “Teach?”

Another battle cry breaks from Byleth’s lips as she attacks him once more, fury blinding her and taking control of her. She shouldn’t get so worked up at such a pathetic taunt, but Claude has always had a way of getting under her skin. He knows what buttons to push to make her see red; he knows what to say to ensure she will give it her all, refusing to accept defeat. She will not lose to Claude; it would be downright embarrassing for the sword-master to lose to an archer of all people. It would be an embarrassment for the instructor to lose to her student. It’d be humiliating  to lose to soft green eyes and a stupid smirk. It’s impossible for Byleth to lose to those filled in shoulders or that sharp jaw.

“You’re distracted.” Another slash in her direction; another collision of swords. “And unsteady.”

The yelp that breaks from Byleth’s lips is disgraceful to put it simply; she falls back as Claude somehow finds a way to trip her. Her movements are anything but elegant as her weapon slips from her fingers, clattering on the ground, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to turn the fight around once more. Pulling this off is relying on a wildcard, Byleth knows that, but that doesn’t stop her from trying, launching her leg higher than it’s ever gone. She aims for Claude’s head, hoping and praying she can knock him aside, but his reflexes are finer than she had expected. Calloused fingers curl around her ankle, fingers she normally loves feeling against her bare skin; another yelp jumps out of her as he yanks her forward, sending her sprawling across the floor. And when Claude presses his weight down, straddling her hips as he holds his blade to  her throat, something flips in Byleth’s stomach.

Maybe it’s the way his green eyes glisten in the night; maybe it’s the feeling of his body over hers. Maybe it’s the cold blade against her throat, the way she’s doomed, her life resting in the palm of his hand; maybe it’s his voice, that low, raspy tone he reserves for her and her alone.

“And I win.”

Byleth could have given up, accepted that Claude had defeated her; she could have given in, given herself up to him, but she isn’t known for easily giving in. Her mind races, desperately searching for a way out of Claude’s grip; it’s instinctive, the balled fists she throws his way. She tries to hit him, tries to break free, but he’s faster than her, dodging every one of her punches. He evades each attack, something Byleth fails to do; calloused fingers curl around her skin once more, both wrists pinned above her head. And her breath catches at the base of her throat as Claude leans over her, his warm breath against the shell of Byleth’s ear.

“Ready to call it quits, Sweetheart?”

Another taunt has Byleth squirming under the weight of Claude’s body, trying once more to break free, but she’s depleted the last of her energy. No matter how hard she tries to fight him, she’s come to accept that his grip on her is iron-like; she’s come to accept that she’s helpless to the feeling of his nose grazing her neck, a feeling that has her stomach sinking and her breath catching once again.

Byleth is trapped with no way out; Claude has trapped her with his strength, his skill, his prowess. It’s his incomparable abilities as a soldier which allowed him to claim his victory today. It’s his schemes and his cunning that have Byleth surrendering to him. Or at least, that’s what she tells herself as she lets her body relax under Claude’s. Because while it’s true that all those qualities did grant him a win, she’s ignoring a key fact to his victory. She refuses to admit her weakness.

Green eyes, they’re the ones that got Byleth in this situation. Despite the glistening mischief, softness is what truly shines through as Claude pulls back. He’s looking at her with those same eyes he gives her when it’s just the two of them, that same look that makes her melt under his touch. Those green eyes, how is she supposed to focus on anything other than their beauty? How is she supposed to care for anything other than those eyes that always search for her first thing in the morning, eyes she knows always have her back? How is Byleth supposed to ignore the green of Claude’s eyes, that green that starts to fade behind lashes as calloused fingers lift her chin? How is she supposed to not melt at the prospect of a smile pressed to hers, a smile she dreams of, a smile she had been looking forward to tasting once she was supposed to claim victory? And Claude, well, a victor is entitled to his prize, after all. Who’s Byleth to deny him of what is rightfully his?

“Sylvain!”

Distractions don’t dull either Claude or Byleth’s reflexes; the high-pitched yelp from the sidelines is startling enough for them to immediately jerk away from each other. And it doesn’t take a hunter’s gaze to spot the source of the sound: the pink pigtails are a dead giveaway of Hilda’s presence. If she thought she wouldn’t be noticed, half-hidden behind a stone pillar of the arena grounds, then she might need to put in a bit more training. Had this been a battlefield, she would have been immediately picked off. Sylvain as well, for that matter.

“Get your hands out of my face! You’re gonna ruin it!”

“Then you should stop spying on the professor and Claude! You’ll end up seeing something you weren’t supposed to see.”

Warmth spreads across Byleth’s cheek, though she doubts she looks anything like Claude. If they hadn’t had an audience, she might have told him the pink looks good under his skin, a color that makes the green of his eyes stand out even more. Had they not had an audience, Byleth might have even pressed a kiss to those burning cheeks as she pushes herself up from the ground. Had they not had an audience, a lot could have happened, perhaps even those things Sylvain loudly whispered about, those things Hilda isn’t meant to see, whatever that is. 

“C’mon, Sylvain! We both know that you’re just as curious as me! Like, I know you’ve also been wondering if Claude and the professor are an item. Which—" Hilda finally manages to push Sylvain off of her before waving her hand at the center of the training grounds— “by the looks of it, they totally are! Which means Marianne owes me dessert.”

“I mean…” Hazel eyes flicker towards Byleth and Claude before falling back onto Hilda as Sylvain drops his voice to a still clearly audible whisper. “We have no proof they’re in a relationship. It could totally just be a fling type of thing.”

“Stop dreaming about getting with the professor. She’s off the market, as sad as that is for you. And anyway, not only would she never take you as a husband, but also, I’ve kinda been rooting for Claude since the beginning. I mean, you weren’t the one who had to listen to him go on and on about her every day.”

The blush deepens as Claude falls back. He’s shaking his as Byleth bites back her hint of smile, a smile they both know means she will be teasing him about this new revelation. And even though Claude seems to be denying those accusations with his big eyes and his mouthing of “she’s exaggerating,” it’s hard to believe him. The boy who was always so good at concealing his true intentions and feelings has become a man betrayed by his very own facial expressions.

“And also, unlike you, Claude knows how to treat a woman. Which is obviously thanks to all my wonderful advice, which you refuse to take. Maybe if you had listened to what I have to say, you could’ve had a chance with the professor. But no. And you won’t be able to break them up, no matter how hard you try, you womanizer!”

“Excuse you, but I know how to treat a woman. It’s just not my fault there’s so many beautiful girls falling over themselves to be with me, but there’s only one me to give to them all.”

Hilda gags as she shoves a winking Sylvain away. If she had once been trying to conceal her presence, then she has since given up that endeavor. Her weight is shifted to the side, her body leaning dramatically into one of the pillars that had once barely hidden her. She’s back to making faces as Sylvain as he goes on and on about all the wonderous things he’s done for every woman who has given in to his charm; he’s also conveniently leaving out every terrible action Byleth has unfortunately been stuck reprimanding him for.

Had the setting been in the slightest bit different, Byleth might have enjoyed watching the two unlikely friends bicker. She had had her fair share of dinner time gossip from each, and she had never minded the near monologues they would present to her, but this time, it wasn’t quite as enjoyable. This time, the gossip just so happened to be the once mysterious mercenary, and it most definitely was not gossip about her strength and near-monstrous tendencies on the battlefield. No, this time, she was the center of a love affair, something she damn well wished she’d never be a part of, but alas. At least Hilda and Sylvain’s attentions were back on themselves, giving Byleth the opportunity to push herself off the ground. Claude is not far behind her, dusting himself off as his eyes flicker between the gossips and Byleth.

“By the goddess,” Hilda sighs, a hand on her cheek and a dreamy look in her eyes, “the things I would do to have a lover as passionate as those two are for each other. Like, I would literally die if someone was so ready to die for me. Or kill for me! It’d be so hot to be scoop up and rushed to safety by a hot and sexy savior. And like, my safety would be the most important thing in the world.”

“Maybe if you weren’t so picky, you’d have already found a guy who was ready to do that for you. A strong man like myself would be more than pleased to have a wife as cute as you, but you keep on rejecting every single guy that offers you a ring or eternal love.” Hilda gasps at Sylvain’s remark, but he quickly brushes her off. “It’s almost as if you already made up your mind about who you want, but that would mean having to work towards getting her—”

“I simply haven’t found the right guy!” Hilda’s tone is stern, but there’s an edge of panic that doesn’t go unnoticed by a smiling Sylvain. “I have absolutely no one on my mind. Your accusations are simply absurd. There just hasn’t been a single man that lives up to my expectations and I don’t exactly have the luxury of husband shopping while we are at war.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

“I just want to have whatever Claude and the professor have going on for them.”

Finally, Claude clears his throat, drawing both Hilda and Sylvain’s attention to him. “You do know that we can hear you, right?”

Both bystanders stare at the leader of the Alliance, suddenly seeming like frightened deer. They couldn’t have possibly thought that they were being discreet, could they? No, that’s impossible. The human mind can’t be that ridiculously caught in its delusions.

“Right.” Hesitation coats Hilda’s voice, her eyes suddenly bouncing between Claude and Byleth. “We were just passing by.”

Amusement plays on the corners of Claude’s mouth, a look that almost looks too good on him. As charming and persuasive as Hilda can be, she hasn’t succeeded today. She’s smarter than to think she can trick Claude, of all people. She knows better than to try to lie to Byleth. And the sheepishness is almost cute on her, had it not been for the fact that she and Sylvain had purposely come to disturb a sparring session. But only one culprit would be dealt at a time.

“Hilda.” The girl straightens at sound of the professor’s stern voice. Her breath seems to catch as pink eyes widen upon crossing the gaze of the Ashen Demon. “Since you were just passing by, then I assume you must be getting ready to practice your fighting skills. Care for a spar?”

“Oh! Oh no! Absolute not, Professor! I was actually…” Her eyes quickly scan over the training arena, pointedly avoiding Byleth and Claude’s general direction. “I was actually here looking for my gloves! Yeah! I seem to have misplaced them, so I was retracing my steps with Sylvain!”

Swiftness suddenly takes over the girl as she grabs Sylvain’s hand and tugs him forward. Normally, he’d have been grinning at the thought of a girl being so forward with him, but in this circumstance, Sylvain seems just as scared as Hilda. He doesn’t say anything as he stumbles along, both making a dash out of the training grounds. Never had Byleth seen either one disappear so quickly, not even on an actual battlefield.

“So…” Claude’s voice is particularly loud against the sudden silence of their self-made battlefield. “How are we getting back at them?”

Green finds green, idyll pastures suddenly disrupted by mischief. The king of cunning had ideas, Byleth was sure of that. But first, he wanted to hear all of Ashen Demon’s ideas. First, it was for her to suggest an appropriate punishment for the intruders.

“I think you might enjoy my ideas.”

Laughter resonates against the stones surrounding them. It’s like a ray of sunshine piercing through the clouds of worry that had started to form. It feels like the first rain after a torrid summer. It’s a laugh that always brings comfort to the one that thought she could never be comforted.

Never had they had the intention of hiding from the others; it’s simply that the truth never found its way out into the public. The truth had become comfortable away from prying eyes and idle gossips, and Byleth just wasn’t ready to let go of that security. Vulnerability had never been her strong suit; a heart had never been something she had considered having until rather recently. But now that Hilda and Sylvain had popped the bubble of security that had once engulfed this little love affair, then it’s only fair that Byleth gets her vengeance. It’s only fair that she would get back at them if they were to go out and spill her secrets to anyone who is willing to listen. Still, she’d go easy on them. That’s not too bad, now is it?

“And that’s why I love you, Teach.”

[treeato]

"To be held, to be loved, to be cherished not by your status, crest, not by your family name- but because you are wholly yourself" I WILL SLOWLY BRING BACK THE SYLVETH FANDOM IF I HAVE TO GORGEOUS ART I COMMISSIONED BY THE ONE AND ONLY @nadiaaisyah please please throw them some love and support!

[asperrusual]

3H x Tumblr

[fiction-box]

Would you write for Sylvain x Cursed!Fem!Reader? I don’t really mind what the curse is or how you’d solve it, so you can get creative with this one! :D

Hey, lovely! This was actually really interesting and super fun. It was nice to work with establishing subtlety and growing that into a nice crescendo for the story's climax. I really got to work out my brain on how certain characters would handle certain scenarios, and of course there was the matter of coming up with how the curse would be applied.

I hope this is what you were looking for!

Requests are open. The story will be continued under the cut.

“Good morning. We have a lot to cover today, so I’ll need everyone to sit down as soon as you walk in,” Professor Byleth commented over her shoulder, drawing up the battle strategy your class had been discussing for the past week.

You entered the Blue Lions’ classroom, a small black notebook in your hand as you moved to get to your seat.

“Oh,” your professor noted, “Seteth told me this was sent to you.”

She was gesturing toward a slim box on the edge of her desk. Maybe it would fit a pen? But then why would anyone go through the trouble?

“Would you mind if I opened it now?”

“The way I see it, it’s yours. You can do whatever you’d like.”

Curious, you took the box back to your seat. It seemed you were not the only one intrigued; Mercedes and Ashe turned to watch from their chairs in front of you.

“What do you think it is?” she asked, “I’ve never received a package before.”

Ashe gave a sad smile, “Neither have I. It makes me wonder.”

More eyes came to fall on you as the tape was removed from the edges and the lid was lifted lightly.

Upon seeing what it was, you gave a small gasp. Resting inside on a soft cushion was a deep blue pendant looped through a small silver chain. The necklace was understated, and undoubtedly to your taste. You would have picked such a piece out for yourself had you seen one in the market.

“Ooh!” Annette cooed behind you, bracing her hands on her table as she stood at her seat behind you, “It’s so pretty!”

“Someone…knows me very well,” you chose your words carefully.

Sylvain leaned in next to you, scanning over the necklace with a look on his face you couldn’t quite read, “Do you know who sent it?”

Good question. You would have to meet with this person and have a little chat. No one gifted something like this purely out of kindness. Not to you, anyway. But when you lifted the cushion, there was only a slip of parchment about as long as your index finger underneath.

You set the cushion aside, reaching in to turn over the paper.

Eternity

That wasn’t helpful at all. If anything, knowing that paper came with the box only made you more confused.

The phrase was iterated to your friends as you placed the necklace back in its place.

“Maybe it’s some new jewelry line looking to get its name out there,” Annette beamed, “Ooh, you’re so lucky!”

If that was the case, why pick an understated piece? On top of that, why you? Sure, you were the daughter of a Kingdom noble, but someone had to have gone out of their way for this. To learn that you were at Garreg Mach, and then to ensure you would actually receive the package?

Even Ingrid was interested, it seemed, “You should try it on. It would be a shame for it to sit away waiting for some special occasion. Besides, the jeweler would probably want you to show it off.”

You weren’t the showy type, but you could admit you were just as interested in it as she was.

“I suppose…” the attention from your classmates was beginning to make you shy.

They weren’t interested in you, though! It was the necklace they wanted to see, you reminded yourself.

Easily, the silver chain was lifted from the cushion and wrapped around your neck. Clasping it in the back, you found that it fell just below your collarbone.

Mercedes gave a soft giggle, “It looks wonderful on you! Ingrid is right, it would be a shame for it to collect dust somewhere in your room.”

She’s right.

“Okay, then. I…guess I’ll wear it often.”

Professor Byleth gave a small scowl from the front of the room, “Sylvain, I hope you studied your notes from my last lecture as closely as you’re studying that necklace.”

“What? Of course I did! I studied during the lecture.”

You noticed he didn’t even have a notebook.

“Very well, then. Why don’t we start by having you tell us more about the…”

~~~~~~

Thankfully, you had eaten a good breakfast this morning. The professor didn’t release anyone until long after lunch had passed. It didn’t help that you had spent every second writing down as much as possible to be looked over later.

You elected to bring your lunch with you to your dorm, mind focused solely on reviewing what the Professor had spouted during the lecture for the group examination tomorrow. It seemed she was more adamant about the topic of battalion management than the other subjects the monastery advocated.

An hour or two passed, and you had successfully copied the important bits of the lecture onto your spare pages. This way, your studies for the rest of the night were more efficient. 

By the time the sky turned to a dark midnight, you were still sitting at your desk in your room.

That’s enough for today.

Wanting to prepare for bed, you reached back to remove the clasp of the necklace you received. As though something was triggered by the action, it was set aglow with light.

Not right now.

“…”

Nevermind that it glows! You don’t want to take the necklace off. A new desire has overcome you.

You were in the mood for a stroll. Specifically, one to the woods outside of Garreg Mach.

The hallway was too dark for you to see properly, but you didn’t care. You shut the door behind you as you left, maneuvering about the monastery confidently until you came near the gates.

You stifled the glow of your necklace with one of your hands, sneaking around the guards as you let your feet lead the way. Somehow, these were the surest steps you had ever taken. Your destination was somewhere you had never been, yet one you were always meant to visit.

That very sense of determinism kept you mindlessly moving. Trees, leaves, grass, and several shadows drooping over everything stood as the only landmarks on your path. You treaded forth until you came to a gradual halt.

Calmly, you turned to your left. A woman in robes you could not clearly make out in the darkness made her presence known.

She approached you with a laidback ease; you were no threat to her.

And why would you be? You are safe with her. She only has your best interests in mind.

“Good to see you have accepted my gift, my muse,” the woman drew nearer, her hand brushing over your collarbone to touch the pendant, “You wear it well.”

You knew nothing of your current situation, but there was a settled feeling within you. There would be no need for questions. All the knowledge you needed would be provided, and what you weren’t told, you didn’t need to worry about.

A lovely way of saving your mind the trouble, is it not? Truly, she cares for you.

“Now, you must have seen enough of her at Garreg Mach to give me a proper report,” she gleaned, removing her hand from your neck.

Tell her all about your professor.

“Wh…why?” you managed. Your head was beginning to feel foggy, and you could no longer remember how you got here.

Hush. Do not ask questions. Only listen.

This voice in your mind was beginning to make your head spin.

“Perhaps you are too tired from your day to continue. You should not be able to resist.”

There were so many questions you wished to ask, but the blanket of exhaustion weighed heavier upon your mind than the cloud of curiosity.

“A major fault of my own design, no doubt. There is no reason to fret, though. I promise you and I will work through the problems together until we get this right.”

A rustle in the bushes caught your attention, though you didn’t get to point it out before the woman’s hand found your collar once more.

“Now, erase this encounter from your memory. Forget.”

~~~~~~

Byleth found herself working tediously at her desk an hour before classes were slated to start.

She saw you late last night, soundlessly following the gleam of your jewel until you covered it. By then, tracking you through the woods was child’s play. You did not seem yourself, so she played it safe and waited to learn where you were headed before revealing herself.

Only, she never did confront you in those woods. No, the problem ran much deeper than a student sneaking out after hours. It only took her noticing your strange gait and how the mage that appeared treated you to determine as much.

The professor needed information, though she would not have hesitated to attack if she believed you were in true danger.

It seemed the woman still needed you; however, Byleth could only hope to guess how long your usefulness would last. No matter. The witch had given her a day, and that was all she needed to form a decent plan.

The former mercenary silently debated whether to confront you directly about it or not. While it was true she left the scene early, Byleth still managed to learn that you weren’t in on the act, so to speak. Your mind was likely being surveyed, which meant asking any suspicious questions could ruin any element of surprise she might have. You couldn’t know she had a plan.

In truth, she wondered if you knew you were in danger, at all. Fortunately, there were some things she could ask.

Byleth noticed you enter the classroom a few minutes early. You had a few questions on her lecture from yesterday, it seemed.

“I would say good morning, but you look like you hardly slept last night. Were you up late?” she greeted.

Your brows furrowed slightly as you brought a hand to your cheek, “Do I? That’s strange…I actually remember falling asleep much earlier than usual.”

That was surprising. Did you not remember your encounter?

Beginning to cover the areas of confusion you wanted to discuss, the professor noted your strange clothing choice. A shawl was draped over your shoulders and covered your collarbone. You had never worn such an item before, so you must have chosen it for a reason.

Her guess? It was likely to shield the pendant from the notice of others.

Eventually, all of the Blue Lions found their way into the room and classes began. What the class didn’t know was that things would go a little differently today.

“Now, I know some of you may be upset or confused about this new arrangement, but there has been a schedule change,” she opened, standing at her desk, “Rather than doing our group work this weekend, our class will be completing its tasks today. Don’t ask me why, I don’t make the rules.”

Oh, she very much did make the rules, but nobody in this class would be so aggravated about the alteration that they would march up to Seteth just to verify the new schedule. Nobody in their right mind would contest her if it meant they’d be taking that exam instead.

“Partners and jobs will change, and as such will be decided by myself.”

There were a few murmurs at this.

You spoke out, “How long will this new arrangement last, Professor?”

“Only for this week, don’t worry.” Byleth looked to the list she had created before class, “Now, you and Mercedes will be on stable duty today. Dedue and Ashe will handle the cooking, Ingrid will go on sky-watch with Ferdinand from the Black Eagle house, and Dimitri and Felix will be working on weeding the grass.”

“What?” Felix complained, “Out of the eight other people in this room, why would you choose to pair me with him?.”

“Because it would bring me no end of lectures from Seteth to have you embarrass this House by falling out of the sky or burning a fish. Annette, Sylvain, please come see me,” she looked to her students, “but everyone else is dismissed and may begin. Your day ends when your task concludes.”

Students filed out of the classroom one at a time, Annette and Sylvain making their way to the front. Once the last student shut the door behind them, Byleth pulled the small paper she had been forming a plan upon out from her drawer.

“You two are going to have some very important tasks, but I’ll need you to keep this information private unless I exclusively tell you to share it.”

Sylvain scoffed, “What? Are others going to be jealous of our chores, Professor?”

“Do you remember the necklace your classmate received yesterday, Sylvain?”

“How could I forget after the commotion it caused?” he muttered.

“Well, I have reason to believe that piece of jewelry inflicted a curse upon her. The only time I know for certain we have is today, and we can’t waste a single second.”

Annette let out a noise of shock, “But Professor, why didn’t you confront her about it? Surely, if you had just taken her necklace off…”

“I couldn’t take that risk. There’s no way to know if that necklace can come off.” She glanced over her writing, “Just because I’m aware something is going on…just because I can get her alone…even then, I know so little that I can’t even be sure we have any advantage except surprise. We’re only going to get one shot at this, and we can’t give away that we know anything. Especially not to _______.”

She set the paper aside, “Annette, I’ll need you to do some research on curses and get back to me. Anything in the ranges of cursed objects, methods of cursing, and mind control should be good places to start. The sooner we know what we’re dealing with, the sooner we’ll know where to look for a solution.”

“Got it!” she exclaimed, rushing out of the room to the library.

“I’ll be joining you in just a moment!” Byleth called after her.

Sylvain leaned forward, “What about me?”

“You have a more…practical role to play…”

~~~~~~

Hours went by, Annette finally reporting her progress. The only way to break the spell was either by getting the mage to remove it herself, or by killing her altogether.

Best to prepare for the latter, Byleth thought. That woman didn’t look the type to go down without a fight. Or to play fair, for that matter.

Well then, she’d need to take away as much leverage as possible. The former mercenary seemed to recall that your natural exhaustion dampened your necklace’s control, the other night.

“Alright, listen up Annette. Here’s what I need you to do…”

~~~~~~

“Hey, Mercie!” you heard Annette call.

Currently, Mercedes was helping you brush out and dry off the last few horses. Today’s stallions were rather well-behaved, though it took no small amount of energy to care for the horses on a good day.

Things were also slowed down by the leisurely pace you two had been going at thus far, taking a break for lunch at one point and having a bit of fun with each other between tasks.

“What is it, Annie?”

The smaller girl gave a glance toward you before focusing on her friend again, “I, um…the professor wanted me to speak with you.”

“I see,” Mercedes nodded, setting her brush down. She turned back to you, “Please, just give me a moment. I’ll get right back to working with you once this is settled.”

“Take your time!” you smiled.

As the girls walked away, the voice that had been so present in your thoughts today grew louder.

What are they saying? They are keeping secrets from you.

No, you rationalized. They always did that sort of thing. The two were incredibly close far before you came along. Besides, this was something the professor needed. If it had anything to do with her more personal affairs, it was none of your business anyway.

Could it be that your professor is wary of you? Did you reveal the pendant? One can never be too certain, in these times…

The more you tried to reassure yourself, the more wary you became. Though you knew you were surrounded by those that would never hurt you, a feeling of dread had rooted itself within your mind.

A similar feeling came whenever your mind had its more…forceful thoughts…yet never was it stronger than when you dreamt last night.

With each swipe of your comb along horse hair, images would flood your mind. You, covering your pendant with a shawl. You, falling asleep early last night.

You, heading back into the woods tonight.

…back?

“I’m so sorry!” a voice snapped you out of your thoughts. It was Mercedes. Apparently, her conversation had concluded, but she remained standing next to Annette, “It seems the professor needs me to help her reassign vulneraries. You’ll be okay finishing the rest of this by yourself, won’t you?”

A reasonable excuse?

Of course it was. As the Blue Lions’ best cleric, Mercedes was always called to meet with the professor over vulnerary assignments.

…very well.

“No problem! Come back when you’re done, okay?”

Annette and Mercedes exchanged glances you didn’t quite like. Something told you she wouldn’t be coming back.

“Sure!” Annette cut in, “I’ll even help you out after I finish in the greenhouse!”

“Really? Thanks so much, Annette!”

But she must have never gotten her task done. Once the horses were locked up in their stables and the sky was painted orange, you were just as alone as when they left you.

Liars.

You didn’t want to hate them for it.

Some true friends you have. For them to abandon you after making promises like that…

They would never hurt you on purpose. Their chores were important, so it simply must have taken them longer than usual.

After a quick stop at the dining hall, you returned to your room. It had been such a long day, you were almost excited to get some rest.

Ah, ah. Not yet. You are meant to be going to the woods, remember?

Of course. How could you forget? You had only been thinking of that trip for what, a whole day?

Be not seen. Make haste.

Leaving your shawl behind, you changed into clean clothes before heading off.

The lovely glow of your favorite necklace shone down the hall as you went. Unfortunately, you needed to stifle the shine with your hand a few times to sneak off the grounds past the guards.

Why was this so familiar?

Just a little farther…

Greenery, darkness, moonlight, left.

A dark-robed woman revealed herself, “Fascinating. Tell me, do you know who I am?”

Who is she to you? Be honest.

“You-”

An arrow suddenly lodged itself in the woman’s shoulder.

“Augh-!”

HelpHelpHelpHelpHelpHelpHelp

The amulet you wore shone brighter than ever as all your instincts commanded that you protect her.

Surveying your surroundings, you spotted someone you knew holding the bow. It was your professor, and by the way she shifted her arms in the dark, she was going to nock another arrow.

Without thinking, you advanced. At least, you tried to. Your lunge was interrupted by a strong arm catching your waist, but it was clumsy and rushed. The counterweight caused both your own momentum and that of your supposed assailant to switch, bringing you both to the ground as you collided.

HelpMeHelpMeHelpMeHelpMeHelpMeHelpMeHelpMe

This mantra kept interrupting your focus until your back was against their chest. The two of you were in an awkward, semi-upright position as you struggled against the arms restraining you.

“You sure about this, Professor?” strained a man’s voice. A lock of red hair came into your field of view.

“Do it. It’s for her own good.”

Who you now knew to be Sylvain removed one of his arms’ grasp on you, reaching for something you couldn’t see. His hand returned just as quickly, though he held a small vial of herbs and pollen between his fingers.

Suddenly, you were flipped so that you were on your back on the ground and he was above you. He clamped one of his hands over your mouth, forcing you to breathe through your nose.

“Sorry about this,” he frowned as he popped the vial open and held it underneath your nostrils.

HelpMeHelpMeHelpMeHelpMe

But you couldn’t. After five quick inhales from your aggressive, breathless state, the floral mixture muddled all your senses together.

“Protect her until…” Professor Byleth’s voice faded out, though you watched her finally rush out of the bush, sword in hand, to confront the stranger.

…cold…it was so cold.

“...onastery…”

The sweetened scent haunted you.

~~~~~~

When you woke up, Manuela was with you in the infirmary.

According to the physician, you had been asleep for three days.

“Poor dear, you looked so pale. But you’re well rested now, and I think I’ve managed to flush your system of that awful pollen.”

The pollen…

“I remember that!” you sat up in a panic. “It was Professor Byleth…and Sylvain…”

“Yes,” Manuela laughed. “They filled me in once they came back with you. I swear, that boy worried himself out of an appetite the day they brought you back. He must have held the narcotic powder to your nose for too long.”

Subconsciously, your hand migrated to the lower half of your face.

“He blames himself, of course, but in all honesty I think it was more than that. Curses take a toll on your body as they are. Combine that with natural exhaustion, and that’s a nasty little recipe that’ll keep anyone out for a long time. Not that my telling him that kept him from checking in on you every few hours.”

After a few final checks, the songstress assured you that you were just fine before sending you off to the dining hall to get something to eat.

Needless to say, you couldn’t get there without talking with everyone you bumped into on the way.

Mercedes and Annette were the first to call out your name.

“Oh my goodness! I’m really sorry about lying to you,” Annette wailed. “I was really scared, but I knew the professor had a plan to keep you safe. I felt bad every second of it, though I know that’s probably not worth anything.”

You wrapped them both in a hug, “Please, don’t worry about it! I completely understand.”

“If there’s anything we can do for you, just let us know,” Mercedes offered.

“Of course.”

You smiled and waved at each other, parting ways as you continued on your trip to the dining hall.

More members of your house stopped you as you went. Dimitri wanted to apologize, promising he would attempt to prevent such occurrences in the future. Professor Byleth approached from behind him as the prince explained he was upset with himself for not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

Quickly, you assured him that no one did; you weren’t even aware you were cursed. Your teacher chimed in at that, saying she only found out by sheer luck. She threw a rare smile your way though, glad to have you back and happy to fill you in.

The necklace was given to Professor Hanneman and the woman was brought in for questioning, according to your professor. The woman had chosen to value her life over her secrets, it seemed.

“Thank you for everything,” you worried. “I don’t…that could have gone downhill way too quickly.”

“Don’t even think about it. You are my student; it is my responsibility to keep you safe.”

Her eyes slid past yours, as though she saw something behind you.

“In any case, Dimitri and I were just headed to the training grounds to spar with Felix and Dedue. Feel free to join us later, if you’re feeling better. We wouldn’t want to keep them waiting, though.”

“Oh, good luck,” you waved as they turned and left.

You heard your name from behind you.

Sylvain looked somewhat breathless, slowing up a few paces away by the time you shifted to face him.

“Sylvain,” was about as far as you got before he cut you off.

“I am so sorry,” he started. “Goddess, when we got you back…you were bruised, you were knocked out…I messed up.”

You were taken off guard. Such blunt sincerity wasn’t something you expected from him of all people.

…Manuela really wasn’t kidding when she said he was beating himself up over this.

“Hey…you saved me- you might have saved the professor too, since I know she’s who that woman was after. I have no clue what was in store for me, though I probably would have just kept living life trapped in limbo.”

“...maybe, but…” he struggled to find an argument.

“I know. Look, I-I’d rather have a few bruises than a chain binding me. You and Professor Byleth, you’re the reason I��m free. That’s more important to me than anything.”

“Right. Okay, then,” he nodded, taking a breath.

“So there. I forgive you.” You began to laugh, “Now look at us; I’m the one who’s worried. I don’t even think there’s a way I can repay you for helping me.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that,” he waved it off. “Although…you could come for a meal in the dining hall with me.”

“You’re in luck. I just happen to be on my way there right now,” you grinned. “Best not to leave a debt unsettled, right?”

He laughed, “I told you, you don’t need to think that way.”

Though the two of you went back and forth verbally, you went to the dining hall together.

And this time, the only voice telling you, this is right, was the one in your heart.