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Please enjoy the chapter.

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While on a field exercise with some knights and one of the professors, bandits had struck. In the chaos, Edelgard and the two other house leaders were separated from everyone else. Thankfully, they met up with a traveling mercenary company that agreed to help them.

One of the mercenaries, the captains child, Byleth, was rather exceptional. Cutting down foes left and right, dodging and blocking axe swing at just the right moment. All with a blank stare on their face, not an emotion to be seen. They must've had some formal training, Edelgard mused.

The Knights of Seiros had arrived just as the last bandits were fleeing. Thanks to Alois, the imperial princess learned that the captain of the mercenary company was Jeralt, the Blade Breaker. That also meant that Byleth was the child of the legendary knight. Edelgard and the house leaders had managed to talk to the stoic mercenary. The princess brought up their father but Byleth didn't seem to know what she was talking about. Or even when she mentioned the Church. Byleth didn't seem to know about… Anything. It didn't help Edelgard's mind when she noticed that they didn't seem to care all that much about the subject. Or about anything, really.

It was then discovered that the professor they were sent with went missing during the fight. A pity, but she didn't know them well enough to truly be sorry.

The group, now including the mercenaries, had decided to stay the night in a nearby village, as it was very late. Edelgard went to bed that night confused as to how oblivious Byleth was to the outside world.

She didn't dream of anything that night. Lucky me she thought the next morning.

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Throughout that morning, the group of knights and mercenaries walked to Garreg Mach. She and the two house leaders talked to Byleth, giving them basic Monastery information. The mercenary seemed to pay attention but looked so detached from the world, Edelgard wouldn't blame someone for thinking they weren't listening.

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Edelgard was surprised to learn that Byleth had accepted a teaching position at the Officers Academy, and she was even more surprised to learn that they chose to teach the Black Eagles house. Her house.

The princess questioned the new professor on their decision, to which they replied: "You all seemed to be a bit more… Approachable?"

Ah, so that was the reason. Not their more noble nature, much to Ferdinand's ire, but because it seemed the professor would get along with them better. Even if half of the house, herself included, wasn't exactly normal, neither was Byleth. Edelgard gave a small chuckle, thinking about it later.

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Her nightmare started out as it usually did but one thing was different.

Edelgard stood, surrounded by clear skies, and a ground that reflected her image like it was water. Beside her sat a jackal with a white halo, bright as a star. The princess moved her hand towards the dog but stopped when a searing pain pierced through her. She doubled over and vomited a familiar darkness onto the ground.

The skies began to filled in by grey clouds as the darkness began to grow and white noise filled her ears. Edelgard's heart was beating wildly, sweat was pouring down her face, and her hands began to feel cold and were shaking. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

But before it could grow any bigger than the princess was on her knees, the jackal jumped between them and began growling at the black monster. The darkness went towards the dog but then it started barking at the monster. Slowly, the darkness receded to nothing, the skies cleared to a light blue, the white noise slowly went away, her heart slowed to normal, and her hands were feeling warm again.

Edelgard opened her eyes to see the jackal licking her face. She gave a small smile and a laugh, petting the friendly dog.

"Thank you," the princess told the dog.

That was the best sleep she had in a long time.

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Hello! Welcome back!

I have decided to continue this fic after all. I actually thought of a middle and end to all of this, so I think that I can finish this. Just don't expect updates to be consistent.

I also think I figured out why I initially thought of this fic. I saw a comment on a HLD YouTube video, for the OST I think, and saw a comment that said that Judgement was all in the Drifter's head. That It was the personification of his fear of death. When I first read that, I thought of Edelgard and her fears.

I realize that you could possibly do this fic with Lysithea instead of Edelgard but this seemed more concrete. That it would be much easier to think of a story for Edelgard than Lysithea.

Thanks for reading! You're awesome!