The wind grew cold, a bitter chill that could pierce through any warmth, and the trees danced in the breeze the sky gifted them. They swayed with the delicate tune of the wind whistling through their branches and ruffled their leaves, a few assorted ones falling down onto the ground in a messy puddle below. Ah, Fall. What a lovely season it was. Summer was finally over. No more fanning yourself, taking ice cold showers from the excessive amount of heat, no sunburn... The winds were finally changing, and it felt great for once.

Suddenly, a body rushed forward. The leaves whipped up into the air, having been disturbed from their resting place as boots hit the ground at a quickened pace. Whoever dashed by seemed to be running from someone, or more correctly, something. That would be your first suggestion, but it was actually false. They were the one running towards someone. A crimson hood seated on the top of their head, a cape flowing behind their back as they continued to dart through the thicket, avoiding such obstacles as bulky boulders, tree branches that loved to reach out and snatch onto the fabric of the cape, or any mud puddles left over from yesterday's rainfall. The person didn't ever slow down; they continued to run as fast as they could until-

They reached a clearing out of the forest. That's when the figure slowed down, letting out a soft huff between their thin lips as the wind blew, shifting the cape to brush the blades of grass below. The sky was gray, filtered with smokey clouds that looked like they were about to rain any moment now. Ahead of them, they could see where the other forest line started, but it was yards away due to how excessively large the field was.

Reaching up, the figure tugged down their hood to reveal a young woman, with spunky auburn hair that reached her shoulders and poked out at random places. Her eyes were a neutral blue color, such as the gentle ocean waves, and her skin was pale, almost appearing like a doll in some lights. She firmly pressed her lips together, reaching behind her massive red hooded cape and retrieved an item - a bow. It was made of iron, sturdy, and easy to hold. The woman ever so slightly lifted up the bow and aimed it towards the treeline while grasping a hold of an arrow from the quiver hidden by the cape. Then, she waited. She was quiet, and dared not to make a sound as her cerulean eyes watched the trees for any movement. The wind continued to blow, creating an eerie setting while she focused all of her might in front of her.

Promptly, something moved across the way and the arrow flew immediately. It soared through the sky, zipping and tearing through the air until it found itself plunged in the middle of a man's chest. He gasped for air, sputtering, but ultimately collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

"Bullseye," she murmured in a soft-toned voice, yet it was sturdy and strong. A smile came to her face as she tucked the bow behind her back yet again, before calling out into the woods, "Hey! I got him! No need to worry about him running away to get reinforcements."

"Oh, you did?" a feminine voice called back, part of the bushes rumbling before a taller woman nearly fell out. She grasped onto one of the trees for help and looked up at the archer, her long hair tangled in her face. She let out a sigh and pushed it aside, before standing next to the smaller girl.

"He thought he could hide on the other side of the forest," the archer commented, pointing across the way and towards where the deceased body laid. "Well, he thought he could, at least. I give him that much."

"Haha, well, he couldn't hide from your eagle eyes! Great job, Celie! I knew you could do it," the taller woman remarked.

"Dorothea, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Celine?" the woman, now identified as Celine, responded with a shake of her head. Dorothea tilted her head back with a little smile.

"Probably fifty times, but I never listen!" she let out a laugh, before looking back into the forest. "Edelgard and the others are just finishing up with the other bandits. She should be back soon, and when she is, I want to go back to the monastery so badly. I'm ever so tired!" Dorothea let out a yawn and rested her back up against one of the mighty trees that continued to sway in the wind. "I would kill to be in bed with a hot cup of tea right about now."

"That does sound nice," Celine answered, pacing over to plop down onto the grassy land, nearby where Dorothea stood and leaned her fluffy head of hair against Dorothea's slim leg. The two had been friends since the day Celine joined Garreg Mach monastery, and Celine considered her a close friend, as well as Edelgard von Hresvelg herself. Gosh, Celine and Edelgard went way back. It all started when-

"There you two are!" a voice cried out behind them, causing Celine to jump out of her thoughts, and Dorothea snapped her head around. Oh, it was only Caspar! His grin was wide as he hauled his axe over his shoulders, trotting over to the two like it was no big deal that he frightened the daylights out of the two.

"Caspar, don't shout! You could catch the enemy's attention, and you scared me!" Dorothea scolded him, although her expression turned amused. She could never be upset with people for too long, unless it was Ferdinand von Aegir. That was a whole different story.

"Sorry about that. I'm still so pumped up from the last battle! It was awesome!" Caspar chirped, bouncing on his heels like a little child while someone else joined his side, Linhardt. The boy yawned, cupping a hand over his gaping lips before noting,

"I suppose you're the only one, then. I definitely don't feel pumped; I feel exhausted." "You and me both, Linhardt," Dorothea laughed and pushed herself off the tree. "We should all have some tea when we get back to the monastery! It sounds so wonderful!"

"Hey, that does!" Caspar said, tilting his head to the side while another cheesy grin spread across his face. "But you know what sounds better? Sparring!"

"Go find Felix for that then," Celine quickly added, knowing perfectly well that boy was always in need of a sparring partner. He would sometimes ask Celine, but since Celine usually relied on her bow, their type advantages didn't work out. Still, Celine always wanted to try because she knew she'd kick his butt. Maybe.

"Felix? N'aww... He's too good and makes me feel bad about myself!" Caspar whined, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should find someone to train with?" Celine suggested. "Someone you like-"

"What on Earth are you all talking about?" Ferdinand asked and emerged from the bushes, while the timid Bernadetta followed behind him. She looked absolutely frightened, like a tiny mouse cornered by a cat. Celine desperately wanted to get to know the girl, but whenever she tried to talk to her, Bernadetta would scream out of fear and run away. Was Celine's face really that scary?

"Definitely not something you'd be interested in," Dorothea sassily snapped, tilting her head away from looking at the man, who just sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Edelgard and Hubert are right behind us. The professor is staying behind to make sure we didn't leave any loose ends," Ferdinand informed the others, stepping off to the side while silence fell onto the group. That was, until Dorothea started silently hummed to herself, Caspar was busy chattering away with Linhardt, and the wind - the wind seemed to still pick up. Celine stared up at the sky, taking it all in. The way the clouds moved, the way the air smelled crisp, the cold that penetrated her uniform... it seemed surreal in a sense, nostalgic even, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Frowning to herself, Celine hopped up onto her legs the moment she heard the rustling of the bushes behind the group. There, standing proudly and regally, was Edelgard. Her face was expressionless for the most part, except for her eyes. Her eyes were quite beautiful, always glittering with some kind of emotion, but Celine could never figure out what it was. Behind the woman was her servant, Hubert von Vestra. Like how Edelgard and Celine went way back, so did Celine and Hubert. She used to be utterly terrified of him as a child, but now? She wasn't even remotely petrified.

"You all did a fantastic job today," Edelgard complimented the Black Eagles house, who had now gathered around their leader. "Professor will be guiding us back to the monastery in a moment, once he finishes up with..." She glanced over her shoulder. "...whatever he is up to, but for now, rest. You all deserve it."

"Thanks Edie!" Dorothea chirped.

"Yeah, thanks! You guys are the best!" Caspar put in his two cents. Celine smiled to herself; she was so glad she was put in the Black Eagles house. Everyone was so nice, courteous, hard-working, determined and she absolutely adored it. Of course, she did miss her mother and the rest of her family at times, but this surely beat hanging around on the streets, stealing from unsuspecting people. Here, she could actually be someone, and she felt like she was worth something.

"Oh, yes. Celine?" Edelgard called, which instantly caught Celine's attention. She hopped up onto her legs, hurriedly walking over to the woman, upon which she asked,

"What is it?"

"I wanted to thank you for going after that other bandit. Who knows what he would've done if you hadn't caught him in time," Edelgard responded, while that made Celine snicker.

"Is that really why you called me over?" she questioned. Edelgard's face turned red as she quickly stammered,

"W-Why of course! Erm..."

Edelgard sighed silently, grasping Celine by her shoulders and whispered,

"There is something I need to talk to you about when we return to the monastery. It's been on my mind for quite some time now, and I need an old friend to confide in. I would speak to Hubert, but he's... well, Hubert."

"I understand," Celine replied, smiling at the taller woman. "Of course! The moment we step foot into the monastery, I will be yours!"

"Celine... How are you always so chipper and happy? I fear that one day, it'll all go away and you'll be.." Edelgard's voice was stolen, perhaps by the wind, or by her own emotions. Nonetheless, she cleared her throat. "Never lose that happiness, Celine. Not for anyone."

"Is this really the Edelgard? The one I know would've told me something intelligent, not so caring! What have you done with my best friend!" Celine gasped and grasped Edelgard by her shoulders, which caused the woman to burst out into laughter. The group looked over at the two, and Caspar murmured,

"Never heard Edelgard laugh that loud... Must be some funny joke."

"Shh, Caspar. They are having a moment," Dorothea scowled at Caspar. This seemed to catch Hubert's attention, upon which he grumbled to himself and stared harshly at the two figures, laughing and talking like they were a couple of old friends, finally reunited. It was partially true, but Hubert, Edelgard and Celine both knew what happened that night all those years ago, and Hubert wasn't going to allow Edelgard to get hurt again. Not ever again.