Hey there! I've been meaning to write up a series about my favorite house for a while now, and it was only recently that I decided to put fingers to keys and actually write it out. The Golden Deer was my first House and frankly out of all of the other routes I had the most fun with them. In particular I especially liked Lysithea, though not at first. Her attitude toward the other Deer turned me off for a time, until I got to her A support with Byleth. Her behavior, her laser-focus on her studies, it all made sense at that point. She matures significantly from the insecure and guarded girl she was pre-timeskip into someone who is more willing to accept help from others (still defensive about her age, but *shrug*). Aside from Marianne, whom I also love to bits, she became my favorite girl in 3H. But ultimately Bysithea is my favorite pairing because Byleth helps to remove her Crests, and she can enjoy a life she never thought she'd have with the man who saved her and (at least in my mind) crushed on during the pre-timeskip.
So I find it sad that there is a serious lack of Bysithea fanfics available, and for the ones that are they're mostly one-shots. All well and good mind you, but I feel like there should be more. As such I wanted to do more-or-less a retelling of Verdant Wind that will focus on both the war aspect and developing their relationship, swapping between both their PoV's with it being primarily from Byleth's. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Promise to Keep

The grass on the hill she stood on swayed in the breeze with her long, white hair flowing along with it. The sky was painted in magnificent oranges and yellows as the sun sat halfway down the horizon. The light of the setting sun seem to catch on Garreg Mach Monastery's exterior as the tan bricks that made up its walls reflected the beauty being shone on it. Lysithea could almost call it picturesque, were it not for the terrible sounds of battle taking place around her.

"Lysithea!" a female voice called out. "On your left!" Lysithea turned to face her attacker charging at her with a lance, angled at her chest and preparing to skewer her. Stretching out her hand she felt the cold sensation of dark magic tingle at her fingers as she conjured a black orb before her and flung it at her attacker with a swing of her hand. The soldier tried to roll out of the way, which was what she expected as her other hand fired another miasma spell that she had been channeling behind her back, hitting the soldier directly in the head. His body spasmed only once from the impact. Lysithea quietly sighed to herself. Another young life cut too short. She knew that all too well.

"Thank you Marianne!" Lysithea responded. She wondered how it had ever come to this. It was only a few weeks ago that she and the other students were looking forward to their upcoming graduation ceremony. She had devoted herself to her studies all throughout the school year and it was all about to pay off. The year had its crests and troughs, from their victory at the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, to the death of Jeralt, but their graduation ceremony would have approached all the same. Once that had come she would have had everything she needed in order to help her father govern and defend their territory while she began laying the groundwork for her family's dissolution. Then she would be able to retire along with them and quietly live out what remained of her life in peace, far and away from anything that would trouble either her or her parents again.

But then this happened. Edelgard had revealed herself as the Flame Emperor and declared war on the Church of Seiros, stunning everyone all across Fódlan. All of her plans had to be put on hold while she and the other students were requested to utilize everything they had learned during their year at the Officers Academy and defend Garreg Mach from the Adrestian Empire's forces. While war was certainly one subject that all of her learning had prepared her for, she hoped that it would never come to that, but the possibility remained nonetheless. Now that possibility became reality as the grounds of the monastery had erupted in a cacophony of blades clashing, the cries of frightened students while they were being evacuated, and the groans of soldiers, students, and knights alike as they died on the hills. She turned her gaze toward the monastery. What was once a relatively exciting year had become something of a nightmare. The world, it seemed, had gone quite mad.

She felt a swift breeze behind her head as an arrow whispered by. She heard the grunted shout of another soldier and turned to see that it had punctured him in the center of his chest. The soldier had been close, far too close for comfort and she chided herself for getting distracted by her own thoughts. Flicking her head the opposite direction, she saw that Claude had been the one to stop the soldier dead in his tracks.

"Stopping to admire the scenery, Lysithea?" he teased as he pulled another arrow from his quiver and giving it a twirl with that trademark sly smile of his.

"I can handle myself perfectly fine, Claude!" she answered, scowling. "I'm not some helpless child!" She turned back around to focus her attention on the opposing forces while silently thanking Claude for the assistance, unwilling to admit that she had been distracted in the middle of a battle. She didn't allow herself to make mistakes. There was no time for it.

Around her the other Golden Deer were in the middle of fights of their own. Lorenz, Raphael, Hilda, and Leonie were engaged more toward the front of their group, with Flayn providing healing magic should enemy soldiers manage to get hits in. She, Ignatz, Claude, and Marianne, were a few paces back as they lent their long-range support. Along with being on the high ground, their formation was working rather well for them. The only member of their group missing was their dear professor, but he had been instructed to help with the evacuation. He promised to rejoin them as soon as he was able, and she was looking forward to that moment with anticipation. Having him around was a great comfort to her, and with his skill and leadership, along with the Sword of the Creator, they might have a chance of pushing the invading army back. A foolish thought, if she was honest, to put so much of her faith in one individual, but time and again he had always come through for them.

Though a little distance away from them, the other two Houses were also engaged with the Empire's troops. What surprised Lysithea was that the rest of the Black Eagle House was fighting against their own nation's troops. She would have figured that they would have followed Edelgard back to the Empire and help in leading the charge against the Church, but them being here now was proof enough for her that they were as much in the dark about Edelgard's plans as everyone else was. What worried her was what would happen to them after the battle was over. Would they join with Edelgard? Or would they want to distance themselves as much as they could from her? There was simply no telling.

She cast another miasma toward a pair of soldiers coming straight at Lorenz. It managed to hit one of them square in the chest and she crumpled to the ground, causing her companion to momentarily look at the space that her comrade once occupied. Lorenz didn't give him the chance to focus and thrust his lance through his abdomen. The soldier fell to the ground, dropping his weapon and clutching at the open wound. Lorenz then plunged his lance directly into the man's chest, killing him instantly as the weapon pierced his heart.

"A noble does not let a man suffer an agonizing death..." he stated solemnly.

The battle had been going well for them so far as many of the troops they were against lay scattered around the hill. Lysithea knew the battle was far from over however. Garreg Mach Monastery was the object that stood for everything Edelgard was against, and she would not send a small force of soldiers to try and take it. The Knights of Seiros were an elite fighting force of their own, capable enough to handle a small army if need be, yet even they along with they students who chose to fight back couldn't handle the military might that could be mustered by an entire nation.

As Lysithea looked out at the outer battlements that lay just beyond the town, she wished for once that she wasn't right. Hundreds of soldiers were marching in formation and steadily pouring in through the entryway and through the center of the town. Her eyes widened and her heart began to sink. It was the most amount of people Lysithea had ever seen at one time. The others saw them too and needless to say that the collective mood had darkened as they rallied around Claude.

"That's... a lot of soldiers..." said Leonie, a hint of dread laced in her voice.

"Edelgard is not fooling around, is she?" Hilda added with worry.

"I guess what we were facing just now was only a token strike force," Claude deduced. "She wanted to soften us up before coming in with her main force and finishing the job."

"How are we supposed to win against so many?" asked Ignatz, his bow arm slumping to the side.

"Come on, Ignatz," said Raphael, clapping his friend on the back, causing the frail boy to jolt forward a step. "We got this! We've always fought and won battles before!"

"Yes, but not against something like this! Not against a whole army!"

"This is what we've trained for throughout the year, Ignatz!" reminded Lysithea incredulously. "Are you going to tell us that even after all that time you still aren't prepared for this?"

"O-of course I am! It's just... scary that's all..."

"As long as we do everything Professor Byleth taught us," Leonie assured, "We'll make it out of this just fine."

"I hope you're right Leonie..." Ignatz still didn't sound quite convinced about their chances.

"Speaking of Teach, has anyone seen him?" asked Claude.

"He may still be evacuating students as we speak," said Lorenz, "Although having him here would be preferable. We could certainly use his guidance and moral support. As it stands he is not, and we must press on without him until he rejoins us."

"We need him now more than ever," said Claude, sighing. He stared back out at the approaching army. "I don't like our odds. Having Teach here would be an immense help, but I don't know if he can stop an army, even with the Sword of the Creator."

"We must do everything in our power to defend our position until Professor Byleth returns to us," Flayn encouraged. "We must not let Garreg Mach fall to Edelgard and the Empire."

"Flayn is right," agreed Lysithea. "We cannot give up now just because of a little fear. Professor Byleth taught us that hesitation on the battlefield kills."

"Too true," said Claude. "And I don't plan on dying here. Let's join up with the other Houses and-" Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a booming roar that echoed all around them. They turned in the direction of the source and saw that a huge white dragon had appeared in the sky and was fast approaching the incoming army.

"What is that?!" said Hilda, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Where did it come from?!"

"Was it sent by the Goddess?" Marianne wondered aloud. As Lysithea stood still and stared slack-jawed at the creature, she heard Claude whisper his disbelief at it rather than surprise and wondered if he knew more about it than they did.

The soldiers below saw it too and as soon as it descended down to greet them the closest to it all spun around and ran in a panic, wanting to get as far away from this strange creature as possible. It landed amongst those who could not get away fast enough, crushing them beneath its forelegs. The beast craned its neck and let out a roar of challenge and Lysithea noted that it sounded almost feminine. With its mouth agape, a red ball of light appeared in front of its maw and quickly grew in size before being fired in a concentrated beam at the soldiers and making a sweeping motion with its attack. Some of the soldiers that were fleeing were not lucky enough to avoid the blast and were vaporized the moment the beam passed through them. The attack had the unfortunate side effect of leveling some of the buildings in the town below and others to collapse in on themselves. It mattered little as the town had already long since been evacuated before the Empire arrived.

"Maybe the tides are turning after all," she thought as a brief smile appeared on her face. Those hopes were quickly dashed when a pack of demonic beasts came galloping past the soldiers, adorned with golden masks that covered the entirety of their faces. The beast stood upright as two of them launched themselves at it, but it was easily able to swipe them away with its forelegs. The attack gave the remaining four demonic beasts the opportunity to lunge at the opening it left, grappling on to the beast at different angles and binding its movements, forcing it into the wall that encompassed the town. The force of the impact weakened its integrity enough to the point that large chunks rained down on them. None of the beasts ceased their hold on the dragon as it roared again trying to break free before it was crushed. The Golden Deer tensed up, silently pleading for the creature to free itself before it was killed.

Suddenly a narrow, orange beam extended far back from where the struggle was taking place and punctured the mask of the demonic beast that was clinging to one of the dragon's arms. The mask shattered upon impact and sent the beast flying through the wall and into the valley behind it, never to return. The nine of them gasped at the attack, and as the orange line retracted back to its source they all turned their heads to where the savior was. They knew exactly what that orange beam was, and specifically, who was wielding it.

"Professor Byleth!" a few of them shouted. Byleth's attack on the demonic beast gave the white beast enough of an opening to tear its captors off of it before the rubble collapsed on the rest of them. It managed to take to the air once more just as the rubble crushed its attackers.

"Look! Over there!" said Leonie, briefly grabbing their attention. She was pointing to a group of soldiers that were wearing black armor along with the red helmets that the other Empire soldiers were wearing. They were standing a short distance behind where Byleth was. "Aren't those the same kind of soldiers we saw at Remire Village?"

"They appear to be," Lorenz agreed, contempt laced in his voice. "And just who is that there with them?" Lysithea could see who he was referring to. At their front was a man in jet black armor with a red and black cape secured to his shoulders by ornate pauldrons. What caught her eye however was the white hair that was similar to Solon's. She clenched her fists at the sight of him.

"Why are they all looking at the professor?" Marianne asked.

"We have to get rid of them," declared Lysithea. "Whatever their reasons for being here are can not be good."

"Agreed." said Claude. "And I don't like the way their eyeing Teach. Come on everyone, let's show them they're not welcome here." As they began running toward the mysterious man and his soldiers, the white beast had landing in front of Byleth and stood before him on its hind legs, gazing down at the man who helped it.

"Why did you come?" it asked him, its voice coming out in a bellow. Lysithea was amazed that it could talk, and it confirmed what she had originally thought of what gender it was. The beast looked up and noticed the mysterious man and his soldiers, causing Byleth to swivel in place to see what she was looking at. The man brought his hands in front of him and charged an orb of dark magic between them.

"He's about to attack the professor!" cried Ignatz.

"Professor Byleth! Get out of there!" shouted Raphael. It was to no avail; they were too far away for him to hear them. They sprinted toward the soldiers with weapons drawn, desperately trying to get in range of them, but it was too late. The mystery man launched the dark orb at Byleth and it hit him dead center. Rather than dissipating, it carried Byleth past the hole he made in the wall with the demonic beast earlier before finally giving out at the cliff's edge. The white beast tried to help but the two demonic beasts it had knocked away earlier had managed to recover and grabbed ahold of her tail. The ground beneath Byleth's feet crumbled before him, and panic seized Lysithea's heart as she saw the terrible scene unfold. The rest of them skidded to a halt as they saw what she did, terror etching itself into their faces. The ground below their professor gave way and he fell out of sight into the valley below. As the beast roared in defiance, the Golden Deer let out a unified and anguished scream.

"Professor!"

"Lady Lysithea?" said an elderly male voice, snapping Lysithea out of her reverie and back to reality. "Are you all right milady?" The source of the voice was Reginald, one of the few remaining servants that still served House Ordelia. He was a man approaching his fifties but barely showed any outward signs of his age save for the gray crop of hair on his head and doorknocker beard. He was a well-built man though not to the same size as Raphael was, which had the benefit of his clothes fitting him better and not stretching at the seams. He wore a black tuxedo with a white, buttoned undershirt overlaid by a black vest. His black slacks were held in place by a brown leather belt connected by a golden buckle that had an indented pegasus on it. His white, silk gloves were spotless, and his chocolate shoes were polished to a shine. He stood a few feet away from Lysithea, awaiting her response.

The pair of them were in her house's den, one of the larger rooms in the small mansion. Shelves were aligned and stretched out from one end of the room to the other on the adjacent walls of the entryway. They nearly reached to the ceiling and were stocked with all manner of books and tomes of varying subjects, all of which were acquired over the years since House Ordelia's establishment. Lysithea was looking out the window opposite the entryway that similarly stretched nearly from the top to the bottom of the room with its curtains drawn to allow for the nearly full moon's light to shine through. There were two leather chairs that surrounded a circular wooden table in the center of the den with flickering candles on it that provided the only other illumination in the otherwise dimly lit room.

Lysithea had been gazing at the clear night sky. It was early in the morning. Very early, as it was only a few hours since the moon had reached its apex before making its slow descent toward the western horizon. She had to be up this early for what she planned to do soon, and she was waiting for breakfast to be ready before she enacted that plan.

"I'm perfectly fine, Reginald," she replied. She had been sitting in one of the chairs and quickly realized she was slumping. She hurriedly corrected herself before continuing. "I was just lost in thought is all."

Reginald bowed slightly to acknowledge her response. "Tea will be ready shortly. I went for the honeyed-fruit blend this morning to complement the slices of chocolate cake I prepared yesterday evening for your journey."

"Thank you, Reginald. I'm looking forward to it." It took a lot of restraint on her part to not lick her lips at just the thought of the sugary goodness that awaited her. Reginald bowed again before making his way out and back to the kitchen. Alone once again Lysithea looked up toward the moon, partially obstructed by trees and similarly looking down at her. She rested her chin on one hand, a frown making its way on her face as she went back to her ruminations.

The Battle of Garreg Mach had resulted in a defeat that day. After their professor was sent hurtling down into the abyss morale among herself and her classmates plummeted equally as much. Claude assumed command of their group and, sensing the inevitable defeat upon observing the flood of Adrestian soldiers and the loss of their professor, ordered them to flee. The white dragon, in a fit of rage after witnessing their professor's demise, threw off her captors and renewed her attacks on the encroaching army and in the chaos the nine of them slipped away, with Flayn going off to rejoin her brother despite some of their protests. Claude led the remaining eight back in the direction of the monastery and guided them through a passage he had no doubt discovered on the many occasions that he sneaked around the monastery's grounds and brought them out to safety, far and away from the ongoing battle. As he had expected the situation at the monastery only deteriorated and the chaos it was engulfed in spread throughout the rest of Fódlan.

It had been fives years since then and in that time the Empire had made great strides in its conquest to unite Fódlan. The Knights of Seiros had been soundly defeated and Rhea had vanished during the battle. Without its central authority, the Church of Seiros had all but disbanded with the remaining knights scouring the lands outside the Empire for any sign of the missing archbishop. Following the Church, their primary foe became the Kingdom of Fareghus. Many of the the Kingdom's southern Houses sided with the Empire rather than risk invasion. Those that did resist the Empire put up a valiant effort, but when Cornelia assumed the role of regent after her predecessor was mysteriously found dead, she welcomed Adrestian occupation and had Dimitri executed for his supposed involvement in the prior regent's death. With the royal bloodline ended, the Kingdom was now on its last legs with Houses Fraldarius and Gautier providing a majority of the continued resistance. Though they showed no signs of turning the tides, the two major Kingdom Houses had stalemated the Empire in the north. As for the Alliance, the Empire has yet to invade though not without reason. Houses Gloucester, Goneril, and even her own Ordelia were forced to support the Empire, acting as a buffer to prevent the Empire from invading the Alliance as a whole and to maintain the nation's neutrality.

Lysithea clenched her teeth. She hated the circumstance of her House's situation. It was all too much of a reminder of how they came to be controlled several years ago and how it led to her family's current predicament. Her family's influence and wealth had declined considerably during that prior occupation. There were once other minor lords that were able to help govern the territory, but one after another they were driven into poverty until only the main House remained. Even now their authority was stretched thin, and though she had tried to do as much as she could alongside the Count and Countess, the signs of stress on her parents was ever-growing. So much so that only recently was she and her parents beginning to lay the groundwork for their dissolution, but they are unable to begin the process due to the war. If they were to dissolve now it would provide just enough of an opening for the Empire to invade unopposed, utilizing the bridges at the southern border of their territory to bring their army across. It was always her goal to bring her parents peace, but the war stalled her efforts. Once again the Empire was stifling House Ordelia and she and her parents were suffering for it.

It was with all this in mind that what she had planned to do shortly gave her some measure of joy and relief to get away from it all, at least for a time. Today was the day of the millennium festival, or at least it would be if the Church of Seiros still functioned. Irregardless of current events she had made a promise five years ago with her classmates from the Golden Deer House to gather together for a reunion. While there was no chance of a proper celebration to mark this special day, she was eager to see her friends again after five years of hearing next to nothing from them, each one of them having to deal with their own issues at home. She only knew of what Claude was up to based on word from her father. He was the one responsible for maintaining the infighting amongst the Great Houses to keep the Empire at bay, but she wondered how much longer that would last.

More importantly however, it also provided the greatest chance to see her professor again. During the battle he had disappeared into a valley and no one has seen or heard from him since. There was no proof that he yet lived, but she and the other Golden Deer held on to the belief that he was still alive. She longed to see her professor again. He had become an important figure in her life ever since becoming her instructor. Though he offered little in the ways of improving her magical ability, he was able to point out her flaws in stance to improve the flow of her spells and becoming more potent as a result. She had a grasp of battlefield tactics before enrolling, but not to the same level as him as he had years of mercenary experience and a renowned father to enhance his knowledge on the subject. They would sometimes discuss tactics together and they were able to suggest ideas to one another to improve their expertise on the subject. He would always make time to spar with her so that she could demonstrate how far along she was coming in her training. She would even on occasion have tea together with him to simply strike up conversation, though it was often her being the one to speak. She had underestimated him initially, but over time she developed a deep respect for him.

Yet... that respect evolved into something more for her. She discovered before the Ethereal Moon of 1180 that that respect had turned into affection. It seemed ridiculous at first to her. She understood how cliché it was for a student to develop a crush on her teacher, but she couldn't help herself. He was the only one during the school year that praised how her skill at magic and tactics were from her hard work and dedication to her studies rather than the notion that her Crests were responsible. Furthermore he also treated her as how she preferred to be treated, never taking her age or height into account when addressing her. He even gave her a stuffed bear that, while she had outwardly scoffed at it, in truth she cherished it more than any other gift she had been given by him or anyone else, making it all the more painful when she was forced to leave it behind at the monastery. He had treated her so well that a part of her wished she could have been more than just his student, and more than just his friend. It certainly didn't hurt her opinion of him that he was quite handsome to go along with his kindness.

But those feelings she kept to herself. She attended the Officer's Academy to hone her skills and further keen her already impressive intellect and not to engage in romantic dalliances. Even if she did want to tell him how she felt about him, and even if he did feel the same way she did, she knew it wouldn't last. In almost five years time she would be dead and be forced to leave him behind. She didn't want him to suffer the same kind of grief and helplessness that her parents had to endure knowing there was nothing he could do to change her fate. So she kept her feelings buried. It was better for everyone.

She sighed dejectedly and silently cursed at her Crests. What she wouldn't give to be rid of them. A childhood destroyed, her family a shadow of its former self, and all hope for a happy future quashed. All because of her Crests and those responsible for implanting them in her. She wanted to cry, but her tears had dried up. All that remained was resignation.

She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and within moments Reginald had returned, holding a silver platter in his hands with a few slices of the chocolate cake and the tea he informed her of. She could smell the heady aroma of the honeyed-fruit blend tea from where she sat.

"Here we are, milady," said Reginald. Bringing herself out of her brief despair, Lysithea moved the candle aside before he rested the platter on the table. There were two porcelain cups with a matching teapot that had a trail of steam rising from its spout. A few cloths were neatly folded and stacked next to the slices of cake. Reginald took the cup closest to Lysithea and poured her tea before moving on to his own.

"Thank you, Reginald." she said as she took the cup from him and set it back down. As he poured his own she took a cloth and wrapped it around a slice of cake and brought it to her mouth. She hummed in delight as she devoured it, the fluffy texture mixing with the creamy yet slightly bittersweet chocolate coating was every bit as soft and sweet as she liked it. Sweet food and drink were the most comfort she could take and were at least enough to have her forget her troubles for a while.

"Is it to your liking, milady?" he asked, chuckling a little.

"You never cease to amaze me, Reginald!" she replied happily after swallowing. Reginald was the primary chef among the remaining servants in the household, but his real talent was in baking. Lysithea could clearly recall the first time she tried his delicacies, and so enamored was she by how perfect they tasted that she practically begged him to teach her how to make sugary treats of her own. He had complied with eagerness, as it was a way for him to cope with the tragedy that befell the family he served, especially with what happened to her.

Reginald was her oldest caretaker and had served the household ever since she was little. When her parents were busy with political matters, it was he who entertained the young heiress by showing her tricks or pretending to be her horse and having her ride him around in her room. He also functioned as a sort of bodyguard for her as well, and she was often there to watch him train with his sword where she stared at him in awe and cheered for him when he finished. He was in a way an uncle of sorts to her with how much time they had spent together.

Which made it all the more painful for him when the Empire occupied their household. As much as it angered him for the Empire to punish House Ordelia for being dragged into a revolt that occurred in House Hrym's territory, all he could do was keep his head down and not make the situation any worse for the Ordelia family. Then came the time when strange mages arrived and performed their experiments on her and all the other Ordelia children. Much like her parents, Reginald could do nothing but watch in horror as the young mistress he served was treated as a prisoner and test subject in her own household. Then upon learning of her shortened life expectancy his heart finally broke. Though she never saw him do it, she could recall hearing him cry on occasion after tucking her into bed. She wanted to cry with him, but even by that time her tears had dried. There was only resignation.

Since that time he had become much more reserved than he once was and fiercely more protective of her. Before she had left for the Officer's Academy, not a day went by when he wasn't within earshot of his charge. His hair had turned gray earlier than normal for a man, and he didn't smile nearly as much as he used to. The only time he did so was when her lessons on baking began and when they did so together as she grew more skilled in the art. It was only in recent years that his good cheer returned when she wrote back to her parents about her time at the Academy and the professor that had been assigned to her class. It gave him some measure of comfort that she was at least enjoying herself, yet the thought still lingered in his mind that her time was coming soon and all he could do now was try to pretend that it wasn't.

"I am glad my confections can still bring a smile to your face, milady," said Reginald as he sat himself on the other side of the table. He lightly blew into his tea before carefully sipping at it.

"I would be quite shocked if they were to somehow taste worse over the years." She sipped at her own tea and could detect that there were hints of apple blended together with this batch.

Reginald hummed. "A master cannot be a master if he never maintains his skills. I cannot allow them to dull else I risk never seeing that smile of yours." He took a cloth and slice of his own and went to savor his own delicacy. They sat that way for a little while in silence, sipping their tea and filling their stomachs with cake. As much as Lysithea was unsettled by sitting around in the relative dark with only the sounds of their tea meeting their lips her mind was far too occupied with what would happen in the upcoming hours. Just what were she and the others to do at the Monastery? Would the students from the other Houses be there too? Would the professor, by some miracle, be there to greet them? She found herself adjusting herself in her seat as she thought of the possibilities, anxious for answers.

"If I may speak my mind milady..." Reginald eventually interrupted.

Lysithea turned to him with raised eyebrows. "Of course, Reginald. You know you don't have to ask."

"Do you think it wise to be traveling to Garreg Mach Monastery now, with the war still going on? To do so would mean crossing through Count Gloucester's territory, and he is certain to have patrols about his lands on the the lookout for spies or scouts."

Lysithea set her cup back on the table. "You sound just like mother and father. I'm not worried about the Count's men at all. I can handle myself just fine and you know that." She sighed. "Besides, I made a promise with my friends five years ago to reunite with them for the millennium festival. I know there will not be a festival, but nevertheless I intend on honoring that promise. I haven't seen them for five years and I would very much like to know how they have been doing after all this time." She clutched at the hem of her dress before leaning over to pour herself another cup.

"It's not just your classmates though is it?" Reginald inquired further, noticing the subtle act. "You dearly wish to see your professor again too, correct?"

Lysithea looked up at her butler aghast and nearly dropped the teapot. "How did you-?"

Reginald stifled a chuckle. "Forgive my impertinence milady, but I am old not blind. When I read your letters you spoke very highly of him, and reminisced about his positive treatment of you. Then when you returned home after the Battle of Garreg Mach you appeared so downtrodden when the subject of your professor came up. If I didn't know any better I would say-"

"Th-that's enough, Reginald!" she yelled, before covering her mouth with her free hand. A streak of pink went across her face from ear to ear at the mention of what he was implying. They sat in silence for a moment to determine if her outburst had awoken anyone else in the household. When there was a lack of audible footsteps, she lowered her hand and finished her pouring.

"Again forgive me milady. I was getting ahead of myself. With how often you spoke of him in your letters I got the impression that he means much to you, does he not?"

Lysithea sighed in defeat. It was obvious Reginald wasn't about to let the subject drop, and he was mostly correct. "Yes, he does, but he means a lot to all of us, not just me. He was the one who helped us to become who we are today. We all came from different backgrounds and he was the one who unified us into a real team. Honestly I don't know how close I would be with the others, or them with me, if it weren't for him. And with how much he helped me with my training and studies... I owe him a lot."

Reginald frowned. "Yet no one has heard from him ever since he vanished five years ago. It's possible he may not be there when you arrive. He may very well have died that day."

Lysithea took another sip at her tea. "I don't believe that for a moment. No one ever discovered his body, and he once came back from being trapped in a void. He is no ordinary person, and I'm sure he's still alive." She turned her head and whispered. "He has to be..."

Reginald again noticed the act but decided to let it drop. He knew his charge well enough to know not to push. "I sincerely hope he is, milady. If he was able to make your time at the Officers Academy a pleasant one, then he is a friend of mine."

Lysithea turned back and smiled slightly. "I'm glad you feel that way. Hopefully you get to meet him one day."

"I look forward to it," he answered earnestly while doing his best not to frown.

"Let's hurry and finish the last of the cake and tea, Reginald. I need to leave before the sun begins to rise." With that they went back to their breakfast in quiet so that Lysithea could focus on gathering the energy she would need for the journey ahead.

Lysithea understood his concerns about her plans. He shared the exact same sentiment about her leaving as her parents did, but she refused to change her mind on the subject. Though his mention that her professor would not be there on their promised reunion brought back a worry of her own. While she believed with all her heart that Professor Byleth was still alive, she couldn't ignore the possibility that he had in fact died that day and no one had ever found him. Were it to be the case that he didn't appear, it would be a bittersweet reunion for her. She would meet up with the other Golden Deer, perhaps spend the day with them to catch up on how their lives were going, then most likely return home and continue to prepare for her family's dissolution. It would not be a wasted trip altogether, but seeing him there, knowing that he was alive, would be all that remained to make this reunion perfect for her.

After several minutes the two of them had emptied the platter and teapot completely. Reginald stood up and gathered the platter in his hands.

"Thank you for the tea and cake, Reginald," said Lysithea, "That should be enough to last me for a few hours at least."

"My pleasure, milady," he answered, bowing slightly, "Is there anything else you require before you set off on your journey?"

"No, that will suffice. I will worry about what I'm having for lunch later. I just need to get to the monastery first. After that, it will depend on what we plan to do with our time there." Just then they heard a loud knocking on the door, causing both of them to jolt in place and Reginald nearly dropping the platter onto the rug. They both looked at each other with concern before he set the platter back down on the table.

"Now who in the world could that be at this time of day?" Reginald asked, suspicious. Both of them cautiously exited the den and into the foyer. The largest section of the mansion, the main staircase led up to the various sleeping quarters for the family, though many of them had long since been empty. The rest of the hallways connected to here and led to the kitchen and dining room, the conservatory, and the lounge. They approached the front door opposite the stairs and Reginald slowly brought his hand to the doorknob and opened it as soon as Lysithea had grabbed a coat to cover her bare collar.

"Ugh," they heard a female voice utter from behind in disgust, "Raphael, did you really have to knock so loud? We don't want to wake up everyone inside!" Lysithea's eyes widened. The voice sounded like Hilda's, and Raphael was with her too! She placed a hand on Reginald's arm and nodded, and the butler carefully opened the door and letting the chill night air billow in and nipping at their faces. Her two friends were facing each other on the porch with Hilda pouting at his lack of tact. She too was draped in coat in a similar vein whereas Raphael didn't seem to mind the cold temperatures of winter though unlike she and Hilda his whole body save for his face was clothed and, as Lysithea noted, not stretching at the seams as before.

"What if Lysithea is still asleep?" Raphael asked unfazed. "I had to be sure she would hear us and-"

"Raphael? Hilda?" said Lysithea with growing excitement. She had expected to make the journey alone, but this was a pleasant surprise. "What are you two doing here?!" Her friends turned to her with a start, but wide smiles appeared on their faces upon seeing her.

"Hey, Lysithea!" Raphael boomed, "How have you been?!" Lysithea frantically shushed at him along with Hilda and Reginald.

"Quiet down, would you?!" she told him in frustration, trying to keep her own voice low, "Everyone inside is still asleep!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" he whispered, "I was just excited to see you is all. It's been five years since we saw each other!"

"I'm excited too, Raphael, but the sun hasn't even risen yet! I don't want my parents to wake up and come down here. It can only lead to an argument that I would rather not start again."

"What do you mean 'again'? Wait, your parents don't want you to leave?"

"...No. They wanted me to stay here and help govern our territory with my father. Even if it's only for the day they still don't want me to leave while the war is still going on, but ultimately they gave in after I refused to budge on the subject."

"Oh, my parents and brother were the same way. Especially my brother." said Hilda, exasperated. She placed her hands on her hips and initiated a mock-deep voice. "'There might be Empire spies lurking about Hilda! They might try to abduct you and hold you hostage to ensure our loyalty!'"

Lysithea couldn't help but smile faintly at her impression. "You did always say that Lord Holst was very overbearing with you."

"Yeah. I know he's just worried about me, but with the war going on he sounded worse than usual. He wouldn't let the argument drop until he made me promise to bring Freikugel with me." Lysithea had noticed that the Hero's Relic of House Goneril was strapped to her back. The way the weapon, and some of the other Relics for that matter, twitched at times made her mildly queasy. "And carrying this thing around is such a pain. It's a lot heavier than it looks."

"I could carry it for you, Hilda!" Raphael offered, "A heavy weapon is no problem for me with these muscles!"

"And under any other circumstances I'd let you Raphael," answered Hilda, pleased by his offer. "But I haven't forgotten what happened to Miklan five years ago, and I wouldn't want something like that happening to a big sweetheart like you."

"Miklan?" Reginald asked, puzzled.

"The late firstborn son to House Gautier," Lysithea informed. "He stole the Lance of Ruin five years ago and was turned into a demonic beast because he didn't bear a Crest." Lysithea was glad didn't have to explain what a demonic beast was. Ever since the Battle of Garreg Mach the secret of the existence of demonic beasts had long since been exposed. What remained hidden was the nature of their creation.

"Such a thing can happen to a man without a Crest? And I thought they were all supposedly holy artifacts..."

"Oh! I forgot to introduce you Reginald. This is Hilda Valentine Goneril and Raphael Kirsten, friends of mine from the Golden Deer House. Hilda, Raphael, this is Reginald, my personal butler and a longtime friend of mine."

Reginald smiled and bowed to them. "A pleasure to make your acquaintances."

"Nice to meet you, Reginald!" Raphael greeted. "You look like you train a whole lot. Just how big are your muscles?"

"I daresay they are not as large as yours, Master Kirsten, but you are correct. I train my body every day as I must be as intimidating and capable as possible to defend my lord and ladies."

"We should spar sometime! Get to see who's stronger!"

Reginald chuckled. "Should you come visit again I shall oblige, with his lordship's permission of course." He turned his gaze to Hilda. "And Lady Goneril I must say it is an honor to meet you. It is not every day a member of one of the Great Houses visits the Ordelia household, officially or otherwise."

"Now that you mention it," Hilda pondered, "I really should have visited you more often Lysithea. I mean our territories are right next to each other, and it wasn't like I had much to do at home anyway. My father and brother were handling most of our affairs."

"I don't think it would have been possible anyway," said Lysithea. "I was helping father with our own territory's affairs, and between that and my training there would not have been much time for a social visit." She placed a hand on her chin. "Speaking of visits, why did the two of you come here?"

"Well, I was on my way to Garreg Mach for our promised reunion when I ran into Raphael who was doing the same thing."

"Then I suggested we should come here and meet up with you!" chimed in Raphael, "It would be a lot more fun to go back to Garreg Mach if there were more of us together! Almost like a reunion on its own!"

A smile etched its way on Lysithea. "I quite like the sound of that, and it would be better to travel to Garreg Mach with some company. In fact I was just on my way to go there now. Shall we?"

"You bet! This is gonna be so exciting! I hope there's plenty of food!"

"I wonder how everyone is doing these days," said Hilda, "Especially Professor Byleth. Oh, I do hope he shows up. This reunion just wouldn't feel right without all of us there."

"No..." Lysithea muttered to herself, "It wouldn't..." She shut her eyes to refocus. "We should get going. We have a long road ahead of us and we shouldn't waste any time."

"Right you are, Lysithea. Let's get going!" As the three of them went to leave, Lysithea turned back toward Reginald, hands at his sides, a tentative smile on his face.

"Take care of yourself, milady." said Reginald. Lysithea nodded and went to go catch up with the others. It had initially been her intention to go to Garreg Mach alone, but the arrival of Raphael and Hilda was certainly a welcoming surprise. It would better their chances of making it there safely, and she had to admit that it was nice to have a little company along the way. She walked and talked with the other two with a smile, happy to see them again, eager to see her other friends, and hopeful that Professor Byleth would be there to greet them. For now she would allow herself to ignore her worries and simply revel in the moment.