Hey, everyone. Back with another chapter, one that's going to cover the aftermath of a certain in-game event that I wanted to get to last chapter, but here we are. A little mix of the upbeat and the downtrodden so hope you enjoy!

I do not own anything.

Chapter 3-Words with the Lost and Found

It was only after she'd shut her door did Marianne realized that she'd left her jacket behind in the training hall. Far, far behind in fact. A hot blush fueled by embarrassment washed over her face causing her to sink to the floor. She could only imagine what her adoptive father would have had to say at such a fumble. After admonishing her, he'd probably tell her to return to the training hall and collect it; the problem was it'd been over an hour and Marianne was sure that by now, someone else had already come into the training hall and…well, Marianne wasn't quite sure what to think with what could be done with her jacket. It wasn't like it had her name on it, or any items of value in the pockets or such. At best, someone would assume that it had been mistakenly placed there; hopefully, afterwards it would be disposed into the lost and found bin which she last heard was looked over by Professor Eisner. Surely that would result in the entire situation working itself out, right?

On top of that, it wasn't like she was entirely out of clothing to wear, far from it to be precise.

Looking back, Marianne wasn't quite sure what led her to invite Hilda into her room. She'd been standing there by the door and offering to help, and she probably hadn't been thinking clearly at the time so one thing ended up leading to another. The pink-haired Crest-bearer had taken one look at her closest, without her permission, and immediately decided that Marianne needed a "wardrobe upgrade" as she'd called it. She didn't really have the heart to resist her, only giving a meek yes in response. At the end of it all…Marianne couldn't exactly say that she regretted spending the day with Hilda; she actually…enjoyed it.

Still, it wasn't like Marianne had a schedule filled with events for her to wear half the dresses that occupied her closet. At best many of them would simply collect dust, albeit that might have been a bit preferable to the fate of some of her other clothes, lying on the floor getting torn up and further dirtied. On the plus side, when she returned home, she'd likely be taking the clothes with her and could present them to her adoptive father, his response would no doubt be a statement regarding how he doesn't have to spend money on clothes for her. Clothes that could make her look presentable.

Speaking of presentable, her mind turned back to a certain blonde-haired prince who'd boosted his already considerable reputation. Rising to her feet, she walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge, her hand stretching back across the sheets.

Odd as it was, she felt a stirring in her heart when her mind drifted to the spear-wielding prince, a boy who showed all he interacted with kindness rather they deserved it or not. Even her, especially her. Marianne believed it to be the famed Faerghus chivalry that she'd heard so much about; apparently, it was indeed real. Then again, maybe it was just Dimitri, which made it all the more special…and terrifying.

How long would that kindness last? How long could Dimitri afford to show such generosity towards her and not suffer any backlash for it? Even a prince such as himself would suffer like everyone else from being around her. The smart thing to do would have been to distance herself from him, starting maybe tomorrow.

But…what if fate had them cross paths yet again?

Falling back against her bed, Marianne wondered yet again what the goddess had in store for her. Day after day, she tried to look for the signs, that was when she wasn't…doing the best she could to get through the day. That pattern of day after day, putting one foot in front of the other and moving on, taking what came at her by the hour, that was life as she knew it. Life as she thought she couldn't live it, yet she was doing so. Turning to the side, Marianne pondered how she came to be able to do that.

A myriad of faces flashed across her mind, the last one being Dimitri's. Had their brief encounter had such an impact on her? Was it fate that they'd meet? Would it be fate that he would fall before her, no doubt by the cursed influence of her Crest? Would he find some way to endure it? A silent gasp escaped her in realizing that last thought, that someone could manage to rise and endure in the face of her cursed existence.

It was an interesting thought, but one that Marianne wasn't eager to put to the test. Playing it safe had always been her lot in life, and for the foreseeable future it would remain that way.

At least until something happened that told her that way of life could no longer be sufficient.

Marianne felt a tingle up her spine that roused her awake the next morning. Expectedly, her room was dark, only thin beams of morning light coming through at the edge of the curtains. Pushing herself upward, her mouth stretched up in a yawn, her sky-blue hair falling loose over her head. Looking around, she saw that she was alone, yet the tingling in her spine continued, pushing her to further examine her surroundings. Eventually, her eyes settled on the door. Swallowing a slight lump in her throat, she got up and made her way to it.

Though she sensed no one on the other side, a part of her couldn't help but feel like there had been someone there before, perhaps a minute ago. Sucking in a breath, she twisted the knob and pulled inward, opening herself up to the hallway.

Down at the foot of her door lay a box…and a lance. Strange didn't even begin to cover it. While she stared in dumbfounded shock, Marianne's sensible side kicked it, screaming at her to pull both items into her room where she could exam them. Scenes like this were how ill rumors were born, and those were amongst the last things she wanted getting out.

Quietly, she took hold of the lance and box then pulled them in, depositing them onto her bed. Her gaze shifted between the box and the lance, a polished silver weapon that belonged in the hands of a warrior, not her. Had someone made a mistake?

Nervously, she opened the box and let out a gasp. Inside was her uniform, neatly folded up and presented to her with a note atop of it. Confused and intrigued, she reached forward and unfolded the piece of paper, her heart quietly beating at a frantic pace in her chest.

Marianne,

Pardon me, but you left your jacket lying in the training hall. I attempted to return to it to you, but unfortunately other obligations came up so I hope that you do not mind the delay. Also, I'm not quite sure how to explain this to you, but some…modifications were made to your uniform, and the lance. Consider it a personal gift, both are attuned to work with your faith magic so I encourage you to make the most of them. Until we meet again, and please take care of yourself.

Sincerely, Dimitri

Seconds after finishing reading the letter, Marianne could have sworn she felt her legs going wobbly. Was this some sort of joke? Was this really happening to her?

Somehow, it was. Falling onto the edge of the bed, she continuously read the letter over and over again. She was absolutely sure that this was Dimitri's handwriting. It was as neat and precise as expected of a noble. So too was the weapon that had come with the package. Heart still racing, Marianne reached for the weapon; the minute her fingers touched the polished metal, she felt a cool rush of power. Holding it up to the faint morning light streaming in, she noticed the somewhat magical sheen of the weapon's tip. Through arcane means, the weapon had been infused with some traces of magic.

A thought ran through the devoted girl's mind, one that she chose to execute rather quickly. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, flowing her magical power into the lance as she'd read in her textbooks. Opening her eyes, she saw a spark of wintry light shining at the tip, the temperature dropping in her room at a snail's pace. Quickly cutting off the magical flow, the light faded and Marianne placed the weapon down in her lap. It was a work of remarkable craftsmanship, a long silvery metal shaft with navy blue wrappings around the base for one's hands. The guard was a golden cross, from the which sprang up the blade, itself polished steel. Touching it, Marianne felt a slight hum beneath it, inert magical energy.

Drifting downward, she got a better look at the guard. Like all custom weapons, it had an engraving on it, one that set at the base of the golden cross. Her breath caught in her throat seeing the familiar three-pointed emblem, the emblem that she'd seen on the back of the black coat worn by Professor Eisner and the orange tunic on his father, Captain Jeralt Eisner. Aside from being mercenaries, were they also blacksmiths? Even enchanters based on the magical nature of the weapon she wielded?

Her mind halted there, realizing that she had such a finely crafted weapon was now hers. Her, a woman of the faith who'd much rather let an enemy blade remove her head than use her own to remove theirs. It was a wasted gifted.

Yet Marianne felt herself struggling to turn it down. Dimitri had no doubt gotten up early and gone to the trouble of delivering all of this to her.

At the very least she owed him a face to face talk about it, and maybe some convincing that he shouldn't do this again.

One hour later…

"If you're looking for the Blue Lions, they left earlier this morning."

That news was…shocking to say the least. Marianne stood in front of the door, dumbfounded at the news. She wasn't expecting it, especially since odds are Dimitri had just been at her door little more than an hour ago. With the recent news, it was probably because it was one of the last things that he could do before setting out and leaving with his class.

"I-I see, t-t-thank you for notifying me, Cyril." Spoke the Leicester Alliance native to the orange-eyed orphan. He was a quiet and diligent soul, something that Marianne could somewhat admire. "I-If y-you don't mind, do you know when they might be back?"

"I don't know, but I hear they were heading to Faerghus so I don't think they'll be back for a couple of days." Responded the tan-skinned orphan with a shrug. "Professor Eisner told me to look after the classroom and armory and help anyone out if they needed anything. Do you?"

"N-No, j-just stopping by. B-Best of luck with your work, Cyril." It seemed that yet again, the goddess was toying with her. Marianne was beginning to grow a tad tired of it. She'd eaten breakfast first, early at that, then gone to the Blue Lions classroom hoping she'd be able to catch Dimitri before classes began. Now all of that planning had gone up in smoke.

Or maybe rain based on the graying clouds.

That's right. The rainy season has begun. Marianne had mixed feelings about the rain. It was said that when the sky opened up, the goddess was expressing her sorrow. Given how chaotic the world could be, Marianne often worried what caused her despair. There was a wide list of things to choose from, plus the possibility that she was weeping for a tragedy yet to unfold. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

"He'll…he'll be fine. Dimitri will be…he will be alright." Whispered the blue-haired girl deciding to make for her own classroom. Just a foot from the door, she stopped dead in her tracks and looked back to the sky. Gray clouds were lazily drifting across the blue sky giving the impression that rain would come at some point in the day. When it did, there'd be a hustle to get indoors. Before Marianne knew it, she had turned on her heel and was heading towards the cathedral. There was nothing wrong with praying for her classmates, even if they were from a different house, to have a safe trip and hopeful return, was there?

Life went on, even as one House was absent, in fact, that was extremely common at the Officers Academy. The Blue Lions had been gone for two days on a mission whose details Marianne had quietly picked up between classes. Apparently, the adoptive father of one of their members had mounted a rebellion that needed to be put down. The fact that it was one of their own had no doubt been a deciding factor in them choosing to go.

They wouldn't be the only ones.

At the end of class, Professor Hanneman had told them all that they would be heading out to the Adrestian Empire to confront a noble who'd been smuggling magical stones and other objects. The graying-haired professor was rather up front in telling them that combat was more than likely going to become a reality; Marianne shuddered when she heard that.

"Everyone, this is me doing my best o advise you all to pack appropriately. What we will be facing shall be mages who use not just magic, but will be doing their utmost to enhance their abilities with what items they have managed to smuggle." Spoke the magical instructor pushing his monocle up. As one would have expected, his words were heavy with the truth. They'd had combat missions before, and each one had proven life-threatening on some level. This one would be no different, it might even be worse since they would likely be confronting enemies who focused solely on magic. For some such as Raphael, who visibly shuddered, it meant that the utmost caution had to be exercised. "We shall be departing the day after tomorrow, at which point we will be joining a caravan that shall take us to our destination, the city of Tanglim."

Her adoptive father had been there three times before, each time coming back with some souvenirs as he'd called them. Immediately, she began to stretch her mind back, struggling to recall the information that would prove necessary for this mission. Then something popped into her mind.

"Magic users are tough, but they are far from invisible, even the greatest Archmage has a number of weaknesses that can be exploited. One of them being to simply cut off access to his mana, his magical energy. Alongside that, there's the act of sheer defense against the forces of magic."

Marianne blinked, then raised her hand. "P-Professor, w-wouldn't it be best i-if we took anti-magic weaponry and other items with us?"

"Quite so, Marianne. I will go to the armory and procure the equipment we need, of course you all are free to do so on your own. I will say again, we shall likely be running into experienced sorcerers and sorceresses, ones that will not think twice about inflicting bodily harm onto any of you. In turn, you should think nothing of doing the same to them in retaliation." Answered the former Adrestian nobleman.

There was a murmur of talk amongst the class, particular the more adventurous and battle-hungry. The more…soft-hearted ones such as Marianne herself were much less enthusiastic. Sparring a glance at artistic Ignatz, Marianne felt some comfort in knowing she wasn't alone, but she also knew that she would be expected to pull her weight on the up incoming mission.

She'd already killed once, and from that moment onward, she'd only continued to do more so. All she could do was pray to the goddess for the salvation of the souls of those she'd slain, and wait for her eventual punishment for taking life. A small part of her wondered how many lives would she have taken by the time she graduated from the Officers Academy.

For better or for worse, the Officers Academy was still a military school, and students were still expected to carry out certain duties. Marianne ahd accepted that, one of those duties was keeping her classmates alive, even if it meant taking a life.

Back in her room, she had a weapon that could do that in spades.

"Gotta say, I was a little bit surprised to hear you speak up like that. Kind of happy actually." Spoke the orange-haired horsewomen of the Golden Deer Class. Stable duty had come and of course, it had placed the house's most hot-blooded member with its quietest and meekest. Or at least, that's what Leonie originally thought. She could see Marianne practically bouncing on her feet, no doubt from nervousness. "Guess that means you took Captain Jeralt's advice to heart during that seminar he taught, huh?"

"I-I did. I-It…I…I suppose going wasn't so bad." Truth be told, she'd practically been dragged to the special teaching seminar held by Captain Jeralt and his son. Claude and Lorenz, in agreement for once, pushed her into going, both citing her preferred usage of the lance as reason enough. As usual, she didn't really have the heart to say no to either of them. "T-They'd been through a lot of battles, s-so it's understandable they'd know how to counter magic-users."

"Magic, a sword, a lance, an axe, every weapon has its weakness." Leonie noted with a smile. "Hell, you can say that's part of the fun of battle! Once you figure out your opponent's weakness, all you have to do is exploit and boom! Hit him 'till they go down!" Her excitement slowly fizzled out as she watched the her blue-haired housemate look down to the ground, her hands deftly brushing the mane of her favorite horse. "Hey, Marianne, when we set out on the mission, just behind. Let us do all the-"

"I-I'll fight too, me…and Dorte." The latter gave a near approving huff as he affectionately nuzzled his rider's cheek, causing her to smile.

Leonie smiled as well. "Sounds like someone's starting to find their warrior spirit."

"I-I wouldn't say that, Leonie." Marianne softly countered. "It's just…I, well, I know that I can't keep on relying on everyone else to protect me, and not doing anything in return."

"You help keep us alive, which is more than awesome enough." Remarked the archer. "With as often as we're running into the fray, we could use a healer, though I hear that Professor Hanneman is tutoring Lysethia and Lorenz, I heard that Ignatz has some talent as well. Counting you that gives us four magic users. Maybe that'll give us an edge in the Battle of the Eagle and Lion."

"You're certainly looking forward to it, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! It'll be a real chance for me to test myself against Byleth! I'll be the one to challenge him in battle, and defeat him! What about you, anyone you've got your eyes set on?"

"N-No, no one. I really don't have a wish to fight anyone, physically or academically." Her hands lay flat against her favorite stallion's side, the beast quiet and unmoving to serve as comfort for her. "I'm not like most of the others…I really don't have much ambition or drive."

"It's because deep down, you really don't want to be here, do you?"

"…Yes." Marianne said somewhat regrettably. Quickly, she began to speak again, "I'm sorry. I know that compared to you, someone who had to work hard, what I'm saying is probably heartless and insensitive, but I-ep!" Leonie could at times be, a very physical person. In this case, both of her hands had came down on Marianne's shoulders, practically lightning striking her on the head.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize, alright?" Began the commoner looking Marianne square in the eye. "You're you, you don't like fighting, you don't care about nobility and politics, and you really don't seem the academic type either. Instead…you're probably the best animal whisperer and most devout person I've ever met. There's nothing wrong with that, and there's nothing wrong with a person like that being here at Garreg Mach. Hell, there's a chance one day you could end up either a priest for the Church or in charge of the stables here. Saying that you graduated from the Officers Academy will probably help with that, won't it?"

She silently mused on the what sort of future occupations awaited her. "I…guess you're right. That is no doubt what my adoptive father had in mind for me…whatever path I choose."

"You could always work here, at the Monastery." Offered the orange-haired and eyed student. "I mean, maybe you could take over teaching religious classes or something. Personally, I think you'd make for a good teacher."

"M-Me?"

"Yeah, you." She laughed. "You're a lot smarter than you let on, though I guess that's to be expected of a noble's daughter. How would you feel about teaching instead of being a trophy wife to some rich noble?"

The latter was a future Marianne was vaguely aware of. It wasn't like such a thing was unfathomable…but she couldn't say she felt the knee-jerk revulsion towards it other women might have had. Leonie surely would have had it, and the same thing with Lysithea; of her classmates, she believed only Hilda would find such a life acceptable for personal reasons. As for her…the future was a far off, distant thing. It was something she was undeserving of.

"Hey, Marianne," Called the young warrior woman. Looking to her, Marianne noted the firm resolve in her eyes, resolve that a person like her could only sometimes dream about mustering up. "Before we head out spar with me and Lorenz. Just, ya' know, for your own sake." She didn't need to directly say what her implications were for the true meaning of the message to be sent, and it was received with silent acceptance.

Marianne was grateful though. It was an unspoken fact that she was the least capable combatant in the Golden Deer House, but she'd worked in her own way to change that. Her housemates had seen her efforts and in their own respective ways had helped her change that. She supposed it was good thing that they did so without directly mentioning that truth; everyone was mindful of just how low her self-esteem was, as well as her reluctance to shed blood in the name of her goals, or lack therefore of. What she could do, was shed blood in the name of her own survival and those of her classmates. Of course, she prayed for the souls of the deceased afterward, and for the continued safety of her classmates.

But somewhere inside, maybe she was beginning to believe that safety could be taken into her own hands, if only just a little.

"Sooo, are you gonna confess, or are you going to leave me in suspense?"

She'd seen this coming from a mile away. When Marianne chose to take her lance with her with the intention of using it, she accepted that she'd get questioned by it. It was a masterfully crafted weapon, one that made for a decent enough magic wand just as good as those that sorcerers and sorceresses possessed, the same kind that they'd just finished battling. The same kind that the Golden Deer had triumphed over. A triumph that they were now celebrating; in that celebration, Marianne had of course sneaked off to be by herself, but of course, Hilda had other ideas. It didn't surprise her in the slightest that she'd followed her outside, away from the roar and rumble of the victory celebrations.

Marianne offered up the spear to Hilda so she could get a close look. She did, but only in the sense that she leaned forward, her eyes scanning the blade's base. All too quickly, her lips curled into a devious smile.

"My, my, so you have been talking to people outside of our class, and not just anyone." Giggled the axe-user with an impish smile, the sort that always sent Marianne's heart racing at carrying speeds. "I don't suppose there's a story behind this?"

"My jacket." Admitted the spear-user in a whisper-like voice.

Hilda still heard it, but that didn't mean she understood her response. "Huh? Your jacket?"

"I was…I was training by myself…t-t-then P-Prince Dimitri c-c-came along and-"

"Prince Dimitri's involved in this? Oooh, seducing a professor and a prince-"

"H-Hilda!" Shrieked the brown-eyed girl with a scandalized blush coloring her cheeks, which only made Hilda laugh all the harder. Marianne quickly regained her wits, letting out a deep sigh that had become common place with talking to Hilda. She certainly enjoyed getting a rise out of her, and sometimes Marianne found she actually enjoyed the emotional stimulation. Not that she'd ever let her know that, the goddess only knew what would happen. "I-It…w-w-well…I was in the training hall, practicing by myself…then Prince Dimitri came by. We…talked for a little bit then I left, not realizing that I'd forgotten some things…like my jacket."

"Aaand, the prince returned it to you?" Inquired the pink-haired student with a smirk.

"I-In a manner of speaking. I didn't realize that I'd left it until I got back to my room by which point…" It was alright for her to trail off, Hilda got the gist of it well enough, and thankfully, she kept her comments to herself. "T-The morning we received our mission, I-I found a package at my door. It was my uniform…and this spear. I'm guessing that Professor Eisner must have found Dimitri while he was searching for me."

"And he decided to give you a little something extra, gotta say, sounds like Professor Eisner can be quite a charmer." Giggled the second-born child to House Goneril. Behind her sly smile, the wheels were turning. She'd heard word that the academy's newest professor possessed some skill in blacksmithing and metal-work, magic was another story. Marianne's spear was magical in nature, a specialized magical staff that also functioned as a weapon, a magical weapon. It seemed a bit too…advanced for someone like Professor Eisner, then again, she heard that he had a magical prodigy in his class, one almost on par with their own Lysithea. "Heh, some new clothes and a new weapon, talk about some amazing luck."

"Hilda, please." Marianne countered, her fingers tightening around the shaft of her lance. Somewhere inside, she knew that it had been a test, one where she was a rather unwilling participant. Professor Eisner had not given her this lance merely for decoration, but so she could actually use it. She'd definitely gotten some usage out of it. Casting spells of healing and attack, running enemies through and slashing them. The once polished silver blade had been died deep red, and it whitish-blue glow remained; it was actually shining rather brightly underneath the light of the half-moon overhead. If nothing else, the weapon had proven to be effective, even in the hands of one as mediocre as her.

Lightly thumping in their ears were the sounds of the continued victory celebration coming little more than twenty feet from them. A lavish manor that belonged to the town mayor. Marianne was grateful that the "backyard" of the manor was still as quiet and serene as a forest, especially with a crescent moon hanging high over the land. She leaned back into the bench; the lance held tightly in the crux of her left arm.

"So, you'll be keeping it then, huh?" Her classmate said watching her with thinly veiled interest. Marianne's face turned to the moonlit pond before them. "I mean, it'd be a bit of a waste to give it or try to push it back to them. On top of that…you did save our lives using it, isn't that a good enough reason to keep it?" As she'd spoke, Hilda had gone from nosy to being genuine; the change caused Marianne's tensed up shoulders. Finally, she turned to face her.

"I…want to prove that this lance…that I am worthy of wielding it." Whispered the adoptive noblewoman. She let out a small cry of surprise when an arm came down around her shoulder. Looking up, she wasn't surprised to find Hilda smiling at her, what she was surprised at was finding her holding two glasses between her fingers, a wide smile on her face. "H-Hilda," she started.

"Hey, I'd say you earned the right to wield that thing." Giggled the pig-tailed girl. "You saved our butts with it, and a couple dozen hostages."

Thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Leonie just three days before, Marianne blushed sheepishly. "A nun…wielding a spear."

"Stranger things have happened. I mean, there's stories of priests and bishops taking up swords and heading out onto the battlefield to fight. Maybe you'll be one of those one day. Until then…let's just enjoy things as they are now." Of course, as she spoke the words, she was reaching down for the bottle of liquor she'd somehow managed to swipe away from the celebration. Given how loud things were, Marianne fully doubted that anyone would notice, or care. She didn't if only for tonight.

Naturally, she uttered a prayer as she toasted Hilda, then took her first sip. The taste was unsurprisingly bitter, but not the worst she'd ever tried. Her adoptive father had actually encouraged her to give alcohol a try, if only so she could know what the taste was like. Better she give it a try within the confines of the Edmund manner than out in the "wilderness" like this. What he'd also mentioned was how there was some joy to be found in doing the latter; he'd done so with a light smirk on his face, no doubt recalling fond memories of such. Marianne believed she'd just made oner herself.

She looked out over the water again, this time, her eyes focusing on the hazy reflection of the moon on the water's surface. There was something near mystical about the glow that drew her in. The more she looked the more she found herself drifting back to the well-being of the blue-eyed prince of Faerghus. Marianne genuinely wondered how he was doing, how his house's mission to suppress a rebellion was going. Were they safe? Had they been able to subdue the rebels without violence? She hoped the good fortune that her house had didn't come at the expanse of another.

"So, I guess you're willing to stay out here for a little while longer?" Came the voice of her admittedly closest friend.

Marianne nodded. "Would you be willing to stay with me?"

"Hey, I know you like being alone but everyone could use some company. Besides," Leaning back, the usually sweet and lazy girl held a heartfelt smile on her face. "It's nice to take the time and enjoy some peace and quiet like this, even after a big victory."

The moon still hung high in the night sky when the Blue Lions returned to Garreg Mach Monastery. Their arrival was a somber one as word had already spread of how their mission had gone.

They'd succeeded in their mission…but that was the problem. Success had come with the deaths of dozens of innocent villagers including the rebellion's instigator, Lord Lonato himself, who also happened to be the adoptive father of one of students themselves. Indeed, it was a "tragic success" as she'd heard some call it.

Marianne immediately blamed herself. That was why she was here, in the cathedral late at night, praying, again. It was practically her second room, the only other place she felt she could feel safe, especially when she was alone like this.

Or rather, she was almost alone.

At the sound of the creaking doors, Marianne turned about, her heart leaping into her chest and her eyes focusing on the newcomer. She was both happy and stricken with horror to see it was Dimitri. His mouth dropped open in shock.

"I'm sorry." His voice was overlaid with hers, somehow, they both had begun to speak at the same time. Normally, this would have been cause for laughter, no doubt from any spectators who witnessed it. There were none, at least none that either of them could see or sense. It was just the two of them, the prince and noblewoman left in stunned, uncomfortable silence at the surprise meeting between the two.

The noblewoman decided to go first. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-"

"Marianne, I was the intruder here. I was…not aware there'd be anyone here at the cathedral, not at this late an hour." Spoke the blond, his voice as calm as could be. It were his eyes that gave him away, eyes filled with sorrow, no doubt from the events of his mission. "I apologize, I'll-"

"I'm sorry." Marianne blurted out. "I…I mean…I…about Lord Lonato, I was…praying for the safe passage of his soul, and those who followed him, and for the goddess to forgive him." She explained keeping her focus on the floor. Her ears registered the sound of his footsteps, quietly, she braced herself for whatever response was to come. A minute passed and nothing happened giving her cause to look up. Dimitri had taken a seat about three feet or so away from her; he was being mindful of the personal bubble she tried to maintain.

"I came to pray as well." Admitted the prince in a sorrowful voice. "I already came her before with Ashe and the others but…I feel I must do more. He deserves it, as does Lonato and all the others that we had to…"

Her fingers curled against her palms as she listened, and eventually settled for the mournful silence that followed. Marianne wondered how long it could last, which one of them would be the first one to speak. What would she say? What could she say? Immediately, guilt and uncertainty began to eat away at her to the point she felt a desire to rise to her feet and leave.

"The Professor was the one who…struck Lonato down. He…told us to make sure Ashe didn't witness it, he didn't want him to see it." Spoke the blue-caped teenager, his voice heavy with sorrow. When he looked up, he saw the blood-soaked grass that that served as the battlefield for their professor and the wayward noble. The fog had cleared, yet moisture still hung in the air. It went side by side with the smell of blood and fire. "I…when they fought, I knew that the professor would win. Maybe it was because after fighting alongside him, I've seen how skilled a combatant he is, but I…a part of me wanted to intervene. A part of me felt like it should have been my duty but…he stopped me. Hours after the rebellion had been surpassed, we spoke to one another. He explained to me that it was his duty to shoulder responsibility for such acts; he was quite morbid about it."

"H-He was? P-Professor Eisner?" She didn't mean for her response to come out so shocked, but it did. Needless to say, she heard of the professor's reputation as a rather stoic man. He wasn't completely stoic though, as she'd seen him display genuine emotion and empathy and curiosity, specifically around other people, including herself. Quietly, she took in the information. Once she did, she decided to add her two cents. "I believe it's because he…figured he was the one to do it. He wanted to spare the rest of you, especially Ashe, the pain of doing so."

"That's…what he said." Dimitri answered. He didn't say it openly, but the near resigned look on his teacher's face as he explained himself, it spoke of experience. Their teacher had been a mercenary for the better part of ten years, and in those ten years he flat out told him that he'd slain countless people, but never took any enjoyment out of it. Thinking on it, Dimitri was relieved to have heard that; he wasn't sure if he'd been able to look at Professor Byleth the same way if he'd said something different. "He told me that he'd shoulder the burden of whatever agony Ashe suffered…including a potential betrayal. I…it showed me how lacking I was in terms of my duties."

"L-Lacking? W-What do you mean by that?" Questioned the devoted teenager.

"I am set to one day assume the throne of Faerghus, that means I will have to…make decisions, decisions that will likely not sit well with all. Including those in my inner circle." Explained the blond. What the girl beside him saw was a dark cloud, one quite similar to her own, had descended over the prince. She kept quiet on it as the prince continued to speak his piece. "I should have been the one to do something about Lonato, instead I…I feel as if I passed off the responsibility to the Professor. It feels…shameful." Dimitri finished with a heavy sigh. "Then again, I honestly don't know if I could have brought myself to do it on account of Ashe. I…I…"

The way he trailed off showed that he was waiting for an answer, it was no doubt the entire reason he had come to the cathedral at this late an hour.

Marianne dearly wished that he could be given one. Try as she might, she couldn't believe that the goddess would give it. That left only one person left-her. But what answer could she give? Especially when her poisonous existence might have accidentally licked over into the Blue Lions House? What if that was the reason their mission had ended on such a depressing note.

Her hands moved from her knees to lacing together. A part of her wanted to stay quiet, but another part of her wanted to speak up. One side eventually overtook the other. "I…I believe Professor Eisner did what he needed to do, for Ashe's sake, and yours." Heart racing, she looked up, meeting the prince's gaze. It was striking how emotional his eyes could be, bright blue pools that swirled with life, but were now weighed down by sorrow. "My adoptive father…he…he didn't coddle me, but he didn't put me through anything he felt I couldn't handle. Instead, he showed me how to handle that which was beyond my ability. He told me to watch him and learn as best I could, for one day it would eventually be me having to make these choices and perform these acts. I believe that's the kind of approach that Professor Eisner might have been taking with you, especially since he knows how much you care about the rest of the Blue Lions, your classmates."

His eyes widened as if she'd just spoken the word of the goddess. As much as Marianne liked to think so, she had hardly done that. She'd merely spoken what she believed was the right thing, and what Dimitri needed to hear. It was absolutely ridiculous, but it was preferable to doing nothing and letting him wallow away. She did what she could, and she could only hope that helped.

Seconds ticked by turning into minutes in which she waited. Quietly, she resigned herself to yet another failure.

"Marianne, thank you." Spoke the blond prince, which caused Dimitri to do a double-take. "Though I pray that a time such as that never comes…when it does, I can't leave it all onto the Professor. It isn't fair to him; it is in fact cowardly of me."

"I-I…um, you are welcome, D-D-Dimitri." She stammered out feeling an odd sense of relief. It seemed she'd gotten something right. "P-Professor Eisner, how was he in the…aftermath of it all?"

His expression went from joyous to sullen. "He was saddened, much like the rest of us. I remember he talking to Catherine, no doubt trying to get more details as to how this rebellion had came about. They both pulled me aside and told me that the Western Church might have been involved." Out of the corner of her eyes, Marianne watched the way Dimitri's hands tightened, turning into fists. It was only for an instant, but it was certainly there. "I fear that this incident is not over yet, so I must steel myself for what lies ahead. And hope that I can do something to help Ashe. He-"

BOOM!

"And it seems our homecoming is complete." Mused the blue-caped teenager.

"I-I'm sorry." Automatically spoke the blue-haired girl causing the other to look to her in surprise.

"What are you apologizing for? If I hadn't been here, you would have been able to finish your prayer and be back inside, I'm the one who should be apologizing." Dimitri countered, his acute ears registering the boom of thunder and pouring rain outside. It had indeed been fortunate they'd made it back before the storm hit.

Marianne could hear the storm outside as well. It had been quite cloudy when she sunk out. She'd known that there was a possibility of getting caught in the rain, but she didn't mind, or thought she could beat the rain. She supposed she was wrong on the latter account, but that left the former.

Rising to her feet, she bowed to the prince. "I-I hope that things turn out well for you and your housemates, D-D-Dimitri." She was at least clear-headed enough she didn't trip on her way to the door, at least before stopping and looking back at him. To her surprise, she saw he'd gotten up and followed her. Thankfully, he was still keeping a respectful distance from her. Surprisingly, she managed to keep her own cool as she directed her focus to him. "D-Dimitri, t-thank you for returning my jacket, and…could you please pass my gratitude onto Professor Byleth? F-For the lance I mean."

A minute passed, then recognition dawned in his eyes. With a nervous laugh, the prince scratched the back of his head. Marianne fought the urge to smile. "Well, it was more of the Professor's idea, an experiment of his if I recall. I'm happy to hear that it's served you well and hope that it will continue to do so."

She nodded in acceptance of his words, yet somewhere inside, the curiosity in her grew stronger. "Professor Eisner made more weapons like mine?"

"From this point onward, I believe he will. Your lance was actually the first he made, or commissioned the Blue Lions to make. This was without a doubt, a first for us. That said, Annette was quite eager to give it a try." A smile grew as he remembered the forging process and how it had gone. His orange-haired housemate had practically been bouncing with excitement from their success at infusing magic with a weapon, using magic to help speed along the forging process to hours instead of days. Meanwhile, their professor had looked on with the faintest hint of a smile on his face, it partially growing when he looked to Annette. "If anything ever happens to it, just stop by the Blue Lions class and we'll do our best to fix it up."

Knowing her luck, she'd stop by one day, and a forging would go wrong and perhaps result in someone getting injured or worse. Quietly, she vowed to herself that should any repair work need to be done on her gifted weapon, she wouldn't burden the Blue Lions with the task. Outside, just beyond the massive doors, another crack of thunder boomed.

"Please, stay behind me, I'll try to shield you as best I can." Dimitri said already pushing at the doors. Marianne was taken aback by how easily they were moved aside by his simple touch. She had heard something about him being stronger than average.

And of course, had had the kindness needed to manage it.

Marianne told herself that it was because of the weather that her cheeks were blushing a light shade of pink as the two of them hurried through the rain. There was barely two inches of space between the two of them, there was barely an inch of space period. The blue shoulder cape that marked him as a House leader was being used to shield her from the rain, completely disregarding his own safety. It was such a gentlemanly thing to do, but she was undeserving of the act. In spite of that, Marianne couldn't quite bring herself to pull away from him. A voice in her head told him that it would be rude to do so, especially since they were already half-way to the dorms. Given her background, she was placed in the same building as him, the building reserved for the nobility of the academy.

Sweet relief came when they finally made it inside of the dormitory. They took a moment to warm up, and shake themselves free of their wet clothes. Neither would be able to discard them until they were back in the confines of their own rooms, which wouldn't be long. Dimitri stepped away, taking the time to wrench what water he could from his shoulder cape. It had certainly been dyed a darker shade of blue than it had originally been. The same couldn't be said for Marianne's hair, which had remained mostly dry thanks to Dimitri's efforts.

"G-Goodnight, a-a-and thank you, Dimitri." She said as she stepped away from him, the heat thankfully fading from her cheeks and her heart rate decreasing.

"I should be the one thanking you, you did far more for me than I did for you, Marianne." Spoke the prince in response. "First you gave me a weapon, and then you gave me guidance in my moment of doubt, I'm almost willing to wager my luck is increased around you."

Her brown eyes widened hearing that. "L-Luck?" A cold shiver ran through her. The urge to merely take off running hit her in full force, yet somehow Marianne managed to suppress it. "G-Goodnight, Dimitri." At the very least she was able to get that statement out before taking off as fast as she could, again. The thud of her boots against the wooden flower were no doubt echoing in the dorms, but Marianne didn't care about that. She had to get back inside, before Dimitri's statement was proven so incredibly wrong. She'd already done enough damage to him.

The prince watched her leave, a slight aching in his heart.

She always seems to do this, take off as if I've said something to offend her. Am I doing that? He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case, and if it was, he couldn't help but wrap his mind around how to correct that perception. Whenever he interacted with Marianne, he always felt something…peculiar about her. Sadly, their interactions always seemed cut short before he could get a beat on it. With a mental sigh, he noted how the answers wouldn't come to him standing in the hallway, especially when a vast majority of his fellow classmates were in bed sleeping. Dimitri himself felt a yawn coming on signaling his own exhaustion. Something told him as soon as his head hit the pillows, he'd be out like a candle whose flame had been blown out.

He hoped.

Privately, he was happy that his door stood unguarded meaning that Dedue was no doubt still asleep. Dimitri quietly feared returning to his dorm only to find his retainer awaiting him. The darker-skinned teen needed his rest just as much as the rest of them.

"He told me to watch him and learn as best I could, for one day it would eventually be me having to make these choices and perform these acts." Try as he might, he couldn't help but think to his own father and wonder how he would have behaved. Of course, Dimitri knew if his father were still alive, there was a high chance that Lonato's rebellion might not have happened at all. He mentally caught himself before he could stumble down onto that path. Instead, he chose to focus on the fact that Marianne had given him advice that he was likely sorely going to need.

It felt good receiving advice, advice that he sorely needed. While he'd been raised and learned in the art of politics, there was still a line between politics and human emotions and the feelings that sprang up in one's heart when faced with an unexpected dilemma. This won't be the last time he was faced with such a dilemma; he was staring down a future of it because of the lineage he'd been born into. A lineage that he had to live up to, for the sake of his friends and his nation.

Originally, I did want this chapter to intermix with the main story, specifically the aftermath of Lonato's rebellion. Some time ago I came upon a post on reddit talking about how seasonal weather and such could have been included in the gameplay, especially since each new month begins with a short introduction and voiceover describing it and what usually goes on. As it happens, the month that Lonato rebels is the month when the rainy season begins. Sorrow and rain tend to go together really well, don't they? I also spaced things out since as another post called to mind, most students have to travel across Fódlan for assigned missions, which would logically take a few days. On top of that I bumped up the time frame of missions a bit since logically, subduing a personal rebellion like Lonato's would be the type that the Blue Lions would want to do as quickly as possible instead of waiting until the end of the month (Flayn's kidnapping being another).

Next chapter should be up in a week or so, and fit more into the hurt/comfort category as I get a bit more mileage out of the weather. Until then!