(eventually) yours

Chapter 2

It is not long after she sends her response to Holst that she receives another letter from him, and Byleth finds herself oddly excited when she is told that there is a letter for her. Though she is not used to keeping a running correspondence up with someone, the idea of having something like that does seem pleasant, and she is struck by how odd it is for her to be so excited by the prospect of friendship with someone that she has never met and barely knows.

Professor Byleth,

I admit, I'm surprised that you took the time to reply to me, and so quickly, at that. You must be very busy dealing with that class of yours, particularly with my sister in it, so I do appreciate that. I also appreciate all the kind words about Hilda, and will continue to root for you from the sidelines as you attempt to whip her into shape.

If we're going to write back and forth like this, though, I'm sure it would be more polite to talk about myself and ask about you, rather than just talk about my little sister. I know you mentioned keeping up correspondence about her specifically, but writing to you seems enjoyable all on its own.

Hilda says that you were a mercenary before you came to teach, and that your father was once a respected knight in the church. She says that you rescued the three house leaders before you came to the monastery, and that is part of why you were considered for a teaching position. I have to admit, I find all of that incredibly fascinating. Though I do like to think of myself as tough, my upbringing is pretty standard for a noble in the Alliance, definitely not anything as interesting as what you must have experienced.

I'm sure my stories about my time in the academy are rather boring in comparison, and you probably don't want to hear me go on and on about my glory days. Well, I will say, at least- make sure you have a good handle on your students when it comes to any competitions between houses. Just one student could throw things off and cause the results to be below your expectations. I am speaking from experience, but I promise you that it was not me that did anything like that.

I hope that this letter finds you well, and that you continue to enjoy your work at the academy,

Yours,

Holst

As soon as she has the chance to sit down and write to him, Byleth once again discovers that she can quickly find the words, having an easier time writing to a man that she has never met than she does having a verbal conversation. Not only that, but she thinks she just enjoys reading what Holst has to say, and almost wonders if speaking to him might be a little bit easier as well.

Holst,

I actually don't receive a lot of letters, so that is why I was able to respond so quickly. So, really, it's no trouble to keep up correspondence, even if it is just to share progress reports on Hilda. Though, at the same time, if you're interested in just writing for the sake of writing, I definitely don't mind that either, polite or otherwise.

You say that your stories wouldn't be interesting to someone with my upbringing, but I need to point out that the sort of the things you grew up with are nothing like what I grew up with, so that makes them more interesting to me than you might think. Actually, I'm especially interested in any stories about your time in the academy, since everything around here is pretty unfamiliar to me.

To me, stories about my life as a mercenary seem incredibly dull. The battles all tend to blur together, and it's hard to remember any of the specific details. My father would handle the business side of things, so I rarely interacted with anyone directly. I can hardly remember the details of some of those battles, so I don't know if I can tell you any interesting stories. I'm curious to know anything you feel like sharing, and if you have any questions, I can at least try to answer.

As for a progress report on Hilda, things are moving along at a steady pace. Though she still tries to dig her heels in about work, and still finds ways to pawn her chores off on others, she has no choice but to train when I'm watching over her, and has realized that pretending to struggle with the basic exercises is actually more tiring than simply carrying them out. Progress is slow, but it is definitely being made. I think you would be proud of her if you could see her now.

Yours,

Byleth

~X~

Excerpt from a letter to Holst, from his younger sister Hilda:

Are you and the new professor seriously talking about me behind my back? I knew there had to be some reason for her suddenly going so hard on me, should have known that it was you! Well, good to know that she had someone telling her not to go easy on me, since I almost worried my charms weren't what they used to be.

As for your comment about how "fascinating" you find her, I better not catch you traveling all the way out here just to flirt with my teacher! Honestly, I thought you were better than that, but maybe there's a side to you that I don't know. You know what they say about the company you keep, after all.

Either way, a visit will not be necessary. You'll simply find that I'm the same delicate flower who left home, and that my teacher is an absolute demon, pushing me to my limits. There's no progress to catch up on, and I'm not so sure how I feel about you sparring with her when you gush like this. Besides, it seems like you're writing to her even more than you're writing to me!

~X~

Except from a letter to Hilda, from her older brother Holst.

After everything that you've told me about her, are you honestly surprised that I'm interested? You know me well enough by now, Hilda- you know that a woman like that is exactly my type. And as for your remark about the company I keep, I think you would know that this isn't common for me. In fact, this might be the first time I've thought about going out of my way to meet anyone, and that's saying something!

As for whether or not I would spend the time flirting with her is entirely up to your imagination, for the time being. Things are too busy for me to plan for a visit right now, so you can keep up your illusion of weakness for a little while longer. Even so, I do hope to visit someday, and spar with her when I do. I guess if you want to, you could consider that an intention to flirt with her all on its own, so go ahead and let your imagination run wild.