A week passed by as quickly as it came.
Turned out her Father was right; it would take the King and his men a week to get here. Byleth thought it was a bit weird that he got the timing precise but maybe it has something to do with the wisdom of elders?
Grandmother is always saying to listen to older monks and nuns, that they carry insight that Byleth will need in the future. But in all honesty, Byleth isn't exactly sure of the accuracy of that, there are some nuns that will tell Byleth about the randomest things. So, she isn't entirely sure what to make of their insight.
Anyways that is digressing from the point.
The King has arrived.
Finally.
Byleth stood beside Grandmother and Uncle Seteth anxiously waiting for the King's carriage to roll up to the gates of Garreg Mach.
"Byleth dear" Grandmother said softly, "Please don't fidget around" she added.
Byleth nodded then stood as still as she could.
"Did the Prince come alongside his Father?" Seteth asked Rhea.
Rhea shook her head, "No, he is still too young" she said.
"I suppose so" Seteth said "A shame Byleth won't meet him this time around" he added.
Rhea nodded her head, "Indeed" she said.
The two of them carried on with their small talk for what felt like hours. "Is that them?" Byleth finally asked when she saw the shape of something beginning to form in the distance.
Grandmother squinted in that direction, "It is" Rhea said "Now Byleth, remember it is important to make a good impression on the children" she said "You will be seeing a lot of them in the future" she added.
Byleth felt her excitement slowly fade away.
It was replaced with the anxiety of her ruining the relationship between the Church and the Kingdom.
Seteth put a hand on Byleth's shoulder and looked down at her with a less serious expression than he normally has. "Don't worry Byleth, you will be fine" Uncle Seteth said "They will enjoy your company" he added then paused for a moment. "I have an idea, why not take them to the training grounds to practice with you and Cassandra" Seteth suggested.
Byleth frowned slightly, "Are you sure they would like that?" Byleth asked.
Seteth nodded his head, "Yes, I am quite certain, they will enjoy it" he said confidently "In Faerghus they value strength and battle prowess" he added. "So, there's really no better way to make their friendship than through sparring" Seteth concluded.
Rhea chuckled, "Seteth is right dear" she said.
Byleth smiled up at Seteth and nodded, "Thank you Uncle Seteth" she hummed "I think I will try that then" she added.
"Here they are," Rhea said as the King's carriage came to a stop at the gates of Garreg Mach.
Byleth's stomach was churning, she feared for a moment she might just throw up her lunch on the cobblestone.
Dear goddess no.
That is the last thing she needs to do right now.
The door to the carriage before them slowly opened, and a tall blonde man stepped out.
He was wearing ornate armor, that was with adorned blue accents to contrast the white and silvers of his armor. And to top it off he dragged behind him a long deep blue cape.
It was quite a sight, Byleth had never seen a person wear such lovely armor.
Then it clicked, this must be the King.
Byleth straightened her posture, and the man walked over to them.
He looked...
Friendly.
"Your Grace" The King said and bowed to Grandmother.
Rhea followed in his lead and bowed to him, "Your Majesty" she replied "I hope the trip was well here was well" she said with a smile that graced her lips.
The King nodded and smiled back as well, "It was pleasant" he said. He looked to Byleth next, "And who might you be?" he asked.
Byleth's face grew red by the sudden attention of the King, "I- I am Byleth Eisner" she said and bowed to him. The last part of what she had been trained to say completely skipped her mind.
The King nodded his head and smiled. "Ah, Byleth Eisner the scion to Lady Rhea" he said "It is an honor to finally meet you" he said. "I do wish I had brought my Son, I am certain the two of you would have made fast friends" the King said then paused for a moment "Oh right where are my manners" he said then bowed "I am Lambert Egitte Blaiddyd, King of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus" he declared.
Byleth nodded and smiled politely, "It is a pleasure to meet you Your Majesty" she said.
The King smiled down at her, "The pleasure is all mine" Lambert said.
Byleth had just then realized that the others who were with the King in the carriage now got out.
There was a tall red- headed man, with two children. One looked to be Byleth's age and the other looked to be older than her.
"This is the Margrave Gautier" King Lambert introduced, "And these are his sons, Miklan and Sylvain Gautier" he added.
The Margrave looked more stern than the King, he bowed to Lady Rhea "Your Grace" he said "Miss Eisner" then bowed to Byleth as well "Thank you for your hospitality" he added.
Rhea nodded, "It is no trouble," she said.
The King now gestured towards a smiling man with dark blue hair, "And this is Duke Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius, and his son Glenn Fraldarius" he said.
"It's a pleasure to be here again, Your Grace" the Duke said "And it is nice to finally meet you Lady Byleth" he said with a smile on his face.
Rhea clasped her hands together, "Perhaps we should let the children get acquainted, and we can begin discussions of your campaign in my audience chambers" Lady Rhea said.
The King nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, of course" he said then turned to Byleth "Lady Byleth, would you be so kind as to show the boys around the monastery?"
Byleth nodded her head, "Yes, of course Your Majesty" she said.
The King smiled, "Thank you, now lead the way Your Grace" he said.
Grandmother nodded her head and began guiding the King along with men to the audience chamber.
Uncle Seteth was about to follow behind them but he hesitated then turned to Byleth. "Just remember what I told you, Byleth" he said then turned back around to follow the archbishop.
Byleth stared wide eyed as her Uncle and Grandmother left. Then it hit her. The other children are still waiting for her to say something. She looked at them and all of their eyes were on her.
Definitely no pressure.
Byleth curtsied slightly to them, "I am Byleth Eisner-" she began but was cut off.
"We know that already" the eldest red- headed boy said.
The boy with dark blue hair frowned at him, "Don't be rude Miklan" he said then looked to Byleth "I am Glenn" he said then pointed to the taller red- headed boy. "This is Miklan, and this is Sylvain," he said, gesturing to the youngest.
"It is nice to meet you all" Byleth said, "My Grandmother said that you might be staying here while the King and your Fathers are on their campaign" she said.
Miklan frowned, "I won't be," he said.
Byleth froze for a moment; she was unsure of why he sounded so... Angry. "Um, why not?" she asked.
The boy just glared at her, "My Father said that I could stay" Sylvain finally said and his brother glared at him as well. "I'm glad such a lovely lady like yourself is going to be with us" he added turning red in the face.
Byleth shifted around uneasily, something felt a little off, but she didn't want to scare off her new friends. She then turned to Glenn, "What about you?" Byleth asked.
Glenn shrugged, "I don't know yet" he said.
Byleth nodded, "I see" she said. Silence fell over them, "Um, would you guys like to see the monastery?" Byleth asked.
"We might as well..." Miklan sighed
"Alright then" Byleth sighed "Follow me then" she added and began showing them around, starting with the dock and greenhouse.
"Hey there kid" a voice called out as Byleth was showing the other children around, she turned and saw her Father.
"Hello Father" Byleth replied.
"The blade breaker is your Father!?" Glenn asked excitedly.
Jeralt chuckled and Byleth nodded slowly, "Yes he is" she said.
"Hmm, well you seem busy right now" Jeralt said "So I'll leave you be for now" he added then turned away.
Glenn's eyes were wide, "He never told us" he said. "That's so cool! What is it like having the blade breaker as a Father!?" he asked.
Byleth looked down, "I wouldn't know" she sighed "I only recently met him" she added.
Miklan looked at her with curiosity, "What do you mean by that?" he asked, "You had to have met him before" he said "He's your Father" he added.
Byleth frowned, "Well I didn't know that he was my Father until recently" she retorted.
Miklan remained silent, "Sorry..." Sylvain said. Byleth was certain it was on behalf of his brother, who glared at him for speaking up.
Byleth shrugged, "It's not your fault" she said "Anyways..." Byleth began "My Uncle told me that in Faerghus they teach you how to wield a weapon at an early age" she said "Would you like to go to the training ground?" she asked.
Glenn and Sylvain's eyes lit up, while Miklan remained indifferent. "Yes!" Glenn said "I want to see how the knights wield their blades here" he said excitedly.
Byleth nodded, "I'll lead the way then" she said and began guiding them to the training grounds.