A/N: Heyo everyone! Back at it again! This time I have finally finished my super long chapter. XD Months in the making, just so ya know, so sorry if the variety of writing styles. But anyways, please enjoy. I will not be writing an A/N for the rest of the parts of this story until the end. The original art I was going to use I couldn't find so sorry for that 😓 So I used this one instead. (Idk who did it, but it was on pixiv. All credit goes to them! (I'll include a link at the very end of the story to it :)) Another quick thing, tho the characters in the "fairytale" part are given names of the characters from the game, it is not what they're named after in the book Byleth is reading, just using the game characters name for simplicity. Finally, this is a mix of both the 1991 animated movie and the 2017 live action version. (tho more inspired by the 2017 one because that's my FAVORITE Disney movie :P) Sorry for rambling, I'll see y'all at the end. Let's get to it!
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It was a stormy night. All of the inhabitants of the monastery where taking shelter either in their rooms, in the entrance hall, or other covered areas. Byleth was in the library, using the alone time to look up tactics and do research on the enemy. They were currently in a war with the Adrestian Empire. The war was at a stalemate for the past few moons, ever since Byleth reappeared suddenly. If Byleth could find the enemy's weakness, they could tip the scales for their favor. The Kingdom recently took back their stolen capital, Fhirdiad and the war was starting to look better for them. They just needed that one victory that tips the odds.
As Byleth was scanning the shelves for tactic and strategy books, she came across a mysterious book she never noticed. It had a golden cover and spine with intricate patterns all over it. There was no words on the spine so there was no telling what the book was about. Maybe it was the book she needed. Byleth curiously took the book from the shelf. She examined the cover. It was dusty as if it wasn't touched in years (Then again, the monastery itself wasn't touched in 5 years until recently.) and made the golden cover look more silver than gold.
She wiped away the thick dust layer and could finally make out the title. In fancy lettering the title read The Collection of Fódlan's Best Fairy Tales. Byleth was intrigued. She rarely read stories like this and when she did, she loved every second of it. She quickly opened the book and started reading. It was as if the whole world around her was melting away and it was just her and the stories.
She left the other books she was going to read about tactics on a nearby table and headed towards the back where no one would see her off-task. Just before she sat down, Byleth heard a noise from the front of the library. She turned around, slightly startled. She saw a surprisedly dry Dimitri in the door way. She thought Dimitri was in another part of the monastery, not on the second floor where she was. He wore his hair in a partial ponytail that Byleth styled for when Dimitri started to snap out of his obsession for revenge. Byleth was a little surprised he kept it that way.
There was an awkward moment of silence. Neither knew what to say to the other. Byleth was embarrassed that she was caught reading a book on fairytales when she was supposed to be doing research for the upcoming battle. Dimitri was confused on why the professor looked so embarrassed like a deer in torchlight. Both tried to speak but where interrupted by the others attempts. Dimitri stayed quiet, signaling Byleth to start.
"So, uh, what brings you here now?" Byleth asked awkwardly. She looked down, still embarrassed.
"I was going to ask the same of you." Dimitri answered, slightly chuckling. Byleth showed the cover of the golden book to Dimitri, yet she didn't speak a word. Dimitri scanned the cover. He slightly smiled. "Fairytales, eh. I remember my stepmother reading those to me a lot when I was younger. In fact, my family had that exact same book, but after the Tragedy of Duscur and the death of my parents, I never had time to continue." Dimitri said.
Now that the ice was broken, Byleth felt more comfortable talking to Dimitri about this. "I was doing research when I cam across this. I read some of these stories when I was little too and I wanted to relive those moments I guess." Byleth explained. She opened the book to a random page. It flipped open to the start of the story Beauty and the Beast. Byleth was familiar with the story. Dimitri read the story's title over Byleth's shoulder.
"Hmm, never read that story." Dimitri said. "This was one of the few stories I never got around to read."
"Really? This story was one I read a lot when I was little. It was one of my favorites." Byleth said. She suddenly had an idea and coyly smiled. "Well, we could wait out the storm and read it together." Byleth suggested.
Before Dimitri could fully respond, he found himself being lead to the back of the library by Byleth. She pulled two chairs from a table and gestured for Dimitri to sit down. The two sat down and Byleth put the book in between them. Byleth started to read the first line out-loud and it was as if the story was unfolding right before their eyes....
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a prince in an almost hidden castle. The prince was selfish, narrow-minded, and had a resentment towards his kingdom's enemies. On a stormy night, an old beggar from the neighboring empire showed up at the prince's doorstep, seeking shelter from the storm. She didn't have anything to give other than a single rose. The prince was disgusted by the fact that someone from the enemy kingdom would show up to him and asking for shelter. He turned her away, yet the beggar warned him not to be deceived by appearances. When the prince turned her away again, the old women's appearance melted away and turned out to be a beautiful enchantress descended from the goddess herself. The enchantress cursed the prince, for she saw no compassion for others in him. He was cursed to live as a hideous beast and the only way to break the spell was to find love and earn the person's love in return. His friends and castle keepers were also cursed to live as inanimate objects. He had until the last petal of the rose, which was truly an enchanted one, fell. If he failed, he would remain a beast forever.
Five years later, we now find ourselves in a small village called Remire that wasn't very far from the castle. On the edge of town, there lived a mercenary and his daughter who wanted to follow in her father's footsteps. Their life was normal to say the least. They defended their village from invaders and kept their town peaceful. Yet, the daughter felt her life was empty, like something was missing. She went out to the town one day to get some old weapons her father kept to get fixed. The townspeople looked on as she passed by. Some praised her for her heroic actions. Others judged her for being a women mercenary. She overall didn't pay attention. Once she got her weapons fixed and headed back to her home, she was met with the village's heartthrob, Hubert along with his henchmen Ferdinand.
"Why hello Byleth." Hubert greeted. Byleth tried to avoid Hubert but he still stood in her way.
"Hello...Hubert..." Byleth reluctantly said. Byleth tried to find an opening to get away while Hubert started to talk.
"So I see you got some weapons fixed, huh. Must be tough defending the village constantly. Mind if I join you next time?" He asked.
Byleth wasn't really paying attention. When she realized Hubert asked her a question, she hastily came up with an answer. "Actually, me and Jeralt have it all covered. But thanks for the offer." Byleth answered. Byleth finally created an opening in the conversation for her to leave. As she was rushing off, she was stopped once again by Hubert. He put his hand on the young mercenary's shoulder.
"Well, can I at least stop by later tonight?" Hubert asked.
Byleth knew of her answer immediately. "Sorry, but no thanks." She answered. She managed to break free of his grip and continued walking back to the edge of town. It was obvious he that liked Byleth. Almost every young and single girl in the village admired him. Expect Byleth. Something seemed off about Hubert. Byleth shook off the thought as she continued on her way back to her house.
As Byleth left, Ferdinand was chuckling. "Given up yet?" He asked.
Hubert shook his head. "Of course not, it's the ones that play hard to get that are the sweetest prey."
In the most secluded part of Remire, there stood a quaint cottage. A small stream and field separated this home from the main town. Byleth crossed a small stone bridge to get to the entrance of her house. She opened the door but didn't see her father. "Jeralt? Father?" Byleth called. There wasn't an answer. She called her father's name again and didn't get an answer. She walked up the stairs to the upper floor. She saw her father's office door slightly ajar and entered. Byleth saw her father sitting at his desk, hunched over the desk like he was examining a piece of paper with tiny writing.
She approached her father and tapped him on his shoulder to get his attention. Jeralt turned his head to face his daughter. "Oh, hey kid." He said. There was a slight crack in his voice and he sounded troubled. Byleth could immediately tell.
"Is everything alright?" She asked.
Jeralt sighed heavily. "I got a letter that is requesting me to go back to the Church for a while. That Alois, always trying to get me to rejoin the knights." He leaded back in the chair he sat in. "I guess I have to leave for a few days. Will you be alright for the next few days without me?" Jeralt asked. Byleth nodded.
"I'll be fine. I know what to do in case something happens." Byleth answered.
Later that day, Jeralt was preparing for his trip to the central church. Byleth assisted in finding materials and objects he might need for the excursion. By the mid afternoon, Jeralt was all set for the trip ahead of him. He mounted his horse and was about to head out before saying goodbye to his daughter.
"Remember, if bandits attack, keep the village calm and take them out. Don't be reluctant to accept help from others that are willing to help." Jeralt reminded Byleth. Byleth nodded and hugged her father.
"Have a safe travel." She said. Jeralt whipped the reins on his horse and started to head off. It wasn't five seconds later until he stopped and turned his head around to ask Byleth something.
"Oh, kid, I almost forgot. Want anything? It's fine if ya don't. It's just the central church has some items in their market that are hard to find here." Jeralt asked. Byleth thought about this for a while. She got all her weapons repaired that day so she didn't need more. She had enough fish bait to last her a while, though some more high quality ones could be good. She glanced around and saw a field of flowers in the distance and remembered how much she liked taking care of flowers.
"Maybe if you could find some rose flower seeds. Or a rose in general." Byleth answered.
Jeralt slightly smiled. "Heh, you and your mother are so alike. I'll be sure to get some." He said before he turned back ahead. "See ya in three days kid."
Byleth waved. "Goodbye. Stay safe!" She called. Once Jeralt was out of her view and off into the forest, Byleth went back inside to start her three days alone.
An hour and a half into his journey, Jeralt ran into a thunderstorm in the forest. His horse was a little nervous but Jeralt urged him to go on. "Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back home." Jeralt said to his horse. The horse gave what sounded like a sigh and continued trotting along.
As they continued deeper into the rainy forest, a lighting bolt struck a tree at a fork in the road and knocked it over. The horse was startled and stood on its hind legs while kicking its front two legs. "Woah, woah, woah, calm down. It's just a tree." Jeralt said. He guided the horse to the path where the tree didn't block however the horse was skeptical. Jeralt sighed. "Listen, we'll take this path and find a detour to the central church, easy." The horse reluctantly followed and they took the other path, not realizing that it was going to take them North of where they were supposed to be going.
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Continued in part 2
~The Artist Sylveon 🌸