Exceptional (COWT11, week 5, m1)

[hakurenshi]

 

Prompt: attacco
Missione: M1 (week 5)
Parole: 1234
Rating: PG13
Warnings: blue lions route

The battle of the Eagle and Lion is something he would have never thought about nor known about if Rhea hadn’t asked him to not only teach at Garrech Mach but to also take part in it. A friendly battle simulation is how everyone described it but, since the beginning, to Byleth has been painfully obvious that few students think so. Instead, most of them are quite competitive. 

To guide the Blue Lions House means more than Byleth thought at first: for example, despite how prince-like he behaves, Dimitri is hotblooded when it comes to his rivalry with Edelgard; Dedue goes wherever Dimitri does and he’s more than glad to make it easy for his prince to win, no matter what; Ingrid is diligent but resolute when it comes to fighting and she might not engage in battle without reason but once she accepted a challenge there’s no way out of it; Annette is a cheerful girl as much as Mercedes is kind and sweet, yet both of them support and balance each other well and don’t seem to like the idea of losing too much. Byleth has learnt the hard way during his mercenary days that women can be as lethal as any man. A bit more, even. 

Ashe would probably avoid fighting if he weren’t the most supportive and loyal student, ready to follow through with a strategy he’s not familiar with only to protect others. Sylvain is lost somewhere but Byleth doesn’t trust the I’m-too-lazy act since the moment he noticed how the other moves when he thinks it goes unnoticed. Felix… well. To think one could be able to keep him away from a battlefield (not even a friendly one) is purely utopic.

All this considered, it’s a miracle that they managed to survive two attacks— but this third one, Byleth thinks as he slightly shifts his weight from a foot to the other, it’s going to be a very different story: in front of him is Claude, leader of the Golden Deer, probably the best strategist not only between the students, but among the whole Garreg Mach. And Byleth has seen too many fights to not be able to recognise the gaze of someone who is foretasting victory.

Apparently, there’s nobody behind him but Byleth is sure that somewhere an archer is just waiting for a sign from Claude. Distance is a must for an archer, but enough for Byleth to at least avoid a fatal blow with the students’ level. Thus, he focuses on what’s in front of him and the small smile that curves Claude’s lips suggests that the student easily understood his analysis. Byleth can’t say if this is a good thing or not.

“Come on, Teach, what’s that face for?” Claude asks, arrows still in his quiver, bow in one hand and nothing in the other. Hilda is a couple of steps behind him, the axe as big as her still, making her look more like a guardian than someone who wants to attack. For now. Byleth focuses back on Claude (he hears Dimitri’s voice on his left but it’s far enough to suppose that whatever he’s saying it’s not meant for him).

“So you are interested, after all.” Byleth says, not really a retort but there is some sort of vague sarcasm because of what Claude had told him just before starting all this— battle of the Eagle and Lion? Not really my thing. Judging by the small chuckle from Claude, he was lying. Byleth makes sure to remember how easy it is for the student to do so.

“Don’t be angry, I didn’t really want to deceive you. It is true that I don’t care that much.” he tries to explain, but who knows how honest his words can be at this point. Not that it really matters, anyway. “But I can’t possibly accept defeat without offering at least a bit of resistance, right? Some of my classmates would hate it, after all!” he adds, as if his actions are only to please the other students. Or as if others’ opinions actually mean something to him. Meanwhile, Byleth notices a small change in his posture.

No matter how good Claude is at lying— he still is far from good enough to lie with his whole body too when it comes to fighting. 

“Or you don’t like to lose.” Byleth simply points out what he thinks it’s an obvious truth. An almost unnoticeable change of expression tells him he touched a raw nerve. He tightens his grip on his weapon. 

“Who would have thought you were so good at riling the others up, Teach.” Claude murmurs, but there’s such a weird silence in that part of the ‘battlefield’ that it’s too easy to hear. “Unfortunately,” he keeps talking, his hand on an arrow now “I don’t think you can manage too many attacks together, right?” 

Byleth doesn’t need to wait a second more and his body moves even before his brain actually tells it to. Only two steps forward and an arrow darts dangerously close to his ear— yet it’s from the opposite direction he was expecting it. In fact, it’s not directed at him (he guesses that it wasn’t even supposed to pass so close to him but there will be room for improvement) but at whoever was hiding behind him to give a surprise attack. He doesn’t wait to see if the arrow hit the target and dashes forward to go for Claude.

Not a surprise to have Hilda quickly coming between them. Sword clashes against axe and Byleth can feel some good heaviness from the Golden Deer girl (frail? Who?) but he has also fought against men twice, even thrice her body size and with weapons as heavy as hers. He takes advantage of the unbalanced position Hilda has after attacking to protect Claude to free himself and immediately after he feels a gust of wind and knows that Annette is closer than he thought. Looks like his students actually managed to get rid of their target quickly enough to follow him. If that’s the case, then there is no doubt about Annette being the one facing Hilda right now. 

Byleth looks up and his eyes meet Claude’s. There’s a satisfied, amused grin on the student’s lips as he takes the aim with a movement so fluid that one could think the bow is nothing more, nothing less than an extension of his own arm.

“I knew it,” Byleth hears him says, barely a few inches from him; he notices a light in his green gaze that makes Byleth shiver more out of excitement than out of fear “you are exceptional.”

Should this be considered a compliment? Yet, how much does it count when it comes from someone so good at misleading their opponent? Such a childish reaction, Sothis’ voice scolds him, almost bored.

Byleth doesn’t reply to her, nor to Claude. He might be a teacher now, in name, but he has been something entirely different until now— someone more accustomed to blood and fights than anything else. There will be time to chat.

For now, he only charges forward to attack.