Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Three Houses or its characters, I only own Blythe, Celine, and the changes in the plot that I make in the war phase.

Enjoy!

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Last Time:

"I am not sure myself, yet I am grateful all the same." Sothis said in response. She then continued with, "In any case... You must become accustomed to my voice! If you fall down with shock each time I speak, that just won't do."

"Like I said, you just surprised me. I'm normally not shocked a lot of the time." Byleth replied while shaking his head. Sothis chuckled. "Oh... You think you're standing strong? Of course you are! It was a jest."

Sothis then went back into the confines of Byleth's mind. The teal-haired professor then walked with Blythe and Dimitri to the rest of the Blue Lions, and everyone then started the journey back to Garreg Mach Monastery.
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31st of the Harpstring Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Reception Hall (Late Afternoon), Imperial Year 1180

Byleth, Blythe, and Dimitri were all in the entrance to the reception hall, since the Blue Lions had just returned from Zanado. The rest of the class had dispersed from the main group in order to do their own activities, so it was the three of them left.

Blythe and Dimitri stood in front of Byleth, their backs facing the main part of the monastery. Byleth was the same, but his back was in the direction of the marketplace.

"We're finally back." Dimitri said to Byleth. He then gestured to Blythe and himself while continuing his statement. "Blythe and I will leave the report to Lady Rhea in your hands, Professor."

Blythe smiled to signify her agreement. The teal-haired professor then nodded his head at the two. That seemed perfectly acceptable, since it was ultimately his job to report to the Archbishop in the end.

Dimitri glanced to his right, seeing something past Blythe. "Huh... Edelgard."

"What?" Blythe said while following Dimitri's eyes. She saw Edelgard with Professor Manuela, and they were heading right for the three Blue Lions. "Hello, Edelgard. You too, Professor Manuela."

Edelgard responded to Blythe's greeting while coming to a stop beside Byleth, the Black Eagles professor stopping behind the Hresvelg. Her body was facing Byleth, but she was looking at Dimitri, since the blond-haired prince was still talking.

"Does the Black Eagle House have a mission to see to? Remember--on a real battlefield, one can never tell what's to come." Dimitri said in response. He then continued, his voice lightly concerned, "You can never dismiss the possibility of the worst case scenario. Take care, Edelgard."

Both Blythe and Byleth noticed that Dimitri was concerned about Edelgard. They both knew that the white-haired Hresvelg could handle herself, but it seemed that Dimitri was still concerned.

"There's no need to state the obvious, Dimitri." Edelgard responded. She then slightly moved her hand while asking the blond-haired prince a question. "But tell me... Why the concern?"

Dimitri didn't know how to answer that, but he did not need to. Edelgard continued talking. "Perhaps you doubt my abilities? If so, your lack of insight is disappointing."

The blond-haired prince shook his head at Edelgard's assumption. "That's...not what I meant. If I've offended you, I hope you'll accept my apology."

"Don't worry about it." Edelgard said. She then turned to Manuela. "Professor, we must hurry. Everyone's waiting on you."

She left the reception hall, but not without giving a farewell to Byleth and Blythe. The Eisner siblings gave her a farewell in response, and Edelgard acknowledged them with a nod.

"I suppose I should be off too." Manuela told the three Blue Lions. She turned to Dimitri, and gave him a few words. "Try not to let her get to you, Dimitri. I promise you, there's no need for concern."

Manuela left the hall, leaving the three Blue Lions to themselves. Dimitri looked down to the ground. "Hmm..."

Blythe placed her hand reassuringly on Dimitri's right arm. Dimitri smiled at Blythe, but it seemed to be a half-hearted smile.

Byleth, noticing that Dimitri was not like his normal self, asked the house leader, "Why are you so worried?"

"There's something deeper. isn't there?" Blythe asked while retracting her hand and looking at Dimitri. With his brief moment of worry gone, Dimitri nodded his head. "I'll tell you all about it...some other time."

Accepting of that answer, the three Blue Lions parted ways, leaving the reception hall in three different directions.

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31st of the Harpstring Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Audience Chamber (Evening), Imperial Year 1180

Soon after leaving the reception hall, Byleth ventured to the Audience Chamber on the second floor of the monastery. He needed to make his report to the Archbishop, and this was the perfect moment to do so.

Byleth pushed the doors to the Audience Chamber open. He was greeted by the Archbishop, who was expecting his arrival.

"The bandits have been apprehended and dealt with, Archbishop." Byleth said while briefly bowing in front of Rhea.

Rhea smiled in praise while nodding at Byleth's report. She expected nothing less from Byleth and his class, and they performed admirably. It also brought her some closure, since Zanado was a special place to her...

"So, you have safely disposed of those bandits. I pray that their souls find salvation." Rhea said.

She then quickly adjusted her stance. The Archbishop looked down to the floor, her green eyes focusing on the art on the tiles. "But why did they target the students to begin with?"

Looking at Byleth, Rhea told him with a serious voice, "We must further investigate the true cause of all that took place."

"Until we know more, I ask that you support the students and relieve them of any unnecessary worry." Rhea lightly pleaded while moving her hand in a grandiose motion.

"Of course." Byleth nodded at the Archbishop's statement. "I will do all that I can."

"Good. I have high expectations for you." Rhea said.

She then changed the subject into something lighter. "By the way, how was your time in Zanado?"

Byleth was confused at Rhea's question, but he answered her question regardless. After Byleth told Rhea his answer, the Archbishop explained the lore behind Zanado. "Legend has it, in ancient times, a goddess alighted upon this world in that very canyon. For a goddess from the heavens, Zanado could only have been a temporary haven."

"A temporary haven?" Byleth questioned, wondering how Zanado could have been a home for someone, especially with how it looked in the present day.

Rhea sprung into a tale about Seiros, Zanado, and the goddess. "Long ago, the divine Seiros received a revelation from the goddess. A gift, to help guide the lost. The goddess is always watching over Fódlan from her kingdom above. However, in ancient times, the goddess graced this world with her presence and offered salvation to the people here. She is the mother of all life, the arbiter of every soul."

After Rhea finished her telling of the tale, Byleth tried to get his mind to comprehend the tale just told to him. The teal-haired professor shook his head, unable to make any sense of the tale. "I didn't know."

"I see." Rhea responded while looking away. She then turned back to Byleth, and told him, "During your time here, I pray that you come to devote yourself to the teachings of Seiros."

Byleth nodded in reply, although it was not noticed. What was noticed, however, was Seteth walking up to the two. "Uh... Lady Rhea, I am sorry to interrupt. There is something I must ask about in regard to those bandits..."

"As you wish." Rhea said. She then turned to Byleth, and dismissed the teal-haired professor. "We shall continue our discussion when next we meet."

Byleth bowed before Rhea, and left the audience chamber, heading to the first floor of the monastery.

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31st of the Harpstring Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Cathedral (Evening), Imperial Year 1180

While walking around the monastery, Byleth's feet took him in the direction of the cathedral. He knew he would not be disturbed there, so he entered the cathedral.

Once he came to a stop, his mind began to wander back to the meeting between him and Rhea. Byleth thought of the goddess described in the tale. However, his thoughts ceased when he felt a familiar presence awaken in his mind. "A goddess... I have no memory of her. But then... I have no memory at all!"

"Oh, how bothersome! It is as though I know... and yet I don't." Sothis said while lamenting at her dismay of her lack of memories.

"You'll get your memories back someday." Byleth responded out loud, seeing that no one was in the immediate vicinity.

"Thank you for the reassurance, Byleth." Sothis responded to Byleth. She then continued with a possible theory. "Perhaps Zanado was my home back when the goddess walked the land."

"If so... What does that make me now? A ghost?" Sothis questioned.

Byleth shook his head in response. He didn't think that Sothis was a ghost, especially with how she bestowed upon him the powers of Divine Pulse. "I don't think so."

Sothis agreed with Byleth. "Hmm... No. That cannot be. I am most certainly alive. Of course, we also have the mystery of why I'm here with you. Is it somehow connected?"

Byleth shrugged his shoulders in response, but he let Sothis continue to talk. "Perhaps some past regret is stopping me from moving on, and now I'm forced to stay with you instead... No, that's not it! I can't believe in such a meaningless existence! I... I..."

Sothis stopped talking and tapered back into the confines of Byleth's mind. Byleth walked off, going to his room in the monastery.

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1st of the Garland Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Audience Room (Morning), Imperial Year 1180

Byleth was back in the Audience Chamber after he was summoned to the location by Rhea. Since it was the beginning of a new month, Lady Rhea was most likely assigning the Blue Lions a new mission for the month.

Standing in front of Rhea and Seteth, the teal-haired Professor was ready to find out the mission. Seeing that Byleth was ready for the mission announcement, Rhea began the meeting. "Professor, I have a new mission for your students."

"We have received reports that Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros." Seteth said while crossing his arms, the advisor's stern expression always apparent.

Byleth recognized the name, since it had significance to one of his students. Lord Lonato was Ashe's adoptive father. According to Ashe, Lord Lonato was a kind and peaceful man. Having conflicting reports about Lonato brought many questions to Byleth.

"Why would he do that?" Byleth questioned.

Rhea shook her head while answering Byleth's question. "Lord Lonato is a minor lord of the Kingdom. He has been showing hostility toward the church for sometime now."

"A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard." Seteth said. He then continued his statement. "Lord Lonato's army is nothing compared to the knights. It is quite possible the rebellion has already been suppressed."

"Even so, I would like for your class to travel with the knights' rear guard to deal with the aftermath." Rhea added on with a movement of her hand.

Uncrossing his arms, Seteth told Byleth, "War zones are unpredictable. We do not expect you will have cause to battle, but be prepared for the worst."

Byleth nodded in reply. He was about to say something, but the door to the Audience Chamber opened. Everyone turned to look at the door. A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes walked in. Her armor was primarily silver, but it had some red accents spread throughout. The woman spoke to Rhea. "Excuse me. You sent for me, Lady Rhea?"

"This is Catherine." Rhea told Byleth, introducing the teal-haired Professor to the new arrival in the meeting. "She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying."

"Nice to meet you. We've heard a lot about you. If you need anything, just ask." Catherine said. Byleth nodded in reply, as he would be keeping that in mind.

"She is one of our bravest knights, and that is no small feat." Rhea said to Byleth. "Only an exceptional few have what it takes to join the Knights of Seiros."

"This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church..." Rhea said as the meeting concluded.

Noticing the implication of that statement, Byleth took his leave of the meeting, but not without giving the proper farewells.

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2nd of the Garland Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Blue Lions Classroom (Late Morning), Imperial Year 1180

The Blue Lions all crowded in their seats in the classroom, since it was a day for lessons. It was originally going to be a day for individual lessons, but Byleth decided to change the lesson plan based on the mission his class received the day prior.

"We have a new mission for this month." Byleth told the class. They were interested in the mission that was now assigned to them.

"What is it, Professor?" Mercedes asked, her voice drifting throughout the classroom. Byleth looked towards Ashe and gave him an apologetic glance. "Ashe... I'm sorry."

Ashe, puzzled at why the professor would be sorry, asked, "Why would you be sorry, Professor? You didn't do anything."

"Our mission, that's why." Byleth responded. He then sighed, wishing he didn't have to deliver this news. "Lord Lonato had launched a rebellion against the Church. We are to travel with the Knight's rear guard, led by Catherine, to deal with the aftermath."

"Lonato!?" Ashe gasped in shock. He slumped backwards with tears in his eyes. Celine threw her arms around Ashe's shoulders, bringing the gray-haired archer into a hug. Ashe didn't reciprocate, but he appreciated the gesture, based on his posture. "Why? Why would Lonato do this? He was always..."

"I don't know, Ashe." Celine responded. Her dark blue eyes looked over to Byleth and they both nodded. "But no matter what, all of the Blue Lions will be here for you."

"Thank you, Celine..." Ashe said with a shaky voice filled with emotion. She nodded in reply.

Celine guided Ashe's head to her shoulder, and let him cry on her shoulder. Blythe and Mercedes got up from their seats and joined the hug. The rest of the Blue Lions gathered around the four of them and consoled Ashe, with class forgotten for the day.

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3rd of the Garland Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Cathedral (Early Morning), Imperial Year 1180

Waking up early in the morning, Blythe felt that someone needed her help. Whether it was for physical wounds or emotional trauma, the turquoise-haired spellsword wanted to assist whoever needed it.

Getting ready for the day ahead, Blythe closed the door to her room on the first floor dormitories. Adjusting her turquoise hair into its normal ponytail, the female Eisner embarked on her journey to the cathedral. She thought that the person who needed her would be in the cathedral, so she went there.

As soon as Blythe had the cathedral in her sights, the sun was just rising over the horizon. The pastel colors of the sunrise, along with the beauty of the cathedral, gave off a beautiful image.

Out of the corner of her eye, Blythe saw Ignatz, she thought his name was, painting the exact same sunrise that she was looking at. She let him be, and she entered the interior of the cathedral.

Inside of the cathedral, the choir was practicing for the service later in the day, their songs drifting over the cathedral. The sunrise also illuminated the stained glass windows in the cathedral, basking the building in color.

Blythe's attention, however, was not on either of those things. Her attention was on a boy with gray hair sitting on a bench, crying to himself. When she walked closer to him, Blythe saw that the boy had green eyes and was wearing the uniform of the Officers Academy. She recognized the boy instantly.

"Ashe?" Blythe whispered to the archer, hesitant to disturb him. Hearing someone speak to him, Ashe looked up to Blythe. "Huh...Hello Blythe."

"How are you feeling?" The turquoise-haired female asked while sitting down on the bench next to Ashe.

"If I had to describe it, probably sad and confused." Ashe responded. He looked at Blythe, and she could see the emotional turmoil hidden in Ashe's eyes. "I just don't know why Lonato would do this. Could I have stopped him if I knew?"

"You did nothing wrong, Ashe." Blythe said while putting her hand on Ashe's shoulder. "From what I hear, Lord Lonato is resolute in his actions. You probably couldn't have changed it, even with your familial bond."

"I just don't know..." Ashe responded, tears coming out of his eyes.

"Come here." Blythe told Ashe while pulling him into a hug. "You don't have to hide it. No matter what anyone says."

Ashe nodded in reply. A sob escaped the gray-haired archer. Blythe allowed the grieving male to cry on her shoulder, not caring how wet her shoulder got.

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3rd of the Garland Moon, Garreg Mach Monastery, Courtyard (Afternoon), Imperial Year 1180

Celine was sitting in the courtyard after class, notebook on her lap and pencil in hand. The blue-haired, female swordsman was deep in thought. She was trying to plan a party for one of the Blue Lions. That Blue Lion was Sylvain, who has been very supportive and helpful to Celine during the recent times, especially during the times when she got some of her memories back.

Briefly glancing down at the necklace underneath her uniform, Celine wondered where she got it. She had it when she was found by the Eisner family, so she assumed that it was part of her past. Celine also treasured the necklace, so it was most likely precious to her past and present self.

Celine had planned most of the party already. She just needed another opinion for the finalizing details.

All of a sudden, Celine heard two female footsteps coming up to her location. She recognized one of the pairs of footsteps to be Blythe, but the other one was a little less apparent. Once she heard the voice however, Celine knew who it was. "Blythe... How is he? Ashe is taking this mission really hard."

Celine heard Blythe sigh in response. "To tell you the truth, Ingrid, he's taking it the best he can right now. We just need to be there for him."

Dropping the subject, both Blythe and Ingrid rounded the corner. They saw Celine sitting on the ground, deep in thought.

"Celine?" Blythe questioned. "What are you doing?"

"Who's birthday is in two days?" Celine fired back to her sister figure. "Someone needs to plan the party."

Ingrid smacked her forehead with her palm at the question. "Of course! Sylvain's is the 5th of the Garland Moon."

"Mhm." Celine hummed while nodding her head. Blythe knew what Celine was trying to say, now that the three girls knew what was going on. "Do you need someone to help you finalize it?"

"Just what the rest of you all are going to do." Celine responded. "I was going to take Sylvain down to the marketplace to distract him, but I don't know what you all are going to do."

"Well, I was planning on being in the kitchen with the Professor, Dedue, Ashe, and Mercedes." Blythe said. She then gestured to Ingrid, the blonde-haired Galatea standing there with a smile. "Ingrid was going to be in the classroom with Dimitri, Felix, and Annette."

Celine nodded in reply. Those plans made sense, especially for how Sylvain and Ashe both were at the current moment.

When Celine looked at Ingrid, she felt a sense of familiarity. She also felt it with Sylvain, Felix, and Dimitri, but the feeling is most apparent with Felix and Sylvain. Celine didn't know why she felt that way, but she had a feeling that the four Blue Lion nobles were a part of her unclear and distant past.

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Chapter complete!

We are now in the Garland Moon, and with it comes the Lonato mission.

I always found it weird that the Blue Lions path never focused more on the relationship between Ashe and Lonato. So, I'm making it more prevalent in here.

This chapter is a blend of game scenes and original scenes. The first half of the chapter was game scenes, and the latter half of the chapter (Blue Lions scene and below), were all original scenes.

The end of the chapter had a small introspection on Celine. Next chapter will focus heavily on Celine.

At the end of next chapter, one of the long-term questions for Celine will finally be answered.

Who do you all think Celine's love interest will be?

See you next chapter!

-YugiohChick