Fire Emblem Three Houses: Risings

Prologue

O lei, o lai, o lei, o lord

He will tear your city down, o lei o lai, o....

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With a small sigh, Byleth looked towards the horizon, watching the sun begin to rise above the clouds. She smiled softly, and even though she had seen this millions of times, she was still grateful for it. Everyday of just being alive brought her a reason to be happy. However, despite enjoying the peace and quiet on her balcony, she couldn't help but feel a bit lonely, and for good reason. Her fiancé had gone back to his homeland to issue new proclamations in order for his people to adjust to the new kingdom. He was going to be a peaceful ruler after all.

Seteth, the advisor for the new Archbishop (Byleth), came into her chambers and found her still enjoying the view. Even though it had been months since Lady Rhea's passing, it was still a bit odd for him to be referring to Byleth as the new bishop for the Church of Serios.

"Good morning, my lady, Byleth."

"Oh, Seteth! I didn't notice you!" She said with a small laugh, turning to him. "Good morning to you as well."

"I see you're up and early for the day. Anything troubling you?" He asked.

"No, not at all," Byleth answered, but Seteth can tell she had quite a lot on her mind. "Alright, Seteth. I'll budge. I miss him."

"Claude, you mean?" He asked to be sure. Byleth had made quite the list of comrades, and he didn't want to be rude by mentioning the wrong person.

"Yes. I know it has only been a few months since his departure, but I can only wonder if he's alright or not. I don't even know if my letters I sent to him got there at all. No replies back yet."

"My lady, you must have patience. It's not good for you to be losing sleep or resting time on him. He would be back soon, I just know it," Seteth answered, trying to sound confident enough to ease her stress.

"You're right," She said with a small sigh as she looked towards the view once more. "It is a nice morning, isn't it?"

"Yes...It is."
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After she had finished getting dressed in her special church robes, Byleth strolled down the halls and into the main monastery. Seteth tagged along with her, making sure to brief her on her daily duties for the day.

"Keep in mind that we both must be in attendance for the choir session the new students are having today. Oh, and you still have that scheduled tea with the monks at around-"

"Seteth?" Byleth softly interrupted. Seteth stopped abruptly and turned to her in confusion. "Would it be alright if I take a stroll around the gardens by myself before I get started on those tasks?" She added with a small smile.

"O-Of course, my lady! If it pleases you and gets your mind off of Claude, then do so. Please report to me when you have finished," He said with an embarrassed chuckle. Leaving her to her thoughts, Byleth continued on, heading to the entrance to the gardens. Unfortunately, she never really got her mind off of Claude. She made it to the gardens and there she spotted it.

A small, white metal table that was looking a bit rusty given how old it had become. It was here where both she and Claude shared their first tea session together. She still couldn't believe why he even agreed to it, despite him not being used to such fancy things. She would need to ask him of that upon his arrival. After that first session, more tea sessions of just the two began to happen regularly. By then, Byleth knew of his favorite teas and would often surprise him.

Then, the war happened.

They were separated for five long years. She had trapped herself in a deep slumber while Claude was facing his own share of problems with Emperor Edelgard and King Dimitri. When Byleth finally returned to the church, she was surprised to see Claude waiting there, a bright smile lighting up on his face when their eyes met. The tea sessions happened even more frequently, to the point where both were sure they tried every single tea to exist. She chuckled at the thought as she placed a hand on the old metal table. After the war had ended, they both proposed to each other, but then...