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callmewishful · 3 years

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Power and Grace

This is kinda scary. Soo...I’m totally late to the FE3H bandwagon, but here I am and I offer a fanfic.

Felix x OC, mild language (cause Felix...), and mild smut later on in future chapters...hopefully you enjoy! :)

“We’re old friends, not strangers.”

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She sat on a wooden seat next to the edge of the ship feeling the salty air lightly coat her face. The air was getting cooler as they went, a surprised, but sure sign they were close to their destination. That, and the view of land in the horizon.

It had been years since she visited the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, three if her memory wasn’t failing her. Her family had tried to visit the Crown Prince as much as they could following the Tragedy of Duscur. Unfortunately, with their own Kingdom to run and heir to prepare for the throne, her father couldn’t get the family over to Faerghus as much as they would’ve liked.

The Leighton’s still kept in touch with their Faerghus friends as much as they could. She had corresponded with the Crown Prince through letters in their separation. They started very cordial, asking about their respective territories, how the harvest was doing, and, from the Crown Prince, how her family was. The more they wrote to each other the less professional and awkward their letters became. The Crown Prince would write about activities spent with friends and, around the time of the Tragedy, his sadness at losing his family. In return, the Princess would write about mischief herself and her brothers would get into and would try to comfort the Crown Prince as best she could. Having not lost any close family herself, she found it difficult to truly empathize with him. Still, she listened and comforted as best she could from afar.

“Your Highness, we are preparing to dock and will arrive on Faerghus territory in the next twenty minutes.”

She broke her gaze from the shoreline to meet the knight, “Thank you, sir. I shall prepare my things.”

A mixture of nerves swirled around in her stomach as she grabbed her luggage from her room. It would be lovely to see the Prince in person, to finally meet these friends she heard much about, to study at the Officers Academy amongst them. On the other hand, she was not a Faerghus noble. She hadn’t grown up with these students, really except for one, she didn’t have the luxury to call them friends. Not to mention she was starting the term late, a last-minute addition, a special request from the Crown Prince himself.

It was thrilling to join the Officer’s Academy, despite the nerves. Her eldest brother and heir to the throne, Quentin, had went six years prior and raved about the training he’d received. The palace knights back home were lovely sparring partners but did leave something to be desired as she grew older. Her father had tried to bring in many different trainers for his four children over the years. Still, according to Quentin, nothing compared to the training at Garreg Mach.

Of course, joining the Officer’s Academy and increasing her training was not the only goal for this year. Faerghus had been a loyal and reliable ally to the Kingdom of Zelshire under the rule of the late King. While the Crown Prince was close to her family, the current Regent, Grand Duke Rufus, did not appear as interested in maintaining a close relationship with her home crown as the late King had. Though she was certainly not as skilled in the art of negotiations as her eldest brother and father, she had been asked to discuss the relationship with the Crown Prince, seeing as he would take the throne back over when he became of age. Of course, it would be ideal to maintain the years of friendship, trade, and alliance that had come from Faerghus, but the King was resolved to accept if that would no longer be the case under the Crown Prince’s rule, if such a thing was even on the forefront of the young Prince’s mind.

She was sure the task of ascending to the throne was daunting enough, without thinking about inter-country relations.

Once again topside, she stood with her accompanying knights to await docking. The banners of Faerghus drew nearer and whether she was prepared or not, the time had come to face Fódlan, and her old friend, once again.

The crew spent a few moments docking, tying the ship to dock and lowering the anchor and ramps, before her feet were allowed to touch land at last. It had been a long two days on the sea, and she was eager to not feel the constant sway of the ship.

A few meters back from where the crew was unloading, she caught sight of familiar blond hair and light blue eyes. The Prince had changed greatly since she’d last seen him. His hair was a bit shorter, though not short by any means. He was taller and more evenly toned from training he’d done since her last visit. Truth be told, he’d grown into a fine young man in the last three years.

Once the knights had deemed the situation to not be an ambush, something she had briefly considered but took little worry in considering she was not the heir to Zelshire, they walked her forward to greet the Prince.

He easily returned her smile as she approached, also returning her bow even though she was no heir. “Princess Leighton! It is an honor to see you again!”

“Please, your Highness, the pleasure of this meeting is all mine! It has been a long time.”

“Three years…” He trailed off, staring down at the ground before meeting her gaze with a perky smile once again, “Shall we make way to the Monastery? It is quite a long trip; we shall have plenty of time to catch up on the road.”

She nodded to him, “Of course, your Highness. How long of a ride is it to Garreg Mach?”

“About a day. I apologize for forcing you to travel so long with no break. I know the trip from Zelshire to Faerghus is not a short one as well. We shall arrive at the Monastery late Sunday night. I apologize as it doesn’t give you much time to prepare before our classes take up Monday morning.” He looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head, a nervous habit he’d seemingly picked up in their time apart.

“No need to apologize, your Highness. You did not make the travel arrangements.” That had been tasked to her father’s Consort, Lord Herinby. The Consort had left little time for pauses in travel and rest, something she had not realized until the day she departed. Knowing the Consort, she should’ve known. He was never one to procrastinate or delay meetings, discussions, or counsels. It was a trait that her father valued greatly in his Consort, but one that she was having a hard time appreciating as a traveler.

The knights she traveled with loaded her luggage onto a cart while, embarrassingly, the Prince himself helped her onto her horse. Not that she didn’t appreciate his gentlemanliness but seeing as he ranked higher than her on the nobility structure she found his assistance to be a grave break in social structure. Her face brightened as she took his hand to steady herself. They shared an awkward, well for her, glance before she settled herself upon the steed.

He quickly made work of getting on his own horse and checked on her once more before signaling to the knights they were ready to depart. A small group of knights led the travel party and an equal group brought up the rear so that the Royals were protected on both ends. She noticed the Prince carried a sword on his hip as well. When she’d known him years ago he’d greatly favored the lance to the sword, the sword being her specialty instead. Apparently much had changed.

“I trust your father is well?” The Prince awkwardly made small conversation when they were out of town and on the road. This was destined to be a long ride of conversation was going to be this stale.

Nevertheless, she put on a graceful smile and nodded, “Yes, excellent health, praise Goddess. Thank you.”

“And your brothers?”

She let out a soft laugh, “Are much the same, your Highness.” That part was almost painfully true. Quentin was still a “good little Prince” dutifully and eagerly learning from their father. As he’d grown older he’d taken on more responsibilities of his own, slowly gaining more independence. He was far from running the country, but he was getting there.

Arlington, the second eldest, was still clammed up and reserved. He had few friends his own age but was incredibly close to the ones he did have. Parties were still the bane of his existence as he preferred the serenity of a library or study. Though he lacked in conversational skills, he was intelligent well beyond his years from a life spent studying. He was looking to become a scholar and teach the youths.

Leander, her youngest oldest brother, was the exact opposite of both of the elder two. If Quen and Arlie were polished and gentle, Lea came in like a flaming cannon ball. Ever the jokester, he was constantly playing pranks on the older two, and herself. He was loud, loved crowds, and was the life of the party. Her father and mother had tried on numerous occasions to guide him towards a more “proper” means of communication, but alas he was 18 and had yet to find another volume to his voice.

The Prince laughed in earnest, no doubt having his own memories of her older siblings. “I am glad to hear it. May I make a request?”

His question took her by surprise. She wasn’t sure what about her responses could’ve elicited a question. “Of course, your Highness.”

“Please, address me by my given name.” He softly smiled at her. “You don’t even address me so formally in your letters anymore. We are old friends, not strangers!”

She glanced down quickly before peering up at him to return his smile, “As you wish you- Dimitri. But you must do the same! We are old friends, not strangers.”

“As you wish, Evy.”

From that point on, the conversation turned much more lively, just as it was in their letters. Dimitri asked her about Lea’s latest pranks, which turned into a hysterical recount of his latest and greatest jokes. Poor Quen was mortified to his “potential suitor” a ruse put on by his younger sibling. Evy had little idea of what was in the letters Quen had sent to “her” but judging by the sheer horror on her brother’s face…it was not good. Lea claimed he would never the destroy the letters as long as he lived, even though their Father threatened a harsh punishment if they were ever leaked.

They stopped for a very late dinner and sleep at an inn on the side of the road before rising early for breakfast and more travel. Dimitri assured her there was not usually this much travel at the Academy and she could only hope he was right. Sleeping on a comfortable bed was the only thing she could think of. Her eyes were heavy much of the morning, which did not make for conducive conversation. After lunch and tea, she felt more awake and ready. It was unusual for her to feel so tired so late. She usually an early riser who liked to jumpstart the day.

“Dimitri?”

“Yes?” He seemed surprised at her voice. Conversation was low and inconsistent throughout the morning while she tried to wake up, instead letting a more comfortable silence fall between them.

“Will you tell me about my classmates? What are they like?”

“An excellent question! Well, let me think.” His brow furrowed as he tried to place where to start, “Actually, you do know one of them! Do you remember Sylvain Gautier? He is a few years older than us. Good friends wit-“

“Leander right? The red-head who was helping with jokes and chasing girls?”

Dimitri nodded, “The very same.”

“Oh noooo!” She let her head fall back while her companion laughed at the reaction. Sylvain and Leander had hit it off. The pair ran around Fhirdiad pestering the poor people in the capital city with their pranks and jokes. Her poor mother left in charge of trying to track the pair down while her father and older brothers spent time with Dimitri. He’d even came with Dimitri to visit them in Zelshire one summer. What a mess. “I take it he’s still the same?”

A small frown fell on the Prince’s lips once his laughter had died down, “Unfortunately so. He’s stepped back from pranks and has, uh, taken more to…skirt chasing than he did back with your brother. Pardon my bluntness. Still, once you get to know him he is very loyal to his friends, not necessarily the women he dates, but definitely to his friends.

“Who next? I suppose I should start with Dedue. I’m sure you’ll meet him first.”

“Dedue is your friend from Duscur?” Evy had heard about Dedue many times over the course of their conversing. For the first few months after the Tragedy Dedue seemed like Dimitri’s only real friend around the palace since Sylvain and everyone else lived so far away.

“Oh, yes, of course! I suppose I have talked about him from time to time. He’s a great man. A little too keen on my protection at the expense of his personal safety, but he’s my most trusted confidante.

“Did you ever meet Rodrigue while you were in town?”

She shook her head.

“I couldn’t remember if you had or not. Lord Rodrigue is the head of Fraldarius territory to the east of Fhirdiad. His son, Felix is also a part of our class this year. Um…what to say about Felix. He comes across as a bit brash, well, truthfully he comes across incredibly brash. He’s got a bit of a sharp tongue, you see. He can seem very cold and distant on the outside, but he cares deeply about his friends, he just doesn’t show it as traditionally as most people. The majority of his time is spent training and sparring. Since you both favor the sword, I’d expect him to ask you to spar shortly after meeting him. He’s a very worthy opponent and will be a great mentor for your training if you so desire.

“The last male of our house is Ashe. He was born a commoner but was adopted by Lord Lonato at a young age. He’s very authentic – has a wonderful heart in him that I could only dream of having. He sees the good in everyone and cares very deeply, always approaching people and tasks with eagerness and excitement. Unfortunately, he just lost Lord Lonato last month.”

Evy didn’t know Ashe personally, but her heart broke for him. The way Dimitri described him made him seem like a ray of sunshine. She couldn’t imagine how hard losing family must have been, “Oh no. Disease?”

“Ah, actually, no. Rebellion.”

“Oh!” The response surprised her. Ashe’s adoptive father sparked rebellion, yet he stayed at the Monastery?

Dimitri answered her unasked question, “Yes. Lonato sought rebellion for the death of his biological son. Poor Ashe was in disbelief when he learned of it.”

An awkward silence fell upon them as Evy looked for something to say. What did one say to a situation like that? ‘Sorry?’ That hardly seemed fitting as it seemed Lonato was going about the rebellion as a sort of revenge mission. Thankfully Dimitri spared her and continued,

“As for the ladies of our house, there’s Ingrid Galatea. Her father heads the land southeast of Fhirdiad. She’s very strong willed. Her, Felix, Sylvain, and I grew up together as childhood friends. She was always a bit of a mother-figure, trying to keep Sylvain in line and Felix calm. Ingrid is a strong person and desires to be a knight when she graduates, which will no doubt happen for her. If anyone has the values of a knight it’s her.

“Mercedes is the oldest in our class, a commoner from Fhirdiad, though I believe she’s originally from the Adrestian Empire. Mercedes’ kindness is rivaled only by Ashe. She’s a sweet girl. Has a very positive attitude towards life. Very religious.

“Lastly, there’s Annette. She’s the heir to House Dominic. Annette and Mercedes are very close. She’s quite intelligent and very friendly but can be seen as a bit absent-minded as she tends to get distracted quite easily. All in all, each of them are wonderful people and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble fitting in.”

The corner of Evy’s mouth rose in a small smile at his words. She could only hope this to be true.

Bright and early the next morning, Evy woke for class and got ready. Since she wanted to ensure she had time to get lost on her way to the classroom, she dug out some fruit she’d packed as snacks for her journey. Thankfully she packed plenty for the road and for a sufficient breakfast this morning.

As she was getting her bag packed and ready for classes, she heard a knock on her door. The only one she knew was Dimitri and wondered why he would be visiting so early in the morning, especially when they had class soon anyway.

Sure enough, her chipper blond friend was on the other side of the door, along with a tall, white/gray haired man with a stern expression. Judging by the protective stance he donned, she could only assume that this was the Dedue she’d heard so much about.

“Good morning” Dimitri greeted her, “How did you sleep?”

“Much better than I did at the inn….” Evy said sheepishly.

Dimitri laughed at her joke, rubbing the back of his head again, “I think nearly anything beats the night at the inn. I was wondering if you’d like to join us for breakfast? I figured it’d be nice to share a meal together since you haven’t really met anyone yet.”

Always thoughtful towards others he was. “I would love to, actually. I’d packed some extra snacks to have as breakfast so I could avoid a lonely breakfast, but this is much preferred. I’ll just grab my bag.”

Dimitri’s eyes shone at the fact of being able to help his friend. “Excellent! I’m glad to have caught you in time.”

She did as she said and grabbed her things for class, closing the door tightly behind her and locking it. Her cheeks burned slightly as she locked her door. Whether or not it was custom to keep them locked she wasn’t sure, but she knew no one here aside from Dimitri and didn’t know exactly how open Garreg Mach was to wanderers.

“Princess Leighton, this is Dedue, the one I’ve told you about since…well, since you left, in truth.”

Evy met Dedue’s sharp gaze and tried to smile. She felt as if he was analyzing her soul as he stared at her. “Please, call me Evyanna. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. The Prince has told me many lovely things about you.”

“Likewise.” He responded. This took her by quite a surprise. Had he meant that Dimitri had mentioned her to him as well? What kinds of things did Dimitri have to say about her? Hopefully they were positive. She didn’t think she put embarrassing things in her letters to Dimitri for fear they were intercepted or read by any of his staff. Perhaps she was over thinking it and in reality he meant it was nice to meet her as well.

Breakfast was lovely overall. It was nice to have good, hot food after her three-day journey. Food at the inn had been hot, but not even comparable to the taste of the food here.

“Woah, woah. Your Kingliness! Who is your new friend here?” A boy with tan skin and brown hair scooted next to her at the table.

Dimitri sent her an apologetic look before turning to the boy, “Princess Leighton, this is Claude von Reigen. He’s the future leader of the Leicester Alliance to Faerghus’ east and the Golden Deer’s house leader. Claude, this is Princess Evyanna Leighton. Only daughter of King Leighton, the ruler of Zelshire to Fódlan’s west.”

“Zelshire, huh? They say the power of the Zelshire army is unmatched. You gotta be one heck of a fighter to come from there.” He complimented, “I look forward to seeing you in combat.”

“Well, hopefully, I can live up to your expectations.”

“She will.” Dimitri interjected, “She was quite a fighter when we sparred a few years ago. I doubt her abilities have faltered.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Claude smirked, “Well, anytime you wanna pick a fight with someone here, you let me know. I’ll be glad to watch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with some breakfast.”

They said their goodbyes and continued on with their own breakfast. She quickly found that Dedue was not much for conversation, much like her brother Arlington. Her and Dimitri carried all of the conversation until they had finished eating and it was time to head to class.

Another mental note was made as she noticed that the classroom was nearly full by the time they arrived. Apparently the Blue Lions were just of early risers as she normally was. Dedue strolled off to his seat, while Dimitri led her to the front, presumably to introduce her to the Professor. Upon inspection, she couldn’t find a professor though, just another student that Dimitri had apparently failed to mention.

She heard a gasp and quickly found the source of it, “Evy?! Little Evy!” Sylvain pushed himself off of the desk he was leaning against and stood himself right in front of her, pinching her right cheek.

From someone else in the room she heard a faint, “I feel a headache coming on.”

It was impossible to hide her disdain, and therefore she didn’t try. Her face scrunched as he made contact pulling away slightly. “Yes, Sir Gautier. It is…lovely to see you again.” She said when he removed his hand from her face.

“Sylvain! You cannot pinch the Princess’s cheeks.” Dimitri scolded him, but it did little to deter the tall redhead. In fact, Sylvain completely ignored him.

“Sir Gautier?” Sylvain placed his hands to his chest, “You wound me, Evy. Does that summer we spent together mean nothing to you?”

“I believe you have me confused with my elder broth-“

“Lea!” He exclaimed; seemingly have forgotten about the Leighton he’d spent the most time with. “Oh man, how is he? He still up to his old antics?”

Evy weakly smiled, “Unfortunately.”

“Oh man. We clearly have some catching up to do. What’s a guy like me gotta do to take a beauty like you to dinner tonight?”

Instead of replying, Evy turned to shoot a look towards Dimitri.

The Prince smiled sheepishly, embarrassed by his friend’s bluntness, “I speak to him about it often, but it doesn’t seem to help.”

“I can tell.”

Sylvain rose an eyebrow at the conversation he’d clearly missed, “Talk to me about what? I’m just trying to make our new classmate feel welcome.”

“Is that what you call this? How interesting.” She mused with a grin playing on her lips.

Sylvain took a step closer, seriously invading her personal space in an attempt to appear seductive, “Oh, and what would you call it?”

“Making them uncomfortable.”

Someone in the room snorted. Dimitri tried to stifle his chuckles with a fake cough. Sylvain sighed, clearly defeated. “Oh Evy…how I’ve missed your sass.” He rolled his eyes at her and went back to his seat next to a fellow blonde girl whose hair was in a thick, loose braid.

Dimitri continued on their ascent to the front of the room until they stood in front of another student, “Professor-“

Evy shot Dimitri a surprised look. Professor?! This young girl before her?! She couldn’t be much older than Evy was herself and yet she was teaching?

“-this is Princess Evyanna Leighton, our newest student.” Dimitri continued without missing a beat, as if Evy hadn’t looked at him at all.

“Welcome.” The girl spoke, forcing Evy to meet her gaze, “have you received training in war arts before?”

“Uh, yes, Professor.” Evy was trying hard not to stumble over her words.

“Perfect. And your weapon of choice?” The girl wrote down notes.

She smirked at Dimitri as she replied, “The sword.”

This was a look he noticed and rolled his eyes playfully at. “You’ll never convince me.”

“Really? You wore one yesterday.”

“Yes, because it’s easier to carry in long travel. Just because it is easier in one instance does not make a more superior choice of weapon overall-“

A boy donning long, raven-hair that was thrown up into a messy bun, with odd reddish eyes cut him off. “Woah, woah. What are you two arguing up there?” His voice was flat, sharp even though there was no words of malice in the phrase he spoke. Evy assumed this was Lord Fraldarius’ son.

“She’s trying to convince me that the sword is superior to the lance.” Dimitri explained.

“Because it is.” He countered, “Everyone knows that.”

“I am not at all convinced-“

“Fine,” Felix cut him off again, “Everyone who isn’t an idiot knows that.” Yes, this was definitely Lord Fraldarius’ son.

Evy resisted the urge to giggle, giving Dimitri an amused look. The future Duke calling the future Prince an idiot. This was quite an interesting class she was put in.

“Felix!” The blond girl Sylvain sat next to snapped at the boy and gave him a disapproving look.

“I call them like I see them.”

Dimitri sighed, running a quick hand through his hair, “Welcome to the Blue Lion House, Evyanna.”

She ended up sitting between Dimitri and Felix in the second row behind Dedue, Sylvain, and Ingrid. Though she wasn’t thrilled about being behind Sylvain, she was glad it wasn’t the other way around. Something told her that being in front of Sylvain would lead to her learning next to nothing.

They broke only for lunch, which she spent chatting with Mercedes, Annette, and Ingrid. Dimitri and the rest of the Lions weren’t far down the table, but Dimitri had given her space once seeing she was safe in the hands of the girls. Evy assumed he’d stayed close by, so she didn’t end up eating alone.

“Oh, hi Felix!” Mercedes cut herself off, looking above Evy’s head.

She turned to face the boy as best she could, surprised that he was going to be joining their conversation.

“You said you favor the sword?” Felix asked her, completely forgoing any sort of greeting. His face was set in a hard gaze, still studying her with an interest she couldn’t quite understand. He’d just met her and this was the first time he’d talked directly to her.

“I do.” She replied, but before she could add anything else he spoke again.

“Good. You, me. Sparring after class. I’ll show you the training grounds.”

Evy opened her mouth to reply, but he stalked out of the room before she even got a breath out. Instead, she turned back to her lunchmates, “He’s an…interesting guy. Is he always that way?”

Mercedes giggled while Ingrid shook her head in defeat, “Yeah, Felix is always like that. He spends most of his time training. If he’s not eating, sleeping, or in class, you can always find him there.”

Evy nodded in response, having nothing else better to say to Mercedes’ statement.

True to his word, Felix showed her training grounds after class, as well as the rest of her new classmates. Felix shot them odd glances as they walked but said nothing. Apparently her mates wanted to see how she was in battle for themselves. Remembering her earlier conversation at breakfast, she wondered if someone was getting Claude so he could watch as well.

Mentally, she was exhausted. She had trainers in the past, sure. None of her previous instructors had ever drilled major strategy, formations, and army tactics into her head. She had a lot to learn here.

However, when it came to battle, she was fierce. Years spent forgoing the formation names and tactics were spent honing in her skills on the blade instead. Watching the movements of enemy limbs, foreseeing the attacks they’d make, countering, striking…that was what she excelled at. So much so that Felix hit the ground with a hard smack and a frustrated growl.

She stood up straight, breathing hard from their hard-fought match while the class on the sidelines politely clapped. He was good, great even. By far the most difficult opponent she’d faced in her lifetime. A real challenge.

“You bested me.” Felix stated as he stood. Brushing the dirt off of his pants, he picked up his sword and nodded to her. He wanted to go again. She was happy to oblige.

They sparred so long and often that eventually someone found a small chalk board and kept tally on it. Evy 7 Felix 3.

“Your stamina needs work.” Felix told her, removing the sword from her neck. He was correct. The longer they fought, the more tired she got. The more tired she got, the sloppier she became.

Dimitri, however, stepped up in her defense, “Give her a break, Felix. She spent the last three days traveling with little sleep and then was up early for class. She really hasn’t had time to properly rest.”

“Thank you, Dimitri, but Sir Fraldarius is right. My stamina shouldn’t falter this early. There will be times I won’t have proper rest before battles. I need to be in top form regardless.” She carefully dismissed the Prince with a soft smile. Her eyes found Felix’s, a strange expression on his face. A…smirk? No. She was probably delirious from being tired; imagining that the corner of his mouth was curved upward.

Felix rose his sword up, waiting for her to do the same. She did so, waiting on his mark to start again.

“By the way, call me Felix.”

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