My Little Girl

Prologue: That Fateful Dawn

Jeralt always knew Lady Fate was a playful, some times cruel mistress. He and his young daughter of approximately twenty years old were just about ready to leave Remire as the first traces of dawn chased away the dark hues of night. Replacing the little village nestled here at the edge of the empire was cast in hues of gold as the sun just started to peak over the horizon that spring morning.

"Father."came the monotone voice beside him.

"Hm?"Jeralt stopped what he was doing after fastening their belongs onto his brown stallion. Byleth was looking towards the village gates in her usual stoic mannerism as he saw her hand twitch instinctively towards the sword on her belt. 

His daughter had not had a normal life or existence for that matter. She had been born with a rather strange condition that gave her no heart beat, yet, she had a strong pulse. As an infant she never fussed nor cried. As she had grown it became clear she was unable to show or knew how to have emotions. Even when injured or sick she never showed nor released unless he told her. On her debut as a mercenary it became all the more apparent. Solidifying his theory and distrust of the one he used to look up to when had been a knight. His daughter's first mission had been frightening to witness as she slaughtered the bandits with no hesitation and not a single speck of emotion to her face. It was how Byleth Eisner, at age 12, had earned such a dark and foreboding alias: The Ashen Demon. 

Running towards them were three teenagers. A young woman with long straight silver hair with a clear Adrestian accent with higher society undertones to it. A young man with blonde hair and azure eyes that was very well mannered and had the kingdom's accent but also had nobility undertones to his voice and how he held himself. Then there was a young burnette male archer with jade green eyes and messy burnette hair with a braid hanging by his ear with much more tanner skin. The young archer's accent carried faint hints of a Almyrian accent mixed with a Fodlan one. The three teens came to a halt in front of the father and daughter, looking frantic and frazzled as they their breathing was heavy from clearly fleeing something or someone. 

"What's got you three brats so frazzled?"he asked.

It was the young blonde boy from the kingdom that spoke as he bowed briefly in apology, "Please forgive the intrusion. We wouldn't have bothered you if the situation was not dire."

"What do a much of kids like you want at this hour anyways?"Jeralt asked as he grabbed his horse by the reigns.

"Why were running?"Byleth asked flatly.

Jeralt glanced over with a look of surprise as he stole a glance at his daughter. Though she remained stoic there was...Holy Sothis!? There was curiosity gleaming in his daughter's sapphire eyes that were normally so cold like a still lake. Just what had brought on this!? 

"We are being pursued by a group of bandits. We can only ask that you would be kind enough as to lend us your aid."explained the young blone lance user.

"Bandits? Here? Outside of Remire?"Jeralt asked with a furrow of his brows.

Byleth instantly drew her sword and looked towards her father and once more was surprised to see emotion in her eyes but it was so faint he probably would have missed it. "Was that...? No couldn't be. Could it?"he thought. The young Empire teenage woman could only nod her head in agreement with the blonde.

"It's the truth. They attacked us while we were at rest at our camp in the woods not far from here."she explained, keeping a surprisingly calm head on her shoulders.

The burnette archer with the yellow cape on his shoulder sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration. He, like his companions was just as calm despite his clear annoyance. "We've been separated by our companions and we're horribly out numbered here. They want our lives, not to mention our gold."