My Little Girl

Did You Just Laugh?

Wyvern Moon: Month of The Battle of Eagle & Lion

Laughter rang through the dinging hall of the monastery after returning from the Battle of Eagle & Lion. Jeralt while flushed and warm from indulging in some high quality rum from Brigid. But the laughter that caught his attention was the the Blue Lions. Curiosity got the better of him and he decided to go into the dinging hall. Sure enough what he saw and heard had Jeralt's jaw falling to the floor. 

Byleth was laughing!?

She was laughing at the antics of Ingrid and Sylvain along with the silly boisterous behavior of the Golden Deer's house leader, Claude that was goofing around. Even Dimitri was laughing as they all celebrated. But it was his daughter's laughter that rang strongest in his ears. Quietly Jeralt decided to leave the be and walked out towards the pond. He took to sitting down on the dock looking up at the sky as the migrating wyverns headed south until they returned in spring. 

Byleth had been truly and sincerely laughing and hard at that. It was not Sitri's gentle, soft laughter either. It was strong and loud like his own. "Now how did you say that saying went Sitri? 'Like father, like daughter' was it?"he whispered before taking a chug from his flask. 

Those brats...they really were what she needed more then anything. It made him feel proud but guilt nagged and weighed heavy on his heart as his mind wandered. Slowly he heaved himself to his feet and began to just walk around the monastery grounds. Leaving the sound of celebrations behind him. 

He wasn't sure what to feel as he aimlessly walked these hallowed halls. So many memories here in this familiar place. But he couldn't help but let his thoughts wonder back to his daughter. "Did I really do the right thing fleeing with her? If I had stayed Byleth would have grown up here and I would have stayed a knight."he thought.

Had he made the right choice?

Was he in the wrong?

Jeralt did not know anymore as he found himself once more at the quiet graveyard. To his surprise he saw Byleth there with a bouquet of pink and white tulips from the greenhouse as she placed them on Sitri's grave.

"Hey Mother, sorry I haven't visited lately. But today we won that big battle at Gronder Field. You know that mock battle I mentioned before at the start of the month? Oh um I brought Dimitri with me this time too."Byleth said as Jeralt took to hiding behind one of the trees.

Dimitri in kind set a white carnation beside Byleth's tulips she had placed with a small smile. "Hello Mrs. Eisner. We're both working hard out there and Professor Eisner's actually laughing, I've never heard her laugh before. It surprised us but she's doing well."

Jeralt smiled as he continued to listen to the two talk before quietly watching them leave. The two still unaware they had been watched by the young professor's own father. This year was full of surprises and one crazy thing after another had been happening. Quietly he walked down the stairs to the grave and dug out a locket snapping it open to reveal a very open sketch of him and Sitri on their wedding day. It was one of his most precious photos while the next one beside it was of himself and a 14 year old Byleth. 

"My little girl's coming so far from that silent infant."he thought with a smile. "If you could see her now, she looks so much like you."

To Be Continued...