The Bright Star [Fire Emblem: Three Houses AU]

Rumors (Edelgard)

"There aren't going to be any more sword extracurricular sword seminars this week," Dorothea reported as she walked into the Black Eagles classroom, sitting at the desk next to the leader, Princess Edelgard. Edelgard's desk was in the middle of Dorothea and Hubert's desks, where Hubert glared at the other students arriving in the classroom.

"I've heard," Edelgard said. "Byleth sustained a massive injury, and not even Lady Rhea knows when he'll be fully recover."

"Byleth is injured?" Bernadetta asked. She was hiding under her desk, a book covering her face.

"He is." Caspar sat down at his desk, looking disappointed. "Or well, that's what I've heard."

Linhardt woke up from his nap. "Did Lady Rhea or someone else ever say what caused Byleth to get this injury?"

"Have not heard anything about that," Petra said slowly, feeling slightly confused. "We all know about the injury Byleth has took, but we don't know he he took it. I know he is training to be part of the Knights like his father. Maybe while training he took a heavy blow. Like, a really heavy one. You know what I mean?"

"I know what you're trying to say," Ferdinand said. "You're trying to say that Byleth was training somewhere and perhaps took a really heavy blow that caused him to get injured, am I interpreting that right?"

"Yes, you are," Petra replied. She turned to Hubert. "Hubert, what do you think about all this?"

Hubert glared at the other students menacingly, giving off a feeling of disdain. "No comment," he said blankly.

Professor Manuela walked into the Black Eagles classroom, carrying a stack of books. "Everyone, in your seats," she said. while walking down the hallway, she peeked under Bernadetta's desk, where she could see Bernadetta still holding the book over her face. "Bernadetta, I would like you to be in your seat, not under it."

Manuela startled Bernadetta. "Sorry!" she said, skittishly squirming out of the desk to her seat. She put a bookmark in her book and closed it, leaving it in the corner of the desk. Edelgard could see the book that Bernadetta was reading. She was reading The Chronicles of Fódlan, a document written by an unknown Church member centuries ago dating every major event in Fódlan's history.

"The White Heron Cup is coming up soon for the annual ball," Manuela explained to the class when she got up front. "I need to enter who will be our class representative in two days. You all can take some time to decide, okay? Tomorrow we will be deciding for sure, so make sure you all have an idea of who should be picked as the class representative."

Edelgard pondered. Perhaps she could be the winner of the cup to make her family and her class proud. If her family wanted her to be such a proud individual, why wouldn't her class? She was the pride of her family and the pride of the Black Eagle House. The pride of the Adrestian Empire and the pride of present-day House Hresvelg.

The students of the Black Eagles were varied in whether or no they would participate in the White Heron Cup as the class representative. Edelgard would do it for the pride of her house, Hubert preferred not to, but wouldn't care one bit, Ferdinand and Dorothea would love to, Bernadetta not so much, Lindhardt wasn't quite sure, Caspar was energetic about doing things for the class, so him being the representative would definitely excite him, and Edelgard didn't quite know about Petra yet considering that she was new to Fódlan.

"We're going to emphasize the importance of Crests," Manuela continued. "You all should have gotten How Crests Change Us from the library the other day. Take out your books and turn to page seventy-six."

Edelgard and the rest of class obeyed their professor and took out their books, but Edelgard was more reluctant than others. In her ideal world, Crests would be treated like a minor gift, like a student having an aptitude that would make them more likely to succeed in one class rather than another. As long as they could pass all their classes, it made them just like everyone else. Crests decided her importance in this world, and they did the same for others. But if everyone could survive at the end of the day and be protected by those who chose to willingly serve, why did it matter so much?

Manuela read from the book. "'Crests were bestowed upon our continent of Fódlan many, many years ago as gifts. We built such a prosperous society, but had trouble deciding on who should lead the world we all built. So the Goddess Sothis came up with a solution— Crests. She bestowed them upon this world, gifting them to families that she thought were the most powerful and helped out the most when creating our society. That way, they could have more power and could use it to protect the people. The families that had these great powers were those who fought along Saint Seiros to liberate evil and other families who helped them attain their goals. When we learned this was a genetic power, those families grew and multiplied so more children bearing Crests could serve our world. Age and sex was not a factor in deciding who were to inherit the position as head of their houses, but rather if they inherited the family's Crest or not. The eldest who inherited the family's Crest would then inherit the title as the head of their house.'" Manuela noticed that Edelgard raised her hand. "Yes, Edelgard?"

"What is your personal opinion on the paths of inheritance that they chose?" she asked.

"I don't really have an opinion because I don't feel like it applies to me. That would be a debate among the houses that have Crests, as I neither come from a house with a Crest nor do I have a Crest myself. Why do you ask this, Edelgard?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. It seems to be debatable nowadays, doesn't it?"

"It does," Manuela said. "Let's get back to reading. Would anyone care to start reading from the next paragraph?"

Bernadetta immediately put her book over her face.

"Bernadetta, would you care to do so?"

"No!" Bernadetta cried. "Absolutely not!"

Manuela sighed. "Ferdinand, would you like to instead?"

"I would love to, Professor Manuela," Ferdinand said with dignity as he began to read.

Edelgard nearly zoned out of the lesson on the importance of Crests, merely because she didn't believe in the importance. The day would come when she would destroy the importance of Crests, but that day would have to wait, as she was only a student learning about the continent-wide societal indoctrination that the Church has glorified since it began.