The Missing Stone

Startled Deviousness

The sight nearly gives Mildred a heart attack.

It's just a snowba-

Her thought is interrupted by Felix screeching as Sylvain retaliates by shoving his armful of snow down the swordsman's shirt. Ingrid bursts into laughter at the sight, doubling over her pile of snow. Dimitri sneaks behind Sylvain, who is too busy cackling at Felix to notice the giant snowball about to crash down on him. Dedue's eyes widen but he's too late to save the redhead.

Utter chaos ensues. Sylvain does not emerge from the pile of snow that completely submerged him until after Ingrid nearly trips on him, to which he grabs her ankle and drags her into the snow with him.

"Sylvain you-" Ingrid kicks snow on his face in an attempt to escape. Felix has incited a solo match against the crown prince, cunning speed and agility barely dodging terrifying strength and accuracy. Ashe suddenly bursts through the corridor.

"I'll save you Ingrid!" He yells, scooping up and pitching snowballs at Ingrid's captor. Dedue silently shovels snow with his hands, creating dense and sturdy barriers between the two groups. Mildred and the professor still stand near the corridor, completely dumbfounded with whatever is going on. Annette appears beside Mildred, squealing in excitement. Mildred nearly jumps out of her boots.

"Go Felix!" Annette cheers, pumping her hands in the air. Felix very briefly glances at Annette in surprise, but that's all Dimitri needs to land an iceball square in his chest, sending him flying backwards and into the snowbank with an "oof". Annette claps her hands over her mouth in surprise.

Mildred blinks when she notices that all three spirits are currently laughing to the point of chest pain and tears. Their amusement is infectious however, and she finds herself laughing along with them. Felix emerges from the snowbank, flakes sticking to his raven hair.

"Professor!" He yells across the courtyard, leaping out of the snow when Dimitri hurls another snowball at him. "Help me take down the boar!" The professor blinks owlishly. Dedue offers him a snowball before marching back over to where Sylvain is being brutally assaulted by both Ingrid and Ashe. Mildred becomes momentarily distracted by how Dedue bodily hauls Sylvain, Ashe and Ingrid out of the snow and sets them on their feet in the middle of the courtyard.

Mildred also notices how Mao and Aelura's ability to breathe has diminished greatly.

Are you guys okay-

"No," Chester whispers, and Aelura practically wails in laughter. Mildred is confused.

"Milly!" Annette says, wrapped around Mildred's arm. "Do you want to help make cookies with Mercie and I?" Mildred returns her attention briefly to the snowball fight when Felix shrieks in indignation.

"Of course you would side with him!" Felix growls, now against both the stand-in archbishop and the crown prince of Faerghus. Sylvain suddenly appears behind Felix.

"Hi- oof."

Felix has apparently whirled around and smacked Sylvain in the side of his head with a snowball as soon as his head popped out of the snow. The redhead looks up at Felix from his place on the ground. The swordsman blinks. Both Dimitri and the professor now hide behind one of the barriers Dedue has made, only their eyes and the top of their heads visible as they watch Sylvain and Felix.

Mildred feels a spark between them, just like that night between the prince and the professor. Ingrid whistles from the sidelines, breaking them both out of whatever they were in. Mildred yelps as she's pulled inside by a surprisingly strong Annette. The ginger tugs her past the dining hall, up the stairs and into a room much like the dormitories at the monastery.