Fire Emblem

Kelly

Seteth gestured us out and to the right, showing us to my fathers new office. It was dark, with a rich wooden desk and a purple carpet. Definitely not his style.

"Kelly, follow me. I'll bring you to the students quarters and explain the house system."

Seteth walked with his shoulders back and out, as though he was giving a sermon instead of having a casual conversation with a child.

"The Royal students live on the second floor, and the commoners on the second. They're all divided by which nation they come from. You met the house leaders today in the fight. Golden Deer house is led by Claude Reigan, from the Alliance. Blue Lion house is led by the Prince of Faerghus, Dmitri."

That must have been the third student, who never had the chance to introduce himself before I was swept into this new life.

"And lastly, there's the Black Eagle house. They're commanded by Edelgard, the Imperial Princess. You're kind of a special case, since you technically came from territory that falls to Garreg Mach. So get to know the houses, and then you can choose one. I would do so quickly, so that you can begin making friends."

He opened up a door to show a small room, with the bare minimum inside. A bed, with stark white sheets, a desk and a wardrobe waited for me inside.

"This will be your dormitory. If you have any questions, my office is across the hall from Jeralt's. Let me know if you need anything."

With a smile, he excused himself, and I plopped down on the bed. What a whirlwind of a day, and it was only just past lunch.

Speaking of, I never got to finish breakfast. My stomach rumbled, so I wandered out of my room to locate the dining hall I had seen when we first arrived.

The grounds were beautifully kept, with lush green grass and flowers all over. There was a small fish pond, complete with a fountain. At the top of the stairs that connected to it, I found the dining hall.

I grabbed what looked to be a thick stew and turned to sit, quickly realizing that I had no one to sit with.

I've never been in this situation before, having never gone to formal school. Jeralt taught me well, but I hadn't ever learned the social norms of sitting at a lunch table.

My stomach knotted and I felt like everyone was staring, even though that was only partially true. It seemed new students were rare, because I stuck out like a sore thumb. Students were sparing glances at me left and right, which only made my cheeks flush red.

Finally, I turned and practically ran outside, opting for the company of the fish in the pond. At least they wouldn't judge me.

I crumbled up a cracker and tossed it into the turquoise waters, admiring the small fish that came to nibble on it.

"There you are," a girls voice called out over my shoulder, and I turned to see Edelgard.

"You can come sit at my table, if you'd like. I'm sure being the new student isn't easy."

I could have broken into tears for how grateful I was that she was talking to me.

"You have no idea. I never knew it would be so hard to stare at tables full of strangers and find the courage to sit with one of them."

"I've been there," Edelgard said, reaching out a hand, "Us girls need to stick together. Come with me."

I took it gratefully and followed her inside, amazed by how that act of kindness changed my mood. She ushered me over and had some students make room.