Thawed by Your Songs

Author's Note: Commissioned by my friend, V3. Thank you for introducing me to this adorable couple! <3

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Today, too, the Officers Academy stands tall under the sun, displaying to all the long history carved into its wall, the glory and the fall, the joy and the pain that had gone unspoken.

Only a few years after its reopening, the prestigious institution has once again become the most elite educational facility in Garreg Mach Monastery and beyond, as if the tragedies and bloodshed from the recent war are nothing more than fleeting shadows to be cast away with past bygone. The royalties and nobilities rush to enroll their children into the academy; the commoners fight tooth and nail to seek sponsors from the nobility so their sons and daughters can receive first-class education like the rich.

At a glance, nothing seems to have changed. The classes are still as tough as they can be, discrimination between social classes remains albeit in a "milder" state compared to the past, and teachers and students alike are buried in their respective responsibilities with each passing day.

What escapes the public's eyes, perhaps, is the change that occurs in a person's heart.

Felix walks down the long and winding corridor of the academy. His stern face, which seems to have been permanently engraved into his visage, automatically serves as a "repellent" to those around him, with the students stepping aside and making way for him as soon as they catch a glimpse of his coat.

Indeed, the new sword instructor is notoriously harsh and scary. Who knows how many freshmen have been driven to tears by his merciless teachings, how many senior students still flinch at the sight of him even if the man only walks by? It is as if they are afraid a single mistake will cause Sir Felix to unsheathe his blade and turn them into minced meat.

Little do these youngsters know that today, the sword instructor's stern face isn't caused by anger or irritation. If only they spent a few more seconds to observe him a bit closer, they would've realized that there were actually traces of restlessness radiating from all over his person.

Indeed, the menacing Sir Felix is actually feeling quite nervous at the moment.

"...I can't believe I'm finally going to do this today..." he mutters to himself.

But Felix, of course, is completely unaware of the intimidating aura he is emitting due to his restlessness — and with this unawareness, he strides down the central staircase, scaring everyone in his way, and steps out of the main building, soon spotting a familiar greenhouse in the yard.

He stops right outside the dome-like structure made of glass.

"Come, come and look at my garden~ Red and white, yellow and blue, the flowers bloom and thrive ~ Every day I feed them fresh water~ Roses and jasmines, camellia and peonies, my beautiful, beautiful garden~"

...Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that he was stopped.

A familiar singing voice resounds from within the greenhouse. It isn't particularly bad per se, but if one were to give an honest evaluation, it definitely wouldn't pass the first stage of an audition either. If anything, the impromptu lyrics would perhaps be the main reason for its failure.

Some people may laugh at it, others will probably find it cringe. Thinking about it now, there were also times in the past when Felix himself found these songs and the singer hilarious. He truthfully couldn't care less what others do in their free time, but something about these..."quirky" songs seems to have hit an unknown place inside him that makes it impossible for him to forget.

Was it the funny lyrics? Was it the wild tunes that often stray off-keys? Or was it the singer themselves, who performed so confidently when nobody was around but immediately retreated into their shell once they realized someone was watching?