Animate

Great Tree Moon (1)

A/N: This will contain spoilers for all routes, and Cindered Shadows. There will be violence and mature themes, but not anything worse than what's in canon.
When Sothis speaks to Byleth, it's underlined and italicized. Byleth's responses to her are only italicized.

. . .
"goddess in my garden, sister in my soul; angel in my armor, actress in my role"
. . .

"It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder…was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?"

Byleth had never been in a room this large, nor this luxurious. He tunes out of the conversation somewhat as his eyes are bombarded. They dart from the ornate stonework, to the statues, to the elaborate stained glass. Even the colored pattern on the floor was mesmerizing. They rest on Rhea for just a moment, but the way she looks at him makes him feel uneasy. 

"Forgive my silence all these years. Much has happened since we last spoke."

Byleth looks at the statues intently. His father had always refused to teach them any history or anything about the church. He had never minded, until he finds himself wondering who these statues are.

"So I see," Rhea's gaze shifts onto the children. "The goddess blessed you with twins."

"Yes...born many years after I left this place. I wish I could introduce you to the mother of my child...but I’m afraid we lost her to illness. But on to a happier subject. This is Byleth, and his sister Beleth."

"You look so much like your father," Rhea says to Beleth, before turning to Byleth. It almost feels like she's looking directly into his soul. "And I'm sure that you resemble your mother. I can sense something special within your heart. I know you can do-"

Jeralt butts in. "I'm sure you'll want us to stick around the monastery. I'll discuss some possibilities, but without my children present."

"Of course. Seteth, can you send for Ingrid? I believe she's the most familiar with the stables and will be able to find suitable stalls for your mounts."

Seteth exits the room, and the silence is somehow deafening. Rhea's eyes never waiver from Byleth.

The silence is broken for Byleth when a voice -Sothis- pops into his mind. 

What does she want from us? It seems Jeralt thinks you won't be allowed to leave . . .

I don't know. She's looked at me so much, but I don't understand why. It's usually my sister that catches attention.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You have a girl living in your head. Surely that makes you special in some way?

Seteth reenters with a blonde girl following. She does a small bow before speaking. "My name is Ingrid. I'll show you to our stables."

"Thank you, Ingrid. I'm Belle," Beleth was uneasy with Rhea, but with a girl around her own age she comes out of her shell. "My horse will need a stable, and my father's horse will as well. And there's Byleth's pegasus."

Ingrid's eyes widen for a second, then she starts to walk. "Byleth? Really? I've never even heard of a pegasus that allows a male rider."

I know you just want to nod, but if you're ever going to prosper you'll need to have social skills!

"Really. Her name is Aladora."

"I have my own as well. We should go for a fly together some time!"

"Um. Sure."

 Belle re-enters the conversation. "Maybe you could teach me to ride one. I've wanted to before, but they just seem to dislike me. By has tried, but he's just not a great teacher."