The next morning...

The monastery was starting to bustle with activity, everyone preparing for the activities of a new day. Students were just waking up just as dawn started to break. Ferdinand was already dressed, everything set just so - nothing less would do for one such as him. Petra sat on her bed brushing her hair, ready to begin the long process of setting it for the day. Even Linhardt was up, albeit desperately trying to ignore the sun that bathed his bedroom. Of all the Black Eagles, only one was still asleep, tossing and turning within her sheets.

It was another dream, another nightmare: She was so used to the one of her in the forest, of that man taking her among the trees and defiling her. This one was new though… she saw herself walking the monastery grounds. The moon hung bright in the sky, illuminating the snow-filled courtyard. She clutched at her coat, a grand gown, trimmed with fur and gold filigree. She walked precariously through the snow, minding to keep her balance. She looked up at the Goddess Tower… and then back down, to her stomach, distended and heavy with child. She gave it a loving caress, whispering something to her unborn heir…

A loud pounding shook her awake. Edelgard sat up, her eyes wild as she tried to remember where she was.

“Lady Edelgard!”

The knock came again from the door, louder, more insistent this time.

“Y-yes? What is it Hubert? Come in!” she finally manage to call out, sensing her confidant’s distress.

Hubert entered, standing at attention. Edelgard pulled her sheets up, still self-conscious, despite his years of service.

“Lady Edelgard…” Hubert began, his eyes taking on a much darker aura than even his usual glare. “It would appear the Professor and the outlaw are missing…”

“What!?”

Edelgard entered the upper chamber of the churche. A number of people had already gathered, including Seteth, the Archbishop, and Captain Jeralt. Hubert had filled her in on the way, of the professor’s bedroom being found open this morning and a note on her bed. She presumed it was what Seteth now held.

“Is it true?” she asked plainly.

“All evidence seems to indicate such.” Seteth replied, holding up the note. “The professor and this crest-bearing bandit seem to be...”

“Then what are we discussing? Has anyone been dispatched yet?” Edelgard prods him.

“It may be best to read it for yourself...” He replies, holding out the letter.

Edelgard snatches it from his hand and begins reading in earnest:

To those concerned for me and my whereabouts, do not be. To my father and my students, I am sorry I did not say goodbye, but know that I have found a new calling in life. I am where I want to be.

Byleth

Edelgard didn’t know what to say. A new calling...? The letter struck Edelgard as too short, yet it seemed to match the Professor’s hand... She flipped the page over but found nothing. She looked to Jeralt, but the man was staring at the ground, arms crossed. He must have the same questions, of whether or not this is truly what his daughter would want.

She remembered that night in the woods - the night Byleth had saved her from Kostas - and the unusual weakness she felt when she tried to fight him off. If he did have a crest…

“Have any search parties been dispatched? Do we know for certain they aren’t on the grounds?”

Seteth’s brow furrowed even more, clearly upset.

“We interviewed a number of people, including the last person to see the Professor last night: a guard at the stables. He claims that she and Kostas each asked for a horse and rode out together.”

Seteth looked back to Rhea, who seemed to be in a similar state as Jeralt.

“Other witnesses corroborate this story, stating that the two of them left through the village. They claim that she did not seem distressed nor eager to escape. We have dispatched a number of scouts, but are unsure what to do once we find her.”

Edelgard wanted to believe that the Professor - the woman who saved her from this bandit - wasn’t now a victim herself, but she couldn’t help but feel that is exactly what has happened: whatever his power was, he had successfully managed to use it on the Professor. Edelgard had managed to be spared, but at what cost?