Stolen Time: The Bells of Prison

Edelgard rolled over and looked up at Juliane after she woke up. The Empress was still fast asleep, making Edelgard's cheeks puff out a bit. Juliane was normally awake before her. She wasn't sure if something had happened the previous day or not. She hadn't detected anything wrong with the woman beforehand, but maybe she had missed something. Juliane was awfully good at hiding things from Edelgard. Then again, that was just how adults often were. They needed to be able to hide things from kids so that way the kids could live without worry. But still... She was going to be Empress someday herself, sooner rather than later. She wasn't sure what date she would take over, but it probably wouldn't be long after she came of age. Probably as soon as she graduated from Garreg Mach… But, soon, the woman shifted and her eyes opened. She yawned widely and looked down at Edelgard. "Oh, good morning El... You're awake early." Yeah, she was. Juliane was almost always the one that was awake at the point Edelgard woke up. She was so used to the woman holding her and greeting her instead. It was odd to be the one doing the greeting on the other end of things. "Morning... And yeah, you're awake late." It was hard for Juliane to know how it felt to be the one greeting instead of waking. She was so used to being cuddled up and held by the woman. She wasn't sure how to react to any of this. It was so difficult to. But she knew things wouldn't always be the same... Once she took on a partner (romantic or political), she would have to share a bedroom with them instead of Juliane. She prayed that she'd find somebody romantic, not just political to marry. But even if she found a romantic partner, there was no guarantee she wouldn't be forced to marry politically too. Juliane had been a political partner for her father, but they had still fallen in love. She was glad because she wasn't sure how the family would've survived with the core base of Juliane and her father to fall back on. "Sorry, El. I know you're used to me holding you when you wake up. But yesterday was pretty tiring for me. Dealing with Duke Aegir and his ilk are never fun for anybody, let alone me." Edelgard made a face. Yeah, she could imagine that being tiring. Those men had stolen so much from her family. She would put an end to them after she became Empress. But she would return power to their heirs. She was aware that Duke Aegir had a son but she knew nothing about him. She wasn't sure about the others. She hoped that returning power to the houses would help show she didn't plan to make any drastic moves against them like her father had... She loved her father, but he had definitely overstepped bounds by trying to centralise everything. "Yeah, that does make sense." She really wished she could say she understood, but she couldn't really... She hadn't spent any time in court. She didn't understand how tiring it would be to deal with meetings like that all day. She'd had lessons and still did, but it was nothing compared to dealing with slogs that were political discourse. But she knew she'd have to change sooner rather than later... She wasn't the type to rest on her laurels. She'd need to learn to be in cour at some point. But with as messed up as she was mentally right now, that wasn't going to happen. She'd probably just cry if she tried to sit in on court proceedings. She really would if anybody came after her or Juliane. "Anyway, how about we get up and get bathed?" The woman smiled at her and Edelgard nodded. They headed into the bath which was lukewarm and pretty inviting for Edelgard. She had once enjoyed hot baths, but ever since the experiments, the cooler the better. She didn't want ice cold baths, but lukewarm was enough for her. She would probably pass out if she ever had to sit in extremely hot water again. She was aware of things called saunas though they weren't an Adrestian thing... She'd read about them in one of her books on the Kingdom. The Alliance might have also done them, but she wasn't sure. She hadn't much studied the Alliance. The Kingdom and Church were more important to her potential goals someday... Though she was pretty sure Hubert would help inform her of what the Alliance was like should she ask for help in that aspect. She wasn't looking forward to Garreg Mach, but it would be the best place to learn about the Alliance and Kingdom. Once she did start court proceedings, she wouldn't have much time to study other things… Once out, the pair settled on Juliane's bed again with Juliane starting to brush out her hair. "So what are your plans for today, El?" She tilted her head back and saw Juliane smile. "Not much... Do my combat lesson then head down to Ueli's-- Oh, right, Annika. I'll need to get her to come with me to my combat classes." She'd almost forgotten the discussion they'd had the previous night. But she was reading her journal entries from the past couple days and remembered. It was hard to remember things sometimes even if they'd only happened the day before. She had this weird amnesia. It was so terrible. But there was nothing that could be done as far as she was aware. Her memories were simply lost to the ether of her mind. She wished she could understand what her mind was doing. Why she couldn't recall much. And her youngest years were starting to slip away too... She might soon end up without any memories at all really... That scared her. But there really was nothing she could do about it. "You can spend the first fifteen minutes working with her, but the rest of your lesson is for you. Okay?" Juliane's tone was gentle but Edelgard nodded. She knew the woman was being incredibly serious. Juliane was never really one to be tough or harsh unless dealing with somebody that required that level of difficulty. She could recall a few times her being harsh with Hubert while they'd been growing up. But he was stubborn and could withstand harsh treatment, unlike Edelgard herself. Too much roughness would cause her to cry and flee. She felt so weak but after everything that had happened to her… "I understand." They were paying the teachers to teach her , not Annika. So she did understand what and where Juliane was coming from. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything. The teachers simply cost a lot and too much focus on another student would take away from what they were paying for.   With that, they fell silent and Juliane finished brushing Edelgard's hair. Once fully dressed and ready for the day, Edelgard met up with Hubert and started walking down to Ueli's house. They were quiet, not needing to talk too much. But they reached Ueli's house and Edelgard knocked on the door. It took a minute for somebody to answer, but Helen did. "Edelgard? What are you doing here so early?"   "The Empress agreed to allow Annika to join me in my combat lessons. Though only for about fifteen minutes per class... Still, it's better than nothing." Edelgard smiled a little bashfully. She felt awkward breaking her normal routine, but she was going to befriend Annika through her lessons. She was glad. Each lesson was roughly an hour long, so she got a few in before she had to head to Ueli's house. She was so glad that Annika would learn to defend herself. It was a skill everyone should learn. Honestly, everyone should be able to learn in general. But she wouldn't be able to do anything until she became Empress herself... She was really trying to make the future better for everybody... But it would be hard and with her shortened lifespan... She might not accomplish everything she wanted to. She wanted Rhea dead, but there were so many different issues with that... She would draw the Kingdom and Alliance into that war and she didn't want to have that many people die... Walking a blood-soaked path was one thing. Offing possibly like a third of the continent's entire population... She couldn't deal with that either.   "Okay. I'll get her. We just finished breakfast." With that done, Helen retreated into the house and Annika came out a few minutes later. She was dressed in pants and a loose shirt which Edelgard hadn't seen her in before. She'd only seen her in dresses as of yet. But oh well. It was easier to fight and move in pants. Edelgard really did prefer dresses, but she didn't want the expensive material and construction to go to waste while she was roughing it in combat class. Plus, she would be doing other things once falconry season rolled around...   "Oh, um, good morning, Your Highness." Annika offered a dip of her head and Edelgard sighed.   "You can just call me Edelgard when it's just us around the house. It's fine." She could understand that Annika was scared of talking to her, but she wasn't about to back off that point. She could really understand Ueli addressing her like that in public, though. If it got around that one could simply refer to their future Empress by name, well, it might not reflect well on her. It might make people think that she was weak and pliable. She couldn't repeat like her father. She had to be strong and stand up for herself. She would return power to the heirs of the lords that had stripped power from her father. She couldn't get past what had happened to him... She knew an Empress or Emperor had to be strong, but upsetting the nobles like he had wasn't going to win her any allies either... She had no idea how best to handle things...but that was one thing Hubert was for... He was her closest confidante, after all.   Annika nodded a bit and Edelgard motioned for her to follow. "The practice fields are this way." She led the way to the fields where her combat instructors were. With them there, the lessons passed relatively quickly though it wasn't easy. Annika was wide eyed and frightened of the instructors. Some of them had little patience and left her almost in tears. Edelgard could handle the harshness of them, but she hadn't thought about how it might effect other people. She wasn't sure how Annika would deal with Hubert then... He had little patience for anybody that wasn't her or her family. So it would be interesting to see if he could handle her well.   She frowned as they started heading back to Ueli's house. "I'm sorry they were so rough on you." She really hadn't thought about that. Annika really looked upset and ready to cry. She wished she could better comfort the older girl, but she didn't know how to do that. Outside of her family, she hadn't much interacted with people her age. She hadn't even been allowed to meet other noble children. She knew of some of the families having them, but she had never met them... She knew Duke Aegir had a son and Count Varley had a daughter but that was about it. She didn't know names or specifics or anything like that... She really didn't have any friends anymore aside from Hubert which was so lonely and isolating...   "I-I knew nobles could be harsh but..." Annika's eyes brimmed with tears and Edelgard sighed. She really wished she could do more to help the other girl. Hesitantly, she opened her arms and offered Annika a hug. Annika looked away but took it, sniffling as she held onto Edelgard.   "I'm so sorry. I'm used to it, so I didn't think about how it'd impact you." She patted Annika's back and rubbed it, trying to calm her down. She really didn't know how to people, but this was what Juliane did for her when she was upset. She hoped that it'd help Annika feel better. She just... She really hadn't thought about it. She was used to kindness herself, but she was used to instructors that could be a bit on the harsh side. She'd gotten used to it over the past couple of weeks while she'd been in the combat classes   "It's all right... I just...don't know if I can deal with it." That was fair... Edelgard knew she couldn't personally deal with certain instructors. She was fine with her current ones, but maybe getting someone softer in for Annika's sake would be a good idea. She hoped that Juliane wouldn't mind footing the bill for finding new instructors for her. She wanted Annika to learn too. Though Hubert had offered to teach Annika too... She wasn't sure how that would go. He could be kind, considerate, and caring where Edelgard was concerned, but he wasn't really one to soften up for anybody else. She hoped that he could and would pull back a bit for his new pupil's sake. But she knew that kindness was really just meant for her and nobody else.   "I'll see about getting new instructors then." There was no real way around it. The only way that Annika would be able to learn was if she got kinder, more patient instructors. Again, she was fine with instructors being harsher. Anselma had been pretty strict with her growing up, so she was used to some level of tension and harshness. Not that Anselma had been harsh or cold. She just hadn't wanted Edelgard to become unnecessarily spoiled. Helga's daughters had been incredibly spoiled and unpleasant, so that was what Anslem had been trying to save her daughter from.   "But...won't that put you behind where you're supposed to be?" Annika pulled back and frowned at Edelgard.   Edelgard shrugged. "I've had instructors change on me plenty of times because they don't click with me. It's not a big deal." It really wasn't. She'd been through this process before. Her current combat instructors weren't really tailored to *her.* They were Tobias' old instructors as well as one that had been used by the royal family before. She learned fine under them, but it probably would  be better to find somebody that actually *worked* for her. Finding synergy with a person was really the best way to learn. She was glad she had the ability to pick and choose her teachers so much. It was great to learn under a teacher that really *got* her. Though all of her teachers were men... Maybe she could get a female teacher or two in the next round.   "O-Okay... And the Empress won't be angry?"   Edelgard shook her head. "Maybe a little frustrated but she won't be *angry*. I've rarely ever seen Mother Juliane get *angry.*" Yeah that was something that was a rarity. Juliane was so calm, kind, and collected that she wasn't sure if the woman was even physically capable of getting angry. Considering she somehow hadn't lost her kindness despite having to bury seven children and was having to watch three die slow, painful deaths…   "O-Okay... If you're sure..." Annika was *really* scared of nobles, but she could hardly blame her. She'd heard of emperors and empresses that had done horrible things to their subjects. Plus, her father had been stripped over all his power more or less by the Seven. She hated that nobles held so much power... If she could abolish that system... But the amount of effort that would take to do and the sheer casualties it would cause... She couldn't risk it. She just... She hated all of this. Nobody deserved to live in this horrible system. She wanted to listen to the people and see what *the8 wanted and needed... She would provide whatever she could.   "I am. Anyway, let's head back to your house." Edelgard smiled and started heading back to Ueli's house with Hubert and Annika in tow. Annika looked ready to jump at her own shadow which was...sad. She did seem to keep an eye fixed on Hubert. She heard him let out a little chuckle but Annika didn't seem to catch it. He was always amused when people were afraid of him. He really *did* want people to fear him... As long as it made him happy, she wasn't going to say anything. She knew who he was underneath the terrifying demeanor and that was all that mattered to her.   They got back to the house and Ueli was doing afternoon feeding. "Good afternoon, girls!" He trotted up to them with the bucket in hand. Edelgard kept her eyes fixed on Ueli, though it was hard to not have them drift down. She didn't want to start feeling queasy or lightheaded again. The last thing they needed was for her to not feel great and impede what she could do. It was just so hard when she was so sensitive to almost everything that happened around her...   "Good afternoon, Ueli." Edelgard offered a slight bow to him, hands clasped in front of her. Apparently he'd kind of forgotten about Hubert... Then again, he didn't talk very much during these sessions. He was basically a shadow. His presence was there, but it was almost easy to forget about him. It wasn't until something happened that one would remember he was there. As long as she wasn't in danger, he had no real reason to do anything to these people.   "I'm just finishing up feeding. Why don't you go inside and then I'll bring Romy in. Annika, would you mind helping me?"   Annika shook her head. "Of course not." She walked over to her father and the pair walked away. Edelgard felt a pang of envy in her heart. She had never been especially close to her own father. He was a busy man between court, his ten children, and seven consorts. She tended to see him for maybe an hour or two once a week. He tried his best to make room for all of his family, but with so many people to balance, it was hard.   She shook the envy away and headed inside. She settled on the couch next to Hubert and leaned against him a little bit. He wrapped an arm around her. "Is everything okay, my lady?" She only ever turned to him like this if she really wasn't feeling well or was upset. She felt bad to use him like this, but she just needed comfort sometimes. She didn't want to run back up to Juliane and pull her away from court either... This was really the best compromise.   "Just missing my family again." Yeah, she really did miss them. She missed having her large family. Here, she almost felt a sense of belonging again. They hadn't known each other very long, but they were warm and welcoming in a way other families might not be... She was glad that Helen and Ueli were such warm, welcoming people... It was nice to have somewhere to turn to in order to feel a sense of love again.   Hubert rubbed her shoulder, obviously not really sure what to say. There wasn't much he could say to it at this point. The deed was done. Her siblings were either dead or dying. She really hated all of this. She wanted to turn back the clock. Why had Duke Aegir and his ilk sided with the Slitherers? She didn't understand. She missed having her large family so much. Without them, her world was so dark and dead. She found no beauty in anything anymore. She couldn't write poetry anymore. How could she when so much had been taken from her? She sniffled and closed her eyes, resting against Hubert. All of this was so awful. She wanted to curl up and die, but if she did that, then civil war would break out in Adrestia. Who would take over after her father died...? She would have no idea. She was the only one that could take over the Empire. Even if she'd never wanted to in the first place...   It took a bit, but Annika and Ueli returned with Ueli having a small bag with him and Romy on his glove. Annika walked over and pulled Edelgard's glove out and offering it to her. She took it and put it on, Ueli settling next to her. He transferred Rom to Edelgard's glove and she managed a feeble smile despite herself. "Here ya go, Edelgard." He handed her the tidbits which still made her stomach churn. Touching the meat still felt bad to her, but she was at least getting used to it through cooking. This was only one of a handful of times she'd handled the tidbits and the bits of feather on them was off putting.   But she would do this. She was bound and determined to do so. She wanted to see Evelin fly free and not be consumed by her madness any longer. It was going to be an uphill battle, but she was more than willing to do it. She was determined and wouldn't let anything hold her down. Not even her own mind could hold her back. Right now, that was her biggest enemy. She wouldn't even let herself stand in her way. She would overcome what was holding her back no matter how hard it was.   Romy thankfully started to eat, bending her head down. It was then that Edelgard got a good look at her red tail. "Oh, that's pretty..." Now she could see why the species was called the red tailed buzzard. It wasn't as vibrant as existed in some other bird species that she'd seen in pictures or even just observed in her time birdwatching outside sometimes. There were a lot of pretty birds in the world. Adrestia was really blessed with wildlife from what little she'd seen around the castle. She wasn't sure about Faerghus, though. She couldn't remember watching the birds or anything like that... Then again, she couldn't remember anything about her time in Faergus outside of hating the cold.   "Yeah, red tails are mighty good birds. Opportunists, they are. I saw Lady Katinka fly Romy on almost everything: squirrels, birds, rabbits... You name it, she's been flown on it. She'll be a real good hunting companion for you." Ueli smiled and she managed a small one back. She was looking forward to it. She really was. She wasn't able to handle the blood and guts aspect of hunting yet, but she hoped she would in time. She could just leave it to Ueli, but she really didn't want to. She might have to wait a season or so until then, but she did have months until the falconry season began. Things could change a lot in just a couple of months. She understood that. She'd turned from a complete recluse into someone with mild interest in going on. She would still prefer to be tucked up against Juliane and never see the world again... At least she had falconry to look forward to now. She wasn't looking forward to court, but she would have to face it in due time.   "I see... Well, that should make her a good first bird." Being able to take any number of prey options would be good. She really didn't know what all that entailed. Still, she could understand a bird with a wide range of hunting options would be good for any hunter.   "Aye, but they're a bit sluggish compared to other birds. Longwings--falcons--are the height of acrobatic hunting. I've flown more than one peregrine in my years and they're mighty fine birds. Almost seem to intrinsically understand falconry. Loyalest birds you ever will meet. Still can get lost due to their tendency to tail chase. But you've not lived until you've seen a peregrine hunt." She nodded a bit at Ueli's words. Sluggish or not, a bird that could take various types of prey would be good because she wouldn't be so focused on trying to find only one sort. Still, she wanted to fly Evelin more than anything... If only she could get the eagle out of her madness. "By the way, Edelgard, do you like music?" She blinked and looked up at Ueli, head tilted. "I mean I don't really like or hate it... Why do you ask?" That was a random question to ask. It was pretty sudden so she wasn't sure what he was getting at. But she was trying to be kind and not seem like she was tossing away all of his knowledge. He was being kind enough to take her in and even feed her once a day. She just...didn't have any particularly strong feelings toward music. She'd been to the opera once right before she'd been taken to Fhirdiad and she'd never really been one to care about church hymns or praising the goddess through music. She wasn't sure what he was getting at. "Well... I do have somethin' else you might be interested in learning. There's a way to charm raptors through music alone." Okay, that did get her attention. If she could potentially use it on Evelin, that would be great . She wanted to see the eagle fly freely again. Maybe she could use this charming thing on her? Then again, she should reserve judgment for when she knew things better… "Would it--" "I know what you're gonna ask and, no, it won't work on Evelin. It's about charming wild raptors to come in so we don't have to trap them." Edelgard nodded and looked down. She had been so hopeful. Anything that could be a tool in her toolbox to work on Evelin would be welcome. Sadly, this wouldn't be the case. She really just wanted the bird to no longer be stuck in her madness. It would take a lot of time though... Granted, she hadn't had any time really with the bird to try to get her out of her madness. The bell on he wrist had helped snap her out of it for a bit, but that hadn't bee anywhere near enough to shatter the madness that gripped her mind. "It's a lost and dying art. I'm not sure how many people still practice it... Would you like to learn?" "Sure." She wasn't sure if she'd ever use it, but if it was lost and dying... Someone had to preserve it. She was future Empress, but she really needed to make sure something so culturally precious didn't die a slow, agonising death. She really couldn't believe people would let something like that die. Why would they do that...? Why not preserve something even if it was somewhat useless...? "Well, finish up tidbitting Romy and then we can get on with it." Ueli smiled and Edelgard nodded. She didn't rush the bird or anything, opting to just sit there while the bird slowly ate the tidbits. In due time, though, she finished and Ueli took her back outside. Edelgard waited for him to come back and he did so. "The most important thing to know about this particular art is that accuracy is key. If you get even one wrong note, then you'll break the spell for lack of a better word. It ain't magic but I just dunno a better word to use." That was entirely fair. She wasn't at all proficient in magic so if it had come down to that, she wouldn't be able to do it. With that, the lesson commenced and it was a lot harder than Edelgard thought. She had never really been trained in music or anything at all really, so hitting the proper notes was difficult. Ueli seemed to be really good with music though. He could pick out when she was even just a little bit off. This...was going to be quite the difficult challenge, but she didn't mind. She was enjoying learning even if he was being stringent with her. Still, it was nothing like her combat teachers could be. He was just making sure she was accurate and not tearing her down. If this is what Annika had learned under, she could understand why the girl was so sensitive to what the combat teachers said. They could be pretty blunt a lot of the time. Edelgard was used to it though… After that small lesson wrapped up, Edelgard went under Helens tutelage for a few hours to learn how to make furniture. Again, she would likely never use the furniture lessons... She just didn't have it in her to do so. Plus, she'd have Ueli to make all of the furniture. Even so, she wanted to learn everything she possibly could. She would never rival even Annika in making furniture, but she didn't mind. Learning to do things that challenged her was fun. She was in a safe environment and so there was nothing that would really hurt her here. She saw no reason not to take on the challenge. She could handle jesses though... Those weren't too hard. They just had to be properly sized. They were just one, long strip of leather with ties and a hole punched in it to pull it through. After furniture lessons wrapped up, Edelgard found herself in the kitchen under Helen's guidance for cooking. "By the way, Edelgard, if you'd like to learn to make bread, feel free to come here early in the morning tomorrow. I'll be baking a few loaves. I usually start about an hour after dawn." Edelgard blinked and looked at Helen. "Really?" She had never baked bread before. She didn't know what went into it. She just tended to have it already ready to her, like so many other things. She didn't need to do anything herself. She could see how soft if left her, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She was a noble, a princess. Most nobles would look down on her for even enjoying cooking, let alone wanting to handle it herself. She really was enjoying it though... She'd probably never need it, but she didn't think it was bad to have skills. Though, again, who knew what would happen while she wa at Garreg Mach? She had no idea... She didn't know what going to the monastery would be like... Helen smiled and nodded. "Yeah, honey. You want to learn how to do more than just a few basic things, right? I don't mind teaching you." Edelgard managed a small smile and nodded. Yeah, she really did want to learn more things than she currently knew even if she wouldn't ever really use it. Baking bread? She had cooks for that. They really wouldn't ever need to use that knowledge. Even so, she was more than willing to work. Despite being royalty, she wasn't above doing work herself. A good leader was somebody that always put themselves out there for their followers to listen to. Tobias and her father had different opinions on ruling at least from what little bit she knew about them. Tobias valued every life, noble and common alike, while her father was indifferent toward commoners. Tobias and Juliane had really drilled it into her that lives mattered no matter what. Humans were humans and that was all that mattered. It was only when they'd done unforgivable acts that they should be considered for death. And Rhea fit perfectly well into that mold… "So what are we making tonight?" Edelgard smiled and Helen started teaching her. Her chopping was a little bit better than when she'd started, though she was still very slow with the knife. Helen went much quicker and was a lot more elegant with it. Edelgard's chops were rough and unrefined, but it didn't really matter for them. As long as the food was edible, that was all that mattered. Helen didn't place any emphasis on how things looked like the royal cooks did. Edelgard was just glad she got this opportunity to learn. She really enjoyed it. Even if it was blander than she was used to... But spices were incredibly expensive so even well-off commoner families had to be discerning with their money. Spices just weren't available to them really. Dinner prep flew by in what felt like only an instant and then they found themselves seated at the table. After the prayer, Ueli smiled. "Would you like to try handling a meal on your own at some point, Edelgard?" She blinked and looked up at him, head tilted. She really hadn't been cooking that long... Did he really think that she could handle it by herself? Though there were a lot of people and that was a lot of food… "Would Helen still help me with prep? I'm pretty slow with it..." She was ungraceful with the knife and handling meat was still a bit squeamish for her. She was trying her best, but it was still hard to handle meat even if it was separated from the body. She didn't really like the feeling. She wasn't looking forward to when she had to kill and process the quail all on her own. But she needed to get used to it so that way she could handle managing her own kills in the field. She at least had months until they headed out into the field. She was looking forward to it, but at the same time, dreading it. She had such a long way to go before she was fit to go into the field... Plus, she wasn't used to endurance riding either and it sounded like they'd be doing that. "I'll help you with prep then give you step by step instructions on how to cook the meal. Does that sound like a fun challenge?" The woman smiled at her. Edelgard was a little tense but she did nod. She could appreciate safe challenges. Helen would be watching over her so she doubted the woman would let her mess it up. She didn't want to hold the family up for too long or burn their meal. She'd had burnt food once and it was disgusting. It had been cooked over a campfire while they had been going to one of their vacation homes on the sea... She really didn't like burned food. "Okay." She managed a small but tentative smile. Once again, it was in a controlled environment, but there were stakes. A family's food would be on the line here... She didn't want to disappoint Helen, Ueli, or Annika. And goddess forbid she do something that made Hubert upset. But she knew he'd take just about anything without complaining about it. He was often her combat partner and had sustained many a hit from her due to her incompetence but he never complained. He was loyal and she did appreciate it, but still... He was sometimes too loyal. He never complained about her orders if she accidentally hurt him. He always handled things with a certain dignity and grace that she herself didn't have. "So how were lessons this morning, Annika?" Ueli looked at his daughter whose face turned ashen. Ueli frowned and looked at Edelgard. "That bad?" "I'll have Mother Juliane start looking for new teachers... Annika didn't really like how some of them handled things. They were too harsh for her." Edelgard was just used to teachers being slightly harsh. They were strict warriors that had seen combat and didn't want their students to end up killed should something happen to them. She understood that, but Annika really didn't. She didn't think any of them had been overly harsh, but she had seen how Helen and Ueli treated their daughter. They were very gentle with her and rarely had a negative thing to say. They always gave praise even when criticising their daughter. The teachers...simply didn't. They gave criticism and praise was kind of rare. She almost wanted to say Annika had been coddled, but that was wrong. People just had different teaching styles. Edegard wasn't at all used to having praise being heaped on her all the time. This was just how things were all her life. She could recall her lessons from being a child... Praise was still rare. It was just part of how nobles taught. Ueli frowned. "Oh, I see... I'm sorry about the inconvenience and if it hampers your learning." Edelgard shrugged. "I've switched teachers a lot, so I'm used to taking a few weeks here and there to readjust to a new teacher." Granted, some teachers had been incredibly harsh when she'd been a child. She'd always gone crying to Anselma and Juliane about it. Those teachers tended to be sacked and replaced almost immediately. Noble learning was also about how harsh life could be at times... Even the nobility weren't soft. They didn't have to do as much as commoners in areas such as cooking, but they had to make up for it in other areas such as diplomacy, combat, and so on. She probably should start learning magic, but she wasn't in the right headspace... Magic was a complex theory and she didn't feel like sitting around for hours on end anymore. She wanted to be active in some shape, way, and form. Even with the furniture lessons, she was using her hands and learning to shape and mold the leather and sew it in the right ways. "Well, thank you kindly for treating Annika so well. We really appreciate the fact that she's learning to defend herself." Ueli smiled warmly and Edelgard returned it, though she glanced at Hubert. He was normally quiet so there was nothing out of the ordinary there, but she knew that face. He was planning something. What it was, though, she really had no idea. He wasn't easy to read which was both a good and a bad thing. It meant he could keep her safe while carrying his plans out but even so… "Hubert?" He clearly snapped out of it and looked at her. "What is it, my lady?" His tone was calm and cool as normal, though he was still clearly a little off put by being snapped away from his thoughts. "What's on your mind?" Something clearly was. She doubted he'd tell her, though. He normally kept his thoughts to himself unless they would directly help her. It was frustrating, but that was just the type of person he was. She couldn't really do anything about it. He was who he was and was shaped by his life just like the rest of them. "Well, I was thinking I could maybe teach Annika some magic while you're busy with Helen during furniture lessons." Edelgard blinked. Now that definitely surprised her, and she could see it in Helen and Ueli's faces too. Magic was generally a skill reserved for nobles. It wasn't very often that commoners could access magic due to the theory behind it being so complex to learn at times. She had yet to learn any of herself mainly due to life circumstances... "Would you be interested in that, Annika?" He looked at the older girl who looked like she'd seen a ghost. Hubert did tend to have that effect on people… "I... Uh... I wouldn't be against it." Her voice was quiet, obviously still spooked that he'd spoken to her. He'd mostly been quiet while they'd been here. Though she wondered that Hubert might not be a good teacher for her... If she was sensitive to bluntness, well... Hubert was normally one not to mince words. He told things as they were. Though she knew better. When it came to her, he could be incredibly sweet and gentle. He knew how to respond to her emotional needs, though he rarely ever showed that level of kindness and gentleness to anybody else. Would he show that to Annika or would it be as he normally was...? There was no telling. "Very well then. And I can teach you some...other things." From that tone, Edelgard could tell he would work with her on less savory aspects of combat. He was a mage primarily, but he still knew how to wield weapons such as daggers and swords. He wouldn't simply rely on a single source of combat. He needed to be flexible and capable of protecting Edelgard at any point... She could only imagine what he'd be able to do with improvised weapons should something go south in the city. It was crazy what he was probably able to do… "O-Okay..." Annika's voice wavered and she didn't meet his eye. Poor girl. Edeglard wished she could reassure her, but Hubert would just deny he was capable of any sort of softness. If he showed it to Annika, it would be in private. They'd probably just be in the living room instead of the workshop where Helen and Edelgard would be. She was a bit surprised he'd be willing to leave her like that, but it seemed like Hele and Ueli had earned his trust... At least as much trust as Hubert was willing to give. He gave a fair bit to Juliane and was even partially loyal to her. She was practically another mother to him from what she could remember of her childhood. "Well, uh, thank you. Is there anything we can do to repay you?" Ueli spoke, though his voice also shook in nervousness. Hubert really knew how to intimidate people even when they were two or three times his age. She did appreciate the fact that he was always with her though. She wouldn't know what she'd do without him at this point. She couldn't remember her time in the Kingdom when he'd been parted from her and, of course, there was the terrible reality that was the Crest experiments... She didn't want to think about that though. “Seeing Lady Edelgard happy like this is all the payment I need." He dipped his head respectfully to the falconer. Edelgard smiled faintly to herself. Of course that was all he felt he needed. Seeing her happy and safe was his life's goal. Though she couldn't imagine how badly he felt he had failed when she was taken to the Kingdom and for the Crest experiments... Granted, it didn't help his own father had been the one to take her. She barely remembered it, but she had been taken from her room one night by Marquis Vestra. She knew the man's face well enough since he was such a staple around the capital, always following in one of the Imperial family members' shadow.   "Well, all right then." Ueli offered Hubert a tentative smile. She was glad to see Annika trained even if she hadn't really dabbled in magic herself... She ought to ask about it but she really wasn't in the mood for sitting for long hours. She was at least still minimally active with the furniture lessons. The singing lessons, not so much, though she was still technically using her body. She would never be trained vocally. Music just didn't hold much interest to her. She could remember going to the opera one night, but outside of that...music hadn't really been a part of her life.   Dinner wound down and Edelgard and Hubert headed back to their rooms. She looked at him after they departed the house. "You're really gonna teach Annika? I thought your softness was reserved for me alone..." She knew that he didn't like to reveal his hand to people. If they knew he had any sort of softness, he would think they would take advantage of that. He needed to be an impenetrable fortress to protect his lady. "She so clearly needs softness though... I don't think my combat teachers are that tough, but after seeing Ueli with her... Well, it makes it pretty clear she's incredibly sensitive. I know I'm pretty sensitive but she seems even moreso than me..." She'd been sensitive since the Crest experiments. Unkindness made her want to cry and she often did. Thankfully, she was very used to how noble teachers were, so she wasn't upset by how they handled themselves or her. She was simply used to praise not being given out very regularly.   "I'm quite aware she definitely needs that softness I often show you, my lady. Ueli can attend to his duties while I teach Annika magic. You'll be with Helen, so I can proceed unobstructed." So he was going to show her the kindness she needed. She often couldn't quite get a good read on Hubert, but in this case, it was pretty evident what he was planning to do. She could read between the lines. He was a big softie underneath all that harshness and terror he projected out to people. He just couldn't show it for her sake and protecting her.   She returned to Juliane's room and they went through their normal routine, Edelgard bringing up the bit about teachers. Juliane frowned. "Oh, I didn't expect that she'd not quite be used to noble teachers... I suppose I can look at our knights and see who all can teach you. I do know of some very gentle individuals."   "That's good." No, the Empire didn't have as many knights as somewhere like Faerghus, but it didn't mean they were completely without. They still needed a standing military and knights of all different types were important to that military prowess. The tenants of chivalry and knighthood just probably weren't as important to Adrestian knights as those in Faerghus. But she didn't know. She couldn't remember anything about the Kingdom. She really hadn't met too many of their knights so she didn't know much of anything about them. As long as they could find a couple of combat teachers that weren't like the current ones she had, Annnika would be happy. Plus, Edelgard might grow a bit too... Sometimes the lack of praise could get a little bit overwhelming even when she felt like she was doing things right. Going too far one way or the other wasn't good, but she hoped Juliane could find somebody right in the middle...   They finished up their nightly routine and then curled up in bed, the night whisking them away into slumber until dawn rose the next day.