Stolen Time: The Bells of Prison

Edelgard rolled over and rubbed her eyes as she woke up, dawn peeking through the windows of the room. The night had felt short and quick compared to normal. She had slept peacefully despite everything going against her. She wouldn't exactly complain, though. She was always glad when she slept peacefully, especially after stress. She could sometimes be plagued by such terrible nightmares when too stressed out. She would never complain about it. Juliane shifted and kissed her head, Edelgard looking up and Juliane smiling at her. "Good morning, El. I'd ask how you slept, but it seems like you were fine last night." Edelgard nodded. "Yeah, I slept fine." Usually the night felt long but peaceful, but last night had been short and brief despite how peaceful it had been. At least it hadn't triggered the memories she did have of the Crest experiments. The screaming of her siblings as they were tortured, the cold dungeons... She shoved the thoughts away, not wanting to trigger those particular memories. The pair fell into their normal morning routine of bathing, brushing Edelgard's hair, then eating breakfast with relative ease. "I'm going to Helen and Ueli's house early in the mornings to help her bake bread from now on. I'll be a little late to my combat classes. Is that okay?" She frowned. She didn't want to get in trouble for it. Juliane petted Edelgard's head and shook her own. "That's fine, El. As long as you aren't missing an entire class. I don't want to be paying somebody for services not rendered unless you have a good reason to skip." "No, I'll be maybe twenty minutes late if that." She didn't want to get in trouble. Juliane was such a kind woman that rarely ever got cross, so she didn't want to test her patience. It was one thing to skip the classes if she was visiting her siblings once in a while. It was another for her to skip just because she felt like it. She really wasn't the type of person to miss frivolously. She was good and punctual with her things. Though she did tilt her head. "Or maybe we could just move things back half an hour?" Her schedule would already be in upheaval over getting new teachers, so she didn't see any reason why she couldn't just move things back a little bit more. It would still let her get the full services of the teacher. Juliane tapped her chin then nodded. "All right. We can move your combat lessons back a little bit. That's a good compromise." She kissed Edelgard's head. "Good idea, El. Anyway, you want to head off now?" Edelgard nodded. She kissed Juliane's cheek then headed out of the room where she met up with Hubert. He held up a pack, already filled with her meals for the day. He was as attentive as always. She was really glad she did have him. They headed down to Helen and Ueli's house without a word and Helen wrapped her arms around Edelgard with a smile. "Well good morning, Edelgard. Ready to help me with the bread?" "Yes!" She smiled up brightly at the woman. She was really excited to bake. She could put her strength into something that wouldn't just be combat. Kneading the bread by hand required a fair bit of strength, so she was pretty happy to be able to put her strength into something that wasn't just violence… "Do you remember how to knead or would you like a refresher?" "Could you help me with how to do it again? I might need a few more times to remember fully..." She couldn't entirely remember the previous day due to the stress from seeing her siblings. It was hazy at best even if it hadn't been as bad as the previous time she'd visited them. That...That was just blank now. "All right, honey." Helen showed her how to knead it again, a smile on her face. Edelgard thankfully followed her instructions pretty easily and fell into a rhythm quickly. "You really do pick things up real quick." Edelgard looked up at Helen, a slight flush to her cheeks from the praise. She wasn't aiming to be praised or anything like that. She was just trying to help the woman out. She knew the woman could handle this on her own; she no doubt had for years. But it was nice to be able to help someone like this. She wouldn't get too many chances to help others once she ascended the throne... She'd be trapped in the palace at all hours of the day unless she went on a falconry or other hunting expedition. "Thanks. You still won't mind helping me remember for a few days, will you?" The motions were simple, but figuring out when the bread was done would be done was the harder part... Helen smiled and shook her head. "Not at all, honey." After a bit, they finished up and they put the bread aside. "Anyway, I need to get to my combat lessons. It was nice to see you, but I will see you later!" She smiled. "Oh, right, Annika." "She's out feeding the quail right now." Helen left the house and came back a few minutes later with Annika. Edelgard smiled at her. "Oh, right, sorry for leaving you yesterday. I decided to go see my siblings. It was a pretty last-minute decision." She felt bad for leaving the poor girl hanging. She had meant to talk to her but it just wasn't necessarily in the cards. She really would've liked to, but...seeing her siblings was going to be important to her too. She wasn't sure how much longer they'd be around. "It's all right. Shall we go get training?" Annika's smile was a little hesitant and Edelgard nodded. The girl deserved better than what she got. Maybe she could one day institute some sort of nation-wide teaching program... It would take a lot and probably wouldn't be popular with the nobility but knowledge should't be restricted to the nobility alone. She would probably unfortunately need to have Church teachings in there to placate Rhea. She wasn't sure what the woman would think of having commoners learn on a large scale... She unfortunately still had to work within the systems established even if she wished she could completely override the current ones… They headed to the training grounds where a slew of new teachers met them. They were the hold over teachers until Juliane could truly find somebody new to handle them but they were definitely a lot kinder than Edelgard's previous teachers had been. Annika was much more relaxed than she had been previously, obviously appreciating these teachers a lot more. Edelgard was a bit annoyed at them being so soft. She was used to strict corrections and that helped her learn quickly and easily. But Annika did require someone softer... She would just have to deal with it she supposed. She had asked for this... There wouldn't be someone that could match the styles they both needed. Thankfully, the lessons came to a close after a few hours and Annika looked a lot better than she had a few days prior. "That was great!I learned so much!" "That's great." Edelgard forced a smile. She was used to one style of teacher so this adjustment period was going to be hard. But if Annika was enjoying them...maybe they ought to just keep these teachers. Even if Edelgard didn't particularly like them. She was trying her best to meet Annika half way but she felt like things had swung too far in the other direction. She would need to talk to Juliane later... See if there was anything she could do to help meet them halfway... She wasn't sure if anybody could really meet them halfway in their teaching style when they needed such different approaches. Annika started walking toward her house while she fell behind with Hubert in tow. He spoke to her lowly as they walked. "Perhaps you should consider a hybrid approach. I can tell you were frustrated with the classes," he whispered, obviously trying not to tip Annika off to what he was saying. Edelgard frowned. "What exactly do you mean by a hybrid approach?" "I don't know if we can find one person for both you and Annika to learn under and both benefit from it. They were too soft for you, but you need more structure and direct feedback. But Annika needs softness and gentleness. Perhaps we could suggest using both teachers and have them work in tandem together." Oh, that did make sense. Have the softer teacher watch and keep up with what they were doing then take over and work with her and Annika. She nodded. "I'll talk about it with Mother Juliane later." That honestly sounded like the best compromise. She would have to endure the much softer teachers for a little while, but it would only be a quarter of an hour. Each of her lessons were around an hour long with a few five-minute breaks in there if she needed snacks, water, or just a breather. Juliane probably wouldn't be enthusiastic about having to pay two teachers, but Edelgard just couldn't see how one person could truly meet her needs while also meeting Annika's. There might be some people like that, but they'd basically be unicorns... And trying to find the best teacher for two vastly different styles would be so supremely difficult. Hubert nodded and fell into step behind them and they arrived at Ueli's house a little while later. They found him doing feeding. "Well, good afternoon Edelgard and Annie! How were combat classes this morning?" Annika went over and hugged her father, a pang of jealousy spiking through Edelgard's heart. She missed her own father. She still had most of the Imperial women, but she missed her father so horribly. She hadn't seen him in the three or so months she'd been released from the Crest experiments. She didn't understand why he was staying so shut away and could even give her the time of day. She wanted to see him once in a while, but he wouldn't see her... She missed him so much. "They were great! The new teachers were so much better than the other ones I tried!" Annika looked legitimately happy. Edelgard sighed. She felt bad for being frustrated with the older girl... She was doing her absolute best, but she had some severe confidence issues. Having someone that gave sharp corrections was probably detrimental to her mind. Edelgard needed the more strict teachers though. Hubert's suggestion really did seem like the best compromise unfortunately. She wasn't trying to push Annika to not be involved. She had been the one to suggest this in the first place... So to push Annika off after just a few days wouldn't be kind. "Need help with feeding?" Edelgard shifted the topic and walked over to Ueli. The man smiled and nodded. "Yeah, if you could finish up, that'd be great. But I can go get Romy and we can do a little bit of work with her." Edelgard felt eager at that. Her stomach did churn a little bit as she tossed the dead, headless quail bodies into the various mews, but she finished up his feeding for him. Wasn't hard to see who needed feeding and who didn't. She was glad that he was trusting her with this... It meant a lot to her. After that, she headed into the house where Ueli sat with Romy. Edelgard put her glove on and he sat a bag of tidbits down in her lap. "There you go. Though we shouldn't be feeding a red-tail on the glove too often. This is just till she gains your trust. She can turn real sticky footed and aggressive if you feed from the glove too much." Edelgard blinked but nodded. Oh, she hadn't known that. But she would keep it in mind. She held the tidbits as Ueli had taught her and, slowly, Romy filled up on them. She did mantle over the glove but there wasn't a lot they could do to stop that. She could start to see why it was a bad idea to feed the bird on the glove too much. She really didn't want the bird to get too reliant on her and see the glove as prey.   "All right, I understand. I hope she'll give me her trust soon." She really did want the bird's trust. She was mantling, but that was to be expected.   "Romy's well trained so she should give it over to ya pretty quick. She's a bit older, about seven or eight, but she still got a good few years left in her before we need to retire her." Edlegard nodded. That was good. She wanted to fly the bird for at least one season. She hoped she would get Evelin flying fit, but she wasn't so sure about that. So, for now, she would work with Romy. The bird was pretty placid and gentle, so she saw no reason not to try to work with her. Mantling, sure, but that was just normal behavior from her limited understanding.   "That's good."   "once we get her trustin' ya, we can start free flying her. I've been watchin' her weight real careful so so that way we don't have to spend as much time training her up as normal. I've already portioned out her meals so that way she's at a good weight. I'm slowly cutting down her food so she'll be at a flying weight pretty soon. Not a hunting weight, mind, but flying."   "There's a difference between hunting and flying weights?" She hadn't known that. She was surprised there was so much difference in falconry. She was trying her best to understand, but she hadn't been around this sport very long at all. It was nice to work with birds of prey though... It was amazing to think these wild animals could be worked with to the point of having them come back and hunt with them. If she wasn't supposed to be on the throne, she could see herself dedicating her life to the sport... A lot of younger Imperial children tended to get the choice of what they did with their lives. She should've had that freedom, but she didn't.   Ueli nodded. "If a bird's fat, they won't fly period. Why expend energy when their crop's full and they have all the food they want? Yes, a bird needs to be hungry in order to want to fly. A hunting weight is lower than a flying weight. Flying weight is just when they're willing to come to the fist for a meal. Hunting weight is when they're fit enough to fly and hungry enough to hunt. You remember how it's not starving the bird, right?"   Edelgard nodded. "Yeah." It was carefully controlling the bird's weight so they would respond to the commands of their trainer as well as be able to catch something. She was glad that she had had that explained to her. If this had been tossed at her even a few days ago, she would definitely be upset. But she understood the difference. She just hadn't realised there were two different flying weights for birds. It did make sense as an extension of weight management though.   Ulei lightly ruffled her hair and she smiled. "Right smart one ya are, Edelgard. You really are good at this. You'll make a great falconer once we get you call trained up." She was glad. She was trying her absolute best to be the best falconer she could be. She didn't want to treat any of the birds she'd be working with badly. They deserved respect and kindness, just like any other living being. She still didn't understand how Duke Aegir could agree to literally help have her siblings and her be experimented on... She mentally shook the thoughts away. "Romy shouldn't take more than a week to start training up real good. You'll be able to start free flying her pretty soon."   She blinked. "Really? I thought it wasn't even the falconry season yet. It was still only the Garland Moon. She thought they wouldn't start flying the birds until much closer to then.   "I'll be working with her away from you, but yeah, we can start getting her flying short distances on the creance." He got in her bag and pulled out a roll of lightweight rope. "I'll be doing most of the training but we can at least get you freeflying her. Though...we might wanna start doing lure work soon." He got in the bag and pulled out a weird leather donut with what looked to be leather wings attached. "If you wanna get a bird fit, you gotta fly 'em on the lure. Granted, that's a step for after they're off the creance. You gotta be sure they'll come back to you first."   "What's the creance for?" She was trying to understand but he was throwing a lot of new terminology at her all of a sudden.   "It's basically a safety line. Attach your bird's jesses to it to make sure they won't fly off when you're starting to get them flying again. Don't use it over massive distances or in trees though; it could get tangled and that could get real ugly." Edelgard winced a bit and nodded. She wouldn't want any harm to come to Romy as they were training. "By the way, you ought to be practicing the falconer's knot whenever you get a chance."   "I can do that before bed." Finding string wouldn't be too hard at least. She had some in her room though that would mean going to her room instead of Juliane's. She hadn't been in that room in a very long time. Not since she'd moved in with Juliane. She'd used to like tying different types of knots just for fun. It had just been a fun game to child her to find as many different types of knots as she could find. The falconer's knot was just another one to add to that repertoire, she supposed.   "Good on ya, girlie." He patted her head again and she smiled at him. Ueli really was a good, kind man. She might look and even act a bit younger than her actual age would dictate but it boiled down to the fact she'd been trapped for a year and a half. She was definitely behind developmentally due to the Crest experiments...   "I'm really looking forward to seeing her free fly." She almost felt a little guilty they were keeping the birds cooped up almost all year round. But she understood the points Ueli had made about natural cycles and such. She didn't want to upset them by forcing Romy into hunting before the prey had all raised their young. Granted, Adrestia wasn't as temperate as the Kingdom of Alliance from what little she knew about them. She had spent time in the Kingdom, but like the rest of her life, it was literally just one giant blank. All she could remember form it was hating how cold it got. Now, though, she might appreciate the cold a lot more. Adrestia was warm all year round especially when they were as south as Enbarr was.   "It's a right magical moment the first time you get a bird to come to you without a creance. Won't deny it. Shoulda seen the look on Lord Tobias' face when Evelin first came to him." Ueli sounded proud, but Edelgard felt a spear strike through her heart. She tried not to let it show and she nodded. She could imagine what it must be like to have a powerful eagle come to you. All she had was Romy who wasn't a bad size but was definitely way smaller than any of the eagles they had cooped up and waiting for the next hunting season. Hubert put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, obviously having picked up on her distress.   "I can only imagine. I really can't wait." She was having a hard time forcing her emotions down. Tobias had been her best friend in the world despite their age gap. He had done so much with her that had gotten him in trouble with Anselma, but Juliane, being the heart and core of the Imperial women, tried to get her to relax. That was about all she knew about her mother and Juliane's relationship. She had heard them fighting behind closed doors more than once over the issue. Even so young, she had picked up on the tension between them.   "It'll be an amazing feeling when it does happen. I still always get a rush whenever I've trainin' up a new bird for your family, be it a peregrine or an eagle." Ueli seemed to not have picked up on her distress in the slightest. So she nodded, still trying to shove down the pain that came from remembering Tobias before everything had happened. She loved him so much... She would probably be an aunt by this point if things hadn't gone so terribly for the Imperial family. "Think you'd like to try flying a peregrine too?"   She tilted her head a bit, considering it. "Well, you did say it was tradition for Imperials to fly a peregrine before upgrading to an eagle. I dunno if splitting my attention between two birds would be a good idea, though. Plus, aren't buteos and falcons two different flight styles? Which are easier: longwings or buteos?"   "Honestly, a lot of that comes down to the species. Buteos are open-country soaring hawks and falcons are open-country birds. So, in that regard, they aren't too different on a base level. However, buteos fly from a perch while most falcons will have them waiting on the wing to stoop to prey. Red tails in particular are opportunists like I said the other day. Falcons generally hunt feathered quarry, not furred. So pheasants, partridge, and such. Obviously, prey depends on which species you're flyin'. Peregrines are real loyal birds and just seem to get falconry. Red tails are real easy to train, though. Peregrines take more touches due to needing to teach them to wait on. For you, I guess I probably would stick with Romy. She'll be easier for you to train up since she's already experienced and there's no waiting on. You can teach a buteo to follow, but it's easiest to just let them fly from the fist." Edelgard nodded. That all made sense. She wasn't sure how she'd teach a peregrine to wait on when she didn't even have experience with something as simple as a red tail. Though he had said that most Imperials started with a peregrine over a golden eagle.   "I gotcha. From the sound of it, it's probably best I stick with Romy. A bird that's easier to take care of will be easier to hunt with." She would have to be careful about the tidbitting though. Ueli had said that they could get sticky footed if fed on the glove too much. She would be under his direct observation, though, so she knew he wouldn't steer her wrong. She trusted him to make sure she was on the right path. This was what he'd been doing for his entire life, after all; he had to know what he was doing. And it had been his lineage that had been doing it for centuries...   "Romy'll handle you well, so I have no reason to not have you work with her. She ain't exactly native to the area, but she can go on jackrabbits and cottontails without any issue. We can also hunt her on partridge and pheasants and whatever else. I'll still probably bring a peregrine with us when we go out, though. Ain't nothin' like seeing a peregrine stoop on some ducks or other feathered prey." Edelgard nodded, trying to imagine what it would look like. She could only imagine. It was crazy to think that a bird could be taught to go up high in the air then hit prey at unfathomable speeds. She was looking forward to seeing it happen.   "I'm really looking forward to it." She really was. This entire world was new and exciting for her. Of course, she still had a few months until she would see the training come to fruition, but she hoped that they'd be able to spend at least a little bit of time out in the field. She really didn't have anything better to do than to go out into the falconry field at this point...   "I think you'll do just fine in the field, Edelgard. Though...you aren't really used to traveling, are you?"   The question made her frown and she shook her head. "No, I'm not. I've only ever traveled twice in my life." She didn't want to get into the details, lest Ueli ask questions about it. Once on that vacation, then going to the Kingdom. "Why do you ask?"   "Well, depending on how long you want to stay out, it'll be pretty rough on you. When we go into the field, we stay in tents and if you want to spend the whole season out... Well. That'll be a lot of time on horseback and a lot of time spent sleeping on the ground. Will you be comfortable with that?"   "I mean I don't really remember my travels too well, but I'll be fine, I think." Plus, it'd help prepare her for the trip to Garreg Mach. That was still some years off, but she would need the experience. The trip from Enbarr to Garreg Mach would take quite a number of weeks. She wasn't really used to riding too much though... She would go out for an hour or so here and there, but she never rode more than her riding lessons really... Juliane didn't want her going out of the city even if they had guards with them. Even going into the city made the woman nervous... She at least felt like she had plenty of space to turn around in the palace, so she didn't complain about it. Plus, she was spending most of her time in Ueli's house anyway.   "Well, if you think you'll be okay... Just wanted to warn ya was all. Didn't want you to be discouraged by not having a nice, cushy bed like you're used to." He had no idea... She had spent so many nights on the dungeon floor without any sort of cushioning and her blanket failed to drive off the permanent chill that pervaded the deepest parts of the dungeons. She was used to not having a nice, cushy bed all the time. She had sometimes lain days on the floor simply because she was in far too much pain to get up.   "I'll be fine." She looked at Hubert though. "Will you be okay?" she teased lightly. If anyone wasn't used to not sleeping on a bed, it'd be him. She knew he'd put up with it no matter what. He would endure anything she asked of him no matter what it was. He was such a good vassal and he spoiled her so much. She didn't know what she'd do without his loyalty.   "It may not be the most comfortable thing, my lady, but I'll endure. How long were you hoping to get out for this season?"   "Good question honestly... Well, there are still several months until we even start training up the birds, so I don't think there's any reason to jump straight to trying to figure that out, right?" She looked up at Ueli. She often did get ahead of herself. Honestly, she wished she could spend the whole season out, but she would have to build up her tolerance to being able to kill things. She still felt faint whenever she had to see the dead quail bodies for feedings. She needed to learn to butcher and process the birds so that way she could do the same with prey.   "Yeah, best not to get ahead of ourselves too much, Hubert. Once we get closer to the season, then we can decide how much time we'll spend out. It'll depend on what Her Majesty is comfortable with." Ueli smiled at Hubert even if it was a bit strained. The man was clearly still absolutely terrified of him. Not that she blamed him... She knew Hubert was a good guy deep down, but most people couldn't get past the incredibly intimidating, horrifying persona he put on. Though...it wasn't entirely a persona. He could and would make people disappear if at all necessary and if she told him to do that. She wasn't the type to abuse his abilities like that but...she would definitely need him and his abilities once she took the throne.   "Very well. We'll worry about it on your schedule, Ueli." Hubert dipped his head to the man respectfully.   "Anyway, Edelgard, wanna  start  on your leatherworking lessons for the day?" Ueli offered. She nodded enthusiastically and headed toward the workshop attached to the house. So for the next few hours, she spent the time working underneath Helen. Her hands weren't quite used to the leatherworking yet and they were definitely rough and sore by time they finished up. She was glad to be getting the time in, but she could see why Hele andUeli's hands were so hard, rough, and cracked. She had grown up soft and privileged so she hadn't had to endure the same roughness they had. If she continued her work like this, her hands would definitely be hard and calloused in no time.   After they finished up with the leatherworking, they headed into the kitchen where Helen had Edelgard help with cooking dinner. She was still relatively new at all of this, so her movements were still clumsy and unrefined, but she was getting the hang of the knife pretty well already, or so she felt like. She was trying her best to not let Hele and Ueli down. Her food wasn't nice and even, but at least it was edible. Helen helped her with the instructions on what to do next, and soon, they were settled down at the table. Edelgard sat next to Hubert and smiled at him, feeling proud of herself for what she'd done that day. Sure, it was the same as the other days, but she just felt proud today. He offered her a smile but nothing beyond that.   "So would you girls like to go down to the city tomorrow? I know you said you wanted to but didn't get to go yesterday..." Ueli put in. Edelgard perked up a bit, then glanced over at Annika. The blonde girl poked at her food a little bit, not looking up at her father.   "I would...if Annika's up to it." Edelgard didn't want to come across as pushy but she really did want to. She would have to skip the falconry lessons for the day, but she didn't mind; it wasn't like it was any sort of official thing she was doing. "I mean we'll need to do combat lessons but..."   "I mean... I suppose it couldn't hurt. But what about your own safety, Edelgard...? Won't you be at risk down there?" Annika put her fork down and squeezed her hands together, looking at Edelgard with worry in her eyes.   Hubert let out an annoyed noise. "If you think I'm letting my lady go down to the city without me, you're sorely mistaken. She will have protection. I Just need to speak to some of the shadow guards after we get back up to the palace proper. She will not be without proper protection." Annika glanced at Hubert then Edelgard saw her head move like she swallowed. Even if Annika was getting his softer side while they were teaching...he was still well and truly capable of committing heinous acts against her. She could disappear tomorrow without a trace and nobody would be any the wiser. Not that she wanted him to do that. Annika had done nothing to earn Edelgard's ire and she was pretty sure the girl didn't have any sort of ulterior motives...   "A-All right... Well... I found a nice little pub that could be fun to have lunch at after we're done with our combat lessons for the day. Then maybe we could hit up some sweet shops or somethin'... I'm not exactly sure what to do though; I ain't never really had any friends." Edelgard gave a sympathetic nod. She could understand that. The only friend she'd ever had outside of her family had been Hubert...and he'd grown up so close to her that they might as well be siblings in a way. She didn't exactly know what all Juliane had done for him while she'd been away, but she was pretty sure the woman had helped him somehow. She wasn't one to let children suffer if she could help it.   "I get that... Plus, you are a bit older than me." They weren't 100% within the other's age range, but they were close enough that Edelgard felt like they could at least hang out. She was about two, three years younger than Annika. Annika was about sixteen or so, though she acted a little younger than that. Probably due to not really having any friends... Divine, that hurt Edelgard's heart. Maybe she could reform the education system and let peasants also have some form of education. It wasn't fair that it was mostly restricted to the elite or well-off peasants like Annika's family.   "Oh well. It don't matter to me. Do you know the city well?"   Edelgard shook her head. "Not really. I know where some of my favorite sweet shops are and that's about it. Toby showed me where they are." That was about it. She had been too young to really want to pay attention where things were when Tobias took her down to the city. She hadn't bothered to learn due to her young age. Hubert would know the city inside and out though... He would probably know where to look for things she'd enjoy doing. She really just wanted to spend a day down in the city. It sounded like a really nice change of pace.   "I can offer some places that might be of interest to you, my lady. You might like a couple of tea houses down in that district... Do you like tea, Annika?" Hubert tilted his head at her. The older girl tensed a bit and shrugged.   "Never really had it before. But it might be worth checking out. Do you like to drink, Edelgard?"   "Honestly, I haven't had much in terms of alcohol...  I tend toward water or tea." She knew it helped keep up the energy of hard working peasants since it was more than water which seemed to not offer much benefit other than quenching thirst. Granted, tea wasn't too different in that regard. She was trying her best to not offend anybody or anything... She just didn't have much interest in drinking. Though she might want to look into it if they ended up spending quite a bit of the falconry season out in the field like she hoped they could...   "Maybe we should visit the teahouse then... I've never been to one though," Annika suggested. "I'm used to going to the pubs with my parents when we do go down to the city..."   "Oh it's not that bad; there's a lot of nice tea blends! You'll just have to get whatever sounds nice to you." Edelgard smiled at Annika. She had her own blends she liked at the teahouse she used to frequent with Tobias. She hadn't been there in quite a while though... She hoped that she'd be able to remember what all she liked since it'd been so long. Or if it was even in business... "Hey Hubert, is the Leaping Pegasus still in business?" He'd know. It was one of her favorite places. Of course he'd know.   "Yes, it is. Is that where you'd like to go tomorrow then?"   Edelgard nodded. "Yeah." She'd probably set up there at lunch... SHe normally would eat more meals than three, but she'd be fine on just three tomorrow, though she might end up a little hungry without the additional three meals she normally ate. She could bear with it for one day, though. She wasn't supposed to miss too many days in a row, though. She hoped it'd be fine for one day.   "They also have a good coffee selection. Have you ever had coffee, Annika?" Hubert asked. Annika looked ready to jump out of her skin, but she shook her head.   "No, ain't never had it."   Edelgard made a face. "It's not worth it. I had to dump a bunch of sugar and milk into it to make it tolerable. It's so bitter." She was pretty sure Hubert still hated her over that interaction. She had taken a few sips of his favorite brews then basically made it completely unlike coffee. Hubert drank his black as far as she was aware. He liked the astringency and bitterness whereas she couldn't stand it. She absolutely hated it. She didn't understand how he could enjoy it. There was nothing but bitterness and disappointment when drinking coffee.   "Maybe I'll try it regardless. I ain't never had too much tea or anything before. Though...I don't have much spending money." Annika frowned.   "Don't worry about it too much; we can cover the costs of anything you want. We are nobles, after all." Hubert smiled. Even though he was trying to be pleasant, it still came across as a threat and Annika paled. Edelgard wished she could blame her, but she couldn't. Hubert was terrifying unless he was alone with her. She wondered how their magic lessons were going. He could be quite gentle, sweet, and tender with her. He had all but implied he was going to be that way with Annika. Apparently that didn't extend to when they were at the dinner table.   "A-All right... Well. I suppose we have a plan for tomorrow then." Annika's voice shook a little bit. Hubert shrugged, obviously not really caring that he had terrified her unintentionally.   The rest of dinner was relatively quiet and Edelgard bade the family farewell until the following day shortly after. When she arrived back, she went through her evening routine with Juliane and looked up at the woman. "We're planning on going down into the city tomorrow. Hubert's already no doubt getting everything together right now..." He would be on it as soon as they would've parted ways. Even if he had to be up all night organising things, she didn't doubt that he would be. She really was glad that he was so loyal to her. She didn't know what she'd do without him. Juliane blinked and tilted Edelgard's head back so they could look at each other. "Are you sure...? The city can be dangerous, El." She nodded. "It's Hubert. You know he'll keep me safe." It was one thing when he was a literal child without any sort of way to keep an eye on her. Now... He had some powers of the Minister of the Imperial Household despite his treacherous snake of a father keeping a relative stranglehold over the Imperial family along with Duke Aegir. Juliane sighed a bit but nodded and finished up brushing Edelgard's hair. After that, they curled up in bed and drifted off into the land of slumber.