Chapter Text
Jeralt was right. Band Camp was extremely hot, but the heat was the least of Byleth’s worries at the moment.
“The drum major’s way too strict.”
“I’m too afraid to ask anything. I feel like she’s going to kill me.”
“Are we sure she’s a student?”
“Completely different from her dad, right?”
“I wonder if they’re actually related…”
The whispers seemed to surround Byleth like a swarm of bugs that refused to leave her alone.
“Byleth, I wanted to talk to you about the last drill we ran.” Seteth had stepped out from under the tarp that had been shading the rest of the staff. “You’re doing an excellent job picking out the students’ mistakes, but you should focus on offering positive reinforcement as well.”
Byleth nodded. “I understand,” she said, turning back to the band. “Standing by!” she called.
So many commands to memorize, and such little time to learn them all. Byleth was grateful Seteth had been mostly understanding, but even she could tell her lack of experience was beginning to grate on his nerves.
As the next drill ran, Byleth’s eyes scanned over the block of students. Before she could make a comment, Seteth held up a hand. “I changed my mind. Hold back any remarks for this set,” he said. “I want you to watch the clarinet section leaders this time around.” He gestured over to Dedue and two other girls.
Byleth searched her brain for their names. Dimitri’s smiling face popped into her head.
Along with Dedue, Annette and Mercedes make up the rest of the clarinet section, he had said.
Mercedes, the taller of the two, was first to speak after the drill had finished. “It’s looking wonderful so far,” she said, tapping a freshman on the shoulder. “Do you mind stepping out of the marching block for a moment? I want to fix your posture.”
The student looked back to the rest of the band, clearly anxious to be separated from his friends.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be super quick!” This time, it was Annette who spoke.
“I’ll start the next drill,” Seteth assured Byleth, bringing her back to reality. “Just see if you can pick up a couple tips from the other students.”
Byleth carefully made her way to the clarinets. As soon as the freshman saw her, his eyes widened. He turned to Mercedes and Annette for support.
For a moment, Byleth was unsure of what to say. “It’s… looking good,” she said. The words were slightly unnatural coming from her, but she was determined to make an effort.
The freshman slowly relaxed.
“Keep your shoulders back!” Annette reminded him.
Before long, the freshman was back in the marching block, determined as ever.
Byleth couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride over the freshman’s quick improvements.
“It’s difficult, isn’t it?” Dedue fidgeted with his bass clarinet, rapidly pressing keys as he and Byleth watched the rest of the band.
“What?”
“To try and be encouraging when everyone’s afraid of you.”
Byleth thought back to the freshman’s initial fear when she first walked over. She couldn’t help but notice how similar it was to her first impression of Dedue, how intimidating he seemed compared to Dimitri and Edelgard.
“How do you get around that?” Byleth asked.
“I try to hang around friendly people. They act as a bridge between other people and myself.”
“And who’s a friendly person?”
Dedue thoughtfully watched the rest of the band. “I’m not familiar with many people outside of the woodwinds, but Ashe might be a good person to start with.”
“Ashe?” Byleth could tell who Dedue was talking about before he even pointed him out. A piccolo player with endless energy bounced around a group of flutes. His laughter could be heard from where Byleth stood.
“I don’t think there’s a single person in this program who dislikes him.”
Just watching Ashe smile made the corners of Byleth’s lips perk.
“Thanks for the advice, Dedue.”
“It’s not a problem.”
“Dimitri’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
Deduce smiled.
“And I’m lucky to have him.”
***
Just as Byleth had expected, Ashe was more than willing to let her tag along for the rest of the day.
“I'll see if we can introduce you to more people!” he said. “I just have to get through a quick sectional first.” Ashe put a finger to his chin. “Maybe you can meet Ingrid while we’re at it…”
The flutes had formed a ring of music stands, with Ingrid standing at the center.
“Your flutes should be held at a perfect ninety degree angle!” she called. One hand held her own flute in demonstration while the other corrected the heights of the rest of the students. “Remember, the stadium lights will reflect off of the instrument, so they have to be perfect!”
Ingrid finally noticed Ashe and Byleth as they approached. “Oh good, you’re finally here, Ashe,” she said. “And nice to see you, Byleth!”
“Is something wrong?” Ashe asked, stepping into the center of the circle to join Ingrid.
Ingrid slightly tilted her head to the direction of a freshman sitting in the corner of the room. “She hasn’t stopped crying,” she said. “I haven’t been able to get the chance to console her. Think you can help?”
Ashe was already on his way. He quickly waved Byleth over.
Ashe sat on one side of the freshman while Byleth seated herself on the other. The freshman slowly lifted her head from her knees to glance at the two of them before lowering her gaze once more.
“Hey there, is everything okay?” Ashe asked. “It’s okay if you don’t feel comfortable talking. But, if you do want to talk about it, just let me know whether you want me to listen or give advice.”
The freshman slowly looked up again, her watery eyes now visible.
“I’ve tried playing the runs… so many times,” she stammered between sobs, “But I can’t play them. Everyone else plays them so easily, while I suck. I don’t think I can do it.”
“It’s okay if you can’t play them right now,” Ashe said. “You can always stay after school and let me help you.”
“But how come everyone else doesn’t have to work hard?” the freshman cried.
Ashe tilted his head back. “It’s true. Some people don’t have to practice much and can play all of the pieces just fine. But, the best part about playing an instrument is that anyone can catch up with hard work.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re a section leader.”
Ashe smiled. “But I’m not. When I first started playing, I couldn’t even make a sound. I remember crying for hours on end. And you want to know who helped me?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
“My Dad. He sat there with me, holding the headjoint to my face and positioning it so that I could finally make a note. He never gave up, and kept working with me until I had it down.”
“So… you had to work hard too?”
Ashe nodded.
“He’s telling the truth, you know.” Byleth was surprised to hear herself cut into the conversation. “Whenever I played at my recitals, people always told me they wish they could have been born with what I had. But, to be honest, the only reason I can play the way I do is because I spend so long practicing. Talent can only get you so far. It’s hard work that separates the good players from the best.”
The freshman rubbed the corners of her eyes. She didn’t seem to want to talk anymore, but the conversation clearly lifted her mood. “Thanks,” she muttered before picking up her flute and slowly joining the rest of the section.
Byleth let out a shaky breath. Freshmen could be hard to work with at times.
“You did great back there,” Ashe reassured her.
Byleth smiled. “I was only following your lead.”
“Doesn’t that make you feel so good? Helping someone find the motivation to keep going?” he asked.
Byleth nodded. As emotional as the two freshmen were, she felt a sense of accomplishment watching them work hard. Maybe this was why Jeralt wanted her to join band.
“It’s the reason why I became a section leader. I want to help people like my Dad has helped me,” Ashe said.
“He sounds like a great guy.”
Ashe’s grins were usually bursting with enthusiasm, but at the moment his expression was soft. Byleth could practically see the memories running through his head.
“Yeah,” Ashe said. “He really is.”
***
Leonie stood on her tiptoes as she searched the band room for Byleth. She couldn’t believe it when Claude informed her Byleth had visited the battery right before their sectional.
You know how much the Eisners mean to me, she thought to herself.
Leonie finally spotted Byleth out of the corner of her eye. She could already feel the excitement rising in her chest as she made her way toward the school’s drum major.
“Hey Byleth!” she said. “It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
Byleth nervously looked around the room. “I’m sorry,” she said, “Do I know you?”
Something inside of Leonie shattered. Know me? “I was the kid your Dad gave lessons to for tenor drum,” she said, hoping to jog Byleth’s memories. “You usually played piano while we worked.
Byleth shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t recall anything.”
That was blunt. “Surely you remember!” Leonie searched Byleth’s face for an answer, but even she could tell it was a lost cause.
“You really forgot about it all, didn’t you?” Leonie asked.
Byleth looked uncertain on what to say.
Leonie quickly walked away, not wanting the conversation to become any worse than it already had.
It was true, Leonie took lessons with Jeralt for only a single summer. The lessons were insanely expensive, and it took Leonie’s part time job and donations from her extended family to be able to afford them for such a short amount of time.
And yet… that was Leonie’s favorite summer. Every day she woke up, excited to learn more each day. Jeralt was a genius, that much was certain. Leonie had never gotten the chance to listen to many professionals, and hearing him for the first time opened up a world of possibilities. If she closed her eyes, she could still hear him playing for the first time.
It was from that moment Leonie idolized him. He wasn’t a distant celebrity from one of the recordings she found online. He was a real person, and he was teaching her how to be great, just like him.
For Leonie, it took all the support from her aunt and uncles just to be able to learn from Jeralt for a couple of weeks.
But for Byleth, it was just one more summer she spent with her Dad. It didn’t cost her a single penny to be able to ask her Dad about his musical expertise. She’d never had to pay to listen to him play. She could do it whenever she wanted.
And for that, Leonie was envious.
———
~Director’s Seteth’s Guide to Marching Band~
Standing By: A command used by a drum major to bring the band to attention.
Piccolo: An instrument part of the flute family. It’s smaller than the flute, and plays in a higher register.
Sectionals: A set time for an instrument section to meet up with one another and work on their music or marching.