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Chapter Text

"Daddy? Who's this?" Young Dimitri asked as he spied an old photograph of his daddy in brass band; he was around 10 or 11 years old in the photo.

"It's me, I was in band too. But you started way earlier than me" Lambert said as he brought the photo down closer to the tiny boy.

"Am I lucky, I have colored Trombones made of plastic" Dimitri said happily as he quickly shot a glance at his instrument - a scaled down plastic trombone in his favorite color: blue - and smiled.

"You sure are, things like these help kids start earlier and go faster; you're also in the school's peewee band club too." Lambert said as he patted his son's head.

"Do you still remember how to play?" Dimi asked as he picked up his instrument, and walked over.

"Matter of fact, I used to play for you before you were born. But now I have a son to raise and no time to practice." The man chuckled. "Meanwhile, I'm helping you to practice and it also helps me to remember how to play"

"Since when?" Dimi asked.

"From the very first lesson at the community club" He said.

**********

"Okay, say hi to Byleth, Dimi" Lambert said as his son hid behind his leg, shyly peering out, his hand holding his new instrument.

"Hi, I'm Dimi" The boy introduced himself as he stepped out from behind Lambert's leg. Byleth smiling kindly as she brushed her hair back and tied it up with an elastic. Dimi looking up at the woman with his big beady eyes and smiling.

"Are you ready? Teach's got some fun stickers for you to stick on your trombone" The kind woman said as she showed the boy many sticker sheets - animals, heroes, shapes, foods. The little boy lit up instantly as he chose some superhero stickers.

"Uh uh, you have to play some notes for me first, then you can get the stickers" She said with a wink, pulling out her brass trombone.

"Whoa, that's big" Dimi said as he looked in awe, the instrument was even taller than himself.

"You can stay if you like, Mr.Blaiddyd" The woman said as she eyed a chair.

"It's better if you can sit in the lesson, your son can improve even quicker if you help him at home too"

"Alright, if ya say so"

"You hold it like this" Byleth said as she helped the small boy hold the instrument correctly. Soon he was ready to make sounds.

"Now, can you blow into the mouthpiece for me? I'll move the slide around and when I tell you, you stop" Byleth said in a fun tone of voice.

"Okay! What's it for?"

"So I can know which note is where."

"Okay!"

Dimitri 'played' as Byleth stuck stickers onto the slide, marking each note with precision and style.

"All done now!" She said, making the boy smile in amazement.

"Is it ready to play now? Can I join a band and wear pretty clothes like El?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, you could join our peewee band after a few lessons" Byleth said.

***********

"That was how your very first lesson went" Lambert said, concluding the story. It was just over a year ago, when Dimi was 3 years old.

"I wish I could perform as a soloist" Dimi said as sat down beside his dad. "El was a soloist with a band."

"She was just the bassline in her mom's friend's ska band - playing a single note for the entire concert" Lambert said, correcting his son's definition of 'soloist'

"How about, I take you to her concert for kids with El tomorrow afternoon. You can even bring your instrument if you like" Lambert offered. His neighbor's friend did interactive concerts for kindergarteners and elementary kids, where they could 'meet' the different instruments and the many kinds of music.

"Really? Yay!" He cheered with joy.

*Tomorrow afternoon*

"I'm here now!" Dimi announced as he hopped down from the car. Many of his classmates and kids from the playgroup class at school were here too. Dimitri saw his friends Annette and Lysithea from playgroup, his classmates Ingrid and Marianne were there too. Even some of the older children were there too, they also wanted to explore more instrument choices for the future.

"Annette! Hi!" He called as he waved.

"Dimi!" The tiny girl called back as she returned the wave with a sunny smile.

"It's gonna start soon!" Ingrid called from the crowd as she came over and took Dimi's hand, leading him to a seat she had saved.

The children watched and listened to the band intently and eagerly, all of them had chosen an instrument to try out by the final piece.

"Alright, kids. You can come over and try any of the instruments we have here" The band leader, a Trumpeter, said as she and her bandmates cleaned up their instruments.

"Can I try that?" Lysithea asked as she pointed to a Trumpet. "Looks cool"

"Sure, I'll help you hold it" She said as she showed the toddler her instrument.

"Can I take this home?" Lysithea asked.

"You'll get a smaller model made from plastic in a color you like" She said.

"Really?" The girl asked in amazement.

"Now, you put your mouth on there and then blow" She said as Lysie did just that.

"Whoa cool!" The tiny girl cheered as she clapped with joy.

"I'm gonna play and get super good!" Lysie said as she hopped around happily. Other children also trying out their instruments of choice; Some finding their 'chosen one' right away, some still unsure of their choices.

"Baltie!" Hilda called as she leapt into a burly man's arms, Holst following her shortly.

"I've got something to tell you! I'm in a band with my friends!" The tiny girl chirped cheerfully as Baltie put her down and patted her head.

"She's playing the melodica in the peewee band. She actually wanted to play tuba like me, but someone else already plays so she was here" Holst explained as he shrugged. "Sometimes, I'd let her have a few minutes playing my instrument, and I would play hers" He added with a smile.

"Daddy! This music is so cool! It's got so many people playing it and everything!" Dimitri called as he ran back to his dad.

"I see all of your friends are here too" Lambert said as he picked up his son.

"Ready to go home?"

"Yup!"

Chapter Text

"We're going to the Adrestia annual faire again this year! Are you excited?" Mrs.Hresvelg asked her young daughter as the tiny 3 year old hopped with joy.

"I wanna see the marching band! I wanna be in one when I grow up!" Edelgard beamed as she danced around the room. Her mother smiling at those words as she has a lot of connections in the world of music.

"What do you want to play?" She asked the small girl.

"Something loud!" Edelgard replied cheerfully.

"All of them are loud, maybe you should take a listen before deciding" Ionius - Edelgard's father - said as he walked in with a pamphlet.

"When are we going?" Edelgard asked, clearly excited about the faire.

"Since the faire is just a short drive away, we'll go this evening!" Mrs.Hresvelg announced as she raised her arms in joy. Edelgard shrieking with happiness and leaping into her mother's arms.

"Lemme dress up real quick!" El said as she dashed upstairs to change into her favorite red dress, even though it wasn't even noon yet.

"We're not leaving in hours! Easy now little one!" The parents called playfully after the little girl; But too late, El was already changed and ready to go.

"Oh well, no stopping her" They shrugged as they prepared their things for an evening picnic at the faire, along with lunch.

"You better change back or be super careful when eating, you wouldn't want your best dress to get dirty before the big event, would you?" They called again.

"Okay, I'll wear my old outfit first; but when lunch's done, I'm changing back straight away" Edelgard relented as she pulled the dress off and slipped her shirt and shorts back on.

****

"Alright! Time to go!" Edelgard announced as she willingly hopped into her carseat (She'd throw house sized tantrums regarding the matter) without a hitch.

"Someone's excited for the faire" Ionius said as he and his wife loaded the things into their trunk.

"Let's go!" Edelgard beamed as the family took off to the faire. This will be the first time Edelgard will be old enough to remember properly.

***

"Let's get a spot and look around!" Edelgard said, clearly the most excited of the bunch, as she darted here and there, taking in the sights and the sounds.

"Come on" Ionius said as he lifted El onto his shoulders to let her see more of the fair, and to keep her from getting lost among the crowds of people.

"There's the marching band!" El called as she pointed afar, Ionius running after her daughter's directions - her personal 'Horsey'.

"It's so cool!" Edelgard said in awe of the band's majestic sights and sounds. Her eyes sparkled as she watched in reverence.

"Well, have you decided what you wanna play?" Mrs.Hresvelg said as she caught up to the duo.

"Wanna play that!" El said, pointing to a tubist and his instrument.

"Whoa, that's a lofty goal for you" Ionius said as he chuckled at the image of a tiny El wrestling such a huge instrument.

"Yeah, I wanna start as soon as I can" El announced excitedly as she pumped her fist. Her mother suddenly remembering that the nearby community center offered music lessons to young children and thought of taking El to meet an instructor.

"I have an idea, I'll take you to the community center for lessons. Sound good?" Mrs.Hresvelg asked her daughter over the noise of the faire.

"Yeah!"

******

"Ready to go to the community center?" Mrs.Hresvelg asked as she got the car ready, Edelgard running to the car excitedly, pigtails flying like little kites.

"Let's go!" El cheered as they went off.

"Come on now, say hi to Byleth; She's your teacher" Mrs.Hresvelg said as Edelgard came up with a bright smile, clearly excited for the lesson.

"Hi." The small girl said cheerfully.

"Okay, so I know you said she wants to learn the Tuba, but for now I can only give her an instrument to practice on. She still has some growing to do before she can start formal lessons, let alone join a band" Byleth said to the woman in a serious tone, unsure if the early lessons were of parent or child's will.

"Well, she saw a Tubist at a marching band and wanted to play so badly; Just getting to play everyday to get used to it is enough, and maybe encourage her to eat and grow more" The brown haired woman said as El looked around the room.

"Edelgard? Can you come stand here please?" Byleth asked the girl as she brought in a Tuba. Edelgard came and stood next to the instrument, her mouth was just at the mouthpiece level; meaning that she was well on her way to formal lessons much earlier than expected.

"Yay!" El clapped as she marched in place, like she's in a marching band.

"Now, Can you give your new instrument a hug?" Byleth asked gently, Edelgard quickly following even though half of her didn't know what she was doing.

"Take a deep breath, and blow" Byleth said before modeling the actions with her own instrument; Edelgard doing just that and getting a sound from the instrument, much to the girl's delight.

"Wait, why can you sit while I have to stand?" El asked as Byleth chuckled endearingly.

"Well, I'm bigger and taller than you; I can reach the mouthpiece without standing and can support the instrument by myself." Byleth explained as she patted the girl's head.

"Oh! It's time for you to go home now! Another kid is here for lessons" Byleth exclaimed as she glanced at the clock in the room.

"Already bye bye?" Edelgard asked sadly.

"You'll still see me at school, and at the college concerts" Byleth said as she hugged the sniffling girl.

"You can practice at home, and get better next week" Anselma said as she picked up Edelgard and packed away the instrument.

************

"Dimi! Dimi! Check this out!" El called excitedly to her neighbor as she showed off her Tuba. 2 year old Dimitri toddling over to see what's up.

"Whoa cool! Dimi wanna play too! Ma! Look at this!" Dimitri exclaimed in awe before calling his mother over to see.

"Whatcha got there?" Mrs.Blaiddyd asked, pretending to be oblivious, as if she were a student.

"It's called a Tuba! Play like this!" El explained excitedly as she gave a demonstration.

*Edelgard starting on a brass instrument was also what inspired Dimitri to start music*

Chapter Text

"Excited for the concert?" Shez's mom asked as she walked Shez, who was clad in a sparkly gown; her hair bunned up into two rose shaped buns on either side of her head.

"Yup! I promise not to sleep through the most part" Shez nodded confidently as they reached their seats and sat down.

"I wish I was good like my teacher" Shez said dreamily as she waited for Byleth's performance to start.

"Well, you're only 5 and in kindergarten. Being able to do basic lip slurs is pretty much good for 5 already" Her mother reassured as she pulled the girl's cheek.

"Look! Here she comes!" Shez said excitedly as her teacher, clad in a shimmering floor-length gown and sparkling jewelry, her hair done up in a fancy ponytail, walked onstage.

Byleth glanced at the pianist with her right eye before quickly tuning up her instrument, something Shez is not allowed to do herself yet, and playing a beautiful classical piece with her Flugelhorn.

The crowd applauded as they gave the renowned musician, and beloved band teacher to the kids, a standing ovation as the soloist took 3 bows.

"Ma! I wanna be in that band!" Shez said as they went home after the concert.

"But you're already in the junior band that she teaches" The mother said as she picked Shez up and onto her back.

"Wanna be in the big band! Please, Ma" Shez begged as she beat her mom's shoulders, unintentionally massaging them superbly.

"Maybe when you grow up and finish school" She said as they went home together.

"But I'm gonna finish kindergarten soon!" Shez argued as she bared her teeth, one was loose, at her mother.

"I mean actually become an adult" The woman said calmly, still walking to their car.

*The next day*

"Teach?" Shez asked in the most ladylike tone she could muster; Byleth cocking an eyebrow at the girl before giggling.

"Alright, what do you want?" Byleth asked, seeing through the unusually ladylike facade of the usually rough going Shez.

"I wanna audition for your orchestra!" Shez said as she looked up with innocent, beady eyes.

"Well...I'd like to have you there, but I need to see your skills first; Can you play this for me?" Byleth said as she placed some sheet music - the song that she played at the concert - and asked Shez to play it.

"Umm...uhh.." Shez muttered, flabbergasted by the rollercoaster notes, and tried playing the song; She couldn't climb up the high notes, nor reach down low, nor play the quick passages cleanly. She finished, red-cheeked and panting.

"What do you think? Did you play well?" Byleth asked her student.

"It didn't sound like how you played at at all!" Shez said in dismay.

"So right now you can't audition for my orchestra" Byleth affirmed in a kind but stern voice.

"But, you're in a music competition; If you win first place in your group, you will get to play onstage with my orchestra" Byleth said as she showed the poster to remind the girl of the chance. "So let's work on our piece for the competition"

"Okay" Shez said as she took out her instrument.

Shez and byleth had a very productive lesson, working on polishing Shez's 'rocking horse' for the competition to the last detail; Tone quality, lip slurs, intonation, long tones, tempo - literally every facet of the simple song was polished to the max.

*Come final round of the competition*

"Alright, when you walk up there, I want you to play your best and forget the rest" Byleth said as she knelt down to her student's level as her mom finished styling the girl's hair into two space buns on either side of her head; of course, she didn't miss out on tying up the girl's bangs to fully show her face too.

"Does my dress look okay?" Shez asked one last time; Byleth quickly giving the girl's instrument a check to make sure everything was in place.

"Yup, you look very lovely" Byleth said as she handed Shez her instrument before sending her off to the judges and the audience, her mother already waiting for her in the crowd.

Shez mustered her courage, glanced at her accompanist to signal him to start. She took the few seconds of the intro to position her instrument properly and began to play. Halfway through the piece, Shez forgot to inhale at the end of a phrase and was left with no air for the final long tone. Luckily, she came prepared and quickly sucked in a breath just in time to land the final note softly and beautifully.

The audience clapped and Shez took a bow before walking backstage with pride.

"Great job. Now's just to wait for the result once everyone's had their performance" Byleth said as she patted the girl's head.

Shez sat backstage with her coloring book and pack of crayons her mother bought, as she heard name after name being called forward - some were her friend's names, some were kids unknown to her - her heart began to race as suspense began to build in her heart.

****

"Now is the time for the awards ceremony" The head of the judges announced as the audience perked up.

"For the 'Little musician' category, 'Woodwind section'" He announced with a pause after the sentence. "First place, goes to"

"Ashe Ubert" The name was met with applause.

Shez watched as a tiny boy, who looked no older than 3, toddled up onstage with his father to receive his shiny trophy.

"First runner-up goes to"

"Claude von Riegan" The name was also met with an uproarious applause as a tan skinned boy, who looked foreign, marched up to receive his award.

"Second runner-up goes to"

"Dorothea Arnault" More applause followed as a girl with long, flowing locks, clad in a sparkling red tulle dress, walked up onstage to receive her prize.

"Special mentions go to"

"Felix Hugo Fraldarius and Linhardt von Hevring" The audience applauded for the special mentions. The two boys, each dressed up in suits, went up to collect their shared prize.

" Prodigy kids brass section first place goes to"

"Shez Arval"

"Is it really me? Really?!" Shez exclaimed in disbelief as Byleth nudged her to go collect her trophy and medal.

"Second place goes to"

"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd"

Shez watched happily as a small boy wearing a blue suit, whom she knew from school, went onstage with a smile to collect his reward.

"Third place goes to"

"Ingrid Brandl Galatea"

"You did it! Ingie!" The blond boy clapped and cheered as a blonde girl, hair braided neatly into pigtails, marched onstage to receive her prize.

"Special mentions go to"

"Marianne von Edmund and Annette Fantine Dominic"

Two girls, one with flaming red pigtails, the other sporting ice blue hair ornately woven into flowers, went onstage hand-in-hand to share their prize.

Shez kind of zoned out as they announced the winners for the older children. Nevertheless, she had picked up that Yuri had gotten third for his group, Mercedes got first place in hers, Constance got special mention, Holst got second in his group, and Hapi placed second. Additionally, Mercedes also registered in the senior division for flute (She played clarinet in Elementary I) and got special mention, so got onstage twice. Her younger brother - Emile - also got first place in his group. Some of her friend's brothers - Glenn and Miklan - also got first place in junior, and senior brass, respectively.

"All first prize winners are invited to perform with the Seiros sacred symphony in the winner's concert next week. Those of you that didn't win, we're looking forward to your next performance"

"May all first prize winners come onstage please"

Shez and all the other winners came onstage for photos in every category imaginable. By the end of the ceremonies, all the children were exhausted, all the parents were proud of their offspring.

*******
"Alright, today's the big day. Ready?" Shez's mother asked as she dressed her daughter up in a pretty purple dress with black tights and glittery shoes.

"Yup!" Shez replied as she patted her instrument case before slinging it onto her shoulder.

"We've arrived at the venue" Mrs.Arval announced as they entered the hall; all of Shez's friends were there - winners, runner-ups, special mention laureates - everybody was there and playing together happily.

"Shez! You're here!" Annie called as she ran over.

"Yay for first place!" She added as she took Shez by the hand and led her to their group. The kids were taking turns performing for each other, completely ignoring each other's standing in the competition, while their parents looked on contentedly.

"My turn to play!" Mercie said as she stood up, holding both her flute and her clarinet. "Which should I play first?" She asked to garner the opinions of the smaller children. Most of them wanted her to play the flute.

Mercie played a quick rondo on the flute, fingers flying over the keys, her tongue quickly separating the notes before ending on a high note.

"Whoa cool!" The little kids chimed as the older girl took a bow. A small girl wearing a blue tulle dress came up to the big girl and snuggled into the big girl's silky navy dress.

"Dress soft" Annie said as she smiled blissfully.

"My turn to play next!" Ingrid spoke up as she pulled out her pocket trumpet.

"Ingie Ingie!" The children cheered as Ingrid prepared to play.

"I can play high! Like this!" She said proudly before blowing into her instrument as hard as she can, producing a jazzy squeaking note.

"Whoa cool!" All the little trumpeters cheered at the feat.

"Me next!" Dimitri piped up as he pulled out his blue trombone and posed with it like he were a famous soloist. All the other children focused on him as the orchestra was preparing onstage; some of the children's parents were musicians in the orchestra.

"Kids, can I have the first prize winners go backstage now?" Jeralt said as he walked over to the children. The prizewinners looking slightly dismayed that the fun mini concert had been cut short. Ashe's mother also tagging along backstage to offer emotional support to her young son.

"I'm gonna style your hair and put on some makeup if you want it" Sitri - Jeralt's wife - said as she pulled out a collection of hair tools. Soon, all the girl's hair was braided or tied back beautifully and the boys were all prim and proper.

"I like the poster so much!" Mercie said happily as she took a small copy of the poster; it was a blue background with golden cursive at the top saying 'Fodlan wind competition prizewinner concert' with pictures of the winners posing gracefully with their instruments. There were children of all ages ranging from 3 to 16 on the poster.

The orchestra was bustling onstage as more people came and took their seats. The winner's friends were already seated at the front row, eager for the performance to begin. Meanwhile, the performers were seated tensely backstage. Emile gently leaning on his sister for emotional support.

"Ma? When am I gonna go onstage?" Ashe asked as he cuddled his mother quietly.

"Soon, baby, they'll call you up soon." She whispered as she gave her son a squeeze.

"Welcome to the Fodlan wind competition's prizewinner concert! Today's pint-sized performers are here to show you the fruits of their hard work." Alois - who served as the MC - spoke up as the lights dimmed.

"First up is 3 year old Ashe Ubert from Faerghus. He will be playing 'Twinkle twinkle little star' on the flute.

"There's your cue! Come now" Mrs.Ubert said as she escorted her son onstage, handed him his instrument, and finished by exchanging kisses with her son.

"Ma..." Ashe whispered, now frightened by the gaze of hundreds, as he glanced backstage. His mother giving him a thumbs up and smiling encouragingly.

Ashe looked back, confidence renewed, and the orchestra started the intro and he entered beautifully. He even gave a smile while he was playing - something Byleth had never managed to coax out of him.

Ashe finished without a hitch and quickly took a bow before darting backstage.

"Ma! I did it!" Ashe cheered as he leapt into his mother's arms and let himself sink into her embrace.

"Next up is 5 year old Shez Arval on the flugelhorn. She will be playing 'Rocking horse'" Alois announced as he secretly cued Shez to walk up confidently.

Shez flashed a smile at the green-haired concertmaster to let them know she was ready for the intro.They played a short anacrusis to her performance and Shez entered perfectly on time, any imperfections, blemishes in tone and color, slips in intonation, were all but there. Shez finished perfectly with a big smile as she took a bow and exited stage left. She even shook hands with the concertmaster as she walked off.

"That was amazing!" The rest of the winners cheered as they welcomed Shez back with a small round of applause. Shez quickly sunk back into her seat and zoned out, the events that unfolded just now still feeling surreal.

Shez literally dozed off after that, but she still heard and enjoyed the subsequent performances of the likes of Mercedes, Miklan, and Glenn. Ashe's mother gently scooped her up, along with her son, and brought them out when the performances ended.

"Fast asleep" Mrs.Arval said as she took her daughter from Mrs.Ubert's arms and held her properly.

"She played really well - all of them did." Mrs.Ubert said as she patted her son's head; Ashe gently smiling as he snuggled her shoulder.

"Ma? Carry me please" Mercedes said exhaustedly as she dragged her feet out of the hall. Emile trailing behind.

"Just this once" The sibling's father, a muscular and burly man, said as he picked both of them up while their mother carried their instrument cases - Mercie's in pink, and Emile's in blue - to the car.

Both audience and performer - most of them little children - were exhausted from the event and so left the hall asleep on their parent's shoulders, or way too exhausted to walk straight.

Shez also had the experience of her lifetime - to play with the very band that her teacher is in.

Chapter Text

"Can't seem to get this note right" Mercedes muttered as she stroked her lips in between runs - she couldn't hit those high notes on the flute yet - as a piercing shriek came from the neighboring room - It was her brother Emile playing his Trumpet.

"Ma!!!!!! Emile's annoying me again!" She yelled from her room as Emile tried to defend his reasons.

"But I was just practicing! We all sound bad when we practice" He retorted as he stuck his head from the door.

"You were just blowing loudly on purpose to annoy me!" Mercedes said as she shot a quick glare at Emile.

"Am not!"

"You two, quit it! If you two are going to fight about this, I suggest you two swap your instruments for a day - starting now!" Their mother said sternly as she did the housework downstairs.

"Peace truce" The siblings said begrudgingly as they handed their instruments to each other, Mercie observing the brass instrument for a little bit before bringing it into her room; Emile doing the same as he figured things out.

"Okay, I've seen little bro play before; I can do this" Mercedes said to herself as she imaged how to play.

"I just put my left hand here, right hand on the three valves there." Mercie said to herself as a guide, moving her fingers to be in the most comfortable position.

"Then I put my lips on the mouthpiece, and blow" Mercie said before inhaling and producing an empty noise from the instrument. She tried again and again but still couldn't produce a sound.

Emile was also not having much luck dual-wielding two woodwind instruments like his sister with brass - he still couldn't position his lips and tongue to produce sounds properly.

"How does she do it?" Emile wondered as he regretted the bicker.

"How does he do it?" Mercedes wondered as she also questioned her own impulsive words just now.

"Ma? We won't fight over practicing noise anymore" The siblings - almost like twins - said as they returned their instruments to each other apologetically.

"That's good, now both of you come here" Their mother said kindly.

"Do you know who this is?" She asked as she sat with their kids on a sofa and opened a photo album to show a photo of a little girl - about 5 - holding a clarinet, standing beside her was a little boy - about 4 - holding a pocket trumpet, both dressed in matching red attire.

"Me?" The siblings answered uncertainly.

"That's the very day you played duet at school together" The woman answered as she hugged her children tight.

"Was it for valentines day when I was in Pre-K?" Mercedes asked as she got a closer look at the photo.

***************

"Where's ma?" Mercedes and Emile whispered to Byleth as they waited backstage; Mercedes holding her clarinet, Emile holding his pocket trumpet. Both were still waiting for their Ma and Pa to come.

"There they are!" Byleth said as she pointed where the duo's parents were seated - they'd just arrived on early leave permission.

"See? I told you that they'd come to watch us perform" Mercie said consolingly as she ruffled her brother's hair.

"Next is Mercedes and Emile von Martritz. They will be playing 'it's a small world' together" Byleth announced on the mic as she led the brother and sister duo out onstage where two small chairs and music stands were set out. Mercedes sat on the red chair; Emile sat on the green one.

The two siblings had Byleth tune their instruments to the piano beforehand, so they just had to give the signal to the pianist for the anacrusis and then play their counterpoint piece perfectly. The siblings had practiced a whole lot for this, bickering, apologizing, and hugging along the way. Then, they played the simple duet, which their teacher arranged for them, perfectly.

Their music was received well, with roaring applause coming from the entire audience. The duo walked backstage after a few rounds of photos from proud parents.

************

"That was a long time ago, both of you were still in playgroup and Pre-K" Their mother said nostalgically, patting the kid's heads in the process.

"Now we're in 3rd and 4th grade. And I'm doing 3rd grade Trumpet." Emile said as he hopped up. Mercedes adding that she was studying 6th grade flute.

"Yeah, on that note, you two have music exams soon!" She said as if she'd just been reminded. Her two children jumping up in alarm - They'd not practiced yet, and the exam is tomorrow!

"Ma, we'll be practicing now!" Mercedes and Emile said as they scurried off to practice their technicals and pieces.

"Make sure to get up early and eat well" She said as she went off to cook lunch for the budding stars.

Mercedes and Emile practiced long hours, polishing every aspect of their respective instruments - from technique, intonation, to expression - to the max; they will surely do well and score high.

"We're tired..." The sibling duo sighed as they laid down on their beds; soon they were fast asleep and ready for their exams.

*The next day*

"Okay, make sure you dress well" Mrs.Martritz said as she combed Mercie's hair and pulled it into a braid; Emile slicking back his hair with gel.

"Is this dress nice?" Mercedes asked as she showed her mother a teal long sleeved tulle dress and matching shoes.

"Sure! You can wear that" The woman said as she checked Emile's suit jacket and smoothed everything out.

"Alright, I made bacon and eggs; you two eat up and brush your teeth properly - I will check before we leave" The woman said as her son and daughter dressed up and went to breakfast. Next, the kids brushed and flossed their teeth properly and left for the Seiros college of music for their exams.

"Ma... I'm nervous" Mercie whispered as she clutched her seatbelt and looked out at the gleaming buildings of campus.

"It's okay to be nervous; I think all the candidates today are going to be pretty nervous." She said as they pulled up to the exam building as older candidates, who looked to be middle schoolers and high schoolers, entered after registration.

"Okay? This is Mercedes von Martritz doing 6th grade flute, and you're Emile von Martritz doing 3rd grade Trumpet" The woman at the register said as she observed the children's faces.

"Can you go in with us? Please?" Mercedes said as she gripped her mother's hand. Her mother unsure if she could go in with her kids.

"Well, you did say that when you registered these two. I'll let you come sit with them while they wait" She said as she smiled at the children.

"Come on Ma!" Emile said as he led the trio to their floor.

The atmosphere was petrifying as nervous students aged between 13-18 waited for their names to be called. All the older children were wearing black and white while young Mercedes and Emile were wearing bright colors - They looked so professional while the two siblings looked amateur. The two silently leaned on their mother for support.

*What seemed like hours later*

"Emile von Martritz. You may enter the room" A stern female voice called - it was not of Byleth's - Emile into an exam room.

"Good luck!" Mercie cheered her brother on as she waved him off.

"You too, sis" He whispered as he strided into the room. Suddenly feeling a mix of confidence and nervousness - maybe the examiner would go easy on little boys and girls like he and his sister after seeing much older candidates. On the other hand, the examiner might be even harsher on them after seeing such expertly conducted performances.

"This is the SCM Trumpet 3rd grade exam. The candidate's name is Emile von Martritz, age 8." The female examiner, a full-figured person with dark hair in a bun, said as she signaled a cameraman to record the examination.

"First we'll do scales. Can you play me a chromatic starting from C by an octave?" She said as she watched the boy play.

***

"Mercedes von Martritz. You're next!" A teenage boy called as he walked out of the exam room. Mercedes walked up to the room and entered confidently.

"This the SCM Flute 6th grade exam. The candidate's name is Mercedes von Martritz, age 9." Another examiner said as the cameraman recorded the exam.

"We'll start with your pieces first. Please play me your first piece." She said sternly.

Mercedes signaled to the pianist in the room, and played a lighthearted rondo - the same one that she played at the winner's concert - for her; all aspects of the piece were executed beautifully and she finished with a smile. The examiner quickly making notes after the girl finished.

***

"I wonder how my two kids are doing in the exams" Mrs.Martritz wondered out loud as she waited.

"I think they're going to do very well." A female middle schooler reassured the woman - She'd seen Mercedes play at the winners concert and played there herself as winner of the junior woodwind division.

"Trust me, just blink and they'll be coming back to you before you know it" She said, giggling.

**
"Ma!" The kids called as they skipped over from the exam rooms.

"How did it go? Did you do well?" She asked as she hugged her kids.

"I think we did okay" They replied, sounding slightly tired.

"Let's get pizza and go home?" She asked her kids with a big smile.

"Yeah!"

*************

"The results are in!" Mercie and Emile beamed as they raced to the mailbox and pulled their results out; Mercie got a distinction level and her little brother got a merit level score.

"Yay! Let's go show this to Byleth tomorrow!" They cheered.

*And Byleth was really proud of the siblings*

Chapter Text

"But dad! I don't wanna move to Faerghus!" Dedue whined as he packed his toy cars into his box, holding back his tears as he glanced out the window for the last time. His dad quickly packing away Dedue's alto horn and placing the case next to his boxes.

"I have to go to work there, the orchestra I'll be playing with is very big and famous" He said as he stowed away his instrument in the back of the car, carefully arranging the boxes in the trunk to prevent tossing on the car trip.

"You'll go to a new preschool, there's also a band there." He said as he helped his wife load the moving van and their car.

"But I like my old school more!" The big boy protested as he stamped his foot.

"What if I told you that my friend in the new orchestra has a son about your age, and he plays the Trombone like his dad" The large man said as Dedue perked up instantly; He'd met Lambert once or twice when he was too young to remember - about 2 or 3 years old.

"Whoa, really?" Dedue asked excitedly. He barely recalled his dad's friend's son despite being told numerous times.

"If I remember correctly, the house we're moving into is next to his house" Dedue's mother said as she picked up her son's packed boxes and loaded them into their car.

"Come on now, we're going to our new home" They said as the family hopped into their loaded car.

****************

"This is where we're gonna live now..." Dedue mused as he looked around the new neighborhood, new houses, unknown children were playing on the sidewalk, riding their bikes, and generally having a good time.

"Pa! Ma! A neighbor moved in!" A boy's voice called from across the fence as a blond man and his wife came over to Dedue's family to greet them. The boy riding out from behind the fence on a blue 4-wheeler bike; he gently smiled at Dedue.

"Bro! I haven't seen you since college! Can't believe you moved here and joined the same orchestra I'm in" Lambert said as he rushed out to bear-hug Dedue's father.

"Hi, I'm Dedue." The tall, dark-skinned boy said as he walked up to Dimitri, who was almost half his size despite being only a year apart; the boy backing away a little bit at first, but slowly warming up to the new boy.

"I'm Dimi. Nice to meet you" The blond boy said as he reached his tiny hand out to shake Dedue's.

"You go play with him now, Mama and Papa need to unpack our things. I'll have your boxes in your new room." The parents said as they helped the movers unpack.

"Check this out!" Dimi said proudly as he swooped inside and brought his plastic Trombone out to show his new friend.

"Whoa! I have one too! Wait here!" Dedue said excitedly as he popped back to his house for a moment, and returned with his alto horn.

"I've been taking lessons, and my papa is in a big orchestra" Dimitri said proudly as his new friend clapped.

"I've been taking lessons too! My dad is joining a new band soon" Dedue said happily as the conversation turned into a friendly exchange.

"That's the same band my papa is in!" Dimi said as his eyes widened - a sign that he'd remembered something - with pride.

"Our dads are gonna be workmates!" The boys cheered as they formed the beginnings of a lifelong bond.

"We're gonna be classmates too!"

"Sure you will, school starts next monday for both of you." The parents said as they looked on contentedly.

"Wanna play duet?" Dedue asked; Dimitri cocking his head in confusion upon hearing the word 'duet'.

"It means to play with two people" The older boy explained as he picked up his instrument.

"Like papa?"

"Yeah"

"He's got 4 months of lessons under his belt - he's got the basics down." Lambert said as he sat outside and watched the kids play.

"Check this out!" Dimi said before trying a cool trick he saw his dad do on the Trombone once - Blowing while pulling the slide in slowly, creating a rising sound. Dedue clapping in amazement.

"I wish I could do that too!" The bigger boy said.

"Technically you can, you just haven't learned it yet" Lambert's wife Elise said as she supervised the children while her husband helped his friend haul the furniture.

"Teach me please!" Dedue asked Dimitri excitedly, Dimitri trying to explain that he also couldn't do that by not moving the slide.

"I don't know how to do it yet" Dimi said as he shook his head.

"Have Byleth teach us?" Dedue suggested as he scratched his head.

"Next monday's band practice! We'll have her teach!" The boys said in unison, Elise coming over to tell them that the sun was starting to set.

"Dedue, it's time to go home now" She said as the sky turned shades of pink and purple from the sunset.

"We'll see each other again tomorrow" Dimi said as he waved his friend goodbye.

"Thanks for the helping hand, bud" Mr.Molinaro said as he gave Lambert a high-five and a beer.

"Welcome back, son. Did you have fun with Dimitri?" He asked his son as Dedue came in and tried to look for his room.

"Your room's over there" He said as he prepared pasta with a meat sauce. "You still have to sort your toys out" He added as he served up dinner.

"O...kay. At least me and my sister Besna have a place to sleep" He mused as he saw their beds already laid out, their toys still in their boxes.

"Dad! I played with the neighbor's son today!" Dedue excitedly told his family over dinner. His sister slightly envious since she's not in school yet.

"Ma, I wanna have friends too!" Besna whined as she shot a glance at her brother.

"You'll start at the same school as your brother next monday, Bessie" The mother said as she patted her daughter's head lovingly.

"But what if the other kids don't like us there" She said worriedly.

"They're gonna like us there. Trust me" Dedue said reassuringly as he put his plate away in the kitchen and excused himself to take a shower.

************

"Dedue! Let's go to school!" Dimi called from his house as his father pulled his car out.

"Come on sis! New school, new friends!" Dedue said excitedly as he hopped into his booster seat in his dad's car. His sister quickly tossing her bag and seating herself. A typical weekday morning was starting for the Fodlan school district.

"We're here now." Mr.Molinaro said as he helped his daughter with her lunch box and nap mat, Dedue - having 2 years of experience - was already through the school gate and finding his classroom.

"Papa's gonna pick you up at 2 straight. Pinky promise" The tan-skinned man said to Bessie as he helped sort out her stuff in the playgroup class. Some of the other children were happily playing nearby.

"Who are you? Wanna play with me?" Annette came over to the new kid, holding a toy block.

"Yea." Bessie replied shyly, gaze averting from the tiny girl.

"See? New friend already." The tall man said as he left the class.

"I'm Bessie, what's your name?" The new girl said to Annette.

"I'm Annie. I'm 3" The pigtailed girl replied.

*Meanwhile, in the Pre-K classroom*

"I don't know anyone..." Dedue whispered as he looked around the new classroom - brightly lit, decorated holistically, the children's names all hung on their pegs and cubbies. He found himself an empty desk and cubby and tidied his items after taking off his coat.

"Dedue!" A familiar voice called as the brawny boy turned around.

"Dimitri!" Dedue beamed excitedly, happy to see his friend at school.

"These are my friends! That's Ingrid, and that's Felix." Dimitri said as he showed Dedue to his group.

"We're all in band, and at least one of our parents are musicians" Ingie said proudly as she put her hands on her hips.

"I'm in band too! Pa said today's our first rehearsal." Dedue said as he picked up some blocks and starting to play with the other kids, forming fast friendships in the process.

***********

"Pa! You're here!" Bessie beamed as she leapt onto her father's legs upon seeing him enter the room.

"Okay, we have to go to the music room next. Your brother's got band practice" He said as more parents came to pick up their children, some had band practice like Dedue, some had sports or dance.

"That's Byleth; She's our band teacher." Dimitri whispered - He and Dedue sat near each other - to his friend as a busty female teacher walked in.

"When are we gonna start?" A girl wearing pink pigtails asked exasperatedly as she stretched in her chair, holding a pink recorder.

"Psst, I'm El. Nice to meet you" A light-brown haired girl wearing a long-sleeved red dress with white tights and red shoes whispered from behind her enormous tuba.

"Hi, El. I'm Dedue" Dedue replied as he adjusted his seat. He soon saw that the Garreg Mach little wind orchestra had members of all ages - the youngest at 3 and the oldest at 9.

"Okay, today we're going to start a new song. But before that, can we all warm up? If you need to tune, raise your hand and I'll come over to help" Byleth said as she walked around, scanning the little band with her eyes.

"Eh, can I have your instrument for a minute?" Byleth said curiously as she knelt down to Annette - the girl that Bessie played with - as she eyed the girl's pocket trumpet.

"Okay"

Byleth expertly tuned the instrument before wiping the mouthpiece clean and returning it to the girl.

The warm-up took about 15 minutes as Byleth checked and tuned almost every instrument one-by-one. After that, they were ready to play

"I have your sheet music here, can the leaders come get them? Then split into sections to rehearse." Byleth instructed as she handed the sheet music to 'The honeybee' to the leaders.

Dedue was paired with 'El' due to the similar nature of their parts. While Dimitri was with Sylvain - a ginger-haired boy from second grade-, Ferdinand - a boy in his class - and a tomboyish girl called Leonie in the trombone section. Ingrid, Shez, and Emile - a boy from thrid grade - were in the first trumpets, while Annette, Caspar, and Bernadetta were the second trumpets who played the simpler parts.

"Our parts are kinda similar but your's is higher than mine, so there's two versions of the sheet music." Edelgard explained as she divided the sheet music and got to practicing right away.

"Okay, I guess that's true" Dedue said as he also explored his part and played away.

After a 90 minute practice session, all the children were tired from playing so much music. They sleepily packed away their instruments before proceeding to their parent's cars and dozing off on the way home. Dedue and Bessie included.

Chapter Text

"Okay, so our goal for this month is weaning her soother during bedtime. Right?" The nursery teacher asked Mrs.Ordelia to confirm the goal for the toddler.

"Yes, her dentist says it's starting to cause problems with her teeth." The mother replied as she flipped through the report book. Her daughter playing with the other children in the classroom.

"And I heard that Lysie's starting trumpet lessons too. Maybe you could use that to help wean her. Think saying that big girls who play trumpet don't use soothers" The teacher whispered as she gave a wink.

"Come on Lysie, let's go home" Mrs.Ordelia said as she picked up her daughter and went home.

***

"Are you practicing before we see teach again?" Mrs.Ordelia asked as Lysithea played her trumpet, trying to make sounds as she explored the instrument.

"Yea, Wanna get good" The toddler said as she sat down on the sofa.

"Did you know? Big girls who play trumpet don't use soothers anymore" She said excitedly as she knelt down to her daughter's level.

"Really? Can I be a big girl too?" Lysithea asked as her eyes sparkled.

"Yep, every night you put your soother in this bag over your bed. I'll give you a sticker for every night you do it." The woman offered excitedly as she showed the girl a sticker chart.

"I'll be a big girl! Just watch!" Lysithea announced loudly as she gave her mother a big hug.

"You better get back to practicing if you wanna be a big girl" The woman said as she sat Lysie on the sofa and placed the instrument in her hands.

"Okay!" Lysie replied before playing more music; it was only her third lesson with Byleth after discovering the trumpet at a music showcase by the high schoolers.

********

"Lemme see your teeth" Byleth said before the lesson starts - she always checks the teeth of her younger students to watch for orthodontic problems - as Lysie bared her teeth.

"Hmm, you're doing well on your monthly goal. Keep it up and you'll be onstage with the bigger kids in no time!" The woman said as she patted the girl's head endearingly.

"Yay! When's the next concert?" The girl asked excitedly as she jumped up and down.

"If you can play 'Hot cross buns' by the end of the month, I'll let you perform in the preschool and elementary showcase" Byleth said as she showed a draft of the poster on her ipad.

"Let's get to it!" Lysie cheered as she raised her arm in determination.

Byleth patiently taught the two-year-old to play the first 3 notes and gave the sheet music for the new song for them to practice. She also added that Lysithea could ask one of the older children for help if needed.

"Can I dress as a princess?" The tiny girl asked as she looked up.

"Sure you can, but practice too" Byleth replied happily.

"I'm gonna practice right when I get home! I'm gonna practice all the time! I'm even gonna practice in bed!" Lysithea beamed as her eyes shined.

"You can't perform very well if you don't sleep a lot" Mrs.Ordelia said as she pulled her daughter's cheek.

"I guess I could sleep" Lysie said as she giggled.

"Come on now, let's go home to practice" Mrs.Ordelia said as she took her daughter out after saying goodbye.

"Ma? Have you ever played the trumpet before?" The girl asked as she toddled along the sidewalk after her mother.

"Well, back in third grade I did for marching band" The woman replied as she smiled at the toddler.

"Was it like the big kids band at school?"

"Well, In fact, I went to the same school as you - of course it was the same." The woman answered as she remembered fun memories of band; Many of the children's parents went to the same school as their children in this small town.

"I played first and went on to become section leader along with Marianne's mommy" She said as she blissfully returned to those days for a moment.

"Whoa, when will I become section leader?" Lysie asked as she climb a low stone wall and balanced on it.

"You have to practice a lot. Get super good" She said. "You'll have to rehearse before the show. Teach said that you should perform the basic open tone exercise since you love it so much" She said as she picked up her daughter.

***

"Alright, first rehearsal's today. Which pretty dress do you wanna wear today." Lysithea's parents said excitedly as they were dressing their daughter up. Lysithea has pretty dresses in all sorts of colors and styles. She chose the fluffiest, frilly white dress to wear to rehearsal - she looked like a swan when she's fully outfitted.

"Is my little swan ready to rehearse? Let's go!" Mrs.Ordelia said as she waltzed her daughter to their car and went to rehearse with Byleth and Rodrigue at school.

"Okay, our little performer is here now!" Byleth greeted as Lysie ran into the music room, instrument case in hand.

"You've been practicing the exercise with the track, so you should find live accompaniment easy to follow." Byleth said as she lifted the girl onto a small soapbox style podium and handed her the instrument. A boy from third grade - Emile - also stood with her to accompany her.

"Wait! Can I take some pictures?" Her mother asked as she pulled her phone out and snapped pictures.

"Okay, ready?" Byleth asked as her little student nodded, signaling the pianist to start. Lysithea played only one note - C - in fun rhythms that imitated bunnies playing.

"I shoulda worn my bunny tutu" Lysie muttered as she finished and took a big bow.

"Well, you can wear your bunny dress next week." Byleth said as she stifled a laugh.

"I'm gonna need a photo of you wearing a pretty dress, so you can go home today and change for the photo. But I have to rehearse a few more times with you and someone else" Byleth said as she and Rodrigue gave the girl a small round of applause. Felix and some of the other performers preparing to go onstage.

******

"Lysithea's doing really well on her soother weaning during naptime." Her teacher said as she and her parent discussed the girl's behaviour on a friday.

"She's also stopped it completely at night, claims she's a big girl now" The other woman said endearingly and pridefully.

"We actually had a little help from her music teacher to motivate her to wean."

"Is that so? Well, I'll be present for her performance on sunday."

****

"Okay, it's today now. Wanna wear your bunny tutu from home or do you wanna change?" Mr.Ordelia asked his daughter as he pulled out a white bunny tutu with a headband from the wardrobe.

"Wear it now!" Lysie beamed as she jumped around like a bunny. Her father quickly dressing her up in the fluffy dress.

"Okay, wanna wear your pink shoes or your white ones?" He asked.

"These!" Lysie said as she put on her rabbit shoes.

"Carrots?"

"Just one" Lysithea replied as she took a single carrot stick.

**

"Everyone's so pretty!" Byleth said upon seeing her students all prim and proper for the concert at the university.

"I'm a bunny rabbit!" Lysie said as she jumped up and down excitedly.

"I'm a tiger!" Felix roared as he put his hands up like little claws.

"You're just a little kitten compared to me" Glenn sneered as he prepared his instrument.

"Hey!"

"Places now" Byleth said as she lined up the children according to performance order - which was determined by age and skill level - with Lysithea at the front and Miklan coming last since he was the oldest.

"I'm nervous..." Lysie whispered as she gripped her instrument tightly, peering from behind the curtains.

"Welcome to the Garreg Mach solo concert! Today's performers are our own students aged 2 to 16. First up is Lysithea von Ordelia!" Byleth announced as she signaled Lysithea and Emile to walk onstage. The crowd welcomed to toddler and boy with a big round of applause.

Rodrigue - Felix's dad - started the intro as the two children played their parts perfectly - Lysithea playing her one note, and Emile adding ornaments to the fun melody. The duo ended the piece with flair, receiving a round of applause from the audience as they took a bow and returned backstage - Lysithea hopping like a fluffy white bunny, garnering some laughter from the audience.

"Great job! Lysie. You were really confident onstage." Byleth said as she gave the tiny girl a round of applause, her duet partner also getting his credit.

"You can go to the seating area and watch your friends perform, or you can go home and rest." She offered as she prepared the next child for performance.

"I'm gonna watch the others." Lysithea said as she snuck out to the front, where everyone was seated.

"Mamma!" Lysithea whispered as she leapt into her mother's arms.

"You were really confident up there" The woman whispered as she hugged her daughter tightly.

"That's Annie from playgroup." Lysie whispered as another toddler girl with flaming red pigtails walked onstage.

**************

"You all did a really great job today. Let's go for ice cream?" Byleth said proudly after the performances in the morning, with an intermission for lunch and naps, and early afternoon.

"Yeah!" All the kids, both young and old, cheered.

"Yay for being a big girl!" Lysie beamed as she smiled with her beautiful, straight teeth.

Chapter Text

"Come on now, today's your first music lesson with T.Byleth." Mrs.Edmund said as she prepared Marianne's french horn in its case; her daughter still playing with her colorful bird figurines and other animals.

"Okay, I wanna get really good" Marianne replied as she fastened her shoes and went out.

****

"Hi, Marianne. I'm Byleth. I'll be teaching you the french horn from today." Byleth - a cobalt-haired woman with a curvy figure - said gently as she knelt down to Marianne's level. The shy 3-year-old averting her gaze slightly as she hid behind her mother's leg.

"Is she nonspeaking or special needs?" Byleth asked curiously.

"Nope, she's just shy; after she warms up to you, she'll chatter away." Her mother said as Marianne took a seat on a small plastic chair.

"I wanted her to take up music in hopes of helping her to find her confidence. After attending many events by the school, she chose the horn." The blue-haired woman explained her goals and vision for her daughter - so Byleth could adjust lesson plans and teaching style accordingly - while Marianne got out her instrument, in a smaller size than her teacher's, and prepared to play.

"Oh, there's a birdie in the bell!" Byleth said in a fun tone as she noticed the round bird plush stuffed in the bell of the instrument.

"Pull it out?" Marianne asked.

"Yes"

"There you go, now we can start" Byleth spoke as she sat down with her own instrument, placing the bird plushie in her student's instrument case.

"Can I play like the big kids at school?" The girl asked.

"Well, start from the basics. Hold it like this" She said as she acted out the movements; marianne following those movements, although without much accuracy, by putting the bell on her right hand side, right hand in the bell, left hand on the three valves, now marked with bird stickers.

"Now can I be like the big kids?" Marianne asked quietly, eyes still averted.

"Soon, little one; now's the time to make some sounds." Byleth said excitedly as she propped her horn on her lap.

"Play me something?"

"Okay." Byleth said before playing a selection of excerpts from various pieces - some of which Marianne had heard before in a showcase concert - for the girl. Marianne looking on with amazement, eyes sparkling in reverence.

"Cool!" Marianne beamed before trying to play the pieces - but all that came out were only faint sounds and air rushing through - but to no avail.

"That's why I need to teach you first, starting with an open note where you just blow into the horn." Byleth said as she modeled the action, producing a tender note. Marianne doing the same and getting a raspy sound at first, but smoothing up after more attempts.

"Great job! Here's a sticker." Byleth praised her little student as she gave a small bird sticker to the girl

"Next note is D. Press the pink birdie and the purple birdie and then blow." Byleth said as she modeled the action - She'd marked Marianne's valves with colored bird stickers to ease learning. Marianne played the note with ease after refining her breath control.

"You're improving so quickly!" Byleth said as she and Marianne clapped together.

"This is a fingering chart for you to help her at home, in a few months she should be ready for basic songs" Byleth said as she handed the blue-haired woman a laminated sheet.

"Since you were so good, I'll read you a story" Byleth said as she showed some storybooks to the girl - a tradition when she teaches younger kids - Marianne picked her favourite story 'The firebird'.

"Thank you" Marianne said as teach opened the book and started to read to her.

"That's all for today. See you next week" Byleth waved as Marianne and her mom exit the room as a big boy with onyx hair came in for his lesson.

"Ma, was I good?" The girl asked as she toddled along the sidewalk with her mom.

"Yes, you were amazing. How about you teach me when we get home?" The woman said kindly as she held her daughter's hand.

****

"Okay Ma, you hold it like this. Hands here" Marianne instructed like a little teacher as she guided her mother.

"Then you press nothing and then blow into here" Marianne said as her mother did as her daughter told, making a spluttering sound as the small girl giggled in delight.

"Guess Mama's not a musician" The woman said in a lighthearted way as she cleaned and stowed away the instrument.

"You just need to practice" Marianne said as she cuddled her mother on the sofa.

*Someone knocks on the door*

"Daddy's home now!" Mr.Edmund announced as he entered the home.

"Pa! Check out what I can do!" Marianne beamed as she leapt up and hugged her father tightly.

"Whoa, what did you learn today?" He said excitedly as he put down his briefcase and freshened up with a glass of ice water.

"I learned this!" Marianne said as she showed her instrument to her Pa and played some notes.

"Awesome! Was today your first lesson?" He asked - he'd been on a business trip for a few days - as he gave his kid a hug.

"Yeah, and I'll get better, and better, and better" Marianne answered as she gave her father a kiss.

"I'll help you practice and get really good. I promise" Mrs.Edmund, who was with their daughter more often, said as she prepared her daughter for dinner.

"Let's go!" Marianne beamed as she smiled widely.

Chapter Text

"Ma! Can I play in the family band next showcase? Please?" Ingrid - aged 4 - asked as she came over to her mother, who was practicing for a school show with the rest of the band.

"You're not ready yet." Freya, who was the lead flautist in the school's junior wind band which all of them are in, spoke up between runs.

"I am too!" Ingrid said as she clenched her instrument, cheeks puffed out and red in frustration, and stomped away.

"Maybe we should go check on her later." The sibling's mother said after finishing up practice.

"Ingie? Are you feeling better?" The woman asked gently as she approached her youngest child, who sat facing into a corner without a peep, still holding her instrument.

"Mmm" Was the reply from the girl.

"How about we think of a solution together" The woman said as she lifted the girl onto her lap.

"I just wanna be in the family band, I've practiced almost every day since I started" Ingrid said sadly as she hugged her mother.

"Well, I understand but right now you just aren't ready yet. The songs we play are quite complex and there's no one to follow if you slip up." She explained gently as she patted her daughter's hair.

"You have friends who play music, right? How about you start your very own band with them?" She said invitingly.

"Yeah, good idea!" Ingrid said as she leapt up excitedly. She now had an idea to one-up her siblings with her friends.

"Wait, who's this?" Ingrid said as she stopped to observe an old photo on the coffee table, it was a photo of a group of friends - seemingly in a band - which the girl, about 9 years old, was holding a clarinet.

"That's me and my friends back in elementary school" The woman explained as she showed the photo to the girl.

"Who's that?" Ingie asked as she pointed to a blond boy holding a Trombone.

"That's Lambert, Dimitri's daddy." She said as Ingrid saw some similarity between her friend and the boy in the photo.

"Were you all friends back then?" The girl asked as she giggled.

"Yes, then we all got married and had kids, then our kids became friends." She explained tenderly.

"Maybe I'll revive the band!" Ingrid beamed as a lightbulb lit up

"That's a great idea. Go get your friends and tell them about it! They'll be happy to be with you" She said as her daughter perked up.

"I'll be off now!" Ingrid called as she packed her instrument away and got her bike from the garage. Ingrid owns a teal 4-wheeler bike with a storage basket in the front and a doll's seat in the back, which she also took her pegasus plush along too.

"Don't ride too fast!" She called after her daughter.

Ingrid quickly pedaled to her friend Felix's house - 3 houses down the street - and hopped off her bike, taking her instrument with her as she advanced to the door.

"Felix! Are you home?" She asked as she knocked on the door. A big boy, Glenn, opened the door and let her in as he yelled for his little bro.

"Yup, he sure is" Glenn said as he led Ingie into the house, Ingie hears some saxophone sounds from her friend's room - a sure sign that he was there.

"Fewix! Hi!" Ingie beamed loudly as she waved her hand at her friend, who was busy practicing a song.

"Ingie? Hi!!!" Felix asked as he turned around, smiliing upon seeing his friend.

"I'm starting a band! Wanna be in it?" Ingrid said directly as she came into the boy's jungle themed room.

"A band? Like the one my dad used to be in when he was little?" The boy asked to confirm.

"Yup! He told you already?" Ingie said happily.

"Let's get the others!" The two said as they went for their bikes and their friend's houses; both of them went because Dimitri's and Sylvain's houses were in different directions.

The two children quickly sped to the friend's houses and got them to have an impromptu meeting. Ingrid and Felix walking their bikes on the way back to Felix's place as their friends had to hand-carry their instruments.

"So what's this band you say?" Sylvain asked as he and Dimitri entered Felix's house.

"Hello, boys." Rodrigue - Felix's dad - called as he made a cup of tea for the afternoon. "Getting the band back together?" He asked as he adjusted a photo frame on the piano at home, it was a photo of him with the children's parents in their little band.

"Yep!" The kids said in unison as they went to the living room, which is the widest room in the house (Enough for 2 trombones to play comfortably) and closest to the kitchen should one get peckish.

"Okay, where shall we stand?" The kids pondered as they experimented with different positions, Rodrigue coming in to offer advice to them.

"Well, Ingrid should stand here, then Felix, then Dimi, and finally Sylvain." The man said as he arranged the children in a form before getting his phone out for a photo.

"Say cheese!" He said as the children posed goofily with their instruments, even though he said to pose professionally.

"Okay, now to find a song to play" The children said as they pondered around.

"How about...this?" Dimi asked as he pulled out some sheet music from his case: it was a simple song for a small brass ensemble when he was a boy.

"This seems fun!" Ingrid beamed as she inspected her part of the music: It was a simple lullaby rewritten in a jazzy style by he and his young bandmates.

"Why do I always get the boring part..." Dimi whined as he scanned his part of one note and no more.

"Well, I can rewrite it again if you like." Rodrigue offered as he whipped his laptop out and quickly scanned the sheet onto his device.

"Yes please" Dimi replied as his friends were busy practicing their parts for 'You are my sunshine' while he waited for his revised part.

"Okay, how would you like it changed?" He asked the boy.

"Swing rhythm!" Dimi replied as he rocked around.

"Okay, dotted notes it is" Rodrigue replied as he quickly changed the part and printed it out again.

"Yay!" The tiny boy cheered as he retrieved the paper from the printer, Felix's mom coming in for a little jam session with the children.

"Hey Ingie, did you know that I actually played not one - but 4 instruments - when I was in school. Your mom idolised me very much" The woman said as she gazed at the epical wall of instruments in the other room, which reminded Ingrid of all her sibling's instruments resting in their cases, which were lined up against a wall.

"It's like that at my house too" Ingrid said as she propped her red plastic Trumpet on her lap as if to show the woman.

"Yeah, you have many siblings. It must be lively" The boys piped up in unison as they packed up to go home.

"What do you play now?" The girl asked.

"I usually play something called a Bassoon, it's very tall and it sounds very warm." The woman explained as she pointed her hand to the 4-foot tall instrument propped on the wall.

"Whoa, so tall: even taller than me" Ingie whispered in awe as she gazed up the majestic instrument before looking at her own.

"I'll be going now!" The 3 children said as they left and went back to their own homes.

************

"How was it? Did band go well?" Ingrid's mother asked as a smiling Ingrid walked through the door with her instrument.

"Yes! We already have a song to learn!" Ingrid beamed excitedly as she sank into her mother's lap with exhaustion from all the fun before dozing off.

"Oh, Ingie. Always switching off right after the fun moments" She said as she patted her youngest daughter's head lovingly before carrying her over to dinner.

Chapter Text

"Guess who's coming over today?" Gustave asked as he and his wife tidied up the house: Dusting, sweeping, rearranging the shelves, you name it, it was done. Annette only played with her princess dolls while watching the adults work.

"Uncle and cousin Simon!" Annette cheered as she leapt up and hugged Gustave's leg; only one of his burly legs was enough for his daughter's tiny stature.

"Who could that be?" Mrs.Dominic said as she heard a knock on the front door, Annette grabbing her dolls and bolting to the door before knocking back. Soon someone opened the door as if they understood the code for 'Come in' used by Annette.

"Cousin Simon!" Annie squealed in delight as she pounced onto the 10-year-old boy who just came through the door with his father, who was carrying some luggage. The boy quickly balancing himself, his mystery case narrowly missing impact.

"Easy there, tiny. I've got something important with me today" He said as he released Annie's grip from his body. Annie had quite the momentum for a 12 kg 3-year-old crashing into a 35 kg boy almost thrice her size.

"I'm not tiny! I'm Annie!"

"Never mind that, I've got a surprise to show you." He said as he doubled back to help his parents with their luggage.

"Annie's gonna be sleeping with me and her, you can take her room if you like" Gustave said as he showed his nephew around the house.

"Ick! No way I'm sleeping in some princess room" The boy retorted as he backed out of the room.

"Okay, then you will sleep in the guest rooms." Gustave said as his wife prepared drinks.

"Wanna play with me?" Annie asked as she placed her princess toys in front of her cousin.

"Not now, I have to practice for a concert." He replied as he opened the case to reveal a shiny, golden Trumpet.

"Whoa! I have one too!" Annie said excitedly as she sped off to her room, returning with a pink plastic Trumpet that she owned.

"That's just a beginner's instrument. You'll get your real one when you're older" Simon scoffed as he rolled his eyes at the toddler.

"Teach said it's every bit as good as yours!" Annie protested.

"If you say so, play me something then" The boy said as he made himself comfortable.

Annette drew a deep breath before blowing forcefully into her instrument, producing a loud sound, much to her own delight.

"Well, you've improved since your first lesson." Gustave and his brother said in unison, the older man picking up his niece before putting her down again.

"How come you don't have to huff and puff?" Annie asked, cheeks kinda sore and red from playing, as she caught her breath.

"Well, we've played for way longer than you and have gotten the hang of it" Simon said as he patted his cousin's head, messing up Annie's hair.

"Ma! Simon messed up my hair!" Annie wailed as she darted to her mother with her instrument in hand.

"Okay, I'll do it again for you. Which style do you want it?"

Annette sat quietly as her mother combed her hair and braided it into pigtails before clipping blue flower clips on the ends.

"Wanna watch me practice?" Simon asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Wait, why does my instrument sound like it's got water in it?" Annie said as she shook her Trumpet, looking confused.

"That's your breath" Gustave said as he walked over to the children.

"How do I get it out? Tip it over?" Annie asked in confusion as she flipped her horn, and tried to peer into the mouthpiece.

"Okay, I'll teach you" Simon said as he guided Annie's hand to the water key and helped her press it, Annie blowing into the horn to clear the water.

"There's my tiny" The boy said endearingly, calling his cousin the silly nickname he gave her since her birth.

"I said I'm not tiny!" Annie pouted as she turned away, cheeks puffing up in anger.

"Alright, you practice your piece in the living room, sonny; while Annie and my brother go practice in her room." Simon's dad said to de-escalate the situation as Gustave led his child into her room.

"Okay, what did Byleth want you to practice..." Gustave mused as he sat on one of the tiny chairs in his girl's room, perusing notes from the teacher.

"Ah yes, learning to play 'Airmid Bridge' She also gave you a siren exercise too, that's pretty fun to play" Gustave said invitingly as Annette did a little princess dance while checking her instrument.

"Let's start with the first part" He said as he laid out the cards on a tiny stand, Annie licking her lips before raising her instrument to playing position.

"Loose lips, relaxed jaw. There" Gustave said as he gently adjusted Annie's posture: Propping up her arms, feeling her jaw and cheeks for tension.

"Her cheeks are so fluffy" He thought as he watched the practice session.

*****

"Cousin Simon! I can play 'Airmid Bridge' now!" Annie announced excitedly as she waltzed out of the room with her newfound skill.

"Really?! Lemme see!" Simon said excitedly, suddenly softening to his little cousin.

Annette played the smoothest sounding C she ever played for her cousin before excitedly clapping for herself for her efforts. Everyone else also giving the small girl a round of applause.

"I'm playing some really hard songs for a concert tonight, I better get dressed after we have lunch" He said as his mother pulled out a sleek suit and bowtie. Gustave serving lunch for the family.

"Ma? Feed me please." Annie said as she looked up at her mother, eyes sparkling.

"Okay, just this once since you haven't mastered cutting lasagna yet." She said as she picked up her daughter's tiny utensils and cut the food into bite-sized pieces, Annie quickly gobbling everything up in seconds.

*******

"Alright, Children. Now's the time to dress up and get ready for the concert." The parents said as they pulled out the children's fancy clothing and makeup. Soon they were prim and proper and ready to go. Annette's hair re-done once again while Simon's red locks were slicked back and set with a spray.

"I hear I'll be accompanied by a tubist! That'll be awesome" Simon beamed as he got into the car with his cousin and parents.

"I wanna play tuba too! Please?" Annie chimed in as she clapped happily.

"You're too small for it: It's literally thrice your size and you can't even reach the mouthpiece; on that note, is your mouth even big enough to play properly?" Simon said, much to Annie's frustration.

"Lay it off, Si." Gustave said as he drove the car, making turns to the university's music building and hall.

"Hey! There's teacher Byleth!" Annie said excitedly as she saw her teacher and some other people walking into the conservatory.

"She's gonna supervise the rehearsal." Gustave, being a local in this district, said as they arrived and the children hopped off.

"Teacher! Teacher! Hi!" Annette called as she ran up to Byleth, who was with her friend Rodrigue. The onyx-haired man was lugging a huge tuba in a wheeled case, his small son toddling after him with his own instrument.

"Hello, Annette." Rodrigue said as he waved to the toddler.

"Are you here to rehearse?" He asked.

"Nope, he is" Annie said as she looked back at her cousin, who was adjusting his suit and tie.

"Is that your cousin?" Byleth asked as she came over to her student and the boy.

"Yep! He's really good at the Trumpet, he even has a shiny one!" Annie said excitedly as she held onto her cousin's hand with one, her other hand holding her instrument.

"Alright, while he practices with Rodrigue. You can play duet with me and maybe try some instruments while they're at it." Byleth offered as she bent down to her tiny student.

"Alright!" Annie beamed as she waved her parents over before entering the building, feeling the chill of the AC on her skin.

"I shoulda brought a jacket..." Annie shivered as she hugged her chest, goose bumps forming on her arms and shoulders.

"Don't worry, it's here." Gustave said as he pulled a white knitted cardigan from a duffel bag. Annie taking the jacket and pulling it on instantly.

"All warm now?" Teach asked.

"Yup!"

"Alright, you can go be with Byleth and Annette for time being." Rodrigue told his son as the boy nodded and made a :3 face before going into the neighboring room with Byleth and Annie.

"Okay, let's start" Rodrigue said to Simon as both of them assembled their instruments and prepared to tune up

*Meanwhile in the neighboring room*

"Annette, do you like jazz?" Felix asked his friend, imitating the bee from the 'Bee movie' making the girl laugh.

"Yep!"

"I can play 15 notes!" Felix said proudly: he'd already advanced to an octave and a half since starting just over a year ago, while his younger friend Annette was still starting out and at 1 note.

"That's cos you're old!" Annie snapped back playfully, giggling. Felix clenching his fists in anger.

"Alright you two, that's enough" Byleth said as she stepped in to diffuse the situation.

"Annette's still a beginner, her instrument also takes more time to learn too" Byleth explained gently as she put her hands on the kid's shoulders.

"What instruments do you have here?" The two children asked as the neighboring room started to rehearse, the room had almost every single wind instrument on display, some other students in the conservatory were also there.

"I've got some young students on tour here" Byleth said as she waved to some practicing students who were here before them, the young woman who played horn waving to the youngsters.

"I can play really well" The two kids said in unison as they showed their miniature instruments to the conservatory students.

"Wow! I didn't know you taught such young students" The woman, Atara Gideon, said in amazement at her senior and alumnus.

"I'm 3!" Annie said.

"I'm 4" Felix chimed as he hopped up.

"Whoa, they must be talented" Atara said in awe as she stepped over to the tiny children before kneeling down to their level.

"You're pretty..." Annie said unknowingly to the young woman.

"Thanks!" Atara said as she patted the girl's head.

"Can I play for you?" Annie asked as she showed the woman her pink Trumpet, made small for her size.

"Sure! I'd be happy to listen" The woman said as she backed up a little to give Annette some space. Annie proceeding to play 'Airmid Bridge' for Atara and her other friend, who also came over to see the tiny child play.

"Byleth's gonna teach me lip slurs soon. I'll be able to play harder songs after that" Annie said after finishing the song, slightly worn out from the high register at the beginning. Felix wanting to play too, so toddling forward with his sax.

"That's pretty impressive for a beginner. I liked how you worked so hard to get that G and A." She said, impressed, even though this was basic stuff for her and her friends.

"My turn!" Felix piped up as he held up his sax to play 'Fly me to the moon' for the ladies, garnering a round of applause.

"Byleth, your students are so talented" The two young women said admiringly to their senior. The kids smiling ear to ear upon hearing the positive comments.

"Can you play?" Annie asked the older woman, in her early twenties, as she handed her the tiny instrument.

"Okay, it's a little hard for me to play; since the mouthpiece is so small" She muttered as she observed for a moment, before playing beautifully. Annette's eyes widening upon hearing the sounds her own instrument could produce.

"Whoa...teach me to play like that too" Both Annette and Felix said in awe as they looked up at Byleth.

"Well, you just need time and practice. I'll help you along the way." Byleth said as she patted both their heads.

"Can you play all of these?" The children asked as they looked up at the wall of instruments.

"Since I teach all of you, yes" Byleth answered as she lifted the two youngsters onto chairs.

"Can you play a trio?" The kids asked as Byleth looked at Atara and Evie.

"Yea, we can whip up a quick trio on the spot." The ladies said in unison, Byleth pulling out a tuba to play the bass part.

"You play Tuba?!" Annie asked in awe.

"Of course, I teach Edelgard that, so of course I can play." Byleth said as she chuckled humbly.

"My pa plays that, he's super good!" Felix chimed in proudly.

"He's playing with my cousin!" Annie added excitedly.

"Let's get to playing" Byleth said as she sat down besides her juniors. The children watching excitedly as they started playing a fun song.

"Yay!" The children cheered as they clapped for the musicians, their voices implying that their energy was running out.

"It's great playing for you two, wish we could play for you again sometime." The two sophomores said contentedly.

"We're done now! You kiddies tired?" Rodrigue, Gustave, and Simon said as they walked into the room.

"Yea..." Felix and Annie said, tired from all the fun.

"Come on, you can ride on the case." Rodrigue said as he packed away Felix's sax and lifted him onto the tuba case, wheeling it away after.

"Come on, Annie. Up you go" Gustave said gently as he picked up his daughter, who was half-asleep, and held her with one arm, his other arm holding her instrument.

"Bye!" He said as he walked out, waving to his juniors.

"She looks like she had fun" Simon said as he followed them to the courtyard for Annie's nap. Simon practicing among the birds and trees in the meantime, garnering the attention of some passing students.

********

"Alright, now's the concert." Jeralt said to the boy as he watched the stage cues backstage.

"You're gonna play great" he said as he sent the boy onstage.

"Cousin Simon is so cool!" Annie whispered excitedly, re-energized from the quick nap earlier.

"That's my son!" Gustave's brother said, tears in his eyes as he watched his son play many songs. While his niece Annette fell asleep a third of the way through the night concert.

"Oh Annie, still too small for night concerts I see." Simon whispered after the concert while walking to the car.

Chapter Text

"Pa, I'm old enough to be home alone today! Please!" 5 year old Sylvain wailed in tears as his big brother was packing for a band competition and will be away the entire week, his parents were instructors at the Seiros Conservatory with Matthias teaching Trombone and his wife being a vocal instructor.

"I guess we'll have to take him with us." He said as he led Sylvain to the car.

"Can I bring my Trombone too?" Sylvain asked as he looked up.

"Okay, you can bring it. You can practice in the lounge." He said as he stowed away both their instruments and strapped Sylvain into his carseat. Miklan getting onto the bus.

*****

"Felix?" Sylvain asked in surprise upon seeing his friend in the lounge with his dad.

"Glenn's going on band show, so I have to take Felix with me here. He even has his own saxophone too" Rodrigue said as he lazily lounged on the sofa with a drink. His small son happily playing his new instrument. Another child, a tiny girl with red hair in pigtails, lay sleeping on the cushions: she appears to be unbothered by the boy's music.

"Hi." Sylvain said as he settled down: setting his instrument case next to his father's, seating himself on the sofa, careful not to wake the tiny girl.

"Who this?!" The tiny girl said as she opened her eyes to the sight of Sylvain before darting to a tall man who shared her hair color.

"That's my friend's son" The man, Gustave, said calmly as he sipped some ice water. He picks up his tiny daughter and puts her in one arm before continuing with his routine.

"Guess it's 'Bring your kid to work' day" Rodrigue jokes as he stood up and made for the first lesson he teaches here.

"Come on now, Papa's gotta teach now" Gustave said as he picked up his Trombone case and made for his room, where his student was already waiting.

"You too, Sylvain. I gotta teach too." Matthias said as he also went for his designated room, Sylvain trailing after him with his instrument.

"Sorry I was late, got someone extra along with me." He said to his student, a freshman, as he chuckled sheepishly, pointing Sylvain to a small chair in the corner.

"Is he your kid?" The young man asked.

"Yup" He replied.

"Hey! Pa said we can play together in here!" Felix said as he peeked around, pointing to a vacant practice room.

"Okay" Sylvain said as he leapt up, his dad nodding in approval.

"I haven't started lessons yet, but I like to play loud!" Felix said proudly as he smiled.

"Annie wanna play too" The tiny girl chimed as she entered the room, her shirt had a clip which a soother was attached.

"You're still a baby!" An older girl with blonde hair, small parts of which were woven in a braid, spoke up as she shook her head.

"Am not!" Annie retorted, Sylvain trying to sort things out between the two.

"Chill!" Sylvain and another blond boy, Dimitri, spoke up at the same time, spreading their arms out to make distance between the two.

"Ing, can you please explain why you think she's a baby?" Dimitri asked in the calmest voice he could muster.

"She still has a soothie! We're all big kids and she's not!" The blonde girl spoke in an exasperated tone, scoffing.

"Why are we all here?" Annette asked, suddenly defusing the tension in a comical way. Sylvain, Felix, and Dimitri snickering while Ingrid stood pouting.

"Our parents work and we can't be home alone" Sylvain answered, relieved at the situation.

"Anyhow, I've got this!" Ingrid piped up as she pulled out her brand new Trumpet.

"Annie wants one too!" Annette said as her eyes sparkled.

"You can play on mine first" Sylvain said kindly as he handed his matching Trombone to the toddler. Annie smiling contentedly and grasping it, pulling the slide in and out with fascination, albeit in an awkward fashion

"Sheesh, if only you were this nice to me" Ingie smirked at him as she gave a sharp stare.

"Whaaaaat, she's so cute." Sylvain gawked; he'd picked up on some of his brother's mannerisms.

"You play like this" Sylvain said as he positioned her soft hands properly and pointed to the mouthpiece.

"Kiss?" Annie asked, smiling. Ingrid turning to them at a speed that could've given anyone a whiplash at the mention of the word.

"Kiss the mouthpiece, then blow really hard" He said like a teacher.

Annette blew into the mouthpiece as hard as she can, producing a decent buzzing sound. Both Sylvain and Annette clapped in joy as Dimitri and the others looked on with an impressed smile.

"Yay!" Annie cheered as she clapped, smiling her smile with a soon-to-erupt tooth at the back.

*Knock knock*

"Who that?!" Annie asked in surprise as she leapt up, pigtails standing up in a comical way.

"It's Papa." A voice answered as a man with orange hair peeked around, Annie darting straight to him.

"Time for her little nap. Anyone wanna play big brother?" He said with a wink, Annie already asleep, sucking on her soother.

"I do!" Sylvain said, raising his hand as he stepped forward earnestly and followed the man into the lounge.

"Be very quiet now, she likes sleeping in silence. And don't cuddle her: Only me and her mom can do that." He instructed sternly as he gently set his daughter down on the sofa, the girl curling up with her doll and blanket, still sucking on her soother.

"Aww, such a good big brother!" Some instructors whispered wholesomely as they dropped by for a quick lunch.

"Hey, we're not actually related" Sylvain whispered jokingly.

"The boy's Gautier's son, the girl's Dominic's daughter," The young women whispered as they made some coffee. This was quite routine gossip in the instructor's lounge at the conservatory.

"I better get some lunch too, but I can't leave her side." Sylvain thought as he felt his stomach rumble.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break for the conservatory. The bell also startled Annette, who spat out her soother in crankiness, and started to make a fuss.

"I'm sorry, so sorry!" Sylvain stammered as he tried to calm the crying girl down. More instructors were also entering the room for lunch break, along with director Rhea.

"There there, papa's here" Gustave said warmly as he picked up the tiny girl and hugged her tight.

"Lunch is here, boy. You can go eat in the courtyard with us if you like." Matthias said as he handed his son his lunch bag, which had a grilled cheese sandwich and some fruit inside.

"Come on Annie, lunch time" Gustave said as he slung his huge bag over one shoulder, his toddler girl over the other, and went outside with his colleagues.

"Feels nice eating out!" Sylvain said as he took in the nature around him, along with his lunch. His friends also enjoying the moment. Soon, he and his friends were starting to feel sleepy.

"Wanna have a nap, or do you wanna continue playing?" Matthias asked as he patted his son's head, Sylvain leaning onto his body and closing his eyes, giving his answer.

"Okay, guess it's all naps for the little ones" The man said as he gently scooped up his son, and returned to the lounge with all the other parents.

"Papa's got some more lessons in the afternoon, you stay here and be good." Matthias said to his son as he placed the small boy onto the couch where his friends were napping.

"There's always someone in and out of this room, so rest assured your offspring will be safe." Another teacher said assuringly as she came into the room for a little snack.

"Why is she holding my hand?" Sylvain asked as Annette wrapped her hand around his finger.

"Maybe it's because she trusts you" Gustave and Matthias said as they patted their children's heads.

"Being the oldest in this group here really makes him the big bro" Matthias's said, smiling as he went on to teach his last student for the day.

"Mama's classes are all done for today, Sylvain." Matthias's wife whispered as she came and sat beside her sleeping son.

"All done now? Can we go home?" Sylvain asked, tired from all the activity.

"Wait for your papa too." She said gently.

"Okay..." Sylvain replied sleepily before resuming his slumber.

*****

"Alright, let's go home" Matthias said as he came into the lounge and gathered his family's items, and left with his wife and son. Sylvain's other friends waving goodbye: Their parents still have more classes to teach.

****

"You were very good today, both as a musician, and a big brother." Matthias said proudly as he tucked his exhausted son into bed.

Chapter Text

"Alright, you give this letter to your parents. It's about a photoshoot for our band: we're going to have our very first public performance for founding day!" Byleth announced excitedly as she handed out pamphlets detailing a group photoshoot: dress code, date, extra information, all details were listed.

"Okay!" The entire band chirped as they checked out the pamphlet, which was laid out in pictures for easy understanding.

"Wear your best pretty dress or suit" Dedue read as the younger children crowded around him; the younger ones couldn't read well yet.

"This weekend, Garreg Mach." He continued.

"Bring your instruments" He added before nodding to signal the end.

"I wanna wear my red dress!" Edelgard, the band's tiny tubist, spoke up excitedly.

"I've a really fluffy blue dress!" Annette added gleefully.

"I wanna be a princess!" Hilda piped up.

"Okay, the solo photos won't be much work. It's the group photo that's a tall task: wrangling 20+ small children is not how cowboys do it in the movies." Byleth thought as she opened a coffee before chugging it like a beer.

******

"Is everybody all dressed up now?" Byleth asked as a slick-haired woman with a hi-tech camera walked in.

"Yes, Ms.Byleth!" The group chirruped.

"Annette! You're up first" The woman, who introduced herself as Shamir, called as she inserted the lens into her camera. Annette, clad in a fluffy blue dress, came forward to the colorful backdrop, pink Trumpet in hand, and awaited orders.

"Cass! Positions!" The woman yelled, another burly woman came out of nowhere and set Annette in a formal 45-degree stand.

"Next is a freestyle pose: Do anything you want." Shamir instructed with a smile, Annette did a ballet pose with a joyful smile.

"Finally, play pose" She said, Annette playing a note photogenically.

"All done now!" She said as she flashed a thumbs-up to Byleth, who led Ashe, who was clad in a blue suit and red bowtie, to the backdrop.

Shamir went through the classic '45-degree stand' and 'play' poses, and photographed Ashe using his flute as a telescope for the piece de resistance.

Next, Shamir proceeded to photograph many creative and funny freestyles: Dimitri's rocket Trombone, Felix's jazz slide, Edelgard's peekaboo, Dorothea's 'cat dance' she learned from ballet, Caspar's hypercharged fist pump, Shez's 'Enigma' pose, Marianne's 'hat' from her instrument, all manner of silly poses. Shamir was stifling giggles by the end of it.

"Their antics got to you?" Byleth teased the camerawoman, also giggling.

"I guess, next is the group photo for the gig." Shamir said as she had Catherine change the backdrop to a white one.

"Alright, here comes the final boss." Byleth muttered under her breath as she mustered her strength.

"Small ones at the front, taller ones at the back" Cass called as she arranged the young children into formation. Soon, everyone was in formation, but were still restless.

"Dimitri, stop poking Lysithea with your slide, please?"

"Ingrid, stop picking your nose!"

"Edelgard, I know it's heavy, but hang in there. Cass, go give her a hand." Byleth said as Edelgard started to look tired from holding her Tuba. Cass holding it for her.

"Now's not the time for swordplay!" Byleth said as she caught Sylvain and Dimitri fencing with their Trombone slides.

"What song are we gonna play?" Annette asked as she broke formation, Cass quickly ushering her back into place.

"Can everyone please stay in position and smile?!?!" Shamir called as she prepared the camera, the children quickly shifting closer and smiling, making the picture turn out perfectly.

"Next practice, don't forget to bring the concert notice and the yearbook home to your parents!" Byleth said as the children were getting ready to go home.

"Okay!" They chirruped before going to their parents, one by one.

Chapter Text

"Okay, Lysithea, Annette, Claude, Lorenz, Edelgard..." Byleth said as she counted her band members, most of them were already there, save for Hilda, who had a reputation for being late.

"Marianne, have you seen your friend Hilda?" The woman asked a small girl with blue hair.

"Nope"

"Teacher Byleth! I'm here now!" Hilda called as she ran to the group with her pink melodica.

"You're late" The woman scolded in a stern voice, the other children getting into position.

"Alright, kids. Can I have everyone in position?" Byleth asked in a loud voice as she pointed to the stage where many tiny chairs were placed.

"Wait for the cue, and go to your seats." Byleth said as she peeked out of the curtain.

"And now, a very special performance for founding day by our very own little wind ensemble." Another teacher said as she secretly signaled to Byleth, who gestured the kids to enter stage left, Edelgard having some extra help with logistics and a slightly taller chair than the rest.

"So many people!" Marianne exclaimed under her breath as she clutched her instrument, sweating profusely.

"It'll be alright" Claude, who sat beside the horns, whispered with a wink, which made Marianne feel relieved.

"Just do your best, kids" Byleth whispered as she took position, straightened her suit, and signaled tune-up, which was where the performers gave their instruments a short test run to make sure everything was working okay.

"The first piece will be 'Nabatean lullaby'" The announcer said, signaling Byleth to conduct a slow-paced, tender melody: a simple melody which holds very deep connections to the institution. All the children played their parts beautifully and expressively.

"I loved that song!" Dorothea, the clarinetist with voluminous hair, whispered to her buddy between songs. Byleth quickly giving her a glance before waiting the MC's signal cue.

"Next piece is the 'Seiros March' which was composed by Saint Seiros herself." The MC teacher, Kelsey, spoke through the microphone as Byleth prepared her students for the next piece. All the section leaders - Mercedes, Emile, Shez, Sylvain, Hubert, Lorenz - were handing out copies of their respective parts to their members and switching the previous score out.

"There's my daughter in the back" Anselma - Edelgard's mother - whispered as she pointed to the stage, other parents also pointing out their children.

"They're about to start" Lambert - Dimitri's father - said as Byleth raised her baton to get the band's attention.

As the little wind band performed the sacred piece of music, the audience enthralled by the beautiful music as they remember their faith's origin, even non-believers were drawn to the music the young musicians played. Director Rhea was about to enter the conservatory's hall to enjoy the performance.

Director Rhea entered the hall just as the children's performance ended, both Audience and performer alike were surprised by this unexpected visit. The graceful woman stepped onto the stage as people clapped for both her and the children.

"Teacher Byleth, I trust you've been teaching them well?" The woman spoke, her voice was soothing and calm, as she gazed at the children, all of whom were looking back with beady eyes.

"Is she the one who created the world?" Annette asked innocently: the director's ethereal complexion sparked her curiosity. Shez, who sat beside her, quickly gave her a cold gaze while the director laughed endearingly.

"No, I'm just the director of the school and conservatory" She replied, calm as ever.

"May I have another round applause for the Garreg Mach junior wind ensemble" The woman spoke as she turned to the audience and started to clap. Byleth cueing her band to stand up and take a bow before walking backstage.

"That's that, now to pick up some sleepy smols and let them rest in our arms for the remainder of the concert" Rodrigue said as he went backstage with the other parents to pick up their children.

"Papa! Did I play well?" Annette cheered as she ran towards her father, who was eagerly waiting with the other parents backstage.

"Very well"

"You better hurry to your seats; Intermission is gonna end soon" Byleth said as she arranged seats for the older children's performances and coordinated the performers, Glenn giving his little bro a high five along the way.

"Big bro is so cool!" Felix whispered as he watched the older children, dressed in black and white suits, girls wearing navy blue floor-length gowns, as they took their seats in white chairs. The teacher that MC'd the children's performance was now their conductor; Byleth was now the MC for the latter half of the performance.

"I didn't know teacher Kelsey was the leader of the big kid's orchestra" Sylvain said to Dimitri in surprise; they'd only seen the woman when she came to sub in for Byleth when she was out sick.

"Shh, it's gonna start" Rodrigue said sternly as he patted both boys on the shoulder.

****

Safe to say that most of the young children dozed off by the end of the senior performances, but they remembered every note and sound they heard. Both band teachers also went and got a beer after this to celebrate founding day and their student's achievements.

Chapter Text

"Achoo!" Byleth sneezed as she grabbed a tissue from her box, Jeralt walking into her room with a worried look.

"You sure don't look well today, how about you take it easy and call in a sub" The old man suggested with a shrug.

"Can't *Cough* ---- have to teach today *Wheeze* ----- founding day is soon *Cough* ----- gotta teach important music" Was all that Byleth managed to choke out before being mauled by a coughing fit, Jeralt grabbing a mask and putting it on.

"Yup, you need a doctor ASAP. I'll have your big bro call one of your friends to sub in." Jeralt said as he motioned Beret to call up a sub as he took his daughter to the hospital.

"Hello? Kelsey? I kinda need you to sub in for Byleth in junior band. She's out sick pretty bad" Beret spoke through the phone to Kelsey, the senior band teacher at school, as he prepared toast and coffee for himself.

"Sure! I can sub in for her! Wait, junior band is the 3-9 year olds?" Kelsey agreed enthusiastically before suddenly retracting her words.

"Yup, that young. Got a problem?" The young man said, quite snarkily.

"Nope!" The young woman chirped before putting the phone away.

"Okay, what the holy mausoleum have I gotten myself into?" Kelsey whispered under her breath as she biked to school, somewhat worried about the endeavor she was about to undertake.

"She gave me all the children's profiles once, I just have to read through them and I'll be fine" The young woman said hysterically as she flipped through Byleth's band book.

******

"Huh? Who's that? Did Teacher Byleth change her hair?" Many little voices asked as Kelsey walked into the room with a tablet connected to a TV. She puts Byleth on video call as she turns the TV on.

"Hi, kids" Byleth said, voice slightly weak and raspy, her face pale and slightly sullen. Kelsey composing herself.

"Teacher Byleth! What happened? Why are you in bed?" More little voices asked over each other as Kelsey tried to calmed them down.

"I got sick, the doctor's gonna give me some medicine soon, but I'll still be here with you kids" Byleth replied with a smile, giving a thumbs-up.

"Alright, kids! Do you know what next month is?" Kelsey asked, displaying a slide on the TV.

"My birthday!" Lysithea, the youngest one, piped up excitedly.

"Nope, not that. It's founding day: to remember the origins of our faith and school." Kelsey corrected in a clinical voice, forgetting that she was teaching much younger students.

"What's founding day?" Dimitri asked.

"Just go over a brief history of the day, and hand out the sheet music for the march and lullaby, be there to guide them if needed" Byleth said to her friend over the phone.

"Founding day is to celebrate our school's birthday, like your birthdays, it's a special day." Kelsey explained, many children nodding their heads and saying they understand.

"Will there be cake and presents like my birthday?" Hilda asked excitedly.

"No no, it's not like usual birthdays: We celebrate by playing music that's special to our school, and you will be playing it" The woman said as she opened a file folder and chose some sheet music.

"Like big bro!" Felix chimed excitedly, which jogged Kelsey's memory: She'd taught Glenn, and now his little bro.

"You're Felix, aren't you" She asked the boy.

"Yeah"

"I think I also teach his big brother too" The woman added as she looked at Sylvain.

"Yeah! Big bro's also doing founding day. He's already got the sheet music for it." Sylvain replied cheerfully as he received the sheet music for his section, much simpler yet equally beautiful, and handed it out to the rest of the section.

"Here's everybody's sheet music" She said as she handed the rest of the music to the band, Byleth giving another thumbs-up as a sign of approval from her hospital ward.

"Can we visit teach after this?" Claude asked.

"Unfortunately, no. It's too dangerous to go visit her: the virus can easily spread from her to you, and it's super dangerous to little kids." Kelsey explained sympathetically.

"But I'm strong!" Raphael - the biggest boy - said as he stood up and pumped his fists.

"Does every band session have to have so many unrelated topics of conversation?" Kelsey whispered to Byleth, seemingly losing control of the class.

"I guess it's just for today; I'm out sick and they have a new teacher they barely know" Byleth replied.

"Can I have everyone quiet down now? Next, we're going to listen to the songs we're gonna play" Kelsey asked over the chatter as she scrolled to the list of songs for junior band. The children quieted down as the woman played the songs for them.

"So beautiful!" Ignatz said, dreamily, as he clasped his hands to his chest.

"That's a lot of history crammed into one song" Mercedes said demurely as she smiled.

"My Papa can play that too" Annette piped up with a big smile.

"I've seen the Seiros Sacred Orchestra play before" Kelsey replied with a wink.

"My Mama works there" Another kid said.

"Okay, time to get into your groups and practice for a little bit." Kelsey said, finally regaining control of the band.

******

"Finally, it's over" Kelsey sighed as she hopped on her bike and headed for the bar. Suddenly, her phone rang as she was pedaling.

"Hello? It was fine, the kids were really good. About founding day, will you get better on time?" She spoke to Byleth as she took off again.

*After 3 subbed sessions, Byleth was back in action after half a week in hospital and another week of home rest*

Chapter Text

"Please can you take me to the concert? I really wanna be a musician like them!" Dorothea wailed as she stood outside the kitchen, clutching the safety gate, stamping her feet.

"Dorothea, how about we talk about this later?" The woman offered as she cooked pasta in a saucepan.

"Hmph, okay." Dorothea pouted before climbing into her highchair and tying her bib.

"Okay, I'll take you to the concert, but only on one condition: you have to behave and not fuss during the performance." The woman said sternly, her husband wanting to protest.

"A full concert? She's only 3! They don't have that long of an attention span" The man said as he and his wife left the table for a moment.

"There's only one show here, and she really wants to go" The woman whispered.

****

"Mommy! Look at this!" Dorothea called excitedly as she led her mother to the band room at school; there was a poster showcasing a concert for children, held by the Seiros conservatory.

"Ooh, that's interesting. Wanna go? I heard many of your friends are going" the woman asked. Dorothea nodding excitedly.

"Interested? You can come watch the band if you like" A middle school student asked the toddler as she came out for a break.

"Thank you so much" The mother said as she quietly led Dorothea into the band room.

"So many instruments!" Dorothea whispered in awe as she watched the rehearsal, sat comfortably in her mother's lap.

"You're going to the children's concert this weekend, right?" The older girl asked as she sat down besides the girl and her mother after band rehearsal.

"Yep! Super excited to go!" The girl replied happily.

"See you!" The girl said as she also went home.

"Someone's in a good mood today" The girl's father said as he prepared dinner, singing an opera in the process.

"Yep! There's a concert especially for little kids by her school, and she's going" His wife said as she hung Dorothea's backpack and got her lunchbox and sippy cup out and left it in the sink.

"It's so good that the school has such programs in place, many kids can learn music" the man said as he turned the stove on. Dorothea having her mother give her a shower and dressing her up in a princess dress.

"Mommy? Can I play an instrument?" Dorothea asked at dinner.

"Sure, what do you wanna play?" Her father returned with a question.

"Like the big girl at school today" The little girl replied, she wanted to play Clarinet like the girl she'd met.

"Well, concert's tomorrow now. Better rest up and prepare for the fun" He said as he served up food, his little princess already seated and ready to eat.

****

"Come on! It's time to go!" Dorothea said in a singsong voice as she danced in front of her parent's room. It was 5.30 in the morning, on a saturday. Dorothea's parents coming out groggily.

"It's 5.30, go back to bed..." Her mother mumbled before going back to bed.

"But we're gonna be late!" Dorothea protested.

"The concert's not 'til 9; you'll have plenty of time before that" Her father said sleepily, Dorothea finally getting a concrete time frame of the day and finally going back into her room and bed. She couldn't sleep and started to play with her dolls, staging a pretend concert with her figurines.

Finally it was 6.30: the time that her family usually wakes up and gets on with the day. Dorothea waking her parents up vigorously, this time with success as they were now up and ready to go.

**

"Alright, ready to go?" The girl's parents asked as they checked their girl's dress and hair: Dorothea was dressed as a princess, complete with tiara and sparkly shoes.

"Yeah!"

****

"Lots of my friends are here!" Dorothea exclaimed happily upon seeing many familiar faces: Edelgard, Ferdie, Hubie, even the much younger ones like Caspar and Petra.

"Ferdie!" She called, the orange-haired boy turning at the voice, smiling and waving at her.

"Dorothea!" The boy greeted cheerfully.

"Come on now, the concert's gonna start soon" Anselma - Edelgard's mother - said as she led her daughter and a few other children into the venue, Dorothea following shortly.

The concert was held in a bright, wide room, which allowed the young children to move around and dance as they please: a stark difference to the traditional concerts held by the organization. Dorothea and her friends each took a seat on a colorful rug, Petra and Caspar sitting on their parent's laps.

"Okay, is everybody ready to start?" A boy from high school asked as he stood up energetically. The little kids all cheering and clapping as they stood up and danced.

"I am!" Dorothea said at the top of her lungs. Petra cooing as she wiggled in her mother's lap, sharing the older girl's excitement.

"Then we'll sing some songs together first, then we'll show you each instrument" The lead boy said, some of the other older students standing up and preparing to sing and dance.

Dorothea and some of the older participants all enjoyed a bout of singalongs to classical instruments, now comes the time for each performer to showcase their instruments for the children. Dorothea quickly went over to a senior girl playing the Clarinet and sat down for a few songs; she knew that this was her calling. After those few songs, she went back to her parents.

"I've chosen! Dorothea wants to play the clarinet!" Dorothea declared with a regal air as she stood before her parents at the concert.

"Okay, we'll see what we can do for you" A woman with dark cobalt hair spoke up from behind the girl, her parents smiling.

"Say hello to Byleth. She's a band teacher at school." Dorothea's parents said as the girl turned around, her gaze perfectly meeting the woman's.

"Hi..." Dorothea said as she climbed onto her parent's laps, eyes still locked on the pretty lady.

"My daughter wants to play clarinet and we heard from school that you specialize in teaching really young kids" She said as she squeezed her daughter tight.

"I think that's gonna be my twin brother Beret; I teach brass while he teaches woodwind." The woman corrected as she sat beside the girl's parents.

"When can we start her on lessons? Next Wednesday after school?" Dorothea's parents asked to clarify the details.

"Okay, he's got a slot free right after your ballet class." Byleth said as she texted her brother, the man replying instantly.

"You'll get your instrument next Wednesday at your lesson." Byleth told the girl as Dorothea cheered in delight and excitement.

******

"Hello! I'm Dorothea!" The tiny girl, dressed in a ballet leotard, beamed as she walked into the lesson room.

"Hi, I'm Beret, Byleth's big brother." The man said in a warm, friendly tone as he waved to the tiny girl.

"I have something for you" The young man said as he handed Dorothea a purple case, Dorothea taking the case and opening it on the floor excitedly.

"Whoa! It's a real Clarinet for me!" The young girl exclaimed happily, eyes shining as she took the instrument out and observed it.

"Yes, made smaller for little kids, and will last until you're out of elementary." The man said as he prepared his own instrument and the materials for her lesson.

"Okay, mom and dad can stay: it helps her to progress faster when she has somebody to watch her practice" Beret said as he gestured his student's parents to some chairs in the corner of the room.

"Okay, make sure to take notes for her until she's about 8 or 9." He said as he inserted a reed into his instrument, Dorothea watching in wonder as she handed him her instrument to do the same.

"Okay, reed's inserted. Have your mom or dad help you at home" Beret said as he returned the mini Clarinet to his student. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Sorry bro, forgot my instrument in here." Byleth said as she swooped in to grab her Trumpet and left like the wind.

"Okay, here is a foam wedge. You try to hold the clarinet so the wedge won't fall." Beret said as he positioned the foam wedge between Dorothea's chest and her clarinet, making a 45-degree angle.

"Why don't you have to use this? Why me?" Dorothea asked as she looked up.

"So your pose can be beautiful, like a ballerina." The man explained patiently.

"Okay"

So begins a very beautiful journey for Dorothea, her family, and also her friends. After 8 months of lessons and turning 4, she officially joins the school junior band.

Chapter Text

"Hey, kids. Found these old photos when I's cleaning out the attic." Jeralt called as he came to his grown children with an old album.

"It's a picture of our first recital, with you." Byleth and Beret said in unison as they laid eyes on the photo: A large man standing with his twin children who looked to be 4.5 years old, the boy was holding a Clarinet, the girl was holding a small Trumpet, both were smiling widely with pride.

"Cute..." Jeralt sniffled as memories came flooding back.

*****

"Daddy! Mommy! A street band!" The twins called as they ran off from their parents, enticed by the sound of a nearby group of buskers. Jeralt and Sitri running after their 4 year old twins.

"You two! Don't run off like that!" The parents called as they ran until they found the twins sat in front of a busking group performing near a university park.

"Wanna be like them" The twins said as they pointed at the ska band, with bass, drums, Trumpets, Clarinets, and everything in between. The band was smiling ear to ear upon hearing the young children's words.

"Whoa, said like our daughter and son" Jeralt said as he picked the small kids up onto his shoulders; his shoulders were broad enough to carry 2 or 3 children on them.

"I'll tell my little band that there's gonna be 2 new members" Jeralt said as he patted his kids quite roughly, Sitri leaving with him. Byleth and Beret waved after the ska band until they were out of sight.

**

"Ey, what's this? New members?" Alois asked as he came for a band meeting on Jeralt's invitation.

"My twin children wanna start music; they wanna try out a few things before settling on one instrument." Jeralt announced as he had his kids stand in front of the members.

"Bylie already has a toy trumpet, so we've got a lead on her interests." Sitri said as she patted her daughter's head endearingly.

"Here!" Byleth said as she showed the band her toy, which she got for her last birthday. Beret quietly showing his slide whistle as well.

"She can play a little bit, got some lessons from me" Jeralt proclaimed like a proud dad before having his daughter play a few songs, which Byleth did with confidence.

"Hoho, better get her an upgrade." Catherine said with a chuckle.

"Yea, figured so. Better get both of them proper instruments and lessons." Jeralt replied to his friend's comment.

"Really?!" The twins beamed upon hearing the words, excited to actually become musicians.

"Yes, we'll go after today" Sitri said kindly as she pulled her children close.

"Okay! We'll go too, since it's the leader's kids' rite of passage" The other band members added as they nodded in approval and encouragement.

"Let's a go!" The twins said in unison, mimicking a TV show that they watched, as they raised their fists in jubilation, even Beret was outgoing when he was with his little sister.

*

"Sorry, something's come up; we can't take you two anymore" Jeralt told his kids apologetically as he ruffled their hair.

"What?!" The twins said, tears welling up in their eyes, clearly dissapointed by the news.

"Now's our chance! Go!" Cass whispered as she took Jeralt to get the twin's surprise presents.

"Kinda feel sorry for makin' 'em cry" The burly man whispered as he rode the car to the music shop.

"They'll be elated to see what you've got 'em!" Shamir consoled as she flicked open her sunglasses and put them on, biker style.

"Alright, here to pick up my order." Jeralt said to the clerk, who was his junior, as the young man handed him a Clarinet and a trumpet and waved goodbye.

"My kids are gonna be so so happy!" Jeralt hummed musically as he drove back to his house.

**

"Keep 'em closed, a little more, more." Sitri said as she lead her twins, now blindfolded, to the living room where everyone was waiting.

"Open your eyes!" Jeralt announced as he placed the twin's late birthday presents in front of them.

"Whoa! Upgrade!" Beret said in a coolish tone, Byleth giggling at her big brother, as he checked out his new instrument.

"Thank you! I love you all!" Byleth said as she smiled, teeth showing.

"Try playing something!" Alois suggested excitedly; he looked even more excited than the twins.

Byleth played one of her favourites, which sounded even better on the new instrument. Beret also followed with a more rich and polished version of his favourite song.

"Ohmigosh! Both of you sound so good!" Shamir said in an impressed voice, smiling approvingly at the 4 year old twins.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, time to actually practice with mom and dad and get super good." Catherine piped up as she came up to the twins and ruffled their hair; Byleth's neatly braided pigtails were now kind of a tangled mess.

"After I redo your hair, of course" Sitri said as she pulled her daughter aside, pulled the hair elastics out of her hair, and pulled the dark locks into a high ponytail.

"Let's Jazz!" The twins said in a swagger voice as they did their pose once again before heading to the practice room, hand in hand. Jeralt giggling at his childrens' version of 'Let's Rock!'.

"We better get some practice in as well." Sitri said as she also followed the twins to the basement practice room, where the noise was definitely not ticking off the neighbors.

"Can we play with daddy's band?" The twins asked as they looked at their dad with puppy-dog eyes.

"Sure" Jeralt said to his kids before whispering to the band to 'play along'.

Jeralt arranged everyone into position, bass at the back, saxophone on stage right, and his kids front and center. Byleth and Beret felt very included as they played along the complex pieces that their parents' band played, even though their sounds weren't really heard among the band. When they finished, Jeralt gave his son and daughter another one of his headpats.

****

"You've come far since that photo was taken; it was only a few months after your first formal lesson." Jeralt said, still sniffling from the tender memory, as he wiped a tear from his face.

"Yep, we've come far alright. Now we're teachers teaching some very talented youngsters, just like how you taught us." The twins, now all grown up, said in affirmation as they observed the photo and reminisced.

"Don't you have lessons today?" Sitri asked as she came in, interrupting the mood: Byleth and Beret jolting in a comical manner.

"Oh shoot, I'm late!" The twins said in unison as they raced out the door.

Chapter Text

"Papa? Can Ashe learn an instrument?" An almost 3 year old Ashe asked his dad as the man was cooking up a meal for his customers; he'd seen some musicians play at the eatery once or twice and figured that he should also be on that stage.

"Well, we'll see about that. I don't know if you're gonna be serious about this." The man replied as he skillfully transferred the piping hot fish onto a dish and added some garnish in an artistic manner.

"Ashe is serious!" The boy replied, sounding earnest.

"Okay, you're gonna help me at the store for the money first. I saw that you get free lessons at school." The man said with a smile as he read another order and had his helpers to prepare the ingredients.

"Sure! Ashe is good helper!" The boy replied as he gave an eager smile.

"Starting today." The man spoke as he handed his son a tiny apron.

"You can go help rinse the plates and cups." He said as he lifted Ashe onto the sink counter, where he will rinse the soapy water off of used utensils.

"You can get a few bucks each time; when you have enough to buy an instrument, I'll take you to choose." The man said, striking a deal as Ashe diligently got to work.

"How long will that take?" The boy asked.

"A few months."

*A few months later, many exciting events happened in the meantime: Ashe's 3rd birthday, going to a kids concert, many events happened.*

"Ashe's decided! Ashe wants to play the flute" The boy said excitedly after attending a band showcase by some students at his school.

"Okay, a flute it is. We'll go today." Ashe's mother said as she took her son's hand and went to their car.

"I'm gonna get super good! Watch me!" Ashe said excitedly as he hopped out of the car.

"Okay, I'm looking for a flute for my boy. He's 3" His mother said to an employee, who was a college student doing part-time, as Ashe looked around the store; it was dedicated to band students so had many wind instruments on display.

"Okay, here's a tiny flute just for little kids; It sounds exactly like the big one, just smaller." The young woman said as she handed a shiny flute to Ashe, who took it inquisitively and tried to play it.

"Whoa cool!" Ashe exclaimed with sparkling eyes, his mother and the young woman watching excitedly. He tried to make a sound by blowing into the tone hole, but failed; the woman, who was majoring in flute, gently giving him a few pointers until he successfully made a sound.

"I'll take it, thanks!" Ashe said in satisfaction as he pulled out his wallet and took out every hard-earned penny to pay for it.

"Okay, just the right amount." The woman said as she counted the money and gave the flute to Ashe, case and all.

"Yay! I did it!" Ashe cheered as he jumped around, smiling ear to ear.

"Let's get home and show papa!" Ashe said excitedly as he waved goodbye to the woman.

"Sure!"

**

"Look what I got!" Ashe beamed as he showed his new flute to his father, who smiled proudly.

"Paid for it with every penny himself." His mother added with a smile.

"Go practice on the stage over there, I'll listen." The man added, winking.

Ashe got onto the stage in a corner of the dining area, looked around and started to play some random songs that he knew; the sound wasn't the best but it was pretty decent for someone who's yet to attend formal lessons.

"Hello!" Ashe said, greeting a customer as he waved cheerfully; the woman who came in was his friend's mother, who also took Yuri along for the trip.

"Ashe? You started music?" The purple-headed boy, Yuri, asked in surprise.

"Yeah!" The smaller boy replied.

"I play Sax. Wanna duet someday?" Yuri offered as he stepped onto the stage.

"Sure!" The older boy, who was 6, replied coolly.

"Wanna listen?" Ashe asked his friend, as Yuri's mother ordered some food for her and Yuri; Yuri nodding enthusiastically.

Ashe played a string of notes, trying to emulate the songs that the musicians he saw played, as Yuri listened intently.

"Bravo! Awesome!" Yuri and some other customers said as they clapped for the owner's young son; Ashe taking a big bow before skipping down the stage to Yuri.

"Has he started lessons yet? He seems to have potential." An old lady who was a regular patron, asked Ashe's mom as she clapped.

"He's starting next week at his school: it's free of charge." The younger woman replied with a proud smile; the old lady ruffling Ashe's hair endearingly: the boy resembled her grandson of the same age.

**

"Okay, after school, we're not going home right away every tuesday. We're going to the conservatory for your lessons." Ashe's mother said as she dropped her son at school.

"Bye mom! Ashe loves you!" The boy said as he dashed through the gates, shark backpack bouncing on his back.

Instead of entering the classroom as usual, Ashe went to the band room down the hall; he pressed his face to the glass door as he watched the older children in primary and the older early year classes warming up for morning assembly performance.

"It's not like Ashe to be this late, wonder what's up?" The playgroup teacher wondered aloud as she had her assistant cover while she went out for a search.

"Ashe, There you are!" She said upon seeing the tiny boy looking into the band room.

"Teacher Saorise! Look at the band!" Ashe greeted cheerfully as he waved to his teacher, completely oblivious to her worry.

"So that's where you've been, you were watching the band practice." She said as she led Ashe back to the classroom.

"Can I be the line leader for assembly?" The boy asked as he put away his lunch bag and backpack.

"Just so, you are the line leader for today; you can see the band perform the school song up close." The teacher said excitedly as she checked the daily tasks chart, which had Ashe as the line leader.

"Yay! Let's line up now!" Ashe chimed excitedly as he jumped up and down, even though it was 15 minutes to assembly.

"Wait a little more now, how about you go play with someone for now." The woman said as she pointed to some toys in the classroom.

"Okay"

"It's time to go to morning assembly!" Ms.Saorise called as she gathered her playgroup class in a line; Ashe leading the line proudly as he led his friends to the courtyard where the band was ready to perform the school song.

"Everybody follow me!" Ashe spoke proudly as he marched his friends to the courtyard; his friends quickly following, happy to have an energetic line leader.

"There's the band!" Ashe said as he stopped dead at his mark, some of his friends bumping into each other from the unexpected brake.

"At least say something before stopping!" Caspar said as he recoiled from the blow.

"I think he's excited to see the school band." The teacher said to Caspar gently as she kept law and order among the younger classes.

"I'm starting my flute lesson tomorrow! Soon, I'll be in the school band with them." Ashe said excitedly as he pumped his fist.

"I'm already in the band" A girl with pink hair from the Kindergarten class, Hilda, spoke up as she led the line.

"What do you play?"

"The melodica: pretty easy if you ask me." She replied coolly.

"Teacher, what's a 'band'?" A dark skinned girl from nursery, Petra, asked quietly as she tugged on the teacher's sleeve.

"It's a group of people who play music together." The woman replied before having everyone quiet down for the anthem.

Usually, Ashe wasn't really a fan of the anthem - or any song that was performed at assembly - but today he was singing at the top of his voice, surprising everyone nearby.

"You really did it out there" Annette commented as they walked back to the classroom; She was surprised by the usually quiet boy's vigor.

*Tomorrow, after school*

"I'm so excited! Yay yay!" Ashe said in singsong as he skipped to the conservatory with his mom for his flute lessons.

"Hello!" He said as he met his instructor, a seemingly stoic man with dark green hair the color of pine needles.

"Hello, I'm Beret: your teacher." The man replied with a smile.

"Are there two of you?" Ashe asked innocently; he'd seen Byleth, his twin sister, at school before.

"Nope, only one of me. But I do have a twin sister if that's who you're talking about." He replied with a chuckle, amused by the boy's humor.

"I've already bought a flute with my own money!" Ashe said proudly as he showed his instrument to his teacher, Byleth inspecting the object quickly before nodding in approval.

"Okay, we'll start by teaching you how to hold it, the your mom will help you at home more." He said kindly as Ashe's mother noted what to do in a pad.

"Ready to start?"

"Yes!"

Chapter Text

"Papa! Check this out!" Felix said proudly as he came out of his room in his new suit, holding his alto sax. Rodrigue and Glenn clapping proudly as they ruffled the tiny boy's hair.

"Now I can play onstage with you at the conservatory!" He piped up as he puffed out his chest to the max.

"Well, not yet; You've still got a lot to learn." Rodrigue said as he shrugged, Glenn preparing his instrument for rehearsal.

"Come on, dad. We gotta go" The teenage boy called as he slipped his shoes on, Felix quickly following with his light-up trainers and his saxophone. Rodrigue also preparing his tuba for rehearsal before leaving.

"Have fun, boys!" Nanna, the boys' mother and Rodrigue's wife, called from the living room as she waved them off.

"I'm gonna play on the big stage with big bro and papa!" Felix spoke proudly as he got in his carseat and buckled up with his brother in the back.

"Okay, maybe between rehearsals." Rodrigue said as he drove to the conservatory hall.

"Yay! I'm gonna try a Tuba, Glenn's horn, everything!" Felix said as he pumped his fist.

"Okay, I'll see what we can do." The man said as he parked the car in an empty lot.

"The performance's this evening; we'll practice for the afternoon before having a quick dinner." Glenn said as he got his instrument, and Felix's, and entered the hall.

"Sorry we're late, Felix wanted to dress up in a suit: Spent the good part of an hour making sure it's just right." Rodrigue said apologetically as he unpacked his tuba and went to the main stage where his friends and ensemble partners are; Felix following shortly, but was reduced to a chair in the back corner of the stage along with some of his friends.

"Not exactly the main attraction, are we?" Ingrid said sarcastically as she crossed her arms in the tall chair.

"I wish it was break already" Felix said as he yawned in boredom, holding his instrument. Ingrid looking at him sympathetically as she fiddled with the valves on her red trumpet.

"But papa and big bro are great, right?" Felix asked his friend quietly.

"Yeah, Glenn is so cool with his horn; He makes it look so easy!" Ingrid whispered with a somewhat smitten smile, blushing a little.

"I tried it once, couldn't make a sound." Felix replied, keeping his voice down.

"Maybe give me a turn during break and I'll show you how to play." The girl offered as she leaned closer to the boy.

"Alright, take five, my people!" Lambert announced as he stood up and stretched after an hour of rehearsal.

"Alright! Time for us to try some stuff." Felix and Ingrid piped up in unison as they climbed down from the chairs and raced over to Glenn and Rodrigue.

"Glenn, can I try your horn? I'll let you try my trumpet." Ingrid asked in a ladylike manner as she looked up at the teenage boy's face.

"I guess, but I have to help you hold it since it's so heavy." He said as he put his horn down for a moment to lift Ingrid onto a chair.

"On my lap?" Ingrid asked.

"Yes."

Meanwhile, Felix was asking his father for a try on the tuba: an instrument that he'd always wanted to try.

"Papa, can I try the tuba?" He asked, blinking innocently; Rodrigue conceding as he placed the huge instrument in front of his son.

"Maybe later, This needs a lot of air, so blow as hard as you can." The man said as he supported the instrument for his young son. Felix taking a deep breath, puffing out his cheeks to get extra air, before making a low rumble from the horn, much to Ingrid's amusement.

"Yeesh, so exhausting... how do you play for hours and hours?" Felix panted, still gripping the lead pipe with his fist - an incorrect way to play - as he caught his breath.

"I just start small, and grow tall." The man said as he patted his son's head. Felix smiling proudly.

"I wanna try too! Pretty please?" Ingrid chimed as she skipped over to the two.

"Sure, lemme wipe it out first." The man said as he pulled out a soft cloth and throughly wiped the mouthpiece of his horn.

"You can try mine: much easier to hold." Ingrid said as she placed her instrument in Rodrigue's hand before standing behind the huge instrument, which was almost twice her size.

Ingrid, unlike her friend Felix, managed to play many loud open partials; she had basics in the brass family so she had better endurance and lung power than him. Both Felix and Rodrigue were impressed by the tiny girl's power.

"Whoa, how did you do that?" Felix asked, jaw hanging down in awe.

"I just do, kinda surprised how you're bigger than me but can't do that." Ingrid replied, shrugging with one arm.

"Well, it's all down to your training." Rodrigue replied as he patted both children's heads.

"I wanna be as strong as Ingie, please let me!" Felix said as he begged his dad.

"Maybe later, rehearsal's starting again." The man said as his friends returned to their seats.

"You can go play with Ing and her mom in one of the practice rooms." Rodrigue said as he went back to his place.

"Okay"

"I can play a few songs." Felix said before playing 'fly me to the moon' for his friend. Ingrid returning the favor with a rendition of 'Freire Jacques' with a few slips.

"Ingie, let's practice the fast tonguing part again." The girl's mom said gently as she came over to the two.

"Kids, rehearsal finished early. Wanna come play on the big stage for a while?" Rodrigue called as he peered the door open.

"Now welcoming Felix Hugo Fraldarius, our little jazz star." Rodrigue announced as he led his son to the stage; Felix grabbing his sax and skipping out with a big smile to a small audience happy to have him.

Felix centered himself onstage before playing 'fly me to the moon' without accompaniment, his sound ringing through the hall to the small audience.

"Whoa, he's great!" Glenn said proudly as he watched his little bro from backstage with great pride.

"Come on now, me and dad have to get ready for the concert now." Glenn said as he led his little brother to the dressing rooms with their dad; Felix and his friend following along as they chased each other excitedly in a game of tag.

"Wait out here, we'll take just a second." Glenn said as he left Felix with Ingrid and her mother. Soon, both of them came out wearing slick suits and ties, Felix and Ingrid looking at them in awe.

"Whoa, cool." Both kids whispered as they made their way to their seats at the front row, people coming to the hall for the performance.

"Daddy's gonna start soon!" Felix whispered to his friend as the lights dimmed, exciting the audience.

"There's Glenn!" Ingrid whispered excitedly as the young man walked onstage with the rest of the performers.

Both Felix and Ingrid enjoyed an evening performance by their families and friends, and got some extra skills during rehearsal breaks to show off during band class.

Chapter Text

*Byleth and Beret voiceover as Sothis asks them questions*

"You readers probably know by now that we're music instructors for young children. Every day we get kids wearing kit from their previous class or weekend activity, or just a fancy costume that they wanna wear."

"Like what?"

"I get Dorothea fresh out of ballet lessons, still in a leotard and tutu; Ashe in a shark costume once, fins and all; Dimitri wearing his soccer kit, all sweaty and grassy; And finally Monica von Ochs, who takes swimming lessons right before coming to her Clarinet lessons, and so comes in wearing a loose sleeveless dress and sporting wet hair."

"Best moment?"

"One time, Monica's swim lessons were postponed until after her music lessons. She came in wearing a robe over her swimsuit."

*Let's get to it!*

"Monnie, today you'll be taking music lessons before swimming for after school." Monica's dad said as he checked a message from his daughter's school.

"Okay!" The girl replied as she packed her swim bag and stuffed it into her bag.

****

"Hi, Monica" Beret greeted his student as she came through the door, Monica wearing her robe and swimsuit with her red sandals.

"What are you wearing? Is that a swimsuit under that?" Beret asked comically as he prepared for the lesson.

"Yeah, my swim lessons come after music today. I forgot that and changed too soon." Monica replied as she prepared her own instrument and stood in her position.

"Okay, since you're dressed so; let's play 'under the sea' for the school band solo next month." Beret suggested as he noticed Monica's mermaid robe.

"Cool! Let's do it right now!" Monica beamed as her crimson eyes sparkled in excitement. Beret laying out simple sheet music for his student along with himself.

"Play after me," Beret said before placing his instrument in his mouth and playing the first bar slowly, making sure to capture the articulation and phrasing in great detail.

"One note at a time, make sure to make the sound soft and flowing like the ocean." The young man instructed gently as his young student tried to mimic her teacher's tone color.

"Am I good? Perfect yet?" Monnie asked as she looked up from the sheet music with beady eyes.

"Nope, still a long way to go."

"Then let's stay on this part until I can perfect it." Monica replied as she adjusted her stance a little.

"I like your resilience, but we have to move on so we can finish the song; you can go practice with the videos I'll send you" Beret replied with a proud smile on his usually stoic face.

"That works too." Monica replied with a small smile on her face.

"Most of the song is just playing the same stuff over again, I trust you can manage by yourself before the next lesson. Now for the ensemble part where you have to count your rests properly." The man said as he switched out the sheet music, from a strung-together melody, to a more spaced out piece for accompaniment.

"I hate being the accompaniment, wish I could play the melody like the trumpets and melodicas." Monica jested as she rolled her eyes sassily.

"Well, have you ever heard songs with really beautiful basslines?" The young man asked to clarify Monica's opinion.

"Yeah, went to your dad's band show once. I liked the tuba part very much so I asked El to play it." The scarlet haired girl replied with a smirk.

"See, even you know what good a bassline can do." Byleth said affirmingly.

"I'll play it, so everyone can have good basslines to listen to." Monica said concedingly as she placed her fingers on their positions, slipped the reed into her mouth, and played the part; beret also clapping along the beat to keep his student on track.

"Now rest, 1 2 3 4. Back in!" Beret gave cues to his student as he clapped the beat, acting as a metronome (albeit with some 'give') until Monica was stable enough to play with an actual metronome, and then with the band.

"Alright, you've got the rhythm down, next is to get the dynamics down. I heard that this piece has a tuba solo; you'd wanna have El be heard, right?"

"Of course, I'd do anything to let my best friend be heard!" The girl replied cheerfully with a wink.

"Then play everything here with a whisper, like you're whispering to her right now."

"Then I can't hear anything over the others!"

"You have to use sense, know your cues."

"Okay, here's a summary of homework for you to work on: Ensemble part, Solo piece, Rhythmic control, Scaling." The man said as he scribbled out a list for his student.

"That's it for today, see you!" Beret said as he waved to his student, who was now off to swimming lessons.

*Sothis VO*

"Okay, if that wasn't awkward I don't know what is. She's literally in a swimsuit and robe at the lesson for that week, kinda makes me wonder how she's not cold from the AC."

"I dunno, sheer willpower?"

"Hey, time for the next episode! Get out, the next guy's here."

"Alright, Bye for now!"

Chapter Text

"Okay, is this thing on?" A voice asked as a camera panned by.

"Yea, now say your stuff!"

"Alright, Ifan here. I'm Dimi's aunt, and I'm tasked to babysit him for a night while his parents are away." A woman with brunette hair spoke as she walked out with a duffel bag.

"I heard that boy's got some skills with music like his dad."

"Okay, just walk in and say hi to the boy."

"Aunty Ifan!!!" Dimitri beamed as he threw himself onto the woman's body as the latter walked in, holding on tightly.

"Hello, Dimi. Did you miss me?"

"Yeah!" The boy replied as he snuggled into the woman's bosom affectionately, showing his love.

"Ey, how are ya, cousin?" Lambert called as he came out with his wife and their luggage, prepared for their business trip.

"Just fine, your kid's grown some since last time." The woman said as she picked the boy off her and sat him down on a nearby chair.

"I'll be off now, good luck with my little musician." Lambert and Elise said in unison as they left the house. Dimitri and his aunt waving goodbye until they were out of sight.

*Alright, rule no.1: If he wants to play for you, let him play, and listen intently.*

"Dimi's got something to show you!" The boy called as he raced into his room and came back with something black and blue in his hands: his trombone.

"Can you play?" The woman asked curiously as her nephew set things up, looking professional.

"Yep, really good like papa! Want me to play something?"

"Okay, give me your best song then" Ifan said excitedly as Dimitri raised his instrument and backed away for some much needed space for himself, and played a small folk song for her.

"Am I good or what?" Dimitri asked as he finished with a deep bow and sat down beside his aunt, still grasping his instrument with his tender hands.

"You're better than the last time, you just started and sounded like blowing raspberries all the time." The woman giggled as her nephew looked at her with a cute angry stare.

"That's how it's supposed to sound, you don't play so you don't know." The boy replied matter-of-factly with a slightly pompous smirk on his chubby face.

"Okay, then gimme a try, seen other people play it before so it shouldn't be too tricky." The woman said as Dimitri handed her the tiny instrument with a smile; the boy giggling as he sat down on a small chair opposite of the sofa, which he'd dragged over earlier during the setup.

"You played before?" The boy asked as he looked over.

"Nope, but I played a little guitar back in high school. This is new."

Dimitri watched in amusement as his aunt fiddled with the tiny trombone before trying to play a simple song. Ifan was surprisingly good at this for a first time player despite holding it wrong and upside down.

"Hey, this ain't bad! Cool!" Dimitri said as he clapped, impressed by his aunt's skills at the instrument. Dimitri also wanted to give his aunt some extra lessons and so got into high gear.

"You're holding it upside down! No no! Like this!" Dimitri instructed in a slightly flustered tone; his aunt trying her hardest to follow the tiny boy's words to a T.

"Okay, I'm gonna be honest about this: You're not the best at this, so leave it to me." Dimitri finally spoke up as he fell into a fit of laughter, giggling between phrases as he squealed with amusement. Just as the boy finished his sentence, the doorbell rang. Ifan went to open the door and saw Dimitri's uncle Rufus standing there, clad in a rock band shirt and ripped jeans, stratocaster guitar on his shoulder.

"Uncle Rufus!" Dimitri cheered as he raced out to the door and leapt onto the man, clutching him tightly out of affection; the man returning the feeling with a headpat and a ruffle of his nephew's hair.

"Practicing well? Hope your auntie's okay with all the noise now that I'm here." The man asked as he made himself comfortable in the living room.

"Yup, he's practicing well with me - that is, giving me a lesson right there." Ifan jested as she took a sip of water. Rufus unpacking his dark blue guitar and giving his companion a quick tune up before his boy returned.

"Have you ever played trombone before? I forgot, sorry."

"Did back in 5th grade, inspired little bro to take it up. But I switched to guitar soon after cuz I was bored of brass band." The man spoke in a nonchalant voice as he plucked some strings on his guitar.

"Can we duet? I've been practicing well." The boy asked as he looked up at his uncle. Beady and innocent eyes meeting slightly sleep-deprived ones.

"Okay, this feels like playing with little bro all over again." The man replied before muttering the last part under his breath.

"Yay!"

*Okay, if your sittee (the person you're babysitting) agrees to a duet with anybody in your vicinity, prepare a reasonable excuse to avoid said duet: Think, cooking up a meal or something.*

"I'm gonna go prepare some food for us." Ifan said as she stepped over to the kitchen area before scouring the fridge and pantry.

"Lemme see this." Rufus said as he observed his nephew's instrument closely.

"You can try playing it if you like. I don't mind." Dimitri said as he smiled cheekily. Rufus playing a simple song on the miniature instrument beautifully, which impressed Dimitri.

"Whoa, cool! I didn't know it could sound that soft." Dimitri said as he looked in awe.

"Someday, you'll get your miniature brass one. Like... who was it again? That girl with the blonde braids..." Rufus said as he ruffled his nephew's hair.

"Ingie! She already got her golden trumpet last week."

"I bought something for you." Rufus said excitedly as he pulled out a blue instrument case from behind the couch they were sitting on. Dimitri's eyes widening upon seeing the case.

"Here's your upgrade; you're in band now, gotta get some proper gear." The man said as he opened the case to reveal a scaled-down brass trombone for his nephew. It even has the boy's initials engraved on the slide - D.A. Blaiddyd.

"Whoa thanks! This is so cool!." Dimitri exclaimed, overjoyed, as he checked out the new instrument before hanging up his old one on a hook on the wall.

"Aunty Ifan, look at this! Uncle Rufus bought it for me!" Dimitri called as he trotted over to his aunt before playing a short song for her, sounding richer and fuller than before.

"Now for that duet, how about 'May song'"

Dimitri and his uncle played a simple, jazzy version of the simple song, finishing with big smiles on both their faces.

"Awesome! Sounds better than before!" Ifan commented just as she finished dinner. Rufus quickly taking his nephew to the bathroom for handwashing before bringing him to the table.

"After dinner and bath, you can play some more before bed." Ifan said as she served up dinner.

"Okay"

******

"You can play trombone for 15 more minutes and then go to bed."

Dimitri used the 15 minutes as productively as can be: practicing technique, intonation, pieces - both solo and ensemble -, and some silly stuff to top it off. When he finished, he was both sleepy and proud of himself and his new partner.

"Bedtime, want me to tuck you in?" Rufus said as he stored Dimi's new trombone away and hauled the boy to his room.

"Yea..." Dimitri replied sleepily before dozing off in his uncle's arms.

*Final rule, when it's bedtime, you're free for the night.*

Chapter Text

"C'mon, El! We're gonna be late for practice!" Dimitri called as he ran ahead of his friend.

"Jeez! Slow down for a little; my instrument's big and heavy!" Edelgard shouted as she lugged her tuba case with wheels, trying to run in her red mary janes and fluffy tulle dress.

"Okay okay, I'll slow down for you." Claude said as he slammed the brakes on his feet and returned to his friend's side.

"Why was this band named 'Popcorn boxes' again?" Dimitri asked curiously as he observed his blue-white striped suit, which resembled the pattern on a popcorn box greatly.

"Because our clothes look like one!" Claude said as if to reaffirm the idea of the band.

"Are you bringing that Tuba for your big brother?" A passing college student, who knew Edelgard's adult brother, commented as he walked by.

"Nuh uh, mine." Edelgard replied smugly, which caused the college student's face to become shocked.

"Come on now, someone that tiny can't do that big." He tutted, which angered Dimitri.

"How dare you say that about her?! She's great at it!" Dimitri said as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Dee, calm down. He's just being a teenager." Edelgard said appeasively as she put a hand on his shoulder, despite not knowing what a teenager actually is.

"C'mon, we're gonna be late if you two are still squabbling." Yuri, the oldest of the group, commented as he strode ahead of the gang.

"Ey, them smols are here. Go welcome them, Kid." Jeralt - Byleth's father - said as he lounged with a soda and an extra large bag of 'The saltiest chips on earth'. Byleth went out to see her students in for a practice session. The band was to be featured in a ska festival at the Seiros Conservatory.

"Hello, come on in." Byleth greeted her tiny students cheerfully as she helped them with logistics - Especially Edelgard, who had the biggest instrument and the smallest body.

"Popcorn boxes, unite!" The 5 children said in unison as they lined up in the living room with their instruments.

"Do these outfits have to look so silly? It's embarrassing." Yuri asked as he awkwardly gave his white-lilac striped suit and pants, complete with a panama hat with a matching ribbon around the rim.

"Come on, don't need to care. We look awesome!" Dimitri said as he smiled proudly.

"It does look like popcorn boxes." Byleth commented as she fine-tuned the formation, along with tuning up the children's instruments.

"I'll go get some stuff from my roon, you 5 be good."

It was in those short 5 minutes, that all matter of surreal things happened: Edelgard taking it upon herself to braid up a portion of Dimitri's hair, Claude and Yuri doing gymnastics on the furniture, Shez putting all manner of decorations in Dimitri's hair.

"Teach, now I'm ugly!" Dimitri wailed as he lunged at Byleth with his hair braided.

"I'll take it off for you." Byleth said as she unclipped the decorations and untwisted his braided hair, much to the girls' dismay.

"Claude, Yuri, back to your places. The performance is today and we have only a few hours left." Byleth said sternly as she sat down on a chair nearby.

"Teach, I lost my mouthpiece." Edelgard said sheepishly as she looked inside her tuba case.

"Yeah, since last week. Haven't found it yet, haven't you?" Byleth said empathetically as she returned to her room for a spare.

"Here, smallest size for you to keep." Byleth said with a wink as she handed the mouthpiece to Edelgard.

"Thanks a million!"

"Come on, let's start rehearsal" Byleth said, but not before Dimitri blew a silly sound, which made everyone laugh.

"No no, Dimitri quiet down for this part so Edelgard can be heard."

"Claude, stop wriggling."

Finally, rehearsal was finished, with all 5 members ready to perform at the university. Byleth quickly escorted the quintet to the venue: A park within the conservatory grounds.

"We're going to college!" The kids cheered as if they were high school graduates.

"So many people." Dimitri whispered backstage as his blond hair blew in the wind.

"Come on, let's braid your hair." Byleth said as she combed Edelgard's hair and braided small portions of it, using the small strands to tie the remaining hair into pigtails.

"You too." The woman said to Shez as Edelgard got up from the stool.

"Big bro!" Edelgard beamed as she saw her older brother in the crowd of undergrads.

"El! You're here too! Performing on your tuba?" Ed, Edelgard's big brother, said as he picked up the girl and spun her around.

"Sugar Honey Ice Tea, she actually does play the tuba." Ed's friend whispered as he glanced at the tiny girl.

"I've gotta go get ready." Edie said as she sped back to her group, fluffy red tutu skirt swirling in the wind.

"Why are you shocked? I thought you knew I had a kid sister."

"It's nothing."

"Come on now, places." Byleth said as she did a final check on everyone's costumes and instruments.

"And now, one of our alumni's tiny ensembles." A volunteer student announced.

"The Popcorn Boxes!"

Claude led his ensemble onstage with grace and poise, giving a group of mischievous preschoolers quite the professional vibe, which attracted the attention of the older attendees and performers.

"El's up, let's go watch!"

"Really? That tiny chubby?"

"She's actually pretty decent for someone so tiny."

Tens of university undergraduates enjoyed performances by their peers, juniors, seniors, professors, and a very special program by one of their alumni's junior ensembles.

"See? She really is good for her size, despite requiring some assistance with logistics most of the time."

"Big bro! Was El good?" Edelgard asked as she came and threw herself onto the young man's body.

"Yes, you were really good out there. Don't listen to those who say little girls can't play big instruments." The last sentence made a certain someone sweat.

Chapter Text

"From what I've heard from you and your son's teachers at school, I think he has ADHD." A man, who's a doctor, said solemnly as he handed some papers to a worried woman, all while her son was running circles around the room.

"It can't be, yet all the signs point to the condition." Caspar's mother muttered over and over, worried sick about her son and in denial about the whole fiasco. Caspar was wriggling free of her hold and succeeded; he bolted off, which made the woman take off after him.

"Caspar, stop!" She commanded sternly, which wasn't registered. Caspar was about to bolt into a busy street. Luckily, a man caught the boy just in the nick of time.

"Thank you so much, you saved his life!" Caspar's mother said as she came and took her son from the man, still rapid-firing words of gratefulness to the man.

"Caspar, don't ever do that again!" She scolded sternly, which wasn't received.

***

"So you've seen improvements on your daughter with ADHD after enrolling her in piano?"

"Yep, maisie's therapist suggested some 'music for children' at school to help her."

"Maybe I should consider it..."

"Try putting different genres of music on, he'll gravitate to an instrument with enough exposure."

"Thanks." Caspar's mother said as she put the phone down and went to her son's sensory room for some observation. Caspar was climbing and swinging as lights flickered and flashed.

"Come on, Caspar, let's listen to some music." She said as she put some jazz on, which Caspar instantly took a liking to.

"Caspar likes this!" The boy said, pressing his face close to the TV from which the video was played.

"Really? Should we go see what it sounds like for real?" The woman said as she picked up Caspar and spun him around twice.

"Yeah! Caspar's gonna get super good on this thing!" Caspar beamed as he raised his fist and cheered.

***

"That's a trumpet." Byleth, a band teacher at his school, said as she pointed to an older boy practicing.

"Caspar wanna try!" The little boy beamed as he reached his arms out.

"Okay, here's a plastic model for you to try." Byleth offered as she handed a blue instrument to the little boy. Caspar quickly thanked the woman before taking the instrument and trying to play.

"He likes it!" His mother said with joy.

"Say, do you teach special needs kids? He has ADHD." She asked the schoolteacher, afraid that she'd reject his son with additional needs.

"In fact, I graduated with a degree teaching music to special needs kids." Byleth said with a wink, making the other woman relieved.

"When do you have a slot for him?"

"Sunday 4 P.M. is okay."

"Caspar, every sunday, go see teacher Byleth for music lessons." Caspar's mother spoke to her son as her son listened intently, for the first time ever.

"Okay!" Caspar replied as he flapped his free hand.

"You can play on the instrument until we meet each other again, see how you can adjust to it." Byleth said as Caspar's mother made some arrangements concerning tuition fees.

"I get to keep it?!" Caspar asked.

"Yep, all yours."

"Awesome!"

From that day on, Caspar's behavior started to improve gradually; from wreaking havoc like a whirlwind every waking moment, to more obedient and concentrated. Caspar's mother started to realize that her son's extra energy is being burned off by playing music, along with balancing how his brain secretes chemicals. Even the neighbors benefited from less eloping to their demarcations.

*Next friday*

"Caspar's behavior has improved greatly over the week. He's more concentrated and composed." The playgroup teacher said proudly as she handed the report book to his mother.

"Really? That's great to hear!"

"Caspar's a good boy!" Caspar said as he came and hugged his mother.

"Yes, you're a good boy."

"Now I wanna go home and practice some more." Caspar spoke as he put a hand on his hip.

"Someone's a hard worker."

"It's Caspar!"

"Okay, see you on monday!" Caspar's mother said as his son grabbed his bag and waved goodbye to his teacher.

*Sunday*

"Okay, first lesson. Excited?" Byleth asked her student excitedly.

"Yeah, Caspar's been practicing hard."

"Really? Can you show me what you've learned?" Byleth asked curiously.

Caspar didn't waste a moment to show his 'Blast note' skill to his teacher. Caspar nearly blew off some eardrums with his breath capacity.

"Whoa, that's really impressive!" Byleth said, impressed. Half of her wondered whether Caspar's mother had to live down the same at home, and imagined a comical scene of Caspar literally blowing away entire chairs with his horn.

"Okay, fingers over here. Your mouth position is quite good." Byleth said as she modeled actions to her student.

"Can I join a band?" Caspar asked after the lesson.

"You can join our junior band; I'll tell you when you're ready." Byleth replied as she prepared for the next student.

"Awesome!"

"Okay, here's his homework for the week. Help him where it's needed. Bye!" Byleth said as she handed a post-it with notes for them.

"Bye!" Caspar said as he waved to his teacher. All excited for next week's lesson.

Chapter Text

"How come you get to play tuba in the band?!?! I wanted that part!" Hilda whined as she looked at the band audition list while on Holst's shoulders. The list had many names, one of which was 'Hilda Valentine Goneril (Pre-K) - Melodica Vorspieler' and the other was 'Holst Sigiswald Goneril (9th grade) - Tuba'

"Well, your little band already has 1 tuba and she won in the audition. My band had 2 parts, one for me and one for my best bud." Holst said as he left the crowd and set his sister down.

"You already are the vorspieler for the Melodicas. You get to play the solo parts with the section leader." Holst said as he walked his sister away.

"But it's not the sameeeeeee." Hilda whined as she flopped onto the floor, smack bang in the middle of the hallway, as onlookers watched.

"Okay, I've got an idea. How about we swap our instruments and bands for a day. April fools practice is tomorrow and I'll go tell our teachers about it." Holst said with a wink as he picked up Hilda. Luckily, both of their band teachers passed by, saw the whole fiasco, and gave the siblings the opportunity.

"Okay, tomorrow, you're gonna be with me, wearing a solid white dress and black shoes, with his tuba." Teacher Kelsey, the band teacher for the older children, said as she patted the tiny 4 year old's head endearingly as Byleth imagined Holst with a pink melodica, squatted in a tiny chair, and smirked.

"Deal." All 4 people said as they bumped fists.

"Why do I have to wear a boring dress? We can wear anything we like in my band." Hilda asked, starting to regret the decision.

"It's our dress code. Just incase we have an impromptu gig so we can look presentable. If you were older, you woulda worn navy clothes: she let you wear white because you're little." Holst explained as he went for his music lesson.

"Can I watch? Wonder how fun your teacher is." Hilda asked as she and her brother reached the room.

"Sure."

"Hello, Teach. Got my little sister with me today cuz mom and dad's away." Holst said as he pulled out his instrument, which looked even bigger than Edelgard's despite being the same size.

"Do you sing a song before lessons?"

"Nope, don't see the point of it. Now show me the solo part that I gave you last week." The woman, a buxom drill sarge straight from a show, spoke sternly as Holst obeyed her words. Hilda was amazed at how strict his teacher was, not like the cheerful Byleth who taught her at all.

Hilda watched and listened as the strict woman spat out command after command, which Holst followed to a T.

"Why are you so strict?" Hilda asked as the drill sarge teacher let Holst off for a 3 minute break.

"It's just how I get them older kids to learn: Stickers and songs don't work for older children anymore." The woman replied in a deep voice resembling Ms.Trunchbull from Matilda.

"Jeez, When Byleth wants me to do something, she asks nicely with a 'Please'."

"C'mon, time for your orchestral part." The woman said as Holst quickly flipped his sheet music to the pages in question without pause. Hilda was amazed yet again by her brother's precision and steadfastness.

"Why do you give him no breaks?" Hilda asked, slightly worried for her brother.

"He doesn't need them, he needs to make the most to succeed."

"Oh..."

Hilda watched intently as Holst was drilled by the female drill sarge over and over, until his part was polished to a thousand layers of perfection, which set the standard that Hilda had to be up to tomorrow. By now, Hilda was half regretting what she'd asked for.

"Finally, it's over." Hilda and Holst said in unison as they left for home. Despite being a supervisor, Hilda seemed to share in her brother's wear and tear after the lesson.

"You've gotta learn this by tomorrow and play it in concert with the others perfectly." Holst said as they neared their home.

"My, what's happened to you? Hilda on that giant tuba, Holst playing a tiny melodica?" The sibling's mother asked in amusement as she heard the noise.

"We agreed to swap since she wanted a tuba part so badly." Holst explained as if he were saying that pizza is baked.

"So...Big..." Hilda panted as she tried to peek at the sheet music from behind her instrument.

"See? It ain't easy playing my instrument." Holst said as he laughed.

*Tomorrow*

"Hello!" Hilda said cheerfully as she came into the big kid's band room with her brother's tuba.

"Ahh, little Hilda." Teacher Kelsey greeted brightly as she smiled.

"Where do I sit?"

"Over there."

"Sheet music... get the mouthpiece in there... done!" Hilda mumbled to herself as she prepared to play.

"Alright, Time to play the full piece." The woman said as she raised her baton, prompting her students to raise their instruments and prepare to play. The boy next to Hilda was very helpful by giving her cues.

Hilda tried to keep up with the fast paced notes of her part, getting her tongue tied and more, now she was out of breath and out of time, only able to wait until the piece run was over.

"So...tiring...jeezers." Hilda panted as she leaned on the instrument, trying to catch her breath. Some of Holst's friends smiled endearingly while some of the older girls patted Hilda's head.

"Well, you're not exactly qualified for this band. I better call Byleth to inform her what's up."

"By, we need to do another swap again." She said into the phone. Soon, Byleth and Holst came and switched places.

"Ahh...Back with my friends." Hilda said in relief as she took her seat in her chair, Marianne smiling gleefully upon seeing her friend.

"How was it? Was it fun?" Edelgard asked, she also played tuba and had such strong lungs for someone so small.

"Nope, never doing something like that again."

"Okay, wanna start now? We're doing 'Columbia, gem of the ocean'" Byleth asked as her students looked at her with sparkling eyes.

"Yeah!"

"And a 1, and a 2, and a 1 2 3!" Byleth counted as she raised her baton, prompting the lead parts to sound out the first notes. In the end, the little song turned out beautiful. Byleth gave her little students a round of applause before letting them do freestyle time.

"I like freestyle time. You can do whatever you like." Annette said before playing some favorite songs of hers.

"Hilda, did you really meet the drill sarge teacher?" Ignatz asked in amazement as he came over to Hilda.

"Yeah, she's much stricter than Byleth: we're lucky to have her." Hilda said as if reliving memories of war, much to Ignatz's amusement.

"Yes, I really think she's the best teacher." Ignatz spoke as he smiled.

"What'cha talking about? Something about me?" Byleth asked as she overheard the conversation.

"Hilda met the drill sarge teacher!"

"Really? Thought she taught your brother." Byleth spoke in disbelief.

"I tagged along for a lesson." Hilda said with a wink.

"And I thought my dad was strict." Dimitri said as he thought of his father's tutelage.

"At least he gives you breaks whenever you ask." Hilda said as she shrugged.

"Can your brother do this?" Edelgard asked before playing her loudest.

"Yep, even louder than you can." Hilda replied proudly.

"Let's sing the goodbye song!" Byleth announced as she clapped to get the children's attention.

Hilda sang the goodbye song more passionately than normal, since she'd witnessed the drill sarge lessons firsthand. Holst also thought he was best in his senior band, where regime is prioritized over fun and games for max productivity.

Chapter Text

"Daddy! Ferdie wants to play music like Edelgard and get better than her." Ferdinand said to his father as he tugged at his coat sleeve.

"Well, are you ready to dedicate yourself?" The man asked his son as he picked the boy up.

"Yup! Anything to get better than her." Ferdinand said as he pumped himself up; ever since he and Edelgard were babies, he'd somehow developed a one sided rivalry with the girl.

"I heard that! I'm right here!" Edelgard said right after taking her mouth off of her tuba's mouthpiece, she was quite confused by her friend's disposition.

"Oh, you heard all of it?" Ferdinand asked in surprise, which only riled Edelgard even more. Now, she was ready to come chew him out, but couldn't since she had to hold her instrument upright.

"If you wanna beat me that much, just get an instrument and join band with me!" Edelgard shouted at her friend, still clutching her tuba.

"Oh it's on!" Ferdinand said as he gave Edelgard a stare.

"Okay, what do you wanna play?" Ludwig asked his son as they sat down together, Edelgard fixing her tuba to a stand before coming over.

"Yeah...I don't know...there's so many." Ferdinand said, suddenly realizing the wide array of choices.

"You could always go with a big tuba, that's what I always do." Edelgard suggested with a smile.

"Uhh...I don't think..." Ferdinand stammered.

"How about a melodica?" Hubert suggested as he popped up behind Ferdinand, spooking him.

"Nah, that's boring." Ferdinand shrugged as he pondered more choices for his music.

"How about a trombone? It matches you really well, and you can do tricks on it." Edelgard, their resident expert on brass instruments, suggested as Ferdinand perked up instantly.

"Yeah! Good idea, Edelgard! Thanks!" Ferdinand piped up with a bright smile.

"But where do we find one?" Ferdinand asked quietly, prompting more murmurs from his friends.

"Talk to Byleth? She gave me my instrument a few months back." Edelgard said as footsteps approached the room.

"Hey, kids. What're ya talking about?" Byleth greeted as she came into the room, surprising all the kids.

"Ferdie wants a trombone! Ferdie wanna beat Edelgard in band!" The ginger haired boy piped up as Byleth knelt down.

"Okay, then follow me." Byleth said as she waved her hand, beckoning the boy to follow her. Edelgard and Hubert decided to come as well, since such important events demands multiple witnesses.

"Alright, choose your partner. You can try out anything you like." Byleth said as she sat down to watch.

"This is awesome! It's red too!" Ferdinand said as he found a red trombone made from plastic.

"You like it?" Byleth asked happily.

"Yea!" Ferdie beamed as he pumped his fist.

"Okay, I'm gonna talk to your dad for a bit. Then, you can take it home and play to your heart's content."

"So this is like a rent to own system that our school has, you can return it if your boy feels like quitting. Lessons are free of charge since they're in the free election portion of classes." Byleth explained as she showed a chart.

"Cool, can I do a digital transfer?" Ludwig said as he shook the woman's hand. Ferdinand was making many sounds in the background, dancing around the room like a prancing horse.

"Ferdie, it's all yours now." The man said to his 3 year old son excitedly as Ferdie started to smile brightly.

"Just you wait, Edelgard. Someday I'll beat you!" Ferdinand beamed at Edelgard as he left. Edelgard and Hubert just looked at each other awkwardly.

Chapter Text

"Ing! Ing! Dad's got news for you!" Felix yelled to his friend as he ran to her. Ingrid was perplexed by her friend's words as she hadn't done anything with him (or his father) prior to this day.

"Jeez, what's up?! It's cold and I wanna go home!" Ingrid jested as she scowled at Felix and Rodrigue, who were looking at her as if telling her to calm down.

"You know when Faerghus founding day is, right? The band that I run is one member short, so I chose you to fill in that role." Rodrigue said as he showed a letter to the girl. Ingrid was shocked by the news; she was only a tiny girl learning to play trumpet, sometimes prancing about as she played, sometimes skipping practice for her own band, almost always puffing out her cheeks to the point that her brother had to have an ice pack at the ready.

"Okay, what happened to Rodrigue? How did I get into this?" Ingrid mused after taking the letter and saying bye. She walked home as she tried to make sense of the letter in her gloved hand.

"Hey, junior. Heard from Rodrigue that you got chosen for founding day." Gunnar, Ingrid's father, said as he saw his daughter enter the house, letter in hand.

"Yeah, I get to play with the big kids. But my instrument is red, what do I do? It's gonna look funny." Ingrid explained as she showed the letter to her father, now worried about her performance.

"Ro told me about that already. He's got everything worked out." Gunnar replied as he lazed on the sofa with a warm drink. Ingrid was slightly relieved by the news, but still worried about her marching uniform; she wasn't exactly okay with wearing stiff band uniforms.

"You've played the Faerghus anthem before, right? You've probably got this." Freya said as she popped by the living room to observe her little sister.

"But it was the ensemble version! Not the solo version!" Ingrid jested as tears started to stream down her cheeks. Stressed and panicking, she threw herself onto her mother, weeping.

"There there, if you don't want to, I'll just tell Ro that you're not up for this." Ingrid's mother said as she stroked Ingrid's hair, soothing the little girl. Upon hearing those words, Ingrid suddenly stopped crying and shot up.

"I wanna!" Ingrid said as she raised her head.

"Calm down, I know it's overwhelming for you, I'll help you as you go."

Ingrid was now better, and ready to tackle the challenge before her. She now knew she could practice on her own instrument beforehand, and switch to her new instrument before the concert. The solo fanfare of the anthem was also attached to the letter with a paperclip.

"I'm phoning Ro, you can ask him anything you like." Gunnar said as he scrolled through contacts, and dialed Rodrigue's number. Ingrid quickly leapt to the phone and took it.

"Alright, ask me anything." Rodrigue said as he played with Felix and Glenn.

"Can I wear my 'Loog the lion' shirt and a white tutu skirt? Please, it's really pretty." Ingrid asked as she showed the outfit on facetime. Rodrigue had to provide her an adapted uniform for the show, so said no.

"My instrument is red, while everyone's is gold." Ingrid said as she showed her red trumpet, made of plastic to be light.

"I'll have to get you a gold one, like Dimitri's" Rodrigue said as he had Glenn take Felix elsewhere; he needed to talk in private.

"Really?! Thank you!" Ingrid beamed as she jumped, nearly dropping he phone and giving Gunnar a heart attack.

"C'mon, you can practice on mine first." Taira said as she offered her instrument to Ingrid. Ingrid needed to learn her part first, before switching her instrument to an unfamiliar one.

"It's gonna be cold on the day, you can use your plastic mouthpiece. Don't want it to stick." Rodrigue said as he checked the calendar for the day.

"Thanks! Bye!"

"Alright, now to practice." Ingrid's siblings said in unison as they set up the music for their little sister.

Ingrid practiced the whole of the anthem, which was to be play in unison with the rest of the trumpets, who made up the core melody of the band. The basic run-through didn't take too long, since Ingie already knew the melody from past performances. But she was still weak at the higher notes of the anthem, since the high notes were left to the concertmaster, and not the firsts.

"C'mon, you can do it." Taira cheered as she clapped, prompting Ingrid to try the high runs again. Ingrid tightened her lips, and played the runs again, slowly polishing it with each try until it was top quality.

"You'll have to go practice with the band as well. You can ask your friends to come watch if you like." Gunnar said as he patted Ingrid's hair gently.

"But I wanted to ride bikes with Dimi tomorrow! Guess I have to tell him it's off now." Ingrid pouted as she realized the sacrifices of being a founding day performer.

"I'll go tell him now." Ingrid said as she put on her teal coat, and went to get her bike. Ingrid rode to Dimitri's house to tell him about the cancellation, to which the boy said it was okay, and even offered to come watch her.

*Tomorrow*

"Hi! I'm Ingie! What's your name?" Ingrid greeted cheerfully as she entered the rehearsal room. The older kids, most of them nearing double-digits, looked on as the tiny girl, wearing a 'Loog the lion' shirt and a white tutu skirt, skipped in.

"Ingrid, you're here!" Rodrigue said as he popped from behind a whiteboard.

"Where do I sit?" Ingrid pondered as she looked around; all the chairs were already taken.

"Here" Rodrigue said as he pulled out a smaller chair and music stand for her, positioned front and center. Ingrid was quite uneasy since all eyes were on her, both as the youngest and the oddball substitute.

"She's that young? 4 years old? She still has a plastic trumpet, will she slow us down?" Voice murmured as Ingrid tried to shut them out.

"C'mon, enough about her. We need to get practicing, outside." Rodrigue bellowed as he opened the door to the courtyard, and put on his coat. Ingrid also did the same and went outside, where she was greeted by a cold wind.

"Brr... it's cold! Do we have to do this?!" Ingrid whined as she curled up on the ground with her instrument.

"Yep, on the real day, you all have to wear your marching uniform." Rodrigue said as his members nodded in agreement, except for Ingrid, since she doesn't have any kind of band: Garreg Mach junior wind band doesn't have a strict dress code for its members.

"You'll get yours tailored soon, don't worry." Rodrigue whispered to Ingrid as he prepared his baton. Ingrid took her spot in the performance array, up front with the main trumpets, and prepared her instrument. Ingrid pulled her black mouthpiece out of her pocket, and inserted it into the backbore before giving it a small test play.

"Tune up please" Rodrigue commanded as he raised his baton, prompting the band and Ingrid to tune their instruments to each other. Ingrid can't tune just yet, so enlisted the help of the player besides her to tune. Afterwards, when everyone was warming up, Ingrid just made silly sounds on her horn to kill time.

"C'mon, be serious." The girl beside Ingrid said as she finished tuneups. Ingrid admitted that she was goofing around too much, and vowed to make up for it.

Rodrigue flicked his baton, cueing the musicians to start playing. Ingrid could keep up with her fellow section members; she could also keep within the dynamics of the score, most of the time. Ingrid felt that her sound was being buried in the chorus, so she used more breath to make herself heard in the ensemble, making her tone squeakier in the process.

"Alright, great job everyone." Rodrigue said as he clapped heartily before going around to each individual to review their performances. Most of the original members did well with minor mistakes and blemishes. Ingrid was called out for her squeaking tone from trying to play loudly.

The band rehearsed for 3 more times before calling for a break. Ingrid was quite worn out from playing so much for so long, so she went to Dimitri to play with him.

"You were awesome!" Dimitri said as he clapped. Ingrid was worn out, so didn't reply to her friend. Ingrid grabbed her water flask and took a long drink of warm water from it.

"Ing, I know you wanna play as loud as the others, but it makes you squeak. So you might wanna keep to the normal range first." Rodrigue said as he patted the girl's head quite roughly, messing up Ingrid's braided hair in the process.

"How will I be heard?" Ingrid asked.

"You'll get louder as you grow up. Can't rush it most of the time, but an instrument change might help." Dimitri explained nonchalantly as he sat beside Ingrid, swinging his legs around.

"Hey...Maybe I can get my sister's old trumpet. Then, I'll be loud!" Ingrid beamed as an idea sparked in her head, Dimitri and Rodrigue shrugging as they side-eyed each other.

Ingrid rehearsed with the band for 2 more hours before taking five and going home. Ingrid was asleep for the entire walk home, in her mother's arms, tired from the practice. She only woke up right before dinner, roused by the smell of chicken nuggets.

"How'd it go? Seems like you put a lot of work in." Benny asked as he dug into his dinner.

"Yeah, all the big kids are so loud, nobody hears me." Ingrid replied as she swallowed a carrot stick.

"I have an idea." Taira suggested as she finished her meal and was onto her juice. She wanted to give Ingrid her old pocket trumpet for the performance.

"What idea?" Ingrid asked between bites of food.

"Finish your dinner, brush your teeth, and take a bath, and come to my room."

Ingrid quickly sucked up the rest of her dinner, then went and freshened up without orders from her mother (which is unusual). Ingrid quickly dressed and went to Taira's room to see the surprise.

"Happy Faerghus youth wind band honorary member performance!" The siblings cheered as Taira presented Ingrid with her old instrument. Ingrid was overjoyed at the surprise, so jumped, eyes sparkling.

"Give it a try!" Gunnar said as he came into the room, finishing up the surprise.

Ingrid tried playing the anthem on her new horn, sounding richer, fuller, and louder than before, much to Ingrid's delight. After playing her performance piece, she turned to playing silly sounds like squeaks and sound effects, most of which were works in progress. Now that Ingrid's volume cap was higher, she could blast loud notes to her heart's content.

"Ready to perform?" Benny asked.

"Yeah!"

"Next, you have to get your uniform tailored."

"Tomorrow? I wanna get it fast!" Ingrid piped up cheerfully, which her father nodded.

*The next day*

"C'mon, after you get measured, you can go jam with your friends." Gunnar said as he took Ingie to the tailor's shop for her adapted uniform, with a shorter and puffier skirt, and puffed sleeves. Ingrid planned to drop by Dimitri's house for a small jam session.

"Alright, now to measure you up. Ro already sent me the design, just need the size of the wearer." An old woman, like a grandma, said as she wrapped a sewing tape around Ingrid's proportions. Soon, she was done and Ingrid was free to go.

"I'm going to Dimi's" ingrid said in a singsong tone as she skipped on the sidewalk with her new instrument in hand. She wanted to show Dimitri her new companion, since he already has a brass-made instrument.

"Ingie!" Dimitri called as he spotted his friend before turning to his other friend El. "El! Another one of my friend's here, wanna come see her?"

"Edelgard?! You're here?" Ingrid asked in surprise as Edelgard presented a flower garland, prepared from the last flowers of the year. Ingrid bowed and let Dimitri put the garland on her head; Edelgard even wrapped Ingrid's braids around the garland.

"I'm here for a jam session!" El said as she went back into Dimi's house, dragging the Faerghus children with her.

"I heard from Dee that you're in the youth band." El said as she arranged her sheet music.

"Yep, I'm the youngest by 6 years." Ingrid proclaimed as she unpacked her new instrument.

"Ooh! Upgrade!" Dimitri and Edelgard said as they saw the shining instrument.

"I'm performing next next week! Wanna come watch?" Ingrid said as she prepared her stance. Ingrid proceeded to perform the anthem solo for her friends, hitting every note, dynamic, nuance, and expression perfectly. Despite Ingrid puffing up her cheeks excessively, which negatively affected some aspects of her performance, the performance was extremely well received by her friends.

"That was awesome! You look so cool! Definitely coming to Faerghus founding day." The two friends said at the same time, making it hard to tell which words were whose.

"Thanks! I wanna hear you play too." Ingrid said as she exited stage left and took her seat among the audience of 1.

Ingrid watched Dimitri perform first, playing 'Columbia, Gem of the ocean'. Then, Edelgard playing 'Elephants' from 'The carnival of the animals', which delighted both members of the audience greatly.

*The morning of the performance*

"Ey, Ro said to meet at the town square at 6.30. Get up." Gunnar whispered as he came in to wake his youngest for the performance. Ingrid was still fast asleep under her covers, blonde locks messily tangled, body positioned like it's about to clip through the 4th dimension. Gunnar quickly gave his daughter a gentle shake to wake her up; soon, Ingrid was up and at them.

"Ain't I cool?" Ingrid asked as she posed with her new uniform on: a blue and navy shirt with golden ornamental buttons, and a puffy white and blue tutu skirt, worn with white tights and blue ballet flats. She yawned right after posing in her new outfit, making some people laugh.

"It's like 15 degrees outside. C'mon, get into your snowsuit." Taira said as she glanced at the thermometer on the wall, grabbing Ingrid's teal snowsuit onesie. Ingrid's mother got Ingrid into the suit, stuffing her fluffy skirt into the outer layer of clothing; when she was done, Ingrid looked like she was wearing a diaper from the fluffy skirt.

"Let's go?" Ingrid asked as she stood by the door, her instrument in hand, waiting for her family.

"Sure" Gunnar said as he took Ingrid's hand and led her to the town square, where the performance was going to be held.

"Ey, Ingie's here!" Rodrigue called as he saw Ingrid toddling over, in her snowsuit for warmth.

"Didn't I tell you to wear your performance dress?" Rodrigue said sternly as he saw Ingrid's suit. Ingrid just unzipped her cold-proof cocoon and revealed her real outfit, making Rodrigue's jaw drop.

"It's cold outside!" Ingrid said as she folded up her snowsuit and handed it to her father, who stuffed the garment into his duffel bag. Ingrid wore insulating tights under her uniform, but her small size made it that much harder to preserve heat in such clothing.

"Hang in there, kid. After the performance, you can change back into your snowsuit." Rodrigue said between shouting orders to the coordinators. Ingrid just yawned, letting out a misty breath afterwards, because she was still so sleepy.

"You should warm up now, get used to playing in the cold." Gunnar said as he prepared Ingrid's instrument for her. Ingrid had white gloves on to keep her hands from freezing, which made gripping her instrument harder due to the slippery fabric.

"You look gorgeous." Gunnar and his wife said to their youngest as the woman tried to put a little makeup on the girl's cheeks. Ingrid wasn't very happy about the makeup, so turned and ran back a few steps.

"No makeup? Sure."

"My trumpet's frozen!" Ingrid cried out as she felt the cold mouthpiece on her lips. Her trumpet wasn't actually frozen, just very cold; so her words made a few people laugh.

"Then you have to play and warm it up with your breath." A fellow performer suggested as she arrived at the square. Ingrid didn't know what he meant, so took a sip of warm water from her flask, then started to warm up.

"You've been practicing. I can tell from your tone and confidence." Rodrigue praised as he set up the music stands, with one much shorter than the others for Ingrid.

People were gathering at the square, some wearing Loog the lion merch. Dimitri also came with his family, bringing Edelgard along as well. The younger children were seated on their parent's shoulders so they could see the parade and band performance.

"There's Ingie! Hi!!" Dimitri called as he spotted his friend by the stage, preparing to perform. Ingrid also spotted Dimitri riding on Lambert's shoulder, so she waved back with a smile and a wink.

"Places, Everyone! Get ready, the music stands do not have your names on it so you have to remember your place." Rodrigue bellowed as his band members took their places; Ingrid also took her place, which was easy as her music stand was much shorter than the other ones.

"There she is!" Felix whispered as he sat on his mother's shoulders. Ingrid waved to Felix from the stage, making the boy smile gleefully. Annette, Ashe, Sylvain, Dedue, and Mercedes were also there to watch the parade and concert.

"Ready?" Rodrigue whispered to his band members as he gripped his baton. He raised his baton and started the performance.

Ingrid followed her cues punctually, playing her new trumpet to the best of her skill level. She could climb up to the high range, and play the lower notes while her more experienced bandmates played pedal tones to complement.

In a sudden turn of events, the rest of the trumpets decided to surprise Ingrid by suddenly quieting down, letting Ingrid take center stage for the last few bars of the song. The crowd erupted in applause as the performance ended, all the performers took a big bow before walking offstage.

"That was awesome! You were amazing! So cool!" The rest of the blue lions beamed over each other as they went to Ingrid to congratulate her with candy and flowers.

"For me? All of it?" Ingrid asked her friends as she was presented with flowers and colorful lollipops from the faire.

"Yep" the rest of the lions replied with smiles.

"I'm gonna keep that for now." Gunnar said as he took the sweets and flowers for the moment. Ingrid can eat them later, after the performance and parade.

"You can join the parade! C'mon!" Ingrid called to her friends as the band formed the marching line, with Ingrid in the front as she was the smallest.

Ingrid led the charge as she proudly marched up front, with her friends following her at the back, feeling like the knights from her favorite books. Dimitri and his friends kept close to Ingrid all the way until the end of the parade, when the sun was bright in the sky.

"How did you play for that long?" Annette asked in amazement, she couldn't play for longer than 5 minutes before getting tired.

"I practiced hard. You can play for hours like me too, someday." Ingrid replied coolly; she too, had the bad days of mouth ulcers, sore cheeks, exhausted sessions, like everyone else.

Ingrid spent the rest of the day at the fair, having fun with her friends and family, once a very young member of the Faerghus youth wind band. Now, she's back to her junior band at school.

Chapter Text

"Such a cute little baby you've got." Rufus whispered as he watched Dimitri sleeping. Lambert was cradling the baby while his wife rested, keeping a bottle of formula nearby incase he wakes up.

"Hope he likes music." Rufus whispered as he got his guitar out to play, wanting to show his infant nephew some songs.

"Shh, don't!" Lambert whispered as he tried to stop his brother with his eyes. Rufus thought his brother was being dramatic - what's wrong with shredding Stratocasters to sleeping babies? Everything, literally everything is wrong with shredding while babies are sleeping.

"Rufus, I don't think that's a good idea. How about letting me play violin for the boy." Ifan said to the man as she also watched Dimitri.

"Fine, let's make a bet: if he wakes up screaming because of you, treat me to some booze; if he wakes up screaming because of me, I treat you to booze." Rufus relented as he put his guitar and amp away, setting the stage for Ifan to play some soft melodies.

Ifan was a very proficient violinist, playing many beautiful melodies for baby Dimitri, who smiled when he heard the heavenly sounds of her instrument. The boy even giggled a little on some parts, making Lambert smile.

Rufus also got his guitar out, and shredded madly, waking Dimitri up. Dimitri screamed as he waved his arms and legs around, almost missing Lambert's face many times. Ifan giggled as she gently stroked Dimitri's cheek to calm him down; now, she's got free booze from Lambert's brother.

"I win." Ifan smirked as she finally calmed Dimitri down by feeding him some milk from the bottle.

"Wait, I haven't even played for my little lion today." Lambert said as he placed Dimitri into his baby seat and went to get his trombone. Dimitri was fascinated by his dad's instrument, so reached out his hands and started vocalizing as if to say 'Lemme try too!'.

"Aww, he wants a go too" Rufus said as he pulled his nephew's cheek, quite roughly in Lambert's eyes.

"I sometimes let him pull the slide around." Lambert said as he assembled the pieces together.

"What song does he like?"

"Nothing in particular, but he likes it when I play pedal tones for him." Lambert replied, proud of his skill in reaching down the scales. He played the lowest pedal tones he could muster, making his baby boy giggle and clap contentedly.

"I think he's gonna take up the trombone just like you." Rufus said joyfully as he wrapped an arm around Lambert's shoulder. Dimitri nodded and smiled as if to promise.

And take up the trombone he did. On a side note, Ifan got the booze she was promised.

"Be very quiet." Mrs.Fraldarius whispered as she cradled a baby Felix in her arms, who was sound asleep.

"But I need to practice." Rodrigue and Glenn protested as they took out their instruments.

"Fine, just do so quietly. Brass instruments are loud by nature." The wife relented as she sighed and took Felix to his nursery.

Rodrigue and Glenn went into full jam session, playing loud passages with great vigor. Felix was woken up by the loud sounds, so started crying and screaming as he squirmed.

"Oh boy, now we've done it." Glenn muttered under his breath as he quickly came to Felix's side.

"Sorry, I was just trying to practice." Glenn said to Felix as he rubbed the boy's cheek with his finger, calming him down as the baby fell asleep.

"How about you play a lullaby for him?"

"Yeah, that could work." Rodrigue said as he propped up his tuba and prepared to play. Suddenly, his wife objected and insisted that he hold Felix and let her play the tuba herself.

"Mom, you can play?" Glenn asked in amazement.

"Dad taught me a little back when we were college kids."

"Was I there yet?"

"Nope, you weren't born yet." The woman replied before playing a simple lullaby, sending Felix back to dreamland once more.

"You're awesome!" Glenn whispered in awe.

"That's how you play lullabies for babies."

Chapter Text

"Your daughter's really introverted." A family friend said to Bernadetta's parents at a gathering. Bernadetta didn't join in but played in her room.

"What's she been doing? Anything fun and interesting?" A man asked as he took a bite of biscuit.

"She's started band now - first trumpet and proud!" Annaliese, Bernadetta's mother, replied proudly as she chuckled. Bernie seemed to know what they were talking about outside, so changed into her purple princess dress and came out to the living room with her trumpet.

"Someone talking about bernie?" Bernadetta asked as she peeked from the corridor, garnering the adult's attention.

"Bernie, there you are." Gregoiré, Bernadetta's father, said happily as he pulled his daughter over. Bernadetta was itching to play her new song to her parents and their friends.

"Bernie can play wedding march!" Bernadetta piped up excitedly, making her parents smile.

Bernadetta proceeded to play wedding march for her family. Hitting every note and dynamic at her skill level. The song's rhythm and articulation wasn't brought out yet, but the grown-ups still thought it was very good for a 4 year old.

"Ain't I great?" Bernie asked as she took a bow, tulle skirt dress swaying as she dipped her head to the floor in a comical manner.

"You're awesome!"

"Thanks! I better practice some more!" Bernie replied before darting back to her hideout.

"She's got band practice today?" A friend of her parents asked as they followed her parents to pick Bernie up from school.

"Yup, they're doing 'Wedding March' today. Some band teacher's colleague's getting married. He knows Bernie's teacher." Gregoiré replied as he waited outside the children's band room. Bernie saw her father outside, so gave her a peek through the door.

"Your daddy's here?" Byleth asked as she came over to the door, curious about the events.

"Yep! With a friend of his!" Bernie replied excitedly, eyes sparkling with excitement. The band was going to play at another teacher's wedding, who was Byleth's junior back in college.

"Your dad's other friend is getting married?" Byleth asked inquisitively, in case she knew the man. Bernie gave the man's name, who was also her father's childhood friend.

"I wanna play it really well for him, because I love him!" Bernie beamed as Byleth led her back to her seat.

"Really? Then you'd better practice lots." Byleth said as she started practice with the entire band, which served Bernadetta well for her upcoming private lessons this weekend.

"All together!" She said as she raised her baton and waved to begin the piece, all the little kids playing together in concert, for a concert, which was Byleth's colleague's wedding. Bernadetta also played her part, with dynamics and everything.

"So, heard you're dad's friend's getting married." Dorothea, Bernie's friend, spoke up during break as she took a sip of water.

"Yea, I'm the wedding musician." Bernie replied as she got back to her chair.

"Playing wedding march?" The dark-haired girl asked; to which the answer was yes.

"People always play these songs at weddings." Dorothea mused; it wasn't clear whether she liked or scorned the fact from her tone and expression.

"C'mon, one more time now." Byleth announced as she tapped her baton on the stand, getting her students' attention.

"Bernie's dad's friend is getting married!" Monica piped up as she raised her hand.

"Is that so? Congratulations to him, then." Byleth said as she prepared sheet music before kicking off the last rehearsal, which turned out perfectly.

"Bernie-bear, did you have fun in band?" Bernie's mom asked as she met her daughter outside the little kids' band room.

"I told my friends about the wedding!" Bernadetta piped up as some children said hi to the woman.

"Everyone's wishing him well!" Bernie added as she beamed.

"Alright, Bern. You ready for this?" Gregoiré asked as he sat with Bernie near the makeshift stage before the performance while the chaplain was doing the 'Dearly beloved' spiel.

"Bern's nervous..." Bernadetta whispered as she wiped her trumpet's mouthpiece on her tulle dress, removing all traces of spit.

"You can do it, I believe in you."

"You're up." He whispered as the M.C announced Bernadetta's name, carrying the tiny girl onstage and swiftly retreating to the audience.

"Uhhh...I'm Bernie, I wanna play wedding march for you!." Bernadetta chirruped into the microphone as a short introduction before backing away a few steps and playing the piece. Bernadetta played with emotion, and some funny faces in between, garnering some laughter from the audience before long. She finished with a smile and thanked the audience loudly before exiting stage left.

"Aww...Little Bern is so adorable." A relative said as she came and gave Bernie a squish.

"Bernie's shweepy..." Bernie mumbled as her eyes drooped, resting her head on her mother's bosom.

"Okay, you must be tired from the performance. Rest now, Bernie-bear."

Chapter Text

"Hey, Yuri. Wanna check something out?" Aubin, Yuri's dad, asked as he tuned up his double bass in the studio. Yuri was 4 and taking interest in his father's instruments.

"Yuri wanna be in a jazz band like you." The little boy said as he lifted a trumpet from the nearby stand and posed with it, clearly wanting to try playing some notes on it.

"You like it?" The boy's mother, and the owner of the instrument, said as she came into the studio to practice.

"Yu, I think that's mommy's." The woman piped up as she saw Yuri with her instrument.

"But Yuri wanna try."

"Okay, I'll help you." Reyna said as she sat down with Yuri as her son wrestled with the instrument, slowly finding a good balance point where he could comfortably hold and play it.

"Okay, blow." She said as she helped Yuri balance the heavy instrument before reaching a balance point, which Yuri signaled by producing a short toot.

"I did it!" Yuri squealed as he smiled widely.

"You did!"

"Yuri wanna play this when he starts band!" The little boy beamed as he smiled some more, revealing a loose tooth in his mouth.

"Okay, then let's try some new things with it." Aubin said as he prepared his double bass, ready to play.

Yuri went full on jazz-man with his mother's instrument, pressing the valves randomly as he forced his breath through the pipes of the instrument before tiring out.

"Why's it not like what mommy plays?" Yuri asked as he looked into the trumpet's bell, as if to look for something to enhance his performance.

"Mommy's mouth and tongue are strong enough to control what sounds I want to make." The young woman explained kindly as she took the trumpet from Yuri to clean it.

"Can I help?" Yuri asked, eyes sparkling.

"Okay, just blow as hard as you can until I tell you to stop." She said as she pressed the water key on her instrument, Yuri blasting the horn to repel water before he was signaled to stop.

"I think a saxophone is a better match for you." Aubin commented. Yuri had short arms and would be better suited to a more vertical instrument.

"What's that?" Yuri asked curiously, looking around the room for the object.

"This." He said as he handed a smaller version of the instrument to his little boy, which Yuri took and quickly gave it a test run, finding it to be much easier than the trumpet.

"Whoa, this is easy! I love it!" Yuri exclaimed as he ran his fingers across the keys of his newfound partner.

"Next jazz show, I'm coming onstage with you." Yuri announced proudly as he held out his hand to pinky promise his parents

"The final performance for tonight is from..." Aubin announced, building suspense.

"My son!" He said as a round of applause erupted from the audience, beckoning Yuri to toddle onstage. Yuri took a bow before playing a simple jazz song with all his heart, perfectly hitting every note even without the score in front of him.

"That kid's good! Can't believe he's only 5." A woman commented as she silently clapped from the audience.

"Such a talent." Another commented as Yuri took a bow and retreated from stage.

"They love you out there, see?" Aubin said to his son as he went onstage for a final announcement before closing up the concert and taking Yuri home. Yuri slept soundly in his mother's arms as they went home, smiling cheekily, as if he's scheming something.

"Tomorrow's the school talent show, if you wanna perform something tell me." Byleth said to the class as the little kids listened eagerly, thinking of something to perform.

"I wanna play saxophone!" Yuri piped up as he raised his hand eagerly.

"Okay, anymore suggestions?" 

"I wanna put on a ballet show!" Another girl piped up.

"Great, I'll tell the organizers about it; meanwhile, you go prepare." Byleth said as she dismissed the class and left for the fair meeting.

"Alright! Best jazz Yuri is ready to roll!" Yuri beamed as he packed his bags and went home - Yuri's home was close to school, so he walked to and from school by himself.

*

"Yuri, ready?" Byleth asked as she co-ordinated the performers backstage. A ballet show was being performed onstage; Yuri is next in queue to perform.

"Next up, Yuri Leclerc performing 'Fly me to the moon'." An older student, who was the M.C., announced as Byleth led Yuri onstage.

Yuri was nervous, but calmed down upon seeing his friends and family in the audience. He warmed up quickly before entering into the song, playing passionately.

"He's so awesome!" Constance whispered to Hapi as they watched Yuri perform; these two knew Yuri ever since they could remember.

Yuri finished with flair, taking a bow before exiting stage left, where he was met with proud parents.

"Yurikins, we're so proud of you!" Reyna said as she squished Yuri tightly.

"I really can do what I try." Yuri said as he returned to the audience for the next performance.

Chapter Text

"Hmm....." Linhardt hummed as he rocked his body to the rhythm of his father's horn playing beside him. Lin had always loved dulcet toned instruments since he was a baby, so instantly fell in love with the sound of the horn from the first time he'd heard it.

"Lin wanna try too." Linhardt mumbled as he fell asleep on the floor, curled up like a green cinnamon roll. Waldemar smiled as he kept practicing his part for orchestra, keeping Linhardt close to him.

"Can Lin try?" Linhardt asked as he opened his little eyes and climbed onto his father's lap.

"Sure, I'll help you hold it."

"Whoa, so big..." Linhardt commented as he closed his left hand around the leadpipe, supporting the instrument's massive bell with his right hand. After some thinking, he decided it was easier to rest the instrument on a coffee table.

Lin had a surprising breath capacity despite being quite tiny, enabling him to produce many tones from the instrument. He clapped, overjoyed, with a big smile before playing some more notes.

"Lin good?" Linhardt asked, smiling.

"Yep, very good. Do you wanna get your own?" Waldemar replied as he took his instrument back to practice some more, patting Linhardt's head. Now, Linhardt's head was alive with the idea of music and orchestras; he quickly ducked to his room for a book on music.

"And he's gone, right." Waldemar chuckled before practicing some more.

Linhardt spent the rest of his day in his room, reading books about music and musical instruments. He had many ideas of what to play: clarinet, melodica, triangle, or a big horn.

"Lin decided! Lin wanna play this!" Linhardt beamed as he pointed to a picture of a melodica, which he'd seen Monica - an older girl in the neighborhood - play before.

"Like that big boy at school? What's his name again?" 

"Like Hubert!" Linhardt beamed as he clapped his hands. The mention of the name made the boy's father remember that he'd planned a playdate with Hubert's family tomorrow.

"Say, what if I told you that you're going to go to Hubert's house tomorrow." Waldemar said to his son as Linhardt perked up at the offer.

"Really?! Let's go!"

"Hubert! Hi!!" Linhardt called as he waved to his friend. Hubert was practicing an excerpt of 'Don Giovanni' on his green melodica, wholly focused on the music and completely ignoring his friend.

"Hubie's playing melodica. Do you like it?"

"That I want!" Linhardt piped up as he ran over to the older boy and watched intently. Hubert was an expert at the instrument, tickling the plastic keys of the instrument as he controlled his breath to achieve the perfect tone.

"I have a competition next week; I have to practice." Hubert replied after finishing the song. He was going to the interstate primary level wind competition alongside Yuri, Constance, Hapi, Emile, and Mercedes.

"Can I try playing? Promise I'll only play a little bit." Linhardt said innocently as he touched Hubert's melodica, to which the older boy said yes.

"Really?!"

Linhardt, on top of having a good set of lungs, had a good ear; he played many simple songs, which impressed everyone in the room.

"Had I known you were this good, I'd have bought one for you." Waldemar said proudly as he came and hugged his son; Linhardt was happy yet confused by the action.

"Check me out! I have one now!" Linhardt announced excitedly as he came into Hubert's house, now with a melodica of his own. Hubert was happy that there was another black eagle playing his instrument, so welcomed him with open arms.

Chapter Text

"Jeez, try something new for once." Edelgard said to Monica as they lay around on a playdate at Edelgard's house. Edelgard felt that Monica being able to play only one instrument compared to her, who 'plays' up to four or five brass instruments, was kinda boring.

"How am I gonna try, you know I can't play cuz of a loose tooth." Monica said as she pried her upper lip with two fingers, revealing a loose incisor. Edelgard didn't have a loose tooth yet, so hadn't experienced the setback of a missing brick in the dental wall.

"Okay okay, I'll try the easiest brass instrument that you have." Monica said as she stood up and straightened her shorts. Edelgard's house had all manner of brass instruments big and small - there was sure to be one that she could manage.

"Oh I forgot, they're all hard." El added as she stood up and led her friend to the music room.

"This one used to be my big sis's practice instrument; I'm sure she won't mind if you took her for a spin again." Edelgard said as she handed Monica a plastic trumpet, which matched Monica's hair perfectly. Monica was somewhat excited by the chance at trying something new.

"Monnie, whatcha up to?" A woman's voice, that of Monica's mother's, asked from the hallway.

"I'm playing trumpet!" Monica replied excitedly, even though she hadn't played a single note yet.

"Is it easy? Can you teach mommy later?"

"Sure!" Monica replied as she went back to the music room with Edel.

"What do these do? Do I just blow super hard and it makes beautiful sound?" Monica mused, fiddling with the three valves as she puckered her lips on the mouthpiece. Edelgard kept silent to watch what would happen, which would be amusing.

Monica blasted sour notes as hard as she could, puffing out her cheeks to get extra air in. Edelgard clapped as she handed her friend another instrument - this time, a trombone - to try; she was going to have Monica marathon all of the brass instruments that was in her house to find out what happens.

"What's this? Is it like what Dimitri plays?" Monica asked curiously, having almost no knowledge of brass, as she pulled the slide in and out.

"Yep, Dimi plays trombone." El replied as she returned to her seat, waiting once more. Surprisingly, Monica has scant knowledge of brass instruments despite being in a wind band with her friend.

"I'm pretty good at this!" Monica exclaimed with a muffled tone, since her mouth was on the mouthpiece. Both girls were surprised that Monica - being a pure woodwind girl - had the lungs to play brass.

"Can I tell teacher that I wanna play brass instead?" Monica joked as she giggled, hands still holding the instrument. Edelgard was amused by the idea; she thought it wasn't half bad for her friend to switch.

"I'll tell you a secret to why I can play brass easily." Monica whispered to her friend as she leaned to Edelgard's ear.

"I'm also a swimmer, that's why." The words shocked Edelgard, who couldn't swim.

"But you haven't played the big boss yet - the tuba." Edelgard announced as she pulled her friend over.

"If you can, I can too." Monica thought as she stood behind the enormous instrument, much bigger than her and Edelgard; she is quite impressed by how someone who's barely a meter tall could manage to play such a behemoth.

Monica, unsurprisingly, was at the same level as Edelgard when the latter first started; she could play the first 4 notes without much trouble but found it near impossible to play G.

"You can sub for me now, my part's not very hard." Joked Edelgard.

"I think I like the trumpet more, easier to hold." Monica returned the words with a smile, to which her friend agreed with a wide smile.

"Why does your house have so many instruments? Are your parents musicians?" Monica asked suddenly.

"I have adult siblings, and mama used to play in her high school band." El explained as she showed her friend an old photo of her mother, who was lead tubist back in the day.

"Your mom's awesome!" Monica beamed as she clapped her hands; Anselma came into the music room to check on the girls as she'd overheard the conversation.

"Heard you girls were talking about me."

"Is it true that you played tuba back in high school?" Monica asked as if asking whether a person participated in a war, which made the woman giggle a little.

"Yep, and I was really good; i even won a competition once."

"Do you still remember how to play?" The girls asked in unison; Monica kinda doubted that her friend's mother could still remember after all those years. Anselma just nodded before hoisting the tuba onto her lap and playing an advanced piece with seemingly no effort. Both Monica and Edelgard believed that the woman had 15 lungs, and didn't need to breathe for the duration of the song.

"Whoa..." The girls gasped before bursting into applause in reverence.

"An, you still remember how to play!" Monica's mother, Magdalyn, said as she popped into the music room to check on her daughter.

"Mommy!" Monica said as she leapt into the other woman's arms, the other woman picking the girl up.

"I heard you playing lots of instruments there; did you like any of them?" 

"I love them all!" Monica beamed, still held in her mother's arms for hometime.

"I'll be on my way now. Monica, say bye-bye." Magdalyn said as she waved goodbye to her friend's family, Monica also saying bye-bye and waving her hand to El.

"Bye!" El said as she saw her friend off.

"Monnie's a really awesome musician. Good as me." El said as she tidied up with her mom before ending the day.

Chapter Text

"Shez, you have a competition next week; you need to practice." Magdalyn, Shez's mother, said as she waited for her daughter in the living room. Shez was hiding under the table with her instrument; she wanted to play, just not the 'Don Giovanni' theme for her competition.

"I know you're under there." The woman called as she circled the table like a hawk, waiting for her prey to come out. Finally, she grabbed her daughter and carried her to the living room.

"Mom, you know I can't play the theme, choose an easier song for me?" Shez whined as she stood at her position, grasping her instrument. Her mother just sighed and explained that Shez was the one who chose the song back when registering with her teacher.

"Fine fine, I'll practice, since I liked the piece so much." Shez said as she prepared to play with her mother, who is going to become her accompanist in the competition. Magdalyn set a camera to record before seating herself at the piano, Shez preparing to play in front of the camera.

Shez thought she was doing great throughout the piece, never missing a note, and always entering on time; but, she felt like breathing thin mountain air afterwards - exhausted.

"Okay, let's review the video to see what you can improve on." Shez's mother said as she stopped recording and brought the phone over to her daughter. She thought of sending the video to her daughter's teacher, but figured that a refined version sent once would be better.

"You make it seem like it's really exhausting to play, and you kinda look angry and done with it by the end." The woman said to her daughter as they watched the video together. Shez realized that she wasn't as good as she'd thought, which was the cold truth.

"I'm not angry! I love playing!" Shez protested as she sprung back to her position. Her mother knew right away that Shez needs to work on her endurance and expression in order to improve on her presence.

"Okay, you need to improve on your lung strength and your posture: You're still going to go to gymnastics and ballet to train your muscles along with extra breath exercises." Magdalyn said sternly as she handed Shez her gym bag for sunday ballet and gym, which was next.

"Yeah, let's go." Shez said as she slipped her sneakers on and led her mother to the gym and dance school. 

"I'm sore all over..." Shez groaned as she lay flat on the living room floor, still in her orange leotard, sweating profusely. Her mom carefully scooped her now liquefied daughter and took her to the shower to freshen up before music practice.

"Okay, time to practice." Magdalyn announced as she shined a flashlight to the front of the piano, emulating a concert hall's ambience. Shez grabbed her instrument and stepped out to the light with fervor.

"Take a bow." Her mom whispered from behind as Shez bowed before preparing to play, puffing up her cheeks in anticipation. Shez played a little better than before, not looking so angry or done with it even though the endurance problem still remained. Shez was quite proud of her improvements on the piece, and wanted to improve some more.

"I'm wearing this dress and these shoes to the competition." Shez said as she twirled around, making the sunset-colored tulle skirt spin around like a solar flare.

"One more round before bedtime?" The girl's mother asked as she placed her fingers on the piano. "Nope, two more!" Shez replied as she stuck out two fingers in a V-shape, smiling as she showed a gap between her upper incisors.

"Okay then, let's do it." The woman replied as she played a quick intro before letting her daughter take over. This time, Shez wasn't a heap of former musician on the floor, but a full-fledged young musician ready for anything.

"Rest now, you'll need the energy for school tomorrow, and the competition."

"C'mon, ready?" Magdalyn asked her daughter as she tied the girl's dress at the back. Shez sat still in front of the mirror for the first time for her competition hairdo - two buns that keep her bangs up, decorated with flowers. Smiling, she packed her instrument in its case after breakfast, and made for the venue with her mother. "Kid, ready?" Byleth, Shez's teacher, asked as she greeted her student after registrations; she was here along with some of her fellow students - Shez's friends.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Shez replied as she jumped and landed in a battle stance, making Byleth and her friends giggle.

"Mama's gonna be in the crowd, watching you." Magdalyn said as she kissed her daughter before going into the hall via the front entrance. Shez and her friends were ushered into some rooms backstage, waiting for their turn to perform. Shez got number 17 while Ingrid, who was sitting beside her, got number 3; Annette, the youngest one, got number 8; Marianne, the quiet girl, got number 12. Some of her other friends were also registered for the duet and small ensemble division - Dimitri and Edelgard.

"Nervous?" Ingrid asked her friend as she sat holding her instrument in her hands, feet dangling off the tall chair. The girls shared short stories; before long, Ingrid was called up to perform.

"Next up, at number 3, is Ingrid Brandl Galatea." The loudspeaker boomed, prompting Ingrid to stand up.

"Good luck out there." Shez said with a wink before scooting over to the seat beside tiny Annette to continue chatting. Annette was clearly nervous, sucking on her soother in agitation as she tried to calm herself down.

"I want mama..." The tiny girl wept as beads of tears streamed down her cheeks, crying with a triangle-shaped mouth. Shez didn't know what to do, so just gave the girl a hand to hold and a big hug. Shez knew that she had to calm Annette down before her performance, so prayed that someone would come to her and Annette.

"Annette, are you okay?" Byleth asked as she quickly came over to see what's up. Annette quickly clung onto Byleth, overwhelmed by the pressure; Byleth takes the girl into her arms, squeezing her tightly until she calmed down.

"There there, it's okay." Byleth whispered as she soothed the girl, working quickly before it was her turn to perform. Soon, Annette was back in action and ready to play, and just in time too.

"At number 8 is Annette Fantine Dominic." The loudspeaker boomed as Byleth unclipped Annette's soother from the girl's dress, returning to the audience as Annette skipped out to the stage. Shez and some of the remaining contestants sat and listened to an adorable rendition of 'Are you sleeping' by Annette. Shez had some experience from her two years of playing, so could judge that Annette was really good for her age.

"Number 17, Shez Arval." The stage called as Shez shot up. By now, the pressure was mounting as she was one of the last in her division - Kindergarten soloist - to come up and perform. Shez was slightly quivering as cold air met her skin, but her breath wasn't shaking; she'd been warming up by gently breathing into her instrument, careful not to make a sound, for a fair part of the wait. She flashed a smile to the crowd below before signaling start and performing flawlessly, even her violet eyes seemed to have a golden glimmer as she played - which is quite rare for a child like her. She finished, garnering applause from the audience before taking a bow and exiting.

"Now, the moment that you've all been waiting for..." A young woman announced as she stood in the limelight, earning the competitors' undivided attention. Shez and the others were already back in the audience.

"Honorary mention goes to..."

"Edelgard von Hresvelg." Was all that was needed for a small girl with long hazel hair, clad in a red tulle dress, to walk up to the stage for her reward - a small medal and certificate. She smiled proudly as cameras flashed.

"Special mention goes to..."

"Claude von Riegan." A dark-skinned boy strutted up to receive his reward, seemingly smirking as more cameras flashed.

"Third place goes to..." The top three started to garner murmurs from the excited children.

"Annette Fantine Dominic." The tiniest competitor let out an excited squeal before toddling onstage to receive her reward. Her family watched on with pride as their daughter won her first laureate.

"Second place goes to..."

"Shez Arval." Shez quickly got up and gracefully walked onstage like a mature lady, making her parents giggle while they took photos; it was near impossible for Shez to behave in a ladylike manner, let alone on her own volition.

"First place goes to..." The voice boomed over building murmurs from the children who all wanted to know the winner.

"Dorothea Arnault." A regal young girl the same age as Shez seemed to glide onstage to receive her rewards: a humongous trophy, a medal, and a certificate.

"It's okay that you didn't land the big one." Midas said as he picked up his daughter and gave her a big hug. Shez was super proud of herself, but was absolutely worn out, so instantly fell asleep in her father's arms.

Chapter Text

"The hospital stay was no fun, right?" Anselma said to her daughter as she drove them home from the hospital. Edelgard had been admitted for an airway infection for the past two weeks, and hadn't done anything related to band.

"It was fun watching cartoons on the tablet. But I miss playing tuba." Edelgard replied, still slightly worn out from the ordeal. She was lucky to have the infection caught and treated early; any later would've permanently damaged her body.

"You might forget some things when you get back to practice. It's totally normal." Anselma reassured her daughter as she stopped at a red light. Edelgard retorted, saying that her absence was 2 weeks while Dorothea's absence from ballet due to a sprained ankle was 3 days.

"How about we play your favorite song when we get home? The band stuff can wait." This was an offer that Edelgard couldn't refuse, even if she tried. She was now back to her old self, sort of.

"I miss sissy. I wanna see her again," Edelgard mused as she wriggled in her carseat. Her mother said she was sorry sissy wasn't able to visit, but they'll see each other again as soon as she gets home. She was hiding a surprise, that her brother is coming back from college to see her for a bit.

The light switched to green just as dozens of cars revved on. Soon, the familiar houses and people were back in sight. As soon as the car came to a stop, Edelgard unbuckled herself and jumped down. Waiting at the door was her big brother Ed. She ran up and jumped at him.

"El, I missed you too. I heard you were in hospital. Was it scary?" The young man asked as he gave his baby sister a much-deserved cuddle. El said she doesn't really remember what happened (thank goodness) but their mother could tell him what happened.

"Lyla!" A familiar voice chirped as multiple children popped their heads into the doorway. Edelgard gave one of older sisters a big hug. She and Lyla are very close due to them still being 'little kids' while the others are already tweens, teens, or young adults.

"What did everyone do when I was in hospital?" Edelgard asked as she sat down with her family for the first time in two weeks. Lyla recorded a song for a competition. Luna got her very first A in maths. Beatrice auditioned for concertmaster at the local orchestra and got it. Anton prepared for his HS entry exams. Judah had a mountain of homework he had to do. And Ed rushed his midterms so he could come see his family.

"Alright, you said you'll play tuba when you get home. You ready?" Anselma reminded her daughter with a simple sentence as she got the tuba out. El got into position in a slightly awkward manner as she professionally unfurled her sheet music.

"Why...is...it... so... hard... to blow?" Edelgard huffed and puffed as she sat down a little. After a few moments of catching her breath, she was back in action.

"Your body's just not used to being away from tuba for so long. It'll go back to normal soon," Anselma encouraged her daughter with some wise words and a headpat. El likes to be patted by her older siblings and parents, so she smiled contentedly as she was being patted and ruffled.

"I wanna try tuba. Please?" Lyla-Mai asked her sister as she scuttled over. Edelgard pulled her over and taught her a few basics. What Edelgard didn't fully grasp was the fact that Lyla-Mai is one of the best swimmers in the school's team, which gave her very strong lungs.

"Finger chart..." Lyla muttered as she laid more sheets and diagrams. Owing her dexterity to violin, she was able to find the valves and get in position quite quickly - somewhat quicker than her little sister sometimes.

"Play a scale!" Edelgard cheered as she jumped. Her sister peeked at the sheet music as she flexed her fingers, warming them up. She managed only to F before getting stuck. G and higher were out of her league.

"Gimme, I'm ready now," El announced as she stepped back to her post. Lyla stepped down after wiping the mouthpiece and resetting the sheet music. Edelgard was a little out of breath at first with her song, but soon got back into the swing.

"Ed, can I go to your school and perform?" Edelgard asked as she put on her most irresistible pair of beady eyes. Ed didn't know how to explain that where he goes isn't exactly a school but a college, and that he had to pull a lot of strings for her to put on a show.

"Well, we can arrange that later. After you get back to practicing consistently," Ed said as he ruffled his baby sister's hair. El jolted as if she remembered something. She swallowed her saliva as she tried to remember the notes to the secret song.

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine..." Lyla started to sing to accompany her sister's tuba playing. She paused when El stopped to catch her breath, and continued when she started again. Even though they'd never rehearsed together; heck, they never even sang together once.

"Whew, tired," Edelgard panted as she wiped some sweat with the hem of her skirt. Ed said that was enough for today. She can continue tomorrow when her lungs are a little stronger.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Marianne. You look a little worried today. Something up?" Noticing a visible shift in her student's demeanor, Byleth asked.

"Mama's birthday is next week and I don't have a present for her yet. I wanna buy her one but I used my money to buy a lollipop for myself! What do I do?" Marianne went on a tangent as she stomped in place.

"How about you give her the gift of music? That sounds good," Byleth suggested as she sat Marianne down. Marianne said her mother used to play in band, and she can't hold a candle to her skills.

"I found this poster when I was walking at the park with her," Marianne said as she opened her case and showed her teacher a crumpled poster. It was of a music showcase held exactly on her mother's birthday.

"How about you tell her you want to go see this and surprise her by playing a song of your own?" Byleth suggested as she gave Marianne the sheet for 'You are my sunshine'. She clarified that it could be any song she knew if she couldn't compose an original piece.

"I can learn this," Marianne said as she went over the sheet music, sounding more confident than usual.

"Well, it's a song my mother used to play when I was your age," Byleth sentimentally added as she ran her index finger down the stave. Marianne seems to remember the song as a lullaby she listened to as a baby.

"But mama's birthday is next week. How can I learn it perfectly?" Marianne started to fret over her birthday gift, sweating and rubbing her palms together. Byleth reassured her, saying that she had to learn a 15-minute long piece in a week for her graduation exam.

"Whoa, how did you do it? Were you sleepy?" Marianne asked in amazement, azure eyes wide as the sky itself. Byleth said she drank lots of energy drinks and coffee before practicing for hours in a row.

"Mama played my horn once. She said she sounded like me when I was 3," Marianne added as she prepped her instrument for playing. She was sure she could learn the song quite quickly.

"I'll help you when you need it. Just tell me," Byleth said as she took the backseat, letting her student learn by herself. This is something she often does when one of her students wants to learn a piece outside of the books.

"Teacher Byleth, do you like my shirt?" Marianne suddenly interjected as she unzipped her jacket, revealing a teal shirt with white print saying 'Wake up, Play french horn like a boss, nap, repeat' underneath.

"Whoa, cool shirt," Byleth commented, surprised by the unusual style of fashion. She usually saw Marianne in frilly shirts and glittery leggings.

"Alright, I'm ready to play now," Marianne said as she shuffled around on her chair, getting into a comfortable position. She practiced well for the entire week, and it showed in her masterful playing and musical expression.

"Wow! You really improved. If you're up for it, I can find you a small venue to perform later," Byleth commented as she clapped slowly, quiet impressed by the rare wave of confidence from the usually timid little girl.

"I don't know why, but I feel really free when I play music. Do you know why?" Marianne asked suddenly. Byleth shook her head, saying she also doesn't know. The influence of music on human emotions is mysterious indeed.

"I think I'm brave enough to play a solo with the big kids. That'll be mama's present," Marianne piped up, riding the wave of confidence. Byleth said she could talk with T. Kelsey about this, and schedule rehearsals and finally a weekend show.

"Do you want to come talk with T. Kelsey and her band yourself? Or do you want me to talk for you?" Byleth offered as she stood up from her seat. Marianne said she'd like her teacher to arrange it while she watches.

"Okay, come with me. We'll go together." Byleth said as she offered Marianne her hand. The youngster took it and skipped after her to the middle school band room. Marianne nibbled on her thumb as she approached the band room, stomach fluttering.

"Oh hey Byleth, I just finished rehearsing. What do you want?" Kelsey, a stunning woman with hazel hair and green eyes, asked as she sashayed up to Byleth. Marianne glanced at the older children, most of whom were in their teens, as she continued biting on her thumb.

"Yeah, I'd like a few sessions with little Marianne here. First to get her used to the older kids, and then to practice and perform. Can you manage?" Byleth explained the situation, hoping she says yes.

"Well, we wrapped up our affairs early. Your little ones are always welcome to perform with us," Kelsey replied, nodding kindly. She gestured Marianne over and gave her a welcome headpat. Byleth snuck back to get Marianne's instrument for her, returning in no time.

"You wanna introduce yourself?" Kelsey asked as she stood Marianne in front of the band. The girl gave a small 'nuh-uh' as she shook her head, hiding behind the woman's legs.

"C'mon! If you can't introduce yourself, might as well call off the show!" A boy's voice sounded from the back, shattering Marianne's hard-earned confidence.

"Travis! You are staying after practice today! And apologize to that little girl!" Kelsey flew into a controlled rage, nearly stomping in to pluck the boy from his seat. Marianne's chin trembled as she sat down crying in front of everyone, absolutely crestfallen.

"C'mon, I know it hurts. Just cry it out," Byleth whispered as she picked up Marianne and gave her a tight hug. She went back to her office for a moment to give them some privacy, sitting with Marianne until she was better.

"Why's he so mean?" Marianne sniffled as she wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Byleth tried to explain, but couldn't find the words to. Marianne mumbled that she wanted her mama, and to go home.

"Mama's on her way now. Sit tight and wait here. I'll go get your horn from the room." Byleth said soothingly as she slipped back to the band room and came back. Marianne nodded as she curled up on the snuggly beanbag chair, holding a stuffed toy.

"Marianne, mama's here now," A familiar and soothing voice could be heard from outside the office. Marianne burst into tears as she jumped onto the woman, clinging onto her dress. Byleth explained the situation as she gave Marianne's backpack and instrument to her mother.

"C'mon, let's go home and have dinner. You can take a break for a little," Mrs. Edmund whispered to her daughter as she carried her daughter home. When they got back, she took Marianne's shoes off and let her sleep on the couch while dinner was being prepared.

"Bad day at school?" Mr. Edmund asked as he came home from work to see his baby girl sleeping on the couch, crusted tears on her cheeks. Marianne slowly opened her eyes as dinner was finished. She sauntered to her chair and climbed up onto her booster seat.

Marianne ate her dinner quietly, without even saying a word. Both of her parents  accepted this and went on with their own conversations, without pressuring their daughter to talk. Marianne hopped off her chair and went the bathroom for a quick dental routine before going to her room.

"Mama, can you put this on?" Marianne asked as she came out of her room in a half-zipped princess dress. Her mother zipped and tied the dress before putting the matching tiara on her daughter's head. 

Marianne has always had a soft spot for movie soundtracks and can play the horn parts for many of them. Luckily for her, most of the band pieces are those movie soundtracks. She even had a solo where the sheet music said 'stand up to play' once.

"Mama, what's fortissimo again?" Marianne came out and asked again. Having forgotten most of what she'd learned in school, her mother had to search online before explaining it to her daughter.

"Oh, very very loud. But I've never played that loud before..." Marianne muttered to herself, skipping back to her room. She tried to remember what Byleth taught her the day before.

"She's trying really hard to improve herself...Bless her little heart," Marianne's mother whispered to her husband as she listened in from outside. Marianne has quite a strong respiratory system and could adapt to playing loudly in a few moments.

"I'll take a peep," The woman whispered as she crouched down near the door, catching a glimpse of her daughter playing as a soloist. Marianne had that professional look, puffing out her chest and standing tall with a straight back.

"Here comes the crescendo! So exciting..." Mrs. Edmund whispered as she anticipated the ascending volume. Marianne puffed out her cheeks and raised the volume from 1 to 10 smoothly and majestically.

"Mama! I did it!" Marianne exclaimed as a bright smile spread through her face. She leapt into her mama's arms as soon as she exited the room, horn hanging from her left hand.

"Yes you did! I really loved how hard you tried to play with the orchestral track!" The woman praised her daughter as she gave lots of cuddles. Marianne went back to practicing some more, this time arranging her many stuffed animals into an odeon-like structure to act as an audience.

"Do the voices, mama," Marianne whispered from the main 'stage' as she ducked out of her room. Her mother gave her the thumbs up before preparing a little announcement.

"Next up, rising star Marianne von Edmund! She may be only 4 years old but her signature expressiveness has won the hearts of audiences across the globe!" Mrs.Edmund announced as she cued her daughter to walk out onstage. Marianne greeted her stuffed animals warmly.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" Marianne spoke in front of her pretend audience of colorful stuffed dogs and cats. She pretended that the animals were cheering for her wildly.

"Ready?" The woman whispered to her daughter as she had the aux cable in hand, ready to play the track. Marianne glanced back and gave a slight nod.

Marianne has listened to the piece many times. She can remember every cue and entry by heart. True to her teacher's comments on this piece, Marianne delivered one competition-worthy rendition of her signature piece.

"And the crowd goes wild!! Wahoo!" Marianne cheered as she took three bows, placed her horn back into its case, and leapt into the neatly arranged pile of stuffed animals to crowdsurf. Is this a classical performance or a rock concert? We may never know.

"C'mon, baby. Change into your pj's and let's go to bed." Mrs. Edmund said as she plucked a sleepy Marianne from her bed and changed her into her nightgown. She placed her back into her bed and tucked her in properly.

"Morning, sweetie. Did you sleep well?" Mrs. Edmund asked as she came and woke up her daughter for school. Marianne yawned as she rubbed her eyes before getting up. Marianne took a shower, brushed her teeth, and got dressed in her classic frilly shirt and leggings.

"You want me to stay with you in band for a little?" Mrs. Edmund asked as she walked her daughter to school. Marianne nodded silently as she toddled along the sidewalk, carefully avoiding the cracks in the pavement. Marianne has rehearsal in the morning, so her mother can stay for a bit.

"Hello, Teacher Kelsey," Marianne's mother said politely as she led her daughter into the room. There's a small chair at the front for Marianne to sit in and another chair for the parent. Marianne got her instrument out and sat in her little chair, waiting for orders.

"I'm ready. Let's go!" Marianne beamed as she pumped her chubby arm. She pushed the chair to the side before giving her cue to the conductor, who happily started the orchestra for her. Marianne rehearsed her mother's birthday piece right in front of her. She hadn't told her mama yet, so the surprise isn't out.

"She's so talented! I wish I had a baby sister just like her!" Some of the teen girls in the band squealed as they gave Marianne a round of applause. Marianne took a big bow as she also clapped for herself.

"See? They like you," Byleth pointed out as she led Marianne offstage (ahem, front of the room?) and to her classroom. Marianne gave her mama a kiss goodbye before joining her peers.

"Where were you, Marianne?" Dimitri asked as he ran over to her. Marianne excitedly regaled her tale of how she went to the big kids' band room and played with them as a soloist.

"For real?!" Felix piped up as he joined the conversation, eyes wide as plates. Marianne nodded demurely as she took a seat at one of the tables. Outside, her mother was watching her come out of her shell with pride. She made sure to leave quickly as she had work as well.

"She's become much more confident since starting band. She used to be so timid and quiet when she was 3." Mrs. Edmund said to Byleth as she left the school building. Byleth nodded with a smile before returning to her office.

"C'mon, baby. Big show today!" Marianne's mother cooed as she dressed her daughter in a frilly tulle gown, combing her robin's egg blue hair into wavy locks.  She pulled those locks into two thin braids and secured the ends with two glittery bows.

"Which crown do you want?" She asked as she brought a box filled with princess tiaras and crowns to her daughter. Marianne put a finger on her chin, looking over the box for a moment. She picked a matching periwinkle crown from the box and placed it on her head.

"I'm a pretty princess!" Marianne sang as she twirled her fluffy gown. This gown was exactly the same as one she used to wear the year before, just in a bigger size to fit her rapidly growing body.

"Do you remember this?" Her mama asked as she showed a photo of 2-year-old Marianne with 3-year-old Hilda and her brother Holst at a band show. Back then, Marianne used to be a timid little soul, always hiding her face behind her hands and her smile behind a pacifier.

"I was little! I'm a big girl now," Marianne said as she looked at the photo, smiling. She was proud of her newfound confidence over the years and today's concert would be a testament to that.

"Wanna go now?" Marianne's mother asked as she prepared the car. Her daughter nodded as she rushed out and hopped in. Unlike a certain classmate of hers, she made sure to check that she brought her instrument along.

"Mama, are you gonna watch me till the end?" Marianne asked for reassurance, looking at her mother from the backseat. The woman nodded, saying that she's not leaving the concert venue until the last clap from the audience ceased.

"Can you carry me to the stage?" Marianne asked as she unbuckled herself and hopped off the car, careful not to get her gown dirty. It had rained the night before and the ground was all muddy, so Marianne's mama scooped her up and carried her to the main stage for rehearsal and concert.

"Here's our little princess!" A girl from the youth band called out as she spotted Marianne being carried across the muddy fields in her gown and shoes. Only her hair was left to do before the big show.

"I'll do her hair, Mrs. Edmund!" The same girl raised her hand, volunteering to be Marianne's stylist. She had always prided herself on her luscious locks of hair and was never seen without her hair tools and glitter.

"Can I have blue glitter on my hair?" Marianne shyly requested as she sat herself on an empty chair, wiggling into place. Her mother had a tablet ready just incase Marianne gets wriggly and restless.

"Her hair's so fine," The girl whispered to her friend as she combed through Marianne's fine locks, pulling them into twin french braids and brushing a thin layer of glitter over the braid. When unraveled, her hair would sport a thin net of glitter.

"Done now! You like it, little one?" The girl said as she held a mirror in front of Marianne, letting her admire her new look. Marianne's eyes widened as the light scattered off the glitter and into her irises.

"Wowee! I can't wait until Hilda sees this!" Marianne beamed, dancing around the stage as her sparkly gown swirled around. Speak of the devil, here she comes.

"Marianne!" A familiar voice chirped as muddy squelches grew closer. Hilda was here to watch her perform! She was clad in her pink polka dot raincoat and rain boots, soles all muddy from the rain last night.

"Hilda!" Marianne returned the greeting from the stage, knowing she's not allowed to descend back down. In lieu of going back down, she kneels on the edge of the stage, balancing carefully not to tip over, and gave Hilda a high-five. Suddenly, an older student pulled her aside and told her something important.

"Marianne, you do know that your solo today is played on tenor horn, right? But you play french horn, so the switch is easy as 1 2 3." The bandmaster student told the little girl as she knelt down to her level. Luckily, he had a spare instrument on hand and was ready to lend it to her. Marianne gently took the new horn from him, looking a little unwieldy with it at first before finding her balance with it. She hugged the horn close to her chest as she flashed her family a beaming smile.

"Mama, look!" She beamed from the stage, standing a full 102 cm tall. Her mother smiled proudly, knowing that those dance classes she enrolled her daughter in had paid off in the form of great posture. She pulled her phone out and snapped a great picture for the memories.

"C'mon little one, let's practice before you actually perform." The conductor, who was also a student herself, said as she lifted Marianne up and placed her on a small soapbox. She then got a microphone on a stand and positioned it near the bell of the horn. Marianne needs to be microphoned until she is much older as she can only blow into the horn so hard. The conductor told her she could move the horn a little bit, but not too much.

"I still remember her first time trying tenor horn when she was 3. It was a borrowed instrument just like today, only she was much tinier," Marianne's mother said, slightly nostalgically, as she pulled out her phone and pulled up and old video of her daughter. Little Marianne was sat on a large chair, with another smaller chair, the same width as the horn, in front to help her support the huge instrument. Back then, it almost looked like a tuba and hid her completely. She was 'performing' with the horn group in the church band her mother worked at. Her part was the original tenor horn score, just simplified. It was also the first time she had to adhere to the dress code.

"It's heavy!" Marianne exclaimed as she tried to hug the horn closer to her body. Instead, the horn's weight dragged her closer to it. The horn was placed on a small chair-like carrel that doubled as a footrest for little Marianne since she had to sit in a relatively big chair with the other musicians. The big boy who sat beside her pushed the carrel closer to her, making it easier to maneuver and play. Some of the big kids thought Marianne looked absolutely adorable how she played the huge horn. Marianne's cheeks puffed out when she played loudly (not very practical, I know) and she squeezed her eyes shut when she had to climb up higher on the register.

Marianne was due for dress rehearsal and performance back-to-back. While the older kids were getting into dress code and putting makeup, Marianne was changed into her white ruffle shirt and black fluffy pettiskirt. She was specially airlifted into her chair where she waited for the older children with her instrument. She found the dark of the stage and curtains calming.

Her mother sat among the small crowd watching the dress rehearsal, camera out to record this amazing milestone. Marianne saw her mother in the crowd and her eyes lit up visibly. With her stage fright under control, she could harness her full aptitude for music. Her swimming lessons even came in handy by increasing her lung capacity so she could play louder and longer. Even though Marianne had her moments where she couldn't sound or reach high enough on the register, she just improvised by playing another note that harmonized well with the rest of the section. For recording purposes, every music stand - both shared and unshared - had a small bodycam attached at the top to capture a POV.

The band finished with a flourish, garnering the applause of the whole hall. Marianne's face beamed as she tried to stand up, finding the heavy instrument unwieldy. The person sitting next to her placed her horn onto the floor beside her to let her stand up and take a bow. One of the band managers came and helped get Marianne and the instrument offstage once the final bows were taken.

Marianne played some scales and exercises as she waited for the band to assemble. It sounded raspy at first but soon she found her center. She requested that she try the first run without a microphone, just to test how prominent her sound is over the band. Marianne uses a little torso strap to help support the tenor horn's weight, so she doesn't slump over so much. Before first run, a senior band member reminded her to empty her spit valve. Marianne toddled back to a small table near the side of the stage, awkwardly put the horn on the table, and tried to locate the spit valve. After some feeling, her fingers found the spit valve and opened it. To help clear the water out, she blew into the mouthpiece as hard as she could. It took a few deep, forceful breaths due to the size of the horn, but she managed to clear out all the water.

"Marianne, you're up!" The conductor called, making Marianne jolt slightly. She put her horn back on and toddled to the front as quickly as she could. A small crowd was forming as it was nearing the time of the performance, even though it was 90 minutes away from the time of the performance. Marianne looked at the small crowd for a moment before turning to the band and nodding slightly, saying that she was ready. 

The band starts playing the intro, quite loudly. She thought she liked the majestic intro to her great solo, but would soon change her mind at the resulting blend of sound between solo and tutti. She could barely hear even herself play, forcing her to overblow in order to project to the audience. Her high passages weren't the smoothest and her expression suffered greatly. She played all the notes correctly, but she lacked the expression she had when playing solo. The only saving grace was a big break where she could catch her breath in the middle of the song. She tool a bow at the end of the rehearsal before going to discuss improvements with the band.

"Marianne, do you want to have the microphone for the performance? It feels like you can't hear yourself over us." The concertmaster said as she took Marianne aside for a little reflection. Marianne nodded wordlessly as she watched the sound engineers work their magic, attaching a small microphone to the bell of her borrowed tenor horn. They had Marianne play a note or two to test how the sound projected now. This time, she sounded much more prominent and she will have to use a microphone until she is somewhat bigger, as her lungs haven't quite caught up to her skill level yet. Her rendition of Antares was now ready to be performed for a crowd!

"Mommy will be watching you in the audience, okay? Love you," Marianne's mom whispered as she fixed her daughter's hair and gave her one last kiss before going to her seat in the spectators. Marianne felt strength well up in her chest as she repeatedly told herself she could perform well. As her amber eyes peeked from behind the curtains, she could spot many people she knew in the audience - Hilda, her teacher Byleth, her parents, and even her classmate Dedue was there to see her perform.

"Go Marianne! YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!" Hilda shouted, jumping to her feet unknowingly. Her mother quickly sat her down right as Marianne appeared from backstage, hugging her horn close to her body. Once Marianne stopped at the center of the stage, her eyes found Hilda's and she straightened herself knowing that her friend was there to cheer her on.

Marianne had the music and finger patterns memorized to a T, and not even stage fright could shake her. During the performance, she even cracked a bright, beaming smile behind her embouchure - something Marianne had never done before, not even out of silliness at home or alone. Byleth's face weaved into a smile upon seeing her usually reserved student shine so brightly before masses of people. She clapped much louder than many in the crowd upon Marianne's finish and bow.

"Hi, mommy! Hi, daddy!" Marianne called out from the stage, waving her little hand, showing her gap teeth in a huge smile. Her endearing display of affection garnered some laughter from the audience, which consisted of neighborhood locals and school students.

"And as a special gift to her mommy, Marianne will now play 'Happy Birthday' as a special encore," The concertmaster spoke as the applause died down. Marianne played the song in an ensemble before, but playing it as a solo was a first for her. As she played, the crowd and the band sang along with her playing. She took a big bow and retreated backstage, where she was greeted by her family and teacher.

"Very well done, Marianne. That was amazing!" Byleth openly praised her student as she offered a hug, which Marianne took. 

"This was the best gift I've ever received on my birthday! Thank you, sweetie." Marianne's mom picked her daughter up and spun her around. 

Marianne was proud of herself for facing her fears with a smile, and for her creativity regarding her mother's birthday gift.