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When Linhardt woke up on the morning of his birthday, he didn't notice the red string attached to his wrist.
Not at first, anyway.
No, he wasn't aware of the thread until he was shrugging on his academy jacket. He had begrudgingly been getting himself dressed for class, annoyed that he wouldn't be able to read the new book he had been given until later that evening. He had debated starting it last night, but received it quite late. Seteth had also commented that Linhardt could keep the novel, as long as it didn't cause him to miss class in the morning, and then parted quickly to avoid any arguments. Not wanting to cause any problems with one of the main figures of the church, he abided, much to his own dismay, and turned in early. It allowed him to wake early enough, giving plenty of time to relax at breakfast. Which is where he planned to meet his friends before he noticed the string, the revelation shaking any thought of friends and food from his head.
He has a soulmate.
Although a telltale sign of a soulmate was normally a joyous occasion, he couldn’t help but register the small tense feeling buried deep in his chest.
Linhardt was someone who appreciated the science behind things that occurred in the world. His crest studies were extremely important to him, as they were a hobby of his that he could get lost in very easily. The concept of soulmates though, was tricky.
Similarly to crests, no one truly knew why soulmates manifested in the ways that they did. It was researched just as thoroughly as crests, yet no one was able to figure out how they seem to work. There were many different recorded versions of the soulmate bond as well, it was never clear what kind of bond you would have, if you had one at all. The most common of the red string bonds were that either all of the soulmates who were tied to one another had the strings visible to themselves, or only one person did.
Linhardt only had one thread, meaning one soulmate. But there was no way of telling if his soulmate was able to see it. He would have to ask.
With that thought, he startled. Did he want to meet this soulmate of his? Was it worth it to get involved with someone who he was tied to? Isn’t this just another constraint on his life? Would meeting this person take away the freedom he had finally achieved by coming to the officers academy?
Upon observing the delicate strand that looped his wrist while his mind went wild with questions, there was a knock at his door.
A sense of panic spread over Linhardt as he stood there in his half buttoned up jacket. Quickly fastening the rest of the garment he moved to the door, gripping the handle a bit tighter than he anticipated.
Steeling himself, he carefully unlatched and opened the door, only to find the Professor smiling softly back at him. He stands there starkly, unsure of what to do, fear keeping him from glancing down at the Professor's hands. He hasn't known the Professor for very long, but he finds their face is often blank, and they rarely let emotion pull at their features. So why they were standing in his doorway now with a smile of all things, frightens Linhardt more than he’d ever like to admit, and for more than one reason.
He doesn't know how long he had stood there staring at the professor, but he watches confusion flicker in the eyes before him before hands move to reach out towards him, the sheer stress of the situation somehow keeping him from flinching away and shutting his door, like his flight response so desperately wants him to.
The Professor’s voice was soft as they spoke, breaking him out of his panic. “Happy Birthday Linhardt. These are for you.”
His traitorous eyes looked down to see a small bouquet of flowers, instantly clicking in his mind the reason for them. Just last month, Ashe had mentioned the same happening for his birthday. The gift was simply that: a gift. The tension practically fell out of his body at that, and he noted the red string extending past the Professor.
“Oh thank you Professor, it's very appreciated” he breathed, his body relaxing with the motion. He didn’t miss the way the Professor’ eyes flickered at his reaction, he just hoped they wouldn't question it . “I have just the spot for them too.” He gently took the small bunch of flowers, noting the bouquet was situated in a pretty vase. Walking over to the window ledge, he shoves a few books to the side —basic magic texts, barely important— and places the flowers in the morning sunlight. The pink and purple hues of the petals were magnificent in the sunlight, and he recognized them to be a part of the garden the Professor had been tending to when he was having a midday nap in the greenhouse. “There. They are lovely Professor, thank you again.”
A small polite nod was all the response he received before the Professor swiftly turned and exited his doorway. After deciding it was about time to leave anyway, he finished any preparations for the school day and exited his room, mind wandering back to his soulbond.
He had no intentions of following the string. He found it quite ironic that the powers at be had decided he would be the one to see the connection, for he couldn't care less about who the universe decided he would be tied to. It was just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of duties that he was often pestered about. His parents had told him about soulbonds, and how they were important because the goddess was pairing you with someone that would be important. He didn’t believe it was the goddess’ doing, why would she care who married who? It just seemed like another push, another ploy, to convince him to wed and produce an heir.
Even with his mindset, he couldn't help but think further about the what if’s of having a soulmate. It caused him to notice the string leading in the direction he was moving, his stomach turning anxiously. It was very well possible that his soulmate was in the monastery, and it could very well be any one of the other students. He couldn't help but wonder if who he was tied to was from one of the other two houses. He's heard both the good and the bad that people have said about him, and he's well aware that he's caught the eye of a few people in passing. He may not be involved in the affairs of gossip, but he's not oblivious.
Linhardt didn't mind his classmates though. Most of the people in the monastery were nice enough, even if some were more irritating than others. He’s still actively avoiding Ferdinand, he doesn’t want to be forced through another lesson in nobility. Ferdinand pursues him often, and on occasion manages to corner him into a lecture. He shuddered a bit at the thought, it was recent enough that he still remembered the training vividly. Correction: he didn't mind most of his classmates
Nearing the dining hall, he noticed the string was taut in the direction of the door, and that during his short walk the tension had built back up in his body rapidly. The nerves had spread throughout his entire body, stiffening his muscles and slowing his pace.
No one would know if he retreated back to his room. He could turn around right now, fake ill and spend the day reading, and avoid possibly a confrontation. Sure he had interacted with the Professor already, but dealing with their blank face and disapproving stare that was often directed towards Ferdinand and Hubert during one of their many arguments on the training grounds seemed like a much easier feat than facing whatever could be awaiting him in the dining hall.
And, as if the Professor was the all-seeing goddess them self, there they were. Just a few steps away, the Professor was walking into the dining hall through the next set of doors, conversing with Jeralt on their way in. The two notice Linhardt and give a quick wave hello, before disappearing behind the closing double doors, along with his entire escape plan. There was no backing out now, he had to continue.
He halted at the doors, preparing himself for a moment he's dreaded for most of his life.
Walking into the dining hall, Linhardt released a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. Smiling to himself, he headed straight for the table that he spends nearly every morning sitting at, where Ashe was laughing at a very animated Caspar. As he neared he knew their conversation was about the recent escapades of the monastery’s stray animals. He laughed quietly to himself, watching Caspar wave around his hands while exclaiming something about the cats taking advantage of his kindness and stealing his food.
They both turned to greet and bid their birthday wishes, Ashe pushing a plated breakfast into the spot next to Caspar, beckoning Linhardt to sit. He then launched into another conversation about the plans for the school day ahead, Caspar wondering out loud if the Professor would be more willing to give them less work or possibly end classes early resulting in a scoff from Linhardt and a sigh from Ashe.
“Come on Lin, it’s your birthday! The Professor likes you enough, they might be willing to end class early if we ask!” he exclaims much louder than necessary, attracting the attention of a few people in the area around them.
“As much as I would enjoy not having a full day of classes, I don't want to exploit the professor’s good nature. But i’ll have to admit, I do like the idea of less work.”
“Yeah! We should try to find them before class!” Caspar then turned his attention back to Ashe, complaining about the new lesson plan that had started this moon, and Linhardt took this as an opportunity to move the chair out from the table.
As he settled into his seat next to Caspar, glancing at the red string that was connecting the both of their wrists, he decided that maybe this time, he was quite alright with what the universe had in store for him.