The sweet and gentle song of the music box tenderly chimed through the brisk winds of the Ethereal Moon as the final notes elegantly glided through Byleth's ears. The music box, a gift that he had received from Marianne five years ago, was one of the only few remaining mementos of the carefree days that the professor had once shared with his students at Garreg Mach Monastery. Laughing, learning, and scheming with Claude and the Golden Deer; these bygone days of joy and amusement were quickly taken from the professor in the blink of an eye, and now existed only as memories of a distant past that was far behind him. He and the entirety of Fódlan were now locked into a bitter war for survival against The Empire, and as of now it showed no signs of ceasing anytime soon. The world was suffering greatly from the years of relentless strife and much had been lost ever since the professor had disappeared. Yet, in spite of this, Byleth was not completely desolated by the chaos that he had awoken to. Five years ago, he had promised that he would reunite with his students, and fortunately he had fulfilled this promise to each of them. Seeing them after such a long absence and being able to observe their newfound maturity gave him hope, not just for the end of the war, but for a brighter tomorrow as well. They were no longer kids who relied solely on him; they were now young adults with the potential to shape the world if they desired it. To bring about a new age in Fódlan- it was an inspiring thought that Byleth began to reflect upon for some time. However, as he continued to reflect, he began to notice that a figure had begun to stand next to him and he was slowly awoken from his hopeful daydream.
"Professor, it's absolutely freezing out here! What made you come here at this hour?" asked the gentle voice of Marianne.
Marianne, the once insecure and despondent young girl with no hope for her future now stood next to him on the destroyed, yet still elegant grounds of the Garreg Mach cathedral. In the past, solitude and suffering had been the claimants of her life, but during these five years Byleth had come to see that this was no longer the case. The darkness that had once plagued her had almost completely vanished, and Byleth was beyond grateful that she had discovered what had always been true about herself. That her life was precious and invaluable. He was extremely proud of her, and as he turned his head to speak to her, he began to gaze into her eyes, eyes that now looked like the dawn itself.
"I could ask you the same question," said Byleth in a playful tone, "What brought you here?"
"I was actually looking for you," replied Marianne, "Yesterday, when we spoke about the future, I realized that there was something that I didn't get the chance to tell you. Do you have a moment to listen?"
Byleth gave her a nod as she turned her body to face his. The two now stood across from each other as Marianne lowered her head and took in a deep breath.
"Do you remember the promise that you made to me five years ago when we went into town?"
"To return to you no matter what the outcome of this war was?" asked Byleth.
"Yes, the very same… When I first heard those words from you, I couldn't help but feel overjoyed. It had been so long since anyone had cared so deeply about me, and I was delighted that you promised to stay by my side to support me and to watch over me. But, when The Empire marched on the monastery and you went missing for five years I…I began to doubt you… I doubted you, your kindness, and even the chance that I could someday find happiness in my life. I cursed and hated that I was ever born, and couldn't bear knowing that you died while I still lived. I felt as though I had no purpose in this world. Had it not been for Hilda and Claude and the others I… I might have…k-killed-"
Tears now began to slowly stream down her cheeks as she recounted her memories from five years ago. Raising his hand to her face, Byleth gently brushed aside her tears as Marianne's eyes slowly began to look up towards his again. His hand now rested on her cheek and when she looked at him, she saw that his gaze was not a judgmental one, but rather one of compassion and comfort. She had seen this gaze many times on his face when she was still a student under his tutelage. It was the same gaze that told her that he would always be there for her regardless of what circumstances she may have found herself in. His presence was reassuring to her, and taking in another breath, she began to speak truthfully and sincerely to Byleth.
"What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry for the way that I was in the past and I'm sorry for not believing in you. Even after I saw you yesterday, I thought that you were a ghost... I'm such a fool," said Marianne with a sheepish smile on her face.
Byleth reached down and took Marianne's hand into his own. Giving it a squeeze and returning a smile, he began to softly speak to her as they both shared a heartfelt moment between each other.
"It's alright, Marianne. Those days are over now. Also, I can't blame you for believing that I was dead or a ghost. There was no sign of me for five years. All that I want you to know is that I'm proud of you and that I still want to chase the future with you, just like I told you before."
A surge of gratitude and affection swelled within Marianne upon hearing Byleth's compassionate and kindhearted words. Knowing that the professor still wanted to seek the future with her in spite of her past flaws caused her to move closer to Byleth as she wrapped him in her embrace. Placing her head on his chest, she held him close as Byleth returned her gesture and rested his head atop of hers. The two stood silently as they kept each other warm on that cold night of the Ethereal Moon. All felt right in this moment as they basked in their shared comfort. They remained as such for quite some time, before a thought appeared within Marianne's mind that she wanted to share with Byleth.
"Um, Professor?" asked Marianne as she stepped back from him, "Do you remember that the ball was on this night five years ago?"
"Oh, right," replied Byleth to her question, "It was a nice night."
"I'm glad to hear so. I didn't really do much dancing that night, but I really did enjoy dancing with you," said a shy Marianne.
"I feel the same," replied Byleth with a smile.
An awkward silence fell upon them.
"Right, well um, what I'm trying to ask is would you like to dance with me?
"Huh?" replied Byleth in a surprised tone.
Marianne now began to quickly stammer out her words as she tried to explain herself to the professor.
"I-I still feel really bad about not being able to finish my dance with you from last time, a-and I just figured that since we're alone now would be a good time to do it. Unless you don't want to, I-I'll understand."
"N-no!" replied Byleth in a quick and pronounced tone. "I just… didn't expect the question. I'd love to dance with you, Marianne."
The two were now abashed at their shared inability to simply communicate a request with one another, but regardless both were still glad that they would be able to dance together as they had five years ago. Not wanting to drag this moment out any longer, both simply pushed their feelings aside and made attempts to compose themselves. Byleth, reaching into his pocket, pulled out the music box and began to twist the windup key on the small device. After sufficiently turning it a number of times, music slowly began to appear from the small contraption as the two took each other into their arms. Byleth rested his hand on Marianne's waist and she rested hers on top of his shoulder. Their remaining hands then joined with each other as the two slowly began to waltz with one another.
Still feeling a bit blushed from before, Byleth and Marianne jerkily moved with one another as they tried to find a common pace between the both of them. While they did not look awkward together as they waltzed, it would have been clear to anyone that these two did not have much experience when it came to dancing and probably did not dance with each other very often. Still, for two individuals who cared for each other on such a deep and devout level, this was not something that they would not be able to overcome, and eventually as they continued to dance, they began to feel more natural and linked to one another. They now started to feel as one, and soon the same patterns and emotions that were present in them from five years ago also began to manifest themselves in their dancing. Byleth was now slowly beginning to relax and was once again captivated by both the beauty and gracefulness of Marianne and her movements. The pale moonlight that shined upon them had elegantly illuminated Marianne's loveliness and Byleth could do nothing but focus purely on her and on the music. Swaying with her made him feel like he was flying, and he felt as though he were in a beautiful dream with Marianne. With each step and turn, he was reminded of how precious she was to him and how far the two of them had come since meeting each other. From their strained first meetings to their present moments of fondness, Byleth came to realize that Marianne was the most precious thing in his life and that there was almost nothing that he wouldn't do ensure that she knew how much she truly meant to him.
To be precious and to have something precious to hold on to. Marianne had come to recognize that she no longer had to be alone and that Byleth had shown her that she could not only love but also be loved as well. It was a cherished thought in her mind as the two of them gracefully waltzed to the song of the music box. Marianne was now resting her head on his chest again as the two slowly swayed to the gentle notes that floated into their ears. Her emotions were causing her heart to slowly, but powerfully beat within her breast as she held tightly to the one that she felt at peace with. Turning once again with him, their shared intimate dance heightened her sensations and stirred the feelings of affection within her heart. She interlocked her fingers with his as Byleth gently drew her tightly into him. Both had now closed their eyes- guided only by the deep connection that the two felt when with one another.
Just as it was five years ago, the world around them had fallen away as they slowly glided across the cathedral floor. In this moment only Byleth and Marianne remained- there was no Empire, nor Kingdom, nor Alliance. They only had each other on this night that was reminiscent of that night from long ago, and neither would want to spend it with anyone else. Byleth and Marianne continued to waltz for some time and had become so spellbound by each other that neither one of them noticed that the music box had stopped playing its song some moments ago. Nevertheless, the two continued to dance as if nothing had changed- no longer needing to rely on music to guide their movements with one another. Their waltz continued for some moments before both were overwhelmed by the feelings that they shared for one another. These intense feelings of warmth and affection brought a pause to their dance as the two slowly began to open their eyes. Byleth and Marianne now tenderly gazed at one another as they stood breathlessly before each other. As they looked into each other's eyes, no thoughts passed through their minds; all that remained were the strong feelings that they both shared for one another. Overcome by yearning and longing, Marianne slowly began to raise her head to Byleth as he slowly began to lower his to hers. They had both shut their eyes again as each passing moment brought their lips closer and closer to one another- their feelings to finally be shared between the two of them. Closer, and closer, and closer- both minds empty yet both hearts full as they drew nearer and nearer beneath the moonlit sky.
"Hey, Teach! Teach?! Where are you?" rang the voice of Claude like a gong.
Marianne and Byleth broke away from each other at a lightning like speeds as Claude slowly made his way into the cathedral. Both of their bodies were now pounding as blood rushed through their veins- their shared kiss interrupted before it could begin.
"Teach? Oh, there you are. Hey, Marianne, nice to see you too!"
"C-Claude?! W-what are you doing here?!" asked Marianne in a frantic tone?
"Huh?" replied Claude in a very confused and concerned tone. "I was just looking for Teach. There's this new scheme that I wanted to try out where I shoot an arrow into the sky while he distracts an opponent before it lands on them. It's got a lot of potential to be a real showstopper…although now I feel like I interrupted something. You didn't need him for anything did you?"
"Um, no, w-what makes you say that?" replied Marianne.
"I'll uh… be down in a moment. Meet you outside in a bit," said the professor in an awkward tone.
Claude gave a confused 'right then' as he turned around, waved, and headed out from the cathedral. With him gone, Marianne and Byleth were now left to themselves once again. Unfortunately, both knew that their dance was more than likely over for now, and both also knew that they now had to return to reality and to the present situation. They were disappointed that such a fine moment had been taken from them, and neither really knew how to discuss what had just transpired between the two of them. At the moment, it seemed like they had more questions than answers, and the war was not going to afford them any time to dwell on these uncertainties. Furthermore, they could not do so in the first place. A war was no place to deal with love, especially considering the fact that both of them could die at any given moment. It was a sad and bitter realization for the two of them, but at the same time it also gave them hope. Both realized that tonight was special, and Marianne and Byleth now felt determined to end the war as quickly as possible so that they could have other moments like these in the future. Their loving occurrence may have been over for now, but that did not mean that it could not happen again in a peaceful and tranquil Fódlan.
"You know, Claude may have almost given me a heart attack, but I'm really glad that you and I were able to finish our dance after all this time," said Marianne to the professor.
"I feel the same way," replied Byleth with a smile. "It was nice to be able to forget about the war for a while."
"Yes, and we'll also be able to spend more time like this together once the war is brought to an end. Don't you agree, Professor?"
He gave her a nod and began to speak once again.
"Once this war is over, I promise that you will be the first person that I dance with," said Byleth with a gentle smile.
"I'll hold you to that," replied Marianne with a soft giggle.
With that, she bade the professor a good night as she made her way from the cathedral. Byleth looked on as she departed from him and stood in silence for a moment as he once again thought about how far he and Marianne had come since they initially met five years ago. Marianne, who was once a pitiful and woeful student of his had now grown into a strong and endearing individual that held his heart and that gave him something to fight for. Regardless of any conflicts or dangers that may befall them, Byleth vowed that he would always keep her safe and that he would support her down the path that she now walked. The two had shared a variety of fun, quirky, suspenseful, and intimate interactions in the past, and Byleth wanted to ensure that they would be able to experience many more of these in a brighter and peaceful Fódlan. The former life that he had lived as a mercenary was no longer the life that defined him. He had others to care for and to watch over now, but most importantly he had Marianne von Edmund as the center of his world. Marianne was priceless to him and she was the only one with whom he could truly experience such bliss with. He could not imagine living a life without her in it, nor would he ever want to dream of a life like that. From deep within his very being he knew that his heart danced for her and that her heart danced for him in this everlasting waltz that was called life.
The End
Author's Notes: A special thank you to everyone that found this story to be enjoyable and that stuck with it in spite of my long chapter breaks (Haha, sorry). This story was the first fanfiction that I've ever written, and I could not have gotten through it without all of your kind words of encouragement and with your constructive feedback. Hopefully, I'll be able to write more stories about Marianne and Byleth in the future. Lastly, I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!