Enjoy-
Mercedes and Dimitri's A support used and changed a bit to reflect this story a bit more here.
17
Byleth took two steps at a time as she flew down the stairway. She had noticed that the two of them hadn't been around all that much, but she had just thought that Petra was hunting and was just taking her time. If that had been the case she might have brought Caspar with her to help carry whatever she was able to hunt. She had told all of them to enjoy their off time as long as their assignments for the day in helping with certain areas of the monastery was finished. They had both completed all of their tasks before they had disappeared. Had a monster gotten to them while they were in the forest? Her mind raced with all of the horrible scenarios that could bring them harm. She had asked them both to send letters to Ferdinand and Bernadetta to try to get them on their side before the fighting really began. Perhaps they had gotten a response of some sort and … quiet your mind. Find out the situation and then contemplate it. Thankfully once she turned the corner the entrance hall was a straight shot forward.
Dimitri had forgotten how fast she moved when she had a goal in mind, even with his long stride he was having difficulty keeping up. What he lacked in speed he had in stamina, and he knew that even she couldn't last doing this for long, especially not with how tired she had been from earlier. Claude had donned a hooded cloak and looked like an assassin as he followed her. The people around them had stared and gotten out of the way, whispering as soon as they were passed. She stopped at the top of the stairs, panting, the sight of a body on the floor paralyzing her.
"No!" she cried before pushing herself forward, stumbling part of the way. Dimitri caught her and brought her down the rest of the stairs.
Caspar was sitting on the floor next to the column with an arrow embedded in his arm. Lindhart was there trying not to look at it as Dedue pulled it out so he could heal it. Petra had a sword wound down her leg that Manuela was taking care of.
Byleth had to calm herself. They were both ok, so who was….. ok better question should be why was Ferdinand tied up and unconscious on the monastery floor?
Dimitri sat her down and she leaned on him a moment while she caught her breath. "Someone had better start explaining, NOW!" she seethed.
"It's… it's my fault, Professor." Bernedetta said, peeking out from behind the pillar that Petra was leaning on.
"Glad it's not me." Claude commented.
Dimitri turned to him. "What makes you say that?"
"Well Petra and I have this tree we would often relax in and the last time we were there she was talking about needing a husband from Fodlan and if the guy was unwilling to go to Bridgid she was going to tie him up and drag him there herself. I really like Petra, but we both have our separate territories to run. I had been worried that it might be me she was going to tie up, but it looks like Ferdinand is the lucky winner of that award." Claude answered.
Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity, but this did solve one problem. If Ferdinand was here the regret that Byleth had been holding might be able to be atoned for.
"What do you mean by that Bernadetta?" Byleth asked.
"Before I answer that, will you really let me stay in my room? Is it true that don't have to fight anyone?" she asked.
Byleth came up to her and Dimitri could tell Bernadetta was frightened. Byleth knelt down in front of her and grabbed something small out of her pouch, when she held out her hands there were small delicate beads that glimmered in the fading light.
"I have everything from plenty of materials, fabrics, paper, and books I think you'll like stacked in your old room. This place can be your haven from the war. You have friends here that don't want to see you hurt." She replied.
Bernadetta's eyes started to tear before she started sobbing and clutching at Byleth in a hug. "I never wanted to fight, I never wanted to join some stupid war. I don't want to betray my home, but I….. I…."
Byleth put the beads back in her pouch before wrapping herself around Bernadetta. Patting her head and holding her tight. "No one here will force you to do something you don't want to do. If it makes you feel better we can call you a prisoner of war so you aren't labeled a traitor."
"Professor, I'm sorry I didn't join your class sooner. I was trying, but I never felt up to it." She said.
"I know." Byleth replied. "Now what's this about being your fault?"
"I asked to go to the bridge with Ferdinand. I'm the one that sent a letter to Petra to let us know where we were and I led Ferdinand farther out on the bridge away from the rest of the Empire troops. Hubert put him in charge of protecting me, so he was going where I was. Some of the troops were still close and gave chase. That's when they got hurt. It's my fault." Bernadetta sniffed.
Petra came over and hugged her too. "No regrets. We are having you both safe here with us."
"On that note why is he tied up?" Byleth said, standing up.
"That was Petra's idea. We weren't sure if he would fight us or not, but we had to get them both out of there quickly Professor." Caspar answered.
"And you didn't think to involve me with this plan?" Byleth asked, her tone chiding.
Caspar ducked his head. "We…. I know why you're mad, Professor, but I don't want to have to face a friend on the battlefield because they are too stubborn to see reason."
"You both could have been killed! So yes, I am angry…." Her tone mellowed. "but I'm also grateful. I knew I didn't need to worry about any of the Golden Deer, but these two I figured we'd have to snatch off the battlefield somehow. For the future remember we are supposed to be functioning as a group, like the incident with that thug Caspar I am responsible for you. If any soldiers come this way looking for either of them or chasing you I'm the one that has to deal with it. I don't appreciate having to make decisions when I don't have any time to prepare for potential consequences."
She crossed her arms and thought a moment before she sighed. "Therefore both of you will be staying here at the monastery while we are out on our next mission."
Caspar stood up. "But Professor…!"
She whirled on him. "No excuses! If any retaliation comes from this plan of yours, you will be the ones to stay behind and fix it by helping to protect the monastery. You chose to do this Caspar, without consultation. When has there ever been a request that any of you have made that I refused to help with? Petra will need to stay, because more than likely, she's the only one Ferdinand will listen to."
Caspar's hands were shaking.
Byleth sighed. "All of you still continue to call me professor, even though this is no longer the academy. As long as that is all I am to you in your eyes then I will treat you as the students you act like. I care for all of you and I trust that you can all think for yourselves, but please when it comes to this monastery, there are a lot of innocent people here you are in charge of protecting. Your intentions were wonderful, but the consequences might be dire."
Caspar released his grip and nodded. "I understand. We should have asked or at least told you that we were going out to do something dangerous. We didn't mean to cause you more stress, Professor."
"I will not be a burden. I have sadness at your anger, but I have an understanding as to why. I will seek guidance from now on." Petra said bowing to Byleth.
Byleth rubbed in between her eyes at the headache that had already started forming earlier. "Caspar, for now, please take Ferdinand to Petra's room and make sure there are some rations to offer when he wakes. Bernadetta, Petra will escort you to your holding room, and then Petra will you keep an eye on Ferdinand and one of you let me know when he wakes."
Claude came up to her and whispered something in her ear, the hood covering his face enough so it wasn't seen. "Yes, I would appreciate that. Safe travels. I'll send a message when we're ready to pass." She said.
Claude kissed her cheek and stuck his tongue out at Dimitri before waving and walking away. Dimitri clenched his fist, of all the foolish …. one of these days he was going to punch some respect into Claude. Byleth just sighed and put her head into her hands. She looked so tired. He came to her and picked her up, cradling her against him.
"Dimitri!" she squeaked, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You've been about ready to fall over for some time now. I'm going to take you back to your room to rest." He said, turning away from them.
She leaned against him and gave no argument. He could hear the others behind him, following them as their path would be the same. He heard Bernadetta yell in excitement and relief as her doors were opened and she went inside. Petra wished her a goodnight and opened the door of her room for Caspar to bring a still tied up Ferdinand inside. He continued down the corridor to her room. She opened the door for him.
He placed her gently on the bed. "I am going to go check on something, but I want you to rest. I am sorry for not keeping my temper under control with him and for making you rewind so many times."
She placed a hand on his cheek. "Claude is Claude, he enjoys watching others squirm and pushing buttons, but he is a valuable ally. He offered to keep some spies watching the bridge for us and make sure that if any force of the Empire decides to come up he'll send us a warning so the monastery can prepare."
He nodded and kissed her temple, running his fingers through her hair. "I'll be back."
She caressed his cheek before she grabbed the pillow and pulled it closer, wrapping her arms around it like she usually did with his arm. He wanted to join her, press himself against her back and wrap an arm around her waist, but some things had to get taken care of before they left tomorrow.
He knocked on the door to Mercedes's room. Her voice inquired at who was there. "It's Dimitri. May I come in a moment?"
"Is the Professor with you?" he heard her ask.
"No, I made her retire early. She's exhausted from the day's events." He replied.
Mercedes opened the door for him and he stepped inside, his eyes went wide when he saw what she was working with on the mannequin.
Mercedes giggled. "It's a surprise for the Professor. Please don't let her know about it. It's almost done. How does it look so far?"
His mind scattered. That was for Byleth? He took a piece of the fabric in his hands. It was soft and light. Once his mind began to focus, he realized that he recognized it. "Isn't this one of the Dancer outfits?"
Mercedes nodded. "Yes. When she got Felix to be our dancer, they made a deal for it. He would agree to it only if she danced for the class if he beat her in one of their duels. The professor wanted to do it initially, but it was only for students so they wouldn't let her. I know it might be a while before Felix might be able to beat her, but I think she would appreciate the outfit to practice in. She's always doing so much for us, and I want to give her something that I know she'll appreciate. Speaking of which Dimitri, the plan you talked about, will these materials suffice?"
The vibrant blue of the fabric was perfect, he thought. The white fur was short, but for what he planned to use it for it would work as well. "Thank you, Mercedes. Do you mind showing me how to create the pattern for it? I know you taught me to mend, but creating something like this is well beyond my skill level."
Mercedes smiled and took out a large paper that she had tacked together. "Already ahead of you. I'm always happy to sew with you Dimitri, and the Professor is going to love it regardless, but I think that she'll be even happier with it because you are the one making it, no matter how it turns out. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure things don't go too badly. I've got plenty of scissors and needles if you get frustrated, but think of her and I think you'll be surprised how much better this goes. You've been so gentle in your touches with her. It has been sweet to watch the trust you have in one another. I'm glad to see you both so happy."
Dimitri found himself blushing at her words and she giggled. "No need to be embarrassed. You love her, and it's evident that the Professor shares those feelings. I don't know what happened those five years you were on the run, but I can't imagine the loneliness it would bring. It makes me all the happier that the two of you have gotten so close. With all you've suffered Dimitri, you deserve something good like this. You've always had the good of everyone in mind. Like the Professor you've given so much that you haven't gotten anything in return. Everyone at the monastery is gifted with hope when they see the two of you as such a unified front."
"Thank you, Mercedes." He said bowing his head.
She stopped her stitching as she looked at him."Dimitri, there's no need for tears. All of us are here for you and we support you both. You've always been kind to your allies, sometimes to a fault."
Dimitri looked up at her. "Kind? Me? No, not at all. I am just...a killer. A disgusting monster."
Mercedes came over to him. "But why do you kill? For the sake of your loved ones? Those who have passed? Real monsters kill for selfish reasons. Whatever you did, you had to do it to survive. I know that you feel like a monster sometimes with that strength of yours, but that doesn't mean you are a horrible person. War is an ugly thing and that's why you're fighting to end it. You are a good person Dimitri. The Professor wouldn't be with you otherwise. So please try to have more confidence in yourself and don't call yourself that."
"Mercedes... I... I am scared...so scared that I will forget their faces. The people who have died...who I have killed. I cannot let myself forget them. I know that, and yet... Whatever my feelings, it is all the act of a monster." Dimitri said.
"It's sad, but the truth is that people forget. You may be afraid to forget your past, but you'll never be able to revisit it. Living in the present is the best we can do. We owe it to those who can't come back." Mercedes replied.
Dimitri took a deep breath. "If someone had said those words to me five years ago, I would be a different man today."
Mercedes smiled. "What do you want to do now, Dimitri? Continue fighting for those who have died? Not as a king, but as my classmate. What do you want to do?"
Dimitri looked down at the fabric in his hands. "My own dreams... I have never given it any thought. I know whatever comes, I'd like it to include her. What about you? What do you want, Mercedes?"
Mercedes giggled. "I want to keep sewing and training with you, even after you've become king. I want to be your friend and hers."
Dimitri closed his eyes a moment as he felt some semblance of peace. He wondered if they had kept with the other timeline if Mercedes would still be this open to him. "I think we can oblige on that Mercedes. Thank you for your kind words, I hope you'll always be around to give me such encouragement in the future."
Mercedes smiled and laid down the pattern for him. "I'll always be right here for both of you. Now lay that fabric down and cut around, try to keep the scissors as straight as you can. Take it slow, so you don't cut more than you intend to."
After a moment of observing his progress, she went to work sewing on delicate metal pieces that would go under Byleth's bust line on the dress. Just imagining Byleth in that, the way it would expose her legs, arms, and neck, caress every curve and yet show nothing improper. He was lost in thought for a moment, thinking about what she'd feel like in something so soft.
"Dimitri, your face is red. Is something the matter?" Mercedes asked.
The scissors bent and twisted in his grasp. Mercedes giggled. "Don't worry. I have plenty more."
Dimitri covered his face. And he had thought he knew what torture was before. He was going to have to talk to Felix when they got back from Aeilil.
When everything was cut out she showed him how to fold and tack together the fabric to endure he was always stitching on the side that wouldn't be seen from the outside and that the seams would lay flat. The fur would cover up almost all of the stitching after so as long as they stayed tight so they wouldn't become lose it didn't matter if it looked good or not. It was starting to get dark outside and he put it down to work on later. There were still a couple of things to take care of before they left for the valley of torment.
"Thank you, Mercedes, for everything," Dimitri said, bowing to her.
"You're welcome anytime Dimitri, just make sure that the professor doesn't find out early, please." She replied, waving him off.
Gilbert was easy to find, and he shouldn't have been surprised when he found out that Gilbert has already taken care of the preparations. When he returned to Byleth's room he was disturbed to find her bed empty.
"Ferdinand is awake. The Professor went to go talk to him." Caspar said, coming behind him.
Byleth groaned when a knocking sound on her door woke her up. "Ferdinand is awake Professor!" Casper called.
Byleth shook her head to try to negate the headache that formed as she sat up. "I'll be right there."
Looking at the light level outside, she had been surprised Dimitri hadn't returned. The bed had been cold without him, and she realized how much she loved having his warmth at her side. With a sigh, she rose out of bed and stretched. The small nap did help her recover a bit, but she was not looking forward to this. Her dreams had shown her the moment that she had killed him, the regret and anguish that she had done it squeezed her chest to the point where it was painful. She was grateful that they had decided to go get him, although she was worried because it meant that everything in the future was unknown. Too many things were changing. She wondered if this had been a good idea, but then she saw Dimitri's face when he talked to his comrades, and the respectful and adoring look they gave him in return. No, they did not need to know the darkness that was her lion. This would be better and whatever came as a result they would stand together and face it side by side.
