One Month Later

Being around Raphael's sister Maya reminded Ignatz Victor of him. But it was a necessity to take care of her, and it had become something… more than that. Ignatz wasn't sure about the whole ordeal, and it's not exactly like he could get Raphael's blessing to be with Maya, but they enjoyed spending time around each other. For now, that was enough.

He focused on painting. It was difficult to show his work to Maya, even though she was also a talented artist, since no matter what he tried to start drawing, it ended up creepy and blood-soaked by the end. Barren forests filled with bones, battlefields with crows above swarming so thick they blocked out the sun, rivers of red pouring to a place he couldn't see. It was like his subconscious wasn't letting him move on.

But one day he was able to draw a simple picture of a campsite with a slab of meat cooking over a fire. Something Raphael would have liked. When he showed it to Maya, she threw her arms around him.

"He would love it, Iggy," she said. "I believe that my brother is smiling at us right now from the Eternal Flames. This is the world he fought for."

The world he died for. Because Ignatz wasn't strong enough to protect him.

"Iggy." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're thinking about it. And it's okay to be sad. I can't imagine what that must have been like. But no matter where Raphael is, he's wearing a big smile and working through the hardship. Can you imagine a situation where he wouldn't keep his cheerful attitude up?"

"No, I can't." Ignatz felt a smile coming to his face. "Death took away his need for food. That was his one weakness. Now nothing can stop him."

"That's right. He taught me to appreciate what we have, even though we grew up without parents. And there's so much I appreciate. The woods in Leicester, the seaside breeze, and you."

Ignatz's heart skipped a beat. Right as he opened his mouth to respond, he heard a knock on his door. When he walked over and opened it, he saw Lorenz standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Lor-er, Governor Glouc-"

"No need for the formalities between friends, Ignatz," Lorenz said. "Do you have a moment to chat?"

"Uh, yes. I'll start tea."

Ignatz led Lorenz in and introduced him to Maya. As far as he could remember, the two of them had never met before. After he got the tea started, he sat down next to Maya across from Lorenz.

"So what did Iggy here do that warrants the attention of the governor?" Maya said. "Nothing bad, I hope."

She gave his shoulder a playful squeeze and smiled at him, and Ignatz let himself lean into her. Lorenz ran a hand through his long locks of hair.

"Oh, nothing like that. It's not suspicious to simply catch up with an old friend, yes? Though… I did have a thought come to my mind. An offer."

"Oh." Ignatz cleared his throat. "I know you offered for me to become a Gloucester knight before, and while your proposal is quite generous-"

Lorenz held up a hand, cutting Ignatz off.

"I… came to the conclusion that you did not actually desire knighthood. Lysithea, er, alerted me to that fact using expletives directed at both of us that I cannot repeat. Something about me being dense and you not communicating clearly."

"A woman after my own heart," Maya said. "Iggy, can you introduce me to her someday?"

"So what were you thinking, then?" Ignatz said.

"In an age of peace and prosperity, art is allowed to flourish. And while art is usually commissioned by nobles, I must admit that allowing the commonfolk to partake in such fundamentally human expressions of creativity is only fair. Thus I have decided to open an art school in Derdriu. I know that you have a good eye for quality and all forms, and that you are a renowned artist. Will you be willing to be an art professor and guide the next generation of artists to heights we can barely fathom as of now?"

An art professor. If it was funded by House Gloucester, that meant an actual stable salary. He could stop worrying about the day people stopped liking his art just because he was a war hero. And the opportunity to work with students… he couldn't pass this up.

"Yes," Maya said, clasping her hands together. "Oh, Iggy, I'm so happy for you. Moving to Derdriu shouldn't be hard, so don't worry about me."

"I… thank you, Lorenz," Ignatz said. "I accept. Maya is also an excellent artist and is a patient teacher, if you're looking for more professors."

"Excellent. I will put in a good word for her, then." Lorenz smiled. "Now, let us catch up about the old days."

"Yes." Ignatz wrapped an arm around Maya's shoulder. "Let's."

#

Dedue Molinaro stayed by King Dimitri's side. It wasn't like he had anywhere else to go, after all. It was so hard to make friends with anyone else. Sylvain had reached out to him the first time they were at the monastery, and despite his… unsavory tendencies, Dedue had grown to appreciate the man. But he didn't make it through the war. Neither did Ingrid, who tensed whenever he was around but sacrificed herself for him when it mattered most. Or Mercedes, who placed a hand on his shoulder and understood his pain. Or Felix, who helped him keep his focus on the battle.

But Dimitri… he was still here. And now rightful king of not only Faerghus, but all of Fódlan. He was busy running the continent, but he always made time to see Dedue. One day, he approached Dedue with a map in hand.

"I've been putting this off too long," Dimitri said.. "Ever since I was a child, actually. I knew your people didn't kill my parents, but I didn't think anyone was going to listen to me. It was so painful to even think about. I'm sorry about not fighting harder for you, Dedue."

"Your apology is not necessary. The kindness you've shown me is more than adequate."

"But that's the thing. My people were the ones who took everything away from you. To cling onto someone from Faerghus as your only hope is… as Claude would say, that's a little fucked up, isn't it?"

Dedue shrugged. He was loyal to Dimitri. That was all.

"Listen," Dimitri said. "I'm planning a trip to Faerghus to try and address the wrongs we've committed against them. You're invited, of course. But there's still the problem of them having to come to me for rights, which makes it feel like those rights can be taken back away from them at any moment. I tracked Claude down a while ago and he explained the basics of race theory to me, which helped. I need you to help me through this, Dedue. I know I've put you through so much, and I know this isn't fair of me to ask, but please. Tell me when I'm going astray. Be the voice of your people I can't be since I've never been a part of your community. When you speak, Fódlan listens."

So much influence… Dedue wasn't sure how he felt about that. But if Dimitri was going home, and Dedue was coming with him…

Well, it would be nice to see his homeland again. One step at a time.

#

After finishing talking to Dedue, Dimitri walked back to his chambers. When he opened the door, a bucket of water fell from above and soaked him. What the-

"Gotcha. Nice to see you again after all this time."

That voice. Dimitri turned around to see Claude. But something was different. Instead of the calculating eyes that held a deep fury, this Claude was flashing a smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Agarthan." Dimitri drew his lance.

"Hey, hey." Claude raised his hands and stepped back. "Whoa there. Careful with pointy objects. Did they not teach you that up in Faerghus?"

"You're not Claude."

"That's a rather rude thing to say to someone, you know. I am Claude, just not the one you know. Or, well, knew for that long."

Dimitri narrowed his eyes. Claude was from another world, and others reported a Claude doppelganger, so it wasn't totally out of the question.

"In fact, he wrote me this letter to give to you," Claude said, tossing a scroll to Dimitri. "A lot's happened since I blacked out. I can't remember anything since we were being chased by bandits near Remire Village."

When they all first met Byleth. If that were the case, this world must seem so strange and foreign to this Claude, even though he grew up here. Or did he? Dimitri never really knew where Claude came from. He thought he remembered Lorenz saying that Claude appeared out of nowhere one day as the supposed Riegan heir.

"Anyways, other Claude said you could use my influence to help move against the Alliance—or I guess Leicester—lords like Lorenz when you want to strip them of more power. Sounds good to me. I'm always game for a scheme, and this one is tricker than any I've come up with on my own."

"Like drenching me in water?"

"Exactly. Hope you don't mind mild poisons in your foods if I stay around. None of them will have lasting effects on you."

Now this was the Claude Dimitri first remembered meeting all the way back when their time at the Officers Academy started. Only at this point did Dimitri lower Areadbhar. This Claude still acted like the starry-eyed teenager from back then, but from his perspective no time had passed at all. Dimitri was confident that Claude would catch up soon enough.

More work to do, and another tools against the nobles… with this new Claude and Edelgard on his side, he might be able to dismantle the stranglehold the crested nobles held on important government positions once and for all.

…As soon as he dried himself off, anyway.

#

Ashe Ubert followed Annette through the streets of Fhirdiad at dawn. It was amazing how quickly the city had been rebuilt during the time that they were away at war, and how it had been rebuilt even more since they had moved back. His eyes stopped at all the weapons stores that were propping back up. So much of Faerghus' culture and economy was based around combat, which Dimitri was trying to scale back. It was good thing, of course, but the north was going to have to change to survive.

"Come on, Ashe," Annette said. "There's going to be a huge line if we don't get there right when it opens."

Ashe let out a sigh, which condensed into a vapor cloud in front of his lips, and continued speedwalking to keep up with Annette. Why did the goddess grant someone so short such an incredible walking speed? If speedwalking were an actual sport, Ashe had a feeling that Annette might be Fódlan's champion.

Before long they arrived at the sweets shop, and Annette walked in right as a store worker switched the sign from closed to open. Ashe followed her in and looked around at all the candies around the store. Mostly hard candy, but molded into various shapes.

"Pick out anything you want," Annette said. "Don't worry, I can pay for you. It's a little expensive."

"Seriously, Annette, I can't let you-"

"Nope, my treat. I'm a professor at the most prestigious magic school in Fódlan. I can afford it."

Ashe let out a sigh, but he had to admit that he was trying to save money for the long term. He was aware that his desire to hoard and stockpile money came from being an orphan when he had nothing, but that didn't make those impulses go away.

Annette picked out a whole assortment of candy, some of which she insisted was for her mother, and Ashe picked out a hard candy in the shape of a Pegasus. When he looked at it, he thought of Ingrid. How majestic she looked, soaring through the air. Fighting off invaders, defending the innocent… it was hard not to look up to her.

On their way out of the shop, Ashe thanked Annette for the candy.

"My pleasure, really. I was so happy when I saw it was up and operating again, and that the people who made the candy were safe. Before coming to Garreg Mach I used to come here all the time with-"

Annette cut herself off, going quiet. She didn't have to finish the sentence for Ashe to know who she was talking about. Mercedes. At the monastery, the two of them were inseparable.

One of the things Ashe was learning about Annette is that she was much more oriented around action than he was, especially when offering support. Whenever Mercedes was down, Annette made tea for her and gave her big hugs. Ashe tried to read Annette's expression to see if he could tell what would make her feel better. He opened his arms slightly to offer a hug, and she threw herself into him. Ashe rocked her back and forth in his arms. The Fhirdiad cold wasn't so biting when she was here with him.

"I'm sorry, Ashe. I feel terrible when I'm here acting pathetic over someone else when you're here to support me. You've done so much for me and I'm really grateful and-"

"Breathe," Ashe said. "I'll be here for as long as you want."

Annette took a few seconds to inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Ashe noticed that his breathing rhythm attuned to hers without thinking.

"I'm sorry," Annette said. "I don't want to break down like this. I don't want to be so high-maintenance."

"What you're going through is natural," Ashe said. "And you don't need to apologize. It's easier for all of us if you're able to put your grief out in the open. I'm here to support you through all of this, so please don't worry about my time. I'm in this with you."

"All right. I'll try… not to blame myself. Don't want you to feel like you constantly have to tell me it's not my fault."

Ashe ran a hand through her hair. "We'll keep moving forward. And honestly, I'm glad that you feel comfortable sharing your grief with me. I was her friend too."

Annette looked up at him, her eyes dewy. She leaned up and kissed him on the chin. Ashe let a smile spread across his face, and he kissed her back on the forehead.

"Plus," Ashe said. "We all have people we miss. You being open about your mourning means I can be as well."

"Talk to me," Annette said. "Er, I mean, I'm always here if you need someone. Don't want to pressure you."

"You're fine. How about after we get these candies back to your mom, I'll tell you more about Ingrid? I still miss her."

"Yes." Annette released Ashe and smoothed out her robes. "That sounds good. I'm sure she'll want you to stay around for a meal anyway."

And sure enough, Annette was right. When Ashe showed up with Annette at her mother's doorstep, she ushered both of them in and out of the cold. She gave Annette a big hug, and then Ashe. This time, Ashe let himself fall into her arms and let her hold him. He never had a mother before, and while it was a strange experience, he wasn't complaining.

"Now, Ashe, you simply have to stay with us," she said. "It's always a pleasure to spend time with Annette's future-"

"Mom," Annette said. "Stop embarrassing him."

Ashe wasn't sure where Annette's mother got the idea that he and Annette were dating, and… well, he wasn't sure if she was right or not. They were close, yes, Ashe wanted to stay friends for life, and Annette was cute. But… gah, why was he so awkward about this?

"It's fine," Ashe said. "I appreciate your hospitality."

"You're welcome to stop by any time, dear. I always wanted a son, you know. But it's good that you showed up later in life. Gustave would have abandoned you just like he did us."

Ashe exchanged a glance with Annette. So far, Annette's mom didn't seem to know that Annette herself was the one who killed Gilbert. That day was the worst of Ashe's life, and it was thanks to Annette and Claude that he was able to do the right thing and fight against the people trying to burn Fhirdiad to ashes. That was the day he learned about the dangers of following orders from others. About how instead, he should focus on his own sense of duty. His own morality.

His own love.

#

Bernadetta von Varley absorbed herself in cracking tree nuts on a stray rock she found and popping them in her mouth as she watched the sun set over Fódlan from the bridge to the cathedral. Yes, the nuts did make her look like a squirrel, and they were dry in her mouth, but it gave her anxious hands something to do. When she kept herself busy like this, she could look out at the horizon and feel something other than dread. She was trying to condition herself to spend more time outside, but she still preferred it when there weren't as many people around.

"Hey, Bern."

"Aah!" Bernadetta turned in the direction of the voice to see Dorothea sitting down next to her. "Oh, sorry. Want any tree nuts?"

"I'll just take one. Don't want to profit off all your hard work."

Funny. Dorothea was someone who had no qualms about marrying rich to secure a fortune, but Bernadetta could see the strain it took to accept help from a friend. She cracked a nut open and pried the edible part inside into Dorothea's palm. Dorothea popped it into her mouth, and then made a "mm" sound.

"Could use some salt," she said, "But better than army rations."

"Anything is better than army rations."

Dorothea smiled at her. Another one for Bernadetta's memory.

"I'm glad you're getting outside more," Dorothea said. After a pause, "Is it okay if I talk about serious matters?"

Bernadetta gulped. "Well, uh, I guess we have too sooner or later, right?"

"Right. And I'm on your side, Bern. Remember that." Another smile. "I was thinking about how important it is for us to stick together. We've lost so many of us already. Petra, Caspar, Hubie, Ferdie. And Edelgard… I don't know what Seiros was doing, making her archbishop. What kind of person kills a friend she was sworn to protect?"

Bernadetta flinched at the harsh way Dorothea said Edelgard's name. The days of her nickname "Edie" were long gone. Bernadetta herself didn't blame Edelgard for killing Ferdinand. It was generous enough that they weren't hunted down and killed for desertion, and all three of them knew what they were getting into when they took a stand against her in Enbarr.

"I've already talked to Lin about this, but he has no desire to return home," Dorothea said. "He's busy working on a way to remove crests. I won't complain if all the crests in the world vanish, you know. Especially about how the truth is out with them being from Nabatean blood."

"You want me to… go home?"

"Easy, Bern. I'm not dragging you anywhere." Dorothea's soothing voice made Bernadetta's shoulders relax. "The first thing we need to resolve is your terrible father. Dimitri was receptive to having him stripped of power since he's rooted in old values, but I think we should take him out. There's no telling what a snake like him will do if allowed to live. But I wanted to talk with you before I recommended any decisions."

Bernadetta looked over the edge of the bridge at the chasm below. "I… don't want to be part of that choice. If Dimitri decides he needs to be removed then so be it, but I don't want that blood on my hands."

A hand on her shoulder. Bernadetta felt her breathing relax.

"That sounds like a good choice to me, Bern. I'll let Dimitri know. Now, I'm wondering where you want to go in the future. Succeeding House Varley sounds like a tall task."

Bernadetta? In charge of a whole providence in Adrestia? She couldn't think of a worse fate. Well, other than being back with her father, she supposed.

"All right," Dorothea said. "That's what I thought."

"But I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. I know what you stiffening means. How about this? I'm going to be touring with the opera company again. I didn't meet anyone famous to marry at Garreg Mach, so I need to keep climbing up the ranks and become a star to keep making money. You can come with me. Travel around Fódlan with a friend until you find a place you want to stay."

"That sounds wonderful," Bernadetta said. "But…"

"But?"

"If I go with you, I know I won't ever want to leave. I mean, can you imagine me settling down in a city filled with strangers? What are you going to do if I travel alongside you and never want to go?"

Bernadetta felt Dorothea's hand grasp her own. She looked up into Dorothea's large eyes. They were sad, yet hopeful. Dorothea pulled Bernadetta's hand up to her own chest and smiled.

"Then we'll spend the rest of our lives together," Dorothea said.

#

Lysithea von Ordelia awoke from her nap in a wave of relief. She was still alive for now. Another day, another hour, another minute. She could hear the seconds ticking away, and she would never get them back. Lysithea looked at her notes, and then the stack of books she was reading at her parents' estate. They were on every topic imaginable, from Derdriu cuisine to cultivating rare medicinal plants from the Sreng region to literary analyses of contemporary novels. What was she planning to do with all of this knowledge she was accumulating? It all felt empty, hollow. She liked to think that her parents would make use of what she found, but were they really going to read through all of her messy notes?

Stupid, stupid. She had been the single deciding factor that stopped the late Empire from crushing Claude and Dimitri both in one fell swoop. She helped take out multiple of the Ten Elites and paved the road for the house leaders to put Nemesis back in the ground. She should be happy with her achievements. And she was. She was grateful for everything that she had accomplished, for the support of people like Claude and her parents.

But what now? What was she going to do now that the world was saved and she was on death's door?

Lysithea walked out of the study and into the central lounge where her mother was reading a travelogue of someone who went to Dagda. She lowered her book and smiled as Lysithea entered the room.

"Did you just wake up?" her mother said. "Your hair is all messy."

Lysithea grunted and sat down on one of the chairs. She was hungry from spending so many long nights studying, but she was not going to whine like a petulant child about it. She had surpassed every problem so far by working harder than everyone else, and surely that applied to controlling her own attitude as well.

"Maybe that's a sign that you should sleep more," her mother said. "As your mom, it makes me sad to see the dark circles under your eyes."

Lysithea did agree, but sleep was worse. She hoped that the nightmares were going to stop after the war ended, but they only got worse. The only time they had been better was when…

When she was with Edelgard.

Now Edelgard was Archbishop, even after struggling against the inevitable until the bitter end. Sisters… did Edelgard still think of her that way? Lysithea knew she should visit, but it was so painful. Especially now that the doctors believed that implanting a part of Sothis' heart inside of her would keep her alive even past the point that her body should collapse from bearing two crests. Lysithea was a traitor to both sides, but she helped Dimitri and Seiros when it mattered most. But unlike Edelgard, she would get no such respite from the goddess. Death had been knocking at her door for weeks now, and she couldn't keep it from busting in for much longer.

While she was stewing in her own thoughts, one of the estate's few servants approached Lysithea.

"Miss Ordelia, there is a guest at the door who is requesting your presence."

"Did he give you a name?"

"No, Miss Ordelia. Tall, pale man with green hair and dark circles under his eyes."

Linhardt. The creep stalked her to her own house? Lysithea was going to show him what happened to people who ignored her warnings so often.

She stormed over to the door and flung it open. And there he was. Same sleepy demeanor, holding a book filled with notes in it in hand, and fixated on a bird hopping around along the dirt path up to the estate.

"Linhardt," Lysithea said. It nearly came out as a hiss. "Go away. I don't care how resistant you are to magic. I have the Luna spell, remember?"

"So aggressive." He let out a yawn. "Well, I must admit that I've been a little… invasive with you in the past, so I'll let it slide. You'll want to hear this."

"Ten seconds before I blast you away and slam the door."

"I found a way to remove crests."

Lysithea forced herself to take a deep breath. Dark energy crackled on her fingertips.

"Uh, Lysithea?"

"I can't believe you are this callous. I'm going to die soon, we both know it, and you're giving me this false hope. I know how your academic research goes, Linhardt. It will take years to translate leads into reproducible results fit for an actual medical procedure. But I don't have years. I'm not sure I even have months."

"I know. Edelgard told me as much. That's why she pushed me to go forward with the experiments. She kept me on track as I was getting distracted. And she volunteered herself as a test subject."

"She… did?"

"She cares about you, Lysithea. And so do I. That's why I came here. To tell you that I removed Edelgard's Crest of Seiros. I could do the same with your implanted one."

"You chose to remove her natural one?"

"Putting part of Sothis' heart inside of her made removing the Crest of Flames much more difficult. Besides, one of the reasons she has any sway over the public is because she has the crest of the goddess. We couldn't take that away."

Linhardt… did it. After long months of researching, he found a way to remove a crest. And it worked.

Lysithea wasn't going to die in a few weeks. She had the opportunity to lead a full life. Fall in love and travel the world. Amass her own scholarly reports and pass her knowledge down to her children. She could have children. She should be crying, ecstatic.

Instead, she felt like she was looking at a pond, and then that pond widened into an ocean. All she could do was take in the vastness of it.

She… was going to live.

#

Catherine stretched her muscles in the bathtub one by one. They all had names, she knew, but she had never paid attention to that part of her military training. She knew which ones in her arms and legs were sore, and she knew how to stretch them to prevent tightness the next day. She also knew that she was supposed to stretch during cooldown before hopping into the warm tub, but she was exhausted today. It wasn't even that she was working especially hard. After Lady Seiros left the world, she… didn't know what she was fighting for anymore.

She knew in her mind that the church reforms ushered in by Edelgard were a good thing, but it didn't feel like the same Church of Seiros. No Seiros, no Seteth breathing down her neck, no drinks with Alois or conversations about duty with Gilbert. Flayn was still around, thank the goddess, but Catherine never knew what to make of her. Seteth was always so protective of her that he never wanted Catherine near out of fear that Flayn would walk in one day gripping a blade and swinging it around with the wild strokes Catherine used.

But… there was one person.

Catherine finished her bath and climbed out of the tub, wrapping herself in towels. She walked back to her room and saw Shamir standing inside, bow unslung but knife still at her hip. Catherine couldn't help but beam when she saw Shamir's face. The way she looked broody but put no effort in it, the way her eyes were scanning the room for traps and threats, it was all so endearing. Catherine stumbled over and threw her arms around Shamir.

"This can't wait until you're clothed?" Shamir said.

"Hey, I thought you'd enjoy this."

A pause. "Sorry. I'm not… used to what this is. I mean, I know what to do in bed and all that, but even with my last partner we were both emotionally distant."

Man, she was cute when she got flustered like this. Catherine released her from the hug and grinned.

"There's something I wanted to talk with you about," Shamir said. "Your choice about whether or not you want to clothe yourself before I lay it out. I really don't mind looking at you like this."

"Don't mind? I was hoping for a little bit more after showing my abs off." She flexed her core for effect.

"What, you expect me to sing you praises about your body? This is what you're going to get, Catherine. Take it or leave it."

"Yeowch." Catherine's grin widened. "Sure, let's talk about it here."

"Perfect. I think I'm going to leave Fódlan."

"What?" Catherine couldn't stop the note of betrayal from slipping into her voice. "But why?"

"This shouldn't surprise you. I stayed with the church because I owed a debt to Rhea. Seiros. Whatever. Now that debt's fulfilled with extra interest, since I stuck around after her death to see if Edelgard needed an arrow in between her eyes. But she's not plotting anything for now."

Huh. Well, Catherine could take Shamir for her word about that.

"I still can't believe it," Catherine said. "Like, I know that you can be a bit reserved, but I thought we really had something. I don't want to pull the 'oh am I not enough for you to stay?' card, but I don't want you to go either."

A slight smile slipped onto Shamir's face. "I agree. Catherine, how would you like to travel through Dagda with a guide who knows all the best locations? We can wander around for a few years and then go from there."

Dagda. Travel. A life of excitement with the woman she loved.

This is what she had been missing. The emptiness in her chest now had something to fill it.

"I can't believe you made me think that you were leaving me," Catherine said. "Of course I'll go with you, Shamir. Let's start a new adventure together."

#

Flayn wanted to approach Edelgard, but the timing was always difficult. The new Archbishop was busy talking to Dimitri, busy talking to Claude, busy talking to other church members, busy pouring over documents and writing out edicts. And from what Flayn could tell, she seemed to enjoy or at least tolerate the work. At the start, Flayn backed off whenever it looked like Edelgard was busy, which was always. But one day, the loneliness got to be too much, and she approached Edelgard after sunset as the stack of documents on her desk was slightly lower than it was earlier that day.

"Ah, Flayn." Edelgard put on a tired smile. "How can I help you?"

Flayn took a deep breath. She didn't need to be afraid of Edelgard trying to kill her. Not like before.

"I… wanted to chat, if that is acceptable with you."

"Of course. Take a seat."

Edelgard gestured to one of the chairs on the other side of her desk. Flayn sat down in one, too big for her body, and stared at the way Edelgard's green hair nearly glowed in the lantern light. She wanted so badly for that hair to mean that she could trust Edelgard, that Edelgard was like her, but she made that mistake with Byleth before. She wouldn't do so again.

"How have you been holding up?" Edelgard said. "I realize that many of the people I know have inbuilt support networks, but that you were always kept away from friend groups that you can reach out to in times of need."

Thanks to her father. Flayn caught that implication under Edelgard's words and forced herself not to prickle at it. Didn't she herself believe the same thing back at the monastery six years ago?

"It has been difficult," Flayn said. "My mother and father were the only people I had. I visited my uncles-" She paused, looking for a reaction from Edelgard.

"I am aware that Macuil and Indech are lurking around Fódlan in their bestial forms. I do not intend to disturb them."

Flayn let out a sigh of relief. After Edelgard's proclamation that the Nabateans were ruling humanity from the shadows and that humans should rise up and tear them down, Flayn was worried about Edelgard posing a danger to her. So far, no signs of threat.

"I visited my uncles," Flayn said, "But they do not wish to return to the world of humans. And I cannot live like them even if I wanted to. I lost the ability to transform in the war. Er, not this war. The one a thousand years ago. But I was in a long coma after that, so it feels recent to me."

Edelgard cocked her head. "No need to gloat about it, Byleth." She shook her head and turned back to Flayn. "Sorry. My little companion here has commentary about everything. It's occasionally useful."

Right. Byleth could see Sothis the time they were here at the monastery and hear her in their mind. It's not surprise that Edelgard is able to do the same with Byleth.

"And Sothis wants me to deliver a message," Edelgard said. "She says that while she lost her memories, all the Nabateans are still close to her heart. If you ever need support, she will—wait, do you want me to repeat that word for word?" A pause. "If you insist. She says that she will force me to assist you and whip me into shape if I slack off. How she will manage that with no control over my physical body is your guess as much as mine. And no access to Divine Pulse anymore. You really are just another one of us, Sothis."

"The goddess is in there too?" Flayn said, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, and she has a real big mouth. Squeaky child's voice too." Another pause. "Yes you do sound like that. Byleth, back me up here." Quiet. "Well, I hope that I will learn to find it equally endearing."

Flayn smiled to herself. Byleth was the one who spared her and her father when it would have been so easy to wipe out two of the last Nabateans. She could trust them… well, more than Edelgard, at least.

"Sorry about all that," Edelgard said. "You wanted to talk to me about something."

"Yes. I… my father always imagined a world where we were free to be ourselves. Now that the Agarthans are no longer trying to hunt me down and take my blood, I'm free to do that. So… I want to be honest with the people, like you are about the church's past. I want to let the world know that I am Saint Cethleann. But I don't feel like a saint. And I know it will make me a target. So I don't want to stand alone."

"And you want me to protect you." Edelgard's voice was soft, comforting. "Of course. I won't let anything happen to you, Flayn. Byleth and Sothis as well are dedicated to making sure that you are safe. In my one body, you have three allies."

Three allies. And…

"You and Byleth are connected to the goddess by heart as I am by blood," Flayn said. "There aren't many other people with that distinction, so I was curious if you… might want to spend some time together. You know, in the manner of people who are from the same hometown."

"I would love that, Flayn. Being an Archbishop is lonelier than I realized, since there's nobody else really on my level. And after what happened to my siblings, let's say I have room for more."

Flayn stared at Edelgard to make sure that this wasn't a cruel joke. "You'd be willing to be my sister?"

"Yes. I am sorry about how I had the Death Knight kidnap you as the Flame Emperor. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I will work to make it up to you. How does that sound?"

Flayn didn't bother trying to hide her smile. A sister. Family.

Home.

#

Archbishop Edelgard walked through the monastery after night, the cool breeze calming her heartbeat. No more past to haunt her any longer. Once she reached her chambers, she knew she was safe.

She climbed up to the Archbishop's private quarters on the third floor and saw Byleth floating above her bed in a sitting position. By instinct, Edelgard reached up to touch them, and when Byleth extended their own hand it passed through hers.

"Sothis used to do this to me all the time," Byleth said. "I bet she still can, actually. But she's happy to let us have some alone time."

Edelgard could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. It would be awkward to get into the right romantic mood with a third person always watching. Not to mention that Sothis looking like a child made it all the more embarrassing.

"Glad that she doesn't have a problem with us… you know."

Byleth laughed. "We're adults, El. You can talk about falling in love, making love, whatever."

"Speaking of which," Edelgard said. "I want to feel your skin on mine. I want to hold you and never let go."

"Well, can't do much about the never letting go, but you know the drill for making me real."

Edelgard nodded. Over the past month, she had practiced relaxation techniques to fall asleep easier. They worked okay, and gave her the added bonus of keeping her temper when she was dealing with hard-headed nobles and bishops alike. Thank goodness that Dimitri had a good head on his shoulders and that Sothis and Byleth could walk her through many of the interactions. And then there was Claude, well, the old Claude who was technically from Earth, showing up every week or so with a few helpful tips before wandering back off to wherever he went now. Despite her words to Flayn about the Archbishop position being lonely, she was more connected with her peers than ever before. Even as a student, it all felt… fake.

This wasn't the ending she wanted, but it was a happy one nonetheless.

After getting excess thoughts out of her mind, she was able to drift off to sleep. As usual, she felt something tugging at her and appeared in the dream world moments later. Byleth was standing right in front of her less than a pace away. Without thinking, Edelgard threw her arms around Byleth. Edelgard could feel their touch. She wanted more. Byleth hugged her back, and she let herself fall into their body. Here, nobody could hurt her.

"I'll hold you for as long as you want," Byleth said, their soft voice relaxing all the muscles in Edelgard's body.

"You were right," Edelgard said. "I shouldn't have given up hope. I can be happy even in a world that does not follow my path. Because of you."

"Worlds are only special because of the people inside of them," Byleth said. "I feel the same way about you, El. You mean everything to me."

Edelgard pressed an ear to Byleth's chest. Here, unlike while they walked corporeal in Fódlan, they had a heartbeat. Ba-dump, ba-dump. Like her own hopes and dreams, a month ago Edelgard thought that Byleth was gone, crushed into dust.

In this moment she could see that they had never been more real.

#

Dimitri followed Claude into what he called the Goddess Tower, running up the stairs. After Claude came back to Earth from the war and took him to Fódlan, the last thing he expected was for Claude to show him around the best places in Fódlan like an excited kid showing off their toys. But Claude had always been that way, even back at Catholic school. Never afraid to be himself. Dimitri could take a note or two from Claude's book.

Soon, they arrived at the top balcony. Claude leaned over the edge, looking out at the stars with a grin on his face. Originally, the night sky of Fódlan seemed so unfamiliar to Dimitri. Not that he ever saw much of it while living in New York City, but in Iowa the night sky comforted him. The constellations being different here were strange, but after only a month they were starting to seem more familiar than any sight to him on Earth. Dimitri was starting to see what was so appealing about being a citizen of two worlds.

"I always wanted to do this," Claude said. "There are local myths about finding true love here, and I had a chance to visit during my time at Garreg Mach. But nobody caught my interest like you did."

Oh. The warmth in this voice, the little smile at the end. This is what made life worth living. The time of being so cooped up in his apartment that he couldn't picture anything else was a distant memory. Though maybe that was because depression interfered with memory.

"It's supposed to be on a certain day, I think," Claude said, "But oh well. I don't need some myth to know that I love you."

Those little comments. It wasn't just that he appreciated them from a partner. Nobody, so far as he could remember, talked to him like this before. Loving and accepting him, not only the things he did.

"Then why take me here?" Dimitri let a playful smirk come to his face.

"Like I said, I have to show you all the best spots in Fódlan. The stars are pretty here. Come take a look."

Dimitri had seen the stars before, but he walked forward and looked up at the sky anyway. Thousands, millions of light years away, but they looked so close. So bright. Like he could fly with them surrounding him like fireflies if he floated up into the sky.

"I want this to be the rest of our lives," Dimitri said. "Going from place to place, keeping each other company, taking each day as it comes."

"I do as well," Claude said. "At least until we get bored. There's a whole future ahead of us, Dimitri. I helped build this world, and now we can live in it."

Right. It was so easy to forget how Claude was one of the most instrumental people in bringing Fódlan's new dawn. Every so often when they passed by Garreg Mach, Claude slipped by to check on the political situation and offer his advice. From the perspective of Edelgard and other Dimitri, he must seem like something akin to a cryptid.

"I'm proud of you," Dimitri said. "There's a part of me that wishes that I could have helped like this too. Which I know is strange, since thirty seconds ago I said how I want to wander for the rest of my life without a care in the world."

"I understand. It's human to want to help. It's human to want to be free. Those desires can coexist."

"Do you think we can help Earth the way you helped Fódlan?"

"Maybe. It will be harder, since we're nobody there, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Could be a fun challenge. Go to somewhere nobody knows me and try to struggle my way to peace all over again. And better to do with the man I love with me. If you want to go back to Earth, Dimitri, I'll follow. But right now, I'm happy living under the stars in Fódlan and watching joy return to this continent. Well, at least so long as I get to share these experiences with you."

Dimitri looked back up at the stars and smiled. There was so much he wanted to express that words could never get out. So instead, he chose the simplest words that could get his feelings out of his own brain.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

The End

And... that's everything! Thank you so much for reading through the entire thing. This fic became larger and longer than I could have imagined when I was starting it, and I'm glad I was able to share this journey with all of you. :) Though tbh I'm feeling a little burned out from writing this fic. Might take a break from the fandom and fanfic in general for a while.

This chapter was fun for me to write. With the personalized and paired endings characters get, I wanted to give a glimpse into the future of everyone who survived. And even though I killed off like half the cast I still had to write 10 different PoVs to encompass everyone. It was fun mixing some that were canon compliant (Ashe and Annette, Dedue and Dimitri) and others that weren't (Flayn and Edelgard, Dorothea and Bernie). The fact that Bernadetta is the only Black Eagle Dorothea can't get a paired ending with just feels wrong.

Stay safe and healthy! And thanks again for reading all the way through this monstrously long fic. :)