Aftermath of The Battle of Gronder Field:

Byleth staggers towards the battlefield as the rain started falling heavilly. Her torso pierced with multiple slash wounds from Imperial soilders, her breaths laboured and her vision semi-blurry.

Through that blurry vision though, she could see that Gilbert is carrying someone's body. Whose body she didn't know for sure, but she had a feeling it was Dimitri's which meant one thing.

She failed.

She failed to protect Dimitri and she failed to protect all of her students, and with no Divine Pules left and recieving multiple severe wounds, she was now dying.

As she limps towards the area in search of someone, she could also see in the distance that Claude and her twin brother are fighting off Edelgard's forces.

"I hope they can achieve victory and carve a new path for Fodlan." she thought.

But that didn't matter to her now, for she is not going to be part of that future. At the very least she wanted to see someone one last time before she breathed her last. As she continues limping across the field, she finally finds that person bleeding on the ground, having suffered multiple injuries as well and with her veil and black cleric hat missing. Byleth hopes that she isn't dead but knew that it would probably be impossible.

It however didn't stop Byleth from approaching the woman for she wants to be with her again. As she approaches her, she starts to feel dizzy and collaspes on the ground.

"No, please Sothis, give me more time." she begged in her mind.

Byleth slowly crawls her way as she approaches the woman with short blond hair and elegant dress. One of her students when she was teaching as the professor for the Blue Lions house, and one of the kindest and most benevolent people she knew.

-x-

Byleth remembered the day she and Mercedes first met. It was on the day Byleth arrived to Garreg Mach for the first time and she was exploring the area to get to know the students from the different houses before deciding which house she wanted to teach. When she approached Mercedes who was in the Blue Lions classroom chatting with her best friend Annette, Byleth was immediately taken in on how old she was compared to the rest of the students in the monastery. Mercedes greeted Byleth with her usual cheeful smile and demeanor and asked whether she was going to be one of the Knights of Seiros. Byleth replied that she isn't which confused both Mercedes and Annette but nevertheless they introduced themselves to Byleth like they would to any new friend.

When Byleth later reintroduced herself as the new Professor for the Blue Lions house, Mercedes expressed her shock for she looked much younger compared to Manuela and Hanneman but nevertheless welcomed her along with the other Blue Lions students. From there, Byleth and Mercedes would began bonding with each other; Byleth getting to know of Mercedes' motherly nature as she would help her fellow students and anyone who was in need, whether it was in battle with her healing and raising the team's demeanor, or outside battle where she would patiently hear the woes of her students within or outside her house and try to help them out. Mercedes in turn would learn of Byleth's time as a mercenary and her reputation as the Ashen Demon but see that undeneath the stoicness and social ackwardness is a good person who was very hard working. She would advice Byleth to take breaks every now and then, and it was in that conversation that Byleth learned how scatterbrained Mercedes could be as she mentioned that she one time came to the training grounds with nothing but her underwear, causing Byleth to blush. Mercedes would invite Byleth to cook together where they would bake various sweets and host tea parties together. It was during one of those tea parties that Mercedes talks about her younger brother Emile, whom she left when an incident caused her and her mother to leave him. She would expresses how much she misses him and wishes she could have done more as a sister while Byleth would calmly pat her head and assure Mercedes that Emile wherever he is, still loves her and doesn't begrudge her for what happened.

Later on, Byleth would learn about Mercedes' ambition of wanting to help people in any way when both of them help out an old man outside of monastery. When Mercedes expressed that dream would never come true as she would have to marry someone per her father's wishes and that was the will of the goddess, Byleth in turn would tell her that while some things are indeed by the will of the goddess, she still needs to take agency over the things she can control, citing that it was her will that she was able to bond with Annette and everyone in the Blue Lions house including Byleth herself, it was her will that she would help other people out of their problems. Mercedes while slightly perplexed by Byleth's response at first, agreed and decided that she will continue pursuing her ambition of helping people out in whatever way she can.

Byleth in turn would help her out in any problems she encountered whether it'd be her academic problems like not being able to use sword properly or non-academically where she would console Mercedes after she and Annette had a huge argument following an encounter with a bandit in the marketplace. She would then try to patch both of them together through inviting them during meal time, or assigning activies with them together. Mercedes in turn would invite Byleth to pray with her where they would pray for the protection of everyone and for them to fufil their dreams. They would fish together and even spend a night together at the Godess Tower during the Garreg Mach Grand Ball where they would waltz together to the faint sound of music and that would then end in their first kiss that they had. After the kiss had both of them looking embarrassed towards one another but then the embarassment would turn to laughter. Even Jeralt took a liking towards Mercedes, telling her daughter she reminded him a lot of her late mother Sitri and hopes that the both of them would be together.

When Jeralt was killed by Kronya who was disguised as the disappeared student Monica, Mercedes tried to cheer her up by offering her sweets and even a shoulder for her to cry and let out any grief that she had. As Byleth took the latter option and sobbed into Mercedes' chest, Mercedes too would cry as she embraced her, understanding all too well what it means to potentially lose somone in the family and feeling responsible for it. She wished that she could have done something to save Jeralt from his gruesome fate and help Byleth out. It was during that moment that Byleth realized that she has fallen in love with Mercedes and asks her to call her by her name instead of Professor. After killing both Kronya and Solon, Byleth hoped that once the year was over and Mercedes graduates, she and Mercedes would stay together forever.

But then the incident in the Holy Tomb happened, where Edelgard would reveal herself to be the infamous Flame Emperor and declare war on the Church of Seiros. Dimitri would go insane from the revelation citing her as responsible for the Tragedy at Duscur and the students at Garreg Mach and the knights of Seiros would find themselves caught up at the beginning of a war as Edelgard launches her attack on the monastery. During the battle, Byleth would lose her footing due to Thales and fall into the abyss. Mercedes in turn would flee to Firdhiad along with Dimitri and the rest of the Blue Lions, praying and hoping that Byleth isn't dead and they would reunite in due time. Five years later, Mercedes, Annette, and everyone else would reunite in Garegg Mach as part of their promise they made during the Garegg Mach ball. There Mercedes would reunite with Byleth who has not aged at all during the past five years. Byleth in turn was surprised as Mercedes had cut her hair and is wearing a black hat along with a veil. Nevertheless they both embraced one another as Mercedes tearfully expressed how worried she was and Byleth in turn would apologize for not being there for her. As they spend one night together in Mercedes' room, she would tell Byleth about her ambition and how she will cut ties with her step father as soon as the war is over, even making a joke that she perhaps has fallen for Byleth. While Byleth, half chuckles at the joke, she hoped that as soon as the war is over, she would be able to express her true feelings to Mercedes and they will able to set up an orphanage together where they can live peacefully helping those who have lost their family during the war.

-x-

As Byleth reaches Mercedes' body, she could see the very peaceful profile of Mercedes' face which heavilly contrasts the wounds she has been inflicted with throughout her body and the pool of blood underneath her.

"Mer..cedes." Byleth muttered.

Mercedes slowly opens her eyelids albeit barely.

"Pr..Professor?" she croaked "I'm... I'm sorry Professor.. I can't seem to stay...on my feet."

"It's alright...I can't either.." Byleth groaned as she starts coughing out blood. "So...this is...how it ends." she lamented as she sees the blood on her hands.

"What..happened to..Dimitri?" Mercedes asked.

"I don't know...I saw Gilbert carrying someone with him...I think he might have fell." Byleth croaked.

"Wherever he may be...I hope he has found peace at last...I should've been there to protect him..I failed him..I failed everyone.." Mercedes said as tears started to form in her eyes.

"It's not..your fault..Mercedes...if I had been more patient with Dimitri...then you wouldn't have gotten involved in this...none of us would've died...if anything...I'm the one who failed everyone..." Byleth whispered.

"Byleth...pl-please don't say things like that...you..you did everything you could...You're the best professor I could have had...Remember when I said that I might have fallen for you..a month back?" Mercedes croaked.

Byleth slowly nodded. She could sense that Mercedes was at death's door as her breathing started to become more laboured.

"The..the truth..is that I actually have...fallen in love for you..for a long time...I wanted to spend... my life with you.." Mercedes said with a faint giggle

As tears welled down Byleth's face...her vision started getting hazier but she still tried to hang on..not wanting to leave her loved one..

"I..too..have..fallen for you Mercie...I was hoping..that..after the war...we would spend..our lives..together...I ..I'm so sorry.." Byleth sobbed

Mercedes began to cry as well. She wanted to use whatever strength she could to wipe her loved one's tears and comfort her.

"Please don't cry Byleth...it's not your fault...at least I'm glad that... I'm able to...see you again..and that I'm...dying... next...to you..." she said with a smile despite the tears falling.

Byleth then used whatever strength she had left and approached Mercedes lips..Mercedes too used her strength to approach Byleth's lips. Their lips connect as they share one last kiss together in the rain embracing each other.

If only this moment could last forever they both thought as it continued to pour down hard.

As soon as their lips pull apart, Mercedes looked at Byleth with a faint smile on her face.

"I...love you..By-"

And just like that, Mercedes' body goes limp as the last of her lifeforce leaves her body and her arms go slack. Byleth slowly looks as her eyelids close permanantly and her smile fades. Byleth knew that she would join Mercedes in a few moments, but that didn't stop her from sobbing into her chest, wishing she could've done anything to save her, save everyone.

And then Byleth could feel the last of her lifeforce fade too as she closes her eyes and everything went dark.

-x-

She didn't know if Claude and her twin brother would find them. She knew her brother would grieve for her as would everyone else and she could only apologize to him for not staying alive and being a good sister.

She hopes that him and Claude would defeat Edelgard, vanquish any evil that would befall Fodlan and lead it to a new future.

She hopes that Sothis will forgive her and not reset time right now not until her brother completes his current mission.

She hopes that in another lifeline, she and her brother will able to save everyone and put an end to all this suffering and find a golden ending.

But for now, she sees a bright light and in front of that light Mercedes appears, smiling and holding her hand to reach out to her. Behind her is Dimitri and the rest of the Blue Lions team, all of them smiling as well.

As she takes Mercedes' hand and smiles back, she's at least content..

That she was able to be with the woman she loved.