Chapter Sixteen – A Magic Touch

Hilda arrived the next morning after Claude left. The wyvern she rode panted as it landed, exhausted from both the long journey and from carrying the weight of three people, even if two of them were kids. It lowered itself to the ground to let them all off and closed its eyes when its head hit the ground.

Dimitri, Dedue, and I had been outside by the fishing pond when we saw her approach, and any sense of purpose I once had—where were we going, anyway?—disappeared. I needed to get to my children now, and I sprinted to the stables where Hilda was landing her wyvern.

Both kids were asleep: Katrina's face was pressed up against the wyvern's neck, and Alexi had his arms wrapped around her and his head on her shoulder. I stared for a moment, savoring this moment of my kids in perfect innocence, unaware of the attempt made on their lives.

I unfroze when Hilda shouted, "I could use a little help!"

"Hilda, are you okay?" I asked, pulling both kids down with a grunt into my arms. If I tried to take just one of them, the other would fall.

Dimitri, though, was right behind me now, and he scooped both of them away from me. "You shouldn't be lifting them both."

Hilda kicked her leg over the wyvern's back and hopped down, brushing her skirt flat and then looking up at us. "I'm fine, except my legs are a little numb. The kids fell asleep three hours ago, and I haven't moved since then. And I really need to pee."

Alexi shifted in Dimitri's arms, distracting me from Hilda. He rubbed his eyes with his little fist, then blinked several times before looking up at his father. "Daddy?"

I stepped into his view, and he looked at me with sleepy eyes. "Alexi…" I breathed. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into Dimitri's neck, as if too tired to register any of this. I reached a hand up and brushed his hair—getting too long now—out of his face.

"I'm going to use the bathroom," Hilda said, snapping our attention away from the kids. "But I think we need to talk, so meet me in the reception hall and we can chat. And tell Claude to get his butt over there, too."

She was off before any of us could say anything. Well, we would be telling her soon enough about what happened and where Claude went. I wondered if her brother, Holst, already knew and was on his way through Fódlan's Throat to Almyra. He would be aware of the extent of the damage before any of the ruling party.

We started making our way to the reception hall, the kids both still asleep in Dimitri's arms. It wasn't the most private location, but everyone would leave us alone if they saw us talking, and the noise level would keep the conversation from being overheard. I wondered if that was why Hilda always favored that location to gossip with her friends, if she was just using the noise level to her advantage.

Katrina finally opened her eyes as we took a seat at one of the tables, and she immediately burst into violent tears as she glanced around this unfamiliar setting. It was only when she realized that Dimitri and I were there that she stopped screaming and decided everything was fine; her tears immediately ceased, and any indication that she had just been crying vanished.

What had Hilda taught her in our absence?

"Mommy! Daddy!" Katrina wriggled out of Dimitri's arms and onto the floor before giving her brother a good whack in the arm. "Alexi, wake up!"

"No hitting, Katrina," I warned. Goddess, why was that the first thing I had to say to my daughter in the time since I last saw her? What monster had she become in Almyra?

Alexi shot awake, though, so her work was successful. He did not begin crying like his sister had, but he did seem confused enough about where he was. He furrowed his brow and blinked some more, but when I smiled at him, everything seemed to fit into whatever view he had of this world. He smiled back at me and wrapped his arms around Dimitri's neck.

"Mommy, I got to fly the wyvern here," Alexi told me.

"Wow, you did?" I said in feigned amazement. Katrina tugged on my hand, and I looked down at her. "Did you help?"

She nodded, and then, content with the attention that got from me, turned around and walked up to Dedue. Dedue, being the massive man that he was, frightened most children, but Katrina favored him over her own vassal back at the palace. She held her arms up towards him, and Dedue scooped her up from the floor.

Katrina is a spitfire. I wonder who she got that from, Sothis joked. I ignored her—mostly because I had no answer.

"We missed you," Dimitri told Alexi, who continued to nuzzle against him. "Did you have fun in Almyra with Aunt Hilda?"

"Yep! Mister Nader played with me and gave me a bow for a present. But I had to leave it when we left… do you think we can go back and get it?" Alexi asked. I tried not to let my expression fall, and instead forced a smile and a nod. I would need to remember to get him a bow for his birthday, but I doubt he would let it compare to a gift from Nader.

"Look!" Katrina shouted, bringing our attention to her. She pointed to her hair, revealing a beautiful woven braid. "Auntie Hilda did."

"You look like an Almyran princess," I said, and Katrina giggled.

"We also made some cute little Almyran bracelets and charms. Gotta say, Katrina has talent."

Hilda reappeared beside Dedue, her hands on her hips as she looked at our small group. She must have freshened up in the bathroom, too, because her hair was tidied and her face clean. She seemed to have applied a little bit of makeup, too. I bet she specifically brought some with her when she fled Almyra.

She walked to the opposite bench and sat down, one elbow propped up on the table. "Where's Claude?"

Dimitri unlatched Alexi's arms from his neck and set him down on the floor. "Go play with your sister and Dedue," he advised, and Alexi obeyed with a pout. Dedue took his hand, still carrying Katrina with his other arm, and walked off with the two of them.

Hilda frowned. "Well, that can't be good…"

"He's okay," I assured her. "But Almyra isn't. You were right to take the kids and go, Hilda, and I can't ever thank you enough for saving their lives. I… we," I corrected when Dimitri took my hand beneath the table. "We are forever grateful to you. After you left, the enemy we've been fighting—the Agarthans—they attacked the capital. Nader is dead. Probably thousands of others, too."

Hilda, like Claude, wasn't one to outwardly display her emotions. Maybe that was why the two were such a good pair. But in this moment, Hilda's eyes widened, and I could see within them a fear that I'd never seen before. Even during the war, she would laugh her feelings off, make jokes about how she didn't want to participate, put her work off on others. Right now, though, I saw a woman who realized she almost died, had she not escaped in time. And that frightened her.

"I… I mean, I left because I had a bad feeling…" She seemed to be piecing whatever it was that motivated her to leave together, as if she never really thought about it until this moment. "When the kids first arrived, so did a bunch of creepy-looking people, but they never approached us or anything. I kinda just thought they were tourists. But then a few days ago, they started acting weird, and I thought we better leave."

"Whatever instincts spoke to you, they were right. You saved our children's lives," I said.

"Claude got word from a messenger yesterday about it and headed back to Almyra," Dimitri explained. "He wanted us to tell you what happened and to let you know that he's happy that you're okay."

Hilda's fearful gaze changed into one of annoyance, and she rolled her eyes. "What an idiot. He couldn't have waited for me? He always does stuff like this! I tell him I'll follow him wherever he goes, and then he just runs off on his own. Goddess, it's a good thing he's cute and absolutely amazing in bed…"

That was more than I ever wanted to know, but I couldn't unhear it now.

"Well, um," Dimitri began. He wasn't the type to speak without knowing what he was going to say, but I had a feeling he just wanted to fill this awkward void. "I'm sure he just wanted to get back as soon as possible to start surveying the damage."

"And Tulip is totally exhausted from the journey here, so it's not like I can fly back right away!" Hilda shouted, as if she didn't hear what Dimitri said. "And I'm not flying back without her."

"Tulip?" I repeated.

Hilda crossed her arms. It was a good thing she wasn't in my class when I taught here because I wasn't sure I could handle her constant judgment. "My wyvern. Did you see her back there? She's going to slip into a coma, I swear it. I'm stuck here until she feels better, and even then, I'm a few days out from Almyra. If Claude just waited for me, I could've flown back with him. Ugh, what a pain."

"I'm sure this was all just part of his plan. I don't think he would ever tell you outright that he wanted you to stay here for your protection, right? But it wouldn't surprise me if this was all just a way to keep you out of Almyra for the time being," I suggested. "People are going to be angry and confused, and all of that will be directed at Claude when he gets there. He's probably just trying to protect you from that. And for some reason, Garreg Mach seems untouchable by the Agarthans, so you're safe here."

Minus the fact that we were currently infiltrated by a person pretending to be one of our old friends, but he couldn't move at the time being. So, safe enough.

Hilda sighed and brushed her ponytail back over her shoulder. "Fine. It's not like I have a choice now."

"Claude said he would be in communication as soon as he could, but we can send an express messenger letting him know you made it if you like," Dimitri suggested, and Hilda nodded.

The pattering of little feet distracted us from our conversation. Katrina was sprinting towards us as fast as her little legs could take her, and the normally stoic Dedue followed behind with pursed lips, clearly trying to mask his frustration that Alexi would not hurry up. He was holding the little boy's hand, who kept pointing to different things around the hall and asking questions.

Katrina flung herself onto my lap and giggled.

"My apologies, Your Majesties. I tried to tell her not to bother you, but I was unsuccessful," Dedue said as he reached us.

Hilda stood up first. "I think we're about done, anyway. I need to go check on Tulip."

She walked off without another word, leaving Dimitri, Dedue, and I watching her form disappear from the large space.

"That could have gone better," Dimitri said.

"Well, Claude kind of keeps leaving her behind. She may not like effort, but she likes to be included," I pointed out. "Especially by her husband."

"Uncle Claude?" Katrina asked, rolling over on my lap to look up at me.

"Sorry, my love, but he's not here right now." I tickled her sides, and she curled up into herself before slithering off my lap. "But did you know, Katrina, that I missed you so much while you were with Aunt Hilda?"

"I missed you!" she exclaimed back.

Alexi let go of Dedue's hand and walked towards the spot in between Dimitri and me. "Did you miss me?"

Oh my, Sothis interjected. This one is surely the opposite of his sister. You and the prince did well.

"Of course! I missed you loads!" I ruffled his hair, and he laughed. "Are you two hungry? Would you like to see the dining hall? It's even bigger than our dining room."

"Food!" Katrina yelled.

She grabbed Dedue's hand and started tugging, even though she had no idea where she was going. Alexi took his father's hand and pulled, and the two started off behind. I took up the rear, watching my family with a terrific sense of relief that we were all back together again.

"Ya must be real happy seeing your kids again, huh, Professor?"

I spun around, knowing that just beyond me, my family was heading into another part of the monastery. But I wasn't really alone here. There were students walking around, students sitting at the tables, clergy passing through on their way to the cathedral.

Cyril wore his quiver, filled with several arrows, and was holding his bow. I knew his skills and realized he could draw an arrow faster than anyone, save for maybe Claude, but his skills rivaled that of his old teacher, Shamir. But could an imposter using his body? How skilled was this Agarthan, and did he inherit the skills of the body he inhabited? Or was that part of our minds more than our bodies?

"Very," I responded, surveying the space to locate the nearest exits. I suspected there would be nothing to come from this, but he was certainly watching me, which was troubling in and of itself.

"I'm just heading to class, but I saw ya on my way and thought I'd say hi. Ya doing okay after what happened?" he asked.

Get out of here, Byleth.

I smiled at Cyril and nodded. "I'm just fine, thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me… my family seems to have left without me."

"Sure thing, Professor." He walked to my other side and then held out his right arm, and to anyone observing this, it would look like he was politely escorting me where I needed to go. But I had no interest in playing along with him right now. Instead, I patted a hand on his shoulder and then walked past him.

I froze when I felt a hand close around my wrist. Cyril pulled me back slightly and stepped forward himself to close the distance between us. He kept his grip tight around my wrist and then put his other hand on my stomach. There was a smile on his lips as he leaned into my ear and whispered, "Congratulations, by the way."

My eyes widened. How did he know?

Some sort of warm sensation emanated from his fingertips against my stomach, and I jumped back, staring in horror at the man before me. He still held my wrist, and my skin began to ache against his touch.

"What did you do?"

Cyril shrugged before dropping my arm. "Your family is waiting, Professor."

I put my own hands on my stomach and fled, spinning on my heels to retreat in the opposite direction. I barely made it to the courtyard between the reception hall and entrance hall when it suddenly felt like his hands were back on my stomach, squeezing this time. I groaned against the pain but continued forward towards the dining hall. I needed to get back to my family…

It was Dedue who came out of the dining hall, likely at Dimitri's request after wondering why I wasn't right behind them. The squeezing was getting harder, tighter, like someone juicing a lemon, and I doubled over. By the time Dedue rushed to my side, I fell to my knees, and he crouched beside me with his hand on my back.

"Your Majesty!" he called, and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"He did something," I breathed through gritted teeth. I groaned again, curling over into myself completely now, and my hand slipped from Dedue's shoulder. He caught it in his larger, warmer hands.

A small crowd began to form around us as onlookers noticed my pain, and Dedue barked orders at them. The pain covered me like a veil, preventing me from seeing clearly through my eyes burning with tears, and there was a ringing in my ears as people surrounded me and began speaking. The last time I experienced pain like this… well, that was labor, and Cyril couldn't have managed that.

Why wasn't Sothis saying anything now? Scolding me for not getting away from him sooner? Telling me that the baby was okay?

I was lifted from the floor, carried like a doll in someone's arms. Dedue, maybe, or more likely my husband.

"Mommy!" I could hear Alexi's frantic voice calling for me, and I tried to blink the tears out of my eyes to look at him.

"I'm… okay," I told him.

We were moving now, rushing back through the reception hall. If Cyril was still there, it didn't seem that anyone paid him any mind. The others in the room noticed nothing from our exchange, as subtle as it was, so what reason did any of the students here have to suspect him? As far as anyone knew, actually, Cyril was just a professor here. Only Dimitri, Dedue, and I knew.

We bounded up the stairs now, each move pulsing within my abdomen and burning like fire.

"I'll get Mercie," I heard Annette's voice say, and then I wasn't being carried anymore. I shifted onto my side, pulling my knees into myself to try to stifle the pain.

What had he done to me? How did he know I was pregnant? He shouldn't have known… because I turned back time to before he found out…

"Byleth," Dimitri's voice said by my ear. I could feel him brush my hair, sticky with sweat, away from my forehead.

"Get… him…" I hissed.

There was a scrambling, voices that I couldn't make out entirely, a clattering of footsteps. But the whole time, a single constant, a tiny hand clung to my own. The pain seemed trivial then, as those little fingers tapped against my palm.

I was glad… so glad… to have my kids back.

"Alexi, look out. Aunt Mercedes needs to help Mommy."

There was another warm touch against my stomach, and for a moment, I thrashed. Even though I heard Dimitri's voice, even though I knew it was Mercedes, my brain signaled warning signs from the touch, and I pulled myself away. And then there were arms holding me down, and the hand back on my stomach, burning, burning, until the pain subsided altogether.

And then a hand on my forehead, a cool touch this time, and everything around me faded. It was as if someone dimmed the lights, and I slipped into sleep with a little hand clinging once again to mine.


Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate it! May your day be filled with lots of yummy food and limited political discourse!