Garland Moon, Day 3, Imperial Year 1180
Byleth couldn't sleep.
It had been a long week for the academy's newest professor and her charges - between the lectures and personalised tutoring and the house's mission at the end of the previous month. In a strange way, she almost felt too tired to sleep. After tossing and turning and praying for slumber for well over an hour, Byleth rose from her bed, pulled on her boots and cloak and left her room to get some fresh air.
Unlike her colleagues, Byleth's room was located at the students' dormitory on the western side of the monastery. This helped to bring down her frustrations by imagining the happily sleeping faces of her students, but also made her envious of their obviousness to her situation. Still, she supposed, it was better for them to be able to rest peacefully. They had certainly earned it after the week they had been through.
In a way, thinking about their sleep as a reward helped her feel better about her own situation - as if she had sacrificed her own rest so that her students could be free of such a burden. She would certainly sacrifice more than that for them. In fact, she very nearly had when she'd first met Edelgard and the others, throwing herself between Edelgard and the blade of an attacker. She occasionally found herself wondering how Edelgard would have fared in a world were Sothis had not intervened to save Byleth. Would she have resolutely gripped her axe and cut the scumbag down, or would she have joined her would-be saviour in oblivion?
Byleth closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it of such thoughts. Jeralt had taught her long ago that dwelling on what-ifs was a waste of time. She should instead focus on what can be, and do everything she could to make that possibility real, rather than trying to grasp a long lost possibility.
When she opened her eyes again, Byleth thought her mind was playing tricks on her. After all, she had just been thinking about Edelgard, so it seemed odd that she would just so happen to spot said student emerging from the dormitories, especially so late at night. But Byleth would never mistake one of her students, even in the low light of the moon. That was definitely Edelgard heading out for a walk. Perhaps the week's activities had had the same effect on the imperial princess as they had her teacher. Or, probably more likely, she was seeking fresh air after another nightmare. If nothing else, Byleth supposed, the two could keep each other company a while before they returned to their beds.
The first sign that something was off as Byleth approached was Edelgard's attire. Despite the temperate climate of central Fódlan, the nights were rather brisk. As such, going for a walk in naught but a red nightgown, whose thinness was made obvious by how apparent her figure was, was already cause for concern. But her lack of any kind of cloak or jacket or, as became clear as she approached, shoes led Byleth's own boot-covered legs to carry her at an increased pace to catch up with her wayward student.
As she came closer, Byleth managed to get a good look at Edelgard's pale face, illuminated in the silver moonlight. There was something off about her purple eyes. Even had they not been only half-open right now, Byleth knew Edelgard well enough to recognise the absence of her usual determination, which could typically be identified in any action she took. Rather, those eyes were oddly glassy, unfocused, somewhere between those of a blind person and a drunkard; neither of which could accurately describe the usually driven eyes of Edelgard.
While she had never witnessed such an occurrence herself, Byleth had heard enough about the phenomenon over the years to understand that Edelgard was sleepwalking. Of course, she had always assumed such a thing was pure fiction - a convenient lie made by the untrustworthy to justify nightly jaunts when caught by those they would rather keep in the dark. As such, Byleth had no idea how one was supposed to deal with such a thing. Some of the supposed 'rules' she could recall, despite her efforts to ignore them back then, included such lunacy as 'the sleepwalker is highly suggestible' and 'waking a sleepwalker is dangerous'.
Byleth considered trying to find someone to help, but she worried what might become of Edelgard if she took her eyes off her for even a second. For now, she opted to simply follow and observe, only taking action if she felt Edelgard were in danger. She tried getting her attention by saying her name, but received no response, whether she spoke in a soft or authoritative tone. Byleth was fairly sure that Edelgard, the student who very likely was the single most attentive in Byleth's classes, would respond to her voice if she could hear her. So, the suggestibility idea was out; no way was she going to return Edelgard to bed by simply asking her to go.
As she considered her next move, she noticed Edelgard shiver slightly. No doubt, the night chill was starting to get to her, and Byleth's concern that Edelgard might make herself sick grew enough to embolden her to act. She first removed her own cloak as she stepped up to Edelgard's side and draped it over the student's shoulders. As if on instinct, Edelgard's hand reached for the lapels of her new source of warmth and pulled them tighter around herself, a tiny, satisfied sigh escaping her now slightly smiling lips, otherwise showing no acknowledgement of Byleth's presence.
Around the time Byleth was contemplating how to transfer her boots onto Edelgard's (no doubt freezing) feet, she saw that the young princess' moonlit jaunt was leading her closer to the fishing pond. Byleth was now frantically planning how best to wake her student before she walked out onto the water, but this proved unnecessary. As she reached the short pier on which most of the fishing took place, Edelgard came to a halt, her head turning to stare up at the bright moon shining down from across the water.
Byleth couldn't deny finding the sight of the silver-haired young woman staring up at the moon, softly illuminated by its soft silver glow, to be an incredibly striking image. She felt compelled to run for an easel and paint set and get to work capturing this beautiful image for all of Fódlan to see. Was this how Ignatz saw the world?
Had Byleth come across this sight without seeing Edelgard's journey here, she might have though the young woman were simply lost in thought as her gaze was enraptured by the gorgeous sight before her on an otherwise ordinary night. But this was not an ordinary night, Byleth had to remind herself. Edelgard was supposed to be in bed right now, and so was she. And neither was out here because they wanted to be.
She stepped up to Edelgard and placed her hands on her shoulders. Dangerous or not, it was better than risking Edelgard falling into the water. She began shaking Edelgard, but no matter how rough she was with her, she remained in her trance, eyes never once leaving the moon's gaze. Byleth lowered her head in defeat, only to catch sight of Edelgard's pale feet surrounded on both sides by her own black high-heeled boots. An idea came to her mind that was undoubtedly cruel, but may well be her best option. After pinching Edelgard's cheek to see if that much pain would awaken her, finding it would not, Byleth silently apologised to her student before raising her booted foot up and brought it down on Edelgard's bare flesh.
Only, Edelgard was suddenly moving again, right as Byleth's foot came down. The sudden movement caught her off-guard enough for her student to completely escape her grasp as her pointed heel struck the hard stone floor at an unfortunate angle. The angle alone would have been enough to send Byleth reeling and struggling for balance, but the impact also broke the heel off of her boot, making it impossible for her to maintain her balance and keep herself from stumbling off to the side and into the water. The impact splashed some water onto the oblivious Edelgard as she continued to shuffle along her path, away from the pond and her waterlogged professor.
As Byleth dragged herself out of the water, her body now heavy and freezing, she frantically darted her gaze around the area to catch sight of Edelgard as she continued on her perplexing pilgrimage. She could just about spot that illuminated silver hair disappear at the top the stairs into the dining hall. At least, she was fairly certain that was what she saw. But the blur of the water still pouring out of her matted hair made it difficult to to be sure. Sighing deeply and removing her now uneven boots, Byleth scooped up as much water as she could into her broken boot and headed across the harsh stone ground and up the stone steps to follow after Edelgard.
She found the princess sat at one of the tables, snacking on some leftover peach sorbet. While her eyes remained as blank as before, a big smile could be seen as she worked her way through one of her favourite foods. Said smile gave Byleth second thoughts about what she planned to do with her boot. She supposed she could give her just a few more minutes to finish her meal.
Taking a seat across from her, Byleth simply sat and watched. Edelgard continued to stare forward in Byleth's direction, but not really at her. It was a surreal and slightly disturbing sight, but each time she found her hands starting to lift her water-filled boot back up, her gaze would lower to Edelgard's smiling lips and her arms would be compelled to lower the boot again.
One time when her gaze lowered, she spotted some stray crumbs Edelgard's tongue had missed on her lips. Byleth's soaked handkerchief was in her hands before she had time to think about what she was doing, reaching across the table and wiping the crumbs away.
"Professor," Edelgard mumbled quietly. It came out thunderously in the otherwise silent dining hall, startling Byleth. As the young woman's hands wrapped around hers, Byleth wondered if Edelgard really was seeing her on some subconscious level, if she could recognise her scent from her handkerchief, or if she was dreaming about her. Any one of these possibilities would have made Byleth's cheeks turn slightly pink, but all three thoughts worked in tandem to do so.
Pushing such thoughts back down, Byleth tried to finish cleaning Edelgard's lip, but the sleeping girl's grip was surprisingly tight. Using all the leverage her hand was afforded by the princess' grip, Byleth flung the cold, wet cloth into the the other woman's face. The temporary shock sent her hands up to the obtrusive artefact to remove it, allowing Byleth to move her own away. When her hope that this was a sign that Edelgard was awake again was dashed as those same unseeing eyes emerged from beneath the white fabric, Byleth lifted her boot up to finally wake the young woman up.
"Professor..." Once again, the sleepy mumbling stopped Byleth in her tracks, as did the clear worry growing in Edelgard's pained expression. "Will you... Please... help me."
Byleth's determination to soak the sleeping woman melted away as she dropped her boot with a wet thud and moved around the table to where her student sat. "What's wrong, Edelgard?" she asked softly, soothingly. "What do you need my help with?"
"Enemies... The Church..."
"Enemies of the Church?" Byleth repeated. "What do you mean by that? What enemies?"
Despite her clear worry and discomfort, Edelgard didn't reply.
"Edelgard." Still nothing. She wrapped an arm around Edelgard's shoulder and whispered, "Edie?" Normally, Byleth would abstain from using any kind of nickname for Edelgard, but she felt that appealing to a sense of friendship, like that shared between Edelgard and Dorothea, might help loosen her lips enough to say what her waking self might crucially choose not to. Edelgard's body stiffened at the contact, goosebumps forming on her arms.
"Mm?" That seemed to get her attention. "The Church... ene...ene... hm? Pro...Professor? Where...?" Even if she hadn't looked into Byleth's eyes with her own, now clear gaze, that Edelgard had awoken would have been obvious.
As Edelgard shivered at the cold touch of Byleth's still-wet skin against hers, Byleth's cheeks turned fully red and she jumped back, slipping on the water that that pooled around their feet from her dropped boot, and landing on her rear end on the hard floor in the space between the tables.
"Pr-Professor!" Edelgard jumped to her feet and, like Byleth, slipped on the water, falling face-first onto Byleth. Their foreheads collided and Byleth found herself lying on her back, Edelgard lying on top of her for a moment before rolling off onto the stone beneath them.
Edelgard sucked air through her teeth as she sat up, her hand coming up to grip the impact site on her forehead. Spotting the fallen handkerchief now lying discarded in the water on the floor, Byleth picked it up and gently moved Edelgard's hand aside so she could apply the cold fabric to the reddened area. Edelgard's sigh of relief helped distract Byleth from the pain in her own head.
"Thank you, Professor. But... where are we?"
"The dining hall."
"What? The dining hall? Why? I am sure I returned to my room last..." Edelgard trailed off before lifting her foot and seeing how dirty her sole was. She closed her eyes and let out a deep, sad sigh as she dropped her foot back into the water. "I see. Sleepwalking."
"You make it sound like this isn't the first time," Byleth observed, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.
After a moment's hesitation, Edelgard nodded. "No, it is not. I... I had a lengthy period of sleepwalking when I was younger. But I had thought that had all ended years ago, given way for insomnia."
"Insomnia?"
"Edelgard chuckled bitterly. "Ironic, is it not? Once upon a time, I slept so deeply that I went out on nightly jaunts and it was a struggle for those around me to wake me. I prayed for this horrible affliction to leave me in peace, and I wound up often times unable to sleep at all... and lost in nightmares the rest. And just as that state of being became unbearable, I wound up right back where I started. The only difference is that, rather than my family, it is my teacher I'm causing trouble for."
"I wouldn't call it trouble, Edelgard," Byleth replied, though the incredulous expression her student wore as her eyes roamed over Byleth's soaked clothes, matted hair and bare feet suggested that she didn't buy a word of it.
"I appreciate your attempt to spare my feelings, Professor, but you needn't bother. I have long known the trouble my somnambulism causes for others. I can only image you fell into the pond trying to stop me from falling in-"
"I did fall in, but that was my own fault for trying to stomp on your foot."
"My- what?"
"And it's really not as bad as it looks. Most of this water is what I carried in my boot to splash in your face."
"Spla..." After staring, mouth agape, for a few moments, Edelgard snorted and then burst out laughing as her mind conjured up the image of her professor running frantically after her with a boot full of water. "Ohohoh, Professor... Given how deep my sleep used to be during these walks, I doubt even that would have woken me. But that does raise the question, how did you manage to rouse me? I am not especially wet, so I imagine you found some other method?"
Rather than speak, Byleth simply reached out and poked Edelgard's exposed arm, sending a shiver through her body. It was only now that Edelgard realised how muscular Byleth's arms were...
"Wait, that was all it took?"
"Seems like it."
"That is... unusual, to say the least. Still, I supposed I should be grateful I can be roused so easily. But I do wonder why... Is it more than simply what was done? Could it also be who-?" Edelgard's eyes met Byleth's and quickly averted themselves from her teacher's gaze. "R-Regardless, I appreciate you putting yourself at such risk to keep me from doing the same. Even with so little time in the role, you truly are a shining example of what an educator should be. I am proud to call you my teacher, Professor, and I hope you will continue to look after me."
Byleth simply nodded.
Edelgard smiled warmly. "Thank you. Now, I suppose we should get to cleaning this mess up before the kitchen staff come in to prepare breakfast. You can imagine the shame I would feel, were it to get out that I had... well..."
"Watch your step." Byleth was already on her feet, holding out a hand to help Edelgard rise to hers. Edelgard gladly took it and stood. But despite Byleth's warning, Edelgard did start to slip a little in the water that had reached them since their fall, but Byleth was able to get her strong arms around her to keep her steady.
Noticing the warmth surrounding her, Edelgard finally realised what she was wearing. "This is... your cloak?"
"You looked cold in just your nightgown."
"Professor, I know I said I hoped you'd continue to look after me, but you shouldn't risk your own health just for mine. You should have kept it, or at least taken it back after you got wet."
"I think it's better if a person gets ill as a result of their own actions and not as punishment for something beyond their control."
Edelgard wasn't sure what to make of Byleth's words, but they exuded a certain respectability. Edelgard smiled as she removed the cloak from her own shoulders and draped it over its owner's, making sure to pull it tight around the front to make Byleth as warm as possible. "I would hate not to see you in class tomorrow morning, Professor. Please take care of yourself. Now, I don't supposed you know where we can find some mops?"
Byleth returned with a pair of mops in short order and the two got to work. The duo worked in silence, Edelgard's embarrassment over having caused the mess that was keeping the two from their beds for longer keeping her from speaking for fear of taking up any more of the professor's time. As they worked, Byleth's mind kept returning to something Edelgard had said earlier. Every so often, Edelgard caught glimpses of Byleth staring at her. At first, she assumed Byleth was judging her for the mess, but it soon became apparent that she had something she wanted to say, but perhaps couldn't.
"I-Is something on your mind, Professor?"
"Yes. I'm just not sure how to say it."
"You needn't worry about offending me. I've caused you so much trouble tonight that it only seems fair for me to indulge your curiosity."
"Then... about what you said earlier. About your nightmares?"
"Ah. You noticed that, did you?" Edelgard sighed. "Yes. I hoped you might have forgotten that... incident the other night. I suppose that was too much to hope for..."
"Sorry..."
"No, don't be. It really is unreasonable to expect anyone to forget something so... grim. Especially someone as diligent as yourself. But yes. My nightmares, my insomnia and my sleepwalking all stem from my childhood. You recall that I told you how I once had ten siblings, all of whom were rendered unable to inherit the throne?"
Byleth nodded.
"These were not divine acts of the goddess, nor random chance. All eleven of us were imprisoned underground, beneath the palace, by an enigmatic group. My siblings and I were subject to cruel experiments, all to endow our bodies with the power of a Major Crest. I inherited the Crest of Seiros through the Hresvelg bloodline, but it is a Minor Crest."
"The Crest of Seiros is considered 'minor'?"
Edelgard couldn't suppress a slight smile, in spite of the topic at hand. "I suppose it is somewhat ironic, given her Church's influence in the modern age. But yes. It is a Minor Crest that I and only a few of my siblings bore. This group aimed to create a peerless Emperor to rule Fódlan, and they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh."
"How... old were you when this happened?" Byleth asked with an uneasiness that Edelgard rarely saw in her professor.
"Too young. And as I told you last time, I wasn't even the youngest."
Byleth averted her eyes, her face slightly green. Edelgard stepped closer and took Byleth's hand in what she hoped would be a comforting manner.
"But here I stand now. I survived those horrid experiments, empowered with a Major Crest, now set to inherit the throne of Adrestia. And to see that those responsible are brought to justice for their atrocities." Edelgard hoped this front of confidence might make her teacher feel a little better about what she was hearing, but she doubted it would do much good.
"Do you... know who is responsible?" Byleth asked, swallowing nervously in the middle of her inquiry.
"The Prime Minister and his gaggle of nobles," Edelgard responded with surprising ease. Byleth's expression indicated towards her next question. "Yes, the current Prime Minister: Duke Ludwig von Aegir, Ferdinand's father."
"How..."
"-has he not been removed from his position? Or from this world? He and his cohorts have held the real power in Adrestia for many years. My father was already a puppet on their strings by then, powerless to do anything to help us. And, of course, while not bound by those same strings, I still lack the power to defy them, currently."
"I suppose that explains why you're such a diligent student - always looking to improve yourself for when you finally make your move. And why you wanted to recruit me to the Empire when we first met."
Edelgard's expression shifted from one of grief over her powerless to one of slightly conflicted happiness. "Yes. Along with my body, I also need to strengthen my forces. Mercenaries alone will not be enough, I think. Capable comrades I can rely upon, those I trust not to betray me like those wretched nobles... You are one of the very few I believe I can count among them."
Byleth reached out and took Edelgard's hand once more, the princess' other hand freezing in shock and allowing her mop to fall to the floor with an echoing clatter. "You can, Edelgard. I've never fought for a real cause as a mercenary - survival always comes first for my kind. But if what you're telling me is true, and I can't help but believe it is, these people need to be stopped."
"It... is rare to see you so determined, Professor. ...I-I'm sorry, I don't mean-"
Byleth held up a hand to interrupt Edelgard's apology. "I think I might not have felt this way before coming to Garreg Mach. As I said, survival always came first before. But I think spending time with the students here has made me realise how important the future of this land is. And I think that, in an ideal world, mercenaries like me wouldn't be needed. Such an idea would have been unthinkable back then, but now... I think I could live with that. Partly because I have a backup job, admittedly, but still."
"I see... I would not expect one who has lived as a mercenary their entire life to have such idealistic views."
"It's not that such an ideal world is likely to ever come, of course. I'm sure neither of us are naïve enough to think otherwise. But it's not bad to try and get as close to it as possible, I think."
"Hm. You truly are an enigma, Professor."
"Thank you?"
"No, I should be thanking you. Even with not proof, you believed what I told you about the experiments. You're either hopelessly naïve or you trust me as I trust you. I choose to believe the latter. And in the interest of trust, I wish to show you my evidence." Edelgard held out her palm and a purple glyph appeared over it. Rather than the leaf-like Crest of Seiros, what appeared was a Crest Byleth had seen in but one other place.
"The Crest of Flames..."
"Yes. Just like yours. And no one else's. It is as if this Crest were a sign of some grand destiny that we should meet." Edelgard dissipated the crest and shook her head. "Oh, what is it about you that makes me so sentimental? I've no time for such silly thoughts. When this Crest manifested in me, I swore a silent oath: For the sake of my family and all those poor souls whose lives were traded for my existence, I will build a world where such meaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned. As Emperor, I will change the world. I swear it."
"With such conviction, I doubt you'll struggle to find likeminded comrades here at the academy. Just listening to you talk makes me want to drop everything and go raid the capital under your banner."
Edelgard's face turned as red as her nightgown. "I... I doubt it will be so easy-"
"I don't," Byleth interrupted matter-of-factly.
Edelgard couldn't suppress her smile. "Then I will trust in your judgement, my teacher. but I think we have talked enough for tonight. We have class in the morning, and we still have more cleaning to do before bed."
Byleth nodded before crouching down to pick up Edelgard's mop for her.
Before too long, professor and student had put the dining hall back into the shape they'd found it in, save for the stolen food, and were on their way back to the dormitories the way they had come.
"I swear, eating sweets on my night walks is not a common occurrence," Edelgard insisted through ruby cheeks.
"That's a shame," Byleth responded lightly. "You looked very cute while you were enjoying it."
Edelgard's blush deepened. "P-Professor! Such comments are inappropriate."
"Facts are inappropriate?"
"Y-" Edelgard sighed. "I truly cannot fathom you, sometimes. You are either a merciless tease, or totally oblivious to social norms."
"What's wrong with complimenting someone to make them feel better about themselves?"
"...Nothing inherently. But... Oh, never mind. I am far too exhausted for this."
"That's better than still feeling restless."
"Do you think you'll struggle to get to sleep now?"
"Maybe. I don't think I've come down from the shock of falling in the pond."
"I see..."
"You don't need to apologise again. It wasn't your fault."
"Even so..." Edelgard's eyes fell to her feet in shame. Then, they noticed Byleth's. "At the very last, you must allow me to see to the repair of your boots. And some replacements in the meantime."
"You really don't have-"
"I insist." With a tone of authority possessed only by one such as the imperial princess, Byleth was powerless to refuse her any further.
The two arrived at Edelgard's room soon after, making sure to remain quiet as they passed the rooms of the other sleeping students. The last thing they needed was someone like Dorothea to spot them and get the wrong idea. Once inside, Edelgard began fishing through her collection of boots for a pair that would both fit and suit Byleth. Once Byleth nodded her approval at the current pair she was trying, Edelgard sighed and sat down on her bed, which now sported an extra blanket at Byleth's insistence. Edelgard chuckled inwardly at the mothering on display. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be treated this way.
Then, her eyes met Byleth's and she became suddenly aware that she had snuck a teacher into her room late at night. There was no way Edelgard was going to get to sleep now. There was probably still hope for Byleth, though, assuming her own blush didn't indicate that she had had the same thoughts pass through her head as well.
"I will see to your boots soon, Professor. But I should get some rest before then. Good night."
To her surprise, Byleth didn't leave. Instead, she took the chair from Edelgard's study desk and brought it over to her bed to sit on.
"What-"
"I'll stay by your side until you fall asleep."
"Professor, I'm not going to begin sleepwalking again, if that is what concerns you. When it does occur, it is usually weeks apart."
"Better safe than sorry," Byleth replied simply.
Edelgard grinned at the concern she was being shown, in spite of the sacrifice being made. "Then I will need to make sure I get to sleep soon so you can get some rest of your own."
Byleth nodded and crossed her arms.
Perhaps it was a chill she had caught, or the presence of someone observing her, her insomnia retuning in record time or simply thoughts of everything that had happened this night, but Edelgard struggled to get back to sleep. She tossed and turned, but found no respite.
After a while, Edelgard turned her head to find that her professor had already fallen asleep in her chair. Edelgard couldn't help but smile as she watched Byleth's head bob up and down, her arms still crossed across her chest. Edelgard slowly sat up and, for the second time that night, left her bed. She withdrew a spare blanket from one of her drawers and wrapped it around Byleth and her chair. Finding that the blanket only covered from her neck down to her ankles, Edelgard took out a second spare blanket and wrapped that one around the chair legs to cover Byleth's feet. Those things had gotten cold enough tonight, thanks to Edelgard. This was the least she could do to make up for that.
With her professor wrapped up tightly, snoring lightly with a slight smile on her lips, Edelgard found herself sitting on the edge of her bed and simply watching Byleth sleep. This was a far cry from the image Edelgard had always had in her head of Byleth - the hardened warrior with seemingly unparalleled skill with a sword, throwing herself between Edelgard and an enemy to protect this perfect stranger from a swift end. She looked like any normal young woman Edelgard might pass and pay no mind to in this state. Edelgard felt like she should be protecting this person instead of the other way around.
She felt like a passenger in her own body once more as she stood from her bed, leaned in to Byleth's ear and whispered, "Good night, my teacher," before turning back to her bed for the final time.
"I'll always be by your side," Byleth mumbled, "if you need me." Edelgard was frozen on the spot for a moment, unsure if she had accidentally woken Byleth by her actions, but the return of the quiet snore confirmed that she had simply been talking in her sleep. This truly was how she felt then, it seemed. She would support her, through thick and thin.
Or, so she thought. Would she still feel the same once she knew what Edelgard had planned? Or would she be disgusted? Edelgard wasn't sure how well she could take the prospect of Byleth siding against her. But either way, Edelgard knew she would never hate Byleth, whatever her choice. She only hoped Byleth would feel the same.
Edelgard returned to her bed. She was tempted to give Byleth a goodnight kiss on the forehead, but felt it would be inappropriate, even if she only intended it as thanks for the lengths Byleth had gone to to look out for her that night. Instead, she decided she would thank her by getting the rest Byleth wanted for her.
Her purple eyes finally allowed themselves to close as they followed the hypnotic rhythm of Byleth's chest as it rose and fell with her breathing. For the first time in many, many years, Edelgard von Hresvelg fell into a deep sleep that was plagued by neither torment nor sleepwalking. Instead, she dreamed of her eventual rebellion against her many, many enemies. And Professor Eisner was right there by her side, all the way to the end.
Here's a thought: Kostas' bandits are hired by the Flame Emperor, right? So, was Kostas unwittingly about to kill his employer, or was her being the target part of the plan that she was ready for, only for Byleth to screw it up by trying to save her? I considered including this in the story, but I'm not sure it would fit.