A/N:

I'm back! I'm not gonna go into too much detail here, the end note will have more for those who are curious.

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Verdant Rain Moon 1180:

Second of the Verdant Rain Moon:

Dimitri wanted to rush over to Duscur, and if it had been up to him, they wouldn't have wasted any time taking breaks, but he had no say. Byleth forced them to waste their precious time resting and sleeping through the whole night. He didn't get any sleep that night and he was sure it was the same for Dedue, but his complaints fell on deaf ears.

Despite his great frustrations, they had arrived, in the area of the uprising, ahead of Byleth's expectations. As soon as he could hear the shouting, from the village, much of his nerves left him. He had been so focused on getting there that he never actually thought about what he would do when they arrived.

As usual Byleth was the one to take over, but she didn't offer him much guidance. She basically left him and Dedue in charge of the negotiations with the rioters, while she went to scout out the Kingdom's soldiers. It was a job that fitted both of their expertise, but he didn't feel like was ready, or that he would ever be ready.

The situation didn't allow for him to prepare and so he and Dedue had no other choice but to go in unprepared. Given his past experiences, he thought he had known what to expect, but he was wrong. While there was something familiar, like people wielding farm tools as weapons, there were so much more that was unknown and disheartening to see. Women quickly escorting children into their homes and shutting the doors behind them with the children crying out for the mother inside, elderly people barely able to lift their "weapons" but were clearly not going to be talked out of fighting, people needing to be encouraged to fight, some with words, others with violence. It was all too much, and Dimitri wanted to look away, but forced himself to take in everything and remember it all. Gritting his teeth, he vowed to put end to the violence before it had a chance to ruin these people. He would bring peace to them!

Despite having found his resolve, the situation made it difficult to breach, everyone seemed to be in their own little worlds, completely unaware of the outsiders. Chaos rang out and neither Dimitri nor Dedue could find a leader to approach. It reminded the prince of the rebellion he had to suppress two years ago. Without a leader the rebels stood no chance of winning, and that would make it nearly impossible for him to try and sue for peace.

Just as soon as he was starting to lose confidence, he was spotted by a tall, muscular man, who shot him a scatting glare. The man wasted no time as he stormed his way over to him. The stranger was a giant that was even taller than Dedue with long, flowy white hair that even Dimitri couldn't deny was beautiful. But despite all of his striking features, it was the scars that littered the man's body and face that was most eye catching. They reminded Dimitri of what he used to imagine what a mercenary looked like, but he got the feeling that those scars didn't come from battle.

Just before the man could stand before the prince, Dedue stepped in between them. The man quickly turned his glare on Dedue but the younger man didn't stand down. When it became clear that the glare wasn't going to intimidate Dedue, the man started speaking in Duscurian, and Dimitri could only make out a few words.

The man's tone and volume became more intense as his conversation continued. It didn't take very long for their little group to become the center of everyone's attention. Dimitri was used to being treated differently and looks of hate were not a new thing to him (especially as of late), but he had never experienced such open hostility and there was nothing he could do about it. He hated how weak he was.

Suddenly the man grabbed Dedue by the collar and forced Dedue to stand on the tips of his toes. Dimitri was about to intervene, but his friend's calm demeanor had him hesitating. Without having the need to share it with words, Dimitri understood that Dedue wanted to hand the situation on his own, and so Dimitri reluctantly took a step back.

Before the worse could happen, another Duscurain boy interrupted them. Though the new guy was tall, he was only slightly taller than Dimitri, and his white hair was short and messy. He carried an overly large bag that he was seemingly very careful with. At the boy's gentle coaxing the man released Dedue as he turned his focus on to the boy.

The boy's tone was gentle and calming and it wasn't long before the men lost a lot of his tension. The man was now talking more softly and Dedue did the same. Dimitri swallowed the sigh of relief his body wanted to release, less it might be misinterpreted. As the man and Dedue talked the boy made eye contact with Dimitri and gave him a soft, friendly smile, to which Dimitri returned, albeit a little awkwardly.

It didn't take long after the boy's arrival for the tension to finally settle and Dimitri wasn't regard with as much hostility, but he was still far from welcomed. With a sigh the man turned his gaze to Dimitri, and the blond man stiffened. Dimitri was looked at with a glare, but it softened at the boy's insistence and the man released a heavy sigh.

Even after staring at Dimitri for a few more seconds the man said nothing and turned away. It was the boy's turn to sigh and added a little shake of his head, when the man started to walk away. With the man gone, all the onlookers began to disperse, and it became easier for Dimitri to breathe.

"They are willing to listen to us," Dedue said, and Dimitri flinched at hearing Fodlanese. "The elder must be present first." The prince gave Dedue a nod of understanding as he wasn't sure of what else to do.

The outsiders didn't have much time to themselves as the boy was quick to approach them. The boy was sporting a smile and it was quite comforting. Unsure of what to do Dimitri simply returned the smile, while he was sure that Dedue thanked the boy in Duscurian.

"I'm Salu," the boy said. His accent was thick, it reminded Dimitri of when Dedue was first learning Fodlanese, but it was understandable.

Dedue introduce himself in his same way and the two Duscurians did the same gesture of a wide wave of their hands across their body, Dimitri assumed it was a form of greeting. Salu turned to the prince, and when the gesture was done to him, the prince hesitated but performed it as best as he could. Both Byleth and Dedue had agreed that it was best that he didn't share his name, but he had been too distracted to think of a cover name.

"Eisner," he blurted out when he realized he had taken too long to answer. Salu's eyes widen, but Dimitri didn't notice as he was too busy struggling to not blush. Coping Byleth's style of choosing a fake name was fine, but out of all the people's name he could have bothered with, why did it have to be hers? He wanted to scream out his shame, but he made sure to never reflect it. "Aster Eisner," he said calmly, in an attempt to steady his mind, but all it did was leaving him unable to look at Dedue. He could at least take some solace in the fact that she wasn't there to witness his embarrassment.

"Do you know a-" Salu never got to finish as a shout silenced him and everyone around them. For a moment he frowned but he quickly replaced it with his standard smile when he started to explain to the outsiders that the elder was ready. He said no more as he quickly guided them to the elder's location.

Dimitri would never claim to be an expert in Duscurian culture, and after arriving there he realized he knew very little despite having Dedue by his side for years, but he at least liked to believe that he knew what to expect when seeing a Duscurian elder. The elder they meet was a woman, who had to be no older than her early forties, fifty at max, and because of this he was left wondering if it wasn't age and wisdom that determined who became an elder. Seeking some kind of understanding, he glanced at Dedue from the corner of his eye, and despite his friend looking the same he could see the subtle signs of Dedue's jaw being clenched and Dimitri looked away.

Dimitri didn't have time to dwell on his thoughts as the elder's voice rang out loud and strong. Whether she was ready for her position or not, the elder never showed it as she continued to present an air of confidence and strength. He couldn't help but wish he had a sliver of her leadership skills.

"I'm told you wish for us to put a stop to our call for justice," she said as she stared right into his eyes. The use of Fodlanese was unexpected and it made her all the more impressive.

Under her intense stare he felt his palms get sweaty and found it difficult to swallow. If the circumstances had been different, he could easily imagine her dominating a court. Her stare was intimidating, but he was no stranger to all-consuming stares and so he held his head high, which earned him a slight raising of an eyebrow.

"Who are you to deny us our right to fair treatment?" He gritted his teeth but kept his strong stance. "We are innocent! We deserve to be treated with respect! We are human! Not some rabid, royal killing savages, your people are so quick to label us as." Her words spoke a harsh truth that made it difficult for him to counter without coming as harsh or uncaring. The truth stung and kept his own words at bay; if his uncle had been there to witness that moment, he would be reminding Dimitri how much of a soft prince he was, and Dimitri didn't care, he hoped to never turn a blind eye to sorrowful pleas or have sharp truths wash over him like they were nothing.

"So, why should we not demand respect? Why should we not defend ourselves from such cruelty?!" He said nothing, waiting for her to finish. "Why are you telling us to silence our voices? Why are you requesting that we accept such injustice? Who are you to demand such things of us?"

Once it was clear that she was finished speaking, Dimitri offered her and everyone else there a grand bow He hesitated a moment before raising his head. Listening to such pleas and seeing the lengths of their desperation that these people were forced to undergo, made him doubt if he was worthy of facing them, when he himself was so powerless to help them.

"I understand your plight and I am ashamed that there is so little that I am able to do to help," he said after locking eyes with the elder. "But I do not believe it is wise to give the kingdom cause to use force." It painted him to refer to his nation as an enemy, but it was a truth he couldn't deny. Murmurs broke out and glares were directed at him but the elder was calm and that helped him to remain calm as well.

"I know my words sound selfish, but I do not wish to see any blood lost." The murmuring didn't stop. The man, from earlier, looked like he was ready to strike at any moment, and once again Dedue blocked his path. Dimitri didn't allow for his friend to block as his view and he stepped in front, so that everyone may look at him.

"Viscount Kleiman has already sent a request to the capital asking for additional soldiers. As much as it pains me to say this, you have no hope for victory and only risk making your situation worse." The murmurs quickly took on a more sorrowful tone and they were a stab at his heart.

"We are to roll over and to accept bad treatment?" the man yelled, and everyone went silent. He spoke with such a thick accent that Dimitri didn't understand every word said, but he didn't have too as he understood the point loud and clear.

Gritting his teeth, Dimitri hung his head. What was he supposed to say to that? Promise that everything would get better once he became king? They would still need to wait for him tot turn eighteen, and even then, he wasn't naïve enough to believe that everything would change so quickly once he was crowned.

"Wait for Prince Dimitri to become king," a clear voice rang out in the crowd. All eyes flew to the newcomer, Byleth.

It was quiet as everyone watched her walk towards them. He tried to be the one to break the silence first by calling out to her, but Salu beat him to it as rushed over to her, shouting her name. Dimitri wasn't sure what to make of the situation when he saw Salu lift Byelth up in a massive hug. Concern had first gripped him, but it quickly eroded away into something darker and more unpleasant when he saw her smile.

"They are calling her 'the Guiding Light'," Dedue had quietly whispered, snapping Dimitri out of his thoughts, and alerting him to all the voices.

Salu finally set Byleth down and stepped away so that others could begin to approach her. She gave everyone a smile and touched every hand that was reached out to her. Tears were shed by many of the people as they bowed to her and whispered a variety of things that Dedue translated as different forms of appreciation and prayers. Like a moth enchanted by a flame, Dimitri couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene.

These people were his citizens, it was his duty to protect them, but it was clear that Byleth had done far more for them than he ever did. He should have felt grateful. He wanted to feel that way. And yet he could not deny the dark, bitter feeling that had settled in the pit of his stomach. When he finally acknowledged that feeling the enchantment was broken and he was able to look away. His eyes landed on the elder, who was watching Byleth with a fond look; and the feeling that he so desperately wanted to suppress grew.

"Salinee," the gruff man said, and Dedue was quick to translate it as "Guiding Light".

The man had called for her so softly and gently that Dimitri almost didn't believe that it was from the same man that was ready to strike him not so long ago. Hesitantly the man stepped forward until he had Byleth's attention and then he suddenly froze, as if someone had placed a spell on him. "Do…Do you really want us to wait and suffer? Why?"

The smile left her face as her expression morphed into her more natural look. She glanced at Dimitri, and he was quick to look away. He didn't have the answer. He couldn't help these people now, what would make anyone think things would be different later? What good was he?

He squeezed his eyes shut as he could start to feel ghostly tendrils pull at him. He didn't need that now, and he quietly begged them to spare him for just a little longer. The last thing he needed was another reminder that he was useless or that Byleth would have probably already have taken care of everything if their rolls had been reversed.

"I know my suggestion may seem unreasonable," Byleth's voice rang out loud and clear. He didn't dare open his eyes, he couldn't. It wasn't until he felt a strong grip on his shoulder that he finally opened them, and she gave him a small smile. He couldn't match her gaze for long, and hastily he turned away from her; but he didn't push her away, he didn't have too, as her hand easily slipped away and that left him with several conflicting emotions.

"But I would not make such a request from you all if I did not believe that the prince was a good man." He gritted his teeth. He couldn't understand how she still believed in him. "If he wasn't, I would tell you all to take arms, but he is a wonderful man that has my full trust." It felt like a stab to his heart, and he was compelled to look at her. Her eyes did not wavier. She truly did believe in him, even after everything…He was such a terrible fool, who did not deserve any of her trust. "And so, I selfishly ask you to wait. To save as many of your lives as possible."

Murmurs once again broke out amongst the crowed. The talk varied and if it bothered her, she never showed it. With a loud shout, from the elder, the crowed quieted. The elder did not speak right away and simply stared at Dimitri's little group, but to him it felt like she was only really staring at him.

"That is a difficult request you ask of us," the elder finally said, after a long moment of silence. "You ask us to believe in the prince when he has done nothing for us." Dimitri flinched and he noticed that Dedue had flinched as well. "Does he not want us dead? Does he not blame us for the death of his family?"

"No, he does not!" Dimitri shouted. All eyes were on him, but he didn't care as his focus was solely on the elder. "He…No, I know that it was not the people of Duscur that attacked the royal family that night!" He knew he was supposed to keep his identity a secret, but he believed he couldn't keep lie to those people anymore. They were suffering and they deserved to know the face of the prince that was too weak to help them.

He ignored Dedue's attempts to stop him as he stepped forward and offered up the Duscurians a deep bow, the type a royal was to never suppose give, but he didn't care. There was a silence, and he slowly raised his head. He locked eyes with the elder, who had a knowing look in her eyes.

"I am a powerless prince, who has done little for his people, let alone the people of Duscur, but I beseech you all to not engage Viscount Kleiman's forces." Murmurs once again rang out consuming the silence. Taking another step forward, he placed his hand over his heart. "I swear to you! When I become king, when I finally have the power, I will absolve the people of Duscur of all the false allegations that have been directed at them as well as do all that I can to help return the land of Duscur to its formal glory!"

The murmurs grew louder but Dimitri never wavered as he continued to match the elder's stare. Eye contact was only broken when he looked at the person, who grabbed his shoulder, Byleth. Seeing both Byleth and Dedue standing by his side, helped to greatly reduce the tension in his body.

"I apologize," he whispered so only his friends could hear him. Dedue just closed his eyes, while Byleth arched an eyebrow. "I was supposed to keep my identity a secret." She gave him a small smile and he felt like everything was going to be alright.

"I was wrong," she said. "Revealing your identity has touched them more than mine ever could." He doubted that, but he kept those thoughts to himself. It was nice to believe that he was at least able to have a positive impact as small as it may be.

He felt an intense stare and so he returned his attention to the elder, who gaze didn't seem to waiver in the slightest. She gave him one more passive look before she looked at everyone. Without having to say anything everyone went silent and gave her their full attention; he hoped to one day command such a presence.

"Your highness," she said, and he stood at attention. "Do you truly mean what you say? You don't bare a hatred to the people of Duscur and that you wish to help us?"

"Yes," he said strongly. "I swear to help the people of Duscur when I become king!"

Murmurs didn't break out like he was expecting as everyone was starting at the two leaders. "We shall put our rebellion on hold then." Gasps rang out and the man that had first approached Dimitri, tsked loudly but said nothing. The elder's gaze narrowed onto Dimitri, and he felt so small under it. "I pray you do not go back on your word." He didn't say anything, but he did give her a strong nod.

"If you are not in a hurry to leave then you are free to stay the night," the elder said so suddenly that it almost did register to the prince. He was never given a chance to respond as she quickly left after saying that and with the man closely following her.

As Dimitri was slowly coming to an understanding, Salu had swiftly returned to Byleth's side. He latched onto her arm and wore such a bright smile; it was a strong contrast to Dimitri's frown. Biting back his complaints the blond bitterly watched as Salu tugged at Byleth's arm until he had her attention.

"Byleth!" Salu shouted so happily that Dimitri couldn't help but glare at the young man, who seemed to be completely unaware of it. "You can stay at my place!" Salu looked so happy that it only soured Dimitri's mood more.

As if remembering that the prince and Dedue was there Salu turned his attention onto them. His smile left his face, and despite his irritation for the boy, Dimitri could tell it wasn't because Salu was frustrated by the outsiders' presence. Salu glanced between Dimitri and Byleth a few times before speaking again.

"Of course, your brother, I mean His Highness, is welcome to stay as well." At the word brother, Dimitri's face turned a bright red and he wanted to hide away somewhere.

The flustered man didn't have a chance to stop the strange misunderstanding before Byleth turned her gaze onto him. He let out a quiet whimper when he saw the clear confusion in her eyes. He wanted to runaway before she could utter a sound, but he knew it was far too late for that.

"Brother?" she asked, and he groaned into his hands when he, at least, gave into the desire to hide his face. Helplessly he listened to Salu explain the fake name and another groaned escaped him when he heard her hum of acknowledgement. In protest he kept his face buried, despite feeling her gaze on him.

"Do you want to be my brother?"

"No!" He shouted, and thanks to his embarrassment it was louder than necessary as well as got him to uncover his face. Starring at her puzzled look caused his face to heat up even more. "I-I want something different."

Instantly her features harden, and she turned away from him to give Salu her full attention. Dimitri wanted to reach out to her, but he stopped himself, and instead, he masked his disappointment with a mask of indifference. It was only natural for her to reach the wrong conclusion after everything. He had only himself to blame and he absolutely hated himself for it.

Despite the now heavy atmosphere, Salu led everyone to his home. He tried to figure out what was wrong several times, but Byleth was always quick to change the subject by asking a question about the boy; eventually he stopped about it. Even though Dimitri and Dedue were outsiders to their conversation, it did both please and frustrate Dimitri to see Byleth excited about her reunion.

"Salu, what are you doing in Faerghus?" Byleth asked chipperly, but the boy didn't match her mood.

"I couldn't leave my brothers and sisters behind when I could help them," Salu answered after a moment of silence. The smile he wore didn't reach his eyes. Byleth didn't say anything and simply patted him on the head.

Byleth changed the topic to the village and Salu happily went back to describing it. Dimitri silently watched their interactions in amazement. Byleth had come a long way in reading other's emotions. She was never outright terrible at it, but she used to be incredibly slow at reading or picking up hints, but that no longer seemed to be the case. He wanted to be happy about that, but he couldn't, and that bothered him greatly. Byleth was growing and reaching levels that were far beyond his reach, while he remained the same. No, he had regressed backwards. Did he even have the right to chase her? Should he even be allowed to become king? Surely Faerghus would be better off without him.

After getting on the topic of the village Salu decided to show them around. Besides feeling like an outsider, Dimitri was pleased to see how relaxed and happy Dedeu was. Though there was nothing he could do to convince Dedue to leave his side and enjoy the city; not even Byleth could convince Dedue to "give up" his duty for even a moment.

Even though negotiations had gone wonderfully, Dimitri wasn't really welcomed and by constantly sticking to him, neither was Dedue. Dimitri wasn't bothered by the fact that he wasn't welcomed, he was used to feeling like an outsider, and so for everyone's sake he was willing to hide away somewhere until it was time to leave. The only problem was that the only one willing to provide him with housing for a night was Salu. After learning about Salu's history with Byleth and how Salu saw her as an older sister, Dimitri no longer felt bothered by the boy, so he had no issue staying with him except for the fact that he was the village's doctor. His home smelled strongly of medical herb that bothered Dimitri and it was so much worse for Byleth, who nearly vomited as soon as Salu opened the door to his house.

To make up for issue of his house, Salu promised to find another place for them to stay, and he dragged Byleth along, refusing to accept her polite refusal. Dimitri and Dedue were able to get out of it, thanks to the difficulty it would be to find someone willing to accept them. To avoid awkwardly standing somewhere in the village, the two men decided to set up camp on the outskirts. The evening breeze was great, and the distant sounds of the village was nice and calming; Dimitri was glad that they had decided to camp.

Away from everything, the prince could finally breathe easy. Sitting at the campfire he discovered that his hands where shaking. Silently he stared at them as it slowly dawned on him on what he did. He succeeded, he managed to negotiate for peace. There would be no coming pointless bloodshed. He clutched his hands into fists as a sense of pride swelled within him for the first time in a long while.

The smell of dinner was wonderful and though he had no way of tasting it, he had no doubt that it was delicious and that only helped to lift his mood more. Knowing he would be of no help as well as Dedue refusing his help, Dimitri lazily watched as Dedue finished the finishing touches of their meal that night, stew. Just as dinner was ready to be served Byleth, approached them.

The prince was quickly on his feet and rushed over to her when she got close. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Upon his question, she stopped and looked at him. "Should you not be staying with Salu?" At the mention of Salu's home she looked like she was going to be sick, and he realized what a stupid question that was. "Or someone else's? Surely, anyone in the village would be pleased to have you stay with them."

"Where you are is where I'll naturally be."

His face grew warm, and he struggled to keep a neutral expression. "You do not need to be," he mumbled. Losing the struggle to hide his glee he looked away as he said that.

She didn't say anything right away, and so he stole a sideways glance at her. Her gaze narrowed into a share glare, and she turned to look at Dedue. His heart sunk and he went back to looking at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but Dedue's arrival of food silenced him. "You are my responsibility." Her voice was tight, but she still managed to thank Dedue with no hostility.

Once again, he tried to speak but she walked past him and headed towards their little campfire. Ungracefully she dropped to the floor and began to eat. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." Her voice was thick, and she kept her gaze away from him.

"No! I- I did not mean-" He was finally able to say but her refusal to look at him, caused him to lose the nerve to say anything else. It was only after the damaged had been done did he realize how terrible his choice of words had been, after everything he had done. He wanted to reach out to her and fix everything right then and there. To tell her how sorry he was and how much of a fool he was, but no sounds would escape him. He didn't even have the strength to move.

"His Highness did not mean to make it sound like that you are unwelcomed," Dedue said, and offered her a small bow. Silently she gave him a nod, and the tension in her body noticeably decreased but she remained silent.

After making sure Byleth was fine, Dedue gave Dimitri a nod before sitting to eat his own meal. Dimitri mouthed a thank you before sitting down, with a small distance between him a Byleth. He wanted to sit next to her, but he was too much of a coward to do so; and from the corner of his eye, he spied Dedue giving him a small shake of his head.

When it came to Dedue and Byleth, Dimitri was used to extended periods of silence but given the tension it was too much for him. He wanted to break the stillness with his own apology, but Byleth seemed to be lost in thought, starring endlessly at her bowl of food. She hardly touched her food, which was unheard of for the gluttonous woman, and looks were exchanged between the men.

"Are you alright?" Dedue was the one to finally asked.

Byleth didn't respond and instead started to frown at her food. She took a small bite and her frown deepened. With a groan she set her unfinished meal aside and rubbed her eyes.

"I apologize if it was not to your liking."

As if just remembering that the two men where there, she looked at them before quickly shutting her eyes and sighing. "No, it's not that," she said with a little shake of her head. She rubbed her eyes before speaking again, "It feels like I can…" She didn't finish that thought and just sighed instead. There was as a long pause before she felt like continuing, "it feels like I can taste every little ingredient you put in it. And it's just too much." It looked like she wanted to say more but didn't.

She buried her face into her knees and tried to curl up into a ball. Dedeu glanced at Dimitri, but the prince had no idea what to do. "Seeing everyone in the village," at the sound of her voice both boy's flinched and went back to looking at her. She didn't change her position and continued to remain curled, muffling her voice a bit. "It was nice, but they were all too loud. The intense smell of medical herbs from Salu left me with a horrible migraine. I thought camping on the outskirts would help but the smell and light from the campfire is too much. Everything is too much."

"By…" Dimitri called out to her quietly, but she didn't respond. He got up and made his way over to her but hovered over her once he was close enough. He wanted to reach out to her but stopped himself, in fear that would just only add to her troubles. Awkwardly he stood near her, trying to figure out what to do, and that decision was made for him when she sat straight, and they made eye contact. He was frozen in place as the two stared into each other eyes for a moment. The moment didn't last for long as she was quick to look away and get up. When she moved away, he didn't do anything and just sat in her old spot as he didn't really know what else to do.

"My situation isn't what is important right now." He wanted to argue against that, but he wasn't given a chance. "We must discuss our situation first." His argument died upon his lips as they locked eyes yet again. "What kind of man is Viscount Kleiman?"

He stared at her for a moment, not really understanding the point of her question just yet. "I have not had the pleasure of meeting him on many occasions." His wording was polite but only out of habit. While their meetings were brief the viscount always made the prince feel uncomfortable and he couldn't really explain why. He wasn't quite sure what to say to Byleth when he remembered overhearing a brief complaint from Lord Rodrigue. "But I have heard that he is a man that loves being noble and the power that comes with it."

She didn't say anything and simply nodded her head, as her gaze naturally drifted away as it tends to do when she was lost in thought. He glanced at Dedue, wondering if he should add more, though he didn't really know what else to add. After a few seconds of silence, he decided to add a bit more, but it was too late as she began to ask her next question.

"You don't think he would do anything rash, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think he would do something to provoke a riot?" Dimitri's eyes widen but he didn't say anything. "Is there a possibility that he would gain something from suppressing a riot? Or possibly lose something?"

Dimitri's gaze slowly drifted to the ground as he bite his lip. He wasn't involved in politics as much a he would have liked so he didn't know if the Viscount would gain anything, but he could imagine a few things that could possibly open up for the noble. Balling his hands into fists, he kept his gaze downward and remained silence, less speaking his fears would will them into existence.

The silence grew and it felt suffocation. He knew he needed to share his fears, but he didn't want to believe one of his people could be so vile. Curses filled his mind, but none escaped to break the silence.

By standing up, Byleth broke him out of his negative thoughts. She didn't say anything, but simply twisted her torso a few times. After leaning back and stretching her back for a bit, she turned her gaze onto him, and he flinched. Her gaze didn't settle on him for long but he still felt entranced by it.

"Since we left for an emergency, it will be strange for us to return too soon, so I think we should stay a bit longer. What do you think?" Silently he agreed with a simple nod. If his continued silence bothered her, she never let on that it did.

He never shared his thoughts or opinions before they retired for the night. Byleth set up her bedroll far way from their little makeshift camp. It was so far that one could make an argument that she wasn't apart of the camp, and it did bother him but given her reaction to the food earlier that night he said nothing. Neither one of them got much sleep that night and neither of them were aware of the other's struggle.

Verdant Rain Moon 1180:

Fourth of the Verdant Rain Moon:

It was well into the early hours of the morning that Dimitri was suddenly awaken by Byleth. He groggily tried to ask what was going on, but she quickly covered his mouth. Thanks to the darkness he couldn't see anything, but he was sure she was making a gesture for him to be quiet, so he gave her a nod and she removed her hand. He tried to watch as she did the same for Dedue, but all he could make out was their silhouettes.

Despite waking them up without warning, she didn't say anything or hardly moved from what little Dimitri could make out. His heart was pounding loudly as he fumbled around in the dark for his lance, while he never took his eyes off of her. Once he finally secured his lance, he had hoped it would help to calm him, but the continued silence made that impossible.

"What's going on?" Dedue finally asked by Byleth didn't respond.

With his eyes still adjusting, Dimitri couldn't make out her features, but he could make out her rising form. A few more seconds passed before she responded, "do you hear that?" Immediately both of them were on their feet and matching her silence.

A frown grew upon his lips when the prince couldn't hear anything unusual. Gripping his lance tighter, he looked around and hated how he couldn't see anything. He looked back at her, seeking answers, but didn't dare voice the questions.

"It's footsteps," she answered as if she could read his mind.

"Maybe, it's a lone villager wondering alone at night?" Dedue asked, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.

"No," she was quick to say, "there are several of them."

Dimitri's breath got caught in his throat. He gripped his lance as tightly as he could before cracks could form. He still couldn't see well in the dark, but he could at least now see the dark expression she wore as she stared in a certain direction.

"Bandits…maybe?" There was even less confidence in Dedeu's voice.

"No," she was once again quick to say, but was slow to say the rest. "The steps are too in sync to belong to bandits."

A heavy silence befell on them. No longer was the prince able to watch her as his gaze dropped to the ground. He wanted to believe that the steps belonged to the mask people that attacked Byleth. It wasn't a great hope, but it was better than what he was expecting them to truly belong too.

Swiftly his gaze flew up to the peaceful, night sky that mocked him. It was the night a new moon, perfect for an ambush or other nefarious tactics, it was something a well-trained ar- No, he didn't want to accept the truth yet. If they truly were what he deep down inside expected than that would mean that they were his people, people that were sworn to protect the weak and innocent. He gritted his teeth when he reluctantly accepted the fact. In such chaotic times, power hungry fools would do anything, no matter how despicable the act. He just wished it wasn't his people involved.

No longer able to ignore his companions' stares, he turned his sights onto them. No one said anything and he wished that Byleth would say something and relieve him of just some of his responsibilities. Gritting his teeth, he wanted to laugh at himself. Just two days ago he was hating how powerless and useless he was as a prince and when he finally must prove himself, he wanted someone else to take charge. Faerghus deserved better.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. On his exhale he snapped his eyes open and gave a firm nod to Byleth. She didn't need any words to understand his resolve as she began to lead them in the directions of the footsteps.

It didn't take them long to discover the squadron. He felt sick watching the solders from their hiding spot, behind some trees, The soldiers were dressed in old, worn clothes, in a clear attempt to disguise themselves. The words they exchanged didn't make the prince feel any better, and despite how much he didn't want to believe what he was hearing, deep down inside he wasn't surprised. He did take comfort in seeing one soldier not taking part in the slander, and he hoped that soldier wasn't pleased with his orders.

He was miserable with the whole situation, but he was at least grateful that the soldiers' numbers had been small and possibly manageable for his tiny group. That little comfort did nothing to fight the growing animosity and discomfort he had for the whole thing, but he pushed those feelings aside. He glanced at Byleth hoping for her to be ready to give the signal, but to his horror she was waiting on him to do that.

Struggling to swallow the large lump that formed in his throat, he went back to looking at the disguised men. He didn't want to give the order to attack. Would it be possible to talk them out of it? He listened quietly to the vile things they said about the people of Duscur and he felt even sicker to his stomach.

He very much did not want to fight, but he promised the people of Duscur that he would protect them, and if he didn't no one else in Fodlan would. Clenching his fists tightly, he turned to his professor and gave her a firm nod to which she returned it with one of her own. Quietly he got onto his feet and the others followed suit.

While his was wallowing in his thoughts the group of soldiers had passed him and were far up the road. He didn't like the visual representation of his hesitancy, but he decided to focus on the fact that it gave them an advantage (even though such a tactic would normally be seen as cowardly to him). Doubt still ate a way at him, but he ignored it as he gave the order to charge but not to kill. His companions were the first to move as his feet felt incredibly heavy. With more effort than he wanted to admit he finally managed to get himself moving; though he couldn't bring himself to run a full speed.

Their surprise ambush worked spectacularly, with Byleth's guidance they were able to divide the soldiers into small manageable groups, as well as preventing themselves from being overwhelmed. They also had the added bonus of the soldiers being mostly made up of new recruits that struggled to recover and lacked any real combat experience. Dimitri still had his doubts, but the ease of battle had him relaxing a bit and allowed him to focus on the end goal.

"Focus on the woman!" a soldier shouted in the middle of the chaos and Dimitri froze. Forgetting about his own opponents he looked passed his group to see Byleth struggling. With one hand she clutched her head and with the other she swung her sword sporadically; the skilled warrior was nowhere to be seen.

Caution left the young man when he saw two men charging after her. With a surprise bull rush, he managed to push a soldier, that was blocking his path, out of the way as he rushed towards the two going after Byleth. With a good swing of his lance, he managed to sweep it under the feet of one of them and forcing him to fall backwards and hit the ground hard, causing the other one to briefly to stop. He used the blunt end of his lance to smack into the remaining soldier's side a bit to hard, knocking him a way while also breaking several bones in the process. He didn't spare the two soldiers any more of his attention as he continued on his charge to Byleth and knocked out her one opponent.

Despite his interruptions, she didn't stop her chaotic movements and didn't even acknowledge him. He called for her, but she didn't respond. Upon getting close enough to her, he could see that her eyes were tightly shut, and she was groaning constantly in pain, but besides a few cuts he didn't spy any noticeable or concerning wounds on her.

He tried to reach out to her, but he couldn't close the gap thanks to her constantly swinging her sword like a mad woman. All his cries for her fell on deaf ears, except for one. Just in time he noticed a lone solder that snuck up on them and with his sword ready to pierce her, and with a final scream of her name Dimitri threw himself onto her. Hers and the soldier's sword tore into him, but he didn't care as Byleth's safety was his only concern at that moment.

Horrified, steel-blue eyes stared into his and normally that would be a sight he despised, but at that moment it brought him a great relief to know that she was finally focusing on him. She seemed about ready to scream out his name, but instead, she threw her arms around him and rolled the both of them out of the way of the next attack; but not before having the swords slice across her left arm. As if her earlier states was just a part of his imagination, she had expertly disengaged herself from him, and managed to stand perfectly between him and the soldier; or at least that's what he would have like to think but her shaky stance and head clutching had him thinking otherwise. He barely managed to say her name when she scarcely managed to knock out her opponent with an awkward stance.

Once their immediate threat was gone, she turned her sights onto him. A slew of apologize quickly left her and came to an abrupt end when she suddenly gaged and clutched head with one hand and covered her mouth with the other. Forgetting about his pain he rushed over to her and forced her to look at him. Even in the dim light, from a discard nearby lamp, he could tell that her gaze was unfocused, and she was sweating profusely. He was about to say her name when she pushed away from him to dry heave and a whimper escaped her afterwards.

"Are you alright?" he absentmindedly asked as his mind tried to figure out what could have possibly been affecting her. Without looking at him she went back to apologizing and nothing he said could reach her. He once again forced her to look at him, but the apologies kept coming despite all his calls of her name. Unable to think of anything else to do, he lightly slapped her checks in the softest way he could that would still sting slightly, and that instantly quieted her.

"I am so sorry, but I did not know what else to do to get you to stop," he was quick to say and rubbed her cheeks. "Are you alright?" he asked again when he noticed that her gaze didn't waiver. Her gaze slowly drifted downward, and he wonder if he needed to do something else to get her to focus. Eventually she gave him a small shake of her head and he could feel his heartrate increase. Biting his lips, he remained silent, despite his desperate desire to force her to elaborate.

"The noises…the smells…it's all too much. It's so overwhelming…," she quietly admitted, and it was almost lost to the sounds of battle. "I'm sorry," she finished with, and he frowned at her apology.

Before he could respond a groan from another man broke them out of their little bubble. They both looked behind Dimitri just in time to see a man fall before them with Dedue standing over him. Everyone just stared at each other for a second before Dedue hurried over to the prince and started to fuss over him.

"You're Highness!" Dedue exclaimed with more panic than Dimitri had ever heard from the man before. "Byleth! You must treat His Highness! I beg of you!" Momentarily Dimitri was confused by his friend's request, but all at once his body ached with the pain of his forgotten wounds, and a groan escaped him.

Immediately, he felt Byleth's hand near one of his wounds, but the warm, soothing sensation never came. When he looked at her, her face was contorted in pain. Gently he reached out to touch her face and to get her to look at him and when they locked eyes, she looked like she was about to cry, even though he knew she couldn't but that didn't make the sight any less painful to him.

"I'm so sorry," she said, and he feared she would fall back into endless apologies. "I can't… I can't… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It is okay," he said only to interrupt her as well as cupped her face to her to look at him. He heard Dedue's compliant, but he ignored it. "We do not have time for this." He knew they would object to it, but it was a truth that he was counting on at least Byleth being unable to ignore. As if to prove his point the order for the remaining soldiers to regroup filled the night air and through Byleth's grimace he spied her snarl of disapproval. "We need to finish this battle first." He was pleased that was enough to silence their arguments.

"We need to take down the commander," Byleth said after a brief moment of silence. "These are such raw recruits that they will surely crumble without a leader. I was trying to find their leader…" She didn't finish that thought nor did she have too as he understood.

Dimitri looked over at the remaining soldiers and saw that they reformed into a wall that was getting ready to charge. Only one stood out, as he stood in the back separating himself from the others. Dimitri tried to get up, but the pain quickly put an end to that. A small curse slipped from him.

"Don't worry, Your Highness," Dedue said, "Byleth and I shall handle it." Dimitri pressed his lips together and glanced at Byleth, she didn't look that confident either.

The prince returned his gaze to his friend, but before he could say something Byleth was handing him something- a vulnerary. His confusion was quickly forgotten as Byleth spoke up, once she was on her feet, "Oak, I will probably only be a hinderance." Dimitri wanted to object but his voice was lost to hers. "Everything is far too much for me. I can't focus enough to cast a spell let alone on the opponent before me. But if you can just guide me to the leader, I swear I will finish this battle." Any objections or complaints the students had were abandoned at the confidence in her voice.

All Dimitri could do was wish them luck as they rushed off, leaving him behind to attend to his wounds. He hated being left behind, but since he had no doubt that they would succeed, that helped to make it more bearable. With the knowledge that Byleth had forced on her students during all their first aid lessons, he was able to stop the bleeding and could wait for his friends in somewhat peace, as he didn't become anyone's target.

Given Byleth's earlier struggle, he expected the battle to go on longer, but maybe thanks to Dedue's guidance it ended very quickly. Just what they had hope the new soldiers' formation fell apart and panic began to take ahold of them. The prince watched, unsure of what to do next, when Byleth's booming voice put a stop to the chaos.

Her moment of weakness was a thing of the past as she stood tall, ordering the solders to put down their weapons. In stunned silence Dimitri could do nothing else but watch as she took charge of the situation. Could he ever do that? His moment with the people of Duscur was no where near as powerful or commanding as she was in that moment. It left him feeling bitter to know that he still had so much left to work on.

Desperately her tired to ignore the sour feeling that was growing, and he turned away to focus on attending to his wounds. A light touch on his shoulder had him jumping slightly. He glanced over his shoulder to see one of the soldiers. He flinched and the soldier was quick to throw up his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry, but I know a bit of healing magic and I was told to come assist you," the soldier said. Dimitri didn't say anything and looked pass the soldier to look at Byleth and Dedue. Dedue had been watching him carefully, but Byelth was looking away talking to others. The prince couldn't help the frown that formed on his lips. He knew that it was foolish to expect Byleth to heal him when she was clearly busy and had explained it earlier that she was unable to cast a spell and yet…Swallowing his complaint, he gave the soldier a nod to continue.

Gently the soldier placed his hand on Dimtiri's back and a warmth spread over his back, but it brought little comfort to the pouty man. It took the unexperienced healer a bit of time to heal Dimitri's back, but despite looking tired the soldier still wanted to continue and finish treating Dimitri, and so the prince reluctantly turned around so that his front injury could be treated. He didn't look at the soldier and instead watched Byleth, who never once looked in his direction.

His frown grew but it was quickly forgotten when the solder shouted, "Are you Prince Dimitri?!" With wide eyes Dimitri stared at the other man. Soon whispers grew as the soldiers came to join in. Pressing his lips together, the prince kept silent as he became the center of attention; the only positive thing that came from that was that Byleth was finally at least looking in his direction.

The healer was the first to break through the chaos by getting up and bowing. "I apologize for my rudeness!" he said while still bowing. "I beg you for your forgiveness!" It didn't take long for the other conscious soldiers to follow suit.

It was the last thing the young man wanted to deal with, but he did his best to calm everyone. It took some time, but he was able to get everyone to calm down and get them to explain what was going on. Just as he feared Viscount Kleiman had organized the soldiers to force the Duscurians to start fighting by defending themselves from "bandits", which would allow the viscount to spin lies that the Duscurians were rioting. The truth made Dimitri sick, but with the soldiers' testimonies he could work with this.

With a bit of convincing Dimitri was able to convince one of the soldiers to come with him to testify against the viscount; it had been the healer that he finally recognized as the one solder that didn't participate in any of the conversations before the battle started. With any luck he would be able to hurt the viscount's credibility and maybe even convince the other nobles and his uncle to keep an eye on the corrupt noble and prevent him from agitating the people of Duscur again. It was a small step, but he was hopeful that he would be able to start helping the people of Duscur if everything went well.

Despite the hope that was building within him, there was one little but annoying problem and that was he would have to make his case in Fhirdiad; and he would have to go alone, since both Byleth and Dedue would be quite controversial to bring along. He hated the thought of leaving them behind, especially with how much Byleth had been struggling as of late, but he had such little choice in that matter, and he hoped she would understand. He also knew that it would not be easy to convince them to let him go alone.

To his surprise he was able to share the news easily with Dedue; though he could see his friend's hesitant to leave him alone. Byleth proved to be difficult as she had started to avoid him. It was only when he faked that his injuries were bothering him that she swiftly made her way to his side, but she was hesitant to touch him. Finally, with her in reach he grabbed her hand and led her away from everyone; he had expected for her to protest but she did nothing except refuse to look at him.

"By, what is wrong?" he asked once they were alone. He knew it was hypocritical of him to be asking such a thing when he had been avoiding her not that long ago, but he didn't want to leave with this sudden awkwardness between them.

To his surprise she answered quickly, "it's better if you avoid me"; though it was with an answer he didn't like.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Again, he recognized the hypocrisy but chose to ignore it.

"I hurt you!"

"When?" Briefly she looked at him or more accurately the wound on his abdomen, before quickly looking away. "That was not your fault!"

"Yes, it was! The who fight should have gone differently, if only I wasn't so foolish and selfish!" Her volume raised with each word, her body shook, and she finished off the final word with a hard shake of her head. "I'm horrible! And you got hurt because of me!"

He had to grab both of her arms to stop her from shaking so much. "None of that was your fault!" he said louder than he meant too, but he didn't really care.

"Yes, it is!" she shouted back. He flinched but didn't let go. "I know how to deal with my oversensitivity, but I refused and because of that…," there was a brief pause so that she could gasp for air, "because of that you got hurt! It could have be-"

He didn't let her finish before pulling her into a tight embrace. At first, she was rigid but quickly allowed her body to relax and he squeezed her tighter because of it. The two were silent as they basked in each other's warmth. He recalled how much of a fool he was for trying to deny him of such comfort. He just wanted to hold her in his arms forever and never let go.

As reluctant as he was, he was the first to break away. He was pleased to see that she was no longer avoiding his gaze. Absentmindedly he brushed some of her hair out of her face. For a brief moment he just stared into her eyes, admiring the lovely color they were and enjoying the feeling of what it was like to do that again.

"By, I know you have been under great stress lately." Her eyes widen at his words, but she said nothing. "It is completely understandable to want to avoid the cause of it as much as possible." He could tell that she wanted to object but he didn't allow her too. "I am beyond grateful that you are safe."

Again, it was clear that she wanted to object, but he silenced her was a small kiss on the forehead. It was an action he wasn't realized that he had done until afterwards. His cheeks were hot and the wide eyes that were staring back at him wasn't helping. And yet despite all that, he wanted nothing more than to repeat the action over and over again.

When she never voiced a complaint, he dared to continue speaking but partially to distract himself from doing such a thing again. "There is a lot for us to discuss. Most of it is a long overdue apology on my end." His body still coursed with a nervous energy but despite that he still reached out for her hand. Her small hand felt so wonderful in his and he was so grateful that he wasn't wearing gauntlets for once. When she didn't take her hand back, he felt his confidence growing. "When I return will you give me the honor to apologize? As well as finally share some of your burdens?" She said nothing but did pull her hand back. He tried to hide his hurt behind a strained smile, but he was struggling. His hurt didn't last for long as she threw her arms around him. He returned her gesture and pulled her in close. She still didn't speak but did nod into his chest and that brought a smile to his face.

Morning came and Dimitri reluctantly departed from his friends, but he swore that he would help the people of Duscur. And when he returned to Garreg Mach he would finally set everything right with Byleth.

A/N:

I'm back! But I will not make any promises. My situation has gotten a lot better but it's far from ideal. I have missed writing as it's one of my favorite hobbies. I was going to try working on one of my own original stories, but I just couldn't get this fanfic out of my head and so here I am again.

I'm not going to have any set schedules with my uploads. My past upload schedule is what helped make this story stressful. It's not really feasible to write up these chapters as long as they are in one week. If you are okay with getting a chapter whenever than I hope, I won't disappoint you all.

I didn't respond to any of your comments on my notice because it was hard. I felt like I was disappointing you all as well as myself, but I just want to say thanks to all of you that left me such wonderful comments. They helped me to remember how much fun I had writing this story.