This chapter's gonna be pretty important in the future.

Chapter 21 – Nightmares and Memories (Verdant Rain Moon)

"It's getting late, I should go," said a male student as he blushed and turned away from Dorothea. "We'll do this again sometime, right?"

"Hmm, maybe…" Dorothea said playfully. It was enough to bring an embarrassed smile to the student's face as he scampered off.

As soon as he was gone, however, Dorothea said sardonically, "Maybe in another hundred years…"

It had been another dead-end romance for the diva. This boy was far from ideal for her, as he wanted to keep the romance a secret in order to keep up public appearances. It was not at all what Dorothea would've wanted; it would be too easy for such a boy to give his heart to someone else and claim Dorothea was just a fling, or outright deny any connection to her.

The diva sighed aloud. It was becoming harder and harder to find a good partner. Her reputation for one-time dates with boys had been growing, so more of them had been getting wise to her flirting.

In any event, she wasn't going to be able to go for any dates for a little while. She and the others were scheduled to begin marching toward Conand Tower the following morning. Realizing that she was going to need her beauty sleep, Dorothea began her walk back to her room from the second floor of the dormitories.

As she made her way to the main hall of the dorms, however, she was met by a familiar pair of stoic blue eyes.

"More troubles with love, I see," said Byleth.

"Oh, Professor Byleth," Dorothea replied. "I'm afraid he's not the one for me. He's nice and all, but I don't like the idea of being some private affair for him."

"We've talked about this, Dorothea…"

"Yes, we have. And I believe I told you I wasn't changing my plans regarding my future. I know that's gonna mean some broken hearts, but–"

The two stopped their conversation as, all of a sudden, a feminine moaning was heard through one of the doors. Puzzled, Dorothea and Byleth turned to the door from which the sounds were coming from. Dorothea immediately recognized the standard of the Adrestian Royal Family hanging from the door.

"Was that… Edie…?" Dorothea said in a hushed tone.

"What is she doing in there?" asked Byleth, something which made Dorothea stare at her incredulously.

Then, as another moan came from the room, Dorothea's cheeks went pink.

Byleth reached for the doorknob as she said, "She sounds like she's–"

Startled, Dorothea quickly grabbed Byleth's wrist and hissed, "Professor, what are you doing?! You don't just barge in on someone when they're… you know…"

"When they're what?"

Dorothea stared at Byleth in disbelief. Did she really not know what those sounds implied?

But then, the moaning changed its tune.

"F-Fath… Father… W-Wait… S-Save… Help… Please… No…! Agh…!"

Dorothea's blush vanished as her eyes widened in concern. This was not at all the sound of a girl tending to her body's needs.

The brown-haired girl knocked on Edelgard's door and said, "Edie? Edie, are you okay?"

Inside the room, Edelgard woke with a short shriek and bolted upright in her bed. Cold sweat ran down her face as she instinctively grabbed a dagger by her bedside and blurted out, "Who's there?!"

"Edie, it's me," Dorothea said through the door. "Are you alright? I heard you crying out."

"I… uh… just one moment!"

Flustered, Edelgard stowed the dagger away in her dresser as she pulled on a nightgown and put her feet into a pair of wool slippers.

Warily, the princess opened the vision slit to her door to see who was outside. She was met by Dorothea's green eyes and Byleth's blue ones. The sight of the Professor surprised Edelgard, but still she opened the door for both of them.

"Professor? Dorothea? Why are you both here?" asked Edelgard.

"We heard you calling out to someone," said Byleth. "Can we come in?"

"Oh. Of course."

Edelgard's cheeks were slightly pink as Byleth and Dorothea entered the room.

"So, what was going on in here?" asked Dorothea.

"It… It was nothing," Edelgard answered. "I was just talking in my sleep."

"Bad dreams?" asked Byleth.

"Yes, it was a nightmare. I've had them since I was a child. Stupid, pointless dreams I can't control… It's terribly frustrating."

"What are they about?" asked Dorothea.

Hesitating to answer, Edelgard said, "Just… my childhood. A time before I had realized who I was destined to become."

"Anything we can help with?" asked Byleth.

"No. They're just worthless dreams of the past. Talking about it won't change a thing."

"Edie, you know you can tell us anything," said Dorothea. "What's wrong in telling us about your dreams? You can trust us, right?"

"Perhaps…" Then, after taking a deep breath, Edelgard said, "But only if you both swear not to tell a soul. Understood?"

"Of course, Edie."

"I understand," said Byleth.

Giving the two a slow nod, Edelgard said, "I appreciate it, both of you." She sighed loudly, took a deep breath, and then said, "I dream of… my older brother, paralyzed, helpless… my older sister crying for help that never came… the youngest babbling words beyond meaning. I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest depths for a glimmer of light. I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger. Such a large family, and yet I became the heir to the throne. Do you know why?"

Dorothea could only stare into Edelgard's eyes in apprehension. She had a good idea where this was going.

"Every last one of them was crippled by disease or lost their mind or died. I was the only one left who could inherit the throne."

"Oh, Edie…" Dorothea gasped in horror. "That's awful…"

"How could such a thing happen…?" asked Byleth, far calmer than Dorothea.

Gazing down at her lap, Edelgard continued, "Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept getting darker. In the end, I was the only one who survived. The nightmares are a reminder… to never forget. To never allow such terrible things to happen again."

"Never again…" Dorothea said breathlessly.

"Even now, I'm the only one who can carry the weight of the Adrestian Empire. The future of the Empire… of everything… depends on me. I cannot… must not…"

Edelgard stopped as Dorothea leaned forward and clasped the princess' hands with her own. Edelgard looked up at Dorothea to see the diva giving her a warm smile.

"Edie, thank you for telling us," said Dorothea. "But you don't need to bear all that weight on your own, you know. We're your friends. We can help you."

Byleth made an affirmative nod to this. For a moment, it looked as though Edelgard were going to smile.

But then she pulled her hands away from Dorothea's grasp, stood up, and walked away from the singer as she said, "That's very kind of you, Dorothea, but I can't have you shouldering my burdens. I am to be Emperor of the Adrestian Empire one day. And the Emperor must always rule from atop the throne, alone. It is my fate to bear, and no other's."

"Edelgard, that's…" said Byleth, but found herself unable to say anything in assurance.

"Do not think me ungrateful. You are both good friends, especially you, Dorothea. And as your friend, I can't let my duty, or my burdens, bring you to harm."

Dorothea made a small breath of amusement as she said, "As preposterous as ever, Edie. Just like when we first met."

This brought a smile to Edelgard's face as the princess said, "How long has it been now, Dorothea? Almost three years now, I think. My, how time passes so swiftly."

Curious, Byleth asked, "How did the two of you meet?"

"Oh, that? Well, I suppose we can tell you that," said Edelgard.

"Edie and I met back when I was still in the opera," said Dorothea. "It was after a performance on the Battle of the Tailtean Plains. I played the role of Seiros."

"I remember it like it was yesterday. You looked marvelous in that dress, Dorothea."

Smiling, Dorothea said, "Believe it or not, she actually snuck away from her father after the show and into my changeroom so she could criticize the way I was holding my sword."

"That wasn't my intent," Edelgard said sheepishly. "My father was simply having an unpleasant discussion with Duke Aegir at the time and I wanted to get away from it. I didn't even know it was your room until I went in to hide from Hubert."

"Oh? Then why did you start pointing out the flaws in my stance?"

"I didn't know what else to say! And then you started going on about how nobles were all high-and-mighty when it came to proper swordplay, as though I had been looking down on you."

"Yeah, I did. That is, until Hubert barged in and revealed your name to me. I was so scared the moment I realized you were the Imperial Princess. I thought I was going to be hanged or imprisoned for talking to you like that."

"I told you, you had nothing to fear from that, Dorothea."

"Really, Edie? I'm pretty sure Hubert's still out to get me for it."

"Sounds like quite the start for you two," said Byleth.

"It was," said Dorothea. "Edie started coming to all my performances afterwards. And each time we would meet behind stage, talking about each other's life."

"I had never had a true friend before that point," said Edelgard. "Hubert was always there, but he's always been my vassal. Dorothea was the first commoner I had really gotten to connect with." Turning to Dorothea, Edelgard then said, "And I will always treasure that friendship with you, Dorothea."

"Aww, Edie… Y-You're gonna make me cry, you know that?"

Dorothea made a small sniffle at this as Byleth rose from her seat and opened her new pocket watch.

"It's getting late," said Byleth. "We should leave you to your sleep, Edelgard."

"Indeed…" Then, with a small smile, Edelgard added, "There must be something in the air tonight. I've never told anyone that much about my past before, not even you, Dorothea." Then, in a more somber tone, she asked, "Please… can you both forget what I told you? About my dream, that is?"

"Huh? Why?" asked Dorothea.

"Please, Dorothea."

Knowing she would have to lie, Dorothea made the best fake smile she could and said, "A-Alright, Edie…"

And despite that Edelgard nodded to this, Dorothea could not help but suspect that Edelgard had seen through her lie as she left the princess' room.

We're never told how Edelgard and Dorothea met in the game, and just assume that they met at the Officer's Academy. As such, I've taken creative liberties here.