Author's Note: This is also a very emotional chapter, but more in a good way this time, haha. There was a lot of stuff to work with, and I think it turned out pretty well. Also, this chapter's the heaviest on the Dimidue elements, but there's still plenty else going on here; satisfying the shipper in me while also addressing all the other issues was great fun.

Chapter Eight: Transformation

His next meeting with the Alliance nobles came and passed. Someone had apparently spotted Lord Arundel near Goneril territory, and they were making preparations to comb the area. Dimitri had offered to send any aid they needed, and that was the end of that.

He continued stitching Mercedes's gift at Dedue's side. Dimitri had made some good progress; he'd sewn multiple flowers while only crushing two more needles, and he was now on the vase. Just a little bit more and he'd be done, and Dimitri narrated his progress to Dedue occasionally.

And Dedue…well, he'd healed a bit more, but he wasn't completely better, either. Dimitri frowned as he set his cloth down. Why was Dedue taking so long to improve? It didn't make any sense.

Cautiously, he stepped towards Dedue. Dimitri took a deep breath and reached a hand up to Dedue's face. It didn't wake him, but he grunted and shifted in his sleep—maybe he felt it after all.

"Dedue, what's wrong with you?" Dimitri murmured.

He curiously scanned Dedue's face; it was odd and almost amusing how peaceful he looked in his sleep. Maybe it meant he wasn't in much pain, and Dimitri was thankful for that. But if he was fine, then why hadn't he woken up yet?

And then Dimitri's eyes fell on something interesting. The Crest stone Dedue had taken was embedded in his forehead, and it was cracked slightly. Dimitri shifted around, trying to get a better look at it. Upon getting closer, he could see how deep the cracks were; maybe the stone had gotten damaged when Dimitri knocked Dedue's mask off.

Was that why Dedue was taking so long to heal? Or was it at least part of the reason, anyway? Dimitri wasn't sure, and it wasn't like he could ask Lady Rhea what she knew about Crest Stones anymore. But it was a possibility, he supposed.

Dimitri curiously reached up to touch the Stone. Maybe if they could find some way to repair it…would that help? But how did they fix Crest Stones, anyway? If he couldn't find anything in the castle's library, maybe the Central or Western Churches had something on the matter…

Dimitri froze when he felt the Crest Stone chip further under his touch. He'd gotten distracted, and he hadn't realized how hard his fingers were pressing against it. Quickly, Dimitri yanked his hand back, but it was too late. The Stone crumbled, and its fragments fell to the floor.

Then, slowly, wisps of black smoke began to emanate from Dedue's body. Dimitri's eyes widened; what was happening? He'd done something to Dedue; he wasn't dying, was he? It would be all Dimitri's fault if he was.

He was trembling so hard he couldn't move. Dimitri wanted to reach out, to feel Dedue and make sure he was still there. But the smoke grew so thick it was hard to see, and Dimitri coughed and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, Dimitri stared at the floor, rooted to the spot. Dedue was sprawled out awkwardly in front of him, but he was fully human again. He was still unconscious, but…but…

Dimitri fell to his knees, automatically reaching out to grab Dedue by the shoulders. He looked terrible, honestly; he was covered in grime and bruises, his armor was chipped and his clothes were in bloody tatters, and his hair was matted. But Dedue's chest was rising and falling, ever so slowly, and he was himself again.

Dimitri couldn't help it; he pressed one shaking hand against Dedue's face, not bothering to wipe the corners of his eyes as he began to cry. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dedue shifted and blinked, looking half-dazed for a few seconds. Then, he slowly looked at Dimitri, coughing dryly before he managed to talk.

"Your Majesty, I…"

"Don't speak, Dedue." Dimitri laughed weakly and shook his head. "Please, just rest."

He couldn't rest in here, though, not with the current state of his room. Without hesitating, Dimitri slipped one arm beneath Dedue's knees and the other behind his shoulders. He was sure that in any other situation, the surprised noise Dedue made would've been funny, but Dimitri didn't care right now.

"What are you—"

"You can't stay in here; you must realize this. We need to take you somewhere else."

"I can walk, surely," Dedue protested weakly, though a coughing fit prevented him from speaking up again.

Dimitri awkwardly managed to get the door open, glancing around once they were out in the hallway. He'd have to find someone and ask for a healer, but he also needed to set Dedue down somewhere… Fortunately, his internal debate lasted long enough that two women (who Dimitri was fairly sure worked in the kitchen) rounded the corner during it. Their eyes widened as they noticed Dimitri, and he couldn't blame them, given he was still holding (the very much now human) Dedue in his arms.

"Ah, Mercedes—call Mercedes for me, please," Dimitri said quickly. "She should be in either the chapel or garden. Tell her I'll be in my quarters."

They nodded silently and darted down the hallway. Dimitri continued towards his bedroom, and Dedue protested again once they arrived.

"Why here, Your Majesty? What will everyone say if…"

"You need somewhere quiet, Dedue," he insisted. "We won't be disturbed here. And what people will say hardly matters to me right now."

Dedue fell silent and looked away as they entered. Dimitri frowned as he set Dedue down on his bed. He knew Dedue had called him by name just before transforming, and here he was, back to titles and formalities. Maybe it was a silly thing to focus on right now, but Dimitri couldn't help it.

He sat down on the edge of his bed, looking at Dedue in silence. Suddenly, Dimitri had no idea what to say. Dedue seemed to be at a loss as well, as he looked at Dimitri with an uncharacteristic amount of awkwardness before glancing away again. Dimitri bit his lip. They had to say something, anything at all, but…

"Dimitri? What—oh!"

Fortunately, Dimitri had the problem solved for him when Mercedes arrived at the door. She clapped a hand over her mouth when her eyes fell on Dedue, and she stood there for a few seconds, looking understandably shocked. Then, she hastily closed the door behind her and strode over to the bed.

"Dedue, this is wonderful! How are you feeling?"

He didn't quite meet her eyes. "Sore and stiff. And a bit nauseous, to be honest."

"Well, of course. You did eat a lot of things you probably shouldn't have."

Mercedes laughed gently as she sat down, and Dimitri shifted aside to make room for her. She slowly looked Dedue over, pausing before reaching out towards him. He blinked at her, but said nothing.

"I'll have to give you a full examination; is that all right?"

Dedue nodded, and Mercedes carefully began to remove his armor. Dimitri moved out of the way, sitting on a nearby chair, and his eyes flickered back over to them. Dedue winced every now and then as Mercedes removed the damaged plates; not surprising, really. They were probably pressing down on any injuries he still had, and taking them off only exacerbated that, if briefly.

His clothes were in such tatters that there was honestly little need for modesty. Still, Mercedes paused before continuing, ever polite. Dedue merely nodded again, inscrutable as always, and let her get to work.

Mercedes began with a few pulses of healing magic on any particularly large bruises and cuts. Then, she carefully examined each of his limbs, stretching out his arms and hands and fingers and ensuring they moved properly. Dedue cringed when she reached his left hand, prompting a wince from Dimitri as well. That had been the one he'd broken during their fight.

Mercedes gave his hand an extra dose of Heal. Then, Dedue was able to move it with seemingly little pain; after another slow test, he nodded again. Finally, Mercedes moved down to his legs and feet in much the same way, giving him a few more Heals along the way as necessary.

"You're still a bit weak," she announced upon finishing. "You probably shouldn't do much for at least a few days, if not a week. I'll keep checking on you to see how you're doing, all right?"

He nodded one more time. "Yes; thank you, Mercedes."

She smiled and nodded in return. "I'll bring some food up later, too, if you'd like. I'm sure you need some time to talk, though, yes?"

Mercedes folded up Dedue's bloodied clothes and set them at the foot of the bed. Then, she headed toward the door, smiled over her shoulder, and left. Finally, they were alone again, and Dimitri was at another loss for what to say.

For a few seconds, the only noise was Dedue shifting and covering himself with the sheets, at least up to his waist. Dimitri coughed awkwardly; should he fetch Dedue some new clothes? He was sure there were a few changes in his room that weren't terribly dirty… But he didn't want to leave Dedue alone, either.

Eventually, Dimitri got up and sat down at Dedue's side again. He hesitantly reached for Dedue's hands, and, surprisingly, he let Dimitri take them. After swallowing, Dimitri finally found his voice.

"I, ah…I'm sorry about your hand," he mumbled.

Dedue sighed. "You had to do it. I did not give you much of a choice."

Dimitri coughed and looked away for a moment. "Still, I… Well…" His stomach twisted as something occurred to him. "Do you remember much of what happened?"

"Bits and pieces of it. The beginning and end are clearer, though some parts in the middle are hazier." Dedue shrugged. "I recall following you and Mercedes to the castle and meeting the others along the way… And I…" He frowned. "Did I eat Marquis Vestra before then?"

It was asked so bluntly that it almost sounded humorous. Dimitri paused, figuring there was no real point in lying about it, and shrugged as well.

"I…believe so, yes." He winced again. "But…after that…"

All things considered, Dedue took this well, beyond a revolted expression that passed soon enough. Dimitri was sure he wouldn't get over it that quickly, but they'd have time to process everything later. The more important thing, at least for now, was figuring out how Dedue felt in general. Then, it'd be easier to work through the situation.

Dedue sighed. "Well, I remember feeling trapped at first… Though having you visit me helped. I could hear you speaking to me every now and then, even if it wasn't always clear… And I liked being able to get out when you could take me." He paused for a while before adding, "Though I wish we could have done so more often."

Dimitri swallowed, squeezing Dedue's hands a bit harder without realizing it. "I know; I feel terrible, keeping you locked up like that. Maybe if I'd tried a little harder, you wouldn't have—"

"You did everything you could." Dedue finally met his eyes. "It…it is true I got frustrated at times, but I am sure if it was up to the others, they would not have even allowed that much."

Dimitri held Dedue's gaze, though he tried to ignore the way his eyes prickled again. Really, the whole thing had been so complicated… Dedue wasn't brushing things off or telling him he'd handled it perfectly, but he, too, was aware of all the complexities. Still, if only Dimitri had done more…

"I know, but…" Dimitri shook his head. "I just wish I could've helped you more, figured things out sooner."

"What else could you have done? This was no one's fault but my own."

The silence hung thickly between them for a few more seconds. Dimitri didn't want to blame the whole thing on Dedue, but…something flared within him at that comment. He looked Dedue in the eyes again, hoping his voice didn't shake too much as he spoke.

"Why…why did you do it, Dedue? You could've left the Crest Stones alone. Then we could've avoided this altogether!"

That seemed to be what Dedue was most reluctant to discuss. Despite having been sure of his actions at the time, and despite making an explanation then, being pressed on the matter was something else. He glanced away, tightly squeezing Dimitri's hands in return, and finally spoke up again.

"I told you why." He sighed heavily. "The Kingdom needs you, Your Majesty. Should you have fallen, it all would've been for nothing. The war, the sacrifices we made, my hopes for Duscur, all of it. Those of us who used the Crest Stones were in agreement on what we did."

"Dedue…all the others who took Stones are dead. Is that worth it?" Dimitri's voice shook. "If you had died, would it have been worth it? Faerghus, my people, Duscur…all of them need you, because I need you. Do you not realize that I have only been able to make it through these past nine years because I had you at my side?"

Dedue looked almost startled at his words, but then he smiled—actually smiled—as he looked down at their still-entwined hands.

"I feel the same," he replied softly. "In spite of everything, I do consider myself lucky… Being able to stay with you all this time has made it all worth it to me. Yes, even what happened at the Tailtean Plains… I would gladly do it again, if it meant you lived."

"Did you hear a word I said, Dedue?" Dimitri swallowed yet another lump in his throat. "If I am worth that much to you, then you must understand how irreplaceable you are to me. Please, I…I would not have been able to bear it, should I have lost you."

Dedue was silent again, but he was still smiling fondly. Dimitri's hands shook, and Dedue squeezed them, perhaps trying to steady them. It was reassuring, Dimitri thought, to be reminded that Dedue was truly there again.

"So, then, you meant what you said before you took me back here the second time?" Dedue said, his voice growing soft and almost wistful. "Because I feel the same…Dimitri."

Dimitri's eyes widened, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. Somehow, the confirmation came as a shock. There was a part of him that said it shouldn't, but it was drowned out by the ringing in his ears. Of course Dedue would remember that; he'd said the later memories were clearer to him.

"Yes, I…I did mean it, very much."

For a few almost blissful seconds, they held each other's gazes, faces warm as their hands entwined even more tightly together. Dimitri didn't dare to break the moment, wanting to remain there forever. But then, abruptly, Dedue withdrew his hands from Dimitri's and looked away.

"I suppose if there was any chance of us being together before, I have ruined it." Dedue sighed again. "I doubt anyone will approve of me being that close to you now."

Dimitri deflated. "No, that's not true. I…I am sure we could figure something out. It won't be easy, but…"

There was another heavy silence. Eventually, Dimitri found his voice again, but it was weaker than he would've liked.

"Well, you should get some rest. You heard Mercedes; you need time to recover." He sighed and stood up. "I'll see if I can find you some clean clothes. You can stay here until we get your quarters cleaned up."

Dedue nodded silently as Dimitri stood up and swept out of the room. He paused at the door, glancing back at Dedue one more time before heading out into the hallway. Dimitri wasn't sure what would happen next, but…he allowed himself to be hopeful, all the same.