Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was tired.
Well, honestly, he was always tired, given the incessant visitations to his dreams that the spirits of his friends and family would insist upon.
The Crown Prince of Faerghus immediately felt guilty at the annoyance he'd briefly felt towards the ghosts that had swarmed him since the Tragedy. They had once been noble souls, and sought only the vengeance and justice that they rightfully deserved.
Still, while the nightly encounters with the expectant eidolons left him in a state of near-constant sleep deprivation, there was another reason for his current, deeper exhaustion.
After a rather tense time searching for Flayn last moon, the Blue Lions had a bit of trouble refocusing their attention for their latest assignment, the vaunted Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Everyone tried their best to help Flayn get acclimated to her new status as a student of the Blue Lion house. The blond prince was quite amused to hear how she had practically treated Sylvain like some sort of demon, and he had a few interactions with her in the dining hall himself, complimenting several bowls of a stew that she had made, despite the fact that he had not been able to taste anything in years.
Yes, Flayn's presence was a boon for morale, generally speaking, as her bubbly nature had a tendency to be infectious when one found themselves in her presence. She carried with her a wisdom that seemed far beyond her years, and yet she also seemed to lack knowledge of more contemporary customs, something that the prince attributed to her stern brother's overprotectiveness. Still, even while clearly being sheltered, the mint-haired girl managed to accumulate a breadth of knowledge regarding medical care that supplemented her extraordinary natural talent for healing.
There was a downside to the girl's sudden addition to the class, however. While her skills were a great asset to the Blue Lions, Flayn's sudden addition threw a kink into the rhythms and tactics that the class had developed over the prior six moons. As far as the rest of the Lions knew, the green-haired healer had no prior combat experience, and they all had to make a conscious effort to not abandon their orders to protect her. Even Felix found himself moving to cover her, even if he grumbled about it the whole time.
It was only thanks to the skill and adaptability of the Professor that the Blue Lions were able to form a relatively cohesive unit by the time of the inter-house competition. Not that Manuela and Hanneman weren't skilled teachers in their own right, but the prince doubted that they would have handled the situation as quickly.
Thankfully, with the Professor's help, the Blue Lion house reigned won the day, though the Black Eagles and Golden Deer tried their best to prevent that. Hubert and Claude, in particular, had been quite troublesome, as both eventually targeted him in the hopes of "cutting off the head," as it were. While even he could see the merits of targeting him as the figurehead of the Lions, he chuckled to himself at the idea that these two shrewd individuals had vastly miscalculated with regards to the cornerstone of the class. The Professor was the heart and soul of the Blue Lions, not he.
Dimitri was more than happy to divert the attention of the enemy tacticians to himself, however, if it meant lightening the load that the Professor had to bear. He just wished that Claude and Hubert did not possess the remarkable aim that they did, managing to slip past his defenses. It almost seemed like sour sorcerer of the Black Eagles was actually aiming to kill him at some points, but thankfully, Felix seemed to appear out of nowhere to tackle him out of the way or a particularly nasty looking spell, while lecturing him on being reckless.
While the healers made quick work of his injuries, their spells left him feeling more drained of energy than normal, as his body was forced to burn up its reserves at a faster rate to accommodate the healing. All of this, in addition to the general post-battle fatigue that occurred, made for an exhausted royal.
Still, he and the other house leaders had agreed upon having a mini "feast" when they finally returned to Garreg Mach, and as he looked upon the monastery, looming larger and larger as they approached, he couldn't help but force himself to smile brighter than he had on the journey home.
After a quick trip to the baths, Dimitri found himself dressed in his summer uniform, beige pants with a matching vest over a white shirt, and his still aching body appreciated the less formal attire.
Dimitri made his way to the dining hall, where he saw the rest of the students from his cohort at the academy. It appeared that Ingrid had unwittingly gotten herself into a food eating contest with Raphael and Caspar, but he knew that his childhood friend just enjoyed her food, and wasn't trying to start a competition.
Lorenz and Ferdinand were at the edge of the group, discussing what blend made for the best tea, one made from bergamot, or one made from fruits from the south of Fódlan. Sylvain and Dorothea were moving around the entire group, as if trying to see whom could flirt with the most people. Lysithea was, uncharacteristically, sharing slices of cake with the Professor and a very anxious looking Bernadetta, who had managed to make an appearance at their feast, no doubt heavily coaxed by Edelgard.
Dimitri grabbed a plate of what appeared to be a pheasant, braised to a light brown, that he was sure would be tasty to anyone besides himself. He then grabbed a sweet bun trio, like the kind he used to enjoy as a child, and took a seat between Marianne and a sleeping Linhardt.
"Well met, Marianne. How goes your meal?" the prince asked.
"O-oh! Prince Dimitri! It is rather… delicious. The goddess has surely blessed this day."
"Please, just Dimitri is fine. No matter our future stations in life, we are all equals here at the Officer's Academy."
The prince took a bite of his food. As always, he could have been eating wood chips, for all that he could taste, and yet, his memories of days long passed with his father and stepmother still brought good feelings to the surface, if only for a moment.
"O-okay. How is your food, Dimitri?" the healer asked.
Dimitri looked at her, and sensing a kindred spirit in the downcast girl, decided to share a small bit of his inner thoughts with her.
"Well, admittedly, I picked the food that I did more for more abstract reasons, rather than its taste. It reminds me of happier days, before the Tragedy. It might be silly, but sometimes it almost feels as if my family is with me when I eat this food."
Dimitri decided not to inform Marianne of the fact that his friends and family were, in fact, with him constantly, demanding their vengeance.
"I don't think that sounds silly at all, Dimitri. I often think about my father when I eat his favorite foods as well."
Dimitri blushed lightly at the validation. "That's kind of you to say," the prince said, "but I think-"
"This conversation sounds lovely, honestly, but it's a smidge too loud for my taste," said a now awake Linhardt.
"Oh, my apologies Lindhardt. It was not my intention to disturb you."
"Well, you did, but you two are cute enough to let it slide this time. Cute together, too" sighed the green-haired mage.
Dimitri's blush returned, fiercer than before, and this time accompanied by a similar one that made an appearance on Marianne's face.
"Well, I think I've put in my required time for this festive occasion. I guess I'll take my leave back to my room. Maybe I'll see if Bernadetta would like to make her escape too."
"Goodbye, Linhardt." Dimitri responded. "I hope your pillow serves you well."
Marianne, still blushing hard, simply gave a small wave.
Dimitri chuckled to himself, and the pair continued to eat their meal in comfortable silence. The Prince of Faerghus looked around at his peers, all of whom were smiling. Even Hubert, who was watching over Edelgard as always, seemed to bear a smile with some genuine warmth in it. As he took in this sight, the future leaders of Fódlan sharing good times with one another, he was filled with hope for a great and peaceful future.
Dimitri made a mental note to converse with Marianne again sometime, possibly over tea.