Well… can't really blame school today. Just got distracted and wasn't able to put in as much work as I would've liked. Ah well. It happens. ...note to self, maybe doing a daily prompt thing is a bad idea. ...will I learn? We'll see.

Once more, thanks to the Three Houses Discord group for minor assistance. I'll admit that I really didn't know what would happen to Fodlan following the (presumed) deaths of Edelgard and Dimitri, but I got some tips and, thus, could sort of make this chapter work.

Without delay, let's get this started.

Disclaimers: Fire Emblem belongs to Nintendo, Intelligent Systems, Koei Techmo, etc.

Byleth gave an exhausted sigh as he woke up in the medical room. The last thing he had remembered was finishing off the last of those who slither in the dark alongside the Golden Deer before he passed out. He looked around and saw, nearby, Marianne had fallen asleep next to him. He just gave a small chuckle before he got up and gently nudged her.

"...huh…?" she spoke, slowly stirring.

"Good morning, beautiful…" Byleth greeted.

"Oh… good morning," Marianne smiled before she gave him a hug, "I'm glad that you're awake."

Byleth simply gave a smile at her and gently returned the hug.

"I just couldn't help but worry about you, so I stayed in here so that I could be the first one to see you awake," Marianne informed as she and Byleth were now walking in the monastery, "And I prayed that you would wake up…"

"Mari…" Byleth blushed.

"Because… you're my hope…" Marianne told him, taking his hand, "You give me strength. You're… a light in my life. And… I don't know where I'd be without you."

Byleth blushed even brighter as he stared at her. He then simply smiled and took her hand, "You've grown a lot, Mari."

"...you've given me something to grow towards…" Marianne admitted.

Byleth was now outside and simply looking at some of the damage that the outside area had taken. He then gently exhaled and then looked to the sky, "Well… we won. ...Edelgard, Dimitri… I don't know where you are… but I hope that, at the very least, you've both found peace."

After a moment, he then looked at a letter that Claude had given him earlier which had explained that the remaining parts of Fodlan wanted Byleth to become their new leader. He just stared at the letter with an uncertain expression on his face.

"Hello, Professor," Marianne chimed in as she walked over to his side, "Is something the matter?"

"I just got something important that I need to do…" Byleth informed as he handed her the letter.

Marianne then skimmed it over and looked on in a bit of surprise.

"Gone from a mercenary, to a teacher, to a savior, and now to the ruler of the whole continent…" Byleth exhaled, "Not how I expected my life to go. Not even close."

"...I think you'll be an amazing king…" Marianne told him.

Byleth didn't know what to say as Marianne got a bit closer to him and simply smiled at him.

"Byleth…"

"...huh?"

"What?"

"You… said my name…" he gawked.

"I'm… sorry. But… I know that you'll be amazing. If you managed to save the world from a great evil… and being a teacher... then I don't think that you being in charge of the continent isn't too big a step. Plus… you'll always have me and the other Golden Deer by your side," Marianne assured him.

Byleth could only blush in response to her assurance and then gently smiled, "...you said that I gave you hope, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well… you do the same for me," Byleth admitted, taking her hands, "I… I don't know what I'd do without you."

Marianne blushed heavily in response, and the blush only got brighter when Byleth gave her hands a gentle kiss. She then meekly walked away from Byleth, and he could only chuckle a tiny bit at her meekness.

"Well… she'll be the first queen, then…" Byleth mused to himself.

I honestly think that this may be the shortest out of all six so far. Sorry if the length ended up being an issue for you guys. I had ideas, but sitting down and typing them is difficult at times. But, well, this chapter is finished.

I do honestly think that Byleth would make a good ruler given how they managed to help the nation of Fodlan as a whole. Just… their partner could make that more or less difficult. Not sure what else to say there.

Really don't have any favorite parts. Hope you enjoyed this, in spite of length.

Just Live More.