Do you ever sit there writing and go, "Hey, this should probably be it's own fic?" and "Well, I've written this much, so let's keep going and see what happens!" That's what's happened with 'Save Us'. I wanted cute but angsty fic with a hopeful ending. I got a plot instead. So we're going to roll with it and start having fun pairing people off and culminate in the inevitable. This takes place immediately following the puppy pile in the last chapter of 'Save Us'.
Dimitri wakes to find Edelgard, Claude, and Byleth missing.
An ugly suspicion creeps in before he can help it and he expects to see an ambush awaiting him, bloodstains on the ground and the evidence of a struggle. Nothing thus far, but he cannot be sure. He expects betrayal still even after… after all that was said and done. A closer look reveals identifying details; all of their gear is still there- Claude's bow is missing and Byleth's blade too- and the cloaks and blankets are still as they were.
Dimitri doesn't know whether he's disappointed or relieved to see Edelgard, alone, standing at the far corner with her eyes locked on something out the window.
He watches her profile for a time. She doesn't blink often at first, occasionally blinking twice in rapid succession before she returns to whatever has her preoccupied. Her brow furrows, her eyes grow suspiciously bright- she blinks rapidly in those moments- and her lips thin into a white line. Occasionally she'll shift her weight from one foot to the other but otherwise doesn't move from the spot she stands.
Watching for a little longer allows him to see the point she begins to shiver and that decides his next course of action. He walks, quietly, over to her and intentionally lets his foot land a little heavier when he's a couple of yards away to alert her to his presence. She jumps, as he expects, and her posture turns defensive as though she expects him to take full advantage of the silence to stab her in the back. Neither of them trust one another, it seems, and Dimitri is oddly heartened by the reaction.
His upbringing demands that he inquire as to how she is, if she managed to get any sleep, and what seems to be troubling her. His history with her refuses to allow him so much as the option to voice concern or anything resembling a polite greeting. He sees the same frustration and internal battle reflected in her eyes before they both look away from one another.
They're still on opposing sides of the field and unsure of what their next move should be.
He removes the fur from his shoulders and drops it over her own as he stands beside her at the window and looks out into the winter landscape. Actions, in this case, are better than any of the words his traitorous mouth may have to offer. There aren't many safe subjects he can speak of and vice versa.
"They went to speak to Seteth." Edelgard tells him after she can no longer stand the tension building between them. "We're… not far from the monastery. They should return before dusk."
And they believed it wise to leave the two of us behind? The question goes unspoken but he knows she has or has had, the same thought. Of any combination, the wisest option would have been to leave Claude with Edelgard and have him attend the meeting alongside the Professor. What were they thinking?
"Claude offered to stay behind with you. Or to wake you and see what it is you wished to do." The words tumble out in a rush. "You were sleeping so soundly that we- they- were reluctant to rouse you. I… I told them to go."
Edelgard willingly stayed behind? His eye narrows. That would be a perfect opportunity for Imperial forces to storm in and begin the execution. He strains his ears, listening for any unusual sounds that might reveal an enemy's location outside the hut.
"Was it one of my troops who…" She stops herself from finishing the question. Her hands grip the fur he's left around her shoulders tightly. How is she supposed to interpret his actions and his silence? What is she supposed to do with the time, so much time, left between now and when the other two will return?
Dimitri shakes his head and keeps his gaze out the window. "Who what?" His voice is deeper than she remembers it being, raspier than before. Is it because he's just woken up?
"Your eye." She replies after a moment. "Did they… are they responsible for your eye?"
He looks down at her, surprise clear on his face, and he reaches up to touch the black cover. "No. This was not Imperial work, nor was it at the hands of the w- Cordelia." His voice is bitter as he says the name. He lifts the patch to show her the scar. The eye is a little paler in color compared to the uninjured one but it focuses just as well on her face. "It narrows my sight a little, but it does not interfere with fighting."
"I see." She wants to tell him she's glad, but it's cheap and highly inappropriate to do so.
"Do they hurt?" He asks after a moment.
"Pardon?" She looks up at him.
"Your scars." He gestures to the way her hands rub against her forearms. "Do they pain you still?"
She forces her hands to be still. "...occasionally." It's difficult to be honest about such a sensitive topic. He was forthcoming with his eye after her, now that she looks back on it, highly intrusive question. She has to make the effort in return. Even with so much tension and unspoken everything between them.
Even if progress is slow, she must make the effort and find a way for him to believe that she does want this to work out.
"I have an idea." Edelgard blurts out after a couple of hours have passed.
Dimitri has finished maintaining and repairing his armor and weapons, has completed work on what remains of Byleth's and Claude's as well. He's been working on finding a way to approach his former enemy in regards to her armor and weaponry just to give him something to do other than watch her pace and stare out the window. Neither of them are particularly good at being idle and there is very little they can do other than wait.
He looks up and lifts an eyebrow in her direction, awaiting elaboration on her part.
"The Professor usually carries around training equipment, does she not?" She had at the Academy, even during their missions they were responsible for waking up each day and going through their paces.
"She does." He's already made sure those are in prime form and not in need of replacing or repair. "Sword, gauntlets, lance, and axe."
The look on her face is nothing short of relief. "Do you think she would mind terribly if we were to borrow it?"
"Unlikely." He pauses. "Why?"
"I am going to drive myself to madness if I have to stare at the unchanging scenery a moment longer." Edelgard replies with enough exasperation it almost gets him to smile. "I need to do something other than pace, sit, and window gaze. Training is exactly what I need to keep busy since you have already beaten me to equipment maintenance and inventory organization."
The words come out before she understands what she's asking of him, of both of them. "Would you care to join me?" It shows a moment later when she freezes and looks as though she wants to find a way to rescind the offer.
It would, in every sense of the word, be the worst idea for them. The worst match up they could have possibly come up with. There is too much damage they have done to one another, too many hurt feelings, too much betrayal and resentment and guilt there to make it anywhere close to a good idea.
Naturally, Dimitri is on board with the offer.
It isn't a chance to beat her down without mercy or consequence. It's not just because it is a bad idea or because the Professor's words of warning still ring in his ears. It's a chance to understand her in a way that doesn't require either of them to struggle with choosing the 'right' words and worrying about overstepping whatever fragile boundaries they have in place. Training weapons can still do quite a bit of damage, especially when wielded by someone of his strength, but it shouldn't be fatal. Painful, not fatal, and he can live with that.
"Are you sure that is wise?" He keeps his tone and expression neutral.
Her expression says 'no' loud and clear but the stubbornness inherent in her eyes says she's unwilling to back down now that she's made the offer. "No," Edelgard admits after a moment of deliberation. "I would even wager it is the opposite of a wise decision and enters the territory of 'asking for trouble'."
"But I want to do it anyway." There's a fragile half-smile on her lips at the admission. He hasn't seen her smile even half as genuinely in the last nigh-six years. "Unless you are unwilling?"
Rejecting her would be in their best interest. He doesn't know how much of his temper, how much of what he has yet to sort through is able to be kept from every blow he will aim her way.
"Let us make it more interesting then." Dimitri has her attention and notes the curiosity, wary as it is, replacing the reluctance in her gaze. He retrieves the training weapons from their place in Byleth's pack and spreads them out for her to choose from. "The first one to gain three points is allowed to ask any question they wish and the one defeated must respond truthfully."
He doesn't expect her face to light up at the challenge and part of him is suddenly worried that he's borrowed more trouble than what he's prepared to handle. She always has been competitive, in some regards, and this is the type of game she enjoys the most; clear, concise rules and a defined prize.
"I accept the challenge."
Dimitri wonders if he's lost his mind as he takes up the training lance and settles into place.