The Corruption Within
Chapter 3-Beloved
"Beloved?!" Dimitri cried as Byleth slipped away into unconsciousness.
Moving to grab her head before it hit the ground, he cradled the love of his life in his arms.
"She's breathing, but slowly…" He mumbled as he moved a strand of hair from her sleeping face. Despite the situation, his heart began to flutter having her so close to him.
"She fits so perfectly in my arms…" he thought before quickly shaking the idea away.
"This is no time to be thinking of such things." He said to himself as he lifted her up into his arms. With little trouble, he quickly began to descend the stairs of the Goddess Tower with Byleth in tow.
Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Dimitri felt his arms begin to droop ever so slightly. While Dimitri had always been an incredibly strong man thanks to his crest, and while Byleth was incredibly light, the descent from the top of the tower at such a speed would tire anyone out, especially someone who had not yet entirely healed from their battle wounds while still carrying a limp individual. As dropping her would be catastrophic, Dimitri quickly knelt to the ground to readjust Byleth's position in his arms as well as to give himself a breather.
This pause allowed him to look upon her face again, only this time he granted himself a little more than a few seconds to bask in her presence.
"Oh, my beloved." He sighed, stroking her delicate cheek with his thumb. His heart full of love, he could not help but lean down to rest his forehead on her own. Dimitri closed his eyes, taking in this moment and selfishly wishing he could stay like this with her forever.
Since the first day he met Byleth, he was immediately intrigued with her existence. How could someone kill so seemingly mercilessly? She was intimidating to Dimitri, to say the least. However, as time went on and the two grew closer, he realized that Byleth was not a merciless killer at all. She cared so deeply for her students and the people around her, and would do whatever she could to protect them.
It came to no surprise for Dimitri when he discovered his true feelings for his dear professor. He was enraptured by her, and more than that, he trusted her. However, once the war broke out and she disappeared, there was nothing holding him back from all the bloodlust he felt he needed to quench. When he saw her for the first time five long years later, his heart would not beat for her like it had all those years prior. He had to atone for his sins. He would not allow it.
Yet she stayed by his side through it all. The worst of his lust for Edelgard's head, Dedue's return, and Rodrigue's sacrifice. She led him out of his darkest time and back into the light of what the future could be through forgiveness and compassion. Without her patience and guidance, the Dimitri that lived today could have been lost to the world forever.
And with his return to the light also came the return of his feelings for Byleth, only stronger and fiercer than ever before. He hungered to be with her every moment he could steal of her time, he craved to hear her say his name. Yet for the greater good of Fódlan, he put his emotions behind him until the war was to come to an end.
Now, the war had ended. While the responsibilities of either party had never ceased to be busy, Dimitri decided it was finally time to tell Byleth how deeply he felt for her.
Lifting his head from hers, he reached into his pocket to reveal a sparkling emerald ring. Looking from it to her, he sighed and returned it to his pocket.
"Oh, come Dimitri. Pull yourself together. This can wait, she could be in danger!" He exclaimed. As he did so, Byleth's body convulsed wildly as if startled, yet she did not wake.
Shocked and confused, Dimitri quickly stood with her in his arms and began sprinting toward the infirmary.
"What just happened?" he thought amidst his jog, "I truly do not believe my yelling to be the cause of her spasm, but then…what could it have been?"
Finally reaching the infirmary, he yelled for Manuela and Mercedes to wake up as he briskly but gently placed Byleth on one of the beds. After realizing who it was that had called for them, as well as who was now laying on the bed, the two healers got to work in diagnosing the issue immediately.
"I think she's passed out." Manuela assessed.
"Yes, Manuela. I have gathered that much myself. Can you discover why?" Dimitri replied, annoyed. While he knew Manuela to have a talent for this kind of stuff, now was not the time for her idle chatter.
"Dimitri," Mercedes asked as calm and collected as ever, "When did this all happen?"
"Perhaps twenty…thirty minutes ago? I found her in the Goddess Tower, and we began talking. Then…" Dimitri began to relay before being cut off by the two overly excited women.
"Did you tell her yet?" Manuela demanded.
"Ooh! This is so exciting and romantic! In the Goddess Tower!" Mercedes exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
"No." Dimitri scolded, quieting the other two down immediately. "No, I did not ask her. I did not have the time before she spontaneously passed out. Will you two please figure out WHY this happened. Otherwise, I might never get the chance to ask her to marry me. So please do your jobs, and we can talk about this later." Dimitri roared, feeling himself start to lose his temper.
In fear of a meltdown, the two quickly got to work, beginning with checking Byleth's vitals. Seeing their change in focus, Dimitri quickly calmed down and returned his attention to his love sprawled out on the tiny bed. Wishing he could be next to her, holding her hand through all of this, he hovered to the side in order to allow Manuela and Mercedes space to work.
"Her pulse in normal." Manuela declared, "Let me check her heartbeat…" She grabbed a nearby stethoscope and put it to Byleth's heart.
Suddenly, Manuela stopped moving as if in utter shock.
"What is it, Manuela?" Mercedes asked, concern in her voice. Dimitri looked up to face the older medic, as well.
Realizing her pause in action, Manuela regained her movement and quickly took the stethoscope out of her ears and off Byleth's chest.
"Oh, nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing! Perfectly normal!" She exclaimed boisterously, followed by a bout of overly excited laughter.
"It, um, seems as if she was just over exhausted, or dehydrated when she passed out. She will be just fine!" Manuela explained to the unconvinced Dimitri.
"But Byleth just-" Dimitri began before being hastily cut off by Manuela. "Just watch over her Dimitri! I'm sure with you around, she'll be feeling better in no time." She winked, before pulling Mercedes into the hallway.
Dimitri was flabbergasted at Manuela's diagnosis. "Is that really all it could be? And what was going on with Manuela just now?"
Before he could think about it more, he noticed Byleth's eyes quickly fluttering open.
"Belove-I mean, Byleth?" Dimitri exclaimed, coming closer to her and grabbing her hand in his own.
"Dim-Dimitri?" Byleth weakly asked as her eyes fully opened, unveiling her radiant jade eyes.
"Oh, my dear friend you're awake! I was so worried-" Dimitri started to say before the doors to the infirmary were flung open. Standing in the doorway was none other than Dedue with a look of dark concern on his face.
"Your majesty, something serious has happened."
A/N: And that's where we'll stop for tonight! It took me a little longer than I wanted to get this one out, but inspiration strikes at the strangest of times! I can't promise when the next update will be as my LAST fall semester ever starts tomorrow! However, I have full intentions to keep up with this story to the best of my ability. I have big plans for things to come!
As always, thank you all for your support! Every follow/favorite/review means the world to me! I hope this chapter does not disappoint!