Chapter Twenty-One: My Lion Cubs
(A/N) Sorry it's been a good while since my last chapter guys. I've been busy job hunting and I'm happy to report I finally snagged one! Also, I really hit a creative roadblock on how to continue forward and had to take a break from the story to figure it out. Then an idea struck me and, while it's a shorter chapter, hopefully it is still enjoyable!
Ashe and Byleth silently regrouped with the Blue Lions and the rest of Catherine's units. The Professor's dark blue steel eyes quickly roved about the makeshift camping site within the forest clearing. Quietly she checked that all her lion cubs were present and, with deep relief, relatively unscathed.
A few cuts, bruises, singed hair and minor burns. No doubt it had been a chaotic battle within the fog ladened forest, but for her class to suffer only minor wounds was a blessing. Of course they had been alongside Catherine's experienced soldiers, but Byleth still felt a small warm flame of pride for her students. They were able to hold their own in battle.
'Indeed you should be proud of them,' Piped up Sothis's confident voice inside Byleth's mind. 'Another mission completed, proving the Blue Lions are capable.'
'We were successful, right?' Byleth asked.
'Well, yes, but…' Sothis replied softly, but her voice faltered to the point of not being able to finish the sentence. And Byleth knew why; she could feel it in the thick air surrounding the campsite.
...No one felt victorious in the quelling of Lonato's rebellion. Even Catherine sat quietly amongst her troops. Her usually bright sapphire eyes were glossed over with a far away look as she stared into the crackling campfire.
The sudden sound of snapping twigs and leaves rustling under heavy boots seized Byleth's attention as she whipped around. The young woman's hand instinctively reached for her trusty silver sword, before falling limp to her side once she saw who the newcomers to the campsite were.
"Hey kid," breathed Jeralt with a tired, yet relieved breath. His armor had collected a few more dents and there was a fresh cut upon his left check that was already starting to heal. The soldiers of Seiros who followed Captain Jeralt walked onwards into the camp, each looking a little more banged up than their leader.
Finally Byleth was alone with her father, who was examining her critically with his warm honey brown gaze. "I can tell it wasn't easy...it never will be. But, you did well kid," he reassured Byleth, not realizing just how much his daughter needed to hear those words.
She looked up at him with an expression that was smooth and serene as always, though her eyes bore into him. Orbs of a bottomless dark blue sea, reminding Jeralt of that night in the forest when Byleth was so young, too young.
"Your heart may be still, but it is full of life and love," Jeralt reminded his daughter, watching as the orbs of dark blue glimmered like the shimmering stars above them at his words. Jeralt opened his arms wide, letting his little one rest against the orange hued tabard.
"Your heartbeat is comforting father," Byleth's muffled voice whispered softly against her father's armor. The pair were unaware of another nearby...
Dimitri had been meaning to talk to the Professor when he realized the moment wasn't right. The prince didn't want to intrude on the moment between Byleth and her father, and he turned around when Jeralt's words made him pause.
'Your heart may be still, but it is full of life and love.'
Your heart may be still? Something nagged in the deep recesses of the Prince's mind as he frowned, fishing through his brain for the source. Then Dimitri recalled the night they first met, as Byleth stood before him, bathed in the moonlight and blood...The Ashen Demon, the deadly mercenary rumored to have a heart so cold that it didn't even beat.
Suddenly, at the center of the campsite, Dorothea rose to her feet. She clasped her hands together, bringing them up as if in prayer. And then, under the luminous moonlight and shimmering stars, the songstress began to serenade the camp with her melodious voice.
"When I was young, wild, and carefree...
I watched my father take up the sword and shield as he looked out to sea...
Youthful and naïve, I did not know, I could not see…
Oh father of mine, you were going to leave…
Just outside the door, he turned and said to me...
Little one, be strong, be brave, and free...
And always know that I love thee…
Oh little one, always know that I love thee…
Days became weeks, and soon the moon changed from Garland to Blue Sea...
And I still remember what you said to me…
Little one, be fair, be kind, and as sweet as can be...
And always know that I love thee…
Oh little one, always know that I love thee…
The year has gone by, and the moon has changed from Lone to Great Tree...
And still, oh father of mine, is out at sea…
But I still remember what you said to me…
Little one, I may not come back, and for a time you may grieve for me...
But know that I will always love thee…
Oh little one, always know that I love thee…
The years have gone on and all say you've been claimed by the sea...
But, oh father of mine, I know you are right here with me…
For I still remember what you said to me…
Little one, in your heart I will ever be…
And always know that I love thee…
Oh little one, always know that I love thee…"
Mercedes and Ingrid sat on either side of Ashe, all three entranced by Dorothea, just as the rest of the camp was. The air around them was filled with the soothing melody of the songstress's voice.
Jeralt looked down at his daughter, noting how she watched her student sing with a mesmerized shimmer in her dark blue eyes. Byleth was still having difficulty expressing herself, but he could have sworn her face had grown softer when she looked upon her lion cubs...
(A/N) So the breakthrough idea was Dorothea's song. I really hope you like it as the lyrics were fun and honestly a bit cathartic to write. Now to get back into the swing of things! Stay safe and take care dear readers!