Eve stood before Seteth's office gnawing at the inside of her lip. The door before her was closed, but she could hear pacing on the other side to indicate that Seteth was indeed present. However much she despised him, she needed to talk to him. She had overheard his conversation with Rhea before their audience with the Professor. Eve had been lurking around then much like she was now— deciding whether or not to confront them. It was by accident she had eavesdropped on their discussion and overheard the Archbishop giving the Professor their mission for the month. But it had been enlightening. Eve had never seen or heard Seteth challenge Rhea like he did then. He was growing wary of her, concerned that her practices were less than ethical, and Eve needed to exploit that to gain what knowledge she could.
"You can come in whenever you decide you are done slinking about." Seteth's voice called out from behind the door.
"I wasn't slinking." Eve defended as she opened the door to poke her head in and look at the Archbishop's confidant. "How'd you know I was there anyway?"
"The shadow of your feet." Seteth pointed at the crack of light at the bottom of the door when Eve closed it behind her.
"I see." Eve nodded, suddenly unsure of herself.
She hadn't planned what she was going to say. It was why she had hesitated the first time she went to confront both Rhea and Seteth. And now that she had overheard that conversation, she was even more unsure of what to say now.
"What is it you want, child?" Seteth frowned at her.
"Why were you pacing about?" Eve answered his question with one of her own. "Are you anxious about something?"
"I was just trying to get some exercise in." Seteth rebutted easily. "I sit at this desk all day fielding correspondence and reading reports. Is it so unbelievable that I would want to stretch my legs?"
"If you wanted to stretch your legs, you'd have taken a stroll around the monastery." Eve shot back. "Only someone who wanted to be able to think on their own without their expression being read would prefer to pace in their office."
"If you're so keen, then what do you think I am allegedly anxious about." Seteth raised an eyebrow at her, taking a seat at his desk.
"You're worried you can't trust Rhea." Eve met his eye with a challenging gaze.
"Lady Rhea." Seteth corrected.
"She's hiding things from you, excluding you from her decision making for the first time in ages." Eve stalked forward as she made her case. "She made Byleth a Professor without conferring with you. She accepted Rodrigue's proposal for Dimitri and I to be wed along with my attendance at the Academy without so much as letting you know. And despite my obvious disdain for the two of you, she trusts me and won't explain to you why."
"Are you done?" Seteth raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're her attendant, her most treasured confidant. You ensure that she and the Church of Seiros are safe. So why is she hiding so much from you?" Eve came to stand just before Seteth's desk. "You had to find out from Jeralt's diary? Look at you, resorting to doing some snooping of your own because your beloved Lady Rhea won't give you a straight answer."
"I trust Lady Rhea to do what is best for Fodlan." Seteth replied.
"I know you did." Eve said. "But do you still? I've never seen you question her the way you do now."
"What do you know of the relationship between Lady Rhea and I?" Seteth frowned.
"Much more than you think." Eve challenged. "Enough to know that centuries worth of trust is being tested right now."
"Centuries?" Seteth balked. "Child, how old are you?"
"Doesn't matter." Eve shook her head.
She knew he didn't deny it because he had always been suspicious of her. Back when Flayn had been kidnapped and Eve referred to her as family, Seteth had been shocked. But Eve had figured that Rhea would have explained even a little about what she was after that incident. She was surprised to see that Seteth seemed to still be functioning off of his own suspicions of her rather than any knowledge from Rhea.
"You're right." Seteth sighed after a moment of thought. "I grow wary of Lady Rhea's motives when it comes to you and the Professor. I know not what she did to the Professor and I worry that she has been blinded by her ideals."
"Rhea is defined by her grief— she is much like me in that way." Eve nodded. "But whereas I have consigned myself to making up for my losses, Rhea is determined to bring them back."
"I know you prefer to be cryptic about yourself, but tell me one thing." Seteth looked up at Eve. "Did Rhea create you? Did she do to you what she did to the Professor?"
"I am not Rhea's creation." Eve shook her head. "And no, she didn't. She tried to, though, years ago. It is why I left the monastery— why I lost faith in her."
"Then you know what has been done?" Seteth leaned forward, clearly keen to have at least some understanding of what was happening.
"Not really." Eve frowned. "Rhea kept it vague when she approached me, I think she worried about me knowing too much if I rejected her proposal."
"But you do know something?" He pressed.
"I know it has to do with why the Crest Stone is missing from the Sword of the Creator." Eve replied.
"The Crest Stone?" Seteth muttered.
"She showed it to me when she tried to convince me." Eve nodded.
"You see this, my dear child? This is the key to bringing the Goddess back. With this Stone and your consent, we can bring Sothis back to Fodlan."
Eve remembered Rhea's words all too well. They had been the ones to break the trust between the two of them— the words that shattered the illusion Eve had of her. It was in that moment that Eve realised Rhea had never loved her, never cared for her the way Eve had. Eve had only ever been a means to an end for the Archbishop.
"What happens now?" Seteth asked.
"We see if Rhea gets what she wants." Eve responded. "We see if the Goddess returns to us in the Professor's body."
"In the Professor's—?" Seteth balked. "But what will happen to the Professor?"
Eve shrugged in response. Seteth was a smart man, she was sure he could infer what all of this implied.
"For what it's worth, I don't think it's going to work." Eve offered. "Yes, the Professor is changed, but I believe her power to consume the darkness is the only piece of the Goddess to return."
Eve didn't want to elaborate on why she felt this way to Seteth; it would require her to divulge far too much. But in her heart she felt she was right. When Eve had met the Professor, she had been baffled by the life she felt in her. It was like the Professor's body was hosting two souls in it, one of which radiated something familiar to Eve. And when the Sword of the Creator awoke in the Professor's grasp despite missing its Crest Stone, Eve understood. Rhea had done to the Professor what she had wanted to do to Eve all those years ago. And she had somehow succeeded on reviving a part of the Goddess within the Professor.
But when Byleth had emerged from that fissure in the sky, cutting through the fabric of space itself, Eve felt a shift. The Professor was not only visibly different, but her life force was changed. Instead of two forces occupying one body, she could now only feel one. But that wasn't to say the presence of the Goddess Eve had felt was gone. No, it was now somehow combined to create a force within Byleth stronger than any other being Eve knew.
"I suppose only time will tell." Seteth murmured.
"Yes, I suppose." Eve nodded.
She hadn't gotten what she needed out of this conversation with Seteth, but at least she had been able to speak to him semi cordially about Rhea. He was wary of the Archbishop now, and it had been the perfect opportunity for Eve to be candid with him about what she knew without worrying he would report back to Rhea.
And as Eve left Seteth's office, she hoped she was right in her assessment that Rhea would not get what she wanted. Eve liked the Professor far too much. And after everything she had been through, she certainly didn't deserve to have to sacrifice herself for a plot she had no idea she was a part of.
Needing to clear her mind, Eve made her way towards the training grounds. Swinging a sword around would be the perfect activity to get her mind off of everything. She just hoped that Felix wasn't also in the mood for training. They hadn't really spoken since he walked in on her kiss with Dimitri, and she didn't think she had the emotional capacity to talk to him right now.
Eve cracked open the doors to the training hall as quietly as she could, peeking in to make sure Felix wasn't in there. She was relieved to see seemingly no one inside. But as she pushed the door open further, she noticed a form crumpled on the ground. And with a further look, ice filled her veins as she recognised the bright azure cape adorning the figure.
"Dimitri?" She rushed forward, falling to her knees beside his unconscious form.
She turned him over gently, eyes sweeping over his body for any signs of harm or injury. She was relieved to see no visible wounds, but still had no idea why he was passed out in the middle of the training hall.
"How long have you been here for?" She asked his sleeping face, brushing the hair out of his eyes.
He was pale, dark circles lining underneath his eyes. Eve wondered when was the last time he had had any meaningful rest. He seemed plagued by recent events and Eve worried that things would only get worse.
"Let's get you propped up." She muttered, hooking her arms under his armpits to pull him as gently as she could to a nearby pillar.
She knew she couldn't move him on her own, but she didn't want to leave him all crumpled up as she left for help.
"Sit tight, little prince." She kissed his forehead gently. "I'll get help."
Dimitri awoke with a start in his own room, the setting sun lighting his quarters ablaze in orange. He looked about, confused; he didn't remember lying down for a rest. And as he looked about, Dimitri's eyes fell on the figure sitting in the window.
It could only be one person, curled up atop his bookshelves with their body angled towards the window and a book in their hand. And Dimitri marvelled at her beauty as her silhouette was set afire by the light. How could someone as cursed as he be so blessed to call such a person his wife? He had done nothing in his life to deserve her by his side, and yet she had promised him to learn to love him. She had chosen him.
"Eve?" He called out to her, his voice hoarse. He didn't realise how thirsty he was.
"You're awake." She turned to him, relief apparent in her features.
"What happened?" He propped himself up on his elbow to look at her as he spoke.
"I found you passed out in the training hall." She said as she poured him water from the pitcher on his desk.
Dimitri said nothing as she came to sit on the edge of his bed and offer him the water. He gratefully took the cup and drained it of its contents, placing the empty cup in Eve's outstretched hand. She stood once more to refill the water and settled again on the edge of his bed.
"What's going on, Dimitri?" She asked gently.
"I'm fine." He answered, pushing himself up to fully sit up.
"You're not fine." Eve shook her head. "Dedue said you haven't been sleeping well. You're overexerting yourself."
"Dedue?" Dimitri frowned.
"I had him carry you up here after I found you." Eve said. "He said he asked the Professor to tell you to rest and that he's been worried about you."
"I assure you both, there is nothing to worry about." Dimitri sighed.
"I found you passed out in the dirt!" Eve cried out in frustration. "Who knows how long you'd been there and what would've happened if I didn't find you."
"I'm sorry to have concerned you." Dimitri looked down.
"Do you remember what you said to me after the battle at Conand Tower?" Eve asked.
"Remind me." Dimitri shook his head.
"You told me that I do not have to do everything on my own." Eve reached out to brush some of Dimitri's hair from his face, tucking it behind his ear. "I would implore you to listen to your own words. You don't have to protect us all on your own."
"You expect me to listen to my words when you will not?" Dimitri asked, his cheeks dusted pink at the contact.
"Well, maybe the reason I don't listen is because you yourself don't adhere to what you're telling me." Eve sniffed.
Dimitri couldn't help but chuckle at her defiant tone which earned him a playful glare. He felt awful that he was worrying his friends, but a self-indulgent part of him relished the fact that it resulted in this tender moment with Eve. There had been so much conflict since they became husband and wife that they hadn't had a quiet moment together.
"You and I are too similar." Eve smiled sympathetically. "We would destroy ourselves to protect those we love."
"I just want to be strong enough to keep everyone safe." Dimitri replied.
"Dimitri, you snapped a lance clean in two with just your grip in training the other day." Eve half laughed incredulously. "I think you're plenty strong. Besides, you're no use to others if you exhaust yourself to the point of collapse."
Eve reached out to grab one of Dimitri's hands in her own. He looked down at their hands together, watching as she rubbed circles with her thumb. Her fingers were warm in his; it felt like pure energy sparked from her flesh to his where their hands met.
"I haven't been able to sleep lately." Dimitri blurted as he watched their hands still.
"Tell me about it." Eve prompted, continuing to rub circles on the back of his hand.
"Ever since the Professor and I witnessed that meeting with the Flame Emperor and the man named Thales, my thoughts have been plagued by it." Dimitri could not bring himself to look up at Eve as he spoke.
"I too have not been able to forget what you told me." Eve admitted.
"Things are coming to a peak, aren't they?" He asked. "And yet every time we clash with these foes, we are no closer to finding out their objective."
"We'll be fine, Dimitri." Eve soothed.
"How can you say that with such certainty, Eve?" Dimitri's head snapped up as he finally met her eye. "These people orchestrated the Tragedy of Duscur to know one's knowledge. And only when they wanted us to be aware of their activity did we know of them. How can you say we'll be fine against such a foe?"
"Because we have to be." Eve answered plainly. "I promised you I'd learn to love you. And I'm not letting anything happen to either of us until I've at least fulfilled my promise."
"That answer is not even remotely logical." Dimitri frowned.
"Then, how about this?" Eve took his other hand and held both of them in hers. "You know I never go back on my promises, yes?"
"It is perhaps the only thing I know about you with certainty." Dimitri nodded.
"Then I promise you that we'll be okay."
She squeezed his hands in reassurance as she spoke and Dimitri found himself squeezing back. And despite the fact that he knew it was foolish, making a promise neither one of them had the control to keep, he found himself hoping with all his heart that she was right.