Genres/Ratings: Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, War. (T)

Characters: Raine, Dorothea, Ferdinand, Dimitri, Warin.

Summary: Their paths had diverged so vastly, to the point where it seemed their destinations would be completely opposing places despite the fact that they were still standing side by side as allies. Her way of mercy and his of death and justice could not coexist together. They had proven that already, with how frequently they had butted heads in the last handful of moons... yet, there she stood, successful while he was left drowning in doubt. What would happen, if she was right, in the end of all things? Would he stand empty and bloody, with nothing but their voices still echoing in his ears, when all was said and done? He did not know... and that disturbed him more than than anything he had yet seen.

Lone Moon

The Great Bridge of Myrddin

Afternoon

"Ouch... Easy there, Flayn... It really isn't as bad as it looks, you know..." Raine winced away as the emerald-haired healer zealously wrapped bandages about her forearm, but she wasn't in much of a position to fight the young girl no matter how much she really wished to. She was far too tired, feeling the weight of her injuries and the strain of the battle falling on her body now that the bridge had been claimed for the rebellion's forces, and Flayn had come after her like a wyvern in heat in order to seat her dear professor down to begin treating her wounds in the aftermath. It didn't quite help that most of their other healers were preoccupied at the moment, but Raine couldn't quite help herself as she remarked idly, "You would be better served helping out Ferdinand right about now, if you really wanted to apply some of your skills. I'm merely scraped up in comparison."

"Dorothea won't let anyone near him at the moment." Flayn replied pertly as she finished tying the edges of the bandages into a tight, intricate knot to ensure that they would not lose pressure, nor come undone as her professor rolled her sleeve back over them to hide her injuries. She didn't quite understand why her professor was so careful about hiding away her battle wounds, but she did respect the fact that it was clearly something she thought important to do. She forced herself back up, watching as Raine rolled her shoulders to work out the tension, and she continued with a slight smile curling at her lips, "She was rather firm on her decision, and so far no one has chosen to challenge her on it. Considering things, however, I cannot say I blame her."

"Nor can I. If I had a whit of skill in healing, and was in her position, I likely would have done the same." Raine agreed with a small smile, and she shook her head before casting a glance over her shoulder where the two in question currently were. Ferdinand hadn't risen from where he had fallen during the battle, and that had almost been a full hour ago, but for his part, the Imperial noble didn't look quite as upset about his situation as he likely could have. Dorothea was tending to his wounds with both her healing magic and the basic tools of the trade, and was berating him throughout the entire process without pause. It was her right to, and, as Flayn had said, nobody had the reason, or the brass, to try and intercede.

It had been Dorothea after all who had saved her companions from the volley of arrows Ferdinand had fired upon them, and with a scorching blast of lightning, the sky had lit up and each and every missile had found itself bursting aflame in mid-air. In true operatic fashion she had revealed herself then and there, letting both Ferdinand and his men know who exactly was travelling alongside the professor and the soldiers of the rebellion. It had been a stunning move of both skill and bravado, and she had achieved exactly what she had wanted with it, much to Raine's admiration and exasperation.

"Hold!" The order was rather unnecessary, considering the shock that had filled the battlefield with the sudden spike of magic and the effortless ease that had left his attack less than useless on his opponents. Ferdinand swung his horse about, his eyes wide in shock, and the hand that had been so tightly gripping his blade had loosened until it almost clattered to the stone below in thoughtless surprise. The men behind him stirred uncertainly, but he paid them no heed as he watched with widening eyes as Dorothea stepped out boldly from behind Raine, her fingertips still faintly crackling with traces of electricity to prove she had been the one to free the storm, "Dorothea...? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to put a stop to this madness before it costs you your life, Ferdinand." Dorothea's answer came clear and calm, though Raine noticed that despite her theatre, she couldn't quite get her hands to stop trembling as they curled into fists at her side. She strode forward and into no man's land, though Raine and her students followed her closely to provide cover, should it become necessary. Still, despite their movements, Dorothea proved her eyes were for Ferdinand and no one else, and she spoke directly to him as she continued in that same clear voice, "I want the same thing I asked of you five years ago; to stop allowing yourself to be put under Edelgard's boot, and to leave the Empire. To leave with me."

"You..." Ferdinand took pause, his brow furrowing as his eyes moved wildly over Dorothea's form, and the flanking soldiers about her. They had carved a path easily through all the men that had been blocking the eastern passage, and she had been with them the whole way. He had surmised that the professor had been the one leading the charge, as no one else had the power or tactical mind to do so, especially when his scouts had told him of the others on the lower, larger part of the bridge. She had taken one single team to do so much damage, using the majority of her forces as a diversion, and as he looked to Dorothea, he could not help but wonder... He shook his head, teeth grinding as he instead turned to glare at Raine as he demanded sharply, "Is this your scheme...? To drag her here like some hostage? I thought you above such petty tactics, Professor."

"Professor Raine brought me here against her better judgement, and because I demanded to be here today." Dorothea interrupted him curtly, and her emerald eyes flashed both defiance and anger for his accusation that Raine would dare to use her simply to force him to stand down. Such an idea was folly anyway, considering how the two of them had parted ways five years ago. What reason would Raine even have to believe that Ferdinand would deign to surrender simply because she had Dorothea as a potential hostage? The mere thought made her anger flare higher, and she snapped out in reproach, "I demanded and begged and pleaded to be here for your sake. This war... Edelgard's conquests... They've taken too many lives already. I refused to allow you to be lost to it all, too. Not without trying one more time to make you see sense."

Ferdinand said nothing, his brow furrowing as the hand on his blade tightened again in response to her words. Though they were the same ones she had spoken all those years ago in desperation to make him leave the Empire with her, now she was no longer speaking with sadness or fear. There was only anger now, anger that she had been forced to this point, and part of him ached for her. The last place he had thought he would see her again was on the battlefield, especially when she had so pointedly told him she was sick of all of the meaningless bloodshed, and yet there she stood... Sword and tome in hand, because of him. For him. His teeth ground down audibly even as he shook his head and muttered, "We've spoke of this before... Nothing has changed since then."

"Nothing? Nothing at all, Ferdinand?" Dorothea questioned with narrowed eyes, and she took a threatening step forward in a show of both defiance and recklessness. She heard Raine shadowing her, but she paid no attention to the professor as she instead faced Ferdinand head-on. She had only needed to spend a year, one single year inside of the Empire before she had seen too much, and she knew already from both experience and the word of her comrades to know the situation had not improved an ounce. It made her furious that he was averting his eyes, that he was clinging so furiously to his belief that he had an obligation to the homeland that had abandoned him, and all of that was in her voice as she snarled, "I've seen it all myself, and I ran away from it when Edelgard showed her true colours as a tyrant. How can you not see it yourself, unless you're intentionally averting your eyes?! The smallfolk are starving, being conscripted against their will, and dying in droves for daring to stand up for themselves! And that's only in the Empire! It's like that all over Fódlan! And you say nothing's changed?! Do you really want to support her, put your life on the line, for that kind of ruler, Ferdinand? Does your obligation to the Emperor mean looking the other way as she sets fire to everything you once swore to protect?"

Ferdinand twitched, feeling his molars grinding in a mixture of anger and shame as Dorothea's diatribe struck him like a lance-blow to the gut. Nothing she said was false, and nothing she said wasn't anything he hadn't already considered. Yet there he stood all the same, sword in hand, astride his mount, and fighting underneath the flag of the Empire because his own territory had been stolen from him and meant less than the tapestry its banner was printed upon. He still bore the flag of his house, still clung to all that had been torn away from him... and for what? He hadn't had an answer then, and he did not have an answer now. She was not wrong. He knew that... and yet... still he could not drop his sword.

"Why are we listening to this? Put an arrow in the wench, and let's put an end to these fools."

"Agreed... I'm tired of this."

Ferdinand checked his mount at the voices of the soldiers behind him, and in one smooth pull he faced down the men who had dared to speak up so impertinently. His eyes narrowed as he cast a stern glare across his forces, picking out the most irritated and defiant of the soldiers behind him with ease. His hand tightened on both the bridle of his horse and the weapon in his hand, and his voice was a harsh, clipped snarl that had never failed to cow even the most boisterous of the men he had once commanded, "You dare speak out of turn, and further suggest killing a woman during a parley? What kind of soldiers of the Empire are you?"

"Soldiers who won't hesitate to obey the orders we're given. We serve Emperor Edelgard, not you. And she is the one who tasked us with the guarding of this bridge." The reply came from a fellow paladin, who Ferdinand turned to look at with both looming realization and a deep sinking feeling somewhere in his stomach. The words were iron and proud, firm and completely flat in their response to him. He believed every word he spoke to his "commander", and felt no fear of reprisal because of it. "We know who you are, Lord Aiger... and we were warned of you. We have explicit permission from the Emperor herself to cut you down should you even consider the idea of treachery."

Ferdinand felt as if a blade had been sunk deep in his stomach, and yet with the pain... he somehow felt absolutely no surprise. Hadn't Dorothea warned him that this could be his reward for his loyalty to his newly crowned Emperor? That after all she had done to his father, that it was more than some remote possibility that she would throw him away, too, the moment it became convenient for her? He was not an ally she cared for. He was not someone she would go to any lengths to protect. And yet, all those years ago, he had lashed out in anger, refusing to believe it because he was noble, and even without his title, his lands, his soldiers... He had been trained since birth to be the helping hand on the Emperor's shoulder, and now more than ever was that hand needed. He would stay, would do anything and everything to prove his worth and help his Emperor achieve her goals the right way, and somehow he would create some good out of all of this madness...

Now, reality had come crashing down hard, and Ferdinand was well aware of just how alone he stood amongst the soldiers that had been given to him so kindly by his Emperor to replace his own men. Still, he did not allow that thought to cow him as he sat up straighter in the saddle, his hands tightening on his weapon and bridle until they became numb. If this was to be the way of things... He would avert his eyes no longer. A quick push of his heels had his stallion moving slightly to the left, inserting both himself and his great steed in between the men behind him and Dorothea and the soldiers of the rebellion. Defiance was quietly simmering on his face as he retorted in a deceptively quiet tone, "Is that the way of things, then? You'll cut me down, for simply entreating you not to fall to violence during a simple parley? That's how far you, the Empire, has fallen?"

"There is no parley. There is no speaking to these fools. They are mad dogs to be put down, as is anyone else foolish enough to resist the Empire. The defence of this bridge is all that matters." The answer came like a blade, and in unison with his lieutenant's words, the paladin lifted his lance and hoisted it threateningly. He felt no fear. Only a simple, clean sense of justice and righteousness. He had not joined with the Imperial army because he had been forced to, but because he had been offered a chance to escape his position as a lowly farmer to find fortune, strength, and coin for himself and his family. That was the world the Emperor was building... and that the world he wished to see birthed. It didn't matter who stood in his way. They all would fall if need be in order for that wish to be fulfilled. "You will risk that mission. You must be removed. That is all."

The lance flew, but arched high, and Ferdinand's eyes caught the change of aim the moment his former soldier had adjusted his arm. His body moved before any sort of rational thought could command it to. He leapt from his horse, using all of the force he possibly could to launch himself into the way of its trajectory. The world fell away as he landed and rolled, hands outstretched and shoving in one smooth movement as the whistle of the lance rang through his ears, and then pierced in deep through his armour and shoulder. The force of the throw put him on his stomach, pain roaring through his limb and into his torso, but he cared little as he heard Dorothea's sharp, astonished cry for him somewhere a few feet ahead.

She was safe. He had gotten in the way in time, and she was safe. That was all that mattered. Even as warm blood begun to flow from the wound, and he heard a roar of wind magic suddenly sweeping the arena with the force of a hurricane... He felt nothing but a pleasant sort of warmth in the encroaching darkness. His vision had gone white momentarily with pain, but his ears still worked, and the screams of falling men and the shouts of the professor and the former Blue Lions were clear. They had not hesitated as he had, and he was glad for it. Yet somehow Dorothea's voice remained the loudest, the closest, urging him not to succumb, not to close his eyes, to hold on... but he had trouble finding the strength to grasp onto them. He was tired. So, so, tired... A little rest, knowing he had done his best, was warranted, wasn't it?

He smiled as he tasted copper on his lips, and felt the warmth of a hand in his hair. He felt strong hands turning him over, but he could not quite tell whose hands they were. His head was lifted, gently placed in a soft, warm lap, and something calming, almost liquid was pouring across his wound and numbing most of the pain. His mind did not care, as the shock of the injury had come on too fast even if the healing had come immediately after, and he saw auburn curls, the most beautiful shade of auburn he had ever seen last as he chuckled weakly to himself, "A drone protects their queen... isn't that right, Dorothea?"

The fighting had been done in minutes, and the healing even quicker, but even Raine had to admit if anyone wished for a chance at redemption, Ferdinand had earned it in spades. She still could barely believe she had seen it happen, even though she had been right there to watch him take that spear in Dorothea's place the moment he had realized where the Imperial soldier had intended to throw it. His instincts and fast reactions had saved Dorothea, and in turn, Dorothea had saved him. Now he was conscious and receiving an earful for his recklessness, but Raine didn't doubt that things would be relatively fine between the two after a handful of days to reconnect, and allow for the tension to settle. The feelings were obviously still there, for the both of them, and it had proven stronger than the loyalty to their homelands.

"Prince Dimitri is coming."

Flayn's terse warning in her ear brought Raine abruptly away from her musing, and she carefully pulled down her sleeve even further as she automatically rose from the edge of the parapet where she had been sitting. She was exhausted from the fighting, both physically and mentally, but there was no time for her to rest if Dimitri was seeking her out. A cursory look over Flayn's head proved this was exactly what was happening, as the future king was marching towards her with a sharp, intense look on his face, and she took in a breath before speaking quietly to Flayn, "Go find Seteth, and let him know that those who best escaped injury should stay here to man the bridge, while the rest of us begin the trek back to Garreg Mach in preparation for our next move. And if you can, find my brother, and send him to me. Go on."

Flayn didn't wait for further encouragement, and Raine was glad to see her pick up her skirts and hurry out of the way without a word. As feisty as Seteth's daughter truly was, she still knew her place when she was given a true command, and she had yet to disobey her professor once. She was not about to begin now, especially when Dimitri of all people was heading her way, and Raine had to wonder if it was her fear of him, or her instincts to protect others that made her choose to flee rather than stay. She had never hesitated to pick a fight before, but Dimitri was a different beast, and even Flayn was aware that standing up to him for her professor's sake was not something that she, or Raine, wished for even on the worst of days.

Yet... Raine watched Dimitri closely as he approached her, and he only pried his gaze away from her once to look over to see Ferdinand in Dorothea's care before he was returning his eye back to her. His jaw clenched, proof of his unhappiness at the sight, yet he did not seem to want to comment on it. Instead he marched straight up to her, brow deeply furrowed, and his hands clasped tightly at his sides before he spoke without preamble and quiet, sharp intensity, "When you left with your men to the east... Reinforcements arrived from the north. Dedue led them."

Raine felt as if she had been struck in the gut, and instinctively she reached for the nearest ledge to keep herself steady at the mention of Dedue's name. His loss had hit her like a hammer blow when Dimitri had explained how the young Duscur man had died breaking his liege out of the prisons of Fhirdiad, and she had been mourning him just as she was mourning Jeralt ever since. Her pain, she knew, was only secondary to that of Dimitri's and Annette's, both who had loved him sorely, and hearing Dimitri speak his name made her entire body clench with uncertainty. She knew it foolish to doubt him, he had never been a man of japes and was certainly not one to be making them now, yet she couldn't help but ask, her voice trembling despite herself when she questioned, "Dedue is... alive?"

"Yes. He returned with men of Duscur... The same men who saved him after he risked his life to save me. He would have come himself to explain the situation, but he was... delayed. The others are greeting him at the moment." Dimitri explained in that same tense, quiet voice, and he had to look away as he watched the relief and the happiness flood over his professor's face. To her, it had to be another miracle. One of the many she had somehow managed to wrench out of the day, but that did little to dampen his anger with her actions. He had come personally because Dedue had asked him to deliver the news to his former professor, but Dimitri had planned to confront her himself regardless when he had learned of the mission she had been leading in the east without his knowledge. She had gone against everything she knew to be sane, and he could hardly believe she would dare to use his knights, his men, to attempt such a suicidal and foolish gambit.

"Saved by men of Duscur... Then it seems you've been correct all this time. Your actions five years ago paid back dividends."

Dimitri blinked, and for one brief, mad, moment, he forgot everything at the reply he had not expected to hear. For a second he was not sure of what she was speaking, or why she was smiling so gently at him, and it made his stomach tense and his entire body clench in a way he was not wholly comfortable with. But his memory was not clouded, and after the initial surprise, he understood exactly what it was she was referencing, though for the life of him, he could not understand why she seemed so pleased, or was looking at him with such kind eyes. When was the last time she had looked at him like that, anyway? It hadn't been in these past few moons. It couldn't have been, with how badly he had been treating her, even if she did deserve it...

Shaking his head to clear away the worthless thoughts, Dimitri crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her lean back tiredly against the ledge she had been sitting on while Flayn had attended to her wounds. He had initially been pleased to see her injured, to know that she had paid for her foolishness with scars, but now he felt uncomfortable with the knowledge that she was not just injured, she was clearly exhausted. Her skin was pale, and there were shadows beginning to creep underneath her normally so bright seafoam-coloured eyes. Her condition was concerning. She was a commander, meant to lead, and clearly she was flagging when she was needed most. Her foolish errands were costing her, and in turn, costing all of them, too. It made him brusque, both with anger and his inability to understand what was happening as he questioned her sharply, "What exactly do you mean, that I was correct all this time?"

"That day, when the remaining Duscur soldiers tried for a rebellion in Kingdom territory, and you and Dedue concocted that scheme to cover up your wish to save as many of the survivors as you could by saying we were simply acting as a neutral party sent by the church... We didn't save everyone, but those we did save mentioned that the people of Duscur do not forget their debts. The world you envisioned, of those of the Kingdom and those of Duscur, working side by side... You made it happen today because of your actions five years ago." Raine explained with a gentle chuckle, and she shook her head with a mixture of awed disbelief and honest happiness. Dedue was alive because of an act of mercy Dimitri had performed five years prior for him, and the significance of that did not escape her. No, indeed, it meant the absolute world to her. Even now, as he was, his actions in the past were following him, and proving him wrong in the present, and for the future. He could still change, if his actions from long ago will only now reverberating their way to him to prove his current path was wrong. "Dedue is alive because of you."

"Dedue almost died because of me." Dimitri corrected her harshly, and his eye narrowed as his anger returned with a vengeance. Those actions of his five years ago had borne unexpected fruit, and of that he couldn't argue, but it did not change the fact that when push had come to shove... Like everyone else had, Dedue had chosen to throw away his life for his liege to give him a chance to escape his prison. He had spent those last few years mourning not just his family and Glenn, but Dedue as well, for all of the blood that had been spilled to keep a monster such as him alive. He had returned, it was true enough, but he would not permit it to happen again. No. It would never happen again. "Over and over, people die because of me. My father. My stepmother. Glenn. Countless soldiers... Then Dedue nearly joined them. His being alive is a joyful revelation, but his near death was still my fault."

"Is that how he sees it? He's joining with us, I assume, if he brought his brothers and sisters from Duscur to provide us aid. That means he wishes to continue to be by your side, and to serve as your retainer yet again, does it not?" Raine countered, but she did not rise to the bait of his anger, or his harsh words. Their heated exchange that morning, and that moment, moons ago, when she had heard him hotly whispering to himself as if he was arguing with a crowd of unseen spectres... Raine was piecing together the puzzle of what had turned him from the young, charming nobleman she had once knew, and the torn, scarred and broken man she now saw. She could not in good faith continue to meet his poison with her own. There was no need for it. He was poisoning himself, just as she was, because guilt, and the weight of the dead, was the quickest way to join them. "Are you going to turn him away, for fear of him dying? Do you think you even can, considering he came all this way of his own will? Dedue will follow you to the ends of this campaign, regardless of where that will take us. Even if you ordered him to return to his homeland, I doubt he'd obey your commands. Not now."

"If you wish to speak of obeying commands, then what is your excuse for your actions today? Two enemy generals spared, one sent back home with his men, and another taking up precious resources when he should be left rotting with the rest of his ilk... You, yourself, almost died ten times over today." Dimitri was quick to turn her words about, refusing to allow even the thought of the words she was trying to use to pierce him. He had already known sending Dedue away was impossible, and so he had simply settled for demanding a promise that Dedue would never again sacrifice his life for his own. It was not a promise easily given, but he had secured it all the same, and that would have to be enough. Yet, there Raine was, proving she was not nearly as careful with her wards despite all of her words of protection and safety, and her hypocrisy astounded him as he remarked coldly, "And not just yourself, but Ingrid, Annette, and Sylvain were also put into the crossfire for your schemes. All on the word of a former lackey of that witch. Did you succeed today, as you hoped you would? What did you gain? Seeing as you saw fit to not tell me a word of your plans before the battle, and seeing as you used my men to make your plans come to fruition, I believe I deserve to know if your risk was worth it."

"It was worth it. Dorothea was spared seeing her beloved dying at our hands, and he will never again fight for the Empire after what happened today. And as for Lorenz... Well, I admit that I will not know for some time if anything will come of that, but regardless, he did not deserve death simply for being a hostage of his father." Raine was blunt and honest with him, and there was a small hint of a smile playing about her lips as she turned to look over at where Dorothea and Ferdinand were still seated. They were talking quietly now that her healing was mostly finished, and though his one arm hung limp and useless, the other was gently clasping her shoulder, holding her to his chest, and Dorothea was not fighting his embrace at all. She was leaning into him, relief and joy and guilt all at once playing across her face, and Raine could not help but smile as she mused, "This is what we're fighting for. Not meaningless killing... but rescuing the Empire from itself. Not everyone is beholden to Edelgard. Today proved it. It means that its people still have a chance at being saved... and knowing that is worth every risk."

"The Empire's people died today for that woman. They tossed their lives away happily to do her bidding."

"The Empire's soldiers may have, but the same can't be said for the smallfolk, nor the Alliance forces that were all but trapped into doing the Emperor's bidding due to the civil war." Raine corrected him with a shake of her head, and she noted that his voice had changed from anger at her, to a more general sense of indignance and rage. As if the fighting had not pleased him as he had thought it would, despite how eagerly he had been to use his lance to cut down every single soldier that stood in his way. She didn't doubt he had done it, that he had fought just as he wished to within Rodrigue's control, and still... He stood there, looking disturbed and unhappy, and she couldn't help but remark pointedly, "You seem displeased. Why?"

"I... do not know." Dimitri hated the fact that he truly was not sure why he was so angry with what he had witnessed, and the fact only served to make him angrier. He had gotten what he had wanted, hadn't he? Even if his professor's scheming had proven unpalatable, she had kept his soldiers alive, and the bridge was now theirs. They had won a great victory, one of many they would need in order to finally cross into Enbarr... and he knew that, just as well as she did. Being angry over their success... it made little sense to him. He had fought as he had dreamed of, crushing the Imperial army beneath his boot as he had always wished to... So why did he feel no pleasure?

It made him look to her again, sharply, intently, as her words from that morning echoed again in his head. He had been hearing her repeatedly during the battle, despite all of his attempts to drown it out with the melee. She hadn't said it in so many words, but her meaning had been clear. Vengeance had not brought her peace. Instead, it only had brought her more grief, because she had no blame to lay at the feet of the corpses she had piled up in recompense for her father. But their situations were different, weren't they? She did not hear Jeralt every night, every day, as he heard them. Their cries for vengeance, their demands on why he was alive, and why they were not... If Jeralt was haunting her, as they haunted him, perhaps it would be different. Perhaps she would think as he did. And it made him question her, despite being fully aware that after her icy reply that morning that he was broaching a topic she did not want to be discussed, "This morn, before the battle... Your claim that you feel nothing but guilt for the death of Jeralt. Is it true?"

Raine tensed unconsciously, and again she felt that plume of anger and grief and hurt, but she held it close as she examined Dimitri's face intently before she allowed an answer. There was no derision or disbelief in his voice. Rather, for the first time in a very long time, his voice was almost... calm. There was no undercurrent of angry gruffness, or superiority, or even cold apathy. There was genuine interest in his question, genuine curiosity, and it made her wonder if she had somehow managed to pierce his defences in order to make him question her so. Still... It didn't change the way her chest ached, or the way her eyes began to smart as she turned her head away so she didn't need to look at him as she replied quietly, "Putting it that way is a little too simple. There's more than guilt. There's grief, too... For you, for everyone, Jeralt passed away five years ago. To me, it's only been a handful of moons since I buried him... but, mind you, I understand that not everyone grieves the same way. Loss can always be as fresh as the day they left us, no matter how much time has passed."

"... That is true. I've forgotten that to you it hasn't been five years."

"Most have. I can't say I blame them." Raine shrugged, but she kept her eyes averted as her arms involuntarily crossed over her stomach in a protective stance. There was no anger or heat in Dimitri's voice, an unusual change for him, especially considering all that had passed between them earlier, but she could find no comfort in it. He wasn't attempting to be comforting anyway, he was merely speaking the facts, and she supposed it wasn't entirely wrong of him to think that way. It was more thoughtful than he had been since she had first seen him again, and she knew she had to count her blessings where she received them. It made her shake her head, and she ran a tired hand through her hair as she mused quietly, "Five years of constant warfare, politics, pain... I escaped that, so I suppose I ought to consider myself lucky."

Dimitri had no response for that, as he felt that disturbance again tightening his stomach and making his hands twitch uncomfortably at his side. He couldn't understand her capacity for empathy. It ran too deep, and it gave her more injury than it saved lives. Yet she didn't seem bothered by it, not overmuch anyway, even though it was clearly costing her to act as she did. He was not helping in that arena, he was well aware he was making things worse, but her care was not his concern. He had one goal, and one goal only... He was not a foolish, stumbling student any longer, childishly fumbling about with his priorities. No, those days were long behind him... So why did that look on her face make him so damned uncomfortable?

He forced himself to speak again, disliking his own confusion and inner turmoil, and he grasped blindly for a topic that would move them away from their current one. He did not need to fumble about for long, as he remembered that incident with Rodrigue that had occurred shortly after the end of the fighting, and he coughed slightly before beginning with what he hoped was an idle sort of disinterest, "There is more news from the frontlines that may intrigue you. A young girl approached a soldier after the battle, insisting she be permitted to join the rebellion... I have given my permission for her enlistment."

Raine twitched, turning to look at him with both surprise and narrowing eyes, and for a brief moment, Dimitri almost smiled in response to it. So he was still capable of catching her off guard, then. He continued idly, uninterested in any of her arguments or protests, if she was of mind to give them, "When pressed of her reasoning, she spoke of getting vengeance for her fallen brother. She's little more than a child, and will be of no use to us on the battlefield, but her desire burns hot. Considering your affinity for charity... I considered it appropriate to permit her entry into the rebellion, if only so she can make herself useful with menial tasks to take a load from the other soldiers."

"More children scarred by the war... If that is your decision, I won't go against it. On the condition she is kept off of the battlefield. I don't care how fiercely she wishes for revenge on her brother's killer. I won't have a child taking on the duties of a frontline soldier." Raine shook her head, both wondering and irritated at the decision Dimitri had made without her, but she knew better than to argue. It would only make her look a hypocrite after what she had pulled with Dorothea and with Ferdinand, and she had no interest in starting up another argument. This was the first time in moons since she had a somewhat civil conversation with the man, and it made her entire chest ache with the reminder of better days, gentler talks, and topics that were far and away from war and bloodshed. It made her ache and wince, and she raised her sleeve, pretending to wipe away the dust of the battlefield rather than the stinging of tears in her eyes as she continued tiredly, "Is she with Rodrigue at the moment? I'd speak to her, if she is."

"Likely."

"Good... I'll see to her personally, then. And Dedue, as well... I've missed him." Raine let out a small breath, well aware that she had to look as if she was ready to simply slump to the ground and rest wherever her head fell, but ignoring it all the same. There was always more to do, always something else calling for her attention, and she did not want to be remiss in performing her duties. She stretched her arms up above her head, wincing as her muscles protested loudly, but she ignored it as well as the burning of her battle wounds as she turned herself in the direction of the fore of the bridge where Dimitri had arrived from. She offered him one last passing glance, aware of the way he refused to meet her eyes and was still scowling at the ground, and decided wisely it was best she say nothing as she departed at a quick step.

She didn't have to go far to hear the ruckus up ahead, and she mused errantly that the bridge's length seemed so small when she was simply walking across it, rather than fighting her way through it and its soldiers. It was a hard-won victory from all she had heard, with Rodrigue and Warin successfully pulling off everything she had hoped they would and more, and she planned to thank them both personally when she had more time, and a little more rest. They deserved it for their work, as well as keeping Dimitri in line, and she wondered what would be the best way to repay them for obeying her complicated and demanding orders.

The thoughts however were swept away at the sight of a familiar form standing tall in the middle of a small crowd, and unbidden, Raine felt her lips quirking upwards into a smile. Dedue looked so out of place, warding off happy laughter and friendly attempts at embraces and still standing so tall amongst the rest of his comrades, and the only one who seemed capable of being unable to be shook off was Annette, who had an ironclad grip on his arm. Her eyes were red-rimmed and her lips pulled into a scowl as she clung to him, and every so often despite the happy chatter, she would squeeze his arm to her chest, and he would look down at her with a mixture of awkward apology and affection.

Raine watched them silently, listening to Sylvain and Mercedes scolding him with loving laughter in their voices, chiding him for making Annette worry so much, and the words brought a flush to both of their faces despite themselves. Yet Annette still did not let go of the man, instead only clinging on tighter to him, and for his credit, Dedue made absolutely no attempt to try and pry her away. Rather, he coaxed her to sidle closer to him so her hold was not so awkward, and his eyes were gentle when she looked up at him hesitantly. It was a comforting sight, seeing one who had been mourning so ferociously finding hope and happiness out of the blue, and Raine almost felt as if she was intruding as she watched her former students catching up and laughing together as they had in the old days.

She wasn't aware of how long she stood there at a distance, content in simply watching them rather than stepping forward to join in on the din, but she felt herself sigh with contentment and relief. That bone-crushing weight of grief seemed to have lessened somewhat, seeing Dedue alive and well with her own two eyes, though he had not come out of his escapades unscathed. He was badly scarred and was carrying himself a bit too tensely, likely from old pain from his wounds, but there was genuine satisfaction on his broad face as he looked out on his comrades and saw them as happy to see him as he was to see them. Dimitri's retainer he might have been, but it did not make him any less of a Blue Lion, and he was surrounded by all who had mourned his loss, and were now earnestly celebrating his return.

"You're not going to join them?"

Warin's voice at her shoulder made her twitch with surprise, and she looked over at him to see him watching her with those same intent eyes as always. He looked as everyone else did, dirty and tired from battle, but he was holding it better than most, as he always did. Yet his question made her take pause, and she glanced from him back to her former students thoughtfully. She hadn't meant to stop and watch, yet now that she had... She wasn't entirely sure she felt ready to go join them. Annette's happy tears were a good sight for her, yet... She didn't quite feel as if she wanted her own to show, after her own episode of mourning. Especially in front of those who were counting on her strength and guidance when they needed it most. No, she could greet Dedue later and in private, when she could maintain her composure better, and she said so with a small shrug, "He looks occupied... and to be frank, I'd rather not make a scene in saying hello right now. What about you? I know you got to know him rather well over the course of the year, with how often you two were in the greenhouse. Did you welcome him home?"

"I did." Warin admitted with a small nod, and like his sister, he felt his lips quirking without his consent at the reminder. He had gotten a chance to learn of the young man from Duscur during his sister's year of teaching, and though much of the time they had spent together had been over discussing agriculture, Warin had grown to appreciate Dedue's steadiness and his quiet compassion. Only a gentle, understanding hand was capable of raising flowers the way he could, and Warin had been more then appreciative of every act of kindness Dedue had performed in helping him show his gratitude and his mourning for his parents. "Mind you, it was little more than a greeting, but we're not men who like to talk overmuch... And your excuse is you don't want to make a scene?"

"I'm tired... I don't trust myself to be calm at the moment." Raine replied honestly, and she ran a hand once again through her hair as her body ached and groaned in every joint in painful reminder. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself down into the nearest bedroll and sleep for a few straight days, but she knew that was a selfish wish of hers. She still had business to attend to now that the fighting had died down, and though while she knew she would be amongst the men marching back to Garreg Mach, there was a great part of her that wanted to make any excuse to stay just so she could sleep a bit earlier. "I'll speak to him later, when we have a little privacy and I've had a bit of time to rest."

"You've been sleeping poorly lately." Warin noted with a tilt of his head, and his sister shifted uncomfortably beneath those eagle-sharp eyes of his. While they hadn't had a chance to sit down and really talk in the past handful of weeks, Warin didn't need conversation to know how his sister was feeling. She was tired, and she wasn't handling it all that well. Her workload was immense, and was growing larger every time the rebellion gained allies, or a victory. She had taken to skipping meals in the dining hall and instead holing herself up in her room to eat so to give her time for more work, and he was well aware he was not the only person who was noticing her flagging condition. He crossed his arms over his chest as he remarked, "The next battle is going to be one of our fiercest yet, even if your plan comes to fruition. Which it may, considering how... charitable, House Reigan has been to us at the moment. We'll be facing some of the best that the Imperial Army has to offer in Grondor. You ought to spend the next moon catching up on your sleep rather than working."

"And leave things to Seteth, Gilbert, and Rodrigue? Nothing would ever get done." Raine replied half-jokingly, but it fell relatively flat as she admitted her brother was right. She hadn't been sleeping well at all. Between the nightmares, her ever-increasing workload, and the pressure of leadership weighing on her shoulders... She was frequently exhausted, had little of an appetite, and was finding it more and more difficult to get out of her bed in the morning. She shook her head however, offering a forced half-smile as she continued, "I'll be fine, Warin. The closer this war gets to ending, the closer the time comes when I can just rest for a good long while. Mind you, I know that's a long way off, yet."

"From my knowledge, the prince intends on marching straight on to Enbarr after Grondor..." Warin remarked with a further narrowing of his eyes at Raine's words. He had expected something like this coming from her mouth, but they hadn't had a chance to truly discuss it, and so he had only had his suspicions to go on. It didn't matter that his intuition was usually correct, as he wanted to hear her say it herself before he made decisions. It wasn't his way to act otherwise. His arms folded a bit more tightly, wondering if her thoughts were following the same path as his own as he continued, "Cutting the head off of the snake, as it were. And you expect the war's end to still be a long way's off?"

"This war doesn't end with Edelgard being skewered on the end of a lance." Raine answered with a shake of her head, and her eyes narrowed and her body tensed as she looked out past the bridge to the Imperial territory they soon would be crossing into. Every battle they had fought, and all that had happened during her one year tenure as a professor was still completely fresh in her mind, and it made her wary of the idea of such an easy ending to all the conflict they had experienced thus far. It was admittedly the first time she was putting such thoughts to words, but it was simply her and her brother here, and she was safe to do so with him, which made her speak freely, "There is still Thales and his ilk to be reckoned with, once his figurehead is disposed of... And then, of course, Rhea... Once she's rescued, I intend to question her thoroughly about all of this. She knows far more than she ever told us, and the time for secrecy is long past. I want answers. About Mother, about myself, about Sothis... and she will be providing them."

"Have you told the others about this?"

"At current? No. It's difficult enough as it is trying to keep Dimitri reigned in. We should be turning north for Fhirdiad, not rushing headlong to Enbarr, but with Gilbert, Rodrigue and Seteth all backing him, I don't have much of a choice but to follow." Raine replied tiredly, and she leaned back against the nearest wall for support as she let out a long, exhausted sigh. While his current attitude and actions were beginning to show signs of promise, she doubted that Dimitri's end goal was about to change, and she knew better than to put any faith in hope. There was only the cold harshness of reality to reckon with, and the last thing she wanted was to make things more difficult by pushing when things were already so fragile. Yet... "However, if he sees sense in Enbarr once Edelgard is dead... Perhaps then it can be discussed. And if Rhea knows anything helpful, then the Kingdom's forces and Dimitri be damned, I'll go after Thales myself if I must."

"You'll have me following at your heels, so don't be concerned about going off on your own... I'm also intrigued by those pale-faced bastards." Warin's smile was grim as he reminded her of their promise to go together wherever they went from now on, but his hands itched inside of his gauntlets at the idea of finally being able to take revenge on the group who he called responsible for the disaster in Remire, and the death of his father and the students of the monastery. It would be a change of pace doing the chasing rather than the running, but he minded that very little as he mused errantly, "I imagine if you remind a sane man of the truth behind the Tragedy that perhaps he'll be willing to be led past Edelgard, once she's disposed of... At the very least, a handful of your students will be likely to follow you if you set out after Enbarr. We won't know true peace if we just allow it to end with Edelgard. Of course, this all hinges on either Edelgard herself, or Rhea, knowing and being willing to disclose information to you. You'll be more lucky with Rhea, in my opinion, but I suppose Miss Empress may surprise you in her arrogance."

"It all comes down to luck, which is more annoying than anything else in this situation... but it matters little. Once Rhea returns, she can take back command of the church, and I'll be free to do as I please. Hunting down Thales and his ilk is my only plan for the future." Raine spoke fervently, and there was that familiar glint of stubborn determination shining in her seafoam-coloured eyes again. It had been ages since Warin had seen that pure clarity, as too often these days her eyes were faded with tiredness, grief, or longing. Though they both knew that extending their weapons out for Thales after ending the Empire would mean more battle, Raine's will was clear enough. At least if she had to do it alone, she would not be burdened by command, or concern for her students and men. "It's the last thing to do."

"A heavy task, but one I don't doubt we're up to." Warin agreed with a nod, though his eyes scanned his sister closely as she absent-mindedly turned her eyes back to her students. The fondness was still there, the ferocious loyalty and urge to protect, but she still looked so incredibly worn. The chains of command had not been kind to her. Dimitri had made it even worse. Yet, even still, he hadn't heard her make a single complaint. She simply held the burden heavily on her shoulders, taking in more and more until her knees threatened to buckle under the weight... and soon, he wondered when that day would come when she finally broke. It worried him, and he tilted his head to the side as he brought the topic back around without much preamble, "When we return to the monastery, you should look into asking Professor Manuela for a sleeping draught. Perhaps that will get you back into normal routines."

"A sleeping draught? Manuela will likely take me to a tavern to drink if I asked her for that." Raine dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand, and she was idly surprised by how much she even disliked the hypothetical she had presented for herself. In her year of teaching, the nearby tavern to the monastery had seen much traffic from her and her family as per the course of mercenaries... but since her return, she hadn't stepped a foot inside of the place. There never seemed to be enough time for such frivolities, even if some disconnected part of her did miss it. She had taken to the drink just as any mercenary had, and she had proven herself just as hardy as her father was, when he didn't overindulge purposefully, when she had finally come of age. It was one of her few guilty pleasures, but she found no joy in the thought now. A cask of ale wouldn't make her troubles go away, and the hangover the following morning would only make them worse.

"Is that so bad? How long has it been since you've sat down with a pint of good ale to end a long day?" Warin's questions were rhetorical, and he knew full well why his sister was avoiding alcohol, as well as everything else. She was secluding herself in her work, burying herself to avoid confronting the harsh realities she still was not ready to face, and Warin had difficulty in blaming her. He knew, better than any, how much loss she felt from her five year slumber. Everything that had caused the start of their changes had only happened yesterday in her mind, and she had not grown, nor had a chance to move on as they all had. It made him ache for her, for what she had lost and what she was still at risk of losing, and he reached to give her shoulder a squeeze before remarking quietly, "When this is all over, and things settle down... You and I can go for a good drink. Somewhere with perfect ale, a loud crowd, and a horrible band playing in the corner, out of tune. Just like the old days."

Raine smiled at her brother's quiet efforts to make her feel better as well as show his genuine concern, and she reached up to squeeze the hand that was resting on her shoulder appreciatively. He was reaching out the only way he knew how, but she understood him all the same. He cared for her too much, when there were so many other things he could find and hold onto now. But she knew better than to say any of that aloud, and instead only offered him a small nod, murmuring as she felt his scarred fingers squeezing her shoulder again comfortingly, "That sounds nice, Warin. Really nice... I'd like that."

AN:

And so ends the Bridge of Myrddin saga, and on we go to Grondor. There will be a bit of a breather chapter or two in between (mostly because I really need a break from fight scenes), but then we'll be leaping right back into the action. I was saddened there wasn't much interaction between Byleth and Dedue on his return (or anyone else, for that matter) though I suppose it makes sense that most of his scenes should be with Dimitri, especially at this particular point for him in Azure Moon. Finding out that his vengeance is empty, and isn't giving him the peace he's hoping for from the ghosts that are haunting him... He's not in a good place, and it's only getting worse for him. He needs a hug pretty sorely, though he'd sooner gut you still before taking it.

As for Dedue, he will get some spotlight in the next chapter or two, as he duly deserves. I had so much going on in this chapter that it simply wasn't feasible to fit him in, but that will change soon enough. The plot is picking up, but the character development and interaction isn't going to fall by the wayside in the meantime. There's still plenty I want to explore and show, and I don't intend to ignore any of the Blue Lions for the sake of speeding up the plot. Everyone deserves their time in the spotlight, and so everyone will get a turn in one way or another!

As for me, I need to stop writing in the middle of the early morning and get myself some sleep. I adopted a new cat, and he needs to adjust to my schedule just as much as I need to adjust to his! He's a good little boy I found at a shelter, though he's still quite kitten-ish despite his age. Apparently it's a thing with his breed, as well as his hip problems which cause him to have lesser motor control of his back legs. Despite all this though, he's a sweet young thing, and he's getting along very well with Thor at the moment. I hope the good trend continues!

As always, thank you guys for your reviews, favourites, kudos and follows, and I appreciate every single one of you for giving me and my work the time of day. You really do make my day every single time I get an alert about my stories, and it makes me so happy and so eager to continue writing for you guys. Please drop me more reviews should you feel the need, and I hope you guys have a good one in the meantime. We'll see you soon!

Mood: Amused.

Listening To: "The Sound of Silence" - Disturbed.

~ Sky