AN: Whoa hold on, did I just update two weeks after the last chapter? WHAAAAT? Talk about character development!
Speaking of developments, this chapter is a doozy folks so strap in and get ready because HOOOO BOY.
Anyway, Reviews!
Matt Rogen: Yes Byleth will eventually get the Sword but I won't spoil when! I'm glad you like my take on Thales! I mean I honestly didn't do much with him except make him douchier but if that's enough to make him better than shoot, I'll take it! And your opinions on the Ashen Wolves has been noted :3
Dragon lord Syed 101: Thank you! Yup, Edelgard's predicament is pretty screwed, and as for Dimitri...you have NO idea.
1: Yup, darkness is my middle name! Interesting idea with the Wolves and your pairings! Def noted!
Klaw117: Thank so much and yes, it's legit so hilarious how we kill them BY ACCIDENT lol! Your opinion on the Wolves question is noted and those ships are also intriguing!
Random Fan: I completely understand! I'm sad I won't be hearing from you anymore but thank you for reviewing every chapter since the beginning, they all mean so much to me! And of course thank you for this review; as energetic and fun to read as ever!
Guest: Noted! I'll make sure to keep that in mind
Narharcan: Noted!
Your Humble Narrator Drewgie: Also noted! Thanks for the input!
I'd also like to announce I'm planning a weekend chapter for Halloween Weekend that I'm hyped to share with you guys so if you can't trick-or-treat this year you can certainly look forward to an angst filled night of tears and drama!
Anwyho, without further ado, chapter 19!
Chapter XIX: The Horrible but Honest Truth
"What in the Goddess's name is going on with the world?" Alois had said as the Officer's Academy trekked back to Garreg Mach with subdued murmurs and panicked whispers. "Another attack! Straight after that Miklan ordeal and the Rite of Rebirth as well."
Edelgard wasn't properly hearing; her heart was pounding too loudly in her ears and her mind dwelled elsewhere.
She wondered if her father would survive, wondered if Kronya or Tomas had told Arundel about nearly telling Dimitri everything. Surely he'd be far angrier if they had?
Maybe he'd learn soon, maybe he'd show up or send someone else to punish her.
And then there was Byleth.
Edelgard could already feel anxious adrenaline shaking her limbs as she glanced at the young woman's unconscious from within one of the carriages—Captain Jeralt inside with her, squeezing her hand.
Byleth knew. How could she? How had she even—?
No, it didn't matter how she came to find out. But if Byleth woke up then Edelgard's position as a spy at Garreg Mach would surely be over. In fact Rhea might even execute her publicly in front of everyone seeing as how the professor's injury had angered that woman so—Edelgard could feel the rage radiating from her right where she stood sandwiched in the crowd of Eagles.
She could go to Myson—he was very well versed in matters of the mind, but that meant admitting she'd somehow let slip her position. That meant risking punishment—risking Dimitri. Or worse….
Edelgard thought of that….place and shuddered horribly.
She'd rather die than lay strapped to a table, subjected to The Agarthans torments again—would even rather her father….
Edelgard swallowed the lump in her throat and took in a deep breath. Father was strong, he'd be alright. He had to be.
"The same people in two outta three of those attacks," Catherine said grimly. "That freaky bird masked cult that was aligned with the Western Church."
From nearby, Edelgard could make out the sound of a strangled gasp. Dimitri paused abruptly in his movement, fists clenched at his sides and lips trembling until his retainer pressed a hand against his back and gently pushed him forwards once more.
"What did he want?" Hubert asked in a low voice, spurring Edelgard to look away and turn to her own retainer.
"They took Father," Edelgard responded tightly. Hubert inhaled sharply and tensed.
"As punishment?"
Edelgard nodded, trying to quench the fear that once more reared its head in her heart. "I can't—I need to focus. Now more than ever."
And she needed to find a mind wiping spell, fast.
Luckily, Byleth didn't wake up even hours after the battle, and that left her enough time to find something valuable—it should have, at least. Her search had been frustratingly futile thus far and she was beginning to fear she would never find a solution.
Especially since the information in the lower library shelves were insufficient and Edelgard was forced to climb higher where she couldn't reach anything.
Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last time, Edelgard cursed her tiny build.
The book was right there, right there and she simply. Couldn't. Reach!
She grunted with strain as she desperately tried to grasp the upper spine of the book she sought but finding herself just short. Letting out a breath of frustration, she clutched the wooden shelf tightly and used it as leverage to hoist herself upwards.
That plan became immediately impossible as the frail wood beneath her grasping hand splintered downawards and sent two books sliding out towards the floor. She gasped, dropping her arm and nearly toppling off the rolling wooden ladder as she attempted to steady herself.
The books below hit the ground with a thud that echoed through the darkness and she winced, looking around to see if anyone—namely Tomas would come and investigate. If he saw her doing something as unchertaristic as browsing the library late at night he would get suspicious.
She took the candle she had resting on the shelf below her and held it aloft, thankfully finding nobody coming her way. She then placed it back down and sighed, pressing her forehead against the ladder handle. Sleep deprived, short, and working on the down low.
What a fantastic combination.
How in Fódlan's name did Dimitri function without sleep when she felt like crumpling to the ground and curling up at every moment? The only thing she could think of was his Crest—that or several nights of practice.
Taking a calming breath to rid her mind of its agitation, Edelgard reached for the book once more, this time gingerly rising on her toes. The ladder creaked and shook slightly under her as she gritted her teeth in frustration and lifted one leg in a futile attempt to increase her elevation.
Suddenly a voice called, "Edelgard?"
Edelgard startled with a gasp, and flinched, losing her precarious balance on the ball of her foot and teetering to the side.
She let out a surprised shriek as the ladder rolled in the opposite direction on its troublesome wheels while she fell backwards.
"Edelgard!" Dimitri exclaimed in horror as Edelgard's heart leapt into her throat and threatened to strangle her with panic as she free-falled towards the ground. Only after she had fallen with a note of surprise in his arms did it thunk back into place.
"Oh, thank the Goddess!" He cried in relief, holding her tense and dazedly blinking form securely to his chest. "I'm so, so, sorry! Are you—?"
"I'm...I'm fine," Edelgard said, attempting to regain her bearings after a possibly fatal fall and the feeling of Dimitri's strong arms cradling her to his warm muscled chest.
"S-Sorry, again," Dimitri said sheepishly. "I—do you...want me to put you down?"
"I'll get down myself," Edelgard said tightly. She was looking away from Dimitri now, but even so she was certain he could see the embarrassed flush burning all the way down to her neck.
She quickly let go of his shirt (when had she grabbed that?) and slid out of his grip to land daintily onto the floor, straightening her clothes, taking in a deep breath, and turning to him with her usual mask of neutrality, flush eliminated. "May I help you?"
Dimitri stared at her for a few moments with a pink tinted face before clearing his throat and uttering, "N-no I mean...yes I—that is, if you're willing."
'If I'm willing?' Edelgard eyed Dimitri curiously and crossed her arms. "Alright, I'm listening."
"It...has to do with those mages, the ones who kidnapped Professor Byleth during The Battle of Eagle and Lion," Dimitri said and Edelgard tensed as he continued with, "I finally came in here to see if I could pinpoint just who they are after mulling it over for hours—but now that you're here…"
Edelgard hesitated, carefully formulating her words before asking, "What makes you think I know of them?"
Dimitri shook his head and smiled weakly. "It's...paranoia I'm sure. I just had this sudden silly theory that the people who poisoned you—I felt they may have been connected to those mages somehow, and by extension, you."
Edelgard mentally cursed and glanced over her shoulder for Tomas before turning back to the prince, an incredulous smile on his face as he continued. "You see, During the Rite of Rebirth you fled after I told you the Mausoleum was being guarded, and soon after a prized possession of Lady Rhea's was successfully stolen. Then during that Battle of Eagle and Lion you went missing for an hour—both of those events featured those monsters and—"
Dimitri laughed and ran an awkward hand through his hair. "I—Goddess this is foolish. The only reason I'm even bringing this up is because Glenn thought it held some weight I...I'm wrong though, Edelgard. He's wrong...right?"
Edelgard tempered the anxiety creeping into her heart and as calmly as she could asked, "And if you aren't?"
Dimitri eyes widened before clamping his eyes shut and hissing in pain, clutching his skull. "Please," he whispered, and Edelgard knew he wasn't talking to her. "Stop it. Just let her speak I-I need clarification."
Edelgard swallowed and called a firm, "Dimitri," to pull him out of his delusions.
Dimitri jolted and gasped like a drowning man seeking oxygen, he blinked repeatedly before turning to Edelgard. "They—I need answers, Edelgard."
Edelgard nodded slowly, uttering, "Alright," once more.
Dimitri closed his eyes and inhaled slowly before opening them once more and whispering, "Why? Why are you working with them?"
"I wouldn't be working with them had I a choice; you saw that night I'm—" Edelgard glanced over her shoulder momentarily and licked her lips in trepidation. Turning back and walking towards him as she said, "Dimitri we shouldn't speak here." She checked over her shoulder once more before tilting her head towards the library exit and striding toward it. "Come, let's—"
Dimitri's arm shot out and he snatched Edelgard's wrist, squeezing it tightly beneath his firm grip and stopping her in her tracks. "Edelgard," he said, voice grave and strained.
Edelgard sucked in a sharp breath and turned to look the prince in the eye. Those eyes were gloomy, almost as if they were drenched in ink and his muscles were bunched beneath his thin night blouse.
"They grow impatient, they find you guilty. I can't—if they don't get an explanation soon—"
"Dimitri," Edelgard said firmly, jerking her hand but not managing to escape his grasp. "We can't speak here; it's dangerous."
Dimitri narrowed his eyes and squeezed tighter. "So am I, Edelgard," he said darkly.
Edelgard contemplated stabbing him with her dagger and fleeing—he clearly wasn't in his right state of mind and the longer she stayed the more likely it was for her to become endangered.
Instead she said, "Let me go first."
Dimitri's grip slackened and Edelgard took several steps away from him before levelling him with a glare. "And for the last time, do not grab me like that."
Dimitri didn't sheepishly apologize, didn't flush and make a self-deprecating comment—instead he asked, "Is that it then? Because they hurt you if you don't listen?"
"No," Edelgard snapped defensively. "I need them for my own ambitions—the threats are simply a tactic they use to control me."
Dimitri stared at her for several long moments before closing the space between him and her.
Edelgard fought the urge to step back again.
"Look me in the eye, Edelgard. Look me in the eye and tell me—promise me you had nothing to do with The Tragedy of Duscur."
Edelgard met his intense gaze in kind as she truthfully said, "I promise; I had absolutely nothing to do with your father's regicide. Nothing."
Dimitri held her gaze for a few moments before his gaze snapped sharply to the right. Edelgard feared he'd seen Tomas until she saw the faraway look in his eyes.
He shook his head firmly and said, "No. I believe her."
Edelgard released the tension in her muscles as Dimitri sighed in relief and turned back to her with a tiny smile, stepping back as he said, "Thank you, Edelgard."
The murkiness in his eyes were gone, replaced with an elated glow of pure gratitude and glee.
She shook her head and frowned. "Whatever for? All I did was confirm your suspicions."
"You eased my mind," he corrected. "Now...now I can rest easy knowing you aren't who I feared."
"In that case, I'm glad—Dimitri?" Edelgard said in confusion as he took her hand—gently this time—and rubbed a thumb against the skin of her bruising wrist just below her askew glove hem.
"I hurt you," he said, voice laced with shame and brow furrowed in concern.
"It's only a bruise, and you weren't in your correct state of mind."
Dimitri shook his head. "No. No, I'm going to make this up to you, bruise or no." He looked up from her wrist to her face and smiled. "Rest. In the morning I'll think of something to give you."
"Dimitri, again, it's merely a bru-uise?" Edelgard's voice raised an octave as Dimitri brushed his lips against her flesh before lowering her hand.
"Good night, Edelgard," He bowed swiftly and elegantly before turning on his heel and leaving Edelgard in the orange glow of the overhead candle light, eyes locked on the skin he'd kissed.
He…
Edelgard's lips twitched upwards in a smile, cheeks flushing pink and heart skipping a beat. He'd just—she was no stranger to kisses on the hand and—oh, it probably meant nothing but—
No, stop. She could dwell on that (admittedly exciting thought) later, right now she needed to find that blasted ladder and continue her search. She bent and picked up the fallen books from earlier and held it under the crook of her arm.
Hopefully it hadn't rolled too far—she didn't want—
She came face to face with the hunched figure of Tomas.
"Well!" Tomas smiled. "What an intriguing conversation, wouldn't you say?"
Edelgard's trembling lips parted in horror and shock, her pupils dilated and the books beneath her arms fell back to the ground once more with an echoing thud.
-o0o-
For the first time ever, Dimitri had argued with his family.
It had always been him begging them to stop screaming and resigning to extra training or studying even when he felt exhausted. Tonight, however he was being defiant.
"You're being blinded by infatuation," Lambert snarled gruffly from the bed as he glared at Dimitri's pacing form.
Dimitri shook his head firmly. "You're wrong, Father. She's telling the truth, I can see it in her eyes."
"You saw what you wanted to see," Patricia said from the room's corner. "Lambert is right, your love has blinded you from the truth."
Dimitri stopped before her and demanded, "Stepmother, how could you of all people believe she would do this?"
"The proof is before you, Dimitri. I don't refuse to see it, daughter or not."
"What proof?" Dimitri exclaimed. "She's working with them simply due to circumstance, I saw it with my own eyes the night she nearly died. They wouldn't have a pawn do something as serious as killing a king!"
"You know that for a fact?" Glenn asked from his spot leaning against the door.
"N-no," Dimitri admitted with a frustrated breath. "But I know in my hearts of hearts, just as surely as I know the sun will rise every morning that El would never do something so heinous."
"This isn't El, son," Lambert reminded him. "This is Edelgard, someone you are just beginning to get to know."
"It doesn't matter, she didn't have anything to do with Duscur, I know it!" Dimitri insisted. Not her, not the girl who understood more than anything the agony of losing loved ones, who listened to his pain when he was still practically a stranger to her, who loved treats, hated horrible plays and screamed curses to the Goddess because she'd let an innocent girl suffer so.
"I know it," he repeated firmly. "I'll find The Flame Emperor, but it isn't her."
"She has blinded you, Dimitri," Patricia said with a look of pity.
"There's only one way to free you of her curse," Glenn said.
"Killing her," Lambert uttered, levelling Dimitri with a serious look.
Dimitri gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his sides before barking, "No!"
All the ghosts jolted, faces twisted in shock. A part of Dimitri was shocked and horrified as well but he ignored it. "You may ask me to train until my body aches in every region, you may ask me to research until my energy is fully spent but you will not ask me to kill my friend!"
He'd expected them to scream back at him or torment him with visions until he fell to his knees in apology.
Instead, when Dimitri blinked next they had dissipated.
It was only then that he realized what he'd done. "Oh Goddess…" he whispered, clutching at his hair with shaking hands and falling onto his bed.
He...he just…
Oh no.
There was a loud snap that jolted him out of his stupor and he blinked several times before he had returned to his present state in the Dining Hall.
"Aye, he's back, ladies and gents!" Sylvain said triumphantly as he pulled his snapping fingers from Dimitri's face and sat back down.
"Forgive me," Dimitri said with a weak smile. "What were we talking about?"
"I just heard the church is starting a choir group!" Mercedes supplied with a bright smile and clasped hands. "I think I want to sign up."
"I do too!" Annette said. "I think it'd be nice to finally be able sing...um, un-weird songs, y'know?"
"There's nothing weird about your songs," Felix stated offhandedly, and the entire table turned towards him with various looks of surprise.
Felix glared back. "What?"
"You think?" Annette said gingerly. "I mean they're all a bit—wait! How do you know what they sound like? I only sing them in private!"
Sylvain grinned broadly despite the warning scowl Felix was giving him. However before the incoming teasing could ensue, Dimitri quickly said, "Ah, Sylvain! I have a question for you."
Sylvain turned from Felix to Dimitri and raised an eyebrow. "Me? Is it a girl question?"
"Well...I suppose," Dimitri figured. "I wanted to give Edelgard something and I need gift inspiration."
"What about flowers?" Ashe suggested as he sat beside Ingrid with a plate of pancakes. "You could use a flower language dictionary and make her a specialized bouquet!"
"A language of flowers?" Dedue questioned curiously. "I have never heard of such a thing."
"There is! It can vary from region and religion but—"
"Ah, ah, ah," Sylvain said, waving his hands through the air. "Friends, this is Edelgard we're talking about here. Just from looking at her you can get the immediate sense that she's a woman who desires passion."
"I see," Dimitri said with a thoughtful nod. "What do you suggest I give her in that case?"
Sylvain smiled slyly and shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Maybe a little bit of…" he took a croissant from his plate and pushed it into his mouth, sucking the drizzled chocolate off it.
Ingrid looked up from the book she was reading and glared at Sylvain before slamming it shut and smacking him across the face with it.
"Ow!" Sylvain cried indignantly as Felix followed this up with a hard kick to the red-head's shin from where he sat across from him. He let out another squawk as an idea sprang into Dimitri's head.
"Pastries! That's right, Edelgard likes sweets," he said.
"Me and Annie can help you bake some," Mercedes suggested. "Does Edelgard have a preference in delicacies?"
"Not...that I'm aware of," Dimitri mused.
"Then we can make a bit of everything!" Annette said excitedly. "Oh, oh! What if you guys had a tea party?"
Dimitri smiled brighter. "That's a lovely idea! And Ashe and Dedue, you can help me with the flowers. All I have to do is plan with—Edelgard!"
Dimitri turned and called out with a raised hand of greeting as the princess entered the Dining Hall, a cheerful redhead skipping beside her.
Edelgard glanced at him and the redhead followed suit with a broad smile. Sharply, the girl changed course and dragged Edelgard with her, Dimitri now seeing that their arms were linked in a seemingly friendly manner.
"Why hello there!" The redhead said in a shrill happy voice. "You must be the Blue Lions."
Sylvain gave the girl a mixture of a pained wince and charming smile as he rubbed the back of his head where a bruise was most likely forming. "Hello to you too, gorgeous! Don't think I've seen you before."
"That's cause you haven't! C'mon, introduce me, Edel!" The girl said, jabbing Edelgard sharply in the ribs.
Edelgard flinched before monotonously stating, "This is Monica."
"I was in last year's class but was called back before grad," Monica added. "Homeschooling, such a bore." She rolled her eyes before locking eyes with Dimitri, her smile somehow broadening. "You must be Prince Dimitri! Edel's told me so much about you—isn't that right, Edel?"
Edelgard swallowed and nodded shortly. "Right."
Dimitri frowned at Edelgard's body language. Had he angered her more than he perceived last night or…? He turned to the Monica girl and felt a twinge of distrust. The seemingly disingenuous smile, the controlling manner in which she regarded Edelgard—just who was she?
"What'd you wanna talk to her about?" She continued innocently.
"I just...wanted to invite Ede;gard to tea," Dimitri said, glancing warily at Monica before turning back to Edelgard. "As an apology for the night prior."
Edelgard's eyes widened in surprise but she couldn't answer before Monica said, "She's busy. Right, Edel?"
Edelgard gave Monica a sideways glance that was thinly veiled as a glare before turning back to Dimitri and saying, "Right," a note of resignation in her voice.
Monica dug her nails into Edelgard's forearm as her smile strained in an almost painful manner before dragging her off again, leaving no time for Dimitri to respond.
That was their last real "conversation" for two months.
He didn't blame Edelgard however, in fact for once he didn't think he was to blame either. That girl, Monica followed her around everywhere—from classes to meals, and even to her room. And the rare times Edelgard wasn't attached to the hip with that girl, she was somewhere nearby, watching.
Dimitri couldn't say for sure...and obviously he couldn't ask Edelgard but he had in inkling she was one of them. It made sense, did it not? Immediately after the library incident she'd appeared out of the blue following around like a clearly unwanted bodyguard if the disdainful looks Edelgard constantly shot her said anything, and it explained why she had wanted to speak somewhere else when they last truly spoke; she probably knew there were evesdroppers afoot.
And he had ignored her.
...perhaps this was his fault after all.
Classes had started soon after The Battle of Eagle and Lion however, so at least he had something to occupy his mind that wasn't Edelgrad or the worrying absence of his family. Just how badly had he angered them? And would they forgive him eventually?
The training dummy fell to the sand covered arena with a thud, straw decorating the ground as Dimitri stepped back with a pant and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Maybe it was a mistake to push Edelgard about The Mages and Duscur. He'd just so badly needed to know—his family had needed to know. But now neither could speak with him.
"Burning the midnight oil, Your Highness?"
Dimitri paused in his action of walking towards another dummy and turned with a smile to the familiar voice. "Hello, Sylvain, what are you doing up?"
Sylvain grinned from his spot leaning against the entrance. "Oh, y'know, found a pretty lady and—"
Dimitri held up a hand and winced, "Ah, you know what? Never mind. Is there something you needed?"
"Nope! Got all the satisfaction I needed for tonight. But I do think you need something," Sylvain said, standing up straight and walking towards Dimitri.
Dimitri frowned curiously. "Oh?"
"Girl help! What happened with you and Edelgard, Your Highness? I thought there were sparks flying between you two!" he said with a pat to the shoulder and a shake of his head.
"Oh," Dimitri said in realization as he looked away. "Edelgard she—I believe she needs some space again." Especially if Monica was who he feared she was; doing anything to get Edelgard alone and receive an explanation could potentially endanger her.
"No, what she actually needs is proof that you care," Sylvain corrected him. "Girls like to know that they're on your mind 24/7 and all you need is a simple little gesture to set their hearts a flutter!"
Dimitri made a noise of uncertainty, and stared contemplatively at the sandy ground. Would doing something like that in front of Monica be a bad idea? Then again it was only a small gesture and Edelgard had seemed stressed for the past few weeks; perhaps a reaffirmation of their friendship was exactly what she needed now. "But...what if she's asleep?"
"Leave a card with your gift and put it on the vanity, girls eat that romantic stuff up!"
"Romance isn't the goal, Sylvain. I only want to cheer her up."
Sylvain snorted and said, "Riiiiight, so are we doing this, or not?"
Dimitri hesitated before sighed and said, "Well, alright."
Sylvain grinned and clapped a hand on his shoulder again. "Excellent choice, Your Highness! You can give her some flowers from the greenhouse—simple and sweet."
"But you told me Edelgard wouldn't like flowers, that she was a woman of passion as you put it."
"Yeah, sorry, Your Highness but you don't have the charm to pull off giving your girl dick after a two month hiatus," Sylvain said apologetically.
"Di—Sylvain, what?!" Dimitri spluttered as his cheeks burned red. "Why? Why in the Goddess's holy name would you put that image in my head?!"
Sylvain snickered. "Sorry, you're too fun to fluster."
As Sylvain had suggested, Dimitri had decided to give Edelgard flowers seeing as how the bakeries in town would no doubt be closed at the hour. He was on his way to the Greenhouse when a cluster of vivid red flowers growing beside the docks caught his eye.
He paused, kneeling beside them and smiling at their contrast of midnight black and crimson red—poppies, he realized.
He cut the stems with the tip of his sword and held them aloft with a pleased smile before discreetly entering the kitchens for a vase.
However when he made it to Edelgard's room with a vase in hand with a swiftly written card tucked between the stems of the poppies when he paused.
What was he even doing? How intrusive and rude would it be to just sneak in while she was sleeping just to leave her something? Wouldn't she be far more freaked out than flattered? Maybe he should just wait until tomorrow and—
From beneath the door, he saw a flash of magenta. He recognized that light, it was the light used when warping. So she was awake then?
Squaring his shoulders Dimitri raised his fist to knock but paused when an eerily familiar voice growled, "Bastards."
He knew all too well who that voice belonged to.
-o0o-
They hadn't experimented on her again like Edelgard had feared—but what happened to her instead was hardly any mercy.
She watched Johnathan die again; the first of her siblings to succumb to the experimentations. They'd all been there when it happened, as his body convulsed atop the operation table and froth spilled from his mouth while he gasped for air.
Edelgard had watched in paralyzed horror as her brother began to let out strangled screams of agony, the veins beneath his sickly pale skin taught and prominent against his flesh. Agnes had covered her eyes then, and though Edelgard could no longer see, she could hear the sound of popping and the sound of blood trickling to the floor as Johnathan let out one final screech of agony.
Sebastien burst into tears and Rowen vomited nearby as one of the horrifying pale men—Solon—clicked his tongue and sighed. "What a shame—he didn't even leave any of himself left to tinker with. Incinerate him."
Edelgard pulled down at her older sister's now limp hand to see and immediately wished she hadn't—Johnathan had been reduced to a clump of mangled flesh, eyeballs hanging from his sockets and blood gushing from his now open chest cavity.
She shrieked and burst into delirious sobs as one of the scary bird men wheeled Johnathan to a window and pressed something. The windowed wall slid open and he slid his corpse inside before shutting it again. Finally, he pressed something else on the wall and the room burst into flames.
"JOHNNY!" Edelgard screamed, dashing forward and throwing herself at the glass, those men grabbed her arms and pulled her back as Solon said, "The little spit fire is next. Her body seems to take it better than the rest."
Her other siblings screamed in horror and tried getting to her but it was no use, the bird men were pushing them back with magic and Edelgad was being strapped kicking and screaming onto the table just like the first night she'd been here.
A needle was just being positioned at her arm when the scene melted away.
Her body was curled in a fetal position atop a familiar crimson carpet and tears were lining her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. "Had enough, niece?" Arundel asked calmly from where he sat on his study chair.
Edelgrad inhaled shakily and closed her eyes, more tears slipping free as she nodded silently.
"Good," Arundel said and nodded towards Myson who removed his hand from Edelgard's scalp and bowed before leaving the room and shutting the study door behind him.
"Now," Arundel said as Edelgard pushed herself shakily to her feet and staggered towards the nearest seat, mind reeling from what she had just been forced to relive. "I'm not so disappointed in the fact that you told Dimitri of us that I am disappointed that you were inclined to spill our secrets."
"I told you," Edelgard said in a harsh whisper as she wiped her eyes with the back of her gloved hands. "All I did was confirm suspicions he already—"
"As I said," Arundel cut her off. "It's not what you did, it's the concept behind it—you were willing to sing like a bird the moment you let someone get close to you. It was inevitable that Dimitri would learn of us given his position and role in our plans but this...this flippancy with our secrets."
"It won't happen again," Edelgard croaked. "I promise."
"No, it won't," Arundel agreed. "From now on, you'll be chaperoned by Kronya. Any missteps and she will report directly to me, understood? And I promise you, I won't be so lenient next time."
Lenient. Arundel thought forcing her to relive her elder brother's death was leniency.
She hated him. She. Hated. Him.
But there was nothing to be done, so for two months after, Kronya was forced to be her shadow—her obnoxiously smug and snidely remarking shadow that successfully deterred any possible conversation with anyone who wasn't a blasted Agarthan during a meeting concerning the rapidly upcoming war.
She couldn't coax Bernadetta out of her room or drag Lindhart back to class or chat with Dorthea—she couldn't even stay long enough in class for Ferdiand to brag about something or challenge her to some ludicrous competition.
Worst of all, she couldn't find a spell to wipe Byleth's memories without revealing her slip up to Kronya. And so with each day that went by, Edelgard dreaded the one where Byleth would open her eyes.
She hadn't been forced to do any more tasks until the final week of the Red Wolf Moon in a small village named Remire. She was just to watch and observe to ensure everything went smoothly, as was Arundel's instructions.
To put it bluntly—"everything" was horrific.
From her perch atop a ridge she watched the village being burnt down by madmen and women, while the sane villagers fled for their lives and screamed for aid. One man tripped and fell to the ground, an insane woman raising her blade to end his life when Captain Jeralt charged forwards and slammed the pommel of his sword against her skull and sent her cashing to the ground.
He pointed at one of the Golden Deer and yelled something unintelligible as he gestured with his head towards the two villagers. Edelgard then turned away from the scene towards Tomas who watched the chaos with a broad and delighted grin. She scoffed from within her mask—what was this apocalyptic scene supposed to accomplish except more needless misery?
Still, she did as she was told and watched the battle unfold; a silent sentry in crimson armour, axe hoisted over her shoulder in case she was needed.
She rolled her eyes when Tomas foolishly decided to reveal his true identity instead of keeping hidden, and watched with a mild sense of entertainment as a man looking to be in his mid-forties and a group of teenagers forced him to retreat.
Pathetic.
With her job over, she disappeared with a flash of magenta and reappeared in her room. Even though she technically didn't do anything...seeing that carnage was—
Again, there was nothing to be done. If this was what it took to free Fodlan from the clutch of Crests then so be it. There should've been another way, could have been, had it not been for them.
"Bastards," Edelgard growled as she reached up and unlocked her mask, breathing in fresh air and shaking her hair out of the suit's tight confines. She unlatched the other parts of the armour and let them clank to the wooden floor before her door slammed open.
She gasped, turning around and freezing.
Dimitri stared at the scene before him with wide eyes, gaze slowly falling to the floor littered in armour pieces before finally landing on the two toned mask. He inhaled shakily, the vase in his hand falling and shattering as water seeped into the floorboards.
Oh no…
Edelgard held up her hands placatingly as he slowly looked up at her, face twitching and the murkiness creeping back into his eyes. "Dimitri—"
Dimitri's lips slowly twisted into a lopsided grin as he let out a breathy laugh, body shaking and tears lining his eyes.
"Dimitri…" Edelgard tried again. "Listen—"
With a roar Dimitri lunged at her, hands wrapping around her throat and slamming her to the wall. Edelgard gasped for breath, clawing desperately at his gauntlet covered wrists as her vision began to blur. "D-Dimitri…"
"They were right," he hissed, squeezing tighter. Her pulse thundered in her ears as her shaking hand reached towards her hip, fingers brushing against her dagger. "I defended you and they were right."
Edelgard tugged her dagger out and stabbed the blade into Dimitri's forearm. He flinched, barely slackening his grip but it was enough. Lighting her hands with electricity she slammed her palm against his chest and sent him crashing to the ground.
He hit the floorboards with a thud, twitching and gasping in pain as Edelgard leapt over him and slammed her room door shut. By the time she'd spun around again, Dimitri was back on his feet and unsheathing his sword, attempting to slash at her face with a war cry.
Edelgard quickly held up her hands and produced a small barrier that cracked under the force of Dimitri's swing and slammed her against the door with a grunt. "Dimitri! Listen to me!" She exclaimed.
"How can I listen to a single word you say when you looked me in the eye and lied to me!" Dimitri snapped back, raising his sword again for another strike. Edelagrd ducked, knowing her barrier couldn't take another hit and rolled beneath his legs, standing swiftly and spinning for her dagger to clash with his sword.
Their blades sang in the enclosed darkness of the room and the impact sent soundwaves down her arm. "I didn't lie," she ground out. "I had nothing to do with Duscur—!"
"And yet you possess the armour of my father's murderer!" Dimitri spat, powering his Crest and forcing Edelgard back. She staggered and stumbled against the wall once more, unable to regain her bearings before Dimitri pressed his blade tip pressed against her throat.
"Why?" He said, voice still dark and gravely but now tinged in sadness. He gritted his teeth and shook his head as one of the tears resting in his eyes slid down his cheek. "Why did it have to be you?"
Edelgard shook her head as much as she could while having a sharp object poking her neck. "It's not—"
"Liar!" Dimitri thundered, slamming his fist into the wood and creating a sizable hole. "You told me you had nothing to do with Duscur. I believed you!"
"I wasn't there!"
"Yes. You. WHERE! I saw you! I saw you as you killed him! You—you—!" Dimitri's shoulders shook as he began to sob. "You took everything from me! You and your monstrous friends!"
"They are not my friends! You saw! You saw them nearly kill me!" Edelgard yelled, feeling her frustration singe her blood and send adrenaline coursing through her veins. "I wear his armour but I am not Lambert Blaiddyd's killer—!"
"Shut up!" Dimitri growled, pressing the blade further against Edelgard's throat and causing blood to trickle down. "You lying, conniving—"
"How could I have been there when they were torturing me underneath the palace!?" Edelgard screamed furiously, causing Dimitri to pause in his tirade.
He furrowed his brow. "What are you on about?" He demanded.
"Forgotten, have you?" Edelgard spat venomously as she tore her glove off and showed him the scars of her hand bathed in moonlight.
"They did—? No. No, you said Arundel…" his voice trailed off realization lighting his eyes.
"Not Arundel," Edelgard said, cramming her hand back into her glove. "Thales."
Dimitri narrowed his eyes before slowly, slowly lowering his sword from her neck, however it was still raised at the ready. "You have The Flame—"
"Yes, Dimitri we've established that, haven't we?" Edelgard said sardonically as she strode around him to the scattered pieces of armour scattering the ground and paying no mind to the sword still trained at her back. "This," she said, kicking the helm. "Isn't mine. It was given to me as a disguise when carrying out menial tasks. She spun around to face him and threw her hands up with a bitter laugh. "But the truth doesn't matter to you, does it, Dimitri?"
Dimitri scowled. "Of course it—"
"Oh! So that's why you refused to stop when I was trying to give you an explanation?"
Dimitri looked away, finally lowering his sword completely as Edelgard continued, "But I suppose it was easier this way, wasn't it Dimitri? To jump to conclusions even after everything I—" Edelgard stopped and continued again, "You were simply looking for any excuse to finally put in an end to your delusions—"
"They are not delusions!" Dimitri snapped as he turned back to her with a glare.
"No," Edelgard agreed. "Simply the byproduct of your hopelessly fractured mind, did I get that right?"
"Don't you dare disrespect my family—!"
"They are dead! They are dead and instead of moving on you cling to them like—!" She paused in her tirade to take in a deep calming breath before turning away from him. She needed to reign in her emotions, exploding like this was—
"I don't understand you either," Dimitri said from behind her. "If Arundel is one of—them then you're still working with him after he killed your siblings! How? Why?"
Edelgard glared at him from over her shoulder, "Some of us have actual, tangible things to fight for, Dimitri. And we—I am willing to go through any and every trial to win."
Confusion marred Dimitri's face as Edelgard turned back to him again and said, "No, of course you don't understand. You can't see beyond your hatred and your desire for vengeance. I can."
"What is so important that you would align yourself with a monster?" Dimitri demanded in bafflement.
Edelgard stared at him for a few moments before answering, "Saving Fódlan."
If anything, Dimitri looked even more confused and Edelgard frustratingly demanded, "You can't tell me you don't see a problem with it! The obsession with Crests, the overreliance on the church and The Goddess to fix your problems—all of it! Look at Faerghus, can you truly tell me that it's perfect? That its system is fine the way it is?"
Dimitri hesitated before conceding, "No."
"And that's what I aim to fix," Edelgard said. "I'm going to tear everything that holds this corrupt society together from the ground and start a new world."
Dimitri scoffed. "And you'll be doing that with the help of torturers and murderers?"
"It's...not ideal," Edelgard admitted. "But—"
"What could they help you do that you as future emperor cannot do on your own?"
"They have powerful people among their ranks, weapons the like nobody has ever seen—if I am to be their puppet then—"
"Why would you need powerful people and eldritch weapons?" Dimitri demanded. "What…" he paused as the second realization of the night hit him. "You're planning—"
"A war," Edelgard said with a nod. "Yes. It's the only way to unite the continent and purge it of its impurities."
Dimitri's confusion morphed into horror as he sank to Edeldard's bed. "You mean to...conquer all of Fódlan?"
"I do."
"You're working with your tormentors because you want power?"
Edelgard shook her head in frustration. "I told you already what my plans are, it's not for power it's for—"
"This is your plan to 'save Fódlan?' To create orphans and widows? To sow resentment with your people?" Dimitri cried. "Edelgard that is ludicrous!"
"I have a plan to make my people's lives better, and if they hate me for it, so be it," Edelgard said sharply. "What are you going to do to fix Faergus? If war is so wrong then what?"
"Diplomacy!" Dimitri exclaimed. "Extending a hand to—"
"Your father tried that. Where did that get him?" Edelgard questioned. Dimitri stood sharply from the bed and glared down at her, but Edelard met his gaze unflinchingly as she continued, "The Agarthans—the people who took your father—and the church have their claws deep in Fódlan's heart. Do you truly believe they will allow you take away their control with a few articulate words and a Seiros hymn?"
Dimitri opened his mouth and closed it before saying, "Even if that's true, a war is not the way."
"Then what is?" Edelgard challenged. "Pray tell, Dimitri because if you have a better solution…"
"It isn't this," Dimitri said firmly.
"Then what?" Edelgard repeated. "When your coronation comes, when you swear fealty to your people, when the weight of that crown rests upon your head, what will you do to improve your people's livelihoods?"
Dimitri was silent, words finally failing him as he closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. Moments later however, he opened his eyes again and gave her a gaze of fire. "I am not dragging my people into a slaughter for the sake of delusions of grandeur."
Edelgard stepped closer to him until she could see her reflection in his blue eyes as she said. "So you will do nothing. You will allow more Miklans to run rampant, you will allow people like your retainer to continue being a victim of prejudice, and you will be naught but a footnote in the pages of history because all you'll do is sit on your throne and converse with the ghosts of your past."
Dimitri stiffened, but said nothing as he turned on his heel and marched towards the door, crunching the shattered glass of the vase and trampling over the forgotten poppy flowers. As he turned the knob and opened the door, he looked over his shoulder and said, "I pity, Adrestia. Their ruler is a heartless, moraless, warmonger."
Edelgard tilted her chin upwards defiantly and shot pack, "And I pity Faerghus. Their ruler is a mindless, conforming, coward."
Dimitri narrowed his eyes, hands tightening and denting the doorknob before he finally left, slamming the door shut behind him.
-o0o-
AN: Look, I'm SORRY but we all knew this was coming right?
Anyway, I realized that I've had three Edelgard Torture chapters in a row which is uh...OOF. So the next chap will be a bit happier for her—even if her relationship with Dimitri is kinda sorta on the rocks right now.
We're also nearing the end of Part I and I am SO excited to show it to you guys! But for now, very important question:
Eyepatch Dimitri or Crimson Flower Dimitri? I promise this is actually super important to the story and NOT just for aesthetic purposes!
See you guys soon!
Fantasy Fan OUT!