AN: Happy one year anniversary of the "Let's Die Together!" as of now this story has 32k views, 182 follows, 115 favorites, and 113 reviews! Thank you all so much for the love and support you've given me thus far!
This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday, again. But life happened, again, again. So to refrain from writing a trashy finale, this will be the pre-finale chapter that basically sets everything up while chapter twenty four will be completely filled to the brim with action, ation, more action and Dimigard!
SO! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter XXIII: The Calm
Arundel's idea of a "different tactic" as opposed to punishing Edelgard was to lock her in a dark cell to have her "self reflect."
Instead, Edelgard hyperventilated.
It was too dark, too small, and she couldn't see them but she could hear rats scuttling around...
Time became as meaningless as it was in the horrible days when she'd been sliced and stabbed and forced to do painful outrageous things for her captors's amusement. The darkness flickered with beaks and hands and dead faces so Edelgard had stopped opening her eyes all together.
She sat curled in a corner, arms clamped over her ears as she gasped for quickly dwindling breath. The walls seemed to close in on her, inching closer and closer. At one point, a rat dashed over her leg and she shrieked—a mistake as this caused the others to scuttle around too, filling the cell with rat squeaks and Edelgard's own pathetic whimpering.
"Let me out!" Edelgard had yelled after the rats had settled and the walls had closed in so much that she had the immediate urge to bolt. She slammed against the cold unrelenting metal and pounded on it, screaming and cursing and at some point dissolving into sobs. This of course stirred the rats again.
Edelgard couldn't breathe anymore as her time in the cell dragged on. She was cold and hungry and dehydrated and embarrassed because she'd never sobbed, or begged, or lay in her own excrement in so long and she'd slipped oh so easily back into the role of a tortured useless little girl.
Sometime into her confinement, she'd realized they hadn't taken away Dima's dagger from her. Just like before in those days, she held the gift close and squeezed it as if it were a plush toy, letting the promise of cutting her own path slowly re-tie the threads of her sanity.
He was still saving her when he wasn't even around. Edelgard smiled, imagining his kind eyes and awkward adorable smile and fumbling bashful speech, his hands on hers as they waltzed on the Goddess Tower, his laughter at the play, his soft comforting voice when she'd told him of her pain, his bittersweet smile when he realized she finally remembered.
And she imagined things that didn't exist too—daydreams if you will. Him at her side as she stormed the church, his adoring gaze being something she woke up to everyday of her life...wondering how it felt to kiss someone, and then wondering how it would feel to kiss—
She had to quickly stop the daydreams before they became a weapon that cruelly reminded her of their opposing roles.
After some more time, Edelgard wondered if they were going to strap her down to a metal table after all, have her convulse and twitch just like old times because honestly, at this point why not go all the way?
She laughed bitterly, clenching the dagger tighter to her chest as she snatched onto that bitterness and rage accumulating in her heart and feeding it for rage was better than fear.
Finally, finally the heavy metal door creaked open and too-bright light poured through, forcing the darkness to retreat along with the rats. She didn't react to them this time though, she was too busy feeling a mixture of wariness and relief as she removed her dagger from her chest and pushed herself shakily to her feet, strapping it back to her hip with fumbling uncoordinated fingers.
"Reflected enough, Niece?" Arundel questioned as he stood before the doorway, blocking the promise of freedom until she could finally be the good girl he wanted her to be.
Edelgard nodded stiffly, neck sore from being curled in a fetal position for so long. But in truth she hadn't "reflected" on anything other than wanting to leave, worrying if Hubert was okay and staying as silent as possible to not disturb the rats.
"Let me out," she said hoarsely, trying and failing to force her voice to be steady and commanding.
Arundel gave her a crooked smirk in response, so it probably didn't work. "It seems you've learned nothing, Edelgard."
Fear clutched at her heart and squeezed as tight as it could. "I did," she assured him, despising the desperation seeping into her voice.
"And what did you learn?" Arundel questioned, tilting his head to the side and raising his eyebrows as if she were a misbehaving petulant child.
In his eyes, she supposed she was.
"I...I will not opt to keep things from you any longer. Had I told you about Byleth I wouldn't have been discovered," Edelgard plucked the first thing that came to mind and presented it.
"Well done," Arundel said with approval, and Edelgard hated the wave of relief she felt as he stepped to the side. He snapped his fingers and two beak faced mages strode in, grabbing Edelgard by opposite arms and leading her out of the dungeon she'd been in.
She wanted to close her eyes, not desiring to watch the familiar electric doors open and close revealing exiting experimenters and screaming victims struggling against their restraints. The overhead lights burning brighter than any candle and casting shadows over the pitch walls and floor.
But she didn't want to appear more pathetic than she already did, so staring resolutely at the exit elevator as she asked, "How long was I there?"
"Three days," Arundel said simply and her heart sank. So long? So much could've happened in that time! She had hoped her time in confinement would be shorter than she was led to believe but at least it wasn't an entire month.
Outwardly, Edelgard nodded curtly and stepped into the elevator with her captors. It hissed shut and shot upwards for only moments before dinging and sliding open once more.
There, Cornelia stood, smiling catlike at Edelgard and wiggling her fingers in a wave as Edelgard's stomach tried to expel nonexistent food from her stomach.
She had forgotten just how much she utterly loathed Cornelia, as the woman was blessedly absent for every meeting the Agarthans held. But now, standing in the hallway with her cloying perfume tickling her nose and her smug face directly in her vision, Edelgard fought the urge to charge at her and stab her neck until every drop of blood had left her body.
She showed restraint however, knowing that she wouldn't be able to escape the iron grips holding her in her condition and not wanting to appear over emotional in front of the bastards in the hallway. So the only hint Edelgard showed of her displeasure was a clenched jaw and furrowed brow.
"It's good to see you too, sunshine," Cornelia tittered as Edelgard was forced forward by her captors.
"I'll leave her to you, then," Arundel said, nodding at Cornelia before Warping out of sight to do Fódlan knows what.
Torment more children, maybe.
"We're going to have a girl's night before the war meeting," Cornelia said as they continued down the hallway. "I'm simply bursting with excitement, aren't you, Edelgard? It will be just the two of us!"
The thought of being alone with Cornelia did make Edelgard want to burst but certainly not from excitement.
She grabbed Edelgard's wrist and Warped away with her, Cornelia, Edelgard and her captors reappearing in a lavish bathroom that Edelgard recognized immediately.
"This is for the Emperor," she commented and Cornelia smiled in faux sympathy.
"Oh that's right! You don't know. You are Emperor now, Edelgard," Cornelia said as she turned to the mages and dismissed them with a, "Goodbye, boys."
Edelgard frowned in confusion as the mages Warped away and Cornelia strode towards the already filled bathtub, poking her finger in to presumably test the water.
"I don't understand. My coronation is not until—"
"Well thanks to your foolishness we can't very well wait until The Church gathers enough force to repel us, now can we?" Cornelia said as she stepped back and turned to look at Edelgard over her shoulder with a smirk. "So while you were in Reflection, Solon took the reins and impersonated you. I dare say he made the Emperor suspicious because he kept fumbling lines he was supposed to know since childhood but alas, he remains the only one of us who can transform into still living people as of now so he had to do."
"What?" Edelgard demanded. The thought of Solon stealing her likeness caused her blood to boil.
"Stop being such a drama queen—or, Empress—don't you worry, we left the exciting parts for you to do," Cornelia said, turning around fully. "But that's only if you cooperate." She gestured to the bathtub.
Edelgard hesitated, glancing at Cornelia and then the tub.
"Forgotten how to remove your clothes in three days?" Cornelia questioned mockingly with a raised brow.
Edelgard had subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself in a feeble act of protection. She would gladly walk around in filth if it meant Cornelia wouldn't see her scars and no doubt mock her for them—especially since most were inflicted by her cruel hand for no reason other than the fact that she wanted to hear a helpless girl scream.
"It seems so," she said, and raised a finger, turning it sharply to the side with a click of her tongue.
An invisible force tossed Edelgard violently to the side and into the warm water with a cry of surprise. Water sloshed over the tub lip as her skull slammed against the tub's bottom.
Resurfacing and gasping for breath, Cornelia amusedly asked, "Are you going to bathe with your clothes on?"
Edelgard stubbornly glared back through sodden bangs in response.
"Oh dear," she sighed with frown. "You truly learned nothing in your timeout, haven't you?"
That gave Edelgard pause, imagining returning to that darkened prison and having all her plans and decisions being run by Solon wearing her face like a mask, slowly fading away to a maddened drooling wreck like Rowen or Matthias before her.
Closing her eyes, Edelgard swallowed her pride and slowly began removing articles of her uniform, knowing she'd never be wearing it again.
Cornelia didn't comment on the scars, but the cruel smirk on her lips easily delivered all the snide remarks right to Edelgard's brain.
Being bathed took a lot more pride swallowing, and Cornelia clearly knew this as she took great pleasure in talking to Edelgard in a baby voice and treating her like a puppy. "I'm going to pour water on you now, sweetie!" "Ooh! Does that hurt? Sorry, sorry..."
After a while, Edelgard had managed to tune her out, instead thinking to the future. Leading an attack on The Church, destroying them and all that opposed her, and then finally—
Cornelia, now realizing that Edelgard was now ignoring her, switched tactics.
"I never understood before," she said in her normal voice as she brought a comb to her sudsy hair. "But now I do—The Princeling is an absolute sweetheart, no wonder you love him so!"
Edelgard tensed, and though she couldn't see her face as she washing her from behind, the princess knew Cornelia was smirking at the reaction, small as it was.
"And he certainly inherited his father's looks as well..." she purred and Edelgard felt disgusted bile crawl up and burn her throat. "Oh yes, there is much to appreciate about him. I was angry at first that I could no longer dispose of him and take the throne but then I found an alternative!"
Cornelia leaned towards Edelgard's ear and whispered, "Wouldn't we make such a couple?"
Edelgard gritted her teeth at the idea of Cornelia being anywhere near Dimitri but his wife? Cornelia wouldn't love him, he'd simply be a footstool for the throne, a pretty pet that she would enjoy spitefully breaking. Edelgard imagined him and that situation, the light in his blue eyes dimmed to resigned solid ice, shoulders perpetually slumped in defeat and no power to protect the Kingdom he so loved.
"Oh, no need to look so angry...we can share!" Cornelia said, leaning back again and continuing to untangle Edelgard's hair. "He'll simply be mine at the end of the day."
Edelgard pulled sharply out of Cornelia's grasp and stepped out of the tub, dripping water everywhere as she snatched a folded towel and rubbed herself harshly down until her skin was raw and burning.
"Struck a nerve?" Cornelia mocked as Edelgard wrapped her hair and rifled through the cabinet for a robe. "I wonder why. Does it pain you that the woman you oh so despise intends to pursue the man that you love? Or perhaps you want him all to yourself?"
"Dimitri is not mine, he is not yours, he belongs to him and him alone." Edelgard shoved her arms into the robe as she continued. "Your interest in him begins and ends with what he can do for your status and knowing you, you'll enjoy breaking his will day in and day out for full control of Faerghus. That disgusts me."
She tied the robe strings with a sharp tug before glaring at the still smirking woman dabbing at her damp dress. "And if you even think of hurting him in the slightest—"
"You'll do nothing," Cornelia finished calmly as she bent to rifle through Edelgard's discarded clothes and pulled out a familiar dagger. "Because you are just a little girl and we are the grown ups. But you knew that already, didn't you...El?"
Edelgard snatched the dagger and hissed, "Don't you dare call me that."
Cornelia laughed. "Oh how I missed your delusional pride, Princess."
-o0o-
Attending this party was a mistake.
Everyone was so...loud. Dozens of conversations were happening simultaneously, the voices within them amplified by alcohol and sugar. The amount of noble men and women not at all suspiciously telling him how amazing he would be as King and how glad they were that he was taking the throne from Rufus.
He tugged at his collar and gave a quick apology and "excuse me" to a man talking to him before striding for the doors. Oh, he knew it was rude to leave a party made in his honour but if he didn't leave right this instant—
He opened the glass doors leading to the courtyard and breathed in a deep refreshed breath. Snowflakes gently landind in his hair and face and eyelashes and the winter air bringing a flush to his cheeks.
He then began to walk around, rearranging his thoughts and composing himself as he trudged through the ankle deep snow as he glanced at everything around with a sad frown.
Castle Blaiddyd hadn't felt like home in four years.
Every stone in the walkway, every portrait, every room held memories of people that were dead because of his inadequacy. Walking by the training grounds he could see Glenn sparring three men at once, glancing back to make sure Felix was watching and yelling sword technique pointers at him—occasionally, that would be the cause of him hitting the dirt with declaration that he was holding back.
"Your Highness!" A Knight called with a wave, wiping snow from his hair and blowing his running red nose on a handkerchief. "Up for a match?"
Dimitri smiled and shook his head. "Another time, Gregory," he said as he continued down the pathway. Looking up, there was Patricia, staring out the window with sad faraway eyes. Sometimes glancing up periodically from a book she'd been reading or a painting she was finishing up, eyes always leaving both the window and current activity to find Dimitri's as he visited her, and the smile she'd give was always both loving and saddened simultaneously.
As a ghost, she didn't smile anymore.
Looking back down he entered the castle proper, stomping the packed snow from his boots and handing his coat to a waiting servant with a quick and polite thank you.
But his father...oh his father.
Lambert Blaiddyd was everywhere; there was a portrait of him in every hallway, a memory in every corner—him snatching Dimitri from behind a tapestry with delighted laughter and winning a game of hide and seek, curling up in his study as he read him a bedtime story, hoisting him on horses and teaching him to ride—
Dimitri swallowed the sob threatening to escape and wiped the blooming tears in his eyes away, making extra sure not to glance at a picture of Lambert that hung mockingly on the wall just to his right, looming over him menacingly.
And now what did Faerghus have left? A pathetic excuse for a King.
"Dimitri!"
Dimitri flinched in surprise at the silence being shattered by a slurred booming voice and lumbering uneven gait.
Then there was...him.
Dimitri—hick!—You came back—hick!" A large arm wrapped around Dimitri's shoulders and slammed him against a tall and imposing body, the motion causing the alcohol in the man's opposite hand to slosh out onto the carpet.
Dimitri looked at his uncle and gave him a weak smile. "Uncle Rufus, hello. Drunk again I see."
"Ha! Ha! HA!" He screeched, ruffling Dimitri's hair as he continued. "All's well! I only took a tiny sip."
Dimitri glanced at the quarter empty bottle in his uncle's hands. "Clearly," he said.
"Why'd you leave that party? Hick! Was just getting good!"
"My apologies, Uncle I was...well I needed some space for my thoughts."
"You can have space for your thoughts after the party, because now you're just—hick—being ungrateful."
Dimitri sighed heavily. "I never asked for a party, Uncle. In fact I would've preferred a more private affair without people overtly trying to butter me up and throwing their daughters at me."
Rufus took another sip and frowned, some dribbling down into his long blonde beard and saying, "Suppose I should—hick—get them to stop now. Found you a lovely wife already! No officail arrengments yet but—"
Dimitri's eyes widened and he ducked under his uncle's arm before horrifyingly crying, "What? You never told me anything like this!"
"One, it was recent and two you'd have said no," Rufus said simply with another hiccup.
"If you'd known I would say no then why?" Dimitri bristled.
"Because you need an heir and to get an heir you need a wife. I mean you can just find—hick—a random woman to bed but you seem to have your father's mind numbingly idiotic chaste trait."
"Father was no fool," Dimitri said firmly as he smoothed out his ruffled and snow damp hair.
Rufus sorted. "Oh, here we go..."
"Why do you keep dragging his name through the mud?" Dimitri demanded in frustration. "He was your brother!"
"Was he? Hick! When did he ever invite me to the castle when he was alive—hick—huh?"
Dimitri frowned and looked away as Rufus laughed. "Never? You see!"
"Father wouldn't have spoken ill of you if you had died in Duscur," Dimitri snapped.
"He just spoke ill of me while I was alive which is—hick—better I guess to you, aye?"
"Father had never—!"
"I direct you once more to being kicked out and then non-invited to my own home—hick—so if you feel he didn't speak about how oh so horrible I was to his, his, his ass kisser Rodrigue Fraldarious your more dumb than I thought," Rufus sneered as he finished off the last of his bottle and shattered it on the ground.
Dimitri flinched back at the sound and the sight of the moon drenched shards skidding across the marble before Rufus pointed a shaky finger at him.
"You and, and, and—hick—the castle staff, and, and, the whole blasted country are celebrating me being kicked off the throne when I've been entertaining them for years! But they celebrate Lambert's memory and mourn his death—hick—when all he did was charge into a country of liars and barbarians while leaving his son an orphan!" Rufus shoved Dimitri and jabbed his finger at Lambert's oil painted face.
"What, what, did you do?! Die! You died! That's all people remember you for! Getting your head lopped off by Duscur scum!"
"Do not refer to them in that manner, Uncle, they had nothing—!"
"You did nothing!" The man snapped back, pointing his opposite finger at Dimitri. "You did nothing but—" Rufus suddenly staggered and vomited over the ground, crashing into a small pillar containing an urn and tumbling into the mess of sharp glass with a sob.
Dimitri knelt by his uncle's side and gently hoisted him to his feet, plucking and tossing bits of glass that had dug into his cheek.
"Uncle," Dimitri said gently before the man vomited again and covered Dimitri's outfit in regurgitated wine.
He sighed softly as he led his uncle to his bedroom, rubbing soothing circles onto his back.
At least he had an excuse to avoid the party now.
-o0o-
Within the long table of the war room, Arundel sat at the very end, on his left was Hubert—thankfully appearing to be unharmed—and on his right was Cornelia, smiling at Edelgard innocently.
Edelgard realized with extreme dismay that the seat beside that woman was the only one left, the rest of the chairs filled with important Adrestian generals and Agarthans both. With tense movements, she sat down onto the plush cushion as Hubert gave her an empathetic frown.
Neither of them liked Cornelia in the slightest—not that they had any love for any of the Slithers, Arundel in particular—but Cornelia certainly snagged second place in the disdain department.
"Hurry up this meeting, yes?" Cornelia said, addressing Arundel but looking at Edelgard with a broadening of her cat smile. "I don't want to leave the Princeling alone for too long, you see."
Edelgard glared back, filling her gaze with a million silent threats. Cornelia tittered into the tips of her fingers, knowing full well that they were all empty at best.
"We will not be long," Arundel assured her before turning to Edelgard and saying, "We've sent Kronya and Myson to spy back at the Monastery," and Edelgard immediately felt disturbed by that information—her peers interacting with those things without her being there to stop them from doing anything was simply...
"We didn't harm your little friends," Myson said simply from two seats beside her.
"Yet," Kronya grinned from beside Hubert.
"As I was saying," Arundel said. "Seiros has discovered your escape and has been fortifying her domain. She has also had an assembly exposing your position as a spy to the entire student body and staff and has begun to ask everyone but students willing to fight to leave as soon as possible."
"She expects rightful retaliation," Solon commented from his seat next to Edelgard.
Arundel nodded and said, "And we shall hand it to her on a silver platter."
"Yes!" Kronya cheered. "Can't wait to get my hands bloody!"
"This seems highly unwise," a woman from the other end of the table rasped. She wore an elegant fur lined collar, choker and gloves along with a figure hugging dress. She also wore a full faced birdcage veil that obscured her face. Edelgard couldn't say she'd seen her before.
"Why did you let this one out, Arundel?" Cornelia said with a disdainful sniff. "She's hardly any fun anymore."
"It's not always about, fun, Cornelia," Solon sneered.
Kronya snorted. "Yeah it is!"
"See? The little one understands," Cornelia said gesturing to Kronya. "What is wrong with you bland boys?"
"Margaret is a powerful mage and she will be helping us henceforth," Arundel said firmly as Cornelia rolled her eyes and shot Margaret one last dirty look.
"Well at least Christos is a fun addition to our group. Hello Christos," Cornelia purred as she waggled her fingers at another Agarthan Edelgard didn't recognize—a man in full midnight armour who spluttered within his helmet.
"I saw him run away from a mouse once," Myson deadpanned.
"Pathetic," Solon crabbed.
"Exactly, skittishness. That's where the fun is," Cornelia chirped.
"Enough!" Arundel snapped, silencing the room effectively as Edelgard's lips twitched in amusement. The Agarthans acting like children certainly made them far less intimidating than she knew them to be.
Arundel then turned to the Margaret woman. "Why do you say?"
"We haven't access to Rhea's stash of Crest Stones and thus lack the ability to make more Demonic Beats—this would mean using more soldiers and more casualties and both sides," Margaret explained.
"Our numbers far surpass that of The Church. All will be fine, even without Demonic Beats," Arundel said calmly.
"And we can take as much as we need once we open that stone building of horrors like a walnut and scrape out its insides," Randolph commented.
"Excellent deduction. Now, as for the details of this attack..."
Edelgard was beginning to wonder why she was even here. Not once was she, or Hubert for that matter, asked questions despite the fact that they were the ones with the most information on the Monastery as they had been there for nine months.
It wasn't until the very end of the meeting when Arundel finally turned to her once more and said, "Now, you will use Rhea's assassination attempt as leverage to rile the people and get their full support. After, you will initiate the war and we will prepare the attack."
This was happening far sooner than she had anticipated, but there was nothing to be done but nod and say, "Of course. We will set things in motion as soon as possible."
Fódlan's salvation was fast approaching.
-o0o-
Unsurprisingly, even the most seasoned party animal couldn't drink, eat and dance for a week straight. By day six the ballroom was a disaster filled with exotic bird feathers and shattered glass.
That meant when the coronation finally arrived, there was no fanfare, no excitement. Just a quiet, formal ascension with no too-loud people or the stench of alcohol.
Truly, Dimitri couldn't have asked for anything better.
Rhea's serene face looked incredibly strained and Rufus looked barely sober as always as Dimitri strode down the blue carpeted walkway. The audience was filled with weary nobles who bowed and murmured congratulations under their breath, what brought a sincere smile from him was catching the Lions in the audience—Sylvain, Dedue, Ingrid, Ashe, Mercedes, Annette and—Felix?
Dimitri blinked in surprise and tripped on the first step to the throne platform, stumbling to his knees. His cheeks burned and he quickly scrambled back up. Thankfully, everyone seemed far too hungover to laugh at his clumsiness.
Reaching the platform, Dimitri turned to face the audience and Rhea began her speech—the history of Faerghus, of the Blaiddyds, and after a brief hesitation, of the Hero's Relic Areadbar.
She then turned to Rufus and held out her hand. The man took five second to respond before he staggered forward slightly and handed over the Hero's Relic. She then ran her hand down its blade, smiling sadly as it glowed brighter at her touch, and then turned to Dimitri.
"Please kneel," she said.
Dimitri complied, knee bent and head bowed as Rhea pointed the blade's tip at his head.
His heart thundered as the weight of the moment crushed him—and the crown hadn't even touched his head yet. He was going to take a title everyone knew he wasn't ready for. It would probably be in his best interest to just run out of the room and leave.
Instead he stayed and listened as Rhea said, "Do you, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd intend to lead your people with kindness and humility?"
Dimitri swallowed his fear and said, "I do."
"Do you intend to uphold the laws set in place by your descendants?"
"I do."
"Do you intend to do everything in your power to ensure this country is peaceful, prosperous, and stable?"
Dimitri took in a deep breath and said, "I do."
Rhea twirled the lance and slammed its hilt against the ground. Dimitri looked up at the gleaming handle, hand reaching for it, hesitating, and then finally grasping it firmly as Rhea took the crown from a nearby display pillar and placed it on his head.
"Rise," she instructed and Dimitri used the humming weapon as leverage as he stood and once more turned back to the audience.
"I present to you, King Dimitri of Faerghus!" Rhea smiled.
Dimitri's was far more strained as applause filled the throne room.
-o0o-
Edelgard stood before the palace gates, staring down at the crowd who had come to hear her speak, all waiting with baited breath for her to speak.
'This is it,' she thought firmly as she began.
"The leaders of the Church have misused their creed to fulfill their true desire—to rule the world. With their power and influence, they have fooled the people of Fódlan," Edelgard crossed her arms behind her back and paced before them.
"They divided the Empire to create a Kingdom, and then divided a Kingdom to create an Alliance, causing instability to remain in authority. Due to my distaste for these treacherous acts, Lady Rhea has attempted to assassinate me."
Gasps and mutters filled the crowd as Edelgard stopped to properly face them again.
"They cannot and will not lead this country to peace for they are liars and hypocrites who prey on the weak and needy of this world. Only once they are torn asunder will true freedom, justice and equality reign. Thus, it is with full conviction that I, Edelgard von Hresvelg, declare war on The Church of Seiros!"
A unanimous roar rippled through the crowd and Edelgard smiled, tilting her chin up and turning elegantly on her heel to leave. Cape swishing dramatically behind her.
"Well put, Your Majesty," Hubert said and Edelgard nodded her thanks as she expected the offered water skin from him.
"Thank you. I spent all night writing and rewriting that speech and then I had to memorize it so I could perform just perfectly. I'm rather proud of myself," she said as she took a delicate sip and handed it back to him.
"Then it's with a heavy heart that I must bring you some...disappointing but unsurprising news," Hubert said as they reentered the palace and the large closing doors muffled the cheers and exclamations.
"That is?"
"Our spies have relayed that Lady Rhea has extended formal aid to both the Kingdom and Alliance in an anticipation for this very retaliation."
Edelgard froze in her steps. "And..." she hesitated before turning back to Hubert. "And have they accepted?"
Hubert's lips twitched. "No, as far as we are aware, King Dimitri hasn't accepted as of yet."
Edelgard flushed under his knowing gaze and nodded. "Alright. Hopefully both countries stay that way."
"Would Cornelia stop him from attacking us, do you think?" Hubert questioned.
"I don't know," Edelgard said honestly. "There has been no news or rumours of anything going on between them so I can only assume it's too early for her to be so overt in his business."
"She could've been saying such things to agitate you, Your Majesty," Hubert pointed out. "Cornelia loves none but her reflection."
"You know as well as you do that it would have nothing to do with love," Edelgard said softly. "She'll break him, Hubert."
Hubert sighed heavily and said, "There is nothing to be done."
"I know...and I didn't even give him a proper goodbye," Edelgard said wringing her hands. "I'd wanted him to follow me but perhaps...perhaps I didn't explain well enough or—"
"Your Majesty," Hubert said disapprovingly.
"I know, I know." She sighed heavily and continued walking. "I'm going to train. Alone."
She briskly walked off ignoring the staff's comments on her lovely speech. But she didn't enter the Training Grounds—instead she went to her room.
'Once more.' She told herself.
Just once more.
-o0o-
Not two days after officially becoming King and he was already conflicted.
Rhea's letter lay open at his desk as he paced the study that had once been his father's, worries and curses tumbling through his head as he muttered under his breath.
He had denied Edelgard because he didn't want to drag his people into war, and now Rhea was asking the same of him.
He should refuse, he wanted to refuse. He didn't wasn't to be a part of this, and he'd already told Edelgard that he would stay neutral unless she attacked Faerghus.
But given the Church's history with the Kingdom wouldn't that be a foolish idea? To turn his back on them when they needed him the most...it just seemed wrong.
But...El. He wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to face her, he simply hadn't prepared himself.
It continued like this for an entire week. Every thought dedicated to this decision.
Surely he'd be a hypocrite if he followed Rhea into battle but not El. But he could potentially invoke the Church's wrath if he turned away.
He thus focused on other things, complaints, proposals, questions...
Unseeingly opening up a final letter, his hands stilled as the casual greeting and elegant writing greeted him.
El.
AN: The finale will be posted during New Year's Eve me thinks, it would be rather fitting, no? Also I'm tired af and my other readers have been waiting for content from my other stories for a looong time now, so yeah.
Anyway, again, hope you enjoyed! Probably never doing this "four chapters in a row" shit again :D
Fantasy Fan OUT!