One couldn't tell day from night here. There were always people walking through the halls, murmuring something. The meals were inconsistent, as far as he could tell—precious little was given to him, but what was could be mere minutes or many long hours after the previous one. The people who died in Duscur was the only company he had, and even they had no words to offer.

Dimitri couldn't do much more than listen. He could move freely within the room, albeit still chained to one wall and couldn't reach the door even if he tried—and he tried.

There were voices outside. Movement. Murmurs. Fighting. It all died eventually, and for once there was silence.

Then people walked outside of the room; he could vaguely hear their conversation.

"You can head back up, if this bothers you."

"No; I want to see the area for myself at least once. It's just…unsettling, to be in an underground city—one belonging to them, especially."

"It is rather large. I'd call it somewhat interesting. It must have been here for quite some time."

Someone stopped right in front of the door. "Your Majesty, there seems to be another room here."

Another person stepped up to it and lightly tapped. By instinct, Dimitri stood and backed closer to the wall, the chains rattling as a result.

"…Someone's in there. We should at least see who."

The people investigated the door, he assumed, and while they did he tried to determine what happened—what would happen. The voices were familiar, but he failed to recall much more than the oft-repeated reminder of the Tragedy and who caused it. It didn't seem like a rescue; he couldn't hope for one. No one would imagine to look for him here unless they found some other source of information outside of normal knowledge.

The door opened, and he stared at who entered. When she noticed him, she paused.

One person outside noticed the silence, hesitantly asking, "Edelgard?"

"It's Dimitri," Edelgard responded, glancing back at whoever she brought with her.

She said it like she didn't know. He assumed Cornelia would have told her.

Dimitri observed Edelgard—she had an ax, somewhat bloodied. He could barely see the hilt of the dagger. If he could take it from her—

"How long have you been here?" Edelgard asked. It didn't sound like she completely understood it yet; either that, or somehow this came as a genuine surprise.

Maybe she was here to take him somewhere else, or make due on what Cornelia had told him: that Edelgard would want to kill him. Maybe she expected him to believe her; lure him into some idea that she would protect him, then use that dagger to stab him. It was easier to imagine than a genuine response from her.

He ignored her, frowning.

"Cornelia was right, then."

"…That answers my next question, at least," Edelgard murmured. She took a single step forward. "What did she tell you, and how much of it do you believe?"

"I've heard enough to assume we have the same thought."

"Considering your expression, I doubt that. I don't intend on leaving you here, at any rate, and I'm not killing you."

"I find that unlikely."

"All it means to me is that you trust her word more than mine."

Dimitri took a step forward—Edelgard appropriately took a step back. Hubert actually entered the room, albeit only standing right behind Edelgard.

"Is there a reason for me to believe you?"

It looked like she was ready to protest, but decided against it and sighed instead. She glanced at Hubert.

"Readjust the chains so we can take him outside," Edelgard said.

Hubert bowed, and very carefully moved towards Dimitri. Both Hubert and Edelgard did seem ready to attack—that mercenary, Byleth, looked inside and stood close to Edelgard, watching him carefully. He thought it best to put up little resistance.

He could always take a weapon from a soldier and kill them all on the trip.

"I'll say it again," Edelgard said firmly. "I have no intention of leaving you here to die—not yet, at least. Whether you or not you live past this war depends on your cooperation and willingness to move on."

"Better to remember the dead than trample on their corpses," Dimitri muttered.

Hubert redid the chains so they were closer, less forgiving, although he was freed from the wall. Edelgard frowned.

"Going on a single-minded pursuit for revenge is not the same as 'remembering,'" she replied. "At that point, you're not mourning—you're needlessly killing anyone who happens to have a connection to it. If you can't understand that, then I can't help you."

Dimitri attempted a partial lunge forward, only for Hubert to take his chains to hold him still.

"A woman like you never even considered the lives she had to take, just to satisfy her own bloodlust."

Edelgard paused again, then shook her head. "This isn't the place to argue about this." She looked back at Hubert. "Bring him outside and let Claude know. We'll take him back to Garreg Mach and continue the discussion there; until further notice, he's just a prisoner. Nothing more."

Hubert nodded, and Edelgard stepped out of the room as Hubert pulled Dimitri along. He caught glimpses of the other two faces—Byleth and Monica—as he passed them. Byleth looked prepared to attack him, while Monica only looked wary. He last saw Byleth personally at the Holy Tomb; Monica, during Edelgard's raid on Garreg Mach. He was somewhat surprised they didn't both insist on following him.

He was led out of the place. Someone was assigned to watch him while Hubert left again.

The sun seemed unnaturally warm and bright, compared to the atmosphere he had been in for however long. It brought anger along with gratitude, although he couldn't explain either.