A Step Forward
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Pairing: Claude/Khalid x F!Byleth
Notes: A giftfic for ALynnL who's having a rough time so I hope this cheers them and you up!
"Khalid, are you sure you should be doing this? I mean, really, playing hooky at a time like this?" Byleth chastised quietly as she opened the windows to her room wider.
The Ruler of Fodlan had come at her fiancée's behest to Almyra to begin their plan of opening the boarders and working towards common ground.
Of course this meant she would be meeting the Royal line of Almyra, Khalid's family, but...
She'd only arrived that night and now here it was, just barely breaking dawn and her fiancée was tapping at her window, perched atop his wyvern with a broad grin on his face and a hand extended out to her.
"It'll be fine, don't worry! I think it'd worry them more if I didn't steal you away at dawn all for myself before all the formalities started. Trust me."
Heaving a small sigh to herself, Byleth was unable to stop the small smile that was rising to her face as she lifted herself up to the sill and slid across the threshold, reaching her hand out to take her partner's, gracefully leaping the short distance from the window down onto the wyvern.
The creature bobbed in the air, wings beating a little harder to compensate for the weight and barely a moment later, began to slowly bank to the side and turn, before gaining a little more speed and took off higher, rising above the buildings of the town and taking them further and further away.
Byleth took in the crisp, fresh air, letting her eyelids flutter closed for a long moment, feeling the wind against her face before she opened them again, leaning forward just a little to adjust her weight on the wyvern before she looked down at the land below, taking in the sight of the foreign land that her partner called Home.
It had a charm of its own; a little more rugged than Fodlan, but she could feel the Heart in it from the people the moment she had arrived last night. It beat strong, fierce. Unquenchable. Much like the people that inhabited it. Different, but not bad. Not in the least.
"Great, isn't it?" Came the voice beside her ear, she felt Khalid leaning against her back.
"It has a beauty of it's own." She answered in agreement.
He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it does. Hold on, there's somewhere I want to show you."
Reaching for the reins, the man gave a tug to them and angled the wyvern's course off to the left and the creature banked around in that direction. It only took about ten minutes, but soon the land met sea and the coastline below glimmered in the morning light.
"Across the sea from here is Derdriu. Isn't it funny to think that these natural obstacles like Fodlan's Throat and the Sea should be the only thing that divides us? Today... Today I'm hoping it'll be the start of lessening those divides. With you by my side, I feel like there's nothing we couldn't accomplish as long as we give it our earnest all."
Byleth felt something flutter within her chest, unsure for a moment if it was her heart or simply the slightly shaky breath she pulled into her lungs as she took in the view around them, letting her gaze expand out across the ocean, following the horizon line before she found her hands reaching forward to place themselves over the others on the reins, pulling them away to let the straps fall lax as she moved to entwine their fingers.
"It will take time," She began softly, but slowly lifted her head, closing her eyes as her face turned up towards the glowing sun.
For a moment, the other could only stare at her back in wonder as the light around seemed to grow all the brighter for a brief time, the wind picked up, carrying them higher on the wyvern and the pleasant smell of the ocean spray wafted up towards them, and for a second he could see the Divinity that pulsed within her shine forth.
"But if that's what you truly wish with all your heart, then we'll see it done. A world without barriers... Without judgment for who you are... Where all are valued for their differences... Yes, it will be a long road, but it can be done." She finished, levelling her head again and opening her eyes. The glow within them that he could only slightly see obscured by her hair and the angle they were at was bright.
He squeezed her fingers gently, leaning in to rest his chin on her shoulder lightly, a genuine smile coming to his face. "I love you, you know that, right?" He asked playfully.
"I would hope so, after everything we've been through together." She answered, voice returning the playful tone before it grew serious. "...I don't think my heart would be able to stand it otherwise."
"...Hey, none of that talk. I'm not going to leave you. No matter where our roads take us, even if for a time we must travel apart, I'll always come back to you. We'll always meet back up. You complete me, you've been the piece I didn't even know I lacked 'til I found you. I just hope I'm as important to you as you are to me, that I'm enough for you." He answered.
"Khalid..." She murmured, slowly raising her hand with his and settled it over her chest where her heart was.
"Of course you are. There is no one else that makes me feel the joy I do when we're together, or the constriction I feel when we're apart. I love you. With all that I am." Byleth assured.
Twisting his head, Khalid placed a kiss to the woman's throat, carefully winding an arm around her waist tighter without breaking the embrace of their fingers.
They were quiet as they continued to glide along the coastline on the wyvern, simply content with basking in the morning glow and enjoying the closeness of one another.
The serene moment was broken not long after, though. The sound of wings beating not far away from them brought their attention back to the present.
Nader flew up alongside them on his own wyvern giving them both a grin. "Figured you'd be out here." He called cheerfully.
"Aa, it was a perfect morning. I couldn't resist wanting to show it off." Khalid replied cheekily.
"Haha, so you say. I was sent to tell you to come back shortly so that her Ladyship doesn't miss out on breakfast before she's introduced to everyone properly." Nader explained.
"Right, can't miss that. It'd be faster to let you head back on your own, then. Nader, give me a hand, would you?" Khalid looked to Byleth, giving her a small smile before he twisted and with Nader holding his hand out, grabbed the man's wrist and was hefted over to his wyvern, leaving Byleth atop Khalid's wyvern on her own.
"You head on back, I've still got a little business to take care of before everyone convenes together to meet." He said to her.
Byleth gave a gentle smile in response, nodding her head. "Very well." She agreed before moving to take up the reins and nudged the wyvern to turn back towards the town and gave a small flick to said reins. "Let's fly!" She called to the wyvern.
With a short cry, the wyvern took off.
Khalid watched them fly off before turning his gaze to Nader. "Well then, shall we?" He asked.
"Right, right. Hold on, kiddo." Nader responded back before angling his own wyvern and they took off as well.
"You know," Began Nader a moment later as they were making their way back to town.
"She has quite the affinity for riding your wyvern, did you teach her?" He asked.
"Sort of. More like one morning I found her already perched atop him, humming some kind of tune and he was perfectly at home with it. She knew how to ride a horse and pegasus so riding a wyvern for her wasn't too hard to grasp." Khalid answered with a chuckle.
"It seems to me you found quite the match to your own oddities." Nader remarked fondly.
"...Yeah." Khalid answered after a moment. "Yeah, you're right. She's something special, but she's just herself. We make quite the sight to see, I suspect." He laughed.
"A brat like you and the Lady who became Ruler of Fodlan? Definitely something for people to talk about." Nader agreed with a chuckle of his own.
"That's 'Royal brat' to you," Khalid replied cheekily, knowing full well the other knew not to take that seriously. "But seriously... To me, she's perfect."
"I see it in your eyes, kid. You don't gotta wax poetic at me. Besides, I've seen firsthand how she is, and I agrere with your choice wholeheartedly."
"Thanks for that, your support has always been appreciated. Can I count on you to bring the item I requested be made for her?"
"Of course, leave it to me."
They made it back and Nader dropped Khalid off so he could make himself presentable for his family while he made his way into the town to pick up the gift the other wished him to.
After breakfast was served and Byleth was brought before the Royal Family, Khalid made a grand show of interrupting like sual with some grandiose ploy, stating as both a welcoming gift to her, and as a show of affection, he brought a gift for her.
Nader slowly approached the front and with a low bow, held out a parcel to her.
Byleth's breath caught just a little at being put on the spot so suddenly, but she was used to it by now. Feeling all eyes on her, she carefully undid the bow around the neatly folded paper and a beautiful hand-wrought laurel delicately made from rare metals and entwined with gilded flowers lay amidst the paper and her mouth opened just a little.
"The finest craftsmanship here in Almyra, something simple but refined to fit you, my Lady." Khalid spoke up, offering a lavish bow before lifting it from the paper and turned towards her. "Do me the honor of wearing it, please?" He requested.
Swallowing thickly, unable to respond with words she bowed her head in acquiesce and allowed the man to carefully set it onto her head, the weight of it light and it settled well.
"It's beautiful... Thank you." She managed to speak out, sounding just a little breathless.
"For you, you deserve the finest the world has to offer. For putting up with me, believing in me, and always walking forward with me. I can never hope to repay all the things you've done for me, other than try to show you just how much you mean to me." Khalid answered, bringing her hand up to kiss the back of it, giving her one of his rare slow smiles.
"But enough of that, let's get these introductions on with. My parents are fit to burst now." He chuckled before turning and gently leading her over to the King and his wife.
The meetings went well, or at least, Khalid seemed to think so with the way his mother saw fit to gush and smile so animatedly and the way his father solemnly assessed Byleth in silence before speaking and interacting with her.
He could almost feel the green-eyed jealousy radiating from his brothers but it was easy enough to ignore it and it was absolutely hilarious to him watching how easily she shut down their voices when they tried to slander him.
Oh the sight of her drawing sword and easily disarming and defeating one of them was an image he was going to relive over and over again gleefully for quite some time.
Her prowess and display garnered her respect from plenty of the other warriors there so he knew things would turn out fine.
And of course, the look on Lorenz' face as he snatched one of those silk roses off of his chest to place within Byleth's hair was also priceless.
One step at a time. It all had to start here to begin the small ripples that would grow, expand, and widen out to reach other places.
He drew Byleth near at the day's end and smiled down at her.
"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He asked her.
"Certainly not as tiring as the combat ceremony in Brigid but it was a trial of its own." She answered.
"Then come on, let's get you some fresh air outside."
Walking hand in hand, they exited the palace out into the twilight of dusk.
She looked up towards the sky and the stars barely becoming visible with the approaching evening.
"What're you thinking?" Khalid asked.
"...About my father and mother." She answered.
"My father loved my mother so much. He was her world. ...Are they smiling down on us?" She asked.
"Sir Jeralt was a stern, commanding man but there was no doubt he cared greatly about you. As for your mother... She gave her life so you could live. That is an ultimate form of love right there. I think they'd both be happy to see and know you've such a bright path ahead, finding happiness and someone to love as well." He answered softly.
Her eyes misted over for a moment before she turned towards him and leaned in close, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. That means more than you know."
Brushing a hand against her cheek, he slowly drew her head up as he leaned in to place a gentle kiss to her lips before drawing her into his embrace fully. "No matter what happens from here on out, we'll face it together. That's a promise of a lifetime." He swore to her.
Feeling her relax into his arms with those words, he could almost _swear_ he heard a distant, echoing voice of a girl say 'I'll be holding you to just that!' but when he glanced around, there was no one but them.
"Are you tired?" He asked.
"A little." Byleth answered.
"Then allow me to escort you back to your chambers. I'll tell them you need the evening to take in everything you've learned from today." He answered.
Giving a nod, she allowed the other to lead her back inside and through the halls back to her room.
"Rest well." He tells her, giving her hand a light squeeze.
She gives him a small smile in return. "Good night." She answers before slipping inside of the door and shutting it.
With a short sigh, Khalid turns and walks back down the hall to go announce to his family that her Ladyship needed the rest of the evening to herself.
Perhaps, he thought to himself, gaining a slight grin. He would steal her away once more come the morning.
Cheerfulness in his step, he went to deliver the news.
-End-
Yes, that was Sothis speaking up for Byleth in that moment because we all know she'd hold a promise like that as a covenant/pact almost.