A/N: Happy fifth anniversary to this fanfic! This would be this fic's "timeskip" so to speak. I'm happy I got to work on the original fic, as messy as it was. It helped me grow not only as a writer, but it helped me with a hard time in my life. It's awesome to have an opportunity to grow alongside characters in a video game I love dearly. Crazy this got 10K views on this site too! Thank you everyone for reading this! Please, enjoy this short bit. :)

A gentle breeze sifted through the air. Not too far away, a wind chime sung its melody whenever air passed it by. Feeling the breeze, my hair too danced with the wind, its color light against the bold blue sky. The clouds were few but dotted themselves, scattered like a painting above. They made their way across my view slowly, only to disappear behind the trees.

A beautiful day like this was rare for this time of year, and it felt good; I was sitting on a blanket basking myself in all of its beauty. In front of me was iced tea an estate worker prepared for me, as well as a few colorful confections on a plate I ordered from a local baker. I had just hummed a few songs happily, waiting patiently yet excitedly for someone who agreed to visit me moons ago.

We haven't seen each other in two years, actually. That's because of everything that happened: the war, its end, and the changes that came with it; we have not been able to see each other at all. The war ends and just like that, everything around us had changed…

We were busy. Busy restoring Fódlan and not seeing each other. It has been difficult. It sounds odd coming from a recluse from me, but I had gotten so used to seeing my former classmates, at least occasionally. After the Professor visited me in my home, I rarely saw anyone other than the estate workers. Not that there was anything wrong with them, but we didn't talk about much outside of their jobs; they had assumed I wanted to be alone as much as possible.

I began to really miss everyone, especially Dorothea. When she sent me that letter, I had finally regained my hope; I thought for sure she had abandoned me. But finally, we'll see each other again, despite all of the worry and doubt that I had. The distance between us has made me more excited.

A gentle breeze snapped me out of my mind. I breathed in the fresh air that had blown in and felt the heat that pressed against my blanket. Birds chirped with glee, no dove mourned; the time was happy.

Someone had arrived.

My eyes were drawn to a distant silhouette with long brown hair, and bold green eyes. The person was wearing a black dress that highlighted a feminine figure, her shoulders covered by a flowery yet flowy cardigan. The bottom of her dress flowed with the wind, and her sunhat covered her face. She waved to me with her right arm, which had several colorful bracelets on its wrist.

There she was, with stars in her eyes. Dorothea.

I could feel the excitement crank up. I couldn't believe she was here! It felt like a distant dream, and yet, she was walking towards me!

Once she was within six feet of me, she greeted me, waving her hand gently yet elegantly, her expression warm. "Hey Bern," she began affectionately.

"Hey Dorothea," I replied with a small smile on my face. "H-how are you?"

"I'm well," she said happily, getting herself comfortable on the blanket. "How about yourself?"

My smile could not help but get bigger. "I'm alright." I paused, trying to continue our conversation. "What…have you been doing all this time?" I asked, the tone unintentionally sad. Vague memories of school flashed through my mind.

Dorothea's glowing smile turned into a concerned frown filled with regret. "I'm sorry I left you in the dark for so long, Bern."

I put a hand up, shaking my head. "I understand, Dorothea. Life just…happened."

"Tell me about it," Dorothea waved a hand downward. "I'm happy that I get a break from all the traveling, and to see you of course," she gave a small smile.

"As for where I went…" She continued. "Well, after we got legally married, we went up north for vacation where Faerghus used to be. It was short, and we soon went to work. I can't get all scientific like Lindy can, but I know it started with doing paperwork at home, so we could get a grant for research."

I rolled my eyes. "Paperwork's the worst…"

Dorothea giggled. "Yeah, even he had a hard time getting it done. I had to be his little cheerleader. But when it was done, we were approved to travel across Fódlan for various crest research subjects. I learned a lot about the scientific process, but I admit to still not understanding all of the jargon everyone used. Still," she giggled blushing. "He was so cute when he used those big words. He was cute in his lab coat too."

I lifted the pitcher beside me, showing it to my friend. "C-care for some tea?"

"Sure," she lifted the empty glass beside her. As I gently poured the iced drink in, she continued. "Thankfully, we took breaks at times. Lindhardt would be up longer than anyone trying to get reports written, and then he would be asleep for half of the day. On days like that, he gave me permission to explore the town, spoiling me with leftover research funds. Other days, he would be awake to spend them with me…" she sighed, her smile wider and eyes off to space. "Those were the best. Shopping, watching the newest operas, romantic candle-lit dinners…"

I smiled at the ever romantic Dorothea. She had not changed one bit. I looked at her outfit again. Her sunhat, skirt, bracelet, and sandals. It seemed like a mish-mash of her travels. "Where did you get your outfit from?"

Mrs. Hevring snapped back into reality, her eyes wide. "Oh!" She looked at me again, with an excited enthusiasm. Placing a hand on the rim of her hat she said, "This is from Derdriu." She gestures to her cardigan and her dress, "I got these from the outer parts of Adrestia. My shoes were from Fareghus, and–" She gushed, waving her arm. "The bracelets were a late wedding gift from Lindy. He said they are from Brigid!"

I raised my brow in surprise. I didn't see Lindhardt as a gift giver. I guess when you're in love, your attitude towards people could change. I suppose time could do that too. "It's a nice outfit, Dorothea. I…don't have an eye for fashion, but it seems modern."

"Why thank you Bern! I hope it catches on and becomes the look," she chuckled.

A moment of silence passes between us. It was not awkward, but pleasant. I could feel the warmth of the sun beating down on us, the wind gently flowing between us. Her hair flew with it, and she used a hand to catch it. She gently brushed it back in place.

Birds still chirped. The wind chime was still singing too. "So, Bern," Dorothea said in a warm, quieter tone. "What have you been up to?"

"Well…" I set my glass down. "I have been working to restore the Varley estate. I changed the workers' terms since my ex-father did not pay or treat them well. Also, I…occasionally come to the capital on Edelgard's orders."

Dorothea looked around the yard. "The property does look nice. I love the gardens, and the animals seem like they are in great shape."

"Thanks," I smiled.

"Since Edelgard has changed the system, I assume you do not know who the successor will be, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope. That's up to the Emperor. I told her I did not want to worry about it."

"I understand. It's just another way to put the whole crest system behind us. Although…" She leaned in curiously. "I'm more interested in your hobbies. You're a very creative person, you know."

I laughed in embarrassment. "Yeah…yeah," I replied, my voice lowered.

"Wasn't there…a book you were working on? How did that go?"

My nervous laughter continued as I tried to muster the words to explain. Unexpectedly, my arms moved before my mouth could. "...C-care for some of these?"

She looked at the plate invitingly, gasping. "Are these lemon cookies? I'm so glad you have some! Even when I went all over Adrestia, none of them had these available; they were fresh out!"

I nodded. "I had the estate workers make them especially for this occasion. They're…nostalgic, aren't they?"

"Just like old times," Dorothea placed her cookie plate onto the blanket. She peered down at the intricate pattern on the quilt, rubbing her hand against it. "Wasn't your book inspired by us, Bern? Where we started, and how much we've grown?"

"...Yes," I started slowly, anxiously taking a bite out of my cookie. "I could not help but be inspired by our e-experiences."

"Well," Dorothea tried her cookie too, smiling at the taste. "I think it's a wonderful place to get a story from."

I could feel my chest tighten. "'Inspired' is putting it lightly, if I'm telling the truth. I…essentially novelized our journeys."

"WHAT!?" Dorothea yelled as she spat out her next bite.

"Mhm," I nodded solemnly.

"Why didn't you tell me!? That's incredible!" Dorothea leaned towards me in excitement.

I smiled in relief, laughing genuinely. "I wanted it to be a surprise on what it was about for those in the Black Eagle Strike Force. I had Sylvain help me edit it, but he promised to keep it hush-hush."

"I gotta know," Dorothea leaned in farther. "Is it published?"

I nodded, and she squealed with joy. "Where can I get it? I gotta see how you portrayed me!"

I turned around to the satchel behind me, and grabbed it. In front of her, I opened the flap to reveal a fresh copy of This Life is Mine. I handed it to my friend, and as she opened the cover, she looked at the first page.

"Aww Bern! I want to hug you so bad right now!" She showed me the page, pointing at it. "I didn't expect a signature, let alone a dedicated thank you! Aww, and look at this portrait of younger us in school! Did you draw that?"

I nodded. "Yup. All me."

Dorothea flipped through pages, and I could feel the tears forming in her eyes. "So much has happened in the last seven years. I can't believe everything we went through."

"You're right," I could feel my eyes water too. "It's a-astounding that my ex-father is gone, I'm happily single, we survived a war, and," I sniffed, holding back the tears, "And…You-you're my friend, Dorothea."

In that moment, I lost it. I cried. Dorothea closed her book, set it aside, and shuffled closer to me, wiping a few tears in the process. "There, there, Bern, it's alright." She opened up an arm, looking for eye contact. "Is it okay if I wrap my arm around your shoulder?"

I approved, and she did. I'm usually not one for physical affection, but I occasionally crave it. Her side embrace felt comforting. "You deserve all of those things, and you did such a great job of surviving all of it. I'm shocked on where I am too. With you as my friend, I became more open-minded, and you gave me the courage to find love, to experience it in more than one form…and all the ups and downs that came with it."

I rubbed an eye and sniffed. I looked at her green eyes, and she let go of me. "Having an authentic relationship was much harder than just dreaming of one. Lindhardt and I started out with our misunderstandings, but we eventually came to understand each other. Platonic love is something I did not have much experience with either. I love all of my Black Eagle buddies, but I am very happy to have you as a friend too. I love you with all of my heart, Bern."

I looked at her with a warm grin on my face, silver eyes full of life. "I love you too, Dorothea. Promise me you will see me more often."

"Oh, absolutely," Dorothea winked. "Don't forget that my super-late wedding party is next moon! You're invited, and so are the rest of the Eagles. Also," she reached for her plate. "Lindhardt will be in Enbarr for the next phase of his research, so I won't be too far. Say hello to me anytime."

"Surely, I will," I replied softly. "I might just do that every day."

The sun had moved itself to the left, creating shadows throughout the yard. I heard frogs get louder while birds and wind chimes got softer. Plates were filled with crumbs, and glasses filled with melted ice. The blanket had been ruffled.

Dorothea and I were enjoying the sky together, pointing out clouds, and reminiscing on days gone by.

Much pain existed in those days. Looking back makes that pain seem romantic, but not in a lovey-dovey way.

But getting to the other side of it…that is more beautiful than anything in the world.