A/N - First of all, a heads up. This chapter has some graphic depictions of violence/gore and bodily harm, hence the change of the rating. I have marked the sections that contain the beginning and the ending of the harmful subjects, so those of you that are averse to it you can skip forward.
As two swords clashed and one knocked away from the opponent's hand, it spelt the end of the war with the Empire. Finally, Edelgard's army of heretics were defeated. From Imperial soldiers to former students at Garreg Mach Monastery.
Petra, Dorothea, Hubert, Ferdinand, Caspar, Linhardt and Bernadetta were all defeated and killed as they defended the name of Emperor Edelgard.
As the Emperor kneeled on the floor beaten and bruised while trying to suck in air from her encounter, her opponent stood tall as she walked towards the defeated Emperor.
As the Archbishop's chosen One, gripped tighter to her Sword of the Creator, Edelgard coughed up blood as it trickled out of her mouth.
"It looks as though... My path... Ends here. Y... You did well, m...my teacher. I... I always *cough* I always knew Y... You would be the one to d... defeat me."
Byleth was now standing directly in front of the Emperor. Though what caught her off guard was that tears were flowing down her face.
"My teacher... claim your victory. Strike me down... You must!"
The Emperor took a deep breath filled with pain. "Even now... across this land, people are killing each other. If... If you do not act now... This conflict... it will go on forever."
Edelgard coughed up more blood as it poured onto the ground below.
"Y... Your path... lies across my grave. It is time... for you to find the courage to walk it."
"If I must fall... let it be by your hand."
If on command Byleth raised the sword of the Creator high above, her head as more tears continued to fall down the Professor's face.
"I... I wanted to walk with you." Edelgard mutters to herself as tears started to fall down her face as well.
The Emperor took one last glance at the Professor as she brought down her weapon, ending the Emperor's life.
As the Emperor laid dead, Byleth turned around to the waiting arms of the Archbishop.
(- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Trigger warning Begins. Graphic depictions of violence. Skips to the end of the trigger warning section if you would rather not read it. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -)
"You did well, my sweet." Rhea answered as she sneered at Edelgard's Archbishop had a gleeful smile on her face as she pressed her lips onto Byleth's. Though that gleeful smile quickly morphed into one of utter disdain. As Rhea pulled Byleth away from her, she pulled out her own dagger and lodged into Byleth's chest.
"Another failed subject. I'll take my Mother back." Rhea pulled out her dagger, but only to thrust her knife back in, carving a hole into Byleth's chest. She then dug her blood-soaked hands and pulled out Byleth's heart that contained a Crest stone.
As Byleth's life came to an end, the last thing she saw was Rhea cradle the crest stone delicately, hugging it in her chest. "I have you back, Mother."
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Byleth jolted upright with bated breath. Sweat dripping down from her forehead as she dry heaved as small snippets of her night terror replayed in her mind. Her heart beating erratically.
Standing over her love as I held tightly to Sword of the Creator.
Getting ready to end her life.
How I killed El.
How she killed me.
. . .
I need some air.
Byleth glanced to her side and saw that Edelgard had snuggled herself rather tightly to the bed covers. Byleth smiled sweetly to her love as she saw how unbelievable beautiful and strong, she is.
I don't deserve her. Not after leaving her for 5 years, and again after the battle against... her.
Byleth sighed as she pinched her brow as she remembers the moment she appeared.
She's not here anymore. You and Edelgard saw to that.
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
I really need to get some air.
As she got out of the bed, trying not to disrupt her love's sleep, she saw that the balcony in El's room was locked.
As she unlocked the doors leading to the balcony, Byleth saw the view from the Palace.
And what a view it was.
Seeing all of Enbarr from the Palace is simply breath-taking. It's so beautiful.
Byleth took in everything around her, the scenery, the night sky, the stars, all of it was beautiful.
Though what took her breath away was when she felt familiar arms wrap around her stomach.
"By... What's wrong?" The owner of the arms asked as she tighten her grip.
"Sorry, El. I just needed some air."
"Something troubling you?" Edelgard pressed a kiss to the back of her love's shoulder. Byleth then felt the arms around her start to tremble.
Byleth sighed as she leaned into her love's touch. "Nothing gets past you, huh."
Edelgard chuckled lightly. "I learnt from the best." The Emperor squeezed tightly to her love's waist.
Byleth chuckled dryly. "I guess so." Byleth turned around to face her Emperor.
Immediately, worry etched itself into Edelgard's heart as she noticed that tears were rolling down Byleth's eyes and her hands start to shake.
"Byleth... Tell me, please." Edelgard asked as she wiped away her love's tears and kissed her shaking hands. Byleth took a deep breath and sighed as she glanced at her concerned lover. She nodded her head as Edelgard squeezed tighter to her love.
"Let's get inside, it's getting a bit chilly." Edelgard spoke as she squeezed tightly to Byleth's hand and pulled her inside, twisting herself to close the balcony doors. She led Byleth to their bed, watching in case she fell.
Once the pair were back in bed, Byleth brought her legs closer to her chest, hugging them with her arms. She let out another deep sigh as Edelgard pulled up the blanket over them. Edelgard laid her head onto Byleth's shoulder, as Byleth took a deep breath getting ready to explain.
"I was in the throne room of the palace. I had just k-killed Dorothea and Petra and we were fighting." Byleth cried softly as she struggled to go on, but with her grit and determination, she ploughs on.
"W-We had just battled. I... I won. Then... I... I... She was there. She... She and I... Then... she..." Byleth held her hands over her chest, right where her heart would be. To her only slight relief she saw that there was no carved hole in her chest and her heart was still beating.
Edelgard placed her hands over Byleth's. She held them as she pressed kisses onto them. "It is alright, my love. You don't need to go on."
"I-I w-w-would never d-do t-that, El. Y-You all m-mean t-too m-much to me. Y-You m-mean a l-lot to me. Y-You are the r-reason I'm alive."
Byleth leaned on Edelgard's shoulder as fresh tears fell down the former Professor's face.
"I know, my light. I know."
Edelgard soothed her love by rubbing her back. Whispering sweet and comforting words into her ears as the two rocked in-sync with each other.
It's funny, I remember this playing out differently last time.
Not too long ago.
The Professor holding me as I spilled details about my nightmares.
Nightmares of my brothers and sisters locked up in the damned Dungeon, as one by one, the light would forever disappear from their eyes.
She stayed there with me. Held me, till I calmed down. Whispered comforting words till I had fell back asleep and stayed until I had awoken the next morning.
The very least I can do is be there for her.
A few minutes passed as Byleth's shaking hands and tears had started to lessen. Edelgard pressed a series of kisses onto Byleth's forehead and lips.
"This reminds me of back when you were my Professor and you rudely barged into my room after hearing some of my own nightmares." Edelgard sat as Byleth raised her head to meet Edelgard's own.
"I can see, how inappropriate it was for a Professor to barge into a student's dorm room without their permission." Byleth chuckled dryly. "If Manuela, Dorothea, or even worse Hubert knew about it, I don't think I would've heard the end of it."
"Yes, our friends do have a tendency to talk about us." Edelgard chuckled quietly as she traced the outline of one of Byleth's scars on her arm. "Feeling better?"
"With you here, how can I not be." Byleth snuggled closer into Edelgard's chest as the Emperor planted a few kisses onto her love's forehead.
"You think you can try and sleep the rest of the night?" Edelgard didn't get a response as she noticed the subtle rise and fall of Byleth's chest, leaving a small smile on the Emperor.
"Sweet dreams my love."
"Hmm... E... El?" Byleth groaned as she rubbed at her eyes. She felt along the covers, searching for the comfort of her love. Unfortunately, she couldn't feel her.
"El?" Byleth opened her eyes, and sure enough the Emperor was nowhere to be seen.
Byleth pushes away the bed covers and cautiously makes it to her feet. She still feels slightly unsteady on her feet, but Byleth decides to start her morning with her wooden crutches.
Slowly, she makes it to the doors of Edelgard's bedroom, and pulls open the door. On the other side, Byleth spots her missing love, already dressed in her full Emperor regalia. Her hair meanwhile was flowing down the back of her neck, instead of being curled up in her crown. She was sitting at her desk, working on the piles of letters and correspondence from last night. The pile was considerably smaller than what Byleth remembered from last night.
A fond and loving smile appeared on the former Professor.
She's so beautiful.
Byleth sighed to herself quietly, before slowly and quietly making her way towards the seated Emperor.
However, her surprise was in tatters as a knock on the door to Edelgard's office snapped Byleth's attention.
"You may enter." Edelgard spoke as she put down a letter as she glanced towards the twin doors.
Without much fanfare, Hubert walked in with a tray of an assortment of tea and cakes. Though the dark lines under Hubert's eyes caught her off guard.
He was up all night trying to get information from the Those Who Slither failed assassins, wasn't he?
Not far behind him was Ferdinand carrying his own tray which only consisted of cups and coffee.
"Good morning, my lady. I trust you slept well." Hubert bowed as he placed the tray on Edelgard's desk.
It didn't take Ferdinand long to notice the added guest that had stayed in Edelgard's room. "My, My. Our Professor located in the Emperor's private office, think of the scandal it would cause if word made it to the Lords and Ladies of the Council." Ferdinand teased as both Byleth's and Edelgard's faces turned into the colour of a tomato.
Ferdinand chuckled to himself as Hubert glared at him. Ferdinand quickly apologised as he gathered chairs himself, Hubert and Byleth.
With the four seated and the tea and coffee poured the Knight glanced towards his former Professor.
"How are you fairing, Professor? Without the crutches, I mean." Ferdinand asked as he took a sip from his tea, while Edelgard cut a piece of the cake for herself.
Byleth glanced at Edelgard with a warm and contempt smile as the Emperor finished reading through a correspondent from General Karma while eating a piece of the cake. She quickly focused her attention back to her two friends in front of her.
"Umm... I would say quite well. I'm not as shaky on my feet than I was yesterday. Maybe Manuela will allow me to train." Byleth hoped as she took a sip from her Bergamot tea.
Edelgard wasn't as convinced on her love's improvements. "If Manuela approves it, I'll allow it. But please, I forbid you going on any planned missions for now." Edelgard took Byleth's left hand and brought it to her lips. "Please, my light."
A smile immediately appeared on Byleth. She leaned forward and pressed a small kiss to her love's forehead. "Of course, my heart. If it'll make you feel a lot more comfortable, I'll stay and act as your tactician."
Edelgard returned the gesture with a smile of her own. "Thank you, my love." The Emperor then turned her attention to her Prime Minister and her close adviser. "Did you get anything from the prisoners?"
Hubert smirked. "That I did." Hubert pulled out a small parchment with some written lines of notes which he read from. "Our hypothesis was correct. They were planning on assassinating the Professor to sow doubt in your ability to take down those vermin."
Hearing the confirmation for herself that Those Who Slither had sent Assassin's to end her life, both angered and scared the former Professor, which is actually what they wanted. For us to make one wrong move.
Edelgard let her feelings known as she squeezed tightly to Byleth's hand, before turned her attention to Hubert. "Was there anything that hinted at more of their plans?"
Hubert smirked catching the other three off guard. "That there was. Within the last couple of hours actually. I managed to extract information of several camps those vermin occupy. With your permission we could send the Black Eagle Strike Force to eradicate these compounds and bring back any information they can find."
Edelgard nodded her head. "I'll bring it up to the council, then I'll ask everyone what they think."
"Of course, lady Edelgard." Hubert agreed as he sipped on his coffee.
"Would you like to join us, Professor?" Ferdinand asked as he glanced at his former Professor with a tinge of hope in his voice.
"If you'll have me." Byleth smiled at the Knight. Byleth then took another sip from her own Bergamot tea.
Hearing this Edelgard seemed to physically relax, as her tense shoulders, fell ever so slightly. "I trust that the 'prisoners' have been taken care of."
Hubert smirked darkly. "Of course, your Majesty. Those animals were eradicated as soon as they divulged every last secret they knew."
Ferdinand sighed. "I just wish you came to bed last night. You were still in the dungeons by the time I fell asleep."
Hubert uncharacteristically blushed at Ferdinand's little complaint, surprising both Byleth and Edelgard. "I'm sorry... We'll talk about this later." Hubert brushed aside before turning his attention back to the Emperor.
"Should we notify the council?" Ferdinand asked as he brushed away the ends of his long hair over his shoulder.
Edelgard nodded her head as the two gentlemen stood from their chairs.
Hubert bowed. "At once, your Highness."
The two quickly left the room, taking their own tray of coffee beans, tea leaves and cups. Only leaving the tray belonging to Edelgard and Byleth.
With the Prime Minster and Count Vestra away notifying the remainder of the council, Byleth and Edelgard busied themselves with what remaining time they had.
Without wasting time, Edelgard turned to her love. "Are you feeling better, my love?"
Byleth nodded her head. "Yes, El. I'm sorry for worrying you last night." Byleth dipped her head in apology.
"There's no need, my heart." Edelgard said as she brought her lips to Byleth's hand. "There are still things that are a mystery to you. Night-terrors are just one of them. But please don't forget, my love. You are not alone in this. You have me. You have everyone. We'll all help you through this, together." Edelgard punctuated her words by pressing her lips onto Byleth's.
The two stayed together joined at their lips for only a few moments, but it made all the difference for the former Professor.
"Thank you, El." Byleth pressed one last kiss on to her love's forehead. "I mean it. You mean the world to me. I owe you for everything. My friends, my heart, my love, everything. All because I chose you. So, what happened in that dream... I-I... It's not what I want." Byleth mumbled out on the verge of tears. Without saying a work, Edelgard pulled Byleth into her arms.
"I know, my light. I know." The Emperor held tightly, rubbing her back and peppering her forehead with light kisses.
The two stayed together for a while until finally, Hubert and Ferdinand returned. With the two waiting outside, the former Professor changed into something more formal for meeting the Lords and Ladies of Edelgard's government. Byleth settled on her Falcon Knight armour, but with some alterations that covered her full body, and the colour had been changed to match the colour scheme of the winged Legion of the Empire's army, Royal Blue.
As she gazed into Edelgard's mirror everything looked and felt right. There was only one problem, however. Her hair. Because of herself being unconscious for close to two months, Byleth's hair had grown considerably long and unruly. Even more unruly than her time as a simple Professor.
As Byleth was batting her longer bangs out of the way of her eyes, Edelgard couldn't contain her laughter.
"My love, you look like a cat teasing at ball of yarn." Edelgard hid her laughter behind her gloved hand.
Byleth batted at her bangs one last time before giving up, causing Edelgard to laugh louder. Edelgard placed her hands onto her love's shoulders. "You know, I might have just the thing."
Edelgard left her side and returned to her dresser but quickly returned with something in her hand. Byleth didn't get the chance to see it as Edelgard motioned for her former Professor to face the mirror.
Without much hassle, Edelgard held a sizeable amount of Byleth's hair and managed to tie the unruly mess back into a ponytail using ribbons that looked similar to the one's Edelgard used during her time as a student at Garreg Mach.
Immediately, Byleth noticed a huge difference. Her eyesight was a lot clearer and her head felt less heavy. As Edelgard grabbed another bulk of untamed hair, she couldn't help but remember something from her past.
"My oldest sister Emmeryn used to round us all up into her room and made sure we were all ready for the day. She would throw a fit whenever she saw the sorry state my hair was in every morning. It would always curl up in impossible ways."
Byleth chuckled. "Father said the exact same. Said it was always a mess growing up. When it came time to cut it, he would always cut it uneven. A chunk of hair missing. It cut too thin. Father wasn't good at it. So, he gave the job to someone else, till I was old enough to do it myself."
Byleth chuckled to herself after recalling the distant memory. "Captain Jeralt, the mighty blade breaker, defeated by his daughter with uncut hair."
Edelgard couldn't help but laugh along. "I'm surprised Jeralt didn't cut your hair like his."
Byleth joined in with her love's laughter. "He nearly did. He thought it would be better for being on the battlefield. His second-in-command talked him out of it. The second she had saved my life from one of Father's idea's." Byleth's expression then turned somber as she avoided Edelgard's eyes in the mirror's reflection. "You would've liked her. Believed in people's abilities not where they were from.
Defending the common folk from corrupt nobles... Giving her life to save children from a burning house set up by bandits... Father took it hard. She helped me pick up a couple of things. Father seemed to like her... I didn't notice until I met all of you, that I liked her too."
Almost immediately, Byleth felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up and saw Edelgard's caring eyes.
"Sorry."
"There's no need to apologise, Byleth. She sounds like an amazing woman."
"She's not the only amazing woman I've met." Byleth smiled as she pressed her lips to one of Edelgard's gloved hands. "From what Father wrote in his journal, I think Sitr- I mean, my Mother would've liked you."
The Emperor immediately blushed, trying to avoid her Love's eyesight. "R-Regardless, I've tied up your hair. I-It should feel better than before."
Byleth felt her tied up hair and glanced into the mirror.
Hmm... El did a great job. Almost as good of a job as Bernadetta did for my hair at the Garreg Mach Ball. I wonder if I could do the same for El...
"Does that feel better, my teacher?" Byleth heard Edelgard ask, snapping her attention away from her thoughts.
She nodded her head as she glanced once more at the mirror. "I like it a lot. Thank you, El."
Edelgard pressed a passionate kiss onto Byleth's own. Byleth was about to deepen the kiss even further, but a knock from Edelgard's door.
Both Edelgard and Byleth reluctantly split apart with an annoyed sigh from them both.
"Lady Edelgard, the ministers are ready and waiting in the audience chamber." Hubert spoke from beyond the door.
Edelgard turned towards her love. "Ready to face the ministers, my love." Edelgard held a small smile as she glanced back at Byleth checking herself out in her mirror.
She's so beautiful... No, focus Edelgard! I think I've been spending too much time with Dorothea.
"Come on, my love." Edelgard held out her hand to Byleth, who took it instantly.