Chapter Text
“Tris! You’re back!” Elodie cried out and ran into her brother’s open arms.
“Tristan!” Edelgard hung the key by the door and rushed to greet her son. Her heart hammered in her chest and she almost leaped across the room to greet him. “Welcome home.” She squeezed him until he squealed and only stepped back to make space for her wife.
“Welcome home, dear,” Dorothea kissed his cheek. “We’re so so glad to have you back.”
“How did you get here? We didn’t see your horse.”
“We realized you weren’t home and decided to surprise you,” the boy chuckled, offering another round of hugs to his moms and sister.
“We?” They echoed. It was only then that they noticed a young man who lingered behind. He had intense green eyes and an oval face dotted with freckles.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Edward, Tristan’s friend from—”
“—boyfriend!” Tris corrected him. “There’s no need to be shy.”
“Our pleasure.” Edelgard offered her hand in a greeting. “I’m Edelgard and this is my wife, Dorothea.” She then turned to her son with a scolding gaze. “You should have told us you were bringing someone. We’d have readied the guest room.”
Edward’s face had become ashen the instant Edelgard introduced them. His arm remained bent in the same position even after she’d let go of it. He looked like he was going to be sick.
“Are you alright, darling?” Dorothea asked softly.
“Y-yes, but—” His eyes darted between Tristan and his mothers.
“What’s wrong?” Tris let go of his sister and walked over.
His mothers exchanged quick glances and pretended to ignore the conversation as it unraveled.
“You didn’t tell me your moms were… the Emperor and the Mystical Songstress,” he muttered. “I should have dressed better, or brought gifts or—”
“If I had told you, you wouldn’t have come at all,” he countered. He cast an apologetic smile at his moms.
“But... Your last name?” Edward appeared unable to close his mouth fully.
“Fake.” Tristan shrugged. “Relax, please. They're my moms, that's all.”
“Tris is right,” Edelgard cut in. “We are both retired, there is no need for formality.” She picked up their basket and turned towards the kitchen. “Settle in, boys. We have a cake to finish and a dinner to make.”
“Can we help?” Tristan bit his bottom lip at the sight of the cherries. In that, he was no different from his sister.
“We will manage for now.” Dorothea wrapped her arm around Edelgard’s shoulders. “We will call you when we need an extra pair of hands, or two. Come, Elodie, we have plenty of cherries to pit.”
The girl made a face expressing a tragic conflict between staying with her brother and getting her hands on the delicious fruit. She made a pensive hum and after a few seconds of indecision followed her moms into the kitchen.
With Dorothea in charge, the cake was in the oven in no time. Dinner preparations were well underway when Tristan and Edward popped into the kitchen dressed in fresh clothes. They were tasked with setting the outdoor table and carrying the dishes while Edelgard and Dorothea arranged everything on the plates.
“Finally, some quality food.” Tristan commented once they were all seated. “When Edward or I try to cook, it’s uh, not great.”
Edelgard laughed. “Don’t worry, Dorothea’s cooking was once universally acknowledged to be ‘horrendous.’ There’s still hope for you boys.”
“Psh! As if you were any better!” Dorothea nudged her wife. “If not for the Professor, you’d have given food poisoning to the whole army.” They both chuckled, amused at their past selves.
“I will have you know,” Tristan leaned towards his boyfriend, “that my childhood was marked by a lot of weird food. El here is lucky not to have experienced it.”
His mothers gave him an incredulous look and they all burst out laughing. It was as if Tristan had never left and they were having just another family dinner with an unexpected guest. They ate, shared stories and joked. After a while, even Edward felt comfortable enough to talk a little about himself.
“I’m loving all the juicy gossip but I have to ask.” Dorothea rested her hands on the table and smiled. “How are your studies going?”
“Thea.” Edelgard coughed and covered her face with a napkin.
Tristan shrugged. “Hard, a lot to memorize. Kind of gross, too.” He turned to Edward who confirmed with a nod. “We started practicing at a local infirmary. It was pretty tough, juggling everything. Honestly, we are exhausted.”
“Excuse me.” Edelgard got up. “I will be right back.”
She almost tripped over the bench they were sitting on as she retreated into the house. She had been right after all. Her son regretted his choice and she couldn’t bear to hear another word of it. She would talk to him, as soon as they were alone, and tell him he didn’t have to do it. That it wasn’t too late to search for his true calling. She wanted her children to be free of the weight of her past.
She paced around the sitting room like a lost soul and didn’t even notice when Dorothea joined her.
“Edie, what’s the matter?”
“He’s unhappy! He obviously is! And it’s my fault!” Edelgard raised her voice.
“He is not,” Dorothea said softly. “After you left, he said he loved it. He wants to help people, make a difference.”
“But does he mean it?” Edelgard’s bottom lip trembled.
“Yes, you can ask him yourself.” Dorothea pulled her into a hug.
She was soft and warm, and her hair smelled like chocolate and cherries.
“Are you sure? It’s not an act?”
“I’m sure.”
They held each other until the tension eased from Edelgard’s shoulders.
“I completely overreacted, didn’t I?”
“Just a little.” Dorothea pecked her on the forehead. “But we can tell them we left to fetch the cake, right?”
“Brilliant excuse.” Edelgard smiled. She was reluctant to let go of her wife, but she didn’t want to keep the children waiting. She chose to trust Dorothea, and try to believe that her son was genuinely happy. She would have the whole summer to come to terms with her feelings and there was no point trying to process everything on day one.
When they returned to the table, everyone received a generous serving of the cake, which turned out to be as delightful as they’d hoped it would be. The conversation flowed languidly from there, shifting from one topic to another. Elodie bragged about the drawings she did with Edelgard. The boys had everyone attempt to roll their tongues and move their ears. After the sun began to set, they lit the lanterns in front of the house and stayed outside until the evening chill seeped through their clothes.
“We’ve done well, I think,” Dorothea spoke once the children had gone back to the house.
“A warm welcome if I’ve ever seen one.” Edelgard collected the remaining plates to take them inside.
“That, too, but I meant… overall. Don’t you think?”
Edelgard was quiet.
“Yes. Yes, I think so.” She moved over and cupped her wife’s face. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Edie.”