Chapter Text
The cloud of magic faded away, and Byleth found herself back in the dining hall of Garreg Mach. The first thing she heard was Sylvain shout, “Fucking finally!” as he threw his arms around Ingrid. The crowd cheered and embraced each other. After a few minutes of celebrating, they noticed Thales quivering in the center. Byleth held her sword out and demanded to know the location of the rest of the Agarthans, but he refused.
“Don’t worry – I’ve had plenty of time to look through Hubert’s notes and calculate where their base is! Just kill that asshole, please,” Sylvain called out.
Byleth looked at his pale eyes and said, “I hope they have fritters in hell, Mr. Mayor, “and brought the sword down on the Agarthan leader. His body turned to ash and floated away. There was more cheering.
Sylvain gathered them in the war room and caught everyone up to speed. He had used his time alone very well. First, he informed his father and Rodrigue of the situation. They were hesitant to believe him at first, but they decided to go along with it since there wasn’t any better explanation for why all Fodlan’s leaders disappeared. Sylvain, Rodrigue, and Judith formed a coalition of remaining Kingdom, Empire, and Alliance leaders to tell the people that the war was temporary. They pooled their resources to provide food and supplies for the villagers in each country. This was not an easy task, but they managed to keep the three countries from killing each other.
His next mission was to figure out the location of Thales’ base. Using Hubert’s notes and the damage at Fort Merceus, he calculated the distance the javelins of light could travel. Hubert was annoyed that Sylvain had rifled through his things but grudgingly admitted that the wyvern rider had done an excellent job tracking their common enemy.
Using Sylvain’s information, the Three Houses combined forces and stormed the Agarthan base. They fought bizarre creatures and marveled at the unfamiliar architecture. Without Thales, the remaining Agarthans were easily defeated. Imperial troops withdrew from Fhirdiad and Derdriu to the joy of the townspeople. The Black Eagles Strike force dispatched any remaining Agarthan mages in Enbarr. Dimitri was crowned King of Faerghus, and Duke Riegan shocked everyone by revealing he was also King Khalid of Almyra.
Dimitri and Byleth renewed their vows in a public ceremony at Garreg Mach, officiated by Seteth. Dimitri crowned Byleth Queen of Faerghus to the joy of the people. Edelgard and Hubert married in a private non-religious ceremony officiated by Prime Minister von Aegir. Claude and Petra surprised their allies by eloping one year later.
Now that Those Who Slither in the Dark were gone forever, Byleth and the three Lords were left to carve out new futures for their respective countries. Byleth was appointed Archbishop of the Church of Seiros by Rhea. She instituted monumental reforms in the church, the first being that the church would no longer be tied to the government. She used the vast resources of the church to distribute food and supplies to the people of Fodlan. Church membership was entirely optional and no longer offered political standing. Garreg Mach remained a private institution, but Byleth created need-based scholarships, so that commoner students no longer had to find sponsors for admission. She also opened the school to students from other countries. Seeing a group of students sharing a table in the dining hall from Brigid, Almyra, Dagda, Morfis, and Fodlan became commonplace.
All three rulers of Fodlan instituted universal public education in their countries. Edelgard made swift changes within the Empire, the most significant being the abolition of the Crest System. Although some nobles grumbled, they quickly realized they were in the minority. Dimitri made changes more slowly, but life in the Kingdom did change. He was most proud of reestablishing Duscur as an independent nation. Crests in the Kingdom no longer guaranteed a person land and status. The former Blue Lions worked hard to earn the respect of the people in their territories by making sure they were safe and had access to food and infrastructure. Although the Alliance lords initially balked at the idea of having a Duke that was also an Almyran King, they soon united under Claude’s banner, with some help from Lorenz. He opened the Alliance to trade with other nations, and the country soon prospered. Although there could be tension between the leaders, they always prioritized their people over squabbling.
5 Years Later
The monastery was a flurry of activity to celebrate the dedication of Crown Prince Reus Lambert Blaiddyd on his first birthday. Rhea returned from Zanado to perform the ceremony, and locals watched in awe as the war heroes arrived on the premises.
After the ceremony, a reception was held for the young prince in the Dining Hall, hosted by Archbishop Byleth and King Dimitri. It was the first time she had seen all her friends together in so long. Edelgard greeted her warmly, and Hubert even smiled, “My teacher, it so good to see you,” she beamed.
“Edelgard – I’ve missed you. How is life in the Empire?” Byleth asked.
“Quite well,” Edelgard responded. “Ferdinand and Flayn are restoring his father’s old territories and are immensely popular with the people. Even Seteth likes Ferdinand. Dorothea and Yuri’s opera company is extremely well-regarded – “
“- though their choice of subject in their latest show is appalling. A Princess in Red saves her country and marries her court mage. There’s even an explicit love scene. It’s mortifying,” Hubert scoffed.
“- And our most successful show to date! Soon to be performed in the Alliance and Faerghus!” Dorothea called out.
Hubert shuddered, but Edelgard patted him on the arm. “Anyway,” Edelgard continued, “Raphael and Bernadetta are outspoken advocates for their people in Varley. It’s an astonishing change. The people suffered greatly under her father, but they adore their new Countess.” She took Byleth’s hands, “Byleth when I think of what could have happened – we could have slaughtered each other at Gronder or remain trapped in Crestwood forever. For the first time in my life, I am happy and grateful. I have you to thank for that.”
Byleth pulled Edelgard in for a hug, “Just think – if you hadn’t let me crash at your place, we would still be there! I should be thanking you.”
Edelgard laughed, and she and Hubert returned to mingle in the crowd.
Claude approached her next, “Teach, you’re looking well – Archbishop, Queen, Mother to the Crown Prince, and small-town no-nonsense Sheriff.”
She laughed, “Yes, let’s talk titles - King Khalid of Almyra, Duke Riegan of the Alliance, and King Consort of Brigid. Honestly, how do you find the time?”
He smiled brightly, “I have a beautiful Queen that is stronger and smarter than me.” He pointed to Petra, who was talking to Hilda and Marianne. “Plus, things are going well in the Alliance. Lorenz is actually a decent leader, and the people love that Leonie can neutralize any threat to the villages. Hilda and Caspar have sort of settled down in Goneril. They helped demolish Fodlan’s Locket. Balthus and Constance live up in the mountains but come down to speak on behalf of the people. Lysithea is all better now, and she and Linhardt live private lives. I find time to show up unannounced – it’s still so easy to make her mad. Marianne and Ignatz travel the world for his art. They’re both so different from what they were when I first met them. It’s weird to think how we were all trapped in suburbia and now look at us. To think that I could still be a pencil pusher instead of this. I was a terrible office worker.”
Byleth chuckled, “Meh, your boss was worse! Anyway, thanks for talking me into staying. My life there was pretty miserable until I found you.”
He pulled Byleth in to embrace her, “I think all our lives got better after you found us.”
Byleth waved to the monastery group hanging out in the corner. She got to see them pretty regularly. Seteth and Manuela had shocked the students by announcing their marriage, but everyone soon agreed they brought out the best in each other. Hanneman spent long hours in his lab, but he had made significant strides in creating magical farming equipment that could be used without a crest. Alois and Gilbert gave her warm smiles. She was happy for Alois that he could finally retire and be with his family full time. She was also relieved that Gilbert was finally acting like a father to Annette, and he vowed to never spend too much time with Reus over his own granddaughter. Catherine and Shamir were regaling the group about their latest adventures. She smiled as she saw Cyril talking with his wife, whom Byleth had once helped deliver love letters to Cyril. Now they were brand new professors.
Finally, Byleth walked over to where Dimitri was letting the former Blue Lions take turns holding Reus. Dedue and Mercedes traveled all the way from Duscur to be at the ceremony. Jeritza, who lived with them, stayed behind at Duscur. Felix had proven to be a fierce Shield to Dimitri but also an affectionate husband to Annette. Sylvain and Ingrid embraced her. They spent most of their time on the border of Sreng now, where the people came to love Sylvain’s charisma and Ingrid’s valor. Hapi and Ashe congratulated her. Ashe struggled at first as a lord, but he and Hapi were winning the people over with Ashe’s sweetness and Hapi’s blunt honesty. It filled Byleth’s heart to see them doing so well.
The party went on late into the night, and the nanny put Reus to bed. After a long evening of socializing, Dimitri and Byleth quietly went upstairs to the archbishop’s quarters. As soon as Byleth shut the door, Dimitri grabbed her and kissed her fiercely. He broke the kiss, and Byleth asked, “What was that for?”
He led her to sit next to him on the bed. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her. “Byleth, seeing everyone here today made me realize that I would be dead if it weren’t for you. You chose the Blue Lions. If you hadn’t, I probably would have gotten myself killed in some meaningless battle. But then you saved me at Ailell and Gronder. Then I was a mess in Crestwood, and you brought me back with your kiss. I don’t deserve you.”
“Don’t talk about what you don’t deserve. You deserve to be this happy. You kept going despite all the things you went through. We both never give up. That’s why we’ll always find each other – even when someone curses us to forget. I love you, Dimitri.”
“And I love you, Byleth Eisner Blaiddyd.”
Archbishop Byleth and King Dimitri helped usher in a new era of peace and progress but would also be remembered as a couple desperately in love.