Chapter Text
Light shone through the gap in the thick curtains at the window, falling across the bed where a couple slept, snuggled close to each other to keep the chill associated with a typical Ethereal Moon in the northern city of Faerghus, Fhirdiad, at bay.
Byleth hummed contentedly as her eyes opened, pale green orbs adjusting to the morning light. She was warm, and very reluctant to move, currently wrapped up in Dimitri's arms, his breath even as he slept; his face calm and innocent, reminiscent of his days as a student, before she had left him for so long and he had lost himself in bloodshed and revenge.
But that was all behind them now. They had married this past Blue Sea Moon, a grand event befitting the Saviour King and the newly crowned Archbishop of the Church of Serios, and slowly, the mental and physical scars of war had washed away in their happiness. There was still lots to do, plenty of rifts to heal; people to unite and convince that war would not break out again, at least in their lifetime. But things were better, calmer, than they had ever been.
Reluctantly, Byleth wriggled free of Dimitri's grip, praying he wouldn't wake as she slipped from the bed, shivering at the temperature drop the warm blankets no longer protected her from, her arms wrapping around her body as she made for the robe she kept near the bed, its warmth instantly taking away some of the chill as she wrapped it round her. She glanced back at the bed, at her husband; smiling as he mumbled something under his breath, rolled over onto his other side and fell silent again.
Good, she told herself as she slipped from their room. This gave her plenty of time to enact her surprise. She strode down the corridor, ignoring the handful of servants and guards that bowed respectfully at their Queen/Archbishop, determination in her steps.
After all, today was the Kings birthday, and their was much to do while he slept. Byleth found herself humming happily as she entered the castle kitchens.
This birthday after all was going to be extra special.
As today she was also going to tell him he was going to be a father.
When Dimitri woke, his hands instinctively reached out for his wife. Imagine his surprise, however, when he found her side of the bed empty and cold, indicating she had been gone a while.
In his sleepy state Dimitri shot up, his brain attempting to recall if she had said she had anything to do today that would have taken her from his side.
Perhaps she had had to return to the Monastery? No. She didn't have to return for a few more weeks yet. Besides, she would have woken him for that.
Perhaps she had simply gone to do some early morning training with Felix? More likely, he told himself. His wife was never one to let her sword skills diminish, even in times of peace.
As he was contemplating further, the door to their room opened, and in slipped the woman he was thinking about. She carried a tray that appeared to hold a tea pot and two cups and some plates that probably had food on them, although what food Dimitri didn't know. She smiled when she saw he was awake, a radiant smile that Dimitri never tired of, walking towards the bed and placing the tray down by his feet.
“Good morning, my love,” she purred as she climbed back onto the bed.
“Beloved...” he pulled her towards him, his lips capturing hers in a greedy morning kiss.
“Happy birthday,” she chirped when she pulled away. Dimitri blinked, a frown forming on his face.
Was that today? Had he really been that busy he had forgotten his own birthday?
Byleth laughed, her husbands stunned face confirmation of what she already knew. But instead of tease him, she busied herself pouring him a cup of his favorite Chamomile tea, offering him the cup.
Dimitri looked down at the pale liquid, his brain finally catching up to him, before smiling warmly at his wife. “Thank you, Beloved.” He sipped the warm tea, humming appreciatively as the flavor warmed him, before placing the cup and saucer down on his bedside table. “You really didn't have to go to so much trouble, you know. Someone else would have made the tea for you, if only you had asked,”
Byleth waved a hand dismissively. “I like doing it,” she said simply. “I'm not used to having people at my beck and call.” She wrinkled her nose cutely. “Just because I'm their Queen, doesn't mean I can't make tea and breakfast for my husband, especially on his birthday.” She pushed a plate towards him, an array of fluffy pancakes, syrup and strawberries stacked upon it, and Dimitri's heart fluttered at her display of affection. However apon seeing her meager meal of dry toast and a handful of strawberries he frowned.
“Are you unwell,” he glanced at her face, perhaps hoping to see tell tale signs of illness. However her skin was its usual pink, the ever present light flush across her cheeks showing no signs of being unwell. “It is unlike you to eat so little.”
“I'm fine Dimitri, I promise,” Byleth picked up a piece of toast, nibbling it cautiously. Truth be told, this was the only food she found herself able to keep down as of late, one of the downsides of early pregnancy. “This is simply all I fancied this morning, that's all.”
Dimtri seemed to buy that excuse, for now, and they ate in relative silence. Byleth sat nervously, hoping and praying that what little food she did eat didn't make her nauseous. After all, her vomiting abruptly wasn't how she wanted to tell Dimitri she was pregnant at all. She wanted it to be special.
“That was delicious, thank you Beloved,” Dimitri said as he placed his fork down, his plate cleaned of food. Byleth smiled happily, pleased to see her husband take some pleasure out of food once again. It had surprised both of them when shortly after the war, and after Byleth had agreed to marry him, Dimitri's sense of taste had slowly started to return, and Dimitri was more than happy to make up for lost time and sample his soon to be wife's cooking.
Byleth placed her own cup down, her food mostly eaten. “So is there anything special you'd like to do today?”
“I cannot think of anything,” Dimitri moved the tray out of the way, leaning back on his pillows to stare at her. “Just being with you is enough...”
Byleth felt her cheeks warm under his sultry gaze, still not used to the looks of pure love he would give her.
“Would you like to go for a ride?” she asked. “I thought we could find somewhere secluded and just be alone for once. The castle isnt exactly the best place for privacy.”
“That sounds lovely,” Dimitri graciously accepted the invite, moving to rise from the bed. He paused, leaning across the tray of finished breakfast to kiss Byleth's lips. “I love you Byleth.”
“I love you too Dimitri.”
They made their way down to the stables, wrapped in warm winter clothing and thick cloaks, hand in hand. Byleth carried a small basket, filled with a few sandwiches, a blanket and the equipment needed to make tea.
Dimitri saddled his horse, a beautiful brown beast, that greeted him with a nuzzled and a snort, before climbing up and offering a hand to pull Byleth up in front of him. As they made to leave the castle, a voice called out to them.
“Yo, Your Majesties,” Sylvain waved at them from where he stood, talking with Felix, who stood looking exasperated. “Where are you guys off too?”
“Just for a small horseback ride around the area,” Dimitri called as he turned the horse towards the gate. “Don't worry, we wont be long.”
“Oh I wasn't worried,” Sylvain shrugged. “Just don't do anything I wouldn't do, okay.” He shot them a wink, which got him a jab to the ribs from Felix. “Hey what was that for!”
“Don't be an idiot...” Felix glared at the taller man.
A smirk graced Sylvain lips as he retorted, “I'm your idiot,” which caused Felix's face to turn beetroot, and another jab hit Sylvain in the ribs, making the red head laugh. Felix was only sputtering, unable to form a sentence, and he hit his embarrassed face behind his hands.
Byleth and Dimitri laughed as they left, the last thing they saw was Sylvain pulling Felix's hands away from his face and kissing him full on the lips in full view of everyone.
“Sylvain!!” Felix's angry growl was heard throughout the castle grounds as Dimitri urged his horse into a gallop.
The morning air was crisp, and Byleth found herself snuggling closer into the furry cloak draped around her. The rolling hills of Fhirdiad were beautiful, even at this time of year, and although Byleth wasn't good with the cold, she didn't regret for one minute spending half of her time in residence here.
They traveled for a few more minutes before coming apon a secluded wooded area, a river flowing by a huge tree.
“This looks good,” Dimitri called to her, pulling the horse to a stop under the tree. He jumped down and helped Byleth to climb down too, her height causing all sorts of problems dismounting such a huge horse. Once the Horse was tied to an exposed root, Dimitri took Byleth's hand and lead her down towards the river, shedding his cloak and using it as a blanket.
“I always imagined showing you the true beauty of Faerghus one day,” he mused as they sat. “I guess there was always a part of me that knew I loved you, even in my darkest days...”
“Dimitri....” the brief flash of sadness in her husbands eye made Byleth's non beating heart constrict. She grabbed his hand in hers, rubbing her thumbs across his knuckles.
“No, I shouldn't dwell on that, not today of all days,” he looked down at their interlocking fingers. “I guess what I was really trying to say was this; I can't believe you chose me, over anyone else. I still wake each morning and feel like the Goddess is playing a cruel trick on me, that someone like me could end up married to someone as kind, considerate, and mesmerizing as you. Surely it is a jest.”
“You sell yourself short, my love,” Byleth kissed his knuckle. “You are worthy of my love, you always have been.”
Dimitri surged forward, capturing her lips in his, a moan escaping his lips. Byleth, caught off guard, had to brace herself on her arm to stop herself falling backwards. She knew sometimes that her husband forgot his own inhuman strength.
She must have gasped, as almost as quickly as he had kissed her had he pulled back, staring at her with a mixture of arousal and shock.
“Goddess, I'm sorry Byleth,” he pulled them back upright. “Are you okay?”
“I-I'm fine.” In truth she was a little flustered, almost forgetting the reason she wanted to bring him somewhere alone.
“You do not look fine,” Dimitri was annoyingly perceptive sometimes. He placed a hand on her shoulder, surprised to find her shaking.“Are you cold?” His voice was borderline panicked.
“N-No... I'm fine, honest,” taking a deep breath of the cold air to steady her nerves, Byleth continued, “I'm just nervous.”
“Nervous? What is there to be nervous about?”
Standing, Byleth glanced down at Dimitri, who was looking up at her confused. She began to pace, rubbing her hands together, a nervous tick she'd picked up back when she was a teacher and had never quite gotten over.
“Byleth?” After she didn't talk for some time, Dimitri stood too, grabbing hold of her shoulders to stop her pacing. “Please, what is it? What aren't you telling me?”
“I-I...” her eyes were wide and panicked, which caused Dimitri heart to hammer in his chest. He had only seen his wife scared a handful of times, the Battle of Enbar being one of them; when there was no guarantee that either of them was going to make it out alive.
“Byleth....are you ill?” he could barely get the words out, as poisonous as they were to even think, let alone say. His voice was no more than a whisper at the prospect of losing her. “Don't tell me I'm going to lose you....” He choked on the last word, feeling traitorous tears prick at the corner of his left eye.
Byleth, shocked to hear her husband sound so anguished, finally plucked up the courage she needed to reveal the secret she had kept the past few days.
“I'm not ill Dimitri,” she said simply. “Not in that way at least.”
“What do you....”
“Oh my love,” she cupped his face, her fingers snagging at the tiny amount of stubble on his handsome face. If someone had told her 6 years ago that the stoic and mild mannered leader of the Blue Lion house would be her husband, that he would grow to be the man that stood in front of her now, all because of her guidance, she wouldn't have believed them. “You beautiful, kind, considerate man. I'm not leaving you, not ever.” She noticed the relief plaster his face. “I'm sorry I made you worry. I never have been too good at conveying my feelings.... But something wonderful has happened, and I am truly happy.”
“What do you mean?” Dimitri realized he'd been holding a breath, a breath he released in a sharp sigh of relief.
“I am pregnant, my love.” Tears welled in her eyes as she watched Dimitri's face transition from shock, to disbelief, to finally settling back on shock. His uncovered eye traveled down to her abdomen, a stomach that showed little sign of the new life growing inside it; and his hand reached out shakily, laying his palm flat across it. Byleth placed her hand across his, happier than she had ever been before.
“You....” Dimitri tried his hardest to keep his emotions in check, but one look at his wife's smiling face, her tear stained cheeks, was all it took for him to finally sob. His head fell to her shoulder as he cried, happiness overcoming him. She held him, saying nothing as he let it all out, rubbing her hands through his shaggy blond hair, planting a soft kiss to his temple.
Finally, after so long, Dimitri looked at her, his blue eye red and puffy, a huge smile plastered on his face. He laughed, lifting Byleth off the ground and spinning her in the air. Byleth couldn't help but laugh too, and as soon as her feet hit the ground again he was kissing her.
“You,” a kiss to her forehead, “Have made,” a kiss to her cheeks, “Me so happy.” He kissed her lips, softly, conveying more in the kiss than he'd ever be able to with words. His smile was radiant as he pulled away. “I'm going to be a father?”
“Yes.”
“You are not joking?”
“I would never!”
“How long have you known?”
“Only a couple of days, I wanted to wait to tell you, to give you the best birthday present I could.”
“Well you certainly surprised me, that much is true,” Dimitri wiped his eye. “Do you know how far along you are?”
“Mercedes thinks I'm about 5 weeks along. The baby is due in the summertime.”
“The baby, our baby....” Dimitri kissed her once more. “Goddess, I love you Byleth.”
“I love you too.”
They had to abandon all hopes of lunch outside when it started to snow quite heavily. Byleth had insisted she was okay to stay outside, that she and the baby wouldn't be harmed by a little snow, yet Dimitri had insisted they retreat somewhere warm; and Byleth found she couldn't argue with him too much.
Instead they headed back to the castle, past Sylvain and Felix; the latter of whom was no longer blushing and actually allowing Sylvain to hold his hand as they watched the snow together. They made their way inside, brushing off all other business that needed their attention, Dimitri insisting it could wait till tomorrow and that he and the Queen were not to be disturbed for the rest of the day.
They now sat in front of the fire, Byleth nibbling on a sandwich, while Dimitri brewed her a cup of mint tea, the only tea she could stomach at that given moment. She sipped the drink gratefully when he passed her the cup, before settling down beside her on the love-seat. He allowed her to stretch her legs across his lap as she always did, covering her over with a blanket to chase away the last remnants of chill. When she finished her sandwich she grabbed the book she kept nearby and began to read in silence. Dimitri watched her for a while over his own book, his happiness still buzzing through his veins, making concentrating on anything he was currently reading. Occasionally their eyes would meet, and Byleth would smile widely at him, or blow him a kiss that caused him to blush furiously.
Eventually Byleth fell asleep, her book open upon her chest, rising and falling as she took breath. Dimitri put down his own book and, careful not to wake her, lifted her from the sofa, carrying her over to the bed. He tucked her in, brushing a strand of her pale green locks out of her face, Byleth nuzzling into his hand at his touch. He smiled down at her, at the woman he loved more than anything in the world, the woman who had saved him countless times; the mother of his child.
Reluctantly, he moved away from the bed and over to his desk. Pulling out his chair and sitting he retrieved a piece of parchment, inkwell and quill and began to write.
Baby Blaiddyd,
Although I only found out about you mere hours ago, know that I love you more than words can ever express. You and your mother are both my greatest treasures, my guiding lights, the reason I live.
I swear I will never give you cause to feel pain, or sorrow. I will protect you from all things, as my father tried to do for me.
And although we haven't met yet, know I would tear down the sky itself to keep you safe, both of you.
Your loving Father, Dimitri.