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Dimitri forgets how shockingly cold Faerghus winters can be.
And how Claude doesn’t quite adjust well to the snowy weather.
He feels Claude shiver behind him; the sharp intakes and outtakes of cold breath coming from his mouth are the only sounds that slice through the quiet world around them. Although, hearing such noises come from Claude makes Dimitri grimace at the slightest, for all he wants to do is take him in his arms and keep him warm from the winter's biting breeze.
But well, Dimitri expected worse coming from today’s weather. He had experienced a day in his adolescence where a full fledged blizzard ran rampant around the region, leaving many people with hypothermia in its wake.
Perhaps he’s been too far from home for too long. The cold doesn’t bite at his fingers and toes as much as it did when he was young. He’s become numb to the chill. Actually, he feels numb about a lot of things lately. However, he remembers the winters of his homeland fondly. Dimitri had always been bundled up in his woolen, Faerghus-blue parka while being in relatively close proximity to the crackling fire in the fireplace. The thing is though, being with someone like Claude who lived in the warmer Leicester Alliance temperatures (a place where there was little to no snow in fact), he should’ve known that Claude wouldn’t fare as well as he would.
Dimitri had attempted to keep him from freezing by lending him an older set of winter clothes he kept in his closets, but even that seemed to be in vain. It was meant for the prince’s broader build, not the archer’s smaller frame—so it hung looser around Claude’s body instead of being a snug fit. As Garreg Mach never tended to have such weather similar to Faerghus, the two of them were forced made due to with what clothes that Dimitri already had on him.
If anything, Claude suggested that they could cuddle together for warmth, which effectively brought a raging blush across Dimitri’s pale features.
With the lands always being laced with the snow of the frigid winter and temperatures dropping to goddess knows what, Dimitri was worried that Claude would catch a cold and be bedridden throughout their stay in Faerghus. The archer had attempted to reassure him with a toothy smile, telling him that “a little cold didn’t hurt anyone.” The concern though, still laid obvious across Dimitri’s face. He planned for this trip to be a pleasant stay and having Claude coming down sick with a terrible cold would blow his plans straight out of the water. If all went right to plan, they wouldn't be staying in the snow for most of the day. In fact, Dimitri was sure that it wouldn’t be much longer until the two of them arrived to their destination. Their destination where Dimitri had made memories dear to his heart—and possibly, the place where he would only make more memories with Claude on this fateful day.
Dimitri grips the leather reins of his horse a little tighter as to when his heart thrums nervously in his chest. What weighs heavy in the pocket of his long, winter coat only becomes heavier every step of the way.
He doesn’t let the anxiousness guide him away from the path though, notes the state of their surroundings. It must have snowed the day before. The sound of his steed’s hooves crunching through frozen, dead leaves and freshly packed snow and the occasional bird chirping are what fills his ears as they go.
Then Dimitri realizes: it’s a familiar sound—one that he never noticed he was used to hearing.
After all these days in Garreg Mach, there was perhaps some sort of homesickness brewing inside of him. He doesn’t even remember the last time when he had seen the snowfall in Faerghus. Days of focusing on his studies and his goals at the academy was all that’s been on his mind. Though, being at the side of all his friends… they’ve relieved most of the stress of being a crown prince keeping up his royal acts. The venture off to Faerghus with Claude wouldn’t have happened without aid from the Blue Lions.
Things like Mercedes’ hand knitted satchel, Sylvain’s advice of where they could go and Dedue’s carefully-made pastries were only a few of the things handed to him. Ashe and Annette had helped Dimitri get the item that he currently had stuffed in his jacket pocket. Felix even muttered something about keeping a weapon close on the horse (if all went awry) while Ingrid brought up the old winter clothes from Faerghus when they first arrived at the Officers’ Academy.
Dimitri hadn’t planned for any of them to get so involved—he’d asked for maybe a few pointers and such. Yet, they still came together to help him figure things out. Dimitri thanks each of them dearly, finding himself blessed to have met all these people and consider them as his friends (however, he’s sure Felix would say otherwise). Sometimes he even wonders about his chances of meeting each one of them quite often in the space of his room.
As puffs of his breath form in the air and the two of them ride deeper into the forest, hearing the sound of Claude sniffing only makes the smile on Dimitri’s face drop into a frown.
“Are the clothes not doing you any good anymore?” Dimitri wishes just to turn around to face Claude and hold him close to warm him up, but as he’s the one with the reins in hand, he has keep his eyes glued to the trail that they’re traveling on. He doesn’t want to get them lost, especially when they’re so close. Surely it’s been a while since Dimitri’s set foot in this forest and with everything looking almost the same in terms of the bare trees and pure white snow… he can’t afford to lose where they are. Not today at least. He’s practiced talking for today so many times in his room that he won’t let himself mess up.
The sweet sound of a chuckle is the response Dimitri gets before he feels is the archer’s head against his back. A small action like that allows the urge to wrap his arms around Claude’s lithe frame to grow even more. Despite that, Dimitri knows that can wait. He just has to be patient.
“Well, these clothes aren’t exactly made for me, Mitya.” The archer shifts in place, moving his head up in the slightest to rest his chin on Dimitri’s shoulder. “As much as I would love to have your physique, it’s just a bit looser on me than you. Not that I mind because I rather want to be cuddled up next to you anyways.”
The embarrassing sound of surprise that leaves Dimitri makes Claude snicker.
Dimitri doesn’t let the path leave his sight even for one second, however out of the corner of his eye, he can see Claude extend his arm, showing off the cuff of the blue parka he previously loaned Claude. He was right. It was a little long, maybe longer than Dimitri initially thought because the sleeve ended slightly less than halfway down Claude’s palm.
Admittedly, Dimitri may have been a little too distracted when Claude first tried on the outfit. When he saw Claude dressed in the outfit—one donned with furs from Faerghus and showing off the familiar royal blue color that was uniform throughout his homeland… he did think it was terribly cute. Not like he would muster enough confidence to tell Claude that though. Claude would, of course, tease him for saying something like that and then Dimitri would be left with a blush of absolute crimson red.
“I apologize that I could not get anything a bit more tight-fitting… It is all I had in my closet,” Dimitri responds, his head bowing slightly as he starts to fidget with the leather reins. “Next time, I will ask someone from the Kingdom to make you one personally.”
“So, you’re already planning on a next time, huh? I didn’t know that your Princeliness wanted to whisk me away to Faerghus so often,” Claude coos, his amusement evident in his voice. He tilts his head slightly to press his cheek against Dimitri’s shoulder. “But don’t worry, Mitya. I really don’t mind. It even smells like you, so that’s a plus for me.”
If Dimitri wasn’t handling the horse, he probably would’ve keeled over and fainted right then and there. Or something less dramatic, to say the least. Indeed, he was thinking about bringing Claude over to Faerghus again. He loved his homeland and well… he loved Claude too. For Dimitri to be able to bring together the two things out of many he cherished the most, it made him so obscenely happy.
“Yes, o-of course. At the monastery, we do not get much time to ourselves in private as we are both heirs to our respective territories and are house leaders as well. We were only so lucky that we were able to come to Faerghus today. I wanted to make the occasion as special as I could.” Dimitri curses himself for sounding so nervous, however he was speaking from the heart. Since the time they both confessed at the Goddess Tower, the two house leaders agreed that their relationship would be kept private to them and their friends. Knowing their positions as crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the heir of Leicester Alliance, politics would not stir well with the people of either territory. This came in great concern as the Alliance only formed after breaking from the Kingdom.
Even though Dimitri has no interest in controlling over the Alliance whatsoever (as he already has to deal with taking up the throne in Faerghus). He would, of course, be unable to control anything any Alliance or Kingdom noble would say about their relationship if word of it got out. Both of them could live without politics looming over everything they did together.
So as a consequence, this meant that they couldn’t always be with each other in public. Even if they wanted to so badly.
And it irked Dimitri more than he would've assumed, to his surprise.
Claude hummed. “Special, huh? I’m really curious what you’re planning, Mitya. I’m sure you just don’t want to show me how pretty Faerghus is. Which I have to say, isn’t a lie. Besides having to freeze my butt off, I see why you loved the snow so much.”
A soft laugh left Dimitri’s mouth. “Perhaps… there is something, but I’m glad you understand, Claude.”
Claude’s eyebrows quirk upwards. “Well color me curious.”
Soon after that, there was a moment where neither of them said much and Dimitri could only assume that Claude was nodding off on his shoulder. The ride was already so long and they had departed early, so it was fair that the archer was already falling asleep.
So blindly reaching behind him, Dimitri gently grabbed one of Claude’s hands and allowed the archer’s arm to wrap around his waist. This let him be able to have his own hand overlap with Claude’s. Not without great hesitance, Dimitri caressed the top of Claude’s hand with his thumb. The small gesture itself was always something Claude would do whenever he had nightmares late at night.
“Are we getting bold, your Royalness?”
Dimitri jolts and pulls his attention away from the trail long enough to look at Claude, who had a lazy smile grace across his lips.
“Claude! I assumed you had fallen asleep… I apologize for waking you.”
“Mmm… nah, I was just resting my eyes. No worries.” Claude leans forward enough to press a quick kiss to Dimitri’s cheek before he shoots him a smile that could rival the sun. “Though, I really should’ve snuggled up to you earlier because you’re a lot warmer than I thought you were.”
“I-” Dimitri feels Claude wraps his other arm around his waist and press his face deeper, interrupting whatever he had planned to say. He stops himself from saying anymore when he notices the way the archer exhales and inhales through his nose, effectively telling him that Claude has actually passed out this time. He sighs, however the sight itself allows a smile pull at the corners of his lips. He continues to guide their horse along, just only after he squeezes Claude’s hand gently.
Maybe Dimitri was little off on how far along they were.
It probably took a good thirty more minutes than expected (as he definitely did not get lost for a hot second), but Dimitri was able to guide them to the right spot. At first glance, it wouldn’t seem like it meant much to anyone—it was mostly a barren area of the forest that had a well put smack dab in the middle. Yet for the prince himself, he can only recall all the childhood memories that took place here. A quick look around told him that the area had remained mostly untouched all these years.
Just like how he remembered it.
As Dimitri would love to continue to reminisce over the place itself a little longer, the box that was hurriedly stuffed in his pocket was a constant nagging reminder. First things first, Dimitri had to shake Claude awake before they could get off the horse and tie it to one of the nearby trees. Although, Claude never was one to wake up so easily from such a deep slumber.
“Claude.” Nothing. Not even the slightest stir. Another call of his name. Nope, still nothing.
So, Dimitri started to shake his arm gently a few times, maybe a little too roughly the more the prince had to shake him (because well, Dimitri was Dimitri and the crest of Blaiddyd could just not be contained sometimes), nonetheless it was just enough for Claude to finally stir awake from his slumber. Dimitri smiles fondly as he watches how the other house leader’s eyes flutter open and how he whines from being forced awake.
“We’re… here?” Claude mumbles, eyebrows furrowing slightly and looking quite insistent on going back to sleep again. Dimitri, however, will not let him. Taking the chance he’s given, Dimitri slips off one of his leather gloves by biting down on a finger and quickly presses a cold hand to Claude’s face, causing him to yelp in surprise and send Dimitri in a small fit of laughter. He had figured out that trick the second time they fell asleep in Claude’s room (which was really an accident at first, but the prince knew well enough to keep it mind for later if it was necessary).
After both of them slipped off the saddle on the horse and Dimitri tied the reins of his steed to a nearby tree, Dimitri takes a moment to think about what he’s going to do next. He’s for sure a little nervous, this was a plan at least two to three weeks in the making. His hands happen to tremble, not from the cold, but from sheer anxiety. Maybe he's a little more stressed than he thought he was.
He leans against his horse as to prop himself up for a while, yet the nudge at his head forces himself to snap up straight. Surprise washes over Dimitri’s face for just a mere second before it melts into a sheepish grin; it was only his horse. It nudges his head again and he laughs, understanding that he should probably get to Claude now. So with a gentle pat on his steed’s back as a subtle “thank you”, Dimitri steps away with his heart roaring in his ears.
Claude loves him. And he loves Claude. That should’ve been obvious on that night in the Goddess Tower. He shouldn’t be doubting that one bit.
Dimitri swallows the lump in his throat and bites his lip. He turns around to look at Claude, hand already fumbling for the box in his pocket, yet what he sees reminds him of one of the reasons why he fell in love.
“With that look in your eyes, I can tell this place is a lot more than just a bunch of trees and snow.”
Claude faces away from him, enshrouded in one of the rays of sunlight that peeked out from the clouds. Snow had gathered in his brown locks and Dimitri could only think of how he looked in the light. If the sun had one equal, one who rivaled in such radiance, Dimitri would think that Claude would be that one person. Sure, it may be an exaggeration, however what else could he say? Claude was just… just beautiful.
Dimitri makes his way towards Claude, hand tightening around the velvet box in his pocket as he speaks, “As a child, Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid and I would play around in this section of the forest. ” He stops just a step behind Claude and exhales sharply. “I made a lot of memories in this forest, good and… somewhat bad if we were to talk about what Sylvain would do.”
That elicits a small laugh from Claude. “Sounds about right.”
The prince adjusts himself to wrap an arm against Claude’s waist, pulling him flush against his body and hooking his chin on the archer’s shoulder. “But the reason why I brought you here was because I had the time of my life here with the three of them. This forest contains a lot of memories that I cherish so deeply and…” Dimitri bites his lip as he finally pulls out the gift he had been hiding for so long in his room. “I wanted to have more of them with you.”
In one swift move, he forces the box open, revealing two intricate rings twinkling in the sun.
And the amused grin on Claude’s face immediately drops into a look of pure shock.
“I… Dimitri…” Claude’s mouth parts slightly, however nothing else seems to come out. In other words, Claude is absolutely speechless for once and such a reaction strikes a pang of happiness through Dimitri’s heart. To find Claude at a loss of words, especially with how silver-tongued he tends to be at the academy, tells Dimitri that he’s hopefully on the right track.
He removes his arm from Claude’s waist, adjusting himself so he stands in front of the other house leader. Dimitri clears his throat slightly, beginning to speak the words that he had recited over and over again to himself in the privacy of his room for a series of days. Now would just be the chance where he would finally, just finally get to tell Claude how he truly felt.
“There were days where I thought I never deserved love and thought I would never discover someone else that would, in fact, love me.” Dimitri’s blue eyes met the soft gaze of Claude’s green ones. “Not until I met you under the stars, where the moonlight shone across your features… is when I felt like there was a chance.”
Dimitri takes a moment to finally remove the rings from their box. Looking closer, they were ornate in design: one made from silver that showed off an intricate design of a moon in the middle. The other was made from gold and showcased a beautiful motif of the sun.
“You are like the sun for me. In the darkest of days, you are like the light at the end of the tunnel. Even in the frigid cold, your warmth enveloped me when I needed it most.” He shuts his eyes, head bowing as he struggles to finish what he wants to say. “With… with these, I hope I can promise you to always stay by your side for as long as I can.”
Silence falls between them. The weight of those words rang heavy in his own room, but having the moment to pour his heart in front of Claude lifted off something he didn’t know was holding him down. He truly loved Claude, huh?
Blue eyes open when Dimitri hears the gentle call of his name.
“I didn’t know I fell in love with such a romantic.” Claude pushes Dimitri’s blond fringe out of his face and drags his hand over to cup the prince’s cheek. Ever so gently, he nudges Dimitri to look at him. They stare into each other’s eyes for a while before sharing a laugh or two. The blush Dimitri sees across Claude’s face only makes his heart soar.
Fumbling for a second, Dimitri holds the gold ring in between his finger and thumb and gently grasps Claude’s wrist.
“Can I?” he whispers, voice softer than ever. The prince can definitely feel Claude’s racing heartbeat even through his gloves.
“If only I can do the same for you,” Claude whispers back. He takes the other ring left in Dimitri’s palm and slips off his own leather glove. The archer breathes in sharply when the warmth from earlier is replaced with Dimitri’s cold hand and the ring that sits proudly on his finger. The prince only chuckles at him, which makes Claude jokingly push his shoulder.
The exhale of relief coming from Dimitri after he realizes the ring fits on the Claude’s calloused, slender fingers is something else that he can effectively cross off his list of worries. He’s thought of plenty of ways that things could’ve gone wrong today and thankfully, none of them happened.
A huff of amusement leaves Claude’s mouth as he reaches over to grab Dimitri’s hand.
“Alright, your Princeliness. My turn.” Claude smiles brightly as he slips the ring onto Dimitri’s finger. He takes this chance to interlace his fingers with Dimitri’s and quirks his eyebrows up in surprise. “Huh, perfect fit. You must have been keeping a good eye on my hands or something, haven’t you?”
Dimitri splutters and squeezes Claude’s hand from embarrassment. “I-I wanted them to be perfect.”
“That’s why you were so insistent on holding my hand last week…”
“Claude!”
“The excuse of saying your hand was cold didn’t make sense when I’m sure your hand was always warmer than mine.”
“I… uh… panicked?”
“I have to say though… almost thought you were proposing to me, Mitya.”
“W-We are far too young for that!”
Claude laughs when Dimitri turns his head away from him, seemingly done with Claude’s teasing for the day. He pulls Dimitri's attention back onto him when he wraps his arms around the prince's neck and the gentle smile dancing across his lips only grows wider as green looks into blue. “I’ll keep my end of the promise to always be at your side too, Prince Charming.”
And then Claude leans in, pressing his lips against Dimitri’s. Though it doesn’t last long when he has to pull away, yelping when Dimitri wraps his arms around his middle and hoists him up.
“Dimi—?!”
“I love you.”
The brute honesty coming from Dimitri always takes Claude by surprise. He’s never been used to hearing such pleasant words, but the prince always tells him things like this in a heartbeat.
Dimitri can see Claude swallow harshly for a moment, green eyes flickering across his face and he fears he had overstepped, about to put the other down on his feet until—
“I love you too.”
Despite the cold of winter and the stress of the whole trip overall, hearing Claude utter those words made it worth it.
Now this time, they meet halfway: Dimitri tilting his head up while Claude dips down. And their lips meet again for the second time that day.
Eventually there would be one day in the future where they would meet again in the same place. The two of them are nowhere close to the young teenagers they were several years ago. The years may have left them older and scarred, however, they remember the promise they made together in that very forest.
In the forest stands Claude von Riegan, the king of Almyra, donning a Faerghus-blue parka that happens fits him this time around.
Then there is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, the king of Fódlan, at his side and much taller than before.
They talk for a moment, laughing and reminiscing on how this forest was the place where Claude teased Dimitri over the whole ring exchange being like a proposal. Dimitri notes that Claude really hasn’t changed since. The two kings continue to talk, conversing about how it’s been since the last time they last saw each other. The promise in a way, had been broken multiple times as of now. However, Dimitri knows a way on how to mend it.
The conversation suddenly takes a turn when Dimitri brings up the memory of what seventeen-year-old him told Claude several years ago. The memory of where Dimitri said he wouldn’t shy from the idea of marriage later in the future. And how Claude told him that he too, wouldn’t either.
So yet again, Dimitri shares his thoughts.
And the king pulls out a ring from his cloak that would ask Claude to be with him forever.