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She was back. Byleth was here. With Edelgard. She was overjoyed to have her friend back, hardly able to contain her tears as she held the taller woman closely. Perhaps now the Empire would have the strength necessary to move forward and win this war. Or more accurately, perhaps Edelgard would finally have the strength and support to stand tall and move forward.
Something happened to Byleth during those years away, though. Edelgard could tell that much, but wasn’t sure what. The woman had become tense, strangely distant. Edelgard tried to spend time with her friend, though Byleth would always dodge her or leave early, clearly uncomfortable about something. It always left a pit in the emperor’s stomach, sad to see her closest friend leave her. Had Edelgard done something wrong, despite doing everything in her power to make Byleth proud?
That same discomfort didn’t exist in Byleth as they planned out a strategy for taking the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Nor did it exist as Byleth fought hard beside Edelgard. Instead, Edelgard watched as the taller woman fought with the same finesse she had all those years ago, felling any enemy who stood before her. Yet, moments before the battle, Edelgard could see pain clear upon Byleth’s features. She tried to be there for the taller woman, to help her, but she was simply brushed aside.
When the battle ended, Byleth stood there with a distant look in her eyes. The church armor she wore made her look like a sullied saint, stained by so much blood. Edelgard tried to be there for her, to provide support. But Byleth chose to seclude herself. To hide away herself and her pain. Like Edelgard had done.
The Black Eagles would celebrate their victory, yet the image of Byleth in pain never left the back of Edelgard’s mind. An image of the former professor picking up some of the former academy students, carrying their corpses to their graves. The pain on Byleth’s face as she carried them, a pain that would return in many battles to come. Edelgard couldn’t just watch as the woman suffered.
The emperor tried to poke for something, anything from Byleth so she might be able to help her friend. Edelgard shared her wish for there to be no fighting, a childish desire for there to be change without coming to arms, but no matter what, there would be people who would never give up, not until they lost.
Something in those words struck Byleth, the woman whispering to herself in a low voice. Pale green eyes distant, like the woman was hardly even there. The sight made Edelgard’s chest tighten. She wanted to help her friend, but was unsure how. Unsure what was wrong.
Still, she tried. Tried to get closer, to get past those invisible walls Byleth built up. To find what her friend was hiding that hurt her so. She watched those wall break, tears falling as Byleth spoke of being unworthy. Unworthy due to killing her.
The world almost seemed to freeze in that moment. Edelgard didn’t understand. She was standing here. Alive. And yet what Byleth spoke of--the look in those pale green eyes--she clearly believed what she said. Whatever it was that she was thinking was real to her. Just as real as losing Byleth forever felt to Edelgard during those five years.
She watched as Byleth seemed to shrink, a final stab and twist of a knife in her heart. Edelgard closed the distance, wrapping her arms around her friend, holding Byleth close as the woman cried. The emperor gave her friend time. Time to calm down and gather her thoughts before asking for an explanation. For a chance to understand so that she might help. Help like Byleth had done for her in the past.
Byleth told the story she experienced. One of reliving the war multiple times. Once with Dimitri, once with Claude, and now with Edelgard. The taller woman told of her Crest Stone and connection to the goddess. How she would inevitably be forced to abandon Edelgard and relive this war.
It was a lot to hear. Though part of it made sense. Edelgard could never forget that hatred that burned in Byleth’s eyes when she used to look at her. Those condescending words. They made sense now. Same as Byleth’s awareness of enemy tactics, of what would always happen.
Edelgard wanted to reach out and tell Byleth all was fine. That the woman deserved to be here beside her. That none of that happened here and now, Byleth only showing support. But that would be denying Byleth’s own experiences. Still, Edelgard was glad to have Byleth with her here now.
Before Byleth left, Edelgard tried to learn how long the woman had before leaving her, but she had no definite answer. Byleth had given into her fate. Though Edelgard would do no such thing, not when she remembered what the woman had stated in the past on the possibility of removing a person’s Crest. Once the taller woman left, Edelgard moved to write two orders. One for Hubert to provide to Hanneman and Linhardt. An order to find a possible way to remove a Crest Stone from a person’s heart without killing them. The other was for new armor to be made for Byleth. Something different from those of the church connected to Byleth’s pain.
With her truths aired, Byleth seemed slightly more willing to speak with Edelgard. More comfortable. Able to fall back into their old routine of tea time. Back to hearing those kind words Byleth spoke of her. Edelgard could hardly understand how Byleth could easily bring about such praise, but she enjoyed it, basking in the presence of her greatest friend. A part of her heart screamed for something more, but such a feeling was to be ignored. Simply having Byleth here was enough for Edelgard, even if the true depths of her feelings were never to be shared.
When the Empire eventually marched upon Derdriu, Byleth made a request. One to spare an old student. To spare Claude. Edelgard listened to what her friend had to say on the leader of the Alliance, of the help he could provide. It would no doubt be invaluable, but to leave Claude alive was also a risk. What if he were to take the chance to strike back from the shadows? If he were left alive and ignored, he could concoct a scheme under the Empire’s nose, one that could potentially act as their downfall.
Though the look in Byleth’s words were soft, calming. She gave the emperor her full trust, the trust to make her own choice. Claude’s death would be Edelgard’s decision alone. And so she fought her way through the port, making her way to Claude. Edelgard struck the man’s wyvern down. She held her axe, ready to kill him if necessary, but gave him his life.
The Black Eagles celebrated their victory, unaware of Claude’s survival, though Edelgard had no desire to. Not when the war continued and much was still left to be done. Instead of celebrating, she spent what free time she had to draw and paint. Specifically portraits of Byleth. The woman wouldn’t leave Edelgard’s thoughts. The smile reserved only for her and the kind words she spoke. But also the pain she’d suffered and shared with Edelgard. The moments they shared together felt too few and far between.
Byleth had caught her making one portrait, causing Edelgard no end of embarrassment. She could only hope that Byleth wouldn’t understand or become disgusted by it. She couldn’t stand the thought of Byleth hating her or becoming uncomfortable from realizing what Edelgard felt. Though the woman never brought it up, nor did she seem uncomfortable around Edelgard, causing the emperor to feel some relief.
Though such relief would be short lived as the Knights of Seiros marched upon the monastery. Edelgard led the Eagles in the defense, unwilling to watch Byleth leave her for a counterattack, but she let the woman go. She watched Byleth hesitate slightly as she left, though the emperor simply chalked that up to her imagination as she moved to give her orders.
Luckily, all of the Black Eagles made it through the battle with their lives. Though not all were so fortunate. Edelgard stood strong as General Randolph came to her with his final report. She watched him die before her, all due to the war she chose to wage. Randolph’s blood was on her hands. The burden she carried was heavy. So heavy, she felt she might break beneath it. But she had to continue moving forward as emperor. She couldn’t just stop and allow the deaths of her people to be in vain because of her emotions. No, a leader had to rely on logic and reason, not that of emotion to guide their hand forward.
And that is what Edelgard did. She dove into her work, doing what she might to end this war and assist the soldiers who stood on the battlefield. Perhaps it meant less time with Byleth, but it was a necessary evil in order to help her people and to bring an end to this conflict. The sooner the war was over, the sooner she could help her people and fix the system that hurt them.
She took a small break to speak with Byleth to provide the woman with the new armor she had ordered. The taller woman had of course questioned the details of it, but Edelgard couldn’t bring herself to tell the full depths of her reasoning for providing such armor, or for how she felt about the woman before her. The emperor tried to escape before Byleth could question her any further, but it was too late.
Byleth questioned her on why she was always burying herself in so much work, admitting to having watched Randolph give his final report. It didn’t matter what Byleth felt, though. This had to be done. Edelgard was a tool for the people, a leader. To give into her own emotions and desires would be selfish and wrong.
And yet Byleth still spoke against such thoughts. Pain was evident in pale green eyes, her broken voice a stab in Edelgard’s guts. The words the woman spoke--that of another Edelgard, one who buried her emotions and died by Byleth’s hands--twisted the knife deeper. Edelgard couldn’t ignore her own feelings, unable to stand seeing Byleth pained so, she hugged the woman. They made a promise to each other. A promise to let their emotions free at times, to prevent further pain.
They were there for each other, helping one another as they continued onward. Eventually, they moved to attack Arianrhod, the Silver Maiden. Edelgard continued forward, fighting on for what she believed, for the freedom of humanity. Though Byleth was there to hold her back, to slow her to prevent her from going too far too fast. Though as Byleth did so, there was pain in those pale green eyes, like one who was crying. And yet, no tears fell from those eyes.
Edelgard put her trust in Byleth, gaining another victory for the Empire in the battle. Along with the fall of the Silver Maiden, Cornelia was killed, losing one of Thales’s precious puppets. No doubt such a blow would assist in the effort of destroying those who slithered when the war with the church was over.
Though Thales seemed to have caught on. He brought about the devastating news of the fall of Arianrhod, the fortress being destroyed in pillars of light. An experience that Byleth seemed to be all too familiar with, causing Edelgard worry. She watched as Byleth pushed it aside, instead choosing to share what information she could on such an attack. It provided Edelgard with some hope. Hope that when this war is over, they may just be able to destroy those who took Edelgard’s life away from her.
Still, there was more fighting ahead of them. One final obstacle in their way. Dimitri stood between the Empire and the church. There would be one final march upon Fhirdiad, Dimitri marching out to stop them in the Tailtean Plains. It would only be so long until this war came to a close, and then Edelgard would take her place upon the throne, working to fix the horrid system Rhea had created.
Though with the end of the conflict meant the end of Byleth’s need to stand beside her. The thought saddened Edelgard somewhat. It would be selfish to request the woman to stay by her side, to keep her for the guidance and support she provided. To keep her close because of the way the woman made Edelgard feel. She had to let Byleth go. To allow her friend to do as she pleased when all was over. Byleth stated herself she never had a choice in the past. It would only be right to give her the choice to do as she pleased after the war.
Edelgard came so close. Close to admitting the things her heart screamed in Byleth’s presence. The desire to be closer to the woman than Edelgard’s words could ever convey. When she heard and saw the pain in Byleth’s features as the woman described how it felt to think of losing Edelgard. Part of her wanted to tell Byleth everything. All she felt and how she wanted Byleth to remain with her. And yet she couldn’t. Not when she still had no way of knowing Byleth could even stay, Hanneman and Linhardt’s research having turned up nothing. And not when such feelings might never be returned.
It was enough to just have Byleth stand beside her as they marched upon the Tailtean Plains. At least, that’s what Edelgard told herself. It’s what she repeated to herself internally as they fought alongside each other through the ranks of the Kingdom army. Together, they would end Rhea’s tyranny. That was all Edelgard could ask.
Yet fear filled her when she heard Byleth’s scream of pain. She was unharmed and yet her pain was a reminder. A reminder that Byleth would leave. Just like five years ago. Yet there would be no return. That pain of those five years, alone and without any who considered Edelgard an equal. A human. Edelgard could never live with that. She wanted Byleth to remain beside her. But she had no desire to force anything upon Byleth.
The conflict within Edelgard’s mind only worsened when she stood before Dimitri as his executioner. The words he spat at her feet. They struck her, buried memories resurfacing, even if only slightly. Dimitri. Her friend from the Kingdom as a child. Her old friend who would now die by her hand.
She couldn’t stand to watch him in such a state, bringing down her axe to sever the man’s head from his body, silencing him. He was dead. A part of Edelgard buried deep down couldn’t help but shed tears for her old friend. Tears that chose to fall down her own face. Byleth noticed, yet kept her distance and respect. Some part of Edelgard wanted to be held in Byleth’s arms, to bury her face and let out her pain. And yet she had appearances to keep as the emperor. Such emotions could wait. She could grieve when the war was over.
And she did. But not over Dimitri. No, she cried amongst the flames of Fhirdiad, holding tightly the body of her dearest friend. No, those words weren’t right to describe Byleth. She was more than a friend. She was someone Edelgard cared for deeply. Someone who was a shining light in her world. And now her limp body was still. No heartbeat. No breath. Nothing.
Tears fell upon that peaceful face. That face that seemed almost as though she were asleep. Edelgard would never have the chance to tell the truth. To state the depths of her feelings for Byleth. She held the woman closer, leaning down and pressing her lips to Byleth’s before slowly rising, whispering those four simple words.
“I love you, Byleth.”
Color slowly returned to Byleth’s hair as she suddenly gasped for air. Those locks were their natural blue once more, no longer the same as the children of the goddess. She was human. Edelgard couldn’t help but smile, relieved to have Byleth back. The blue-haired woman returned it weakly, putting a hand against Edelgard’s cheek.
“I love you, too, El.”
Edelgard could practically feel her heart soar, her tears turning from sadness to joy. Byleth was alive and returned her feelings. Unable to hold back her joy and relief, Edelgard leaned down, pressing another kiss to Byleth’s lips, this time gladly returned. Perhaps there was nothing for Edelgard to fear.
Or perhaps there was still much to fear as Edelgard carried Byleth’s unconscious body to Manuela. After everything they’d been through, after sharing their feelings, Edelgard didn’t want to lose Byleth now. She didn’t care how she seemed when she brought the woman to Manuela. She was desperate to get Byleth help, to make sure the woman stayed alive.
Manuela assured her that Byleth was alive, yet Edelgard couldn’t help but worry. She would check on the woman’s unconscious body every evening to find her the same as the day before. The soft rise and fall of Byleth’s chest and the sound of her heartbeat were the only reassurance Edelgard had.
Edelgard was only truly relieved when she entered the room one day to find Byleth awake. Waiting. Every evening after, Byleth would continue to reassure Edelgard of her shared feelings, whether with words or kisses. Though even that wasn’t enough. There was more she desired. It became harder to see and talk to Byleth. Edelgard had a ring she wished to give to the woman, along with a promise. And yet she was unsure what to say or do. Or whether Byleth’s feelings were truly the same.
Though even those worries were relieved by Byleth when the woman made her way to the Goddess Tower to speak with Edelgard. In that moment, both of them had the same idea, giving their rings and requesting the same promises of one another. It was overwhelming for her feelings to be returned. Edelgard couldn’t help but embrace Byleth, kissing the woman she loved so dearly. All would be well as they stood side by side, walking forward together to end the people’s suffering.