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Edelgard von Hresvelg was always a force of nature. Ever so elusive she was, she was an enigma wrapped up in a beautiful body. Constance never pried. She always knew the value of privacy and the intimacy associated with the sensitive secrets kept encrypted. If Constance would, she too, would’ve locked her painful memories in a vault and buried it within the confines of her chest. Yet, her circumstances prohibited that. Thus, she must allow mercy for the ones she loved.
Never would she have even fathomed the idea that the mercy came at the cost of Edelgard acting so recklessly! Constance could think of one million reasons why Edelgard didn’t confide in her but the betrayal still stung.
“What has possessed you to go through with this?!” Screamed Constance, anger clearly boiling within her eyes as she faced the woman that she had decidedly offer half of her heart to.
“I have considered every angle. I have wavered and suffered, and now my resolve is firm. Now confess... Had I told you, would you have kept my secret?” Edelgard sneered back, her form drooping slightly as if to offer Constance some form of mercy.
Her head shook at the mere thought of that. How preposterous? Did the newly crowned emperor sincerely believe that Constance was going to be the good noble girl to remain so subdued?
“Absolutely not! I would have moved against you without a moment's hesitation!” Constance barked in return.
“As I thought. That is precisely why I did not tell you. Now get out of my way.” Edelgard steeled her position, her axe readying in her hands as if ready to battle.
Perhaps in moment Constance von Nuvelle was an impulsive being who didn’t think much for the short term and instead fixated herself upon the long term goals – but when Edelgard was aiming to charge past her, she threw her body before her as if she could stop the wildfire.
With a flicker of her wrist, spikes of ice thwarted upwards and threw the newly crowned emperor onto the ground. But Edelgard was resilient and she stood upright again – then, the axe flew towards her. Swiftly, her mount dodged the throw before she threw Agnea’s Arrow towards her – in one fluid motion, she leapt off her mount and landed atop her. Huffing and puffing, she felt the tears beginning to fill at the brim of her eyes. Before Edelgard could respond, Constance unsheathed her silver sword and pressed it close to her flesh.
She could never hurt her. Yet there was Edelgard’s blood spilt across the ground of the holy tomb. Her teeth grit, her hair dishevelled, and lacerations were visible along the flesh of her arms and legs. Lavender irises darkened with anger – she could never hate her, but it stung to watch her so stubborn and recklessly lying on the ground like that.
“…Professor, kill Edelgard at once. She is a danger to all of Fódlan. Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating,” Constance’s eyes widen at the sight of the vicious voice of the Archbishop. She gasped at the sound and –
“Absolutely not – Byleth, if you dare lay a finger on her I will end –”
“No… I must protect her.” Declared the mercenary turned professor as they turned their blade away from Rhea’s side and towards the side of the Imperial Army.
In that moment, Edelgard took advantage of Constance’s state of distraction and lifted both of them up, with Constance in her arms. Quickly, Hubert appeared next to the emperor’s side. He still looked sinister in every regard but there was no time to judge as they fled the scene – what in the world was that? Was the archbishop a dragon? Who was she? Who watched over Fodlan? All questions and yet, no answers. Edelgard still plagued her mind and the adrenaline that pumped through her veins never ceased… was Edelgard really going to kill her – no, was she really going to kill Edelgard should she never come to her senses?
Once safety was temporarily granted, Constance stood outside of Edelgard’s chambers and paced impatiently. She had questions… perhaps, too many questions. The scent of Edelgard’s blood still stung, she could still remember what it smelled like mingled with the dirt on the ground of the Holy Tomb. It disgusted her and to think they had known each other for so long… and to think they had shared a bed together was starting to seem revolting.
But who was Constance to judge? She must’ve had her own reasons.
She had to.
This was Edelgard von Hresvelg, the thoughtful house leader who had taken every angle of consideration for the students of her house. This wasn’t someone nearly as thoughtless as Balthus who couldn’t bear to spare even an extra thought for himself nonetheless others! Still, the mysteries of Edelgard’s mind it boggled her. Her heels clicked against the ground, echoing throughout the halls as she wondered whatever could Edelgard’s motivation could be for starting this war against the Church.
“Constance… come in,” Edelgard finally opened the door to her chambers. It was small but they were settling at the outskirts of the monastery, no matter the size or the quality of the place they had to compromise.
“Oh, so your majesty finally decided that she will see me? Honoured to be in your presence!” Constance frowned at the sight of Edelgard, even though a part of her was more than elated to finally see her after all that madness. Once the door closed, she stood where she was with her hands on her hips before she spoke, “Are you going to tell me what possessed you to go through with this or are you going to throw your hand axe at me again?”
“Constance you know I did not intend on fighting you—”
“Did you now? Because if you didn’t you should’ve consulted me, or for a matter of fact, the rest of your house! Instead, you decide to plan an elaborate invasion when you knew that your peers would be present and presumably, unarmed?!”
Silence. It was a deafening silence that transfixed the atmosphere between the two. No words to be spoken as the terseness was palpable. It wasn’t in Constance’s nature to ponder too long, nor was it within her nature to remain speechless for such a duration and yet, amidst what she could only assume to be heartbreak she had no words for the other for the first time.
Who was she? There was a coronation that happened behind the backs of all the nobles of Adrestia? Except, maybe it wasn’t. After all, her house no longer existed… of course she wouldn’t be privy to this information.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Constance asked once more. Her tone was more muted to contrast the brimming anger that she spoke with. Now, it was unadulterated sadness with a hint of confusion that lingered within her tongue.
“You would’ve stopped me,” Edelgard responded curtly.
“Because what you did was thoughtless!” Constance snapped, as if the ember that was burning within her rekindled.
“I’ve considered every possibility before I acted, Constance.”
“Yet you failed to consider how your companions would respond – did you sincerely believe that we would blindly follow you because you are our house leader?”
“I—”
“Cat got your tongue, your majesty?”
Edelgard sighed as she drew the curtains before turning towards Constance. Her feet moved decidedly towards her, stalking her as if she was a prey. Edelgard might’ve been an inch or two shorter but she surely carried herself in ways that was more than imposing. Still, Constance refused to waver before the emperor.
“I refuse to leave until you tell me the truth,” Constance furrowed her brows as she felt Edelgard coming close to her – and as if she was embracing for impact, the silver maiden stopped, leaving a respectful distance between the two.
“Then stay for as long as you like, Constance.” Edelgard hummed before she removed the ribbon from her hair to only redo it. “If you have nothing more to say, then I shall return to the pile of requests that I must approve.”
“Edelgard you declared war on the Church! You involved all of us – the least you owe me is an explanation!” Her voice trembled as she spoke, the droplets that were hanging by the brim of her eyes were returning and goodness did she never want to show her weakness around her at an crucial time. Constance swallowed harshly, she spoke in a hoarse voice, “…I feel as if I do not even know you. You call me a friend, an ally, and perhaps even a lover and yet, I feel as if we are strangers that only crossed paths on a bloody battlefield. I do not know of your past. I do not know what plagues your mind but I would hope… if you were to tell anyone you would tell me. I – I suppose I was presumptuous.”
“…Constance,” Edelgard shook her head and removed the lavender ribbon from her hair, freeing it from its constraints. “Very well, I suppose I will tell you the extent of my history as you shared the history of your house with me,” she sighed before sitting down on the mattress of her bed. Edelgard patted to the vacant spot beside her and smiled wryly at the blonde, “Would you like to sit next to me?”
Constance didn’t respond. Instead she took the spot within Edelgard’s proximity – and oh, how she was so quick to notice the weariness that was written so clearly upon her alabaster skin. The lack of sleep was visible; there were bags beneath her eyes, faint, but still noticeable if one was as observant as Constance. Still, she kept her distance. Perhaps, it was instinctive from the fear of earlier that day – but she looked into her eyes intently as if awaiting Edelgard to speak.
“You must promise not to tell a soul,” Edelgard uttered.
“…I will.”
“I—I appreciate it, Constance,” her voice suddenly grew soft and her eyes were looking anywhere but meeting Constance’s gaze.
Her gloved fingers clutch into a tight fist – and she almost trembled at whatever that was plaguing her. But Constance didn’t push. Instead, she offered space for her to grow into, for her to ready herself to enter into. Whatever it was, she could understand the magnitude of the difficulty – after all, when it came to the loss she experienced, when it came to the humiliation that came following the death of her family and people… Constance too, was tongue tied and resented whenever people pried.
“As you might be aware, I was the ninth princess to the former emperor. Yet, you might be wondering why is it that I am crowned emperor when I had eight older siblings before me?” Edelgard swallowed, her eyes meekly meeting Constance’s before she continued, “my siblings and I – we were imprisoned underground, beneath the palace. You once were suspicious that I have two crests and I must confess… you were correct.”
In that instance, Constance felt her body grow cold. Crests were never her specialty but she knew the human body could only bear one crest, and even the brunt of bearing a major crest in moments were too much to bear – that, she knew closely. But to think that Edelgard had not one, but two… she felt a tightening sensation within her chest. It repulsed her to think of anyone do anything this despicable – her lips trembled and she reined her desires in: her hands folded atop one another, in fear that she might bend and reach out to hold the other against her own volition.
“…your silence speaks volumes, Constance. I presume you have an inkling as to where this is headed,” Edelgard paused. “The objective was to endow our body with a major crest. I have always possessed the Crest of Seiros, inherited through the Hresvelg bloodline, but it was only a minor crest. Most of my siblings had no crest at all. In order to create a peerless emperor to rule all of Fodlan, they violated our bodies by cutting open our very flesh. Yet, here I stand as the fruit of their endeavour.”
Her voice hitched, and Constance could see the struggle of the composure that Edelgard had to maintain. It broke her heart to think of someone would have to withstand something as awful as enduring lacerations for the sake of creating the ideal human. When she saw the tear that threatened to escape the brim of Edelgard’s eye, she felt her own resolve waver.
Edelgard was a force of nature – as if she was a peerless fighter, an one man army some may call her but she too, had suffered more than Constance could’ve ever fathomed. So, she gave up on all attempts to remain cold, to remain distance – for once, Constance allowed herself to put aside her anger, her animosity for the sake of another. Gently, she enveloped Edelgard into her arms, pulling her in close against her.
And in that moment, Edelgard choked.
Tears stained Constance’s uniform, marring their existence on her fabric. It felt as if Edelgard had not shed tears in what felt like forever. It felt as if all those repressed emotions were coming undone before her as she wept. Her fingers weaved into her ashen locks, stroking them as she felt her tremble against her frame.
“My apologies Constance,” Edelgard pulled herself away, wiping her tears and recomposing herself. “I—I don’t know what’s come over me…”
“There’s no shame in tears, Edelgard. You are allowed your emotions… at least as long as you’re with me.”
“Thank you, Constance.” Edelgard managed a smile on her lips. “My siblings and I weren’t the only ones who were victims of this. Many innocent lives were lost in the process – some didn’t even know what they were dying for.”
“Did no one try to stop them?”
“My father – he tried but he was nothing more than a puppet in the face of the prime minister and his gaggle of nobles. It… it was fruitless,” Edelgard inhaled sharply. “If it weren’t for the importance we’ve placed on crests my siblings wouldn’t’ve died – and countless others wouldn’t’ve had to offer their life to a cause they knew nothing about. The Church is to blame for perpetuating a system that oppresses the crestless… and that is why I must declare war on the Church. If the Church continues to exist as it does, more will suffer and more will die in the face of it all.”
“Edelgard…” Constance took the emperor’s hand into her own, stroking the surface gently. There was not much she could say – she knew what it was like to be the sole survivor amongst an array of tragedies. Yet, it was clear as day that the effects amongst the two of them were drastically different. “Thank you for telling me… whilst I cannot offer words of consolation as I know the limitations of words but I will fight by your side until the very end. You and I… we’re a lot more similar than we are different, are we not?”
“Thank you, Constance. Once this war is over I will do what I can to help you restore your house. You have my word,” Edelgard smiled faintly as she squeezed the other woman’s hand gently.
“I believe in you, your majesty,” Constance hummed in a playful tone. Slowly, she pulled Edelgard’s gloved fingers and pressed her lips against the surface of it – and instantly, she noticed the faint flush that graced Edelgard’s cheeks.
A Cheshire like smile graced her lips before she trailed her lips upwards and against the fabric that covered her flesh. Perhaps a part of her enjoyed watching Edelgard struggle to maintain her composure; perhaps another part found the other woman positively irresistible. Regardless of what it was, the moment her lips touched the corners of Edelgard’s mouth she simply halted.
“Kiss me, Constance,” Edelgard urged softly but authoritatively.
But Constance was still intent on lingering and drawing out the anticipation. Impatient was the newly crowned emperor, as she pressed their lips together. Her fingers tangle in the blonde tresses and she fumbled almost clumsily as they tumbled, landing Edelgard’s back against the mattress beneath them. At this point her cheeks were on par with the shade of her cape, a deep shade of crimson. But, Constance’s loving gaze was enough for her austere persona to melt away – so Edelgard smiled once against as her fingers stroked lovingly through her locks.
The noblewoman brushed the pad of her thumb against Edelgard’s skin, feeling the traces of her flesh beneath her, feeling the gentle warmth that radiated from her. Edelgard appeared unmarred but she knew beneath the austerity, the uniform and the gloves was a girl who was too much like herself: broken, confused, and angry at the goddess for abandoning her. That was why Constance descended slowly, to lie down next to Edelgard and wrap her arms around her. She, who was so used to being held should return the favour. So she held Edelgard close, feeling the way how her heart beat against the palm of her hand, feeling the way how in spite of the frigidity that came with the Pegasus Moon, that Edelgard was still warm to the touch.
“I hope I am not distracting your majesty from her duties,” chuckled Constance.
“…Shh, Constance would you allow me to be lazy for a few moments?” The young emperor rolled her eyes in response.
“Ahaha, of course. I am at your beck-and-call after all. Say the word and I shall relinquish my hold on you.”
“…” Edelgard inhaled, leaning into the touch as if to decide when she would allow Constance to let go. Constance felt a slight smile against her collarbone, only to be followed up with a playful whisper of, “Not now,” from the emperor.
“If your majesty insists then I suppose I can stay a little longer!”