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The end to a long day of visitations and conferences finds Byleth and Claude sitting on a bench in the terrace attached to their quarters. The breeze brings with it the smell of the ocean mixing with the fragrance of the flowers that Byleth cares for in their little sanctuary.
His wyvern had been getting antsy and he had instructed a member of his guard to allow her to stretch her wings. Now, his faithful mount had curled up on a patch of grass, soaking in the light from the setting sun, pearlescent scales glinting and sparkling as they caught the light.
A few more months would see them back in Almyra, but for now Derdriu was home. The distant sounds of a city bustling with life, of waves crashing against the docks and sea birds cawing as they dove into the ocean brought a certain sort of contentment that was a balm to the spark of anxiety in his chest.
Beside him sat Byleth; his queen, his wife and the love of his life.
"Khalid." Byleth whispered. He turns his face to his wife, emerald eyes widening in surprise as she repeats his name again. His real name. She says it a few more times with that lilting accent of hers, trying to wrap her tongue around the nuances of his Almyran name.
"Yes," he answers softly. "You heard Nader's slip, didn't you?"
Of course she did. His wife wasn't an idiot.
She turns to face him, bright green eyes studying him. "I did."
Things were finally starting to calm down - no more wars to fight and people to placate. In the scheme of all things, telling Byleth his real name had been at the very bottom of a long list of duties and tasks to complete. Making sure people were fed and had a roof over their heads took precedence. Rebuilding after years of war and uniting two nations was at the forefront of his mind.
She would understand. Right?
Still. His thoughts did nothing to quell the anxiety in his chest. He expected questions, maybe some anger, maybe some betrayal but he could never have anticipated the words that had come out of Byleth's mouth.
"Would you prefer to go by 'Claude' or 'Khalid'?" She asks, blinking those adorable doe eyes up at him.
"I - y-you arent going to ask me why I changed my name? Why I hid this from you?"
He had to ask. He had to know.
Byleth shifts her gaze from his face down to his hands to take one in hers. She gently strokes the lilac gems on the ring she had given him, lips pursed in thought.
Then she speaks.
"Claude or Khalid - you're still you," she says. "A different name will not change the fact that you're still the same man I married."
She turns her head, casts her gaze towards the setting sun. "The world can be cruel and I know you had your reasons," she continues. "I trust you. This world that we've created together, this trust we've built between us - a name isn't going to change that. You're Claude, but you're also Khalid."
Byleth shifts her gaze back to him, her lips curve in a gentle smile and Claude finds that he has no words to give her. His heart is hammering in his chest and he finds he can do nothing but stare at his wife. Slowly, he slips his hand out of hers and reaches up to cup her face in his hands and he just...melts.
He places his forehead to hers and breathes out a relieved sigh. "I love you," he whispers.
It's all he can say. It's all he can do, to articulate the myriad of emotions in him right now. No words seems to be enough to encompass the depth and breadth of the joy and love and contentment swirling around in him right now. So he says nothing. He chooses to close his eyes and revels in the feel of her forehead against his, of her cheeks in his hands and the soft graze of her long lashes against his.
"I love you," she whispers back.
It gives him some comfort to hear the slight tremble in her voice - she's feeling it too.
"I love you."