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Dimitri considered any morning that he could wake up with Byleth in his arms — or he in hers — to be a good morning. With this year’s class of students settled in at the Officer’s Academy, she’d been able to take a temporary leave from the monastery and carry out her archbishop duties from Fhirdiad, allowing for them to share the same bed again.
Today though, Dimitri found that the exception to his criteria for a good morning was when he woke up because Byleth was tearing herself away from his arms. As he sat up in bed — rubbing the sleep out of his eye — he caught her dashing towards their adjacent bathing chambers. Moments later, he heard what sounded like her retching.
That alone was enough to make Dimitri rush after Byleth; and when he was in the room, he saw her kneeling on the ground with her head hung down, her face inside a basin.
Dimitri didn’t hesitate to kneel down beside her. “What’s wrong, beloved?” he asked, rubbing soothing circles into her back.
For a moment, Byleth didn’t say anything, and Dimitri could only hear her heavy breathing.
Without lifting her head or looking at him, Byleth eventually croaked out, “Can you please have a physician come by?”
“Yes, of course.”
Out in the hallway, Dimitri hastened about the castle, searching high and low for the closest castle attendant.
Some days — where he just wanted a moment alone with Byleth in-between meetings and paperwork — there seemed to always be someone walking past every corner. Now though, when he needed a castle attendant the most, not a single one was in sight.
Fortunately, he ended up not having to search for too long to find one; and quickly asked them to fetch the castle physician before returning to his and Byleth’s chambers.
When Dimitri returned to Byleth’s side, he arrived just in time to hear her vomit some more. With one hand, he pulled her hair back so she wouldn’t dirty it, and she made a noise of appreciation in response.
“The physician will be by shortly,” Dimitri offered, hoping the information would help make the situation better, if only by a little bit. With his free hand, he continued his previous task of rubbing soothing circles into her back.
Byleth only had time to get out a quick “thank you” before she was throwing up again.
That seemed to be the end of Byleth’s nausea though, and Dimitri helped her get back to their bed so that she could lie back down — closing her eyes as she regained her breath. A light sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead, and he pushed back the loose strands that had gotten stuck there.
“Do you need anything more, Byleth?”
Byleth looked up at Dimitri with bleary eyes. Even though they’d gotten a proper night’s rest, she looked as if she’d gotten none at all. He wished he could take away whatever ailment was plaguing her.
“Water, please?”
“Of course, beloved,” Dimitri answered, getting up from their bed to pour Byleth a glass of water from the nearby jug.
She thanked him when he returned with a glass of water, and while she drank from it, the color seemed to return to her face. One would never have guessed that she’d been sick in the first place. Still, she closed her eyes again — presumably to try and get the rest of her energy back — and he kept her company while they waited for the physician to arrive.
When the physician arrived, they began to ask Byleth a number of questions.
Had she been feeling bloated? Urinating more? Had her senses felt heightened? Had she been feeling soreness in her breasts? Missed her monthly menstrual cycle?
Byleth answered all of the physician’s questions mechanically; and with each one she answered, Dimitri saw her expression morph into one that was reminiscent of the look she’d get during war councils when she’d just come up with a plan for their next battle.
As such, Byleth’s expression hardly changed once the physician announced that she was pregnant.
Dimitri, however, was astounded. “She’s pregnant?” he stammered out.
The physician smiled. “Congratulations, Your Grace, Your Majesty,” they said. “I will, of course, be around should anything arise, but I recommend you also get a midwife for the duration of Her Grace’s pregnancy, as they’re more experienced in that area than us physicians are.”
Dimitri was still surprised — Byleth was pregnant? She was carrying their child? — but he managed to return the physician’s smile. “Of course. Thank you for your help.”
Dimitri and Byleth watched the physician take their leave; and once they were gone from the room, the two of them sat in silence for a moment.
“Pregnant…” Dimitri eventually said, breaking the silence. “I can’t believe it.”
He felt Byleth’s fingers slot through his, and Dimitri turned his head to look at her.
“It’s just like we’d talked about,” Byleth said, smiling. She looked down at her stomach, placing a hand over where a bump would gradually develop over the next nine months. “To think, we’re really going to be parents.”
“I know,” Dimitri agreed, gently squeezing her hand in his. “It didn’t occur to me that you’d conceive so quickly, but I’m happy you have.”
Silence fell over the room afterwards, allowing for Dimitri to let the reality of the situation to sink in.
In nine months, there would be a new human being — who the two of them created — occupying the castle in Fhirdiad. Would they have Byleth’s eyes? Her hair? Would they want to take up a sword? Or a lance?
Like a jar filled to bursting, a surge of emotion swelled in Dimitri’s chest, and he swept Byleth into his arms. She let out a squeak of surprise, but he felt her wrap her arms around him, returning his embrace.
“Byleth,” Dimitri started, his voice wobbly, “I can’t believe we’re going to be parents. This is the happiest day of my life.”
She laughed, and Dimitri hugged Byleth even tighter. He was so in love with her and now he was going to have a child with her.
“Happier than the day we proposed to each other?” Byleth asked, a teasing quality to her voice. “Or the day we got married?”
Dimitri laughed. “It’s tied with both of those days, beloved, but honestly, every day with you is the happiest day of my life.”
Back when he was at the academy, a future with Byleth had been a farfetched dream. Dimitri never thought that he’d be married to her, let alone have a child with her.
For this to be his reality was more than Dimitri could have hoped and asked for.
For the entirety of the first trimester of Byleth’s pregnancy, she remained in Fhirdiad.
When Byleth had sent word to Seteth about her pregnancy, he agreed that it’d be best for her to stay where she was — there was no telling what could make her nauseous if she were to make a trip back to the monastery. Not that Dimitri had any complaints about the decision anyway, as that meant they would have more time to spend together.
The two of them took advantage of this in part by beginning to plan ahead for the arrival of their child.
Since the renovations to connect the next door bed chambers to theirs wouldn’t be started until Byleth was well enough to return to the monastery, they took this time to instead choose furnishings for the baby’s bed chambers. Cribs and rocking chairs more or less looked the same to him, but he just about had a field day picking out plush toys for the room. From horses and lions to swords and lances, he was amazed by how many options there were, and just couldn’t help himself. (“Dimitri, try not to spoil our child before they’re even born,” Byleth had said.)
The two of them also began shopping for baby clothes, which Dimitri found especially fun — enjoying all the different jokes that were often embroidered on t-shirts and onesies (he’d have to share them with Alois.) He even commissioned a tailor to make a Blue Lion themed onesie for their child.
With each day that passed, whenever Dimitri thought about all he wanted to do with their child once they arrived in this world, he found himself smiling randomly throughout the day.
A third seat at the table when he had tea time with Byleth... Teaching them about weapon maintenance... Taking them on long horse rides with Byleth until they were old enough to learn how to ride a horse on their own...
Based on his experience with the orphans and squires at the monastery, Dimitri could only imagine how much more lively the castle would be with a child occupying it. He couldn’t wait to see their child grow up and roam the castle halls — to see them go from a curious child to a capable adult.
Dimitri didn’t know he could even be this excited about anything.
Byleth’s morning sickness passed once she was in her second trimester of pregnancy. As such, it was then that she returned to the monastery.
Though Dimitri was loath to be apart from Byleth again, he knew that, as the archbishop of the Church of Seiros, she was needed back at Garreg Mach. He exchanged letters with her in the time that they were apart, but words on a page didn’t compare to actually having her there at his side and being able to hear her voice.
It was in the time Dimitri spent apart from Byleth that his excitement about their child started turning into anxiety. Without her there to alleviate his moments of insecurity, they lingered and festered — allowing the seeds of doubt to take root and spread.
Although his father had been a good parent to him, the family that Dimitri had thought he had, turned out to be not much of one at all — not when his stepmother conspired a massacre just to get rid of him and his father, who, in her eyes apparently, were cheap imitations of the real family she’d left behind in Enbarr.
Was his father’s example enough for Dimitri to be a good parent to his own child though? He didn’t want to do wrong by them, or by Byleth (who he knew would be an amazing parent).
Despite being nowhere near the magnitude of the thoughts that plagued his mind before the war ended, these thoughts still managed to keep Dimitri up at night. What if he fell short as a parent compared to Byleth? What if she realized that someone else was better suited to raise a child with her? Equally worst — what if their child resented having him as a parent? What if they hated him?
Dimitri’s only respite was when his schedule allowed him to get away from Fhirdiad for a bit and visit Byleth at the monastery.
Seeing her quieted the thoughts in Dimitri’s head -- a salve for his anxiety. Sharing a bed with her again, lying in her arms…he felt the stress leave his body, as if he were a coil wound too tight.
“What’s wrong, Dimitri?” Byleth asked, stroking his hair. Her touch was so soothing that Dimitri almost felt like he could really muster a purr.
Dimitri tensed ever so slightly. Had he been that obvious?
“Nothing’s wrong,” Dimitri eventually said, relaxing his body again. “After all, I’m here with you, beloved.”
That, at least, was technically true. Now that he was with her, his worries didn’t take precedence — he didn’t want them putting a damper on the limited time he had with her.
Byleth didn’t immediately say anything, gauging his face for a moment. “But something had been troubling you?” she guessed, perceptive as ever.
On one hand, Dimitri had no desire to worry her, not when her body was still undergoing the changes that came with pregnancy. On the other hand, he had no desire to hide anything from her either, especially not when she already knew something had been bothering him lately.
Still, Dimitri took a moment to weigh his options one last time, before deciding that honesty would always win out when it came to Byleth.
“As we get closer to your due date,” Dimitri started, unable to meet her eyes, “I worry about how good a parent I’ll be. I’m not great with children, and well, you know about my broken family.”
He felt her fingers on his chin, gently tilting his face upwards until Dimitri was meeting Byleth’s eyes again. There was such love and warmth in the aquamarine depths that his breath caught in his throat. Although he would always be steadfast in his love for her, he wasn’t sure he would ever be used to just how much she loved him in return.
“You were great with the orphans at the monastery though — both the ones we taught swordsmanship to and the ones that were taken in during the war,” Byleth said, her voice soft — as to not disturb the stillness of the night — yet firm. “I heard you would even give them head pats."
Dimitri’s face heated up at that. He hadn’t thought that anyone had seen him do so, much less that Byleth would ever hear about it. Before he could dwell on his embarrassment though, she continued speaking.
“I’m worried about how good a parent I’ll be too,” Byleth said, her lips curving downward in a frown. “Of course, I loved my father, but I’m not sure he set an example I’d be happy to follow… I wish he had told me more about his past and the Church of Seiros. And sometimes, I wonder if I would’ve followed in my father’s footsteps if becoming a mercenary wasn’t the only option. Maybe I would’ve wanted to become a dancer...Or a healer…”
She paused, looking off towards the side, as if envisioning a future that could’ve been. When she met his eye again, her lips curved upward in a smile this time.
“All of that is to say, you’re not alone in your worries. You and I are partners though, both in life, and in parenting, so we’ll confront this the same way we always do — together.”
To hear that Byleth shared similar worries made Dimitri feel like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Of course. How could he have forgotten? He wouldn’t be going through parenting alone — he had her.
Dimitri reached for Byleth’s free hand, bringing it up to his lips to press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “You’re right. Thank you, beloved,” he said. “And I think you’ll be an amazing parent, you know.”
Byleth’s smile widened at his words and she hugged him to her, her eyes closing in delight. “I could say the same to you, Dimitri.”
Dimitri returned her embrace, feeling his own lips stretch in a smile to mirror hers. As was the case during the war, with Byleth by his side, he knew he could face anything.
In the last month of Byleth’s pregnancy, she returned to Fhirdiad before travel was too much for her body to handle.
While Byleth was away from the monastery, Seteth refused to let Byleth shoulder any responsibilities of the church, and Dimitri could tell that having nothing to do made her restless. She’d often sit in on his meetings with advisors or in his office reading books about parenting, but most of the time, he found her in the castle’s greenhouse, tending to the plants in an effort to keep busy.
As such, Dimitri wasn’t surprised that Byleth was more relieved than panicked once her water broke.
One moment, they’d been walking side-by-side. The next, Byleth had stopped walking; and when Dimitri looked back at her, she was standing in place with a small puddle at her feet.
“My water broke,” Byleth said, smiling.
The sight of her smiling normally warmed him, but this time, it made Dimitri almost want to panic on her behalf — their child that they waited nine months for was finally here. Despite his nerves though, he managed to stay calm — guiding her to the castle’s infirmary and asking for the first attendant they passed by to call for the midwife.
“Don’t worry, beloved, you’ll be off your feet soon,” Dimitri said, trying to walk at a pace that Byleth didn’t have to strain to match. For someone whose movement would be described more as waddling than walking though, she kept good pace with him.
“Thank you, Dimitri, but I’m not worried,” Byleth assured him. She looked exhilarated — her expression akin to the look she got on her face when she set her eyes on all the food at a celebratory feast. “I look forward to our child’s arrival.”
When they reached the infirmary, the midwife was already there waiting for them — taking over once Byleth crossed the threshold of the room. Now that someone with expertise in childbirth was taking charge, Dimitri almost breathed a sigh of relief, happy enough to just be supporting Byleth at her side while she went through labor.
He had long known how strong Byleth was, but Dimitri felt like the strength she’d demonstrated on the battlefield was nowhere near comparable to the amount of strength with which she gripped onto his hand as she pushed out their child. If he weren’t in pain, he’d marvel at her duality — the way her hands could be fragile yet also possess this much power — but instead, he bore it to the best of his ability, knowing that she was in far worse pain than he was.
When Mikael Eisner-Blaiddyd finally entered the world, Dimitri was astounded by how small their son was.
He hadn’t expected otherwise, of course, but seeing their son in Byleth’s arms made Dimitri realize that he hadn’t known just how small babies were until this very moment. He couldn’t tear his eye away — there was so much to take in. His blond tufts of hair, his shining blue-gray eyes, his cute little nose, his chubby cheeks… Everything about their son was perfect.
With only his head and arms uncovered from the blanket he was swaddled in, Mikael blinked up at Byleth, who smiled back down at him. “Hi Mikael,” she cooed.
Mikael gurgled in response, as if to say hi back.
Dimitri felt tears prick at his eye as he watched the two of them together. Though the proof was before him, he still couldn’t believe that he and Byleth made this tiny person. To think that nine months had passed in what felt like the blink of an eye — and now here their son was. Would seeing Mikael grow up be the same? Would the years pass and Mikael become an adult right before their eyes? Dimitri hadn’t known Mikael for long, but already, he knew that he would be saddened when the day came for Mikael to leave the nest.
“Do you want to hold him now, Dimitri?” Byleth asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“I, ah,” Dimitri stuttered, taken aback. He hadn’t mentally prepared himself for this. “Are you sure, beloved? He’s so fragile…I don’t want to accidentally hurt him.”
Byleth smiled. “If you can hold my hands without ever once hurting me, I know you’ll be able to do the same with our son.”
Dimitri breathed in; and then breathed out, steeling himself. He could do this. All he needed to do was copy Byleth. Easy enough.
As soon as Dimitri reached out to accept their son from Byleth’s arms though, he noticed that his hands were trembling. At first, he thought the sight to be a trick of the eye, but no matter how long he looked, they wouldn’t stop -- seeming to tremble even harder as time went on. Moisture collected on his palms, and his heart pounded against his chest like it was trying to escape the confines of his body.
Logically, Dimitri knew he needed to calm down, forcing himself to focus on anything but his shaking hands...like his breathing. He took a deep breath in, held it, and then slowly released his breath before repeating the cycle all over again.
Byleth had made holding Mikael look so easy. So why was he having trouble copying her? This was no different than when he was a student and she was his professor, showing him different techniques with which he could wield his lance. All he had to do was follow her example and form a cradle with his arms.
If only he could just stop shaking. He couldn’t mess this up. He couldn’t--
“Dimitri, are you still with me?”
Byleth’s voice cut through the muddle of Dimitri’s mind, clearing a path for him before he got swallowed by the darkness. He blinked, his eye refocusing to see her holding Mikael out to him.
“Go on,” Byleth said, a smile still on her face. “Say hi to Daddy, Mikael.”
Mikael shifted his gaze from Byleth to Dimitri, and for a moment, he almost looked cross eyed. The sight made Dimitri laugh a bit, and it helped to ease his nerves.
Blinking up at Dimitri, Mikael reached out with one of his tiny hands, grasping onto Dimitri’s index finger. Despite being so small, Mikael’s grip was firm — as was his stare.
Byleth’s smile widened. “He recognizes his father.”
The unshed tears finally fell from Dimitri’s face. He didn’t think he would ever love anyone as much as he loved Byleth, but already, he loved Mikael just as much as he loved her. With each day that passed, he knew he’d only love them both more and more.
Carefully, Dimitri accepted their proffered son from Byleth’s arms, doing his best to mimic the way she’d positioned her arms when holding Mikael.
“Yes,” Dimitri agreed, his voice still wobbly even as he smiled. “Hi, Mikael, your mother and I are glad you’re finally here.”
Though Dimitri couldn’t guarantee that he’d be the best father to ever exist, he knew that he’d try his hardest to be — so filled with love for his newborn son.