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Edelgard groaned when the light hit her eyes. She had no way to know for sure, but she could feel it was far earlier than usual.
She stared at Byleth, the look on her face in between irritation and curiosity. Her wife was still by the window, pulling the tent to the side, a huge grin on her face.
Curiosity won.
"What are you so excited about?" Her voice was still slurred.
The grin got larger. "You'll see!" She got back to the bed and gave her a quick kiss. "Now get up and get ready. Comfy cloth, good for walking and riding."
"Riding? Byleth, I'm the Emperor: I'm busy." She sighed. Byleth looked so enthusiastic. "Let me check my schedule. Whatever you have in mind, we'll find a day to do it."
Byleth handed her the planner, almost entirely covered in Hubert's neat handwriting, a proud look on her face. She pointed at the current day, a big blank spot with only Byleth's name written in capitals in the middle. Someone - probably Dorothea - had added a big heart around it.
Edelgard stared at her with the most confused look she had shown in months. "How...How could I not notice?" Then she got back to her usual controlled attitude. "What have you done? There are so many things I still need to fix. We won the war, but people are still suffering, there are cities to rebuild, alliances to secure, projects to discuss-"
"El?" Byleth's hand was on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "You won't rebuild an Empire in a day, and the world won't end if you stop and relax for a day. As for the planner..."
"As for the planner?" Edelgard asked, trying to sound annoyed.
A mischievous smile rose to Byleth's face. "Hubert and I may have made a copy with a busier schedule. I switched them yesterday evening."
Edelgard moved the blankets aside and sat, gazing at the world outside. A little, happy smile pursed her lips. "Just for a day..."
They had been riding for hours. Byleth had left the main roads for the woods halfway and Edelgard had no idea where they were anymore. She had studied all the maps before the war and now she was completely lost just a few miles away from her palace. How unnerving.
She could't even exactly tell the direction, since the trees were too dense to see the sky and, therefore, the sun.
"Will you tell me where we're going?"
"No."
"Not even a hint?"
"No."
"You woke me up at dawn, urged me to get ready and made me ride for hours without a break: I deserve a hint."
"Are you sulking?"
"I'm not."
She was. Byleth laughed. Her laugh was still always a surprise. After the war, Byleth had changed, slowly at first, then more and more every day. She had started smiling, and crying sometimes; she had got more playful, warmer, and things had started to amaze her, like a kid discovering the world again. It was still rare to hear her laugh like that though, so carefree. Edelgard couldn't help a smile.
"You got better at dealing with nobles, showing kindness and expressing your feelings, but you definitely got worse at sulking," Byleth teased.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sure you would have been able to keep that pouty look on your face for much longer before we married."
Edelgard was ready to fight back, but the trees suddenly thinned out, revealing something she did't expect to see. A small lake.
The shore was almost white and there were some white rocks surfacing here and there; its see-green waters were calm and silent. The idyllic scene took her breath away: so quiet, so peaceful, timeless.
Then, she suddenly remembered she was going to say something witty; such a shame she couldn't remember what anymore. She gave the lake another look, then turned to Byleth and noticed she had got off her horse and was taking something from her saddle bag.
She frowned. "Byleth, if you brought me here to fish, I swear to-" She stopped mid sentence when Byleth started unwrapping dishes and cutlery.
"I remember you like picnics. This won't be full of sweets, because we still have some riding to do and you would regret it, but I promise you'll like it."
El chuckled. Only Byleth could do something so romantic and make such a practical statement at the same time.
She got off her horse as well, made a knot to the reins, so that it wouldn't trip over them, and started helping Byleth set everything up.
It wasn't the crazy, romantic picnic she had dreamed of years before: it was unpretentious, simple, but full of care and love. She didn't feel like a princess: she felt like an adventurer, exploring the world with the one she loved. Her kid self would have screamed with joy. She almost did.
There wasn't more food than what could fit in a saddle bag, but almost all her favorites were there. She wondered if this was what Jeralt did for Byleth on her birthdays or after the hardest battles; maybe he looked for some good food and a peaceful place. Both things sure felt like treasures to a mercenary.
Byleth hadn't lied: they had some more riding to do, even if not much. They followed the riverside for around an hour and reached a clearing; in the middle was a small wood and stone cottage. It took Edelgard a few seconds to see what was weird: the structure reminded her of a hunting cabin, but it looked more refined. Someone had added a tiny porch, a fence, two rocking chairs, a small table. The windows had colorful shutters and flower pots, and those flowers were carnations.
She turned to face Byleth, but her wife spoke first.
"My father used to bring me here. This was a safe place to be if we needed to stay near the capital. It obviously wasn't this fancy at the time: I made some...adjustments.
I wanted a place for us, in case you needed a break from the life in the palace. I thought..." She averted her eyes, something unusual for her. Uncertainty and fear were new too.
"You thought?"
She took a deep breath. "I thought we could live here someday, when the Empire will be the place you dreamed of, when you'll be able to retire and just be El again."
El's eyes filled with tears.
"Are you crying?"
"I'm not."
Byleth laughed again. "Here's something else you didn't get better at."