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Edelgard’s first impression on opening her eyes was to be surprised to find herself back in her room at Garreg Mach Monastery. She tried to sit up, only for her strength to fail her and for her head to barely rise off her pillow, before flopping back down onto it. She twisted around, confirming that she hadn’t been bound in any way, she was just that weak. Though from what, she didn’t quite remember.
“That must’ve really done a number on you… I’ll call for Mercie again in a bit,” someone assured her. Edelgard rolled her head over, watching a young woman bent over the table in the corner. She noticed some broken walls in the general field of view, assuring her she had not found herself attending the school again, though raising the question of why they had returned.
“What happened? I remember seeing Mother…” Edelgard asked.
“You got turned into a monster. We took care of that, though, and not a moment too soon coming back when we did,” the girl said, turning around to tend to her. Now that Edelgard had a good look at her face and head nestled inside a thick coat of fur trim, her drowsy head could happen across the identity of her nurse.
“LYSITHEA!” Edelgard exclaimed, beaming as brightly as she was able. Lysithea returned the smile, and sat down on the bed in order to pull Edelgard’s head up towards her chest. Edelgard used what limited strength she had to nuzzle into her neck furs.
“How did your mission go? I see you made gremory while you were out there,” Edelgard asked.
“We saw the javelin of light in the air, and realised Hubert could track that. I’ve been missing you so much that I decided we had to come out of hiding and reinforce you, and I managed to bend Claude’s ear to agree. And just as well we did,” Lysithea said.
“I missed you too, Lys,” Edelgard said. Lysithea tousled her hair, adjusting herself so that she could stay on the bed longer.
“So what are we doing here in Garreg Mach?” Edelgard asked.
“I was informed that something about this location blocks javelins of light, so it’s important that we lick our wounds here until we form a sufficiently strong force to take on Shambhala. The place is in ruins and our dramatic battle with you and Hubert didn’t help it, but it’s livable and we’ve got good hunters and gardeners to feed us in the meantime. Claude’s making plans for Shambhala while we’re doing this, but we absolutely have to rest,” Lysithea said. The truth of the matter washed over Edelgard. Dimitri and Rhea were stopped. The Agarthans were cornered. The greatest minds on the continent were gathered and safe while they figured out how to secure the win. Victory didn’t seem so far away anymore.
“I’ve got some muffins for you. We were going to have some teatime, but if you’re not even strong enough to hold yourself up under your own power, I’ll just have to feed you,” Lysithea said. Edelgard turned to the tray, and her eyes lit up on her favourites.
“That would be lovely,” Edelgard said. Lysithea cast a spell that dragged a muffin through the air and into her hand, and she immediately pulled a pinch off to offer Edelgard. Edelgard at least had the strength to bite down and chew on the treat, relishing in the taste as she watched Lysithea take her own muffin to bite down on in turn. Lysithea seemed content to continue in that pattern, feeding Edelgard one bite before taking a bite of her own. And Edelgard was awash with bliss staring at Lysithea work.
“Lysithea… I love you so much. I wish I could move my arms a little more, so I could give you a massive hug,” Edelgard said. Lysithea, finishing off the muffins, pulled Edelgard into a sitting position, slid across the bed so the wall could hold Edelgard upright, and moved her arms such that she was doing her best hug. Edelgard chuckled, her head sinking into Lysithea’s shoulder.
“I’m happy to see El’s at the forefront,” Lysithea said. Edelgard took in a breath, and suddenly memories from around the time of the mess resurfaced. She had encountered Dimitri, duelled him personally… and learned that he was the boy who cared for her so much too late.
“...Did I speak too soon?” Lysithea asked.
“No, I… I’m just thinking about Dimitri. I met him from before the Tragedy, you know? He was such a great kid back then…” Edelgard told her.
“You mentioned going to Faerghus before you got sent to the dungeons… I’m guessing Dimitri was the boy?” Lysithea asked. Edelgard was nonplussed. She was not entirely surprised that, at some point, her time in Faerghus would’ve come up, but for Lysithea to remember it enough to draw connections…
“Yeah… he was my step brother,” Edelgard said, barely holding back a tear.
“If he knew all along, he did a great job of showing it. I heard him screaming about tearing your head off,” Lysithea said.
“Yeah… it’s just… that dagger was my last link to the little girl I used to be… to think the boy who gave it to me would want to cause so much hurt…” Edelgard said.
“He’s spent all those years clinging to the words of his fallen family, but I imagine his actions don’t line up with what they had in mind. At the very least, he now has the opportunity to apologise,” Lysithea suggested. Edelgard smiled weakly, knowing she was trying her best.
“I hope my sisters aren’t too disappointed with me,” Edelgard muttered.
“Hey, Magdalene could not have been any more clear with what she was asking. She gave explicit directions that took multiple sentences to explain. Dimitri worked with a few words,” Lysithea snarked.
“Heh, yeah… can we cuddle a little longer?” Edelgard asked. Lysithea was all too happy to oblige.