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When Prince Dimitri had retired this night, it was under heavy protesting. But his father’s gentle yet strict look caught him off guard and, relenting like he was taught to, he crawled under the blanket of his bed and tried to get a whim of sleep.
The excitement was still heavy on his mind, keeping him awake, and his eyes open. This occurred very rarely, since the prince was typically a heavy sleeper, being knocked out as soon as his head hit the pillow. But not this time.
He let out a sigh, kicking his legs underneath the blankets and buried his face deep in his pillow. His legs moved on their own accord, creating muffled sounds which were hollow in the space of his large room. It was too empty for a boy like him, too big, and sometimes, he wished it were smaller. Sometimes, this large space scared him.
The captain of the knight’s guard, someone his father only named recently due to his praised and evaluated skill, had joked that monsters were lurking in the corners, behind the desk, and under his bed when he wasn’t well-behaved
“You never know, your highness.”
He remembered how he gulped at that, sweat building on his temple and under his hair. His heart was furiously pounding while he stared at the scruff-looking man, who looked too shabby for a position like the captain of the knight guard. The corners of his lips were raised sheepishly.
He had earned a knock on his head from Dimtri’s best friend, making him laugh. Later, he had clung to his father, asking him if it was true that there were monsters under his bed.
His father tried to reason with him, to tell him that it was only a saying to get children to behave, but that didn’t work for Dimitri. Once the image was in his mind, it didn’t let go.
The image returned and clung heavily on his nerves. And it showed in his shoulders – whenever there was a small sound in the far corner, he winced. When the wind howled through the small holes beside his window, he couldn’t decide which direction to look. The fear was real, terrifying, and he was assured that he wouldn’t survive this night.
And so, Dimitri decided to take a leap and tried to get out of his bed. Maybe his father would still be in his room, sitting at his desk and allowing him to keep him company. It happened from time to time that the fear was too overwhelming in his heart, and only the king’s quiet humming (a token that he took from his late mother) or the scratching of the quill was able to ease his terrified mind.
The little prince decided to hurried over to the edge of his bed, let his feet dangle over the floor, and took a deep breath. As soon as he got up, he had to run to the door, to escape these monsters lurking in the dark. His father’s room wasn’t far away, and it would only take a small sprint to get there in time.
Dimitri closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and in this the moment he stretched out his leg to touch the plush carpet, something rattled at the doorknob.
His blood turned icy cold. His heartbeat was both slow as a snail and frantic like he had just played knights and bandits with Felix, Sylvain and Ingrid. He felt his breathing worsen and become labored, and he bit his lip.
His bottom lip quivered. He felt how tears were starting to form on his eyelids, and he winced when the doorknob rattled once again.
He fell back, hid under the blanket, and hugged his pillow close to his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping and wishing that it was just a dream.
Of course, it was a dream, nothing more. Before anything else, Dimitri would awake and realize that everything was just his imagination, not his terrified mind above all else.
The door creaked. The old door was probably able to wake up the person sleeping in the room next to him. At that moment, he wasn’t even sure that someone was sleeping next door.
He squeezed his eyes tighter. There were sparks behind his eyes, in the vast darkness of the night, and he was sure that he would wake up any given second now-
“Dimitri?”
A cry rang out of his throat, sharp and piercing, only to be muffled by a small hand on his mouth a mere second later. The pressure was built on his lips, trying to shut his mouth, and he winced when he heard a hushing noise. “Not so loud,” the voice whispered, “Dad won’t allow me to sleep here if he finds out.”
The voice became familiar, recognition flooding his ears when the little prince opened his eyes and looked into the dark eyes of the girl. Byleth Eisner, daughter of the captain of the knight guard, and only the shortest amount of time, his best friend in the entire – entire – world.
“Byleth?”
A silhouette was nodding in the darkness, the door was closed, and he couldn’t see anything. Only her vague contours were visible in the darkness, and he let out a sigh of relief, the tears returning once more. “Thank the goddess, it’s you!”
This time, he interrupted her by leaping forward, wrapping his arms around her neck, and pressing them close. Her warmth enveloped him like a soft embrace. Her response helped, her wrapping her arms around his torso.
“I-I was scared-!”
“Why?”
He bit his lip once more, but this time, the words tumbled out before he could react. “C-Captain Jeralt told me that there are monsters here when I don’t go to sleep. I heard something and I was afraid-!” He hiccuped and wiped his eyes quickly. Even though emotions were something easy to show for him, it wasn’t always appropriate. He was the prince of Faerghus, after all.
“There are monsters here?”
The sentence alone was enough to let him squeak and nod with fear in his eyes and tears.
“Where?”
Slowly, the boy motioned to his other side of the room, the desk he used for the tasks his teachers provided him.
Byleth, the girl who was three years older than him, jumped from his bed and tippled over the cold stone floor with her bare feet. He heard her light steps and squeaked, “Be careful!”
He heard her grunting, trying to watch how she closed the distance between herself and his desk. She lifted something from the wooden surface, he didn’t recognize what and bated his breath.
Silence. Seconds turned to a minute, and nothing happened. Minutes turned to five, and he let out a deep exhale, releasing the breath he didn’t know he was holding in.
“Byleth!” Another squeak.
Bare feet slowly tapped over the floor, and weight was slowly succumbing on the mattress. Dimitri heard her breathing. “They weren’t there. I bet they were too scared.”
“But what if they come again?” He grabbed her hands, the warmth seeping through his skin. “What if they come here to-?”
“Don’t worry, Dimitri.” This time, two arms were wrapped around his neck, and her warm breath hit his neck. “I’m here.” He saw her gleaming eyes in the night, and even though her orbs were also a dark tone, just the same as her hair, he could make out their silhouettes clearly in the darkness. “I will protect you.”
“But I want to protect you, too!” he replied and gulped. “I don’t want you to get hurt-!”
“We’ll protect each other. Okay?”
The world came to a gentle halt. The wind wasn’t howling anymore, but singing. The little sounds in the corners drew the boy's attention- not in fear, but curiosity. The monsters were gone for this night, and Dimtri was sure he would be able to sleep tight for the next few evenings.
He looked at Byleth, his best friend in the entire world, and nodded eagerly.
“Of course.”
“You’re not serious, Jeralt,” King Lambert was curious considering the eccentric personality of his knight captain, but this really took the cherry on top. “What is it that you were so convinced to show me?”
“No worries, your majesty. Trust me, you will want to see this.”
The king was curious to follow one of his best warriors, and it was even piqued when they reached the royal wing. Only a small number of people were allowed in here; only the best soldiers were patrolling the floors with heightened senses. The king was hesitant to see what Jeralt wished to show him.
They reached the bedroom door of his son, and Loog’s descendant raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
He simply gestured to the door, and King Lambert followed his idea and opened it. The light of the floor crept into the room, a small ray of light, but it was enough to see the thing that let his heart melt.
His son and Jeralt’s daughter lying next to each other, both curled into two balls and raking around each other. Dimitri’s blonde hair fell over the pillow while Byleth’s locks fell down her arms.
“Your majesty, I don’t want to say this too quickly, but let me tell you something.” Jeralt’s grin and gentle eyes took his attention, but let it snap back immediately to his son. “I bet one-hundred gold pieces that they are going to hit the bucket together.” A snort from the captain. “Guess we’ll be brothers by then.”
Lamber wasn’t sure that he heard something to correct in his life.