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At the moment when Dimitri put the tiara of his late mother on Byleth’s head, Faerghus greeted its first commoner queen in eons.
Due to Faerghus’ focus on heritage and its system behind it, the nobles had much right to interfere in a prince’s or king’s choice of a partner. They represented their territories, and if they deemed it wrong for a ‘low-born’ woman to become the spiritual descendant of Loog’s wife, Helena, they spoke out loud. There was only a small number of kings and princes who were able to speak against it– the majority relented and broke off any kind of engagement, seeking these women in the quiet of the night to fulfill their hearts with pleasure and grief.
But times have changed – heritage, crests, and nobility became less important with each day, heavily helped by Sylvain’s attempts to eradicate the beliefs from the people’s minds. Byleth wasn’t the only non-noble to ascend into such a position in Fódlan. After the war, for example, the representative of the former Adrestian Empire, Ferdinand von Aegir, took Dorothea Arnault, as his wife. It was whispered among the troops that it was a promise forged before the final battle, and only two days after the war’s end, they made it official.
And so, Byleth Eisner became Byleth Blaiddyd, receiving the title of both archbishop and queen of Fódlan. Skeptical people were questioning whether it was too much power for a single person and if her grace, who was never taught how to deal with power properly, would be able to handle such a tremendous task.
Byleth Blaiddyd, née Eisner, would be known to bring many reforms in her years of reign. With her husband, they both did their best to restore Fódlan back to its former glory after the war.
But some skepticism was justified.
Let’s just say that Byleth wasn’t the typical queen a person could imagine.
“Your grace, please! You mustn’t!”
Byleth blinked owlishly at the young man in front of her. A slight hint of annoyance was hidden in the confusion dominating her features, and she tilted her head. “Why shouldn’t I help you?” She was gesturing to the ladder standing on the wall. “Before you risk falling down, I can just hold it. Why is there a problem?”
The servant just looked at her exasperated, and her eyebrow twitched.
The stable boy looked at her nervously, the stablemaster standing right next to him, and she felt once again this pang of annoyance shooting through her veins. “Is there any kind of problem?”
“Of course not, your majesty,” the older man replied, his eyes roaming across the horse’s equipment. Dimitri’s horse was also finished, standing right next to her own. “I just forgot for a second that you do not need help preparing your horse, that’s all.” He scoffed. “For a second, I forgot you were our queen.”
If Dimitri hadn’t entered the scene at that moment, she would have asked him about this statement.
“Dima?” The glowing sunset of Faerghus brought a crimson shade to the golden tone of her husband’s hair, and Byleth was in awe watching him from the corner of her eyes. “Can I ask you something?”
“Is something the matter, beloved?” Dimitri’s blue eye showed her so much concern that she started to shiver. She always underestimated the power of his looks, both the good and the bad. “What ails you?”
“Am I...weird?”
She watched how his face fell, shock, worry, and something like… anger?
“Of course not.” She could see how he tried to contort his irritation, but more importantly, his anger. “Who gave you this feeling?”
The fact that he wanted to protect her let her reach for his hand. Although it was slightly uncomfortable, reaching over a space of the ground to grab it, it brought a calming sensation to her heart. “No one. I was just wondering. It just feels like people expect me to behave differently. I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“Behave differently?” All of a sudden, he halted his horse, forcing her to stop as well, and climbed down. He took her hand and gently, tenderly, he helped her down to stand on her two feet. But as soon as she felt the ground, she was lifted once again by her husband’s arms. She quickly looped her arms around his neck, feeling his warmth seep into her own and she was sure that she would skip a beat if it could.
What a strange picture it should be – a king and queen, stopping in the middle of the road and just embracing each other without a care in the world.
“I can think of a reason why you think this.” He nuzzled the crook of her neck, pressing a soft kiss against her pulse, and she just wanted to melt in her boots. “I think some people are just surprised in the way you behave, beloved.”
“But why?” She rubbed her face against his collarbone. “Am I that strange?”
“Not at all. Don’t think that.” A kiss to the back of her neck, and she let out a breath. “I believe it is a different situation for the people at the castle. You were a mercenary, beloved, and are not used to the treatment of a queen.” He separated their face, giving her the sight of his expression. Looking at her in such tenderness, a boyish touch of love, and she just had the urge to kiss him senseless. “You do things on your own. You’ve learned to act on your own and not wait for others to do your work.”
“And a queen is not supposed to do that?” She blinked at him, having difficulties understanding this concept. Although it’s been a couple of moons already, it was so hard to comprehend. “Do you think I should change?” Before he opened his mouth, she quickly hushed him. “I don’t want to embarrass you.”
“Embarrass me?” Dimitri quickly shook his head. “Never, never think that again. You could never embarrass me, no matter what you do.” Their noses touched and she could see sparks in his lone blue eye. “It’s unusual to see a queen, but I didn’t marry you because I wanted the usual queen.” He kissed her on the lips – soft, slow, sensual. Oh, the thing she would let him do her right at that moment. “I married you because I wanted you as my queen. Independent from your behavior or your upbringing, there is only one I want by my side. And that is you, Byleth.”
The way he said her name brought a shiver down her spine. Her heart bloomed once more and she let out a breath. The tension passed and she was sure that this moment was perfect.
“You are enough. So perfect, I don’t think I could find any word that suits you. I love you, Byleth.”
She felt tears growing in her eyes. “Even though I am not a model queen?”
He laughed, carefree, and out of his heart. “I am a one-eyed king. We are two unusual sovereigns.” And the way his voice dropped let goosebumps from on her skin. “And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”