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Tiana had to admit, when she sent her son off to Fodlan at the age of sixteen to fulfill her dying father’s demands, she had not expected Khalid to return to Almyra as a married man.
She had told him to be careful, to watch out for the scorn and suspicion of the nobles that they hid behind pretty smiles and kind words. “You must not let them know who you are,” she had told Khalid as he had been ready to hop onto an Alliance ship and sail into the unknown. “Trust no one. You are an outsider. They will look for any advantage over you that they can take. Do not let them find one, ‘aziz. Trust no one,” she said. Khalid had smiled at her, told her that they would be foolish to underestimate him, that he was strong. She had known that the words were meant to reassure her, but she had shaken her head fervently.
“Let them,” she told him. “Let them underestimate you. That is far better than them considering you a threat,” she said, and Khalid’s expression had turned more serious as he nodded. She drew him into her arms one last time.
“Be careful, ‘aziz,” she whispered into his ear. “Stay strong and remember what I’ve taught you. I cannot protect you where you are going. Keep your guard up and don’t fall for anyone’s charms. Stay safe, my son.”
He had gotten onto the ship after that. As he sailed out of sight, she had waved to him and he had waved back until they could see one another no longer. And that had been it – for seven years, that had been it. He did not write but Tiana had not expected him to. In fact, she had told him not to, too wary of letters being intercepted and her son’s mixed, royal blood being uncovered. Khalid understood – she knew that he did, he had learned long ago to be careful. So for seven years, the only direct news she got about her son had been the letter from her father letting her know that Claude had arrived safe in Derdriu and was settling in. There had been no word after that, anything she learned about her son had come through rumors that made their way across the mountains from Fodlan. For seven years, she held down the fort and kept her ear pressed to the ground for any word about Claude von Riegan at all. The first two years were mostly quiet – he began school at the Officer’s Academy that Tiana’s own older brother had once attended, but that was all she heard.
Figuring that no news was good news, she kept Almyra running in the same way she had since her late husband’s death, holding onto the reins of the throne until Khalid came home to claim them. It wouldn’t take much longer for her old man to kick the bucket, and from there, she and Khalid had a plan. Dissolve the Riegan estate once he was Head of it and come back home. The Fodlani nobles would probably throw a temper tantrum over it for a while but she knew that the void in power left by the Leader of the Alliance stepping down would soon have them turning to squabble at each other, not at her son. Khalid could slip away in the ensuing chaos and return home, and no one would ever be the wiser as to where the Heir of Riegan had gone.
If only things had been that simple.
When word of war in Fodlan reached her ears, Tiana broke her own rules. She had written a letter to Khalid, imploring him to return home, to not get caught up in this fist-fight between the nobles and the church, to run away from his duty as Heir of Riegan and return to Almyra, which needed him. He was eighteen, now; he could have taken the throne if he’d come home. And yet, the letter she’d gotten in response to her plea had left her both frightened for and proud of her son in equal measure.
I can’t, he had written. If I am going to fulfill my dream of a unified Fodlan and Almyra, I can’t run from this. Someone has to take a stand.
So Tiana had kept Almyra under control while, next door, Fodlan descended into all hell. She had done what she could, sending out her own scouts to try and get a handle on the situation, to get any news at all of how the war was progressing, but each snippet of news they brought her had only made her more and more worried. For five years she received reports of one Lord after another bending the knee to a tyrant Emperor, and within two years the Kingdom of Faerghus had fallen. The Alliance was on shaky ground, its new Leader was maintaining an outward appearance of stability and unity but from what she heard, Khalid was doing everything he could to stop an all-out civil war within his borders. For five years, Tiana had dreaded the news of an attack from the Empire, dreaded hearing that Derdriu had fallen, that her son had been captured or killed. For a while, things were at a standstill, and she hoped desperately that word of a peace treaty would come, that Khalid would be able to negotiate with the Empire some sort of deal to ensure his own safety. She had waited, and watched, and listened. For five years, she waited.
The news she got was not what she had expected.
A counter-attack? What was Khalid thinking? The Alliance didn’t have the resources or manpower to take on the Empire, even if they were distracted subduing the Kingdom! In the months that followed she awaited reports of her son’s death.
Such news never came.
Instead, Tiana began to hear whispers of a miracle. An enigmatic young woman blessed by the Goddess and supported by a scheming rogue. As the war continued on, she heard new names for her son. The Undying. The Master Tactician. The Schemer. The Savior of the Alliance. The Hero of Fodlan.
She could hardly believe it. She had told him to keep his head down, by the Goddess! And instead he had done the exact opposite. But, she couldn’t exactly say she was upset. Tiana had long known that Khalid was full of surprises. And even as well as a mother knew her son, he had surprised her, too. She wondered just how long that she had been underestimating him just like everyone else had.
But even with the war over, Fodlan unified, and his eventual letter promising her that he was returning home on the next ship, it seemed that Khalid was not done with surprising her. When Tiana had gone to meet his ship, she had smiled at the sight of Khalid, waving to her from the railing. But as she saw who stood at his side, her expression had slowly faded to a frown. And when they disembarked and she saw the matching rings they wore, her greeting to her son had been a sharp cuff to the back of his head.
“I told you not to trust anyone!” she told him, but Khalid had just smiled at her and joined hands with his husband.
“He’s not just anyone.”
And, Tiana had to admit, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd was not at all what she expected. She had known his father; a proud Crest-Bearer, a future king. He had attended school with Godfrey and her brother’s high praise of the Prince had led to Tiana’s father considering her marriage to him to solidify relations between the Kingdom and the Alliance. The talks progressed far enough along that Tiana had even met Lambert, once. He had been cordial and chivalrous, the perfect image of a knight of Faerghus and it had disgusted Tiana, the mask he wore, the game he played to try and win her hand. Acting like he was the honored one to meet her when in reality she knew that he felt like he already owned the entire world, herself included. How could she deny him, after all? He was a future king, and he had a Crest. Tiana would have been a fool to turn him away.
So call her a fool, then. She had rebuffed him, denying any offer he made flat-out and making such a poor impression upon the future king that all further talk of marriage was abandoned. Her father had been furious with her but Tiana hadn’t cared in the slightest. She was far from being concerned with the game of the nobles, playing at tea and marriage all in the name of some backwards Crest economy. Those had been the very things that had driven her to leave Fodlan in the first place, to choose to marry for love rather than for political gain. Lambert and everything he had stood for was repulsive to Tiana; and now, his son stood before her with the audacity to hold her Khalid’s hand.
The council called them a poor match, and Tiana was inclined to agree, even if she didn’t have the same reasons. The Elders lamented Khalid’s choice of spouse, unable to stomach the thought of the royal bloodline coming to an end since Khalid’s partner could not give him an heir. Their second protest seemed almost silly in light of the first, as they also talked with revulsion about Almyra’s noble blood becoming only further diluted through Fodlan’s interference, but they were foolish, racist old men and Tiana had known that for a long time. She, of course, considered her own worries far more valid: that her son had somehow been taken in by the pretty words of a man only interested in the game of Crests, looking to claim land and title for himself even though his own Kingdom had been dissolved, looking to use her son as a pawn on his own path to power and glory. She knew that Khalid was no fool but love was blinding and she feared that he could not see what was right in front of his own eyes. Therefore, she had kept a very close watch over the former Prince of Faerghus, indeed.
Yet, what she saw surprised her.
Dimitri seemed to be almost nothing like his father. Though he still held himself with the same air of respect and chivalry, he had none of the bravado that Lambert had boasted. Dimitri was fumbling, awkward, even shy as he attempted his best to integrate and ingratiate himself to the Almyran court. The Elders scorned him, mocking his accent and his ignorance of Almyra’s ways but Dimitri had been quietly persistent, never once getting discouraged by a hostile word or hateful glare. At first, Tiana had been suspicious of his perseverance, thinking that he was still doing it all just in a bid for power. However, a murmured conversation she overheard between Dimitri and her son wiped that thought from her mind.
“What do you mean, you just let them hit you?” she heard Khalid say in a horrified whisper one evening. “Dimitri, why didn’t you fight back?” he asked, and Tiana paused outside the closed door of her son’s bedroom. They were staying in the private villa with her, now. Tiana had insisted upon them sleeping separately but she knew that had lasted for all of one night before they’d started sneaking around behind her back. She wasn’t surprised to hear Dimitri’s voice coming from her son’s bedroom. But the words she heard did surprise her.
“I couldn’t fight back, Khalid. I know that anything I do here reflects on you… besides, I didn’t feel it.”
“Be that as it may, you’re all bruised up… and… and I can’t stand this, Dima. If you don’t fight back, they’ll just come after you again. What if someone brings a knife next time?”
“Did they come at you with knives, too?” Dimitri asked, and Tiana heard Khalid’s breath catch. There was a long minute of silence before her son started speaking again.
“This has to stop,” he murmured, voice serious. “This is exactly why I have to break the barrier between Fodlan and Almyra. This cruelty and hatred has to stop. Dimitri… you don’t deserve this. I don’t care how it reflects on me, if a mob comes after you, you fight them, do you understand me? I’ll take the backlash, I don’t care. Defend yourself. Please, defend yourself.”
“No,” Dimitri answered. “I won’t. We’re stopping this cycle of violence, Khalid. I’m not going to raise my hand to your countrymen when I can’t even feel their blows to begin with.”
“You idiot,” Khalid said. “Who’s going to protect me if something happens to you?”
“That’s different,” Dimitri said. “You know I’d die to protect you and your dream. If someone attacks you, I will stop at nothing to keep you safe. But if I surrender myself to rage again, then that only proves their misguided theories about Fodlani savages true,” he said. “I won’t fight them. In the name of your dream, I won’t fight.”
Khalid let out a shaky breath and Tiana heard the fabric of the bed sheets shifting. She imagined her son drawing himself close to his beloved’s side, hiding his face as he so often did when he couldn’t control the softness of his features. “You fool,” she heard him mumble. “I love you, Dimitri. Please don’t let that bleeding heart of yours get you killed,” he begged, and Dimitri let out a soft chuckle.
“It will take far more than fists and pitchforks to take me from your side, Khalid. Don’t be afraid. I’m right here.”
Tiana had stood silently outside the door for a long time after their voices faded, hands pressed tightly in front of her as she considered what she’d just heard and what, exactly, it meant. It seemed… her son had been correct, she realized. Dimitri was special, wasn’t he? Even though he came from a world of selfish nobles and backstabbing politics, Dimitri was a bleeding heart. He had followed Khalid here in the name of love and pledged to die for him should the need arise. He was Khalid’s protector – her son had just said so himself – and to ascertain this truth she found herself silently turning the knob of the bedroom door and peeking in on the pair.
They were tangled up in one another, Khalid pressed right up against Dimitri’s chest and sleeping soundly. Tiana had only ever seen Khalid so at ease when he was curled up with Sarbi and Jamshid, he had long feared sleeping alone because of how vulnerable it left him but he didn’t sleep with his wyverns anymore. The arms wrapped around him seemed to be all the comfort he needed. Dimitri’s hand was petting softly through his hair and as Tiana watched, that single blue eye lifted and met her gaze. She’d been caught.
Dimitri said nothing, though, only went a bit tense as his hand stilled in Khalid’s hair. Tiana realized, in that moment, that Dimitri felt like he was the one who had been found out, and Tiana felt a low chuckle leave her. She’d not made it a secret that she didn’t trust Dimitri. Insisting that he and Khalid sleep separately had only been the beginning of her long list of hoops for Dimitri to jump through to try and prove himself worthy of her son’s affection and trust, and here he was breaking rule number one. But as she watched, he firmed up his features, frowning at her in quiet, challenging defiance as he refused to get up and instead just drew Khalid closer. Khalid mumbled something incoherent in his sleep but he didn’t wake, and that told Tiana more than enough. Years of attacks and attempts on his life had made Khalid a light sleeper. Yet, with Dimitri close by, even someone shifting his entire body didn’t cause him to do much more than stir for a moment before he was back to resting peacefully. Khalid trusted Dimitri with his entire heart and soul and after what she’d just overheard, Tiana finally understood why.
So she said nothing, only gave Dimitri a small nod of approval. She watched as the prince’s entire expression changed as a result, his eyebrows lifting and jaw slackening with a look of wonder. She chuckled again as he blinked at her in surprise before color flooded his face and he dipped his head to her in a show of acknowledgement and gratitude. What a strange prince he was, bowing to her like that. But he was far from ordinary if he’d managed to win Khalid’s heart. She pulled the door closed behind her as she left the pair in peace for the night.
The Elders were still trouble, racist old bastards that they were. But the next time Tiana overheard one of them making disparaging remarks about her son’s beloved, Khalid wasn’t the only one that glared at them. Tiana’s venomous stare sliced through the room like a dagger and immediately the man who’d aimed to take Dimitri and Khalid down a peg was scrambling to make his apologies as Tiana smiled. She wasn’t called the Demon Queen for nothing, after all; she hadn’t held control of Almyra as a foreigner with something like a pretty face and even prettier words. The Elders all had good reason to fear and respect her, and now that she’d made her stance clear regarding Dimitri, they were quickly scrambling to amend their ways while she was watching. She could only laugh at Khalid’s shock and Dimitri’s confusion as the same man who’d just called Dimitri an inbred donkey quickly bowed his head to scrape for the forgiveness of his majesty. Dimitri awkwardly waved the man off as he accepted the apology but Khalid’s gaze lifted and went straight to her, a disbelieving smile on his face. He then gripped Dimitri’s arm and tugged at him until Dimitri turned his way and then Khalid had the audacity to kiss his husband in front of the court. Tiana thought some of the crotchety old men in the back were going to faint and a loud laugh was pulled from her chest as the council was quickly adjourned. They’d get used to the displays of affection eventually. They’d done so when Tiana had started sitting in on court, after all. They’d do it again.
“Thank you, maman,” Tiana heard Khalid say and she looked over to him again. She nodded as she stood, making her way over to where Khalid and Dimitri sat. She wagged her finger under her son’s nose, making it crinkle as he grinned, before she turned her attention to Dimitri.
“I trust you understand what this means,” she said to him. “If I give my son to you, you had better treasure that gift. I do not do so easily,” she said, and Dimitri nodded seriously.
“I swear to you, I will protect him with everything I have. I vow to cherish and defend all that he gives to me, and never let him come to harm,” he responded, and Tiana nodded.
“You’d better,” she said, glancing once more over to Khalid. He was looking up at Dimitri with such love and utter adoration, holding tightly to his arm now that he knew he could in Tiana’s presence. She smiled. “He’s not just anyone, you know.” Again, Dimitri nodded, and when he bowed to her, it was with deep respect. She clucked her tongue and motioned for him to rise with a shake of her head. “Don’t worry about that. If we are to be family, you needn’t bow,” she said, and Dimitri smiled at her as he straightened back up. She returned the expression, nodding once more.
“Now, then,” she spoke, crossing her arms and giving a wry grin. “Why don’t you boys join me for lunch? I think it’s about time I learned all about just how you managed to steal my son’s heart,” she said, and Tiana laughed to herself as she saw Dimitri shift nervously. Oh, she knew that she was intimidating. But if Dimitri could deal with the Almyrans, then certainly he could deal with her, too.
“We’ll finally talk about our Almyran wedding?” Khalid asked, hooking his free arm with his mother’s. Tiana nodded, knowing that Khalid had been afraid to bring it up without having her approval.
“We shall,” she said. “It is time that I started to learn about this future you have planned, my son,” she said, and Khalid’s eyes grew bright. He tugged them down the hall towards the dining room, linking them together and chattering away animatedly as Tiana and Dimitri exchanged a helpless sort of look over his head.
“He’s roped us in,” Tiana murmured, and Dimitri just chuckled.
“I don’t mind being caught,” he responded, which made Khalid cut the chatter for long enough to stand on his toes and kiss Dimitri’s cheek again. Tiana shook her head with a small laugh. Oh, to be young and in love.
“You were the one who promised to follow me to the ends of the earth, Dima, I hardly had to try to snag you in my net,” Khalid responded, and Dimitri hummed.
“You know that’s not true. I’m work, I know I am,” he responded, but Khalid just shook his head.
“You’re worth it,” he insisted, and Tiana couldn’t help her small, disbelieving snort. She had warned Khalid about trust, warned him about Fodlan, warned him about the nobles and their pretty words and black hearts. And what had Khalid done? Somehow, heeded all her warnings and managed to find love anyway. Dimitri was a man unlike any she’d ever seen, open hearted and faithful and just as passionate about Khalid’s dream as her son himself was. He’d managed to wheedle his way past Khalid’s distrustful walls and cunning mind to find the real person inside to accept with open arms. What she saw before her now, in their hopeful glances and loving smiles, was only the beginning. She knew that – they were a remarkable pair unlike any other, set on changing the world no matter the personal toll. So long as they were together, it seemed they could face anything. It was impossible, it was beautiful, and it was everything she could have ever wished for Khalid and more.
“Break his heart, and I’ll murder you,” Tiana said, snapping Dimitri from his thoughts.
“Maman!” Khalid scolded, aghast, but Dimitri just nodded solemnly.
“If I break his heart, then I deserve nothing less than a slow and painful death,” he responded, and Tiana laughed even as Khalid turned his shocked expression up to Dimitri next. Khalid had been right about Dimitri. He was already far more than Tiana had expected him to be, and as Khalid squawked up at his beloved about the value of his life and how devastated Khalid would be if he died, she couldn’t help but smile.
My, what a match they made.