Work Text:
“So, this is goodbye, isn’t it?” Edelgard addressed Shamir. There was caution in her voice; Shamir sensed it and mirrored.
“It is.”
Both stood at Edelgard’s throne, with her table adorned with political papers in neat piles and tiny stuffed animals stacked on top of each other.
“May I sit?” Shamir asked, gazing at everything; she hadn’t seen the throne room yet, so a quick study of the exits was always a good idea.
“Oh, yes, of course! I had no idea you had time!” Edelgard said, immediately rummaging through her tea collection and putting on a pot. “How rude of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. Catherine likes to sleep in - I’ve got some time.”
Edelgard eyed how Shamir eyed everything. It made sense - she was a mercenary; by default her job was to know exits and how many people were in a room.
The kettle whistled. “You like Chamomile, is that right?”
Shamir’s brows raised. “That’s right. Good guess.”
As Edelgard poured the water over the leaves, she shook her head. “Not a guess. An Emperor must know everything about her colleagues.”
“Even tea?”
“Even tea.”
Shamir took a sip after a long inhale. “It’s nostalgic. Thank you.”
“Of course. Now, tell me what your plans are? You and Catherine had quit the Knights and are on course to travel, is that right?”
Shamir’s eyes became wistful, distant. “That’s correct.”
Edelgard took a sip of the tea - not her favourite, but she’ll deal for one of the best Knights she had. “Why is that, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“I don’t… like staying in one place too long. I’m content you’re Emperor, and I can travel across a new Fódlan…:
“With a new wife.”
“Ahh... Correct...” Shamir tried not to get flustered at the idea, but couldn’t help it. “We’re still hammering out the details.”
“You two are perfectly welcome to have the ceremony here, if you wish. I understand you are also non-believing, and I would be honoured to take part.”
Shamir looked Edelgard in the eyes for the first time - she was sincere, maybe even excited. How strange. “Together, we could balance out Catherine’s devoutness,” Shamir joked.
Edelgard chuckled. “How is it being with someone that believes so much when… you don’t?”
It sounded like she was asking more for herself than anything, like a tip to stash away from later. Shamir shifted in her seat. “Byleth’s not…?”
“Oh...ho-ho, no. I’m still teaching them about the world, and they’re learning about Seiros from a different perspective.”
Shamir nodded. “Mmm. Yeah. Maybe one day she’ll want to see a different perspective. But to answer your question: we just don’t talk about it.”
“You mean… at all?” Edelgard asked, leaning in.
“What is there to talk about? We just respect each other’s boundaries about it, and move on.”
“Hmm.” Edelgard leaned back, deep in thought. “And you were in the Knights despite not believing.”
Shamir rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m parading around daily, damning the name of The Holy Goddess. It’s just a fact about me I don’t talk about… it’s just-”
“-Who you are,” Edelgard finished the thought. Shamir looked at her again and nodded. She had a feeling Edelgard meant a bit more than just piety.
“When did you know?” Shamir asked after a pause, following the line Edelgard tossed for her.
“I… forgive me if I stall - my past was painful. Not many know about it.”
“I see,” Shamir said, nodding to go on. Not prying. Giving her time.
“I think I was 12 or so. I didn’t know it at the time, but there was this woman who I would see and I crushed hard.”
Shamir smiled, even laughed a bit. “That’s sweet.” The idea of a tiny Edelgard, being taken aback by some gorgeous woman… it pleased her. Made her feel… closer to Edelgard.
“What about you? I understand if these things are too painfu--”
“Her name was Laverne. I had no interest in romance or anything until I met her.” Shamir repositioned in her seat, like she was about to share a big secret. Which she was.
Edelgard’s brows went up, “Oh,” she said. “That’s…”
“Different. Everyone’s story’s gonna be different. Hell, if you ask Cass, she’d probably say me.” Shamir didn’t mean much but the statement, but Edelgard caught onto something strange.
“Cass… and you?”
“ Oh yeah, she had it bad for me, but it took me a while for feelings to… blossom.” Shamir made a ‘blossom’ movement with her hands over her teacup. “Always felt I was different…” she muttered.
“Tell me about this Laverne person. What were they like? How did you come to meet her?”
Shamir, without a hint of a smile, took off her left glove as she spoke, “We went to the same boarding school. Took the same sports. Just… we were friends, then best friends, then it ‘blossomed’ -- she made the hand movement -- from there.” She said the whole thing fairly flat.
“It sounds like a lovely re--”
“The Empire attacked Brigid and Dagda and killed Laverne,” Shamir said, with ice in her voice and a smile on her face, staring right into Edelgard’s eyes.
“This,” she said, pointing to a gnarly-looking scar on her left thumb. “Is where an Empire soldier's poison-tipped spear punctured me in the battle to save our homeland -- the Empire torched the entire village. I was one of the only survivors, and left when I couldn’t save Laverne.”
Edelgard found her throat suddenly dry. The tea didn’t help.
There was no way to say it without a grimace. “I’m sorry, Shamir. Can we make it up to you somehow?”
“Bring them back.”
Edelgard was startled. “I… what?”
“If you can ‘do something’, bring everyone back that the Empire killed.”
Edelgard was really thrown by that statement, and the intensity behind it. “We can make lavish accommodations for--”
“I’m not here for your pity.”
They stared each other down. Shamir’s hatred of the Empire a clear inner conflict. “Anyway,” Shamir said, disengaging. “That’s my problem. Not yours.”
“Alright, I know when to stop putting my foot in my mouth. Where are you and Catherine going?”
Shamir noticeably relaxed. “As far away from Dagda as possible.” She chuckled. “But Cass has been buggin’ me to see my homeland, so maybe I’ll grin and bear it for her.”
“That’s quite a lot of traveling for the two of you,” Edelgard noted. She wanted to get Shamir back to a non-emotional state, or at least a positive one.
“We’ve handled worse together,” Shamir said, waving off the concern. “Plus, we’ve got our whole lifetimes to do it.” She put her glove back on, then finished the tea.
”And the wedding?”
Shamir leaned back on her chair, watching the setting moon. “We’ll see. We did want to have it here, as it symbolized something for both of us, but then… ‘Mir let’s do it in Dagda!’ and eesh. She doesn’t even speak the language.”
Edelgard laughed a bit. “She’d be in for a bit of an interesting wedding if she can’t communicate with the native folk there.”
Shamir shrugged. “That’s what I told her. Even in Dagdan. Who knows, you might see us back here sooner than any of us had planned.” Shamir chuckled, smirking at the thought.
“In that case, we’ll spare no expense to make the wedding grand and triumphant!”
“I hate large parties.”
“... Small and modest?”
“There we go.”
Both women smiled and stood up. Edelgard’s expression turned serious as she put her hand on Shamir’s shoulder; the other on her arm. Shamir leaned in.
“I wish you both luck on your travels. I do have intel that would benefit you; I know of some hostile territories you may come across, and I would not want you to face them without knowledge. Or at all, preferably.
A bit shocked, all Shamir could do was thank her. She shook her head in disbelief, at a loss for what to say. Edelgard smiled and squeezed her arm. She called an underling to fetch the intel and sighed.
“We’re… gonna miss you both, terribly. In battle, and your hilarious presences in the dining hall.”
Shamir nodded. After a pause, they both hugged, tighter and tighter, as if it were a competition. Soon, they couldn’t breathe.
“I’m sorry,” Shamir said, gravelly, while they were still embraced, “I just gotta go. It’s got nothing to do with you. Thank you for allowing me to fight by your side, and to leave on good terms.”
Edelgard got handed the papers and passed them off to Shamir, explaining certain regions and what she knew about them. Shamir took it all in.
“Know that you are both welcome back anytime. Your return would be a sight for sore eyes, I’m sure.”
Shamir smirked, then waved and took off running.
“What a strange one,” Edelgard pondered to herself. “I only hope she stays safe on her travels.”
Byleth arrived, just in time to see Shamir running away.
“What did I miss?”
Edelgard laid her head upon Byleth’s shoulder. Byleth snuggled closer.
“Shamir and Catherine are going out exploring for what’s probably their honeymoon.”
Byleth nodded. “Don’t they know they are welcome to have their ceremony here?”
“I told them,” Edelgard said, shaking her head. “But they insisted it was a ‘wait and see’ situation.”
“Ah,” Byleth said, wrapping her arms around her wife. “I hope they’ll be safe. They will certainly be missed with the Knights - their combined firepower is out of this world.”
“No,” Edelgard said, facing Byleth. “You are,” she said, and kissed her.
When they came to, Byleth, half-lidded, chuckled and said, “No, that kiss was out of this world.”
And all Edelgard could do was agree.
Shamir got into the room and closed the door as softly as she could. She snuck around to her side of the bed and snuggled back in. Thankfully, spooning with Catherine was magnetic and soon Shamir felt Catherine's body against hers, arms wrapped around her.
"Mm. Good morning, lovebug."
"G'mornin'. Are you sure you're coming with? Last chance to back out."
"On our Grand, Excellent Adventure? Absolutely! This is like our honeymoon! We're gonna kick butt!" Catherine was riled up; it wasn't too hard to get her that way. And that also usually meant...
Shamir felt lips on the back of her neck and strategizing was no longer an option.
After a few rousing rounds of 'I'm gonna make you come better than you,' the two laid, exhausted, breathing hard, but happy.
Shamir grabbed a pillow and hit Catherine in the face with it, leaving it there.
"You're such a weirdo for wanting to make sex into a competition..."
Catherine removed the pillow and held it to her chest. "I gotta hone my technique! Labias, clitorises... clitori?..., nipples, necks, whatever you got, I'll suck on it!"
Shamir hid her face from embarrassment. She wasn't too experienced, but god Catherine really was good. Amazing. Attentive in all the ways that made her the best partner, ever.
But, if she told Catherine that, her ego might explode. And no one needs an even more arrogant Catherine. So, she hid her face until Catherine calmed down a bit.
"Aww, feeling tired?"
"Actually, yes, you wore me out. But, we have a few things to go over," Shamir said, sitting upright, taking a second, and grabbing the papers Edelgard gave her. "This is some intel from our Emperor. Hostile territories are marked, along with known allied encampments."
Catherine sat up, studying the maps. "I wonder what's in the unmarked areas...?"
"Dagda, for one," Shamir said, with open disdain. "Not colonized enough to make it to the main map, just lovely."
"'Mir, I wanted to... ask you something," Catherine said, looking away from her. She waited for a reply, suddenly nervous.
"What's gotten into you? Ask."
"Can we have our honeymoon... in Dagda?"
Shamir's mouth hung open for a good while before she responded with "no."
"Thought I'd give it a shot.
"We have to get married, first," Shamir said with a smile, giving Catherine a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh. Yeah, we do, don't we?" Catherine started laughing, then starting kissing up Shamir's arm, who then started laughing as well.
"You ...know I'm...Ah! ticklish there! Staahp!" Shamir burst out between laughs.
They collapsed once more in a spooning position and sighed, together.
"I'm... glad you're coming, Cass," Shamir admitted, stroking each of her knuckles one by one. "Being alone was what I resigned to, but I never knew how this could feel."
"Like I said," Catherine threaded their fingers together, "I'll follow you anywhere."