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The sound of heels clacked throughout the monastery at the dead of night. Silently cursing to herself, the wearer removed the heels from her pair of long, creamy legs, and quickly got back to crossing the corridor so as to not make any more noise, lest she wake up the rest of the students in their dorms. Getting caught past curfew by the staff was one thing, but her fellow classmates would be more keen on knowing why she would be out so late and she doubted a simple flirty misdirect would convince most of them. Reaching the end of the row of doors, she knocked three times on the last door before it creaked open as she rushed inside, gently closing it behind her.
She barely had a moment to breath a sigh of relief before she felt her back pressed against the door and her lips captured in a searing kiss. Her eyes fluttered shut as she wrapped her arms around her ‘assailant’ and melted into the kiss, his body pressing against hers as she groaned into the kiss, tilting her head back and bumping into the door and causing her hat to lilt to the side of her head.
The fiery need for air in their lungs caused them to separate, panting for the air around them as they warmly gazed into each other’s eyes. A giggle escaped her lips as she drank in how desperate he looked at that moment.
“My, professor,” Dorothea’s voice melodiously flew throughout the room. “Did you get all worked up kissing dear little me?”
Byleth’s response was to go straight for her jugular, peppering it with kisses and causing Dorothea to moan out in a euphonic tune. Byleth clamped his teeth on her shoulder, surely leaving a mark, and slapped a hand over Dorothea’s voice to prevent her from alerting anyone nearby from the squeal she let out. He loved hearing her operatic voice scream for him, but they had to prevent their clandestine meetings from alerting the guards.
He raised his head from her neck, leveling his gaze at her. The same eyes that she used to believe saw right through her, accusing her, now had only a look of adoration, dare she say almost heretically, one of pure devotion to her. His eyes still made her feel vulnerable, though now she was not afraid of such emotions.
All of her feelings towards his gazes upon her had changed. Her own feelings for him crept up so slowly that she had no idea how to properly handle them. It was before the grand ball that the monastery had hosted that she had found the courage to face her own feelings and confess to her professor. Her note was meant to bring him to the Goddess Tower, where she would tell him everything she felt about him. She took his arrival at the tower to mean that he had read her letter and felt the same… until he told her it was just a coincidence. She steeled herself and buried the real reason she asked him to meet her. Still, her own curiosity seeped through and she had to know if she had even a chance with him. He told her he hadn’t found his “special someone”, meaning there was still hope. Hope that all came to fruition when less than a few days later Byleth had asked her to stay behind in his office to discuss an important matter. Said matter caused Dorothea’s breath to hitch in her throat as he pulled at the letter she had sent him; opened and clearly read. Before she could stutter any excuse he had pulled her into a searing kiss, one she warmly melted into, and the rest was history.
Now, as Byleth looked upon her during the eve of graduation, she felt relief. They would soon no longer need to hide their romantic outings or late night activities. She would no longer be her student and he would no longer be her professor. Though, there was still fun to be had with that title of his in other mischievous ways. Regardless, here tonight, they would celebrate one last time before their whole lives changed.
As Byleth led her to the bed, she knew they would soon start the rest of their lives together.
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Ashes and ruin. That was all that was left of Garreg Mach Monastery. It’s structure stood tall, still preserving some semblance of its former self, but all it stood for had been lost.
‘Another wilted rose that is naught but thorns now’ Dorothea mused to herself.
Her life, among hundreds of thousands, lost to the fires of war over the past five years. Here at the epicenter of it all, she was reminded of that fateful day. Edie-- no, Edelgard, Empress of Adrestia… the Flame Emperor, marching upon the building with an army. Knights rushing to fight, cavalry stampeding, wyverns soaring, students, her classmates, her friends, crossing blades and dying before her eyes.
She remembered being on the defensive. Holding the rear line to help the civilians and townsfolk around the monastery escape. Using whatever aid she could to heal her fellow defenders and refugees as they all tried to delay what they knew to be inevitable; the fall of the monastery. The battle was brutal and drawn out, lasting until the day was done. All the Knights of Seiros that remained regrouped and fled, her classmates spreading out to assist in helping the routing knights, while others like Mercedes and Caspar came to her aid in rushing out the last of the civilians.
Byleth never came.
The last she saw of him was on the battlefield. He leaped down with the Sword of the Creator, whipping against Adrestian knights before a collapsing building had forced her to abandon her position and rush along the townsfolk. She never saw him after that. She grabbed Caspar and asked what had happened. From what he saw, Byleth fought some beast-like monsters before what looked like a big ball of dark magic came and blasted Byleth off a cliff. He was making way to go help him when Mercedes and her group of injured bystanders were being surrounded on all sides and knew he had to lend his aid. Dorothea was frozen upon hearing Byleth’s fate. Caspar had to drag her from the battlefield as she sobbed into his shoulder.
By the time it was all over and they were away, she was a wreck. Her uniform was torn from top to bottom, she was covered in blood and dirt, her hat had flown off as Caspar had taken her away, and she was exhausted. She wept for days on end at the loss of her school, her friends, and her dear Byleth. She attempted to go back and look for him but Caspar, along with her other classmates-- former classmates, talked her out of it because the monastery was still swarming with Adrestian soldiers. So she waited. She bided her time and reminded herself of the promise they had all had made together. Five years would go by and they were to meet on the anniversary of Garreg Mach at the monastery.
In that time, Dorothea had occupied herself with continuing to help the people she had saved. She would help the homeless, help build shelters and safe havens, participate in small opera charity performances with Manuela to help fund the ever growing flood of refugees from the war. But she never stopped counting the days. Always hoping that she would find Byleth on the doorstep of Garreg Mach. It drove her further in her pursuits, helping and teaching others skills to survive just like Byleth had taught her.
Now, here she stood. Where it all began and ended. Caspar, her ever loyal friend, had also remembered their class promise and tagged alongside her for support. Alas, it was beginning to seem like it was just the two of them who had decided to honor their promise. Neither had seen any other student in the wreckage of their former school. A few thieves had come out attempting to loot what they could of the relics that remained behind, before they were swiftly beaten with an axe and fireballs from the duo.
Caspar caught the look of anguish on Dorothea’s face at her waning hope of finding the others.
“Maybe we should look deeper,” he suggested. “Some of the others could be facing a similar group of bandits.”
She didn’t know if he truly believed it or whether he was pushing on for her sake, but it didn’t matter. Whether or not they found the others, they would certainly find more bandits that needed to be dealt with.
She nodded her assent, “You’re right, Caspar. If nothing else, taking out these bandits will alleviate the raids the nearby villages are facing.”
With a newly formed resolve, both headed forward to deal with their foes. It wasn’t long before they heard the clashing of blades nearby. A fire of hope sparked within both of them; someone was fighting the bandits. With any luck, Caspar’s guess could be correct and their friends could be caught up in a fight. Rushing to see the commotion and aid those in need, they stumbled upon Petra and Seteth fighting another band of brigands.
Dorothea eagerly made way to assist them when she caught sight of who else was by their side. Light green hair, a bishop like outfit, wielding a sword that broke apart into a whip. She caught him turning his head in their direction to see the new arrivals to the melee.
Emerald orbs stayed into mint colored ones. The rest of the battle faded away in their minds as they focused solely on the other. It was him. Byleth was alive.
And he was about to be blindsided by a thief’s sword for staring at her. Dorothea raised her hands above her head and casted one of the largest meteor spells she could muster at the man who dared attack Byleth. The poor fool only had a moment to realize what was happening before he was naught but another pile of ash amongst the ruins. Byleth turned and saw the remains and realized that they still had a battle to fight. He cast a look at Dorothea, both knew they would have time to talk later.
“We have more allies incoming, Professor!” Seteth shouted from his position on his wyvern above. It was true, the rest of the class came trickling in bit by bit as the battle went on. Soon, they outnumbered their opponents and began to encircle them on all sides. It wasn’t much longer before their leader had fallen and the last of them had surrendered. A cheer was shouted, by Raphael, as he hoisted the professor onto his shoulders and paraded him around as his former students gathered around him. Each had an onslaught of questions for him, namely where had he been for the past five years. Byleth was overwhelmed and realized that it was to be a long night of catching up with them. He scanned the crowd and found Dorothea in the rear, clutching her hands to her chest and looking at him wondrously with tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Yes, it was going to be a long night of catching up.
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He found her on a bench in one of the gardens, sitting patiently. Byleth had made his way looking for her after the revelry had died down and all students had returned to their new quarters. Well, he supposed their old quarters, given they all reclaimed their rooms from their time at the monastery.
Dorothea looked stunning. Her alabaster skin radiated under the starlight, and he was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. Her attire certainly had changed over the years as well. Gone was her student outfit, now replaced with one befitting a diva or a mage. The red dress hugged her figure quite well, he found himself admitting to himself before quickly snapping his gaze to her own. Her eyes shined like freshly mined emeralds fit for a queen’s necklace.
“It’s nice to see you again, professor.” Her voice still had it’s musical lilt, but he could hear the forlorn toll the years had done to her. He moved to sit alongside her, offering her his hand. She hesitated for a moment, looking at it like merely touching it would break it and he would disappear, before gently taking it in her own. She leaned upon his shoulder and squeezed his hand.
“It’s really you, isn’t it”, she murmured into his shoulder. “You’re here with me.”
He placed his lips on her forehead before whispering back, “I’m here.”
At the confirmation of his voice, the dam broke. Overjoyed, she wrapped her arms around him and began to weep into his shoulder.
“I knew you were alive,” she sniffled into his chest. “All these years I never gave up hope. I missed you dearly, profess-- Byleth.” Byleth held her close as she let loose five years of pent up sorrow.
“I’m sorry for leaving you, Dorothea.” Byleth kissed her the top of her head, attempting to soothe her anxiety and calm her down. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, that was the last thing I wanted to do.”
She rose from his chest and looked back at him. Her eyes were red and tears gently rolled down her face. Despite her worries, her grin shone at him. It reassured him that everything would be alright, causing himself to smile in return.
After a few moments, she composed herself. “Where were you? For five years you were missing. What happened? Why didn’t you look for us? For me?” Her questions came out fast and loose, wanting desperately to know what had become of her dear professor.
Byleth’s face slipped back into his stoic look, one Dorothea knew well enough that meant his answer was to be terse. “I… was asleep,” he uttered the words as if he himself was unsure of its veracity.
If anyone else had said it, Dorothea would have called out their lie and pressed them for the truth. Yet, she knew what kind of man her dear Byleth was, and his answer, which bordered on the surreal, had to be the truth. She would accept this answer, knowing Byleth most likely would not know the whole story either.
A giggle slipped past her lips on considering his words. Byleth smirked his own excuse. It was ridiculous, but it honestly didn’t matter for now; they were reunited and nothing else was important.
As the giggling subsided, Dorothea sighed and held onto his hand tight.
“Well then, you have a lot to catch up on in the past five years. And you are going to make up for a lot of lost time with me, my love.” Her voice had some ebb of her old self in it, teasingly gentle and sweet as honey.
“I suppose I will. I believe I can start by praising how beautiful you look in your new attire. Red has always been your color, hasn’t it?”
Ah, there was the charm she had fallen for all those years ago. How she had missed it.
“Though, I can’t help but notice something is missing.”
“Oh? Has your slumber given you new fashion ideas?” Her slight ribald brought a chuckle from herself. She was curious on what Byleth thought could be added to her outfit. While she considered this thought, Byleth began rummaging around in his coat.
“I found this earlier today off one of the bandits. I believe this belongs to you,” he pulled forth an object that brought a look of sheer surprise to Dorothea’s face.
It was her hat.
She snatched it from his hand and clutched it tightly to her chest. Her beloved hat. She thought she had lost it during that fateful day. Another set of tears began to roll down her face as she rejoiced in receiving one her favorite accessories.
“You are the most thoughtful man I have ever met. I have been offered gems, diamonds, and jewels by all manner of suitors but none have given me a gift as wonderful as this.” Dorothea leaned forward and pecked his cheek before placing her hat atop her head.
“Well, how do I look?” She placed her chin in her palm and shot him a playful wink.
“You look like the love of my life.”
Dorothea’s heart skipped a beat at his praise. He still knew how to make her feel like she was the most special girl in all of Fodlan.
“I mean it, Thea.” His tone took on a more serious note. He shuffled in his coat again for something. Now Dorothea truly had no idea what he could possibly be reaching for. He pulled out a small bag tied with a piece of string. A quick pull opened the bag and he emptied the content into his hand.
“That-- that’s a ring.” Surprised did not begin to describe how Dorothea felt at that moment.”
“Byleth, are you…”
“Dorothea, I’ve loved you for a long time and was planning on doing this after your graduation. However, given all that has happened in the past five years and the uncertainty of what may happen to us in the future, now seems like the best time to do this.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before meeting her gaze.
“Will you marry me?”
A dream. That’s what this had to be. Whether it was his or hers, Dorothea couldn’t say. This kind of happy ending couldn’t be happening to her. Yet, try as she might, she wouldn’t dare burst this fantasy.
“Ok. I mean, yes! Yes, I will marry you!”
Byleth took her hand in his and slipped the ring on her finger. Dorothea raised it to her face and gazed at it as it shined in the moonlight. A cry of glee came from her lips as she once again wrapped her arms around Byleth. She would look back on this moment and remark that for such a joyous reunion, she spent a good deal of it crying into his shoulder.
“Oh, my darling Byleth! A life with you is a dream true!” Dorothea was ecstatic at how everything had transpired. Only hours ago had she found Byleth alive and well after all these years of sorrow, and now she was formally engaged to him. Everything had happened so fast, but Byleth was right; the future was uncertain and they should make the most of what they have now.
Byleth brought her attention back to him by cupping her chin in his hand, tilting her head to meet his gaze. He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her lips before pulling away.
“I love you, Dorothea,” he softly whispered.
“I love you too, Byleth.”