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“You know, I always wondered why I never heard about Saint Valentine when I was working at Garreg Mach.” Byleth mused. “If he’s a saint, then how come he wasn’t mentioned with the others, like Flayn and Seteth?”
“It’s probably because he was only a minor saint.” Edelgard explained as she filled her mug. “Though there is no official distinction, Saint Valentine lived a good three hundred years after the War of Heroes. Plus, he wasn’t a Nabatean, and so didn’t fall under the umbrella of the original five saints. Of course, nobody knew that until a good eight centuries after the fact. You can thank Rhea for that little bit of nepotism.” The former Emperor did nothing to hide her disdain for the Archbishop.
“You blame Grauntie Rhea for everything, mom.” Their daughter chimed.
“And for good reason.” Edelgard replied. “She is at fault for a great many things, including the obfuscation of a number of important historical figures, most of which she had the pleasure to meet personally.”
Byleth cracked a smile as she sipped at her tea, while Sitri rolled her eyes. The family was busy relaxing around the living room, Byleth and Edelgard seated beside one another while Sitri was busy upside down on another chair, reading a recently published (or rather, republished) encyclopedia on said historical figures.
The teen let her book fall close as she looked down (or was it up?) at her mothers with her piercing green eyes. “Don’t you ask Grauntie about these people, like, all the time? With how much you two talk, I kinda figured you guys were past the whole ‘petty rivalry’ thing.”
The Adrestian scoffed. “It’s hardly ‘petty.’ We waged war for five years, lest you forget. I may have been an angst-riddled tween when I began planning my revolution, but my issues with the church and Fodlan as a whole were very serious. Besides, our clashes over the better part of half a decade started to get rather personal after a point. I didn’t originally hate Rhea as a person, but engaging in fisticuffs with a person has a way of bringing out the worst in those involved.”
“Wait, you punched out Grauntie Rhea?!” Sitri twisted around right-side-up.
“You never told me that.” Byleth blinked at her wife. “When did this happen?”
Edelgard closed her eyes as she recollected. “Around… two years or so? After you disappeared. I was busy leading a goodwill mission to a neutral territory when, wouldn’t you know it, Rhea had the same idea. Evidently neither of our intelligence departments had any inclination that the other army would be there on the same day. Hubert still hasn’t quite forgiven himself for that particular blunder.”
The former Emperor waved her hand. “In any case, since it was neutral ground, we couldn’t exactly pit our forces against one another. That would have sent a bad message to the world at large. We tried simply avoiding one another, but ended up alone because of one coincidence or another. We both made some rather… scathing remarks, and then I slugged her.”
“So… you punched first?” Byleth’s lips curled up.
“‘Never give your enemy a chance to react.’” Edelgard recited. “Your lessons always had a way of sticking. From there, things escalated. I’m fairly certain we continued screaming our arguments at one another as we exchanged blows, but I barely remember what was said past the concussion she gave me naught but thirty seconds into our bout. That day I learned what a mean left hook the Archbishop has.” She rubbed her temple even as she smirked. “But my uppercut has better form.”
Sitri beamed at her mother. “Wow. And she didn’t just… y’know.” The girl made horns with her hands. “Drag-out the fight?”
Edelgard huffed at the pun. “Oh, she did. Somewhat, at least. I noticed her sprouting scales about half-way through, once she realized that I had her outmatched in pure, physical, human strength. Luckily I managed to sweep her leg and gave her a concussion to match my own. It disoriented her enough that she couldn’t shift entirely, though I still had to deal with claws for the rest of the fight.”
“And how long was ‘the rest of the fight?’” The ex-merc asked.
“Another ten minutes, I think. As I said, the head trauma made it difficult to gauge how long we were going at it, and between us both, neither party can accurately remember so much as the time of day. It ended after I broke my wrist on Rhea’s abs and she started to regurgitate her breakfast through her numerous broken ribs.” Edelgard said with more than a hint of pride. “Regardless, when it was all said and done, both of our retainers found us bloodied and bruised. Through my numerous lacerations and blackened eye, I managed to catch Catherine dragging Rhea away whilst Hubert did the same for me.”
“So it was a draw?” Sitri raised one eyebrow. “And since neither of you technically won the war…”
“Our grievances were never fully aired, and we’ve been left to verbally spar one another ever since.” Edelgard concluded. “Sometimes I think we just do it to stave off boredom, like we need the conflict in order to function.” She shook her head. “In any case, the whole incident was kept quiet, through no small part by Hubert. If word got out that the two most dignified women on the continent were knocking each others’ lights out in a decidedly undignified manner on neutral ground, there would have been chaos. I was bed-ridden for a week nursing my injuries, while I hear that Rhea didn’t make any public appearances for the better part of a month.”
“Guess that would do it.” Sitri crawled up onto her seat to sit down normally. “I suppose we should be thankful you guys don’t try and kill each other on sight.”
“Honestly, I’m more surprised you two could contain yourselves during the wedding.” Byleth looked at Edelgard, amused. “I saw the holes you were staring into her, but I never knew it was that bad.”
Edelgard shrugged. “At this point, there is no point. We might not be enemies anymore, but I doubt we’ll ever be friends. Even so, it would avail us little to fight properly, so we make do and play nice when we can.”
“I dunno…” Sitri drawled. “I kinda wanna see you two duke it out again. Who knows, maybe you’ll finally settle things this time?” She said with a toothy grin.
“And deal with another concussion?” Edelgard frowned. “No thank you.”
Byleth chuckled warmly. She looked out the window, noting the time. “I suppose we ought to get ready.”
“Yes, probably.” Edelgard also looked to the window before turning to their daughter. “Flayn should be by in a half-hour. I know you don’t need a babysitter anymore, but–”
“Mom, it’s fiiiine.” The girl crossed her legs in her seat. “I know you just don’t want me to get bored. Besides, I prefer Auntie Flayn over Uncle Hubie. He insists on lecturing me in political theory even though I’m not a princess anymore.” Sitri crossed her arms as well and pouted. “At least Auntie’s fun. We’ll go shopping or something, I dunno.”
Edelgard gave the girl a concerned frown, but relented after a tender touch from her wife. “Alright, alright.”
With that, the couple retreated to their room to get dressed for their date. Meanwhile, Sitri waited for the door to close before springing off of her chair. She crept over to the window, whereupon she found a rather conspicuous sparrow perched on the windowsill. The teen stole a glance at her mothers’ door once more before cracking open the window and whispering to the bird.
“The eagle is preparing for take-off, repeat, the eagle is preparing for take-off.” Sitri relayed. “Operation: Clear Skies is a go.”
The sparrow blinked and flew off a moment later, its message safe in hand. Sitri went back to her place in the living room and grabbed her book, flipping through until she found the page she’d left off on.
Saint Valentine was most well known for spreading the word of love by wedding those couples who would not be wed by others. Most notable for officiating the unions of same-sex marriages, he is also rumored to have gone to great lengths to ensure these couples’ happiness. His date of death has since come to be known as “Saint Valentine’s Day,” and is commemorated by acts of love for one’s significant other(s).
Sitri perused the passage a few more times before flipping to a new page. Above her, she felt the distinct presence of her once ‘imaginary friend’ hovering, before the individual in question rested her hands and chin atop the girl’s head.
“Finally, you’re getting to the good stuff.” Sothis mused, reading where Sitri had stopped.
“Oh, her?” The teen skimmed the page, reading the name Sappho. “I never knew you were into poetry.”
“Not until I met her.” Sothis sighed wistfully. “What sweet music we made together…”
“I thought she was a poet, not a composer.” Sitri said with a furrowed brow.
“Her verses were made for melodies, my dear, and I do ever so love my music.” Sothis giggled. “She did, too, after a time. I never fancied myself much of a teacher, but I certainly taught her how to sing.” The Goddess's lips curled deviously.
“Ahhhgg!” Sitri covered her ears. “I didn’t need to know that!”
“To be fair, you did ask!” Sothis cackled. “And besides, if all goes well tonight, then I’m probably not the only person whose ‘exploits’ you’ll have to think about.”
Sitri gagged. “Please don’t make me think about my parents doing it. They’re lucky I love ‘em so much, else I’d be doing something way more constructive this evening.”
Sothis floated beside the girl and tapped her nose. “But you do love them, and that’s precisely why you’re using that big heart of yours to make their night perfect.”
The girl sighed and slumped backward in her seat. “Yeah. And at least that’s sure to go well.”
“Naturally.” The Goddess agreed. “After all, you have the most devious and resourceful schemer in all of Fodlan backing you up.”
“Hubert?”
“Oh, him too, I suppose.”
The two shared a hearty bout of snickers at that remark.
…
…
The sun was hanging low in the sky, though not so low that the horizon was threatening to overtake it.
“Auntie Flayn!” Sitri squealed as she embraced the Nabatean.
“Sitri!” Flayn squealed back. “Oh, you’ve gotten taller again! One wonders where all that height comes from.” She had to stand on tiptoes as she tapped the top of the girl's head.
“Supposedly Grandpa Ionus had a brother who was, like, seven feet tall.” The teen smiled. “Here’s hoping that gene didn’t skip my generation.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” The two turned their heads to see Edelgard and Byleth stepping out of their room. “Though I also wouldn’t mind if you stopped any time soon. It’s rather jarring to hear that you’ve already outgrown the clothes I got you just a few months ago. Bernie was so distraught to hear that the sweater she made you was too small now.” The former Emperor said with lament.
“Speaking of clothing…” Flayn beamed at the duo. “You two look absolutely beautiful! I hope you have fun on your date!”
“That’s the idea.” Byleth trotted over and brushed back Sitri’s hair, planting a big kiss on the girl’s forehead. “Stay out of trouble, you hear?”
“I make no promises.” Sitri replied without hesitation.
“That’s my girl.” The ex-merc ruffled her daughter’s hair as they both smiled.
Edelgard, meanwhile, turned to Flayn. “Are you certain you won’t need any money? I hate when you have to dig into your own coin purse.”
The Nabatean shook her head. “Please, if anything, I should be the one paying you. I rarely get the chance to spoil my niece, so trust me when I say it shan’t be an issue.” Flayn assured her. “Nothing brings me greater joy than that. Now go! Enjoy your date, I have everything handled!”
The former Emperor chuckled as her friend pushed her out the door. “Alright, just don’t stay up too late, you hear?” She called out to her daughter.
“I gooooot it, mom.” Sitri groaned. “Go!”
Edelgard rolled her eyes. Byleth threw an arm around her shoulder, and a moment later they were out the door. There was a lingering silence, as though they were afraid the couple would burst back through the doorway in search of something forgotten. After about a minute or so, however, both Sitri and Flayn let loose sighs.
“I thought they’d never leave.” The teen wiped her brow. “Mom worries way too much.”
“Believe me, I know how you feel, even now.” Flayn grimaced emphatically. “It helps to remember that it means they care about you.” She reached out and patted the girl’s shoulder.
Sitri sighed. “Guess that’s one way to think of it.” Straightening her back, she clapped her hands together. “Alright, roll call!”
Flayn raised her hand “Here!”
Sothis materialized on the couch beside them “Here.”
“Here.” Surprising nobody, Hubert was already standing by the dinner table.
Flayn blinked at the man. “Should I be concerned that you seem to be able to enter the professor’s house without the use of the front door?”
The former Emperor’s former retainer scoffed. “Please. I can get into anyone’s house without the use of a ‘front’ door. Anything is a door if you’re creative, determined, or desperate enough.”
“Hm.”Sitri pursed her lips at the man. “Coulda sworn you were in the kitchen.”
The Lord Vestra chuckled in his signature sinister tone. “Then it seems you have been slacking in your lessons. Such poor performance will not bode well if we are to remain undetected this evening.”
“Pfft.” Sothis interjected, drawing all eyes to her. “I hardly think we’ll need to be equal to your level of shadow-hopping. On a night like this, I sincerely doubt that Byleth will be able to tear her eyes away from her dearest wife for more than five seconds. Hell, she’ll probably still be lost in Edelgard’s eyes when the waiter comes around for their order–no, you could literally be the waiter, no disguise, and they still wouldn’t notice.”
Hubert frowned, then shrugged. “You have a point. Even so, it never hurts to be cautious. Speaking of which,” He tapped the parchment on the table before him. “Shall we review the plan?”
The others gathered around (or floated, in Sothis’s case), looking down at a map of the town. Hubert gestured to Sitri, who took the floor.
“Right. Mama, or rather, Eagle 2,” She placed a blue-painted figurine on the map, just next to their house, “is leading Mom, or, Eagle 1,” she placed another figurine, this one stark white, next to the first, “on a path past the stationary store and the flower shop. They’ll stop to look around for roughly forty minutes, but Mom will likely be caught up checking out some of the paint colors for an extra five minutes. That gives us forty-five minutes to catch up and set up. Approximately fifteen minutes after that, they should be arriving at the restaurant.”
Sothis pointed at the restaurant. “Sitri and I will go on ahead to ensure the preparations are complete. Flayn, you’re in charge of checkpoint one, by the flower shop. Hubert will be at checkpoint two, just past the stationary store. Should there be any complications on our end, we’ll give you the signal to cause a delay.”
“Worst-case scenario,” Sitri said with a grim tone, “you have full authority to move ahead with Operation: Firecracker.”
Flayn gasped. “So soon?”
Hubert rubbed his chin. “The sun is already setting, so at the very least the display shall still serve its purpose.” He nodded. “Rest assured, barring any catastrophic accidents, which I have already accounted for,” He said with no small amount of smugness, “Operation: Firecracker will not be needed outside its intended timeframe.”
“In that case…” Sitri moved the figurines to the restaurant. “Dinner is set to take roughly an hour and fifteen minutes. After that, it’s back through the shops and off to the park, where we should be home free. Any questions?”
The teen looked to her fellow conspirators. Each of them gave her a firm thumbs-up, though some were more enthusiastic than others (Flayn, mostly). With a nod, Sitri gave one back.
“Alright. Black Eagle Provisionary Cupid Squad, move out!”
…
…
“Hmm?” Edelgard’s gaze wandered to a rather strangely placed bush across the road. Before she could question it, however, she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“El, look.” Byleth urged her wife. “They have water lilies here now. They even come with little pamphlets on how to grow ‘em.”
“Oh! Those would look wonderful in the pond, don’t you think?” The former Emperor quickly forgot about the strange bush as she imagined capturing these new flowers at sunset.
Meanwhile,at a table in front of the coffee shop beside the suspicious bush, Flayn dropped her newspaper to watch the couple for a moment. Her hair was bunched up under an unassuming sun hat, though she still looked a mite out of place with the sun itself nearly set. Her eyes tracked Edelgard and Byleth from behind a pair of fake, circular framed glasses before she hid her face again. Putting a hand up to her ear, she whispered through her magical communicator.
“All good on this end.” The Nabatean relayed. “They’re caught up on some new stock–water lilies, I think.”
“Oh! Those’ll look wonderful in the pond!” Sitri replied. Flayn giggled, leaving the teen on the other end confused momentarily until Hubert cut in.
“All’s well here, too. The crowds are relatively thin, no doubt a majority of couples have already sat down for their dinner plans.” He paused, presumably scanning his surroundings once more just to be sure. “How are things at the restaurant?”
“Talked with the chefs, everyone’s in tip-top condition and raring to go.” Sitri took a bite of cake she’d swiped from the kitchen. “They’ll be ready for Mama’s appetite. Sothis, are there any troublemakers?”
“Aside from a few love drunk teens and an actually drunk schoolteacher, everything is–” Sothis stopped abruptly. “Oh no.”
“What?” Sitri asked, her voice edging on panic. “What is it?”
Sothis took a moment to respond, and when she did, she deadpanned, “We have a code orange, repeat, code orange. Carrot Top is here.”
The sound of Hubert spitting out his coffee rang out through the other three’s ears.
“Uncle Hubie, why is Uncle Ferdie here?!?” Sitri exclaimed. She could very plainly see the man in question appraising the restaurant, a hint of intrigue in his optimistic gaze.
“How am I supposed to know?! It’s not as if I’m his keeper!” The Lord Vestra hissed. “Wait… we both said we’d be busy this Valentine’s day and agreed to make plans for White day– is this why he was ‘busy?’ Is he scoping out possibilities for our next date…?” Hubert mused, a smile audible in his voice. “I am rubbing off on him.”
Sitri gagged. “Save it for the bedroom, please. Also, please get over here and retrieve your man. He cannot be here when my moms arrive.” She peeked through the bush she was nestled behind. Ferdinand was busy looking over a menu, when suddenly his own shadow began to distort. The nobleman must have developed a sixth sense for detecting his husband, because mere moments before Hubert actually materialized, Ferdinand had spun about-face and watched the man appear from seemingly nowhere.
“Ferdinand, dear,” Hubert started in as diplomatic of a tone as he could muster, “what brings you so far out of your way this evening?”
Ferdinand, for his part, responded first with a smile (as well as a barely noticeable blush). “Hubie? Well, I– no, first I must also ask why you are here! Are you following me again? Was there some security leak that you, again, failed to mention because you didn’t want me to worry?”
“Ah, not exactly.” The taller of the two also blushed. “If you must know, I am on a mission of the utmost importance.”
“I see…” The Prime Minister quirked a brow, but didn’t pry further. “I myself have come here in search of the perfect venue for our date next month.” He swept his hand through his flowing locks dramatically. “Since we get so little time to ourselves, I want to ensure we make the most of it! Thus have I traveled here to–”
“Emergency–y!” Flayn’s voice rang out through the communication channel. “They’re on the move! The stationary shop closed early and they’re on their way right now!”
Sitri swore under her breath. “Hubert, get him out of there, now.”
Hubert winced and raised a hand, cutting off Ferdinand’s monologue. “Dearest, I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but we really must be going.”
“Huh?” His husband crossed his arms inquisitively.
“Lady Edelgard and Byleth are going to be here for their date soon and I should very much appreciate that neither of us are present to spoil their evening.” The Lord Vestra stated with the utmost firmness.
Ferdinand took a moment before realization flashed through his gaze. “Ah! So that’s the mission!”
“Yes, so I really must insist that–”
“Hubert!” Sothis yelped. “Get him outta here!”
“I’m trying!” He hissed back.
“Well, try HARDER!” The Goddess shot back. “Byleth just took a shortcut, they’ll be here in five minutes!”
Hubert groaned. “Alright, dear? The professor will be here any minute now, and there are still things I must do to ensure this night goes off without a hitch, so could you please just ensure you’re out of the way?”
Ferdinand blinked at his husband. “... can I stay?”
“What?”
“Well, I assume that you’ll be hovering about like a mother hen for the rest of the evening, so is it alright if I tag along?” The nobleman asked rather sheepishly. “I mean, we’re already here together, and we haven’t really seen much of one another all week…”
“Uh oh.” Sitri could visibly see Hubert’s willpower faltering.
“Stay strong, man. Don’t give in!” Sothis added.
“I’ll stay out of the way, I promise you that much!” The orange-haired noble explained.
“Uh…” Hubert failed to provide an answer, prompting Ferdinand to shoot back with his best impression of a wounded puppy.
“Not the eyes!” Sothis screamed.
“Don’t look at them! Say no!” Sitri was pulling at her hair.
“I–” Hubert stammered a second more before sighing, slumping over into a slouch at the same time. “Fine.”
Sitri and Sothis both groaned in unison. Flayn, for her part, didn’t so much mind the company, though she decided to stop mid-transit to pick up some extra snacks for their new companion.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand bounced back like a golden retriever and smiled at his husband. A minute later and they were together with Sitri at their hiding spot, awaiting the arrival of the girl’s mothers. Sothis appeared to chastise Hubert for his weak fortitude, but relented when she, too, was exposed to Ferdinand’s boundless enthusiasm. Flayn finally arrived just in time to join them, stepping out of sight as Byleth and Edelgard appeared.
The squad kept watch for dubious characters (as well as other former classmates, just in case). Naturally, Ferdinand had quite a bit of commentary to offer on the couple’s dining choices, but held his tongue whenever Sitri gave him ‘the look.’ Eventually the man took to discussing other venues with Hubert, coming up with a few wonderful choices that were all very much not in the same village where Edelgard lived. Sothis quickly became the middleman for the chefs, though thanks to all the careful planning, there was little need for any emergency supply runs.
All in all, dinner ended up going off without a hitch, in spite of Ferdinand’s unexpected appearance.
…
…
“That was wonderful.” Edelgard weaved her arms into the sleeves of her shawl as they departed from the restaurant. “You were right about their sorbet. It was delicious.”
“I thought you’d like it.” Byleth smiled as she helped her wife with her garment. “I spent weeks running around Fodlan, just to figure out this place was right next door. Next time, I’ll just ask Claude. He usually knows these things.”
“And risk a surprise appearance by the Almyran King himself?” The former Emperor mused with a half smile.
“At least we’d get to say ‘hi.’” Byleth paused. “For the five minutes he’d be present.”
“Before disappearing for another year or two.” Edelgard chuckled. “Then again, at least he’s not like Dima.”
“What, you don’t like seeing your brother every other week?” Byleth laughed as her partner rolled her eyes.
After throwing on her own coat, the two locked hands and made their way to the park at a leisurely pace, all the while taking in the serenity of the town at dusk. The couple passed by a handful of others enjoying their own romantic evenings, having no clear destination in mind once they finally made it to the park. They wandered hand-in-hand, occasionally stealing glances at one another and catching each other off-guard with a quick peck on the cheek.
The skies continued to darken until the sun had fully retired, and lamps began to flicker on in response. Byleth took notice of a few flower patches, recently released from their snowy prisons and not yet in bloom. She tried to remind herself to take El back again in a month or so, when the flora was a bit more lively.
Edelgard observed a few species of water fowl, huddled beneath the trees lining the other side of a pond. She committed the scene and location to memory, intent on returning with brush in hand. Somehow, they ended up near the fountain at the heart of the park, taking up residence on a nearby bench. The old wood creaked only slightly as they sat, and again when Byleth leaned in and pressed her shoulder against her wife’s.
They remained there in silence, broken only by the gentle splashing of the water feature and their own breathing. Another sound drew Byleth’s attention, though, and she sat up as she heard the rustling of leaves behind them. She sat up, intending to look behind them, when a shrill whistling drew her attention skyward.
“Oh!” Edelgard exclaimed as a volley of pyrotechnics went off.
The couple watched in awe as fireworks boomed through the night sky, forming shapes of hearts in varying colors. Others were less formed, yet no less beautiful. Byleth was about to comment, when the latest round of fireworks inexplicably formed in her own likeness.
“What in the…” There in the sky, Byleth and Edelgard watched their own sembalances drawn out in bright streaks, punctuated by a large heart surrounding them. The former Emperor scoffed while her professor’s mouth hung agape, both staring until the image dissipated. Looking to one another after it ended, they both smiled.
“Sitri.” They said in tandem. Now aware of the game, they decided to not let the moment go to waste.
In the thicket, Sitri and Sothis fist-bumped as Byleth wrapped her arms around Edelgard’s shoulders and drew in for a kiss. Behind them, Hubert had grabbed his husband by the collar snuck away with Ferdinand for their own private make-out session, and Flayn munched away at the popcorn as she watched both couples, her smile beaming almost as brightly as the fireworks just before.
“Happy Valentine’s day, El.” Byleth breathed out as she broke their kiss for a moment.
“Happy Valentine’s, my love.” Edelgard whispered back before claiming her wife’s lips again.