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Byleth straightened and winced as her back protested. The days following Behrouz’s dismissal from the palace were relatively quiet. The investigations continued, but the twins covered their tracks well. No, Byleth believed there was no hope for evidence. It was far easier to prove who did it rather than attempt to prove Behrouz didn’t. They’d have to force the twins to confess. She couldn’t, didn’t, expect the other princes to rush to Behrouz’s defense, but she had been surprised no one from Morfis or any of the other countries in which the prince studied attempted to. They were probably doing so on the off chance he did actually poison the feast, but even still… The whole ordeal left a foul taste in her mouth. Enough that she locked herself in her room for a couple days to work on a project.
It took a while to find an artisan to accept the commission. Tiana was delighted to assist. She offered the royal jeweler, but was declined. Byleth wanted to support someone smaller and, honestly, preferred to work with a person outside of the palace for a bit. Tiana reassured her she understood and, after a couple inquiries made on her behalf, Byleth met and befriended an apprentice who’d been happy to accept the job.
The pendant was a simple one compared to the normal jewels worn by Almyrans. For a warrior culture, they liked their bling. Not just what they looted, but crafting them as well. Although there was less sparkle and diamonds than Fódlan accessories; more variety in gems and styles. She discovered while listening to the apprentice as she worked that, in Almyra, anything really could be worn as a trinket and be considered a treasure beyond measure. Nuts, beads, seashells and other knickknacks. What mattered was the thought put behind it. Not, the girl had quickly added, that one would expect to find such silly things in the palace.
Originally, Byleth wanted to forgo the diamonds. They seemed a bit much in her opinion for what the necklace’s purpose was. But the apprentice reminded her that this would be worn by a prince- it would need to be impressive or he’d be made fun of. Byleth partially suspected the girl just wanted more materials to work and show off so she relented with minimal protest. Despite her youth, Roya worked efficiently. Once she had the proper materials, the pendant took only two days to finish.
Byleth decided on a pearl. In part because of its many meanings, some of which made her feel warm and a little nervous because surely Khalid would understand them. He was a noble, after all. But also because pearls had an affinity for magic. For the past three days, she’d been weaving spell after spell into the delicate jewel. For each one she added, she strengthened the pearl. Fragile no longer, only a mage as powerful as she would be able to shatter it and the spells attached. And even then the process would be time consuming.
Sothis had been surprisingly helpful in the ordeal; providing a myriad of spells Byleth hadn’t heard of before. Ones to protect him from poison, mind invading magics, and provide a warning if danger was nearby. It was spelled for him to be able to contact her if he ever needed to. Despite her own embarrassment, Sothis guided Byleth in casting a lineage spell so that the pearl would only work for Khalid and his descendants. Although what would happen to the telepathic spell when Byleth was gone, she wasn’t entirely sure. Likely nothing.
Once completed, she held it up to the light to give it one last inspection. Sothis harrumphed in her mind.
“Well, it looks alright. For an amateur’s handiwork.” Byleth smiled slightly. From the goddess, it was praise indeed. “If he does not appreciate it the way he ought to, I suggest you dump him immediately.” Byleth snorted. She couldn’t very well ‘dump’ him. Although the thought brought to mind Yasmin’s earlier words about love. Byleth was unsure of what she felt for the prince. All she knew was she felt some thing. Multiple things, really. Worry and fear. Relief. Happiness and a little wonder. Curiosity and so many other emotions she’d only felt a flicker of during her time teaching at the monastery. From previous experience chatting with Tiana, Byleth suspected she’d need to talk to Khalid about it all in order to be less confused. Perhaps her gift would make a good introduction to those talks. But first, she had a task to do.
Count Erwin Gloucester had been the head of the envoy sent to Almyra. The choice surprised Byleth. She’d been expecting someone from Goneril or even Edmund. Considering Gloucester territory was so far from the border, she wondered who was watching the Great Bridge of Myrddin. The only time she’d spoken to Erwin during his stay in Almyra, he said Lorenz was watching it. The lord wanted to see how his son handled the territory without him. The man also expressed his extreme disapproval of their deception.
Before the envoy departed, Hilda had come forward with Holst to the roundtable during their selection of who would be part of it. The pair explained the switch and that it was Hilda who’d reached out to Byleth for help. Since Byleth had already been in Almyra for nearly a month by the time the council found out, it was too late to change things. Instead, Duke Oswald endeavored to make as much of their story true as possible.
To that end, he granted Jeralt Eisner a barony title and Duke Goneril provided a plot of land near their territory for the former mercenary to call his own. That, at least, took care of Byleth’s commonborn status. The fact that she arrived as Byleth ‘Goneril’ could be spun as a reflection of that newly acquired title and land. Whether the Almyrans took offense to the fact that Byleth was not a member of a ‘prominent noble house’ by blood was still questionable. But that was, as Erwin put it, a grave the children dug themselves and would have to get out of in the same way.
Because the alliance was a confederacy, the man argued that all houses should have a say in what was put into the ceasefire. Since he offered to head the envoy himself, there was little the other nobles could say to, arguably, the second most influential member of the roundtable. Although Byleth knew better. Because if the Almyrans didn’t help pay for relief costs in Goneril territory, the house would ask for assistance from other members of the alliance. And those other members would have very little grounds to refuse on.
Byleth found Count Gloucester leaving his quarters after lunch it seemed. Servants were wheeling away empty plates. As she approached, the older man raised an eyebrow.
“Count Gloucester, a word with you if I may,” she bowed her head slightly in greeting. Nobles in the alliance didn’t normally bow as they might to a king, but she figured she might as well do something to show she respected his title. Somewhat.
“Of course, Miss Goneril.” The man had the gall to look bored as she led the way to the gardens. Once they were safe from eavesdroppers, she whirled and held a hand out. When the man ran into her palm, she held his surprised gaze calmly.
“Allow me to be frank, Count Gloucester. I do not appreciate your stubbornness in regards to the ceasefire being brokered here.” Erwin looked amused.
“Unfortunately for you, Miss Goneril, that is not something you have any say in.” Byleth raised an eyebrow.
“Is it? As far as I’m concerned, I do have a say. I am here on behalf of House Goneril, who watch Fódlan's Throat and safeguard the people who live so close to the border. Who are you here on behalf of, my lord?” Erwin’s fists clenched at his side and he opened his mouth to speak, but Byleth continued. “Regardless of your personal feelings on the situation, the only reason union between Almyra and Fódlan would fail is if you allow it. The future is what we make of it and you jeopardize a glimmer of peace those people thought would never be possible and for what? A bit more coin in your pocket? Or is this a matter of making ‘those Almyran barbarians reap what they sow’?
“You, who loves to preach about the duty nobles have for those they protect. Yet when duty asks you to swallow the bitterness of war and make peace with who you must, you balk. I expect better from you. Your son expects better from you, my lord. ” In his ignorance, Lorenz rubbed a lot of people the wrong way in the beginning. But, Byleth remembered the boy as he had been as her student: one with a good heart. She knew family was complex, but the admiration Lorenz held for his father and the duty House Gloucester owed its people was always a driving force behind his actions. “Do not let him down.” Having said her piece, she turned and left the count where he stood. Against her expectations, he did not follow or scold her for her lecture. With that out of the way, she went in search of Khalid.
On her way, a servant from Morfis flagged her down. He bowed deeply and requested she meet his lord for a brief chat. While she’d prefer to continue her search, the matter was a personal one. Meanwhile, this subject was far more important. With an internal sigh, she agreed and the servant led the way.
Upon her entrance, Lord Quintin rose to greet her. He held his hands out and she shook them. To her surprise, the noble was calloused. Before she could say anything, he smiled grimly.
“I will not take much of your time, m'lady. I just wanted to say thank you. For defending Lord Behrouz.” Byleth blinked. “The princeling is a good one and I hope whoever framed him faces karma’s rightful wrath, preferably sooner rather than later. As much as I wanted to, we could not afford to speak for his sake.” She nodded in understanding. Doing so would only raise suspicion. “In truth, he was going to be my son-in-law. He met one of my daughters while studying. We never announced it publicly because he did not wish for it to appear as if he were doing it as a means of making connections. We’d gotten the king’s permission in private, of course. For the prince to come to Morfis and live and work. Raise a family..” Byleth took note of the man’s face. His lips were bitten and his eyes were sunken. It appeared as if his hair had not been combed in a while and his clothes were rumpled. “It would be in bad taste for us to reach out to him now, but if you get the chance to speak to Lord Behrouz, please let him know we did not mean to abandon him in his time of need.” Sympathy tugged at Byleth. It was clear the ambassador was unwell. “Once his name is clear, regardless of public opinion, we will accept him into our family if that is still his desire. Will you tell him?” Dark eyes pleading, he stared at Byleth and she nodded.
“Of course, my lord.” She patted his hand gently. “And I believe the prince knows the kind of situation you’re in as well. I doubt he’d take offense.” With that promise, the man relaxed and he straightened.
“And Morfis will, naturally, support you and your prince when the time comes.” Unable to leave the man in such a state, Byleth asked a bit about Morfis. Lord Quintin called for tea and cakes and the two chatted for a while. It didn’t change the reality of it all, but at least it helped relax him. And Byleth had to admit the country sounded fascinating. It too was a desertlike place. It was also home to unique magic. Magic that drew scholars like Behrouz from all over. When the time came, she was almost sad to go. But, she still needed to find Khalid. Bidding farewell, she wondered where he might be.
As her quest continued, she was stopped yet again. At this rate I won’t find him until tomorrow . Byleth resisted the urge to sigh as Prince Arash approached. The young man held a hand up in greeting. To her relief and suspicion, he did not move to take hers as he had so often before. She offered him a slight curtsy.
“Your Highness.”
“Miss Goneril, I was hoping to have a word with you.”
“I couldn’t imagine what about, Highness.” She gazed up at him evenly, but his smile didn’t fade.
“Well, you did save my life. That is no small matter, my lady.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that,” she shook her head. “And besides, no offense intended, but I didn’t save you to be thanked.”
“Regardless, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, Highness.” For a moment they stared at each other. Having heard it, Byleth nodded. “Well, if that was all-”
“I wanted to do something to express my thanks.”
“That’s not necessary. I am trained to heal. It would be disrespectful to my teachers if I did not use such magic when there are those in need of it.”
“Perhaps. But I’m also doing it because I feel you deserve to know. It’s about Khalid. Information, if you would.” Byleth was sure she didn’t want nor need any information this snake might give her, but if it would shut him up then she would listen.
“Very well then.” She also knew how it felt to feel indebted to someone. If that was how the prince felt, then it was best to get it over with quickly.
“My brother, you know the rumors around him right? That he beds all the maidservants and ladies who come and go from the palace?”
“I heard them.” Byleth spoke stiffly.
“They’re no rumor, my lady.”
“Was that all you had to say?” The prince ignored the question.
“Haven’t you wondered? Why my brother doesn’t have any illegitimate children yet? Given his track record.”
“Perhaps he is careful.” Arash gave her a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“No one is that careful, my lady.” It caused her to wonder if he had any children out in the world. “He drugs them. Every last one of them takes a contraceptive before going to bed with Khalid. All of them without knowledge of what they’re accepting into their bodies.” Clearly Arash was expecting some sort of reaction from Byleth. Probably horror. Shock. Disgust. In reality, she wasn’t sure she felt anything.
“Thank you for the information, Highness. I’ll keep it in mind.” Irritation seemed to flicker across his face. There and gone in the blink of an eye.
“Of course. I thought you deserved to be warned what he might try.” With a bow, the prince left her. There was no time to think about what she’d just learned. Cyril found her and told it was time for dinner.
“Are you alright, Professor?” He inquired softly as they walked. She offered him a small smile.
“I’ll be fine, Cyril. Thank you for asking.”
Meals had been muted affairs compared to the feast of the first day, but King Xerxes was determined to continue to build connections with foreign lands. With Lord Quintin in better spirits, the dinner that night was far more friendly. Talk of treaties and marriages returned to the tables and Byleth allowed herself to relax. As the night came to a close, Khalid tapped on her shoulder. Turning to face him, she noted his green eyes seemed anxious.
“If you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to steal you away.” He leaned in and murmured. Byleth felt her face warm at the sound of his voice so close. And his choice of words… Swallowing, she nodded.
“Alright.” Placing her hand in his, she let him lead the way out of the hall. His palm was warm and his grip gentle. It took Byleth a moment to realize they weren’t going to the gardens as their usual spot. Instead, the prince was leading the way to his rooms. Nibbling her lip, she wondered if she should say anything and eventually decided to just wait and see what he had in mind.
Khalid’s rooms were not what she expected. Given his careful nature, she was expecting a neat and tidy living space. Hidy-holes tucked away in various places and an overall simple decor. Far from it. His bed was unmade and there were clothes tossed carelessly around the room. Notes and books littered the floors. It was clear servants weren’t allowed inside. She wasn’t given a chance to attempt to read what was written. He took her to the balcony. Once there, he took a deep breath and faced her.
“I wanted to talk.” Byleth raised an eyebrow and he smiled briefly. She’d expected as much given where they were. She gave him a moment to compose himself. “My greatest desire is to one day tear down the walls that stand between Fódlan and Almyra.” Byleth blinked in surprise. This.. was not the conversation she was expecting. Perhaps another dance around emotions. Or maybe he heard about what Arash told her. “My mother had to sneak out of Derdriu because, at the time, a union between her and my father was unthinkable. For over two decades she could only catch wind of what was happening in Fódlan through snippets and whispers. Everyone in the palace knew where she came from, of course. But no one ever said anything about it. She certainly had to keep it on the down low- as if she were ashamed of the past. Far from it. But, at the time, she needed the support of the Almyran nobility. She couldn’t afford to alienate them by reminding them of her heritage. All because of prejudice.
“I asked Cyril how he ended up in service to Lady Rhea and he told me he felt as if he’d never get anywhere in House Goneril because he was from Almyra. And he can’t be the only one. An orphan of war who’s been robbed of their potential because of their blood. It’s all wrong and I want to put a stop to it.” This wasn’t the babbling Khalid did when he was nervous or when Byleth was direct with him. He spoke clearly. She pressed her lips together and studied him carefully.
“Why tell me all of this?” He let out a low breath and ran his fingers through his hair.
“When I was poisoned.. it was the first time I feared for my dreams. My life had been in danger before,” a knot formed in her stomach as she imagined someone attempting to poison a child Khalid. “I was scared, of course. But at the time, it hadn’t been as big of a deal. I was young and unsure of what I wanted. But this most recent incident.. through the pain, all I could think about was everything I still wanted to do. Everything I felt I needed to do. Because if I didn’t, who would? Certainly not Arash.
“And when I woke up, I’d never felt so powerless before. My goals require help. Behrouz supported me, but he doesn’t have much backing. He was going to be married. Did you know that?” Without waiting for a response, he plowed on. Now he was rambling. “And then the twins went and ruined everything. What lord would let a suspected killer marry their daughter?” Not everything . “I’m not bothered by the fact that Behrouz is unable to support me now,” Byleth never thought he would be. “But he can’t even find his own happiness. All because he was willing to travel to a foreign country and learn new things. Now, more than ever, I need help. Your help. But I couldn’t ask for it without telling you my goals.” He took her hands and brought them to his lips. “I heard Arash told you I gave the women I slept with contraceptives.” Green eyes met hers.
“He did.” Byleth murmured so quietly she wasn’t sure he heard her.
“And?”
“And… what?” He blinked.
“Are you not upset with me?” Now that the question was asked, Byleth wanted to be sure of something first.
“Was it permanent?” Khalid inhaled sharply.
“No. I’d never do that to someone.” Byleth smiled slightly.
“Then no. I’m not upset.”
“So then.. you’ll help me?” He gazed at her with such hope in his eyes that tugged at her heart.
“Of course I’ll help you. Your dream is a noble one, Khalid.” His lips trembled as he smiled slightly.
“Some would say it’s a fool’s dream.” She shook her head.
“The only fools in this world are those who can’t bring themselves to hope for anything.” There was a moment of silence as he absorbed her words.
“I have something for you.” Releasing her hands, he drew a ring off his finger. “Please, I hope you’ll accept it.” Taking her hand, he paused and looked at her. Swallowing, she nodded slightly and he slid it onto her ring finger. It was a relatively simple design. The emerald was set in a thin band etched with wyvern wings around it.
“I.. have something for you too.” Surprise flickered across his face. Pulling out the necklace she made, she held it out for him to see. “It’s been magicked to protect you.” Lifting a hand, he cradled it gently as he looked it over. His thumb ran over it slowly.
“It’s beautiful.” He murmured. “Thank you.” Leaning down, he allowed her to slip the chain over his head. As he raised his gaze, Byleth didn’t move away. They stood staring at one another for a moment. So close, she could feel his breath. His pupils dilated. “Byleth..”
“Khalid..” A strand of hair blocked her view of him for a moment. It was brushed aside by one of his hands and his fingers lingered in her hair. In the next heartbeat, they were kissing.
Byleth trembled as she pressed closer to him. The desire to remove any and all distance between them consumed her as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. His one hand continued to support the back of her head as his other came around her waist and pulled her against him. She was vaguely aware of him murmuring her name, and her responding in kind. As his hand slipped under her robe to brush her bare skin, she shivered.
“Khalid..” Breaking apart momentarily, she stared up at him. Under his heated gaze, something coiled inside of her. “I-” He leaned forward and kissed her again, murmuring words she couldn’t understand. “I don’t know what that means..” She complained as he kissed down the side of her neck. She felt his smile.
“You will. One day.”
Hassan glanced up from sharpening his sword as Arash entered their private rooms. The look on his twin’s face told the man all he needed to know as Arash disappeared into the bathroom without a word. The woman’s footman had been poking around, asking questions the boy shouldn’t have been. While Hassan was confident they hadn’t made any mistakes, they couldn’t afford her figuring anything out. So we’ll just have to give her something else to worry about. Holding the blade up, he smiled at his reflection. All of those disgusting outsiders would be gone for good and Almyra would be pure again. Anticipation bubbled inside him.