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Byleth listened to the rising mixture of voices and smiled. They’d been back at the Almyran Palace for a couple weeks and planning had been in full swing the entire time. With three years of traveling under their belts, they had a very long guest list and everything needed to be in order before they could receive their friends. It would be the first gathering of its size since Byleth arrived in Almyra and the king invited ambassadors from far and wide. Behrouz had, after all, been married in Morfis. While Prince Shahid successfully found a match, he had no foreigners to invite and, thus, his wedding was a small one in comparison.
Of course, there were other reasons for the large assembly. King Xerxes officially announced his intent to retire and turn the rulership over to Prince Khalid. Well, perhaps retirement was not the correct term for it. He and Queen Tiana intended to move to Derdriu. It would give the woman the opportunity to be with her father during his final days. After the loss of his son, Duke Oswald’s health began to fall. With Khalid being crowned as king of Almyra, it left the duke’s successor in question for the time being. Tiana would be there to help ease the transition into whatever it was the alliance decided to do. Or perhaps, knowing how restless she is, she’ll simply take her father’s spot . The noise died down and there was a knock on her door. Standing, Byleth opened it.
“Oh, I just knew you’d look wonderful!” Hilda bubbled and made to hug her before realizing that she might mess something up and stopped herself. “The prince won’t know what hit him, right Marianne?” The shy, former student of Byleth’s was still soft spoken, but there was an air of confidence around her that hadn’t always been there.
“You look lovely, Professor.” She smiled and Byleth returned it. Marianne had always been a difficult one to make smile, but it was a sight to see. “Lorrial truly did incredible work.” In their efforts to support young, up and coming artisans, she and Khalid employed a number of graduates from Hilda’s artisan school. One of them, Lorrial, designed the outfits for the wedding party. Hilda insisted on doing the bride’s jewels herself while Roya had been commissioned once more for Khalid’s. What the three cooked up together, Byleth didn’t have a clue. Ensuring the two looked good separately and when standing beside one another was a tall request from the youths, but she was certain they delivered.
“Are you ready?” Hilda took her hands and squeezed them gently, eyes shining. She and Marianne were wed as soon as the girl heard Byleth returned to Fódlan. She’d wanted her professor there, after all. Especially given what Byleth had done for her. Holst was baffled by the fact that his sister was marrying a girl and became momentarily confused as to whether he should still challenge Marianne to combat for his sister’s hand in marriage. In the end, given Marianne’s softer disposition, he viewed her as another little sister who needed his protection.
“Of course.” Byleth remembered how nervous both girls were before their nuptials, but if she were honest with herself, she wasn’t feeling it. Of course she was happy and excited, but above all else a calm seemed to wash over her that morning. Being with Khalid was so natural that marrying him felt no different. “Let’s go.” Escorted by her bridesmaids, they headed for the ceremony.
Khalid had to resist the urge to turn around to look at Byleth again. She looked stunning. So much so that he hadn’t wanted to bother with the ceremony. But that would be a disservice to all of the hard work their friends and family put into it. The musicians began to play and the people in front of him started forward. As the officiant, Mirza was first. His long legs carried him across the distance quickly and, despite knowing it was unintentional, Khalid found himself thanking his eldest brother silently.
Next were the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Nader was, naturally, Khalid’s choice for best man. Accompanying him was a woman named Judith. What the general had done to get her to agree to be his partner, the prince wasn’t sure. Behrouz trailed behind with his wife by his side. Byleth’s bridesmaids were married to each other; and thus it was the king and queen who walked after them. At the halfway point, they paused and turned to wait. Taking a deep breath, Khalid moved to meet him. As his father took Khalid’s hand, he grinned and gave it a gentle squeeze. The two escorted him to the front.
Following him went Cyril. His face was oddly concentrated as he stared down at the rings on the pillow in front of him. Khalid wondered if the young man was truly afraid of dropping them or if he was simply embarrassed to be part of the procession. Tailing him was the flower girl, Lysithea. Or perhaps it's his new companion that has him so nervous.. Based on what Khalid heard about the youths’ relationship at the monastery, he wanted to try his hand at matchmaking and casually mentioned to Byleth that the two would be standing next to each other for most of the ceremony if given the intended roles. Rolling her eyes but smiling, she’d done exactly that.
At long last Byleth was walking towards him. Dressed in white adorned with gold, she looked like a goddess. Khalid wanted to marry Byleth before he was crowned so that way they could become king and queen of Almyra together, but Tiana clearly thought she still deserved some sort of tiara and had provided a sapphire headpiece. He approved.
Jeralt’s scruffiness looked at odds next to his daughter’s beauty, but it was clear the man tried to clean up. And he walked with surprising ease in the tailored suit. But Khalid gave his soon to be father-in-law only a moment of his attention because, now that he no longer had to await any cue, he could watch Byleth to his heart’s content. Which would never be enough, but he could try. When Jeralt placed her hand in Khalid’s, he couldn’t resist the urge and pulled her close to him. Their audience chuckled, but he paid them no mind. She was finally in his arms. Byleth smiled up at him and his impatience ebbed away.
When Mirza asked if it was his desire to take Byleth as his wife, Khalid immediately responded affirmatively. Then, the man asked Byleth. From the way she said it, he knew she was still confused why she would need to be asked three times before it could be considered complete, but each one came clear as the last. The rest of the ceremony flew by and soon they were exchanging rings. Without needing much prompting from Mirza, Khalid carefully lifted the veil and leaned forward to kiss her. Cheers erupted from the crowd as she wrapped her arms around him.
Jeralt watched as his daughter took turns feeding her husband. Husband . The word was odd for him. He couldn’t believe she’d gone and gotten married. Not to just anyone, either. A prince. And out of all the princes in the world, it had to be the one whose mother he helped escape Fódlan all those years ago. Taking a sip from his mug, he sighed. I’m getting old . Or maybe it just felt like that. The journey had felt longer given the company he was with. Old Erwin sent his son this time to represent the southern houses of the alliance and the kid- Lorenz Jeralt remembered now- was forever going on to another companion, Balthus, about how they were to conduct themselves properly in the foreign country.
Balthus had been another student of Byleth’s, although he was on the older side. He’d been sent as a representative from the monastery. Jeralt still made it a point to avoid Lady Rhea whenever possible, but he had no doubts the woman was keeping tabs on what her ‘pet project’ had gotten up to. Holst joined them as well.
The surprising addition to their party had been the king of Faerghus himself. He and the prince became well acquainted and talks about trade between Almyra and the kingdom were well underway from Jeralt’s limited understanding. When asked about the kingdom, Dimitri had waved the question aside and said it would be in good hands; both his wife and queen, Ingrid, and his loyal vassal, Dedue, were capable of handling anything that popped up. And, if he were truly needed, perhaps he might be able to borrow one of Almyra’s famous wyverns to speed his way home. Khalid greeted the king with enthusiasm.
“Fate has such strange ways of working, does it not?” A sweet voice asked at his side. Glancing up from his drink, Jeralt smiled slightly.
“I s’ppose I can’t argue with it when the evidence is staring at me in the face.” Setting down the mug, he turned slightly to face her better. It was only polite. “Although, I’m not sure how I feel about all of this.” He waved a hand at the room. Tiana chuckled.
“They are a rowdy bunch. But your daughter took to it far better than I.”
“Hmm.” Jeralt heard about Byleth’s challenge to the other ladies. “And how about you? Over two decades ago, you were hiring me to escape Derdriu. Now you’re going back.”
“This is true.” She nodded. “But family is worth it. Ever since I was no longer allowed to, I wanted to see my father again. He deserves to at least see that I am happy and I do owe him an apology. Plus, I won’t be going alone.” At the mention of her husband, Tiana turned her eyes towards him and her expression softened. Jeralt smiled.
“He seems like-”
“There you are!” A voice boomed over the mess of noise. A familiar sight wandered towards him bearing two large mugs. Behind Nader, Holst and Balthus were holding mugs of their own. Balthus was grinning widely and Holst appeared resigned to his fate. “I was worried you were hiding from me. I challenge you to a rematch, old friend.” Tiana patted Jeralt on the shoulder with a sympathetic expression.
“Have fun, Lord Eisner.”
Byleth had never been happier. The night was long, but it was far from tiring and she didn’t want it to end. She danced with the king, her own father, the queen, and the other princes as well as her former students. At one table, Nader sat slumped over. Judith was patting his back and likely scolding him for challenging Jeralt to a drinking contest. Holst had been intelligent enough to tap out early, but Balthus was too stubborn and he, too, sat slumped holding his head. Holst was giving his old friend the same treatment, bringing the man water and food in addition to harsh words.
Glancing around, she spotted her students. Marianne was still shy, but Hilda managed to convince her to dance at least on the edge of the crowd and they were holding each other and wearing warm smiles. Lorenz looked deep in conversation with Dimitri. While she hadn’t taught the king, she had met him during their travels. Khalid thought trading food for things like furs and other materials could be beneficial for both countries. And, naturally, the alliance would want to be part of any deal made between Almyra and any of the other powers within Fódlan.
When she finally found her husband, he was chatting with Cyril. Carefully, she made her way over to them. Upon seeing her, his face lit up and he patted Cyril on the back.
“Well, guess you’re up next, kid.” Cyril’s eyes widened.
“Huh-? Next, Highness?” Before Byleth could say interrupt, another voice called out.
“Cyril!” Lysithea trotted over to them and took him by the arm. “There you are.”
“Lysithea!” His face turned a deep red. “What- what were you looking for me for?” She gave him a look of annoyance.
“So we can dance, duh.” With that, she dragged him out to the floor. Khalid looked pleased with himself and Byleth poked him in the side.
“Don’t tease him.”
“Yes ma’am.” Even as he said it, though, he watched the couple with critical eyes. Cyril looked awkward as he tried to follow Lysithea’s lead. But, every so often, he would smile and it was clear he was having fun.
“Leave them be and come with me,” Byleth tugged on his arm.
“Anywhere you go, my love, I’ll follow.” Khalid caught her hand and brought it to his lips. Rolling her eyes, she took him outside.
The air was cold and Khalid held his wife close as she walked. Already, he could guess where they were going. Their usual spot in the gardens. But why there ? Bemused, he decided it wasn’t worth wondering about. He was going to find out soon enough. Once there, she turned to face him and he enveloped her in a hug. Her scent hit him and he sighed happily. She smelled of cake and honey.
“What are your plans now, Khalid?” Byleth murmured as she gazed up at him. The question took him by surprise.
“What do you mean?”
“You once told me your greatest desire was to one day tear down the walls standing between Fódlan and Almyra. I would say that dream is coming true.” As she stretched forward he leaned down to kiss her. “Surely your grand ambitions didn’t stop there?” Her amusement was evident when she spoke again.
“I…” Khalid trailed off slowly. To say he hadn’t thought of ‘more’ would be a lie. He had. But would his wife be interested in hearing it? “Well, I wouldn’t mind having a couple little ones running around.” He felt his face grow warm as he said it. Byleth smiled mysteriously and it took him a moment to catch on. “Wait-” His grip on her tightened. “You’re really…?” The words caught in his throat. He held his breath and then she finally decided to spare him from the suspense.
“Yes, my love,” pulling away slightly, she took one of his hands and placed it over her belly. “We’re going to have a baby.” As if the night couldn’t get any better. Unable to hold himself back, his lips crashed against hers. When he finally had to force himself to take more than a breath, he pressed his lips to her forehead.
“A baby,” he murmured as he closed his eyes. “I can’t believe it. Thank you, Byleth. For everything.” She didn’t respond out loud. Instead, she pulled him back down to kiss him.