Work Text:
‘I can’t believe it’s finally over’ Shez thought. It was pretty easy. With Rhea gone and both the Empire and the Alliance against the Kingdom, surrender was really the only option. Surprisingly, it didn’t end with Dimitri killed. In fact, he wanted to settle things peacefully. Shez wasn’t there for what happened, but from what Monica told him, the leaders of Fodlan decided to talk about what they wanted for the world.
‘Dimitri did say he wanted to talk again’ Shez remembered. But that wasn’t his concern right now. After the war ended, he came across an old, retired mercenary. Speaking with that mercenary made Shez realize that settling down with someone wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, having a family would be nice, especially since he had no family of his own anymore.
That mercenary gave him the engagement ring he gave to his now wife. Shez could pick many of the girls he had known. He could pick Monica, as she and him were pretty close. He could choose Dorothea, as they were the two outliers in their group of friends as they were both commoners. But deep down, he knew who his heart truly belonged to. Which is why he is standing outside of her quarters in the castle. Knocking on the door, he heard a muffled, “Come in” from the woman of his dreams.
Opening the door, he saw a pretty tired Edelgard. Shez thought maybe he should come back later, but he was committed to what he was about to do. ‘No going back now’ he thought. The Adrestian Emperor seemed pretty tired from all of the work she had to do. She was happy to get a little break though. “Ah, Shez. What is it.” She noticed Shez was hiding something behind his back and was looking pretty nervous. “Um, I wanted to talk to you about something. It’s important” he replied. Edelgard hoped this had nothing to do with twsitd. Thankfully, it didn’t. “I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself, not just to you, but to the people of the Empire.”
Edelgard smiled, “Shez, you have done more than enough to prove yourself. I didn’t really do much, you could have done that on your own,” she replied. Shez shook his head, “If I did that, I would just be some unnamed merc with weird powers,” he replied standing across from her. “When I first came here, I was nobody at all. The people saw me as nothing but an average mercenary. But when you made me a part of your army, they saw me as someone to pay attention to. Because of you, I have people looking at me with respect, admiration. That wouldn’t be possible if not for you” he said, his tone thankful.
Edelgard was shocked to see Shez like this, never expecting him to be like that. Shez was usually pretty open about his emotions, but never like this. Snapping out of her thoughts, she replied, “I would like to thank you as well Shez. If not for your power and your bravery, we wouldn’t be here right now. You have saved my life on multiple occasions, and you did it because you cared. I could feel it. Not only that, but you have treated me like an equal. Instead of treating me as “your majesty,” you treated me like me. I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Shez then readied himself, “So, what are you gonna do now?” he asked. “When the world is fully reformed, I intend to find a suitable successor to the Adrestian throne. I wish to experience a simpler life. Why do you ask?” she replied, eyebrow raised. Shez smiled, this is exactly what he wanted to hear. “Prior to a few days ago, settling down wasn’t all that appealing. But then I saw an old mercenary with a wife and kids. Seeing that made me realize that I could have that too. I want to settle down one day. And there is only one person I would want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Shez got down on one knee, bringing up the box he had been hiding. When he opened it, Edelgard was shocked to see a beautiful ring. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in shock. “That person is you. Edelgard Von Hresvelg, will you marry me?” This was it, all or nothing. Edelgard started to cry, but these weren’t tears of sadness, they were tears of joy. “Yes, yes I will” she sobbed. On that day, a kiss was shared between the two lovers. As their lips met, both poured every ounce of affection into each other, swearing to be together forever.