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Bernadetta was kneeling down with her gardening gloves on; she always found it calming to have her hands in the dirt. This was all part of her daily routine, the thing that kept her calm and grounded. She kneaded the soil, tending to her plants as she had every day since she and her wife moved out to the cottage.
Her wife…
Bernadetta, brushing a strand of purple hair out of her face, glanced over at Edelgard, who was repairing the fence between their yard and the next door neighbors’. Her silver hair was tied up with a lavender bandana, leaving a loose bun behind her head. She was wearing overalls, which bagged on her petite frame.
Seeing the former Emperor, who had always been so dignified and graceful, work on a fence in a garden in the middle of nowhere was… adorable, if Bernadetta was being honest. Ever since they decided to leave the palace seven years ago, Edelgard had been working her hardest to blend in with their sleepy community on the outskirts of Aegir territory. She always made repairs around the house, and any time heavy lifting needed to be done, like when they bought a new stove, Edelgard was the one who dealt with it.
She was pretty good at all that stuff, which was great, because Bernadetta wanted no part of it. She could sew them clothes – she had made most of the clothing both of them were wearing, except the overalls which required a little extra work from the tailor in town, and even those she could repair! And of course, she did all the gardening. She had everything from herbs to vegetables to flowers to carnivorous plants; the latter were not particularly useful, but they were very cool.
They had turned out to be quite the team. Bernadetta had learned how to hunt with her bow and arrow, utilizing the skills that Petra had taught her back at the academy. While she would never be as good at it as Petra was, she certainly had gotten a lot better! Edelgard, thankfully, was not afraid to cut the animals open, and even saved some of their hide to wear in the winter. Definitely a far cry from the fancy winter coats that noble girls had worn in the city.
Edelgard began walking back toward her. Bernadetta had finally gotten to the point where she was no longer nervous when Edelgard walked toward her – she knew that it had always been irrational and that her brain was always sending her weird messages that didn’t make any sense, but she couldn’t help it. So rather than rising to her feet nervously waiting to make sure that Edelgard wasn’t angry with her, she instead stayed sitting down.
“Bernadetta,” Edelgard said, her voice deep and tantalizing.
She glanced over at the silver-haired woman. “Yes, Edelgard?” she said, her voice high-pitched and girlish. She had always envied Edelgard’s strong and powerful tone. It made her sound so confident, so sexy… it made Bernadetta’s heart swell.
Edelgard sat next to her, on a bench where Bernadetta often rested after working away in the garden. She had bought it at a wood carving shop in the nearby town, and Edelgard and her had carried it back to their cottage together. Bernadetta rose to her feet, took off her gardening gloves, and sat next to her. After wiping the sweat off her brow, Edelgard spoke. “Do you remember the day we met, back at the academy?”
Of course she did! She remembered when she first met Edelgard, all she wanted to do was hide. Bernadetta had once believed that there was nothing similar about them – useless, unmarriagable Bernadetta, and beautiful, graceful Edelgard. She had been scared to approach the princess, back in the academy. It had been at the orientation, right after she had just been forcibly transported to the academy by her mother, who wanted her to “make connections” there. And her father, in his letters, had said he hoped she would find a husband.
Heh heh heh. She hadn’t found a husband after all. Another way of spitting in his face. Perhaps he thought he would find advantage with his daughter marrying the Emperor of Adrestia (even if it was improper), but instead he would die without an heir after the two women absconded. Served him right.
Finally, Bernadetta spoke up again. “Yes. I wanted to hide away in my bedroom as soon as possible… I couldn’t believe that it took so long for them to assign us our dorm rooms.”
Edelgard let out a gentle laugh. “Oh, Bernadetta, that would be what you would remember, huh? I was just thinking about how intrigued I was by the elusive daughter of the Varley family.” She gazed into the distance, smiling. “I always thought you were beautiful, even the day I met you. I was concerned about you, but thinking about those days again makes me happy. I’m so glad you came to the monastery, so I could get to know you better. Even if I know it wasn’t what you wanted to do at the time.”
“Truly? You were concerned for me?” It was embarrassing to hear it directly, but she wasn’t surprised. The whole experience of being dragged against her will to the monastery had rattled her nerves. “A-and you thought I was beautiful?”
Edelgard looked toward her, lips pursed in a small smile. “Yes. And I still do,” she said, giving Bernadetta a quick kiss.
“Aw, Edelgard, I think you’re beautiful too. And I’m so happy that we could get to know each other better in the monastery. I always really loved it when you gardened with me. It was so peaceful.” Bernadetta’s heart filled with joy as she reminisced on those days.
“I’m glad you stopped being afraid of me. Truth be told, I found it difficult to trust people, just like you did. I may have hidden it behind a composed appearance, but the truth is, I was as scared as you were. Always looking around corners, watching for lurking enemies. Even after the war, it seemed we could not rid ourselves of them. Since we retired, though, I feel so much more at peace. It helps to know that the Agarthans will never hurt people again, and that those foul experiments are in the past.” Bernadetta noticed Edelgard clenching her fist. She responded by wrapping her fingers around the fist and uncurling Edelgard’s fingers.
“I like this new version of you, Edelgard. You are so much happier, and you smile way more! And you helped me to feel better too. It feels really good to be able to go outside without being scared.” Bernadetta let out a giggle. “Even though I still prefer going with you.”
“Well, it’s always nicer to have company, my love,” Edelgard said, clasping Bernadetta’s hand tightly. “Speaking of which, would you like to go to town with me to pick up some eggs and cheese?”
Bernadetta kissed Edelgard on the neck; her lips touching her wife’s body sent a surge of love and adoration through her. “I’d love to.”