Chapter Text
The effervescent glow of the half moon in the sky shone down on the grounds of the estate, illuminating plants that had shrunk down for the night, no longer reaching for the sun’s rays. Clovers that opened wide in the light of the day were now shut tight while an assortment of flowers blew delicately in the quiet breeze. A woman with a sweeping burgundy dress was seated upon an iron bench placed beside a cobbled path running through the garden. She appeared to be deep in thought, studying the wildlife before her. Her long hair tumbled down her back and was being tossed about by the errant breeze. Deep in concentration, she failed to notice the sound of footsteps slowly approaching from down the path. A tall stranger, evading sleep, had left the confines of her bedroom after peering out the window and noticing a lovely woman in the gardens, bathed in the silver light of the moon.
Not wanting to breach the dark, silent atmosphere, the stranger moved slowly and quietly. As she got closer to the woman on the bench, she observed the woman’s beautiful high cheekbones, the way her long hair fell in waves and framed her face, and the gentle fierceness that seemed to radiate off her. She appeared ethereal in the light of the moon, and the stranger found herself wishing she had a way to capture this woman’s beauty to preserve it for herself.
Getting closer still, the stranger cleared her throat to alert the woman to her presence. The woman’s head snapped up, looking over for the source of the intruding sound. She tilted her head to the side, observing the stranger. There was a curious look in her violet eyes, but she remained silent.
“Hello,” the stranger said simply, bowing her head in the woman’s direction. “Can’t sleep?”
The woman swept her skirts aside and scoffed at the stranger, making to stand and leave. “You dare to bother a lady in repose in the middle of the night?” she asked disdainfully.
Biting her lip, the stranger followed after the woman as she set off up the path. “That was not my intention, miss. To be a bother, that is. I saw you from my window and you were so beautiful that I simply had to come down and greet you.”
The woman paused and turned around, facing the stranger. “Well, you’ve greeted me. Go on to bed then and cease following me.”
The stranger looked around and ran a hand through her teal hair. “It appears that we have stopped, miss. I can hardly be following you if we’re standing in one place, can I?”
Rolling her eyes, the woman started walking again.
“Wait!” the stranger said, running to catch up to the woman. “Since this is my estate you’re visiting, can’t I at least know your name?”
“No.” The woman said firmly as she continued on her way out of the garden. “I thought I said to stop following me.”
“You did say that,” the stranger said, smiling to herself. “But I get the feeling you enjoy being chased.”
“Edelgard.” the woman said, stopping once again and turning to face the stranger.
“What?” the stranger asked.
“My name is Edelgard,” the woman repeated, scorn written all over her face. “Are you quite happy now?”
Smiling widely, the stranger said, “Now that I know the name of my future wife, yes.”
Edelgard sputtered indignantly. “Your what? You have quite some nerve, you know. What gives you the gall to say things like that? We’ve only just met, and I am not sorry to say that you are not my type.”
The stranger threw her head back and laughed heartily. “You’re not a very good liar, miss.”
Narrowing her eyes, Edelgard crossed her arms. “And what do you mean by that? First you call me your future wife, then a liar in the next breath— just who do you think you are?”
“I’m terribly sorry, miss, but your face gives you away. The corner of your mouth twitches when you say something untruthful. Now, the rising blush on your cheeks blatantly gives away your unbidden attraction to me.” At that, Edelgard’s hand rose to check the heat rising in her face. The stranger continued. “I must apologize once more for not properly introducing myself earlier. My name is Byleth von Seiros; I am the sole daughter of Rhea Seiros, the lady of this manor and these lands. You are Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg, correct? Tomorrow you will officially be made my fiance. That is why you are here, is it not?”
Edelgard flushed an even deeper shade of red and hastened to nod. She ran a hand through her chestnut hair before straightening her shoulders and rising to her full height, trying to project an air of confidence. She’d been made a fool of in front of– no, by– her future fiance. Anger pooled in her stomach as she fought the urge to lash out. This arrogant stranger was to be her fiance ? Surely this woman must be mistaken.
She was here to formalize her engagement to the daughter of Rhea Seiros, then, eventually to be wed. This was an arrangement between the von Seiros and von Hresvelg families; a way to garner peace between the two houses. Arranged marriages were common, it was not outside the norm to have never met one’s future fiance before the start of the actual engagement.
Living most of her life in the palace in Enbarr as a princess, Edelgard had never been allowed to venture outside of Adrestria. She had begrudgingly accepted it when her father had come to her to tell her the news that she was to be wed to Seiros’ daughter. Viewing it as an opportunity to travel, to expand her horizons, meet new people that were not her brothers and sisters or their retainers, she was almost looking forward to the engagement.
Edelgard had been told that her future fiance was beautiful and kind, charming and brave. She had to concede that Byleth was certainly quite beautiful. The heiress was tall and had a lovely smile, her indigo hair was unkempt but framed her face to make it look like a painting. She found herself wistfully wishing to have a canvas, brushes, and paints with her to be able to capture her delicate features. Byleth may be beautiful, but kind, charming? The woman did not seem to be either of those things. Arrogant, certainly. Annoying, definitely.
Finally, she spoke: “That is why I am here. Though, having met you, I am beginning to have second thoughts about what exactly my father was thinking with this little arrangement. You are nothing like what I expected.”
“Nor I, you, Your Highness. Nobody thought to warn me what a spitfire you’d be. Though, I am kind of grateful that they didn’t. I like it,” Byleth said, blue eyes darkening.
Edelgard glared. “I am going to retire for the night. I would like to say that it was charming meeting you, Byleth, but I wouldn’t want to tell another lie.”
Byleth smirked. “Good night then, Edelgard. Sweet dreams.”
The following morning, Edelgard was ushered out of her room soon after the sun came up by the mistress of the manor, Lady Rhea. Edelgard had only just gotten dressed when the green-haired woman had burst into the room, proclaiming she had the cooks prepare a wonderful breakfast feast to welcome her.
Rhea was… nice. Certainly more so than her daughter. A little overbearing, as Edelgard assumed most mothers were, but in the short time Edelgard had been a guest in her home, she had been quite hospitable. She’d given Edelgard a tour of the manor upon her arrival and had even made sure that Edelgard was content with the amount of pillows that were arranged on her bed.
Sure enough, when the pair descended down the grand staircase and entered the dining room, Edelgard saw a fantastic spread of food on the long table. There was an assortment of pastries, plates of eggs cooked in multiple ways, breakfast meats piled high atop a large plate, and a platter of various fruits. Seated on one side of the grand table was Byleth, hair mussed, with a heaping plate of food. The woman was shoveling food into her mouth, and was quite engrossed in the activity, only looking up when Rhea called out to her. Edelgard felt a twisting in her stomach. She wasn’t sure if she was revolted by the woman’s hearty appetite, or if it was somehow charming.
Either way, after last night, she was not looking forward to this interaction. She idly wondered as she played with the hem of her sleeve if she could write to her parents and see about breaking this engagement.
“Byleth, dear. I would like to introduce you to our guest. She’s going to be staying with us awhile… well, until the two of you move into a place of your own! This is Princess Edelgard von Hresvelg, your fiance.”
Edelgard balked at imagining herself and Byleth having a place of their own. The more distance she could put between the two of them the better. Seemingly against her will, she found herself picturing a small, quiet little wooden house surrounded by wildlife in the countryside. She shook her head. No, that's what she dreamed of for herself. A quiet little place alone . Absolutely not with Lady Byleth.
Byleth looked up from her food and swallowed, placing her utensils down beside her plate. She stood and gave a little bow of her head. “Hello, again, Edelgard. You look quite radiant this morning. Would you care to join me?”
“You’ve already met?” Rhea asked, walking into the dining room and plucking a pastry off the table. She tore a piece of it off and gracefully nibbled on it.
“Yes, we had the pleasure of meeting in the gardens last night,” Byleth said, her eyes twinkling. “It was quite a pleasant encounter, wouldn’t you say, Edelgard?”
Narrowing her eyes, Edelgard stayed rooted to her spot beside the door frame. She felt Byleth was certainly embellishing the interaction they had shared the night before. Biting her tongue to prevent herself from saying what was actually on her mind, and for the sake of propriety, she only replied: “Yes. Quite pleasant.”
“Oh, how lovely,” Rhea said in between bites of her pastry. “Edelgard, dear, have a seat, don’t be shy! I’ll leave you two to talk and get to know each other. I’m sure that the two of you will have a lot in common. I’ll see you both at dinner tonight. Don’t forget at the end of the week we’ll be having a grand ball to announce your engagement!”
Rhea swept out of the room and Edelgard had to stop herself from groaning. While she loved to dance (and was quite good at it), she absolutely loathed balls. Big parties of any sort had never been enjoyable for her. They were always filled with simpering nobles talking about inane subjects or trying to vy for her hand. She found herself contemplating the logistics of getting a letter to her parents before the end of the week.
“The food’s really good. You should sit,” Byleth said, shaking Edelgard from her reverie. She had already sat down and it appeared that she had added even more food to her plate.
“I’m really not that hungry,” Edelgard deflected, glancing behind her to see if her escape route back up to her room was clear.
“Not even for something sweet?” Byleth asked. “The pastries here are even sweeter than what you can get in Enbarr. Some even are filled with chocolate. Mother’s cooks are really very talented.”
Edelgard regarded Byleth suspiciously. How did this woman know she had a weakness for sweets? Relenting, she pulled out a chair and helped herself to a couple pastries. She idly wondered which ones had the chocolate inside.
Byleth chuckled as Edelgard devoured the sweets on her plate. “The round ones are my favorite, you should try them.”
Edelgard was torn. She wanted to rebel from what this awful woman was suggesting. On the other hand, she was still hungry and the round ones did look delicious. In the end, her hunger won out and she found herself reaching out and grabbing one of the round pastries.
“I can show you around town later, if you’d like,” Byleth said from across the table. “In the summer there’s all kinds of different vendors in the market. It’s a nice day for a stroll.”
Edelgard could see that she was trying. But after last night she frankly didn’t want anything to do with Byleth, let alone to spend time alone with her.
“That’s alright,” Edelgard said. “I’d like to get some reading done today, actually.” Edelgard lied. What she’d actually like to get done was writing those letters to her parents to get her out of here.
“Oh?” said Byleth, eyebrow raised. “What kinds of things do you like to read?”
“Oh, this and that, you know,” Edelgard deflected. She did like to read— she loved to read, but she wasn’t about to have a conversation of interests with Lady Byleth. The less this woman knew about her the better.
Byleth hummed, setting down her utensils and standing up. “Alright well, enjoy your reading, Edelgard.”
She left the room, and shortly after Edelgard heard the sound of a heavy door opening and closing. Perhaps she had gone to town by herself? Edelgard slumped her shoulders in relief. Now she’d be able to write those letters, and maybe get some reading done today too.
By midday, Edelgard had written her letters. She’d decided she would go into town after all, if only to find a messenger to deliver her letters. Lady Rhea had previously told her how to get to town; it was conveniently within walking distance from the manor.
On the walk there, Edelgard decided she may as well see what this town had to offer. Perhaps she could pick up some presents for a couple of her siblings while she was here. It had only been a few days, but she already missed them terribly. She had ten siblings in all. Most had different mothers, but they had all grown up together in the palace. She was ninth in line for the throne, and most of her older siblings had married. Logically she knew it was inevitable that she would have to get married as well– it was expected, tradition. But she was a romantic at heart, and had hoped that somehow, she would be able to marry for love. True love, the kind she’d read about in the books she loved to read. Instead, her parents promised her to a stranger. A stranger whom when she actually met, she found she couldn’t stand. She could only hope that her parents would understand her plight and take sympathy on her. She had always held the affection of her father, sometimes it even seemed like he doted upon her more than her other siblings. She was his little El, and she had no doubts that he loved her. Surely he would understand.
Soon the path she was walking led Edelgard right into the heart of town. Vendors lined the streets, merchants standing beside them trying to entice potential customers to come shop at their stalls. With wide eyes, Edelgard took in the sights, sounds, and smells of this foreign town. Having spent most of her life confined within the walls of the palace, it was quite a sight to behold. She felt impossibly small within the crowd, not only due to her short stature, and she kept getting jostled by passersby. Moving with the crowd, she eventually found herself in front of a stall of stuffed bears.
A purple one with red armor caught her eye, and she decided this would make for a perfect present for her younger sister, Anise. After paying for the item, she held it tight to her chest and rejoined the crowd moving further into town.
It felt… invigorating to be a part of the crowd like this. Just another face, no one seemed to recognize her as an Imperial princess. The crowd was mixed with people seemingly from every walk of life– nobles and commoners happily mixed, all going about their lives, distracted by their own individual tasks. A mother pulled a rosy-cheeked girl along by her hand through the crowd, while the girl cried out for some trinket or other. A servant girl holding tight to a basket of apples wove through the crowd with the grace of a dancer. Edelgard drank in the sights, sighing happily to herself. This, this town was something she could get used to.
Continuing through the crowd, Edelgard came upon a sweets stand. It had all kinds of colorful confections laid out, and she could feel her sweet tooth gnawing at her. Standing there, trying to decide which kind she wanted, a burly man with dark, tied-back hair approached her.
“Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing?” he said, stepping between her and the sweets. “What are you doing here all by yourself?”
Edelgard regarded him, taking a step back to maintain her personal space. “I am allowed to come and go as I please,” Edelgard said, raising her chin and standing taller. She idly wished she wasn’t holding this childish bear which was undoubtedly making her appear younger than she was.
“Is that so? How would you feel about coming with me for a spell?” he asked, again taking a step closer.
Feeling incensed, Edelgard glared at him. “No, thank you.” She cursed the years of etiquette training that had ingrained politeness in her. What she wanted was to push him away, to curse at him and ask how dare he proposition her out in the open like this. Instead, she bit her tongue.
Edelgard turned to walk away when the man reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her and pulling her back into his grasp.
“Don’t think you’ll get away that easy. How about we go back to my place and have some fun, eh?” The man started tugging on Edelgard’s arm trying to get her to start walking with him.
Suddenly, a flash of blue hair and Lady Byleth appeared, standing firm in between Edelgard and her accoster.
“Kostas. Where do you think you’re going off to with my fiance?”
The man blinked, seemingly dumbfounded by Byleth’s sudden appearance. Edelgard was quite taken aback herself, wondering where she had suddenly appeared from. Nonetheless, she felt a sense of relief. Not that she couldn’t have taken care of the man herself, of course, it was still nice to not be alone in a situation such as this.
“Uh, n-nowhere, Lady Byleth!” Kostas stuttered out, letting go of Edelgard’s arm and taking a step back. “Nowhere at all, isn’t that right, lass?”
Edelgard crossed her arms and glared at the man.
Byleth was staring at him with a rather blank look on her face, it was really quite chilling. Her cobalt eyes were hardened and Edelgard could almost feel the intensity rolling off of her in waves. She’d never seen this side of Byleth before. Normally the woman was aloof, annoyingly flirtatious, friendly even. This was different. Byleth was intimidating, fearsome, and Edelgard could almost imagine the woman standing on guard with a sword pointed at the man’s throat. Edelgard was woe to admit it was rather attractive. Just who was this woman, really?
“If I ever see you come near the princess again, you won’t live to regret it.”
Kostas audibly gulped. “P-princess? My apologies to you both. Goodbye!” he shuffled into a makeshift bow and darted into the crowd, disappearing from sight. Edelgard stared after him, stunned by the whole encounter.
Byleth laid a hand on her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
Edelgard turned her head to look at Byleth. Her eyes had softened, but Edelgard felt the woman would be ready to jump and tear someone limb from limb still if necessary.
She simply nodded, standing up to her full height once more and brushing off her skirts. “I’m fine,” she said.
The corners of Byleth’s mouth turned up a fraction, her features softening. “Good. The city is safe for a woman to walk about alone for the most part, but there are still some unsavory characters around. Best to keep one’s guard up.”
“Thank you,” Edelgard said. “Can I have my shoulder back?” Byleth dropped her arm from Edelgard’s shoulder to her side and coughed out sort of an awkward laugh. It was almost… charming. Charming?
Edelgard didn’t care for whatever feelings were beginning to stir inside her. This sudden display of chivalry was dredging up all kinds of uncomfortable feelings that she felt unprepared to deal with in regards to Lady Byleth.
Perhaps her first impression of the woman hadn’t been an accurate one.