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The first time Hapi takes notice of Dorothea Arnault, she’s almost entranced.
During the Wyvern Moon, amongst a pool of scattered papers she dropped meant for Byleth, she encounters Dorothea.
“Oh, I am so sorry!” the young woman gasps as papers and a hat fall at her feet. “Here, let me help you with these.”
“Uh yeah, sure. Thanks,” Hapi says blandly, crouching down to pick up her share.
“Thanks for that...” she trails off. Standing before Hapi is Dorothea Arnault, one of the most revered names in Adrestia and touted as incredibly beautiful. However, Dorothea’s beauty far surpassed the whispers that reached Abyss. A pretty face, deep green eyes, and well-kept hair that cascades past her shoulders; Hapi’s eyes wander further down before her gaze snaps back up, knowing better than to stare.
“Thank you! And I am so sorry for that; I wasn’t paying attention,” Dorothea apologises and exchanges her share of papers.
Hapi blinks and shrugs. In her mind, Dorothea had done her share of making up for the inconvenience, but Hapi didn’t mind it so much, coming from someone with a pretty face. “It’s not a problem.”
“Well, I’m glad.” Dorothea looks at her inquisitively. “Hey, you’re Hapi. From Abyss, like Yurikins.”
Hapi masks her surprise. “Yep, that’s me. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, just wondering. I don’t think we’ve had the opportunity to talk, even if we’re in the same class.”
“That’s true enough. I’m a pretty late addition, though. Yuribird, Coco, and B seemed to get a kick out of going for a few months, so I got curious.”
“I suppose that’s only fair. Lessons with the Professor are nothing short of unpredictable.” Dorothea chuckles. “Oh! Before I forget, has Yurikins told you what’s happening next week?
Hapi raises a brow. “No clue what you’re talking about, so I guess not?”
Dorothea hums, her eyes wandering up and down Hapi before she claps her hands excitedly. “Yurikins and I are planning a small play for the children in Abyss next week. You should come along; I’d love to see you there.”
Hapi tries not to let Dorothea’s honeyed words get to her head. “Yuribird’s planning a play? Now, this I have to see.” Hapi smirks, amused. “Besides, if I’m being personally invited, I can’t exactly say no.”
“Perfect!” Dorothea clasps her hand together with a wide grin.
And it’s that smile that Hapi thinks about for the rest of the day.
Ultimately, Hapi watches the play for Dorothea rather than the play’s content. Her eyes follow Dorothea closely as she recites her lines perfectly. Butterflies fill Hapi’s stomach as Dorothea’s singing makes Hapi reminisce on better times in her home village.
“Hey, B?”
Balthus downs the rest of his drink and glances at her. “What’s up, Hapi?”
“This play, opera thing. What was it called again?”
Balthus frowns in thought. “Uh… ‘Dance of the Songbird.’ Pretty sure, at least.”
Hapi turns her gaze back to Dorothea, who gently grasps a child’s hands and leads them through a simple dance on stage. With a smile as bright as the sun, she sings a sweet melody that carries like a calming breeze throughout the small corner of Abyss the crowd have congregated in.
Warmth blossoms in Hapi’s chest. “Songbird, huh…?”
As autumn ends and the Pegasus Moon begins, Hapi gets to work with Dorothea in the greenhouse. Ever since the play, the nickname of Songbird for Dorothea dances on the tip of her tongue as they pull vegetables from the garden bed.
“Aaand, perfect!” Dorothea cheers. Hapi snorts at the overly large potato and carrot in Dorothea’s hands, tossing the vegetables in the basket between them.
“Thanks for the help, Songbird,” Hapi says offhandedly, standing and stretching her arms up into the air.
“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I— hold on,” Dorothea trails off. Hapi’s eyes flick up, catching Dorothea’s confused gaze in her direction. “What did you call me? Songbird?”
“Hm? Yeah, I did. Is there a problem?”
Dorothea shakes her head. “Oh no, of course not. I was just surprised, that’s all. I’ve never had someone call me that before, but I think it’s a cute nickname,” Dorothea insists. “When did you come up with it?”
Hapi brushes loose hair behind her ear. “It was after that play…thing you did in Abyss the other night. I’ve been trying to find a nickname for you, and it stuck.”
“Huh.” Dorothea cocks her head. “You know, that mini-performance was something I made when I was still with the Mittlefrank Opera Company. Being given a nickname based on it makes me feel rather flattered. That said…”
“Yes?”
“Well, I don’t have a problem with Songbird, but Yurikins already calls me Ladybird, so maybe you could call me… Dorry? Make it something special between just the two of us.” Dorothea winks.
Hapi’s smile widens in turn. She’d become very fond of Songbird, but a nickname between them was undoubtedly a worthy compromise. She wonders why Dorothea doesn’t choose a nickname for her but brushes it off. “Alright then. Dorry it is.”
Dorothea’s face lights up a little brighter than before. “Wonderful!” She clasps her hands together enthusiastically. “Now, are you sure there’s nothing else I can help you with? I’d hate to leave any more work just to you.”
“Dorry, it’s fine.” Hapi shakes her head. “You got a date tonight, right? Don’t worry; I promise I can deliver the vegetables on my own.”
Dorothea smiles awkwardly. “Hapi… thank you so, so much. Hearing you say that means a lot. But I’m not going on a date today.”
Hapi furrows her brow, surprised. “Wait, really?”
“That date was yesterday. And it went terribly. Again.” Dorothea sighs, staring at the garden bed. Shame washes through Hapi at her forgetfulness, quickly replaced by curiosity. Typically Dorothea would confide in her, ranting about her terrible dates—because if there was one thing Hapi was good at, it was listening.
“Another failed date, huh?”
“Yep. Another. The guy was certainly handsome, don’t get me wrong, but the way he tried to show off and flirt was just so….”
“ Ugh? ” Hapi supplies with exaggerated disgust. Dorothea laughs, and it’s music to Hapi’s ears.
“Something like that, yes. You don’t mind if I confide in you again?”
“I still don’t know what advice to give about this sort of thing, but if you insist, I’ll do what I can.”
“It’s OK, Hapi. Just… you being there and listening is more than enough, truly,” Dorothea says softly, and Hapi’s heart thrums against her chest. “I’ll try and make up for taking time away from eating with the other Ashen Wolves over dinner tonight. Petra and I plan on taking Bernie into town sometime soon. I could bring back more of those fish skewers again if you’d like.”
“I mean, if you’re willing to buy me skewers, we might as well go ourselves; make it a date too,” Hapi says smoothly without thinking. She barely has time to reflect on what she blurted out before she catches Dorothea’s dropped jaw in her peripheral vision.
“Oh, Hapi, of course! I accept!” coos Dorothea. “I never thought you’d ask.”
Hapi raises an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve seen how you look at me, you know,” Dorothea teases, leaning towards Hapi and winking. “And besides, I know you’ve wanted those fish skewers for a while; Yurikins tells me you crave more. Two birds, one stone.”
Hapi’s stomach growls on cue, and she can’t hold back an amused smile that mirrors Dorothea’s. “Hey, you won’t hear any complaints from me. Though, I could always go for more of you than the fish.”
Dorothea’s cheeks bloom red. “Tease.” Dorothea giggles and playfully swipes Hapi’s arm as she stands. “I’ll go on ahead to the dining hall, then. Save you a seat?”
“Sure, Dorry,” Hapi nods, watching Dorothea leave the greenhouse before refocusing her efforts on finishing her assigned task. Yet no matter how many extra weeds she pulls out from the garden bed, fruit and vegetable seeds she plants, or plants she waters, she can’t ignore how empty the work feels without Dorothea’s sweet voice carrying a melody throughout the greenhouse.
Hapi monotonously waters the last set of plants, and inevitably, her mind wanders to Dorothea. Hapi is acutely aware that Dorothea wants to find a partner to provide her with a stable future. And unlike so many suitors that have come and gone, they all have wealth, warm clothes, and food in droves, which Hapi and her home of Abyss can’t give Dorothea. Hapi cannot but wonder if Hapi had a place in Dorothea’s future and if their flirting would ever move beyond something more.
Hapi imagines Dorothea’s arms interlinked with someone on a date that will inevitably turn sour.
She stops watering the plants to contemplate the thoughts that pass through her mind until Hapi realises that she’s being jealous over nothing. Hapi suppresses a sigh and clicks her tongue instead.
With the work done not a moment too soon, the bell for dinner rings; she can think about this later.
As fate would have it, within the month, the Empire infiltrates and bears the full might of its army down on the monastery. Hapi and Dorothea’s date is the last thing on either of their minds, but it lingers, even as they both desperately strike down the Empire’s forces ravaging the monastery.
Yuri orders the Wolves and his gang to guard the entrance as students— Dorothea chief among them— volunteered to get as many people out as possible to begin to return with the wounded.
Hapi spots Dorothea at the entrance hall, carrying a wounded Caspar slung on her back as an Empire soldier attempts to ambush them. Fear seizes her heart as Hapi bites back a sigh and summons a glyph full of violent magic in a frenzied panic that shreds their armour and swallows the battalion whole.
Hapi rushes to Dorothea’s side. “Go!”
Balthus takes Caspar off Dorothea’s back, who stumbles toward Hapi.
“Dorry, what are you doing? You need to—”
Dorothea leans in and plants a chaste kiss on Hapi’s cheek, swift enough so that no one notices the chaos. “Everyone made it out. Thank you,” she gently whispers, running past her, giving Hapi not a moment to think about what happened as she dashes away to the monastery gates.
Reinvigorated, Hapi’s magic surges through her body and into her hands, alight in purple flame. Dorothea’s safety mattered more than anything— and now, she could raise hell.
Hapi’s almost jealous of how Yuri’s eyes light up when he sees Chatterbox fighting again.
Bandits swarmed the monastery in the five years since the Empire attacked, the Ashen Wolves assisting in flushing them out. Hapi launches a wind spell from her hands at an unsuspecting group, which collides with a well-timed fireball that mixes to create a large explosion that Constance would be proud of.
Hapi’s gaze snaps toward where the fireball came from, instantly recognising the woman across from her, and Hapi’s heartbeat surges higher with every step she takes.
“Dorry?” Hapi calls out.
Dorothea’s head snaps up, her grim frown transforming into a grin as she runs toward Hapi and pulls her into a comforting embrace. “Hapi! Oh, thank goodness you’re safe….”
Hapi returns the surprise hug as her heart drums heavily against her chest from the warmth and proximity. “Yeah…and you too,” Hapi mumbles as she falls for Dorothea all over again.
Weeks go by before Hapi can have another proper conversation with Dorothea. Between the uncertain morale and the Empire attempting to retake Garreg Mach, it’s almost a padded-out retread of the nightmare from five years ago.
Days after the attempted invasion, Hapi finds a crestfallen Dorothea sitting alone at the gazebo and endeavours to join her; Dorothea had said she’s a good listener, Hapi rationalises.
“Hey, Dorry. Mind if I sit here?”
“Oh, of course, Hapi.” Dorothea smiles,
Hapi sits by her side. “You feeling well?”
“About as well as I can be, I suppose.”
“Right. It sounds like you’re not feeling well,” Hapi points out bluntly.
Dorothea chuckles, and Hapi wishes she could hear it again.
“I suppose not. I was thinking about what everyone’s been doing for the past five years and how strange it is to see everyone here again. I suppose you returned to Abyss?”
“More or less. Yuri ordered it once it was clear we weren’t gonna win. And you? You had the opera company, right? You were on good terms with them.” Hapi asks tentatively.
“I did. Everyone from Mittlefrank went into hiding. I wanted to go with them, but I stayed in Adrestia.”
“Why?” Hapi asks, surprised Dorothea would leave behind such security.
The silence puts Hapi on edge before Dorothea whispers, “I want the sort of world Edie intends to build as her end goal, you know? But this war? It’s just too much. So many innocent people have been killed, displaced, and robbed of even the barest necessities.”
“I tried to reconcile our house—the Black Eagles. I thought that maybe the way things ended at Garreg Mach all those years ago didn’t have to stay that way, you know? That we could figure out our differences,” Dorothea explains quietly.
“It didn’t work out that way. Ferdie still lost everything, Caspar left his home territory, Bernie swore never to leave Varley, and Petra didn’t give me a proper goodbye. Hubie… Well, he’s not any different. But Edie? She’s cold now. So, so cold.”
Dorothea’s gaze fell to her lap, her hands tightly gripping her dress. “I tried my best to fix what we had. We all left more broken than before. I wanted to help as many people as possible. But I’m so weary of it all now.”
“I’m sorry, Dorry. I had no idea,” Hapi apologises. She’d contemplated leaving Abyss but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Dorothea was far stronger than her in that regard. “But I think I get the gist of it.”
“Thank you, Hapi, but you don’t have anything to apologise for,” Dorothea reassures her, gently placing a hand on Hapi’s shoulder. “Security is partly why I’m here. With you around, I won’t have anything to worry about.” Dorothea winks playfully.
Dorothea’s attempts at levity work, and Hapi’s heart skips a beat. Hapi clears her throat, hoping she remains outwardly composed enough not to blush.
“I’ll do what I can. What about the other part?”
“The promise our Professor made with us, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember. Yuribird always tried his best for Abyss, banking on Chatterbox’s return, but he’s gotten more tired as the war’s gone on. Chatterbox coming back relit a fire in him I haven’t seen in a long time.”
“Yes, he’s rather smitten, isn’t he?” Dorothea sighs wistfully. “And what about you?”
Hapi raises her eyebrows. “Me?”
“Of course. See a special someone that relit a fire in you?” Dorothea asks, her tone teasing.
Hapi looks at Dorothea. “Yeah. I did,” she blurts out without thinking.
Dorothea’s eyes widen. “Oh? Well, I hope that special someone of yours gets the wonderful date into town she’s owed one of these days, even if it’s overdue,” Dorothea says slyly with a wink.
Hapi got the message loud and clear.
Gronder Field is nothing short of a mess.
Byleth’s orders to flank the enemy are fresh in her mind as the fog gets thicker. Three armies clash in a desperate attempt for dominance, leaving a trail of death and destruction. Amongst the fighting, Hapi struggles to maintain her battalion’s position close to Dorothea’s.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Dorry,” Hapi says harshly, forcing what little white magic she can conjure onto Dorothea’s wound.
Dorothea places her left hand on Hapi’s cheek and smiles fondly. A whisper that only Hapi could hear leaves Dorothea’s lips— and her hand falls to the ground, her eyes closed.
“...Dorry?” Hapi calls out to her, squeezing Dorothea’s hand. “Dorry, stay with me. You have to stay up! I still owe you….”
The battlefield’s chaos fades away; all Hapi can hear is the pounding of her heart and the roar of blood in her ears. Fear and grief overwhelm Hapi as her mind goes blank.
Soldiers approach from all sides, and then something in her snaps.
“Dorothea…”
Hapi holds her love in a tight embrace and sighs.
Only after seeing Dorothea’s life almost slip away in her arms does Hapi begin to take the initiative.
The three-day march from Gronder Field back to the monastery is long and gruelling, watching Dorothea from afar in her unconscious state, Hapi’s heartache. When her condition didn’t improve after the army returned to Garreg Mach, Hapi spent every free moment she had at Dorothea’s bedside.
Hapi watches over Dorothea as midday approaches. Images of the battle of Gronder flash within her mind. After she sighed, it was all a blur, but the fear and panic still lingered in her mind. “Dorry…” Hapi trails off with an uncharacteristic shake in her voice. She grasps Dorothea’s hand, soft and calming.
“Hapi?” a voice calls out behind her. Hapi jolts a little, turning to see Manuela Casagranda stepping into view, carrying vials of vulneraries.
“Oh. Manuela. Did you need me to leave?”
“No, certainly not, dear,” Manuela shakes her head. “I was just checking if you were still here. Moreover, I want to thank you for your efforts in watching over Dorothea. It means a lot to her and me.”
“No problem. I’ve been trying to make sure Dorothea gets plenty of sleep.”
“And you?”
Hapi shrugged. “Dorry needs it more than me.”
There’s a silence that blankets the room, Hapi feeling Manuela’s gaze on her back. “You love her, don’t you?” Manuela asks bluntly.
Hapi tries to meet Manuela’s gaze but sheepishly looks away. “Yeah. Guess I didn’t realise how much I did until I almost lost her.”
“I see. Then you make sure you take care of her, alright?”
The corners of Hapi’s lips quirked up into a tired smile. “I’m trying my best.”
“You certainly are, but that’s not quite what I meant, dear. Dorothea is something of a daughter to me— and I would prefer someone strong and reliable like you for her to spend the rest of her life with.”
Hapi’s eyes widen, caught off guard. “Oh. That’s what you meant. Well, I’m flattered you think of me that way, but I’m not sure I can provide for Dorry the way she wants. Abyss is… well, you know.”
Manuela glances at Dorothea and chuckles. “I suspect that doesn’t matter as much as it might have five years ago. Now, if you’ll excuse me for a moment,” Manuela trails off with an oddly amused smile, turning on her heels to leave and closing the infirmary doors behind her.
“Hey.”
Hapi’s gaze snaps toward the occupied bed, meeting Dorothea’s tired eyes. “...Dorry?
“What’s wrong? Did I take your breath away?” Dorothea teases.
Hapi sits at Dorothea’s bedside and smiles sheepishly. “Something like that. You feeling alright?”
“I feel a little better. Manuela noticed that I’d already woken up. I didn’t want to interrupt your conversation.”
Hapi frowned. “You’re trying too hard to be polite for someone in and out of consciousness for three days.”
Dorothea laughs, and Hapi’s heart skips a beat. It was the widest smile Hapi’d seen from Dorothea in days; a crinkle in the corner of her eyes told Hapi it was the genuine article. Relief courses through her as she reminds herself that Dorothea is OK and safe.
“Maybe you’re right. But still…” Dorothea pauses, Hapi eyeing Dorothea’s hand, reaching out for hers. Hapi gently grasps it.
“I’m glad you feel the same way, Hapi.”
A rare blush rises on Hapi’s cheeks as she gently kisses Dorothea’s hand.
Even before Hapi enters the town outside Garreg Mach, she sees it bustling with civilians talking amongst each other. Children play in the streets, merchants sell their wares, friends give a toast at a restaurant, and a pair of lovers indulge in a kiss— much to the chagrin of their children. The scene is something out of a story, the levity a welcome change of pace as she enters the town’s gates.
“Well… this is nice,” Hapi says absentmindedly.
“Just nice?”
Hapi looks to her side and sees Dorothea stride toward her in a modest red dress that fits her perfectly. “Oh, hey, Dorry,” Hapi manages to get out, a little starstruck by Dorothea’s dress of choice. “And uh, I mean, it’s really nice? Between living in Abyss and the whole war, it’s weird to see a town that’s so lively. Like a little piece of paradise.”
“Honestly, you might not be far off,” Dorothea hums. Hapi can sense Dorothea’s attempts to take the initiative and reaches for Dorothea’s hand first, gently grasping it.
Hapi clears her throat. “So. Where do you wanna go?”
Dorothea’s mouth drops, and Hapi almost chuckles at her date’s surprised expression before Dorothea composes herself. “Well, how about we look at some of these stalls before we grab something to eat?”
“Sure, sounds good to me.”
“Wonderful!” Dorothea says excitedly, Hapi’s hand clasped by Dorothea’s, pulled along to the various stalls. The two try on assorted jewellery, with Dorothea slipping smooth compliments.
“I love how it matches your eyes,” Dorothea had told Hapi more than once. Cheesy, yet it worked every time.
“Oh, this looks nice,” Dorothea said with a sparkle in her eye, holding up an expensive-looking dress. “I’m gonna try this one on. Wait for me out here?”
Hapi nodded. “Sure. Take your time.”
Dorothea slipped away to one of the changing rooms. Absentmindedly, Hapi’s gaze wanders around town before settling on a food stall she spends an eternity staring at, making her mouth water.
Dorothea clears her throat, and Hapi snaps out of her daze.
“Well? What do you think, Hapi?” Dorothea asks Hapi sweetly, who takes in Dorothea’s appearance from head to toe. The red satin dress is a striking dark red that fits Dorothea perfectly, meticulously dotted with sequins, and a generous v-neck that would make any Faerghan man blush.
Hapi’s never felt so underdressed in her life.
“Woah,” Hapi blurts, struggling to maintain her composure. “That’s a good look on you. Really good.”
Dorothea giggles and brushes loose hair behind her ear. “Well, I’m glad. I’m only meant to be trying this on, so I feel a little overdressed. I’m glad you like it, though.”
Dorothea turns to return to the dressing room. Hapi’s eyes move down the back of Dorothea’s dress—
Dorothea suddenly turns back, and Hapi’s eyes snap back up.
“My eyes are up here, Hapi,” Dorothea winks in amusement before pulling across the curtain.
The shopkeep chuckles, and Hapi’s face turns hot from embarrassment. Dorothea returns minutes later, the dress neatly folded in a box, handing off the appropriate gold for the dress to the shopkeep.
“Wanna grab something to eat?”
“That sounds nice, but I wanted to ask you something. In private.”
“Of course, Hapi. Lead the way.”
Hapi leads Dorothea toward a clearing in a forest just outside town, the sun’s warmth beaming down around them.
“So,” Hapi says quietly, kicking at the ground, pulling her gaze away when Dorothea glances at her with a tilted head and an amused smile. She’d never think she’d feel so nervous asking a simple question, yet ridiculous question,
“So?”
Hapi clears her throat and blurts out another question “You got any plans for when the war’s over? You’ll probably want to go back to Enbarr and rebuild with the Opera, right?”
“Plans, hm? I do want to do that, but I have other ideas.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm. I hear that somewhere in Northern Faerghus, there’s a hidden village that someone once called home. I think I’d like to go there... If only I had someone to take me there,” Dorothea feigning sorrow.
“Huh,” Hapi blinks, surprised. “Really? Well, I did want to go back as well.”
“Great! Two birds, one stone, right?” Dorothea clasps her hands together excitedly.
“Sure, sounds perfect.”
Dorothea’s frown tells Hapi she’s not convinced. “Hapi? Is something wrong?”
Hapi suppresses a sigh and gives in. “I’ve been thinking for a while, Dorry, but why haven’t you ever come up with a nickname for me? Dumb question, I know.”
“That’s not a dumb question at all. Since you want to know,” Dorothea says, closing the distance between them. Dorothea’s arms wrap around Hapi’s neck, and Hapi’s hands settle on Dorothea’s waist. “It’s because I think ‘Hapi’ is perfect. Perfect like your hair, your eyes, your smile. Everything about you is perfect. I’ve known so since I first saw you.”
Hapi feels taken aback by Dorothea’s barrage of compliments. “You’re a pretty strange person, Dorry. But you know I feel the same. You’re pretty… pretty perfect. And I’m not gonna let you go through what you had to growing up. I’m gonna be by your side, no matter what.”
Dorothea softly smiles. “I suppose that makes us both strange people then, huh? But if it makes you feel better, I do have ideas for nicknames. Darling, Dear, My beloved… so many options.”
“My heart’s gonna pop out of my chest if you keep going on like that. Maybe you should just stick with my name,” Hapi chuckled.
“Very well then, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
Moments pass in silence as they stand in each other’s warm embrace, giving time for Hapi to compose herself.
“I love you, Dorry.”
Dorothea grins and leans in.
“And I love you, Hapi.”
Hapi’s lips meet Dorothea’s in a searing kiss— the first of many in their long life together.