#silverfic:wl
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“I warned you,” Dimitri rose his voice. “There is no space in my army for stragglers.”
The maiden yelped, turning to look at him with terrified eyes. “I— um— I was—”
“I don’t care,” Dimitri took the paddle from the maiden’s weak grip. “Leave.”
“B-but…!” The maiden’s eyes filled with tears. “Please! Give me another chance!”
“No,” Dimitri scowled. “You’re wasting my time, now go.”
“This isn’t fair!” The maiden yelled, “I didn’t do it on purpose!”
“Once you make a mistake, there is no undoing it. Reflect on that on your way home.”
The maiden clenched her fists, her body shaking. Her face was twisted with rage and anger. “I… I can’t let it end here. I need to get my revenge…!”
If Dimitri had some semblance of pity, he would have been concerned for her. But instead, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat impressed. Those dark and hateful emotions bubbling up within her were not aimless. She could hone her own rage to make it useful.
“Do you truly wish to avenge your brother’s murder?” He asked.
The girl looked up at him. Her once-terrified face now a scowl of rage, anger and bitterness.
“That’s good,” something almost like a smile passed by his lips. “Let’s see how determined you are.”
He rose the paddle. The maiden didn’t wince. She looked at him head-on, her rage stronger than the fear of being struck down by a fearsome foe.
He lowered the paddle— on the soaking clothes. Both of them were soaked, but he kept on mercilessly beating the cloth until all the dirt was smacked out of the fiber. Which, thanks to his strength, didn’t take long.
“Never lose that rage. Use it,” he handed the paddle handle-first to the maiden. “Not just for your revenge, but for your other chores as well. Now get to work.”
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
The woman that had let Byleth into the stronghold was none other than Judith von Daphnel. She had been one of the participants of the joust organized by the Blue Lions, five years ago. Back then, her form had been impressive, but Catherine had managed to best her.
Byleth had been glad to chance upon someone that knew her and could vouch for her. She had considered carrying a banner to identify her as part of the joint Kingdom-Church army. But the tricky air currents from nearby storms made it impossible to fly without using both hands to hold unto the wyvern. She didn’t know how Ingrid managed it, but she made flying look easier than it was. Fortunately, Judith had immediately recognized her and let her into the stronghold’s small study whilst they waited for Claude to arrive.
“So, has marriage mellowed out your husband?” Judith asked from the seat across Byleth. “I heard that he has a strong temperament.”
“We are not married. Yet.” Byleth deflected, not ready to walk into the conversational landmine that was Dimitri’s temperament. “But, Judith. I wanted to thank you for the supplies and the aid you have sent to Garreg Mach.”
“Don’t worry about that, it’s the least I could do,” Judith said. “But I must say, I’m surprised that you of all people decided to come in person. Why not send a bird with the message? Or Ingrid? I was under the impression that that girl was reliable.”
“She is,” she reassured her. But Byleth couldn’t just tell Judith that if she sent out Ingrid she’d die a horrible death. Nor that most of the birds from Garreg Mach had been killed after the siege by the invaders. “But although both birds and Ingrid are rather reliable there are… details about the battlefield that I can only confide in person.”
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
According to the scouts, the estimate was that they were outnumbered five to three. All the generals in the army knew that. The mathematicians and the engineers were also informed. Accounts and estimates were made with that figure in mind. Their battle plan was also made under the assumption that they were at a severe disadvantage.
But the difference between knowing they were outnumbered and seeing the sea of red uniforms ahead of them... Despite knowing they were as prepared as they could reasonably be, Byleth couldn’t help but wonder if they could truly prevail with the odds.
But she couldn’t show her trepidation here. If she felt dread, she couldn’t imagine how frightened the soldiers were. They had put their faith in the army’s generals to lead them. In turn, the generals demanded them to face this battlefield.
The very least they could do as leaders was to guide them through the upcoming battle. Show that they had skills as tacticians, strategists and warriors. That all would be well, as long as the soldiers followed their plan. To ignore that instinct screaming to flee for just a little longer.
“Prepare yourselves!” Byleth rose the Sword of the Creator above her, making sure to stop her voice from breaking at the worst time. “Let’s fight for a new tomorrow! With the Goddess!”
She hadn’t expected there to be much effect in her attempt to restore the morale. But her battle cry was answered. The army’s voices, though at first individual and unorganized, began to harmonize and surround her.
‘With the Goddess’, the crowd chanted back. Their chant was almost like a song, a scream, a prayer.
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
CW: death and gore, as you do
When the sixth bell rang, Byleth noticed something… odd.
“Has Ingrid come back yet?” She asked, noticing that the sun was quickly setting. “She said she’d be back by sunset and I need to talk to her to plan the aerial assault.”
“Ingrid?” Felix sheathed his sword. He kept his gaze down on the ground for a moment, and took a few deep breaths.
Realizing that he was trying to smell her, Byleth tried to follow suit. She tried to pinpoint Ingrid’s characteristic and mildly sweet scent. She could easily identify Felix’s spicy scent right in front of her, as well as Dimitri’s brooding thundering scent somewhere behind her. But as she tried to focus, she really couldn’t find any scent that resembled Ingrid’s.
Felix must have reached the same conclusion as her, as he walked outside the yard, he walked right past Dimitri, not even apologizing for bumping into him as he continued on his single-minded pursuit. Dimitri didn’t say anything, but he did follow closely behind Byleth as she followed Felix.
When the sun fully set, she used a fireball spell to help light Felix’s way. Felix guided them outside of camp, towards a rocky hill.
That was when Byleth smelled the familiar and terrible scent of decay. The scent came with the inevitable conclusion that followed, one that Byleth wasn’t ready to accept.
Ingrid’s blood spilled all around her, her back stabbed in a repeated frenzy and her face down in the mud.
Dimitri knelt down to take a closer look at her.
“Don’t touch her,” Felix snarled, swatting his hand away. He then gently pulled her off the mud.
Byleth had seen the face of death many times. She had seen many people with anguish, shock and pain permanently frozen on their faces after they died. In her previous profession, it was rare to see someone gently and serenely pass away. A part of her had hoped that Ingrid’s death had been kind.
But was evident that whoever stabbed her in the back took her by surprise.
HEY GUYS YOU REMEMBER THAT ONE EVENT IN AM WHERE A RANDO KNIGHT THAT WAS A MESSENGER GETS KILLED OFFSCREEN AND IS THE JUSTIFICATION FOR WHY DIMITRI AND CLAUDE DON'T CURBSTOMP EDELGARD ON THE GRONDER FIELD MAP AND SAID KNIGHT IS STRONGLY IMPLIED TO BE KILLED BY FLECHE?
I do.
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
Teach,
Looks like our class reunion is fast approaching. Just the other day, we captured two imperial scouts all way to Ordelia. A little far from Gronder Field, if you ask me. Isn’t there a point where investing resources into scouting starts to not be worth it?
Anyway, I’m not writing to you for a battlefield management question. We’re at the ready for your plans in Ordelia castle. The Golden Deer will march for you.
CvR
Claude’s letter was delivered by Raphael as they passed the full moon at Myrddin. If she had been able, Byleth would have loved to answer his letter right away. Unfortunately, she couldn’t just take such important decisions without most of her generals. And almost all her generals were indisposed on that night. Either because they were omegas on their monthly heat, or they were helping out their partners out, or were taking a night out on the tavern to soothe the nerves before the upcoming battle.
Truth be told, Byleth should have been out in the town, enjoying the time she had with the people she cared about before the battle. But she didn’t feel her heat coming on, and if she had gone out into town people would insist she spend the night with someone that could take care of her heat.
Speaking of… she should check on Dimitri. It had been a couple of moons since she had averted his fate on Aillel. It was unlikely he’d have his rut so soon, but she didn’t want to assume.
It was easy to find Dimitri. As always, he was in what had been the small chapel of the fortress. What had once been a brightly-illuminated chapel with delicate stained glass windows and paintings of the Goddess and the Saints and brightly-colored murals was now a hastily white-washed, empty room with smashed windows. But Dimitri didn’t seem to care, as he mumbled to himself at the spot where an altar once stood.
Byleth knew he always tended to gravitate to places of worship, even during their time at the Academy. But she had only just now noticed that he seldom prayed. Or rather, that his prayers were not any that were written down in books nor were supplications to the Goddess.
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“Ingrid,” Byleth called out to her, waving. “Now that we’ll be going to Gronder Field, I’ll need you to deliver this letter to Claude. He should still be stationed in Ordelia territory. I need you to deliver this letter to him and only him. Is that clear?”
“Of course, Professor Byleth!” Ingrid bowed at her with a smile. “I’ll be back by nightfall!”
Byleth handed her the sealed letter, which Ingrid immediately put into the sealed pouch she used to carry letters with. With the letter secure, Ingrid immediately walked off towards the pegasus pens.
“Byleth,” Dimitri called out to her, the bags beneath his lone eye deep and dark and his lips in a near-permanent grimace.
“What is it?” Byleth asked. Knowing him, he was most likely about to complain to her about something or other.
“You are still in correspondence with Claude von Riegan?”
“Yes,” she nodded.
Dimitri’s scowl deepened.
Byleth calmly waited for him to bring up his usual list of complaints. But it seemed that even he was growing weary of that tired old charade that neither really enjoyed nor were willing to change their mind about. It didn’t matter how many times Dimitri tried to tell her that Claude was untrustworthy, or that she was exposing the army with her misplaced sentimentality. It also didn’t matter how much Byleth tried to remind him that Claude and the Alliance had much to lose if the Kingdom was completely defeated in the war.
Dimitri simply shook his head in clear disapproval and walked away. Which was perfectly fine for her. She had other things to think about. Claude had written that he had been working on a scheme for the past five years about Gronder Field. She wondered what he meant. Did he ever suspect that there would be a massive pitched battle on Gronder Field?
On one hand, a predictable pitched battle was much better than being forced into an ambush in the middle of a field of fire or being forced to maneuver in a tight bridge.
“Professor!” Ashe bowed at her, “Oh! I mean… Your Grace!”
“It’s fine,” Byleth said. “Do you have a report for me?”
In the last report, Ashe reported that there was a fog over the field, making it hard to get much idea of what the Empire was planning, apart from seeing that the fortress on the southernmost side of the field was flying the red-and-gold banners of Adrestia.
Byleth hoped that the fog would have cleared by now, as the days were getting warmer.
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Wip Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
She reached out and took Dimitri’s arm. As she did, Byleth noticed just how much her hand was shaking. Dimitri turned to look at her. Perhaps it might’ve been wishful thinking, but she was certain that in his eye she saw some concern. When he took her hand in his, his touch lingered.
“W-we need…” she swallowed, still feeling her throat burning from the memory of the explosion. “We need to move the food convoy to the west before we reach Gronder Field.”
“What?” Dimitri asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“We need to move the food convoy to the west,” she repeated. “Now, while we still have time!”
“Why?”
“Because the Empire will fire a giant fireball at it, that’s why!” Byleth pulled on his arm. “You don’t want our entire army to end up caught up in a dust explosion, do you?!”
“So, the Empire is using fire… those bastards,” Dimitri grumbled. “They must have decided to burn the cover crops used during the winter as fodder, most likely.”
But even as he complained like an old, greasy wheel, he still gave the order. But with the food convoy safely moved out of the way, there was an issue of what to put in its place. After all, it was almost a certainty that the fireball she just saw would end up crashing against whatever they put in that position.
“What if we put light infantry there?” Byleth asked, her chewing at her lip it drawing blood. “They should be able to dodge the attack.”
“Heavy cavalry can take the damage, and recover quickly,” he said. “Light infantry that is hit will die. We can take a batallion of heavy cavalry and spread them out. Enough to trick the Imperial dogs to throw their magic, but thin enough to allow them space to maneuver.”
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: the Wolf Lord
"The war won't last until next winter," Dimitri said, crossing his arms. "It ends here. I will ensure it."
"Uh... that enthusiasm is good," Annette nervously said. "But we shouldn't get overconfident—"
"As long as Edelgard is dead... Nothing else matters," Dimitri grumbled.
"Anyway," Byleth cut in. "When the war is won, we will need to rebuild. Having the resources of Gronder Field will be good for us no matter what. Now that Count Gloucester backs us, the Alliance's Roundtable has voted to join us in the invasion of the Empire. We will consolidate our forces on Gronder Field."
"Not on Myrddin?" Dimitri asked. "It' d be best to merge and reshuffle our troops before the greatest pitched battle of this entire war."
"The Great Bridge of Myrddin is large, but it does not have enough largeness for all of our armies together," Petra calmly said. "If we are delayed because of this... um... strangle point, Edelgard would not have to be fighting all of us at the same time."
"Exactly," Byleth said. "The Empire has the advantage in a battle of attrition. We cannot get delayed on the crossing of the river. We will pass through the Great Bridge of Myrddin first, and then Claude will cross his army through all the minor bridges along the Airmid, following in after us."
"You would allow our army to be stuck between two potentially hostile forces?"
"Again with this?" Byleth resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Don't you think Claude and the Alliance deserve the benefit of the doubt? He cooperated with us to capture Myrddin. It would make no sense for them to try to attack us now."
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“Ingrid… um…” Byleth took a moment to think of a good excuse to have called her over. “Please gather Cyril, Yuri, Ferdinand and Sylvain in the main tent. I have a feeling Ashe will be coming back soon with his report on the terrain.”
“Of course, Professor!” Ingrid smiled, and bowed. “I’ll gather everybody right now!”
Hopefully, that had been enough to avert her horrible fate.
“Byleth,” Dimitri called out to her. “What happened?”
Byleth was startled. She had been so focused on Ingrid, that she had forgotten that Dimitri was lurking around near her.
“What happened?” Dimitri asked again.
“Why are you asking?” Byleth asked, genuinely confused at his insistence.
“You don’t space out like that often,” Dimitri said. “And you don’t change your mind on a whim. You were going to ask Ingrid to deliver a message, weren’t you?”
“What—?” Byleth gasped. And that was when she noticed that she was still gripping the sealed letter in her hand. Right. Dimitri must have guessed what she was going to do.
“What happened?” He asked, again. “Something must have happened. Tell me what it was. Did you use…?”
“I…” Byleth took a deep breath. Right. “I did. I was sending a letter to Claude, I had asked Ingrid to deliver it—” When she said that, she could see Ingrid’s dead face before her eyes. Byleth nearly stumbled through her words, but she forced herself to power through. “We found her dead just outside of camp.”
Dimitri twisted his lips. But then, he asked the obvious question: “Who did it?”
“Do you think if I knew I’d just stand here if I knew?”
“Then tell me how she died,” Dimitri said, as if he were merely asking for a status report on how many tents they had packed instead of how one of his childhood friends was murdered.
Byleth closed her eyes, and brought forth the memory from when they found Ingrid. Her back had been stabbed repeatedly, and she seemed to have been taken unawares. Her pegasus had also been stabbed, but just once with Ingrid’s spear right in the heart. A sharp stick had pierced its wing.
“The stick in Glitterhoof’s wing, was it a ballista bolt?” Dimitri asked.
“It…” Byleth focused on what she could recall. “It wasn’t…? It was just some stick that had been sharpened to an edge. Couldn’t have been longer than my arm. But how could a stick of that size have ended up—?”
“They could’ve thrown it,” Dimitri said. “It’s not hard to take down a flyer if your aim is good.”
“I suppose… But not everybody can just throw a stick with that good of an aim. Unless they used wind magic to guide the course of the projectile?” Byleth sighed. “We don’t have time to speculate. I need to send this message to Claude. So I’ll go get a wyvern—”
“Absolutely not.” Dimitri cut her off.
“What—?”
“Ingrid died delivering that message,” he said. “If you die here, then it’s all over.”
“Yes, but this time around we both know that someone can try to shoot me down,” Byleth countered. “I’ll dress in dark colors, and wyverns blend in easier into the night. I’ll come back after sunset.”
Dimitri scowled and crossed his arms. Then, he turned to look at Ashe, who had been standing around at a respectable distance. Probably waiting for them to finish their conversation. “What do you want?”
“O-oh! Your Maj— I mean! Your Highness!” Ashe rushed over and clumsily saluted them. “Professor!”
“What do you want?” Dimitri grumbled.
“Right, sorry y-your Highness!” poor Ashe looked like he was about to faint. “I’m sorry, I did not mean to intrude. You two seemed to be busy a-and—”
“What do you want?” Dimitri asked again, with a little more abrasiveness than before.
“I have a terrain report from our scouting mission!” Ashe said.
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
As the armor was removed, Byleth saw just how harrowing the last five years must had been on him.
The first thing she noticed were the scars. Dimitri had some scars before, she recalled. But most were on his back. Now, he had some new scars she hadn’t seen before.
The second thing she noticed was just how thin he was. Dimitri had always been tall and slender, but beneath his clothes one could admire just how healthy and strong he was. But now, it was clear that he must have had nights where he went to sleep hungry.
The third thing she noticed, was how even with the heat of their surroundings, Dimitri was shaking. It was slight. If she hadn’t been looking at him so closely, she wouldn’t have noticed.
She pressed her hand over his chest. Byleth could only imagine how it must have been like for him. She imagined Dimitri trying to ignore the rumbling of his stomach and the dull ache of his wounds, trying his best to sleep off just enough to get back on the move. Him ignoring the aching pit of loneliness that everyday would threaten to swallow him whole.
Just the thought of it made the tears itch at her eyes.
“Dimitri…” she said. But she couldn’t say anything else. There were simply no words she could say then and there.
So she simply rubbed her hand over his heart.
Dimitri tensed, then he gently took his hand and moved it away from his chest. His eye was also bright with tears.
“Please stop that,” he said, in a quiet and gentle tone that betrayed just how much he wanted to cry.
Byleth knew better than to ignore his request. So she nodded.
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“Do you remember our Battle of the Eagle and Lion?”
“The Battle of the Eagle and Lion?” Byleth tried to recall the events surrounding that mock battle. Many things had happened. Dimitri confessed his feelings, Edelgard asked Byleth to become her advisor, the die toss, Lady Rhea reading their battle background from a tome… But there was one notable thing that should have happened, but didn’t. “We didn’t have a Battle of the Eagle and Lion. It was cancelled because Edelgard went into rut and you into heat. Count Bergliez couldn’t let us stay for you two wait it out, because it was the time for harvest.”
“Impeccable memory, Teach!” Claude said with a smile. “Now that you mention that incident with Edelgard… I know it’s been five years but I would sometimes go back to mull over why it happened. I’ve always been regular with my heats. Ever since my first heat, it’s always been on the day before the full moon. But on that day, Edelgard’s scent was—”
“Could you tell me more about what happened?” Byleth asked.
“Oh right, you weren’t there,” Claude said. “Remember how during the die toss, Lady Rhea had to tell me something in private to have an element of surprise?”
Byleth nodded.
“After that, Edelgard tried to get me to spill the beans on what Lady Rhea told me for the element of surprise. She was being a little forceful, but nothing too out of the ordinary for her, I guess? We ran into Dimitri, who was training.”
That sounded like Dimitri, alright.
“Edelgard challenged Dimitri to a spar, and it was very close! But she managed to win. After that, I challenged her. I was using a sword, so we got up close. I’m sure that that’s when I started smelling her, Teach. She didn’t smell like usual, either. Because we thought she’s a minor crest alpha, it made sense for her to have a faint bergamot scent. But during that spar, I swear I smelled something like rosewood that fluctuated and changed with her mood and disposition.”
“What do you mean, ’we thought she’s a minor crest alpha’?” Byleth asked. “She’s not?”
“Now that we’re at war, there’s no use in suppressing anymore,” Claude said. “I’ve managed to smell all sorts of different designations without anything getting in the way. Usually, people tend to naturally smell like one thing, not a combination of things. The only exception is a certain someone in our army that has two scents… and two Crests.”
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Making Dimitri aware of the divine pulse and getting him involved in her decisions was one of the things that made me drop my jaw to the floor, I mean I have read a lot of fics but honestly… I don’t think I have read a lot of stories that made that move or made it as significant in the plot and character development as I saw it in your story.
I mean… I almost feels like he will try to pull a “If we defeat Edelgard but I die leave it as it is, you don’t have to return time.” And if you, as a writer, decide to do so in your story know that you will destroy me.
Thank you to my anon ted talk.
I knew that revealing DP before Gronder was a controversial idea. I personally wouldn’t have told Dimitri the DP thing if I were Byleth. Because, look at the guy. He’s giggling maniacally in the corner. He’s obviously a dangerous loose canon. He is clearly emotionally unstable and unable of any higher functioning decision-making, let alone managing decisions that involve rewriting the very weave on the fabric of time!
Or… is he?
Dimitri is definitely not a bucket of sunshine and rainbows. He’s clearly not 100% okay. But also, all of his observations… aren’t wrong. Well. We know they’re wrong because we know the story and how it unfolds, like how Claude is trustworthy and all that stuff. But, assuming you don’t have the full picture, he brings up valid points! What if Claude decided to abandon the Kingdom-Church army to the Empire? What if the army is attacked when most of the generals are vulnerable during the full moon? He was right to assume an ambush on the exchange at Aillel! The Kingdom-Church army doesn’t have an abundance of rations, they have to be strict to make them last as long as possible!
Again, I wouldn’t trust Dimitri with “oh btw we got resets”.
But Byleth would.
Because she knows him. She knows who he really is, deep down. Just as she has seen him in his darker moods, and she has seen the depth and breadth of his compassion. Even after his “I’m a monster I’ve always been” spiel and him being a grump around camp and at war councils, she knows the truth. She saw him anguished over killing Randolph, even after talking a big game about being a monster and wanting to blind the guy. She knows she can rely on him to keep going when things get tough and it all seems hopeless, like when they were defending Garreg Mach or were suddenly ambushed at Aillel.
It’s just that… the “deep down” is really deep down. Buried beneath layers upon layers of knee-jerk reactions, trauma and an unhealthy sleeping schedule.
Anyway, all of this to say: yes my dear Anon! Dimitri knowing about DP will definitely play a pivotal role in a certain scene of much importance. But instead of talking your ear off, I might as well just write it in the chapter proper, eh~?
;^)
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You have one of the best characterizations of Dimitri and Byleth I've read in Wolf Lord... they are just *chef kiss*
Thank you for this ask, Anon! It’s an honor to read that you like how I write these two in WL! I really love showing each character’s thought process, feelings and how (to them) their actions are totally rational and obvious.
Even when Dimitri’s at his most erratic, I wanted to go beyond the “he’s just totally paranoid and too far gone” angle. Mostly because he’s still at his core the same guy that loves his country, cares for orphans and knows what it’s like to be weak and lost.
While Byleth has less overt characterization (I started writing before Hopes and Engage came out) I think that in general they’re the sort of person that just likes helping people and is a great listener. Also, it’s fun to write a character that’s a literal genius/gifted person!
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“I’m sorry I left your side,” Dedue finally said, brandishing his shears and cutting off a rotting branch.
“You’re sorry…?” The snarl came easily to Dimitri, but he hadn’t meant it.
Had he?
“Valtyr took me to Duscur. If only I had been strong enough to stay awake… I would have let them know of our boat ride out of Fhirdiad.”
“You had a boat?”
“Mercedes helped me secure the passage with a merchant headed for Fraldarius.”
That much made sense. Dimitri really didn’t have any argument against that.
Dedue, on the other hand, had finished saying what he wanted to say.
The conversation stopped. Dimitri should have let it die and left the greenhouse. But he couldn’t deny the restlessness in his body, demanding that he do something. Say anything.
“I thought you died,” he said.
Traitorous tears itched his eyes, and his voice had shaken with fear. Dimitri pulled off his cumbersome eyepatch letting Dedue look at his useless eye.
“I thought Byleth died. I thought everyone was dead.”
Dedue turned to look at him. Dimitri looked away.
“But none of you are dead and I…” Dimitri’s fists clenched hard. “Why? Why did you come? Why are you here?”
Why did he have to see him like this?
Dimitri heard Dedue turn around, and he heard some more rustling of the plants. A couple of snips of the shears. When Dimitri rose his eyes, he saw a mess of vague green in one, and in the other he saw Dedue looking at him.
“Because I promised,” he said, simply.
“To come to some stupid millennium celebra—”
“I promised to help you achieve your vow,” Dedue’s native language rolled out from his lips without a moment’s hesitation. “You promised a land where the people of Duscur and Fódlan would be able to be proud blood brothers. That they would be equals under the same sun and stars.”
Dimitri remembered. It was a hot summer day. Dedue had been trying to cool with well water the red-hot hand print on his cheek.
Dedue picked up his shears. He gave Dimitri a nod, and said: “We, the Duscur, do not forget.”
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Hello! Welcome to this edition of "Silver just rants and rants and rants about the worldbuilding of a fanfic". Why not start things off with my most elaborate fanfic?
This is an outfit reference I made for Dimitri to use during the Ethereal Moon Ball in Wolf Lord.
Aka: "the outfit he was supposed to wear when he was going to propose to Byleth but then he didn't do it at the last minute", whoops.
I wanted to imagine what kind of clothes Dimitri would use when not at Murder School, so something that might fit in at court, but is taken up to 11 for a formal event. Since he's A Literal Prince, he gets to use ermine fur (a symbol of royalty). His cape is "princely", a hint of his future High Lord and Great Lord outfits with his big, swishing King Cape. Also he gets to have boots with the fur (the fur!!!!)
Also yes, he has the Crest of Blaiddyd embroidered in silver string out on his belt and surcoat, as well as part of his clothes' clasps. Fun fact: embroidering precious metal string is called goldwork and requires highly skilled and specialized manual labor. That belt and trim are a splurge. Kinda like him wearing a gucci belt. But, compared to Claude (who is wearing cloth-of-gold which is "I'm so fucking rich my threads ARE GOLD") and Edelgard (who has a SOLID GOLD EAGLE HAIR STICK that is btw super fucking heavy but she's dedicated to the look, with HAND MADE BLACK LACE DETAILS AND GLOVES with some pearls tastefully sewn on the wrists....... she's giving that "romantique vampire qween of several millennia of accumulated wealth" levels of loaded), you can tell that he's not THAT rich. Note to self: maybe actually draw the others' outfits because I spent months looking at GOT costuming videos and details and have a bunch of ideas that would look cool but then promptly never described. Or maybe make a post later. IDK might have to think it over.
Anyway back to Dimitri: as royalty, he wears an ermine fur collar and trimmings. This is also another splurge that is cost-effective, since his territory IS known for luxury furriers. They don't mention the pelt/furrier industry in 3 Hopes, I think? But it makes sense for Faerghus to make bank with furs and good-quality leather. He might be a prince of the least wealthy country on the continent, but he is still royalty.
Dimitri himself didn't choose this outfit, but his Good Uncle Rufus (unironic, Rufus is actually a good dude in this fic) helped him pick out the outfit to give that "wow" factor that would match well with Byleth's outfit so that when they came back from the proposal the whole club would be lookin' at them the future King and Queen of Faerghus would look nice together...
Anyway, POV you're Rufus and you just spend weeks on end coaching your nephew to make a good impression on the only woman he has shown any kind of romantic interest so when he proposes she won't just go like "👁.👁 what" and then you get a letter saying "hey uncle lmao guess what i forgot to propose 🤪"
I'll upload Byleth's outfit with another batch of brainworms tomorrow, I wrote this entire post in a mad dash of inspiration (which is tbh the best way to Tumblr amirite) so it might have typos and weird jumping around especially at the end with all the flo-rida song lyrics, apologies but I am a mere vessel of the dimileth gods thatse it i cannae help it..........
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WIP Wednesday
Excerpt from: The Wolf Lord
“I think…” she said, breaking the awkward pause with a sigh. “Because we are soulmates.”
Mate, the word made the back of Dimitri’s head feel warm with a hazy satisfaction. For a moment, he could remember the delightful, deep and all-encompassing scent that struck his nose and tongue on the night of his first and only rut. The first scent he ever smelled. The scent of the omega that he was meant to find, love and cherish. Could it be? If he were a normal alpha— a true alpha, would he have been able to smell her and known?
“How can you know that?” He asked, trying to reign back the excitement of finding his Goddess Soul Bond mate.
Byleth gave him a strange look. But just when Dimitri was going to assume that she was not going to answer, she asked him a strange question.
“Do you promise to keep this secret? It’s important that not many people know about this. In part, because I don’t want to burden them with the knowledge… and also, because it’s the greatest tactical resource I have on hand for our cause.”
Dimitri had no idea what the correlation was. Byleth’s greatest tactical resource was her physical experience on the battlefield alongside with her prodigious mind. She was quick to make decisions, and considered the many possible outcomes and how to counteract them before venturing out into the field. “I promise to keep your secret.”
Byleth took a deep breath. “Sothis—The Goddess gave me the power to turn back the hands of time. When we were in Fhirdiad, we made love and bonded. But then… something happened to you. You were about to die. So I had to turn back time, and prevent that from happening.”
Dimitri looked at Byleth. She looked back at him in the eye.
Neither said anything for a moment.
“What?” He asked, wondering if he had somehow misheard her.
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