[ Saying there is no need to make a competition out of their birthday gifts certainly doesn't mean that she doesn't like winning when there is a competition. Even now she has a particular idea for one, perhaps something they should try in honor of their first few days as husband and wife. Something they'd have more trouble doing off the island.
But she can see it in his eyes, his reflection of her own joy at calling him her husband, and he is not wrong: there is power in it, isn't there?
Fortunately for him, she mostly intends to call him that because it will be factual and she likes the sound of it. But how much he likes it isn't lost on her at all. ]
Once we are married I think it will not be unfair in the slightest.
[ As his pace slows and he asks about redirecting their course she gently tugs at his hand. ]
Worry not. This is the path I intended to walk tonight. [ In fact, they're close enough that this seems like an excellent time to take off her shoes. Without removing her hand from his, she stops long enough to step out of her sandals and take both in her free hand. ] It's time to show you something I've learned.
[ She doesn't exactly mean swimming but it does encompass swimming. His lessons are a large part of what has enabled her to do this tonight. ]
[ The pair of narrowed eyes he offers her as a response seems to say that, hmmmm, no, he thinks it will always be unfair, because he doesn't foresee the term ever losing any of its impact; he will be her husband, and she will be his wife, and there won't be a single day when he won't open his eyes and wonder if the sight before him isn't some sort of dream.
(He also fully expects her to be a little vixen on occasion, and deliberately take advantage of this weakness to disarm him. But only as his friend, his beloved, never again as a bitter enemy.) ]
Oh? [ His brows arch when she continues, his smile ever widening. ] You truly are full of surprises today, are you not?
[ So he will follow suit and kick his own shoes off, then gather them up in his free hand-- and she had made sure to suggest he should wear trousers he could easily roll up, hadn't she? He can't say he would mind dipping his feet in the water, but Edelgard has always been reluctant to, all the more so at nighttime. What other delightful secrets has she been keeping? ]
Very well. Lead the way, and we will follow hand in hand.
[ His question prompts a pleased curve of her lips. After sharing their lives for over a year and being intimate... friends(?) for some time before that, it's safe to say that he knows her better than almost anyone.
(The possible exception is Hubert but if he saw her tonight, hand in hand with Dimitri and smiling about it and willingly walking toward the shoreline late at night, he would question it.)
Still, she's managed to treat him to a series of nice surprises today and that feels good. She continues to smile as they reach the beach and walk boldly down to where gentle waves lap at the sand. She stops where cool water can wash over their bare feet and looks out over the dark ocean.
When her smile does fade, it's gradual. Natural. Not caused by deep-rooted fear. She takes a breath and exhales, then glances toward Dimitri. ]
It will be some time before I find it beautiful, I think. [ If she ever can. During the day would be a different story; she has gained an appreciation for the blue-upon-blue of a sunlit sky meeting the water. At night the inky darkness of the ocean and its perpetual threat of overpowering still easily disquiets. ] But I do not feel scared. I have learned from Ferdinand and even Constance and especially you, the man who was willing to teach his sometime enemy how to swim.
[ And at a time when she was having trouble seeing him as more than that (...and a regular sexual partner) herself. Her hand squeezes his. ]
Earlier you said that you hoped every day I wear my ring I will be reminded that I am never alone. I can say with certainty that I will because you have taught me that. [ She smiles despite herself, the undercurrent of amusement in her voice hitting a note of self-consciousness. ] I know it was more difficult to teach than swimming has been.
[ He watches her cautious steps into the waves, and if he stays silent as he follows along, it's because he does know her well-- because he still remembers her hesitation when they had to fight those creatures of decay on this very beach, because he can never forget how the first of many nightmares she has shared with him had an ocean starring as the source of her terror. Yet here she stands tonight, facing her fear head-on, irrefutable proof of the strength she carries within.
She doesn't need his strength, he knows. Doesn't even need his protection. But he offers it all the same, with a single squeeze of his hand once she breaks the silence--and the longer she goes, the longer he thinks the gesture is all he can do, as words are hard to find. All, save for one. ]
El...
[ The one that always rolls sweetest off his tongue, too short a syllable for the depth of affection it holds. ]
That was a lesson I have had to learn, myself. One that cost me so much more than time and a little persistence.
[ It cost him his last parental figure, and nearly his entire Kingdom with it. Far too steep a price, a lesson felt wasted on a man who may never truly deem himself worthy of his blessings. ]
I know we have sworn to share our burdens-- [ If she'll let him, he'll take the pair of sandals off her hand and set them aside next to his on the sand, freeing their fingers for just a moment. He wishes to face her fully, connected with both hands and eyes that have nothing to hide. ] --but I ask that you allow me to carry the brunt of this one on my own. You needn't lose anything more, and if time and a little persistence is all it takes, then it will be my pleasure to teach a most difficult student in every lifetime we may cross paths again.
[ A kiss to both sets of her knuckles marks the end of his melancholy -- he has too much to celebrate, too much to be happy about today -- and the huff of amusement that follows is close enough to hers. ]
You did almost lose your dagger, however-- on this very beach, years ago. Earning your forgiveness then may have been nigh impossible a task.
[ Dimitri has shared quite a few sweet sentiments with her over the course of their relationship but something about the way he says her name always manages to hit the sweetest notes.
Once he moves her sandals, she's all too happy to place both hands in his and meet his eyes as though they exchange vows right here on the beach.
(In a way, they do.)
As soon as he's kissed her knuckles, her fingers rest against his cheeks. ]
I would like for neither of us to lose anything more. [ Loss is a part of even the most peaceful lives and she knows that well but so much of the loss they've experienced has been premature or unnatural or simply traumatic. She will never forget the look on Dee's face when their shared dream took them to Duscur. ] At the very least I hope our joy will outweigh loss.
[ Even after all this time it's so strange to think that she has come from a point that must be considered the beginning of the end of the war and he has come from its final days, that the time between those points will differ so greatly for them. She meant what she told him earlier today, though: they write their own stories now and there are a great many stories she wishes to write with him.
As her hands lower from his face she positions them in a clear invitation to dance with her right here with waves lapping over their ankles. ]
Had I lost my dagger on the beach that day I would have been quite upset. [ She can admit that with a smile. ] But I would not have blamed you for it.
[ As though conditioned by months of unrelenting affections, he leans into her touch as he often does, eyes closed and an easy smile playing on his lips; right there, with his face held between the hands of a former enemy, is where he feels safest. ]
We cannot escape loss entirely. [ A harsh truth, one that he knows she understands as well as him, though one he yet hopes to soothe with his large hands dwarfing hers. ] But knowing I will not lose you to this island nor to war... That alone fills me with such joy and strength that I can face whatever comes my way.
[ And should she one day depart before him as she so fears, he still means everything he said when she told him of hers concerns: he would not trade a day of such sublime happiness by her side for a longevously lukewarm lifetime by anyone else's.
But again, he doesn't want to dwell in such doom and gloom, and she is so kind as to take his hand and lead his steps and his thoughts away from the dark. Oh, and how far she has come: once terrified of the ocean at night, now she moves with him in the pale moonlight, saltwater licking at their ankles as they waltz without song-- and if it looks as though she has also conditioned his rhythm to match hers, if their one-two-three is timed to perfection, it's because this is where they have always belonged: right in each other's arms, dancing past every sunset and sunrise alike. ]
I must say, I'm not as confident to think you would not have blamed me-- [ Not entirely a lie, though his smile is mostly playful. ] Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say you would have resented me for it. I was little more than a temporary ally at the time, and only out of necessity.
[ And that, she thinks, is one of the best feelings in the world. Drawing strength from someone while they draw strength from you. It's all the sweeter because their lives aren't (currently) being threatened; they help each other just by existing, being near, being a lover and a friend and a reliable partner.
She wasn't wrong when she thought he would make a fine partner for someone. She hadn't expected this outcome at the time but some surprises are very good.
Soft wet sand clings between her toes as they dance, their feet leaving prints in the sand that the waves immediately smooth. Did she... compliment Dimitri on his dancing when they first met here? How little she knew. ]
I was the one who impulsively threw it to you, fully aware that you may not hear me call out or manage to catch it. I would not have blamed you for my choice.
But [ A corner of her smile twitches, threatening to grow wider. He isn't wrong. He knows her. ] that isn't to say that I wouldn't have resented losing it or that I would not have scolded myself bitterly later for losing my precious dagger while trying to save an enemy who was almost certainly going to drown to death if the strength of the tentacle didn't crush him first.
[ She doesn't know what it was like to be grabbed like that by the half-hidden creature, to be swung over the shoreline. Witnessing it was enough of a nightmare. ]
But we needed each other that day.
[ Her hand squeezes his. She can meet his eyes when she says it. The need was mutual. ]
And any resentment I held over losing the dagger for your sake would have been challenged by the revelation that you are the one who gave it to me, don't you think? [ Now her smile really does broaden - and sharpen, playful. ] I thought of the boy who gave me the dagger as my first love.
[ They needed each other that day, she says, and he has to employ all of his strength not to immediately retort that they still need each other now. Not for mere survival, but for a happy and fulfilling life they both once thought beyond their reach.
And while she can meet his eyes as she admits to that mutual need, he can return the gentle squeeze of her hand with a confession of his own. ]
If such revelation had come to pass as it did, yes. I was such a fool to keep it from you for as long as I did, and without the island's influence, I often wonder whether I would have told you of my own accord...
[ It's hard to keep the self-chastising from slipping into his tone, hard not to bemoan his own incapability to be more straightforward with her despite proof after proof of how well they could work together-- on that dance floor, in her bedroom, on this very beach turned battlefield, a perfect match in every way, a joint force to defeat all odds. ]
Perhaps... across those infinite timelines, there can be a Dimitri who is wiser than I. [ Less stubborn? No. Just wise enough to seize his chance when he sees it. ] One who will reach for your hand without hesitation, just like that boy who once helped a little girl stand on her feet again.
[ Back then, she was a lot more trusting, enough to reach back without little thought as to whether she could or should. He doesn't think any Edelgard who has been put through the same ordeal as his El would ever be quite like that again, but he was at least wise -- and stubborn -- enough to keep trying. ]
Regardless-- [ His smile regains strength-- he draws it from her, always. ] --I may no longer be that boy, but I feel rather confident to gift you more daggers now, perhaps to mark our every anniversary forthcoming?
[ Forgive him if it's not a standard move in a dance, but he feels the need to lean in closer, his smile ever widening. ]
How would you like that? A new blade for every year spent with my first and only true love.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
But she can see it in his eyes, his reflection of her own joy at calling him her husband, and he is not wrong: there is power in it, isn't there?
Fortunately for him, she mostly intends to call him that because it will be factual and she likes the sound of it. But how much he likes it isn't lost on her at all. ]
Once we are married I think it will not be unfair in the slightest.
[ As his pace slows and he asks about redirecting their course she gently tugs at his hand. ]
Worry not. This is the path I intended to walk tonight. [ In fact, they're close enough that this seems like an excellent time to take off her shoes. Without removing her hand from his, she stops long enough to step out of her sandals and take both in her free hand. ] It's time to show you something I've learned.
[ She doesn't exactly mean swimming but it does encompass swimming. His lessons are a large part of what has enabled her to do this tonight. ]
no subject
(He also fully expects her to be a little vixen on occasion, and deliberately take advantage of this weakness to disarm him. But only as his friend, his beloved, never again as a bitter enemy.) ]
Oh? [ His brows arch when she continues, his smile ever widening. ] You truly are full of surprises today, are you not?
[ So he will follow suit and kick his own shoes off, then gather them up in his free hand-- and she had made sure to suggest he should wear trousers he could easily roll up, hadn't she? He can't say he would mind dipping his feet in the water, but Edelgard has always been reluctant to, all the more so at nighttime. What other delightful secrets has she been keeping? ]
Very well. Lead the way, and we will follow hand in hand.
[ Not just on this beach, not just tonight. ]
no subject
(The possible exception is Hubert but if he saw her tonight, hand in hand with Dimitri and smiling about it and willingly walking toward the shoreline late at night, he would question it.)
Still, she's managed to treat him to a series of nice surprises today and that feels good. She continues to smile as they reach the beach and walk boldly down to where gentle waves lap at the sand. She stops where cool water can wash over their bare feet and looks out over the dark ocean.
When her smile does fade, it's gradual. Natural. Not caused by deep-rooted fear. She takes a breath and exhales, then glances toward Dimitri. ]
It will be some time before I find it beautiful, I think. [ If she ever can. During the day would be a different story; she has gained an appreciation for the blue-upon-blue of a sunlit sky meeting the water. At night the inky darkness of the ocean and its perpetual threat of overpowering still easily disquiets. ] But I do not feel scared. I have learned from Ferdinand and even Constance and especially you, the man who was willing to teach his sometime enemy how to swim.
[ And at a time when she was having trouble seeing him as more than that (...and a regular sexual partner) herself. Her hand squeezes his. ]
Earlier you said that you hoped every day I wear my ring I will be reminded that I am never alone. I can say with certainty that I will because you have taught me that. [ She smiles despite herself, the undercurrent of amusement in her voice hitting a note of self-consciousness. ] I know it was more difficult to teach than swimming has been.
no subject
She doesn't need his strength, he knows. Doesn't even need his protection. But he offers it all the same, with a single squeeze of his hand once she breaks the silence--and the longer she goes, the longer he thinks the gesture is all he can do, as words are hard to find. All, save for one. ]
El...
[ The one that always rolls sweetest off his tongue, too short a syllable for the depth of affection it holds. ]
That was a lesson I have had to learn, myself. One that cost me so much more than time and a little persistence.
[ It cost him his last parental figure, and nearly his entire Kingdom with it. Far too steep a price, a lesson felt wasted on a man who may never truly deem himself worthy of his blessings. ]
I know we have sworn to share our burdens-- [ If she'll let him, he'll take the pair of sandals off her hand and set them aside next to his on the sand, freeing their fingers for just a moment. He wishes to face her fully, connected with both hands and eyes that have nothing to hide. ] --but I ask that you allow me to carry the brunt of this one on my own. You needn't lose anything more, and if time and a little persistence is all it takes, then it will be my pleasure to teach a most difficult student in every lifetime we may cross paths again.
[ A kiss to both sets of her knuckles marks the end of his melancholy -- he has too much to celebrate, too much to be happy about today -- and the huff of amusement that follows is close enough to hers. ]
You did almost lose your dagger, however-- on this very beach, years ago. Earning your forgiveness then may have been nigh impossible a task.
no subject
Once he moves her sandals, she's all too happy to place both hands in his and meet his eyes as though they exchange vows right here on the beach.
(In a way, they do.)
As soon as he's kissed her knuckles, her fingers rest against his cheeks. ]
I would like for neither of us to lose anything more. [ Loss is a part of even the most peaceful lives and she knows that well but so much of the loss they've experienced has been premature or unnatural or simply traumatic. She will never forget the look on Dee's face when their shared dream took them to Duscur. ] At the very least I hope our joy will outweigh loss.
[ Even after all this time it's so strange to think that she has come from a point that must be considered the beginning of the end of the war and he has come from its final days, that the time between those points will differ so greatly for them. She meant what she told him earlier today, though: they write their own stories now and there are a great many stories she wishes to write with him.
As her hands lower from his face she positions them in a clear invitation to dance with her right here with waves lapping over their ankles. ]
Had I lost my dagger on the beach that day I would have been quite upset. [ She can admit that with a smile. ] But I would not have blamed you for it.
no subject
We cannot escape loss entirely. [ A harsh truth, one that he knows she understands as well as him, though one he yet hopes to soothe with his large hands dwarfing hers. ] But knowing I will not lose you to this island nor to war... That alone fills me with such joy and strength that I can face whatever comes my way.
[ And should she one day depart before him as she so fears, he still means everything he said when she told him of hers concerns: he would not trade a day of such sublime happiness by her side for a longevously lukewarm lifetime by anyone else's.
But again, he doesn't want to dwell in such doom and gloom, and she is so kind as to take his hand and lead his steps and his thoughts away from the dark. Oh, and how far she has come: once terrified of the ocean at night, now she moves with him in the pale moonlight, saltwater licking at their ankles as they waltz without song-- and if it looks as though she has also conditioned his rhythm to match hers, if their one-two-three is timed to perfection, it's because this is where they have always belonged: right in each other's arms, dancing past every sunset and sunrise alike. ]
I must say, I'm not as confident to think you would not have blamed me-- [ Not entirely a lie, though his smile is mostly playful. ] Or perhaps, it would be more accurate to say you would have resented me for it. I was little more than a temporary ally at the time, and only out of necessity.
no subject
She wasn't wrong when she thought he would make a fine partner for someone. She hadn't expected this outcome at the time but some surprises are very good.
Soft wet sand clings between her toes as they dance, their feet leaving prints in the sand that the waves immediately smooth. Did she... compliment Dimitri on his dancing when they first met here? How little she knew. ]
I was the one who impulsively threw it to you, fully aware that you may not hear me call out or manage to catch it. I would not have blamed you for my choice.
But [ A corner of her smile twitches, threatening to grow wider. He isn't wrong. He knows her. ] that isn't to say that I wouldn't have resented losing it or that I would not have scolded myself bitterly later for losing my precious dagger while trying to save an enemy who was almost certainly going to drown to death if the strength of the tentacle didn't crush him first.
[ She doesn't know what it was like to be grabbed like that by the half-hidden creature, to be swung over the shoreline. Witnessing it was enough of a nightmare. ]
But we needed each other that day.
[ Her hand squeezes his. She can meet his eyes when she says it. The need was mutual. ]
And any resentment I held over losing the dagger for your sake would have been challenged by the revelation that you are the one who gave it to me, don't you think? [ Now her smile really does broaden - and sharpen, playful. ] I thought of the boy who gave me the dagger as my first love.
no subject
And while she can meet his eyes as she admits to that mutual need, he can return the gentle squeeze of her hand with a confession of his own. ]
If such revelation had come to pass as it did, yes. I was such a fool to keep it from you for as long as I did, and without the island's influence, I often wonder whether I would have told you of my own accord...
[ It's hard to keep the self-chastising from slipping into his tone, hard not to bemoan his own incapability to be more straightforward with her despite proof after proof of how well they could work together-- on that dance floor, in her bedroom, on this very beach turned battlefield, a perfect match in every way, a joint force to defeat all odds. ]
Perhaps... across those infinite timelines, there can be a Dimitri who is wiser than I. [ Less stubborn? No. Just wise enough to seize his chance when he sees it. ] One who will reach for your hand without hesitation, just like that boy who once helped a little girl stand on her feet again.
[ Back then, she was a lot more trusting, enough to reach back without little thought as to whether she could or should. He doesn't think any Edelgard who has been put through the same ordeal as his El would ever be quite like that again, but he was at least wise -- and stubborn -- enough to keep trying. ]
Regardless-- [ His smile regains strength-- he draws it from her, always. ] --I may no longer be that boy, but I feel rather confident to gift you more daggers now, perhaps to mark our every anniversary forthcoming?
[ Forgive him if it's not a standard move in a dance, but he feels the need to lean in closer, his smile ever widening. ]
How would you like that? A new blade for every year spent with my first and only true love.