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Edelgard preferred to keep her private quarters private, but sometimes there was no helping it. When all of the Black Eagles lived so close to one another, it was easy for some of her classmates to treat her nearby room as an invitation. Besides, she was the second most important person in the house, after Byleth; she was the house leader. So if there was any issue that wasn’t put on Byleth, it’d be put on Edelgard.
She had seen that coming when she accepted the position of house leader, of course. So she listened to everyone’s problems, even when she was in the privacy of her own room and the sun had set.
“...so that’s the issue. And normally, I’d just handle it all my own, but the Professor’s all like, ‘Caspar, you have to stop fighting people’. So what now?”
Edelgard had admittedly missed most of the problem. She cursed herself for being so inattentive, but...well, there was someone else she was expecting. And it wasn’t an angry Caspar. “I agree that you certainly shouldn’t pick any more fights, Caspar.”
Empty advice, but solid advice nonetheless. Caspar got frustrated, and Edelgard began to wonder if she was going to be his next opponent.
Then, Dorothea walked in.
“Cassie,” Dorothea sang. “What are you doing up?”
“I need to ask Edelgard for some advice.”
“Well, just ask Professor.”
“I already did! And his advice was lame!”
“What a tragedy,” Dorothea said. Caspar seemed to be so furious that he didn’t even notice Dorothea’s sarcasm.
“It really is. And Edelgard isn’t much of a help either...no offense.”
Edelgard sighed. She had been wanting Dorothea to come over, but her room was starting to feel a little bit cramped. Edelgard rarely had downtime, and when she did, she reserved it for Dorothea. But she couldn’t turn a peer away when they were in need...
Dorothea could, though. “I hope you get it sorted out! Let’s have a chat about it over tea tomorrow. See you, Caspar.”
Caspar huffed. “What? No way you’re putting me out!”
“Yes, way.”
Caspar turned to Edelgard. She was really starting to wish she’d just listened to him in the first place, but she had been too focused on waiting for Dorothea. What a pain. He probably would have turned down any conflict-disarming advice I would have given him, anyway. “Come on, Edelgard! Tell your guard dog to settle down.”
“Girlfriend, Caspar. Not guard dog,” Dorothea said.
Edelgard blanched.
Caspar’s reaction was less than spectacular, as if the word “girlfriend” hadn’t been said at all. “Fine. Well, tell your girlfriend that if fists are flying tomorrow, it’s not my fault!”
Caspar left, and Dorothea kicked the door shut behind him. Dorothea fell back laughing on the bed, but Edelgard could do nothing but stare blankly at the walls of her dorm. “Looks like Caspar’s gonna be missing from the lecture tomorrow...since he’ll be in the infirmary instead.”
“Dorothea.”
“Yeah?”
“You called me your girlfriend. In front of Caspar.”
Dorothea’s giggles subsided. She was still laying back on Edelgard’s bed, though, her legs hanging off of the side. She reached up and pulled Edelgard to lay with her, but Edelgard wouldn’t move.
“C’mon, Edie,” Dorothea prodded gently.
Edelgard reluctantly laid back—only so she could look at Dorothea’s face as they spoke. “That was strange. That’s all. I’m not angry.”
“You’re making that constipated face like you are,” Dorothea sang.
“I am not! I swear it. It’s just...other people knowing is strange to me.”
Dorothea’s face was so close. Edelgard rolled over onto her side, but Dorothea stayed on her back. That had to be uncomfortable for her neck, Edelgard thought. But Dorothea did a lot of things differently. “Sorry. I didn’t know you wanted us to be a secret, or whatever.”
Edelgard wanted to correct her, and say that she didn’t want it to be a secret, but...wasn’t that essentially what she was asking for? “Isn’t it weird? That people know? Or will know, if you speak about it so loudly?”
“No. What’s weird about it?”
“Maybe it’s different because of how we were raised,” Edelgard suggested. “I don’t like bringing our class differences up, you know this, but—”
“It’s hard to ignore, yeah,” Dorothea said, with a sigh. Then, she smiled. “Alright, Edie. I’ll try and play by your rules.”
“Thank you, Dorothea. It means a lot. I’m sorry that you have to accommodate me.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We both know I can be a little too mouthy for my own good.”
Dorothea was right. Edelgard thanked her a tad prematurely.
And the next event was on much less of a personal level. It wasn’t just in front of Caspar. It was in front of the whole class.
Byleth had finished his lecture, and as always, he accepted questions. Edelgard raised one—something so mundane, she thought, that she didn’t even remember it—and Byleth was at a loss for words. Edelgard didn’t judge him, of course; for all his battlefield experience, he was still new to teaching.
Still, Dorothea couldn’t help teasing. “Aw, come on, Professor. I know Edie’s a genius and all, but you’re not gonna let a little girl trip you up, are you?”
Linhardt rolled his eyes, almost audibly. Edelgard sort of wished he hadn’t been awake at the time, because his next remark really set things off. “We get it, Dorothea. You’re the number one Edelgard fan on Earth next to Hubert. Lay off.”
“You really don’t know love, huh, Linny? Hubert might have me beat for number one fan, but I’m always gonna be the number one girlfriend, and to defend my title, I have to remind everyone else how cool she is!”
Byleth chuckled. The bickering must have given him enough time to come up with an answer to Edelgard’s question, because the class resumed as usual. Except for the fact that Edelgard’s cheeks were red hot, and Dorothea was passing her notes with half-hearted apologies.
Edelgard hated being in the infirmary. It was cold, and sterile, and the deplorable Manuela was always there, and worst of all, there was one persistent rat that always liked to run around the legs of her cot when she was injured.
But there she was, boasting a particularly ugly lance injury. Manuela could be a little...disturbing, but she knew what she was doing when it came to healing her students. Edelgard would never fault her in that regard. Edelgard was frustrated, though, especially since her downtime in the infirmary was disturbing her scheduled time with Dorothea. Edelgard hated destroyed plans.
“I know you love to train,” Manuela said, patting Edelgard’s wounded leg, “but since your next mission isn’t for a week, I suggest you...focus on the upper body workouts for now.”
Good advice, but advice Edelgard would have to ignore. Of course, she wouldn’t tell Manuela that, just to be pestered. “Thank you, Professor Manuela.”
“You’re welcome! Rest up as long as you need before you head out.” Manuela began to leave out, but then she stopped with a little “oh” of remembrance. “I almost forgot to give you something.”
Edelgard sat up in her cot, regarding Manuela with irritability. She wanted to meet Dorothea, so she hoped whatever Manuela wanted wouldn’t take long. “Oh? And that is...?”
Manuela walked over, leaned over a bit (was that much cleavage necessary?), and kissed her fingertips. Then she patted Edelgard’s thigh.
Edelgard was bewildered, looking at Manuela with an almost devilish stare. Manuela tittered. “Your little girlfriend told me to do that for her. Oh, and I’m also supposed to say: ‘Edie, you’re so cute and strong! I know you’ll pull through just fine! Take care of yourself!’ Or something like that.”
Edelgard nearly fainted on the cot.
Kissing was strange, in Edelgard’s opinion. It wasn’t something that she despised, especially not with Dorothea (not like she’d kissed anyone else), but she enjoyed the feeling of Dorothea’s hands holding her close than the feeling of tongues and lips.
That being said, Dorothea thought Edelgard was an excellent kisser. And she made sure to tell Edelgard that, every time they pulled away from their embrace. She’d ask, “Edie, have I ever told you you’re a great kisser?”
And each time (except for the first time), Edelgard would always reply, “Trust me, you have.”
But, apparently, telling just Edelgard wasn’t enough for Dorothea.
Edelgard usually took her meals alone, since she had a busy schedule and didn’t want to distract herself with chit-chat, but she sat down with friends when she had the time. Sylvain was hardly a friend, really, but Edelgard sat with him anyway.
Dorothea and Sylvain finished their food fast, then began talking with one another. Edelgard observed them, then realized that they were definitely each other’s speed. If Dorothea hadn’t been with Edelgard, then maybe...
Edelgard flinched at the thought. As if Sylvain would ever have a chance at a woman like Dorothea.
Eventually, the conversation drifted to girls. The entirety of the monastery knew Dorothea fancied girls, since she wasn’t at all shy about it...and the same went for Sylvain. Edelgard should have expected the conversation to go that way, but she was still wary. Silently, she ate her food, listening in.
“Alright. So you say you like every single girl,” Dorothea said.
“All of them,” Sylvain affirmed.
“Come on, Sylvain. Admiring is good, and all, but you’ve never looked at a girl and went, ‘no, not my type’?”
“Nope! Never.”
“Okay, how about Edie, then?”
Sylvain snickered. “Usually, when I tell women I fancy all kinds, they ask me about themselves. Not their girlfriends.”
Edelgard shot daggers at Dorothea, just based off of instinct. She wasn’t the one who said...the g-word, but it was force of habit. “Yeah, well, most women who ask about themselves are actually interested in you. I’m not.”
“Oh. Yeah.” Sylvain’s face sank. Edelgard scoffed. So, he did think he had a chance? What a shame. Edelgard felt a streak of pride. “Alright, uh, where were we? Oh, Edelgard. That’s easy. Pretty pale skin, beautiful long hair, and that gorgeous piercing stare...hell, sometimes I mess up on purpose, just to see that look!”
Edelgard stuffed pie in her mouth. Unladylike, but she wanted it to be thoroughly known that she didn’t intend to speak.
“That’s all? Physical features? You suck, Sylvain. Sheesh. Nobles.”
“I wasn’t done, Dorothea,” Sylvain began, but Dorothea wasn’t having it.
“No, no, no. Edelgard’s best quality is one of those hidden gems,” Dorothea started. Edelgard immediately began to chew and swallow, hoping to halt Dorothea in her tracks. What kind of trait could be described as a “hidden gem”? A trait that Edelgard didn’t want disclosed, surely. “You’re never ever gonna get the chance to see it for yourself, but Edelgard is the best kisser this side of Fódlan. Actually, not even just this side. The whole thing.”
Edelgard swallowed her food just in time for the bombshell to drop. Even Sylvain was shocked into silence for a moment, but quickly recovered when he saw Edelgard’s fury. “Ah, I...I have to disagree! The title belongs to me, I’d say. I, uh, would be happy to show you ladies...”
“Sylvain,” Edelgard started, as calmly as she could manage. “I get that you’re flirting in order to make the mood lighter, and I humbly thank you for that, but please. Please, for your own sake, stop speaking. Immediately.”
Sylvain fell silent. Dorothea was looking at Edelgard with confusion. “I’m, uh...going to take our dishes, ladies. If we’re all finished.”
Sylvain collected the plates and silverware, then made a beeline for the serving counter. Dorothea scratched her head. “Did I say something weird?”
Byleth was a great commander on the battlefield and all, but ever since that little outburst, it seemed like Edelgard was always next to Dorothea in battle.
And, in truth, it was beneficial to her at times. Dorothea had a good head on her shoulders, and she would never go head-first into danger, but Edelgard liked being able to protect her personally. Even if Linhardt was there to heal her, even if there was hardly an enemy in sight, Edelgard would always jump to Dorothea’s protection if it was within her boundaries.
That was probably a mistake.
At the very least, Dorothea saved her antics until the battle was over, but that didn’t stop it from being ridiculous. Everybody was sweaty, tired, and once again traumatized by the blood of battle. Edelgard was immune to it by then, and so was Dorothea, which made Edelgard wonder just what all Dorothea had to witness before her rise to stardom.
Whatever it was, it left Dorothea more than able to walk up to Edelgard with an exhausted smile on her face, even with blood smeared upon her cheek. Hubert was at Edelgard’s side as everyone else surveyed the ruins for stragglers; he was Edelgard’s protector just as Edelgard was Dorothea’s.
“Everything alright, Edie? Hubie?”
Edelgard smiled. Those small moments...they meant so much to her. And Dorothea did it all so casually. Edelgard wanted to be so loving, so caring, but it was hard when that wasn’t what she was raised to be. “Fine, Dorothea. I pray you’re alright as well.”
Hubert regarded Dorothea with a bit of distance, but still with fondness. After all, Dorothea had made sure to let the whole world know they were dating, so Hubert couldn’t exactly shun her. “I’ll be fine, so long as Lady Edelgard stands another day.”
Dorothea sighed, then laughed. “Of course...I didn’t expect much else from you, Hubie. But, that’s fine. You’re in charge of protecting the bestest girlfriend on the planet so she can protect me, so you better take your job seriously.”
Hubert was speechless. He blinked, then nodded and stalked off, mumbling to himself. Edelgard didn’t know he was capable of feeling embarrassment. Edelgard huffed. “Dorothea! Again?!”
“Huh? What?”
“Never mind...”
“Dorothea...I thought we agreed not to sit directly next to each other during lectures.”
“I know.”
Edelgard looked up from her notes in alarm. Dorothea didn’t have the same chipper, mischievous tone of voice that she usually used when she was disobeying Edelgard. She sounded tired. Apologetic, even. When Edelgard looked up, she saw Dorothea was frowning, looking down at the books she’d carried over after switching seats.
Edelgard opened her mouth to speak, but then Byleth started talking. Dorothea mouthed, It’s okay, and Edelgard didn’t have much of a choice but to believe her.
In the end, Edelgard’s note-taking still didn’t go well. She kept looking up at Dorothea, just to see that same frown as Dorothea scribbled notes absently. Edelgard felt cold. Dorothea was never upset. Ever. It was almost scary sometimes. Edelgard could easily recall late nights with Dorothea where Dorothea would talk about how lonely and empty her childhood was, and she wouldn’t shed a tear.
The lecture finally ended, and when Dorothea moved to get up, Edelgard grabbed her arm. Dorothea sat back down, not meeting Edelgard’s eye. Edelgard chose her next words carefully. “Why did you sit next to me?”
“Sorry if I distracted you—”
“You didn’t,” Edelgard lied. “But I am concerned. You seem upset. Dorothea, I know you like the back of my hand, and this is not like you at all.”
Finally, Dorothea looked up at Edelgard. Her eyes were wet, but she laughed. “Okay. Don’t laugh.”
“I would never.”
“...You probably should, though,” Dorothea said. She laughed again, then spoke before Edelgard could. “It-it’s just Ferdinand. We’re, like, polar opposites. And he approached me again today, asking why I wouldn’t talk to him, stuff like that. And I tried to be on good terms with him, Edie, I really did, because...I mean, there’s you, right? You’re a noble, and you’ve never treated me wrong. Not even on accident. So I told him about how I was raised, and how it felt to see people like you and him just...having it all kinda handed to them. And I thought he’d understand, but he just said, ‘that isn’t my problem!’ And...I’m not even sad. I’m ju-just frustrated because nobody gets it. So I came to sit next to you so I could feel better.”
Dorothea sighed, then cupped her face in her hands, to hide her tears. Edelgard’s heart was racing. She glanced up and saw Byleth looking at them as he sat at his desk, but he turned away. Edelgard wrapped her arms around Dorothea, but Dorothea didn’t move, sniffling and shaking in Edelgard’s arms. Dorothea had never felt so small.
Of course, Edelgard couldn't have expected to have a private moment, right then and there as class ended, when everyone was still hanging about. But it was just her luck that one of the stragglers was Ferdinand, and of course, he had to strut over to Edelgard and Dorothea’s desk. “Is everything alright?”
As if he cared! Edelgard didn’t want to let Dorothea go, but her heart commanded that she did, just for a moment. Releasing Dorothea, Edelgard stood, not daring to glance down at Dorothea’s teary face. She would have lost her mind if she did. “You should leave, right now, Ferdinand.”
“Why? If Dorothea’s upset—”
“She is upset because of you, if it matters that much,” Edelgard said.
Dorothea stood, too, placing a hand on Edelgard’s arm. “Edie, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.”
“Upset because of me? How?”
“How? Because you’re insensitive, and refuse to see anything outside of your self-centered scope of life. That’s how. You asked Dorothea to befriend you, and she tried. You being selfish is what led to all of this,” Edelgard said. She was running entirely on autopilot at that point, not thinking about a single word that came out of her mouth until it was already said. It was a wonder she even sounded composed. “As a house leader, and most importantly, as a considerate human being, I demand you apologize to her. I won’t tolerate you disrespecting my girlfriend or any student here, regardless of their status. Now, apologize!”
Ferdinand seemed stricken. Edelgard almost felt bad. It was if he hadn’t even realized what he had done wrong. Dorothea had Edelgard’s arm in an iron grip then. Edelgard looked around the classroom, only to see that the majority of the house’s students were staring her down, as well as Byleth. Just as Edelgard was about to backtrack, just a little bit, Ferdinand held up his hands. “I-I’m sorry, Dorothea. Really. I didn’t mean to upset you, if it really was my fault...I’d never do that on purpose.”
“It’s fine, Ferdinand,” Dorothea said.
They must have looked ridiculous. Edelgard was blowing steam out of her ears, Dorothea was holding onto her like it was the only thing keeping her afloat, and Ferdinand was quivering like a scolded puppy.
“You should probably go now,” Edelgard said flatly. Ferdinand bowed slightly to Dorothea, then ducked out. Edelgard exhaled, then hung her head. “That...probably wasn’t the best idea. I apologize, Dorothea—”
“You called me your girlfriend,” Dorothea said.
Edelgard looked up at Dorothea. Dorothea was still red in the face, but...was it for a different reason than her tears? “I-I might have. I don’t recall. I said quite a lot.”
“No, you definitely did, everybody in the room heard it,” Dorothea teased.
“I couldn’t help but notice that you did call her your girlfriend,” Byleth said.
“Thank you, Professor,” Edelgard said wryly. Edelgard groaned inwardly. It was all that stupid, arrogant Ferdinand’s fault...wait, no. No, it wasn’t anybody’s fault. She hadn’t said anything particularly bad, had she? And, truth be told, there was no way Dorothea was ever going to budge over the whole "girlfriend" thing. Edelgard just had to...go with the flow. "Well, there’s no issue in me saying that, is there? Unless there’s some news you have about our relationship status.”
Dorothea gasped. Then, she smiled. Edelgard let out a breath that she hadn’t known she was holding. It felt good to see Dorothea smile again. “N-no! No news at all! We’re girlfriends! Partners! Cuddle buddies!”
“A-alright, Dorothea! There is still a line to be drawn!”
“Partners in crime! Lovers! Oh, oh...wives!”