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Chapter Text

When Khalid was a child, he remembered being fond of the stories his mother would share about her homeland. At night when he would struggle to sleep she would tenderly card her fingers through his locks while telling him about Fódlan. The land of the mysterious Goddess who granted the power of Crests. The Ten Elite families that went on to inherit said crests, and every once in a while she’d share stories from her own childhood in House Riegan. The times in which she would sneak away from her duties and be reprimanded by her stern yet caring father, her time in which she spent at the Officers Academy and the frequent squabbles she’d have with her brother when they were children.

During the times in which he was ostracized and bullied by his half-siblings, Khalid would often retreat to a quiet part of the Palace -usually the Wyvern stables- and daydream about Fódlan and how everything he had been told made it sound like a land in a fairy tale. He would try his best to imagine what it must be like to live there, where he wouldn’t be bullied for being a weakling or taunted for not being enough by his siblings. Where the Crest of Riegan is something that is cherished and not a permanent reminder that he is an outcast.

As he grew older, he became acutely aware of the perception he and his mother have gained amongst the people of Almyra. People said that Queen Tiana must have used some underhanded tactics to turn the head of the Alymran King, befitting her title of the ‘Demon Queen’. That their son was a snivelling weakling who had no chance in ascending the Throne and that he and his mother were just power hungry Leeches. From this, Khalid began to develop a dream of a world in which one’s place of birth was unimportant and people could accept each other regardless of where they come from.

At Sixteen, Khalid was offered an opportunity that seemed almost too good to be true. The unexpected letter from his Grandfather in which he disclosed his illness and dire need for an heir after the tragic passing of his Uncle Godfrey was somewhat of a golden opportunity. He knew that this would be the best way to get out there and see more of the world. He had always been curious about Fódlan from his Mother’s stories so this seemed like the ideal chance to go and scope it out and see if the Continent would be a suitable place to plant the seeds of his dreams to grow. Thus, he boarded his Wyvern and set off on the long, arduous journey across the border.

When Claude von Riegan finally touched down in the Aquatic City, he was greeted with what can only be called a mixed reception. For one, the somewhat magical illusion that he had built up had somewhat shattered as many people in Derdriu were sceptical about the sudden appearance of a long-lost heir and some even treated him with downright contempt. When he arrived at the Riegan Estate he was greeted first by Lady Judith of House Daphnel who was stern yet fair. She was rather tight lipped until Claude presented her the letter of introduction from his mother, she took a quick liking to him after that.

"Follow me boy, I’ll introduce you to your grandfather" she commanded him with an air of authority.

"Yes sir" Claude teased as he followed her through the halls to the audience chamber, in which sat a firm old gentleman with eyes as green as his and a temperament similar to that of his mother. He informed Claude that if he indeed possessed the Crest of Riegan like he believed, then he would become the legitimate heir to the House and inherit eventually become the Sovereign Duke of the Alliance.

"However I intend to keep you hidden for a while longer so you can accustom yourself with the inner workings of the Alliance since it is clear that you hail from… A foreign land. If your studies go well then I will officially make you my successor, how does this sound?" the old man propositioned.

Claude mulled it over but knew that this would prove to be extremely advantageous for him. He would use his time in the Alliance to get a read on the nobility here and determine which Houses and nobles are reliable and would prove to be strong allies and which were self-serving. As the seasons passed, he spent the year growing accustomed to the Alliance and learning about the politics of Fódlan and how to navigate a country in which the governing houses preferred to squabble amongst themselves rather than actually try to improve any issues. He used the archives at the Riegan Estate to look over the transcripts to the previous roundtable discussions and managed to get a decent read on each of the participants.

Count Ordelia seemed to be a rather small voice during these proceedings but Claude could gather that he seemed mostly well meaning. Margrave Edmund despite being the newest edition to the table was ambitious and rather forward despite his smaller status. Duke Goneril seemed to live up to the perception he had of the Gonerils from his childhood, he was loud, brash and valued strength above all else. It's a wonder that the Gonerils and the Alymrans have been enemies for as long as they have, if they put their animosity for each other aside for even a second he reckons they’d get along like a house on fire. The most interesting of the bunch was Count Gloucester, who came across as snide, pompous and full of his own importance when it came to dealing with issues concerning the Alliance as a whole; he'd often be the one to insight the arguments by trying to make the conversation all about Gloucester. All of this studying and observing seemed to pay off when one faithful day in the new year, his Grandfather summoned him to discuss an important matter with him.

"Claude, I have an announcement to make. This year I am going to formally announce you as the Heir to House Riegan. After this, I intend to send you to the Officer’s Academy" 

This had piqued Claude’s interest, he had remembered his mother briefly speaking of the place but he didn’t know a whole lot about it.

"That makes sense" Claude responded "The Officer’s Academy is the place to send the children of Nobility right? What better way to establish my legitimacy as the Reigan Heir than to have me mingle with the other future leaders."

"Yes but it's not just that Claude, many of those who are set to be inheriting Alliance territories are going to be in attendance this year, this is a way for you to interact with these people first hand and figure out what the future of the Alliance will be like under your guidance. I trust that you will be fit for that task?"

"I’m flattered that you trust me this much Gramps, I promise I won’t let you down" Claude answered.

"There’s one other thing you need to know.’ Oswald began "the son of Count Gloucester will be in attendance this year, which means there is going to be some contention with your attendance on his end. I don’t know if you are aware but the Academy is split into three Houses and each house has a leader that is the representative of their region they hail from. Thus because you will be inheriting House Riegan, you will become the de facto house leader of the Golden Deer house, a fact that the Gloucester boy will not be happy about as I suspect that House Gloucester would have been the one to receive this title had you not shown up. In this sense you are somewhat of a trump card that even Count Gloucester himself won’t be anticipating" Godfrey smirked a bit at that.

"Aha! So this must be where my penchant for scheming came from!" Claude mused happily. "In all seriousness though, Gramps, I’ll keep that in mind, but don’t you worry I can handle myself." he said with a lazy smile and with that he returned to his quarters and thought everything over. He knew that once the announcement was made and his existence was general knowledge that many people would not be fond of him just showing up out of the blue like this, but he knew that people always underestimate the outsider and he was going to use that to his advantage. Thus by the end of the Lone Moon, Claude was about to embark on another journey, one that unbeknownst to him was going to drastically alter the course of his life.

~~~~

The Journey to the Monastery had been rather pleasant for Claude. He had always loved the feeling of riding upon his Wyvern so high up in the air, looking down at the lands below him. Everything looked so small this high up. When approaching the Ohgma Mountain range he saw his destination clear as day. Garreg Mach Monastery nestled neatly amongst the mountains. Claude marvelled at the sight, the place was nothing like he had ever seen and was impressed by the sheer scale of everything. It all felt so grand!

Arriving at the Officer's Academy was a whirlwind, and when he was finally settled in and changed into his appropriately extravagant uniform, he took a moment to take it all in. It was going to be interesting to see how this year will pan out, however during all the anticipation he began to miss home. He missed Nader and his tough love approach to combat training, he missed his Mother and Father, he missed the feeling of the hot dry sun beating down on his face, he missed Almyra, he missed home. With a sad smile on his face, Claude took a moment to compose himself, he couldn’t let himself slip. He knew the role he had to play and play it well he will.

He made his way to the Audience chamber to formally meet the Archbishop and his fellow House Leaders. The Archbishop herself was extremely calm and politely welcomed the three students to the Officers Academy and explained that as House Leaders they all had to uphold and enforce the rules of the Academy and ensure that their students excel in their studies. After her brief speech her advisor, Seteth, came out and curtly explained that the three will be departing with the new professor soon to partake in a sort of team building exercise along with the Knights of Serios, however Claude suspected that this was more to examine the capability of their new hire than it was about the three bonding. With that Seteth took his leave and explained that they should pack their things as they depart in the morning. Not long after Seteth left, girl with the long white hair and red cape spun to look directly at Claude

“I do not believe we have been formally introduced? I am Edelgard Von Hresvelg, the princess of the Adrestian Empire” she exclaimed as she looked Claude up and down, assessing him thoroughly.

“Charmed to meet you little Princess, I’m Claude von Riegan, heir to House Riegan. But I suspect you already knew that” he states coyly. He could tell from the way that Edelgard was looking at him expectantly that she was hoping for Claude to meet her at his level so he threw out a curveball to see how she’d take it. Edelgard crossed her arms and continued in a cold tone.

“very perceptive. How fortunate that Duke Riegan found a legitimate heir at such a pertinent time. Could it be yet another ploy on the Alliance’s part?” Was she trying to provoke something out of him? The princess is going to have to try harder if she wants to rattle him, he's been expecting this kind of judgemental reaction. Before he could come up with a witty response a Deep voice coming from his other side cut his train of thought off.

“Edelgard, there is no need to pry, I’m sure Claude is not here for nefarious purposes.” the other house leader interjected as he turned to face Claude. “I apologise for her blunt introduction” he heard Edelgard scoff at this “I’m Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus” he said with a small bow “however since we are at the Academy I believe that we should all speak casually with each other if that suits you?” Claude is sort of taken aback by the formality of that introduction but it makes sense coming from a Prince. Despite being taller than him the Prince is making a concerted effort to maintain his eye contact with Claude. He can see sincerity in his eyes, something he isn’t used to when it comes to Nobility.

“Wow it must be my lucky day! A big strong prince has swooped in and saved me from the mean princess!” he feigned fainting like a maiden in the knights tales and at this Dimitri spluttered “Wha- I did nothing of the sort!” he said with a slight pink tint appearing on his ears. Interesting Claude thought, the prince is easy to fluster, that's good to keep in mind.

“Claude you are utterly ridiculous, and Dimitri you shouldn't be so quick to let a fool like that get under your skin” Edelgard bluntly asserts, “If the introductions are finished then I'll be off. I’ll see you both in the morning when we depart” and with that she spun on her heels and took off, red cape flowing behind her.

“Geez what is her problem. It wouldn't kill the little princess to not be so serious about everything.” Claude remarked casually lacing his fingers behind his head.

“Edelgard has been this way for as long as I can remember, I wouldn’t take offence to it. I’m sure she meant no real harm, she just likes to assess things in her own special way”

Claude’s curiosity sparked at this, so it seems the Faerghan Prince and Imperial Princess have a history? This will be interesting.

“Oh so you guys know each other huh?” he cocked his head “what are you two bethrothed or something?”

“Hah! Betrothed? Now that's a lark!” Dimitri laughed “no it's nothing of the sort.. I just met her a long time ago that’s all, although I don’t get the impression that she remembers” his eyebrows knit together as he recalled this bygone time and Claude could see a sense of melancholy in those deep blue eyes. He knew that there was more to this to uncover but for the time being he didn’t want to pry too much. After all things seem to be amicable with the Prince so far. He didn’t fancy making an enemy of both of Fódlan's future leaders after all.

“Well like it or not your Princeliness my curiosity has peaked, and that means I need to know more so I will need to hear more about this on another occasion” Claude mused. Dimitri rolled his eyes and sighed as the pair continued through the Monastery,

“if you insist” he stated, defeat clear in his voice. “However as you said it will have to wait, I am going to meet with Dedue and the rest of my house now to get acquainted with everyone. So on that note” he gave another curt little bow “ I shall see you in the morning for Claude, good evening” he said in the same princely tone as before and was on his way.

~~~~

Claude spent the rest of his day getting acquainted with the rest of his Golden Deer. he first met Hilda on his way back to the dorms. Her pink hair was a clear sign that she was indeed a Goneril and her cheery attitude and friendly demeanour proved to be a well crafted skill of hers as she managed to sweet talk Claude into helping her move her belongings into her room. He briefly ran into Marianne in the stables, however she only exchanged a quiet little “oh hello” before returning her attention to her horse. It’s a wonder that a quiet little mouse like her is related to a man like Margrave Edmund, the two couldn’t be further apart. He took his evening meal with Raphael, Ignatz and Leonie, who proved to be lively dining companions. Ignatz was quiet, polite and seemed very studious but Claude could immediately tell that his heart wasn’t in the whole knight business. Leonie was brash and blunt but extremely easy to talk to. She kept bringing up some Captain who trained her in her youth, Claude had no idea why she was so fixated on this guy but let it slide nonetheless. Despite his boombing voice and build like a mountain, Raphael was extremely upbeat and easygoing which Claude greatly appreciated. He seemed like a very caring guy, mentioning that he had to go and write to his sister to let her know that he's settled in okay here. It made Claude happy to know that his house wasn’t all just stuffy nobles, it seemed like his deer were a lively bunch so far. He later met Lysithea, the daughter of Count Ordelia in the library who despite being a good bit younger than him was quick to chastise him for the amount of books he was hoarding. Such a small girl yet so serious, Claude knew he’d have a good time winding her up.

Later that evening he was making his way back from the bathhouse to the dorm when he saw a recognisable mop of purple hair precisely cut into the worst hairstyle Claude has ever seen, stopped his awkwardly flirtatious conversation with another student and marched straight over.

“Judging by your uniform, you must be our house leader and new heir to the Alliance” he said haughtily as he looked Claude up and down, the disappointment evident on his face as he did so.

“That’s me! The names Claude von Reigan” he exclaimed trying to defuse the awkward situation with a bit of leavity “and you must be the Gloucester heir?”

“I find it ridiculous that you know of me yet didn’t make it a priority to introduce yourself to the noble students right away. but yes I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester and I’m well aware that your presence here is extremely fortunate for house Riegan” he sneered. “I’m not going to mince my words, you are a highly suspicious individual Claude Von Riegan, and I will make it my duty to monitor your skills as a leader. If I’m given any doubt whatsoever of your skills and your mysterious heritage then I will not hesitate to write to my father” wow, okay that’s a bit extreme Claude thought to himself. “Do I make myself clear?”

“Oh, Crystal, but you should worry less about me and more about your own tragic flirting skills” Claude replied with a cocky smirk on his face before he continued on his way, not even waiting to hear Lorenz’s outraged remarks. When Claude finally made it back to his room he began to reflect on the day and all the people he had come across and for some reason his mind seemed to stick on the Prince. There was something so alluring about Dimitri that he couldn’t quite place his finger on. The Perfect prince veneer seemed to have fooled most people but Claude could see that there was something else there, just lurking beneath the surface, a profound sense of sadness perhaps? He couldn't quite place it but this only made him want to learn more about the Prince. After a long day, Claude retired to bed, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that would be awaiting him tomorrow.

Chapter Text

Claude didn’t really understand why only one of the professors was sent along on the House Leaders mission. The man that accompanied them was apparently a member of the Knights of Serios that hailed from the Empire according to Edelgard, but Claude found him to be the most milquetoast individual he had ever met, not really the teaching type but maybe he'd be proven wrong. The journey into the Empire itself had been uneventful, mostly consisting of  mundane conversations between the three leaders, with the occasional side of bickering. By the time they arrived and set up their camps the students and the knights had a modest meal before returning to their tents for the evening. Claude figured it must be his lucky day since he's been assigned a tent to share with Dimitri, rather than Alois. He doesn’t think he could cope with hearing another one of his terrible jokes today. When the two retired to the tent and began setting up their bedrolls Dimitri broke the silence first.

“I hope this won’t be too uncomfortable to share with me” he said in an apologetic tone. 

“What? Come now Your Princeliness, there's no need to be so self-deprecating. I’d share with you in a heartbeat over Alois!” Dimitri laughed a little at this, which caused a little swell of pride in Claude’s chest. 

“You know Claude, I think I told you before but I’d much prefer you call me by my name” Dimitri said quietly. 

“Oh don’t worry I know, I just like teasing you” Claude mused “You’re extremely quick to fluster, its very amusing”

Dimitri stammered “y-you are utterly ridiculous Claude my goodness!” His face now supported a subtle pink dusting across his cheeks which Claude was extremely aware of. 

“Well I think that is enough fun for now, I think its time to turn in we have an early start tomorrow” Claude quickly subverted his gaze and made himself comfortable on his bedroll to try and avoid focusing too much on Dimitri. 

“Ahem! Yes I think that is a good idea” Dimitri replied, still audibly a bit flustered. 

“Well on that note, goodnight Dimitri, sweet dreams~” 

“You too” He said softly before they both put their lights out. 

Claude really struggled to shut off after this interaction, he didn’t know why exactly but he really enjoyed pushing Dimitri’s buttons. He got the impression that Dimitri probably wasn’t sleeping well either judging by the tossing and turning he was hearing on the other end of the tent. However Claude was soon taken out of his thoughts by the faint sounds he was hearing outside. At first it was very faint. Then it got louder. Then it was the footsteps. Maybe just some of the knights? Then it was the voices he didn’t recognise speaking in hushed whispers. This caused panic to spike in Claude’s chest. His heart began to beat a mile a minute as he reached for the dagger he always had on his person, his hand firmly on the hilt. He stayed as still as he could while trying to discern any clear voices. 

“What's the plan boss?” a gruff voice asked. 

“We split up and attack from both sides while the brats are asleep that's what we were told to do” another unfamiliar voice responded.

Who are these people? Why are they here? Have they been sent to kill us? The questions began to rush through his head. 

“Get for the half breed mutt first!” he heard loud and clear. This caused Claude’s blood to run cold. Who the hell could this be? Were they Shahid’s men? They must be! But how could it be?! He didn’t know he was in Fódlan! Did he?? Could they be hired by Count Gloucester? No surely not right?! It had to be Shahid! But how?! 

In this state of utter panic Claude froze. He felt a sharp pain tear into his leg as the axe of the bandits broke into the tent. He winced in pain but was still so shocked that he didn’t know what to do. Whoever they were, they must know who he is? His cover has been blown! How could he be so careless? His brothers were right he was just a weakling who couldn’t do anythi–

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!!” 

 Claude was immediately snapped out of thoughts by the deep primal roar. It was unlike anything he had ever heard before. And just like that Dimitri appeared behind the bandit, and with the sheer force of his strength reached his gauntleted hand around the Bandit’s thick neck and crushed the man’s windpipe with shocking ease. The corpse of the bandit fell to the ground soon after and Claude who was still like a deer in the headlights was still trying to process it all. 

“Claude are you alright?!” Dimitri cried out as he rushed over to his side. “Quickly take this it should help to ease the pain and stop the bleeding” he said as he hurriedly handed him a vulnerary. Once he had come to his senses, his first instinct was to run. Far away from this all. But he knew he had to stay and get to safety with the others. 

“We need to get as far away from here as possible!” Claude responded. The pair then promptly gathered their belongings. “How’s your leg? Are you able to stand on it? I can carry you if you need?” Dimitri asked, concerned heavy in his voice. 

“I appreciate your concern, but I think I’m mostly okay. I guess my Crest took the brunt of the damage away and the cut thankfully isn't too deep so I’ll be fine”. 

It wasn't long before the duo fled their tent, weapons in hand as they arrived at the main campsite they were greeted with an equally shaken but unscathed Edelgard. The princess must have handled her attackers with ease, Claude thought. 

The Trio began to run before the other group of bandits could catch up to them. Claude, still in a state of shock, bolted first before the other two house heads could come up with a plan and thus they were forced to follow to quickly suit. They ended up in Remire village, an unremarkable place all things considered but it was the closest they could get to civilization on foot and that was good enough for the Lords. 

What brought Claude out of his own thoughts and back to reality was their stroke of strange luck as the trio ran into a group of sell-swords. Their leader soon emerged and listened to their pleas. He was a tall, stern man who spoke with a gruff voice, he kind of reminded Claude of Nader but maybe that was just the homesickness talking. By his side stood a younger individual with teal hair and eyes that were vacant and distant with a steely face that hardly showed any emotion. 

After they explained their precarious position, the Captain, Jeralt, and his child - who Claude learnt was named Byleth - agreed to help them route the remainder of the bandits. And Claude thought this day couldn’t get any stranger. 

The remainder of the bandits were relatively easy to take care of. Byleth proved to be a big help as they proved to be extremely capable with a sword, effortlessly cutting down enemies with the same neutral expression. Curiously, during their skirmish Dimitri made sure to stay close by and cut down enemies that got too close for Claude to get a clear shot on them with his bow. Perhaps he’s just worried about Claude’s injury still? Who knows. Claude could see that despite this, Dimitri was clearly holding himself back. His lance jabs nowhere near as brutal as his attacks in the camp, as if he is trying to conceal that side of him to prevent it from slipping out again.

Edelgard raced ahead to fight alongside Byleth, her use of her axe proving to be just as lethal. However her overzealousness almost cost her as the leader of the bandits sprung to light and rushed at her. Luckily Byleth seemed to have seen this coming and managed to intervene and dealt with the threat. It was at this moment that Alois and the rest of the knights made their heroic entrance and Claude finally breathed a sigh of relief. 

Alois had somehow managed to convince Jeralt and Byleth to return with them to the Monestary, Claude learnt that Jeralt used to be the captain of the Knights of Serios, a fact that even Byleth appeared to be unaware of. How strange indeed. These people needed to stop revealing all of these mysteries for Claude to uncover. As the saying goes; curiosity killed the cat, and Claude didn’t particularly fancy putting his neck on the line more than he already has, but he just can’t help but be intrigued. It didn’t take long for Claude to notice that the new professor was curiously absent from the gathering of knights. on their journey back to the monastery, Alois confessed that he was nowhere to be found and was suspected to have fled when the bandits attacked. ‘Geez some professor he was if he’s just willing to up and abandon his students like that’ Claude thought. The rest of their journey consisted of more idle chatter, trying to lighten the serious mood that had gathered due to the previous events. The three house leaders each took their turn probing Byleth with many questions; however the mercenary remained mostly tight-lipped, only giving brief answers all with the same unchanging face. 

When they finally returned to the Monastery the sun was beginning to set. Alois quickly ushered Jeralt and Byleth along to the audience chamber to report back to Rhea about their botched mission.  Claude began to feel the exhaustion take a hold of his body. 

“Phew! What an eventful day that was! Well then if Your Highnesses will excuse me, I think I'll grab a bite to eat and call it a night” Claude declared in his usual carefree way , fingers locked behind his head with his signature grin plastered on his face. 

“No I don’t think so, you should head to the infirmary immediately and have Manuela see to your wounds” Dimitri quickly interjected standing directly in front of Claude. 

“Aww! how sweet of you to worry your Princeliness! But I can promise you, my leg is okay”

“I cannot allow that Claude, You sustained more minor injuries on the battlefield. I’m sure you’ll much better if your wounds are properly healed” 

Geez why was he being so stubborn about this? Before he can fully make sense of what is going on, Dimitri grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around before leading him in the direction of the infirmary.

“I will see to it that you are personally escorted there” Dimitri states loudly before marching the pair away from the remainder of the knights still lingering in the Courtyard. 

“Okay what’s the catch Dimitri why are you being so insistent? So what? we all got a few scrapes during that dust up but I’m fine I don’t need healing” Claude retorts now walking in tow with the prince. The feeling of his strong hands still ghosting over his shoulders. It was then that Dimitri stopped in his tracks, which caused Claude to abruptly stop as he got close to Claude’s ear and said in a low, hushed tone. 

“Claude, there is something that I urgently need to discuss with you. It would be best that we discuss these matters in confidence so please come to my room after curfew tonight.”

This sent a chill down Claude’s spine. Dimitri heard what those bandits were saying. He’s going to confront me about my heritage. Is he going to use this for blackmail? The tone of his voice was so serious and stern Claude could only assume that the Prince was going to use this as some kind of leverage against him. He couldn’t let the façade slip though. Not here. Not where so many others are present.  Trying his best to remain unshaken by the Prince’s words, he simply smiled. 

“Heh, okay your highness sounds like a date. Just make sure you have a pot of tea waiting for me okay” Claude winked. 

Dimitri, whose face now supported a slight pink dusting quickly continued walking and choked out a quick reply “no not a- ahem! Well I will hopefully see you then.” Straight-faced and as formal as ever. Claude can see that he successfully flustered the prince again and dispelled the tension, yet his mind still lingered on what it is that Dimitri wants from this. When the pair reach the infirmary they spot Dedue, Prince Dimitri’s retainer waiting at the door. 

“Your Highness, I am glad you have returned safely. I spoke with the Knights and they told me you were headed here, you aren’t hurt are you” his deep voice tinged with concern. 

“No I am fine Dedue I assure you. I was just escorting Claude here as he was badly injured during our skirmish with the bandits”

“Oh come on Your Princeliness, it was just a cut. I have survived a lot worse I’ll have you know” 

“I don’t doubt it but please do see to it that you get your injuries healed. Well then I should get going now. Good evening Claude” The prince bowed slightly, not once breaking eye contact as his piercing blue eyes felt like they were boring into Claude’s soul. 

“You were instrumental in aiding his Highness during that battle and for that you have my gratitude” Dedue also gave him a proper bow. “If there is anything I can do to help I will hasten to repay this debt” he finished as he too began to walk away with the Prince. 

~~~~

As Expected, Manuela basically laughed off Claude's injuries, giving him an extra vulnerary for good measure and sent him on his merry way. Claude swiftly returned to his room to unpack his supplies and began to mull over his current dilemma. Firstly. he tried to work through the reasons why they had been attacked. It’s likely that it wasn’t Shahid’s men, the bandits were of Fódlan that's for sure. He didn’t believe his half-brother even knew he was here currently or that he’d even care for that matter. Unless he hired these bandits to carry out his dirty work? Then why continue to attack the Imperial Princess and the Prince of Faerghus? Perhaps someone else had put a hit out on them? But what is there to be gained by assassinating three future leaders like that apart from massive political unrest. The bandits were also very clearly amateurs, they only really made any damage when they got the jump on our tent but when we fought one on one they were outclassed. If he could just somehow work out who hired them it would make this a lot easier... 

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Followed by a chipper voice calling out 

“Hellooo! Claude? Open up please I have something here for you”

Ah it was just Hilda, I wonder what she could be wanting at this hour. 

When Claude opened the door he could see Hilda’s expression deflate as she took in Claude’s appearance. 

“Oh, you’re like not injured at all. From the way everyone was going on about it I thought your leg was basically hanging on by a thread! And to think, I went out of my way to bring you this food for nothing.”

“Hey! I mean once rumours start to spread they just continue to escalate. I was only hit a few times but I’m more or less fine now but I appreciate this Hilda, I was going to head to the dining hall but I missed the last call for dinner so you’re a real life saver!” Claude exclaimed, despite her resistance to hard work,  Hilda does seem to genuinely have Claude’s best interests in mind. 

“I’m just glad this wasn’t for nothing then! There's nothing more that I hate than wasted effort” Hilda handed Claude the plate containing a modest little meal and laughed, a genuinely relieved look settled on her face. “I really am glad you’re okay though”

“It’s going to take a lot more than a few measly bandits to take me out!” Claude put on his usual lazy smile, puffing his chest out with some fake bravado to keep the mood light. 

“If you were to die it's a possibility that I’d be made the new house leader, and that just sounds like so much more extra work” she exclaimed with a sigh resting her now free hand on her hip. 

“I’m not so sure about that, I think Lorenz would be willing to fight you to the death for that title”

“Oh please, all I’d have to do is bat my eyes at Lorenz and he’d fold in a second.”

Claude had to stifle a laugh at that comment, much like him, Hilda was no stranger to using her charms to her advantage and he appreciated this greatly, he could tell that the pair were going to be fast friends. 

“Well, since I can confirm that you aren’t quietly dying in your room I’m going to head off. I promised Marianne that I'd swing by and update her on your condition once I had seen it for myself. She was pretty worried. See you tomorrow Claude!” 

and just like that she slipped away. Marianne was worried about me? How strange, when they first met Claude assumed she wanted nothing more than to just be alone. What a strange girl. 

~~~~

When Hilda left, Claude quickly finished off his meal and tried to busy himself with a book as he was waiting for the right time to visit Dimitri. His body was tired but his mind was racing with all the possibilities of what might occur between the two house leaders during their meeting. He could barely make it one chapter in when the familiar chimes went off to indicate that it was now their curfew.

'Well then, I suppose now is as good a time as ever'. He gathered his thoughts and steadied his breathing. 'Make sure your mask doesn’t slip, whatever it is he wants just remain calm and don’t let him get the upper hand'. And before he knew it he was outside Dimitri’s room hand ghosting over the door. ‘Well, here goes nothing’ Claude thought as he gently knocked two times on the door.  Shortly after, Dimitri quietly opened the door and greeted Claude with a small smile. One that didn’t reach his eyes. He looked like he was uncomfortable but invited him into his room. Unsurprisingly, Dimitri’s room was very well kept and sort of empty, the blue sheets on his bed matching the familiar shade of Blaiddyd blue of his cape, the only clutter was that the rag and oil he was using to clean and maintain the lance he was using less than a day earlier. 

“Please make yourself comfortable” Dimitri spoke, sounding as polite as ever. He quickly pulled out the chair from his desk and ushered Claude to sit as he took the spot opposite on the bed. It was then that Claude noticed a modest little tea set sitting on the sideboard. Oh … Dimitri took his joke about the tea literally. Claude couldn’t help but smile at this, somehow he had managed to take even the silliest jokes so seriously. Dimitri must have noticed Claude staring at the tea and quickly rose to his feet and made his way over to where it sat. 

“Oh! Where are my manners!” He spoke as he quickly poured a cup and handed it to Claude oh so carefully, as if not to potentially shatter it with the strength he had witnessed earlier, and poured one for himself. Claude accepted gingerly as he took in the scent of the tea. Chamomile, interesting choice, was this the Prince’s own favourite tea perhaps? 

“I hope this will suffice, it is the only blend I have in at the moment” 

“No worries, I’m not as fussy as most when it comes to the tea I drink. It just so happens that I do quite enjoy chamomile though.” 

Dimitri’s expression softened at this as he slowly took a sip of his tea and set it aside. ‘Hm good to know that it’s not poisoned seems like he really did just prepare this as gesture of goodwill’ Claude thought to himself. 

“Well then your Princeliness, as nice as this is, why don’t we just cut to the chase. Why did you ask me here?” Claude asked directly, anxious to get to the bottom of this. 

Dimitri paused and let out a brief sigh, a pained expression crossed his face as he started to speak;

“Claude there is something I have been meaning to address since our incident with the bandits. I am extremely sorry that you had to witness such boorish behaviour on my end. I will see to it that it never happens again. I can understand if you would want nothing to do with me after such an unsightly and disturbing display. I can’t say that I'd blame you, I acted like a beast and I am utterly ashamed of myself for it.” 

Wait… what?? 

To say that Claude wasn’t expecting this would be an understatement. He was ready for the prince to be interrogating him, not apologising to him. 

“Woah there! Hey slow down Dimitri! Why are you apologising? you saved my life out there. It was my fault for not being able to act quick enough.”

“No! You do not understand! I lost control of myself and acted like an animal. The sudden chaos.. And that look on your face, you looked so frightened. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. In situations like that my mind just goes dark” Dimitri admitted with a defeated tone. He hung his head low and continued;

“It’s been this way, ever since the day I watched my father’s head be taken from his shoulders and watched my closest companions and knights burn in the flames of torment in Duscur. In moments like these my mind just goes dark and I can’t control myself” His voice was so fragile now. Claude had only heard of the Tragedy of Duscur in passing, that King Lambert and his elite guard were taken out by a group of Duscur rebels. He suspected there was probably a lot more to it than this condensed explanation. 

Claude started to speak, his own voice a lot more earnest than he was used to, “I admittedly knew very little of that day, I can’t begin to imagine the pain that comes with being the sole survivor of such a brutal day”

The sound of faint metallic clicking of his gauntlets could be heard as Dimitri wrung his hands together, the painful memories evidently taking a toll on him. 

“I think.. In that moment, our attack being so unexpected my body must have recalled back to the senseless violence of that day and reacted purely on adrenaline. Although now it is clear that these thugs were not directly involved in that wretched day”

“But I thought it was the people of Duscur that killed your father, why wo-”

“No!” Dimitri’s sudden interruption took Claude back. 

“No.. on that day, I saw the swine who killed him. They were not of Duscur. I saw this without a doubt yet I was unable to prevent the senseless massacre of the Duscur people!” the desperation thick in Dimitri’s voice put a knot in his stomach. 

“Even to this day, the misconception that the people of Duscur are regicidal traitors unjustly clings to them. I was only able to save Dedue from the carnage his people faced at the hands of my Kingdom and for that I am utterly ashamed and embarrassed.” 

Dimitri raised his head and locked eyes once again with Claude, the pain and anguish morphed into a cold flame of determination in those steely blue eyes. 

“To this end, I will make it my life’s mission to not only help rebuild Duscur and return the land back to her rightful owners, but also to get revenge on the real culprits, the dastards responsible for all of the carnage and destruction” 

Claude was completely and utterly stunned by Dimitri’s desperate admission. What in the world was Dimitri’s angle here? What does he serve to gain by opening up to me like this?  Dimitri, who he had only known for a matter of days was bearing his soul to him now and why? Because of an unfounded sense of guilt? Dimitri who’s goals were so noble, so selfless, so unlike the nobles he had been accustomed to. Dimitri who’s soft hearted naivety saw a future in which people were not looked down on for their differences. It was then that a revelation dawned on Claude. Dimitri’s goals and his own weren’t all that different. Sure, Dimitri may shoulder a lot of blame that Claude can’t wrap his around, yet it is this unrelenting sense of idealism and justice that is shining through the shame and penance. 

It is in this moment that despite the odds Claude decided to take a gamble. He decides to let his walls down, to trust. 

He made the decision to place his trust in Dimitri. He just hopes this won’t backfire on him. 

‘I’m going to be completely honest with you  Dimitri, I wasn't expecting any of this. An apology was probably the last thing I anticipated out of this meeting but I can promise you it is unnecessary. I am grateful for you stepping in and acting when I couldn't’ Claude’s voice is devoid of his usual playful lilt, he locks eyes with Dimitri who is looking back at him with an inquisitive stare. He confesses;

“I thought you were going to question me about what that bandit said before he attacked... about my heritage” Claude averts his gaze and looks to the ground before continuing “The whole half breed comment wasn’t fully wrong go figure” he half heartedly forces a laugh at this to mask his discomfort. 

“I figured it would be easier to just be entirely honest since you were there and heard it too. My mother is from Fódlan, she is the missing daughter of Duke Riegan but it doesn’t take a genius to figure that part out. My father..” He paused briefly, unsure of how much to actually disclose to the Prince. 

“He’s Alymrian. Which makes me what a lot of people here consider to be a filthy half breed. So I would greatly appreciate it if we just kept this little secret between us.” 

Before he could even process it, Dimitri was kneeling on the ground in front of where Claude was seated his hand gently placed on his arm out of reassurance. “Claude” he spoke softly but full of conviction “I swear to you on my life, and on my father’s grave that I will not disclose what you have shared with me here with anyone. As the crown prince of Faerghus I can assure you I will not go back on my word, sooner I end myself on my own lance” Dimitri’s conviction and intensity of his stare so strong it sent a shock up Claude’s spine. He then felt the feeling of Dimitri’s thumb gently moving back and forth before he started again, 

“And for what it is worth, you are no half breed. Your dual heritage allows for you to see Fódlan in a way I and many others can’t. I believe that this is an incredible boon and it does not in any way make you a lesser man for not being born here.” 

Claude was once again struck silent by this admission, some part of him knew that the Prince wouldn’t think lesser of him considering his close friendship to Dedue. But just hearing these words come out of his mouth was enough to break down a wall that Claude had been maintaining for years, the perfectly constructed fortress, shattered like glass in an instant. 

He looked up to meet Dimitri’s eyes, as clear and sincere as his voice had been and swallowed down the lump that began to form in his throat. “Thank you Dimitri, you have no idea how much it means to even hear something like that.”

“There is no need to thank me, it is the bare minimum. However I doubt I am the only one in the Officer’s Academy who thinks this way. But I understand wanting to keep this information as guarded as possible so you can rest assured I will not tell a soul.” 

“I mean you were so earnest in your confession that I felt it was only right that I share a part of myself with you too. I hope you realise that because we have exchanged such valuable information that we essentially have a truce of sorts now Your Highness” Claude lightly jokes, trying desperately to lighten the mood after experiencing such unexpected vulnerability. 

“But of course” Dimitri started, small smile gracing his lips “it appears that the unfortunate events of today have had a silver lining, there is nobody else I'd rather form an alliance with” 

Claude felt a slight heat on the tips of his ears after that comment. Was he trying to fluster him or did this just come naturally to the prince?

“Well then!” Claude exclaimed as he rose to his feet and extended a hand to Dimitri “I look forward to seeing where this alliance of ours takes us Your Princeliness, let's continue to learn more about each other over this coming year” he finishes with a trademark wink yet this time there isn’t the usual sense of insincerity, just a general feeling of gratitude and relief. 

Dimitri clasped his hand around Claude’s and pulled himself up as he now stood face to face with Claude and shook his hand with a subdued enthusiasm. 

“Yes lets, thank you for coming Claude, this conversation has been illuminating in many ways. I hope sleep finds you well. You must be exhausted after today” he smiled 

“You too Your Princeliness, well then on that note” Claude made his way to the door and made a big show of bowing over dramatically to which Dimitri let out a laugh. 

“Goodnight Dimitri.. And once again thank you” he finished with a sincere smile. 

“Likewise Claude, thank you for this. Good evening.” The Prince’s voice soft and low as Claude made his way swiftly back to his room to retire for the evening.

Chapter Text

The first few weeks at the Officer’s Academy had subverted Dimitri’s expectations in more ways than one. He was surprised that the Church would recruit someone like Byleth onto their teaching staff. Although Dimitri was excited by this prospect, he found that their handling of the bandit situation proved their capability of handling such a task. 

He was surprised that Byleth chose the blue lions as their class. He knew his house were all studious and hardworking, well almost all of them, but he felt as if he made a less than stellar impression on the mercenary as their expression always seemed so impassable and unenthused. He expected they would be taken more by Edelgard’s firm and disciplined approach to learning. or even swayed by Claude’s charisma.

And finally he was surprised most by the leader of the Golden Deer himself. 

Dimitri’s first impressions of Claude had been that he was unlike any other noble he had ever met. His laid back energy and nonchalant demeanour was slightly disarming yet refreshing, and his ability to break the awkwardness that might have been forming between Edelgard and himself with his levity was something that he considered to be a superpower. But he could see that Claude was keeping everyone at a distance, he could see it in his eyes how they seemed so distant. However after their unexpected dust up with the bandits and the following conversation that night in Dimitri’s room he saw an entirely new side to the Golden Deer leader. He saw vulnerability and sincerity in those mesmerizing green eyes and the pair found a new sense of kinship with each other, something that Dimitri was determined to preserve and maintain. There was a certain intrigue that drew him to Claude, maybe it was his outwardly alluring personality that lured him in, yet the distance that he maintained with everyone only drew him in further. 

The pair have met a few times here and there like on the way between classes, in the training grounds and sometimes in the library, and while they would speak the conversations would always be fleeting which left Dimitri with a sort of craving for more. When the end of the month rolled around and the mock battle was on the Horizon with the guidance from their professor and also the fact that Felix, Dedue and himself had already had battle experience, the Blue Lions were able to secure the win. 

That night, following their modest celebratory feast, Dimitri bid good night to Dedue and made his way to the library.  Even though their class was victorious he couldn’t be complacent, he needed to press on and get better, to get stronger, to appease those he has lost.  Upon entry he spotted a few familiar faces, notably Linhardt of the Black Eagle class snoozing on top of a pile of notes he had been taking, Lysithea and most notably of all, Claude whose eyes fell on him as soon as he entered. 

“Well well well, if it isn't the man of the hour!” Claude begins with his usual coy smile, but Dimitri doesn’t sense the usual coldness in his eyes. “Have you come to rub your victory in our faces” 

Dimitri rolls his eyes at this and lets out a light chuckle at Claude’s antics.

“Nothing of the sort, especially not when all houses gave their all today”

“Yeah well lets just say things would have been much more even between us if a certain someone actually listened to my orders and didn’t just rush head first into battle ruining the element of surprise” 

Lysithea, who had her head down focused on her studies, chuckled at this jab at Lorenz’s incompetence. 

“I am just here to study for my certification exam.” 

Claude who had left his seat and was now hovering around Dimitri as he looked for the books on lance techniques continued,

“How admirable! The studious prince that never stops trying to improve” he once again feigns the action of swooning as he leans on Dimitri’s shoulder, his face rapidly heating as he feels the contact. He must not let this fluster him. However with Claude this close, he can see just how attractive he is up close. He cannot let himself get distracted. 

“Ahem! Y-yes well flattery will get you nowhere Claude, even so it really isn’t anything special.” 

“Well if you say so, but you're more than welcome to come study with us” 

“Ugh if you're going to continue to flirt Claude, at least do so in your own room.” Lysithea scoffed from the opposite end of the table. 

“Did you hear that Your Princeliness? Sounds like the someone is cranky since she’s up past her bedtime”

“If you’re worried about anyone staying up late you should be worrying about yourself.” she shot Claude a glare. 

“Well, you need a good night's rest if you plan on growing up to be big and strong” Claude continued to tease the girl, who was growing visibly more annoyed at his antics. 

“Ugh! The audacity of you! I’ll have you know that there's no reason to treat me like a child! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself” Her raised voice causes the sleeping Linhardt to shift on the desk. 

“Okay calm down, I didn’t mean to offend you” Claude’s voice was a lot more earnest now, it reminded Dimitri of how he was that night in his room.
“In all seriousness though, you shouldn’t push yourself too hard. You don’t want to get sick from not getting enough sleep. To be honest I'm surprised you’re even here this late, considering that the library is haunted.” 

Dimitri watched as the expression of annoyance fell off of Lysithea’s face as she let out a little gasp, 

clearly rattled by Claude’s teasing. She shot up quickly as stiff as a board and quickly gathered her belongings. 

“Well! It is quite late, I’ll be off now” she exclaimed shakily as she quickly made her way out of the supposedly haunted library. 

When the door finally closed Claude let out a light hearted laugh that made Dimitri’s heart beat a bit faster. 

“Haha!! I don’t think I've ever seen her move that quick!”  

“Claude, that was a mean spirited jape, seems like you really rattled her with that” Dimitri chided, disapproval clear in his voice. 

Claude laced his hands behind his head as he leaned back far in his seat. “Hey, it was for her own good! She’s too stubborn to listen to my advice. A bit of rest would do her some good, especially after today.” 

“She reminds me of Annette, they're both extremely diligent, I’d wager the two would be fast friends.” 

Claude finishes his stretch and looks to Dimitri with a happy expression, he looks so striking like this. He is struck silent by how radiant looks in this moment with the intrigue painted across his face. 

“No kidding! It's funny you mention that Your Princeliness. After today’s battle I too thought that some of my Deer would get on with your Lions. Leonie couldn’t stop going on about the technique of a certain blunt swordsman of yours.” 

“Oh! Felix” Dimitri chuckled “don’t let him hear that, he’s already so self assured the last thing he needs is someone inflating his ego even more” 

This takes Claude by surprise as he starts in a fit of genuine laughter. The sound and sight of which pierces through Dimitri’s heart like a well placed arrow. Goddess he looks so beautiful like this. 

“Woah Dimitri!! I didn’t expect such a biting remark to come from you! Sylvain maybe, but not the polite prince known for his sweet words”

Dimitri tried hard to conceal the blush that crept across his face, “oh come now it was merely a jest, once upon a time Felix and I were good friends, we always saw each other as rivals and tried to one up each other, but now..” he felt himself trailing off eyes falling to the floor. 

“It's okay Dimitri, I don’t mean to pry, if it's too personal..” 

“No it is okay, two years ago, Felix, Dedue and I all fought our maiden battle, we had to suppress a rebellion in Western Faerghus. During said battle Felix saw the side of me that you unfortunately had to witness.. Needless to say he wasn’t as forgiving as you were.” 

“So that’s why he calls you that?  The ‘boar prince?’” 

“Yes, and I believe he has every reason to despise me after that day” 

Claude, who looked to be deep in thought, paused for a moment before responding. 

“Felix can believe what he wants, that's up to him, but I don’t believe for a second that you are a beast Dimitri. You’re far too earnest. You went out of your way to save me that night, you could have easily just left me but you didn’t.”  His voice was incredibly earnest and honest. It was a welcome change in Dimitri’s opinion, getting to see this side of Claude is always something he’ll cherish. 

“Plus, you’re far too apologetic. a true beast wouldn’t be so worried about how his actions affect others, at least that’s what I think. But really though, you should cut yourself some slack Dimitri. If you keep shouldering such heavy burdens all alone you’ll eventually buckle under the weight. It would be nice to see you let go of some of those worries and just let loose a bit.” 

Claude’s words were so genuine they truly touched Dimitri to the core. Just knowing that someone had witnessed him be so depraved, So genuine and yet despite this, he is still willing to accept him with open arms. It felt so nice. It was at this moment that a realisation dawned on Dimitri: he was already in too deep… 

“Well with you around Claude, I am certain that will be a lot easier. I do not know if you are aware but you are proving to be more and more of a comforting presence” 

The look of surprise that appeared on Claude’s face caused slight alarm bells to ring in Dimitri’s head. ‘You fool! Why would you say that you’re going to scare him off! ’ however the look of shock was quickly replaced with a slight blush, and a smile that Dimitri could only describe as utterly captivating. 

“Me? Really now?” his voice was much more bashful than it had been before. “You better be careful Your Princliness, if you go around speaking like that to everyone in the Academy you’ll make everyone fall in love with you”

Dimitri felt his own heart stutter at this. Oh no this isn’t good. He recognised this feeling. It was something he hadn’t felt since his childhood… 

Feeling flustered he quickly averted his gaze back to his painfully dull book on lance techniques before choking out a quiet little “I doubt that very much”. 

The conversation slowly fizzled out as they returned to their respective studies. However this did not last long, as Dimitri found himself unable to focus. His mind replaying their previous conversation over and over again. The way Claude looked, bathed in the soft candlelight of the library, cheeks softly blushed and eyes focused entirely on him.. How he wished he could be on the receiving end of that look again. When he finally built up the courage to steal a glance at Claude again he was surprised to see the Golden deer slouched low against the desk, book resting below him as he was fighting to stay awake. 

Dimitri softly chuckled at the sight. “Here you were teasing Lysithea about staying up past her bedtime, but it appears that you are the one who is up past their bedtime Claude” 

“Wha-” Claude nodded, jolting himself slightly more awake “no I’m not tired I promise..” his voice clearly thick with sleep. Which proved to be even more endearing to Dimitri. 

“I can carry you to your room if you are too tired to walk back?” Dimitri propositioned, voice low and quiet.

“Noo it’s okay no need to trouble yourself for me I already told you I’m not tired Dimitri!” 

“If you insist” he shook his head at Claude’s antics.

Dimitri finished the remainder of the chapter and by the time he had finished Claude had gone from dozing off, to properly snoozing on his open book similar to a certain other Black Eagles student. The sight of Claude sleeping so peacefully brought a feeling of warmth to Dimitri, it made him happy to know that Claude felt comfortable enough around him to be so vulnerable. He felt himself smiling like a fool again at the sight in front of him which only served to confirm his suspicions from earlier. He was developing fast feelings for his fellow house leader, and the thought of this alone was enough to terrify Dimitri. 

~~~~

After their most recent encounter in the library, Dimitri regrettably only saw Claude in passing for about a week. In the time between, he had been briefed by Professor Byleth that their mission for the month would be to subdue some bandits in Zanado. When he heard this briefing he longed to immediately go to Claude and pick his brain about it. He is sure that this is related to the bandits that caused them grief last month, however his busy schedule had left him with little free time. 

After finishing up with some combat training a group of the blue lions student’s made their way to the dining hall. He was currently listening to Sylvain recounting a story from their childhood, with interjections here and there from Ingrid when he was being too crass. On the other side of him were Annette and Mercedes who were in a world of their own. The class were in the midst of their meal when some of the Golden deer students began to pile in which is where Dimitri’s concentration on whatever Sylvain was saying began to slip away. 

Claude shuffled into the dining hall in his usual lackadaisical manor, with Hilda in tow, the two appeared to be having a lively conversation. Behind them was Raphael who cheerily clapped Claude on the back before he excused himself to immediately join the lunch queue and the rest of the class appeared shortly after, however Dimitri’s sole focus was on his fellow house leader. He couldn’t make out what the two were saying but something Claude said prompted Hilda to roll her eyes and reply with something that caused Claude to laugh heartily. The sound and sight of which was so enchanting that Dimitri imagined this must be how sailors feel when being lured in by siren song. He truly couldn’t look away from a sight so enticing. 

The Deer leader must have felt the eyes on him as it didn’t take long for him to look over and meet Dimitri’s gaze. He sent a smile his way accompanied by one of his signature winks and Dimitri felt his stomach do a front flip. He had to try his hardest to conceal how flustered Claude could make him with a simple gesture. Whether or not he knew it Claude was in possession of a great power over him, the more he was learning about the other, the more he was becoming putty in Claude’s hands. 

“Hey! Are you feeling alright, your highness? Ingrid just finished another one of her lectures and I didn’t hear you echoing her”

Dimitri was immediately snapped back to the conversation happening in front of him, curse Sylvain for being so perceptive!

“Ah, yes I apologise I was lost in thought for a moment there, but you should be more moderate in your passions Sylvain!” 

Once he had finished his half-hearted lecture he felt his gaze drift back to Claude who was now enjoying his meal with his peers. He soon felt a gaze burning through him as he looked back at Sylvain who seemed to have caught him in the act of staring as he now sported a smug grin. Panic immediately set in as he didn’t know what Sylvain was going to do with this knowledge. He only hoped that it didn’t involve him spreading the word. 

Some of the Lions had begun to clear out of the Dining Hall when Sylvain finally turned to Dmitri and began to speak in a hushed yet smug tone. 

“So, do my eyes deceive me, or has His Highness had his head turned by Claude Von Riegan of all people”

At the mention of his name Dimitri felt the heat of embarrassment rise to his face. 

“What?! NO! No, It’s not like that Sylvain! I- I just-” 

“Oh please, you’re not fooling me Dimitri, I saw how you couldn’t take your eyes off of him”

Dimitri, feeling as though he had been caught out, averted his gaze and hung his head. 

“Please do not tell anyone this Sylvain, I beg you. This is a recent development. I- I just find him very… interesting” He finished voice still quiet. 

“Ha! Is that what we're calling it now, interest?” Sylvain laughed. “But seriously Dimitri you do not need to worry your secret is safe with me. I won’t go broadcasting your Interest”  the teasing thick in his voice.

“Please Sylvain I am being serious you cannot tell anyone” Dimitri’s expression hardened a bit as he slapped Sylvain’s arm which caused the other to flinch” 

“Ow! Okay okay I promise! A knight of Faerghus never goes back on his word. Plus I never told anyone else about your previous little crush now did I?”  Dimitri let out a sigh of relief, he raises a good point. It is then he realises that he can rely on Sylvain to keep quiet . He continues rubbing his arm where Dimitri hit him. 

“You really should work on keeping your temper in check your highness, one wrong hit from you might just knock the life out of me” he finished lacing his hands behind his head. 

At this moment, Dimitri felt gratitude towards Sylvain. Despite his irksome behaviour involving women, he was extremely perceptive when it came to others and essentially acted as the glue that kept their childhood friends together. After the Tragedy, each and every one of them had been affected in some way or shape, yet Sylvain managed to keep them tethered. He smiled slightly as he began to rise from the dining table. 

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to hurt you. But thank you my friend, you have my gratitude and I trust that this conversation will remain between us.” he finished with an easy smile and a polite bow. 

Sylvain, who was still sitting, looked up at the prince and winked. “Don’t sweat it”. 

As Dimitri made his way to the training grounds to meet with Dedue he came to the realisation that Sylvain is not unlike Claude in some ways. He thinks they too would make fast friends. 

Later in the evening when Dimitri retired to bed, the voices of the dead were unusually quiet. Even his father -who happened to be his most frequent visitor- was nowhere to be seen. Instead his mind kept drifting back to his fellow house leader. The same boy who would later go on to occupy his dreams.

Chapter Text

As the Harpsting Moon began to wane and the month was drawing to an end. Claude began to feel somewhat uneasy. He had more or less adjusted to life at Garreg Mach, he’s always been good at adapting to change. However he can’t shake his disappointment at ending up with Hanneman as his teacher and not the enigmatic Byleth. He knew it could be worse, he could have Manuela, who despite her many talents, appeared to be more interested in her romantic life than teaching her class. Hanneman’s worst crime was just he was prone to giving boring lectures. Although Claude had to admit he did find all of the stuff about Crests interesting, considering they were never really spoken of in Almyra, he’s just not sure if he shares the same level of enthusiasm as someone like Hanneman or Linhardt. 

The night before his class were set to depart on their first real mission, Claude was feeling extremely restless. He knew that realistically there were no real risks involved, but the idea that they'll be expected to fend for themselves should the worst happen made him slightly nervous. Despite this,  he knew his Deer were capable and could all hold their own, despite how Hilda tried desperately to convince him otherwise.  Before he planned to retire for the night however, he heard the familiar clink of armour outside his door accompanied by a soft knock. 

"Come in" he called out softly. Knowing that Dimitri was on the other side of the door caused Claude to perk up. He hadn’t seen much of the prince since their pleasant meeting in the library and was curious as to why he was calling on him so late into the night. 

“I apologise for the intrusion, I hope I am not disturbing anything?” The prince spoke as he entered. 

“Not at all Your Princeliness, make yourself comfortable!” he gestures to him to take a seat on his bed. “If I had known I was going to be having company, I would have made an effort to tidy up a bit” he winks as he gestures to the many books he's been hoarding cluttering his floor. 

“I assure you it is not an issue. I have been meaning to make an effort to come and see you but as you know being a House Leader can be demanding. I have also been appointed to help Professor Byleth adjust to life at the Monastery so my free time has been rather limited”  

“Yet you still made time to come visit little old me, I’m touched Dima!” He decided to test the waters a bit to tease Dimitri with a silly nickname. He was just so quick to fluster that Claude found it endearing to see how far he could push it. Dimitri’s ears reddened at the nickname and a rosy blush made its way across his cheeks.

“Ah- w-well of course! I found that I needed to see you before tomorrow as I have some information that I think you’ll find interesting. Our class has been tasked to deal with some bandits in Zanado. It is highly likely that they are the same bandits that attacked us last month.” 

Now this was interesting indeed! Just what were they doing in Zanado? Claude had never been before but from the little he knew of it it was mostly a ruin.

“I wonder if that’s their hideout or if they just fled there after our dustup. Does Zanado’s close proximity to Garreg Mach have anything to do with this? Maybe they’re camping out in the ruins there as an opportunity to gather intel?? Oh man Dimitri I am jealous! Not only do you get to find out more about this bandit situation but you also get to visit the mysterious ruins of Zanado.” 

This had acted as the ignition that sparked Claude’s curiosity, he became so animated at the prospect of uncovering any sort  of answers. 

“Now you see why I had to tell you, I knew the promise of more knowledge would be enticing to you.” the Prince spoke, a smile evident on his face. 

“I promise that regardless of what happens tomorrow I will fill you in with whatever we find out. I know that the missions each house faces are meant to be separate but I feel like you deserve answers just as much as we do” 

Then the prince got up from the bed and made his way to the door, signalling that his visit was going to be short and sweet. 

“Well then Your Princeliness, I’ll be eagerly awaiting your report tomorrow” Claude sent a little salute in Dimitri’s direction. 

“I won’t let you down. Until then, good evening my friend” and just like that Dimitri left as soon as he came. 

~~~

The Golden Deer’s mission went off without a hitch, just as Claude knew it realistically would. The Church had them sent out to provide supplies to the smaller villages on the outskirts of Garreg Mach that had been targeted by the bandits. They were also said to take care of any stragglers, yet they didn’t need to. It seemed as though Teach and the Lions already had that covered. 

The biggest surprise of the mission however, had undoubtably been Lorenz. Until now, the Gloucester heir had been snide, arrogant and standoffish, but here he worked diligently to help hand out the supplies to all the townsfolk. He didn’t speak to them too condescendingly either. When Claude  him probed about his change in behaviour on their way back to the Monastery he simply answered;

“it is the obligation of the nobility to help and provide for the common folk, we have privileges that they do not and thus we are obligated to ensure their protection and safety” This made Claude realise that despite his arrogance, Lorenz truly did have good intentions for his people he just didn’t always go about enacting them in the best way.

When the Deer made it back to the Officer’s Academy, the day was still relatively young and Claude would have to wait a while until the Lions returned. so he did his best to busy himself until then. He offered to helped Ignatz with some archery practice for a while. Claude could tell that his heart wasn't really in it but despite this he was already seeing his accuracy improve. Then after their evening meal he allowed himself to be roped into helping Hilda with tidying the warehouse, which actually meant Hilda doing as little work as possible without being chided. Before he arrived at the Academy, Hilda was actually the person he was most apprehensive about, given her family’s complicated history with his people. He had heard so many stories of how her brother was wreaking havoc for the Almyrians at Fódlan’s Locket, and how the might of the Gonerils had been enough to shake the confidence of some Almyrian soldiers who were hungry for a good fight. However, unlike her brother, Hilda appeared to have no interest in utilising her amazing strength. That being said, she was extremely easy to get along with and quickly became a classmate that Claude could depend on. A second in command of sorts. 

When the time finally arrived and the Blue lions returned. Claude made his way to his room to patiently wait for the prince to come calling. It was not long after the  curfew bell when the all too familiar knock was heard and Claude opened the door to the familiar face of the Dimitri, Whose face lit up as soon as he saw him on the other side. 

“Man Your Princeliness aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” 

Dimitri -easily flustered as usual-  averted his gaze out of embarrassment. 

“Ah, I am glad your mission went well Claude, shall I come in?” 

“Nah lets go somewhere different. I feel like I’ll go mad if I stay cooped up here for too long” he emphasized his discomfort with a stretch.

“As you wish, lead the way” Dimitri smiled. 

~~~

The two quietly made their way down the hall and outside, Claude didn’t really have anywhere in particular in mind but knew they shouldn’t stray too far from the dorms or else they’d be risking facing the wrath of Seteth for breaking curfew so they settled around the pond. 

“Well then Dima, care to let me in on how the mission went?” 

“Of course!” the prince smiled. “For starters, yes, this group and the ones who attacked us last month were one and the same. They were extremely easy to dispatch of given the difference in skill and numbers.” 

Claude could have told him that for free. but nonetheless he appreciated how thorough Dimitri was being, making sure to cover every relevant detail.  

“That makes sense, it probably helped having your whole class there, not to mention Teach”

“Yes, it made a great difference.” Dimitri’s brows furrowed and he looked down into the water of the pond “It was a lot of their first time taking another life..”

Claude can see how much this idea bothers him. Much like Dimitri himself, he has had to kill before too in self defence. Growing up there were attempts made on his life by the likes of assassins and sometimes even his own siblings, all because he was what they considered an outsider. Someone who didn’t belong. 

“It’s never an easy thing to do but I guess it is sometimes inevitable.. I’m glad nobody was hurt though”

“Thank you Claude, hearing you say that is comforting indeed” 

Claude felt his insides warm at this. It felt nice to know that he can bring comfort to someone as steadfast as Dimitri,. He sat down at the edge of the pond and the prince followed suit. 

“Well, did you end up finding out anything else about these bandits?”

“Kostas, the leader of the group mentioned something about how he should have never listened to ‘him’ but that is all we managed to get from him.” 

“So it seems our hunch about them being hired by someone else was correct, it’s just the who and the why that are still a mystery”

“Yes. I’ll admit, I thought for a moment that they might have been hired by the likes of my Uncle or other nobles of Western Faerghus, but if that were the case then they’d have no business going after you and Edelgard. So it seems unlikely but that was my initial hunch.”

Claude cocked his head at this “but why would the Western Nobility hold such a grudge against you?” 

“When my father passed away, there was a power vacuum left in the Kingdom. Some of the Western Nobles  began to want that power for themselves - My Uncle the chief among them - the Oldest son of the King yet he never ascended the throne as he didn't bear a crest. Needless to say there is a lot of resentment there. This tension eventually resulted in a rebellion, the same one I told you about previously. However I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of them still hold resentment for how that situation was handled.”

Claude thought for a moment before he began to speak, he had no idea the political state of the Kingdom was this unstable, seems like despite soon inheriting the crown, Dimitri will also be inheriting all of the problems that come with a Kingless Kingdom. 

“To be honest I kind of thought similarly to you. I thought they might have been hired by Count Gloucester to get rid of me, but as you said, someone like that wouldn’t hire such amateurs to do the job”  he does however omit the part about his half-brother, Dimitri didn’t need to know about all that madness. 

“Well even though we don’t have many answers, I am sure that whoever is responsible will show up eventually. Especially now that their pawns are gone. 

“That’s true, I guess it's only a matter of time. On a similar topic, how was Zanado? Was it as illusive as people say it is?” Claude perked up again, he moved closer to Dimitri anxiously awaiting the prince’s answer. 

“It’s a very strange place. To be honest I have never seen anything like it before. The architecture there is unlike anything I have ever seen in Fódlan. And there were these occasional scrawling of some ancient text on these stone slabs - I regrettably couldn’t read any of it though - it looked so foreign yet the Professor found it strangely familiar.” 

Claude’s mind began to race at that. Seems like it's the remnants of a time long gone, perhaps even older than the likes of the Adrestian Empire. How did it manage to remain so in tact if it were a ruin? All of these are questions he’s dying to know the answer to. 

“It also had this strange sort of aura. The place was quiet and desolate, yet for some reason I cannot shake the feeling that it was the location of a great battle of sorts. That many people lost their lives there… it reminds me of Duscur in that regard.” 

Dimitri’s expression was unreadable, he was clearly deep in thought over this yet Claude try as he might couldn’t imagine what it must be like to feel a presence such as that. Hearing how Dimitri has described it all  desperately makes him want to see it for himself. 

“I’d love to be able to visit it myself one day, seems like there’s a lot of undocumented history there” 

Dimitri, who had been looking out onto the pond turned to face him before he began to speak, it was almost a whisper with how quietly he spoke;

“I’d love to take you there, I’m sure you’d be able to make more sense of it than I ever could” 

Claude felt his ears warm at this. 

“That sounds nice” he smiled, a real genuine smile. “It’s a shame that it’s Church protected land otherwise I-” Claude was immediately snapped out of his thoughts at the sounds of footsteps approaching. 

“Claude?” The prince cocked his head out of confusion “is everything alrigh-”

The prince let out an involuntary yelp of surprise as Claude grabbed hold of his hand and pulled himself and Dimitri up from where they were sat and bolted to the greenhouse, dragging Dimitri along with him. 

“Just what in the world are you up to?!”

“Shhh!! Someone’s coming. I heard footsteps” Claude shushed him hurriedly as he ushered Dimitri into the greenhouse, just enough so they were out of view of whoever this mystery person was but enough so that he could get a glimpse as they passed. 

He didn’t account for the fact that as a result he’d be in such close proximity to Dimitri as the prince had his back against the cold stone walls of the greenhouse, his head looking straight over Claude’s shoulder. He couldn’t see the Prince’s face but he almost didn’t want to, as he would surely see how flustered the closeness had made him. The prince had been quiet, he hadn’t spoke probably to avoid being caught. However Claude found it impossible to not focus on the warm feeling of his breath tickling his neck. He’s never been this close to someone before. Yet for some reason his first instinct wasn’t to run. He sort of liked being so close to the prince. He could make out the faint scent of sweat mixed with the soap Dimitri used and the slight notes of chamomile, the prince was so diligent with his training after all so it made sense that– 

What was he thinking?! Now was not the time to be so caught up in the way Dimitri smelled! It was then that the footsteps grew louder and Claude was able to make out the familiar small frame and distinct red cape passing intently by the greenhouse and heading towards the dorms. 

“Huh? Edelgard?” Claude exclaimed, genuinely surprised to see the princess out and about, he thought it was going to be Seteth, eager to catch anyone who dares to sneak out past curfew, not the Imperial Princess. 

“Edelgard? How strange, I saw her when we arrived back at the Monastery.” The spoke just above a whisper, yet it sounded much louder due to the closeness of the two. 

Now this is curious? Claude pulls back a bit as Edelgard is completely out of view now and gives Dimitri his personal space back. He looks to the prince who - despite the lack of lighting - Claude can see the subtle flush on his face. Seems like he was just as flustered by this whole ordeal as he was. 

“How strange indeed, just what was she up to so late?”

“The Black Eagle class returned not long after ours did. Perhaps she just wanted to go for a walk to clear her head after a long day. I suppose we are technically no better as we also snuck out after curfew Claude”  Dimitri spoke, clear blue eyes still focused on the entrance to the dorms. 

“Heh I suppose you got me there, that's true” Claude smiled. Oh Dimitri, sweet, naïve Dimitri. Trust him to automatically assume the best in people. He didn’t buy it for one second though, the Imperial Princess was definitely up to Something , but what that something was he has no clue. However, he did make a mental note of this strange accidental encounter. Yet another thing for him to put a pin in to come back to later. 

As he checked his surroundings one last time to make sure the coast was clear, Claude grabbed Dimitri’s gauntlet clad hand yet again and carefully guided him out of the greenhouse and back to the edge of the pond. The clear moonlit night reflected like a mirror of the flat calm of the water’s surface. 

“Well, regardless of what the little princess is up to” Claude began in his usual casual tone, he turned to face Dimitri, “you’ve gotta admit, sneaking around at night and uncovering secrets can be pretty fun” he shot a brilliant smile the prince’s way, a far cry from his usual placid smiles. 

Dimitri let out a chuckle at this as he rolled his eyes at Claude’s antics, he soon returned the favour as he smiled tenderly at Claude before replying;

“I’m certain that regardless the task, if you are my company I am guaranteed to have fun Claude.” he then adjusted the hold that Claude forgot he had on his hands, interlacing his fingers with Claude as he gently pulled him closer, causing Claude’s mind - that was already working overtime - to short circuit. 

“You have such a thirst for knowledge, you make even the most mundane topics sound fascinating, it is nothing short of inspiring. You show me that I still have much to learn about the world my friend” The Prince’s deep blue eyes were gleaming as he spoke which only enticed Claude further. The look of tenderness painted across the prince’s face felt like an arrow to the gut.  He had never seen Dimitri look so radiant before, all because of him?? The tips of his ears felt as though they were on fire as a blush crept across his face. Just how was the Prince so good at flustering him?! Was he doing this on purpose or is this just a hidden talent of his. 

Claude averted his gaze from Dimitri to the surface of the pond, the reflection revealing the two close figures with blurred features, the prominent blue and yellow of their respective capes rippling into one another being a focal point. his free hand rose to fiddle with his braid subconsciously, a nervous habit of his that has been with him since childhood. 

“Ahem! W-well I suppose it is quite late! We best retire for the night” Dimitri quickly withdrew his hand from Claude’s and turned towards the dorms, embarrassment evident in his voice. Before he could begin to walk away Claude finally responded;  

“Hey Dimitri!” the prince turned back to him, cheeks still slightly red and head cocked out of curiosity. “Thank you for tonight, for everything. I really do appreciate our little chats.” 

Dimitri smiled; “as do I Claude. On that note, sweet dreams my friend” he bowed as Claude waved him off, his azure cape bellowing behind him as he made his way back up to the second floor of the dorms. 

Claude decided to hang back a second to process all that had happened in a relatively short period of time. He kicked a small pebble into the pond and watched the ripples it caused move and expand across the water. Seeing Edelgard was a surprising turn of events, one that he was keen to learn more about. However this had been utterly eclipsed by the sweet displays from Dimitri. He hadn’t anticipated him being so forward like that. Perhaps he was reading too much into the interaction but the look on Dimitri’s face is one that he can’t place fully, is it respect? Adoration? Maybe a mix of the two? But he cannot stop thinking about how nice it was to be in such close proximity with the Prince. When he first came to Fódlan, all he had hoped for was to find someone who could help him achieve his goals, but it seems he got more than he bargained for with Dimitri. As he spent more time with the prince he becomes more sure that he will be able to do the job, but it’s not just that, he also gained a trustworthy ally. A friend. Perhaps even more–

He couldn’t get ahead of himself, sure he had found both men and women alike attractive in the past, and it didn’t help that Dimitri was like if the textbook example of a handsome gallant prince from the books he read as a child sprouted from the pages. But he had no idea if Dimitri even felt that way towards other men, let alone him… let alone the outsider.. But this meeting, the feelings of his hand interlaced with his, planted the smallest seeds of hope within Claude that perhaps it wasn’t totally impossible like he thought it to be.

Chapter Text

The first appearance of the Garland moon in the skies brought with it a warm wind as the clouds began to slowly dissipate and the sun became a more prominent fixture in the skies above Garreg Mach. Dimitri, who awoke from yet another restless night, readied himself for the day and began to make his way to class. He was fixated on the encounter he had the previous night with one elusive deer. While Claude had been nothing but animated and captivating during their chat and subsequent sneaking around, he had to go and ruin the fun by being too forward and seemingly scaring Claude away. He kept replaying the image of Claude turning away and averting his gaze, how he seemed to immediately close himself off again. 

Despite his growing friendship with the Golden Deer leader, Dimitri struggled with finding out where he stood with him. It is as if Claude himself embodies the mythical golden deer that his house represents. He is playful and alluring, encouraging the chase, but the second he gets too close, when he's finally within reach, he will flee, and leave you wanting more. 
The more depraved, beastly part of Dimitri craves this chase, it has become intoxicating. The prospect of eventually catching him. The idea of seeing Claude in the throws of passion. Watching him come undone at Dimitri’s behest… The thought alone was enough to light a fire within the prince, almost enough to drive him mad. 

He found himself utterly disgusted at the uncouth way his mind would drift to such debauched thoughts of his dear friend. He is utterly terrified of scaring Claude away, by pushing too far and causing him to flee into the forest for good. Although the situations aren’t entirely comparable, when Edelgard left Fhirdiad all those years ago, he was left with such a heaviness in his heart. He doesn’t want to lose anymore people he holds near and dear, especially since there are so few of them left now. Even his stepsister acts like a stranger towards him which causes that same dull ache in his heart. He doesn’t want that to happen with Claude too. 
 
Yet he couldn’t take his mind off of his dear friend. Despite the pact the two made with one another, Dimitri still found it hard to decipher what Claude’s intentions were, if he was intentionally leading him on, manipulating him for his own benefit. Or perhaps he was truly in it for the sake of encouraging said chase, maybe he wants to be caught, or maybe that’s just what Dimitri selfishly wants to believe. If the former is true however he is beginning to think that if Claude’s goals are selfish that he doesn’t really mind, as long as he can be there to witness the way his face lights up when he truly smiles, the way those emerald eyes gleam like the sun shining through the tops of the trees during summertime, he’d allow him to play him like a fiddle if it were the case. 

On his walk to the Officer’s Academy, he suppressed the tempest of thoughts he had been wrestling with since last night and slipped back into his role as the seemingly dependable prince. He soon spotted Dedue, who was stood outside the Blue Lion’s classroom as he greeted the prince in his usual formal manner. 

“Good morning your highness” his deep voice sounded out as he greeted Dimitri with a proper bow. As much as he knows Dedue means well, he can’t help but become awkward at such a display of formality given all they have been through together. Now is not the time to broach such a sensitive topic, but he does miss hearing his name come from his lips. 

“Good morning Dedue did you sleep well?” 

“Yes, Your Highness. Did you?” 
“Ah- yes I did” he lied through his teeth, he didn’t need to give Dedue another reason to fret over him. Dedue’s steely eyes shot him a look as to say I know you’re lying but thankfully he didn’t push the subject any further. 

When the two entered the classroom they were greeted to a confusing sight that made Dimitri’s mask fall into a genuine face of concern. Ashe, a young man whom Dimitri knew scarcely, but had been extremely hardworking, earnest and diligent, was sitting at his desk slumped over in despair.

“Don’t worry Ashe! Everything will be okay” Annette who was on his right was trying her best to cheer the downtrodden boy up. 

“I know you might not want to just now, but I’m always here to listen if you ever want to talk about it” Mercedes in her usual caring manner was on the opposite side of the boy gently rubbing the side of his arm in an attempt to comfort him.

Sylvain, who had been hovering around the group on the table turned his attention to the door and loudly greeted; “Good morning your highness, seems like you’ve stumbled into a pretty troubling scene.” at this everyone’s attention snapped to Dimitri as he quickly made his way to the desk and bent down to Ashe’s level. 

“Ashe is everything alright? What has happened?” Concern thick in his voice.

Ashe whose eyes were bleary and his cheeks were tear stained quickly subverted his gaze away.
“I-I’m sorry Your Highness! You shouldn’t be troubling yourself with my problems! I-” 

“Ashe! Please I promise I don’t mind just tell me what’s wrong” his eyes drifted down to the letter that sits in front of the young archer. “Are the contents of this letter troubling?” 

“It’s Lord Lonato! My younger brother wrote this letter to warn me that Lonato has raised a rebellion against the Central Church…This is so unlike him, he’s always been such a kind, caring man. So why would he do something like this” 

Dimitri was struck silent by this. He knew trouble had been brewing in the Kingdom for a long time but stupidly thought that the conflict wouldn’t boil over, that he’d be able to ease things when he ascended the throne. How naïve of him.. 

“Ashe, I promise you both as your house leader and as the future king of Faerghus that we will figure out what is going on here. No doubt the Church will be aware of this too and the Knights of Seiros will be able to aid us too. I will arrange to speak to the Archbishop about this so please try not to worry for the mean time.” Dimitri spoke earnestly. 

“Thank you Your Highness… “ Ashe lifted his head slightly and mustered a small forced smile. Trying his hardest to brave the tumult he was feeling. 
The rest of the class arrived shortly after, as Byleth took to the podium to start today’s lectures. Dimitri could see their gaze continually drifting over to Ashe. He felt grateful as his professor could see the distress that the boy was feeling and at the end of the period as everyone was packing their belongings, Byleth gently called out 
“Ashe, could you please come see me at the end? I need to speak to you about something” 
“Yes Professor” he responded, voice still small and devoid of his usual vigour. 

Dimitri left the class knowing that Ashe was in good hands with the Professor. Yet he couldn’t help but feel as though this upcoming month was going to be painful for the boy. He knows better than most how simple it is to suppress a rebellion, especially a militia rebellion. He just hoped that whatever the outcome that the knights could keep the civilian casualties to a minimum. 

~~~

During the free time they had before lunch, Dimitri made his way to the training grounds. With all that had happened in such a short time span he figured it would do him good to blow off some steam by practicing his lance techniques. When he arrived he saw yet again another surprising scene. Hilda Valentine Goneril from the Golden Deer class feebly attempting to pick up a variety of weapons from a pile lying at her feet. 

“Oh- Hello Hilda, I’m surprised to see you here” 

Her head perked up at this, turning her attention away from the weapons as she let the - admittedly small - collection of training axes she was holding fall to the floor with a loud clatter to which she winced slightly before flashing a saccharine sweet smile at the prince. 

“Hiya Your Highness! The Goddess must have been listening to my prayers and sent you here” she spoke with a dramatic flare that felt all too familiar. 

Dimitri raised an eyebrow at this “What do you mean?” 

Hilda made her way over to Dimitri, her hands laced behind her back demurely as she continued; 

“Well you see, a certain cruel house leader of mine tasked me with tidying the weapons away after our class was finished with our combat training. And the place was a complete mess would you believe it! Anyways, I was trying my best but these weapons are just too heavy!! I can’t manage them all by myself, I’m just a fragile maiden after all!” She emphasises her speech with a big theatrical sigh which Dimitri had to stop himself from laughing at. After seeing how effortlessly she tore through her opponents during their mock battle a few months back, Dimitri knew that fragile couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“Would you please help me out and put all these dumb heavy weapons away, your Highness?” She sends him a wink, not too dissimilar to that of her house leader. 
“Of course I’d never see a fellow classmate stuck.” he smiles his usual prince-like smile. 

“Awww gee thanks Dimitri!! You’re a lot nicer than that mean old Claude!”

Dimitri chuckled at Hilda’s dramatic antics as he began picking up each weapon one by one while Hilda slowly drifted to the door. 

“Wow you’re such a big help Your Highness! Well! I’m very busy so I need to head out now but good luck with that!” Hilda was about to was about to make her exit when seemingly out of nowhere, Claude rounded the corner in his usual suave manner, blocking Hilda's exit. 

“Nice try Hilda but you’re not getting out of cleaning that easily. The least you could do is actually help Dimitri with the task you roped him into” he spins Hilda around by her shoulders and walks over to where Dimitri is still diligently working his way through the weapons. 

“Ugh Claude! I was so close to making my escape. I promised Marianne I’d meet her for lunch after this so I can’t stick around long.” Hilda rolled her eyes as she made her way back over to Dimitri and picked up a stray axe lying on the ground.

“How does it feel to have fallen for her scheme Your Princeliness? Hook, line, and sinker” Claude made his way over to him and snaked his arm around Dimitri’s shoulder in a playful manner. 

With Claude in such close proximity so soon after the incident from last night, his pulse quickened as he had to focus all of his attention on not snapping the training weapon he was currently holding. 

“Ah- ahem! It is truly not a bother, it would be rude of me to not offer my help while I was here” he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the weapons trying his hardest to hide the fact that he was blushing. 

“How admirable of you Dimitri. Do you try your hardest to be the perfect example of a chivalrous prince or does it just come naturally to you?” Claude had slipped off of his frame now and was facing the prince, his hands raised nonchalantly behind his head and his lips wearing a soft lazy smile. 

“Ha! Come now, you of all people should know that is definitely not the case Claude” 

Hilda, who actually had been tidying the remaining clutter, stopped what she was doing and was intently watching the banter between the two lords, pink eyes darting between each as her face grew into a sly smile before she turned back to her work and pretended she was none the wiser to the exchange they were having. 

“Anyways, what brings you to the training ground Your Pinceliness? Still working on that certification? 

“No, but I do have my exam next week. I merely just came here to take my mind off of things for a bit” 

“I see, I see...” Claude shot him a wink, unlike his usual playful ones this one was more so a gesture to say we can discuss this at a later time. “By the way Dimitri I’ve been meaning to ask? What's up with this strength of yours” he gestures to the large pile of weapons that Dimitri was currently cradling in his arms. “You know, despite being training weapons they can still be pretty heavy, yet you make them look like they weigh about as much as a feather. How do you do it?” Claude was now looking at him with that brilliant look of curiosity. How he wished he could capture it and preserve such a beautiful expression. 

“Oh, um, I believe it is mostly due to my Crest, but the Blaiddyd family have always been known for their strength so it is hard to tell. I was also put through rigorous training by my combat instructor as a child so it is likely that that also plays a factor” 

“Oh man Dimitri, that is dangerous information to tell me. I now want to test your limits and see just what you're capable of!” Claude could barely contain his excitement at the prospect, likely due to his growing interest in Crests Dimitri thought. However seeing him enthuse this much over him made him flustered beyond belief. Claude continued;

“Hey Hilda! How do you think you’d fare in an arm wrestling match against his- Oh! And she’s gone…” 
 Dimitri turned his attention from Claude back to where the pink haired girl had been and sure enough she was nowhere to be seen. 

“She's a crafty one I’ll give her that much but at least she actually did something this time. Seems like you’re a good influence on her Dima” he smiled which caused his insides to fill with butterflies. 

“I-I highly doubt that” he curses himself for how awkward he becomes when anything about him is praised. 

“Well as fun as this has been, I need to dash and find out where Hilda has gone, I actually came here because I needed to brief her about our upcoming mission this month but as you have witnessed first hand she can be especially slippery to get a hold of sometimes” Claude made his way to the door again and sent Dimitri a small two fingered salute; 
“Until next time, see you around Dima” and just like that he was on his way. 

Dimitri was relieved that whatever tension he imagined there might be between the two was gone. His dear friend was his usual charming self which eased his heart greatly. However he still did as much as possible to fluster Dimitri during their short exchange. He was grateful that nobody else was present at the training grounds, he didn’t need the whole of the monastery to see just how pent-up Claude could make him. Thus for the remainder of their free hour, Dimitri trained rigorously to expel some of that energy which may have resulted in a completely destroyed training dummy, and a few shattered lances. All of which Dimitri later apologized profusely for. 

~~~

Later in the week Dimitri found himself once again in the library. Turns out he didn’t need to arrange a meeting with the Archbishop, Rhea was quick to summon him herself and explain that their next mission would be to accompany the knights to the west of the Kingdom to deal with Lonato’s rebellion. Exactly what Dimitri had suspected and feared. Upon hearing the news Ashe had been beside himself, understandably so. The idea of being forced to turn your blade against your own family – whether is is the supposed will of the Goddess or not –  is one that Dimitri finds abhorrent. 

Dimitri felt he needed to do his due diligence and look into Lonato’s history more to better understand where the lord was coming from. He had heard his name crop during the fallout after the Tragedy but he never sought to look into him further, as he already had his suspicions surrounding the true culprits of that horrid day.  As he scoured through the church's records surrounding the Tragedy, he learnt that Christophe -Lonato’s biological son-  was executed by the church for suspicions regarding his involvement in orchestrating the events of that day. This put things into perspective for him. As he spent a couple hours reading, he could hear different people shuffling in and out of the library, however he failed to notice the entry of his favorite Golden Deer. 

His eyes, which were beginning to grow weary after endlessly scrawling over the dull church reports, suddenly went dark as he felt the feeling of hands covering his eyes, causing him to jump. 

“Guess who?” the all to familiar lilt in that voice caused all of the tension to dissipate knowing that this was just Claude being his usual playful self. 

“Lorenz” he deadpans.

“Yikes, way to hit me where it hurts Your Princeliness” Dimitri reaches up to pull Claude's hands away from his eyes and is met with the sight of Claude playfully smiling down at the him. A sight he is sure he will never tire of. 

“What’s got you so engrossed that you didn’t notice me coming in?” Claude questioned. He was now bent down to Dimitri’s level and hooked his chin over his shoulder to look over the texts he was reading. The close proximity alone was enough to cause heat to rise to his face. 

“I’m doing some reading on Lord Lonato, you’ve no doubt already heard all about that by now” Dimitri spoke as Claude continued to rifle through the documents. 

“Yeah, Hilda and I overheard some knights discussing it. Poor Ashe, the poor kid must be wrecked by all of this” 

“He is. He’s usually so upbeat and hardworking but since yesterday he has been so reserved and quiet. We have all been trying to be there for him. Even the professor has a watchful eye on him ” Dimitri sighed as he fingers through his hair. 

“Hmm that’s good. But tell me Dimitri, that isn’t the whole story is it? Something about this is eating away at you. You've been so distracted lately.” Claude moved from being perched on his shoulder and was now sat directly beside him. Dimitri was struck silent by how perceptive Claude was. It was as if he could see straight through him. 

“To be completely honest with you Claude. I feel as though this incident is weighing heavy on me as I feel like it is my fault that this is even happening to begin with. If I were on the throne and not here, perhaps this wouldn’t have to escalate to the point it has. I feel sick to know that soon Ashe will likely lose yet another father figure and many civilian lives will be lost, and I am stuck here, powerless to do anything about it.”  Dimitri admitted. as his head hung low. 

There was a pregnant pause as Claude took a moment to mull over everything that Dimitri had told him. The only sound in the air being the faint crackle of the candlewick. 

“What did I tell you before? You shouldn’t have to shoulder all of these burdens alone Dimitri. If anything it sounds like this has mainly stemmed from resentment towards the Church and if these notes are anything to go by for seemingly good reason.” Claude gestured to the papers in front of him before continuing; 
“Plus you can’t help the fact that you aren’t eighteen yet. It’s frustrating but you would have been unable to do anything to prevent this but that’s okay. There’s no point in dwelling on what could have happened, you’re better focusing on the future as to prevent similar tragedies from unfolding.” 

Hearing Claude say that filled him with an immense sense of relief, as if a boulder had been lifted off of his chest. It felt so good knowing that he could rely on him to share his troubles. He raised his gaze and met Claude’s whose green eyes were filled with warmth as he smiled at the him. 

“It will all work out, I know it will. You’re Lions are a capable bunch and plus you’ll have Teach and the Knights with you. I think you’ve had enough of this for tonight Dima you don’t want to burn yourself out.” he reaches over and swipes the documents over removing them from his line of vision. 
“Why don’t we do something to take your mind off of things for a bit?” the Deer propositioned “why don’t you tell me about yourself?  Your childhood, growing up in Faerghus, any funny stories, that sort of thing” he leaned back in his chair. 

He felt his eyebrows shoot up out of surprise “me??” 

“Yes you silly! How else are we supposed to learn more about each other if we don’t ask these sorts of questions” Claude shot him another brilliant smile. Who was he to deny him this simple pleasure. 

“Hm I suppose you’re right…” his hand raised to his chin as he thought hard about what he wanted to share with his beloved friend. “Well as you probably know Faerghus is the coldest country in Fódlan. The winters there can get quite brutal. That's why furs are so popular as are great at keeping the warmth in. As a result I and a lot of people from Faerghus aren’t great at handling the heat” 

“That explains why I overheard Sylvain animatedly telling Felix that you nearly fainted in the Sauna the first time you visited” Claude teased. 

“That was only the one time! I didn’t know my limits and foolishly stayed in too long” Dimitri exclaimed trying his hardest to hide the embarrassment in his voice. 

“ Haha a rookie mistake your Princeliness! I bet Dedue almost had a heart attack” Claude laughed and he felt a familiar heat rise to his cheeks. 

“What about you Claude? What was it like where you grew up?” he leaned forward resting his chin on his palm as he awaited Claude’s response. 

“Well, it can get pretty hot in Almyra, especially during the summer. I for one love it though. Especially when I’m flying high up in the air you get such a nice breeze when you’re on top of a wyvern Dimitri, it’s the best! But it can get really cold at night time, especially in the more deserted regions. There's also a lot of mountains so that explains why wyvern travel is so prominent back home.” Claude spoke softly with a smile on his lips but Dimitri noticed a slight sadness in his eyes.  
 
“That’s fascinating” He exclaimed “Faerghus is similarly mountainous but we mainly use pegasi to combat this issue. Galatea especially is well regarded for their famous order of pegasus knights.” Dimitri explained. 

“That is interesting, I didn’t know that!” Claude became animated at this “have you ever flown before Dima?” he asked. 

“No I regrettably haven’t…” 

“Well then as soon as we are allowed to, I’ll take you out flying. That's a promise! I believe it’s something everyone should experience at least once!” he smiled so wide at this. The prospect alone made Dimitri’s heart swell. Knowing how excited the idea made Claude was enough for him to commit fully to the idea, even if the idea of being so far off the ground scared him a bit. 

“That sounds wonderful Claude” he spoke affection thick in his voice. 

“I’m going to hold you to this Dima” Claude got up out of his chair and clapped him on the shoulder before swiftly moving over to the shelves and picking out a few books, as he made his way to the door Dimitri spotted the spine of one book which was all about the plant life of Fódlan. 

“I had no idea you were interested in horticulture Claude” Dimitri observed ending his sentence with a slight yawn, the tiredness had just creeped up on him, 

“As I said earlier, there’s still a lot we don’t know about each other Dimitri” he winked as he made his way to the door. 

“Well if you’re looking to learn about plants then I suggest you speak to Dedue. He is very knowledgeable on the subject.” 

Claude looked thoughtful for a second before responding.

“Huh I had no clue. I might just have to take you up on that your Princeliness. Well I’m heading out now. This was just supposed to be a quick stop before I retired for the night but I didn’t anticipate bumping into you. The Gods of fortune must be smiling on me.” This evoked another laugh from the prince.

 “But you should think of heading to bed yourself, it will do you no good to stay up late, especially when you’re struggling to stay awake as is” 

“Right you are yet again” Dimitri admits as he begins to tidy away his belongings “Thank you yet again Claude, you always seem to be able to bring me comfort” 

“Hey don’t mention it, The way I see it now we’re even” he dismissively waves it off before turning around “don’t let the bed bugs bite Dimitri” he makes his way out of the library before Dimitri could even respond. 

“Goodnight my dear sweet friend” he spoke aloud to himself just above a hushed whisper. 

Soon after Dimitri found himself in his room feeling much lighter having shared his burdens. For the first time in a while, sleep found him without much of a struggle.