Black Eagles Pride Month/Edelgard's Birthday fan fiction

Here's a story I wrote today because I saw elsewhere it's Edelgard's birthday (character in Fire Emblem; Three Houses).  To commemorate, I wrote this story that takes place after my ongoing playthrough.  In it, my character (Byleth) has achieved an "A" rank with Edelgard (which pretty much means engagement, the "S" rank, which means marriage, won't be available until after I complete the next two chapters), I've gotten Petra and Dorothea to their "A" rank and I recruited Lysithea, Leonie and Shamir to my team.  Without further delay, the story:

Byleth got up early this morning, her wife, Empress Edelgard, was still asleep.  “Keep sleeping, my angel, I want to surprise you.” She whispered.  She hurried down to the kitchen of the Adrestian Castle, getting out the tea set she used back at Garreg Mach Monastery.  There was a soft knock at the door.  Byleth hurried over to it, opening it to see Bernadetta.

“You said you needed me today, Professor?” asked Bernadetta.

“Yes, and feel free to call me Byleth, it’s been quite some time since the war.” Replied Byleth.  “I need you to bake a cake for Edelgard’s birthday, you’ve always been quite good at cooking.”

“Uh…I…aah!” stuttered Bernadetta, scared.

“Relax, just make a cake, she’ll love it as long as it tastes sweet.” Urged Byleth.

“O-okay.” Stammered Bernadetta.  She set about making ingredients while Byleth prepared the tea.  She smiled, carrying a tray of tea and scones up to the bedroom.  Edelgard stirred, smelling the food.

“Mmm, that smells heavenly.” She smiled.

“Happy Birthday, El.” Smiled Byleth, setting the tray near Edelgard.

“I’m glad you remembered!” smiled Edelgard, leaning up to kiss her wife.  “And you brought my favorite blend, how nice!”  She began sipping the tea and eating the scones.

“It’s nice to be with you.” Smiled Byleth.

“I’m thankful every time I’m with you.” Replied Edelgard.  “You treat me so nice.”

“You deserve it after all you’ve been through.” Smiled Byleth.

“Byleth…” smiled Edelgard back.  The two kissed over the breakfast.  Edelgard dressed in her Empress dress and cape, finishing the tea.  “Now, let’s see what I have to handle today…” she said, heading to her office.

“El, take the day off from that, I planned a special day for you.” Urged Byleth.

“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks.” Smiled Edelgard.  There was another knock on the door, Edelgard and Byleth approaching it.  “What’s that smell, it’s delicious!” asked Edelgard, noting the cake smell coming from the kitchen.

“It’s a surprise.” Smiled Byleth.  She opened the door, Petra and Dorothea on the other side bearing presents.

“Happy Birthday, Edie!” smiled Dorothea.

“Have a most joyous celebration of birth!” added Petra.

“Dorothea and Petra, my two best friends.” Said Edelgard, hugging them both.  She sat down on a nearby sofa, Byleth sitting next to her, as the two set down their presents.  Edelgard opened them to see Petra got her a set of throwing axes and Dorothea got her a songbook.  “How nice, thank you!” smiled Edelgard.

“The warriors of Brigid use those to take down prey for feasts.” Explained Petra.

“And in my experience, singing can be very relaxing.” Added Dorothea.

“Thank you both again.” Smiled Edelgard.  There was another knock on the door, Byleth going to answer it.  Lysithea stood on the other side this time, holding a present.

“Hi, Professor, I’m here for the party.” She smiled.

“Hi, Lysithea, please come in.” smiled Byleth.

“Aw, Lysithea, you made it!” smiled Edelgard.

“I wouldn’t miss your big day.” Replied Lysithea, handing her the present.  It was a tea mug with a picture of Edelgard and Byleth together on it.

“Wow, thank you!” smiled Edelgard.

“I took one of your wedding photos and asked this potter if he could make a coffee mug out of it.” Replied Lysithea.

“He did a wonderful job, as did you, thanks again.” Smiled Edelgard.  There was one more knock on the door.  Byleth opened the door again to find Shamir and Leonie together with a single present.

“Hello, you two.” Smiled Byleth.

“Hey, sorry there’s only one present, Mercenary Work doesn’t typically cover much beyond what you need.” Replied Shamir.

“Shamir, Byleth was a mercenary with her Dad, I’m sure she knows that.” Added Leonie.

“Yeah, I do.” Replied Byleth.  “Glad you’re here, I was afraid some business would keep you away.”

“I made sure we had this day off.” Smiled Leonie.  The two came into the living room with Byleth and handed Edelgard their present.

“Nice to see you, Shamir, Leonie.” Smiled Edelgard.  “How goes the mercenary business?”

“You’re the one who hires us the most to help the army keep violence down.” Replied Leonie.

“I wish I could afford to pay better…” she began looking at the box, “But repairing infrastructure and keeping everyone well-fed does take its toll on the budget.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it, we can handle it.” Replied Shamir.  Edelgard opened the present, it was a book about the group’s accomplishments in unifying Fodlan.

“Oh, this is a nice present.” She smiled, seeing the illustrations and photographs of her, everyone there and her friends who couldn’t be there that day.  “Thank you very much, both of you.” She smiled.

“You’re welcome!” replied Leonie.  Bernadetta then came out of the kitchen with the cake in a pan.

“Happy Birthday, E-Empress!” she said, still slightly nervous.

“Bernie, you can call me Edelgard, we’re all good friends here.” Smiled Edelgard.

“Happy Birthday, Edelgard.” Said Bernadetta nervously, only to see Edelgard smiling.

“Thank you, and thank you for providing the cake.” She said warmly.  Bernadetta grinned in relief as the group sang the Happy Birthday song.  Edelgard then cut the cake and passed around pieces to everyone.  It was her best birthday in years.

The End