Foreword: This fan fiction is about the characters Edelgard and Byleth, as described in an earlier post. They mention the characters Dorothea, a mage from Adrestia who married Petra, Queen of Brigid and now lives there:
Also mentioned are Annette, a mage from the Blue Lions house who loves to sing off the top of her head and cook. I found out how funny she was when it was too late to recruit her, but I did beat the final boss before I engaged her in battle, so I like to imagine she was allowed to manage a restaurant in her home territory of Faerghus in exchange for not attempting a revolt.
Art by asura-00
Also mentioned is Lysithea, a mage from the Golden Deer House who I recruited into the Black Eagle House and used as a guest unit in every battle, save the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Like Edelgard, she was subjected to an experiment that gave her two crests, making their hair white (and possibly making their eyes pink/purple) and giving them immense power. The two also share a potent sweet tooth.
The last character mentioned is Hubert, Edelgard's childhood friend who is a black mage. He is rather intimidating, but has a sweet side that he hides since it won't help in the goals of reforming Fodlan. He also has genuine concern for Edelgard, voicing concerns to Byleth that some of the nobles in the area of the Leicester Alliance they are trying to persuade to help them have ties to Those Who Slither In The Dark, the ones responsible for Edelgard and Lysithea's torture and the death of Byleth's father.
The other characters who appear are Leonie, an aspiring mercenary type from the Golden Deer House that I recruited in-game. She was a dedicated student of Byleth's father, and it said post-game she banded together with mercenaries and adopted Jeralt's strategies...and drinking habits. She has a weight problem in this story because of the increased consumption of alcohol. Another is Shamir, a fellow mercenary who started as a Knight of Seiros to repay a debt to Rhea. I recruited her in-game, making her part of the Black Eagle strike force. Due to her past as a mercenary, Leonie seeks to learn from her, and now the two are almost inseparable in work and play.
The last character in this fan fiction who appears is Bernadetta. Bernadetta is an easily-scared archer of the Black Eagle House who is prone to thinking she has upset everyone...when she hasn't and they are more concerned by her reaction to the event. Bernadetta had a rough childhood, her father only saw her as a bride to marry rich and assaulted her friends on multiple occasions. Despite the friendship of the Black Eagle House, Bernadetta hasn't quite gotten over her anxieties about potentially threatening things and will recoil at something frightening.
Without further introductions, here's the fan fiction;
Edelgard and Byleth were resting on an Adrestian beach, Byleth clad in
her black bikini while Edelgard wore a red one and a white T-shirt over
top. “Lovely day at the beach, huh, El?” asked Byleth.
“Very peaceful.” Replied Edelgard. “I wish I could go for a dip, but I can’t swim unless I’m a mermaid.”
“And Dorothea’s back in Brigid…” mused Byleth, “Annette’s probably
running her restaurant today, too. I’ll go see if I can find Lysithea
or Hubert, you just help yourself to some frozen treats, honey.” Byleth
kissed Edelgard’s forehead and sauntered off, humming to herself.
Edelgard smiled softly to herself and got in line at the ice cream
truck. A lesser leader would’ve ordered themselves to the front as some
sort of privilege, but Edelgard didn’t mind waiting. Covered in
sunscreen and with a bottle of water and her purse, she smiled as she
took a sip.
“Hey, it’s Edelgard!” she heard a familiar voice
call out. Edelgard looked in its direction, seeing Leonie in an
ill-fitting XXL orange bikini, Shamir with a black bikini and Bernadetta
in a purple one-piece swimsuit.
“Good eye, Leonie, my archery lessons are paying off.” Smiled Shamir. Edelgard got out of line to greet her friends.
“Hello, everyone. Decided to take a relaxing day at the beach, too?” she asked.
“Yep, we were looking for a fourth for beach volleyball.” Smiled Leonie, holding up the net while Shamir held up a beach ball.
“Sure, it’ll keep me busy while Byleth’s out seeing if Hubert or
Lysithea are here.” Replied Edelgard. The four set up the net, Leonie
and Shamir on one side, Edelgard and Bernadetta on the other.
“Wh-why do you want to f-find Hubert or Lysithea?” asked Bernadetta as
Leonie hit the ball to her. She squealed in panic and Edelgard punched
it back towards Shamir.
“Byleth-unh!-wants to go for a swim.”
Replied Edelgard, hitting Shamir’s return to Leonie, who popped it up.
It soared to Bernadetta, who panicked, requiring Edelgard to hit it
back again. “But the thing is, I can only swim if I’ve been-unh!-turned
into a mermaid.” Continued Edelgard, swatting Shamir’s return back.
“You can’t swim?” asked Leonie, missing the ball, it landing in the sand.
“I didn’t have the opportunity, but I desperately would love to learn.” Edelgard replied.
“Leonie and I can at least start you.” Said Shamir. The two led
Edelgard to the ocean’s edge. “Walk in, slowly, as slow as you want.”
Said Shamir. Edelgard closed her eyes nervously, wading in the water.
“Aah, it’s…quite cold…” she muttered.
“Just keep going, you’re doing great, we’re right here in case anything
happens.” Said Shamir. The water covered her knees, heading up her
thighs. Edelgard winced, it was cold water and the incessant waves made
her feel unwelcome in this environment. “Keep going, keep going.” Said
Shamir as Edelgard sweat anxiously. She got up to her waist, her
delicate, yet scarred hands now submerged.
“Aaah!” she managed.
“It’s okay, that’s as far as you need to go right now.” Encouraged Shamir. “Now, fall forward.”
“F-f-f-fall FORWARD?!” asked Edelgard, her eyes snapping open.
“Yes, you’ve just been wading, you want to swim, right?” asked Shamir.
Edelgard gave a death grip on Leonie’s chubby frame, scared to proceed.
What if she fell to the bottom? The water would fill her lungs, and
then…an image of Byleth in a black dress at a grave with Petra weeping
beside her flashed through her head.
“NO!” she cried out.
“It’s okay, we’ll catch you if something goes wrong. Lean forward,
Empress, Leonie and I will hold your waist.” Said Shamir. They held
Edelgard’s waist gently and firmly.
“Y-you two don’t let go, okay?” she asked.
“We won’t.” smiled Leonie. Edelgard leaned forward, her arms thrashing
and legs kicking in fear, her head above water to ensure contact with
the air wasn’t lost.
“Relax, Empress, relax!” shouted Shamir. Edelgard’s limbs stopped thrashing and she began panting. “Now move your arms—”
“What are you two doing with El?” asked Byleth as she waded up.
“We were trying to teach her to swim.” Said Leonie. She and Shamir got Edelgard back on her feet.
“I asked them to.” She replied.
“Well, I couldn’t find Hubert or Lysithea, so swim lessons would be a
good idea.” Stated Byleth. “You want to continue from where you were,
only with me giving the instructions?”
“That sounds good, no offense to you two, but By’s pretty special and I’d trust her more.” Smiled Edelgard.
“Well, you didn’t hurt us, unlike some soldiers I’ve taught to swim, so you’re definitely a good student.” Replied Shamir.
“I know.” Said Byleth and Edelgard simultaneously, then giggling together.
“You owe me a soda.” Said Edelgard.
“And you owe me one.” Added Byleth coyly. Leonie and Shamir sighed, glad to see the two happy together.
The End
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