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Mornings were surprisingly chilly in Almyra. Despite how the sand scorched your bare feet while the sun was up, it couldn’t hold onto the heat once the sun went down. When Byleth had first come to live here, she had complained about walking over the cold tiles to the bathroom, and a pair of warm slippers were waiting at her bedside the next morning. But these days, she relished the excuse to cuddle in bed a bit longer.
Anything for a little more time with him.
So long to all my friends
Every one of them met tragic ends
With every passing day
I'd be lying if I didn't say that I miss them all tonight
And if they only knew what I would say
"Mmm." Claude stirred, lazily turning towards her. Gone were the days when he bolted awake at the slightest movement or noise. After all these years, it had finally sunk in that they were safe. "Good morning, my sun."
She shook her head fondly at the familiar endearment. Every day it was the same. She was his sun every morning and his star every night.
Hapi had once told her that the sun was just another star in the sky. It only appeared larger because it was much closer than the others. And because of that accident of nature, their world had the warmth and life to sustain them.
It reminded Byleth of her decision to teach the Golden Deer. There was no real reason behind her choice, but it was the catalyst for the rebirth of Fodlan, and for herself. That choice had made her come alive for the first time. The friendship and love that had once seemed so distant and cold were now the center of her existence.
Then again, maybe it had been fate, like Claude said. Perhaps this trajectory had been written in the heavens before they'd even been conceived, the force of gravity drawing them inexorably into each other's orbit.
Hapi also told her that all stars eventually burn out.
If I could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
One day, I'll lose this fight
As we fade in the dark, just remember you will always burn as bright
She took his hand and gently pressed a kiss to each knuckle. They were so swollen with arthritis that he could no longer hold a bow, and the sharp eyes that had first spotted the ambush in Aillel were rheumy. Not enough to dim his trademark mischievous sparkle, though it was harder to see now, surrounded by deep wrinkles.
"What's that face for?" he asked, reaching out to poke a finger into the corner of her frown.
She stuck her tongue out at him, but of course, it succeeded in cheering her up. He had always had that effect on her, all the way back to their academy days. Not that she understood what that meant at the time.
How had Jeralt managed to keep a straight face as she told him it was easier to smile around Claude, and why would it matter who she was near? He never tease her, though; apparently, her mother’s emotions had been similarly stunted, so he showed more compassion than most others did. But he didn’t enlighten her, either. His strategy had always been to let her work things out for herself, whether it was a new combat art or realizing she was in love.
“Just thinking,” she finally answered.
Be strong and hold my hand
Time, it comes for us, you'll understand
We'll say goodbye today, and I'm sorry how it ends this way
If you promise not to cry
Then I'll tell you just what I would say
Her father was somewhere north of 300 when he was stabbed in the back. He’d only mourned Sitri for a mere fraction of that time and loved her for even less. Yet without her, he seemed a man haunted, unmoored.
Byleth didn't even want to think about how many years Rhea had spent consumed by grief for a mother long gone. Even then, it had taken the most powerful magic ever conceived to usher her to her final rest. She hadn't said it aloud, but Byleth had seen the relief in her eyes. The end of pain.
More and more, Byleth’s thoughts wandered to Dedue. When they'd seen him in Enbarr, she'd attributed the dimming of his eyes to the hardness one had to adopt before battle, but now she knew better. He seemed almost surprised at having outlived Dimitri, as if he'd expected to turn to mist the moment Dimitri was gone. At the time, she hadn't asked him his plans, but she doubted he had made any.
She wondered if he’d ever found something or someone to live for again. Was he able to find his way without the light that had always guided his steps? Or did he spend the rest of his days in darkness?
If I could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
I'll fail and lose this fight
Never fade in the dark, just remember you will always burn as bright
"Do you remember when we lived apart after we got engaged?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I think I do recall something like that."
His chuckle turned into a series of hacking coughs. She dove for a glass of water and held it to his lips.
Voice still hoarse, he said, “We made it through, didn’t we?”
“I had our reunion to look forward to then.”
And what a reunion it had been. She’d guarded the door to the former Riegan Manor alone, the Sword of the Creator carving a small bubble of space around her in its whip form. Defeat was a foregone conclusion, but she was desperate to stall long enough for everyone else to flee. When her strength was exhausted, she’d fallen to one knee and looked to the sky for what she thought would be the last time.
He had always preferred to arrive with flair, after all.
“We’ll see each other again, among the stars,” he said. Almyran legends claimed that when one died, they were carried to the heavens and became a new star. It was cold comfort, knowing how distant they were. “The more virtuous the soul, the brighter the star. I've been working hard for a long time so I can light your way. Just like in that battle, look to the skies and I'll be there.”
Sometimes, we must grow stronger
And you can be stronger when I'm gone
When I'm here no longer
You must be stronger, and
Some nights, she was weak, weeping in self-pity. Claude held her with all the strength his frail arms still possessed and whispered endearments in her ear. He was the one suffering, she reminded herself. Every moment they had left should be dedicated to him. There would be plenty of time for her to weep afterwards. Many lifetimes, in fact.
"Go to Garreg Mach," he urged her, feverish and blind. "Promise me you won't be alone."
She promised to go to the monastery, but she couldn't swear to the second part.
If I could be with you tonight
I would sing you to sleep
Never let them take the light behind your eyes
I failed and lost this fight
Never fade in the dark
Just remember you will always burn as bright
The journey to Garreg Mach was long and dusty. She went alone on horseback, foregoing the carriage and veils she’d used on her previous visits. There was no danger of being recognized in Fodlan anymore. Everyone who would have known her face was gone.
With a few exceptions.
Seteth stood at the gate waiting for her. He didn't smile or wave, didn't pretend that this was a joyful reunion. Stern and unwavering as ever, and for reasons she now understood. He was something solid to grab hold of when the currents threatened to pull her out to sea.
"He's gone."
The words drained the last dregs of her strength, and she collapsed forward into his waiting arms. He held her tight, tight enough to squeeze the breath from her lungs. But she needed the pain, needed to remember that she was flesh and blood despite all that her inhumanity had taken from her.
"I know, Byleth," he said. "Goddess, I know."
The light behind your eyes
The light behind your eyes
She climbed the steps of the Goddess Tower that night, where Claude had shared with her his friendship, his ambitions, his heart. A star shone brilliantly next to the Blue Sea Star, under which they’d made a wish so many years ago. But when she blinked, she saw that the brightness was only the light reflecting off her own tears.