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honey-katsu · 4 months ago

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Ghostly - ao3

Summary:

The war is over, but King Dimitri still struggles with the ghosts of his past.

Warning: delusions/hallucinations, mild gore/horror, grief, and self-harm (aka Dimitri's trauma coming back to haunt him)

note before we begin: i am chickenKatsu on ao3. I do not give anyone the right to repost my work to another platform unless I’m asked then properly credited. Please support me on ao3 if you like it!

(also this was one of my earliest works, so it’s not as good as it could be tbh. but i can see what i was going for. that’s something, at least)

Wind howled and banged on the windows of the King of Faerghus's private chambers. The winter night air slipped in through the broken window. The dust on the furniture drifted downwards, landing ever so softly on the shoulder of a broken man. This man, the leader of his people and king of a kingdom, did not notice the wind, the chill, or the utter disarray of his room. Nor did he notice the soft knock-knock on the door.

"Your Highness," the person on the other side calls. He stiffens and reaches for his nearby lance, but does not answer. Shadows circle him and multiply, obscuring his vision and blocking his path.

"Your Highness," a feminine voice mocks, stepping out to caress his cheek. " Your Highness... Do you think you deserve that title? After what you put us through?"

The king flinches, but does not respond. "My son," chides another voice in his ear, "you have made our people suffer, and they have died because of you, just like we did. You cannot be king if you cannot protect your people. And you cannot be king if you cannot grant the simple wish of the dead and dying."

“Father, I-” He gripped the dresser, cracking it with his boar-like strength.

"You do not deserve any of this, Dimitri,'' another female voice came forward, shimmering in the moonlight and her form becoming clear. His mother sneered at this pathetic child she had raised. “They gave up their lives for you and continue to do so. You lead hundreds to their deaths daily yet they still welcome you home with open arms. They treat you like the king they said you are. But have you not considered their true intentions? The real reason they treat you like a god?"

Dimitri shook his head, too scared to speak.

His mother and the other ghosts began to snicker. Glenn appeared from around the former queen’s shoulder, regarding the figure in front of him with a blank face and a loathing gaze. Dimitri shrunk under his stare.

Glenn scoffed, "He doesn't even know! How pathetic, Your Highness. ” Turning to the others, he crooned, “Who will do the honors of enlightening our dearest Dimitri, hm?”

“Oh, I will! I will!” A faceless soldier of the kingdom eagerly chirped from the gathered crowd of ghosts. “They are terrified of you! They follow you into battle because it is better than the alternative."

"The alternative..."

"Yes, my child,” his mother sang, tilting his chin upwards. “You could kill them with nothing but your hands. You could kill them simply by doing nothing, like you did to us.”

"No, no no no!" he cried, swinging his lance blindly, shaking and trembling. "Only those who you deem unworthy! Only those who must die for your revenge did I strangle!”

"Dimitri,” called a little voice. He whipped his head around to see a small Duscurian girl looking up at him. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises. Her left eye was grey; her missing right eye was replaced with a bigger, blue eye. It was bleeding, drenching her clothes and the teddy bear she was holding “Why did you kill us? Why did you let us die?"

"I-I did not want you to die,” the king whispered softly. “I tried to save you. But there was nothing I could do-"

"Oh, there is always something you can do." The child reached up, gently brushing her ghostly fingers across Dimitri's neck as if she were caressing a puppy. A demonic grin spread across her face. "You could die."

<><><><><>

“Professor!”

Byleth turned around to see Mercedes running after him and carrying a tray of food. He nodded to his former student.

“Welcome back, Professor. How did your mission go?”

“The knights and I successfully quelled the resistance in Nuvelle,” he replied, “as well as smaller rebellions nearby. Soon, the Kingdom will be able to completely unite Fodlan.”

“That's great news.” Mercedes smiled, but her joy quickly disappeared. With Byleth’s curious look, she continued hesitantly. “But um, I can’t say things have been going so well here while you’ve been gone. He hasn’t eaten in weeks and refuses to leave his room. Every time someone tries to check on him, they come back bruised and terrified.” She sighed, concern painted on her features. “We’re all worried, Professor, even Felix admitted to it.”

“I see.” said Byleth. “Did anyone have any bleeding wounds from their visit with the king?”

Mercedes offered the tray to Byleth. “No, but sometimes their bones would be broken.”

“Okay. Thank you.” Byleth took the tray from Mercedes and changed his direction. “I will take care of this.”

As he walked away, Mercedes could only stare at his back. How fearless the Professor must be to march right into the wounded lion’s den, she thought as she bowed in Byleth’s direction. How selfless and kind he must be to love someone so broken.

“Best of luck, Professor,” she whispered. But Byleth was already gone.

<><><><><>

In front of the king’s chambers, Byleth stopped to gather his thoughts. He mentally prepared for every situation he could come up with. If things went terribly awry, he could always use a Divine Pulse. However, he preferred not to use them for these types of situations. The Pulses are to save lives, and unless Dimitri had killed someone, himself or otherwise, Byleth would not– could not– rewind the past.

With a deep breath, Byleth knocked on the door. “Your Highness,” he called. He waited for a few moments, but there was no answer. He couldn’t hear anything from inside.

He tried again with a gentle rap at the door. “Your Highness? I’ve brought your dinner.”

Again, no response. A muffled yell resounded behind the doors. He heard heavy footsteps and the soft screech of Areadbhar being dragged across the stone floor.

Ah, thought Byleth, as he fiddled with his wedding ring nervously. It is worse than I thought this time.

“Dimitri, I’m coming in.” Byleth warned.

Slowly opening the door, he found that things had been worse than he anticipated. Dust covered almost every surface and floated in the air, stirred by the breeze. The dresser corner was crushed. The curtains, bedsheets, and walls had large gashes in them. Shattered glass lay at the floor by the windows. The dresser door was unhinged, and clothes were scattered around the room. The tapestry of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus had been trampled on and stabbed so many times Byleth could hardly see the symbol anymore.

But he couldn’t find Dimitri. Panic began to rise in Byleth. He set the tray down and rushed around the room. He checked the bathroom and the large closet before noticing the balcony door slightly ajar. He gently nudged the door open, careful not to make any sudden noises.

At the edge of the balcony stood Dimitri. He held Areadbhar at his side. His ragged attire, hunched back, and unkempt hair made Byleth’s chest ache. Cautiously, he circled around Dimitri to his side. Dimitri’s hair dangled in front of his eye, softly blowing in the breeze. The king turned his head towards Byleth slowly and locked eyes. Byleth studied his eye, hazy and unseeing, trying to understand what had happened.

He stole a quick glance at Areadbhar. Blood dripped from its tip. It’s fresh, thought Byleth, but no one has been in here recently. So whose is it? His eyes trailed up Dimitri’s body and landed on his outstretched arm. His arm was held over the balcony, blood spilling into the city streets below.

After a moment, Dimitri noticed his presence. His gaze followed Byleth’s, retracting his arm. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

Byleth gingerly grasped Dimitri’s arm, wordlessly inspecting the cuts. He tenderly led Dimitri back inside, plopped him on the bed, and began to tidy up while looking for the first aid kit.

“Sorry,” mumbled Dimitri. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Dimitri.” Byleth replied softly, grabbing bandages out of the first aid kit. He began to clean and dress Dimitri’s wounds. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”

Dimitri did not look up at Byleth, eyes transfixed on the lance he still held in his hand. “But it is. I know it is. I couldn't give you what you wanted this time, either. I'm sorry. Father, I’m sorry. Glenn, I’m sorry. I’m sorry it’s not enough. I’m-”

“Dimitri.” Byleth’s voice was firm yet kind. He tried to call him back to reality and ground him with his presence. He rubbed his thumb across Dimitri’s palm in a circular motion. “Dimitri, it's okay. It's not your fault.” For what felt like hours, Byleth continued to run his thumb across Dimitri’s palm, reciting these comforting words and reassurances.

Dimitri squeezed Byleth’s thumb lightly. Byleth waited for him to speak. After a moment, he did. “Byleth… when did you get back?”

“Just now.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to come back from your mission to see this mess.”

“It’s quite alright, Dimitri.” Byleth planted a feathery kiss on Dimitri’s head, then his bandaged arm.

“Did, uh, did I do that?” Dimitri looked a little unsettled. He glanced at his lance. “Oh, I guess I did. I’m sorry.”

Byleth cupped the king’s face and stared him in the eye. “Don’t apologize to me, or the ghosts of your past, Dimitri. What happened is not your fault, and revenge isn't the answer.”

Dimitri nodded. “I know.”

“Would you tell me what happened while I was away?”

Dimitri broke away, unable to maintain eye contact. He gazed at his arm, then at his finger where his wedding ring rested. He began to turn anxiously as he recounted the words of his family. “The dead demanded Imperial blood. But I couldn’t give them the blood they desired, so I gave them mine.”

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fe-aesthetics · 2 years ago

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Sometimes the person you're looking for is hiding right under your nose the whole time.

Dimitri and Byleth, Familiarity In Hope

*requested by anonymous*

#fire emblem #FE #fire emblem three hopes #dimitri #byleth #m!byleth #dimitri x byleth #ship board #aesthetic #request #color: blue #color: white #color: black #mod kris

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feshippingpolls · 4 months ago

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Seeing people not ship M!Byleth/Dimitri but being totally into F!Byleth/Dimitri makes me really sad. That's Dimitri's trans husband y'all he love M!Byleth so much.

It depends bc F!Byleth has more OTP votes but overall they're pretty even. Including OTP and ship together, F!Byleth gets 62.5% and M!Byleth gets 64.4% (although M!Byleth is still active so that might change). So ig while F!Byleth x Dimitri has more ride or die fans, M!Byleth is overall shipped the about same amount.

#old hubba posting #fe3h #byleth fe3h #dimitri fe3h #dimileth

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diaphin93 · 3 months ago

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I'd love to read you breaking down Dimi/Rhealeth :)

Oh thats interesting, I'd love to do that. I will predominantly use she/her pronouns for Byleth just for ease, though I acknowledge that Rhealeth is a bi-ship for both Byleths.

Starting with Dimileth, its plain and simple, as a feminist and lesbian I just dislike the overall ship-dynamic of it, but I get the broader appeal of it. I mean, its basically a sizable portion of the contemporary published het-romance genre in a nutshell, you have a dangerous and unstable psychologically haunted men who hides a sweeter core and pair him with a kind and loving women who through self-sacrifice, selfless nuturing and tenderness fixes him and cures him of his ills. Its a super basic het dynamic and I personally really dislike it because of the very heteronormative, gendered patriachal dynamics involved in it, especially since the ship ingame strongly contextualizes Byleth as tender and fragile, in opposition to her characterization as a famed mercenary and powerful warrior.

I would argue that the ship is probably more favorable with Byleth as the PoV and Self-Insert character than the other way around, where it kind of can have incel-esque vibes and plays into issues of male entitlement towards a nuturing woman who acts as both a caretaker and a lover to a man. From a queer feminist standpoint, I dislike it either way, but there are individual pieces of fanart I can enjoy more than others, when they lean more into a physically strong and trained Byleth who appears as more of Dimitris equal. I guess I personally also get more behind it with Dimitris Post-Timeskip design in mind, which is one of the few male designs I find genuinly appealing, than with Pre-Timeskip Dimitri who is super bland in terms of personality and design for the most part. When I want to mock it, I call it 50 Shades of Fire Emblem, but I think there is not much more that needs to be said about the ship and my feelings on it.

I'm actually more fond of it when it involves Male Byleth being paired with Dimitri. I'm usually really not invested into m/m ships, being a near exclusive w/w shipper myself, but I think its a good example of how even with genderblind writing, a narrative can't really escape strong contextual and subtextual differences due to changing gendered dynamics, explicitely in a game like 3 Houses, that has at least implicitely alot to say about gender. There is also the difference between vibes in F!Byleth and M!Byleth, M!Byleth coming off as much more serious and reserved in comparison. I think this really helps to recontextualize the scenes between M!Byleth and Dimitri and the potential ship dynamic, there being more of an element of tenderness and nuture that M!Byleth displays despite his more reserved vibes which I prefer, similar to me liking the dynamic between F!Byleth and Edelgard much more, because I think this social Awkwardness and kinda autistic vibes f!Byleth has match well with Edelgards openness and interest in her. For a while I was more in the camp of wishing Claude was also bisexual and viewing Dimitri from a more unfavorable cishet perspective, but I think nowadays, if I could only one of those two romancable by both Byleths, I would go for Dimitri, especially since I think that with the culture of Faerghus in mind, there are some interesting headcanons for queer Dimitri. I recently saw an interpretation of Dimitri as transmasc in the Edelgard server lol and that was one that really captivated me, so Transmasc Dimitri x M!Byleth would be a ship I really would find interesting and I kinda grew on the idea of both Byleths being present and f!Byleth going with Edelgard and m!Byleth going with Dimitri, lol.

When it comes to Rhealeth, I think I have less to say about those two. I really personally don't feel it and I think the ship is just too inheritly problematic for me to enjoy. It is another ship that is canonically Bi, but I personally really dislike both variants of it. I think with the entire context in mind, there is a very uncomfortable vibe between Byleth and Rhea in their supports and it reads strongly as grooming and lovebombing, especially since Rhea doesn't seem exactly interested in Byleth as a person, but more in them in relation to being the child of people she was close to and her being the vessel of Sothis. The former already makes she ship kinda yikes, because there is a clear incestious element in it all that goes far beyond even Fates Step-Sibling kink. For all intents and purposes, Rhea is Byleths grandmother. She created Sitri, raised her and openly expresses that she viewed her as a daughter, while also being close to Jeralt since he was a young man or outright boy. Her ending up marrying their child, who she helped to deliver, is really messed up on a level where its just plain problematic and I don'T see much room in looking past it or viewing this as something romantic.

Then there is the fact that Rheas behavior if you chose Crimson Flower puts into question how sincere she is during all of their supports. Edelgard and Byleth also can end up in opposing sides of the war and fight each other, thats sure, but Edelgard still never expresses outright hatred or malice towards Byleth, she always treats her with respect and adoration, them fighting because they chose different sides in a war. With Rhea its very different, its an immediate snap into outright malice and dehumanization in a way that is very ugly and uncomfortable. At best thats outright toxic and unstable BPD behavior, to immediately dehumanize and devalue every aspect of a person because you feel rejected. I saw people here actually encourage and support this kind of behavior, which is a massive red flag on those people for me. At worst, its basically just Rhea spending the first part of the game purely lovebombing her and when Byleth doesn't conform, she expresses immediate malice.

I think it can be interesting potentially, but not in this romanticized way people on this website would probably advocate for it. Rhea has strong groomer and cultleader vibes, her behavior towards Byleth is a good example of grooming and the same can be extented to everyone else she is in close contact with, who isn't an actual Nabathean. People get enarmored alot with her motherly, benevolent persona, but I always felt like it comes off as more uncomfortable, very superficial, very thin. And in the end, with her behavior in CF also taken into mind because as much as ArchFireemblem and his Tradcath gang want to deny it, its also part of Rheas canonical characterization, She comes off as an unstable womanchild who does play at the motherly figure, emulating t his flat and infantile idealized and flawed vision of Sothis she has constructed in her head, which just does not exist.

In this vein, I think Rhealeth can be interesting in the way Makima/Denji from Chainsaw Man is fascinating and one of the most captivating and gutwrenching toxic relationships in contemporary media, as an analysis of a toxic and abusive relationship in which a powerful and mentally juvenile older woman grooms and manipulaties a socially isolated and impressionable younger woman she has a high level of power over into fulfilling her needs and constructing them into an idealized vision of an entirely different person.

So yeah, thats it. I think ultimately I'm really much more favorable and positive about Dimileth, even Het!Dimileth, than I'm to either version of Rhealeth. With Dimileth, I get the appeal and I can see how it is just a very popular and common fantasy which I personally dislike. With Rhealeth on the other hand, I just really can't see it in any other way but a very abusive and toxic instance of grooming and so far I personally found the kinds of people to whom that ship would appeal so far to be more than uncomfortable, which isn't necessarily my experience with Dimileth.

And hey, on the offchance that somebody reads this and gets Trans!Dimitri as a headcanon out of it, no matter with what kind of ship, just hit me up, I'm happy to read it.

#fe3h #fe3h discourse #dimitri blaiddyd #church of seiros #rhea critical #fe16 #rhealeth #dimileth

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dpsisquared · 11 months ago

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I wrote three fics for the Dimileth winter exchange! 💙💚

Gravitational pull, Feralmitri x Mercenary!Byleth

Dimitri, on the run, encounters a strange woman and her motley crew of mercenaries. He's only going to stay with them for a little while, just another step towards Enbarr and that woman's head.

Thing is, he keeps forgetting to leave.

The others under the cut!! ⬇️

A new gambit, modern AU CEO Dimitri x employee Byleth:

Dimitri has been avoiding Byleth since they kissed a few weeks ago, mortified by his inappropriate behavior with a coworker. With a little help from the rest of the office, she puts the pressure on until he cracks.

Beloved Mine, modern AU student Dimitri x student M!Byleth

Unable to express himself to the object of his affection, Dimitri pours his feelings for Byleth into a creative writing assignment. It's not like he'll be reading it aloud in front of the entire class or anything.

Oh sweet mother of Seiros, please strike him down. They're reading them aloud in class-- the class that Byleth is in, too.

#dimileth exchange #fe3h #dimileth #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #byleth eisner #few3h #stuff i wrote

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yoonluve · 1 year ago

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just practicing for the white heron cup nothing else to see here

#fe3h #fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #mbyleth #ファイアーエムブレム風花雪月 #byleth eisner #byleth #dimitri x male byleth #m!byleth #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #fire emblem fanart #fe3h dimitri #m!byleth x dimitri #byleth x dimitri #dimileth #mdimileth #artists on tumblr

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princess-starscourge · 2 months ago

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Please help I’m desperate to talk about M!Dimileth right now

#fire emblem three houses #m!dimileth #dimitri x byleth #just send a message if interested :-)

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reunionatdawn · 11 months ago

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My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 1: Edelgard/Byleth)

Edelgard: I'm simply having trouble putting this feeling into words. I just felt…I don't know. As if something was drawing me to the Ashen Demon. I wonder… Could it be the influence of my Crest?

The story of 3H pushes Byleth with the lord of each route so hard that it almost felt pointless to add the self-insert dating-sim elements with the other students. In Persona 5, you could date whatever girl you wanted with no effect on the main story. But in 3H, it felt more like Final Fantasy X where there the love story was the main story.

This pairing absolutely felt "canon", at least in CF. As both of them bore the Crest of Flames, I strongly suspect that their relationship was meant to represent the concept of "twin flames". A twin flame is a deep soul connection between two people. They are actually thought to be twin souls inhabiting two bodies. Twin flames seem to mirror one another, have shared similar life paths, history, and sometimes trauma. They are naturally drawn to each other. This description certainly applied to Byleth.

Byleth: Who was your first true love? Edelgard: Hmm. For some reason, I feel compelled to tell you all of these things I have kept hidden. I can't say the name, but it was a noble who I met in the Kingdom, a lifetime ago.

But interestingly, it could apply to Dimitri as well. It is said that one twin flame is supposed to represent the divine masculine half of the soul and the other the divine feminine half. When the masculine and feminine energies of the twins harmonize, the two souls merge and become one.

The "divine feminine" principle is more about charting inner emotional space, while the "divine masculine" principle represents conquering the outer physical world. The characteristics of the divine masculine are logic, rationality, discipline, and assertiveness. The divine feminine is associated with goddess energy. Some of its attributes are intuition, nurturing, loving, and supporting their counterpart.

Edelgard: Professor... You've been crying. So even you cry sometimes. Oh... I suppose that was thoughtless of me to say. Byleth: Yes, it was. Edelgard: Long ago, someone said the same thing to me.

Traditionally, the moon represents divine feminine energy (yin) as opposed to the sun which represents divine masculine energy (yang). Edelgard is cool and collected. She is the active force of the story who wishes to bring about the new dawn. Dimitri is emotional. He is the reactive force whose storyline is symbolized by the moon. You'd expect Edelgard to be a natural yang personality and Dimitri a yin.

But Edelgard was born on the summer solstice as opposed to Dimitri being born on the winter solstice. Edelgard is a Cancer, which is a water sign ruled by the moon. Astrologically, Cancers are associated with yin energy. They are said to have a hard outer shell like a crab but are very soft underneath. Often called the mother of the zodiac, they are known for their deeply emotional and nurturing nature. They form strong attachments to their loved ones and often have a hard time letting go. It is implied that "El" cried when she learned that she'd have to leave the Kingdom. Dimitri was surprised seeing this reaction from her, but it likely influenced his choice of parting gift: a dagger symbolizing the philosophy of the patriarchal Faerghus.

I found it interesting how much Edelgard was displeased by Dimitri's gift. Even at the academy, she prefers if Byleth giver her more traditionally feminine gifts like flowers, a book, or a bear stuffy and she will be unhappy if she is given a weapon. Using a dagger to cut a path has very violent implications, although Dimitri was too young to realize that at the time. He had grown up around blades his whole life and only viewed them as tools of destiny. He wanted to reassure her that they had a future together, as long as she never lost heart. It was meant as a symbol of inner strength, nothing more.

Edelgard: Heh, so you consider me strong, do you? Even if one clings to their faith, the goddess will never answer them. Countless souls will be lost that way. Living without purpose. And I can be counted among those who have died that way as well. But that's why I must change this world, on behalf of the silent and weak! Dimitri: And do you intend to become a goddess yourself? Will you steal the power to take action from the broken-hearted masses you claim to defend?

Cancer's greatest fear is abandonment which can cause them to be clingy. It is implied that El "died" after praying and not receiving any hand reaching out to help her. During her imprisonment, she felt totally alone and forsaken by the goddess. That's when she began to see faith as a sign of inner weakness.

Edelgard was reborn bearing the Crest of Flames. She no longer shed tears and looked to the dagger for strength. Dimitri accused her of trying to supplant the goddess. And while that may not literally be true, perhaps it was true in a figurative sense. CF is about standing firm in your principles and cutting your own path no matter who stands in your way, even the goddess herself.

Dorothea: Is there someone you have your eye on? Edelgard: (Normal): To be honest, there's nothing resembling romance in my life at present. (Has reached Support Rank A with a male): A certain face comes to mind at the thought...though I'm not sure you could call what we have a romance just yet. It's not that I'm disinterested. I'm simply too busy with other endeavors. I have no time to spare for such things.

Ideologically, CF represents the most traditionally masculine path for Byleth to take. Edelgard is drawn to them regardless of gender, what route you choose, and even in Hopes. But she is drawn to their stoic masculine energy and even seemed somewhat disappointed that they were crying after Jeralt's death. Women can certainly embody divine masculine energy and vice versa. Twin flames are not based on biological sex. Overall, the fandom understandably prefers Edeleth with female Byleth for the less stereotypical aspects.

But I found it interesting that even though this very Support conversation implies that Edelgard is bisexual, the dialogue only changes (I tested this myself) if she has A-Support with a male. Edelgard has paired endings with a few other male characters, but not a single one of them has the level of emotional intimacy she has with Byleth. They read like political marriages, while Edelgard truly wanted a passionate romance.

Shez asks about memories of the past. Edelgard: Have I told you about the boy who gave me the dagger? I called him "Dee," which is all I really remember about him.

The tagline for FE3H was, "Sweet memories twisted by time's cruel hand". Dimitri said the day he gifted her the dagger was a sweet memory with a bitter ending. It's unclear why she couldn't recall that Dimitri was her first love. Perhaps when she realized her "fated path" would force her to go to war with someone so special to her, the pain caused her psyche to block out the memories of him and his identity. Who knows.

Edelgard: There was nothing I could do to save him. And so, the very least I could do was— Byleth: Are you crying? Edelgard: No. The Edelgard who shed tears died many years ago. Everything that's happened...it's all just part of the ebb and flow of history.

After Dimitri cursed "El" at the Tailtean Plains, she may have finally realized he was "Dee". In their A-Support, Edelgard admitted that she was actually relieved that Byleth could feel some human emotions like jealousy, but she tells them that they are both "detached" (actually "inhuman" in the JP version). Because of this, Byleth was someone she could relate to. And she does come across as rather inhuman at times. She finally does cry when she thinks Byleth dies, indicating her old self had come back to life in some way. But she was unable to cry when she killed anyone else. Even her old flame.

Edelgard: You called me El. That's... I... That means more than I can say. And this ring... It's lovely. Thank you, my dearest friend. I will happily accept it. I must admit, I feared my feelings would be unrequited. So long as I had you by my side, it never mattered how many enemies I amassed. You were all I needed.

Byleth's Crest and Edelgard's second Crest is the Crest of Flames, which is associated with The World arcana in Tarot. The World represents a successful conclusion after all aspects have been accounted for. Things have come full circle. A journey has been completed. Edelgard believed that the one leading the people of the world should be someone with humanity rather than an inhuman creature like Rhea. But there are two meanings for the word "humanity". One is "the human species" which is obviously what Edelgard meant. But the other meaning is "benevolence".

Byleth & Edelgard Byleth and Edelgard ended the tyranny of a godlike being. Byleth was wounded and lost the power of the progenitor god, but it mattered not, as he/she and Edelgard had each other. To ensure lasting peace, the two fought against those who slither in the dark, and to ensure a society where people can rise and fall by their own merits, they spent their lives reforming the antiquated class system. They achieved much in their time together, and it is said that they were sometimes spotted leaving the palace to privately enjoy the world they had created. How they spent those precious moments, none but the two of them will ever know.

Byleth cuts down Rhea with the sword made from the remains of her dead mother. Upon doing so, they lose the power of the progenitor god. The Crest Stone in their heart is destroyed. Their soul was once merged with the goddess Sothis, but symbolically Edelgard now fills that spot as their twin flame. Byleth's heartbeat returns, and their color goes back to normal.

But their hair color was actually the origin of the nickname "Ashen Demon". So, it leaves you to wonder: Did Byleth truly maintain their humanity until the end? I'm not so sure, but I still really enjoyed how the traditionally masculine aspects of Edelgard's conquest contrasted with the little glimpses of her feminine side that only Byleth could bring out. It is certainly unique romance among JRPGs and one that I won't ever forget.

#fe3h #fe3h meta #edeleth #fe3h edelgard #fe3h byleth #edelgard von hresvelg #byleth eisner

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