Byleth x Edelgard

Uhh... Agh... Fath... Save...
...
Who could that be?
Is that...a ghost?
A ghost, perhaps? No, that is surely not the case.
We are within a monastery! No ghost would dare\nset foot in here...
What is that look upon your face? I am no ghost,\nif that is what was on your mind!
No... Agh... Huh?! Who's there?!
Professor... What are you doing here?
I heard something.
I was restless.
Oh? Perhaps I was talking in my sleep.
What could that possibly mean?
In any case, please don't scare me like that.
Bad dreams?
Ah... So you heard me, then.
Yes, it was a nightmare. I've had them since I was\na child.
Stupid, pointless dreams I can't control...\nIt's terribly frustrating.
What are they about?
Anything I can help with?
Just...my childhood. A time before I had realized\nwho I was destined to become.
No. They're just worthless dreams of the past.\nTalking about it won't change a thing.
You can trust me with anything.
It's none of my business.
I had a feeling you'd say that. I suppose I could try...
Perhaps not. Still, here you are. Maybe I can trust\nyou with this...
But only if you swear not to tell a soul.
I appreciate it.
I dream of...my older brother, paralyzed, helpless...\nmy older sister crying for help that never came...\nthe youngest babbling words beyond meaning.
I see my family dying slowly, waiting in the darkest\ndepths for a glimmer of light.
I once had ten siblings, eight older and two younger.
Such a large family, and yet I became the heir to\nthe throne. Do you know why?
Every last one of them was crippled by disease or\nlost their mind or died.
I was the only one left who could inherit the throne.
That's awful.
How could such a thing happen...
Things kept getting worse. The darkness kept\ngetting darker. In the end, I was the only one\nwho survived.
The nightmares are a reminder...to never forget.\nTo never allow such terrible things to happen again.
Never again...
Even now, I'm the only one who can carry the\nweight of the Adrestian Empire.
The future of the Empire...of everything...depends\non me.
Hm... I shared more than I intended to. I suppose\nthere's something in the air tonight.
I've never told anyone about my past before.\nPlease...forget I said anything. Sleep well,\nmy teacher.

Ah, it's you. Out late again, I see. What brings\nyou here?
I could ask you the same.
Trouble sleeping?
I just wanted some fresh air. There's a lovely\nbreeze tonight.
I always wander outside when sleep evades me.
Is it that obvious?
I despise being cooped up when sleep evades me.\nI just have to get some fresh air.
I couldn't sleep either.
I'm exhausted.
So I see. Still, it's ill-advised to stay up so late.
Heh, I see. Well, don't let me keep you. Hurry back\nto your room, my teacher.
I should get some sleep too, but...
Have you ever felt a sort of longing for the outdoors?
I have. There are times I long for the warmth of\nthe sun, for a sweet breeze on my face...
Do you remember what I told you the other night?\nAbout...my past?
None of my siblings had a chance to lead the sort of\nlife they deserved. An ordinary life.
Should I say I forgot? You asked me to forget...
I remember.
Hm. Well, perhaps if I tell you more, it will come\nback to you.
My siblings and I were... We were imprisoned\nunderground, beneath the palace.
The objective was to endow our bodies with the\npower of a Major Crest.
I have always possessed the Crest of Seiros,\ninherited through the Hresvelg bloodline.
But it was only a Minor Crest, and most of my\nsiblings bore no Crest at all.
In order to create a peerless emperor to rule Fódlan,\nthey violated our bodies by cutting open our\nvery flesh.
Now here I stand, the fruit of that endeavor:\nEdelgard von Hresvelg!
But that came at too high a price... The others\nwere sacrificed.
Ours weren't the only lives devastated by that\nterrible process. Innocents died as well, without\neven knowing what they were dying for.
And there you have it, the truth of the\nHresvelg's Empire.
Who is to blame?
It's unbelievable.
The prime minister and his gaggle of nobles.\nThey had the Empire under their thumbs. My father,\nthe emperor, tried to stop him, but...it was futile.
My father was nothing but a puppet on a string\nby then. He was powerless to save us.
I know how it all sounds. But when you see my\ntrue strength, you will know I speak the truth.
It is. But when you see my true strength, you will\nknow that I speak the truth.
I have kept it hidden all this time, but...I will reveal\nto you the power of my second Crest.
It is the same as yours...the Crest of Flames. When it\nmanifested for me, I swore a silent oath.
For the sake of my family and for all the poor souls\nwhose lives were traded for my existence...
For their sake, I will build a world where such\nmeaningless sacrifice is never again sanctioned.\nAs emperor, I will change the world. I swear it.

Ugh... I'm so sick of it all.
There is so much to be done, yet all I encounter are\nnew problems and pitfalls.
Ugh... Sometimes I wish I could spend just one day\ndoing absolutely nothing and gorging myself\non sweets!
This isn't like you.
Such are the burdens of an emperor.
Let's do just that.
Even I have moments of self-indulgence, you know.
You sound just like Hubert. Am I not allowed a\nfleeting moment of self-indulgence?
Do you mean it? Just the thought makes me happy.
But...Hubert would never allow it.
That's too bad.
Indeed. It may not be possible now, but one day\nwe will know the joys of idling. Mark my words.
...
Is that a smirk I spy? Is it so amusing to you, me\ndaydreaming of free time?
It's pretty funny.
You misunderstand me.
I see. I'm finally getting an idea of what you think\nof me.
Huh! Your silly grin says otherwise.
But let's put all that aside for now. There is\nsomething I've been meaning to tell you.
I'm afraid this might sound a bit...sentimental.\nHowever...
I want to thank you. Because of you, I feel I can walk\nmy fated path without losing myself.
If I were alone, I might have lost perspective and\nbecome a harsh leader with a heart of ice.
But I'm not alone. With you by my side, I'm\nsomehow free to be not only a leader but...\nsimply Edelgard.
But you came back to me. With you by my side,\nI'm somehow free to be not only a leader but...\nsimply Edelgard.
I'm glad.
You have many allies.
True. I am fortunate to be surrounded by many\nwonderful companions.
Nevertheless, you are...different from the rest.
Until now, no one has been able to surpass me—\nmuch less command me.
I have always been seen as an untouchable\nprincess or emperor.
No one spoke to me as an equal or met my gaze\nwithout flinching.
It was lonely. Terribly lonely. The only person I\ncould rely on as I tried to claw my way out of the\ndarkness was myself.
But you...you have been a brilliant light. Somehow,\nyou have chased the darkness away. And for that...\nI will always be grateful.

Yes? Oh! It's you, Professor. I was certain it was\nHubert coming to drag me back to my duties.
"Your Majesty, you must know your supreme talents\nare needed at present. Why not gaze at these\ndocuments instead of the sky?"
That sounds like Hubert.
That didn't sound like Hubert at all.
Doesn't it? And the worst part is that he's always\nright, so I can't even argue with him.
No? Well then. And here I thought my Hubert\nimpression was second to none.
But that's enough about Hubert for the moment.
While I have your attention, I'd like to thank you for\nyour help in that last battle.
As you well know, I'm perfectly capable of\ncommanding the army by myself.
However, when you're around, it's somehow\ndifferent.
I'm not sure I can properly explain it. I suppose\nyour perspective on the battlefield is simply\nsharper than mine.
When you're devising tactics and tricks for us, it's\nalmost as though you can read the enemy's mind.
There's no getting around it. Your talent for strategy\nfar exceeds my own. I'm quite jealous in all honesty.
You have many talents that I lack.
Sometimes, I'm jealous of you too.
Is that a fact? Well, if you insist.
I suppose a flower from another's field is always\nmore beautiful.
I'll admit, I think of you as rather detached, so to\nhear that you have emotions such as jealousy is...\nsomething of a relief.
I'm not detached.
I could say the same of you.
Oh, but you are! Don't even try to argue.
But I suppose I'm much the same. I've also distanced\nmyself from the ordinary world.
I can't deny it. Ever since I underwent those...\nprocedures, I've certainly distanced myself\nfrom the ordinary world.
It seems we were fated to be friends.
Friends... That word somehow doesn't\nseem adequate.
Besides, we've been friends for a long time,\nyou and I. By now, we're so much more\nthan that, at least in my mind.
You know...instead of Edelgard, you can call me\njust El. If you so please.
That's what my parents and closest sisters used to\ncall me when I was little.
Now there's no one left who calls me El...
But with you, well...I think I could allow it. In fact,\nit would mean a great deal to me.
Why is that?
Why? Hmm...
Well, you have stood beside me and shared\nmy burdens. As I said, you are much more\nthan a friend.
In truth, you are like family to me. I suppose\nthat's why.

S Support
The children of the goddess have been defeated\nat last. The shape of the world will be forever\nchanged.
Humanity is free now. The world is ours once again.
Can you believe it?
I'm not sure.
It isn't over yet.
I see. Well, one thing is certain. The fate of this\nworld depends on the choices we make.
It's possible that people would have been happier\ncontinuing to mindlessly obey the goddess.
Our work is far from over. And we can't ignore the\npossibility that our enemies will resurface one day.
True. There is still much to be done.
We can't ignore the possibility that our enemies\nwill resurface one day.
In the end, the fate of this world depends on the\nchoices we make.
I don't know what the future holds, but...come what\nmay, will you stay by my side?
You chose to protect me at the Holy Tomb.\nWill you choose me again?
What I'm trying to say is...I need you.
El... Please accept this gift.
You called me El. That's... I... That means more than\nI can say.
And this ring... It's lovely. Thank you, my dearest\nfriend. I will happily accept it.
I must admit, I feared my feelings would\nbe unrequited.
So long as I had you by my side, it never mattered\nhow many enemies I amassed. You were all I needed.
All this time, I longed to share my feelings with you,\nand it seems you wished for the same.
Now, our wishes have come true. This feeling...\nit's overwhelming.
I promise to always be there for you.
Now, your burdens are mine to bear.
I promise the same. Together, we can achieve\nanything.
Absolutely not—I won't allow it! From now on, we\nface the world and carry our burdens together.
We will crush those who slither in the dark and\nrestore peace and order to Fódlan.
I will then find a suitable successor and hand over\nthe reins of the Empire.
When all that is done, it will be just the two of us.\nI look forward to starting our life together in the\nlight of a glorious new dawn.
That seems a lifetime away.
Let's make it happen.
It will be a long and difficult path, I'm afraid, but we\nmust remain focused on our goals.
Yes, that is all we can do for now. We must remain\nfocused on our goals.
To think that I may truly call you my partner and\nequal now...
The solitary reign of Edelgard has come to an end.\nFrom now on, we walk this path together.
With time and care, the darkness shrouding this\nworld will be lifted.
You and I will become the light that shines over\nFódlan...just as you have shined upon my life.

Prom Date
Ah, here you are. Are you waiting for someone?
I'm not waiting for anyone.
I was waiting for you.
Good. I would not wish to interrupt anything.
For me? Well, you should have summoned\nme earlier. Regardless, here I am.
Has something happened?
No, nothing in particular. In fact, that's why I\ncame here.
This place, the Goddess Tower... It was special\nto my parents.
My father attended the Officers Academy himself.\nA few years after graduating, he was crowned\nemperor.
One day, during a visit to the monastery, he snuck\ninto the Goddess Tower on a nostalgic whim.
And there she was, my mother. She had just enrolled\nin the academy that very year.
They were instantly drawn to each other. Love at\nfirst sight, you could say. It was the first time either\nhad truly been in love...or so the story goes.
Their first love?
Yes. Of course, as emperor, my father had already\nmarried for political reasons.
As the Empire demands many heirs, he also had\nnumerous other lovers.
In the end, my mother settled for becoming one of\nhis many consorts. But I choose to believe there was\ngenuine love between them.
Heh, I suppose it's a silly story to cling to.
It's a lovely story.
Who was your first true love?
Isn't it? It's a shame that the lovely stories ended\nafter I was born.
For as long as I can remember, my mother had\nalready been exiled from the capital.
It's strange. Something about you makes me reveal\nall of the things I so carefully keep concealed.
Hmm. For some reason, I feel compelled to tell you\nall of these things I have kept hidden.
I can't say the name, but it was a noble who I met in\nthe Kingdom, a lifetime ago.
Anyway... What about you? It's your turn to reveal\nsome long-held secret!
You can share a story about your past...or perhaps\ntell me about your first love.
I have no such stories.
Please don't ask that of me.
You're telling the truth. I can tell. Hm... I wasn't\neven able to make you blush.
You realize that just makes me more curious\nthan ever!
Sorry...
Heh... No, I'm the one who should apologize.\nIt wasn't my intention to pry.
I'm just intrigued by you and your mysterious past.
You have supposedly always been a mercenary, but\nI believe there is more to your story than that...
Let's leave it there for today and return to the ball.
There must be plenty of students hoping to talk\nwith you...and to dance with you.
I would not wish to prevent you from mingling.\nI cannot keep you all to myself, after all.