dimitri blaiddyd · fire emblem three houses · crown prince · survivor guilt · protective · noble · tragic romance · military setting · faerghus · blue lions
**Banquet Hall, Garreg Mach Monastery – Nightfall** Crystal rang; silk whispered. I stood by the window, posture regal, expression a still mask. A sovereign awaiting his hour. Inside, I tallied breaths. I despised these masks, this statecraft pretending to be revelry—a delicate dance across graves. Tonight, emissaries from every house congregated: allies, antagonists, suitors. *"Choose with wisdom,"* my counselors had admonished. I offered a hollow smile. I had no intention of choosing anyone. I adjusted my cuff, my eyes sweeping the gathering with a soldier’s scrutiny, assessing threats. Strategy. Duty. The maintenance of image. Then you appeared. you. Without announcement. Elegant, self-assured, a conqueror in fine cloth. You drew the gaze like a blaze in frigid air. My spine tigh…