Disclaimer!

I do not own any of the characters. They all belong to Nintendo :)

NOTE!

This story contains spoilers! Read at your own risk. Please enjoy!

After Ever After

CHAPTER 1: Byleth

5 years.

It took them 5 years (but only a few months for Byleth) to finally be free from the Empire's clutches. The land is now united as one and is under the rule of two powerful influential people. The prince-now-king Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd will rule the land and its people while Byleth will lead as the symbol of faith and as the new archbishop of the Church of Seiros. No one disagreed with the arrangements as the people knew that it was thanks to both Dimitri and Byleth's group that they are now free people. But being finally free may not be a good thing immediately. The land has suffered a lot and it will take time and effort to put it back together again. Dimitri knew this and so did his ex-professor.

Despite finally confessing to the woman who had guided him all the way, Dimitri knew that he had to lead the people first before he could be with her. And Byleth knew that she has to help restore the land before both of them can live together. That's why she knew that she couldn't bother him or anyone else about the nightmares she kept on having lately.

She couldn't remember much but every time she wakes up, she would be covered in cold sweat. The only things that she could remember though was darkness and blood - lots and lots of it. It's been almost two months and her nightmares continued. She couldn't sleep properly anymore. And because of this, her skin was turning pale and her eyes began to have dark circles around them. Her change didn't go unnoticed by Seteth.

The green haired adviser stared at the newly appointed bishop worriedly. He knew that something has been bother her but he decided not to say anything since she had the tendency to keep her problems to herself the more one asks her. Sooner or later he believed that Byleth would either tell him her problem or she would solve it on her own. She was that strong and confident. But as time went by, he noticed that she only grew paler and paler. He asked Flayn to talk to her since if it is between the two of them, Byleth may be more open to his 'little sister'.

Ever since she talked to her father, Flayn stuck with Byleth almost everyday everywhere she goes. The smaller girl would start up casual questions and would sometimes make the ex-professor giggle, which is a rarity itself lately. Byleth would respond to Flayn but would not tell her anything about the nightmares. Flayn and Seteth could not stand it anymore. They decided to call in back up - Byleth's ex-students.

The first to respond were Sylvain and Ingrid. The two were now engaged and are already to be wed in 6 months time. They got worried when Seteth sent them a letter pertaining about the changes with the professor so they immediately went to Garreg Mach. And surely when they got to see their friend again, she was worse than what they've imagined. It would be practically three months since peace was ensured on the land and what they saw was a paler and thinner Byleth.

Sylvain first tried to cheer her by telling flirtatious jokes but it only ended with him having a small bump on his head. Ingrid laughed at the sight of her fiance as he pouted all day. She tried to talk to Byleth through tea and thankfully the other person accepted the invitation. All throughout their tea time, the blond knight couldn't help but notice how her ex-professor would flinch at the smallest sound and action made by other people around them.

Felix arrived next together with his girlfriend, Lysithea von Ordelia. It was funny how they ended up together. The raven haired male traveled the world in search of stronger opponents but returned after a month, worried about the short lifespan of the silver haired female. He put down his sword and helped her live her life to the fullest while helping her with both baking and looking for a way to cure her. Felix approached the new archbishop first and commented on how she looked weak and that he bets that he could easily beat her in her condition. The comment only earned him a snort before being ignored entirely. She would usually retort back and accept his challenge but now she did nothing. Lysithea was trying to contact Linhardt since she theorized that the problem might be related to their ex-professor's crest.

Mercedes came next with her best friend Annette. They both became volunteers of the church after the war; going from one place to another, helping village after village. They got a letter from Seteth when they went back to the church and quickly set out to Garreg Mach. They visited their ex-house professor to invite her for a walk. The woman smiled when she saw them then rejected their offer with a 'sorry'. 'I have a lot of papers to go through so I can't,' she told them. But it was undeniable that she has changed.

Ashe followed, arriving just on time for dinner. He cheerfully went to Byleth's room to give her some treats that are only found in the land of Gaspard. He knew that she is also fond of sweets so he thought that maybe this could help loosen her up. He knocked at the doors to her office but met with no response.

'Maybe she went out?' Ashe thought. He asked the guard that was standing by next to the door where the archbishop may have gone to.

"She hasn't left since earlier this afternoon sir," he replied.

Ashe knocked again and again but alas, there was no reply. He and the guard got worried so they broke the door down. What they saw made their hearts drop. Byleth was not working on papers like what they all thought. It was empty. The young man ordered the guard to call the others immediately to the room while he remains to search around. The nameless guard nodded and quickly ran as fast as he can to the room where he knew the guests were staying and waiting.

The bow master looked and saw no signs of breaking in nor breaking out. He stepped closer to the desk only to find papers scattered and ink splattered everywhere. But what had caught his attention was the sound of heavy breathing. Ashe peeked over the desk only to find the person he was looking for lying on the floor. Byleth was gasping for air with both her hands clenching her chest. He carefully lifted the archbishop and laid her on the couch. She looked so fragile right now and it was something new to him. He never saw her like this and he bets that the others were the same.

Numerous footsteps was approaching the room and by the time Ashe looked up, his eyes met with worried faces. He placed a finger over his lips to tell them to be quiet. The rest looked at each other confused but nevertheless, complied. When they got to the couch, everyone saw Byleth struggling to breath.

Seteth stepped forward and rest his palm over the sick archbishop. He signaled Flayn to escort the others out since he was about to do something they shouldn't see. She nodded in understanding. The green haired girl assured the others to leave it to her and her brother. She was unexpectedly strong to be able to shoo away everyone despite their struggling.

With no other choice, they went back to their own quarters but without promising to see each other again bright and early to visit their beloved friend. Flayn let out a sigh and went beside her father. Seteth wasn't really well conversed when it came to healing so he offered his energy to his daughter who was the expert between the two of them. Rhea would've been a great help but unfortunately, she fell into a coma after her rescue in order to heal the wounds that she'd suffered while being imprisoned by the Empire.

With a bright light, Seteth and Flayn could only pray that their powers are enough to save the life of their friend and family.

A/N:

I am only planning to do this into a two or three part story. I just had to type this out since it's been stuck in my head for a while. My favorite pair is Dimitri x Byleth so this is the first story pairing I will do for FE3H. Hope you enjoyed reading it.

P.S. English isn't my first language so please forgive if the english in this story seem strange or awkward in any way.