Emerald Rain

Preparing for Derdriu:

Dimitri:

"I don't have those answers Dimitri" Byleth sighs "I can't tell you what to live for, it's something you must decide on you own" she said then walked away leaving Dimitri in the rain to mule over these words.

Dimitri wanted to be angry.

But all he felt was sorrow.

Sorrow at all the pain he'd caused them, how patient Byleth and Claude had been with him. While Dimitri lashed out on them at every turn until their patience wore thin.

He broke them.

Their spirits.

And it took Rodrigue's death for Dimitri to finally see that.

No, to it took Rodrigue's death to actually care about that.

But... how?

Dimitri can't even decide on a reason to keep living, if not for the dead.

Can Dimitri even redeem himself after everything that he has done to them?

Does he deserve redemption?

Dimitri looks to the spot that Byleth had stood at, and feels an emptiness growing within.

For the first time Dimitri doesn't retreat to the cathedral.

Glenn is following him shouting obscene vulgar things, but Dimitri doesn't listen to it at the moment, he needs to decide if the path of avenging the dead is one, he wants to continue embarking on.

Dimitri finds himself at his old room, it's bare and incredibly dusty but that doesn't matter.

What do I live for?

The question burns through his mind.

Years ago, when Dimitri was a naive student at the officer's academy, he had yelled at Byleth about finding another way for things rather than resorting to killing, just as she had mentioned before. With this war... Is that even a possibility?

Can Dimitri really do that to them?

To the dead?

He owes them Edelgard's head.

Yes, Dimitri knows that but maybe that's what he could live for.

But in doing that...

The dead wouldn't get their tribute.

The room is silent, and Dimitri lies down on his bed then slowly drifts to sleep.

Dimitri woke up to the light shining directly on his face through the window, what happened to the curtains that covered it?

That doesn't really matter, Dimitri rose from the bed. When was the last time he'd slept in a bed?

Since the officer's academy?

No use really dwelling on it Dimitri thought then left from his room.

"Your Highness?" a voice called out, Dimitri turned, it was Sylvain "Wow, I didn't expect you to be sleeping in your room again" he said "I guess Gronder really took it out of everyone" he added.

Dimitri stood there silently for a moment; how could Sylvain treat him with... With such normalcy as if Dimitri hadn't been treating him, no treating all of them as if they were nothing more than dirt on his boot.

"I guess so..." Dimitri said softly, he didn't meet Sylvain's eyes.

Sylvain walked over to him and Dimitri felt his arm rest on Dimitri's shoulder, "Come on, let's go get some food" he said "I'm starving" he added and turned to lead the way. Dimitri follows him silently to the dining hall.