Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Edelgard's eyes fluttered open as the sun crept through the windows. She wanted to stretch, but she could feel Hubert's breathing still slow and steady. So she opted to tuck her head against his chest and close her eyes while she waited. A short time later, she did feel him stir and he kissed her head with a yawn. "Good morning, my-- Edelgard. Sorry for not waking when you did." "It's not like I've been awake that long, Hubert." She really hadn't been. From the position of the sun, it was clearly still barely above the horizon. She couldn't really hold it against him. She suspected he was a bit tired from the travel. He wasn't as energetically inclined to be outside as she was. She felt tired, sure, but being outside and getting to do things like that made her feel a lot better. She loved being active even if she was mostly on the throne nowadays. "Well then, shall we get ready for the day and get some breakfast?" he asked. "Sounds good." They both got changed into their day clothes and headed downstairs. The innkeeper greeted them hesitantly and apologised for the lack of quality to the food. "It's fine, really. I went to Garreg Mach. The food there was made en masse for large quantities of people. It doesn't bother me to eat like everyone else." She really didn't. Plus, she'd eaten with Ueli, Helen, and his family plenty before. She was used to somewhat bland food when eating with peasants. It really didn't bother her. The man nodded and gave them each a plate. They settled down at a table in the corner with the guards keeping watch over them. "I get why they're so nervous around their leaders but it is disheartening..." She wished she could forge a stronger bond with commoners, but it was hard when she was locked up in the castle basically all day... She missed her childhood where she'd been able to free roam as long as she had some sort of chaperone. Usually it was Tobias... She missed him so much... She would never get him back, but she really did miss him. She hated how her siblings had been taken from her. She even missed Helga's bratty daughters... Well. Almost. She hadn't invited the woman  back to Enbarr once she'd taken the throne. She didn't need that woman's attitude around the castle again. It'd been enough as a child. She could only imagine how much worse it'd be with her now being an adult. “Yes, it is understandable. Well, I'm on the throne now and you can take off times whenever you need to. You'll be off for at least nine months right now. Perhaps use that time to your advantage?" She tapped her chin. That...wasn't a terrible idea. Though being away from him and the Imperial women would be hard. Then again, she could just go down to Enbarr. She wouldn't be able to travel too much especially as she started getting further along. And she needed to get to know her potential consorts. So it wasn't like she could just take off by herself. Her mind would be in a strange place while pregnant, so yes, being away from Hubert would be bad. "I suppose I can go down to Enbarr sometimes..." Plus she wanted to see the progress on the various schools being built around the city in peasant quarters. It'd been a few years, so most of them ought to have been built by now. They would hopefully be taking on their first students if they hadn't already. People deserved to have more knowledge and learning than what was provided to them by their parents. At the very least, she felt like everyone ought to be able to read if nothing else. She was hopeful that her policies would gradually increase literacy across the Empire in due time. It would be years until anything really came of it, but hopefully, as generations passed, education would be available to more and more people. "That would work, yes. Is there anything in particular you want to see?" "The schools that I ordered to be built. I would hope they'd be done by now…” She'd ascended the throne almost immediately upon returning from Garreg Mach due to preparations having been made while she was there. And she was in her twenties now, so she'd hoped the buildings would be done by now. They weren't complex buildings, just simple ones with a couple rooms to handle students at different levels. Though, starting off, everyone would be at relatively the same level... Most commoners had no education beyond what they were able to be taught at home which was basically everything related to tending the home, fields, and animals. That was a good place to start, but being able to read would be good... She called out for everyone under the age of seventeen to be educated. Though, again, it was still difficult to find teachers on such a mass scale.  "That would be good for your mental health, I presume... Seeing the results of your policies coming to fruition. Perhaps you can visit once we get back to Enbarr. Though it will be a few months." Hubert took a drink from his cup. She nodded. "Yeah. It'll be a few months until then, though." She was committed to having these couple of months with Hubert to build their relationship as a couple. It was still strange to think she was married to him and having had sex with him several times now...and enjoyed it while looking forward to more. But she was going to count her blessings that he cared about her enough in order to agree to this. Otherwise, she probably would've been ordered to marry somebody like Ferdinand or possibly worse... She could imagine the advisers would set her up with somebody that would attempt to 'tame' or even 'break' her. Hubert really was her only choice at the moment.   "Of course, my-- Edelgard. Just us for now." He smiled at her warmly and she returned it. Yeah, just them for now... Well. And their staff and guards and such, but for the time being, it was just them. She wasn't upset about it at all. She really did enjoy spending time with Hubert. Part of her was just a little frustrated to have to wait so long to have sex again... She was enjoying it and was curious about the other exploration aspects...   They finished up eating and had their dishes collected, then headed out. The town bustled with merchants and people alike, giving a lively scene to the little town. She smiled a bit as she looked around. It reminded her of holidays down in the Garreg Mach village. The little town had always been a little busy, but it absolutely bustled each and every holiday as people got time off work to celebrate and rest. Most shops were closed down so everyone could enjoy the festivities. It was nice to see people able to relax and have a good time every now and then. She unfortunately didn't really get that... She was Empress, so she'd had no reprieve since landing on the throne.   For the next several hours, they went around the town, buying little trinkets and helping give the people some money. She really didn't need most of the things she bought, but being Empress, it was her duty to help the people. Even a few bronze pieces would help the merchants with their business and help the local people with their savings. She was doing everything she could to help and enjoy herself.   However, things came to a head around noon. They stopped at a little booth selling meat skewers and she opted to have a few. She pulled out her coinpurse to pay and, in a flash, she felt something swipe it away. She blinked, but, within seconds, Hubert had apprehended the thief.   Who just so happened to be a child.   He had the girl's hands pinned behind her back and his knee digging in near her spine. She cried out in pain and it wasn't hard to hear her sobs. "You little street rat! How dare you think you can steal from your Empress! You--"    "Hubert! Be easy on her! You don't need to be so rough!" The girl didn't look to be more than seven or eight. She jogged the few steps over and Hubert let the little girl up, though he maintained a tight grip on her hands so that way she couldn't run off again. The coinpurse sat in the street, gold, silver, and bronze scattered about. Some of the guards started to gather the coins, others holding the crowd back from the scene.   Edelgard walked over to the little girl who had tears pouring down her face, obviously still in pain from how tight Hubert held onto her. He might have been a mage, but that didn't mean he lacked strength... He was perfectly capable of carrying Edelgard herself if needed. He trained for anything. He might not have been as strong as a knight, but he was no slouch.   She knelt in front of the little girl, giving Hubert a stern look. He sighed and obviously released his super tight grip on her, but he still held her hands. "What's your name?" Edelgard asked.   "H-Huh?" The little girl looked up, eyes wide and round. They were a beautiful green color, though her face was streaked with mud and grime. Some of it was from Hubert holding her down, but it was more than apparent the girl hadn't had a proper bath in quite some time. Her hair was dirty and matted and it'd take quite some work to get the snarls out.   "I asked what your name is." Edelgard smiled at her, voice soft. There was no reason to terrify the poor girl more than Hubert already had. As usual, he was quicker to react to things than Edelgard was. Not to say she was stupid but... Yeah. He reacted so much quicker than she did. The scene had unfolded in just a couple of seconds. She'd barely realised what had happened and Hubert had already apprehended the girl.   "B-Bettina... W-Why do you ask, Your Majesty?" The poor girl looked absolutely terrified. She shook violently like a leaf in a windstorm and Edelgard's heart broke. The girl was dirty and a mess... She was probably just hungry more than anything else. Her cheeks were gaunt, her eyes sunken to some degree. When was the last time she'd had a decent meal...? The guards came up and handed Edelgard her coinpurse back and she offered a hand to Bettina. "How about we get you something to eat? You're probably starving if you were trying to take my coin purse, right?" She smiled at the girl. Hubert looked incredibly off put but he released the girl's hands. Bettina hesitantly put one shaking hand into Edelgard's and Edelgard helped her up. The girl looked down and mumbled something before nodding. She stood and Edelgard went over to the meat skewer. "Well, how many'll you have, Your Majesty?" "I think seven sounds good." She and Hubert were just about to eat but with how gaunt Bettina was, the girl would definitely need some serious food. The man handed her the skewers and she paid. She handed two to Hubert, three to Bettina, then held the last two for herself. Bettina started to shovel the food down her throat before slowing down, her cheeks glowing. Edelgard smiled a bit. "It's fine. You're hungry." Manners weren't a huge issue to her. She was used to nobles having impeccable manners, but she was also used to Ueli and his family. They were far from polished since it wasn't like they really attended formal events or anything. They sometimes took nobles out on falconry expeditions, but that was about as far as it went. They weren't entirely used to being around nobles that weren't Edelgard, Juliane, or Hubert. Bettina nodded a little bit but she slowed down to more match Hubert and Edelgard's pace. She felt bad. The little girl was obviously starving something awful. She wanted to do more for her... Nobody should have to be homeless and starving as far as she was concerned. But what should she do about it? She was Empress, sure, but she still had to contend with the court and everything... She still struggled to wrest power back from the coup her father had been through some years back... Nobles only ever wanted things that benefited them, not others. Even getting funding for her education project had been an absolute nightmare. Trying to find teachers was awful. The Church was training up a large amount of clergy to help with it, but that was still taking time... Schools would sit empty until the clergy training finished and Rhea could send the missionaries out to help with the schools all across the Empire. "So what's my punishment?" Bettina mumbled. Edelgard blinked. "Punishment? You think I'm going to punish you for just trying to get food?" Both Hubert and Bettina looked shocked. "My lady! She attempted to steal from you--" "What he said!" Bettina interrupted before going white. She looked down, her green eyes filling with tears again. Edelgard shook her head. "I know theft is an offense but you're a child... You clearly haven't had a bath or a good meal for quite a while. I can't punish a child for simply trying to survive." Her mind flashed back to Tobias helping out street urchins whenever they attempted to steal from a shop or merchant. Tobias would always pay for the few goods the child had attempted to steal and sent them on their way with a good meal. Nobody should have to suffer like this in her mind. She knew there wasn't anything she could do about it, but she could at least offer Bettina a better life... Plus...it'd help shut up the advisers for a little while longer. "How would you like to be adopted by House Hresvelg? You wouldn't be directly in the line of succession--" Lack of potential Crest blood unfortunately, but this wasn't unprecedented. "--but you could still be a high-ranking official in the court when you grow up." "I-- I--" Bettina's head snapped up, her eyes wide and round. She could only imagine what was going through the little girl's head. She was trying to help her... But she couldn't force Bettina to take the offer. It was ultimately up to her. But it did really look like Bettina would only survive another couple of months. She heard an exasperated sigh from Hubert. "My lady. Seriously? A child you just met as a member to House Hresvelg? And as you said, she wouldn't be in the line of succession. While House Hresvelg doesn't discriminate against those without the Crest of Seiros, she still wouldn't--" "Hubert, would you kindly shut up?" She normally appreciated his counsel, but not in this case. The poor girl needed somewhere to stay. She reminded Edelgard far too much of her siblings following the Crest experiments. The lack of life in her eyes, the haunted look, the gaunt cheeks... She wasn't going to survive much longer. Hubert fell silent but his lips pursed together in clear frustration and annoyance. "I...I don't feel like I deserve it. I'm just some random street urchin... I don't mean nothin’ to anyone." Bettina's voice was quiet and it shook violently. Poor thing. Edelgard knew all too well the feeling of inadequacy that came from this sort of attitude... She never felt worthy to be on the throne. She was doing an all right job according to Juliane, but she still felt like she didn't do anything well enough... She paled in comparison to what the woman had done on her time on the throne. "You're a living, breathing human being. That's enough for you to mean something to me." Edelgard smiled at Bettina who didn't look up at her. She couldn't force the little girl into accepting the offer, after all. But she hoped that she would reconsider. She really wanted to do a little bit of good in the world for the little girl. She knew that Bettina couldn't take on being the heir of House Hresvelg simply because of how the Empire worked. No, Crests and Crest blood weren't stressed as much as in Faerghus, but even so... She wouldn't be seen as a legitimate heir. Marrying her off would be difficult, but maybe if Ferdinand had a child... He could be loud and brusque, but he wasn't a terrible person like his father was. "Could ya get me a bath?" Edelgard blinked at the request and looked down. "Yes, of course I can do that... You'd have to wait until we got back to the royal vacation home, but yes, we could do that." They technically had a tub in the inn, but indoor plumbing was mostly reserved for noble houses. It wasn't something that was afforded to common institutions like inns and commoner homes. She wished she could change that, but the amount of time and effort it'd take to make a sanitation system for somewhere like Enbarr... It would be a more massive undertaking than the education program she was trying to get underway. She really wished she could do that as well, but the invasive nature of it wouldn't make it popular... "I-I guess I can go with ya then." Bettina looked up at Edelgard, green eyes wide and she trembled faintly. Edelard leaned down and hugged her despite the dirty, thin dress she wore. "You'll be okay now. Nobody will hurt you ever again." If they sent her to Garreg Mach, that'd be one thing, but that would be far in the future. For now, though, she would ensure nobody hurt the little girl again. She was trying to be as reasonable as she could. Though looking at her hair... "We might have to cut your hair short with as matted as it is." She really wished they wouldn't have to do that, but there would likely be no salvaging it. She clearly hadn't had a proper bath in only Divine knew how long and her hair hadn't been brushed either. Edelgard always found it easier to brush her hair when it was wet... Dry hurt terribly. Bettina's shoulders slumped a little bit. "Okay." "If you like it long, Hubert may have some spells for that." It looked about shoulder length which, while not as long as Edelgard's by any means, was a decent length. Edelgard just like hers incredibly long even if it could be an absolute pain to take care of. But she liked it. Her mother had been against her keeping it so long but Juliane had at least managed to coax her into letting Edelgard grow it out somewhat. "I do indeed have spells for hair growth. It came in handy after your own hair was cut short, my-- Edelgard." Oh, right. Her hair had been cut short after her release from the Crest experiments. She couldn't really recall the time in the months after her release but she vaguely remembered it being shorter when first meeting Ueli and Helen. "What length do you want it to be, Bettina?" Hubert's tone was soft and the little girl looked about ready to jump out of her skin. She pressed into Edelgard's side, eyes wide. Edelgard patted her head. "Hubert isn't as bad as he seems, Bettina. I promise you he can be incredibly sweet, warm, and gentle. You were just perceived as a threat when you tried to take my coin purse." She doubted the little girl would be able to get over the fact that Hubert had wrestled her to the ground in any short amount of time. He was doing his duty. She knew that she would never sake his sense of loyalty to her no matter how much time passed. It'd been a very short amount of time since they'd been married; for someone as inflexible as Hubert, change wouldn't come quick, let alone easily. He really could be sweet... She hoped Bettina would see that in time. "Um... Uh. A lil past shoulder length, I guess. It's longer but with the mats..." She frowned. "That'll only take a few months, then." He shrugged and moved closer to Edelgard which made Bettina tense. Still, Edelgard held her shoulder very lightly so she wouldn't bolt. It was gonna take a lot of convincing that Hubert wasn't as scary as he seemed. Well. He could be and definitely lived up to his reputation as the heir to House Vestra. But on a personal level, he was sweet, warm, kind, generous, and caring. Hopefully Bettina would see that in due time. They would need clothes for her though… "Are there any clothes store in this town, Bettina?" If they could get her a simple dress to replace the ratty one she wore and some extras until the tailors could finish with her wardrobe, that'd be great. They'd be plain, sure, but she would at least have something half decent to wear until they could get her wardrobe made. Though she was looking forward to Juliane's surprise when they suddenly had a child and she was visibly pregnant… "Uh, yeah. This way." The little girl led them to a kind of out-of-the-way shop that wasn't on the main thoroughfare. The little girl looked at a dress in the window with wide eyes, obviously coveting it. By Imperial standards, it was quite plain, but for someone like Bettina, it had to look the epitome of wealth and splendor. She would only see how much more impressive their clothes would get when she got her official royal wardrobe… They walked into the store and Bettina looked around at the various dresses and pants and such with wide eyes. "As long as they have it in a size you can wear, feel free to grab what you want, okay? We'll get you a tailored wardrobe in due time, but for now, you need to have clothes to wear for a while. Money is no object to us." She wasn't looking forward to needing a maternity wardrobe but there wasn't much she could do about that unfortunately. Her advisers wouldn't be happy if she delayed on kids. And Bettina being there would hopefully help shut them up a little bit more. She'd worry about her consorts as that came about… Bettina nodded a little bit and started to wander around the store. The shopkeeper kept an eye on her and Edelgard walked over. "Excuse me, but you know you don't need to keep an eye on my daughter, right? I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, your Empress. I will pay you fairly for everything she takes." Normally, she wasn't one to pull rank on people to intimidate them, but she could already feel her instincts beginning to kick in. No child deserved to live on the streets without a warm bed, good food, and clean clothes, but what could she do to stave off homelessness...? There was nothing that the court would approve that would help her. She felt like even the Church would be hard pressed to support something like that… The shopkeeper's face turned a bit white and he swallowed hard. "O-Oh, Y-Your Majesty, I didn't..." His voice fizzled out and she could sense Hubert's presence looming over her shoulder. She wasn't sure how he'd take to Bettina, but he supported _Edelgard_ in everything, so he wasn't about to turn the girl away or treat her poorly like he had earlier... She understood that at least… "You will be compensated. That is all there is to it," Hubert's smooth, almost too smooth voice glided behind her. "Y-Yes, Your Majesties..." The man practically scrambled out from behind the counter to an area behind a curtain. Probably where he made-to-order clothes in an attempt to get away from them. She glanced over at Bettina who looked at them, eyes wide. Edelgard smiled at her. "We're not mad at you, Bettina. Some people are just...unreasonable and need to be reminded of where they stand." She did value every human life and didn't think nobles above commoners. But, with societal order being the way it was, she was Empress. She was above everyone in their eyes. She hated enforcing social order like this, but unfortunately, some people just needed to be reminded of their place. They weren't going to hurt the man or anything like that. He just really needed to be reminded that nothing would be stolen due to how Bettina looked. That was all that it came down to. He would be fairly compensated for the prices he asked for everything. They wouldn't allow Bettina to steal anything. "O-Okay.." The little girl went back to finding things she'd like to wear and eventually came to the counter. "Shopkeeper, we require your presence," Hubert growled. The man scrambled out from his back area and tallied up everything Bettina had chosen. Hubert paid him fairly as they had promised and they left the shop. Hubert shoved the bag of clothes at a nearby guard. "Take these." The three of them didn't need to carry them, so she understood his thinking. They had people for that... Bettina came back to Edelgard and burrowed into her side, looking up at her. "C-Can I...have some more food?" She blinked but nodded. "Sure. Just point out whatever you want." They had plenty of bronze and silver pieces on them so that way it'd be easier to pay the local shopkeepers... Most were lucky to see a single gold piece in their life, so they hadn't brought a ton of gold pieces. They made their way back to the main thoroughfare and over to a stall that had sweets on display. Well... Bettina was a child, so it only made sense that she'd want some sweets. Not that Edelgard had any room to talk--she had a bit of a sweet tooth herself. "Just don't overdo it on the sweets," was her only request. "Okay..." She chose a couple baked goods and Edelgard chose a few chocolates for herself. She smiled as she ate one while Bettina nibbled on her baked goods. It really felt good to have some high-quality chocolates in such a small village, at least compared to Enbarr. She had to give her regards to the chocolatier who made them. If it weren't such a haul, she wouldn't mind coming out here more to support their business. But considering the long travel time, that wasn't feasible. She'd just have to stick to her local candy makers in Enbarr. This little village was proving to have quite the nice spread of businesses and skilled food makers. The skewers they'd had were cooked to perfection without any issues... She wasn't used to venison but they were tasty. They spent the rest of the day talking to local vendors and buying food from them until they returned to the inn. They headed back up to their room and Bettina looked at them. "Where'll I stay for the night?" Edelgard tilted her head. "We should probably get you your own room for the night..." Yeah, that was probably best. But the little girl looked down, obviously ill at ease. "Would you prefer to stay with us tonight?" She didn't blame her for feeling out of sorts... Jumping from street urchin to royal was massive. Bettina nodded, huddling into Edelgard. “All right then.” She petted the little girl’s head. It was getting toward sunset anyway. She didn’t want to travel that night, so she’d just stay there with Bettina. They all got ready for bed and then cuddled up together, Bettina on the outside of Edelgard. She couldn’t really blame her for being afraid of Hubert after what he’d done. She knew he was just acting out of instinct, but for a child, that had to be upsetting and absolutely terrifying . She hoped Bettina would warm up to him in time. But she soon found her thoughts drifting away, slumber settling over her like an owl’s wing.