Boulevard of Broken Dreams

The next couple of weeks proved to be relatively quiet. She stayed in the carriage the whole time with Hubert, Bettina, and Jusef. The two children refused to go anywhere near Hubert yet which was frustrating, but she didn't push for it. Bettina stayed tucked into Edelgard's side while they traveled, leaving only to tuck into Jusef after they settled down for the night. Both kids seemed wary after leaving the vacation home, but she doubted they'd ever been outside of their village, let alone gone as far as Enbarr. She was trying to keep them safe and comfortable, but they were both incredibly vigilant, startling at a lot of different things. Eventually, though, they made it to Enbarr and stepped out of the carriage. Jusef and Bettina looked around with eyes wide. "Woah... And I thought that house was big!" Edelgard smiled. "Vacation homes have nothing on the palace proper," she said, then offered them both a hand. "C'mon, let's go. We should introduce you to Mother Juliane and Mother Katinka. Mother Katinka will be the one helping me the most." They'd have to cut court short for the day, but she really didn't care. The less time those blowhard nobles had to talk, the better... She felt bad for Juliane having to handle court mostly alone, but the woman had things down pat by now. She could hold the fort down without any trouble. Jusef and Bettina nodded, tucking into Edelgard's sides as they walked. She smiled warmly at all the servants as they passed and they returned the gesture. She didn't know most of them personally, but they were still people deserving of kindness and warmth. They didn't deserve the harshness most nobles showed to them. Thankfully, she didn't really tolerate any nonsense other nobles showed to her servants. They could and would be punished if she found out they had mistreated her staff in the slightest. Jusef and Bettina looked at her, obviously a bit confused, but she ignored it and kept them going until they reached the family wing. “Would you two prefer to have a bedroom together or would you rather be separate?” she asked. They looked a bit tired out from the long walk and probably the carriage ride as well. She was used to the long walks in the palace at this point and they’d need to get used to it as well. She felt bad, but it was just going to be part of life here. It wasn’t like there were magical walkways that could whisk them from point A to point B. They would just have to walk. Though, admittedly… The travel had tired her out too so she’d probably lay down for a bit of a nap herself. “I don’t wanna be apart from Bettina.” Jusef hugged her and Edelgard smiled. “All right. That’s fine.” She handed them their bags and led them to a room not too far from the master bedroom. “See that big, fancy door there? That room is mine and Hubert’s. Hubert won’t be there a lot because he has to deal with court now. I tend to be around a lot of different places… If you need to go somewhere, just ask the servants for help. They won’t bite; I promise.” She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with all her free time now. She already felt bored. Granted, it wasn’t like court was a mentally stimulating environment either. It felt terrible and it was boring as well. She really didn’t like it. But she had to deal with it because she had no other choice. However, without that there… She wasn’t sure what to do with all her time. Of course, she’d spend time with Jusef and Bettina, but they didn’t need to spend every waking moment with her.  The two children nodded and she let them go to their room. “Feel free to unpack then rest.” Carriage travel was never easy and it always took her a while to recover from it. The only time she hadn’t been allowed to recover had been arriving at Garreg Mach. It was basically arrive one day, start classes the next. Really difficult to deal with… Now she really had to take it easy since she was pregnant with twins. She watched the two children disappear into their room then she took Hubert’s hand and headed to their room. She laid down on the bed and closed her eyes. He laid next to her and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t resist and snuggled up against him. “Well, this certainly has taken a turn.” His voice was quiet and comforting, exactly what she needed right now. “Suddenly we’re parents to two children.” She nodded. “It’s a lot to take in… And we have two more on the way.” She sighed, resting her head on his chest. “I’ll love them like they’re my own but it’ll definitely be a lot to handle.” She could only imagine what hell they’d been through while on the streets. People often didn’t take too kindly to street urchins like them. Hubert proved the point. He had grabbed Bettina’s hand so she wouldn’t pickpocket Edelgard and had managed to scare her to hell and back in the process. She felt awful for all the other children that no doubt lived on the streets in the town. But it wasn’t like she could just bring a cohort of orphans back with her. It would strain even the resources of the Imperial family. Two children, they could handle that. Twenty? Well, that number wasn’t unheard of in Imperial families, but all children at once? Yeah, that wouldn’t go over well. “Will you handle arranging teachers for them?” “Later, my— Edelgard. Later. For now, rest. I know travel is always rough on you.” He kissed her head and she nodded. Her eyes were already closed, so she rested her weight against him and drifted off into a light nap. ☆ Her eyes opened and she rubbed them as she looked around. “How long was I asleep?” “A couple of hours.” It had already been around noon when she’d fallen asleep so probably around two or three now… “You’re fine. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll return to court tomorrow, but for the rest of the day, I am yours to do with as you please.” Her cheeks dusted a little bit as her thoughts went elsewhere but she shook herself mentally. Sex would be nice but they did have things thy needed to attend to. “We should probably arrange for teachers for them.” She wanted to talk with the teachers first. The Imperial family kept all sorts of teachers around even if they weren’t currently teaching anything to anybody. “And we should put in clothes orders for them at the tailor’s.” She felt bad she’d interrupted the tailors that had been working on her maternity wardrobe but the tailors here could finish it up. It probably wouldn’t be too difficult to manage. “How about we split things up? I can deal with the teachers, then you can take the children to go to the tailors.” She nodded a bit. That made sense. She knew Hubert would have high standards for the teachers and wouldn’t allow them to be anything less than perfect for the children. They’d start the kids off on kinder, gentler teachers since she had a feeling they wouldn’t take well to harsh criticism or anything like that.  “All right.” She leaned up and kissed him then headed to Bettina and Jusef’s room. She knocked on the door and it took a couple minutes for an obviously sleepy Jusef to answer. “Whaddaya want?” he asked, stifling a yawn. “We need to go down to the tailors and get some outfits for you and Bettina put on order.” She smiled at him. He looked at her, obviously not comprehending for a moment, but afterward, he retreated into the room before coming out with Bettina, hand in hand. Honestly, if she didn’t know better, she’d think they’d probably end up married… They were already incredibly bonded and he protected her just like Hubert protected Edelgard… But they were children. Things could and would change especially once they hit puberty. A lot of things changed once puberty hit… She was not looking forward to when that did happen because she knew it was a beyond difficult time for parents and children… She really hoped she could maintain a deep bond with the pair even once they started becoming more independent. “Fine…” He sighed and Edelgard offered his her hand. He took it.  “And again, please don’t go wandering off here in the palace without someone with you. I grew up here, so I know all of the routes and how not to get lost. Even going from the dining hall to the royal wing is a lot. You’ll learn eventually, but for now, just stay with me and Hubert, one of the Imperial women, or a servant. Preferably me, Hubert, one or of the women. I’ll introduce you to all of them later.” That would probably be after dinner. She still hadn’t really established a rhythm with Hubert while here in Enbarr, so she wasn’t entirely certain what to do. It was going to be difficult to figure out what all to do with them… They were barely used to life as a couple, let alone with children. She’d thought they’d have room to grow with the children they had but no… She had gone and adopted two orphans from the streets. She really was overwhelmed right about now… Hubert was probably right to have them come back here. “Okay…” Bettina sounded uncertain and Edelgard looked at her. The little girl was definitely uncertain and she couldn’t blame her. This was a big shift in life and she could only imagine how utterly overwhelmed she felt. Jusef was putting on a brave face as he obviously was wont to do, but this was still a lot. She didn’t want them getting lost… If they got lost in the recesses of the castle, there might be no retrieving them. The only ones that might have a chance at getting the kids back would be Hubert’s secret shadow guard. They knew the castle inside and out and would definitely be the only way they could find the kids again… She hoped to avoid that entirely. They made their way down to the tailors and the kids were measured for their clothes. One of the women came up to Edelgard while they were dealing with the kids and spoke. “We’ll take over your maternity wardrobe so you don’t have to worry. It should b e done in a couple of weeks. Though, you aren’t showing yet, so you don’t have to worry about that too much…The order said twins though?” Edelgard flushed and rubbed the back of her neck but nodded. “Yes… Hubert used the spell that’s usually reserved for same-sex couples to just cut out the messy process and make sure things were certain.” Otherwise, they might have been trying for months to conceive the natural way. She wasn’t sure if it could be used by non-same-sex couples, but there was nothing against it either, as far as she was aware. It would be a good way to help barren couples conceive as well… She hadn’t heard anything against the spell being used for couples like her and Hubert. She hoped it wasn’t breaking any sort of social or magical taboo… “Ah, yes, that would definitely do it then… You’ll probably start showing a lot sooner than if you only had one bun in the oven.” The woman chuckled. “Well make sure your clothes are adjustable, flowy, and comfortable. You don’t want clothing that’s too restrictive when pregnant. I’ve worked for the Imperial family since Her Eminence was Her Highness… I saw her through her pregnancy with Lord Tobias.” Grief stabbed Edelgard’s heart but she didn’t say anything, just giving a small nod. “I know a thing or two about maternity clothes at this point.” “Okay… Thank you.” It was all she could say to stop from breaking down. She missed Tobias so much. Nothing could heal the grief that came from losing all of her siblings. She at least had the Imperial women by her side so that was good, but even so… She missed her siblings. It shouldn’t have been her on the throne right now; it should’ve been Tobias. But she didn’t have any choice in that… She was the only remaining member of House Hresvelg directly descended from the former Emperor and not a sibling… She wasn’t even sure how many women her father’s father had had in the mix. All she knew it was a decently sized family. By Imperial standards, her generation had been on the smaller side. Eleven kids really wasn’t a whole lot by Imperial standards even when the leader was an Empress…  The woman smiled and departed, probably going to go work on her maternity wardrobe. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for Bettina and Jusef to finish up with getting measured and everything and they were handed back off to Edelgard. That hadn’t taken too long, maybe half an hour, so she had plenty of time to kill until dinner. “Are you two hungry?” she asked. They’d only had a small breakfast while on the road that morning and had skipped lunch, so they were probably hungry… She was definitely a bit peckish herself. “Can we get something to eat?” Jusef asked. Edelgard nodded. “That’s why I brought it up.” She smiled at him and took Bettina’s hand, leading the pair down to the kitchens. She spoke to the cooks who turned up a couple loaves of bread from that morning and had some butter as well. “We’ll eat dinner in a couple hours.” She would get back on her daily six meals tomorrow. All of the travel had definitely interrupted her routine she was supposed to be following. She just… Yeah. It was a mess. But she was back in Enbarr and with far, far too much time on her hands. She wasn’t allowed to do combat practice, at least not the way she wanted to… Ugh. She understood if she took too hard a hit could make her miscarry but it was the best way to learn for her. Having her openings punished… She could probably run drills but that didn’t mean she liked it.  She took the two kids over to the little eating nook and, between the three of them, ate a loaf and a half of bread. It wasn’t as fresh as she would’ve liked, but considering how hungry she was, it hit the spot more than she wanted to admit. She just needed something in her stomach and that was definitely something to put into it… She did enjoy bread… Bettina slumped in the chair with a hand on her stomach, a small smile on her face. “Good?” Edelgard asked. “Mmhmm! I haven’t had fresh bread since Ma and Da…” The small smile disappeared. Edelgard didn’t say anything and just offered a hand. So she’d lost her parents… How sad. She could unfortunately relate all too well. She’d lost her father several years ago and she’d lost her mother when she’d been a child. It was to exile instead of sickness or anything, but she’d still lost her mother… She was just glad to still have the Imperial women. Juliane had treated her well despite not being related to each other by blood. Only Helga was the one that didn’t treat her kindly, but Helga never treated anybody that wasn’t the Emperor or her own children kindly.  Bettina took her hand and sniffled a bit. Edelgard scooted closer and held Bettina close, rubbing her back. “It’s okay… I know Hubert’s scary, but he’s not as bad as you think he is. I mean, he is, but he isn’t at the same time. He knows how to be kind, gentle, and soft for you guys.” She kissed Bettina’s head. “And the Imperial women will be kind to you as well.” Though, before long, Edelgard’s own potential consorts would arrive and take the title of ‘Imperial women.’ Juliane and the others were of the prior generation, so they wouldn’t be considered the current Imperial women… A community often formed among the female consorts to help take care of the children to the best possible degree. “You’re nice… Hubert’s scary. I still don’t understand how you like him.” She and Hubert had tried to explain…but it would take time for the children to understand. Yes, he was scary, but it wasn’t as bad as the kids made it out to be. He really was able to be sweet, gentle, and loving. She’d experienced it firsthand. He hadn’t tried to pressure her into sex and had whisked her away from the advisors so they could copulate in peace… She was admittedly looking forward to their next session and trying out some new things…  “You’ll see in time.” She ruffled Bettina’s hair. That was all she could say. She would see in time that Hubert wasn’t as bad as he appeared. That was really all she could say in response. She hoped he would take time to be with the kids one on one and show he wasn’t as bad as they thought. Yes, she understood why the kids thought he was that way. For now though… She needed to figure out what to do with them next. Well… She had one idea. It went against Imperial tradition, but there was nothing wrong with breaking tradition in her mind. “Would you guys like to see some big birds?” Bettina blinked and looked up at her. “Big birds?” Edelgard nodded. “You’re Imperials now, so you have every right to learn falconry.” Bettina frowned. “What’s that?” “Learning to hunt with big birds. They can be a little scary, but they aren’t too bad; I promise.” She smiled at them. If anyone deserved to know about her pregnancy, it was Helen and Ueli. They had supported her so much following the Crest experiments and opened up their home to her. She couldn’t remember those days too well anymore, but she remembered spending ample time with them and they were always excited to see her. They weren’t the keenest to see Hubert, but they had long grown used to him…and Annika had become a proficient mage thanks to Hubert’s teachings. She stood up and took one of each of the kids’ hands, and started walking out to the mews. It didn’t take too long for the cell-like structures to become visible. She smiled when she heard a clear, high-pitched ‘aa-aa-aa’ call. It was Evelin, waiting for her. The bird had sensed her approach. “What’s that?” Jusef asked.  “My bird, Evelin. She’s a golden eagle. I’ll warn you now she has a big wingspan, but she’s not as scary as you think.” It hurt to call Evelin her bird because, in her mind, it was still Tobias’ bird. Evelin had been bred specifically for Tobias. It was through a fluke that she’d inherited the bird. Evelin was getting a little old now so Edelgard had put her up for breeding over the molt the past few years. Several clutches had been laid and Evelin was the proud mother of seven eaglets… They didn’t need that many of Evelin’s bloodline for Edelgard to fly, but even so…  Jusef and Bettina looked at each other, obviously a little tentative, but they nodded. Edelgard led them over to the mews and Evelin ran up to the bars, letting out her soft but high-pitched ‘aa-aa’s. She tilted her head when she saw Bettina and Jusef, then looked up at Edelgard, questioning. “I adopted them,” she explained. The bird outright nodded and she saw Bettina’s and Jusef’s eyes widen. “Wait, did she just understand you?” Jusef asked. Edelgard nodded. “The Imperial line has a very special strain of golden eagles. They’re very tuned into their handlers… Evelin was my brother’s bird before me and was bred for him. You two will one day get to fly her babies if you want to.” Golden eagles could live around thirty to forty years in captivity, so her babies would still be around by time Jusef and Bettina were of age to start flying. She’d start them off on peregrines instead of golden eagles… That was a tradition she would prefer to keep rather than have them start off with something more intimidating. She’d started with Romy who was a good starter bird, but by this point, the red-tail buzzard was much too old to hunt… Ueli had shown her how Romy was just before she and Hubert had left. “She’s bred several times for us and, if you two want to fly her babies, they’ll be available for you when you can take that up. We normally don’t start Imperial children flying any bird until around thirteen or fourteen. But golden eagles can live thirty to forty years in captivity, assuming they don’t get harassed and killed in the field by other birds.” She was glad Romy and Evelin hadn’t been flown off yet. Though Evelin was probably getting to the point she did need to be put up. She would be incredibly sad, but Ueli was already training her up a new bird, one of Evelin’s babies. Normally, they didn’t take an eagle into the field until around three. Well, when manned by a member of the Imperial family. Ueli did take the babies into the field so they could start to build their skills, but he wanted them to be at least halfway decent before allowing the Imperial flier to take over.  “She’s big…” Jusef said. Edelgard nodded. “She is.” She dropped the children’s hands and made a motion for them to wait for her. She went into the mews and lifted Evelin up on a non-gloved hand. The eagle spread her wings out fully, trying to balance without hurting Edelgard. She could feel the power behind the eagle’s talons for certain, but Evelin was gentle at this point and had been manned down since going mad following Tobias’ death. “Woah…” “Huge! And you’re not afraid?” Edelgard shook her head, then put the eagle back on a perch, coming out of the mews. “Nope, not at all. Evelin could definitely hurt me if she wanted to, but she doesn’t want to, so I can handle her without a glove. Granted, gloves do not prevent a bird from footing you. Evelin could punch straight through a glove beecause how enormously powerful her talons are. The glove is more for the bird’s comfort than protection. But they do offer some protection.” She showed the kids where Evelin had gripped her ever so lightly, leaving tiny pinpricks on her skin. It had been uncomfortable, sure, but it wasn’t like she made a habit of handling a golden eagle without a glove. “Woah…” Jusef said. “Crazy!” Bettina said. Edelgard chuckled. “Would you like to meet the royal falconer and his family?” She knew Ueli was starting to get up in age a bit, but as far as she knew, the man was just as spry as he had been when she’d visited him for the first time. Ueli was a stubborn man that wouldn’t stop taking care of the birds until he couldn’t walk anymore. He loved his job as did Helen and they were quite the team… She was glad that Annika would most likely be her children’s falconer… Though she knew Helen and Ueli would only stop when they physically couldn’t anymore. “Are they scary like this bird…?” Bettina eyed Evelin. Edelgard shook her head. “No. They’re kind people. They let me spend a lot of time with them in the past. They’re very good people.” She offered a hand to Bettina and the little girl took it. “Jusef, grab her other hand, please.” He nodded and did so.  Edelgard led them up to Helen and Ueli’s house, then knocked on the door. It took a few minutes for anyone to answer, but Annika did with wide eyes. “Oh, Edelgard! I didn’t think you’d be back so soon! We got your letter inviting us to the vacation home for the start of the season, so I thought—” “There was a change of plans.” She glanced down at Bettina and Jusef. “Annika, this is Bettina and Jusef. They’re my adopted children. And I’m pregnant with two more.” She placed her free hand over her lower abdomen. She still wasn’t sure how to feel about carrying two little lives in her… She wouldn’t start showing for a while, but it would be a lot sooner than she thought. She hated the fact she’d have to be careful for nine months… It was so hard to step back while Juliane and Hubert took care of Adrestia…  “Oh! That would definitely explain it. I was in the process of packing for the season… Guess I’ll have to undo all of that.” She sighed. “Anyway, come in, come in! Mom and Dad’ll be happy to meet them!” She smiled and moved aside. They entered the small living room which had a couch and some chairs in it. Helen and Ueli were commoners but, due to their association with the Imperial family, they were pretty well off and could afford some pretty comfortable furniture. Edelgard sat Jusef and Bettina down on the couch, then sat beside Bettina. It took only a moment for Helen and Ueli to come around the corner from the kitchen. Ueli blinked as did Helen. “Well, good afternoon, Edelgard and…?” “Their names are Bettina and Jusef. I kind of adopted them while I was on vacation. There was a change of plans, so I came home.” She really needed help from Juliane and the other Imperial women. Handling two children on her own wasn’t going to be an easy task. She had done what she could, but without them trusting Hubert, she was mostly on her own. She wished they could trust him, but it wasn’t going to be happening anytime soon… He was basically a walking nightmare. He’d terrified the hell out of Bernie when they’d been at Garreg Mach. “Well, good to you meet you, Bettina and Jusef,” Helen said. The woman’s blond hair was starting to fade into grey which hurt Edelgard’s heart. She wasn’t sure how much longer they had left… They were still pretty spry despite the rough work they did, but even so… The children she birthed may never know Helen and Ueli. She would bring them down here because she wanted them to be mannered around the birds, but still…  “Um, hi.” Bettina’s voice was shy and she snuggled into Edelgard. “Hi.” Jusef puffed out his chest and put on a brave face as he seemed so wont to do. He definitely wanted to help Bettina and be there to protect her… Edelgard was still wondering if he would have the wherewithal to be a member of House Vestra or not… He would definitely be good if he wasn’t afraid of what Hubert could teach him. “They’re right sweet ones it looks like, Edelgard,” Helen said with a smile. Bettina looked up at Edelgard. “You’re not gonna behead them for calling you by name?” Edelgard shook her head. “Why would I do that? I was the one that told them to call me by name.” She smiled down at Bettina. Her mind looked positively blown. No, Edelgard wasn’t a typical noble that would easily behead somebody just for calling her by name on accident. She did keep some level of decorum with most of her servants, but for Helen and Ueli… They were practically family to her. She loved them and they loved her. She was so close to them that she didn’t know what she’d do without their support… She was always glad to get time away for the falconry season even if it usually wasn’t too long. A week or two here and there. Flying Evelin was one of her greatest joys in life. Jusef looked at her, his expression a bit unreadable. “Is something wrong?” Edelgard asked. “Just weird to think of a noble being so close to a commoner’s family…” She shrugged. “Like I said before, we’re all human in the end. We all bleed scarlet. We can all have children with each other. The only thing that separates us from each other are Crests and society. Even then… Crests are only important because people thought to put importance on them in the first place.” Yeah, she would absolutely stand by that no matter what. Crests didn’t make people important inherently. Not one bit. She didn’t see why Crests should make someone more important than someone else. They were growing weaker and weaker every generation, so it just seemed like they’d die out in due time… Which she was glad for. Jusef didn’t look convinced but didn’t say anything else. “Anyway, why’d you bring ‘em here?” Ueli asked, plopping down in a chair. “I wanted to show them the birds so they could start getting mannered around them. I know it’s not typical to let Imperial children start flying until they’re around thirteen or fourteen. I’m not saying we should do that. But we can at least let them get used to the birds and be kind around them,” Edelgard explained. She wasn’t sure if Bettina or Jusef would be interested in falconry whatsoever, but she’d probably be taking them out on the falconry season with her when she did go out. She wasn’t sure how Bettina would handle being too far away from her at the moment… Granted, the season wouldn’t start for a bit yet, but even so… Ueli nodded sagely, stroking his beard. “Entirely fair. Though, honestly, if they do get interested, we can have ‘em start doin’ some basics like lure work and such.” “Evelin’s kinda scary…” Bettina said. “You wouldn’t be starting with a golden eagle like Evelin. Normally Imperial children fly peregrines for a season or two. Golden eagles and peregrines do have very different flight styles, but even so… They’re better birds to start with,” Edelgard said, petting Bettina’s head. “Ueli, would you mind going and getting one?” He shook his head. “Not at all. Be back in a minute.” He left the house and came back a few minutes later with a much smaller bird on his glove. “See? Not as big as Evelin.” “Those nails are scary…” Bettina said. “Talons. They’re called talons,” Edelgard corrected gently. Bettina looked up at her with a frown on her face. “Don’t you get hurt when holding a bird?” “You saw how I held Evelin earlier.” By now, the small indents from Evelin’s talons had disappeared. “See? No scarring, no cuts, no nothing. But that’s one reason you use a glove. It helps protect you. And the birds know how to keep their grip strength back so it won’t hurt you.” She looked at Ueli. “Do you have any children’s gloves?” “Be right back,” Helen said. She got up and left, coming back a few minutes later with two gloves sized for children. “Slip these on and you can hold ole Marshy.” “Marshy?” Jusef asked. “His name is Marshall and he’s about as placid as a bird can get. He’s around twenty years old which is really old for a falcon,” Helen explained. Jusef nodded a bit and slipped on the glove. He got up and tentatively walked over. Ueli explained how to hold his hand and then Marshall stepped up on the glove.  “Woah, it doesn’t hurt… He’s super gentle, Bettina!” Jusef sounded excited but a small noise from Marshall made him look over tentatively.  “Don’t worry too much. He just doesn’t like when people speak too loud. He’s a cranky old man.” Helen chuckled. Jusef nodded. Helen gave Bettina the other small glove and Edelgard stood up, walking over with Bettina. Bettina clung to Edelgard’s hand like it was a lifeline. Bettina was obviously terrified of the birds which was understandable. They were magnificent creatures, but they could definitely cause serious harm should they want to. Edelgard had a healthy respect for Evelin and the other birds she’d flown over the years (namely Romy).  “It’s okay. Just don’t talk too loud and he’ll be fine,” Edelgard reassured Bettina. The little girl nodded a bit and followed Ueli’s instructions on how to hold the peregrine. Thankfully, the look of fear turned to wonder and some level of excitement. “Can I pet him?” she asked. “Best not to pet raptors too much. They need to keep their feathers clean with preening. Too much petting can destroy feather condition. But a couple pets shouldn’t destroy his feather condition.” Ueli smiled. Bettina looked tentative but petted Marshall’s head. She smiled and let out a tiny noise of delight. She kept it to a couple strokes and looked excited. It apparently wasn’t taking too much to convince Bettina that the birds weren’t as scary as she thought. Evelin was quite the beast to work with, but she was calm, so Edelgard knew she could work with her. She wouldn’t trust such a young child to even hold a golden eagle, let alone fly one. “Tobias, my older brother, taught me the best way to pet a raptor is on the breastbone.” Edelgard came over and gently stroked Marshall’s chest. “Like Ueli said, too many pets will destroy a raptor’s feather condition, but a few here and there won’t hurt too much.” She smiled at Bettina who managed a nod and a small smile. She was glad to see the kids getting well mannered with birds… She really did hope that it would be good for them. Falconry had done her a world of good, though she knew not everyone handled everything the same way. Somehow she hadn’t lost her mind to the Crest experiments while Eckhart, Alina, and Tobias had all lost their minds and eventually passed away. Edelgard pushed the thoughts out of her mind and sat back on the couch, trying to not dwell on it too much. She really didn’t need to break down in tears in front of the kids when they were having such a good time. “Yeah, that there is true,” Ueli said. “But again, don’t do it too much. You’re real mannered around these birds, though, little lady and young man.” He smiled at the two kids. “Ya ain’t never held ‘em before?” The two kids shook their heads. “No, never been around a raptor before,” Bettina said. “I’ve seen some from a distance, but that’s about it,” Jusef said. “Well, if you two listen this good, you’ll make mighty good falconers. Would you like to see old Marshy here do some free flight? Peregrines are a real treat to watch.” Ueli smiled. The two kids looked at each other, then Edelgard. “Is it okay…?” Bettina asked. “Ueli offered; I don’t see why not.” She smiled at her. There would need to be boundaries with the kids, of course, but it was one thing to enforce boundaries and another to be restrictive and overbearing. Her own mother had been incredibly overbearing to the point Juliane didn’t like it and Tobias constantly thwarted Anselma’s plans for a good few hours. She’d been allowed out on a hunting expedition with Tobias despite Anselma wanting her to stay in Enbarr and stick to her studies. She wouldn’t be as bad as her own mother had been by any means…or at least she hoped she wouldn’t be. There needed to be balance when dealing with kids… The two looked at each other excitedly then Bettina handed him back to Ueli. They all headed outside and Ueli completely untied Marshall from the leash. Without missing a beat, Marshall headed into the sky to the point none of them could see him. Bettina tried in vain to search for him, but obviously couldn’t anymore. “Why is he so high in the sky? Why can’t we see him?” “See, a peregrine does something called ‘waiting on’ which means going high in the sky and then using the momentum to stun then kill their prey mid-flight.” Ueli took a lure out and started swinging it around and around. Edelgard smiled a bit. She remembered working with the lure even if the memories were a bit faint. Once Evelin had come down from her madness, she had helped train the eagle to get back into shape by using the lure. While not a waiting on, eagles could and often did soar high in the sky and come down on prey somewhat similar to a peregrine. The flight styles were similar but still completely different. “So what do they hunt…?” Jusef asked. “Birds, mainly. Longwings like a peregrine need wide-open space to hunt and yer goin’ after pheasant, ducks, and other birds.” Ueli continued swinging the lure and Edelgard picked up on the small speck in the sky before either of the kids did. She could see the peregrine seeming to come out of almost nowhere and she pointed, getting Jusef and Bettina’s attention. They watched as the bird came down at a dizzying speed and took a swipe at the lure. Ueli knew how to deal with the peregrine, though, and kept him moving around and around the lure until he caught it. Once caught, the lure laid on the ground and Marshall had his mouth open, panting. Ueli had him hop back up onto his gloved fist, then tied him back.  “Is he tired?” Bettina asked. “A bit, yeah. Still a lil early for us to really start getting the birds up to a good fitness level. But ole Marshy here’s used to things. He’s out of shape since a large falcon and eagles are the work you put into them. I haven’t put any work into him yet this season, so he’s more than a bit winded. But he knows the rhythms and how to deal with things. He’ll be fine.” Ueli smiled at the kids. Yeah, the bird would be fine. “Why is he so winded? I don’t really get it…” Bettina frowned. “Well, it’s because we only hunt in the cooler seasons,” Edelgard explained, stepping in for Ueli. He seemed to have absolutely endless patience for the kids which was good, but she knew a lot of these answers at this point. She’d spent a long time under Helen and Ueli’s tutelage and had really attached to falconry. These questions were absolutely basic.  “What happens when the warmer months start to become warm and the animals get together?” “Umm…” Bettina screwed up her face. “They have babies?” Edelgard nodded and smiled. “That’s correct. They start to have babies and those babies need to be fed regardless of what they are, whether they eat meat or eat plants. What would happen if we were hunting in the spring and killed all the parents?” “All the babies would die.” Bettina frowned. “That doesn’t sound very nice.” Edelgard shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t be. So we only hunt in the cooler months because all the babies will still have their parents in spring as well as be growing. In the cooler months, all those babies are grown and are living on their own now. We can hunt adult animals that live on their own, but we shouldn’t hunt baby animals that are reliant on their parents. Does that make sense?” The two children nodded. “Now, do you remember the jail cells we saw the birds in?” The kids frowned but nodded. “Those are called mews. They’re not actually jail cells but aviaries. The bars make sure the bird doesn’t hurt its feathers. Anything else could hurt a bird’s feathers.” “Why is making sure their feathers aren’t hurt such a big deal? They’re just feathers,” Jusef said. Edelgard shook her head. “Feathers are what allow a bird to fly in the first place. If they’re damaged or, worse, broken, a bird may not be able to fly until its feathers grow back in.” She knew vaguely of the process of imping, but she didn’t know enough about it in order to explain what it was. She’d never seen it performed or anything like that. Ueli had just told her about it a few times when she’d spent a lot of time around him and his family. She wasn’t a falconer, so it wasn’t like she had to learn about imping in depth. It was the practice of replacing broken feathers with whole ones from the molt.  “I didn’t know that…” Edelgard nodded. “We don’t know how it exactly works, but yes, feathers are what let a bird fly. Once spring starts rolling around, a bird will start to shed its feathers in a process known as molting. It takes a lot of energy to go through a molt, so we just let the birds sit in their mews while they grow new feathers. We feed them up until they get fat and happy so they can regrow their feathers in peace. However, because the birds are so fat, they lose their muscle condition. When you don’t use your muscles a lot, they deteriorate.” Bettina frowned. “That sounds scary.” Edelgard nodded. “It kinda is… It happened to me once. It took a long time to rebuild my muscles.” She had lost so much muscle mass and weight during the Crest experiments because she’d been locked in a little cell beneath the castle. She had often just laid on the cold stone floor. It had made her have an extreme intolerance to heat which wasn’t good because she lived in Adrestia. And it was the height of summer right now. She wasn’t in a good place when it got this hot and humid, but all she could do was deal with it… She could probably go vacation up near Faerghus or the Alliance during the warmer seasons, but she needed to be in the throne room… Granted, she wasn’t there now but she also didn’t feel like leaving again. Travel always wore her out and going as far as near the border with Faerghus would take a lot of time. The kids needed stability and she needed the help of the Imperial women. She wasn’t about to leave where she wouldn’t have their backing. The kids exchanged unnerved glances. Edelgard smiled. “Don’t worry; I’m all better now. But yeah, the birds lose their muscle condition because they’re just sitting around. Imagine if you sat around and did nothing for three months then tried to do a lot of physical activity. Wouldn’t you be tired?” The kids nodded. “Well, that’s why Marshall is so winded. He’s sat around for several months and not done anything. We put him through a lot of physical activity, so that’s why he’s so tired. Does all of that make sense?” Bettina nodded. “Yeah.” Edelgard smiled. “Good.” She patted both of their heads. “By the way…how do you think Gerhard is holding up?” She’d gotten the pointer when she’d started falconry and Ueli had raised and trained the puppy. He was around eight or nine now, so he was definitely getting up there in years. She might need a new dog soon… She hated the idea of having to give up her beloved companion, but she didn’t want to stress him unnecessarily. The Adrestian shorthaired pointer often lived only around twelve to fourteen years… He was definitely getting to be a senior. “We might get one more season outta him, but yeah, it’s prolly best to retire the old boy from falconry. A breeder I work with has a litter of whelps that should be available. Would you like to go see them?” Ueli asked.  Edelgard nodded. “All right.” She smiled down at Bettina and Jusef. “You two can come see Enbarr.” It was getting a bit late in the day, but she could commandeer a small carriage in order to take them down to the city. “I’ll need to take a carriage, though, Ueli; would you care to join us? I know it’ll be a lot faster, but with me being pregnant, I can’t risk falling.” Nobody had said anything about falling off a horse, but in her own mind, it only made sense that it might be a risk. Mirjam had said that strikes directly to the abdomen could cause miscarriage. She did not want that to happen if she could prevent it. “All right then. Lemme just go put ole Marshy up and and I’ll meet ya down by the stables.”  “Sounds good.” She offered a hand to each of the kids and they took them. “We’ll be going down to look at puppies.” The kids looked excited. “Puppies?” Edelgard nodded. “Ueli works with pointers for falconry. Basically they just point at where prey is, then you go in and flush it or make it run or fly away from where it was before. Granted… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to go out this season or not.” She frowned. With her carrying children and worrying about falling off horses… Well. It might not be a good idea for her to go out especially since she’d be much further along in her pregnancy once the season rolled around… “Can we have puppies?” Bettina asked, excited. Edelgard shook her head. “Not pointer puppies because you won’t be flying birds for a long time. Maybe Ueli knows somebody that has some other type of dogs. Though puppies are a big responsibility and I don’t think you guys are quite ready to handle that.” These kids had been on the street only Divine knew how long. She didn’t want to dash their dreams, but puppies weren’t a good fit… She knew they were hyper and required constant training and would have to be taken out to the bathroom every few hours. It didn’t seem like a good idea to strap a seven and eight year old with that level of responsibility. “Maybe if a breeder has some older dogs…” She wasn’t sure if they’d want to give up their prized bloodlines, though. But the kids seemed really excited at the prospect of having a dog. If the breeder had something that was maybe a year or two old… And if it was a good breed for kids too. The kids look disappointed. Edelgard patted their heads as she started to walk. “Puppies would be a bad match for you guys especially since you’re going to be in lessons a lot of the time. And you’ll have even more lessons as you get older. A dog that’s a year or two old will be better than a puppy. Will you want to have to get up every couple hours at night in order to take a puppy out to go pee?” Bettina frowned and shook her head. “No… I wanna sleep.” “It’ll be the same way during the day and night. You’d need to get up all the time to take the puppy out every few hours. Plus, do you know how to train a dog?” The kids shook their heads. “Are you starting to see why puppies aren’t a good idea?” “I guess…” Bettina kicked at a rock while they walked. She felt bad, but it was for the best. She wasn’t saying they couldn't have a dog; she was just saying they couldn’t have puppies. Dogs required training or else they’d be terrible companions and liable to hurt the kids. And it wasn’t like she would have the time to train a dog herself, nor the knowhow. Ueli handled training all the falconry dogs himself and made sure they were well trained. When he wasn’t training them, he left them at the royal kennels. She’d still had plenty of time to bond with Gerhard, her first dog, but now…he was starting to get up there in age, so she needed a replacement. The kids were just too young to understand why puppies were a bad idea. They arrived at the stables and Edelgard talked to some of the stablehands that headed off to get the horses hooked up to a carriage. However, Edelgard made a turn into the stables herself and went over to a specific stall. She whistled and, a few moments later, a short horse came trotting up. She frowned when she saw just how much white had come around the horse’s muzzle. Bettina and Jusef looked at the horse curiously. “Why’s that horse so small?” Jusef asked. “This is Anni, the horse I’ve ridden most of my life…but it’s probably about time to retire the old girl.” She sighed. She hadn’t ridden Anni in the past couple years since she’d grown and could now handle normal saddlebred horses. She visited the old girl every so often, but with everything going on and her not having much time to ride anymore…she hadn’t noticed just how much grey had come across the old mare’s muzzle. Anni had already been five when she’d inherited her, so she was getting up there already… “She’s pretty. Can I ride her sometime?” Bettina asked. Edelgard tapped her chin. “She might not be bad for you guys to learn on actually… She’s in her twenties now, but she might still be willing to let you guys ride.” Yeah, she didn’t want to push the horse too hard, but it felt like this might be a good way to let her enjoy retirement. She wasn’t sure how well mannered the kids would be on the horse though… She was a  little afraid that they would be rough and make Anni buck or treat them badly somehow. She was a gentle horse with a high tolerance, but Edelgard had always been well mannered… She wasn’t sure how mannered Bettina and Jusef would be on horseback though. It was about then that Ueli came sauntering up and waved at them. He smiled at Anni and the mare pushed her nose out for a pet. He chuckled and patted it. “The old girl still has some life left in her. Anyway, how are things goin’ with the stablehands?”  “They’re getting the carriage set up and everything. By the way, would you know any good companion breeds for kids?” Edelgard didn’t know the first thing about dogs. She’d leave training her new pointer to Ueli since he knew what he was doing. But he was definitely starting to get up in age himself… She knew him well enough to understand he wouldn’t give up until his body physically could not handle work any longer. He was generally a gentle man, but he had to be stubborn to outwit then birds and train them. Some of the eagles could be really testy as could some of the other birds. He had to figure out how to train them in a way that would make sense to them.  “A good companion breed, huh?” He stroked his beard. “Greyhounds might not be a bad fit. They’re sight hounds and can definitely run, but they can be real chill. The main thing is not to have them around small animals since they have a real high prey drive and having newborns around them could be bad too. If it’s properly socialised, then a greyhound can be a great companion. I know someone down in the city that breeds ‘em. Maybe she’ll have an old, retired breeder or something along those lines.” Edelgard nodded. “I’d be looking for an older dog, not a puppy. A puppy is going to be a bad idea for a companion dog right now…” She put her hand over her abdomen. “I have some buns in the oven, so to speak, and I definitely won’t have the time or energy for a puppy as things go along.” The kids would probably want to have the dog with them in the castle most of the time, so she couldn’t just leave it to the royal kennels. She’d never had a companion dog, so this would be a new experience for her. She was only used to huntings dogs that worked and did a job… “Well, we can go and see if Greta has anybody for you.” It was about then that a stablehand came up and bowed.  “Let’s go, kids.” She took a hand from each one and climbed up into the cab. She even helped Ueli up herself. The cabby looked flabbergasted at the fact the Empress herself was the one helping others into the carriage and not being the one to do it himself. He did help Edelgard up into the cab and then took his place up behind the reins.  Once they were all settled in, the carriage started to move and Edelgard stretched a little bit. Bettina snuggled into Edelgard’s side and she petted the little girl’s head. She felt a little bad she wouldn’t let the kids have a puppy, but she couldn’t afford the stress that came with a puppy and two newborns when the time came for that. She was going to have enough trouble dealing with the potential consorts when they arrived… She still wasn’t keen on that, but she couldn’t imagine being pregnant for around a decade of her life just to make the advisors happy. “Somethin’ wrong?” Ueli asked. “Your gaze looks real far.” Edelgard offered a wry smile. “You know me too well. I’m mainly worried about the newborns and the fact I have potential consorts coming in… I was supposed to be in a vacation home for four months with just Hubert, but when we adopted these two, I knew I needed help.” She patted Bettina’s head but not Jusef’s. Bettina was definitely more attention seeking than the boy was. He was young for certain and needed comfort, but he was much more standoffish… “Ah, yeah, that does make sense… Goin’ from not havin’ any kid to havin’ two has to be hard. But consorts? You never gave me the impression…” “Well, there’s a difference between having someone you can get along with to help you with childbirth and being fully in love with somebody and wanting to have children with them.” She honestly didn’t even want to have children with Hubert, but with how the advisors had been pushing her, she didn’t really have a choice. Part of her heart still belonged to Dimitri, but that hadn’t happened… She wished it had, but fate just had other designs for her. “Childbirth?” “You know how big Imperial families can be. You saw how many siblings I had…and that was still considered small.” Eleven kids was still considered pretty small by Imperial standards… Usually the more consorts an Emperor or Empress had, then the more children they had. But her father had only had eleven across around half a dozen women… That was odd by Imperial standards. Each woman should’ve had at least four kids, not just the one or two they had had. Granted, Edelgard didn’t want to go much beyond eleven or twelve herself… She honestly didn’t even want that many, but with her being the last of her line… Well. They wanted her to have as many children as possible. “True that, true that. How many people ya contacted?” “Three. Hubert’s mother should’ve sent out the letters while we were gone. She’s new head of House Vestra and Minister of the Imperial Household. In lieu of her husband’s…untimely death several years ago, we needed to have her take over. Neither of Hubert’s siblings had the same training he did.” “Ah, yeah, that would do it. She dun married in though, didn’t she?” Edelgard nodded. “Eike married into the house, but she’s a Vestra through and through, just like Helen is for the royal falconer’s family.” Helen had married into the family without a single bit of falconry knowledge, but she had risen to the occasion. Edelgard hadn’t even been born when they’d met, let alone been married, but she’d received lessons from Helen on leatherworking and her hoods and jesses were top notch. Helen was more behind the scenes than dealing with the birds, but even so… “Sometimes things just be that way.” Edelgard nodded. She didn’t really know Eike well or at all, but from the way Hubert had spoken about her in the past, she was definitely a good match for minister of the Imperial household, at least until Hubert’s brother or sister could have a child that would undertake the training to become the next head of House Vestra. There wasn’t much they could do as Hubert himself was on the throne and couldn’t attend to the issues of House Vestra like he would prefer to do. “Agreed… Sometimes things are just that way.” She shrugged. “I will admit, I am nervous over the idea of consorts… I’m not the person with the best social graces by any means.” She sighed. She wasn’t sure how the nobility saw her. Well, she did but she didn’t. A lot of them weren’t happy with her reforms to help commoners become more educated but she really wanted to give people a better lot in life. She had convinced Rhea the printing press was not actually a bad thing and that having the peasantry educated would help better Fódlan as a whole. The nobles had been none too happy with her purges and throwing various leaders of houses out and into prison like Duke Aegir, but a lot of them didn’t quite understand the fullness of what had happened during the Insurrection… “Eh, you’ll do plum fine, Edelgard. You’re a sweet little lady that can win anybody’s heart.” He smiled at her and she flushed a bit. Had things been different, she might have spent a lot more time around him. Not that she wanted to date him as he was so much older, but just more time around his family. She would have spent way more time with falconry and Helen and Ueli… She wished life would’ve been different, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it… The Agarthans had dealt her the current hand she had and she was doing her best with what she could.  “Thank you. That’s kind.” “Granted, I don’t know anything ‘bout all them noble ways, but I think things’ll turn out just fine for you. I know Hubert wouldn’t do anything that would put you in danger. He wouldn’t choose anyone that would hurt you intentionally. I don’t know him all too well, but I know he wouldn’t put you in danger by any means.” “Expectations and reality are two very different things, Ueli… But I think you of all people would know that by now.” That was how it was for birds. One had an expectation of how things would go with training, but reality would be very different. “By the way… Sorry ta get off topic, but recently some guys wild caught some odd birds for me. They’re pack hunters. Brought four of ‘em, they did. Think you’d want to help me train ‘em up to see what they can do?” Edelgard blinked. “Pack-hunting raptors? I’m not misunderstanding you, am I?” She just wanted to be sure they were on the same page. Ueli shook his head. “Nope, ya dun understood me right. I’ve heard tales of these birds from places slightly further to the west of Enbarr about some raptors that pack hunt. Real odd behavior, but some guys I’m friends with managed to capture the birds in question and brought four of ‘em for me… I think you know the general process of training well enough by now to be able to handle at least one of ‘em. Think you’d like to help me?” “I mean…I’m not going to have too much to do. The kids’ll be in lessons for a few hours a day so I’ll have some time.Plus, I’m off the throne because Hubert’s worried about me stressing myself out way too much.” She was way too prone to stress-related illness and could easily wind up in the infirmary if she got too stressed out… Plus, with having Jusef and Bettina, she’d be even more prone to stress. She wanted them to grow up well and she didn’t want to fail them either… She was trying to find a balance between caring for them but not overdoing it herself either. She just… It was a lot to handle. “All right then.” He smiled at Jusef and Bettina. “Would you two like to handle some birds?” The kids looked at each other. “To train wild birds? That seems a bit scary…” Bettina admitted. “They could hurt us.” “I normally don’t let royal kids handle birds ‘till they’re in their teens but we need help. I got four birds that need tamed down. Annika won’t be able to help since she’s got her wedding to worry about and my younger two are helping as well. They are wild, but Edelgard and I can help you tame them down. Plus, we won’t have you be doing any training. We just need help manning them.” “Manning…?” Bettina asked. Ueli nodded. “That just means tamin’ them down to make ‘em real nice. You saw how Romy was happy to sit on your fist?” The little girl nodded. “She’s been manned for years. Some falconers like their birds with a wild edge, but I prefer a happy, quiet bird that will just sit. Now, they’re a medium-sized bird so they’re gonna have a decent-sized wingspan and they’re gonna be super flighty and do what’s called bate a lot. Bating is when they’re spooked and hop off the fist and flap their wings. I know it’ll be scary for you but just stay steady and they’ll eventually relax.” Bettina frowned. “That sounds scary.” “It will be, but at least it’s not a golden eagle,” Edelgard said. “I had to man Evelin when I started working with her. That was pretty scary since her wingspan is so big. But I imagine these birds won’t have much more than a three, three and a half foot wingspan.” Ueli nodded. “I haven’t worked with them much, but yeah, their wingspans aren’t big. Nothin’ like our goldies. It’ll be a lot for a kid to handle, but I have faith in you two.” He smiled at Jusef and Bettina. “You won’t be flyin’ the birds, but you’ll just help us tame them down so they’re nice and comfy.” “O-Okay…” Bettina looked up at Edelgard and she could feel the girl shaking a little. She kissed Bettina’s head. “It’ll be all right; yes it will be scary, but it’ll be fine.” She petted the little girl’s head.  It was about then that the carriage came to a stop and the cabbie opened the door. He helped everyone out and Edelgard smiled a bit. This was only the second time she’d been here, but she could actually remember coming here to get Gerhard when he was a young puppy. That had been an unexpected trip like this one had been, but she wasn’t complaining. She really was glad to see the old woman still able to turn out top-notch hunting dogs. “Now, kids, you’ll see puppies, but don’t just go over and pet them. Show some restraint, please.” She knew they wanted to play with the puppies, but these were not companion animals; they were meant to be working dogs. She knew how high-energy puppies were since she’d gotten to play with Gerhard when he was about twelve weeks old. Puppies were a lot of work and she was glad that she had denied the kids. Being pregnant and having to deal with a nine-month old puppy would be way too much of a load on her with the twins on the way.  The kids pouted but nodded.  They entered the house and the woman greeted them. “Oh, Ueli, what brings you here? And who’s this?” The woman looked at the trio. “Her Majesty Edelgard von Hresvelg and her two children, Bettina and Jusef. Her old dog, Gerhard, is gettin’ up in years and I need a new dog to replace him.” “Right this way; right this way.” The woman ushered them into the back yard where the dogs were kept and Ueli dealt with business. She kept a hand on both Bettina’s and Jusef’s shoulders. She could feel Bettina quivering as her eyes fell on the puppies, but the hand on her shoulder obviously kept her from shooting over and starting to coo over the cute dogs. Jusef was more relaxed, but she could still sense his longing. They were kids. Of course they wanted to play with puppies. Granted, she had never interacted much with animals until going to the monastery… She wasn’t used to companion animals in all actuality. Eventually, business was settled and Ueli led them back out to the carriage where he gave the cabbie the address of where to go next. They all got back in and the kids rested against Edelgard, obviously feeling deflated. “Don’t be such downers; we’re going somewhere we might be able to get a companion. I just don’t trust a working dog right now. They tend to be high energy and, well, I won’t be having a lot of energy as I get deeper into my pregnancy.” The kids didn’t look amused. Well, they were still going to see about getting a companion dog, so it wasn’t like she was ignoring their wants. The ride over to the other house was quiet and they all got out. A young woman around Edelgard’s age answered the door after Ueli knocked. “Oh, hello, Ueli; who are your friends?” After an introduction, the young woman blanched. “Her…Majesty? P-Please come in.” The woman bowed deeply and led them into the house. “So what were you hoping for a dog…?” “Would you have an older dog that isn’t super high energy? I won’t be able to handle a puppy, not with some buns in the oven, so to speak.” Edelgard put her hand over her abdomen where the twins were developing.  “So you’re expecting children… Congratulations. Thankfully, I actually do have a dog that might fit your lifestyle. He was just returned to me because the family couldn’t keep him any longer. His name is Bernd and he’s three years old. One second.” The woman disappeared and came back with a loping, lanky dog with a beautiful coat.  It was a light greyish color with darker grey stripes. The kids looked at each other and let out soft noises of excitement. “Can we keep him? Can we keep him?” Bettina asked, unable to hide her excitement. Edelgard nodded. “That’s exactly why we came here. He’s yours to have.” They let out soft squeals but it wasn’t too bad, at least. She could remember Alina and Leopold getting so excited they would squeal at the tops of their lungs. Jusef and Bettina were about the same age Leopold and Alina had been when they’d died… It hurt to think about that. They ought to be here right now, helping out with the kids. Tobias ought to be on the throne, not her… She put a hand over her heart and tried to hide her feelings, but even the kids obviously picked up on it. “Is something wrong?” Bettina asked. “I just get memories that hurt sometimes.” She smiled at the little girl, leaving it there. They didn’t need to know about the intense tragedies her family had been through. Maybe when they got older, she could explain, but they were little kids now. They didn’t need to know about the literal human experimentation that she’d been through. Thankfully, the Crest of Flames had been removed by Rhea when she’d been at Garreg Mach, so she didn’t need to worry about her lifespan being reduced or anything like that. She still didn’t trust the woman in the slightest, but she could be useful when needed. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” Ueli was obviously worried, but didn’t say anything. The kids nodded a bit. “Let’s go home.”