A Force I Can't Run From (A Fire Emblem Twisted Tale)

Chapter 4: Down the Path of Darkness

"So you're indulging in your personal pleasures when you haven't even avenged us?" Lambert sneered.

"It's not like that, I swear!" Dimitri whispered as he sat up, careful not to wake Byleth. "As soon as we discover what happened to Rufus, we will march straight to Enbarr and kill that woman."

"Heh, if you truly cared about avenging us, you would've killed her there, but you cared more about your girlfriend more." Glenn scoffed.

"I promise I will avenge you all. Just please give me a little bit more time." Dimitri pleaded. The voices only got louder.

"Avenge us. Kill Edelgard. Bring us her head." The ghosts chanted, slowly getting louder. Dimitri tried to drown out the noise by covering his ears, but it was no use. He inched one of his hands closer to Byleth, hoping for that brief sense of comfort and relief that being around her usually gave him. Yet, somehow, the voices didn't stop.

"If you can't even please us, how are you going to be able to please a whole country?" Lambert berated.

"Is it so hard to kill her? You've had to kill countless times and now you can't kill Edelgard?" Glenn said.

"You Blaiddyd's were always too soft to rule, your father never should've taken the throne in the first place." A new, yet familiar voice scowled. Dimitri looked up only to see the usual three ghosts of his parents and friend. How odd...

"Dimitri...?" A soft voice whispered that managed to break through the constant shouting of the ghosts. A warm hand slid into his own. Dimitri turned around to see a now awake and concerned Byleth. "Dimitri, are you alright?" She asked.

Dimitri sighed. "I'm..." He hesitated. He wishes he could just brush it off and say that he was, but this was his now wife he was talking to. He had to say at least something, right? "In all honesty, not really... the voices are especially loud tonight."

Byleth brushed a strand of Dimitri's hair out of his face so she could see him better. "I'm so sorry... Do you want or need to talk it out..?"

Dimitri opened his mouth to answer, but one of the voices spoke to him first. "You're bringing my daughter into this? Some husband you are." Jeralt grumbled. "She already has so much going for her and you're just dumping your problems onto her."

"I..I'm fine, but thanks for offering." Dimitri sighed before trying to find a more comfortable position to at least get a little rest before the morning. Normally, he would've just stopped trying to get some rest and just started the day by training, yet, he didn't want to worry Byleth more.

Byleth wanted to say something but decided to keep it to herself. It really was a long night and the next morning wasn't going to be less busy. She laid back down but still kept her hand on Dimitri's.

A few hours passed and Dimitri was still awake. The ghosts wouldn't shut up or even get quieter for him to at least rest his eyes. A light snore filled the room. He looked over his shoulder and saw Byleth peacefully sleeping. She was always a heavy sleeper, though he never knew why. Even Jeralt never knew why.

Dimitri sat up. For the first time in a long time, possibly even ever, he felt exhausted, which was strange since his crest supplied him with so much strength that he could go days without even sleeping. His eyelids felt slightly heavy and a lingering headache has gotten worse.

More whispers filled the room. Dimitri largely paid no attention to them as the best he could, but something felt different about these whispers. They were not the same that constantly haunted him. They sounded like it was coming from outside the door.