#deduesday

SUPPORT C

D: Your Grace.

C: Ah-ah, none of that.

C: Just Claude is perfectly fine.

C: In fact, I prefer it!

D: ...Claude, then.

C: Whatcha up to?

D: Gardening.

C: Alright, alright. I can see that.

C: Is it by order?

D: No. ...I garden for leisure.

C: No kidding!

C: Have you been doing it for long?

D: Not particularly long.

D: However, I have enjoyed flowers and vegetables from a young age.

D: This greenhouse permits me the opportunity to engage further.

C: You don't have, I don't know, knightly duties to deal with for his princeliness?

D: . . .

D: I am not a knight. Merely His Highness's assisting vassal. He... encourages me to pursue interests outside of his immediate wellbeing.

D: Such an outsider as I... would never be permitted to attend upon his side as a knight.

C: You're not a knight?!

C: That's actually surprising.

C: Do people really say that about you?

C: Most people serving the king will be commoners. What does it matter if another knight is?

D: ...You have a very unique perspective.

D: You would not doubt my loyalty because I am a man of Duscur?

C: Of course not! It shouldn't matter where you're from, only if you care and can do a good job.

D: It would be nice if there were more nobles in the Kingdom who felt as you do.

D: Until that changes, I can only ever remain an obedient servant. No matter my capabilities.

SUPPORT B

C: Ah, Dedue!

C: You're hanging out in the greenhouse again?

D: ...Yes. Is there a problem?

C: Nope! No problem here. Just peachy, in fact.

C: It's only... I think this might be the only place I've seen you without your buddy around.

D: Buddy?

D: . . .

D: You cannot be speaking of His Highness, surely?!

C: The very one! It seems like you're just glued to his side.

D: His Highness's assured safety is... very valuable.

C: Oh yeah. His dad was assassinated, right?

D: . . .

C: See, I only ask because it's kinda been bugging me for a while.

C: I don't get it. I really don't.

C: Why would someone from Duscur be so attached to a Faerghan? And the crown prince, no less!

C: That just doesn't make any sense to me.

C: I think... I would probably hate him, if I were you.

D: I will not allow any attempts on his life to go unpunished.

C: Okay, okay, jeez! I didn't mean it like that. I guess it's not like Leicester with Almyra over there, then. My mistake.

C: I guess you guys are a lot more forgiving.

D: That is incorrect.

D: ...His Highness... is the reason I am alive.

C: Surely that's going a bit far, even for a loyal vassal.

D: You misunderstand me. I would not be here today if not for his actions.

D: ...He saved me. At the cost of his own body.

D: His own countrymen.

C: What do you mean?

D: When I lost everything, surrounded by nothing but ash and blood, I had given up. I was easy prey for the invading army.

D: But then...

D: A boy appeared. He was Faerghan, yet just as ashen and bloodstained as I. He stood between me and the soldiers, shouting at them.

D: And when they attempted to breech his guard, to reach me... he...

D: . . . I cannot speak of what became of them.

D: But for this complete stranger, doing what he could to save one simple life, even from his own people?

D: It seemed that justice and compassion were not gone from the world.

D: We could not yet speak to each another. But he still protected me. He offered me his hand.

D: He did not see me as an enemy. Only another boy, suffering from the choices of others that never should have been made.

D: He later swore to me that he wished to heal what had been broken. To rebuild what had been destroyed.

D: It would not restore those we have lost, but it is what we both wish to see pass for the children of the future.

D: That is why I remain loyal, ever at his side.

C: ...Wow.

C: I see. I think I understand now.

C: Dedue? Thanks for telling me.

C: It must still be pretty hard to think about. I'm sorry.

D: ...Thank you for hearing me, Claude.

D: Most do not wish to understand my motivation.

D: They would rather curse me as a traitor, a dog, or a brainwashed slave.

D: But I am no kinslayer nor a traitor. I am a man with my own priorities.

C: How do you stand it? Being seen as a tool of the regime that hurt you? Especially that incredibly grumpy kid in the Blue Lions.

D: ...Felix?

D: If you know already of the Catastrophe, then perhaps you may know.

D: He also lost family alongside the Prince.

C: Sure, I guess...

D: ...Between you and I, he was sent to the 'clean-up'. I believe he saw what Prince Dimitri did to protect me.

D: I believe he may harbor a fear that his brother died at His Highness's hand, and that I am a replacement.

C: That is incredibly messy.

C: Makes me glad to be with the Deer.

C: Leicester nobles might be annoying, but they're certainly not as entangled.

D: Indeed. I would say the members of our house can be, as you say... 'messy'.

C: Well, now that we got that all settled! Why don't you walk me through some of the work you're up to in here?

SUPPORT A

C: Dedue! Good to see you.

D: I see you are here again, Claude.

C: I just couldn't stay away from my favorite Faerghan!

C: And these gorgeous lilies, of course.

D: I will remind you again that the bulbs are poisonous.

C: Oh, I remember! Why do you think they're my favorites?

D: Claude... May I ask you why it is that you are so intrigued by toxic plants in particular?

C: ...You know, I don't actually think I've told anybody around here.

C: Been trying to keep my own business on the down-low.

C: But for some reason, I feel like I can trust you.

C: Promise you won't spread it around, though?

D: You have my word.

C: It's... a family issue.

D: Your family?

C: That's right.

C: Obviously, everyone here has heard that my mom is the daughter of Grand Duke Riegan.

C: And... my father...

C: ...To be honest with you, Dedue? Even higher ranking than that.

C: Really high ranking, in fact. My mom kinda ran away from home because it had to be a state secret.

C: Wild, I know.

D: . . . You were threatened due to your position.

C: Ahh, I knew you could figure it out!

D: It is a situation I have become familiar with.

C: Let me ask you something, Dedue, in all sincerity.

C: Has Prince Dimitri ever been targeted for his protection of you? Seen as a traitor to his Kingdom because of his beliefs in Duscur's peace?

D: Unquestionably.

D: It is his highness's personal belief that his father was targeted for assassination due to the same beliefs.

D: I must concur.

C: Then I want you to imagine something. Okay? Imagine that Prince Dimitri got married.

C: To you.

C: A young king, wedding a person of Duscur, someone who had every reason to plot against him based on the violent shared history within living memory.

C: That's my parents. Not Duscur, obviously. Probably even more animosity, if you can believe it!

D: Then, a knowledge of toxins is self-defense?

C: You got it. Hard to poison someone who knows what to look for!

D: If I may ask you, Claude. Were attempts on your life made with some frequency?

C: Oh, most definitely! I even got a nickname back where I came from. 'The Undying', they call me. Corny, right?

D: I can see why you chose to leave.

C: ...I guess you're right. Maybe I thought I would be free and safe if I came to live with my Grandfather.

C: But now, I see all of Fódlan is just as reactionary and judgmental. I may as well have stayed with my Mom and Dad.

D: For what it is worth, I am glad that you came here. I am grateful for every friend I have had the opportunity to make at Garrag Mach.

C: Aw, that's awful sweet! I think you're a pretty refreshing friend to have too, Dedue.

C: It's nice to see other people looking for a future where we are united by ensuring people's safety instead of the other way around.

C: And I think you've really helped me understand what your Princeling wants to accomplish by training as a general.

C: You have to remember to invite me to your wedding, haha!

D: ...Claude!

BONUS PRESKIP EPILOGUE

Mitri: I do not wish to limit your options, Dedue. If you wish to move to an alternate class, please know that I will of course support you.

Due: Your Highness, please. I have no reason to be unsatisfied with your support thus far. It has been my privilege to receive a noble's education by your side.

Mitri: Are you sure? I would not want you to lose anything else in order to remain at my side.

Due: ...What is this about? Has something happened?

Mitri: No, no, nothing!

Mitri: It is only that...

Mitri: ...Well, I have become aware that you are meeting with Claude.

Mitri: I could not blame you if you wished to part from Faerghus. Truly, I have wondered if such a thing might come to pass.

Due: ...Your Highness. It is my privilege to assist you.

Due: I... wish to remain by your side. Until such time as our dreams can be realized, I will do everything in my power to stand with you.

Mitri: I must say that it brings me great pleasure and relief to hear this from you, Dedue.

Mitri: I feel both safer and more confident with you around, I confess. I might fear for my ability to fulfill my promise in your absence.