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sunstone-smiles · 1 year

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The Bubbly Blue Lion Tickle Fight

With the release of Fire Emblem Engage just around the corner, I finally finished the Azure Gleam route in Fire Emblem Three Hopes last month! To celebrate, I have once again created a fun fic with Shez wanting to make their friends smile, with the Blue Lions this time! (Somewhere in the process the word count became even longer than my Golden Deer one, but oh well-). I hope you enjoy!

Series: Fire Emblem Three Hopes

Characters: Shez, Dimitri, Dedue, Sylvain, Ingrid, Felix, Ashe, Annette, Mercedes

Words: 4,522

Summary: Dimitri struggles to simply relax on his day off, so Shez thinks of a way to get him to take a break, but their original plan grows into a much more playful battle when the rest of the Blue Lions show up. (Note: There are no spoilers that are mentioned so please enjoy!)

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The tides of war are ever changing, yet little by little the Faerghus army keeps clawing their way towards their end goals of peace. Turmoil occurred during their pushes for victory, but the army learns from every battle they fight. The key to their success so far has been their continued trust between allies, furthering the bonds between each other in the process. On days when the army is not battling for the good of the Kingdom however, they’re saving their strength for the next fights ahead.

Shez, a mercenary and commander for the army, spends their day off by doing a little reorganizing of their private quarters. Wearing comfortable black clothing rather than their usual armor, Shez places a box of old papers outside their tent. These types of quiet days give the entire army a chance to relax. Everyone does so except for the one person who needs it the most—the King of Faerghus itself—Dimitri.

Shez notices him working in the distance. He’s helping fellow army members organize their own boxes of weapons and materials near the rest of the camp’s private quarters. It’s kind that he’s helping, but what he really should be doing is resting. At this point, Shez can’t even count how many times they, or the rest of their friends have told him to take it easy. Yet despite what they say, he seems to be doing the exact opposite. With a huff, Shez makes their way over to Dimitri.

The king lifts up another wooden box filled with sword hilts sticking upwards. The metal of the weapons clang together as the box is moved on top of a cart. “That’s the last of them,” Dimitri steps away from the cart and dusts his hands off. The army men and women thank him for his assistance and cart the materials away. “Take care now,” the king waves goodbye to them.

“Well, it seems like you’re being helpful today,” Shez comes up behind him. Dimitri turns around in surprise.

“Ah, Shez!” he positions himself properly to face them. “I didn’t see you there. What are you doing over here?”

Shez crosses their arms. “I could ask you the same thing.”

Dimitri lets out a sheepish chuckle. “Yes, I know. You’re about to give me an earful about why I should be resting.”

As expected, he already had a feeling as to why Shez had come over. At least he was out of his bulky armor and in more casual attire, wearing a dark blue, long sleeved undershirt with matching pants.

“Because you’re aware of your mistake, we’ll skip the lecture this time. And now that you’re done helping, you can go and rest now, right?” Shez responds.

Dimitri flicks his blue eyes away, “Well…”

“Dimitri,” Shez elongates the last part of his name like they are about to scold him.

“I know, I know,” Dimitri gives a guilty look, tilting his eyes downward, “But it’s difficult for me to simply relax when there’s work to be done.” After a moment to think, he lifts his head back up. “How about this, I’ll finish one final task I have to do, then I’ll rest for the remainder of the day. Does that sound agreeable?”

Shez feels sympathy for him. They really do. They want to agree with him, but they know that he’ll go off and overwork himself again unintentionally. He doesn’t know when to stop. What Shez needs is a way that can guarantee that he’ll relax. Something that can get him smiling in no time. Ideas bounce around in their head—and they finally set their sights on one particular, perhaps unconventional idea, that may just be exactly what Dimitri needs to finally relax.

Shez puts on a serious face. “A tempting offer, but no.”

“What?” Dimitri is taken aback.

“Every time you say you’re gonna take a break you never do. You may finish one task, but another will just come up. So, I’m gonna make you take a break, right here, right now.”

“S-Shez?” Dimitri can only blink at them, “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, you will,” Shez smirks. They stroll towards Dimitri, keeping eye contact with the king until they circle behind him. Dimitri continues to watch them with a curious gaze. Shez’s smirk becomes increasingly larger. “Right after I do…this!”

“AHACK!” Dimitri suddenly lets out an uncharacteristic shriek when his sides are squeezed, followed up by the fluttering of Shez’s fingers into his sides.

“Shehez! What are you dohohohoing!” Dimitri turns his head away into his shoulder to hide his boyish giggles from slipping out.

“I’m tickling you of course! What else does it look like? I thought it would be a great way for you to finally relax.”

“Shehehez wait—AH!” Dimitri shrieks again when Shez scribbles their fingers into his stomach. He tries to curl up his middle and hold his laughter in, as this silliness may be unbefitting of a king, but streams of giggles continue spilling out.

“Shehehehez! Hahaha!” Dimitri attempts to twist away from the mercenary. He soon ends up crumbling to the ground onto his back and Shez follows him down. They crawl their fingers up to his ribs, earning another giggly shriek from the king. He slaps a hand over his mouth upon hearing his own squeaks; behind his hand, pink hints of a faint blush can be seen rising in his cheeks.

“Hey! No hiding that smile!” Shez easily pulls his wrist away from his mouth, then dives both of their hands back towards Dimitri’s ribs. The king is known to have great strength, but even he is weakened by the tickles.

“Shehehez!” Dimitri curls up onto his side. Big, full laughter begins to flow out of Dimitri and a bright smile is clear on his face.

“See? Now isn’t this relaxing?”

“Your Majesty!” a protective male voice suddenly booms. Shez lifts their head up, noticing Dedue rushing towards them. They temporarily halt their attack on Dimitri to give him a break.

“I heard a shriek and—Oh?” Dedue pauses when he gets close enough to see Shez and a still giggling Dimitri on the ground.

“What’s going on over here?” another voice, female this time, calls from behind. Shez turns their head, seeing Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix rushing over from the opposite side.

“Hey Dedue! Hey you three!” Shez smiles at all of them as if nothing is wrong. Their friends are all wearing comfortable undershirts as well instead of their armor.

“Well, this is an unexpected surprise,” Sylvain returns the smile.

Felix crosses his arms with a scowl. “You better have a good explanation for getting us all worried.”

After hearing his friends, Dimitri tries to lift himself up, “Dedue—Ack!” but Shez playfully shoves him back down and starts tickling him again, quickly earning more laughter from the king.

“Are you…tickling His Majesty?” Dedue asks, unsure if he should be concerned or not.

“Yep! Our king here was being stubborn and refusing to rest like we told him to, so I decided to show him a way to relax,” Shez casually responds while a squirmy Dimitri wriggles under their fingers.

“Dehehehedue! Hehehehelp!” Dimitri calls to his retainer through his giggles.

As his retainer, Dedue knows full well that it’s his duty to protect the king, but that includes making sure he’s well rested. The corners of his mouth then turn upwards into a faint smile. “Very well, Your Majesty.”

Dedue positions himself behind the leader, hooking his hands right under Dimitri’s arms as if he was going to pull him away. Thinking Dedue is going to help Dimitri up, Shez stops their attack. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Dedue starts scribbling his fingers into Dimitri’s underarms.

“AHA! Dedue! Thihihis is nohohot what I meheheheant!” Dimitri clamps his arms to his sides and starts kicking his legs in the dirt.

“Is it not?” Dedue responds innocently with a smirk in his tone, “You needed help relaxing. I am simply helping you achieve that.”

“Dehehehedue!”

Shez laughs, happy to see this playful side of Dedue come out. They then assist the retainer by diving their fingers back towards Dimitri’s stomach, increasing the squirms and giggles produced by the king.

Sylvain chuckles to himself as he watches from the sidelines with Ingrid and Felix, “It looks like he’s still as ticklish as he was when we were kids.”

“You know…” Ingrid looks at the red-haired noble with a child-like mischief in her eyes, a giddiness rising up inside her that she can’t contain. “I recall you also being ticklish, Sylvain.”

Sylvain whips his head in the direction of Ingrid, his eyes expanding in horror.

“I-Ingrid! Now wait a minute!” Sylvain backs away from her when she takes a step closer, her fingers wiggling in the air. With that, he turns to make a run for it, but she darts at his sides before he can even take his first few steps to escape. Sylvain bursts into laughter, twisting in Ingrid’s hold to playfully shove her away, but he crumbles to the ground, falling to nearly the same fate as Dimitri as Ingrid follows the red-haired noble down to continue her attack. Felix rolls his eyes at Sylvain and Ingrid’s behavior, but he continuously glances back at the silly scene, also finding it quite amusing.

Shez softly laughs seeing Ingrid and Sylvain now join in on the fun, but the commander suddenly lets out a startled shriek when they’re yanked forward by a strong tug. They flop down on the dirt, and before they can look over their shoulder to see what happened, there’s fingers scribbling at their own ribs.

“AH! Hehehey!” Shez wriggles around on their belly, now noticing that Dimitri had escaped, and is the one who had attacked.

“Ah ha! I’ve got you now Shez!” Dimitri digs into their ticklish bones, immediately causing Shez to flail around even more. “Prepare for your revenge!” Dimitri smiles and looks over at his retainer. “Dedue, I would greatly appreciate your assistance!”

Dedue returns a nod. “Right away, Your Majesty.”

“Nohoho! Dehehehedue!” Shez twists around onto their back in playful panic, now using their arms to try and defend themselves. “I thohohought you were on my sihihihide—AH!” Shez yelps again and kicks their feet in the dirt when Dedue slightly lifts them up from behind and wiggles into their own underarms.

“I was,” the retainer says in a serious manner, “But it’s only fair that His Majesty gets a chance to return the favor.”

Meanwhile, Sylvain continues wriggling on the ground, his arms squeezed to his sides, unable to roll over onto his stomach due to Ingrid’s nimble fingers scribbling into all his ticklish spots. His laughter rises in pitch the higher she flutters her fingers up to his ribs.

“Ihihihingrid! Quihihihiht it!” Sylvain giggles and tries to push her back, only resulting in her grabbing one of his wrists away for easier access to his torso.

“Quit what, Sylvain? Is there a problem? You’re going to have to be more specific,” Ingrid teases while her free hand tickles him to pieces.

“Ohoho thahahat’s it! Yohohour turn!” Quickly finding an opening, Sylvain darts his hand forward, which earns a surprised screech from Ingrid when he latches on to her ticklish side.

“EEK! Sylvahahahain!” She releases his wrist and topples over onto her back, unfortunately leaving her middle wide open to Sylvain’s attack. Ingrid tries to grab his wrists away from digging into her tummy, but Sylvain easily uses one hand to claw into her belly, earning another child-like shriek from Ingrid.

Dimitri looks over when he hears these giggly exclamations from Ingrid. He also notices that Sylvain’s back is turned towards him, which leaves him the perfect target. As sneaky as he can, Dimitri leaves Shez to Dedue and moves closer to the others.

“Haha!” Sylvain laughs triumphantly over his squirming friend, unaware that Dimitri is approaching. “What are you going to do now Ingrid—AH!” he yelps when Dimitri pounces at his sides, causing Sylvain to erupt into more laughter. He successfully yanks himself away from Dimitri’s fingers, but flops onto the ground in doing so. In a panic, Sylvain tries to scramble to his feet, but Dimitri catches his leg and starts tugging him back.

“Don’t try to run from me Sylvain!” the king exclaims with a smile.

Sylvain worms on his stomach, frantically clawing at the ground to pull away. “Why not?! I think this is an appropriate situation to be run—ING! Hahaha!” Sylvain yelps once more when Dimitri dives his fingers into his ribs. Sylvain clamps his arms down and wriggles around again in any attempt to nullify the vicious tickles.

“Did you forget how ruthless of a tickle monster I could be?” Dimitri grins from above.

“YES! Yehehehes I did!” Sylvain exclaims as he’s nearly tickled to hysterics.

“But that tickle monster is also ticklish himself!” Ingrid sits up and pounces towards Dimitri’s side.

“Ah! Ihihingrid!” Dimitri attempts to gently shove her away, which allows Sylvain the chance to quickly slip from his hold. He then attacks Dimitri’s other side, causing the king to curl himself up into a protective ball.

From above, Felix lets out a short laugh. “It’s surprising how the ruthless boar can be easily taken down by something so simple.”

“Why don’t you join us Felix?” Ingrid smiles up at the blue-haired noble.

“Hmph. No thanks,” Felix turns his head to the side.

“Aww come on! It’ll be just like when we were kids!” Sylvain adds on to the persuasion.

“I said no.”

“Then if you're not with us…” Sylvain smirks at Ingrid, signaling her with a wink of where he’s going with this new plan. He grins back at Felix. “Then you’re against us!” Sylvain exclaims and gets up to dart towards Felix, Ingrid following Sylvain’s lead.

“What?!” Felix flinches back, unable to move from his spot fast enough before Sylvain grabs his arms and pulls them in front of him. Felix growls as he tries to shake him away. “Sylvain! Let go of me—AH!” Felix yelps when Ingrid comes up behind him and squeezes his sides. The blue-haired noble immediately grits his teeth, refusing to let even a single giggle slip out. He arches his back to escape Ingrid’s wiggling fingers while trying to free his arms, but he bends backwards too far, slipping out of Sylvain’s hold and onto the ground.

Ingrid switches roles with Sylvain, now being the one to position herself behind Felix and grabbing his arms above his head.

The blue-haired noble gasps, then struggles to get out of her grip. “Ingrid! Let go!” Felix snarls at her. To make matters worse, he looks ahead and sees Sylvain staring him down with a sinister grin.

“S-Sylvain! Don’t you dare!” Felix snarls again as the red-haired noble approaches him closer with wiggling fingers.

Sylvain’s grin grows even wider, “Oh, I dare!”

“Sylvain no! GAH!” Felix shuts his mouth tight when Sylvain dives his fingers into his underarms. His mouth forms a wobbly smile as he tries to hold in his giggles, but the dam soon bursts, resulting in the blue-haired noble breaking into rare laughter. He squirms from side to side, trying to yank his arms down, but he’s clearly at a disadvantage.

“Not so tough while you’re in this position, huh Felix?” Sylvain teases. In the corner of his eye, Sylvain also sees that Dimitri is finally lifting himself up from his previous attack. “Ah, you’re finally up, Your Majesty. You want to help us with Felix now?”

Dimitri chuckles, then makes his way over to Felix’s side. “I will gladly be of assistance.”

“Yohohou’re all gohohoing to gehehet it!” Felix’s laughter rises in volume when Dimitri aids by tickling his sides. Soon after, Ingrid lets go of his wrists to use her own hands to tickle him, turning the usually stoic Felix into a squirmy, giggly puddle against his three friends.

Due to the ruckus of laughter, the rest of the Blue Lions—Ashe, Annette, and Mercedes—also in casual clothes, come over to the scene after all the noise caught their attention.

“Oh my!” Mercedes exclaims with a smile when she sees the cause of all the commotion, “What’s going on here?”

“Aww!” Annette clasps her hands together, “It looks like everyone’s having a tickle fight! Oh, how fun!”

Mercedes gazes down at Shez, who’s still being taken down by Dedue. “Shez, did you start this?” she asks.

“Yehehehes! Buhuhut it bahahackfired! Hahaha!”

“I know that feeling all too well,” Ashe giggles. “It reminds me of the tickle fights I used to have with my siblings.”

Annette’s ears perk up. She then glances at him with a little grin. “Soooo, does that mean you’re ticklish too, Ashe?” she ends her sentence with a poke to his side, earning a jump from the knight.

Ashe darts his eyes to the side. “I—Well…Hehehey!” he jumps again when Annette continuously starts poking at his sides. He turns away from her pokes, but Annette suddenly wraps her arms around him and scribbles her small fingers into his sides, trapping the knight in a tickle hug.

“Ah ha! I knew it!” she exclaims.

“Annehehehette! Hahahaha!” Ashe bends his middle forward to try and escape, but like many of his other friends, he ends up crumbling to his knees and flopping onto his back, where Annette follows him down to easily scribble into the rest of his torso.

After witnessing Ashe and Annette’s playfulness, Mercedes glances back at Shez and Dedue, observing that the purple-haired mercenary is still squirming about with laughter after all this time.

“Here, let me help you Shez,” Mercedes joins in on the fun. She leans down behind Dedue and scribbles into his sides. The retainer jolts in surprise, but no laughter.

“Mercedes? What are you doing?” Dedue asks over his shoulder, also halting his attack on Shez to allow the mercenary a breather. Shez lifts themself up on their arms, slowly sliding themselves over to the side to now watch the two.

“I’m trying to tickle you,” Mercedes responds, “You’re not laughing though.”

“I suppose I’m not ticklish there. I can’t remember if I am anywhere.”

“Hmm…Well, maybe you are in a different spot then,” Mercedes scratches her fingers up his ribs, still getting no reaction. “What about here?” the healer then moves her hands up to Dedue’s underarms. The retainer lets out a sudden gasp, followed by him clamping his arms down.

“M-Mercedes!” a quivering smile grows on Dedue’s face while Mercedes continues scratching at his tickle spot. Dedue drops forward, one hand holding himself up, while the other wraps around his torso, his body unsure of how to exactly react to the unfamiliar tickly feeling. Shortly after, soft giggles begin releasing from the retainer.

“There we are!” Mercedes beams with success. She increases the pace of her fingers, prompting Dedue’s deep giggles to slowly increase and nearly causing him to drop completely onto the ground.

“Thanks Mercedes,” Shez smiles up at the healer.

“Of course!” Mercedes then peers ahead to Felix’s situation, seeing that another one of her friends can use some assistance. “Annie! Take over for me!” Mercedes exclaims over her shoulder.

“You got it, Mercie!” Annette releases Ashe and quickly switches with Mercedes, leaving little no time for Dedue to regain his composure before being sent back into giggles. With Annette now taking over, Mercedes dashes behind Dimitri and Sylvain.

“Come on you three! Give Felix a break,” Mercedes drops to her knees, then shoots her hands forward to tickle the ribs of the male nobles with one hand each. The two jump and lean away in the opposite direction of her while another stream of giggles spill out of them.

Now freed from two of his attackers, Felix launches past Ingrid into an upright position and pounces at Sylvain, knocking the red-haired noble to the ground.

“Oh, you’re in for it now Sylvain!” Felix immediately starts digging into Sylvain’s sides, causing his friend to jolt with laughter.

“AH! Fehehehelix! NO—AHA!” Sylvain kicks his legs when the blue-haired noble scribbles down near his hips, sending Sylvain into hysterics. At the same time, Mercedes takes on Dimitri, easily making him topple over onto his back again from the gentle fluttering of his fingers into his middle.

“Thanks for the help Mercedes,” Felix acknowledges the female healer beside him as they tickle the two other nobles side by side.

“I’m happy to assist!” Mercedes smiles.

From behind, Ingrid quietly laughs at her friends, but apparently not quiet enough. Felix glances over his shoulder, glaring at her like he’s locking on to a new target.

“Don’t think I forgot about you, Ingrid!” Felix leaps at her, knocking her to the ground like he did with Sylvain. She explodes once more into laughter when Felix scribbles into her belly.

In the meantime, Ashe recovers and notices Dedue in need of assistance as well. The knight lunges his hands towards Annette’s sides, resulting in the girl producing a high pitched squeak. Through her giggles, she twists herself all the way around in the knight’s hold to break free, but Dedue repositions himself to sit behind her. Using their significant height difference to his advantage, Dedue pulls back the squirmy Annette in his lap before gently scribbling into her sides. Ashe also helps, adding in some more scribbles into her tummy.

“Eek! Ashehehe! Dehehedue!” Annette shrieks again, loud enough for Mercedes to hear it over the laughter around her.

“Annie?” Mercedes lifts her head up. Unfortunately for her, that leaves her wide open for a counter attack from Dimitiri. Wasting no time, the king darts his hands forward and wiggles into the healer’s sides.

“Eep! Dimitrihihihi!” Mercedes crumbles to the ground and Dimitri sits up, successfully switching places with his previous attacker.

“My apologies for this Mercedes, but it has to be done!” Dimitri smiles while a flow of airy giggles is released by the healer.

As this all plays out, Shez curls their knees to their chest from the sidelines, simply watching everyone have a good time. They didn’t think that their silly little plan would turn into an all out tickle fight, but they’re glad it did. Sometimes they forget that everyone needs a chance to loosen up once in a while.

Another squeak from Annette snaps Shez out of their thoughts. Looks like it’s time to get back into the game and help out their friends.

“Hold on Annette, I’ve got you!” Shez gets up from their spot. They come behind Dedue and slip their fingers under his arms, earning a jump from the retainer.

“Ah! Shehehez!” Dedue squeezes his arms down and can’t help himself from breaking out into giggles again.

“Don’t worry, Dedue! I’ll help!” Ashe lifts himself off the ground and heads for Shez. With a mischievous glint in their eye, Shez stays put. Ashe lunges at the mercenary, but Shez dodges out of the way and Ashe trips forward with a thud.

“Come here Ashe!” Shez scoops up the knight in a hug and pulls them into their lap, then drills their fingers into his sides.

“AH! Nohohohot again!” the knight squirms around in the mercenary’s hold. Annette then sneaks up from behind, wrapping her own arms around Shez’s middle to tickle them.

Through Shez’s giggly squirming, they reach behind and give a few squeezes to Annette’s sides, making the girl fall back with a squeak. Shez quickly escapes their friends and runs away. However, they accidentally head right towards Dimitri. The king easily catches the mercenary when they run by and Shez lets out a shriek when they’re yanked backwards into a strong hold.

“Dimitri!” Shez frantically tries to squirm away, having a bad feeling they know what he’s thinking of next.

“You can’t escape all of us at once Shez! Time to end this fight with the person that started it all!” Dimitri glances around at his teammates, “Everyone attack!”

Shez’s eyes go wide and their squirming significantly increases. “Noho!” they exclaim with a giggle as they attempt to escape from the king’s grasp, but they release another shriek as Dimitri dives his fingers into the commander’s sides. Shez immediately slides backwards onto the ground. Soon after, Dedue comes over to assist Dimitri, both tickling Shez from behind. The rest of the Blue Lions surround the mercenary—Ashe, Mercedes, and Annette get them on their right, while Sylvain, Ingrid and, surprisingly, Felix get them on their left.

Shez squirms around from side to side, kicking their legs in the dirt as their laughter fills everyone’s ears. They had no idea all of the Blue lions could be this playful, but it warms their heart to see them all happy. Dimitri was right that Shez can’t escape all of them at the same time though.

“OKAY! Okahahahay! I give! I gihihihive! Hahaha!”

Dimitri and Dedue release Shez, soon followed by the rest of the Blue Lions moving their hands away to free the commander from their team attack. Leftover giggles slip out of Shez as they catch their breath, some remaining from the tickles while the others are just because they had fun. Dimitri lends them a hand to an upright sitting position and the rest of their friends huddle around them.

“Are you alright Shez?” Dimitri asks with concern in his eyes.

Shez still has to catch their breath, but shows him a reassuring smile. “I am…But the real question is…Do you feel relaxed?”

The king glances down, but it only takes him a moment to ponder the question before he responds with a similar reassuring smile. “Actually, I do. Thank you.”

Dedue places a hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. “That’s reassuring to hear Your Majesty.”

“Yeah, that’s a relief,” Sylvain leans back on his arm. “I was starting to think that we would never get His Majesty to take a break.”

“And that’s what really matters to us,” Ashe adds on, “Being able to see you take it easy once in a while.”

“Agreed!” Annette beams. “Plus, it was really fun! We should do it again sometime!”

Felix scoffs. “Fun? Speak for yourself. I wanted no part of it yet I was forced into it by these two.”

“Yet you still continued playing the game even after you were freed, didn’t you?” Ingrid nudges Felix with her elbow. The blue-haired noble scowls and turns his head away.

Mercedes lets out a soft laugh before looking at Shez with proud eyes. “It looks like your plan didn’t backfire after all, Shez.”

Behind them, Dimitri suddenly lets out a yawn, using a hand to cover his exhaustion. When he opens his eyes though, he notices everyone staring at him. Dimitri’s cheeks slightly flush. “Well, I suppose you would all like to see me get some rest now. I’ll make sure to do so right after I—” but Dimitri cuts himself off, not only hearing what he was saying, but also noticing the piercing glare on Shez’s face. “On second thought…” he catches himself, “I’ll make sure to get some rest now.”

Shez smiles at him once more. Now those are the words they've been waiting to hear for a long time.

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quietsun5268 · 1 year

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Fire Emblem Three Houses: Which Ending is a Happy (or most Fulfilled) Ending(s) for Dedue in Fire Emblem Three Houses? (ALL ENDINGS INCLUDED)

Not all character endings are happy ones. Some don't accomplish their goals, there are those who don't completely heal from trauma, or they're overshadowed by someone they're paired with. However, There are also those who accomplish their goals no matter what (Ex: Ignatz being a painter) or seem content with how things went for them.

I'm mostly not going to discuss supports (meaning compatibility between characters or the most romantic) since that's not what this is about. It's about which endings would be the happiest for specific characters or what makes them more fulfilled (you can choose more than one).

Recap: Ingrid

Bernadetta

So right now, we are going to discuss Dedue. I suppose you can call this tricky cause he seems content being Dimitri's vassel. Some can argue that Dedue is not living his own life, being his own person, or taking care of himself. While others can say that he made a choice to stay in Dimitri's service, so he's being his own person. Things can go either way. It all depends on perspective. I'm a neutral party in this.

There's also Duscur, some endings have both Faerghus and Duscur reconcile, while others seem ambiguous (like it doesn't say). Although in the latter, We can only assume since Dimitri doesn't seem like the type to not try to reconcile with Duscur.

Endings

Dedue - Taciturn Devotee

"As a loyal vassal, Dedue dedicated his life to supporting King Dimitri through his entire reign. After tending to his liege on his deathbed, Dedue resumed his post at Dimitri's grave on the edge of Fhirdiad. There, it is said he stood sentinel over the peaceful realm he had helped build until the end of his days."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: ??? (This ending never mentioned Duscur or the reconciliation of both Faerghus and Duscur. We can only assume since Dimitri doesn't seem like the type to not try to reconcile with Duscur)

Is this a happy ending for Dedue, no, or so-so?: Dedue seemed content to remain as Dimitri's vassel. It doesn't seem that different to Dedue's ending with Dimitri. (See Dedue and Dimitri ending)

Dedue and Byleth

"A year after Byleth was appointed to succeed Rhea as the new archbishop, she announced her marriage to Dedue, who had resigned his position as the king's vassal. Their wedding ceremony, brightly colored with all of the most beautiful flowers from Duscur, set the tone for their happy life together. Dedue served as an intermediary between Faerghus and the church and -- alongside the archbishop -- committed to improve relations with foreign nations as part of the rebuilding effort. In their later years, they retired to the Duscur Peninsula where they spent the remainder of their lives gardening in peace and quiet."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: It might be implied. It's said that "...Dedue served as an intermediary between Faerghus and the church and -- alongside the archbishop -- committed to improve relations with foreign nations as part of the rebuilding effort." Foreign nations could include Duscur.

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Byleth, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Dedue resigned as Dimitri's vassel so he can propose to Byleth (although he said that "He accepted my decision with a smile. I do not think I have finally accepted it myself yet, to be honest."). Despite that, he assists in his own way not just to Faerghus or the church but other nations. Settling in Duscur looks like a good retirement plan for both Byleth and Dedue. Some can say that by resigning he's being his own person or taking care of himself. (Again it all depends on perspective)

Dedue and Dimitri

"After his coronation, Dimitri assumed the throne of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and his loyal vassal, Dedue, remained ever at his side. Among Dimitri's achievements was the reconciliation with Duscur: an extraordinary effort that required extensive negotiations to get past a history of betrayal and oppression. It was a trying task, but Dimitri never once considered giving up. While they behaved as lord and vassal in public, it is said that Dimitri and Dedue were more like family in private. When Dimitri finally fell to illness, Dedue tended to his liege's deathbed, and then took up a post at his grave for the rest of his days. When the time came, they were buried beside each other."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: Yes

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Dimitri, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both. Dimitri always felt guilt over the deaths of his father, Glenn, and the genocide of the people of Duscur (whom were scapegoats to the murder of the king). While he can't bring back his father, Glenn, and many others who died. He can help Duscur and worked so hard to achieve reconciliation and succeeded. Dimitri and Dedue remained close, Even after Dimitri's death (what Dimitri died from i'm not sure. Is it from illness like in his ending with Marianne, old age, or something else?) Dedue still displayed loyalty towards his grave. Doesn't seem that different towards Dedue's single ending.

Dedue and Ashe

"Though the innocence of the Duscur people was proven, prejudice against them still lingered in the Kingdom capital. Far this reason, Ashe refused a knighthood when it was offered to him, and choose instead to open an inn that specialized in Duscur cuisine. Dedue began to frequent the place on breaks from his duty as the king's vassal, and overtime, imparted to Ashe his culinary wisdom. As the inn gained popularity, the people began to see the Duscur people in a positive light. This led to a reconciliation between the two cultures that came rather more quickly than expected."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: Yes

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Ashe, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both. Ashe didn't become a Knight due to his disgust of the lingering prejudice against the people of Duscur. However, one of the things makes a Knight a true Knight is readiness to help people, and that can be enough. Ashe embodied a spirit of a knight by opening an inn that specializes in Duscur cuisine to provide a hub for the people of Faerghus and Duscur to meet and settle their differences. And Dedue, while still remaining as Dimitri's Vassel, helped Ashe along the way.

Dedue and Mercedes

"Two years after the war, Dedue and his wife, Mercedes, opened a school in the Duscur residential district in Fhirdiad. The school educated Duscur children, who had never been given structured learning before, in reading, writing, arithmetics, and even Duscur history. Many years later, when the Duscur people reclaimed their homeland, the people who attended this school were able to resettle there and revive their old culture. because of this, Dedue and Mercedes were forever renowned by the Duscur."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: Yes. Not only that but also Duscur's revival.

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Mercedes, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both. It doesn't say if Dedue remained as Dimitri's vassel nor does it say that Mercedes entered the service of the church, But being involved in the restoration of a nation wrongly blamed for the death of Faerghus's king and several others sounds like a huge step-up. Especially since Duscur is Dedue's homeland and Mercedes (Adrestian by birth but a Faerghus citizen) did say she wants to help people - whether through service to the Church of Seiros or otherwise.

Dedue and Annette

"Some time after the war, Dedue and Annette exchanged wedding vows in a modest ceremony and then settled down to a life in Fhirdiad. For them, after marriage stayed much the same as before. Dedue continue his duty to King Dimitri, and Annette took up a teaching position at Fhirdiad's school of sorcery. Though each gave the other space for the work that was important to them, they made sure to spend much of their free time together, and to bond over cooking and housework."

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Annette, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Annette gets to be a teacher, a fitting end for a hard working magic prodigy to teach the next generation of mages/sorcerers. Dedue seems content to remain as Dimitri's vassel. But both Dedue and Annette seemed super with their jobs, at least they make time to be with each other.

Dedue and Ingrid

"After the war, Dedue and Ingrid both served as protectors to the newly crowned King Dimitri: the former as his loyal vassal, and the latter as a knight sworn to House Blaiddyd. The pair fought side by side on countless occasions, and were known to be inseparable on the battlefield. Tales of the taciturn vassal and the steadfast lady knight were told by bards all throughout Fódlan, and it is said that their friendship helped spark the reconciliation between the peoples of Faerghus and Duscur."

Have there been improvements with Duscur (like reconciliation)?: Yes

Is it a happy ending for only Ingrid, only Dedue, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both, because not only do both Ingrid (achieving her dream to be a Knight) and Dedue work together as protectors to Dimitri. But their friendship helped the peoples of Faerghus and Duscur reconcile. She gained character growth too, overcoming her prejudice.

Dedue and Flayn

"After the war, Dedue returned to Fhirdiad to support King Dimitri's reign as his vassal. As he worked, his wife, Flayn, was determined to support him with home-cooked meals. Dedue patiently endured the more disastrous of his wife's experiments, while teaching her everything he knew. Eventually Flayn's talent blossomed and she became a renowned chef. It is said that those who were lucky enough to taste her cooking always asked for more, and that Dedue's eyes lit up with affection and pride when she told him what she was planning to prepare next. "

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Flayn, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Flayn manages to improve her cooking. Plus, I remember that Flayn is interested in love and relationships. Plus she's able to have her own life without Seteth interfering (I think? Depends on the perspective). Dedue seems content to remain as Dimitri's vassel.

Dedue and Shamir

"After the war, Dedue returned to Fhirdiad to support King Dimitri's reign as his vassal. Shamir was ever near, and as Dedue's trusted partner and a mercenary for the royal family, she complemented his public-facing work with by handling any necessary covert operations. The trusting professional relationship between the two blossomed into love, and soon they were married. It is said that, when absolutely no one else was around, they would let down their guard and engage in secret jokes and idle chatter."

Is it a happy ending for only Dedue, only Shamir, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: In this ending Shamir at least managed to settle down somewhere (possibly moving on from her dead partner). Dedue seems content to remain as Dimitri's vassel.

Which of these endings is his most happy endings (you can choose more than one)? What do you rank these endings? You can even discuss Dedue's supports as a reason in comment.

I'm about to do Ingrid next since one of her biggest struggles is deciding between her dream of being a knight and the welfare of her noble house as the only Crest bearer in the Galatea family.

Voting is optional - Fire Emblem Three Houses: Which Ending(s) is a Happy Ending (or most Fulfilled Ending) For Dedue?: https://strawpoll.com/polls/7MZ0ANvJByo

Reddit (you can click here if you want to see what other people think in the comments but know that the polls aren't in Reddit)

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