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Stars. Thousands upon thousands of tiny glowing dots in the sky, glittering like gemstones against a velvet tapestry. Always shifting and changing, always guiding lost travellers towards home.
Claude always did like the stars. When he was a boy, he had been told that they were the eyes of the gods, always keeping an eye on the mortals below. As he got older, he- admittedly- stopped believing in that myth- but he hadn’t stopped turning his gaze to the night sky.
Even when he was no longer in Almyra- he still couldn’t believe he was the grandson of Fodlan’s Duke Riegan, that he had a family on the other side of the mountains- he kept his eyes on the stars. If anything, he started turning to them for comfort more, being outside of his homeland for the first time. Being in the Officer’s Academy, navigating his new life as the heir to the Leicester Dukedom, and trying to make political allies with the other two futures of Fodlan meant he needed all the support he could get- and he found that in the stars.
Tonight was no different. He had found a way to sneak out of the dorm building, and was now lounging quite comfortably in a tucked-away corner by the stables- an area the knights rarely ever patrolled. Guess the horses weren’t important enough to guard.
The sky above was clear and bright, with a faint breeze blowing somewhere from the east. Claude had set his resolve the moment his foot touched the path to the monastery, but a part of him still longed for home. He missed the swaying grasses of the prairie, the babbling of the streams and rivers. And yes, there was a river near Garreg Mach, but… it wasn’t the same. It wasn’t home.
He closed his eyes, the constellations burned into the backs of his eyelids like a brand. He didn’t need them to be seared there, though. He had seen them enough to have each shift and change memorized. Even now, if he were to open his eyes again, he would know where his favourite stars were.
He laid there for a while, basking in the cool mountain air, breathing in familiar scents from the direction of home, when the silence was broken by the sound of footsteps. He scrambled to his feet, ready to bolt back towards the dorms. If one of the Knights found him out here past curfew, even if he was just looking at the stars, there was no telling what kind of trouble he would get into with Rhea.
“Hold still, Alina-!”
Claude paused- he knew that voice. Not well, granted, but- he’d swear he recognised that indignant hiss. Chancing a glance around the corner, he spotted a familiar shock of blonde hair guiding a horse out of its stable. Prince Dimitri of Faerghus.
Dimitri had been one of the first people to greet him in the reception hall, a smile and a handshake at the ready. He hadn’t seemed put off in the least by Claude’s lack of conversation or reluctance to touch. He had simply stepped back and bowed in apology.
“My apologies. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable, Claude.”
"...You know you can relax, your Princliness. No harm done.”
"Ah- I see. Still…”
Claude still wanted to laugh at the look on Dimitri’s face that day. He was somehow more awkward than himself, apologising for every perceived slight and inconsideration. Constantly reaching out his hand to ask for Claude’s thoughts and opinions on things, congratulating him on being named the leader of the Golden Deer for this year’s class.
In short, Dimitri was a good guy. Always on time for class, always on top of his assignments and training, constantly surrounded by his friends. So what in the hells was he doing out of his room in the middle of the night?
“Hey, Dimitri!” He called, striding down the path from his hiding spot. To anyone else, it might have looked like he had been out for a stroll, rather than staring at the guy from around the corner.
Dimitri startled, eyes widening for a moment before softening in relief. Claude tried not to linger on that for too long. “Ah, Claude… You snuck up on me. What are you doing out at this hour?”
Claude paused, barely fighting back a snort. “Are you kidding? You have a horse reigned and ready to go, and you’re asking me what I’m doing out so late?”
Dimitri rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks flushing pink as he scuffed one of his boots against the ground. “Yes, you… do have a point. Apologies,” he murmured, keeping his gaze anywhere but at Claude.
“Quit apologising, would you? There’s no reason to.” Claude leaned against the wall, gaze sliding from Dimitri to his horse as it huffed and pawed at the ground. “...Not to me, anyway. You might want to say sorry to your friend there for keeping her waiting for so long.”
Dimitri nodded, composure sliding back into place like a mask as he mounted his steed. Or- maybe Claude was just projecting. Either way, all he got was a quiet goodnight before the pair took off into the night.
Claude was still looking at the stars when Dimitri came back. He didn’t bother to get up to greet him this time- despite the odd hours the prince kept, it wasn’t too much of a stretch to assume he would be going back to bed once his horse was stabled.
Or, that’s what Claude assumed would happen. Dimitri proved him wrong yet again by walking over towards his little nook, head tilted slightly- kind of like the strays around the monastery. It was a little bit cute, honestly.
“You’re still awake?” Dimitri asked. Claude gave his best approximation of a shrug, eyes still fixed on the stars. They gleamed overhead, a constant companion to the silvery moon. His mother had once told him the moon loved each and every star, even the ones that only showed their faces every few months.
“I usually am. Why don’t you come lay down with me? I promise the dirt’s comfortable,” he said, a grin forming on his lips. He didn’t usually invite people to stargaze with him, but… He figured that he could, at the very least, trust Dimitri not to rat him or his hiding spot out to the Knights.
There was a moment of hesitation before Dimitri settled down beside him, hands folded over his stomach. “I used to do this when I was a boy,” he murmured, staring up at the midnight sky. Claude looked over at him.
The stars gleamed in Dimitri’s eyes like gemstones in a vibrant sea, illuminating them more than he had ever seen them. The gentle light of the moon above bathed his face in its serene glow, almost-
Claude ripped his gaze away, focusing back on the stars. His heart hammered in his ears, almost drowning out the next words out of Dimitri’s mouth.
“I would pretend to sleep so I would be left alone, and then I would sneak out onto a balcony to stare at the stars. Sometimes the others would join me outside.” His voice sounded wistful- almost melancholy, even. Claude didn’t know much about the prince’s past, only that there had been a horrible tragedy. Another bloody stain on Fodlan’s history- one that directly affected its future.
Though… Maybe all of that bloodshed would directly affect the future. That’s how all history went at some point or another- the people got tired of the fighting, of the violence and the hatred, and split their own blood for a chance at peace. It happened in Almyra countless times. It wouldn’t be surprising if it was the same for Fodlan, too.
“...Seems our childhoods weren’t so different, your Princliness. I remember doing the exact same thing- slipping out of my room just for a chance to look at the stars,” Claude murmured. Gods, he hoped he wasn’t ruining everything. He hoped whatever odd, newborn companionship he was forging with Dimitri wouldn’t be shattered now, in a time of peace and uncomfortable vulnerability.
To his relief, Dimitri laughed. It was a soft thing, more of an exhale than anything, but it was something. “I… am glad to hear it. Perhaps we ought to do this more often, Claude.”
Claude grinned, nudging Dimitri with his elbow. “Gasp! Is the crown prince suggesting we break the rules more often? Scandalous… I wonder what Dedue would-”
“Do cease with the teasing, Claude. I meant we ought to spend more time together. I enjoy your company, believe it or not,” Dimitri interjected. His tone was light, and there was a small smile on his face. Gods.
Claude sat up, brushing the dirt off of his back. He couldn’t stay here anymore. He had to get out, had to get away from Dimitri, they were too close. “...Yeah. Sure, we can hang out more often. Whenever you’re free, your Princliness, you know where to find me.”
Before Dimitri could respond, Claude got up, and disappeared back towards the dorms.