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Since I was a part of Askr's most valued and talented army, the Order of Heroes, I should be used to getting into scrapes like this. Alas, I was not. Not in the least

Ducking away from soaring arrows and blasts of dark magic, I maneuvered cautiously but with great haste at the Summoner's orders. It was just another battlefield, I told myself, even though I could feel my legs trembling and my strength dwindling as I gripped onto my sword. I wasn't a particularly outstanding or otherworldly soldier like the heroes I fought alongside, but that fact didn't usually drag me down

Now, it most certainly did. My gaze snapped across the forested landscape in an attempt to ground myself, but all I saw were more foes.

How long was I going to keep this up? This mission was pivotal to the success of the kingdom Askr, even if it were one small brawl among numerous that have occurred and will occur. One small fight and I was already breaching my limits.

All I knew was that I had to either make one last finishing move or retreat. But we couldn't afford to stop now. Not waste one moment on a mere soldier. So, I placed one foot in front of the other, raising my blade a bit higher and setting my brow.

The fight was almost over. I just had to stay alive a bit longer.

"Hey, watch out!"

I spun around, surprised at the sudden shout, and noticed a hand axe flying my way. I froze. Why did my limbs fail me now? It was coming. Faster and faster as it plumped towards me. When I was certain that this was the end, I couldn't shoulder another fatal hit, all I could do was stand still and silent, eyes wide as saucers.

Just then, right at that moment, someone jumped before me, lance thrust into the sky. The small axe was batted away, but my panic didn't leave so easily.

Sinking to my knees, I couldn't process how death had just visited me, danced around my fate, about to cut it short.

"Are you alright there, my lady?" His polite tone was smooth and unbothered as he extended a hand towards me. Forced my eyes to meet his dazzling cobalt one. Was he a hero?

Before I could either burst into tears in incredulous relief or express my immense and rising gratitude, he dropped down beside me.

"B-... Beloved?" He whispers frantically, looking me up and down. "It is you, is it not? You... Why are you looking at me like that? What's the matter?"

"I... um, I believe you have the wrong person." I managed to sputter it out, the shocks coming one after another in such a rapid-fire fashion that I was more than overwhelmed. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before. Are you perhaps... like, a Hero or something? Did Kiran summon you?"

His hands run through his already tousled blonde hair as worry etched into his features. "No... no, no, no... you... you look just like her. Down to the inch. Your hair, your eyes, your voice..." He glances away with unease, mumbling. "I don't understand, you have to be her."

I tried to stand but winced and fell back down ungracefully on the ground. In our brief chat, the fight had ended seemingly uneventfully, to my luck. "Hey, um... uh..."

"Oh, right, yes. I am Dimitiri, crown prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus in Fodlan. Does any of that ring a bell?" He asked, concerned. But I was pretty sure I wasn't forgetting anything. And to be fortunate enough to have someone so handsome as my boyfriend? And a prince to boot. As if.

"No, I'm not familiar with... Fodlan. But, Prince Dimitri, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, I could use some medical attention, so I'm going to..." I trailed off, unsure how to soothe his frazzled mind and heal myself. Then, it came to me. "This may come off as forward or unassuming for me to ask someone of such high status, but–"

"Please, no need for any of that. Just call me Dimitri, and don't think anything of my royal blood." He states firmly, though he seems a little pained to have to explain this to me, clearly comparing me to whatever doppelganger I had in his world.

I nodded reluctantly anyway. "I'll keep that in mind. Well... Would you mind escorting me to the healers? I fear I may topple over again, and, if you so wish, we could continue talking."

To that, Dimitri's eyes light up. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all. I'd appreciate it, actually." I smiled warmly.

He quickly jumps to his feet and extends his hand to me once more, and this time, I accept it. Once I'm pulled to my feet, I notice his hesitation and excessive carefulness, as if I were something fragile he shouldn't break by accident. From the way Dimitri effortlessly smacked away the hand axe, I was certain he had undeniable strength but it seemed to a level where he was more ginger with me than likely necessary.

But once I began walking towards the tent, I realized that maybe I was in a more rocky position than I had initially assumed. Thankfully, Dimitri didn't hesitate to hold an arm out for me to hold, giving out more of a gentlemanly atmosphere than I thought possible.

"I really should thank you already," I said as we began walking, me clinging to his steady arm, my pride long shattered, and the ache in my muscles and the pain from my wounds more of a concern than anything else at the moment.

"It's my pleasure. You gave me quite a surprise though. You look just like her." Dimitri smiles down at me, and only then do I realize that he also has an impressive stature. The ideal prince. The other me had obviously hit the jackpot. "May I ask for your name?"

"Right, sorry. I should've introduced myself earlier. I'm (Y/N)." I replied sheepishly.

When once more something flickers in his gaze, he froze. "You... have the same name as her..."

"O-oh," I mumbled. Now, I was really curious. What was this 'beloved' of his like? We continued walking at a deliberate pace, and I decided to try and find an explanation for this. "Well, Kiran — our Summoner — has a weapon-like tool that is used to call Heroes, like you, into this world, and this is Askr."

"So... There is no Fodlan here? No Empire or Alliance? And you knew of no Faerghus either. What about Garreg Mach Monastery? The Officer's Academy? That's where we go to school."

"I... I don't know about them, no." I hated to break it to him, but his academy sweetheart wasn't me. "But, look at it like this. It is as if you, from a separate, alternate dimension, were plucked from your world and into ours. Likely, many others that you know are here as well. While I may resemble another (Y/N), I am not her."

His expression darkens slightly, and his gaze is fixed ahead toward the medical tent. "I see." This me from a parallel universe must've been quite the catch for him to be so utterly let down. Then again, if I was torn away from my homeland and thrust into a world of people who look just like me loved ones... I'd be absolutely miserable.

When we finally make it inside the tent, our main healer, meaning Kiran's favorite healer, Maribelle uses her staff to patch up my wounds. Dimitri was unscathed, impressively, but it took a minute of awkward silence and the bright glow of healing magic for my injuries to be gone entirely.

Afterward, I tentatively stood up to leave, not sure if Dimitri wished to speak with me any longer.

"(Y/N), if you would spare me another moment of your time," the prince begins, and I pause, waiting to hear. I was curious about my other self, and of him too. If this me from another world approved of him, I certainly would. He had been polite and considerate the entire time, and, in the end, been my savior on the battlefield. "Even if you are not her, I will not be returning to Fodlan for quite some time, according to your summoner, and I..."

"Would you like to get better acquainted with me?" I asked, jumping to the conclusion I could already tell he would make. The prince seemed like the predictable type, even if he didn't mean to be so.

As if on cue, Dimitri's eyes light up. "If that would be okay with you, I'd love to. I know you aren't her, and I will never be able to forget her, I would truly be honored to become closer to you, (Y/N)."

His genuine sincerity was admirable, and my soft smile reappeared. "I may not be her, your beloved from a different world, but I'm sure we'll manage. Where shall we start?"

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Author's Note:

Hello! This was a request for: Soleil-Lovely

Today's question: Who is your favorite of the four house leaders? Yuri for me, all of the way! Second place goes to Dimitri though, hands down.

Thanks so much for reading,
Lillian

Word count: 1564 words

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