Joining Forces/Dimitri: The Protector


Alfonse	Prince Dimitri, have you yet grown accustomed to life here?
I appreciate your consideration. In fact, thanks to you, the adjustment has been easy. I have only one issue... It's that, even if I had unlimited time, it would not be enough to learn about all the Heroes from other worlds.		Dimitri
Alfonse	I feel the same. There is much we can learn from them.
Ah, another issue comes to mind. Will you do something for me, Prince Alfonse?		Dimitri
Alfonse	I will try. What is it you need, Prince?
Know that you don't need to speak so politely to me. After all, in this world, I am not a prince. Here, I am but one of many leaders. I feel a little unsettled hearing you speak to me with such politeness.		Dimitri
Alfonse	Of course. If you would feel more comfortable with less formality on my part, I will adjust accordingly. In that case, would you consider taking a more familiar attitude with me as well? I may be a prince of this country, but we are both members of the Order of Heroes. In that sense, we are equals.
... ...Understood. If that is your wish, then I am happy to oblige.		Dimitri


Alfonse	The enemy is dug in on this position. That being said, the best entry point for our attack would be there.
The fortress? If we attack from there, we would have a tactical advantage. However, in that case, the fighting could impact people in that town adjoining the fortress. We would be risking civilian lives to complete the objective. It is rational, but perhaps not moral.		Dimitri
Alfonse	... If we shirked this opportunity and let the enemy survive, we would risk many more lives. As the prince of this realm, it is my duty to protect as many of my people as I can. It is the rational choice.
Alfonse	... And yet...
Alfonse, if I may... This decision need not be a binary. Why don't we consider alternative strategies?		Dimitri
Alfonse	Excuse me?
You need not rely strictly on yourself to make this decision. Others might be able to suggest different paths. I have assembled suggestions from others in your army. I asked everyone, from seasoned military minds to those who usually skip war council meetings. Drawing from their wisdom, I have devised a few plans of my own— of course, the final decision is yours.		Dimitri
Alfonse	Dimitri...
Whether in your country or my own, I cannot abide the spilling of innocent blood. No cause is great enough to merit such a cost.		Dimitri


Alfonse	Thank you, Dimitri. Your strategy let us scrape by without needless losses.
Yes. Well. Your own leadership is to thank for the victory. It was you who made the choice. I merely advised you.		Dimitri
Alfonse	I kept going back and forth. I obsessed over the possibility that, by protecting a handful of innocents, I was endangering countless more. But my conscience would not let me accept the trade-off. I am ashamed that I dithered for so long.
Alfonse... Permit me to say one thing. Ethical choices are ambiguous. Laws may flatten these ambiguities, but leaders should embrace them. At times, one must rely on logic to make a decision. But that does not mean ignoring what one's heart says. When faced with a difficult decision, you should struggle to find the truth, even at the risk of seeming indecisive. That is what I consider to be the role of a leader, at any rate.		Dimitri
Alfonse	Struggling to find the right path... And sticking to it, no matter the criticism. That's the kind of leader I would like to be... ...The kind of king I hope to be.
Hah. It seems the two of us are cut from the same cloth.		Dimitri


Alfonse	Dimitri. I notice a certain carelessness in your fighting. Carelessness as to your own survival, I mean.
Is that really how it looks? I have always enjoyed fighting. On the battlefield, lance in hand, I am not troubled by my thoughts. It is how I was raised—I learned to wield a weapon before I learned how to write my own name.		Dimitri
Alfonse	Even though you're a prince?
No. It is because I am a prince. Houses carrying the bloodlines of the 10 Elites have always used their Crests to protect the Kingdom.		Dimitri
Alfonse	Crests... Those are the powers passed down through certain bloodlines in Fódlan, yes?
Correct. And as someone born with the Crest of the Kingdom's royal family, it is my duty to protect others.		Dimitri
Alfonse	If that's the case, why do you fight with so little regard for your own life? Your life is not yours alone.
You are right. My people cannot afford for me to die. My life was never mine to begin with. I haven't the right to throw it away.		Dimitri
Alfonse	...What?
Oh... It's nothing. Thank you for your concern, Alfonse. You are too kind.		Dimitri
Alfonse	I am not being kind. We are so similar, I feel that I just can't leave you be.
...I see. In that case, Alfonse, let us battle side by side and survive the fight together. For duty's sake.		Dimitri