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Dimitri roared, all traces of humanity gone from his mind, replaced with unrelenting fury as he fought against his bonds. But the soldiers holding him had trained for this, had trained relentlessly under Edelgard's watchful eyes to stand against his sheer strength and the ropes only tightened around his limbs, biting into his skin.
Blood ran down his clenched fists, splattered onto the dirt but he didn’t care. Dimitri screamed again, ropes heavy on his back, pressing him further into the dirt, feet scoring rivets in the mud. It wasn’t meant to be like this, should never had happened like this.
The Professor lay a few steps away, in the expanse between himself and Edelgard. They were lying so still it was almost as if they were sleeping. But their open staring eyes seemingly fixed on Dimitri’s own soon put an end to that idea.
“Oh poor Dimitri.”
Dimitri snarled, dissolving once more into the mindset of the beast he had spent so long in. It had been the Professor who had dragged him, kicking and screaming into the light. And now they were dead.
“I’ll kill you,” Dimitri hissed, lurching forwards once again, teeth inches from Edelgard’s face. But he couldn’t reach her, pinned down as he was like a wounded animal, waiting for the final blow even as it struggled against it.
“I know,” Edelgard said, face soft, her voice gentle. For a moment, just a moment, his sister stood in front of him, the young girl he grew up with, who he would have done anything for. But then a coldness passed through her, eyes growing dead and his sister was gone. In place was a heartless killer, the Flame Emperor reborn.
“I know you want to kill me Dimitri. But can you get to me before I kill your friends?” Edelgard straightened up, and gestured to a group of soldiers huddled behind her. The slam of their boots was like a heartbeat, nails driving into Dimitri's very soul. In their midst, hands bound and mouths gagged, were his friends, his companions, his family. Bruised and battered, bloodied and broken, but alive.
For now.
Dimitri looked up into Edelgard's cold eyes and howled, fighting fruitlessly against his bonds, ropes growing tighter and tighter with every twitch, every aborted movement. She smiled gently, drawing her axe from her back, the edge still red with the Professor's blood.
"Time's up."