With Dimitri's help, Dedue manages to stand.
In spite of all the differences between the frightened, starved, half-mad prince he had just rescued and the young man standing before him, Dedue knows this is really His Highness. He can tell.
Dimitri grips him in a hug, and Dedue's eyes widen with the suddenness of the embrace. Dedue should not react to this. If he were not so weak at present, he would be able to force himself to stand still. But he caves in to the small indulgence, cautiously wrapping an arm across those broad shoulders that quiver with emotion.
"You need not apologize. You are safe and well. That is what matters to me."