Author's Note: So this chapter, I still have used direct game dialogue for some scenes, however just for what is going to happen later on in the story, there are some scenes that I needed to change just so that it might flow better. This'll be my first time writing any kind of combat from third person, so I apologize if it's a bit… off. Also, to address the reviews, I had preordered the game and my first BE run was the first thing I did with it. I had it mailed to me about 3 days after release, and I had kept myself from looking into the game at all. During month 11, I was focused on recruiting as many students as I could, and I didn't really watch for Edelgard at all. This was when I was romancing Dorothea, so if I was romancing Edelgard, I would have talked to her. And also, I didn't know there was a church route, I just thought I'd be with Edelgard and the Black Eagles for the rest of the game. Finally, if any of you would like to Beta for this story, PM me. I'm looking for someone that I can actually talk to about this story as I write it. Anyway, here's the next chapter!
The walk from her quarters to the front gate was uneventful, Seteth remaining quiet as they walked. By the time that both of them had reached the gate, all of the Monastery's students, including Byleth's own students, were gathered. As was Rhea, dressed in armor and outfitted with weapons of her own.
"I had them gather before I told Seteth to go see you. It pleases me that you have chosen to join us in this fight. It would have been most unfortunate if you had not." Rhea's words held a warm air to them, but at the same time, those same words had an undertone that was just barely hidden sharpness beneath the warmth. Almost threatening. "Now, we can get to the subject of this meeting: Edelgard and her Empire. It is truly unforgivable! I cannot believe that the Adrestian Empire would embark on such a violent course of action."
Seteth's face fell slightly in guilt. "The fault is my own. I failed to see the wickedness within Edelgard's heart."
This made Byleth's heart feel strange. Edelgard? Wicked? While she wasn't a paragon of justice, especially after her raid on the Holy Tomb, but wicked? "Is she wicked?" Byleth asked.
Seteth glared coldly at Byleth. That was clearly not what he had wanted to be said. "She plotted with ill-meaning strangers to achieve her own ambitions and defiled the Holy Tomb. If that is not wicked, what is?"
Byleth's face fell, unsure of what to say in reply. From what Edelgard had told her, she despised the church for a number of reasons, some of which were incredibly valid. Byleth wasn't sure that she could call her best, and also favorite, student truly wicked inside. She couldn't be. There was a soft, caring part of Edelgard. She was sure of it. She had seen it herself.
Seteth continued after receiving no reply from Byleth. "Or perhaps her ambitions are even grander than we know. Perhaps she is planning to make herself a false deity by demonizing the Church of Seiros…"
Rhea glowered and shook her head. "Adrestia received its very name through a divine oracle. To injure the goddess is a sin most foul that shall not be forgiven nor forgotten. We must stop the Empire...and quickly." Once more, Byleth felt a tightness in her chest. If it was the Empire against the Church, she wasn't sure who would win. She had seen the Church's strength first hand, but Edelgard was a more than capable leader. The more that came to her, the more that Byleth was unsure of her decision. Could she really go through with fighting her own student? With fighting Edelgard?
"Which brings us to the reason that all of you have been summoned today. If the Empire is to launch an attack on Garreg Mach, then Lady Rhea has told me that she will be joining us on the battlefield." Seteth explained, looking towards Rhea herself.
"It is as he says. If our enemy invades the monastery, I will have no choice but to stand upon the battlefield." Rhea looked towards Byleth, a concerned look on her face. "Professor…listen closely. If something happens to me...I am entrusting my sacred duties to you."
"Sacred duties?" Byleth's face stayed at her normal expressionless expression.
"Yes. I would trust no one else. You are the only one qualified to lead this church in my stead. Do not disappoint me." Rhea smiled at Byleth. Byleth couldn't meet Rhea's gaze. Not with the conflict that had been raging in her mind. "Now we must begin preparations. It has been a while since I have fought on any sort of battlefield. We will begin training immediately. Gather your equipment and meet me on the field outside of the Monastery." Rhea left quickly, heading outside of the monastery. Seteth followed her quickly.
"You heard her. We move out to train. I'd rather not anger her now." Byleth turned towards where Rhea had walked off towards and beckoned her students to follow, and they did, following Byleth down to the open fields below.
Once they got to the fields below, Rhea pulled out her sword and turned to Byleth and her students. "Professor, you and your students will stay here. I will head to the other side of this field. Seteth, you will join me. Once I give the signal, we will begin today's training. Do not hold back against me. I will not hold back against you students. And I suspect that Edelgard herself will not hold back either, even though you are her classmates. This is serious. Do not disappoint your professor or me." Rhea's face hardened as she turned, her expression the most serious that Byleth had ever seen. There was no mercy in her eyes. Seteth followed her, his stern expression remained unchanging.
"Caspar, Petra, and Felix, you're with me. Ferdinand and Sylvain, hold the midline. Your lances will out-range her sword. If you can, try to flank her and Seteth. Dorothea, Mercedes, Lysithea, and Marianne: cover us with spells. Marianne and Mercedes focus more on supportive magic. Ashe and Bernadetta, support from behind with covering fire. Let's not hold back." Byleth gave out her orders to her students, who filed into the lines they were told to without complaints. Byleth had trained them well. While these students were skilled fighters, they had been used to fighting alongside Edelgard up to this point. There was a noticeable gap in our lines, or at least, it seemed like it to Byleth.
After having walked around 150 feet away from Byleth and her students, Rhea turned and raised her arm, sword in hand, and let out a battle cry. She and Seteth immediately started rushing towards Byleth and her students. Caspar returned the battle cry in kind.
Byleth's sword crossed Rhea's with incredible force. Byleth hadn't bothered with the Sword of the Creator. She was fine enough with a simple steel sword. Rhea's sword swing held such power; power that Byleth had not expected from Rhea's slim frame.
"Felix! Petra!" Byleth yelled, pushing back against Rhea's sword and jumping backwards. Felix and Petra rushed up, swords both in hand, slashing towards Rhea while her balance was off, but by that time, Rhea had already regained herself and she tumbled out of the way. She rushed forward and kneed Felix in the stomach, pushing his head to the ground before turning to Petra. Felix had fallen to the ground, breath knocked out of him. Before Rhea could do the same to Petra, a volley of flaming spheres forced her to dodge roll out of the way. Rhea jumped forward after her roll, her leg shooting forward and tripping Petra. Taking the opportunity, Byleth dashed forward with a jab at Rhea's sternum. With a clear hit, Rhea coughs as air is shunted from her lungs. Rhea quickly stands up, catches her breath, and rushes towards Petra, who had just stood up, knocking her off balance again. As soon as Petra hit the ground, Byleth turned back to Marianne and Mercedes.
"Healers! We've got some down. Focus on them." Byleth yelled behind her.
"We are doing what we can to deal with Seteth, Professor! We have been split up between them." Ferdinand yelled back to her. After having heard this, Byleth turned to look at her other students. Seteth was easily taking on Caspar, Ferdinand and Sylvain, his lance work showing his prowess. Byleth saw a loose volley of arrows flying towards Seteth, but he was able to dodge to the side before using his lance to strike in an arc at the three students that had surrounded him. Both Ferdinand and Sylvain took this arc straight to their chest, and they were both knocked backwards off balance. Caspar dodged out of the way just in time to not be hit by the swing.
"You're distracted, Professor." Rhea laughed before rushing towards Byleth, their blades crossing once more. Byleth grit her teeth and pushed against Rhea's sword, pushing Rhea off balance once more. A quick approach and flourish of Byleth's sword disarmed Rhea, her sword flying off to the left of her.
"Yield!" Byleth says, her sword pointed at Rhea.
"I yield. Good job, Professor. I am proud of you. Now, go help your other students. I will take care of Felix and Petra." Rhea smiled at Byleth, looking in the direction of Caspar and the back line fighters in Byleth's class. Byleth nodded to Rhea before gripping her sword and charging off towards Seteth.
"Wow, you two are super strong…" Caspar groaned from the ground, having been taken down by Seteth shortly after Byleth's arrival.
"This is merely the byproduct of years worth of practice. Professor, you and your students performed incredibly well. I believe that this invasion should not pose a threat to us or the Monastery. You are dismissed. Seteth, to me." Rhea turned around and walked to her sword. Seteth soon joined her.
Byleth's students started walking back to the Monastery, most of them groaning as they stood up from the ground. Byleth helped some of them up before turning to the Monastery and heading back. "All injured students, see Manuela in the infirmary." Byleth said to her students. They nodded before heading off to their favorite areas of the Monastery to relax. Thoughts plagued Byleth's mind once again. Was this really the right choice?
The next two weeks consisted of training with Rhea and Seteth day after day. With Edelgard's approaching invasion, there was no time for days off, which took its toll on Byleth's students. Byleth did what she could to lift their spirits, but with every passing day leading closer to the invasion that would be led by their colleague, classmate, peer, and friend, tensions had been high. And when the bells tolled ahead of schedule, the already high nerves of those at the monastery peaked.
At the time the bells tolled, Byleth was enjoying breakfast with Dorothea and Bernadetta, but she quickly sent them off to gather her other students while she left to her own quarters to don her own equipment, making sure to bring the Sword of the Creator. After properly outfitting herself with her armor, she then left to the front gates. The rushing of people around the Monastery was hectic. Every hallway was filled with people running in each direction, making cross-monastery travel difficult, but once she did arrive at the gate, Byleth saw Rhea and Seteth standing in their war attire. Rhea looked almost like a completely different person, her Archbishop crown replaced with a circlet with two dragon-like wings extending from the right and left of her head. She bore a grim expression, but as soon as she saw Byleth, her face immediately softened to a smile.
"Thank you for joining us, Professor. I'm sure that today will prove important for the future of Fodlan. I expect you to give it your all against the heretics like you did in our training. They must not be allowed to live. They have desecrated the Holy Tomb and gone against the Church. To fight against the Church is to fight against the goddess herself." Rhea's face hardened once again into the grim expression that Byleth had seen upon arrival.
"Professor! We're here!" Dorothea's voice echoed across the stone walls that lined the gated merchantry of the Monastery. She, along with the rest of Byleth's students hurriedly arrived at the gates in full battle regalia.
"So where... exactly is Edelgard's... army right now?" Linhardt asked between yawns. "If she is a good distance away, perhaps there would be time for... another nap."
"Now is not the time for napping, Linhardt. This is important." Ferdinand scolded Linhardt, who brushed it off without much concern.
"Our scouts saw that she was an hour's march from the Monastery. That was half an hour ago. The battle will be upon us soon. We must be ready to defend the Monastery at all costs." Rhea responded without looking at the students. Her eyes were focused forward.
Half an hour until Edelgard gets here... Byleth's chest tightened at the thought of seeing her star pupil again… But why?
Preparations had been made early on this week for keeping military gear, barricades, and wall reinforcements near the gate, so in the interim between then and the upcoming battle, Byleth and her students helped the Knights of Seiros set up their barriers.
Soon enough, a horn sounded off in the distance, and out beyond the town, Byleth could see the flag of the Adrestian Empire being flown proudly in the sky, and at the front of their forces, Byleth could clearly see the person that she had been looking forward to, yet at the same time, dreading seeing for the almost month that she had been gone.
Edelgard...