Summary: Timeline- rewind- battle at the great bridge
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text 23"Care to tell us what's going on?" Felix asked.
"I won't want to repeat it. Get everyone ready and meet us on the outskirts. We need to march." Dimitri said. He scooped up Byleth since she was still trying to catch her breath.
He brought her over to the stables. The stallion had become a perfectly mannered horse in the weeks that they've been working with them and didn't protest when Dimitri placed the saddle on him. He mounting up himself before he leaned down and pulled Byleth up with him.
"Your Highness. I'm sorry to bother you but this man insisted on seeing you." A solider said.
Byleth turned to see Dudue standing next to him. It did make sense, they were behind schedule and he would have been able to make better time with all of the threats they had eliminated around the monastery. She smiled warmly.
"Welcome back my white lion. You're late." She teased.
Dedue bowed. "Forgive me. I've been having to avoid some enemies along the way. I meant to be here on the festival, but I had to be careful."
"It is good to see you Dedue. I'm afraid we don't have time to catch up at this moment, but you are welcome to accompany us." Dimitri said.
Dedue nodded. "My steed is outside. I did as you asked Professor. Thank you for helping me get over my fear of horses. You were correct that the great knight class serves me well. I am grateful for the help that you had given to His Highness in my stead."
Byleth nodded before Dimitri spurred the horse to the front of the gathered army. Rodrigue and Gilbert had assembled everyone as well.
"Listen up! We've just received intel that the Empire has been seen fortifying Fort Merceus and has already sent out the army they had waiting there to the bridge to launch an attack on the Alliance. We don't know yet how many enemies we will face, but be prepared. We cannot let the Empire keep that bridge any longer, and by no means are they allowed to use it to bring their forces here for a second time. We move out immediately!" Dimitri's voice boomed behind her. She resisted the urge to cover her ears as she sat tall against him.
The army roared their response, ready for battle. Claude would still be doing his plan and getting the empire supporters away from their path. Their problem was the fact that before the empire had been fortifying Merceus only after they took the bridge as a preparation for the battle at Gronder. If they already had that many troops there now….. This was going to make that battle for the bridge a lot more complicated than before. She wouldn't be able to predict what the movements will be.
Dedue had come next to them on his horse to keep pace with Dimitri. Ashe had also picked up the pace with his horse, happy to see him. There wasn't much time for talking among the group. They had to keep up the speed to make sure they kept the window of opportunity. Ashe had slowed to let the other lions know that Dedue was back. The army was silent, with the exception of the clatter of hoofbeats and metal. Dimitri had pulled forward to scout but also to get some time to talk with her. Byleth settled against him keeping his lance for him so his hands were free.
"I wasn't aware things would change so drastically." He said.
"At least Claude is still able to keep up with the diversion tactic, but you're right. The more things we do differently the greater the chance of this happening was." Byleth replied.
"Do you think we will still need to face Gronder at this rate?" he asked.
She leaned against him and pondered the possibilities. "I'm not sure. It will depend on how many troops they've sent to defend the bridge. The most devastating part of Gronder had been that fire magic that they had set off at the very beginning. Not only was it a hit to morale, but it took out a lot of soldiers too. If they release something like that on the confines of that smaller space we'll lose a lot more troops that way. They can hide a lot of troops within that fortress, and we need to be ready for Acheron and Ladislavia to be there again. I'm not sure if Claude had the chance to talk to Lorenez, but if he does show up let me handle him. He was only there because his home was being threatened."
He nodded and kissed the top of her head. "We'll just have to see, but I am confident in your strategies. Be careful out there."
She smiled and twisted to face him. "You as well my lion. Be ready for if I need to pulse. I'm not used to having someone else in on it."
"I'll be staying close to you this time. Your hand shimmers gold before you activate it so I'll watch for that." He said.
She nodded and put one hand over his. "Together we will rise victorious."
This time the bridge was swarming with enemies. The Empire was fortifying Fort Merceus, based on the reports and gathering in Gronder Field. The conversion point at the bridge meant that the front lines would be replenished by reinforcements almost infinitely. Byleth cursed at the predicament they were in. Hubert was leading the group with a bird masked mage at his side. She also caught sight of the mages that had released the fire attack at Gronder when she went to go with the scouts. She bit back a curse. It seemed that Edlegard was going to send her entire force north to take alliance territory and Garrag Mach. What had changed so drastically that she took the fight from Gronder to here?
Her eyes went to Hubert. The fact that he had been able to infiltrate into abyss probably meant that he had been able to get intel on the size of their army as well as connect with any spies he had. She was glad that she had kept a good lid on her plans with Claude. They had told the army it was their scouts that they were waiting on intel from. She knew not to expect Hubert to spare her this time. They had offered their chance for her to change sides. With her refusal, she would be labeled as a threat to be eliminated. She had not seen this particular Slither member before, but she recognized the mask none the less.
She crept back to Dimitri who was with Rodrigue and Gilbert. "It's not good. Slither has bolstered their defenses with mages that are armed with long range magic. The sheer amount of enemies they have this time could cover Gronder field if they needed to. The bridge itself will be a chokepoint between our armies, but it will be a fight as to who can obtain more ground. If those mages are allowed to release an attack they can destroy several battalions at once."
Dimitri's lips twisted to a scowl. "What do you suggest then?"
"Give me a moment to think. I'm hoping we haven't been spotted yet, but it's only a matter of time." She grabbed some parchment and took out a few small flat beads out of her pouch. They were smaller than a fingertip but she scattered them on top of the parchment. She took some charcoal and marked the ballista, monster, and fortress, as well as the outline of the bridge.
"Black are commanders, red are soldiers, and the green I've marked as those troublesome mages. I'm not sure what or how many are in the fort. There was also a large monster and a ballista. Hubert, an unknown Slither, Ladislava and perhaps another commander to show up on this side here. Those and the mages should be our priority. The fortress is here and we should expect reinforcements at this point and from the side that Gronder lies on."
They all looked at her makeshift map.
"That is a lot of enemies." Rodrigue grumbled.
Felix and Sylvain came up together. "And that's different from normal how?" Felix asked.
"You know, if you'd like Ingrid and I could fly underneath the bridge to take our battalions to take out those mages ourselves." Sylvain said bending down to look at it.
Byleth nodded. "Yes you could, however there was a line of archers right behind them. You'd be right in their line of fire. It's not going to be an easy fight. The Empire has brought almost their entire force. If I had to name the biggest threat it has to be those mages. Know any way of cutting off their spells?"
Gilbert pondered a moment. "Silence needs to be close to the target. Since they are on the other edge of the bridge they can continue to rain down on us until their mana runs out."
There was a yell from the bridge and she could see the army running around making preparations. They had been spotted. The time for planning was over.
"You dare betray Edlegard!?" Hubert snarled as they approached. Ferdinand was part of the front line that Byleth had chosen. He felt it important that he take a stand against those he thought was wrong.
Ferdinand raised his lance. "If she will not listen to reason, then I have no choice but to follow someone who will."
The Slither caught sight of Darren. "Well, well, Cornelia's little puppy has finally shown itself. Lovely. I have been looking for a test subject."
Byleth looked to Dimitri. "You know when I snapped at you when you had said that you would kill them all whether they be one hundred or one thousand, I need to take that back. I hope you are willing to face down as many enemies as you can."
He nodded at her before raising his lance to signal that they were ready to advance. It wasn't the mad gleam she had seen before, but his eyes turned an icy blue as he put on his armors, and steeled himself for the long battle ahead.
Byleth raised her sword as well. "All Fliers use the air to your advantage! Riders advance quickly before the front line becomes chaos! Archers use your bows to help clear the reinforcements! Take out the Fortress Ballista and control it as your own! Watch out for raining fire from our enemies! Try to keep the bridge clear, all dead to the sides if you can! We will roar our defiance to the enemy and tear them apart! For Fodlan!"
The army roared behind them as Dimitri and Byleth pointed their weapons to the enemy, and began the advance.
It was as Byleth as said, this battle would require taking every inch of the bridge that they could and keeping that momentum going to push the enemy back farther. The first time she had to use the pulse it had made his blood run cold as he heard a Pegasus whiny and Ingrid scream. Byleth had turned with a curse and he saw the gold in her hand appear. He turned to and watched as time reversed. Byleth followed the arc of the arrow to find out which archer had plucked her from the sky. When time resumed she got Felix's attention to attack the archer. Ingrid was safe for the moment and not aware of the danger she was almost in.
The second time was for Ashe. Too many enemies had surrounded him and drug him off of his horse. Byleth didn't let their blades touch him before she had the pulse activated. How many times had she saved them? How many times did she have nightmares about what she's seen? She had to use the pulse four more times. The worst one for Dimitri to handle was when Dedue threw himself in front of an enemy that was trying to attack him from behind.
The moment she pulsed and Dimitri took the enemy down and he grabbed Dedue by the armor. "Swear to me one thing Dedue, if you wish to remain at my side. Do not throw your life away ever again!"
"Your highness….. understood." Dedue replied.
They went back into the fray. They gained more of the bridge and more of their archers and mages were brought into attack range to assault the enemy. When they were finally in range of Hubert the slither mage raised his hand towards Darren.
"Let's see how well our little experiment turns out. We know that we can induce the madness now, but can we use it to bring out the beast that lies within?" Black magic crested at his fingertips and hit Darren straight into the chest.
When Darren collapsed and the veining took over without Guren's golden eyes Byleth knew something was wrong. He started to scream and the sound distorted into something monstrous as his muscles bulged and his hair began to grow. Byleth attempted to turn back time, but there was a foul black mist that surrounded them. Dimitri looked around. This wasn't like the other times she had used it. The mist formed the shape of a man with a copy of the sword of the creator.
"Nemisis." Byleth hissed.
Dimitri was still stuck within the moment, he couldn't move from his place as Nemisis advanced for her.
"I will take back what is mine Fell Star. Your bones, your blood, your heart, they are all mine! Give me back my power!" Nemisis growled.
Sothis appeared behind Byleth like a ghost to touch her shoulder. "I remember now. You… you took my remains from my resting place. You forged me into a weapon and then used my power to kill my family. That power was never yours! You are nothing more than a thief and you will pay for the blood you've spilt!"
Sothis fell into Byleth and Byleth stumbled as her body flared in golden light, the power dispelling the mist as her time spell shattered. Dimitri could move again and his attention went to Byleth. That same light surrounded her and her outfit changed to mirror what Sothis wore. The mages attempted another rain of fire and she raised her hand as magic circles held in the air to protect everyone that served in their army.
"I will not allow another person I consider family fall because of you bastards!" Byleth bellowed before running headfirst into the enemy's front lines. The sword of the creator's light was so bright as she swept through dozens of enemies at a time. A growl behind her caught Byleth's attention. Where Darren had been a giant wolf now stood in his place.
The Slither member's body language was hard to read but the voice was a mix of fear and excitement. "I need to report this to Thales immediately. Our spell works so we can expose all of the beasts of the church and render it powerless. The Fell Star has fully awoken. This petty war doesn't matter anymore. If we can kill her Fodlan is ours."
"Odesse, what are you talking about?" Hubert growled.
Byleth turned her attention to them. Her eyes glowed with her power as she whipped her sword directly into Odesse's heart, pulling back her blade and taking out several enemies out with the return strike, including a strike to Hubert. The Empire was retreating back towards Gronder in fear. Even Huburt's threats weren't enough to get them into line.
Hubert gave her a glare. "You've won this round Professor. It seems I have no choice but to retreat."
"I am the vessel for Sothis. I will not let you or your master harm those I protect." Byleth said calmly.
"And here my tests were inconclusive. It seems you did have the power within you after all." Hubert said. "Ladislava I leave the rest to you!"
The woman on the wyvern nodded and her loyal men made a dividing line across the bridge. The mages that belonged to Slither had also fled.
Byleth turned to the wolf who snarled at her. "Dimitri, take the rest of the troops and clear the bridge!"
Dimitri's grip tightened on his lance. "I'm not about to let you fight that alone!"
"I am the one that brought him with us. He is my problem to handle, and perhaps if I can get him back to his senses like I do with Guren he can finally be freed from the curse he's had to suffer through. Now go. Just be careful. I'm afraid to use another pulse with what happened during the last one."
The wolf lunged. It tried to bite her and she dodged it nimbly. Dimitri took a deep breath, he was worried for her, but he had to trust her. They needed to take this bridge before he could free his own kingdom. They had already taken out Acheron. Lorenz never showed so it was just Ladislava left. Once she was taken out the bridge would be theirs. He could hear Byleth behind him as she called for both Darren and Guren, unsure of which one was in control. He could hear the snap of fangs and the click of claws on the stone.
Ingrid and Sylvain fell in behind him to give him backup for the defense line. He remembered seeing Ingrid's Pegasus covered in blood as the two fell, imagined the sickening crunch that would have followed if Byleth hadn't turned back time. He could hear the hoofbeats of Ashe's and Dedue's horses behind him. Felix had stayed with Byleth based on the arguing he was giving her. This is what she had asked him to do. He remembered facing Ladislava the last time. Like Randolf, his lance had carved a bloody scene. It was over just as quickly the last time too. She had lunged for him and he dodged it to give a blow of his own. His crest flared as his weapon sliced through woman and wyvern, the mound of flesh crashing to the ground as the rest finished off the other troops. The bridge was thiers, but Byleth was still fighting. All of the shields were broken and he could see the tears glistening down her cheeks.
"Please Guren! Don't make me kill you when you can finally be free!" She shouted.
"It's just a beast now. Put it down!" Felix snarled.
Felix swung his blade at the wolf's leg. Byleth intercepted and the wolf grabbed her arm within his jaws. He lifted her into the air and shook her a few times. When she cried out the growls stopped. The white went out of the eyes to reveal golden ones. The wolf dropped her onto the ground and backed away from her whimpering. She tried reaching out for it, but it snapped at her and its eyes found Dimitri. It lept at him and he knew exactly why the wolf had changed targets. He recognized the regret within the wolf's eyes.
Byleth's weapon wrapped around his neck and she slid as she tried to hold him back away from Dimitri with her uninjured arm. The other one hung limp at her side, coated in blood. "Guren, it's ok. I'll take a wound if that means you can live freely. Do not be reckless."
The wolf closed his eyes and braced against the weapon as he tried to pull away from her. Byleth snapped back her blade and the wolf crashed forward from the momentum. She stood up and walked over to him, kneeling in front of his muzzle and placing a hand there. She placed a kiss above its brow.
"Let whatever foul magic that has kept you captive fall away." She said.
The wolf was surrounded in the same golden light that had changed her clothing. It reminded Dimitri of when Miklan had been revealed after he was killed as the Demonic Beast. Only this time when the light faded there were two forms on the ground. Darren he recognized, as he groaned and sat up. Under Byleth's hand was a smaller brown wolf with a red streak that ran along his forehead and back. Golden eyes opened and the wolf panted before turning his head to look up at Byleth.
"Guren!" she exclaimed, wrapping her good arm around his neck.
The wolf looked bewildered at first, before he closed his eyes and settled into her embrace, his tail moving from side to side. The main thing about this battle that would be told later was how tenderly their goddess held a beast. She collapsed then. Her strength spent. Gilbert and Rodrigue helped delegate who was going to stand guard at the bridge as Mercedes did what she could for Byleth's arm.
On the way back to the monastery he kept the horse in a slow trot as he held Byleth close to him. Her change in attire was still bewildering to him. She had already said that Sothis had merged with her and gave Byleth her power, so what was this display of strength and visage now?
"She was plenty strong before, but that power she displayed was like nothing I have ever seen before. That outfit too, does that have something to do with that divine protection as she called it?" Felix asked, keeping pace with the horse.
Dimitri debated on what to say. "Yes, as you can see it takes a toll for her to use it. I'm not sure how long she'll be asleep for." It was the simplest truth he could use.
Felix nodded and looked down at the wolf that followed at his heels. "What do you plan to do with this thing?"
Guren glanced at him with the hint of a growl.
"Considering he's following us I'm going to leave the decision to Byleth when she wakes." Dimitri answered.
"Great another beast." Felix scoffed.
Ingrid landed her Pegasus to trot alongside Dimitri. "I know its frivolous, but can we do something for the Professor when she wakes. She always does so much for us and I wish to repay the debt we all owe. She has saved my life on many occasions."
"Yes, actually I've been thinking something similar. She said she would dance for us before we left for Fhirdiad. Why don't we surprise her then with a small celebration of our own? Ashe, Dedue she's been telling me how much she's been wanting to try something that is unique from Duscar. Can you two make something up for her? Annette and Mercedes both of you are good at baking, I'm sure you can come up with a good recipe to use." Dimitri said looking around at the small entourage that had come closer to listen.
"That sounds wonderful Dimitri. You can give her your gift you've been working hard on then too." Mercedes said.
"A gift? Well Ingrid is right, she's always giving us gifts so it would only seem right to pay her back." Ashe said.
"Yeah, but what can we get her that would be useful?" Felix asked.
"She doesn't actually own much for herself. You all know her well and it's the thought that counts. Did you know she still has that pendant that we gave her for her birthday? I was rather shocked when I saw it again for the first time." Dimitri said.
Annette giggled. "I'm glad she liked it. I think you were the one that picked it for her originally Dimitri."
"Yes, but it was from all of us." He replied. Dimitri looked up at the fading light. "I want to get back with her before it gets dark. Let's pick up the pace."
Notes: Sorry if the whole Dudue just shows up bothers, there's already alot going on with the fight so I needed to make sure it didn't get tangled
My thinking with this is that Darren was the experiment that they used to see if what they did in silver snow could be successful. The two entities are now separate and no longer under dark magic that drives them mad.
Based on the number of empire troops being able to be eliminated here they will be retreating to Fort Merceus, but will not be ready for a fight at Gronder because of it
Sothis's shield in the game raises resistance for a couple of turns but I bumped it up to "God tier" and made it to where it would protect from all magic.
As far as the goddess powers, a beast that is loved gave me that idea, of the DLC Sothis regalia and how it fits on Byleth
