The final battle of White Clouds approaches!

Chapter 114 – Before the Storm (Lone Moon)

On the 31st of the Lone Moon, a dense fog began to roll into the town below Garreg Mach Monastery. The town had been evacuated in anticipation of the Imperial Army's arrival, with its occupants either fleeing or taking refuge in the monastery.

One would have thought the fog to be a natural occurrence had it not been for the sound of countless footsteps marching through it. Looking down at the town from the monastery's outer wall, Seteth knew it had to be a magically conjured mist. It was a tactic he had seen many times before, used to conceal the movements and numbers of the enemy's troops. He could make out a few silhouettes as he watched the town, but without a closer look it was impossible to determine the strength of the enemy force.

Seteth knew the situation was dire. The monastery's defenses had not fully been prepared, and he had little doubt that they were badly outnumbered. The Empire always had the numerical advantage when it came to troops. Worse, he had received disturbing reports that several groups of Knights that had been attempting to return to the monastery had gone missing. He could not be certain, but he speculated that the enemy may have intercepted them. This made their numerical disadvantage an even bigger issue.

"Good thing I cleared out my shop already," said a familiar voice.

Seteth did not turn to Anna as he said, "I thought you would have fled this place by now, Miss Anna."

"By's staying to fight, and so am I," said Anna. "Someone's gotta watch her back."

"Then I must thank you both for choosing to stay and fight for our cause."

"We're not doing it for you or Rhea, Seteth. By's only helping to try and get Edelgard to stop all of this."

Seteth said nothing in reply to Anna's statement. He knew they were still wary of Rhea after everything she had done. They had every right to be.

"Any movements yet?" said Shamir as she approached them.

"Nothing significant as of yet, but it is difficult to discern any details," said Seteth.

"Seems Edelgard learned a thing or two from her battle at Magdred."

"Indeed. It is ironic that she is using the same tactics our academy taught her against us. If only I had seen the wickedness in her heart sooner."

"Wickedness isn't the word I'd use, Seteth," said Anna. "She just wants a newer, better Fódlan so badly that she'll do anything to get it. Even this…"

"Are you, perhaps, sympathizing with her, Miss Anna?"

"Sympathizing? A bit. But that doesn't mean I endorse this. She's being way too heavy-handed here."

Satisfied with Anna's answer, Seteth turned to look back at the town. He could see more soldiers moving around in the fog at the west side of the town.

"More of them on the west side," he said to Shamir. "Ensure our troops are appropriately prepared."

"What kind of troops are we looking at?" asked the sniper.

"I cannot be certain."

"Looks like mostly axe fighters and a few archers," said Anna. "And I think I can make out a mage corps too."

Surprised, Seteth and Shamir turned toward Anna and saw she was looking into the fog with a spyglass.

While Shamir smiled at this, Seteth said in annoyance, "What are you doing with that?"

"Getting a better look at our enemy," Anna replied. "And don't give me that 'taboo' speech, okay? We need every advantage we can get."

Seteth opened his mouth to argue, but after a second he realized Anna was right, and simply sighed in frustration. Anna continued to peer into the fog with her spyglass, focusing on any signs of movement.

"There's cavalry in the center of town, and another battalion of infantry," said Anna. "And I think I see… oh no…"

Shamir and Seteth looked to the center of town to see several wooden beams rising from the mist. The Imperials were clearly building something in the fog.

"Engineers," said Shamir. "Probably making siege towers."

"They intend to scale the walls?" said Seteth. "Very bold of them to do such a thing. But we will be ready for–"

"Those aren't siege towers," Anna interrupted.

"Then what are they?"

Anna handed her spyglass over to Shamir, allowing the Dagdan beauty to get a better look at the Empire's construction.

"They're Hoshidan trebuchets," said Anna.

"I am unfamiliar with such a weapon," said Seteth.

"It uses a long arm and a counterweight to launch projectiles at an extremely long range. I've seen them in action in Hoshido before."

"How much range are we talking about?" asked Shamir.

"They could hit the cathedral from where they are and blow holes in it. Easy."

Seteth and Shamir were shocked to hear such a thing.

"That's… we have no weapon capable of matching that range!" Seteth said in alarm. "We would have to venture outside the walls just to get our own artillery in range."

"Yeah, and that's probably what Edelgard wants."

"I'm seeing three trebuchets being prepped," said Shamir.

"We will need to assault their position as soon as possible!" said Seteth. "I will ready my wyvern riders."

"Bad idea, Seteth," Anna replied.

"If we allow them to finish building them, the entire monastery will be at risk!"

"There are archers stationed in the buildings near the siege weapons," said Shamir. "An aerial attack would be suicide."

"And Hoshidan siege engineers are no slouch in a fight, either," said Anna.

Seteth scowled at this, knowing they were right.

"I will need to report this to Rhea. Hyperion, to me!"

Seteth's wyvern let out a short roar as it swooped down and landed next to the advisor, who swiftly mounted up and flew back toward the monastery.

As they continued to observe the enemy from the wall, Anna said, "Still think it's a 50/50 fight, Shamir?"

"Not anymore," replied the sniper. "Between those weapons, our missing Knights, and the Empire's numbers, we're in a bad spot."

As Anna listened to Shamir, she saw something moving in the mist. Recognizing the silhouette, she gestured for Shamir to give her back the spyglass.

Anna looked down at the black rider that had just approached the center trebuchet.

"And now we've got another problem…"

Shamir spotted the rider and said, "The Death Knight…"

"Yeah. He even gave Jeralt a world of trouble in Remire."

"Any ideas on how to beat him?"

"If I knew that, he'd be called the Dead Knight by now."

Shamir had to smirk at this.

"At least you tell better jokes than Alois."

…

Hubert had to admire the efficiency of the Hoshidan siege engineers as they worked on putting their trebuchets together. Their teamwork was impressive, and he could easily see the camaraderie between the foreigners, even if he had a hard time understanding them. He knew he had chosen wisely when he hired their services. All they had to do was ensure the engineers were protected.

In truth, the mercenaries weren't essential to their success. They could overwhelm the monastery's defenders through sheer numbers if they wanted, or they could turn to Arundel and his minions, as much as Edelgard wanted to avoid it. However, forcing the Knights of Seiros to venture out of their walls and engage them on their terms would make the battle all the easier.

There were just two problems in Hubert's mind. The first was their Professor, Byleth. She alone could turn the tide of this battle if she wasn't dealt with.

The other was a far more sinister threat, one that took the form of a brunette singer.

The whinny of a horse turned Hubert's attention to the Death Knight as he approached. His black-armored riders were close behind him.

"You're late," Hubert said to the Death Knight.

"I arrive when it pleases me, Lord Vestra," said the Death Knight. He then turned to the trebuchets and said, "We have no need for these contraptions. They will only serve to stifle the slaughter of our enemies."

"They provide us with a means of forcing the enemy to face us in the open. Would you not prefer to face them out here and harvest them with your scythe, Death Knight?"

"It matters not where I face my enemy."

"I see. But would it matter who your enemy is?"

"Explain yourself, boy."

"I recall how you went out of your way in Abyss to abduct a certain healer. Will there be a problem if you face her in the coming battle?"

The Death Knight did not answer this.

"As I expected," said Hubert. "I will not stop you. Just be sure you do your job."

"Do not get in my way."

Hubert made a mocking gesture for the Death Knight to pass. The black rider spurred his horse on, moving his cavalry to take their positions on the east side of town.

…

Alois stood before the students and soldiers in the main hall, doing his best not to show his anxiety at the situation. Though he was normally a jovial person by nature, he knew he had to keep it up at such a dire time. He couldn't afford to cause a panic.

"Listen up, everyone!" he shouted. "The Imperial army is upon us. If you can fight, pick up a weapon! Everyone else, hurry up and evacuate through the tunnels in Abyss! We have the goddess's protection on our side. We have nothing to fear. Victory will be ours!"

Though the soldiers cheered for victory, the students were not so blinded by Alois's words to think victory was at all certain.

As Alois led a battalion of soldiers out of the main hall, Catherine strode up to Byleth and asked, "Professor, are you ready?"

"Almost," Byleth replied, though it was clear she was uneasy.

"Well, you and the others better hurry up. I don't need to tell you that the situation is dire. We have some support troops from the local nobles, but the army we're facing is immense. No matter how you look at it, we're at a disadvantage, especially now that the Empire has those siege weapons in town."

"How did they even manage to get those?" asked Ingrid.

"Doubtless it was the work of Duke Gerth," said Constance. "As Minister of Foreign Affairs, it would fall to him to make contact with the warriors of Hoshido."

"I just hope we won't have to face my father out there," said Caspar.

"Don't wanna be fighting family, do you?" asked Balthus.

"It's not just that. My father's one of the greatest warriors in the Empire. He's never lost a battle. If we end up fighting him out there, I think he could kick even the Professor's butt."

"That's not gonna happen, Caspar," said Annette. "We won't lose as long as the Professor's with us!"

"Yeah!" said Raphael. "Let's show the Empire what we're made of!"

"Has there been any signings of Edelgard?" asked Petra.

Deciding not to correct her, Ignatz said, "Not yet, but with that fog in town, it's hard to tell if she's there."

"Oh, what if we have to fight her again?" Bernadetta whimpered.

"If she is indeed leading our foes, then it is our duty to stop her!" said Ferdinand.

"You sure it'll be that easy, Ferd?" asked Hapi. "I mean, she tossed Didi around like a ragdoll last time."

This comment elicited a grunt from Dimitri as he stood at the back of the hall. The others turned to see him fidgeting disturbingly as Marianne slowly approached him.

"Dimitri…?" said Marianne. "Are you okay?"

"You do not seem… well, Your Highness," said Dedue.

Dimitri made a demented chuckle as he turned around, his expression filling Marianne with fear and the rest of the students with dread.

"Unwell, you say?" said the prince. "What's gotten into you all? Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm so happy I can hardly contain myself. My father, my stepmother, my dear friends? They want her head. They want her life! They've whispered as much to me. And the chance to answer their pleas has arrived, at long last!"

"D-Dimitri…?" Marianne said nervously.

Dimitri then grabbed Marianne's wrist, making her gasp in fright.

"Why are you so afraid, Marianne?" Dimitri asked dementedly. "Oh, I see. You're afraid of her, aren't you? Well, you needn't worry. When I bring back her head, you won't have to be afraid anymore."

"Whoa… that's pretty dark, Your Princeliness," said Claude.

Dimitri then picked up a fresh silver lance and said, "Let's move! Even if it costs me my life, I won't rest until I've crushed her skull in my bare hands!"

The prince then stormed through the crowd as the others watched in dread. Byleth stretched out a hand to try and stop him, but he brushed her aside and exited the hall with Dedue in tow.

"Dimitri…" Marianne said as she lowered her head.

"Mary, are you alright?" asked Hilda. "If you don't wanna fight, then–"

"No, it's not that… It's just…"

"Now is not the time to worry ourselves with Prince Dimitri's mental state," said Lorenz. "We must make haste to defend Garreg Mach from the Empire."

"Lorenz is right," said Felix. "We'll worry about the boar later."

"Felix, Lorenz, how can you say that?!" Mercedes protested. "He's going to get himself hurt or worse! He hasn't even fully recovered from our battle in the Holy Tomb!"

"Then perhaps we should try to make sure he doesn't get himself killed?" said Linhardt.

"We can only hope that Dimitri has enough sense not to do anything too rash," said Lysithea.

"Come on, guys," said Sylvain. "We've got a job to do. Let's get to it."

As the others nodded in agreement, Bernadetta then said, "Hey, wait a second. Where's Dorothea?"

The others immediately realized the brunette was missing.

"I'll find her," said Byleth. "Everyone else, report to Alois at the wall. I'll be there soon."

Byleth then went to find the diva as the others left the main hall.

…

Dorothea looked on at the terrified townsfolk as they entered the passage to Abyss located near the monastery's training grounds. Yuri gestured for them to enter, ordering them to follow the directions given by his rogues in order to reach safety.

Behind her, Alicia asked, "Should we be going with them?"

"Wha– Alicia, what are you saying?" Lana said in surprise.

"We didn't come here to fight, Lana. And the Empire will be here any moment. We need to get out while there's still time."

"I say bring 'em on," said Brigitte. "I've punched out my fair share of soldiers already. What's a few more?"

"Brig, this isn't a small gang of perverts or drunks we're dealing with," said Cia. "We're dealing with the Imperial Army. I'm with Alicia. We're in way over our heads here."

"But Cia, they could use our help!" said Lana.

"Dorothea, what do you think?" asked Alicia.

"H-Huh?" Dorothea said absentmindedly.

As the brunette turned to her friends, Brigitte said, "You're still not sure if you wanna fight her, are you?"

"I…"

"Dorothea, there you are!" said Byleth as she ran up to the divas.

"Professor?"

"The Empire's about to begin their attack. We need to…"

Byleth stopped as she saw the confusion and uncertainty in Dorothea's eyes.

Though it pained her to say it, Byleth said, "Dorothea… we need your help."

"Professor… I… I don't know if I can…" said Dorothea. "What if she's out there? What if she's leading this attack? I… I don't want to fight her. I can't! She's still… She's still my…"

Dorothea choked as she began to cry. The whole situation was overwhelming for her.

Byleth put her hand on the diva's shoulder and said, "She's still your friend."

Dorothea stopped sobbing and looked into Byleth's eyes.

"Then as her friend, shouldn't you be doing what you can to try and stop her?"

"But I… Professor, I can't fight her! Not Edie!"

"You don't have to fight her to stop her."

"Your Professor's right," said Brigitte. "Hell, if you don't wanna do it, I'll beat some sense into her for you."

"B-Briggie!" Dorothea said in surprise.

"I'll help too!" said Lana. "Someone might need healing out there!"

"Lana, are you insane?!" Cia protested. Then, as Lana ran off toward the main wall, Cia said, "Ugh! Of all the… Lana, wait up!"

Lana stopped and said, "Cia?"

"I'm not about to let my twin run off and get herself killed out there."

"Cia… Ciiiaaa!"

Lana rushed forward and hugged her surprised sister, who took a moment before she hugged her back.

As she looked at her friends about to go to war, Alicia struggled to find something to say. Then, after a long sigh, she said, "Oh, fine! If you're all going, I'll have to go too!"

With a smile, Brigitte said, "Guess that settles it. Mind if we tag along, Professor Eisner?"

Knowing she wasn't going to be able to dissuade the divas, Byleth said, "Your help would be most appreciated."

"Alright then! Come on, ladies! Let's get this show started!"

Overwhelmed by what she saw, Dorothea said with teary eyes, "You all… T-Thank you…"

The moment was broken up as the group heard a loud whistling noise, unlike the sound of an arrow in flight. The women turned to the sound and saw a large boulder careening in their direction. Civilians screamed in terror as the projectile slammed into one of the parapets of the monastery, smashing apart brick and stone. The townsfolk ran for their lives as debris rained down toward them.

"Hurry up! Everyone inside, now!" shouted Yuri. "Professor, girls, get moving, would you?!"

Knowing that time had run out, Byleth led Dorothea and the other divas to the main wall as the battle for Garreg Mach began.

Before you get into any scientific stuff, I know a real medieval trebuchet had about a maximum range of 300 meters, but that's kinda unimpressive given the size of Garreg Mach. Since Fire Emblem is a medieval fantasy, I think some liberties with the trebuchet's range would be excusable. After all, the onagers in Three Houses clearly have a longer range than real life ones.

Also, I'm imagining the position of Garreg Mach's town according to how it's shown in the game's cinematics. The town is a good distance from the actual monastery, so having the trebuchets there gives the Empire a big strategic advantage (makes them easier to protect).

I hope to be able to have the battle last several chapters, and hope it'll be a satisfying conclusion to the White Clouds half of this story. Stay tuned!