The group stops for the night somewhere south of Gideon and east of Arianrhod, where there's a forest clearing big enough to comfortably fit them all. As Bryn and Rius set up the main fire and perimeter of the camp, Dedue joins Ashe into the forest to help clear it and keep an eye out for bandits or soldiers. The two of them move around without talking for a while, until they randomly make eye contact.

"Do you see anything?" Ashe asks, bow loosely held in a ready stance.

Dedue scans the forest again, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. There's no tremors in the ground that worry him either. "No. Nothing's near us right now." He looks back at the sniper. "Am I missing something?"

Ashe quickly shook his head, silver hair falling into his face. "No, you're not," he says, voice light and nervous. "I was just double checking to see that I didn't miss anything. If you want, I can focus on looking out for the bandit and thief marks that I know."

"Feel free to."

As they continue to comb through the forest, Dedue can't help but notice some of the stranger places he looks: behind moss growing on a tree, counting out and looking around certain tree trunks, places where you would only look if you knew that's where they could be.

"If you don't mind me asking," Dedue starts, his curiosity to know about Ashe from before he met him guiding his tongue, "which thief groups did you work with?"

The archer carefully climbs down from a branch. "I didn't work with a group. I thought it would have been too dangerous for me, being that young. Especially with the twins."

"Oh," Dedue remarks awkwardly, ducking under another tree branch. "Sorry for asking."

"It's fine!" He can see Ashe wince at how loud his voice is. "I mean, I'm fine with you asking questions. It's only fair that we feel free to talk to each other, right?"

Dedue is glad that the sun is slowly setting. Less light for his heated face to be noticed. "Right. Exactly."

"Yeah." Ashe smiles as he readies his bow again. "I think we've gone around most of the clearing, and I'm pretty sure I can smell meat cooking."

Now that someone's said it, Dedue realizes that he can distinctly smell the familiar spice of small peppers. "We should probably finish this quickly," he says, readying his killer knuckles. "We'll want to get back in time for Rius to ward the clearing before we have to fight off wild animals." He heads off, Ashe's footsteps behind him light and quick as he follows.

When they return, they return to Bryn and Hapi looking over the fire, the smell of meat very obvious now as Bryn turns the skewer holding deer meat, evenly cooking it.

"Is it safe to already be cooking?" Ashe asks, looking across the clearing. "Rius can't put up the wards yet, right?"

"I didn't," Rius admits, spool of thread and knife in hand as he joins them from setting up the ritual, "but Hapi said that there were no monsters nearby, and since we travelled so far, Bryn decided it would be best if they started cooking."

"Is everyone back yet?"

"No, not yet," Hapi states. "Towen and Baila went to get some water to boil, Sylvain, Dorothea, and Adrista went to get more firewood, and Cibor and Mihail-"

"Are right here!" Cibor says, panting as he appears in a flash of lightning. "We just took a quick trip around to make sure no one was sneaking up on us."

Mihail lands next to him, the flame in the center of the camp shivering slightly from the winds he used to fly. "We're good. No markers or trackers."

"And no signs of thieves, bandits, or soldiers," Ashe says.

"Great," Rius utters, placing his items in different pouches. "Now you can all help Bryn cook the food before they decide it needs a 'kick' to it again."

"That was one time-"

"So," Dorothea starts, stirring her bowl of soup, "what's the plan when we get there?"

"Get Kleiman to stand down and give up the land," Towen states. "That's the gist of it, right?"

"It is," Dedue notes, watching as Cibor pulls out the map of Fodlan he grabbed from Abyss. The messenger unfolds it in a way so that all can see it, using his daggers to carefully pin it to the ground.

"Does anyone have some ink?" Cibor asks. Rius hands over a small pot and quill from one of his pockets. "Alright," the blond-haired man starts, making a small cross where they currently were, "we should arrive in about 3 days, if everything goes well. Hapi?"

She shrugs. "I'm pretty sure most of it will be fine."

"Anyway, we should get to Novena before the Days of Transition," Cibor continues, crossing out Kleiman's name and writing Duscur down in twitchy handwriting. "That gives us about 7 days."

"Hopefully Ductor Icarin is still there," Mihail mutters, refilling his own bowl. "We'll be able to rest in Novena for a bit."

"And having the extra force wouldn't hurt," Adrista muses. "Especially against this 'Kleiman'. What's he like?"

Sylvain scoffs. "He's a dastard. Stupidly vindictive."

"That doesn't sound too good for Novena and the Ductor," Bryn mutters, camp flame nervously flickering next to them. "If even a Kingdom noble says he's vindictive-"

"Then we'll just have to get there as fast as we can," Baila says, looking over Cibor's shoulder to focus on the map. "How does everyone feel about going double time tomorrow? That can probably shave off a day."

"That's not too harsh on the horses, is it?" Ashe asks. "I don't want to tire them out, especially since some of us fight on them."

"All the horses are pretty sturdy," Hapi states, yawning as she puts her bowl to the side. "If we keep a close eye on our pace, it won't be any issue."

Dedue yawns too, the orange light of the sunset starting to dim. The group finishes their dinner, washing and placing aside the cookware they brought with them before getting ready to sleep, Cibor and Adrista taking the first watch.

He's woken up in the earliest of morning, when the sun barely lights the bottom of the horizon. Hapi casually waves at him as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes. "Up and at 'em D," she greets. "Third watch."

"I know," he mutters, stretching his back and getting up from where he was sleeping. He nods at Sylvain as the paladin walks past him, ready to go back to sleep. He sighs and makes his way to the campfire still going, casting light and shadow throughout the clearing.

Hapi joins him, rolling her shoulder. "Nice night, huh?"

Dedue chuckles, looking up at the fading stars in the sky. "It's pretty nice," he admits, trying to find the few stars that he can consistently identify through the years he's known the seer. "That's the King's Right Hand over there, isn't it?"

"Nah." Hapi gently guides his arm so that it actually pointed at the right constellation. "You were pointing at the horn of the Adrestian Mount. Nice try though."

That's most of the conversation between the two of them for a while. They settle into a comfortable silence, keeping an eye out for any dangers that somehow break through Rius' magic. Dedue focuses on the earth surrounding clearing, feeling for any noticeably different footfalls, whether they be human or monster. Many moments pass, practically an hour or two, before Hapi speaks again, looking bored. "Are you hiding something, D?"

He looks over at the older woman, noticing the curiosity in her red eyes. "Hm?"

"Something's different about you," Hapi says, glancing at him before looking back up at the sky, the light of dawn starting to be more prominent. "Ever since you were out for 2 years. It's almost like you learned something and haven't told us yet."

Dedue grimaces at how bluntly she speaks, as if every part of him is written in the stars. Maybe it is. "I've been thinking about it," he concedes, nodding his head. "I'm not sure if it's actually possible, but-"

"It's not impossible," Hapi guesses.

"Yes."

"Well," Hapi starts, after some moments, "what is this big revelation you've had? Maybe you just need a different person looking at it."

He looks over at the older woman, seeing that she's looking at him with bored sincerity. "Alright," he says, pausing for a few moments. "I think that there's more to all of this than the three major nations of Fodlan."

Hapi nods, letting the idea roll through her head for a few moments. "Okay, that's a start," she responds. "How is it bigger than them?"

He takes a deep breath before he answers. "I think it has something to do with the Agarthans."

The seer blinks, a few moments passing before her face scrunches up in confusion. "The Agarthans? Like, the childhood stories?"

"Pale skin, overly greedy, willing to weaponize the bones of those they've murdered?" Dedue asks, just to make sure they're both working on the same ground.

"Yeah, those Agarthans." Hapi pokes at the fire with a stick. "So, they're actually real?"

"Maybe," Dedue murmurs. "If they are, I think that they're the group that did those experiments on you and Mihail."

Hapi shivers. "I don't know if I should hope that you're right so I can get revenge or hope that you're wrong so I don't have to imagine going up against them."

"You don't already know?" he asks, slightly puzzled that she hasn't already put the pieces together from what the stars give her.

"Please," Hapi grumbles, "when will we all learn that I can't be expected to know everything? Or, if I know something, I don't know exactly where it fits."

"My apologies."

"Eh, don't worry about it," the seer remarks, looking back up at the stars. "Do you think it's best to keep it to yourself for now? I'm perfectly fine with holding a secret if you want to think about it some more."

Dedue's surprised. "Even from tuam uxore?" (your wife?)

"I'm not even going to give you an answer," Hapi says, voice as dry and even as it always is, even against his joking question. She has a small smile on her face. "But if Adrista figures out you're hiding something, do not throw me under the carriage. Deal?"

"Deal," he confirms, and Hapi rolls her eyes, obviously done with this conversation. As the last hour of their shift approaches and ends, Dedue finds himself thinking about if it is for the best to keep his ideas to himself. Maybe the group needs to know.

But he needs concrete evidence. Not just connections in his own mind. The first time that they come across something that fits what he suspects, he'll tell everyone. Maybe it won't be anything after all.

When dawn finally fully reveals itself, Dedue is not surprised to see Cibor wake up and be ready for the day in a few minutes as everyone else slowly claws toward the semblance of active thought. Dedue himself yawns, and although Rius already has a pot of coffee warming up over the fire, Cibor challenges him to a spar to help wake and warm up for the travel they'll have to do today.

So, Dedue finds himself calmly ducking under the dagger that Cibor wields, the blade energized with lightning. He swiftly retaliates with an uppercut that he then connects into a left hook before using his sideways momentum to spin around and try to sweep the messenger's feet out from under him. Cibor falls, but his hand grasps Dedue's shirt, bringing the figurehead down with him. Dedue quickly gets back up, rolling backwards to try and put some space between him and his opponent; he smells the sharp scent of a lightning bolt just before it hits him, where he's forced to ground it and take the brunt of the magic. He rushes forward in response, closing the gap between him and Cibor before kicking the man twice and disengaging as best as he can, a shocking grasp catching him on his retreat.

Before Cibor can actually attack him again, energy crackling around the messenger, Baila calls out that the coffee is ready, and the two of them stop. Cibor guides the electricity around his body and into the ground before he shakes Dedue's hand, and the two of them join the others around the fire, everyone taking in a bit of coffee and food before they leave the clearing for good.

The Bronze Hawks travel at a steady pace, quicker than their pace yesterday, but not harsh enough to sap at their spirits and strength. There are a few interruptions, mainly monsters that get spotted before they can ambush the party.

Whenever they have to fight a monster, Dedue lets the others take charge, falling back in order to help support and inspire them through his dancing. Towen, Baila, and Sylvain stay in front of the beast, taking point to distract it enough for Cibor to dash around and flank with fists and lightning. Hapi, Dorothea, and Ashe provide more damage from a distance, spells and arrows sinking into the flesh of the beasts. Adrista and Mihail keep everyone as unharmed as they possibly can, Adrista carefully weaving light through her hands to cast spells from a distance while Mihail flies around to cast his. Rius and Bryn switch between directly and indirectly engaging, Bryn sending out small flaming trinkets to join the front line while they repair weapons and Rius summoning glyphs to help rally everyone, boosting strength and speed and bending luck where it was needed.

In the end, the monsters fall to many final blows: an ax slamming into its skull, a rapier piercing a heart, a lance slicing it open, shocked by lightning, entranced by stardust, eviscerated by a magical arrow, an actual arrow piercing its throat, blinded by light, buffeted by winds, burned by fire, and assaulted by sheer willpower.

When the sun starts to fall, they make it to the base of the Sacred Gwenhwyvar, in between a few of its mountains, and Hapi gasps in realization, guiding Celer off of the trail as she looks up at one of the few peaks that they can see with an excited gleam in her eyes. "We're near my old village."

It takes some time to climb up the mountain, but just before sunset fully finishes, Hapi guides them towards the village of Arit, where the Astrum have been living ever since the Imperial Shift.

The lookout of the village holds up her arm threateningly before Hapi speaks, talking in an older dialect of Duscis that Dedue can somewhat understand. The magic swirling around the lookout's hand fades a tiny bit as she and Hapi have a small conversation before they're fiercely hugging each other. When they split apart, Hapi waves them over and introduces them to Tayet, a heavy-set girl who looks like she could give Baila a run for her money in combat.

The Bronze Hawks gingerly follow Tayet as she brings them into the village proper, careful to be respectful and courteous. Dedue notices all of the eyes watching them as they make their way through the village. He isn't sure if he's being paranoid about his height when he thinks he sees many of their eyes seem to specifically follow him.

"Uh, Hapi?" Cibor says, fingers tapping against his thigh in a random rhythm as they walk. "Where are we going?"

"Oh, we're just going to the Dux's place," Hapi states, casually strolling and waving at people. "Loosen up."

"Yeah," a new voice says, a short person with straight hair and flowing robes falling into step with the group as if they were always a part of it. "It's just my mom."

Dedue shares many looks with the other Hawks. He notices that Hapi looks torn between being annoyed and being amused before Baila speaks up. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm Besna," they share, rolling their eyes. "Forgot that you all didn't know that. Are you on your way to deal with Kleiman or the weird things pretending to be his family?"

The group is silent for a few moments, Besna's words sinking in. Mihail recovers first. "What are you talking about?"

"Eh, can't say much," Besna says, pointing up at the stars. "Nothing's written in ink, you know."

Dedue thinks that he's starting to get a headache. Hapi sighs. "It's good to see you too, Bessie," she mutters. "Now, can you please stop trying to flex every bit of skill you have? It's almost desperate."

Besna shrugs as they approach a more decorated building, glowing crystals lining the outside of it. "I tried," they mutter, calmly strolling in front of the group and knocking on the door. "It's nice to see you again, Haps. Stay safe. We missed you."

"Missed you too, you dork," Hapi says, calmly high-fiving them as they walk away. Dedue sees the smile on her face actually reach her eyes for once. There are a few moments of quiet before the door opens, and a powerful-looking woman stands in the doorframe.

"Ah, Hapi," she says, voice soft and wistful, "I'm glad that you're alive. Please, come in. All of you. I think that we have a lot to talk about."

Mehit, the Dux of Arit, is a lovely host, having a platter of food already warmed and ready for the entire party. After Dedue finishes washing his hands, he walks back into the dining room, finding a chair in between Cibor and Baila, just in time for the start of the meal. It's a traditional festival meal: a small, spread out stack of thin, sour flatbreads that double as plates for the various piles of meat, rice, hearty stews, and pastes like the one he made in the monastery so long ago.

The group digs in, everyone educating the three non-Duscis in how to eat the meal, tearing off a suitable piece of bread and carefully picking up what they want in their bite. It's a good community meal, and conversation starts to flow between the group as they all relax, good food, company, and air a big help. Sylvain laughs at something that Adrista says, Rius talks to Dorothea about different operas, Cibor and Baila talk around him, the two of them asking one of their family members for support in their running argument on who would be best in a fight between the two of them.

"-D," Hapi says, and Dedue looks over to where the seer is sitting, next to Mehit. "Care to swap seats? Dux Mehit has a few things to tell you."

"I'd love to," Dedue says, nodding at the Dux as he carefully gets up and makes his way around the room, slightly ducking under the ceiling with a glass window in the middle of it. He takes his seat next to Mehit, a small shiver running down his back at how her eyes seem to look through him as easily as they could look up at the stars.

"Ave, Forctis Heros," she says, voice quiet as she tears off a piece of bread. "That is the correct title, right?" (Hello, Sturdy Hero.)

"Fortis Heros, Dux" Dedue corrects, still impressed by how close she was to being right. "How-" (Steadfast Hero, ma'am.)

"The stars, child," she answers, quickly taking her bite of food. She swallows before she continues speaking. "It's always the stars. They've been watching everything for so long that sometimes, they tell us things that seem to repeat."

"What have they told you?"

"That my child has already tried to show off for sport," she mutters, shaking her head. "I've told them so many times to be wise with the information that they have, but they never listen. I asked Hapi what they've said, but I forgot about the rivalry those two had."

Dedue glances at the seer, trying to imagine a younger version of her in fierce competition with Besna. "Ah," he sighs, fully aware of how Hapi's snark could rise like a python, "what do you want to know?"

"What do you remember Besna saying?" Mehit asks, her reddish-grey eyes piercing as the two of them make eye contact. "It's more dangerous to be unknowingly half-informed than to be unknowingly uninformed. If there's something that confuses you, I will try my best to give you an answer from what I know."

"Do gratias tibi," he says, nodding his head. "They mentioned something about Kleiman's family?" (I give you my thanks.)

"Ah, the nothus in our sides right now," the Dux says. "Kleiman is a shifty person. He's actively blocked our communication with Novena. From what we can divine from the stars, the town is functioning, but we're nervous anyway."

"I'd be nervous too," Dedue admits. "But what about his kids? I didn't even know he had any."

Mehit sadly smiles. "I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't the only one who didn't. Jebu told me that he's pretty sure Kleiman tried to say that he was simply raising his son and daughter to fully take on the 'lands' that they 'own'."

He can hear the light touches of sarcasm in her voice, dancing around her intentions. "Hm, is that so?" he mutters. "I wonder if Sylvain knows anything about that."

"You can ask him during the First Night Festival tonight," Mehit tells him, pointing at the full moon in the sky. "We made sure to have extra food and drink, just in case."

Later that night, after the meal, Dedue sees the village subtly transforms with the magic of a Night Festival, one of the three festivals that celebrate the founding of Duscur over the chilliest months. The crystals placed around buildings seem to glow brighter as people bring out instruments and mark a space in the main area for people to dance. The sounds and smells of meat frying on grills over flames starts wafting through the air as a band starts to play, a jaunty tune signalling people that the festivities have officially started. He simply waits a bit for the food he ate earlier to finish settling in his stomach before he starts thinking about stepping onto the dance floor, watching as Baila makes herself at home in the center of it.

Cibor joins him on the sidelines. "Hey," the messenger says as a greeting. "Plan on dancing anytime soon?"

"Maybe," Dedue answers, shrugging his shoulders. "Are you going to dance with someone?"

"Maybe?" Cibor bounces back and forth on the balls of his feet. "I mean, I might want to dance in the official binisalta, but I'm actually kind of tired. Too used to going to sleep with the sun."

"Don't push yourself to stay awake," Dedue says, looking away from the dance floor as a man rolls out a barrel and lifts it onto a raised surface before tapping it. "It's probably for the best that we take tomorrow and the next night to rest before we head on to Novena."

Cibor sighs in relief. "That sounds good enough. Should I go around and ask everyone what they think?"

"If it'll keep you awake," Dedue jokes.

"Let's pray it will," Cibor says, smirking. "Wish me luck. If I have time, maybe I'll catch you in the binisalta."

Dedue gives the messenger a quick wave. "Godspeed. Try not to step on my toes if I dance with you."

"You have armored sandals," is the last thing that the blond tells him before dashing away, and Dedue sighs and rolls his eyes at the short man's antics. Now standing alone again, he finds himself bored and notices that there are some people around the tapped barrel. Curious, he walks over and catches Hapi's attention as she walks away, holding an earthenware cup filled with a dark liquid.

"Hey, D," the seer says casually, sipping her drink. "What's up?"

"What's in the barrel?"

"Oh." Hapi smirks as she takes another sip. "Henny's Eye-Opener."

"Henny's Eye-Opener?"

She sighs and shakes her head, simply holding out an empty hand right before someone else places a cup in it, which she holds out for him to take. "It's nothing strong, some watered down pombe mixed with fruit juice. Only a tiny kick to it."

The name clicks into place. "Ah, Henricus' Eye-Opener," Dedue utters, remembering the story of the drunk man who founded the city named after him.

"Yep," Hapi remarks, still calmly sipping hers. "Don't spill yours, everyone gets a limit of one cup tonight, and Eset is terrifyingly good at knowing if you've already had a cup."

Dedue takes a sip from his own, slightly wincing at the light burn as the liquid travels down his throat. "This isn't dangerous, right?"

"Eh, don't worry," Hapi states, beginning to walk away, "anything that could go wrong will be fixed before it can. And no one who's working with the food or the flames is gonna get a sip of this stuff." And just like that, she's gone, making her way towards Adrista and Tayet.

Dedue just looks down at the rest in his cup and shrugs, deciding to live for tonight and drink the rest of it. As soon as he finishes, Besna plucks the cup out of his hand as they walk past, and as he coughs from the burn of the alcohol, he feels the night air warm up slightly. Bryn approaches with a cup of water. "Everything alright?" they ask, holding it out for him.

He takes the cup and drinks it before responding. "I'm fine. I just don't think I'll ever drink that quickly again."

"Yeah, not a big fan of alcohol," Bryn says sympathetically. "I know that Dad could do some cool fire-breathing tricks with a good bottle, but that was one of the first things I nearly burned the house down with."

"The anti-Henricus of our generation," Dedue mutters, simply holding out the now empty cup as Besna again takes it from him, walking away to wherever they were being cleaned.

Bryn looks both amused and confused. "How did they know you were done?"

"It probably has something to do with the stars," Dedue remarks, rolling out his shoulder as he waits for any after effects to make themselves present. "How are you doing?"

"I'm pretty good," Bryn croons, an excited flame dancing in their eyes. "I think I'd rather be in the forges, of course, but all in all? Pretty great. Why'd you ask?"

"Just wondering," Dedue says, the echoes of Mehit's words about being half-informed and his own theories about the Agarthans starting to march through his brain.

"Hey, stop wondering about dull stuff!" Bryn advises, reaching up and ruffling his hair. "At least use tonight to relax. It's a festival, for Duscur's sake!" Dedue can still feel the heat of their hand on his scalp after they remove it, and it's nice in the quickly cooling night air. "Promise me you'll try to relax?"

"Bryn-"

"Aht aht," Bryn cheerfully admonishes, eyes light and teasing as they look past him. "I'm pretty sure the binisalta is about to begin, and I want to start off with my wonderful partner just so they can put me to shame on the dance floor. You should attempt to do the same."

Dedue can feel his face heat up as Bryn gives him a look that screams that they know something. He sighs, fully aware that Bryn would actually drag him onto the dance floor and find him a partner if he didn't go himself. "Alright, I'll go. You menace."

Bryn ruffles his hair again with a chuckle. "Love you too, tellulus." The music pauses for a few moments before starting the opening bars of the binisalta, the welcoming melody beckoning for people to partner up for the traditional dance. "And that's my cue," they say. "If I don't see you dancing with someone by the second partner, I will make sure you have a third."

"I know you will," Dedue says, noticing Adrista and Rius approaching the two of them. Rius takes Bryn aside, the two of them making their way to the dance floor. Dedue takes Adrista's hand and the two of them walk onto the floor, setting up face to face, palm to palm, main arm outstretched and their other arm behind their back. "I thought you'd dance with Hapi first," Dedue remarks, waiting for the music to guide them into the first partner dance.

"Hapi wanted to spend more time catching up with her best friend," Adrista says. "She says that if we aren't able to dance now, we can dance again later."

The music swells before breaking, and the first phase of the binisalta starts. Dedue focuses on the footwork for a moment, making sure that he works with Adrista to keep their palms connected and not stumble. "That's adorable," he says teasingly, smiling as Adrista rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, she is," she says, and the two of them cross, Adrista spinning under his arm. "And that's why I love her. But I did not pick you as a partner to be teased for being in love, you hypocrite."

"Me, a hypocrite?" Dedue muses, stepping back to accommodate Adrista's step into his space. "That's harsh."

"It's true," Adrista smirks, easily doing the somewhat tricky footwork before sliding backwards. "Just because you can't mention how you blush at Ashe-"

"I didn't know anyone else could see that," he mutters. She giggles. He then does the same steps that she did, still silent as he's thinking about what she said.

"It's not too obvious," Adrista tells him, her eyes bright, soft, and warm as they cross one last time. "You just act the same way around him as you did around Morain. And Ulis. And-"

"Ugh," Dedue groans, shaking his head, "please don't remind me of myself back then."

"But it's fun to see you blush about it," she jokes, voice light and joking. "Now, as long as you don't give him any flowers he's allergic to-"

"He's not allergic to any," he says, remembering the many hours spent in the monastery greenhouse with Ashe.

Adrista giggles. "Wow. I would bet you even know his favorite flower."

Dedue feels his face heat up and glances at the ground. He knows it's violets. Adrista's grin gets wider. Luckily, before she says anything, the few bars of music that signal a change in partners occur, and Dedue takes the opportunity to respectfully bow and nod at Adrista before turning around and meeting his next partner.

Who is the sniper that Adrista was just quietly grilling him about. Terrae causa-

"Hello there," Ashe says, a light rose coloring his cheeks, probably from dancing. He holds out his palm. "I just learned from Baila guiding me through it, but you don't mind dancing with me, right?"

"Of course I don't," Dedue answers, placing his palm over Ashe's. His heart skips a beat when he sees that the archer's hand fits perfectly in his own. The two of them nod at each other just before the second playing of the binisalta proper begin; when the music starts, they begin to stumble their way through the dance. At multiple times, Dedue has to use his off hand to help guide Ashe through the trickier steps, especially with the cross, considering that Baila would have spun under Ashe and now Ashe spins under him.

"Hopefully I'm not too bad," Ashe jokes, stepping forward as Dedue steps aside to give him the space. "Baila was giggling the entire time."

"You're doing well," Dedue consoles. "I don't think any of us can keep up with Baila."

"Even the man who won the last White Heron Cup?"

He chuckles, blushing as he has to nudge Ashe by his waist. "Especially him. If she's teasing you-"

"She isn't," Ashe says quickly, shaking his head. "She was just talking about how nice it is that I'm travelling with you all. She called me, er, patruelis? That's not a bad thing, right?"

"No, it isn't," Dedue says, chuckling at the captain's actions. "It's a term of endearment. She considers you close to her, like a cousin."

"Oh," Ashe utters, and Dedue quietly steps forward, softly using his offhand to make sure he doesn't accidentally bump into the man. "That's nice."

Dedue allows himself the mental focus to get through most of the footwork before responding. "I'm sure she'll be glad to hear that," he remarks. "I know that Cibor's practically adopted you, and most of the group probably considers you in the same light." When he backs up, he notices that Ashe's cheeks are slightly redder in the moonlight.

"Most of the group?" the sniper repeats in a curious tone. Dedue nearly freezes as he realizes what he's unconsciously admitted. Hopefully Ashe doesn't- "I guess you also see me like a cousin, then?"

Dedue can feel his heart, already beating quickly from dancing and nerves, tremble slightly as he tries to keep his voice even. "I would-" he coughs to attempt to hide the way his voice cracks like parched ground. "I would say that to me, you are- you're someone very special," he admits, slightly relieved that they're crossing again, face hot as Ashe spins under his arm, the sniper momentarily unable to see if he's blushing. "Patruelis isn't the right word."

"What is the right word?" Ashe asks as they both bow. Dedue doesn't know if he should feel like he's on the edge of a cliff, but his heart and brain sure act like it.

Luckily, or unluckily, just before he tries to stammer through an answer, the transfer music for the final binisalta begins, and people start walking around the floor to pick their final partner, incidentally splitting him off from the sniper. Dedue takes the event as a blessing and turns around, barely taking two steps before Besna slides in front of him, hand outstretched. "Care to dance?"

Dedue looks down at their hand, not fully comfortable with the idea. "Promise not to show off and I will," he states. Besna considers the proposal for a few moments before nodding their head, and Dedue connects his palm to theirs just in time for the final swaft of music to start. Where Adrista was casual and Ashe was cautious, Besna is deliberate, moving as if they already know how Dedue would move and react to their choreography to the centimeter.

"So, how long are you guys going to stay?"

Dedue shrugs. "I'm currently trying to figure that out." There's a faint buzz in the back of his head as they cross, and he realizes that he's somewhat hungry. "Why do you want to know?"

"Eh," Besna shrugs. "We don't get a lot of new people here. Just curious. You're a pretty interesting guy, Molinaro."

"Thank you?"

"Don't mention it," they say as Dedue steps forward and they yield space. "If you're staying the night, there's definitely enough space for everyone to sleep well. That dwelling next to ours is actually empty, Sebe and Mandul moved in with their partners moons ago."

He steps back and nods to show his thanks. The two of them cross one last time. "I'll do my best to remember that."

The two of them bow, and Besna has a grin on their face. "Have a good night, Duscis Defensor," they state, the last few bars of the binisalta dancing through the air. "Try to keep your wits about you, alright? The food is over by the band." (Duscur's Defender)

Most of the Bronze Hawks wake up late into the morning, the sun in the middle of the sky when Dedue pulls on his pants and fastens his sandals, foregoing the armor for today.

"Morning," he tells Mihail as he enters the kitchen, smelling food already cooked.

"Afternoon," Mihail says, sliding over a plate already made. "Want to hear what your messenger did?"

Dedue pauses just before he lifts the fork, looking up at Mihail. "What did your cousin do?"

"Woke me up at some ungodly hour in the morning just to have me double check a possible itinerary and plans for today to prepare for it," the ambassador mutters, sliding over a piece of parchment with familiar scribbling on it. "Now that I'm actually awake, it's pretty good."

Dedue looks over the plans as he hears other people enter the kitchen. After quickly reading it, he slides it away from him, satisfied at what Cibor drew up. Dorothea sighs as she takes a seat next to him. "Good afternoon, Duei. What's the plan?"

He takes a bite of his food, tapping the paper. As he eats his lunch, the paper gets passed around to anyone in the kitchen who asks for it, and soon, everyone is sitting in the room, talking about what needs to be done today and dividing tasks out for the day.

Dedue heads out into the small forest with an ax to get a small amount of firewood for any camping uses. The task is simple, and reminds him of working with Jule in Silvae when he was 12 or 13, just getting used to the way an ax swung.

He spends a good hour in the forest, finding suitable trees and snapping the branches off first for kindling to use before actually felling them. The few short trees that he takes down fall easily, and he spends the rest of time cutting out logs from all the trunks, and then splitting those logs into quarters. It's a tiring job, and by the time Dedue is back in Arit proper, carrying the two bags of lumber, his waterskin is empty and the sun is pitching closer to evening.

Bryn and Towen look at him as he places the bags down near them, outside the door of their temporary dwelling. "That's a lot of firewood," Bryn says, eyes flickering between the two bags.

"Don't say I've done nothing for you," he pants, sitting down next to them. "We're giving half of the wood to Arit, right?"

The two of them nod. "Eset said that she and Sebe would be around soon to pick it up," Towen tells him, holding out an extra waterskin. Dedue takes it with thanks, drinking it as they continue to talk. "Right now, we're mostly done with preparations for the day. All we need to do is make sure that we have a good amount of dried snacks and fruits for the trip there."

"That can wait a while, right?"

"Eh," Bryn groans, standing up. "You're pretty tired and worn out, so what you need to do is go wash up, change into cleaner clothes, and take it easy for the rest of the day. Clear?"

"As a blue sky," Dedue mutters, feeling somewhat awkward at being told to go do nothing for a while. "Are you sure that-"

"Aht aht," Towen says, shoulder-length locs swinging as they shake their head. "Go take a break. And be sure to soak your shoulder in hot water, I know it still bugs you every now and then."

"Iero et facero id, parenta," he jokes as the two older Duscis start to walk away from him, chuckling as they both turn around and give him an amused look. (I will go and do that, parents.)

He takes a few moments to himself on the ground, twisting a blade of grass in his hands. For a moment, he thinks he sees a flower reach toward his hand like his mother and father would whenever they would cook or be in the forges, and he grins at the thought of them still looking out for him.

Then the wind shifts and he gets a strong smell of himself, immediately getting up and making his way to the bathhouse.

Before they leave the village, just when the sun is going over the trees, Besna and Mehit stop them at the gates, giving them cloaks enchanted to shield them from the cold air and wind. Dedue takes his cloak, colored in the same dark blue as his armor pieces, and puts it on, surprised at how well it fits. "Do gratias tibi, Dux Mehit." (I give you my thanks, Dux Mehit.)

"Sum felix dari quod," Mehit says with a warm smile and a hug. "Ite. Este magnum, vos." (I am glad to receive it. Go. Be great, all of you.)

They wave at the mother and child as they leave Arit, making their way down one of the mountains and back to the path through the Sacred Gwenhwyvar.

A familiar ache in his right shoulder prompts him to say, "Imber venit," at the same time as Mihail and Cibor say it; the two cousins give him a weird look when he does so, used to being the ones who were good at pointing that out. (Rain's coming.)

"Fis vetus, Dedue," Mihail says as they stop for camp early so that Rius can add onto his wards to keep them dry. A good number of people laugh, mostly those who are older than both of them. (You're getting old, Dedue.)

"Numquam odi te," Dedue chuckles, walking over to help him set up a tent. It takes the two of them a good while, but when they step back from a completed tent, there's a campfire in the middle of a ring of tents. "Sentisne?" (I dislike you sometimes. How do you feel?)

"Fessus," Mihail sighs, taking a seat on the ground. "Dicene sum dormiens?" (Tired. Can you tell [the others] I'm sleeping?)

"Eh, we can already tell," Sylvain says casually, handing over some fruit as he joins in on the conversation. "I'm surprised you didn't hear Adrista and Dorothea planning to make you go to sleep."

"I did," Mihail yawns, rolling back into the tent. His voice was muffled and quieter, as if he was fighting sleep. "Except I also heard them celebrate after I gave Dorothea a high five."

Dedue shares an impressed look with Sylvain as the light sound of someone sleeping drifted through the thin canvas. Sylvain whistles quietly. "I should've asked Hubert to teach me that trick while we were in the Academy."

He's shaken awake by the sound and force of lightning striking the ground close to the warded clearing. For a few moments, as he's blinking sleep out of his eyes and making his way out of the tent, he thinks that Cibor has had a nightmare and accidentally brought down a lightning bolt before seeing the messenger by the fire, chatting with Dorothea as they're on watch. "Salvete."

"Salve," they chorus back, Dorothea waving at him. "The storm finally woke you up, Duei?"

Dedue shrugs, looking up to see the rain impact the top of the magical dome before running down the sides of it. "Guess it did."

"Yeah, you're not the first one," Cibor says, holding out some dried meat. Dedue takes it and starts eating, letting the two people officially on watch talk for a while, only occasionally stepping in to make a comment every now and then.

It takes some time, but soon the monotonous weather and the drone of the continuous rain hitting the dome and the ground around them lulls Dedue into a state of sleepiness, and with a yawn, he bids the other two goodnight as he heads back into the tent he shares with Mihail, falling asleep.

They reach the outskirts of Novena by the next afternoon, and it looks dull. The last time Dedue was here, he had seen the people work together to at least visually fix up dusty and somewhat cracked houses, placing family colors on old stone and giving a sense of vibrancy to the area while plans were being made to help them keep their land.

Now? Now fractured stone walls are back to their original blend of greys, the only color on them in the form of banners in a familiar light blue shade with a familiar crest of a knight on a flying creature: a clear sign that some official business from Faerghus was involved.

The group is tense as they wait for Cibor and Mihail to come back, the two of them sent off because they would be best at avoiding capture if caught scouting. Dedue tries to track them as far as he can through the earth, but the two cousins have passed the outer boundary of his senses some time ago, and without any wind or lightning coming back towards them to pass along information, Dedue finds himself very worried for their safety, constantly pacing back and forth.

"You know," Adrista says as he passes her again, "if you keep that up, you'll wear the ground out."

"It'll match my nerves then," he remarks, barely pausing. "Do you think it's been too long? Should someone send them a message?"

"You're worrying too much," Rius tells him, tome open in front of them. "Remember how well the two of them could hide back in Silvae?"

"Before Cibor ever touched 150cm and Mihail was constantly aching?" Dedue snaps, before sighing and shaking his head. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"I accept the apology," Rius says, rolling their eyes. "I fully get being constantly stressed, remember? Fear of retaliation as a kid?"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about that again," Adrista questions, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Rius shrugs. "There's not much time before we actually have to start being in a war," they say, voice slightly lower, "and I've been- hesitant, in actually working to keep up with whatever progress I had. So I might as well do as much as I can before everything kicks off."

"That makes sense," Dedue remarks. "It's nice to know that you're more comfortable about it. I feel like I should apologize for dragging you into a war."

"And that's what we're not going to do," Rius remarks, waving their partner over. "I definitely prefer being here with you and everyone else than where I would be without you all. Fighting against the scarily militaristic and nationalist Kingdom."

"But hopefully we won't have to do that," Adrista says cheerily, always the optimist. "Maybe we can just get Kleiman to give up and do whatever he and his family did before all this."

"And maybe they didn't do anything before this and faded away into nothing but ash," Bryn jokes, hugging Adrista before giving Rius a peck on the cheek.

Dedue laughs. "That would be a dream for a lot of people."

When the cousins return, they look grim. "It's not good," Cibor says, voice trembling. Dedue can tell that he's badly shaken. "Rius, do you have any way to hide all of us while we move?"

"Er, potentially," the scholar answers, their brow furrowing. "Give me a few moments?"

As they start pulling out tomes and going over notes, Towen speaks up. "How bad is it?"

"It's bad," Mihail mutters, shaking his head. "Thankfully, Ductor Icarin is still alive, but it looks like Kleimain has a hold over the entire town. Barely anyone was actively doing anything. People were nervous walking down the street. And there's a lot of knights patrolling everywhere."

"Oh no," Sylvain says, "do you think that this is official Kingdom business?"

"Couldn't tell," Cibor admits. "We were barely able to reach the Ductor, talk to him, and leave without getting caught."

"Is it safe for all of us to go together?" Dorothea asks, concerned. "I mean, Cibor is the quickest person here, and Mihail can actively fly, and they had trouble."

"We can't do much from outside Novena," Baila argues. "We'll just have to be really, really careful."

"And hope that Bookworm has that spell they've been looking for," Hapi cuts in, looking through one of Rius' tomes. "Find anything yet?"

"Maybe," they hum, standing up and looking around in the way that they would as a kid, silently measuring different distances with their eyes. "It's a close fit. The spell, notice-me-not, has a somewhat short range, 15 meters."

"We'll have to leave the horses behind," Adrista says, already getting up to start tying the reins to trees. Sylvain moves to join her.

"And I can't move while concentrating on it."

Everyone freezes. "That makes things difficult," Bryn notes. "Can you not move, period? Or can you just not take a step yourself?"

"Uh, the latter," Rius answers. "Why?"

Dedue can see everyone slowly turn to look at either him or Baila. The captain smirks as she flexes an arm. "Bride, safety, or straddle?"

Dedue ends up bridal carrying the scholar as the Bronze Hawks mouse their way into the streets of Novena, their ambassador and mentor silently guiding them through the town. As they work to avoid the patrols of knights in the noonday sun, Dedue sees how drained everything looks, the streets practically barren and devoid of any sign that Duscis live here.

They turn a corner, and next to a scorched plot of land, there's a Duscis man and two Kingdom knights.

"Travel tax," a knight says in a bored tone, as if he's done this many times before. "5 gold."

"5 gold?" the Duscis man asks. "I thought it was 3?"

Both knights scowl. "The Viscount has said that the war efforts are taxing for everyone," the other knight says, voice low and threatening. "If you want to see how taxing they are…"

Dedue is close enough to see fear enter the Duscis' eyes. "Of course, of course," the man says, slowly pulling out a coin purse and handing over 5 gold. The knights stand in his way for a bit too long before they disengage, making their way down the street. The Duscis man looks like he wants to run to wherever he is going, but settles for a slow walk, inadvertently walking alongside the Hawks.

There are many looks thrown around the small dome of secrecy before Hapi and Towen nod. Cibor glances around the area quickly and steps out when he sees no guards. "Step in," he mutters.

The man seems to get over his surprise quickly, happily stepping into the notice-me-not. "Thank you," he whispers, hands trembling. "Nearly every knight asks for a tax, and now that it's more, I don't know how I'll get food."

"What happened to the community gardens?" Mihail asks.

"They were burned by the knights years ago," the man answers sadly. "I felt the earth cry that day." Focusing on the burned land, Dedue can feel nothing from it. A lack of nutrients and life that exists around it. "Now we have to buy food from the Kingdom, and all attempts to grow our own are- well…"

"We need to go talk to Ductor Icarin," Baila mutters, her hand itching towards her ax. "If Kleiman is acting this way here, who knows how the rest of Duscur is being treated."

"Stay safe," the man says, glancing around the area. "I have things to do here. Agete bene." (Do your best.)

The man slips off into a nearby building, and the group continues moving, the home of the Ductor a few blocks down. When they arrive, it's obvious that the presence of guards is much higher than it usually is. So the group climbs through one of the open windows, Mihail going in first to greet the man and prepare him for the arrival of everyone else, who all make sure they're out of sight of any windows.

Icarin looks like he's been constantly battered over the past 5 years, eyes tired and weary, hunched posture, and generally surrounded by an air of unkemptness. From where he is in the room, Dedue can see the armor in the corner, yellow chestplate covered in dust and rust, and spiked helmet missing the left horn, as if it had rusted off and withered away. "Salvete," Icarin says, voice grim. "Est iucundus vos videre." (Greetings. It's nice to see you all.)

"Salve, Ductor Icarin," Mihail says, nodding.

"What happened to you?" Sylvain whispers, the look of horror on his face since their arrival not diminishing at all.

Icarin grins, showing a missing tooth or two. "Nothing too serious, my friend. Nothing that hasn't already been fretted over." His eyes sweep the room until they land on Dedue, lighting up slightly. "It's nice to see that you're still alive, Dedue. Especially after the scare we had from Prince Dimitri years ago."

Dedue wonders for a second what would have caused Dimitri to ride all the way out here before it hits him. "He thought that Mihail and I came here after fleeing the monastery."

"It would seem so," the Ductor says with a shrug. "The commotion he caused was enough for Kleiman to catch on to the fact that there suddenly was very little official support for us, And he took the opportunity to call upon some knights and terrorize the entire town."

"It's like how Petra described the Empire making Brigid a vassal state," Dorothea murmurs, "except this wasn't even part of a war. You were just attacked."

"Ah, I'm glad that you're able to identify our plight, Ms…"

"Dorothea."

"Thank you. But yes, the type of violence that we've experienced is one usually not seen in war," Icarin muses. "But it is one I've heard of, back when I was Bellum: occupation."

"Bet the Kingdom doesn't call it that," Hapi and Sylvain say at the same time.

"Of course not," Icarin says. "Kleiman is hiding behind his title, even though he's pocketing the money that the Kingdom gives him and charging us out of our noses. And he's cut away all forms of communication between the towns. There are whispers that Henrici has wrenched themselves out of his grip, but there's nothing to confirm them, especially with his three generals."

"His children?" Adrista guesses.

"They could be. People have only seen two of them, and they do look like their nothus of a father." Bryn and Baila grin at the insult. "They constantly threaten us with the third, and I don't think that we can comfortably handle dealing with any other force."

"We can handle that," Dedue says, while other people also chime in with assurances. "Has any of the knights tried to directly kill someone?"

"Not yet, benedice Duscur," Icarin states, placing a hand over his heart in thankfulness. "We've had some close calls, especially with some of the victories in the war by Count Rowe. The knights get bolder, and when they get bolder, it's more dangerous."

That sends a shiver down Dedue's spine. A number of people present also gasp in realization. "Has word reached here about Garreg Mach?" Towen asks.

The Ductor looks confused. "No? What happened at Garreg Mach?"

"The prince, Dimitri, has been rumored to have single-handedly taken it back over," Dedue says, remembering Khalid's recent letter, filled with information he got from Hilda being a spy for him. "No matter what the truth is, the Kingdom now has the upper hand in positioning-"

"With the monastery being central to the entire continent," Icarin finishes, eyes wide. "When the soldiers hear about this-"

"It would be very dangerous for anyone not from the Kingdom," Rius says, looking horrified. "Who knows what they would do next if they feel emboldened."

The rest of their conversation does nothing to comfort Dedue. In fact, every transgression of Kleiman's against his people only has him wanting to stand up, walk out of the door, and punch the viscount in the face. Repeatedly.

They leave at nightfall, Baila carrying Rius this time as they also use shadows from the buildings to further hide themselves from the knights patrolling the city. They nearly leave the city proper, ready to return to the nearby clearing before Dedue silently entices everyone to head around to the front of Novena, where there would be a clear view of the Kleiman House.

Or what was the Kleiman House. Dedue sees pink when his eyes first catch on the sign that reads, "Kleiman Manor''. His anger grows worse as he looks at the grandiose building behind it, draped in extravagant and gaudy blue ribbons that seem to cover every inch of the white marble facade.

He isn't really aware of how long he's stared at the manor, only really aware of Towen and Baila whispering and pointing out strategic points of entry. When they finally return to the clearing, and Rius sets up a ward combined with notice-me-not, Dedue falls asleep dreaming about shaking the earth and bringing the manor down.

"Is everyone ready?" Hapi asks, sitting on top of her horse, Celer. "Fully armed, knows what the plan is?"

There's a chorus of yes in answer, Dedue making sure that his killer knuckles are strapped to his waist before he joins the rest of them, standing in between a somewhat nervous Ashe and a grinning Baila.

The sun seems to follow them to Kleiman Manor, directly in the sky as they remain in the treeline, Dedue carrying Rius as they remain cloaked by the scholar's notice-me-not.

Sylvain and Dorothea take a few moments to ready themselves before the redhead spurs his horse on forward, galloping at a quick pace. The rest of the Bronze Hawks watch the two of them as Sylvain yells that he needs help, and that Dorothea is injured. It works even better than they planned it to, with both decoys almost immediately funneled into the manor.

"Well," Bryn says as the doors close, "that's neat. Ready for part two?"

Rius gives them a thumbs up as he continues chanting, and Ashe nocks an arrow. Mihail focuses for a bit, and soon he's holding a miniature twister in his hands.

They slowly walk out of the treeline, somewhat hesitant and nervous about getting immediately spotted. When none of the knights seem to notice them, they walk quicker; all ten of them find a comfortable route in between two guards that guides them to the front of the manor.

"Guard, center right," Adrista whispers, and Ashe pulls back on his bow, a blunt training arrow primed and ready to knock out the target as soon as it's clear to do so. Mihail whispers into his twister before tossing it outwards, the gust of wind flying to the guard next to their target and distracting her. As soon as she isn't physically able to see the guard, Ashe's arrow flies fast and true, striking the guard on the side of his head. They move quickly as the guard collapses, using the chaos to mask their steps going up the wooden stairs.

No one in the notice-me-not seems to breathe as the guards constantly move past them, unaware of the ten people kept just outside of their perception. Thankfully, their hurried and formal conversations cover and mask Rius' chanting, and the group is now just a few feet away from the door that should open soon, with Sylvain running out and yelling about how Kleiman "passed out", not mentioning how it was thanks to Dorothea magically putting him to sleep.

The door swings open with violent force, and Dedue feels his heart sink when he sees the viscount step out onto the porch, visibly fuming, with his short navy blue hair noticeably ruffled as if he was just in a fight. "I need guards to my office right now to detain the two guests," he sneers, "as they have just attempted to attack me. They're asleep now, so it shouldn't be too-"

Towen curses under their breath, and with a startle, Dedue realizes that the flushed, angered, and somewhat gaunt face of Viscount Kleiman is staring directly at them in a moment of disbelief. "What the-"

"Effuge!" Dedue shouts, immediately dashing to get off of the porch with everyone else. There's the sound of the wind blowing furiously, a thunderclap, two whistles, and weapons unsheathing, and when Dedue turns around, a somewhat comfortable distance away, the rest of the Duscis are with him, arming themselves and preparing to fight. (Retreat!)

Kleiman has a look of irritation on his face as he walks down the stairs, robes swaying with a threatening air. "Ah, even more Duscur scum to-" he pauses, and Dedue can tell when he recognizes him. "You!"

"Us," he remarks calmly, stepping in front of Adrista and Hapi as they calm their respective mounts. "We have come to ask you for a favor."

The viscount looks like he would rather try to eat a sword than speak with him. "I wouldn't care if your favor would grant me as much money and materials as I could ever ask for, brat. I won't waste my energy to hear it. Now, why don't you run along-"

Dedue stomps to startle the man, the entire property feeling the light tremors. "I suggest that you listen to me, Viscount," he says, speaking clearly and slowly so that every word can be heard by every person in the area. "We do not ask for much," he continues, silently causing the ground underneath him to bend a bit and exaggerate the already extreme height difference he has with most of the people here. "All we ask is that you give back the land that you stole. You leave it alone. And you leave with grace and dignity."

"Are you joking?!" Kleiman shouts, a vein popping out on his forehead. "You're lucky that I haven't asked the knights to slaughter on sight like we should have done the moment you arrived! As it stands-" the viscount unfolds his arms, and dark metal rings glimmer on each hands "-with help from both the Kingdom and my benefactors, it will be even easier to remove you scum now than it was the first time. And I very much enjoyed it the first time."

Dedue has held eye contact with the count this entire time, and there's honest malice and greed in those eyes, a pure confidence that unnerves him for a second. "Este sanum," he whispers to the others, noticing the knights starting to ride in from Novena proper to join the opposing ranks.

"Knights of Faerghus!" Kleiman crows, "Take out these blights! Keep the short one with white hair alive, my benefactors have been wondering where their little pet project ran off to."

"Pugnamusne?" Ashe whispers back to him. (Are we fighting?)

Dedue sighs as the first knights start charging at them, horses moving quickly, but still relatively far away. "We are," he says, not even trying to lower his voice now that Kleiman's made his decision. "Prepare yourselves! Try not to murder anyone, only incapacitate. Move to capture Kleiman." That is all the words he's able to get out he has to dodge and strike two armor knights, strategically aiming at the spot where he knew it was difficult to see coming and difficult to protect in a surprise attack. Both knights drop to the floor, and he barely feels the impact of the pegasus knight's lance as it hits him on his shoulder, simply grabbing the lance and throwing the rider off of her mount. He looks back up to face the viscount, who's face seems paler at his display. "Care to reconsider, Viscount?"

"Keep the tall one alive too," Kleiman snarls, backing up and allowing a larger group of knights to rush past him. "I want to see how he reacts to some of my own experiments."

With the knights rushing towards them, the Bronze Hawks charge forward. An arrow flies past Dedue to take out a brawler, he himself dealing with a second pegasus knight quickly. A knight shouts before suddenly passing out, and light flashes around him as Adrista sends spells into the fray. There's the sound of thunder as Cibor and Ashe appear, and with a nod, Dedue sends a bit of the earth's energy into the messenger, setting him up to reach out and grab the armor of a knight, zapping them unconscious. Another pegasus knight flies down and attempts to thrust her lance at Dedue, and he simply sidesteps the attack and uses her momentum to guide her into the ground behind him.

When he's through with the current threats around him, he looks up to see Adrista, Mihail, and Towen dealing with a second battalion of knights, easily coming together to handle the threats. He turns and notices that Kleiman is watching the battle unfold, feverishly tinkering with items too small for him to see right now. "Cibor?"

"Yes?" The messenger disengages from a foe, letting Baila's axe take care of them.

Dedue points directly at the viscount. "Can you get some of us over to him?"

Cibor quickly glances at where he's pointing, judging the distance. "I can land right on top of him," he states with a grin, starting to spark with lightning.

"Good. Bryn! Rius! Ashe!" Dedue stands next to the shorter man, feeling his hair stand on its end. "We're going after Kleiman."

As soon as all of them are ready, Cibor bolts, and with a clap of thunder, they suddenly appear in front of the dark bishop, the man startled, but not rattled. Dedue takes the opportunity to try and ambush Kleiman, running forward and delivering two swift punches that he thinks fully connected, but Kleiman looks no worse for wear. Instead, he summons his own lightning that crackles with a sickly rhythm; it assaults Dedue and leaves him breathless for a few moments. A ball of fire forces the noble back, and Dedue can see that one of the rings that Kleiman wears stops glowing as an arcane shield pops up to completely nullify the attack.

Now aware that something else is at play here, Dedue gets up and punches the man twice; he notices that two more shields come up to absorb the blows. With a quick glance down, he can see that none of the black rings glow with energy.

Two arrows strike Kleiman, and although more arcane shields pop up to block them, three rings shatter, one with one arrow that would've hit his shoulder and two with the arrow that would've been very close to blinding him in an eye.

Dedue catches on to what's happening when Rius' spell causes another ring to shatter. With a start, he suddenly notices a host of cavalry units approaching them. "Este paratum!" he yells out in warning. Being near Kleiman as he wielded magic feels oppressive, and Dedue feels a lance slide by his torso from behind, quickly whirling around and punching the knight, scaring the horse away from the battle. The sound of lightning crackling is the only warning he gets before Kleiman hits him again with magic, too far away for him to safely attempt to retaliate. There's the sound of scuffling nearby as the others near him deal with the knights who've appeared, everyone looking much better shape than him. (Be ready!)

"Abi, telllus," Bryn tells him, stepping forward and throwing another fireball as one of their metal trinkets breezes by them to also spit out flames. Dedue takes their advice and dashes back a bit, reaching into the earth to heal himself, alleviating most of the pain from the man's electricity. He watches as the other four fully lay into Kleiman, the man's rings blocking all of their attacks until they fully shatter, and the viscount starts to look nervous as he glances at his bare hands. (Fall back, little earth.)

"Holy Knights of Faerghus, to me!" he shouts, and with a glance back to where the other Duscis are, Dedue can see that most of the nights there have peeled off from fighting his friends, rapidly charging at them. The armor knights are closer though, and he plants himself, catching the blows of their axes and dispatching both in a timely fashion.

As soon as the second knight collapses, Dedue immediately rolls to dodge a fire spell; he gets caught in two others that specifically aim where he lands. Now used to the feeling of malevolent lightning, he dodges Kleiman's spell and rushes forward, seeing fear on the viscount's face. There's a relief that fills him as Rius' healing spell starts working, an old Duscis lullaby sung in his ear; he quickly straps on his killer knuckles before striking, delivering a nasty punch that knocks Kleiman back with a pained yell.

The noble tries to scramble backwards as Dedue glares at him, robes partially torn and eye quickly blackening. "Please," he begs, earlier confidence gone, "don't kill me. I'll tell you everything you want. I'll tell you all that I can. I'll let this town function on it's own-"

"Call off your men, Viscount," Dedue demands, still hearing the sounds of battle behind him. "Tell them to stand down, and we can talk after that."

The man with navy hair looks apprehensive about calling off the knights for a few moments. Those moments end swiftly when the earth rumbles beneath him.

The tip of Towen's rapier is kept squarely on the small of Kleiman's back as the group goes around Novena, calling off the guards left to occupy the town. Icarin joins them part way through it, looking relieved as he leans on his walking stick, hair now cleaner and better styled. He helps them deal with any more violent dissenters, his magic working to heal and aid them as they disarm every knight of Faerghus.

Dedue keeps an eye out for people who may need help, stepping in to block a blow or refresh an ally. Soon, the last knight is back at the manor, where they're being handled by Sylvain and Dorothea, Rius' glare and Ashe's bow helping to keep them in line.

"Where to now?" Towen asks him, rapier still on Kleiman's back.

He takes a few seconds to "think", both his act and the question planned earlier to make him look like the unequivocal leader. "Viscount, where is your office?"

"It's- it's on the second floor," the noble stutters. "I can guide you to it-"

"I do not think that will be necessary," Dedue cuts in, noticing Baila furiously shake her head behind Kleiman in warning. "Please, tell me what room it is so we can make sure that it is comfortable for all of us."

"O- Of cou- course. Up the stairs, to the right, 2nd door on the right."

Dedue glances around the room, trying to see who would be best to deal with any traps. "Ashe? Take some of the others with you to the office. Let us know when it's safe to hold a meeting in there."

Ashe nods, signalling for Cibor and Baila to follow him up the stairs. As soon as they disappear, Dedue notices Kleiman frantically looking around the room, as if he's trying to garner sympathy from people. "Please hold still, Viscount. I know that my friend's sword is rather sharp at the point."

Kleiman freezes instantly. "I- I can give you gold," he whispers. "Supplies. Anything. Just- just allow me to walk freely and I won't even tell the Crown-"

"Mihail?"

The silence hits Kleiman faster than the noble can realize it, no sound coming out of the man's mouth as he continues talking for a few moments. Dedue holds eye contact with him as he stands up from the couch he was sitting in, Hapi sliding in from the side to take his seat in the spacious living room. "Please, hold," he orders. "We can talk about everything in the office. I promise that as long as you cooperate, you will not be hurt. But we have to talk first, because what you did to Duscur? To us? It's worse than despicable."

The viscount still attempts to talk, although the silence holds strong. Dedue simply looks away from the man standing in the center of the room and walks over to the base of the stairs, waiting for-

Cibor appears on the landing with a grin on his face. "There's no traps," he announces, "but a lot of interesting papers. Something about magical experiments and how much he likes to tinker?"

Dedue spares a glance towards the dark bishop, who seems like he's actively trying not to tremble. "Let's have a meeting then," he says, voice serious and flat. "I'm sure that the viscount will answer any questions we have."

In order to keep up with the image that he's the leader, Dedue takes the seat behind the big and heavy desk, its mahogany frame covered with different pieces of parchment. All of the other Duscis file into the stale room, and Kleiman is shepherded to sit in a rickety chair in the center, directly in front of him. Icarin joins them up there after a few moments, some of his men helping Sylvain and Dorothea keep the knights outside in line.

"Nos agere quae deinde?" Icarin asks. (What are we doing next?)

Dedue notices how Kleiman seems to squirm in his chair. "Manemus," he answers, staring Kleiman down as Mihail moves to open the window. "Si maneamus, Kleiman possit dicere." (We wait. If we wait, Kleiman could possibly start talking.)

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with," Kleiman snarls, and Dedue is somewhat impressed that the man has found a backbone in this situation. "Of course you primitive scum can't even-"

"Towen, immine eum." (Towen, threaten him.)

Towen's rapier flashes, ripping off the small metal plate that connects the draped sashes on the man's shoulders. "Stay quiet unless you have something useful to say," they mutter, keeping their weapon out and in sight. "And respect the Steadfast Hero."

"Thank you, Towen," Dedue states, pointedly looking down at the documents scattered on the desk. He gathers them together quickly and holds it out for Mihail to take. "Mihail, if you and Adrista could start looking through that, it would be very helpful."

With a grin, the two of them take the entire stack, handing some out to Hapi and Rius to help them. When Dedue looks back at the viscount, he seems to be even more nervous now, forehead shiny with the tiniest bit of sweat. "My apologies," the man whispers, voice shaking. "But I could just tell you about what those documents contain. They're very complicated, and it would take a well-trained mind to read those."

Dedue scoffs. "Luckily, those four are very studious," he tells the noble, seeing Kleiman slowly get paler and paler, right hand twitching. "But if there is anything that you think you should tell us, I would love to hear it."

"It was simply an exchange of knowledge, research, materials!" Kleiman says passionately, eyes nervously dipping to the tip of the rapier. "I needed some way to secure my family's fortune, our power-"

"If you're just going to continue talking about your intentions, you'll find no friends here," Dedue warns him. "What were you doing?"

"Aiding the dastards who experimented on me and Mihail," Hapi growls, staring at a piece of parchment in her hands. "This is a letter from Tomas. Three guesses as to why that name is familiar?"

"Solon," he sighs, sitting back in his chair.

"And with Solon, there was Kronya," Ashe states. "Who hid and acted like Monica before she killed Jeralt."

"Right, and in the mission after that, where they were both dealt with," Rius starts, looking like he was about to be sick, "was there any strange magic being used?"

"Yes?" Ashe answers, somewhat unsure of himself. "Solon used some magic on the professor to imprison them, and that's why their hair turned light green. I think."

Rius walks around the edge of the room and silently places a piece of parchment on the desk. Dedue looks down and reads it.

Viscount Kleiman,

I do hope you're finding use out of those arcane batteries we've given you. Your theorycrafting on dark spells is truly a talent, and it's no wonder that you were able to use your intellect to bring your family to the realms of power it has (and that you'll bring it to realms even further along).

I have plans to test this binding spell you've helpfully transcribed, and I will do my best to write back on the effects the binding has on a target. Maybe you can find a way to use this spell to innovate your farming technique and quell any dissidence from your territories.

In regards,

Tomas.

"Well, Viscount?" He looks back up and stares at the man. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"You would've done the same!" Kleiman spits, angrily shaking in his chair. "Your people and their dastardly magic and barbaric ways-"

"Mihail-"

Kleiman continues shouting when he's been silenced again, only stopping to reconsider his position when Towen's rapier and the axes of both Baila and Icarin are placed directly under his nose.

Dedue smiles and gives the three of them a warm nod. "Thank you." He stands up, head nearly brushing the ceiling in the office, afternoon sun reflecting off of the bronze coloring in his clothes. "But let it be known, Kleiman, that the only reason that you're sitting in that chair right now is because we wouldn't have done the same as you, you worm," he says, keeping his voice even and authoritative. "Although now that I've seen what you were doing to my fellow Duscis, and that you had plans for worsening it, I might change my mind and allow your body to have one good use as it decomposes in the ground."

The rage in the viscount's eyes turns to fear as Dedue walks around the desk and leans on the front of it, nothing in between the two of them now. Dedue looks behind the man to see that Cibor, Bryn, and Ashe all have some form of attack trained on the man, pinning him in the chair sixfold now while he's forced to look up at a large angle in order to keep eye contact with Dedue.

Dedue thinks that they've set the stage well, Kleiman truly believing that he's fully in charge of this whole thing. The viscount is still silenced, but he seems thoroughly cowed. Dedue breaks eye contact and glances at the four still looking through pieces of parchment. "Is there anything else?"

Adrista hands over a piece of parchment with a grim smile on her face. Dedue notices that only certain sections have been highlighted by her magic.

Maybe after I finish and perfect whatever magic I can, I'll help guide Faerghus away from that weak prince and make it more like the military power it's supposed to be. With myself as one of the main generals, of course…

I pray that you, Arundel, also see the mutual benefit of this relationship. I, personally, would love to have it continue for as long as it possibly can, for as much as we can both get from it…

...We can deal with threats in and out of Fodlan, as all other people are weak, their only strengths in the high numbers that they have because of their savage ways. Truth be told, they'll fold…

I do wonder about this place you name: Agartha. If it's such an intellectual wonder, I do suppose it makes sense to keep it a secret from all of the undesirables. Of course, I hope that the work we've done together should grant me some passage to it in the future…

Dedue hears the sounds of a slight struggle and looks up to see Kleiman trying to shove away all the weapons at his front. He's unsuccessful against the three trained fighters, but he has a lot of fight in him as his eyes seem glued to the parchment Dedue's holding in his hands.

"Save your energy, Kleiman," Dedue says, folding up the parchment and tucking it through the collar of his shirt, trying to signal to the man that he was no longer in control. "Use it to tell us where the rest of the evidence that you were planning to commit treason is."

Rius plucks a hair from Kleiman's head and uses it to ward him inside his own room, keeping the man in a magically binding house arrest to make it easier to monitor and depower him. Kleiman's raging voice is obvious as Dedue guides the scholar out of the house to regroup with everyone else, Icarin politely sliding out of the conversation to help his men keep the knights in check as Sylvain and Dorothea seem to be involved in it.

"Arundel? As in Edie's uncle?" Dorothea asks out loud, shock coloring her voice.

Sylvain shakes his head. "That means that not only was Kleiman potentially planning to overthrow the crown, but he also has a strong connection to the Empire,'" he says. "He'll be imprisoned for the rest of his life, at the very least."

"Which means that Duscur is free now?" Cibor queries.

"It's not likely," Sylvain testifies. "Revenue from the House of Kleiman is a big part of the Kingdom's budget. And since he made a lot of that money from Duscur…" He doesn't finish his sentence, but the implication that Faerghus would still try to control land that's never really belonged to them looms large and casts a shadow on them like a cloud.

"So," Baila starts hesitantly, "what's the plan now?"

"We have to keep the Kingdom from noticing anything too different from here," Bryn says. "It's pretty difficult to fix a problem you don't know exists in the first place."

Adrista looks somewhat queasy about keeping something secret. "And how do we do that?"

"I know enough about Crown communications that I can try to muddy the waters?" Sylvain questions. "I don't know if I can pull it off-"

"I can though," Dorothea quips with a smirk. "I had Hubert and Ferdinand constantly running around the monastery with the forgeries I wrote. If that office of his contains even more documents than what you've showed us, we'll be fine."

"Would you two mind staying here?" Dedue asks, impressed by how skilled the songstress has to be to consistently fool Hubert. Both Dorothea and Sylvain nod, and no one else seems to have any objections. "The rest of us need to try and figure out where the 3 generals of Kleiman's are. And-" the figurehead sighs, fully awarre that this conversation has to happen now- "we also need to have a chat about something I've been thinking about for a while."