July: Hoshido's Freedom

Shiro grinned as the march to Hoshido began. "Man, I can't wait to visit home! According to the spell, the Twilighter base is sorta near Fort Jinya. I can lead you right to it."

Cherry blossom trees paved their path, petals fluttering in the wind. Sophie's eyes widened at the sight. "This is so beautiful!"

Shiro boasted, "Yeah. It's pretty spectacular."

Annette basked in the beauty. "It's amazing! I don't think Fódlan has anything like this foliage. It would be amazing if we were able to take a few blooms back home to research more about this plant."

Shiro beckoned, "Go ahead! We're not going to miss one little flower!"

Annette plucked a flower from the tree. "Thanks! I can't wait to analyze it. Maybe I can figure out how to make them grow in Faerghus!"

Ingrid let out an unusual squeal. "That would really help liven up the barren wastelands! It might even attract more merchants and help the region prosper!"

Sophie sat with the thoughts that she was a failure of a future queen for not doing more for Nohr. "You should've argued more. You need to step it up. They'll never accept you. You may be Nohrian nobility on your father's side, but he left when he married your mother, the Queen of Valla. You're a stranger to them. You'll never fit in."

Caeldori turned to see her best friend with an expression of agony on her face. Her eyes looked strained and her mouth stretched in pain. Caeldori hustled over. "Sophie! I didn't get to properly thank you for helping Hoshido. You're doing such a compassionate thing!"

Sophie managed to nod. "You're welcome. It's nothing . . . really."

Caeldori scowled. "Your face says otherwise. You're pained. Please, we're best friends. Let's not hide things from each other. There's no need to hold yourself accountable for everything that happened. It's not your fault. I'm sure Nohr will gladly welcome you as its next queen. Besides, King Xander and Queen Hinoka adore you so much that I'm sure they would attack anyone who dared oppose you."

Sophie chuckled at the imagery. "I doubt they'd use violence. But thanks for the pep talk. I feel a little better."

Dorothea and Ferdinand observed the talk. Ferdinand commented, "I am glad to hear that Sophie is starting to accept the contents of that troublesome message."

Dorothea added, "I have to admit, I feel like the note was a fake. Like they wrote it at the last minute once they realized we were coming, to make us feel inadequate or that we failed."

Ferdinand guessed, "To take the zest out of our victory?"

Dorothea nodded. "Yes, but of course, I have no proof. Still, I have to wonder . . ."

Ferdinand complimented, "That extraordinary analysis will make you a genius in the Adrestian court!"

Dorothea made a face. "That's not exactly a compliment, considering that most weren't able to make the connection that I was the little orphan girl they spat on years ago."

Ferdinand joked, "To be fair, they most likely spat on plenty of orphans over the years. It is hard to recall one face over the dozens of others."

Dorothea glowered at the rising sun ahead of her, its rays winking as if mocking her. "I know you're kidding, but that might even be accurate. I hate Adrestian nobility. My father-who threw me and my mother out because I didn't have a crest, leaving us on the streets to starve and die-all those nobles who kicked me out of their way-and all those who used me as a date to parties so I could attend school in order to make themselves feel younger."

Ferdinand winced. "Yes, it is true that there is a lot of work to be done. However, I will make sure that no one will treat you like that ever again, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it will not to anyone else either."

Dorothea patted his shoulder reassuringly. "I wasn't meaning you. I know you already decreed noble houses taking in orphans as part of their staff to teach them a trade. The others . . . the others who step on the homeless orphans on their way to the opera house."

Ferdinand sighed. "Yes. I pray that they are able to eradicate the hate from their heart. If not, I suppose I must penalize them for their misdeeds."

The discussions continued until Shiro did a strange happy dance. "Alright, alright! The place the map led us to is nearby! Everyone, stay quiet to take the enemy by surprise!"

Gustave grumbled, "We're not the ones you need to remind."

Everyone silently inched towards the fort. As expected, as soon as the coast was clear, Shiro kicked down the door screaming, "THIS IS A RAID!"

A berserker bumbled over to him, raising his axe over Shiro's head. Linhardt smacked the axe out of his hand with a gust of Cutting Gale. "There's more than one of us, you know."

Dedue charged ahead, tearing the enemy apart with his own axe. Ingrid took to the air, covering him for any surprise magical attacks that would do more damage to him. She blocked a Miasma. "Do you honestly expect that I wouldn't see that? I was looking right at you when you cast it!"

Dimitri and Mary cut down gold knights. Mary gave one a particularly crushing blow. "Sadly for you, I've gotten a lot better at combat since coming here!"

Dimitri praised, "Well done! I'm glad the lessons I gave you are effective!"

Mary simpered. "Just doing my best for Faerghus!"

Severa took down a thief. "Pathetic! You people are insulting our abilities with this type of paltry performance!" She punched a knight with her free hand. "Seriously, this is ridiculous! When I was a child I was able to do better than this!"

A mercenary struck at her face. "Enough talking, more dying!"

Severa dodged and scored a blow to her shoulder. "Ha! You don't even realize it's the end, do you?"

The mercenary shot her a sick grin. "Oh, we know. After all, we're getting ready to initiate the final plans. LET'S GET THE DEATH MACHINE READY!"