#FreedomForCuba
Ladislava hadn't become a commander in the Imperial army by handling surprises poorly. Battles rarely went to plan, and often something unexpected happened that would require adaptation.
But when Emperor Edelgard, Lord Vestra, and the Death Knight arrived with a strike force comprised of declared enemies of the Empire—including the supposedly dead Prince of Faerghus and the previously imprisoned Archbishop (holding a baby, no less)—and explained they had agreed to negotiate a peace agreement, she had been completely blindsided.
According to the Emperor, a conspiracy of would-be conquerors led by Lord Arundel had been responsible for the war, having infiltrated the leadership of all three nations and the Church. The conspiracy had caused the Tragedy of Duscur, the Insurrection of the Seven and the murders of the other Hresvelg children, and countless other atrocities throughout Fódlan's history, all in the hopes of weakening Fódlan enough to conquer it themselves.
It was a lot to swallow.
Still, it didn't change the current objective. Enbarr had to be retaken. To that end, Ladislava would take any help she could get.
"If we can get close enough to the Imperial Palace, there are several secret exits for use in case of an emergency," Lord Vestra informed. "We can easily use one to sneak a force of our best fighters into the palace to face Arundel. We defeat him, and we retake the capital."
"'Our best fighters,' meaning us, of course," Raphael Kirsten clarified. "As in, Team Garreg Mach?"
"Naturally," Lord Vestra agreed. "Though we should come up with a better name."
"We should, shouldn't we," Alois Rangeld agreed. "How about, 'The Garreg Mach Strike Force'?"
"Perhaps we should worry about what our team name should be later," Gilbert Pronislav suggested to his fellow Knight of Seiros. Turning back to Lord Vestra, he asked, "How will we get to the palace?"
"I can help with that," came a voice from behind Ladislava. Everyone looked at the speaker, a merchant who had been smuggling food and medicine into the capital for the citizens after Arundel and Aegir had taken over.
At least one of the others recognized her. "Anna!" the one in ordinary soldier armor shouted, evidently pleased to see her.
"It's good to see you too, Roger," Anna smiled. Looking at the others, she said, "Looks like the gang's all here."
As Anna outlined the plan, the Emperor took her aside. "While your forces are to strike once the opportunity arises and retake Enbarr, I have an additional mission for you. I want you to ensure that no harm comes to the Archbishop's daughter at any cost."
"Yes, my Emperor," Ladislava said, but internally she was puzzling over the development. The Emperor had previously loathed the Archbishop, and the feeling was mutual, but now they were working together against Arundel. How had the situation changed, unless...
"What did Arundel do to her?"
Rhea picked out the sturdiest-looking sword and shield from the convoy. They weren't her sword and shield, but there was no way she was going unarmed.
"So, you're going to fight?" Byleth asked.
"I have to," Rhea told him. "This is my fight as much as anyone else's. And can you think of anyone who could best me with a sword?"
"No," Byleth admitted. "You're the best we have. But I'm not comfortable leaving Leraye without someone to protect her."
After a slight pause, Linhardt said, "Well, if you insist, I'll look after her. I hate to leave you to go into battle yourselves, but..." He shrugged.
Byleth gave him a skeptical look. "Annette, do you mind staying with him and keeping him out of trouble?"
"I'm okay with that," Annette agreed.
"Mae and the guards will also be looking after her, and I gave Ladislava strict orders to ensure her safety," Edelgard said. "But I understand you wanting to keep her safe."
Anna was thankful that Arundel's guards were entirely corrupt. The customs officer hadn't even inspected her "trade goods," instead simply taking the bag of gold she had offered him and allowing her trade convoy entry.
She hoped he enjoyed that gold while he still could.
"All right, everybody. Remember your roles," Byleth instructed, as the group began to disembark from the carts. "Lions, Deer, take the gatehouse."
"Consider it done, Teach," Claude told him.
"Ashen Wolves, Anna. Start a riot."
"On it," Anna confirmed. She could easily get the people of Enbarr to revolt on her own. Really, she only needed Constance to put out any fires that might start. However, Byleth had sent all of the Wolves to ensure her safety. Considerate of him.
"Hubert, find us that passageway."
"Done," Hubert said, revealing a secret staircase beneath a statue. "The tunnel leads to the palace."
As the Eagles and the Church forces entered the tunnel, Anna and the Wolves went off to find an Arundel or Aegir man who was abusing his power in public. It likely wouldn't take long.
Thales, in his Arundel guise, was relishing this moment of glory. He had said his vows, not that he intended to keep any of them, and Duke Aegir was just about to place the crown on his head.
Then the doors burst open, and that brat barged in to ruin everything! How had she survived?
"Your assassin failed, Arundel. I still live."
Nemesis, failed? How? Arundel's eyes scanned those behind her. Some loyalist guards he hadn't purged, her former class, and several Church warriors. Including the lizards.
So she hadn't believed his deceptions after all. He was so sure he had convinced her of their tyranny.
In a moment, though, he realized he could use this. "I sent no assassin. But you, you come here with the leadership of the corrupt Church of Seiros to arrest me? Your principles mean that little to you? You would throw your lot in with the enemy who has claimed thousands of Adrestian lives? I declare you unfit to rule, Edelgard."
And the fighting began.
Ludwig von Aegir was a coward. That was undeniable. The scene of a pitched battle was about as far away from where he was comfortable as it could possibly be.
So Ferdinand had expected him to try to sneak away. Had he only done that, it would have been a minor matter. He could always be hunted down later.
Sneaking up behind Bernadetta, holding a dagger to her throat, and dragging her away out of the throne room made him a far more pressing concern. It would be a cold day in hell before Ferdinand von Aegir abandoned a friend in danger.
So, he pursued his father away from the battle. Given that Ferdinand was in far better shape than his father and that holding his knife to Bernadetta's throat was most certainly slowing him down, Ferdinand caught up with his father quickly.
"One more step and she dies," Ludwig threatened when Ferdinand was about ten meters away. "And don't think I didn't notice that arrow in your hand, girl. Drop it." Bernadetta complied.
"Let her go, Father," Ferdinand demanded.
"And let you kill me? Or her, perhaps?" Ludwig asked. "I think not. I have a nice nest egg hidden away in Dagda for just such an occasion as this. The girl is my assurance that you won't pursue me."
"Do you think Edelgard will care? Bernadetta has been declared a traitor," Ferdinand asked.
"The way she spoke of her class, even after declaring you traitors? She will care very much," Ludwig told him. "You're a disappointment, Ferdinand. Had you been smart enough to join her, you might have been Emperor. Instead, you chose to throw everything away. Why would you do something so foolish?"
"Emperor?" Ferdinand asked. "Tell me the truth, Father. Did you ever care about me as anything but a pawn in your political games? A means to fulfill your power fantasy?"
"Of course," Ludwig said, not at all sincerely. Noticing Bernadetta's hand drifting to her belt, he held the knife closer to her neck. "Keep your hands where I can see them, girl."
Ferdinand thought for a bit, before dropping his lance on the ground. "I offer you an exchange. Me for her. I will be your hostage. Just let Bernadetta go."
Ludwig made a show of thinking. "No, I don't think so. It's clear to me that you are an unfit heir." As Ludwig said this, a dark figure crept up behind him, but Ludwig didn't notice. "I suppose I'll have to make a new one."
No sooner had he finished the sentence when one gloved hand grabbed his knife hand, and the other slashed a dagger across his throat. As he fell to the ground, dying, Hubert kicked him in the ribs. "Nobody harms my friends," he growled.
Looking up, he saw Ferdinand and Bernadetta staring at him. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to kill him?"
"No, but thanks for the help," Bernadetta said. "I really should have seen him coming. Stupid useless Bernie." She facepalmed.
"Don't feel too bad about it. Jeralt died to a cheap stab in the back," Hubert reminded her.
"That doesn't really make me feel better," Bernadetta told him.
"It's a matter of perspective," Hubert told her. "Anyone can be caught off-guard." Seeing Ferdinand staring at him, he asked, "Did you want to say something?"
"So you do care, all of a sudden?" Ferdinand asked.
"I know you are upset, Ferdinand, and I will not insult you by trying to offer excuses," Hubert told him. "But I promise you this much. The decision to fight against you was the hardest choice Edelgard and I ever made."
"And yet you still did," Ferdinand told him. "I will hear the two of you out. But you had better have had a good reason for what you did."
"We did not, but it seemed like we did at the time," Hubert told him.
Many of the guards chose to side with Arundel, and several Agarthans had been in attendance. However, it quickly proved to not be enough. Triumphant, Edelgard strode towards Arundel, Amyr in hand. "It's over, Thales."
"Is it?" Thales asked. "Did you think I would just trust you to deliver Fódlan to me? Why did you think I gave you that axe?"
Edelgard's eyes widened as Amyr began to glow red. Dark, chitinous plates began to grow over her body, and her eyes turned black and red. Her limbs grew to absurd lengths, and sharp claws appeared at the ends.
She looked like death itself.
"Destroy them, Hegemon. Destroy until there is nothing left." With that, he warped away.