After dinner, I went to find Jeralt in his room. His room was smaller than mine, with wooden floors and plush burnt orange colored rugs. He was sitting at the two couches near the entrance with a few papers scattered across the coffee table.
"Hey Byleth, glad to see you're back," Jeralt said, setting a piece of paper down.
"Are you busy?" I asked.
He gestured at the opposite couch, and I sat down. "No, what is it?"
"I thought you'd like to know that Byleth's not dead," I said. "And I mean my brother. Um, your son."
He smiled. "I see. Does that mean you saw him on the battlefield?"
I nodded. "You're not surprised?"
"Well." Jeralt scratched the back of his head. "You didn't seem to think he was dead, and he's a tough kid."
I clasped my hands together and stared at the upside down papers in front of me. They were lists of names. "He told me he would be back. He's fighting for the Empire though."
"Ah, so he is, huh?" Jeralt nodded. He looked at me and then shrugged. "Are you wondering if I'm going to leave? I'm still working for the Church, and I don't know if I entirely endorse what the Empire's doing. Besides, he had me for the past twenty or so years. I thought it'd be nice to stay by your side this time around."
I smiled. "That would be nice."
Jeralt clapped his hands together. "Oh right, since you're here." He stood up, shuffled some mail on his desk around, before fishing a letter out. "Not sure if anyone told you, but Rose and I went through your mail while you were sleeping. This was… a more concerning one."
I took the letter from him and read it.
Dear Miss Byleth,
I saw the news that you'd passed away. What a tragedy. At such a young age too. This is why you should have accepted my offer. You would have been safe and happy in Sreng. How unfortunate. If by any chance you are in fact alive, feel free to write to me. My offer still stands.
There was an address below. I looked up at Jeralt. "Have you investigated this address? Is it valid? Where is it?"
"I did. It leads to an abandoned cabin in northern Kingdom lands, near the Sreng border."
"I see, thanks." I tucked the letter into my pocket and stood up.
"Hey, if you need any help, just let me know," Jeralt said.
I nodded. "Thanks. Um." I scratched my cheek and said, "Father." Jeralt simply smiled, but my face was burning up. "All right, good night, bye!" I said and fled the room. I wrote a few letters to our crew members in Abyss. If I wanted to discover who was behind these "Sreng" letters, then I'd need some help.
Throughout Guardian Moon, we were busy preparing for the end of month attack. We had to evacuate civilians out of Arianrhod as subtly as possible, replacing them with plain-clothes soldiers.
One night, I woke up at the sound of a clatter. When I opened my eyes, there was someone above me. I barely dodged the blade that came down, rolling away. I grabbed my own sword and blocked the assailant's next attack.
"How did you-?" I said but was cut off by another fast swing that cut my leg. I grimaced. There was a breeze coming from an open window. That answered my question then. I dodged the next swing, sidestepped closer, and stabbed the assassin's thigh. They grunted, while I backed away. Then there was something flying through the air. I was splashed in the face with a vulnerary.
Not this again!
I stumbled away, wiping at my face with my sleeves, while breathing through my mouth. They swung downwards and I blocked. If the assassin I paid off to kill Arundel failed, then there was no way I was going to let Arundel's assassin get me.
"Guards!" I yelled. This distracted the attacker for a second, enough for me to knock their sword aside and jab their chest. "Help!" The double doors of my room opened, as the guards burst in with their lances. The assassin dashed off and disappeared through the window.
"Lady Byleth, are you all right?" one of the guards asked, rushing to my side. I nodded as I sank to my knees. My leg was bleeding but it wasn't a deep cut. The other guard was peering out the window and yelling to the guards outside to secure the perimeters.
"I'm fine," I said, grabbing some bandages and a cloth from a drawer.
"Would you like us to keep watch inside tonight?" the guard asked. I shook my head and watched the guards leave. I sat down on my bed to clean the wound and bandage my leg up. After putting the supplies away and changing my clothes, I still couldn't bring myself to lie back down to sleep.
I stared out the window the assassin had come in from. The sky was lightening as dawn approached. I looked at my hands, trembling out of my control. It was pathetic. Who became paralyzed in fear at the smell of a healing potion? I hated myself for being weak and I hated Arundel more for capitalizing on that weakness. I hugged my knees to my chest, buried my face in my knees, and cried.
The last week of Guardian Moon (1), we prepared to leave the palace for Gideon lands. We'd received reports that the Alliance's troops were heading north west, passing through Galatea.
"Are you sure I shouldn't come along?" Dimitri asked, as we stood in the meeting room for a final briefing. I nodded. "Even though Edelgard will be there?"
"You should stay here to defend Fhirdiad," I said.
"Leave it to us, Your Majesty," Ingrid said with a bow. Dimitri nodded. This time, we were going with Mercedes, Ashe, Ingrid, and Felix. Ashe was meeting us there from Gaspard. We mounted our horses and set off.
Since the soldiers marched on foot, it took us about two and a half days before we arrived in Gideon. The Alliance troops were waiting for us there. We rested for a full day, before continuing with the Alliance to reach a large stretch of forest near Arianrhod. Here, we made camp and waited.
On the thirty-first day of the month, our scouts returned in the afternoon with news. "We've spotted Empire forces. They've begun attacking Arianrhod."
"Excellent, keep an eye and report their progress back to us," I said, then gestured at my fellow generals. Our battalions packed their tents up and got into formation. No one except for the generals knew what our plan was, and from the sound of gossiping, soldiers thought we would be surprise reinforcements.
We approached the edge of the forest until we could see the city walls, then lay in wait. Our scouts ran back and forth to keep us informed.
"They're halfway through the city!"
"They've defeated about three-quarters of our troops."
"They've killed Lady Cornelia!"
That was the signal I was waiting for. As I gestured for our battalions to rise up, I looked towards the clear blue sky. Mercedes, who was standing beside me, followed suit. "What are you looking at, Byleth?" she asked.
"Our second signal," I said.
There was a collective gasp when the bright beams of light appeared, streaking the sky. They thundered down upon Arianrhod, while Empire soldiers tore out of the city shouting. Edelgard was running right towards us.
I pointed my sword forward. "Attack!"
Our soldiers charged and caught the Empire forces off guard. My own sword cut into an Empire soldier's chest, and he yelled.
"Stay behind me," I told Mercedes, as I parried an axe and stabbed the soldier's arm. People were screaming. A wind from the north blew smoke into our faces, stinging our eyes and filling our nostrils.
We continued to push through the initial wall of Empire soldiers. "Capture as many as you can!" I yelled. "Especially leaders."
I could see Caspar up ahead, riding a wyvern with his axe. Byleth was further east of me, trying to get their forces together, while Edelgard held the line. After mowing down a few more soldiers, I kicked Caspar's wyvern's face and it growled at me.
"Oh man, not you!" Caspar said when I swung my sword down, and he dodged.
"Surrender, Caspar!" I said, ducking below his axe's attack. I glanced back and gestured at Ashe to support me. The archers behind us readied their bows. The brief moment was enough for Caspar to catch me off guard, with his axe grazing my left shoulder. "I don't want you to die."
"I don't feel so good about killing you either," he said. I blocked his next attack.
"How confident," I said and landed a blow on his upper arm. He grimaced. The blood blossomed into a dark stain on his shirt.
"Byleth!" Mercedes yelled, so I stepped back. Arrows whizzed down from Ashe's battalion. Too many for Caspar to avoid. He blocked most of the lethal ones, but the rest knocked his wyvern out onto the ground.
Caspar muttered something and dismounted to face me on his feet. "I liked that wyvern!" he yelled and swung his axe towards me. I blocked, my heels digging into the dirt. Then I dropped down to strike his legs. Caspar stumbled back.
"Please just surrender," I said. I stepped forward and kicked him in the shins, where he was bleeding. He howled in pain and thrashed out wildly with his blade. I narrowly dodged in time.
"Allow me to assist," Mercedes said, and a Nosferateu spell flew past me to hit Caspar square in the chest. He was open. I lunged forward and smacked his right hand with the pommel of my sword. His axe flew with a clang, while I pointed my blade at his neck.
"Will you surrender now?" I asked, one foot on his axe. I kicked it behind me.
Caspar shook his head, then dove to the side, while Petra stepped forward to strike me. She was fast. More arrows rained down upon them, and one hit Petra in the shoulder. Caspar was fighting another soldier.
I was parrying Petra's attacks when she sidestepped to the left and a fireball hit me in the chest.
"Byleth!" Mercedes said.
"I'm all right," I said, staggering back to my feet. Petra struck me in the arm, then hopped back when I swung. Dorothea was charging up another fireball behind Petra. This time, I was able to avoid it.
Our swords clashed a few more times before I hit Petra's collarbone. Dorothea casted a thunder spell that rattled through my bones. While I was recovering, arrows flew past me and kept Petra and Dorothea busy.
"We need to retreat!" Byleth was hollering over the din of warfare. "Everyone, retreat!"
This distracted Dorothea and gave me an opening to attack Petra in the side. "Surrender," I said.
"I shall not," Petra said.
"Petra, we need to go," Dorothea was saying.
I blocked Petra's sword while yelling, "Cut off their escape path!" The soldiers behind me moved. More arrows flew through the air. The Empire was slow to retreat, since they had to climb over the rubble of Arianrhod.
Petra cut my upper ribs, and I got her right forearm. Dorothea and Petra were slowly backing up against a crumbling wall behind them, while Felix's battalion closed in on them. Then I lunged forward, struck Petra's hand with my sword guard, and disarmed her. Dropping my sword, I tackled Petra to the ground.
"Oof," she said. I pulled rope from my back pocket and grabbed her wrists. While struggling to tie her hands together, Petra lifted her head and bit my arm. I gasped at the sharp pain. My grip loosened just enough for Petra to yank one of her arms free. She grabbed a dagger from her belt and stabbed my side.
"Agh!" I shouted. Two Kingdom soldiers knelt down beside me to help tie Petra's arms together.
"Byleth, you're bleeding," Mercedes said. Spikes of pain assaulted me when I rolled off of Petra.
"Can you heal me?" I asked, wrapping my left hand around the dagger's handle. Mercedes nodded. I waited for the warm healing magic to envelope me before taking in a deep breath and pulling the dagger out. I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming. It hurt like hell.
Byleth and Edelgard had vanished, and we were left with a few clumps of Empire soldiers. Some were still fighting, but a few had surrendered. We'd taken control of the field. I waved Felix, Ashe, and our Alliance generals over.
"How's everyone's battalions?" I asked, pulling a notebook out to take notes. Everyone gave me their estimates of how many people were injured or dead. "All right, let's heal up, bury our dead, and move out."
We rounded up our captives, and I took a head count. We'd gotten Dorothea, Petra, and Caspar, along with thirty-two soldiers. Our own losses weren't too great - about a hundred from the Kingdom and slightly under eighty from the Alliance. Once everyone was healed up, we identified the corpses and buried them together. Then we packed up our items and marched back to Gideon.
"What was that? The beams of light," Ashe asked, in the evening over dinner. Everyone turned towards me.
"How'd you know to wait for those?" Ingrid asked.
"They're divine retribution," I said with a shrug. "The Goddess is punishing the Empire for this war."
"Did the Goddess send you a message?" Mercedes said, eyes widening.
"Something like that." I was lying through my teeth. "A-Anyway, what matters is that we did a good job today!"
"Are you all heading back to the capital?" Ashe said. Ingrid, Mercedes, and I nodded.
"And you, Ashe?" Mercedes said. "I'm sure you'd be welcome in the palace too."
"I'll probably head home. My siblings are still there," he said. "If you need help in any other battles though, send the word. I'll be there."
After spending a night at Gideon, we left the Empire captives there, only taking Petra, Dorothea, and Caspar with us to Fhirdiad. We arrived in two days. Our Black Eagles classmates were ushered into the palace jail, while we briefed Dimitri on the battle.
"Excellent job, everyone," Dimitri told us. "By the sound of things, we've dealt a heavy blow to the Empire. Rest up, and we'll plan our next steps tomorrow."
Back in my room, I went through my mail. There was one from a crewmate who was helping me out. After I'd finished reading the letter, I scribbled a reply, sealed it in an envelope, and sent it off to the mailroom.
Then I went to check on our prisoners.
The spiraling steps to the dungeons were steep, and when I reached the heavy wooden doors, the air was humid and cool. The guard there bowed and opened the door for me to enter. There were more guards inside, and one of them led down a hallway to where the three were being kept. Dimitri and Dedue were standing there, with Dimitri saying, "-everything you know."
"You're crazy if you think we'd do that," Caspar said, his hands crossed behind his head.
Dimitri glanced at me, while I bowed at him. "I wasn't expecting you here, Your Majesty," I said.
"I thought I'd give them a warning," Dimitri said and looked at Caspar again. "You're prisoners of war. If you don't give us information, we have ways to make you talk. What are you doing here, Byleth?"
"I wanted to ask them for information too," I said. Now that the Empire's attacks on the Bridge of Myrddin and Ariranrhod had both gone awry, I didn't know what their next move would be.
"We're not talking," Dorothea said. She was sitting on her cot with her arms crossed.
"I'll give you until tomorrow," Dimitri said. "Before we move on to more extreme methods."
I swallowed. Torture? I leaned towards Dimitri to whisper in his ear, "Is that really necessary? I'm sure we could just use them to negotiate with Edelgard."
"This is war, Byleth," Dimitri said, hands clenching into fists. "Do you think Edelgard would hold back?"
I knew that. Of course I did. War meant sacrifice. I've stared at the faces of lifeless soldiers, people who, hours ago, were eating lunch and chatting with their comrades, not knowing it'd be their last meal. But to torture our former classmates for information? Did we have to go to such lengths?
"You won't need to be present," Dimitri said, brushing past me. Dedue followed like a shadow.
I watched him disappear down the hallway before turning to the three faces behind bars. "I'm sorry," I said. My stomach churned as I walked away. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering from the cold, stale air. It was all right. I was close to finding the person who could stave off Dimitri's bloodthirst for Edelgard. Maybe that'd stop him. Maybe that'd help spare Edelgard.
The next day, we drafted a plan on what we'd do if Edelgard stayed in the monastery, if Edelgard retreated to Enbarr, and if Edelgard attacked the Kingdom again. In the evening, I watched as Dimitri and Dedue disappeared back down the stairs. I couldn't stop myself from following.
"We're still not talking," Caspar said. Petra and Dorothea nodded. Dimitri gestured at the guards, and two approached Caspar's cell.
"Your Majesty," I said, hurrying to Dimitri's side.
"If you're here to protest, then leave, Byleth," Dimitri said. "We don't have the luxury to be nice."
"Just give them one more day," I said. I looked through the bars to meet Caspar's glare. "They'll talk."
"No, we're not gonna," Caspar said with narrowed eyes. The guards were unlocking his cell and entering.
"We don't need their information," I said, pleading. "We can beat the Empire without destroying our own humanity."
Dimitri sighed. "Dedue, please take Byleth out."
Dedue grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the end of the corridor. "But, Your Majesty-" I said. "Just give me one more day!"
"Unless the war ends tomorrow, then it won't matter," Dimitri said and stepped into Caspar's cell. The metal cell door clanged shut, as Dedue dragged me through the wooden doors and up the stairs.
"Dedue, I get it! You can let go now," I said, wrestling against his grip.
He released my wrist and stared at me. "I'm sorry, Byleth," he said.
I rubbed my right arm, where my skin was red from his force. "No, you have nothing to apologize for. I was out of line." I trudged to my room without looking back. I dismissed my maid, Tania, kicked off my shoes, and flopped onto my bed, staring at the wooden frame above me. If I'd known this was what'd happen, I wouldn't have had them captured. Tortured… I shuddered. It reminded me of what'd happened to me. The pain of poison coursing through my veins.
I shook my head. No. Thinking about it wouldn't do me any good. I lifted my arm up and stared at my trembling hand until it stopped. I sat up. It'd be better to just focus on what I could do for now. Swinging my legs off my bed, I went to my desk and got back to work.
Thanks for reading! :)