Alright, with Chrom and Sumia's group done with their mission, it's time to check in on the home-base team. This'll be fun, if only because we get to see Severa pull out her brain and get to work. This and Evelyn will mark the actual 'war' parts of the story until the teams return.

With that out of the way, everyone ready to go?

Cast: *Cheers*

You heard 'em, let's go!

Interim-First Battle of Roseanne

Within a few days of the teams departing, Severa and her band set out for Roseanne.

Dozens of units came with them, numbering thousands of individuals. They were the actual defensive force assigned to Roseanne proper, their job to secure the lands and prevent any incursions by the Valmese.

Severa was in command with a basic objective: Keep Valm out. With that in mind, she grabbed most of her friends and set out her initial plans. She'd even managed to convince Evelyn to let her have Cynthia and Morgan.

It only took a couple days for their force to arrive in Roseanne and reach its capital, also called Roseanne. From there, they settled in and immediately ran into problems.

"So, you're telling me we have Valmese raiders all over the place." Severa stated, a bland stare boring into the poor soul in front of her. "And not one of you has been able to do much more than catch sight of them."

The soldier trembled in their boots. "Y-Yes ma'am! The raiders clearly know the area well, but the locals have been… uncooperative. They don't believe us capable of stopping the raids and are forming their own militias."

"Bound to get killed if they do that." Severa muttered, gaze turning to the map taking up an entire wall of her office. "Have we noticed any patterns to the raids? Repeat targets, particularly belligerent locals, that kind of thing?"

The soldier shook their head. "No, ma'am. The raiders have attacked farms and storehouses all across Roseanne, there's no clear rhyme or reason to the attacks beyond stealing supplies."

Severa groaned and looked back to the soldier. "That means they're on the move and they have safe-houses to stash their plunder. We're going to have to secure support amongst the locals if we're going to catch these bastards."

She dismissed the soldier, Lucina walking in the moment they were gone with a comment on her lips. "We already enjoy a great deal of popular support as is, I'm surprised the locals aren't cooperating."

Severa grunted and stood from her desk, a quick perusal of her bookcase bringing up a thick tome. "They're an insurgency. I'd bet a week's pay that the leader of these raiders was popular with the locals before we showed up. If we're going to track them, there's investigating to be done."

The book thudded against her desk and Severa started flipping through it. "While I have you here, what did the scouts say? Anything outside the walls?"

Lucina walked to the left side of the desk and took a seat, curious about the tome. "If you could call that cattle fence walls, but nothing as of yet. Kjelle's gone off to help with the militias, 'whip them into shape' as it were."

Severa grunted as she found the page she wanted. "I'm going to need Laurent and Cynthia, they'll be in charge of getting these raiders dealt with. You and I both know we can't afford foxes in the henhouse."

"Metaphor," Lucina reminded her girlfriend with a laugh. "But you're correct, per usual. I understand Laurent's position in this, but why do you need my sister?"

Severa gestured to the tome. "Hearts and minds. Laurent's the investigator, Cynthia's the face. You're already doing politics with Nah, my goal is to make Cynthia a public face, so we win over any sympathizers. Laurent can get a look at the local economies and see if we can improve them while we investigate."

A knock made them look up, Virion standing in the doorway. "Hello, girls. Scheming, are we?"

"When are we not?" Severa asked, non-plussed. "I'm surprised you're even here. Last I checked, we decided your presence was less than helpful."

Virion shrugged. "I came in undetected; you don't have to worry about that. I simply wished to offer my knowledge in planning the pursuit of the raiders."

Severa sighed and gestured to the wall. "Alright, but I want you gone before long. If any of the local commanders sees you working, any good will I've gained goes up in smoke."

Virion agreed and went to the map, numerous pins marking raids and other sightings across Roseanne. "Well, I can tell you that Valm isn't popular anywhere except the borders. Those areas have long histories of raids by bandits and other dynasts, could never put an end to them no matter what we tried."

Severa stood and pointed to a mark in the center of the map. "Then I can understand using the borders as staging grounds, but they'd need several more bases to attack areas like this. Even then they take so much plunder it's astonishing we haven't caught them yet."

Virion pointed to the surrounding regions. "Roseanne owes its fertile lands to both frequent rains and deep layers of soil. It's caused a great many farms to pop up over the years, and the buildings remain standing even after the tenants leave."

"So you're saying we have dozens of abandoned buildings to search." Lucina groaned. "Along with any hidden cellars therein."

Virion nodded. "Sad as it is, yes. You're going to need to recruit allies and informants amongst the locals, anything to narrow the search. Anything less than light cavalry or fliers won't be able to catch these rogues either."

"Well I'm not going to be winning any hearts and minds." Severa cracked, eyes glazing over with ideas. "…On the other hand, if most everyone's a farmer outside the cities, I think I have just the people for the job. And the incentive."

Virion gave her a raised brow. "Oh, truly? If so, then I wish you the best of luck. I will be out and about on my own search, but you know how to contact me. Oh, and I have a new report from the outposts."

"Lead with that next time, please." Lucina grunted as she hopped off Severa's desk. "I assume they'll need me or Sev?"

Virion dropped his casual tone. "They will. Scouting flocks have returned without several members, and they've spotted a large force of Valmese marching towards us. In addition, they lost their members to griffins."

"Naga on a breadstick." Severa muttered, ignoring Lucina's snort at her silly curse. "Griffins? Of all the beasts in the wide world, they tamed griffins?"

Virion nodded stoically. "It appears so. None of the flocks got a good look, but they estimate at least a murder of griffin riders is accompanying Valm's ground force."

"How soon will they be here?" Lucina asked after taking a moment to compose herself. "I've seen our rosters enough times to know we can field quickly if needed."

"At their current speed, the Valmese will reach the border in just shy of nine days." Virion informed them, Severa's jaw slamming into the floor at the short window. "Assuming they're not stopped, they'll reach our current position in two weeks."

Severa ground her teeth. "…Virion, take a regiment and canvas the southern half of the lands. I'll send the ones I have in mind to cover the northern half. Lucy, call the colonels together, we need to find somewhere to intercept these dastards."

Virion smiled and pointed to a section of the map just inside the border. "I will do so, but… you may wish to send a few scouts here. There were no supply wagons from what the flocks could tell, so they're either hiding them or looking to forage."

Severa stared after the man as he left, Lucina excusing herself with a quick peck to Severa's cheek. Now alone, Severa looked to the area Virion mentioned, not sure what he could've meant. "There's nothing there, just a bunch of shallow hills if I'm reading this right. Why would he recommend scouts?"

She stared at the map for a little longer before shaking her head. She had too much stuff to do, no use staring at a map and puzzling over mere words. With that in mind, Severa gathered the materials on her desk and left the office.

She had a feeling it'd be her last time in there for a while.

-Laurent-

"This is the fifth town in three days, they're not here."

Laurent sighed through his nose and looked over to see Kjelle scowling at him. "I'm well aware of that, you need not point it out. Besides, we've combed an area spanning many miles in our time here."

He looked away, gaze taking in the small hamlet they'd left barely an hour ago. He was astride a strong horse atop a hill, Kjelle behind him while Cynthia and Morgan circled above. Over the past three days, they'd been going from town to town searching the surrounding regions for the raiders, an entire regiment under his command.

So far, they'd discovered and destroyed several caches and hideouts, but none of the raiders had been found. None of the civilians had seen the raiders either, their last attacks almost a week past. It was well noted, though, that several… vocal opponents to the Ylissean tended to leave town shortly after the caches were destroyed.

Laurent never thought the people of Roseanne were vengeful people, but after they'd caught one of the runners and returned them for judgement…

Well, any others they captured would probably wind up dead in an unfortunate accident.

Laurent cleared his mind of the wandering thoughts and pulled out his map. A block of chalk was slowly getting worn away as he filled in the map where they'd searched, so far, with two more towns to search in the northern half of Roseanne.

Good thing too, the constant riding of the regiment for this search was wearing everyone out. It was only the wonder of Nah's transformations alongside Cynthia and Morgan's personalities that made the villagers compliant and easy to work with. Otherwise, this would be taking much longer.

The flap of heavy wings heralded Nah's arrival, the young manakete shifting to her normal form the moment she touched the ground. "The forward patrols spotted tracks, less than a day old. It's in the direction of the next town!"

Laurent nodded, still unable to stop a small blush at the sight of Nah's older form. It wasn't his fault she was so lovely now that she looked her age, but damn was it hard on his heart. "Very good, then we shall set out immediately. Kjelle, find the colonel and gather the regiment, we'll meet in that clearing over there."

He pointed to an opening in the tree line at the base of the hill. "Nah, per usual, you will be our herald. If we're closing in on a potential base, your presence will need to be held back at least until we can search the surrounding area."

Nah tilted her head in confusion as Kjelle rode off. "Um… how can I be a herald and stay back at the same time?"

Laurent cleared his throat and gestured for her to follow him. "Well, we won't be entering the town immediately. Preferably, we'd catch the raiders out amongst the surrounding area and not impinge on the locals' lives. However, considering every town and farm we've searched has had some degree of sympathizers…"

"It's likely they have a base in the town." Nah finished with a frustrated grunt. "If not their main base. The one we're heading to is the most central, isn't it?"

Laurent shook his head and handed the map to her. "Nay, we searched the most central location two days ago. All we found were caches and small hideouts, but no raiders as you well know. Logically, with many of their resources destroyed, they'd retreat to a less conspicuous region in order to regroup."

Nah nodded as she gazed over the map. "Ok… then why didn't we start by the coast and make our way west?"

Laurent started to flip through a journal he'd pulled from his saddle. "Our forces are too dense along the coast and into the central region of Roseanne. They'd be found out if they tried to enter, the outlying areas where we can only send intermittent patrols are the best hiding spots."

Nah nodded and rolled up the map. "Ok, that makes sense. Truth be told, with that logic of yours, I bet you'd be our tactician if Sev wasn't."

Laurent scribbled something down and closed the journal. "No point speculating, and I've helped Severa with her plans many times in the past. Now, if we do catch these rogues, we'll need to be careful."

Nah silently agreed. She'd heard tales of how the apparent leader of the raiders was one of those Dark Riders, and a zealot at that. Although, it felt like a good many of the Valmese leaders they'd encountered were zealots.

They spoke no more on the subject after reaching the clearing, the regiment swiftly gathered and chartered their path. Nah would ride with Kjelle and assist in clearing out the surrounding area while Laurent and Cynthia would make straight for the town. It was to be a two-day ride, and as they set out, the clear tracks of many horses led the way.

It was on the second day that Laurent started to feel something crawl up his spine. It was… doubt, about what they were going into. By all accounts, the raiders had only their leader for a mage, and were otherwise normal cavaliers. So why was the thought of cornering them so… concerning?

He puzzled over the feeling for the rest of the ride, barely paying much attention to anything until Cynthia punched his shoulder. "Ylisse to Laurent! Hey, wake up, we need to head into town!"

Laurent jolted back to life and glanced around. The regiment had split into their platoons and rode off to search the surrounding area. Assuming they didn't find the raiders, it was just him and Cynthia for the next few hours.

The feeling of doubt crawled up a little further. "Forgive me, I was lost in thought. Are we ready to see what awaits us?"

"You have the goods?" Cynthia asked right back, a brush straightening her hair. Had to make a good first impression. "For all my heroically good looks, we won't get to look around if they don't let us in."

Laurent patted his satchel, a bag of seeds within. "Of course, what do you take me for? Now, let us make haste and get inside. If our raiders are within, we'll have to signal as soon as we can."

Cynthia nodded and finished fixing her hair before they cantered away. The plan was that if all signs pointed to the town as the raider's base, the rest of the regiment would search for and destroy any hidden passages before surrounding the town. Laurent noted that the horse tracks had never deviated, either in direction or number, so it was logical to assume the raiders didn't know they were coming.

Or they were waiting in ambush.

Regardless, the entrance into the town went as expected. The locals were suspicious of them, mood barely improving when they identified themselves as Ylissean, until their leader came out. Then Cynthia won him over with her winning personality and earnest curiosity. With him on their side, Laurent presented the seeds and suddenly they were everyone's best friend.

Then Laurent used the commotion caused by Cynthia's declaration of a stunt-show to slip away and look around. The town didn't have much to it, not even an inn, but Laurent still searched everywhere possible. Just because there weren't many places to hide a large group of men didn't mean they weren't around.

His search, ultimately, turned up nothing. There were no hidden passages no matter where he looked, even a brave look into the local latrines revealing nothing. He highly doubted there was any way to hide all the equipment and horses, in addition to the men, in the collection of buildings that remained.

As such, there's two possibilities. They merely passed through this town and remembered to cover their tracks… or it's just that obvious.

He took a deep breath and looked up to the large barn he'd crept up to. He'd originally thrown the idea of the raiders hiding here out the window, as it was far too obvious. But, compared to the surrounding town, there was no other logical place to store things without going into the wilderness.

Besides, a few of the townsfolk had looked very worried when they identified themselves.

"They in there?"

Laurent swallowed an undignified squeal and turned around to find Cynthia frowning at him. "Don't startle me like that, I nearly immolated you. Based on my investigation thus far, this is the only logical place for them to be, assuming the tracks mean anything."

He gestured to his feet, where deep tracks in the dirt marked numerous hooves passing over it. Cynthia shook her head and held out Gae Bolg, the lance-head ready for battle as she took cautious steps towards the main door.

"I assume Selene is distracting the villagers?" Laurent whispered as he followed behind, hand on his tome and chant ready to fly. "Or something to that effect?"

Cynthia nodded, but held a finger to her lips before stalking closer. Very carefully, she pried the main door's lock open and pressed it in. Slight creaks echoed from the hinges, sounding like thunder in their ears, but nothing stirred. After waiting a moment to make sure, they crept into the barn.

"Looks like we found them." Laurent muttered under his breath, a calculating gaze taking in the stabled horses and crates filled with supplies. A town this small had no use for so many horses, let alone those that looked ill-suited for farm-work.

Cynthia gestured to the loft above them, a quiet voice drifting down to them. "Sounds like there's only one of them. If it's their leader, we can make him tell us where the others are."

"Assuming we can take them alive." Laurent whispered back, gesturing to a set of stairs. "Now be quiet, if they notice us, we lose our information."

Cynthia nodded and they made slow progress to the stairs. Spooking the horses would give them away, and their foreign scents were already riling some of them up. Any sudden moves and they'd lose their chance.

It felt like ages passed before they even reached the landing, every step an explosion in their ears as they climbed. Cynthia carefully spun Gae Bolg around, the butt ready to render the person in the loft unconscious.

They made the landing, a man in a large collar and dark armor bent over a table and muttering to himself. Laurent and Cynthia split up, each taking a side and advancing carefully.

The man didn't notice them…

…Until Laurent's foot punched through a weak plank with a great crack.

Cynthia dashed forward, but the man whipped around and sent her rolling across the floor with a wind spell. Laurent freed himself and Cynthia popped to her feet, Laurent's hand glowing with power. "Surrender immediately or face the consequences!"

The man only looked around, laughed, and threw open his robes with a shout. "Burn, obstacles of the savior!"

Laurent caught sight of sigils and magic script peeking out of the robes and dove into Cynthia, sending them both flying off the landing as flame consumed the loft and barn. The horses screamed in fear as fire roared through the barn. Cynthia rolled off of Laurent and ran to free them.

As the steeds stampeded out of the burning barn, Laurent picked himself up and started to limp his way out, Cynthia taking his arm and practically dragging him the rest of the way. They barely got out of the barn before the entire thing collapsed into a flaming ruin. The townspeople had gathered outside and stared on in horror.

"Naga in heaven." Laurent coughed after Cynthia set him down a safe distance from the blaze. "The madman could've just blown a hole in the wall, but instead he burns himself alive!"

Cynthia leaned over to check him for injury. Once satisfied he was mostly ok, she added her two gold. "Didn't even get a word in, just wanted us dead. I heard that people called the leader a fanatic, but not even an attempt to run when we caught him. So long as we went with him…"

Laurent sighed and nodded. "Thank heaven I recognized the script; we'd be ash at this point otherwise."

Cynthia shook her head and gestured behind the barn. "I… hope we can say the same for the platoons."

Laurent blinked and stood up, only to gape as a pillar of flame rose into the air. It was well outside the town, but the timing of the mage setting off the spell and that pillar of fire…

"Naga, no…" Laurent breathed as the pillar of fire faded, hoping beyond hope no one was hurt. His heart leapt into his throat as a familiar winged shape appeared in the sky and made a beeline for them, Nah's great form crashing into the ground and sending the townsfolk fleeing in a panic.

She shifted to her human form and advanced on them. "Laurent, Cynthia! What the hell happened here?!"

"We found the raider's leader, had a collar that was a dead match for the descriptions." Cynthia reported, a hand going out to steady Laurent. "Laurent saved us both from getting immolated by some kind of suicide spell. Don't be rough with him, took a nasty fall when we dived off the loft."

Nah's gaze relaxed and the tension in her frame loosened. "Well… that's good at least. You guys being alive is better than anything that dastard could've said. Explains why his buddies went up in flame too."

Laurent's eyes bugged out of his skull. "You mean you found the rest?! And they self-immolated too?!"

Nah's eyes grew downcast. "Yeah… we found them lounging around another cache, dug into the ground. Morgan's platoon found a bunch of tunnel entrances on her sweep and they collapsed the supports. Had the rats cornered, but when we were about to go in and arrest them, they all glowed and burst into flames. Poor guys in the entrance were incinerated."

Laurent scowled and looked to the slowly dying blaze that had once been a barn, the image seared into his memory. "We need to inform Severa of this, as well as General Evelyn and Khan Basilio. Such individuals and their wicked methods must be squashed."

But first they had to explain what was going on to the frightened townsfolk and rebuild the barn. Much as it galled Laurent to have to waste time on such an endeavor, not doing so left this place open to Valmese spies. He could only hope it would be done swiftly.

For they knew not where Severa now marched.

-Severa, Four Days Later-

"Well, Valm's here early."

Lucina grunted at her lover's observation, the pair standing atop the highest hill in the area. They'd arrived at the area Virion had pointed out on the map, the ground made of numerous shallow hills and valleys. It was almost entirely grass, as was usual in this part of Roseanne... which made the multitude of crimson banners and tents stick out like a sore thumb.

Severa put down her spyglass and looked back at the Ylissean camp sprawling behind her. Based on what she could see, Valm had a numbers advantage, but not by much. So long as they fought on the hills and forced their enemy into an uphill fight, they'd have a good chance of holding out indefinitely.

The Valmese didn't even have cavalry as their majority either, though she couldn't see any rabble. This was a professional force, befitting the man who controlled the entire south of the continent.

"Did you see Yen'fay?" Lucina asked after a moment's silence. "Or the griffins?"

Severa sighed through her nose. "Yeah, I saw the griffins. Nasty customers, I can tell just by looking at them. See that corral over there? That's where they're keeping them."

Lucina could make out a bit of the corral in question, great shapes covered in feathers milling about. It wasn't much, but she knew they were bad news. "And our general?"

"No idea." Severa huffed, turning her back to the Valmese camp and starting the descent. "Probably off in one of the tents scheming, like what I should be doing. I still don't know what Virion thinks is so special about this place, but it's certainly the best ground around."

Lucina hummed and followed her. The sun was beginning to set on the land, bathing everything in the ruddy hues of sunset, and all knew there'd be no battle today. Tomorrow though, they'd face an inevitable confrontation, and the sounds of preparation filled the camp as they walked.

Eventually, they ducked into the command tent, Yarne glancing around nervously inside. "Oh, there you two are!"

"Hello, Mr. Yellow." Severa answered with a drawl. "What seems to be the problem today? Eat a berry that might be poisonous? Venomous moths?"

Yarne cringed at the sarcastic questions. "Geez, come on! I came all this way and only tried to run once!"

"That's once too many, my friend." Lucina chided gently. "But we do have a job for you, finding you here is convenient. We need you to gather up the regiments Laurent and Virion took with them and bring them here."

Severa kept explaining as Yarne went wide-eyed. "For once, I have use for your yellow-belly. You're the fastest runner here and I can't spare our flocks for this, so get on your way. Remember where we are and get your dad here, or so help me, I will haunt you."

Yarne stuttered some combination of a promise and plea before fleeing the tent. With him gone, Severa went to the lone chair in the tent and sat down. "At least we don't have to worry about him."

"He'll be back before you know it, accidentally saving the day." Lucina chuckled as she looked to a map pinned on the canvas. "Though you know… I have to wonder why we're waiting for morning."

Severa cocked a brow at her lover. "You, being sneaky? Well, today's one of those days I guess."

She stood and grabbed a roster. "I was actually thinking of having our flocks fly in at the witching hour and raise some hell. We don't have too many blast satchels, but taking out even a few of those griffins and a storage tent or two works in our favor."

Lucina smirked and they spent the next few hours organizing the preemptive strike. They talked with the captain and her sergeants, marked targets, created escape routes, and altogether got a good idea off the ground. By then, the sun had set, and night shrouded the camp.

"Nothing more we can do." Severa groaned when the last sergeant left the tent. "First watch is out, and the orders are off. All we can do is get some rest and kick ass in the morning."

Lucina laughed tiredly, absently sharpening a lance. She wouldn't be quite in the front line, but she'd be assisting in the shield wall until it inevitably broke down. After that, her Falchion would taste its fair share of blood.

Severa would be directing the battle from atop one of the hills, adding her own magic power where possible. Yarne was no longer there, so the only other member of their friends with them was Noire. She… really wasn't commander material, so she'd be toward the rear with the other archers.

The tactician would've personally preferred to be in the fight, like she'd always been, but this wasn't their future. Here, the men and women of the army required her direction to see the enemy defeated and driven out of Roseanne. If the opportunity was there, she'd dive into the fray, but this was her first battle on her own.

She needed to make a good impression.

Light snores snapped her out of such thoughts, a glance making her sigh. Lucina has slumped over the haft of the lance and was snoring away. She'd looked tired half-way through the planning, but she could've said something.

"Come on, Lucy." Severa muttered as she stood. "Let's get you to our tent. Heaven knows Noire won't be able to sleep until we get back."

Lucina muttered something and attempted to cuddle the lance, but Severa pried it from her hands and lifted her love onto her back. Once secure, she left the tent and started for their shared tent. No one was out and about save the patrols, and they couldn't help but remark that it was Severa carrying Lucina this time.

She snidely reminded them to mind their own business but was otherwise unbothered the rest of the trip. Ducking inside their tent, she found Noire sprawled over her cot, the poor girl looking like she'd worried herself to sleep. Again.

Severa rolled her eyes and laid Lucina into her cot, a chaste kiss her parting gift. Then, she left and made for the main thoroughfare, her destination clear. She'd wait by the entrance to the camp for the flocks to return.

Then… then she'd be able to rest.

-Midnight, Yen'fay-

"It is time."

A sigh slipped passed the man's lips as he stood from meditation, eyes on the twinkling stars and shining moon above. Before him stretched the camp his army had settled into for the night, but behind him sat a yawning crag of darkness that fell into the earth.

Where currently his forces marched through.

His gaze took in the sky for a little longer, the fires of the camp deserted as shadowy figures descended from the air. Great blasts soon engulfed several of the tents, including the griffin corral and a few supply areas.

He could only imagine the Pegasus knights' surprise when they realized the camp was empty save for a few decoy guards. Then the griffin riders sprang the trap and slaughtered the Ylisseans to a woman, the corpses falling to the earth with nary a sound.

Yen'fay sighed again. It was a good plan, something even an experienced and clever general wouldn't have predicted. But he was no mere general. Nor was he so confident in the sheer size of his country's military to not study his enemy.

"Bury them in accordance with their rights, I want full honors for all of them. Mark the graves." Yen'fay ordered, a platoon of his personal guard hurrying into the camp. The Alliance had buried their soldiers in full accordance with their customs, it was only right to return the favor.

Not to mention it'd keep any unscrupulous vultures out of his camp.

Yen'fay shook his head and descended into the crag, not a mote of light to guide his way for a time. Then, dots of light appeared in the distance until he stepped into a long, tall tunnel. Torches lined the passage and the sound of picks and shovels echoed in the distance.

"My Lord." A sentry greeted him when Yen'fay reached the landing. "The engineers have successfully entered and widened the mine shafts. We'll be in position just before sunrise at the current rate."

Yen'fay frowned, not liking that estimate. "Take me to the master, they need to pick up the pace. Just because our foe is newly minted does not make them naïve. If we're not in position to force their surrender, our march was for nothing."

The sentry saluted and led Yen'fay down the tunnel, crowds of soldiers parting before them despite the crowded area. Professionals they may have been, but this was an odd set of circumstances for them.

Yen'fay cared little, eyes locking onto a woman yelling at dozens of workers as they dug out ever more earth. It took a few moments for her to notice him, but she bowed the moment she did. "My Lord, we're making swift progress. The supports in the mine were in better shape than expected."

Yen'fay nodded. "That's good to hear, make sure to do as we agreed. Now, I want you to double the work pace, use the soldiers if you must. We need to be in position well before sunrise."

The woman frowned and scratched her head. "See… I'm already doing that; we can't go any faster than we are and not go out there with a bunch of exhausted meatheads. I understand the urgency, but it just can't be done."

She held up her hand when Yen'fay tried to point out a flaw. "And the last thing either of us want is what mages we got using up precious magic before the fight. My Lord, again, I understand the impatience. I want this as bloodless as possible, but you can't rush this. Unless of course you want us to get buried."

Yen'fay stared at her with a blank face. "…Remind me why I haven't dismissed you yet?"

"Because I'm the best damn engineer this side of Steiger!" The woman declared; her shout met with cheers of agreement. Then she leaned in and winked at her superior. "And I fuck like a tiger, no?"

Yen'fay sighed deeply. "I don't have time for this, just work as fast as able. Just because it appears our adversaries don't know of these mines doesn't mean they won't notice something's amiss."

"Aye, My Lord, we'll get it done as fast as we can." The woman sighed in return. "You could stand to lighten up, ya know?"

Yen'fay suppressed a ghost of a smile. "As you've told me many times, Atlanta. See to your duties and I'll see to mine. Remember, be quick."

She chuckled and went back to yelling at her underlings, Yen'fay ordering a passing soldier to direct him to the foremost section of the work. He needed to be one of the first to surface if they were going to efficiently encircle the slumbering Ylisseans.

Then he could call for their surrender and put themselves in a better bargaining position. For all of Walhart's belief in his power, Yen'fay's studies told him all he needed to know. A prolonged war with the Alliance, even if won, would only cripple both continents.

And he refused to let that toad of a strategist win such a victory.

-Severa-

Something was very wrong.

She'd been waiting by the entrance to the camp for over an hour now, pacing back and forth. The faint roar of blasts had made her smile, but the flocks should've returned swiftly. Even if they were attacked and forced to take one an emergency escape route, at least one should've returned.

As she was pondering this, she noted a small rock shift beside her. She hadn't kicked it, that was for sure. As she watched, the rock shifted again, bouncing a bit. "What in the…"

Severa racked her brain for several moments before something came to her. "Wait… these are hills and Virion mentioned… something… special… Naga's tits!"

Her sudden curse made the sentries on guard leap into the air, Severa ordering them to swallow their yelps and be silent. She almost threw herself to the ground, hands cupping her ear as she pressed it to the dirt.

All was silent for a moment before she heard the faintest tapping.

Severa leapt to her feet and started screaming. "Everyone awake, now! Get every tool and shovel you can find; tear down whatever furniture we have! I need a fortress on that hill in two hours!"

Her screams swiftly roused the camp, confused soldiers stumbling out of tents as orders continued to fly from Severa's lips. Anyone that tried to get to the bottom of all the yelling was told to 'shut up and dig!' before Severa ran off to rouse more of the Ylissean forces.

By the time Lucina was roused and lucid, the rest of the camp had hurried off to the tallest hill in the area. Noire stumbled after her, just as confused as Lucina when they saw the entire army busting ass with shovels and tools.

"What in the world?" Lucina wondered aloud as a table was dragged off before them, only to be broken into sharp shards by another group. "This is madness."

Noire hid behind the elder girl. "Something… must've happened."

"Lucy, Noire, get over here!"

The girls yelped as Severa ran up to them with shovels in her arms. "Follow me and get up on that hill! We need a fortress up and ready before sunrise, else we're all going to die!"

If ever there was a way to light the fires of motivation.

Noire questioned nothing, recognizing the desperate energy in Severa's frame as good reason to panic. She grabbed a shovel and ran with all possible speed, outpacing those on horses.

Lucina had a bit more sensible reaction. "What the hell is going on?!"

"They're digging underneath us!" Severa snapped, barely pausing to give another recently roused soldier a shovel. "There's mine shafts in these hills, that's what Virion was talking about! The 'brilliant' bastard decided to try and make me think it through, but now Yen'fay's underneath us and looking to pull off a total encirclement!"

Lucina's jaw dropped. "…Really?"

"And they killed all our flocks." Severa growled, anger and frustration mingling with deep sadness. "I sent those girls to their deaths like an idiot and what do we have to show for it? I bet they didn't even hit any supplies either."

Lucina looked away but took a shovel. There'd be time to mourn after they got out of this mess. "…What's done is done, we can only work. Tell me where you need me."

Severa jerked her hand at the hill as she handed out another shovel. "Get up there and help wherever you can. Earthen works, stakes, ditches, towers, whatever. Just get that place defensible before we find ourselves surrounded!"

Lucina didn't want to leave Severa behind. She could tell, under all the panicked energy, that her lover was hurting. Whether it was heart, ego, or something else… she didn't know. All she did know was that sending those flocks out was weighing Severa down and there was nothing she could do about it.

With a quiet apology, Lucina ran for the hill. Behind her, Severa hurried back into the seething mass of soldiers and kept handing out shovels until she had only one. Then, she went to the hill and started slinging dirt.

It was the only way she could keep the idea of her failure out of her mind.

-Yen'fay, Sunrise-

By the time he stepped out into fresh air once more, dawn was upon them. With little time to survey the surrounding area, Yen'fay ordered his men out of the mines to encircle the Ylissean camp as quickly as possible.

That was, until he had a chance to get around the hill they'd come out of.

"Now that's impressive." Atlanta muttered next to him, called there the moment he saw the sight before them. "Must've used all the manpower they had to do that."

Yen'fay grunted in agreement. Before them stood a fortress of earthen walls and splintered wood, ditches filled with stakes and honest to Naga battlements atop the walls. There was even a rough gate and palisade!

"They did all that before sunup." Atlanta huffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "That Grandmaster of theirs must have the ears of a fox."

Yen'fay was silent, observing the area quietly. The Ylisseans had abandoned their camp, that was clear, but he'd bet his topknot they'd taken all the useful supplies into that fortress. This had gone from a clear-cut encirclement to a siege in mere hours.

Impressive.

"Circle the fortress, but don't stray within range of their archers or mages." Yen'fay ordered, his soldiers obeying with all haste. "We'll see how they react and go from there."

He watched as Ylissean silver and blue armor appeared on the walls, his soldiers swiftly encircling the fort. On all sides, weapons were drawn and spells prepared, everyone expecting this to turn into a siege. Yen'fay took in this sight, considered his options, and nodded.

He turned and started to make for the camp they'd abandoned. "Everyone, retreat. We're going home."

Atlanta stumbled, already taking a step forward for an inspirational rally cry. "Excuse me?!"

Yen'fay didn't pause, his men following the orders without question. "Did I stutter?"

Atlanta gaped at him before giving chase, chastisement falling on deaf ears while Yen'fay kept walking.

Now then… let's see what you do.

-Severa-

"They're leaving?! After all that bullshit?!"

Severa's rage was understandable, if frightening. They'd created a defensible position, a fortress practically, in the course of a night. Now they were watching as the enemy they'd done so much to fight was just up and leaving!

No, not on Severa's watch! She was not going to sit here and let these dastards walk away when they'd taken so many of their own already!

With a great shout, she conjured a bolt of lighting and hurled it as hard as she could. The energy flew out with a murderous crackle before slamming into the ground near a squad of Valmese cavaliers. The energy sent shards of burning earth into the soldiers, felling several while the rest sped their retreat.

"After them!" Severa barked, the nearest platoon of cavalry mounting instinctively. "Harry them and make their retreat as painful as possible! Make sure you come back to us!"

The cavaliers roared their agreement and the gate cracked open, the thunderous rumble of their charge following them out past the ramparts and ditches. As they gave pursuit to the tail of the Valmese, Severa felt herself smirk.

She may have lost the flocks, but at least she'd bloody the bastard's nose and give the girls some measure of peace.

"…Um, Severa?"

Severa blinked and looked over to see Noire fidgeting next to her. "Yeah, what's up?"

Noire audibly gulped before pointing out to the riders that had sallied forth. "Um… Lucy went with them."

Severa whipped around and glared out at the galloping platoon, a flash of grey hair amongst the riders marking her erstwhile lover. "Lucy, by all that is holy, I am tanning your hide when you get back!"

The roar of frustration that accompanied those words got nervous chuckles out of the host, but as the riders grew further away and the Valmese retreated, everyone… relaxed. Started to let their guards down and wonder what they'd do about this fortress.

Then the ground shook.

Everyone stumbled and struggled to catch themselves as the quake washed over them, horses bucking and panicking while others were thrown to the ground. The ramparts cracked and crumbled a bit, but the real horror of what was happening revealed itself a moment later.

When the ground gave way… right under their riders.

The Ylisseans watched in terror as the riders that had sallied forth to give chase fell screaming into the earth, vanishing amidst a cloud of dust and rock. Unbeknownst to them, the mines and tunnels the Valmese had widened were set to collapse via fire spells. The moment Yen'fay had seen the pursuit, he'd sent the command.

The mages with him detonated the supports and ran from the mines, leaving them to collapse and swallow their pursuers.

"Lucina!" Severa screeched when sense returned, leaping from her spot on the wall to the ground and running for the new sinkhole with all possible haste. Behind her came the full brunt of the army, everyone desperate to survey the damage and save those they could.

Severa was far beyond desperate. When one of the mages thought to cast a wind spell and clear the dust away, she wanted to promote him for getting the obstacle out of the way but at the same time flog him for allowing them to see the extent of the damage.

Most of the platoon was severely injured, men and women alike groaning and crying in pain with their limbs twisted at odd angles. More than a few were screaming about being unable to move, some even claimed blindness.

Others, and many of the horses, lay still. Crushed or broken beyond saving, the brave souls that first climbed into the pit could only pray for them. Those that could be saved were swiftly dug out and tended to, though getting them out of the pit would prove a long and arduous process.

Severa cared for none of that, digging frantically through the rubble until she heard a familiar voice groan in pain. Almost roaring with strain, she flipped a particularly large stone off the pile she'd heard the groan in and almost collapsed. "Lucina! Naga in heaven, are you ok?!"

Lucina's eyes cracked open and beheld Severa's body outlined in the rising light of day. "Oh… you look radiant… this morning…"

Severa caught herself from slumping in relief. "Oh heaven, you're such a dork. Why in the nine hells did you run off like that?! You're not a rider!"

Lucina tried to laugh but only a groan of pain escaped her throat. "Wanted… to help… can't… feel my leg…"

Severa shook her head and shifted more of the rubble aside. She could make out Lucina's horse underneath her, the poor beast crushed by the rubble, but it had saved the princess's life. Unfortunately, it couldn't save all of her.

Severa felt bile burn her throat as she moved a large rock aside and beheld Lucina's mangled leg. The metal of the greaves and sabatons was dented and warped, white bone poking out in two different spots. It… was bad.

"Ow…" Lucina groaned as the rock rolled off her. "What's… the damage?"

Severa turning and splashing the rock with bile told the whole story. "Shit… damn… alright. Is there… a healer?"

Severa heaved one last squelch of bile before hollering for a healer to help her get Lucina out of the pit. A cleric came running and Severa guided her lover onto a stretcher the cleric brought, the healer guiding them up and out.

With Lucina in good hands, Severa turned to glare at the fortress they'd made. It was useless now, had served no purpose, and stood as a monument to her colossal waste of effort and lives. She could barely stand to look at it, the sight so enraged her.

Her hand shot out and grabbed one of the soldiers walking by on their way to the pit. "The minute you dig everyone out… get the whole force on their way back to the capital. So help me, if anyone tries to linger, I'll flog them myself."

The soldier shook in their boots at the rage simmering in Severa's voice, running off to do as ordered the moment she let them go. Severa proceeded to ignore everything else as she glared at the fort, anger and disgust building with each passing moment.

She'd been toyed with, utterly outplayed. Not once, not twice, but thrice. Her orders were predicted and it got the flocks killed. Yen'fay had greater information and used it to force her hand. Then, he'd foretold her reaction to his retreat and now they had this mess.

Some Grandmaster she was to be so thoroughly beaten in her first independent command.

By the time she even noticed the camp and army had moved on as ordered, her rage was an inferno burning away in her breast. With no one else around, she could take out her frustration at this debacle of her own making.

She reached into her cloak and pulled out her personal tome, the red cover blazing in her grip. The gift of her parents felt her anger and wished to smite whatever caused her such grief. And, for the first time in all her life…

Severa used its power in pure, unadulterated, rage.

"Ragnarok!"

Script flowed into a circle far larger than any she'd made before, the fortress at its center. Barely a moment passed before burning white fire consumed the fort, reducing both it and the hill to ash in seconds. The pillar of fire shot high into the sky before it was extinguished, the Ylissean force bearing horrified witness to the power Severa unleashed.

All the while Severa smiled into the flames, watching the monument to her failure disappear into naught but ash. Gleeful, she started to whistle a tune and skipped away from the carnage.

Time to plot a counterstrike, one that would make that smug bastard bleed.

It was all he deserved for shaming her so thoroughly.

The thought brought her brief cheer to an end, a scowl crossing her lips before she looked down at the cowl resting over her coat. Snorting, she tore it off and continued her journey back to the main force once more.

The sign of her title soon devoured by ash.

Ch. End

Golly but it's fun screwing with Severa.

I hope everyone enjoys this peek into what's been going on while our diplomatic parties are out and about. So everything's clear, the confrontation with Yen'fay happens around the same time Chrom goes on a killing spree.

As we have no reviews nor announcement, I'll end it there. See you all next time where we follow Lissa and company's adventures in maritime and aerial battle!

Ciao!