Here we are, the penultimate chapter of the War Against Plegia Arc.


DISCLAIMER: HELLSING IS OWNED BY KOUTA HIRANO. I DO NOT ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.

FIRE EMBLEM IS OWNED BY NINTENDO. I DON'T OWN IT'S CHARACTERS EITHER.

ITALICS=THOUGHTS AND SOUNDS

BOLD= DATES, PLACES, ECT.

BOLD ITALICS=WRITER

(NOTE: IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS STORY THEN DON'T READ IT.)


London, England ~ Hellsing Estate
November 1, 1997 (6:55 P.M)

Standing at attention, waiting at the front door, was Walter C. Dornez- butler and retainer to the Hellsing Family. He stood at the door, waiting patiently for his master- Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing- to return from a meeting with the Round Table. Usually, the butler accompanied her to the meetings, however she insisted that he get some much needed rest. It wasn't undeserved, as he had been working himself half-to-death.

So, the aged butler stood by the doorway, eagerly awaiting his master's return.

"Fool…"

Walter's eyes furrowed at the sound of the voice. He scanned the room in search of the source of the voice.

"You're a traitor and a damn liar..."

Walter began to frantically search the empty entrance hall of the mansion.

"Show yourself you coward!" his wires flared to life at the flick of his wrist.

"Poor Angel of Death, Dornez…" the voice continued. "So blind to the obvious; So ignorant to the truth. Does he really not see me?" The voice cackled in amusement. "How far you have fallen, Death Angel."

Walter didn't understand. What was the voice talking about? As he searched the halls for the intruder, his surroundings began to fade into nothing. Suddenly, he no longer found himself in the entrance hall of the Hellsing Estate, but a black void where there was nothing.

"What is the meaning of this nonsense!?" Walter shouted, ready to eviscerate whoever was responsible for the madness.

"Nonsense? Is that what you believe I speak? Nonsense?" The voice was clearly amused. "You say my words are nonsense, but they are exactly what you believe to be true. I would know what you believe in."

Walter watched as a dark figure began to make itself visible. It was vaguely humanoid, having no defying features to it. It slowly approached him, allowing him to get a closer look at it. As he closed in, the details of the figure began to become more defined. The butler could only gasp in shock at who he saw."

"I am you, after all." the "dark" Walter smirked.

Staring at this younger version of him in all black, Walter knew that this was not just him as younger man. This was him as a vampire.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" Walter stared his doppelgänger down.

"I wouldn't call this a joke, old man." The copy lit a cigar and placed it between his lips. "I am what you become, and you are what I was. I am a mighty God of Death, and you are nothing but a scum sucking maggot."

Walter grit his teeth in anger. He was about to cut the dark Walter down with his wires, when a new voice interrupted him.

"Vampire scum…" the voice spoke. It was younger, much younger than Walter or his dark doppelgänger. Both Walter's turned their attention to the source. Walter was surprised to see it belonged to him at the age fourteen.

"Are you really so desperate that you would become a shitty blood sucking demon?" The teenage Walter glanced between the two older Walters. "Well isn't this surreal? How is it that we're so different from each other when we're the same person?" The young Walter grinned mischievously. The elder Walter glared at his teenage self.

"Age tends to change people."

"Age changes people, he says." the teenaged Walter laughed. "Are you really so daft as to let yourself become a vampire?"

"You've no right to judge, boy." the vampire Walter approached the teenager and stared down at him. "Was it not you that brokered the deal with Millenium? Was it not your desire to become something that would best even the mighty Alucard?"

"Oh, I will defeat Alucard…" the teenage Walter clenched his fists. "Why would I need to rely on a shit vampire or an old man far beyond his prime?"

"Well, perhaps that's why the old man became me." Dark Walter eyed the elderly butler. "How did Alucard put it? Were you afraid of becoming old? Were you afraid of being forgotten? So long as he existed, how could you ever progress? Humans are weak-willed creatures, so scared and frail. When they die, they become nothing but refuse."

"Silence!" Walter silenced his dopplegangers. "You know nothing of me! Alucard means nothing to me, and I refuse that tainted power!"

"Foolish old man, we know everything about you." the teenaged Walter grinned as he and the Dark Walter began circling him like predators. "You want nothing more than to prove your worth. With Hellsing, you wanted to fight and defeat Alucard. It was your way of giving meaning to your existence!"

"There's more to life than childish grudges!" Walter shouted back.

"Like family and friends?" Dark Walter began to laugh. "And how did that work out for you? In the end, what did you do to your so called family and friends?"

Walter slashed the air, causing his wires to fly through his dopplegangers. The dark images of him distorted and eventually faded, but their voices did not leave him.

"You're just a traitor…"

"A slave to your own desires!"

Walter collapsed to the ground as the laughter of his alternate selves began to fill the void. He tried to cover his ears, but it was useless. He felt like his head was going to burst. It was agony listening to his dopplegangers.

"Why did you betray me Walter?"

The aged butler's eyes snapped upward to see Integra glaring down at him.

"I...I…" Walter struggled to get his words out. "I'm sorry!"

Integra simply shook her head before pointing behind the butler. Looking where the woman was pointing, Walter watched as the void melted away. He quickly realized that he was lying in the entryway of the Hellsing Estate. However, much to his horror the estate was in shambles. The entire mansion was seemingly reduced to a broken pile of rubble. Walter stood up and shook his head slowly in terror.

"No… this can't be…" Walter turned to where Integra had stood to see that she had disappeared. "This… this isn't…!"

"Wh-why, Walter…?"

Walter's head jerked at the sound of a new voice. He knew that voice, so sweet and innocent. The voice of a girl that was thrown right into the middle of everything. Walter ran towards the source of the voice. What he saw made his blood turn cold. A battered and bloodied Seras Victoria clutched the stump that was left of her left arm. Her entire arm seemed to have been cleaved off gruesomely. Her eyes had been gouged out, cut by whatever had taken her arm.

"Miss Victoria!" Walter knelt beside the poor girl. He held her in his arms, lying her head in his lap.

"H-how… how could you do this to us, Walter?" Bloody tears dripped down her cheeks. "H-how could you betray us, Walter?" she was sobbing.

"I..." Walter shook his head in disbelief. "I… I never meant for this to happen." The butler couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Miss Victoria, you hold on now." He said sternly.

"Wh- why did… you…" She coughed up some blood. "…do this...to... me..?" The life faded out her body as she breathed her last.

"Miss Victoria!?" Walter practically shouted. He clutched her shoulders and shook her slightly. "Seras Victoria, wake up!" He shouted in vain. Walter held the poor girl's body close as he broke down.

"Oh, you do care...:"

Walter's head snapped upward. He knew that voice…

"So, Angel of Death, you're the one responsible for all this…" Alucard stared down at him, his crimson eyes piercing the butler's soul.

"No, I didn't do anything!" Walter shook his head.

"Liar!" Alucard grabbed Walter by the collar, Seras' body falling from the butler's lap. "You did this, everything here is your doing!" Alucard stood the butler up and socked him in the face. Walter fell back lamely. Before he could even pick himself back up, Alucard had already grabbed him by the collar again.

"You killed everyone…" Alucard glared at Walter. "Don't deny what you've done, Angel of Death. You may not have pulled the trigger, but you moved out of the way of the bullet. You're a traitor, nothing more than that." Alucard shook the man by the collar. "So what now, do you plan to betray more people?"

"What?" Walter was in a daze. "I- I don't…"

"Oh…" Alucard chuckled darkly. "You don't remember them either...:" Alucard released Walter from his grip, allowing the butler to fall back. When the butler hit the floor, his surroundings changed once more. No longer was he at the Hellsing manor but in…

"Ylisse…" Walter's eyes widened. Like the Hellsing Estate before, the palace was in shambles.

Standing up, the butler saw that Alucard had disappeared. Walter spent no time pondering this, as he broke into a sprint. The halls were on fire, and the further down he went, the more bodies he passed. Frederick, Virion, Sully, Vaike, Stahl, Miriel, Sumia, Walter averted his eyes as he rounded a corner, only to be greeted by more bodies. Kellam, Lon'qu, Donnel, Maribelle, Ricken, Gaius, Panne, Cordelia, Gregor, Nowi, it was too much for him to bear. They were his friends, his new family.

"Wal… ter..."

Walter turned to see Lissa sprawled on the floor. There was large gaping wound in her chest.

"No…no…no!" He went over to comfort the girl, but she was already dead- succumb to her wounds.

Walter closed his eyes and ran further down the hall.

"Walter, where… where were…"

The butler turned to see Chrom lying on the floor, his hands clutching his chest. Like Lissa there was a great hole in the prince's chest.

"Chrom!" Walter knelt beside the prince. "I'm so sorry!"

"No… where… were… you…?" The blue-haired prince went limp, dying in the butler's arms.

Walter clenched his teeth in pure anguish. Setting Chrom's body down, Walter got to his feet and stared down at the body.

"You damn monster..."

Walter looked behind him to see Lucina.

"Lucina! Thank goodness you're okay!" Walter stepped forward to try to embrace the bluenette, but was shocked to see the woman unsheath Falchion and point it directly at him. "Lucina, what're you…?"

"Silence, monster!" Lucina gripped her weapon tightly. "You killed my father!" Lucina closed her eyes, tears pouring from her cheeks. "I trusted you damn it! I opened myself up and I let you're words of peace and defying fate entice me!"

"Lucina, I- I didn't kill Chrom!" Walter stepped back cautiously.

"Silence, craven! Your lies shall deceive me no longer!" Lucina launched herself at Walter, blade blurring in her hand.

"Lucina!" Walter raised his hands and closed his eyes. The butler's eyes snapped open when he suddenly heard a cry of agony. "Oh… oh God…"

Lucina's sword arm had been sliced right off. Looking down, Walter was horrified to see his wires had been involuntarily summoned.

"Lucina, I didn't mean to-"

"Quiet!" Lucina cut the butler off. She clutched the stump that once was her arm as she struggled to stand. "If I am to fail in my mission here, than so be it…" the bluenette gave up trying to stand, opting to only give Walter one last look of defiance. "However, I will not have my death shamed by your pity, monster. I would sooner cut my ears off than listen to your venomous tongue, snake. Kill me now so that I may not have to see you anymore."

Walter shook his head.

"No, I… I can't!" To the butler's shock, his wires began to move of their volition. "No! I won't, I refuse to do it!" Walter attempted to move his arms, but they wouldn't budge. "Lucina, please run!"

The blunette only shook her head in disgust as the wires wrapped themselves around her neck.

"This… this is your fate… snake…" Lucina began to choke as the wires began to tighten.

"You… will… always… be… a… traitor…"


"Lucina!"

Walter shot up from his bed in a cold sweat. He gasped for air as he took a look at his surroundings. He was in his tent, lying in his cot. Walter ran his hands through his long locks, relief flooding over him. The butler let out a breath as he buried his face in his hands.

"A dream… just a dream…" Walter swallowed.

Looking over to the entrance of his tent, he saw that the sun wasn't even up yet. Grabbing his pocket watch from beside his cot, the butler saw that it was five thirty in the morning. Walter put the pocket watch back where he had grabbed it from and laid his head back against his pillow. Staring at the ceiling of his tent, he knew that he wasn't going to get anymore sleep that night.

Slipping out of his bedroll, Walter sat at the edge of his cot and lit a candle he had on standby. Maneuvering across his tent to a satchel where he had put his belongings, the butler pulled out a clean dress shirt and pair of pants. Throwing off the pair of sweats he slept in, Walter slipped on the black pants and quickly threw on his shirt. The butler ran a comb through his messy locks and slicked them back into a ponytail. He put on a plum waistcoat, nearly identical to the one he had destroyed during his fight against Validar. Grabbing his monocle, he quickly gave the eye piece a polish. He stared at his reflection in the monocle for a second.

"I am Walter Dornez…" He muttered to himself. "I am Walter Dornez, Chrom's advisor, butler, and best friend. I am not a monster, I am not a traitor." Pondering over what Lucina had said in his dream, Walter placed the monocle over his left eye.

"If it is my fate to be a traitor, than I will defy it. I will defy fate."


Plegia ~ Plegia Castle Courtyard
September 5, Age 2609 (12:00 P.M)

It was the day of reckoning, the day of Exalt Emmeryn's execution. There was great uproarious celebration across all of Plegia as the fall of Ylisse was upon them. On this day, Plegia would avenge the fallen brethren that the last Exalt had so callously waged war on. Of course, none were more ecstatic than Mad King Gangrel himself. The Lord of Plegia cackled as Emmeryn was led to a great peak, high above the ground for all to see. Behind her, the executioner stood with his lance in hand.

"My good subjects, my people!" Gangrel hollered. "I welcome you to today's lovely execution, my friends!" Cheers erupted as Plegians gathered from all corners of Plegia to witness the destruction of Ylisse's Exalt.

"Yes yes, I too am filled with anticipation for the event! For I too recall why we are all so jovial! We all remember the crimes of Ylisse, the heinous slaughter of our Plegian brethren in their crusade against us just several years prior! The sins of the father are now visited upon the daughter, and now it is time this bitch who would claim peace as her goal to pay the price for her father's crimes!" Uproarious cheers erupted from below, music to Gangrel's ears.

"I have been waiting for this day for so long! The day that we, the people of Plegia, have justice!" Silencing the crowd, Gangrel turned to the executioner. "Now, executioner, it is time. Silence that disgusting who-"

Before Gangrel had a chance to finish, a hand axe came flying at the executioner atop the peak beside Emmeryn. The Plegian fell to the ground, dead.

"Everyone, now!"

All attention turned to the source of the voice, Prince Chrom himself. The Ylissean Prince came flying in on a Pegasus with Sumia, his Shepherds marching into battle below him.

"Come to crash the party, have we?" Gangrel smirked. "Too bad we've been expecting you, princey! What a blessing this is, not only is the Exalt going to die today, but the entire disgusting line of royals will fall today as well!" Giving the signal to his soldiers, Gangrel retreated into the palace with Aversa by his side.

"Focus on the soldiers first!" Chrom barked. "We deal with the Mad King later!" With that final order, the battle officially began.

Chrom came charging through the enemy ranks with Sumia, nothing going to stop him from saving his sister. Charging an unsuspecting soldier, the pair barreled through him like a sword cuts through paper. Sumia easily pierced through the gut of the soldier with a swift stab of her lance. Chrom aimed for an archer, planning to thin out all threats to their aerial units. The Lord unsheathed the Falchion and cut the archer down as Sumia took them low enough for him to do so.

Behind them, Vaike was riding with Cordelia. As always, the two were bickering over who they were going to target first.

"I say we go after the mages, seeing as they're a danger to us flying guys." Vaike suggested.

"No, I think it's best we take care of the enemies around Chrom." Cordelia replied. "We need to watch milord's back."

"Aw geez, Ol' Teach needs you to make up your mind on Chrom." Vaike groaned in annoyance. "One battle you're all, Chrom doesn't need help from the likes of you; the next you're like, we need to protect Chrom at all cost. For Nagas sake woman, make up your damn mind!"

"Fine!" Cordelia veered her Pegasus toward an unsuspecting mage. "If you're so confident that killing the mages is more important, we'll do things your way! Don't blame me if Chrom gets killed!"

The Pegasus Knight shoved her lance through the gut of the mage, killing him instantly. Vaike had meanwhile began raining hand axes down upon the unsuspecting foes.

Several Wyvern Riders began to fly towards the two pairs, intent on bringing the attack to an end. Noticing this, Miriel dashed in and fired several blasts of Arcwind upon one of the Wyverns. This easily blew the rider out of the sky, but caught the attention of several other enemy Plegians. Several soldiers charged at the mage, but were foiled by the sudden intervention of a certain tall, nigh invisible, knight. Kellam began fighting three soldiers at once, and quite amazingly held his own. Despite the bulk of his armor slowing him down, Kellam still kept up. Hilariously, even when the soldiers did land a hit, the armor of the knight caused the attacks to bounce off harmlessly. When the last of the soldiers were dealt with, Miriel moved to the Knight's side.

"I am quite appreciative of your assistance, Kellam." she straightened her glasses. "Though I am at a loss as to how I had not noticed your presence until now, it is quite assuring to have you by my side."

Ricken had had the same idea as Miriel and aimed for the Wyvern Riders. Unfortunately, his barrage of Arcwind wasn't enough to down the Wyvern, and he was struck in the arm by his axe swing. Seething in pain, Ricken unleashed another torrent of wind, this time at point blank range. The attack connected, but Ricken was heavily injured.

"Please pace yourself, dear." Maribelle ran to his side with a staff in hand. "Honestly, the situation is indeed dire, but please don't get yourself killed. I'd be most displeased if you did." In a flash of green light, Ricken's wound was all closed up.

"Thanks Maribelle." the Mage smiled. "Good to know that you've got my back."

After a few minutes of disarray within the Plegian ranks, they finally managed to organize themselves and retaliate. Several soldiers came charging towards Chrom and Sumia, their weapons in hand. Eager to finish the fight as quickly as possible, they failed notice the gargantuan rabbit like creature charging towards them. The soldiers were thrown aside like rag dolls as Panne, in beast form, barreled in. Lon'qu followed after her, a grimace on his face as he did. He wasn't quite happy that he had to work with a woman, but at least Panne could get results quickly. Eyeing some more soldiers creeping behind him, Lon'qu unsheathed his sword and swiftly slashed behind him. The soldiers were beheaded instantly, and Lon'qu continued on his merry way.

Frederick rode beside Lissa, guarding her from various attacks. As a Wyvern Rider swooped down to take out the duo, Frederick was surprised to see Lissa react first. The War Cleric jumped onto the back of Frederick's mount and than jumped off of the horse. The princess than slammed her axe down into the Wyvern Rider's head, killing him instantly.

"That was impressive." Frederick commented.

"Thanks! I've been working on that one for awhile!" Lissa grinned.

Meanwhile, Chrom was now attacking on foot, with Sumia just behind him. Cutting down another Plegian Mage, the prince was surprised to see another warrior fighting off Plegians. The person had the silkiest golden locks Chrom had ever seen, long locks that made both his sisters hair look dull.

"You there!" Chrom approached the War Monk. "Who are you and why do you fight alone?"

The stranger looked positively happy to see the prince, as they bowed in respect towards him.

"Good heavens!" Their voice was serene, but carried a jovialness to it, not unlike Emmeryn. "You're Prince Chrom, brother to her grace, the Exalt!"

"Wait, you know me?" Chrom questioned.

"Of course!" The stranger replied merrily. "All Ylissean clergy know of you sire! I must thank Naga for uniting us!" the stranger got on their knees to pray, only for Chrom to stop them there.

"With all do respect, now is not the time for prayer- now is the time for action."

"Ah yes, 'tis true." the devout follower of Naga stood back up. "I had originally been accompanied here by my fellow clergymen. As soon as word of the execution reached our ears, my brethren and I rushed here as fast as we could. Alas, they all fell and I am that is left of my allies. I was beginning to feel doubt in my mission, but now that you are here I am reinvigorated! I ask you to allow me to lend my services to you!"

"Of course!" Chrom patted the cleric on the back. "I'd happily allow you to serve beside me, seeing as your love for my sister clearly evident. I would be honored to be joined by such a formidable woman of the cloth!" The clergyman began to laugh sheepishly, much to Chrom's bewilderment.

"I thank you for the compliment, but I am a MAN of the cloth, sire." Chrom did a double take at the sudden revelation.

"You're… You're a man…?"

"No sire, I am priest." he replied simply. "The woman of our order are the clerics- the men are monks. Well, technically War Monks, if you wish to split hairs-" Chrom stopped him their and apologized profusely.

"It's okay, sire. It is an honest mistake. In all fairness, it could've been much worse."

After introducing himself as Libra, both Chrom and his new ally moved forward with the assault. One after another, the Plegians fell to the Shepherds assault. Guarding the palace, the Plegian commander- Champari- was fuming over the failure of his units.

"Dammit, why haven't the Wyvern reinforcements arrived yet!" he scowled as he watched the Shepherds advance from afar. "We must act quickly if we are to catch these worms off guard!"

Cordelia and Vaike were meanwhile dealing heavy damage to the Plegian forces. Hard as it was to admit, Vaike was correct in saying that pursuing the mages was more important than backing Chrom. The sheer amount would've proven to be a problem if not dealt with. It was a fact that Cordelia was now experiencing first hand, as she was steadily being surrounded by dark mages.

Being blasted by dark magic from all sides, the Pegasus Rider was close to being knocked off her mount when Vaike came charging in with his axe in hand. Shoving an iron axe into one Mage, he pulled out two hand axes and threw them at the two more mages. The hand axes embedded themselves into the enemies chests. Vaike removed his iron axe from the side of his last target and embedded it into the side of another Mage.

Clearing the area of mages, Vaike turned to Cordelia.

"You okay?" the usually brash warrior asked concernedly. "You were in a bit of a pickle there."

"Yes." Cordelia muttered, a small smile forming on her face. "Thank you, Vaike. You… saved me back there…"

Returning the smile, Vaike moved forward, gesturing for Cordelia to follow. Cordelia, for the first time, did so without question.

Chrom had meanwhile continued his assault. His sword cut through Plegian after Plegian, none standing up to the Ylissean Prince. It was only when he encountered a Dark Mage that he ceased his assault. The woman looked fairly disinterested with the battle around her, which made Chrom quite curious. Looking up to his sister, who stood watching from high atop the perch she was at, the prince decided to follow a gut instinct of his.

"You there!" Chrom caught the woman's attention. "Are you with the Plegians? If so, you seem fairly reluctant to fight."

"Death comes for all of us eventually…" the woman replied apathetically. "Why should I invite it early, fighting for a cause that I don't believe in?"

"Oh…" Chrom scratched the back of his head. "I take it that you don't wish to fight then…"

"Hmm, that's one way of putting it I suppose." the mage sighed. "It's more that I'm keeping my options open. I mean, long live the king and all, but I'd rather I continue living. After all, I do have a bit of a rebellious streak." she chuckle darkly. "A bit of a… dark side…"

"Well, perhaps you could rebel now and help?" Chrom offered. "I know that it's dangerous to trust you, but my sister would trust you. I guess you could say I'm trying to save one Plegian, seeing that my sister would not want anymore of your people's blood spilt than necessary."

Pondering over it for a second, the woman made her decision.

"Very well, I'll join you… For now…" the woman snickered as she suddenly turned and wiped a Wyvern Rider out of the sky. Satisfied, Chrom continued on his way.

Just behind Chrom, the rest of the Shepherds took note of the figures flying towards them in the horizon.

"Wyvern Riders…" Lon'qu spat. Forming up alongside Kellam, Miriel, Ricken, Panne, and Maribelle, he prepared for the incoming threat. The Wyverns came flying in like hornets defending their hive. They swarmed the six of them, slashing at them when they could. Lon'qu deflected strike after strike, his arms beginning to tire from the strain of battle. Noticing this, Panne moved to the side of the myrmidon and aided in his defense.

"I didn't ask for your help…" Lon'qu said coldly.

"Silence man spawn." Panne glared at the swordsman. "It is obvious you need my help, so consider yourself lucky that I give it." The Taguel transformed into her beast form and began leaping and swiping at the Wyvern riders. Several were taken down immediately as she jumped up and swatted them out of the skies. Ricken and Miriel weren't standing by and watching, as they too were thinning out the Wyvern ranks with barrages of wind.

Finishing the last of the Wyvern Riders, the Shepherds began to swarm the palace courtyard, right behind Chrom. The prince walked into the courtyard, Falchion in hand, and faced the man standing between him and his sister.

"You'll never save your precious exalt, scum!" Champari, the Plegian commander declared.

Having had enough, Chrom easily rushed the commander and pierced through the man's heavy armor in one swift strike. The commander had no last words, as the cuts silenced him. Pulling his sword out of the man's corpse, Chrom stood victorious.

Gathering together within the courtyard, the Shepherds planned their final move.

"Okay, just as Walter had planned, everything is in place." Chrom turned to Frederick. "The skies are clear of Wyvern- give the, the signal!"

Frederick followed the order, and the effect was instantaneous. From the skies, Pegasus Knights flew down to the aid of the Shepherds. Leading them was Captain Phila, who had seen better days. She looked battered and beaten from her time in the Plegian prison, but she still looked as if she was ready to take on the whole of Plegia on her own.

"Your Grace!" the captain of the Pegasus Knights addressed Emmeryn, who still stood atop the peak of Plegia Castle.

"Phila!?" Emmeryn said in astonishment. "I am glad to see you are safe, but how…?"

"Khan Basilio's men freed me and my fellow knights." Phila replied simply. "Come, we must hurry!"

From inside the palace, Gangrel was absolutely livid. Never did he think that the princeling would get so far. It was utterly humiliating that his best troops were fell by a ragtag bunch of teenagers.

"That damned prince does not play fair!" He glowered. Aversa, on the other hand, seemed fairly calm.

"That is true, but neither do I…" Aversa pulled out a box that was ripe with dark energy. Gangrel, knowing what it was, began to smile mischievously. As Aversa prepared to utilize her trump card, the unforeseeable happened...

Twing!

From the shadows, a flurry of wires caught both Aversa and Gangrel in their grip. The two became entangled in the wires as they tightened around them. The Reeking Box, which would have summoned Risen to the aid of the Plegians, was suspended in midair by the monofilament, not to be opened.

"Did you really think I was foolish enough not to see right through your little trap?"

Both Gangrel and Aversa's eyes widened upon hearing the familiar voice of a butler who had been all but absent since the beginning of the battle.

"Come now, I'm far too old to fall for such a simple ruse." Walter walked out of the shadows, his wires summoned. "Everything from how simple it was to get this far into Plegia, to the fact that the whole of Plegia wasn't guarding this very castle, made it obvious that we were meant to get this far. You wanted us to win this battle, only to pull the rug from right under our feet. You wanted the bulk of all our forces, both Ylisse's and Ferox's, to be right here. In that way, you could eliminate both threats all at once."

The amount of thought that Walter had put into his strategy, the fact that the butler had seen right through everything, had both aggravated and scared Aversa. Here was a man that had no rival, and it was frightening. For once, Aversa was not at all calm. For once, she was beaten.

Gangrel, for all the bravado he had just had, was silenced by the sudden loss he had experienced. It all came crashing down, he had lost.

"That is checkmate." Walter put his hands behind his back as Ylissean forces and Feroxi forces rushed into the palace.

Both Aversa and Gangrel were led into the courtyard, and put in chains. Aversa was taken away, to be imprisoned later. Gangrel, on the other hand, was immediately taken before Chrom and his fellow leaders. The bloodied corpses of the fallen Plegians were gathered into a single pile to be cremated later.

"Walter Dornez, I thank you once again." Emmeryn approached the butler as she was returned safely to the ground. "It is thanks to you that I live this day. There is no reward that shall suffice to repay you for this service." Much to all those presents' surprise, Emmeryn bowed to the butler.

"It is nothing, milady." Walter smiled. "If anything, you should be thanking your siblings. It is they that took charge and led this mission. Everything would be lost if it weren't for their love for you."

Turning to her siblings, Emmeryn could not help but begin to burst into tears of joy. Chrom was also overjoyed that everything had worked out. The two siblings embraced, just happy to see each other once again. Lissa was joined into the hug, further causing tears to stream down Emmeryn's face. Their family was reunited, and by Naga there was nothing that was going to separate them.

Walter twinkled at the sight. He felt that for once, the weight of the past did not matter. He had done it, he had saved the Exalt. He had done the impossible, he had defied the fate that Lucina had stated led to the end times. Thinking of the princess from the future, the butler couldn't wait to see the joy on her face as the Shepherds march into Ylisstol, Exalt Emmeryn in their care.

Of course, there was one final piece of business to take care of before they returned home, and it all involved the Mad King of Plegia. Turning to Gangrel, who had been forced onto his knees, Walter addressed the mad man that had nearly brought about Emmeryn's demise.

"With the capture of the Mad King of Plegia, Plegian troops will be forced to surrender." Walter smirked as he watched Gangrel's face contort in rage. "This war of yours is officially over."

"No! So long as Ylisse stands, the people of Plegia will continue to fight! Our hatred for you simpering insects will never die!" Gangrel hollored and howled. "If you think killing me will do you any good, you are sadly mistaken! Another Plegian King will rise, one eager to continue the work that I had started! If anything, killing me will make me a martyr in my peoples eyes! In fact, I encourage you to do it, I dare you!" Looking to Emmeryn, the villain grinned manically. "Order my execution, prove once and for all that all that pacifism is a lie! Show that we're not so different, you and I!"

Emmeryn stared at the Plegian King. There was no hatred in her eyes. All there was, all she felt, was pity. Emmeryn pitied the man before her, because for all his wrongdoings he was still but a man.

"Oh Gangrel, I see now…" Emmeryn knelt down and locked eyes with the Plegian. "You have allowed the past to rule you, to be the one that guides you. Instead of moving forward to create a new and better future, you seek to right wrongs that you feel must be corrected. How my heart aches to see you in such a state. Even after all you have done, I still forgive you."

Walter stared at the Exalt, as did Emmeryn's siblings. Her words hit a chord in him. Looking down at the broken man before them all, the man that had once been so high up on his pedestal, Walter had an epiphany. Gangrel was a result of the past mistakes, mistakes that could not be let go. Just as Gangrel could not let go, he too had trouble letting go of the past. It had ruled every single action he had taken since had arrived in Ylisse. Whether it was his childish grudge against Alucard, or the mistakes of his past. It had left a deep pit of guilt in him, and Walter realized what had to be done. If he was ever going to progress, if he was ever going to be the man he once was, he had to do the one thing he was never good at.

Walter was finally letting go.

Evidently however, Gangrel did not take Emmeryn's words very well, as he began to flail and gnash his teeth like a wild animal. This only caused Emmeryn, and now Chrom, to pity him further.

"How dare you! You think your pity means anything to me?!" Gangrel shouted, clearly driven even further into his own madness. "I will kill you! I'll kill all of you! I don't care if it costs me the whole of Plegia, I will tear your still beating hearts from your chests and bathe in your blood!"

Only so much could be watched without feeling even more pity for the fool. So they turned from Gangrel and left him to fester in his squalor. This caused Gangrel to feel even more hatred for them.

No… It wasn't just hatred towards all of them, this time…

This time he felt hatred towards someone very specific, someone that wasn't Emmeryn. He was by all means the source of his troubles, the man that had toppled him in one swift battle. Gangrel felt anger, anger beyond anything he had ever felt. It was anger that would sustain him even if he was destroyed.

It was in that very moment, in his lowest moment that something changed. Gangrel felt the urge to live. To live long enough to kill the butler; no he wanted the butler to suffer. He wanted to make Walter Dornez hurt.

Staring at the ground, he saw something trickle past him. Blood pouring out of the pile of corpses nearby. The Mad King, Gangrel, suddenly felt thirsty. For some reason he knew that water would not quench him. Gangrel knew that only one thing would sustain him. His mind urged him, no begged him to drink the blood. Somehow he knew that drinking the blood would save him, he didn't know how it would, he just did.

Following his inner voices that urged him to drink, the Mad King opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. Bending down to the ground, Gangrel ran his tongue through the small trickle of blood.

Exalt Emmeryn, Chrom, and both Khans were discussing further plans for how to deal with Plegia when Walter suddenly felt a deep sense of foreboding. It was a familiar feeling to the butler, but a feeling he hadn't felt since he was back in his world. Recognizing what exactly was occurring, the butler's head snapped back to Gangrel.

"No!" Walter cried out as he saw Gangrel bend down to lick the blood of the floor. All other eyes turned to what Water was looking at.

Time seemed to slow down for the butler as he watched the Mad King of Plegia run his tongue along the blood soaked grounds. The air became frighteningly still as everything became silent. Chills ran down the spines of even the most battle hardened soldiers, and it was absolutely terrifying.

Suddenly, everything happened all at once. Blood from every single corpse in the pile of bodies sprang forth like a spring and flew towards Gangrel. It poured into the Plegian King's mouth as everyone watched in utter horror. Blood from every corner of the castle found its way to Gangrel, and Walter could only watch in grim terror.

The Mad King began to change, his already pale skin became even paler, almost looking chalk white. His eyes became crimson, matching the blood that dribbled down his mouth. His teeth became razor sharp, sharper than any blade that could ever be forged. There he stood, Gangrel, the Mad King of Plegia, absorbing every drop of blood in the area.

No one but Walter knew what had just occurred...

What stood before them was no man…

There were several names for the creature, the monster, that stood before them…

Nightwalker…

Bloodsucker…

Nosferatu…

But one name in particular stood out…

Walter breathed deep as he stepped forward, slipping his gloves on. He was the Angel of Death, the reaper of the undead souls. A former Hellsing operative, one very much familiar with what stood before him.

"Vampire…"

Gangrel had become a vampire.


Author's notes

A Vampire...

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The Dream
This section was a scene from a scrapped chapter that would've been either chapter 7 or 8. The chapter was messy and had no place is in this story, so I trashed it. However, I saved the dream sequence, seeing as it was the only part of that chapter that I felt was worthy of keeping. Flash forward to this chapter and here it is. Originally the section in Ylisse was absent, and it was just the Hellsing section that existed.

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Walter's Absence
Walter was originally going to play a more active role in this chapter. He was going to participate in the battle with the rest of the Shepherds, doing what he does best of course. He would've caught Emmeryn as she fell off the peak, saving her, but I felt that that would feel rather contrived- forced to put it bluntly. It felt more natural for me to keep Walter out of the spotlight for the time being, only appearing to spring his trap.


Reviews

Touhoufanatic

Well... Emmeryn isn't a pancake, but it's kind of an "out of the pan and into the fire" sort of situation.

ARSLOTHES

I could see Walter and Olivia getting together. Lucina and Walter's relationship is a weird one, ain't it? On one hand, you're right that they do have that sort of bond right now. On the other hand, it would be weird for her to have two father figures... wait a minute that makes it sound like Walter's marrying Chrom...

SPOILER ALERT! Walter is going to realize just how much he loves Chrom and they are going to love each other very very much! (Just kidding, sorry if I disappointed anyone.)

Neema Amiry

Thanks, I really worked hard on that chapter!

pt1oef

You're right, the atmosphere between arguably the two main character's is good, but in what way? Don't worry, there's gonna be more coming in the future!

Regalis Imperius

I dunno, maybe people just don't want to spend time reviewing. Realize that this is kind of story is a hard sell. Walter Dornez in Fire Emblem Awakening? What is this guy? Crazy? Walter is also not nearly as popular as Alucard or even Anderson. He's my personal favorite character as well, and I think it helps that he's a bit harder to read than Alucard, but I've seen lots of hate for the butler as well. Glad you like my rendition of Walter, seeing as it's not the most typical.

Well, you got a bit of Dark Walter, and even a bot of teenage Walter. Worry not, I have no doubt we'll see more of those versions of him in the coming weeks.


Here we go... been waiting to get to this point for a long time, but here we are...

Next time we end the War Against Plegia Arc...

Stay tuned for more...


Next time on Walter Dornez of the Emblem!

The Fall