Field Of The Eagle And Lion And A Long Awaited Rematch.
The day has finally arrived. The battle of Eagle and Lion was about to begin. Everyone had trained hard for this, preparing themselves and become as strong and as skilled as they could possibly become. Sadly, not everyone would get to enjoy this day. Akame was getting better by the day, but Rhea wasn't convinced yet that Akame was ready for the battle, and much to Akame's disappointment, she would be forced to watch from the side lines. And she had been looking forward to this for so long.
As for her sister, she was currently talking to Claude before the battle began.
"So this is Gronder Field... Hey, Teach. Not a bad place to wage war, is it?" Claude asked.
Byleth looked at him "How so?".
"Plenty of places to hide, and our pick of paths to advance through. It's the perfect battlefield for our tactics. I have my eye on that low hill over there. See it? It's the ideal spot to lure our enemies to, and then surround them with fire" Claude explained.
Byleth shook her head with a frown "Fire is unacceptable".
"Gotcha, Teach! I know, I know. We want all students to make it back to the monastery. With you in command, we can't lose. The Imperial princess and the crown prince don't stand a chance" Claude said.
The rest of the Golden Deer join them with Hilda being the first to speak "Professor! Claude! What are you two talking about?".
"What do you expect? It's Claude. I expect he was foisting more of his ill-advised schemes on our poor professor" Lorenz said knowingly.
"Oh, you have me all figured out, Lorenz. You know me better than I know myself" Claude said sarcastically, much to Lorenz's annoyance.
"Win or lose, it's an honor just to participate in the legendary Battle of the Eagle and Lion!" Ignatz declared.
"We've got to win so we can show Captain Jeralt what we're made of!" Leonie said.
"Forget Jeralt, we need to show the world what were made of. And beating the other two houses is the best way to do that" Leone, her fist's already itching for a fight.
"Yes! I'm ready! Let's go!" Raphael declared.
Flayn laughed a little "Haha, I shall give it my all!".
"I'll just...stay quiet and follow along so I don't get in anyone's way" Marianne said timidly.
Lysithea gave her a stern look "That will not be acceptable, Marianne. The whole point of this exercise is for each house to act as one".
"Do your best! I can't wait to see how well everyone does" Hilda said.
"All right, sounds like Hilda will be taking control of a central hill and watching the battle from there" Claude said with a knowing smirk and Hilda looked horrified at the idea "It's almost time. Come on, Teach! The battle starts now!".
Akame Rhea and Seteth stand on a cliff above the field as trumpets begin to play. Dimitri advances from between soldiers in armor and lifts his lance to point towards the other classes.
"You all should know... I am not about to go easy on you today" He declared.
Claude walks forward from among soldiers in yellow, resting his bow on his shoulder "As long as we can pull off the win, it doesn't matter how".
Edelgard stands before soldiers in red, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she speaks "Our victory must be absolute...no matter what it may take".
The soldiers in red draw their swords. Byleth raises the Sword of the Creator and looks up towards the cliff.
"It is time" Seteth declared, the soldier beside him raises a flag.
Edelgard lifts her hand and gestures towards the other houses as she speaks "Forward! now!".
The Black Eagles surge forward, yelling. Dimitri's lance is lifted into the air.
He lowers it and points it forward "For honor!".
The Blue Lions run towards the enemy, yelling. Claude does not speak as he lifts his arm and and his soldiers advance. Rhea and Seteth stand in silence and watch as the students begin the battle. Akame was conflicted, she should be rooting for her class, but she also wanted to root for her sister. Had she been in the battle herself, she wouldn't have needed to worry about such conflicting feelings.
But all she could do now was to simply watch... and she hated every moment of it. She wanted to be out there, fighting alongside her friends on such an important occasion. But now she couldn't because Rhea wouldn't allow it. And it took some effort just to convince Rhea that she was well enough to even come and watch.
Back in the fields, the battle was underway. Students and soldiers clashing left and right, with the house leaders doing their best. Byleth managed to fend of and defeat a soldier, until suddenly a wall of ice surrounded her. And she knew right away what this meant.
"Esdeath..." She whispered as she turned around to see the blue haired woman woman walking towards her with a predatory smile.
"Battle of Eagle and Lion. An very important event for the Monastery, and the three houses. A chance to all the students to fight for their homelands and test their skills against worthy opponents" Esdeath began as she approached Byleth "I haven't felt that feeling for years. I never fought for anyone but myself, and no foe could equal my power. I suffered from unimaginable boredom, so I became a professor, since at the very least I could find joy in teaching the next generation what it means to be strong. But you and I, we are not like any of the others. We grew up in a far different world. We had to learn to survive early on, we had to become strong in order to stay alive. That is our destiny, to walk a path of the strong until we face someone stronger".
Byleth held up her blade "Indeed. We are nothing like the rest".
Esdeath smirked as she pulled out her sword "And that is why we meet here and now. My ice is only to keep the other away, this will be a duel between you and me, no powers, no tricks, just pure sword combat. This battle will be decided on skills alone. And I haven't forgotten our little bet, once I win, oh the things I will make you do. I think a foot massage should be a good place to start".
"Don't make plans yet, Esdeath. You haven't won yet, I am not the same mercenary you faced in the mock battle" Byleth said.
"Indeed, you are much stronger than you were back then. Which shall make my victory all the sweeter" Esdeath declared.
With that both entered a stance, and their duel was ready to begin.
Byleth rushed towards Esdeath, her new sword gripped in both hands. The blue haired warrior raised her sword to defend herself against the oncoming blow, and when her blade vibrated from the sheer impact, she got slightly more excited. Byleth really had gotten stronger since their last duel. Esdeath pushed back and slashed outwards, forcing Byleth to take a step backward in order to avoid being directly struck. However Byleth was not about to be forced back, and she swung again in a swift overhead arc. Esdeath met the swing with an upward strike, sparks flying from the blades as they met with such force.
Esdeath thrust out, but Byleth managed to dodge. Byleth returned with a swing aimed directly at Esdeath's hip, but the blue haired warrior was quick to parry the blow by bringing her blade to the side. The force of the strike rocked Esdeath's thinner blade and forced her on the defensive as Byleth advanced, The Sword of the Creator appearing like a blur as it whizzed through the air, beating away at Esdeath's stone wall defense. It was rare for Esdeath to be pushed on the back foot like this, and it only served to further her excitement.
Byleth gripped the hilt of her blade with both hands and brought it down with tremendous force. Esdeath tried to bring up her blade to defend, and while she was able to stave off Byleth's blade from cutting into her skin, the force of the blow still sent her staggering backwards. Byleth had the advantage and was prepared to make good use of it. But as she charged in, she was met with Esdeath's heal to her chest, making her tumble across the ground before quickly getting back on her feet and blocked an overheard strike as Esdeath began pressing against her.
"Yes! This is the fight I've been longing for! A battle against a worthy opponent!" Esdeath said with a wide smile.
Byleth pushed her back and they engaged again in a fast battle, their blows appearing like blurs as they slashed with and blocked attacks. Soon they came to a stop with their rapid movements to slash at each other in a three action attack before Esdeath held up her blade to block Byleth's slash, but Byleth spun around and struck at her opponent's face and forcing Esdeath to dart backwards, some locks of her blue hair being cut free. Byleth performed another similar slash at Esdeath as she came within range, and Esdeath leaned backwards to avoid the slash before she flipped backwards.
Easdeath quickly dashed back in, unleashing a barrage of quick strikes that quickly forced Byleth on to her back foot. Esdeath was fighting even harder than she did in their last duel, she was not holding back this time. Byleth knew she would lose if she didn't do something fast. She noticed she was getting close to one of the ice walls that Esdeath set up earlier. That gave her an idea. Byleth began to purposely give ground as Esdeath's powerful blows kept smashing against her defense, but then Byleth suddenly moved to the side, causing Esdeath's blade to get stuck in the ice wall. Byleth then headbutted Esdeath in the face, making her stagger back and Byleth quickly followed up with a strike that knocked Esdeath's sword out of her hand. Byleth then swung her blade again, but her blade stopped just as it was about to hit Esdeath's shoulder.
In that moment, the ice wall crumbled away, revealing the scene to everyone else. During their duel, their students had been evenly matched and the battle ended up in a stalemate. But to everyone's shock, they saw Esdeath go down on one knee in front of Byleth, and said something no one ever expected to hear from her.
"I... admit defeat. You won, Byleth" Esdeath said.
Akame watched the scene in utter shock. She knew her sister was strong, but she never expected she could defeat Esdeath. This just showed just how much training Akame still had ahead of her.
After Esdeath's defeat, the odds quickly turned in to the Golden Deer's favor and after a tough battle, they managed to claim victory over the other houses.
"That is the end of this year's Battle of the Eagle and Lion! And the winners are… The Golden Deer!" Seteth announced.
"A victory worthy of a feast! We did so well, there's no way we didn't secure that prize" Claude said.
Byleth looked at Esdeath "Are you alright?".
"No need to worry about me. You won fairly and honorably. We can discuss your price later" Esdeath said as she walked away.
Byleth watched her leave. She won, but barely. Had Esdeath used her magic, Byleth would've lost and she knew it. Esdeath only lost because she wanted it to be a fair fight.
After the battle, Byleth and Claude met up with Edelgard and Dimitri.
"Well done, Claude. I see your schemes are not to be underestimated" Edelgard said.
Dimitri nodded in agreement "Yes, I must wholeheartedly agree. As ever, I have proven to be no match for you".
Claude gave a bow "It is the utmost honor to receive praise from your royal–" He laughs, being unable to keep a straight face "I'm kidding, of course. Really, though, I was lucky to have Teach on my side. In all honesty, you two made me work for it. If I had to face you again, there's no telling which way it would go. Not to mention I would've lost for sure if Teach didn't manage to defeat Esdeath. What do you think, Teach? How did the other houses fare?".
"They all did well. But Esdeath remains the strongest opponent I have ever faced. I'd rather not think about what could've happened if she had used all her power" Byleth said.
"No kidding, it still baffles me you managed to defeat her at all. In any case, I hope the day never comes when we have to put this experience to use" Claude said.
Dimitri nodded "Agreed. I would hate to know a future in which I'm forced to cross swords with you".
"I wouldn't mind. I'll accept a challenge from either of you at any time. Heh, I'm kidding, of course!" Edelgard said with a friendly smile.
"Well, now that the three-way battle has ended in an Alliance victory, I daresay it's time for some post-battle reconciliation. The victor has but one request. Hear me out... When we get back to Garreg Mach, let's have a grand feast to bring down the walls between our respective houses. And by a grand feast, I mean a fairly regular feast in the dining hall" Claude said.
"Hmph. I accept your proposition. Please notify me once your preparations are complete" Dimitri said.
"It seems I have no choice but to drown my sorrow at losing in overindulgence. I'll help you with the preparations" Edelgard said.
Claude smiled "It's not a feast if you don't eat too much! Leave it to the Imperial princess to say such wonderful things".
"That's not exactly what I said, but... Ugh, forget it. Laugh all you want" Edelgard said.
"Oh, if you insist! Hahahaha! Hey, Teach. Looks like you're having a good time too. Seeing you smile like that means we've got no choice but to have a great time tonight. Let's get going!" Claude declared.
Later that night, a feast was held in celebration. But Akame did not show up, which surprised everyone that knew her, since they never expected Akame to miss out on a feast. They waited and waited, but she never showed up. Something that began to worry her class. Once the feast was over, the Black Eagles were getting ready to head back to their rooms. But as they went, Akame appeared in front of them, her head hung low.
"There you are, Akame. Where have you been? We didn't see you at the feast. We were starting to get worried" Dorothea said.
Akame was silent for a moment, before she suddenly bowed to them "I'm so sorry!".
Everyone looked surprised and Edelgard was the one to speak "Akame, what are you apologizing for?".
"This was such an important event for all of you. All of us worked so hard to be ready for it. We were all supposed to fight as one and show everyone how strong we are. But when the day finally arrived, I stood on the side lines. While you all were giving it your all, I was completely useless!" Akame said as tears dripped from her dace and on the ground "I... I failed all of you. I care about all of you. You are all like a family to me, and I failed you. I'm so sorry for being so weak! If you want me to leave the Black Eagles and be rid of someone so useless, then I will-".
"Akame stop!" Edelgard ordered, making Akame looked up with fresh tears in her eyes "You are not to blame for what happened. It's not your fault we lost. We lost because our opponents were stronger than us, even Esdeath was defeated. Don't blame yourself over something you had no control over".
"B-but I..." Akame sobbed out.
"I would much rather hear you blame yourself for something that actually was your fault. And this wasn't your fault, so you have nothing to feel bad about" Hubert said, the closest thing to comfort he could offer.
"Akame!" Caspar suddenly exclaimed as he ran up to her and took one of her hands in to both of his, tears at the end of his eyes "I'm so sorry. Thank you for telling us how you feel".
Ferdinand quickly joined in with un-shed tears of his own and put his hand on her shoulder "He's right, we are sorry for making you feel like that. Clearly we haven't shown how much we care if you had such horrible thoughts".
"No need for sadness. You be important to all" Petra said in her accent with a comforting smile.
Bernadetta quickly ran up to Akame and hugged her "Y-Yes! So please stop crying, or you going to make me cry... ah to late I am already crying!".
Dorothea went behind Akame and hugged her, letting her own tears fall "We all love you Akame. Don't think for a second that we would be happier without you".
Their words made Akame cry freely as Ferdinand and Caspar joined the hug.
"Look we are never going to make you sad again, ok?" Caspar assured.
"We promise" Ferdinand added.
Edelgard and Huber merely smiled at the sight. Tonight, Akame's bond with her classmates grew even stronger.
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There you go. I am not good at writing large scale battles, so I focused on the long awaited rematch between Byleth and Esdeath, and Byleth managed to score her first victory.
And I also wanted to dedicate a full scene to showing just how strong the bond between Akame and her new family is. That was a pretty emotional scene to write, so I hope it had an effect on at least some of you.
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Tell me what you think.