Author's Notes:

Golden Zero16- I do feel a little bad for constantly putting the protagonists through the wringer, but hopefully that makes the better moments feel more earned :). Thanks for reviewing!

Chapter 19

Day 30 of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1180

Professor Manuela was on duty at the infirmary after the first interclass mock battle, but she had left a tray of revitalizing tea in the Golden Deer classroom for the students to enjoy. Leonie grabbed the first cup and then plopped into a chair.

"Well, that was embarrassing. They really made us look like idiots out there," she decided.

"That's true," Lysithea agreed as she took a cup, doing her best to block people from watching her shovel sugar into the liquid. "I have a feeling that several of us didn't properly prepare. Lectures are only just starting, so there's no excuse of being busy with that. I probably don't even want to know what all of you were wasting your time on instead."

Lorenz scoffed, "The appearance of lacking preparation can be attributed to a void of leadership. A diligent plan is necessary for any coordinated effort, and our class was quite clearly lacking in that regard."

Claude's eyebrows instinctively rose at the audacity of the claim. "We did have a plan, Lorenz, if you remember. But you decided charging in against an unknown opponent was the better idea."

"I believe you've misunderstood me. I said a diligent plan, not your squalid tricks."

"I had a few ideas that Manuela tragically rejected, I'll admit, but what we went with had her approval. Luring in the enemy and using the terrain to our advantage counts as 'squalid tricks'? What exactly constitutes as a 'diligent plan', then? Wearing color-coordinated armor?"

Lorenz bristled, "Of all the… Ignatz, you joined me in advancing on the enemy. As Claude clearly has no intention of listening to my perspective, perhaps you explain the rationale for our actions."

"Me?" Ignatz squeaked. "But I only followed because you told me to! S-sorry, I don't really have an opinion on this either way…"

Lorenz looked around the room for help. Leonie and Lysithea were plainly not on his side, and he would be lucky to extract a full sentence from Marianne. Hilda was more difficult to read, so he gave it a try.

"I'm sure you can attest to this, Hilda, but I have always been told that your brother Holst bravely leads his soldiers in the defense of Fódlan's Locket himself rather than cower in the trees. Do you think he would approve of Claude's methods?"

Hilda shifted her weight between each foot. "Maybe not, but… I'm not exactly Holst. I mean, Claude did have a plan, so I think maybe we should have tried it, you know?"

Claude beamed triumphantly. "Well said, Hilda. With your insight, you might make a valuable tactician. We'd probably have to keep you off the frontlines if we go that route, though."

"Wait, really?" Hilda asked eagerly. Realizing he was only joking thanks to his sly smile, she groaned, "Ugh. Don't blame me when nothing you say is taken at face value going forward."

In hopes of reconciliation, Claude posited, "Don't take it too hard, Lorenz. The Black Eagles' new professor was incredible out there. I don't know if Rhea was brilliant or just lucky to hire her on a whim like that. Byleth's skills are as a mercenary, though, not as an instructor. This first battle was to her advantage. If we develop over this year, it's going to take more than a single skilled teacher to stop us."

Lorenz ignored the olive branch and instead continued his tirade. "Such a future is unlikely unless a chang-."

"Hey! That's enough!"

Lorenz halted in astonishment of this interruption, which came from Raphael.

Raphael continued, "Sitting around arguing with each other isn't going to do anyone any good. No one wants to listen to that."

"Well… do you have an opinion on what happened?" Leonie asked since Lorenz and Claude were both speechless.

"We came here to learn and get stronger, not get worked up over one fight. We just gotta do better next time. What more needs to be said?" Raphael hopped up and headed towards the door. "All this tea is making me wish I had food instead. I'd be happy if anyone joined me there."

After Raphael left, Claude and Lorenz glanced at each other ashamedly. Claude began, "I'm sorry I didn't do better, but Raphael is right. Besides, it would have been boring if our competition was weak. A bit of humbling is always a good starting place for growth. I discovered some things I need to work on. Did you, Lorenz?"

"… I suppose you have a point. I underestimated our opponents and was perhaps too brazen as a result…" Lorenz admitted with visible pain. He would have said more, but he noticed Lysithea sneaking towards the exit behind him.

Realizing all eyes were on her, Lysithea explained, "I'm accepting Raphael's offer. I heard there's a special dess- I mean, uhh… wholesome meal for tonight."

As Lysithea made her escape with a gleeful giggle, the rest soon fell in line behind her. Hilda paced beside Claude as they walked and told him, "This probably sounds bad, Claude, but… I'm kind of glad we lost. Instead of everyone trying to take the credit for victory, we're talking about how we can improve. It seems more useful, you know?"

"I know what you mean," Claude assured. "I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm glad, but every scenario presents its own opportunities… assuming you're open to look for them."

"Well, for our sake, make sure that you are."

Claude smiled. "I will. That's a promise."

The Herald of Fortune - Day 29 of the Wyvern Moon, Year 1186 (Fódlan Calendar)

In true Almyran tradition, King Faruq hosted a feast shortly after the Battle of Sous River in honor to the dead. It was not a joyous celebration. Elam and Shomal naturally characterized the engagement as inconclusive rather than a defeat, but there were few who actually believed that narrative. Conversely, Ghalib found it rather easy to share the story of his glorious victory with all of Almyra.

Now at risk of invasion, Senusret had guided Shomal's army back to Astane to recover and rebuild. Sardar Soraya accompanied Khalid's party back to the Dunya to reassure her allies that Shomal's loyalty had not wavered.

Elam's army convalesced at Istakhr under the care of the city's new Custodian. Qadir's cousin was uninterested in waring or strategizing, but she made for an effective administrator. It was almost certainly an improvement to however Qadir would have conducted himself. In the meantime, Elam's commanders anxiously waited for reports of Ghalib's next move at the Dunya.

Khalid pondered the situation as he dipped the rag in his hand into a bowl full of water. After squeezing out the excess, he laid the damp cloth on Ariella's forehead. She lied still with shut eyes on a mat in Khalid's sitting room. The windows were blocked to keep the space pleasantly dark.

Ariella had suffered a seizure during breakfast that morning. Even though the episode was over, she still needed rest, and she had developed a minor fever.

The poisoning of his original retainer was the first time someone was hurt for Khalid's sake, but it was far from the last. There were some very recent examples he could cite. At least in Ella's case, he could do something for her in return. That did not apply for the dead.

Khalid crossed his legs and closed his eyes. He needed a plan- not only to defeat Ghalib, but to find a way for the sacrifices of the dead to be for a higher cause than bickering nobles. The promise he demanded of his retainers after the battle applied to himself, too.

He also needed sleep, though, which he had been deprived of in recent weeks. Reality began to intermingle with dreams until there was a knock on the door. Someone pushed it open and stuck their head inside.

"Claude…" Marianne whispered. "I can take care of her. You have a meeting to go to, right?"

Khalid smiled in resignation. He was actually not too disappointed to have an excuse to skip the war council, where he was certain to be an unpopular figure, but it seemed fate was set on his attendance.

He carefully stood up, met Marianne at the door, and switched places.

"Thank you, Marianne. Make sure Ella doesn't overexert herself if she wakes up before I'm back. She always tries to get going too quickly."

"I will. She will be fine, Claude. There's no need to worry. You must already have enough on your mind."

Khalid nodded in admittance of Marianne's assessment before he headed down the stairs. He ran into James along the way. Though the brothers said little as they walked, James did lean over and share, "For what it's worth, I don't blame you."

The sentiment was nice, but it wasn't worth much. The majority was still going to be against him.

The assembly started just as poorly as Khalid expected. Generals began to bicker and shout before everyone could even take their seats. The racket only ended when the king yelled, "Silence!" over the noise.

Everyone immediately quieted and faced Faruq. Since he still wished to be hands-off whenever possible, he directed their attention to Tiana.

The queen began, "As you may have guessed, we have received a report from our spies detailing what the enemy appears to be planning. We've known that an army from Meteora is assembling on its western border, seemingly ready to link up with Ghalib, but we did not know their exact aim. If this intelligence is to be believed, though, they intend to lay siege to Astane in hopes of forcing Shomal to capitulate. That would leave Elam landlocked and without allies."

"So… they aren't coming to us directly? Playing it safely and dully doesn't sound like Ghalib," James mused.

"It's not just your uncle that we're dealing with here," Tiana reminded. "This is likely a push from Philemon or Aurelian. And, perhaps, the mirza is more cautious than we give him credit for. As embarrassing as Sous River was, our foes also took heavy casualties. Overtaking the walls of Istakhr is a daunting task even with a healthy army."

One of the generals laughed. "So the mirza's a coward after all. Perhaps he and Prince Khalid can bond of their newfound similarities and put an end to all of this."

Khalid could only do so much to suppress an eye-roll. He glanced at his parents, expecting one of them to object to this digression. Instead, they returned his gaze with resignation. They apparently accepted that the topic was inevitable, and if the conversation had to go in that direction, it was best to get it over with as soon as possible so everyone could move on.

With little other choice, Khalid prepared to defend his honor. "A coward would have run, which is not what I did. I held my position, and I would have pushed forward as soon as I received the signal that our wyverns had broken through. Only a fool would leave their soldiers pinned back there without support."

"Senusret still did his job without waiting for the signal. If you had done the same, we would be celebrating our victory instead of having this discussion," another contended angrily.

Khalid shook his head. "It's not a fair comparison. If the wyverns flanked the line without the support they expected, it would have been significantly easier for them to get back across to safety at any point than it would us on the ground. That's exactly what happened. The wyverns took casualties. The cavalry would have been exterminated."

Regretful to pile even more fault onto her son, Tiana sighed, "Even so, we aren't going to win this without taking risks. I'm confident Ghalib is willing to lay everything on the line. How do we stand a chance if we aren't going to do the same? Not to mention, we were confident that our wyverns could break through. You should have trusted your allies."

Though Khalid kept quiet, he was left unconvinced about the notion of "trust." Many within his army were just as confident that the Alliance would prevail at Gronder because of their superior training or because they made the right prayer, all of which amounted to nothing. Was he really supposed to stake the lives of his squadron on the commanders having a "good feeling" that their plan would work?

Tiana's words were harsh, but her voice had been surprisingly gentle. That changed quickly as she turned her attention to the rest of the room. Khalid had received enough grief, and the queen would ensure everyone else also received their due share of righteous indignation.

She began, "It's not fair to blame you for everything, though. When the Tabarzin's center shifted to close the hole, that should have given us an opportunity to cut through their vulnerable middle. But where was Demetrius, I wonder?" Tiana scrutinized their acting Grand Agha. "You didn't take more than a few inches of ground. Did you not try to rally our infantry at all? You're supposed to be their commander, not their wet nurse. You weren't drunk, were you?"

Demetrius frowned. "I was as sober as I can be. Still, I take full responsibility for my failure. You are correct. I was not aggressive enough."

"And why is that?" Tiana pressured.

Demetrius shook his head. "… It just didn't feel right. I'm sorry, but that's my best answer. I don't expect you to like it."

Tiana rubbed her forehead in frustration before something caught her eye. "Don't go believing that I was any more impressed with you than him, Nousha. You were on the far-left wing of our infantry. Had you shifted to block Ghalib from closing the hole to begin with, Khalid wouldn't have been nervous about advancing farther."

Nousha shook her head defensively. "Those were not my orders. I was told to keep pushing the enemy up the hill, not move out of position. We had the advantage in the air, but their infantry line was dense there. A total adjustment would have weakened that stretch of our line."

"Our foes were scrambling. They were in no state to exploit that weakness. As for your orders, I expect my commanders to demonstrate quick thinking as the situation evolves. I could have replaced you with a blind nomad from Saba on the cheap if all I needed was someone who could listen to and regurgitate a single order."

Nousha clearly wanted to say more, but she decided that vocal resistance would only make her look worse.

"The fact is, the leadership in Elam's army was a disaster on all fronts. That includes myself," Tiana confessed, finally letting off her more targeted critiques. "It's a miracle that we didn't lose more of our generals during the battle… either a miracle or because all of you acted timidly."

It was true. Two or three figures that had once populated the council were now missing, but most of the commanders had survived. The weak-willed lived on, while people like Khabash never marched back across the Sous.

As if his mother read his mind, Tiana noted, "The soldiers from Shomal acquitted themselves well, yet they suffered just as heavy of casualties for our failures. I can't apologize enough, Soraya."

Soraya subtly shook her head disinterestedly. "Thank you, but there's lessons to be learned for everyone. I didn't expect that ambush, either. Our generals must be prepared for various contingencies next time, especially for events where communication is disrupted."

"Agreed," Faruq nodded. "I've had enough blame shifting for now, though. More pressing is deciding on our strategy to defend Astane. If Shomal capitulates, I will have little choice but to do the same."

"Do we have an estimate on the size of their army compared to ours?" Anthony asked.

Demetrius shuffled through several pages for the numbers. After reading over some lines, he answered, "We have several estimates, actually. We expect them to hold some soldiers back to defend their own strongholds. But even with the more favorable projections, they will likely have a four to three numerical advantage. It will probably be closer to three to two."

Khalid sat up and rubbed his chin. "There's another theatre to consider. Besieging Astane won't be very effective if supply ships can still dock in the harbor. Do we know if they're gathering a fleet to blockade the port?"

"Yes, we've had indications of gathering ships, mostly from Meteora," Demetrius replied. "But with the right siege equipment, I wouldn't be surprised if they breach the city walls before the fleet even reaches Astane."

The queen shook her head. "That obviously won't do at all. We must stop them before they reach the city. Does anyone have any ideas?" When several of the generals looked excited to answer, Tiana amended, "… An idea that doesn't involve another climatic battle on the open field, to be specific. That didn't work last time under better circumstances. We need to be more creative than that."

The room fell into a demure silence. It was then that Khalid's reserved brother unexpectedly rose to the occasion.

James suggested, "We can try drawing them away. Maybe march on the mirza's citadel or something. If they really do have such an advantage in the field, Ghalib will be tempted to redirect back to us."

"Other than a slight delay in the timing, that just brings us back to another pitched battle, son," Faruq dismissed.

James was not ready to give up, however. "Not necessarily. We keep just out of their reach when we can, and whenever that's impossible, we chose favorable terrain where the enemy can't fully commit their forces. The foothills of the Throat will work well for that. If they insist on a fight, it will be on our terms this time."

Anthony pointed out, "There's always the third possibility. They might tire of us toying with them and just head back towards Astane. We can run around the Tabarzin all we want, but we still lose the war if Shomal falls."

"If they get bored of us, we'll just have to remind them of the threat we pose by laying ruin to their nobles' properties. We'll live off of their food and burn what we can't take. They won't care if the destruction is inflicted on the commoners, but they'll never hold a siege while their own estates are being razed."

Silence ensued again after James's proposal. Most of the generals looked unenthusiastic about his suggestion, whether because they found it "cowardly" or because they were perturbed by the destruction it promised.

However, Khalid felt it merited a response. He rapped the floor with his fingers as he pondered aloud, "The wiser commanders among our enemies won't give up Astane entirely, so they'd split their forces- one to continue the siege, and another to deal with the issues back home. We'd have to do the same to keep pressure on both camps. Soraya can speak up if she disagrees with me on this, but I believe Astane can hold out for some time if we make life difficult for the half-army besieging the city- running skirmishes, blocking supply lines, performing sabotage… you get the idea. I'd also recommend that the group causing mayhem in the Tabarzin needs to cut a path close enough to Meteora to give them worry… maybe even run a few operations across the border. If we only make Tabarzin nobles angry, Meteora could override their interests and insist that the siege is the only thing important."

James tried to hide his joy, but he still wore a smile upon his brother lending credibility to his plan. "Yes, of course! Those are excellent points."

With these new justifications, Faruq amended his conclusion. "This plan might work for a while, but it would only be a matter of time before we slip up and get caught in a battle we don't want. Saba briefly tried similar tactics against Ghalib and Aurelian before deciding it was too craven, so it won't be entirely unfamiliar to them. There has to be a grander strategy than stalling."

Nousha added, "I would also note that these tactics are better tuned for defending against an invading army. In that setting, landowners are far more pliable to giving up their resources, and the opponent has to struggle with supply lines. Our group in the Tabarzin would have to be very careful without those advantages."

James nodded. "You're both right. It buys us some time, but it needs more. I don't know what that would be, though."

The floor was opened up for additional opinions, but no one brought forward anything compelling. After an unproductive hour, Tiana stood and exhaled, "Alright. Everyone sleep on it, and we'll meet again tomorrow. I'd rather wait a day than rush into a poor decision. You're all dismissed."

Khalid left quickly, hoping to avoid a confrontation with any of the generals who might have a few more denunciations to levy against him. When he returned to his quarters, he found his three retainers sitting near the fountain in his courtyard. Ariella was awake, but she was propped up by cushions, seemingly too weak to sit up on her own. The three were casually snacking on grapes.

"Are you feeling better, Ella?" Khalid immediately asked as he sat down with them.

Ariella gave her best smile. "A little woozy, but nothing I haven't experienced before. Sorry that I had you worried. I hope it didn't keep you distracted during the meeting."

At that point, Khalid assured her that it wasn't an issue and recounted the events of the council.

"James's plan is tactically sound, but it's going to put a lot of strain on the commoners," Dimitri evaluated upon its conclusion. "Even if we primarily live off the lands of the rich, they'll just find ways to strip the belongings of the poor to make up for it."

"I know," Khalid admitted. "Unfortunately, I have to agree with James that it's our best strategy until we come up with something better."

Ariella asked, "They called you the 'Master Tactician' in Fódlan, right? Do you mean to tell me someone who earned a title like that really can't come up with anything better?"

"Ha! I'm still unsure how people came up with that, but it probably had more to do with my ability to avoid a fight than it was to win one." Khalid's smile then faded. "It's not something to joke about, though. At this rate, this is going to end with us throwing ourselves on their swords. I might not have much of a choice. I don't think our generals are going to suffer me coming back alive again from a defeat."

Dimitri looked down and quietly said, "Khalid… I know you mean well, but don't take any possibilities off the table for our sake."

"What do you mean?"

"We could have won the last battle if you weren't overly anxious about our safety. If that's the only thing holding you back, you should let go of that unease."

"Would you extend the same courtesy to yourself if you were in my place?"

Dimitri stuttered for a moment, perhaps nearly disclosing his royal heritage in his reply, but he corrected himself at the last moment and instead challenged, "It wouldn't be the same. We're following you because we believe in you, not because we owe you fealty. No one would do the same for me, and rightfully so."

"Okay. You three might be willing to make that sacrifice, but what about the others that were with us? Do they get a say?"

Dimitri averted his gaze guiltily. "Of course they should. Forget what I said about the last battle. My point is, if the best option requires me to dive into the opposing army alone, then don't hesitate to give the order. My life is not worth the consequences of defeat."

"That goes for me, too," Marianne added.

Ariella tossed in her support as well. "Not that you want me anywhere near the battlefield, but I feel the same way."

Khalid groaned inaudibly. Their loyalty was valuable, but it wasn't as inspiring as it should have been considering that none of his retainers properly valued their life in the first place.

"That's… great and all, but I'm sti-."

Khalid stopped when he heard footsteps approaching their courtyard. It was not often that they had visitors.

A heavy voice began, "You know, kiddo… I believed it when people said I was important around here, but I didn't expect things to fall apart this badly while I was away."

Khalid instinctively jumped as he gawked at their newest guest. "Nader! I…"

Realizing that he sounded like an ebullient child, Khalid adjusted his approach. "… Is this how you greet a prince now, Nader? It seems you adapted to your life in Derdriu a bit too well for my liking."

"I'll keep that in mind next time you complain about my acting," Nader bellowed. He looked tired and maybe a bit thinner, but he was as jovial as ever. "As I remember it, the leader of the Alliance was always accusing me of behaving like the 'personification of Almyra' while I was over there, or something like that."

Khalid sighed, "Well, I'm glad you mastered acting just as soon as it won't do much use anymore. Really, though… was there no formal welcome scheduled for you? It's a bit anticlimactic for you to just walk in after how much of a fuss has been made over your absence."

"I don't think anything too exciting is in the works. I just saw your parents. They're organizing a war council for tonight where I can be debriefed on the expedition to Fódlan and be updated on the current war, but that's about it. I wanted to see you and Nousha first, though."

"I'm glad you did. I'd certainly like to hear about your return before it gets filtered through whatever questions our generals have. What exactly happened?"

"Do you mind if I sit?" Nader asked. With their permission, he sat down and took a handful of grapes before he commenced the story.

"It all started not too long after you left. Our Meteoran operatives in Derdriu began acting strangely- more withdrawn, more nervous. Whenever a ship came in, the updates from home were always vague, and no one brought any letters for me. That was weird, to say the least. It came to a head around the middle of last month. Helladius sent me a messenger saying that we needed to discuss an urgent matter. He gave me a time and a tavern to meet him at. I had met him there before, but since I was already suspicious, I sent a palace servant ahead of me while I waited nearby. The servant returned and reported that he had been turned away at the door by a man in armor claiming that the tavern had been rented out for a private event by a wealthy merchant. That was all the evidence I needed to get out of town. We used a private room to discuss Almyran affairs in the past, but we never took over the entire building!"

Khalid complimented, "As the embodiment of distrust, I'm impressed by your discretion. Do you think they were going kill you, or is it possible that they would have tried taking you hostage?"

"Well, I didn't exactly go inside to ask the people hiding behind the door what their aim was. But if I had to guess… kill. The tavern wasn't that close to the harbor. It would have been easier to just finish me there and dump me in an alley instead of trying to get an uncooperative prisoner out of town undetected."

"You're probably right. Okay, go on."

Nader spit out a seed before continuing, "After that, I fled along the coast to the east, hoping to find a way home. Worst case scenario, I would try finding a way across the Throat. It would have been difficult to make it past Alliance garrisons to begin with, but even if I made it over the mountains, I wasn't sure if I would be returning to friendly faces. I thought the safest bet was to try making it to Saba. I didn't trust Ghalib to play nice, and if Helladius's crew was plotting against me, I couldn't put much faith in either Shomal or Meteora. I eventually bribed a merchant from Edmund territory to let aboard a ship to Albinea. I wouldn't recommend a visit, personally, but at least no one there tried to kill me. I paid off another merchant in Albinea for a trip to Maddaban."

"Maddaban is a port on the north coast of Saba," Khalid interjected when he realized that Dimitri and Marianne were not following.

When the two motioned their understanding, Nader finished, "While I was there, I finally caught up on what was happening at home. What a mess. I could have been back maybe a week sooner if I knew Shomal was safe for me, but there's no use griping about it. I used the last of my gold to buy a wyvern to ride back here."

"You mean my Alliance gold?" Khalid corrected disapprovingly.

"If we want to be exact, I was actually using coins that I exchanged for in Albinea. It's a minor detail either way. There's plenty left in Derdriu. I could only carry so much on my person."

Khalid shrugged. "Fair enough. Whatever is left is probably going to end up in the hands of some distant cousin, anyways. Whatever the case, I'm glad you're back, Nader. I wish you could have stayed in Fódlan longer to keep me updated on how things are playing out, but it's obviously more important to have you here given everything that's happened."

"No doubt about that. Most of the excitement in Fódlan was already over, anyways."

Khalid froze in place. "Wait… what do you mean that most of the excitement is over?"

Nader stared at them in confusion. He then uttered, "… You really haven't heard, have you? I guess that makes sense. The ship I came on was probably one of the first to reach Almyra with the full story, and news from abroad doesn't travel fast around here... especially with more important stuff going on."

"And… what is that story?" Khalid insisted a little impatiently.

"The war in Fódlan is over. The Resistance Army won. The Empire crumbled, and Byleth has been named queen."

"And the Emperor?" Dimitri asked in almost a whisper.

"Died months ago when Enbarr fell. What was it… the end of the Garland Moon over there, I think? The war didn't end there, though. Apparently, there were some other figures behind the scenes that the Resistance Army tracked down and eliminated the following month. I don't know much more than that."

Dimitri's face paled, and his eye turned vacant. He sat quietly for a few moments and then walked down the corridor out of the courtyard. Marianne followed after him shortly.

Khalid's shock did not match that of Edelgard's stepbrother, but Nader's words still weighed heavily on him. Edelgard… any opportunity for trust between the two of them had long since passed, but he could still respect some of the goals she claimed to fight for. Would all of Edelgard's efforts be in vain, or could Byleth be relied on to build a better world from the ashes her student left behind? He considered asking about Hubert's fate, but Nader was unlikely to know who he was. Khalid could guess the answer, anyways. Hubert would never permit himself to outlive his emperor.

"Khalid… you might want to check on Dimitri. I don't think he handled that very well," Ariella recommended.

"I will in a moment," Khalid dismissed. He already intended to join Dimitri and Marianne soon, but there were questions he needed answered first. He faced Nader and asked, "You said that Byleth was named queen. What happened to Archbishop Rhea?"

"She was being held prisoner in Enbarr and was saved after the city fell. She ended up resigning, but I didn't hear much about her after that."

"So, she willingly gave up power after all…" Khalid mused. Perhaps he had misjudged her. "And Byleth… she is queen of what, exactly? All of Fódlan?"

"That's right. The designations of empire, kingdom, and alliance have been discarded. Not to say that Adrestia, Faerghus, and Leicester don't exist at all, though, but they're more like provinces. They make good administrative districts, and it sounds like getting rid of them altogether would have been too dramatic of an overnight change. It was only possible at all with all three rulers dead or missing."

Khalid found some satisfaction in that. Even when defeated in battle, he orchestrated the completion of one of his goals on the way out.

"What else can you tell me? I heard that the Resistance Army was seeking out help from Brigid. That entreaty must have come with promises for more autonomy."

"Yeah, the Resistance Army secured support from Brigid. I don't think the details are finalized, but apparently Brigid has been granted de facto independence. Brigid's princess signed a deal with Queen Byleth and then returned home with her fiancé. Formal negotiations were scheduled for once things settled a bit."

"Petra is engaged? To whom?"

Nader shrugged. "I didn't write down the name. I remember that it was one of your classmates, though. A noble, but not one that would inherit any title. It was a bit of a surprise for that reason."

A noble not set to inherit a title? That wouldn't describe Ferdinand. Not Linhardt, either, unless he abdicated. That left only one logical option.

"Caspar von Bergliez? Does that sound familiar?" Khalid speculated. "His father was the Minister of War for the Empire."

Nader's eyes brightened. "Ah, that must be him. I don't recognize the name, but I do remember that his father was an important general. Yes… That caused even more of a stir, because the fiancé's father helped subjugate Brigid in the first place."

A thousand possibilities quickly whirled through Khalid's mind. Scenarios linked together in succession, broke apart, and were reorganized. A collection then assembled that shone brighter than the rest.

Khalid laughed. Nader and Ariella probably assumed his sanity was slipping, but that only made it all the more amusing. When was the last time he had laughed for the sake of no one but himself?

Once he calmed, Khalid said to no one in particular, "Life is a strange thing. You can go months racking your mind for the perfect strategy and come up with nothing. And after all of that, the idea comes out of nowhere and wallops you in the face with no warning. It renders all of the previous effort meaningless, but how can you be mad?"

"I didn't know that getting walloped in the face was so funny," Ariella observed.

Khalid smiled. "It's embarrassing, really. I had to wait until someone served me an opportunity on a platter to come up with a useful idea. But at least I've got patience figured out, right?"

"Just what is this plan?" Nader probed.

"It will take some time to explain. But first thing first… I'm going to need your help."