The Rose-Colored River.
Sights set on the Imperial capital, the Alliance army chooses to march through the territory of House Gloucester - supporters of the Empire. Under the command of Nardel, the retainer of House Riegan, the defensive forces of House Riegan and Daphnel draw out the Gloucester troops. Thus the Alliance army can continue its march towards the Great Bridge of Myrddin and cross the Airmid river, which separates the Alliance and the Empire.
"The Great Bridge of Myrddin is in sight. Beyond it, the Empire" Lorenz said as they arrived at the massive bridge.
"Whaddya know. There aren't bridges that big in Almyra, that's for sure..." Cyril said.
Lysithea looked a little nervous "How unsettling. There are bridges in the southern part of Ordelia territory, but nothing like this".
"I never liked walking on bridges, I always prefer stable ground that doesn't crumble under you if it takes to much damage" Leone said.
"It's the most strategic location in that area to move a large army across the Airmid River. The Empire will want to hold on to it at all costs, so expect tough defenses" Claude said.
"Let's finish this quickly and proceed with caution" Byleth said.
Lysithea nods "You're right. The enemy's guard should be down, so let's end this quickly before they have a chance to retaliate".
"The defenses are pretty impenetrable. Let's make our move carefully" Ignatz said.
"You're in command, Teach. Do whatever it takes to win. Well, other than sacrificing the lives of our allies for the sake of victory. Try to avoid that. Let's get moving. We're counting on you, my friend" Claude said earning a nod from Byleth.
As they advance on the bridge, a woman named Ladislava noticed them "That symbol... It's an enemy raid! Stay calm and face them head-on. Send a messenger to Acheron immediately! If we're quick, we might be able to pull off a pincer attack!".
"They say the enemy general, Ladislava, is among Edelgard's most trusted. Let's see what she's got" Claude said before looking at his allies "Our goal is to take down Ladislava and gain control of the bridge. Let's go!".
"You think we'll let you take this bridge from us?" And Imperial soldier asked as he and others arrived to stop them.
"Whoa, new enemies from the central fortress? By the looks of it, that might not be all of them" Claude said.
The two armies clash in a deadly struggle for control over the bridge. The alliance soldiers managed to push their enemies back, but the Empire was far from finished as reinforcements appear.
"Acheron! Now's the time to show your loyalty to the Empire! Attack the enemy from behind!" Ladislava ordered.
A Noble looking man showed up, though he didn't look to dangerous "I've got to make my name known to her Majesty through distinguished service".
"Acheron the Weathervane. He's of the Alliance. He's a minor noble who holds territory to the north of Myrddin. If he's gonna support the Empire, no need to hold back. He's nothing but a nuisance, even to the Alliance" Claude said.
"Leave him to me. He's made life hell for my old home village" Leone snarled as she charges Acheron.
Caught of guard, Acheron quickly unleashed magical attacks, which Leone dodged as she closed in on him at rapid speed. Acheron grew more and more nervous every time Leone got closer to him. However, just as she reached him, he managed to use a lightning spell which hit her dead on, making her fall on her knee. Acheron smiled in relief and prepared another spell to finish her of... But she recovered faster than he expected and grabbed him by the neck.
"Argh... I never should have allied with... the Empire..." Acheron said, knowing his end was near.
"Even if you hadn't, nothing would've saved you from me" Leone growled before snapping his neck and dropped him on the ground.
While Leone dealt with the minor nuisance, her allies arrives at the central fortress.
"Looks like we can capture this fortress quickly if we take out the soldiers protecting it" Claude said.
An Imperial Soldier grew tense at the approaching enemies, this was not going well "Enemies approaching! Get the soldiers standing by to join the fight! We may need to hurry up preparations of the ballista too. Protect the fortress!".
But despite their best effort, the Alliance soldiers managed to overrun the central fortress, and thereby halting the enemies' re-enforcement.
An Alliance General arrived "We'll ally ourselves with the Imperial soldiers too!".
Ladislava smiled at them "Thanks for making your way here. Annihilate the enemy with the rest of them!".
As the battle raged on, Ferdinand had joined the battle, making him the first of their old Academy friends from the Empire to oppose them. Byleth looked at him as he approached her on top of his horse.
"Edelgard has always been obsessed with you. I am a little envious, to be frank. I will just have to impress her with my skills on the battlefield!" He said as he readies his lance.
"Don't waste your time on him, professor" Leone said as she approached "Our target is Ladislava. Once she is defeated, the bridge is ours. Go, I'll handle this".
Byleth looked at her for a moment before she nodded "Be careful Leone".
Ferdinand let Byleth leave as he faced Leone "Challenging me alone is brave, even noble. I will make sure you have an honorable death, and after this battle, I will be known far and wide as the legendary Ferdinand of Adrestia!".
"You will only be known as another one of Edelgard's dogs. After all your talk about surpassing her, you just let her chain you" Leone said.
"I will not try to explain my duty or hers. You would not understand. I wish you could. Anyway, no time for idle chitchat!" Ferdinand said as he makes his horse charge at Leone.
The blonde brawler began rushing forward as well... before leaping with the agility of a cat and tackled Ferdinand of his horse, making them both roll across the ground. Both got back up as Ferdinand thrusts his lance forward, but Leone knocks it aside with her armored gauntlets before throwing a punch which Ferdinand managed to catch, barely matching her strength with his own. He dodged a follow up attack and struck Leone across the face with the blunt end of his lance. This staggered Leone for a brief second before she barely managed to stop Ferdinand's lance from piercing her chest by grabbing it.
"I wish it didn't come to this, but you've left me no choice. I will make sure as much of your homeland lives as comfortably as possible" Ferdinand said.
"Spare me your sympathy! You may believe you care about commoners, that you want to help them! But you can't because you never understood us! You've never been poor, you've never been starving! You only tried to surpass your fellow nobles, but you never had to fight to live one more day! SO STOP LYING TO YOURSELF!" Leone shouts as she suddenly snapped Ferdinand's lance in half, which shocked the Imperial noble.
His shock gave Leone the opening she needed to deliver a powerful blow to his chest, making him stagger back before Leone delivered another strong blow to his face, sending him to the ground. He spat out blood before Leone grabbed him, and looked ready to finish him of.
"Do it... my allies will keep protecting this area... and my death will have served the greater good" Ferdinand said.
Leone looked at him for several moments before she spoke "No. You will live long enough to see us win back our freedom, and you will see how wrong Edelgard has been. After that, whether you live or die, it will be up to you".
Ferdinand said nothing as Leone let the alliance soldiers capture him.
Meanwhile, Byleth was facing of with Ladislava who glared at her from atop her Wyvern "To repay Her Majesty's favor... I will not let you pass!".
She charged Byleth, but unknown to her, Claude had already lined up an arrow, and fired it in to her Wyvern's eye, bringing her flying steed crashing to the ground. She suffered minor injures from the crash and held her axe, still ready to face Byleth. The two clashed, but while Ladislava was an skilled warrior in her own right, she paled in comparison to Esdeath, as Byleth managed to deliver several powerful blows which forced Ladislava on the back foot before she had to block and overhead strike.
"I can't retreat... Even if it costs me my life, I've got to protect the Great Bridg" Ladislava declared as she managed to kick Byleth back, but as She moved in for a follow up attack, Byleth extended her blade, and landed a fatal strike to her chest "Lady Edelgard... I'm sorry...".
With her final words, Ladislava fell to the ground, dead.
Cloud sighed as the rest of the enemies were swiftly dealt with once their commanders were out of the battle "I'm glad we defeated them here... I doubt they're an enemy we could win against twice".
"Well done, everyone. The Great Bridge of Myrddin is ours" Claude praised.
Leonie looked shaken up "I was prepared for bloodshed, but that was more than expected... I guess I'm still not used to this".
"Even our enemies were fighting for their own cause. They held out without fleeing until the bitter end... We only managed to capture one of them because Leone let him live" Ignatz said.
"I was so tempted to kill him... But I do not believe he is a lost cause. Maybe he could be of help in the future" Leone said.
"Smart thinking Leone. A sensibel Imperial noble is someone we need" Claude said.
"You don't have to get used to it, Leonie. Taking someone's life is not something to be proud of" Byleth said.
Leonie nods with a smile "That is true. I wouldn't want to become the type of person who feels nothing when someone dies".
"Now it's on me to return to Alliance territory and convince those lords to join us. Lorenz, would you return home for the time being and lay the groundwork with your father?" Claude asked.
"Fine. After all, this is for the Alliance. Or rather, for all of Fódlan" Lorenz said.
"For those of you who live in Alliance territories, I ask that you return to your houses, and spread the word about the current situation. Until we finish our preparations, Judith and the knights will do everything in their power to defend the Great Bridge" Claude said.
"That's a casual way to dole out such a deadly mission, boy" Judith said.
Claude gave her a teasing look "Do you object?".
Judith glared "Just who do you think I am? I won't let the Empire pass this way, even if it costs me my life".
"Too bad you're not allowed to die. Fight like your life depends on it, but flee if you're ever truly in danger" Claude said, not wanting to risk Judith's life if it could be avoided.
Judith just smiled at him "A tall order, as always. I'll use my best discretion, Claude".
"We have no objections either. Go forth and secure us a sufficiently powerful army" Seteth said.
Raphael spoke up "I'll stay here too. The only ones I'd be going home to are my little sis and my grandpa".
"Are you sure you don't want to see your sister? It may be a while before you can return home again" Claude said.
Raphael smiled "But if I see her, I may not want to come back. So I'll wait till I'm done here".
"What about me? Shall I stay here too?" Byleth asked.
"Actually, I'd like for you to come with me, Teach. To help negotiate with the lords. They're followers of the Church of Seiros, after all. It'll make things easier if we have someone there to speak on Rhea's behalf. All right, everyone. Let's meet back at the monastery next month. Good luck out there" Claude said.
Unknown to the Alliance, Esdeath had been watching the battle from a distance. Her allies lost and Ferdinand was captured. She knew she should've joined the battle. If she had, holding the bridge would've been a lot easier... But something kept her from joining the battle and her enemies proved stronger than expected... But that's to be expected from Byleth.
"You win this battle, my love. But the war is far from over" Esdeath declared as she walked away.
Their final duel would have to wait a while longer.
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Been a while, sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with other stories. Hopefully it won't be to long until the next chapter.
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Tell me what you think.