Being sick sucks (no, it's not Covid; I tested negative for it), but I still have this chapter for you guys.
Chapter 64 – The Weathervane's Watch (Lone Moon)
Viscount Acheron Lethe Phlegethon sneered as Fleche von Bergliez continued her report. The sight of the girl was starting to get on the Weathervane's nerves.
Fleche said, "We should send out an additional patrol to the–"
"Do I need to remind you who's in charge here, little girl?" Acheron interrupted. "I see no reason to send out more men when a single scout decides to get lost in the woods."
"But sir–"
"I've had just about enough of your whining. I only put up with your babble because I owed your brother a favor or two."
"You owed him a lot more than that, Acheron."
Now visibly angry, Acheron snapped, "Remember your place, you brat! Speak out of turn like this again and I will have you fed to the same Demonic Beasts that Lord Vestra provided for me. Now get out of my sight!"
Scowling, Fleche stormed out of Acheron's office.
The Weathervane, in her mind, was being an utter fool. One of their scouts, an experienced soldier, hadn't come back from his patrol. Fleche knew there was no way he could have simply gotten lost. He must have run into trouble. Fleche wanted to send out an additional patrol to the area to investigate, but Acheron wouldn't budge on the matter.
And due to her rank and low standing, there was nothing she could do. Acheron was one of the most incompetent commanders she'd ever met, but he held just enough influence in both the Empire and Alliance that he had gotten his position commanding the garrison at the Great Bridge of Myrddin. It sickened her to know that such an imbecile was in charge.
Walking along the bridge, Fleche caught sight of a few Imperial soldiers giving her glances. They knew she was Randolph's little sister, but their gazes did nothing to console her. If anything, they made her feel even worse. She knew she shouldn't have left Randolph when he attacked Garreg Mach. She had learned of his death when the few survivors of his army limped their way back to the Great Bridge of Myrddin over a month ago.
Finding a dark corner where she could get some privacy, Fleche began to cry. She still could not believe Randolph was dead, especially after he had promised to return safely to her. Worse, if what she heard from his men was right, it had been her cousin-in-law, Caspar, who had killed him.
Thinking on everything that had gone wrong for her over the past months, Fleche buried her face in her hands, cursing her own powerlessness. If she wasn't still a trainee, she could have helped Randolph. If she had more power, she could have convinced Acheron to heed her advice.
But she had nothing. She held no power as a part of House Bergliez, only being a member due to her brother's marriage into the family. She hadn't nearly finished her training as a Pegasus Knight.
And as if to rub it all in her face, the others kept treating her as though she was someone who constantly needed their help.
Her tears of sorrow began mixing with tears of anger.
She wanted to be stronger. She needed to be stronger. Then she could show everyone that she wasn't some useless trainee.
"Do you desire power, Fleche von Bergliez?" said a man's voice.
Startled, Fleche turned to see a man in black robes had approached her from the shadows. She could not see his face, which was covered by a crow's mask, but his hands looked pale as a corpse.
"W-Who are you?" said Fleche as she bolted to her feet and reached for her dagger.
"Calm yourself," said the man. "There is no need for violence here. I have been observing your situation and would like to make you an offer."
Fleche felt her skin crawl as the cloaked man reached into his robe and pulled out a strange amulet. The talisman wasn't of any design she recognized, with a round stone in the middle that bore an unfamiliar design upon it.
"What is that?" asked Fleche.
"A gift, my dear," said the cloaked man. "This amulet will grant you great power should your life be in peril. Spill your blood on the stone in the center, and you shall become powerful beyond your imagination."
In the back of her mind, Fleche knew this was too good to be true. This man, a stranger, was offering her power at such a convenient moment? She knew there had to be a catch.
But at the same time, Fleche wanted power. She needed it. She needed to be stronger so she could avenge Randolph. She needed power so others wouldn't look down on her.
After a long pause, Fleche asked, "Why offer this to me? What is your price?"
"My price?" asked the cloaked man. "I offer this to you as a gesture of goodwill, Fleche von Bergliez. For I too wish to see those who have wronged you suffer. Men like the Weathervane do not deserve power as you do. You seek vengeance against the one who took your brother from you, just as I seek revenge against those he sides with. Will you not help me fulfill this desire?"
It was all the words Fleche wanted to hear. She could not see the cloaked man smiling as she slowly took the amulet from him. His grin widened as she fastened the amulet around her neck, hiding it under her breastplate.
"I thank you," said Fleche. "Yet you have me at a disadvantage. What should I call you?"
Before the cloaked man could answer, the two heard a loud bell clamoring, followed by several more. It was an alarm.
The bridge was under attack.
As Fleche turned to see the soldiers of the Empire rush off to meet the attackers, the cloaked figure said, "You may refer to me as Odesse, child. I wish you luck in the coming battle."
Fleche turned as she said, "Thank you, Odes–"
She stopped mid-word upon seeing Odesse had disappeared.
Confused, Fleche grasped at the amulet for a moment. Its presence next to her breast confirmed that she hadn't just been imagining her encounter with the cloaked man.
"We're under attack! All hands to battle stations!" shouted an officer.
Steeling herself, Fleche rushed off to find her Pegasus, intent on joining the fray.
…
An hour earlier…
Anna and Shamir peered through their spyglasses at the Great Bridge of Myrddin as Byleth's army assembled in a nearby forest about half a kilometer away. To their surprise, the garrison at the bridge was not on high alert, nor had they noticed their presence.
"I think we're in luck, people," said Anna. "The Imperials don't know we're here yet."
"Are you certain?" asked Seteth. "I was certain that the garrison would at least be on alert after our run-in with their scout last night."
"Whoever's in charge of the bridge must either be overconfident or incompetent," said Lysithea.
"The man in charge of the garrison at Myrddin is Viscount Acheron," said Ignatz. "I think you may remember him."
"I remember," Byleth said with a nod.
"Sorry, but you've lost me," said Dorothea. "Who is he?"
Before Byleth could say anything, Annette said, "Oh right, you weren't with us on that mission, Dorothea."
"He's the head of House Phlegethon," said Judith. "Others in the Alliance know him as the Weathervane because of how opportunistic he is."
Leonie then said, "He's considered the weakest noble in the Leicester Alliance, but he's got just enough connections that no one's tried to get rid of him. I'll bet he had to weasel his way into getting his post without putting in any real effort."
Scoffing, Dorothea said, "Typical noble trash, then. Just like a few others I can think of."
Byleth noticed Dorothea giving Ferdinand a short glare as she said this. The Archbishop held back a frown of her own at Dorothea's derisive comment.
"Even if he's the one in charge, taking the bridge isn't going to be a cakewalk," said Alois. "How many of them do you see, Shamir?"
"About 1,500 men," answered the Dagdan sniper. "And five Demonic Beasts."
"Any other Imperial units nearby?" asked Felix.
"Not as far as I can see," said Anna.
"Is there any sign of the Black Eagles among their forces?" asked Ferdinand. "Most of their mounts have black armor, and their red flag bears the bird of their namesake."
"I'm not seeing any of them," said Shamir.
"That's good for us," said Raphael. "Those Eagles are no joke."
"So, Lady Eisner, what's the plan?" asked Ignatz.
Byleth took a few more seconds to think about it, and then turned to face the others, who had set up a map of the area, including the bridge.
Byleth then put her hand to the map as she said, "We'll mount a fast assault on the north side of the bridge with cavalry and infantry. The cavalry will go in first and cause as much damage as possible before the enemy can get organized, while the infantry secure and hold a forward position. Avoid approaching the main barracks in the center of the bridge, as well as the large tower on the west side. Focus on clearing the northern parts of the bridge and establishing a foothold. Once that's done, Ignatz and Raphael will bring their engineers forward and construct their siege weapons on the bridge."
"Right in the enemy's face?" Brigitte said in surprise.
"Ballsy doesn't begin to describe it," said Catherine.
"I'm not sure that's the wisest of ideas, Lady Eisner," said Ignatz. "We should set up our siege weaponry further back from the bridge."
"If we do that, it'll take too long for them to move into position once they're assembled," said Byleth. "We need to take the bridge and its fortifications quickly in case any other Imperials or forces from House Gloucester come to Acheron's aid. Additionally, if they send fliers to flank us, we need to ensure our siege weapons can be protected." She then turned to Seteth and, while pointing to areas to the north and west of the bridge on the map, said, "Seteth, you and your fliers are to set up recon positions here, here, and here. Warn us the second you see any Imperial or House Gloucester forces heading our way. If we get flanked, we'll need to prioritize any forces attacking us from behind."
"Understood, Lady Eisner," said Seteth.
"Why aren't we going in with you guys?" asked Alicia.
"There's too much artillery on the bridge," said Anna. "Any fliers would get picked off easily."
"Should I use the Song of Swiftness to get our forces in faster, Byleth?" asked Dorothea. "I've been practicing it with–"
"I'd rather not," Byleth interrupted. "We can't afford to be exhausted by it in the middle of our initial assault. We'll save that Hymn in case we need to retreat. Besides, I might need a different one from you depending on the situation." Turning back to the map, she continued, "Once our siege weapons are set up, we'll use them to neutralize the watch tower and the barracks, then press on toward the command center on the south side of the bridge."
"I don't think siege weapons alone are gonna be enough for that barracks, Professor," said Raphael.
"Raphael's right," added Ignatz. "The barracks is more than just the surface structure. It extends to the interior of the bridge. If we're going to neutralize it, we'll likely have to go in and clear it out by hand."
Nodding, Byleth said, "Alright then. Felix, Catherine and Raphael, you and your men will handle clearing out the barracks."
"What about those Demonic Beasts?" asked Lana. "They look really scary."
"We'll adjust based on when the Imperials decide to commit them to the fight," said Shamir.
"What if they send them right away?" asked Cia.
"That's unlikely," said Leonie. "Most Imperial officers don't like to start out an attack with Demonic Beasts if they can avoid it. As for Acheron, I'm guessing he'll be cocky like last time."
"Yeah, up until Lorenz had him on his knees, begging for mercy," said Annette.
"What if the Empire sends more troops in from the south?" asked Bernadetta. "We still can't see if there's anyone coming, right?"
Constance, who was in her gloomy sunlight state, said, "Should that happen, I surmise that we will be easily overrun. We would have absolutely no chance of success."
"Yeah, not something we need to hear, Constance," said Caspar.
"I am ready for the fighting," said Petra. "We will not be letting… erm, not let the Empire hold the bridge from us."
"Assemble your units and prepare to move out," said Byleth. "It's time to take the fight to the Empire."
"Yes, ma'am!" the others said in unison.
As the others went to brief their battalions, Dorothea stayed near Byleth and said, "No turning back now, is there?"
Byleth shook her head and said, "We've already come this far. We can't afford to fail here."
"Well, with you leading us, I'm sure we'll come out ahead."
Byleth then turned to Ferdinand and said, "Ferdinand, I'm counting on you. Get in there and do as much damage as you can before the defenders can reorganize."
"You can count on me, Lady Eisner," said Ferdinand.
"Of course, we can," Dorothea said sardonically. "No problem at all for the 'noblest of nobles', is it?"
Byleth didn't hear the sarcasm in Dorothea's tone as Alois said to the men, "Alright everyone, time to get to work! Let's show the Empire we mean business!"
Yep, Ladislava's not here this time. This isn't gonna be quite the same battle you remember from the game.
Having Acheron as the commander of the bridge defenders works in a few ways. It justifies the Church Army being able to sneak up on the bridge unnoticed, and it'll justify how the battle will carry out in the next few chapters.
As for Fleche and Odesse, one might think that Fleche shouldn't have been dumb enough to take Odesse's offer, but if you look at how she is in Three Houses and Three Hopes, you'll realize she isn't the smartest girl out there. Not to mention Odesse was playing on her desperate need for power, ensuring she wouldn't make a very rational decision on the matter. I think we can all tell that it's not gonna go well for her.
There's one part of the upcoming battle that I'm still mulling over, but I won't spoil you on that for now.
For now, I need some rest and recovery.
EDIT: Sorry everyone, but the next chapter will be delayed until Friday due to my illness.
