Lucas, Edelgard, Jeralt and Flayn all set out on their journey to Derdriu, the Aquatic Capital. Jeralt was the one to take the reins of the horses, the ones that drove the carriage they were all on. He knew the landscape and general geography better than anyone else. He was also among the only ones of the four that had any idea of how to ride a horse.
Thus, the other three were confined to the inside of the carriage. Lucas and Edelgard sat together on the left side, while Flayn was on her own on the right.
Such was their arrangement for the majority of their journey. Several times, they halted their proceedings to get some rest for that night. Lookout duties were handled on a shift by shift basis. Three of them would fall asleep whilst the fourth would remain awake and watch out for any potential danger. After some hours, the person watching out would swap with one of the sleeping individuals, therefore allowing everyone to get some semblance of rest.
This plan was employed every single time the group decided to stop for the night. Since their supplies were limited, they all used the carriage in conjunction with some covers they received from the main body of the Resistance Army. Lucas used the floor of the carriage as his bed, Edelgard took the bench she and her former teacher had been sitting on, Flayn used her bench, while Jeralt used the rider's seat at the front of the carriage's outside.
Neither was particularly comfortable. But they worked. It was at least enough for the group to get by without any problems.
Without any major ones, that is.
Like so, the group that branched off from the Resistance Army made their way through the Leicester Alliance. Their first difficulty was dealing with the nearby city of Gloucester - it was quite the large place.
In the interest of avoiding conflict, Jeralt reasoned it was a better idea to avoid the city altogether. The foursome made use of a nearby bridge to cross over to a different section of land. Then, they continued travelling north.
The journey carried on for a handful of days. Those that weren't preoccupied during the day with horse driving were all locked to the inside of the carriage with very little to do.
Lucas, Edelgard, and Flayn were bored out of their minds. As a result, they turned to the medium of conversation.
"Excuse me." Flayn raised her hand. "Professor Lucas?"
The so-called 'professor' stared back at her with a befuddled expression.
"What?"
"Excuse me, I said. I wanted to ask you a question."
"No no, not that. You called me a professor. Why? I haven't been one in five years."
"Well, that is your occupation, is it not? I had assumed you were never removed from your position. Therefore, you must still be a professor. Am I incorrect?"
Lucas blinked.
"Huh. Never thought of it that way. The Officers Academy hasn't been running throughout the war, has it? Because if so, I'm doing a terrible job."
Edelgard glared at him, her gaze burning into the side of his face. He sighed, somehow feeling her stare.
"Hey, that wasn't a self-deprecation thing." Lucas raised both of his palms in defence of himself. "That was just a joke. Didn't mean anything by it. Not wholly, anyway."
"Not wholly?" Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "It was a partial self-deprecation, then."
Lucas said nothing in response. He merely focused his gaze on a specific corner of the carriage's inside, keeping the white-haired, Evening Wear uniform-wearing princess out of his vision. Edelgard frowned, choosing not to press the matter.
Flayn giggled.
"How humorous. I wish I possessed a friendship such as this."
Edelgard switched her confused gaze over to the young-looking girl.
"Did you not have many friends in the Golden Deer?"
"Oh, no, I did," Flayn said as she mindlessly fiddled with her staff. "I was never particularly close with any of them, though. Not in the same way you two appear to be."
Lucas' attention went away from his prior embarrassment and transfixed itself upon the diminutive Nabatean's words. "What are you saying?"
"I am merely commenting on what I am seeing. Your relationship…it is most pleasant to observe. Would you two, by any chance, be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Something caught itself within Lucas' throat. His eyes widened - right before he began coughing.
Edelgard, meanwhile, merely frowned.
"No." She shook her head. "We are only friends, and nothing more."
"Ah, I see. My apologies. I was…" Flayn trailed off.
She had been cut off by the sound of Lucas violently coughing. Her head, as well as Edelgard's, slowly tilted towards his hunched over visage.
"Gah, you…bloody hell," Lucas muttered between coughs. He slowly calmed himself down. "You can't just say things like that, Flayn."
"Why not? It was merely a harmless assumption."
"Well, uh, it's because…"
Lucas turned away, finding a random corner of the carriage's inside to be far more appealing than the conversation he'd been roped into. A faint blush appeared upon his cheeks.
Edelgard sighed.
"Let's put this behind us, Flayn. How about we discuss something else?"
"Oh, okay." Flayn nodded in acceptance. "Like what?"
The princess pondered for a moment, as she thought of a potential topic to discuss.
"Who, would you say, was your closest friend in the Golden Deer House?"
Flayn entered her own state of temporary contemplation. She cycled through the different members of her old Officers Academy class, only responding to the question once she came up with a solid answer.
"I would say that I am friends with Ignatz. Though, I am unsure if we were particularly 'close'. He has detailed his admiration for Saint Cethleann to me, which is most delightful. He has also shown plentiful concern for my wellbeing."
"Ignatz? I have never truly spoken with him before, but he did appear to be quite a friendly individual. I must be honest. I assumed you would be closer to someone of your gender, such as Hilda, or even Lysithea."
"Hilda was rather welcoming during my introduction to the class. However, her demeanor left much to be desired. Lysithea was also rather delightful. She was - perhaps - my closest female friend! Oh, how I wish to meet with them once more…"
"You will be able to, soon. I can't imagine we're that far away from Derdriu."
Flayn smiled. "Very true! We have been travelling for a considerable amount of time. I can only hope they are all safe, and that they have not met a similar fate as Lorenz."
Lucas' face darkened. Edelgard wasn't able to see it due to the angle he was facing away in, but she didn't need to.
She already had a good idea of the sorts of dark thoughts he was dealing with. The princess sighed, placing her faith in the comforting capabilities of those who shared his mind, as Lucas claimed.
"Yes…let's hope they are not all as misguided as he."
Flayn nodded, murmuring in agreement. She fell silent, having nothing left to discuss for that moment.
Edelgard felt the same way. She broke away from the conversation, allowing it to fall uselessly into the depths of history. The princess gave her close friend another look.
His eyes were distant. His pupils vaguely changed in size and structure. A small smile appeared on his face as his overall expression lightened up. Edelgard smiled.
"I see you're faring well," she said to him.
"Relatively speaking," Lucas spoke with a low, exhausted tone of voice. "I'm just thinking."
"About Lorenz?"
"Yeah."
A brief, awkward silence wedged itself between the two. Lucas shattered it with the breath of his sigh.
He turned to face her.
"I think he wanted to die."
Edelgard released a light gasp. "Why would you think that?"
"There was something about his expression," Lucas said. "Something on his face told me about it. Either he knew about the true nature of the Empire and wanted the easy way out, or he knew nothing about it and accepted the fact that his path brought him to an end. That damn idiot just wouldn't accept my offer…!"
Lucas balled up a fist, his face twisting in intense anger.
"He chose death over life, that bastard!"
Edelgard said nothing in reply. She merely placed a hand on his arm, easing the tension in his fist with only her touch. He was then able to calm down.
"Enough," she said. "Do not speak ill of the dead. Their spirit may choose to haunt you."
"Spirits? Wouldn't surprise me if those were real, considering everything I've seen so far. I'm sorry. But still, I don't understand why he wouldn't take my hand…"
"Who knows? Perhaps he had his own reasons. We cannot begin to make these sorts of assumptions about people, as we may never be aware of their true circumstances. We must accept what has happened, and move on."
"Yeah. I'll move on. It's just-"
"Frustrating?"
Lucas nodded.
"Frustration is merely a part of life," Edelgard continued. "Though I'm sure you know that."
"Just gotta accept it and move on, right? I can do that. Even still…"
The British man stared at the floor of the carriage.
"It doesn't change the fact that it happened. I wish it never did. That way, I wouldn't be feeling this infernal pit in my stomach."
Edelgard lightly nodded in agreement.
The discussions within the carriage lulled to complete silence. Their journey towards Derdriu continued, even as feelings of tired detestation festered all around them.
Over at Garreg Mach, Alois and Hanneman were standing by the gates next to the marketplace. They were wearing their usual attire. Alois had his knightly silver-grey armor, while Hanneman had his tall, light brown coat.
Neither were prepared for battle, for they already knew who was about to arrive.
A near-silence surrounded their ears. All they could hear was the faint shuffling of feet upon hard, stone surfaces and the distant voices of their allies. The wind weakly blew what little heads of hair the aged men possessed.
Time passed. Like it always did. Even as the sun hit its peak within the sky, even as time itself moved on as usual - the men remained where they were. They were completely adamant about waiting for their arrival.
Hours later, as the blue sky above started to darken, sounds could be heard from beyond the gate. A large group of people, carriages, and horses rounded the corner.
Alois and Hanneman were more than willing to greet their associates.
"Welcome back, my friends!" Alois said to them. "I trust the journey wasn't too much of a hassle?"
"No, it was not. Thank you for your concern, Alois."
Seteth stepped forward from the detachment of soldiers. He motioned to Catherine and Shamir, who had been right behind him. They immediately understood what they were being asked to do. Together, they handled the unloading of supplies and returning of horses to the stables.
All while Seteth discussed matters with the two that stayed behind.
"I will assume your return means you were successful in your bridge-taking endeavor." Hanneman put a hand on his grey-bearded chin.
"Indeed we were." Seteth smiled. "The battle atop the Great Bridge of Myrddin was a difficult one, but we were eventually able to attain victory."
"Ah, how wonderful! Did any of our men sustain any considerable injuries?"
Seteth closed his eyes.
"Yes. Unfortunately, some of our own passed while fighting the Empire's forces. They will be missed, and their efforts shall never be forgotten."
The three of them fell silent as they gave recognition to the soldiers that died for their cause.
"I can only hope they find peace with the goddess," Hanneman said.
"I hope so, as well. Now, Seteth, since we have control over the Great Bridge of Myrddin, what's our next step? What will we be doing next?"
"Waiting."
Alois and Hanneman stepped back, recoiling due to immense surprise.
"I'm sorry? I don't mean to question your authority or anything, Seteth, but I'm confused. What do you mean by 'waiting'? How exactly will that help us?"
"It is simple. Claude suggested that we send a small detachment of our forces to Derdriu, which is where he is located. We have done precisely that. In the meantime, the rest of us shall be joining you two in guarding the monastery."
"I see…" Hanneman spent some time pondering the plan, quietly. "Who have you chosen for this detachment you speak of?"
"In the letter he sent to us while we were still based in the Great Bridge, Claude specifically mentioned that he wished to see Lucas. I allowed him to select his companions. He decided on Edelgard and Jeralt. However…"
Seteth frowned. The sheer regret behind his expression was enough to unsettle the other two men.
"Flayn also wished to go to Derdriu."
"Oh." Alois relaxed. "I thought something terrible had happened. Did you allow her to go?"
"Yes, I did. I could never refuse the wishes of my lovely...sister. I made certain that her travel companions would stop at nothing to protect her. Should they find themselves in any danger, that is. Though, I do not expect them to."
"Agreed. If Claude truly is at Derdriu, then they will most certainly be safe under his protection. You should have nothing to concern yourself with, Seteth."
"Thank you, Hanneman."
As the three shared a smile, an appreciation for the element of kindness that was common in each of them, time continued moving. Before any of them could say anything else to further the discussion, a random soldier came along and asked them to move out of the way.
Adhering to the soldier's request, the trio of men moved to the side of the marketplace, away from the considerable advance of horses that needed to be put back into the stables.
"Anyway, with all that cleared up, do we have any specific plans with the monastery? Did we even get any more supplies? You know how low our food stocks are getting."
"Of course. While we were preparing to depart from the Great Bridge of Myrddin, I presumed it would be best to take whatever we could. You may be pleased to know that we will have somewhat more food than we had before. It will not be much, but it is better than nothing."
"Oh! Most delightful."
Alois nodded in agreement. "Yes, exactly! We're definitely in a better position now! And it's not like the Empire will be needing any of it. How many months do you think it'll last us?"
"Two months, at the very most. As I said, it is not much. But it will do until we receive more."
"Receive more?" Hanneman said with an uncertain, questioning tone to his voice. "Are you hoping Claude can spare us some of his food?"
"Yes, I am. Hopefully he can spare at least a single month's worth of supplies. We will need more than that, which is why I am placing my faith in Lucas' group. If they can convince more allies to join our cause, then that would likely result in more supplies being sent to us."
"And if they are not successful?"
Seteth blinked, unable to think of an immediate response. His face briefly darkened.
"Let us hope it does not come to that."
The three of them fell back to silence, quietly agreeing with Seteth's hopeful statement.
With nothing left to discuss, the Acting Archbishop dismissed the two humans and headed further into monastery grounds. He walked straight through the central building, traversing up the stairs so he could reach his sacred chamber.
His office. Seteth frowned at the mountain of paperwork that had been placed on his desk. Having no further objections, he decided to sit down and get to work.
The papers took many hours to go through. It even became evening, as indicated by the orange glow emanating through the office's window. Even still, not even half of the aforementioned mountain had been conquered. Seteth was whittling away at the papers, one by one, as the hours went by.
His day became rather tedious all of a sudden. Despite this, Seteth was oddly content with proceedings. He kept going, refusing to give himself a break.
Yet, he was forcibly given one when someone knocked on his door.
"Come in," he called to the person outside.
The door unlocked, revealing a male soldier from the Resistance Army.
"Sir! I have a report from the pegasus riders!"
Seteth put down his quill, and focused on the soldier.
"A large military force has been spotted enroute to the Monastery," he reported, "The scouts report that they will arrive in a few days."
"What is their allegiance?"
"Most likely…"
The soldier hesitated.
"Empire, sir," he eventually said. "Should I get everyone prepared?"
Seteth frowned, then nodded.
"At once."
Somewhere within the northwestern regions of the Leicester Alliance, Lucas' group were finally able to relax. Their destination was finally within sight: Derdriu. It was still a speck in the distance, but it was enough to uplift their mood.
Jeralt drove the carriage forward. They approached the Aquatic Capital. As they proceeded along the dirt ridden path, Lucas turned to Edelgard as they were both inside of the carriage.
He lifted his Officers Academy hat, revealing a distraught bed of black hair.
"Wear this," he said to her, offering the woman his hat.
"Why should I?"
"Because you've got quite the distinctive look. And I don't know how well people are gonna take to the presence of an Adrestian princess. Like you, of course."
"That I am not fighting alongside the Emperor's forces…would that not be enough of an indication of my allegiance to the masses?"
Lucas shrugged, becoming uncertain for a moment. "I dunno. All I know is that some people might not like you, regardless of who you're with. Remember how Catherine's been acting towards you lately?"
Edelgard soon realized what he meant.
"Ah. You make a good point. It may be better to hide my appearance, lest a panic occurs."
She accepted the hat that had been offered to her. Edelgard carefully placed it on her head. Somehow, it was able to fit rather well, even though it was somewhat loose. She tilted the Officers Academy Uniform hat downward, resulting in a shade being cast over her face.
The princess seemed conflicted.
"You good there?"
Edelgard looked to her side, finding Lucas staring down at her with an expression of sheer concern. She smiled upon seeing it.
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking."
Lucas eyed her suspiciously, but only for a very brief moment. He shrugged. "Alright. If you're sure. Just let me know if anything's wrong."
"I will."
Both became quiet. The carriage moved along.
Morning gradually turned to afternoon. Jeralt, Lucas, Edelgard, and Flayn were all getting closer and closer to Derdriu. As the sun shimmered down upon the world, the Aquatic Capital was soon within reach for the group of four.
A moderately sized gate halted their advance. Two armored men approached the carriage.
"What seems to be the problem, guards?" Jeralt asked them.
They both pointed their spears at the Blade Breaker. The one on the left spoke first.
"Who are you? What business do you have in Derdriu?"
"We're here to talk with Claude. Look." Jeralt pulled out a rolled up piece of paper from his pack. "This is a letter addressed to our leader. Read it if you want. Just know that the more you make us wait out here, the more we'll be delayed in meeting with your leader. I don't know if he'll appreciate that."
"Hmph. We'll see. Give me that letter."
Jeralt handed the letter over to the guard, who unrolled it, and began reading. He audibly gasped after a few seconds, to which his feminine partner looked over in curiosity.
"Is it real?" The second guard asked.
"Yeah. It certainly is. I know what Claude's handwriting looks like, and this is it. Surprisingly neat." The first guard yelped. He smacked his forehead in frustration. "Uh, don't tell him I said that. Please."
"You know I won't. So I guess we're letting these guys in?"
"We certainly will. I'll lead the way."
The first guard looked over to Jeralt, motioning for him to start driving into the city. He did precisely that, ensuring his horses wouldn't proceed at an uncontrollably rapid pace for no reason.
While the carriage made its entrance into the Aquatic Capital, Flayn became distracted by everything she could see through all the tiny windows available to her. The light-grey, stone paved streets, wide open paths, and plentiful housing - it was all mesmerising for the Nabatean girl.
She remained occupied for quite some time.
Meanwhile, Edelgard was busy focusing on hiding her appearance as much as she could. There weren't many options available to her for this, but at least the narrow windows made it unlikely for anyone outside to even know she was there to begin with. She kept herself obscured.
Lucas kept a concerned, watchful eye over her.
After some slow strolling through the streets of Leicester's capital, the carriage came to a stop outside a miniature palace. It certainly radiated some kind of regal aura, but it was notably smaller than the likes of Garreg Mach, as Flayn noted. Despite that, she was still invested and curious as to what was inside.
"Alright, this is it," the guard said, once everyone stopped moving. "Get yourselves out of that carriage. Someone will come by to take it to the stables, so don't worry about that. Just get out here, and I think someone's gonna take you inside. Can't remember how this was supposed to go. Damn it…"
Flayn happily hopped right out of the carriage. She spun around on the spot, waiting for her fellow young people to follow suit. Edelgard and Lucas also exited the carriage, but not before they retrieved the large packs that were full of supplies, weapons, and armor that their group had.
They were both carrying four packs apiece. Jeralt made sure to come around and lighten their load, keeping it down to only two packs per person. Flayn was unburdened by the need to carry anything. Except for her bubbly personality.
The four of them stood around outside of the palace - alongside the guard. Someone eventually showed up to wheel away the carriage. All that was left for them to do was wait.
In time, a familiar face came through the front doors of the palace.
"Oh my. I didn't think you would make it here so soon."
Flayn gave a wide smile in response.
"Is that you, Hilda?!"
A twenty-three-year-old woman with massively long, pink hair, a pink and black dress, as well as black leggings, came from the inside of Derdriu's palace.
"Yep! It's me! Nice to see you too, Flayn! You really haven't changed these last five years, huh…" Hilda shook off any immediate speculative thoughts she may have had, as her gaze hovered over the other three visitors. "I could say the same for you too, Professor. And you, Captain Jeralt. Who's this other girl that's with you?"
Edelgard was about to speak, but Lucas moved in front of her.
"M-maybe we should have this conversation inside. We're carrying some pretty heavy bags here. Not to impose on you, or anything."
"That's okay. I can get some answers when you're all inside. Come in, come in! I know Claude's been dying to meet with you all."
Lucas gasped.
"I hope she doesn't mean that literally…"
With his fears regarding death in mind, Lucas followed Hilda and the rest of his allies into the palace.
It was the same as it had ever been. Although Lucas' memory was hazy, he felt confident enough that the palace hadn't undergone any major renovations in the last five years. The walls were detailed, the stone floor looked as if a skilled artist drew the carvings within it, and it all came together quite nicely. It was about as expensive-looking as one would expect.
Hilda and Flayn took the lead. Though, they were more so focused on catching up with each other rather than speaking with the other three, who simply followed the pair of girls through the palace's hallways.
"So, Flayn, how have you been?"
The Nabatean smiled delightfully. "I have been very well! Thank you for asking! The war has not been kind to many, though I am fortunate to say that it has not caused me any significant pain."
"That's good, then! Glad to know you've hung in there all this time! I bet Seteth's always right by you, protecting you in every battle."
"My brother certainly is quite the protective person. However, he is not the only one to have taken such actions. All of us in the Resistance Army support one another."
"Resistance Army? That's what you're calling yourself?" Hilda looked back at the other three visitors with confusion and doubt. "Whatever works for you, I guess. Are you guys resisting the Empire, or something? Because that would make sense."
"We are," said Jeralt. "That's literally exactly what we're doing."
"Oh! Yeah, that makes total sense, then. I'm all for bringing down the Empire. I've always wondered what it was that made the Emperor wanna start a war in the first place. Never knew Arundel, like, at all, but I always thought he was supposed to be nice."
Edelgard grunted.
"Long ago, he was. As of now, he is not," she said.
"No kidding. I mean, what's the point of even starting this war in the first place? It just gets innocent people hurt…"
Hilda blinked in rapid succession, coming to a realization. She focused her gaze on Edelgard's hidden visage.
"Hey, wait a minute. You say that like you know him personally. Who are you?"
Edelgard, with the tip of her borrowed hat hanging over her face, breathed in and out. She lifted the hat from her head.
"It's me, Hilda."
The pink-haired girl was taken aback.
"What?! How are…huh? I thought-" Hilda struggled with the knowledge of the reveal. "Aren't you supposed to be in the Empire? With your uncle, the Emperor? Aren't you an enemy?"
"It appears I have become something of a traitor to the Empire. All because I object to their ways, and that I have seen the corruption that lies within."
"Corruption? I think Claude was talking about something like that. I never pay attention to his ramblings, since they usually don't make sense to me. But even you think there's such a thing, Edelgard?" She looked at Lucas and Jeralt. "Does this have anything to do with the Resistance Army's motives?"
"It does," Lucas replied. "The Empire is completely driven by their corruption. Arundel is not who you think he is."
"Really? I guess that means you're allying with Edelgard. Does that mean the Empire has as much infighting as the Alliance does right now?"
"No. Arundel has indoctrinated every noble in the Empire into believing that I'm an enemy of theirs. While that is true to some extent, it is not the Empire itself that I, or any of us, are fighting."
"It's that corruption you were talking about, right? That's your true enemy?"
"Very much so."
Hilda pondered this as she continued leading everyone down a hallway, and around a corner. Edelgard put the hat back on, not bothering to hide her face with it for any longer.
"Alright, I think I get it. Still kinda confused about this whole corruption thing, though. I hope you guys can properly explain that to me sometime."
She looked ahead, further down the hallway they were walking in, and grinned.
"Not now, though. We've finally arrived."
"Arrived? At what?" Flayn asked.
"You'll see…"
Hilda increased her pace. Everyone else matched her slightly raised speed, even if all the heavy bags weighed down those that were carrying them. They were all, at least, somewhat interested in what it was the former Golden Deer was being vague about.
The five of them approached a large set of beige double doors. Hilda grabbed on to both handles.
"Hey, Flayn, you wanna know how the other Golden Deers are doing, don't you?"
Flayn nodded.
"Well, you're about to find out!"
Both doors were swung open by Hilda's hands.
Inside was a rather spacious room. The walls were lined with all sorts of rich details and paintings of vast landscapes. Three windows were against the back wall, all of which looked out onto the city below.
In the middle of the room was a lengthy, wooden table. One that was not too dissimilar to the one within the Cardinal's Room at the monastery. Seated at the table were numerous familiar faces.
Standing behind the biggest chair of all, was the man behind the letters.
Claude, and the rest of the ex-Golden Deer students, all turned to meet who had just walked in.
"Well well well, look who finally decided to wake up from his little nap. Glad to see you in the world of the waking, Teach," Claude said. "Always nice to see you too, Jeralt. Happy that old age hasn't gotten to you yet."
Jeralt grunted. Leonie, who was sitting in the middle of the table, glared straight at her former house leader. He merely laughed off her irritated expression.
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself. Anyway, good to know you're doing as well as ever, Flayn. And…"
Claude grinned.
"Hey there, Princess."
"Hmph." Edelgard folded her arms. "I don't know if I can be called that as of now."
"Sure you can. After all, you're the rightful heir to the Adrestian throne, right? Arundel just happened to take it from you. Like a common thief."
"He is most certainly a thief. Though, I would hesitate to call him common. An ordinary thief would simply take what they please, and leave. Arundel has taken far more than that, and yet he remains."
Leonie's mouth widened.
"Whoa, hold on! What's Edelgard doing here?! Isn't she one of our enemies?"
"She's with us, kid. She has about as much hatred for the Empire as the rest of us. Well, not so much the Empire as it is something behind it," said Jeralt.
"Behind? Captain Jeralt, what are you talking about?"
"Alright, Leonie, relax." Claude raised his palms, stretching them out slightly in the orange-haired girl's direction, using some gesture of reassurance. "Edelgard's one of us. I can vouch for her determination. I know exactly how much she wants to get Arundel out of the picture."
Ignatz raised a hand, bringing attention towards himself. "Are you sure, Claude? What if she's a spy of some sort?"
Claude looked straight at Lucas for a split second before answering Ignatz's question.
"I doubt it. I think we'd know for sure if she was. And besides, if you knew about her past with the source of the Empire's corruption, then I think you'd get where she stands."
"Apparently, the Emperor's not who we think it is." Hilda placed both of her hands in front of the lower half of her dress. "Sounds like there's a whole lot of shady things going on over there."
Lysithea, who was sitting next to Leonie, glanced at Edelgard, then faced away. Nobody noticed - except for the glance's recipient.
"I'm not sure what you're all talking about, but whatever it means, the Empire's still the ones we gotta takedown, right? Anyone that wants to do that is good in my books!" Raphael said.
"I-I'm fine with her being here, too…" Marianne spoke with a low, stammering voice.
"Sounds like a pretty unanimous decision to me. Welcome to our cause, Edelgard! Though, heh, I think we might be the ones joining your cause." Claude chuckled to himself.
Jeralt raised an eyebrow.
"What does it matter? Our causes are the same. We'll just be uniting under one banner, and one name. Granted, it is our name, but it's not like we're only the Knights of Seiros or anything like that. We're the Resistance Army. Anyone that resists the Empire is our ally. That includes you."
"True enough. Either way, I'm glad to be working with you guys from now on. Should make stopping the Empire a whole lot easier. Actually, let's make this official…"
Claude stepped forward, over to where the four visitors were standing on the other side of the room.
He extended a hand out to Edelgard.
"Let's stamp out that corruption together," he said to her.
Edelgard stared blankly at the hand. Clashing thoughts and ideas about the situation ran through her mind, but one thing was for certain.
She smiled, and accepted his hand.
"Of course."
The pair gazed straight through each other's eyes, into the determination right behind them. They could each feel the other's resolve in the strength they placed in the shared grasp.
Lucas greatly appreciated the sight before him.
"Edelgard and Claude, together again, after five whole years…is this where we start to turn this whole war around?"
"It is interesting to see them work together in this way. I'm curious to see what sort of strategies will come from this," Byleth said in the void of Lucas' mind.
"That too. No matter what, I think things are gonna get interesting real soon. Agarthans…you're all going down."
Lucas sighed.
"I hope."
Days later, those at Garreg Mach were prepared for battle. Seteth, Alois, Hanneman, as well as everyone else, were all equipped with their respective weapons and armor. They all stood close by the monastery's outer gate, in the same location where the Battle for Garreg Mach took place five years prior.
On the other side of the field of grass, broken stone structures, and wooden fences, was a detachment of Imperial soldiers. Each one of them wore an Imperial-red armor set. Their eyes lingered on the monastery's defense force - their enemies. Those they would soon fight.
From the crowd of Imperial soldiers, a tan-skinned woman with long, dark purple hair and a foreign mark underneath her left eye, had stepped forward.
One of her arms was missing. It was patched together, covered by a black piece of fabric.
"The Knights of Seiros…I did not have knowing you were still here. But it does have sense. After all, there is no other place for you to be going," she shouted to her enemies from across the battlefield.
She unsheathed her blade with her only arm.
"If we defeat you here, then you will die. We were asked by the Emperor to be crushing the monastery in the palm of our hands."
Seteth glared at her from atop his wyvern.
"I will not, and cannot allow that," he said in return. He pointed his Spear of Assal in her direction. "You must understand, Petra."
The Brigid princess' arm remained steady, as did her sword.
"I do have understanding. Which is why…"
All of a sudden, her weapon fell to the ground. Seteth, as well as the rest of the Resistance Army, watched with absolute bewilderment.
Petra's soldiers followed suit. Every single one of them dropped their weapons, and their shields.
"What's going on? Are they…" Alois scratched his head with his free hand.
Hanneman's mouth was agape. "Th-they are disarming themselves…but why?"
"Ready yourselves for anything. I do not know what to expect from this group," Seteth said to his Generals. He then raised his voice, addressing the enemy commander. "What exactly are you and your soldiers doing?"
Petra raised her arm into the air, exemplifying the fact she had no additional weapons upon her person.
"We are surrendering. We want to join you, and fight for your, uh, cause. The Empire is dark, and Arundel is much darker. We have brought food, water, and many supplies. You may have all of it. Including us."
"E-excuse me?"
Petra briefly turned back to her crowd of soldiers and motioned for someone to move forward.
Two hooded figures emerged and stood beside Petra.
"I have helped to have an organised…exodus of the Empire. But I did not think of it. It was these two people that found me when I was at Enbarr. They made the idea. I helped make it happen. Please, show yourself. Um, yourselves."
The figures nodded at one another. They lowered their hoods.
"That's…!" Manuela covered her gaping mouth with a hand. "Dorothea, and-"
"Anna?" Catherine was ready to go and cut loose with Thunderbrand, yet even her eagerness for battle had been quelled.
Dorothea and Anna were standing by Petra's side.
Author Notes: The war's progressing! Lucas, Edelgard, Jeralt, and Flayn end up at Derdriu, while Petra, Dorothea and Anna have finally put their plan into motion. Seems like Ferdinand was right...
Oh, happy (late) holidays, everyone! Wanted to get this chapter out sooner, but you know how Christmas is. Anyway, I hope you got the gifts you wanted and you spent enough time with your families and/or friends! I know I did. I got Balan Wonderworld for the PS5; I'm satisfied.
Before I forget, major thanks to Frost for beta-ing this chapter and all the other recent ones.
With that done, time to respond to y'alls reviews!
Lord-Azrael3 - Thanks! I hope you appreciate the fact that Petra is indeed alive, but she certainly didn't get out of there unscathed. And yeah, Ferdinand's definitely a nutcase at this point.
eseer - Ha! Yeah, she'll definitely need a hand...or two.
Axel363402 - Yup, sure is getting intense. That's what war's all about. Sorta. Kinda.
Thanks again for the reviews, folks! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you for the next one!
Uh, well, actually, there's something else I'd like to mention before I sign out. You see, in about two days time, it'll be my birthday. Yep. On December 29th, I'll be 22 years old. Only saying this now because I don't think I'll be able to get another chapter out before then. So yeah. I do plan on taking a nice, comfortable break on that day, but it shouldn't impact my overall upload schedule for this fic. You should get Chapter 44 by around Sunday - no worries.
And now I'm signing out. See ya!
If you want a cool place to hang out, talk about random stuff (mainly fanfiction), then the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord server is the place for you! I'm there, as are a whole bunch of writers you may have heard about! Here's the invite code: 9XG3U7a.