The Resistance had been accepted by those at the village of Galatea. All of their soldiers were safely squared away, placed in lodgings they could use for the remainder of their stay. Their equipment was stored in a secure location, their horses were confined to the local stables - everything was going rather smoothly.

Most, if not all, of the village's visitors were within the Count's manor. It was certainly an impressive building, with architecture that dated back to a time long forgotten. There were four stories to the manor. Sizeable windows and wide balconies were aplenty.

Even though it never quite compared to the palace from Derdriu, it was sufficient enough for its residents. An adequate escape from the overly frosty environment that lay outside.

Fortunately, it hadn't begun to snow. But that did nothing to take away from just how cold it was. Although everyone was inside the manor, there was still an overpowering and overwhelming chilliness in the air. The visitors from the Alliance all shivered in its presence.

Ingrid - who was leading several of the Resistance's commanders and generals through the halls of the manor - looked behind herself and smiled.

"How are you all faring? I hope being inside the manor has warmed you up."

"Sorry to say, but it hasn't." Claude visibly shook from all the cold. "I think we're all still freezing over here."

"I can confirm that! I don't know how we went from Ailell, the hottest place in all of Fodlan, to…this." Hilda frowned, also shivering. "How do you manage up here in Faerghus?"

"We're used to it. Weather conditions like this become normal when you've lived in it since birth," said Ingrid. "Galatea's one of the coldest locations in all of the Kingdom. Living here kind of gives you immunity to the effects of the cold."

"Kind of?" Claude grinned.

Ingrid sighed. "That was an exaggeration. We're not entirely immune. We still get sick from it every now and then."

"Figured as much. Everybody's got their breaking point."

"Indeed…"

The blonde knight that wore gray and light blue armor cast her head downwards, but only for a moment. She realized she needed to focus on where she was going. Ingrid returned to facing the small crowd behind her.

"We're almost there," she said. "Our war council room isn't too far off from here."

"Will the Count himself be joining us? I'd love to bend his ear a little. Maybe try to start breaking down the walls between the Kingdom and the Alliance, or something to that effect."

"I'm sorry. He won't be joining us. My father hasn't been feeling well as of late. He's still able to give commands and organize his troops and such, but he can only do so from the comfort of his bed. He's already transferred most of his soldiers to Rodrigue, so it's not as if there was much for him to do, anyway."

"Ah, so he's handed off all his war-related responsibilities to Rodrigue, has he? Pretty smart of him."

"Only because there was no other choice." Ingrid glared at Claude. "Would you have him overwork himself in the state he's in as of now? He would most likely die from the stress!"

"Hey, I was only complimenting the guy. I'd do the same thing if I were him."

"This is no time for jokes, Claude. My father is unwell. He may even die if it proves to be serious enough! Please don't act so frivolously about this."

"I'm not. I'm being serious. I think your dad's smart, and I hope he gets better. There's no frivolousness behind my words at all."

"Hmph."

Ingrid turned away with a huff. She sighed - again.

"My apologies, Claude. I didn't mean to act so…intense towards you, as you would say."

Claude smiled and waved it off. "It's fine. I get where this is coming from. The war's affecting us all in different ways. How about we focus on getting to that war council room, yeah?"

"Yes…let's do that."

Staving off her intense attitude, Ingrid continued with her walk throughout her home. Those of the Resistance that wished to attend the council followed closely behind her. Together, they navigated through the halls of the manor, going up all sorts of stairs and venturing around many corners.

The group then arrived at a set of double doors, somewhere within the second floor, just below the manor's highest storey. Ingrid approached the doors. She then pushed them open.

Inside was an average-sized room that was covered in stone, similar to the rest of the manor. Much like the council room in Derdriu's palace, there was a lengthy wooden table in the middle of the room. It was positioned horizontally from the perspective of where the doors were. There were numerous seats available for use, most of which were filled by the Resistance.

Ingrid sat down in the largest chair, the one designed for the head of the house. Everyone else looked straight at her. She maintained herself in the scrutiny of such expectant stares. Eventually, she was able to summon the strength needed to begin the session.

"Welcome, all of you. I've been asked by Rodrigue to inform you of our situation, as well as his plan of attack." Ingrid turned to Claude, who was sitting closely on her right. "Claude. I understand you have been in contact with Rodrigue through the use of letters. How much do you know of the current situation here in the Kingdom?"

"Not much," Claude said. "Rodrigue didn't go into a lot of detail about all that. His letters were very to the point. He's not a rambler. All I know is that there's some kind of infighting going on over here."

Ingrid nodded. "That's right. Some of the Kingdom's noble houses have chosen to ally themselves with the Adrestian Empire. Houses Dominic, Rowe, and Charon have all done so."

"What about the rest of the houses? It's probably safe to assume Galatea and Fraldarius are anti-Empire, but what about Gautier and Blaiddyd?" Jeralt said as he folded his arms.

"House Gautier is on our side. As for Blaiddyd…" Ingrid hesitated. "It's rather complicated. Allow me to explain."

The knight of the Kingdom steeled herself.

"After we all returned to Faerghus following Emperor Arundel's declaration of war, Cornelia - a mage in service to the Kingdom's royal family - enacted a coup. Grand Duke Rufus was assassinated. Cornelia accused His Highness Dimitri of the crime, and then sentenced him to execution."

Everyone either gasped or became wide-eyed.

"Dimitri is…dead?" Edelgard narrowed her eyes. She looked over at Lucas, who was sitting right next to her. He merely shook his head. The princess nodded, then returned to facing Ingrid. "That cannot be true."

"It's not. His Highness is alive and with us. He survived his execution. Though…it came at a cost."

Lucas became downcast.

"Dedue was able to break His Highness out of imprisonment," Ingrid continued. "However, in doing so, he sacrificed himself to ensure His Highness' escape."

Another united gasp from Galatea's visitors. Lucas didn't share in such a reaction. Instead, he closed his eyes while looking down at the table.

His mouth twitched as if to speak. Yet nothing came out.

Instead, he was having a discussion inside his mind. Sothis and Byleth were awake.

"Be mindful of who is with you," Byleth warned. "There are people present who don't know of your foreknowledge."

"You're right. I know I shouldn't say anything that'll give it away, but still, there's a part of me that wants to say it regardless." Lucas sighed. "I understand, though. Gotta rein my feelings in…"

He chose not to speak, despite the twitching of his lips. Edelgard took note of his reaction. They both allowed the meeting to resume as normal.

"Dedue sacrificed himself so Dimitri could escape?" Lysithea said once she composed herself. "He always was rather protective of the prince…"

"Indeed, he was. I…" Ingrid shook her head. "Never mind. What's important is that His Highness was able to evade execution. Upon his escape, Rodrigue took him in. Now he fights to help liberate the Kingdom from Cornelia's Dukedom."

Marianne clasped her hands together.

"Thank the Goddess…Dimitri is safe."

"Oh? Marianne? Do you care for Dimitri or something?" Hilda grinned as she looked at her blue-haired friend.

"Y-yes." Marianne nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Five years ago, before the war, h-he and I discussed our pasts…I found that we were much more alike than I'd thought."

"Sparks flew between you two, huh?"

"N-no…not like that. We simply had an understanding of one another's misfortune. We are both haunted by those we have left behind…"

"I think I know what you mean." Ingrid frowned. "The Tragedy of Duscur affected many of us. His Highness and I included. He's able to keep fighting, despite everything he's seen. Truly, His Highness is an inspiration for us all."

Everyone became silent. An air of uneasiness and sorrow filled the room. Claude coughed, interrupting the silence.

"I hate to ruin the mood, but wasn't there something else you needed to talk about, Ingrid? Didn't you say that Rodrigue wanted you to tell us about his plan of attack?"

"Oh, right." Ingrid blinked. "He did indeed ask me to do that. His plan is rather simple. With the addition of your forces, he wishes to launch an attack on Fhirdiad, the Kingdom capital. That will allow us to remove Cornelia from power, which will also allow us to bring an end to the Faerghus Dukedom."

"Ah, I see. He wants to remove the Empire's influence from the Kingdom as soon as possible. It's a good plan, but…" Claude placed a hand on his chin. "I wonder if that's too hasty."

"Too hasty? What else is there to do? We can't simply allow Cornelia to keep control of the capital. With the power of the Resistance added to our ranks, her troops would surely fall. Do you have some other plan, perhaps?"

"I certainly do. You see, if we go straight for our target without securing any other kind of foothold in the western side of the nation, wouldn't Cornelia be able to retreat before we could even approach her?"

"I…suppose. Are you proposing that we take one of the other houses first?"

"Something like that. I'm not too familiar with what's considered important in Faerghus, but maybe we can go for something like Arianrhod? Since it's almost directly on the border between the Empire and the Kingdom, taking it would allow us to effectively control the flow of supplies and information between the two nations. We can prevent Cornelia from getting any kind of help. How does that sound?"

Ingrid paused. "I see the wisdom in that idea. However, Arianrhod is heavily fortified. It's known as the Fortress City. Taking it would be very difficult, if not impossible. I'm unsure if we should even attempt it."

"I can probably come up with a plan or two. Nothing's perfect. I'm sure we can overcome Arianrhod's fortifications somehow." Claude grinned. He looked over to Lucas. "Isn't that right, Teach?"

"Er…" Lucas snapped out of his thinking. "Yeah, we should be able to do it."

"Good to hear, Teach." Claude turned back to Ingrid. "How about it, then?"

Ingrid raised an eyebrow but soon lowered it. She sighed yet again.

"You may do as you wish. I cannot act without Rodrigue's permission, so I will have to send him a letter that informs him of your plan. We'll see how he responds."

"Sure. Hopefully, you can get that letter to him right away. I'd like to have some of Rodrigue's firepower in the Arianrhod attack. That would increase our chances of victory."

"I'll do what I can."

Ingrid rose from her seat.

"I believe that is everything. I must ask you all to please wait, as it will take some time for me to receive a response from Rodrigue. Until that happens, you may all use this manor's facilities as much as you please."

She bowed.

"No matter what happens, I must thank you all for responding to our request as peacefully as you have."

"There would've been no reason for us to attack. We're all fighting for the same cause. There's no need to attack our allies," said Jeralt.

"True. Regardless, I'm thankful." Ingrid smiled. "You're all dismissed. Feel free to do as you please. Within reason, of course. I wouldn't want any of you to infiltrate anyone's privacy."

"Didn't plan on it. Thanks for the hospitality, Ingrid."

"You're welcome, Claude. It's the least we can do to help those who also fight against the tyranny of the Empire. I hope we can work together in the future."

"Same here. We'll need to join forces if we ever wanna take down that infuriating Arundel. I'm hoping Rodrigue plays nice and agrees to my plan."

"I hope so too…but we'll have to wait and see. For now, please rest, everyone. I'm sure you're all tired from your travels."

Ingrid's audience proceeded to all stand up from their seats. Some stretched, some yawned - proving the blonde knight's point. At least it was finally an opportunity for them all to rest. Everyone then departed from the war council room, Ingrid included.

As Lucas was making his way to whatever kind of room he'd been given, his gaze was distant. His mind was abuzz with activity.

"Arianrhod…" he said to his mind's occupants.

"The Fortress City. That's one of the places the Agarthans attack." Byleth nodded.

"With their pillars of light, correct? Such unusual weapons. We'd best watch out for them. It would not do you any good to be destroyed by them, Lucas." Sothis wagged her finger at the British man.

"Right. I'll have to warn Claude about them. Assuming Rodrigue even accepts the plan."

"Of course. You'll just have to wait until that man responds to the blonde girl's letter. For now, rest. And also train. You will need to prepare yourself for the battles ahead."

"Yeah, I do. I'll be using every waking hour to train, probably with Edelgard. I'll get stronger, and then this war will end. No matter what."

Lucas clenched his fist. He kept walking, searching for his assigned room.

His search was long. Tiresome, even. Every bone in Lucas' body was starting to ache. Walking wasn't becoming an issue, but it was certainly a notable condition. One he couldn't ignore.

Eventually, Lucas relented. He approached one of the manor's staff and asked them for directions. As it turned out, all he needed to do was to go down a single floor and head through just a few halls. That was exactly his next course of action. The door to his room was soon within sight.

But before he could reach out and push it open, two people came up to him. Lucas sighed and halted his urges to get inside. He turned around to greet his visitors.

"Hey there, Teach." Claude flashed a smile. "You can probably guess why we're here."

Lucas yawned. "It's about the Arianrhod attack, right?"

"Precisely," Edelgard said with a nod.

The teacher stared silently at the two for a few seconds. He then reached out and pushed open the door to the room he'd been given.

"Come in."

Lucas held the door open from within the room. He stood aside, allowing his visitors to enter. They did so. The door was locked shut behind them.

The room was nothing to write home about. It was decently sized, granting its occupants a good deal of space with which to move around in. There was a small window on the rightmost wall, and an average-looking bed next to the wall that was opposite the door.

By the window, there was a desk with two chairs tucked underneath. Edelgard and Claude temporarily lifted them from their snug locations. They carried them over to the bed, where Lucas was sitting on the edge. The pair of former students then sat down upon their stolen seats.

"So. Where do we start?"

"I just want some confirmation first, Teach. You said the Arianrhod attack is probably gonna succeed, yeah?" Claude said as he leaned back in his chair.

"It'll work. If nothing unexpected happens, of course." Lucas folded his arms and closed his eyes. "With the way things have been going lately, especially with the Derdriu battle and the fight on the Great Bridge…it's hard to say for sure."

"That's right. You hadn't anticipated Bernadetta's presence in the battle to defend Derdriu. Neither did you expect the Flame Emperor," said Edelgard.

"Everything's still at least somewhat familiar to what you know, right? There's no way that things are gonna be so different that we end up losing before we even get to Enbarr. I hope not."

"Right." Lucas reopened his eyes and unfolded his arms. "I don't think we'd let things get to that point. I don't see anything coming up that'll really stop us in our tracks. Certainly not in the Arianrhod attack…"

A light gasp escaped from his mouth.

"Wait. Ingrid mentioned that Cornelia took over Fhirdiad if I'm not misremembering. If that's the case, then she'd be over there, holed up in the royal palace."

He frowned.

"If Cornelia's not defending Arianrhod, then who is?"

Claude shrugged. Edelgard bore an expression like her teacher's - a face full of uncertainty. Lucas' right hand was now covering his black beard as it latched onto his chin.

"Who knows," Claude eventually said. "We'll find out when we get there. I mean, it's gotta be some Kingdom commander. Maybe it's Faerghus' equivalent of Acheron or something. Who's to say? We shouldn't worry about who it is we'll be fighting. Instead, we should be thinking about how we'll fight these guys."

"I agree with Claude. It's best not to think about the unknown. No matter who it is, they're an enemy. We must defeat them for the sake of the war."

"Kill for the sake of the war, huh…?" Lucas looked away from the two and stared blankly at the window.

He shook his head.

"It's what we've gotta do, right? For everyone we know and love. So we can all live in peace, or whatever."

"Of course." Edelgard lightly nodded. "Are you having doubts?"

"Something like that. I'm just…" Lucas' mouth opened wide - another yawn emerged. "I'm tired of it all. I miss the days where I didn't have to see a whole swath of dead bodies, just to avoid becoming one of them."

"Yearning for peaceful days, I see." The princess closed her eyes. "I share that same sentiment. Although we were forced to kill on our missions five years ago, there was still something peaceful we could come back to. To take our minds away from the bloody scenes we witnessed."

"But now, the war's been the only thing on our minds. It's hard not to always be thinking about it." Claude leaned his head on his raised palm. "I understand where you guys are coming from. It's not easy."

Edelgard reopened her eyes. "No. It's not. Yet we must continue carving a path to the future, lest we fall into the abyss of death."

Lucas' expression wavered. He yawned once more, then fell backwards, collapsing onto the bed. His arms were spread out. They were intended to cover as much of the bed as they possibly could.

His visitors looked over; their brows furrowed.

"You okay there, Teach?"

Lucas responded with another yawn.

"Sorry. I'm just really tired," he said with a sorrowful tone of voice. "Is there anything else you two wanna discuss? I could do with a nice kip right about now."

"Not really." Claude scratched the back of his head. "There anything about the Arianrhod attack we should know about? Any secret strategies they'll use that might slow us down, or anything like that?"

Lucas sighed. He weakly nodded.

"Yeah. There is. After the battle, the Agarthans will probably try to use their strongest weapon. Something that has the power to destroy an entire city in an instant."

Edelgard and Claude's mouths widened.

"Javelins of Light, they call it. Destructive weapons that come out of nowhere and decimate whatever the Agarthans choose to target. If they use them, Arianrhod won't survive. We won't be able to fight them off. They're far more powerful than anything else Fodlan has to offer."

"Oh…wasn't expecting that, I'll admit." Claude closed his mouth. "You said the Agarthans will use these things after the battle. That means, once we've taken care of whoever's defending the place, we've gotta get outta there. Or else we'll be crushed underneath their power."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. From what I remember, the Agarthans shouldn't be capable of using too many of them at once. We shouldn't see an endless barrage of them or anything. We just need to get moving the second we take the city."

"Got it. I'll keep these javelins in mind while I draw up some battle plans. Thanks for the information, Teach. I'll get out of your hair now."

Claude stood up. He returned his chair to the desk, then headed over to the door. Before unlocking it, the Alliance's Duke turned around. He sent a smile in Lucas' direction.

"You might've saved a lot of lives by telling us this."

Lucas said nothing in return. He only stifled out a yawn. Claude smirked.

"See you later, Teach. Have a good, uh…'kip', whatever that means."

With that, Claude unlatched the lock and departed from the bedroom. Edelgard and Lucas remained inside. Her earlier surprised expression had faded. It was replaced with one of neutrality, albeit with an element of worry hidden beneath her purple pupils.

She looked over to her teacher, the man whose hat she was still borrowing. Edelgard felt the hat with her hand. She faced Lucas again.

"Would you like me to return your hat? I've been wearing it for quite some time now."

"No thanks. I don't need it." Lucas lifted his head so he could return her gaze. "You probably still do. Imagine if some random citizen here in Galatea saw you. Since you're from the Empire, that citizen might incite some panic or riot. Considering, well…you know."

"I understand. I'll hold onto your hat for some time longer." Edelgard stood up. "Know that I will return it someday. We won't be in the Kingdom forever."

"I sure hope not."

Lucas flopped his head back onto the bed. He yawned once more, to which Edelgard smiled.

"You truly are exhausted. I'll leave you be for now."

Edelgard, like Claude before her, returned her chair to the desk she pulled it out from. She then headed over to the partially open door.

"I don't know how for long we'll be confined to this manor. Still, in the time that we have, I would like to prepare. In the morning, let us continue our training," she said while holding onto the door. Her head was partially rotated towards the bed. "We must be ready for the attack on Arianrhod."

"Of course…goodbye, Edelgard."

"Goodbye, my teacher."

The door opened and closed. Lucas was then alone in the room. With Edelgard's departure, there was nothing left holding him back from attaining his sleep.

Lucas retreated underneath the covers. He closed his eyes, allowing his mind to drift away into the realms of rest. Sothis and Byleth were way ahead of him on that matter.

Despite everything, sleep kept eluding the professor.

Before the final week of the Pegasus Moon, at the edge of the marketplace within Garreg Mach Monastery, Seteth was waiting. He'd been informed about the soon-to-occur arrival of a certain set of carriages. A kind of assistance he was expecting.

Now, it was time for them to arrive. Which was why he chose to wait beyond the gates of the marketplace. The carriages would ultimately arrive at that point, he anticipated.

That's exactly what happened. Almost half an hour after beginning his silent waiting, a group of carriages began to approach. They were accompanied by friendly soldiers. Their mundane, gray armor all had hints of yellow to them - indicating their allegiance.

The carriages got closer. The one in the lead halted some ways in front of Seteth. From somewhere behind it came a slightly tanned woman. She wore a murky yellow and dark green set of armor, of which complimented her light brown hair. Her light blue eyes locked onto Seteth's figure.

Then, she grinned.

"You must be Seteth. Pleasure to finally meet the guy that's been talking to the boy for the past month or so."

"It is my pleasure to meet you as well, Miss…?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" She chuckled. "I'm Judith. You might know me as the Hero of Daphnel, or whatever they're calling me this week. I get a lot of names. Not all of them are flattering."

"I see." Seteth nodded with the slightest bit of uncertainty. "Regardless, it is fortunate to finally meet with you, Judith. I believe you were sent here by Claude, were you not?"

"Got it in one. He asked me to send you guys over some of the supplies the Alliance army had in stock. And also some soldiers, just to help defend the place. Including myself."

"Ah, yes. He spoke of that in his most recent letter. We have already prepared sufficient lodgings for you and your troops. I will have someone show them to you as soon as all of your supplies are unloaded."

"Sounds good to me. I won't mind getting a bit of rest. And I think my soldiers feel the same way."

"In that case, I shall ask someone to show you to your quarters right now. Do not concern yourself with the unloading of your supplies. We can handle such a task."

Judith smiled. "Hey, thanks. Much appreciated. Heh. I can see why the boy likes you so much. You're a nice guy, Seteth."

Seteth raised an eyebrow.

"Who is this 'boy' you refer to?"

"Claude. Mr. von Riegan himself. I call him 'boy' because that's what he is. A boy."

Seteth's brow remained raised. "What about every other male you meet? Are they not boys as well?"

"You don't get it. A guy's a guy, Claude's a boy. He's different from all the rest. Mainly because I've known him for so damn long. I first met him when he was just a little kid."

"Hmm…I understand. I believe." Seteth blinked, then his expression returned to normal. "With that enlightening piece of information out of the way, allow me to call for someone to bring you to your lodgings."

Seteth began to depart from the area, intending to retreat into the marketplace. But before he could leave, Judith pointed a finger in his direction.

"Hold on there. I've got one more thing to ask you about before we do anything else."

Seteth paused his departure. He turned back around.

"What might that be?"

"I've got someone here that wants to ask you something. She's a village maiden my soldiers picked up on the way here, right before we passed through that little town you've got back down the path. I'll let her do the talking."

Judith rotated her head around so that she partially faced the crowd of carriages and soldiers she commanded.

"Hey, uh…" The Hero of Daphnel called out into the crowd. "Fleche? You can come on out now. We've got the leader of the Resistance right here. You can ask him."

A girl with light gray hair and blue-green eyes exited the frontmost carriage. She slowly and steadily walked around the side of the wooden vehicle, stopping in place by Judith's side. The girl, Fleche, wore rough, brown robes. They indicated a lack of fortune, as well as an abundance of misery.

Fleche shook in place, shrinking under the scrutiny of a stern Seteth. Judith calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, kid. Seteth's nice, like me. He's not gonna hurt you. Go ahead and ask him."

Despite her shaking, Fleche nodded. She managed a glance at the green-haired man.

"M-Mr. Seteth, sir…" she spoke. "I-I need to ask you something."

Seteth rolled his hand, allowing the girl to continue speaking.

"I…p-please. I need to join you. No matter what. I must j-join you, sir."

"You wish to join the Resistance?"

"Yes, sir. For the sake of my brother, who died fighting the E-Empire…I have to join the Resistance. P-please."

Seteth's brows furrowed. He stopped to think about Fleche's request. Nerves were still overtaking the young maiden, but Judith's presence was enough to calm them down somewhat. Even as they rose to a fever pitch while she waited for an answer.

It soon came.

"I cannot allow you to fight on the frontlines. Or any lines, for that matter. However…"

Seteth smiled.

"I will accept you, Fleche. Perhaps as an assistant in the dining hall. If you are fine with such an arrangement."

Fleche's shaking ceased. She beamed at the tall man.

"Thank you, sir! I won't forget this kindness!" The girl bowed. "As long as I can help those who share the same beliefs as my brother, I'll work anywhere! Again, thank you!"

"You are welcome. I will ask one of the knights to escort you to your station, as well as your bedroom. Please wait here with Judith in the meantime."

"Yes, sir!"

Seteth gave Fleche one final smile before leaving the area. As the pair of them watched him go, Judith shot the maiden a confident thumbs-up.

Fleche responded with one of her own. Judith smirked.

"You know, I wasn't expecting him to accept you so easily, kid. I expected some kind of resistance. I know I said he was nice, but I figured he was more of the stern and stoic type than anything else," the older woman said. "Makes me think he's got quite the soft side to him."

"It's fine. He accepted me, and that's all that matters. I can finally get revenge for my brother…"

"You do that, kid. Just don't overwork yourself to get to that point, yeah? No use getting yourself killed before you can reach your goal."

Fleche smiled. "Not to worry. I won't die."

At the same time as Judith and Fleche's initiation into the Garreg Mach fold, someone was stewing in the depths of the dungeon. Located underneath the cathedral was a narrow, dark tunnel that primarily consisted of various cages. Prisons for the church's captives.

It was being utilized by the Resistance. Not that they had many prisoners to begin with. Nevertheless, it was still quite a useful tool - whenever they needed it.

Such was the case with Ferdinand. The Resistance's most recent, and only captive. He was confined to one of the many cages, chained to the wall via several suffocating shackles.

There was no one else to talk to. No source of natural light. The only thing that brought light to the darkness of the dungeon was a pair of torches. One was on each side of the hall between the cages, on the far left and the far right.

Ferdinand was on his own. His former, beautifully long hair was roughened up and dirtied by his grimy surroundings. His cloak and armor had been forcibly removed by his captors, leaving behind some uncomfortably thin red robes.

He was shivering. Left to rot within the fading, chilly atmosphere of winter. His arms and legs were chained to the wall. There was nothing for him to do to pass the time.

Aside from thinking. Ferdinand considered and contemplated many things during his imprisonment. At times, his limbs would clench, held back only by his chains. At others, his tears would fall.

He was left to stew on these emotions for days on end. For almost two whole weeks.

Visitors weren't exactly common. Sometimes, one of the knights or members from the Resistance would come in and shove plates of food into his cage. He'd have to reach out as far as he could and eat with only his mouth, like a ravenous dog.

At least it was a way for him to survive.

But that was not the only kind of visit he ever received. Every other day, ever since his capture, one of two people would come in and try to speak to them. Ferdinand never responded. He ignored them, yet they continued talking at him. For some reason.

It was that time once again. Petra, an old friend of his, entered the dungeon. Ferdinand averted his gaze immediately.

Her brows furrowed.

"You are still feeling the pain," she said. "Many…horrible pains. I am seeing it in your eyes."

Ferdinand closed his eyes in response.

"There is being no reason to hide it. You are feeling the pains of what the Adrestian Empire, no…what the Emperor made you do. I know you are. I am seeing it, and I am also feeling it as well."

He kept his eyes closed. Petra continued.

"I know that pain, Ferdinand. You were not the only one to feel these things, to do those horrible actions. I know how it is feeling to be haunted by those actions."

Ferdinand scowled at the ground.

"Have remembering, uh…please remember, Ferdinand. I was with you on those days. We were partners. I fought alongside you, for the goodness of the Empire. I a-also…"

Petra hesitated, stumbling over her own words to some degree.

"I also captured the Ashen Wolves. With you. We are both having responsibility for that. We are the reason they are in the Empire's hold."

The Brigid princess became downcast.

"That is not the only horrible action we have taken. You know. Slaughtering innocent people from the Alliance and the Kingdom…even the Empire. Nobles that did not have agreement with the Emperor. Rebellions that h-happened."

She closed her eyes.

"All of it ended because of us." Petra reopened her gaze, then focused it on the captive. "You are not alone, Ferdinand. I have the pain as well."

"Hmph…" Ferdinand opened his eyes but kept them away from Petra's visage. "You will never understand."

"I am understanding more than you think."

Ferdinand ground his teeth against one another. "I doubt that. Despite being a princess, you have never understood the pride of the nobility. You will never know what it is I've been through."

"Not if you are being the way you are now. I cannot know if you do not tell me."

"I will never tell you. Enemy of the Empire."

Petra sighed.

"That is…not fortunate," she said. "I think I am not your enemy, Ferdinand. I am your friend. And so is Dorothea."

"She's but a commoner. She'll never understand the tribulations of the nobility! You and she will never become friends of mine!"

"I have disagreement. We are your friends. You have not had acceptance of it yet."

Petra smiled. Ferdinand looked up at her - for the first time.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You are...speaking to me. You have not said anything to me since that battle. Not until now."

The prisoner had no response. His mouth was agape. Not replying to Petra's words was something he was used to doing, but this time was different.

He swiftly turned away.

"Leave. Do not come back. I…I want to be alone."

Petra shook her head. "I cannot be doing that. I will keep visiting you, Ferdinand. I will keep doing it until you see through the darkness of the Emperor."

Ferdinand strained himself, fighting the urge to let the tears fall.

"Why…why must you torment me so?"

The princess smiled.

"Because I am your friend. Friends…they do not let others be alone. They help them through their problems. I will do the same for you, Ferdinand. Dorothea will do it as well, I am sure. I, no…we are your friends."

The Adrestian noble clenched his fist and then slammed it down on the cold, hard floor.

"Leave me be! I am a proud noble of the Empire! I am ready to fight to the death for my Emperor! Leave…leave me alone!" He raised his voice. "Leave!"

Petra became downcast once more.

"I will leave. But I will come back when you are ready. We will never be forgetting you, Ferdinand."

She made to leave the dungeon.

"Goodbye."

Petra departed from the stone door that separated the dungeon from the rest of the monastery. Ferdinand, meanwhile, continued to struggle.

He allowed his tears to fall.

Author Notes: And now Lucas and co. are in the Kingdom! Looks like they've got a few things to handle before they can get the Blue Lions to join them, which is fair. Let's hope nothing too bad happens...

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Lord-Azrael3: Thanks for both of your reviews! And, well, maybe. Maybe we will indeed see all three of them.

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