Within House Fraldarius' manor, there was a medium-sized room. Several tall bookshelves were up against the back wall, all of which were filled with various books. Most were nonfiction, about the history of Fraldarius as well as Faerghus as a whole. There were only a small handful of fictional novels - those were mainly about brave knights.
The rest of the room was covered in stone, much like the manor as a whole. A deep blue carpet with black patterns blanketed the floor and there was only a single window upon the wall.
In the middle of the office was a wide, wooden desk. A wooden chair sat right behind it, occupied with the presence of the manor's owner.
Rodrigue was seated at the desk within his office, hunched over the table while writing on a piece of paper. A large stack of beige papers was right by his side, acting as an ever-present reminder of the work he had to suffer through. He looked at it for a moment, sighed, then got back to work.
"Houses Kleiman, Rowe, Gaspard, and Charon…what will you do when we successfully take Fhirdiad?"
He tapped the quill, the one he was using to write, against his chin while speaking out loud to himself.
"Will you perhaps surrender, break your allegiance with the Empire, and return to the Kingdom - or will you fight to your last breaths? For the sake of your people, I hope you make the right decision."
He lowered the quill, hovering the feather over the page.
"Merge your forces with ours and we shall have quite the military might. The Leicester Alliance, the Knights of Seiros, and now the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Not to mention the princess of the true Adrestian Empire. Such power will be at our disposal…"
Rodrigue frowned.
"But power corrupts. Will we truly use this power to better Fódlan or will we only bring it to ruin? Will the Kingdom benefit from this collaboration with the other nations? Will the future of the world remain bright?"
He paused, pondering his questions. Rodrigue was silent for quite some time, at least until his eyes widened as he remembered something.
"The future…it's not so unknown, isn't it? That person, Lucas - I'm fairly certain he can see it. Perhaps I should ask him myself."
Firmly placing the quill down onto his desk, Rodrigue rose from his seat and departed from his office, leaving the door open. He searched around the nearby corridors for a short while until he came across one of his many knights. The knight received their orders, happily accepting them with an energetic salute.
After the order was given and the knight disappeared, Rodrigue returned to his office, where he spent the next few minutes powering through more of his work. His stack of papers had barely gotten any smaller in this time, but at least something was done.
Before long, a single knock came from the other side of the office door. It was followed by a loud yawn.
"R-Rodrigue?"
"You may come in, Lucas."
The door slowly glided open and Lucas nervously wandered inside. His medium-length black hair was immensely disheveled, with bits and many strands of hair sticking out in all sorts of directions. Dark shadows were cast around his bloodshot eyes and every movement he made was sluggish - it was as if an invisible weight was dragging him down.
"What did you…" Lucas yawned again, covering his mouth as he did so. "What did you want from me, Rodrigue?"
Rodrigue's mouth had fallen open slightly. He promptly closed it before speaking.
"I…you don't seem to be faring well. Has sleep eluded you?"
"You could say that. I think it's more like…more like sleep's eluded me."
"That's what I said."
Lucas' face remained unchanged. "Oh. Ugh, doesn't matter. What do you want? I can't-I don't know. Just tell me what's going on."
"I see." Rodrigue nodded with a raised brow. "I understand you have a particular gift of sorts. The one we discussed momentarily during our meeting the other day. I would like to ask you something about the future."
"What is it?"
Rodrigue glanced at the small window on the wall behind him. He sighed, then turned back to Lucas.
"Does the future of Faerghus, no…does the future of Fódlan look bright to you? I'm concerned about the direction we're heading in. Will our power be enough to defeat Emperor Arundel, as well as the rest of his accursed Empire? And even if we were to succeed and win this war, would the world truly be at peace?"
He looked straight into Lucas' tired eyes.
"Does your gift have an answer for me?"
Lucas blinked. His eyes fell, focusing on the desk Rodrigue was sitting at. He stifled out another yawn.
He didn't say anything. No response was made and no answers were given. As more time passed without a reply from Lucas, Rodrigue's expression loosened.
"Your silence…it isn't very reassuring. I will assume that there is no future for us all."
"N-no," Lucas eventually said, holding an arm out towards Rodrigue. "It's not like that. The future s-should be good. At least, for everyone except me. I just…I don't know anymore."
"I don't understand. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I'm not completely confident in my predictions these days. I mean, I wasn't able to see Bernie's or anyone else's deaths coming, so why the hell should I believe in those useless fucking predictions of mine?"
"Ah, I see. Your faith is wavering in your gift as a result of the circumstances of war. I understand that very well, my friend."
Lucas blinked, frowning at Rodrigue.
"Do you? Do you really? I was expecting to see a happy future for everyone, including you, Edelgard, Rhea, Dimitri, Claude, everybody fuckin' else in this damn continent. But no! The universe won't let me have that shit! It's subverting my expectations every damn day, throwing a new unwelcome surprise like it's a fucking mystery novel!"
"Calm down, Lucas. Losing yourself within your anger will not achieve anything."
"Are you fucking serious?!" Lucas yelled. "I can't achieve anything no matter what I do! Actually, no, the only thing I achieve is death! This world's so damn cruel and cold that it forces me to either kill people I care about or watch as they die with so much agonizing pain! I still hear Bernie's screams, you know. I hear them every fucking where I go! All because of this damn war! This shit never bloody ends."
His face twisted and morphed, controlled by his searing rage. Within the void of his mind, Sothis and Byleth observed, stunned by their host's verbally violent display.
Sothis opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she sensed a change. Lucas' mouth slowly closed and the red of his face began to subside.
"If someone else gets hurt during the battle over at Fhirdiad," he said with a less aggressive tone. "I don't know what I'd do with myself."
Rodrigue nodded.
"I will concede the fact that this world can be rather cruel. Faerghus especially has seen its fair share of devastation and tragedy. However, Lucas, I must say…"
He looked up at the British man.
"Surely there must be something in this world that gives you warmth."
"No." Lucas shook his head, turning around to show his back to Rodrigue. "There isn't. I'm fucking freezing over here."
Rodrigue sighed. "I see. That is unfortunate."
"Yeah."
Silence. None of the two men had anything else to say to one another. Because of this, Lucas left the room.
Rodrigue was alone. He cupped his chin with his hand as he leaned on the side of his seat, sighing.
"Most unfortunate," he said. "All we can do now is hope for His Highness' safety. They must have arrived at the capital by now, so it is only a matter of time until we hear of the truth."
He stood up and gazed out of the window.
"Your Highness - you must succeed. For everyone burdened by the sorrows of this world, you must bring an end to their sadness. Only you have the power to do so. As do you, Resistance…"
Rodrigue looked into the distance, past the fading light of the sun and far away into the world beyond his walls.
The throne room within Fhirdiad's royal palace was empty, devoid of all life. Not a single person was inside its aged majesty. Light from the outside world shined in through the large stained glass window, illuminating the history contained within the room's walls. The throne itself was clean, as was the ground around it, though the faintest and most minuscule drops of blood could be seen if one were to look hard enough.
On the leftmost wall, facing away from the throne, one of the two sets of double doors within the room began to shake. They swung open with a single push - in came a pair of individuals.
"Huh. Guess he's not here."
Claude scanned the entire room, his face deflating with disappointment when he found nobody else. Aside from his partner, Hilda, of course.
"Yeah…seems like we'll have to look somewhere else."
The leader of the Alliance nodded. His gaze lingered upon the gold and blue throne on the far end of the room.
"You know, those knights did a pretty good job clearing the throne. I heard things got quite bloody in here."
"I sure hope it wasn't Dimitri's blood. Or Marianne's."
Claude shook his head. "Well, considering how the knights showed me Cornelia's severed head, I've got reason to believe those two weren't harmed. Not significantly, at least."
"Ew." Hilda grimaced. "Her severed head? That's gross."
"Sure was."
Claude exhaled as he took in the view of the room once more. He grinned, placing both of his hands behind the back of his head.
"I've never been able to see the Kingdom's royal throne room before. Looks kinda like the one we've got back in Derdriu, doesn't it? Except this one's bluer."
"I'd say so. I'm not really one for noticing architecture, but this place has a similar…historical feel to it that the one in Derdriu has."
"Historical? Heh, yeah, you could say that. This place looks like it's oozing all sorts of secrets regarding the Kingdom's past. If this room was a person, then I'm sure they'd have thousands of stories to tell. Shame I can't ask them about it all."
"Hmm, I guess that'd be nice. Don't you think that hypothetical person would be a little biased, though? I mean, it's the Kingdom's throne room. They might not be inclined to paint a bad picture of their home nation."
Claude shrugged. "Maybe. Biases do help make up a person's identity and beliefs, after all. But I think someone as old as this throne room here would be strong enough to look past their biases. They'd want to hold onto the truth, because they would know the dangers of manipulation."
Hilda was ready to say something, but she stopped, hesitating for a moment.
"Do you think Dimitri is that strong?"
Claude looked at the pink-haired girl with a raised brow, then faced away.
"I don't know. That guy didn't look like he was in a good state of mind. When he ran away from us right before the end of the battle, he seemed absolutely dead set on killing Cornelia. I guess he got what he wanted. I can only hope Marianne and Dedue are with him. It's only a matter of time before the Kingdom starts asking for their king. And they're not gonna want someone that's the way he is now."
"Yeah, probably. I think Marianne can do it, though. Help him, I mean. She's incredibly sweet and kind…she can be pretty cute, too. You know, I bet that's exactly what they were talking about here. Maybe they're still doing that now, wherever they are. Yeah. I think she's just the right girl for him. Marianne and the King of Faerghus…"
"Are you saying that in a romantic context, or…?"
Hilda looked at Claude with nothing but a smile upon her face.
"Oh," he said. "Alright then. Ignoring what you're implying, I certainly hope Marianne and Dedue can get him out of that state he's in. Dimitri's gonna need to break past his problems and biases before the Kingdom's ever gonna flourish again. When that happens, I guarantee that things will be better for everyone in Fódlan."
"You really make it sound like that's exactly what'll happen." Hilda giggled.
"Isn't it? Anything can happen as long as you put your mind to it. But I'm not gonna do it alone, you see. I need y-"
A loud cheer began to surge from the direction of the stained glass window. Hilda and Claude looked over to where the sound was coming from.
"What's all that noise?" Hilda asked.
"I, uh…" Claude nervously coughed. "I don't know. Let's see if we can't take a look."
They both nodded at each other, then began to walk over to the window. Due to the nature of the stained glass, it was difficult to see outside. They could only see the basic outlines of all the buildings and structures that were a part of the city. All specific details were lost to them.
However, they did indeed see a huge collection of vague black blobs somewhere in front of the palace. They seemed to be moving in place somehow.
Hilda frowned. "What's going on out there? Isn't there a balcony we can use to get a better look?"
"No, wait. I think I understand what's happening." Claude held an arm out, preventing Hilda from going anywhere else. "This has gotta be the people of Fhirdiad, cheering and calling for their king."
"Oh, they want Dimitri? I guess that makes sense. We did see a bunch of civilians fighting Cornelia's soldiers, after all. Looks like they really love their king, huh?"
"Yeah. Assuming that's the case, and they didn't just rebel because they felt like it or whatever. If it's true, then I've gotta say, it's pretty admirable that Dimitri could inspire so many people like that, especially considering he supposedly died and wasn't at Fhirdiad for the longest time."
"Mmm." Hilda nodded. "We should probably find Dimitri and tell him about this. I don't think we want a riot on our hands. It's always good to give the crowd what they want."
"Sure is. And what they want right now…is the return of the king. Let's go."
Without any further hesitation or mindless discussion, Claude and Hilda hurried out of the throne room, keen to locate Dimitri as soon as possible. As they were not completely familiar with the palace's layout, they had to ask some knights for directions and potential hints as to where Dimitri was.
Claude and Hilda's self-inflicted task took them throughout the palace.
Elsewhere within the palace, Dimitri, Marianne, and Dedue ended up in a large room. The floor was covered with a dark blue carpet that bore black, artistic details. Shelves, desks, and all sorts of cupboards surrounded the four walls. A singular window was on the wall furthest from the double doors that led into the room. Right by the window was another, lonesome door that led out to a sizable, stone balcony.
A large chandelier that hung from the middle of the ceiling brought light into the room. Dimitri was frozen in place, staring at a massive bed that was up against the backmost wall. Marianne was right behind him - behind her was Dedue.
"Dimitri…" Marianne said, clutching her hands close to her chest. "Are you o-okay?"
"I-I am fine. This is merely-" Dimitri stopped, not bothering to turn around. "A reminder. Of who I once was."
"Was there a reason you wanted to show this room to me?"
Dimitri nodded.
"This place…it is my bedroom. It was supposed to be a realm of peace, of quiet - of relief from the world around me."
He clenched his fist.
"But that was a lie."
"Oh…" Marianne's head became downcast. Her hands tightened as they remained close to her. "I understand. My rooms have never been all that peaceful for me, either. Sleep was always difficult for me, due to those…n-nightmares."
"You are strong, Marianne. That you are able to stand here, speaking to a man as terrifying as myself and to fight in a war for what you believe in; you are far stronger than I am. I have nightmares to this day."
"So do I. I wouldn't say I'm very strong, but…the nightmares haven't been appearing much lately."
Dimitri turned around, a stern expression on his face.
"That is what I mean. You have found relief from the things that haunt you. Even if they remain, they have become weak. They have faltered underneath your strength of will. In my case, it is I that has faltered underneath the power of my nightmares, and everything that brings me sadness."
The prince released his expression, his face bearing more neutrality upon it.
"My nightmares, the agonizing screams of those I've left behind - they control me. They determine my every action. But you…you do not let that happen to you. Those who have experienced your misfortune, they do not haunt you. How is that possible? How can I become as strong as you, Marianne?"
Marianne frowned and shook her head.
"I am not as strong as you say you are. I couldn't save myself…others had to do it for me. Hilda, Jeralt, and everyone else that went with me to end my curse - they are the ones that helped me. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them."
A faint smile started to appear on her face. She released her arms, allowing her hands to hang by her sides.
"But I realized something. Having others help you…it's not a bad thing. In fact, it's very nice. I reached out to others and let them in. Now the nightmares have all but gone away. I hardly ever see them anymore. Reaching out to others might be hard, but it might just be the most rewarding feeling in the world."
"Reaching out to others…that sounds like-"
Dimitri's mouth flew open, his eyes and ears flashing back to a time not long ago.
The voice of Edelgard rang in his mind.
"Because I understand the warmth of life."
His vision returned to the present day. Dimitri's eyes then locked onto Marianne's right hand, to which he blinked and closed his mouth.
In an instant, before anyone could react, he reached out for Marianne's hand and held onto it with both of his hands. He raised her hand up, getting a closer look at it. The girl raised a brow and instinctively tried to wriggle free of his grasp, but she soon relaxed when she saw the expression on his face.
Dimitri was smiling.
"Your hand…it's rather warm."
Marianne was stunned and without words. All she could do was stare at his smiling face and match it with one of her own. Her cheeks became flushed.
But then their emotions were spoiled once a cough came from the only other person in the room. Marianne and Dimitri turned their attention over to him, who was staring at them with an unreadable expression.
"Should I leave?" Dedue asked. "You two seem…"
Marianne nervously yelped. Taking advantage of a slight loosening of Dimitri's grip, she pulled her hand away from his. She turned away from Dedue, her flushed cheeks remaining. Dimitri's brows furrowed while he kept himself focused on his retainer.
"No, Dedue. Please stay," he said. "You've yet to explain how you survived. I would like to hear that from you."
"I see. I did say that I would explain once the battle concluded. I will warn you, however. It is quite the story."
"That doesn't matter. Please, tell me, Dedue. How you avoided death by the hands of that witch."
Dedue nodded. He closed his eyes as if to spend time recollecting and gathering his experiences for the sake of his story. When he opened his eyes, Dimitri and Marianne knew he was ready, so they started to listen.
"The day that I saved you, Your Highness, was the same day I was to be executed by Cornelia for assisting a traitor to the Kingdom. Rather, the Dukedom. But that never came. I was rescued."
"By who?" Marianne asked.
"By my brethren. Duscurians that were hiding out within the city. They freed me and brought me back to their camp, which was somewhere deep within the forests between Fhirdiad and House Kleiman. From there, I was nursed back to full health."
"Your fellow countrymen saved you…how fortunate that they happened to be in Fhirdiad at that time," Dimitri said.
"It was a stroke of fate. I was lucky to have survived. Or, perhaps, I only survived because of the nature of the people of Duscur." Dedue stared straight at his liege. "Do you remember that Duscurian general we saved five years ago?"
Dimitri let out a faint gasp. "I…remember. We were tasked by the church to suppress a Duscurian rebellion. That was our mission for that month. We advised the general to flee, and-"
His eyes widened. Dedue nodded.
"I was saved by the very same people we saved on that mission. The general was the leader of the camp. He saved my life because we saved him."
"I see…how fortunate. If it were not for that general, you would not be here as of now. He has my thanks."
"If I ever see him again, I will tell him you said that."
Marianne, who was quietly paying attention to the story, suddenly raised a brow.
"How m-much time did you spend at that camp, Dedue?"
"Five years," the Duscurian replied. "I recovered within a year. I would have joined with you sooner, Your Highness, but I was asked to not risk compromising the location of the camp. We were surrounded by territories controlled by Cornelia's forces, therefore we were not able to afford moving out very far."
"I understand. You bided your time, lying in wait for a moment in which you could rejoin us. I wish your circumstances could have been different. I might not have become the boar that I am had you remained with us."
"I apologize, Your Highness. I am truly sorry for all the pain my absence has caused. I will endeavor to ensure that such a thing will not happen again. I shall remain by your side for the rest of my life."
"Thank you, Dedue. You need not apologize, for the pain was my own problem, but I do appreciate your words."
"Understood."
Dimitri and Dedue shared a nod of understanding. Marianne watched the two men with a smile on her face, appreciative of their togetherness.
The three stood in silence for quite some time. At least until a set of knocks came from the door.
"Hey, Dimitri, you in there?" Claude called from outside the room. "A knight told us you were in here. There's, uh…kind of a situation you should probably know about."
"Claude? Dedue, please open the door for him. I would like to know what he is referring to."
"Of course, Your Highness."
Dedue followed his orders, going over to unlock the door to Dimitri's bedroom. He opened it, revealing Claude and Hilda. The pink-haired girl immediately locked eyes with Marianne and gave her a wink, to which she turned away due to embarrassment.
"Oh man, have I got news for you…" Claude smirked. "Have you guys seen what it's like out there?"
"What do you mean?" Dimitri asked.
"There's a huge crowd outside the palace, and I think they're waiting for you. I'm guessing they probably wanna hear from their king."
Dimitri's eyes expanded and gave a breath of disbelief. "T-truly? Is this not some kind of…humorless joke?"
"Hey now, Claude's jokes can be good." Hilda narrowed her eyes as she briefly looked over to the man beside her. "Sometimes. Anyway, no, he's not joking around or lying. There really is a massive group of people outside, Dimitri."
"Although I have not seen this crowd myself, I can attest to its existence, Your Highness."
"You can?" Dimitri, whose face was still wrought with shock, turned to Dedue. "How?"
Dedue nodded. "I arrived at Fhirdiad merely two days before you and everyone else did. While I waited for you to arrive, I hid within the shadows of the city, out of Cornelia's view. During my time there, I learned some rather valuable details regarding the opinions of the city's people. Your Highness…"
Dimitri tensed up when Dedue stared straight at him.
"Your people love you. That opinion was shared amongst the majority of the populace. They have been waiting for your return," Dedue looked over at Claude from the corner of his eyes. "And now it appears they are expecting an official declaration from the king they admire."
"L-love? They admire me? But…no, that shouldn't be." Dimitri frowned. "I abandoned them. I left them to deal with Cornelia's tyrannical reign. My hands are also stained with endless sin…Faerghus cannot have such a king. The people would not accept me."
"No. You're wrong," said Marianne, shaking her head. "The people will accept you."
"What? Marianne, how can you tell? I am a boar, and-"
"They aren't demanding your death, are they? Claude, Hilda, that crowd…were they cheering or were they cursing?" Marianne gazed over to her former house leader.
"Sounded like cheering to me."
Marianne's mouth curved into a slight smile as she turned back to Dimitri.
"I m-might not know all that much about politics, but what I do know is that people love you, Dimitri. You're a kind person who always wants to do the right thing. I think that's the kind of king anyone would like to have, not just the people of Faerghus."
"Remember what I learned, Your Highness. You saved the entire Kingdom from Cornelia's rule, saving them from lifetimes of bending to her whims. You have far more compassion than that inhuman monster ever had."
Marianne nodded at Dedue. "He's right. Your people love you for what you've done for them - they don't care about your sins. The good outweighs the bad, and for that…"
She stepped forward and held onto Dimitri's hand.
"They love you."
Dimitri was stunned. His eyes and mouth were wide open, as agape as they could possibly get. He looked down, seeing Marianne's hand interlocked with his own - something stirred within him. Heat rose to his face.
Then, she smiled. A strange, unknown feeling shot through him as a result. It was like a knife enchanted with the pure essence of joy and affection that had been shoved right through his heart. Something warm surged throughout his entire self.
He clutched at his chest, trying to grab at it. He failed. Instead, his mouth twitched, barely eking out a smile of his own.
"I…they love me. Despite my bloodied past, they-" Dimitri hesitated, his gaze lowering to the floor. "I don't know if I can ever atone for all I have failed to do."
"I think you can. As long as you bring happiness to your people, then I'm sure they'll look past the sins you've committed."
Dimitri returned to Marianne's smile - the one that brought him such warmth.
"Is that so…well then." He managed a smirk. "If they are willing to forgive my sins, then I owe my existence to them."
"And that means?" Claude spun his wrist around, anticipating more.
Dimitri looked up, staring into Claude's eyes.
"I will accept my responsibilities…as King of Faerghus."
Seated at a lengthy table within a spacious room were Jeralt and Gilbert. They were still inside Fhirdiad's royal palace, somewhere on the second floor of the building. The room they were in had its walls covered by paintings of Faerghus' previous kings and other important figures, such as King Loog and King Klaus I.
There was an empty space next to King Lambert's portrait.
Jeralt and Gilbert didn't concern themselves with the appearance of the room or the history of the Kingdom. They were using the palace's war council space as a setting for their discussion. The two men sat down in their seats, directly opposite from one another.
"Alright, so we've liberated Fhirdiad," Jeralt said after seating himself. "What's next?"
"With the defeat of Cornelia, we will need to spend time undoing all of the changes she has made to the nation. The Dukedom must be erased in its entirety. In its place, the Kingdom of Faerghus shall return."
"Great. How long's that gonna take?"
Gilbert paused, placing a hand on his chin. "Several weeks. There are many places within the Kingdom we will have to travel to. Different noble houses and their lords will require varying levels of negotiations. It will be quite the arduous task."
"So we're gonna be spending at least another month in the Kingdom, huh? Alright. We'll help you with that wherever we can."
"I do not see how you can help, as the task of conversing with the various nobles should fall to the king. You, along with the rest of the Resistance, should spend your time resting. You may not know when you will receive another opportunity to do so."
Jeralt folded his arms. "Thanks, but I'm worried about the Empire. If you guys join up with us, we can start marching towards Enbarr. We can put an end to this war soon."
"I understand. However, speaking with the nobles to calm their woes will allow us to ensure that no rebellions of any sort can occur within the Kingdom. This will also allow us to erase the Empire's presence in the Kingdom, which will, in turn, prevent them from gaining any further strength."
"Right." Jeralt sighed. "It's strategically sound to sort your mess out first, I get that. Guess I'm just eager to get moving."
"That is understandable. While I am in no position to determine the next course of action for our army, I can assure you that I wish to bring an end to the Adrestian Empire's tyranny as soon as possible."
Jeralt nodded.
"You need to wait for the king, right? Can't make any big decisions without him."
"Precisely. And with the way that he is as of now…I cannot say with any certainty what our next action shall be."
"Well, I think he'll be fine. I know the kid-uh, the duke put two people in charge of looking after him. I trust the duke's judgment. He'll be fine."
"I certainly hope that is the case…"
Gilbert's expression remained neutral, but Jeralt noticed some kind of shift in his eyes. He kept his observation to himself.
"Either way, as for our next step, I think we'll be heading back to Garreg Mach. We've done all of what Seteth's asked us to do, so we should probably return. If we end up as allies, you're welcome to join us on our way there."
"The two sides of the Resistance, coming together and joining as one…that may be quite the occasion."
"Heh, yeah." Jeralt grinned. "Would be even better if you guys were a part of that. But it's alright, we'll wait here with you. We need to wait for the princess to get better, anyway. That, and we also need to pick up Lucas from House Fraldarius. Three weeks or a month will be fine with us."
"I see. I must thank you for your continued support, Jeralt. Without you and the Resistance, we may not have been able to retake Fhirdiad so soon."
"No problem. You want Arundel gone as much as we do, so it's only natural we'd help you out."
"Regardless, I thank you on behalf of the entire Kingdom." Gilbert smiled. "Now, I must leave. There are many logistical elements to consider regarding the dissolution of the Faerghus Dukedom, and I would not wish to bore you with them. I shall find the king and discuss it all with him. Goodbye, Jeralt."
"See you later."
From there, their discussion faded. The two men departed from the war council room, leaving to go their separate ways.
Over the next three weeks, the Kingdom's officials got to work reforming the entire nation. Dimitri accepted his position as King of Faerghus and worked tirelessly with Gilbert to remove all aspects of Cornelia's former reign.
The king traveled to several different noble houses, the ones that bent underneath Cornelia's rule. Although some of them were difficult to deal with, they eventually accepted Dimitri as their king, much to his surprise. At various points, nervousness had taken the better of him, forcing him to hesitate before approaching some of the noble houses.
However, he wasn't alone. Marianne was right with him at all times, giving him the encouragement he needed to get things done. With her help, Dimitri convinced the four nobles that initially followed Cornelia to return to the Kingdom and to discard their allegiances to the Empire.
All of this took place over three weeks, as Gilbert anticipated. During that time, the Resistance helped to bring Fhirdiad back to its former glory. The streets were cleaned, and all prior remnants of rebellion were removed. Damaged buildings were fixed and all bodies were given proper burials, even if nobody showed up to some of them.
Before long, Fhirdiad returned to being a shining example of the Kingdom's majesty. It flourished once more.
The very next day after the successful recapture of Fhirdiad, Edelgard had woken up from her unconscious state. Her injury was deep, but not fatal. A large scar formed upon her left cheek, one that wouldn't disappear with simple casts of Faith magic. She got used to it, even seemingly welcoming her new facial feature, although her innate anger towards it was noticeable by all.
Edelgard informed her allies of who caused it. She didn't desire to play into his games any further than she needed to, so she only ever left it as a mere mention of his alias - Flame Emperor II. Every time she said it, a smug grin appeared on her face and her mood was brightened that day.
Once twenty-three days had passed, Dimitri informed Jeralt that he was ready to join him and his allies in their pursuit of the Empire. With the king's blessing, the Kingdom had officially joined the Resistance.
Two more days later, there was nothing left for Dimitri to take care of within the Kingdom. The Dukedom became but a memory, as did Cornelia, whose body was burnt to ashes by request of the king himself. As there was nothing left to do in the Kingdom, the Resistance turned their attention to their next target.
Which was House Fraldarius. Even though there was nothing left to do, there was still one person they needed to retrieve.
Lucas was outside, next to Fraldarius' front gates. He stood beside Rodrigue and shivered in the freezing cold. Over the course of the previous month, the black-haired man became increasingly pale. His skin was almost as white as the snow that blanketed the city. The pounding in his head worsened, getting to the point where he could just about hear it.
Such pain made it difficult for him to stand up perfectly straight and still. Combining that with the fact that his eyes were constantly drifting between a state of being closed and open, he became quite the concern for Rodrigue.
The lord checked to his side, watching the continually-shaking figure of Lucas from the corner of his eyes. He sighed, white breath emerging from his mouth as he did so.
"Are you alright, friend? You seem rather…unwell."
Lucas didn't answer. He kept shaking and shivering on the spot, disregarding Rodrigue's words. The dark blue-haired man frowned.
"There was no need for you to come out here with me. You could have remained within the castle."
Again, no answer. Rodrigue raised a brow, then turned away to focus on the horizon beyond the gates.
"I think I understand. You're concerned for your allies - that's understandable. I know I am. But you needn't sacrifice your health because of your concern. I don't think your friends would appreciate that."
Lucas grunted.
"M-my health means nothing…"
Rodrigue's mouth flew open in surprise, but he quickly recomposed himself. "You don't truly believe that, do you?"
Lucas said nothing. Rodrigue sighed. The two remained standing there in the silence, patiently waiting for something to come over the distant hill.
After waiting for over two more hours, a gigantic convoy of soldiers ventured over the hill, following the path towards the city of Fraldarius. Rodrigue's expression perked up into a smile, though Lucas' appeared to be unchanged - save for a barely noticeable squint.
The Resistance finally returned. A large collection of carriages and soldiers approached the city of Fraldarius as the sky started to become dark. They stopped in front of the gates, meeting Rodrigue and Lucas.
Jeralt dismounted his horse and Claude returned to the ground, also dismounting from his wyvern. Dimitri was right with them, as was…
Rodrigue's eyes widened when he saw Dedue standing next to Dimitri. Lucas briefly did the same, but only for a split second.
"Dedue…" Rodrigue turned to Dimitri. "He's alive?"
"Yes, he is. I will explain later."
Rodrigue was speechless for only a moment longer. He nodded as his shock gradually disappeared.
"Well then. Regardless of that - welcome back. I trust your return means you were successful?"
"Absolutely," said Claude. "Cornelia's gone, which means Fhirdiad is now back under your control."
"Ah, how wonderful. I thank you, Resistance, for your help. It is regrettable that I was unable to assist with the retaking of the capital, but I'm glad that it's done all the same. What will you do next?"
"We'll be returning to Garreg Mach. Since there's no reason for us to be in the Kingdom anymore, we thought it was about time for us to start attacking the Empire directly. Before we do that though, we need to meet back up with Seteth and everybody else. A bigger fighting force will give us a better chance at beating the Empire's soldiers." Jeralt looked behind him. "Your king's gonna be joining us."
Rodrigue followed Jeralt's gaze, his eyes landing upon Dimitri. His hair seemed to be slightly less disheveled than before and any of the tension within him appeared to have been released some time ago. The dark blue-haired lord smiled.
"Your Highness…"
"Rodrigue, I have made my decision." Dimitri returned Rodrigue's stare. "The Kingdom will be including its knights into the ranks of the Resistance. Together, we shall march towards Enbarr and put an end to this horrific war."
Rodrigue's mouth became agape. "You speak with such authority, and Jeralt referred to you as 'king'...does this mean you have accepted your responsibilities?"
"I have. I am now the King of Faerghus, but I have not accepted the crown. I do not feel as if I am ready for it just yet. However, I understand that the Kingdom needs a ruler, so I have awakened to my position. I will lead the Kingdom to a brighter future."
Rodrigue smirked.
"I see. In that case, I am glad to see that you have returned…Your Majesty."
"Thank you."
Claude grinned, raising his arms and resting his head into his hands.
"Are you gonna be joining us, Rodrigue? We could always use an extra pair of hands in the fight against the Empire."
Rodrigue paused, spending some time thinking of a response before speaking it. "I would love to, but I do not believe that I can. Someone needs to stay behind and look after Fhirdiad."
"Okay, fair enough, but what about Fraldarius? Who's gonna look after that?"
"My younger brother. He is a trustworthy individual; we can allow him to watch over this city."
"Alright, guess we'll have to take your word for it. Now, Teach…" Claude switched his gaze from Rodrigue to Lucas. His grin quickly faded and he lowered his arms. "Teach?"
Everyone else turned to face Lucas, soon understanding the reason behind Claude's sudden change in demeanor.
He was looking elsewhere. Deep within the midst of the massive contingent of Resistance soldiers, horses, and wooden carts, Lucas spotted a slowly approaching white-haired girl who wore heavy, red armor. A black and gray hat sat tightly upon her head. It was something that made her stand out amongst the white snow on the ground.
But to Lucas, there was something on Edelgard's face that had caught his attention.
"No…" he spoke with a sorrowful voice.
"Wait, you're not coming with us back to the monastery, Teach?" Claude raised a brow. "Do you wanna stay here in the Kingdom?"
Lucas ignored him. He sped off, rushing over to Edelgard, who stopped in place when she noticed him approaching. A smile almost appeared on her face, but it was quickly replaced with furrowed brows and a general aura of confusion.
"My teacher? Are you-"
"O-on your face…" Lucas pointed to her left cheek. "What is that? Are you okay?"
Edelgard instinctively touched the scar on her cheek. Her confusion was released, her expression swapping out with a frown.
"I'm fine. It's only a minor injury I received during the battle for Fhirdiad. A mere scar caused by…" She paused. "Nobody significant."
"A scar? You could've been killed."
"I wasn't."
"No, b-but…it could've been avoided. If only I was there, I would've-" His eyes twitched and his body shivered. "It almost happened again. Every battle l-leads to this…"
"My teacher?"
Lucas turned away, closing his eyes.
"No matter what I do, people around m-me, they…"
"Teacher!"
Lucas ran, hurrying back into the city. He rushed past Rodrigue, Claude, Jeralt, and Dimitri on his way. Edelgard reached out to stop him before he could go, but her attempts were in vain. She retracted her arm once he disappeared towards the manor.
Edelgard touched her scar again, feeling its rough imprint upon her otherwise soft skin.
Meanwhile, Dimitri, Claude, Jeralt, and Rodrigue were still standing by the gates to the city. They shared glances, uncertain of how to deal with the situation that had just transpired before them.
Claude shrugged. "So, uh…" He looked at Rodrigue. "Do you mind if we stay here for the night? Probably not a good idea to head out now since it's already getting late. That, and we need to wait for Teach. Whenever, uh, he gets better. Can't leave without him."
"He's tired," said Jeralt. "Probably just needs a good night's sleep."
"I advised him to rest in the manor instead of following me out here, but he refused…your friend is certainly a stubborn one." Rodrigue sighed, then focused on Claude. "As for your question, you may stay the night. Feel free to use the same rooms I gave you all previously."
"Got it. Thanks, Rodrigue."
Claude and Jeralt directed their attention to the rest of the Resistance, informing the soldiers they commanded of their plan for the night. Dimitri remained where he was, fixated on the path of footprints Lucas left behind within the snow.
"Your Majesty? Are you well?"
Rodrigue snapped him out of his fixation. Dimitri returned his gaze with a neutral expression.
"Apologies. I did not mean to concern you, Rodrigue. I was merely…lost in thought."
"If you don't mind me asking, what were you thinking about? If I can help you in any way, Your Majesty, please allow me to do so."
Dimitri shook his head. "It is nothing serious. I was only thinking about my past actions, particularly how I acted towards Professor Lucas. When I believed Dedue was not alive, I directed my anger at the professor. But now Dedue is alive. I am beginning to realize that my aggression may have been misplaced."
"I see. Well, I don't know much about your friend, but from what I was able to understand from speaking with him, it seems he's quite the troubled individual. He's had very little sleep as of late, likely due to whatever it is that's ailing him."
"Is that so?" Dimitri's brows furrowed slightly. "Was I the cause of this?"
"Possibly. It's hard to say, exactly. As I said, I don't know him very well. You would be more likely to know what the problem is. All I can tell you is what I have seen."
Dimitri fell silent. He kept himself focused on the near-distant presence of Rodrigue's manor as his mind wandered.
By the cathedral within Garreg Mach was Petra. The princess of Brigid had a specific place in mind she wanted to visit, therefore, she didn't bother interacting with any of the monks or knights or anyone else. As soon as she arrived at the open doors to the holy building, she turned left.
Her one arm swayed slightly as she walked around the building and down the stairs. She nodded to a guard, who allowed her to pass through a gate that led to a more obscure part of the cathedral area. Petra wandered down a narrow path that extended outwards from the mountain the monastery was built on.
She stopped at a door to her right. Without hesitation, she opened it and went right inside.
A dark, dingy corridor followed. Barely lit torches were placed sparingly along the walls, shrouding most of the corridor in darkness. Petra walked on, undeterred by the shadows. She made her way through an additional series of doors and halls, even having to venture down a spiral staircase.
Petra eventually stopped a heavily chained wooden door. Using her only arm, she detached a key that was dangling from the side of her skirt and used it to unlock the door. She headed inside.
A dark tunnel followed. Multiple holding cells were up against the walls, most of which were empty - except for one. Petra walked over to it and stared at its occupant.
Ferdinand was facing the wall, his back turned to anything or anyone that was behind him. Petra frowned.
"It is being...unfortunate that you are like this. I have much sadness, Ferdinand."
He said nothing and remained as he was.
"I was having hope that you would be feeling happiness. But it is not the truth. You are also having much sadness. The pains…they are still there."
Silence.
"I am not knowing what else I can be doing to help. I...I do not have ideas."
Petra paused, seeing if Ferdinand would say anything, but he didn't. He never did. A single drop of water sounded from somewhere within the shadows of the dungeon. The princess sighed.
"All I can be doing is telling you things. But I do not know if you are…uh, listening. I would like to be telling you something. Something with importance."
Still nothing. Petra carried on regardless.
"Seteth was telling me that the scouts were seeing a group coming to the monastery. He was saying about that group, that it was…our friends. The other Resistance."
A small sound of shuffling came from within the cell. Petra noticed that Ferdinand's position changed ever so slightly after she finished speaking. It was as if he decided to turn around, but froze almost right away. She chose not to bring it to attention.
"Our friends, they are coming back, Ferdinand. Professor Lucas, Captain Jeralt, Flayn, Edelgard-"
Ferdinand's head partially rotated towards Petra. She could see only one side of his face, so she couldn't quite tell what he was feeling or what kind of response that was. The princess kept going.
"Uh, it was the four…oh, they are maybe bringing with them the Golden Deer and the Blue Lions. All of our friends from the Officers Academy - they are coming back! Is that making you happy, Ferdinand?"
The orange-haired man stopped in place for a moment, staring at the dark and grimy floor. He then went back to facing the wall, ignoring Petra. She frowned again.
"No, it is not. I was thinking it would not. It is filling me with sadness that you are still being like this. Maybe you will be smiling…one day."
Petra stared at the person within the cage, her brows furrowed together. She turned around on the spot, intending to leave Ferdinand alone.
But then the door creaked open. A friend of Petra's stepped inside - someone she could smile at.
"Dorothea. Are you wanting to talk to Ferdinand, too?"
The brown-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, that was the plan, but I see you got to him first. Is he still…you know?"
"I know…?" Petra raised a brow. Her eyes briefly widened in realization. "Oh! Yes. He is still being like that."
"Oh. I'm assuming you already told him about Lucas, Edie, and everyone else coming back?"
"Yes, I was doing that. I was not, um, having a luck."
Dorothea sighed, casting her head to the floor. "We've been doing this for so long, Petra. I'm at my wits' end. I don't know what else we can say to him. I feel so useless…"
"We must not be giving up," Petra said with a confident expression. "He is not saying anything now, but one day, he will be smiling. I am knowing this."
The former songstress looked up, bringing her head away from the floor.
"I wish I was as confident as you are. You're such an inspiration, Petra. Despite everything that's happened to you, with the relationship between Brigid and the Empire, as well as your missing arm - you're still so strong." Dorothea's voice gained a weak tone. "I wish I was anything near the woman you are."
"You are strong, Dorothea. Do not be saying you are not. That is not being the truth."
"Heh…I wish you were right." Dorothea sighed again, then turned around. "I'm gonna head back up. Maybe I can get some rest before everyone arrives. See you later, Petra."
Before Petra could say her goodbyes, Dorothea opened the door and walked away. The princess stood there, her concerned countenance almost permanently affixed to her.
She took one more glance at Ferdinand before following after her friend. After the door creaked to a close once Petra departed, the prisoner was all on his own.
He mouthed something to himself.
The next day after the Resistance's one-night stay in Fraldarius, they moved out. Lucas went with them, leaving Rodrigue to take care of business in the Kingdom. The professor moved much slower than everyone else. He practically brought up the rear all on his own and was in danger of falling out of the group entirely.
Due to his sluggish nature, Lucas was ordered by Jeralt to get into one of the carriages, alongside a load of their supplies. The British man initially refused, but a stern look from the Blade Breaker forced him to do it.
The Resistance's journey back to Garreg Mach was fairly lengthy. They followed the same route they took to get to House Fraldarius, but in reverse. This meant that they passed by Conand Tower and House Galatea, where they then passed back through Ailell, the Valley of Torment (which wasn't appreciated by the Faerghus natives).
Once they were within Alliance territory, the Resistance headed west, passing through the forest that surrounded the east of their destination. A narrow, dirt path then brought them up and around the mountains. They even passed through the partially destroyed village that was within the mountainous region.
Further up the dirt path, the Resistance soon came across a large, stone wall with a huge, open gate in the middle of it. In front of the entryway and atop the hill - was everybody else.
Seteth, Catherine, Shamir, Hanneman, Manuela, Alois, Petra, Dorothea, even Judith and Anna; everyone was waiting for the arrival of their allies.
"So," said Jeralt, who was at the front of the convoy. "I, uh, brought along some friends. Some new, some old. But they're our friends nonetheless."
"I see that. Welcome back to Garreg Mach, Jeralt."
Seteth offered his hand. Jeralt rode his horse up the remainder of the hill, then dismounted once he reached the top.
"Thanks."
Their hands joined together as one as the two men embraced their handshake. Everyone around them watched on with varying degrees of happiness. Some smiles were larger and more noticeable than others, but even those with stoic inclinations felt their mouths curve.
The two sides of the Resistance were no more. Now, there was only one.
Author's Notes: Now the two halves of the Resistance have finally merged! The Alliance, Kingdom, and the Church of Seiros - all coming together! With that, Act 3 - named "Conflictual Realm" - is now over! Chapter 54 will mark the beginning of the end...Act 4 is coming soon!
Major thanks to Frost for beta-reading.
Thanks to everyone for reading, and I'll see you next time!
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