Mala Fide, Part 4.
Disclaimer: Apart from the OCs, I don't own anything in this work.
Byleth fell into a low crouch and extended an arm to Edelgard, squeezing her hand as the arrows fell. For a moment there was nothing, then a deafening roar that reminded Byleth of thundering hail.
"It's over!" Hubert's voice shouted just as the world fell back into silence. "Get to the shoreline! Now!"
Byleth leapt to her feet as she glanced by the line of soldiers in front of them. The ship, for all intents and purposes, looked fine, as if the burning arrows had inexplicably all missed. Surely Gloucester's archers weren't all incompetent, right?
"We need to go," Hubert growled as he and a segment of the soldiers in front fell back. "The first wave was cut down, but we're sitting ducks until we can get to land."
"What happened?" Edelgard barked as she stood up. "Report!"
"Our mage friend failed to tell us she could cast a barrier," Hubert replied, pointing back to the lone figure of Olivia, still at the front of the ship, but rummaging through the corpse of the captain. "The first wave of arrows was cut down, but the barrier will not last."
"Incoming!" a voice shouted from their right, and Byleth caught a glimpse of a large orb of fire before a body threw her to the deck of the ship.
"El?" Byleth whispered as Edelgard rolled off her, her face grim and her lips drawn in a hard line.
"Mages," Hubert growled as Olivia dove past their position before steeling herself on one knee. "Bastards are on the other side of the river too," she growled as she launched a small orb of fire at the trees on the other side of the river. "They were waiting for us."
"I agree," Shamir said as she slid into a crouch next to Edelgard. "Get clear."
Byleth nodded as she squeezed Edelgard's hand. "Let's go."
"The forest to the south should provide us with cover and breathing room," Hubert said as he also launched a bolt of dark magic into the burning forest on the north side of the river. "Find Yuri and-"
"More arrows incoming!" Shamir interjected.
Byleth shifted closer behind Edelgard's shield as she fell to her knees, managing to catch a glimpse of the volley of arrows falling toward them before a light blue barrier enveloped them, shielding their position from the burning wave.
"Let's go," Byleth gasped as she rose to her feet, taking Edelgard's hand as she made way to the gangplank behind them.
"Professor!" Edelgard's voice called as Byleth's instincts took over, dropping her to the ground as a roaring bolt of dark magic tore through the space her head had been a second ago.
From her position on the gangplank, Byleth recognized the dark cloaks of her attackers almost immediately. It was hard to miss the black robes in the mid-afternoon sun. It was even harder to miss the hulking Titanus unit towering over the tree line behind them.
"El!" Byleth shouted back at the ship as she pulled herself to her knees. "It's them!"
There was no response, not from Edelgard anyway, but the ship shuddered, and Byleth remembered when she last heard the sounds the ship was making.
It had been a church in the city of Fhirdiad. After the battle, an engineer had explained that the sound was of the building's supports giving way.
"Let me go!" Byleth screamed as a pair of strong arms tore at her shoulders, dragging her to the relative safety of the land behind her. "She can't swim!"
There was no answer from the set of arms, but Byleth cried out as she felt her body lifted into the air, then again when she hit the hard ground.
"Hey teach," Yuri's voice was no longer friendly, but was serious for the first time since the burning of Fhirdiad. "Get up. We need your help."
Byleth grimaced as she climbed to her feet, and frowned when she noticed a long rope in Yuri's hands.
"Harpoon," Yuri explained as the hulking soldier who had thrown her to the ground grabbed the rope. "I'd advise you to keep your head down."
Byleth ducked low as the monster of a soldier threw the rope, a heavy thud following as several men rushed forward to grab onto the rope, the men pulling in coordinated fashion as the giant barked out orders.
"They'll get the situation under control," Yuri snapped as he turned to the dusty road leading to Myrddin, pointing to the enemy blockade in the distance. "Thing is, those mages are going to shred everything we have here."
"I'll draw their fire," Byleth interrupted, silencing Yuri with a glance. "Get El to safety."
"Command is yours," Yuri replied as Byleth turned to the line of the evil mages, now cowering safely behind a line of traitor shields and spears. Clearly the enemy infantry knew what they were doing.
"Get a squad on me," Byleth barked to a nearby soldier. "We need to draw fire until the ship can be evacuated."
"Already done," a voice cut in. "There's six of us able to fight. Just say the word."
Byleth glanced over to the man, and nodded at the sight of the group huddled in the bushes along the road before she drew her sword. "Let me draw their attention."
Then she sprang into a sprint.
The shield wall of Edelgard's personal guard shifted to let her pass, and suddenly Byleth was alone on a desolate path, with only the line of enemy infantry before her and her sword her only companion.
But still Byleth ran, ducking and dropping into a roll when her instincts screamed. Sure enough, she could still feel the heat of the fireball just inches away from her back, though she lost her grip on her sword mid-roll.
When she looked up again, in a low crouch, Byleth could see the line of mages more clearly, and in particular the two who had broken ranks, obviously looking to take advantage of her lost sword and forsaking the line of Gloucester infantry. She could see the gleam of what must have been malice or hunger in their eyes, even with the bird-like masks that covered their faces.
She could also see the fire developing again in the hands of the mage closest to her.
So Byleth did the only thing she could, and launched herself, shoulder first, into the mage. For a moment, her life flashed before her eyes as the possibility of failure seized her heart. If she failed to strike the mage, then she would forfeit her life on a dusty and forgotten road. Against an enemy she could not defeat bare-handed, and leaving the woman she loved to their clutches.
Then her shoulder found the mage, made all the more evident by the heat of the fireball she had plowed through to reach the man. But Byleth ignored the sudden pain and planted her foot down for another boost in power, and she charged again.
This time she was rewarded with a wet gurgle, the scent of warm copper, and the slackening of the mage she had shoved into the line of spears.
The man was dead, that much was obvious, and for a moment both the other mages and Gloucester's soldiers seemed equally stunned, frozen in time.
But Byleth wasn't frozen, and she rolled to the side, using the momentum from her roll to give the second mage a powerful shove. Right off the side of the cliff. As the man fell, she was certain she could hear him scream.
But there were no shortage of Gloucester soldiers with spears standing only a few paces away from her. And sure enough, only a lifetime of instinct allowed Byleth to avoid the guard jabbing a long spear at her side.
But the effort of the strike had brought the man too close, and Byleth grabbed at the spear. If she could turn the spear against the other soldiers, she could back herself to her sword, the other soldiers, and-
She only saw the shield a second before it hit her.
The first thing Byleth felt was the stinging pain across her face, as if she had been slapped. But the hit was far harder and heavier than any slap she had remembered, and the world around her spun as she soared through the air.
It wasn't until she hit the ground that she could taste her own blood in her mouth, yet Byleth wasn't even able to push herself to her hands and knees. Then she felt the spear cutting through her body.
The point of the spear landed around the back of her right leg, and Byleth screamed into the dirt, even as she tried to force her legs to kick, her arms to support her, her body to do anything!
A heavy force on one of her hands shattered bone and flesh, and Byleth felt tears spring to her eyes as agony forced the last of her conscious thoughts from her mind.
Lying on the dusty, rocky ground, Byleth only felt more pain as cold steel cut through her back, though her insides, even as she tried to remember the smiling face that she loved. But even that image was swallowed by darkness as more pain exploded across her mangled hand and a sudden, brief force snapped her head to the side, bringing the beautiful face into focus again.
"El," She recognized the face, even though all the pain. And yet, why was she crying? She was certain the memory she was seeking contained joy and laughter, not tears and sorrow.
The face disappeared as Byleth felt her vision shift. Pain came at her in waves as tears blurred her vision and the dark came for her again. She felt warmth, running down her legs as an empty chill filled the pit of her stomach.
This time she was too weak to even cry out for that distant, smiling face, and Byleth went to the darkness without so much as a whimper.
The air around her was warm and humid, but when Byleth opened her eyes, the world around her was entirely dark.
A sudden and nervous question rushed into her mind. Was she dead? Was this some hellish corner of Zaharas?
Byleth jerked up and forced herself to a sitting position, her eyes slowly adjusting to the lack of light.
Just before her eyes, a shadow in front of her shifted, and she found herself looking into the eyes of a woman she didn't quite recognize.
"You're awake," the woman said. "Good."
Byleth blinked as she ran the face through her mind, seeking out a name.
"Olivia," the woman continued, as if sensing Byleth's thoughts. "I lead the guards contingent for the Opera. Hubert has us guarding you in shifts."
The name brought a crashing wave of memories down, and with it came a thousand questions, though also the realization that her throat was parched.
"Water," Byleth managed to force the word from her lips.
The woman nodded as she turned away, turning back with a flask of water on her hands. "There's a small stream close by, so drink whatever you need. Not much in terms of food, I'm afraid. We've killed some rabbits and smaller game, but we can't cook them without risking our position."
Byleth grimaced at the news before taking a sip of the water, allowing herself a sigh of relief as the crisp, fresh water soothed her aching throat.
"How many made it out?" Byleth asked.
Olivia's lips tightened as she rose to a standing position. "Only about half. Gloucester's troops were relentless, and only nightfall drove them off. Seems like they don't like the dark, or at least something in it."
Byleth closed her eyes as she took another sip of water. "What about the mages?"
Olivia chuckled at that, a bitter laugh. "They fell back as well. They were shouting something about rice, whatever that meant."
Another question, once buried deep in her mind, rose to the forefront. "What about my sword?"
"I recovered it as we fell back," Olivia's voice had moved to somewhere in the distance. "It's with the rest of the camp now, but I believe it's still in good shape. It's a good sword, better than the junk I've had to make do with for the last few years."
"That's good," Byleth said as she climbed to her feet, slowly testing her body. "I should thank you. You didn't need to fight along with us."
Olivia shook her head. "If you were lost, my next best option would have been to throw myself into the river. I wouldn't want to be taken alive."
Byleth swallowed as the air around them seemed to chill. "Is everyone else alright?"
Olivia paused, as if she was looking for the right words. "Your… significant other is alive and well, although I believe she was too tired by the fighting to speak now."
"What happened?" Byleth asked.
"She was the last of your group to leave, and only after leaving the road littered with corpses." Olivia explained with a slight shiver. "She seemed… possessed, especially during the fighting."
"Hubert?" Byleth asked.
"Your friends made it out without any major injury," Olivia replied as she gestured for Byleth to follow her. "Perhaps it's best for you to see yourself."
Byleth followed slowly as she walked, ignoring the pangs of hunger in her stomach as she hurried after the other woman. "Where are we-"
Olivia had stopped however, and despite the onset of a thin, wispy mist, Byleth could see she had pressed a finger to her lips.
"I would need you to be quiet. It's still some time before daybreak," Olivia explained, her head turning from side to side, as if she was wary of being overheard. "Plus, we don't want to attract unwanted attention to our position, do we now?"
Byleth nodded as she lowered her voice, suddenly worried about a mage bursting from the fog. "I understand."
"Watch your step," Olivia murmured before she turned around, walking deeper into the fog. "The ground here is quite treacherous."
As if to prove her point, a step later Byleth tripped over a root and landed hard on the uneven ground. It made her wince, but Byleth was secretly relieved that she could feel her hand again, even if only through stinging pain.
"Are you hurt?" Olivia's voice came from somewhere in the misty darkness.
"I'm alright," Byleth managed as she staggered to her feet again. "The fog just makes it hard to see."
"It does," Olivia's voice replied from the darkness. "We're close to the main camp. Not much further."
Byleth hissed as she rose to her feet, grimacing as a hand took her own.
"As I understand, you lost a lot of blood from one leg." The sympathy in Olivia's voice was clear, despite being just above a whisper. "Perhaps it would be best if I led the way."
The feeling of a hand that wasn't Edelgard's clasped over her own was a strange, foreign feeling, Byleth realized. Even growing up, Jeralt hadn't held her hand often, and Edelgard was the first she had opened her heart to.
And so Byleth tore her hand free, even as the fog grew thicker with every step.
There was no acknowledgement from the other woman, but they walked in silence, though Byleth tripped more than once.
But the last time she fell was when she saw it, a beacon in the fog. More specifically, a torch, illuminating the faces of Hubert and Olivia, both in deep conversation.
As she rose to her feet, her eyes still on Hubert, he saw her too, rising up in greeting.
"Professor," Hubert's voice was barely audible despite the short distance between them. "I trust you were able to rest well?"
Byleth was about to reply when the wind changed, and the smell of roasted meat hit her.
"Hubert, is there still food?" Byleth asked as she stepped closer to the torch Hubert and Olivia stood around. "I'm really quite hungry."
"We do have food," Hubert replied as he turned to look at something in the fog. "We need to restore our strength before we can engage in combat with Gloucester's men again."
Byleth nodded and turned to Olivia as Hubert slipped into the thick fog. "What was it that you were arguing about?"
Olivia grimaced, her face dark as her eyes flickered from side to side. "I was concerned for our safety. Smoke comes with fire, and it'll draw unwanted attention to our position."
"But it is too early in the day for the soldiers of Gloucester," Hubert's voice replied as he returned with several skewers of delicious smelling meat. "I trust you did not encounter any trouble with your shift?"
"No," Olivia replied as Hubert handed Byleth one of the skewers. "It is clear that the soldiers from Gloucester fear the night. Still, it cannot protect us forever, and I'm exhausted."
Byleth took a slow, hesitant bite of the meat and almost choked at the tough chew. It was a lean animal, and the bite was poorly seasoned and hastily prepared. It was still food, even if she hated it.
"The animals here are of poor quality," Olivia said as she pulled a knife from a belt, picking at her teeth, her own skewer having been finished in a single bite. "Haven't had meat this bad since being tricked into eating rats."
"Professor, I regret to inform you of some bad news," Hubert's face was grim as he handed her another skewer. "We've been able to identify the leader of the enemy forces from yesterday."
Byleth swallowed at the news before she took another tough, difficult bite of her first skewer. "Who is it?"
"Raphael," Hubert said, his tone grim. "I trust you remember him?"
Byleth closed her eyes at the thought of the friendly giant that could always be found in the dining hall of Garreg Mach. She hadn't seen him, not since she had walked into the Holy Mausoleum, well over five years ago.
"Are you sure?" Byleth asked as the memories of Ignatz and Leonie flashed through her mind. Leonie had burned alive before her eyes, and the corpse of Ignatz had been trampled by Edelgard's advancing battalion. Was she going to have to bury another one of Garreg Mach's students?
"I can't be certain," Olivia said from the side, a bitter chuckle escaping her lips. "I melted off his face, yet the bastard kept coming."
"Raphael was hired by Count Gloucester some months after you went missing at Garreg Mach," Hubert explained. "It's why we never saw him at Myrddin. It's also why we can be safe in assuming that he's one of Gloucester's key officers."
"I can be certain it was him." Edelgard's voice was quiet as she emerged from the fog. "I'm glad to see that you're awake, Professor."
"Lady Edelgard," Hubert said, rising to his feet in greeting, gesturing to the ground next to him.
"Hubert, I can stand." Edelgard's voice was tired, and Byleth could see dark circles under her eyes. "But it's important we understand what kind of situation we're in."
Hubert nodded as Olivia rose to her feet. "Take my spot. I've said what I needed to."
Edelgard shook her head. "We still need you here. To watch over us, if nothing else."
"I still need to retrieve the sword," Olivia said as she stepped by Edelgard. "I'll be back in a moment."
Edelgard paused for a moment before she sank to her knees, taking the time to wrap her arm around Byleth as she took a bite of one of the skewers.
"It's difficult," Edelgard said before she spat something out. "To think that those I once thought of as allies could turn on us in the blink of an eye."
"Gloucester was greedy and ambitious," Hubert growled. "It was only a matter of time."
"But to ally with them?" Edelgard growled, her voice fading as she clung closer to Byleth. "I thought when we took Arianrhod that we had struck a major blow, but now…"
Edelgard trailed off, even as Byleth found her eyes turned to the fire. The flickering flames reminded her of something, but Byleth needed time to choose her words well.
"But we did strike a blow that day," Byleth said softly, watching the flickering flames of the torch. "We blinded Thales and took down his operations in the Holy Kingdom. We foiled whatever plans he had with Cornelia. Most importantly, we broke the Silver Maiden. Ahrianrhod was a success, and nothing Thales can do will change that."
Edelgard mumbled something in agreement as she inched even closer to Byleth. "I was scared last night, for you. We lost so many on the retreat."
"She said that most of our men escaped the battle," Byleth said. "Is that true?"
Hubert's eyes were dark as he nodded. "Correct, but we are in a difficult situation nonetheless. It would be close to impossible to move deeper into the forests without a source of food. Still, we have little in terms of choice."
"Where are our closest reinforcements?" Byleth asked.
"Of sufficient size to meet the rebellion in open battle?" Hubert's voice was low, and an ironic smile appeared on his lips. "The closest force we have are the Derdriu occupation regiments, but if we want any more members of the Black Eagles Strike Force, we would need to head to Gautier territory."
"And we need to cut through Gloucester's forces to reach either of them." Byleth concluded. "Not an option."
"Your sword's here," Olivia's voice was tired as Byleth took the grip of her sword. "I'll-"
"I have a question for you," Hubert's voice cut Olivia off, and Byleth looked up from her sword. Hubert's tone demanded attention.
"What is it that you need?" Olivia asked.
"Did Peri have any forces-"
"Peri's has a budget," Olivia sneered. "Employing too many men is expensive and a security risk. Besides, there's hardly any money outside of Enbarr."
"There's a long train of nobles that broke out of Enbarr once the war ended," Hubert shot back. "Are you certain that Peri had no guards following them around?"
"Why would he?" Olivia's voice was dismissive as she looked into the distance. "Almost all of his men were gang-pressed into service. I wouldn't be surprised if most of them were dead."
Hubert frowned, nodding a second later. "Did you see any units of soldiers in Varley territory the last time you were there?"
Olivia hesitated for a moment before she answered. "Was I supposed to?"
"Answer the question."
"Militia units," Olivia said, pausing for another moment before she continued. "Militia isn't the correct word for it, if I must be honest. They were closer to bandits, but we left Varley territory before there was trouble."
Byleth was only half listening to the conversation when she felt Edelgard tense next to her.
"Bandits?" Hubert's voice was dripping with venom. "Varley was supposed to have a unit of armed guards watching him. They would have alerted us of bandits."
"Did you see any Adrestian soldiers?" Edelgard's question came suddenly.
"No," Olivia sounded uncomfortable. "We encountered patrol units, but they were watching the main road between Enbarr and Garreg Mach. Once we entered Varley territory, there were no uniformed soldiers to speak of."
Hubert swore under his breath. "And what of those mages amongst Gloucester's traitors?"
"No mages," Olivia said. "I suspect I was the only magic user within two days of travel during my time going through Varley territory."
"Once we deal with Gloucester, we'll need to bring Varley to heel." Edelgard muttered, her voice barely audible to Byleth. "But what about Hev…"
"El?" Byleth whispered, squeezing Edelgard's hand.
Edelgard shook her head. "Sorry, I was just thinking out loud."
"Your information troubles me," Hubert said, his face emotionless in the flickering flames. "I had intended to break through the forest to reach allied territory. If we were to head to Varley territory as we are now, I can only see Varley throwing those bandits at us."
Edelgard let out a low hiss. "I concur."
"What forces do we have at Gronder Field?" Byleth asked.
Hubert paused. "House Bergliez and Aegir both had holdings to the south, but Bergliez has mostly evacuated their senior staff and household troops to follow General Bergliez."
"Ferdinand is commanding his house guard alongside Sylvain." Edelgard said. "And our forces at Fort Merceus are stretched thin already."
Hubert paused before he closed his eyes. "Olivia, could we contact your employer?"
"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.
"Varley is too dangerous to be left alive," Hubert said. "I would rather send one of my own men to do it, but our options are limited."
"An assassination of Varley," Olivia's voice was low. "It would be very expensive, but I believe he would be interested."
"How would he organize such a thing?" Hubert asked.
"He would send me to reduce that animal to ash," Olivia's voice gained a sudden, morbid amusement, and Byleth caught a ghost of a smile when she looked over to the standing woman. "It would likely fall to me even if he did have other options. Not all his operatives are well suited for bloody murder."
"What's this I hear about bloody murder?" Yuri's voice was light, and Byleth flinched at Yuri's sudden voice. "Easy there, teach, I'm friendly."
"Yuri," Byleth said, turning in time to see the young man slip through the thick fog. "I'm glad to see you're in good health."
The same could be said for you," Yuri said as he stepped over to the side. "Marianne and Dorothea did good work."
"And I'm grateful," Byleth said. "Hubert, just where are they?"
"Resting," Hubert said. "We had many injured and few to heal them."
"Olivia-" Byleth started.
"My talents in the healing arts are basic," Olivia growled. "Peri demanded perfection, and that meant learning when and how to take a life by surprise, not how to show mercy to a failure."
Hubert cleared his throat. "When the issue of guarding your position came up, we decided that Olivia's talents in defending you were more valuable than her talents in healing the wounded."
"Hubert, why wasn't I informed of this?" Edelgard's voice was angry.
"Because if Gloucester's traitors were to advance on our position, we would need a magic user to hold off their heavy infantry." Hubert's tone was matter of fact and without emotion. "And in the event we were to encounter Raphael in person, I could only trust a handful of us to have the will to cut him down without hesitation or remorse."
"To be exact, Hubert, Shamir, Olivia, and myself." Yuri added, his voice grim and whatever sense of humour gone. "We took shifts to ensure you would be watched over. If Raphael did come for us, we were to hold him off until we could evacuate you."
"I could not rely on Marianne or Dorothea to kill a former classmate in cold blood," Hubert said, his lips a hard line. "They are too... compassionate. It was a risk I could not take when your life was on the line."
Byleth nodded as she glanced into the depths of the fog, frowning when she noticed a distant, flickering flame.
"Hubert, is that your patrol returning?" Byleth asked, turning to point at the distant torch.
"What pat-"
"Get down!" Hubert's voice roared as a shadow descended on the torch the group was huddled around, and suddenly the darkness was back in full force.
Despite the return of the predawn darkness, Byleth could still see the flame in the distance as a sudden shove from Edelgard forced her to the ground, followed by Edelgard's body as she threw her body over Byleth, using her own body as a shield.
Then the first arrow struck, and Byleth winced as strong arms pulled Edelgard off her.
"Spread out!" Hubert's voice roared from next to her. "Wake the others! We must leave! Now!"
A protective fire roared inside Byleth as she reached for her sword, finding the hilt of her blade where Olivia had dropped it what seemed like a lifetime ago. They couldn't keep running. Not with the fog. Not with the brambles and overgrown roots. Not while starving. They had to fight. There was no other way.
Her instincts snapped her out of her train of thought as she jerked down, in time to hear an arrow impale the tree above her and feel a smattering of dry bark rain down on her head. They couldn't fight blind.
"Get to cover," Olivia's voice hissed next to her.
Byleth blinked at the urgency of the voice before she felt Edelgard drag her to her feet.
"What are you going to do?" The second voice was Hubert's.
"We'll be overrun and surrounded," Olivia said as an orb of fire roared to life in her hand, illuminating the space around them. "This forest is dry and there's no shortage of kindling. The fog in the air is magical, and it will fuel my fire. Now get to safety."
"You intend-" Hubert started before an arrow narrowly missed him. "You intend to burn the forest down?"
"Head east," Olivia replied as another orb of fire roared to life in her free hand. "The fire will attract them. They will not follow, not until they have nothing more to devour."
"What are you-" Hubert snarled, dark magic roaring to life in his hands.
"Go!" Olivia screamed as twin jets of fire erupted from her hands, burning through the canopy above them. "Get out while you still can!"
Byleth grimaced before she tore her eyes away from the mage, running into the darkness. But even with her back turned and with every last ounce of energy focused on the treacherous ground below her, Byleth could not resist to turn around one more time.
She saw faces, some she had known loosely as members of Edelgard's bodyguard unit, a few she remembered from the ship crew, and some she considered not as students, but genuine friends.
But beyond them was a roaring, raging fire that devoured everything. Trees, leaves, kindling and discarded supplies crackled and burned.
And at the centre of the raging firestorm, Byleth saw Olivia. Even with the smoke and the flames, even though she had only spotted their rearguard for a split second, she could tell that Olivia was pouring everything she had into the attack. Fires that she had not seen since the burning of Fhirdiad flew into the darkness, spun into life by a stranger that Byleth had never gotten to know.
There would never be an Alois charging in to save the day, not like the first night she had met Edelgard and the others. There would never be a tea party or class where she could get to know the stranger selling her life behind them. There would never be a divine pulse that could allow her to change time one last time, to save the life of a stranger.
And the feeling that dragged her heart into sorrow only intensified as she turned back to focus on the dark forest before her.
AN: Chapter four of Mala Fide is complete. Read, Review, etc.
Next time: Dorothea is forced to put a mindless beast out of his misery. The penultimate chapter of the first arc.
