"It is time to end the conflict between our two nations" Edelgard said as she offered Claude a seat. He still had some bruises, but he appeared to be relaxed. After all, the battle was over and they had granted his security. Hilda was next to him, a defiant look still on her face, although Balthus wasn´t holding her against her will anymore. Apart from them Byleth and Hubert were standing behind Edelgard, in complete silence.

"The Alliance army will be officially disbanded, only military groups for the security of the cities will be allowed. Those who wish to keep their weapons are free to join the Imperial Army, but they are not conscripted to do so. The southern part of the Alliance will be under direct control of the Imperial Army. However, the northern area shall be placed in control of a governor until everything gets pacified"

"And who will be this governor?"

"I was thinking about Lorenz of House Gloucester. He has the support of his father, the Count of Gloucester, who has supported the Imperial cause"

"That would not grant you the love or his subjects" Claude objected. "He had been my guest at the capital during all this time, I guess that just to be sure that no matter what he was on the winning side of the war" he sighed. "And now he had just left to inform his father, I guess that he is a really obedient boy"

"I don´t care if he is loved or not, if he is respected as a governor that´s enough to me. Claude, remember that we aren´t on equal footing now"

"In that case, the term "negotiations" wouldn´t be appropriate, don´t you think? Anyway, I must tell you that the Alliance is divided between its different factions, although you must be aware of that, since you have profited from our conflicts. If Lorenz was truly independent from his father that could work, but the Count doesn´t have the respect of the people here. They will serve him the meal, but not before spitting on it"

"Such is the hatred against the Empire Allies?" Edelgard sighed. "I understand that no one is fond of losing a war, but they must realize that any further resistance is futile"

"Regarding that matter, I have a proposal. How about a shared governance between House Gloucester and House Goneril? That would balance both factions and would avoid any further hostilities, if you are willing to continue the war against the Church and the Kingdom"

"But Claude, how could I govern?" asked a shocked Hilda. "You are the clever one, you should be the one to do it, right?"

"Unfortunately, that option isn´t possible, right imperial Princess?"

"I am already the Emperor, but Claude is right. His mere presence here is a light of hope for those still willing to fight for the Alliance and I´m not willing to face a rebellion. Even if we could defeat it easily, the loss of forces would be too great while we are still fighting the Kingdom and the Church. You must leave this place"

"Even if you didn´t say so I would have done it, no worries. I have thought about every possible outcome and honestly, being alive is quite positive. I guess that you aren´t that scary as others say"

"Don´t make me change your impression of me, Claude" Edelgard said, but her tone wasn´t strict as if they were still in the monastery, discussing trivial matters.

"Hilda you must stand for me and those who supported us to the end. If it´s you, you can do it"

"But I want to go with you"

"That time will come, until then I trust you the fate of this land" he said as he patted her head. "Balthus, how about you take a walk with her, I think you should correct your rocky reencounter with her in the battle"

"Maybe a bit of fresh air can give me some room to think. I wonder how is my brother going to react when I tell him that you pushed me to the ground without any second thoughts…" Hilda said as she left the tent.

"That would cause unnecessary misunderstandings. Hey, wait Hilda!" Balthus said while hurrying up.

"Well, now that the matter of the fate of this land has been resolved, I want to know how were you able to convince the Almyran army to come to your aid, are you truly the heir of the Almyran throne?"

"I have blood bounds with Almyra, I won´t deny that, but calling the force that came to our aid an army would be an exaggeration. They were just a part of the entire army, those who believe in my cause and support me as an heir"

"So, you still have many competitors"

"Yes, and after this defeat I guess that my rights to the throne have worsened by quite a bit. There are still many competitors, some of them with more support"

"That means that we could risk another attack from Almyra while we continue this war. Am I mistaken?"

"It´s not a matter of if but when. There are many willing to invade Fódlan and obtain with it the glory of the battle and the respect of our people. The balance of power is more unstable compared to Fódlan"

"Even though this land has its own share of problems those words don´t inspire me any confidence in a peaceful coexistence between our two nations" Edelgard sighed. "My objective is to fight against the Church and the Kingdom, I wish no harm on the Almyran people. Your people are proud warriors. However, not all of them must be willing to take part in a conflict, right?"

"There are many that are tired of constant wars and conflicts, some others are angered of the loss of lives while the powerful continue with their political games, but their voices are silent"

"In that case how about you turn into the voice of those who are longing for peace. I think that you already have the qualities to proper rule a land"

"If it was something so easy, I wouldn´t be here, don´t you think?" Claude laughed. "How could I convince them?"

"With profitable conditions" Edelgard said with a smile. "I´m planning to turn the port of Derdriu into a free port"

"That would open the gates to a major commerce with Almyra, but that wouldn´t appease the war hawks"

"My intention is not to please them, but to aid those willing to have peace between our nations. With more commercial routes between our two countries, a better knowledge about each other could be achieved. Instead of spilling the blood of our citizens we would be able to share a greater future with a common prosperity. There are many goods that would be highly demanded by the Empire and I´m sure that Almyra would be pleased to have some of our own"

"It´s true that I´ve had heard that the wine of the Empire is highly appraised in my land. Perhaps that could calm even the more conflictive individuals. Why drowning in blood when you could do the same in wine?"

"See? I want them to see that a cooperation between us is better than an endless conflict. The more we exchange between us, the greater the future. If we depend more on each other, the risks of starting a new war will be lessened. When you return to your land, I want you to tell them about such offer…and I will sweeten it with some gifts for those that are willing to listen"

"I see…I´m sure that more people will listen to your words with a cup of wine in their hands, but I have a question. What would you do against those that would simply think that they can get all of it by just invading the Empire?"

"In that case we will just show them how mistaken they are" Edelgard simply said. "A wise man should not confuse my offer with weakness or they will pay the consequences"

"I see, I guess that you are really suitable to the throne, Edelgard"

"I´m not the only one. If you were capable of convincing a part of the Almyran army to fight for you, that means that you have a bright future ahead"

"Even if it´s none of my business, what are you planning to do from now on? You still have to fight against the Kingdom and the Church…and I have the feeling that they won´t negotiate"

"I wish they could, but I must correct you on something. My true only objective is to defeat the Church, but the support of the Kingdom makes inevitable to defeat them as well"

"And what about me?" Claude laughed

"An ambitious man like you would have attacked us the moment we were unprepared, don´t be innocent with me Claude"

"It seems that you could see through me. Perhaps with other conditions I could have obtained the victory over the Empire. What do you think about it, Professor? If you had chosen to teach the Golden Deer I´m sure that the outcome of the battle would have been quite different"

"What´s the point of bringing such subject at a moment like this?"

"Don´t be so defensive, Imperial Princess, I´m just joking, but seeing your jealous face to such thought right now it´s enough reward to me"

"I´m not defensive. I didn´t force the Professor to teach us, it was his own choice, right?" she asked while looking at him. Looking at her, he couldn´t about smiling. "It seems that there are things that never change" he thought as he felt like they were still students.

"Of course, I did it by my own choice…and I don´t regret it" he said while patting her head.

"Professor, I beg you to take a proper attitude in front of the Emperor, such behavior is…"

"Enough Hubert, there is no need to worry about such formalities" Edelgard replied, her cheeks reddened. "Anyway, I´m planning to bring this war to an end. For five years many lives have been lost, but the time has come to make the final push"

"Don´t lose or my defeat would have been pointless. I guess that our time together is about to come to an end. I´ll bring the message. Perhaps the next time we meet I will be the next king of Almyra" Claude said as he offered her his hand

"I hope so. That would mean the beginning of a new era of prosperity" Edelgard smiled while making a handshake with him.

"Ah, one more thing?"

"Yes?"

"Next time you can address me as Khalid, it is my true name after all" Claude said his eyes shining in a new light.

"Of course, Khalid, may you have a safe travel. I´m sure that your name will be remembered in the history of this land as well" Edelgard said as she observed how he left the tent behind him.

"Are you sure about letting him leave, Lady Edelgard?"

"There is no reason to oppose it, C-Khalid made his move, but we were able to defeat him. He isn´t a sore loser, he knows that there is more to win than to lose with a cooperation…I hope that the rest are convinced as well. Another conflict would just be a waste of resources…Now it is time to worry about the Church. We´ll leave this place tomorrow. We cannot afford losing the monastery after all these years"

"You are right, Lady Edelgard, the monastery is symbolically and strategically an important piece in this war. Losing it would be a catastrophe" Hubert said while bowing. "I must inform you about another matter. Some of our "allies" are starting to roam this land in the search of relics"

"Is my dear uncle among them?"

"Regrettably so. What should we do about the matter?"

"Starting an open conflict would be problematic, but overcomplicate their search as much as you can" she then looked at him. "I understand how you feel about having such alliance, but it is something that I don´t wish as well. If I could, I would place their heads on pikes, but now it´s not the time" she then looked at Hubert again. "At least tell me that they are doing their job, do we have any reinforcements?"

"Three divisions are joining our main army to the north of the monastery. The Church forces will clash with them in a matter of days. If they can stop them, the monastery will be safe"

"We must arrive before them in case that they are able to overcome our defensive perimeter. What about the Kingdom forces?"

"No banners have been spotted, but most probably they are fighting under the banner of the Church of Seiros"

"I guess that the Church wants to claim the victory for itself. It would show their weakness if the victory was granted by the Holy Kingdom. Understood. We must get some rest, we´ll leave tomorrow this place and the upcoming battles will be harsher as ever before"

"Understood"

…

He opened the eyes to the sound of the water. Everything was covered in darkness, he couldn´t even see his own hands. Touching the walls, he carefully descended deeper and deeper as his boots resonated with each step. Then, the tunnel he was following came to an end, a wide room opening before him.

It appeared to be a throne room, yet it was one he had never seen before, it appeared to be abandoned, dark grass covering most of the floor, but what called his attention was the throne, it appeared to be made out of flowers, yet it looked sturdy enough to hold a man.

He was approaching it when he felt something behind it. Looking back, there was nothing, yet the feeling of something observing him didn´t completely disappear. He came closer to the throne, his right hand carefully touching it. It was warm to the touch, as if someone had been sitting there a moment ago, a sweet fragrance coming from it. He couldn´t explain why, but he felt tempted to sit on it, yet he didn´t. He then felt something on his hand, as if he was touched by something, but he could see nothing.

In the deeps of the throne room there was nothing but him, the throne and shadows.

(…)

He opened his eyes, the only thing he could see was the wooden ceiling of the mansion where they were resting before they prepared to leave. They had to leave at down to protect the Monastery, before the forces of the Church arrived, but only the Black Eagles Strike Force would come to the aid, since the rest of the armies were completely exhausted and they would waste more time trying to arrive. They needed to strike the enemy before the news of the fall of the Leicester Alliance spread.

Next to him, the rest of his male students were asleep. After years of fighting, it was surprising how fast they could fall asleep, although a part of himself understood that they had to make the most out of such moments. He tried to sleep again, but his mind was awaked after the dream he had just had. It wasn´t something really important, yet he had been having the same dream since their clash in the forest. Standing up, he could feel a bit of pain on his arms and legs, but it quickly disappeared. He wasn´t completely recovered after the battle, but that wasn´t what was worrying him the most. The most important unanswered question he had was how was he able to survive the battle.

He knew that crests could grant special powers to their holders, yet the things that had been surrounding his last encounters were something that were intriguing him greatly. He could barely remember what happened afterwards as he had been carried by the rest of his companions, but he could sense they were worried about him. He could recall Lysithea´s words when he asked her what kind of magic he had been able to use against the beast.

"I wish I could have the answer, but I´m afraid I don´t. No logic or faith could explain the source of such power, but I would recommend abstaining of using it, if possible. A normal abuse of magic would exhaust the magic user, but leaving injuries behind? That´s not something that should really happen…Maybe you can use your very own category of magic, although that would explain nothing"

"The crest of Flames, the crest among crests, a crest that had shaped the history of the world and continued to do so, but he wasn´t the only wielder" He thought as he approached the small garden that was located in the center of the building. Years ago, they had been in such place as well, in what appeared to be a life ago. Above him the sky was calm and he could even hear in the distance the waves hitting against the city. The wreckage after the battle was still blocking part of the port, but in the following weeks it was their intention to open the city to commerce with all around the world.

"I thought I would be the only one with problems to sleep, but I´m glad that I´m not alone"

"Edelgard…" Even without her armor she still had that commander aura surrounding her, yet her smile made it disappear for a moment. "We´ll leave this place at dawn to return to the monastery. It´s been while since the last time we were there…" She said as she sat next to him. He could feel her warmth as he surrounded her with his arm, her hand holding his own as she looked at the sky.

"For me it has been years since the last time"

"True…and that time was heavy on all of us, but we believed that you would return and that´s what matters. Professor Hanneman and Manuela would be certainly pleased to see you again, and Mercedes is there as well.

"Jeritza…"

"It´s a miracle that he could survive, but now we can only wait until he opens his eyes again. He will be here for the time being, maybe her sister can stay with him until he recovers.

"I´m sure he would like the idea"

"…We did it…we defeated the Alliance"

"Your attack of the capital was brilliant, I´m proud of you" he said as he caressed her hair, her cheeks getting red.

"It was a matter of thinking about the enemy resources. The use of almyran artillery at the bridge was what alerted me. If they were capable of having those, it meant that the relations with Almyra were better than before and that could mean facing Almyran battle divisions"

"Well, that leaves the Kingdom and the Church then"

"You are saying it as if it was something easy, but now will come the worst part. They aren´t going to simply give up after a fight…I have the feeling that they will fight to the end…I would do the same, after all"

"Victory will be on our side" he said in a soft voice.

Placing her head on his chest she lingered there for a moment. He was happy about it, yet a shadow of sorrow was there as well.

"I´m sorry"

"Why? It´s not your fault what happened to you. Even though I can´t hear your heartbeat that doesn´t mean that you aren´t alive. Besides…" she continued as she surrounded his head with her hands, placing it on her chest. It was warm and he could hear it, her heartbeat.

"This heart is still beating because of you, so even if you don´t have it, I´ll be your heartbeat from now on" she whispered into his ear.

Words couldn´t express his gratitude as he closed his eyes to the sound of her heart and for a moment he could feel completely at peace, all his sorrow and worries casted away.

…

Guardian Moon 01/21

He could hear the sound of small chattering. A moonless night above them. Their forces knew that the enemy was close, at dawn they would probably have to face them, but for now they were just enjoying the last moments of peace. Nodding at the guards at the front of their camp he decided to make a small patrol through the area.

The small forested area was calm, but his senses were sharp. The enemy was close as their scouts have told them. He had been preparing all his life for a battle like this, then why was he so nervous?"

"Are you feeling like walking as well?" asked a voice behind him.

"L-Ladislava?!" he asked surprised as he turned around. She was there wearing her usual armor, but her eyes appeared to be relaxed.

"You would be already dead if I was the enemy. Don´t forget that sometimes a dagger from behind can be more dangerous that a sword before you"

"I´ll remember that, although there is a lot that I need to learn yet"

"Without me I wonder what would be the fate of this army" she sighed. "Although you have improved a lot after all this time"

"But you are always better than me"

"So? That doesn´t mean that you are useless. You should stop comparing yourself with others, the only thing that matters is that you are better than before…and I´m proud about that"

"That´s thanks to you, without your training I would have been killed many times already"

"Don´t let yourself killed this time then as well" Ladislava laughed. It was rare to see her like that, but it wasn´t something he hated.

"Don´t you feel nervous?"

"About the battle? Why should I? I´m confident that we´ll win. As a general is my duty to inspire confidence to our troops, if I wasn´t confident about our strategy the whole battle would be doomed to fail"

"I see…"

"However, that doesn´t mean that I was always like this. I also had my doubts in the past, but thanks to our Emperor I was able to overcome them. A good warrior fights not to die, but for the things one believes. Use such believe as your shield against the fear and doubts you might have"

"You are really incredible Ladislava. I guess that´s why they call you the iron general"

"The iron general? That name doesn´t amuse me the slightest, though? Am I that cold?" she asked, her eyes tinted with a bit of disappointment.

"Not at all! I mean, it´s true that you are strict and firm, but that´s because you are worrying about us. Your fighting style is flawless and your words are able to motivate all of us. Besides, you are beautiful"

"Beautiful?" Ladislava asked surprised the slightest red appearing on her cheeks. "Are you hitting on me, Commander Randolph?"

"Not at all, my general!" he said while bowing in embarrassment. "I was just being honest. What I wanted to say is that I admire you. Please, forgive me for making such unnecessary remarks"

"It´s not something that annoys me, quite the contrary" she said with a lower voice.

"Eh?"

"Anyway, I hope that you are more skillful with your battle axe than with your words. Otherwise, I pity the soldiers under your command"

"Yes, my general!"

"Why calling me general out of a sudden?" Ladislava sighed. "Anyway, we must…"

The sound of a war horn interrupted their conversation. In an instant the sound of the war instruments was filling the air and that could only mean one thing; the enemy had started its assault against their forces.

"That came from our camp! We must go at once!"

"An attack in the middle of the night?"

"They could have sent a small group to harass us or sabotage our equipment. Anyway, we must support our army. The time of words has come to an end. It is the time to join the battle!"