Time for me to spice up the coronation scene.

Chapter 105 – A New Emperor (Pegasus Moon)

Byleth and Dorothea were in awe as the carriage pulled up in the courtyard of the Imperial Palace. The structure was immense, far larger than the cathedral at Garreg Mach or even the main buildings of the monastery. A statue of the first Adrestian Emperor, Wilhelm Paul Hresvelg, stood proud in the courtyard.

Edelgard sighed as the carriage stopped.

"Thank you both for coming with me," said the princess. "I suppose now is the time to tell you what I have come here for." Dorothea and Byleth watched Edelgard attentively as she said, "I have come to take my rightful place as Emperor, at last."

In awe, Dorothea said, "Edie…"

"You're ascending the throne now?" asked Byleth.

"Yes. My father is not long for this world and can no longer rule the Empire. I brought you two here so that you may witness my coronation."

"But… why us?" asked Dorothea.

"Because you are my dear friends, and I want you to see the kind of Empire I wish to create. I told you before that when I ascended that I would change the world. I intend to fulfill that vow."

"Edie…"

"Come on. My father is no doubt waiting for me."

The three women exited the carriage and made their way up toward the grand doors leading into the palace. As they did, they were met by a tall brown-haired woman dressed in the bronze armor of a Wyvern Knight. Her light-red eyes scrutinized Byleth carefully. She was accompanied by four royal guards, all women wearing similar armor.

"Lady Edelgard, at last you have arrived," said the woman. "I was about to send a search party to find you."

"We took a bit of a detour," said Edelgard. "I apologize for us being late."

The woman gave an understanding nod, and then turned to face Byleth.

"I believe this is the first time we have met. My name is Aerin Ladislava. I have the great honor of leading Lady Edelgard's personal guard. You must be Byleth Eisner. Lady Edelgard has told me much about you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ladislava," said Byleth as she shook the knight's hand.

"The pleasure is all mine." She turned to Dorothea and asked, "I presume you are Dorothea Arnault."

"Yes, that's me," said Dorothea. "Has Edie mentioned me much?"

"She speaks very highly of you."

"Ladislava, where is my father?" asked Edelgard.

"His Majesty waits for you in the throne room. You had best see him soon. My men tell me Duke Aegir and Count Varley are on their way."

"Then we had best not delay any further."

Ladislava turned and led the three into the palace as the royal guards marched with them.

…

Emperor Ionius IX was a shadow of his former self. The aged emperor sat trembling on his throne, flanked by his two personal bodyguards. His pale skin, white hair and wrinkled body showed he was nearing the end of his mortal life. The golden crown he wore, shaped like a pair of proud eagles, weighed heavily upon him. He slowly looked up with his pale grey eyes as his last surviving daughter approached him with Byleth, Dorothea and Ladislava in tow.

"Edelgard, my daughter," Ionius said weakly.

"Father, I have come," Edelgard said as she knelt before her father. Byleth, Dorothea and Ladislava did the same.

"How goes your studies at the–" Ionius coughed loudly, unable to finish his sentence.

"I have learned a great deal at the Officer's Academy, Father. But that is not why I am here."

Ionius turned his gaze to Byleth and said, "Who is this you have brought with you? She bears some resemblance to Lady Rhea."

"This, Father, is my teacher, Byleth Eisner. She is here in the Archbishop's stead to bear witness to my coronation."

"Your Majesty, it is an honor," Byleth said respectfully.

"Ah… humble, just as my daughter said you were," said Ionius. He then looked at Dorothea and said, "And you must be Miss Arnault. Edelgard chooses her friends well."

"T-Thank you, Your Majesty," Dorothea said nervously. "You are too kind."

Edelgard then said, "Father, forgive me for asking this of you. I know how much pain you're in—how the burden of the throne weighs heavily on you—and so–"

"There is no need to apologize, Edelgard," interrupted Ionius. "You must know…" He coughed again, and then said, "that I do not have much time left in this world. The time has come." Again, he let out a painful wheeze.

"Thank you, Father. Now, to complete the Imperial succession, you must relinquish your crown here in the throne room."

"Edelgard…"

"From this day forward, the weight of the Empire's future shall rest upon my shoulders. All that I do will be for the benefit of the people of Fódlan."

Ionius sat still for a few seconds as he summoned his strength and stood from the throne. Slowly he lifted his withered hands to his head, removing the crown from his brow, and stepped toward his daughter.

As he prepared to set the crown upon Edelgard's head, Ionius said, "Edelgard von Hresvelg… By the covenant between the red blood and the white sword, and by the double-headed eagle I place upon your head, I hereby pronounce you the new emperor. Are you prepared to take those responsibilities as your own?"

"In accordance with the ancient covenant, and in keeping with the Hresvelg legacy… I swear that upon this throne, I shall use my reign to lead Fódlan to a new dawn and achieve peace for all."

Byleth and Dorothea watched in awe as Ionius finally placed the crown upon Edelgard's head. It fit the white-haired girl perfectly.

"Edie…" said Dorothea.

Ionius stepped away from Edelgard as she rose and said, "The Imperial succession is complete."

The old former emperor's strength seemed to fail him at that moment, for he coughed loudly and fell backward into the arms of his bodyguards.

"My liege!" said one of the guards.

Ionius finished another bout of loud wheezes and then said, "My daughter, I regret that I could not do more for you. When you were stolen away to the Kingdom, when the prime minister did those horrible things, I could only watch in horror. I failed you, you and your siblings, not as emperor, but as a father."

Edelgard looked as though she were about to cry, but she held back her tears as she said, "I… I understand, Father. In those dark times, your eyes and your fists were my salvation. Within your eyes, I saw true care. And upon your fists clenched tight with indignity, I saw the blood that dripped and fell. Even as I bled, I felt that you, too, must also be bleeding."

"My dear child…"

The doors to the throne room swung open, prompting everyone to turn to see who had barged in. Dorothea scowled immediately upon seeing the two nobles and their procession of armed bodyguards. The first was a rotund balding man with an orange mustache and dressed in dark crimson finery. The second was someone Dorothea and Byleth already knew, and his face curled with anger at seeing the singer.

"You!" Count Wystan von Varley hissed. "How dare you enter this place, you peasant whore!"

Dorothea was about to stand up and ready a spell to fry Count Varley when Byleth put her hand on her shoulder. The diva stopped, but she gave Count Varley a venomous glare.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing out of your sleeping chambers?" said the rotund man. He then looked toward Edelgard and said, "Ah, Edelgard. I did not expect to find Your Highness here."

Byleth could immediately tell from the man's tone that he had, in fact, expected to see Edelgard, though the presence of his bodyguards should have already given that away.

Edelgard then said, "Prime Minister Aegir, you have misspoken. I am no longer 'Your Highness' but rather… 'Your Majesty'."

"What?!" Duke Ludwig von Aegir said indignantly.

"It is true," said Ionius. "Edelgard is the new emperor of the Adrestian Empire." He coughed again as he said, "And you, Prime Minister–"

"Are dismissed!" said Edelgard. "As are you, Minister of Religious Affairs. Your services to the Empire are no longer required."

Duke Aegir stood stunned for a second at what Edelgard had said. Then, Count Varley let out a loud, sneering laugh.

"Is that what you think, 'Your Majesty'?" Count Varley said mockingly. "You seem to forget that the throne and the crown no longer hold power in the Empire. You are mistaken if you think being emperor means you can order us around!"

"The only power you hold is that which you stole from my father. But now I am emperor, and I will suffer you no longer! GUARDS!"

Ladislava and her guards stood at attention and readied their swords. Duke Aegir flinched back as his and Count Varley's men readied their own weapons.

Though his tone betrayed his fear, Duke Aegir said, "You dare threaten us, you upstart whelp?!"

"You need to be reminded of your place!" Count Varley hissed.

"I think the two of you need to reevaluate yours," said a grizzled man's voice.

Count Varley and Duke Aegir turned in surprise as three more nobles entered the throne room with their own guards in tow. One was a lean man with dark green hair and dressed in a minister's garb, while the second was a battle-scarred man in military armor with an impressive axe on his shoulder. The third was a man in red mage robes with a red scholar's hat.

"C-Count Bergliez! Count Hevring! Duke Gerth!" Duke Aegir said nervously.

"What are you all waiting for?!" Count Varley snapped. "Aid us in punishing this–"

"Hate to disappoint you, Varley," said Count Bergliez, "but I've thrown my lot in with Her Majesty."

"As have I," said Duke Gerth.

"You would be wise to order your men to stand down," said Count Hevring.

"Y-You traitors!" Count Varley shouted. "Marquis Vestra will have your heads for this!"

"I'm afraid my father is in no position to help you, Count," said a familiar sinister voice.

Another door opened as Hubert stepped into the throne room. Dorothea would have been happy to see him, but she was quickly dismayed to see Lord Arundel was behind him.

"Hubie…"

"What is the meaning of this?!" hissed Count Varley.

"I now hold the title of 'Marquis Vestra'," said Hubert. "Seeing as my father has become… indisposed."

Dorothea hoped Hubert's implication didn't mean anything too severe.

Now visibly afraid, Count Varley said, "L-Lord Arundel! You must–"

"You have always been an eyesore, Varley," Arundel said snidely. "Almost as much as that singer my niece seems to favor."

Byleth gave Arundel an indignant glare as Dorothea backed up behind her. Arundel looked Dorothea in the eye from where he stood, sending a chill down her spine.

"B-But surely you cannot favor Edelgard over–"

Arundel raised his hand as he summoned dark magic and said, "Be silent, you worm!"

Dark energy coalesced around Count Varley's neck, and the wiry man began to choke as though someone were strangling him. He grabbed at the darkness surrounding him, but his hands passed through it like air.

"The time for change is upon us," said Arundel. "We now look to a new dawn for the Empire, and my niece shall be the one to herald it."

Arundel then released his spell. The dark energy surrounding Count Varley dispersed, allowing him to gasp for breath as he fell to his knees.

"Y-You will pay for this!" Count Varley hissed. "You will all pay!"

Edelgard took this moment to walk over to the throne and sat down upon it.

"You will do nothing from within the confines of your estate, Count," said Edelgard. "Take them!"

Ladislava smiled as she strode toward Count Varley. Duke Aegir was holding his hands up in surrender as the guards loyal to Edelgard and her supporters advanced on him and his cronies.

But as Ladislava neared him, Count Varley let out a furious shout as he drew a dagger and swung it at the Wyvern Knight. Ladislava easily dodged the blow, grabbing Count Varley's arm and twisting it behind his back. Count Varley howled in pain, dropping his dagger.

Furiously, Count Varley spat, "U-Unhand me, you– GAAH!"

As Ladislava put more pressure on Count Varley's arm, she said, "One more word, Count, and I will feed your head to my wyvern."

This threat was sufficient to silence Count Varley. Ladislava and her guards led him and Duke Aegir out of the throne room.

Dorothea could not help but smile a bit at seeing this all unfold. Seeing two of her most hated nobles getting their just desserts was quite satisfying.

As soon as they were gone, Count Bergliez let out a laugh and said, "I like your new guard captain, Your Majesty."

With another wheeze, Ionius said, "Edelgard… My dear El, I leave the fate of Fódlan… in your capable hands."

Ionius was led out of the throne room by his retainers.

As soon as Ionius was gone, Arundel then said, "That leaves only one more… issue to resolve." He turned to glare at Dorothea and said, "You…"

Dorothea found herself filled with fear as Arundel glared at her. She looked over at Edelgard. The new emperor was giving her a strange look, as though she expected the singer to do something. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Byleth giving her the same look.

"Well, girl? Out with it. Tell me what it is I sent you to learn."

Suddenly, Dorothea felt something well up inside her. Something that was overwhelming her fear.

She knew what she had to do.

"I have nothing to tell you, Lord Arundel," Dorothea said, trying to put up a brave front. "I'm done with you. I don't need your sponsorship anymore."

"Is that so, girl?" Arundel said crossly as he stepped toward her.

Dorothea flinched back at this, all her courage vanishing in an instant. She had never seen Arundel be so menacing before.

Then, Byleth stepped between them and said, "Stay away from Dorothea, Volkhard von Arundel."

"Step aside, 'Professor'," Arundel said snidely. "This is of no concern to you."

"You're wrong. Dorothea is my student, and I will not tolerate you threatening her in any way."

"Professor…" Dorothea said in awe.

Arundel glared crossly at Byleth, who stared back at him unflinchingly. He then glanced at Edelgard, but her expression clearly showed she wasn't going to help him in this matter.

Then Arundel said, "Very well." As Dorothea looked at him in surprise, he said, "It seems she has nothing more to tell me in any event." He then looked at Dorothea and said, "Do enjoy the Archbishop's graces… for however long they last."

Arundel then turned and left the throne room. As soon as he was gone, Dorothea let out a loud sigh of relief.

"T-Thank you, Professor," said Dorothea.

"Hubert, could you take Dorothea and the Professor to their rooms?" Edelgard said to Hubert. "The ministers and I have much to discuss."

"As you wish, Your Majesty," said Hubert. "Right this way, Professor."

Hubert then led Byleth and Dorothea out of the throne room.

Tell me, am I being cryptic enough with Arundel? It's very hard to write him.

I know Ladislava doesn't have an actual first name in-game, but I decided to give her one. It's honestly a shame she isn't a more developed character, even in Crimson Flower. She's just another face who dies in the war regardless of side. I hope to give her a little more spotlight time in her limited appearances.

I also hope you all liked how I made Count Varley suffer again. He deserves it.