"Halt!" The head bannerman's voice boomed over the militias' troops. The sound of armour clanking and boots marching came to an abrupt cease as Edelgard rose a hand to steady the strike force.
Dawn had come, and with it, the siege of Derdriu.
Edelgard strode out of the front lines. Considering the size of the army, the silence was palpable. No one even dared to mumble, each unit waiting in anticipation of their Emperor's words. They looked to her as a lost sailor would to a lighthouse – a beacon of hope within a sea of burdens.
Byleth and Hubert followed suit, taking their respective places at her side. Byleth gazed out over the army, some faces familiar, some not. Although leadership came to her naturally, knowing she was responsible for so many lives was something she was still not used to. She didn't want a single ally to fall, and yet it was inevitable that many would. And knowing Claude, that number would be far higher than they expected or even dared to think about.
Edelgard turned, looking out over the port as if it were already hers. "It seems Claude has blockaded the city and occupied the naval port."
"If that is the case, he will have no choice but to engage us from there," Hubert replied confidently.
"Yes. Though putting myself in Claude's place leaves me with an unpleasant feeling... If we take over the port and close the entry to the city, Derdriu will be under our control. Each soldier should bear that in mind as they advance."
"Banners from the east!" Petra shouted as she descended from the sky, her mount landing in a flurry of feathers. It whinnied anxiously as the Brigid princess dismounted, bowing in greeting. "It is the Almyran army, My Lady, they have come to support the Alliance!"
"Ugh, you really did it, Claude!" Edelgard said, a flash of fury in her typically calm eyes.
"I will have the flying units intercept their Wyverns before they can reach the bulk of the army," Byleth said without a moment's hesitation, "We can't have them flanking us."
"I will bolster the forces where Byleth's battalions will be absent, Lady Edelgard."
"Your confidence is encouraging," Edelgard replied, "very well. Take care of the main Almyran force. Don't allow them to break the line. We will carry on as planned. Hopefully, Claude has no more surprises for us."
Byleth nodded unflinchingly before whistling for her Wyvern. "Petra, have your battalion ready, you're coming with me."
"Of course, you can be relying on me!" she replied intensely.
"Be careful, my teacher, I shouldn't need to remind you that Claude wields a Relic weapon. Be mindful," Edelgard said.
"Agreed," Hubert replied tersely, his eyes wavering on Byleth for a long moment.
She nodded before turning to the army. "Flying battalions, 3, 4 and 8. With me!" She shouted as she mounted her Wyvern. Hector's huge wings beat against the air, launching them powerfully into the sky. Petra joined her as she looked on, watching the battalions take to the skies. Within moments she was flanked by allies, the sound of beating wings and cheers of determination filling the heavens.
Edelgard then shouted terse words of encouragement to her troops. The earth rumbled with marching feet and roars of resolve.
The horns of war bellowed, and thus the battle began.
The battle was raging beneath the blistering midday sun. Byleth wiped the sweat from her brow, her breaths hard and heavy as another Wyvern rider slammed into her side. She grunted, whipping the sword of the creator into a long, deadly arch. The spine-like blades detached, shredding the opponent's wings to ribbons. The creature screeched in pain as both it and its rider fell towards the raging sea. She looked down as they dropped; the oceans' brilliant blue surface sullied with pools of red blood like a grim patchwork. Knowing some of those blotches were those of her allies stung her to the core.
More enemies swooped in towards them, though she had time to glance towards the port. It seemed the Empire's forces were cutting a path through the Alliance, it wouldn't be long now until they reached Claude, putting an end to the bloodshed. At least for this battle.
Petra dove down to join her, she seemed just as exhausted. "I'm… with you, Professor!" She breathed heavily. "They are beginning to hold back… I think the Almyrans are ready to retreat!" Her tanned skin was slicked with blood, lance arm beginning to shake. Her Pegasus seemed equally tired, it's porcelain white hide mottled with deep reds as well.
"We just need to hold out for a bit longer," Byleth soothed as the harsh winds buffeted her face. "Here they come!"
They whirled back into combat, a flurry of steel and scales. She braced herself as her blade ripped through the flesh of another opponent, not daring to watch again as they descended from the skies. She took a moment to pause, her own body had collected its own share of wounds. At this range, it was unlikely any healers would be able to help.
A blinding streak of light flashed passed her, it was so close she could feel the air current against her face. Mere centimetres closer and it would have had her head.
"What? What was that? No archers should have that range," she muttered as her eyes scanned the harbour. Then she spotted him. Claude. Readying another shot from the Relic bow. He let another arrow loose and without time to react it shot straight through hectors wing. The wyvern roared in agony as they began to lose altitude, his wings flapping erratically. "Hang in there, boy!" she cried, trying to take control of him. She looked back, trying to get a good look at Claude, it was clear he wasn't aiming to kill, but the prospect of falling into the ocean could finish the job.
"Professor!" Petra shouted, rushing to her aid.
It was then that Byleth noticed something chilling, Claude's aim shifted.
"Petra, get away!" she shouted, but it was too late to explain. Without thought she quickly changed Hector's course, rolling him around to fall in front of Petra.
The pain rang deep. She wasn't sure where she had been hit. At that moment all she could feel was the burning pain and the sudden loss of control. She wouldn't have even known she was falling through the sky if it weren't for the screeching winds across her body.
She felt a halt as she began to lose consciousness, the beating of horse hooves. A familiar scent… Then nothingness.
The blurriness began to subside, yet her body still felt scorched. Her mouth was dry, and the only comfort was that she was lying upon something soft. She struggled for a moment, trying to remember what happened.
"Easy, professor, try not to move so suddenly," Linhardt's voice said at ease, "you had us all scared for a moment back there." He helped her up into a sitting position. The gentle light of morning greeted her as she opened her eyes. "Send word to Lady Edelgard," he muttered to another healer in the room,
"Right away," his assistant replied.
She placed a hand upon her head, trying to subdue the headache. "How long was I unconscious for?" she croaked.
Lin poured her a glass of water. "A day," he replied frankly, handing it to her.
"A day?" She sipped the water, the relief was intoxicating, but her mind raced. "What happened?"
"Well… We won the battle if that's what you're asking." He paused, watching her studiously, "If you mean what happened to you, you took one of Failnought's arrows to the chest. Do you not remember? Something that painful would be hard to forget."
"Yes… I remember a bit," she said as she organised her thoughts. "Is Petra alright? Was she hurt? What about Hector?"
"Physically, Petra is fine – the peak of physical fitness," he said in a matter-of-fact way, "mentally, well, I think she's angry at herself for putting you in that position. Hector survived; he's receiving treatment of his own."
"I can't believe I slept through the rest of the battle…" She placed down the glass of water and hung her head.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," he replied nonchalantly, folding his arms. "Your quick thinking meeting the Almyran forces mid-air saved a lot of lives. In fact, your self-sacrifice was quite inspiring."
"I can attest to that," Edelgard said as she walked into the room. It seemed the turbulence of war had settled; she was dressed more casually than usual. "I wish to speak with the professor, you are relieved, Linhardt."
"Gladly," he replied as he let out a yawn. "I think I've definitely deserved a nap. See you later, professor." He walked away without a moment's hesitation.
"I'm glad to see you're awake. I was worried about you," Edelgard said as she took a seat by Byleth's side. "Thanks to your efforts, our battle with the Alliance reached its conclusion. However, we still cannit afford to be careless. We must now join the battle against the Kingdom. With the strength of the church on their side, they will prove to be a formidable enemy. More than ever, your support is invaluable. We'll need it in the weeks to come. But for now, get some rest and celebrate our victory."
Byleth breathed a sigh of relief as she fought back the pain in her chest. "I'll be back on my feet in no time, don't worry about that. Especially if there's a celebration."
Edelgard hummed a laugh. "Maybe I should arrange something when we return to the Monastery… It would be good for morale. I think we all deserve it."
"Not much to arrange, just keep the alcohol flowing and I doubt you'll get any complaints."
"That is true. But still, I'd like to make it special."
Byleth looked towards the door. Something was missing. "Has… Hubert not come to see me?" she asked, voice low.
"He has." Edelgard then looked away, it seemed she was uncertain about something. "He… hasn't taken this very well. I tried to slap some sense into him but he's being stubborn as usual."
"What do you mean?"
"I suppose you don't remember." She collected her thoughts. Byleth's insistent gaze bidding her to continue. "The moment you began to fall out of the sky, Hubert charged off on his horse to save you. Before now I'd never seen someone punch a hole through enemy lines so fervently. He managed to warp you back to the shore before you hit the sea." She stopped for a moment, bringing a hand to her chin. "The look on his face when he brought you back, we thought you were dead."
Byleth said nothing.
"No matter how many times I tell him he made the right call, he still regrets leaving my side. It's not like I can't handle myself – I had an army to my back as well. He takes his sense of duty to a level I've never seen before. I appreciate the sentiment, but putting your own life ahead of someone you care about is incredibly noble – yet he sees it as a failure to protect me. I believe that's why he's being so stubborn."
"I should speak with him," Byleth said, trying to get herself out of the bed. The pain then clenched down across her chest and she heaved.
Edelgard grabbed her gently, settling her back on the bed.
"It's good to see your spirit intact. But you need to rest. There will be a time for that." She smiled. "You took a relic weapon to the chest, not many people experience that and survive."
