There were more than a few unknowns when it came to Ashton's plan.

From the onset, Ashton knew that it was a longshot, and those that followed him knew it. Even still, they did not speak out or encourage him to devise a better plan, or create one themselves. Instead, they quietly accepted it, and it was at that moment that Ashton realized the company he kept.

Catherine was entirely devoted to Rhea, and for that, he was both grateful and wary. She was a descendant of an Elite; Thunderbrand proved that, and thus she was an incredibly powerful ally. Still, whenever Ashton looked at her, he could feel the pressure building. Their conversations grew tenser and shorter, until they hardly spoke at all. He could only imagine what would happen once Rhea was saved.

Leonie had been trained by Byleth's father, and her skill in combat showed as such, and yet she seemed aimless, as if she really didn't know what she wanted to do. Five years of war had taken their toll on the girl, it seemed, although she was far more in touch with herself than she let on. That was Ashton's read on her, at least.

Felix was running away from a problem he could not solve, and that was all there was to it.

Ashton had not spoken to Shez much since she had been recruited into their suicide squad, but she didn't seem particularly stressed at the prospect of infiltrating the Empire's capital. If anything, she held a blase attitude, barely dropping her somewhat care-free demeanor. It was refreshing, if a bit concerning.

The only person in the motley crew who seemed to have all of her affairs in order was Flayn, and if one person was to survive if things went wrong, Ashton wanted it to be her. The fact Seteth even let her come along, even if he sent Catherine along with her, was a miracle, especially considering what he heard happened to her during the War of Heroes.

As for Ashton himself, he did not even need to analyze himself to know that he was not alright.

Nonetheless, they went through with the plan. They would ambush an Imperial patrol, loot their armor, and then enter the capital with none the wiser. It was not a foolproof plan; there were plenty of areas in which things could go awry, but Ashton wanted to give it a try. If it meant Rhea could be free, he would do it without question.

On the plus side, Arawn would no doubt be nearby, and with luck, he had heard of a 'Champion' being uncovered at Garreg Mach. That would catch his attention.

Acquiring Imperial uniforms would be the easy part, though. Getting into Enbarr, breaching the Imperial Palace, and finding the dungeons where they kept Rhea would be the hard part. And so, they set about finding uniforms immediately.

It turned out that they didn't need to travel very far from Lake Teutates for that; Imperial supply chains ran straight through most of western Fódlan, on account of most of the western lords of Faerghus swearing fealty to the Empire. While the terrain was difficult, the only other way would be through the Great Bridge of Myrddin to the far east, and doing so would no doubt provoke the Alliance into action. Although Adrestia was a powerful beast of a nation, fighting a two front war was not something Ashton believed they wanted.

He had been wrong before, though, and he would never claim to know the mind of the current emperor. Even her ancestor, Lycaon, had been a hard man to read.

They stumbled upon the Imperial patrol resting at a nearby river. They were unprepared, and when Ashton sounded the call, they were all cut down within a minute or so. Most of the armor they recovered was ill-fitting, but it would work out. It wouldn't be the first time Ashton infiltrated a city while wearing the armor of an enemy.

Just like old times, eh, Roland?

By the time the day was done, the armor had been procured, and the evidence buried. The patrol Ashton and his group had taken over were being sent to requisition supplies from the capital, and so their journey was set from there.

It wouldn't be long before he could hold Seiros in his arms again. Ashton awaited that day with baited breath.

"They all listen to you."

Shez had been the one to approach him first, and Ashton would be embarrassed to say that speaking to her had completely slipped his mind. Thoughts of Rhea had begun to dominate it as of late, leaving less time for much else. They had made camp in a forest near the territory of one of the Empire's nobles, although Ashton could not remember which; there were a lot more than he could remember.

And so there they all were, around a campfire as the sun set below the horizon.

"Inexplicably," Ashton shrugged, holding the Seiros Shield close to himself. "I have been truthful with them ever since we left, and besides Catherine, all of them are here of their own volition, and even Catherine likely would have volunteered if she had been given the chance."

"Maybe you don't give yourself enough credit. It's not a bad plan, at least, from what I can tell," Shez admitted, sitting next to Ashton. "Probably better than anything I would've come up with."

"I know that. I watched you try and decipher a map while we were planning our journey to Enbarr. You are clearly not well-versed in travel," Ashton said, letting a small chuckle. "You are a good fighter, though."

Shez shrugged, crossing her arms. "I always let other people handle that for me. Always been better at cracking skulls than trying to find out where I'm going. Even when I was able to get that mercenary band going, another person would handle navigation for me."

Ashton nodded. "Fair enough. If you cannot do something, it is good to let other, more able people do it for you."

"Now you're just making me feel useless," Shez sighed, "I mean, I can do it in a pinch but I always end up getting lost no matter how hard I try. Guess I'm just cursed."

Ashton let out a breath. "Cursed, eh? That does remind me. I spoke to the Indomitable before we left Lake Teutates, and he said you conjured a sword from thin air. He said it did not resemble anything he had ever seen. Could you summon it right now?"

Shez shrugged before holding out her hand. A faint outline of light appeared before, just as Ashton suspected, a sword materialized in Shez's hand. Looking at it, Ashton could see what Indech had meant; it seemed like a Hero Relic, but there was definitely something different about it. Beyond the bone-like edge, twisted metal followed, and no Crest stone could be found.

"I don't know anything about it either, really," Shez admitted, "I've had it for a few years now, and all I gotta do to use it is think about it. It just appears whenever I need it. Used it for my own style, but other than that, nothing. Do you know anything about it?"

Ashton held out his hand and moved it along the blade's rough side.

"I have no idea either," Ashton finally said, "it almost looks like a Hero's Relic, but it is different in a way I cannot place. Have you ever seen one up close?"

Shez shook her head. "Nope. Never did get very cozy with any nobles, and they're really the ones who use those."

"I find it hard to believe it is not connected in some way to the Hero's Relics," Ashton said, "it is too similar looking, but perhaps it has different origins. No Hero's Relic can simply be summoned with a thought."

"Well, good to know the guy who hired me has no idea what this strange power I've got is," Shez sighed, "not that I expected you to know, but I had my hopes up for a minute there."

"My apologies for disappointing you," Ashton admitted, stroking his chin. "If I knew what it was, rest assured, I would tell you. Even during my own time, such weapons did not exist. Or if they did, I knew nothing of them."

Shez's face scrunched up, and Ashton couldn't help but compare her to an irritated cat. "'Your time?' You don't look that old to me."

Ashton let out a chuckle. "I am far older than you would suspect. I will let you guess."

"Thirty-two," Shez said immediately, "you've been through a lot but you're not very old."

"You are low-balling it really badly, there," Ashton said, smirking. "Go on, I will allow you one more guess."

"Mmmm, forty," Shez said, "final answer."

"I am actually well over a thousand years old," Ashton admitted, "I was alive before Garreg Mach was even a monastery, let alone the seat of the Officers Academy."

Shez's mouth opened as if to retort, but no words came. Her mouth closed with an audible 'clump' as she turned to the side and scratched her scalp.

"...So I was really off, then, huh?"

Ashton nodded. "Oh, very much so. Do not feel too bad, though; I never expected you to guess correctly."

"That actually makes me feel worse," Shez replied before her eyes narrowed. "How's that even possible, though? Is this you mocking me?"

"No. I really am over a thousand years old. The last year I remember was Imperial Year 46. So, around one-thousand one-hundred and forty years, give or take," Ashton continued, "for most of it, I was… stuck inside something, after I was brutally destroyed on the battlefield."

"Stuck in something?" Shez repeated, "like what?"

"Some sort of machine would be my guess. The closest thing I could call it would be a… a… cryo-pod?" Ashton said, as if the world itself was foreign to him. "You likely have no idea what that even is, do you?"

"Yup. No idea," Shez admitted. "Did you go back to where you found it to get a good look at it?"

It was Ashton's turn to open his mouth in response, only for words to fail him. He grumbled, rubbing his temples.

"I did not wish to journey back below ground after spending so long there. I can go over what I know of it, or what happened to me while I was within it, though," Ashton said quietly. "Clearly, Seiros and the other Saints had no knowledge of its workings, else they would have released me. It likely had a timer that they did not want to risk finding, which released me automatically. My wounds were mostly healed when I awoke, so perhaps it has incredibly slow healing properties as well, or perhaps it kept me alive while my body attempted to mend itself. Beyond all of that, I have no idea. Just as you have no idea about your sword."

Shez let out a chuckle. "You know what would really be crazy? If they were related somehow."

Ashton scoffed. "It is so out of the realm of possibility, it may as well be true."

"Well, I mean," Shez began, "if the Saints had no idea, then it obviously isn't from anything back then, and if this sword looks like a Hero's Relic but isn't, maybe… nah, I lost it."

"A shame. I thought you were on to something there for a moment," Ashton sighed. "I suppose it will remain a mystery for the time being. Once we rescue Rhea, perhaps I could ask her if she knows more. She was likely there when I was found, after all."

"There? What- Alright, you know what? I think I've had enough," Shez said, "I've had way too many earth-shattering revelations for one day."

"I could give you a few more," Ashton said, shrugging. "But that would break Seiros' trust in me, and I do not feel like doing that at the moment."

"Nice to know you can be trusted to keep your word. I think I'll go to sleep now," Shez said, leaning back. "Lemme know when it's my turn for the watch. Promise I won't fall asleep during it like last time."

"Somehow, I think you are lying," Ashton muttered.

The road to Enbarr had changed considerably since last Ashton had been through it. Then again, if it had not changed whatsoever, then something must've been very wrong.

While most of the city had been surrounded by grassland and farmland long before even he had arrived, trees, both dead and alive, dotted the plains in greater numbers than they used to. Enbarr had sat near the shoreline, yet somehow the river that ran through it seemed far wider than before. Even from the group's considerable distance, Ashton could see that much. The walls of Enbarr looked similar to how they did during his time, but Ashton was no fool; the city was also bigger, and no doubt the old walls had been swallowed up by new buildings.

Beyond that, Ashton could not see the old priory in which he had stayed for the first few years he spent in Fódlan. The only thing that resembled where it had once been were some oddly shaped hills near the old road that could've been the former foundations for it.

All of it only served to prove that the city before him, though it retained the name, was not the Enbarr he had grown to call home.

"Staring off into the sky again? Don't make me regret coming with you."

Ashton blinked before turning to look at Felix, the disgruntled noble scion looking a bit too small for his blackened plate mail disguise. Almost everyone was in black plate mail, except for Flayn, who couldn't find a piece in her size. And so, she would be used as back-up; staying on the outside, and securing an escape route if necessary. While the amount of people Ashton had with him was slightly smaller than the patrol they had ambushed, he was confident he could talk his way into the gated city.

"Just reminiscing, Felix," Ashton replied, "You would, too, if you saw a city over a thousand years before what it is now."

Felix rubbed his forehead. "Maybe, but I don't care. We have a job to do, so let's do it."

"So unempathetic," Ashton grunted, "Very well. I would rather get this done soon. If I would like to hold- nevermind. Is everyone ready?"

"Yeah, or else I wouldn't bother talking to you like this," Felix said.

Ashton nodded, the sun glinting off his helmet. "Good. Let us be away, then. The sooner we get inside, the sooner we can leave."

The closer they came to Enbarr, the more memories came billowing out of the recesses of Ashton's mind. He could remember so clearly the first battle he had been a part of, in Fhirdiad, when he first saw a Hero's Relic, as they were called in the present. It was such a simple tactic, disguising one's self as the enemy and infiltrating their ranks. Hopefully it would work a second time.

They approached Enbarr in a small formation, with Ashton at the front, Leonie and Shez at his side, and Felix and Catherine behind them. Catherine looked particularly distressed being in Imperial armor, but it could not be helped. It may have also had something to do with leaving Thunderbrand behind with Flayn, but Ashton couldn't be certain. When they reached the gates of Enbarr, Ashton was met with a familiar sight.

"Halt," a deep voice said, as a man in the same black plate mail approached. Ashton remembered the way Ella had addressed him, Roland, and Cethleann in a similar way, over a thousand years before. "State your business."

"We were a patrol that was sent out a few days ago, sir," Ashton said, doing his best to change his voice. "We were supposed to deliver supplies to the front, but we were… attacked by something."

"Demonic beasts?" the man asked, raising a brow. "Your armor looks battered enough for that to be the case."

"Truthfully, sir," Ashton grumbled, "we have no idea. It happened at night, and by the time we had our weapons in hand, our adversaries were gone, with all of our supplies stolen. We had to use the last of our elixirs just to ensure that we survived."

"Do you have documentation?" the man asked, crossing his arms. "I want to believe you, but I need proof that you were actually sent from here."

"Of course. They were courteous enough to leave us that much. We lost several people to this menace and buried them near our old campsite, if you wish to send a search party," Ashton continued, rummaging through his pack before producing the orders the man asked for.

After reading it for a few moments, the man nodded. "I might do that, but this war is obviously taking its toll on all of us. I'm not sure I'll be able to do it until the winter, and by then it might not be worth it. I'll take your word for it, though. I assume you are Gideon, then? The leader?"

Ashton nodded, his brows furrowing. "Yes, sir."

"I thought as much. Some of the men were speaking of you the other day. I would speak to your old mother, if I were you; I am afraid she might not have much longer to live."

Ashton swallowed a growing lump in his throat. "I… I will do that immediately, sir. May we be allowed in?"

"Of course. Just be sure to report to the nearest captain before the end of the day," the man said, "I will alert them to your return, as well as the loss of the supplies. Do not take it so harshly; we have been losing men in that part of the kingdom for a long while. Personally, I think they're being sent there on purpose, but who am I to question our emperor?"

Ashton shook his head. "I should've known it would happen."

"Well, hopefully with the emperor gone out to fight herself, it won't be so bad. Anyway," the man stood aside. "Go on in. And welcome back, friend."

Ashton almost felt bad for tricking the captain at the gate, but he pressed on with everyone behind him anyway, straight into the city. The streets of Enbarr were nothing like how they used to be; the architecture had become blockier, with the buildings more closely huddled together, such that there were only a few small alleys in between the bigger corner buildings along the main cobbled road.

The people that passed them smiled at them, as if welcoming them back home. It was bittersweet to Ashton, who once called Enbarr as such, but the people he walked by were not the same as the people he had greeted after a successful mission over a thousand years before. It made it difficult to proceed, at least.

And then, after cresting a small hill, Ashton's gazed upon the Imperial Palace, in all of its glory. Even if the city of Enbarr had changed, Ashton remarked to himself that the Palace had barely changed at all. He had seen it from the vantage point they had before traveling toward the main gate, but Ashton had a hard time acknowledging it. Of course, some things had changed; many new wings had been added to the Palace, with similar architecture to match, with its curved, dome-shaped roofs and sturdy, white stone walls.

Ashton wiped at his eyes before motioning toward one of the few alleyways they could find. It was a dingy, wet alleyway that smelled moldy, but it would do Once they were inside, Catherine took off her helmet and shook her head, her blond hair falling behind her shoulders.

"I hate this place already," Catherine grumbled. "I feel naked without Thunderbrand with me."

"Yeah, and I almost feel like trying to get that bow was a waste of time, since I couldn't even bring it with me," Leonie stated, "Makes me wonder why I even came along."

"Because you care about the war effort and the people who fight in it, such that you do not mind abandoning your armaments for a short while to ensure that the archbishop is not incarcerated for another moment," Ashton said, his lips thin as he ran a hand through his hair. "All of you are important, and though I do not think we shall be bound by friendship for all time, I do thank all of you for being here with me. And Flayn, too, for selflessly guarding our weapons."

"And my shield," Felix commented, rubbing his forehead. "Even though I barely use it."

"Makes sense. I saw all the scars on you when I walked on- Er, forget I said anything," Shez said quickly.

Ashton stared at the purple-haired mercenary who gave a shrug and a sheepish smile in response, causing him to sigh.

"In any event, we are inside, and from here, it is a straight shot to the Palace. I have little doubt that they are holding the archbishop in the dungeons there," Ashton said.

"Yeah, and how do you plan on getting in there?" Felix asked. "Unless you plan on getting us imprisoned with her."

"Believe it or not, that did, indeed, cross my mind," Ashton admitted, rubbing his chin. "But, no. It will be much simpler than that, on account of Emperor Edelgard being away. There were very few men on the walls around Enbarr, which likely means she has taken most of her soldiers with her, leaving a scarce few elite behind to guard the capital. We must hurry if we are to take advantage of this."

"Still haven't answered the question," Catherine pointed out, holding her arms out to her side. "Do you just wanna barge on in and break her out?"

"I am a fan of the blunt hammer approach," Ashton said, "it's brutally efficient and leaves little room for screwing around. I believe we could brute force our way in, but we will need to be more discrete on our way out, else we will be swarmed before we know it."

Leonie shrugged. "Personally, I think we could just sneak in. There aren't a lot of guards around, right?"

"Not along the walls, but within the dungeons - they are still likely to be well-armed, even if they do not have many guards," Ashton said. "And I do not have the Seiros Shield on me. Perfect. We will need to use these scavenged weapons in order to retrieve Rhea, but hopefully it will be worth it."

"Well, if we're done wasting time here, maybe we should get going? Time's wasting," Shez said, pointing toward the sky. It was midday.

Ashton nodded. "Yes. The end of this adventure is near."

On the approach to the Imperial Palace, Ashton readied himself.

Fighting against the Imperials as the assaulted Garreg Mach was one thing, ambushing a small convoy heading toward the front lines was another thing, but assaulting guardsmen who were simply doing their jobs was another thing. Ashton knew, however, that the blunt hammer approach, as he so eloquently called it, would be the easiest and simplest way to reach Seiros.

Perhaps her closeness was finally, truly starting to get to him. Ashton knew he was getting impatient, and that would likely lead to him making mistakes if the current approach did not end up working out. Nonetheless, he pressed forward, an axe in hand. It was a short, one-sided thing, but it would do for the moment.

As Ashton and his group moved forward, they approached the doors to the dungeons; Ashton remembered where they were, and thankfully, that part of the palace had not changed much. No guardsmen questioned their presence until they reached the doors themselves, when they were stopped by two of them.

"I would ask that you stop right there, sir," the guardsmen said, holding out his hand as his partner readied his spear.

"Then ask," Ashton responded without missing a beat, continuing his march forward.

"Excuse me?"

"You are excused."

Before the guardsman could blink, the blunt side of Ashton's axe crashed into the side of his head, sending the poor man to the ground in a heap of iron and leather. The other guard immediately tried shouting, but was interrupted by Catherine hitting him in the top of the head with the pommel of her sword. Both men were on the ground, and quickly, Ashton rummaged around their waists until he found a ring of keys.

"Well, that is that," Ashton grumbled, "I ought to just bash my way through this door, but no reason to act impolite now, eh? Let us drag them to the bushes where they won't be found."

Before long, both of the men were dragged into a nearby garden, where they would undoubtedly be found later by a passing groundskeeper, if they didn't awaken before then. But they were out for the count, and that's what mattered. Ashton felt his hands shaking as he used several of the keys on the door until one of them worked, opening the door and shining natural light into the dungeon below.

Ashton swallowed the growing lump in his throat, looked at the companion at either side of him, before continuing forward.

Of the four people he had with him, only Catherine seemed to share in Ashton's nervousness, and he knew it was for reasons he would rather leave well alone.

As the team marched into the dungeons, torches upon their sconces lit the rest of the way. It was at that point that Ashton wondered if he had chosen the right dungeon; perhaps they had made one specifically to imprison Seiros, which wouldn't be out of the question considering she could turn into a dragon the size of a building. On the other hand, if they kept her weak, it would be easier to simply chain her up and lock her away within the very dungeons they wandered through. Nonetheless, Ashton pressed forward, his group beside him.

It wasn't long before they came upon other guardsmen, and they were quickly dispatched before they made too much noise, although the clanking of their plate mail rang out through the dingy stone brick halls.

Ashton could feel his heart pounding in his throat, and his palms sweating through the fabric of his gloves, even as he held his axe tightly. The moment had finally arrived. He could feel it in the air; it was as if he could barely breathe. If Seiros knew he was coming, doubtless it would be worse for her. A thousand years of separation for her had been merely a few months for him, though it felt longer than that. Far longer.

One last push into the dungeons, and Ashton found her.

It looked as if the Empire had found a middle ground between his two worries; an entire cell had been built at the farthest reach of the dungeons, signified by the different stonework. Iron bars separated Ashton from Seiros, with a generous doorway between. A pale light shone into the cell, revealing Seiros' form.

She had been chained to the wall, both of her hands cuffed to it. She looked emaciated and paler than last he had seen her, and her green hair hung about her head, unwashed and unkempt. Despite that, he could see her face peeking out of her bangs, eyes shining in response to seeing a new figure enter her line of sight.

"Come to gawk at me, have you? I preferred Edelgard's last guardsmen. At least they had the decency to stay away," she murmured, though her words carried very little, if any venom.

"I would make for a poor guardsman," Ashton replied, the lump in his throat making it difficult to speak as he placed his hand against the bars. "Considering I gave all of them a wallop on my way here."

Ashton heard a sharp intake of breath as Seiros raised her head, peering into the darkness. He was cognizant of those at his side, but at that moment, he did not care. He barely even heard Catherine's audible gasp at the state Seiros was in. Ashton moved to the side and began working at the door, trying different keys to see which one worked.

"It cannot be…" Seiros mumbled, and Ashton looked to see her wide green eyes staring at him even as he fiddled with the lock. "I cannot- I will not believe it is you. You cannot be here. This is a figment of my diseased mind, wishing for happier times."

"The happier times are on their way, just as soon as I can get this thrice-damned door opened- to hell with this!"

Ashton threw his axe to the side along with his keys and braced himself against the door, pulling on them with all of his might. He could feel the metal groan and the bars he held bend, but it wasn't enough, and so he pulled harder, putting all of his body into the action. With one final, loud clunk followed by a screech that would make a wyvern blush, the metal door of the cell was ripped from its hinges.

Throwing the removed door to the side and hearing it 'clang' against the ground, Ashton rushed into the cell before his legs felt as if they had turned into jelly. He found he could barely move as he stood in Seiros' presence, her green eyes staring at him and shaky breaths leaving her open mouth. Ashton could feel at least one other person enter the cell with him before he moved forward, clutching his hands against the manacles, feeling them out before clenching his fist around them. Though they had once been strong, years of neglect had left them brittle, and with one final tug, Ashton ripped them off, and Seiros was freed.

Seiros fell forward, unable to support her weight as Ashton quickly dropped the remnants of the manacles, hearing them clatter to the ground as he wrapped his arms around Seiros' falling form. Ashton could feel her breath against the skin of his neck, making him shiver.

Ashton had to keep himself from falling apart then. He held Seiros up, looking her in the eye.

"Can you walk? Can you move?" Ashton asked, trying to keep his voice level.

Seiros let out gasping breaths as she looked down at her feet, attempting to take a step forward before stumbling again. Ashton turned to Catherine, who had seemingly been watching the exchange unfurl with a dour expression on her tanned face.

"I will help her out of here. You must go with the others and make sure the doors to the dungeon are still clear. Go, we will be right behind you."

Catherine nodded dully before barking orders at the others, and a moment later, Ashton and Seiros were alone.

"You were…" Seiros mumbled out, as if unused to speaking too much. "You were in the Tomb, last I had known. How is it that you stand before me? How are you holding me? I don't…"

"I don't know either, really," Ashton began, making sure Seiros was standing before continuing. "But I'm here now, and that's what matters to me."

"For… for over a thousand years, I dreamed of a day such as this," Seiros croaked, "when we would be as we were, before you were taken, before everything. I dreamed of my mother watching on as we went to live our lives, far away from the battlefields. And now that you stand here, I can't help but wish it was different."

"Like I said, we'll have all the time in the world once we get out of here," Ashton whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Come, I will carry you if I must."

Seiros' legs trembled before Ashton hooked his arms behind her back and knees. Holding her like that, Ashton could feel Seiros press the side of her head against his chest, and sigh.

After that, both were silent. Ashton had to give Emperor Edelgard credit: she did not discriminate. There were others within the dungeons, perhaps political prisoners or prisoners of war, that were in similar conditions. And if Edelgard had kept Seiros chained for a majority of her time, starved but not beaten or tortured, then Seiros could be used as a deterrent. For what or who, Ashton had no idea, but trying to convince Seiros was a near-impossibility once she had her mind set on something, so whatever Edelgard had in mind for her was a lost cause from the start.

Other cells had been opened, although none of the prisoners seemingly attempted to escape. Ashton simply passed them by.

When he finally broke out into the world outside, nearly blinded by the light of the sun, Ashton was met with steel at his throat.

The others were in similar positions, all of them staring down at a wall of spears and swords. Not one of them dared to move. Ashton simply stood at the doorway dumbly, looking out at the soldiers that surrounded them impassively.

"Did you really believe we would not discover your escape attempt?" the captain from the gates they had entered moved to the front of the formation. "I knew what you were the moment you entered the city. It was an admirable effort, but fortunately, you aren't nearly as clever as you believe you are."

"Well," Ashton said, his mouth feeling alien to him. "I have never claimed to be a smart man, and perhaps desperation guided my actions."

"I'll say," Felix commented.

Ashton looked up to the sky, seeing what looked like a jet-black speck on the horizon, squinting at it.

"What are you looking at? Did you set up a wyvern rider to cover your escape?" the captain asked, "I will have them peppered with arrows if you do not call them off. Surrender now, and you will not be harmed. You will be prepared for an audience with Emperor Edelgard herself."

The speck grew bigger, until it did indeed look like a wyvern, but something was different. Wyverns had their wings attached to their front limbs. The creature that Ashton could see gliding toward them had wings independent of its front limbs.

"I do not think I can call it off," Ashton muttered. "I do not know what that is."

The captain squinted before turning around just as the entity readied itself, its massive jaw open as it slammed into the ground with such force that the very ground seemed to ripple like a wave. The soldiers the captain had brought with him were sent flying as a roar echoed in Ashton's ears.

When Ashton beheld the dragon - for that is what it was - his jaw nearly dropped to the ground as he barely stood on his two feet. It reared its head back and let out another loud roar, its shining teeth contrasted with the black scales that covered it.

You are…

CLIFFHANGERRRRRR

Not much else to say other than I'm glad Rhea/Seiros has entered the fic. I'mma have a lotta fun with her and Ashton lol.

Anyway, see you guys next time!