The Imperial army was heading towards Ailell—Galatea's lands would be attacked as a consequence. House Charon offered troops, but Ingrid knew it wouldn't be enough to stop them. The rate at which they made progress was…concerning, even when sending out smaller forces to delay them. She stopped risking those lives after a certain point.
Her goal—her only option, at this point—was to hold them off. Charon's support was the only one she could hope for—only Fraldarius and Gautier remained unshakably loyal to the king in addition to Galatea, and both of them had their own problems to look for. Any other houses preferred to help the Empire or Cornelia, or else claim they wouldn't fight no matter who came for them.
Ingrid wondered how long it would take before Edelgard and Claude arrived. They left Fhirdiad almost two weeks ago; it was possible they were right outside Galatea's lands.
She hoped they didn't hurt the townspeople—that they spared the soldiers. She heard that they had prisoners from Fhirdiad, but the rest were killed. If she knew who the prisoners were, how they were treated, then she might be less worried about the loss of lives. She couldn't say much about Edelgard—she always seemed uninterested in conversation—but Ingrid had stayed in the shared Golden Deer class after Professor Jeritza left. Claude never seemed like one that would waste others' lives.
Someone came behind her, and she turned around to nod a greeting to the scout.
"Duke Riegan's army is nearing the area," he reported.
"How far out?" Ingrid asked.
"Less than a day," the scout replied. "They could be here as soon as sunrise tomorrow."
"Thank you for the report. I will speak with the other soldiers momentarily—please inform my father and brothers."
The scout offered a short bow, then left. Ingrid went to collect Lúin, then met with Galatea's troops. Seeing the house's Hero's Relic seemed to raise their spirits when she joined her family to rally the soldiers.
Her father officially gave the order: defend the city and delay the opposing armies. Everyone was to retreat if they were in any great danger—Ingrid guessed, however, that many would fight until the end, even if it cost them their own lives. No one could persuade them to lay down arms and leave their comrades, even if they were offered riches or peace.
From then, they waited. Ingrid stayed among the troops, determined to fight alongside them. They were all very noble knights—she refused to stay behind and watch them fight and die to protect her own home.
She didn't know how many of them would continue to live after the battle, yet she felt at peace. The others wouldn't be very glad to hear it, but she was prepared to fight and die for her home as well.
The battle began the next morning. Ingrid prayed for some portion of Glenn's strength as the opposing army entered the city.
—
The march only proved that the Central Church wasn't actively helping—there wasn't a single Knight of Seiros among the Charon and Galatea troops. Edelgard wondered if they were advised to stay away, or if Rhea abandoned the single nation willing to grant her asylum; a good case could be made for either, and the latter proved to be more helpful for Edelgard's own use.
Just enough enemy soldiers met with both armies to cost them a few hours of progress, but they made up for it with otherwise quicker movement. Claude's army slowed to fully meet with Edelgard's, and they marched into Galatea territory as a combined force.
They met with House Galatea's main force early in the morning; their strategy boiled down to progress. Even with Charon supporting them, they didn't have enough soldiers to put up any more than meager resistance. They were able to show that they wanted to stop or hinder the Imperial and Alliance armies, but couldn't actually do much more than show.
Edelgard still fought alongside the others, even if her support wasn't required. Only Hubert stayed especially close—although she could see Byleth and Monica fighting a ways off, still within distance for one group to support the other if needed—due to the lack of mages.
The Kingdom soldiers fought bravely, but in the end the idealization of knightly virtues cost many of them their lives. It was disrespectful to say they died without purpose, yet…it still felt like a waste. If they had more time—more training—they might have been able to put up a better fight.
What ultimately won the battle was support from the Alliance through Ailell, trapping Galatea and Charon's soldiers. They continued to fight and die; precious few surrendered or fled. She wouldn't mind it if it was the final battle—near the end of the war, when the people who died could be admired for their bravery—but when the end wasn't truly in sight, the lives could have gone to more use.
With help from the Alliance army coming from the east, the battle ended in only a few hours. Only near the end did some of the soldiers flee, including most members of House Galatea. Ingrid stayed to fight, the house's Relic serving as her weapon. As per Edelgard's request, she was captured rather than killed.
Lúin was collected; Edelgard didn't want to keep it in the Kingdom's army, nor did she want to let Thales have it. They only lingered there for a short while before heading forward. A majority of the Alliance's soldiers went to their homes; the Imperial army and the prisoners went south to Garreg Mach.
