Here's another chapter., about to introduce a couple of OCs.

Disclaimer: Nintendo/Koei Techno developed Fire Emblem and its subsequent games and spinoffs. The associated characters aren't mine, either.

Shadows of a Fractured Empire

A blond haired man in his late thirties with blue eyes, clad in the traditional black and red armor of the Imperial Army with a tunic and pants underneath his armor and a gold cape over his shoulders entered the throne room of the Imperial Palace, one of the last remaining strongholds of the once-proud empire Adrestian Empire. Despite hailing from a minor noble house in the Capital, he had worked very hard to become a general of the Empire.

Duke Gerth and Count Helving waited within, accompanying him was another man with reddish hair and armor and a certain young woman with reddish hair. A woman with dark hair, black and red armor and boots joined them along with another high ranking knight with brownish red hair. Count Bergliez and his son joined them shortly after.

"So out of all of the high-ranking nobles and generals of the empire, we are the only ones left" Lindhardt's father commented, grimly.

"Any sign of Duke Aegir and Emperor Edelgard?" Duke Gerth asked.

The green haired noble, Waldemar nodded"As it so happens, Duke Aegir's body was found yesterday. I already had him buried in an unmarked grave, serves him right."

"Aye" Count Leopold Bergliez said"Caspar and I barely made it through that battle with our lives, I tried to get a search party for the Emperor organized, but my scout reported back to me that they were slain, and the Emperor vanished."

The blond general pondered this, his rank as only a minor lord meant he would only speak when needed, but it troubled him slightly"So we do not know for sure if the emperor is dead or not."

"No way Lady Edelgard would just up and kick the bucket, even if she hasn't been herself" Monica Oches blurted"She's tough."

"What she said" Caspar grunted, he wanted to go find Edelgard himself, but his father had warned him against it, there was no telling what'd happen if he ran into Leicester or Faerghus troops on his own.

"Now we are stuck with a choice: Do we yield, or do we keep on fighting in her majesty's name?" said Count Waldemar"We are under pressure from both the Kingdom and the Leicester Alliance's attacks."

"Already thinking on throwing in the towel?" said another voice as a woman with lavender hair flecked with white came into the throne room wearing dark robes over a set of silver armor"We've still got resources, and I have more to offer."

"Who might you be?" The dark haired woman asked"I am Serena of House Vestra."

"At yes, the little sister of Marquis Vestra" said the newcomer"I am Zadiria, a sorceress of the shadows. I've some resources of my own and troops to lend to last you longer against the encroaching forces of Leicester and Faerghus."

"Auspicious, yet I've never heard of you" said Count Hevring.

"Of course you haven't, I've been observing the state of things from the shadows" Zadiria smiled"The pieces are practically in place for my own plan, which may be beneficial to both of us. So sad that the Emperor cannot join us."

"Where is she?" Monica asked.

The lavender-haired sorceress shrugged"Where indeed? I imagine that she's indisposed, but for now you should be concerned with your own necks. What say we team up to put up a last hurrah for the empire? I'm sure that most of you would rather go down fighting than face the sting and humiliation of surrender."

"Fine, but this alliance will only last until the war ends" grunted Waldamar.

"We know of the treachery and havoc caused by your ilk" Count Bergliez added, not trusting this sorceress one bit"But either way, I'm not about to just give up."

Serena raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

The blond general smiled"Well, I'm all for it. My name is Ricard, a humble duke and knight of House Karu."

"A fine name" Zadiria commented"I have taken the liberty of helping to fortify Fort Merceus, I will provide the Capital with my finest weaponry and troops."

"So be it" Waldamar grunted"Not like I can stop anyone else from dying a foolish, pointless death. If you can help us locate her majesty, that's all the better."

"The Emperor is not my concern, but if it makes you feel better" Zadiria said"And I hear that the kingdom has powerful mercenaries on their side. One in particular has caught my attention."

"I know of her" Ricard stated"Goes by Shez, rumors say that she is the third strongest mercenary next to the mercenary captain Jeralt and the Ashen Demon."

"Shez..." Zadiria let the name sink in for a second"So she..." She shook her head"Never mind her for now, we have work to do."

"Indeed" Duke Gerth nodded.

"Monica, Leopold, Caspar, you will go reinforce Fort Merceus, Hannemann and Manuela are already stationed there, best assist them" Waldamar instructed.

Count Bergliez laughed"Now you're talking."

"The rest of us are to guard the Capital, then?" The reddish brown haired man asked.

"That's the plan" Zadiria replied"And you must be?"

"I am Captain Xavier, my family is from a distant branch of the Von Aegir family" The man replied"On my honor, in place of the Von Aegir bloodline, I vow to help protect the Capital."

"Then its settled" said Duke Gerth.

"Indeed. Everyone prepare yourselves" Waldemar ordered"Leopold, take Serena with you."

Ricard went to get his militia prepared while Monica left with Caspar, Serena and Count Bergleiz.

The joint forces of the kingdom, church and alliance set up camp near Garreg Mach to reorganize and begin plans for the march to the Imperial Capital. Edelgard had been placed in a separate tent from Dorothea and Petra, but was allowed visitation from her former fellow Black Eagles who Shez and Dimitri had managed to convince to join the kingdom army. Petra had taken it upon herself to act as a guard at Edelgard's tent to keep her safe, it had saddened her, Bernadetta and Dorothea that their friend and Emperor was emotionally and mentally wounded from Thales's mind control spell.

'At least you're safe, Eddie' Dorothea thought as she stayed in her and Petra's shared tent. They had found no trace of Ferdinand and Hubert so far, so there was no telling if those two were alive or not.

At the command tent, Dimitri, Rodrigue, Shez, Seteth, Felix and Claude were going over their next strategy.

"We've as good as won the war, but I expect that there are a few hard heads who won't just lay down their arms" the Alliance leader said.

"Somehow I am hardly surprised, despite that that their emperor is in our custody and is incapable of leading her nation at present" Dimitri nodded"Did your scouts get any new information?"

"No, but I have a way for us to get into Fort Merceus, the last huge obstacle between us and Enbarr" Claude grinned"It so happens that I sent a message to Nadar, who is a general of the Almryan army. A group of Leicester soldiers will be disguised as Imperial Troops and the Almyran troops will come attack them, or at least that's what it will look like."

"So we're gonna fool them and sneak our army into their fortress, then?" Shez asked.

Claude smirked"You got it."

Shez nodded"Either way, once we're inside, we shouldn't have too much trouble."

"I asked Lindhardt if he would be willing to provide us with details regarding the fortress's interior, earlier" The blond king continued"He said he doesn't recall as clearly as his friend Casper did, but there are turrets and catapult towers that we will want to contend with."

"Its very likely, we'll want to disable those if we can" said Seteth.

"I agree" Rodrigue nodded.

"I will have the blacksmith start work on Imperial uniforms for our plan, then" said Felix"Its going to take a while."

"Well, its not like we can avoid the fortress, right?" Shez asked.

Dimitri shook his head"They'll just send troops to ambush us from the rear if we tried that. Shez, you and I will take part in this along with Linshardt, Seteth, Flayn, Claude, Byleth and Catherine."

"Since there are fewer Imperials bothering to defend the eastern border, I made arrangements for Leonie and Lysithea to come join us from the rear guard" Claude added"One Fort Merceus is taken, we'll use that as our foothold for the march to Enbarr if the Imperial remnants still won't see reason."

"That sounds like a plan" Shez grinned.

"Right, we'll take the rest of the day to make our preparations" Dimitri said.

Edelgard sat in the tent she had been assigned to, still reeling from what had happened recently and still largely confused. Petra had tried to speak with her once or twice, but she could barely bring herself to try speaking with someone she couldn't remember at the moment, instead asking the Brigid princess to give her some time alone. The Emperor's mind had temporarily regressed to her twelve year old self, but her memory was slowly returning.

Dorothea, Petra, Mercedes and Jeritza came into the tent.

"How are you feeling, Eddie?" Dorothea asked.

"I still seem to have large holes in my memory, and..." Edelgard paused, not wanting to admit how scared she's feeling.

Mercedes felt for her"I can't imagine what its like to lose your memories, but there's no rush."

"Its frustrating" Edelgard admitted.

"Well, we are at liberty to fill you in on a few things" Jeritza said"I didn't feel I should come and see you, but Mercedes insisted. As you might recall, I was a professor at the officer's academy until the war."

"That seems to ring a bell" Edelgard nodded after a moment.

"What bell did it ring?" Petra asked.

"It just means she sort of remembers something regarding the subject" Dorothea corrected the Brigid princess.

"Oh" Petra looked sheepish"So Edegard, what else are you able to be remembering?"

"Only what Dimitri and his mercenary friend filled me in on" Edelgard said before having to stop and message her head for a moment, traces of Thales's spell rendered her unable to remember most of the important stuff, but its magical nature meant that it is slowing wearing off.

"At least we can be certain that whatever that Thales jerk did to your mind was only temporary" Dorothea smiled, then frowned"But unfortunately, Hubie and Ferdie are still missing, and what's left of the Empire is not showing any sign of wanting to stop the war."

'Hubert... Ferdinand...' Edelgard could barely even remember who they are, but to hear that the Twin Jewels of the Empire are dead at worst"What exactly happened to them?"

Jeritza looked away"We haven't seen any sign of them, I fear that they may have perished. They wouldn't have just stood by and let Thales twist the Empire and you into depravity. I knew what Thales was doing, but he had already press-ganged Randolph, Ladislava, Duke Gerth and Count Bergliez into obeying his whims through you and Duke Aegir by the time word came of the Empire's newfound corruption spread. Villages were destroyed under that worm's command, he used you as a puppet."

"Uncle... No" Edelgard clutched her head as she struggled to try and remember while making sense of what she had just been told"So the Empire is nearly destroyed, then?" She blinked a tear upon hearing of her most loyal friend Hubert's possible demise.

"It was all I could do to merely keep you safe" Jeritza told Edelgard somberly"Had I tried to stop Thales or get you away from Duke Aegir, one of his worms could have gotten wind of it. Even I wouldn't have been strong enough to stop this all on my own. Plus, Jeralt's mercenaries were already in Randolph's payyroll. until his and Fleche's deaths."

"Its not your fault" Mercedes said, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"You did what you had to do" Edelgard smiled sadly"I myself had not just been under Thales's spell, I even forgot that he wasn't my uncle. I hope that Ferdinand and Hubert can rest in peace if they are truly dead, but I feel that they may have survived. Hubert is too smart not to have any contingency plans."

"If they are alive and being held hostage somewhere, we can simply be rescuing them" Petra assured her.

"She's right" Dorothea said"Oh, and Dimitri said that he would like to talk to you whenever you're ready."

"Maybe later" Edelgard replied.

"We would also like your help to stop the war once Fort Merceus is taken control of" Dorothea added"Its probably too much of me to ask, but you're the only one who can convince the last of the empire's corrupted leadership to surrender."

The emperor lowered her head for a second in contemplation"My relic, Amyr was destroyed, and I cannot bring myself to fight anymore. I expect that at most, I shall be executed, and I welcome it. As long as I, and any willing leaders who still wish to fight are still active, people will continue to suffer. Plus, Those who Slither in the Dark are probably eradicated entirely, thanks to Dimitri's intervention. So there's no reason for me to live."

"Don't talk like that, Eddie!" Dorothea cried.

"I'm sorry" Edelgard whispered"I don't even remember everything about what had transpired or much of our other friends and allies. Just go. Consider this a final order from your Emperor: Do what you must to end the war."

Jeritza sighed"Very well, but if you are expecting to die soon, that's not going to happen before King Dimitri and Rhea make the final say on what is to become of you. You never were the type to surrender or give up if you can help it, but if this is your choice, so be it." He turned to go.

Dorothea sadly turned and left the tent, followed by Petra.

Edelgard watched them go, contemplating her options and possible fate as she laid back on her makeshift bed to rest up'Perhaps I wasn't thinking clearly, I should reconsider if it will help stop further unnecessary bloodshed.'

The following day saw Dimitri's team and a handful of Leicester Alliance soldiers marching towards Fort Merceus. Lindhardt had complained a bit about waking early, but complied mostly.

The group hid behind some bushes while the Leicester soldiers disguised as Imperial Soldiers walked towards the fortress. Claude hovered not far away on his Wyvern, waiting for Nadar and the other Almryans. It hadn't been easy for Dimitri to suggest they go along with this plan,

'Right on cue' Claude thought as Nadar and a squad of Alymrian Wyvern Riders came into view, charging at the disguised soldiers.

The two groups clashed while Claude and Nadar made their move on each other, clashing blades for a moment as the Imperial soldiers inside the fortress opened the gate.

Seeing their cue, Dimitri, Byleth, Shez, Seteth, Flayn, Catherine and Lindhardt hurried into the interior of the fortress, followed shortly by Claude, Nadar and the Almryan amd Leicester soldiers.

"Now to rid this stubborn old general of its supposed impregnability" Claude grinned.

At the opposite side of the fortress, Zadiria, Monica, Caspar, Selena and Count Bergliez prepared to fight.

"This won't be like last time" Count Bergliez said, then stepped forward to address the Imperial Soldiers"This is our land stand, fight with all you've got! Either we live as proud soldiers of the Imperial Army, or die as soldiers of the army."

Hearing this from a distance, Seteth frowned"Count Berliez still lives."

"I'm not surprised" Dimitri said"We did kill Duke Aegir and practically reduce his soldiers' morale to a point where that bear of a man could not continue on fighting."

"Look, they've got more of those weapons from Those who Slither in the Dark!" Catherine informed them, seeing more turrets than expected.

"Let them try, we split up and take down the traps" Dimitri instructed.

"Right, we're not gonna go down that easily" Shez grinned.

The group rushed into the fortress, where a contingent of soldiers led by Caspar waited.

"Caspar, I really do not want to do this" Lindhardt yawned"But you're leaving us little choice in the matter."

"Don't get lazy on me now, Lindhardt. If you're gonna keep siding with the kingdom you're going down" Caspar rushed at the green-haired Bishop, only for Shez to rush in using her Shadow Warp and block his attack.

"Caspar, why are you continuing to fight? You can still join us in ending the war, Edelgard is alive" Shez grunted.

Caspar jumped backwards"Even if I wanted to, I-"

"Do you want to live or not?" Lindhardt approached"I don't particularly care, but if you care about your life, you will stop while you can. Plus, Edelgard has been indisposed and is resting at the Kingdom's encampment."

Caspar hesitated for a second"Ah, what the heck? I'm tired of fighting for the wrong side, anyway. Might as well try to convince my dad to switch sides, plus, you guys took the Monastery and probably beat the tar out of the Slithers who were manipulating Edelgard and Count Aegir, right?"

"That is correct" Lindhardt nodded"Now I feel like taking a nap."

"Not here, you're not" The brawler exclaimed"We're gonna do this together. Besides, Hubert's little sis is acting as the tactician of this battalion."

Seteth, Flayn and Byleth raced to one catapult, which was being guarded by Manuela and a couple Lancers.

"Seteth, I'm sorry I have to do this" Manuela sighed in regret, she was garbed in a assassin's armor and holding a dagger. A couple of mages joined her squad.

"Its futile, the Empire is on the verge of destruction" Seteth retorted.

"Maybe so, but its too late for me" Manuela darted forward, only for Seteth to dodge.

Flayn cast a light spell at the Assassin while Byleth cut down a couple Imperials.

"Oh my" Manuela gasped"This really is it for me..."

"You're wrong" Flayn said as she blasted an Imperial Armored knight with magic"You still can come back if you wanted. Lady Rhea hasn't said anything about you and Professor Hannemann siding with the Empire"

"I suppose" Manuela hesitated"Its not as though I want to bow out of the stage entirely. I was starting to have some doubts about continuing to fight in this war anyway."

"Thank you" Flayn smiled.

Manuela smiled back, then turned to kill the other Imperial Armored Knight who tried to charge at her for her sudden about-face.

"Is Hannemann here, too?" Seteth inquired.

"Yes, the geezer is guarding the opposite catapult" Manuela replied.

"I will handle the other western Catapult" Byleth said, heading west.

Dimitri and Catherine had cut their way to the eastern side of the fortress where Hannemann, Monica and a contingent of elite Imperial Calvery and Knights awaited them. Claude, Nadar and several Almryans joined the fight as the Imperial Calvery charged downwards.

A Veskam missile suddenly narrowly missed Claude.

"Crap, they have more of those weapons here" Catherine griped as she fought back a couple of Imperial Cavaliers.

"The controls should be nearby" Claude grunted as he shot a couple of Imperial soldiers.

"Why here though? We took down Thales and his ilk at the monastery" Dimitri frowned, barely able to concentrate as he engaged another Imperial Calveryman and cut him down.

"I'm on it" Catherine managed to do in another Imperial Cavalier and headed up the stairs, dodging Veskam missiles.

Monica abruptly cast Bolganoe at Catherine, who dodged.

"Forgetting someone?" Claude shot an arrow at the red-haired mage, driving her back, giving Catherine just enough time to find the Veskam controls and disable it.

"This isn't good" Monica tried to get away, only to get intercepted by an Almryan Wyvern Rider.

Seeing this from his vantage point, Hannemann cast a rain of fire at the Almryans, killing two of them"Monica, get out of there."

The red haired mage was still upset about her father's death the other day, but reluctantly ran in the direction of the northern gate.

Manuela, Flayn and Seteth made their way over to help Claude's group.

Byleth was intercepted by Those who Slither in the Dark remnants, but he managed to narrowly dodge their dark magic, cutting through in response as he made his way to the Catapult, dodging as it was fired at him.

"Need help?" Shez came in, blazing through a few Agarthan troops.

"I appreciate it" Byleth replied, rushing to the Catapult to kill the Imperial General guarding it.

Lindhardt and Caspar waited for the two while taking down more Imperial Remnants after making their way over.

Manuela and Flayn provided backup with spells as Seteth fought a couple Imperial Wyverns.

"Much as the old geezer and I don't get along, I think we should give convincing him to stand down a go" Manuela commented.

Hanneman glanced down from his vantage point"Manuela, you've switched sides?"

"We already lost, old fossil" Manuela called.

"How dare you?" The older mage scowled"Humph. Still, I must concede your point there."

"Then you are to join us and atone for siding with the treacherous Empire?" Seteth asked.

The Crest Scholar nodded"I will join you."

Shez and Byleth returned to the ground level after dealing with the last Catapult in the tower. The purpled haired Merc greeted Lindhart"Managed to get Caspar to switch to our side, right?"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm just doing it for Edelgard's sake" the blue haired brawler replied"But just so you know, Lord Karu and his men are guarding the Capital, on top of that, they've got a weirdo Sorceress doing who-knows-what."

"Let's meet with the others" Shez headed to the main central area of the fortress.

Dimitri, Catherine, Flayn and Seteth had arrived.

"The Catapults and turrets are dealt with, we just need to defeat their commander" Dimitri informed them"And we managed to get Professors Hannemann and Manuela on our side, it seems."

"Don't forget about me" Caspar bragged"I'm ready to start ending this war with you guys."

"Let's go, then" Dimitri led the group to the northern gates.

Count Bergliez, Monica and Selena awaited, the older blue-haired man looked at Caspar"So you decided to defect, after all."

"I got word that Edelgard is alive and the Slitherers have been busted" Caspar smiled"This means we don't have to keep fighting on the losing side anymore, right?"

"I wouldn't speak too soon regarding Those who Slither in the Dark's defeat yet, there was something suspicious about that woman, Zadiria" The count replied"And besides, I've already made up my mind, I've no right to live even for the Emperor's sake."

"Then no more talk" Selena said, tersely, brandishing a Dark magic tome.

"And you are?" Byleth asked.

"Selena, a Tactician of the Empire, and the last Heiress of House Vestra to the best of my knowledge" Salena replied.

"Hubert might not really be dead, you know" Caspar pointed out.

Salena cast Dark Spikes at the brawler, prompting him to dodge"Do I look like I listen to traitors?"

"This will be my last battle for real, this time" Count Bergliez boasted, darting at the group along with an elite squad of Imperials.

Flayn cast Aura at Monica, who dodged and retaliated with Bolganoe.

Shez and Dimitri charged at Count Bergliez, who blocked their weapons with his gauntlet and retaliated with a couple punches and a kick. Caspar immediately rushed forward and kicked his father back"It may go against our nature as loyal warriors of the Empire, but I can't fight for the Empire any longer."

Count Bergliez grunted and charged again, kicking at Caspar, who dodged and punched back.

Salena cast Hades at Seteth, who narrowly dodged, Shez quickly rushed in to slash at the dark haired spellcaster, driving her back.

Flayn had managed to avoid Bolganoe, casting Aura again, razing the red-haired mage slightly. Monica groaned in pain and cast a Fireball in retaliation, Flayn dodged and cast another Aura spell, weakening her.

"Monica, what do you think Edelgard would want you to do?" Lindhardt called"You are going to get yourself killed."

Monica groaned"I suppose you're right, but are you saying you and the Kingdom have her!?"

"She's fine, but mentally scarred" Shez informed the red-head"We can't give you back your father, but we can keep you safe."

"Lord Karu and the witch Zadiria won't give in, neither will I!" The red-haired mage declared, casting Bolganoe at Shez, who dodged and warped to her side, slashing her.

Monica groaned again as she was cut down"Urgh... So I guess this is it for me."

"You're wrong" Manuela came forward to administer an elixir"I don't know if Edelgard will be allowed to live, but do you really want to keep fighting a hopeless battle?"

"Professor Manuela... You're right" Monica grunted as she let herself be captured.

Caspar darted to his father's side, punching at him, only for Count Bergliez to block.

"You've grown strong, son" the count smiled, shoving him back.

Salena tried casting Hades at Caspar, wounding him"Know this, even if we fall, the Capital still has Lord Ricard Karu to protect it and the other two Ministers from harm. Despite his low standing, he's a strong knight."

"So this Karu is guarding the Capital, good to know" Dimitri nodded.

Salena cast Dark Spikes at Dimitri, only for Catherine to interpose, taking a couple of hits.

Flayn cast Aura, driving the female dark mage back.

Count Bergliez, meanwhile was torn as his son got hurt"Caspar."

"I got this" Manuela came to tend to the blue-haired brawler.

"Do you yield?" The king pointed his lance at the count.

Count Bergliez smiled"You sure seem strong, let's finish this here."

"Wait, who's Zadiria?" Shez asked.

"A witch of unknown alignment, she could be associated with Those who Slither in the Dark, but probably not, she wasn't very forthcoming of her history" the count replied"That's all I know, now, to business" he rushed Shez, who dodged and slashed him across the thigh. Dimitri followed with a punch to the Count's chest, knocking him flat out.

Salena considered her options, standing back"If I die now, House Vestra is finished. You've won this round, but I'm not ready to just lie down and die." With that, she teleported away from the fortress.

Manuela finished tending to Caspar and went to check on Count Bergliez"What's next?"

"We're taking him alive, I do not wish to kill every last one of the Empire's remnants, especially if they're willing to talk" Dimitri replied"But for now, we rest and prepare for our assault on Enbarr. We've taken the fortress."

Claude and the Almryans flew down and landed to give their Wyverns a break.

"That was some fighting" Nadar grinned.

"Thanks for helping out, Nadar" Claude said.

"No thanks needed, kiddo" The Almryan general chucked.

Shez glanced around"I think I'll go scout the parameter just in case. There might be more Slitherers lurking."

"All right, but I'm going with you" Byleth told her.

"Be careful, you two" The king cautioned.

Shez nodded and headed outside with Byleth, the two mercenaries heading out the front gate. Outside, waiting was a certain lavender-haired sorceress with a few soldiers guarding her.

"Impressive, you two must be the best mercenaries in Fodlan" commented the woman.

Shex stopped to see the speaker, her face looked much like her own save for the lighter shade of purple hair"Are you Zadiria?"

"Indeed, and you must be Shez" the older woman nodded"And your friend there must be the Ashen Demon."

"Yes, I am" Byleth replied"Count Bergliez told us about you, what's your aim in assisting the remnants of the Empire?"

Zadiria smiled darkly, laughing"So you heard my name at the very least." With that, she turned to address the purple haired Mercenary"Shez, quite a quaint name you have there. Quite the talk of the whole of Fodlan by now, I daresay."

"How do you know me?" Shez asked, confused.

"Its a very long story" The Sorceress replied"One that I will not divulge this very instant. But I will say this, you have caught my interest, you must have gained some special power, which I find rather fascinating."

Shez paused in place to process this, whoever this mystery person is, she suspected it may have to do with her past"If you know of me, do you know about Arval?" It seemed like a silly question, but she wanted to get as many details as possible.

"I couldn't tell you if I did right this moment" The older woman replied, snapping her fingers to signal a few of her men to draw their weapons"Do you wish to come with me quietly and I may explain everything? Or will you persist in saving this sorry region of the continent?"

Shez looked at the soldiers present, this lot she could deal with, but she was a bit tired from fighting the Empire in the fortress"I can't just leave, the kingdom has me on Retainer."

"Spoken like a true mercenary" Zadiria smiled even more widely"But I will not let you go so easily" she chuckled.

Byleth had a funny feeling he had to protect Shez and somehow get information on this suspicious sorceress, but the soldiers accompanying the sorceress looked to be a tough bunch. The Ashen Demon drew his blade"You will have to go through me first." It was subtle, but his newfound love for Shez was slowly driving him.

Zadiria simply smiled, chuckling wickedly as her escort drew their weapons, a couple of them had tomes"You are just two Mercs. You will find that I am highly proficient at magic." She laughed again.

Cliffhanger time, if I did it right, that is. As for Caspar and his father's appearance in this chapter, it was possible to defeat Duke Aegir in chapter 14 of Azure Gleam without killing Count Bergliez and Caspar, but nothing comes of that, so I decided to roll with this. If the action sequences were too rushed, sorry about that.

I'll see when I can get the next chapter ready. Thanks for adding it to your favorites, Bigi. I hope this chapter was just as enjoyable.