Here's another chapter.
Disclaimer: I may be redundant, but I feel I should say that Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes was made by Nintendo and Koei-Tecmo.
The Empire's Land Stand
The following morning saw the Kingdom, Alliance and Church forces gathering for the final battle with the Adrestian Empire's remnants. Dimitri, Shez, Seteth, Claude and Rodrigue gathered after breakfast at the Command Tent.
"I sent a messenger early in the morning to try to convince the Empire's other leaders who aren't in our custody to surrender, but I've no reply" Dimitri started.
Rodrigue nodded grimly"Even when the odds are sorely against them, they certainly are willing to keep fighting for their countries, which is hardly surprising. Regardless, all that's left is to capture or kill the remaining leaders of the Remnants."
"Indeed" Seteth nodded"Dimitri, Claude, I must ask this of you: When the Adrestian Empire falls this day, we must rebuild and restore order to the destroyed regions around Enbarr and appoint a Consul Governor to Enbarr to oversee the region. Are you to split the old imperial territories between the Kingdom and the Alliance?"
"Most of the nobles in the alliance are very competitive" Claude replied, shaking his head"We would just be asking for a smaller scale war should they start fighting each other over land."
Seteth nodded in understanding"That's a valid point, what Fodlan needs is stability. It would be for the best if control over former Imperial Territories were to simply placed under the rule of the Kingdom."
"That could work" Dimitri agreed"If we pour together our resources with those of the church, we should be able to reestablish and rebuild the territories and villages that were destroyed by Thales and Duke Ageir's forces." He then looked at Claude"Claude, can Seteth and I count on you to assist in the restoration of the devastated territories?"
The Alliance leader grinned"Heh, of course. Its not as though I would be be willing to just leave destroyed villages as they are, can't have them becoming hideouts for bandits and their like."
"So what's the plan for the assault on the Capital?" Shez asked.
"We will need to take control of the city before we can attack the palace" Dimitri replied"I plan on having you, Catherine, Dedue, Sylvain, Ingrid, Ashe, Mercedes, Felix and Anette join us for the attack."
"Nadar has agreed to stick around and help, the Almryans and I will make a show of attacking from the east side of the Capital" Claude pitched in"Lorenz, Lysithea, Raphael and Ignatz will be under my command for this one. Should help to empty the streets of those stubborn Imperial Remnant troops."
"I asked Jeralt, Leonie and Byleth to accompany me, Flayn and Shamir to attack from the west" Seteth said"We will regroup at the Imperial Palace gates."
"Then we have our plan" Dimitri nodded.
The group headed out of the tent to get ready to march.
In the Imperial Palace throne room, Duke Gerth waited patiently as Serena, Waldemar and Ricard came in. The female tactician spoke"The Kingdom army has taken Fort Merceus, and Caspar, Count Bergliez, Hannemann and Manuela appear to have defected."
"And Lady Zadiria?" Duke Gerth asked, not that he particularly liked the woman.
"She told me of her encounter with the Ashen Demon and Shez" Ricard replied"And she is participating in our last, decisive battle with the joined Kingdom and Alliance forces."
"And yet" Count Hevring frowned"The course of action that would spare as many of our remaining troops as possible would be to surrender, I got a message from King Dimitri. If anyone here values their life, that would be ideal. As for Leopold, it does not surprise me if he let himself be captured."
Ricard chuckled"Going soft at your age, are we? We still have some of the troops that Zadiria generously lent to our cause. And we do have Veskam stationed in the Capital. Plus, we still have my heavy Calvary brigade, the Militia forces of House Vestra and elite knights from what remains of House Aegir."
Serena nodded"I have also taken the liberty of stationing a couple of assassins and powerful mages near the gates to assist in the defense of the city, I will personally be overseeing the forces defending the Capital."
Ricard nodded"That leaves me to help see to the defense of the palace itself. As for the Emperor, if we know where she is, I can send men to retrieve her."
"Given that the Kingdom now has control over so many former Imperial Territories, the only place she would be is in the Kingdom's main military encampment" Serena speculated"It would be difficult to get anyone in there, we've barely enough troops to defend the Capital as it is."
"So we just leave her and Leopold to their fates!?" Waldemar exclaimed, aghast.
"Monica is surely there, too. She will protect her" Duke Gerth pointed out.
"Regardless" Serena added"We must move quickly to set up defenses."
Ricard nodded"Very well, then. Serena, I suggest you take Captain Xavier with you."
"Very well" Serena nodded.
The combined Leicester, Almyria, Duscur and Faerghus forces started their march on the Capital later that day, accompanied by several Knights of Seiros. As planned, Dimitri's group headed straight for the gates of the Imperial Capital.
As Dimitri led his group out of the camp, Dorothea, Caspar, Lindhardt and Petra caught up to them.
"King Dimitri, may we be joining you?" Petra asked.
Dimitri turned to address the Brigid princess"I appreciate the offer, but are you sure? Edelgard may need your support."
"We talked about it early this morning" Dorothea replied"Although we do have an ulterior motive for coming, though we've had to drag Lindhardt along as he was still asleep."
"Yeah, thanks a lot" the green haired Priest yawned.
Ingrid gave the four Imperials a knowing smile"Its because of Ferdinand and Hubert, isn't it?"
"Yes" Petra replied"We are having reason to believe that the Remnants may be keeping them in the Capital somewhere."
"I don't know if those two are even alive" Lindhardt said bluntly"But Dorothea and Caspar insisted that we come if only to search for any trace of our missing friends."
"What about Monica and Edelgard?" Shez asked.
"Bernie, Yuri and Constance agreed to watch over them" Dorothea replied"Besides, Eddie needs closure on whether Hubert and Ferdinand are alive or not. If there are any clues, we may find them in the palace."
Shez looked at Dimitri"What do you think?"
"Its true that we've seen no trace of two of Edelgard's allies" Dimitri admitted"From what little I know, Ferdinand and Hubert were students from the Black Eagle house, same as Edelgard. We've not even seen this Ferdinand since we fought him at Fort Arianrhod, six months ago. We'll try to find any trace of them, but I can't make any guarantees. But we welcome your assistance, regardless."
Petra nodded"Thank you."
The group continued on to Enbarr, followed by Seteth and Claude's teams. The Imperial Army occupied largely the center of the city when they arrived, the west and east sides of town were also teaming with troops and Viskams.
"Looks like they got more of Those who Slither in the Dark's weapons on theirs side" Claude commented.
"Even so, we can't let that deter us. We split into three groups as planned" Seteth instructed.
Dimitri nodded"Everyone, we've come this far, nothing that the Imperial Remnants can throw at us will stop us, now, we will end this war once and for all and restore peace and justice."
With that, they split into groups with Claude's team heading east and Seteth's going westwards.
At the Palace gates, Serena stood with a few remaining Imperial Mages and a handful of swordsmen. An Imperial Scout addressed her"Lady Serena, the Kingdom forces have joined with warriors from Duscal and Alymria in addition to Leicester. I don't know how long we'll last."
Serena shrugged, undeterred"That may be true, but I will not run nor hide, even if it means that I might die. Captain Xavier, have your squad take point towards the square. A couple of our Paladins will stay with me and the mages."
"What should I do?" Asked the scout.
"Report back to Lord Ricard" the dark haired Tactician replied.
The scout nodded and headed back inside the palace.
Dimitri, Shez and the rest of their group braced themselves at the square as Captain Xavier and two squads of Imperial Troops advanced on them.
Catherine and the other Knights of Seiros accompanying them took point with Dimitri and Shez. The knights from House Fraldarius backed Felix up as the two forces prepared to engage.
"Spare as many as you can, kill who we can't" Dimitri commanded, charging forward with Catherine and Shez.
Xavier smirked as several of his men engaged Shez and most of the others"You seem like a worthy opponent, I am Xavier from an offshoot noble house of House Aegir" he introduced himself to Dimitri.
"I am Dimitri, King of Faerghus. Whatever your reasons to keep fighting are, I will have no mercy to anyone who threatens the peace and endangers the people" the blond king readied himself.
Xavier drew a great axe and marched towards the king, swinging at him, only for Dedue to interpose by slamming him back with his own ax after disposing an Imperial Spearman.
Shez knocked back a couple of Imperial Myrmidons and killed an enemy Swordmaster.
Seteth, Flayn, Shamir, Byleth, Leonie and Jeralt headed west, narrowly dodging Veskam missiles as they advanced. The green haired Wyvern Lord turned to his companions"Flayn, stay with me. Byleth, Captain Jeralt, can you get that Veskam shut down?"
"We're on it" Jeralt nodded, starting his way over, followed by Byleth.
A couple Imperial Assassins lunged at Seteth, who dodged and charged on his Wyvern to cut down the two Imperials. One assassin tried to dodge, only for Shamir to shoot him dead.
Flayn took the time to engage and take down an Imperial Mage.
Jeralt and Byleth headed for the side of town where the attacking Veskam was located, guarded by a couple mages and a Great Knight. The Great knight charged at Jealt, who parried.
Byleth dodged a couple Elthunder spells and rushed the mages, swiftly cutting them down before going to the lever that controlled the Veskam, shutting it off while Leonie came to pitch in and slammed her lance into the enemy great knight, knocking him off his horse,
Claude, Lorenz, Ignatz, Raphiel and Lorenz made their way east, dodging as Vaskam missiles fired at them while approaching the Imperial Troops guarding the eastern lever that controlled the Veskam.
A couple mages barely nicked Lorenz, prompting Raphael to dart forward and sucker punch one of the imperial mages, only to be blasted backwards by another one. Lorenz immediately charged down the other mage while Raphael administrated a Vulnerary.
"Well, let's see how they like this" Claude shot a Imperial Falconknight down and made for the lever to shut down the Veskam.
Annette and Ashe blasted a couple Imperial Marksmen while Ingrid and Sylvain took down an Imperial Paladin. Shez and Catherine fought back to back as a wave of troops tried to ambush them.
Xavier swung his ax at Dedue, who merely parried, giving Dimitri enough time to knock him back with a thrust of his spear. Annoyed, Xavier jumped back and came forward with a spinning strike, which the king dodged.
Catherine smirked as she cut down a few Imperials"Heh, guess that's all they got."
Shez sliced a few more Imperial troops, utilizing her Shadow Flash ability to dart behind a knight and stab him in the back before having to jump to dodge a Bolganoe from an Imperial Sage.
Sylvain dodged a Cavalier and countered with a thrust while Ingrid took down a couple mages, but not before getting blasted by Wind magic, which narrowly nicked him. Mercedes healed Sylvain while Petra and Caspar hurried to provide backup for Shez and Catherine, driving more Imperial Troops back.
Xavier snarled as he swung again at Dimitri, who dodged, retaliating with a slice and a thrust, further staggering and injuring the Imperial Captain.
"You're already losing" Caspar smirked, going to punch Xavier hard in the chest, giving Dimitri enough room to combo the captain with Atrocity., knocking him down. Catherine and two of the knights took this chance to detain him.
"Take him back to camp" Dimitri ordered one of the Faerghus knights.
"Yes, sire" The knight began escorting the bound Xavier back.
"Why spare me life?" Xavier frowned as he was about to be led away.
Dimitri placed a hand on the man's shoulder"Because the more senseless deaths I can prevent, the better. All I want is to restore peace to Fodlan."
Xavier let the words sink in as he was led out of the Capital.
"Now for the area surrounding the palace" Dimitri led his group forward. Catherine, Caspar, Shez, Petra, Sylvain and Ingrid had managed to fight off the surrounding troops with minimal injuries, which they took time to heal with vulneraries.
Serena just blankly stated down the group"More traitors, huh?" She looked at Petra and Lnidhardt"Though I may not survive this day, I will not allow you into the Imperial Palace."
"Hold on" Caspar tried to reason"Petra, Lindhardt and I just wanna know what happened to Hubert and Ferdinand. What did my father and Thales do to them?"
"If Ferdinand still lives, he's probably held captive and not at all in good health" Serena replied, grimly"My brother, though... He is officially presumed dead. So in order to honor his memory, I will see this war through to the bitter end and save Lady Edelgard!" She unleashed Bolganoe at the three Black Eagles, prompting them to dodge.
A Paladin rushed Dimitri, who barely parried. The other Paladin charged at Catherine, who simply dodged and cut down the soldier. Two of the mages cast Elwind at Ingrid, who narrowly dodged, Sylvain took the opportunity to charge at one mage and stab him.
"We already have Edelgard waiting at the camp, Dimitri and Shez saved her from Thales" Caspar pointed out.
"That's good and all, but I never will yield" Serena cast Elfire, blasting Caspar so badly that Mercedes had to heal him.'
Dimitri parried the opposing Paladin, then pushed upwards and slammed his lance through the man, knocking him down. Annette cast Elwind at the other mage, blowing him backwards.
Just then, a soldier came out of the castle doorway and rushed towards Serena"Lady Vestra, Lord Karu has gone mad."
"What!?" Serena turned.
"Its Duke Gerth, he and Lord Waldemar are in danger, most of Lord Karu's troops turned on us all of a sudden" The soldier informed.
Serena frowned"Why would Lord Karu..." She trailed off.
"Its those slithery people, isn't it?" Shez pried.
"Absurdly put, but an apt description" Serena muttered, then turned"King Dimitri, It would seem that Those Who Slither in the Dark has sprung a trap, and just when I and Lord Xavier were busy."
"Zadiria..." Shez trailed off, pondering for a second, then spoke to Serena"As it happens, Those Who Slither in the Dark are the kingdom's enemies. Did you know about them?"
"All I heard is what Hubert told me before he disappeared" Serena replied"King Dimitri, I would ask for a truce and for your aid in stopping the remaining Those Who Slither in the Dark affiliates. The Empire scarcely has enough troops left to both prolong the war and keep those worms in check."
Dimitri nodded"They must be desperate to keep us from attaining peace. Very well, but know you and Edelgard will still answer for your crimes and the war which has claimed countless lives. The war is just about over either way."
Serena sighed"If not for the Church, this war wouldn't have happened, and Hubert may still be alive. I will talk with Lady Edelgard after we're done with Zadiria's lot here in the Capital."
"We'll discuss this later" Dimitri said.
Just then, Seteth and Claude's groups caught up.
"What's up?" The Alliance leader asked.
"Its Zadiria, a dark mage. She and Lord Karu are up to something" Dimitri brought them up to speed.
"What? We've no time to lose, then" Seteth urged"We'll want to go in with a small group though."
In the palace, Ricard had meanwhile marched into the throne room, accompanied by two of his best soldiers. Duke Gerth looked at him"What's the meaning of this? Why aren't you defending the Palace Entry?"
"Lady Zadiria has no further use for you, and as for myself" Ricard smirked"This is only action I can take that will spare my remaining men from death." He drew his blade.
"What's the meaning of this?" Lord Hevring asked.
Ricard drew his sword"With the Emperor still in captivity, and the army outside all but doomed to certain defeat, I see no further need to follow you doddering fools any longer."
"Lady Edelgard would not stand for such treachery" Waldemar grasped his strongest light spell tome.
The two Soldiers accompanying Ricard responded by cornering him with their lances. The blond noble smiled"Its nothing personal, just a way to save as many lives as I can. Good night, Duke Gerth."
Before the Foreign Affairs Minister could react, Ricard slashed him across the upper part of his chest and pushed him backwards.
"The Audacity" growled Lord Hevring.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha" Zadiria appeared in the throne room"As I said before, I had plans of my own. Not to worry, My Titanus will take care of you, and so will the dozen troops Karu and I convinced to keep you and the Kingdom occupied. And here's my little secret: Duke Aegir's precious Ferdinand is kept in a secret room in this palace, but I doubt that he will last. As for Serena's big brother, he's been kept occupied in the final stronghold of all Agarthans. His tactical genius and aptitude with magic was too valuable for Thales to simply kill him. So we faked his death and... Oh, he's probably undergoing experimentation."
"So he took them captive" Lord Hevring frowned.
"Now that you know, your life is forfeit" Zadiria summoned her Titanus while Ricard's troops took their positions.
"Stop right there!" shouted Serena as she, Dimitri, Shez, Catherine, Dedue, Lindhardt, Seteth, Flayn, Mercedes, Jeralt and Byleth rushed into the throne room.
Zadiria turned"So you figured me out, Serena."
"I never truly trusted you in the first place" The dark haired woman frowned"What did you do to Duke Gerth?"
Mercedes and Flayn quickly rushed to heal the injured Duke.
"Despite my word, my blow was not clean, he may live" Ricard stated, then turned to Shez"I am Lord Ricard Karu."
"Zadiria, answer me, just who am I to you, really?" Shez demanded.
The Sorceress smiled"I suspect you may already know the answer: Thank hard, what significance have you to the same power that is wielded by all Agarthans? Once, a brilliant mind sought to create a host for a certain purpose, long ago. Only a select few knew of this experiment."
Shez stood back, comprehension dawning as she paled somewhat, growing uncharacteristically quiet as she felt horribly sickened all of a sudden"Ashe and I read that my real mother was a mage... This makes you my... My-"
"Your true mother, Shez" Zadiria finished for her"An Imperial Knight stumbled into Leicester territory after a run-in with a couple of wandering Shadow Beasts. As he happened to be close to Ordelia territory, I took interest in his skills. For reasons even I did not know, I fell in love with him, one of those our people decried as beasts since the so-called War of Heroes. I allured him to Shambala."
The rest of the group present was stunned by this revelation. Shez, in particular was revolted to hear this, the purple haired mercenary's eyes narrowed"So was I just another Agarthan puppet!?"
Zadiria nodded"That's right, in fact, long before he died, Epimenides, one of the leaders of the Agarthans at the time, crafted in secret, a core through which he could pass down his consciousness, through a combination of magics and technology. This experiment lasted for centuries as he and his descendants sought to cultivate a worthy vessel."
"Stop Talking!" Shez rushed Zadira, only for Ricard to interpose and block her attack.
"Temper, temper" Zadiria smiled"Long story short, you were born in Shambala to be the host for Lord Epimenides through the consciousness that would be who you called Arval. But alas, even with you, the latest vessel, there was only a fifty percent chance that the power and consciousness of Epimenides would awaken. Of course, your father, having learned of this, spirited you away from Shambala, fighting off some of our best mages in the process. I, too may have had a hand in that, knowing that your power may or may not develop."
Shez stepped back, feeling shell-shocked by this revelation.
"So I was right, you are one of their descendants" Sothis spoke through Byleth once more"Regardless, you mustn't let yourself be overwhelmed."
"You're right" Shez admitted after a moment"I can't let this psychopath get to me. So what's your game, Zadiria?"
"There's a little fiery spectacle you will witness should you defeat this Titanus and rescue that Ferdinand fellow. The target of the spectacle: Fort Merceus" Zadiria replied"Ricard, to me."
Ricard and Zadiria vanished right as the Titanus became active and several troops came into the throne room.
"I don't like the sound of that, I will fly back to the fort and get everyone who is still there to safety" Seteth turned to go.
"Take me with you, If Zadiria implied just now that a type of magic or some other phenomenon will target the fortress, I can trace the source" Serena requested.
As Serena and Seteth left, the others engaged the Titanus and the Imperial Troops. Catherine, Jeralt and Byleth engaged the Imperial troops while Shez and Dimitri closed in the Titanus.
Mercedes finished healing Duke Gerth as best she can before turning to cast a Light spell at the Titanus. The monstrosity tried to charge at her, only for Shez to slash it across the center, staggering it.
Catherine dodged a soldier's attack and cut him down before turning her attention to a spearman, thrashing him with a slash.
Duke Hevring immediately pitched in, casting a powerful spell at the Titanus, staggering it enough for Shez and Dimitri to finish it with a flurry of blows.
Byleth cut down an Imperial Swordsman before turning to the remaining soldiers"Is that all?"
"Men" Duke Hevring commanded the remaining troops"Those of you still firmly loyal to Lady Edelgard, lay down your arms, the Empire has lost the war."
The remaining troops reluctantly lay down their blades. Dimitri addressed Duke Hevring"So now you decide to show reason."
"Yes, even if we had somehow won this battle, the Empire is finished. There was next to no chance we would recover from Thales's dastardly coup" Lord Hevring replied sadly.
"Father, where are Ferdinand and Hubert?" Lindhardt asked"Petra, Caspar and Dorothea are searching for them..."
"Ferdinand was taken hostage to ensure Duke Aegir's cooperation" replied Lord Hevring"But I did not know where exactly, until Zadiria told me. I don't know what she is playing at, but the witch needs to be stopped."
"It may be a trap" said Dedue.
Duke Hevring nodded"That's most likely, she must have known that almost the entire last Black Eagle House has sided with the kingdom. I, Lady Edelgard and Hubert are the only ones who know where this secret chamber is."
He led the way to another large chamber where Duke Hevring triggered a hidden switch, revealing the way to a larger chamber with a singular platform up a set of stairs. The group walked up to see who's there.
"Ah!" Lindhardt gasped, seeing the sight of a handful of mangled Imperial Corpses, only three survivors remained: An orange haired young man and two Imperial troops who were loyal to both House Aegir and Emperor Edelgard. They were pale and thin.
Dimitri, Shez and Catherine walked forward to inspect the survivors.
"Lindhardt, we must heal the survivors as best we can" Duke Hevring cast a healing spell on the orange haired man. Lindhardt went to apply a Vulnerary to both soldiers.
"Are they okay?" Shez asked.
"They're barely conscious" replied Duke Hevring.
Dimitri went to pick up the orange haired young man, hoisting him on his shoulders"We'll need to move them to the nearest Apothecary. After they recover, we need to go back to the Church and inform Lady Rhea of what transpired once Seteth is done inspecting whatever Zadiria had in mind for Fort Merceus."
Dedue and Catherine went to pick up the two soldiers.
"What did they do to Ferdinand?" Lindhardt whispered.
"Most likely half starved and drained of much of his energy so he couldn't even try to escape, let's go to the Apothecary" grunted Duke Hevring.
The group filed from the room, heading outside.
Not the best chapter I've done, but I decided to go with Hubert and Ferdinand surviving with explanations on why they didn't try to stop Thales and added more for Shez and Arval's pasts.
I hope it was enjoyable.