Parties, politics, and battle. Oh my!

Chapter 7 – Party Crashers (Ethereal Moon)

Cornelia gave a faux laugh as one of the nobles told her and several others an unfunny joke. Then, glancing off to the side, she saw Edelgard gazing over at one of the dancers that had been hired for the party. The emperor was watching the dancing girl intently.

Excusing herself from the other guests, Cornelia strode over to the emperor's side and said, "Do you fancy that one, Your Majesty? She's quite the pretty thing. I could have her visit your room tonight if you wish."

"I must decline your offer, Cornelia," Edelgard answered.

"Are you sure? Let me tell you, sharing your bed with another woman is an experience unlike any other."

Cornelia smiled as she saw Edelgard fighting not to blush at this.

"Must I repeat myself?" Edelgard said crossly. "I am not interested."

"Oh, Edelgard… You sound as if you're unhappy to see me."

"And why should I be happy?"

"Because I'm helping you stamp out the 'boar' prince and his lackeys."

"The same prince you allowed to escape from Fhirdiad's dungeons."

Edelgard was satisfied to see an irked reaction from Cornelia at mentioning this.

"Well… who could have known the Edmund girl would be so troublesome? To think that she would bear the Forgotten Beast's Crest. In any event, with your continued aid, I'll be able to finish off Rodrigue and his rabble soon enough."

"You assume I plan to send you more troops."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I have the invasion of the Leicester Alliance to prepare for in the coming months. My troops are needed in the south. You already have enough to work with, Cornelia."

"If only that were so. We've been having several village riots in the region lately. The old nobles and Loyalist sympathizers. My troops are stretched thin as it is. It's very difficult to mount an offensive with what's left."

"I know you can manage, Cornelia. My answer remains no."

Cornelia shrugged and said, "If you say so, El."

Edelgard glared at Cornelia at this.

Cornelia then asked, "By the way, were you aware that the Knights of Seiros were seen near Garreg Mach Monastery recently? My spies tell me they're mustering as we speak."

"I am aware. I've already ordered General Randolph to deal with them."

"Randolph von Bergliez? I can't say I'd put my confidence in him."

"He is being given this assignment as a chance to redeem himself for his failure."

"I see. Well, we can only hope that he'll deal with them. You'd think without their Archbishop that they'd have scattered to the winds."

"They are more resilient than you would think. Nonetheless, the force that General Randolph commands should be more than enough to finish them off before they can rally."

"If only you'd be so generous to the Dukedom's cause…"

…

Hubert focused his gaze on Rissa as she flirted with one of the male party guests. He had only seen her once or twice before on previous meetings between Edelgard and Cornelia. He suspected that she had to be one of Those Who Slither In The Dark, as she was one of Cornelia's closest allies, but something about her felt familiar to him. The real Rissa Aine Gideon had not been an outgoing person from what Hubert had heard, but this one was flirting left and right with the men at the party.

He then turned his attention to Valeska. He knew Valeska had been an Officers' Academy graduate with highest honors, so if the woman standing in her place was an imposter, she had to have serious skill to have bested the real Valeska Luna Mateus. She seemed almost apathetic to everything around her, but it would be a mistake to confuse it for a lack of vigilance. Hubert knew little else about the real Valeska, so he could not be completely certain this one was a fake, but it was safe to assume it was so.

At least one person in the room was someone he knew was no imposter. Ladislava was standing at one of the buffet tables, piling slabs of meat onto a large plate. It wasn't for herself; he knew she planned to feed it to her wyvern, Fenix. Outside of caring for her mount, Ladislava was as professional and loyal as they came, and for that reason, she was one of the few people in the throne room that he could trust.

The Marquis of House Vestra ignored another noblewoman's request for a dance as he peered about the room, searching for any sign of a threat to the emperor. Musicians continued to play as the nobles danced, conversed, and laughed, all enjoying themselves as though there weren't a war going on. They were much too carefree for his liking. If they were going to continue to serve the Empire, they needed to–

Hubert stopped as he saw one of the waiters, who had abruptly halted in his tracks, place a hand on a knife that was atop the platter he held. As the waiter held the knife by its blade and turned toward Edelgard, Hubert immediately readied a spell.

"ASSASSIN!" shouted Hubert.

As the guests turned in shock toward Hubert, the waiter discarded his platter and raised the knife, preparing to throw it at Edelgard as he shouted, "For the King of Lions!"

A second later, the assassin cried out in agony as Hubert's Dark Spikes T spell rained down and skewered him through his left leg, right arm, and both lungs. The knife, however, had flown from the assassin's hand, embedding itself in the chair that Edelgard sat in. The emperor sprang to her feet and drew her sword.

The man hadn't even finished collapsing before another shout alarmed Hubert.

"Death to the Empire!" shouted another servant, this one a maid who had grabbed a fork and stabbed one of the Dukedom nobles in the side of his neck. The noble screamed as he tried to grasp the fork in his panic, blood spilling from an artery.

Screams of terror filled the throne room as the maid drew the noble's sword from his belt and turned toward the emperor. Hubert worked frantically to ready another spell as Cornelia whirled around, readying her own spell.

The maid only made a single step toward Edelgard before an arrow struck the woman through the right side of her head, killing her instantly. Hubert glanced over to see Valeska readying another arrow.

"FOR THE KING!" came another man's shout, this time behind Hubert.

Snarling, Hubert wheeled around to see one of the musicians raising his violin like a club and had just enough time to dodge away from it before it smashed his head. Hubert countered with a Miasma Δ spell, blasting the musician into one of the buffet tables, sending food and drink flying everywhere.

Then, he heard more battle cries as three servants, a painter and two guards began attacking, causing the nobles to panic. Rissa intercepted one of the servants as he grabbed a screaming noblewoman by her hair, drawing her short blade and delivering two swift slashes to the man, the second strike severing his spine. Two of the palace guards ran the painter through with their lances, who attempted to stab them in his death throes. The second servant, who was wielding a broken wine bottle, was blasted down by a fireball sent by Cornelia. The servant screamed as she rolled and tried to put the flames out, but to no avail. The third servant was shot twice in the back in quick succession by Valeska.

As the first traitorous guard cut down another guardsman and advanced toward Edelgard, a javelin came soaring over the heads of the partygoers and embedded itself in the guard's neck. Edelgard glanced over to see Ladislava had been the one to throw it. At the same moment, the second guard assassin howled in agony as Rissa's blade slashed his knees. Then, as he fell forward, she viciously drove her blade up through the bottom of his head, skewering him from his jaw to his scalp.

The Crimson Warrior was struggling to get through the panicking nobles when she saw a tenth and final assassin move in. It was the dancer Edelgard had been watching earlier.

"Your Majesty!" Ladislava shouted in concern as the dancer rushed at the emperor with surprising speed.

Hubert, the guards, and Cornelia whirled around to the threat, but the dancer was too quick for them. Hubert's eyes went wide as the girl reached Edelgard.

He was about to shout a late warning to her when the dancer gagged in pain and shock as Edelgard's sword ran her through her left breast and out her back. The dancer's knife fell from her grip as Edelgard calmly withdrew her blade and let the girl fall to the floor on her back. She watched as the girl's green eyes dimmed, including a strange violet glint in them.

Edelgard looked down at the dead dancer for a moment. Something had stayed the girl's hand.

Hubert finally pushed through the human chaos and said, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Hubert," Edelgard answered.

"Seal off the palace at once!" Valeska barked. "Rissa, get Her Majesty to her chamber!"

"Right away!" Rissa replied.

Edelgard watched as the guards and Cornelia's two henchwomen rushed to secure the palace when another guard ran into the throne room and shouted, "My Duchess, we are under attack! It's the Loyalists!"

Edelgard immediately looked to Ladislava and gave her an affirmative nod, prompting the Crimson Warrior to rush outside. Valeska was quick to follow the Wyvern Knight.

…

Zola let out a wild cry as she swung her axe down at a citizen armed with a pitchfork, cleaving him from his left shoulder all the way through his pelvis. She then swung around, backhanding another rioter before slicing him in half through his waist. At the same time, Salia lopped off a woman's right arm with her halberd, only allowing the rioter to scream for a second before slashing through her neck.

"Come on, you sorry lot! Who wants to be my next victim?!" shouted Zola, following up her boast with a sadistic laugh.

Salia held herself back from berating Zola for her bloodlust. Zola was always like this in battle, though Salia couldn't say she was much better. She too was getting a little carried away. As a crossbow bolt whistled by her, she hissed angrily as she whipped around at the one who fired it. The citizen didn't even manage to draw another bolt from his quiver before Salia rushed him and her halberd pierced his chest, the bluette letting out a savage yell as she killed him.

As Zola beheaded another rioter, Trauare finished her spell, drawing water from a nearby fountain as she shouted, "Flutwelle!"

Her spell sent the water forward like a miniature tidal wave toward a group of ten citizens, resulting in them being smashed upon one of the palace's stone walls. As she let out a smug huff, she spun around upon hearing another attacker closing in. This one wasn't a citizen, but a Loyalist agent dressed in light armor and wearing a tabard that bore the standard of the King of Lions. He swung a sword at the blue-haired ace, but Trauare blocked it with ease with her trident and countered with a spinning swing that sent the tines of her weapon slashing through the agent's face.

"Sorry, but you're not my type," Trauare said with a smirk as her foe fell.

Setiawati, in the meantime, readied another arrow as she said, "Semoga tujuan saya benar."

The Brigid huntress's arrow soared over the crowd of rioters and hit one of the agents who was trying to urge the mob onward, piercing through his throat. Seeing this orator die caused some of the rioters to lose their nerve, but many others continued to fight with the guards. Even then, they were hopelessly outmatched.

Setiawati readied another arrow and shot it into the head of another orator. She then said, "Beristirahat dalam damai."

"You ever going to tell us exactly what that all means, Seti?" asked Trauare.

Setiawati didn't answer this, and instead looked up as Fenix soared over their heads. The two aces immediately turned as Ladislava leapt up and joined her mount in the air.

"Look who decided to show up," Zola said derisively. "Having too much fun at the party?"

"Later, Zola!" Ladislava replied. "Black Eagles, let's clean up this rabble!"

"Yes, ma'am!" shouted the other aces as they followed their leader into battle, with Salia and Trauare leaping onto their mounts.

Ladislava spurred Fenix forward, seeing a group of rioters with crossbows that were readying themselves to fire at the palace guards. She urged Fenix to fly straight at the archers, who fearfully took aim at her as they saw her approach.

The archers fired their crossbows, and in that split instant Ladislava pulled hard on Fenix's reins, sending the two into a barrel roll and avoiding the deadly hail of bolts. Fenix roared as he swept his talons at the archers, snatching two of them before delivering a lethal bite to another. The wyvern shook its prey in its mouth for a moment before tossing the dead rioter aside. At the same time, Ladislava thrust her lance at another archer, piercing the woman's neck before quickly doing the same to a second archer's collarbone.

Fenix then swung around, smashing three more to the ground with his tail as Ladislava shouted "Trauare!" while pointing her lance at five more rioters being led by a Loyalist agent. The insurgents were rushing to aid the archers that the Crimson Warrior and her mount were tearing apart.

Trauare nodded and then shouted "Wassarsturm!" as she sent a tornado made of water hurling toward the rioters. The tornado smashed through the rioters, only missing the Loyalist agent by a few inches. The Loyalist, stunned by what had happened, turned just in time before Trauare flew up to him on her Pegasus, Zorne, and stabbed him in the chest.

Ladislava then shouted "Salia!" as she directed her second-in-command at a pair of Loyalist cavaliers.

Salia gave an affirmative nod and dived at the cavaliers from atop her wyvern, Alektra. Within seconds, the first one howled as he was cut down from atop his horse. As Salia pulled up and readied another pass on the second cavalier, however, an arrow hit the Loyalist rider in the head, killing him instantly. Salia first thought it was Setiawati who made the shot, but then turned to see it had been Valeska.

"Who invited her?" Salia hissed in annoyance, displeased at seeing the royal guard captain.

Valeska readied another arrow and immediately shot another Loyalist orator. At the same time, Zola slashed through the armor of a Loyalist Fortress Knight, carving through it like paper. Setiawati took down another Loyalist agent with a well-placed shot to the woman's heart, while Trauare killed another with a high-speed pass. Across the palace grounds, the Black Eagle Strike Force and the palace guards led by Valeska began to overwhelm the rioters and Loyalists.

Seeing so many of their number being slaughtered, the Loyalists and rioters began to flee.

"Hahahahaha! Look at those cowards run!" Zola laughed.

As the guards around them began cheering, Ladislava flew back to the center of the Black Eagles' formation.

Setiawati then asked, "Your orders, commander?"

Ladislava was about to give an order when Valeska shouted, "After them! Let none survive!"

The guards roared as they began to chase after the rioters. Ladislava turned and glared at Valeska, who looked back at the Crimson Warrior dismissively as she followed the guards to hunt down the citizen mob.

"Commander?" said Salia.

"Salia, Setia, go check on Her Majesty. Zola, Trauare, stay here and hold the perimeter," said Ladislava.

"Understood," said Setiawati.

"And you'll be doing what, exactly?" asked Trauare.

Ladislava did not respond to this as she flew off after the Loyalists.

OC's too OP? I hope to avoid that, or to at least tone them down later on.

As I explained in Part 1, Ladislava is going to have a bigger role in the story than she gets in-game. Even in Crimson Flower, she's just another Mauve Shirt who dies off-screen, something I thought was disappointing. So is Kronya, who didn't even survive into Part 2 in any route.

In case you are wondering, the language that Setiawati is using is Indonesian, which I'm using for the people of Brigid (and which I probably screwed up; feel free to correct it). If you're wondering what her name means, it roughly translates to "loyal and faithful". I don't know if I'm using the name correctly, though, as I don't know how Indonesian namesakes work. I originally was going to have her go by the name "Sichte Meister" as a pseudonym, but it felt glaring to give someone from Brigid a Germanic name. Just as a side note, I plan to have Petra use an Indonesian name later in the story, one that would be her "true" name; the name "Petra Macneary" would be one she uses in Fodlan because the people find her real name hard to pronounce.