Back to the Black Eagles, we go.

Chapter 46 – Service to the Empire (Lone Moon)

Salia was glad to see Fort Merceus again after days of marching from Count Varley's territory. The Stubborn Old General, as the Imperials liked to call it, was the largest fortress in the Empire, built both as the capital of Count Bergliez's territory and as a major military base from which the Empire could stage its operations.

The bluette had spent many more years in it than the rest of the Black Eagles, having been born in Bergliez territory and having served in the Count's army for several years before being transferred to Ladislava's command. Most of her memories of serving under the Count included chasing off bandit raids on the local farms and fisheries. Her skill and bravery in the defense of the Count's subjects had led to her rapid promotion through the ranks, as Leopold von Bergliez valued those with ability.

That was a long time ago, though. For now, she was planning to get in some reading once the Black Eagles got settled in, at least until their next mission. She looked back to the others as they walked alongside their tired mounts.

"Finally, Fort Merceus," Trauare said as she stretched her arms. "After all this marching, I really need a hot bath."

"You could take a dip in the moat, you know," Zola said jokingly.

"Ugh, fat chance, Zola. Do you know how much literal crap is in there?"

"My point exactly."

Scowling, Trauare quipped, "Maybe you should go in first and see if it's warm."

"I'll pass. Gonna get a few pints once we're in."

"Do you think of nothing other than your keburukan, Axberg?" asked Setiawati.

"If you mean booze and blood, then not much else matters."

Salia groaned as the banter continued between the other three aces. She didn't know how she put up with them when they weren't in battle. For all their skill, they were still horrible when it came to discipline.

Of course, she knew that was part of why Ladislava had picked them for the squadron. The leader of the Black Eagles preferred those who thought for themselves and were smart about it. It made them more effective than those who just did what they were told.

As the Black Eagles reached the massive drawbridge of Fort Merceus, one of the sentries looked down and said, "Commander Ladislava! Always good to see you and your Eagles." The sentry then turned to his comrades and shouted, "Lower the bridge!"

The drawbridge slowly lowered in a cacophony of noise as the Black Eagles waited to enter the fortress. When the bridge finally rested on the ground, allowing the strike force to cross it, Ladislava was surprised to see Edelgard in discussion with another Imperial general.

Edelgard finished giving her orders to the general, who saluted before walking off to command his troops. She then turned and saw the Black Eagles as they entered the fortress, with several moving to get their mounts into the enormous stable near the main gate. Ladislava and her aces, however, went to meet the emperor.

"Your Majesty," said Ladislava. "I was not expecting you to be here."

"I just arrived two days ago," said Edelgard. "There were some final preparations I needed to supervise for the spring offensive. I take it your hunt went well, Ladislava?"

"Unless Wystan von Varley can survive without a head, he won't trouble you anymore."

"Excellent. I received the report from your messenger, but I wanted to hear of your victory from you personally. Yet again, you've done the Empire a great service, Ladislava."

"Thank you, Lady Edelgard."

Interrupting the discussion, Zola said, "If you all don't mind, I'm gonna get myself those pints I mentioned earlier."

Zola was about to walk off when Edelgard said, "Hold a moment, Zola." Zola stopped as Edelgard said, "Ladislava's report mentioned your actions in the town of Lindow."

"Eh? What about it?"

"I understand you were planning on causing civilian casualties while fighting Count Varley's men."

"Wasn't part of any plan, Your Majesty. Those saps were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Edelgard did not respond as Zola dismissively turned away from her. Then, to Ladislava's alarm, the emperor grasped Aymr, which was propped up against a nearby table, and strode toward Zola, with the blonde murderess unaware of the imminent threat.

"So, if you don't mind," said Zola, "I'd like to get to my– WHOA! SHIT!"

Zola had turned just in time to avoid Aymr as Edelgard slammed its edge down inches from the former bandit. The force of the strike was enough to knock Zola over, leaving multiple cracks in the stone of the fort's floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Zola snapped in surprise.

She whipped around back toward Edelgard just in time for the emperor to lift Aymr's edge up to the murderess's neck. Several soldiers in the fort watched as Edelgard held the axe threateningly to Zola's throat.

"You seem to have a hard time noticing my ire, Zola Axberg," Edelgard said coolly, though the others could clearly tell she was angry. "So let me make this as simple as possible to you. If I hear about you trying to harm innocent bystanders again, I will personally take off your head! Is that clear, Sergeant?"

Zola broke into a cold sweat and, after a moment of hesitation, she said uneasily, "Clear as crystal, Your Majesty."

"Good." Edelgard lifted Aymr from Zola's neck, letting the blonde get up unsteadily. "Dismissed, Sergeant."

As Zola stumbled away, still rattled by Edelgard's threat, Trauare snickered and said, "You had that one coming, Zola."

…

Ladislava allowed the rest of the Black Eagles to get some rest while she walked alongside Edelgard to the keep of Fort Merceus. There they would meet with Hubert to discuss the Black Eagles's next mission.

Looking around, Ladislava saw thousands of Imperial soldiers readying themselves for war. Blacksmiths were sharpening weapons while soldiers went through training drills and sparring matches. Everywhere she looked, there were men and women of the Imperial Army in droves. She had never seen so many of the Empire's soldiers gathered in one place before.

"Tell me…" asked Edelgard, "how satisfying was it when you killed the Count?"

"I gave Fenix the honors, Lady Edelgard," Ladislava replied. "He had far more reason to hate him than I."

"Is that so?"

"Wystan von Varley murdered his mother before his eyes when he was just a newly hatched whelp. And he would've been sold like some prize horse if I hadn't taken him. Watching him finish the Count off made me so proud to be his partner."

Edelgard smiled and said, "I'm glad it worked out for the two of you."

The two entered the keep as several soldiers saluted them in passing. Inside, the noise of Fort Merceus seemed to fade away, replaced by dull echoes as they walked up the cold stone steps.

But as they reached the third floor and made their way toward the war room, Ladislava stopped in her tracks. Edelgard noticed this and turned around.

"Is something the matter, Ladislava?" asked Edelgard.

"Your Majesty, I…" Taking a deep breath, Ladislava said, "I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"For when we first met. When you offered me a place as your protector in that arena, I hesitated to accept. Before you, I had only ever been wronged by nobility. Whether it was Count Varley or any of the other nobles in the Empire, they all looked upon me and Fenix with contempt and treated us with cruelty. When you asked me to swear myself to your service, I thought your offer was too good to be true."

Edelgard paused, giving Ladislava's words some thought. Looking back at it, Edelgard realized Ladislava had a point. She had, perhaps, been a bit too ostentatious back then.

"Is that so?" Ladislava nodded, so Edelgard asked, "Why did you accept, then?"

"Because of Fenix. He let you touch him. Up to that point, he didn't trust anyone other than me. When you approached us, I was worried he was about to bite off your hand."

"Really?" Edelgard's purple eyes widened at this, not realizing until now just how reckless she had been.

Ladislava nodded and then said, "But when he let you touch his head, I realized he trusted you, despite that you were a stranger to him. And so, I trusted your word as well."

"I see. Well, you needn't apologize for such a thing, Aerin. I wasn't about to let your talents go to waste in that arena. And now you stand here as one of the Empire's greatest warriors after such an unforgiving start."

"I thank you for your praise, Lady Edelgard."

Edelgard then smiled at this moment and said, "Of course, you weren't nearly as eloquent back then as you are now. I still remember how awful your manners were when you first came to the palace."

Awkwardly, Ladislava said, "I hope I didn't embarrass you too much back then."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't mind. And besides, it's how you and Ersha became friends. I'm still amazed at how quickly she was able to teach you how to present yourself."

Ladislava didn't say anything to this, her sheepish expression all Edelgard needed to see. The emperor remembered sending Ladislava to meet with Ersha von Raziya to teach her etiquette, and how Ersha had been a very effective teacher. The two had become close friends since then.

Edelgard then frowned at remembering how she herself had become acquainted with Ersha. It had been due to Ersha's sister, Vivian, being sacrificed by Solon in order to imbue the young princess with the Crest of Flames. While many had lost their lives to Solon's unholy process, Vivian's death had hit Edelgard particularly hard. Ladislava didn't know the exact circumstances behind Vivian's death, but she knew Edelgard had at least been involved in some way.

The emperor closed her eyes as she remembered that horrible day, with Edelgard watching as Vivian cried out for her sister right until Solon's magic drew every last drop of blood she had from her body.

"Your Majesty? Are you alright?" asked Ladislava.

Shaking her head, Edelgard said, "I'm fine. Just… thinking back to how I came to know Ersha myself."

"You know she forgives you for what happened to her sister, Lady Edelgard. There was nothing you could have done."

"I know. And dwelling on the past isn't about to undo what happened. All we can do is move on from it." Sighing, Edelgard said, "Enough of that. Hubert's waiting for us."

Nodding, Ladislava followed Edelgard into the war room. Hubert stood behind a large table with a map of Fódlan on it, with several small figurines on top of it.

Looking up from the map, Hubert said, "My congratulations on another successful mission, Ladislava."

"Hubert," Ladislava said curtly. "I trust you received my request regarding the soldiers that Count Varley conscripted."

"I did. And I was still going to send them off to the front for their desertion."

Ladislava frowned before Edelgard said, "That is until I overruled his decision. Those men will instead be assigned to aid in the logistics for our spring offensive. They will be responsible for transporting supplies over the Airmid River during the invasion."

Ladislava smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Crimson Warrior then looked down at the map and at the distribution of the Empire's troops near the Airmid River. To her confusion, she saw that only two army groups were being positioned near the Great Bridge of Myrddin. There should have been more, but the rest were being held back in Bergliez and Hrym territory.

"Has there been some change in plans that I'm not aware of?" asked Ladislava.

"There has," said Hubert. "We have reason to believe that crossing the Airmid River in full force may prove ill-advised."

"How so?"

"Some of our enemies may use it as an opportunity to severely weaken our forces."

"You think Count Gloucester may betray us?"

"It is not Count Gloucester I am concerned with."

"Then who?"

Hubert did not answer.

"Not something I need to know, I take it?" said Ladislava.

"For the moment."

"For now, it's best that we keep things close to the chest, Aerin," said Edelgard. "Besides, you will have more than enough to worry about once you and your Black Eagles are in Alliance territory."

"We're going to the front, Your Majesty?" asked Ladislava.

"Not immediately. Our plan is to have 20,000 men cross the Airmid River and establish a bridgehead. It's significantly less than I had originally planned, but the Great Bridge of Myrddin is a major bottleneck for our forces. And we have no idea what tricks Claude has in store for us. Once we've established a strong bridgehead, we'll send additional troops and push towards Derdriu. During the bridgehead operation, I will need you and your Black Eagles to harass House Riegan's forces and keep them from driving us back across the Airmid River."

"That's going to be a large front, Your Majesty."

"I know. And your force is too small to engage House Riegan's army head on. But if you can keep Claude's forces off balance and hit them where they're vulnerable, we'll be able to disrupt their attempts to counterattack."

"You will be engaging targets of opportunity as you see them, Commander," said Hubert. "Use your own discretion."

"Are we to avoid civilian casualties?" asked Ladislava.

Hubert was about to question Ladislava when Edelgard said, "I did threaten to kill Zola if she tried to harm civilians again. It'd be hypocritical of me if I told you not to do so. Do what you can to avoid civilian centers, Ladislava. Focus on military targets."

"Understood."

"Once we've gotten our bridgehead secured, we'll send in reinforcements and crush Claude's army. We'll then move to Derdriu and capture the city. This won't be an easy fight, but once we've defeated Claude, we'll be that much closer to ending this war."

"We won't let you down, Your Majesty. I'll inform Salia of the change in the plan."

Ladislava turned and was about to leave when Edelgard said, "Hold a moment, Ladislava. There's something I want to give to you first."

"A gift, Lady Edelgard?"

…

Ladislava, Edelgard and Hubert made their way through the numerous blacksmiths in Fort Merceus, who worked tirelessly on weapons of iron and steel. Some of the weapons made weren't of the highest quality, but with so many soldiers to arm, quantity was a greater necessity.

One of the blacksmiths, however, was someone Ladislava immediately recognized. The aged man, with his scarred yet muscular arms and messy gray hair, had just put the finishing touches on a gleaming new silver sword.

"Berwick," Ladislava said to the royal blacksmith.

Looking up from his tools, Berwick said, "Ladislava. Break any more lances lately?"

"To be fair, I broke my last one after running General Avariz through."

"Heh, that fool. Always too greedy for his own good. I won't miss him."

"Berwick, have you finished it yet?" asked Edelgard.

"Just this morning, Your Majesty. Right over here."

Berwick rose to his feet and, despite his aching back, walked over to a leather cover and pulled it off. Beneath the cover was an ebony lance made of an alloy Ladislava didn't recognize. Though it was clearly made for function over form, it was still immaculately designed. The spearhead was made of gleaming white silver, which Ladislava recognized to be Mythril. The whole lance measured about three meters long. Ladislava could not help but notice some similarities to the Scythe of Sariel, which she had seen in the hands of the Death Knight.

"I'd like to see you break this one so easily," Berwick said sardonically.

Ladislava walked over and, after inspecting the lance, picked it up. Its weight was just right for her; not too light, but not too heavy either. She took hold of it in both hands and, after moving away from the blacksmith's tools to get some room, she swung it around, testing its balance.

The Crimson Warrior was amazed at how responsive the lance was to her movements. It was almost like it was an extension of her arm. No, more than that; it was like an extension of her whole body.

Smiling, Berwick said, "I take it you like this one?"

"Yes, indeed," Ladislava said with a smile.

"It's called Longinus. Finest lance I've ever made. Don't go losing it now, you hear?"

Ladislava nodded to the elderly blacksmith as Edelgard and Hubert smiled.

I'm sure I don't need to explain the name Longinus to anyone. Honestly, it's surprising that no Fire Emblem so far has had a lance with that name, but I'm guessing due to its role in Christianity, it could rub people the wrong way if they added it. Anyhow, Ladislava now has a kickass lance made of Agarthium and Mythril, so she's got a special weapon to match the other aces.

I'm also sure some of you will recognize the name reference for the royal blacksmith. Just a little nod to that FE spinoff.

We'll be sticking around Fort Merceus for a bit, and then we'll be taking a look at the Loyalists. There's a certain Paralogue that I want to cover, but it's not going to be carried out by Byleth and the Church.