Let's add some Three Hopes to the story, shall we?
Chapter 56 – The Battle of Arianrhod, Part 1 (Lone Moon)
Count Elmore Maitland Rowe knew he was in serious trouble the moment he saw Cornelia exiting her carriage in his camp. The duchess had just arrived with an army of 5,000 men pulled from the eastern front, men he knew were needed to keep the Loyalists in check. She would never have pulled them away if she didn't think it necessary. The presence of her two vassals, Valeska and Rissa, only deepened his fears.
"Elmore, Elmore, Elmore," Cornelia said sarcastically. "You have done a phenomenal job at losing the Silver Maiden to Baron Dominic's army."
"D-Duchess Cornelia, please forgive me!" Count Rowe said pathetically. "If only Gwendel had survived at Ailell–"
"Don't go foisting this on the Grey Lion, Count Rowe," Cornelia interrupted. "After all, you were the one who marched your remaining army on Castle Gaspard when it was empty."
"You would've let those incompetent fools go unpunished?!"
Crossly, Cornelia snapped, "I would have shown some patience, Elmore! Lonato's heir could have waited. Instead, you left Arianrhod open to Baron Dominic, and he'll cut off the Dukedom from the Empire if we do not retake the fortress." Then, more gently, she added, "But… perhaps I should not blame you for all this. After all, who could have known Averill would betray us so?"
Cornelia was lying, of course. She had always known Baron Dominic wasn't trustworthy, as his family had been supporters of the Blaiddyd's before the war broke out. However, when the Dukedom had formed, Baron Dominic took her side to avoid being crushed by the other western lords, who would have combined forces to annihilate him. She knew he hated her, but to oppose her would be suicide. Until now, that is. Baron Dominic had gotten together a small number of other western houses, though most of them were minor nobles and vassal houses.
Mustering up what courage he had, Count Rowe said, "Allow me to lead your forces, Duchess Cornelia. Averill won't hold the Silver Maiden from me for long."
"No. You've already done enough damage, Elmore. And besides, if I want this done right, I'll have to do it myself." Turning to her vassals, she said, "Valeska, Rissa, let's see what House Dominic has in store for us."
The disguised Agarthans nodded to the duchess as she strode past Count Rowe, who agonized over what fate awaited him once Cornelia was finished with Baron Dominic.
…
Baron Averill Francis Dominic hadn't expected such a quick response from Cornelia, nor such a large one. He had believed that she would be hesitant to pull forces away from the eastern front, but the presence of 5,000 Dukedom soldiers proved him wrong. It seemed she wasn't worried about a Loyalist attack on the capital. If anything, though, Averill was glad to see she was pulling so many men out of their eastern posts to fight him.
Baron Dominic watched as his 2,000-strong army assumed defensive positions along Arianrhod's fortifications. His army was far smaller than Cornelia's, but Arianrhod was one of the strongest fortresses in Fódlan. Its alabaster walls had repelled invasions from the south several times in previous wars between the Kingdom and the Empire, and even after several centuries it was an invaluable bulwark from which he could launch raids against supply convoys between the Empire and Dukedom. Within its walls, Arianrhod was a defensive marvel, with traps and obstacles that made any attempts to assault its citadel perilous.
Even outnumbered, Averill knew he could win. He had brought with him an enormous stockpile of supplies, so if Cornelia dug in for a siege, he could hold out against her for weeks, if not months. Most of his men were also experienced warriors, fighting off Duscuri and Dagdan raiders in the west on multiple occasions during the war.
Cornelia would not take Arianrhod from him easily.
Yet as he watched his men with pride, his mind turned to disappointment as he looked over at his son. Simon Wingate Dominic was not the warrior his father was, nor a mage like his cousin Annette. Simon was a bard, a poet whose only weapon was his flowery words. In a battle like this, he would be all but useless.
"Father, are you sure about this?" Simon asked Averill. "Even with all we have–"
"Are you planning on lecturing me on the ways of war, my son?" Averill said crossly. "You, who barely knows the sharp end of a blade from its handle?"
"N-No, father! I'm just concerned that with the Duchess–"
"Cornelia's arrival is more than I could have hoped for, Simon. If she's here, her attention won't be on the east. That will give His Majesty Dimitri valuable time. I can only hope he will make good use of it."
"I… I see…"
Averill turned as the sound of marching men approached him in the central courtyard of Arianrhod. One of his captains had returned with a company of mercenaries about 200 strong.
"My lord," said the captain, "the mercenaries you requested."
"Excellent, Captain." Averill then turned to the mercenaries and asked, "Who leads your band?"
"That'd be me," said a woman's voice as the leader stepped out of the crowd.
Baron Dominic hadn't expected such a young woman to be leading these mercenaries. She couldn't be older than her mid-twenties. Her long purple hair, which had a bun tied in it, fell messily over her right eye, with her left matching her hair in color. She was dressed in black leather and several mismatched pieces of armor, with two swords strapped to her sides. Though she was a lithe figure, Averill could tell she was a fighter, if not necessarily built for raw strength. She had several scars across her body, including a large one between her ample breasts.
"What is your name?" asked Averill.
"Shez," answered the woman.
"I thank you for your aid in the coming battle, Shez."
"Hey, as long as we get paid."
"You will be well-compensated for your efforts. Captain, take them to the southeast wall and shore up our forces there."
"Yes, sir," said the captain.
"Remain here for now, Shez. I'd like to have a few words with you."
"Uh, sure," said Shez. "You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later."
"Don't go getting lost on us, boss," joked one of the mercenaries, prompting the others to laugh at her. Shez growled in annoyance as her men followed the captain.
"What was that about?" asked Simon.
"It's nothing," answered Shez.
"I am grateful that you chose to side with us in this endeavor, Shez," said Averill. "But I question whether money is your sole motivation in joining us."
"Well, I'm not a big fan of the Duchess. So, this is a win-win for me."
"I see." Averill then looked at Shez's armor, noticing a small emblem on a piece covering her right breast. "I recognize that symbol. That belonged to Berling's company."
"Yeah, I was part of it… until we got wiped out."
"As I recall, Berling's company was defeated by Jeralt Eisner, the Blade Breaker, and his mercenaries in the Leicester Alliance."
"Yeah, him and his daughter, the Ashen Demon. Almost died fighting that coldhearted bitch." Shez tapped a hand to the scar that ran down her cleavage and said, "I plan to pay her back for that."
Averill said nothing to this. He'd heard rumors that the new Archbishop of the Church of Seiros bore the last name Eisner. He wasn't sure if it was the same woman Shez was talking about, but it was a reasonable suspicion.
"That's why I formed my own company," said Shez. "The Blade Breaker's gone, but I know the Ashen Demon's still out there. I'll get her someday. For now, we'll do our bit for you, Baron Dominic."
"I'm glad to hear that," said Averill. "We're going to need every soldier we can get against the Duchess."
"Heh, you don't need all that if you've got me on your side."
"Boasting is not how to get on my good side, Shez."
"Sorry. Couldn't help myself."
"Cornelia is not simply Duchess of the Faerghus Dukedom due to her political connections. She is easily the most powerful sorceress in Faerghus and a master tactician. Do not go thinking you can just charge out and defeat her on your own."
Shez decided not to answer this, almost embarrassed that she was thinking of doing just that.
"She won't be attacking us soon, will she, father?" asked Simon. Then, turning to Shez, he said, "I was thinking that maybe a song would help raise your men's spirits."
"Uh, who are you again?" Shez asked in confusion.
"This…" Averill said in disappointment, "is my son, Simon. A layabout with no sense for battle."
"Oh. So, wait, does he just suck at fighting or what?"
"You… might say that…" answered Simon. "I have no love for conflict, and thus I never sought to learn how to fight. I've always been more interested in lore and song."
"So, you're a bard?"
"More-or-less."
Before Shez could ask anything else, a bell began ringing that could be heard across Arianrhod.
"The enemy has begun its attack," said Averill as he donned his helmet. "Get back to your men, Shez. And good luck out there."
Baron Dominic and Simon quickly left Shez to see to organizing the defenses, not hearing when Shez said in confusion, "Uh, wait a second! Which way do I–"
Realizing the two weren't going to give her directions, Shez rubbed her head in annoyance. She knew she was going to get lost in a fort like this.
…
Cornelia watched as two Onagers deployed by her men were smashed to pieces by Arianrhod's own artillery, prompting the siege engineers to run away as arrows rained around them. More men were pushing a siege tower toward the fortress walls, with soldiers firing arrows at the defenders, who retaliated with crossbows. The tower was about thirty meters from the wall when another heavy projectile slammed into it, shattering the tower and sending a dozen men falling to their deaths. Several of the Dukedom soldiers hid at the base of Arianrhod's walls, only for boiling oil to be poured down at them.
While it appeared as though her attack was being repelled, this was what Cornelia wanted. The lives being sacrificed here were a means to an end, meant to keep Baron Dominic's forces preoccupied.
She smiled at this, knowing Cleobulus and Kronya would not fail her.
…
The two Agarthan women, still disguised as Valeska and Rissa respectively, slipped their way unnoticed into the western gatehouse of Arianrhod. Their mission was relatively simple: sneak through the fortress and destroy Baron Dominic's supplies. Without food, ammunition, or other wartime necessities, the Dukedom would easily starve him out in a siege. Along with their primary objective, the two were to sabotage as many of Arianrhod's traps as possible, so that breaching the fortress would be easier for the Dukedom army.
Valeska peered around a corner to see no one was around.
"Clear. Move up," said the Agarthan Arcus.
Sighing, Rissa said, "Do we have to do it like this, Val?" The two were ordered to maintain their disguises in case anyone saw them. "Why can't I just Blink through all this? And why'd we have to come in from this side?"
"Stick to the mission, and your cover, Rissa." Valeska drew out her compatriot's name.
"Whatever. If anyone sees us, we just kill them and move on, right?"
Valeska did not answer this as the two moved silently through the halls of Arianrhod, avoiding any voices they heard. Cornelia had not forbidden them from killing this time, but she had emphasized that they needed to use discretion. The duchess didn't want Baron Dominic to realize there were saboteurs in Arianrhod until it was too late.
The two entered another narrow hallway, but just as Rissa was about to sneak down it, Valeska grabbed her by the shoulder.
"Wait here," said the Arcus as her body suddenly turned translucent.
"Huh? Hey, what are you–"
Rissa did not finish her question before Valeska, using the Dark Gift known as "Phase", passed through a solid stone wall as though it were air.
The disguised Kronya pouted at this. Compared to her Blink power, the Phase ability was exceptionally versatile in Cleobulus's hands. With it, the Arcus could enter an ethereal state where she was physically intangible, allowing her to pass through just about any object. She could even extend the effect to her arrows, letting them pass right through a victim's armor before turning them corporeal again, usually with fatal results for her victim. However, the effect could not be maintained indefinitely, and it granted her no protection against hostile spells, which would hit her regardless of her state. There were also a few old Magitek defenses that could keep the Arcus out, some of which were in the catacombs of Garreg Mach Monastery. The Children of the Goddess were not unfamiliar with the Phase power and knew how to keep those who had it out of their most defended vaults, including the Holy Tomb.
As she waited, Rissa looked down the corridor to see several slots in the walls. She realized this had to be a set of the fortress's renowned traps. She could easily Blink past them, but Cornelia had ordered them to disarm as many of the traps as possible. These traps were primitive by her standards, but what else could she expect from human ingenuity besides mediocrity?
Rissa heard machinery breaking down through the wall. Seconds later, Valeska Phased back into the corridor.
"Let's go," said the archer.
The two were about to move out when they heard a man say, "What was that sound?"
Alarmed, the two whipped around just as a House Dominic soldier entered the corridor on the opposite side of the traps. Almost immediately, he spotted the two Dukedom vassals.
The guard hesitated for a fatal second before he tried to shout out an alarm. But by the time he did, his cry died in his throat as he felt a dagger pierce through the left side of his neck and out the right, severing his windpipe.
Rissa was already on top of him, having Blinked over to ensure he wouldn't raise an alarm.
"Shh-shh-shh, that's a good little beast," Rissa cooed sadistically. "Lemme give you a kiss before you go off to Hell~"
Rissa then engulfed the man's lips in her own, biting his tongue as she moaned with satisfaction at watching the life drain from his eyes. She then released her victim with an exaggerated gasp, letting the man's corpse slump to the ground.
The Agarthan Nightblade turned back to Valeska as the archer smiled and said, "Good kill."
Evil is sexy? I'll let you decide.
Before you ask, I need to iterate something about Shez in this story: she does not have Arval within her. The two have never met in this timeline. Arval may be added in the future, but in a manner different from Three Hopes. Also, yeah, I chose Fem-Shez; I don't really like M-Shez's design as much. Finally, yes, Shez and Byleth did fight in this timeline and Berling's mercenaries got annihilated, but Shez survived by the skin of her teeth. I'll get more into that later on.
As for Simon, he's a minor character in Three Hopes, but he is canonically Annette's cousin and a troubadour. I don't intend to make him a warrior, nor for him to have too big a role in the plot.
Some of the names for Count Rowe and Baron Dominic were ones I got after asking on Reddit. Big thanks to user "The- -Inedible- -Hulk" for the suggestions.