Back to the monastery in this chapter.

Chapter 61 – A Belated Reunion (Lone Moon)

Alicia looked over at Cyril as the two flew through the skies near the monastery on their afternoon patrol. The Almyran might've been younger than her, but Alicia was impressed with his skill at guiding his Wyvern as the two weaved through some low clouds. Alicia did her best to keep up with him, but even with her natural talent, it was difficult for her and Welkin to keep pace.

Cyril, meanwhile, had come to enjoy Alicia's company. She wasn't the smartest girl around, but he enjoyed her cooking, and she was helpful in the stables too.

"Alright, we should be just about done for now," said Cyril. "We'd better head back soon."

"Already?" asked Alicia. "Are you sure?"

Nodding, Cyril said, "I've got some more clean-up to do anyway."

"Need any help with it?"

"There's no need. I can manage it on my own."

"But I've got nothing else to do today. Maybe you could use an extra – huh?"

Alicia stopped as she saw something flying toward them from the southwest. When Cyril gave her an inquisitive expression, she pointed in the direction of the oncoming object. Cyril turned to see the object was getting closer. It was white, but it looked too large to be a Pegasus.

As the object drew closer, Cyril and Alicia saw the two individuals riding upon a white Wyvern, and both were surprised to see who was approaching them.

…

Byleth heard the commotion coming from the main hall as she went down with Anna, Judith and Seteth in tow. Glancing at the Hero of Daphnel, Byleth realized Judith had been expecting this arrival.

That meant it could only be one person.

Byleth entered the main hall to see Claude and Hilda already conversing with Leonie, who was clearly ticked off at Claude for some reason. Claude had his bow, Failnaught, strapped to his back, but Hilda did not have Freikugel.

"Claude! Hilda!" Byleth said, happy to see the young leader of the Leicester Alliance.

"Teach, there you are," Claude said jovially. "Sorry to waltz in like this unannounced, but–"

"It's good to see you both," Byleth interrupted.

Smiling, Claude replied, "You too, Teach. I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the reunion when we promised."

"Don't worry about it," said Anna. "Pallardó kinda messed up the whole thing."

"Pallardó?" asked Hilda. Then, remembering the name, she said, "Oh, you mean that thief who stole your stuff before."

"Yeah, him. But I made sure he's staying dead this time."

"What are you two doing here?" asked Byleth.

"I wish I could say this was just a social visit," said Claude, "but I need your help."

"With what, exactly?" asked Seteth.

"I'm sure you already know that the Empire's started pushing into the Alliance. Along with House Gloucester, they're putting a lot of pressure on my forces. I've got a plan to turn the tables on them, but it'll require your assistance."

"Is that why you had Judith reinforce us?" asked Byleth.

"I knew you were going to need help so that the Empire didn't just overrun you, but at the same time, I wanted to have some of our army at Garreg Mach. The way I see it, that's a win-win for you."

"Can't really argue with that logic," said Anna. "But what is it you need us for?"

Before Claude could answer, Byleth said, "That can wait. I'm sure you two must be exhausted from flying all the way here."

Chuckling, Claude said, "Well, it's really my Wyvern, Simurgh, who did most of the work getting us here. But it'd be rude of me not to accept your hospitality, Teach."

"Well, I'll take you up on it, Professor," said Hilda. "Got any sweets?"

"Why don't you two take a little tour around the monastery for now?" said Anna. "We can discuss your plans before dinner."

"Sounds good to me. If you'll excuse me, something in the dining hall smells good."

Hilda took this moment to walk past Byleth and the others and went up the staircase leading to the dining hall. Looking around, she saw the monastery wasn't nearly as pristine as it'd been five years ago, bringing a slight pang of disappointment to her. She had so many fond memories of her time there.

She reached the top of the stairs and rounded the corner to the dining hall when, suddenly, she saw a familiar face running toward her, too fast for either one to stop.

"Wha– AAH!"

Hilda yelped as Caspar crashed into her, sending both to the floor.

Caspar groaned, "Ow… gotta watch where I'm– H-Hilda?!"

His eyes shot wide in surprise at seeing the pinkette beneath him, with Hilda equally surprised to see him again.

"Caspar? Is that you?" said Hilda.

Then, feeling a familiar sensation, Hilda's cheeks went red as she looked down. Caspar took a moment before he realized he was in hot water. He looked down to see that, to his dismay, his right hand had Hilda's enormous left breast in its grip.

Almost groaning, Hilda said, "Well, this is familiar."

Jolting back and releasing his hold on her, Caspar said, "SORRY! I'm so sorry, Hilda! It was an accident!"

Sighing, Hilda said, "I know, Caspar. Just, can you get off me, please?"

"Sorry! Really sorry!"

Caspar sheepishly stepped off Hilda and helped her to her feet.

"Thanks," said Hilda. Then, looking at Caspar, she said, "Wow, Caspar, you've gotten buff. You're a lot bigger than I remember."

"Uh, yeah, um, you too… you're bigger too…" Caspar said as his right hand twitched.

To his dismay, Hilda saw this, and her expression turned to one of anger.

Realizing his mistake, Caspar said, "Uh, that came out wrong! I didn't mean–"

Caspar's protests were interrupted as Hilda slapped him and said, "Pervert!"

Caspar's response was interrupted when Linhardt chuckled and said, "Some things never change, do they?"

"Hey, it's Hilda!" Annette said enthusiastically upon seeing the pinkette.

Lana and Cia both turned to see Hilda as they had their lunch and smiled at seeing her.

"Hey, Hilda!" said Lana. "It's been way too long! How have you been?"

"Nice to see you here," said Cia. "Come to join our merry little band?"

"I wish I could say yes, Cia," said Hilda, "but I'm only here for a little while with Claude."

"Claude's here too?" asked Annette.

"Yeah, the two of us just arrived. I was hoping to get a bite to eat before we have our big meeting. Is there anything good here?"

The others welcomed Hilda to a table as Annette started listing some recommendations for meals.

…

Claude's arrival in the training grounds caught more than a little attention as he, Judith and Byleth went in to see Felix sparring with Catherine. Hearing the commotion, the two sword fighters ended their sparring session as Judith's soldiers saluted the leader of the Alliance.

"Lord Riegan!" said one officer as he saluted.

"At ease, everyone," said Judith. "Claude just wanted to see how we've all been doing."

"Glad to see you're all being kept busy," said Claude. "Felix, Catherine, good to see you both again."

"Didn't know you were gonna be here, Claude," said Catherine. "Couldn't send us a note or something?"

"You know me. I like surprises."

"I take it you're not just visiting for nostalgia's sake, are you?" said Felix.

"I wish I could say that was my only reason, but it isn't. We're gonna need you two in the war room before dinner. Got some plans to discuss with you all."

"What plans?" asked Catherine.

"Plans for taking down the Imperial army that's in Alliance territory."

"I am eager to be listening to your planning, Claude," said Petra as she emerged from the crowd.

Claude turned to speak to the Brigid princess, but upon seeing her, the words in his throat were lost.

"P-Petra…" Claude said bashfully, knowing he was making a fool of himself.

Judith then said with a chuckle, "Some things never change."

…

Dorothea was one of the last to enter the war room when the meeting started, having been practicing her Hymns with Madame Jiayi. But upon seeing Claude and Hilda in attendance, she was kicking herself inside for not coming up from Abyss sooner.

"Claude! Hilda!" Dorothea said in surprise.

"Dorothea, glad to see you could make it," said Claude.

"You look fantastic, by the way," said Hilda.

Dorothea smiled as she took her seat in the war room before looking at the map in the center. Several small figurines had been placed on it to represent the Alliance and Imperial armies.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get straight to it," said Claude. "The Imperial 5th and 11th armies have been hammering away at my forces for almost three weeks now, along with the army of House Gloucester. This is something of a blessing in disguise because I was expecting Edelgard to send a lot more men in at once."

"Edelgard does favor the heavy-handed approach," Linhardt said sardonically.

"Edelgard's using the 5th and 11th armies to secure a large perimeter before she has the rest of her army cross over the Airmid River. However, this gives us an opportunity to cut off and destroy the 5th and 11th before she can reinforce them."

"And that's where we come in?" asked Felix.

"Exactly. The plan's fairly simple." Claude turned to Byleth and said, "While I'm keeping the Imperials and House Gloucester busy, I need you to take the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Doing so will cut the supply line to the Imperials in the Alliance, as well as their main escape route."

"Hmm, that's a bold move, Claude," said Alois. "They're not likely to leave the bridge unguarded even if you keep them distracted."

"That's why I had Judith bring her army to Garreg Mach, so you'd have the strength needed to beat them."

"How many Imperial soldiers will we be facing?" asked Ferdinand.

"Best guess? Probably around 1,500 at the bridge, give or take."

"That's only if they don't send in more men when we try to take the bridge," said Yuri.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not sure when Edelgard plans to send the bulk of her army over the Airmid River. But it's still our best chance of taking a big chunk out of her forces."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Lana.

"That's because you don't pay attention in tactics seminars, Lana," said Leonie. "There's a lot that could go wrong for us. The Imperials might turn around and cut us off the second we take the bridge. And that's not even getting into what House Gloucester might do."

The others agreed with Leonie's concerns.

"I'm not sure I can agree to this, Claude," said Byleth. "What guarantee do I have that you'll be able to finish off the Imperials before they surround us on the bridge? And what if the Empire sends the bulk of its troops from Gronder to the bridge if we capture it?"

"Teach, I know it sounds a little risky–"

"It's not a 'little' risky, Claude. This is an enormous gamble you're taking with our lives."

"I figured you'd say that, Teach. But I promise you, if you can hold the bridge for three days, I'll have the Imperials routed."

"How do you plan on that, Claude?" asked Lysithea.

"House Gloucester isn't that loyal to the Empire. They're only taking their side to avoid getting annexed by them. If you can take the bridge, that'll give House Gloucester some breathing room so they won't have to worry about the Empire knocking on their door. I'm sure that when that happens, they'll be willing to take our side."

"Tch, typical Gloucesters," said Cia. "Always looking out for their own hides."

"Maybe so, but if we can get them on our side, that will only improve our position," said Seteth.

"Well, Teach?" asked Claude. "What do you say?"

Byleth paused for a moment. Claude's plan still felt incredibly ambitious. However, she knew she couldn't sit back and let such an opportunity slip through their fingers. If they waited too long, all could be lost.

"If you can assure me that you'll deal with the 5th and 11th armies, then we'll help you," said Byleth.

"I knew I could count on you, Teach," said Claude. "I'll send you some additional manpower when you move to take the bridge. 500 men led by Ignatz and Raphael. I know you'll be glad to see them."

"How have Ignatz and Raphael been faring?" asked Flayn.

"They're both doing great, Flayn," said Hilda. "Raphael's bigger than Baltie now."

"Once we've dealt with the Imperial 5th and 11th armies," said Claude, "we'll be in position to launch an invasion of the Empire. From there, we'll march toward Enbarr and put an end to all this fighting."

"One step at a time, Claude," said Judith. "We first have to make this all happen."

"We'll do our part," said Anna. "Just make sure you do yours."

"Don't worry, we will," said Hilda.

"There's just… one last wrinkle to all this," said Claude.

"What is it, Claude?" asked Byleth.

"It's the Black Eagles. They've been raiding our supply camps along the front for the past ten days. So far, we haven't been able to deal with them."

"The Black Eagles?" asked Alicia.

"That would be Ladislava's unit," said Ferdinand. "My army was routed by them two years ago when I tried to retake my family's territory."

"Aerin Ladislava is a masterful Wyvern rider and has recruited the cream of the crop across the Empire into her strike force," said Constance. "She has won countless victories for the Empire over the war."

"I don't know where they'll be when you try to take the bridge," said Claude. "But once they learn about it, they'll probably move in to try and take you guys out. Don't underestimate them, Teach. They may be a small unit, but they're the best the Empire has."

"I can personally attest to Ladislava's skill," said Seteth. "I faced her at the start of the war in the skies above the monastery. The rumors do not do her justice. She is perhaps the greatest Wyvern rider I've ever seen."

"And she's not the only one," said Hilda. "There's a few others you really need to watch out for."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Byleth.

"I'm glad to have your help with all this, Teach," said Claude. "Just like old times."

I couldn't help myself with the Caspar/Hilda moment. XD

This one is probably a bit slow, but it sets up the next major battle of the story. It also tries to expand Claude helping out the Church of Seiros in a way that Silver Snow didn't do.

Claude and Hilda will stay at the monastery for one more chapter, and then we'll probably get underway with the Battle of Myrddin, which I'm going to be altering in a few ways compared to the game.

By the way, Claude's Wyvern is named Simurgh after the mythical bird from Persian mythology. It fits because Almyra does take a little basis from Persia.