Another chapter where I'll probably be heavy-handed again.
Chapter 78 – Lingering Resentment (Great Tree Moon)
Dorothea silently noted how she was going back to her old habits again. She crept closer to the room where Byleth, Seteth, Judith and Anna were meeting with Dimitri and Rodrigue, trying not to be noticed. It reminded her of the times she would try to eavesdrop on Rhea at Garreg Mach, only this time she wasn't doing it for Volkhard von Arundel.
But she didn't want Dimitri to know she was there. The King of Lions had given her a murderous glare when he arrived at the bridge. Given how he had treated her in the Holy Tomb over five years ago, she was still afraid of him. In that one moment, Dimitri had turned from a trusting friend to a ruthless killer.
Though she had promised to be less judgmental to others, she could not help but view Dimitri with fear.
"I'm afraid what you ask of us is too much, King Dimitri," said Seteth. "Our forces have just finished two fierce battles with the Empire and have taken severe casualties. To ask us to march so soon to challenge the main body of the Imperial Army is simply not possible. Please, if you would allow a month or two to recover–"
"That is inexcusable," said Dimitri. "I have long awaited the chance to destroy Edelgard and the Empire, and I will not wait that long for you to lick your wounds."
"Dimitri…" said Byleth, but she was interrupted again by the king.
"I find it hard to believe that you, of all people, would have trouble besting Edelgard's lapdogs, Professor. You have become weak in the five years since we last spoke."
Byleth did not answer this, not wanting to provoke any hostility from Dimitri.
"And you still allow Arnault to remain close to you…" Dimitri added.
"What does Dorothea have to do with this, Dimitri?" asked Anna.
"She was once Edelgard's closest friend. Yet you continue to put your trust in her? An actor who lied to us all the while that she served Volkhard von Arundel? How can you be sure she doesn't continue to spy for the Empire?"
Hearing this accusation was more than Dorothea could take. The diva turned away to leave the discussion.
But as she did, she stopped in her tracks as Dimitri said, "Just as she's doing right now."
Dorothea froze as she realized Dimitri had known she was there the whole time.
"She is no better at eavesdropping than she was back then," Dimitri said derisively.
For a moment, Dorothea thought to flee. To get away from the king's accusations. She feared for her life, and she didn't want to make things any more difficult for Byleth than they already were.
But she couldn't move. She couldn't bring herself to run. If she did, she'd just be falling back on old habits again.
The diva turned and slowly entered the room as the others looked at her.
"Dimitri…" Dorothea said cautiously as Dimitri glared at her.
"You see, Professor? She's just like she always was. A deceitful rat wearing finery, but a rat all the same."
Hearing this accusation, Byleth moved in front of Dorothea as Dimitri stood up, fearing he intended to harm her if given the chance.
"Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, what has gotten into you?!" scolded Byleth. "Dorothea hasn't seen or spoken to Edelgard ever since this war started!"
"I find that difficult to believe, Professor."
Byleth was about to retort when Dorothea said, "It's the truth, Dimitri! I wanted nothing to do with Edie's–"
Dimitri slammed his fist down on the table, instantly silencing Dorothea.
Grimly, Dimitri said, "You still call her that. 'Edie'. Such a familiar name for her when you claim not to have spoken to her in such a long time."
Dorothea was on the verge of shaking in terror at Dimitri's glare.
Just when Byleth was about to reprimand Dimitri again, Anna said, "Care to prove any of that bullshit, Dimitri? Or are you just jumping at shadows?"
"Be silent, Anna–"
"No, you're being totally unfair to her, Dimitri! You're jumping to conclusions instead of using your head! Do you really think Dorothea would be helping us this much if she was working for Edelgard?"
Dimitri did not reply to this. The war room was silent for several long seconds.
"Take it from me, King Dimitri," said Judith. "I know a spy when I see one. And Arnault's probably the least likely person I know to be working for the Imperials."
The king silently contemplated Judith's words. After a moment of thought, Dimitri sat back down in his chair, yet he did not take his one good eye off Dorothea.
"You are fortunate that Judith von Daphnel vouches for you, Arnault," said Dimitri.
Dorothea did not show her relief, still fearful that the king might react with hostility.
Rodrigue then said, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should return to the subject at hand?"
"For once, someone here speaks sensibly," said Dimitri. "We already tarry while the enemy rallies its forces in Gronder Field."
"We are more than willing to march on them alongside you, King Dimitri," said Seteth. "However, our forces need time to recover. The battles to take and hold this bridge cost us many lives, and we have hundreds of wounded. With those that remain, we would not be able to assist you adequately."
"And even if we could," said Judith, "we still don't know just how many men Edelgard has waiting for us."
Scoffing, Dimitri said, "I'd have thought Claude's spymaster would be more… effective. Unlike you, I already know how many await us."
"How, Dimitri?" asked Byleth.
"The general in command of the Imperial 5th Army told me after I tore off three of his fingers. I was about to remove a fourth when he wisely confessed that Edelgard has no less than 60,000 men assembled near Fort Merceus."
Byleth was shocked to hear this number. Her army, with around only 2,000 soldiers who could still fight, would be outnumbered thirty-to-one.
"Pardon, Your Majesty," said Rodrigue, "but it would not be prudent to believe General Krennic's claim until we determine the truth ourselves."
"Once again, you remain the sensible one, Rodrigue," said Dimitri. He then turned back to Byleth and said, "And you are fortunate, Professor Eisner, that I am not so foolish as to blindly fight an army that may be twice the size of my own. But make no mistake – it does not matter how many bodies she throws at me. I will have Edelgard's head regardless."
"So, you'll wait for us, then?" asked Anna.
"Not indefinitely. Every moment we dally, the Empire will send more men to reinforce their army. We must establish our position over the Airmid River quickly. And you, Professor… I will only wait so long for your forces before I march on Fort Merceus. I will give you two weeks. Nothing more."
Knowing this was probably the best she was going to get, Byleth nodded at this.
Dimitri then turned to Judith and said, "As for you, Lady Judith, you can tell Claude that I am willing to cooperate with him… for the time being."
"I'm sure Claude will appreciate that, King Dimitri," said Judith. "Thank you."
"Do not thank me. Were it not for my wife, I would not entertain the very notion of allying with that weasel."
Dorothea silently knew she would have to thank Marianne for her help, however indirect it may have been.
…
Annette channeled her healing magic to Alicia's shoulder as the brunette moaned painfully. Annette was amazed the former diva was still alive after being dealt such a serious blow from the Black Eagles' commander. She knew Alicia wasn't going to be fighting for a long while. She wasn't sure if Alicia would ever fight again.
She also knew Ashe was going to be crushed at hearing the news.
"Do you need my help with that, Annie?" said Mercedes as she walked up beside her friend.
Finishing her healing spell, Annette said, "I don't think any more can be done for her now, Mercie. Besides, there's a lot of other people who need help."
"I guess so. You've really improved as a healer."
"Thanks, Mercie. It's good to see you again."
"You too, Annie. I was so worried when I heard that Felix took off with you."
Annette blushed lightly at this.
Mercedes then added, "But I'm glad to see you here with the others."
Annette smiled and nodded at the blonde cleric. She then turned to watch as Marianne gave a prayer to a wounded soldier after using her healing magic, asking for the Goddess to show him mercy. The orange-haired mage noted that the queen looked far less pale than usual.
But as Annette stood up, she caught sight of a familiar, aged face, one which quickly soured her mood.
Knowing who Annette had just seen, Mercedes said, "Annie–"
Annette did not listen as she stormed toward Gilbert, who was busy giving orders to some of the Loyalist officers. As she went past them, Lana and Cia both looked on in curiosity.
As she reached him, Annette said crossly, "Father…"
Gilbert did not turn to her, only pausing briefly before he said to an officer, "Ensure that rations are distributed properly. Sergeant, make sure our archers have enough arrows, then distribute them across our line."
"Yes sir," said one of the officers.
Before Gilbert could give out another order, Annette said loudly, "Father!"
Knowing he couldn't avoid speaking to her any longer, Gilbert said, "Excuse me, captain."
Gilbert turned to his daughter as she put her hands to her hips, clearly angry with him.
The aged knight said, "Annette, why are you here?"
"I'm here helping my friends," Annette said with vitriol. "I'm doing what I wanted to do when you sent me back to Uncle Averill."
"You were supposed to remain by his side, Annette. It was for your protection that I–"
"Don't give me that!" Annette snapped. "I wanted to help fight the Empire! But you told Uncle Averill to keep me cooped up while you went to Dimitri's side! Don't you think I wanted to be there with you too?! And do you know how worried Mother was about you?!"
"Your mother knows I am sworn to King Dimitri's service, Annette. I failed King Lambert at Duscur. I cannot fail his son."
"Would you stop it with your damn oaths?! What about us?! Do mother and I mean so little to you?!"
"You are my daughter, Annette. That is why I sent you to Averill. He was to keep you safe."
"SAFE?!" Gesturing with her hand, Annette shouted, "He was THIS close to marrying me off to some Imperial windbag I'd never met just to keep Cornelia happy! And what did you do?! NOTHING! You abandoned me because you can't get past what happened to King Lambert!"
"Enough!" Gilbert said loudly.
Annette was briefly shocked by her father's angered tone, but it wasn't enough to cool her own anger.
She then said softly, "I hate you…"
"Annette…"
"I HATE YOU, FATHER! AND YOU KNOW WHAT?! YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR DIMITRI! I HOPE I NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!"
Annette spun around and ran away from Gilbert as tears began streaming down her face. Watching as the short mage rushed by them, Cia saw Annette's tears and winced.
Lana saw her twin sister's expression, and after a few seconds, she asked, "Cia? Are you okay?"
Cia didn't reply to this as she turned away from her twin, but Lana could tell her sister hadn't taken Annette's outburst well.
At the same moment, after watching Annette run someplace where others could not see her cry, Mercedes turned back to Gilbert.
The aged knight shed no tears as he turned back to his duties.
…
Meanwhile…
As Trauare's healing magic sealed the wound in her side, Ladislava looked at the battered members of the Black Eagles. They had taken a beating in their fight with the Church. She then looked at the shattered remnants of the 5th Imperial Army, which was down to less than 400 men. Fortunately, the Loyalists did not pursue the Black Eagles, but Ladislava was still worried about House Gloucester catching up to them if they didn't move soon.
Seconds later, Salia returned and said, "I've got the headcount."
"How many did we lose?" Ladislava asked, dreading what her second-in-command would say next.
"43 dead, and another 56 wounded, including you, Zola and Setia."
"Dammit… What about Vayne?"
"She's not going to last the night."
Ladislava sighed loudly at this. The Eagles hadn't lost so many in a single battle throughout the entire war prior to that day. They were the best in the Imperial Army, yet even they weren't invincible.
The worst part of it, though, was the knowledge that all they had fought for at the Great Bridge of Myrddin was for naught. With the Loyalists now at the bridge with tens of thousands of troops, taking the bridge back was impossible.
She knew she was going to have a lot of letters to send when they returned to the Empire.
"So, what's our next move, Ladi?" Zola said as she held a blood-soaked rag to her face. "Even I'm not crazy enough to take on fifty-to-one odds."
After taking a moment to digest their situation, Ladislava said, "Her Majesty needs to know what's coming." She then looked at another Eagle and said, "Auguste."
"Yes, ma'am," said the male rider.
"Take a wing of five. Fly straight back to Fort Merceus as fast as you can. Don't stop for anything. Warn Lady Edelgard and Lord Vestra about the Loyalists."
"I'm on it." The male rider then turned and went to find others to volunteer as his wingmen.
"Wait, what about the rest of us?" asked Trauare.
Ladislava then turned and gestured to the remnants of the 5th Army as she said, "We need to get what's left of the 5th across the Airmid River. We'll head southeast for the crossing in House Ordelia's territory. We have to get there before House Gloucester closes it off."
"And if the Gloucesters get there first?" asked Zola.
"We'll make that part up as we go."
"That's half a plan if I ever heard one."
"I do not agree with your decision, Ladislava," said Setiawati. Gesturing to the 5th Army's soldiers, she said, "We leave ourselves exposed if we stay with them."
"Seti, you're not saying we should ditch them, are you?" asked Trauare.
Before Setiawati could answer, Ladislava said, "That's not your call to make, Setia. We're going to get those men home. Understand?"
Setiawati paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Dimengerti…"
Within minutes, the Black Eagles and the survivors of the 5th Army began their march to the southeast.
This one was tricky, no doubt about that.
Dimitri's hostility toward Dorothea might be a little strong here, but then again she didn't make a very good impression on him, and Dimitri is the type to jump to conclusions without looking below the surface. That's why he blames Edelgard for the Tragedy of Duscur. Also, Dimitri agreeing to wait for Byleth and join forces with Claude wasn't the easiest thing to write. It's not largely explained why Dimitri doesn't trust the Alliance in-game, even though Claude admits that he wanted Edelgard and Dimitri to destroy each other and then he'd pick up the pieces.
As for the Annette/Gilbert part, I know Annette never actually hates Gilbert during Azure Moon, but that's because she doesn't get dumped off with her uncle in that route. But just in case you're worried, no, it isn't going to last. It'll get resolved later.
Finally, as you may be expecting, the Black Eagles still have plenty to do. And so do I.
See you next week.
Oh, and please don't spoil me on Engage. I'm on the fence about whether to get it, as I already have a considerable list of games to play.