Chapter 44: The Noose Tightens
22nd day of the Great Tree Moon 1181. Fields outside of Fhirdiad.
The conditions for battle were not quite ideal, but they were decent. The ground was still muddy from the melting snow, so cavalry was practically useless, but other troops could move well enough, albeit at reduced speed. The sky was clear apart from a few clouds, which meant that the pegasus riders and their auxiliary wyvern riders were unobstructed by the weather. Sight was well, seeing as the morning fog had already dispersed.
In light of this, Dimitri had lined up the troops for the attack as scheduled. Arrayed against him stood the army of traitors under his uncle Rufus. As allies stood the severely depleted garrison of Fhirdiad commanded by Rodrigue, and the army provided by the tribes of Norweg and the Empire. It was the reason why Rufus could not bring his full force to bear against Dimitri. He had to defend himself on three sides instead of attacking on one. It was a precarious situation for the late King's brother.
When the supporting host was in position, Dimitri gave the signal and advanced. His heavy infantry and Ashe's archers in front of them moved first. Felix and Annette followed with their mixed units of light infantry and the relatively low number of mages the Kingdom typically employed. Behind them moved Dedue with the reserves and the medical units. Screening the advance was Ingrid, who quickly pushed ahead to keep the skies clear and engage any flying units Rufus had brought to the field.
On the other side of the battlefield, the warriors of the tribes and the Imperial troops followed the Prince's cue. Seeing as their side lacked flyers almost entirely, they had brought many archers and mages. It was still a problem due to their reduced flexibility, but it would have to do. What they did not lack, however, was sheer power. Heavy infantry had been provided by the tribes, while the Empire had brought an assortment of powerful mages. Naturally, there were also mages from the tribes, who were powerful as well but low in number. All combined, this army composition made them tough enough to endure enemy aerial supremacy, but it also made them slow.
Rufus, who saw this, evaluated his situation. He was up against superior numbers and was almost boxed in. It did not take him long to come to the realisation that he could not win this battle, and if he did, his army would be in no condition to continue the siege. Retreating intact without giving battle was also impossible. The only way to get out of this situation with a decent army was to break through at the weakest point of the enemy formation.
"We're attacking eastward. We'll break through my nephew's lines and then head southward. Everyone, get to it!" he ordered.
His soldiers obeyed and marched in the direction of Dimitri's host. They were slowed down by the mud, but not by as much as the second, larger army on their tails. The formation changed from a defensive to an offensive one in short order. While they were not exactly elites, they were well trained and had a bit of experience, which meant that they were soon where Rufus wanted them. As such, they soon clashed with Dimitri's troops.
Thus, the battle began. The skirmish was a short affair as the need for haste made Rufus' troops advance without targeting Ashe's archers. As a consequence, said archers had to retreat behind Dimitri's infantry after only a few salvos, though they inflicted damage without incurring retaliation. Ingrid's flying detachment also took this opportunity to dive in and attack the archers of the rebelling army while they were out of position and before his own flying troops could interfere. This initial phase gave Rufus quite the bloody nose.
Then, however, came the clash. While the engagement happened across the entire line, the attack was strongest on the southern flank held by Annette. There, Rufus had sent his best soldiers, and it was showing. The southern flank soon found itself buckling under the weight of the assault. The same was happening to Rufus' northern flank. It held the least soldiers and those of lowest quality. All the while, his flying troops, which were slightly outmatched by Ingrid's, kept the Dimitri's forces from establishing air superiority.
Eventually, the line began to shift. Dimitri advanced in the north while Rufus advanced in the south. While Rufus had prepared for this and already had his northern soldiers pulling back further south, Annette had had no such consideration. Her flank was almost collapsing, though their retreat was eventually caught and stabilised by the reserves under Dedue. By the time this shift had stopped, Rufus' army was almost in the position he wanted it.
The usurper had a new problem, however. The Imperial and Norweg forces had closed the distance between their armies were engaging now. His position was not ideal and his western flank saw itself under great pressure. As such, he had no choice but drawing the entire line south earlier than planned, leaving isolated units to be encircled and destroyed. Thus, while he was keeping the battle order intact, he was nonetheless losing a significant number of soldiers.
The next complication for Rufus came from an unsuspecting source. The path of his retreat took him south-east, where Dimitri's army camp was located on rocky ground. He intended to use the better terrain to retreat faster. This movement towards a mud-free surface was not missed by its occupants, however.
"Looks like it's my day after all," said Sylvain as he observed the path of the traitor's army from the back of his horse. He gave new orders to his soldiers, "I want everyone in their saddles and ready to attack within ten minutes!"
It was astounding how fast 2'000 riders could mount their horses and form up when they were motivated. Factoring into this was that everyone was already wearing their armour and had their horses at the ready. Another was that Faerghus was the land of knights, and every Faerghus knight worth their salt knew how to mount a horse quickly. Therefore, the order was fulfilled by the specified time, even if a number of knights were not in the proper wedge formation yet.
"Attack!" bellowed Sylvain with a raised spear, shortly followed by the blowing of the horns.
He kicked his spurs, as did his soldiers, and the entire cavalry cantered towards the retreating enemy army. This did not go unnoticed. Spearmen scrambled to meet the new threat. It was not fast enough, however. On the last 50 metres, the cavalry sped up to a full gallop and lowered their lances. They were on a collision course with an unprepared force. To rub salt in the wound, Sylvain and the few Dark Knights and Holy Knights in his detachment launched spells at those of the spearmen who were prepared to intercept the riders. And then, the clash happened.
Sylvain's cavalry penetrated the enemy front to devastating effect. Anything and everything in their way was either speared by their lances or crushed under the hooves of their horses. The affected flank of Rufus' army quickly lost cohesion as a result. While that would normally not have been a great problem under consideration of the discrepancy in respective numbers, Rufus' army was currently engaged in a retreat from a superior force. This left the beleaguered flank completely helpless against Sylvain's cavalry.
As Ingrid's forces began to swoop in and support Sylvain, Rufus cut his losses. The signal for the full retreat was given. His soldiers did their best to disengage, and they managed it for the most part. Those under attack by Sylvain were a lost cause, however. Instead, they were sacrificed to buy time, which proved to be an effective tactic. Pursuit without the main body of the army was out of the question. Sylvain and Ingrid therefore chose to mop up the left-behind troop instead and secure the army camp against enemy splinter elements while they waited for the rest of the host to catch up.
Several hours later, early evening. Fhirdiad.
Cheers were heard throughout the city as Prince Dimitri and his top officers entered through the gates. He and his former classmates sat on immaculately groomed horses. Accompanying them were soldiers who marched in parade formation. The further into the city they marched the greater the cheers grew. But this was only the beginning.
The clamour grew further as the procession made its way towards the Royal Palace. It seemed the people of the capital were very welcoming towards the Prince. He and his entourage proceeded further along the central street until they reached the plaza in front of the palace. There, the soldiers changed their formation and covered the entrances while the officers and Dimitri went inside. As they did so, the cheering crowd began filling the plaza and directed their gazes at the balcony of the Royal Palace.
There stood Rodrigue, otherwise known as Duke Fraldarius, Shield of Faerghus and regent of the Holy Kingdom. Next to him stood an official bearing a blue cushion upon which sat a circlet. A few other officials were there as well, though they only seemed to be present for decorative purposes. Members of the Palace Guard stood at attention, too. There was no mistaking what was about to happen.
The wait did not take long. The doors to the balcony were opened, and Dimitri came through it, Dedue at his side and the others behind him. He stepped forward towards Rodrigue, who smiled at him. When it looked like proper positions had been taken, he turned to the official with the cushion and lifted the circlet from it.
He then turned back and spoke, "Prince Dimitri, are you ready to take your crown?"
"I am," answered Dimitri.
"Then kneel," said Rodrigue. The Prince did so and waited for him to continue. "Do you swear to rule justly, to work for the betterment of your subjects and to defend this land and its people?"
"This I swear by the Goddess. I shall see my people save and prosperous, our lands secure and our laws just!" replied Dimitri.
Rodrigue smiled as much as decorum allowed, and said, "Then I hereby crown you king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Rise, Your Majesty." As Dimitri rose and turned towards the crowd, the Duke shouted, "Hail King Dimitri! Long may he reign!"
The renewed cheers of the crowd were deafening. Well-wishes were shouted and hands raised in jubilation. This state of affairs continued for a full minute and only ceased when Dimitri raised a hand, which caused the crowd to quiet down.
When the noise level had become acceptable, he spoke: "I wish I could hold a grand speech about my plans for the future. I wish I could tell you how I plan to make the Kingdom a better place for its people. However, now is not the time for lofty proclamations. All of you have endured a prolonged siege and fighting in the very streets of this city before that. I will not give you empty platitudes and honeyed words. What I can give you is my promise that I will see us emerge victorious in this war so we may rebuild what we have lost. Times will be hard on the Kingdom in the coming months, but I have faith in its people to pull through. I must ask you for your faith in return so that I may fight knowing that I have the support of my people. There is no doubt in my mind that if we work together, we will overcome this time of crisis. Let us march onward, to peace!"
The newly crowned king had chosen his words well. Shouts of approval and praises once again went through the plaza. The crowd spent quite a long time cheering for their new monarch. Compared to the mess that Rufus had made of the Kingdom, Rodrigue had been a godsend, and if he supported Dimitri, then the young man couldn't be that bad. His popularity was quickly establishing itself, it seemed.
Eventually, the hubbub died down. With a wave of his arm, Dimitri retreated back into the palace. The others followed him one by one, until the balcony was left empty. While there would normally have been a grand feast to celebrate the coronation, there were neither the time nor the food stores necessary. The festivities therefore had to be cut short. As such, the crowd dispersed not long after.
Within the palace itself, busywork had already begun, however. Dimitri soon found himself dealing with reports in the king's study. Everything from food stores to troop morale, civil unrest and disease breakouts had been brought here in advance for his perusal. It was overwhelming for the new king, and that was before the ledgers with the finances were even brought before him. While he would not be able to actually do anything with all of this in the near future, he still wanted to familiarise himself with the subject matter and at least delegate tasks in the interim. Even that proved itself to be a bigger task than he had hoped.
"This is a lot more exhausting than I thought it would be," he said. "I haven't even properly started ruling, and my head is already spinning."
Rodrigue shook his head and replied, "Your education in this matter was woefully neglected for lack of a teacher, Your Majesty. I wish I could have done more for you, but while Rufus was still the lawful regent, my hands were tied."
"Sadly, it is something I must now learn fast," said Dimitri.
"But not immediately," countered Rodrigue, "I humbly offer my services on that front. My brother can rule Fraldarius territory in my stead for a while longer."
Dimitri sighed. "I will have to take you up on that offer. The army can't remain here. We must pursue Rufus before he has any chance of reorganising his forces. While I doubt that we will actually succeed in that goal, we may be fast enough to prevent a counterattack. If nothing else, this might stop the army stationed at Arianrhod from attacking our allies."
"I see. Then I shall continue to guard Fhirdiad and its people for you, Your Majesty. May you return swiftly after your victory," said Rodrigue with a bow.
"You are awfully confident in my ability to win, Rodrigue," commented Dimitri.
"That is because I firmly believe that you will emerge victorious," said Rodrigue.
Dimitri chuckled and said, "In that case, I would do well not to disappoint you." He sighed as he looked at the documents before him and went on, "Now let us deal with this. The sooner we get it done the sooner I can move out."
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Rodrigue with another bow.
30th day of the Great Tree Moon 1181. Arianrhod.
Cleobulus hated being where she was. She hated the disguise she was wearing. She hated Thales for saddling her with a male name when she'd taken her leadership position – never mind that nobody remembered what the Seven Sages had done, only that they had existed and what their names had been – and for then making fun of it as well, just because she'd looked very boyish in her youth. She also hated the long-term assignment he'd given her. She just knew that he'd only selected her to make fun of her. And to top it all off, she was surrounded by incompetent buffoons and useless sycophants who endangered not only her safety but the safety of the mission. If she didn't hate that beast that called itself a Goddess more, she would have quit long ago and told him to get lost. Alas, she had her mission, and that meant working with the aforementioned idiots.
It had started out as a simple if long mission. Replace a big-time scholar with an impeccable reputation, manipulate the exiled consort of the Emperor, engineer King Lambert's and Prince Dimitri's deaths, seduce his brother, kill said brother, and take over. The reality of it had quickly changed with Dimitri's survival. The plan had had to be adjusted. Then, Solon had up and died, his pawn Kronya had disappeared not long after, and then everything had gone up in flames. Last she'd heard, even Myson had failed, his fate unclear. And on top of it all, the social circle she had inserted herself into was failing miserably as well.
To be fair, much of this trouble could be laid at the feet of Thales. Her leader had severely overestimated the competence of his own forces. He had even left to focus his efforts on the Alliance front. This had meant that his troops had had to be reinforced by the western Lords of the Kingdom. That had left her and Rufus understaffed for the initial defence of Fhirdiad as well as their attempt to retake it. Rufus, while no strategic genius, had at least been smart enough to retreat and had saved two thirds of his army in the process. And now that he had been forced to pull troops, including the entire complement of flying units, away from Arianrhod to reinforce the eastern front, that useless idiot Count Rowe was panicking. It was one more thing that Thales could have prevented if he had just stayed.
The silver lining behind it was that she was now free to conduct her business without interference. As such, she had completely reorganised the disaster that had been the plans for the defence of Arianrhod. Count Rowe's complacency there had endangered everything. Fortunately, the man was as weak-minded as he was cowardly, and he'd easily folded before her forceful personality. This had allowed her to reorganise the troops and get a few Titanus war machines set up. If she couldn't eliminate the idiots, he just had to exploit their idiocy.
To give credit where it was due, not everything Count Rowe had done had been a bad idea. His cowardice had led him to request additional reinforcements before Rufus had taken a significant number of troops away from the fortress. These reinforcements had arrived just the previous day, just before Baron Ochs and his troops had closed the circle around Arianrhod. At least now she had enough of a garrison to prevent enemy assaults. She would even be able to launch a sortie after another day of reorganisation. The way her opponent had arranged his forces would make it rather easy to crush him, actually. If the supposed strategic genius was so willing to be a useful idiot as well, she'd indulge him.
Preoccupied as she was with her future plans, she failed to notice the attendant entering her office for a minute or so. When she finally spotted the nervous man, he had spent quite some time fidgeting around. Predictably, he'd also spent just as much time staring at the chest of the disguise she wore. She scowled internally, but schooled her expression externally.
"What is it?" she asked, irritation dripping from her words.
"G-general Telkan wished to speak with you, my Lady," stuttered the young fool.
Telkan was one of the subordinates she liked. He didn't ask questions, but he also wasn't stupid. He wasn't particularly intelligent either, but he was not prone to messing up his orders. If he wanted to see her, it had likely to do with the standing orders she had given him. One had been to never bother her directly and another to call her if he believed that something actually did warrant her attention. Knowing that he wouldn't go against these directives, she stood up from her chair.
"Lead me to him, then," she said.
The messenger bowed. "Right away," he said.
The trip was short, even considering Arianrhod's size. Its tiered structure meant that at the top, distances were not much of a problem. Telkan's command post was not far away from Count Rowe's keep. The place was also easy to navigate, which was technically a weakness in its defences, but if an enemy ever reached that far up, there would be bigger problems at hand than that. For now, it simply meant that she arrived quickly at her destination.
There, she saw Telkan with a spyglass in his hand and a frown on his face. After she had dismissed the messenger, she asked, "Why have you called me here?"
He didn't turn. "My apologies for not showing proper respect, Lady Cornelia," he said, "But I'm observing the enemy. What I'm seeing disturbs me."
Cleobulus narrowed her eyes. "Explain," she ordered.
"The enemy troop movement is odd. Instead of holding position and staying out of range, they're approaching the wall. Something's wrong," he said.
He swept the spyglass around a few times, before something caught his attention. People wearing black garments were gathered around the gatehouses. They approached them, and one of them shot a fireball into the sky. At that sight, the Imperial and Church troops outside picked up their pace, running at the gates of Arianrhod.
"Shit," said the general. He raised his voice and shouted, "We're under attack. Infiltrators in the gatehouses! Find them before they can open the gates!"
As she realised what was happening, Cleobulus could only think of one thing. She really hated being where she was.
At the same time. West gate of Arianrhod.
Constance did not like being in the sun. While the personality issue it caused hadn't been as bad for many months now as it had been in the beginning, it was still an irritant. It made her more withdrawn, less confident and more of a pushover overall. Fortunately, she had been able to fix that last issue while serving with Duke Gerth, who was at this point stationed near Fhirdiad. By now, she could command her troops well enough, and they were also somewhat used to her quirks at this point. They knew exactly that any funny business they pulled by day would come back to haunt them once night fell. Still, the sunlight put her on edge.
At least she had a soothing presence in the form of Monica by her side. The one-handed redhead exuded confidence and determination despite her partially missing extremities. That quality came in handy when it was time to head into battle. Constance may have been a better commander, but Monica was a better leader. In that way, the two young women covered each other's weaknesses quite well.
This was proving itself now that the signal to attack had been given. Monica and her soldiers were at the fore of their group as they charged at the slowly opening gate. The men and women in their army followed her with vigour. A leader willing to put herself on the line together with her troops would always be respected, after all. As a result, they didn't even flinch when they were bombarded with arrows and the occasional spell from the walls.
That did not mean that Constance was idle. The majority of her assigned troops followed closely behind Monica's. The rest, including herself, had taken to the skies and were harassing the defenders on the walls to minimise their impact on the assaulting forces. The unexpected barrage of magic from the air was proving to be quite effective in disturbing the defenders' ability to hurt Monica's force. Indeed, she and her personal guard were dishing out an impressive amount of damage.
Their assault was well-timed. By the time the gates were open, Monica's troops were there to stream into the fortress. While progress was slowed down by the need to reinforce the infiltrators who had lowered the drawbridge and opened the gates, it happened nonetheless. The soldiers defending the gate had not yet received their own reinforcements, after all. Now was the crucial moment to break through, and Constance would not be found wanting.
She gathered magical power in a specific pattern her guard unit's soldiers were familiar with by now. They joined in, amplifying the effects of the spell she had invented quite some time ago. After but a few moments, sufficient power had been charged. She formed the magic circle, took proper aim and let loose. Branching bolts of technicolour lightning promptly smashed into the formation of the gate's defenders, laying waste to whatever was in their way.
Monica took advantage of this opening. Her soldiers renewed their push and broke through the thinned lines of defenders. As they overran the enemy, they made space for more of her troops to rush in through the gate. The fresh soldiers from the back took to the front as soon as the opportunity presented itself, taking over the advance in the process. Their momentum was now established.
Constance was soon waved down by Monica with the use of a signalling banner. Complying quickly so as not to waste time, Constance flew down and met with her at the foot of the gatehouse.
"Good that you came so quickly. Listen, I have no idea how well the assault on the other gates is going. I want you to take a portion of the soldiers and go southward. Sweep the outer ring clear of defenders and help my father take the main gate if necessary. I'll try to make a push into the centre of the fortress from here in the meantime," said Monica.
"What about the Citadel on the north side, if I may ask?" asked Constance.
Monica grimaced and answered, "The enemy is bound to respond. Trying to go for too many objectives at once would overextend us."
Constance took a second to think and nodded. "Very well, I shall sweep south. Please do not be surprised by my subpar performance."
"Well, it's good you've got me to support you then, shady lady," came a voice from the side.
Constance blinked a few times before she registered what had been said and who had said it. "Yuri? Please do not use that nickname. I will be depending on your support, however."
Yuri chuckled and said, "My, my, I can see a few hints of backtalk in there, and during the day to boot. Very well. I'll give you my full support. Now let's go."
The two Ashen Wolves departed without further fanfare, leading their troops southward. Resistance there was fierce but wholly inadequate, seeing as the defending forces there had no reinforcements to speak of. Constance and Yuri swept most of them aside, the former with her magic and the latter with his skill and the Fetters of Dromi. Only in one spot did they encounter significant trouble, for in their way stood a knight bearing the weapons of a late but famous warrior.
"I am Gwendal the Second! Come and face me!" shouted the knight.
This has to be a joke, thought Yuri. Then again, Count Rowe was an idiot. It fit him to make a mockery of his best knight's name and legacy in the hopes of copying his strength.
Despite his presumably fake title, Gwendal II proceeded to dodge a multitude of spells thrown his way, displaying quite a bit of skill in the process. He rushed forward into his opposition and clashed with the Imperial soldiers. To those he encountered, he dealt a great deal of damage, killing nearly a dozen of them before he was met with Yuri. Against the Savage Mockingbird, however, overwhelming strength meant little. While the pinprick attacks against Gwendal II did little in terms of damage, it kept him pinned down, and that was ultimately his undoing. A well-placed Thoron spell from one of Constance's soldiers eventually pierced the old knight's chest, unhorsing the man and killing him almost instantly.
After the unceremonious death of the prestigious knight's successor, Constance and Yuri continued their push. This was made easier by the crumbling morale of the Rowe troops. Many surrendered, and just as many lost their composure, prompting them to fight wildly and without plan. As a result, the sweep proceeded fast despite the previous delay. It was not long, therefore, until the Imperial troops arrived at the main gate, where their fellows under Baron Ochs were already making their way into Arianrhod.
There, they were met not only by the Baron himself but also by Balthus and Hapi. Hapi had been expected, but Balthus should not have been there.
"Shouldn't you support Jeralt's push?" asked Yuri.
"Shouldn't you be doing the same for Monica's?" asked Balthus back.
"She sent us to aid the centre," answered Yuri.
Balthus laughed and replied, "Hah! Captain Wolfgang told me the same. Frankly, he and the Knights of Seiros are pretty much wrecking the eastern side of the fortress."
"Then I would ask you to go and support my daughter," said Baron Ochs, inserting himself into the conversation. "Once we start assaulting the second ring of defences, I want you to take your troops and support Monica's side of our assault."
Since the Baron was actually in command of the whole operation, they were quick to agree. "We'll get it done."
"Wonderful," said the Baron, "Then let us resume our attack."
And so they did. Damian drove his troops onward, carrying the main force of the assault forwards into the second ring of the fortress. At this point, however, resistance began to grow fiercer. By now, the defenders had rallied and solidified their positions. Advancing was becoming a chore, a costly one at that, but Baron Ochs managed to make progress on the west side of the second ring. The reason for this was the push by Monica's soldiers coming from that direction. Ever so slowly, the two Imperial complements closed ranks.
As Baron Ochs watched the Ashen Wolves leave westward through the corridor the troops had established, he spied trouble coming his way. From the third ring descended a bunch of hulking monstrosities which the intelligence department referred to as Titanus war machines. He also spotted several of them guarding the northern portions of the second ring. This could only be bad for him and his soldiers. From what the reports said, those things were not to be underestimated. He had to act fast.
"All mages, cease offensive manoeuvres! Erect defensive barriers on our lines! Those things will take us apart if we don't!" he ordered.
Predictably, this meant that the advance came to a standstill. His orders had the intended effect, however. The energy attacks the war machines unleashed were weakened considerably by the application of the defensive spells. It would not hold forever, especially once those things closed in and got into melee range, but it bought valuable time. The other parts of the army would eventually reinforce him, of that he was sure.
The battle continued in the same vein for quite some time until the defensive spells were eventually torn down by the veritable deluge of attacks that descended on them. The war machines did take quite a bit of damage in return, but they were still up and running. This, in turn, caused his front lines to buckle. The only saving grace at this point was that the bulky machines were too large to exit the central plaza. He could only imagine the carnage that would have been occurring at this point if the traps built into the fortress hadn't been disabled before the assault.
The pressure on Baron Ochs' front suddenly lessened when Jeralt and Captain Wolfgang came barrelling onto the east side of the plaza. The Knights of Seiros' arrival forced the Titanus war machines to redeploy from their current position. This created some breathing room for the beleaguered Imperial forces. It also caused a lot of damage on the side of the traitors of the Kingdom. The Knights of Seiros were anything but pushovers, after all.
This truth proved itself when a group of them rushed forward and used Frozen Lance and Hexblade combat arts against the Titanus. The already damaged machines were subjected to punishing force by their attackers, and before long, the first of them fell. Another one followed suit not much later. This reversal of the situation led to yet another redeployment of the remaining Titanus war machines to the side of Baron Ochs. A few more of them fell victim to the destructive combat arts employed against them before they managed to get away.
Sadly for the defenders, this left their regular soldiers vulnerable to the veritable forest of halberds the Knights of Seiros employed. It became noticeable quite quickly that this was not sustainable situation for the Kingdom's traitorous soldiers. The Church forces cut a bloody swathe through them while their Imperial allies did their best to hold their buckling position against the rampaging war machines. Soon, however, those very same machines were once again beset by the attacks of the Knights of Seiros.
The final nail in the coffin came when a large number of the traitors' forces came rushing down the steps of the third ring. Hot on their heels were soldiers bearing the insignia of Baron Dominic. It seemed like the enemy had to abandon their most defensive position thanks to the Baron's decision to throw in his lot with Dimitri rather than Rufus. When the Ashen Wolves and Monica showed up behind his forces to join him in his chase of Cornelia and the general at her side, the morale of the defenders crumbled.
It appeared that Cornelia knew where the wind was blowing as well. One look at the battlefield's condition was enough for her to start casting a spell that disrupted the anti-Warp field that had been erected around Arianrhod. Attempts to disrupt the casting were unsuccessful thanks to her bodyguards, and eventually, the field was disabled for a short moment. Within an instant, she, her bodyguards and the general were gone.
With their primary commanders gone, the soldiers defending Arianrhod could do nothing more than surrender. The last of the Titanus had also fallen, hastening the process. A further factor was Count Rowe's cowardice, though it could be viewed as prudence in this case. He knew he was outmatched badly. And so, the siege of Arianrhod ended when the defenders cast down their weapons.
Hours later, night. Shared prayer space of Sothis and Hyperion.
It was finally time for a conversation that had been coming for some time now, even if all sides had so far found one reason or another to put it off. Seiros had, presumably, done so out of a desire to avoid an argument with her mother, despite her insistence on this talk happening. Sothis had done so in order to have enough time to figure out how to communicate what she wanted to say without problems. I had done so for much the same reason, and because I didn't like arguments between people I cared about. And Byleth had done so because he had been busy organising an army on the move and had wanted to cultivate his bond with Edelgard without being weighed down by other stuff.
"Why is he here?" asked Seiros while looking at Byleth, "Not that I am unhappy to see him, but I don't see how this discussion affects him."
"He is your grandson. My great-grandson. I believe he should be involved in family matters such as this," answered Sothis.
Seiros conceded, "I see your point, Mother. Very well."
Her gaze went to me, and I could see that she was still not very happy with my presence, although the hostility she had directed towards me on previous occasions was notably absent now. I viewed this as progress, and gave her a nod of acknowledgement in response. A smile could have been misinterpreted, and I didn't trust myself to put enough nuance in my facial expressions to convey my feelings in the way I wanted them to. It was better to wait for the actual conversation.
"What exactly is this about?" asked Byleth.
I chose to answer that myself, "Well, you see, there has been a… conflict in the interpersonal relationship between Seiros and myself recently. I'm sure you're aware of it."
"I am," said the young man. That was fair. We had been pretty blatant about it.
"Well, we've made progress in resolving it. If it goes well, which I hope it will, we'll resolve it tonight," I continued, "And since it is a family matter, Sothis and I thought it was only right that you'd be here as well. That, and you've got an outside perspective that might come in useful in solving the problem."
"I see. That is a good idea," he said. At the questioning looks he received from us, he elaborated, "I grow tired of the tenseness between the three of you. You're family. Get along."
"How rude of you to say it like that," commented Sothis, "But you're right. We really should get along. For that reason, I think we should get over the established facts."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "Established facts? That sounds a bit too business-like," I said.
She shot me an exasperated look and sighed, "Hush you."
When Seiros opened her mouth to speak, Sothis raised her finger and said, "You as well."
The opened mouth fell shut again, looking unhappy. Byleth reached over and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. He said, "Let her speak, Grandmother."
Seiros reined herself in and calmed down visibly. Byleth was a damn godsend here. I was glad for his presence right now. It seemed that Sothis was appreciative of his interjection as well.
"Thank you, Byleth," she said. Then, she breathed in and swept her gaze across us three while speaking, "I debated with myself how to best say this without upsetting you, Seiros. I found no solution, even after all the time since our last conversation. So, all I can say is that what I'm about to say does in no way diminish our bond. I love you"
She fell silent and kept her stare fixed on Seiros. The woman in question seemed to realise that she was expected to answer, or at least to acknowledge what Sothis had said. She nodded and said, "Yes, Mother."
"Good," said Sothis, "Then I'll say what needs to be said: I'm in love with Hyperion. I don't think you know how much he means to me, Seiros. While, initially, I could just barely tolerate the thought of losing him if it meant protecting our familial bond, that is no longer the case. I am unwilling to contemplate a life without him now. To me, he is already part of the family, even if it isn't official yet. That said, a life without you is just as unacceptable. There is no way I will accept a future where either of you is absent from my life."
"But Mother, how can that be? I don't understand!" said Seiros, dropping her usually composed tone, "I… I cannot understand it. Our family is… It's just us. He hasn't lived through the same things we have."
"No, he has not," said Sothis, "But that does not mean he can't empathise, Seiros. We have shared our life experiences with each other many times now. While our understanding of each other is not perfect, it is far deeper than anything that could be conveyed with mere words. If anyone who has not lived through our circumstances could ever understand what it means to be one of us, it's him."
"He hasn't suffered with us!" said Seiros, "Why does he get to be one of us?"
I was on an emotional roller coaster right now. What Sothis had said warmed my heart immensely. From our nightly soulgazing, I had already known all this, but hearing it said out loud brought new warmth to my heart every time. That was, of course, tempered with Seiros' protests, but their content made me feel like I could finally understand her position. With every conversation we shared, she revealed more of her true motivations, and I thought I finally understood the situation. Her family had suffered, and she felt that I hadn't paid the toll, so to speak, to join such a tightly-knit… nexus of belonging.
"So, you feel like I haven't earned my place in your family yet, right?" I asked.
"It is exactly that," she said with a light glare, which softened towards the end, "But I must reluctantly confess that I have treated you unfairly. You did not deserve the disdain I directed at you. However, I do not feel that you belong with us. You haven't paid the price, and you do not get to reap the rewards."
Byleth interjected, "What price and what reward? Must one suffer to be part of your family? If that's what you think, I don't think I belong to it either."
Seiros looked at him in shock. "No! You're my grandson! That is not what I-"
"But it is," interrupted Byleth, "I have not experienced the same things you and Sothis did. By your logic, I cannot be part of your family."
"Seiros, my dear daughter," added Sothis, "I would never want anyone to go through what we went through, let alone the man I love. By your criteria, no one could ever conceivably join us. What's more, family and love are not a transaction. Price and rewards? Seiros, my love for you and your siblings is unconditional! You cannot put a price on family!"
There was an admonished look on Seiros' face, but I could also see that there was pain in there. Being berated by one's parents was never fun, and I imagined it was even more so when one felt as strongly about it as Seiros did. Hoping that I was not making a mistake, I decided to add my own words.
"Don't take what I'm about to say as pity," I began, "But I understand your position, intellectually at least. I don't blame you for not liking my… addition to Sothis' life. What I do begrudge you is that you're causing your mother grief. Be that as it may, it's not something I can do anything about, nor do I think I should. I'm not here to tell you what you can and can't do. You're a grown-up woman, and as I said last time we spoke, I have no intention of pretending to be your father. What I am going to tell you, though, is that I think what you're doing is stupid."
She frowned and replied angrily, "And what, pray tell, makes it stupid?"
My response came quickly since I had expected her to ask something along those lines. I said, "It's the fact that you're denying yourself the chance to grow beyond your pain. Sothis has given me her love, and I have given her mine in return, something I won't ever stop doing. You, however, have put yourself in a position that makes it impossible for you to experience the same. It also makes it impossible for you to accept that your mother is in a relationship with someone who doesn't fit the criteria. Plus, if only someone who shares your experiences is allowed to become close to you, your chances of ever finding someone whose love you can accept is nearly zero."
"I do not need anyone else's love besides Mother's," said Seiros stubbornly.
"Is that truly what you think?" asked Sothis, "I do not think that is true. Why else have you shared your blood with those you trust? Why else did you take in that boy, Cyril? Why else do you support Cichol and Cethleann? Why else did you decide to eventually show compassion to those homunculi you created? I'm still upset with you for that last one, by the way, but they, too, are examples of what I can see in your behaviour towards others. You crave closeness and bonds, friendship and love of any kind, but you still keep everyone at a distance, just because you set them impossible arbitrary limits."
She smiled bitterly as she said that. She looked at me and continued, "Perhaps setting arbitrary barriers is a family trait." Then, her gaze went back to Seiros and she went on, "But it is nevertheless something that works to our detriment. So, I beg of you, please accept that Hyperion is part of my life, and will remain so."
Seiros appeared to be in inner turmoil at what had been said. The storm in her mind was almost visible. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. Much as I had bluntly hammered my point in, I knew that accepting such a drastic shift in perspective was difficult to make.
"I… will take it under consideration," she said, "To be honest, I have done as you have asked, Mother. I have re-evaluated my previous interactions with Hyperion and his deeds. His positive qualities have become clearer to me, but I still do not fully approve of him."
"I don't blame you," I said, "I haven't yet had a true test of character. If that makes you uneasy, it's something I understand."
A thoughtful frown now marred Seiros' face as she looked at me. "Very well," she said reluctantly, "I will attempt to not obstruct you any further. Should you indeed prove to be a good partner for Mother, I will do my best to accept this situation." Her eyes narrowed. "Do not disappoint her," she finished.
I nodded and said, "Understood."
"Wonderful!" said Sothis with a soft smile, "I'm glad we've finally followed common ground. Now then, it's time we finally behaved like a family."
She took my arm and dragged me over to Seiros. Before either of us knew what was happening, Sothis had shoved us against each other. "Now give each other a hug. I command it!" She said faux-imperiously.
I couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected move. "As you command, oh great Goddess," I said mirthfully, spreading my arms and looking at Seiros.
She looked conflicted, but eventually, she did the same. I wrapped my arms around her and waited for her to respond in kind. "You will always have a place in Sothis' heart. I've seen it," I whispered into her ear, "No one can take that away from you, and I have no desire to do so."
I felt her relax slightly in my embrace, but she didn't have time to respond. The reason for this was the sudden impact we experienced courtesy of Sothis, who had proceeded to shove Byleth at us.
"You too, Mister Silent Observer!" declared Sothis, "This is now a family bonding activity!"
A snort escaped Byleth as he followed her orders and swung his arms around both Seiros and I. Sothis then joined this gangly mess of limbs from his opposite side, which effectively trapped the two of us between the two of them. That might even have been the whole point of it, now that I thought about it.
Clever girl, I thought with amusement.
AN: Greetings, dear readers!
I very much hope that you've enjoyed this most recent chapter. We had action again this time, and the Faerghus campaign is progressing well. The battle of Fhirdiad was short, but prolonged battle was not part of Rufus' plans. He's not stupid enough to fight a battle he's already lost. Arianrhod, however, was a bitter blow to his campaign. Though, this particular intermezzo is not the only noose to tighten this chapter, as the title implies. Sothis and Hyperion, with the help of Byleth, have finally managed to corner Seiros and her mentality. Progress is made and the conflict mostly resolved.
This chapter was also Cleobulus' debut. For those not in the known, Cleobulus is the name Three Hopes has given Cornelia's impostor. It fits the usual Agarthan naming scheme of naming their leaders after the Seven Sages of Greece (there were more than seven, actually, and the extra names are also shared by other Agarthans), regardless of gender. However, it seems that the translation team who worked on Three Hopes didn't get the memo, which meant that Thales kept referring to Cleobulus as he. Considering the massive chest of the woman she is impersonating, that is hilarious.
Incidentally, for those who wondered where Kronya's name came from: The Kronia is the Greek equivalent of the Saturnalia, a harvest festival in the honour of Chronos/Cronus. Considering what happens to Kronya in Three Houses, well… It's quite macabre.
With that said, I would like to once again thank everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed this story. Your continued support brightens my days.
And finally, I'm back with a story recommendation. It would actually be fairer to call it an advertisement, since it's partially my own work. I have recently published a story called Twin Dragons here on this site. It's a High School DxD story I'm writing together with Rouge Ebony, who was the one to inspire me to begin writing Headmates in the first place. Word of warning, the fic has all the appropriate tags for the DxD setting, so take that as you will. You can find it here on my account, as I said before, or on AO3 on Rouge Ebony's account. If you're interested, please read it and leave us a review. We'd enjoy having your feedback very much.
Additionally, I would like to recommend White Cloud, Lavender Storms by Acardia to you. It is another Fire Emblem fic that plays, mainly, in Fodlan, though other FE games also become relevant. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Now then, thanks again for reading. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!