Chapter 59: The Wings of Victory
27th day of the Verdant Rain Moon. Underworld, SIC.
As I had promised to the regency council I had left in place before the resurrection ritual, I was now holding a conference with them. Fortunately, Sothis and I had established some facts beforehand. One thing that time had not passed entirely parallel with the other timeline, which explained the communication difficulties. Furthermore, the anchors we had left in place had turned out to be unneeded due to our method of return. And lastly, we were stuck in the Underworld for now since all physical exits that had existed once had been destroyed by tectonic detonators thousands of years ago. Everything else we would get to know now.
"Morning, everyone. Give me a status report, please," I said as I entered the room with Sothis in tow, cutting to the chase right away.
While about half the people at the conference table were offended, others simply did not care. Gian Ganzoni, an old military man and member of the SIC's officer staff, complied without issue.
"Of course, Your Majesty," he said. "When you and Lady Sothis disappeared, hundreds of thousands of souls left the Underworld without authorisation. It has since been confirmed that these souls belonged to the army of Nemesis – the human, not the Goddess."
"I had surmised as much, but thank you for the confirmation," I replied. "Make a note to have Nemesis – the Goddess, that is – brought in to help Tartarus with administering proper punishment for any additional offences they have committed."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," confirmed Gian.
I nodded in response. "Continue."
"Very well. Reports from the warfront corroborate our findings from the map, although correspondence is not as frequent as it should be. Garreg Mach is currently under siege, you see, and only Lady Seiros and Lord Cichol have authorisation to access the Holy Tomb's systems, which we use for communication," he went on.
After a short pause, he continued, "That said, this is the current state of the war: Imperial Territory is almost completely free of enemy presence. The army responsible for its liberation has split up. Imperial forces have hunted down the remnants of the Agarthan and Aegir troops in Hrym and are now marching through Alliance territory towards the Oghma mountain range. Sir Byleth and his corps of Church forces have begun marching northward to harass the Agarthan army currently besieging Garreg Mach from the South. Additionally, a force of Agarthan exiles under General Haran are marching on Shambhala in order to support the rebellion your clerics have started. Alliance and Kingdom forces have meanwhile assembled in Aillel and taken up pursuit of Nemesis' main army, who have entered the Oghma pass after shattering parts of the mountain range with a replica of the Sword of the Creator. And finally, the troops provided by the Tribes of Norweg, who parted ways with the Kingdom army after the battle of Fhirdiad, have passed through Zanado instead. They will arrive in Garreg Mach within the next few days."
I mulled this over. "Well, that is a lot to take in. Thank you for your report. Does anyone else have anything to add?"
Manannan stepped forward. He said, "We've been discussing ways of punishing the escapees properly. We can't head out and take them in ourselves since we're dead. You can, but as the prospectors we sent must have informed you, there are no physical entrances to the Underworld anymore. We have therefore revised one of our earlier plans to create a temporary gateway instead."
"That sounds interesting," I said. "What does this plan involve?"
"Since the gates of Valhalla have never been opened despite the prophesised battle for the fate of the world, we played with the idea of opening them during the next decisive battle and sending you and Sothis through," he explained. "Odin has confirmed the viability of that approach."
The old God in question simply grunted, but said nothing else.
Sothis seemed to like the idea. "It sounds good. We will have to prepare everything, however. It cannot be easy to modify Valhalla's gates to conform with the new opening conditions."
"It's not," confirmed Odin. "It ruined the plans we originally agreed on. The search for other solutions to the escapee problem has proven fruitless. We will fortunately not have to continue since you're here. The King of the Dead has the authority to modify the conditions."
"That's good to hear. I'll get to that as soon as we're done here.," I said in response. "Is there anything else?"
"There is the issue of your upcoming wedding, Your Majesty," answered Nyx. "You do realise that it will be a state affair?"
I groaned in defeat. "Yeah, we'll have to organise that, but how does this have any bearings on the war?"
"It will have impact on the peace. By your will or not, there is now a small but significant following of yours among the Agarthans in Shambhala. You are their patron God. A marriage with the patron Goddess of their soon-to-be former enemies will do much to soothe rustled feathers," explained Nyx.
I was sceptical about this. Political marriages had an effect, certainly, but I was not such an integral part of Agarthan society as that it would hold that much sway. Rather, I suspected that Nyx simply wanted to be a wedding planner.
"Well, if that was everything from your side, we've got a thing or two to bring up as well," I said, letting the previous point rest.
Sothis took that as her cue to present a few of the tomes we had brought along from our stay in the other Fodlan. She spread them out, displaying them to the council.
She explained, "We encountered a most peculiar tool in use by magical practitioners in the other timeline. These tomes are casting aids that reduce the strain of casting magic, allowing for continuous use of a person's magical power for a longer period of time than we're accustomed to. They also amplify a spell's power significantly and reduce the mental focus needed to perform it in the first place. Replicating and perfecting the production process would yield great benefits for mages in the future."
"Are there any downsides?" asked Hades, who was also present as a member of the council. "Such benefits rarely come without cost."
Sothis nodded in response and said, "Yes. The people of the other Fodlan have become over-reliant on these tomes. The spells they use are not any more powerful than the ones used here, simply because their casters are weak from using these tomes as crutches. For that reason, I propose we limit the distribution of these tools to accomplished mages and those who would not be able to cast without them at all."
"Sounds sensible. I will ask Hecate if she can speed up the analysis on these things," said Hades.
"Take this with you," I interjected, handing him a tome Sothis and I had made ourselves. "This is a prototype of our own make. Its power is lacklustre as of now, but it should serve as a base for further attempts at reverse-engineering."
Hades pocketed the tome and nodded in assent. I then gestured at Sothis to continue with the next point.
"We have gained another major benefit during our absence," she began, "From my counterpart in this alternate timeline, I have learned a technique that will turn into a valuable asset during the siege of Garreg Mach. Let me tell you of the Dragon Signs and how I plan to use them…"
30th day of the Verdant Rain Moon. Garreg Mach.
It was not a good day to be stationed at the outer defences of the Monastery. While food and supplies had been no problem during the siege so far, the presence of the enemy army itself had been. There had been probing attacks for some time now. Today, however, there was an actual assault.
It was not the first one, but it was the largest one to date. Tens of thousands of soldiers were involved in the current attack. They bombarded the fortified outer walls of the Monastery with all kinds of siege spells while their massive war machines rained down a hail of destruction. They also concentrated most of their force at a single section of the outer wall. As a result, the defensive spells had started to strain under the might of the attacks arrayed against them.
There was, of course, a reason for the timing and severity of this attack. Ideally, from the Agarthan perspective, they would have waited for Nemesis' army to arrive before attacking. However, news had leaked that Garreg Mach was supposed to receive substantial reinforcements soon. If that happened, the defenders would sally out in an attempt to crush the smaller Agarthan host before turning about and facing Nemesis at full strength. Thus, the defences had to be broken now if this smaller host wished to survive the next few weeks intact.
This was cold comfort for Cichol, who led the defence of Garreg Mach in Seiros' absence. The youngest daughter of Sothis had gone to Zanado some time ago to help Cethleann instruct their fellow Nabateans. Part of him was angry at her for leaving while the Monastery was under siege, but a much bigger part of her was relieved that she was near Cethleann, providing protection for his daughter in the process. Still, it left him with the task of repelling the attack against the defences without the support of Seiros.
That was not to say that there was not considerable support still present. Cichol's current second-in-command was Captain Wolfgang, a seasoned Knight of Seiros whose tactical ability was not to be underestimated. Vice-captain Jeralt was also a great boon in terms of experience and troop morale. Catherine, while lacking in the command department, was an incredible fighter. They all were put to the test today.
"Get the mounted troops ready and clear the damaged section of the wall! Brace for breach!" ordered Seteth.
As much as it pained him to relinquish any part of the defences, but Cichol knew when a position was untenable. He preferred giving up the part of the outer wall that the enemy had bombarded into submission than to lose soldiers stationed atop the wall as it collapsed. It did not come as much of a surprise, however.
It was common for besieging armies to launch penetrating assaults. Considering the concentration of force arrayed against his position, Seteth would have been a fool not to expect the outer wall to be breached. The employment of countermeasures was the next logical step.
He had called upon much of the garrison force to create a rapid-response group of heavy infantry behind the wall. Their purpose was to immediately plug any gap. Other troop elements would then move as needed to respond to the threat.
As he had expected, it happened. Another siege spell hit the damaged section of the wall, and it crumbled. A breach had been made.
Demonic beasts and Titanus machines quickly marched through the gap uncontested, for soldiers positioned directly in it would have been destroyed by siege spells. Instead, the offending forces found themselves in a kill zone. They were bombarded with magic, arrows and other projectiles, having their numbers reduced considerably. They still fulfilled their purpose, however.
In the wake of this first force followed Agarthan infantry. They advanced in the cover provided by the beasts and the war machines out into the open field.
It was there that they were beset by Catherine and her troop contingent. Thunderbrand's green-glowing blade – she had permission from the child of Sothis from whose bones the weapon had been made – sliced through any opponent it came across without resistance. She broke the momentum of the Agarthan advance, although she could not stop it entirely.
That was within the range of expected outcomes. Preparations had been made accordingly, and the plan was being executed.
Jeralt's cavalry were swift to mow down any Agarthans who broke through or spilled out from where Catherine was fighting. While it was not sustainable due to the number of assaulting troops, it served to inflict great casualties on the enemy. The tactic did not remain effective for long, sadly.
Catherine was quick to notice this. What she lacked in tactical ability she made up in fighting instinct.
"Prepare to pull back. I'll buy some time!" she shouted at her soldiers.
Then, Thunderbrand's glow intensified. She swung the sword, and from it was launched a great stream of green lightning. It tore through the Agarthans in front of her like they were nothing, and even demonic beasts fell before the power of the relic. There was sadly little to no effect on the Titanus war machines, but those were still kept busy by bombardment. There was a downside to this lightning bombardment, however. It was powerful, but it also consumed a lot of energy and could only be maintained for a short time.
The crucial few minutes this move bought were put to good use.
"Clear the walls entirely! We're moving back to the next line of defences!" ordered Cichol.
The outer fortifications of Garreg Mach had become untenable. Not only where the ground forces unable to contain the enemy breach, but the remaining sections of the wall were being pounded into submission by siege spells. Staying longer would only benefit the enemy.
As his orders were relayed, Cichol embarked on a sweep with his wyvern riders. Surgical strikes against flying demonic beasts and large ground targets were now the highest priority. The most damaging enemy troops had to be kept busy while the battered walls were being abandoned.
Fortunately, he had had the foresight to order Wolfgang to establish a secondary battle line behind which the currently fighting troops could retreat and reorganise. An organised retreat was thus ensured.
Cichol and his flying troops proceeded to cover that retreat up until the trenches and rampart that had been built in front of the second ring of walls surrounding Garreg Mach. Losses were low, considering the circumstances.
The day was a tactical defeat nonetheless. The outer walls had been lost, and the Agarthan army had made its way into the fields they had protected. It looked like the Church of Seiros was now in peril of losing the Monastery. It was a tactical defeat, indeed.
Tactics, however, was only one part of strategy.
1st day of the Horsebow Moon 1181. Shambhala.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Philip. "We secured the food supplies and the entrances ages ago. Why aren't we attacking the upper levels?"
"It's because we have the food supplies that we're not attacking. Why should we waste our strength when we can let them waste theirs? We hold all the cards," answered Kronya.
"Couldn't they just forage?"
"Not with Haran's army blocking all the surface exits. They're stuck," retorted Nikola.
A noise of comprehension left the young man's mouth. "Right, I forgot. Crazy how that came about. Still, it's good we were informed ahead of time. I'm glad Lord Hyperion and Lady Sothis are back."
He snickered when he saw Kronya's face brighten at his words. She had been happy ever since the divine pair's return. That woman still had not gotten over her infatuation with them. It was possible she never would. Not that Philip blamed her or them. A happy Kronya was a focused Kronya.
"I couldn't agree more," she said.
Nadja laughed softly and said, "Of course you wouldn't."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded a blushing Kronya.
The innocent expression on Nadja's face belied the amusement underneath as she answered, "Nothing. Nothing at all."
Kronya coughed into her fist and collected herself. "Anyway, you wanted to know the plan, right?"
"Yes," said Philip, wanting to get back on track.
The leader of Hyperion's clergy straightened herself and explained, "Now that Chilon is trapped, we'll let him stay trapped. We're not attacking anything within the range of the Viskam. Instead, we'll focus on training more people and getting organised. We're going to have to get a government up and running so there is someone to negotiate in the name of the Agarthan people when it's time for the peace conference. On the more immediate level, we have another job to do, though."
The others absorbed that information. Under the circumstances she had listed, it was indeed to their advantage to wait on Chilon's front. The last bit was intriguing, however.
"What kind of job?" asked Nadja.
Kronya's expression was serious as she said, "There are a lot of ghosts in the lower levels of the city. I think we should pacify them."
The others grimaced. "That's a good idea. Better get that uncomfortable task out of the way," said Philip.
"Sorry that I'm not much of a help in that regard," commented Anselma.
"That's fine," said Kronya, "You should still come with us. There is work to be done down there besides laying the ghosts to rest."
"We had best head down in that case," said Nikola.
They departed without further discussion.
It was a melancholy trek down the passageways of Shambhala. On their way, they also gathered a bit of a following once people realised what they were about to do. The sombre procession that resulted from this made for a sad sight.
Some time later, they found themselves at the site of the massacre. The bodies had been disposed of due to the health risk, although proper burial rites had not been neglected. Nevertheless, the rubble, the destroyed homes and the devastation remained. There was also an oppressive presence in the air that sent chills down everyone's spines. This more than anything spoke for the presence of ghosts.
"Let's send these poor souls to Lord Hyperion," said Kronya upon taking stock of the situation.
She sent a ball of sunlight into the air. Her fellow psychopomps then took up position next to her. The shadowy power of their benefactor's gift enveloped them, and they chanted as one.
"Come, you who are lost. Eternal rest awaits."
Unlike the first time they had done this, their call was heeded immediately. The ghosts of those killed by Nemesis' warriors gathered to the four Agarthans under the sphere of sunlight.
The shadows reached out to the ghosts and swallowed them whole, healing their wounded spectral forms in the process. The shadows and the light hummed in tandem with the disappearance of the ghosts. Before long, there were no ghosts left to pacify.
"May they rest peacefully in Underworld," finished Kronya.
The onlookers spent a minute in silence. They spent it mourning the dead.
Loss of life on as big a scale as this massacred had been was hard to swallow. Even though there were relatively few people who had relatives among the dead – entire family lines had been wiped out completely – the sorrow was shared by most Agarthans. That the thing had been orchestrated by their leaders was the source of even more incomprehension.
It was this incomprehension that led to the anger which was strengthening the revolutionary movement Kronya and her team had started. It was the latest and biggest injustice of the Agarthan government and the society it upheld. It was also the straw that broke the camel's back. For the first time in forever, the anger of the lower castes outstripped their fear of their "betters."
"It was once said that it is better to be feared than loved, that it is best to be feared and loved, and that one should never be hated, for hatred is stronger than any fear," Hyperion had told Kronya some time ago when they had discussed statesmanship.
That was also the next topic that had to be broached to the audience and to the Agarthan public as a whole. Their movement was one to abolish the current order due to its injustice. As a consequence, however, a new system of government would have to be implemented. It was best to open the discussion on that front as early as possible.
"It has become increasingly clear lately that those entrusted with the leadership of our people have failed in their duties," began Kronya, catching the attention of the people who were present. "They are to blame for this tragedy. They are to blame for every tragedy that has befallen our people since the end of the first war with Lady Sothis, whom most of us call the Fell Star.
"The war was at an end, and it was our loss. That was as bitter then as it is now, but we had an opportunity to rebuild. We looked to the Sages who had guided us since the inception of our society. That was our first clue that we would not be rules by a benevolent government."
Kronya now had the undivided attention of her audience. There were even those who made recordings of her speech with devices that had been stolen from intelligence offices previously maintained by Myson. By the end of the week, there would not a single Agarthan in the lower levels of Agartha who had not heard this speech.
She continued, "I learned from Lord Hyperion that Agarthan society was built on the exploitation of those our ancestors saw as lesser. Murder, torture, the wholesale extermination of entire peoples; that is not what we were turned into but what we started out as. That it would lead to our ruin was clear from an outside perspective. After all, every society in human history has always had members it considered lesser.
"Not long ago, everyone down here was deemed so. The results are horrifying. And it won't be long before more of us become lesser in the eyes of the Sages."
There was steel in her gaze as she went on. "That is why we must only rid ourselves of the Sages but also the system that enabled them. If we only take down the sages, it won't take any time at all before we have another Thales and another Chilon, literally. The unchecked reign of these few must have an end. If we wish to be treated in a just manner by our government, we must create a government that is just.
"For this reason, I now make an appeal to you, and to everyone you tell of this. Submit your suggestions of new governmental institutions to the us. We are your leaders for now, but that is just a temporary solution. Someday, when this war is over, the Agarthan people will need new leaders, a new government and a new society. It is the Agarthan people that must shape all three of these. That is why we ask you think of how you wish our people to develop, and to submit your ideas.
"Discuss your ideas with your family and friends, and with those who have different opinions from you. The sooner you start, the better. I don't think the current government will hold for long."
2nd day of the Horsebow Moon 1181. South side of Garreg Mach.
Byleth reckoned that the days of the Agarthan host were numbered.
This would ordinarily be a severe underestimation of his enemies' capabilities, but there were reasons to believe otherwise. Naturally, the army that had breached the outer walls of Garreg Mach was numerically superior to his force. In fact, it was more than seven times the size of his corps. However, it was the fact that they had breached and foolishly passed the walls that would now spell their doom.
The breach they had created was the perfect chokepoint to bottle them. The battered remainder of the walls could be temporarily reinforced by the combat division of the Mage Corps Byleth had with him. The only thing he would have to do at that point was to take pot-shots at the Agarthans trying to take Garreg Mach. His purpose was to be an impossible-to-ignore nuisance.
Once he had drawn out an Agarthan response, Cichol would sally out in force. The Agarthan troops would be pincered, then. And finally, there would come a trump card, the secret killing blow.
The necessary coordination for this manoeuvre had not been easy to accomplish. However, with Sothis and Hyperion's return, communication had gone much more smoothly than previously. Garreg Mach's garrison had been able to time this combined effort with Byleth's arrival and that of the promised reinforcements.
Now it was time to see whether all that preparation would pay off.
"Mages, ready the spells!" he ordered.
Runners relayed the order instead of horns. He wished for his approach to remain undiscovered if possible, which meant reducing the noise. Of course, a force such as his was never silent, but the shrill sounds of horns or trumpets would alert the Agarthans far more easily than the sound of marching feet. After all, their own camp was not silent either.
When his troops had reached the breach, he gave the signal to initiate the plan. "Begin the operation!"
This time, the horns sounded. Spells were immediately launched at the damaged walls, reinforcing them immensely.
Concurrently, Byleth's soldiers streamed through the gap and hurried to assume combat formation. There was no time or room to align in the usual squares, but since the flanks and the back were secured by the wall, a line of pikes was enough. The soldiers were ready when the first Agarthan response units clashed with them.
Mages were, as usual, interspersed among the frontline, casting shield and healing spells. Their focus was entirely to ensure the survivability of the main line, not to damage the enemy.
That task was left to the Mage Corps' combat division and Byleth. The mages hesitated not in the least as they unleashed their most destructive spells on the Agarthan troops beleaguering the second ring of Garreg Mach's defences. Bolting and Meteor as well as siege spells were cast in rapid succession. To aid their efforts, Byleth also contributed with more localised feats of powerful magic. Gauss, Aura, Agnea's Arrow and any others flew from his hands. The results spoke for themselves.
The damage to the troops that attacked Byleth's line was limited, but what the soldiers from the Mage Corps were doing was severely hindering the main army. The initial bombardment cost the lives of over a thousand Agarthan soldiers. The obvious solution to that problem was for them to attack the mages while they were recovering their magic for the next attack. And thus, they fell into the trap.
A sizeable chunk of troops, Byleth estimated around 15'000, were detaching from the Agarthan main army. It was over a third of the remaining Agarthan force in any case. Their first assault had not been kind on them. That made this detachment all the more important. Byleth wanted them entangled with his troops.
The one complication in this was that the Agarthans were using their own long-range and siege spells. It was only because of the clever positioning of Byleth's troops near the wall that enabled them to hold it without suffering horrendous casualties. As it was, even the Mage Corps was so busy maintaining the walls that they could no longer take to the offensive.
That was alright, though. Byleth's soldiers were fulfilling their jobs. They had locked a large portion of the Agarthan troops in combat.
It was at this point that trumpets sounded from the battlements of Garreg Mach's second ring of defences. The gates opened, and heavy cavalry streamed out, riding down the Agarthan soldiers posted to watch them. Wyverns and pegasi flew over the walls, their riders sweeping down and again and again to cover the cavalry assault from the gates. From atop the walls, archers and spellcasters rained death upon their enemies. The sally had begun.
Cichol was soon seen in the air, leading his forces into combat against priority targets. His attacks were quick and relentless as he descended on the Agarthan mages who were bombarding the walls and Byleth's troops. Said bombardment ceased almost entirely with Cichol's arrival.
On the ground, Jeralt and Wolfgang were advancing swiftly as well. The Agarthan troops had not been expecting a sally at all. As such, Jeralt's charge had thrown them in enough disarray to allow the infantry under Wolfgang to catch up. Still, the Agarthans were beginning to respond.
Whoever the Agarthan commander was, they were obviously not stupid with how they moved troops. The mages were pulled back to the centre while infantry converged on the points where Jeralt and Wolfgang were assaulting their lines. Demonic beasts and Titanus war machines leapt at the Church troops as well. Archers had also been pulled back and were now shooting at the wyverns and pegasi in the sky. They were correctly identified as the biggest threat.
It was for this reason that Cichol was forced to be more judicious in the selection of his targets. Most mages were now too close to the organised archer formations in the centre of the Agarthan host. The sallying defenders thus concentrated on supporting the ground troops.
This had the unfortunate side effect of handing the initiative back to the Agarthans. They were quick to exploit this opportunity. The archers crept closer to the infantry, closing in on the flying troops of the Church. Their mages were also still keeping Byleth's troops busy. It seemed that a stalemate was developing.
There was, however, a solution to this. It was a trump card Cichol had been hiding for some time now. As he spotted dark shapes emerging from behind the mountains, he decided to play it.
"Disperse!" he ordered his personal guard.
As they followed his order, he dismounted from his wyvern. He sent it back to the stables, knowing that it would find its way there with ease. The way was clear now to reveal his hand.
It is time to show the world that the Nabateans have not yet passed from this world, he thought.
A green glow enveloped him. Power flowed through his veins like it had not done for any Nabatean bar Seiros since the War of Heroes. It flooded his body and awakened old abilities.
The glow became a blinding light as it expanded. Cichol's body expanded with it in turn. The dimensions continued to engorge until there stood a large, wingless dragon in place of the Archbishop's advisor.
The dragon let loose a terrifying roar. It chilled the bones of the Agarthans who beheld it.
"That can't be," muttered Anaximandros, the commander of the Agarthan host muttered. "Their powers should have waned! Soldiers, attack that beast with everything you have!"
He conveniently ignored the fact that he had beasts of his own on the battlefield and was using them. They and the Titanus war machines were, in fact, his best way of dealing with this new threat. They were thus dispatched first.
The dragon that was Cichol responded by stomping on the ground. Spikes of earth and stone erupted around him, spearing soldiers in a radius of nearly a hundred metres and skewering more than one demonic beast in the process. The Titanus fared better, but even they were slowed somewhat by the now uneven terrain Cichol had created.
"Focus your attacks!" shouted Anaximandros. "Don't let up until-"
A cacophony of roars interrupted him, and gazes all around the battlefield turned.
The source of the sounds was clearly visible to everyone now. The dark shapes which Cichol had spotted had come closer, and their true nature was easily recognisable. They were flying dragons, hundreds of them. At their head flew the most majestic of them all, possessing pure white scales and clean horns.
The dragons roared again, and from within the open mouths of some of their number came forth beams of light. They spread devastation and destruction wherever they hit something. In this case, this meant the Agarthan battle lines. All the while, the roars never died down.
In an effort to worsen the Agarthan position even further, Byleth now enveloped himself in the light of the Raiment of the First Principle. His speed and power increased, and he launched an unprecedented number of exploding lances of light into the enemy formation.
Said formation swiftly collapsed as the dragons landed amidst it. Titanus machines and demonic beasts were crushed beneath the horde of dragons that had descended on them. The regular soldiers fared no better under the combined assault of dragons and human opponents. The battle was practically over.
The conclusion to the combat was bloody. Agarthans commanders could no longer order a surrender due to the spells placed on them. It was thus a tragic day for their host. They were killed to the last soldier.
It left a bitter taste in everyone's mouths, even the victors'.
Half an hour later. Garreg Mach, War Room.
"Bloody-minded foolishness, all of it," spoke a green-haired man.
His name was Beon, a fairly common one among his people. He was a representative of the Tribes of Norweg. He and several hundred of his fellow tribesmen and tribeswomen had participated in the battle. Due to their Nabatean descent, they had done so as dragons.
"That has always been the case with the Agarthans," commented Seiros. "Although I must admit that they have shown far more reason recently than ever before. Surrender was never even an option before the current era. Now their leadership must actively prevent their officers from choosing it."
She, too, had returned. She had led her fellow Nabateans into battle in her dragon form as the Immaculate One. It had been a long time since the last time she had used that form for violence.
"To be fair, their attack plan wasn't half bad," conceded Jeralt. "They would have had a chance to penetrate the defences, given their intel."
Wolfgang chuckled slightly. "It's just a shame that they had no intelligence on our actual inner defences."
"That's just as well. It means we have a surprise ready for Nemesis," said Byleth.
Cichol agreed with that assessment. "Indeed. It will be to our advantage if our enemies have no knowledge of our golems. Sadly, I do not believe that we can keep any secrets in regards to the resurgence of Nabatean blood."
Beon snorted. "Yeah, sounds like it. Kind of hard to miss an army of dragons. Also kind of hard to fight against."
Seiros shook her head and said, "I would caution you against this attitude. The army under Nemesis has access to spells and weapons designed specifically to slay Nabateans. It is foolish to underestimate them."
"Yes. If they can cut mountains in two, a dragon will not be difficult at all," added Byleth.
The tribesman made a grimace and turned to Seiros. "Is that why you took so few of us with you?"
Seiros nodded and answered, "I could only afford to bring those into battle who have taken best to the training. The others need more practice before I am comfortable letting them anywhere near a fight. Flailing dragons are more of a hindrance than an asset."
"Well, I guess that means even we will have to train more, huh?" asked Beon rhetorically.
"That would be best," said Seiros.
"For now, however, our task is to clear the field of bodies and see to the repairs of the outer walls," chimed in Cichol. "We must be ready for the next assault."
"Not a bad plan," said Jeralt. "I'm taking the kid to go inspect the damage while you continue to hash out the details."
He stood up and gestured for Byleth to do the same. His son then followed him out the room. The logistical details were for the paper-pushers, and neither of the two were in that category.
That would change in the future for Byleth, however. If he was to marry Edelgard, he would have to immerse himself in administration and politics. He shuddered to think of it, but he had come to cherish the young woman. He would do it for her.
That aside, it was someone else he would be doing things for right now. His father was not one to beat around the bush much.
"I'm glad to have a moment with you before we get back to work, kid," said Jeralt as they walked through the busy halls of the Monastery.
"I feel the same. There are many people I do not get to spend as much time with as I want to," responded Byleth.
Jeralt hummed. "You talking about those former students of yours or about the Emperor girl?" he asked.
"Both, actually," answered Byleth.
"Well, there will be plenty of time to talk with them when this mess is over. Just don't take too much time, alright? I'd like to get to see my grandchildren grow up," said the older of the two.
His words surprised Byleth. The older man rarely spoke about things such as this, if ever. It was highly irregular.
Byleth said as much, "I didn't take you as someone who would care about that."
Jeralt grimaced and said, "I know I wasn't the best father there every was, but I do love you. What father doesn't want to see his son become a father too? I want you to find the same happiness I found with your mother, although I do hope the birth will go better than it did with Sitri."
"I will see to it," said Byleth with determination.
A nod from his father prefaced his response. "Good. I should give you your mother's ring if I haven't already. I can't remember that clearly. Maybe the alcohol is finally getting to me."
"Or your age," said Byleth.
"Ha! That might be it as well," Jeralt said with a laugh.
Byleth smiled slightly. "How have you been, Father?"
"Fairly well, all things considered. It is like you said, though. My age is finally starting to catch up to me. I'm looking forward to my retirement after we're done with this war," answered Jeralt.
"Do you have any plans what this retirement is going to involve?" asked Byleth.
His father hummed in thought. "Not really. I could take up pressing flowers in your mother's memory if I'm desperate, but I might tone things down gradually and become a trainer for new soldiers and mercenaries for a few years. After that, who knows?"
Byleth struggled to imagine his father doing something as calm and restrained as pressing flowers, and he nearly snorted. It was too ridiculous for words.
"I believe that pounding proper technique into fresh recruits suits you far more than anything else," said the younger man with amusement.
Jeralt chuckled and shot back, "Watch it, kid. I might become a botanist just to spite you."
Byleth's response was said with the most deadpan expression he could muster, "You'd give it up within ten minutes to go fishing."
"Don't you know it," said Jeralt. "That's a nice idea, actually. More time for fishing trips when I'm retired."
"I will accompany you when I have time," commented Byleth.
"Let's make a family thing out of it. Take that woman of yours and any brats you might have by then with you. Jana too," suggested Jeralt.
Another smile crept on Byleth's face as he imagined that potential scene. He and Edelgard, children, his father, and his sister. He liked it a lot.
"That sounds wonderful," he said.
Jeralt was now smiling as well. "It seems we got my retirement plan all fleshed out. If nothing else, we'll have accomplished that much today."
"And our victory today?" asked Byleth.
Jeralt smirked and answered, "That's just business as usual."
This time, Byleth could not suppress a snort. "Of course. Because battle is so easy."
"To you and me it might as well be," retorted Jeralt, "But I can tell you that it's far easier than love."
"I've figured that much out," said Byleth. "It's a complicated subject with very few clear answers."
Jeralt laughed. "It's good that you've become so wise so early in your life."
Byleth wondered about that. He did not consider himself wise. Smart? Yes. Moderately intelligent? Certainly. But not wise. He did not yet know enough about life's many facets to call himself wise.
"I don't feel like I am," he vocalised to his father.
"That will come in time," said Jeralt, "If you feel like you're a fool all the time, you're already wiser than most. You have no idea how many people don't understand how dumb they are."
Byleth considered that for a moment and found himself agreeing. He had seen almost every corner of Fodlan at this point, and he had encountered many people who had estimated their own mental capabilities far too highly. Be they subordinates, employers or enemies, he had seen his fair share of idiots.
"I feel pretty dumb myself sometimes," he said.
Jeralt scrunched up his eyebrows. "How so?"
His son answered, "I feel foolish for not speaking more with Edelgard. I had thought I would have more time before we had to part ways. We should have bonded more. Instead, we were mostly stressed dealing with strategy and logistics. We should have spent more time together."
"You got I bad, huh?" asked Jeralt.
Byleth hummed. "I think so, but I want to confirm. We have not talked much about our relationship, if there even is one. That is one of the reasons why I want to talk more with her."
"You will get the opportunity to do so in time," said Jeralt, "Certainly after the war's over."
The young knight felt conflicted about that statement. He was beset by a feeling of impatience.
"That is not soon enough," he replied.
That drew another laugh from Jeralt, as well as a slap to the back. "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear you say. Then again, they say love makes you crazy."
Byleth sighed. "Crazy or not, there is work to do," he said.
They had exited the Monastery proper during their talk and were now in the town. There were no signs of damage in this area, but bodies were being processed so they could be buried before they could spread disease. This meant that the town was their first stop for damage assessment.
"You're right," said Jeralt. "We can talk about your swooning for the new Emperor later."
Despite this, Byleth did not stop thinking about her at all.
AN: Greetings, dear readers! Welcome to the newest chapter of Headmates!
Sothis and Hyperion return to their home timeline, wasting no time for fanfare in the process. Seteth/Cichol gets to deal with a decently smart Agarthan commander. Byleth gets to help him. Meanwhile, Kronya & Co are busy finding out how to set up a government. And finally, Byleth and Jeralt get to share a father-son moment. There have been too few of those, to my regret.
At the time of writing this, local time has already elapsed midnight. It is now the 16th of September. This marks the three-year anniversary of Headmates' first chapter. It's been quite a journey, and there is still a bit more to go, but we're slowly approaching the end.
I am immensely grateful for all the support you have been showing my story. Your favourites, follows, reviews and silent read-throughs have put Headmates on place 6 of the most favourited stories playing in Fodlan. Once again, a big thank you to all of you.
With that said, this is it for today. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!