Chapter 61: Future, Faith and Politics

10th day of the Horsebow moon 1181. Imperial army camp on the Oghma mountain pass.

"Why are we here?" asked Hapi.

Yuri chuckled and asked back, "Can't I just call a little get-together?"

"No. You always have an angle," she shot back.

Balthus, who was next to them, laughed uproariously. "Ha, you got him pegged, Hapi. Sorry to say that, pal, but she's right. There are no simple answers with you."

Constance agreed as well. "It is as they say. You tend to be duplicitous."

"This coming from you, Shady Lady," sniped Yuri back.

"Please refrain from calling me that," said Constance.

Being in the sun still affected her, but she was fortunately able to display a much more balanced personality than before the recent upheaval. She took full advantage of this for the purpose of arguing with Yuri. It was not the most productive use of her mental progress, but it was most certainly very satisfying.

"We'll see," replied Yuri with a laugh. "In any case, I called you here because this might well be the last opportunity for us."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Balthus.

"Well, we'll soon link up with the other armies. From then on, it's just logistics and organisation until the battle. The enemy has Heroes' Relics replicas and their numbers come up somewhere north of 220'000. Let's face it; we might not make it," said Yuri.

His statement killed the mood. It was the truth, however. The battle would likely be fought to the last soldier on either side. Neither could afford to lose. It was highly likely that the death toll would be astronomical. That one of them would be among the dead in the end was not unthinkable.

"I'm not one for funeral speeches, especially not my own," groused Hapi.

"Good. We're not holding one of those," replied Yuri, "Instead, I think we should talk about what we want to do in case we make it. Plans for the future and such. That might be another reason for us to part ways."

The first to reply to that was Constance. "You know that I plan to restore House Nuvelle to its former glory."

"You'll have to keep it there, though. Your House may have been restored by Imperial Decree already, but I don't think Edelgard is going to accept anything less than excellence. Friend or no, she doesn't like the nobility," said Balthus.

"That is most certainly true," responded Constance, "Although it will be difficult for one such as myself, I will strive to excel at governance. I shall keep my title through competence."

Balthus laughed and said, "Well, that's a lofty goal for sure. I'm a bit more humble there. Paying off my debt is what comes to mind."

"Humble? That debt is more astronomical than the stars in the sky," said Hapi.

"Hey, no need to be so mean about it," complained Balthus.

"She does have a point," said Yuri with a laugh, "But say you manage it, what will you do afterwards?"

The tall, musclebound man took a moment to consider his options. He had never asked himself that question, after all. He was someone who lived from day to day and moment to moment. Thinking ahead was not his forte.

Come to think of it, that might be why I'm in so much debt, he thought. Out loud, he said, "I might become a bodyguard. Gotta use those muscles for something productive. Besides, having the invincible King of Grappling as a bodyguard brings a lot of prestige with it."

"In that case, I might consider procuring your services in the future," said Yuri.

Hapi looked at him in askance. "What's your plan for the future, then, Yuri-bird? Still doing dangerous business?"

Yuri laughed and answered, "But of course. I can't abandon the gang. Who else will look after them? Who knows, maybe I'll even work in semi-official capacity in the future. Every government needs an in with the underground, and I'm ready to deliver."

"Just don't overdo it. I told you I'm not one for funeral speeches," said Hapi sharply. "Don't go ahead and die."

The purple-haired young man simply chuckled in response before saying, "Don't worry. I'm good at talking myself out of difficult situations. Speaking of which, what are you going to do?"

The redhead frowned. "I'm not sure. I can't go back to my village just yet. The curse I'm stuck with is under control for now, but not completely. I can't risk my parents or anyone else in the village getting flattened by monsters just because I sighed and the protections failed. Besides, they all probably think I'm dead anyway."

"Do not be so callous about your life and the people you care about," admonished Constance.

Balthus agreed. "Yeah. I mean, you're getting better already. I heard you sigh half a dozen times last week alone, and it went off without a hitch."

Hapi levelled him with a mean look and said, "You also witnessed the two times monsters did show up. It's still work in progress."

"The questions stands," interjected Yuri, "What are your plans for the future? I may be able to help."

She shook her head and answered, "Thanks, but no. I want to try something with less risk to my life. I might join the cult of Hyperion. Can't be worse than the Knights of Seiros."

"Why would you do that? I thought you hated ceremony, most of all religious ceremony," asked Balthus.

Hapi answered, "That's why I'm thinking of joining. There's no doctrine or complicated rules."

Yuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "And what, pray tell, are you going to do for work?"

She shrugged. "Eh, Hyperion will think of something. As long as it isn't stupid, I'll probably do it."

"And here I thought I didn't have a plan," said Balthus.

"It is better than yours," said Constance, "She at least found someone to do the thinking for her-"

"Hey!" interrupted Hapi.

"-But you are without even that," finished the noblewoman of the quartet.

"You're not wrong," admitted Balthus. "You got any ideas, Yuri?"

The man in question sighed. "You're fortunate that I do. I'll just have to work out the details."

Balthus turned to Constance. "See? I'm now covered too."

Hapi rolled her eyes. "Fine. Maybe I'll ask if anyone needs an astronomer."

"You are in luck," said Yuri, "Your chosen employer is looking for those."

"How would you know that?" she asked.

He answered, "We talk about matters of interest from time to time. On one such occasion we discussed the impact of hypothetical interstellar travel on organised crime."

"That's weird," said Hapi. "Well, at least I won't be without work."

The discussion then shifted to more menial topics. Events of minor interest, rumours, what foods to avoid in the camp kitchen and where to get spare parts for camping equipment were part of this. Yuri even descended into gossip with Constance. Balthus and Hapi resigned themselves to bear it and enjoy the moment despite the slight irritation. It was the last bit of free time before the battle.


At the same time. Imperial army camp, Edelgard's tent.

Perhaps it was too soon to call Dorothea over, but Edelgard had to clear the air with her fellow Black Eagle before they were too busy with battle preparations. She was not even sure if Dorothea would come. The former diva had been very hurt by what they had discussed last time, even if Edelgard had not been able to elaborate before Dorothea had run away. Fortunately, her fears were unfounded.

Dorothea stood before her. There was apprehension on the beautiful woman's face. The reason behind it was unknow to Edelgard. She had expected anger or defiance, and there were hints of it, but the expression was more complicated. At least she was here.

"Thank you for coming. I'm not sure when the next opportunity for a private talk could be, so I'm glad we can resolve this issue now," said Edelgard.

Dorothea took a deep breath before she replied, "First, I wanted to apologise. I shouldn't have called you a… a…"

"-dumb slut thinking with her cunt?" suggested Edelgard.

The other woman flushed in embarrassment at the memory of her words. "Yes. I'm sorry I said that."

Edelgard nodded. "I'm not angry that you chose to use such words. What I was upset about was that you did not let me finish my proposal."

Dorothea grimaced and said, "Listen, Edie. I'm flattered that you considered me for this, in hindsight, but no. I won't be a concubine just to satisfy Imperial succession laws."

"Then let me finish explaining!" said Edelgard vehemently. "And who says it's just to appease the law? I have seen how you look at Byleth and even me. You were not that subtle."

That had Dorothea stumped. It was true that she had looked at them, and she considered them both attractive. However, that was hardly enough to start a relationship over, let alone that was so formalised and contractual, or one that involved three people. She had to admit that it made a certain amount of sense, though.

Still, she shook her head and insisted, "That's no recipe for success in that field."

Edelgard said, "That is not why I suggested it. I'm sorry if that is insensitive, but you being a concubine is a back-up solution. If anything, I would prefer if what is between me and Byleth stays between me and him. We're going to try conceiving an heir without help, and if that does not work, we will try to adopt or go for a godchild, if that new idea ever takes off."

"Then why involve me at all?" asked Dorothea heatedly. She may not have been enthused at the proposition, but being called a back-up still offended her.

"Because it gets the nobles and courtiers to shut up and gives you what you've wanted since coming to Garreg Mach! Members of the Imperial household get pensions and are being cared for when they're old or infirm," explained Edelgard.

That took the wind out of Dorothea's sails. Her anger gave way to confusion. She did not fully understand.

"But why me, then? I'm not bringing anything to the table. Besides, I'm not that close to you or to Professor Byleth," she asked again.

"Because you're a fellow Black Eagle and my friend; that is close enough for me. I know you still worry about your future. You being a concubine candidate gives me the justification I need to help you out. That, and if there really is no other option and we have to go through with it, I would prefer it if the concubine were someone I actually liked," answered the Emperor.

"Oh," said Dorothea.

There was a surprising amount of thought behind it, she considered. Indeed, the risk of being made to go through with the whole concubine deal was rather low, and the benefits were considerable. It still left Dorothea conflicted, however. Rationale was nice, and she thought she could be convinced from that point of view, but relationships were ideally built on emotion.

She had talked with Petra and Bernadetta about their relationship and how they wished to overcome the problem of heirs. They were a special case, but at the core, the problem was similar in that a third partner was being considered. The talk had been enlightening, and it had given Dorothea some perspective on the matter. She was no longer quite so adamant about rejecting it on principle, although she did not favour the option at all.

There was another objection on her mind as well.

"But what would I be doing if I were to agree? I can't just sit around and look pretty all day, even if it would be my job," she said.

Edelgard smiled at her and said, "That is one of the things I wanted to mention last time. I would like you to sponsor and run an orphanage in the name of the Imperial household."

Dorothea widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh. It sounds lovely, but I don't know if I can handle the responsibility."

"I am sure you will do well. If you can lead soldiers, organising an orphanage should not be a great task. Your past also makes you uniquely suited to look after the children who will end up there. No one knows their needs better than you," said Edelgard.

The brown-haired girl levelled a look at her. "You talk as if I'd already accepted."

"Will you not?" asked the Emperor with a raised eyebrow.

Dorothea's expression was conflicted, but after a second's pause, she said, "Fine, I'll do it."

Edelgard smiled. "Excellent. In that case-"

"But," interrupted Dorothea, "I get to back out at any point I want. I'll run the orphanage, but I'm not comfortable with the concubine thing. If it comes down to it and I still don't want it, you'll let me go without complaint, got it?"

A serious nod and reply were her answer. "Of course. We won't force you into anything."

Dorothea sighed. "OK then. We have an agreement."

"Yes. It's good that we cleared the air on that matter. I did not want to go into battle with that hanging over our heads," said Edelgard.

"You're right. It wouldn't do to be so distracted while fighting," agreed Dorothea.


11th day of the Horsebow Moon. Shambhala.

Kronya was glad that there was nothing to distract her from her task at the moment. Anselma had agreed to take care of the boring minutiae of logistics while the Agarthan woman organised the troops. The other members of Hyperion's clergy had also made themselves busy with their respective units and were now waiting for her orders. At this time, she was checking if everything was ready according to her specifications.

The advance units were ready. They consisted of the most battle-hardened members of the rebellion. Retired soldiers, bodyguards and even tavern brawlers made up its composition. She had put them in the front because they were expected to do the hardest fighting on their end. It was for this reason that they were also the quickest to get ready.

Most other units had formed up as well. They were half-trained volunteers who had filled out the rebellion's roster since it had begun. Sadly, there had not been sufficient time to train them properly. As such, their task in the upcoming battle was to fill the gaps created by the forward units. Due to their lack of training and discipline, it took them longer to get ready, but they were still within the allotted timeframe.

The logistics were ready as well. There were plenty of people who had worked in weapons production and supply delivery; Shambhala was a fortress city after all. Therefore, there were plenty of those with the know-how and experience to create and maintain a supply train in the middle of battle. There were no worries on that front.

The only thing that caused some worry was the medical unit. It was understaffed and ill-prepared for fighting. Most medical personnel had been taken by Thales, so there were only few truly qualified healers left in the city. If there was any truly weak point in the battle plan, it was them.

Fortunately, Kronya's rebels did not have to win the battle on their own. Haran's troops were ready to launch their assault within an hour of Kronya's own. They had the numerical advantage.

Furthermore, Chilon's troops had been suffering from hunger for some time now. The only reason why the rebels had decided to not starve them out completely was the fear that Chilon would use Viskam to collapse Shambhala, thus killing everyone in the city. So, it was decided to attack on this day.

"Everything seems to be in order. Notify the troops that we'll begin in ten minutes," ordered Kronya.

The order was followed. Seeing as most had already been prepared to go, the ten minutes of time were generous. It gave the soldiers the opportunity to prepare themselves mentally as well, however.

When the time had come, Kronya once again gave an order. "We're moving out. Forward march!"

Several thousand men and women began their short march to the fortified barricades at the entrance to the upper levels she had selected for the assault. They would attack at the point closest to the control room for the Viskam defence system. Their first priority was to seize it before Chilon's forces could bog them down. It was thus only logical to begin there.

To be honest, more could not be realistically expected from the ragtag collection of troops the rebellion had cobbled together. They were unprofessional, and they had lost a lot of people seizing the food production facilities previously. More reckless attacks would not be to their advantage.

The time for such musings was over now, however. Kronya's forces had reached the barricades held by the garrison, for which her uncle would be responsible while she was on the attack. Her troops got into position and awaited further orders. The assault was set to begin.

"Remember, no reckless pushes," she reminded her officers, "We'll take the Viskam control chamber and then hold. General Haran is set to attack in fifty minutes according to the plan we've made with Lord Hyperion. Leave the heavy lifting to him and his soldiers."

With that said, she gave the signal to attack.

The mages and archers of the garrison immediately began bombardment. The effect was not significant on Chilon's own barricades at the other end of the passage, but that was not the purpose of the attack. It was merely meant to cover Kronya's fast-moving assault troops. In that sense, it was successful.

Kronya headed the assault herself, well-aware that her people needed and inspiring leader. It was dangerous for the commander of an army to fight directly in the thick of the battle, but in this case, it was unavoidable. The other members of Hyperion's clergy and the handful of other officers would have to take up the slack resulting from the suboptimal communication her direct involvement caused. Morale had to be preserved.

It was thus imperative that the first strike hit hard. Fortunately, she was equipped for the task. A burst of sunlight sped away from her. It was intense and concentrated, blinding the soldiers Chilon had posted to defend the passage to the upper levels. The distraction this posed lasted for a few seconds, which was more than enough time to close the gap. The advance units set upon the defenders in a strong charge.

The rebel leader herself struck the first blow. The woman she knifed fell to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut. The two men she hit next met the same fate. She moved back a bit after that to observe the bigger engagement.

As the other rebels relieved her, she took stock of the situation. They had broken through Chilon's barricade and made it onto the upper levels, but she could already see units of Chilon's forces approaching them to reinforce the reeling defenders. The man was a sadist, but he was not stupid, and that reflected in the orders he gave his troops. Kronya had to act accordingly.

"Philip, lead your troops to the Viskam control room. I'll have to meet the counter-charge. Anselma, support me. Nadja, support Philip. Nikola, hold the entrance as best you can. Chilon's main force is still a bit away, but prepare yourself for their eventual response," she ordered quickly.

Losing no more words, Kronya took her soldiers to intercept the enemy. The unit following her had been handpicked based on special traits. All of them were heavy hitters either in magic or in muscles, and four of them had even received Dragon Signs. They were the most suited to breaking an enemy charge.

The value of the Signs showed itself immediately. When Kronya took down another of her enemies, she felt a rush in her blood. A sign appeared in her mind's eye. It was the Shield Dragon Sign. Unlike the activation of a Crest, the use of the Sign made it appear on her body, shocking not only herself but also the enemy. She had had advance warning, however, and used the lapse in her enemy's movements to bring him down with the inhuman force granted to her by the Dragon Sign.

The shock in the surviving enemies persisted a bit longer still. It was understandable since Agarthan bodies could not bear Crests. Even after over a thousand years of research and experimentation, that still held true. It was thus a surprise to find powers nearly identical to them in an Agarthan. Kronya was quick to exploit that weakness.

The progress was soon hampered, however. Pillars of lightning descended on her soldiers. They were not very accurate, but where they landed, they were devastating. While the bombardment did not last, it had stopped her momentum. The enemy was free to press the attack again thanks to Viskam. It would soon fire again unless it was stopped.

While Kronya was busy being a doorstopper for Chilon's troops, Philip and Nadja led their units to the Viskam control chamber. The resistance they encountered was fierce, but the defenders were few in number. Most of Chilon's troops in the area had already been overwhelmed by Kronya or were distracted by her and Anselma. With the aid of Dragon Signs, they soon overpowered the door guards, leaving the main control room open for attack.

The first one to go through the opening was Nadja. She showed a surprising amount of bravery in her charge. Part of her motive was revenge, however. Throughout much of her time in the "fun house," she had been the favourite plaything of many members of the Viskam staff. Kronya had known this and assigned her to this place under the condition that Nadja kept a cool head.

The young woman was determined to keep that promise. Her blood boiled and gave her strength, and the cool head she had promised to keep guided it. She descended on the enemy with great ferocity.

She used the last of the APEX in her possession to begin her assault. It was not much, but the explosive substance managed to shatter the improvised formation of the control room's guards. She and her soldiers than threw daggers and shot arrows at the disrupted formation. Spells followed suit. Then, the gap was closed and the melee began. The real fight began there.

Philip and his unit were quick to join. With the garrison troops occupied, his soldiers were free to surround them and attack them from all sides. The defenders began fallen in droves after that.

When the last of the staff had fallen to the rebels' blades, Philip made sure to survey the room and give new orders.

"Turn of Viskam before it can fire again! And guard the entrances to this room. We can't afford a successful counterattack," he said, directing his troops.

He turned to Nadja, who was breathing hard from exhaustion. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I got to kill the damn bastards," she said.

He let out a sharp breath and said, "Good. Take half your soldiers and go reinforce Nikola. Chilon's main force should arrive soon, if it hasn't already."

It had indeed arrived, and Nikola had trouble containing their assault. Hungry and half-starved as they were, Chilon's troops consisted of professional soldiers. His band of insufficiently trained volunteers was a poor match for them. They only held because they were well-fed and had the benefit of the defensive position.

The aged second-in-command had no intention of losing, however. The power of his spells was boosted significantly by the Craft Dragon Sign every now and then, and his repertoire was nothing to scoff at in the first place. The surprise factor was also on his side, since he fought mainly with an axe and a sword, which, in combination with the Earth Dragon Sign allowed him to routinely catch his enemies off-guard. He was only one man, so he could not accomplish anything great against an army, but he made the advance of Chilon's soldiers a lot slower than they had any right to be.

That said, he was still being pushed back, and the line had come close to breaking when the second shot from the Viskam had impacted it. Plugging that gap created more of them, and Nikola's troops were retreating a lot faster than before the hit.

Fortunately, Nadja soon arrived with reinforcements to plug one of the gaps in the line. It was not enough to reverse or stop Chilon's momentum, but it slowed the enemy advance down significantly.

Even that halted almost entirely when Kronya and Anselma joined the fray with their own diminished forces. They had taken care of Chilon's fast-response force with significant but not debilitating casualties. They were thus free to come and help out. With that, the battle became a stalemate.

It took an unexpected turn when Chilon's line suddenly drew back. Their retreat was hasty but organised. Something had to have happened.

"Is Haran mounting his attack early?" asked Nikola.

It was not entirely unexpected. Both Kronya's and Haran's troops had a handful of people praying constantly to maintain communications via the Gods. It was possible that Haran had given the order to attack ahead of time because Nikola's defensive line had come close to breaking. None of them had expected Chilon to throw nearly the entirety of his forces at him, after all. So, despite this change of the details, the plan was still on track.

With this in mind, the rebel army moved up, making sure not to dissolve their formation as they advanced. Armies had been beaten by faked routs before, and neither Kronya nor Nikola were eager to add theirs to the list. Their pursuit was thus steady and organised.

Before long, they reached the main plaza of the upper levels. On it, Chilon's forces were already engaged with Haran's cavalry, who flew the banner of the Exiles; not that they would have to call themselves that for much longer. With the way they were fighting, resistance would soon crumble.

That proved true when Haran's infantry arrived. The professional soldiers of his force were well-fed, well-equipped and motivated. Chilon's exhausted troops could not hold long under the assault. They were overwhelmed in short order, and the plaza was taken by rebel forces.

The last task was to break through the central keep's gates and seize it. For this purpose, only the best of the best were pulled together, which meant the clergy of Hyperion, Dragon Sign bearers and selected elites of Haran's forces. The remainder of the preparations was taken care of by mages, who broke open the gate with powerful siege spells.

Kronya then fired the opening salvo before the others entered. A beam of sunlight burned through the foremost guards with the intensity it would have head close to the sun's surface, punching through magical defences in the process. Kronya then stopped in exhaustion as her team then quickly ran into the keep, descending upon the shocked guards before they could harm her.

The fighting continued for a few more minutes before the last man standing was Chilon himself. It was no surprise, as he had used his subordinates' bodies to protect himself, and he was a capable fighter besides. Now, however, he had run out of defences.

"This is the end of the line, Chilon," said Haran, who had joined the fight in the keep towards the end.

It might have seemed cowardly to some, but a fighter of middling ability like he was would have gotten in the way of the elites.

Chilon coughed before he laughed mockingly. "Looks like it, you damn traitor, but you'll get yours," he said. "Once Thales comes back, you're done for."

"I very much doubt he'll come back," chimed in Kronya. "He made enemies of Lord Hyperion and Lady Sothis."

A snarl escaped Chilon. "To see one of our kind worshipping that beast. And the rest of you allows it. You sicken me, all of you."

"We live because of their mercy," said Haran. "I will never worship the Fell Star, but I feel gratitude for her. Her lover will protect Agartha from now on, too. We have no need for the Sages anymore, and our want for you has run out long ago."

Chilon's eyes widened, but before he got a response out, an axe took his head from his shoulders. As his body fell to the ground, the others took notice of Nikola, who stood behind the most recent corpse of the day.

"You were talking too much," he said. "Let's clean up for now. There's enough time to exchange words afterwards.


Half an hour later. The keep.

While the work for the disposal of the battle's detritus was still ongoing, the organisation of it was complete. It could be left in the hands of the lower officer ranks while the leadership discussed the next steps of the plan to restructure Shambhala and Agarthan society as a whole.

It had been agreed upon that Haran would open the meeting. He was the newest member of the very much informal leadership of what was to become the new Agarthan state. As such, he was given the honour of beginning the proceedings.

"We need to come up with a plan about what to do now. I don't really know where to begin there, actually," he said. "Should my army move out again to support our allies?"

It was evident that he was no expert in such matters. The others were not different on that front, even though they had acquired a bit of experience.

Kronya shook her head and answered, "No. They'd arrive too late for the great battle. If our allies win, we'll have moved for nothing. If they lose, which I sincerely hope they don't, Shambhala will be Thales' next target. Rebuilding and shoring up our defences would be the smartest course of action. Besides, Lord Hyperion ordered us to stabilise matters here in preparation for the eventual peace conference."

"The big question is how. We're all military," said Philip.

"And clergy," mentioned Nadja. "We hold the power, but nothing good will come of us running the government alone."

Nikola added, "We'll need civil servants, bureaucrats, lawmakers, lawyers and all that. Problem is, we don't have those. Bureaucrats we might find, but most of them are either going to be useless or too loyal to Thales. Effectively, we don't have a government."

"And that's a problem. If we don't have a government with the power to speak for Agartha, we won't have the authority to make any agreements during the peace conference. The result would be catastrophic for us. We need to have at least an interim government with some legitimacy," said Kronya.

Haran groaned. "This is going to be complicated. How are we even going to do this?" he asked.

Grimaces answered him. Nadja verbalised their thoughts. "We have no idea. The best I can come up with is that we hold a vote about who should make the decisions for Agartha during those negotiations. We can hold a second vote after to ratify the decision or reject it."

"Apart from that, the ideas on how to structure our new government diverge far too much for us to create one quickly enough," said Nikola.

"Any nominees?" asked Anselma.

She was not an Agarthan, and therefore had no say in internal politics of Agartha, but it made her the most suited to ask such questions.

"I can think of a few," said Nikola. "Kronya's going to be part of the envoy for sure. She's way too popular to not include her."

"Aw, you'll make me blush," said the woman in question.

"But we also need other representatives for a proper diplomatic party. Ideally, we would need people from the industrial and agricultural sectors. A legal representative would be nice too, but we don't have legal experts, and we'll likely throw out the majority of our current 'laws' anyway," continued Nikola without acknowledging Kronya's comment.

She hummed and said, "I could ask around. A few names come to mind."

"In that case, we'll leave that to you," said Philip. "Put together a team and then we'll let our people vote on it. It might be a bit of a mess since we'll have to do It by show of hands, but I think it'll be alright."

Haran spoke again, "If we're distributing tasks now, leave defence in my hands. Should I also organise patrols in the city?"

The others shook their heads, and Nadja said, "The people are not too trusting of soldiers now. We've been thinking to make a civilian organisation for such tasks. It will handle law and order without soldiers. Lord Hyperion calls it police."

"You should try doing something on that front, Nadja," said Anselma. "I won't head any of the projects here since I'm not an Agarthan, but I think I can help you if I work as Nikola's assistant."

Nikola nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll look into social matters. Now that we're no longer in a state of emergency, we can look at things we couldn't before. It's going to be a chore to get it all formalised, but we'll get there."

"That leaves just me, then," said Kronya.

Nadja furrowed her eyebrows and replied, "But you already have a task."

Kronya rolled her eyes. "That's not going to take forever. Asking a few people if they want to accompany me isn't hard. Finding a few scribes to take stock of votes won't be a monumental task either. There's going to be some time left. I'll use that to take care of the religious matters that are waiting for us so you don't have to."

"That's a good point," said Nikola. "Thanks."

The orange-haired woman laughed. "Well, I'm the High Priestess. That's part of the job."

It actually was not. High Priestess was not even an official position, at least not yet. Lord Hyperion was considering it, if only to prevent self-important idiots from assuming the position themselves, but it was all only in the planning stage so far. That had not stopped Kronya from asking – or begging – to get the job. None of her comrades had objected so far, and neither had Lord Hyperion. That still left the position in a thing with no substance as of yet. Nevertheless, Kronya was very eager to assume the responsibilities she thought it entailed.

"Just don't go around proselytising all the time," commented Haran. "That would get annoying quickly."

Kronya nodded seriously. "Of course. Forced conversion is an insult to my Lord. If people are interested in him, they'll come to him. If they aren't, that's their choice. It's my job to make it known, not to shove it down other people's throats."

Haran nodded in acknowledgement and said nothing further.

"If that's everything, we can call this meeting to a close," he said. When no objections were heard, he continued, "Then that would be it. We'll deal with our own internal matters for now while we leave our allies to settle the matter with Thales and Nemesis. Let's get to our jobs."


13th day of the Horsebow Moon 1181. Garreg Mach.

The day of Nemesis' arrival was near. Enemy scouts had been sighted near the eastern walls of the Monastery's outer defences. Their main force could not be too far away in light of this discovery. It was nearly time for the final battle of this war.

In order to ensure that it really would be the final battle, the Church had begun shoring up its defences significantly. Golems were deployed everywhere; repairs to the damaged walls were taking place at a break-neck pace; scouts were patrolling constantly; and the forces defending Garreg Mach were on high alert.

It was because of this high alert that the approaching figure of a dragon was discovered long before it was able to reach the Monastery. It was cause for mild concern as no Nabateans had announced practice sessions at this time. Seiros was therefore quickly alerted to its presence.

Her emergence from the Monastery coincided with the landing of the dragon in the courtyard. She was thus treated to a nostalgic sight. She knew that dragon, and was very much surprised to see him. She also noticed the humanoid figure riding on his back. It was another person she knew.

"Macuil! Indech!" she shouted, "Be welcome."

The soldiers, who had so far been anxious, relaxed. They were still tensed, for they stood before two of the Four Saints, but they no longer expected hostilities.

"Seiros," greeted Macuil with a scowl only a dragon could wear.

"Hello there, auntie," chimed in Indech.

Over his back he bore a sword. It was an impractical position to draw from, which was becoming of him. That sword was not his to wield, even if he had searched the ocean floor for it for months. No, it belonged to someone else. He bore it proudly nonetheless, and showed it to Seiros.

"I've found it!" he said.

Seiros smiled at him. "I'm sure Mother will be happy to have her sword back."

Before they could continue, she was interrupted by Macuil. "Could we have this reunion somewhere else? I can't stand hu-… crowds."

"I think that would be advisable," said Cichol, who had joined them in the meantime. "May I suggest the audience chamber or the war room?"

"The war room will do. Let's go, before I get an ulcer," groused Macuil.

His form shrank down. Where there once had stood the Wind Caller now was a man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a long cloak. It was Macuil's humanoid guise.

They ascended the necessary staircases in a hurry. As much as the reunion was a joyous occasion for Seiros, Garreg Mach was about to come under siege again, and speed was of the essence.

The new arrivals were happy to get out of the mass of onlookers as well. Macuil was a misanthropist at the best of times, for one. Indech on the other hand was simply not cut out for interacting with crowds. So, they did not mind the fast pace at all.

Before long, the group of Nabateans was settled in. They were seated at the conference table of the war room, ready to discuss important matters.

"I am overjoyed to see you again, Macuil," opened Seiros, "But I must admit that I am confused as to your presence here. It was my impression that you had no desire to interact with humans or participate in a war ever again."

Macuil snorted and said, "That was my impression as well, but Indech is incredibly good at nagging. That, and I despise Nemesis. The bastard is alive again, and I'll have him put back in the damn ground."

Seiros and Cichol directed questioning looks at Indech. "What? I found the sword, but by the time I was here, Sothis was already gone, so I decided to use the extra time to get help. Macuil is grumpy, but he's reliable."

"Thanks for that glowing endorsement, nephew," said Macuil in a flat tone.

Seiros could not help but chuckle at their interaction. "I have missed you two. Cethleann will be happy to see you again as well."

That statement made the grouchy Nabatean sigh. "Little Cethleann… To be honest, my dear niece is all that I missed these past centuries. No offense to you, but your politicking is not my cup of tea."

"Then perhaps it will brighten your mood to know that I will soon retire if we win the upcoming battle," responded Seiros. "After that, we can spend some time together as a family."

"…. Maybe," said Macuil. "Let's cut to the chase before we get any sappier. What's the battle plan and where do you need me?"

Seiros raised an eyebrow. He simply glowered.

"I said I don't like your politicking. I didn't say you were a poor tactician. Now get on with it and tell me," he pressed.

"Very well," said Seiros. "The core of our plan for the battle is to reinforce the static defences and let the enemy come at us. The enemy wishes to destroy us Nabateans and the Monastery. Our plans are built on the reasonable assumption that they will therefore attack our defensive positions. So, while we hold, we will make surgical strikes against priority targets."

"What if they turn about and attack the army at their backs first?" asked Cichol.

"I do not believe they will, but in case they do, we will conduct harassing strikes against them and bait them into attacking us instead," answered Seiros.

"What's the enemy troop composition and size? And what of our allies? I'm not up to date there," said Macuil.

Seiros shot Cichol a look. He let out a resigned sigh and began his explanation. "The enemy forces number roughly 200'000 at this point. They consist of necromantically reanimated warriors of Nemesis, including the Ten Elites and Nemesis himself, and the last of the enemy Agarthan armies. Alarmingly, they possess replicas of the He- I mean the weapons they wielded back then.

"In contrast, our allied forces, not including the garrison of Garreg Mach, number at around 120'000 if you add recent reinforcements. There are more troops being raised, but they will not have an impact on the coming battles. The combined army of our allies is in pursuit of the enemy force besieging Garreg Mach. They possess exceptional fighters and they wield the originals of the weapons which the Agarthans have replicated.

"Lastly, the Garrison of Garreg Mach comes in at about 20'000 soldiers. We have extensive defences, however, including a multitude of golems. Additionally, we have two trump cards on our side. One is Byleth, the champion of the Goddess. The other is the recent influx of Nabateans."

"The what now?!" exclaimed Macuil.

"Let me explain," said Seiros.

Macuil was not ready for the discussion that followed. Good news was rare, after all. It did much to raise his motivation, however. Hearing that there were more Nabateans around gave him something to fight for.

He would not be found wanting in the battle to come.


AN: Greetings, dear readers! Welcome back to another chapter of Headmates.

Today, the Ashen Wolves had a small reunion. Dorothea and Edelgard also managed to settle the matter between them I'd alluded to last time. The Agarthan rebellion succeeded on top of all this. Now what remains is cleaning up, rebuilding, and coming to terms with the past and the future. And finally, turtle bro and the grumpy wind chicken returned to the fold.

We're close to the end now. The war won't lost more than one or two more chapters at this point. The story is not quite finished there, however. There are two epilogue chapters planned for now.

Here, I wish to once more express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favourited and reviewed Headmates. You are awesome.

Now then, it's time for me to say goodbye for today. Until next time. Stay happy and healthy, everyone!