Merry Christmas! It's been a while since we checked in on the Black Eagles, so let's go do that.
Chapter 112 – On Wounded Wings (Harpstring Moon)
The first thing Ladislava felt as consciousness slowly returned to her was pain. She could feel it all across her body, accompanied by overwhelming weakness.
Though unpleasant to say the least, the pain had at least one silver lining: it meant she wasn't dead.
The Crimson Warrior slowly opened her red eyes as she tried to move her body. The room she found herself in wasn't entirely familiar, but she could recognize the material in the walls. She guessed she was somewhere in Fort Merceus.
Ladislava tried to push herself up, but just as she got upright, the pain in her body intensified dramatically. She let out a loud gasp as she clutched her side, realizing now that she was clad only in bandages.
Evidently, someone had heard her, as the door swung open seconds later.
"Aerin, you're awake!" said a familiar motherly voice.
Ladislava turned as she said, "E-Ersha? What – Ugh!"
Pain forced Ladislava to clutch her wounded side again, bringing back the memory of losing her fight with the King of Lions.
Ersha von Raziya knelt next to Ladislava and began channeling a healing spell as she said, "Easy, easy. You shouldn't move yet. You'll reopen your wounds."
"What are you doing here? You're still supposed to be on maternity leave."
"I got called back into service by Lord Vestra, and he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."
Ladislava decided her questions could wait as Ersha did what she could for her wounded side. Within a minute, however, the door opened again as another healer entered the room, another which Ladislava hadn't expected to see.
"Good to see you're back among the living again, Ladislava," said Manuela Casagranda.
"You're here too, Manuela?" asked Ladislava. "I thought Hubert was keeping you cooped up in the palace."
"Yeah, well, he needed my husband here for something important, so I had to tag along. Enough about that. Let me see your side."
As Manuela knelt to check Ladislava's wound, the room shook slightly as something landed outside. Ladislava strained to turn and look out a nearby window to see just what had landed next to them.
Upon seeing his master's face, Fenix gave a brief snort to the Crimson Warrior.
"Fenix…"
"He's been here almost the whole time you've been out cold," said Ersha. "There's dozens of different places he could go to in the fortress, and he's barely moved from this spot for almost three weeks."
Though hearing she'd been unconscious for that long was a shock to Ladislava, learning that Fenix hadn't left her side in nearly that whole time warmed her heart. Doing her best not to strain herself, she reached out and stroked Fenix's head as the ruby Wyvern chuffed at her.
Smiling, Ladislava said, "What am I going to do with you, you big lug?"
At that moment, Ladislava heard another set of footsteps coming into the room, though these were far softer and… smaller?
"Little Julio, get back here!" said a woman's voice.
Recognizing the name, Ladislava turned to see a young toddler waddle energetically into the room with a handmaid in tow. The maid was clearly at her wit's end trying to keep the child under control.
Flustered upon seeing her master, the maid said, "L-Lady Ersha! Forgive me for-"
"It's alright, Maggy," Ersha said as she knelt before her one-year-old son. She then said in a baby-talk manner, "Were you looking for Mama, Julio? Oh, come here, my little boy."
As Ersha picked up her child, Ladislava said, "What is your son doing here? This isn't a place for children, Ersha."
Ersha was too focused on her son to answer, so Manuela said, "Things have… gotten bad in Enbarr, Ladislava. She had to bring her kids here for their safety."
"What happened?"
Manuela was about to answer when another woman's voice said, "I'll answer that, Manuela."
Ladislava almost instinctively tried to stand at attention before remembering her wounds as Edelgard entered the room, smiling at the sight of her champion.
Seeing the Emperor, Ladislava wondered just how many visitors she was going to get before the day was over.
…
Word of Ladislava's reawakening spread quickly to the other Black Eagles. Some were planning to see their commander, but they had been ordered to wait until her condition could be checked before anyone would be allowed to pay her a visit.
As she overheard some of the others voicing their relief that Ladislava was conscious again, Zola had to stop herself from scoffing at their pessimism. She'd never doubted that Ladislava would pull through.
At the same time, she knew Ladislava wasn't going to take the news of their losses well.
The Skrael warrior finished running a whetstone along her axe's blade when she caught sight of a familiar man dressed in black armor lined with cruel spikes and a skull-like helmet with long horns. He and his riders had just arrived at Fort Merceus, having been transferred from the north-western front along with numerous men meant to replace the Empire's losses from the Battle of Gronder.
Try as they might, though, they were never going to truly make up for everyone they'd lost at Gronder Field. They could add as many new faces as they wanted, but it wouldn't make up for the lost experience and skill of the elites.
Of course, to Zola, death was always part of the life of a warrior. Dying was inevitable, yet one's accomplishments in life would decide one's fate after death. It was a code she lived by ever since she first picked up a blade.
As the Death Knight removed his helmet, revealing the face of Jeritza von Hrym, Zola advanced toward him and said, "Well, if it isn't tall, dark, and gruesome? Haven't seen you here in a while."
"What do you want, barbarian?" Jeritza said coldly.
"Ooh, and such a charmer, too," Zola replied sarcastically. "I was wondering if you were up for a little spar."
"No."
"Aww, what's the matter? Afraid you'll lose?"
"I have no interest in indulging your bloodlust, Zola Axberg."
Laughing, Zola said, "That's rich, coming from you. Heard you butchered an entire Dagdan battalion last month. And you're saying you're not indulging in bloodlust?" When Jeritza did not reply to this, Zola then said, "Oh, now I get it. You think I can't take you." Zola gripped her axe as she said, "Well, you can think twice about that."
Seeing that Zola was about to provoke him forcefully, Jeritza turned to glare at Zola as he said, "Raise your weapon and it will be the last thing you ever do. If you value your life, you will leave now."
"No true Skrael warrior fears death in battle. And I am no craven like you, Death Knight."
Jeritza's eyes seem to twitch for a moment, and Zola realized she was close to getting the Death Knight to come out. She'd heard rumors about Jeritza von Hrym being "two men in one body", and from how he was reacting, it seemed she was about to see the monster within the man.
But just as Jeritza was about to raise the Scythe of Sariel, a javelin struck the ground between them.
Both murderers turned as Salia said, "Don't even think about it, both of you."
Loosening up from her prior stance, Zola said, "Aww, do you need to spoil the fun, Sally?"
"Lord Vestra wishes to speak with Lord Hrym. And I'm not about to explain things to him if you two chop each other to pieces."
With a sigh of annoyance, Zola said, "Fine, fine. Go have your chat with Hubert. But I'm gonna want that fight someday, Jeritza. Don't forget it."
Jeritza, who seemed to have regained control of himself, scoffed as he turned and strode away from the Black Eagles.
Turning to Salia, Zola said, "And here I was all worked up to duke it out with him."
"You need to keep your impulses in check, Zola," said Salia. "We just got the Commander back; we don't need to lose you right after."
"Heh, you're saying that as though I'd lose to him."
"I've seen what he can do, Zola, and I think he could beat you." Zola laughed at this, so Salia said, "Either way, he's not your enemy. And we've already got enough enemies to worry about."
"And yet my axe has been dried for weeks."
"Suck it up. Just focus on getting our replacements up to speed."
"Tch, you say that as though they'll ever be as good as the guys we lost."
"Maybe so, but we still need them to be ready for when Her Majesty needs us."
…
Ladislava was silent as she took in everything Edelgard had told her. Between the attempt on Edelgard's life to her alliance with Cornelia, who she now knew was a member of the Twisted, things hadn't turned out how she had expected. She took some small comfort knowing that the Alliance and Church were firmly on the defensive, as well as knowing that the Loyalists had been shattered with the death of their king.
But the victory at Gronder Field had come at a terrible cost, especially to the Black Eagles. She had less than 200 of their original members left who could still fight. While she was used to the Empire suffering heavy losses by now, it had never been her own force that had taken such a beating. These were all men and women who had trusted her leadership and followed her into hellish conditions, and together they had continually beaten the odds. But even they hadn't been good enough to survive the hell that Gronder had been.
"I understand this is a lot to take in, Aerin," said Edelgard as she sat next to her champion. "For now, I want you to focus on your recovery while Cornelia and I plan our next moves."
Hearing the Duchess's name pulled Ladislava from her thoughts about her lost comrades. In truth, Ladislava hadn't been all that surprised to learn that Cornelia was one of the Twisted. There had always been something about the woman that the Crimson Warrior thought was unnatural. It wasn't simply her mastery of magic, her physical beauty, or her skill at politics. It was how she carried herself with an air that always left Ladislava guessing.
Yet despite Ladislava's misgivings about her, Cornelia had saved Edelgard's life and betrayed her master in the process. Ladislava was in some way grateful to the Duchess for saving the Emperor. But on the other hand, Cornelia's treachery to her master left Ladislava wondering if she would betray them if it suited her.
Sensing Ladislava's inner turmoil, Edelgard asked, "What is it, Ladislava?"
After a short pause, Ladislava said, "Lady Edelgard, are you sure we can trust her?"
"Do you mean Cornelia?"
Ladislava nodded and said, "I don't believe I can. The Twisted destroyed your family. They have been dragging out this war. And she is one of them."
Edelgard paused briefly. The Emperor hadn't told Ladislava about Cornelia's Dark Gift, fearing the knowledge would lead to her champion trying to kill the Duchess. The last thing she needed was for them to be at each other's throats.
"I know how it must seem to you," said Edelgard, "but we need her help. Thales, the man posing as my uncle, is more powerful than I originally thought. He possesses a weapon that could destroy Enbarr in the blink of an eye. Without Cornelia's help, we will never be able to stop it."
"I understand that, Lady Edelgard, but–"
"Aerin… she didn't just save me. She tried to save my mother years ago at Duscur. Cornelia wanted to get Mother out, but Thales had his assassin kill her. It was the same assassin who tried to kill me. She wants to destroy Thales just as much as I do, but we need to help each other, or he will cause untold damage to the Empire. And even if we were to destroy him without her help, his followers would never stop fighting us. But if Cornelia takes their throne, she can end the conflict between our two sides, and Fódlan will finally know peace. Please, Ladislava, I need you to support me on this. You are my champion. Can I count on you in the days ahead?"
Ladislava hesitated to answer. She had sworn her fealty to Edelgard, but the idea of helping the Duchess remained unappealing. She was sure the other Black Eagles wouldn't like it either.
But this was what they had been fighting for: peace. They could finally put an end to the war. They could at last establish Imperial rule over Fódlan.
Ladislava could only give one answer.
"I am at your service, Lady Edelgard. But that doesn't mean I have to like this."
"I thank you, Ladislava, for your continued loyalty. I know it's a lot to bear with, but I promise it will be worth it."
Edelgard left the room soon after, letting Ladislava ponder everything she'd heard.
Ladislava remains loyal, but she's not blind. We'll have to see where this takes her.
Also, about time Manuela showed up, isn't it? And her talking about her husband? Hmm, who do you suppose it could be?
This will be the last chapter for 2023. It's been two years since I started Part 2, and progress has been slower than I expected when I started. Between my pain issues, changing medications, and general burnout, it hasn't been easy to continue writing.
We'll stick around with the Black Eagles for one more chapter and then get toward the finale for Part 2 over the next few chapters. See you in 2024.