Part 1: White Clouds
Preparation
"Whatever we have left, let's not let it go to waste! We're dealing with a formidable foe here, so we need to give it our all or else we'll be dead before it even starts!"
"I need lances over here!"
"I have hammers ready to go!"
"Arrows loaded up! Take as much as you need!"
"Ugh, I hate that I have to give my stock away for this low of a price…" Anna groaned, folding her arms and hugging herself, turning her back away as more knights came over to grab her stock of weapons and tomes. It all started from Jeralt approaching her about a 'favour' she owed the Blade Breakers. And he was cashing it in now.
"WHAT?! You can't be serious! Do you know how hard I worked on getting this stock?!"
"Look Anna, I'm not asking you to give it all away for free. But you owe my kid a favour, and unfortunately she's not here to cash it in, but as leader of the Blade Breakers, the favour lands with me too."
"Ah phooey… okay, what sort of discount are you wanting-"
"80%."
"…"
"Anna?"
"…YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST STAB ME IN THE HEART!" Anna screamed at Jeralt, as he watched the merchant cuddle her crates and sob uncontrollably. He just sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Byleth really attracts the craziest folk…"
Anna knew that she owed Byleth a lot for many things. But did her father have to be so cruel when it came to her business? She had to turn away again and clutch her chest when a crate containing axes was taken away from her. Oh, she was DEFINITELY asking for a raise after this.
"Hey look, these are silver axes!"
"Awesome!"
…Maybe she should grab a few bottles of wine to drown her sorrows before she saw anymore of her babies get taken.
"We're stretched thin as is!" One of the Elite Knights exclaimed to Alois. "We can't keep a good defensive position if we're constantly running out of good knights!"
"Yes, I am aware of that." Alois nodded. "And if we're not too careful, we might as well say… 'Good Knight'!"
"…Sir, I don't think this is the time for jokes."
"Have to keep morale high with some light humour! Laughter is the best medicine after all. But in all seriousness…"
Alois frowned at the map that had the general area of the Monastery on it. His fellow knight was correct, after all the mishaps over the past few months, they were stretched thin. Whether some had been unfortunately slain, or others had gotten sent to other parts of Fódlan to assist in any way they can. Or some just leaving altogether, what was very clear is that they weren't looking as good as they were when the school year started. If only-
"I hope I'm not interrupting, Alois."
Alois looked up to see Jeralt walk in and sighed when he saw Alois standing straight with his hand formed into a salute.
"You know you're the Captain of the Knights of Seiros, right?"
"Ah, but you are MY Captain, Jeralt! Just because ranks have changed doesn't erase the past."
"…Alright, dismissed." Jeralt shook his head as he looked at the map. "I noticed that you and your knights are stretched thin. I have a suggestion. You have strong lines in these different sectors, right?"
"Precisely! But we lack the firepower…"
"Hm. Three sectors of defence… alright here's what I propose. We can place three members of 141 in each of these sector's. We have enough of them where they can provide support to each one."
"What members of 141 do you suggest we place with each sector?" Alois asked, nodding at Jeralt's suggestion.
"I'd say keep the three House Leaders with me and Shamir. They're our strongest in terms of strength and strategy, with Edelgard and Claude being exceptional on the latter and Dimitri with the former. I have a plan for that too, but we need to see how this fight turns out. The others on the other hand can provide assistance to your knights."
"Excellent planning Captain!" Alois grinned. "Why, this takes me back to the olden days where you would plan our missions and we were all standing around the map. I'm sure 141 will be valuable in their assistance. You know the old saying. One for all and ONE FOUR ONE!"
Silence follows after that as Jeralt rolled his eyes. "Maybe consult your joke book again Alos, you're starting to slip. And that's saying something."
"Ah yes, of course Captain…"
"Absolutely not! I won't allow it! What is that foolish Jeralt thinking, making you fight?"
"Brother, I am not arguing with you over this, I have to fight!"
Flayn and Seteth were in a very heated argument in Flayn's bed chambers. Seteth unfortunately got wind of Jeralt's plan, which involved Flayn being with Shamir and the House Leaders alongside him. He stormed in and tried to convince her to not go through with it.
"Flayn, please see sense! This isn't some training session or a simple mission eradicating bandits. This is a full scale war that we are dealing with, and not one that I want you on the front lines for!"
"What happened to letting me train with Professor Byleth?!"
"That's completely different! And if you hadn't noticed Flayn, she's currently in the medical ward with injuries that were inflicted on her by that very foe that we are preparing against!"
"You think I didn't know that?" Flayn crossed her arms. "I was there, brother. I saw her covered in blood, I know the dangers and I cannot stand by while everyone I love gets hurt."
"I don't want to see YOU get hurt like everyone else!"
"I AM NOT LIKE MOTHER!"
Silence fell as Seteth stumbled back, clearly stunned by that last statement. Flayn's eyes widened as she looked down, but clenched her firsts and looked back up at Seteth.
"I know mother's death still hurts you. It hurts me too. The extinction of our entire race, knowing that we are but a few. But look outside!" She extended her hand out to the window. "They need us! They need me! I have this power inside me, that will be beneficial to helping. Brother, you were a tactician during the war. Surely you could see the logic in putting the strongest out there?"
"I know!" Seteth yelled out, and sat down on a chair running a hand through his hair. "I know… but please see this from my point of view. It was one thing to let you train under Byleth, because I trusted her and her strength. But you're asking me to send you, my own flesh and blood, to fight a foe that not even Byleth was able to defeat. I would possibly be sending you to your death!"
"But brother…"
Seteth looked up to meet Flayn's eyes as she continued. "You heard what Professor Byleth said. This Lord Slug is going to drown the entire lot of this world. Even if I didn't fight, I would still die. We have nothing to lose at this point because if we run away or we fight, the possibility of dying will still be there. Please… father. Let me defend our home."
More silence fell between the two again as Flayn kept staring at Seteth, before he let out a low laugh. "How did you get to be so brave?"
Flayn smiled slightly. "I've had good influences. Seiros, Professor Byleth, Jeralt… you."
"…Yes. You're right, Cethleann. We truly have nothing to lose with this battle. Very well. I will let you fight alongside everyone. But please promise me this. The very second that things are turning dire, please retreat. At the very least, if we do possibly lose, I want my last moments to be with my daughter."
"…Of course father. I owe you that much."
As the pair slowly embraced, they didn't notice Rhea peeking in through the door and having a small smile on her face. Before her eyes drooped down in sorrow. They had to win. They had to.
"I've sent letters to the Alliance, informing them of what's happening. Think the old man might be having a heart attack once he hears what we're up against." Claude said in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't work. Edelgard just nodded in response.
"I sent a letter to my Father, the Emperor. But I think we all know that reinforcements won't get here in time."
"Yes, messenger pigeons would take a few days to get there. But at the very least, we can warn everyone about what's to come." Dimitri looked at his gauntlets and let out a breath, trying to ignore the whispers in his head. "Rodrigue will be able to help the citizens of Faerghus."
"So… who wants to knock?"
The three of them were standing outside the medical ward, and didn't know if they were able to visit Byleth. But before anyone could answer, Hellen and Manuela came out, looking very tired. And who could blame them? They spent the past twenty four hours operating on Byleth to make sure that she was stable.
"Oh, are you three here to see Byleth?" Hellen asked, wiping the sweat off her brow as her orange hair was in a messy bun. "We can allow visitors to see her now. She's stable, but comatose."
"Is she… going to be alright?" Dimitri struggled to ask, because he was afraid of what the answer would be. But thankfully, Manuela nodded with a smile.
"Her biology is unlike anything I have ever seen before. Even as we were operating, her body was healing. She will be fine."
The three students all let out a sigh of relief as Hellen gave a tired smile. "Byleth has always been like this. But… this'll be the first time that there's… permanent damage. We couldn't save her arm. Byleth is many things, but she can't regrow limbs."
"I see… that's unfortunate." Claude mumbled. "At least she's alive. So you said she's stable?"
"Yes, but I don't know when she will be waking up. Maybe today, maybe next month."
"So we truly are doing this alone…" Edelgard mumbled. But that's when Dimitri asked if they could visit her.
"Yes, like we said people can visit her. But try not to hang around for too long."
"Thank you, for everything." Dimitri smiled at Hellen, bowing to both her and Manuela. "I understand that it must not have been easy going through this, but we thank you for keeping the Professor alive."
"Byleth's like the daughter I never had, so I would do anything to keep her safe. Now come on Manuela, I think we deserve a drink."
"One step ahead of you." Manuela said, pulling out a flask and Hellen rolled her eyes.
"Honestly…"
As the two women left, all three looked at one another. Claude then looked uneasily at the door.
"So… who's going in first?"
"I will." Edelgard stated and closed her eyes, with her hand on the door handle.
"Edelgard, you know what we saw, right?"
"Yes… but now that they've finished, it'll be less of a nasty sight."
"Still. Prepare yourself."
And with that, she opened the door and slowly stepped in. Despite the emergency that had occurred, the medical ward was remarkably clean. She was honestly impressed. If you didn't know any better, you would never be able to guess what had just transpired in this very room. But they did, and to her left that very thing caught her attention.
"Oh my…"
Edelgard slowly stepped in further to allow Dimitri and Claude in and their faces dropped when they saw the state their Professor was in. Thankfully, it wasn't as gruesome of a sight as before. All the blood had been cleaned up and thanks to Manuela's stitching, all the wounds had been closed up and also cleaned. The only real noticeable one is on her eye, with everywhere else having bandages wrapped round. But that's when the three of them noticed the stump where her right arm used to be. All cleaned up and properly bandaged just like the rest. But it was still a sad sight.
"That was the Professor's sword arm…" Edelgard muttered in disbelief, still unable to process the sight. Like Byleth laying there broken and comatose was such an alien thought to have.
"Hey, she can easily learn how to use her other one. It won't be so bad." Claude tried to pick their spirits up as his eyes landed on the Sword of the Creator laying on a table at the other side of the room wrapped up in cloth so nobody gets hurt touching it. And then at her coat… and wondered…
But Dimitri just stared at the ground clenching his fists to stifle the rage building up inside him. That's when he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Edelgard nodding at him.
"She won't be dying today. We will avenge her."
"Yes… you're right. They will pay in blood."
"Hey, do you think she can hear us?" Claude wondered out loud as he looked at Byleth's comatose state. Edelgard wondered that herself.
"From what I've heard, comatose patients do seem to respond to people in the outside world. So it's possible that the Professor can hear us. I hope she can wake up soon."
"Edelgard, she'll need time-" Dimitri tried to say, but Edelgard cut him off.
"Dimitri, we don't have time. We're about to fight for our entire world, against an opponent who is stronger than the Professor. We're heavily outnumbered and we lack the strength."
"Strength isn't everything, Edelgard." Claude pointed out. "Unless you have already forgotten what Teach has taught us. There will always be someone stronger out there, we just need to rise to the challenge. And besides, I have a few tricks in this little noggin of mine."
"For once, I'm glad to hear that you actually have plans." Dimitri said. "But perhaps that's because they're no longer directed at your fellow students."
"Nah, these ones are for enemies only. Wouldn't dream of using these on you guys."
Silence fell over the three as they stood there staring at Byleth who seemed… at peace. Despite her injuries and the state she was in, she looked relaxed. But that's when they heard a horn coming off and Dimitri clenched his fist.
"That sounds like the time has come to assemble for the big strategy meeting."
"You coming, Edelgard?" Claude asked as he and Dimitri went to the door to leave. But Edelgard kept looking at Byleth.
"I'll catch up. I'll only be a minute."
"…Alright. Just don't be late. We need you." Claude reminded her, as his eyes darted to Byleth's coat again and he wondered if she had the same idea as him. Without another word, he left the room leaving Edelgard alone with Byleth. And Edelgard let out an exhale when she realised she was alone.
"I do hope you wake up, my Teacher. If I'm honest, I don't feel confident about our chances of victory."
Her eyes then shifted to Byleth's coat. And a thought crossed Edelgard's mind as she remembered the lesson that their teacher taught them before she went to her ill fated fight.
'It's a potion that'll give you power beyond your wildest dreams. All you have to do is take it from me, and it's yours.'
"Power… beyond our wildest dreams…" Edelgard muttered as she kept staring at the coat and watched her hand slowly reach towards it.
Surely this was the right time to use that potion? They were literally about to fight for their very survival! And they need all the help that they can get. Edelgard felt the rough fabric of the coat that has seen it's fair share of slags on the battlefield, being stitched up more times than anyone could even need. It was also difficult to part the pockets due to the gravity hexes that were put on the coat.
But was this truly the right thing to do? Yes, the potion would help wonders… but the thought of taking it from her Professor while she was in a coma… it didn't feel right. Where was the honour in her actions? Stealing from a comatose patient.
Her fingers were brushing against the bottle as all she had to do was grab it, and take it out. Drink it and just like that, power beyond her imagination. Power that would make her strong. Power that would defend her world from these invaders…
'Power that isn't earned.'
That voice in her head made her freeze. Her fingers were hovering in place as she realised the voice in her head was right. It wouldn't truly be her power. It would be power that she got through dirty tactics. Power that she stole for herself. It was something… that Kronya and the Agarthan's would do.
It would go against everything Byleth taught them.
…No. This isn't right.
With a heavy sigh, she slowly withdrew her hand from Byleth's coat pocket and shook her head. "No. Not like this. If this is truly our time… then I'll have gone out with my strength, and my strength alone."
She gave one last look to Byleth and turned to leave the room, unaware that a small smile had grown on Byleth's unconscious face.
A few days had passed. And in that short time span, preparations had been fast and as efficient as possible. For one, the townsfolk as well as various priests and nuns were evacuated out of Garreg Mach to one of the strongholds in Faerghus, at least for now they would be safe there. Secondly, the letters that Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri had each sent to the various leaders of Fódlan to warn them of this incoming threat had arrived at their locations. But they all knew that reinforcements wouldn't be coming to help them. The messenger pigeons alone took a day to reach their intended target and marching a battalion would take at least four days. At least now, the nations could prepare in their own way. The three future leaders of Fódlan weren't the only ones sending a letter of warning, the other students sent their own letters to each of their families and villages. And in cases like Petra, sent a letter to the island of Brigid. And they held nothing back, they told them everything.
It was most certain that Fódlan would be thrown into a state of panic. But at least they've been given their own time to prepare themselves. Despite not getting reinforcements, some soldiers from each of the three lands that were nearby were able to make it in time, but it was a small number. After all, Garreg Mach was the main line of defence, and if it fell... then all would fall. And speaking of which, right now Rhea was walking through the halls of the Monastery ignoring Seteth's pleas.
"I can understand that Flayn wants to fight, but you are the Archbishop! If you fall, then…"
"Seteth I have made up my mind. I am needed here, and I won't run away. Not this time. I trust you understand your own orders?"
Realising there was no changing any of his brethren's minds, Seteth sighed and nodded. "I'll protect Byleth. You have my word."
"Good. I just hope she can wake up. Her injuries are mostly healed yet she still isn't waking up. I don't understand…"
"Perhaps the trauma runs deeper than we thought." Seteth then opened the door for Rhea which allowed her to step out into the main balcony at the top of the Monastery and gave her quite the sight of what was below. A massive army consisting of the Knights of Seiros and various soldiers from the Empire, Kingdom and Alliance were stationed in battalions of one hundred each that formed three sectors of defence. Three hundred knights in total, not counting the higher ups like Alois, Catherine and Shamir and also the soldiers from the other parts of Fódlan. As well as the many students who were each placed in the three sectors to help bulk out the numbers.
"Three hundred knights… a far cry from the thousand that we started out with." Seteth muttered. "We are stretched so thin."
"It'll have to do." Rhea closed her eyes, and clasping her hands together. "We just have to have faith. Now more than ever."
And down at the location of the army, Alois was walking with Shamir and Catherine overlooking the numbers and scratching the back of his head.
"I know we have had lower numbers lately but…"
"Hey, we can get through this." Catherine reassured him, but Shamir shrugged.
"At least one of us is optimistic. Okay, the students have all been assigned a spot in the three battalions, as well as some members of 141."
In sector one, forming up their part of 141 was Petra, Felix and Ashe along with a mix of students from all three houses which the rest of the battalions would also have. In sector two, there was Bernadetta, Annette and Leonie. And finally, Sector three ended off with Caspar, Hilda and Lysithea. At the centre of it all was Edelgard, Claude and Dimitri and Flayn.
"To think we would actually be going to war…" Edelgard muttered.
"I don't think it's full on war, it's more just us defending our home." Claude responded. "I'm sure if we send them kicking, then we won't hear from them again."
"You sound very confident Claude." Dimitri frowned. "A little too confident for my liking."
"Like I said, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. But yeesh, I thought we had more knights when we started the school year?"
The three turned to inspect the numbers and Edelgard grimly nodded. "Perhaps these last few months have truly taken its toll on Garreg Mach."
"Regardless, we're alone in this endeavour, despite the small backup." Dimitri said. "Even on pegasus it would take a few days for reinforcements to arrive."
"Yeah, you don't have to remind us." Claude sighed.
That's when from their left, Jeralt walked up to them and leaned into them. "You kids wanna say a few things to the troops to rally them up?"
This surprised the trio as they looked up at Jeralt with Edelgard commenting. "Aren't you technically our leader?"
"Technically, but you three are the future leaders of Fódlan. Best to give them a little taste of what's to come." As Jeralt raised a hand, every single person in the surrounding area fell to a very heavy silence as Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude felt put on the spot. But Claude sighed and shook his head.
"Alright, time to put our serious faces on now…"
Deciding to go first, Claude cleared his throat and saw a mage cast a spell on him that would be able to amplify his voice for all to see. He gave the nearby mage a thumbs up and started.
"Knights of Seiros! Students of Garreg Mach! Today is a day like no other. Normally it would be a day where we laugh, play, pull some pranks, and enjoy ourselves. But unfortunately this isn't one of those days. For this is the day that we fight for our home! Our right to live! Our desire… to survive! And of course… the drive to prank more victims! You all know who you are!"
Some of the crowd let out laughs as he grinned at them, with Hilda covering her mouth giggling at him.
"He really needs to work on his speeches…" Edelgard groaned.
"I wish he would take this seriously…" Dimitri sighed.
But then he blinked when he felt a spell cast on him and then hands on his shoulders. "As much as I would like to entertain you all a lot longer, it wouldn't be fair if I hog all the spotlight! Your Highness, you are up!"
"M-Me?!" He yelled and covered his mouth when he realised his voice was amplified just like Claude. He looked at his fellow Noble who gave a wink.
"You got this."
"I don't exactly have a choice…"
Dimitri stepped forward and like Claude, gave a look to the hundreds of knights and mages that were waiting for him to talk. He suddenly had a very uneasy feeling in his stomach. Was this what it was going to be like when he inherited the crown? The thought of having to address this many people didn't sit right with him.
But then he saw Dedue with one of the battalions giving a nod and a small smile. Then the rest of Lions either giving encouraging nods or thumbs up. They were counting on him. He had to prove he was a capable leader.
"Claude is right." He began. "This week, we lost our dear Professor, Byleth Eisner to this fiend. And now he intends to do the same to our home. No, our entire world. We cannot let that happen. For all that reside in the Kingdom, you recall how a great tragedy befell our people many years ago, including the death of our late King. Including the people of Duscur."
He clenched his fist and stared at the ground as whispers rang through the crowd, as those who are from the Kingdom nodded sombrely. Ingrid hugged her arm, also staring at the ground as Ashe rubbed her shoulder in comfort. Dedue just closed his eyes and let out a sigh of sadness at the memory.
"That is a pain that has stayed with us even today! And we won't let anyone else be hurt the same way as us! We won't surrender to this foe! And we will fight even if it costs us our lives! Because if not, then what are we? Cowards! And we are anything but! We are fighters! And we will be victorious!"
A loud cheer erupted from the crowd, mostly from the people of Faerghus who whistled and cheered. Edelgard smiled and nodded in approval as Claude leaned into her and grinned.
"Guys a natural when it comes to his speeches. Little rough around the edges, but with time…"
"Yes, a lot better than your comedy routine, Claude."
"Hey, my job was to break the tension. Dimitri was to rally his people. I think your job is next, Princess."
As he said that, Dimitri nodded to Edelgard and she nodded back. Once the cheers died down, Edelgard stepped forward and felt the warmth of the spell take affect on her own voice. This was it. She had to do this. If her plans were going to go ahead… well, first impressions are everything.
"Good afternoon everyone." Edelgard began as Claude raised an eyebrow.
"Interesting start." He said to Dimitri.
"The time is almost upon us where we meet the very individuals not only responsible for rendering our dear Professor comatose, but also threatens our way of life. And we will be launching perhaps the biggest battle in the history of Fódlan. No, perhaps even the biggest battle of all time."
Her eyes drifted to the floor as she continued. "Heh… it's funny to me. That there was a time where we weren't separated by Kingdoms or Alliances or even Empires. We were simply one cohesive unit. One nation. And we are once again united to fight again for our freedom. Not from the likes of Kings of Liberation or from petty differences… but from complete annihilation. For if we don't achieve victory today… everything will be lost."
She then looked back up at the crowd and saw her classmates nodding in approval. Dorothea especially was silently clapping her hands together as the knights, especially those from the Empire were being moved by the future Empress. Even the other nations were moved by her speech.
"And should we win this day, the land of Fódlan as well the surrounding islands will send a message to those watching from the stars. For it will be known that the people of this world declared in one voice, we will not go quietly into the night! We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!"
"Today, we celebrate our victory against the stars!" Edelgard finished raising her axe high and giving a determined look on her face.
And she blinked in surprise as all the soldiers cheering loudly as well as the students from the other houses. She then saw Claude smirking at her and leaned in.
"So, where did you learn to make speeches like that? And here I thought that Dimitri was good at them."
Her cheeks flushed red as she turned the other way. "I just spoke from the heart. What we were all thinking."
"It was beautiful Edelgard." Dimitri smiled. "I must admit, I was feeling motivated myself listening to you. You have a natural talent for this. The Empire will be lucky to have you as their leader."
Edelgard managed to cool the blush on her face and gave a nod to Dimitri. "Thank you. And the two of you will be worthy leaders as well."
"Well, seems like there is hope for you brats after all."
They all turned to see Jeralt smiling at them. "You've certainly come a long way from those kids that had to run away from a group of bandits. Now look at you."
"Heh… guess you're right. Just try not to run away this time." Edelgard said, glaring at Claude.
"Tactical retreat!"
"That's just another word for running-"
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!
Everyone froze in place as their ears were ringing from the loud sound that just erupted out of nowhere. They all frantically looked around as to try and find the source of the loud noise. Most thought it was the Moon Beast. Others assumed that maybe it was the saints coming back to help them in their time of need. But then the members of 141 felt their senses flare up like wildfire. It was that ominous Ki.
"It's time." Jeralt grunted as everyone saw that coming out of the white clouds above them, there was a giant ship making it's way to the planet. Everyone realised the weight of the situation as Dorothea tried to keep her breathing under control.
"It's happening… it's really happening…" She whispered to herself holding her shaking hands together in a poor attempt to calm herself down. Petra placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded.
"We will succeed."
"W-What is that thing?" Annette whimpered.
"It's unlike anything I have ever seen!" Ignatz exclaimed.
But on her spot atop Garreg Mach, Rhea narrowed her eyes at the slowly descending ship. As Seteth tried to keep his bearings he leaned over to her.
"I never thought it would be true. I secretly hoped it was all make believe."
"Unfortunately, it isn't. It is now once more that we tangle with those outside of our world."
"By the Goddess…"
Rodrigue couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the giant ship slowly make its way across the sky to Garreg Mach. He was in the castle of Faerghus as he looked down at the townspeople, like him, staring up in awe.
'Your Highness… please be careful.'
"The boy wasn't telling lies…" Judith whispered as even in the Alliance, everyone could see the giant spaceship. They were in the middle of preparing their own defences when they saw the giant ship. From her side, Oswald let out a grunt.
"He's many things, but not even he could come up with a story like that. This is something that has been unheard of before."
"Shit… how are the other members of the round table?"
"Well, at least this chaos has caused us to actually start listening to one another aside from just squabbling all the time." Oswald laughed before quieting down and muttered to himself.
"…Be careful."
"Yeah… be careful, boy."
"Your Majesty please! We need to get you out of here!"
"Get your hands off me!" Ionius grunted, wrenching his arms away from the Adrestian knight who was trying to evacuate him out of the palace.
"But-"
"Young man, I may be old and feeble… but I refuse to hide while the world dies around me. I'm staying here."
"O-Of course your Majesty!"
The knight bowed and quickly ran off to help evacuate the other nobles in the palace. As Ionius let out a groan adjusting himself in his throne to make himself feel more comfy. That's when he heard a voice that made him grimace.
"Why Ionius, you really shouldn't be out here." It was Ludwig von Aegir who was smirking at him. "After all, at your age it doesn't bode you well with all this excitement. I'll send some knights to-"
"No."
Ludwig was… surprised to say the least by the authoritative tone in his voice. "I beg your pardon?"
"You may have taken everything from me and my family, but I am still the Emperor of this Empire. I will not abandon my people and my Empire if it goes down in ruins. That I promise you, Ludwig."
Ludwig narrowed his eyes at the defiant glare Ionius sent his way. "And here I thought we snuffed out all the fire within you, but as it turns out you still have some smouldering embers left. Very well then. Your Majesty."
As he turned to walk away, he then stopped and smirked. "Oh, but there is one thing I forgot to mention. The Princess is going to be on the front lines in this battle."
Ionius' face hardened at that and his grip tightened on the arm rest as Ludwig kept walking. "Better hope that she doesn't perish in battle. For your bloodlines sake."
'…My daughter. Please… you must win.'
"This is it…"
Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude all looked forward with steeled looks in their eyes as the massive ship slowly touched down a small distance away from them. As a deathly silence fell over everyone as they waited.
"Be prepared for anything." Claude said, an uncharacteristically dangerous edge to his voice as he clutched his bow.
As soon as he said that, the door to the ship hissed loudly making everyone feel more on edge as they've never heard anything like this before. None of this felt familiar. They were in completely foreign territory right now as a ramp slowly came down from the ship and with a loud CLUNK! touched down on the grassy plains. And then… they arrived. The soldiers all started filing out in groups of six and taking their battle formation in front of the ship.
Jeralt's face dropped when he saw the armour the they all wore. Yup, no doubt about it. Not that there was any doubt, but actually seeing it was a whole other story. He clenched his fist as he was getting flashbacks to when Sitri had first arrived on this planet. Let's just hope it doesn't end like last time.
"Do you want us to talk?" Dimitri asked Jeralt. But he shook his head.
"Nah. Let me do the talking."
"Hey, if anyone has experience with aliens, it's you." Claude shrugged and Jeralt shot him a look before sighing and scratching his head.
Finally, he stepped forward and stared down the army that was in front of the ship. And he noticed that while almost all the soldiers were wearing strange helmets that covered their entire face and had some sort of… cannon? He wasn't too sure, but they were holding them. And while they all looked the same, there was one small group that like him, stepped forward staring down the admittedly smaller army of Fódlan. Specifically, a blue skinned man with horns on his head who wore a very condescending smirk on his face cleared his throat and brought a device to his mouth. He then paused and looked around at the clothing of the people of Fódlan and his smirk grew wilder.
"Hmmm, they're quite primitive aren't they?" He turned to his fellow comrades and snickered. "Watch this."
He then stretched out his arms and raised the device high up until it was near the ship and what sounded next was an unholy screeching sound that made the whole Fódlan army cover their ears and gritted their teeth.
"What is going on?!" Edelgard groaned loudly.
"Oh, it's like nails on a chalkboard!" Claude yelled.
The ones who were in the most pain however was Rhea, Seteth and Flayn. As they had much more sensitive hearing, Flayn fell to her knees covering her ears in a feeble attempt to drown out the screeching. Seteth and Rhea were more composed but even they couldn't handle the noise. Finally, the alien brought the device back down and the screeching stopped but was followed by the laughter of the invading army.
"Hahaaa! Oh, yer right that really did crack me up!" One ugly looking beast with wings held his belly laughing hard before everyone composed themselves and the blue skinned alien brought the device up to his mouth again.
"Greetings worthless creatures! Today, your planet has been commandeered by our master, Lord Slug! I'd say to lay down your weapons and you'd be spared, but considering that we're going to turn this hunk of rock into our master's water paradise, that point is pretty much moot."
Jeralt narrowed his eyes. And felt the amplifying spell flow through him. "We're this world's defenders. And if you want this world, then you're gonna have to pry it out of our cold dead hands."
"Hah! Get a load of this guy, Angila!" The large creature bellowed, pointing at Jeralt. "He thinks he's gonna beat us?!"
"Hm, it is quite amusing, Wings." Angila smirked. He raised the device to his mouth once again. "Well, who are we to deny such bold words? But unfortunately, we have a schedule to upkeep. Our master doesn't like to be kept waiting. Soldiers! Deploy the weather machine!"
What came next was something that none of the people of Fódlan were expecting to see. A giant tower starting coming out of the ship and pointing towards the sky. Suddenly, electricity started crackling from the base as it slowly made its way up the column and towards the tip before it shot out a beam towards the sky before dissipating entirely. For a moment, nobody moved a muscle. What exactly happened? What did they do?
A few seconds later, they got their answer.
Black clouds started gathering, despite the fact that not many clouds were in the sky a moment ago. Everyone stared up in awe as the sun was now blocked off and Dimitri blinked feeling something hit his nose.
Was that… water?
He held out his hand and saw another droplet of water hit it. Then it hit him. It was raining.
"But… how? Not even the most advanced magic spells are capable of manipulating the weather."
"Seems like this is their way of getting our world prepared for his 'water paradise'." Claude said.
"Then we know what we have to target at least. That is, after we dispatch of all these soldiers." Edelgard mumbled.
"Soldiers! You know our master doesn't like corpses muddying his precious water." Angila spoke again as a few squadrons started to fly up. "Destroy the inhabitants and make sure there's nothing left but ash."
Everyone's eyes widened as they watched the squadrons split off into different directions.
"No!" Ingrid yelled from her spot and was about to fly up but was stopped by Felix.
"Felix, what are you doing?!"
"We have our orders." Felix simply said. "They can handle themselves. Didn't you want to be a knight? Wouldn't do too well if you abandoned your post."
Ingrid gritted her teeth and looked up at the squad flying towards the Kingdom… before letting out a sigh and went back to her spot. "You're right."
"I just hope they can protect themselves…" Dorothea whispered, looking at the others going towards the Empire as the rain started to drench her hair.
Marianne clasped her hands together and closed her eyes. "Oh Goddess… please protect us…"
"Here they come! Alright everyone, into positions! Just like we practiced! Let's go, go, go!" Judith yelled clapping her hands at everyone once she got the report that enemy forces were approaching. "We can't leave it all up to those back at the Monastery, we have to play our part too!"
She drew her sword and ran over to the wall and peered up at those who were flying towards the Alliance and made a mental note on how many there were.
"Okay, not too bad… we can handle this."
Judith then turned round and pointed to the group of archers and the group of Pegasus fliers. "Alright, you all know the drill! When I give the signal, we fire a volley of arrows and then the Pegasus riders come in from behind and take out as much as possible! We can do this!"
While Judith was rallying the troops, hunkered down in a bunker were the heads of the Alliance after being ordered to evacuate to shelter. Oswald closed his eyes and crossed his arms while sitting cross legged and heard the distant thundering of the weather changing. Ignoring the whispering sand whimpering did the other members of the round table, he grimaced at the thought of Claude.
"Come on… don't let me down, kid… all of you…"
"Enemy approaching!"
"What?! Already?" Ladislava gasped, wheeling around as she saw the troops of Lord Slug coming towards the Empire. And to make matters worse, she saw the sky turning black from the rain clouds forming and frowned when she felt droplets of rain hitting her face.
"What the… it's not supposed to rain today. No matter, it's a little short notice but we've prepared all we can."
"Ladislava!"
She turned again to see Randolph running up to her. "Randolph! Good to see you. Are your preparations complete?"
"Yes."
"And the Emperor?"
"…He refuses to leave."
"What?!"
"It's okay! Here's the plan, my preparations are complete, my squad is ready. I'll go into the palace and protect the Emperor. You go and manage the rest of the troops."
Ladislava groaned and rubbed her temples. "Okay, okay… we can work with that. Good luck, my friend! And don't worry, Fleche has evacuated, she's safe."
A look of relief fell in Randolph's face. "Good. I'm glad. Good luck to you too."
With that, he ran off towards the palace as Ladislava raised her hand. "MAGES! WAIT FOR MY SIGNAL!"
'I hope we live to see another day…'
"Sir Rodrigue. The evacuations have finished."
"Perfect. Right on time." Rodrigue nodded and turned to Gilbert. "I'm glad to have you here. With you on our side, we should have a fighting chance."
Gilbert nodded. "I only wish to serve our Kingdom. And today will be a good chance."
"Indeed. Get ready, Gilbert. They're coming. Ten minutes."
"Of course, I'll return to my squadron."
But before Gilbert could leave, Rodrigue stopped him. "Did you send notice to everyone outside the main capital?"
"Why yes, we've been warning people ever since yesterday to leave and find shelter."
Rodrigue sighed, drawing his weapon and getting on his steed as he felt the rain starting to come down. "And you're sure that everyone got the message."
Gilbert just looked at him. "Forgive me Rodrigue, but after what we did yesterday, what sort of person would still be walking around alone?"
'A damn idiot is what you are!'
"How am I an idiot? I'm following the path!"
'We are lost!'
"We are not lost, Arval!"
As somewhere in the Kingdom, a Mercenary named Shez was walking along a dirt path seemingly talking to herself. But from her point of view, a spirit similar to Sothis was floating next to her shaking his head.
'Honestly, why did you become my partner of destiny?'
"Hey I take offence to that! I'm a great partner!" Shez yelled.
But then she looked around and for the first time noticed how… barren it all looked. "Hey Arval, there's usually traders passing by, right? I've not seen one for miles."
'Hmm… perhaps it has something to do with all those Kingdom knights running about.'
"Oh well, I suppose I'll have peace to train."
That made Arval stare at her with a dumbfounded face. 'MORE TRAINING?! You can best the Ashen Demon right now!'
But Shez just shook her head and produced a ball of Ki mixed with dark magic. "While I appreciate the confidence and you helping me learn this… energy thingy. You don't know her like I do. I can tell that even with all of this, I wouldn't stand a chance. But I'm close. I can feel it-"
That's when she saw a sign and had a wide grin on her face. "Aha! A travel sign! See, I knew we weren't lost! You should really have some more faith in your partner of destiny, Arval."
'You didn't plan on finding that sign and you know it.'
"Ah, details, details." Shez waved her hand dismissively and stopped in front of the sign. She bent down and traced her finger on the words displaying the destinations.
"Okay… so South Town is to the north. North Village is to the east. And East Village is… also to the north…"
A few moments of silence followed as Shez processed this information before slowly looking around and finally speaking.
"Where the fuck am I?!"
Suddenly, Shez frowned as something hit her nose. "What the-"
She felt it hit her again and held out her hand feeling rain drops coming down and then looked up at the clouds forming. "Huh, that's weird. There wasn't a cloud in the sky earlier… ugh, great. Why did I have to be in the Kingdom when caught by a rain storm-"
'Ready yourself, my partner in destiny. We're not alone.'
Shez narrowed her eyes and felt her senses going wild just as a group of figures in weird clothing touched down in front of her. One of them eyed her up which made her uncomfortable… as well as VERY pissed off.
"Hey seems like she's gonna be easy pickings." One of them said. "Do you wanna… you know?"
The other soldier made a face under his mask and smacked his comrade. "Dude, gross! That's an alien! You don't know what diseases she has!"
"But… aren't we also aliens?"
The other soldier blinked in confusion as the other one continued. "I mean, we're different species on different planets, so aren't we all aliens?"
"I… I'm not going to dignify that with a response. Let's just-"
"Hey assholes! We fighting or what?"
They both turned to see Shez standing there with her swords drawn and glaring at them. But then they noticed how different she looked. She had transformed. Her hair was now orange as well as her eyes and this dark aura was radiating off of Shez along with strange white markings on her face.
"Woah, did she change colour? That's so cool!"
"Let's just kill her and be done with it."
"Funny, I would say the same thing to you two." Shez shot back.
As the group all stared each other down, rain pouring on them and soaking their clothes, Shez vanished in an orb of darkness and flew towards them as Arval gritted his teeth.
'While I am confident in our victory… be careful. Victory won't be easy.'
"Let's do this!"
"Soldiers! Take them all out!" Angila yelled pointing at the army in front of them. The army of Lord Slug yelled and charged towards them, blasters at the ready.
"CHARGE!" Jeralt yelled as Fódlan's defenders all yelled and also charged forward.
"For our home!" Dimitri yelled.
"For our future!" Edelgard joined in.
"For our lives!" Claude finished.
The two armies charged towards each other, the weather not deterring any of them. As on a very stormy day, the great battle of Fódlan began.
*Song: DBZ Ending theme*
After days of preparation, the whole of Fódlan are now fighting for their survival. Will they win? Or will Lord Slug realise his dreams of having his water paradise? Find out next time on, The Ashen Saiyan!
Sorry it took a while, originally I was going to split it into two chapters, but felt it was more appropriate to combine into one chapter. So the battle of Fódlan has begun. And we even have a cameo from Shez. Of all the DBZA jokes to put in here, that one suits her to the Tee.
So yeah, I've been busy with not only vacation, but also been playing Kingdom Hearts. Very long series of games, but I do enjoy the characters. Who knows, maybe I'll do a Kingdom Hearts/DBZ story. I do have a few ideas in mind
Thank you all for liking and following and reviewing the story, always a pleasure having you all here drop in to read the newest chapter means a lot. But yeah, join us next time for the start of this battle.
Catch you later!