White Clouds

Garreg Mach (Knights Barracks)

Lone Moon

Year 1181

The order had been given. The bells were tolling in warning, and every which way, panicked students, priests, nuns, refugees and children were running for any available exit that they had for an escape. Warin admittedly wasn't sure how many of them would make it out of the range of the fighting, nor did he have any way of predicting if the Imperial army would cast a wide net to capture anyone and everyone who were making a flight from the monastery. It would be prudent of them, if they were to behave like an army intent on capturing an enemy stronghold, but he couldn't accurately say that the advancing army was following any traditional rule of war. Their captain, their Emperor, was at the fore of the fleet, her banner held high in defiance as she marched ahead of her troops for the monastery in all of her warrior finery, and that had been more than enough to scare every single non-combatant out of their utter wits. The mere sight of her, and the fleet of men following at her heels, had to terrify anyone incapable of fighting, and the evacuation had begun in earnest once the soldiers had pushed past the panicked crowd to reach the bells to sound the warning.

Already they were streaming past him and to the exits, the secret passageways he had known in his youth now wide open, in a desperate bid for freedom and life, and he watched them go without an ounce of wanting to follow. He felt strangely calm, despite the utter chaos that he was surrounded by. In every direction there was yelling and movement, as the last of the civilians fled and knights hastily armed themselves, but Warin was slow and methodical as he buckled his gauntlets to his arms, and checked his chainmail vest to ensure it was properly slung across his chest underneath his leather jacket. The advancing army would not hurry. They were not so foolish. They were slow and methodical now that they were on the monastery grounds, funnelling into the gates in a bottleneck, but that had been the prudence of the knights, and not the foolishness of a young and newly-crowned Emperor.

Their goal was Rhea, after all, and not the evacuating civilians who were fleeing from the only exits the monastery had beyond its well-fortified gates. At least, for now, all of their focus was as straight and true as a lance, and that was the only thing that had made Warin pause when he had received his orders to prepare for battle, and meet his sister on the field. It was not a wise move, to direct their forces for the gates rather than surround the monastery in a chokehold, and it discomforted him to know that this was still what the Imperial army was intent on doing. Their Emperor was smarter than that. She would not leap immediately on the hanging bait without complete belief that she could take it and secure a safe escape for herself, but here she was, doing exactly that for all to see.

It was a trap, and not a very well hidden one, but there were no more options for the defenders of Garreg Mach. They had no allies from the Kingdom or Alliance to bolster their forces, only the knights that had managed to make it back from their missions, and the capable and willing students who had chosen to stand and fight rather than flee. Anyone else incapable or unwilling had been sent either east or west to flee, their routes guarded by as many knights as could be spared for them, but the bulk of their forces stood now at the gates in wait for the Emperor's arrival. Rhea herself stood tall with her men, sword at her side and wrath in her eyes, but he doubted even she could stem the tide that had turned so wildly against her.

Yet, she didn't stand alone. Raine and the Blue Lions had joined her at once for the bulk of the first defensive line, and behind them were the Golden Deer, also ready and willing to fight to the last for the monastery and fellow students. A handful of the Black Eagles had chosen likewise to take up arms, but others had chosen to flee, and he could not really say he blamed any of the ones who had chosen to leave. To face their countrymen, their former house leader and now Emperor, in the first strike of war... It could not be easy to do. They were wise for fleeing if they doubted their courage, and he did not resent a single one of them for choosing to abandon the monastery with those who could not fight... Though, he had already decided that should he see them again on the field of battle in the future, standing opposite of him and those who still were willing to stand against the Empire... He would cut them down without remorse.

Warin wondered idly as he checked the clasps of his gauntlets why he felt absolutely no fear. The past handful of moons had been full of anxiety, full of an ill feeling that danger was coming, and now that it was here, all he felt was calm. Perhaps it was because the danger had arrived and he knew what it was he was facing, or perhaps it was because he simply had no room left in him for concern. There was a battle to be fought, and he was a warrior at heart. He always had been. This was the life he had cut his teeth on, and it was all he knew. If there was a home for him, it was on the battlefield, and perhaps it was that knowledge that gave him grounding, and the inability to be rattled as so many of his comrades were now.

'What had she written in her manifesto...? To take the world back from the church, that had separated the Empire so unjustly? Dividing up the continent for their own will, and hoarding gold and resources...? I hardly remember...' He almost wanted to chuckle. He wasn't sure what had happened to the poor fool who had brought the manifesto into the monastery a handful of days before it had all erupted, but he did know that it had been seen by too many eyes before Seteth had put a stop to it. By then it had been too late, and whispers had begun to be spread in the corners of the halls, but it was too late for them, too. The Empire was marching upon them... and any that left the monastery to claim kinship with the advancing army would likely be skewered through before they were welcomed with open arms.

Idly he rolled one shoulder back, and then the other to loosen whatever tension was left in his limbs before he reached for his lance. Freshly sharpened, sturdy and weighted just right for his hand... and he smiled despite himself as he gripped it in his fist and wondered at himself. Here he was, a man who never made his hatred of Rhea a secret, who held distaste for the corruption of religion and politics alike, ready to fight and die at the foot of Garreg Mach Monastery itself without so much as a twinge of regret, or fear. It seemed ludicrous. If he had known where he would be now, only a year prior, he would have sooner tried to leap off of the nearest cliff before believing it to be the truth. And his father likely wouldn't have tried to stop him, either. He may have even joined him, and the thought brought a chuckle to him despite it all.

'Strange times, indeed...' He supposed he could logic it away, that he was not fighting for Rhea, or even for the monastery. He had very little attachment left for his birthplace, and absolutely none for the archbishop and her religion. The church was as corrupt as every noble he had ever had dealings with, and he was not blind to their failures as an institution, even if the religion itself did not deserve to be besmirched by its human mouthpieces. The followers did not deserve to be punished for the sins of those who held the power of the church in their hands. And those who had come to worship, to study, or to find safe haven from war or starvation or persecution were likewise as innocent as the true believers. Fighting to protect them was a worthy goal... but he had to admit it would be a lie to say he stayed for them, either.

It was only his sister, and his want to fight the Empire himself, that kept him where he was, and he knew he was selfish to admit it. He wished no ill on any of those who did not or could not fight, and he hoped they could find safety, somehow, but they were not his priority. No, he wanted to test his lance and gauntlets on the flesh of the Imperial soldiers who were so willing to follow a tyrant already stained with the blood of innocents despite her youth, and he felt not an ounce of shame for it. His desire for vengeance for his father, for Remire, and his need to protect his sister and what she cared for were his only drives now, and if death were to find him in his quest to do any of those things... He supposed he could at least go knowing he had done his damnedest.

"You're here. Good. Rhea was asking after you."

Shamir's voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the present and the noise, and he turned to see her standing in the doorway in full battle attire and with a look of quiet, simmering wrath on her face. He wondered if she had already had a taste of blood, being one of the last to return from scouting when the alarm had been raised, but he decided it was best not to ask such a thing. She wouldn't want to ruminate on it, and there was little time for speech anyway. He raised an eyebrow however at her message as he finished checking his gauntlets over and began to follow her into the hall, and he questioned as they smoothly cut their way through the slowly thinning crowd of escapees, "Rhea was asking after me?"

"For your sister. She wanted to go looking for you, but Rhea commanded she keep her post at the gates. She nearly started the war right then and there over that." Shamir replied easily, and she noted with an odd, detached sort of amusement that Warin was smiling at the thought as if he could clearly picture his sister reacting with violent rage at being told that she wasn't "permitted" to find him when she likely was wanting him most. It was strange, that they both could find amusement amidst the weight of what was pressing down on them, but she supposed that was something they had learned to live with as mercenaries. To take their joys when and where they could find them, knowing death was always lurking about the corner, even if it meant chuckling at a morbid joke as an advancing army stood little more than a stone's throw from their base's walls. "Thankfully, Rhea saw reason and sent me to find you. I don't think she wanted to test your sister's temper."

"One of her smartest decisions yet." Warin mused with a low chuckle, and Shamir shared it as they cut their way at a brisk jog through the barracks and towards the winding halls that would eventually lead them to the main forward gates. He caught a glimpse of another retinue of men heading in the opposite direction, running towards the students' dormitories, and he furrowed his brow before turning to look at Shamir. He had not expected the second gateway to have been opened, but he mused it was not the worst decision that could have been made. Having both passageways open meant doubling the chances for surviving refugees from the battle, and that was the most important thing if those higher in the monastery were hoping to minimize casualties. Still, he didn't underestimate the shrewdness of anyone here, especially now, and he asked as they hurried along the halls, "Splitting up the forces, or defenders for the students who are fleeing? Did both of the passages get opened for the evacuation?"

"Defenders. I'll be leaving with them shortly myself." Shamir answered, and she took pause at the branching of the paths that would lead them towards the main gates, and for the passageway that she had been ordered to attend to. It wasn't a good feeling, knowing she was being sent from the fighting in order to help with the flight of those unable to fight for themselves, but she knew why she had been the one chosen for such a mission. She knew the terrain. She could guide them better than anyone really could, and her bow would be more useful there than in the thick of the combat at the fore. It was not a mission given lightly, it wasn't one just anyone could do, and she supposed she should be proud on some level that she was being entrusted with the care of others... but she didn't want to do it. She wanted to be fighting, alongside the knights she knew, rather than turning her back and running... again.

Though she knew time was of the essence... She still hesitated as she watched the steady flow of students trying to cram their way through the passage and to what had to be their only hope of freedom and safety. The knights were doing their best to quell the panic, talking loudly and clearly to be heard over the clamouring, but it still was a mess that she knew she would need to dive headlong into. Her one and only solace was knowing that Gilbert had been tasked with handling the evacuation to the east, behind the knight's barracks, while she handled the west, and she knew his experience and knowledge with the routes through mountains and the Alliance for the Kingdom was exactly why he had been one of the best knights to be removed from the frontlines. It was cold comfort, but it was comfort nonetheless as she muttered quietly, "I guess this is where we part ways for the time being."

"Seems so." Warin agreed as he watched her sharp, violet eyes close for a long moment and then open again with a fierce burst of determination lending them a dark shine. Whoever had given her the order had made the smartest decision, though he knew to say so would only upset her. She didn't want to leave her comrades, her friends, behind, even if it meant protecting those who needed to be protected... but it was the nature of a mercenary to follow orders. Her moment of hesitation was the only weakness she would show or allow before committing to the task she had been assigned, and he had to smile at her bravery, and her willingness. His first and immediate judgement of her had been right. She was absolutely exquisite.

"Hey, I-" Shamir wasn't entirely sure what it was she was going to say, but abruptly she found it not mattering as she felt Warin's hand grasping her left arm and turning her back in his direction. He pushed her backwards with one fluid motion, hiding the two of them in the nearest alcove of the sprawling walls, and before she could question him, his free hand was on her chin and lifting her head while his ducked down in one smooth movement. His mouth covered hers an instant later, leaving her with no time for thought or response, and all she could do was stand completely still, startled, frozen, and incapable of any sort of reaction as she felt his lips moving with soft, gentle purpose on her own.

How long had it been since she'd felt another warm, soft body pressed up against her own so intimately? She couldn't really remember, even if she did know it had been long, long ages. Yet nothing exactly felt wrong about what he was doing to her without her consent. In the confusion, in the panic, it wasn't as if anyone would see, and she almost didn't care if anyone did. The hand on her chin was gentle, caressing, like she was made of the most fragile of glass, but he couldn't resist touching her all the same. It felt warm. He felt warm. And unbidden her eyes slid closed, her tense body relaxing for a brief, wild second as she reached for his jacket, holding him in place as instinct overrode better sense, and her lips pushed back into his kiss.

It only lasted a heartbeat before he was pulling back, and his eyes were on fire, twin pools of navy darkness that melted her stomach and made her ache even as it brought her a surprising moment of calm. His gaze was exactly like his touch, yearning, soft, tender, and all other sorts of words she hadn't ever thought to associate with the man who had just kissed her, but she really couldn't think of any other way to describe it, or him. He offered a small smile, crooked, almost regretful and yet not really wholly apologetic, and his thumb brushed across her lower lip before he muttered quietly, "Good luck... and be safe."

Warin pulled back before she could reply, letting her go even though she was burning in his hands, and he turned on his heel and broke into a sprint so he wouldn't need to see her reaction to what he had done. If she wanted to put an arrow between his eyes, he would be all the happier to let her when all was said and done... but when he had seen her hesitate, looking out over her duties with a furrow etching into her brow... He hadn't been able to help it. He didn't know if he was going to come back, nor did he know if she would. It was the nature of their work. And he didn't plan on leaving the world with one regret to ache over if his time was to come on the battlefield ahead.

'I think I'll be getting that arrow in me after all...' Warin mused to himself with a half-smile as he leapt clear of the stairs leading downwards in one easy bound before continuing his run ahead. His skin was buzzing as if he had been electrocuted, and his lips still felt hot from where hers had touched them. The drop in his stomach had little to do with his leap, but he did admit that the surge of adrenaline currently fuelling his body wasn't at all from the thought of the battle ahead. If she did decide to finally shoot him for this, he would admit she had every right to do so, and he wouldn't at all be disappointed. Too much time had been wasted dancing about what they had both deemed unspeakable. But war had an uncanny way of making the things they deemed important and untouchable become small and easy to dismiss. When reality came back and settled in, perhaps he would pay for his lapse in judgement... but he did not feel an ounce of regret or remorse now.

Warin shouldered open one of the many doors to the great hall without pausing in his stride, and he turned on his heel to the left as he caught a glimpse of the massive force that had chosen this place, as well as the opening marketplace and grounds to make their stand to drive away the Imperial forces. He could glimpse their banners just over the hill as they came close, and he mused idly that his timing could not be any better. The archers at the fore would soon be launching their first salvo, and he did not want to miss the chaos that would surely follow. Edelgard would be leading, and it was doubtful she would take injury, but she would not take being robbed of having the first move lightly, either. She wished for this to all go exactly according to her plans... And though their defiance was likely well placed on her chessboard, it still would not be what she expected, he imagined.

'Playing out a fantasy with soldiers and weapons and blood... Quite a figurehead you chose, Thales. It makes me wonder if you're also a fan of the theatrics. Are you here, too, on this battlefield? Will I get a chance to sink my lance into your chest? I dearly hope so...' Warin scanned quickly through the faces of the assembled soldiers, and he felt a pulse of surprise in seeing two of the Black Eagles in place with the Blue Lions, flanking his sister's forces with grim expressions, and yet without a hint of regret or hesitation in their clear eyes. His sister's words had gotten through to them, at least to two of them, and they had chosen to stand with her and her house at the last. It made him bite the inside of his cheek, and he sighed as he continued to look about for her, 'I suppose I owe you an apology, then... Even if it was the hotheaded brawler and his mage friend that you convinced in the end to come join you, that's two more than I ever expected to see on the battlefield today.'

He found her at the top of the staircase, her sword unsheathed and glinting softly with red as she spoke to Rhea, and he couldn't hide his smile at the sight of her. Her eyes were narrowed and her voice was obviously heated as they argued, and he admitted he was somewhat surprised to see that Seteth was standing back and allowing for it to happen. He didn't seem interested in the least in breaking either of them apart, and his eyes were cool, almost too cool, as he viewed the archbishop without an expression on his face. It was the same behaviour he had noticed ever since word of the ritual that previous moon, and he still wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Yet, Seteth had given him the time of day when he had come forward with his reports, had expressly given him his trust when he took note of his suspicions in all seriousness, and Warin was glad to count him as an ally even if he did not know what had prompted the sudden change.

To Raine's side stood Alois and Petra, clearly having taken up guard of her while the rest of her students stood in position at the fore and centre, and he wondered idly if that had been on her insistence, or the archbishop's. Yet, as he singled out the Golden Deer, likewise taking up positions of equal risk, he knew better. All of them were united now, fighting as students of Garreg Mach and not their individual houses, and he had to admit seeing their bravery hurt him. It would be no good, in the end, even if this was a choice of their own making to stand and fight. They were just children, in the end. Nobles or no, and there were handfuls upon handfuls who were not attached to any bloodline at all, and none of them deserved to be entangled in this war.

Warin met the eyes of Ashe as he looked back towards her students, and the archer helpfully glanced upwards as if he wasn't sure that his professor's brother was aware of where she was. He gave the youth a nod, noting again that she had taught her students far too well, before he took the stairs that led him up to the retinue of soldiers who were guarding the gates. The one and last physical guard that would prevent the Imperial Army from entering the monastery walls, and he had to admit, seeing Rhea with sword and shield in hand and standing there with her best on each flank... At least she seemed just as willing as everyone else there to fight to the last.

He took the stairs two at a time, and he caught bits and pieces of the argument overhead with a wry smile. Raine was insisting still on leaving to find him, and Rhea was not permitting her to leave the field. It made him glad that he had taken a side entrance, to hear his sister finally giving vent to frustration over Rhea's control of her, but he knew better than to let it continue on. They needed unity now, even if was unity made by gritting their teeth, and he called up as he crested the top and came into view to the two women, "I heard I was called for?"

"Warin! Good to see you!" Raine's demeanour changed almost instantly at the sight of her brother, and the unease and discomfort she had been feeling mere moments ago all melted away as he returned her smile with a slight, crooked one of his own. He was fully outfitted for battle, just as they all were, and the sight was a comfort as he joined Alois and Petra at her side. She grasped his hand for a moment, the only gesture of affection she knew he would allow in such a moment and with so many people watching, and she fully ignored Rhea as she spoke to him quickly, "Can you please get down there with the others? Ashe will inform you of the general plan when you take your place with them."

Warin blinked, both mildly taken off guard by the request, as well as the fact that Rhea did not object to it aloud, even if her eyes were fiery with defiance and displeasure. Yet again, Seteth was saying nothing, as if he was permitting Raine to stretch her influence and test her boundaries with the archbishop, and emboldened by what was happening, Raine was doing so with wild abandon even if she was not aware of it. He glanced back down to the block the Blue Lions had formed, providing a wide bulk of the frontline forces expected to take the brunt of the initial assault, and he asked mostly out of courtesy and curiosity rather than dislike or confusion when he looked back up to his sister, "You want me with your students?"

"Yes, for the time being. You and I won't be fighting separately until the wave breaks with the first assault. From there, the field will change, and you can do as you like, then. We're expecting their forces to fracture into a pincer, with their main fighters going up the east and west sides to gain access, while the rest of their men are entangled in the fighting." Raine explained with a quick glance back to the battlefield, and her eyes narrowed at the strategy she had easily been able to pin down once she had caught a glimpse of the forces that were approaching. Their lines of attack were easy to read, their formation familiar, almost insultingly so, but she knew better than to discount it. All would change once the first weapon struck another, and she knew that better than anyone. "From there, I want you to take the Deer west, while I move east with the Lions."

"You want to counter a pincer with another pincer... Interesting. Refusing a repeat of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. Smart choice." Warin noted with a nod, and he wondered errantly if Edelgard had chosen such a formation in order to anger his sister out of thinking clearly, or because of the damage it had done to her own ego. She had not been the same after the loss, and he had noticed that just as Raine had, if his conversation with his father afterward had been of any indication. When she lost control, she became something to fear for an entirely different reason, and Raine's plan of countering her was playing upon this very flaw. Still, he noted the plan was not accounting for the forces that would be split away from the coming pincer, and he nodded to them as he questioned, "And the forces in the centre?"

"Seteth has a plan for that."

"The monastery's defences are vast... and there is much the advancing forces do not know of us, and our capabilities. The ballistae will be covering for the exposed Imperial soldiers outside of the pincer formation... as will I for our own men." Seteth explained when Warin looked to him curiously, and the younger man had to pause as he realized Seteth was wearing full armour, and a wyvern was seated behind him and watching his rider with wise, alert eyes. He stood with a silver lance in hand and a grim, but fierce look in his eye, and the archbishop's aide continued as Warin looked to him with surprise clear on his face, "I may be older than I once was when I last took the field... but I am still more then capable of defending my home. However, your sister is right in that after the initial assault, the formations will be lost in the fighting. Therefore, our goals are simple. Their generals, how ever many there may be, must be cut off from their men, and defeated. If we've any hope of victory, it lies in that strategy."

"I've seen Hubert, along with the Death Knight flanking Edelgard on their approach. Those three will be our main targets." Raine explained as she cast a quick glance back towards the approaching army that very soon would leave no time for discussion. She was glad her brother had appeared when he did. It made things easier, though she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that he would have known her orders without needing her to give them even if he had been late. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, her eyes narrowing as they returned back to the unflinching gaze of her brother's before she continued on, "I'm sure we can expect more men than we can handle... Which also makes me assume there may be more generals we'll need to defeat as we move. But the most important thing is that they don't breach the gate. If we can keep them out of the monastery... We have a chance of victory, however slim it might be."

"It will be extremely slim. I know you've read my reports. These aren't the only men we'll see." Warin's answer was quiet, but he did not intend for his words to break any will. And from the returning stares of Raine and Seteth, as well as Alois and Petra, he knew that they did not truly care of the size of the army before them. They had made their choices to stand tall and fight... Even if the odds were insurmountable, they would never falter. It made him smile despite himself. They held themselves to the standards of Garreg Mach well. It almost made him proud. Still, he tilted his head somewhat to the side as he watched Raine's fingers brush along the hilt of her sword, and he asked with no preamble even though he knew the answer, "I assume you'll be taking Edelgard."

"I will. I want you on the other hand to take Hubert. The Death Knight we've beaten back before... It's Edelgard and Hubert that concern me most now." Raine's answer was swift, but her expression had turned completely neutral. It was a familiar mask to him, the one that had earned her the nickname of the Ashen Demon so many years ago, and seeing it return made him wonder how deeply she had buried her emotions in order to resurrect it. It had been far too long since he had seen her in such a state, but he knew why she was returning to her old ways. It was the only way to do her duty now without allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement. Her eyes flickered over him momentarily, gauging his reaction as she knew he had just as much of a reason to want to meet the new Emperor on the field himself before she asked in return, "Do you object?"

"I'd prefer to have the princess, but I know it's a long line for her head. I'll take the mage." Warin answered after a moment, and he admitted he felt a small pulse of disappointment for being deprived of a chance of locking blades with the white-haired Emperor. Still, he had long since come to terms that it was just not his battle to pick, even if he dearly wished for it. He could settle for her lackey, who he was very aware considered him a threat to be dealt with. He could take some pleasure in that fight, if that was to be his orders. The thought however did make him pause, and he turned to look at both Raine and Seteth as he began shortly, bluntly, "However, if things grow ugly, don't expect me to dally there. Claude can have him, as well as the entire corridor, if the situation shifts for the worst for you. If you're leaving me in command of the Deer, I expect my orders to be followed, even if it means leaving him to his own devices. The Deer aren't my priority. You are. He is aware of that, yes?"

Raine bit the inside of her cheek at his words, and she had to admit that even now, hearing him say he cared not a whit for anything but her safety... It made her chest ache and warm simultaneously. He truly didn't care if the world burnt down about him, so long as she was safe. She didn't know what to do with that knowledge, that she was his highest and only priority on the battlefield, but she accepted it as it was nonetheless. There had never been an arguing with her brother. And from the silence over her shoulder from Seteth, she was aware that he had come to the same conclusion, and had also chosen not to fight in order to make things flow more easily. Raine chose not to address it entirely, knowing it was not the time or place, and instead she only answered her brother's last question simply, "He is aware you shall be taking charge."

"Good. Then let's waste no more time with chatter. They're cresting." Warin answered, and his eyes slid to the south where he could see them all cresting over the hill, the sun on their backs and their expressions now clearly in view for all of the defenders to see. She stood at the fore, axe in hand and head held high like some conquering hero, and Warin felt his hands clench against his will as more than ever he wished he could sink his lance into her throat. It was appropriate that she chose a bright, bloody red for her livery... She had spilt so much of it already that she was permanently stained with the colour. He dearly hoped his sister's sword would pierce her heart, but he turned his gaze away from her and back to Raine as he began for the stairs, "Let's move into position."

"Agreed... Let's go."

The sounds of battle were far away in her ears, though whether it was because of her distance from it, or from her failing senses, Raine couldn't accurately say. She knew it was still raging, somewhere far above her, because the melee had been wild and ferocious when she had been knocked clear of it. She wasn't entirely sure how long she had been laying where she fell, but she knew it hadn't been long enough for the fighting to have ended. The monastery was still under siege, the Imperial forces now attacking in full earnest and with their full force, and Garreg Mach's defeat was surely imminent... and she could do nothing more now, nothing but lay where she was, her sword laying useless in her cold hand as the world about her dimmed.

She had failed. It was over. To the very last, she had tried her best, but it hadn't mattered in the end. Once more she had been rendered useless, thrown aside again with careless ease, and this time there was no more miracles left to pull her out of the abyss that was coming to claim her again. Her body lay broken on the ground, bones shattered, blood spilling from a myriad of wounds, both from the battle and the fall, and she was numbly aware that death was intimately close now. Her senses were beginning to slip away, leaving her cold and detached, and even the rushing sound of the river just out of arm's reach was beginning to fade in her ears.

'I... couldn't do a thing... Again...'

Regret and remorse seemed to be the only things she felt, as even the pain was fading as she felt blood slipping past her open lips to trickle down her cheek. It was strange, feeling her body failing her, and yet not feeling an ounce of fear despite knowing what was coming. She supposed it was what she deserved, after so many years of swinging her sword without emotion, and leaving countless bodies in her wake as a mercenary. It didn't matter that she had taken no pleasure in it. That survival had always been her only goal. It still left her a killer, and now, death was simply making her wait before she would join the mountain of corpses she had piled up in her work.

'I hadn't even... managed to take Edelgard down...'

"Had you been the type of person to be swayed by my words and deeds... I would have done anything to make you my ally, Professor. I truly regret that we must fight like this." Her eyes were earnest even as their weapons locked and groaned as they sought for purchase against each other. It was surprising she had chosen to speak at all, but Raine was far beyond caring about her words. Her sword was heavy and familiar in her hand, giving her confidence and peace as she engaged the Flame Emperor with no one at her back but the wind and the sound of battle all around her. This, however, was where she was most at home. Battle was nothing new to her, and it allowed her to knock aside the weight of Edelgard's axe with an easy swing of her blade to find room as she sprang back for a moment to breathe and collect herself again.

"Your words and deeds are exactly why I am here standing as your enemy, Edelgard. I don't know what you imagine yourself to be, perhaps some sort of twisted, tragic hero... but that isn't what you are." Raine adjusted her stance, her blade pulsing faintly with that familiar crimson light as it hung loose but prepared in her hands. She didn't know why she was bothering to respond. It was a waste of time, and she knew it... yet, her anger wouldn't allow her to hold her tongue. Too long. She had been fooled for too long, and she wanted to speak, wanted to let it all out, if this was to be the battle that mattered the most. Her eyes blazed even as her face remained neutral, invoking that old name she had once rejected but now embraced wholly as she spoke with cold ferocity, "You're a monster, just as Kronya, Solon, and Thales are."

The words were answered with rage, and Raine easily dropped to her knees and rolled as Edelgard leapt for her with death in her eyes and her axe screeching through the air for vengeance on its wielder's behalf. Raine was faster, even if Edelgard's Crests gave her more raw power, and the older of the two women was not about to waste any advantage she had as she moved smoothly back to her feet. Her sword sang out, taking advantage of Edelgard's miss, and she was satisfied as it pierced through, slashing down and slamming bluntly against the younger soldier's shoulder. Edelgard staggered back, snarling in pain as blood flowed freely underneath her crumpled armour, and she painfully switched her axe to her other hand even as her face twisted into a grimace of hate as she spat out, "Do not compare me to them! I am nothing like those creatures!"

"Yes, you are. And the fact that you can't see it only proves it all the more." Raine's answer was cold and biting, and her sword punctuated her words as it extended once more in her hands, warding off Edelgard's incoming attack and shoving her bluntly aside. Raine ran forward as the blade retracted, and she slammed her shoulder directly into Edelgard's chest before she leapt upwards, and her left foot swept for her head. Only a split second duck stopped her boot from connecting with the Emperor's temple and knocking her clean out, but Raine didn't hesitate to keep up her assault as her sword whipped about once more to ward off another incoming swing of her axe. She knew her style, and she knew it well. Edelgard would not pierce her defences. She would not permit it.

Edelgard was panting, her eyes narrowed and her teeth grit down hard in a grimace of sheer hatred. Raine was surprised by how little she felt to be on the receiving end of such emotion, but little was able to penetrate the veil of the Ashen Demon when she called upon it. It was the name's very purpose... and knowing she had struck at a nerve only made her all the more eager to continue to do damage. An upset opponent was a dead one, and she was well aware of her advantage as she continued coldly as she adjusted her stance once more, "My father told me once that when you take an ally, you share not only in their strength and victories, but their losses and weakness. And their sins. You are every bit responsible for their crimes as they are. Refusing to acknowledge that makes you both a coward and hypocrite. You may as well have sank the blade into my father's back yourself, for all of your involvement in their schemes."

"You know nothing!" Each word was punctuated with a swing of her axe, but none could land a hit, let alone even seem to touch the woman before her as she ducked and wove like she was made of silk in the wind. She was too fast, her movements too smooth and practised, and that detached, emotionless look on her face... Edelgard only felt her anger growing at this woman she had hoped could be an ally, and yet had turned out to be one of her deadliest enemies. How could she have been so deluded to believe she was what she needed in order to complete her revolution? It was obvious she and her pathetic excuse for a brother had no idea what the true world was like. They knew nothing, and were proud of their ignorance and what it led them to. She hated them. Hated them both with an all-consuming rage as she roared, "Absolutely nothing!"

"I know you're willing to commit mass murder for your ideals, and pave the way to your so-called utopia with the blood and bones of the innocent! What else do I need to know?!" Raine's responding roar was a shock, both to her and the woman clad in red that she was fighting, but for one, brief, mad moment, Raine was too far gone to care that she had lost a hold of her temper. Her sword sang for her wrath, each blow cutting into skin as Edelgard desperately tried to parry, only for the blade's edges to slice through armour and into unprotected skin as it retracted back for its wielder. It was a part of her now, acting on her unspoken desires without needing her direction, and she was glad for it as she stood proud and furious, her body trembling, her eyes alight with wrath as she snarled for her opponent that was too far outclassed to ever hope for victory.

"You won't change my mind, and you won't escape the truth no matter how far you run, even if you should win! Your throne is built of bones, and piled atop of corpses! You are a monster, and I swear, if I have to spend the rest of my life chasing you to put you down, I'll do so! You started this war, but I will end it!" Strike after strike hit home, knocking Edelgard farther and father back no matter how desperately she tried to block with her axe. It was taking too many blows and her hands were growing weak and shaky, but still Raine did not let up as she saw the weakness beginning to take hold of her opponent. She could not afford to... and she did not want to. She pushed forward, harder and faster, and her hands tightened to the point of numbness on the handle of her blade as she spoke through tightly gritted teeth, "My father... Remire... Flayn... Even Duscur... You've bloodied your hands, took advantage of tragedies that could have brought the world together in order to gain power, and lied and cheated and stole at every opportunity for your own gain. If this world needs a liberator, if this world needs someone to change it, you are the last person qualified to do so!"

Still, she had been outwitted, and outmanoeuvred. It did not matter that the battle had been going her way. That her victory had been certain in that moment... because Edelgard had known that her defeat had been a possibility, and had planned for it accordingly. Knowing her loss was close, and before a killing blow could be struck, Edelgard had roared the order for the remaining forces in hiding to make themselves known. She knew she was losing, that Raine was ready to take her life the moment she had a chance to do so, and she had ceded to better sense rather than rage. It had been the perfect distraction, allowing for her to use the last of her strength to flee the battlefield, and leaving her enemy, and the rest of Garreg Mach, at the mercy of her soldiers. And they knew nothing of mercy as they roared in unison and stormed through the open gates, slaughtering anyone who stood in their way with wild, furious abandon. Demonic Beasts had been unleashed along with the soldiers, creating more death and destruction as they surged up and through the melee, leaving Raine helpless to do anything but try to guide the frightened, beaten and battered students from the battlefield and to safety. They had lost. It was over.

Rhea's intervention had given a momentary pause to the chaos even as she added more to it, but in the end, it had proven to be just as futile as all of their other attempts to defend their home. Even in her new, strange form... She could not end an entire army single-handedly. She had struck fear into the oncoming attackers, had eliminated a whole retinue with her breath and claws alone, but she was still flesh and blood even if she looked as if she had come straight from the stories of legend as a huge, roaring white dragon. It was simply beyond her, especially as the Demonic Beasts turned as one, like a pack of wolves, to knock her down and hold her still so she could do no more damage to the oncoming troops.

And Raine had turned, seeing her in distress and knowing that she would likely be ripped to shreds underneath the claws of the Demonic Beasts, and instinct had forced her back to the fray even if her lagging body and better sense had told her not to intervene. Her sword had sang through the air with her rage, skewering a beast's head clean into two, and another stroke had left a second one screeching with pain as its front legs were cleaved from its body to free Rhea's claws from the earth. She had been quick to take advantage, swiping at her remaining captors and tossing them through nearby walls and off of the cliff, and yet she had hesitated, in the middle of all of the fighting, to turn to look at her rescuer with confusion clear even if she was no longer human enough to wear the expression on her draconic maw.

"Why... did you come...?"

'Why indeed...?' Raine wasn't sure she had an answer to that question, and she hadn't been given time to even think upon it. She had seen Thales as soon as he had seen her, and she had reacted too late to save herself. The spell had caught her guard, sending her flying even as she tried to deflect it with her blade, and then... She had simply started to fall. She had been knocked clear to the cliff-side and then off of it with one simple burst of magic, with nothing but her thoughts and her fear to accompany her when she plummeted down for the ground. She still wasn't sure why she had run back, why she had disobeyed her newly-given duty to care for everyone within the monastery, but it was too late now. Perhaps she had done so because she wanted no one else to die, even if it was Rhea of all people. She held no love for the archbishop, even now... but she did not want to see her die, and know she had let it happen, either.

'And even in that... I failed...'

Her last glimpse of Rhea had been the same as her first, buried beneath Demonic Beasts and screeching as she struggled in vain to get free, and she knew that if the Empire got their hands on the archbishop, it would surely be the end of her. Hadn't Edelgard explicitly blamed her and the Church of Seiros for all of the madness in Fódlan? For the corruption and separation of the continent, for the wars and poverty and all other failures to be laid at the feet of humanity as a whole, and not simply one institution in a world of many? Raine now understood why Warin called Edelgard deluded. She couldn't see the whole of the world's flaws, and instead sought to treat the symptoms of it, rather than search for the root cause. It was humanity that had failed, not simply the church, and to retaliate with war rather than education, or compassion... would only continue the cycle of corruption, greed, and death that she so desperately seemed to want to end.

Raine's hand grasped for her blade unconsciously, sending a bolt of pain up her shattered arm as her fingers failed to respond to her commands, and she groaned through tightly gritted teeth at her foolish movement. Her tongue tasted iron and rust, and she turned her head slightly to the side to spit out the blood that was filling her mouth faster than she wanted to admit. She still wanted to fight, but she could not rise no matter how much she wished she could. Her body was broken. Even trying to hold her blade was too much. There was nothing she could do but lie quietly, waiting for death to come, and hopefully take away the pain.

'Here... It ends... here...? Is this what Father felt, then...? With so much... left to do... and not being able... to do anything about it...?' Raine wondered as she realized with an abrupt suddenness that she could not feel the handle of her blade in her hand anymore. She could see it, that it was laying as always in her hand, faithful to the last, but her skin had grown too cold to feel it there. It almost made her laugh at the absurdity, even though she knew what it was a sign of.

Numb. Detached. Unfeeling. Expressionless. Cold as ice. The walking dead. Hadn't those been the words that had been thrown her way ever since she had been old enough to understand them? It hadn't been entirely false then, even if she flinched inwardly each time she realized she scared her comrades far more than she had their loyalty, or even their trust. But hadn't she deserved it? She had been detached. She had been unfeeling. Their lives were of no importance to her. All she cared for was her father and brother, and every other living being meant nothing to her. At least... That was how it had been before she had come to Garreg Mach.

'Too late... This is what I deserve, I suppose, then... I'd just been... too late...' The thought made her throat tight, and a broken, wounded noise escaped her that had nothing to do with the horrid condition her body was in. Her eyes burned. She hadn't asked to be born tied to Sothis. She hadn't asked to be so stunted that she had doubted that her father had known she loved him when he had died. She hadn't wanted to not know herself, or be born without a heartbeat. But none of that mattered, as she was as she was, and was now paying the price for it. She had failed, had been failing all of her life, and this was now her punishment for it all. She could reason that out well enough. She could understand... but the tears rolled hot down her bruised and cut cheeks, stinging for more reasons than one, as she stared up at the clear skies above with helpless anguish.

There was so much she hadn't done. So much she still wanted to do. She hadn't taught her students enough. Not for this world they were now being dragged kicking and screaming into. She hadn't finished protecting them. Were they still up there, fighting for their lives, without her there to watch over them? Had they escaped along with the others, fleeing for their homes as the battle proved lost? She hoped it was the latter, even if she knew it would damage them irreparably. It was better they live, better they survive, than die fighting a useless fight. But she wouldn't know. She would never get a chance to know. It was too far beyond her, and it broke her heart to think this was how it ended, useless to the last as a professor, protector, and friend.

And then her brother. She had sworn to go to the ends of the world with him. What would Warin do without her? He would be alone now. Well and truly alone. She knew he had worried that it would always be the other way around, that it would be her who would be left without him, but now the reverse was coming true. He was not as strong as he looked. He would suffer without her there to keep him steady... and he had no one there to help him pick up the pieces of his shattered world. He had talked so constantly of her house, of her newfound "family" but what had he gained in his year at Garreg Mach besides bitterness and more resentment? She was leaving him with nothing, and she could not stop it.

Finally, her chief regret, one that made her chest tighten and the tears flow faster as she closed her eyes against the brightness of the sky. It hurt too much to even picture his face, but it was all that she could see even with her eyes closed. Warin had called him filled with vengeance, mindless with rage, but that was not how she saw the crown prince at all. Dimitri was broken and grieving, raging against the heavens and the world for what he now had to do in order to enact "justice" for his fallen family and friends. Now she would be just one more painful failure to add to the weight on his shoulders, one more reason to lose himself to his quest for vengeance, and she would never get the chance to try and change his course.

Had she failed him from the beginning? She hadn't had the answer when she had finally realized what was happening to her precious student, but now, she was certain that she had. If she had been wiser, had been more attentive, she would have seen underneath his mask without needing Edelgard to tear it off so cruelly for her. She had never been ready to help him, had never had the intelligence to know he needed it, and now there was no time left. He was going to be left behind again, abandoned, and she wondered if she had a heart, if the pain she felt now would be what it would be like to have it break.

It was cold. She felt frozen. Though her eyes had opened again, she could see nothing, nor could she hear the river anymore. Time had finally caught up with her. Her breaths were shallow, initially from broken ribs and the pain they caused whenever her lungs tried to expand, but now even that was gone. There was no more pain... At least not physically. All she felt now was the sting of regret, the crushing weight of remorse, and the cold of the tears that were beginning to ebb in the corners of her eyes. It was over... She had nothing left to give. Her body had given up.

"I'm... sorry... Dimitri..."

One last exhale, one last full-body shudder... and then the body of the daughter of Jeralt Reus Eisner fell still amongst the stony edges of the river. It flowed on, unbothered by the corpse that lay with one hand just out of reach of it's flow, and the sound of nearby birds chirping loudly further proved she was not noticed by the world at large. She was one of many, one of thousands, that passed within this forest alone, and she was of no consequence, just as any other living being there was. The world would continue to move, time continue to pass, because that was the natural way of things... and she was a human being.

Then the world grew still. The river stopped its flow, and the birds grew silent. Nothing moved. The wind had died, and the water lay frozen in its path, as if it had never run at all and had turned to ice without warning or reason. Slow footsteps were the only sound that echoed in the expanse, and they were soft, almost silent, as they came close to the unmoving figure who had died without anyone to see, or give her comfort, at the edge of the river. Slowly, painfully slowly, she knelt down next to the body, and one small, gentle hand reached out to brush away one of the last tears that had not been able to fall down her cut and bruised cheek before time had swept in to take her, as it took away everyone in the end.

"You have done so much already... and yet, it is not your time to leave, my friend. This world still has great need of you, even if it does not know so, yet." Sothis' voice was quiet, pained, as she knelt down to the still form of the woman who had shared her soul with her ever since her birth. The woman who had called her a friend, and never once wished for her to be gone despite having never asked her to be there with her. She had done this to her, had crippled her heart and delayed her growth, but still this no-name mercenary had found the strength of soul to call her a friend, and mourn her, despite the fact that she had never really even existed in the first place.

Sothis closed her eyes as she summoned her powers, or what little she still had left to use. Even this body was not real, but she did not need it to be. She had only wanted one last chance, one moment to mourn, before she sprang into action with what little time she had stolen before her powers had faded away completely. It was good that their souls were bound, that she had felt it, as small and distant as she was now that the majority of herself and her powers now rested in the woman who lay before her. She could intervene, could give what little she had left to give again, because it was not to be yet. She knew it in the deepest parts of herself, and it was that knowledge, that determination, that gave her what she needed as she pulled both herself, and the body of her dear friend back into the depths of what they now knew was the Holy Tomb where Sothis' soul did indeed sleep.

"Here you will rest... Rest until you are capable again of returning to the world. It will take long... Longer than I know you will like... but it is all I can do for you now." Sothis murmured quietly as she ran a tender, gentle hand over her friend's face to close her eyes, and wipe the blood and tears away from her skin. Soft, gentle sparks of green followed where their skin touched, putting warmth into the rapidly cooling flesh, and Sothis watched with both fear and hope as Raine's chest suddenly lifted as she took in a deep breath before once more falling still on the floor at the foot of the throne. Her breathing came slow and deep, as if she was now wrapped safely in the cocoon of sleep rather than death's cold embrace, and Sothis could not help but smile as she watched that pinched expression of pain and regret smooth out into relief and peace.

"You will live, Raine. Live to see your regrets rectified, and your goals fulfilled. This world has so much need of you... These people have so much need of you. You cannot leave them yet." Sothis spoke gently as she knelt down at Raine's side and watched her sleep with a small, tender smile. She ran her hand over her hair, smoothing back the mussed curls in a tender gesture before she let out a long, tired breath. Even this one small action had taken so much out of her, when it had been the easiest thing in the world to do when she had first truly awoken to her ego. But she was no longer truly there anymore, was she? Already she was fading, returning... but she did not mind the pull, nor did she fight it.

She had no need. Her beliefs that they would be one, that she and her dear friend would never be truly apart had been proven true. Despite everything, they would always be connected... and no matter how many times it took, she would wake from her sleep, from Raine's soul, to pull her up should she stumble on her path forward. It was the least she could do for all the harm she had caused, for all they had been through together, and it gave her peace as she allowed her body to shimmer, to fade into those green and gold sparks of power as she murmured one last time, "Rest, Raine. My friend. My sister. When you wake to a new world... Have no fear. We will forge it together, and you will never be alone. I swear it."

AN:

And there you have it, guys! The end of "To War", and the end of the School Phase! Everything that comes from me from now on shall be War Phase oriented, and boy am I excited. As I said before, it'll be crammed together in one collection for ease of reading (though it will all be dated, just not as strictly as these pieces have) and I plan to mostly go chronologically throughout the story. However the swapping of characters every month, and the one-story-per-moon thing is also officially over. There will be more per moon depending on what is happening at the time, and the viewpoints will be different, as well as including those of the students more.

I intend to have a lot of fun with the War Phase, as well as hitting a mature rating, as there will finally be some smuts I can write now that it's hit that time period. Will they only include Raine and Warin? Heheh... Not saying! It's far more fun to keep people guessing than it is to reveal everything from the get-go. It will be difficult, I am aware of that, but it's still a challenge I want to tackle and tackle with all my might. I've had a lot of fun writing for the School Phase, and with the War Phase now falling squarely into my territory of romance and angst... Whoo, I'm gonna have a good time!

This piece sorta addressed two things, one of which is Warin and Shamir's relationship upgrade (possibly), as well as Byleth's "disappearance" which was never really explained. As kind of interesting as it was for Byleth to fall into a five year coma to "heal" from what must have been some grievous wounds from falling off a cliff, we're never really told what exactly happened, or why. It's all assumption, and in CF's route in particular, Edelgard makes note of the fact that she and the rest of the Black Eagles looked absolutely everywhere for them, and never once found a trace of their body. (Though their body's location at the time of disappearing differs from every other route, the general idea remains the same.) Knowing Edelgard and her perfectionist nature, I actually believe she did scour over the entire area in order to find Byleth, which only left me questioning where exactly they were for the past five years if they were not on the human plane.

What I have written... is my theory of where they were for the past five years, and why. It was Sothis who woke Byleth, after all, even if she did not show herself, and Byleth's male or female counterpart is the one we see in the Holy Tomb after Sothis' disappears when she joins her soul with theirs. I don't find it to be much of a stretch that when Byleth was nearing death, Sothis managed to revive herself just long enough to pull Byleth into the Holy Tomb to slumber in safety while their body healed from the wounds they'd gained during the invasion.

Mind, it's quite obvious Byleth has no memory of this upon waking up even if we do understand what's happening, so whether or not Raine will connect the dots is still yet to be seen. We will see as things go, though. I have too much fun writing, and things tends to be thrown is as I go mostly for the sheer fun of it. So there's plenty to come with the timeskip happening, and I hope that I can satisfy all of you in the future with what I will be writing!

Thanks for sticking with me this far, and I hope to see you again in my next collection! Please drop a review should you feel the need about your hopes and wants for Azure Moon, and we'll see each other again real soon! Have a good one!

Mood: Pleased.

Listening To: "One More Light" - Linkin Park

~ Sky