AM/VW: The King & The White Petal

VII: The Church's Defense

The knights straight away return to the church alongside Bernadetta, Flayn, Petra, Dorothea, Annette, Mercedes, Manuela, Shamir, Rhea, Ashe, Felix, Linhardt, Caspar, Ferdinand, Cyril, Alois, Hanneman and Seteth. After this, Sarai, who is now expectant of her and Dimitri's first child, visits the monastery with Dimitri and his parents. Rhea leads Sarai into the holy tomb to receive new power for her hero's relic and start training herself in magic. She knew she wanted to stay in Castle Blaiddyd with him to help him with raising children rather than allow herself to become the monastery's next leader because they were very fond of each other. Additionally, Sarai also knew it was her father's wish for her to remain in the kingdom with her family and friends. Due to her preference for her freedom, she knew her father's wish was best. Although she knew the church's soldiers were capable of protecting her, Sarai wasn't a spiritual believer of the church like Dimitri was. Although he was aware of this, he respected her deeply because they were married to each other. She knew she was allowing him to dote on her lovingly, but Sarai really didn't care because she'd known Dimitri for close to five years. At the end of the month, as she sat down in the church's dining hall eating lunch with Felix, she had flashbacks of her lonely past and felt tears streaming down her green eyes at the memory of her father's sudden disappearance. Although she was happy she'd finally found her father, she knew the memory would likely stick with her forever. "Thinking of your memories again?", Felix asked her and she looked at him. "I guess so. Sorry.", she replied and he wiped her tears away. "Dimitri and his father have taught you a lot about weaponry since you first met them, you know.", he told her as they ate their food. "Yeah.", she replied. "Although you were born with the immense strength you got from your father, you grew up only knowing how to wield a sword.", he added. "True, but thanks in part to Dimitri and his father, I can wield spears as well.", she said. Once they were finished eating their food, Annette bolted right into the dining hall and told them there were some imperial soldiers marching towards the monastery from their post. "Dang it! Just when we thought the church was once again safe, the imperial army comes back to topple the pretty building once again!", Felix snapped before turning to Sarai. "Sarai, go alert everyone else about this and tell them we must protect the church for a second time.", he said as they stood up and she ran off to alert their allies. After being alerted of this, Rhea calls upon the kingdom reinforcements they needed to win against the imperial army. Within a hour, Jeralt, Ingrid, Dimitri, Lambert, Dedue, Savanna, Glenn, Rodrigue & Gustave arrived to help them with the imperial army. "Those fools might've joined forces with the knights, but we have way more soldiers than they do!", the imperial general leading them roared as all of the imperial soldiers scattered around. "We can't allow them to get through or the monastery will be lost forever! Push them back!", Lambert shouted out as they positioned themselves to begin driving the soldiers back. Knowing she would be putting herself at risk if she entered combat while carrying their child, Sarai told Dimitri to help clear away the other soldiers so she could get to the general safely before she charged forward. Imperial mages and pegasus knights ran at her to protect their commander, but Ashe and Shamir quickly shot them down. Caspar followed her on her father's orders. She was able to reach the general safely and swung her sword at him. "I honestly never thought I'd even see you again.", Randolph told Sarai as he charged at her with his silver axe in his hands, bent on beheading her right in front of her father. "Get away from her!", Caspar said as he ran forward to protect her from his uncle, which surprised and allowed Sarai to beat him, ending the fight.