Golden Hope | Fire Emblem Three Houses Fan-Fiction

The Battle of Garreg Mach

Part 2: Verdant Wind

Lone Moon

To War

The day had arrived where the Imperial Empire led by Edelgard would be marching towards Garreg mach to conquer it. Eliza was with the other Golden Deer as Alois and Byleth stood at the front.

"Listen up, everyone!" The current Captain of the Knights of Seiros spoke, "The Imperial army is upon us. If you can fight, pick up a weapon! Everyone else, hurry up and evacuate! We have the goddess's protection on our side. We have nothing to fear. Victory will be ours!"

Catherine, one of the knights, approached, "Professor, are you ready?"

"Almost," Byleth answered.

"Well," Catherine frowned, "hurry up. I don't need to tell you that the situation is dire. We have some troops from the local nobles, but the army we're facing is immense. No matter how you look at it, we're at a disadvantage. To make matters worse, the enemy is being led by Edelgard. Do not underestimate how extraordinary her abilities are."

"She's back already?" Hilda scoffed, "Talk about impatient!"

"If we don't stop them," Claude frowned, "The academy will be destroyed. Prepare for battle everyone!"

"We will stop Edelgard's rampage!" Lysithea said.

"Our opponent is formidable, but if we work together, we will not fail," Ignatz encouraged the class.

"Enough talking, let's go!" Raphael raised a fist into the air

"Dear Goddess... Please, protect us all..." Marianne prayed.

"I shall fight with all that I have. It is an honour to fight alongside each of you!" Flayn said in affirmation.

"We'll protect the monastery and everyone in it," Eliza chimed in.

"Professor, Claude... You'll lead the way, won't you? You won't let any of us fall, right?" Hilda voiced her own worries.

Eliza was silent as no one else spoke after Hilda. This was no longer a game. Lives were at stake. The Golden Deer left except Claude, Byleth and Eliza.

"I wanted to talk to Rhea first, but as expected, that won't be possible. What did she hope to accomplish at the Holy Tomb? What happened to you as a baby? There are still so many things I need to know. The same goes for the real origin of the Crest Stones and the Heroes' Relics. As for Seiros and Nemesis... Just how much of their mythology is true?"

"We know so little," Byleth replied.

"It's true, but lucky for me, I refuse to die with so much still unknown. Hey Teach... All joking aside. Can we possibly survive this battle?"

Claude's words struck a chord with Eliza. He had been constantly assuring his classmates as a leader should, but when there was no one to focus on, his own doubts became noticeable.

"We'll find a way," Byleth told him.

"That's all we can do, right?" Claude smiled sadly, "If we gave up, the god of fate wouldn't be happy."

He exhaled and stared at both Eliza and Byleth, "I'm a lot of things, but I'm not the kind of man to just roll over and die in a place like this. I have my own ambitions to see to. There are things... Dreams... That I must see come to fruition. And I've been thinking. I want you to see those dreams realized as well. On top of that, there are still so many secrets out there, just waiting to be uncovered. We can't let that stand, can we? So, Teach... No, scratch that. You're so much more. You're my ally and my friend. Teach... Friend... None of those words quite capture what you've come to mean to me. We may not be connected by blood, but I believe our bond goes deeper than that. Now that we know each other, our hearts are connected. Even if our paths diverge and we're forced to say good-bye... I know that we'll meet again. And so, for lack of a better word, I gratefully call you my friend, and I hold fast to the belief that this isn't it for us. No matter who or what you really are, I'll always be on your side. You can't count on much in this world, but you can count on that."