All This Time

The Next Plan

Days passed, and Claude was feeling better.

Not one hundred percent, sometimes, all he wanted to do was hold onto his Teach and cry, but her presence vastly helped his mental state.

He had his other half with him now, after all.

"It only makes sense to capture the Great Bridge of Myrrdin," Claude pointed out, gesturing to the location on the map. As promised, his Teach accompanied him to their meetings, despite his insistence that she didn't. The rest of the Golden Deer had already been informed of their mission, and were resting up. "We will march and take over the bridge. We'll face heavy opposition, but once we do this, we can secure more backup and cut off the Empire."

He pointed to a certain spot on the large map he'd drawn on the chalkboard, circling it with his finger lightly.

"We'll all start off in the same place; north. Then we'll need to head downwards. We can split," Claude advised, revealing his carefully thought out battle plan. His Teach admired how he was able to bolster troops, even if he didn't realize it. He was just charming, and suave. It was hard not to be inspired by hearing his plans. "The fliers will head further north. Hilda and Ingrid will lead the charge there. You'll probably face resistance, but it's just to help make space. We don't necessarily need to kill many people there."

Claude then gestured to another part of the map, tapping it lightly. The troops were hanging onto his every word.

"The rest of us will head west. The general there is one of Edelgard's finest; Ladislava. She won't go down without a fight, so we need to bring our all. They have plenty of reinforcements, so we'll need to head fast to cut off the nearby fortress," Claude reminded them, a calculating expression on his features. "Teach, Raphael and I will go first. Lorenz, Leonie, and the rest of you will remain nearby, and help us take them out. Healers and mages, you will remain in the middle between myself and the cavalry. Lysithea will lead you, alongside Marianne. Understood? Under no circumstances are you to step out from between the lines."

"Yes, understood!" Everyone nodded back to him, a determined look on their faces. They stood with their heads held high, and Claude couldn't help but smile.

"Good," Claude's trust had been reaffirmed in his troops, glad that they were all listening and prepped. "Dismissed. We'll go over the plan again multiple times before attacking. You have around thirty days to prep; we cannot afford to slack off."

As everyone began to shuffle out of the meeting hall, his Teach walked up to him with a proud look on her face.

"They listen to you just fine," She told him quietly, a smile on her face. "It's not because of me. You're a good speaker."

"Oh, trust me," Claude chuckled, disagreeing with her statement inwardly, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to start an argument. "It's not the troops that I'm worried about. It's the nobles who think they know everything. That's where I need you."

"Why can't they just see how capable you are?" His Teach frowned, an upset look on her face. He winced; she had been to one of the nobility meetings, and they had all listened to her perfectly. Even though it had been the same ideals Claude had said, it was just apparently more credible coming from her.

"Well, I'm Almyran...Not that they know that," Claude quickly added the last part when she saw her eyes widen. "Maybe they sense that 'barbarian spirit' within me."

"I doubt that's it," She rolled her eyes, a giggle escaping from her lips. "But really. Why don't they listen to you? You didn't get the nickname Master Tactician by doing nothing."

"Ah, can we not bring that nickname up?" Claude sighed. He had never liked how the moniker had followed him around.

"Why? You sound so accomplished with it."

"It just makes me sound pretentious," Claude told her, crossing his arms. Anyone else would have appreciated it, but Claude didn't want 'baseless praises', even though he deserved every single word. This schedule had just been normal for Claude, and he didn't want praise until he finished his goals. "Do I look like that sort of person to you?"

"Well...Not exactly," She laughed again. "I don't need to deal with another uptight noble...Still, it's impressive. I promise I won't call you that anymore, though."

"Thank you. Besides, my schemes are nothing if I don't have you to back me up, Teach," He smiled playfully. "We can actually go on the offensive now that you're here. Finally.."

"Right...Hmm. Claude, I don't mean any offense by asking this...but why do you even fight on the battlefield?" His Teach questioned, a curious look on her face. She really wanted him to sit out, much to his amusement. "You're literally regarded as a 'Master Tactician'. No one would blame you if you just told us all where to go from the backline..."

"No can do," Claude shook his head, a smile still on his face. He knew she wanted him off the battlefield so that he would be safe, but he wouldn't allow it. If she was still out there, then he needed to be right there beside her, for his own peace of mind. "Moral is high when I'm out there, Teach. Plus, I'm not letting you go out without me...that's just wrong. Besides, I can fight. My skill is required out there."

"Well...Yeah," She muttered, a disappointed look on her face. "Well, I thought I'd try to persuade you otherwise. It scares me when we're on the battlefield together...I freaked out when Ashe tried to target you."

"Right...I remember," Claude had remembered how Ashe's arrow had come close to piercing his flesh. "I need to be out there, though. It's inspiring when their commander is out there...even if they'd really rather listen to you."

"Not true," His Teach frowned. "Didn't you see how enamored they were with your speech? You are a great moral booster. Don't doubt yourself like that."

He only answered with a gentle smile, not wanting to argue on that topic.

"Okay. Well, Teach, I've got a surprise to prepare. I'll see you around."