Fódlan Alternative II

{Part Two: Ascendent Star} Chapter Seventeen: Mirror Images II

When the end of the month arrives, You awaken and begin to prepare for the day to come. Seraphine speaks to You along the way.

Seraphine: So we're off to Schweighen territory today... I wonder where this will lead us.

You say that You wish Reese could have been there to help guide You through the important steps of invading his homeland.

Seraphine: I wish he could be here too... But as long as he's occupied with other things, we know what we have to do. We should keep our eyes focused on the future and keep moving onward.

You nod your agreement before saying that You intend to give this battle everything You have to make up for the fact that Reese is not there to fight for himself.

Seraphine: That's a nice way of looking at it. I can only hope that leads us somewhere in the long run... We'll have to wait and see, I suppose.

You start toward the front of the monastery, and You find the rest of your allies gathered together there. Cordelia waves when she sees that You have arrived.

Cordelia: It's good to see you, Professor. We should be just about ready to go now. Are you prepared?

You nod.

Cordelia: I'm glad to hear it.

Luciana: Schweighen territory has been dangerous for quite some time... The lord of the land rose to power after the sudden death of the previous lord.

Cordelia: I can tell you the full story behind that too. I've spoken with Reese about it many times. The current lord is his uncle, and he killed his family in order to take over the house. Reese only managed to escape on account of being at the monastery at the time, but it didn't matter much. He couldn't have fought back even if he wanted to. One person does not make an army.

Luciana: It's tragic to hear that he endured such horrors when he had no way of fighting back... But I suppose that's what today is for. He may not be here to help us end this battle, but we can still fight on in his stead.

Cordelia: And that's exactly what I intend to do. We should get going so we can take care of this as quickly as possible and return to the monastery.

Liram: I agree. I don't want to leave this place undefended for any longer than we absolutely have to.

Reed: We have to play our cards right if we want to get out of this war in one piece, and that means never biting off more than we can chew. It's a tragedy that it makes us move so much slower than we would have liked, but we need to make sure we can keep the monastery now that we have it back.

Luciana: I cannot help fearing that it is only a matter of time until another wave of forces is sent our way to try and reclaim the monastery for the side of our enemies... I would like to believe that is not true, but it's difficult to say for certain if they will allow us this small mercy or not.

Liram: It's best to be doubtful in situations like these. We can go out, handle this battle, and then come right back as soon as we're finished.

Cordelia: Then we had best get started. I doubt this fight will be a simple one, and we need to be ready for it.

You nod your agreement before You set off for Schweighen lands deep in the heart of Kingdom territory. As soon as You arrive, You find yourself uneasy. The area feels wrong to You somehow, but You cannot quite put a finger on why. There are far more soldiers here than You would have expected, and You have to actively resist the urge to let your free hand rest on the hilt of your blade.