The Impregnable Fortress (Silver Snow)/Script

Introductory Narration

“	After seizing the Great Bridge of Myrddin, the resistance army starts making preparations to invade Imperial territory, when a surprising piece of information comes to light.	”	— Chapter 17 Intro

Event - The Impregnable Fortress

Reception Hall Daytime

(Seteth, Flayn and Byleth are talking to each other about something when a Church Soldier interrupts them.)
Church Soldier: Emergency! In Gronder Field... There's a... It's...
Seteth: We are in the middle of a military conference. Please calm yourself and tell us what is the matter.
Church Soldier: Yes, sir! It seems that the Kingdom and Alliance armies clashed with Imperial forces on Gronder Field!
Amid the chaos of three armies battling each other out there, the Imperial army was routed!
Edelgard sustained heavy wounds and retreated to Enbarr!
Seteth: Well then! I suppose...
Church Soldier: Sir! The Kingdom army was also decimated and... His Highness, Dimitri, has been counted among the dead.
(Seteth, Flayn and Byleth end up shocked by the news.)
Seteth: What?!
Church Soldier: The Alliance sustained heavy casualties as well. And the whereabouts of their leader, Claude, is currently unknown.
Seteth: Unknown? I...

Choice 1	Choice 2	Choice 3
Edelgard is injured...	Dimitri is dead...	Claude is missing...
Seteth: It must have been a brutal fight.	Seteth: It must have been a brutal fight. To have lost His Highness... How tragic.	Seteth: It must have been a brutal fight. Missing... Let us hope the Master Tactician's great mind is not forever lost to this world.

Seteth: Our only solace is that Edelgard sustained severe injuries.
This is all quite unexpected, but we must find a way to use this situation to our advantage.
The Empire's main force has suffered a mighty blow. Edelgard will most certainly avoid the front lines.
Now is the time for us to infiltrate the Empire and aim for the capital.
Flayn: But...what will happen to the lords of the old Kingdom and Alliance territories?
Seteth: They have lost many leaders and soldiers. I am sure they must be hard at work rebuilding.
We will foster cooperation by aiding them through the local churches.
The remaining lords of the Kingdom and Alliance must join together to form one union.
And you should be the one to lead them... What do you say?

Choice 1	Choice 2
In time...	I can't decide that just yet.
(Support points with Flayn go up.)

Seteth: Indeed. It is a question for another day. We must focus on our battle with the Empire.
For now, what is our next course of action?

Choice 1	Choice 2
We should set out.	Let's decide where to invade first.
Seteth: Steady now. Professor, we must determine our army's next move.	(Support points with Seteth go up.)

Seteth: We must choose a place within the Empire that will give us solid defenses for our front line...
That will become the foothold for our invasion of the capital.
There is one massive fortress that boasts the greatest defenses in the Empire...Fort Merceus.
But we will stand no chance if we attack by traditional means. We must gather everyone and devise a plan of attack.

Outer City Wall Late Night

(Byleth is seen looking at the view, lost in thoughts.)
???: ...
It has been a lifetime... Hasn't it, Professor?
(Byleth turns around and it's shocked to see who had just spoken, still unseen by the camera.)

I thought you were dead.

(The camera slowly reveals who Byleth is talking to.)
(It's Dimitri.)
Dimitri: Yes... I thought so too.
I wanted to slice her throat...but I did not get the chance.
I let people die, and yet... I still stand.
Rodrigue, Gustave, Dedue...

Choice 1	Choice 2
There must be a reason you survived.	You can still atone for your sins.
Dimitri: You sound just like Rodrigue. A reason...	Dimitri: You sound just like Rodrigue. A way to absolve my sins...

Dimitri: Everyone gives such complicated advice, and I can never quite grasp it all. That is why...
Professor.
I came here to explain my decision.

What decision?

Dimitri: I have no resources to take back the Kingdom capital, much less to defeat the Empire.
And that is why...
(Everything fades to black. Suddenly, Seteth speaks.)
Seteth: Professor! You will catch a cold sleeping in a place like this.
(The light comes back. Byleth finds himself once again in the Outer City Wall.)
(Dimitri is nowhere to be seen, and Byleth's confused.)
Seteth: Is something the matter?

Where did he go?

Seteth: Hm? I am the only one here. Were you dreaming?
Byleth: ... (Byleth wonders with a worried expression.)
Seteth: I can't say for certain that you were dreaming, but if someone did come here to see you...
That person only wanted you to see their face. Perhaps they wanted you to guide them...

Event - The Death Knight

Gronder Field (Empire Territory) Daytime

(The resistance army stand over Gronder Field.)
Seteth: We are just about to pass through Gronder Field. We should be in view of Fort Merceus soon.
It looks like the battle made quite an impact...
The Imperial Army has lost some of its luster. We should soon be able to invade the fort without too much trouble.

Choice 1	Choice 2
Because of the Alliance and Kingdom's sacrifices...	We cannot let this opportunity pass us by.
Seteth: Yes, we must win for them as well.	Seteth: Yes, after a few short months, they will already be back on their feet. We cannot waste this opportunity.

Ferdinand: Professor, the soldiers have finished changing into their disguises. We are ready to masquerade as Imperial troops and infiltrate the fort.

Choice 1	Choice 2
Disguises?	Infiltrate the fort?

Seteth: I believe this was your idea, was it not?
It is impossible to take Fort Merceus with a frontal assault. We must take it from within.
We will infiltrate the fort as Imperial troops and kill the enemy general.
All preparations are complete.
Caspar: According to the scout reports, my father and the others are not inside the fort.
It seems they were moved to the front lines of the Kingdom's western region.
Church Soldier: The Death Knight became the general of this fort after the battle at Gronder Field.
Bernadetta: What?! The Death Knight?! I think I'll be taking a break now... You guys go on ahead.
Petra: Bernadetta, you cannot be hiding on a field. The enemy will be seeing you.
Bernadetta: No place to hide?! I guess...I have no choice but to fight!
Seteth: The Death Knight... I hear that he is counted among the greatest heroes of the Empire at the moment.
We never determined whether or not he was truly Jeritza.
So in capturing Merceus, we have encountered another obstacle.

Choice 1	Choice 2
We've beaten him before.	Let's be careful.
(Support points with Seteth go up.) Seteth: I suppose you have a point. If we challenge him again with conviction, we are sure to attain victory.	Seteth: Yes, now more than ever. opportunity.

Linhardt: The Impenetrable Fortress City of Arianrhod goes by the name "Silver Maiden."
Yet she pales in comparison to Fort Merceus--the "Stubborn Old General."
Those who approach are driven back, bue once we make our way in, it's all ours.
Dorothea: That fort has been brought to life on stage for countless operas...
Seteth: Let us commence. We must puncture a hole in the Empire's defenses!

Fort Merceus (Empire Territory) Daytime

(Somewhere on Fort Merceus...)
Death Knight: That (wo)man approaches...
Will death's scythe claim you... Or will I fall to that sword of yours...

Narration - Taking Fort Merceus

“	At Gronder Field, the armies of the Kingdom, Alliance, and Empire collide. The three forces engage in a fierce battle, each suffering significant losses before deciding to withdraw. Seeing an opportunity, the resistance army quickly plots an invasion of Imperial territory. In order to gain a foothold in the Empire, they will attempt to capture Fort Merceus.	”	— Introduction to Taking Fort Merceus

Cutscene - Javelins of Light

(At the top of Fort Merceus, the Death Knight, Byleth and their resistance army stands up on opposite sides.)
(Suddenly, the Death Knight Speaks.)

Death Knight: It is coming.
Leave now, or all of you will die.

(The Death Knight jumps out of the fort as Byleth and their army give him chase.)
(Once reaching a certain distance, the Death Knight stops running, looks at Byleth and points out to the sky.)
(Byleth looks where the Death Knight had just indicated, and they notice a strange javelin-like object falling, being guided by multiple purple rings.)
(Once the object touches the ground, a grand explosion occurs. Byleth watches dumbstruck.)

Allied Soldier 1: Run!
We have to evacuate immediatly!

(As Byleth and their chosen army flee, another "javelin" falls from the sky. The camera provides a closer look to it, revealing it looks akin to a ballistic missile.)
(Once it touches ground, the screen goes black. An explosion sound occurs.)
(The camera then turns into Byleth and their army's reaction to the destruction. One of the soldiers show a broken smile.)

Allied Soldier 2: What just happened here?
Allied Soldier 1: The fort, it's...

(The camera turns into "The Stubborn Old General", now turned into nothing but rubble.)

It's just... gone.

(Byleth looks vexed.)

Event - The Only Path

Seteth: Whatever could that have been...
It was almost reminiscent of that terror of legend...

Choice 1	Choice 2
What legend?	We need to get out of here.
Seteth: We haven't the time for stories...	Seteth: Agreed. We must retreat for now.

Seteth: All we can do is retreat to the Great Bridge of Myrddin and assess our situation.

Great Bridge of Myrddin Daytime

Manuela: Well now, that marching was nearly as trying as the battle itself.
Hanneman: We wasted a few days, but now that we're this far back, we should be safe... Or so I believe.
Catherine: I still can't believe it. The fort was destroyed, just like that...
Shamir: The Death Knight knew about the attack. Was it the Empire's doing?
Cyril: Guess that means they'd rather destroy the fort than lose it.
Alois: Whatever the case, we need to get our bearings and decide what we're going to do next.
Seteth: We all have many questions, but for now, we must focus on our next move.

Choice 1	Choice 2	Choice 3
Let's give up.	Let's attack the Imperial capital.	Let's return to the monastery.
Seteth: What?! How could... Ah. Yes, I see.	Seteth: I wish for that as well, but we are sure to fall if we charge in without a plan. Hmm... But by the look on your face, I have the feeling you are working out a plan even now.	Seteth: What?! If we return to the monastery, then our situation is sure to... Ah. Yes, I see...

Choice 1	Choice 2
Now you've got it.	Whatever do you mean?
	Seteth: No need to hide your intentions from me.

Seteth: So, we make it appear as though we have ceased our invasion by returning to Garreg Mach.
Then we divide up our soldiers and infiltrate nearby areas of the capital right under the Empire's nose.
Finally, we gather all of the soldiers somewhere we can get to swiftly from Garreg Mach and proceed to invade Enbarr.
Is that what you are thinking?
(Byleth nods, confirming Seteth's speculation.)
Caspar: Are you serious? You know there's no guarantee that we won't be spotted by the enemy, right?
Ferdinand: If we fail to intervene, we will be isolated inside the Empire and be...utterly obliterated.
Petra: I will be embracing the nearness of death if I am needing to. With each other!
Bernadetta: That sounds dangerous...really, incredibly dangerous!
Seteth: Make no mistake...if we fail in this plan, there will be no coming back from it.
Are you sure about this, Professor?

It's our only hope.

Seteth: I see. If you are resolved, then I will follow suit.
We may be weaker and the terrain may be against us, but all we can do is use our resources the best we can.
That, and pray for the blessings of the goddess...