A small, blonde girl stood at the door nervously. She fidgeted and swayed on the ball of one foot and then the other, and back to the other, and so on and so forth so that she may be moving but not actually going anywhere. She had been summoned by her mother, Jaqueline Arc. The young Arc girl fiddled with her hair a bit as she looked at the door to her mother's office. She went to put a hand to her arm and recoiled at the bruise there.
"Stupid training…" She muttered under her breath. It was always the same cycle every day. Her mother would call her to her office and offer up a game of chess, if she lost the game she would be subjected to training exercises which included sparring lessons. She could still hear her mother's words for every time she lost a match, "If you can't have the mind of a tactician, you will have the body of a soldier.".
She hated the game, no matter how many chess books she read or how much training she would do she always lost and she always ached. Joana feared going into the office when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her older brother Safron. His blonde hair and blue eyes looked exactly the same as hers, and his
"She'll be even madder if you make her wait." Safron reminded her. He ruffled his little sister's hair and he noticed her looking down. "She loves you, ya' know?"
Joana scoffed and looked at her bruise. "She has one funky way of showin' it." She got her hair shuffled in response, Joana waved his hand away.
Safron walked in front to face his sister. "You just need ta' win one game and you're set!" Safron knew how much Joana wanted to break this constant cycle that had started ever since she turned 8, she always used him as practice for her tactics training. "Remember what I told ya, use your Knight. It's your strongest point." He ruffled her hair one last time, much to her dismay, and then made his way to the living room.
Joana looked at him until he turned the corner. She turned back to the intimidating door. She drew in one final breath opened the door.
"JOANA! Come on wake up, you don't wanna miss the ferry!" Joana woke up with a startle. Her father.
"Whu- what time issit?" Joana kept her eyes closed. Suppor
It's exactly 7:25, you have less than an hour to get ready before the ferry departs at 8 Esprit reminded Joana.
Joana sighed and stood up out of bed, her eyes still closed. She made her way through the room avoiding the desk, night table, and made her way to her personal bathroom. Now she finally opened her eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror. "7:25?...I have time." Joana walked back to her room and pulled up her suitcase to begin packing. Mid-packing she picked up her blue Pumpkin Pete onesie. "Definitely no."
Joana zipped up her suitcase and made her way to the bathroom. A loud bang at her room's door stopped her in her tracks.
"Jo! It's 7:59, you're gonna miss the ferry!" A voice came from the other side.
Joana rolled her eyes. It was most likely her youngest brother, Vi. "Nice try Dorkazoid, try it with someone who doesn't have a built-in alarm system to their brain!" Joana closed her bathroom door with the lock. Gods, there weren't enough locks in the world.
An alarm clock? Is that all I am to you? Esprit metaphysically rolled her eyes, Joana could feel it.
"Don't even." Joana warned. Joana prepared the shower.
Alarm clock, psh. Fine then, I'll help about as much as an alarm clock. Esprit grumbled.
"You know I don't mean it like that!" Silence. "Fine! Have a tantrum, see if I care!" Joana got in the shower. The warm water touched her skin lightly, giving her a soothed feeling.
Joana opened the door to a dark room, her mother's study. She gulped as a spotlight came on over the chessboard, she expects it but no matter what it still catches her off-guard.
"Joana, I see you finally decided to show up." Her mother emerges from the shadows and sits on the opposing side of the chess table. "Ready for today's training." She didn't ask so much as tell her. The young girl sat on her chair. "By that bruise on your shoulder I can tell you still haven't gotten the hang of your Aura. Joana picks up her knight piece and moves it. "No banter? Fine by me." Jaqueline moves her pawn up by 2 spaces.
The two trade turns of moving and no attacks for a few rounds, setting up their pieces for the eventual attack. Joana places her knight in a position so that she can take her mother's rook next turn.
"Heh, you still have much to learn." Jaqueline picked up her queen, which Joana forgot about and took her knight. Joana was caught of guard, it was happening again. Joana could feel the tears well up on the corner of her eyes. She moved her rook.
Jaqueline sighed. "Honestly Joana, I feel like you want to be a soldier and not a tactician." Jaqueline moved her knight to take Joana's rook. Joana felt the bruise in her arm throb. She felt like crying. Joana's pawn took out her mother's knight. "Hm. Interesting." A few more turns and pawns captured, Joana was stuck. "Check."
Joana felt the tears going down her face. She began breathing heavily. "Oh my- Joana! How do you expect to uphold the family legacy like this?" Her mother scolded. "Since your great grandmother, all of the Arc women have always been army tacticians. Ordering battalions, whole armies to victory throughout the years! Have you not the will?!"
Joana looked at her king, still helplessly stuck. She was stuck.
"If you're not gonna be a tactician, what are you going to be?!" Jaqueline glared down at her daughter.
"I-I-I wanna-" Joana choked on her words. She needed an out now!
The world slowed down to a stop as the color seemed to fade away for Joana. She couldn't move.
Joana Damine Arc, rejoice, for I am here! a soft voice soother her nerves. A bright ball of light manifested in front of the chessboard, Joana could barely see as her eyes were looking down. Be not afraid, for I have been sent by thy Gods to aid you on your quest.
'Quest?' Joana thought.
I can help you. Give you a semblance to make you stronger. I can see in your heart of hearts that you want to be a Huntress. The ball of light got closer to Joana and touched her nose. Joana could feel and see herself being pulled away from her body. Joana was now outside her body and glowing, everything seemed to phase through her as her shoulder was phased through the chess table.
Joana D. Arc, today marks the start of your destiny changing. You have been chosen to carry out the Gods' will. Will you accept the power and the responsibility that comes with it? Joana didn't know completely what was going on. She looked past the light to her mother, then to her cornered king.
"I'll do it." Joana looked resolved.
Good. Now kneel. Joana knelt. Now, I dub thee a member of the Sacred Order. Your mission will be hard, but with the power imbedded in me I will grant you the power: Tactician's Mind, the first of many to come. Joana felt gentle taps on her shoulder. She felt a hand come out of the orb, she didn't see it though. Now rise, and let us save the world together. Joana reached her hand out and grabbed something, it pulled her up.
In that instance, upon contact, light embedded from Joana's palm and enveloped the invisible hand she was holding until an arm was formed and then a torso and head and body. A woman in white robes and short blonde hair appeared from the light. Joana could only think of one word to describe this woman that appeared before her.
"A-angel…"
The woman smirked. Let me heal thy wounds. A light emanated from the pair's handshake, Joana felt a soothing feeling come over her. She looked at her arm and saw her bruise lessen in color until it was back to her lightly tanned shade it had been before. Now, let's win this children's game, my King.
Joana felt herself being sucked back into her body. She was right back to being a 12-year-old facing her mother at chess, a game she…understood completely? Joana could recall all of the information that she had read about chess before, new strategies she couldn't remember where she'd learn them from too. Joana smirked.
"I'm gonna be a Huntress!" Joana confidently said and moved her pawn to block her mother's bishop.
"Huh? Front lines?! You really want to be a soldier, huh?" Jaqueline noticed a shift in her daughter's attitude. She moved her queen to start a defensive strategy.
"No, not a soldier, better! I can live how I want to and I don't need to worry about ordering anyone around!" Joana moved one of her knights.
"…" Jaqueline moved her queen.
"I can see the world!" Joana made a move, Jaqueline moved as well. "I can help people rather than send them to an early grave!" Joana moved her pawn. Jaqueline went for a check but after noticing it wouldn't be possible, as any place she'd move to her queen would be taken. She opted for pushing up a pawn. "I can save the world!" Joana said and she could hear a voice in her head say at the same time as her. Joana moved her knight to take her mother's queen, much to her surprise.
"Wha-" Her mother desperately moved her rook.
"I'm done training to be a tactician!" Joana moved her knight. "Check!"
Jaqueline moves her king.
"I don't need to train when I already have the skill!" Joana moved her rook. "Check!"
Jaqueline moves her rook to block her daughter's rook. "Joana!"
"Mom!" Joana smiled as the tear she was holding in before fell down her face. Joana moved her bishop. "Checkmate!"
Jaqueline looked at the board in surprise, Joana beat her…she actually beat her. "I-I…I'll have a new training regiment starting tomorrow." She stood up and walked to a cabinet in the corner. "I'll have to, now that you've chosen a different path."
Joana stopped smiling as she saw how upset her mother looked. "Mom, I-"
"Don't." Joana flinched back from her mother's tone. "Don't change what you want to be for me, that's the highest form of disrespect!" Jaqueline seemed to grab something from the cabinet. It clanked. "Not just to me, but to you as well." She walked back and placed the items she grabbed from the cabinet on the table setting aside any pieces in the way.
Joana looked at the diamond-shaped chest plate and shoulder armament.
"If you're going to be a Huntress," She handed Joana the sheathed sword. "you're going to do it correctly!" Jaqueline ran to the light switch and flipped it on. Joana shielded her eyes from the lights turning on so quickly.
"We'll need to start your training regiment, and since there are no Hunter Training Academies nearby we'll need to apply using Beacon Academy's Hero Clause," Joana's mother rambled on as she began searching through some papers on her desk. "If my baby's going to be a Huntress, she's going to be the best damn Huntress there is! We'll arrange for a smithy to lend us their workspace to improve on your grandmother's weapon and –" Joana just heard her mother make bubble noises, still rambling but all was unintelligible gurgling. Wait bubble noises?
Joana woke up and rose from the small water puddle she was in. She heard a loud beeping in her head.
MEEPMEEPMEEPMEEPEMEEP!
Joana got up quickly. "What happened?!"
Esprit sighed. I think you just made history as the first person to ever drown in a shower. Congratulations. Now hurry up and get dressed, the ferry leaves in 5 minutes and we can't afford to be late.
"Five minutes?! How long was I asleep?!" Joana got out of the shower, rushed back to her room, and put on her usual clothes. She noticed her suitcase felt slightly heavier, nah must be nothing. Joana made her way downstairs. "Bye every one!" She called out to the living room, the living room echoed with some laughter and a few byes. Joana got outside the house when she saw her mother right there at the bottom of the steps.
"So, you were gonna leave without saying goodbye to me?" Jaqueline looked at her daughter while shaking her head.
Joana rushed forward and hugged her mother, catching her by surprise. "Thank you. For everything." The height difference was staggering and Joana had to crouch a bit to be at face-level with her mom.
Jaqueline awkwardly patted her daughter's back, she now towered over her and that was a little embarrassing to admit. "When did you get so big?"
"…" Joana stood in the embrace in silence. 'I wish I could tell you ma.' Joana thought.
But we can't. Esprit reminded her.
"I guess it must've been all that cereal I've eaten!" Joana thought up on the spot.
Jaqueline still was squirming in the hug. "Hmph, must've been the milk alone. God knows that cereal is a bio-hazard."
"…I mean it mom, thanks."
"Yeah, yeah. Just…make us proud."
Joana broke off from the hug, her long hair swayed in front of her face forcing her to blow it away. "I will Mom, I will." Joana walked around her mom and then made a full sprint for the docks.
Joana giggled a bit as she saw the harbor a distance away.
And what's so funny?
"Nothing, I just had a dream to when we first met. You called me 'King'!" Joana made her way to the docks.
Hey all, I know I'm juggling three series right now, But I thought, "One more couldn't hurt right?".
This is based off the two-shot I wrote for my main fic, Project Multi-View. This will most likely not be updated as often as my works...and those aren't updated often. Still! I have many ideas for this and I think I'll just cover Volume 1 at first and see where it goes from there.
Anyways, thanks for reading. Bye.