Tec.
Tec.
Tec.
The loud clicking noises that could be heard throughout the entire ballroom were no strangers to the employees who spent most of their lives cleaning the marble columns, the glass tables, and the crystal chandeliers of the Schnee Castle. To be quite honest, if you'd spent at least 5 minutes inside the place, you'd be sure to hear Queen Schnee's extremely expensive heels clicking in your direction, sometimes nervously, sometimes not. The guards and maids would adjust their posture regarding your presence depending on how fast the noise happened – If quick, they would know you were in trouble, if slow, they would know you were to be possibly thrown in the dungeon after your meeting with the Queen.
At this exact moment, however, the heels were not exactly fast-paced, but far from being calming. Regular steps meant that Queen Weiss was pondering.
"I just cannot understand," Muttering by herself was one of Weiss's greatest talents, even though she always denied such crass habit. "I've always given everything the people could possibly want; an army to protect them, books about the Royal Family for entertainment, and I even supply the villagers who cannot feed themselves with my own soybean banquet! What else could they possibly want from me? Why are they so unhappy with my generosity?"
Her trusty advisor followed the Queen and pretended to listen while scribbling in three different notes at the same time with two different pens. Ozpin was not one to ignore Weiss's complaints (quite contrary, he always helped whenever he could), but with the Royal Festival coming up in less than a day he had to be sure everything was ready, so his notes were a rushed mess.
"Ozpin? Did you hear me?" Weiss stopped prancing around and turned to the man, hands on her hips.
"I b-beg your pardon Your Majesty." Ozpin jumped a little, causing one of the notes to fall. "I was distracted, what was that about your incredible generosity?"
"Do pay attention, for goodness sake, you're an advisor for a reason. I need your advice, Ozpin, why are the people still furious at me when all I've ever done to this country was help however I could?"
I wouldn't exactly call executing three men because they forgot to bow in your presence being generous, Queen Schnee. Was what Ozpin truly wanted to tell her, but for the sake of his own life, he kept these thoughts to himself.
"Maybe some of your rules are a bit too strict and unsatisfying, Your Majesty. The people have sent us their demands for years, but every time we are about to discuss them, something comes up. Quite convenient, don't you think?"
"Oh please, we've already been through this." Weiss turned back around and resumed her walk. "The people's demands are important, of course, but have you ever imagined what would happen if we complied with one of them? Soon we'd have to comply with another. And then another! Taking all these requests would be foolish, not to mention unfair for the ones who didn't get to have their turn. Fairness is one of the golden words of this Royal Family and I'm not about to be the one who puts an end to our reign of justice."
"As you say, Your Majesty." Ozpin wish he could hold back an eye roll, but it was impossible. He'd been friends with the Schnee family for years now, and even watched Weiss Schnee grow up as a kid. This made him quite an exception around the castle, and his word was one of the few taken into consideration for the Queen.
Both arrived at the Queen's throne room and Weiss sighed, sitting down in quite an exasperate manner. Ozpin sat by her side, at his own chair and table.
"Sometimes I wish Father were here," Said Weiss. "He would know what to do."
"Your father was a wise man, Miss Schnee," Ozpin put down his notes and grabbed his personalized coffee mug. "Unfortunately, he died too soon, and your training as a ruler became compromised. Maybe this is one of the reasons why the people resent your decisions so much."
"Either that or they simply resent a nineteen year-old girl telling them what to do." Weiss grabbed the crown that usually stayed put in one of the throne's armrests and studied it. The perfection of the diamonds covering the entire crown always fascinated the Queen, and the red velvet inside made it very comfortable to wear. But after her father's death, the kingdom had been falling apart more and more, and Weiss didn't feel worthy of wearing it anymore.
She knew her decisions were selfish and foolish, and Ozpin was right; she lacked the proper training on how to be a good Queen. But pride spoke louder and Weiss refused to let the people control her destiny as a good descendant of the Schnee family. She would keep being Queen and making decisions for the kingdom, even if she was to be unloved by the crowd.
"I hardly think your age is the problem," Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and breathed happily. Whenever he had his mug on hand, his speech became more casual with the Queen. At this point he felt like the mentor Weiss's father wished for him to be, instead of simply an advisor afraid to say something rude. "King Wasser was only fifteen when he took up the throne."
"My grandfather was an exception, everyone knows that."
"Perhaps. But even so, the kingdom prospered. His kind heart and understanding of the masses made him one of the most beloved kings of the Schnee generation."
"Hmm." Weiss kept staring at her crown, avoiding eye contact with her advisor. "Understanding of the masses, huh."
"I am quite sure you remember the deeds he's done on his time and age. For example, the reduction of the taxes was of great importance for the…"
Ozpin's voice became a blur in the distance as Weiss looked at the diamonds and crystals. An idea was taking shape inside her head and the more she stared at her reflex on the precious stones, the more she realized something: She needed to understand her people if she wanted to make decisions to affect their everyday lives.
Weiss never once left the castle's walls. The one time she did was to practice shooting arrows in her father's private ranch, and she failed miserably at it. It was at that time she decided that fencing was going to be her focus, and she became extremely good at it. Unfortunately, you can't exactly go fencing outside; it makes no sense to have a fencing room in the castle if not to use it. And so she had absolutely no knowledge of what her people went through on the world outside. Did they have servants? A banquet? Crystal chandeliers to decorate their homes? She hardly thought so.
"Ozpin, quiet. I think I have an idea." Weiss put the crown back at its place.
"…Your Majesty?"
"Tomorrow is the Royal Festival, is it not?"
"Indeed."
"The holiday where people go on the streets and pay their respects for their Queen, correct?"
Ozpin slowly brought his coffee mug to his mouth. "That is correct, Your Majesty."
"Then what better time of year to interact with my subjects than at this festival? That's the day when they rejoice and forget the complaints they've been doing about my ruling and just have fun all day long! I will personally go to one lucky village and tell them I am willing to listen up close to whatever requests they have for me. I will interact with the men, women and children of the village and see with my own eyes the condition they live in. I will do this every year in a different village, and eventually, all of them will have their problems solved, one by one. Genius!"
Ozpin got up from his chair quicker than he intended. "Hold on, Miss Schnee, I hardly think this is a good idea."
"It is an excellent idea and I demand you recognize it as one."
"You really need to think this through, Your Majesty." His tone was so serious he even put the coffee mug down. "Are you going to visit every single house in the village? Some of them are huge! What am I saying, that's not even the biggest issue here, if the people are so unhappy with the way you've been ruling the kingdom what makes you think you won't be attacked? Humiliated?"
"You are overreacting." Weiss jumped out of the throne and started to make her way back to her room. "Tell the guards to get a carriage ready to leave tomorrow early and accompany me to Hastia Village, first thing in the morning!"
"Your Majesty!" Ozpin yelled, but Weiss was already out of sight. He dropped his body on the chair once again, running a hand through his hair. Ozpin knew that whenever Queen Weiss was focused on something, she never let it go. Her excitement was hardly matched by reason, and so Ozpin had 14 hours to think of a way to convince the Queen to reconsider.
Either that, or make it somehow safe for Weiss to wander around a place full of people who would not hesitate to serve the Queen's head on a plate if she ever came into view.
Hello friends! It's been a while.
I had this AU idea exactly today, and here I am at 4:00am trying to finish the first chapter. I hope I can make this story as long as it needs to be. Would you accompany me in this travel? I hope you like the adventures of Weiss and the friends (an enemies) she will make along the way.
See you soon!
- niigoki