Prologue 1
Slow, peaceful music flowed down the hallway. Its sweet melody called out to the man, causing him to stop and listen for a moment. He beamed with pride as a young girl's voice joined the violin in its dance.
Although Klein had only been serving as the Schnee household butler for a few weeks, he'd come to love the sound of little Miss Weiss's wonderful voice. It always put a little more pep in his step to hear her practicing with that boy from the kitchen staff. With Jacques spending most of his time "teaching" the oldest, Miss Winter, to be a proper heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, his teaching methods being mostly angry shouting and cruelty, the Master never really seemed to notice that Miss Weiss had made quite a good friend in the young boy. With some simple misdirection from himself, Klein had allowed the two them to practice the music they so loved without Jacques's interference due to their class differences. Klein knew this was only a temporary solution, but he felt that Jacques's one sided viewpoint on other people of lower class, both financially and socially, was something he wanted Weiss to be able to see past once she grew enough to make decisions for herself.
Klein looked up from where he'd stopped, and realised the music had finished a bit ago, only the children's laughter filling the hallway now. He made his way to the practice room door and slowly pushed it open, calling out to the two.
"Miss Weiss. Gelb. You two sounded most excellent today."
The pair looked up to his face with joy at his high praise. Weiss made an elegant bow, and shot her compatriot a sideways glance of earnest annoyance until he awkwardly attempted to replicate the maneuver. Klein couldn't help but smile at their playful banter. Weiss stepped forward to speak, as Gelb seemed preoccupied being red faced over his blunder.
"What brings you here so early, Klein?"
"I believe Miss Winter's tutoring has nearly ended early, and I require my help back, unfortunately." He pointed to the embarrassed violinist behind her. "Dinner will most likely be served early tonight, and I'm afraid your sister may not be joining you."
Weiss looked displeased, but this was not out of the ordinary recently. "Gelb, thank you for your help today. I look forward to another chance to practice soon."
Gelb bowed and spoke sheepishly back to her.
"Of course. You know I love playing for you, Weiss."
Her smile in response was radiant. Klein's raised eyebrow at the lack of a Miss Weiss, however, sent him into a hurried retreat, packing his case, bowing, and sprinting out the door in mere seconds.
"Thanks Miss-lots to do-dinner-gottagobye!" He disappeared down the hallway, but Weiss called after him.
"Gelb! Don't run or Father will punish you!"
Klein looked unfazed. He bowed once again to the young girl in front of him and quickly apologised for his subordinate's behaviour.
"Once again, so sorry for this intrusion, Miss Weiss. Dinner will be served in a short while."
Weiss made a worried look towards the door, but waved her hand. "Don't worry, Klein. Thank you for letting me borrow him."
Klein bowed and left. As soon as the door closed behind him, he spoke to the empty hall to his left.
"Gelbhämmer! We are needed in the kitchen, so if you would refrain from hiding behind that corner, we can serve dinner on a timely manner."
The boy walked out from around the corner sulkily.
"How'd you know?"
"Because you always do this. And like you'd ever run towards the place where you actually have to work."
Gelb shrugged uninterestedly. Klein always knew where Gelb would hide, and always knew where the next work would be. In truth, Klein felt responsible for the boy, as he had been the one to suggest his employment.
Gelbhämmer had been not much more than an orphan vagrant three weeks ago, stealing bread from the local bakeries' garbage and causing trouble for the police of Atlas. One day Klein had found him absconding with some food scraps from the kitchen, well after dark. Caught red handed, Gelb had tried to run, but the security staff was quite good here at the Schnee Estate, once informed of an issue, and captured him quite easily. Klein did not want the Master to be awoken at such an hour, as his temper is something the butler prided himself on keeping well on the good side of. Seeing that the boy clearly needed a place to stay, and having some sympathy for the urchin, he had him locked in the gardener's until morning, with a meagre supper. After a day of isolation, annoying escape attempts, and Klein covering up his kindness by telling Jacques it had been appropriately handled, the boy pulled something none expected.
The gardener had always been an older man with trouble finishing the chores, his backbreaking work being nearly too much for him. Klein planned upon finding a new gardener soon, but hadn't had the time to interview yet. The boy somehow decided during his imprisonment that he owed the old gardener for the food he'd left him throughout the day, and helped him finish his work in record time. Klein has always wondered what sparked the change in him, but whenever asked, Gelb seemed to reply the same way.
"Kindness always must be repaid in kind."
It always struck Klein as something that a mother would teach, but Klein never bothered to pry. The boy was an excellent hand, and that's all Klein truly cared about. The butler figured if the boy had a family, he would likely be with them, rather than pilfering garbage to sustain himself. Klein needed help, and Gelb needed food and a roof over his head. The two struck a deal. As long as Gelb kept himself out of trouble, he'd retain his job here at the Schnee estate, and Jacques would never find out that Klein had taken in a thief.
Gelbhämmer was on kitchen cleaning duty the next day. Jacques agreed to take on a few new servants at the same time, such as the new gardener, so just kind of slipping the boy's name in there was simple enough. After all, the Master had much better things to do than background check his new trash collector. That was the job of Klein, his trusted manservant.
So Gelbhämmer became a member of the staff, with the benefits of having three meals a day and a bed to sleep in. He may have run afoul of the chef and his staff from time to time, but he mostly kept his nose clean, sliding by under Klein's radar. Gelb often kept to himself and never really opened up to any of the staff, but he expressed himself in other ways. He quickly learned to play the violin, and so Klein allowed him to help the young Miss practice for the last two weeks.
As the pair arrived at the kitchen, Klein gave a slight bow to the chef, who waved back quickly, and looked down to his companion.
"Well, here we are. Back to your day job, much to your dismay."
Gelb gave a slight smile, and shrugged, as if to say, "What can you do? Such is life." He began to turn away and enter the kitchen before Klein stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Before you go, Gelb, I want to thank you, but also warn you. Miss Weiss doesn't have any friends her age here. I appreciate you taking care of her during the days, as no one should have to be so alone at twelve. But do remember your place. Master Jacques will not be so lenient on your informality."
Gelb nodded thoughtfully, as he had seen the Master's wrath before for lesser concerns. He reached forward and gave Klein a hug. The butler's surprise was written all over his face.
"Thank you Klein. I never really had a home before this place, and I couldn't make it without you."
Klein smiled and ruffled the boy's hair as he pulled away. "Just looking after the staff, Gelb. Best get to the kitchen before the staff start to make angrier faces."
The staff did seem annoyed at the length of two's goodbye.
"On it!" Gelb saluted him childishly and stuck out his chest, before shuffling of the to kitchen to begin his work.
After making the short walk to the Master's study, Klein stood before the heavy, wooden door. He heard raised voices inside, and so hesitated to knock. More and more lately, Miss Winter and the Master had been having disagreements like this. Her choice to attend the Atlas school for hunters and huntresses in the fall, apparently, was something the Master did not approve of, thus causing some tension between the two during her tutoring sessions under her father.
Suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, had still poised to knock, the door was thrown open, and he stood face to face with Winter Schnee, who looked ready to fight a pack of beowolves. She looked angrily in his direction, but after a moment, seemed to catch herself and showed a more passive face, nodding to greet him.
"Klein. You'll find Father inside at his desk, from which he plans to fully control my life." Her sarcasm was not missed.
Jacques stood up from his desk at her comment, his face both taciturn and stern. "This," he paused, "discussion is not over. We will speak of this again. You will not abandon this family or this company."
Winter looked away from him the entirety of his speech. She made a point to stalk down the hall, her head held high, just to bring her father's ire.
Klein looked worriedly after her, but turned his head back to the Master after he spoke.
"Teenagers, Klein. Too much trouble." Jacques sighed and sat back in his leather desk chair.
"Quite so, sir." Klein offered a friendly smile in response. He knew exactly what the Master would want at this point, and so began pouring him a glass of whiskey from the cabinet behind the desk.
"Why doesn't she understand I want to protect her, and save her from that life of heartache and sacrifice?"
Klein handed Jacques the glass as he answered. "She just wants to help people, sir. In a way, I think she wants to make you proud."
The head of the Schnee Dust Company took a sip of his whiskey as if deep in thought, then replied. "That's bullshit. You and I both know all Hunters do is be foolhardy and dead. How is she supposed to help her family, her company, or her country when she's dead at twenty?"
Klein nodded solemnly. The lot Hunters picked was a rough one. He'd seen it more times than he could count. Honest, courageous youth left to save the world, and they returned husks of themselves, in the rare case that they returned at all.
Jacques continued. "I want her to be happy, but we have things that need to be done here in Atlas. I won't be around forever, and she needs to be prepared to take over in case something happens. This 'White Fang,' or whatever those degenerate protesters call themselves, seems less satisfied with their picket signs every day. Who knows when they may trade those slogans about equality for rifles. And when that happens, someone will need to ensure the future of this family and this company, even if my life is taken." He paused to take another long drink, breathing a weary sigh before he spoke again. "But then again, should that situation arise, I suppose some training to protect herself wouldn't hurt."
The two were interrupted by a knock at the door, where one of the serving staff stood to escort them to dinner.
At dinner that evening, Klein stood behind the Master, tending to his plate personally, while the four members of the Schnee family ate in silence. Whitley, being only ten, had clearly learned his father's ways well. The boy exuded aristocracy and class, and even showed a supportive, kind smile to his sisters whenever he could.
After the main course had bee served, the Patriarch cleared his throat. "I'm glad we are able to gather like this. As your father, I am proud of all of you." He paused so they could all look to the head of the table, where he was seated. "Unfortunately these days are not to last. Your sister, Winter, has declared her interest to leave us and study to become a Huntress, throwing away her life as a part of this family."
Winter's hands visibly squeezed her silverware tighter, but she said nothing, nor allowed the anger to grace her face. Whitley was the first to react to the news.
"Winter? You would leave our family?" His saddened eyes looked up to his oldest sister questioningly. She turned to him with a determined look.
"Whitley. I know that right now what Father says is everything to you, but someday you will have dreams of your own. Remember that. When you are older, follow your own path, not one you are forced upon."
Jacques looked upon his daughter with a familiar, almost nostalgic, gaze. "Quite so, my dear. Every man must follow his own path. And you would like to follow yours, deciding to take on the mantle of a huntress. Your mother was quite the same." Winter's piercing, icy gaze looked like it would cut right through any lesser man when her father spoke of her mother, finally showing her anger, but Jacques seemed unfazed and continued. "She was determined, compassionate, and courageous. But none of that mattered in the end. In the end the state took advantage of her and got her killed. I don't want to see that very same thing happen to my children, too. Can't you understand that I want to protect you? Will you still not relent, knowing that you may face that fate which has already taken one of us?"
Winter looked down as her visage darkened, from anger to one of determined resolution. "I understand your reasoning, Father. And I have no intent to abandon my family. But I will not relent. I will protect the people of Atlas AND my family as a huntress." She looked up after speaking. Klein could tell she had been thinking hard on this, and that nothing could change her mind, not even the cold-hearted guilt Master Jacques could manipulate his family into throwing upon his eldest.
The Master then surprised all gathered. He spoke as if passing judgement. "Very well, Winter. If that is the road want to take,with no reservation, I shall allow it. But, you will not step one toe out of line while at that school of James's." He practically spat as he said the word school. "You will conduct yourself as a Schnee, and if you do not, you will be right back here in a heartbeat."
Winter's eyes were wide with shock. Klein had never seen Jacques be so accommodating before. But the butler knew his angle, and no doubt knew what he would explain next, as the patriarch continued. "Furthermore, you still stand to inherit this company. You will always put this company, and this family, first over all Hunter duties. Do not be dissuaded by Ironwood's honeyed words. You are not a hero for the state to use, and I will not be burying one of my daughters for the same foolhardy reason I buried my wife."
As Jacques spoke Klein saw Winter lower her eyes, moving from shock to acceptance. She seemed to understand the deal her father was offering. Be the heiress of this company after you graduate, not a professional huntress, and maybe you'll get to graduate. Winter stood up from her half-eaten dinner and responded, her voice clear, but drained, as if considering whether the cost of winning this battle was too great.
"So be it. Father, I shall do so."
With that simple affirmation, she began her life as a Huntress. After her agreement, she walked away from the table without so much as a backwards glance or a word to her siblings. Jacques watched her go, but returned to his meal shortly after. Weiss and Whitley continued to eat after she left, but they seemed apprehensive and unsure, glancing to the Master's seat every now and then to gauge his mood.
Klein watched this all with conflicting thoughts. He was happy for Miss Winter to gain some level of independence to follow her dreams, but her leaving would certainly put more strain on the already tense atmosphere of the Schnee household. What would her leaving cause for Miss Weiss and Master Whitley? A worry for another day perhaps.