Hello everyone this is a new story and it came out from a little competition between a friend of mine and I. We each wrote a chapter and presented it to a group of friend to determine which one is better. And guess what. It was a draw.
So Hapless-Ace and I decided that we post each our chapter and take our twist to this story. So don't be surprised if you see a similar story with the same prompt showing up on the side.
(Chapter published: 30 October 2018)
Chapter One: The Spoils of War!
Heavy footsteps accomplished with the ring of mail can be heard as one Warden marched through the camp of the 'Iron Legion'. A letter holding tightly in the hand.
The decoration of the armor and the sigil ranked the Warden as a high ranked member of the militia.
The Warden grasped a nearby knight and roughly showed they helmet together.
"Where can I find Jaune of Arc?" demanded a female voice behind the helmet.
"I-I don't know!" Stuttered the unfortune knight, unable to answer the Wardens question.
With a clicking of her tongue the Warden showed the poor soul away.
That was already the third person who couldn't answer her question. At least the ones she could get to talk. Most of them run away as soon they saw her family sigil on her chest.
She looked at the letter in her hand as she continued her way to the commander of this battalion.
The letter was the reason why she even came here and why she was in such a foul mood.
A letter of her brother.
The letter tells of a standstill between the knights and the Vikings and a immediate battle between two champions of each fraction.
The reason for the fight of Champions was that the winner side would get all the land, meadows, farmlands and village.
A sensible demand and not uncommon if both groups are of equal powers and have much to lose.
It helps also that a fight decided between two people usually lead to less Grimm been spawned.
No. The unusual part and what made her blood boil was the insistence of the Vikings that the Champions have to be the youngest of each group.
That alone was enough to rise all kind of red flags inside her head. Usually it were the most experience fighters who would fight such a honorable battle.
The northern troupes are the youngest among the Iron Legions army, mostly made of fresh recruits and newly trained. The troupe her brother was in.
The Warden heard steps getting closer to her and then keeping up with her.
She didn't need to turn back to see who was following her.
"Have you found the captain?" She asked without turning around.
"Yes, he is in his tent on the western part of the champ." Came the reply of a female voice.
"And our brother?"
"No"
"Ts!"
Both sisters walked in silence to the captains tent.
Both guards before the entrance stiffed as they saw them approach.
"We wish to speak with your captain." The Warden stated her business.
The two guards exchanged nervous glances and then one went inside to check if the captain is actually entertaining visitors.
He came out shortly and both sisters went inside the tent.
Inside the Warden removed her helmet, letting long braided blond hair fall on her back, her sisters doing the same behind her.
"Ah, lady Violetta of Arc and lady Saphira of Arc. What brings me the honor of your visit?" Asked the round captain joyfully, his mustache dancing with each word he spoke.
Violetta sharped her namesake eyes at the roundly captain, his poleaxe leaning on the back, identifying him as a Lawbringer, far away to be not threaten, but close enough to swiftly grab it if needed.
"This letter of my brother is the reason why we are here lord Port." Violetta gave the letter to the captain.
He took the letter without a comment and began to read it.
They stand in silence as the captain read the contest of the parchment.
"I videre." He finally said.
"Oh, you see!" Violetta snapped, "Its great that you understand because I cannot see how you could agree to such ridiculous trade!"
"Watch your tongue lieutenant!" Port warned the Warden with a stern voice and a clear warning "A battle between Champions to decide the fade of a battle. If I remember correctly you served in one or two such battles as a Champion yourself."
Violetta wanted to retour with a biting remark but the open hand of the Lawbringer stopped her. "As for why I agree to such terms I think the letter said more then enough. The soil in this field is rich, good for harvesting. Would it have come to a battle the results would be disastrous. Not only would we have lost most of our knights, but the bodies and the blood would have spoiled the soil, the fields already growing here would have been in danger to catch fire and the nearby village wear then in danger to be overrun by the Grimm the battle and death would inevitably have brought here, lacking in any strong militia to defend the magnitude such battle usually brought. No. Fact is that a duel of the Champions was the only logical step we could have made."
"Then why didn't you fight elsewhere?" Saphira asked.
Port laughed humorlessly "And where should that be? In the surrounding forest, the mountains with a ground of peddles? Or in the swaps of the south? No child, this field was the only place we could have fight and even then it was too precious to risk it."
"And you don't found it suspicious that they demanded that the youngest of each group should fight?" Violetta demanded.
"Of course I did!" Port exploded, taking insult in the suggestion of his incompetence. "I demanded a explanation and to see who they youngest would be."
"And?"
"They told us that the reason for why the youngest should fight each other was that it would be a way better measurement of how strong each army was. If the lowest, weakest member could best the other one of the army then it shows that the rest of us could do it too. And don't worry, they champion is in the same age as ours."
Violette released a breath she didn't realized she hold. At least her brother wasn't in immediate danger.
Regardless!
"I still will take our brother with us. He isn't ready for this kind of battle, let alone to act as a champion." She was in her fifth battle before she fought as a Champion for the first time.
Ports expression changed to that of regret and sympathy. "I am afraid that this is not possible. The battle was already fought. A Champion was already chosen."
"What!" Violetta asked forlone, she barely heard her sister gasp in the background. "You don't mean to-"
"I am so sorry that it had to come to this." His regret sounded sincerer but also hollow in Violetta ears as she began to sway in her stand.
It cannot be! Her brother can not be felled in battle. Not in his first real skirmish. Not as a fallen Champion.
But it all made sense! The evading answers to her brothers wear about. Why so many fled for her the moment they saw her sigil or why no one wanted to tell her where the captain was.
"I had to proceed with the ceremony on the spot or risked offending the Vikings and risking that the battle would had happened."
Uh? Why would the Vikings care for what happened with the fallen champion? Especially the one from the enemy? Where there some honorable ceremony that happen afterwards? She didn't know. The two times she fought as a Champion was against the Samurais.
It gave her some respect for the Vikings, at least.
She didn't know when she falled to her knees, or how long she stand there. She only know that a hand was comfortingly resting on her shoulder. She turned her head and saw to her younger sisters face.
Her face was stern and unmoving, but her eyes were wet and full of tears.
Violetta understood what she wanted to say.
"I thank you captain for your words." Violetta said as she stand up back to her feeds. "Please would you be so kind and give us the body so we can take it."
"…I beg your pardon?" Port asked confused, a bushy eye brown raising to the hairline.
"Even when he lost his first battle so still has he the right to be laid down in the family tomb with his ancestors.
"What?" Port was now genuinely confused.
"You are not at fault Lord Port." Violetta continued, ignoring the man for now. "You only did what was best for the legion and the knights and had little room to act but-"
"Dear child your brother is alive!" Port finally figured out what the woman is talking about.
"What?" Violetta asked
"How?" Saphira added.
"Your brother is not only alive, he also won the battle. He is a Champion!" Port exclaimed joyowall.
"Wait, wait, wait." Violetta said, shaking her hands before her "You are telling me that my brother, the young Jaune of Arc, fresh recruited and out of training, not only survived a duel of Champions but actually won!" her disbelieve was clear to hear.
"Yes!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Then why is everyone acting like he died!" Both sisters demanded in union.
Port chough into his first, a red tin across his cheek. "Well, it has more to do with what your brother did afterwards."
Violetta facepalmed as she heard that. Gone was the worry of her brother and replaced with a all to familiar feeling of annoyance.
"What did he do this time?"
"Well, you see. He kind of …"
'Everything is fine Jaune. You can do this. It is only your sisters. They will understand. You only need to explain them why you are currently in this situation and then they can help you find a way out of it.' Jaune told himself, trying to mentally prepare himself for the inevitable.
One of his friends and more comrades have warned him that his two oldest sisters arrived on the champ and were searching for him. Or the captain.
Jaune nervously looked to his side as he and his new companion march to the captains tent.
"So, two of your sisters are here?" His new companion asked.
"…Yes." Came the nervous reply.
"Oh by Thor! I am so nervous! And Exited! I didn't think I would meet your family this fast!"
"Hehehe, yeah. Me too." Jaune whispered defeated, shoulders slagging.
Both youth arrived at the tent in silence, the two guards missing.
"Listen," Jaune began, gaining the attention of his…partner "Let me do the talking, alright? They are my sisters and if I explain them everything then we-"
"HE DID WHAT!" Jaune winced as he heard the scream of two woman from the tent.
"Never mind." Jaune said, already accepting his destiny.
He didn't had to wait long as immediately both his sisters came stumbling out of the tent. The nearly fell over each other as both Arc woman's saw they brother and the companion he arrived with.
A clearly female companion who had her arms around his own.
They looked from him to her, hands moving without meaning anything, mouth opening and closing in a speech without forming any words to say.
'Yep, I know that feeling' Jaune thought humorlessly to himself.
His partner didn't seem to care for this situation and simply stepped before the speechless knightess with a big grin on her face treading to split her face in two and her hands proudly placed on her hips.
"Greetings! You two have to be the sisters of Jaune. It's a great pleasure to finally meet you two! I am Nora of the Valkyries! Proud Warrior of the Vikings, slayer of Gradian, daughter of Mor'du and most importantly-" She took Jaunes arm into her own, pressing it between her bust, her grin turning into a radiant smile "The new consort of Jaune of Arc and your new sister-in-law!"
-END-
This was the first chapter, a little short but the coming chapters should be longer.
So please review and review and follow if you like it.
Next chapter: 28 October 2018