Chapter VIII: Winter Bloom
January 7, 2007 6:00 PM Vale Standard Time (VST)
"Do you have any idea what you've done, Vincent!?" Jacques shouted , slamming his fist into the mahogany table that he was seated at. James and Winter were both in standing positions behind his chair quietly, listening intently. "The Old Kingdom split centuries ago for a reason! It was too large, and the monarchy couldn't hold it together! The four courts rebelled and formed into what we have today! Are you trying to return to a broken system of rule that failed the people of this continent?"
Vincent calmly sipped at his brandy, Jaune and Alchemy standing similarly behind him. Setting his glass down softly, Vincent spoke. "The Old Kingdom broke because of its king, not because it was a failed system. But I'm not here to talk about what form of rule does and does not work. Orpheus and I came to this agreement because we felt it's time for a new nation. The world changed for the worse when the Hundred Year War began, and it changed for the better when it ended. We want to keep the momentum and change for the better, just as we did all those years ago."
"And how did the world change for the better? We ended a war before it was won, and then we invited the enemy to live within our borders!" He took a deep swig of his own brandy and caught his breath. "You've gone power hungry. By marrying your son to the Nikos girl, you've ensured that your family line will rule this new nation. A nation that, might I add, will be twice as big as any of the courts are alone! If you think I'm furious about this obvious display of expansion, you should see how Qrow feels!"
"While I respect and value Qrow's opinion, he isn't the true leader of the Summer Court. He's a regent. He has no lasting deciding power. He never wanted it to begin with. When his niece turns eighteen, she will take control of the Summer Court."
"So you intend to weasel your way into her favor then? Do you intend to take the Summer court from a fresh, young lord who has no experience before she even has a chance to do her people any good?"
"No!" Vincent shouted as he stood, causing Jaune to flinch; he'd never seen his father angry before. "I intend to explain the situation to her in detail, just as I have to you, Jacques. It's up to you and young Yang Xiao Long Branwen if you want the Winter and Summer courts to fuse with us. She can make that choice on her own, and she'll have Qrow and her father there to advise her decision. I will hold no influence over her!"
Matching Vincent, Jacques stood. "You did this knowing that Qrow and I can't make similar decisions. You're the only one with a son who will hold any real power!"
"You have a son too, Jacques. There's nothing stopping you from arranging to have him wed Yang."
"Ha! A son, indeed. The third child, Vincent. He will hold no power."
"That's what Qrow thought, too. But he's in charge of the Summer Court even as we speak."
"You've already pointed out that his rule is temporary. He'll step down when Raven's daughter is old enough."
"And you know Orpheus and I can't complete this arranged marriage until our children are old enough. It's not happening over night. They're fourteen, for God's sake, Jacques!"
"Indeed they are!" the white haired man agreed. "You, Arc boy, how do you feel about this situation?"
Jaune hesitated. "Uh...me?"
"Yes you, boy!"
"It's okay, son. You can answer honestly. I know you have your doubts," Vincent urged.
"Oh, I'm sure he does," Jacques egged on.
Jaune cleared his throat, and he felt Winter's piercing gaze upon him. Swallowing, he began to speak. "I'll admit, it was a bit of a shock. To both of us. Neither Pyrrha or I were prepared for it in the least. The concept will take some getting used to, of course, and I do have my doubts as to whether or not we'll be a good match for each other."
"See? Do you see, Vincent?"
"M-my lord, I haven't finished."
Jacques crossed his arms as he sat back down."Hmph!"
"As odd and sudden as this all is to me, and I'm sure Pyrrha feels the same way, if it could help in the long run to unify our people and usher in a new sort of peace, then I'm behind it. We won't know for certain unless we try, Lord Jacques."
Jacques finished the last of his brandy, and Noel quickly stepped forward to refill his glass. "You've corrupted your son, Vincent. If this backfires in your face, I hope you know that I'll be the first to tell you I told you so."
Vincent, still standing, glared at the Schnee lord. "What is it that you expect out of this situation, Jacques? Just how negative is your view in all this?"
"The Faunus will see this as a new form of oppression. They'll jump at the chance to revolt again. You've heard the reports out of Menagerie, right?" The ruling family had to flee after the end of the Hundred Year War. House Belladonna is broken, probably dead by now. The current ruler, one Sienna Khan, only achieved her power by killing the previous ruler. She's rallying Faunus support for another war. I know it."
"The previous ruler was corrupt, Jacques. It was nothing more than a revolution. Loathe as I am to admit it, sometimes to only path to a brighter future is to stain one's hands with blood. I for one am proud of this Sienna Khan. She sullied her own hands, and didn't order one of her followers to do it herself. To me, that speaks volumes to her character."
"The courts cannot survive another Hundred Year War, Vincent. That was the only reason that I agreed to the cease fire. I have my people to worry about. If a flawless victory had been assured, you can bet that I'd have ordered Ironwood and his troops straight into the Menagerie capital to snuff out the last wisps of rebellion from those animals." He sipped at his newly filled brandy glass. "I'm doing as I've always done; I'm looking out for what's best for the Winter Court."
Vincent's eyes narrowed. "The last time I checked, Jacques, you're a regent as well, just like Qrow. You married into the Schnee house, and only assumed power after your wife passed." He turned to Winter. "How old are you, my lady."
"Seventeen, my lord," she answered.
"Then it seems I'm wasting my breath with one whose time is almost up. What do you think, Lady Winter?"
"How dare you use the death of my wife in your argument!" Jacques shouted as he stood once more.
"A terrible loss, to be sure, Jacques. I'm no stranger to it. I've lost my wife as well, so do not misunderstand me. But you have less than a year before Winter takes power. Or do you intend to usurp the lordship from its rightful owner?" The two men stared, but Jacques never answered. "I thought not. That's why you brought Winter with you; to give her a taste of what she'll be doing full time very shortly."
"This is ridiculous," Jacques said. He sat back down and turned to face his daughter. "Very well. As much as I hate to admit it, he's right; this should be your decision to make. Whatever you decide, Winter, I'll enforce until you take over in my stead."
"Even if I rule against you?" she asked, and Vincent smiled. She's a smart one, he thought.
Jacques' face grew more and more red with anger before he sighed and lowered his head. "Yes. Even if I don't agree with it."
Winter smiled and gave a Sir Ironwood a passing glance; the general, for all his intimidating presence, gave her a loving smile and nodded. Winter stepped forward and began to address Vincent directly. "Give me all the details that you and Orpheus have laid out for this plan of yours."
Vincent breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down. "Of course...Lady Winter."
Though it was still somewhat early, the sun had set close to an hour ago. The two girls were bundled up in their winter coats, warm hats, and gloves, and Ruby was instructing Weiss on how to properly build a snowman in the light of the outdoor lamp posts. "You start with a snowball, and your keep rolling it to be bigger and bigger until you have the base. And then you repeat that a couple of times, each piece smaller than the last until you're done. It's that simple!" She had already finished the base while she was explaining, motioning for Weiss to pitch in for the rest.
The white haired girl was all too happy to oblige as she began to roll up the snow on her hands. To her surprise, it wasn't as easy as Ruby had made it out to be as the snow crumbled and fell away in her grasp. "O-oh," she said. "That's no good. Let me try again." Taking up another handful of snow she attempted a second time, only to achieve the same result. "Ah!"
Ruby giggled. "You're using too much force, Lady Schnee. Here, like this." Taking the older girl's hands into her own, she began to show her step by step how to form a snowball. Weiss couldn't avoid the blush that spread across her face. "Hm? Are you okay, Lady Schnee? Is it too cold"
"Weiss," she answered.
"Hm?"
"Just call me Weiss. I think I'd prefer that."
"S-sure," Ruby stuttered, a blush of her own forming. "I would say you could just call me Ruby, but I don't really have a title to drop."
"Then, how about this; when you become knighted, I can keep calling you Ruby while everyone else calls you Sir Ruby. Deal?"
Ruby looked up and met Weiss' ice blue eyes. "Y-yeah! You got a deal." She looked back at their hands, revealing a small snowball. "Ta-dah! See? It's not so hard."
"You're right. I was overcomplicating it."
Carefully, the two continued to work until they completed the snowman. Ruby crossed her arms and held her head proudly. "Ah, all in a day's work. What do you think, Weiss? Blagh!?" She turned to face Weiss, only to get pelted in the face with a snowball, causing her to stumble backwards.
Weiss laughed profusely. "I'd heard that there's a game called a snowball fight," she stated with a grin. "Think you can beat me?"
"Oh ho ho!" Ruby replied with a competitive grin. "So the little princess wants to spar after all! You asked for it!" Grabbing a fist full of snow, she prepared for her counter attack, and Weiss ran away a short distance to prepare her own arsenal.
"Just ask my sister or my brother," Weiss said. "I hate to lose!"
"That's a shame, because I love to win!"
"That's the gist of it," Vincent finished. "Assuming it all works out as planned, it'll boost public morale and encourage a prolonged peace between our peoples, including the Faunus."
"I see," Winter said.
"You're a fool if you think it'll work," Jacques said coldly.
"I'm not so sure," Alchemy chimed in. "It is a solid strategy. Additionally, knowing the tendency for the Winter and Summer courts to butt heads, our two territories combined will create a political boundary that can't be crossed without approval. Same goes for any potential uprising from the remnants of Menagerie, which lies further south than the Summer court."
"That's insulting to Qrow and I!"
"But it is a valid point, my lord," James added. "You pretend to be friends with Qrow, but this isn't the public eye we're talking about this in. Everyone present knows that the two of you don't exactly get along. And, if the Summer Court were to agree to merge, then the resulting nation would look far more intimidating to any Faunus incursion, should they feel so inclined to start another war. Separate we're but independent states that at face value don't appear to be threatening. Under a single banner, any potential enemy nation would think twice before invading." He turned and nodded to Vincent. "You've clearly put more thought into this than you've led us to believe, Lord Vincent." Vincent merely smiled in response.
"Agreed," Winter said with a smile. "I've come to a decision, Lord Vincent."
"I'll happily hear it, Lady Winter."
"The Winter Court will not merge. We, at present, have no need for the extra natural and political defenses. But we will endorse this merging of the Autumn and Spring courts."
"Winter!" Jacques shouted.
"And, on the day that Lord Jaune and Lady Pyrrha are to be wed, I will be present to show my support and assist in the transition."
"You can't be serious!"
"That is my decision." She turned and faced her father. "They aren't going to be married for four more years, father. I officially take your place as lord in August of this year. One way, or another, this is my decision."
"You gave your word, Jacques," Vincent said, not bothering to hide his smile.
"Tch," Jacques downed his second brandy. "Very well. I concede defeat." He gave Vincent a glare. "But, I'll also keep my other promise. If this comes back to bite you in the ass, and trust me, Vincent, it will, I will be there. And when you ask me for help, I will tell you no."
"By then, it won't be up to you anyway," Winter said.
"Betrayed by my own blood," he muttered.
"It'll work, Jacques," Vincent assured. "This peace will last. There won't be another Hundred Year War."
Jacques stood. "You had best hope that I'm wrong, Vincent, just as I hope that you're right." He turned and made for the door. "Winter, James; we're leaving!"
"Yes father," Winter said with a smile."
"Where in the hell is Weiss?"
The battle raged on as Ruby and Weiss stared each other down on the snow covered battlefield, both short of breath and tired. "Give up yet?" Ruby asked.
"Not on a million years!" Weiss retaliated as she threw another snowball.
Ruby dodged and threw one of her own. "Your throwing arm is getting tired, Weiss!"
"So is yours!" Weiss shouted as she dodged. "But I have a secret that you don't know!"
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I'm not right handed!" Switching to her left hand she threw the next snowball as hard as she could.
Ruby didn't have time to dodge as it pelted her straight in the face. "Gah! My eye!" she shouted as she fell backwards into the snow.
Weiss gasped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" She ran over to check on Ruby. "Are you okay? Can you see?"
A pair of gloved hands grabbed Weiss' waste. "Psyche!" With all he might, Ruby rolled and forced Weiss into the ground eliciting a shocked yelp from the older girl. The two tumbled around in the snow, wrestling for dominance as they went. After a few moments the two of them stopped rolling and lay side by side in the snow, giggling uncontrollably as they tried to catch their breath. "See," Ruby said after a time. "You can have fun if you just try."
"Yeah," Weiss said. "This was a lot of fun. Thank you, Ruby."
"Nah, it was nothing. Glad I could be of service, my lady," she said with a giggle. "You're pretty fun yourself, Weiss. Jaune and I don't get to do stuff like that all that often anymore."
"Our lives are getting more complicated as we get older. Sometimes I wish I'd been born a commoner."
"Maybe I'm biased, but being a commoner isn't all that great. I can't complain about how my life turned out." She looked over at Weiss, who was also looking at her. "If I were still living on the streets, I'd never had the chance to meet Jaune and Pyrrha. Or you."
"That's true. And I'd never been able to meet you like this and just play. I guess being nobility isn't too bad." Weiss stared at Ruby for what felt like ages. "You have pretty eyes."
Ruby blushed. "T-thanks. I think yours are prettier, though."
"Please, blue is as common as it comes. Silver, now that's special. The color of expensive jewelry and dinner ware. There's value in your eyes." She looked up and stared at the moon above as it reached its zenith in the sky. "And it reminds me of the moon. Value and beauty."
"Ha ha," Ruby laughed nervously. "I don't know about beauty."
"No, really," Weiss assured as she turned back towards Ruby. "I can see boys lined out of the castle gates wishing that they could look into those eyes of yours."
"Well, I really doubt that. No boy could ever win my heart." She blushed even harder. "I-I mean, well..."
Weiss smiled. "So, you're just like me then."
"Ibegyourpardon?" Ruby spat out rapidly.
"Father wants me to marry some arbitrary noble's son every other week, but I always turn them down. None of them are what I want."
"Th-then what would you want, Weiss?"
Weiss blushed. "Someone like you, perhaps?"
"Awawawawa."
Weiss giggled. "I'm just as surprised to hear me say that as you are, Ruby."
"B-but, you're a lady. You're so pretty, and smart, and fun...a girl like me can't hold a candle to that."
"Know what I think?"
"Hm?"
Weiss smiled. "I think-"
"Weiss Schnee!" shouted the voice of Jacques, and both girls bolted straight to their feet. "What are you doing laying around in the snow?"
"N-nothing, father. Ruby was just showing me the garden."
"Lovely view from the ground I imagine. Look at you, you've made your coat filthy!"
"S-sorry, father," Weiss said dejectedly. "I-is the meeting over?"
"Yes. We're leaving. We're getting on the plane and going home right now. Come!" He turned to walk away. "I swear, I barely know my own children anymore," he muttered as he passed Winter.
Winter smiled and approached Weiss, giving her a brief hug. "S-so, it wasn't all that bad?"
"Let's just say I pulled one over on father for once," Winter said with a wink. She turned to Ruby and gave a polite bow. "Thank you for taking care of my sister. It looks like the two of you had fun."
"N-no problem. I mean, of course, my lady. It was no trouble," Ruby stammered.
"I'm sure we'll meet again very soon," Winter said. "Come along, Weiss. Let's not make father wait too long."
"Right." She turned to Ruby. "It was nice meeting you, Ruby."
Ruby nodded. "You too, Weiss. Have a safe trip." The sisters walked away and got into the waiting car with their father before driving off, leaving Ruby alone in the garden. Taking a moment to collect herself, she turned and re-entered the castle only to come face to face with Jaune who stared at her with a wide smile. "Hey. How was it?"
"I saw that," Jaune said, still smiling.
"S-saw what?"
"So, she's your type?"
"Oh, don't you start!"
"Think you have a chance?" Jaune teased, drawing a blush from Ruby. "Come on, you can tell your big brother."
"Uh...well...I...I might, actually." Ruby dropped her head to hide her embarrassment, but her smile was as wide as ever.
PART I: The Lord and the Rose [END]
