The White Huntress
Chapter 4: Another Rose
Yang crossed her arms and rested against the brown wood wall of Ghira's meeting room. She forced her attention away from the thought of the grieving Belladonnas off in another part of the mansion and back to the matter at hand. "And you're sure Nero said that?" Why the hell would he want Blake dead though? Her instinct of course was to assume it was just a cover story. That Nero was lying and he was trying to cover his own ass. But that was just instinct. Her heart told her something different.
"Yeah," Sun said as he slouched forward over the back of the chair. "He didn't exactly have any reason to lie. Not in the position we were in. He came outta nowhere, took down most of the folks at the headquarters, and whooped us a new one. I don't know much about politics, but I know enough to know that in a situation like that, he had all the power." Sun sighed, shifting his gaze down at the light brown wooden floor. "As much as I wish he were lying..."
"Yeah," Ilia said. "His attack was sudden. And what he said seemed to imply that Blake was holding him back somehow. Like, because he thought she was no longer around, he could do as he pleased. It was strange when he said "All that's left is our darkness."" She paced, holding her arms close to her chest. She stopped in her tracks and turned to them. "There's...something else."
From what she could gather—and from what she knew about the guy—he probably had a soft spot for Blake. The easy answer to that was because they shared the same soul, but if that was the case, then why become violent the moment he thinks she's gone? That line about "our darkness" sparked a worry in her. "What is it?" She asked.
"Before Blake...well, you know. She contacted me telling me to keep an eye out for a member of the Black Claw named Frost Rosala. She seemed to be of high rank within the organization." Ilia took out her scroll and fiddled with it. "So far, there's not much on her." Ilia turned her scroll upwards as an image of a faunus with fair skin and light, icy-blue hair and a grin on her face was projected up with the name Frost Rosala at the top. "She was orphaned during the Fall of Beacon, and eventually joined up with the restored White Fang after hearing about Blake's exploits."
"So...this Frost looked up to her?" Yang asked. And if that's true, then how much of her joining Nero was a coincidence? Yang began to wonder what the high-rank and file of the Black Claw knew about their leader. If it turned out they all knew who he really was, she might have to break their promise. She only agreed to this secret—even though they all promised to never keep secrets again—because she felt it was important; important enough to break that promise.
Ilia nodded. "Seems like it. As you can see, there's nothing we have on her that says when and why she joined the Black Claw. Which falls in line with everything else we know about them. As you can see from the files, besides her trying to emulate Blake through action and outfits, she never really did anything notable; nothing illegal, no thefts or murders, just volunteering with the faunus militia."
"What do you mean by that? About the Black Claw, I mean," Mom asked. "I don't know how long you've been at each others' throats, but surely you've learned something about them?"
Ilia shook her head. "Officially, the Black Claw doesn't exist. Some of our spies that infiltrated them discovered that everyone not a high-ranking member is kept in the dark, and they're mostly fed propaganda."
"And surprisingly, only a percentage of those who join stick around," Sun said."
"Well, it's not because the propaganda doesn't work, but rather because Nero intended it that way." Ilia closed her scroll and pocketed it. "We've only recently discovered that the organization as a whole is only made up of a tiny few; handpicked by Nero himself."
Oscar rubbed his chin. "Strange. Interestingly, Nero himself claimed to want to ally with us to take Owain down, and as far as I could tell, he didn't bring the Black Claw along." He looked to Ilia. "Do you have any info that suggests otherwise?"
Ilia shook her head. "No. None."
"I think we're getting a little off topic," Mom said as she crossed her arms. "As much as I find this interesting, the issue is Frost. Where did Blake first encounter her?"
Yang wondered if Mom wasn't just trying to return the focus back to Frost because of Blake, but because she was trying to shift away any discussion that might bring up Owain.
Ilia nodded. "Right...She encountered her some time during the final battle of Mistral. Blake decided to follow and keep track of Frost herself."
Qrow leaned forward, resting his arms over his knees. ""A subordinate of his." That's what Nero said. You think Frost did it? If nothing else, she's a suspect. If Nero intended to ally with us by himself then a high-ranking member showing up would be suspect, right? Especially if it was behind our back."
"Well, there we have it!" Yang pushed herself off the wall and walked toward the exit.
"Yang wait, what are you going to do?" Qrow asked.
She looked back at him. "Do you have to ask?"
"What, you're gonna rampage all over Mistral?" Qrow said. "You and Owain already did that. Not sure the city can handle that again."
"It's fine! I'm not gonna go on a rampage." She turned to them. "If Nero wants us out then me showing up will no doubt make him pop up. Then, I'll simply ask him to give us Frost."
"And then what?" Mom said. "You'll avenge Blake?"
"That implies Blake is dead. Until I see the relic for myself—until I get proof—I'm not jumping to conclusions." She leaned to the side and put a hand on her hip. "In fact, I'll get Nero to help me out on that." She furrowed her brow to Mom and Qrow. "I'll get him to agree to help me find the relic." She realized that if she said nothing more, the others would get suspicious of that. "Nero wants us to believe it was one of his subordinates acting out of turn. If that's true, then he wouldn't mind lending us a hand."
Qrow smirked. "Well, that's a much better plan than rampaging, I'd say." Qrow seemed to take the hint.
"Well, if there's nothing else..." Yang continued on her way out. She stopped in place. An idea popped into her head all of a sudden. Perhaps I could ask Owain about him. Mom said that he joined the Branwen Tribe. If she could only get him to tell her more about Nero, if he really could be trusted, or if he had an ulterior motive in having her keep this whole thing a secret. Maybe she could even get him to tell her what the relic was supposed to do to the Huntress if he even knew that."Mom, I need to talk to you in a bit, do you mind?" She said.
Mom nodded. "Sure."
"By the way, where's Weiss and Ruby?" Yang asked. She didn't mind that they weren't around. Probably busy with similarly worrying thoughts.
Qrow swung one leg over the other and leaned against his chair. "They're out training. Seems like what happened in Mistral got to them. They're out trying to push the limits of their semblances. Which is a good idea in my opinion. What August did to the Atlesian fleet was a pretty ridiculous display of Ruby's semblance."
She raised an eyebrow. "But what about Weiss? I understand why Ruby would be bothered by that, but Weiss?"
"Yeah, when Albus appeared, he revealed to her that she apparently has a second semblance. Her "real" semblance," Qrow said.
Yang put a hand on her hip. "That...sounds hard to believe."
Oscar looked at her. "It actually makes a sort of sense. Semblances are tied to our souls, our personalities. They are a part of who we are, yet for some reason Schnees don't get their own? They get a copy that runs in the family? Sure, it's apparently unique to them, but at the same time, you have to wonder why they don't also get their own; one that's much more personal."
Mom crossed her arms. "Though I get the feeling unlocking a second semblance is something unique to Schnees, and is not something that'll come naturally. If I had to guess—especially after all this time—she'll have a tough time unlocking it."
Yang looked to her mother. "Well there has to be more to it than that. As to why Weiss is so anxious." Was it really only just because she found out she might be able to unlock a second semblance? "What did Albus say to her?"
"Albus "invited" her to Atlas. Telling her to come when she's ready," Qrow said. "She's taken him up on that offer and had Whitley take over as acting president of the SDC for a time." Qrow leaned forward again, returning to resting his arms over his knees. "And from what she said, everyone in the company is perfectly alright with that. With what happened in Mistral, they have no problem having one of team RWBY return to the field till this whole business is dealt with."
What the hell was he like? She thought. Something else to ask Owain then. "Right. So, what about Mistral? And the Black Claw? Do we have a plan to deal with them? Or are we letting them "have" Mistral?"
"The Black Claw was never really our problem. That's the White Fang's business," Mom said. "I think we should turn our attention elsewhere for now." Mom turned to Ilia and Sun. "Sorry. But, if nothing else, it gives you time to rest and regroup."
Sun smirked. "Hey! No problem! We get it. Besides, we're in this together. Whatever is going on, it's most certainly our business. The White Fang and the Black Claw? They're just a small part of it."
Ilia turned to Sun and smiled. "Well said." She turned back to the group as her face turned a little more serious. "While we...grieve—whether Blake is gone or not—a lot of people died recently—so we'll just rest a little, and plan our next move." She sighed. "Not much we can do about Mistral anyway. Our headquarters gone, the city in shambles, Nero wanting us out. For now, we'll see what we can do to help out."
Oscar stood up. "First, let's let the Belladonnas grieve before we come up with a plan. No doubt they'll want to be a part of it."
The lightning flashed through the grimy, cracked windows. Thunder crackled in the air trembling through the house. The pouring of rain pelted the ceiling and windows. The wind howled and the shutters slammed against the wood walls. As Blake laid back in her makeshift bed, covered in an itchy green blanket made of wool, she took note of the storm not carrying with it the same...ominousness that came with the storm that shrouded Mistral. The one associated with Owain. She pulled off the covers and stood up. Well, there goes that. She had thought to focus on the storm to get her mind off of things.
She sighed. Can't go back to old habits, Blake. She tensed and relaxed her muscles. She opened and closed her fists. She breathed in and out, concentrating on every part of her body. She focused on every prick and tingle, on the beating of her heart. She got hit by a blast that was powerful enough to destroy a relic. She wasn't going to heal from something like that so easily, would she? Then again, it seemed as if Haven and the relic absorbed most of the impact. She should count herself lucky.
She wanted to laugh a little. August had freed her, though she wasn't sure if it was deliberate or by accident, though how could it be the latter? How could he have known she was in the relic itself? How in the world he got his hands on a dust dragon is something she would need to figure out, but right now she had other priorities. Maaaybe leave that one to Ruby, she thought as she continued to gauge herself. Her head spun with the same anxieties as those she had within Jinn's prison. But she forced them out. As much as you want to see Nero and find out the rest of what happened, you have to steady yourself first.
She didn't know where to begin. Should she find the others and tell them the truth? She had to find a way back to everyone—wherever they were—and finally tell them the truth of all this. Well, their identities anyway. Not only theirs but that of Morgan and Merlin as well. Ruby needed to know. It could be a coincidence, though if there was even the slightest chance it wasn't...she took a deep breath.
"How you feelin?" The man asked, shutting the creaking, rotted door behind him as he entered with more tea, accompanied by some bread atop a battered gray tray. She noticed the scars below the man's short mess of a hair, across his face. Some of them were poorly disguised by his equally unkempt beard. Yet despite the scars, the man had a kindness to him. A...sort of innocence. A kind of innocence that betrayed the wounds on his face.
"Great! I feel great!" She looked to him with a smile. "Aura has its benefits. Though I still have the both of you to thank for rescuing me."
He placed the tray beside her bed with the cup of tea. "Don't mention it!" He scratched his head, seeming a bit embarrassed. "So, what are you going to do now?"
She continued to check herself over. "I need to train. But first, I need information." She looked at him again. "Do you know what happened after the battle ended? Do you know anything about the Black Claw?"
"Well, after the battle all the sounds of fighting ceased. As for the Black Claw." He looked off to the side. "They've been rather busy. As soon as the fighting ceased, a few of them were scouring all over the place. The usual ones that do, but more frequently. No idea why, though."
That meant she had to be careful. Looks like you failed, Frost. She couldn't afford to give away her existence. She had to stay low and let them think she died. She had no idea if Nero knew what Frost did, but she wasn't ready to confront him yet, as much as she wanted to. Being reminded of the fact that Frost actually attempted to kill her only forced her anxieties back up. She wondered how Nero felt about it. She couldn't imagine he had something to do with it. Did he feel bad about it? Was he sad? Angry? What was he doing now?
But first… "Hey mister?"She had to stay focused. The endless questions constantly pouring forth from the depths of her mind weren't going to do her any good.
"Hmm?"
"Are you...safe here? Does anyone harass you? Any strange visitors?" A part of her needed a place to lay low, a part of her didn't want to bring trouble to a family that had only been good to her, and a part of her was legitimately concerned about their safety given the state of affairs of that and she needed a place to train. To experiment with her semblance, following and copying what Nero did in the vision.
"No, no, nothing like that," He said with a hearty laugh. "My daughter and I are more or less alright down here. We keep to ourselves and everyone tends to leave us alone. Luckily when parts of Upper Mistral collapsed down to the lower levels, we were spared."
"Well, that's good." Her ears perked up toward her left. Toward the window. The storm had died down suddenly. I might be able to do some scouting, she thought. Though she would need a cloak of some sort to hide her face. "By the way, I never got your name."
"Maris. The name's Maris. My daughter's name is Pott."
She smiled warmly. "Guess I don't have to introduce myself." She said with a laugh. "Where is your daughter, by the way?"
"Oh, she's at a friend's house. She was really excitable this morning. No doubt she's telling everyone she meets that the Blake Belladonna is at her house." He laughed.
Oh boy. She forced out a giggle. "Speaking of which, if you don't mind—when she gets home—could you tell her to keep that a secret?"
"Oh, oh sure thing, not a problem! I'll make sure to tell her when she gets back."
She smiled. "Thank you. Not that she's doing anything wrong, but I'd rather play it safe given my fame." Hopefully the tendency for people to ignore children and what they say—especially if its hard to believe—still holds true. Oddly, she still found it endearing. Even after all this time, she still wasn't used to the fame.
He smiled understandingly. "Oh no worries! I understand." He scratched his head again. "Well, I don't actually, given that I'm not famous or anything, but—well you know what I mean."
She chuckled. "I do."
He put his hands on his hips and exhaled. "Well, I'll leave you to yourself for now. I apologize for not being able to get you something more...filling, but—"
"Oh, don't worry about it, it's fine! I'm just glad not to be dead, to be honest," She said with a chuckle.
He laughed. "I hear that. Anyways!" He walked toward the door to the small room that only made her wonder how big this house was. "If you need anything, just let me know! I'll be stopping by the market later."
She nodded. "Will do, Mr. Maris. And thanks again."
He smiled warmly and left the room, gingerly closing the door behind him.
She stood there smiling, solemnly. Such a nice person, she thought. Her face mutated into a stern expression as she gazed over at her right, directly at the wall made of the typical brown rotted wood. She couldn't tell if it had been from age or the rain, but she was surprised at how sturdy the house looked. Despite its poor material, no doubt it had been built and maintained by an excellent builder. But that was a concern for another time. Right now she needed to do what Nero asked of her back to what felt like years now, even though it had only been...well she had no idea really given her time in the relic. But… He wanted me to return to the shadows, she thought.
She faced the wall, planting her feet upon the ground firmly, and focused. It's probably not what he intended, but either way…It was time for her to learn. To advance her semblance. To not only leave behind clones, but to use them to form a connection with the shadows. To become one with them.
Yang scanned the dimly lit hallway, then closed the door. It was empty save for the fine white pottery lined with green flowery patterns and golden rims around the top. That and the many paintings of scenery with a few family photos of the Belladonnas, with some of them even having other people she was unfamiliar with. One of them seeming to be a tiger faunus with dark skin and short dark hair.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Mom said as she walked over to a wall in the guest room leaning against it.
She continued to scan the hallway. "Is there anyone in the Branwen Tribe you're particularly fond of?" She asked. She knew she was skulking around what she really wanted to ask.
Mom furrowed her brow. "Why? I'm assuming you want me to use my semblance."
She scratched her head. "Well..." She tried not to blush, feeling a tad embarrassed.
Mom snorted. "You know, if you wanted to see him, you could just come out and say it."
She jerked herself around. "I mean—we need information, right? He knows Nero personally. I figured I'd ask him about him, if he could be trusted, or anything else I might need to know."
Mom laughed a little. "You suck at lying. Well, either way, the answer is no—I don't have anyone I could open a portal to. You'd have to find a way to the Branwen Tribe by yourself. All the while hiding what you're doing from the others."
She almost forgot about that. The great and terrible secret. "About that..." She turned back to her. "If I'm not satisfied with Nero, or if Owain tells me he's not to be trusted, then I'll come out and tell everyone."
Mom furrowed her brow. "Not everyone. It's still a good idea to keep that information between people we can trust. These days, if people found out who Owain really is—who August really is—then we'd all have a bit of trouble on our hands. Especially after what the both of them did to Mistral."
Yang couldn't help but let out a harsh sigh. That's right. I was supposed to get Owain to redeem himself. "True. Then just us then. Oscar, Ruby, Weiss—everyone who's been with us all this time. Helped us along the way. Our family," she said with a smile.
Mom scoffed, but not in an impolite or dismissive way, but in her own little way that signified that she understood. "Well, let me know when you're ready."
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Why? I thought you couldn't port there."
"Because I'm going with you. I think it's time to see how the Branwen Tribe is doing firsthand. Azure may be leading it well—or so I hear—but she and I were never really close. She was one of the many members of the tribe that kept their distance from me."
"I'm surprised to hear that. How many of them distrusted you?" She asked.
"It wasn't distrust. More like...fear. Many of them had put me on a pedestal, and thus were too afraid to get near me or speak their mind in my presence." She scoffed disappointingly. "And they sucked at hiding it."
Yang made a closed-mouth sneer. "Makes sense. You were a little...off-putting."
Mom frowned and rolled her eyes. "Oh ha ha."
She laughed. "Anyways...I'll let Qrow know what I'm doing, and then we'll leave," she said.
Cinder walked down the sandy path betwixt two rows of sand-colored stone buildings. Even through the moderate sandstorm, she could tell much of the town seemed...under-populated. Seemed which ever tribe settled here were no longer around. Though that didn't really concern her. What actually concerned her was how Raven found out Owain's precise whereabouts and refrained from telling anyone.
Em coughed as she patted sand off her clothes as they all walked through the nigh-abandoned sandy streets. "So how do we know Owain is in Vacuo again?"
Mercury popped a pill as he rubbed his spine. He had made a quick recovery thanks to Atlas tech and therapy, but it still seemed he was far from combat ready. "Because." He swallowed. "Cinder overheard Raven's shouting and decided to eavesdrop."
"And be thankful I did. Had I not, we wouldn't have found out that Owain's staying with the Branwen Tribe. Thanks to that, I took the liberty of contacting one of their contractors under the assumption that we were looking to hire them."
Em coughed again. "That's strange, don't you think? How would Raven know that? I mean, it's not like the tribe knew he was the governor. Unless they're knowingly harboring him, though I can't see why given he was acting leader of their biggest rivals."
"From what I could gather, Azure—the current leader of the tribe—did indeed take in Owain without knowing who he was. Raven clearly thought that was a bad idea," She said. "Though I didn't get much more than that. The odd thing was why Raven kept silent about it." Then again, what was the likelihood that Raven trusted her enough with that information? Then again, why would she keep Owain's location to any of them a secret at all? Something definitely wasn't right and she didn't trust Raven enough to confront her about it.
"Well, we can ask Azure herself when we find the camp," Mercury said as his walk shifted between a straight walk and a stumble.
Looks like it'll be just Emerald and me against Owain, she thought as she side-eyed him. She returned her gaze to the path in front of her. "First things first, we need to play it safe and ensure that things work in our favor. There's no point in attacking Owain if the entire tribe comes to his defense."
As they continued along the path, Cinder noticed the shadowy outline of the makeshift camp that the upgraded Branwen Tribe had come to be known for. As they drew closer, she noticed that only a handful of guards had been stationed around the entrances. As they reached the gates, one of the guards cloaked in a full set of dust-infused plate armor stopped them. "Welcome to New Schist," He said. "Do you have business with the Branwen Tribe?"
Well well, looks like the Branwen Tribe has been taking advantage of the Huntsmen academies' blindspots quite well, Cinder thought as she let out her trademark coy smile. "Yes. I contacted one of your contractors not too long ago." She said as Emerald walked up, handing the other guard her scroll as proof.
The other guard took it, looked it over, and nodded to the other guard as he handed Em her scroll back.
"Well alright then. Come on in. We'll escort you to the boss," The first guard said as he turned around to enter the camp. The gates opened immediately, allowing them all passage.
Cinder looked to Emerald and Mercury, nodding to them. They had come here for one purpose, and one purpose only. One wrong move and they'd either be dead or they'd have a lot to answer for. As they walked through the base that—from what she heard—was supposed to be makeshift seemed more...advanced than that. It still looked like it could be closed down and moved quickly, but it also had the look of a permanent fortification. The joints at key sections of the walls were seamlessly worked into the metal, the walls themselves were thicker, more robust. The tents were made up of metal foundations, and no longer the stakes that she was familiar with. It all demonstrated that the three of them wouldn't have an easy time fighting the whole tribe if it came down to it.
Then there was the fact that the New Dawn was still technically around—led by Alexis Ravus—who had went missing after the final battle for Mistral. Fighting the tribe would only aid the New Dawn, and that wasn't in anyone's best interest.
All of them stopped short of the largest tent in the camp. It was the most elaborate with the entire drapery that made up the cloth portion of the tent itself being embroidered with fine gold patterns. The symbol of the tribe itself marked the top of the tent. The guard put his hand to his ear, and spoke into it under his breath. Seconds passed. Then a minute.
Then, a tall woman with sky-colored hair that was well kept, walked out in black leathers covered in silvery plate on the upper arms and the chest; she also had tassets. She stepped out and stopped, refusing to step any further down the steps placed before her. "So you wish to be our client."
"Azure Branwen," Cinder said. "Yes, but first, there's something you need to know."
"And what would that be?" She said, folding her arms.
"I understand that you've recently acquired a new member," Cinder said."
"You'll have to specify. We get new recruits all the time," Azure said, keeping her stern, unimpressed expression as she literally looked down on her.
"A man with blonde hair and red eyes," Cinder said. She took a step forward. "Owain Helios."
The guards muttered amongst themselves as Azure furrowed her brow. "That's quite the accusation you're throwing out," she said.
Cinder let out a closed-mouth grin. "Then bring him out. You can confirm it yourself."
"Let's say you're telling the truth. Then what?" Azure asked.
"Then what? You're harboring the former governor of Mistral, the former leader of your biggest rival. The one responsible for decimating a large portion of your tribe during the initial assault against him not a while ago. Don't tell me you intend on protecting him," Cinder said.
Azure's expression didn't change and she held it there quietly for what seemed like a minute. Then, "Shay!" She shouted.
A familiar light-brown haired man with a mullet walked out of a smaller tent to her left. "Yeah, boss?"
"Can you bring Vester here for a minute?" Azure said, never letting her break eye contact with her.
"Sure thing, boss," Shay said as he entered the tent.
"You two, inform everyone to get out here. I want them all present for this," Azure said.
The two guards broke off to each of the tents; each guard taking one side as they quickly got everyone out.
Cinder scanned them as they worked. This is going well so far. She turned back to the tent on the left as—Well, I'll be damned, he really is here. She thought as Shay walked out followed by him, though his hair was cut short. A chill ran down her spine as he looked in her direction. As they got closer, she noticed that he was missing his entire right arm. And he was unarmed. An urge rose within her to underestimate him; to assume he was nothing but a shell of his former self, broken by Yang during their final battle. It was an urge she forced away immediately. A monster like that wasn't going to go down that easily, regardless of how weakened he was, she thought as he stopped near both her and Azure.
"You wanted to see me," Owain said.
Azure looked him over. "This woman over here is telling me you're Owain Helios, former governor of Mistral...and the former leader of the New Dawn. Is that true?"
Cinder furrowed her brow. Azure's words annoyed the hell out of her. Are you an idiot? He's just gonna—
"Indeed it is," Owain said, much to her surprise. His words resulted in a wave of gasps and whispers throughout the now gathered crowd.
Shay looked the most surprised. He started laughing actually. "How in the hell did Raven's son become governor of freakin Mistral? And why didn't we take advantage of that?"
"Shay!" Azure said.
"Right. Sorry," Shay said.
Cinder latched on to that immediately. "What did you just say?"
"Raven's son?" Emerald said aloud.
"Where did you hear that?" Cinder asked Azure.
"First thing's first," Azure said as she looked down to Owain. "Want to tell me why you hid your identity?"
"I did mention I needed a place to lay low, didn't I?" Owain said. "If you're concerned that I've...infiltrated you or something, be at ease. Such things are...beneath me. If you were my enemy and if that was reason enough to potentially spark violence, I'd simply kill you all, and that would be that."
Azure's expression darkened amidst the rising whispers. She crossed her arms. "I see. So what's the game then? Call me skeptical, but I feel like there's something you're not telling me."
"There's plenty I'm not telling you in the same way that there's probably plenty you're not telling me. I have my private thoughts, like anyone else." Owain turned around to face the rest of the tribe. "Rest assured! The New Dawn was never anything but a tool in a game I had no fondness for. My role as governor was always temporary. I stand here now as nothing more than a weapon for this tribe."
"And why should they believe that, dear governor?" Cinder said, approaching him, though she kept up her guard, ready to flare up her dark flames at a moment's notice.
He glared at her and still her fear rose up from deep within her. "I've always had a fondness for this tribe, ever since I was a boy. Nothing more. I was defeated by Yang. She and I had made a promise during our final battle. One that she won, and I am simply keeping up my end of that promise."
Cinder furrowed her brow and pondered on his words. She pondered on his personality, on what Raven said about his abilities. Though thinking about Raven made her recall Shay's earlier remark. "Tell me, Owain. Why does Shay think you're Raven's son?"
"That's none of your concern. If you care so much to learn, then why not ask Raven herself?" He said.
Oh, I will, she thought. She turned back to Azure. "Don't listen to him. Let me execute him here and now, and rid you of him before you end up regretting it. You know full well the power he wields. You're not so stupid as to not have kept up to date on the happenings in Mistral. And let me be clear in case you haven't. He's not someone you can handle. He'll kill you all."
Azure smiled. "Will he? I'm not so sure. He's been utterly docile ever since he joined us, but make no mistake. He is indeed powerful. Though it's quite clear to me that he's not adept at bare-fisted combat." Her smile widened into an outright grin. "If he's as powerful as you are making him out to be, then he'd be a fine addition to this tribe."
Cinder's brow furrowed. She can't be serious, she thought. Cinder caught Owain looking at her again.
"I feel like this is a personal vendetta. I can smell the fear emanating from your body. The fear and the anger.If you hold such a grudge against me, then I'd be happy to oblige you in a one-on-one duel. What do you say?"
Cinder turned to him. "And what, then? What are the terms of this duel?"
Owain turned to face the crowd. "I will fight the Fall Maiden in fair combat! Until one of us can no longer fight! Should I be defeated, then I submit myself to her mercy as someone unworthy of this tribe's patronage!" Owain turned to face Azure, looking up to her as she folded her arms and met his gaze with a stern look. "And if I win, then I am yours. Though I do request that you forget my true identity, for both our sakes."
Cinder looked to Azure as well, awaiting her response. As Azure stayed silent, seemingly pondering, Cinder looked to the tribe as a whole, all of them of one mind. Do it, their expressions read.
Azure raised her head. "So be it."
Cinder took a deep breath. Well, at least it'll be one-on-one, she thought as she met his cold, angry, red-eyed gaze. The man had only one arm, was completely without his armor, and was bereft of Lone Talon, yet he did not seem weakened at all. Images of the past flashed in her mind. Images of when they first met, and he had almost struck her down in a single strike shortly after she had "reunited" with her stepsister. Images of their second battle at Haven in which her newfound strength only rendered him even stronger. Images of her trial in which she was utterly helpless before him. Images of the final battle in which she was still helpless where her friends had almost lost their lives. Images of her stepsister who seemed to worship this man. She clenched her fists as the grounds cleared, giving them space.
"Cinder, are you sure about this?" Mercury asked.
"Yeah," She said as she summoned forth her dark flames. They swirled violently around her right forearm. "I need to do this. I'll do this for the three of us."
Owain smiled, much to her surprise. "Don't disappoint me like all those times before, "Cinder". August would be so disappointed."
The way he said her name irked her. And then there was that again. August...the other Warrior. What is Owain suggesting? She tossed aside the question. It was a question for another time. A time when she won and Owain was down on his knees, broken and battered before her. The flames swirled around even stronger. A time when she would finally rid the world of him.
Author's Note: Lost track of time, so I don't remember how many weeks this one took. Also, I'll admit that I chose August's name before the After the Fall novel, so I stuck with it anyway, because I like the name, and coming up with an appropriate name for him was freakin hard. Owain, Nero, and Albus were super easy by comparison. So for him I chose a name that could reference power in some way, which will make sense later on.
Anyways! Hope you enjoyed! Yang's arc's improvements will be coming soon! It's just a ton of editing and I'm also waiting for Volume 7 to end to find out what happens. Other than that, questions, comments, and anything is welcome!